Trust

I love these two verses in Alma 36.

"I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions and shall be lifted up at the last day.... I have been supported under trials and troubles of every kind, yea, and in all manner of afflictions; yea, God has delivered me... yea, and I do put my trust in Him, and He will still deliver me." 

- Alma 36: 3 & 27

I can testify just the same as Alma did. I know that God loves us, that He is real! I know that if we put our trust in Him, there is nothing we can't make it through. He will guide our path all along the way.

- Alicia

God Speaks

I was reading through some old notes I jotted down by Henry Drummond from a book of his I read close to three years ago. I came across this quote that I liked and wanted to share it,

 "God often speaks to men's souls through music; 

He also speaks to us through art." 

- Henry Drummond

I smiled as I read this.
Maybe that's why I like the language so much - music and art.
God often speaks to my soul this way.

-Alicia :)

Even If... through the fire

There's a new song out by MercyMe  I wanted to share this evening. My hope in doing so is that it might be encouraging to someone who is consumed by despair from the burning flames of life's fiery furnace.

These verses strike my heart the most, The song is a prayer to God, one I think every Christian has felt at some moment in their life.

"It's easy to sing
When there's nothing to bring me down
But what will I say
When I'm held to the flame
Like I am right now

I know You're able and I know You can

Save through the fire with Your mighty hand

But even if You don't

My hope is You alone"

This reminds me very much of the wonderful talk given By Dennis E. Simmons thirteen years ago, But If Not, especially the last two paragraphs.

We must have the same faith as Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego.

"Our God will deliver us from ridicule and persecution, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from sickness and disease, but if not … . He will deliver us from loneliness, depression, or fear, but if not. … Our God will deliver us from threats, accusations, and insecurity, but if not. … He will deliver us from death or impairment of loved ones, but if not, … we will trust in the Lord.

Our God will see that we receive justice and fairness, but if not. … He will make sure that we are loved and recognized, but if not. … We will receive a perfect companion and righteous and obedient children, but if not, … we will have faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, knowing that if we do all we can do, we will, in His time and in His way, be delivered and receive all that He has."

 We might not have the answers to some of our experiences right now. Time may reveal it or at least content our souls with not knowing. But one thing is certain - God loves us and will see us through every heartache as we seek Him.

-Alicia

Building a Palace

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

― C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity

"And Mary said..." - Ponderize - Week 61

In our church, we use the phrase "magnify the Lord in your calling" quite a bit.  I've been thinking what it means to magnify the Lord.  All too often, we might think this means exhausting ourselves to do more, be more, to run "faster than we have strength" in order to magnify our calling but we forget "the Lord" part.

In Luke 1:46, Mary, the mother of Christ said, "My soul doth magnify the Lord."

What does it mean to magnify something? It means to increase, extend, expand, intensify. 

If it is the Lord that is the one that is magnified first in our heart and mind then He becomes bigger, stronger, more powerful than the other things that may try to consume us... like our fears, our weaknesses, our anxieties, our doubts, and even our foolish pride.  

The problems and struggles we face may seem Goliath in size, but when our soul magnifies the Lord,  we see that God is bigger than any obstacle. With this knowledge, we can do as David did: We will "hasten and [run] toward" those giants, with full confidence that we "come to [our problems] in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel" so "that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel." (1 Samuel 17:45, 46 & 48)

Through a vision that daily recognizes and embraces the all-consuming presence and power of God, we see that God is greater, He's stronger, He is more powerful than any troubles we face, and we will come off conquerors!! With God, we need not fear.   

-Alicia

Magnify

by, We Are Messengers

An Unseen Power- Ponderize - Week 53

We stayed up late last night with our kids huddled around the bedroom windows watching the most spectacular heavenly light show.  There's nothing quite as exciting as a good thunderstorm where the lighting bolts rhythmically dance in rapid succession brilliantly illuminating the panorama of the night sky.

I'm always dazzled by such displays of nature and I can't help but feel a little like Moses did when he witnessed the grandeur of God, "of the same he greatly marveled and wondered... Now... I know that man is nothing." (Moses 1:8&10)

Isn't it awesome to think that the Creator of all, the God of this Universe is our Father and that His power is not only available to us but that He wants to endow us, bestow, and enrich us with that same power!  It's not a small or inconsequential thing to have Him in your corner.

I absolutely loved the final hymn, Let Us All Press On, from General Conference yesterday. The choir sang it slower and with tremendous conviction. Tears were streaming down many of their faces as their souls bore personal testimony.

"Fear not though the enemy deride; 

Courage, for the Lord is on our side...

 If we do what's right we have no need to fear,

For the Lord, our helper, will ever be near;

In the days of trial his Saints he will cheer,

And prosper the cause of truth.

We will not retreat, though our numbers may be few

When compared with the opposite host in view;

But an unseen pow'r will aid me and you

In the glorious cause of truth."

I know there are dark and stormy clouds ahead and the prophesies of these last days are being fulfilled before our very eyes. But like electricity--we often cannot see it, yet the power of God is vibrant and living, ever-flowing around us. And in just the right moments the honest and faithful in heart will shine forth His power in a glorious display!

"Be strong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid... for the Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor forsake thee."- Deuteronomy 31:6

-Alicia

And... the view from HERE still makes me smile.

We got the keys to our garage last week and the keys to our house yesterday. We have been moving everything over slowly and will be in our home completely in just a few more days.  I took the kids over this evening to put a couple of things in order while the boys were at Priesthood Session.  I'm very happy to say that I still have a good view of Timp, the Y, and the Angel Moroni.  

I also noticed something else in this lovely little home of ours I hadn't noticed before... 

....a beautiful message on the bathroom mirror that trails off into forever,
"Believe in miracles everyday."  

Perfect, absolutely perfect! 

Yeah, I believe.

-Alicia :)

I Believe by, Catherine Papworth

Beautiful
Wonderful
With kindness and compassion on his face.
Merciful
And personal
Giver of the most amazing Grace.

He saved my life;
Opened up my eyes.
He gave everything to rescue me.
Knowing where I've been,
Let me start again.
Healed my broken heart and set me free.
I believe.

Creator
No one greater.
Maker of the heavens and the Earth.
Holy
King of Glory
Words cannot describe his endless worth.

He saved my life;
Opened up my eyes.
He gave everything to rescue me.
Knowing where I've been,
Let me start again.
Healed my broken heart and set me free.
I Believe.

Comfort
Keeper
Gracious
Redeemer
My Defender
Forever
And Ever

He saved my life
Opened up my eyes.
He gave everything to rescue me.
Knowing where I've been,
Let me start again.
Healed my broken heart and set me free.
Healed my broken heart and set me free.
I Believe.
I Believe.

In the Lord's Timing

We've been seriously looking at at a home to buy.  And we had one that we made an offer on but not an official offer.  We just texted the seller the other night and asked if he would consider our price and he agreed.  He sent us the paperwork for the official offer tonight with a promise that we would love the home and that he's excited to have us move there.

But we couldn't sign it.

This morning and all day we have felt frustration and confusion about buying this home even though it seems to fit just fine for what we need.  We could even move into it in a couple of weeks if we wanted.  Everything is ready... but something isn't settling with us.  We keep feeling like we need to wait. It's been hard because we don't want to look back with regret and realize we passed up a great home.  It has also been hard to discern between "a stupor of thought" or just our own desires to stall and hang on to what we have here.

Last week, when we were considering a different home and things fell through, Joseph picked up the Ensign wondering what direction it might have for us.  He came across an article entitled, "According to the Will and Timing of the Lord"  by, Elder Bednar.  It was so applicable for our situation!  This principle has returned to both our minds several times over this process,  "It's not ready yet.  Not yet."  The question is: Do we have the courage to trust this?  Do we trust that there is something better out there?

We can look more.  We can take our time.  The Lord softened our Landlady's heart to allow us month-to-month.  Maybe it's meant for us to take advantage of that?

We knelt and prayed tonight and presented our decision to the Lord to pass on this home and to wait a little longer.  As we did so, we both felt the tension leave us and peace return.  Joseph emailed the seller to inform him that we won't be signing the offer.  This wasn't easy to make but we feel good with it.

Tomorrow we are going to the Temple together to seek more guidance and inspiration.  We pray with all our hearts that we might be in tune enough to recognize where exactly we need to be.

"Strong faith in the Savior is submissively accepting of His will and timing in our lives—

even if the outcome is not what we hoped for or wanted." 

- Elder David A. Bednar

-Alicia

"There is a God in Heaven" - Ponderize - Week 36

"...We know that there is a God in heaven, who is infinite and eternal, from everlasting to everlasting the same unchangeable God, the framer of heaven and earth, and all things which are in them." D&C 20:17

In my studies this morning, I came across this scripture I've just quoted. All day, I've been thinking about what a blessing it is to know that there is a God in Heaven and that He knows each and every one of us, that we are His literal spirit children, and that He is deeply and intimately involved in every detail of our lives. What comfort this gives in all our various struggles and trials we face.

Tonight, I found this 2 minute video clip on the LDS youth page.  It fits perfectly!

It reminds me of a quote from Our Creator's Cosmos by Elder Neal A. Maxwell:
"In the expansiveness of space, there is stunning personalness, for God knows and loves each of us! (see 1 Nephi 11:17). We are not ciphers in unexplained space! While the Psalmist’s query was, “What is man, that thou art mindful of him?” (Psalm 8:4), mankind is at the very center of God’s work. We are the sheep of His hand and the people of His pasture (see Psalms 79:13; 95:7; 100:3). His work includes our immortalization—accomplished by Christ’s glorious Atonement! Think of it, brothers and sisters, even with their extensive longevity, stars are not immortal, but you are."

There's a song I listen to on my Christian radio station. If you look up the lyrics, they might seem a little repetitive but honestly, I find them powerful.  You can't help but rejoice when you sing these words over and over again.

Our God

"Into the darkness you shine out of the ashes we rise
there's no one like you, none like You!

Our God is greater, our God is stronger,
God you are higher than any other.

Our God is Healer, Awesome in Power, Our God! Our God!...

...And if our God is for us, then who could ever stop us.

And if our God is with us, then what could stand against."

Anyway, I look at Who we have constantly cheering us on and I can't help but think, "What is there to fear? He's got us!  He has everything under control. He knows exactly what He's doing and He's doing amazing things with our lives we can't even begin to comprehend."  I love this!

-Alicia :)

Peace From Invulnerable Faith

“Two artists each painted a picture to illustrate his conception of rest. The first chose for his scene a still, lone lake among the far-off mountains. It was a serene and beautiful scene; yes, very calming, very restful to look at. But the second artist, on his canvas, wildly painted a thundering waterfall. You could almost hear the roaring of the water. But a closer look revealed a fragile birch tree bending over the mist of the roaring water. At the fork of the branch, wet with spray, there sat a robin on its nest.” -Henry Drummond

It is this second illustration that I find so intriguing and most easy to relate to:

This peace is something found in our Father in Heaven, in the sure knowledge of His power through Christ and the intimate involvement of Them in our lives manifested by the Spirit of God.  This peace grows like a seed through a myriad of our own experiences and trials of faith over a life-time.

The beauty is discovered when we realize that such peace is not the absence of struggle, tension, opposition, or pain... rather it is a perfect calm in the midst of all these things.  A perfect trust in our Father in Heaven that casts out any fear of what might or might not unfold tomorrow.  It comes from knowing one's own intentions and knowing their path is aligned with God's.  This peace is the fruit born out of those personal moments where we come to know for ourselves something of God's omnipotence, omniscience, and infinite love for us, where we come to know that He holds everything in His perfect hands.

It's strange how even in the midst of struggle or turmoil there is also a sense of joy, like a robin singing in its nest... not because everything is running smoothly or how we might expect it to, but because it is anchored in what really matters and trusts the Hand that governs such matters.

Through deep and regular prayer - day in and day out, through daily consistent and regular study of the scriptures, and through constant striving to apply God's word and seek His spirit, I have tasted of His love and awareness for me again, and again, and again.

This morning, I reviewed a few conference talks given a couple of weeks ago and feel as if this quote from Jeffery R. Holland is completely fitting for the subject of invulnerable faith:

"[God's] love is the foundation stone of eternity, and it should be the foundation stone of our daily life. Indeed it is only with that reassurance burning in our soul that we can have the confidence to keep trying to improve, keep seeking forgiveness for our sins, and keep extending that grace to our neighbor.

President George Q. Cannon once taught: “No matter how serious the trial, how deep the distress, how great the affliction, [God] will never desert us. He never has, and He never will. He cannot do it. It is not His character [to do so]. … He will [always] stand by us. We may pass through the fiery furnace; we may pass through deep waters; but we shall not be consumed nor overwhelmed. We shall emerge from all these trials and difficulties the better and purer for them.” - Jeffrey R. Holland - Tomorrow the Lord will Do Wonders

As Henry Drummond so beautifully wrote, I also testify that "Rest... is the mind at leisure from itself.  It is the perfect poise of the soul; the absolute adjustment of the inward man to the stress of all outward things; the preparedness against every emergency; the stability of assured convictions; the eternal calm of an invulnerable faith; the repose of a heart set deep in God.  It is the mood of the man who says, with Browning, 'God's in His Heaven, all's well with the world.'"

And so... "Whatever tomorrow brings, together we'll rise and sing that we won't be shaken."

-Alicia :)
He Showed Me How

"Believe in God"- Ponderize - Week 28

After connecting through blogs and Facebook for around nine years, I was finally able to meet my friend, Tony Diaz, in person!  He messaged me yesterday saying he was in Utah and wanted to know if he could come down for a visit.  We had him join our family for a lovely little dinner and FHE. During the lesson, we turned the time over to him to share his conversion story.  I never get tired of hearing it. This guy has incredible faith and courage.  It was wonderful!

We had some great discussions on how aware our Father in Heaven is of us and how anxious He is to answer our prayers.  We talked about the times in which we live and marveled at the glorious things we are witnessing in the Gospel throughout the world.  

The scripture that has been coming to my mind all day today is Mosiah 4:9.  I think it's a great one to ponder for the week.  There's a lot of things in life I simply don't understand... but I DO know with complete certainty that God is real, that He is powerful, that we can tap into His power and grace if we sincerely seek it.  I know without any doubt that He hears and answers every prayer, that He loves us deeply, and that we can't even begin to comprehend His plans for us.

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." - Mosiah 4:9

-Alicia :)

Timp, the Y, and the Angel Moroni

Early last September, I wrote a post about the perfect view from my apartment.  From the windows of my place, I can see three significant markers in my life all somehow tied together and playing out a story:  Mt. Timpanogos, The "Y" for BYU, and the Angel Moroni who stands atop our beautiful City Center Temple.

If you ever go to a Temple Open House, you might have the opportunity to see some gorgeous murals.  Many of our temples have them in the creation room.  Our new City Center Temple opened its doors in January of this year to give visitors a first-time view before it was dedicated in March.

I could spend all day staring at the brush strokes and color details on the walls.  What I wouldn't give to learn the technique of these master artists! It's awe-inspiring! Someday, when we own our home, I'd love to take a room and paint over every last inch of the walls and ceiling, creating my own mural.

This past week, I went to do a session at our new Temple and found myself lost in the artwork surrounding me.  Then, I noticed something I hadn't before.  (Anyone can interpret it how they want.  In fact, most people won't find any meaning in it at all... but I saw it... and for me, it was personal.)

 In the back of the creation room in this House of the Lord, crowned with the Angel Moroni, there was painted within the mural Mt. Timpanogos and a cougar (which is BYU's mascot).  I smiled when I put them together.  There they were... that lovely little trilogy pattern of significant markers in my life reoccurring all in one place: Timp, the "Y", and the Angel Moroni. Once again, from where I stood, it was the perfect view!

-Alicia