the parable of the potato

It seems to me that the world has become too instant in its behavior. Instant this and instant that... Our relationships with information, politics, religion, and perhaps God... oh and food has been a grab for instant gratification and nourishment but at a time like a diet soda has left us empty and wanting.

I wonder what happened to the old ways of line upon line precept upon precept, here a little and there a little so that that of which we build is strong and unshaken.

There is a clear difference between a microwaved instant potato and a slow-cooked oven-baked potato. Why are we getting away from that idea? Each of us has tasted both and it doesn't matter how much sour cream and bacon you dress it with your potato cannot be masked; the taste will be there. How much of our lives are like that? Is it a school, church, our job, or career like that? 

When we take the time to read, learn and write our impressions we will slowly bake the clay that God had molded to become the man or woman that we were meant to be over what could have been because we rushed it.

Must we learn to communicate as Helen Keller?

Are we seeing but blind; hearing but deaf? Must we learn a new way to communicate with spiritual beings?

Recently I took the time to teach my primary class the very lesson. In being a teacher you need to see how blind and deaf you are so that you can bring yourself to the Master and allow him to teach you how to see God's messengers without eyes and hear the symphony of angels cheering you on when we have not the ears to hear. We have the power to overcome great obstacles that could get in our way but if we listen to the Holy Ghost and be ever watchful we will see how much we are being helps and accomplish all the more because of it.

The Parable of the Car

I remember a while back teaching the restoration and comparing it to restoring a car. I was teaching 10 year olds at the time. We, as a class went over all the parts of the car and how it and the gospel with the church benefited from a redtoration; a shining beacon of accomplishment. 

I reflected on that and thought if the year 2020 was a car in the front yard, is it a car to remember? Is it staying there because you will not let it go? How were we going to restore our faith and conviction to move on and was 2020 going to be a lesson or a grease stain we will never let go. I personally am still looking for the many lessons of faith and self improvement this year will provide. 

Another thought was, like sin in life, will you need to get help removing it or is it a matchbox car that can be removed quickly? We dont nessisarily know what will be needed to restore our souls but the master teacher knows. Perhaps working with Him we will see what He is doing, has done and will do to restore us to our more perfect form. We have a restored gospel, now we just need to use it to become restored too.

Turbulence

A few years ago I was on a plane for a trip home to my then home in Virginia. During that time we came across some severe weather and turbulence. I was busy reading a book and for a moment while I became fearful I started to pray. During that prayer as I was pouring out my heart to God I got a assurance that the plane was going to land and that we would be ok. I went back to reading my book after the prayer but those that were on the plane were still worried. It was then one of my good friends Ray asked me why I was so calm. I just assured him that God had a plan for me and dying was not one of them for today. The comfort and assurance in my voice let him know that he too could relax. The plane landed and we went home.

I had not reflected on that experience for a while until today when my wife mention how Ray had talked to her about the experience. He was so comforted by my relationship with God that he found that he could relax.

Now I know that turbulence happens in our lives and that some of it was life threatening. Yet aside from of all this it all changes when there is a relationship with God and that changes how people look at their lives. They can see clearly a more direct path and that makes a difference on how people look at what they want and what they seek to accomplish.

Our Maestro asks us to make a joyful noise

To start let me point out the meaning of maestro. The title is that of a master teacher. A friend of mine showed that and referred to our master Jesus Christ as the maestro. It impact me so much as I was thinking of the message in choir. Here is our master teacher who wants us to sing and make music; be part of our lives. The strings of faith are always will be stroked against out trouble lives and through it can be rough and all you hear is screeching and missing the music that is our lives. While we see the horse hair that is faith break with each stroke, we fail to see the music, at times, that God makes with our lives.

HOV

H - Humility
O - Obedience
V - Virtue
When we travel through this in mind we will be carried by the Spirit father and faster than those that travel alone.

Gary E Stevenson

Recently I was part of a Regional Conference were the size of the region was defined and we heard stories about the Mountain Meadow Massacre but I am not going there. I want to talk about the HOV lane of life. You see Elder Stevenson mentioned that in life there is those that drive alone and do not have God in their lives and the wake of hardship and toll pull them into a slow lane because they are pulling all of their sin and troubles behind themselves. This happens while those that ride the HOV lane though still have troubles do not have the same approach to the weight and sin that would pull them and slow them down see to be able to travel faster, happier and with a vigor that should not be there but is. 

I honestly find myself moving in between the two lanes at time. Perhaps its a lack of trust or faith. That can be a lack of humility and obedience. For those that do not understand virtue its strength; strength of character and spirit. So for those that find their lives slipping in and out of the lanes because of their own personal issue, I would admonish  you to pray harder and fast and read scriptures (you know the basics). 

I personally am involved in a several spiritual things and with each change or tweak, I have begun to see how much of a spiritual being I am supposed to be. Each plateo that I have come to has been more of a step and lest as a pit stop. The hard thing I have found is the old I have become I realize how immature and young I am; how little I know.