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Your spiritual foundation

3/30/2022

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. . . here’s all the more reason why you need to shore up your spiritual foundation by including the temple more in your life.
With Conference just around the corner, let’s prepare this week by returning to what the Prophet said six months ago.  He gave three discourses, one of which we discussed back in November.  Of the other two, I feel pulled towards President Nelson’s Sunday morning discourse entitled “The Temple and Your Spiritual Foundation.”

Reading and reflecting and re-reading this address to understand why I feel pulled towards it, I find some significant counsel not just for Latter-day Saints in general but also for LDS singles.  And I’m not just talking about the marriage counsel President Nelson provided near the end of his discourse.  A solid foundation is essential for any construction project, whether it’s a building or a life.
And with the world becoming more and more chaotic, life will become more challenging for everyone.  Singles will feel those challenges more poignantly.  It’s one thing to have a companion to share your burdens and support you.  It’s quite another when you don’t.  To all my single LDS friends, here’s all the more reason why you need to shore up your spiritual foundation by including the temple more in your life.

Strengthen your spiritual foundation

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President Nelson began his remarks by sharing some progress made in strengthening the foundation of the Salt Lake Temple.  I love how he draws a ready metaphor for establishing a foundation for our own spiritual lives.  To that I would add the need for each of us to establish a solid foundation in every part of our lives: the emotional/social, the mental/intellectual, and the physical.

But clearly the spiritual foundation is the most important.  The spiritual aspect of life contains the beliefs, values, and ethics that drive behavior in every other life aspect.  We need to ensure the spiritual area of life is firmly founded.

President Nelson understood as much when, speaking of the Salt Lake Temple, he shared


We are sparing no effort to give this venerable temple, which had become increasingly vulnerable, a foundation that will withstand the forces of nature into the Millennium. In like manner, it is now time that we each implement extraordinary measures—perhaps measures we have never taken before—to strengthen our personal spiritual foundations. Unprecedented times call for unprecedented measures.

My dear brothers and sisters, these are the latter days. If you and I are to withstand the forthcoming perils and pressures, it is imperative that we each have a firm spiritual foundation built upon the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

President Nelson then shared the perfect place to build that solid spiritual foundation we all need — inside the temple.  In reality, it’s living inside temple covenants that lays the actual bricks of our spiritual foundation.  But all of that comes together in the temple.  President Nelson taught

Everything we believe and every promise God has made to His covenant people come together in the temple. In every age, the temple has underscored the precious truth that those who make covenants with God and keep them are children of the covenant.

Look to the temple

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All the blessings LDS singles look to receive are connected with the temple.  Indeed, many of these blessings are the same blessings Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob sought and obtained — blessings available to all who make and keep the sacred covenants available only in the House of the Lord.

Those blessings came to those early fathers not all at once but incrementally.  Likewise, the blessings LDS singles seek to obtain in their lives will not come all at once but “here a little, and there a little” (Isaiah 28:10).  President Nelson extended that idea to the great blessing of the Restoration:


  1. The Restoration is a process, not an event, and will continue until the Lord comes again.
  2. The ultimate objective of the gathering of Israel is to bring the blessings of the temple to God’s faithful children.
  3. As we seek how to accomplish that objective more effectively, the Lord reveals more insights. The ongoing Restoration needs ongoing revelation.
If something as important to our Heavenly Father’s plan as the Restoration is still ongoing, His plan for each of us is surely ongoing as well.  That thought prompts patience in LDS singles who yearn to have desired blessings now.

Embrace faith over fear

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Including the temple at the center of our spiritual foundation can provide the faith needed to choose not only patience but also perseverance.  Within the temple we learn of Christ and His Atonement, our Heavenly Father’s plan, and the connections He intends to forge across generations of the human family.

The temple also helps us navigate the road of life to as yet unrealized blessings.  As chaos in the world grows, we can have the peace that surpasses all understanding, a quiet confidence God will support us when we feel all is lost.  The temple and living inside the covenants made there can fill us with that faith.

That faith can help us resist fear.  President Nelson counseled,


My dear brothers and sisters, when renovations on the Salt Lake Temple are completed, there will be no safer place during an earthquake in the Salt Lake Valley than inside that temple.

Likewise, whenever any kind of upheaval occurs in your life, the safest place to be
spiritually is living inside your temple covenants!

Please believe me when I say that when your spiritual foundation is built solidly upon Jesus Christ, you have
no need to fear. As you are true to your covenants made in the temple, you will be strengthened by His power. Then, when spiritual earthquakes occur, you will be able to stand strong because your spiritual foundation is solid and immovable.
How many LDS singles live in fear the blessings they desire will not come to them?  The temple and temple covenants provide the solid spiritual foundation from which we can each take needed action in the other aspects of our lives.  We can trust Christ and His power to change us so we can more easily receive the blessings we seek.

So include the temple more in your spiritual foundation.  The unprecedented times President Nelson foresees will call for unprecedented measures in the attention we give to our foundation and the renewal we provide daily to it.  In so doing, we can live with greater confidence and optimism as our fears become memories of a distant past.  And that will bring us more joy in our journey.
You can listen to the monologue for this episode of Joy In The Journey Radio for free by using the player here.  Feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment. Find out how to listen to all of this episode of Joy in the Journey Radio (as well as other full episodes) by going to the show page for this episode!  Alternatively, you can watch a clip from the full episode on the Joy in the Journey Radio channel on YouTube or Rumble.
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A new tradition

11/11/2020

1 Comment

 
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Each year I embark to deepen discipleship.  And each year I find myself well rewarded.
I tend to get reflective now and then.  It’s just how I’m constructed.  And lately I’ve been reflecting on a tradition I adopted a few years ago to improve my walk in the covenant path.

I’ve spoken before about my tradition of spending the last 40 days of the year studying and applying the Sermon on the Mount.  Each year I embark to deepen discipleship.  And each year I find myself well rewarded.

This year I’ve determined to take this to the next level by involving other people.  I don’t know anyone will join me, but I feel I need to attempt it all the same.  I’ll of course provide resources to help bring the group together and walk through the tradition.  And who knows?  Maybe I’ll  get enough people to do this with me every year that something old turns into a new tradition.

How it works

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Here’s how the 40 days work.  Every day, the schedule lists a portion of the Sermon on the Mount to study for that day.  That might be a single verse or several verses.

The schedule provides the section as recorded in Matthew and 3 Nephi as well as other relevant references for comparison.  The end result is a foundation of scriptures to compare at the start of the daily practice.  You read, compare, examine, and reflect.

Then you commit to applying during the course of that day what you’ve learned.  You go through your day, completing your commitment.  At the end of the day, you “return and report” by reflecting on your experience and writing about how it changed you.

Then the next day, you repeat the process with a new verse or section of verses as detailed in the schedule.  You do this for 39 days.  On Day #40, you reflect upon and write about your experience as a whole.

The next level

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I can’t speak highly enough of how this tradition has helped me draw closer to my Savior and become more truly His.  It’s not just study.  It’s a continual process of learn, do, and reflect that creates a journey similar to an ever expanding spiral staircase.

I’ve always shared this tradition with others.  But this year my growth requires me to invite others to walk each of the 40 days with me.  By walking as a group together, we can strengthen and support each other.

To that end, I’m announcing some changes for Joy in the Journey Radio.  First, I’ll provide for free the schedule for the 40-day journey.  Look to the end of the monologue blog post.

Second, to help those who want an extra aid, I’ll provide a workbook as a guide for walking through each of the 40 days.  Everything you need for each step of each day will be there, including side-by-side scripture comparisons, space for writing, and suggested commitments for application.  Because Amazon provides the best way to provide this workbook in the most useful format, you’ll have to buy it.  But I’ll keep the price as low as Amazon will allow.

Third, I’m going to devote the Joy in the Journey Radio Facebook page to this tradition.  During each of the 40 days, I’ll post the relevant scriptures along with something extra like my commitment for that day or some thoughts about the verse(s) for that day.  Others can then share what they learned or experienced, allowing everyone to be strengthened by each other’s journey.  And as always, joining and participating in the Facebook group is free.

Let’s walk together

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I’m not sure how I’ll manage this group in addition to all of my other responsibilities.  My calling and my schooling by themselves take significant time.  But I feel strongly I need to pursue this, and so I step out with faith the Lord will provide for me.

Day #1 is November 22, so don’t delay getting involved, especially if you want the workbook to guide you along.  Get the schedule and join the Facebook page.  You’ll see what I call the holy trinity of holidays (Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day) in a whole new light.  And deepening your discipleship is a great way to end the current year and begin a new one.

For all of us, 2020 has been an absolutely crazy year.  So come join me in adopting a new tradition.  Let’s end 2020 together by engaging a journey that will deepen our discipleship, bring us closer to the Savior, and help us feel more of His love as we strengthen and support each other.  And that will bring us more joy in our journey.

You can listen to the monologue for this episode of Joy In The Journey Radio for free by using the player here.  Feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment. Learn how you can listen to  all of this episode of Joy in the Journey Radio by going to the show page for this episode!
Sermon on the Mount 40-Day Schedule
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Hear Him

9/30/2020

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. . . it is ever more vital that we do indeed hear Him.
As I mentioned on the program last week, I wanted to save the monthly return to Conference for September until this week for the program just before Conference as a means of preparing more for it.  Frankly, with as hectic as 2020 has been, I've been ready for Conference for quite some time now.  I'm eager to hear more from those we sustain as prophets, seers, and revelators, and particularly from the current Prophet, President Nelson.

That anticipation has prompted me to look back.  Just as we were counseled to prepare for Conference six months ago by looking back to the events of the glorious Restoration, I feel prompted to prepare for this next Conference by looking back to what the current Prophet said six months ago.
As is characteristic of the prophets we've seen thus far in the 21st century, President Nelson spoke multiple times this past Conference.  But one address stood out to me as I considered the focus for the program today.  President Nelson's address entitled "Hear Him" focused on the Savior in a way that addresses the craziness which now seems to engulf the world.  And in light of recent reflections regarding the Savior and what makes the good we bring to the world truly matter, it is ever more vital that we do indeed hear Him.

Hear

President Nelson specified four ways that we can all hear the Savior.  The first of these ways is the scriptures.  President Nelson taught,

Daily immersion in the word of God is crucial for spiritual survival, especially in these days of increasing upheaval. As we feast on the words of Christ daily, the words of Christ will tell us how to respond to difficulties we never thought we would face.
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That sounds a lot like what he said in his first Conference address as President of the Church.

Our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, will perform some of His mightiest works between now and when He comes again. We will see miraculous indications that God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, preside over this Church in majesty and glory. But in coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.
So it shouldn't surprise us that President Nelson mentioned the Holy Ghost as a way to hear the Savior.

It has never been more imperative to know how the Spirit speaks to you than right now. In the Godhead, the Holy Ghost is the messenger. He will bring thoughts to your mind which the Father and Son want you to receive. He is the Comforter. He will bring a feeling of peace to your heart. He testifies of truth and will confirm what is true as you hear and read the word of the Lord.

I renew my plea for you to do whatever it takes to increase your spiritual capacity to receive personal revelation.

Doing so will help you know how to move ahead with your life, what to do during times of crisis, and how to discern and avoid the temptations and the deceptions of the adversary.

When I think of a place to receive revelation and feel the influence of the Spirit, the temple comes quickly to mind.  Although the pandemic has restricted most of us from being in the house of the Lord, President Nelson looked ahead to when they will one day reopen.

When these temporary COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, please schedule regular time to worship and serve in the temple. Every minute of that time will bless you and your family in ways nothing else can. Take time to ponder what you hear and feel when you are there. Ask the Lord to teach you how to open the heavens to bless your life and the lives of those you love and serve.

While worshiping in the temple is presently not possible, I invite you to increase your participation in family history, including family history research and indexing. I promise that as you increase your time in temple and family history work, you will increase and improve your ability to hear Him.

"And, finally," President Nelson declared, "we hear Him as we heed the words of prophets, seers, and revelators."  With that opportunity just a few days away, I'm glad it won't be long now to hear from our inspired leaders as they point the way to the Savior.

Hearken

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But notice that President Nelson didn't say we hear the Savior as we hear His servants.  No, he said we hear the Savior when we heed His servants.  To heed means more than just to hear.

President Nelson also used the word hearken.  He observed that "the very first word in the Doctrine and Covenants is hearken" and then defined hearken to mean "to listen with the intent to obey" before declaring


To hearken means to “hear Him” —to hear what the Savior says and then to heed His counsel. In those two words —“Hear Him” —God gives us the pattern for success, happiness, and joy in this life. We are to hear the words of the Lord, hearken to them, and heed what He has told us!

As we seek to be disciples of Jesus Christ, our efforts to hear Him need to be ever more intentional. It takes conscious and consistent effort to fill our daily lives with His words, His teachings, His truths.

I like that idea of being more intentional about hearing the Lord.  Making conscious choices and acting with intention is key to unlocking much of the joy that surrounds us every day.  Our best life comes to us not be accident but by design when act with the intention to have it.

Likewise, we hear the Lord more clearly when we act with the intention of hearing it.  Listening with that desire to obey whatever we receive is key to having that right and proper intention.

Heed

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Of course, listening with the desire to obey makes the next step obvious once we actually do hear.  We must obey and heed what we have heard.  We must apply our newly acquired knowledge.  We must act and obtain the results possible only through action.

President Nelson was quite clear what some of those results would be.


What will happen as you more intentionally hear, hearken, and heed what the Savior has said and what He is saying now through His prophets? I promise that you will be blessed with additional power to deal with temptation, struggles, and weakness. I promise miracles in your marriage, family relationships, and daily work. And I promise that your capacity to feel joy will increase even if turbulence increases in your life.
I don't think I've ever been more eager for Conference to arrive than I am after experiencing what 2020 has offered.  And a good portion of that eagerness comes from faith that hearing, hearkening to, and heeding the Lord's voice as spoken through His anointed servants will bring the blessings President Nelson has promised and so much more.  And that will bring us more joy in our journey.
You can listen to the monologue from today's episode of Joy In The Journey Radio here and continue the conversation by leaving a comment below.  Find more information about this episode, including how to listen to the entire episode, by going to the show page for this episode.
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The spirit over the body

3/25/2020

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By digging a little deeper, we can find messages that apply to singles.  And they all center around the idea of giving control to the spirit over the body.
With all the craziness COVID-19 has created, I can’t wait for Conference.  And so I went back to the last Conference to recapture that spirit I long to feel again.

In so doing, I encountered a real gem with great applicability to current times.  In his address entitled “Giving Our Spirits Control Over Our Bodies,” President M Russell Ballard spoke of emphasizing our spiritual nature in our mortal journey.  I thought the address would be appropriate with Fast Sunday coming up this weekend.

But the applicability extends beyond fasting.  I see application that can help LDS singles live more joyful lives — even their best lives.
Over the years I’ve occasionally heard LDS singles complain that the Brethren don’t address singles and singles issues very often in Conference.  I strongly disagree.  True, they don’t always package their content with wrappings identifying their offerings “For Singles.”  But if you dig a little deeper and really think about what’s being said, you can find many messages in every Conference that apply to singles.

Such are President Ballard’s remarks.  By digging a little deeper, we can find messages that apply to singles.  And they all center around the idea of giving control to the spirit over the body.

Remember God’s plan

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President Ballard began by reminiscing over the previous year and his Conference address in October 2018 about the 100th anniversary of Joseph F. Smith’s vision of the spirit world.

Note that was October 1918.  At that time, war on an unprecedented scale had ravaged the globe for the previous four years, resulting in tens of millions of deaths.  And the Spanish flu pandemic was sweeping the globe, driving the death toll even higher.  In fact, October 1918 was the deadliest month of the entire pandemic.  It truly looked like the end of days.

That’s where President Smith’s vision of the spiritual world so beautifully provides hope.  This same hope President Ballard expressed in his most recent Conference address.  Our Heavenly Father has an eternal plan for His children — that’s all of us living here on this planet as well as everyone who ever lived or will live on it.  That plan provides for reunion — that’s the word President Ballard used — uniting generations of family members together forever.

Treasure family now

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What strength and comfort that hope provides!  Though death is certain for all and death from COVID-19 is possible for many, God has prepared a way for us to be reunited with those we love most.

He has also provided opportunities for us to treasure those relationships before death.  Spending more time sequestered at home provides more opportunities for families to strengthen those treasured relationships.  And don’t think that doesn’t apply to singles without families of their own.  The only thing stopping us from reaching out to family during this time is ourselves.  President Ballard pleaded,


Brothers and sisters, please do not miss an opportunity to look into the eyes of your family members with love. Children and parents, reach out to each other and express your love and appreciation. Like me, some of you may wake up one day to discover that the time for such important communication has passed. Live each day together with hearts filled with gratitude, good memories, service, and much love.
But there’s a caveat: We don’t get a family reunion just because we have love for them.  God is as just and orderly as He is merciful and loving.  He cannot deny justice when it has its claim (Alma 42:22-25).  But President Ballard quotes President Gordon B. Hinckley who tells how we can claim the family reunion we’ll surely seek on the other side of the veil.

A few years ago, President Gordon B. Hinckley said something that is particularly meaningful about this: “How sweet is the assurance, how comforting is the peace that come from the knowledge that if we marry right and live right, our relationship will continue, notwithstanding the certainty of death and the passage of time.”
Marrying right means marriage for time and all eternity in the house of the Lord.  Living right is an entirely different matter.  Whereas marrying right takes place within a single day, living right takes place every day over an entire lifetime.  And while singles by definition haven’t married right (because they aren’t now married), singles can strive every day to live right.

Live right

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How did President Ballard approach living right?  He referenced a talk his grandfather, Elder Melvin J. Ballard, gave entitled “Struggle for the Soul.”  In that talk, Elder Ballard addressed “the ongoing battle between our physical bodies and our physical spirits.”  President Ballard then summarized his grandfather’s talk in one sentence: “The primary battle is between our divine and spiritual nature and the carnal natural man.”

How is that battle going for you?  That’s the question President Ballard asked.  And in considering how we each might answer that question, he provided some added perspective.  He recognized our spirits have existed long before our physical bodies and that we’ve already made righteous choices before entering mortality — what President Ballard called “a proven track record of a successful spiritual nature and eternal destiny.”

He then shared these thoughts:


Think about that for a moment. This is who you and I really are and who you have always been: a son or daughter of God, with spiritual roots in eternity and a future overflowing with infinite possibilities. You are —first, foremost, and always —a spiritual being. And so when we choose to put our carnal nature ahead of our spiritual nature, we are choosing something that is contrary to our real, true, authentic spiritual selves.

Still, there’s no question that flesh and earthly impulses complicate the decision-making. With a veil of forgetfulness drawn between the premortal spirit world and this mortal world, we can lose sight of our relationship to God and our spiritual nature, and our carnal nature can give priority to
what we want right now. Learning to choose the things of the Spirit over the things of the flesh is one of the primary reasons why this earthly experience is part of Heavenly Father’s plan. It’s also why the plan is built upon the solid, sure foundation of the Atonement of the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ so that our sins, including the errors we make when we yield to the flesh, can be overcome through constant repentance and we can live spiritually focused. Now is the time to control our bodily appetites to comply with the spiritual doctrine of Christ. That is why we must not procrastinate the day of our repentance.
Living right is really about choosing the spirit over the body.  And that’s a choice all of us — single or married — can make every day.  We can also choose to strengthen treasured relationships now.  And when we do, that will bring us more joy in our 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.
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Careful versus cautious

4/10/2019

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If being careful with our spiritual lives can yield great power, how much more power would being that careful with every aspect of our lives bring?
Usually I struggle to select the Conference addresses to include in my focus here on Joy in the Journey Radio.  There’s always so many really good selections from which to choose.  But when Sister Becky Craven took the pulpit as the second speaker during the Saturday morning session, I knew we had a hands-down real winner.

What makes Sister Craven’s address so incredible is how well her approach summarizes the approaches to life this platform has advocated for LDS singles.  Of course, Sister Craven confined her remarks to improving our spiritual lives, and for good reason.  Our spirit is the most important aspect of who we are.  It governs every other aspect.  And so improvements in our spirit will bleed into our heart, mind, and body.

That said, I believe Sister Craven’s message attends an unspoken and largely untapped potential.  What would happen if the care she advocates for our spiritual lives were applied to every other aspect of our lives?

Reject casual

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Sister Craven begins by describing a sign she once saw advertising happiness for only $15.  Of course, the sign was deceptive.  The trinkets and souvenirs offered in exchange for that $15 could never bring the true happiness each of us yearns to have.

Sister Craven’s experience describes how many of us are similarly deceived.  A casual approach to spirituality may seem inviting and even appropriate.  But only by being careful with our covenants and obeying them with exactness can we hope to yield the true joy we seek.

Sister Craven explains,


The vision of the tree of life shows us how the effects of casualness can lead us away from the covenant path. Consider that the rod of iron and the strait and narrow path, or the covenant path, led directly to the tree of life, where all the blessings provided by our Savior and His Atonement are available to the faithful. Also seen in the vision was a river of water representing the filthiness of the world. The scriptures describe that this river “ran along” the path yet passed only “near” the tree, not to it. The world is laden with distractions that can deceive even the elect, causing them to be casual in living their covenants—thus leading them near the tree, but not to it. If we are not careful in living our covenants with exactness, our casual efforts may eventually lead us into forbidden paths or to join with those who have already entered the great and spacious building. If not careful, we may even drown in the depths of a filthy river.
What a magnificent insight!  Sister Craven continues,

There is a careful way and a casual way to do everything, including living the gospel. As we consider our commitment to the Savior, are we careful or casual? Because of our mortal nature, don’t we sometimes rationalize our behavior, at times referring to our actions as being in the gray, or mixing good with something that’s not so good? Anytime we say, “however,” “except,” or “but” when it applies to following the counsel of our prophet leaders or living the gospel carefully, we are in fact saying, “That counsel does not apply to me.” We can rationalize all we want, but the fact is, there is not a right way to do the wrong thing!

... Being careful in living the gospel does not necessarily mean being formal or stuffy. What it does mean is being appropriate in our thoughts and behavior as disciples of Jesus Christ. As we ponder the difference between careful and casual in our gospel living, here are some thoughts to consider:

Are we careful in our Sabbath-day worship and in our preparation to partake of the sacrament each week?

Could we be more careful in our prayers and scripture study or be more actively engaged in
Come, Follow Me—For Individuals and Families?

Are we careful in our temple worship, and do we carefully and deliberately live the covenants we made both at baptism and in the temple? Are we careful in our appearance and modest in our dress, especially in sacred places and circumstances? Are we careful in how we wear the sacred temple garments? Or do the fashions of the world dictate a more casual attitude?

Are we careful in how we minister to others and in how we fulfill our callings in the Church, or are we indifferent or casual in our call to serve?

Are we careful or casual in what we read and what we watch on TV and our mobile devices? Are we careful in our language? Or do we casually embrace the crude and vulgar?

... As I reflect upon obtaining lasting happiness, I realize that sometimes we do find ourselves in the gray. Mists of darkness are inevitable as we journey along the covenant path. Temptation and casualness can cause us to subtly divert our course into the darkness of the world and away from the covenant path. For the times when this might happen, our beloved prophet, President Russell M. Nelson, has urged us to get back on the covenant path and to do so quickly. How grateful I am for the gift of repentance and for the power of our Savior’s Atonement.

The amount of joy we receive from covenant living is in direct proportion to the care and attention we give in living those covenants with exactness.  We can unleash true power in our spiritual lives when we reject a casual approach for a careful one.

Embrace careful

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I remember on my mission hearing my leaders advocate obedience with exactness.  What fascinated me as I heard Sister Craven repeat that idea was the thought of expanding that attention to every aspect of our lives.  If being careful with our spiritual lives can yield great power, how much more power would being that careful with every aspect of our lives bring?

What would happen if we were just as careful with those who matter most to us?  Think for a minute about the people who mean the most to you.  Of course, others will always have their own agency, but how much more enjoyable would those relationships be if we exercised great care in the details of those relationships?

And what would happen if we exercised great care with our mind?  If we were more insistent on having certain standards for the books we read, the music we listen to, the movies we watch, and the other forms of media that we consume, how much more pure, powerful joy would sweep into our lives?  What if we were more careful with improving ourselves — taking a class, learning a new skill, or improving some aspect of our character?  What increase in joy would come from that?

How much more power could we procure if we were truly careful with our body?  Too many of us are quite casual when it comes to diet and exercise.  Too many of us aren’t very careful with personal finances.  Too many of us take a casual approach to our careers by allowing the here and now demands of our job to overwhelm any notion of career direction.  How much better would we feel about ourselves and our lives if we exercised greater care towards our body?

Act with order and diligence

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If you stop to think about all this for a moment, you may conclude as I did.  Exercising great care in any one area is work.  When you extend that work to every area of your life, the task can quickly feel overwhelming.

The Apostle Paul counseled, “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).  King Benjamin taught his people similarly.  “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order” (Mosiah 4:27).

In other words, we don’t need to be perfect today.  But we do need to exercise care by doing something every day to move towards personal improvement.  As we exchange our casual approaches to every aspect of life for more careful ones, we will reap a harvest of joy and power from the seeds we have sown daily.  And that will bring us more joy in our 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.
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Refresh your soul

11/16/2016

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You can listen to the host of Joy In The Journey Radio read this blog post by using the player here.  Feel free to continue the conversation by leaving a comment. And be sure to catch the latest episode of Joy in the Journey Radio by going to the Recent Shows page!
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Recently I found myself reading my patriarchal blessing.  I didn’t plan it; it just happened.  I’m not even sure when I last read my patriarchal blessing, but this particular reading refreshed me.

I’ve been“discussing” with local leaders how they can best support LDS singles.  They keep saying things like “Everything will be made right in the next life.”  No one disputes that.  But seeing as I’m expecting to live for at least another 40 years if not longer, could we please not give up so soon?  How about we focus on what we can do to make things right in this life?

It’s almost as if my leaders are really saying, “See? I did something to help them. Now it’s not my problem anymore.”  I really hope they aren’t rationalizing their lack of involvement in our lives like that.  It won’t look good for any who do that when things do get put right in the next life, if I read Matthew 25 correctly.

Context can change the entire meaning.  Perhaps reading my patriarchal blessing in that context heightened the power of my experience for me.

Respecting the sacred

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I consider patriarchal blessings to be sacred documents.  For me, that means not sharing details with just anyone.  I’m extremely selective in who reads it.

That also means not quoting from it in public forums like this.  I know many others would and have.  I don’t judge them.  I just hold myself to my standard which I apply only to myself.

That said, I’ll communicate general ideas from my patriarchal blessing.  For example, most patriarchal blessings declare the recipient’s lineage.  I have no qualms in saying mine declares my lineage.

I also don’t mind sharing that my patriarchal blessing provides specific counsel for different phases of life.  For example, there’s a section on my mission.  Every time I read it, I think back to the moments when the promises made there were all fulfilled — and fulfilled completely.

What was old becomes new

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There’s also a section about my marriage.  In the past, I’ve always been able to read the part about my mission, think about how that part was fulfilled, and then apply that same thinking to the part about my marriage.  Generally I’m left with the impression the promises made are still true.

During this recent reading of my patriarchal blessing, the availability of these promises in this life struck me very palpably.  It’s not just the strength of the impression convincing me those promises are true.  It’s noticing for the first time the meaning behind some of the language of a different part of my blessing.

My patriarchal blessing talks about my children as well as my marriage and what they will become with respect to this nation, meaning the country of my (and presumably their) birth.  As I pondered that language, I realized there are no nations in the next life.  That means my patriarchal blessing is talking about my children in this life.

But that can’t happen unless I actually have children in this life.  And that won’t happen unless I actually get married in this life.

Sometimes the promises of a patriarchal blessing find fulfillment in the next life.  So I don’t completely blame small minds from jumping to the conclusion that those promises to someone in my situation are meant for the next life.

That’s why this particular reading touched me so powerfully.  After all I’ve endured, what a great comfort to know my loving Heavenly Father is aware of my circumstances!  What a tender mercy to feel the strength of His support as He communicates the truth of His promises to me!

Get your own experience

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I don’t know if all my future patriarchal blessing readings will result in similar faith building episodes.  I certainly hope so.  But regardless of whether or not that happens, I still have the memories of faith promoting experiences like this one that have happened.  I can leverage them to buoy my faith in a God acutely aware of me.

I’m not the only one of whom God is aware.  He’s aware of you also.  Properly employed, patriarchal blessings can help you along your journey home.

When was the last time you read your patriarchal blessing?  Do you believe the Lord’s promises to you?  Do you treasure them within your heart?  If it’s been a while, take them out and read them.  It may just refresh your soul.

Whether or not that happens, I do know one thing for sure.  I know every promise God makes will be fulfilled in its entirety.  We just need to stay true and faithful to Him.  When we do, He’ll support us along the way, and we’ll have more joy in our journey.

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Make time for the important

4/16/2014

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I can't believe that I spaced this.  I was supposed to post yesterday, but that didn't happen.  I could tell you about all the things that occupied my attention yesterday, but I won't.  I got busy and therein got distracted.

I recall hearing a sister speak in sacrament meeting one Sunday.  She confessed that she had been busy with so many things that she had allowed her temple attendance to slide.  I then reflected on how temple attendance is like anything else in life.  If you want to ensure what is most important to you fills your life, you need to make time for it.

I also recall attending the temple once when life was more hectic than it is now.  I had just moved after losing my job, and my neighbors decided to throw a party that kept me up well past Pumpkin Hour.  And then the next day my energetic nephew decided to be consternatingly contrary.

I needed the peace found only within the House of the Lord.  And I didn't want to wait for it.  And I also had some questions about where I was in my life at the time.  So I showered off all the grime and sweat from cleaning up my old place, put on my nicest suit, grabbed my hat, and away I went.

And I had a rather interesting and unexpected experience.

My time in the temple

First, in my haste to hie me to the House of the Lord, I forgot some very important articles of clothing.  I realized my lapse while in the dressing room.  I put my suit back on and went back to the front area, thinking I could rent what I needed.

Instead I found myself like one of the five unwise virgins.  The temple had been recently renovated; there was now no more laundry and hence no more clothing rental.

I was quite befuddled with what to do next when my eye caught sight of the entrance to the initiatory area.  I then realized that I could still have a temple experience.  I entered the area and asked if help was needed, and of course it was.  The attendant gave me a robe and advised me to return when I had changed my clothes.

This is the part where it gets really interesting.  When I returned, the brother directing the initiatory work that evening asked whether I could stay for a half hour or an hour.  I selected an hour, to which he replied, "You are certainly an answer to our prayers this evening."  He then signaled a place for me to wait while others prepared for the work to be done.

While I waited, I thought about this brother’s comment and the context in which I received it.  I had made time for something important to me --- temple attendance --- and in pursuing that I encountered an unexpected experience that answered someone else's prayers.  I then realized something that had never before entered my mind.

What I had just experienced was an analogy to the singles life unlike any I had ever encountered.

A new question

I reflected on how my life is nothing like what I expected it to be.  I never expected to be as single as the day I came home from my mission for so long.  That part is old hat.

But what if that unexpected experience is the answer to someone's prayers?  I wasn't sure how to answer that question in part because I had never before considered it.  Still single today, I find myself entranced by its ramifications.

What if I am single because me being single is the answer to someone's prayers?
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Well, it's certainly not the answer to my prayers.  I’ve been praying for the exact opposite for many years now.  I like to think that somewhere a spiritual and intelligent single LDS woman is praying that I’ll enter her life, but I don't really know if that is true.

Maybe the one whose prayers are answered is not my future companion.  Maybe it’s a couple worried about their child growing older without a spouse.  Or maybe a caring leader or even a really good friend with the same concern.  Or maybe it’s not connected at all with my companion.  Maybe it has to do with me doing something that is easier done while single.

I know the Lord has wanted me to be married for many years now.  But given that none of my past opportunities have worked out for me, perhaps the Lord is saving me for some other purpose.  Perhaps He is saying, “OK, Plans A through X didn’t work out, so while I am assembling the pieces for Plan Y, why don’t you make yourself useful doing this?”

That's a comforting thought.

When you make time for the important, you arrive where you need to be.  I still don’t have all the answers, but I know I am on my way.  And walking by faith is not bad at all.
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    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.

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