YOU Can Light the World!

Get ready for a fantastic giving season! 

 Mary and Joseph travel to Bethlehem in the production of, "The Christ Child." (found on ChurchofJesusChrist.org)

 Each Christmas, many in the world celebrate the life of Jesus Christ, the Light of the World. By following His teachings, we let his light shine—in our lives and in the lives of others. This year, there are many ideas and activities you can do as you shine your light in this world to spread positivity and goodness.  There is a calendar of activity suggestions you can use for inspiration as you plan your Christmas season to help LIGHT THE WORLD by serving those in need or anyone you are inspired to serve.

YouTube videos, inspiration for the holiday season, art, encouragement and just about all you can possibly need to grasp the true joy of the holiday season can be found here:

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/2019-christmas-initiative-encourages-service-one-by-one

Another resource-use the calendar found here for ideas:

https://heyfriendshop.com/2019/11/light-the-world-2019-one-by-one/

Getting Closer to Jesus Christ, the Prophets, the Apostles, and Early Christians

Come Follow Me has helped me to more personally connected to the Church that Christ originally set upon the earth, which had to later be restored because of a falling away of His original teachings, ordinances, and authority to act in God's name.
See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJnN2FkgD-g

This curriculum is useful for any Christian hoping to have the Holy Ghost more fully in his or her daily life.  It has helped me stay true to a more in-depth study of the Gospel and gain a stronger testimony of the miracle of Christianity.

Think about it.  Jesus Christ teaches for three years in His official ministry, calls the Twelve Apostles to teach and bring people unto Him (doing away with the long-tradition of the Law of Moses), and those inexperienced, common men went forth doing what He asked by teaching the Gospel and converting small numbers of people to following Christ.  The apostles and many of these followers eventually we persecuted and murdered because of their teachings of the resurrected Christ.  A small group of Christians spread the Word.  Amazing, isn't it?  It brings to mind the mustard seed parable (Matthew 13:31-32-New Testament-Bible).  Something so small can grow into a tree!

This week I studied 1 Corinthians 8-13 by reading and following the suggestions to ponder the chapters throughout the week.  This personal and family scripture study guide (Come Follow Me) will bring anyone to know the men and women of ancient times who accepted Christ and tried their best to change from their old traditions to a new way of living according to what Christ taught.

Reading about the difficulties the early Apostle had trying to build Christ's Church and keep the flock going in the right direction isn't much different than it is today for many Christians. So many things are pulling us every which way.  We must work hard to maintain our faith.  The negative things happening in the world subject us to hopelessness unless we cling to the promises that we will be blessed if we continually keep the commandments and stay true to our God.

The scripture I posted to remind me to stay strong and faithful is from 

1 Corinthians 13:7, concerning Charity: 

 ...BEARETH ALL THINGS, BELIEVETH ALL THINGS, HOPETH ALL THINGS, ENDURETH ALL THINGS.

Let's DO this!

Brighten Your Hope This Christmas

In a world gone topsy-turvy with suffering, violence, and dark days, there is peace and hope to be found in the goodness of people and in the inspired promises Jesus Christ has given us in His Gospel.  Truly, good will always overshadow bad, and light will always penetrate darkness.  We just have to seek Him, find Him, and follow Him.

Take time, above all, to let the Christmas Spirit lighten your heart.  Enjoy pondering the good things in the world as you read the scriptures, gaze at Christmas lights, and find joy in the many festivities surrounding this glorious season of celebrating the birth of the Son of God--The One who has made all the difference of how our world will turn out.

Gather your family around you and reminisce over those favorite Christmas ornaments you've collected over the years and the traditions you all enjoy as December rolls around each year.  Be glad of life!  Build new memories with your loved ones.  Reach out and give of your own warmth.  It costs nothing but time to cheer another's heart, or put a smile on someone's face.  Life is short.  Make it a loved-filled one.

And . . . don't forget to enjoy the music that, for me, makes the Christmas season especially meaningful and bright.  One of my favorites Christmas songs is the link below.  I usually prefer male voices singing most songs, but this rendition is sweet and brings the joy of the Christmas season to my heart.

Oh, Holy Night by Josh Gorban

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Zh-yR0pbmU

P.S.  Just sitting next to my husband in church today, listening to him singing, made me especially grateful to have him near and to feel secure in his caring presence.  I treasure the opportunity to be with him and my family members yet for another Christmas season in my life.

Thanks to God for giving us not only this life, but the opportunity for eternal life all because of our Savior, Lord, and King!

How to Find Peace and Joy at Christmas

Rejoice in the Lord always:  and again I say, Rejoice.  Philippians 4:4


And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Jesus Christ.  Philippians 4:7
You can sing along here: Rejoice, the Lord is King! 

Picture from the Bible Videos produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

A Christmas Story

It's just a small, white envelope stuck among the branches of our Christmas tree.  No name, no identification, no inscription.  It has peeked through the branches of our tree for the past ten years or so.

It all began because my husband, Mike, hated Christmas--oh, not the true meaning of Christmas, but the commercial aspects of it--overspending--the frantic running around at the last minute to get a tie for Uncle Harry and the dusting powder for Grandma--the gifts given in desperation because you couldn't think of anything else.  Knowing he felt this way, I decided one year to bypass the usual shirts, sweaters, ties and so forth.  I reached for something special just for Mike.

The inspiration came in an unusual way.  Our son, Kevin, who was 12 that year, was wrestling at the junior level at the school he attended.  Shortly before Christmas, there was a non-league match against a team sponsored by an inner-city church.  These youngsters, dressed in sneakers so ragged that shoestrings seemed to be the only thing holding them together, presented a sharp contrast to our boys in their spiffy blue and gold uniforms and sparking new wrestling shoes.

As the match began, I was alarmed to see that the other team was wrestling without headgear, a kind of light helmet designed to protect a wrestler's ears.  It was a luxury the ragtag team obviously could not afford.  Well, we ended up walloping them.  We took every weight class.  And as each of their boys go up from the mat, he swaggered around in his tatters with false bravado, a kind of street pride that couldn't acknowledge defeat.  Mike, seated beside me, shook his head sadly.  "I wish just one of them could have won," he said.  "They have a lot of potential, but losing like this could take the heart right out of them."

Mike love kids--all kids--and he knew them, having coached little league football, baseball and lacrosse.  That's when the idea for his present came.  That afternoon, I went to a local sporting goods store and bought an assortment of wrestling headgear and shoes and sent them anonymously to the inner-city church.  On Christmas Eve, I placed the envelope on the tree, the note inside telling Mike what I had done and that this was his gift from me.  His smile was the brightest things about Christmas that year and in succeeding years.  For each Christmas, I followed the tradition--on year sending a group of mentally handicapped youngsters to a hockey game, another year a check to a pair of elderly brothers whose home had burned to the ground the week before Christmas, and on and on.

The envelope became the highlight of our Christmas.  It was always the last thing opened on Christmas morning and our children, ignoring their new toys, would stand with wide-eyed anticipation as their dad lifted the envelope from the tree to reveal its contents.

As the children grew, the toys gave way to more practical presents, but the envelope never lost its allure.  

The story doesn't end there.  

You see, we lost Mike last year due to dreaded cancer.  When Christmas rolled around, I was still so wrapped in grief that I barely got the tree up.  But Christmas Eve found me placing an envelope on the tree, and in the morning, it was joined by three more.

Each of our children, unbeknownst to the others, had placed an envelope on the tree for their dad.  The tradition has grown and someday will expand even further with our grandchildren standing around the tree with wide-eyed anticipation watching as their fathers take down the envelope.  Mike's spirit, like the Christmas spirit, will always be with us.

May we all remember Christ, who is the reason for the season, and the true Christmas spirit this year and always.

                     -Nancy W. Gavin, as published in Women's Day magazine in 1982