Living water talk

*A geography lesson*

*A scripture lesson*

*Some life lessons*

The Snake River is over 1000 miles long.  It is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, and the largest North American River that empties into the Pacific Ocean.  It rises in western Wyoming near Yellowstone National Park and travels through six US states before reaching the Pacific.

The snake river flowing past the Grand Tetons

 

The Snake River flows from east to west
 across the entire state of Idaho

Shoshone Falls near Twin Falls, ID

Minidoka Dam and lake Walcott

I grew up approximately seven miles from this great river.  In 1904 engineers got the idea that if they harnessed the Snake River and built a dam (the first dam to be built on the Snake River, called Minidoka Dam located just outside Acequia, Idaho) that they could turn what was once an uninhabited sagebrush desert into bountiful farmland.  Some years later the same dam provided electrical power that currently powers the huge pumps that turn the wheel lines that water the crops.  Maybe the potatoes you will eat tonight for dinner were watered by the Snake River.

In my era, the water was delivered to the farms through a series of flumes, larger canals and finally smaller canals. Water from the mighty Snake River arrived at our forty-acre farm in Rupert once a week during the summer months.  When my dad, Earl G, got his water turn it was cause for much excitement for us children.  As our canals filled with water each week at a depth of 3-4 feet, we had wonderful fun on the bridge that divided our acreage.  We played water games on our acre home and garden lot as the six inches of water poured out of the canal on to our grass and garden.  Playing baseball, badminton, and kickball was a lot more fun in swimsuits in the irrigation water and we especially loved it when our mom and dad joined in the fun! While the farm was not our main source of income, my parents bought the farm to teach their seven children how to work and it ultimately paid for the seven of us to attend college.

I learned early that water is a powerful force.  If not used correctly, it can escape its bounds and cause expensive damage to neighboring crops, homes and equipment.  It needed to be banked, watched carefully and directed to the place where it would do the most good.  If used wisely, the irrigation water from the Snake River would turn our little farm into a green oasis where pinto beans, alfalfa and wheat grew in abundance.  My dad was careful each spring to go out into the fields and level the ground so that the water would flow to all parts of the fields. He would then attach the plow, the cultivator, the seed planter and then the harrow to prepare the fields so that the water could get to the end of each row.  He would use machinery to destroy the weeds in the fields so that the crops could flourish.  He also fertilized the crops to achieve maximum productivity. If the irrigation water couldn’t reach where it was intended to go, nothing grew.  Nothing flourished, the ground was wasted for that season and that would mean less return on the investment of time, labor and supplies at harvest time.  He was very careful to do his best to see that the water got to the end of each row.

Each of us could be likened to our 40-acre farm in Idaho.  We have been given an allotment in this life of years, circumstances, opportunities, challenges and tests.  We have come to this earth to see how we will perform and how we will grow, within our allotted acreage.  Some have been given all equipment they need to prepare their ground, others use older, less modern equipment and sometimes that equipment breaks down.  Some ground is rich and fertile and some ground takes more work. Severe weather sometimes put our crops at risk and destroys what we have worked hard to produce.  Bad years happen in farming. But we all have one thing in common.  We all get our weekly water turn when the waters from the mighty Snake River come rolling into our lives to nourish our testimonies, our faith and our commitment to Christ.  We may be distracted and go on vacation and give our water turn to another for a time.  We may let our canals fall into disrepair so that the life-giving waters won’t flow where they are intended.  How do we stay on the covenant path and make sure that our fields yield that highest possible result? 

We become true followers of Jesus Christ and we help others become true followers as well.

Living water, just like Snake River water, heals parched land.  It nourishes and sustains.  It brings peace and joy.  It grows things.  It produces beauty and life sustaining food for the soul.

Sister Kathleen Hughes gave a talk in the April 2003 General Conference called Blessed by Living Water.  I share some of her thoughts:

“We all know the story of Jesus as he was traveling from Jerusalem to his boyhood home of Nazareth.  He passed through Samaria and stopped to rest at Jacob’s ancient well.  As he was resting, a Samaritan woman approached the well.  You know the story.  When Jesus asked for a drink, she was surprised that Jew would make such a request of her.  For centuries Jews and Samaritans had considered themselves enemies.  But Christ told her that if she understood whom it was she was talking to, she would ask HIM for water, living water, water that would satisfy her thirst forever.  She didn’t understand of course, so He explained:

“Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: but whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst, but the water that I shall give him shall be a well of water springing up into everlasting life” John 4: 13-14.

The Samaritan woman liked the idea of never having to drink again.  Certainly, she wouldn’t miss the daily labor of carrying the heavy water jars from the well to her home.  But when Christ testified to her that He was the Messiah and when the spirit confirmed to her that it was true, she began to comprehend that Jesus was speaking of greater truths.  She left the well water behind and hurried away to seek others who might come and listen.  I doubt at least at that point, that she fully understood, or whether we fully understand – what it means to have a wellspring of living water within us.”

The living water is the gospel of Jesus Christ; its communicator is the Holy Ghost.  A wellspring of goodness, of strength and confidence is within us, and when we listen with a feeling of trust, we are raised up.  We are healed.  We go forward with faith as we follow the Savior and his teachings.  The living water also nourishes and sustains us when we are weary, if we drink of it deeply.  Those who drink deeply not only become whole themselves, but they become a fountain to others, as one spirit nourishes and feeds another.  It may take a lifetime and longer to refine our spirits fully, but the living water is available to all.

The Samaritan woman looked into the face of Christ, listened to his voice, and recognized him at a time when most others rejected all he taught.  We know him too, or we can, if we allow His healing power, his nourishing strength, his peace and joy to flow through us like “a well of water springing up into everlasting life.”

In our last stake conference President Chris Killpack, the Orem, Ut mission president gave us some good reminders of how this is to be accomplished.  He related a few ideas of how we drink deeply of the living water and become true followers of Christ.  These simple tasks will help the living water get to the end of the row in our own personal acreage.

Eight lessons learned from Elder Thomas S. Monson (in a letter Elder Monson wrote to a young boy Chris, an elementary school student:)

·      Honor God – keep his commandments

·      Say yes when asked to serve

·      Do your best

·      Work well with others

·      Others will judge the church by your actions

·      Pray to Heavenly Father for help and express thanks

·      Make the most of each day

·      Always honor your father and mother

And our good stake President in that same conference reminded us:

·      It may look like everyone is winning but you.  Keep playing!

·      In order to get to a higher place, we have to walk uphill.

·      Be a finisher.

·      One day you and I will give an accounting to the Master for how we served.

In closing – Some invitations to consider - Prepare your ground.  Help the living water get to the end of each row.  Get rid of the bad stuff. Get the right tools.  Talk to your neighbor and ask her what she is doing to get such good results on her farm. What fertilizer is she using? Share ideas. Take your water turn on schedule.  Let the living water flood your acreage and sink in deeply to your soil. Expect bad years and work hard to overcome them.  Don't get discouraged. Work hard. Pull out the weeds.  Play and have fun.  Pray for good weather.  Enjoy the harvest.  Share the bounty.  Help your neighbor.  We follow Christ by letting His living water permeate and sink deep into our lives.

Canning chicken

Jordan started buying raw meat wholesale when she lived in AZ.  When she moved to UT, she found that the company, Zaycon, also delivered here locally.  We started buying fresh bone-less, skinless chicken and low fat hamburger from them in bulk.  Like 40-50 pounds at a time.  Sometimes we split an order. She has taught me how to can meat!  Who knew?  I canned a bunch of meat, and also cooked and shredded some and froze it in single serving bags.  I also bagged chicken breasts for BBQ and other recipes.  I now have meat ready to go for at least the next six months.  I love it!  

This is a great shortcut.  Cook the chicken buy boiling it
or baking it and then put it in the Bosch mixer with the
 cookie paddle and it shreds it like a champ!
 Love this quick way to shred chicken! 

And to finish off the day, a nice pot of
chicken noodle soup was a hit.
 Here is a great recipe my sister Mary Ann shared:

Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup

6 frozen chicken breasts (or two bags of my pre-cooked chicken) to make 4 cups cooked chicken
3 cups water
3 chicken bouillon cubes
2 cups chopped celery
2 cups chopped carrots (sometimes I used the pre-shredded carrots found in the produce section at the grocery store and they work great in this recipe)
1 chopped onion
2 cans cream of chicken soup
1 cup of milk
1/2 package cooked egg noodles

Put frozen chicken breast in a pan with 1/2 cube of butter and 1 to 2 cups of water.  Cover and cook on medium heat until the chicken is done (about 20-30 minutes if chicken is frozen, less time if chicken is thawed.)  Drain chicken.  Boil together the next 5 ingredients until vegetables are tender.  Add 2 cans of cream of chicken soup and 1 cup of milk, add in four cups of cubed or shredded cooked chicken.  Cook noodles according to package.  Add to soup.  Serves about 4-6.

Stake Women's Conference - year 2

Brian Kershisnik is the artist of this beautiful oil on canvas called "She Will Find What is Lost."  Of his oil painting Brian wrote: "many unseen forces are interested in you, love you, and work to influence matters for your profound benefit.  Most of what we all do is resist it, misinterpret it, or mess it up, but my experience indicates that these unseen efforts persist impossibly. 

 I thank God for that."

 We got the artist's permission (and paid him a small commission) to use this picture on our invitations and throughout the conference as we talked about the scripture found in 

John 14:26-27

Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.

Not as the world giveth, give I unto you.  

Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

I can't say enough good about these women!  They all served with heart and soul and carried out their responsibilities above and beyond that was needed.  

Melinda was over the decorations (she worked with a woman in our stake who owns a catering business and she graciously let us BORROW,

 free of charge, all of the beautiful decorations you see below!),

Kathleen was over the printed invites, programs, publicity and signage,

Dana was over all the set up, take down and technology needs,

I was over the luncheon.

Our stake has had the tradition for 22 years of organizing and offering a half-day conference for the women in the stake that is planned and carried out with their needs in mind.  Last year, this was the conference, and this year we decided to go a different direction. We had a general session first with a beautiful musical number (Come, Ye Disconsolate), an intro of our theme (which was taken from John 14: 26-27) and short talks by our stake president and his first counselor and then we divided into the break out sessions.  

We wanted this conference to provide real help for real latter-day saint women who are living in 2018.  We hoped that the presenters would share experiences from their own lives and how those experiences relate to the gospel of Jesus Christ and how we can feel peace and comfort in our lives, even amid challenges and difficulties.  Each presenter had 45 minutes to speak and the women who attended the conference chose three of the classes to attend.  It was a very difficult choice for them to choose only three classes! The teachers were all so well prepared and the classes were excellent.  These were the topics of our classes:

1.  Helping children find happiness living the gospel
2. WWJD: Christ's example of radical inclusion
3.  Hope and resources for those dealing with depression
4.  Finding peace and joy amidst life's challenges
5.  Living with a grateful heart
6.  Feeling God's peace through music
7.  Finding peace and hope when a loved one chooses to live an alternative life style
8.  The Family Proclamation: A battle worth waging
9.  Keep on the covenant path - tips for the trail
10.  Sean creyentes y felices y no se desanimen todo saldra bien
11.  Is happily ever after a fairytale in marriage?  No!!
12. Education for life: finding peace by preparing you, your daughter, and granddaughters for their unknown futures
13.  Accessing the Holy Ghost in times of trial
14.  Combating loss with creating: service and charity (especially) during the rough times
15.  The miracle of family search

BYU take-out food did an excellent job preparing the shredded chicken and seasoned ground beef for our build-your-own taco salads.  We had all the trimmings and everyone could choose their own preferences.  We also had a huge bowl of Clementines (cutie oranges) and key lime tarts for dessert, also prepared by BYU food-to-go.  We had priesthood men help set up the chairs and tables, serve the luncheon and help with clean up.  They were wonderful!  Rick was a huge help in picking up the food and being a over all great helper that day.  Our High Counselor over Relief Society was wonderful as well.  The saying that many hands make light work was very evident this day.  I'm so grateful to ALL those who served, who attended and who shared their personal experiences and their lives.  We felt like the conference was time well spent and we received great feedback that the conference was helpful to many sisters.  We estimate that over 300 attended that morning, as their time permitted. This was our goal - give our sisters concrete ideas of how to find peace, joy and comfort in their lives.  We feel like this goal was accomplished! Success!!

Suffering comes from resistance

Over the last several months as we have gone around to the different ward conferences in our stake, our stake president's wife shared an important message with the women in each ward.  Among other things she said, this important concept was shared...most suffering comes from resistance.   She said that resistance (in whatever form) usually brings more trials and sorrow while submission brings more peace.  I've pondered this idea for months.  It holds a lot of truth.
When we resist our unpleasant circumstances, or challenges, our unfair experiences, our illnesses, broken relationships, or the things we are going through with sustained anger, tears, bitterness and hard heartedness, we usually only feel more of the same.  When we dwell on our trials and think constantly of how unfair they are, how justified we are in feeling the way we do, how angry we are that we have a particular challenge and we put all our energy into those feelings, we only feed the negativity and we find no peace.  All our energies, our thoughts, our negative communication with others usually only compounds the problem and as we resist whatever is going on, we just continue to suffer.   As she said, most (she said all) suffering comes from resistance.
Conversely, when we eventually accept (however hard or unpleasant our experience might be) our circumstances and stop resisting, stop being angry, stop being bitter and blaming, we are then freed to move all that negative energy out of our lives and make room for more positive energy and feelings. Our suffering is lessened as we make room for positive relationships, positive experiences, positive interactions with others.

She said that when we remove these expressions from our speech

I can't
I won't
I shouldn't have to
I don't want to
It's unfair

and replace them with these expressions

I choose to
I will
I can
I want to

that powerful transformative things will happen.  We will take charge of our own peace and comfort. We will no longer be as susceptible to long periods of debilitating suffering and times when we can feel no peace.

I've seen this in the lives of so many people I know who accept their hard circumstances, however awful they are, and CHOOSE to not let them dominate their lives.  These people are heroes to me. They are like the bright shiny stars that cut through the darkness and bring light into places where only darkness once was.  I want to be more like that.

Grief

Going through grief after a loved one passes away is such an difficult, individual process.  As Rick and I have grieved following Jake's death, we have been hit by waves of sorrow at unexpected times and at unexpected places.  We are reminded daily that Jake is no longer in Arizona with his little family and tears will well up and our hearts will be sad.  We strive to comfort one another and do our best to comfort our daughter and our grandchildren in these hard days, weeks, months and years that lay ahead.  The reality that he is "gone" and we can't see him anymore is a hard reality to accept. Even our understanding of where his spirit has gone and the fact that we will see him again sometime, at difficult moments, doesn't assuage our grief like we would want it to.  We miss him and he know that he absence has left a gaping hole in the lives of so many people who love him, especially Jordan and his children.

A few weeks ago there was an article in the newspaper about a book called "Lament for a Son" by Nicholas Wolterstorff, a Christian philosopher.  I ordered the book and read it immediately.  As I read this book, I found that I have felt many of the same emotions that he felt when his son died in a climbing accident.  He offers precious insight into loss and grief.

He says:  I cannot fit it together.  I can only, with Job, endure...I believe in God the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth and resurrecter of Jesus Christ.  I also believe that my son's life was cut off in his prime.  I cannot fit the pieces together...to the most agonized question I have ever asked I do not know the answer.  I do not know why God would watch him fall.  I do not know why God would watch me wounded.  I cannot even guess.

Not even the best of words can take away the pain...Please, don't say that it's not really so bad. Because it is.  Death is awful, demonic.  If you think your task as comforter is to tell me that really, all things considered, its not so bad, you do not sit with me in grief but place yourself off in the distance away from me.  Over there, you are of no help.  What I need to hear from you is that you recognize how painful it is.  I need to hear from you that you are with me in my desperation.  To comfort me, you have to come close.  Come sit by me on my mourning bench.

We took him too much for granted.  Perhaps we all take each other too much for granted.  The routines of life distract us, our own pursuits make us oblivious; our anxieties and sorrows, unmindful. The beauties of the familiar go unremarked.  We do not treasure each other enough.

It is the neverness that is so painful.  Never again to be here with us, never to sit with us at table, never to travel with us, never to laugh with us, never to cry with us, never to embrace us as he leaves for school, never to see his brothers and sisters marry.  All the rest of our lives we must live without him.  Only our death can stop the pain of his death.

Nevertheless, Wolterstorff deems his sorrow precious:

Grief is existential testimony to the worth of the one loved.  That worth abides.  So I own my grief.  I do not try to put it behind me, to get over it, to forget it.  God is appalled by death.  My pain over my son's death is shared by his pain over my son's death.  And yes, I share in his pain over his son's death.  God is not only the God of the sufferers but the God who suffers.  Jesus wept at the death of Lazarus because he loved him.

Faith is a footbridge you don't know will hold you up over the chasm until you're forced to walk out onto it.  I will look at the world through tears.  Perhaps I shall see things that dry-eyed I could not see.

In the valley of suffering, despair and bitterness are brewed.  But there also character is made.  The valley of suffering is the vale of soul-making.

Mourning with and comforting those who stand in need

Last Sunday in Sunday School I was asked to substitute teach the gospel doctrine class. The chapters we were studying were Mosiah 18-24.  In these chapters, Alma is converted to the gospel of Jesus Christ and he teaches and baptizes people who are willing to follow God.  We talked about the baptismal covenant we make when we are baptized to:

1.  Bear one another's burdens that they might be light
2.  Mourn with those that mourn
3.  Comfort those who stand in need of comfort
4.  Stand as a witness of God at all time and in all places
5.  Serve God and keep his commandments

If we do those things then God promises to:
1. Redeem us
2. Include us in the first resurrection
3. Grant us eternal life
4. Pour out his spirit upon us

That seems like a pretty good contract and I know that God always keeps his end of the bargain.

We spent some time talking about what it means to actually help to bear one another's burdens and mourn with and comfort them.  Since we have just recently gone through the experience of being the recipients of much comfort and help from people, I shared some examples of what this might look like.  

When Jake was diagnosed with cancer, their family was immediately the recipients of much comfort and help.  Sometimes it is awkward to know what to say and what not to say to someone going through a major trial.  Jordan found this wonderful article that gave some great advice about that every topic.  It is entitled "How not to say the wrong thing" and was published in the LA Times in 2013 and written by some clinicians named Susan Silk and Barry Goldman.  

Here are some of the highlights:

The goal is to help people going through any sort of trauma, not add to their burden.

Listening is more helpful than talking.  If you open your mouth, ask yourself if what you are about to say is likely to provide comfort and support.  If it isn't, don't say it.

Don't give advice.  People who are suffering from trauma don't need advice, they need comfort and support.  Say "I'm sorry, this must be really hard for you."  

Don't say, "You should hear what happened to me" or "here's what I would do if I were you."

Comfort IN, dump OUT.

Complain to someone in a larger circle than yours.  Be supportive of the principle caregiver.  It is the best thing you can do for the patient.

We are so grateful to the hundreds of people who came to the aid of Jake and Jordan and their little family and helped to bear their trial, mourn with them and comfort them.  Rick and I have also been the recipients of many kindnesses and support and we appreciate so much those who have come to our aid. The Savior truly sent others to help and support us and they were His hands.

I also referenced this wonderful talk by President Henry B. Erying.  Many of the scriptures that we talked about in this lesson are included in his talk.  Take 17 minutes to listen to it.  You won't be disappointed.  He gives great insights to better understand how The Comforter helps those in need.

Finally, this great quote encapsulates these powerful teachings:

Elder Richard G. Scott

"Problems or trials in our lives need to be viewed in the perspective of scriptural doctrine.  Otherwise they can easily overtake our vision, absorb our energy, and deprive us of the joy and beauty the Lord intends us to receive here on earth.  Some people are like rocks thrown into a sea of problems.  They are drowned by them.  Be a cork.  When submerged in a problem, fight to be free to bob up to serve again with happiness...

The Lord is intent on your personal growth and development.  That progress is accelerated when you willingly allow Him to lead you through every growth experience you encounter, whether initially it be to your individual liking or not.  When you trust in the Lord, when you are willing to let your heart and your mind be centered in His will, when you ask to be led by the Spirit to do His will, you are assured of the greatest happiness along the way and the most fulfilling attainment from this mortal experience.  If you question everything you are asked to do, or dig in your heels at every unpleasant challenge, you make it harder for the Lord to bless you.  

Ensign, May 1996.

To speak up or not to speak up, that is the question

So lately I've been thinking a lot about this question... in dealing with people of different opinions, lifestyles, choices and beliefs, is it better to speak up or not speak up if you don't agree with their stated opinion or belief?

There are so many daily situations where this scenario plays out.  If someone states an opinion I don't agree with and I don't speak up, does that give them the impression of support or agreement with their opinion?  If someone voices their opinion and I don't agree with it, should I say so and calmly voice my own opinion?  If someone has a melt down and spews out a lot of drama, how should those in attendance react?  If someone writes something that is not true and uses strong language to malign another person, should I stay silent or say something in rebuttal, coming to the defense of the maligned person? If something is happening in social media or the news with huge political undertones, do I go ahead and voice my opinion or stay silent because I don't want to join in the drama of it all? If someone attacks my religious beliefs and mocks my lifestyle, what do I do?  Avoid confrontation at all costs or calmly answer back?  Is keeping the peace and avoiding confrontation more valuable than standing up for what I think is right, or for what I believe? How much trashing of my own beliefs am I willing to listen to before taking a stand?

The silent majority.  They stay silent.  It is safer this way.  I understand it.  I often stay safely in this group.  I have sometimes paid a terrible price in speaking up when the other person didn't want to hear any other option but their own.  But is it right to stay silent?  Aren't we constantly trying to assess situations and decide if speaking up is the right thing to do, or not?  Is it our battle to fight or not?  Are we principle players in a situation or do we only have a supporting role?  What to say, when to say it,  how to say it and who to say it to must all be carefully weighed and measured, especially in close relationships.  I believe that God will guide us in our desire to do what is right and to stand for truth and righteousness.







Here are some good ideas I came across.
When Silence is Golden:

• Staying silent can be just as powerful as the words you mean to say, like when the act of hugging will be more comforting than saying, “Sorry for your loss.”
• Another time when silence is golden is when you are unsure of what to say. If you are confused about your own feelings concerning a matter, it’s best to stay quiet until you are more certain because more harm can be done by revealing false or exaggerated feelings.
• Choose silence instead of blurting out ‘in-the-moment’ feelings that are hurtful and not really how you feel in the grand scheme of things. When you feel the urge to say an unkind thing, take a few breaths and think of the possible consequences of your words.
• Another time when it’s best to stay silent is when someone is sharing a meaningful story. Let the friend or person feel ‘heard’ by your silent nodding and sincere eye contact.
• Silence can be your best friend during negotiations. Say your piece, then close your mouth, and let the other person come to their own conclusions. Your silence shows that one, you are confident in what you just said, and two, you respect the other person enough to hear what they have to say.
• Sometimes silence is the best and most timely solution because the other person is not in a position to hear what you have to say. For example, when a friend needs for you to listen to her problems, but she is unable to accept your advice at that moment.
• Practice being silent at work when you don’t have anything meaningful to contribute. Unless you can elevate the conversation by pointing out something interesting, missing, or beneficial, it’s best to just observe and learn.
• Finally, silence is golden when you don’t want to engage in a fool’s argument. As some squabbles will never be resolved, one must agree to disagree.
• When to speak up loud and clear:
• There will be times in your life where you will need the power of your voice. The voice within you that wants and needs to be respected and appreciated.
• Use your voice and speak up when your feelings are being trampled on. Many things are out of our control, but it is within our power to control the words and feelings that we convey to others.
• Articulate your feelings clearly and let people know that you value your well-being.
• Speak up for others who have no voice or are unable to speak for themselves for one reason or another. Your voice may be the only thing that saves and protects them from harm.
• Speak up when you see a wrong being done as silence could be seen as complicit agreement.
• Speak up when you are asked for your opinion as the person doing the asking must value it.
• Finally, speak up when you want to be heard. Whether in the work place or in a relationship, if you believe what you have to say is valuable, don’t be afraid to open your mouth.
• The ability to speak up takes a level of confidence, but just like all skills, someone only needs to practice in order to get better.

When things are going wrong, we can’t sit idly by and use “let God deal with it” as an excuse to avoid putting our faith into action. We can’t slip away and pretend it’s not happening. When injustice is being done, not speaking up about it and not acting to bring about justice (if possible) is clearly sin. Indeed, “the only thing required for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.”

Yet what constitutes evil, and what actions we should take — those are questions we each need to carefully consider. No one person is called to deal with everything. Even Jesus didn’t try to fix all the world’s problems (He didn’t even attempt to deal with the most “pressing” challenge of his people: the Roman occupation) and neither are we called to.

So I think the balance for me is always to speak up when faced with injustice or unrighteousness, but to do so carefully, with consideration, compassion and clarity. Take some time to process, investigate and establish truth. Think through what you say, and strive to make it helpful, build up the church, bless mankind, and give glory to God.

You were born to lead

Chelsea and I had the wonderful opportunity a few weeks ago to attend a special speaking engagement at Utah Valley University with keynote speaker, Deseret Book CEO Sheri Dew.  We were invited to attend a pre-speech meet-and-greet with other members of the UVU Women's Success center board and other guests.  It was so fun to attend with Chelsea and introduce her to some of the wonderful women I have met in our community.  One of my great heroes was there...Ardeth Kapp.  She was the general Young Women's president when I served as our stake Young Women president.  Years ago we invited her to come and speak to our young women and others from several stakes in our area and she came and gave them such great counsel.  It was fun to see her again.

The Keynote speaker was Sheri Dew with an introduction and speech by former YW general president Elaine Dalton.  Both of these women are such an inspiration to me.  They lead with conviction and love and they are wonderful speakers.  I took copious notes and want to share some of what they said. I was inspired, motivated, encouraged, and rewarded for attending and I'm so happy I go be there with Chelsea.

Elaine Dalton said:  Ordinary Mary, mother of Jesus.  Extraordinary task accomplished.  Using our ordinary talents and abilities can change the world.  Leadership is hard.  It can be exhilarating, rewarding...but it is never easy.  It's about influence.  Learn techniques to influence.  The leader doesn't have to have all the answers.  They just need to know how to find the answers.  Be a person people will follow.  Leaders are needed everywhere.  The leadership of women is critical.  Women can see things.  We know what the needs are.  We can be a combination of courage and compassion.  We will have direct influence on 1,000s of people over our lifetimes.

Sheri Dew gave an inspiring address. Speaking to women of all ages, she said, "The best leaders are perpetual learners. An inspired leader is always learning -- from mistakes, from others, and from experience. I'm not sure it is possible for a poor learner to be a good leader."

She shared seven principles of influence:
1.  Your leadership is not about YOU.  Lift others, don't elevate yourself.  Help others do and become more than they could become on their own.  Model for others how to do something.  Selfless leaders tend to be optomistic and positive.
2.  Leadership is utterly dependent on trust.  Without trust it is only a strategy.  Relationships of trust bear fruit.  How can we trust someone...that their motives are pure, their judgement is good, we will feel the truth.  Do people you lead trust you?
3.  Experience is the best teacher.  New experiences lead to results.  First - Experiences, second -beliefs, third - action, forth- results.   What new experiences can you give to people you lead?
4.  The best leaders are perpetual learners.  Learn from mistakes, hire the brains, ask good questions, the best you can do is the best you can do. Leadership exposes your weaknesses.  You can't hide, ignore or deny.  You must acknowledge and compensate for inadequacies.   Leaders accept responsibility.  It is always important to know what you do not know.
5.  The best leaders are both courageous and kind.  Always show more kindness than seems necessary.  Everyone has value and wants that value to be recognized. Leadership is sometime lonely.  Show courage, compassion and consideration.
6.  It's easier to motivate someone to do something difficult than to motivate them to do something easy.  Our leaders should call upon us to do more.  A life that doesn't stretch us doesn't help us to grow.
7.  Inspired leadership endures.  It is devoted to something greater than themselves.  Every woman giver her life to what she believes in.  Each day, endeavor to be more than you were. 

 For more information on the event, see the write up on the local newspaper HERE