Learn

It is the most natural human response to life to want to learn. Babies absorb the world around them. Toddlers ask "Why?". Good teachers don't have to motivate their students. They just provide opportunity.

The Lord knows this about us and encourages us to study and learn. Our new curriculum, Come Follow Me, is evidence of that.

Seek learning, even by study and also by faith.

Those who know me know I love to read, study and learn. My patriarchal blessing encourages it and suggests even that the Lord expects me to use my studies to do "much good."

The only problem with having such a thirst for learning is that there just isn't enough time. So I hang to the words of this song by Carol Lynn Pearson in My Turn on Earth.

Some dreams must wait

Life isn't long.

Some dreams must wait to come true.

Sometimes it seems life just begins and then

All of a sudden it's through.

There's songs you won't sing

There's stories that you will never hear.

Pages you'll never turn,

Words that you'll never,

Things that you never will learn.

Some dreams must wait,

Life isn't long enough.

It's nice to know there's all eternity

For everything you would like to do.

No harps and clouds for me, thank you. I'll be too busy reading and learning and meeting people and hearing their stories. And I will take voice lessons - surely my voice will be perfected and I will sing! So much to look forward to. So much to learn. . .

Lord

I've been watching too much British TV. I hear the word "Lord" being used all the time - and always by its dictionary meaning "one having power or authority over others." British rulers gained their position by hereditary right and those of lesser position bowed humbly or submissively to "My Lord" or "My Lady".

In the Old Testament the word "Lord" is substituted for the name of God, Jehovah, which out of reverence was not spoken by the Jews.

In the New testament "Lord" can refer either to the Father or Jesus. It is a title that acknowledges not authority but greatness or goodness. Jesus is not just another mortal man. The angel announced his birth with these words - "For unto you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior, which is Christ the Lord."

He is the divine Son of God, Lord of Lords, King of Kings, greater than all - not because he has great power and authority - but because of His great love and sacrifice for all mankind. He taught us to serve one another not to rule over one another.

So I speak the word "Lord" much differently than the Brits I watch on TV. I speak the word in reference and great love.

Love

Love is the bottom line. In Alma 5:40 we are given a key with which we can judge: "Whatsoever is good cometh from God and whatsoever is evil cometh of the devil."

Love is the foundation of all that is good for God loves us. The most important truth we will ever know is simply that - God loves me. But it can't be that you know this in your mind. It must be felt. You must know in the very depth of your being that you are a beloved child of Heavenly Parents.

"I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love" can be found in 2nd Nephi 1:15 and again in D&C 6:20 we read "I will encircle be in the arms of my love."

To know that love is have found a great treasure. It is to know the kingdom of heaven, the treasure hidden in the field, the pearl of great price.

John 3:16
For God so loved the world...

1st John 3:1
Behold, what manner of love the father has bestowed upon us.

In the vision of the Tree of Life we learn "Yea, it is the love of God which sheddeth itself abroad in the hearts of the children of men."

Why is it that it is so important to know God's love? Because love is the greatest motivator the world has ever known.

Read Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear by Elder Deiter F Uchtdorf April 2017 Conference

"The more I come to know my Heavenly Father, the more I see how He inspires and leads His children. He is not angry, vengeful, or retaliatory. His very purpose - His work and His glory - is to mentor us, exalt us, and lead us to His fullness.

"God described Himself to Moses as merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and Truth.

"Our Father in Heaven's love for us, His children, surpasses by far our ability to comprehend.

Does this mean that God condones or overlooks behaviors that run contrary to His commands, no, definitely not!

But he wants to change more than just our behaviors. He wants to change our very natures. He wants to change our hearts."

There are many ways to change behaviors but in my experience there has only been one thing in all my life that has ever caused a change in my heart. And that for me has been the experience of feeling God's love for me personally.

Joseph Smith wrote: "When persons manifest the least kindness and love to me, oh what power it has over my mind, while the opposite course has a tendency to harrow up all of the harsh feelings and depress the human mind."

The poet, Alfred, Lord Tennyson, wrote of his own pain sense of unworthiness and of the Divine response that pierced his soul.

The spirit of true love replied;

"Thou canst not move me from the side,

Nor human frailty do me wrong

So fret not

That life is dashed with flecks of sin.

Abide. Thy wealth is gathered in

When time has sundered shell from Pearl."

My own experience has been the same as Tennyson's.

On bended knee

Before the one

I brought my wounds,

My bleeding heart.

I told him all,

Left nothing out.

I purged my soul.

I sought his grace.

And there I found

No reprimand,

Though well deserved

And justly due.

Tis there I felt

His arms embrace.

I felt His love.

I felt His love.

MAN - Mankind - Humans - People

We humans are the offspring of God. You certainly wouldn't know it if you watch the news.

"Now we have a world where people are confused.
If you don't believe it, go and watch the news." Primary Songbook Follow the Prophet verse 9

It has ever been so. Looking at an article called "List of Wars by Death Toll", I was sickened to see the numbers. Just to name a few:

Conquest of Cyrus the Great - 100,000

Punic wars - Roman empire vs Carthaginian - 1,520,691

Gallic wars - Roman empire vs France - 1 million

Roman vs Jews 66 to 136 BC - 1,900,000

Three Kingdoms War - China - 38 million

Spanish and Portuguese vs Muslim states 711 to 1492 - 7 million

Mongol conquest - 34,600,000

Spanish conquest of Aztecs  -24,300,000

Spanish conquest of Incas - 8,400,000

Protestants vs. Catholics in France - 2,800,000

Ming to Qing dynasty - 25 million

Thirty Year War Europe - 5,893,670

Napoleonic Wars - 5 million

Tai Ping Rebellion China 4,4700,000

World war I - 23,568,559

World war II - 69,069,811

Korean war - 3 million

Vietnam - 1,743,000

And those are just a few! It is nauseating.

Then we add all the other heartbreaks - murder, theft, arson, rape, trafficking, slavery, etc. No wonder the early church chose to say that man is by nature sinful and unclean. His track record would seem to indicate it is so.

But restoration truce teaches otherwise. In the book of Moses it is recorded that children "are whole from the foundation of the world."

It then goes on to say we are born into a world filled with sin "even so when they begin to grow up, send conceive it in their hearts... "

Here on earth we taste the bitter that we may learn to prize the good. That is why we are here. And we are very good at creating those bitter fruits.  All I can say is that we need a Savior. I cannot imagine how He can bring healing to all those wounds. I cannot see how all these horrors of life could ever be turn to our good. I cannot fathom how hearts turned so bitter could be made to love again.

I can only join the God of Heaven who said "Wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing the shall suffer." And I trust the Lord's promise that the gospel and the healing power of the Savior will eventually reach each of his children. We need him.

Mediator

Mediate = to work with opposing sides in an argument or dispute to get in agreement. To interpose between parties in order to reconcile them.

Synonyms are: intercessor, interposer, peacemaker.

I would like to share a problem I have carried with me my whole life. I was taught the following paradigm.  My artistry leaves much to be desired but you will get the point.

"Therefore, remember, oh man, for all thy doings that shall be brought into judgment.. No unclean thing can dwell with God; wherefore, you must be cast off forever."

At the same time, I was taught since the time I was very little that Jesus loves me.  He was the polar opposite of his Father.  He would do everything He could to get the Father to have mercy upon me.

In this paradigm of my youth:

• Justice is pitted against Mercy.
• Christ loses his role as collaborator with our Heavenly parents.
• The true nature of the Father is lost.
• Justice equals the inflexible standard of a legalistic heavenly monarch.
• It conflicts with things Jesus taught about his father. "I and the father are one; if you have seen me, you have seen the father."

So I needed a new paradigm. I should have done more praying and studying about this because when I found a new paradigm of understanding in the Givens' book "The Christ Who Heals", I realized I should have seen this for myself.  And I was SO ready to make the change. All quotes below are from this book.

It all begins with our understanding of agency.

I will start by quoting B. H. Roberts on page 54:

"We should not see justice as some abstract, cosmic universal, 

nor as the inflexible standard of a legalistic Heavenly monarch. It is, 

rather, another name for what, from a human perspective, 

guarantees the integrity of human choice."

Choice must be a choice of something.

"Human liberty requires the freedom of doing as we like - 

subject to such consequences as may follow."

"If choice is to be more than an empty gesture of the will, 

more than a mere pantomime of decision-making, any given 

choice should eventuate in the natural consequences of that choice."

"But our agency would be compromised if consequences followed

 immediately and directly. Who would send a second time if pain where 

the Swift and inevitable result. who would act from pure motive if virtuous 

actions unfailingly reaped manifold and immediate joy."

"We navigate our way through turbulent seas under dark skies. 

We see through a glass, darkly.  Yet there is still a quote quality of 

regularity... Necessary to a sense of security."

"Hence, the validity, the efficacy, of our very agency rather than some 

abstract Justice, is what is at stake in the expectation that consequences

 indeed follow upon the exercise of human agency."

The Givens then point out this is why the Book of Mormon urges us to be"instructed sufficiently in the workings of the universe, the laws that govern pain and happiness, the nature of choice and consequences, so that we may freely choose liberty and eternal life."

"In this schoolroom of mortality, with our knowledge still in perfect, our wheels not yet purified, and our character not fully-formed, we too often choose poorly."

"This is why our Savior was appointed, before Earth's creation, to bear the burden of pain that follows in sin and errors wake. Christ volunteers himself and offering to assume the painful consequences of our injuries choices.

• Not to appease Justice
• Not to propitiate a sovereign God

But to preserve in the universe real opposites, and real stakes, in order to assure the efficacy of agency and its consequences.

So what does this paradigm look?

All of us are collaborating in a plan that will help us 

become like our Heavenly parents.

No wonder we shouted for joy!

Now back to the word mediator. I suggest that we have been using it wrongly - brought on by the incorrect paradigm - Protestant in origin - that terrible paradigm that I was taught.

A second definition of the word mediate is this: to have an effect or influence in causing something to happen.

This definition fits the Savior completely. He volunteered himself to carry the pain of the world and helped to create the Earth and as such helped to create the great plan of happiness!

Thus in the scriptures He is the Mediator of this first covenant & Mediator of the New Testament.

Mercy and Justice

Someone once said that as humans we want mercy for ourselves and justice for all those who have wronged us.

Remember the story of the debtor and how he sought and found mercy then turned around and had someone who owed him money thrown into prison?

That is certainly a wrong use of the word justice. In that story justice was more like revenge.

I like to remind myself that when we say the pledge of allegiance we ask for liberty and justice for all.  Justice here means fairness, equal opportunity.

It would be absolutely right to say that God is merciful and just! His work and glory is to bring us home, meaning our experience on earth will have "fit us for heaven to live with [him] there."

To me, mercy represents God's great compassion for us, his loving-kindness,  knowing we all make so many mistakes. Justice represents His fairness to all of us best portrayed in 2nd Nephi 26:33

"He invited them ALL to come unto him and partake of his goodness and he denieth none that come unto him." 

God's heart is huge. His love for us is immense. Every human being is His child. He has done and will continue to do everything He can possibly do to help each of us fulfill our define potential. And He will never stop doing that until each of us who desires to be with Him has "come home."

Mother in Heaven

One of the many truths of the restored gospel is that we have a Mother in Heaven. We sing of Her in the hymn "O, My Father."

In the heavens are parents single?

No, the thought makes recent stare!

Truth is reason. Truth eternal

Tells me I've a mother there.

When I leave this frail existence,

When I lay this mortal by,

Father, Mother, may I meet you

In your Royal courts on high.

It is written in The Family, a Proclamation to the World "All human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved Spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Parents.

The new Young Women Theme begins "I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents, with a divine nature and eternal destiny."

If you look under gospel topics in the library app you will find the following:

Mother in Heaven - the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints teaches that all human beings, male and female, our beloved Spirit children of Heavenly Parents, a Heavenly Father and a Heavenly Mother.

If you do a search on the church's website for "Heavenly parents" you'll find 88 references in General Conference. Most of these are found in the last 10 years. It seems that we are finally comfortable with speaking about our Heavenly Mother. It seems She is becoming more prominent in our thoughts as Her daughters are taking a more prominent role in the church.

All I can say is hooray! It makes me happy to acknowledge the woman who birthed me spiritually and for whom I pattern my life. How do I do that? By following Jesus Christ - Her Son.

Assumptions often lead us into trouble but this one will not:  it is safe to assume that all godly attributes apply to our Mother in Heaven. It is beautiful to think that I am trying to become like Her!

Natural Man

The word "natural" has so many definitions!  We'll examine 2 definitions.

Definition 1. As used in "the natural man is an enemy to God" it means: being in a state of nature without spiritual enlightenment or having a physical existence as contrasted with one that is spiritual.  In this definition we are human beings first and foremost who need to be changed by a spiritual experience.

Definition 2. In this definition it means having a form or appearance found in nature - which for us means we are made in the likeness of God. In this definition we are spiritual beings having a human experience.

I happen to believe this second definition is what is meant in our scriptures. I have quoted this sentence often enough:

I am a daughter of heavenly parents with a divine nature and infinite potential.

I walk by faith

A daughter of heavenly parents

Divine in nature by inheritance.

My spirit whispers of my mission,

My individual worth. . .

So what is King Benjamin talking about then since he is quoted so often. We have to assume he was referring to an "acquired worldliness".

I leave you with a quote from Brigham Young - one that I like a lot.

"Paul says, in his Epistle to the Corinthians, 'but the natural man receiveth not the things of God,' but I say it is the unnatural  'man that receiveth not the things of God'. The natural man is of God. We are the natural sons and daughters of our natural parents and spiritually we are the natural children of the Father of Light and natural heirs to His kingdom; and when we do an evil, we do it in opposition to the promptings of the Spirit of Truth that is within us. Man, the noblest work of God, was in His creation designed for an endless duration, for which the love of all good was incorporated into his nature.

It was never designed that he should naturally do and love evil. When our first parents felt from their Paradisaical state, they were brought into contact with influences and powers of evil that are unnatural and stand in opposition to endless life. So far as mankind yield to these influences, they are so far removed from a natural to an unnatural state - from life to death."

Neighbor

Perhaps my favorite scripture story is a favorite of yours also.It begins with a question.  "Who is my neighbor?"

From dictionary.com we read these three definitions:

1. A person who lives near another
2. One's fellow human being
3. A person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans.

At the time Jesus was asked this question, the answer the questioner expected was #1.  And for the person asking the questions the answer based on proximity meant his neighbor would b ea fellow Jew.  But Jesus answers with a story - a story that is intended to get us to expand beyond our own little circle.

Definition #2 was Jesus' answer.  The story is a universal story that has actually changed the way we define the term "neighbor".  At least in the dictionary Jesus' answer is acknowledged.  The reality of this is very different.

We live in a world where group is constantly pitted against group where anyone that is different is feared, where majorities deprive minorities of their rights.

Why is it so hard to "love one another?"

I find it interesting how man of our hymns implore us to follow Jesus and expand our understand of who our neighbor is; just who it is we must love.

#172 In Humility, Our Savior
Fill our hearts with sweet forgiving, Teach us tolerance and love.

#308 Love One Another
By this shall men know
Ye are my disciples.
If ye have love
One to another.

#293 Each Life That Touches Ours for Good
Each life that touches ours for good
Reflects thine own great mercy, lord.
Thou sendest blessings from above
Through words and deeds of those who love.

#273  Truth Reflects Upon Our Senses
Charity and love are healing.
These will give the clearest sight.
When I saw my neighbor failing
I was not exactly right.
Now I'll take no further trouble.
Jesus' love is all my theme.
Little motes are but a bubble
When I think upon the beam.

#249 Called to Serve
Called to serve Him, Heav'nly King of glory,
Chosen e'er to witness for his name.
Far and wide we tell the Father's story
Far and wide His love proclaim.

#233 Nay, Speak No Ill
Give me the heart that fain would hide,
Would fain another's faults efface.
How can it please the human pride
To prove humanity but base?

#232 Let us Oft Speak Kind Words
Oh, the kind words we give
Shall in memory live,
And sunshine forever impart.
Let us oft speak kind words to another.
Kind words are sweet tones of the heart.

#223 Have I Done Any Good
Have I cheered up the sad . . .
Has anyone's burden been lighter today. . .
Have the sick and the weary been helped. . .

#220 Lord, I Would Follow Thee
Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can't see.

And so we end with definition #3 - a person who shows kindliness or helpfulness toward his or her fellow humans.  That was the Good Samaritan!  That is who we are supposed to be!

May we accept all human beings as our neighbors, then turn around and be a good neighbor to them.

May we learn to see others as God see them and love all as He loves us.

New and Everlasting Covenant

The New and Everlasting Covenant is the 

Gospel of Jesus Christ!

"If we were state the new and everlasting covenant in 

one sentence it would be this:

For God so loved the world, that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  

"The Power of Covenants" 

Elder D. Todd Christofferson, April 2009.

AMEN!!

Obedience - It's not about DOing, it's about BEcoming.

Proverbs 4: 5-7

Get wisdom, get understanding colon forget if not semicolon neither decline from the words of my mouth. Forsake her not, and she shall preserve thee, love her, and she shall keep thee.Wisdom is the principal thing semicolon therefore get wisdom. And in all your getting, get understanding.

I like this scripture because it reminds us that some things, even good things, are not an end - in and of themselves. So it is with obedience. I'd like to address two issues I see with the concept of obedience.

1. It is not an end.

2. We should obey principles not people - even Heavenly people.

In our hymn "Do What is Right" it says "Angels above us are silent notes taking of every action, then do what is right."

I seriously doubt that this actually happens! Why? Because obedience is not the end of the road. We are not Pavlonian dogs being trained to act in certain ways. We are God's children who have been given the gift of agency. Our choices both good and bad have the power to teach us. And as we repeat the choices that are based on true principles we find ourselves being changed for the good.

Check out this talk at BYU speeches: Knowing, Doing, Being by William Baker July 2006 BYU Devotional

He quotes Elder Henry B Eyring:

"The things we DO are the means, not the end we seek. What we do allows the atonement of Jesus Christ to change us into what we must BE."

Then he quotes Elder David A. Bednar:

"People of integrity and honesty not only practice what they preach, they ARE what they preach."

Final quote from this article"

"The final judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts - what we have done. It is an acknowledgement of the final effect of our acts and thoughts - what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the Gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some Heavenly account. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become."

Obedience is NOT an end in itself. 

Which leads to my second point which is that we are learning to create a life based on obedience to true principles that bring happiness - not obedience to a person.

The other day we were singing "If the Savior Stood Beside Me" in Primary. I realize that often we develop an attitude for deity based on the relationship we have with our parents - the authority figures in our lives. So I asked one little boy if he ever took something of his sisters without asking permission. He said "All the time!" I then asked if he would do that if his mom was standing there. "No way!"  "Why?" I asked. "Because I would get in trouble."

I was so sure that they think exactly that when they think of Jesus standing there beside them. We'd behave differently if the Savior was standing beside us because we don't want to get in trouble!

That is the problem we get into with the ways we teach obedience. And especially if we tie obedience to rewards and punishments. We get stuck in thinking obedience to a person.

But in truth, the Lord has given us an earth school where we are learning to govern our lives by principles. And true principles bring happiness when we choose to live them. For good is its own reward.  Or as the Prophet Joseph Smith taught, "I teach them correct principles and they govern themselves."

But we must also remember that if the consequence was immediate every single time we did something we would still be Pavlonian dogs. So the wonderful and expected consequences of right choices may not be immediate. We may see others doing what we know to be wrong and they get rich and seemed happy.

Ecclesiastes 8:14
There is a vanity which is done upon the earth; that there be just men, unto whom it happeneth according to the work of the wicked; again, there be wicked men, to whom it happeneth according to the work of the righteous: I said that this also is vanity.

That is why faith and hope are such important parts of the Gospel.  We have faith that eventually all will be made right.  We keep an eternal perspective.

For me, it has always been that I must be true to that inner voice that tells me what is right and wrong. I have learned to trust my gut feelings - to listen with my heart. I know my goal - I want to be like Jesus; I want to become like my Savior. I try to do those things - live those principles - that help me to be kind, loving, forgiving, merciful, patient, understanding, etc. I love the Lord and trust that as I tried to emulate him, I will "develop a Christ-like heart filled with love for God and all mankind." Only then will I become all that I can be - which is the end result of being obedient.

Omnipotent, Omnificent , Omnipresent, Omniscient - The Four Omnis of God -

Omnipotent - Almighty or Infinite in power, as God, Powerful, Mighty, Supreme

Omnificent - unlimited in creative power.

Omnipresent - present everywhere at the same time

Omniscient - having complete or unlimited knowledge, awareness, or understanding, perceiving all things

As a community the LDS people don't use these words very often - if at all. We tend to define God by the characteristics that are more attainable. For example, D&C section 121 reminds us to use persuasion, long-suffering, gentleness and meekness, love unfeigned, kindness, etc. These are all characteristics of God that He demonstrates over and over in scripture stories that inspire us and help us draw close to him. More importantly, these are qualities that we have the power to emulate as we try to become like Him.

The four Omni's on the other hand remind us how unlike God we are.

Omnipotent - he is the "Almighty"as President Hinckley used to call him.

"Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the king of creation."  This beautiful hymn reminds us of the greatness of God and why we kneel before him "in glad adoration."

In a world where power is more often abused than not, we are blessed to know there is One who has infinite power and uses it to bless His children.

"Being all power God is greater than our circumstances and needs and is able to help us as we look to Him in submission and faith."  (The Four Omni's of God)

Omnificent 

All creatures of our God and King

Lift up your voice and with us

Alleluia. Alleluia.

Oh Lord my God, when I in awesome Wonder

Consider all the world's thy hands have made...

HOW GREAT THOU ART!

God as Creator is an amazing thought. Our world is just an incredible place from the tiny dew drop that feeds a plant to the glorious mountain vistas and sunsets that feed our souls with their beauty.

We recognize our own limited creative powers yet learned that we each are creators in miniature and will find joy in those things we do create it. For some it will be the arts, some are engineers and scientists.  Some create happy homes. To create anything that is good and beautiful is to share in creation with the Creator of all

Omnipresent

Which of us has not explained in desperation at some time in our life "I can't be in two places at the same time!"  More than any generation ever, modern man juggles schedules and calendars and time constantly. Priorities must be identified because there are so many that demand a piece of us.

Yet God is there for us whenever we need Him. He is present in our lives no matter what befalls us. He hears every prayer. He gives strength to the weary. He gives hope when hope is lost. This one gospel truth brings help and comfort to believers everywhere. It is a magnificent truth!

Praise to the Lord who doth prosper thy way and defend thee.

Surely his goodness and mercy shall ever attend thee.

Ponder anew what the almighty can do,

Who with His love doth befriend thee.

I will not doubt. I will not fear.

God's love and strength are always near.

His promised gift helps me to find

An inner strength and peace of mind.

Omniscient

Life is filled with a search for answers. "Oh, how I wish I knew." Choices abound. There is seldom just one right way to do something but we learned early there are consequences to all decisions and we want to create desirable outcomes.

Paul says it well: "We see through a glass, darkly." We do our best and often just muddle through. We pray for guidance but realize the whole purpose of life would be defeated if God gave us a daily checklist of things we should do. Instead he "teaches correct principles" and asks us to use those to govern our lives. We walk by faith, not knowing.

But God knows us - each one of us - and He knows our potential. Of all the things He knows - what could be more wonderful than that! He knows me. He loves me! Everything He does is to help me reach my greatest potential.

Children of our Heavenly Father

Safely in His bosom gather.

Nestling bird nor star in heaven

Such a refuge e'er was given'

Neither life nor death shall ever

From the Lord His children sever.

Unto them His grace He showeth

And their sorrows all He knoweth.

Though He giveth or He take

God His children ne'er forsaketh.

His the loving purpose solely

To preserve them pure and holy.

For 75 years I've read and studied and been immersed in this laboratory of experience called Earth. And yet I know little.

I am grateful to know God knows all and He is there for me. There is One who is and always will be the "Wonderful, Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace." He is Omnipotent, Omnificent,  Omnipresent, and Omniscient and He loves me!

God planned the day, He planned the night

He gave the darkness, then the light.

The sky of blue, the sun so bright

Because He loves me.

God gave me a family

A cheerful heart and eyes to see.

That I might live here happily

Because He loves me.

Ordinances

Ordinances are the milestones and guideposts of our life. They are powerful symbols that bind us to the Lord and to each other. Shared ordinance experiences create for us a sense of belonging - what Elder Gerrit W Gong calls "Covenant Belonging."

"This world is full of mirage, illusion, sleight of hand. So much seems transitory and superficial. When we put aside the masks, pretenses, crowd - sourced likes and dislikes, we yearn for more than fleeting veneer, ephemeral connection, or the pursuit of worldly self-interest. Gratefully, there is a way through to answers that matter.

"When we come to God's great commandments to love Him and those around us by covenant, we do so not as stranger or guest but as His child at home. The age-old paradox is still true. In losing our worldly self through covenant belonging, we find and become our best eternal self - free, alive, real - and define our most important relationships."

I look back over my life and can understand exactly what Elder Gong is talking about. The various ordinances of the Gospel have been my connection to God and to those I love.

There is a legalistic aspect to ordinances that I acknowledge as I do temple work for my ancestors but which frankly is not the part of ordinances that inspires me. I am not inspired by knowing I was baptized by  "proper priesthood authority."  I am inspired to know my sins are washed away and that I now belong to a community of believers. I love that community. I worry that our emphasis on the legal aspect of ordinances can separate us from our fellow Christians. For example, my friends and family members of other faiths have baptisms and ordinances that mean as much to them as ours do to us but LDS doctrine consider theirs "invalid". So beware of legalism. I loved Elder Gong's talk because it focused on the beauty of what ordinances and covenants do for us and how they create a sense of belonging.  We can share that appreciation with people of all faiths.

My baptism was on the evening of September 19th 1964.  I became a baptized member of the LDS church. You have to know my story to appreciate what that ordinance meant to me. It was the pivotal event where I at last accepted that Jesus was the Divine Son of God who died for us and rose from the grave and lives! It was my acknowledgement that I had found a community that was sincerely trying to follow Him. It was for me exactly what Elder Gong described - a Covenant Community. I had found a home where I felt I belonged.

I am sure I was confirmed that evening but do not remember. Many ordinances are like that. They take place and then, for years afterwards we learn of their impact and importance in our lives. I think sometimes confirmation would be more appreciated if it were done separately from baptism. Baptism takes precedence because of the nature of the procedure.

And yet when you think now of confirmation and the Gift of the Holy Ghost - both bring us that sense of belonging. We belong to the church, a shared community. We covenant to care for each other. The Holy Ghost gives us that constant connection to deity. We are never alone. We belong.

My patriarchal blessing was an amazing experience for me. I knew then, and it is confirmed to me each time I read it, that my Heavenly Father (Parents) know me. I am their daughter. I belong.

The temple only adds to that sense of belonging - in spite of questions that linger about anything we do there. In the washing and anointing rooms I am reminded that I am an eternal being, that God provided me with a Savior and I have a grand and glorious future ahead as a part of a Heavenly family. I am given a sacred garment to remind me of those connections.

In the endowment I make covenants to follow Jesus Christ and His gospel, to devote my life to Him who devoted His whole life to me. I am His and He is mine. I belong.

And finally in the sealing room all my earthly relationships are made eternal and as I continue to seal all my ancestors, my family expands in ties that span generation after generation. We are all the family of God.

I love my family - Mom and Dad, Jim and Ed, my dear Lynn, my favorite five, my little Keith, my Sanderson's and Meyers, the Hamletts, Kincaid's and Campbell's, the Andersons and Jacobson's and Nilsons, and so forth. I have spent my life finding them and binding myself to them. I belong.

"Divine covenants and ordinances become a source of love for and from God and thereby for and with each other. God, our Heavenly Father, loves us more and knows us better than we love or know ourselves. Faith in Jesus Christ and personal change (repentance) bring mercy, grace, and forgiveness. These comfort the hurt, loneliness, and injustice we experience in mortality...

We are not meant to wander in existential uncertainty and doubt but to rejoice and cherish covenant relationships "stronger than the cords of death." "

Living in a covenant community with ordinances as the milestones and guideposts has brought this wonderful sense of belonging to my life!

Here is how I see ordinances binding me to God.

Baptism

1. We pledge our willingness to take upon us the name of Christ

2. We become His - heirs of the celestial kingdom

3. We covenant to support each in our Covenant community for we are "family".

4. We experience and remember the death and burial and resurrection symbolically as we are immersed and come forth from the water. We come unto Christ.

5. We are truly now a "Christian", we take His name upon us. We belong.

6. We are cleansed from sin and given the joy of forgiveness.

The Sacrament

the sacrament is a renewal of our baptismal covenants. It is an opportunity to reconfirm our commitment to the Lord. It is a time of personal reflection and repentance, and I'm going process that will continue throughout our life. There is no confessional for the latter day saint, it is our private time alone with the Lord.the sacrament gives us a time to once again come to Christ and to be cleansed by his atonement. The very simple symbols of bread and water bring us to Christ.

Confirmation and gift of the Holy Ghost

These two ordinances which are given to us together are a wonderful symbol that God never leaves us alone. our connection to Christ is permanently fixed.

A baby's blessing

what a wonderful sense of belonging happens as a baby is blessed. Here we acknowledge each child as a gift from God; each is a cherished and welcomed child. And here in the blessing the parents hopes for their child are verbalized. What a wonderful thing!

Patriarchal blessing

My patriarchal blessing help me to understand that God knows and loves me. This blessing helped me to feel how strongly I belong to him, my life has a purpose, and I have been given many gifts.

Temple ordinances

The temple ordinances also bind me to the savior. I come out of this experience knowing that he cleanses me, that he loves me, and here I commit to follow him totally. Here I am touched by his love and I love him in return. I make Eternal my earthly covenants. and lastly I express my desire to have my whole family connected to me in Eternal bonds.

Original Sin

I swear there is no sin that is original! They all seem to revolve around the same things year after year after year. 

ANGER      STEALING       GREED      MURDER      COVETING   

 IMPROPER USE OF POWER       LUST      SLOTH       PRIDE       WRATH

However, mankind in his "unnatural" state has proven just how creative he can be. If there is a new invention, someone will soon figure out how to use it for some "evil under the sun."  And as original as the method maybe, it will always go back to the same list of evils. They are the common lot of man, Fortunately, most of us learn to control our actions.

"Lord of the Flies" portrays a dismal story of British boys ability to govern themselves. St Augustine taught that man is born sinful - with a built-in urge to do bad things and to disobey God, stemming from "Adam and Eve's rebellion" in the Garden of Eden.

But Restoration truths debunk the myth of original sin and I am grateful for that! Something wonderful takes place when you live a life filled with positive affirmations of who you are!

I am a child of God.

I am a beloved daughter of Heavenly Parents 

with a divine nature and destiny.

I am a beloved son of God and 

He has a work for me to do.

All human beings - male and female - are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of Heavenly Parents, and, as such, each has 

a divine nature and destiny.

Patience

Patience 

• Able to remain calm and not become annoyed when waiting for a long time or when dealing with problems or difficult people.
• Bearing pains or trials calmly or without complaint
• Manifesting forbearance under propagation or strain

“ One minute of patience, 10 years of peace.” 

Greek proverb

Patience and perseverance have a magical effect 

before which difficulties disappear and obstacles vanish. 

John Quincy Adams

Patience is the companion of wisdom. 

Augustine

President Dieter F Uchtdorf in April 2010 Conference said: “. . . patience is a purifying process that we finds understanding, depends happiness, focuses attention, and offers hope for peace." and “Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in waiting rather than in receiving that we grow the most.” and finally “The lessons we learn from patience will cultivate our character, lift our lives, and heighten our happiness.”

I know of nothing that is more difficult than being patient. I am an impatient person and for 76 years the Lord has been trying to teach me patience.

Growth is a slow process – in ourselves and in others. It takes a lifetime to learn some lessons and some lessons I have repeated over and over before they finally began to sink in.

Love cannot make things move quickly. Rewards and punishments have no lasting a fact. Becoming Christlike is the slow task of experience upon experience where we are pushed to our limits. Patience is the quality that gets us through when we finally admit that there is little we have control over. Patience requires faith, hope and charity.

I am finally starting to get it.