Embattled Christian

It’s been a wet summer: dreary, drizzly, soggy.  Mushrooms over-carpet the lawn and a particularly gruesome assortment of fungi has replaced the decorative bark under the raspberry plants.

Ah, but thanks to the rain those raspberry plants are bowed down by the weight of ripe jewel-red fruit.  This is the first year that I will have enough berries to eat on ice cream and waffles and to make a few bottles of jam.  Berries make a good feast in the wilderness.  Just ask the grizzly bears.

A wilderness is harsh and beautiful, cruel and rejuvenating, dangerous and instructive.  In my last post I wrote about being at a place in my life where I expected to be in a comfortable and restful state of mind and spirit.  But to my shock and amazement I am in a breathtaking and wide spiritual wilderness.   This is both dismaying and exciting.  I long for rest.  However my past experiences have taught me that it is in my metaphorical wilderness that I am driven closer to God.  God is my companion in the wilderness. God my father, God through His perfect Son, God through the whisperings of His Spirit.

God has occupied my thoughts my entire life.   My parents were religious and took me to church where we had a joyful—sometimes painful–community of friends, teachers, and mentors. A fortress for nurturing faith. Both my parents believed in God and prayed with me and for me.  After my mother’s death, as I sorted through one of her bureau drawers, I found a list she wrote of things she was praying for.  She was not afraid to be assertive with God.

My parents were far from perfect but I adored them and still adore them.  They had righteous priorities.  Their love, their example, their humanity and benevolent authority made it natural and easy for me to relate to a loving personal God who has a plan and a purpose for his children in this mortal phase of their progression.

And so God is always with me.  I’ve never been without God in this world and have less than zero desire to be without his companionship even though, clearly, that is always an option. God does not force himself on anyone.

In this new wilderness of my spiritual life I will never be alone.  I will be accompanied by a guide, a physician, a mentor, a protector, a translator.  He points out where there are reliable trails.  He guides me over trackless terrain and around hazards. He shields me from hopelessness and despair.  He heals me when I am injured by the “fiery darts of the adversary” and the injuries of my own failings.  He translates inarticulate emotional storms and bestows clarity.   And regularly, he withdraws into the dark and lets me experience the utter silence and loneliness of the wilderness.

I have in the past believed some false notions about God.  Likely I still have many misunderstandings for Him to clear up as my life’s experiences soften, even break, my heart and allow Him to teach me.  I have too many times tried to hide from him, but, no more.

I have experienced stages of growing up in God that brought different motivations for cleaving to God.  There has been bargaining to get what I want. There has been the pleading for justice and for loved ones in peril. There has been witting and unwitting idolatry (of even good things) that get between me and God.  I have made slow painful progress through foolishness, through pain, through fear, through ignorance, through illness, and grief.  My sporadic and clumsy growth is fine with God as long as I am willing to keep on going forward across the great expanse that separates me from his ultimate desire for me.  That expanse grows more beautiful  and less threatening every day as I listen to His “still small voice” of peace encouraging me and lighting the landscape of my wilderness with beauty, knowledge, and moments of joy.

After feeling so wise and grown-up because of all I have been through and all I have learned, I am again a little child.  I am resetting my position to zero.  I am making room for God to fill me with himself and lead me safely through this new wilderness to a promised land that I can only dimly imagine yet crave with all my heart.

I heard wonderful sermons in Church today about many topics. I especially enjoyed a presentation about the US Constitution. It is a powerful and resilient document designed by inspired men to protect freedom and God given rights. Unfortunately, we have too many who seem to think there is a need to save the document by changing it or wresting (twisting) its principles.

The beauty of the resilience comes from two sources:

1) A very bright electorate that for the most part knows right from wrong.

2) A three branch governmental system that provides checks and balance.

Here is a quote I have always appreciated: “I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers, and it was not there; in her fertile fields and boundless prairies, and it was not there; in her rich mines and her vast world of commerce, and it was not there. Not until I went to the churches of America and heard her pulpits aflame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. America is great because she is good, and if America ever ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.” from 1831 French historian Alexis de Tocqueville.

Even though we see partisan bickering like never before, even though the economy seems tied to the vicissitudes of our political battles, even though the basic fundamental institutions of our society are under attack—all will be well.

We just need to continue to do our best to be well informed and enjoy the freedoms of this great nation. The majority supports the basics and upholds the vision of our Founding Fathers. No condescension, just humble allegiance. Keep praying, keep worshiping, keep believing, stay informed by more than just sound-bites, and keep voting. All will be well.

Same-sex marriage will hurt families, society
By BishopHarry R. Jackson Jr., Special to CNN
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
Bishop Harry Jackson: The institution of marriage is unique in our society
The institution serves broad societal purposes, Jackson writes
Jackson: Gay marriage will lead to degradation of the nuclear family
Family structures that promote positive environments should be culture’s aim, he says
Editor’s note: Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr. is senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville, Maryland, and founder and Chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition (HILC). He shares his thoughts on traditional marriage in “The Black Pulpit,” a weekly series of opinion pieces that explores faith in the black community. CNN’s “Black in America: Churched” premieres October 14.

(CNN) — The institution of marriage is unique. It is the one institution that binds women and men together to form a family, and this serves broad societal purposes.

In California, a U.S. District Court Judge last week overturned Proposition 8, the California Marriage Protection Act. It was passed in November 2008 by California voters to recognize “only marriage between a man and a woman.”

The majority of Californians, including two-thirds of the state’s black voters, have just had their core civil right — the right to vote — stripped from them by an openly gay federal judge who has misread history and the Constitution to impose his views on the state’s people.

The implicit comparison Judge Vaughn Walker made between racism and opposition to same-sex marriage is particularly offensive to me and to all who remember the reality of Jim Crow. It is not bigotry, it is biology that discriminates between same-sex couples and opposite-sex couples.

A marriage requires a husband and a wife, because these unions are necessary to make new life and connect children to their mother and father. Judge Walker’s decision will not stand the test of time and history. Congress and the Supreme Court must act to protect all Americans’ right to vote for marriage.

Advocates of making same-sex marriage a legally recognized right claim that this will have no impact on traditional marriage — that it can peacefully coexist alongside traditional marriage. On the contrary, it will have profound impacts. It will create a conflict for people of faith (and nonreligious people as well) who fervently believe in traditional man-woman marriage and the law.

The Bible is so clear in its support of heterosexual marriage there is little need for us to go through an exhaustive definition of biblical marriage versus the types of unions allowed by law today. The Scriptures say in Genesis 2:24 that a man is to leave his family and cleave to his wife.

This concept is repeated in Matthew 19:5 and Mark 10:7. All the scriptures in the Bible concerning marriage presuppose heterosexual marriage.

We can teach our kids that there are important spiritual and societal reasons to believe in traditional marriage and oppose same-sex marriage. But if same-sex marriage becomes legally recognized across the country, our kids will be told that gay marriage is a civil rights issue and that those who oppose it are akin to the racists of history who opposed interracial marriage and supported slavery.

We can teach our children at home that marriage is between a man and a woman, but our children’s public schools will teach them that marriage includes same-sex couples. Both would be “equal marriages” under the law.

What might this look like? In Massachusetts, where a ruling legalized same-sex marriage in 2004, kids in public schools are reading books depicting same-sex families. At a California charter school in 2008, kindergartners’ parents objected when a school newsletter alerted them to “National Coming Out Day;” a parent told a local ABC-TV affiliate that a teacher at the school screened a film to kindergartners the previous year showing gay families.

These kinds of ill-advised social experiments may produce a host of unexpected consequences. If gay marriage is allowed, the nation will soon begin to experience an increased degradation of the nuclear family — resulting in fewer kids being raised by both a mom and a dad.

Beyond that, those of us who believe in traditional marriage and are in a regulated profession — such as counselor, physician, attorney or accountant — and act in concert with our beliefs, may be vulnerable to losing our professional license and our livelihood.

We can be a religious charity faithfully fulfilling our mission by serving our community, such as by providing adoption and other services, but if we refuse to provide those services to a same-sex couple, we have the choice of abandoning our beliefs or ending our mission.

In 2003, Adoption.com was sued by two California homosexual men, who claimed illegal discrimination because the agency refused to serve homosexual couples. The agency lost the lawsuit and no longer serves adoptive parents in California.

An even more substantive danger lies in the consequences of gay marriage on the next generation. Redefining marriage redefines family. Changing the concept of family will change both the definition and the pattern of parenting.

What will the landscape of America look like if same-sex marriage is legalized across our nation? Social scientists report what most Americans have always known: Both boys and girls are deeply affected in biological and psychological ways by the presence of their fathers.

If the American family loses the presence of the birth dad in the home, there will be huge consequences to the growth and stability of the next generation of children in that family.

For example, repeatedly, scholarly studies focused on adolescence show that early onset of puberty in girls is associated with negative psychological, social, and health problems including depression, alcohol consumption, and higher teenage pregnancy. An eight-year study of girls and their families showed that a father’s presence in the home, with appropriate involvement in his children’s lives, contributed to daughters’ reaching puberty at a later age.

Despite the incredible adaptability of children, our entire culture should advocate for family structures that promote the most positive environments for coming generations.

In addition to fighting the marriage redefinition, leaders from all sectors of our culture, including our churches, must work hard at improving heterosexual marriages. Counseling, modeling, and interventions are needed to help ailing marriages. Both battles must be fought if our families, which are the incubators of future societal greatness, are to be protected.

Let’s set our sights high. Let’s not fall victim to the circling argument of our opposition. We simply need an army of bipartisan leaders to strategize, organize, and prioritize the protection of marriage.

The opinions expressed in this commentary are solely those of Harry R. Jackson, Jr.

The importance of education needs new emphasis. Below is a link to a newspaper article about the impact of education. My Masters Degree in Educational Leadership was mentored by two very bright PhD’s from back on the East Coast, David Hagstrom and David Smith. Both were trained at IVY League Schools. They introduced me to Educational philosophy and theory by John Dewey and others. The assumptions are based in individualism and ’social democracy’, a phrase most conservatives are worried about, since its implication is to bring socialism to our society by sharing parental authority over children with government. Most forms of Socialism negate God entirely, and reduce the value of family in society.

For several years I taught Mormon students theology on campus at Cornell University. Many of them were extremely bright graduate students. IVY League schools tend toward godlessness, but Cornell has a United Religious Works building housing many ministries—including my office. Some were Christian and others not. All were impressive proponents of our need for God in our lives. Education and belief in God can coexist.

As indicated in the article, the clash of Religious Culture in Utah with Dewey’s philosophies brings one to serious thought on how states and parents share responsibility to make sure good education is available to children. It is a worthwhile project to read the article and consider the power of education as it impacts our society.

Here is the link to the News Article:
http://heraldextra.com/news/local/education/article_7bccc151-cb34-5dd2-ae52-fab607b81b17.html

While in Bethel Alaska last weekend, I had a conversation with a former proponent of Eastern Religion, now convert to Mormon faith and a Biologist who sees no conflict between Creationism and Science. I agreed there need not be conflict. Upon arriving home I read a philosophers take on how the schism developed:

“It is not unusual to anachronistically read fideism, the belief that religious experience is essentially nonrational and, therefore, cannot be explained, back into the history of philosophy, finding it for example in Tertullian’s response to Marcion, “It is to be believed because it is absurd.” [7] In spite of that, the actual history of fideism is much shorter. Perhaps it began in full force in the fifteenth century; perhaps it began as late as the nineteenth. In any case, fideism is the direct descendant of the thirteenth- and fourteenth-century thought of people like John Duns Scotus and William of Ockham, whose thinking eventually fell victim to unintended consequences. In order to differentiate fully the human from the divine, these late medieval philosophers attributed unrestricted power to God and thereby weakened the intelligibility of the Creator, though of course that was not what they intended, nor did they even see that consequence during their own life times. [8] However, once the Creator was no longer thought to be intelligible, the only possible relation to him was an unmediated, personal one: pure relation apart from reason. And, after the loss of the intelligibility of the Creator, we lost also the meaningfulness of the universe. If the Creator is no longer intelligible, then neither is his Creation intelligible as creation, and at least at first there was no other way to understand it. As William J. Bousma says, “Alone in an ultimately unintelligible universe [. . .] man could no longer count on the mediation either of reason or of other men in closer contact with the divine than himself.” [9]

The only options left were meaninglessness or meaning given in inner experience apart from reason.” from “The World and the Prophets:A Religious Response to Secularism ” by James E.Faulconer SquareTwo, Vol.2 No.1 Spring 09 http://squaretwo.org/Sq2ArticleFaulconerSecularism.html

At this moment it’s just before midnight on the fringes of the Denali wilderness. Outside our motor home the sky is gray and weeping but it is merely dusk. We are parked at the brink of a steep bluff overlooking the churning wet-cement -colored Nenana River where earlier in the day, white-water rafters plunged through a series of rapids. The motor home windshield reveals a steep mountain slope cut by steel rails where trains regularly chuff their way southward to deposit passengers at Denali National Park Visitors center. We toured the visitor center today and watched our enthusiastic seven-year-old grandson put together a giant magnetic moose puzzle, snap picture after picture of the natural history displays with his Nintendo dsi, and listen to the sounds of Denali’s seasons.

On the deck outside the M0rino Grill my husband, daughter, and I sat down to explore our options for wilderness adventure over the next four days with a loquacious seven-year-old in tow. Our final list includes a half-day shuttle bus trip into the park, hiking at Savage River, the Park Ranger sled dog demonstration, Horseshoe Lake trail , the salmon bake, and relaxing in the motor home playing games or watching a movie. That list in no way captures what we are really here to immerse ourselves in: the eye-filling, heart-swelling backdrop of Denali. Its poignant wild vistas, serene forest enclaves, ice-melt roaring creeks, and expansive flower dotted tundra. This place called Denali so well fits the terrain of my life and the unexpected inner journey I suddenly find thrust upon me.

It happened probably three months ago. After a sunny rambling walk in the familiar surroundings of my mountain valley neighborhood, I came to a place where the pavement ended and a dirt road became a faint path through thick underbrush. I could see in the distance at the mouth of the valley an idyllic sun-drenched town on shore of the inlet. The angle of the sun as it skimmed the mountain peaks signaled plenty of time to hike that far. I kept plunging forward down the slope into trackless alder bracken. The hike stretched out farther and farther. The way was strewn with a bone-twisting wasteland of boulders. Finally there was one last barrier: a tall hummock of scarred moraine dropped by a careless glacier. Exhausted, I crawled down the face of the precipice and set my feet on the broken gray talus below.

In that instant my peaceful coastal destination vanished. Like the swoosh, swoosh weightlessness of a double-looped roller-coaster, or the belly sloshing back-lash of a bungie swing at the fair, or like suddenly being telescoped from your backyard to the back of Denali . . .I was clobbered with the awareness that I had instantaneously been transported to the middle of a wilderness so wide I would find no restful haven for a very long time. Terror, exhausted frustration, and adrenaline powered exhilaration washed over me like the icey rushing waters of the Nenana River now outside my window.

I woke up, my skin on fire and my heart pounding. Of course, it was a dream; a dream that burned a bright physical and spiritual recollection that has stayed with me every day since. It gave me clear insight into the present state of my life. Scriptural accounts of wilderness journey’s are charged with symbolism and meaning. The ancients are described as “pilgrim’s and stranger’s” in this world. These faithful ones of old give us courage and instruction for our own sojourn in the wilderness of mortality. After an eventful life of raising wonderful children, enduring the painful death of loved ones, adjusting to life in one new circumstance after another, fighting cancer, and fighting to be healthy again; I was full to the brim with blessings, and lessons, and wisdom gathered along the way. I thought it was time for respite .

I was mistaken. My dream woke me up.

The dream vividly, exhaustingly, invigoratingly made it clear that I am not finished with the wilderness places of my heart and spirit. I have not explored all the desert wastelands of my soul.  It is not time to put away the hiking boots, backpacks, mountain climbing gear, and white-water rafts of the spirit . I have a life as big as Denali yet to conquer and it will be both fearful and wonderful.

Atheists use the word empirical to denote the kind of evidence needed to establish an idea or truth. The word empirical denotes information gained by means of (1) observation, (2) experience, or (3) experiment (see any dictionary). My belief in God is based on all three of these processes. I observe the world and its operations as well as humankind and concluded God has been the mastermind behind the majesty of these amazing creations. For me there are too many complex processes which cannot be explained by nature or science.

My experience has shown me that spirituality works. Prayers are answered, inspiration happens, cleansing takes place, hope is supported, love is enhanced, kindness is encouraged, families are strengthened, and happiness is obtained. I attempted to chronicle my spiritual experiences, observations and experiments upon the Word of God and determined there were just too many to attempt to write them all down. I am talking easily 100s and perhaps 1000s. Writing a few might bring the conclusion that I rely on just a few upon which to base my conclusions or in other words faith.

Please keep in mind that faith is defined in Hebrews chapter eleven of the Bible as “evidence” of things not seen. By the above definition “empirical” could be added in front of evidence. After 50+ years verifying principles of the gospel as contained in the scriptures, simply stated they work.

I believe that atheism is a religion in and of itself. To me it seems to be a very empty set of ideas. My experience indicates that atheism encourages arrogance rather than humility. Unfortunately, Christianity occasionally does likewise, but that is a matter for another article. If organized, giving atheists tax exempt status wouldn’t bother me, because they do have a God: themselves. Most atheists I have known are ever learning but never coming to knowledge of truth. They seem afloat without an anchor. All of us choose the voices to which we listen. Some voices are louder than others. Modern media and pop culture are pervasive. As we filter the deluge, whom we trust becomes more focused. Checking the source is a very good thing. By their works we will know them. Results matter.

Observing, experiencing, and experimenting are very good things. They all encourage the use of our minds and our hearts, or our temporal and spiritual faculties. Put together they make for a very real source of understanding and truth.

Instead of heading to a tropical paradise or a desert golf resort for our escape-from-winter this January, we decided to go to Houston, Texas to visit our grandchildren. As luck would have it, we also brought a significant cold snap with us from Alaska. Temperatures plummeted to around freezing in the Houston area for much of our ten-day trip.  Oh well, we were warm with happy family gatherings. Most days the sun came out enough to give us a significant shot of vitamin D. Brynne and Liam showed us the zoo and the Museum of Natural Science. Together, we saw Avatar at an IMAX theater, an experience unavailable to us in Anchorage, and one that was surprisingly absorbing and impressive. Then we headed west to San Antonio.  Alas! On the morning that we planned to visit the Riverwalk we heard a news report that it was being drained for yearly maintenance. We went anyway and enjoyed strolling around this San Antonia landmark. Liam was fascinated by the bulldozers scraping up mud from the bottom of the river. At last, I have seen the legendary Alamo! We explored  spectacular Natural Bridge Caverns. With the help of multiple Iphones we found two Texas BBQ restaurants that had earned high praise: Rudy’s Texas BBQ and Texas Pride BBQ. We couldn’t pick just one so we went to both. At Rudy’s I especially liked the creamed corn and peach cobbler. At Texas Pride the pecan cobbler was a hit. Both had outstanding brisket, ribs, BBQ sauce, and finger-licking ambiance.  Back in Houston, we  watched Brynne do cartwheels and hand stands at her gymnastics class and went to the Rockets-Knicks game. Noisy, noisy, noisy but loads of fun. Brynne and Liam played Bubble Breaker on my pocket computer for half the game. Grandpa caught a Rockets T-shirt the size of a pup tent for Brynne.

In the evenings after playing games with the grandchildren, we spent some time watching movies with my son and daughter-in-law.  We also watched a few episodes of “THE OFFICE”.  We’ve tried watching “THE OFFICE” at home and just can’t seem to get into it. But watching with Dan is fun, because he has fun. Something about his reaction to the gaffs and personality conflicts makes it more fun to watch.  Something about knowing that he manages a real office full of absurdities every work day brings depth to the ridiculousness. As we watched Dwight and a co-worker’s dueling banjo and guitar scene: the self-conscious battling egos, the childish “anything you can do I can do better”;  IT HIT ME.  I realized why its hard for me to watch “THE OFFICE”.  It makes me embarrassed to be human. People are annoying, foolish, egotistical, self-absorbed, narcissistic, awkward, self-serving, self-conscious, and just plain dopey.  We long to be beautiful, graceful, pleasant, attractive, intelligent, and accomplished and “THE OFFICE” lays bare the fact that humans are silly.

Stay with me as I change the subject here for a moment. Leaving “THE OFFICE” let’s go back to the Museum of Natural Science where we saw exhibits of geodes and precious stones: cut, polished and beautifully displayed. All of those colorful sparkling minerals started out as rough, dusty, rocks somewhere on or in the ground. When I was a child I visited the garage workshop of a rock hound where he showed me a cylinder full of rocks tumbling round and round. He poured out a hand full of colorful stones polished to a glossy smoothness. As life sends me tumbling through challenges I think of that rock polisher turning dull, plain rocks into cool, gleaming jewel quality stones.

Back in “THE OFFICE” those embarrassing humans remind me of all my flaws and insecurities. The characters ARE caricatures: strangely lovable at the same time they are distinctly distasteful; exaggerated but all too real.  But there is hope. I am human but I am invited to draw near to the divine by submitting to the polishing that is offered.  I can tumble to no avail or I can submit to the the careful crafting of a loving Father in Heaven.

The theme I am attempting to address here is:  submitting myself to learn the virtues that are not easily grasped in our celebrity loving, prideful, self-aggrandizing culture.The first lost virtue,  the most illusive and most foundational is humility. “THE OFFICE” humbled me, my children humble me, my grandchildren humble me, my challenges humble me, my mistakes might humble me, my experiences can humble me.

Strangely, I cannot evaluate my own humility, I can only guess at it and let the cosmic rock tumbler continue working on me.  Humility is to submit without anger to correction, to submit without excuse to confession, to submit without evasion to straightening, to not have to be right all the time nor center-front all the time, or even last and most obscure all the time. All this with a good solid dose of self-deprecating humor. This definitely does not come naturally to the natural human. T

I accept my embarrassing humanness but I refuse to settle for it. Gradually,  I will have become a new creature – thoroughly crafted by the divine to fulfill the image of God that is my heritage.   Starting with humility.

3 Nephi 12: 19 “come unto Christ with broken heart and contrite spirit.”

1 Peter 5: 5  “be clothed with humility:”

“Humility, that low, sweet root From which all heavenly virtues shoot.” THOMAS MOORE (Irish poet), The Loves of the Angels (1823)

DECEMBER 1st:  I believe in Christ because I believe in love.  I believe in the ” love of God that is shed abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is the most desirable above all things.”  (1 Nephi 11:22, Romans 5:5)  God’s love is the source of all love. Love we can choose to humbly embrace, act upon, and thus receive greater love. Christ is the physical and spiritual revelation of God’s love.

DECEMBER 2nd:  I believe in Christ because I believe in the worth of a soul. Christ gave his life as a ransom for all who accept that gift. The worth of a soul is the priceless gift of God’s Son.

DECEMBER 3rd:  I believe in Christ because I believe in the eternal nature of  the soul, of every child of God.  Just as matter and energy cannot be destroyed but only changed from one state to another. Human consciousness cannot be destroyed but is nurtured from one state to another through the love of God, the power of the atonement, and Christ’s resurrection from the dead.

“Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul.”     (Doc & Cov 88:14-16)

DECEMBER 4th:  I believe in Christ because I believe in justice and mercy.  Not the limited and shallow justice of  men but the  justice of a loving God who judges with perfect justice and mercy, who looks not on outward appearances but on the heart.

December 5th: I believe in Christ because I believe in goodness.  The goodness of a perfect character to whom I can look for instruction, inspiration and example. Goodness without vanity, goodness that invites, and entices.

December 6th: I believe in Christ because I believe in humility. Christ is THE meek and lowly one.  In the presence of His greatness, one senses the peace and strength of true humility.

December 7th: I believe in Christ because I believe in patience.  In Christ, patience will bear fruit in this life and in eternity. His patience will bear with us as we patiently strive to see ourselves and others as He does.

“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”  Luke 8:15

December 8th: I believe in Christ because I believe in freedom.  Freedom from the inside out.  The kind of freedom Christ had although he stood in bonds before Pilate, he still had all the power.  Freedom from ego, freedom from prejudice, freedom from bitterness and more.

December 9th: I believe in Christ because I believe in  His  healing grace.  Healing through a power beyond my own. Healing by and through the grace of God which I have personally experienced:  physical, spiritual and emotional.

“The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the 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, ” (Luke 4:18)

December 10th:  I believe in Christ because I believe in His complete empathy.  No matter what pain, sorrow, darkness or discouragement I suffer, Christ has “descended below all things” and can give succor born of complete understanding. No matter what I experience, I am never alone.  All my human companions will at some point be unable to follow me where life takes me. Christ can accompany me from the depths of the abyss to the heights of joy.

December 12th:  I believe in Christ because I believe in peace. The peace at the center of my being where Christ rules.  Peace in Christ is an anchor to my soul when the storms and turbulence of life try to pull me under

“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.” ( John 14: 2)

December 13th: I believe in Christ because I believe in the glorious being  that inspired the grandeur of Handel’s Messiah.  This evening I attended my first sing-along Messiah performance.  Musicians young and old worked long hours to prepare for no other reason than the privilege. Soloists sang for the joy of it.  A random choir of music lovers came together to sing thrilling and resounding praise. Handel gave the world an amazing and enduring gift by virtue of his encounter with the Son of God through the power of  the scriptures.

December 14th: I believe in Christ because I believe in beauty for ashes.  Christ brought beauty for ashes.  He takes the ashes of my sins, disappointments, and sorrows and gives the beauty of forgiveness, healing, a new life, a new creature.

Isaiah 61:3 To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, that he might be glorified.

December 15th:  I believe in Christ because I believe in moral authority. All moral authority rests in the perfect life and being of the Son of God: His teachings, His example, His perfect judgment and mercy.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.” (St.John 1:1-5)

December 16th: I believe in Christ because I believe in redemption. The human race has inflicted unspeakable horrors and miseries.  Yet humanity also displays almost limitless potential for creativity, beauty, and goodness.  Christ is willing to redeem us according to our own desires. He knows our potential. He desires our association. He will cause that all things shall work for our good if we will accept His invitation to “Come, follow me.”

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:” (John 10:27)

December 17th: I believe in Christ because I believe in forgiveness. Forgiveness is the divine salve applied to all human suffering. Only in Christ can forgiveness achieve its full potency.

“And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” (Ephesians 4:32)

December 18th:  I believe in Christ because I believe in the wisdom and power of the scriptures that testify of Christ.

“For whatsoever things were written aforetime were ^bwritten for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the scriptures might have hope.” (Rom 15:4)

December 19th:  I believe in Christ because some of the best people I know, people who have been great examples to me,  have testified of Christ and shown the power of His teachings in their lives.

December 20th:  I believe in Christ because I have applied His teachings in my life and experienced His healing.

“If any man will do his will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself.” (John 7: 17, 26-29, 51)

December 21st: I believe in Christ because I believe that every longing of the human heart is fulfilled in Christ. We know him from long before we came to this earth. We knew him in a former life and in this mortal existence our longing for all things good is an echo of that past association that our spirit still yearns for.

December 22: I believe in Christ because I believe in more:  more light, more knowledge, more intelligence, more love.

“I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. ” (John 10:10)

December 23: I believe in Christ because I believe in reconciliation. In Christ human alienation from God and from each other can be bridged through His perfect understanding.

December 24: I believe in Christ because of the spirit and joy of Christmas: the innocence of a baby, the love of a mother, the awe of shepherds and wisemen, the music of angels, the light of a star illuminating the darkness . . .

the precious gift of God’s Son.

“For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

This past week I’ve been posting “I’m Thankful for” messages on my facebook and twitter accounts.   Given how fortunate I am,  it seems appropriate to proclaim my gratitude often and publicly.   Here in Alaska as the dark descends and the cold deepens I am very grateful for my cozy home.  Grateful for warm boots, a fleece lined coat, gloves and a vehicle that blows heat on my toes as I commute from Eagle River to Anchorage and back each weekday.  I’m grateful for my well stocked pantry and grateful for numerous opportunities year after year to feed family, friends, and guests many satisfying meals whipped together from the contents of that pantry. That is something I do a lot of: feed people. Which I will do again on this  Thanksgiving Day.

On Friday the 13th, I posted:  “I’m thankful for MY problems.”  Perhaps throwing a challenge in the teeth of fate.  It  isn’t simply that my problems aren’t as bad as those suffered by others.  It isn’t just that my problems could be worse and I’m grateful that they aren’t.  No.  My problems have brought experiences and lessons I could have learned in no other way.

It is one of the prime directives of parenthood that we teach our children how to avoid pain and problems.  We teach them to stay out of the street, to not touch the hot stove,  to study for tests, to save and prepare to earn a living,  to drive carefully,  to be responsible, the list is obviously endless yet essential.  So much suffering is avoidable if we avoid problems to begin with.  My parents tried to make that point with me. I’ve tried to teach it to my children. We spend a great deal of energy avoiding problems but pretty regularly the sky falls on us anyway.

Twenty years ago, in a hospital in Richland, Washington, I spent a frantic night holding my shivering daughter as she lay on an ice bed to bring down a life-threatening fever.  She had been in and out of the hospital for several months and developed an infection which stubbornly refused to respond to antibiotics.   Over the next year she endured multiple brain surgeries and hospital stays before the doctors at Primary Children’s Hospital in Salt Lake City corrected her problem.  During that year we wondered if she would ever be able to live a normal life.

The truth is she has not lived a normal life. She has lived a spectacular life. She flourished in spite of her health challenges. We learned how to cope with the affects of her condition.  She learned to be in tune with her body. She went to college on a scholarship, went on a two month mission, married, has two beautiful boys, and is living a very exciting life traveling the world with her husband.   She has taught me about grace, cheerfulness, and persistence.

Two and a half years ago a diagnosis of cancer seemed to overwhelm our family resources and resilience beyond repair.  And once again my problem became my instructor, my refiner, my intimate companion that revealed much about myself to myself. And once again with the help of loved ones and friends we not only survived but flourished.

I am absolutely and resolutely converted to the idea that all things can work together for our good.  To me it is the only option in the face of all that life can throw at us. I still avoid problems with all the energy I can devote to the task. But inasmuch as I cannot hold the sky up every time it threatens to fall, I will continue to bow to the tutorials God allows me to experience.  He has forseen my way through the labyrinth and, as in times past, will provide the grace fo me to reach the other side wiser, kinder, and more fit for His kingdom.

I am grateful for my problems.  If I endure them well I might have the privilege of being one of God’s lights on the path of another soul working their way through unexpected, uninvited, yet essential experience.

Doctrine and Covenants 90:24 Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good, if ye walk uprightly and remember the covenant wherewith ye have covenanted one with another.