Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Divine Tutorials


"To be cheerful when others are in despair, to keep the faith when others falter, to be true even when we feel forsaken—all of these are deeply desired outcomes during the deliberate, divine tutorials which God gives to us—because He loves us. (See Mosiah 3:19.) These learning experiences must not be misread as divine indifference. Instead, such tutorials are a part of the divine unfolding.

"Even as believers, however, when we are a part of encapsulating events, we can scarcely savor all that swirls about us. It is unlikely, for instance, on that night so long ago in Bethlehem, that Joseph and Mary looked at the newly born Christ child’s feet with the realization that those feet would, one day, walk the length and breadth of the Holy Land. And, further, that, later on, spikes would pierce those feet.

"As a loving Mary grasped those tiny hands, and, as in the months ahead those tiny hands clasped her, did she know that those hands, when grown, would ordain the original Twelve or, still later, carry the rough-hewn cross?

"As she heard her Baby cry, did she hear intimations of Jesus’ later weeping at the death of Lazarus or after blessing the Nephite children? (See John 11:35; 3 Ne. 17:21–22.) Did she foresee that those baby-soft knees would later be hardened by so much prayer, including those glorious but awful hours in Gethsemane? (See Matt. 26:36–56.)

"As she bathed that Babe so many times to cleanse His pores, could she have been expected to foresee that one day, years later, drops of blood would come from His every pore? (See Mosiah 3:7.)

"There is such a thing as cheerful, believing participation—even without full understanding—when you and I keep certain things in our hearts and are nourished as we ponder them! (See Luke 2:19.)"

-Neal A. Maxwell, "Be of Good Cheer"

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Influencing Machine


"We hunger for objectivity, but increasingly swallow "news" like Jell-O shots in ad hoc cyber-saloons. We marinate in punditry seasoned with only those facts and opinions we can digest without cognitive distress.

"Sometimes we feel a little queasy about it--queasiness we project back onto the media.

"But we don't really get agitated until we encounter the other guys' media. Those guys are consuming lies. They are getting juiced up. Their media diet is making them stupid.

"What if our media choices are making us stupid? What if they're shortening our attention span, exciting our lusts, eroding our values, hobbling our judgment?

. . ."The media machine is a delusion. What we're really dealing with is a mirror: an exalting, degrading, tedious, and transcendent funhouse mirror of America.

..."So when we see ourselves distorted in the media mirror, we should probably consider that some of what we see is actually us."

-Brooke Gladstone, The Influencing Machine (pp. xiii, xxi)

What does my media mirror say about me?



Thursday, October 27, 2011

A Portion of Divinity


"So often our sisters comfort others when their own needs
are greater than those being comforted.
That quality is like the generosity of Jesus on the cross.
Empathy during agony is a portion of divinity!"               

-Neal A. Maxwell

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

The Greatest Souls

"The Lord doesn’t care at all if we spend our days working in marble halls or stable stalls. He knows where we are, no matter how humble our circumstances. He will use—in His own way and for His holy purposes—those who incline their hearts to Him.

"God knows that some of the greatest souls who have ever lived are those who will never appear in the chronicles of history. They are the blessed, humble souls who emulate the Savior’s example and spend the days of their lives doing good."                             -Dieter F. Uchtdorf


My husband is one of those "great souls." He spends his days doing good and has always been the greatest example to me. I love you, dear!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Be Content With Your Present State



Phillippians 4: 11-12
 "...I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.
"I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need."

I read over this last night during my scripture study. It was exactly what I needed to hear. 
I just need to be content with now and realize that these times will never come again.

Monday, October 3, 2011

Forget Me Nots

 Photo by Tony Howell (google.com)
"If we spend our days waiting for fabulous roses, we could miss the beauty and wonder of the tiny forget-me-nots that are all around us."              -Dieter F. Uchtdorf