April 2024, Week 3

 *Today at church we had a High Counselor speak.  He's a convert from Mexico, though he has lived in the states for a long time.  He has a gentle, uplifting outlook on life, and is quite funny.  (He noticed that the meeting was being broadcast, and said, "I'm on TV?  I should have done something with my hair!  Not that I could do anything..."  as he rubbed his very, very short buzzed hair.)  In passing he mentioned that there were a lot of children in the congregation, and it reminded him of speaking to his daughter's school, where he serves on the PTA.  That says VOLUMES about who he is and how he lives his life.  His topic was the Word of Wisdom.  He said it wasn't difficult for him to accept when he was being taught the gospel, because he was already keeping the principles.  He acknowledged that it is hard for some to change, but that when we do, we invite the Spirit and come closer to Jesus Christ.  He told of how coworkers noticed that he wasn't drinking coffee, and how it opened doors of discussion about the gospel.  We are being watched.  We need to make that a positive thing.

*Alex Randall spoke about his mission, and finding grace, or the power we receive to do God's work through His love for us.  He shared a couple stories, including how his final plane to get home, from Minneapolis to Dallas, left before he was able to get through customs.  He had to get a hotel for the night, since the next flight wasn't until the next morning, and went to a restaurant for dinner, where he was journaling.  He had a small family sit by him, and the father asked what he was writing about, and was excited to find Alex was a Christian.  They had been Hindu all their lives until a year before, when they started attending a Baptist church.  Alex was excited that they were asking him questions about authority and scriptures, and they listened to him teach the lesson on the restoration.  What an amazing way to end a mission!  (It reminded me of my plane flight from London to Chicago, one of the long legs on my way home from my mission.  I was hoping for a final experience like Alex had, but I sat next to a Baptist youth minister, who had had missionaries teach him before, and he [albeit good-naturedly] gave me every single concern that I had been met with on my mission, so I got to go through all of the answers I had, which he'd already heard and was prepared with counter-answers.  It was not Bible-bashing, but it wasn't progressing anywhere, either.  I do remember sharing "faith without works is dead," and he paused on that to think for a bit.  Then later we jointly averted our eyes, as the movie Titanic was being played on the big screen, when the naked scene came on.)

It was a delight!

April 2024, Week 2

*Today at church we had Fast and Testimony Meeting.  One of Scott's friends returned from his mission this week, and he bore his testimony.  He reminded us of a talk from General Conference, where a sister retold the story of the wise man and the foolish man, and how we take for granted that the wise man is okay up there on his rock, when the reality is that yes, you can find strength and stability on the Rock (Jesus Christ), but if you're not anchored to the Rock, which is something you have to do the work for yourself, you are still in danger of being washed away.  I had forgotten about that talk and was grateful for the reminder.  (And I was slightly disappointed that I didn't detect any accent in his speech, since he has been serving in England and Wales. ☺)

*A young man (who happened to ask my Caytie to prom) spoke about how he has a fear of insects, and has previously talked about bees, but the day before he had found a new bug while doing yardwork, and discovered it was an assassin bug, which causes more pain with its bite than a bee sting.  He said that we can fear the unknown, and get into a downward spiral of knowing there is always something worse to be found, not even wanting to leave the house, or we can accept that and live with faith that we will be protected, and live life looking up.  I appreciate when people can find meaning in the ordinary.

It was a delight!

April 2024, Week 1

 *It's General Conference!  We heard so many wonderful messages.  Almost everyone mentioned covenants, and several talked about the temple, prayer, and trusting in God, His timing, and His plan.  I tried to notice when they connected their topic to Jesus Christ, and everyone did.  The speakers often reminded us, as President Nelson encouraged in October, to "Think Celestial."  I was reminded to do more ministering and to attend the temple more frequently, if possible (which it is).  Elder Patrick Kearon gave his first talk as an apostle, about the Plan of Happiness.  Pres. Eyring conducted one session while sitting in his seat, and there were other members of the Quorum of the Twelve who conducted sessions, which I hadn't seen happen before.  (The whole First Presidency is in their 90's, which is a first, too.)  In the evening session on Saturday, the choir sang "Amazing Grace," which was beautiful and rumored to be included in the new version of the hymnbook we're all anxiously awaiting.  President Nelson attended the afternoon sessions on both days, and his talk was prerecorded, but we were happy to get all of him that we could get!  He talked about the Kirtland Temple, which the Church recently purchased, and how Jesus appeared there, as well as an Elias and Elijah, who restored Priesthood keys of the gathering of Israel, the gospel of Abraham, and the sealing power.  He encouraged us to study the dedicatory prayer in Doctrine and Covenants 109.  He gave us a promise that nothing will help us hold to the iron rod, protect us from temptations, bolster our faith in Jesus Christ's Atonement and understanding of God's Plan, sooth our pain, and open the heavens more than worshipping in the temple.  It was a weekend full of light!  It's so nice that my children now want to sit and listen to the talks, as well.  It's going to be great to go back and study the talks in depth.

*My cousin Dorothy Larsen is in the Tabernacle Choir, and we love looking for her as they sing.  My daughter asked if they wear their dresses between sessions, so I messaged her, and she replied that after the morning session, they have a rehearsal, and then and hour break for lunch, where they all wear plastic aprons to stay clean for the afternoon session.  Fun fact of the day!

It was a delight!

March 2024, Week 5

*Today at church we celebrated Easter, so we (according to the new guidelines) only had Sacrament Meeting.  I was glad our family had participated in Easter related activities and lessons throughout the week, so that our thoughts were focused on Jesus, and His Atonement for us.  While I was singing the Sacrament hymn, I thought of how it was one that we could sing on any Sunday at church, and then I realized that every Sunday can (and really should) be an Easter Sunday, as we pause to remember Him while taking the Sacrament into our bodies, minds, and spirits.  The talks and songs and lessons can always return to Jesus and to His love for us.  Remembering His willing sacrifice and resurrection, and how that blesses us, should be a part of our worship every time we gather.  So, Happy Easter today, and every Sabbath!

It was a delight!

March 2024, Week 4

 *Today in church I was able to teach my Primary class about Nephi's last written words.  We talked about Heavenly Father's plan, and following Jesus along the path of faith, repentance, the covenant of baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring (which I recently learned really means repeating the steps again and again, getting closer to Jesus each time).  My five year olds had some great questions (Do we really have to be baptized?  I'm afraid to go under water.  Why doesn't the Holy Ghost have a body?  How can I feast on the scriptures if I can't even read yet?), and it's such a delight to try to answer them in a way they understand.  

*I made a mistake with my class, however.  Ben had woken up early and he made chocolate chip cookies for our classes, which we were using to talk about 2 Nephi 31:20 (feasting upon the word of Christ), and when I brought them out, one of my boys raised his hand and sweetly asked, "Are they gluten free?"  No, they were not--and I didn't even think to check if that was needed before bringing them.  I felt terrible that I had put him in that position, but he handled it with such maturity and grace.  Yes, he had a few tears in his eyes, and he did say it was okay if he ate it sometimes, but I said we'd wait and check with his mom, who did confirm he shouldn't have gluten.  I promised him some gluten-free cookies for next week.  He was willing to continue on with the lesson and even participated, while his classmates ate their cookies next to him.  Sweet boy.  Lesson learned for me--check BEFORE bringing food.

It was a delight.