Remembering Jesus in January

January can be tough. Especially in comparison to December. December is full of light and giving and gathering. January is barren and cold (where I live) and a bit bleak. I am trying this year, however, to remember. Remember that it is Jesus who is the joy of December–He is the light and the influence …

He is Just That Good

There have been times when I have heard or seen or experienced something performed or accomplished by a person that leaves me tremendously impressed. Amazed at the talent and the gift that makes the achievement seem so effortless, I can’t even imagine the detailed parts that come together to make the masterpiece. I might, in …

Meeting With Joy All the Light

I heard of a beautiful Mandarin Chinese phrase this week that is usually translated into the English word ‘welcome.’ You might use it when someone comes to your home or when someone enters your store. That does not capture the beauty of its literal meaning, though. ‘Huanying guanglin’ means something like ‘to meet with joy’ …

Singing the Song of Redeeming Love…Now

Some things are beyond words. Nothing we can articulate quite captures the feelings we want to convey. Maybe that’s why Alma describes the expression of our feelings as we recognize our deliverance, our salvation, our escape from eternal peril as a song. The wonder of redeeming love requires something in addition to words to proclaim. …

‘Earth’s Crammed With Heaven’

‘Earth’s crammed with heaven, And every common bush afire with God, But only he who sees, takes off his shoes, The rest sit round it and pluck blackberries, And daub their natural faces unaware.’ (Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Aurora Lee) I have spent the last while traveling and gathering, and this thought from Elizabeth Barrett Browning …