WALK TO THE EDGE OF THE LIGHT

The challenging, sometimes difficult situations that we all experience in this life either humble and draw us closer to God or else we attempt to blame him for the troubles and setbacks we are are facing in this troubled world. The choice is clearly ours regarding how we respond to adversity when it comes our way.

. . . The light will appear and move ahead of you

For the past several months, I have been experiencing a health issue that has become progressively worse. The symptoms have, for all intents and purposes, pointed to a problem with my digestive system. Initially, the condition first appeared as acid indigestion when I was walking on a treadmill in the exercise room at our apartment complex. In spite of my conscious efforts to minimize this uncomfortable situation by walking more slowly, less frequently, and by adjusting my food intake prior to the start of my exercise program, nothing seemed to alter the condition for the better.

When I finally went to the doctor on Monday of this week for his professional diagnosis, he smiled and then kindly suggested that I didn't have a digestive problem. Instead, the physician determined that I was suffering with stable angina, a condition that makes it difficult for the heart to circulate blood when under stress such as during times when the body is engaged in vigorous exercise. He recommended that I see a heart specialist as soon as possible.

You can imagine the anxiety that I felt when we left the doctor's office. Not knowing what would happen next, I needed to deal with my own personal crisis with my faith. Then I remembered the words spoken by Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency, at our last General Church Conference in April: "If our hearts are pure, if we seek not our own glory but the glory of Almight God, if we seek to do His will, if we desire to bless the lives of our family and fellowmen - we will not be left alone."

I can honestly testify that during this past week we have have not been alone but have experienced one miracle after another as we have been guided by an unseen divine source to accomplish everything that needed to be done. We have been able to obtain an appointment with a highly recommended heart specialist, successfully complete a heart catheterization, and engage the services of a skilled heart surgeon who will perform bypass surgery on me next Monday at Union Memorial Hospital, which has the highest success rate for bypass surgery in Maryland

Concerning man's faith in receiving divine guidance when the path ahead is unknown and uncharted, Harold B. Lee, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, instructed believers, "Walk to the edge of the light, and perhaps a few steps into the darkness, and you will find that the light will appear and move ahead of you." I have had a personal opportunity to ponder and reflect these past few days upon what it really means to struggle with exercising your faith while overcoming your doubts.

Jesus said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth. And straightway the father of the child cried out, and said with tears, Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. (Mark 9:23-24)

We must choose faith over doubt, choose faith over fear, choose faith over the unknown and the unseen, and choose faith over pessimism. Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief!

IT'S BETTER TO LOOK UP

Where Do We Look For Help?

A friend recently suggested that if I didn't like the current weather in Baltimore then I should just patiently wait a little while for it to change. Having to deal with evolving circumstances is one of mortality's few certainties. Not all changes are welcome guests in our lives, however. Financial setbacks, diminished health, the loss of a cherished relationship are just a few of the things that can bring a sense of discouragement and disappointment to anyone. The process of dealing with change is difficult.

Carl B. Cook of the Seventy speaks of his experience on an elevator when at the end of a particularly tiring day, his briefcase was overloaded and his mind was preoccupied with the question “How can I possibly do this?” As he entered the elevator of the Church Administration Building his head was down as he stared blankly at the floor. The door then opened and someone entered, but he didn't look up. Then someone asked, “What are you looking at down there?” It was Thomas S. Monson, the President of the Church.

I quickly looked up and responded, “Oh, nothing.” But he had seen my subdued countenance and my heavy briefcase. He smiled and lovingly suggested, while pointing heavenward, “It is better to look up!”

So where do we look for help when we are burdened with our heavy load of care associated with the trials of everyday living? My wife reminds me often that I worry too much. She has even suggested that if I didn't have anything to worry about, then I would find a way to worry about that! For certain, not everyone handles stressful situations the same way.

Does The Journey Seem Long?

Joseph Fielding Smith (1876-1972)

Does the journey seem long, the path rugged and steep?

Are there briars and thorns on the way?

Do sharp stones cut your feet as you struggle to rise

to the heights thru the heat of the day?

Is your heart fain and sad, your soul weary within,

as you toil 'neath your burden of care?

Does the load heavy seem you are forced now to lift?

Is there no one your burden to share?

Let your heart be not faint now the journey's begun;

There is On who still beckons to you.

So look upward in joy and take hold of his hand;

He will lead you to heights that are new.

A land holy and pure, where all trouble doth end,

and your life shall be free from all sin,

where no tears shall be shed, for no sorrows remain.

Take his hand and with him enter in.

Faith always faces forward, and we are far more likely to obtain comfort, encouragement, and strength by looking heavenward than by looking downcast at the floor! Mary C. Crowley provides some good counsel: "Every evening I turn my worries over to God. He's going to be up all night anyway." When we are challenged and disheartened by changes in our situation, we must find the courage to redirect our focus upward to Our Father in Heaven.

Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend. (Mosiah 4:9)

MEET THE OWNER OF OUR PATIO

Pavia, the scampering squirrel who owns the patio!

Last fall when Sister Lindsay and I moved into the Canterbury Apartments at the beginning of our Church mission, representatives of the management company in the office told us in glowing terms about all of the standard features and benefits associated with the rental unit we would be occupying at 2 Pavia Court.

Because our apartment is on the ground level, we also have a "full-size patio", which is a non-descript concrete slab that measures 5 feet by 9 feet that is directly underneath the balcony of the unit above us. The terms and conditions of our lease in conjunction with the Baltimore fire code precludes the use of any type of cooking grill on the patio. We would never consider placing a couple of lawn chairs in this area, because they would in short order silently disappear under the cover of darkness.

As far as we can determine, the patio serves only one purpose . . . it becomes an artificial lake about two inches deep for a short period of time every time it rains hard. When this occurs, we can position our dining room chairs just inside the patio door and and gaze intently as we watch the water level rise. Playing some nice music while this is happening adds to the ambiance of the occasion. For the privilege of having waterfront property on an interim basis, we pay an extra $20 each month!

No pets are allowed inside our building; however, what Canterbury Apartments didn't tell us when we signed our leasing agreement was that the rental price also includes a squirrel who actually owns the aforementioned patio. Said squirrel is afraid of no one, and he visits his patio many times every day for long periods of time. He likes to scamper across the dining room window sill frequently and climbs up the window screen just for the fun of it. I've nicknamed the squirrel "Pavia" after the name of the court where we live.

Before we realized this furry rascal's possessive territorial nature, Sister Lindsay requested that I purchase a hanging basket with a lovely blooming fuchsia plant, which I installed with a metal bracket onto one of the two sturdy wooden posts at the front edge of the patio that support the upstairs balcony. That's when the trouble began. The very first day after the hanging basket was in place, Pavia scampered right up that wooden post, pounced into the basket, and starting digging around looking for nuts that he had never buried there.

Now squirrels are not known for their super intelligence (they have a brain about the size of a pea), and they are terribly forgetful. Back home in Carolina, I have watched squirrels dig in the ground (and my flower boxes) looking for nuts in the same place day after day. Even though we have tried to discourage Pavia from getting into that hanging basket on many occasions, it has no effect on the squirrel whatsoever. What's left of the poor fuchsia plant is hanging on for dear life, while the squirrel is hanging on every chance he gets and having a wonderful time while he is doing it!

By the way, the photo used in this post shows Pavia in his favorite pose spread out on the patio watching us in the apartment watching him. We're just the tenants here . . . he owns the place.

GOD'S COMMANDMENT REMAINS IN FORCE

Norm & Linda Lindsay and their adult children (November 2008)

When our eight sons and daughters were growing up in the 1970s and 1980s and our family was in a store or some other public place, people would sometimes stare at us or even occasionally want to know if all of those kids were really ours? It was curious then to us as parents that such a question would even be asked, when just one generation before during the time my wife and I were children ourselves, large families were considered to be fairly typical.

And now in this present day removed in time by just another generation or two, families of any size are under attack as is the sacred institution of marriage itself. Many of the people of the world seem to have all but forgotten that God created them in His image and likeness, male and female created He them for the divine purpose of bringing other of His spirit children to this earth to obtain a body of flesh and bones.

Neil L. Anderson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has taught that the family is ordained of God. Families are central to our Heavenly Father’s plan here on earth and through the eternities. After Adam and Eve were joined in marriage, the scripture reads,

And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. (Genesis 1:28)

"In our day," Elder Anderson continues, "prophets and apostles have declared, 'The first commandment that God gave to Adam and Eve pertained to their potential for parenthood as husband and wife. We declare that God’s commandment for His children to multiply and replenish the earth remains in force.' We believe in families, and we believe in children."

Sister Lindsay and I miss the little boys and girls who once filled our home with their laughter and their enthusiasm for life, but we love the responsible adults that our children have become. The youngest of our children is about to become a parent herself (as have all of her siblings before her); and with the expected arrive of this new grandchild in a few months, we will have been blessed by Our Father in Heaven with 20 grandchildren.

Children are the hands by which we take hold of heaven. (Henry Ward Beecher)

WE NEED BOTH THE CHURCH AND THE GOSPEL

Jesus Christ gave us His gospel and also organized His Church 

Much of our missionary service pertains to reaching out to less-active members of the Church who have stopped coming to Sunday services and other related activities on a regular basis. When we are able to meet with such individuals and families, Sister Lindsay and I are discovering that they often express their belief that the gospel is still true even though they aren't currently participating in Church programs.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which was organized in 1830, is structured after the pattern of the Church first established by the Savior when he performed His mortal ministry here upon the face of the earth more than 2000 years ago:

And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowldege of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: that we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; (Ephesians 4:11-14)

The Church today is well-known for its worldwide humanitarian work that benefits members and nonmembers alike. With its strong focus on the family in these troubling times, the Church has programs for children, youth, men, and women. Our welfare system cares for our members and promotes self-reliance in a manner that is not duplicated anywhere. But most importantly, the fullness of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is uniformly taught throughout the Church to members in congregations around the globe.

Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of the Presidency of the Seventy suggested recently that we sometimes use the terms gospel and Church interchangeably, but they are not the same. They are, however, exquisitely interconnected, and we need both. The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever.

It is essential for everyone to understand that the purpose of the Church is to help us live the gospel. Attending Church is outwardly visible to others who are present; however, when people stop coming to Church, it may be that they were not sufficiently converted to the gospel. The inward, less visible attributes of Church membership reflect the things of eternity especially our personal relationship to God the Father, His Beloved Son Jesus Christ, and to the Holy Ghost.

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? (Mosiah 5:13)

From the scriptures Jesus counsels all who would be His followers that if we truly love Him, we will keep His commandments (see John 15:10-11). Exercising faith in Jesus Christ includes praying to the Father in the name of the Son while seeking direction in our daily activities through the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. In addition to our prayers, we have the constant need for spiritual nourishment as found in God's Word and a sincere desire to give ourselves in service to one another. These are the ingredients of personal conversion to the gospel, which makes our membership in the Church even more precious to us!

A LIBRARY HAS BURNED DOWN!

Someone once astutely suggested that when an old person dies, a library burns down. Knowledge that is acquired line upon line, pondered deeply, and wisely applied over an extended span of years is irreplaceably lost when the repository of that learning is gone from us. I'm sad to report that earlier this month a vast collection of knowledge, wonderfully organized, and expertly catalogued was lost with the death of Catharine Hauver Ahalt, one of the last surviving instructors that Sister Lindsay and I had as a teacher (Latin and history classes) during our high school days back in the early 1960s.

Catharine Hauver Ahalt was a local girl who was born, raised, and married in Myersville, on the western edge of Frederick County Maryland. She lived her entire life in this rural farming community. Her father and grandfather were both teachers, and it seemed natural that she would in turn follow them into the classroom. By the age of nine, Catharine's responsibilities included saddling a horse and riding to town for groceries and the mail. When she was just 16, her mother died; so she became the surrogate mother for her younger siblings while also helping her father in the home and on the farm. She was also riding the trolley into Frederick each day to attend classes at Hood College. Catharine Ahalt was a remarkable high school teacher for 37 years and also served as the postmistress in Myersville during World War II. She passed away on July 7th at the age of 100!

Saint Paul's Lutheran Church in Myersville

Attending the funeral service last weekend brought back a lot of childhood memories of people that I have known and loved who once lived in this quiet village but now rest in the cemeteries behind the Lutheran and Methodist Chuches. What a blessing it has been for me to have been allowed to grow to adulthood in such a peaceful community surrounded by so many wonderful individuals who helped to prepare me for life in a bigger and more complicated world.

Country Church 

 A. Norman Lindsay

Yes, I recall in my home town,

The belfry bells and their sweet sound;

How folks would come from miles around

To this small church to pray.

The steeple white was placed with care

Upon the roof up in the air.

From far away, you’d see it there.

The belfry seemed to sway.

With tiny plaques “In Memory Of,”

The stained glass windows, gifts of love,

Let heaven’s light in from above

How warm the sunlight’s ray.

The choir would practice Wednesday night.

Some sang off key, but that’s all right.

My, how they’d sing with all their might!

Their voices trailed away.

The minister, in robes of black,

His sermon done, would stand in back,

And love these people. That’s a fact.

Warm greetings he would say.

The congregation I knew then

Has gone out back to meet again.

With marble stones placed over them,

They’ve all come here to stay.

I visit them once in a while.

I read their names; and then, I smile.

Each face recalled from memory’s file;

And my love, I convey.

This church was built with loving care,

Constructed both by work and prayer.

May they find peace, who worshipped there,

On resurrection day.

WHAT IS MAN THAT THOU ART MINDFUL OF HIM?

When I consider the heavens . . .

As a boy growing up in rural Frederick County, Maryland, I remember being outside lying on the flat of my back on a warm summer's night and gazing up at the vast canopy of stars and galaxies overhead. It was peaceful and quiet there in the farmland of Middletown Valley that was my home, and the view of the heavens was unobstructed and breathtakingly beautiful. "Who is God," I wondered to myself, "that He could create all of this and still know me as an individual person?"

I didn't yet know very much about Heavenly Father or His beloved Son, Jesus Christ; but I had a sincere desire to believe that there was someone greater than me who knew that I existed and even cared about what I thought and worried about in my own little world. It would be sometime later when I discovered the words of David in the Old Testament of the Bible:

When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: (Psalms 8:3-6)

Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Second Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, captures the feeling that I first experienced when I gaze into the heavens as a youth: "The universe is so large, mysterious, and glorious that it is incomprehensible to the human mind. The wonders of the night sky are a beautiful testimony of that truth. There are few things that have filled me with such breathless awe as flying in the black of night across oceans and continents and looking out my cockpit window upon the infinite glory of millions of stars. Astronomers have attempted to count the number of stars in the universe. One group of scientists estimates that the number of stars within range of our telescopes is 10 times greater than all the grains of sand on the world’s beaches and deserts."

Given those kinds of numbers and knowing that God has created all of this, it would be easy for each of us to rationalize that we are pretty insignificant in the overall scheme of things. But then, again, Heavenly Father doesn't look at things the same way that we do with our finite minds. He has a very different way than that of the world to weigh the true worth of a soul. 

President Uchtdorf tells us that God Himself had declared that we are the reason He created the universe! His work and glory—the purpose for this magnificent universe—is to save and exalt mankind. In other words, the vast expanse of eternity, the glories and mysteries of infinite space and time are all built for the benefit of ordinary mortals like you and me. Our Heavenly Father created the universe that we might reach our potential as His sons and daughters.

And the Lord God spake unto Moses, saying: The heavens, they are many, and they cannot be numbered unto man; but they are numbered unto me, for they are mine. And as one earth shall pass away, and the heavens thereof even so shall another come; and there is no end to my works, neither to my words. For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:37-39)

So being highly esteemed by Our Creator and having been made in His image and likeness, we must begin to realize the great potential that lies within each of us even the very least of us (as we might be viewed by the world).  Compared to God, we perceive that man is nothing; yet we are everything to God. While I may have viewed myself during my boyhood as being insignificant against the backdrop of those infinite number of stars in the sky, I now understand that God knows me and all of His children by name and desires to help each of us to fulfill the purpose for which He created us.