Discipleship: Following in the Savior's Footsteps

We talk so often about the sweet blessings of discipleship it sometimes seems easy to ignore the cost. In fact depending on how you look at it, the cost of not following the Savior is much higher than that of becoming a disciple. While this is true, it doesn’t mean discipleship is an easy path. It only means that the end result is definitely worth the cost. Often, this cost is more immediate and greater than many feel willing to pay. Even among His disciples, there will be many who try to “short-change” the Savior, never realizing that they’re only cheating themselves not Him. What does the disciple pay for the Savior’s promised blessings? I think it’s different for each of us and some may actual... Read More

When Christ was preparing to leave His disciples for the final time, He promised them a special gift. This gift, the Holy Ghost, was described by Christ as a Comforter, as foundation of peace, a Teacher, a source of truth and a Testifier, a way for Christ to be with His disciples even when He was removed from their physical presence. It was, in my opinion, the most beautiful gift He could give them. 16 And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; 17 Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be i... Read More

Do you remember the story of Jacob’s ladder? 11 And he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows, and lay down in that place to sleep. 12 And he dreamed, and behold a ladder set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to heaven: and behold the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Genesis 28:11-12 Aside from the sleeping on a rock, there is a small message for me hidden in Jacob’s dream. Overall, the Lord’s message is of covenants and promises, but for me there is also an understanding of ... Read More

I ran across a beautiful set of scriptures the other day as I was celebrating the return of spring. They’re found in John 15. 1 I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fr... Read More

It may seem like a strange goal in life, but I want to fade into the background. I’m not one who honestly enjoys being in the public eye, on the other hand I love watching my work make someone happy. My favorite place to be is in the background, quietly finding all the little things I can to do help the project along, whatever it may be. That’s my favorite place in the gospel as well. There is a song I was introduced to many years ago that talks about becoming someone who reflected God’s love so well that those around couldn’t see beyond the glow. It was an honest prayer to live a life that testifies of Christ and draws people to Him. That’s the life I want. I want to be the person in the ... Read More

I don’t know about you, but as a parent I have selective hearing. I’ve honed my ability to tune out whining and minimal bickering as well as pleas for candy in the grocery store. I’m normally very easily distracted, so even on other tasks I’ve trained myself to stay very focused or the job will go undone. But, in this process it becomes very easy to just stop noticing things at all. There have been many times I’ve walked down the halls at church or even in the grocery store and not even noticed that someone said high or smiled at me until they’re long gone and the message finally makes it through all my carefully placed filt... Read More

I grew up as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I can’t really say we were a model LDS family. Oh, in a lot of ways we were, but in some very basic ways we weren’t. We only ever had a handful of Family Home Evenings, we hardly ever ate dinner together, and never had family scripture study or prayer. Even though these types of things were missing from my home, there were some other very important things that were present. I think it’s a system of checks and balances. My parents were very good at teaching me the power of service and showing me an example o... Read More

I have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of spring to my part of the country. It’s always slow breaking through, but each year it feels just a little longer. We’ve had a series of warmer days so things are once again showing sings of life. That brought me a little bit of joy this morning because I walked by my trees and found that they were all still alive. That may not seem like such a great accomplishment to some of you, but hang in there and I’ll tell you my very own parable of the trees. My family mov... Read More

Many of us have heard the analogy of the thread and the tapestry. In this example you learn about the relation of small things to their ability to form something large and beautiful. It can be the members of a family working together, or an even larger group. It can also be the pattern of our individual lives. I think sometimes we focus on the big things. We try to see the whole picture and ponder and pray about the big decisions in our lives. We see these as the things that define who we are and what our tapestry will look like. ... Read More

I’d like to share a small piece of a dream I had last night. I know, that seems a bit odd, but it was something that my mind needed to hear, and something that you might need to hear as well. It was about money. That’s something that has been on my mind for the last few days as my husband’s commuter car literally died Monday. It was a sudden death that we were not prepared for. Yeah, we knew it would be “soon” ... Read More

Do you remember hearing the saying “It doesn’t matter if you win or lose, as long as you do your best”? It’s most often used for children on sports teams and in other forms of competition. Some of us believed that, some of us didn’t. What made the difference? Was it the type of competition we were facing, or the attitude of those around us, was it our own attitudes about what winning and losing meant to us? I think many of us carry those childhood beliefs about wining and losing into our adult lives with us. There are so many things in this life that we are supposed to “get right” or “win” at, not the least of which is our path toward Christ. But, who decides if we win or lose? Sometimes we decide, someti... Read More

There is a story in the Old Testament about a man named Lot and his family. Lot was living in a place where it was very difficult to be a man of God. It was so full of sin, that God decided he couldn’t let their actions spread any further or even get any worse within their own community. As the story continues, Lot was commanded to take his family and flee from the city before it was destroyed. They were to leave and not look back, or they would face the same type of consequences as the city itself. They would be destroyed as well. Lot was faithful and obedient. He instructed his family concerning the Lord’s commands, then prepare... Read More

There have been a number of blogs discussing the recent solemn assembly in which the members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints were given the opportunity to rise from our seat and add our voice of sustaining and support for our new prophet Thomas S. Monson. It is our opportunity to confirm that through our own ... Read More

One of my favorite stories in the New Testament comes just before Christ’s time in Gethsemane. While in the upper room, Jesus approaches His disciples and performs a humble service for them. He washes their feet. Like most messages from the Savior, this served many purposes and carried a different message for each level of spiritual understanding. I appreciate the knowledge I have gained from this one act. But, I’d like to share with you the message that means the most to me personally. I love Peter’s surprise that Christ would even suggest to wash His servant’s feet. He loves his Lord and Master so much that he does not want to see Him in such a humble position. Peter worries that allowing t... Read More

I've been thinking lately about my relationship with Heavenly Father. Not from my view point, but from His. When we make covenants with God and become disciples of Christ we become His. It carries a weight of responsibility to act in a manner that is pleasing to God. We try to build our lives around the teachings of Jesus Christ and live worthy of the blessings the Lord sends our way. Sometimes I become so focused on how I feel about Heavenly Father, that I almost forget how He feels about me. Maybe that's not quite right. I don't completely forget, it is the central part of my faith and belief that God is a loving Father who wants what is best for me. I guess it's more a feeling of being the middle child. That child does usually know that they are loved by their parents... Read More

Our family is one of God's greatest gifts to us. It can be a source of joy for us, or pain. It is something that is dear to our hearts so as disciples of Jesus Christ, the first place we should carry His name is into our homes. "The Family: A Proclamation to the World" clearly states that happiness in marriage and family is best achieved when the home is centered on the principles of Jesus Christ. After our own conversion, creating a family of disciples should be our highest priority. In fact, within ... Read More

As disciples of Jesus Christ, we promise to stand as His witness in all times and places, to carry His name as our standard for all to see. Sometimes this is a simple matter of living up to our beliefs on a daily basis and being examples of His ways among our fellowmen. Often it requires something more. Perhaps one of the scariest things about discipleship is the fact that it requires us to open our mouths and testify of Jesus Christ to our friends and family, sometimes even to the complete stranger. Why is this such a daunting task? It might have something to do with the fears and inadequacies Satan whispers into our heart... Read More

This past week I have been out of the country touring areas of South America and the Caribbean. During this time I was privileged to meet a wonderful example of discipleship. He was named for a great Book of Mormon prophet, Helaman, and he works as a tour guide at the Mayan archeological site in Tulum, Mexico. While taking my group to the site, he happily told us about himself and the path that the Lord had placed his family on that would lead him to work as a tour guide in Tulum. He, like his father had completely turned his life over to the gospel of Jesus Christ and ... Read More

A few nights ago I attended my son’s school program. Though it was focused around nursery rhyme stories, the main message was one I needed to hear: If life gives you lemons, make lemonade. Yes, it is an old adage, but it’s also one that I hadn’t thought about for a while. If I had to sum up the Plan of Salvation into one sentence, it would be found in the scriptures. 2 Nephi 2:25— Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. Though this life is a testing period for us, it is also meant to bring us ... Read More

When was the last time you witnessed a miracle? In a world full of so much sorrow and evil, it sometimes overwhelms the good. The Lord’s hand is still visible if we look. I have seen Him working in the lives of many that I love. I have seen His miracles. The other day I ran across an interesting quote from Walt Whitman. “To me every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, ... Read More

What is the best way for a disciple to develop a close, personal relationship with Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father? We learn who They are through following the commandments. We learn what we mean to Them through prayer. Prayer is an open line of communication between us and the heavens. It can, and should be, a conversation with a dear friend. It is talking out your joys, your worries, your fears and ambitions with the Lord through prayer that allows Him into our lives. Inviting Him... Read More

What is the power of family? Why are they so important to Heavenly Father? He has placed us here in a loving and supportive family as a central part of His plan for us. Why? Because we are His family. One of the ... Read More

Do you remember the story of the fiery serpents and the children of Israel as they wandered in the desert with Moses? Among the trials that the Lord’s people faced during this time was a plague of fiery serpents when their faith began to wane. This new test did humble the people and they pled with Moses to beg the Lord for forgiveness. Numbers 21:6-9— And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee; pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. And the Lord said... Read More

Did you know that the Latin root word for disciple means “learner or pupil”? Very literally, those who choose to follow Christ and want to be named His disciples are those who are willing to learn from Him. A disciple studies the words and life of Christ, trying to understand His divinity and grow in faith and love for Him. But it can’t stop there. An intellect may study the theories and practices, but they may never understand the tiny feelings and motivations that cause the believer to cling to that belief until it sees them through. ... Read More

One of the most difficult things for many of us is knowing how to act around those facing major life trials. We worry that our actions or words will bring pain instead of relief. We worry that we will be uncomfortable and that they will be able to feel that. Sometimes, these worries cause us to avoid our hurting friends when they could use us the most, simply because we don’t know what to say. Don’t be afraid to approach someone, but keep your condolences and well-wishes short and heart felt. “I'm sorry”, “I'd like to help”... Read More

If you were to ask me what the greatest problem among mankind is, there would be many to choose from. But, I think many of them stem from a simple human frailty. There is something about our nature that compels us to compare ourselves to each other. This becomes a serious problem for many that can lead to low self-esteem, to be overly concerned with appearances both physical and material, to feed some with thoughts and acts of theft and violence. It creates a great amount of poison from seemingly harmless thoughts of comparison. The problem becomes that “as a man thinketh, so is he.” We worry about what other people think, we wo... Read More