Pixelshot

GUEST BLOGGER: Robin

I had the honor (if not the pleasure) of speaking in Church today.  It had been a hectic week and I had all but forgotten about the talk until Thursday night.  (I did not share any of these things over the pulpit because Scott has taught me to never show my cards!)  Luckily the subject was one dear to my heart: Jesus Christ, our Savior.  Instantly, I thought of President (then Elder) Uchtdorf’s talk from last October Conference, Have We Not Reason to Rejoice? (For those of you who don’t know, every six months in October and April, the leadership of the Church consisting of our Prophet (aka “President”), his two counselors, the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles and other General Church Leaders speak to the worldwide church.  The talks are broadcast from Salt Lake City to every corner of the world through satellite and internet technology.  Dieter Uchdorf is one of our new Prophet, Thomas Monson’s, counselors.)

This brilliant message of joy has carried me through some challenging times, and helped me to see life with increased hope and joy. He talks about his family’s discovery of the church:

“We were living in the rubble of postwar Germany with a devastating feeling of hopelessness and darkness about our future.
In the middle of this despair, my family learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint….

Wherever you live on this earth and whatever your life’s situation may be, I testify to you that the gospel of Jesus Christ has the divine power to lift you to great heights from what appears at times to be an unbearable burden or weakness.”

Amidst personal storms or angst over the world’s tragedies and chaos, knowing the Savior and coming onto him enables us to have the strength and hope to overcome sorrows, triumph over temptation, and feel joy.

p.s. The Church has a great new website on Jesus Christ.

I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before.

I had a message all written up and ready to post, but it just didn’t connect to the general challenges I’ve been
wrestling with recently. So, I started over…

It seems that I am quick to criticize. Quick to find fault. Quick to point out weaknesses. But, in the end, that does me (or others) no good.

As I was talking about this to my sweet Robin last night, she pointed out that I can find a positive spin in the midst of these challenges. I can look at my tasks and see hope and opportunity. The trick is to see them for what they are and what they can be, rather than to complain because things could (or should) be better.

How right she is.

Last October, we heard from Dieter F. Uchtdorf, a member of the First Presidency of the LDS Church, who gave a talk entitled “Have we not reason to rejoice?” (You have to listen to it or watch it to get the full effect of his warm smile.) He speaks of the world’s tendency to focus on bad news. And then points out the great opportunities in life. (Mainly he’s speaking about being a member of the church, so it’s especially poignant for those of you who are members.)

He points out that one of our tasks in life is to “endure to the end.” But, rather than thinking of this as a burden, he encourages us to think of “enduring” is an opportunity for transformation. It is “exalting and glorious, not grim and gloomy.”

Yet our reason to rejoice does not come free. It requires patience, sacrifice, and hard work. It also requires humility, integrity and honesty. But, Christ has the power to “lift you to great heights from what appears at times to be an unbearable burden or weakness.”

No matter our challenges, life can be an opportunity for change and growth, for adventure and exploration. So, a reason to rejoice.

Just what I needed to hear.

Sundays…er…(Tues)days with Scott?…

Sorry folks. I’ve had a bear of a time keeping up the last few days. My only consistent post: Sundays With Scott, has missed a beat. Never fear, it will stay on track. And, this way you can get a mid-week thought anyway.

Here’s my simple Sunday thought, on Tuesday:

One of my favorite memories of Spain is having the delicious bread dipped in smooth olive oil, mixed with balsamic vinaigrette. There’s something about the mix of the sweet and sour that makes it delicious.

I was thinking on Sunday that there is a life metaphor in that. It takes some of the sweet and sour to make a hearty experience. Of course, you only need a touch of the sour, since it’s more memorable and stronger to the senses. But, a little challenge here and there actually makes life more interesting.

Bon appetite!

Last night Robin and I put together a little party - a “locals only” art show (I’ll post all about it asap). It was a great success and we had a lot of fun. However, in all of the madness around putting together the party, which was no small production, I made a simple mistake. It seems that I lost a print that one of my work colleagues lent me for the show.

Lauri, the owner of the print, told me that it was only a copy and it could be replaced. But still, I have felt uneasy since we learned that it was missing.

When I was in Paris, I lost my passport. Similar feeling. The same feeling lingers when I lose a pair of sunglasses, misspell someone’s name, etc. etc. We all know this feeling.

It’s strange to me that such a simple thing can give me discomfort for so long.

But…

When I woke up this morning, I heard the pleasant sound of the rain which I love.

While walking to church, I stopped to enjoy the beauty of the spring flowers and the blooming trees. With a simple thrill, I felt the rain soaking through my jacket and darkening my pant legs. Norman, a large African man in our church, greeted me with a hug, as he always does. Now, as I’m at home, I can enjoy the cool weather and the sweet sound of the rain falling from the comforts of my couch.

Robin and I often refer to these things as “tender mercies” (in reference to a church leader who recently spoke about such things). Not only are these things simple, yet full of pleasure, they are also constant reminders that we are not alone in this world. That there is some other soul looking out for us, pointing out the pleasures of life that we can often overlook.

One other tender mercy: a cute dove has decided to make her home on our air conditioner outside of our bedroom window. She sits there on her egg, keeping it warm, for days at a stretch. In fact, she’s always there whenever I check. How adorable.

Simple things can affect us for ill or good. But there are lots of simple things around us to keep us happy. It just depends on how we look at them.

I don’t imagine that many of you will read this before tomorrow, so my apologies for the lateness. Robin and I are on the road with limited access to the Internet.

My only thought for today is the value of seeing good friends. It was so nice to spend an evening with Todd and Jackie, who we have not seen enough of since we left Provo. It reminded me of how great it is to see some of our many friends whom we love.

Even the shortest of visits, and some Cha Cha Chicken, can refill our tanks.

This weekend was a bittersweet occasion, but mostly sweet. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints held its 178th semi-annual general conference. Conference weekend is always a treat. We are able to tune in to the proceedings of several sessions from the comforts of home and soak in the talks and teachings. It’s a good thing that it happens six months apart because it gives me a chance to review and study their words.

This was the first conference, however, in many years (in my memory) where we were not graced by the president of our dear leader, President Hinkley, who passed away recently. We missed him.

On the other hand, it was a sweet occasion as we greeted in a new president, Thomas S. Monson, who we know and love.

For anyone who is not familiar, a new prophet is sustained (voted for) by the entire body of the church in what is called a solemn assembly. Each group of the church, in turn, (church leaders, men, women, young men, young women) stands and offers their support with the raise of the right hand.

The conference itself was full of wisdom and teachings that will help us live our lives better. One highlight was getting to watch, live, my sister Deana interpret in American Sign Language for the hearing impaired a talk by Susan Tanner. We watched her from our home in DC. She’s great!

Sunday afternoon provided the most touching moments of the conference for me. I was especially struck by Elder Lance B. Wickman’s message about “yesterday, today, and tomorrow” stressing the need to seize today. He told about returning to Vietnam after almost 50 years and seeing the life and hope in a place that was once ravaged by war.

The highlight came in the closing moments of the conference when President Monson gave some closing thoughts. The humility, good humor, and sheer love that he demonstrated touched me deeply. His sweet smile warmed my heart.

For anyone who wants to watch, you can stream it from BYU tv (look for General Conference - 2pm, from April 6), or from the LDS.org conference page. I recommend especially the following messages:

Elder Lance B. Wickman - Sunday Afternoon Session
President Deiter F. Uchtdorf - Sunday Morning Session
President Thomas S. Monson - Sunday Afternoon Session
Elder M. Russell Ballard - Sunday Afternoon Session (about mothers)

For today’s edition of Sundays With Scott (heretofore SWS), I’d like to give you all a little peek of the great opportunities for service that we experience on a weekly basis in our church here in DC. The DC 3rd ward of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a unique experience. As it turns out, this is a good time to discuss the ward since just this week a new issue of the LDS publication, the Ensign, came out which has an article about the tutoring program in OUR WARD!

The article, entitled “Help and Hope in Washington DC,” discusses the improvement of the youth in our ward thanks to the tutoring program captained by a couple of friends of ours. (You can see the front steps of our church in this photo I took today. We see many of those young kids at church every week and have grown a fondness and love for them). Incidentally, we just found out that a few of the youth were accepted to several notable universities and are on their way to college!

Yet the tutoring program is only one arm of a larger self-reliance initiative led by our Bishop Rich McKeown. We have two nights a week where members and non-members gather at the chapel for tutoring, financial management, health, spiritual, and employment services (Robin and I are the employment specialists).

Today, the Bishop reminded us of the New Testament story in St. John chapter 5 versus 1-9. An invalid man waited hopelessly by a healing fountain to be healed, losing the chance to be healed to those who were quicker to jump into the fountain. Jesus found him there, inquired about his needs, then healed the man straightaway. If you break down the passage, Jesus was asking three things:
“What do you want/need?”
“What stands in the way?”
“How can I help?”
Then came the miraculous healing.

We are all in a position to be helped and to help others in some way or another. And, like the invalid man at the fountain, many people get passed by for the help they need until we step forward and help them.

He pointed out that self reliance is a necessary component to achieving spiritual growth in life. Also, he pointed out that the opportunity to serve each other in this way not only helps those who are being served but it also helps those giving the service to better emulate principles of charity.

So, everyone grows.

When considering what to use as the second installment of Sundays With Scott, and on Easter Sunday nonetheless, it was an easy choice. I immediately thought of a sermon from October of 2006 from one of the Apostles of the LDS church: Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin entitled “Sunday Will Come.” (click to listen to his message, or click here for the text)

Spring flowers, blossoming trees, Easter eggs, sunshine, warmth…Easter is a celebration of life. For Christians it is a celebration of the literal resurrection of Jesus Christ, the son of God who put down his own life then picked it up again. So, with all of this in mind, we should all rejoice.

Yet, we must remember that what preceded that wonderful day two thousand years ago was a grim and violent event. The Son of Man was imprisoned, beaten, and crucified–none of them deserved–on a day that could be described as the low point of the human story. Yet, the high point came only two days later, when he rose from the grave, setting the path of rebirth for all human kind.

Elder Wirthlin compares these days to our own lives. We each have low points, but we will have the high points. As we lose our loved ones, or as we suffer through trials, we might feel the storm clouds of loneliness and despair gathering. Or even the thunder and lightning of tragedy and pain. Yet, there will be a time when we can feel the love and light that life can bring. Joy. Rebirth.

As Elder Wirthlin points out, “Each of us will have our own Fridays—those days when the universe itself seems shattered and the shards of our world lie littered about us in pieces. We all will experience those broken times when it seems we can never be put together again. We will all have our Fridays.

“But I testify to you in the name of the One who conquered death—Sunday will come. In the darkness of our sorrow, Sunday will come.

“No matter our desperation, no matter our grief, Sunday will come. In this life or the next, Sunday will come.”

So, when we feel like it’s a dark Friday, remember that Sunday is just a few moments away.

(click to listen to his message, or click here for the text)

Ok Pixelshot readers. I’m starting a new weekly tradition: Sundays with Scott. Since Sundays are a day when Robin and I look for spiritual rejuvenation and inspiration, and since there are several visitors to the Pixelshot site on Sundays, I thought it would be great to post a spiritual thought or something inspiring each Sunday that everyone would enjoy.

As we were walking home from church today, I mentioned this idea to Robin and she said: “Sundays with Scott.” A little presumptuous perhaps, but funny. No need to look any further for a name.

—–

So, for today’s inaugural weekly posting I picked a touching interview found on washingtonpost.com’s site called onBeing, an interview series of “regular folks” like you and me. The whole series is quite insightful (even the idiosyncratic interview of a turkey).

Since I saw it a few days ago, I have been thinking about this particular interview with a sweet man named Eddie. Eddie seems to be a quite simple person who works two jobs, one of which is at a cafe which happens to be right down the street from where we live. He explains that one of his friends in Liberia said the children had nowhere to go to school. “Suppose we build a school” said Eddie.

With part of the income from his two jobs, Eddie sent home enough money to build the school. And now he sends enough money to keep it running.

“If I do all I can by the grace of God…” he says, “and give them hope that they will have better future. Those people that are spending my sweat…for one or two will be like me…will want to use their life to help someone.”

What is notable about this man is that he is doing what most of us would consider heroic: building and paying for a school in Liberia. Yet, he’s a simple man of little means. But, he’s committed to doing good in the world. Serving others.

“What makes people important to others is what you do not for yourself but for others.”

Now THAT is inspiring. (watch the interview)

—-

See you next Sunday!