In the past few posts, I've been telling the story about how the Savior has been changing me from someone who had the habit of Turning and Reviling Again to someone who Stands Steadfast in Him. While my entire life has been a training period to develop this skill, the level of training began to increase in 2005. That was when I finally had had enough of the way I had been living. It was when I stopped putting my trust in man and in the arm of the flesh and started putting it more in God.
“O Lord, I have trusted in thee, and I will trust in thee forever. I will not put my trust in the arm of flesh; for I know that cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh. Yea, cursed is he that putteth his trust in man or maketh flesh his arm.” ~2 Nephi 4:34
In the beginning of 2005 I began to write my prayers down and take my communication with Heavenly Father much more serious. I felt prompted to read a book called Drawing on the Powers of Heaven by Grant Von Harrison, which my mom had given me a few years earlier. Thanks to my mom and this author, I learned how to see my life as one goal achievement process after another. I learned how to use my prayers to work with God on each one of them. My daily prayers were official meetings with Him to which I needed to come prepared. These meetings took place in my prayer journal. I wrote my goals down and made them the topic of each of my prayers. I believed these goals were in sync with the things he wanted me to work towards. Here's the list I wrote down in May of 2005:
• Health: Get Well
• Weight loss
• Mother: be a better mother, patient, loving, steady, wise spiritual instincts in every situation
• Writer/Teacher: finish my book, teach others what I've learned about nutrition and balance
• Marriage: Fall in love with my husband again
Then I wrote down all the things I promised to do on a daily basis that I knew Heavenly Father wanted me to do. These were things I had personal control over.
• Read scriptures (personal, w/husband, w/family)
• Read parenting book
• Pray (personal, w/husband, w/family)
• No yelling at kids or husband
• If I'm upset, leave the room
• Attend all meetings
• Act upon every spiritual prompting
• Make schedule, stick with it or revise
• Sleep for 7-9 hours
• Exercise--walks
These things became my commitments--my promises to God. His promise to me was to help me obtain my goals.
“Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:” ~Matthew 7:7
“Verily, verily, I say unto thee, blessed art thou for what thou hast done; for thou hast inquired of me, and behold, as often as thou hast inquired thou hast received instruction of my Spirit. If it had not been so, thou wouldst not have come to the place where thou art at this time.” ~D&C 6:14
Each day I would report on the commitments I kept. I would then write about the conflicts that came up in trying to keep them. I had questions about these conflicts so I wrote them down. In response, a scripture would come to my mind. Sometimes it was a song I knew or a story I had previously read. I realized he was answering me! And the method by which he was answering me was bringing things that I had read, heard, or seen in the past into my mind. So it was a good thing I had spent years reading the scriptures. He had a large volume of stories and key verses to choose from.
See another post on this topic: I Need To Communicate!
Whenever we repeat any process we become more efficient at it. It becomes an ability. A strength. So in the beginning of writing down my prayers, it took a little longer to receive the answers. And when they did come, it took me some time before I recognized them for what they were. More often than not he answered them through other people, their writings, teachings, conversations, and creations. As I continued this process, my faith increased incrementally. I was able to receive his answers much more quickly. In addition to the scriptures, songs, and stories, I started hearing answers straight in my thoughts--in an original idea or impression. I wrote them all down. So now he usually communicates what he's thinking through pure meaning almost like our minds are one. Then, when I write down what he 'thought to me' I use my own words to describe it.
“When it is for the Lord’s purposes, He can bring anything to our remembrance. That should not weaken our determination to record impressions of the Spirit. Inspiration carefully recorded shows God that His communications are sacred to us. Recording will also enhance our ability to recall revelation.” ~Elder Richard G. Scott
See blog post: The Voice Inside My Head
Listen: When You Say Nothing At All by Alison Krauss
I began each prayer with, "Dear Heavenly Father..." and then continued with the rest of the prayer. In time I became more organized. We had an agenda for each meeting and it was important for me to stick to it as much as possible.
I formed a new relationship with God, a closer one. It was more personal than it had been before. It was like he was committing to accept me into his family as one of his children. He would play the father role to me and I would play the child role even though I was almost 36 years old and married with 4 kids.
He is there for all of us no matter how old we are. He is our Redeemer. That means that he can make us whole even if other relationships have left us feeling alone, unable, and worthless. He will be our Father, our Friend, our Family.
“And the Lord said unto me: Marvel not that all mankind, yea, men and women, all nations, kindreds, tongues and people, must be born again; yea, born of God, changed from their carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters;” ~Mosiah 27:25
Listen: "Born Again" by Newsboys
For a Christmas gift to our Savior this year I’ve decided to start this blog. I want to highlight and then comment on various events of his life and his teachings. My desire is to testify of Jesus Christ. I want to write about who I think he is and how coming to know him like this has been my saving grace. Elder James E. Faust wrote a song called “This Is the Christ” One verse says, “With saints of old, I too can testify, this is the Christ.” And so with this blog I echo those words.
Opposite Toby Keith, "I wanna talk about You You You You!"
Over the past eleven years as I’ve studied Jesus’ life, gospel, and atonement I have learned so many amazingly beautiful things about him. I’ve shared some of them in my other blogs and videos. And I’ve been striving to implement them in my life. Despite the fact that it has been no easy task, it has brought me so much Joy. I love talking about him! I love focusing on him and describing him. When I do, I see him more clearly.
I’ve read a few biographies on Jesus Christ. These mainly comment on his life as is recorded in the four gospels in the New Testament.
“Jesus the Christ” by James E. Talmage
“The Mortal Messiah: from Bethlehem to Calvary: Book 4” by Bruce R. McConkie
Some biographers, in addition to commenting on the New Testament, bring in other biographies, documents, archaeological discoveries, and unauthenticated accounts to evaluate the possibilities.
“The Life of Christ” by Frederic W. Farrar
“The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” by Alfred Edershiem
“Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts” by John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed
“Jesus And His Times” by Reader’s Digest
When I read these accounts, I sometimes agreed with their description of Him and sometimes I didn’t. Yet their attempts to describe him have enabled the Spirit to communicate to me what was accurate. So it hasn’t even mattered to me if they were off a little here or there. The fact that they were considering a specific characteristic about him or a specific event enabled me to consider it independently with the aid of the Holy Ghost to ascertain the truth. That’s why I value each one of these authors. I love it that they have stood up and shared their opinion of him. In that way I can more clearly see who Christ is and who the authors are.
"Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." ~2 Nephi 28:31
I hope that all who read my comments will do the same thing. Put them to the Holy Ghost test. It’s possible that sometimes I may not be completely accurate when I describe our Savior, even though my goal is to see him for who he really is. It is true that my perspective continues to be revised in some ways as I progress along my life journey. Some of what I saw in him a few years ago has undergone some alterations. But there are some characteristics that have not changed at all.
Evidence
Because the Holy Ghost bears witness of truth, it is the main source of evidence for what I write. The more closely we are in tune with it, the better we can discern whether what anyone says about Jesus Christ is accurate or not. I will use scriptures and quotes from the prophets that will serve as further evidence, as I have done in my other writings. They verify that I’m not the only person who has seen him like this or who has understood his words to mean what I believe they mean. There are foundational witnesses in the scriptures and the prophets.
I also plan on using examples of other people who have developed Christ-like characteristics and have put them into action without any intent to “be seen of men.” Yet I do see them and they are beautiful!
Witnesses of Truth
I love Jesus Christ. I love the scriptures and have been attempting to summarize what they are saying for many years. I’ve been looking for a way to describe the core structure of truth they are all describing or witnessing. That is, I’ve been looking for Christ in them. All scriptures and all the talks given by the prophets are describing this truth. But I have noticed they are repeating themselves. They are all saying the same thing using different words, perspectives, metaphors, and experiences. I’m still working on boiling it all down to its essence. But it is my total delight to match up what is said in the New Testament with what is said in the Old Testament or in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, or Pearl of Great Price. And the cool thing about it is that much of what other people are saying, singing, painting, creating also matches up! People from all ages all over the world and in so many different religions are echoing this truth. And that’s not all! The physics principles of the human body, the earth, and the universe all testify of Christ! It is so beautiful! It is one of my goals for this blog to bring all these witnesses together to praise Him and them at the same time.
“But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.” ~Alma 30:44
“And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.” ~Moses 6:63
“… for [Isaiah] verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.” ~2 Nephew 11:2-3
Listen: He Reigns by Newsboys
Note on the Capital H
In all my writings I do not consistently use a capital H for the pronouns that refer to Christ. Since I refer to him so often, that would be totally obnoxious. At least that’s how it makes me feel. Occasionally I’ll use the capital H for emphasis and clarity but usually I’ll use the lower case. However, I do use capital letters for words such as Joy, Desire, Cause, Process, Effect, Result, and Conflict. Those are words I have chosen to represent the meanings that are part of the core structure of truth—His core structure. I’ve noticed that everyone is using those words or their synonyms to describe the truth they are seeing.
So as I give the facts, and my opinion, and my own adoration (I’ll try to keep it down), my goal is actually to picture Him reading what I’m saying about him. I want him to see that I am talking about him out loud and to hear what I think of him. In essence I want to be "guilty by association." I’m hoping he’ll correct me as I go so I can get a better view of him.
My Story: Writer-Curator of Jesus Christ
I’m thankful to have been helped to and through college by my grandmother, who enabled me to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish Teaching. I later obtained an additional year of college towards a degree in Health Science. My educational training sharpened my intellect and prepared me to study and write about whatever subject attracted me the most. It taught me how to research and summarize my findings. It also gave me various examples, which I have subsequently been able to use as evidence of core truths I’m trying to explain. My religious education has been equally, if not more valuable as it has taught me how to develop my relationship with God so that I can talk to him personally in prayer and hear his answers (see blog post The Voice Inside My Head).
About 17 years ago when I started learning how to write stories, I wrote a historical fiction story about Jesus Christ but it was rejected by publishers. I wrote another fiction story but didn’t get very far in the publishing world with that either. I read lots of books about ‘how to write.’ I went to writer's conferences. I participated in a writer's group. I practiced, practiced, practiced. All of this was to train me to become a writer. But I still couldn’t accomplish my goal. The criticism was too harsh. The training was ineffective. Constructive positive reinforcement was lacking. No matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t good enough. I got to the point where I swore I would never write again. But that just made me feel like someone close to me had died. I realized I couldn’t disembark from this journey. I couldn’t quit. I had to find a way to accomplish this goal.
I finally turned my entire self to the Lord for help. I asked him to help me understand what the structure of story was. Somehow I knew that was the tool I needed to “build the ship.”
“And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?” ~1 Nephi 17:9
And that’s what He did. He taught me the structure of story, which turns out to be the same thing as the core structure of truth, which turns out to be the same thing as Himself—the core structure of Jesus Christ. This journey has been the greatest Joy of my life!
“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” ~John 14:6
"He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." ~D&C 93:28
Somewhere along the way, I changed the direction of my writing. I was given a choice to make. I could either write the historical fiction novel I had originally set out to do or I could continue researching the structure of story. I chose the longer of the two journeys—the structure of story. So I write about our Redeemer's story. But I don’t focus on the timeline of events and how they all fit together or waste my time trying to prove that he really existed and was really the Son of God or that his miracles really happened. That’s a given for me and I have no interest in entering into that argument. I focus on who he is Presently and Infinitely. I focus on the Living God and the Living Man.
"Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment." ~Moses 6:61
The Word
Whether I use his name or some of those core-structure-truth words, every post, every video, every question in the Servant Program is about him.
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." ~John 1:1
And since his whole focus is on us—his Children, everything I have written is about his relationship with us.
"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." ~Isaiah 49:16
He wants to know what our Desire is.
"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" ~Matthew 7:7
He wants us to use our agency to choose him as our Cause, and to stay allegiant to him even when the going gets tough.
"...choose you this day whom ye will serve..." ~Joshua 24:15
He wants to help us with our journey. He knows each one of us and the pathway we need to take to obtain our Desires.
"Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand?" ~D&C 38:22
He wants us to know his voice well, pay attention to his feedback—confirmation as well as his warning signs so we can know when we’re on track and when we’re deviating from our desired destination.
"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" ~John 10:27
He wants us to track our Results so that we can verify that in following his guidance, we’re indeed progressing towards the achievement of our goals.
"...live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." ~Alma 34:38
As a writer-curator of Jesus Christ, I have joined the team that testifies of him. That is my chosen career, my occupation. It is where I spend my time and talents. This blog is an extension of that career path. So I say again, “With saints of old, I too can testify, this is the Christ.”
