Showing Posts From
Prayer
You sure you want to say that?
A few years ago, I saw a Twitter post asking how a Latter-day Saint might respond to a situation involving family and same-sex marriage. It was a great question, so I reposted it with my brief thoughts about the tricky balance of love and faith and how I might respond, and then I happily went to bed. I had no idea what was about to happen.
More holiness give me... even if I'm not sure I want it
Last week, I had the privilege of working a baptismal session in the Temple with our wonderful Spanish branch-- most of them recent converts doing this work for the first time. They were untrained and nervous, so there were many do-overs. As I watched these humble brethren intently struggle through the ordinance, I thought back to my own first time doing baptisms for the dead, and how I managed to fumble things in my own unique way. When I was twelve, only endowed Melchizedek Priesthood holders could perform the ordinances, so the responsibility for all the baptisms often fell on a single young men's leader for the entire session. I could see this good brother's arms growing tired, so when it was my turn to be baptized, I tried to lighten his load by leaning myself into and out of the water. I guess I overdid it. After just two names, he laughed and said, "Matthew, you're trying to baptize yourself; that's not how this works. Just let go a bit and let me do the work. I've got you." I didn't know how important those words would become to me later in life.
Why our resolutions fail
I'm writing this post from the cafe of the YMCA (I come here regularly, but I'm no gym rat-- I drop the kids at the daycare while I work). Right now, this place is absolutely packed! I shouldn't be surprised-- it always fills up during the first month of the year as people try to meet their resolution to lose weight and get in shape. I looked it up just now-- the word "resolution" only occurs once in the entire Book of Mormon. Alma 47 tells of a group of people "fixed in their minds with a determined resolution" to break out of a rut and make some wonderful changes in their way of living. How did their resolution go? They started very strong. Then old temptations started to wear them down a bit. Then they started to cheat and compromise. And within a few weeks, they were right back where they started. Sound familiar?
The work that is prayer
Like everyone else, my heart is broken watching Ukrainians stand alone against an evil dictatorship. Political leaders are debating about how involved we will be collectively, but God-fearing believers already want to be involved personally. But we individuals can't send military aircraft or fight alongside the Ukrainian soldiers. What can we do? We can follow our Prophet's example and pray. If you think that sounds like a cop-out answer, you're not alone.
Fleeing Babylon (without going anywhere)
Right now in Come, Follow Me, we are studying the journeys of Abraham and his family. His people, including his father, had turned from the Lord to serve other gods, even going so far as to sacrifice innocent children to their false gods. Soon, the sacrificial knife turned on Abraham himself. When God intervened, what was Abraham told to do? Get out of Dodge, of course!
Lord's Supper, party of one
Sacrament meetings are usually hectic for me. With three kids five and under, there's little opportunity for reverent reflection. Even when I do get a respite from the craziness, I find myself thinking more about the people I need to reach out to and the lessons I need to figure out than pondering on the words of the Sacramental prayers. But a few weeks ago, that all changed, and I had the best Sacrament experience I can remember.
Dumpster fire? No, 2020 was a great year!
All through the year, our news feeds have been inundated with messages like:"Kobe Bryant, Alex Trebek, Sean Connery, and RGB? This year can't get any worse." "First COVID and now murder hornets? Lord, just take me now." "This is crazy. I can't imagine bringing kids into this world." "2020 is a dumpster fire of a year. Wake me up with 2020 is over."Amid such gloom, Pres. Nelson invited us to #GiveThanks and flood social media with gratitude. Surprisingly, many even in the Church criticized this prophetic counsel, arguing that it's insensitive to ask people to give thanks when things are so bleak. Words of gratitude in a year like this one would just be hollow and empty. To anyone who thinks this year was a dumpster fire, let me set the record straight. That attitude is not just depressing and unhelpful-- it's factually wrong. 2020 was a great year. You'll see what I mean if you choose to remember.
#GiveThanks and #AskNothing
On Friday, the Prophet invited us to "turn social media into your own personal gratitude journal. Post every day about what you are grateful for… flood social media with a wave of gratitude that reaches the four corners of the earth." That invitation couldn’t have come at a better time, and I’m grateful to accept it. However, I was also prompted to add a little something extra to my search for gratitude. Let me explain why President Nelson’s address hit me so hard.
Asking questions when we already know the answer
I read the Book of Enos again the other night and realized something: Enos's wrestle with God in the woods doesn't seem to have told him anything he didn't already know. Let me explain.
Modern-day vain repetitions
NOTE: This post is a bit different than most my posts. It's kind of a two-in-one. The first section talks about a study tip I have found useful in gleaning meaning from the scriptures. The second part is how I applied that tip recently and how it helped me change the way I pray. Enjoy!