Stronger Through Him

  We have a path of about 100 yards where our cell service is interrupted.   Unfortunately it’s from the edge of our neighborhood to our garage. So if I get into the car and place a call, it will drop it a good chunk of the time before I hit the neighborhood edge and rejoin proper service.   You would think that after enough dropped calls, I would learn when and where to make successful phone calls, but sometimes when I am rushing or just not paying attention I end up doing it again.   Elder James E Faust compared this same phenomenon to our spiritual reception. “So it is with divine communication.  Perhaps something in our lives prevents us from hearing the message because we are “past feeling”.  We often put ourselves in spiritual dead spots- places and situations that block out divine messages.  Some of the dead spots include anger, pornography, transgression, selfishness, and other situations that offend the Spirit.” Just like it would be wise for me to pay better atte

 Simple. And yet profound.   As we learn to love others better, we truly come to see how loved we are by our Heavenly Parents.   Ephesian 2:4 teaches “But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us,” If mercy is part of God’s great love for me, I must learn to show mercy when loving others.

 At seminary this week I offered some “helpful” advice to the students to help streamline their busy teenage lives. Instead of brushing their teeth multiple times a day, just brush them once a week with a HUGE glob of a week’s worth of toothpaste. Put in and take out your contacts 7 times on Monday morning so you will be able to make it through the week.   And instead of eating a normal sized bowl of cereal go ahead and eat seven portions in one big bowl once a week.   To be fair, a couple of them thought they could maybe handle the bowl of cereal, but also admitted they would be pretty hungry those other days.   Scripture study is the same.  An occasional deep dive can not replace the blessings and guidance and power of daily study.   Elder David A Bednar promised, “Let me suggest that holding fast to the iron rod entails, in large measure, the prayerful, consistent, and earnest use of the holy scriptures as a sure source of revealed truth and as a reliable guide for the journey along

 Brock Purdy is an outstanding football quarterback. But also an outstanding person.   The 49ers QB recently had a conversation with Steve Young, another 49ers great. The topic of faith came up and Brock shared these inspiring words:  "My identity isn’t in football,” Purdy said. “I know who I am, and ‘God, if you want me to do great with (football), great. If not, all right, let’s go do something else, wherever you need me.’ " His sentiment brought to my mind the primary lyrics "I know who I am.  I know God's plan.  I'll follow Him in faith."  What a great phrase to live by. My identity isn't in ___________ (fill in anything here that you may be tempted to honor above God). I know who I am and God, if you want me to do great with _______, great.  If not, all right, let's go do something rlse, wherever you need me. Not what do I want. Not what feels easiest or best right now. But wherever YOU need me.

  It’s the end of the semester so I’ve spent lots of extra time with students desperately trying to complete missing assignments and submit corrections in an effort to shore up their grades. One student came in having completed NONE of her algebra homework in the last nine weeks. She listened in class and got passing scores on most tests, and only bombed one.   As we worked through the third of nine packets she needed to complete,  she suddenly sat up tall and exclaimed, “Mrs. Potter- this is the same stuff we did on our tests! But it sure would have been helpful if I did it BEFORE the test!!” I suppressed an eye roll and smiled.   How many times had I said that to her??!! It made me think about scripture study and how there have been times I’ve learned something and thought, “Wow.  That would have been helpful!”   The scriptures aren’t designed for us to use to pass some great knowledge test upon our death.   They are to help guide us along the way. But we have to d

 Our dog, Onyx was diagnosed with diabetes a few months ago. We dutifully give him his insulin injections and monitor his diet.   But he has developed cataracts very quickly and while the vet says he can still see some shadows and light, he will be completely blind soon. He has adjusted remarkably well.   He occasionally runs into a few things and more heavily relies on us to show him where to go. He also follows his brother carefully and lets him communicate what is happening. When I talked to the vet, she said something that made me think. She said dogs don’t waste time feeling sorry for themselves.  They use their energy to adapt and rely more heavily on their other senses.   I thought about how even though it’s okay to experience real feelings when life doesn’t go as planned, at some point focusing on how to adapt and what comes next is going to bring healing and progress. Humans definitely can’t adapt as fast as dogs.   But as Elder Stevenson spoke about our current Come Follow Me

 Reading in 1 Nephi, one key thing we learn about Laman and Lemuel is that their perpetual murmuring revolves around things being “hard”.   We live in a society which echos the idea that we should abhor and shrink from things that are hard. And yet it is in how we handle the hard that we build and reveal our character. It is in how we handle the hard that we have opportunities to grow and change. I asked my Seminary students how they would define “hard”.  One girl responded, “things that take effort”.  And what do we know about effort? President Nelson tells us the Lord loves effort.   Duke University coach Kara Lawson gave an inspiring speech on this very principle in which she passionately reminds that waiting for easy is going to be a very disappointing venture. That we need to learn to handle hard better. To expect the hard and to recognize that NOBODY is immune from hardship.  Our hards are individual, so may look incredibly different and feel unfair at times but we all have them.

  Sometimes the shortest sermons are among the most powerful. A friend posted that she was making this her prayer for 2024. “Lord, help me to want you more than anything else I taste, touch, feel, see or hear.” A simple, modern way to pray for help in living the first commandment. To love God with all our hearts, might, mind and strength.   And to show that love by living it. To love Him more....than anything.   More than my own insecurities. More than worldly comforts. More than popularity or influencers. More than my anger and hurt.  More than the sin enticing me to give up and give in. More than money. More than discomfort. More than my phone or the latest movie. More. Than.  Anything. 

  My daughter, Alex, returned home from her mission today.  I stayed busy today, working hard on translations, algebra problems, helping with a STEM car, giving pep talks and encouraging students, which allowed the time to go quickly. But all day I also kept thinking about how as much as I longed to see my daughter and hold her in my arms, that it pales tremendously compared to the love that Heavenly Father has for me.  How He must long for us each to return to his arms and to be able to say “Well done my good and faithful servant.” On the way we got a flat tire- but were fortunate to be across from a tire store and the kind gentleman inside quickly got us in and out in less than 20 minutes when he heard our situation.   Then there was a car engulfed in flames stopping traffic on the bypass.  I was grateful no one was injured and took to texting friends that it was okay- after all we have certainly waited for hundreds of hours for Alex in her lifetime. My friend who joined

  It is incredibly easy to list the faults and flaws of the generation that came before us.   It is also easy to dismiss and criticize the generation that follows us.   It is harder to focus on our own flaws, so within our own generation it is a tendency to look around and see whose flaws “make us” fall short, feel a certain way or struggle.   It is initially uncomfortable and frustrating to enumerate our own shortcomings and even more so to own them and work on them.  That is called being human.  As I was reading the introduction page to the Book of Mormon, this phrase stuck out to me:  “And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.” If there are faults, they are the mistakes of men. If God had used only perfect people there would be no plan. We are what He had to work with. It’s been that way through all the history of the world and will continue.