Emmanuel

Like everyone else on planet Earth the year 2020 is not one I will easily forget. I started out the year losing my dad. The time I was able to spend with him at the end of his life is precious to me and some of the experiences I had are sacred. I want to share some of it in the hopes that it will strengthen you as it has me. It will take multiple posts to do so.

Up until October 2019 my brother and sister-in-law were the caregivers for Dad.  They made huge sacrifices to watch over him. In the last couple years of his life it was 24-hour care. Then in October Dee dee (my SIL) let me know that her own dad needed help in another state and asked me to come and take over. We had done this before, me coming so she could go; but little did we know that we were both going to help our dads in their final days.

In the beginning of my watch I heard Emily Belle Freeman describe a spiritual practice that got me through the next few months. Each Sabbath day during the sacrament she asked herself which of the names of Christ she would carry in her heart...which name did she NEED to meet her challenges. I was intrigued and decided to try that. There are so many challenges with care-giving and if anyone needed heavenly help, I certainly did. So the next Sunday I read through a list of names the scriptures use for Jesus Christ, stopping at Emmanuel. I felt a tug on my heart. Three Bible verses were listed with it so I looked them up and discovered, according to St. Matthew, Emmanuel means "God with us." If anyone needed God with us, I certainly felt that Dad and I did. Only two days later would I have an experience that showed me how perfectly God is with us. And that is what I want to share.

On the morning of December 17, during my personal prayers, I prayed for Dee dee's dad who was in the hospital with serious issues. Into my mind came the following words, "Pray for Dee dee to be reconciled." My heart sank, but then I prayed according to those instructions. Within the hour Dee dee called me in tears. She had an experience of her own which I share with her permission.

As Dee dee was waking that morning she was surprised to suddenly "see" a woman dressed in blue. The woman said, "We lost him." Then the vision faded. In shock, and then with resolve, she gave herself a pep talk about not losing faith and staying positive about her dad. The phone rang only minutes later. It was the hospital. Her dad had gone into cardiac arrest and was on life support. Dee dee called to ask me to pray. I ended up telling her about the experience I had earlier that morning, to pray for her to be reconciled. She cried and my heart ached for her; but she was grateful to God for letting her know His will and that she should prepare herself.

As we shared our two experiences, the name Emmanuel came to my mind. Oh, my gosh! EMMANUEL. God with us. He was with us! And we marveled at that realization. The days and weeks that followed only reaffirmed what had been shown us that morning.  God was aware of us and the two men who were preparing to return to their heavenly home. And He was going to help them (and us) to walk that difficult path, making it holy ground.

And I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you...and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led. 1 Nephi 17:13, The Book of Mormon

President Russell M. Nelson ended his incredible address, Hear Him, at the April 2020 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints with these words:

God lives! Jesus is the Christ! His Church has been restored! He and His Father, our Heavenly Father, are watching over us. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Now I have that same witness. God is with us! Emmanuel. It fills me with courage, hope, and gratitude...even if it is 2020.

I Wanna Be All In!

With permission I share the following written by Rob Eaton of Rexburg, Idaho. Like him, I also was blown away by the total solar eclipse of August 21, 2017. Nothing could have prepared me for the magnificence that I experienced. I'm so glad I didn't miss it.

"I had read all the hype, and I had a hard time imagining there was any way a total solar eclipse could live up to so much promotion and praise. One account was so effusive that even my young nephew dismissed it by saying, “It had too many superlatives.” Surely nothing could be that good.

"If I had not lived plop in the middle of the zone of totality in Rexburg, Idaho, I don’t know that I would have traveled far to see it. When I mentioned it to my brother a month ago, remarkably enough, he hadn’t even heard about it yet. But before I could even say anything about it, he said, “It seems like every eclipse that comes along is supposed to be the only time in the next 57 years you’ll be able to see something like it.” He hadn’t been that impressed with what he’d seen in the past, so he wasn’t interested in driving a couple of hours north to reach the zone of totality for this eclipse.

"I don’t fault him. If I were him, I might well have looked at a map and figured, “I’ll just stay here and see 75% of the eclipse and get 75% of the benefits. Why go all that way just to see the sun all the way covered?”

"But with solar eclipses, I learned vividly and personally today, there is a world of difference between even 98% of an eclipse and 100%. We watched with interest and amusement during the partial phases of the eclipse, but right up until a few moments before we witnessed the total eclipse, it seemed like not much more than a pleasant astronomical quirk visible only with special protective glasses.

"But as the moon began to totally cover the sun and we witnessed the diamond ring and the corona visible only with a total solar eclipse, I was absolutely blown away. I thought I would remain calm, but I couldn’t keep the emotions I felt inside. And neither could most of the people around me. As one writer had predicted, it was as if it touched something deeply primal within us. No photograph or video I’ve seen of this spectacular phenomenon does justice to it. It is simply the most amazing thing I have ever seen.

"Afterwards, my nephew volunteered to his mother: "Now I know why they used so many superlatives." Despite all the hype, we discovered a total solar eclipse had not been overrated.

"As a follower of Jesus Christ, this experience has reminded me of three important lessons. First, heaven is not overhyped; eternal life will be worth every sacrifice we could possibly make to partake of it.

"In one of my otherwise favorite songs by Train, the singer asks of a friend returning from some kind of cosmic journey, “Did you make it to the Milky Way to see the lights all faded and that heaven is overrated?” Just as my brother assumed a total eclipse had been oversold, much of the world today has come to believe heaven is not real or that it can’t be all that. They doubt the reality of an eternal existence with God so exquisite that Peter described it as becoming “partakers of the divine nature” (2 Peter 1:4). I believe that one day, everyone will be as convinced of the desirability of eternal life with God as those who witnessed the total eclipse today were of its stunning glory.

"Second, I was reminded that there is a dramatic difference between the blessings that come from sort of following the gospel of Jesus Christ—being in the zone of partiality—and striving to following Him and His teachings with all our hearts—the zone of totality. One of the reasons my brother and I underestimated how rewarding the total eclipse would be is that we based our estimates on what we’d witnessed in prior partial eclipses. But a total eclipse isn’t just twice as beautiful as an eclipse where the moon covers half the sun; it is exponentially better.

"And so are the blessings that come from living in the zone of spiritual totality. I’m not talking about a place where we are perfect, and I’m certainly not talking about a condition we achieve through our own efforts alone. But I am referring to a state of mind and heart where we jump in with our whole souls, holding nothing back but relying on Christ to realize our divine potential. The blessings of spiritual coronas and diamond rings come not to those who merely go through the motions and occasional effort it takes to reach the zone of partiality; they come to those who yield their hearts and souls to God in the zone of spiritual totality.

"Finally, now that I know what a rare and exquisite experience a total solar eclipse is, I regret terribly the fact that I didn’t try to persuade my brother and his family and all my siblings and children who lived elsewhere to join us. What a terrible waste it was to have a home located in the heart of the zone of totality with only 5 guests. I wish I’d been more like some of our neighbors, who had family members and friends stuffed into every bed and couch and spilling over onto their lawns.

"For those of us who have lived the gospel of Jesus Christ enough to know just how exquisite its blessings are, there is a special responsibility to find ways to help others come to understand or even consider the possibility that it will be eternally worth the sacrifice to come to the zone of spiritual totality.

"For me, in some small way, glimpsing the silvery brilliance of the corona today felt like a symbolic foreshadowing of what it might be like to dwell eternally in the presence of God—in a place with “no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof” (Rev. 21:23). Even more than I will strive to persuade my loved ones and friends to go witness the next total solar eclipse visible in the United States in 2024, I feel inspired to do all I can to help others know that heaven is real and moving to the zone of spiritual totality is eternally worth it. We cannot use enough superlatives to describe it."

The Parable of the Thunderstorm

I share my daughter Amy's experience with  permission.


"It was late afternoon. I was nursing the baby when I heard a loud BOOM of thunder. A minute later another loud BOOM. Shortly thereafter my little Lemma ran into my room, exclaiming her excitement and interest in the thunder. I took her downstairs and saw that it was just starting to rain. I've always loved a good rainstorm so I invited Lemma to watch with me. I opened the front door and propped open the security door as well so we could see, hear, and smell the rain. We sat right on the threshold so our feet could get a bit wet but we were still protected from the storm.

"The storm was magnificent to watch. The drops of rain were huge and eventually mixed with hail. The wind gusted, blowing cold mist in our faces. There was thunder and lightning. It was beautiful, interesting, and exciting to watch. I was enjoying the storm and loving the cuddles I was sharing with baby William and 2 year old Lemma and feeling grateful for the moment. I started to pray to express my gratitude to the Lord for giving me my home where I could have this experience. It was during this act of praising God for His gift that I started to think of the contrast of experiencing this storm without the comfort and safety of my home.

"From my vantage point the storm was beautiful and exciting. Had I not had a shelter the storm would be terrifying and dangerous. While I was thinking of this I had the impression that this is how it will be during the days of tribulation to come. The Lord will gather His children to safety.  We will not be spared all hardships but we will be able to see the beauty in what is going on around us. We will not be overcome by fear because we will be protected, in a place of safety.

"This gave me a lot of comfort and quieted a lot of my fears. I want to be prepared in my heart so that the Lord can gather me as a mother hen gathers her chicks. I want to stick close by Him so that I may be protected from the brunt of the terrible storm beginning to rage."

There is a gathering storm. God has given instruction on how to get through it. Will we experience the storm from a protected position or feel the full force of that storm? 

"By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet...prepared an ark to the saving of his house..." Hebrews 11:7

Part Three - The Parable of the Talents

Taking something out of context can change its meaning.


Nowhere is this more evident today than in watching our political arena. So tiring. And often misleading.

The same is true of these parables I am writing about. (Not the tiring part.) Maybe I am just a dense student. You decide.

I've heard the Parable of the Talents my entire life. It was certainly one that was taught in the Sunday School and Primary classes of my youth. The message I understood was that the Lord expects us to use our talents or we will lose them. And I felt motivated to develop my personal talents, that my efforts would be pleasing to God.

So when I realized that Matthew 25 was a continuing conversation about the Second Coming and read the Parable of the Talents in that context, I was confused. What did this mean? What did it have to do with the Second Coming? I was stumped. It was not obvious to me.

So I began to ponder. What does it have to do with the Second Coming of the Savior?

And then it hit me. In LDS parlance, "This has to do with the hastening!" All that means is that this parable has to do with our part in building the Kingdom of God.

God expects His followers to assist in building and strengthening His Kingdom. And by doing so we are spiritually "built" and strengthened ourselves, a good way to accumulate some of that spiritual oil that was discussed in my blog about the Parable of the Ten Virgins. 

I decided to study the word 'talent' in the scriptures. 'Gift' and 'responsibility' appear to be interchangeable with 'talent'. Sometimes using synonyms can help broaden understanding. I love reading scriptures with a dictionary at hand because it often helps increase my understanding.

To keep this post to a reasonable length I will just share a couple of thoughts that came from this talent-study. Stay with me a minute.

The Gospel of Luke was enlightening. Gospel writers tell the same stories from their own perspectives. Luke calls his story the Parable of the Pounds in Luke 19. It has the same scenario. A nobleman calls his servants and delivers to each different amounts of his wealth and then expects an accounting upon his return. The words used in this narrative caught my attention, first in bewilderment. The nobleman says to his servants, "Occupy till I come." What's that suppose to mean? A footnote explains. It means, "Do business till I come." 

Next, from LDS scripture, D&C 35:27 "Fear not, little flock, the kingdom is yours until I come. Behold, I come quickly." (The emphasis is mine.)

And, "Therefore seek ye to bring forth the kingdom of God..." This is the Joseph Smith translation of Luke 12:31. (To see the JST version on this link, look for Show Footnotes.)

Combine these thoughts and you find that the Master has given His Kingdom to His servants to manage or bear responsible for until He comes again, with the injunction to "Do business till I come" or to "...seek...to bring forth the kingdom of God". Both parables give this message.

So, in the context of preparing for the Second Coming of the Savior which is the context of Matthew 25, how do we do that? How do we each go about His business and seek to establish His Kingdom?

That will be different for each of us since we have different talents and responsibilities. But have you asked yourself, "What can I do to help build and strengthen God's Kingdom here on the earth? What can I do to help prepare for His Coming?

Can we make it our personal responsibility instead of a church responsibility or a general Christian responsibility?  What will doing the Lord's business look like in your world? 

Who can I strengthen today? Who needs my love? Who needs kindness? Can I help to strengthen faith that is waning? Where am I spending my precious time? "Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy talent that it may not be known." Do we need to retire a few less-worthy pursuits in order to "Do business till I come?"

These are just some of the questions I have asked myself as I have put this parable back into context. Developing talents is a good message but the context of the message is preparing for our Savior's return. 

"...may the kingdom of God go forth, that the kingdom of heaven may come..." Love that prayer! 

What is your part to play?

Part Two - The Parable of the Ten Virgins

The parables in Matthew 25.  There are three of them. 

• The Parable of the Ten Virgins
• The Parable of the Talents
• The Parable of the Sheep and the Goats

So what do they have to do with the Second Coming of Jesus Christ?

That is the question I asked myself. I will tell you my thoughts, but please share any inspiration you have. I would love to learn more.

The Ten Virgins.  It's all about being prepared. But in what way?

In the parable there is to be a wedding and the custom was for the bridegroom to come to the bride's home in the evening. The wedding guests waited along the route the bridegroom would walk and then followed him to attend the wedding. In this story the bridegroom did not come until midnight and half of the virgins who awaited his approach did not bring sufficient oil with them to burn their lamps that long. They asked those who had brought extra to share with them but those wise virgins could not share since they would then not have enough themselves. Those who were unprepared were advised to hurry and try to buy what they needed; but, of course, in so doing, they were too late for the wedding.

Spencer W. Kimball, a former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, taught about this parable. He said that the oil represented spiritual preparations and that is why the women could not share their oil. How do you give someone your faith in a Savior or your trust in God or your ability to obey God?

President Kimball gave counsel on preparing spiritually. Things like attending church, kindness, scripture study, prayer, service to family and community - particularly done consistently - all help produce that spiritual oil needed in our lives. Below is a video that enacts the parable and then depicts ways today we can build our own spiritual preparedness, things you are likely already doing. (The music at the end is a bit dated but the message is the important part.)



Elder Dallin H. Oaks counseled,

"We need to make both temporal and spiritual preparation for the events prophesied at the time of the Second Coming. And the preparation most likely to be neglected is the one less visible and more difficult—the spiritual."

Spiritual preparations cannot be made in an instant and cannot be shared. And the time to prepare is now. Continue to prepare, or begin to prepare. But do not delay.

Elder Oaks mentioned temporal preparations. So what of those?  

Modern prophets have counseled repeatedly of a need to prepare our families against a day of want. They go so far as to tell us to build a year's supply of basic foods, where permitted to do so, and clothing and fuel where possible, to avoid debt, and to have savings. I never associated that counsel with the Second Coming of the Savior. I don't know why I didn't. I obediently stored food for the rainy day and have been grateful I did so many times when things were lean for us. Because of having basics stored I have always been able to make do. So I have been grateful for this counsel from these modern prophets.

But, as I mentioned in my previous post, I have spent a lot of time studying what has been said about the Second Coming. In those studies it became obvious to me the connection between the events preceding the Second Coming of the Savior and the counsel to store food and other commodities. Some of the prophetic counsel was even shocking to me. 

"Should the Lord decide at this time to cleanse the Church—and the need for that cleansing seems to be increasing—a famine in this land of one year's duration could wipe out a large percentage of slothful members, including some ward and stake officers. Yet we cannot say we have not been warned."  Ezra Taft Benson

President Benson is not the only prophet that said something to this effect. He got my attention and for the first time I made an association between preparedness counsel and the time Jesus talked about in Matthew 24.

Here's another quote about the counsel to store food. 

"The revelation to produce and store food may be as essential to our temporal welfare today as boarding the ark was to the people in the days of Noah."   Ezra Taft Benson, 

The more you read about the prophecies regarding the Second Coming, the more you understand just why he said that!

I'm going to address the other two parables in other posts and I'm taking them in the order they appear in the scriptures. Regarding preparedness, I could write several posts on the subject from everything I have learned, but I will just leave it with my encouragement to seriously consider your spiritual and temporal preparedness. And then do something to increase it still more.

I believe the prophesied time that the Savior spoke about in Matthew 24 has arrived. That doesn't mean I think He is coming tomorrow. I don't believe that. We have a lot to get through as we watch these prophesies unfold. But they have begun. And He has given instructions on how to navigate this time in these parables. The first one is about our preparation. Modern prophets have expounded on that, both spiritual preparation and physical preparation. If you believe in modern prophets (and I know that not everyone does), will you follow their counsel? Will you prepare? Will you be wise as in the parable? I know I have had to make changes in my life as I have been learning about these things. And one of those changes has been to more carefully and diligently follow the counsel of prophets. God has always guided His people through prophets. I believe He still does.

Are we preparing?

A Continuing Conversation

I want to share something I learned about three parables that Christ gave to His disciples.....and I'll tell you which ones in a minute.

But, first of all, think about Matthew 24 in the Bible. You know, the big chapter that talks about the Second Coming of the Savior...with all the scary stuff that precedes it. I can't tell you how many times I have read it and been amazed that the Savior told them to "see that ye be not troubled" when they began to witness the signs that He described. The chapter is full of stuff that is very troubling! Read it and think about how it makes you feel.

Well, I believe in those things, both that He is coming again and that there will be really, really hard times before He does. In fact, I am paying close attention to what is happening in the world and how it compares to His descriptions. But, more than that, I just have this feeling deep inside that tough stuff is coming and I want to know how to get through it.

So, I have been studying these things. A lot! For quite some time. And that brings me back to what I want to share.

If you study the End Times at all, the Parable of the Ten Virgins comes up again and again. I thought I was very familiar with the parable and several commentaries on it. But one day I read a commentary that was a little different and I wondered to myself, "Is that really in there?" It surprised me enough that I decided to look up that parable again and see if what the writer said was really there. (It wasn't. He was taking poetic license which is fine by me....I just want to know when it's done.) I tried to think where to find the parable. "Well, it's talking about the coming of the Bridegroom....maybe it's at the end of Matthew 24." It wasn't there. But I decided to take a minute and re-read the chapter. So interesting to me. The disciples ask Jesus when He will come again and what will be the sign of His Coming. Talk about an inspired question! And then Jesus tells them what to look for.

Well, obviously I didn't know where to find it in the Bible so I turned to the Topical Guide to look it up. And guess where it is! Matthew 25! That got my attention. It helped me to look at this chapter differently than I ever had before. And this is what I discovered...

Matthew 25 and its three parables are a continuation of the conversation the Savior had with His disciples in Matthew 24! That changes everything. Well, it did for me anyway.  

Matthew 24 - the signs to look for before the Second Coming

Matthew 25 - HOW TO PREPARE for those incredible events!

Well, those signs are pretty scary-sounding and so I am very interested in knowing what the Savior says about preparing for it. And I will be blogging about each of these parables in the coming weeks. I would really love it if you shared your thoughts with me as I present each parable in its turn. 

One last thought as I introduce this topic. Just to prove that this parable chapter is a continuing conversation, I want to point out the evidence for that. (Not that I need to, but it was a point of interest to me.) 

Matthew 25:1 has a Joseph Smith Translation footnote that says, "And, then, at that day..." (which in scripture-speak means the Last Days just before the Millenium) "...before the Son of man comes, the kingdom of..." This pointed out to me that He was still talking about this Last Day time period from the previous chapter. Of course, this is only found in the LDS edition of the Bible. If I had given more thought as I read previously, it might have been obvious to me anyway as it is clear enough as it stands in the King James edition. But the JST footnote got my attention.

And then Matthew 26:1 puts a period on the conversation, so to speak. "And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings..." And then the scriptures move on to a new topic.

This is all a big deal to me because it helped me to examine this chapter in a new light. As I read, I asked myself two questions: 

"How does this parable help prepare me for the events He has just described? 

What do I need to do to be prepared?

And that is what I am going to be talking about, starting next week. I hope it will end up a discussion. See you then.

Words Given Unto Them

A beautiful story is told in the Book of Mormon of miraculous events involving children who were present when Jesus Christ ministered to the people on the American continent after His Resurrection. I have always found it touching to read about the heavens opening and angels descending to surround the children and minister unto them. 

Then later on a subsequent visit to this ancient people we read of another miracle involving children. The Savior specifically spent time teaching the children and "he did loose their tongues, and they did speak unto their fathers great and marvelous things, even greater than he had revealed unto the people; and he loosed their tongues that they could utter." 

And still more astonishing, "...babes did open their mouths and utter marvelous things..."

How is such a thing possible? 

I don't know the answer to that. But I do know it is possible. It happened at my house, too. 

It was 1991 or 1992. I wish I could be more specific but my journal from that time was on a computer and lost when the computer crashed. My journals have been handwritten ever since. I did record this event again later so it would not be totally lost.

We were living in Lake Oswego. There was a big controversy brewing over new proposed sex education material in the schools. School board meetings were packed and the debate heated. So many people wanted to speak their minds. It was not feasible to accommodate everyone so the Board announced that there would be a lottery. Only those whose names/numbers were drawn would be allowed to testify. Fred planned on attending this meeting and he carefully prepared a speech. I stayed home with the children; but before he left we knelt as a family in prayer to ask God to give Fred the opportunity to speak at the meeting that night. Our son, Erik, offered the prayer.  He was only four or five at the time. I have written in my journal, "He prayed with such power that I was astonished." But that was just the beginning.

It was soon bedtime for the children. I sat on Erik's bed while he knelt beside it to say his prayers. What happened next amazes me even to this day. This little boy began to pray like nothing I have ever heard before.  His tongue was loosed and he prayed a sermon. A four year old!  He prayed about several specific things to happen for Fred at his school board meeting, things that were way beyond a child to know.  In fact, I would not have had the wisdom to pray for the things he requested of the Lord. I just sat in amazement at what I was witnessing.

I tucked all my children into bed and sat marveling over what had just happened....and waited for Fred to return.  He didn't come home until after midnight. What stories we had to share! He was invited to speak, the second from the last. It had been a disturbing meeting with people openly mocking speakers who called for moral principles in teaching the children. Fred gave his speech. He received a standing ovation!  (No one else had.)  He didn't get home until after midnight because he was thronged with people wanting to talk to him about the principles he had espoused. He told me about the events of the evening and I told him about Erik's prayer. We wept as we realized that every part of Erik's lengthy prayer had been answered in exact detail that evening. Truly his tongue had been loosed and words given to him. And Fred had been blessed beyond his natural ability. 

It is one of the cherished experiences of my life.

  23 And now, he imparteth his word by angels unto men, yea, ^anot only men but women also. Now this is not all; little ^bchildren do have words given unto them many times, which ^cconfound the wise and the learned.  

Alma 32:23, The Book of Mormon

There are so many ways God wants to bless us. The experiences that we read about in the scriptures are not just for an ancient day. They are recorded as a testimony of what is possible for us today, too. 

Search the scriptures. Hope and pray and prepare to receive God's blessings, whatever they may be. You may find yourself surprised, too.