Tell Me a Story

“Tell Me the Stories of Jesus; I love to hear."

As a child, this was a favorite Primary song.
It still is (though they’ve changed some of the words).

There are “things I would ask Him to tell me, if He was near.”
But He does tell me, in the stories of His life:


“First let me hear how the children stood round His knee…”
I too am a child, in need of His love and guidance.
I want to be near him, to hear him, to be loved by Him.
But like a spoiled child, sometimes I forget, or get distracted.
And yet he bids, "Suffer the children to come unto me."

When I think of Him giving sight to the blind,
I think of all the things He has helped me to see, to understand, to know because of His touch.

I love the story of Jesus calming the sea.
It reminds me that He can calm the storms in my life too.

Jesus knew when woman in a crowd reached out to touch him.
I know that when I reach out in faith, He knows it, He feels it,
and He 'reaches my reaching' and rewards my belief.

Jesus is the Good Shepherd, who seeks after every lost lamb.
The painting of the Shepherd carrying the lamb is sweet, but I know that even lambs can be heavy, and smelly, and hard to hold on to. I love Him for His willingness to carry my burden, even if it’s heavy, unpleasant, or I try to wriggle away.

His sweetest words may have been "Your sins are forgiven."
What peace has come from His power and willingness to do that.
Then I hear His voice, that I can forgive too.

I love the story of Jesus walking on the water.
He has asked us to follow Him, to walk in His footsteps, and whether those footsteps walk on water or in Celestial halls, if we focus on Him and have faith in Him He will make it possible for us to walk where He walks.

He even had the power to raise people from the dead.
Many times He has called me back when I was spiritually dying.
One day He will raise me up, to a state of immortal and incorruptible glory!

When I hear the stories of Jesus, I often notice His hands--
How often they heal and bless, nourish and cleanse, beckon and point the way.
They were cruely pierced, yet those marked hands reach out to all mankind-- and offer joy.


So, tell me the stories of Jesus. I love to hear!

I love the stories of Jesus because they are stories of Love.

I love them because they are about happy endings.

They are not fairy tales.

They are real.

They were true then, and they are true now,
for Jesus yet lives, and loves, and blesses--

And if we walk in His footsteps,
we can live happily ever after.

That's the true story.

There is no end.

(No such thing as) Small Miracles

Well, it’s over: Stake Relief Society Leadership Meeting
(aka Stake Auxiliary Training).

I’m really glad—not only that it’s over, but for the experience that it was.


For me, to plan a big meeting or event like this is like standing in front of a billboard with all your faults and weaknesses flashing in neon lights.

Now that it's over, those lights have dimmed.
Now I feel a soft glow from the inside.
I feel grateful that I could be an instrument in the Lord’s hands,
and that He granted unto us success.


I am grateful for the small miracle that happened.
A few days ago, I needed a long-lost piece of paper with some notes on it, but after looking for a few minutes I knew it was like looking for a needle in a haystack—impossible to find. So I went ahead without it.
After all the preparations were made, I was going over everything when my eyes caught sight of a paper right next to my computer, right in my main work space. As I focused on it, I realized it was the paper I had been looking for—right on top of everything!

It was interesting to me that it showed up after I had already done the work, when I didn’t need it anymore. But reading it gave me peace. It felt to me like an approval for our work. It was, at the very least, a sign to me that the Lord was aware of what we were doing.

This isn’t the first time I’ve had such an experience. To me, these small evidences of God's awareness are not small at all.

It’s why I believe --
that there are special blessings for those who do God’s work,
that sacrifice does bring forth the blessings of heaven,
that no concern of ours is too small for the Lord’s attention,
and that He is aware of us more than we know.

And so I am grateful--
That the meeting is over,
And that I saw the hand of God.


I feel the fire of faith in my bones.

It warms my soul.

It might even make me glow.



P.S. I learned today of another miracle. The sister who sang a special number in our meeting was worried because she's not a soloist. As she sweetly sang she kept turning her head and smiling at us who were sitting a little behind her. I learned it was because when she started to sing she heard another voice singing with her, and thought it was one of us. It wasn't one of us. No wonder she sang like an angel.

Snow

It’s snowing!

I know that people in Utah won’t appreciate that. They may even let out a groan, as will people in Washington after a long, cold winter.

But for us in Texas, it’s a rare event.

We got our first snow of the winter a couple of days ago.
It only snowed during the dark night.

The thing that’s different here is it can be 70 degrees the day before the snow, and 70 degrees again the day after. There’s no putting your seasonal clothes away here.

Texas has to do everything bigger. We had snowflakes the size of plums! OK, the snowflakes weren’t that big, but they did make clumps that big. It was beautiful!

I like the snow because most of the time I can stay home.
The world is somehow quieter, slower, cleaner.
Hot chocolate is at its best.

I know many people have to be out in it.
I know it can get icy and dangerous.
Eventually it will get dirty and ugly.

But for now, it's just magical.

I know lots of people get lots of snow.
I wouldn't want to live there.
It's much more fun as a rare event.

My power is on, my fridge is full, and I am home.

I am tucked in under my blanket.

My curtains are open to the view.

It's a great backdrop for reading a book.


It doesn't get better than that.