Month December 2017
Imagine the following. A young man going to see his Bishop. the Young man confesses to his Bishop about how he has viewed pornography a few times over the past few months. This young man promises to stop. The first thing the Bishop does is to have him stop taking the sacrament (and helping prepare/bless/pass )for a few weeks.
Picture in your mind having a five-dollar bill. Now, what could you do with that $5 bill? In and by itself, there isn’t a whole lot that $5 will get you. A cup of coffee at Starbucks? Maybe some fast food for lunch? Buy some gas to get you to work?
During this Christmas season, we have had many opportunities to reach out to help others #LightTheWorld. I have enjoyed reaching out. I had the opportunity to feed some random LDS Missionaries that I met in the LAX Airport one morning. I’ve visited with people and focused on others.
My goal is to continue to #LightTheWorld throughout the year. I hope you make the same goal!
On this Sabbath day we are reminded that we must watch and pray always.
Things that are precious to us we watch over. Children that are entrusted to us we watch and care for because they are precious to us. This same principal told to for our relationship with God.
Our relationship with God is the most precious thing that we have. When we spent time strengthening our relationship with God we are investing in ourselves to make our lives better and we become happier and more content.
Just as this prison stopped these people from having the freedoms that we enjoy, addiction is another (often times silent) prison. The loss of hope for the future is at times overwhelming. When you can’t see how anything could or would ever change, having anyone stop by for a visit is a ray of sunshine on a cloudy day.
If Christ were on the earth today, I believe he would be found helping people in the prison systems and addiction recovery systems.
“Deacon”! When he realized that he could communicate with me, instead of asking for candy or treats, the first things that he wanted me to know was that he was a Deacon, he passed the sacrament, and was honored to do so.
I’m always amazed at the many different ways that we are people can show Christ-like love for each other. Some are very traditional like when we help at a soup kitchen or talk to the elderly in our neighborhood.
I love hearing about non-traditional ways that people show Christ-like love for each other. Giving kids a free skateboard for producing a report card with no F’s is an awesome example.
There are people around us now that the Lord has placed near us that need our Christ-like love. In this Christmas season now is the time to reach out and do something different for someone that will show our Savior’s love for them.
Breaking bread and sharing a meal with someone is a great act of love towards the people that we help.
A house does not make a home. This was told to me many years ago when I first married my sweet wife Lorell.
A house is just a dwelling place. Things that fill the house are just things. They can’t give us the lasting joy that our relationship with our family and our Heavenly Father can.
When we get distracted from the things that really matter in life is when we struggle the most.
Denis Prager stated that we have a moral obligation to be happy.
There have been many studies (here, here, here, here, here) that state that happiness is contagious. I am drawn to happy people. I like to be around them. When I am happy I notice that people want to be around me.
Happiness is also something that you can “fake it until you make it.” Find some happy people and they will spread their happiness to you.