Tag Archive for: faith

The Laboratory of Life

Life is a laboratory, much like the scientific lab where our son Kyle works tirelessly to test and refine ideas.
As a PhD student in Chemistry, Kyle’s experiments often lead to setbacks, frustrations, and occasional breakthroughs.
He invests countless hours in refining, testing and validating something over long periods of time, transforming theories into realities.
Sometimes he fails, things don’t go quite as expected and yet every small action he takes, contributes to the bigger picture.
Yet, through his experiments with different strategies, learning from those experiences, continuously pushing forward that ultimately leads to success and sometimes unexpected results.
His insights and knowledge grow through his struggles.

Life Lessons

Like Kyle’s research, life provides opportunities to learn from successes and failures, just as those experiments do for him in his laboratory.
Similarly, life’s challenges and experiences test our character, faith, and resilience, shaping us into who we are meant to become.
Our everyday experiences and situations act like a science lab, where we learn, experiment, and observe how to navigate different challenges and situations.
Like Kyle’s experiments, each of us are in a way, proven in the laboratory of our own life.
Sometimes in life, things don’t go quite as we had hoped or planned.
We experiment with our human experience, and through our struggles, our efforts and hard work, truths are established.
I believe that the purpose of all of our life experiences, or those testing experiments we sometimes endure, help us to grow and become more like our Saviour Jesus Christ.
Personal trials, family difficulties, financial struggles, and health crises, each push our faith to new limits.
By facing each trial, we learn more about ourselves, and more about the gospel principles that can carry us through each test.
In my own laboratory of time, my testimony has been shaped not by one grand moment, but by a thousand small experiments, to trust in God.
“..awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith,… even if ye can no more than desire to believe.” – Alma 32:27
Just like Kyle’s scientific procedures that establish truths, a spiritual experiment produces, conviction, knowledge, light and eternal truths.
Begin your spiritual experiment today.
Act on even the smallest desire to follow Christ, and watch as your faith grows into conviction.

In Harmony

Every Sunday morning, ever since I can remember, I have attended a Sacrament meeting of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Like many other religious denominations, in our communal worship, we sing congregational hymns together.
I have a few favourites that I have grown to love.
The last few years whilst serving in Belgium and the Netherlands, I also learned to sing the hymns in a different language and enjoyed getting my tongue around the more difficult words!

The Results…

In every congregation, there are some who sing very well, some who used to sing quite well, and others who have yet to find their singing voices! 😉
Sometimes the result of our communal singing together is pleasing to the ear and on other occasions it can be less so!
All are welcome to join in regardless of their singing ability.
Expressing our individuality is accepted by all.
In our congregational singing, each of us joins our voices and hearts and souls with no regard to elegance, exactness or talent, unitedly strengthening our combined faith in God.
I have many memories of disharmonious moments, including times when I’ve been way off key!
Yet, occasionally, when we make a concerted effort to sing together in real harmony, our joined voices create a sacred atmosphere that helps us all to feel closer to God.
“𝑯𝒂𝒓𝒎𝒐𝒏𝒚” is the pleasant combination of different notes of music played at the same time.
Over the years, I’ve found that singing hymns together offers an opportunity to strengthen that harmony, both musically and spiritually, aligning our voices and hearts with the purpose of worshiping God and reinforcing gospel principles.
Singing hymns together is a form of participation that transcends our spoken languages, bringing people of different backgrounds and experiences into harmony—literally and figuratively.

Our Beliefs

As we sing, we are reminded of our shared beliefs and values, united in song from the youngest to the oldest.
The powerful messages of the words also reinforce bonds of friendship and foster a sense of belonging.
This unity creates an environment where we all feel supported and spiritually connected.
Even scripture underscores the importance of singing praises as a form of worship.
For instance, in Doctrine and Covenants 25:12, the Lord declares, “For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me.”
It is a wonderful feeling to be in harmony with others.
What creates harmony for you?

“I don’t know…”

And yet – why can so many of us not say it?
Perhaps fearing someone will think less of you, if you don’t know.
For many, not knowing something can seem like a personal failure.
Worse still, pretending to know something you don’t, can put a lot of pressure on you.
We simply cannot know everything, and we shouldn’t pretend to.
The truth is nobody has all the answers.
Many years ago, early in my sales career, I was frequently asked questions about products, costs, how things worked etc, and I’d respond with; “𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘!”
I’d learned to use the words some years earlier as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as an 18-year-old in London, where I’d constantly be asked questions that I simply didn’t know the answer to.
It didn’t signal the end of my faith, but the very beginning… as quickly I’d say; “I’m happy to find out…”
And off I’d go in personal study to find the answer to the question at hand.

With life…

So it is throughout my life…
I have found “𝑰 𝒅𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘” to be a powerful and helpful phrase for many reasons:
– Admitting you don’t know something shows honesty and humility, which fosters trust.
– By acknowledging that you don’t know something, it can open a door for learning by creating space for curiosity, growth, study and learning from others.
– Saying “I don’t know” relieves pressure, gives you time to think and allows you to be more open-minded.
– In group settings it can encourage collaboration as others are more open to share their knowledge and experiences.
– It stops you from making assumptions or giving misleading information.

With Faith…

When it comes to matters of faith and life, I learned many important lessons as a young missionary.
I didn’t ever understand everything, I didn’t pretend to and still don’t!
Yet, when it came to those frequent moments of truth, I focused on the things I did know, rather than what I didn’t know.
In the Book of Mormon, Nephi said, “I know that [God] loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things” – 1 Nephi 11:17
When we admit to not knowing something, it allows us to move forward in a much humbler way.
It fills our hearts and minds with a greater faith in God, through hope and prayer, that He will make up the difference.
He always does.
Perhaps it’s time we all need to start using “𝐈 𝐝𝐨𝐧’𝐭 𝐤𝐧𝐨𝐰” more often.

The Source

In my preparations for a forthcoming learning intervention with a large company, I held a 1-1 call with the leader of the organisation.
He shared lots of thoughts, feelings, analysis and views about current issues, yet I felt I needed more.
After some in depth discussion, I suggested that it would be helpful to meet 1 by 1 with each of the Senior Management Team (SMT).
Thus, I travelled south, to be with them this week.
After setting the context, I asked one question and ran a little activity, repeating it several times over two days.
In each of my personal encounters, one by one they spoke openly and passionately about their responsibilities.
The outcomes were insightful, helpful and enlightening.
Spending time with each leader, connecting with them, grasping their perspectives and engaging with them personally helped me to discern the nature of the challenges at hand.
Direct communication, powerful questioning and active listening were key to each of them giving me their personal views.
Reflecting upon this activity, I believe it to have been a successful use of everyone’s time.

Why?

I went to 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞.

In our dialogue, connecting with each member of the SMT was a powerful 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 of helpful insight, allowing me to foster authentic relationships and avoid any distortion of information.

Since then, I have thought about another 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 of even greater insight.
Going to 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞, especially in matters of faith and spirituality, carries an unparalleled significance that cannot be replaced by second-hand knowledge, interpretation, or analysis.

Who?

I believe that Jesus Christ is “𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆”” of all peace, light, truth and joy.
When we go to Him, we are referring to an intimate, personal encounter with the divine that shapes our spiritual understanding and life in ways that books, sermons, or even conversations with others can never fully achieve.
Encountering Jesus Christ in a personal, direct manner leads to deep, long-lasting change.
𝐇𝐞 is 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒐𝒖𝒓𝒄𝒆 of the living waters, providing an abundance of life, spiritual sustenance and joy.
Speaking to the Samaritan woman as she drew from Jacob’s well, Jesus declared “But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.” – John 4:13-14
I hope that we will all choose to drink from the divine 𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞 of all living waters and connect with Him, even Jesus Christ.

Go and Do

It is one thing to go.

It is another thing to do.

Missionary preparation is to be ready to go and do whatever the Lords wants done.

Having worked amongst hundreds of missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the last three years, and thousands throughout my lifetime, they all give me hope for the future of our communities and nations.

Simply stated – they go and do.

Arriving

Arriving infield at Orientation Day, under the watchful eye of Jesus Christ, they select a go and do T-shirt, as a constant reminder of the words spoken by Nephi:

“I will go and do the things which the Lord commanded…” 1 Nephi 3:7

With sufficient faith, and with great intent they go and do whatever He asks.

Laurel Storheim and Sydnee Fillmore, currently serving in Apeldoorn, in the Netherlands, (their fourth transfer together,) are a great example of missionaries who go and do.

Like thousands of missionaries throughout the world, they ask themselves “Based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, what can we go and do today, that will make a difference for someone in our community?”

Scriptures

In Acts 10:38, the apostle Peter describes Jesus Christ as one who “went about doing good.”

Jesus did not solely preach about doing good; He exemplified it through His one by one actions.

His life of selfless service acts as a model for each of us to be personally and actively engaged in helping others.

As Laurel and Sydnee seek to do good, they stand as witnesses of Him.

Without action, without doing, good intentions remain unfulfilled.

Helping others by doing good, is a reflection of our compassion, empathy, and love.

These values, embodied in Jesus’ ministry, are essential to creating a more compassionate world, of which we are in much need of right now.

Service

I’ll never forget the devastating floods that hit Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands in July 2021, shortly after we commenced our missionary service.

Our missionaries at the time took action, going and doing by making regular visits to provide service in and around Liège.

Let’s follow the missionaries example, take action, make a difference in the world, choose to go and do.

You can help in a flooded area, paint a neighbours fence, pick up litter along the street, say hello to a stranger, or ask someone “What can I do for you?” – opportunities are all around us.

Through selfless service, when we go and do good, we inspire others to do the same.

What will you do to love and serve someone in need today?

God-incidence

For those of us who have put our faith and trust in God, there seems to be a lot of “coincidences.”
I believe that God puts people in our way for a reason and He was at work again this week, with my dear friend Derek.
We were talking about recognising “hand of the Lord” moments in our life, when he introduced me to the term “𝑮𝒐𝒅-𝒊𝒏𝒄𝒊𝒅𝒆𝒏𝒄𝒆.”
It was the very first time I’d heard such a phrase.
“𝐆𝐨𝐝-𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞” – A happening exceeding happenstance.
The hand of the Lord, divine design, divine signatures, divine appointment, divinely orchestrated, providential coincidences, or even… strikingly juxtaposed events!
I encourage you to reflect on the sheer ‘coincidences’ in your life.
Could they be ‘God-incidences?

You decide!

Does any of this sound familiar?
“That is simply not possible.”
“Wasn’t that just perfect timing?”
“And you just happened to be in the right place at the right time.”
“I couldn’t have planned that better if I’d tried.”
“It just so happened that in that moment…”
God doesn’t work by coincidence.
I believe in God-incidence.
And this is not a faith specific phenomenon.
It occurs in all faiths and beliefs.
And yet, it baffles believers and sceptics alike.
I also believe all things are crafted by God — including time.
He is omnipotent, omniscient and omnipresent!
Nothing is random with Him.
If you are devoted to Jesus Christ, I am sure you’ll notice God-incidence, yet many will argue simply human coincidence.
However, I know that Jesus Christ is a loving God and He has intentional plans for each of us.
“The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in his way.” – Psalms 37:23
Let’s expect Him to be at work, in our day, every day!
Look very carefully at your own life today.
Watch and see those God-incidences unfold…

My Witness

Throughout my life, I have witnessed many physical events that have changed the world.
I can sign up and say I’ve seen them all.
On July 13th, 1985, The Live Aid concerts held in London and Philadelphia, that were broadcast to the world, raised $125 million dollars in relief aid to famine-stricken eastern Africa.
A few months later on January 28th, 1986, just over a minute after lift-off from the Kennedy Space Centre, the space shuttle Challenger exploded, killing all seven crew members.
On November 9th, 1989, as the Cold War began to ease, the destruction of the wall in Berlin that led to millions of people celebrating in the streets across the world.
1994 – Nelson Mandela elected President of South Africa.
1997 – Princess Diana dies in car crash
2001 – 9/11
2004 – Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami
2008 – the Great Recession and financial crisis
2020 – the Covid-19 Pandemic
2022 – the death of Queen Elizabeth II

Personal Events

I have also witnessed many personal events.
Graduating from University, getting married, the birth of our children, the death of my gran, my nana, my father and father-in-law and a host of others.
I testify that I have witnessed all of these in my lifetime.
There is, however, a spiritual witness that is more than a singular event.
It has been a constant throughout my life.
Between 1983 and 1985, as an 18-year-old, I served as a full-time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in London.
It was there, acting in faith, in my studies, prayers and service that I received a witness of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.
Twenty centuries ago, the gospel of Jesus Christ turned the world upside down.
Through the great apostasy that true gospel was lost for generations.

Changes

It was in my teenage years, that my witness of and faith in Jesus Christ was impressed upon my mind, which changed my life and gave me great hope, in a battered and troubled world.
I testify, He has made a difference for me, and He will make all the difference for you.
Like so many other Christians today, I refuse to be silent.
My signature if you will, has been added to millions of others.
Jesus Christ will never give up pursuing or loving you.
I witness that He is the only way to find real joy.
Events continue to happen in an ever-changing world, but let me assure you, there is a divine work in progress.
I invite you to come unto Christ, let Him change your world.

Mothers of Faith

Across a large part of the world today, it’s Mother’s Day.
To each of you dear mothers, we express our sincere gratitude and thanks.
Your precious sons and daughters are safe as they serve here in Belgium and the Netherlands.
We appreciate you for being the kind of mothers you are and doing the things you do.

Faith

Thank you for your faith and constant sacrifices.
We know you love, cherish, encourage, respect and inspire each of them.
Like you, we hope and pray for their success and happiness – daily.
We promise to love them, help them, watch over them and treat them as if they were our very own sons and daughters.
We feel as if they are!
We can’t send you your missionary today.

Flowers

Nor is it likely that you’ll receive real flowers from your missionary son or daughter.
But take a look at our latest mission pictures below.
What we can send you are some pictures of a few of your sons and daughters surrounded by lots of flowers! 😊
We are pleased to report, that they are blooming, just like Keukenhof’s tulip gardens!
It is a sweet honour and privilege to serve side by side with each of them.
We truly work with the greatest young men and women on planet earth.
We know that, and feel that, every single day.
We know too that they love you, so very, very much.
We likewise know that your love is unconditional, unbreakable, and forever.
The love you have for your son or daughter is like nothing else in the world.
You will recall a recent statement by President Russell M. Nelson…
“Our Heavenly Father has reserved many of His most noble spirits—perhaps, I might say, His finest team—for this final phase. Those noble spirits—those finest players, those heroes—are you!”
It is our witness, that each of your sons and daughters are part of “His finest team” here in Belgium and the Netherlands.
Dear Mothers – may the blessings of heaven be poured out upon each of you on this special day as you continue to exercise your faith and watch from afar.

New Arrivals

Last Friday, we welcomed 10 new missionaries to the Belgium Netherlands Mission.
Being with them was a real joy! 😍
Picture for a moment that you put your heart out in front of you, so that you can take a long look and carefully consider what is inside.
That is what each these young people will do for the next 18 or 24 months, exploring and sharing the feelings of their hearts.
They’ll consider…
– their hopes
– their dreams
– their feelings
– their faith
– their fears
– their desires
– their attitudes
– their opportunities
– their purpose in life
– their futures.
Along the way they will speak with thousands of people and help each of them to come to know Jesus Christ, better than they know Him now.
Look out for each one of them and ask them why they came to Belgium and the Netherlands – they’d love to speak with you!

The Multiplier Effect

I offered a 1 Euro coin to the missionaries on Friday.
“How much is that worth” I asked?
“1 Euro” came the reply.
I inquired further, “Are you sure?”
“Yes” he said.
I responded, “It’s actually worth a lot more than that, let me show you how.”
I purchased a random item from the first missionary with the 1 Euro coin.
Then he purchased an item from the second missionary in line with the same 1 Euro coin.
The second bought something from the third, and the third bought something from the fourth, with the same 1 Euro coin.
As if by magic, the 1 Euro coin had now become worth 4 Euro’s.
Repeating the process, 1 Euro can become worth thousands of Euro’s.

The Multiplier

In economics it’s called the 𝒎𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓 𝒆𝒇𝒇𝒆𝒄𝒕.
Multiplying means to increase or cause to increase greatly in number or quantity.
I’ve learned that there are, earthly economic principles and divine eternal principles of multiplying – it depends on who is doing the work.

Scripturally

For instance, the scriptures are filled with stories of multiplying.
In each of the Gospels, we read about the 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓, our Saviour Jesus Christ, feeding the 5,000 with five loaves and two fishes.
We understand that after the breaking, came the giving.
In Mark 6:42-43 we read “And they did all eat and were filled. And they took up twelve baskets full of the fragments, and of the fishes.”
The multiplication was a result of His work, not our work.
To meet a great need, He always starts with what we have.
I know that Jesus Christ is an expert at multiplication.
Time and time again, our Saviour takes something small, ordinary, seemingly irrelevant, and multiplies it into something amazing, remarkable and of eternal significance.

Starting Small

I find it interesting that He always starts small.
The loaves and fishes were broken by His hands.
Sometimes we are broken too, before we see the blessings of the Great multiplier.
Tenderly, He will multiply your faith, your hope, your love, your joy and your worth.
He can supply all that you need, in abundance.
Let Him be your 𝑮𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕 𝑴𝒖𝒍𝒕𝒊𝒑𝒍𝒊𝒆𝒓.
Ask the missionaries – they’ll help you understand.