Being Still and Quiet

Being still and quiet
The brain gets a turn
Come on...let's try it
And study to learn

It Was Always about Love

It was always about love
The way He lived, served, and taught
His it was to lead us home above
Through charity, He ransomed and bought

A Man Planted a Garden

A man planted a garden
With a nice hedge round about
Then he went away far
And, to others, let it out

One day, he sent a servant
To receive the fruit there of
But he was badly beaten
With rocks hard and rough

To keep this property in tact
Again, he sent his best and humbled
Each in turn was attacked
With some killed as they were man handled

Having yet therefor one son
He sent him also the last
Who was the most welcome
For his inheritance

With whips they struck him bloody
Yet, no cries from him were heard
And then his lifeless body
Was cast out of the vineyard

The owner had no choice
He came himself... alone
These men he destroyed
And then he placed a stone

Representing the son, it had been rejected
By the renters as they'd framed
This chief cornerstone was resurrected
And a temple, in his name, was made

Prayer: Insights from an LDS Mormon Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Imagine hearing the Lord
Saying your name as one adored
While speaking to Father of your needs
I did... and fell gratefully to my knees

With warmth and emotion I then cried
And offered what words I could find
Displaying my life and thoughts to discuss
I prayed to God, humbly, through Jesus

Truly thanking Him for all I have received
I thought of my sins and mournfully grieved
Wanting more to serve Him than any thing in life
I sought for love and sensed warmth and light

Determining to do better, I vowed to pray always
And nightly pursue the lessons of each day
Thus, linking the weeks, months, and years
As the things of the Spirit, to my mind, more appears

Elder David A. Bednar
Pray Always
Ensign, November 2008

click on title to go directly:
LDS.org - Ensign Article - Pray Always
`

Come See the Light Slideshow

The light of hope came
As a babe, as a man
A blessing to all...the same
As He visited this land

Let no one doubt-
By whom He was sent,
What His works were about,
And that He did descend

Many saw His hands,
And fell at His feet,
They heard Him pray,
And saw Him weep

He blessed children
The angels came
Earth and heaven
Were one the same

And... then He left
With His church formed
Covenants were kept
For two hundred years more!


Everyone in white
In the presence of the Lord
What an incredible sight
To be one so favored

O Holy Night - Kenneth Cope & Liz Lemon Swindle

To praise Him...the best arose
And merged their talents
In art, film, song, and prose
Their works became...transcendent

Pondering myself and why I write...
Daily- whenever I can
Many times late... or in dawn's light
As through an unseen hand

Then, I in ponder...
Asked...what would the Lord have me do?
A work of wonder?
No... I am but the weak...to learn anew

With yearnings deep
My emotions rise
When I would to leap
The Lord knows my cries!

Embrace your holier nature and be social

Embrace your holier nature
Encourage...internalize
Grow spiritually in stature
See the world with purer eyes

thoughts from:
http://gentlyhewstone.wordpress.com/2008/04/16/vincent-van-gogh-john-donne-wh-auden-a-scholar-and-an-apostle-on-community/
click on above title to go directly and read of ones view of being social

"...this is the one that always sends shivers down my spine: “And that same sociality which exists among us here will exist among us there…” (D&C 130:2). I’m sure this is primarily an affirmation of the eternal nature of the sealed family unit, but can it be read more broadly? Can this verse be interpreted to imply that, even in the Celestial Kingdom, I’ll frequently be surrounded by weird people who want to talk my ear off?

I know, I shouldn’t be such a sourpuss, but that’s my natural inclination…so it’s just as well that we’re all here to overcome our lower natures and become more like God.

Truth be told, I’m grateful for all the people I’ve encountered in the Church (and I’m grateful for the insights that help me to be grateful for it!). People that my introverted inner critic would be inclined to ignore after the most perfunctory howdy-do have, as we’ve worked together over time, become honestly dear to me, adding to my stockpile of varied experiences, and helping me grow in directions that I never could if my worship were limited to some kind of isolated navel-gazing."

The pioneer journey began

The pioneer journey began
Far in Western Europe
One place being Sweden
Where persecutions enveloped

In the middle of the night
So as not to alarm
They organized and baptized
While leaning on God's arm

With faith to rely on
They followed their church leaders
And planned to move to Zion
Selling all... they were eager

Preparing to immigrate
Funds from the church some sought
For the five month trip to make
Word of deaths... came a lot

Shipwrecks, seasickness,
Measles, cholera, and frostbite,
Starvation and dysentery...
Yet each knew their choice was right

373 Danes
128 Swedes
61 Norwegians
Crossed the rough Northern seas

It would be quite a squeeze
In England, there were more
10 nationalities
Two months later reached New York

Challenging their fears
An army lined the streets
Drumming for volunteers
Their hearts jumped with the beats

Passing the immigration process
Trains and boats were then boarded
Crossing the war-torn Missouri...they progressed
To Winter Quarters... these converts were sorted

With the rest of the journey by wagon
Many prepared themselves for walking
Sun... rain...prairies... mountains... waved on
There was no time for balking

From this moment ...
The past was left behind
Neither well-known, nor prominent
Faith was their wealth to find

With courage they made their way
Following the Mormon Trail
Imagine the joy of that day
When they'd reached Zion to dwell

These... our ancestors
Added well their footsteps
We treasure their records
And the hope that they kept


The Journey Before the Covered Wagons
A Western European Pioneer Story
Desert Saints Magazine, July 2010, 6
Leslie Albrecht Huber

picture: Public domain image of Kerrigan and Lois Wilson on set of the Covered Wagon from the western heroine archives. Silent film pictures are in the domain in the US and needed for article support and career commentary. Published before 1923

I Had a Little Sailboat

I had a little sailboat
It was new and blue
All day I liked to float
And look at the fish too

I put my goggles on
Where the water's deep
I took a look so long
I nearly fell asleep

Swaying to and fro
While they swam and ate
My camera caught the show
'Til it was dark and late

Mitt Romney "Faith in America" Speech part 1

Our inspired constitution was made
For moral and religious people
That they may each individually weigh
Their passions...and strengthen what's feeble

Together, freedoms and religion endows
That we might explore what faith uncovers
Having many freedoms opens up windows
That are meant for the soul to discover

Religious tolerance in America
Is highly regarded in this land of liberty
For its founding was a miracle
That government not become a single church's property

Following this grand tradition
A presidential candidate
Should be chosen by their positions,
Record, and agenda... let us not forget

Then let each man and church pray
As, also, the president
That this nation be led God's way
Along the path of His intent





Quoting John Adams: "We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion..."

Virtue is the Golden Key

Virtue is the golden key
That unlocks the temple doors
Where one can glimpse eternity
And link to ancestors

Virtue comes of being chaste
And glowing with integrity
While seeking the love of God, there to taste
Inspiration sweet with purity

Leading the world in a return to virtue
Sister Dalton exhorts young adults to always be examples of purity
By Greg Hill
Church News staff writer
Published: Saturday, Sept. 19, 2009
click on above title to go to site

Our True Identity

The mother duck rested diligently on her eggs
Positioning them warmly beneath her legs
When they were hatched...one very much stood out
By far the darkest and ugliest fledgling without any doubt

Different, the other ducklings would not leave him alone
They punished him mercilessly...his worth left unknown
Saddened and thinking it best... he ran away
Living without hope of a brighter day

Then, on an afternoon that was warm, bright, and wonderful
He saw a sight flying high and beautiful
Above, in the formation of a majestic v
Was a flock of swans flapping towards the east

Spirited, for the first time, he raised his wings in flight
Following the flock... brilliant and white
There to land where the water was pure and clean
And in the reflection... his true identity was seen

A magnificent swan had come to appear
Till... a ripple expanded from a lone grateful tear
In wonder, he waited, completely in awe
When all was still, it was him that he saw!

Our creator, too, would that we know who we are
Where we are from and where we are going
May we all realize...lovingly, He is not far
And trust in His arms raised with mercy showing

May we then shut out what makes us low
And darkens us both within and without
That we might be spiritually set aglow
Bright and celestially endowed

Our True Identity
President Dieter F. Uctdorf

Inside the Upper Chamber Room

Inside the upper chamber room
The disciples neared to sup
Being taught what for Christ did loom
They awaited bread and cup

Offered as a memorial
Of His body yet to give
Love... the preeminent principle
He taught how we should live

Elder Quentin L. Cook
We Follow Jesus Christ

None of Us Were Present

None of us were present to see the Red Sea part
Or cross with Israel between two walls of water
We were not there to hear the Sermon on the Mount
Or listen to our Savior speak to Heavenly Father

We did not see His agony in Gethsemene
Or hear two angels testify beside His tomb
But the scriptures can enlarge our memories
As we learn from the ancient multitudes

Our faith in God then plants deeper roots
As records penetrate both our minds and hearts
Thus, tutoring us even unto reproof
By the shedding of Light and the truth it imparts

We Hold in our Arms

We hold in our arms
The rising generation
And labor to disarm
Sin and distraction

As parents and teachers
We work to fan the flame
That spiritually embers
With premortal faith

The stories of Jesus
Are like a rushing wind
Lighting what's inside us
As His teachings embed

For He is the Way,
The Truth, and the Life
Flowing warmly always
Despite troubles and strife

He heals, calms, and feeds
As we seek to be prayerful
According to our needs...
Oh, may we be faithful

Our children will feel much
As we speak our Lord's name
Therein heaven will touch
Light and hope pure to reign

As sure and as certain
As the rising new sun
The heavens are but a curtain
Encircling us with love

Lest their courage grow faint
As to our children, trials try
Let us increase words of faith
And raise our sights ever high

Tell Me the Stories of Jesus
Elder Neil L. Andersen
Ensign, May 2010, 108

The Lord's Way

The Lord's way
Is always best
As we live in faith
He gives us peace and rest

On October 16th- In the Year 1536

On October 16th
In the year 1536
A pitiful figure was led
To his lone sentence of death

Having been in a damp dark dungeon
For a year and a half with no sun
He was brought forth out of the castle
And hoisted to a post along the wall

Then, given a moment...he uttered aloud
A prayer that the bible, in English, be allowed
He having been blessed to know many languages
Had translated it from Greek and Roman pages

As a religious man, he was a devoted student
Who against clergy, dared to declare an argument
Ignorance... he'd stated was completely pervasive
So, he vowed to make the scriptures purely persuasive

That... each might turn to and read God's word often
As even a farmer could search and possess them
He, inspired with courage and determined faith,
Felt his calling to put man in control of his fate

This was perceived as a threat to the church of his time
As they were adamant he'd be casting pearls before swine
With hope that God above would open up the kings eyes
He was strangled and burned...doubly sure...and as a martyr he died

William Tyndale we thank you
And fully express our gratitude
May we, known as the common man
Take the scriptures unto our hands

And like the farmer of the plough field who searched much and prayed
May our questions and prayers to God, all the more, daily be raised
May we each feel the scriptures are our greatest treasure
A blessing to hold we cannot even begin to measure

The Blessing of Scripture
Elder D. Todd Christofferson
Ensign, May 2010, 32

The Bibles were smuggled into England, where they were in great demand and much prized by those who could get them. They were shared widely but in secret. The authorities burned all the copies they could find. Nevertheless, within three years of Tyndale’s death, God did indeed open King Henry VIII’s eyes, and with publication of what was called the “Great Bible,” the scriptures in English began to be publicly available. Tyndale’s work became the foundation for almost all future English translations of the Bible, most notably the King James Version.1

William Tyndale was not the first, nor the last, of those who in many countries and languages have sacrificed, even to the point of death, to bring the word of God out of obscurity. We owe them all a great debt of gratitude. We owe perhaps an even greater debt to those who faithfully recorded and preserved the word through the ages, often with painstaking labor and sacrifice—Moses, Isaiah, Abraham, John, Paul, Nephi, Mormon, Joseph Smith, and many others. What did they know about the importance of scriptures that we also need to know? What did people in 16th-century England, who paid enormous sums and ran grave personal risks for access to a Bible, understand that we should also understand?