Seek The Lord Often

 I have heard many say that the church doesn't allow enough diversity and that it doesn't allow people to be themselves. To be honest, I have felt the same way at times. I have wondered why we don't allow more differences in appearance and sexuality. Why is it a problem for a member of a bishopric to have a well-kept beard? Why can those who are gay not feel they have hope of exaltation? Why have church leaders been so adamantly against them? Why has it felt like it's degraded into personal attacks? Are people really born gay? Is being gay just part of someone's mortal experience? Is it possible that the Lord's ways are "higher" than our ways even when they often seem lower when looked at objectively? Examples: Blacks and the Priesthood, polygamy, gays. Or are mortal beings who are running the Church of Jesus Christ just making mistakes? These are some gut-wrenching and soul-searching questions. And I don't pretend to have the answers. Are we just ...

 I've been thinking a lot about how we only have a finite amount of time and energy in each day. And also about how we have a seemingly infinite number of things/distractions/priorities to choose from. But it's not just that we can choose them , but rather that they can choose us  if we're not careful. I'm reminded of this quote from President Russell M. Nelson: “We live in a world that is complex and increasingly contentious. The constant availability of social media and a 24-hour news cycle bombard us with relentless messages. If we are to have any hope of sifting through the myriad of voices and the philosophies of men that attack truth, we must learn to receive revelation.” I also love this invitation from him: "I plead with you to take a prayerful look at how you spend your time. Invest time in your future and in that of your family. If you have reasonable access to a temple, I urge you to find a way to make an appointment regularly with the Lord—to be in Hi...

I've been thinking about how it can sometimes be hard to feel the Spirit. One thing I have felt is that the more we turn up the noise of the world, the harder it is for us to feel the spirit. I've definitely seen this in my life. And we can be left without hearing the spirit "ere we are aware," almost without even noticing it.   The devil is cunning and crafty and he does lead us "carefully down to hell" if we're not diligent. He uses flaxen cords and tells us "well, it's not that  bad." He just wants us to spend all of our time and energy doing things that are good, but not better or best. All satan has to do to succeed is keep us from following the promptings of the Spirit. It's easy to think he isn't real. It's easy to just think the church is out of touch. And to be honest, there are a lot of things in the church that we just have to accept on faith, having a firm hope that one day we will be given further light and knowledg...