someone carried His cross

I thought a lot about Simon over Easter weekend, and into this week.  Simon, the one who carried Jesus’ cross to the top of Golgotha.  We don’t know a lot about Simon , only that as he was passing by, the soldiers “…laid hold upon one Simon… and on him they laid cross, that he might bear it after Jesus” (Luke 23:26). 

I’m a curious woman, so I did a little research.  Simon was a common name among both Jews and Greeks, and it is unknown whether he was Jew or Gentile.  He was “..a man of Cyrene…” (Matthew 27: 32); Cyrene was a city in North Africa just off the coast in today’s northeastern Libya.  Mark recorded that Simon was a father to Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21).  He was a visitor to Jerusalem.  “…coming in from the country…” (Luke 23:26).  But I don’t think these facts are important, as they don’t add anything of relevance to the experience. 

The accounts in Matthew, Mark and Luke do not mention why Simon was “compelled to bear His cross” (Matthew 27:32).  The assumption is that after a night of torture by Roman soldiers, Christ was too weak to carry the cross beam himself.  The soldiers, recognizing His weakness, found a bystander to carry the cross for Him up to Golgotha. 

As I pondered on all this, I was struck by the realization that Christ needed to know what it was like to have another person bear His cross.  He needed to experience the feeling of being unable to bear His own cross, and of having someone bear it for Him.  He needed to know the difficulty, pain, and even the humiliation of letting another person in, during a moment of absolute and utter weakness, to help him, to bear His cross. 

And that's where we are every day.  We feel that weakness, that pain, that humiliation.  We don’t want to let Him bear it for us.  We are compelled to humble ourselves when we allow Him bear it for us, when we give it to Him.  Christ needed to feel all we feel to truthfully say He personally knows how we feel and can succor us. 

There is so much of significance to be explored here.  But for me this Easter weekend, the importance of Simon following Jesus up the hill of Golgotha bearing His cross took on greater meaning for me.  Jesus Christ knows how I feel when I need Him to carry my burdens, because He needed Simon’s help carrying His.  This means He really does know how I feel when I need help.  He knows my pain and humiliation.  He knows my weakness.  He knows how I feel when He picks up my cross and bears it for me.  Christ knows all this for you too. 

I’m grateful for both Simon’s and Christ’s examples.  It helps me know I can call on Jesus in my weakness and He will know how to help me.  I’m grateful for the pondering and learning through the Spirit that led me to this deeper understanding of Christ’s Atonement and suffering for me, for all of us. 

Increasing Spiritual Capacity to "Hear Him"

I was asked to teach the Relief Society lesson in March from Sister Michelle Craig’s talk from the October 2019 called Spiritual Capacity (Link:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2019/10/15craig?lang=eng). I wanted to share it on my blog, because I wanted to follow the prompting. 

What an interesting time we are living in!  Sister Craig’s conference address seems so timely right now.  She reiterated President Nelson’s powerful invitation from two years ago: “My beloved brothers and sisters, I plead with you to increase your spiritual capacity to receive revelation. … Choose to do the spiritual work required to enjoy the gift of the Holy Ghost and hear the voice of the Spirit more frequently and more clearly” (Russell M. Nelson, “Revelation for the Church, Revelation for Our Lives,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2018, 96; emphasis added.  Link:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2018/04/revelation-for-the-church-revelation-for-our-lives?lang=eng). 

Sister Craig’s talk builds on President Nelson’s invitation to increase our ability or capacity to recognize and receive personal revelation from our Heavenly Father.  A young woman recently asked her, “How can I tell when God is trying to tell me something?”  We all struggle with this.  I recently questioned if a repeated thought to do something was because of worldly hype or the Holy Spirit’s prompting.  It was hard to tell the difference, but as I checked in with myself, and said a prayer I felt a quiet feeling that I was listening to the right voice.  I began to act, and later my husband confirmed he had also received similar guidance.  Between these two experiences, I felt confident I was hearing Him tell me to do something.

Elder David A. Bednar held a recent devotional for the Church Education System (CES) teachers where he shared many thoughts about how we can tell when God is trying to communicate with us, along with tips for teaching this to youth.  If I were teaching this lesson in person, I would have us watch the first part of his remarks as part of our Sunday Relief Society meeting.  I invite you to watch the first 15-20 minutes of this devotional linked below.  As you watch, pay close attention to Elder Bednar’s explanation of the gift of the Holy Ghost and how he truly is our constant companion, and to his descriptions of Nephi and Oliver Cowdrey’s experiences in recognizing and receiving revelation.  We can apply these lessons to our own lives.  We are all teachers, and this whole devotional is a spiritual treasure box in helping us to learn and teach these important lessons.  The apostolic blessing he gives at the end of the devotional is for “wherever you may be, anywhere in the world,” and will impart much strength and hope to you.  (An Evening With a General Authority – Elder Bednar Discussion, February 2020.  Link:  https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/broadcasts/watch/evening-with-a-general-authority/2020/02?lang=eng&vid=6129806906001)  

           

Sister Craig shares four ways to increase our spiritual capacity to receive revelation.

1.  Be Intentional about Creating Time and Space to Hear God’s Voice.  “…use your agency to carve out time every day to draw close to God’s voice, especially in the Book of Mormon, over time His voice will become clearer and more familiar to you.”  You can choose to start now to do this.  God will bless your efforts, no matter how small or where you are in this process.  Keep going and trying, and you will blessed with increased spiritual capacity to hear His voice more clearly.

2.  Act Without Delay.  “When you receive promptings and then act with intention, the Lord can use you. The more you act, the more familiar the voice of the Spirit becomes.”  Some of my greatest regrets are times when I know I received distinct revelation and then did not act.  I am grateful for the gift of repentance and being able to start again to act on the revelation I am given.  I know you will be blessed as you do the same. 

3.  Get Your Errand From the Lord.  “You can pray and ask the Lord for an errand. As you do, He can use your ordinary skills to accomplish His extraordinary work…. The Lord sends revelation to those seeking to help others.”  I love Sister Craig’s story of how her grandfather responded to promptings to help a brother he was assigned to home teach.  He left church on a Sunday, and went to help him finish roofing his house all while dressed in his suit.  The brother responded by putting down his hammer, and returning to church.  We too may receive unexpected guidance on how to serve our family and neighbors, and we must be ready to act on what the Lord wants us to do.  We are His hands, and He knows the needs of others better than we do. 

4.  Believe and Trust.  “… each of us has a different mission to perform, and at times the Spirit may call us in ‘another way.’ There are many ways to build the kingdom of God as covenant-making, covenant-keeping disciples of Jesus Christ. As His faithful disciple, you can receive personal inspiration and revelation, consistent with His commandments, that is tailored to you. You have unique missions and roles to perform in life and will be given unique guidance to fulfill them.”  Because we are each different, Heavenly Father can and will speak to us in ways we can understand, and at times that may seem surprising.  I often listen to scriptures and conference talks from the Gospel Library app on my commute.  On my way home one day, as I listened, I received an answer to a question I had struggled with for years.  I was not in a quiet place--I was on a metro escalator.  I believe that because I was making an effort to keep my heart focused on Christ and making my own quiet place, the Spirit was able to speak to me even in the midst of a rush hour commute on a metro escalator.  I learned an important lesson from that experience.  God meets us where we are and gives us what we need, sometimes when we least expect it.  He wants to tell us what we need to know!  Our task is to be as ready and open as we can to recognize and receive it on His timetable. 

           

By applying the principles taught in the lessons from both Sister Craig and Elder Bednar, I believe each of us can increase our capacity to recognize the Spirit and act on the revelation we receive.  We need revelation more than ever for our family, our friends and our neighbors.  I’m sure many of you over the past week or so have been praying for help from heaven to navigate your families safely through the unsettling events happening right now.  I pray the thoughts I shared with you will help to spark confidence in your own spiritual capacity as well as help identify areas of improvement.  I know we are daughters of Heavenly Parents who love us.  I know Jesus Christ lives and He is our Savior; His atonement is real.  I know Heavenly Father hears and answers our prayers.  I know He will bless us to increase our ability to “Hear Him” and recognize the still small voice of the Holy Ghost, who is our promised constant companion.  This is my testimony of the principles taught here.  (#HearHim: President Nelson Invites Us to Hear the Voice of the Lord, link: https://youtu.be/sGhQym_vhFU)

Sister Craig ends her talk with her own testimony:  “Each one of us, regardless of age or circumstance, can strive to seek, receive, and act.  As you follow this eternal pattern… you will draw nearer to Jesus Christ—His love, His light, His direction, His peace, and His healing and enabling power.  And you will increase your spiritual capacity to become an everyday instrument of His hands in accomplishing His great work. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.” 

Questions to consider:

1.  How can I create a time and space to increase my ability to hear God?

2.  Who does Heavenly Father want me to help and what does He want me to do?

3.  Who can I teach these principles to solidify my understanding of them?

thoughtful thursday: learning heaven

This week's thought is long, but worth it. I've been struggling to understand grace and this sermon really helped me.


... don’t you realize how hard it is to practice? I’m just not very good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes. It takes me forever to get it right.” Now wait. Isn’t that all part of the learning process? When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don’t say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don’t expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven?

Too many are giving up on the Church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short. They have tried in the past, but they always feel like they are just not good enough. They don’t understand grace.

In all of these cases there should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time. When we understand grace, we understand that God is long-suffering, that change is a process, and that repentance is a pattern in our lives. When we understand grace, we understand that the blessings of Christ’s Atonement are continuous and His strength is perfect in our weakness (see 2 Corinthians 12:9). When we understand grace, we can, as it says in the Doctrine and Covenants, “continue in patience until [we] are perfected” (D&C 67:13).

Elder Bruce C. Hafen has written, “The Savior’s gift of grace to us is not necessarily limited in time to ‘after’ all we can do. We may receive his grace before, during and after the time when we expend our own efforts” (The Broken Heart [Salt Lake City: Deseret Book, 1989], 155). So grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road. It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finisher’s touch (see Hebrews 12:2).

Click here to download the entire sermon: His Grace Is Sufficient, Brad Wilcox, 12 July 2011, BYU Speeches

p.s.

p.s. after yesterday's little rant and the counting of blessings i'm feeling very much better. i just had to remember...

My point is to urge you to find ways to recognize and remember God’s kindness. It will build our testimonies. You may not keep a journal. You may not share whatever record you keep with those you love and serve. But you and they will be blessed as you remember what the Lord has done. You remember that song we sometimes sing: “Count your many blessings; name them one by one, And it will surprise you what the Lord has done."


It won’t be easy to remember. Living as we do with a veil over our eyes, we cannot remember what it was like to be with our Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, in the premortal world; nor can we see with our physical eyes or with reason alone the hand of God in our lives. Seeing such things takes the Holy Ghost. And it is not easy to be worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship in a wicked world.


There is a simple cure for the terrible malady of forgetting God, His blessings, and His messages to us. Jesus Christ promised it to His disciples when He was about to be crucified, resurrected, and then taken away from them to ascend in glory to His Father. They were concerned to know how they would be able to endure when He was no longer with them.


Here is the promise. It was fulfilled for them then. It can be fulfilled for all of us now:  “These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.”

The key to the remembering that brings and maintains testimony is receiving the Holy Ghost as a companion. It is the Holy Ghost who helps us see what God has done for us. It is the Holy Ghost who can help those we serve to see what God has done for them.

Heavenly Father has given a simple pattern for us to receive the Holy Ghost not once but continually in the tumult of our daily lives. The pattern is repeated in the sacramental prayer: We promise that we will always remember the Savior. We promise to take His name upon us. We promise to keep His commandments. And we are promised that if we do that, we will have His Spirit to be with us.6 Those promises work together in a wonderful way to strengthen our testimonies and in time, through the Atonement, to change our natures as we keep our part of the promise.

It is the Holy Ghost who testifies that Jesus Christ is the Beloved Son of a Heavenly Father who loves us and wants us to have eternal life with Him in families. With even the beginning of that testimony, we feel a desire to serve Him and to keep His commandments. When we persist in doing that, we receive the gifts of the Holy Ghost to give us power in our service. We come to see the hand of God more clearly, so clearly that in time we not only remember Him, but we come to love Him and, through the power of the Atonement, become more like Him. -Henry B. Eyring, “O Remember, Remember,” Liahona, Nov 2007

loved this one

Thanks for telling us what trees have to do with flying airplanes,
and for the counsel to focus on the basics.

just be patient until...

via commons.wikimedia.org

Patience is a process of perfection. The Savior Himself said that in your patience you possess your souls. Or, to use another translation of the Greek text, in your patience you win mastery of your souls. Patience means to abide in faith, knowing that sometimes it is in the waiting rather than in the receiving that we grow the most. This was true in the time of the Savior. It is true in our time as well, for we are commanded in these latter days to “continue in patience until ye are perfected.”

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “Continue in Patience,” Liahona

you have potential

You have the potential to become anything to which you set your mind. You have a mind and a body and a spirit. With these three working together, you can walk the high road that leads to achievement and happiness. But this will require effort and sacrifice and faith.  -Gordon B. Hinckley, “Stay on the High Road,” Liahona, May 2004, 112–15

to forgive is divine

This is absolutely amazing. What courage and love this man has.

be still

...deliberately put aside the cares of the world, put aside the rush of our daily lives, and find a quiet place and a quiet time to sit and ponder and reflect and meditate.

If the voice of the Lord is still and small and it whispers, should it surprise us that His counsel is “Be still and know that I am God”?  There is great significance to that simple statement. Only as we are still can we learn to hear the still, small voice.    -El. Gerald N. Lund, “Is It Revelation?,” New Era, Jul 2004

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
via wikimedia.commons.org

"The central purpose of our mortal probation is to prepare to meet God and inherit the blessings He has promised to His worthy children. The Savior set the pattern during His earthly ministry and encouraged those who followed Him to become His disciples.

via commons.wikimedia.org

"The following has been written about discipleship: “The word disciple comes from the Latin [meaning] a learner. A disciple of Christ is one who is learning to be like Christ—learning to think, to feel, and to act [like] he does. To be a true disciple, to fulfill that learning task, is the most demanding regimen known to man. No other discipline compares … in either requirements or rewards. It involves the total transformation of a person from the state of the natural man to that of [a] saint, one who loves the Lord and serves with all of his heart, might, mind, and strength.”" -El. L. Tom Perry, “Discipleship,” Liahona, Jan 2001

more than we bargain for

via commons.wikimedia.org

You ain't seen nothing yet!  The gospel of Jesus Christ gives us so much more than we bargained for.  Think about the lame at the gates of the temple putting out his hand to Peter and John for alms.  He certainly got more than he ever dreamed.  Instead of giving the man money, Peter looked down at him and said, "'Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.'  And he took him by the right hand, and alifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength. And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God. And all the people saw him walking and praising God: And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him." (Acts 3:1-10)  Imagine what's in store for us.  The tokens already appear.  -El. Jeffrey R. Holland, Suitland, MD Stake Conference, 6 June 2010. 

via commons.wikimedia.org

Don’t feel downcast or despair if you don’t feel worthy to be a disciple of Christ at all times. The first step to walking in righteousness is simply to try. We must try to believe. Try to learn of God: read the scriptures; study the words of His latter-day prophets; choose to listen to the Father, and do the things He asks of us. Try and keep on trying until that which seems difficult becomes possible—and that which seems only possible becomes habit and a real part of you.   -El. Dieter F. Uchtdorf, “The Love of God,” Ensign, Nov 2009, 21–24

*good* stuff

the weekend is off to a *good* start
with lots of *good* stuff.

via southernliving.com

an early morning run around capitol hill.

my muscles hurt--such a *good* feeling.

image via here

seventh hill

the pizza here is sooooooooo *good*.

the crust guy is un maestro e bellismo.

p.s. he speaks italian.

image via here

georgetown cupcake

yummy moist *good*-ness in every bite.

more *good* stuff to come.

via commons.wikimedia.org

much needed *good* quiet time will be spent here.

via commons.wikimedia.org

a *good* tour here, 'cause cemeteries are way cool.

image via lds.org

i get to listen to this *good* man teach on sunday!

he's a disciple of christ, a modern day apostle.

so much *good* stuff this weekend.

it's gonna be *good*.

a thought

from: wikimedia.org

i love this.  it helps me remember who i am and how to love others.

True love requires action. We can speak of love all day long—we can write notes or poems that proclaim it, sing songs that praise it, and preach sermons that encourage it—but until we manifest that love in action, our words are nothing but “sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.”

Christ did not just speak about love; He showed it each day of His life. He did not remove Himself from the crowd. Being amidst the people, Jesus reached out to the one. He rescued the lost. He didn’t just teach a class about reaching out in love and then delegate the actual work to others. He not only taught but also showed us how to “succor the weak, lift up the hands which hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees.”

Christ knows how to minister to others perfectly. When the Savior stretches out His hands, those He touches are uplifted and become greater, stronger, and better people as a result.

If we are His hands, should we not do the same?

Elder Uchtdorf, April 2010, LDS General Conference

strengthen

strengthen is my theme for 2010.

this has been in my thoughts for several days as i have considered who i really want to become and how i can work towards this during this new year. one of my biggest frustrations with myself has been feeling weak and uncertain. my hopes are that by focusing on strengthening myself this year i can feel stronger and more certain about myself.  but most of all i want to feel His presence more fully in my life.


i will strengthen...

 - my relationship with God
Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. (Isaiah 41:10)  

- others
Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. (Isaiah 35:3)

 - myself physically
Yea, all things which come of the earth, ...are made for the benefit and the use of man, ...to strengthen the body and to enliven the soul.  (D&C 59:18-19)

 - my financial well-being
That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man.  (Ephesians 3:16)

God is my strength and i rely on him for so much.  i want to be a better steward of the blessings he gives me.  i want to truly feel strengthened in him.

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (Philipians 4:13)

image from: bodegabayheritagegallery.com

after the after

On New Year's Eve I threw a Party.

Maybe threw isn't the right word--I hosted a game night with goodies on the side.
We ate.
We played Uno Attack.
We ate more.
We watched the ball drop and toasted in the new year with fake champagne.
We played Apples to Apples.
We ate some more.

Okay, maybe I did throw a Party.

Amazingly, with all that we ate I still had
so much leftover food. 

Today I hosted the After Party.
In church it was Fast Sunday, so we re-convened to break our fasts at my house to polish off the leftovers.
We ate and ate.  
I even invited the missionaries over, because I figured they would be the sure-fire cure for leftovers.  I mean male 19-year olds eat a lot, right?

I still have a ton of leftovers. 

So, tomorrow evening I'm hosting the After-the-After Party,
i.e., Family Home Evening
to polish off  the rest of the leftovers. 

Seriously, I didn't think I had made that much food, but with all the food everyone else brought with them it turned into a veritable feast.

We had:
meatballs in a grape jelly and chili sauce sauce (no, it's not a Utah thing!)
bruschetta
herbed grounay
garlic hummus
chived cream cheese
assorted crackers
toasted baguette
crudités
spiced raisin oatmeal cookies drizzled in white chocolate
candy cane brownies
an assortment of SS's mom's homemade Christmas cookies
jalapenos stuffed with cream cheese wrapped in bacon (divine!)
chocolate mousse cake (yum!)
pasta (only for the after party)
mini crabcakes
mini quiches
cheese twists
salsa
guacamole (my specialty)
whole grain tortilla chips
and
assorted Italian sodas.

Who knew this would turn into a three day event?

Here's to leftovers!

image from: toonpool.com

i looked out the window

i looked out the window and what did i see?

four missionaries singing carols to me.

i have a soft spot in my heart for the lds missionaries.

i promised them christmas goodies, 
if they would stop by to serenade me with carols.

they're such great young men
with such a bright light in their eyes and huge kind spirits.

they had me laughing and singing with them,
and remembering when i was missionary myself in chile.

they saw the ornament on my tree
with my little brother chris's photo and asked me about him.

they listened as i described him,
and talked about the miracles
that happened in our family the year he died.

chris wanted to be a missionary too, and now

when i see missionaries i think of chris
and imagine him as a missionary.

i also think of chris's comical side and how he made me laugh.

it's that unique sense of humor that only young men have.

yep, it's definitely unique to them.

so, if a pair of young men in suits and ties happen to knock on your door

and tell you they're from
the church of jesus christ of latter-day saints,

then you should tell them you've heard they know how to sing

and ask them to sing their favorite hymn for you.

they might look at you weird,

but they will sing.

and you'll have a smile on your face

and a warmth in your heart.

i do.

photos by me

lights!

Tonight my good friend Pam called and invited me for an outing

to the Washington, DC LDS Temple Festival of Lights.

I love Christmas lights, so I was excited to go.

Temple Square Christmas in Salt Lake City, UT is the best, but this was almost as good.

Pam and I posing in front of the Temple.

Pam is one of my best friends here in DC.

I've been assigned as her visiting teacher for almost four years

and we have so much fun together.

Over 500,000 lights light up the gardens surrounding the temple and visitor's center.

The lights on the ground in the shape of flowers were my favorites. Flower lights!

Even the pussy willow trees were decorated for the season. So pretty.

I loved this blue tree.

Such a beautiful building with all the lights.

Christmas lights symbolize to me the light of Christ, which help keep Him at the heart of the season.

I hope you felt His light and love this season.

photos by me

happy christmas

“True happiness comes only by making others happy—the practical application of the Savior’s doctrine of losing one’s life to gain it. In short, the Christmas spirit is the Christ spirit, that makes our hearts glow in brotherly love and friendship and prompts us to kind deeds of service.

“It is the spirit of the gospel of Jesus Christ, obedience to which will bring ‘peace on earth,’ because it means—good will toward all men.”

Giving, not getting, brings to full bloom the Christmas spirit. Enemies are forgiven, friends remembered, and God obeyed. The spirit of Christmas illuminates the picture window of the soul, and we look out upon the world’s busy life and become more interested in people than things. To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ” (Pres. Thomas S. Monson, December 2008).

image from commons.wickimedia.org

I love this!!!

A group of Iraqi women travelled to Utah and met with mothers of U.S. service members, some of whom had lost sons in the war.  They also met with women of the LDS Church to learn about their welfare and Relief Society programs. 

Gosh, I wish I had been there.  I cried as I read this article.  How moving to have your son's ultimate sacrifice honored and remembered by women of the country he died serving. 

Here's the link: 
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/705339079/Iraqi-women-meet-with-mothers-of-American-soldiers.html?pg=1

photo from desertnews.com