Write at the Heart

“There’s a call that comes to you and me...” The old seminary song “The Olive Tree” came to my head last night. And as I reviewed the words of the song I played again and again as a teenager in seminary not cause I understood it necessarily but because it “sounded pretty,” it hit me like a ton of bricks! THIS is NOW. The allegory of the olive tree finale is NOW! “Thou art called to prune my vineyard with a mighty pruning, yea, even for the last time.” D&C 24:19 This is what President Nelson has been trying to tell us!  This is not just about missionaries with name tags, or spending hours in the family history center, or attending the temple. I love how Pres. Nelson clarified in simple terms that gathering Israel is building faith! It’s helping others make and keep their covenants! It’s being willing to speak the name of Christ! It’s seeing everyone as a child of God & loving them as such! Yes, that’s a lot of exclamation points, but as I read a bunch of scriptures on gather...

A fellow soccer mom struck up a conversation with me the other day. I told her we moved here right before the shut down, and she asked with concern, “Oh wow, so do ya’ll have a good church to go to? You need a good faith family in times like these!” For a second I was tempted to say yes, and leave it at that. But I decided to go for it, “Yes, we do! We are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and it was so nice to have a faith family after the move!”  My heart rate went up a bit. What does she think? Is she gonna ask me about a gold Bible? About my sister wives? Does she know what a “Mormon” is? I’m HOW old, and yet explaining my religion is all new to me?! She said she was glad & that she also has a really good church family in her non-denominational faith. And that was it. Whew! I did it! I boldly declared my religion and nobody attacked me! (Yet) Eight months ago we left our Utah “bubble,” so they say, and ventured out to the Midwest. I am 100% falling...

I used to be in a biker gang. Yep. Only with less leather and more spandex. Less jackets with skulls and more jerseys with handy back pockets. And chains! Oh, not THOSE kinda chains. Okay, it was more of a group of women cyclists. But biker gang sounds better. Those were good times. We’d train as soon as the weather was warm enough, and one of the best parts of riding was the scenery we’d see along the way. It never got old! Every time we saw something cool we’d shout “NATURE!” bringing it to everyone’s attention in a split second, and together we’d marvel at animals like we were in a National Geographic magazine. It’s fun to share things that make you happy. My daughter got phase 1 braces and a palate expander at age 7 last year for a BAD cross bite. It’s a lot of metal for a little girl! She had the HARDEST time adjusting! While she eventually learned how to eat again, it hasn’t been too fun. Well, we just found out she gets her braces off TOMORROW! You know what she did? She ran aro...

Let’s talk about hearts! One of my favorite topics! Pride was creeping “into the hearts of the people who professed to belong to the church of God” Hel 3:33 They began persecuting other members of the church. “Nevertheless,” those being persecuted “did fast and pray oft, and did wax stronger and stronger in their humility, and firmer and firmer in the faith of Christ, unto the filling their souls with joy and consolation, yea, even to the purifying and the sanctification of their hearts, which sanctification cometh because of their yielding their hearts unto God.” Isn’t that so beautiful? They were sanctified, or made sacred, through “yielding their hearts unto God.” Like, take my heart! It is in your hands! I will do your will! I know you can make more out of me than I can. I trust you! I’m ready. He has given us so much. What can we give in return other than our hearts? In Helaman 5 it says Nephi “yielded up the judgment seat.” Why would he do that? HUGE fights have erupted over the ...