ON THE MORROW

"....On the morrow come I into the world..."

3 Nephi 1:3

KISSING THE FACE OF GOD

"Angels and archangels may have gathered there;

Cherubim and seraphim thronged the air,

but only His mother in her maiden bliss,

Worshipped the Beloved with a kiss."

- Christina Rosetti

Painting: "Kissing the Face of God" by Morgan Weistling

TO THIS END WAS I BORN

"To this end was I born....." (John 8:37)

to preach good tidings unto the meek;

to bind up the brokenhearted;

to proclaim liberty to the captives;

to comfort all that mourn;

to give unto them [in Zion] beauty for ashes;

the oil of joy for mourning;

the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness......

- Isaiah 61:1-3

TO EARTH HE CAME

"To earth he came, my soul to save,

From sin and death and from the grave."

- Bruce R. McConkie

"Mortal Messiah Book 1" p. 339

IS ANYTHING TOO HARD FOR THE LORD

"Is anything too hard for the Lord?"

- Genesis 18:14

DIVINE PRESENCE

"......And behold,

thou shalt conceive in thy womb, 

and bring forth a son.....

and he shall be called the Son of the Highest...

and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

One who stands in the Divine Presence
has brought the great announcement
to the one who will hold the Divine Presence
in her bosom.

- Bruce R. McConkie
"The Mortal Messiah Book 1" p 318-9

TO LIGHTEN THE BURDEN OF ANOTHER

"No one is useless in this world

who lightens the burden of another."

- Charles Dickens, 

"The Man Who Invented Christmas"

WALK ON WATER

"You'll never walk on water

if you don't step out of the boat."

- Joyce Meyer

THE HARDEST BATTLE

"The hardest battle you will ever

have to fight

is between who you are now

and who you want to be."

-Author Unknown

LIFE

"Your life is always 

speaking to you.

The fundamental 

spiritual question is:

Will you listen?"

- Oprah

WITH WINGS AS EAGLES

"Each of us will taste the bitter ashes of life, from sin and neglect to sorrow and disappointment. But the Atonement of Christ can lift us up in beauty, not only from our own ashes but also from the ashes of him who fathers the rebirth of our spirits. We then soar toward the sun on the wings of a sure promise of immortality and eternal life. Thus may we be lifted up, not only at the end of life but in each day of our lives.

Hast thou not known? Hast thou not heard, 

that the everlasting God , the Lord,

the Creator of the ends of the earth...

giveth power to the faint,

and to them that have no might

he increaseth strength. 

But they that wait upon the Lord 

shall renew their strength;

they shall mount up with wings as eagles;

they shall run, and not be weary; 

and they shall walk, and not faint.

(Isaiah 40:28-29, 31)"

- Bruce C. Hafen, "The Broken Heart", p. 23

DEATH

"Little mourned I for the parted gladness,

For the vacant nest and silent song -

Hope was there and laughed me out of sadness;

Whispering 'Winter will not linger long!'"

- Emily Bronte

TRUTH

"Those who know the truth

learn to love it.

Those who love the truth

learn to live it."

- Bob Proctor

SUPERIORITY

"There is nothing noble in being superior 

to your fellow man,

true nobility is being superior to your

former self."

- Author Unknown

JOY

"Your joy is your sorrow unmasked.

And the selfsame well from which your laughter rises

was oftentimes filled with your tears.

And how else can it be?

The deeper that sorrow carves into your being

the more joy you can contain.

When you are joyous, look deep into your heart and 

you shall find it is only that which has

given you sorrow that is giving you joy.

When you are sorrowful, 

look again in your heart,

and you shall see that in truth you are weeping

 for that which has been your delight.

Together they come, 

and when one sits alone with you at your board,

remember that the other is asleep upon your bed."

- Kahlil Gibran, "The Prophet"

ETERNAL FAME AND IMMORTAL GLORY

 "You are in the pathway to eternal fame and immortal glory."

- Joseph Smith

HEAVENLY MESSANGERS

"We move and have our being in the presence of heavenly messengers.....We are not separate from them....We are closely related to our kindred, to our ancestors, to our friends, and associates, and co-laborers who have preceded us into the spirit world. We cannot forget them; we do not cease to love them; we always hold them in our hearts, in memory, and thus we are associated and united to them by ties that we cannot break....Those who have been faithful, who have gone beyond and are still engaged in the work for the salvation of the souls of men,.....can see us better than we can see them... We live in their presence, they see us, they are solicitous for our welfare, they love us now more than ever."

- President Joseph F. Smith, "Messages of the First Presidency", p 6-7

FEAR

"Legend has it that one day a man was walking in the desert when he met Fear and Plague. They said they were on their way to a city to kill 10,000 people. The man asked Plague if he was going to do all the work. Plague replied: "No, I'll take care of only a few hundred. I'll let my friend Fear do the rest."

-Anonymous

REFINER 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". 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."

- Anonymous

THE BUTTERFLY

"A man found a cocoon of a butterfly. One day a small opening appeared and he sat and watched the butterfly for several hours as it struggled to force its body through the little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and could go no further. Then the man decided to help the butterfly. He took a pair of scissors and snipped the remaining bit of the cocoon. The butterfly then emerged easily. Something was strange however. The butterfly had a swollen body and shrivelled wings. The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected at any moment, the wings would enlarge and expand to be able to support the body, which would contract in time. Neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling around with a swollen body and deformed wings. It was never able to fly. What the man in his kindness and haste did not understand was that the restricting cocoon and the struggle required for a butterfly to get through the small opening of the cocoon are God's way of forcing fluid from the body of the butterfly into its wings so that it would be ready for flight once it achieved its freedom from the cocoon. We are very much like butterflies. Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need. If God allowed us to go through all of our lives without any obstacles, that would cripple us. We would not be as strong as what we could have been. Not only that, we could never fly."

- Anonymous

LIVING POEMS

"Ye are better than all the ballads that ever were sung or said;

for ye are living poems, 

and all the rest are dead."

- Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

- 

BE A GOOD ONE

"Whatever you are, be a good one."

- Abraham Lincoln

ANGEL MOTHER

"All that I am, or hope to be,

I owe to my angel mother."

- Abraham Lincoln

MOVING MOUNTAINS

"Men can move mountains with their words"

- Winston Churchill

Indeed. The Brother of Jared said to the Mount of Zerin: "Remove - and it was removed" (Ether 12:30). And so great was the faith of Enoch, the great-great grandfather of Noah, that when he spoke the word of God "the earth trembled and the mountains fled" (Moses 7:13). We might not need to change the geography of the world but we sometimes need to change the geography of our lives. Most of us have mountains in our lives that we have been climbing for years. There comes a time though when climbing needs to come to an end. Then perhaps the task at hand is no longer to climb but to move. Many of us lack such faith and feel that climbing is easier than the faith that is required to move the obstacles in our path to greatness. These obstacles can be lack of faith in ourselves, weaknesses, addictions, lack of self-esteem, or simply the lure of the comfort zone. These mountains can be of immense proportions but none are bigger than the power that God can give us. Enoch was a man of 'slow speech' (Moses 6:31) until God gave him utterance (Moses 6:34). The Brother of Jared was a praying man who had the audacity to believe. Both were just ordinary men made powerful by God. So stop climbing and speak the words: Through my faith in Jesus Christ - move.

- Cathryne Allen

HOPE ACHIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE

"Hope sees the invisible; feels the intangible;

achieves the impossible."

-Anonymous

STRONGEST SOULS

"Out of suffering have emerged the strongest souls;

the most massive characters are seared with scars."

-Kahlil Gibran

LIFE

"Life can only be understood backwards;

but it must be lived forwards."

- Soren Kierkegaard

THE LOVE WE GIVE AWAY

"The love we give away is the only love we keep."

- Elbert Hubbard (1856-1915)

American writer and philosopher

LOVE'S PHILOSOPHY

The fountains mingle with the river

And the rivers with the Ocean;

The winds of Heaven mi for ever

With a sweet emotion;

Nothing in the world is single;

All things by a law divine

In one spirit meet and mingle,

Why not I with thine?

See the mountains kiss high Heaven

And the waves clasp one another;

No sister-flower would be forgiven

If it disdained its brother;

And the sunlight clasps the earth

And the mountains kiss the sea -

What is all this sweet work worth 

If thou kiss not me?

- Percy Bysshe Shelley

THE SEEDS OF ETERNAL LIFE

The Book of Mormon tells us that whilst hunting one day Enos hungered for a remission of his sins. This hunger came from remembering the words which his father often spoke about eternal life (Enos 1:3,4). We speak many words from day to day but none more important than the ones that uplift, inspire and sow seeds of eternal life in the hearts of those we love. Such were the words which Enos heard his father speak: "But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith.........O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever (Jacob 3:1,2). So Enos prayed and received a remission of his sins, hoping that one day he will hear :"Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father" (Enos 1:27). This hope he owed to his father Jacob, the brother of Nephi, the defender of the faith, the foe to the anti-Christ, Jacob the believer.   

- Cathryne Allen

A MARK ON DESTINY

"No love, nor friendship,

can cross the path of our destiny

without leaving some mark on it forever."

- Francois Mocuriac (1885-1970

French writer

THE NAME OF MOTHER

I know a name,

a glorious name,

dearer than any other.

Listen I'll whisper 

that name to you,

it is the name of

mother.

- Frances K Taylor (1870-1952)

"The Dearest Names"

LDS Children's Songbook

TRUST ME, LEARN OF ME

"Trust me, learn of me, do what I do. Then, when you walk where I am going, we can talk about where YOU are going, and the problems you face and the troubles you have. If you will follow me, I will lead you out of darkness. I will give you answers to yours prayers. I will give you rest to your souls."

- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "Broken Things to Mend", Ensign May 2006

I LOVE YOU

"I love you not only for what you are,

but for what I am when I am with you.

I love you not only for what you have made of yourself,

but for what you are making of me."

- Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861)

English Poet

HEART

"Nobody has ever measured,

not even poets,

how much a heart can hold."

- Zelda Fitzgerald (1900-1948)

American Writer

LOVE ME

Flatter me, and I may not believe you.

Criticize me, and I may not like you.

Ignore me, and I may not forgive you.

Encourage me, and I will not forget you.

Love me and I may be forced to love you.

- William Arthur Ward (1921-1994)

American writer

A TRAIL

"Do not go where the path may lead.

 Go where there is no path and leave a trail."

- Anonymous

MIGHTY GOD

Jehovah

Jesus Christ

The Lord

The Son of God

The Son of the Eternal Father

The Lamb

Shepherd

Redeemer

Almighty God

The God of Israel

The God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob

The Lord of Hosts

The Holy One of Israel

The Redeemer of Israel

King Immanuel

The Eternal God

Holy One

The King of Zion

The Rock of Heaven

The Saviour

The Mighty One of Jacob

The Mighty One of Israel

Messiah

The Lord God

The God of Hosts

The Prince of Life

The Lord of Hosts

The Lord of Glory

Eternal King

Lord God Almighty

The Son of Righteousness

Alpha and Omega

The Great I am

The Stone of Israel

Holy Messiah

The Great Mediator

Son Ahman 

Firstborn

Endless

Eternal
I Am

Man of Holiness

Man of Counsel

King of Glory

The Lord God of Hosts

The Father of Heaven and Earth

The Creator of All Things

Immanuel

Wonderful

Counselor

The Mighty God

The Everlasting Father

The Prince of Peace

- Derived by Cathryne Allen from
 The Standard Works of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

THE GREAT CREATOR DIES

"The death of a God! The great Creator dies! Not only does He die - He is slain, crucified, pierced. Nails are driven through His hands and feet. A Roman spear is hurled into His side. He hangs in agony upon a cross, feeling again the weight of the sorrow He bore in Gethsemane. A God dies and the rocks rend; a God dies and all creation shudders; a God dies and all the hosts of heaven both sorrow and rejoice. A God dies that He may live again; that He may come forth from the tomb as the firstfruits of them that sleep; that He may bring immortality to all and eternal life to those who believe and obey. A God dies that all the terms and conditions of the Father's plan may be fulfilled. A God descends below all things that He may rise to heights above the stars; He lives again, as all men shall; and the infinite and eternal atonement is complete. The will of the Son is swallowed up in the will of the Father. The will of the Father in all things from the beginning is done!"

- Bruce R. McConkie, 'The Promised Messiah', p 523

AS ONLY A GOD COULD

"At the appointed time Jesus came, born of Mary, in Bethlehem of Judea. He worked out His own salvation, revealed His Father, preached the gospel, wrought miracles, organized anew the earthly kingdom, was rejected by his own, and died a voluntary death on a cross at Calvary. In a garden called Gethsemane, outside Jerusalem's walls, in agony beyond compare, he took upon himself the sins of all men on conditions of repentance. Then he yielded himself into the hands of traitors and wicked men to have his flesh gashed and pierced and his body hung on a tree. He came into the world to die, and die he did, die as only a God could."

- Bruce R. McConkie, 'The Promised Messiah', p 552

LEGACY

"Your life is not about you.

It's about leaving a legacy.

If you help others be fulfilled,

you will be fulfilled.

Consistently give to others that

which you wish to receive.

Who will you touch by your giving spirit

in your lifetime?"

Will Shannon

PRAYER

"Prayer is YOUR personal key to heaven.

The lock is on your side of the veil."

- Boyd K. Packer
Ensign Nov 1994, p 59

COME UNTO ME

 

".....the Savior's Atonement lifts from us not only the burden of sin but also the burden of our disappointments and sorrows, our heartaches and our despair.......the soul that comes unto Christ, who knows His voice and strives to do as He did, finds a strength.....'beyond [his] own'. The Savior reminds us that He has 'graven [us] upon the palms of [His] hands' ( 1 Nephi 21:16). Considering the incomprehensible cost of the Crucifixion and Atonement, I promise you He is not going to turn His back on us now. When He says to the poor in spirit, 'Come unto me', He means He knows the way out and He knows the way up. He knows it because He has walked it. He knows the way because He IS the way."

- Elder Jeffrey R. Holland
"Broken Things to Mend", Ensign May 2006

DON'T WALK IN FRONT OF ME

Don't walk in front of me,

I may not follow.

Don't walk behind me,

I may not lead.

Just walk beside me and be my friend.

- Albert Camus (1912-1960)

French-Algerian writer and philosopher

LET THINGS GO

You will find that it is necessary

to let things go;

Simply for the reason that they

are heavy.

- Anonymous

THE EDGE OF ALL THE LIGHT

"When you come to the edge

of all the light you know
and are about to step off into the
darkness of the unknown

one of two things will happen...

either you will step onto solid ground 

or you will be taught to fly."

- Anonymous

SOMEBODY IN NEED

"Somebody in need is waiting

on the other side of 

your obedience."

- Terri Savelle Foy

LITTLE ACTS OF KINDNESS

I took a drop of kindness

And spread it all around,

It changed the earth beneath me

To sacred, holy ground.

Transformed a voice of anger

To whispers soft and dear,

And stony eyes, hard and cold

To ones which shone with tears.

It filled a heart with softness

Where harshness had abound,

And placed a smile on a face

On which there'd been a frown.

It helped to ease the sorrow

Of one weighed down in grief,

A widow faced the morrow

With hope borne out of peace.

The little act of kindness?

There's really no such thing.

The little act of kindness

Hides multitudes of sin!

Effects are quite astounding

They'd change the world for sure

If others shared the burden

Which those around them bore.

So take a drop of kindness

And spread it all around,

Change the earth beneath you

To sacred, holy ground.

And soon you will discover

Your open heart will sing!

For little acts of kindness

Are monumental things!

- Desley Innis

THE ONLY TRUE GIFT

"The only true gift is a portion of yourself."

- Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803-1882)
American essayist and poet