Saturday, July 29, 2023

Scripture Central – Lani & John Hilton III – 3 Lessons from Book of Acts (40:34) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ikiM9k6zS6k 

ACTS 16-21 1) what do we really worship? 2) powerful female disciples of Christ 3) burning books (and ships) 4) feeding the flock

--Ephesians 3:19 Know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God

--Colossians 3:1-3, 5 If you have been raised with Christ, seek the things that are above, where Christ is…not on the things that are on earth, for you have died, and and your life is hidden with Christ in God….Put to death, therefore, whatever in you is earthly: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and greed which (which is idolatry)

--Call from Paul to focus first on Jesus not things

--Counterfeit God is anything we get our self-satisfaction or sense of value from

--if happiness rooted in things rather than Jesus & God

--Acts 16:13:15 On the sabbath day we went outside the gate by the river, where we supposed there was a place of prayer; and we sat down and spoke to the women who had gathered there. A certain woman named Lydia, a worshiper of God, was listening to us; she was … a dealer in purple cloth. The Lord opened her heart to listen eagerly to what was said by Paul. When she and her household (She’s the head of household? Owner of her own business?) were baptized, she urged us, saying, ‘if you have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come and stay at my home.’ And she prevailed upon us.

--Acts 16:40 After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia’s house, where they met with the brothers and sisters and encouraged them. Then they left.

--Lydia brave to have Christian’s meeting in her house after Paul & Silas thrown into prison, same thing could happen to her; were they there to pray for Paul & Silas or to encourage & teach one another because of all the opposition? Lydia had home to host a group of people and a heart big enough to love and support those new converts, Lydia good example to let Lord open her heart and do what is needed to build testimony and faith in her community

--Woman named Priscilla, also called Prisca in Acts 18:2, she & her husband Aquila lived in Corinth & had Paul stay & he worked with them 18 months, when Paul left Corinth for Ephesus…Priscilla & Aquila went with him, when Paul left Ephesus to teach elsewhere, Priscilla & Aquila stayed in Ephesus to build up the church, a missionary named Apollos came to Ephesus, he was a good teacher but didn’t have all the gospel of Jesus Christ details quite right…

--Acts 18:26 When Priscilla and Aquila heard [Apollos], they took him aside and explained the Way of God to him more accurately

--Priscilla isn’t on sidelines but preaching, they give all they have to building up Church of Jesus Christ

 --Romans 16:5 Greet… the church in their house (this couple opens their home & hosting church meetings)

--Lydia and Priscilla are doing great works, in Thessalonica Paul met more female disciples of Jesus, in Athens woman named Damaris who worshipped idols, he teaches her about the one true God & she totally left teachings of her culture to join church,  

--Acts 16-20 group of women converts in Philippi, Athens, Thessalonica & Berea and 3 named women converts: Lydia in Philippi, Damaris in Athens and Priscilla in Corinth, many unnamed women converts in early Christian church

--in Acts 21 Paul travels back to Jerusalem via Tyre gathering disciples and their wives and children were with them, Paul stops with Philip who has 4 unmarried daughters who were known to prophecy, in coming chapter we will read about Paul’s sister whose son helps Paul escape, in Romans we read about Phoebe who helped many people including Paul, Romans 16:6 Mary of Rome who works hard for saints, Romans 16:12 Tryphena, Tryphosa and Persis work very hard for Lord, Romans 16:13 Mother of Rufus who is mother figure to Paul and others, Romans 16:7, 15 Sister of Nerus, Julia and Junia who are fellow saints Paul sends greetings to, 1 Corinthians 1:11 Chloe who offers her home, leader in church, Philippians 4:2-3 Euodia and Syntyche who labor at Paul’s side, 2 Timothy 4:21 Claudia who is believer, 2 Timothy 1:5 Lois and Eunice who taught faith to children, only Priscilla is mentioned as having husband, others not married?

--Whether married or not, we all can make difference in building the Church

--Timothy called to be Paul’s helper, how did this happen—his father Greek who did not believe in Jesus but his mom Jewish

--2 Timothy 1:15 I call to remembrance the unfeigned faith [REAL FAITH] that is in thee, which dwelt first in thy grandmother Lois, and thy mother Eunice, and am persuaded is in thee also

--Remind us countless female disciples who further the work of the Lord in their own home, teaching the gospel to children and grandchildren

--in 1979 Spencer W Kimball made profound prophecy about impact covenant-keeping women would have on future of Lord’s church: Much of major growth that is coming to the Church in the last days will come because many of the good women of the world will be drawn to the Church in large numbers. This will happen to the degree that the women of the Church reflect righteousness and articulateness in their lives and to the degree that women of the church are seen as distinct and different in happy ways from the women of the world.

--Pres Nelson: My dear sisters, you who are our vital associated during this winding up scene, the day Pres Kimball foresaw is today. You are the women he foresaw. Your virtue, light, love, knowledge, courage, character, faith and righteous lives will draw women of the world along with their families to the Church in unprecedented numbers.

            Pres Nelson continued with list of attributes righteous women need today…Early Christian [New Testament] women exemplified these traits…this list not all-inclusive. There are many more women we could list…

            Pres Nelson: We need women who know how to make important things happen by their faith (Tryphosa and Tryphena) and who are courageous defenders of morality and families in a sin-sick world (Mary of Rome). We need women who are devoted to shepherding God’s children along the covenant path toward exaltation (Lydia), women who know how to receive personal revelation (Damaris)…We need women who can detect deception in all of its forms (Julia and Junia). We need women who know how to access the power that God makes available to covenant keepers (Euodia and Syntyche) and who express their beliefs with confidence and charity (Claudia, Phebe, Chloe). We need women who have the courage and vision of our Mother Eve (Rufus’ mother and Persis).

--during Spanish conquest of Aztec empire, Cortez burnt his ships so they had no other goal than conquering, historically many other cultures did the same, sometimes burning the ship gave people motivation they needed to move forward. Anti-Nephi-Lehi’s buried their weapons deep in ground to never use them again, similar story happened while Paul was in Ephesus, Paul preached gospel to group of people who practiced magical arts, something like witchcraft, many of those people believed Paul’s words and decided to metaphorically speaking burn the ship

--Acts 19:19-20 They collected their books and burned them publicly; when the value of these books was calculated, it was found to come to 50 thousand silver coins. So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

--John Hilton III preparing to give talk on Alma 27—the converts of Ammon who were “Perfectly Honest”, first he thought he’d take this part out to fit his life and then he thought, I should be changing my life to fit the scriptures so he metaphorically speaking burned the ship

Sunday, April 16, 2023

Preparing for Your Eternal Future

 


Job asked the question, "If a man die, shall he live again?" (Job 14:14). Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the answer to Job's question is an unequivocal yes! We will be resurrected.
President Russell M. Nelson stated, "The question each of us must answer is this: Will I be ready to live in the presence of God after my resurrection?" Russell M. Nelson, "Jesus Christ Is Our Savior," Liahona, Apr. 2023, [page 5]
What can we do now to prepare to meet God?
Keep your focus on Heavenly Father and the Savior and Their gospel.
Honor your covenants, and gather Israel on both sides of the veil.
Develop Christlike attributes, and love God and your neighbor.

Saturday, March 4, 2023

Together in Christ by Emma Taylor

Together in Christ

Emma Taylor

Born 1982, Utah; Residing Idaho

72 x 50 x 2 in.

Oil

With an invitation in 3 Nephi 12:24, Christ calls, "Come unto me with full purpose of heart, and I will receive you." In Taylor’s image, Christ’s arms are open to a crowd, individuals who direct their gaze to Him. The disciples’ clothing is based on fabric patterns from all over the world, indicating the worldwide response to that invitation.

"As we turn our hearts to Jesus Christ, we have greater love for those around us and come together as a people, becoming one in Him." —Emma Taylor

Monday, January 2, 2023

Timing of Prayers

If you find yourself having to wait for a blessing or if it seems that God isn’t hearing your prayers, the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias can be a reminder that He hasn’t forgotten you. As Elder Jeffrey R. Holland promised: “While we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted. But they are always answered at the time and in the way an omniscient and eternally compassionate parent should answer them" ("Waiting on the Lord, " Ensign or Liahona, Nov 2020, 115-16).  

Sunday, January 1, 2023

Happy New Year 2023: Baby Jesus Smiled at Me

Jesus Smiled At Me - A True Story by Sonja Bodon

“When I was about between 4 & 5 years old, I remember my mom & dad were both working and so someone had to take care of me. A pre-school was chosen who took in children from birth to five.

As I remember the story I must have been between 4 & 5 years old when this happened. I was chosen to be in a play performed by the children of the school. It was a Christmas story about the birth of baby Jesus. I brought a gift to baby Jesus. I had to say something like this, “this is my gift to you Baby Jesus,” during rehearsals baby Jesus was a doll but during the real performance they used a real baby and I was unaware of this. As I gave the gift to the baby and said my line, I turned around to the audience and said, “Baby Jesus smiled at me”….That was eighty years ago! I can still feel what it was like to have baby Jesus smile at me and whenever I do something good I can hear myself saying, “baby Jesus smiled at me!” And I still feel it too. It is a wonderful feeling even though I am quite a bit older now. The same can be said about not feeling good or about good conscience or bad.”

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

2022 First Presidency Christmas Message

This Christmas season, we invite you to find quiet moments to reflect on our Savior's birth, life and atoning sacrifice. Come unto Hm. Learn of Him. Look to Him for lasting peace and divine rest. In a world that often feels overwhelming and contentious, He offers peace that "passeth all understanding" (Philippians 4:7). He has promised:

"Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; ...and ye shall find rest unto your souls" (Matthew 11:28-29).

We testify that as you seek our Savior's love, peace and rest, you will find it. You will be blessed to feel the true spirit of Christmas, the eternal joy that comes only from Him.

       --Russell M Nelson, Henry B Eyring and Dallin H Oaks, First Presidency, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Sunday, September 4, 2022

Proverbs 4:7 - With Wisdom Get Understanding

Whispering of the Spirit

"If most of the information you get comes from social or other media, your ability to hear the whisperings of the Spirit will be diminished. If you are not also seeking the Lord through daily prayer and gospel study, you leave yourself vulnerable to philosophies that may be intriguing but are not true. Even Saints who are otherwise faithful can be derailed by the steady beat of Babylon's band." 

-- Russell M Nelson, Make Time for the Lord", Oct 2021


Tuesday, August 9, 2022

Study History to Learn from It

“I hope very much that those of you who are studying history here will pursue it avidly, with diligence, with attention,” he said. “I hope you do this not just because it will make you a better citizen, and it will; not just because you will learn a great deal about human nature and about cause and effect in your own lives, as well as the life of the nation, which you will; but as a source of strength, as an example of how to conduct yourself in difficult times—and we live in very difficult times, very uncertain times. … And I hope when you read about the American Revolution and the reality of those people that you will never think of them again as just figures in a costume pageant or as gods. They were not perfect; they were imperfect—that’s what’s so miraculous.”  -David McCullough, historian

Sunday, July 24, 2022

We are never alone!


           As wonderful as the gift of life is—and it is a wonderful gift—it also comes with many challenges. Some are small, while others may feel as if they are completely insurmountable. We can often feel lonely and helpless.

But I testify we are never on our own. Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.

His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel.

With nail-scarred hands, He extends grace to us, holding on to us and encouraging us, refusing to let us go until we are safely home in the embrace of Heavenly Parents.  – Jeffrey R Holland

Tuesday, April 12, 2022

Easter 2022: Hosannas & Hallelujahs

The sacred events between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday are the story of Hosanna and Hallelujah. Hosanna is our God to save. Hallelujah our praise to the Lord for the hope of salvation and exaltation. In Hosanna and Hallelujah, we recognize the living Jesus Christ as the heart of Easter and latter-day restoration. When the resurrected Savior appeared to the Nephites, they also shouted with joy: “Hosanna, blessed be the name of the most high God” and they did fall down at the feet of Jesus and did worship him. --Elder Gerrit W Gong

Wednesday, January 5, 2022

Genesis 1: Finding Christ in the Creation

The Creation by Annie Henri Nader
Finding Christ in the Creation https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xA2QBvB-dTk  

CHRIST IN THE CREATION – Genesis 1

            In the majestic words of Genesis, we read that “in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth”. Here, in the first chapter of the Bible, we learn of how God wanted to teach us of the beginning, or genesis, of all things. We often read this incredible account of the creation almost as a scientific textbook, so to speak, yet the story of creation has far more depth and can symbolize many aspects of life. In particular,  we can find within the creation of our own story of how the Savior takes us from unorganized matter and converts us into beings of light in the image of God.

            Before beginning the story, it is critical to realize that when the Lord revealed the story of the creation, it was meant to be highly symbolic. We should not expect that God meant to simplify one of the most incredible and complex acts into just a single chapter. Genesis 1 is designed to give us just the outline of what God did. This outline only gives us a glimpse into the true majesty of the actual process of creation. It is also important to realize that ancient and modern Jews see many connections to the Tabernacle and ancient temples. Simply put, the creation has always been seen as a temple text, and the temple itself was seen as a place of creation.

DAY ONE

Genesis 1:1-2

            On the first day, we learn that “God created the heavens and the earth” and that the “earth was without form, and void”, or in other words, was empty and without order. Darkness filled the expanse, yet even in the darkness, we learn that the Spirit of the Lord “moved upon the waters”, or in the original Hebrew, the Spirit hovered or brooded over the earth. Here we learn that even amidst the darkness and chaos, the Spirit of God was present. In our own stories of creation, we each begin our journey in a symbolic state of darkness or chaos, yet the presence of the Lord is there from the beginning, watching over His creation. If we allow the Spirit of the Lord to move upon us, we will receive light!

Genesis 1:3

            With darkness covering the earth, the Lord speaks: “Let there be light!” With simply the word of the Savior, light penetrates the darkness and fills the expanse of His creation. Note that this light is not from the sun, moon, or stars! In fact, the lights in the firmament are not created until day four. This source of light stands apart from the later-created lights. During His mortal ministry, the Savior taught: “I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12).

In our own journey, once we have been moved upon by the Spirit of the Lord, we receive light from the word of God. As we study the Word, we are filled with light just as on the first day of creation.

Genesis 1:4

At the end of the first day, the Lord sees the light and proclaims “that it was good”. Even with so little completed in the creation, the Savior sees the good. For each additional day of creation, the Savior makes a similar statement, showing that He sees the progress even in the midst of His incomplete creation.

DAY TWO

            On the second day, the Lord divided the waters above the firmament of heaven from the waters on the land, creating the clouds above and the oceans below. The Hebrew word used here for “divide” or “separate” is used many times later in the Bible, particularly in a temple context when speaking of separating the unholy from the holy—for example: the veil of the Tabernacle that separated the holy place from the Holy of Holies, the separation of the priests from the people, and even separating Israel from the rest of the world. This second day of creation can suggest that when we receive the light of Christ, we are then expected to be set apart and separated from the world. We are to live a higher—and holier—life as we follow the Savior.

DAY THREE

            On the third day of creation, the Lord gathered the waters of the earth together to form seas and oceans, and dry land, hills, and mountains. With the land separated from the water, the Lord then brings forth grasses, fruit trees, and all forms of vegetation to give beauty to the land. Keep in mind that the sun has still not yet been created, again suggesting that this light is the light of Christ that gives life to all. The plants are commanded to yield fruit so that their seed can fill the earth. The creation of life on the third day, in the fields of wheat, trees, flowers, and vegetation, may connect to the fact that, likewise, it was on the third day that the Savior rose from the dead, bringing true life to all the earth!

DAY FOUR

            On the fourth day, the Lord created the lights in the sky, including the sun, moon, and stars. This was not only to give daily light unto the world but also “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years”. (Genesis 1:14) Unlike our modern calendar, which uses the rotation of the earth around the sun to set the months, the Jewish calendar was based on the cycles of the moon. The dates for each of the Jewish Feasts or seasons were determined by this lunar cycle. For example, the first of the feasts, Passover, occurs on the first full moon of the year. The last of the feasts, the Feast of Tabernacles, or Sukkot, occurs on the seventh full moon of the year. Thus, ancient Israel gathering to the temple to worship during these feasts was directly connected to the creation of the moon and the sun.

            During His mortal ministry, the Savior taught of Himself, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), yet Jesus also taught during the Sermon on the Mount that “[We] are the light of the world” (Matthew 5:15). How is it that if the Savior is the light, we also can be the light?

Perhaps these two seemingly contradictory statements can best be understood if we compare this to the light of the sun and moon. The sun is the ultimate source of all light. Its rays of light crate growth and life in all things. The moon, however, does not actually create its own light but instead reflects the light of the sun to the earth. So, too, it can be in our own lives. We are never the ultimate source of light. We only reflect the light of the Savior to others.

It is interesting that during a lunar eclipse, the moon becomes darkened, no longer reflecting the light of the sun. Why is this? Because the earth has come between the sun and the moon, blocking the light. Similarly, as we allow the cares of the world to come between us and the Son of God, the ultimate source of true light, we, too, lose the ability to reflect His light to others.

Just as these lights, the sun, moon, and stars, were “to separate the light from the darkness” (Genesis 1:18 NLT), as Christians, we also should live lives that set us apart from the world, bringing light to those in darkness.

DAY FIVE

On the fifty day of creation, the Lord created the living creatures of the seas and the birds of the air. Then on the sixth day, the beasts of the land were created, including sheep, goats, horses, insects, and all creeping things. The Lord commands these beasts to “be fruitful, and multiply” (Genesis 1:22).

DAY SIX

Finally, on the last part of the sixth day, the Lord “created mankind in His own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female” (Genesis 1:27 NIV). Here the culmination of the Lord’s creation, the very last act of creation, is male and female, in the image of God. “And God said unto them, be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:28). The act of creating all living creatures could relate to our own journey of not only having families and bringing forth children but also in bringing forth “fruits” of repentance, service, love, devotion, and kindness towards others. These fruits should not only nourish and bring life to ourselves and our families but to all the world.

Throughout the entire creation story, each day the Lord stated that His creation “was good,” but with the creation of humans, the Lord now states that creation was “very good” (Genesis 1:31). In our own lives, as we allow the Savior to form us into a “new creature” (2 Corinthians 5:17), the Savior always sees the good in us. If we are progressing, even if we are not complete, the Lord sees the good in our life. Once our creation story is complete, and we are seen as “very good,” we can then be seen in the image of God.

DAY SEVEN

After seeing His marvelous creation completed, the Lord rested on the seventh day.

The story of the creation is a story of putting things in order. We are each symbolically in a state of darkness and chaos as we first come unto Christ. As we allow His Spirit to move upon us, we receive light. The Lord then commands us to be separated from the world and follow Him, just as the waters were separated. As we continue in Christ, we are to bring forth fruits of repentance, multiplying and replenishing the earth with life, not just life in ourselves but in others.

As we culminate our journey back to God, we will find that we can become like our Savior through His atonement. Once we have completed our own story of creation, with the Savior there every step of the way, the Lord God will rest from His labors, knowing that His work and glory is complete—complete because we are now created after His own image, even in the image of our Savior and Redeemer!

Thursday, December 2, 2021

First Presidency 2021 Christmas Messge


When we sing “Silent Night,” we know the life of that Babe of Bethlehem did not begin there, nor did it end on Calvary. In a premortal realm, Jesus was foreordained by His Father to be the Messiah, the Christ, the Savior and Redeemer of all humankind. He was foreordained to atone for us. He was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities (Isaiah 53:5). He came to make immortality a reality and eternal life a possibility for all who would ever live (see 1 Corinthians 15:20–22; 3 Nephi 27:13–14).

At this sacred Christmas season, we testify that our loving Heavenly Father “so loved 

the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should 

not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).

Thursday, June 10, 2021

Strengthen Your Faith

I  have come to understand how useless it is to dwell on the whys, what ifs, and if onlys for which there likely will be given no answers in mortality. To receive the Lord’s comfort, we must exercise faith. The questions Why me? Why our family? Why now? are usually unanswerable questions. These questions detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith. We need to spend our time and energy building our faith by turning to the Lord and asking for strength to overcome the pains and trials of this world and to endure to the end for greater understanding.  --Robert D Hales, "Healing Soul & Body", Oct 1998

Sunday, May 9, 2021

Happy Mother's Day 2021

“How is it that a human being can love a child so deeply that you willingly give up a major portion of your freedom for it? How can mortal love be so strong that you voluntarily subject yourself to responsibility, vulnerability, anxiety, and heartache and just keep coming back for more of the same? What kind of mortal love can make you feel, once you have a child, that your life is never, ever your own again?

“Can you hear in this language [why for mothers] we use words like bear and borne, carry and lift, labor and deliver?

“This kind of resolute love ‘suffereth long, and is kind, … seeketh not her own, … but … beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.”


--Elder Jeffrey R Holland


Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Faithfulness


The question is not whether we will be faithful when things go well; rather, will we be faithful when they don’t? Faith is faithfulness in uncertainty and disappointment, faithfulness not to get one’s way, faithfulness regardless of the outcome. 
--Elder Lawrence C Corbridge, Jul 2019

Thursday, January 28, 2021

Painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect....pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn't love you....

However dim our days may seem, they have been a lot darker for the Savior of the world. As a reminder of those days, Jesus has chosen, even in a resurrected, otherwise perfected body, to retain for the benefit of His disciples the wounds in His hands and in His feet and in His side—signs, if you will, that painful things happen even to the pure and the perfect; signs, if you will, that pain in this world is not evidence that God doesn’t love you….It is the wounded Christ who is the Captain of our souls, He who yet bears the scars of our forgiveness…These wounds are the principal way we are to recognize Him when He comes.  --Jeffrey R Holland

Sunday, January 17, 2021

How does a group of individuals, all with different backgrounds and different perspectives on life, become a united community?

That’s what a community is

by Lloyd Newell [19 Jan 2020]

                       

How does a group of individuals, all with different backgrounds and different perspectives on life, become a united community? Well-known author and newspaper columnist David Brooks believes that the answer lies in how we see each other. “That’s what a community is,” he says, “a bunch of people looking after each other. A bunch of people seeing each other, and seeing each other deeply. Taking the time to really enter into relationships with each other and to depend upon one another. … That’s the glue that’s holding us together” (see “BYU Forum: The Lies of Meritocracy,” by Kaylee Esplin, Brigham Young University News, Oct. 22, 2019, news.byu.edu/intellect/byu-forum-the-lies-of-meritocracy ).

Can that really happen? Brooks believes it can and it does — when great teachers see deeply into their students, when loving spouses see deeply into each other. This kind of seeing goes beyond stereotypes and outward appearances, building bridges of understanding.

The aspen tree is an excellent metaphor for the unity and strength that can come from community. Above the ground, each aspen may appear solitary and strong in its beauty and majesty. Yet if we could see deeply, below the ground, we would find that each tree is connected with its neighbors through an enormous root system. An aspen gets its strength from its connection with the aspens that surround it. In a sense, the entire aspen forest is really one plant — one of the largest living organisms in the world. A single grove in central Utah, called Pando or “the trembling giant,” spans 106 acres, weighs an estimated 13 million pounds and consists of over 40,000 trees, all with the same genetic makeup (see “Pando (I Spread),” United States Department of Agriculture, fs.usda.gov).

If we open our eyes to see and our hearts to understand, we can build a community in a similar way. After all, we all share, if not the same DNA, then a common humanity. We all want happiness and peace; we all want to make a difference. Because we’re more alike in important ways than we are different, we already have it in us to see and know each other deeply, to look after each other, to build a strong community.

None of us is truly solitary, alone in this world. We are more like aspen trees. If we see and know each other deeply, we will come to understand that we all share common roots. We all need each other. That’s where we get our strength. That’s what a community is.

 

Goodbye Mr Chips by Leslie Bricusse

In the morning of my life I shall look to the sunrise.
At a moment in my life when the world is new.
And the blessing I shall ask is that God will grant me,
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through.

(Chorus)
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

In the noontime of my life I shall look to the sunshine,
At a moment in my life when the sky is blue.
And the blessing I shall ask shall remain unchanging.
To be brave and strong and true,
And to fill the world with love my whole life through

(Chorus)

In the evening of my life I shall look to the sunset,
At a moment in my life when the night is due.
And the question I shall ask only God can answer.
Was I brave and strong and true?
Did I fill the world with love my whole life through?

(Chorus)

Friday, August 28, 2020

What Seek Ye?

The essential daily question Jesus Christ asks all of us by S Michael Wilcox (2020)

https://www.ldsliving.com/The-essential-daily-question-Jesus-Christ-asks-all-of-us/s/93206?utm_source=ldsliving&utm_medium=email

First and last words have always intrigued me. Their positioning adds a dimension of importance. The first and last words of Jesus in the Gospel of John are questions—very relevant questions for us all, very simple questions, which is wonderful to me. Let’s look at Jesus’s first three words. John the Baptist was standing with John the Beloved and Andrew by the Jordan River just north of the Dead Sea when Jesus walked by, drawing from the Baptist the words, “Behold the Lamb of God! And the two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Jesus. Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye?” (John 1:36–38; emphasis added).

There is an essential daily question Jesus asks all of us! “Michael,” He says to me, “what seek ye? What do you desire of life?” At different points on my earthly climb, I might have answered that in various ways. How would you answer it? What are you seeking—really, truly, deeply seeking? Andrew, John, and John the Baptist don’t quite know how to answer that question on the deeper level, but they want to know where to find Him, so they ask Him where He dwells. This brings from Jesus what I call “the Great Invitation”—three simple words: “Come and see” (John 1:39). These words are echoed later by Philip to Nathanael, “Come and see” (John 1:46); by the woman at the well, “Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did” (John 4:29); and even by Pilate at the trial of Jesus: “Behold the man! . . . Behold your King!” (John 19:5, 14).

What is it that we truly seek in life? Notice also that the word seek suggests effort and commitment. I remember that when I or the children lost something in the house and could not find it, we always turned to Laurie, my wife and their mother. She would inevitably find the missing item fairly quickly, then add in a humorous but emphatic tone: “Move something!” We were hoping things would just turn up. I can hear the Lord occasionally say to me, when I am looking and hoping for some soul-blessing gift that doesn’t come right away: “Move something!”

Lucifer usually approaches us with a similar question: “What do you want?” But he can only offer what money or power can obtain. He tried this approach on Jesus during His preparation in the wilderness. I can’t help but compare the implied efforts of the word seek with the effortlessness of the word want. Do we seek truth? The Spirit? Do we seek comforts? Pleasure? Friendships? I think most of us would say to Jesus, “Lord, I just long to be happy! I just desire peace! I need love! I want to feel good about myself.” To these essential desires, Christ responds, “Well, if you want joy, peace, love, serenity, truth, or the Spirit, come and see. Follow me and you shall have all you seek.”

I have taken many long walks with Jesus’s first three words revolving through my mind. Many people I meet are in doubt about what they really hope for in life; or they want certain things but may not realize the need to seek them or how to do it; or cannot perceive that what they are currently seeking will not give them what they really desire. I remember a little book I used to read to my children called The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. It was a simple and delightful but thought-provoking book about a boy who spent his life trying to figure out what he really needed until, in old age, he was happy to just rest. Well, “rest” is also something the Savior promised to those who follow Him: “Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

In section 7 of the Doctrine and Covenants, Jesus asked, “John, my beloved, what desirest thou?” (Doctrine and Covenants 7:1). In the Book of Mormon, Jesus asked each of His twelve disciples “one by one” as He was preparing to return to His Father, “What is it that ye desire of me, after that I am gone to the Father?” (3 Nephi 28:1). I am sometimes tempted to ask, “Lord, isn’t this backward? What do you want me to do for you?” But He is the Giving God and gently holds to His question: “No, Michael, what can I do for you? What is it that ye desire of me?”

In high school, for reasons I could not have explained then, I was profoundly moved by the experience and words of Henry David Thoreau, who built a small cabin by Walden Pond near Concord, Massachusetts. He, too, was seeking, and concluded: “I wished to live life deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear. . . . For most men, it appears to me, are in a strange uncertainty about it.” The first three words Jesus spoke in the Gospel of John are designed to move us to thought, so we will not have a “strange uncertainty” about life and what we hope to gain from it. To be totally honest, at this point and situation in my life, since my wife, Laurie, passed nine years ago, I tell my Savior: “I seek Laurie. Can you give her back to me, Lord? As lovely as my mind remembers her?” And even in this, He replies, “Come and see.”

I hesitate to suggest a particular answer to any of Jesus’s questions, but He does give us more than a hint about at least one way we may answer those initial three simple words. We do know what He sought—how He would have answered His own question. “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me” (John 5:30). That was the essence of His life: “For I do always those things that please him” (John 8:29). This would carry through to the last bitter cup He was asked to drink when, in Gethsemane, He prayed, “O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39).

“What seek ye?” Just recently, my five-year-old granddaughter Abigail taught me a beautifully simple and poignant lesson about answering this question. It was Christmas Eve. Abigail and her sister had prepared a nativity for the family. She assigned us all our parts: shepherds, wise men, the holy family. Which part do you think she wanted to play? Isn’t it usually Mary? Not this time. She wanted to be Jesus! There would be no doll in this nativity, but an actual child, innocent as was the infant she wanted to emulate. She wrapped herself up in a blanket for “swaddling clothes,” curled up as small as she could on a cushion, and was as contented as a child could be. She lay there very still, because, of course, the baby Jesus would not cry—but I did, and I have often wept again when the memory returns. “What seek ye?” I believe that somewhere in the many ways we answer that question throughout our lives is a constant ardent desire to “be Jesus,” not to just be like Him, to soak ourselves so fully in His life, thoughts, teachings, and attributes that we—as He invited us to do during His ministry—become one with Him as He is with the Father.

For me, life is not a test, but a journey toward a certain destination—so I’ll conclude these thoughts on this first, so-needful question of our Savior with an experience by Leo Tolstoy, the great Russian writer of War and Peace. He spent most of his life trying to answer Jesus’s question and created memorable characters in his books who also try to answer it. At one point in his life, he was in such despair about the purpose of living that suicide seemed a desirable option. He wrote A Confession, a story of his search for meaning, which included the following experience:

“What happened to me was something like this: I was put into a boat (I do not remember when) and pushed off from an unknown shore, shown the direction of the opposite shore, had oars put into my unpracticed hands, and was left alone. I rowed as best I could and moved forward; but the further I advanced toward the middle of the stream the more rapid grew the current bearing me away from my goal and the more frequently did I encounter others, like myself, borne away by the stream. There were a few rowers who continued to row, there were others who had abandoned their oars; there were large boats and immense vessels full of people. Some struggled against the current, others yielded to it. And the further I went the more, seeing the progress down the current of all those who were adrift, I forgot the direction given me. In the very center of the stream, mid the crowd of boats and vessels which were being borne downstream, I quite lost my direction and abandoned my oars. Around me on all sides, with mirth and rejoicing, people with sails and oars were borne down the stream, assuring me and each other that no other direction was possible. And I believed them and floated with them. And I was carried far; so far that I heard the roar of the rapids in which I must be shattered, and I saw boats shattered in them. And I recollected myself. I was long unable to understand what had happened to me. I saw before me nothing but destruction, toward which I was rushing and which I feared. I saw no safety anywhere and did not know what to do; but looking back, I perceived innumerable boats which unceasingly and strenuously pushed across the stream, and I remembered the shore, the oars, and the direction, and began to pull back upwards against the stream and toward the shore.

That shore was God; that direction was tradition; the oars were the freedom given me to pull for the shore and unite with God. And so the force of life was renewed in me and I again began to live. . . . I returned to the belief in that Will which produced me and desires something of me. I returned to the belief that the chief and only aim of my life is to be better, i.e. to live in accord with that Will.”

So let us “come and see.” Let us “behold the man!” For in the life of this beautiful man we worship, and in those things He asks us, we will eventually find all we seek.