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Sabbath Devotional :: Into the Storm
I was struck by Elder Larry Y. Wilson’s talk last weekend while listening to General Conference. In it he told a story about a young chaplain sailing with his crew on a distressed ship. The concerned captain had approached him and asked him to pray for the ship. Willingly this young sailor retired to his room and instead of praying for the storm to abate, asked the Lord, “What can I do?” He was prompted to venture out of his living quarters not once but twice. The second time the Spirit told him to go out into the storm to make further assessment. Obediently, he tied a tether around his…
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Sabbath Devotional :: A Message of Hope on Easter
Today we celebrate the day that the resurrected Lord broke the bonds of death, arose from the grave, and appeared gloriously triumphant as the Savior of all mankind. It is considered one of the greatest moments in all of human history. And yet I must admit that the glory of it sometimes feels a bit out of my reach. In the past few years, I have tried to be better about celebrating Easter more deliberately and incorporating holy week traditions that help me prepare. This year though, I’m sorry to say that it has crept up on me without much preparation at all. In the process of attempting to correct…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Musings on Palm Sunday
All glory, laud, and honor to thee, Redeemer, King, To whom the lips of children made sweet hosannas ring. Thou art the King of Israel, Thou David’s royal Son, Who in the Lord’s name comest, the King and Blessed One. On a donkey he came to the Holy City. Such an odd war horse. And strangely there’s no weapon of vengeance. This healer, this miracle man, this strange talking Galilean who promised upheaval, overthrowing of false authority, a new world. Surely this was the long awaited King, come to save the people of Israel from the brutal grip of Roman oppression. As Moses delivered the forefathers from slavery in Egypt,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Seller of Purple
One of my favorite stories in the scriptures is the story of Lydia, or the woman from Lydia. Lydia was a region of Turkey (Asia) and the apparent place of origin of the woman referred to in Acts 16:14, now living in Philippi, Macedonia. She sold “purple”, which meant she was a business owner and could have sold dye, fabric, and/or finished garments. The type of “purple” she sold was the kind used by the highest courts in Rome and also symbolic of royalty. She had a household, meaning she was the head of a group of people living in her house, although the scriptures are not specific about whom…
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Sabbath Devotional :: French Fries, Fear, and Faith
In December 2016 I sat across from my 30-year-old son Chase at a table in the cafeteria in Chicago’s Art Institute. While he dipped his fries in ketchup and mayonnaise (a taste treat he acquired on his mission to the Netherlands), he reached for my phone. “Here, Mom, I’m going to put the phone numbers of your state representatives into your phone. Who are they?” he said. “I have no idea,” I answered. I was a new citizen of Utah and really didn’t pay attention to such things. Tapping away at other buttons on my phone he pulled up a site that tells you who your representatives are by your…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Vessel
Sharing these thoughts tonight with a mostly spent lamp and immense gratitude for your prayers and fasting. In preparation for teaching the parable of the Ten Virgins in a gospel doctrine class a few years ago, I learned a few things about ancient Jewish wedding traditions. The groom became betrothed (or legally married) to the bride first, but then went back to his father’s house to prepare a home for the new couple and left her to prepare herself and her dowry for their new life together. This separation was generally for about a year, but the exact time of his return for her was not set. The custom was…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Alma and Amulek — Joining Together to Make a Difference
After serving as the chief law-giver and judge of the people for nine years, Alma the Younger became increasingly distraught with what he observed among his people. People were growing prouder and vainer, focusing more on “riches and upon the vain things of the world,” becoming “scornful, one towards another,” and persecuting those who believed differently. There were “great contentions among the people” as well as “envyings, and strife, and malice” — and this division, this conflict, this hate existed not only outside of the church but inside it as well, festering like a cancer among people who had outwardly professed to have adopted the doctrine of Christ. The “wickedness…
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Sabbath Devotional :: The Parable of the Plastic Bag, or The Lord Shall Prepare a Way
I want to tell you a story. I call it “The Parable of the Plastic Bag.” Technically, it’s not a parable, because it’s true. But “The True Story of the Plastic Bag” just doesn’t have the same ring to it. So, here’s the story. Which really happened, just as I tell it. One morning several years ago I went for a run. As I ran, I was praying and thinking and sort of spiritually planning my day. I had a lot to get done, and knew I’d have to stick to a very tight schedule. But it all seemed very routine and small-circle-focused (meetings, appointments, kids’ school activities, lessons, laundry,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Eyes and Hearts Wide Open
It’s no secret that life is full of ambiguity. Here at MWEG, in particular, we’ve all learned that, while some issues can be reduced to simple blacks and whites, more often than not, the “ethical” solution is nuanced and not immediately clear. We rely on the Spirit and the clarifying power of love as we seek answers. How, though, can we repeatedly and successfully grapple with the distance we know exists between the real and the ideal? Listen to these words from Bruce C. Hafen: “The English writer G. K. Chesterton once distinguished among ‘optimists,’ ‘pessimists,’ and ‘improvers.’ The most productive response to ambiguity . . . is at level…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Jesus and the Bent Woman
The Gospel of Luke shares an intriguing story in Chapter 13:10-17. For the last recorded time in his ministry, Jesus teaches in the synagogue. Among the listeners is a woman. In that day only men’s presence “counted” for quorums, so there may not have been many women in attendance. This woman is unique not just because she’s in the minority, but because she suffers from an ailment that has curved her spine so severely that for the last 18 years she hasn’t been able to stand up straight “at all.” She constantly faces the ground, the dirt, the trash and debris. She can’t look people in the eye. Imagine how…
