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!