The Foolish Man Built His House Of Gingerbread

I remember growing up, my grandma would give us a gingerbread house to make around Christmas time. All of us crowded around the long table - some of us sitting ON the table, much to the chagrin of my grandmother, I'm sure - so that we could put this house together!
Just last week I had the chance of a lifetime: to put together another gingerbread house. We all gathered around the end of the kitchen table to create our masterpiece.

I'm sure many are familiar with the story from the Bible of the wise man and the foolish man. The wise man built his home on a rock. The foolish man built his house on the sand. When the storms came and "beat upon the house," the home founded on a rock survived and the house built on the sand crumbled.
It's a pretty basic story. The children in Primary love to sing, "The wise man built his house upon a rock! The wise man built his house upon a rock! The wise man built his house upon a rock and the rain came tumbling down!"

Well, this time, the foolish man's house was made of gingerbread.

There were a couple of problems that were quick in making themselves known to us:
The first was that the frosting wasn't coming out quickly enough to properly cement the pieces of gingerbread together.
Second, the frosting, once we had it coming out of the bag in a thicker line, wasn't sticky enough to hold the massive pieces of gingerbread together. Irk.

We stuck all of the pieces together and they held...for about 2 minutes. In order to remedy the situation, Sister Harris held all of the pieces together while they were being decorated. Her patience was quite remarkable considering the number of people who were trying to work on the gingerbread house around her arms.

When everyone had decorated to their heart's content, Sister Harris slowly let go of the corners of the house.
Ever so slowly,

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What are we made of? And what is our FOUNDATION made of? If it's gingerbread, we're not going to last very long. (I can say that from personal experience.)
If, however, we are built on the foundation of our Savior, Jesus Christ, no storm, no matter how large, will ever be able to tear us down.
 "...however late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made or talents you think you don’t have, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s Atonement shines." ("The Laborers in the Vineyard," General Conference April 2012)

No matter where we are now, we can choose to build our foundation on the perfect rock of Jesus Christ. All it takes is daily study of the scriptures, daily prayer, going to church, and seeking to access the power of the Atonement through worthily partaking of the sacrament each week.

See? It's simple! Let's not be built on (or of) gingerbread.

Turtles in the Road

A couple of days ago we were driving to the library. Nothing unusual about that. I noticed something in the middle of the lane next to me and dismissed it from my mind because that's also nothing unusual. As we got closer, however, I realized that it was a MOVING something!

"A turtle!"

"What??"

"A turtle! Oh no! Poor turtle! It's in the road!"
In the midst of traffic we couldn't stop to save him. I don't know what happened to him but I hope and pray that someone else had convenient compassion on him.
As we passed the poor little turtle in the road, my companion said, "Sometimes we're like little turtles in the road: surrounded by all these cars whizzing by, scared, don't know what's going on. Ah!"

A realization sparked in my mind: we ARE like little turtles in the road! We have no idea what we're doing, We often are scared to act because we see all of the evil and darkness in the world. Most things that we come up against are much much bigger than we are. We can't win on our own. We need someone or something else to save us from being run over. (Literally and figuratively.)
We need Someone to have "convenient compassion" on us.
Unfortunately, compassion and true empathy are rarely, if ever, convenient. In fact, 99.9% of the time, compassion and empathy will be extremely INconvenient.
Christ showed compassion on the man with palsy whose friends brought him before Christ by making a hole in the roof and putting their friend's bed through said hole. He also showed compassion on Jairus and his daughter.
In Mark 5, we read that, "...there cometh one of the rulers of the synagogue, Jairus by name; and when he saw [Christ], he fell at his feet, And besought him greatly, saying, My little daughter lieth at the point of death: I pray thee, come, and lay thy hands on her, that she may be healed; and she shall live."
Immediately Christ had compassion on Jairus' suffering and grief and followed him. While on the way to the home of Jairus, a woman who had suffered an issue of blood for 12 years knew that if she could but touch Christ's clothes, she would be made whole. As Christ passed her, she reached out "and touched his garment...and she felt in her body that she was healed of that plague." Christ immediately stopped and asked who touched him.
Now, we have to remember that Christ was already on his way to help another friend and brother in need. Yet he stopped, anyway.
He looked around and waited for the woman to come forth. He knew who had touched his clothing. He stopped in order for this woman to come forth that everyone might see the miracle which had just occurred.
She came forward and told Christ and the multitude what had happened to her and Christ's words to her are some of my favorite in the entire New Testament: "Daughter, they faith hath made thee whole; go in peace and be whole of thy plague."

While He was speaking, a man came from the home of Jairus and told them that his daughter was dead. "Don't bother Christ anymore" was, in essence, what they tell Jairus.
Can you imagine the pain and grief that must have overcome Jairus? Knowing that he has come to the Lord in desperation and that He is now, apparently, unable to do anything.
Again Christ calmed wounded hearts and souls, this time with the simple words, "Be not afraid, only believe." He raised the daughter of Jairus from the dead.
In a short span of time, simply because he was willing to stop traffic and help two little "turtles in the road," lives were changed. In fact, lives were GIVEN because Christ was willing to stop and help.

So, compassion may not be convenient. In fact, sometimes it may seem to be a great inconvenience to be compassionate - to stop and help a friend who is struggling and needs someone to talk to, to share your testimony of the reality of God's love with someone who feels alone, to bring someone cookies when they are recovering from surgery. These things are so small yet they're so important!!
How many times has Christ played a part in your own healing process? He has had compassion on you.
So help a little turtle out.

Who is Joseph Smith?

Joseph Smith was born in Sharon, Vermont in December of 1805 to a family who loved God and was deeply rooted in a belief in the Savior, Jesus Christ. His parents taught their children to love God and to love the scriptures.
When he was 14 years old, there was great religious excitement in his hometown. His family soon began to attend the Presbyterian faith and four of them joined the church. Joseph, however, became confused by the many differing and contending doctrines that were taught in the different denominations.
He noted, "...so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right..."
He continued, "While I was laboring under [these] extreme difficulties, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
This passage of scripture struck him with great force and as he pondered on it he came to the conclusion that this would provide the solution to his dilemma.

He simply needed to ask God.

One spring morning in 1820, Joseph went to a grove of trees near his home. He knelt and began to offer a heartfelt prayer, seeking answers in the midst of so much confusion and uncertainty.
"Immediately I was seized upon by some power which entirely overcame me...the power of some actual being from the unseen world..."

Continuing to cry out in his heart to God, for he was unable to speak, Joseph said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me. It no sooner appeared than I found myself delivered from the enemy which held me bound. When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

Joseph Smith saw God and Jesus Christ. They spoke to him and taught him. His question of 'which church should I join?' was answered with, "They [are] all wrong." He was told that he would be called to restore the fullness of Christ's church to the earth, just as it was organized while Christ, Himself was on the earth. He would be given power and authority to do so. In a later vision, Joseph was told that his name "should be had for good and evil among all nations..." and that he would be instrumental in bringing forth a book of scripture that should stand as a second testimony to the divinity of Jesus Christ as the Son of God, the Savior of the world.
He was given the answer that he had been searching for. He was given a miraculous vision, a prophetic calling. He knew that Christ lived "for [he] saw Him, even on the right hand of God."

Few of us will see God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ while we live here on earth. However, we can come to know for ourselves that They live, that they are in fact two distinct and separate Beings, and that our prayers are heard and answered. We can come to know that God loves us and that He truly is the Father of our spirits. We can come to know that Jesus is the Christ. All it takes is some honest and sincere study of the scriptures, prayer, and intent to act on the answer that you receive.


Before my eighth birthday, I began reading the Book of Mormon from the very beginning because my dad had suggested it.
Before I began reading I knelt down like I had been taught and offered what was probably a very simply prayer. I remember asking to know if The Book of Mormon was true. I got up, pulled out my scriptures and began reading from the title page. I read the Introduction and the Testimonies of the 3 and 8 Witnesses. Then I reached The Testimony of the Prophet Joseph Smith.
As I read about his experiences and read his own words, I felt something that I had never felt before. It was as if a little flame was burning behind my sternum. I felt warm and happy.
After pondering for a couple of moments on what this could be, I ran upstairs and described to my mother what I was feeling.
"That's the Spirit."
The role of the Spirit is to testify of truth.
I knew she was right. I was feeling the Spirit. I couldn't deny it.

Do We Really Want to Know?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is true and everyone can have the opportunity to learn and grow and change because of the sacrifice that Christ made for us.
That is reality that I have come to know and understand for myself. Everyone can come to know these things for themselves! All they have to do is read, pray, and ponder. Something that can take 5 minutes every day.

Now, let's crunch some numbers here:
In one week, all we would need (at the bare minimum) is 35 minutes.
In one month, a little bit more than that: 140-175 minutes or 2.3-2.9 hours.
In one year - 52 weeks: 1820 minutes or 30.3 hours.
Out of 8736 hours, over 4368 of which are waking hours, we can't give 1/288th of our time to find out if God is real? If The Book of Mormon is true? If God really does speak to men today?

Now, if God is there then this is the most important thing that we could ever find out. No other endeavor is more essential for our well-being than that of coming to personally know our Heavenly Father and our Savior, Jesus Christ.

"[I am] inviting you to hear the restored truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ so you can study, ponder, pray, and come to know for yourself if the things we are sharing with you are true.
Some of you may respond, “But I already believe in Jesus and follow His teachings,” or “I am not sure if God really exists.” [My] invitations to you are not an attempt to diminish your religious tradition or life experience. Bring all that you know is true, good, and praiseworthy—and test [the] message. Just as Jesus beckoned two of His disciples to “come and see” (John 1:39), so [I] urge you to come and see if the restored gospel of Jesus Christ enlarges and enriches that which you already believe to be true...
"Absolute truth exists in a world that increasingly disdains and dismisses absolutes. In a future day, “every knee [shall] bow” and “every tongue [shall] confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:10–11). Jesus the Christ absolutely is the Only Begotten Son of the Eternal Father. As members of His Church, we witness He lives and His Church has been restored in its fulness in these latter days." ("Come and See," Elder David A. Bednar, October 2014 General Conference)

I know that Christ lives. He will come again and I am determined to be one who can look on Him and say, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith..." (2 Timothy 4:7) Then He will look on me and say, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:23)
Those things which we will have been called to be faithful over may be small and simple but if we are faithful, the blessings and rewards will be beyond mortal comprehension.
Let us come and see! Let us work so that we may know for ourselves the peace that is to be gained by a consistent study and pondering of the scriptures.
Do we really want to know?

To Hear the Words of God

Once again we were asked to update our iPads. (They keep asking me to do things that I have to ask for help on. I guess that's how we grow.) As I was updating my iPad, it said, "Preparing update...This release contains improvements and bug fixes. Learn more."
This struck me! I am so excited!

The October General Conference for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is coming up on the 4th and 5th - Saturday and Sunday!
General Conference  - the time of year when the modern-day prophet and the apostles speak to us and teach us the things that God needs us to know and then apply into our lives.
General Conference! That glorious time of the year when we get a spiritual FEAST for two whole days!

What a wonderful blessing and opportunity this is! We get to hear those whom the Lord has called and chosen to lead and guide us. They speak to us on a multiplicity of topics, including marriage and family, education, the Gospel of Jesus Christ, the importance of spiritual and physical self-reliance, being prepared, loving and serving our fellow man and many others.
Someone once said, "Live your life in six-month increments." Well, luckily, General Conference is every six months! ;) We are to focus on the things that the prophet and the leaders of the Church tell us for six months. Then when we have General Conference again we are to add to our knowledge those new things that they teach us and apply them into our daily lives. The more we apply, the more knowledge and understanding and capacity to learn and grow the Lord will give to us.

Someone in my ward recently said, "Only in the Church is 10 hours of meetings considered a break."
That is so true, my friends.
"10 hours of meetings? You all must be crazy!" is probably what many people think when they hear of General Conference.
It's true that it's 10 hours. However, I know from personal experience that those 10 hours of meetings are the spiritual renewal I need to continue on for the next 6 months. The Lord truly is speaking to us through the words of the living prophet who is president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and also through the Apostles, General Authorities, and General Auxiliaries that speak to us.

General Conference is the update! We need to prepare to receive it. Come with questions and concerns. Pray and ponder and fast so that you can receive the answers that the Lord has prepared to give to you. Prepare to receive revelation! "Preparing update!"
This General Conference will teach us how to improve and bring our lives more fully into alignment with God and His will for each of us. Our leaders are guided by the Holy Spirit to tell us how we can fix the spiritual problems and 'gremlins' in our lives and be more happy and more focused on God and others. "This release contains improvements and bug fixes!"
SO, watch General Conference! Look it up! "Learn more!"
Follow this link for the opportunity of a lifetime: to hear the words of a living prophet of God; to hear the words of God.
https://www.lds.org/general-conference/?lang=eng

"As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten"

We had transfers not too long ago. I was nervous as I usually am on transfer day and even that night I was still getting used to the many changes that had suddenly occurred. I was praying and felt very down and lost. I simply asked for peace and for the Spirit to be with me. Immediately, the words of a song that I had sung just that afternoon at transfer meeting came into my head: "He is hope when a journey begins. He is strength in the wind. He is faith when my courage wears thin. He is rest when I'm wearied and worn. He's the place where I'm loved and I'm known. When I come unto Christ, I feel like I'm coming home." As these words whispered through my mind, calm gently fell over me and I felt at peace, just as I had asked.
One of the elders who was going home said, "Coming unto Christ IS like coming home. It's wonderful but it's really hard; it hurts. This whole week I've just had to keep thinking, 'Let it burn.'"

A favorite quote of mine (let's be honest: I have TONS of favorite quotes) says,"If you are on the right path, it will always be uphill."
Amen to that!
The times when I think and feel like I'm trying my hardest and the times when I feel like I should be the happiest because I'm being obedient are often the times that are the most trying and frustrating!
What happens?
Well, this is what happens: "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten..." (Revelations 3:19)
Also: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth...Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby." (Hebrews 12:6,11) Isn't that a glorious promise??

'Chasten' as defined by the New Oxford American Dictionary is to, "have a restraining or moderating effect on..." So the Lord, when He chastens us and calls us to repentance, is simply "reining us in," so to speak. He is catching the "natural man" in us by the collar and inviting him to leave. (Mosiah 3:19) We can either focus on the pain that this causes or we can focus on the fact that our Heavenly Father loves us and is only doing this because He knows that what He has in store for us is better than what we have going on right now. ("The Will of God," https://www.lds.org/media-library/video/2012-01-014-the-will-of-god?lang=eng)

As we accept the changes that our Father in Heaven is seeking to help us make, we will be happier. It's hard! It hurts! But you know what? "...afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness..." I don't know about you but I know that I want that result: "the peaceable fruit of righteousness" - all of the blessings that our Father in Heaven can and will give to those of His children who are obedient to the commandments and who "...seek...first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness..." (Matthew 6:33)

What'll it take to get us to that point?
Sanctification. Consecration. Holiness. A desire to turn to and rely on the Lord in all things.
In Doctrine and Covenants 101:5 it says, "For all those who will not endure chastening, but deny me, cannot be sanctified."

We cannot be sanctified, or made holy, without chastening. We cannot become consecrated missionaries, members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, or disciples of Jesus Christ without chastening, rebukes, true and sincere repentance, and changing our behavior, indeed, our very nature in order to bring our will and our being in line and in accordance with that of our Heavenly Father's. ("Becoming a Consecrated Missionary," Tad R. Callister, 2008)
There is always a higher purpose behind the things that the Lord does and behind the things which He allows us to go through. In the case of our chastening, the Lord is seeking to break us down that He may then build us up even higher and stronger and with a deeper and more abiding testimony and conviction of the love of our Father in Heaven and the Savior, for us.
As we become sanctified, made holy, consecrated and dedicated to the Lord and His work of salvation, we will find that we truly are coming home.

Faith and Grace

My dad coaches football and occasionally, when I was younger and my mom was busy running errands, my dad would take us to practice and we would sit on the sidelines while the boys were working out. I remember looking at these high school boys and think, "Oh my word, they are HUGE!" (I was pretty small and always looking up to these high school students.) Watching them work out though, it was very apparent that every single one of them, no matter how naturally athletic they were or how quickly they built muscle, had a large amount of work that was required for them to 1) reach the standard for whatever position they were playing and 2) to maintain their weight, strength, flexibility, stamina, and speed.
With the football players, the help and belief and desire that they had was good. But it was not until they applied themselves and pushed their desire to become action - involving weight-lifting, running, stretching, two- and three-a-days and listening to the coaches - that they were able to become what they wanted to become (amazing football players!) or overcome anything they were struggling with.

These young men had faith, in a sense. They believed that they could be good football players and they wanted to become great football players. They 'received grace', after a fashion: they were coached continuously along the way, they had the support of their family and friends and coaches, they were always receiving help. If that was all they had (grace and faith), that would never be enough to push them to become the football players that they needed to become.
Likewise, with only faith and grace, without any works, we would not become the people that our loving Heavenly Father has prepared us to be.

God gives more knowledge and understanding to those who seek it diligently and with real intent, which is the desire and willingness to act upon the answers which we receive from the Lord, and with faith in Christ, "[manifesting] by their works" that they will continually act upon the promptings of the Spirit that they receive. (Doctrine and Covenants 20:37)

Faith is a belief in Jesus Christ that leads us to act. Actions that come from true belief in our Savior and His ability to save will be in accordance with God's commandments.
Faith requires action. James said, "What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"

The answer is no.

"For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God." (Ephesians 2:8)
So, we are saved "by grace...through faith," not by faith.

What is 'grace' then?
"The main idea of the word is divine means of help or strength, given through the bounteous mercy and love of Jesus Christ."
The definition continues: "This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts...It is truly the grace of Jesus Christ that makes salvation possible." (Bible Dictionary, 'Grace' emphasis added)
We are saved by the grace of God through our faith in Christ. If someone says that they are saved by grace, they are correct after a fashion. If someone says that they are saved because of their faith they too, are correct in some ways.

Yet, without works, "faith...is dead, being alone" and Christ's grace cannot be accessed for it takes work to reach or obtain anything. The Lord has said, "...when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." (Doctrine and Covenants 130:21) As with everything else that God gives to us, continual desire and effort (obedience) are required.

Works, faith and grace must all go together.
Without true faith, we will never have a desire or motivation to act.
Without grace, which both enables us and also allows us to be cleansed from sin, we will have no chance of returning to live with our Heavenly Father for "no unclean thing can dwell...in His presence." (Moses 6:57)
Without works - obedience to the commandments, following the counsel of the prophet, and seeking to know the will of the Lord through prayer - our faith is not justified  ("declared or made righteous in the sight of God" - New Oxford American Dictionary) - and we cannot access the power of the Atonement, given so graciously by our Heavenly Father through our Savior Jesus Christ. So, without works, our faith is for naught.
"Was not Abraham our father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the altar? Seest thou how...by works was faith made perfect?...Ye see then how that by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (James 2:17, 21, 22, 24)

When we allow our faith - our belief in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ - to lead us to action, we will come to know for ourselves that the Lord loves us personally, individually, and perfectly. We will come to know that it is by the grace of our Savior Jesus Christ that we can obtain eternal life and that as we work and act in order to seek His will and to become all that He wants us to become, we will someday hear the words, "Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:23)