Philippians

Thought this blurb from a Bible Dictionary was lovely:

"The joy caused by his return, and the effect of this wonderful letter when first read in the church of Philippi, are hidden from us. And we may almost say that with this letter the church itself passes from our view. To-day, in silent meadows, quiet cattle browse among the ruins which mark the site of what was once the flourishing Roman colony of Philippi, the home of the most attractive church of the apostolic age. But the name and fame and spiritual influence of that church will never pass. To myriads of men and women in every age and nation the letter written in while he was under house arrest in Rome, and carried along the Egnatian Way by an obscure Christian messenger, has been a light divine and a cheerful guide along the most rugged paths of life"

You can also check out exegesis Philippians here

Cruise Photos

I've been meaning to post these forever. Turns out I only really took photos of the kids at the beach- outdoor shots seem to be my only forte. There's another one of little naked Jackie in Mazatlan that cracks me up everytime, if I find it I'll throw it up here too-

PIROSHKY, PIROSHKY

The first ON MY WAY HOME for 2011 -

This week found Nana and I at Pike Place Market on a guided food tour. One of the stops was at a Russian bakery named Piroshky Piroshky. This is actually one of our favorite Market stops. Piroshkys are savory or sweet little pies designed to be eaten with one hand. This bakery was founded in 1992 by a Russian family that immigrated to the US after the fall of Communism. With the help of the Seattle Russian community they managed to lease a space, buy equipment, and set everything in place. They sent out announcements to all their friends and the media about their grand opening, and then realized they had used all their money and had nothing left to buy baking supplies.

They appealed to their family and friends, but all of them had already loaned them money and had nothing left to give. Sadly they returned home the day before their opening with about 50 dollars between them. When they opened the door they saw that someone had slid an unmarked envelope under it with 1000 dollars in cash. They used the cash to buy all the supplies they needed and spent all night baking. The grand opening was a great success.

Some time later they discovered that the benefactor was a Russian friend who actually owned a bakery a couple blocks away from them. She reached out to help them even though they would be in direct competition. The two bakeries thrived, and the families have been friends ever since.

Nana and I were very touched by this story. Pres Monson often encourages us to reach out to our neighbors, whoever they may be. Reaching out to others in charity helps each of us to find our way home.

Love to all,

Gramps

Widow's mite

I always loved the story of the widow's mite - 'It’s not what you give, it’s the nature of your sacrifice.' Although her offering was small, relative to the monetary amounts of others, it was huge when you consider that it was ALL she had. The wealthy people were casting in their treasures with loud displays and she cast in not only one mite but two, or 'all her living' her worship and devotion and faith far outweighed that of ALL the others that had cast into the treasury, COMBINED. I am inspired by her faith.

‘Of her want did cast in all that she had’- she had so much faith. She was in need so she went to the source she knew could help... Its like something else I've heard, 'I cant afford NOT to pay tithing' because the Lord really does bless us in ways we can't imagine possible and ways better than if we pocketed the tithing money. For example, He can help us have steady employment, which is like having a fishing rod instead of just a fish, as Michael Scott says in 'The Office.'

I love the picture that that Mom and Dad have of this story too... the pompous people in the back and the huge bags they have are nothing compared to that of the widow.

Got Photos?

LA Temple Grounds on Christmas Eve

Get Grandpa!!
We need a bigger boat
Too much time having fun and not enough time taking photos - but here's a mini sample of our holiday festivities. Have a happy new year!

Mark

I've been enjoying our reading of the New Testament. I taught a lesson on Sunday about Christ as the light and life of the world, as taken from the first lesson of the year. It was interesting to see all the ways that Christ is connected to the light of the world. The night of light in 3 Nephi when he was born followed by the thick darkness when he died. The brother of Jared having him touch the stones and this passage in D&C 88:

 he is in the sun, and the light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was ^bmade...

And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your ^aunderstandings;

 13The ^alight which is in all things, which giveth ^blife to all things, which is the ^claw by which all things are governed

Light is the source of all nourishment and light in our world. This symbol sheds more understanding on how he was able to perform all the healings discussed in Mark- because he is the source of life.

Here's the text for President Obama's speech yesterday. I thought it was inspiring and healing.

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-503544_162-20028366-503544.html

Help Thou Mine Unbelief

Read this little blurb today and thought it was appropriate suppplemental stuff for today's reading.

My favorite story about the Holy Spirit is the story C.S. Lewis told about a college student who wrote to him. The young man was an atheist. And he was very concerned, because he had made friends with some Christian students. They were enthusiastically witnessing to him about Jesus, and it had shaken-up the young man's thinking. He was going through some great struggles about Christianity, and he wanted to know, "What did Dr. Lewis think?"

C. S. Lewis wrote back, "I think you are already in the meshes of the net. The Holy Spirit is after you. I doubt you will get away."

God's Holy Spirit is in the world today -- seeking for us, trying to teach us about the eternal, abundant life that only Jesus can give. That young college student who was in the meshes of the Holy Spirit's net did get saved. His name was Sheldon Vanauken and here is what he wrote about that day:

"I couldn't reject Christ. There was only one thing to do. I turned and flung myself over the gap toward Christ. On a morning with spring in the air, March 29th, I wrote in my notebook: 'I choose to believe in the Father, Son & Holy Ghost. In Christ, my Lord and my God. Christianity has the ring, the feel of unique truth. Essential truth. By it, life is made full instead of empty, meaningful instead of meaningless. I confess my doubts and ask my Lord Christ to enter my life. I do not know God. I do but say: Be it unto me according to Thy will. I do not affirm that I am without doubt. I do but ask for help, having chosen, to overcome it. I do but say: Lord, I believe. Help Thou mine unbelief.'"

And God did -- by His Holy Spirit.

The Sabbath Was Made For Man

I love this response from the Lord when questioned about the activities of his disciples on the Sabbath day. It is a prime example of the paradigm shift the Lord advocated. For the Lord, the commandments were a source of peace and a path to freedom. He advocated elevating our devotion from merely abstaining from certain activities to actively engaging in good works. President Kimball speaks to this elevation of Sabbath observance:

"The Sabbath is a holy day in which to do worthy and holy things. Abstinence from work and recreation is important but insufficient. The Sabbath calls for constructive thoughts and acts, and if one merely lounges about doing nothing on the Sabbath, he is breaking it. To observe it, one will be on his knees in prayer, preparing lessons, studying the gospel, meditating, visiting the ill and distressed, sleeping, reading wholesome material, and attending all the meetings of that day to which he is expected. To fail to do these proper things is a transgression on the omission side." (The Miracle of Forgiveness, Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1969, pp. 96–97.)

I felt guilty when I first read this (as I do when I read much of President Kimball's writings), but what a great statement. There is so much we can be doing to reenergize our bodies and spirits on the Sabbath day. I hope we can all enjoy this coming Sunday!

Gospel of St. Mark

The reading schedule starts a little unconventionally with Mark. A few interesting facts:

1. Mark appears to be based on the testimony of Peter (as Mark was a frequent missionary companion to Peter)
2. It is the shortest of the four synoptic gospels. Some scholars also believe it to be the earliest of the gospels and an influence on Luke and John.
3. Mark's focus is on Christ's ministry.
4. The intended readership was the Greek speaking residents of the Roman Empire

Not totally sure why this was chosen as the first gospel to read, but it seems that its focus on a non-Jewish audience makes it an appropriate intro as it explains many of the Jewish traditions and history.

If you want to read more, check out the Wikipedia link. Its great:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gospel_of_Mark

Mazatlan Music

Cruises are the best! Here we are at our 2nd port of call... I've uploaded a little video of us enjoying the music at Margarita's in Mazatlan....
WHEEE!!

Mazatlan Monster

The cruise was SOOOOOO fun! Here we are at one of our stops on our van tour in Mazatlan. I caught a fun glimpse of a game we've been playing...
:) RAR!