Prayer

This past week has been wonderful.  Two weeks ago I was feeling quite overwhelmed and cumbered about by many things (documented in these posts from our family blog: mazes - do it - drawing lines - charge!) I say my prayers, but also felt like I needed to pray more and that I need and want to feel the Lord nearer, I need His spirit to help me be calm and kind.

Then last week we sang this song during sacrament meeting, and the first and second verses especially touched me as I thought that even when I don't utter my prayer He hears me and knows.  Everytime I sigh from frustrations (which is a lot!) I am praying.  I remembered that as I just lift up my heart, I am praying to Him, and he is near. 

Prayer is the soul’s sincere desire,
Uttered or unexpressed,
The motion of a hidden fire
That trembles in the breast.

~

Prayer is the burden of a sigh,
The falling of a tear,
The upward glancing of an eye
When none but God is near.

~
Text: James Montgomery, 1771–1854
LDS Hymn Book, no. 145

He has poured out his spirit upon me this week and I thank him for consecrating my small efforts. When I am left to my own strength I am weak, but with him I am strong.  I am determined to serve him.  I thank him that for now He has seen fit to deliver me.  Mosiah 24:10-16

 10 And it came to pass that so great were their afflictions that they began to cry mightily to God.

 11 And Amulon commanded them that they should stop their cries; and he ^aput guards over them to watch them, that whosoever should be found calling upon God should be put to death.

 12 And Alma and his people did not raise their voices to the Lord their God, but did pour out their ^ahearts to him; and he did know the ^bthoughts of their hearts.

 13 And it ^acame to pass that the voice of the Lord came to them in their afflictions, saying: Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, for I know of the covenant which ye have made unto me; and I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage.

 14 And I will also ease the ^aburdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage; and this will I do that ye may stand as ^bwitnesses for me hereafter, and that ye may know of a surety that I, the Lord God, do visit my people in their ^cafflictions.

 15 And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did ^astrengthen them that they could bear up their ^bburdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with ^cpatience to all the will of the Lord.

 16 And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage.

When we do not lift up our voices to God, He hears the prayers of our hearts.  He has made my burdens light that I cannot even feel them upon my back.  Praise I give to Him ~ thank you, Dear Lord, for your goodness to me.

Only Trust In God

The following quote was cited on page 232 of "The Second Comforter" - I thought it was a beautiful and profound quote. 

“Do not, brethren, put your trust in a man though he be a bishop, an apostle, or a president.  If you do, they will fail you at some time or place; they will do wrong or seem to, and your support be gone, but if we lean on God, He never will fail us.  When men and women depend on God alone and trust in Him alone, their faith will not be shaken if the highest  in the Church should step aside.  They could still see that He is just and true, that truth is lovely in His sight and the pure in heart are dear to Him.”

- George Q. Cannon - "Gospel Truth: Discourses and Writings of President George Q. Cannon." 1957 p. 249.

I believe in the prophet Joseph Smith because I believe in God and that He chose him.  The Spirit has testified to me of that truth.  Because I know that, I also know that the Church he restored and the Book of Mormon are true also, for God would not give a true book to a false prophet.  I follow the modern prophet Thomas S. Monson because I feel the spirit testify to me and inspire me when I hear him speak.  All who listen to him can receive the same witness.  The Holy Ghost from God lets me know I can trust in these words, for they are HIS words.  I trust God.  I don't follow because I am blind, I follow because I can see!

The Single Most Important Skill!

"A good woman knows that she does not have enough time, energy, or opportunity to take care of all of the people or do all of the worthy things her heart yearns to do. Life is not calm for most women, and each day seems to require the accomplishment of a million things, most of which are important. A good woman must constantly resist alluring and deceptive messages from many sources telling her that she is entitled to more time away from her responsibilities and that she deserves a life of greater ease and independence. But with personal revelation, she can prioritize correctly and navigate this life confidently.  The ability to qualify for, receive, and act on personal revelation is the single most important skill that can be acquired in this life."

Text of talk here.

Fathers

I've only watched this video 5 times, but it's made me choke up each time

Just beautiful.  I'm so thankful to be married to a man like this.  I'm thankful for my father and my Heavenly Father.  A righteous man is more precious than gold - Isaiah 13:12.

Visions of Glory

I read this book over the Christmas holidays when I was sick and in bed most every day.  Really excited when I got it as I ordered it before it was published on Nov. 1st, and then it was on back order and I had to wait for over a month, so sad!  I read through it quickly - I really enjoyed the first part of his first 2 near death experiences, then the last part with his vision left me a little lost, maybe lost isn't the right word, it got to be a little long and repetitive, or maybe too much details and not enough insights really on the "Therefore, what?" so I was left scratching my head a little.

So, I'd say that Visions of Glory is really two books and would prefer to briefly review separately. The first book is the Near Death Experiences of Spencer, a devout LDS living in the Salt Lake City region. The second book is his visions (or rehearsals?) for his mission at the end of days. Pontius and Spencer are careful to note that only the Church Authorities can receive revelations for the whole church, and offer the latter's visions as a soft warning of what may soon happen.  Also, I don't really know much about Spencer, but totally loved Pontius' other two books, Triumph of Zion and Following the Light of Christ into His Presence, so I do trust Spencer's experience cause I trust John's opinion.

So, as NDE, Spencer's insights are typical and ring true as to what I've read in other books - seeing spirits good and evil compete to influence, control, or use us.  I liked the part when he walked through furniture and had a complete knowledge of all the material it was made with, like knowing about the lives of the cows that had been used for the leather, and how the animals and trees were all grateful that they could be used in a way that benefited man.  Again, good stuff that all rang true.

As Prophecy book, for me it's two/three stars, mostly got me watching out and preparing mentally for an earthquake that devastates Salt Lake City during the fall, yikes, so keeping that on my mental watchlist, yet still taking all with a grain of salt, cause we don't know how much of it was symbolic or instructional, although Spencer believes (I think) that it was a vision of his future life, so again, his experience, not sure how it pertains to what I'll experience in my future if these events are the future for Utah/North America.  (Maybe we'll move back to Chile - haha)

All in all, the book is a very interesting read.  Corey read it too.  I recommend it although as Corey said when he was done, which is like me, we're not sure what to do with all the information.  Some of it I get and agree with, other parts I'm left curious and/or confused.  I perceive that I am weak (3 Nephi 17:2-3) - so, I'll keep seeking, pondering, and asking the Lord.  :)

Proof of Heaven

Corey's grandmother passed away in 2008 just a few weeks shy of her 99th birthday.  She had been anxiously awaiting her death and moving on to the next life for over a decade.  Each Christmas, to help her get more excited about what was coming, Corey got her a near death experience book.  Trying to keep her hopes up that her time would come and she hadn't been forgotten. 

Since she passed, I've been happy to take over the role of recipient of the NDE Christmas book.  So, continuing with that tradition, Corey got me another one for Christmas this past year.  Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander. It was ok, I'll give it 2.5 stars.  It wasn't among my favorites.

So Mr. Alexander wasn't much of a believer in God or the afterlife before this experience.  And I could understand how his coma helped him realize that there had to be a spirit and we weren't all physical brain and neurological activity, but I still couldn't totally relate to most of his other conclusions. I also found his whole experience to be a little weird and confusing, maybe it's just how he described things?  He kind of lost me in his talking of hell (?) or something, I'm not sure, as "the Realm of the Earthworm's-Eye View" - and calling God "Om" and describing places he visited/saw as "the Spinning Melody," "the Gateway", "The Core" - I don't know, some of it I just didn't really understand, left me a little confused.  Not sure if he was just trying to truly and purely describe what he saw in a new and/or accurate way or if it's cause of his education or previous disbelief that he was trying to describe it to non-believers by not using just normal words or descriptions typical of other NDEs.  Anyway, that's my basic/overall take away, left me a little confused and didn't really resonate with me.  One thing I did really like was on page 132:

I was the quintessential good-natured, albeit skeptical, doctor.  And as such, I can tell you that most skeptics aren't really skeptics at all.  To be truly skeptical, one must actually examine something, and take it seriously.  And I, like many doctors, had never taken time to explore NDEs.  I had simply "known" they were impossible. 

I loved that, cause it reminded me how I believe lots of skeptics of the LDS Church are - they really aren't skeptical at all, cause they never look at it and give it a chance, they just don't believe it outright. 

So, again, this book might be interesting to people unfamiliar with religion, spirituality, and life after death experiences, but for anyone who's read about these topics elsewhere - there's nothing new, profound or thought-provoking in this book. Dr. Alexander describes his experience and this book may be a starting point for scientifically-minded skeptics but it is NOT written for spiritual seekers. It does sound like a valid experience written by a previous skeptic, however.  :)

Your Potential, Your Privileges