…the parched land shall become a pool, and the thirsty lands springs of water…(Isaiah 35:7)

Till the Day Christ Found Me

In 1947, the song writing team of Lerner and Loewe created a musical called “Brigadoon.” It’s a fantasy that takes place in the highlands of Scotland in a village that only appears once every 100 years. One of the songs that I’ve always loved and always brings tears to my eyes is called “There But […]

When God Thinks We Are Brilliant

The First Vision isn’t just a piece of history for us. It is a pattern for how we learn truth. Yes, we believe that The Bible is the word of God. We also believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We have other scriptures too, but we do not use them as the sole guides for the decisions of our daily lives. For the more personal things, our spiritual practice is to pray about them and ask God what we should do.

That Lonely, Unfrequented Way

Somehow, I think that everything God asks me to do is supposed to somehow be comfortable. If there’s hardship, I start thinking I made a mistake. I’m stubborn about it, because I always find that there was a greater purpose in choosing the uncomfortable ways.

Oh What Songs of the Heart

Matthew’s death was sad and unexpected and it caused in me some deep reflection. He isn’t the first friend or family member I’ve known to have died. As I’ve prayed for his family and spent time in the temple over the last couple of weeks I’ve found comfort and peace.

In Nameless Ways Be Good and Kind

When such things in my head are hymns, I’ve learned that these are opportunities for me to reflect on my life.

Different Angles and Mendelssohn

I had an interesting experience the other day as I was taking a walk around the grounds of the Temple in Sacramento. As I paused for a moment in the shade of an oak tree, I looked up. 3 people like this post. Like Unlike

Circles and Lines

In many cases a circle is a good shape. The earth that Our Lord created is a circle.There’s a hymn that says “Improvement and Progression have one eternal round. ” (Hymns 1985 #284) And if you think about it, a circle has no beginning nor ending. Usually.  4 people like this post. Like Unlike

The Not-So-Honest in Heart

Today in sacrament meeting, the man offering the opening prayer asked that the missionaries would be lead to the honest heart. I have heard those words several times over the pulpit in public prayers. Something about it has always sent a small ripple of unidentifiable discomfort through me. It isn’t that I think there is […]

And Now, Back to Our Regularly Scheduled Program

Sometimes, prayer isn’t a polite conversation with God, where we negotiate our desires and merely reason. Sometimes, it is an all-out struggle. Those kinds of prayers I think of as wrestling. I’ve prayed like that and prevailed.

Lead Thou Me On

There is a great truth in the phrase, God moves in a mysterious way, his wonders to perform. Sometimes the inspiration and message can come from a most unlikely source. Yes, even Facebook.  3 people like this post. Like Unlike

Seek Not to Counsel the Lord

Sometimes it is really easy to get stuck in a way of thinking that leads to a dead end in life. I often find myself thinking that there is only one solution to a situation and that I must focus all of my efforts on that situation. I think this way of thinking results too […]