Brightly Beams

The stories told to us in the book of Exodus are some very interesting ones. One of them has always been a curious one to me, the one of the golden calf. The Israelites had traveled many miles, witnessed many miracles. They were being taught how to trust in God again. Moses had a lot on his plate before him, to take a people living in slavery, and bring them to a land of freedom, and a land flowing with milk and honey . I always wondered how someone, after seeing so many wonders and miracles, could forget their God, the one who spared their lives, and brought them to freedom. Yet they forgot Him, they built a golden calf to replace the One True God. They said that His rules were hard to do and follow, some thought His ways were cruel. I always wondered how people could think so, how they could just forget and give up on their God. But I see it so much today, people trusting in their own knowledge and strength, and not His word given through His servants. They have put the ways of t

What is on your horizon? When you look at the horizon, no matter which direction, you are always looking forward. For many years the term “vision” has been mentioned a lot to me. When I was a kid I was taught to make goals, and work to achieve those goals. When I started school my vision was to finish school, and it seems like that will never end. When I came near the end of my high school years, my vision became to go on a mission. Once I was out on my mission I was reminded almost every day, which we all need to have a vision. My mission president told me that our investigators need to have a vision of eternal life, they need to catch hold of that vision, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t progress. With my mission president drilling this idea into my head, I thought if my investigators need this vision, I probably do too. So I worked to see this vision, and with my lovely memory, I had to come up with reminders to help me remember the vision. What better reminder, than the temple?

This past Sunday I was privileged to teach the Sunday School lesson on the miracles Christ performed. Reading and pondering these tales of miracles always gets me excited and wanting to see them in person. And I have also heard many people ask, "Why has such miracles ceased to be performed?" But have they really stopped? Christ performed many miracles. He cast out unclean spirits, gave sight to the blind, healed the lepers, raised people from the dead, and most importantly He was able to survive the the trial and sacrifice of the atonement, which began in the garden of Gethsemane and went through His resurrection. This miracles have inspired many to follow Christ. But are miracles still happening? I would say that miracles are happening everyday, and all around us. Many of them are those moments we term as being luck or a coincident. Some are a baby taking his first breath, the rising and setting of the sun, the peace that comes during dark times, someone smiling at you at