When I Was the Stranger . . .

As I listened to THIS talk this afternoon, I thought about these words of the Savior,

"I was a stranger, and ye took me in." 

For the first time I realized that there have been times in my life when I have been the stranger.

When I was hungry to know if going on a mission was really the right thing to do (I had my mission call and everything!), a well-respected man walked into my workplace, began a conversation with me, and left me with these words, "I wish my wife had served a mission for the sole purpose of the unique, self-tailored experiences she would have received." I knew it was the right thing for me to do.

When I was thirsty for spiritual water, a sweet sister in our ward who had eight children of her own, watched my five under five once a week so I could attend an Institute class.

When I felt naked and exposed to a pain I could hardly bear, a sister from the ward reached out and invited me to join in a neighborhood "playdate" group. While she didn't know how much I hated playdates, her friendship was healing balm to my deeply troubled soul.

I became sick with complications right after delivering my ninth child. While in emergency surgery, dear friends and precious family members prayed and exercised faith. I woke up in ICU surrounded by my concerned husband, my caring sister, and a cherished friend who had lost her husband a year prior and had yet to step into another hospital since his passing. I am still overcome with feelings of humble gratitude for the powerful love of wonderful people in my life.

When our family was made a prisoner to the housing crash in 2008, my visiting teaching companion became our landlord, blessing our family with experiences and deep friendships that set us free in so many ways.

Yes, I have been a stranger, and I was taken in.

Good Friday

This is what happened to me on this Good Friday:

1. I sold a dresser for $40 to two middle-eastern looking and sounding men who made no comment when my eight year old son bid them farewell by saying, "And I hope you both have a Good Friday today!"

2. My nine year old daughter shared this Isaiah scripture with us during family scriptures . .  "All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all..." and then asked, but what does sheep have to do with the Savior? It made for a sweet discussion.

3. Ordering nine sundaes with nine different toppings while going through the drive through takes a piece of paper and a pencil and a whole lot of repeating.

6. As I read THIS today, I learned that even through the Savior's darkest moments, all glory went to His Father.  Which made me ask myself if I am doing the same.

5. My 12 year old son learned the hard way that removing his seatbelt while going through the drive through can lead to both a sore head and a cracked windshield when mom needs to brake abruptly so as not to hit the car who is oblivious to the traffic exiting the drive thru.

4. I'm learning that Good Friday is good because Sunday will come.

Family Home Evening - Charity, the Pure love of Christ

We gave each family member the assignment to study about charity.  We actually gave the assignment about 30 minutes before our lesson because if we had given it any sooner (a week, a day, an hour before, for example), it would have been forgotten.

Here's what we did.

1. Everyone took a moment to share ONE principle they discovered about Charity.

2. We read aloud the following about Charity.  We read each paragraph one at a time, but we read it twice.  We were to write down anything we learned or felt from that paragraph.  Then, we briefly discussed what we learned before moving on to the next one.

3. We worked in pairs for the next activity.  We took a piece of paper and divided it in half.  One one side we examined the definition of Charity in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 and on the other side Moroni 7:45-46.  We shared in partners the things that were the same and different and why.

4. Finally, we discussed together why having Charity is so important and how we receive it.

Each of us discovered something important about Charity. 

One of my sons made a very insightful observation, "One cannot have charity towards the things of the world." 

Another son remarked that Charity is not service.  Rather, service is a vehicle by which charity can be felt.

For me, I am in the process of learning why Charity is a bestowed gift.  Perhaps the Savior's charge to "watch and pray" can pertain to Charity. For if I do not watch and pray, as another of my sons taught me, I could mistakenly begin to love and embrace the sin or hate and despise the sinner.  Both of which are contrary to the pure love God has for all His children.

Family Home Evening - Portavoz

Some time ago I wrote HERE about prophets being a portavoz.  Tonight for Family Home Evening our lesson/activity helped us better understand how hearing the prophet's voice has meaning and application.

We identified different prophets: Noah, Nephi, Paul, Isaiah, Alma.  (You could put the names of different prophets in a bowl and have family members pick them out one by one and share what the prophet taught during his ministry).

We discussed what each prophet's message was to their people.

My husband asked, "When you read the words of Moses or Nephi or Mormon, can you hear their voices or do you just hear your own?" (I confess, I only hear my own voice when I read, but some of my children have said they have, on occasion, been able to hear those teachings in the voice of the prophet's).

With General Conference literally at our fingertips, my husband took the liberty to see how well we knew the voices of our prophets, seers, and revelators.  We each had a paper and pencil, numbered our papers 1 - 10 and we were given a 2-3 second sound bite from this weekend's General Conference.

I was pretty amazed at how well my children did - particularly the younger ones!

We then were able to testify that when we listen to, study and ponder the words of living prophets, we will hear their voice testify to us those things we need to know in these last days as we prepare for the Lord's coming!

Don't you LOVE General Conference?!

Family Home Evening - The Worth of A Soul

We took our lesson from HERE.

Here's what we did:

Place the same number of the same fruit or vegetable in a bowl as you have members in your family. (We used potatoes.  You can use apples or oranges or zucchini, for example).

Give everyone a blindfold and have them put it on.

Pass the bowl around and have everyone choose a potato.  Since I was giving the lesson, I placed an initial using a watercolor marker on each potato after it was chosen.

We gave 2-3 minutes for everyone to examine and get to know their potato with their hands. (30 seconds into it I had to tell everyone that this activity was going to be a silent one because everyone had a silly comment to make).

I gathered the potatoes and then randomly passed them out.  The goal was for each person to find "their" potato.  I was AMAZED that everyone found 'their' potato!  Even the one person who didn't know for sure, ended up with the right one because everyone else knew FOR SURE they had their potato!

We read THIS scripture and invited family members to share experiences of how we have known that God knows us and values us.

Butt of the Devil and Other Happenings the First Week of Summer Vacation

On our first day of the first week of Summer Vacation, we went BIG and switched all the boys' bedrooms around, which, I should mention, is not for the faint of heart! Because it means laundry up the wazoo (including bed linens that haven't been washed for HOW LONG?!?!), bags and bags and bags of clothes to take to the thrift store, and more than just a sneak peek of what was really hidden under their beds.

This week we hit Costco several times.  For food samples.  Right around the time I should have been feeding them lunch. Costco always does such a great job on bringing the variety - and the clean up was so worth it.

We all signed up for the Summer Reading Program at our county library.  The younger children were totally motivated by the food prizes. The teenagers finally consented when they found out that they had more options than just reading for 20 minutes a day (like downloading music and watching a DVD).

We found time to make some family favorites for dinner: Navajo Tacos, Crepes (with vanilla pudding/chocolate powdered sugar and chicken salad/white sauce as fillings); Pancakes (with eggs and sausage), S'mores, and hot-off-the-grill Hamburgers!

And conveniently interspersed throughout this perfect sounding first week, we've dealt with CONTENTION  or, as we unaffectionately refer to it in our family, the "butt of the devil." This absolutely repulsive phrase came about, on accident, during a Family Home Evening, when one of our sons planned a scripture chase for our activity.  After giving us clues to about five or six scripture references and getting frustrated that we were finding them too quickly, he decided to give us clues that were not so apparent. For example, instead of saying "I will go and do" as a clue, he gave "He shall prepare a way."  Instead of  saying "born of water and spirit," he clued us with "he cannot enter." And, for "contention is not of Me" we got "but . . . of the devil."  And with a houseful of kids it was immediately translated to "butt of the devil." And it stuck. like. glue.

So in an effort to rid our home from this awful plague, I've had to individually sit down with each child and help them recognize the triggers that cause them to contention.  Each child has made a list of things they can do when the inkling of the spirit of contention begins to move upon them and another list of consequences they will undergo if they are found contending.  SIGH!  We will see how it works.  Along with a lot of prayer on my part.

Because as much as I love summer vacation, I despise the butt of the devil.

Family Home Evening - Restored Gospel Truths

This week, on April 6, marks the 183 years since The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was organized.

So here is what we did for Family Home Evening.

We gave a little historical background of the organization of The Church and then we talked about some of the truths that have been restored back to the earth through the Prophet Joseph Smith.

After our discussion, we allotted 5-7 minutes for each family member to 1) think of a restored gospel truth that has blessed their lives 2) find a scripture and/or teaching from Preach My Gospel related to that gospel truth and 3) draw a picture.

We then took turns in sharing our pictures, our scripture or a thought from Preach My Gospel, and why we have been blessed by that restored gospel truth.

And do you want to know what? Aside from being AMAZED at what my children chose and how they taught, NONE of us taught the same thing!  I found that amazing!

The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is amazing!!

(For younger children, you could have a picture representing different restored gospel truths and have each child choose on and then share 1) what they know about it and 2) how that restored truth has blessed your family!)

Family Home Evening - The Light of Christ

We watched this video for Family Home Evening.

In fact, we watched it twice.

The first time was just to watch.

The second time we watched it with the intention of taking notes about what we felt and what we learned so we could share it with each other.

And while we shared, I was very impressed with what our children were taught- even down to the six year old!

Here is just a snippet of what I learned from this short video:

* Light > Darkness
* Light = warmth
* Darkness = coolness/cold
* Darkness CANNOT overrule Light, for even a pinprick of light will dispell darkness
* Yielding to the Light of Christ = more and more brightness
* Not yielding to the Light of Christ = dimmer light, even to the extinguishing of it

Alma the Younger's experience found in Alma 36 is an excellent example of how the tiniest of light, even his remembering that his father prophesied of Jesus Christ opened Alma's mind and heart to more light.

For when Alma's mind caught a hold of that memory, he cries within his heart "O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy upon me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death."

And that when Light fills him with the SAME amount of joy that was as exceeding as his pain.

I also thought about the death of the Savior.

The very Light of the World was taken. And for at least for three days the earth was covered in a vapor of darkness. Light could not be seen.

But darkness CANNOT overrule Light.

And three days later, not only did Light return, but He also brought forth the morning of the glorious resurrection. The assurance that death is NOT the end and that the darkness of the grave will have no victory.

I TOTALLY Crossed the Line

I really couldn't help it when it was pointed out to me that on occasion it is okay to cross the line . . .

Of course I don't recommend this as a regular practice . . .

And it really depends on what line . . .

But here is the line that I crossed . . .

And I share with you what I discovered . . .



1) A surety that God's words do come to pass.

2 Nephi 25:4 and 7

2) Que sera, sera. Whatever will be, will be.  The future's not mine you see.  But I resolve to endure it well.

2 Nephi 28:2 and 7

3) Not only did God create ALL things, He created me.

Mosiah 4: 9 and 12

4) Charity = Christ = Charity

Moroni 7:38 and 44

5) He can show me all things, including those things that hurt me the most.  But when those things are let go, I can become like Him.

Moroni 10:29 and 32

6) And for my very favorite. These ten words are why I began blogging in the first place.

Moroni 7:26 and 31

Tidbit Tuesday - Iniquitious Rulers

"And behold, now I say unto you, ye cannot dethrone an iniquitous king (ruler) save it be through much contention, and the shedding of much blood.


"For behold, he has his friends in iniquity, and he keepeth his guards about him; and he teareth up the laws of those who have reigned in righteousness before him; and he trampleth under his feet the commandments of God;


"And he enacteth laws, and sendeth them forth among his people, yea, laws after the manner of his own wickedness; and whosoever doth not obey his laws he causeth to be destroyed; and whosoever doth rebel against him he will send his armies against them to war, and if he can he will destroy them; and thus an unrighteous king (ruler) doth pervert the ways of all righteousness."

-King Mosiah, about 92 B.C.
(Mosiah 29:21-23)

Day 5: Jesus is . . .

Jesus is the Fountain of Living Water

(John 4)

In the life there cannot be bread without water.

And the same is true in the gospel of Jesus Christ.
He is represented as the Bread of Life and equally, as Living Water.
* * *
In studying the Old Testament this year, I found it fascinating to read this about the creation and when water first fell on the earth.

And the Gods came down and formed these the generations of the heavens and of the earth, when they were formed in the day that the Gods formed the earth and the heavens,

According to all that which they had said concerning every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew; for the Gods had not caused it to rain upon the earth when they counseled to do them, and had not formed a man to till the ground.

But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground.

And the Gods formed man from the dust of the ground, and took his spirit (that is, the man’s spirit), and put it into him; and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul (Abraham 5:4-7).

* * *
Physically, our bodies cannot go three day without water and survive.
How physically symbolic then, are the three days the Savior’s body lay in a tomb before the miracle of the resurrection took place.
And spiritually symbolic, as the noble and great ones awaited in the Spirit World for the Savior to appear and bless and direct the work that would then begin for those who were not able to hear the gospel while in the flesh.
* * *
There are components of the gospel that fit together in pairs.
Some that come easily to my mind are:
Faith and Repentance.
Baptism and the Gift of the Holy Ghost.
Anointing and Sealing.
and of course, Bread and Water.
During our Sunday worship, partaking of the bread and water is the MOST important reason we as members of the Church attend Sacrament Meeting.
For in the bread - the representation His body, and in the water - the representation of the shedding of His blood - Tthe ordinance is made complete.
And this complete-ness, this whole-ness allows me to receive a remission of my sins.  It gives remembrance of my baptismal covenants and the responsibility for me to "Receive the Holy Ghost."
Elder David A. Bednar teaches this:

"These four words—“Receive the Holy Ghost”—are not a passive pronouncement; rather, they constitute a priesthood injunction—an authoritative admonition to act and not simply to be acted upon (see 2 Nephi 2:26). The Holy Ghost does not become operative in our lives merely because hands are placed upon our heads and those four important words are spoken. As we receive this ordinance, each of us accepts a sacred and ongoing responsibility to desire, to seek, to work, and to so live that we indeed “receive the Holy Ghost” and its attendant spiritual gifts."

* * *
I am learning that as I continue to feast upon the Word,  I being led to the fountain of Living Water or to the Tree of Life.  "Which waters are are a representation of the love of God; and . . . also  . . . that the tree of life [is] a representation of the love of God" (1 Nephi 11:25).
And in this process, I find myself filled with gratitude that the Lord does provide - Bread and Water from heaven!

Day 4: Jesus is . . .

Jesus is the Bread of Life

(John 6)

Beth: The second letter in the Hebrew alphabet and a designation meaning house.

Thus, Bethel means house of God.

Bethany means house of the poor.

How symbolic then, that Bethlehem, meaning house of bread, is the city in which the Bread of Life was born. A city that is still alive today!

As I thought about this title, I reflected on the stories of Jesus that involved bread.

The first that came to mind is the story of the five loaves and two fishes, which resulted in the feeding of 5000.

Then I thought of the Last Supper and the institution of the Sacrament.

And then one of my favorite stories of when He walks the road to Emmaus, walking with and teaching Cleopas and his friend, and finally breaking bread with them before vanishing out of their sight.

To the Israelites, Jesus provided manna.

To Moses the Lord said, “I have heard the murmurings of the children of Israel; speak unto them, saying, At even ye shall eat flesh, and in the morning ye shall be filled with bread; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God” (Exodus 16:12).

To the Jews, Jesus lived among them in the flesh.

To them He taught, “My Father giveth you the true bread of heaven. For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” And then testified, “I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger” (John 6:32-33,35).

To us, in our day, the Bread of Life has given us the fullness of His everlasting gospel.

Jesus commands us - which is so fitting for this Christmas season - “Do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness” (2 Nephi 9:51).

How grateful I am to the Sacrament. A saving ordinance of which I can partake weekly as a remembrance - – a sacred reminder – of the Bread of Life.

To Whom I owe everything.

Fire in the Bones

When it comes to History, I am lacking! It wasn't a subject I favored in school.

Maybe it was because my brain didn't make connections with now and then.  But what I suppose it means, looking back, is that I wasn't paying enough attention to how history affects our present and our future.

But I am repenting.

And I am learning.

So thanks to the April 2010 General Conference talk given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson and a lesson given in Relief Society, my mind and heart was softened to read about history, specifically about William Tyndale, who was responsible for the translation of the Bible into the English language.

Fire in the Bones by S. Michael Wilcox gives the incredible story of Tyndale's life's dedication to the Bible and the risks he took to translate and publish the Bible so that the even "a boy that driveth the plough, [should] know more of the Scripture" than clerics and the such.

And I have been amazed.

And humbled.

And thankful for men like Tyndale, who, like Joseph Smith, stayed firm and true to their death, for the Word's sake.

It has given me a desire to be more dedicated in my pursuit to love the word of God found within the pages of the Old and New Testaments.

And more confused at why today, in 2010, people or organizations think it's okay to burn holy pages from religious books with little thought of the sacrifices made by others long ago who risked their lives - and many, many put to death - because of their desire to worship as they may.

Inner-Beauty

There’s a new billboard in town.

It’s paid for by a laser plastic surgery company.

It’s advertising slogan - complete with beautiful woman in bare shoulders - unabashedly promulgates, “Make Your Inner Beauty Jealous.”

MAKE YOUR INNER BEAUTY JEALOUS?!?

ARE YOU SERIOUS???

I wanted to SCREAM the first time I saw that stupid billboard.

And I am DISGUSTED every time I see it.

Because it is FALSE!

False! False! False!

As false as white chocolate is chocolate!

But it's even MORE false than that!!

Because this has EVERYTHING to do with petitioning your inner beauty to embrace the natural man.

The NATURAL man.

For because embracing the natural man means I become an enemy to God!

“For the natural man is an enemy to God and has been , and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he (or she) yields to the enticing of the Holy Spirit and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father” (Mosiah 3:19).

Last I checked, (and believe me, I. just. checked.) - THIS is TRUE doctrine.

But I don't see TRUE doctrine advertised, in neon or in any other color, on any billboard that promotes self-indulgence!!

BTW - Doing what I can to make my inner-beauty jealous only takes me farther and farther away from God.
 
It brings out wonderful traits like: aggressiveness, crudeness, pride, impatience, lust, and obstinence.
 
Problem is, the scriptures and the words of the prophets denounce these eternally fatal characteristics.
 
I believe our inner beauty consists of our hearts.
 
A hardened heart is always accompanied with sin and iniquity.
 
A broken heart is always yoked with a contrite spirit.
 
Vaughn J. Featherstone made these powerful statements:
 
"Lord Byron Buckingham said, “Make my heart transparent as pure crystal, that the world jealous of me, may see the foulest thought my heart does hold.” This philosophy is a great one. Every member of the Church should so live that this state of mind would be a reality. You can determine to make your hearts as transparent crystal. When you do this, certain things are beyond consideration. It is impossible to think a foul or dirty thought. Doing so causes a certain physical and spiritual reaction within us. These thoughts tend to obscure God; they cloud, so slightly at first, our transparent inner self. As we repeat these thoughts, the clouding intensifies, and soon we are not able to view things in their pure form. We lose our judgment, we lose the ability to see things from their true perspective, and we become entangled in Satan’s web.
 
"To be pure in heart is a most desirable quality. There comes a strength to those who are pure. It is a measurable, physical strength. It was said of Sir Galahad that he had the strength of ten, because his heart was pure. Purity of heart also brings about a mental strength and integrity. In this day of mental conflict and compromise, the person with integrity and purity stands out like a giant in a world of Pygmies.
 
"There is another dimension of purity that seems to be lost in our day. It is modesty. Few souls on the earth understand what true modesty is. In a recent conversation I asked a great leader in the kingdom what had impressed him most about President J. Reuben Clark, Jr. You would have been surprised with his answer. It wasn’t the unmatched wisdom or brilliant mind. It wasn’t his great spiritual stature. It wasn’t the high esteem in which he was held by the great leaders of nations. It was his total modesty. President J. Reuben Clark, along with all of his other great character traits, had a quality of modesty that is extremely rare in man. He was as modest in his thinking as he was in dress. The slightest deviation from the pure standard was an affront to him. Modesty is necessary to one who is pure in heart. In one of President Clark’s great discourses he was discussing the crucifixion of the Savior. But we catch a glimpse of the man’s modesty as he describes the crucifixion:
 
"'Having in mind the modesty which I am sure attached to him, recalling the experience of Peter on the lakeshore, how offensive it must have been when they stripped him naked and then laying the cross on the ground, they laid him upon the cross, the crosspiece under his shoulders, a peg protruding from the upright beam, which he straddled to support his body. They first nailed his hands and then his feet, then as the next step in this, the cruelest death of which the ancients knew, they raised the cross and let it drop with a jolt into the pit which was dug to contain it, causing one crucified to suffer excruciating agony.'

"Most of us are concerned about the physical suffering through which Jesus went. President Clark not only suffered with the Savior physically because of great compassion, but he also felt, vicariously, the agonizing experience of one so modest being exposed. To have these feelings of empathy as President Clark had them requires a purity of heart.

"My wonderful young friends, the course is straight and narrow, and few there are that find it; but to you the way is open and before you. As you follow the Master you will find the fruit of your labors to be delicious unto your soul. You will find that all the world has to offer is sham compared to the gospel truths. Strive with all your heart and soul to be pure in heart that you may be worthy to see God and to live with him and with your family eternally."

Rendered Useless

The other night I had a headache that hurt so severely it literally rendered me useless.

Useless!

I HATE feeling useless. Ineffective. Unproductive.

But the pain - the throbbing, determined, blatant pain - just stabbed and protruded way beyond my will and I found myself doing things I don't normally do . . .

Like only being able to read three or four verses of scripture instead of being able to study them and then, going to bed early.

So my only hope was to sleep it off because my headache mocked the weakess of Tylenol and Advil.

But the power of the hope was in the companionship prayer my husband and I have each night.

For as my husband knelt next to me, holding my hand as I lay in worried pain that the headache would overtake my ability to sleep, his prayer of faith encompassed me with peace.

I awoke the next morning ALIVE and well! 

And my headache was GONE!

Which made me think about the story of a certain man who was rendered useless as he fell among thieves.

Men who beat him and stripped him of his clothes and left him half-dead.

As as he lay there, unable to do anything for himself, with capable others passing by, there was one who had compassion and stopped to help.

Binding up his wounds.

Taking care of him.

And rendering him once again useful.

Allowing this certain man to go on his way and doing likewise.

As will I.

Heartworm

Today I learned about heartworm.

It's what you learn when a canine becomes a part of your family.

Heartworm is transmitted by infected mosquitoes.  They bite the dog and somehow that intermediate host transmits the parasite and it travels and takes up house directly in the heart.

Adult worms, literally, mess up the heart.  They take over: clogging vessels, interfering with blood flow, supressing blood supply to other vital organs like the kidneys and the liver.

Did you know that most dogs infected with heartworm do not show any signs of it for at least two years?!

And in that two years, the worm could grow up to 14 inches and 1/4 of an inch wide.

Ick!

Double Ick!

However, I found out that heartworm is 100% (that is cien por ciento) preventable!

And if caught soon enough, it can even be cured!

But treatment is not just a one-time dose.  Medication MUST BE taken once a month for 12 months to protect the dog from this horrendous parasite.

But, if left to itself, the heartworm will take over and kill the dog.

Then I thought about MY heart.

Do I recognize the intermediate host that can pierce my flesh and transmit the disease that could eat my heart away?

Is my heart full of worms?  Full of parasites that will take over and cause my heart to die, but I don't know it yet?

Ick!

And double ick!

The great news is that spiritual heartworm can be 100% preventable!

But first of all, it requires a heart check!

Alma saw that some of his people, the people in the land of Sidom were "checked as the the pride of their hearts and began to humble themselves before God, . . .watching and praying continually, that they might be delivered from Satan, and from death, and from destruction—"

Preventing spiritual heartworm requires effort.  It requires effort so one will not be destroyed.
 
It is NOT a one time application.
 
It requires daily prayer, daily scripture study, weekly partaking of the Sacrament, and regular temple attendance.  It requires that I give ALL I have to Him who has given to us ALL that He has for me!
 
So today we begin the serious business of preventable treatment for heartworm.
 
Because canine-ly or spiritually - the cost is SO worth the reward!

Random Thoughts

Here are two random thought I had today while in Stake Conference:

CALAMATIES
Perhaps one of the reasons the physical calamities (e.g. earthquakes in Haiti and now in Chile,) are SO significant in these “Last Days,” is because of the immediacy of knowing when these things happen.

100 years ago it may have taken a few days or a few weeks for a neighboring state or country to receive word of such a calamity. 1000+ years ago a whole entire civilization (e.g. Pompeii) could have been destroyed without anyone ever knowing it even existed!

With information technology in our day, we know – almost IMMEDIATELY - when things are occurring! This makes our day, even these Last Days, a prophecy being fulfilled right before our eyes,

LIVING PROPHETS
I was pondering how incredible it is to know that the Unbroken Line of Divine Revelation began that miraculous spring morning of 1820. The significance of living prophets “in a world where people are confused . . .” assures me that “I CAN get direction all along my way, if I heed the prophets – Follow. What. They. Say."
This made me think that, perhaps, our generation has even a greater obligation to heed the Lord’s commandments from His servants.

I say that because so many parts of the world (though I realize not all), have access to HEAR the words of living prophets. That was not as possible 15 or 25 or even 50 years ago, even though there were ways that those voices of warning could be heard. But today, in 2010, with a click of a button, I can listen and know what they say. Internet. Digital Radio. Satellite TV. It is that easy to HEAR the words of the prophets, for their words will carry the Holy Ghost to our hearts. That was not true a little under 200 years ago. But it is today! And that’s so incredibly significant!

Moroni, concerned that the written words of God would not be transmitted in the same power as the spoken words of God lamented, “Lord, the Gentiles will mock at these things because of our weakness in writing; for Lord thou hast made us mighty in word by faith, but thou has not made us mighty in writing; for thou hast made all this people that they could speak much, because of the Holy Ghost which thou hast given them” (Ether 12:23).

1000 or so years earlier, Nephi wrote this: “I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men” (2 Nephi 33:1).

In our day we have 15 (15!) living prophets, seers and revelators – Special Witnesses of Christ - and one living, breathing mouthpiece of God, even President Thomas S. Monson! I will be held accountable if I do not to feel the Holy Ghost teaching me, touching my heart, or feeding my soul! Because a prophet of God is, literally, ONE MOUSE CLICK A WAY!

Stake Conference - Saturday Night Adult Session

Just so everyone knows: The Saturday Night Adult session of Stake Conference is one of the BEST kept secrets of the Church!

Tonight I went to Stake Conference with a specific question in my heart - A question for the Lord to help me in a matter that has caused a terribly loud “silent treatment” to occur between me and some people that I love very much.

People.

Well, MORE than people.

Family members.

Family members with whom I really should be close.

Not far away and distant like we are right now.

But I don’t know what to do.

And I don’t know what to say.

Mostly because I am afraid that the inner-most desires of my heart will be taken lightly, or without regard.

It would be very safe to say that my heart is afraid of rejection.

These feelings trouble me as I try to figure out: Why does loving others sometimes hurt so much.

But in my heart, there is a deep, empty gap that I don’t where to begin to bridge it.

So tonight, because I know one of the best kept secrets of the Church, Elder Spencer J. Condie of the Seventy was our visiting authority for Stake Conference!

And within the context of his thoughts to us this evening, he opened the scriptures!

And there - RIGHT THERE- as opened up to Ezekiel 47 and read verses, he answered my silent question.

For I had an impression - a feeling, really - while he was talking, that somehow, with His help - this division that I caused to happen – can be healed.

And it makes me uncomfortable to think of what I need to do.

For what I need to initiate.

But my initiation may start a bridge.

A bridge to mend that gap.

WHICH IS REALLY HARD!

But the Spirit said that this is my responsibility - to quiet the “silent treatment” and to offer love to these people that I really do love very much.

For if the “water[s] that issue from the house of the Lord could heal the Dead Sea” (chapter heading of Ezekiel 47), then the strength from His house – even the temple – can help me heal this dead relationship.

Cast Off!

Cast (n): a stiff dressing or casing used to immobilize body parts.

My brokened-arm son got his cast off TODAY!!

Which, of course, was the easy part . . . because after the cast came off, THE PINS had to come out!

The whole “cast off” thing is a very renewing thing for my son and for me! Now his arm - which has been immobilized for the last three weeks - is now able to experience the flexion it is suppose to receive, being so near the elbow and all.

This means the beginning of bending and straightening.

This means a giving his arm different kind of arm protection than his cast did, but one that will ultimately make his arm stronger.

This means muscles will get a little sore as he begins to restore elbow motion to move with his whole body. (Even the wrist movement is stiff and achy!)

This also means that maybe – MAYBE - my son will now be a little more dependent than he has been for the last 26 days!?

Which got me thinking of the phrase – “cast off.”

Cast off in a spiritual sense.

"What shall I do that I may have this eternal life of which thou hast spoken? Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God, having this wicked spirit rooted out of my breast, and receive His Spirit, that I may be filled with joy, that I may not be CAST OFF at the last day?” (Alma 22:15)

Q: What shall I do that I may have eternal life?
A: Pray to God and repent of all my sins (Alma 22:16; Enos 1:4-5).

Q: What shall I do that I may be born of God, removing the (desire to do) wickedness from my heart?
A: Replace my “stony heart” with a “heart of flesh” (Ezekiel 36:26-27).

Q: What shall I do to receive His Spirit so I can feel joy?
A: If one of the fruits of the Spirit is “joy,” then I must avoid (at all costs) “the works of the flesh.” Which are these: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, envying, murders, drunkenness, revelling (Galatians 5:17-24).  In fact, THIS is the stuff that hinders the very most.  And, if not cast off, could eventually cause spiritual rigormortis.

Q: What shall I do so I will not be CAST OFF in the end?
A: Press forward. Have charity. Feast upon God’s word. Endure to the end. (2 Nephi 31:20).

So beginning today, it's CASTS OFF for me.