Everywhere I look, I see chaos in places and in faces. Tornados, blizzards, earthquakes, flooding. Road rage on street corners, shootings in grocery stores, gunfire in schools—angry teenagers or disturbed six-year-olds. Prejudice and anger in education as well as politics. Words and images telling us what we should buy, and social media telling us what we should be. Can we live with it—or in spite of it? Personal coping is as individual as personal chaos, but we must remember that... Read more
A “gravity friendly” grand piano, which stood in a chapel, needed to be moved to the cultural hall. Arranging and rearranging themselves, the brethren just couldn’t get it balanced. As Elder Dieter F. Uchdorf reported, As they stood around the piano, uncertain of what to do next [a practical brother] spoke up. He said, “Brethren, stand close together and lift where you stand” . . . [E]ach lifted where he stood, and the piano rose from the ground and moved... Read more
“What do you think about the wild beasts that were with Christ during his temptations?” My colleague asked. “What are you talking about, there’s no mention of wild beasts!” I replied. I was thinking of the Matthew and Luke accounts, but my friend was thinking of Mark 1:13. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Often we think that we know everything about... Read more
If you assure a deaf person that you willingly make accommodations for individuals with disabilities, you may find yourself talking to an angry deaf person. Deaf individuals refuse the category “disabled.” The sign language of the place they reside is their native language; the spoken language of the area is a secondary language they read and write. Language, a gift from God, whether of words, signs, or visual images, is used to make things happen—both human and divine. Languages of... Read more
My brother, who had been staying with us, accepted our invitation to attend our church meeting. He was surprised to hear an announcement that a sister in the congregation needed help moving and a request for volunteers to help. After church, the snow began, and he was a little grumpy that I wanted to help carry things in the snow. To his astonishment, everyone who was helping was smiling as they happily packed and carried. We laugh now as... Read more
“A Song to Sing” is about you and me. A song of our eternal destiny and our place in God’s plan—a song that helps us believe in ourselves and trust in Heavenly Father’s desires for us. We all have moments when we wonder if we matter, or if we are making a difference in this complex and troubling world. I’ve had many moments of self-doubt—and I’d struggle to think of a single person I know that hasn’t questioned their value... Read more
“The game is to have them all running around with fire extinguishers whenever there’s a flood; and all crowding to that side of the boat which is already nearly gone under.” In his ironic Christian fantasy The Screwtape Letters, C.S. Lewis put this advice in a letter from Screwtape, a senior-level devil, advising his nephew Wormwood on getting his human “patient” into hell. With dramatic irony, readers know more than the characters and can see more deeply and understand on a... Read more
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” The most sublime Christmas greeting of all time startled and awed the shepherds tending their sheep in the fields. The Holy Child born this night was “the prince of peace,” sent to earth to save all who were living, had lived, or would live on it. His kingdom was... Read more
I don’t really remember my first talk in junior Sunday School. I’ve been told that I froze at the pulpit, went pale in the face, and couldn’t get out a word. My dad came up beside me, trying to convince me to speak the words I had worked so hard to prepare and memorize. But I was one small four-year-old with many faces looking up expectantly. All this fledgling introvert wanted was to hide away among her classmates. But a... Read more
Christmas is a time of lights. Retailers, charities, civic groups, families, and churches display lights to catch attention and share their message with the public, whether it is an opportunity to join in helping those less fortunate, a “perfect gift” for grandma, something attractive to contribute to local festivities, or something striking or humorous to share a family’s fun. These secular lights are entertaining, but they haven’t changed lives. Miracles of lights in the skies changed lives as they told... Read more
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