Spiritual gifts

I've finished preparing for my talk on Sunday--it's on recognizing, strengthening, and gaining more spiritual gifts.  One of the resources I used was an article by Elder Robert D. Hales, in the February 2002 Ensign, where he talks about spiritual gifts and why they're important.  One major reason, he said, is that spiritual gifts help us weather the storms of life.

This morning I saw a Facebook post by a college friend Leanna.  Leanna is a couple years older than me, with two small girls.  She just found out that her cancer has returned with a vengeance and is inoperable, giving her about 6 months to live.  In the middle of her second pregnancy, she found out about the cancer and had her baby early so that she could get the chemotherapy treatments.  I listened to an audiorecording of her feelings on this diagnosis and of the peace that she feels because of priesthood blessings and knowing about God's plan of salvation.  Leanna plans to try some holistic medicine and other therapies and feels the Lord's help in all that she does--she recognizes the many angels around her, helping her and her family.  I was very touched when she said that she knows her mission on earth is not finished, but she accepts that it will come, someday, in God's time.

It was super, super inspiring to hear her calm, clear voice, enthusiastic and happy about what lies ahead of her.  The only time she got emotional was when she talked about the prayers of so many people around the world helping her.

I thought about this talk on spiritual gifts, and how my friend Leanna definitely feels the power and strength of many of them right now as she weathers this big storm in her life!

I'm grateful for this, for the truth in Elder Scott's words:  "Heavenly Father did not put on the earth to fail, but to succeed gloriously."

Sunday morning inspiration

This morning is Fast Sunday in our church. It's a special day that we have every month. We're asked to skip 2 meals and donate the money those meals would have cost (or more) to help those in need in our community and congregation. That day in our congregation we have a special testimony meeting, too, as part of our regular sacrament meeting, where people are invited to stand and share their testimonies of the gospel. There is usually a very strong, uplifting spirit in the room during those meetings--I love it!

A phrase we hear a lot is "fast with a purpose," meaning have something or someone in mind to fast for and make it a matter of faith and prayer throughout the day while you're not eating. People in the Church joke that if you don't fast with a purpose, then you're just starving, not fasting! I've fasted for myself and others, for family members and strangers, for personal problems I might be having at the time, for both big and "little" issues. The possibilities are endless, and I've found that when I take full advantage of fasting and really put my heart into it, it is a wonderful, spiritual experience. And I've seen prayers answered and problems solved because of it.

You'd think that such a unique day is hard to forget, but it happens every once in a while. The key for us is to talk about it the night before at dinner time, kind of a not-so-subtle "hey, don't forget tomorrow is Fast Sunday" conversation. We did that last night. :)

So, I thought I'd share how a typical Fast Sunday morning goes for me. Today I woke up to let Oscar out and my stomach growled. I started thinking about food and what I could eat to stop that pesky growling. I went downstairs and felt my stomach growl again, and then this happy exclamation point popped into my head--"It's Fast Sunday today--don't forget about the things you're fasting for!" I still feel hungry, but I go about my day and pretty soon that hungry feeling vanishes.

Usually I feel a lot of heavenly help on Fast Sundays, too--I've definitely had some help already today, and it's barely 7am:

I decided to get out of the kitchen and do a little preparation for my Sharing Time message with the Primary kids at church today. In March we're focusing on living prophets. I wanted to put something together on this inspiring prophet of God, President Thomas S. Monson:

I got on the Church's website and found this great article about him, written by the woman he asked to write his biography.  It was so great and perfect for what I needed today.  I got even more excited when I saw that it was in this month's issue of the Church magazine, the Ensign:

Have I Done Any Good In the World Today, by Heidi S. Swinton

I think I will tell the 2 stories about his German friend, and the boy and his mother in Brazil.  We'll also play a little numbers game:


President Monson--In the Numbers


How many siblings does he have?  5

How many people are on President Monson's friends list?  "At least 14 million."

How old was he when he was called to be a bishop?  22

How many widows were in his ward at the time?  85

How many years has he been an Apostle? 48

How old is President Monson now?  84

How many years has he been president of the Church?  4



Here are a couple of my favorite quotes from the article:

"He is an unusual man who has reverence for everyone he meets and who is interested in their lives, worries, and challenges. He relates to a visiting dignitary from a foreign country with the same attention he does the man who polishes his desk at night. Clearly, one of the measures of his greatness is that he can relate to anyone and finds he can learn something from each person he meets."

"For more than half a century, President Monson has given the suits off his back to the destitute. He has sat at the bedside of the ill and elderly. He has given countless blessings to people in hospitals and in their homes. He has turned the car around to make a quick visit to one friend and rushed from meetings to speak at the funeral of another. (If you ask him how many he counts on that list of friends, he will say, “At least 14 million.”) He will go to someone in a wheelchair who has a hard time coming to him, “high-five” a group of teenagers, and wiggle his ears at deacons on the front row. He exhibits great reverence for the lives of those he describes as “unnoticed and unrecognized,” known to few but their Father in Heaven.  Put simply, President Monson does‍ what most people only think‍ about doing."

I know that President Monson is more than just a great example and a great man--he's a prophet on the earth who gets direction from Heavenly Father for us and our day.  He's the real deal, and we'll be blessed and protected if we follow him!

Happy Sunday!

I may not use a cell phone...

but I still appreciate modern technology and the Internet!



I used the Study Notebook tool after logging in on the Church's website and used it to bookmark a neat article I found about feeling the Spirit. Then I added a quick journal entry, too. For a computer junkie like me, I am in love.

Will this replace blogging and regular journal entries? No. But it has sure got me excited about making the most of lds.org and spicing up my own gospel study. Maybe it'll help me spend less time on Facebook and Pinterest, too, ha-ha!

AWESOME!!!

A simple testimony

We've tried to remember a special family in our prayers since December.  We don't know them well, but Wade and Rhiannon have been especially good about praying for them.  So when more sad news came over the weekend, I felt like the kids should know.  It was a good opportunity to discuss sensitive, difficult topics.  Wade said, "It just seems like a lot of people have been dying lately, Mom."  And my reply was that death is a part of life.  We don't need to be worried about it, just do the best we can each day.  I'm proud of our kids for their maturity and the way they handle things--they definitely get that from their dad!

The next day was Fast Sunday.  Wade nudged me in the arm and leaned over and whispered, "You should get up there and bear your testimony, Mom.  It's been a while since you did."  I ignored him but when the loud beating of my heart wouldn't stop, I got up!

I don't remember too much about what I said, something about following the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, being thankful for my calling in the Primary, and knowing that life is hard but the Lord still wants us to be happy.  I cried, so if anyone could understand me, I'd be surprised.  It's okay--I definitely felt better getting up and trying to say something.  Plus I've got to give Jason and the kids SOMETHING to embarrass me about, right?

Today I've gotten so many things accomplished.  I asked myself how I could stay busy and productive and happy when so many people were suffering or sad, when so much evil happens.  Was I oblivious, unfeeling, hypocritical, or insensitive?  No.  I grieve for others and pray for them constantly throughout my day.  There is always a prayer in my heart.  One thing I CAN do better is follow up on impressions or thoughts I get, especially if they involve helping or reaching out to another person.  I got one of those impressions on Saturday when I was feeling sad for this family.  Of all the million and one things that I could have received, the impression I got was to call my grandma!  I dialed right away and was so grateful for my grandma's company over the phone.  She was just what the doctor ordered.

My testimony, in its simplest form, is what keeps me going and helps me stand tall.  I know that Heavenly Father loves us and that He is in charge.  His love for me and the gift of His Son help me move past mistakes and look past the mistakes of others.  In the end, if we've done our best, I just know that everything will work out!