Write at the Heart

Years ago my son flushed some toys down the toilet. We called the best repairman we knew! My dad. He snaked it, plunged it, put it in the tub to flush water through it, and a ball came out! He reinstalled the toilet. But to our chagrin, it STILL wouldn’t flush! What. He removed the toilet AGAIN, repeated everything he’d just done, and even stuck a wire hanger all the way through it! Nothin’! Well, we got a new toilet. 🤷‍♀️ THEN we brought the old toilet outside and with GREAT anticipation smashed it with a hammer! And wouldn’t you know, in the S-curve was a small, seemingly insignificant plastic orange! That little clogged orange had completely destroyed the functionality of the toilet! I realize comparing the flow of a toilet to the spirit in our lives is a little weird, but they’re both pretty important, and yes, I’m going there! In Mormon 1 we read about such evil and blasphemy that the disciples were taken away, miracles and healing ceased, all spiritual gifts were gone, and “the ...

There are certain expectations I have from my dishwasher. I put dishes in, push Start, hear humming, swishing, sloshing, draining, and when I open it up again, voila! Clean dishes! Except lately they are NOT coming out clean! Come on, it has ONE JOB! (First world problems.) But seriously, if it’s NOT cleaning, WHAT is all the noise? What is going on in there? It ACTS like it’s cleaning! It SOUNDS like it’s cleaning! But apparently it’s all for show. Those dishes don’t lie. After a period of AMAZING love, unity, & happiness comes the second half of 4th Nephi, and it’s really a downer. How does it start? Division and pride. People forgot Christ. “There were many churches which professed to know the Christ, and yet they did deny the more parts of his gospel, insomuch that they did receive all manner of wickedness...” (27) Key word PROFESSED. They CLAIMED to know Him. It sounded good on the outside, but the inside proved otherwise. “People draw near me with their mouth, and with their ...

  Nineteen years ago I woke up alone in my apartment at BYU-Idaho not knowing the world had changed forever. The TV had been left on, so I flipped through channels while eating cold cereal. I soon realized something was terribly wrong. My roommate burst in and I asked her WHAT IS GOING ON? I listened in shock. Later, thousands of anxious students gathered for a scheduled devotional with Elder Bednar, who was the president of the university at the time.  What would he say on this day of terror? He quoted D&C 45:26, "...and the whole earth shall be in commotion, and men's hearts shall fail them” And vs. 32, “But my disciples shall stand in holy places, and shall not be moved” He continued, “We have received a number of phone calls today in the President's Office: ‘Are classes cancelled?’ The answer is no. ‘Will the devotional continue as planned?’ The answer is yes. On this, of all days, we as disciples of the Savior have the opportunity to gather together and stand in h...

Captain Moroni! Love him! He had prepared his army with arm-shields, breastplates, head-shields, and thick clothing. The army of Zarahemna... had NOT. They had weapons, but were “naked, save it were a skin which was girded about their loins.” When they saw the Nephites, “they were exceedingly afraid of the armies of the Nephites because of their armor, notwithstanding their number being so much greater than the Nephites.” Alma 43 Isn’t that interesting? They had “more than double the number of the Nephites“ and yet THEY were afraid. Why? Because the Nephites had ARMOR. At times I feel like Satan is WINNING this world. Wickedness is everywhere. The works of darkness aren’t even in the dark- they’re obvious! It feels overpowering. It’s TOO MUCH. But guess what? We are IN IT. “Brothers and sisters, we are at war with Satan for the souls of men.” Rasband BUT- “It is a war we can and will win.” Pres Monson We have the BEST kind of armor. And even though our numbers can feel few in compariso...

Three years ago we felt prompted to move, and as time went on those feelings got stronger and stronger. Six months ago we headed off on this new adventure, away from our family, friends, and house of 12 years to a completely unfamiliar place multiple states away. Then two months in, the world went crazy. I could have NEVER predicted the year like this! Just what the kids needed after we ripped them out of their comfort zone, right... Needless to say, it’s been hard for the kids to make friends, and my heart has hurt for them, and many tears have been shed by them and by me, and while they have been so resilient in many ways, sometimes I wonder what we have done! And yet... in my heart I know we are supposed to be here, and have felt God’s reassurance, love, and tender mercies throughout all of this! For one, our family is closer than ever. Watching my kids be each other’s best friends is a beautiful thing, even if it is by default. But friends are important. And there have been two par...