Faith underlies it all

"You were chosen and foreordained to have the gospel in your life

and to be a leader in the cause of the restored gospel."

Neil L. Andersen

Never Forget You Are a Child of God

"Don't waste your time feeling sorry for yourself. Don't belittle yourself. Never forget that you are a child of God. You have a divine birthright. Something of the very nature of God is within you. The Psalmist sang, 'I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High.' (Psalm 82:6.)"

Gordon B. Hinckley

"The Winter Quarters Temple property adjoins the burial ground of many who gave their lives for this cause which they regarded as more precious than life itself. Their journey to the valley of the Great Salt Lake is an epic without parallel. The suffering they endured, the sacrifices they made, became the cost of what they believed.

"I have in my office a small statue of my own pioneer grandfather burying beside the trail his wife and her brother who died on the same day. He then picked up his infant child and carried her to this valley.

"Faith? There can be no doubt about it. When doubts arose, when tragedies struck, the quiet voice of faith was heard in the stillness of the night as certain and reassuring as was the place of the polar star in the heavens above.

"It was this mysterious and wonderful manifestation of faith that brought reassurance, that spoke with certainty, that came as a gift from God concerning this great latter-day work. Countless, literally countless, are the stories of its expression in the pioneer period of the Church. But it does not stop there.

"As it was then, so it is today. This precious and marvelous gift of faith, this gift from God our Eternal Father, is still the strength of this work and the quiet vibrancy of its message. Faith underlies it all. Faith is the substance of it all. It is the faith within us that is evidenced in all we do."

Gordon B. Hinckley

He Searches the Heart

He Searches the Heart

Wayne E. Brickey

God seemed to spend a lot of time fussing and hovering over Job, training and trying him.

Why was Job so interesting to the Lord?

What is man, that thou shouldest magnify him?  And that thou shouldest set

thine heart upon him?  And that thou shouldest visit him every morning, and

try him every moment?

Job 7:17-18

Job's suffering was part of some big project.  He had vast potential not apparent to himself.

The Lord was more devoted to Job's future than Job was.

The only conflict between Job and his Creator was Job's reluctance to be made

into something more than he already was. The Creator had great plans for Job,

and he has great plans for us.

Each life's story is a serious one because our Creator has distinctly spiritual plans for us.

The plot, unclear to us, makes perfect sense to him because he refuses to see our lives narrowly.

All things unto me are spiritual, and not at any time have I given unto you a

Law which was temporal…For my commandments are spiritual.

The spiritual is the permanent rather than the temporary.  It is the entire, infinite picture,

rather than the sliver we now see.  The spiritual touches intangible processes and eternal

outcomes that cause us to resemble God.  The spiritual deals not just with spirit matter

but also with all matters that are spiritual in their powers and possibilities. 

Mortal life touches this realm all day long.

I the Lord search the heart.

Jeremiah 17:10

God always sees this realm, mindful of how the temporal affects the permanent.

He sees where things are headed.  He scans the heart for spots that need cleaning,

mending, building.  Of course, these spots do not show up unless we are under some stress.

The Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness, to humble thee,

and to prove thee, to know what was in thine heart.

Deuteronomy 8:2

Even the most physical suffering is not strictly physical after all.  It does not end in the

physical realm where it began.  It soaks into the heart and spreads.  Suffering is finely connected to

the versatile and permanent self, the spirit.  Suffering is a spiritual matter.

God's view is so different from ours that his will often surprises us.

As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways,

and my thoughts than your thoughts.

Isaiah 55:9

His galaxy sized intentions are guaranteed to conflict with our little plans now and then.

If we will simply let his wisdom override ours, our uninspired goals will not restrict the story of

our lives, and we will become his greatest miracles.

You will have all kinds of trials to pass through.  And it is quite as necessary for you to be

tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God and… God will feel after you.

Joseph Smith

He feels after us.  He searches our hearts with His.

You're only supposed to highlight the parts you like!

  

It Is Time to Be Prepared

"We live in a most exciting and challenging period in human history.

As technology sweeps through every facet of our lives,

changes are occurring so rapidly that it can be difficult

for us to keep our lives in balance. To maintain some semblance

of stability in our lives, it is essential that we plan for our future.

I believe it is time, and perhaps with some urgency,

to review the counsel we have received in dealing

with our personal and family preparedness.

We want to be found with oil in our lamps sufficient

to endure to the end."

L. Tom Perry

NEW and USED

by

A. Jonathan Vance

When I peeled away the plastic,
The cover was smooth and clean.
The pages were crisp, like an apple,
And the gilded edges gleamed.
The binding crackled as
I opened the pages;
The first breath of a babe,
Waking up from the ages.
The magnificent tome was unblemished.
And wouldn't be useful till tarnished.
Years later,
The cover was battered,
And within it,
The pages were tattered.
Any one leaf
Would meet your gaze
With a flood of colors
Like the map to a maze.
Each little nugget
I'd found in my quest,
Had been marked and noted,
Then put to the test.
This book had a price, years ago.
Its value now? You cannot know.

"You're only supposed to highlight the parts you like!"

Weathering Storms with Optimism

Weathering Storms with Optimism

 

"There are cycles of good and bad times, ups and downs, periods of joy and sadness, and times of plenty as well as scarcity. When our lives turn in an unanticipated and undesirable direction, sometimes we experience stress and anxiety. One of the challenges of this mortal experience is to not allow the stresses and strains of life to get the better of us—to endure the varied seasons of life while remaining positive, even optimistic. Perhaps when difficulties and challenges strike, we should have these hopeful words of Robert Browning etched in our minds: 'The best is yet to be'."

L. Tom Perry

I have fulfilled the measure of my creation

Within My Walls

Gary R. Hatch

I was oh, so old. My walls were thin, and between some of my boards were spaces that let in sunlight by day and the cool breezes by night.

My only other source of sunlight was a massive door, held on by thick leather straps.

I stood behind a stately looking inn. For this I was glad. I was embarrassed because of my undignified appearance.
I was created for a lowly purpose, for I was a stable.

The time of taxation had arrived. The stately inn was packed with people. All I held were a few cows.

Early this day my master had cleaned my floors and changed my straw. I prepared myself for the rough treatment the cattle always gave me, but to my surprise the cattle were very gentle.

They all stood in one corner and ate very little of the straw.

By the end of the day I still looked beautiful—for a stable.

Suddenly my door creaked open, letting in the night air, which I was trying so hard to keep out.

There stood my master beside a tall, kindly looking man of those times.

"This will be fine, sir," the stranger was saying, "but we must hurry."

My master bade them good night and left. The stranger walked to the center of my floor, followed by a small donkey, which carried a woman.

The man gently placed her on my fresh, clean straw. She was beautiful, but in great pain.

That night she gave birth to a child. She gave birth to the Son of God within my frail walls.

A star, brighter than all the rest, shone down upon me, and the glorious scene that was there within my walls.

Even though my position in life has been a lowly stable,

I have fulfilled the measure of my creation.

am I willing to learn the steps of the dance

Dancing on Life's Chips

Not too long ago I had "one of those days." I was feeling pressure from a writing deadline. I had company arriving in a couple days and the toilet was clogged. I went to the bank, and the trainee teller processing my deposit had to start over three times. I swung by the supermarket to pick up a few things and the lines were serpentine. By the time I got home, I was frazzled and sweaty and in a hurry to get something on the table for dinner. Deciding on Campbell's Cream of Mushroom Soup, I grabbed a can opener, cranked open the can, then remembered I had forgotten to buy milk at the store. Nix the soup idea. Setting the can aside, I went to plan B, which was leftover baked beans. I grabbed a Tupperware from the fridge, popped the seal, took a look and groaned. My husband isn't a picky eater, but even he won't eat baked beans that look like caterpillars. Really frustrated, now, I decided on a menu that promised to be as foolproof as it is nutrition-free: hot dogs and potato chips. Retrieving a brand new bag of chips from the cupboard, I grabbed the cellophane and gave a hearty pull. The bag didn't open. I tried again. Nothing happened. I took a breath, doubled my muscle, and gave the bag a hearty wrestle. With a loud pop, the cellophane suddenly gave way, ripping wide from top to bottom. Chips flew sky high. I was left holding the bag, and it was empty. It was the final straw. I let out a blood curdling scream. "I can't take it anymore!!!" My husband heard my unorthodox cry for help. Within minutes he was standing at the doorway to the kitchen, where he surveyed the damage: an opened can of soup, melting groceries, moldy baked beans, and one quivering wife standing ankle deep in potato chips. My husband did the most helpful thing he could think of at the moment. He took a flying leap, landing flat-footed in the pile of chips. And then he began to stomp and dance and twirl, grinding those chips into my linoleum in the process! I stared. I fumed. Pretty soon I was working to stifle a smile. Eventually I had to laugh. And finally I decided to join him. I, too, took a leap onto the chips. And then I danced. Now I'll be the first to admit that my husband's response wasn't the one I was looking for. But the truth is, it was exactly what I needed. I didn't need a cleanup crew as much as I needed an attitude adjustment, and the laughter from that rather funky moment provided just that. Now I have a question for you, and it's simply this: Has God ever stomped on your chips? I know that, in my life, there have been plenty of times when I've gotten myself into frustrating situations and I've cried out for help, all the while hoping God would show up with a celestial broom and clean up the mess I've made of things. What often happens instead is that God dances on my chips, answering my prayer in a completely different manner than I had expected, but in the manner that is best for me after all. Sometimes I can see right away that God's response was the best one after all. Sometimes I have to wait weeks or months before I begin to understand how and why God answered a particular prayer the way He did. There are even some situations that, years later, I'm still trying to understand. I figure God will fill me in sooner or later, either this side of Heaven or beyond. Do I trust Him? Even when he's answering my prayers in a way that is completely different from my expectations? Even when he's dancing and stomping instead of sweeping and mopping? Can I embrace what He's offering? Can I let His joy adjust my attitude? Am I going to stand on the sidelines and sulk, or am I willing to learn the steps of the dance He's dancing' with my needs in mind? I'll be honest with you: Sometimes I sulk. Sometimes I dance. I'm working on doing more of the latter than the former. I guess the older I get the more I realize that He really does know what He's doing. He loves me and I can trust Him. Even when the chips are down.

come what may

Who does God's work will get God's pay

However long may seem the day

However weary be the way

No mortal hand, God's hand can stay

He may not pay as others pay

In gold or silks or raiments gay

In goods that perish and decay

But his high wisdom knows a way

And this is sure let come what may

Who does God's work will get God's pay.

Anonymous

"Endure it well"

Nehemiah 8:10

for the joy of the Lord is your strength.

I love this scripture.  Is the joy of the Lord our strength, or is our strength joy to the Lord? . . . I feel it is both.

When the sobering gift of growth comes our way, how can we receive it with grace and integrity? 

"Endure it well"

12 And there were gathered together in one place an innumerable company of the spirits of the just, who had been faithful in the testimony of Jesus while they lived in mortality;

13 And who had offered sacrifice in the similitude of the great sacrifice of the Son of God, and had suffered tribulation in their Redeemer's name.

14 All these had departed the mortal life, firm in the hope of a glorious resurrection, through the grace of God the Father and his Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ.

15 I beheld that they were filled with joy and gladness, and were rejoicing together because the day of their deliverance was at hand.

D & C 138: 12-15

will dare to whisper

  

A Father's Prayer

by General Douglas MacArthur

Build me a son, O Lord,

who will be strong enough to know when he is weak,

Build me a son whose wishbone will not be where his backbone should be;

   

a son who will know Thee and that to know himself

is the foundation stone of knowledge.

Lead him, I pray, not in the path of ease and comfort,

 

but under the stress and spur of difficulties and challenge.

Here let him learn to stand up in the storm;

here let him learn compassion for those who fail.

 

Build me a son whose heart will be clean,

whose goal will be high;

a son who will master himself before he seeks to master other men;

one who will learn to laugh,

yet never forget how to weep;

one who will reach into the future, yet never forget the past.

  

   

And after all these things are his, add, I pray,

enough of a sense of humor,

so that he may always be serious,

yet never take himself too seriously.

Give him humility, so that he may always remember the simplicity of greatness,

the open mind of true wisdom, the meekness of true strength.

Then I, his father, will dare to whisper,

"I have not lived in vain".