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Sabbath Devotional :: The Allegory of the Olive Tree
There have been times in my life where I have muttered the words, “Just burn it all down.” Of course I don’t mean in the literal sense that I would ever wish for anything to be lost to fire, but surely I am not the only person who has been in the thick of a personal trial and just needed a do over. Recently I was teaching about Jacob 5 and the Allegory of the Olive Tree, being reminded that every once in a while we require pruning and sometimes burning of branches, but our efforts are not worthless. In my personal vineyard I am able to have a clearer…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Such a Time as This
As we leap and march into a new month, the calendar can feel a little unpredictable — Easter is early, and when does Fast Sunday fit in with General Conference? March is an opportunity not just to celebrate spring or Pi Day, but to celebrate strong women. There is International Women’s Day this coming week, and we’ll honor the founding of the Relief Society in Nauvoo with a church-wide female broadcast on March 17. This month, I am also thinking about Esther. When I put the MWEG conference on my calendar for March 23, I noted that that Saturday was Purim Eve, her holiday. Like Easter, the Jewish holiday of…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Making Ready
A long, long time ago (in the early 1990s), my friend told me that she thought the environmentalist movement was unnecessary because when Jesus comes back, the earth will be renewed and all will be well. Recently, my husband and I were talking with a group of strangers when the conversation turned to the lamentable state of politics in America. One woman commented that it’s all so hopeless, but she finds peace knowing that when Jesus returns, all will be made right. I have heard other such statements from believing and faithful members of our church. They are good people who find themselves in a difficult situation. They know that…
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Sabbath Devotional :: MWEG Turns Four: Three Miracles and a Birthday Wish
This past Tuesday — January 26, 2021 — MWEG turned four. My little granddaughter, Lizzie, also recently turned four. Watching this miraculous little being flitter-tromp about in her princess tiara and dinosaur-green rain boots, chattering nonstop while showing off her new trick of hopping on one foot and then turning a somersault (whoops! there goes a boot!), fills me with unspeakable joy and delight. Four is a magical age. And it’s an age of tremendous growth and development–physical, intellectual, social. As it will be for Lizzie, so will it be for MWEG. Birthdays and other anniversaries are important milestones and provide excellent opportunities for reflecting on the past, for remembering.…
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We Are Witnesses
On Wednesday, June 3, 2020, MWEG hosted its inaugural Town Hall: “If All Lives Matter, then Black Lives Matter: Turning Frustration into Productive Interpersonal Action.” After inspiring words by featured presenter Dr. LaShawn Williams, MWEG’s anti-racism committee lead, Charlotte Mountain, shared these thoughts. “One witness shall not rise up against a man for any iniquity, or for any sin, in any sin that he sinneth: at the mouth of two witnesses, or at the mouth of three witnesses, shall the matter be established” (Deuteronomy 19:15). What this is telling us is that it is righteous and good that there be corroboration to any prosecution. We should not be convicted on…
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Pray for Truth
It’s been a rough week for a lot of us in the U.S. Our rule of law seems under siege by leaders attempting to redraw lines between right and wrong, blurring once-common notions of truth. This reality played out this week in my home city of Boston, where a U.S. Customs official ignored an order from a federal court and deported an Iranian Northeastern University student who was here legally with a student visa. In the span of those same few days, the U.S. Senate, presiding over the impeachment trial of our sitting president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, continued to attempt to conduct a…
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Awareness Wednesday :: Homelessness — Are We Not All Beggars?
When I was in high school, I went on a group date to the symphony in Salt Lake City. Along our route to Abravanel Hall, we walked by a couple with a dog. They were sitting on the sidewalk and appeared to be under the influence of some substance. As we passed by, they asked us if we had any money so they could feed their dog. After we had moved a little further along the sidewalk I laughed and said, “Yeah right! I’m sure they want money for the dog.” I am grateful that that evening I had friends who gently chastised me. They hadn’t given the couple any…
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MWEG Members in the News
MWEG members all across the United States are writing some fabulous op-eds and letters to the editor about impeachment! Here is a selection of those pieces, with many more to come. Christie Black :: Arizona Capitol Times “Since when is ethical government a partisan issue? Is it only a concern when it is an offense from the opposing party? I have followed the impeachment inquiry and the report released this week. The evidence that the president abused his power and then obstructed the inquiry is incredibly compelling. The inquiry did not consist of slanted evidence with hyper-partisan witnesses. The witnesses were people of character, dedicated to their country.” Alicia Crowley…
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Awareness Wednesday :: Service With Intent
How can we serve with the intent to heal? When we serve, what is our focus? Is it to check off a holiday goal? Is it to feel the spirit of giving? Is it planned with the intent to heal? What does service with the intent to heal look like?
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Why I Am Paying Attention
I’ll be honest — I haven’t always paid attention to what was happening in the world. There was a time when I didn’t care much about what was happening in politics or on the news. I was focused on my own life. What was happening in the White House or on the five o’clock news didn’t seem to affect me very much. There was a time when I would use the same excuses I hear many people using today: The news is too negative. Politics are a joke. The media is a mess. There’s nothing I can do to change any of it, anyway. I don’t have time for any…
