Brightening My Light

 ldsclipart.com  Sacrament meeting is the most important hour of the week. It is the reason we attend church. And yet, it seems to be when we are the most irreverent. During sacrament meeting, people are talking, texting, sleeping, eating, preparing lessons, reading scriptures, and playing with babies. What's worse is when these things go on during the actual passing of the sacrament, the time we should be thinking of Christ, His Atonement, and the covenants we made. It is the time to reflect on our week, repent of our mistakes, and promise to improve. We should also be reverent during the talks. You all know how daunting it is to go up there. We should give the speakers our respect and attention, no matter how boring or "bad" the talk is. As John Bytheway notes in his talk "The Best Three Hours of the Week," we decide what we get out of church. There is no such thing as a bad talk; we can always come away with something if we are listening with the Spir...

painting by Liz Lemon Swindle I love this painting of Mary and baby Jesus, featured on lds.org. Reminds me of my own "holy [i]nfant, so tender and mild" ("Silent Night," Hymns , 204). Can you imagine being the mother of Jesus and getting to see Him grow, watching His milestones, teaching Him how to walk and talk? Can you imagine cuddling with Him, playing with Him, singing Him to sleep? Mary was truly blessed among women ( Luke 1:28, 42 )! Challenge: Treat your children as if you were raising Christ. All are children of God!

In conjunction with the previous post, I have listed below three articles that will help you accomplish some of the Christmas activities: How to Remember Christ during Christmas How to Have a Family Christmas Pageant How to Do Random Acts of Kindness Sharing Time: Any other ideas?

Mesa Temple ....for missionary work! There is no better time to share the gospel than during the Christmas season. People are more receptive because the Spirit is strong, everyone is kind and cheerful, and there is a lot of focus on Christ. Invite friends and family to: walk the temple grounds, especially if it has a visitors' center, is decorated with lights and a nativity, or hosts mini concerts. watch the First Presidency Christmas Devotional the first Sunday in December. watch Joy to the World , the Church's short DVD on the Savior's birth. watch any Christmas video by the Church. read or reenact the story of Christ's birth. go to a religious Christmas pageant. participate in service. attend your ward's Christmas party. go caroling, singing Christmas hymns. write letters or send care packages to missionaries. join you for Family Home Evening. come to church. read the Book of Mormon. Challenge: Invite friends or family to do one of the above activities. Share you...

This past weekend we were blessed to listen to the prophet and apostles, enhanced by the beautiful music of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This Conference's theme was the gospel basics, such as faith, obedience, and agency. The theme reinforced the Church's efforts this year in going back to the basic principles of the gospel to strengthen our testimonies. The spirit of Conference is wonderful and contagious: the Saints are excited, in tune with the Spirit, united, and happy. The Spirit is strong and testifies of the truth of the words we hear. We should strive to keep these feelings with us until the next Conference. We can reread or watch the talks online or read them in the Ensign . We can download them to our iPods. We can use them as Sunday activities or FHE lessons. We have so many options to keep Conference alive in our hearts until again we gather together to listen to the prophet and apostles speak to us. Challenge: Keep the spirit of Conference with you for the next six...

As corny and somewhat doctrinally incorrect the play Saturday's Warrior is, the main song is truly inspiring: Who are these children coming down, coming down, Like gentle rain through darkened skies, With glory trailing from their feet as they go And endless promise in their eyes? Who are these young ones growing tall, growing strong, Like silver trees against the storm, Who will not bend with the wind or the change, But stand to fight the world alone? These are the few, the warriors saved for Saturday, To come the last day of the world. These are they on Saturday. These are the strong, the warriors rising in their might To win the battle raging in the hearts of men on Saturday. Strangers from a realm of light who have forgotten all The memory of their former life, the purpose of their call. And so they must learn why they're here and who they really are. They must learn why they're here and who they are! These are the few, the warriors saved for Sa...

Oakland CA Temple More analysis on my stat counter has prompted me to write yet another post on temple garments, this time for Church members. Some information is repeated from the last FAQ to clarify common questions. What age to wear garments Officially you can attend the temple and begin to wear garments at age 18 if you are worthy. Most leaders discourage doing so unless you are preparing for a mission or marriage to ensure readiness, necessity, and maturity. However, all worthy members may attend the temple and wear garments regardless of mission service or marital status. Newly baptized members must wait one year so they can learn and grow spiritually. Keeping temple covenants is serious, and leaders want to make sure you are prepared and willing to take on that responsibility, no matter what your age. How to order garments To order garments, go to your local distribution center, which is usually next to the nearest temple. If there isn't one close by, then you can ...