I am Sister Bethany Cottle. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ

What does your banner say about you? What do people see...? A mother...a smoker...a workaholic...a father...a lawyer....a drinker....a daughter...a son... Do they see you as relaible? Honest? Faithful? Willing to sacrifice? Confident?

I am Sister Bethany Cottle. I am a disciple of Jesus Christ.

"I am part of the Fellowship of the Unashamed. The dye has been cast.

I Have stepped over the line. The decision has been made. I am a disciple of

Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is

redeemed, by present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished

and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams,

tamed visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarf goals. I no longer need
pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don't have to
be rgiht, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded. I now live by
faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and
labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven. My
road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable,

my mission is clear. I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away,

divided, or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the
presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at
the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up,

shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause

of Christ. I must go till He comes, five till I drop, preach till all know, and

work till He stops me. And when he returns for His own, He will have no

problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear."

Whatever your banner use to say or does say, you can change it. The past can't be undone, but it can be forgotten, and the present can be changed. You can change your banner, so that when Christ comes, "He will have no problem recognizing you..."  I'm dedicating my life to Christ, forever. I will not go back to who I once was, or who the world might think I should be, or the things I should do.. It's about sacrifice, it's about time, its about showing our love and our gratitude for the one who gave us all, the one who gave  His life, so that we could gain ours. And when He does come, He will have no problem recocnizing who I am. My banner IS set clear.

Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration

http://mormonchannel.org/joseph?lang=eng

This is probably one of my favorite church movies! I love the Joseph Smith movie. It makes me so much more grateful every time I watch it for what Joseph Smith did, and went through, so that we could have all the things we have. Like the Book of Mormon, the Priesthood, Temples, and much much more! I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God, and that through him Jesus Christ was able to restore is Gospel on the earth again. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, it is another testament of Jesus Christ, and as we read it we will become closer to him, and we will come to know more of our purpose here on this earth. I know that through the Priesthood authority, the same authority that Christ had when he was on the earth, that we can be sealed for time and all eternity with our families. I love my Savior Jesus Christ, I know He lives!

"Hope, the Anchor to MY soul!"

"The word hope is sometimes misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty. For example, we may say that we hope for a change in the weather or a visit from a friend. In the the language of the gospel, however, the word hope is sure, unwavering, and active."

What is hope? What do we have left to hope for?

Divorce rates are sky rocketing. Families are being torn apart. Satan is doing all he can to make us doubt, to cause discouragment, and decievingly causing us to see there is no hope. Which is a lie. A BIG FAT lie. There is so much to hope for, there is so much to look forward to.

In the Book of Mormon, in Ether 12:4 it says, "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."

"Hope is the anchor to our souls." So what is the anchor? In Heleman 5:12, it says "...remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty strom shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation wheron if men build they cannot fall."

That anchor, is Christ. He is the one who will calm the seas, He is who gives us hope for the future, hope for "a better world." I remember a couple of years ago my family and I were in the Carribbean on a cruise. We went parasailing. And the day we went it was windy and cloudy. We went out on this little speed boat, and I thought I was going to die. I get really bad motion sickness so it really wasn't the funnest thing in the world for me. But this experience reminded me of an instance in the Bilbe when Christ calmed the sea:

Matthew 8:23-26 "And when he was entered into a ship, his disciples followed him. And behold, there arose a great tempest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep. And his disciples came to him, and awoke him, saying, Lord, save us: we perish. And he saith unto them, Why are ye fearful, O ye of little faith: Then he arose, and rebuked the winds and the sea; and there was a great calm."

Your probably thinking well what does your experience have to do with Christ calming the sea. Because I can't say that Christ came and calmed the storm. Just like in our lives, Christ doesn't always come and calm the storm. "Sometimes, God calms the storm, but sometimes God calms the child and lets the storm rage on." I didn't die parasailing, I made it through. It wasn't easy, but it was worth it. No matter what we are going through, good or bad, challenging or simple, there is HOPE, He is always there.

Christ is our anchor, He is our hope. Through Christ we can find peace, we can find happiness, we can find eternal joy. He loves us. He died for you, and for me.

"...these things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world." John 16:33

There will always be tribulations in our lives, but Christ has overcome every single one of them. The atonement of Jesus Christ has changed my life, it's given me HOPE for my life, and the lives of those I love. I know that Jesus Christ lives, He does love us, and he died for us. This Gospel is a Gospel of HOPE!