Where God's Full Presence Shines

A couple of weeks ago our 19th grandchild was born. He is beautiful. I have always thought that the veil between heaven and earth is very thin for babies. I have often thought that my babies were looking around the room at someone I could not see. I feel as if the reason babies cannot talk is so they will not tell us too much about heaven.

So, I was holding baby Jacob and talking with his mom about how thin the veil between heaven and earth might be. We were wondering if family that has passed on would be able to visit with him. I even asked Jacob if he could see his grandparents. All of a sudden Jacob smiled. Oh I know everyone says it is gas. I don't believe it for a moment. I have always thought that when a newborn baby smiles he is thinking of heaven. When he cries, he is thinking of birth. I thought, you know I think the veil is a lot thinner that even I think.

Then today I went with my husband to the nursing home to help with sacrament meeting. We helped gather those that wanted to go to church. Then I led the singing. We were singing the sacrament hymn "How Great the Wisdom and the Love." On the second verse it says:

"His precious blood he freely spilt;
His life he freely gave,
A sinless sacrifice for guilt,
A dying world to save."

As I looked up I saw a dying world in front of me. Tears sprang to my eyes. When we sang the 4th verse, I felt God's presence grow stronger in the room.

"He marked the path and led the way,
And every point defines
To light and life and endless day
Where God's full presence shines."

I couldn't help but wonder how endless some of their days feel, and yet God's full presence was there in that room, with people who's lives are so difficult.

So I have decided that the veil is thin for a newborn baby. It is also thin for those who are nearing the end of their lives. I felt God's full presence shine. What a wonderful day.

How to Strengthen Husband & Wife Relationships

During stake conference President Staker quoted Elder Callister and gave us a list of 7 ways to strengthen husband/wife relationships. For some reason lists always make me perk up and listen.

1. Adopt an unyielding commitment to make it work.
I like the work "unyielding." It seems that too many people go into marriage thinking what they will do when marriage doesn't work instead of what will I do to make it work.

2. Adopt an "Is it I?" principle.
At the last supper, Jesus told the twelve apostles that one was about to betray him. "...They were exceeding sorrowful, and began everyone of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?" (Matt. 26:22) President Staker said when you have problems in your marriage you ask yourself "Is it I?" and the answer is always "YES!" It reminds me of a song I sing to my kids at school.

"I'm gonna tell, I'm gonna tell.
I'm gonna holler and I'm gonna yell.
I'll get you in trouble for everything you do.
I'm gonna tell on you.
....I won't tell teacher what I did to you,
I'm just gonna tell on you.

Notice the apostles were not looking around to see who they could blame for betraying Christ. Or who they thought might be the one to betray their lord and savior. They were looking within their own souls to see what they needed to fix. They were looking so hard within that they didn't even notice who was looking guilty.

Is it I? YES

3. Make your spouses happy. Make sure they are successful.
Don't spend your time trying to make your spouse guess what you want. President Staker said his mother told his wife that if she wanted flowers for her birthday etc. to go buy them and than thank him for the beautiful flowers. She will be happy with the flowers and he will be happy because she got what she wanted. I am not sure you would not have to go to that extreme but really if you want something tell your spouse what it is.

4. Stay out of Debt!
What more needs to be said than that? Debt binds you down and we must be free.

5. Speak in soft and kind voices and words.
The words spoken in the home are the most important. Some of the wittiest things ever thought should be left unsaid.

6. Make parenting a joint adventure.
Don't leave everything to your spouse. Take turns. Work together. Play together.

7. Pray together.
How can you stay angry at someone you are praying with and for?

Eternal Marriage has become a concept of time rather than a quality of life. It should be a quality of life because you wish to spend time together.

1 Nephi

I have been doing a lot of thinking about Nephi and his brothers. Nephi and Sam looked at the glass half full. Laman and Lemuel looked at the empty half of the glass. I think I would rather be an optimist than a pessimist. I would rather see the full side of things. There are going to be trials in our lives so we might as well decide now that we are going to endure it well and put a smile on our faces. We might as well look for those little blessings that come into our lives each day and enjoy them while we can. I have a lot to be thankful for. I would rather find joy! I will choose to be happy.

Christmas

i have been doing a lot of thinking about Christ's birth. I have most of my nativities out and have decided not to do too much other decorating. I want to focus on Jesus Christ. I will put up my tree and I think that will be it. I want to spend the month feasting on the scriptures and doing some sort of service. We are in a new ward so to speak. It is still called Myton 2nd but most of the people in the ward come from the old Myton 1st ward. While I know a lot of the people in the ward there are also a lot of people I don't know. I think I will start some sort of secret Santa thing that can be passed around the ward. Oh maybe instead of calling it Secret Santa I should call it Secret Savior. I could write some of my favorite scriptures and make some treats to pass on to members of the ward and ask them to pass on their favorite scripture and a treat. NOW I need to get busy. Yea I think this will be great!

"to always remember Him"

While I will not go into detail... this past week I have been doing something good but I have been doing it for the wrong reason. I have been doing this good thing because someone had been displeased with me. Now there is nothing wrong with trying to please others but I have not found satisfaction in the thing I am doing. I have gone through a long list feelings that have included sorrow and even anger. But no real satisfaction or gratitude or joy.

Today in sacrament as I listened to the sacrament prayer I realized my mistake. I still want to do the good thing that I have been doing but I need to be doing it in order "to always remember Him." I need to be doing this thing for my Savior not for my friend. I need to please my Savior, not my friend. So this week I will continue to do those things I need to be doing, those things that I want to be doing, but I will be doing them in order to "always remember Him." Then, I will find the joy in doing. I can actually stop worrying about rather or not I am pleasing my friend. I can stop worrying about rather or not I am meeting my friends standards. I know that my Savior will accept my efforts because He knows what is in my heart. I feel my Savior's love.

BYU Women's Conference: Sandra Rogers

Sandra Rogers is well-articulated and knowledgeable in expressing how covenants and peace go hand in hand and their relationship to our time in the midst of wars and within our individual lives and circumstances. She also illustrates the plan of salvation and the war in heaven and how we play a part in these by the consequences of the choices we individually made and will make. She emphasizes the Light of the Savior in our lives and that we must arise and let that light shine forth from our own lives to reflect the love and knowledge we have of the Lord, the peace those and the covenants we make bring to us, and the difference that can be made in the lives of others as we share that light.

Learning and Re-learning

I have been studying about sacrifice. I have learned and re-learned so much from Genesis 22:1-14. Those are 14 of the most fantastic verses ever written.

In verse 1 God temps or from the Hebrew text he "tests or proves" Abraham and Abraham is ready to answer.

Then in verse 2 comes the most difficult trial anyone could be asked to face. Abraham is commanded to sacrifice his "only" son Issac. (My bet is he didn't tell Sarah what the Lord had asked him to do.) God will sacrifice His "Only Begotten Son." Abraham leaves Beersheba and goes about 50 miles north to Moriah where the Lord has told him to go. Why does the Lord ask a man that is more than 100 years old to travel 50 miles? Why Moriah? 2 Chr. 3:1 tells us that is where Solomon built the temple of the Lord.

Verse 3 says he saddles his donkey, cuts the wood and heads out with his son Isaac. The donkey and the wood are important. Who gets to ride the donkey? Does Abraham? Does Isaac? Who rides a donkey into the city of Jerusalem on the final week of his life? Is it by chance there is a parallel here? No, the Lord does not do anything by chance.

Verse 4 & 5 say on the third day Abraham sees the place afar off and asks the young men to stay there with the donkey while he and his son go on ahead to the place to worship.

Then in verse 6 Abraham takes the wood they have carried with them and lays it on his son. So Isaac carries the wood. This tells me he was not a young child. He is a man that is strong enough to carry enough wood for a sacrifice. He carries the wood to his place of sacrifice. Christ carried his wooden cross to his place of sacrifice also.

Isaac is beginning to wonder about this sacrifice. He asks his father. Dad you have the fire, I have the wood, where is the burnt offering?

Verse 8 Abraham tells Isaac. "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering." This is a prophetic statement. God, the Father, will provide his only begotten Son as the lamb for a burnt offering.

Then in verses 9 - 12 Abraham builds the altar and binds his son and lays him on the alter. He takes his knife to slay him and the angel of the Lord stops him. At this point we know that Isaac knows what is going on but we learn something important about Isaac. He willingly allows his father to bind him and willingly lays on the alter with a knife over him. He is willing to do what his Father has commanded. Christ willingly gives himself as a sacrifice. He willingly lays on the alter and gave his life for us. Abraham sees the last great sacrifice from our Father in Heavens perspective.

Verses 13-14. Abraham sees a ram caught in the thicket and they offer him for a burnt offering. Abraham called the name of the place "Jehovah-jireh" which means "in this mount, Jehovah shall be provided."

Note of interest. When a lamb was sacrificed it was always sacrificed on the north side of the alter. Just north of the temple mount is a hill known as Golgotha.

Abraham was obedient to God's commands in offering up his son Isaac... "which is a similitude of God and his Only Begotten Son." (Jacob 4:5)