Holding the Universe Together

Have you ever had one of those experiences with nature when you KNOW God is real. I like how Catherine Arveseth expresses this kind of experience. 

As I rounded the interstate toward home, Mount Olympus rose majestically out of the foothills and I was suddenly surprised by a feeling of God all around me. Everywhere. Holding the universe together. I felt complete peace and trust. That nothing would slip through his hands. That all was safe and secure. 

Stories

"In the end, we’ll all become stories."

— Margaret Atwood

I encourage people to share and write their stories. I am very thankful Joe wrote so many of his. 

For our ancestors, my goal is to find and distribute information so their stories can be as complete and rich as possible. 

Beauty All Around

I usually have fresh flowers at home

They bring beauty into my home and soul

Our Attempts Are Treasured

Children's creations are precious. It's a treat to watch children put their all into drawing something they then give to a loved one. Every parent and grandparent has a stash of these treasures. 

It occurs to me that our Heavenly Parents are similarly thrilled with our amateurish and often primitive attempts at various parts of our lives. They aren’t waiting for the perfect picture or craft from us before they cherish us. They treasure each one of our attempts and realize each one represents our best efforts and desire to create something beautiful and pleasing. 

When we're doing our best and our hearts are in the right place, our efforts are more than enough. They are received with love. 

Reaching and Needing

Thoughts about a piece of bread & a sip of water

- the sacrament - communion

I think of the woman who reached out in faith to touch Jesus's robe so she could be healed (Mark 5:24-34)

When I reach for the sacrament every Sunday, do I reach with the same faith as she did?

She had health issues for 12 years. She had the faith and the strength to reach out to the Savior. She knew to put herself in a place where she could reach out to Him.

A young mother sitting in the church foyer with a fussy baby was asked by the young man passing the sacrament, "Do you need this?"

Julie Archer wrote: "Daily demands and responsibilities can drain us throughout the week, but the sacrament can fill us up. As I partook of the sacrament, I felt peace and healing flow through me. In that moment I realized that I needed the sacrament more than anything because I needed the Spirit to be with me.

My eyes focused on a painting in the foyer of the Savior holding His hands outstretched. Gratitude swelled in my heart as I pondered how He is always ready to heal and strengthen us. I am reminded of this each Sunday as I partake of the sacrament. I am grateful that the Spirit taught me through a simple question that in the midst of life’s challenges, the Savior is our source of strength and peace."  (read more here)

Read Brent Croxton's thoughts about the sacrament here

images Media Library

Rain For Rent

This set up is at a nearby construction site. The name made me smile. 

Do we need to rent more rain around here?

From the company's website 

Liquid Ingenuity (that's trademarked)

"The Leading Provider of Liquid Handling Solutions"

They do flood relief, construction site dewatering, and so forth

Family owned & operated since 1934 

It's in all 50 states plus 65 locations internationally