Tag Archive for: light

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 everyoneโ€™s time.

Why?

I went to ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž.

In our dialogue, connecting with each member of the SMT was a powerful ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž of helpful insight, allowing me to foster authentic relationships and avoid any distortion of information.

Since then, I have thought about another ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž of even greater insight.
Going to ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž, 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 “๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’”๐’๐’–๐’“๐’„๐’†”” 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.
๐‡๐ž is ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’”๐’๐’–๐’“๐’„๐’† of the living waters, providing an abundance of life, spiritual sustenance and joy.
Speaking to the Samaritan woman as she drew from Jacobโ€™s well, Jesus declared โ€œBut 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.โ€ โ€“ John 4:13-14
I hope that we will all choose to drink from the divine ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ๐œ๐ž of all living waters and connect with Him, even Jesus Christ.

Missionary WORK

โ€œThis is hard work,โ€ said the young missionary.
โ€œYes, it is,โ€ I said, โ€œbut isnโ€™t it great!โ€
๐–๐จ๐ซ๐ค: โ€œan activity involving mental or physical effort done in order to achieve a purpose or result.โ€
We held Zone Conferences in Antwerp and Zoetermeer this week.
There was insightful instruction given throughout each session.
For a large portion of my time, I chose to focus a lot of my direction around one wordโ€ฆ. โ€œ๐–๐Ž๐‘๐Š!โ€
Today, many have forgotten the value of work and look upon it as something to avoid.
David O. McKay said, โ€œLet us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success.โ€
I learned the value of work through my parents example, they were certainly unafraid of hard work.
In the summer of 1977, when I was 12 years old, I started a daily early morning newspaper round.
By 5.30am, I was in the newsagentโ€™s sorting out the newspapers for early morning delivery.
Frequently, Iโ€™d head off on my round on my bicycle.

Dynamo’s

In those days my lights were powered by a dynamo on the wheel.
The output of the dynamo was determined by how hard I pedalled.
If I pedalled hard, the lights were bright.
Pedalling softer, the lights were dimmer.
If I stopped there was no light.
And so, it is with all of us in life, especially in missionary work.

Pedal hard

You have to keep pedalling and working hard to have light in your life.
Itโ€™s my experience that industry, devotion, and hard work lead to enlightened progress.
There is no substitute to hard work.
Gordon B. Hinckley said โ€œNothing happens unless we work. You never will plough a field by turning it over in your mind. You have to get out and take hold of the plough and go to work. Work is what makes things happen.โ€
In Missionary work, the requirement is ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’Œ!
It became part of me a long time ago.
Let it become part of you too.
It is through the discipline of work, that we determine what we become.
What role has work played in your life?

The Candlestick

Recently, we discovered that the mission home didnโ€™t have any candlesticks.
Our quest – find an appropriate one!
โ€œWhat is Christmas without candlesโ€ we thought.
In town, we peered through the kringloop window.
Pointing to a Scrooge like candlestick, โ€œI like that oneโ€ฆโ€ I said.
And so, Monic and I walked inside the higgledy-piggledy tardis like little shop.
As we walked around, we gazed upon candlesticks of every size, shape, and material.
Eventually, we settled on the one that we admired in the window.
We purchased our favoured brass candlestick with another smaller one too.
Both were in need of a good polish.
We purchased some brasso and went to work on cleaning them, removing the dirt & grime of the yesteryears.
Why go to all this effort I hear you ask?

Powered by…

Our home, and Christmas tree are decorated with sparkling lights, all powered by electricity.
Jesus said to his followers, โ€œI am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.โ€ โ€“ John 8:12.
Wouldnโ€™t it be much more powerful I thought, if each of our lives were powered and illuminated by Him, the light of the world?
In a like manner, each Christmas allows us to clean up, polish and rid ourselves of the dirt & grime of the year gone by focusing our heart and mind on the birth of our Saviour Jesus Christ, so we can enjoy the โ€œlight of life.โ€
He said, โ€œYe are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.โ€ – Matthew 5:14-16
The one thing our world needs more than anything right now, more than any other, is the ๐’ˆ๐’Š๐’‡๐’• ๐’๐’‡ ๐’๐’Š๐’ˆ๐’‰๐’•.
The boundaries of darkness must be pushed back.
Remember, we are the candles of the Lord.
โ€œThe spirit of man,โ€ as the scripture says, โ€œis the candle of the Lord.โ€ Proverbs 20:27
This Christmas time, as you turn the lights on at home, or light a flickering candle, remember to polish the light of your spirit, with the great eternal light, even ๐•ต๐–Š๐–˜๐–š๐–˜ ๐•ฎ๐–๐–—๐–Ž๐–˜๐–™.

Chargรฉ d’affaires

On Friday evening, Monic and I attended a โ€œLight the Worldโ€ dinner in the European Quarter in Brussels.
The annual event is attended by Ambassadors and Diplomatic representatives from all around the world.
To my left, sat the Chargรฉ d’affaires of Libya.
To my right, sat the Chargรฉ d’affaires of Belarus.
Both head up their diplomatic missions to the European Union.
I was dressed in my kilt, and they were taken by my attire.
They had many questions.
I hadnโ€™t worn it for a while. Somehow it was a little smaller!? ๐Ÿ˜‰
As we settled into the evening, we discussed many things, enjoyed some delicious food and appreciated some delightful music.

Christmas Traditions

Both of my new friends shared stories about their families, their Christmas traditions, and their diplomatic missions to the European Union.
Representing their nations affairs, they shared with me the difficulties, and challenges of conflict, having experienced much adversity in recent years.
Our conversation turned to the reason for our gathering.
โ€œ๐‹๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญโ€
I felt a real longing from both of my new friends.
A longing for more light, in a darkening and difficult world.
They asked about my faith.
I spoke of Jesus Christ, and that He is โ€œ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’๐’Š๐’ˆ๐’‰๐’• ๐’๐’‡ ๐’•๐’‰๐’† ๐’˜๐’๐’“๐’๐’…โ€.
โ€œWe want the world to know of the peace that comes from following Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Let us follow Him as we try to light the world and share the light of Christ in our own small ways this Christmas season.โ€ โ€“ Elder Quentin L. Cook.
Jesus Christ is literally the Prince of Peace.
He can bring peace to all who are ravaged by war.
His message is peace on earth and goodwill toward men.
Departing, each guest received a special candle to light this Christmas season.
As a follower of Jesus Christ, may I invite you this Christmas, to share His light by letting your light shine in all that you do.
How can you let your light shine?

Seekers Wanted

As a child, I often played hide-n-seek.
Hide-n-seek was a favourite game to play with our own children, especially in holiday homes, with so many fun places to hide.
Turning the lights off at night and hiding in the dark was always a riot.
Remember counting to 10, then shouting โ€œHere I come, ready or not!?โ€
๐’๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  to find someone in the dark with a torch light was such fun!
The word ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค means to go in search of, try to discover, try to acquire, with energy, direction, passion, and purpose. And that was always the case with hide-n-seek!
๐’๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  implies so much more than merely looking.
๐’๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ข๐ง๐  is always more of a journey, than any single event.
And on any journey, there are always many peaks and valleys.
I encounter many in the world looking for answers to the question that Jesus asked in the New Testament, โ€œWhat ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค ye?โ€ โ€“ John 1:38
How would you answer Jesusโ€™ question?

Are you ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ something?

Money, wealth, a job, success, a good reputation, happiness, security, comfort?
Like many things in life, success, money, security, are fleeting, elusive, often uncertain and anything but guaranteed.
Are you scrambling in the dark?
Where are you ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ with your torchlight in hand?
In their response to Jesus, the disciples responded by saying they were not ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ something, but rather ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐ž๐จ๐ง๐ž.
They were ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ the Messiah.
The disciples werenโ€™t the only ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ that day.
Jesus Christ too, was and is a ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ž๐ซ.
He too is looking for disciples to follow Him, two millennia ago and today.
Real happiness does not come from ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ things; it comes from ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ Jesus.
As you ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค for Jesus Christ, youโ€™ll recognise too, that He is ๐’”๐’†๐’†๐’Œ๐’Š๐’๐’ˆ you.
His light is far more powerful than your torchlight.
Daily, honest ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ of truth find an answer to the question, โ€œWhat ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค yeโ€ through missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
And you can too.
What ๐ฌ๐ž๐ž๐ค ye?

Three Gifts

๐“ฃ๐“ฑ๐“ป๐“ฎ๐“ฎ ๐“–๐“ฒ๐“ฏ๐“ฝ๐“ผ…
Our missionaries have been very busy this week.
There has been lots and lots of service in the community.
And, in addition, at Christmas marketโ€™s, town squares and on many a street corner throughout Belgium and the Netherlands, missionaries have given away thousands upon thousands of gifts.
Greeting so many, the message is simple โ€œ๐“œ๐“ฎ๐“ป๐“ป๐”‚ ๐“’๐“ฑ๐“ป๐“ฒ๐“ผ๐“ฝ๐“ถ๐“ช๐“ผโ€
Weโ€™re not talking about the latest Red/Blue Nintendo Switch for son, the Barbie Extra Deluxe for daughter, the beautiful new necklace and flowers for mum or the special new jumper and tie for dad.
No, none of those.
Set those and the many other gifts galore aside.
We didnโ€™t even give away any gold, frankincense or myrrh.
Remember, the gold points to Jesusโ€™ royalty, the frankincense to his divinity, and the myrrh to his humanity.
All of which we honour and respect.
Rather consider the little gifts we did giveaway.
Three little chocolate hearts filled with only one thing – ๐“ต๐“ธ๐“ฟ๐“ฎ.
Through it all, there is perhaps one common denominator for Christmas โ€“ it is ๐“ต๐“ธ๐“ฟ๐“ฎ…
โ€œGod be thanked for loving us enough to send His Only Begotten Son. Jesus Christ changed the world for each of us with His atoning sacrifice. He is the light of the world. He is the light we need to hold up. He is the light that fills us with good will toward all people.โ€ Russell M. Nelson
We hope amid all the hustle and bustle of gifts and gatherings, you will let your life reflect the ๐“ต๐“ฒ๐“ฐ๐“ฑ๐“ฝ ๐“ช๐“ท๐“ญ ๐“ต๐“ธ๐“ฟ๐“ฎ of Jesus Christ this Christmas time.
Merry Christmas dear friends.

Lamplighters…

๏ผฌ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝŒ๏ฝ‰๏ฝ‡๏ฝˆ๏ฝ”๏ฝ…๏ฝ’๏ฝ“

Jesus Christ is the light of the world.

If we choose to follow Him, He will light up everything.

โ€œThen spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.โ€โ€”John 8:12

Sir Harry Lauder a Scottish singer and entertainer from many years ago, told a story about the old lamplighters in Glasgow.

Generations ago, as darkness started to fall, all around Scotland (and around the world), lamplighters would start to make their rounds.

They’d put their ladder up against the light post, climb up and light the lamp, step back down, pick up the ladder and carry on to the next lamp. It was a one by one process.

Sir Harry said, “After a while, the lamplighter would be out of sight down the street. ๐๐ฎ๐ญ ๐ˆ ๐œ๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐š๐ฅ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ž๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฐ๐ก๐ข๐œ๐ก ๐ฐ๐š๐ฒ ๐ก๐ž ๐ก๐š๐ ๐ ๐จ๐ง๐ž ๐›๐ž๐œ๐š๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ž ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ฅ๐š๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฌ ๐ก๐ž ๐ก๐š๐ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ž๐”

Jesus Christ is the greatest lamplighter of all.

He constantly lights the way.

Has your โ€œlampโ€ been lit by Him yet?

In Psalms 119:105 we read “Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.”

Perhaps you too are a lamplighter?

Robert Louis Stevenson told it this way. (A Leerie is a lamplighter)

“My tea is nearly ready and the sun has left the sky;
Itโ€™s time to take the window to see Leerie going by;
For every night at teatime and before you take your seat,
With lantern and with ladder he comes posting up the street.

Now Tom would be a driver and Maria go to sea,
And my papaโ€™s a banker and as rich as he can be;
But I, when I am stronger and can choose what Iโ€™m to do,
Oh Leerie, Iโ€™ll go round at night and light the lamps with you!

For we are very lucky, with a lamp before the door,
And Leerie stops to light it as he lights so many more;
And O! before you hurry by with ladder and with light,
O Leerie, see a little child and nod to him tonight!”

Lamplighters from a bygone age, pushed back the darkness from generations ago.

With Jesus Christ, the greatest light of all, we too can push back the darkness by following Him today.

We will always be safe, and I know He shows us which way to go.

If you’d like to find out how Jesus Christ can light up your life and be a lamp unto your feet, just speak to one of our missionaries.

How can you be a lamplighter this Christmas and light someoneโ€™s world around you?

No Room?

๏ผฎ๏ฝ ๏ฝ’๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ฝ๏ผŸ
We had an incredible Christmas Conference in Brussels on Friday with our entire missionary force.
They are certainly a force to be reckoned with!
It was a wonderful experience, a real delight to be with everyone and one of many highlights of 2022.
Although the chapel was tightly packed, we had enough available room to spare for everyone to gather and sit comfortably.
During the course of the conference, I shared a verse of scripture from Luke 2:7…
โ€œAnd she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was ๐ง๐จ ๐ซ๐จ๐จ๐ฆ for them in the inn.โ€
Sterling W. Sill commented on that verse as follows:
โ€œFor His entire thirty-three years on earth, this cry of “๐’๐’-๐’“๐’๐’๐’Ž” almost became a theme song for His life. With many people there was no room for His teaching. There was no room for His miracles, no room for His doctrines, no room for His faith.
Even in our day, with the judgment of time shining upon his life, we are still re-enacting the ancient scene of Bethlehem by crying, โ€œNo room, no room.โ€
We make room for gifts, but often we have no room for the giver. We have room for our own commercialism of Christmas and our pleasure seeking on the Sabbath day, but we have no room for worship. No room for service, no room for righteousness. The reason there was no room in the inn was because all of the available space was already occupied. And we are only following the ancients when we fill our lives so full of other things that we have no time or space left for the Light and Life of the world.โ€

Pause for a moment.

Look around, the annual commercialisation of Christmas is now well underway – again.
Christmas is what each of us make it.
Despite all the distractions, it is up to each of us to choose to put Jesus Christ at the very centre of our celebrations.
โ€œFinding the real joy of Christmas comes not in the hurrying and the scurrying to get more done, nor is it found in the purchasing of gifts. We find real joy when we make the Saviour the focus of the season. We can keep Him in our thoughts and in our lives as we go about the work, He would have us perform here on earth.โ€ โ€“ Thomas S. Monson
I hope that as we start to count down the days to Christmas, each of us will remember the light that Jesus Christ brings into our livesโ€™ and always remember to make room for Him.
What room are you making for Christ in your home this Christmas?

Are you sleepwalking through life?

Are you sleepwalking through life?
I remember years ago, when one of our daughters came into the living room late one evening, it was clear that she was sleepwalking, and had little control over her actions. We guided her safely back to her bed and tucked her in. Although funny at the time, sleepwalking can have serious consequences.
Sleepwalking โ€“ โ€œthe act or state of walking, eating, or performing other motor acts while asleep, of which one is unaware upon awakening.โ€
Are you a little bit sleepy?
If you are truly unaware of who you are, or asleep to what you truly want, or have little purpose or direction in your daily routines, then respectively, may I suggest that you may be sleepwalking through your life.
– Are you fed up with the same daily routines, like being on autopilot?
– Or perhaps feeling constantly overwhelmed?
– You may have regular negative feelings about yourself?
– Your emotional state may have regular extreme swings from happy to sad.
– Do you have a lot of conflict or drama in your life?
In my life, I have found that oftentimes the best answers come when I start to slow down and wake myself up. A guide on the side, someone who can help you along your way, can really help.
Just like we helped our daughter safely back to bed, a coach can help you too.
Sleeping is a natural state, but eventually, awakening is a natural process. Sooner or later, anything that sleeps will awaken.
The Apostle Paul writing in the New Testament book of Ephesians 5:14 states; โ€œWherefore he saith, Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light.โ€
I believe that Christ has given me light in my life.
It is time to awaken from what is asleep in your own life?
It is easy to fall back asleep.
However, the real winners in life, are the ones who evaluate their situation, awake from their sleepwalking and deep slumber, make a decision, then act and are not acted upon.
What ways have you found to awaken yourself to what matters most in life?

Learning – Lighting the way ahead.

I love to learn.
The older I become, the more I enjoy the words of thoughtful writers both ancient and modern.
The more we learn, the more we are in a position to learn.
Gordon B. Hinckley stated โ€œThe learning process is endless. We must read, we must observe, we must assimilate, and we must ponder that to which we expose our minds. I believe in the evolution of the mind, the heart and the soul of humanity. I believe in improvement. I believe in growth. There is nothing quite as invigorating as being able to evaluate and then solve a difficult problem, to grapple with something that seems almost unsolvable and then find a resolution.โ€
I am so grateful to friends, colleagues and associates who motivate and inspire us to reach higher and do better.
As a teenager, I recall cycling in the early morning delivering newspapers and at night too, with the dynamo on my front wheel, lighting the way ahead. The faster I went the brighter the light, the slower I went, the light became dimmer.
So, it is with our minds.
Through ongoing personal development, we can keep the light of our personality and character shining ever brighter by reading good literature, then through our study, apply and action the learning into our lives.
How does learning, light the way ahead for you?