The Renfroe Scoop

2025-02-09

Remodel Your Home Into a Center of Gospel Learning

"The new home-centered, Church-supported integrated curriculum has the potential to unleash the power of families, as each family follows through conscientiously and carefully to transform their home into a sanctuary of faith. I promise that as you diligently work to remodel your home into a center of gospel learning, over time your Sabbath days will truly be a delight. Your children will be excited to learn and to live the Savior’s teachings, and the influence of the adversary in your life and in your home will decrease. Changes in your family will be dramatic and sustaining." -President Russell M. Nelson, "Becoming Exemplary Latter-day Saints," October 2018 closing remarks

These words of President Nelson had a really deep impact on me when I heard them. I knew he did not mean "remodel" in only one way, but I felt impressed that we needed to make our living room a beautiful space. I was literally thinking of the temple and how it is not just a spiritually uplifting atmosphere--it is also a physically beautiful space.

This thought persisted, and those two phrases "transform your home into a sanctuary of faith" and "remodel your home into a center of gospel learning" kept playing in my mind for months. I talked about it a lot with Allen and we decided to save up to "remodel" our main living area, about a year after this talk was given in November of 2019.

We replaced our broken front door, installed new flooring (with generous help and instruction from our brother Rich!), and purchased a pretty, white shelving unit that fit perfectly, making better use of our small space.

Look how small that room is!

We could never have done it without Rich--he came for three
days and taught Allen how to install flooring. It was so kind!

Fast forward four months from when our "remodel" was complete.

We were sitting in our "new," peaceful living room, as Truman and Brigham blessed and passed the sacrament, during the beginning days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

I felt an overpowering, confirming witness that our Father in Heaven had guided us to "remodel" our home--and that physical, temporal spaces and spiritual, holy spaces can actually be one and the same. We did not go into debt for this remodel, and we took our time and performed the labor ourselves--to transform our living room into a living ordinance room . . . without ever guessing that we would be partaking of the sacrament and renewing covenants for many months in that very space.

We bought this end table at a thrift store and
Allen sanded and repainted it. It ended up
becoming our sacrament table.

Allen preparing the sacrament. Truman is 18 and Brigham 15

Our Father in Heaven speaks to us so subtly, so personally. I am grateful that I allowed the words of the prophet to pierce my understanding and sink into my heart, leading to a course of action that I never would have thought could even come from heaven.

Remember when Oliver Cowdery said "Here were days never to be forgotten" about those early days of translating the Book of Mormon? That's how I feel about those sacred Sundays during the pandemic--they were "truly a delight" as President Nelson promised. As awful and scary and serious and unsettling as that time was--we felt peace each week as we worshipped together at home, and not only on Sundays.

Reflecting on this experience fills my heart with such gratitude! It also reminds me, five years later, that I need to care for my physical space and clear out clutter, because "all things unto [God] are spiritual" (Doctrine & Covenants 29:34).

I am so grateful for prophets on the earth. Listening to their words, with my ears and with my spirit and with my heart, continues to bless my life and help me to feel peace, even in the middle of such a tumultuous world.

January 2020
New floors, rugs, shelving, and TV. Couch, chairs,
basket, lamp, tables and curtains from the thrift store

February 8th, 2025

2025-01-14

Twenty-Twenty-Five!

I spent some time at the end of December downloading and organizing all of the conference addresses President Nelson has given since becoming President of the church.

I need to download his #GiveThanks address
and bring the total to forty-one

There are 40 separate conference addresses (including opening and closing remarks—but even those are totally talks—he never "just" announces temples—he also gives encouragement and pronounces blessings and reminds us of promises . . . and is just awesome and powerful in general). I got each speech organized in a playlist and then loaded them on my phone.

I've been listening to one every morning and it has made such a noticeable difference in my day, every day. I have always loved conference talks and they are a regular part of my study (there are a few I have listened to and read so many times that I have them memorized, like "Mothers Who Know"), but listening to the prophet every single morning of this new year has blessed me with the gift of discernment on a micro-level that I could not have predicted. It has been so humbling and impactful.

In just the last three weeks, I've been making little changes and course corrections: one of them was to remove social media from my phone. It's just been lovely--I have felt less withdrawals from both Instagram and Facebook than I sometimes have in the past. And WHOA, I am embarrassed how much more time I seem to have. I am still utilizing Facebook on my computer, but only for what I need it for (church and community business, putting things up for sale on marketplace, et cetera).

It has been interesting and eye-opening to re-listen to President Nelson's addresses that he delivered during the pandemic. I can't believe it has been five years since the world was changed so drastically. I am hearing these messages through a different lens than when they were given, picking up new insights and noticing different angles. With hindsight, it is incredible to witness just how, well, prophetic these messages are. It has strengthened my testimony of prophets and of revelation.

When I reach talk number 40, I'm just going to start all over again—I can listen to each of his addresses nine times this year if I do one a day.

2024-12-16

2024 in a Nutshell

2024 was a great year of personal growth for each of us, and we are so thankful for Jesus Christ, who is the “High Priest of Good Things to Come”! (Hebrews 9:11)

Renfroe Family 2024, selfie taken with Becca's iPhone 12
at Hooper Park in Soda Springs during a Sunday family walk

Calvin (13) is no longer a boy—he’s a strapping young lad and a half-inch shy of surpassing his mom and sister in height. He loves drawing and has filled stacks of sketchbooks (paper and digital) with his amazing (if sometimes creepy) art. Calvin is a chopper and stacker of wood, an enthusiastic chef with quite a grown-up palate, and a loyal friend and brother. He’s also gotten pretty quick-witted and can hold his own with his funny older siblings. He is not shy about sharing his spiritual feelings and is both thoughtful and thought-full.

Mollie (17) ran cross country again this Fall, setting a personal record at the state cross country meet! She excels at balancing time with friends and time alone (she needs both), enjoys cruising around in her cute little red truck (she’s more practiced with a shiftstick than most adults), and loves seminary, music, reading, art, and funny reels. Mollie has her own key to the church because she is the ward organist 1-2 times a month; she is a diligent practicer and lovely accompanist—her spirit and testimony shine through her music.

Brigham (20) has had a year of WORK: he had jobs at a stationer’s shop, a lawncare company, and Doordash, spent five dirty, exhausting weeks working potato harvest, and sold garbage service and high-speed internet in Minnesota, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Pennsylvania—all while going to school, dating a bouquet of college girls, running regularly, playing footsall (indoor soccer—who knew?), and aspiring to be a gym rat. He is a firm believer in professional counseling, and an even firmer believer in trusting in the Savior.

Truman (23) is absolutely in love with his chosen field of study: nursing. His grades have never been better and he gets so excited to talk about what he’s learning. He continues to be service-oriented and selfless—he gave his mom his car when her minivan died, acting like it’s no big deal and readily gushing about the money he’s saving money by walking and biking around Rexburg. Truman worked two summer jobs and we loved having him home—we benefit from both his calming presence and his ability to reach the really high shelves.

Allen (47) and Becca (45) had a great year of work and play, sorrow and joy. Lots of kayaking, biking, and hiking together rounded out the sometimes mundane and difficult aspects of adulthood. We love where we live and are so grateful for countless blessings and mercies. Our whole family was saddened in April by the loss of Allen’s younger sister, Kathryn. We miss her fun-loving personality, contagious enthusiasm, and peace-promoting spirit. This loss has deepened our faith in our Redeemer, whose purpose is bring to pass eternal life with our loved ones. We have felt a confirming witness that we will see Kathryn again, because of He whose birth we are celebrating—our Savior, Jesus Christ.

See all past Nutshells here.

2024-09-05

2024 Books

2024 Totals:

Number of Books: 64

Pages: 16,452

Audiobooks: 52 hours, 26 minutes

New Favorites: Sipsworth, by Simon Van Body; Hattie Big Sky, by Kirby Larson; For Better or For Worse, entire canon, by Lynn Johnston; David Copperfield, by Charles Dickens; Emily Wilde’s Encyclopedia of Faeries, by Heather Fawcett; Running with Sherman, Chris MacDougall; North to Night, by Alvah Simon

Old Favorites: Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Tofu and T-Rex

Favorite Vocab Words:

mouchoir- a French word that translates to "handkerchief" in English. It is pronounced "moo-shwar"
Baader-Meinhof phenomenon: a cognitive bias in which a person notices a specific concept, word, or product more frequently after recently becoming aware of it. The name "Baader–Meinhof phenomenon" was coined in 1994 by Terry Mullen in a letter to the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

I can't fix the weird format mistakes in this post. At the end of the year when the post starts getting really long, the format develops glitches and takes forever to update. It's incredibly annoying.

The Two-Minute Christian Meditation: Regularly practice a two-minute meditation in which you focus and ponder on the life, death, and resurrection of the Savior and how they bless you. (30)
Although finding peace through perspective is simple, it isn’t necessarily easy – we must actively cultivate gratitude. This is partly because we become quickly accustomed to our blessings and take them for granted. Even if we get the thing we think will really make us happy, within a short time we expected and want something else. If we’re not careful, yesterday‘s hopes become today’s blessings and then turn into tomorrow’s entitlement. (38)

62. The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, book 8 (2024.12.21)

Author: Beth Brower

Pages: 356

Published: 2024 (paperbackgate! Club 193!)

Genre: fiction / journal / Victorian England / relationships / humour / love story/ womanhood /

And the effort did indeed leave me with a sense of clarity. For I woke this morning feeling more like fresh, wind blown linen. Which is to say cheerful, light, and a little wrinkled. (36)
Question: Ought I read the papers more than I do? Answer: Likely. However: Books.(54)
As for Pierce, he placed the entire debacle in perspective with a few deft sentences. "Gossip and meanness have a way of making one feel beaten down, but they themselves are of small origin. They have no character. So keep yours intact and carry on." (78)
“The sunshine has been nice,” I said like a lame horse, hobbling my way through a field of rabbit holes. (98)
I intend to drop serenity, if I can catch it. (186)
One can love many places and still miss home (247)
A day without restraints, nature spending miles and miles on herself. No one fussing over ones whereabouts or schedule or preferences. All day I walked, the wide brimmed straw hat on my head, white blouse and decorously rolled up at the sleeves. (251)