Thoughts and stories, by Pal

This has helped me understand small ways the Spirit is part of daily life! Seeing God in Your Everyday Life By  Wallace Goddard  · May 4, 2020 Joseph was soul weary. He was tired of contention about religion and he was burdened by his own shortcomings. He was spiritually hungry. He responded to James’ invitation to seek wisdom and went into a grove to get some heavenly guidance for his life. In a stand of trees near the Smith’s humble home, Joseph got the biggest surprise in the history of this world. He did not get what he expected—a subtle impression in answer to his spiritual questions. He did not simply get comfort and assurance to keep plodding along. Nope. Heavenly Father and His Beloved Son made a personal visit and called young Joseph to be the answer to his own dilemma. He was to partner with Them in launching the most glorious of dispensations. It took years for young Joseph to make sense of that experience. It was a lot to take in....

Living Up to Our Privileges: A Consecrated Life By  Meghan Decker  · November 19, 2019 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE Every time I hear the quote from Brigham Young about living beneath my privileges, I experience FOMO—fear of missing out. While that can feel like an underhanded marketing trick when I’m convinced to buy something “While They Last!”, Brigham Young’s insight invites me to think about whether I am fully living the life that can be mine: There is no doubt, if a person lives according to the revelations given to God’s people, he may have the Spirit of the Lord to signify to him his will, and to guide and to direct him in the discharge of his duties, in his temporal as well as his spiritual exercises. I am satisfied, however, that in this respect, we live far beneath our privileges. ( Discourses of Brigham Young , p. 32) Those are invaluable promises: the Spirit of the Lord will help me understand God’s...

Very insightful article by Darla Isackson.  This may help, when we feel overwhelmed by stress, and possibly not following promptings we have felt, and then had fear of following them. Are you in the Spiritual Stress Cycle? By Darla Isackson  · March 22, 2018 Sign up for Meridian’s Free Newsletter, please  CLICK HERE I’ve sometimes felt spiritually paralyzed by extreme doubt and fear, questioning my beliefs, who I am, and what the Lord wants me to do with my life. LDS Psychologist John C. Turpin pinpointed the most likely reason for these feelings and called it: “the Spiritual Stress Cycle” In his book,  Stress Reduction for Mormons,  he describes this cycle: The Spiritual Stress Cycle is a pattern one gets into by not following individual promptings of the Spirit of the Lord. The Spiritual Stress Cycle can be illustrated as follows: The Spirit prompts an individual to change [or to move forward in some kind of positive act...

This is a lovely Christmas story.  I like to read and share uplifting stories and ideas.  After a very busy Thanksgiving with 28 people in our home for dinner. I have just been resting a couple of days after everyone left to go home.  I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving, and now we enter on the most giving time of the year -- Christmas!  I hope this blog brings cheer to all! "God Told Me to Give You This:" The Surprising Way One Christmas Card Traveled Hundreds of Miles to Answer a Prayer by M.C. Sutton  | Nov. 28, 2015 Makes You Think Mormon Life  From LDS Living "And the greatest of these?" asked Emma. "The Connection," answered Jon. "That which binds us all together. And to the world around us." -from "Book 5: One Voice Shall Rise" "Can we help them?" "Sure," answers Josh as he glances in the rearview mirror before pulling onto th...

This post was on this blog on Nov. 7, 2014, on Elder Richard Scott's birthday.  I noticed someone had read it today, and I read it over again, and decided it is worth re-printing!  He is now very ill, and isn't able to do his work as an apostle, due to poor health, and some dementia because of it, as I understand.  So it is important to remember some of the inspired counsel he has given before.  This today is truly wonderful!  So I'm posting it as it was last November. Happy Birthday, Elder Richard G. Scott.  This was on LDS Living today, Nov. 7, 2014. Elder Scott's 21 Principles to Help You Live by the Spirit EXCERPTED FROM  21 PRINCIPLES  BY ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT -  Today Elder Scott celebrates his 86th year. In a long life dedicated to the Lord, he's learned a lot. Here are  21 divine truths Elder Scott has shared  to help us all live more fully by the Spirit. Photo from  lds.org . Humankind has always b...

Happy Birthday, Elder Richard G. Scott.  This was on LDS Living today, Nov. 7, 2014. Elder Scott's 21 Principles to Help You Live by the Spirit EXCERPTED FROM  21 PRINCIPLES  BY ELDER RICHARD G. SCOTT -  Today Elder Scott celebrates his 86th year. In a long life dedicated to the Lord, he's learned a lot. Here are  21 divine truths Elder Scott has shared  to help us all live more fully by the Spirit. Photo from  lds.org . Humankind has always benefited from obedience to true principles. The fearless Polynesians in precarious craft crossed an immense ocean for destinations thousands of miles away. That feat was accomplished not by chance but by adherence to sound principles of celestial navigation. They prepared carefully and did not succumb to temptations to deviate from their course or delay en route. In like manner, you and I can be assured of reaching worthy objectives in life by understanding and consistently following  corre...