Choosing Glory

I cannot say enough good about the book Choosing Glory by Lili de Hoyos Anderson!  It has really changed my life.  (As a side note, most books I read lately have been life changing.  Is that because I am open to change, or just getting really good books to read?)
Sister Anderson has a three realms perspective about life and the choices we make.  Here's the kicker for me - being a good, Church-going LDS person is a solid terrestrial life.  What?  You mean there's more I have to do to inherit the Celesital Kingdom?
I went to a Conference on Saturday and attended a class on Meditation.  The speaker, Philip McLemore, said a lot of the same things I read in Choosing Glory.  It was amazing!  A second witness. 
I've been thinking about the three realms perspective in a lot of ways - entertainment, food, education.  For example, telestial choices in food would be lots of processed, dead food.  Not good for your body or spirit.  Terrestrial choices would be a whole foods diet.  Celestial, in my opinion, would be mostly raw fruits and vegetables.  As Sister Anderson points out, it is difficult to live celestial principles without having a solid terrestrial base. 
For entertainment, Misty has been doing a series of posts on telestial and terrestrial choices.  I'm not sure what celestial entertainment would be.  Perhaps it is better defined as the arts, and is all that glorifies God and brings attention to Him.
In the food example, you would need to adjust your tastes by eating a good, whold foods diet, before you can move on to the cleaner, raw produce diet.
Education - telestial is a government mandated schooling.  Terrestrial is a classical education.  Celestial is a God-given education, like Joseph Smith had.  You would need the basics of the terrestial, knowing how to read, how to study, how to think, and especially how to learn by the Spirit before you could have the Holy Ghost teach you what you need to know.
More to come.  In the meantime, check out the book!

Educated by the Spirit

Education is wonderful, but being able to feel the Lord’s power and Spirit upon us is the highest education we can achieve.

This is a quote from Sister Beck's talk at the BYU Women's Conference this past April.  You can read the entire, wonderful, powerful, message here.

Is this what Zion might be like?

Zion is a huge topic on my mind lately.

And the Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, and dwelt in righteousness; and there was no poor among them.  Moses 7:18

We can have Zion here, now.  In fact, that's what we are supposed to be doing.  We can have Zion in our selves, in our homes, in our families, in our wards, in our stakes, and eventually in the Church and World.  But it starts with us.
 
Leo, at mnmlist.com, has written an article about society, reimagined.  It made me think of my vision of Zion. 

We’ve gotten fat, tired, sick, deep in debt, disconnected from our kids and other family members, divorced, separated from our neighbor, all in the name of money and work and profits and buying. This seems broken, to me.

But what’s a better way of living? A society reimagined, built around people and a love for our environment and living and working and playing together, a love for being outside and playing and being active, a love for doing things and spending time with people rather than for buying things and working to support that buying habit.

What would such a society look like? I hesitate to put forth my vision, because it shouldn’t come from one person but should be reimagined by everyone who will live it. However, I’ll put forth a small sliver of such a vision, just to get the conversation started.

Please read the rest of Leo's post to see his ideas.  And then, you can read the follow-up where he explains that it starts with us. 

My neighbor has a banner hanging in her house.  I love the last part that says something like, "We will be a force for good, not by the loudness of our voices, but by the strength of our example."

Be the change you want to see. Live the gospel with all your heart. Be a shining light on the hill for others to see.

Be Still, And Know That I Am God

Have you ever noticed a subject or idea that keeps coming popping up on you?  That subject for me lately is meditation.  It is on blogs I read, in books I read, in an upcoming conference I'm attending.  And it is in the scriptures.
Felice, at The Gift of Giving Life, is offering her wisdom on meditation. It has been tremendously helpful for me, especially the one for more patience!
Meditation is not easy.  It is the work of quieting the mind to be able to more clearly hear the Divine.
In our house, we are trying one minute of meditation in the evenings.  We repeat silently in our minds "I am a child of God" or something along those lines. 
With five young children, it can be hard to find a quiet moment in my day.  I want to make those brief moments of higher quality, more communion with my Maker.
I love this passage from Psalms 107.  It reminded me of the storms that are often raging in my mind.

28 Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses.

29 He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.

30 Then are they glad because they be quiet; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven.

31 Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!

Plain and Simple

We recently finished reading 2 Nephi as a family.  The wonderful Isaiah chapters.  The great counsel from Lehi.  Warnings for us in our day.  One of my favorite scriptures:

They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.  2 Nephi 30:15

Then Nephi sums everything up.  He speaks plainly so there is no misunderstanding.  We must be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, have unshaken faith in Christ, feast on the words of Christ, and pray always.
I have been pondering feasting, gaining soul nourishment from God's word.
In the end of 1 Kings, we get to read about Elijah.  What impresses me is his faith, the power behind those mighty miracles.  How much faith would it take to believe that birds will feed you for three years?  To raise someone from the dead?  To call down fire from heaven?  How do I develop that kind of faith?

Faith is like a little seed, if planted it will grow. (Faith, Children's Songbook)

We can begin with faith that doing the plain and simple things will bless our lives.  And as we feast on the words of Christ, we will receive His Spirit and His instruction for us, personally.