Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples

For those of you who don't know my church has a general conference for members worldwide twice a year where our church leaders speak. I felt inspired by several talks this year, particularly the one entitled "Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples" by Elder Gary E. Stevenson. http://lds.org/conference/talk/display/0,5232,23-1-1032-31,00.html Vince and I had been spending a great deal of time in the temple this year and we could see and feel in ourselves what Elder Stevenson was suggesting in the beginning of his talk.

I thought this part was very insightful: "Imagine that you are opening your front door and walking inside your home. What do you see, and how do you feel? Is it a place of love, peace, and refuge from the world, as is the temple? Is it clean and orderly? As you walk through the rooms of your home, do you see uplifting images which include appropriate pictures of the temple and the Savior? Is your bedroom or sleeping area a place for personal prayer? Is your gathering area or kitchen a place where food is prepared and enjoyed together, allowing uplifting conversation and family time? Are scriptures found in a room where the family can study, pray, and learn together? Can you find your personal gospel study space? Does the music you hear or the entertainment you see, online or otherwise, offend the Spirit? Is the conversation uplifting and without contention? That concludes our tour. Perhaps you, as I, found a few spots that need some “home improvement”—hopefully not an “extreme home makeover.”

Yes, I can see where our house needs a bit of improvement and I have started working on a few things. But in the last couple of weeks as I have been pondering (or trying to ponder) about what I should do to make our home more sacred I have wondered if some of the questions should be:

"Does ever family member own a good set of ear plugs? Do they have a specific window that is theirs to look out and not have to share? Is there a cereal box for each child to read for breakfast each morning? As parents, do you keep a rigid schedule of who sits where and when for church, family prayer, family home evening, dinner, breakfast, game night....? Have you established rules about who is allowed to look at whom?"

I'm sure several of you have more helpful ideas...