Feeling God's LoveOut of the Best Books No. 1

I am a fourteen-towel women
in a ten-towel-capacity life.
In Confessions of an Unbalanced Woman, Emily Watts describes her quest for "balance" - and then the epiphany that she doesn't actually want balance. Instead, she writes, "I want to find the one thing in my life that, if I get that right, it doesn't matter what the world throws onto the other side of the scale. It won't make any difference at all."

She found descriptions of that one thing in the scriptures:

Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).

Love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ (Moroni 10:32).

Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? ... Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us (Romans 8:35, 37).

That one thing, then, is love - God's love for us and our love for God.

Two of the several ideas Emily shares for feeling God's love in daily life are these:

Reverse your buts. A trick she learned in a management seminar, it works this way. Instead of thinking, "I love you, but you're driving me crazy." try thinking, "You're driving me crazy, but I love you." Or instead of "I have a great job, but it's really stressful." try "It's really stressful, but I have a great job." Isn't it amazing how different that feels?

Utilize the simple, three-step formula in D&C 90:24. 1) Search diligently for evidences of God's love. 2) Pray always. 3) Be believing. "Believe that your search is not in vain. Believe that you will find what you're looking for. Believe that [God's love] is there for you personally - not just as some abstract concept but as the most intimate, knowledge-filled, careful love you could ever know. Believe that if the Lord spoke to you today he would call you by name. He knows you that well." God's promised response to this formula is "And all things shall work together for your good" (D&C 90:24).

The words of Jesus to Martha in Luke 10:41-42 have been an answer to my prayers in the past - and they serve as a reminder of Emily Watt's message:

Martha, Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things: But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her.

Note of Explanation: Part of my 10-week plan for summer this year is to read one short, inspirational book each Sunday afternoon and ponder on what I can learn from it. This blog post represents part of my efforts to do that.

El Camino de la CruzHappy Easter!

Last week, while vacationing in California, my family and I visited Mission Santa Inés in Solvang. Highly appropriate for the days just prior to Easter Sunday, we walked the Way of the Cross.



Each of the fourteen steps or stations represents a moment on the path that Jesus walked with his cross from Jerusalem, where He was condemned to death, to Calvary, where He was crucified.


As we stop at each of the stations, we somewhat literally "take up [our] cross and follow" Him (Mark 8:34). We can ask Him to be with us and the world in all our problems and difficulties, and we can thank Him for His sacrifice on our behalf.


At the end of this particular Way of the Cross, a painting of the Resurrected Christ reminds us of the hope and the joy that comes with Easter.



New life! Rebirth! A beginning, not an ending!

"I know that man is nothing."(Moses 1:10)

Among the many ways that we can invite the revelation of the Spirit into our lives are the sensory experiences of a sunrise, a meadow of wildflowers, or the view from the top of a mountain, especially when experienced with a sense of gratitude for God’s goodness.

Being near the ocean always gives me that "sense of [my] nothingness" that King Benjamin talked about in Mosiah 4. "I would that ye should remember," Benjamin counseled, "and always retain in remembrance, the greatness of God, and your own nothingness" (Mosiah 4:11).


Oxnard State Beach, March 2013.
Gazing out toward the horizon, walking on the sand, hearing the waves crash on the shore, feeling the ocean breeze and preferably a bit of sunshine on my face - these sensations cause me to feel so small in comparison with the vastness of the ocean, and yet through them I also feel God's greatness and His goodness.

When I was pregnant with my second child - a daughter who is now seventeen years old - my husband and I made a trip from our home in Utah to San Diego so I could simply sit on the sand and soak up the strength and calmness I knew I would need for her delivery.

When I haven't visited the ocean for many months, I feel the pains of "withdrawal" and know that I need to return as soon as possible. Through spending time at the ocean, I receive the fruit of the Spirit (see Galatians 5:22): the ocean brings me hope, peace, contentment, and joy!

This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.

~ Dieter F. Uchtdorf (2011)

"Ye Shall Meet Together Oft"(3 Nephi 18:22)

As we were making preparations for our Spring Break trip to Southern California, my seventeen-year-old daughter asked me, somewhat incredulously, "Did you know that some people don't go to church while they are on vacation?" I'm happy that taking a "vacation" from church attendance is such a foreign concept to her!

Over the years we've enjoyed worshiping with the saints in such places as Cedar City, Moab, Portland, Half Moon Bay, Idaho Falls, and Denver - and once we even attended a singles ward near San Diego. We have always been warmly welcomed - and once we were even greeted by a member of the bishopric who turned out to be an old friend. The structure of the meetings is the same as at home, of course - with the administration of the sacrament as the most important feature - but the Spirit always provides me with an unanticipated gift of peace or knowledge or joy.

"Meet[ing] together oft" is such a blessing!


Visiting the East Pasadena Ward, March 2013.

"And that thou mayest more fully
keep thyself unspotted from the world,
thou shalt go to the house of prayer
and offer up thy sacraments
upon my holy day" (D&C 59:9).

The Metaphor of Light

I understand that the word light appears in the scriptures 535 times. For example:

Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Son of God. I am the life and the light of the world (D&C 11:28).

Besides being a metaphor for Christ Himself, light is a wonderful metaphor for the personal revelation and inspiration that we are entitled to receive through the Holy Ghost.

In the April 2011 General Conference, Elder David A. Bednar gave an address entitled "The Spirit of Revelation." (Click here for the complete text.) In that talk, he described "two experiences most of us have had with light." One of those "occurred as we entered a dark room and turned on a light switch." The other "took place as we watched night turn into morning." He goes on to say that "a light turned on in a dark room is like receiving a message from God quickly, completely, and all at once" while "the gradual increase of light radiating from the rising sun is like receiving a message from God 'line upon line, precept upon precept' (2 Nephi 28:30)."

I love how those examples of light illustrate some of the ways the Spirit works with us!

Lorenzo Snow said, "It is our right to have the manifestations of the Spirit every day of our lives." With the impending arrival of Spring in the northern hemisphere, our days have been gradually getting longer, and today is the beginning of Daylight Saving Time in the United States. I cannot think of a better time to spend some time contemplating the metaphor of light and looking for ways to better recognize the workings of the Spirit in daily life!


Little Cottonwood Canyon, September 2012.

Let us walk in the light of the Lord (Isaiah 2:5).

"Peace, Be Still"(Mark 4:39)

One of my favorite stories of Jesus is found in Mark 4. He and some of His disciples have boarded a ship to cross the Sea of Galilee. Jesus is sleeping when a great storm arises. Fearful of the possible outcome, the disciples wake Jesus, asking with anxiousness, "Master, carest thou not that we perish?"

Jesus arises and rebukes the wind with the command "Peace, be still." The wind ceases, and a calmness settles over the water - and over the disciples.

Pacific Ocean. December 2011.

According to the Bible Dictionary, miracles are "an important element in the work of Jesus Christ, being not only divine acts, but forming also a part of the divine teaching." This point is beautifully illustrated by Jesus's calming of the sea - for not only can He calm the water but also He can calm our troubled hearts, our agitated minds, our tempestuous lives.

In 1874, Mary Ann Baker penned the words to the still-popular hymn "Master, the Tempest is Raging" following a period of tumult in her own life after the death of her brother. She said:

I became wickedly rebellious at this dispensation of divine providence. I said in my heart that God did not care for me or mine. But the Master’s own voice stilled the tempest in my unsanctified heart, and brought it to the calm of a deeper faith and a more perfect trust.

As the refrain of the hymn wonderfully asserts:

Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be,
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey my will.
Peace, be still! Peace, be still!

What a promise it is that no waters can swallow the ship - or hinder a goal or destroy a family or overcome a faith - in which Jesus is present!

"Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

"Repent Ye"(Matthew 3:1-2)

In those days came John the Baptist, preaching in the wilderness of Judea.

And saying, Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

The Greek word translated as repent denotes a change of heart or mind. In other words, the result of repentance is conversion.

At the conclusion of his final address to his people, King Benjamin acknowledged the "mighty change in [them], or in [their] hearts, that [they had] no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). He described the change this way:

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters (Mosiah 5:7).

People sometimes assert that a leopard can't change its spots, meaning that one cannot change his or her essential nature. This is true. In our efforts to change who we are, willpower and self-discipline are effective only up to a point. A leopard can't change its spots. But Jesus Christ can change a leopard's spots - and He can change us!

Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Corinthians 5:17).

Thoughts on EJ's Baptism Day

My nephew EJ was baptized this morning, along with another eight-year-old boy. The room was packed with the family and friends of these two young boys, including my extended family - EJ's mom is my baby sister Elicia - and the families of both EJ's dad and EJ's new step-dad.

So much love in one room!

"Having Been Commissioned of Jesus Christ"
(D&C 20:73)
When I heard those words in the baptismal prayer today, I was struck by the immensity of God's love for us. His power is on the earth today because Jesus Christ bestowed the keys of His priesthood on Peter, James, and John, and that same authority has been passed down through the laying on of hands to those who hold the priesthood now - including EJ's dad, who baptized him. That God is willing to share His power with us, His children, is a wonderful blessing!

"Receive the Holy Ghost"
Following his baptism, by the authority of the priesthood and in the name of Jesus Christ, EJ was confirmed a member of the Church and told, "Receive the Holy Ghost." Each of us must strive in our daily lives to actually receive the Holy Ghost, as Elder David A. Bednar explained in an October 2010 address. How amazing to know that a member of the Godhead can actually be our "constant companion" (D&C 121:46) - a guide, a teacher, a comfort, a friend!

So much love!

Keeping My Covenants

I have sworn by myself,
the word is gone out of my mouth
in righteousness,
and shall not return,
That unto me every knee shall bow,
every tongue shall swear
(Isaiah 45:23).

Yea, every knee shall bow,
and every tongue confess before him
(Mosiah 27:31).

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord,
every knee shall bow to me, and
every tongue shall confess to God
(Romans 14:11).

"Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ." This phrase - based on scriptural references - is committed to my memory. I love the imagery invoked by the phrase - the feeling of humility, the sense of being ready to worship the Master and be taught by Him. I can picture myself falling to my knees at the Savior's feet at His Second Coming. I can see myself worship the Lord as He ushers in His millennial reign. I can visualize the mass of humanity accepting Jesus as the Christ, the Son of God.

What I didn't imagine until recently is that this phrase applies to the here-and-now just as readily as to some distant day. Today I can kneel and pray to the Father in Jesus' name. Today I can worship the Lord in my thoughts, in my words, in my actions. Today I can "[choose] that good part" (Luke 10:42) and "always remember Him" (D&C 20:77, 79). As I bow my knee and confess with my tongue that Jesus is the Christ, He will bless me with His spirit - and He will help me to keep the covenants I have made with Him.

"Because of the Covenant"(Mosiah 5:7-8)

And now, because of the covenant which ye have made ye shall be called the children of Christ, his sons, and his daughters; for behold, this day he hath spiritually begotten you; for ye say that your hearts are changed through faith on his name; therefore, ye are born of him and have become his sons and his daughters.

And under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free. There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ, all you that have entered into the covenant with God that ye should be obedient unto the end of your lives.

The message of the second chapter of 21 Days Closer to Christ by Emily Freeman is "Covenant." As I've been pondering this theme over the past week or so, the topic of "covenants" has presented itself to me several times.

• Last Friday, I participated in a sealing session at the temple, and the sealer referenced a scripture in the Doctrine & Covenants.

  Verily I say unto you, blessed are you for receiving mine everlasting covenant, even the fulness of my gospel, sent forth unto the children of men, that they might have life and be made partakers of the glories which are to be revealed in the last days, as it was written by the prophets and apostles in days of old (D&C 66:2).

  The point of the scripture (at least one of its points) is that the term "everlasting covenant" means the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Beyond that, though, I love the "why" as explained in this verse, that is, the reason that we make and keep covenants is so we can have life (and have it fully)!
• The lesson in the women's meeting at church on Sunday referenced an address by Elder Russell M. Nelson from General Conference in October 2011. The title of that talk is "Covenants." Here is a passage I particularly like:

  When we realize that we are children of the covenant, we know who we are and what God expects of us. His law is written in our hearts. He is our God and we are His people. Committed children of the covenant remain steadfast, even in the midst of adversity.

  Interestingly, those ideas correlate to some of what I've been thinking about as I've read Ann Voskamp's beautiful book about experiencing God's grace through gratitude One Thousand Gifts.
• In Sunday School - which I taught - we discussed the "knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God" (1 Nephi 1:1) that comes to us as we recognize the hand of the Lord in our daily lives. One of the scriptures we read was 1 Nephi 14:14.

  And it came to pass that I, Nephi, beheld the power of the Lamb of God, that it descended upon the saints of the church of the Lamb, and upon the covenant people of the Lord, who were scattered upon all the face of the earth; and they were armed with righteousness and with the power of God in great glory.

  What great blessings can be ours if we keep our covenants!
• In 2 Nephi 3:4, we find the sentence "And great were the covenants of the Lord which he made unto Joseph." We recently read this chapter aloud together as a family, and I was reading when we got to this verse. As I read, my voice voice began to waver, and my eyes filled with tears. (My family is used to that kind of reaction from me!) What this sentence had brought to memory was the song "Close Every Door" from Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. That song is my favorite song in one of my most favorite musicals - and my favorite line is "children of Israel are never alone." Truly, the covenant people of the Lord are never alone!

"Come Unto Me"(Matthew 11:28-30)

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.

Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.

For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

I am reading two books right now that I hope will help me to expand my personal experience with Jesus Christ in 2012. The first is 21 Days Closer to Christ by Emily Freeman, which I plan to read over 21 weeks (instead of days). The second is Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World by Joanna Weaver, which includes a 12-week companion Bible study. The message of the opening chapters of both books is the same. "Come."

Now as he walked by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother casting a net into the sea: for they were fishers.

And Jesus said unto them, Come ye after me, and I will make you to become fishers of men.

And straightway they forsook their nets, and followed him (Mark 1:16-18, emphasis added).


Then Jesus turned, and saw them following, and saith unto them, What seek ye? They said unto him, Rabbi, (which is to say, being interpreted, Master,) where dwellest thou?

He saith unto them, Come and see. They came and saw where he dwelt, and abode with him that day: for it was about the tenth hour (John 1:38-39, emphasis added).


Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in nowise deny the power of God (Moroni 10:32, emphasis added).

Like Jesus' friend Martha, I often find myself "careful and troubled about many things" (Luke 10:41). I must remember "but one thing is needful" (Luke 10:42). I can forsake my "nets" - time constraints, daily chores, work demands, worldly pursuits, and feelings of inadequacy and fear - and choose "that good part, which shall not be taken away from [me]" (Luke 10:42). I can "come and see"!

Learn of me, and listen to my words; walk in the meekness of my Spirit, and you shall have peace in me (D&C 19:23).