Gradually, our church is rolling out new hymns, so it’s becoming more common for me to hear unfamiliar music at church. This hymn was sung in my parents’ sacrament meeting on Sunday and although it isn’t new, it was new to me.
It’s a beautiful prayer, and it was written by a woman I admire, Ellis Reynolds Shipp, an early female medical doctor in Utah.
Some of my favorite lines,
Calm the surges of the soul,
Bid the dark waves backward roll,
Let us all thy mercies feel,
Thru the pow’r thou dost reveal.
The storms we face are usually hidden in our souls, with dark waves and uncertainty that can feel consuming. This verse reminds me that we can ask our Heavenly Father to calm our storms. Jesus Christ showed us that He is really good at that.
In honor of President Jeffrey R. Holland who passed away last week, Mark and I spent a lot of time sharing with one another our favorite talks by this beloved Apostle. After our call ended, I took a minute to appreciate the privilege of having such a conversation with a 19-year-old.
There are so many talks that we shared and there are many that I love. If I had to choose just one, it would be The Grandeur of God from 2003. I keep it folded in my scriptures for ready reference. Here are some of my favorite words,
God, in His ultimate effort to have us know Him, sent to earth His Only Begotten and perfect Son, created in His very likeness and image, to live and serve among mortals in the everyday rigors of life.
To come to earth with such a responsibility, to stand in place of Elohim—speaking as He would speak, judging and serving, loving and warning, forbearing and forgiving as He would do—this is a duty of such staggering proportions that you and I cannot comprehend such a thing. But in the loyalty and determination that would be characteristic of a divine child, Jesus could comprehend it, and He did it. Then, when the praise and honor began to come, He humbly directed all adulation to the Father.
“The Father … doeth the works,” He said in earnest. “The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” On another occasion He said: “I speak that which I have seen with my Father.” “I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me.” “I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.”
He came to improve man’s view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.
So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who is “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness.” In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, “This is God’s compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own.”
I am so blessed to have had Elder Holland’s witness of Christ through my years of important decisions, marriage, and all the years of raising children. Apparently, he spoke at my middle school because his youngest son was in my class, but I don’t have a memory of it. Foggy middle school years aside, he was very influential in my life and I will miss him.
This blog is no longer about the day to day things, but sometimes it helps me to do a review of the week to see where we have been and where we are headed. Here is how we spent our evenings last week.
Monday: We attended the high school musical, Cinderella to support three young men that we know. One was in the orchestra pit and two were on stage.
Tuesday: Richard worked from home and I attended a Relief Society dinner. I prepared rolls, and for the first time in 13 years of dinners in this ward, I went home with an empty container. You can’t imagine how this feels for me after so many rejections. 😂
Wednesday: I prepared 4 batches of pizza dough for a young men activity at another home where Richard was in charge of pizza night. He shopped for all the ingredients and had quite an array for the boys to make personal pizzas. They had fun.
Thursday: Richard worked, and I probably worked on gifts. I had plans fall through to visit a friend.
Friday: Date to Zao for dinner and then a big Costco trip.
Saturday: We watched the BYU football game and I worked on Christmas card assembly.
Sunday: I finished our Christmas card assembly and Richard called his mom.
I am holding back panic about the demands for this coming week. I will just follow the well-worn plan for Thanksgiving and try to stay steady as I handle some extra things on the to do list.
The article by President Russell M. Nelson from 2020, The Future of the Church: Preparing the World for the Savior’s Second Coming is amazing. It was listed in the Come Follow Me study guide for Doctrine and Covenants 133. Here are a few passages that I marked.
I have been thinking about building physical, emotional, and spiritual reserves that can buffer me against stress.
The thing about building a reserve, whether it is financial, spiritual, or physical, is that it is done with consistent, small acts over a sustained period of time.
We can do that. We must do it. There are things during these challenging times that, with God’s help, “only members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints can accomplish.”
This month, I have some opportunities to teach about the trials of the early Latter-day Saints. As part of my preparation, I compiled my highlights from general conferences and church magazines on the subject of trials. Perhaps there is something in this document that would be helpful to you.
Many treasures, hidden riches, and even my knowledge of God have been gained during difficult times.
And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the Lord, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
I’m teaching Sunday School in a couple of days, and this is the state of my mind and my kitchen table. I have learned the best preparation is to read the scripture assignment as many times as I can and look for treasures. The Come Follow Me manual is the best study guide.
A small amount of time goes into other research (that stack of books). I don’t listen to podcasts because my class members are already doing that.
I keep notes and ideas on post-it notes to add or toss from the lesson plan, and most weeks the discussion travels beyond this map. In the end, I can’t claim credit for the things people learn from the discussion, but this is my process.
Ten years ago this month, we began serving in a Relief Society presidency together. I didn’t know Charlene and Cindy well, but I knew they should be my counselors. They were the right women for the challenges that came and they taught me so much. We are forever friends.
A lot has happened during the last ten years of our lives: the passing of a husband, health troubles, marriages, missions… But when I walk into church and find them in their usual places, they lift me every single time. Our secretary Kristy has moved away, but she’s remembered and loved, too.
Group shot (photo taken by Richard)The poof of life photo he sent me after a hike in the heat. 😎
Our ward had back-to-back youth camps this month. Busy. Richard is the only Ross man left at home to go on high adventure camps and I miss seeing our boys in photos with their dad on these trips.
Richard and I were guests at young women camp one evening this week. They provided a lovely dinner, sang around the campfire, and had a testimony meeting. It was rewarding to be observers. Girls camp feels familiar, even as the girls grow up so quickly and the campsites change. I asked question after question of the girls and leaders and learned a lot about their experiences. It was a long drive home and we pulled in at midnight. Still, we probably got more sleep than those who stayed at camp!
Posing for a picture to send to Mark on his birthday
I learn many things as a teacher of this Sunday School class. I have been a student of the scriptures throughout my life, and I have experience in receiving personal revelation about passages of scripture, but there is a new level of insight that has come with this calling.
Clear ideas flood my mind when I prepare to teach this group of adults.
My takeaway is that these adults are as precious to the Lord as the children and youth of the church. What happens in our Sunday School class matters to Him because He loves them and wants to help them.
