We Thank Thee

Yesterday was an amazing Sunday for me.  We attended our regular church meetings and all was quite normal, that way.
Becky fixed a delicious meal for our family.  My mother and father in law and Becky's grandpa joined us for dinner in celebration of my 4oth birthday, a few days ago.  We had a great time, with the kids taking turns performing various songs, musical numbers, hip-hop dance arrangements and an all around great time enjoying one another.
At the end of the evening, as we were wrapping up the night, I asked grandpa if he would offer a prayer, to end the night.  During his prayer, he thanked Heavenly Father for the many blessings He pours upon us in our life.  I was personally impressed when he asked that the windows of heaven would be opened and blessings would be showered upon the head of each member of our family.  I was touched by his prayer of sincerity.
Let me share one more reason why I am thankful for all of the blessings I receive.
I got to work, this morning, and was approached by a man I have worked with for many years.  He began to tell me about his teenage son whose good friend decided to take his own life, yesterday.  That news made me feel bad for the people that loved and cared about this sixteen year-old young man. 
It made me think about the responsibility that I have to be a good listener to those who lack hope in their lives.  Although I have no idea what was troubling this young teen, I assume that his heart was indeed troubled.
I feel an immense amount of gratitude for my Father who blesses my life, each day. 
It is Him who I thank. 
It's been a great day.  This week is going to be one of growth.  I can't wait to see what is in store.

Let's See Him

When our oldest daughter, Natalie, was just a young toddler, she asked us one Sunday afternoon if we could see Jesus.  Becky and I were puzzled by her inquisition.  We asked her several times over what exactly she meant, hoping that we would better understand her.  Becky and I still didn't understand what she was talking about.  Finally after some thought, Becky realized that she was talking about seeing the statue of Jesus at Temple Square, in Salt Lake City.  That afternoon, the three of us took a little trip to Temple Square.  As we walked up the rotunda and she saw the statue of 'The Christus', we could see that He was familiar to her.  For several times in the following weeks, we went to Temple Square to see Jesus.
Becky and I are so grateful we took those opportunities.  Those are 'gems' that we have saved in our memory banks.  We talk about them, once in a while, and feel grateful for the way they touch our lives.  The time flies by so swiftly and yet those memories are deeply etched into our hearts and minds.
I am grateful for my own feelings of Jesus.  I know that He is my Savior and the Redeemer of all mankind.  
Natalie taught me that even a visit to Temple Square to see that large, beautiful statue of Jesus would impact us for the good.
Today, I want to pay close attention to Him and all that He has done for me.  By the things that I say and do, I too can see Him.  That is the greatest desire of my heart and I hope it is for you.

Hokey Pokey

There is a lot of rain in the country of Holland.  I got familiar with that reality in a hurry.  I also learned a very valuable lesson from the rain.  
One day, my companion and I rode our bikes to a person's house that we had met two days before.  Their home was a long bike ride from where we lived.  The ride was great on the way there but on the ride home, it began to rain--very hard!  My companion and I looked at one another surprised by our situation.  I have to admit that the experience wasn't that fun up until we decided to do something way out of our norm.  Jeff Reeves and I began to sing 'The Hokey Pokey.'  Visualize two Mormon missionaries, in suits, riding bikes like the ones straight out of the movie 'The Sound of Music', singing the extended version of the hokey pokey, with actions and all.  By the time we had thought of everything that we could sing about, and done them, we had arrived back to our apartment.  Reeves and I laughed about that experience not only then but for many days thereafter.  We had learned a lesson of having fun no matter what situation we found ourselves in.  I felt extremely blessed to have a companion that I really enjoyed, who would look at things on the bright side. 
Not everything that we do in life is that fun.  Sometimes we are expected to do things that are either out of our comfort zone or that we're not that interested in.  I challenge you to create a 'Hokey Pokey' moment of your own during these times of your life.
Let me piggyback something else onto this thought.  
I talked with a good friend, just the other day.  I called him and asked him how he was doing.  "I'm alright."  He muttered back.  You might not see anything wrong with his response.  Life is wonderfully generous to each one of us.  When someone asks how you are doing, I believe that it requires a more enthusiastic resonse than "I'm alright."  Once in a while, I would expect that kind of response but all of the other times the response ought to be "I'm great or I'm good."  
Look on the bright side.  It's easier to get through life and its much easier to listen to someone who is doing better than 'alright.'
That's the challenge of the day.  'The Hokey Pokey' always reminds me of that rainy day many years ago.  I am thankful for that great day!  

Listen And Obey

Its time for another blog post that deals with the inner feelings of the heart. 
When I was a teenager, I attended a church meeting with my dad.  It was a stake priesthood meeting and because my stake president had been seriously injured in an accident, my dad was conducting and overseeing the meeting.  He sat up on the stand in the chapel.  During a part of the meeting, my dad motioned for me to follow him out of the meeting.  I wondered what was wrong.  I stood up from my seat and followed him out to the car in the parking lot.  I asked him what we were doing.  He told me that the Holy Ghost has prompted him that he needed to go and visit an older couple, in our stake.  The woman was an active member of the church but the man was not.  The impression that he received was that he was to go and invite the man to be baptized and become a member of the church.  I must confess that I was thinking that there was no way that I was going to be the one extending the invitation.  My dad put that all at ease when he told me that we needed to go make that visit and that he was the one who was going to invite.  We arrived at the home of this couple and were warmly welcomed into their home.  They loved my dad and he loved them in return.  "What are you doing tonight?"  They asked.  Without hesitation, my dad told them exactly why we were there.  He invited the good man to become baptized and become a member of the church.  Now I honestly thought, at the time, that because my dad was doing what he was supposed to that this man would accept the invitation.  As courageous as my dad invited, this man declined the invitation.  My dad didn't even flinch.  He didn't seem bothered it either.  I was devastated, inside.  We had a great visit and when we left their home and got back into the car, dad taught me two valuable lessons.  One, he stated that we learned to listen and obey an impression with boldness.  Two, God knew that he could give an impression and know that my dad would listen and then act.  
I got to learn some good solid things that night.  Can I share one other thing that I thought was neat?  My dad received that impression during a meeting that had required planning.  It didn't matter to him.  I really admire and love him for the lessons he teaches me.
Each one of us receives similar whisperings just like my dad did.  I am trying to listen and then obey on the first time.  The blessing of helping somebody else is remarkable. 
Be ready, because today might be the day that you are called on to listen.  We are all in for a rewarding treat!

We Are All Very Rich

A number of years ago, Becky and I traveled to the Mexican Riviera with my parents.  It was a wonderful time.  We enjoyed seeing a different section of the world with a varied culture from that of our own. 
I must preface this conversation by stating that Becky and I weren't completely content with our home at that time.
We took a day tour into the jungle of Mexico and were amazed at the poverty we soon encountered.  We passed by a home where an older woman was sweeping the dirt that we would call the walkway leading to the front door of the house.  She didn't seem the least bit dissatisfied with what she had.  We felt like we were being ungrateful because of our 'rich' circumstances.  In reality, the beautiful home that we have was a mansion in their eyes.  Since we arrived home from that wonderful vacation, we have felt extremely blessed for what we have been given.  As a matter of fact, we have made improvements so that our house has become our home. 
It is truly a blessing to see and experience another culture.  Our lives are blessed over and over again.
Contentment is a blessing too. 
There is a church song that I sing with our boys.  One line from the song is good sound advice.
"Count your many blessings, name them one by one."
Give it a try.  Maybe it will surprise you how many blessings are actually showered upon your life.
We are a blessed generation with opportunities that are never-ending.  I love everything that is done for our immediate family out of the love that our extended family and friends have for us. 
Have a great day!

A Look At Life

I find it interesting the way I look at different facets of my life. In the past week, I have a niece who entered the missionary training center in Provo, Utah to prepare for the next eighteen months she will devote to serving God. Becky and I knelt down to pray together and Briana is now a constant part of those prayers. I love that things are changing and getting better. We pray for Briana that she will be strong as she learns the way that she needs to teach in order to find and instruct those who are waiting to hear her invitation to come unto Christ.

Also, last night, our youngest daughter Laurel, got registered for high school. I can’t believe that it was just yesterday that it was just Becky and I. The years fly by and we enter another chapter with anticipation and great excitement. The growing up of children is part of that change of which I speak. Their maturing is remarkable. What they live for is fascinating. I love it!

I heard a woman tell me years ago that her husband just wasn’t the man that he was the day they got married. I must have given her a strange look as she spoke those words to me. I then responded with, “Do you really want to be married to the same man he was all of those years before?” I want to be somebody that accepts change with gladness. Change gives us the opportunity for growth and maturity. If Becky said that I was the same man she married in 1994, I would be sad that there hadn’t been any growth.

Last night, I went and did some church related visiting into a couple of homes in our neighborhood. Both visits were very good. The people invited us into their homes generously. A man at one of the homes spoke of being somewhat of a troublesome kid when he was younger. I looked at him as he spoke and thought about the journey he had made to be the man he currently has become. The past is good to learn from but the future is bright and there is much to be grateful for in each of our lives.

I am blessed beyond imagination. I hope that I will always allow change to be a part of my life. It is the molding process. The refiner’s fire will shape us into what we are ultimately to become.

I Can Hear You Now

I attended a stake Youth Conference one year, and a part of that involved a service project. We helped to clean up the church buildings that resided in our stake boundaries. The Youth Conference was a two day event and the Saturday night portion was a youth testimony meeting where we could share our feelings about the events that we were a part.

The meeting was to be held out back of the large piece of property, behind the stake center. A man who was a member of the stake high council assigned to help with the youth brought a portable microphone/amplifier combination to help so that the speaker could be heard. I still remember the first girl standing in front of all of her peers to share her feelings of youth conference. The sound was great. About a minute into her speaking, the microphone went silent and the young girl could no longer be heard clearly. The man stood up and attempted to wriggle the cords to try to get the setup to work. To no availe. He grabbed the amplifier and walked out into the long grass until he disappeared from sight. I thought that he was walking back to the church to change out for another one. The meeting continued and those who stood to speak were asked to speak loudly so that everybody would be able to hear what they were saying. The man was gone for about ten minutes.

My dad was serving as a counselor to the stake president, at this time. I arrived home that evening after a very nice evening. He asked me how the night had gone. I told him about how spiritual and uplifting the testimony meeting was. I also told him about the microphone problems that we had encountered.

The man came back a short time later and plugged the microphone into the amplifier and it worked perfectly throughout the entire meeting. It was nice to be able to hear each of the kids as they shared personal feelings about youth conference.

A couple of days later, my dad arrived home, one evening, following a church meeting he had attended. He asked me if he could speak with me, in private. He began to share with me an experience I will never forget. The high councilor had told my dad that he had enjoyed a spiritual experience at youth conference. He talked about the trouble he had experienced with the microphone and amp. He then said that he wanted so badly for the youth of our stake to have an enjoyable experience. He had grabbed the amplifier and walked out into the tall grass, where he could be alone. He placed his hands on top of the amplifier and pleaded with God to allow it to work during the testimony meeting. He ended his prayer and excercised faith that God would hear and answer his prayer. As soon as he plugged the microphone in and it worked, he knew that God had indeed heard and answered his prayer.

I am trying to live my life so that I know that when I pray, I will be heard. He does hear and answer our prayers. Of these things, I have no doubt.