Facilier: To Make Easy

Come, Join with Us

by President Dieter F. Uchtdorf,

Second Counselor in the First Presidency  

 

WHAT?

Another reason is because the Church provides opportunities for doing good.

Believing in God is commendable, but most people want to do more than listen to inspirational sermons or dream of their mansions above. They want to put their faith into practice. They want to roll up their sleeves and become engaged in this great cause

 

SO WHAT?

Most people want to be part of something greater than themselves.  For me, that means the Savior, Jesus Christ, and the work of true discipleship.  I have no faith in my government and little in my elected officials, even those for whom I voted.  It saddens me to say this, but it is true.  It came into crystal clarity for me last November.

 

 A few years ago, I was watching the Disney movie The Princess and the Frog with my grandson and his family.  The villain in the piece is a voodoo priest named Dr. Facilier.  Since I speak a little French, he asked me if facilier meant evil.  I told him no: it means to make easy (facile is easy in French). 

 

Perhaps easy and evil in this context are the same thing.  Easy is what Lucifer proposed in the Council in Heaven: He would bring all of us back by taking away our right to choose.  If we had no choices, life would be easy.  He's say: frog and we'd jump.  I can't think of a more horrible way to live. 

 

Satan is still trying to do that: convince us to take the past of least resistance; the easy way.  I see it all around me and I am saddened.  I heard college students being interviewed after the last election who said they voted for the incumbent because he gave them all free cell phones.

 

NOW WHAT?

I cannot change the larger society other than through whatever influence I might have by example.  But I can take care to make sure I choose daily the path of discipleship.  It is not easy.  It requires me to roll up my sleeves and be actively engaged in a good work.

 

 

To put it in the words of the great prophet/leader, Joshua, Choose ye this day whom ye will serve . . . but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord. (Joshua 24:15)

 

Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education

 

Pictures:

Facilier from www.fanpop.com

Joshua from www.eborg2.com

Significant, But Subtle Blessings

The Windows of Heaven

by Apostle David A. Bednar   

 

      

                                                                    

What?
Often as we teach and testify about the law of tithing, we emphasize the immediate, dramatic, and readily recognizable temporal blessings that we receive. And surely such blessings do occur. Yet some of the diverse blessings we obtain as we are obedient to this commandment are significant but subtle. Such blessings can be discerned only if we are both spiritually attentive and observant (see 1 Corinthians 2:14).

Sometimes we may ask God for success, and He gives us physical and mental stamina. We might plead for prosperity, and we receive enlarged perspective and increased patience, or we petition for growth and are blessed with the gift of grace. He may bestow upon us conviction and confidence as we strive to achieve worthy goals. And when we plead for relief from physical, mental, and spiritual difficulties, He may increase our resolve and resilience.

So What?
This is a commandment faithfully kept.  Yet in the past few months, I have struggled financially.  I have taken on the care of a disabled family member who is awaiting a decision from Social Security.  To say it has been a challenge is to be somewhat understated.  With no immediate end in sight, it is hard not to become disheartened as I watch my savings dwindle.

After listening to Elder Bednar and rereading his conference address, I have realized that I have been blessed with all of the things he mentioned: physical and mental stamina; enlarged perspective and increased patience; conviction and confidence; resolve and resilience.  I have also been blessed with the understanding that the "stuff" of this life is just "stuff" and I won't take it with me.  All I can take to the next life is who I am and have become and will continue to become.  That will be a price above rubies if I can present to the Lord clean hands and a pure heart.

Now What?
I continue in faith that God knows me and my situation; that He is blessing me daily and will continue to bless me with abundance from the windows of His heaven.

Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education

 

Picture from www.heartcenter.org

It's Not Where We've Been But Where We're Willing to Go

Conference Address:  Look Ahead and Believe      

by Elder Edward Dube of the Seventy                    

 

WHAT?
President Deiter F. Uchtdorf wrote: “Those who have entered the waters of baptism and received the gift of the Holy Ghost have set their feet on the path of discipleship and are charged to follow steadily and fully in the footsteps of our Savior” (“Saints for All Seasons,” Ensign or Liahona, Sept. 2013, 5).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles counseled: “The past is to be learned from but not lived in. We look back to claim the embers from glowing experiences but not the ashes. And when we have learned what we need to learn and have brought with us the best that we have experienced, then we look ahead and remember that faith is always pointed toward the future” (“The Best Is Yet to Be,” Ensign, Jan. 2010, 24; or Liahona, Jan. 2010, 18).

“No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9:62).

SO WHAT?
At my age, it seems natural to look back on one's life.  Psychologist Erik Erikson described my stage of life as one in which we look back to recall either a life of integrity or despair.  I feel a sense of integrity as I have learned from my mistakes in a consistent fashion throughout my life and continue to do so.  I don't feel despair - the ashes of the past - but the glowing - and growing - experiences.  I do not let the past cripple the present.  When I catch myself wallowing, I do what I can to get out of the mire and back onto the path.

NOW WHAT?
There is no time to rest on my laurels however.  I still have much I can do and will do so long as health allows.  I am still teaching and counseling.  I am still creating.  I am still preaching His Word and moving forward as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  When I pass through the veil from this life to the next, I believe I will continue to do all of those things and continue to learn from the Brightest Light of the World.

'Nuff said.

 

Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education

Picture of plow from www.twitter.com

Picture of Jesus from multiple sources on the web

Destressing to Avoid My Dino-Brain!

Conference Address:  Be Meek and Lowly of Heart

by Elder Ulisses Soares of the Seventy

 

 

WHAT?

Another important step to becoming meek is learning how to control our temper. Because the natural man dwells within each one of us and because we live in a world full of pressure, controlling our temper may become one of the challenges in our lives.

 

SO WHAT?

If you have asked me a month ago how I was doing on being meek, I would have said, "I have it nailed" (which right there shows me that I haven't!)  But it seems as if life and/or the Adversary have ratcheted up the stress in my life in the form of other people.  These are all people whom I love dearly, but who converged on my home en masse and everyone wanted my immediate and exclusive attention, from the 2 and 3 - year - olds to the almost 57 - year old.  To my credit, I held it together for 3 weeks under those pressures.  But close only counts in horseshoes!

 

We think in the cortex; we feel in the limbic system;
we act without thinking in the brain stem, which I call the dinosaur brain.  Grrrrrrr!  Think T-Rex!

 

Then, one day a little over a week ago, I lost it.  I just collapsed emotionally, downshifted into my dinosaur brain and let everyone have it, including turning a lot of the abuse on myself.  It was not dignified, to say the least.

 

NOW WHAT?  

Emotions are inevitable, including the uncomfortable ones like anger.  I can't just stifle and the anger (or any other uncomfortable emotion) without serious repercussions to my physical, emotional, and spiritual health.  What I hope to do in the future is to:

a) Structure the situation in my home so as not to bring flint and steel together under one roof!

b) Recognize the stress early and admit I am not Wonder Woman

c) Take steps to diffuse the stress by talking to someone not involved, taking time for myself, and going somewhere alone to pray, scream if necessary, and cry.

          

Remember:  Meek does not mean weak!       

 

Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education

Picture from www.socialrazoo.com    

 

NOTE TO MY REGULAR READERS:  For those of you who have been following my Book of Mormon posts since June, I will be returning to them within a few weeks.  Right now, I am still somewhat overwhelmed and it takes a great deal of time, energy, and prayerful, careful research to produce each Book of Mormon post (several hours.)  Right now I want to continue to blog, but do not have the time nor the emotional and physical energy to do the research I would need to do. Thanks for understanding!

                                                   

What? So What? Now What? Allowing the Holy Spirit to Teach

 

Last weekend, despite a hectic schedule, I had the opportunity to listen to most the talks given during the semi-annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  These proceedings are available for further study at www.lds.org.  It is my plan to use these as my daily morning devotional for the next several weeks.

 

After a welcome from Church president, Thomas S. Monson, the first speaker was a living apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ: Elder Robert D. Hales.  Elder Hales spoke about the importance of the very conferences at which he speaks.  One of the things that resonated with my spirit was that the speakers speak by the Spirit.  If we will approach each talk in tune with the Spirit ourselves, the Lord can use their words to personally tutor us in whatever things we need for the strengthening of our own spirits.

 

To quote Elder Hales: This is possible because the Holy Ghost carries the word of the Lord unto our hearts in terms we can understand. When I take notes at conference, I do not always write down exactly what the speaker is saying; I note the personalized direction the Spirit is giving me.

 

What is said is not as important as what we hear and what we feel. That is why we make an effort to experience conference in a setting where the still, small voice of the Spirit can be clearly heard, felt, and understood.

 

I follow a simple idea when approaching such an experience.  I ask myself the following three questions:

WHAT?

SO WHAT?

NOW WHAT?

 

What resonated with me during this address?  What felt important? 

 

So what is going on in my life right now that made that particular idea jump out at me?  Why is it important? Prayerful meditation on this will give you the answer.  It may come immediately or it may come later as the Holy Spirit continues to tutor and enlighten.

 

Now that I understand how this fits into the needs of my life right now, what an I going to do about it. 

 

It is important to listen to the words of the Lord.  It is more important to feel those words speak to our hearts.  It is most important to do what the Spirit guides us to do.

 

Elder Hales said it this way: We accept the Savior’s invitation when we ponder and pray to understand what we have been taught and then go forward and do His will.

 

 In the words of a popular primary song:

 

Lead me, guide me, walk beside me

Help me find the way.

Teach me all that I must do

To live with Him someday.

 

Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education
Song lyric from the hymn I Am a Child of God, LDS Children's Songbook

 

Picture from:

www.insidetheshrink-dailygrace.blogpot.com

 

Just Sayin' Saturday

To say that I have experienced a stressful month would be an understatement!  I have been in absolute survival mode to the degree that I "lost" the entire month of September.  It was like going straight from late August to mid-October.

I had contracted with the local school district to do a professional training in positive classroom management with some of their newer teachers.  This in service was scheduled for Wednesday and Thursday this past week.  In the beginning, that meant going from one set of stresses to another: preparing my materials and my mind for a course I haven't taught in over a dozen years.  I spent all of Monday and Tuesday in high gear mode and went to bed exhausted before 7:00 PM.

But once I started teaching Wednesday morning, it was wonderful.  My class was delightful.  It's members were open to learning and eagerly participated in the activities.  They asked thoughtful questions and, when we did our review Thursday morning, they were able to make personal commitments about integrating new habits into their teaching.  I woke up yesterday with the weight gone from my shoulders and a smile on my face.

Life is short.  Occasionally, it throws you a curve ball and you have to play it the best you can.  That often means STRESS.  When that happens, I struggle to de-stress.  It's like putting my car in park, then keeping the accelerator on the floorboard.  I expend a lot of energy and don't get anywhere.

I'd like to say I was able to de-stress in the moment, but I wasn't.  I failed miserably and because of it, I still have an energy debt I am trying to pay.  But I loved doing my class and look forward to another in November.  I laughed yesterday - out loud! - and I enjoyed the October sky.  I still went to bed before 7:00, but I feel now that I am getting there.

I covet your prayers.

 

Text copyright October 2013, Gebara Education

Poster from Facebook

Nay, but I Will be Thy Servant ~ Ammon

It has been almost a week since my last posting.  I left Ammon and his brothers at the crossroads in Los Encuantros.  Moving forward, Ammon went to the land called Ishmael, named after Lehi's cousin and one of the families of people who dissented from Nephi and followed Laman.  In Ishmael, Ammon was taken captive to the king or chief of that tribe.  The king's name was Lamoni and he was a descendant of Ishmael. 

The king or chief amongst the Lamanite tribes had absolute power.  He could have slain Ammon on the spot, thrust him into prison, run him out of the land, or allowed him to stay.  King Lamoni, whatever else his faults might have been, seemed to have been a fair-minded man.  He asked Ammon why he had come and what his desire might have been.  Ammon replied that he had come to live amongst them, perhaps until the day he died.

This answer pleased Lamoni.  He offered his daughter in marriage to this courageous yet humble Nephite.  I had often wondered why the king would make such an offer.  Then, about 3 years ago when I was on my mission, it dawned on me: Ammon was the crown prince of the Nephite nation!  Perhaps Lamoni thought to make a marriage of political alliance?  Suddenly, something that had always been a mystery to me made sense.

Ammon replied that, though he was honored by such an offer, he prepared to be a servant to the king, to serve him all of his days.  Lamoni accepted his offer and he became numbered among the servants who took care of the king's flocks.

Ammon, as we will find out, was one of the greatest emissaries for Messiah/Christ in the history of the Americas.  He never forgot his purpose; never lost his focus.  He had not come among the Lamanites for political reasons.  He had not come as a conqueror.  He had not come to judge and condemn them.  He had come to love and to serve.  Out of his love, came one of the most beautiful stories of absolute conversion ever written.

 

Text copyright September 2013, Gebara Education

 

Pictures from www.lds.org