July 12th 2014 my little Ivy was baptized a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints! I am so pleased with the choice she made and the sweet spirit she is developing! It was a beautiful day full of family and friends and lots of yummy food!
It was especially nice to have my parents (who are serving as mission presidents in Ghana) be able to be there via video chat! I know it meant a lot to Ivy to see them be there, for her very special day.
It was a very simple program, Ivy said she only wanted one talk... and she asked that i give it. So after thinking it over for a few weeks, this is what i came up with...
Once upon a time, there was a princess who had forgotten who she really was. She was very kind and loved to bake, sing and paint. she also loved animals and even had a pet lizard! Each year, around her birthday she stayed up late into the night so she could gaze out her window as thousands of lights filled the sky.
Do you know which princess I’m talking about? (Rapunzel) Ivy you are and Rapunzel have a lot in common huh!!
just Like Rapunzel, we come to Earth, and forget who we really are. We sometimes see glimpses of our divine potential, but we don’t really remember where we came from before we were born.
Now, Rapunzel had a father. Do you remember who he was? (The king)
You have a daddy here on earth who loves you so much. But did you know you also have a father who is a King? Heavenly Father is the King of kings and you are His spirit daughter. So that makes you a princess, too!!
And every princess needs something sparkly to wear to help her remember she is a daughter of a king!
because heavenly father wants you to remember him! and how much he loves you! and that you are his special one of a kind creation, and he has a design for your life that is uniquely yours!.. just like this snowflake!
Today, you have made a very good choice that Heavenly Father is very proud of: to be baptized.
When you are baptized, you promise Heavenly Father that you will follow His commandments, and take his name upon you!(which mean you are going to be an example of him and act like one of his princess) to be kind and loving, obedient and faithful!
In return, He makes promises to you, too.
He promises to:
- always forgive you when you repent
- to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you
- and that you can return to live with Him forever.
now that you have decided to join the royal ranks you get to go through some princess training…. we are gonna use the help of some of our other princess friends to help you understand a little more about this special day….
can you think of a princess who had to do a lot of cleaning, serving and chores? (Cinderella!!)
well guess what Today you are going to do a bit of cleaning too.
When Cinderella cleans her home, she dusts, mops and makes the windows sparkle. But when you get baptized, something much more important than dust gets cleaned away.
What do you think it is? (Your sins).
That’s right. All of the mistakes you've made are washed away when you get baptized and you become clean and pure.
It’s a beautiful gift from Heavenly Father!! but it takes faith and trust, and maybe a little bit pixie dust :)
Do you think princesses ever make mistakes? (i bet they do). . I’ll tell you a little secret —Even though I’m a grown up and a mommy, I still make mistakes, sometimes every day.
but Right after you’re baptized, you are going to be clean, with no mistakes!! But do you think you might ever make a mistake again? (Maybe/probably) But if you do, no worries!! because, remember that one of the things Heavenly Father promises, is that if you repent, then he will always forgive you. no matter how many times you make a mistake, he is always there to help you up and dust you off and guide you right back on the path towards your very own happily ever after! and every time you take the sacrament its like you are taking out that feather duster and cleaning away all those little sins that pile up during the week. that's pretty neat huh!
did you know that there was someone who lived a perfect life with no mistakes in it?.... Jesus!!
was Jesus baptized? yes he was! but if he was perfect why do you think he needed to baptized ?
the scripture tell us it was to “fulfill all righteousness”, and to show an example of obedience to heavenly father, for us to follow… and you choosing to be baptized today, just like Jesus, is showing your obedience and love to heavenly father! and i think that makes him happy.
do you think that it's sometimes hard to be obedient? and to always choose the right?
yeah… but you know what? with Jesus help we can do hard things!
that reminds me of a princess who had to go through some pretty hard times? she got lost in the freezing snow, got chased by wolves and a snow monster, her own sister froze her heart, and then on top of it all found out her prince charming wasn't really that nice a guy?... poor anna!!
now sometimes our lives here on earth, can feel a little overwhelming, and sometimes we might even get our hearts broken..and we will have to face difficult challenges to help us learn and grow.—but the good news is there will always be people who love you very much to help you get through your journey…. Anna had Kristoff, and Sven, and Olaf, Who do you think some of those loving helper people for you might be?
family/ Parents/brother/grandmas and grandpas
aunts and uncles, your cousins
Friends
Church leaders
Heavenly Father
and the holy ghost!
lets talk a little about the holy ghost…
now the holy ghost speaks to everyone in his own special way, sometimes you feel him in your heart, or with feelings, sometimes you will hear a still small voice, sometimes he will place a thought or idea in your head…sometimes he will guide you to just the right scripture... its fun to learn how the holy ghost speaks to you!! and the gift of the holy ghost can be with you all the time! to help you know what is right and what is wrong, to comfort you when you feel sad, and to warm up your heart when you need it the most! to help lead you to forgive and to be forgiven. he is a very special friend and as long as you are trying your best to be and do good he will stay right by your side!
there is one more princess i want to talk about... she loves to read good books! she is very smart and very kind, and loves to learn and share the things she knows with others. who is it?…. Belle!!
now there’s one very special book you can read that will help you become closer to your heavenly father and live like a true daughter of God….
The scriptures. its the best book you could ever read, because it has all the answers you will ever need to know about your heavenly father, and the plan of happiness he has in store for you! its pages are full of great stories and examples, and tell of Jesus and his love for you! and as your testimony of his love grows, you can share that love with other people! so that they too, can learn of heavenly father's love for them!
i have a lovely scripture that i would like to share with you:...
john 15: 10-12
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
You are a beautiful daughter of God, Ivy Janee . The things that make you beautiful are your smile, your laughter, your kindness to others, your desire to do good. and the love you have in your heart for heavenly father. and I know that Heavenly Father is so proud of you and loves you very much.
Today, I want to share with you that I know the gospel is true. That it can bring you peace, comfort, and joy. even when life gets hard!
i know that the holy ghost is real! and that if you are trying your best he will guide and help you through this life. I’m so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and that He was willing to both live as an example and also die for us so that we can have the opportunity to learn and grow here on Earth and then one day return to live with him and with our families in a glorious happily ever after! i believe these things with all my heart, and i say them In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Once upon a time, there was a princess who had forgotten who she really was. She was very kind and loved to bake, sing and paint. she also loved animals and even had a pet lizard! Each year, around her birthday she stayed up late into the night so she could gaze out her window as thousands of lights filled the sky.
Do you know which princess I’m talking about? (Rapunzel) Ivy you are and Rapunzel have a lot in common huh!!
just Like Rapunzel, we come to Earth, and forget who we really are. We sometimes see glimpses of our divine potential, but we don’t really remember where we came from before we were born.
Now, Rapunzel had a father. Do you remember who he was? (The king)
You have a daddy here on earth who loves you so much. But did you know you also have a father who is a King? Heavenly Father is the King of kings and you are His spirit daughter. So that makes you a princess, too!!
And every princess needs something sparkly to wear to help her remember she is a daughter of a king!
because heavenly father wants you to remember him! and how much he loves you! and that you are his special one of a kind creation, and he has a design for your life that is uniquely yours!.. just like this snowflake!
Today, you have made a very good choice that Heavenly Father is very proud of: to be baptized.
When you are baptized, you promise Heavenly Father that you will follow His commandments, and take his name upon you!(which mean you are going to be an example of him and act like one of his princess) to be kind and loving, obedient and faithful!
In return, He makes promises to you, too.
He promises to:
- always forgive you when you repent
- to give you the gift of the Holy Ghost to guide you
- and that you can return to live with Him forever.
now that you have decided to join the royal ranks you get to go through some princess training…. we are gonna use the help of some of our other princess friends to help you understand a little more about this special day….
can you think of a princess who had to do a lot of cleaning, serving and chores? (Cinderella!!)
well guess what Today you are going to do a bit of cleaning too.
When Cinderella cleans her home, she dusts, mops and makes the windows sparkle. But when you get baptized, something much more important than dust gets cleaned away.
What do you think it is? (Your sins).
That’s right. All of the mistakes you've made are washed away when you get baptized and you become clean and pure.
It’s a beautiful gift from Heavenly Father!! but it takes faith and trust, and maybe a little bit pixie dust :)
Do you think princesses ever make mistakes? (i bet they do). . I’ll tell you a little secret —Even though I’m a grown up and a mommy, I still make mistakes, sometimes every day.
but Right after you’re baptized, you are going to be clean, with no mistakes!! But do you think you might ever make a mistake again? (Maybe/probably) But if you do, no worries!! because, remember that one of the things Heavenly Father promises, is that if you repent, then he will always forgive you. no matter how many times you make a mistake, he is always there to help you up and dust you off and guide you right back on the path towards your very own happily ever after! and every time you take the sacrament its like you are taking out that feather duster and cleaning away all those little sins that pile up during the week. that's pretty neat huh!
did you know that there was someone who lived a perfect life with no mistakes in it?.... Jesus!!
was Jesus baptized? yes he was! but if he was perfect why do you think he needed to baptized ?
the scripture tell us it was to “fulfill all righteousness”, and to show an example of obedience to heavenly father, for us to follow… and you choosing to be baptized today, just like Jesus, is showing your obedience and love to heavenly father! and i think that makes him happy.
do you think that it's sometimes hard to be obedient? and to always choose the right?
yeah… but you know what? with Jesus help we can do hard things!
that reminds me of a princess who had to go through some pretty hard times? she got lost in the freezing snow, got chased by wolves and a snow monster, her own sister froze her heart, and then on top of it all found out her prince charming wasn't really that nice a guy?... poor Anna!!
now sometimes our lives here on earth, can feel a little overwhelming, and sometimes we might even get our hearts broken..and we will have to face difficult challenges to help us learn and grow.—but the good news is there will always be people who love you very much to help you get through your journey…. Anna had Kristoff, and Sven, and Olaf, Who do you think some of those loving helper people for you might be?
family/ Parents/brother/grandmas and grandpas
aunts and uncles, your cousins
Friends
Church leaders
Heavenly Father
and the holy ghost!
lets talk a little about the holy ghost…
now the holy ghost speaks to everyone in his own special way, sometimes you feel him in your heart, or with feelings, sometimes you will hear a still small voice, sometimes he will place a thought or idea in your head…sometimes he will guide you to just the right scripture... its fun to learn how the holy ghost speaks to you!! and the gift of the holy ghost can be with you all the time! to help you know what is right and what is wrong, to comfort you when you feel sad, and to warm up your heart when you need it the most! to help lead you to forgive and to be forgiven. he is a very special friend and as long as you are trying your best to be and do good he will stay right by your side!
there is one more princess i want to talk about... she loves to read good books! she is very smart and very kind, and loves to learn and share the things she knows with others. who is it?…. Belle!!
now there’s one very special book you can read that will help you become closer to your heavenly father and live like a true daughter of God….
The scriptures. its the best book you could ever read, because it has all the answers you will ever need to know about your heavenly father, and the plan of happiness he has in store for you! its pages are full of great stories and examples, and tell of Jesus and his love for you! and as your testimony of his love grows, you can share that love with other people! so that they too, can learn of heavenly father's love for them!
i have a lovely scripture that i would like to share with you:...
john 15: 10-12
10 If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love.
11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.
You are a beautiful daughter of God, Ivy Janee Lyman. The things that make you beautiful are your smile, your laughter, your kindness to others, your desire to do good. and the love you have in your heart for heavenly father. and I know that Heavenly Father is so proud of you and loves you very much.
Today, I want to share with you that I know the gospel is true. That it can bring you peace, comfort, and joy. even when life gets hard!
i know that the holy ghost is real! and that if you are trying your best he will guide and help you through this life. I’m so grateful for our Savior Jesus Christ and that He was willing to both live as an example and also die for us so that we can have the opportunity to learn and grow here on Earth and then one day return to live with him and with our families in a glorious happily ever after! i believe these things with all my heart, and i say them In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
after words Ivy said it was the best talk she ever heard!! and other then "getting dunked" said it was her favorite part of the baptism! :)
while i was looking for resources for the talk, i came across a song that i loved so much, and thought it went perfectly with the theme, so i used it as a video musical number and slide show.
happily ever after
by Jenny Phillips
Once upon a time
A child was born into this life
Heaven could be seen in her eyes
There was no doubt she was divine
And if you are still you will feel the truth
That the princess in this wondrous story is you
[Chorus]
It's your time
It's your destiny to shine
So arise
Be true to the royal
That's inside of you
Don't settle for the story that
The world would have you write
You were born to reach eternal life
Let faith fill every chapter
Let the Savior lead you to
Happily ever after
Sometimes in your life
The world will cast a spell
And try to make your conscience fall asleep
And forget the woman God would have you be
But if you are still you will understand
The noble role you play in his plan
[Chorus]
[Bridge]
When the forests fills with darkness
And wolves seek your soul
Just know
You are simply in the place between
Your once upon a time and your triumph in the end
It's your time
It's your destiny to shine
So arise
Be true to the royal
That's inside of you
Don't settle for the story that
The world would have you write
You were born to reach eternal life
Let faith fill every chapter
Let the Savior lead you to
Happily ever after
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