Jesus said - Day 25

John 14: 26-27

But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  Let now your hears be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

The Living Christ: The Testimony of the Apostles

As we commemorate the birth of Jesus Christ two millennia ago, we offer our testimony of the reality of His matchless life and the infinite virtue of His great atoning sacrifice. None other has had so profound an influence upon all who have lived and will yet live upon the earth.

He was the Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Messiah of the New. Under the direction of His Father, He was the creator of the earth. “All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made” (John 1:3). Though sinless, He was baptized to fulfill all righteousness. He “went about doing good” (Acts 10:38), yet was despised for it. His gospel was a message of peace and goodwill. He entreated all to follow His example. He walked the roads of Palestine, healing the sick, causing the blind to see, and raising the dead. He taught the truths of eternity, the reality of our premortal existence, the purpose of our life on earth, and the potential for the sons and daughters of God in the life to come.

He instituted the sacrament as a reminder of His great atoning sacrifice. He was arrested and condemned on spurious charges, convicted to satisfy a mob, and sentenced to die on Calvary’s cross. He gave His life to atone for the sins of all mankind. His was a great vicarious gift in behalf of all who would ever live upon the earth.

We solemnly testify that His life, which is central to all human history, neither began in Bethlehem nor concluded on Calvary. He was the Firstborn of the Father, the Only Begotten Son in the flesh, the Redeemer of the world.

He rose from the grave to “become the firstfruits of them that slept” (1 Corinthians 15:20). As Risen Lord, He visited among those He had loved in life. He also ministered among His “other sheep” (John 10:16) in ancient America. In the modern world, He and His Father appeared to the boy Joseph Smith, ushering in the long-promised “dispensation of the fulness of times” (Ephesians 1:10).

Of the Living Christ, the Prophet Joseph wrote: “His eyes were as a flame of fire; the hair of his head was white like the pure snow; his countenance shone above the brightness of the sun; and his voice was as the sound of the rushing of great waters, even the voice of Jehovah, saying:

“I am the first and the last; I am he who liveth, I am he who was slain; I am your advocate with the Father” (D&C 110:3–4).

Of Him the Prophet also declared: “And now, after the many testimonies which have been given of him, this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of him: That he lives!

“For we saw him, even on the right hand of God; and we heard the voice bearing record that he is the Only Begotten of the Father—

“That by him, and through him, and of him, the worlds are and were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto God” (D&C 76:22–24).

We declare in words of solemnity that His priesthood and His Church have been restored upon the earth—“built upon the foundation of . . . apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone” (Ephesians 2:20).

We testify that He will someday return to earth. “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together” (Isaiah 40:5). He will rule as King of Kings and reign as Lord of Lords, and every knee shall bend and every tongue shall speak in worship before Him. Each of us will stand to be judged of Him according to our works and the desires of our hearts.

We bear testimony, as His duly ordained Apostles—that Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son.

PDF version here

Jesus said - Day 24

3 Nephi 17: 16-10

And after this manner do they bear record: The eye hath never seen, neither hath the ear heard, before, so great and marvelous things as we saw and heard Jesus speak unto the Father; and no tongue can speak, neither can there be written by any man, neither can the hearts of men conceive so great and marvelous things we both saw and heard Jesus speak; and no one can conceive of the JOY which filled our souls at the time we heard him pray for us unto the Father.  And it came to pass that when Jesus had made an end of praying unto the Father, he arose; but so great was the JOY of the multitude that they were overcome. And it came to pass that Jesus spake unto them, and bade them arise.  And they arose from the earth, and he said unto them: Blessed are ye because of your faith.  And now behold, my JOY is full.

JOY.  

Christmas is JOY.  

JOY to the World, the Lord is come! 

 Let earth receive her King!

We spent the tail end of Christmas eve with Jordan and her family, helping get the kids to bed and then helping her with Christmas morning preparations. And in no time at all, it was Christmas morning and what excitement there was!  Santa came!

It was pure JOY to be with the children and watch their excitement on Christmas morning.  Even though they will always miss their daddy and some tears were shed and probably always will be, they continue to enjoy the joy of the season.  I'm so proud of this daughter of ours.  She is strong, brave, resilient, kind, good, fun, hard working, intelligent, and a true believer in Christ.  It is a JOY for us to be her parents.

Claire and her family came over and the excitement of the children reached a crescendo as they enjoyed each other's gifts and excitement of Christmas morning!  We enjoyed a lovely breakfast prepared by Jordan and then Rick and I got ready to leave.  It was hard to leave.  I'm not going to lie.  But we needed to go and spend some time with my mother who was alone in Logan on Christmas day.  Our good daughters and their families went on to have dinner with Rick's mom and all the extended family and we drove to Logan.

Mom had spent Christmas eve and morning with my sweet sister Carol.  She was alone when we arrived to her apartment, and she was expecting us.  We ate dinner with her in her dining room with about four other people (all the rest had gone to be with their families) and we visited until we left to spend the night with my sister Carol and sit in her marvelous hot tub.  I'm so glad we went.  It was a sacrifice to leave our own family, but in this case, it wasn't that much of a sacrifice.  She is my mother dear and I love her so much.  We talked about ALL the wonderful Christmases we spent growing up and all the effort she and dad put into the meals, the gifts and just the love that filled our home.  I owe her a lot and it was a good to spend Christmas day with my dear Mother.  She may not remember that we even visited her on Christmas and she will never know that is was hard to leave our family, but I know she would have done the same for us. She may not have many more Christmases with us and I'm glad we could be with her. I also really appreciate Rick driving me there and being so good to my mom.  He is my dear love and he was so sweet and generous to me this Christmas.

Jesus said - Day 23

John 13: 34-35

A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.  By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another. 

We love our family!  There is no question about it.  We love each one of our four children, our four wonderful in-law children and our 10 darling GRAND children.  Each one is so important and precious to us.  They are easy to love.  We missed spending Christmas this year with our sons and their families who live out of state, but they carried on with their own Christmas celebrations.

This year we got to mix things up a bit and we spent Christmas eve with our daughter Claire and her family, and some of her in-laws.  She prepared a lovely meal and was a wonderful hostess. Lizzie prepared the programs for the after dinner entertainment when everyone present shared a musical number, a reading, a dance, a xylophone number, a flannel board story or a piano piece.  Afterwards we played the present game. It was a lovely evening and we enjoyed it so much.  It is magical having a baby around and little Annie added so much this year to the festivities.  Isn't she a doll?  

Jesus said - Day 22

Luke 4:4

And Jesus answered him, saying, It is written, that man shall not live by bread alone,

 but by every word of God.

Our family doesn't live by bread alone, we add a lot of other yummy items to the menu.  But we do try and live by the words of God.

Rick and I hosted our family Christmas dinner on day 22.  We knew that we would be in Logan visiting my mom on Christmas day, so we decided to find a time when all our local family members could come over.  It was such a fun night!  I made dinner of all our favorite foods, including ham, fresh cranberry sauce, the best au gratin potatoes with gruyere cheese that cost more than the ham, cranberry creme salad, Sarah's salad, pineapple cheese ball  and crackers, lime frappe, brussell sprouts, wonderful rolls and Aunt Marilyn's cheese cake with fresh berry sauce.  It was a hit!  Afterwards we loaded into a friend's 16 passenger van and with our head gear, headed to drive through the Christmas Light display at Provo Mall.  It was so fun and the kids loved it rocking out to the music.  Grandma Pat even got into the festive atmosphere.  I love my family!  We missed our sons and their families and look forward to being together with everyone at the end of January. 

Jesus said - Day 21

3 Nephi 13: 1-4

Verily, verily, I say that I would that ye should do alms unto the poor; but take heed that ye do not your alms before men to be seen of them; otherwise ye have no reward of your Father who is in heaven.  Therefore, when ye shall do your alms do not sound a trumpet before you, as will hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men.  Verily, I say unto you, they have their reward.  But when thou doest alms let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth; That thine alms may be in secret; and thy Father who seeth in secret, himself shall reward thee openly.  

One of my favorite things about Christmas time is the giving.  Especially anonymous giving.  I'm a big fan of it.  I've done some, I've received some, and I've helped others pull off their secret giving.  I've enjoyed giving and giving and watching the joy that the unexpected gives.  Giving feels so good!  I'm always so impressed by those who give who don't have much to give, yet give anyway.  Here are some examples I saw this year.

• I'm aware of a family that saved all their coins and gave them in a quart bottle (like the book The Christmas Jar) to another family where the father was out of work
• I'm aware of a family who gave another family who didn't have much to spend on Christmas gifts an extra $100 and a gift card for a night out
• I know of a husband and wife who traveled to Asia and spent their Christmas helping those less fortunate
• I'm aware of a aged widow who gave some money to two foreign students who couldn't go home for Christmas so that they could buy themselves a Christmas gift
• I'm aware of a family who on Christmas eve, go around to the various fire stations and carol to the firemen there who have to work that night
• I'm aware of a man who took a list of needed items from a homeless shelter and bought all the items on the list for a unknown man who needed basic clothing and a sleeping bag
• I've heard stories of lots of people donating to the #Lighttheworld vending machines on Temple Square to help people locally and internationally
• I know of a family who sent another family who had lost their father, a box of fun items to open every day before Christmas

The list could go on.  We open up our wallets and we open up our hearts.  Let's keep the #lighttheworld campaign going all year round. 

Jesus said - Day 20

3 Nephi 27: 19-20

And no unclean thing can enter into his kingdom; therefore nothing entereth into his rest save it be those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end.

Now this is the commandment:  Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day.

I was thinking a lot about this scripture recently.  At Christmas time, we celebrate the birth of our Savior and all that his coming to earth means to us.  Also, I think we need to spend some time contemplating that his life had purpose and that he sacrificed his life for us.  It's been helpful to me to contemplate what his words and teaching are and how they really should change us to be more like him.  He requires something of us all in return for the sacrifice of his life for all of mankind.  We can't just say we love Jesus and then do nothing more.  We have responsibilities as followers of Christ to do, to be, to overcome, to progress, to improve, to follow, to forgive, to obey, and to repent.  We can't be believers of the word only.  We need to be partakers and doers of the word he taught and exemplified.  

How often to do repent?  How often do we ask forgiveness of someone we have harmed, or try to make whole something we have destroyed or damaged?  How often do we sincerely offer a broken heart and a contrite spirit for the things we do wrong?  Do we follow the steps of repentance?  Do we try and not repeat what we did wrong?  Repentance is hard work.  I'm not even close to being perfect at it.  I'm striving to do better though.  I'm striving to be less judgmental, less critical, less harsh and more kind.  More forgiving.  More like the Savior in every way. 

He was born.  He lived.  He died. He was resurrected.  At Christmas and all through the year, it would behoove us to follow Him, the Savior of the world.   For He is truly mighty to save us from not only our sins, but our sorrows, our injustices, our infirmities of body and mind and so much more.  He is the greatest gift there is this time of year, and I'm eternally grateful that he condescended to come to earth.

For unto us, a child is born.  Unto us, a Son is given, and the government shall be upon His shoulder; and his name shall be called Wonderful!  Counsellor! The Mighty God! The Everlasting Father! The Prince of Peace! 

Isaiah  9:5

Jesus said - Day 19

Luke 11: 9-10

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; 

seek, and ye shall find, knock, and it shall be opened unto you.  

For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth, 

and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

This scripture obviously has several meanings, but today, I wanted to share an experience I had knocking on some doors.  I have always wanted to do this activity, but I was either working or didn't have a whole day to devote to it.  However, this year I did!  I scheduled with eight dear friends and family members to visit them on December 19.  Luckily, they all said Yes!  I planned my day so that I could go from one visit to another and all the wonderful people were so good to accommodate my schedule.

8:00 am - left the house headed for Salt Lake City.  First stop was at 8:45 - Turmonk, Otga and Eermoon, some of our Mongolian friends (and Andy's former mission companion.)  I had a nice visit and left them with some Christmas stockings, gift cards and some Christmas decor.  They are such wonderful people.

9:30  - Margie, Megan and Cocoa.  We had a lovely chat and I got to tour Margie's Christmas home.  Beautiful!  Loved spending some time with these three generations.

11:00 - Karen, my former mission companion.  She made me a fresh plate of Argentine empanadas and we visited for over an hour.  Great memories were shared.  I love this dear friend.

12:30 - Catie (and my nephew Miles) recently moved into a new home.  I hadn't had the change to see it yet, so I scheduled a visit and had a great time with Catie.  She is a wonderful woman, homemaker, mother and wife and I admire all the good she goes in her life.  I loved sharing and getting to know her better.

1:45 - Carla my childhood friend since second grade welcomed me warmly.  This was the very day of her 63 birthday, so she got some extra love by way of a gift and some treats.  We always pick right up where we left off the last time.  She knows me well and we have stayed in touch over all these years.  I'm proud of the good life she leads and the happy marriage she is in now.  

3:30 - Victoria and I served together in a Relief Society presidency and we have stayed in touch when she moved to the Salt Lake valley.  We had a lovely visit getting caught up with one another.  She then went with me to visit...

5:00 - Linda was a former member of our ward and she has since had some major health problems and now lives in a care center.  She was discouraged and struggling.  It was good to visit her and try and cheer her up a little, along with Victoria.  I'm so glad we went.  I hope our visit helped.

6:15 - Ann and John opened their door to me and I was able to deliver our Christmas gift to them and have a nice visit.  We had their names this year, and as fellow Christians, I hope our gift was as meaningful to them as it is to us.  It was wonderful to see their Christmas home and to feel of their love and friendship.

7:15 - Finally, I headed back home with a huge smile on my face and met up with my friend Cydnee to see the new Star Wars movie.  It was such a fun day and I loved every minute of it.  I hope to do it again another year.  All eight doors that I knocked were opened to me, and I found great joy behind each one.

Jesus said - Day 18

Matthew 25: 31-46
Profound words to ponder this Christmas season and always.

 ¶When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory:

  And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats:

  And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.

  Then shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world:

  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:

  Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.

  Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?

  When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?

  Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?

  And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.

  Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels:

  For I was an hungred, and ye gave me no meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink:

  I was a stranger, and ye took me not in: naked, and ye clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and ye visited me not.

  Then shall they also answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister unto thee?

  Then shall he answer them, saying, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

  And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal.

Jesus said - Day 17

3 Nephi 17:3

Therefore, go ye unto your homes, and ponder upon the things which I have said, and ask of the Father, in my name, that ye may understand, and prepare your minds for the morrow, and I come unto you again.

These music videos provide a lot of thoughts and feelings to consider.  Ponder and enjoy.

Jesus said - Day 16

Luke 11:6, 9

For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?  And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you.

We have enjoyed so many fun activities during the month.  Here is a list of some of the things we did as we have taken friends in from their journey and set some things before them:

Putting up the Christmas tree and decorations
Festival of Trees with the grandchildren
Christmas Around the World at BYU with the international dances
Celebration of Christmas by the BYU vocal groups and Philharmonic
1st Presidency Christmas devotional
Overnighter to SLC with Rick to shop and see the lights at Temple Square
Candy making with Cydnee
Attending a special lecture given about the Holy Land and the life of Christ
Attending the Provo City Christmas party
Attending our ward Christmas party
Celebrating Ellie's birthday
Attending our stake Christmas concert
Going to see the movie Coco with the grandchildren
Enjoying a Sunday dinner with the family
Taking a small Christmas tree to Jake's grave
Taking the older granddaughters to SCERA to see Miracle on 34th Street
Getting a tooth implant (Not!)
Visiting teaching my sisters in the ward and sharing a little gift
Attending my church meetings for my calling in Relief Society
Presidency meeting and gift sharing with my wonderful Relief Society presidency
Getting a massage from a wonderful masseuse - Ruth
Going to Trader Joes!
Playing and listening to Rick play lots of Christmas music
Going to my ladies club Christmas party and enjoying a wonderful musical program
Attending the Provo temple with Rick
Enjoying being around baby Annie and her first Christmas and visiting her as much as possible
Cleaning the ward building
Listening to almost all of my 40 Christmas CDs
Inviting Andy's friends (and now our friends) from Mongolia over for diner and giving them each a            Christmas stocking
Having a family we home teach over for dinner
Making pretzel sticks and Grandma Mayme's cookies
Taking my darling friend Sofia from Argentina to lunch
Visiting Connie with Rick and enjoying a wonderful visit
Going to lunch with friend Angie and lifting her spirits
Enjoying a home visit from my dear friend Kathleen
Attending several BYU basketball games
Visiting with my long-time dear friend Marcy at my home while she was in town
Taking my friend Lori's 15 passenger van with all our local family members and Pat to see Christmas            in Lights at the Provo mall.  Too much fun!!
Hosting my family Christmas dinner the Friday before Christmas
Inviting our dearest friends the Philipp family over for dinner, visiting and games.  37 in attendance!
Attending the wedding darling ward friend Kate in the Draper temple, her bridal shower and                       reception
Attending the Draper temple and doing temple service
Visiting Rick's mom and taking her to see a movie

Jesus said - Day 15

Luke 4: 18

The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised.

There is so much need in the world.  This isn't news to anyone, but the older I get, it seems like the more need I see.  Maybe it's because I am in the early years of living my seventh decade and I've just seen a lot and experienced so much.  Maybe my circle of friends, family and others has grown bigger and bigger so that I see into the lives of more and more people.  I see so much that is good in the lives of the people I know and so many that are happy, leading productive and successful lives. But I also see so many that are struggling in a myriad of ways.  

As we have tried to #lighttheworld this Christmas, it as been very gratifying to reach out, to lift the hands that hand down, to try and help the brokenhearted, to give some hope to the captives (of addictions, vices and other struggles), to try and bring sight to the blind who do not see, and to set at liberty them that are bruised by forgiving, by lifting, by encouraging, but visiting and helping in so many ways.

Rick and I have had a wonderful month trying to follow this teaching and will continue to reach out and help where we can.  A phone call, a visit, a note, a gift card, a lunch, a ride, a shared meal, an invitation to do something together - a way to stretch ourselves following the example of the Savior.  The verse from Matthew 24:40 keeps running through my mind this month - "In as much as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye has done it unto me."  How else can we give back to the Savior who did so much for us?  How else can we show him how much we love him?  How else can we stretch ourselves to be a little better and do a little more?  My doing good to others!  And the amazing thing is, that we ALL benefit when we do this.  The giver and the receiver benefit and ALL are edified.  This is one of my favorite things about Christmas - the pure giving inspired by the example of Christ. 

Jesus said - day 14

Luke 17: 8

And will not rather say unto him, Make ready wherewith I may sup, and gird thyself, and serve me, till I have eaten and drunken; and afterward thou shalt eat and drink?

There was A LOT of eating and drinking going on around here this season. It's a great part of Christmas.  We go to special dinners, events and family gatherings and we eat and eat and eat.  We make certain dishes and treats this time of year that we don't make other times.  That's what makes it so special and good!  This year my friend Cydnee came over and we tried our hand at making caramels, black licorice caramels and Boston creme candy.  We had three successes and one failed batch of caramels that were too hard.  Overall a fun day!

A few weeks later I tried by hand at making pretzel sticks and of course I made a double batch of my Grandma Mayme's molasses cookies.  Can I just say that the smell of those cookies brings back such memories and are so good.  The pretzel sticks turned out great and next year I will give them a go again.

Here is my Grandma Mayme's molasses cookie recipe.  I always double it and keep a roll or two in the refrigerator for up to a week so that you can bake them fresh when needed.  Don't say I didn't give you a wonderful Christmas present:

1 cup shortening (I use butter shortening)

1/2 cup molasses

1 heaping cup sugar

2 beaten eggs

1/4 c. water, scant

1/4 t. salt

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. ginger

1/4 t. allspice

1 t. cinnamon

1 t. soda

4 1/2 cups flour

Cream shortening, molasses and add sugar, eggs and water.  Add dry ingredients and mix well.  Divide into two halves and roll into round rolls.  Wrap in wax paper and put in the refrigerator over night.  Cut cookies from roll about 1/4 " thick.  Bake at 350 for 8 minutes.  Don't over bake!  Cookies will be moist and chewy.  Frost with a powdered sugar, water and butter frosting.  Enjoy!!

Jesus said - Day 13

3 Nephi 28:10

And for this cause ye shall have a fulness of joy; and ye shall sit down in the kingdom of my Father, yea, your joy shall be full, even as the Father hath given me fulness of joy; and ye shall be even as I am, and I am even as the Father, and the Father and I are one.

Rick and I are big fans of watching "The Crown" on Netflix.  I've been struck by what a good Christian woman Queen Elizabeth II is and how she strives to live her beliefs.  She has given a Christian Christmas message to the United Kingdom and the world since 1957 - for 60 years!!  I think she is wearing the same three strand pearl necklace.  So sweet!  I have read more about her life and really enjoy looking at the Royal Web Site and learning more about her life today and her mission.  This year she spoke of enjoying time in our homes with our families and finding joy and peace with those we love this Christmas time.  I thought it was a beautiful message given by a dignified Christian woman.  The whole message is good, but start at the 6.26 mark for the best part.  Hooray for Queen Elizabeth!!  Happy Christmas your Magesty.

Jesus said - Day 12

3 Nephi 12:41

And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain.

Rick and I went on an adventure in August.  It was extremely hot in southern Utah at that time of year.  We had never been to Kolob canyon, which is part of Zion National Park.  We spend an enjoyable day visiting the canyon and hiking around to see some of the beautiful vistas.  It was so fun to spend some time together and talk our heads off like we usually do.  He is a great travel companion and we really enjoy our road trips.  There is no one else I'd rather be with. He is my best friend and my love and I'm so grateful to have him by my side through thick and thin.

We also went to Cedar Breaks for a drive and then attended several plays at the Shakespeare festival again this year.