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Sabbath Devotional :: Concentrated and Consecrated Grief Leads to Joy in Christ
Two years ago, I spoke in my ward’s Sacrament Meeting on Easter and one year ago, I shared that talk as a devotional with my MWEG sisters. For some reason, sharing an Easter message feels even more daunting this year! You each have access to thousands of beautiful essays, talks, poems, images, and meditations on Holy Week. What could I possibly add to that body of work by exceptional writers and artists? When I begin questioning the worth of my own thoughts like this, I find it best to return to the simplicity of my testimony and particular circumstances rather than seek for something grand. After completing that exercise over the past…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Shared and Sacred Grief
“This is an impossible week that contains an impossible grief, but it is made bearable by the love and care of a community” I wrote those words during a week when I received some crushing news about someone my family cared deeply about. While I experienced deep personal grief at the news, the bulk of my sorrow came on behalf of those who were suffering much more than I. How could I lift their burden? I knew from experience that there was no way around feeling pain at such a loss, that the only way ahead was straight through it. What could I do to support them through this process?…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Divine Complexity of Our Current Circumstances
The temperature here in Omaha has been hovering around 0 degrees for over a week now, often dipping into negative territory, with more frigid weather to come. And we keep getting new layers of snow laid on top of what came the day before, with barely enough time to chip away at them. It kind of feels like we will never be able to go outside again. Even when I am inside, I can feel the never-ending chill of the ice that seems like it is trying to break its way into my home. I have cold toes, cold fingers, and, if I am being honest, a cold heart at…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Come, Ye Disconsolate
Today I was at the funeral for my 17-year-old nephew, Zachary. Zachary had muscular dystrophy, which is a genetic disease that runs in my family. My younger brother had the same disease and passed away five years ago. I have another nephew, still living, who also has this disease. My brother and my nephews have faced enormous challenges and difficulties in life that are very visible. I have become acutely aware that most of us face enormous challenges and difficulties that are not so visible, but no less significant. At the funeral today, my niece sang a beautiful arrangement of a hymn that I was unfamiliar with. The words can…
