Joy In The Journey Radio
  • Home
  • Radio 4 LDS Singles
    • Recent Shows >
      • 9 Nov 22
      • 2 Nov 22
    • Archive 2022
    • Archive 2021
    • Archive 2020
    • Archive 2019
    • Archive 2018
  • LDS Singles Blog
  • Members
    • Members-only
  • World of TED
  • Firesides
  • Books
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Home-centered Church
  • Donate
  • Contact

continue the conversation

Christmas all year long

12/25/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
It seems like once we reach Christmas evening, all the magic’s gone. . . . Is there any way we can experience the magic of Christmas all year long?
Merry Christmas!  And welcome to this very special episode of Joy in the Journey Radio.  By now much of the activity since Thanksgiving has dissipated.  Traditions have largely played themselves out, the gifts have been unwrapped, and people are enjoying a brief respite.

At the end of the day, you get what you give.  That’s just as true with Christmas as with anything else in life.  Those who truly savored the season were those who surrendered to the Savior and served others as He would.  Feeling His joy and peace is the real magic of the Christmas season.

But does it have to end?  It seems like once we reach Christmas evening, all the magic’s gone.  Is that because our traditions culminate on Christmas morning?  Is it just this time of year that brings the magic out?  Is there any way we can experience the magic of Christmas all year long?
The answer is a resounding yes!  The true magic of Christmas is the joy and peace that comes from Christ.  Every day we experience Christ, we rekindle the magic of Christmas with the warmth of His joy and peace.  If we do that every day, we can experience Christmas all year long.

Change your thinking

Picture
As with many other difficulties in life, experiencing Christmas beyond the Christmas season has root in how we think.  If we think about Christmas only as a time of year, then it’s only natural we feel the magic of Christmas when that time of year rolls around and don’t feel it when that time departs.

But change your thinking, and you change your life.  So what if we thought about Christmas not just as a time of year but a state of being?  We’ve talked recently here about joy and reaching after the state of joy rather than the feeling of happiness.  Feelings and emotions are transitory, temporary phenomena; they come and go like the weather.  But states are definitions of existence; they’re more permanent and therefore more satisfying to the soul.

If we thought about Christmas as a state of being, then Christmas wouldn’t be just something we do but something we become.  We can then experience the magic of Christmas all year because we will have become the magic of Christmas.

Change your traditions

Picture
Our Christmas traditions can further obstruct us from experiencing Christmas all year long.  By tying our traditions to time, we also tie our experiences from those traditions to time.  This is the thinking we’ve just discussed.  But even if we transform annual traditions into daily rituals, we’ll still not feel the magic of Christmas every day if those traditions don’t point us to Christ.

Two weeks ago, we talked about the need to simplify our Christmas traditions so we can more clearly see the Savior and feel His love.  Experiencing the joy and peace of Christ is truly experiencing Christmas.  So naturally experiencing Christmas all year long means embracing simple traditions that focus us on Christ and His joy and peace.

By traditions, I mean daily rituals.  Certainly daily rituals of prayer and scripture study can help us focus on Christ and His joy and peace.  So can quiet moments of reflection and meditation.  Embracing such moments aligns us with the voice of heaven, making it more possible to experience Christ’s joy and peace.

Such moments can prepare us for prayer or help us better hear the still, small voice of the Spirit following prayer or during scripture study.  They can also help at the end of the day.  Taking a moment to reflect and meditate upon Christ and his joy and peace can calm the mind and body, allowing us to sleep better.

Change your today

Picture
Other regular rituals can help.  While most of us won’t travel to the temple daily, regular temple attendance can help us to feel the joy and peace of Christ all year long.  I know the peace I feel inside the temple is deeper and more profound than I’ve felt anywhere else.

What other rituals can help you experience the joy and peace of Christ all year long?  And which ones will you adopt?  Whatever you do, dedicate a time and place to dedicating yourself to experiencing Christ through His joy and peace.  Then keep that sacred appointment with exactness.  You get what you give, so when you give everything to Christ, you get everything good you need in return.

The true magic of Christmas is the joy and peace that comes from Christ.  So become the spirit of Christmas.  By regularly returning to rituals that help you to feel Christ’s love, joy, and peace more powerfully, you can experience the magic of Christmas all year long.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.
Picture
0 Comments

Forget the chimney

12/18/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Just like Santa, that ideal conception doesn’t really exist.  The only man who comes down the chimney is already off the market anyway.
With the Christmas season in full swing, it’s time for tradition — gatherings of family and friends, gifts, lights strung everywhere, and of course all the great food.  We even have myths to explain the magic of the season.  Legends of Old Saint Nick in a sleigh pulled by reindeer have spread far and wide.

There’s a similar myth shared by many LDS singles.  It’s the myth of the lonely single adult.  So much of our Christmas tradition involves family that it’s easy for singles to focus on what they don’t have.  As we’ve discussed many times here, your focus becomes your reality.  So when you focus on what you lack, your reality becomes one of lack, making it easier to feel empty.
But it doesn’t end there.  Instead of changing their focus to what they have and can do, which will then change their reality to one of abundance and opportunity, many LDS singles pine for that perfect companion who will rescue them from their banal singles existence.  And that perfect companion is just that — perfect.

Just like Santa, that ideal conception doesn’t really exist.  The only man who comes down the chimney is already off the market anyway.  Real men and women have imperfections, so forget the chimney.  Only when you focus on the Savior and the truths He taught can you embrace the true spirit of the season.

Experience truth

Picture
For many singles, Christmas is an especially painful time.  But what’s even more painful is the realization that they inflict that pain upon themselves with the way they think.

The results we all want in our lives come from action and only from action.  But we act based on our perceptions, beliefs, and assumptions about ourselves and the world around us.  If you can change how you think, you can change what you do, and that changes the results you have in life.

So if you want to feel more of the joy and peace that should characterize your Christmas season, exchange thinking about your own misery with thinking about the misery of others.  Christ taught, “He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it” (Matthew 10:39).

When you surrender yourself to that truth, “the truth shall make you free” (John 8:32) — but free in what way?  You’re free to amend your errors, to change your ways, to embrace more effective ways of thinking so you can experience a more effective way of living.

Experience Christ

Picture
I once resisted service as a balm for the woes of singles life, partly because others often threw it at me indiscriminately, and partly because I didn’t see how it solved my singleness “problem.”  I’d been serving in many ways for years and still just as single as when I came home from my mission.  Service just seemed like a band-aid, temporarily treating the pain of singles life while covering over the real underlying problem.

Now I understand that service is a band-aid for singles when they serve with agenda.  When I served, I always had an agenda.  Sometimes is was about being dutiful so I could feel good about myself.  Sometimes it was about identifying myself with the larger group so I could feel I belonged.  Sometimes it was about crafting an image I thought would help me attract the companion I longed to have.

But true service follows the example of the Savior Who always acted against the agenda of the natural man.  His agenda wasn’t about Him but simply on giving to others for their benefit.  When you forget your own agendas and act solely out of concern for those who receive your offerings, you can lose yourself in their service.

Experience Christmas

Picture
And that’s when you find yourself, because that’s when the peace and joy the Christmas season offers can come to you.  Those who cling to their own agenda, even while doing the right thing, will never feel more than glimpses of that joy and peace.

As I said during the program last week, Christmas isn’t just a time to remember Christ but a time to experience Christ.  As we simplify our traditions to create the time and space to feel the joy and peace of Christ, may we also simply our desires by stripping ourselves of our own agendas and adopting the agenda of the Savior.

What service can you give this Christmas season?  What light can you shine?  What difference can you make?  When you lose yourself in service by losing the agenda centered around your needs, you free yourself to experience Christmas as you never have before.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.
Picture
0 Comments

Simplify the season

12/11/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
If we truly desire to celebrate the real reason for the season, then we need to keep that Reason in our focus.
On Sunday the First Presidency continued its tradition of hosting a Christmas devotional at the start of the holiday season.  Technically, many such as myself begin to gear up for Christmas once Thanksgiving has passed, but let’s not split hairs.  It is Christmas, after all, and all celebrations of the real reason for the season are most welcome.

On that note, the speakers did not disappoint.  I found myself in the same position I often fill when needing to select an address from the latest General Conference as a topic for a Joy in the Journey Radio program.  There’s just so much that is so good.
Then I thought that I should consider what I personally will take from the devotional and use that action to signal me towards the speaker and the message I should use for the program today.  And that approach led me to Elder Patrick Kearon.  In his remarks entitled “Bringing Christmas Into Focus,” Elder Kearon described an increased focus on the Savior gained from simplifying the season.  If we truly desire to celebrate the real reason for the season, then we need to keep that Reason in our focus.  And we can do that more easily when we simplify the season.

Examine your traditions

Picture
Like other holidays involving family gatherings, Christmas carries with it many traditions.  These traditions can bind us closer to family members and create wonderful memories of the holiday season that will give joy long after their creation.

Yet, as Elder Kearon rightly points out, those traditions can bring added stress from the sheer quantity of tasks to accomplish that we can lose our focus on the reasons for our celebrations.  We can become so absorbed in the logistics surrounding our celebrations that we forget the foundation for those celebrations.

Remembering that foundation usually comes in still, quiet moments of reflection.  Elder Kearon spoke of his enjoyment of staring at Christmas tree lights and how they remind him of the Light of the world.


These kind of quiet moments of meditation and reflection can be all too rare for us in the buildup to the Christmas Day.  December brings with it parties and concerts, gatherings and gifts.  Schedules fill up.  And sometimes the expectations we impose upon ourselves actually take away from the joy of the season rather than magnifying it.

So President Nelson’s teaching is vital: “The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives and everything to do with the focus of our lives.  When the focus of our lives is on God’s plan of salvation . . . and Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening — or not happening — in our lives.  Joy comes from and because of Him.  He is the source of all joy.”

This is the perfect occasion for us to prayerfully consider our focus.  What are your hopes for this Christmas season?  What are your sincere desires for yourself and your loved ones as you gather together for this most holy of holy days?

In two and a half weeks, Christmas Day will be here.  Consider what you have on your calendar for the next two and a half weeks.  You may feel overwhelmed by too many commitments and all that you have to do.  Is your schedule too packed?  Are certain cultural traditions and pressures causing you undue stress and preventing you from receiving and reflecting the joy of Christ’s birth?  How might you simplify your calendar this Christmas and plan better for next?  We must be careful and not to be so busy and tired from trying to do too much that we miss the focus of the season and are unable to figuratively kneel at the manger, worship the newborn King, and bring our own personal gift to Him.

Refine your traditions

Picture
As I pondered Elder Kearon’s questions, I saw great wisdom behind them.  I could see that, especially in the last few years, my own focus during Christmas time has been obscured by adopting the tradition of buying gifts for each member of the family, including the extended family with in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

This didn’t happen all at once.  But it crept upon me so slowly I hardly know when it began.  We give gifts to remind us of the gift God has given all of us in His Only Begotten.  Yet I could see how my approach to that tradition — buying a separate gift for each individual — had created unneeded effort and expense that distracts my focus away from God’s gift of His Son.

It wasn’t always that way.  In my younger days, I needed to obtain only four gifts — one for each parent and one for each sibling.  But as life unfolded and extended families appeared and grew, that number has multiplied.  Now, looking at the added expense as a college student, I think Elder Kearon’s questions are more than appropriate; they are essential for feeling the joy and peace that should attend the Christmas season.

Resolve to simplify

Picture
In response, I have determined to simply my gift giving.  Instead of a separate present for each individual, I will once more give four gifts: one for each parent and one for the family of each sibling.

And I determined to gift something I had never before gifted — treats and time.  By gifting a box of snacks, I provide my extended families with an excuse to spend time together as they gather to partake and share the goodies I gifted.  Thus, the real gift was the chance to make treasured holiday memories.

The best part for me was how simple it all was.  One visit to Amazon and I had everything purchased with instructions on where to ship everything.  It was all done in a matter or minutes, and I felt looking back a peace that comes from making the right choice.

How will you simplify your Christmas season so that you can focus more on the Savior?  Will you do as I did and adjust your gift giving?  Perhaps you will take Elder Kearon’s suggestion to embrace temple service that “corrects our focus, magnifies our joy, and unites families here and on the other side of the veil.”  Or maybe the Spirit has inspired you along a different direction.

Whatever your situation, take action to simplify the season this Christmastime.  When you do, you can focus more on Christ and feel more clearly His peace.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.

You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.
Picture
0 Comments

Light the world once more

12/4/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
They may not seem like miracles to those who perform them, but they very well could be miracles for those who receive them.
I honestly don’t know how long this trend can continue.  The Church has once again unveiled its Light the World initiative, and just like last year, this year is better than ever.

What’s most impressive to me is not that the Church continues to improve its offering each year, although the improvements made are in their own right impressive.  I mean, come on.  Whoever thought of a vending machine that dispenses blessings is absolutely brilliant.  I wish they had placed one in the DC area.  I would have loved to see it with my own eyes and then actually use one.

And then there’s the daily text reminder of service ideas.  Instead of looking at a calendar for a daily suggestion on service ideas, participants can sign up to receive the suggestions by text message.  The idea is that participants then go and do.  It’s a great way to get into the holiday spirit and spread the holiday cheer.
Yes, the improvements are impressive.  But what impresses me most is that the Church has made its improvements in the short space of three years.  I suppose they have some folks employed full time and devoted to the project, because otherwise so much improvement in so short a space of time is rather miraculous.

But I suspect that the real miracles are the ones that participants in the Light the World initiative this year will perform.  They may not seem like miracles to those who perform them, but they very well could be miracles for those who receive them.

And we each have that power for good.  So if you haven’t yet familiarized yourself with the details of the latest Light the World initiative, take a moment to do so.  And to help you get into the spirit of the season, Joy in the Journey Radio will be replacing the normal talk segments after this monologue with extra music.

So let the music inspire you as you take a moment to reflect upon how you will light the world once more this Christmas season.  When you share your light with others, you find light in your own life.  And that will bring you more joy in your journey.
You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here.  Please also feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Want to hear more?  Listen to the whole show by going to the show page for this episode.
Picture
0 Comments
    Picture

    Author

    Howdy! I'm Lance, host of Joy in the Journey Radio. I've been blogging about LDS singles life since 2012, and since 2018 I've been producing a weekly Internet radio show and podcast to help LDS singles have  more joy in their journey and bring all Latter-day Saints together. Let's engage a conversation that will increase the faith of LDS singles and bring singles and marrieds together in a true unity of the faith.

    Comment

    Joy in the Journey Radio encourages the free discussion of ideas but reserves the right to remove and/or block comments which do not conform to LDS standards.

    Donate

    Joy in the Journey Radio offers many free resources to help LDS singles everywhere, but it certainly isn't free!  Help Joy in the Journey Radio in its mission to improve the lives of LDS singles by donating today.

    Posts by Month

    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014

    Categories

    All
    Adrian Ochoa
    Agency
    Assumptions
    Atonement
    Attitude
    Attraction
    Autopilot
    Balance
    Becky Craven
    Believe
    Best Life
    Bradley R Wilcox
    Camille N Johnson
    Change The Culture
    Changing LDS Singles Culture
    Christ
    Christmas
    Clark G Gilbert
    Confidence
    Conscious Choices
    Covenant Mindset
    Dale G Renlund
    Dallin H Oaks
    Dating
    David A Bednar
    Depression
    Dieter F Uchtdorf
    Discipleship
    Donald L Hallstrom
    D Todd Christofferson
    Face To Face
    Faith
    Family
    Family History
    Fear
    Filters
    Finances
    Focus Determines Reality
    Full Life: Body
    Full Life: Heart
    Full Life: Mind
    Full Life: Spirit
    Future
    Gary E Stevenson
    General Conference
    Gerrit W Gong
    Goals
    Gordon B Hinckley
    Gratitude
    Habits
    Happiness
    Hope
    Jack Gerard
    Jean Bingham
    Jeffrey R Holland
    John A McCune
    John C Pingree Jr
    Journey
    Joy
    Leaders
    Legacy
    Life Of Meaning
    Live In The Moment
    Marriage
    Marrieds
    Michael A Dunn
    Michelle Craig
    Miracles
    M Russell Ballard
    Natural Mindset
    Neil Andersen
    Opportunity
    Own Your Life
    Partner With The Lord
    Peace
    Personal Ministry
    Perspective
    Philosophy
    Proclamation On The Family
    Quentin L Cook
    Real
    Reformat And Reboot
    Relationships
    Ronald Rasband
    Russell M Nelson
    Sacrament
    Self Talk
    Self-talk
    Service
    Sharon Eubank
    Stories
    Support
    Surrender To Love
    Susan H Porter
    Taylor G Godoy
    Temple
    Thinking
    Thomas S Monson
    Trials
    Unity
    Valentine's Day
    Vision
    Walk By Faith
    Yoon Hwan Choi
    Zion

    RSS Feed

Offerings

Home
Radio 4 LDS Singles
LDS Singles Blog
Books
Speaking
Recipes
Home-centered Church

Production

About
Staff

Support

FAQ
Volunteer
Donate
Contact
Joy in the Journey Radio is a production
of Aspire Mountain Media LLC.
© 2014-2022 Aspire Mountain Media LLC.
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

  • Home
  • Radio 4 LDS Singles
    • Recent Shows >
      • 9 Nov 22
      • 2 Nov 22
    • Archive 2022
    • Archive 2021
    • Archive 2020
    • Archive 2019
    • Archive 2018
  • LDS Singles Blog
  • Members
    • Members-only
  • World of TED
  • Firesides
  • Books
  • FAQ
  • Volunteer
  • Home-centered Church
  • Donate
  • Contact