Living After the Manner of Happiness

"And it shall come to pass in the last days, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it. "And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths; for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem."  ( 2 Nephi 12:2-3 ) David Busath (retrieved from https://history.lds.org/media/buswell?lang=eng#1) Studying these verses this morning, the Spirit enlightened me by bringing to mind an experience I had several years ago. I have always loved the symbolism of the top of the mountains woven throughout the scriptures.  It illuminates a pattern for us to follow.  We see it in the early scriptures when prophets go to a high mountain (see 1 Nephi 11:1 , Moses 1:1 , and many others) to speak...

"Education is yours to obtain. No one else can gain it for you. Wherever you are, develop a deep desire to learn. For us as Latter-day Saints, gaining an education is not just a privilege; it is a religious responsibility."    (Russell M. Nelson, Ensign, Jan. 2015) What a fabulous night I had tonight attending the weekly Pathway Gathering in Bengaluru (Bangalore)! Their group currently has about 50 students enrolled. They have 3 classes, one for each semester. Our class (2nd semester) was the smallest tonight with 6 of them and me. The Bengaluru Stake President was the lead student tonight. He is the one on the far left with the red tie.   (His wife is a student in this group as well, but she attended via FaceTime on his phone tonight since she gave birth 15 days ago). The man standing next to me is a member of the high council.   Both men have degrees already and are employed as local reps for a US company. The stake president bore a strong testimony tonight ...

Last week in our weekly Pathway Gathering, we spent the first few minutes sharing some of what we had learned from our Christlike Attributes project.  One in the group mentioned that she had chosen to focus on the attribute of hope.  As she had studied and pondered on it, she realized that you could not have hope without faith and that you could not have either of those without charity.  This had me pondering a bit the following day.   The day after that was the beginning of General Conference and so my thoughts became focused there.   As I watch, I always try to look for patterns or themes I am noticing so that I can pay particular attention as I study over the next six months.   The pattern I saw emerging was ministering.   I wondered if it was because so much of my focus in my callings the last few years has been on learning and teaching about ministering.   When I was put in the Relief Society presidency a few ye...

  I am so grateful for living prophets to guide us!  Speaking of General Conference, Elder Holland has encouraged us to "hold fast to the spiritual impressions we have had and the inspired teachings we have heard." (" Tomorrow the Lord Will Do Wonders Among You ")  After conference is over I like to ask myself a series of questions: How can I make General Conference a more powerful influence in my life? my home? my family? I spend some time the week following conference planning how I will study the messages more in-depth and act on the invitations extended and promptings received. There are as many different ways to internalize General Conference. I have used many different methods over the years. The important thing is just to do it.  I am so grateful for living prophets and the opportunity we have to learn from them every six months! Enjoy your conference weekend!

  For more than a decade, Church leaders have counseled us to use the Internet to share the gospel. The first talk I remember having an impact on me was given by Elder Ballard at the BYU-H commencement in December 2006. “[M]ay I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. … Talk honestly and sincerely about the impact the gospel has had in your life, about how it has helped you overcome weakness or challenges and helped define your values. The audiences for these … may often be small, but the cumulative effect of thousands of such stories can be great. The combined effort is certainly worth the outcome if but a few are influenced by your words of faith and love of God and His Son, Jesus Christ.” (M. Russell Ballard, " Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet ") Elder Bednar’s talk during the 2014 Education Week shifted things even further for me: “A technology know...