The Darkroom

Last week one of the sister missionaries asked me what it was like to have lived with the influence of Christ versus the Gift of the Holy Ghost. She was baptized at age eight and can't remember what it was like before receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost. I remarked that it was "amazing" but I don't feel like I really fully answered the question.

A couple of weeks ago I was developing x-rays in the darkroom by myself. It had been a trying week complete with very serious family problems that just seemed to be getting worse. Kneeling in prayer while waiting for the x-rays to develop, I poured out my frustrations to Heavenly Father. Then I listened and was answered with a question. "What is the purpose of life", the Holy Ghost whispered to me. My mind went back to Gospel Principles class and I started rattling off reasons for our mortal existence. The Holy Ghost replied, "To become more like Him." I desperately tried to understand His point and the word "Patience" floated into my mind. Imagine my surprise when in Relief Society meeting the following week, I watched Sister Stoddard write the word "Patience" on the chalkboard.  My jaw actually dropped when she said that our trials cause us to learn patience which helps us to be more like Him.  The darkroom experience was starting to make a little more sense.

Yesterday, I was in a rush to run an errand that I found completely annoying. In my haste and aggravation, I had a fender bender with the car in front of me. Did I mention I just bought a new car less than a month ago? Murphy's Law had to be at play here. After the accident, I asked the Holy Ghost in a kind of annoyed tone what the purpose of that accident could be especially since I already have so much on my plate. He said very quietly and very calmly, "I cannot force you to learn patience." Pardon my Karate Kid reference, but it was quite a Mr. Miyagi moment for me. Wax on.... wax off. Wax on..... wax off. Someday I might learn patience but obviously today was not the day.

So hopefully, this better answers how the Gift of the Holy Spirit has changed my life. Some of these lessons are painful but I do know they are for my own good.

by Rachel Roark

Is it a SPIRITUAL RELFEX...yet?

It is early Friday morning and still so dark outside. David has just asked me what I am doing today and my reply was a quick..."What am I NOT doing today!"
I can feel it....the election and the grand babies (two girls to be born within the month!) and the holidays are coming and the pace is quickening and......I sat down to read Isaiah 40 in preparation for Karen's lesson this Sunday.
What a reminder of the grandeur and majesty and greatness of God and His desire to bless all of us! (Isaiah 40: 29-31)
I am so GRATEFUL for the scriptures and this timely reminder to help make Gratitude more of a "spiritual reflex" in my life.
It is so easy to get busy and feel the world will stop if I do not get all things in their correct place and order. The virtue of studying the words of the prophets is the spiritual telescope they give me to view my life with so much more perspective and humility.
I pray I do not become so overwhelmed with all that needs to be done. I truly want this season to be a celebration of people and life and good works that reflect true personal revelation.
This holiday season, I want GRATITUDE to be more present in all I do - more of a SPIRITUAL REFLEX than a noble virtue I am constantly having to dust off to feel!

THANKS BE TO GOD !

This coming Sunday, the first in November, our Presidency message will focus on gratitude and thanksgiving, especially to our Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ.

"And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is His wrath kindled, save those who confess not His hand in all things, and obey not His commandments. ( Doctrine and Covenants 59:21)

Please read part of King Benjamin's address at Mosiah 2:19-21, and then read of the magnificence of God that Isaiah describes in Isaiah, chapter 40. 

Shakespeare's  King Lear said  "How sharper than a serpent's tooth it is, to have a thankless child."  Have you ever experienced an ungrateful child or a thankless friend?  - or been an ungrateful child/adult?  Does God want our gratitude because He needs it?  Or do we need it?  Come Sunday, and let's discuss.

Gratitude is not only the greatest of all virtues, but a parent to all other.

Enduring to the End

"Life is a mountain, not a beach" read my prophetic fortune cookie from last night's tasty Chinese food dinner. Upon arrival to Lake Mead for my first Olympic distance triathlon, the sun peeped over the mountains making them appear more drastic in contrast to the stillness of the lake. Open water swimming for 1500 meters is not that much of a mental game. You basically have two options: swim or drown. Quitting is never an option for an open water swim. Biking 24.8 miles up the side of a mountain IS a mental game because there are many other options. The option to turn around and speed quickly down the mountain seems grander every time you are forced to switch into a lower gear. But why go backwards when you worked so hard to get to this point? The option to just stop and rest for a little bit and avoid forward progression is equally enticing. However, if you stop your bike while going up the side of a mountain, you lose momentum. Stopping isn't a good idea because you'll just have to start back up again. Enduring to the end is like biking straight up the side of a mountain. Eventually, if we realize that our goal is to get to the top of the mountain then we cannot allow ourselves to halt forward progression. And we certainly can't let ourselves take the easy path back down the mountain. For the record, I don't put much stock into fortune cookie messages. This one just struck me as very profound because right now at this point my life is a mountain and not a beach.

Rachel Roark

The Constitution...A Heavenly Banner

With an election upon us and all the many details that swirl around us, the Bishop felt it was time to remember the great legacy of being part of the United States of America. President Ezra Taft Benson has stated that understanding and reading the Constitution should be part of our scripture study!
Sunday, October 28th, 7-8PM, Meandering Way Chapel, we will have a WARD FAMILY FIRESIDE about the blessings and responsibilities of being a citizen of this Republic.
Hilary Grant Weber, an attorney and an instructor for BYU/Idaho, will be our guest speaker (and she has made a solemn promise not to be boring!!). She has given this fireside in several other Stakes around this area.
We will have a nursery provided by our Single Adult Ward and also refreshments.
We hope this starts a tradition again of learning on a Sunday night through ward firesides. What better subject to begin with than remembering the privileges involved in being part of this GREAT country and better understanding the Constitution.