LIGHTtheWORLD - Worship

"Where is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him" (Matthew 2:2).Wise men still seek Him. Do you? Do I? Do our actions show we still seek and worship Him? May the star atop our Christmas tree remind us to seek and worship the Savior. - That is what I posted today on Instagram.

LIGHT the WORLD

During Christmas we are reminded that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World. This year, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites all to share that light by resolving to do the things Jesus Christ did - for 25 days, in 25 ways. Every day leading up to Christmas, we are invited to focus on a different Christlike behavior and strive to do as He did.  The church has offered suggestions of Christlike attributes we can work on. For December 4 they invited us to do as Jesus did and worship the Father.

“1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee:

2 As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him.” (John 17:1-2)

One of the suggestions for worshiping as Jesus did was: attend a church service in your area. I attend church every Sunday and love it. I love singing Christmas hymns this time of year. There's something about singing about the Savior's birth that really helps me feel like I am worshiping. I've been known to even join our church ward choir, just so I can sing Christmas Hymns, and I'm not really much of a singer. This Sunday I also watched on television a beautiful Christmas devotional. It can be viewed via this link: 2016 First Presidency Christmas Devotional.

For more suggestions on ways to worship, click on this link: mormon.org.

LIGHTtheWORLD - Help Others See

LIGHT THE WORLD

FOLLOW OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. IN 25 WAYS. OVER 25 DAYS.

Every day leading up to Christmas is a chance to look at the things Jesus Christ did and resolve to do the same. For ideas on how to do this, click on the link below for daily inspiration, suggestions, and encouragement on how we can follow the example of Jesus Christ to LIGHTtheWORLD during this Christmas season.

December 3 – JESUS HELPED OTHERS TO SEE AND SO CAN YOU

“As the Light of the World, Jesus Christ was born so that no one would have to live in darkness. He miraculously healed the blind, but that’s far from the only way Jesus Christ can open our eyes. Today, there are many ways we can help others—and ourselves—to see the things that matter most" (mormon.org). 

About half a year ago I came across some wonderful, short videos depicting "things that matter most". I'd love to share them with you. They are about Jesus Christ: His birth, His life, and His teachings. The videos have children in them, explaining different aspects of Christ's life. They have candid, cute and even funny comments. Their thoughts are combined with beautiful reenactments of Christ's life. They are worth watching. Click this link to see "The Birth of Jesus". And while you're at it, one of my favorite videos is called "Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath". I hope you enjoy them as much as I do. 

I hope during this crazy, busy time of year, we'll each find time to think about, see and do those things that matter most. 🙂

LIGHTtheWORLD - Honor Parents

This is a photo of my husband, close to the age when this story took place.

LIGHT THE WORLD

FOLLOW OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. IN 25 WAYS. OVER 25 DAYS.

Every day leading up to Christmas is a chance to look at the things Jesus Christ did and resolve to do the same. For ideas on how to do this, click on the link for daily inspiration, suggestions, and encouragement on how we can follow the example of Jesus Christ to LIGHTtheWORLD during this Christmas season.  .

December 2 - JESUS HONORED HIS PARENTS AND SO CAN YOU

"Jesus Christ is the King of kings, but as a child He loved and respected His earthly parents, Mary and Joseph. As we find ways to honor our parents, we can learn from our parents, just as Jesus did" (mormon.org)

In honor of Del's mom, Wanda, who passed away over 30 years ago, I would like to share with you this story, as told by Del. It is titled: Baby Chickens

I learned much of what I know about kindness from my mother who was a remarkably charitable person. As a small boy I lived on a farm in Arbon Valley. We had chickens, which pretty much foraged on their own and provided us with eggs and entertainment. Now you’ve all heard the Lords description sometimes regarding the various groups of his children who he equates with chickens and his difficulty to gather any one of them into a group and keep them on the right path and how just as soon as you gather them, they scatter. Well all of that is true from my vantage point as a little boy on the farm. Now, it just so happened that one of the duties we had as children was to watch out for the chickens and to gather eggs that were sometimes left outside of the nesting area. As we would do this, from time to time, there would be a few little lost chicks, as a result of them becoming separated from their mothers. When this occurred, we were to take the little chick and place it in a box that was provided on our front porch where we could feed the young chicken until it could be reunited with its mother or mature enough to take care of itself. Well…me and my sister, LeeAnn, who was two years younger than I, enjoyed our assignment. On one occasion we decided if one little chicken was good, it would be a lot more fun if we had a lot of little chickens. So rather than just wait for the odd lost chick, we decided to chase the chickens, through the weeds, and vastly improve the number of available lost chicks. As we brought these little chicks and placed them in the recover box, I’m sure mother began to notice that there was a strange inflation of the number of “lost” chicks. Her reaction, rather than being unkind, was to enjoy the eager playfulness of two little kids. I’m sure it took her a substantial amount of time to return all those little chicks to their rightful home, but I learned, as I grew older, what it means to be kind from my mother.

LIGHTtheWORLD - Help Lift Burdens

This is the picture I painted with my friends

LIGHT THE WORLD

FOLLOW OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST. IN 25 WAYS. OVER 25 DAYS.

Every day leading up to Christmas is a chance to look at the things Jesus Christ did and resolve to do the same. For ideas on how to do this, click on the link for daily inspiration, suggestions, and encouragement on how we can follow the example of Jesus Christ to LIGHTtheWORLD during this Christmas season.  .

December 1 – JESUS LIFTED OTHERS’ BURDENS AND SO CAN YOU

 “No shoulders have ever borne as much as those of Jesus Christ. By descending below all things, Jesus put Himself in a position to lift our burdens. When we lend our strength to those who are weighed down by life’s challenges, even the heaviest load can be made lighter” (mormon.org)

One day I offered to show Julie how to paint an ostrich. Since that day we have tried to paint together once a week. This week we painted a snowman we saw and fell in love with on Pinterest. While painting this we had a discussion about burdens, specifically related to how one gets over the negative feelings that come when you feel someone has been unfair to you or when someone has hurt you. Our conclusion was that although we may wish for, and even pray for, justice, the true miracle is having our hearts feel "light" and full of love. Jesus Christ taught: "Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11:29-30). As we strive to do as Jesus did and lift others' burdens, may it help lighten our load as well. Painting with these sweet ladies lifts me each time we're together😊

Group of friends painting the cute snowman

#LIGHTtheWORLD

I painted this, kicking off the LIGHTtheWORLD, initiated by
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

On December 1, 2016 was the kick off of LIGHTtheWORLD initiative from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each day leading up to Christmas, on mormon.org, we are invited to look at the things Jesus Christ did and resolve to do the same. To help, the site provides daily inspiration, suggestions, and encouragement on how we can follow the example of Jesus Christ. They are encouraging us to share what we have done, using social media, and the hashtag: #LIGHTtheWORLD, with the hope that by sharing our experiences of striving to be more Christ-like, we can LIGHTtheWORLD with goodness during the Christmas Season. Please join us in Lighting the World with goodness, in 25 ways, over 25 days!!

 "Since a new star first appeared above Bethlehem, Christmas has been a season of light, reminding us that Jesus Christ is the light of the world. Together, we can celebrate His birth by making the world a brighter place. All we have to do is follow Him - His life, His example, and His teachings. In doing so, we can help #LIGHTtheWORLD."