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Sabbath Devotional :: To Love as the Savior Loves
I attended the adult session of stake conference tonight. Elder R. Scott Runia of the Seventy was there. He brought us greetings from our prophet, President Thomas S. Monson, and shared with us what he characterized, with great emotion, as “probably the last message I will hear directly from his lips.” What our prophet said to Elder Runia and the others leaders in attendance at that meeting was this: “Brethren, we need to prepare the Saints for the Second Coming. We all need to be better. We need to love more as the Savior loves.” Love. That is how, according to the living prophet of God, we need to prepare…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Jeffrey R. Holland Quote
“Someday I hope a great global chorus will harmonize across all racial and ethnic lines, declaring that guns, slurs, and vitriol are not the way to deal with human conflict. The prophet Ether taught that we should ‘hope for a better world.’ The declarations of heaven cry out to us that the only way complex societal issues can ever be satisfactorily resolved is by loving God and keeping His commandments, thus opening the door to the one lasting, salvific way to love each other as neighbors.” — Jeffrey R. Holland Shared by Erica Glenn, an original member of the core leadership team at Mormon Women for Ethical Government.
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Sabbath Devotional :: Be Thou an Example
In light of the important and moving Code Purple post below, I simply leave a scripture at the end of Second Nephi 26:33 to lead us into Sunday worship: “. . . He inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile.” May we all reflect on God’s love for all his children and President Monson’s simple plea: 1. Fill your mind with truth; 2. Fill your heart with love; 3. Fill your life with…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Find Your Calm Center
A few weeks ago, I came to myself in the middle of my family room late one night. I say that I “came to myself” because I’d spent that day, and the days before it, in such a frazzled mental state that I had hardly had a moment to check in with myself either physically or mentally. The last months in my life have been a study in balance: My career has been at an intense moment, my health has been struggling, my family has somehow still needed to be fed, and I’ve been trying to learn how to live with the constant emotional fluctuation that I’ve felt since the…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Open Our Hearts to Christ
We live in a world that is quickly becoming desensitized to subtlety and nuance. So much in modern society is loud, sensationalized, and overblown. Companies include more flavoring in gum than they did in the 20th century. Music is amplified. Substantive discourse is reduced to soundbites. Billboards are flashier. We crave more and notice less. So what is the antidote? Charity. That pure love of Christ (His for us; ours for Him and for each other) can soften the calloused spots in all of us and, by extension, society at large. As we open our hearts to Christ’s influence, we gain a greater capacity to empathize with our brothers and…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Betrayal and the Promise of Redemption
When I saw a recent NY Times article I had to double check that it wasn’t a satirical piece. Even two short years ago these words would have seemed like Saturday Night Live sketch comedy. Donald Trump giving Sarah Palin, Kid Rock and Ted Nugent a tour of our beloved White House, pausing long enough to mock a painting of former First Lady, Hillary Clinton? No. Not possible. Outlandish, fantasy! Yet, sadly, this is not some unimaginable alternative reality. it’s not an article written for the Onion or upcoming SNL fodder. And although it is indeed outrageous (and for many of us unbelievable), it is very much real. As I…
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Sabbath Devotional :: All are Needed
I have recently been studying the lives of significant women in the history of both the early Church and the restored Church. Regardless of the century in which they were born, these women tend to embody firm resolve, loyalty to truth, civic-mindedness, self-reliance, a hunger for knowledge, and an inborn sense of justice — the same qualities that drive us forward at MWEG. One favorite story: “When a teamster tried to steal Lucy Mack Smith’s horses as they were moving to Palmyra, she [confronted] him in front of all of the travelers present: ‘Gentlemen and ladies, please give your attention. As sure as there is a God in heaven, that…
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Sabbath Devotional :: You Are My Beloved
I returned home late tonight (Saturday) after spending the past week in Seattle helping my younger sister who was recently diagnosed with breast cancer and had a bi-lateral mastectomy on Wednesday. (The surgery went well, and the good news is that it looks like the cancer hadn’t spread to the lymph nodes.) My feelings have been very tender as I’ve contemplated the fragility of life, the preciousness of our relationships, and God’s astonishing love for us. As I thought about what to share with you for this week’s Sabbath Devotional, this passage from Henri J.M. Nouwen’s book “Life of the Beloved” came to mind. Nouwen writes of the need for…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Voices
Like many of you I am a news junkie. I want to know what’s going on in the U.S., as well as around the world and understand the issues and respective implications. And also like most of you, I never seem to have enough time in any given day or week to read (and do) all of the things I would like to. So many responsibilities, worthy causes and interests vying for our time. So many sources of news competing for our attention, it feels like ‘information overload’ or at least ‘abundance’ is the order of the day. Throw in an obsession for good books and worthy ideas and it…
