HE WISHES FOR THE CLOTHS OF HEAVEN

Had I the heaven's embroider'd cloths,
Enwrought with golden and silver light,
The blue and the dim and the dark cloths
Of night and light and half light,
I would spread the cloths under your feet;
But I, being poor, have only my dreams;
I have spread my dreams under your feet;
Tread softly because you tread on my dreams.

- W.B. Yeats

JUST FOR ME

"Father, where shall I work today?"
And my love flowed warm and free.
Then He pointed out a tiny sport
And said: "Tend that for me".
I answered quickly: "Oh no, not that!
Why no one would ever see,
No matter how well my work was done;
Not that little place for me!"

And the word He spoke, it was not stern;
He answered me tenderly;
"Ah, little one, search that heart of thine.
Art thou working for them or for me?
Nazareth was a little place,
And so was Galilee."

-  Meade McGuire

WHEN THE SONG OF THE ANGELS IS STILLED

When the song of the angel is stilled,
When the star in the sky is gone,
When the kings and princes are home,
When the shepherds are back with their flock,
The work of Christmas beings:
To find the lost,
To heal the broken,
To feed the hungry,
To release the prisoner,
To rebuild the nations,
To bring peace among brothers,
To make music in the heart.

-  Howard Thurman

THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL

Art thou in truth? Then what of Him
Who bought thee with His blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood?

Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but Him could bear,
The God who died that man might live
And endless glory share?

Of what avail thy vaunted strength,
Apart from His vast might?
Pray that His light may pierce the gloom
That thou mayest see aright.

Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree,
Thou, captain of thy soul, forsooth!
Who gave that place to thee?

Free will is thine - free agency,
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto Him
To whom all souls belong.

Bend to the dust that head 'unbowed',
Small part of life's great whole!
And see in Him and Him alone,
The Captain of thy soul.

-  Orson F. Whitney

TO KNOW JOY

"God gave man the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He left the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved that man might know the joys and glories of creation."

- Author unknown

I WALKED A MILE WITH PLEASURE

I walked a mile with Pleasure;
She chatted all the way;
But left me none the wiser
For all she had to say.

I walked a mile with Sorrow;
Not a word said she;
But oh, the things I learnt,
When sorrow walked with me.

-  Robert Browning Hamilton

THE LITTLE CHRISTMAS TREE

The littlest Christmas tree,
Lived in a meadow of green,
Among a family of tall evergreens.
He learned how to whisper
The evergreen song,
With the slightest of wind
That came gently along.

He watched as the birds,
Made a home out of twigs,
And couldn't wait till he too was big.
For all of the trees offered a home,
The maple, the pine, and the oak,
Who's so strong.

I hate being little, the little tree said,
I can't even turn colours,
Like the maple turns red,
I can't help the animals.
Like the mighty old oak,
He shelters them all
In his wide mighty cloak.

The older tree said,
Why little tree, you don't know,
The story of a mighty king,
From the land with no snow?
Little tree questioned,
A land with no snow?
Yes! said the old tree,
A very old story from so long ago.

A star appeared giving great light,
Over a manger on long winter's night.
A baby was born, a king of all kings,
And with him comes love over all things.
He lived in a country all covered in sand
And laid down his life to save all of man.

Little tree thought of the gift given by Him,
Then the big tree said with the happiest grin,
We're not just trees, but a reminder of that day,
There's a much bigger part, a role that we play.
For on Christmas Eve, my life I'll lay down,
In exchange for a happier, loving ground.
And as I stand dying, they'll adorn me in trim,
This all will be done in memory of Him.

Among a warm fire, with family and friends,
In the sweet songs of Christmas,
I'll find my great end.
Then ever so gently He'll come down to see,
And take me to heaven, Jesus and me.

So you see little tree,
We are not like the oak,
Who shelters all things beneath his great cloak.
Nor are we like the maple in fall,
Whose colours leave many standing in awe.
The gift that we give is ourselves,
Limb for limb,
The greatest of honour,
In memory or Him.

The little tree bowed his head down and cried,
And thought of the King who willingly died.
For what kind of gift can anyone give?
Than to lay down your life when you wanted to live.

A swelling of pride came over the tree,
Can all of this happen because of just me?
Can I really bring honour by adorning a home?
By reminding mankind that he's never alone?

With this thought little tree began singing with glee,
Happy and proud to be a true Christmas tree.
You can still hear them singing, even the smallest in height,
Singing of Christmas and that one holy night.

- Amy Peterson

THE BELIEVERS IN LIFE

You give but little when you give of your possessions.

It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

For what are your possessions but things you keep

and guard for fear you may need them tomorrow?

There are those who give little of the much which they have, 

And they give it for recognition and their hidden desire makes their gifts unwholesome.

And there are those who have little and give it all.

These are the believers in life and the bounty of life, and their coffer is never empty.

There are those who give with joy, and that joy is their reward.

And there are those who give with pain and that pain is their baptism.

And there are those who give and know not pain in giving, 

Nor do they seek joy, nor give with mindfulness of virtue;

They give as in yonder valley the myrtle breathes its fragrance into space.

Through the hands of such as these God speaks, 

And from behind their eyes He smiles upon the earth.

-  Kahlil Gibran

THE TOUCH OF THE MASTER'S HAND

'Twas battered and scarred and the auctioneer
Thought it scarcely worth his while
To waste much time on the old violin
But he held it up with a smile.
"What am I bid, good folks" he cried -
"Who'll start the bidding for me?"
"Three dollars once, and three dollars twice,
Going, going for three".

But now from the room, from the very last row
Came a grey-haired man and he picked up the bow.
Then wiping the dust from the old violin and
Tightening up all the strings,
He played a melody, a melody as pure and sweet
As the caroling angels sing.
The music closed and the auctioneer,
With a voice that was quiet and low
Said: "What am I bid for the old violin",
And he held it up with the bow...
"A thousand dollars and who'll make it two,
Two thousand dollars and who'll make it three?
Three thousand once, three thousand twice,
Going and going for three".

The people cheered, but some of them cried,
"We don't quite understand,
"What changed its' worth?"
Swift came the reply:
"The touch of the Master's hand"

And many a man with life out of tune and
Battered and scarred with sin,
Is auctioned cheap to the thoughtless crowd,
Much like the old violin.
A mess of pottage, a glass of wine,
A game and he travels on.
He is going once, he is going twice,
He is going, he is almost gone.
But the Master comes and the foolish crowd
Never do quite understand,
The worth of a soul and the change that's wrought by
The touch of the Master's hand.

- Myra 'Brooks' Welch

ODE ON INTIMATIONS OF IMMORTALITY

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting;

The Soul that rises with us, our life's Star,

Hath had elsewhere its setting,

And cometh from afar:

Not in entire forgetfulness,

And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

From God, who is our home.

- William Wordsworth

NINETY AND NINE

There were ninety and nine that safely lay
In the shelter of the fold,
But one was out on the hills away,
Far off from that gate of gold.
Away on the mountains wild and bare,
Away from the tender Shepherd's care.

"Lord, thou has there thine ninety and nine,
Are they not enough for thee?"
But the Shepherd made answer:
"This one of mine has wondered away from me;
And although the road be rough and steep,
I go to the desert to find my sheep."

But none of the ransomed ever knew
How deep were the waters crossed;
Nor how dark was the night that the Lord passed through
Ere he found His sheep that was lost.
Out in the desert He heard its cry,
'Twas sick and helpless and ready to die.

"Lord, whence are those blood-drops all the way,
That mark out the mountains' track?"
"They were shed for one who has gone astray,
Ere the Shepherd could bring him back."
"Lord, whence are thy hands so rent and torn?"
"They are pierced tonight by many a thorn".

And all through the mountains thunder-riven,
And up from the rocky steep,
There arose a glad cry to the gate of heaven,
"Rejoice! I have found my sheep".


- Elizabeth C. Clephane

THE ROAD IS TOO ROUGH

"The road is too rough" I said -
"Dear Lord, there are stones that hurt me so"
And He said - "Dear child I understand, I walked it long ago"
"But there is a cool green path" I said,
"Let me walk there for a time"
"No child" He gently said to me -
"That green road does not climb"
"But my burden" I said "Is far too great, how can I bear it so?"
"My child" said He "I remember it's weight, I carried my cross you know"
"But" I said "I wish there were friends with me who would make my way their own"
"Ah yes" said He "Gethsemane was hard to face alone."
And so I climbed the stony path content at last to know
That where my master had not gone I would not need to go.
And strangely there I found new friends, the burden grew less sore,
As I remember - long ago, He went that way before.

- Olga J. Weiss

A RIVER TO CROSS

There's always a river to cross,
Always an effort to make,
If there's anything good to win,
Any rich prize to take.
Yonder's the fruit we crave;
Yonder the charming scene;
But deep and wide, with a troubled tide,
Is the river that lies between.

For rougher the way that we take,
The stouter the heart and the nerve;
The stones in our path we break;
Nor e'er from our impulse swerve;
For the glory we hope to win
Our labours we count no loss;
'Tis folly to pause and murmur because
Of the river we have to cross.

-  Anonymous

A WONDERFUL FUTURE

"I see a wonderful future in a very uncertain world. If we will cling to our values, if we will build on our inheritance, if we will walk in obedience before the Lord, if we will simply live the gospel, we will be blessed in a magnificent and wonderful way. We will be looked upon as a peculiar people who have found the key to a peculiar happiness. And many people shall go and say, 'Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord....for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Isaiah 2:3). Great has been our past, wonderful is our present, glorious can be our future."

- President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, November 1997, p 69

TOGETHER

Perhaps we can be together there,
In that next place
Where bodies are so pure
They pass through planets -

Perhaps there,
Where the light that lighteth the sun
Is kept on all night every night,
And no one watches for morning
Holding the cold off with a candle -

There, perhaps,
Where pain is exchanged
For peace and a memory -

You and I can touch as we pass
And gather in the good of one another.
We can love and give
In whatever loving, giving ways
There finally are.

We still will wish
To be together then, I think.
Perhaps then we shall know how.
Perhaps, even, we shall know why
We cannot be together now.

-  Carol Lynn Pearson

MARY, DID YOU KNOW?

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will someday walk on water?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will save our sons and daughters?
Did you know that your baby boy has come to make you new?
This child that you've delivered, will soon deliver you.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy will give sight to a blind man?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy will calm a storm with His hand?
Did you know that your baby boy walked where angels trod?
And when you kissed your little baby, you have kissed the face of God.

Mary, did you know, the blind will see, the deaf will hear,
The dead will live again,
The lame will leap, the dumb will speak
The praises of the Lamb.

Mary, did you know that your baby boy is Lord of all creation?
Mary, did you know that your baby boy would one day rule the nations?
Did you know that your baby boy is heaven's perfect Lamb?
This sleeping child you're holding is the great I Am.

- Mark Lowry

TO A CHILD GONE

I thought I was ahead of you in line.
You would take your turn
After I took mine.
Like we did before.

I guess you don't need new shoes
For starting heaven.
Or a light left on against the dark
The way I always did.
But I'm so used to parenting,
I wanted just to be there -
To do whatever needed to be done.

But you went first.
And now, my little one,
Suddenly you are my senior.
Morning, I know, will come.
But, bring close your light -
This time it is I who fear the night.

- Carol Lynn Pearson

WITHIN US

"What lies behind us and what lies before us are tiny matters compared to what lies within us".

-  Ralph Waldo Emerson

FULNESS

"He wept - He who had descended below all things, the Man of Sorrows, He who bore all our griefs. The height of His infinite capacity for joy is the inverse, mirror image of the depth of His capacity to bear our burdens. So it is with the enlarged caverns of feeling within our own hearts; as the sorrows of our lives carve and stretch those caverns, they expand our soul's capacity for joy. Then, when the Man of Sorrows turns our bitter tastes to sweet, our joy - and His - will fill the widened chambers of our hearts with what the scriptures call 'fulness'. That is when we have accepted His Atonement and love with such completeness that His purpose for us is fully satisfied. Then will we know that we were made for this. Then will we know where, and why, and to whom, we belong.
'For He satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness.' (Psalms 107:9)'"

- Bruce C. Hafen, "The Belonging Heart", p 315)

ALWAYS THERE

IF I could catch a rainbow
I would do it just for you
And share with you its beauty
On the days you're feeling blue.

If I could build a mountain
You could call your very own
A place to find serenity
A place to be alone.

If I could take your troubles
I would toss them in the sea
But all these things I'm finding
Are impossible for me.

I cannot build a mountain
Or catch a rainbow fair
But let me be what I know best
A friend that's always there.

- Author unknown

BELIEVE

Believe in yourself, in the power you have
To control your own life day by day....

Believe in the strength that you feel deep inside
And your faith will show you the way....

Believe in tomorrow and what it will bring,
Let a hopeful heart carry you through -

For things will work out if you trust and believe
There is no limit to what you can do!

- Author unknown

THE FAR SIDE OF FAILURE

On the far side of failure
Beyond the path of rejection
Far past the ghosts
Of doubt and dejection.

Even surpassing
The road travelled less
Lies the hidden valley
Of massive success.

-  David Wolfe

THE ONE YOU FEED

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people. He said: "My son, the battle is between two 'wolves' inside us all. One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jelousy, hatred, greed, arrogance, self-pity, resentment, inferiority, pride, superiority and ego. The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee replied: "The one you feed."

- Author Unknown

GOD'S BOXES

I have in my hands two boxes
Which God gave me to hold.
He said, "Put all your sorrows in the black
And all your joys in the gold".

I heeded his words and in the two boxes
Both my joys and sorrows I stored.
But though the gold became heavier each day
The black was as light as before.

With curiosity I opened the black,
I wanted to find out why.
And I saw in the base of the box
A hole which my sorrows had fallen out by.

I showed the hole to God and mused aloud:
"I wonder where my sorrows could be?"
I asked: "God why give me the boxes,
Why the gold and the black with a hole?"

"My child, the gold is for you
To count your blessings,
And the black is for you to let go".

- Author Unknown

GIFTS OF FRIENDSHIP

If gifts of friendship could be counted

Like small shells beside the sea;

I would own an endless shoreline

Of the joys you've given me.

- Emily Dickinson

IF I CAN

If I can stop one heart from breaking,
I shall not live in vain;
If I can ease one life the aching,
Or cool one pain,
Or help one fainting robin
Unto his nest again,
I shall not live in vain.

-  Emily Dickinson

A REFINER AND PURIFIER OF SILVER

 "Some time ago, a few women met in a certain city to study the scriptures. While reading the 3rd Chapter of Malachi, they came upon a remarkable expression in the 3rd Verse: "And He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". One woman proposed to visit a silversmith and report to them on what he said about the subject. She went accordingly, and without telling the object of her errand begged the silversmith to tell her about the process of refining silver. After he had fully described it to her, she asked, "But sir, do you sit while the work of refining is going on?". "Oh yes, Madam", replied the silversmith, "I must sit with my eye steadily fixed on the furnace, for if the time necessary for refining be exceeded in the slightest degree, the silver will be injured". The woman at once saw the beauty, and comfort of the expression, "He shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver". God sees it needful to put His children into a furnace; His eye is steadily intent on the work of purifying, and His wisdom and love are both engaged in the best manner for us. Our trials do not come at random, and He will not let us be tested beyond what we can endure. Before she left, the woman asked one final question, "When do you know the process is complete?" "Why, that is quite simple", replied the silversmith. "When I can see my own image in the silver, the refining process is finished".

THE WEAVER

My life is but a weaving

Between my God and me.

I let Him choose the colours,

He worketh steadily.

Oft times he worketh sorrow

And I in foolish pride,

Forget He sees the pattern

While I see the under side.

Not till the loom is silent

And the shuttles cease to fly,

Shall God unroll the canvas

And explain the reason why,

The dark threads were as needful

In the Weaver's skillful hand,

As the threads of gold and silver

In the pattern He has planned.

- Anonymous

THE CHALLENGE TO BECOME

"A wealthy father knew that if he were to bestow his wealth upon a child who had not yet developed the needed wisdom and stature, the inheritance would probably be wasted. The father said to the child: 'All that I have I desire to give you - not only my wealth, but also my position and standing among men. That which I have I can easily give you but that which I am you must obtain for yourself. You will qualify for your inheritance by learning what I have learned and by living as I have lived. I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and my stature. Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.' Many Bible and modern scriptures speak of a final judgment at which all persons will be rewarded according to their deeds or works or the desires of their hearts. But other scriptures enlarge upon this by referring to our being judged by the condition we have achieved."

- Dallin H. Oaks

WAIT

Desperately, helplessly, longingly, I cried: 
          Quietly, patiently, lovingly God replied.

I pled and wept for a clue to my fate from the Master who gently said:
           "Child, you must wait".

"Wait? You say, wait!" my indignant reply. 
           "Lord, I need answers, I need to know why!"

Is your hand shortened? Or have you not heard?
            By faith, I have asked, and am claiming your word.

My future and all to which I can relate hangs in the balance, 
             and you tell me to wait?"

I'm needing a 'yes', a go ahead sign, or even a 'no' to which I can resign.
And Lord, I've been asking, and this is my cry:
             I'm weary of asking!  I need a reply!"

Then quietly, softly, I learned of my fate as my Master replied once again:
             "You must wait."

So, I slumped in my chair, defeated and taut and grumbled to God:
             "So, I'm waiting....for what?"

He seemed then to kneel, and His eyes wept with mine, and He tenderly said: 
              "I could give you a sign.

I could shake the heavens, and darken the sun. I could raise the dead,
               and cause mountains to run.

All you seek I could give, and pleased you would be. You would have 
               what you want - but, you wouldn't know Me.

You'd not know the depth of My love for each saint:
               You'd not know the power that I give to the faint,

You'd not learn to see through the clouds of despair:
                You'd not learn to trust just by knowing I'm there;

You'd not know the joy of resting in Me, when darkness and silence
                were all you could see;

You'd never experience that fullness of love as the peace of My 
                Spirit descends like a dove;

You'd know that I live and I save....(for a start),
                 but you'd not know the depth of the beat of My heart.

The glow of My comfort late into the night;
                 the faith that I give when you walk without sight.

The depth that's beyond getting just what you asked of an infinite God,
                 who makes what you have last.

You'd never know, should your pain quickly flee,
                 what it means that "My grace is sufficient for thee.

Yes, your dreams for your loved one overnight would come true;
                 but, oh, the loss, if I lost what I'm doing in you!

So, be silent, my child, and in time you will see that the greatest
                 of gifts is to get to know Me.

And though oft may My answers seem terribly late;
                 My most precious answer of all is still "wait".

                 - Author Unknown

TO WALK THROUGH THIS NIGHT

Surely this heavy grief I cannot bear -
And yet it will not lift its' weight from me,
Nor can I now reach back to summers where
The days hang warm and ripe in memory.
If by my will I could just sink and die,
I would - a sunless future chills me so!
My small faith quavers, crying to deny,
The very God I prayed, childlike to know.
But death has not been given to me to choose,
And there is no backward path to Eden's gate
And standing numb - or railing - is no use,
No matter how unbearable the weight.
Like Abraham, like Job, like The One Light
To find the dawn I must walk through this night.

- Tamara J. Hinkley

IN GOD'S IMAGE

An old rabbi once said that every man ought to carry two pieces of paper in his pocket. In times of self-satisfaction and complacency he should read the one that says: "I am dust and ashes". When dejected and dispirited he should read the other that says: "For my sake was the world created". And at all times he should remember: "I am made from the dust but it is in God's image I am made".

- Author unknown

TIME AND ETERNITY

'T was just this time last year I died
 I know I heard the corn,
When I was carried by the farms -
 It had the tassels on.

I thought how yellow it would look
When Richard went to mill;
And then I wanted to get out,
 But something held my will.

I thought just how red apples wedged
The stubble's joints between:
And carts went stooping round the fields
To take the pumpkins in.

I wondered which would miss me least,
And when Thanksgiving come,
If father'd multiply the plates
To make an even sum.

And if my stocking hung too high,
Would it blur the Christmas glee,
That not a Santa Claus could reach
The altitude of me?

But this sort grieved myself, and so
I thought how it would be
When just this time, some perfect year
Themselves should come to me.

- Emily Dickinson

YOUR LONGING FOR FAMILY JOY

"I promise you that you can experience the fulfillment of your desire for eternal love, if you really want it, so long as you don't want anything else more. I pray that you will do the work required to fulfill your family dream. The longing of the heart for this fulness is a central vision of the gospel. It is also a source of great power, especially on those cloudy days, or years, when your dreams seem impossible. Even when love wounds you, that's because love matters so much. The deep hurt is the mirror image of the deep joy that still awaits you. Your longing to belong forever to a loving family comes from God, and He has promised its fulfillment, if you are faithful: "For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry soul with goodness" (Psalm 107:9). I know His promise is sure."
(Elder Bruce C. Hafen, "Your Longing For Family Joy",  Ensign October 2003, p 28-33)

FOR THE ONE

"For many years I thought of the Saviour's experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt 'our infirmities', bore our griefs....carried our sorrows...and was bruised for our iniquities....He learned about your weaknesses and mine. He experienced your pains and sufferings. He experienced mine. I testify that He knows us. He understand the way in which we deal with temptations. He knows our weaknesses, But more than that, more than just knowing us, He knows how to help us if we come to Him in faith." (Merrill J. Bateman, "A Pattern for All", Ensign, Nov. 2005, p 74)

HUNGRY FIRES OF COURAGE

They cut desire into short lengths
And fed it to the hungry fires of courage.
Long after, when the flames had died
Molten gold gleamed in the ashes.
They gathered it into bruised palms
And handed it to their children
And their children's children forever.

- Vilate C. Raile

WHERE THE GREAT ONES ARE

I'm tired of sailing my little boat
Far inside of the harbour bar;

I want to be out where the big ships float -
Out on the deep, where the great ones are!

And should my frail craft prove too slight
For storms that sweep those wide seas o'er;

I'd rather go down in the stirring fight
Than drowse to death by the sheltered shore!

- Daisy Rhinehart

HE WHO WOULD BE CHIEF AMONG YOU

And he rose from supper,
Poured water in a basin,
And washed the disciples' feet.

Those hands,
Hardened by the heat of a desert sun,
Comfortable with cutting trees
And turning them to tables
In Joseph's shop -

Those hands,
That with a wave could stop
The troubled sea,
Could touch a leper clean,
Or triumphantly turn death away.

Those hands,
That could gesture the heavens open -
Poured water in a basin
And washed the disciples' feet.

The lesson lies unlearned
But to a few,
Who trust the paradox
And hear the call:

"He who would be chief among you,
Let him be the servant of all."

- Carol Lynn Pearson

CROSSING THE BAR

Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me,
And may there be no moaning of the bar,
When I put out to sea.
But such a tide as moving seems asleep,
Too full for sound and foam,
When that which drew from out the boundless deep,
Turns again home.

Twilight and the evening bell,
And after that the dark!
And may there be no sadness of farewell,
When I embark;
For tho' from out our bourne of Time and Place,
The flood may bear me far,
I hope to see my Pilot face to face
When I have crost the bar.

- Lord Alfred Tennyson

PAIN STAYED SO LONG

Pain stayed so long, I said to him today;
I will not have you with me anymore!
And paused there, startled at the look he wore.
I, who have been your friend, he said to me.
I who have been your teacher.
All that you know of understanding and love,
of sympathy and patience, I have taught you.
Shall I go?
He spoke the truth,
This strange unwelcome guest;
I watched him leave and knew that he was wise.
He left a heart grown tender in my breast.
He left a far, clear vision in my eyes.
I dried my tears and lifted up a song,
For one who'd tortured me so long.

- Anonymous

WITHIN THESE SACRED WALLS

"Before the Saviour comes the world will darken. There will come a period of time where even the elect will lose hope if they do not come to the temples. The world will be so filled with evil that the righteous will only feel secure within these walls. The Saints will come here not only to do vicarious work but to find a haven of peace. They will long to bring their children here for safety's sake...We will not be alone in our temples... The covenants and ordinances will fill us with faith as a living fire. In a day of desolating sickness, scorched earth, barren wastes, sickening plagues, disease, destruction, and death, we as a people will rest in the shade of trees, we will drink from the cooling fountains. We will abide in places of refuge from the storm; we will mount up as on eagles' wings; we will be lifted out of an insane and evil world. We will be as fair as the sun and clear as the moon. When the Saviour comes He will honour His people. Those who are spared and prepared will be a temple-loving people. They will know Him. Our children will bow down at His feet and worship Him as the Lord of Lords, the King of Kings. They will bathe His feet with their tears and He will weep, and bless them for having suffered through the greatest trials known to man. Let us prepare them with the faith to surmout every trial and every condition. We will do it in these holy, sacred temples".

- Elder Vaughn J. Featherstone, Manti Temple, April 1987

THE LESSON

Yes, my fretting, frowning child,

I could cross the room to you more easily,

But I've already learnt to walk so I make you come to me.

Let go now, there, you see!

Oh, remember this simple lesson child,

And when in later years you cry out with tight fists and tears,

Oh help me God please!

Just listen and you'll hear a silent voice,

I would child, I would, but it's you, not I, who needs to try

Godhood.

-  Carol Lynn Pearson

AND GOD SAID "NO"

I asked God to take away my pride, and God said "No".
He said it was not for Him to take away, but for me to give up.
I asked God to grant me patience, and God said "No".
He said that patience is a by-product of tribulation, it isn't granted, it is earned.
I asked God to give me happiness, and God said "No".
He said He gives us blessings, happiness is up to me.
I asked God to spare me pain, and God said "No".
He said "suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to Me".
I asked God to make my spirit grow, and God said "No".
He said I must grow on my own, but He will prune me to make me fruitful.
I asked God if He loved me, and God said "Yes",
That's why He gave His only Son to die for me,
And I will be in heaven someday because I believe.
I asked God to help me love others as much as He loves me,
And God said, "Ah, finally you understand what you really need".

-  Author unknown, revised by Cathryne Allen

IN GOD'S FOLD

Twas a sheep, not a lamb that went astray in the parable Jesus told,
Twas a grown up sheep that wandered away from the ninety and nine in the fold,
And out on the hill tops and out in the storm twas a sheep that the good shepherd sought,
And back to the flock and back to the fold twas a sheep that the good shepherd brought.
Now why should the sheep be so carefully fed and cared for still today,
Because there is danger if they go wrong they will lead the lambs astray.
For the lambs will follow the sheep you know wherever they wonder wherever they go.
If the sheep go wrong it will not be long till the lambs are as wrong as they.
So still with the sheep do we earnestly plead for the sake of the lambs today,
If the lambs are lost what a terrible cost some sheep will have to pay.

- Author unknown

BORN TO BE A KING

"King Louis had been taken from his throne and imprisoned. His young son, the prince, was taken by those who dethroned the king. They thought that inasmuch as the king's son was heir to the throne, if they could destroy him morally, he would never realise the great and grand destiny that life had bestowed upon him. They took him to a community far away, and there they exposed the lad to every filthy and vile thing that life could offer. They exposed him to foods the richness of which would quickly make him a slave to appetite. They used vile language around him constantly. They exposed him to lewd and lusting women. They exposed him to dishonour and distrust. He was surrounded twenty-four hours a day by everything that could drag the soul of a man as low as one could slip. For over six months he had this treatment - but not once did the young lad buckle under pressure. Finally, after intensive temptation, they questioned him. Why had he not submitted himself to these things - why had he not partaken? These things would provide pleasure, satisfy his lusts, and were desirable: they were all his. The boy said, "I cannot do what you ask for I was born to be a king".

"Let the mountains shout for joy, and all ye valleys cry aloud; and all ye seas and dry lands tell the wonders of your Eternal King.....and let the sons of God shout for joy...!"  D&C 128:23

GOD'S WINGS

GOD'S WINGS -

An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God's wings. After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno's damage. One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick. When he gently struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother's wings. The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but refused to abandon her babies. When the blaze had arrived and the heat had scorched her small body, the mother had remained steadfast. Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live. 

"O, ye nations of the earth, how oft would I have gathered you together as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, but ye would not!" D&C 43:24