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Sabbath Devotional :: Hózhó (Balance and Beauty)
I recently attended an organ concert at the ASU LDS Institute and one of the pieces played was composed by a Navajo man named Connor Chee. The composer shares that in the Navajo culture the idea of balance and beauty “binds all things together in the universe.” I’ve always been drawn to the idea of opposition to keep balance in the world. We are reminded about this in 2 Nephi 2:11 “For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. . . . neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Parable of the Sower
Earlier this year, as I read the Parable of the Sower, something new caught my attention. As the Sower went out to sow, it says that some seeds “fell by the way side,” some “fell upon stony places,” some “fell among thorns,” and others “fell into good ground.” It’s that word “fell.” It seems so arbitrary. The Sower, who is good, didn’t deliberately put the seeds in different kinds of ground. They fell there. In the past few weeks, I have felt overwhelmed and burdened by events in the world and in our country. I find myself grasping for any threads of hope to hang on to. I fear the…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Ye Shall Have a Song
My friend Lavina Fielding Anderson died this week, and that means Thanksgiving is earlier and sadder for me than usual this year. Lavina introduced me to this beautiful passage from a sermon of John Donne, and I make everyone listen to it every year before Thanksgiving dinner. I have been reading it over and over, along with Lavina’s beautiful essays on mercy. God made sun and moon to distinguish seasons, and day and night, and we cannot have the fruits of the earth but in their seasons; but God hath made no decree to distinguish the seasons of his mercies. In paradise the fruits were ripe the first minute, and…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Belonging
I was listening to an episode of a podcast recently and they were discussing the topic of belonging in that particular episode. One of the podcast hosts remarked that the experience of feeling left out was the “shadow side” of having community or wanting to be a part of a community. This description really resonated with me and made a lot of sense in understanding a universal human emotion. As the podcast hosts and guests discussed this topic they noted the distinctions between belonging versus fitting in. They articulated that fitting in is when we change things about ourselves in order to try to fit in with the people around…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Peace
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid. John 14:27 Lately, John 14:27 is echoing in my mind, and I find myself flashing back to when I was 18. At 18, my family received devastating blow after devastating blow after devastating blow. It remains one of the darkest times of my life, and it was for a few years. I couldn’t see any hope of even a fragment of light at that time. There was seemingly no end or reprieve in sight. Just never-ending darkness. During that time,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Peace Comes to Brood and Sit
This week, as horrors have unfolded in Israel and Gaza, I have been struck by how much the world pulls us to take sides, make statements, opine loudly. So many organizations have felt compelled to send me emails about their positions, or even explanations for why they do not yet have a position. This cacophony clangs against the cymbal crash of the news; the wars of words threaten to consume what is left of the world. I’ve asked myself amidst the din how I can make peace, and what “peace” can possibly mean on the lips of someone as removed from the depths of pain as I am, by geography…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Conference Sharing
I have been Covid-isolated all week, and haven’t had a chance to talk with anyone about General Conference. I would love to know what your favorite parts were. I’ve asked a few folks to start off the discussion. Please add your favorite quotes in the comments, and maybe a sentence or two about why they spoke to you. For me, predictably, the best part of conference was the Saturday afternoon choir, and especially the (ever so slightly daring!) arrangement of Jesus, Once of Humble Birth by Timothy Johnson. (Did you know you can find all the conference music in the music section of the church website?https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/…/conference-music…) Rachel Fisher Scholes “Religion…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Taking Baby Steps Beyond Self-Love
In his book “The Four Loves“, C.S. Lewis identifies the first love as “love of home, of the place we grew up in or the places, perhaps many, which have been our homes.” Lewis explains that “as the family offers us the first step beyond self-love, so this [love of home] offers us the first step beyond family selfishness.” I am intrigued by his description of home — and family — being the place where we take our first steps beyond self-love, beyond selfishness. We learn to love others at home and then we take that love out into our neighborhoods, communities, nation, and world. My daughter was born when…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Heaven
A few weeks ago, my mind wandered, and I started reflecting on what heaven looks like to me. This is what I quickly jotted down in my phone’s notes app, and I thought I would share it with all of you. My idea of heaven is brimming with personality, laughter, and smiles. It is occupied with people coming together and loving each other with a perfect love. It is marveling at the differences all of us have and bring to the table. It is seeing each other with perfect light and understanding. It is community. It is a place where everybody feels belonging on a deep and reverberating level. It…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Body of Christ
I wanted to share some thoughts I had this week as I read in the New Testament with the Come Follow Me readings. In 1 Corinthians 12 we read “That there should be no schism in the body; but that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it; or one member be honoured, all the members rejoice with it.” (1 Cor. 12:25-26) I have been thinking about what it means to be a member of the body of Christ. This charge to care for others resonates deeply with my desire to routinely consider how I might be…
