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Are You Aware? Black Entrepreneurship and Obtaining an Economic Foothold
This is part III in our Awareness Wednesday series for Black History Month 2021. Read the other posts in the series here. Booker T. Washington said Blacks should obtain an economic foothold before trying to tear down social and political barriers. There have been, throughout our history, Black people who have prospered as free people — who made a living that allowed them to buy their own freedom or those of other Black family members. But for most, there have been enormous barriers of prejudice and scant means to overcome in their pursuit of success. This post is about those who have worked to secure an economic foothold. The result…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Learn of Me
I have been having moments of melancholy recently because of what has been happening in the country. COVID, the election saga, and other world issues take their toll on a person. There are times when it overwhelms me. I realize that I have been leaning on my own understanding (really dumb). So I have taken to reading material about the Savior and learning of him in my scriptures and other books I have in my library. One of those books is titled The Redeemer: Reflections on the Life and Teachings of Jesus the Christ. It contains essays written by several different authors. I have also started bringing a journal to sacrament…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Where is Our Focus?
“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the FOCUS of our lives.” — President Russell M. Nelson There are so many things swirling around in my life right now. We have gone through moving into a new home we have built over the last five months. We were without internet or cable for the first week. (It’s so much fun hot spotting off your cell phone during election week!) Unpacking, acclimating to the area, and attending a new ward. Having people in and out of your home amidst this COVID pandemic add to the challenge. We had a tithing settlement…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Love One Another — But How?
Last Sunday, I was re-reading the April 2020 General Conference talks. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland has always been one of my favorite speakers. His talk: A Perfect Brightness of Hope was special. This section stood out to me: “We pray for those who have lost loved ones in this modern plague, as well as for those who are currently infected or at risk. We certainly pray for those who are giving such magnificent health care. When we have conquered this — and we will — may we be equally committed to freeing the world from the virus of hunger, freeing neighborhoods and nations from the virus of poverty. May we…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Traveling Along the Path
My husband and I love road trips. I think back to just a year ago when I traveled with my husband and some of our family members freely about the country. This, after three years of serving a mission. We had been set apart working with the missionaries in the Georgia, Auburn, Alabama, and lower South Carolina area. We traveled at least two weeks out of the month, working with our missionaries. We spoke in wards and branches and at conferences across the mission. Every six weeks we drove 1.5 hours transporting departing missionaries and picking up incoming ones. You would think we would have felt traveled out! But there…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Just and True
As I was contemplating the past week or so about my devotional message, I was reading my scriptures. Alma 18:12 jumped out: “Ammon . . . went in unto the king, and he saw that the countenance of the king was changed.” Ammon proceeded by the power of the Holy Ghost to ask King Lamoni inspired questions. Lamoni then asked, “Art thou sent from God?” (verse 33). In the next verse Ammon answered: “I am called by his Holy Spirit to teach these things unto this people, that they may be brought to a knowledge of that which is just and true.” It struck me, aren’t we here as members…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Succor
As we continue to stay at home all over the country for COVID-19, many thoughts run through my mind. Many of us look at the isolation negatively at times. We miss the touch of loved ones — those handshakes at church or hugs from friends. We miss the freedom of travel and the ability to enjoy family and friends across the country. Many deal with becoming instant homeschoolers. Personally, we had looked forward to more travel, attending sealings, sporting events, and more. Those plans are on pause. For most, we are isolated in bubbles. We are safe at home, antsy for our norms. For far too many, jobs are gone,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Influence of the Restoration
This year is the 200th anniversary of the First Vision; it’s been 200 years since a young teen asked God which church was true. I stand all amazed at what has transpired since that day. I’ve been pondering what the Restoration has meant in my life. When the missionaries rang our doorbell 38 years ago, I was a young mother with two young daughters. A year and a half later, my husband, our two little girls and I knelt around the altar in the new Atlanta Temple to be sealed as a family. Faithful members in our little branch nurtured, served and loved us. Since then, we have served in…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Improving Faith in Christ
With all the unrest in the world today, we can easily get caught up in the sadness or frustrations we see. As we each deal with these, if we are not careful, we can find it easy to lose sight of the true purpose of our earthly existence. I find wisdom in a devotional talk given by BYU professor Robert Daines on June 20, 2000. These are my insights into his words. Brother Daines speaks of three areas of concern: – Our relationship with Deity, spouses and others – Maintaining balance – Making important decisions He says that “answers and direction to each of these general dilemmas can be found…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Light of the World
When I was a little girl in Chicago, we used to put our tree up about two weeks before Christmas. These days, my neighbors have their lights and wreaths up by mid-November. Do you ever wonder why the Christmas season, with all its trappings, has been starting earlier and earlier? I believe we all want to be surrounded by the Christmas feeling of love and warmth that the world needs so desperately. In this tech-savvy world, we are inundated with instant information about negative things — like the lives affected or lost by negligence or unkind actions. On social media, some take their anger out on people they don’t know,…
