My friend Matthew Putegnat shared some really profound thoughts on the exercise of faith recently. I asked if I could share them publicly. So grateful for his insight and willingness to share. Exercise and Practice “So, I want you to associate the thoughts that you will have while I tell you a story with these 2 words: Exercise and Practice We know what exercise is. And we know what practice is. People exercise in a gym, on the sidewalk, in... Read more
Biblical accounts of fear and anxiety fascinate me. I feel fear and anxiety on a fairly regular basis. Seeing how others either dealt with or conquered that fear (or not) is certainly interesting. For example, while relating his horrific misfortunes, Job recounted, “For the thing which I greatly feared is come upon me, and that which I was afraid of is come unto me.” And at the Savior’s crucifixion, “the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw... Read more
Since I wrote 8 as Periodic Renewal-Number Symbolism, I’ve seen eight more frequently. The next time I went to the temple, patterns of words struck me more than ever before. At junctions of change or renewal, the invitation was a sentence with eight words. I looked at transitional stories and promises in the scriptures to see if verse lengths corresponded to the number eight. Here’s what I found. 16 Words: 8 x 2 And Noah was six hundred years old when the flood of... Read more
I carried other people’s burdens, troubles, and concerns as I approached church yesterday. During the Sacrament, I always read John 17, but suddenly felt prompted to turn to Mosiah 18:8. I know the verse. It begins a section where Alma discusses the covenant of the baptized. I turned to the section, assuming I’d get a little pep talk on how to help others bear burdens better AKA don’t shirk my opportunity to help them bear burdens AKA “way to go,... Read more
One of the first times I read the Old Testament as a teenager, I noticed how often a writer would source a biblical story by saying “And that story’s in such and such book” which was nowhere to be found in the canonical writing. I made a list at the back of my Bible of books mentioned, but not included. Then years later, when I started looking for references to those books, I happily discovered some of those missing books... Read more
How would you rate the efficacy of your prayers? I recently heard the heartfelt prayer of a small little girl pouring out her heart to God. As I heard the simplicity of her gratitude coupled with her emphatic requests, I knew God heard that prayer. So simple. So powerful. I opened my eyes to watch her face. She not only knew what she said, she knew who she said it to. I felt drawn through the veil closer to the... Read more
Whenever I’ve had a calling with any kind of stewardship responsibility (which is basically every calling in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), I read Ezekiel 34 to check my “Calling Temperature” and check my alignment with the Lord’s will concerning my responsibility. Ezekiel 34 reminds me what the Lord’s expectations are for shepherds in His kingdom. The warnings and promises apply to a visiting teacher the same as they do to a Primary teacher the same as... Read more
Consider 8 as symbolizing periodic renewal. I am One that transforms into Two, I am Two that transforms into Four, I am Four that transforms into Eight. After this I am One again. (Coffin of Petamon, Cairo Museum no: 1160) Eight Scriptural Instances Showing Different Types of Renewal Such…who are pure in heart, in whom there is no guile who do not remain in the seventh seat, the place of rest, but are promoted, through the active beneficence of the... Read more
“I wish you to understand that sin is not an attribute in the nature of man, but it is an inversion of the attributes God has placed in him. Righteousness tends to an eternal duration of organized intelligence, while sin bringeth to pass their dissolution” (Brigham Young Discourses of Brigham Young, 10:251). Brigham Young’s statement caused me pause when I first read it. I’d seen sin as an aberration from God’s path, or willful disobedience, but hadn’t ever thought of it... Read more
Now is part of eternity. It doesn’t only begin after we die! In President Dieter F. Uchtdorf’s parable “A Summer with Aunt Rose,” he taught that forever is composed of nows. We should live each day as if it was eternity, because it is. I feel like I’ve always known that was true, but somehow eternity felt so linear—premortal existence, (check), mortality, (check), spirit world, resurrection, and hopefully eternal life. Eternity seemed to be every thing before mortality and every thing... Read more
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