Advent Day 4

This December, my Advent theme is Hope. It’s my plan to share something each day leading up to Christmas. Today, I want to share something Daniel showed me that is hopeful and happy. Remember those feelings?

Therefore, my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Psalms 16:9

Advent Day 3

This December, my Advent theme is Hope. It’s my plan to share something each day leading up to Christmas.

For behold the field is white and already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul; And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work.

Doctrine and Covenants 4:4-5
This is a mural in the Provo Missionary Training Center. We went on a tour of the new building in 2017 and this piece of art was what I remember. It depicts Nephi returning to Jerusalem for the plates of brass, something that would require all of his faith and strength. I think I loved it because it captures a moment of courage, when hope turns to acts of faith.

Advent Day 2

This December, my Advent theme is Hope. It’s my plan to share something each day leading up to Christmas.

Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken.

Jacob 4:6

This photo of President Nelson inspires me. I think searching the scriptures has been the most important way I have found hope. In this practice, I try to be as faithful as a prophet. When the kids were younger and finding time to read the scriptures was harder, or now, in an emergency, I try to close my eyes and recite a scripture in my mind when I can’t read. The scripture I recite most often is Psalm 19:7. I memorized it in high school, and have repeated it on the most challenging days for 30 years. It’s the closest thing I have to a mantra.

Advent day 1

This December, my Advent theme is Hope. It’s my plan to share something each day leading up to Christmas. Today, I share a scripture and a beautiful piece of music.

Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Romans 15:13

Join me for YouTube church tomorrow

As far as I can tell, they leave the meeting up on YouTube for a while after the meeting, so you can watch at your convenience. If you do watch, I hope you will let me know. I will be speaking to just a few people and a camera. As a young friend said as he spoke to the camera from the pulpit, “I never thought I would be a televangelist!” 😁

Gratitude of a child

One day after a surgery about 20 years ago, someone gave me a gratitude journal. It made me frustrated to even look at it, and I gave up after a couple of tries. It wasn’t part of my routine yet to show gratitude regularly. What I want to say is that even though gratitude is the answer, and was the answer to my trials 20 years ago, it is a skill that must be learned and practiced. After surgery 20 years ago, I wasn’t equipped to benefit from a gratitude journal, simply because my attitude was wrong and I wasn’t habitually grateful. The power of gratitude in my life has come with time and intentional effort. True gratitude drives out negativity. I believe the gratitude God is talking about in His commandment is childlike in its simplicity, broad in its understanding, and ultimately makes us see the His hand in our lives.

Sometimes I get gratitude all wrong. It takes time to understand what is really going on here: every day is Christmas morning and we are the children walking into the room, discovering the gifts that have been given. Will I run to the Giver of the gifts quickly, or will I drag my feet in acknowledging the gift, or worse, not even notice something?

Sure, many times there is a gift sitting there not on my “list,” and it might take some time to find the right place for it. Other gifts are so beautiful, it’s easy to see He loves me. Some gifts take time to put together, and that is okay that I don’t see the end as I work through the mess. And there are the gifts that are so predictable that I hardly notice them. The gift of gratitude brings back childlike wonder, submissiveness, and joy not just in the gifts, but in the process of discovering the gift disguised in difficulty or routine. For those complex gifts with lots of moving parts to assemble, I have learned that I can show gratitude when I find individual pieces that fit, not just the finished product.

Have you seen the videos of parents wrapping simple things such as a banana or a spoon, and filming he children’s reactions when the gifts are opened?

“A banana! Look, I got a banana!” (Child runs around the house waving his banana and showing everyone his new banana) This kid is my hero. This is step one: delight in whatever is there.

Step two is to seek the Giver and connect with Him. This is when the really good stuff happens.