A new look at the Good Samaritan

The other day I was reading an article called The Good Samaritan: Forgotten Symbols.  It was very interesting!  It showed connections to this memorable parable by Jesus Christ that I'd never thought of before.  You can go here to read it.

Bring them in!

We talked a lot about serving others in church today.  I especially liked what we talked about in Sunday School.  The Mormon handcart companies were mentioned, particularly the Martin and Willie handcart companies and how Brigham Young had sent forth volunteers to go and rescue them.  He said,

Getting the answer again!

Recently I was feeling a bit discouraged and frustrated; I've been looking for a part-time job for a while now but still haven't had much luck.  The other day I spent a while feeling sorry for myself, but soon realized that I wasn't being very productive that way.  Later on I received a phone call.  It was someone from the MTC.  For a second my heart almost stopped, because I thought they were offering me a job - one that I've wanted for a while!  But it turns out they were just asking if I'd like to volunteer to help the missionaries with their Spanish and teaching skills.  I told him I'd love to, figuring that not only would it be a good opportunity to give service, but it could also help me get my foot in the door.

Reverence Invites Revelation

In sacrament meeting today, three people spoke about reverence.  It seems like such a simple topic; one that maybe many of us haven't thought about since Primary.  But speaking of Primary, the words of the Primary song should remind us that reverence is important for all of us, and not just rowdy children:  "Reverence is more than just quietly sitting; it's thinking of Father above.  A feeling I get when I think of His blessings.  I'm reverent, for reverence is love."  So reverence is a lot more than just being quiet and polite.  It is a way we express our love for our Heavenly Father and for things that are sacred.

Intro: the purpose of this blog

I can't remember who I heard it from, but it was fairly recent... it was during a talk or in a classroom or something like that.  But they said something like, "What you get out of something depends on what you put into it."  A concept like that should be obvious for things like, say, gardening, homework, a relationship, etc.  But they applied it to prayer, scripture study, church attendance, etc.  That really made me think.  Personally, I do my best to do those things and to do them often, but I don't always pay attention the way I should.  So I started thinking and praying about what I could do to to get more out of those things and to grow more spiritually.