Author Archives: karbly

Called by God
David Nii, Council of Twelve Apostles

But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?” He said, “I will be with you; and this shall be the sign for you that it is I who sent you: when you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall worship God on this mountain.”  -Exodus 3:11-12

Much of my life is lived on auto-pilot. Other than specific projects, tasks, and conversations, much of my routine daily activities are done without my full attention and awareness. I probably miss many opportunities to experience God because of my inattention. Fortunately, the Spirit persists.

I am blessed to live near a nature trail I often walk. It is a 2.7-mile journey from my home, around the trail, and back. Walking this trail in under 45 minutes is a mild form of exercise good for my physical well-being. More important, walking this trail invites me to be more open to important insights and an awareness of life around me. On these walks I seem to be more aware of the air, the sky, the mountains in the distance, the joggers and fellow walkers, the dogs, the sound of wind and flowing water, the prairie grass, and pine trees. On these walks I am reminded to be grateful for trail-groomers, family, friends, colleagues, acquaintances, and the many life opportunities with which I am blessed. Walking this trail reminds me to limit my life spent on auto-pilot mode, and be more alert to experiencing God.

I came to think of my trail walks as similar to Moses’ experience on Mount Horeb. His routine task of tending sheep was disrupted by a burning bush of awareness and insight. He was standing on holy ground. God called him from the ordinary and routine into a life of amazing service and sacrifice for the benefit of others, and the presence of God journeyed with him. Although I certainly am not a Moses figure, I suspect God calls me, calls all of us, nonetheless, to amazing service and sacrifice for the benefit of creation if we are willing to pay attention. I would miss the point of my trail walks if I perceive it as one of only a few times and places where God speaks. My invitation is to pay more attention and be more aware of the Spirit’s presence in each moment and see all spaces as sacred. This invitation is not uniquely mine but for all of us.

Prayer Phrase

O God, rain down your blessings, wash away our troubles, flow over us with your Spirit.

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water-a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released, and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

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The Social Service Center
From The Journey of a People

[Excerpted from The Journey of a People: The Era of Worldwide Community, 1946 to 2015, Mark A. Scherer, Community of Christ Seminary Press, 2016, pp. 97-98]

Therefore the Lord waits to be gracious to you; therefore he will rise up to show mercy to you. For the Lord is a God of justice; blessed are those who wait for him. -Isaiah 30:18

Each generation of the church has performed tangible acts to assist the poor and the needy. In the earliest days of the movement Emma Hale Smith considered such important ministry as a personal calling. The creation of storehouse ministry called for in Doctrine and Covenants 42 was expressly for this purpose. During the early Reorganization years careful stewardship of limited resources ensured that needs were met. In the early twentieth century a store house effort emerged in Independence, Missouri. The program for collection and distribution of clothing for the needy was known by many names-the Commodity Shop, Home Arts and Industries, and the Campus Shop. Its location moved from place to place, at first in a room in the Auditorium to the basement of Bartholomew Hall across the street from the Stone Church, and finally to the church-owned Swope Mansion on the Campus.

By the spring of 1950 the Campus Shop moved across Independence to a fireproof building and changed its name to the Social Service Center. Clothing goods and home furnishing stored there were distributed to the poor at nominal cost or no cost at all. Volunteer workers repaired or remade various donated items necessary for living. Under the supervision of the Presiding Bishopric, all proceeds from sales were returned to the Center to sustain the program and benefit the poor.

By the end of summer the Social Service Center had become a big business that included 150 volunteers working in 30 departments ranging from laundry and dry cleaning to quilting, furniture refinishing and repair, a button department, and an apron and millinery department. Volunteers shipped tons of goods to postwar Europe. “The end goal,” stated Norman Hield, director of the Center, “is to help make life [for impoverished people] more abundant…, both materially and spiritually.”

The Social Service Center program expanded from being a one-day operation on the Campus to being open six days per week. The initiative represented the same social awareness felt by each generation of church members. Although located in Independence, Missouri, the Center modeled for other jurisdictions important church values that volunteers hoped would be replicated. The center provided important service to the community until it closed in 1968.

Prayer Phrase

O God, rain down your blessings, wash away our troubles, flow over us with your Spirit.

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water-a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released, and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Simcha
Douglas Graves of Burbank, CA, USA

For you shall go out in joy,
and be led back in peace;
the mountains and the hills before you
shall burst into song,
and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. -Isaiah 55:12

I’ve been having several conversations with friends about grief, and how we all are grieving during the pandemic. We may usually associate grief with the passing of a loved one, or the devastation of a place, or the ending of something meaningful. However, in these times we may be grieving for our routines, the events that were canceled, and even our ability to gather in large groups safely, plus many more.

I had the honor of officiating a friend’s wedding, and he has a Jewish background. Sadly, his father passed less than a week before his planned wedding. My friend’s mother had announced, at the time of his father’s passing, that the wedding would be happening. In the Jewish tradition, the body is buried as quickly as possible, and I was in attendance for the funeral.

The rabbi knew of the upcoming wedding and spoke to those gathered at the funeral and shared this word: simcha. Simcha is a word for happiness. The rabbi explained that joy always trumps sorrow. Therefore, even shiva (the mourning of the dead) should be broken for birthdays, weddings, births, and so on. Any occasion of joy must always surpass mourning.

So, as we grieve during these times of uncertainty, and grieve those moments that have passed, allow us to find those moments that need to be celebrated, so we can be fully present for them. May we be forgiving of the fact that things aren’t like they were supposed to be, and that our plans were forced to change. May we be grateful for what we have, and whom we are with in these times. We can mourn and grieve but let us have joy in those moments of celebration.

Prayer Phrase

O God, rain down your blessings, wash away our troubles, flow over us with your Spirit.

Spiritual Practice

Flowing Water

If possible, sit where you can hear water-a fountain, stream, the sea, (perhaps a recording of water sounds). Listen to the sound as you thank God for the life-giving, life-shaping power of water. Pray for God’s blessing on all the parched places of the Earth where there is injustice, oppression, violence, and disregard for life. Pray for God’s justice to be released, and imagine it flowing over the Earth, restoring righteousness and wholeness. Now, get up and drink a glass of clear, cold water as you pray, “God, let your justice flow through me as a disciple of Christ Jesus.”

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Watch and Pray
Julie Conway Sword of Gainesville, FL, USA

“…watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God… -Mosiah 2:49

Humble yourselves and continue in prayer to him; cry to him when you are in your fields, and over all your flocks; cry to him in your houses, and over all your household . . .let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer to him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. -Alma 16:219, 222

Be clean, be frugal…take sleep in the hours set apart by God for the rebuilding and strengthening of the body and mind…and in cheerfulness do whatever may be permitted you to perform that the blessing of peace may be upon all. -Doctrine and Covenants 119:9a, c

During this time when we are staying in our homes observing “social distancing,” I am addressing two overdue home projects: cleaning my kitchen cupboards (discarding, organizing, and rearranging) and repotting my purple violet, whose leaves were flopping over the sides of its too-small container. Now cupboard doors reveal neatness and orderliness, while the new soil in a larger pot is giving the violet an air of freedom to expand.

These two physical activities have opened my eyes, a revelation on self, to a need for clearing, expanding, and growing spiritually. Apostle Arthur Oakman often quoted, “There’s a world within and a world without.” In prayer the Spirit impressed me to expand my scripture study, develop better listening habits, and focus on positive thinking.

Now my prayer is, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Watch and Pray
Julie Conway Sword of Gainesville, FL, USA

“…watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God… -Mosiah 2:49

Humble yourselves and continue in prayer to him; cry to him when you are in your fields, and over all your flocks; cry to him in your houses, and over all your household . . .let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer to him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. -Alma 16:219, 222

Be clean, be frugal…take sleep in the hours set apart by God for the rebuilding and strengthening of the body and mind…and in cheerfulness do whatever may be permitted you to perform that the blessing of peace may be upon all. -Doctrine and Covenants 119:9a, c

During this time when we are staying in our homes observing “social distancing,” I am addressing two overdue home projects: cleaning my kitchen cupboards (discarding, organizing, and rearranging) and repotting my purple violet, whose leaves were flopping over the sides of its too-small container. Now cupboard doors reveal neatness and orderliness, while the new soil in a larger pot is giving the violet an air of freedom to expand.

These two physical activities have opened my eyes, a revelation on self, to a need for clearing, expanding, and growing spiritually. Apostle Arthur Oakman often quoted, “There’s a world within and a world without.” In prayer the Spirit impressed me to expand my scripture study, develop better listening habits, and focus on positive thinking.

Now my prayer is, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Watch and Pray
Julie Conway Sword of Gainesville, FL, USA

“…watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God… -Mosiah 2:49

Humble yourselves and continue in prayer to him; cry to him when you are in your fields, and over all your flocks; cry to him in your houses, and over all your household . . .let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer to him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. -Alma 16:219, 222

Be clean, be frugal…take sleep in the hours set apart by God for the rebuilding and strengthening of the body and mind…and in cheerfulness do whatever may be permitted you to perform that the blessing of peace may be upon all. -Doctrine and Covenants 119:9a, c

During this time when we are staying in our homes observing “social distancing,” I am addressing two overdue home projects: cleaning my kitchen cupboards (discarding, organizing, and rearranging) and repotting my purple violet, whose leaves were flopping over the sides of its too-small container. Now cupboard doors reveal neatness and orderliness, while the new soil in a larger pot is giving the violet an air of freedom to expand.

These two physical activities have opened my eyes, a revelation on self, to a need for clearing, expanding, and growing spiritually. Apostle Arthur Oakman often quoted, “There’s a world within and a world without.” In prayer the Spirit impressed me to expand my scripture study, develop better listening habits, and focus on positive thinking.

Now my prayer is, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Watch and Pray
Julie Conway Sword of Gainesville, FL, USA

“…watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God… -Mosiah 2:49

Humble yourselves and continue in prayer to him; cry to him when you are in your fields, and over all your flocks; cry to him in your houses, and over all your household . . .let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer to him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. -Alma 16:219, 222

Be clean, be frugal…take sleep in the hours set apart by God for the rebuilding and strengthening of the body and mind…and in cheerfulness do whatever may be permitted you to perform that the blessing of peace may be upon all. -Doctrine and Covenants 119:9a, c

During this time when we are staying in our homes observing “social distancing,” I am addressing two overdue home projects: cleaning my kitchen cupboards (discarding, organizing, and rearranging) and repotting my purple violet, whose leaves were flopping over the sides of its too-small container. Now cupboard doors reveal neatness and orderliness, while the new soil in a larger pot is giving the violet an air of freedom to expand.

These two physical activities have opened my eyes, a revelation on self, to a need for clearing, expanding, and growing spiritually. Apostle Arthur Oakman often quoted, “There’s a world within and a world without.” In prayer the Spirit impressed me to expand my scripture study, develop better listening habits, and focus on positive thinking.

Now my prayer is, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Watch and Pray
Julie Conway Sword of Gainesville, FL, USA

“…watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe to keep the commandments of God… -Mosiah 2:49

Humble yourselves and continue in prayer to him; cry to him when you are in your fields, and over all your flocks; cry to him in your houses, and over all your household . . .let your hearts be full, drawn out in prayer to him continually for your welfare, and also for the welfare of those who are around you. -Alma 16:219, 222

Be clean, be frugal…take sleep in the hours set apart by God for the rebuilding and strengthening of the body and mind…and in cheerfulness do whatever may be permitted you to perform that the blessing of peace may be upon all. -Doctrine and Covenants 119:9a, c

During this time when we are staying in our homes observing “social distancing,” I am addressing two overdue home projects: cleaning my kitchen cupboards (discarding, organizing, and rearranging) and repotting my purple violet, whose leaves were flopping over the sides of its too-small container. Now cupboard doors reveal neatness and orderliness, while the new soil in a larger pot is giving the violet an air of freedom to expand.

These two physical activities have opened my eyes, a revelation on self, to a need for clearing, expanding, and growing spiritually. Apostle Arthur Oakman often quoted, “There’s a world within and a world without.” In prayer the Spirit impressed me to expand my scripture study, develop better listening habits, and focus on positive thinking.

Now my prayer is, “Let the words of my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today‘s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

Spiritually Formed
From Following the Spirit

[Excerpted from Following the Spirit: Calling, Hope, and Possibility, Linda L. Booth, Herald House, 2019, p. 8]

For the kingdom of God is not food and drink but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit. The one who thus serves Christ is acceptable to God and has human approval. Let us then pursue what makes for peace and for mutual upbuilding. -Romans 14:17-19

We gather to be spiritually formed so that we will “embody and live the concerns and passion of Christ” (Doctrine and Covenants 164:9d) and be Christ’s presence in our families, congregations, neighborhoods, and communities.

During President Veazey’s April 8, 2018, “Hope Rising” challenge, he said that spiritual formation “means intentional, regular spiritual practices that bond us to the Divine and shape us in the image of Christ. It is integrating our inner spiritual lives and outward actions to live in harmony with God’s vision for creation…As we are spiritually formed in that kind of gospel community, we are motivated and equipped to bless our neighbors and neighborhoods through an overflow of compassionate ministry and action.”

To be a “gospel community” takes time and intentionality. We must yearn for and long to be aware of God’s presence through the power of the Holy Spirit and the sacred connection that unites and connects us as disciples.

In her book, An Altar in the World: A Geography of Faith, Barbara Brown Taylor wrote:

No one longs for what he or she already has, and yet the accumulated insight of those wise about the spiritual life suggests that the reason so many of us cannot see the red X that marks the spot is because we are standing on it. The treasure we seek requires no lengthy expedition, no expensive equipment, no superior aptitude, or special company. All we lack is the willingness to imagine that we already have everything we need. The only thing missing is our consent to be where we are (Harper Collins, 2009, pp. xiv-xv).

We gather with a willingness to nurture the expectation that God is present here and in our daily lives.

• Where have you recently experienced God in your life?
• When have you saw, felt, or experienced the red X that marked the spot you were standing on?
• What does authentic Christian community or “gospel community” look like?

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.

See the Mountain…Climb the Mountain!
Kevin Corey of Cincinnati, OH, USA

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that has been given you in Christ Jesus, for in every way you have been enriched in him, in speech and knowledge of every kind- just as the testimony of Christ has been strengthened among you- so that you are not lacking in any spiritual gift as you wait for the revealing of our Lord Jesus Christ. -1 Corinthians 1:3-7

A mountain can represent an unseen or challenging experience. It could be an event that is out of our control. Perhaps it is a traumatic event such as terminal cancer, a stroke, death of a loved one, or loss of financial means and possessions. All of these are major blows to an individual or a family. Regardless of what your “mountain” or event is, it is time for you to climb it…one step at a time.

Due to my stroke, I no longer possess the strength that I once had. I cannot go on the long runs or walks that I once enjoyed. However, with a little difficulty in my walk, I will make it to my destination. Things that I once performed without thought now take a little planning and more physical effort to accomplish.

Nothing, however, has been put on pause or prevents me from pursuing a stronger relationship with Christ, who is my strength during my mountain climb. I can make time for worship a priority. I can increase my prayer times, my tithes, and serving others. Pursuing the mountaintop to lift others is my life purpose.

Whatever you may be going through, if you are facing a “mountain” experience…see the mountain…climb the mountain. Take the first step by faith. Then take another step, knowing that you are not walking alone. Take the next step, then the next; take one more step. You can overcome and climb that mountain! I may have been restricted by my physical condition, but I want to encourage you with my Spiritual Physician…Jesus Christ!

Prayer Phrase

Let your world of beauty capture me.

Spiritual Practice

Growing a Gracious, Generous Heart

Open your heart to God’s grace and generosity with a “breath prayer.” Let your breathing slow and deepen. Be aware of God’s breath moving in and out of your heart. Spend several minutes focusing on breathing in God’s generosity. With each breath, silently name one gift for which you are thankful. Let your heart expand to contain God’s gracious outpouring of love. With each breath out, name one gift you want to share from the overflow of your heart.

Today’s Prayer for Peace

Engage in a daily practice of praying for peace in our world. Click here to read today’s prayer and be part of this practice of peace.

Click here to comment or read online.