The Lord has been “schooling me” a lot (as He does) and I decided to start taking notes. The Lord desires us to acknowledge His hand “in all things“(D&C 59:21) and to give thanks to Him “in every thing.” (1Thess 5:18). The thought occurred to me that another way of acknowledging & giving thanks would be to share some of the insights I’ve received during the week. I’ll call it my Sunday “Schooling” post. Perhaps I’ll manage to even make this a series.

Monday – Seeing Truth

On Monday I found this brilliant post by Sister Ikafanga (well worth your time to read!) She begins with the story of Elisha praying for his servant’s eyes to be opened in order to see the heavenly army that was protecting them.

Sister Ikafanga talks about faith, learning how to open our spiritual eyes to truth, and remembering to look at the evidence.

“That you have not perceived spiritual things is true; but it is no proof that there are none to perceive. The whole case is like that of the Irishman who tried to upset evidence by non-evidence. Four witnesses saw him commit a murder. He pleaded that he was not guilty, and wished to establish his innocence by producing forty persons who did not see him do it. Of what use could that have been? So, if forty people declare that there is no power of the Holy Ghost going with the word, this only proves that the forty people do not know what others do know.”

– Charles Spurgeon* (1834-1892), Three Sights Worth Seeing

*Charles Haddon Spurgeon was a British Particular Baptist preacher. Spurgeon remains highly influential among Christians of various denominations, among whom he is known as the “Prince of Preachers”

“Am I praying in faith to have my spiritual eyes open, so I can see the truth around me?”

Tuesday – Drawing Near

My friend Debby blesses my life in a million ways. Currently, she is helping to teach me the habit of regular temple attendance.

We’ve all heard those “miracle scripture” stories, right? A person seeking an answer from God randomly opens up their scriptures and reads the exact scripture they need for their answer. OK, it may sound a little cheesy, but I admit I like to “open and point” from time to time. It’s fun. You never know what random verse you might get.  9 times out of 10 it won’t be anything earth-shattering – but, it always offers something to ponder for the day.

Tuesday morning as I sat in the temple waiting for the service to start I picked up a book of scripture, opened at random and read:

The very first line of that verse really struck me.

The Lord asks: Draw near unto me. 

If we do it, the Lord Promises: I will draw near unto you.

What a marvelous, wonderful promise! The Lord never asks us to do anything without a good reason. There are blessings attached to our obedience that He’s eager and waiting to give. There are countless similar requests and similar promises repeated over and over again in the scriptures.

• “Draw near” to him.
• “Seek” him.
• “Look” to him.
• “Come unto” him.
• “Remember” him. …

Perhaps the most universal theme of every Bible or Book of Mormon story is that If WE will draw near to Him, then HE can draw near to us.

Is anything more important than having the Lord near to us, at all times and in all places?

“Is what I’m doing right now drawing me nearer or farther away from Him?”

Wednesday – Seeking Wisdom

The Salt Lake City public library is an award-winning architectural creation. The building features large windows, skylights, and open spaces to let in copious amounts of light – all great symbolism by design. A house of learning dedicated to inspiring minds to seek knowledge and obtain wisdom.

“Am I reading things that help me gain spiritual knowledge and wisdom?”

Thursday – Opening Doors

I always know where I’ll be on Thursday evening! That is my night dedicated to Choir rehearsal. There may be many other nights added from time to time, but Thursday never changes. I was inspired this Thursday as I walked across Temple Square viewing the lovely manicured lawns and gardens, the budding trees, passing the smiling sister missionaries waiting to take visitors on free tours… and there I saw the door to the Tabernacle standing open, so warm and welcoming to all the world!

“Am I keeping the door open to new opportunities?”

Friday – Singing My Way Home

My amazingly talented friend Debby devotes her life to teaching children the joy of singing. She directs several children’s choirs, and one of her choirs were honored to be invited as part of a spring concert series on Temple Square in the historic Assembly Hall.

The theme and message of this beautiful concert was “Home,” and they performed songs that help people think about being home with family, and travelling home to God.

“Am I choosing a path that is leading me Home?”

Saturday  –  Respecting Earth

The Western world awoke to the news of the #NepalEarthquake. I thought about the people of Nepal all day – reeling with the catastrophe and feeling helpless to offer anything except my heartfelt prayers, a charitable contribution, and a blog post.

I was reminded of the immense power of the earth which we live and rely upon. Our earth has such great Majesty and Power to both create, and take, life.

Despite the destruction and damage that can happen when natural forces occur, our world is such a beautiful and amazing gift! I was reminded later that same day when Mr. Mo and I took our Saturday hike. We got a late start, so we decided to hike to “Elephant Rock” in the canyon by our house.  It’s exactly 3.5 miles up, or 7.0 miles round-trip. The sky was filled with dark clouds and threatening rain. Sure sure enough it began to lightly rain as we reached about mile 2, and by the time we reached the summit it had changed into hail and snow. We stayed very briefly under the protective branches of a large pine tree, but eventually decided to head down, not wanting to risk being caught on the mountain in the dark.

There’s something so magical about being in nature – especially in the mountains. I love how awake and alive my senses are; the smell of fresh pine, the sound chirping birds and a rushing mountain stream, the sight of brightly colored wildflowers beginning to appear framed by vibrant green moss, and the taste of rain on my lips.

I feel at peace. I belong. I am home.

“Do I respect this amazing Earth that God created for me?”

Sunday – Sparking Joy

The Music & The Spoken Word message today was titled “Tidying Up”. It talked about choosing to clear the unnecessary clutter out of our lives – whether it’s our accumulation of too many material possessions, or too many negative thoughts or habits.

“Am I choosing to de-clutter my soul and fill my life with the simple things that ‘Spark Joy’?