Tag Archive for: love

Who is your wise guide?

๐–๐ก๐จ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ๐ซ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž?
Harry Potter had Dumbledore and Hagridโ€ฆ
Luke Skywalker had Obi-Wan Kenobi and Yodaโ€ฆ
Froda Baggins had Gandalfโ€ฆ
Mowgli had Bagheeraโ€ฆ
With the development of each fictional character, a wise guide arrives in each of their lifeโ€™s.
As they place their faith in their wise guide, ultimately, he supports them toward their destiny.
Unlike many fictional movie characters however, real life is another matter altogether.

The Wisest Guide of All

Personally, my faith is not founded upon imaginary characters and their guides, but upon the wisest guide of all, even Jesus Christ.
Wise guides are not only wise, but they are also guides.
Guides direct, instruct, lead, shepherd and show us the way.
In the scriptures, the admonition to โ€œCome, follow meโ€ is repeated several times.
Similar phrases such as, โ€œWalk with me,โ€ โ€œFollow me,โ€ โ€œCome unto me,โ€ are also used regularly.
It is a very simple, direct, and powerful invitation.
The decision to follow Him, is a very personal one, that many of us choose to make.
I love these words from Hymn 116.
โ€œCome, follow me,โ€ the Savior said.
Then let us in his footsteps tread,
For thus alone can we be one
With Godโ€™s own loved, begotten Son.
I am so grateful for the two missionaries who introduced the restored Gospel to my parents in 1961, and for the inspired choice they made to follow the wisest guide of all and in his footsteps tread.
In the chorus of โ€œI Am a Child of Godโ€ (Hymn 301) we find the words โ€œLead me, guide me, walk beside me, help me find the way.โ€
It is through our daily prayers, that I know He will guide us, lead us, and walk beside us.
Are you searching for a wise guide in your life?
If so, may I respectively suggest that you consider listening to a powerful message that our missionaries have to share about the wisest guide of all.
How can a ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ž ๐ ๐ฎ๐ข๐๐ž help you find your way?

Are you wrestling?

Are you wrestling with something or someone?
Perhaps things are a little tense at the moment?
Recently I was asked โ€œhow do you deal with conflict President?โ€
One of my key goals is to ensure that as mission leaders we foster a mission culture of collaboration, encouragement, and unity.
Sounds simple enough, right?
But human beings are oftentimes far from simple!
Communication is strained, there are opposing positions, emotions run high โ€“ sound familiar?
And what happens if there are disagreements that impact relationships?
There are some simple things that we can do to overcome differences.
As a leader it is important to consider the following.

Top Tips

– Start with one-on-one conversations and get the full story by listening to understand.
Help each person do the important basic initial work at hand, namely – seeing the other personโ€™s viewpoint, discerning their own emotions, and preparing for conversations to come.
——
– Ask purposeful, meaningful questions by starting a dialogue
It is helpful to ask questions that focus on the facts and also on their emotions. โ€œWhat is going on for you right now?โ€ or โ€œWhatโ€™s motivating you?โ€
To help foster mutual understanding , it is also useful to have each person take the other persons perspective. This in turn will help everyone to feel heard and empowered.
——
– Look forward โ€“ together
Once a little bit of clarity has started to evolve for each other, encourage each party to share what they have discussed with you as their leader.
In addition, remind them that they can work out their differences and find resolutions on their own by focussing on their relationship. Once the immediate disagreements are addressed, then make a plan to get everyone back on the same page.
——
Some other important things to remember.
โ€ข Use this opportunity to revisit agreed purpose and goals.
โ€ข Promote more interactions to create better cohesion.
โ€ข Donโ€™t assume everyone knows what theyโ€™re supposed to be working on! Clarify each otherโ€™s roles so that people know exactly what is expected of them.
Compassion, empathy, finding common ground, forgiveness, kindness, being an active listener and above all, selfless service are key to build bridges to resolve any conflicts.
Finally, choosing to slow down and focus on what matters most โ€“ really helps!
How can you repair some broken bridges?

Where can you turn for peace?

๐–๐ก๐ข๐œ๐ก ๐ฏ๐จ๐ข๐œ๐ž๐ฌ ๐๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ฅ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฐ?
โ€œThere areโ€ฆ so many kinds of voices in the world, and none of them is without significationโ€ the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 14:10.
There are indeed so many voices โ€“
Voices that cry and plead with us to follow them.
Voices that deceive, threaten, and spread terror.
Voices that lull us into a false sense of security.
Voices that gossip.
Voices online, in magazines and newspapers, clamouring for attention, offering a maelstrom of advice.
Voices that promise us the world and happiness – if we will but enslave ourselves by the bondage of debt for a generation and for some a lifetime.
๐๐ž๐ฐ๐š๐ซ๐ž of all these voices that clamour for your attention.
Are you distressed, perplexed or even fearful of these voices?
Is it time to shun the screaming of the headlines for a season?

Where can you turn for peace and tranquillity?

 

First – sever contact with the constant throb of the next alert on your mobile device.
Second – stop scrolling and set your mobile device aside.
Third โ€“ take a break from the daily global headlines and crisis of the world, which is in constant commotion.
Fourth โ€“ take a walk, enjoy nature and temporarily retreat into a different world.
Soon youโ€™ll realise, like I have, that the troubles of the world are made by man and inflated by man.
If we could live kindly and appreciatively of one another, in peace, then all other problems would resolve themselves in the due course of time.
Maybe my suggestion is too simplistic.
Maybe, after all, I am just too simple?
After your walk and break it’ll be time to return.
Fifthly – For some, there is one voice above them all.
โ€œThe sheep hear his voice: โ€ฆ and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, โ€ฆ for they know not the voice of strangerโ€ John 10:3-5
From among the multitude of voices we hear during our mortal life, we must recognise the voice of the Good Shepherd, even Jesus Christ, who calls us to follow Him toward our heavenly home.
His voice is sweet and pure.
I hope you find Him.
#HearHim

Prayer – an act of faith.

“๐ˆ๐Ÿ ๐ฅ๐ข๐Ÿ๐ž ๐ ๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ก๐š๐ซ๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐š๐ง๐, ๐ค๐ง๐ž๐ž๐ฅ” said Gordon B. Hinckley.

Prayer itself is an act of faith.

One of my favourite verses of scripture on prayer is found in the Book of Mormon, when Alma the Younger, is counselling his son Helaman…

“Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day” (Alma 37:37)

What a powerful verse about prayer, isn’t it?

And even more so that it’s counsel from a father to his son.

People of integrity say what they mean and mean what they say.

Answers come by submissively aligning our will, to God’s will.

God does not give us what we can handle; He helps us handle what we are given.

Throughout the scriptures the term fasting is frequently combined with prayer.

Sometimes we can forget the power of fasting. Yet it is a precious tool that allows us to change lives.

Fasting magnifies our ability to pray.

โ€œLord, what wilt thou have me to do?โ€ asked Paul in the book of Acts.

We should persistently ask that question in our daily prayers, in order to know what to do.

An act of Faith

As a Christian and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I am so thankful for the powerful gift of prayer and commend it to all.

Hymns 140, the closing verse reads;

“Oh, how praying rests the weary!
Prayer will change the night to day.
So, when life gets dark and dreary,
Donโ€™t forget to pray.”

I have found so much comfort and solace through prayer.

So can you.

Thomas S. Monson said, โ€œPrayer is the passport to spiritual power.โ€

Why not commune with your Heavenly Father.

Remember, no one stands taller, than when they kneel in prayer…

Why not kneel in prayer to start your day – you won’t regret it!

Feeling Forgotten?

๐ƒ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ž๐ฅ ๐š๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ž?
I am comforted by Matthew 10:29, their the Lord said that not even a sparrow falls unnoticed by the Father.
If not one sparrow is forgotten before God (Luke 12:6), how much more will our Heavenly Father remember and want desperately to sustain you and me, for โ€œye are of more value than many sparrowsโ€ (Luke 12:7)
Sometimes I wonder if anyone really knows what we are going through, or for that matter if anyone really cares.
Occasionally that thought crosses my mind, but then I remember the story of Zacchรฆus from Luke 19:1-4, who simply wanted to see the Saviour.
You will recall that the crowd was large, so he decided to climb a sycamore tree, hoping that he’d see Jesus. โ€œAnd when Jesus came to the place, he looked up, and saw him, and said unto him, Zacchรฆus, make haste, and come down; for today I must abide at thy houseโ€ (Luke 19:5)
The Saviour knew not only his name, but also knew his heart as well, see – Luke 19:6โ€“9.
Zacchรฆus was a man who was reviled, rejected, and cast out by many. But the Saviour knew him. He knew his heart, and He loved him.
Jesus Christ came into the house of Zacchรฆus and into his heart.
I know and believe that our Lord Jesus Christ is just as aware of you and me, remembering our individual needs, just as He was of Zacchรฆus, or for that matter a tiny sparrow.
I believe He even knows us more personally and intimately than we know ourselves.
His eyes are not only on the sparrows, but on you and me – always.
I know that and know that you can know that too.
Jesus Christ does love us.
You are not alone.

A stranger here

๐ƒ๐จ ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ข๐ฌ๐ก ๐ฒ๐จ๐ฎ ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ๐ž ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž?

This week marked a significant anniversary for Monic and I.

12 months ago, we arrived in the Netherlands.

Those months have simply flown by, so incredibly fast.

We have travelled throughout Belgium and the Netherlands, visited with lots of family, reacquainted ourselves with many old friends, made many new friends from all across the world and testified of the restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ in many towns and cities.

Yesterday, we met up with fellow Scot โ€“ Mark Stewart, an Area Authority Seventy, as each of us fulfilled assignments to speak at The Hague Stake Conference in Zoetermeer this weekend.

Reflecting this morning, I was reminded of a scripture in Ephesians 2:19.

At the time the Apostle Paul was fearlessly traveling into lots of different lands and meeting many new people.

Writing to the members of the Church, or Saints as they were called and are called today, he reminded members of the Church of the blessings of belonging, when he told them, โ€œYe are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God.โ€

What do you think of when you think of โ€œstrangersโ€ or โ€œforeignersโ€?

Mark and I are both Scottish, growing up on opposite sides of the country.

Speaking last night, our mother tongue, dialect, cultural background, and lifestyle may be different from the Dutch, but we were no strangers or foreigners โ€“ we were indeed fellowcitizens with the household of God, the Saints, here in the Netherlands.

In our day, in these turbulent times in which we live, strangers and foreigners are coming to us – daily.

We donโ€™t have to look far. They are all around us.

Are you welcoming?

In fact, I was a stranger here not too long ago, yet I have always felt welcome here.

I know that no-one is a stranger to Jesus Christ.

In Romans 8:16-17, the Apostle Paul explains furtherโ€ฆ

โ€œThe Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: and if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.โ€

Try as we may, we cannot separate ourselves from each other.

As children of God, we are not strangers to one another, we are all in fact brothers and sisters.

I hope that we will remember that we are all children of God and part of His family.

Have you ever felt like a stranger?

#HearHim

Be there!

๐๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž!
Whilst on a video call last night with our three grown children, my mind drifted back to when they were all much smaller.
In my minds eye, I was holding hands with our youngest daughter, walking through our beautiful park in town.
It felt like only yesterday, but 10 years have swiftly passed by.
Those tender moments are one of the sweetest, most enjoyable parts of life.
Suddenly โ€“ growing older, there can come a sense of having been there – and yet knowingly perhaps, I should have enjoyed the journey much, much more.
Iโ€™m sure those old like me, or older even โ€“ will understand my sentiment.
Life is going on all of the time.
Sometimes we are so focused on the next big thing, that we miss much of the beautiful scenery along the way.
Time with loved ones, the holidays, the picnics, the walks, the challenges are all part of ๐›๐ž๐ข๐ง๐  ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž.
There is purpose and meaning to all that we experience and undergo in this life.
We should enjoy our children when we have them around us, as I know now, they wonโ€™t always be with us.
Back then when they were young, they not only needed us, they also wanted us too!
We live through each part of our life only once, we donโ€™t go back, so it is vitally important that we ๐’ƒ๐’† ๐’•๐’‰๐’†๐’“๐’†!
There are few sweeter memories than your childโ€™s hand in yours, walking with you.
Wherever you are, ๐›๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž๐ซ๐ž, be present and enjoy the moment, our life after all, is only a nanosecond of time.
How can you focus better, be present and be engaged in the here and now?

The extra mile

Recently I was asked, โ€œ๐–๐ก๐š๐ญ ๐๐จ๐ž๐ฌ ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฆ๐ž๐š๐ง ๐ญ๐จ ๐ ๐จ ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐ž๐ฑ๐ญ๐ซ๐š ๐ฆ๐ข๐ฅ๐ž?โ€
A scripture from the Sermon on the Mount in Matthew 5:41 came readily to mindโ€ฆ โ€œAnd whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.โ€
Back in the times of Jesus, a Roman soldier could compel a Jewish male to carry their hefty packs, armour or weapons for one mile (it was the law after all).
I am certain that back then the paths would be sweltering, dirty, difficult to travel and many (if not all) of the Jews must have detested carrying the items.
But then Jesus taught them to โ€œgo with him twain.โ€ โ€ฆmeaning to carry the soldierโ€™s packs for two miles.
What does that mean for us today?
In this verse of scripture, Jesus was teaching us one way that we can love and serve others.
We donโ€™t carry Roman packs anymore, but the principle applies to every area of our lives today.
When we go the first mile, we are only really doing what is expected of us.
But when we go the second mile, we are giving freely of our time and service to others.

Here is a little personal story.

Shortly after arriving in the Netherlands, one experience taught me a lot about going the extra mile.
Due to corona, the number of missionaries we had serving was at approximately 20% of our complement.
All of the missionaries were swamped with things to do.
I recall a missionary called me one day and asked โ€œPresident, you know that we are very busy. Can we get up one hour earlier every day, so we can get everything done?โ€
My heart melted.
I must admit to shedding a tear or two.
I replied, โ€œOf course but remember to be careful and take time to rest.โ€
The first mile is often required of us, in many things that we do.
The second mile however, is only made possible by being obedient to the first mile.
You cannot go the second mile without influencing others.
It only takes one second miler to impact others lives.
I shall ever be indebted to Daniel Andrade for the lesson he taught me that day. Thank you.
James E. Faust said โ€œSome of the most rewarding times of our lives are those โ€˜extra milesโ€™ hours given in the service when the body say it wants to relax but our better self emerges and says, โ€˜Here am I, send me.โ€™โ€
How can you apply this principle and go the second mile today?

Is love the answer?

๐ˆ๐ฌ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฏ๐ž ๐ญ๐ก๐ž ๐š๐ง๐ฌ๐ฐ๐ž๐ซ?
Celebrating my 57th birthday this week, I received several lovely cards and gifts from family and friends.
One particular gift came from the missionaries.
A folder of 60 pages, 109 letters, 30 photos and a few sketches too.
As I read through the album on Thursday evening, I must admit to being moved.
The letters and photos simply touched my heart.
I shed a few tears of joy.
Think of the last time you experienced joy.
Real joy – that deep enduring feeling that seems to warm your entire soul.
I felt of their love, one by one.
โ€œGodโ€™s love is always there for you, whether or not you feel you deserve love. It is simply always there.โ€ โ€“ Thomas S. Monson.
Arriving in the Netherlands nearly a year ago now, in a few meetings Monic and I have frequently sung together (also with the help of missionaries too) โ€œLove One another.โ€ It is always a beautiful experience.
In the book of John, Jesus spoke to His Apostles about love โ€œA new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved youโ€ฆ. By this shall men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.โ€
“Love is the greatest of all the commandmentsโ€”all others hang upon it. It is our focus as followers of the living Christ. It is the one trait that, if developed, will most improve our lives.” Joseph B. Wirthlin
There are a number of ways you can feel the Saviourโ€™s love.
Its different for everyone โ€“ but the missionaries can help you along the way.
“Love is the greatest power and will have the most powerful influence. โ€“ Elaine S. Dalton
May we love Him and love one another.

Sweet Reunions

๐’๐ฐ๐ž๐ž๐ญ ๐‘๐ž๐ฎ๐ง๐ข๐จ๐ง๐ฌ were aplenty this week.
Last Sunday evening Megan arrived. The next day we travelled to Brussels together to attend the BYU Ballroom Dancing Company. It had been several weeks since she was last in the Netherlands.
As we travelled together, it was great to catch up and share stories with one another, about how similar we are. Then came a funny coincidence, as without any coordination mother and daughter dressed for the evening and realised that they had both chosen almost identical outfits for the show.
See the picture evidence above!
The evening brought another sweet reunion.
Moroni Wright who had served in the Belgium Netherlands Mission and returned home several months ago, was one of the many talented performers in the BYU Ballroom Dancing Company. The show was amazing, and what a delight it was to see Moroni again and catch up with him once more. It was especially pleasing to see him living his dream, as he longed for the opportunity to perform in this dance company.
And our third sweet reunion was with Kiera and her husband Brendan โ€“ who we met for the first time.
It had been several years since our last encounter together. Kiera had become a wonderful friend with Megan, when she was studying in Arizona, in 2016. What a joy it was to see them, share stories together and feel of their love.

Reunions are special

Reunions are special, they are built on love for one another.
Travelling along our own pathway in life, letโ€™s not forget those family and friends who have passed through the gateway to the next life that we call death. I hope that we can turn our hearts to them who have gone on ahead of us. They are not dead, their spirits live on, on the other side of the veil.
In a not-too-distant time there will be a sweet reunion for each and every one of us. We need not look upon death as an enemy.
I was reminded of that this week too, as I walked through the sprawling cemeteries in Ipres, with vast numbers of the dead from WW1.
In Malachi 4:6 we read: โ€œAnd he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.โ€
We can begin our own quest for forever families, by considering our ancestors and coming to know them through online tools such as Family Search.
Then take some time to understand why The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has so many Temples around the world. In them, families are united forever. Our missionaries can help explain this further to you.
Sweet reunions await us all.