Amos 8:11-13: "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it. In that day shall the fair virgins and young men faint for thirst."

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland: "I have wondered... if someone within the sound of my voice might feel he or she or those they love are too caught up in the 'thick of these thin things,' are hungering for something more substantial and asking with the otherwise successful young man of the scriptures, 'What lack I yet?' I have wondered if someone... might be wandering 'from sea to sea,' running 'to and fro' as the prophet Amos said, wearied by the pace of life in the fast lane or in trying to keep up with the Joneses before the Joneses refinance. I have wondered if any [are] hoping to find the answer to a deeply personal problem or to have some light cast on the most serious questions of their heart...

"Wherever you live, and at whatever point in age or experience you find yourself, I declare that God has through His Only Begotten Son lifted the famine of which Amos spoke. I testify that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Bread of Life and a Well of Living Water springing up unto eternal life...

"Our fundamental requirement is to have faith in Him and follow Him—always. When He bids us to walk in His way and by His light, it is because He has walked this way before us, and He has made it safe for our own travel here. He knows where the sharp stones and stumbling blocks lie hidden and where thorns and thistles are the most severe. He knows where the path is perilous, and He knows which way to go when the road forks and nightfall comes. He knows all this, as Alma says in the Book of Mormon, because He has suffered 'pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind … , that he may know … how to succor his people according to their infirmities.' To succor means to 'run to.' I testify that in my fears and in my infirmities the Savior has surely run to me. I will never be able to thank Him enough for such personal kindness and such loving care."

*Ensign, November 1997

Every. Day.

Insight found in scripture accumulates over time, so it is important to spend some time in the scriptures every day.

Daily prayer is also essential to having the Lord’s Spirit with us. Those who earnestly seek help through prayer and scripture study often have a paper and pencil nearby to write questions and record impressions and ideas. *

*Julie B. Beck, General Conference, April 2010

Do You?

"Do you want to feel the love of God more powerfully in your life? Do you want to feel more in tune with His Spirit? Do you want to have the heavens opened to you daily?"*

Um, yes. Absolutely yes.

"There is a way you can feel a daily renewal of God’s everlasting love and drink from “the fountain of living waters” (1 Nephi 11:25)... I speak of a morning devotional time spent in prayer, meditation, and scripture study. If you have a devotional every morning, even if only for a few minutes, you will be deeply blessed. I know this to be true."

I first read snatches of this article by Elder Kikuchi in the August 09 Ensign and I've been thinking of it over and over ever since. (Mostly when I'm so tired my eyes hurt and I can hardly summon the will to keep them open, let alone read a few verses. "Ah, if only I'd done it first thing this morning," I think. sigh)

But it's a powerful promise, no? I'm game to try to try (again). And see how he said that even only a few minutes would bring blessings? I believe it too - that just those few minutes will fill my cup.

*Yoshihiko Kikuchi, “Opening the Heavens,” Ensign, Aug 2009, 34–38

Leave the Noise

Every man or woman who goes to the temple in a spirit of sincerity and faith leaves the house of the Lord a better man or woman. There is need for constant improvement in all of our lives. There is need occasionally to leave the noise and the tumult of the world and step within the walls of a sacred house of God, there to feel His spirit in an environment of holiness and peace.
- Gordon B. Hinckley

image via richardwebbtemples.com

Spencer W. Kimball - "I find that when I get casual in my relationships with divinity and when it seems that no divine ear is listening and no divine voice is speaking, that I am far, far away. If I immerse myself in the scriptures the distance narrows and the spirituality returns."*

*The Teachings of Spencer W. Kimball, 135

What Defines Me

I came across a lovely, touching video today and wanted to share.

Rachel grew up in British Columbia (my home province in Canada) and did all kinds of neat things - including an active political career and a lovely family. She passed away July 2, 2009 of cancer. But in March 2009, she gave a talk to what was supposed to have been a small gathering of women from her church (she is not LDS) but turned into a presentation to over 600 women from the Vancouver area.

The title of her talk is "Death is not dying" and she talks about her unshakable faith in the Savior despite her impending death. She is inspiring. But what most touched me was her declaration: "Cancer does not define me. Neither does being a wife or a mother. All these things are part of who I am but they do not define me. What defines me is my relationship with Jesus."

This is a monumental change of perspective. What I do, what I am, who I serve are all important and certainly part of who I am, but what defines me is my relationship with the Savior. And all of a sudden Matt 16:25-26 has so much more meaning:

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it. For what is a man a profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?"

Personal Inventory

Everyone likes a good list, right? I do; undoubtedly. From Joe J. Christensen's (then president of the MTC) article "Toward Greater Spirituality,"* ten questions to take a sort of personal inventory and decide how best we can approach the task to increase our spirituality, or closeness to the Lord:

1. Do I read the scriptures daily? "Some of the most remarkable personal revelations have been directly related to individual study of the scriptures. For example, the vision of the degrees of glory recorded in Doctrine and Covenants 76 came to the Prophet Joseph Smith and Sidney Rigdon after the Prophet had been studying the translation of the fifth chapter of the Gospel of John. Joseph Smith's First Vision came after he had reflected on James 1:5 "again and again." And President Joseph F. Smith's vision of the redemption of the dead came as he pondered over questions related to 1 Peter 3:18-20 and 4:6." Not unimpressive.

2. Do I really pray and not just say prayers?

3. Is my fasting meaningful? "Do I do more than just get hungry?"

4. Do I go to bed early and get up early? Counsel from Elder Harold B. Lee to Marion G. Romney as a newly called Assistant to the Twelve: "Go to bed early and get up early. If you do that, your body and mind will become rested and then in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will receive more flashes of insight and inspiration than at any other time of the day."

5. Am I essentially a happy person? "We will not enjoy the Spirit with us as much as if we were of good cheer."

6. Do I work hard? "Laziness and spirituality do not go together... feeling follows action more often than it precedes it."

7. Am I more concerned about how rather than where I serve? "Thankful, humble service is the hallmark of Christianity."

8. Do I love everyone - even my enemies? "Spirituality cannot be cultivated in an atmosphere of contention, dissention, and disharmony."

9. Am I striving to "become one" with what I know I ideally should be? "If we are moving in the direction of achieving this oneness [with God], peace of mind and increased spirituality will be among our blessings. This process is at the heart of the reason we have come to this earth. it is at the center of the message we have to share with the world."

10. Do I share my testimony with others? "Our testimonies are not static; they increase or decrease in intensity, and sharing them with others gives us a spiritual boost."

*Ensign, June 1983