Gratitude- The Twins
I am grateful for my younger twin brothers. A wonderful happy birthday to both of them. They are each awesome individuals who make important contributions to their country, community and family. It is hard to imagine life without each of them.
But when they were born, our parents wanted to adopt a child and were taken to see the twins. Mom and Dad were asked which one of the twins they wanted to take home for adoption. They could not imagine taking only one of the twins and leaving the other. They said they wanted both of the them.
Hypothetically, now that we are 46 years into this adventure, which one would you have chosen if given the choice? Number one or number two?
Darin and Derik, or is it Derik and Darin?
Joy in the Journey- Hidden Beauty
The air around us is filled with radio waves. We are mostly unaware of their presence unless we have a radio receiver and choose to turn on the receiver to appreciate the otherwise invisible broadcasted content.
Similarly there are many evidences of beauty along our daily path that we may not appreciate. We must trust that the beauty is around us, and we must activate our senses to find the hidden gems.
Tulips are beautiful flowers but I have always viewed them from the outside and never bothered to look inside. Last night I noticed the inside of this tulip, finding this colorful display of textures and patterns.
All Things Denote there is a God- Sunrise
God teaches us of His ways through our daily experiences. We must look at the routines of our lives and try to discern what the Lord wants us to understand. The same routines may teach us different lessons depending on the particular season we are in. The simplicity of the sun rising each day is a powerful reminder that light will always follow darkness, the Lord will always triumph over evil, and the blessings that we seek and need will always come to heal us and to make us whole. It will happen in the Lord’s time and in His way. May we have the faith to trust in the Lord during the dark times we all experience.
Good Morning from Villach, Austria
Gratitude- Bishop Sabate
Mañana, después de más de cinco años, le van a relevar al Obispo Sabate. El y su esposa, Graciela, han servido al Barrio Rainbow Vista con una dedicación y un amor increíbles. Ellos son discípulos verdaderos de Jesucristo y la luz del Señor se manifiesta en todo lo que hacen. La reunion mañana será especial, llena del Espíritu del Señor. Les invito a todos a asistir mañana a las 9:00 de la mañana. La dirección es: 7401 Smoke Ranch Road, Las Vegas, NV 89129.
Con todo mi corazón, les agradezco al Obispo Sabate y a su esposa por todas las bendiciones que el Señor me ha dado por medio de ellos.
Bishop Anibal and Graciela Sabate
Of What Should I Pray?
This morning I was reading from the Book of Mormon in the second chapter of Ether. In verse 18 the Brother of Jared says, “O Lord, I have performed the work which thou hast commanded me, and I have made the barges according as thou hast directed me.” So the Lord had instructed the Brother of Jared on how to construct the barges which would allow them to cross the mighty ocean. But then in verse 19, the Brother of Jared asks, “And behold, O Lord, in them there is no light; whither shall we steer? And also we shall perish, for in them we cannot breathe, save it is the air which is in them; therefore we shall perish.” And then the Lord gives the Brother of Jared the answer to his concern about being able to breath in these water-tight barges, that he should make a hole in the top and the bottom of the barges to let in air as needed.
It struck me today that the Lord did not include the design of the holes in the top and the bottom of the barges in His original plans for the barges which the Brother of Jared had built “according as thou hast directed.” He waited until the Brother of Jared asked about the need for air before giving enlightenment to solve that problem. This makes me wonder how often we might not receive ideas nor direction on particular issues because we haven’t yet understood that we have a particular need. And the Lord may be waiting for us to come to an understanding of our real needs so that we will ask Him for help and direction about the things that really matter in our lives. And how do we come to understand our true needs? In our petitions with the Lord, we may need to break our habits of asking for help with our needs, as we understand them, and instead ask Him to show us what our true needs are.
Morning Moon