John 1: We Have Found The Messiah

This new Come Follow Me study has been great! I have read through the entire New Testament before and been to many of the places mentioned but I don't feel that I have really studied or looked as closely at each chapter and verse as I am now. This particular chapter doesn't seem like much when you are just reading it as part of the story line of Christ's life but as you look deeper and really ponder the words, there is a lot to be found. I am curious, what have you all have learned from focusing on this one chapter?

As I read through I noticed that all of the men who met Christ believed he was the Messiah and were truly converted:

 "And I saw, and bare record that this is the Son of God." v.34

"And they were fishermen. And they straightway left all and followed Jesus" JST v.42

"Rabbi, thou art the King of Israel." v.49

Reading through and seeing the acknowledgement and understanding of these men in just one meeting really got me thinking about my own conversion. Am I truly converted? Am I doing what I should be doing so that when the Lord returns, I will recognize him as quickly as they did? Do I have a relationship with the Savior?

Conversion is not something that just happens once. It is a constant effort and action on our part. We should be constantly trying to grow and be more converted unto the Lord. We can become complacent, thinking we know all the stories and we know all of the answers. But, in reality, we know only a fraction of what there is to learn about the gospel. There is always room for us to grow and become closer to the Lord.

This article popped up on my feed today and I encourage you all to read through it. What are some of your thoughts on conversion? How can we help ourselves and others to continue on their path of conversion? How can we take away our gospel check-list to focus on what truly matters?

Luke 2, Matthew 2

For the sake of brevity and because we are about to play Bang with Tori's family I won't write that much.  This video talks about the wise men's gifts from Matthew 2:11.  

I particularly like his thought for the symbolism of the ancient uses of frankincense and myrrh. I believe we all think of the Savior when we hear the any of the words: gold, frankincense, myrrh or wise men but what else reminds you of the Savior?

I love the Savior and want to be better at "always remember[ing] him." To help me remember him I'm going to set a trigger on my phone that goes off every time my phone connects to my car's Bluetooth that says look and remember.

Let me know in the comments, what helps you remember the Savior?

Matthew 1 and Luke 1

Luke 1:13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.

The story that stood out to me in this week's reading is the story of Elisabeth and Zacharias who had to wait many, many years for their prayers to be answered. This has been quite a challenging couple of years for me and our family. When Chloe was on her mission, I decided to change jobs from McCarthy to Ledcor. This was a very difficult decision for me, but I felt inspired to do so. I asked Grandpa Bud for a blessing. I remember in the blessing that I was blessed to feel the direction of the Lord and also to know that Heavenly Father was watching out for my missionary and was holding her in His very hands (a week later Chloe left Utah for Argentina.) This blessing gave me a lot of peace.

Despite feeling directed to change jobs, things at Ledcor did not turn out the way I planned. However, upon being let go, when Ledcor decided to close the US offices, they gave me the college housing project. I held on to the belief and hope that the housing project would make leaving McCarthy worth it. I know all the delays on the deal have turned into a family joke, but for me it is a matter of faith and hope that things will work out for our family. And, yes, boys it is more than just being "clutch in the 4th quarter". Mom sent me that quote on top from Elder Maxwell during one of the last discouraging delays. I believe that I have to have faith in the Lord's timing. I believe it will all work out, but if not, I still have faith.

I know some of you are discouraged about delayed blessings. Have hope. Have faith. It will all work out.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "We may at times assume that the plan of salvation requires merely that we endure and survive when, in fact, as is always the case with the gospel of Jesus Christ, it is required of us not only that we endure, but also that we endure well, that we exhibit 'grace under pressure.' This is necessary, not only so that our own passage through the trial can be a growth experience, but also because (more than we know) there are always people watching to see if we can cope, who therefore may resolve to venture forth and to cope themselves" (But For a Small Moment).

Dad

Whole Heart

Jeremiah 24:7 And I will give them an heart to know me, that I am the Lord: and they shall be my people, and I will be their God: for they shall return unto me with their whole heart.


What does your heart desire? I've been asking myself that question: what does my heart desire? My heart's desire is to know my Savior better and to serve Him better and for my family to also find joy in knowing Him and serving Him.

Examine your heart. What is the condition of your heart? The parable of the sower in Matthew 13:3-8, describes four types of soil and tells what happens to a seed planted in each type of soil. The soil could represent four types of hearts and the seed could be gospel truth. Is your heart ready, open, prepared for truth? Or is your heart a little hard? Do you maybe need to pick some weeds? Is your heart good ground? "Jesus explained that “the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15). We have the seed of the gospel word. It is up to each of us to set the priorities and to do the things that make our soil good and our harvest plentiful" (Dallin H. Oaks Parable of the Sower).

How can we love the Lord with all our heart? It occurred to me this week that loving and serving with our whole heart involves more than commitment. Serving with our whole heart also requires that our hearts are whole. What if our hearts feel broken? Sometimes our hearts feel broken because we have made some mistakes and need to repent. Sometimes our hearts feel broken because we've been hurt by others. Sometimes our hearts feel broken because we are discouraged, sad, afraid, or bitter. He can make our hearts whole.

What helps my heart to feel whole? I like the words of the scripture in Jeremiah 24:7 printed above. As I my heart has longed to know the Lord, I have studied the scriptures more and gone to the temple more. The scriptures have had a great impact on my life. I grew up afraid. Afraid of bad guys in trench coats breaking into my house. Afraid of fires and bombs. Afraid of my parents arguing. Afraid I wasn't pretty enough or smart enough for my dad to love me. I know this sounds dramatic, but fear was the overriding emotion of my childhood and early adult life. This is what I want you to know. In a very real way, the Savior through reading the scriptures, healed and continues to heal my heart. The words flow through my soul like a healing balm. I love the scriptures. They are a delight to me.

We are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart. This requires all our might, mind, and strength, and it requires surrendering our heart to Him so that He can make us whole. No matter what we've done or what has happened to us, He can heal us. He gives us a heart to know Him, and when we seek to find Him, follow Him, and know Him, then we can return unto him with our whole heart.

Let's jump in and study the scriptures together. I'm so excited to learn with you and from you! Let's make sure our hearts are good ground and let's grow this year.

I love you all,
Mom