Stronger Through Him

  When I taught preschool I used cardboard cut out magnifying glasses to teach the children to focus in on an object and truly study it.   It amazed me how much better able to focus on the details even if they were not really lenses. It helped them learn to “look” better. In Moses 8:27 we read that “Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord”. The roots of the word find include “discovered” and “encountered”.  Think of that!  Noah discovered and encountered grace in the eyes of the Lord. Both of those words have such an incredible interactive element to them. The very Lord who knew him and all his failings perfectly, had divine goodness shining for Noah in His eyes. And the very same Lord sees us and all of our failings perfectly, but has divine goodness and power for us as well. But we have to discover it for ourselves. We have to search and learn to focus.  We get to encounter it in so many beautiful and holy ways, but we have to be looking.   Because that’...

  The Parable of the Test Takers And it came to pass in the season appointed by the State of Indiana that the day of the Great Reading Test was at hand. And the seventh graders were gathered together in one place, each bearing his test ticket, his iPad, and his pencil, yea, even paper also. And the Teacher lifted up her voice with much encouragement, saying, Fear not, for thou art capable, and the students began. But behold, the first student, when he saw the multitude of words set before him, was sore afraid. And straightway he shut down in his spirit, and began to click rapidly through the pages, saying within himself, This is too hard; I can never do it.  And thus he failed before he had even begun. And behold, a second student labored diligently for a season, even for fifteen minutes. But thereafter his focus departed from him, and his pencil suffered greatly, being torn asunder into shards of metal and sawdust. And when the Teacher drew near and whispered ...

  A big cold blast and winter storm is on its way and in checking in with a friend, we realized that we both own generators that have never been used but neither of us is even sure if we have the correct fuel or connectors that would be needed. So I went to the expense and trouble of buying the generator but didn't bother to pick up the fuel. And now the storm is approaching. This would make for a great parable, right? Oh, wait....that one was already taken....some lamp oil comes to mind..... What excuse would we possibly be able to give when it was needed for our safety and survival? I didn't get around to it? I thought step one was good enough? Life is full of excruciating difficulties that will only be spiritually survivable with the aid of Jesus Christ and His atonement. I have seen many of these in the lives of those around me this week. Death, illness, effects of the evil actions of others, job loss, and storms - real and spiritual. But Sister Amy Wright testified abou...

 What other families does your family know well? What other fathers and mothers do they see in action?  Do your children ever sit at the table or in family home evening, or kneel in prayer with another family? Elder Marion D Hanks asked those questions. He then followed up, “With children, as all of us know, life is often a matter of following the leader, and wise parents will want their children to enjoy the influence of other families whose convictions and example will offer them strong incentives to build happy relationships in their own homes.” Every time my adult children come home we hear over and over again about the many good people who have helped shape them. And I am grateful.   And hope we’ve been able to provide, and continue to provide that for others as well.   What a blessing it is to be in  this world together!  Who can you reach out to this week?

  Today I was at a toboggan run with my family. I made one run with them, but spent much of my time watching and taking pictures. I watched as families and groups picked up the heavy sleds and with coordinated efforts carried them up the hills and then up the staircase to the tower.   Then they would awkwardly pile onto the toboggans in the specified manner and squeal with delight as they raced down the hill at 50+ mph.   The ride down the refrigerated track lasted less than 30 seconds.  It occurred to me that life is a lot like that.   Most of the good things in life require work.   And far too many voices in our society are saying that somehow there is something wrong with hard work. That needing to do hard things isn’t fair, or isn’t right or isn’t dignified.   So what does scripture teach us? Galatians 6:7 “Do not be deceived: God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap.” Do not be deceived!  Paul knew that messages woul...

 Most of the United States would not be surprised to learn that in most of the nation, we are in the midst of a cold snap. I just saw on the news that in Ft Myers, Florida the lizards are falling from the trees. It’s literally raining lizards (much more likely than cats and dogs since they are cold-blooded)! However, do not be dismayed.  They aren’t dead, they have been cold shocked. There is no longer enough heat for them to maintain their holds on their perches. When they are once again warmed and their metabolism restarts, they will be able to return to their normal activity.   As we prepare to watch the funeral of Elder Jeffery R Holland this afternoon, his message about it never being too late or too far from the reach of Christ reminds me of these lizards. Sometimes, when through our own choices or the physical trials of mortal bodies, the warmth and light of the Holy Spirit dims, it can lead us to be spiritually “cold shocked” and we let go of the Iron Rod and fall...