THURSDAY DEVOTIONAL

Life Lesson #6  SPEAK LIFE

Start noticing and living in the present. – Right now is a miracle.  Right now is the only moment guaranteed to you; Right now is life.  So stop thinking about how great things will be in the future.  Stop dwelling on what did or didn’t happen in the past.  Learn to be in the ‘here and now’ and experience life as it’s happening.  Appreciate the world for the beauty that it holds, right now.

So the verse of the day is from Jeremiah 29:14. The Lord promises that he will be "found in us". What does that mean? In Sunday school last week, a sister asked this  very question after a 5 minute rant about how many times she had read the Book of Mormon, attended church her entire life, raised her kids in the Gospel, married in the Temple, etc etc. After all was said and done, she said "Why are we doing this? What is it all about, I have forgotten. The words she seem to leave unsaid were these: Why are we doing this if the world is falling apart day by day, what is the use?
So I remembered reading in Matthew where Jesus's disciples asked a similar question. "Master" they said, "when is the end?" And what is the sign of your return. Jesus gave them a long laundry list of signs and warnings and spoke of wars and storms. And after all of this, I am sure that the disciples were as anxious at these dire predictions as we are now. The Savior then said: "But the end is not at that point, before the end My gospel must be preached to the ends of the earth," in effect my gospel must be preached so that everyone has a chance to come to the table and eat. And then that is the end.

And here is Jeremiah, banking on a promise, even in his time, they surely thought that the end was near, with wars and captivity, being driven from their homes. But in Jeremiah 29:14 the Lord is in effect speaking to what he says in Matthew. The Gospel will be taken to the ends of the earth, to every nation, kindred and tongue. And when He is satisfied that everyone has had an opportunity to eat and drink at the table, then He said that He would be found in us. We will abide in him and He in us.This is cause for rejoicing, Help is on the way.  
         

Jeremiah 29:14

“And I will be found of you, saith the LORD: and I will turn away your captivity, and I will gather you from all the nations, and from all the places whither I have driven you, saith the LORD; and I will bring you again into the place whence I caused you to be carried away captive

CREATING YOUR OWN PERSONAL HAPPINESS



ROAD TRIP!!!

Happiness to me is a Road Trip.

Start being yourself, genuinely and proudly. – Trying to be anyone else is a waste of the person you are. Be yourself. Embrace that individual inside you that has ideas, strengths and beauty like no one else. Be the person you know yourself to be – the best version of you – on your terms. Above all, be true to YOU, and if you cannot put your heart in it, take yourself out of it. 30 THINGS TO START DOING FOR YOURSELF :marcandangelhacklife.com

 
So how old do you have to be before you decide that being who you are, is OK? Whether you are goofy, or serious, or maybe you are like Clark Kent/Superman. If you want to wear the red cape and blue tights more often, then do so. I found this really great blog/website called MarcandAngel Hack Life. I thought that it was an interesting title, how do you hack life? Maybe you hack the routine parts that need an upgrade.
Speaking of road trips, some friends and I decided to "Road Trip" it to Philadelphia ,Pa
 to see the new LDS Temple there. It is on a short list, bucket list for me. It was awesome and I would invite anyone, regardless of your faith, if an LDS Temple is being dedicated in your town, please go and tour, it is open to the public for a short time. It will be worth it.  

NEW MUSIC WEDNESDAY

Every morning as I drive to work, I have a routine, but it is not a routine but a habit. I love to listen to the gospel and inspirational radio stations for music and sometimes for sermons or talks. I also have some really great music plugged into my music box. I believe that doing this keeps me from having a bad driving day, or worse, road rage. 

So I have been listening to music from Hill Song Church. This is a church in Australia, that have church's in New York, and other parts of the world. They have a wonderful Music Ministry, and their style is to write original worship songs or re-arrange some standards and sing them in an acoustic format or with an accompanying band with soloists. The congregation is really participant in every song. Their affiliation seems to be Church of God or Pentecostal. There is a wonderful spirit accompanying their music, I love it.

So the title of the CD is "YAHWEH", and it seems to be a personal testimony the Savior to each of the singers. Here is one of my favorites "Savior King".    

        

MISSION POSSIBLE

JUST FOR FUN:

Don't you just love the Piano Guys? What!! You haven't heard of them? Can't think of any of their music off the top of your head? They are 2 two guys, a piano and a cello and lots of really beautiful music in between.

Check out this spoof on Mission Impossible, so funny.

courtesy of YouTube

New Music on a Thursday

THE NEWSBOYS

Has anyone out there heard of these guys? They popped up on my You-Tube account, most serendipitous, because I love good music, and sometimes I love a little rock and roll, it's good for the soul.  

So the Newsboys are a Christian pop-rock band that started in Moolooaba, Australia. They have been around since 1985 and recently they have a new lead singer and a different groove, but the same focus and in their words, "that focus is Jesus, and spreading his message through song." See, I thought that maybe Alex Boye' has or is working with this group. They have a lot in common.

So check out this new to me "GOD IS NOT DEAD" by the Newsboys

What I love about this song and the video is the message that we are beacons of light, that our testimony is the light bulb. There is so much "talk" about the big bang; string theories; nothing from nothing, something from nothing; and everything seems to want to marginalize the greatness of God and his Son Jesus Christ. I love the audacity of the message of this video, to stand on your testimony of the Savior at all times, even if its not popular, or even if you think you are the only one. You are not.    

SINGING THE SONG OF REDEEMING LOVE

So, last night or maybe this morning I woke up from a dream. This was not an ordinary dream and I feel that it was an answer or maybe a confirmation to a question I asked. I ask a lot of questions, most in my heart because I know that God is listening to my heart.
So the dream was this: I was in a house with a large but manageable group of people. (Crowds of people can be tricky). And there was a guest of honor, Jesus the Savior. He was there because I was there and I believe that I asked him to come. I wanted to talk to him. So he was there and the large but manageable crowd of people  also wanted to talk to him too, so being the good hostess, I let everyone go first. I came to a point in my dream that it was time to talk to Jesus, but his "disciples" (some other men came with him) told me that he had gone to another home next door, when I was ready to see him, I was to send word. 

What did Jesus look like in my dream was a question I later asked myself. The only reference I have is the actor who portrays him in the LDS Bible Videos. I was surprised that he appeared short, but then I only saw his profile, but I felt his presence, and it felt like a warm hug, a feeling of familiarity, like we were close, and I didn't hear his voice with my ears in the dream, I did feel his presence. 

So what was the word? I asked the men who came with him and they said that I would know. So just like in my waking state, I was running out of time, and I was told that the Savior would be leaving soon,but he would wait for me to send word. What was the word? The crowd of people turned into people I have seen in random places, some on the bus and metro; and they were walking around as if lost, and most were expressing disappointment at not having an opportunity to meet with the Savior, some even expressed not really believing in the Savior. So in my dream I tried to cheer them up and I searched and searched for my scriptures and when I found them, they wouldn't open. But a word of scripture came to me, it was :      

Matthew 18:20²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.

So I repeated that verse to the group and they immediately understood it, and I felt the Holy Spirit bear witness to these people of the Savior. That was the word and I sent that word out but the Savior had left, but he told me not to worry about it because he would be with me always.
So as with all dreams the alarm clock brought it to a screeching halt, and I woke up like I was coming up for air, like rising out of a swimming pool.

So I pondered over this, and I felt a keen sense of longing for the Savior, wanting to talk to Him and have him answer my "soul's complaint". 

The Mormon Tabernacle Choir; featuring Alex Boye'
I Want Jesus to Walk with Me

WHAT IS A HYMN?...new music wednesday

CODY F MILLER

In Doctrine and Covenants Section 25, through a revelation given to Joseph Smith, the Savior commissions Emma Smith to compile a hymn book. I have often wondered what songs she chose. 

Doctrine & Covenants 25:11-1211 And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacred hymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church.

12 For my soul delights in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.

In verse 12 the Savior reveals something personal to him, that makes him so much more real and accessible. He reveals to Emma, that he loves music or rather that his soul delights in the song of the heart, and more than that the "songs of the righteous" are received as prayers to Him. Awesome, doesn't that just give you goosebumps.

In light of this do you think that the Savior has a favorite song? Does he like a gospel hymn, or a beautiful classically rendered hymn? I have grown to love various genres, but I really love it when a person sings a song  in the way the "Spirit" moves them to sing.
So here it is for "New Music (to me) Wednesday  Justin Cash and Calee Reed sing "Come Thou Fount" in their own special way.