Building SHIPS

 

This year the curriculum of scripture study for all members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Book of Mormon.  Though I read and study a little bit from the Book of Mormon every day during the other three-year study cycles of the Old and New Testaments and the Doctrine and Covenants (another canonized scripture text), I look forward to additional insights when we all study the familiar scriptures about Lehi and his descendants on the American continent.

Here is the beginning of the story:

The prophet Lehi had a vision that Jerusalem was going to be destroyed because of the people’s wickedness and disbelief that Jesus Christ would be their Savior and Redeemer.  They believed that they were righteous because they followed the Law of Moses, which was only meant to point them to Christ.  So, when Lehi shared his vision with the people, they tried to kill him.  Then the Lord told Lehi to take his family and get the heck out of town.  God said he had a better place for them, but it was going to be a long journey for them to get there.

Lehi and his family, (wife and four sons, Laman, Lemuel, Sam, and Nephi) packed up their stuff, left their beautiful home and riches behind and went into the wilderness where they lived in tents and followed the Lord’s directions.  Things were complicated because Laman and Lemuel DIDN'T want to go.  They believed they would be better off back in Jerusalem—which in reality would be destroyed not too long after they had left.  Those brothers spent most of their time complaining and giving Nephi grief for believing their father's vision.

After wandering in the desert wilderness for some time, the family finally came to the seashore on the Arabian Peninsula where there was ample fruit and food, lots of green, and plenty of everything.  Beachfront property, for sure.  But they weren’t supposed to make their home there.  They still had to cross the ocean.

Now, Nephi was not a shipbuilder.  He never lived by the water.  I’m not even sure he had even seen a boat of that magnitude in Jerusalem!  But the Lord commanded him to make a ship.  Wisely, Nephi asked the Lord how he might be able to do that.  Bit by bit, the Lord gave him directions.  First, Nephi asked where he could find the raw ore to build tools.  Then he had to ask about now to make the tools.  Then it was asking the Lord about the next step, and the next step and the next step until the ship was finally finished.  And oh, by the way, at first Laman and Lemuel refused to help because they thought it was a stupid idea, but when Nephi—and the Lord—got firm with them, they lent a hand.  The ship was finished.  They were able to begin their journey over the water.

 

Last month when we studied the beginning chapters of the Book of Mormon, I saw Nephi as an example, and I also saw a little bit of myself in his actions.  That impression of myself was in 1Nephi 17:7-8 when the Lord tells Nephi he needs to build a ship so they can get started on their way to the Promised Land. 

 

 I’ve been asked to build a lot of “ships” in my lifetime.  And every one of those "ships" has taken determination, energy, sometimes exertion, and sometimes struggle on my part.  Basically, none of those ship-building projects has been easy.  Here are a few of them.

 

Scholar ship—Working to do well in school and be a good student.

Penman ship—Learning to write legibly so people could read my words.

Member ship—Not just belonging to a group, but being an active part.

Court ship—Taking time to get to know my future husband, fun but also some effort.

Friend  ship—Being a friend to have a friend!

Leader ship—Guiding by example and by keeping focused on the task at hand.

Fellow ship—Drawing other people into my circle.

Owner ship—Taking responsibility for my thoughts and actions.

Wor ship—Having a feeling of reverence and love for Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.

Partner ship—Realizing that I don’t have to do everything on my own.

Steward ship—Recognizing that I need to take care of what I have, including the Earth.

Salesman ship—Presenting ideas and propositions both in my employment and life.

Craftsman ship—Doing the best I can while completing projects.

Citizen ship—Reflecting love for my country by supporting good values and living them.

Relation ship—Putting myself into a connection with the people around me.

Sportsman ship—Being fair and genuine in situations calling for teamwork.

Hard ship--Navigating through grief after the death of a child, subsequent divorce and financial challenges

And perhaps the most important ship I need to build every day:

Disciple ship—Constantly continuing my process of becoming like Christ.

 

I’m pretty sure YOU have built plenty of ships in your life, too.  So, I invite you to take some time to jot down the memory of a couple of them that turned out to be really outstanding examples of Nephi’s accepting an assignment from the Lord and then continuing to ask for directions along the way.  That’s the way it has worked in my life.  It’s probably the way that ship building has worked in your life, as well.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

When I was in grade school and we began to learn about ancient gods and mythology, I was really

 fascinated with the Roman god Janus.  He was the god of beginnings, gates, transitions, time, and

 passages—among other associations.  He is usually depicted as having two faces. Since the month of

 January is named for Janus, he seems to be the perfect image for the beginning of every year…one face

 looking backward and the other face looking forward.

And don’t we do that when another new year rolls around, look back to see what has happened and what

 we have accomplished.  And, then we look forward to determine if we can do better and usually we 

make some resolutions to help us maintain the good things we do and perhaps accomplish some new 

goals.

In January 2022 our Prophet, and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Russell

 M. Nelson gave us some wise counsel.

• First, resolve to strengthen your spiritual foundation. This may involve setting a specific time and place to study the scriptures, praying more often, making temple worship a bigger priority, and letting God prevail in all aspects of your life.

• Second, resolve to be kind to others. When the Savior Jesus Christ visited the Americas, as recorded in the Book of Mormon, one of the first things He taught was the need to eliminate contention in our lives. So, please be compassionate, be understanding, be slow to judge, and be quick to forgive.
• 
  
• Third, resolve to be resolute. The Lord loves effort. The Lord loves consistency. The Lord loves steadfastness. While we surely will come up short from time to time, our persistent efforts to hear Him and follow the inspiration He gives us will help us to “wax strong in the Spirit” (Mosiah 18:26).

Even though it was two years ago, I appreciate the simple wisdom of President Nelson’s direction and

 am using it to look backward this January 2024 to see how I did before and what I can do better going

 forward in my personal life and my associations with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, my family, and the

 people I encounter every day.

I invite you to use President Nelson’s words to form a template for your own “looking

 backward/looking forward” as you begin a fresh page in your book of life, too.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

THANKSGIVING THOUGHTS...

Though I truly love Christmas as the birth celebration of Jesus Christ who is the Light of the World, Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

I'm pretty sure that started happening when I was a little girl, and I experienced some of those special November holidays many times and with many different people in ways that have brought indelible memories of family and friends--and a realization that gratitude cannot be bound only to one day in a year.

Once again, this year in a reflective moment after the turkey dinner was over, my thoughts wandered to some of the truly magnificent words that have been written about thanksgiving and gratitude.  But since I no longer have collections of people with whom I have opportunity to converse, (like children living at home, flying partners on the United jump seat, and even close friends), I decided to share a few of my favorite quotes on this printed page.  

I hope some of them resonate with you as you think of your own reasons for being thankful and grateful in spite of the fact not every day is full of blue skies and sunshine.

It is not

JOY

that makes us

GRATEFUL;

it is

GRATITUDE

that makes us

JOYFUL.

GORDON B. HINCKLEY

"Give Thanksgiving on [your] knees, then stand and move forward to accomplish the Lord's purposes....

The giving of thanks to Deity is essentially a religious act.  It is an acknowledgement of the belief...in the generous outpouring of the blessings of God upon us as a nation.  It is a most remarkable and wonderful thing that the people of the United States of America have written into their law, as well as into their custom, the setting aside of a day to honor, acknowledge, and thank the Father of us all for His beneficence unto us.  I hope that this unusual holiday is so ingrained into our national culture that it will never be removed or challenged in any way."

SARAH BAN BREATHNACH

"The concerto of "Real Life" is playing.  Delight with Thanksgiving in the major and minor chords of its beautiful refrain."

RALPH WALDO EMERSON

"I awoke this morning with devout Thanksgiving for my friends, the old and the new.  Shall I not call God the Beautiful, who daily showeth himself so to me in his gifts?

ALMA 34:38

...Receive the Holy Ghost and take upon you the name of Christ; that ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you.

Aphorism Gems

 A Friday afternoon discovery....

My side of the big roll-top desk in our home office where the computer resides gets kind of sloppy sometimes.  Okay...most of the time. 

I'll be working on some project, or I receive a piece of mail, or have a document I want to check over again, so I just set it aside with the idea I will get to it when I have more time.  More often than not, the stuff that isn't a bill or eminently important to take care of right that minute gets dumped on--literally--as I continue to pile one item on top of another. 

Today was one of those days it was necessary to dig into that pile trying to find something I set aside a few weeks ago.  Not only did I find the item I was looking for, but I also found a lot of other items (some from a LONG time ago) like emails I printed so they could be saved and reread and insights from reading or studying from online sources. 

I have spent the last hour perusing and reviewing and enjoying many of them all over again.  Not all of those items have a logical place to be filed except into a big folder that is labeled: "Quotes".  But then they get lost there, too, because I am no longer in the business of writing and needing material to support some of my thoughts on a regular basis like I used to be.  Consequently, they are apt to be "lost" again for a while.

A few years ago, I wrote a blog about my being an aphorism addict.  THAT hasn't changed any.  I still am.  So, today I am taking the opportunity to share a couple of those aphorisms that were on my no-longer- sloppy-side of the desk.  I straightened up that pile while I was enjoying a few minutes of catchy phrases and bits and pieces of electronic correspondence I also saved.

This one is from Elia Gourgouris, PhD, a trusted friend and counselor who now spends his time helping people find happiness in the everyday of their lives.  He calls it "mindset coaching".  His motto is, "Every single day matters!"  How true!

And this next one was written on a pad of paper with no other notation.  

I like the wisdom of it, too.   Applicable in so much of life!

A  TEAM  is not a group of people who work together.

A  TEAM  is a group of people who trust each other.

I hope you will delight in these little gems as much as I enjoyed discovering them once again in that sloppy pile on my desk.  It was...

TIME WELL SPENT!

Harmony

Four Part Harmony

I'm not a singer, but I have always enjoyed accompanying and hearing quartets, mostly SATB with the traditional arrangements.  I've also really liked Barbershop harmony, so when a woman from my Curves club recently invited me to a performance of her small group of Sweet Adelines, I accepted. I figured this would be a good way to reciprocate her coming to my Nativity collection open house a couple of years ago.  It was an activity that sounded doable without having to compromise other commitments.  Hence, I made plans to attend the performance.  And, while doing so, I learned a lot about harmony I did not know before. 

 

Barbershop and SATB choir are two different styles of music. Barbershop is a style of arranging in close, four-part, a cappella harmony, while SATB is a traditional choral arrangement that includes four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. 

In barbershop music, the melody is usually in the second voice with harmony above and below. The arranger harmonizes every melody note with few passing tones or doubles and creates more harmonic movement by adding secondary dominant chord progressions.  The baritone part functions in a unique way, filling in the missing note of each chord. 

In contrast, SATB choir music is arranged for four voice parts: soprano, alto, tenor, and bass. The soprano part is sung by women and boys with unbroken voices, while the alto part is sung by women with lower voices. The tenor part is sung by men with higher voices, and the bass part is sung by men with lower voices. 

During the performance I went to, the audience was given an opportunity to participate in what the director called a "tag".  Their singing group divided into the four voice parts for barbershop: tenor, lead, baritone, and bass.  Then each group sang their part of the "tag" for the song they demonstrated.  The guests were invited to sing with each group and were then instructed to choose which group they felt comfortable singing with.  At the end of the demonstration, each group sang the whole tag together.

Though each part, except the lead or melody, sounded only like disparate notes, together it made a complete and blended whole which was very pleasing.

It was fun. 

The invitation encouraged the recipient to invite others to the performance.  I approached Susan from my congregation with whom I have become friends.  

Susan likes to sing but told me she doesn't sing in groups anymore because of her aging voice.  However, I enjoy playing the organ for our church services when she is the music director.  She has a good feel for the hymns and how to lead me, as well as the congregation. Plus, I wanted to go to this performance. I hoped she would say "yes".  Happily, she accepted.  That meant I wouldn't have to be alone in a group I didn't know. 

There was also a drawing for "white elephant" door prizes. I got an interesting little wooden jar with lid that looks like I could use as a prop in a scene for one of my Nativity displays.  Susan got a ceramic mug with "Colorado" painted on it in script.

At the end of the evening, the group was ushered to a serving area in the Masonic Temple in Fort Collins where the performance was held.  There we had our choice of a couple of dozen different platters of seasonal goodies, fruit platters, and other baked goods.  

It was a friendly lot after all.  The performers and guests alike were easy to talk to, so I needn't have worried about being alone.  But it was nice to have Susan by my side throughout the evening.

The weather has been a perfect Fall season for Colorado.  No early snow.  No hard frost to kill the life out of still green trees whose leaves suddenly turned brown and dead.  Instead, we have been graced with beautiful yellow and orange displays of foliage bounded by vibrant grass and flowers.  The days have been warm and the evenings pleasant.  It was a lovely drive to Fort Collins just before sunset.  The drive home was just as agreeable.  Didn't have to worry about bad traffic, wet roads, or slick patches of ice.  

In all, a great Monday night adventure because I took a chance on getting out of my comfort zone!

TAKING RESPONSIBILITY

I discovered this great insight some years ago and thought of it often, especially when I realized the occasions I was compromising MYSELF with justification and excuses.  

This "autobiography" popped up again the other day when I was looking through some of my files.   I came to the conclusion that it needed a larger audience.

Thought provoking, to say the least. Maybe it rings true with you, as well.

AUTOBIOPRAPHY IN FIVE SHORT CHAPTERS

by Portia Nelson

1

I walk down the street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I am lost ... I am helpless.

It isn't my fault.

It takes me forever to find a way out.

11

 walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I pretend I don't see it.

1 fall in again,

I can't believe I am in the same place but, it isn't my fault.

It still takes a long time to get out.

111

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk.

I see it is there.

I still fall in ... it's a habit. my eyes are open. I know where 1 am.

It is my fault.

I get out immediately.

iv

I walk down the same street.

There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

v

I walk down another street.

A LIFE-LONG LESSON IN OBEDIENCE

 

                            

TITHING 

My mother was the organist for our congregation during my entire growing up years.  We lived in a small town, and for most of those years there were no other people in our church who could play the organ.  So, my mother managed that assignment quite single-handedly.  It was also her responsibility to choose the hymns for our worship services. 

Not only did I hear the hymns often in my home, but my mother arranged for my piano teacher (who was the organist in her Methodist congregation) to use our church’s hymnbooks in my own piano instruction.  With that arrangement I had two-fold opportunity to become very familiar with the hymns. 

Even as a little girl, I had my favorites:  Battle Hymn of the Republic, Praise to the Man, There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today, and Gently Raise the Sacred Strain, among others.  And… Abide with Me.  Actually, there are two hymns in our hymnal—  Abide with Me, Tis Eventide, and  Abide with Me, each composed by a different person.  I liked them both—first for the melody with the words, and then as I got older for the text message that gives such heartfelt petition for the Savior to abide with us.

I have always been taught that the Savior will abide with us (stay nearby and succor us) as we continually strive to strengthen our individual relationship with Him while keeping our covenant connection to Him.  This is the foundation rock we choose to build our lives on.  It is the source of enduring hope, peace, and joy, just as we sing in those two hymns.   We abide in the Savior’s love by keeping His commandments.

Curious to know if I had successfully taught this principle of “abiding” to my children, I sent a message to 19 of my children and grandchildren asking what their experiences have been in the correlation of their keeping the commandments and having the Savior abide with them.  All who responded gave pretty much the same response—their lives go more smoothly, and their trials and setbacks have the proper perspective because they know the Lord is abiding with them.

I, too, could think of so many general ways I have been blessed with the abiding presence of Christ as I have kept “the commandments”.  There is always an almost imperceptible feeling that Christ is nearby. 

But I also remembered some very specific times I have kept a singular commandment that brought added testimony of the Savior’s love and abiding influence. 

This is one of those lessons in obedience to a commandment:

One summer between school years at Brigham Young University, my bishop, who owned a construction company, invited me to work part-time in the office at his business.  It was a great job. However, the office was in a rather isolated part of our town where there were only industrial concerns like the construction company, the local cement plant, a distribution warehouse, and a lumber yard.  No residential areas at all.  So completely off the beaten path, in fact, no one ever wandered through that complex.

The door to the office where I worked was in front of my desk and in direct eye-line with the gravel lot where I parked my car.  Mine was usually the only car in that place all day long.  And, since we were all a friendly lot in our town, no one bothered to lock car doors.  Including me.  I would even leave my purse on the front seat of the car because there was no obvious need for me to take it into the office with me.  What would I use it for?

One day near the end of the summer, I parked my car in front of the office leaving my purse on the front seat, as usual.  However, on this particular day there was a twenty-dollar bill in my purse which was my tithing money.*   Why in the world did I have that in my purse? I don’t have a clue.  However, as I got into the car to go home for lunch, I had a thought to look into my purse.  Much to my horror, the money was gone! 

Who could have taken it?  While sitting at my desk that morning I could see my car the whole time.  No one had opened the car door and then opened my purse.  In fact, no one ever came around that area anyway.  We were literally in the boonies.

As I shared the crushing news with my mother that I now had no money to pay my tithing, she gently suggested that I go to the bank and withdraw another $20 to pay my tithing—and that the Lord would provide. But HOW was I going to have enough money to pay for my housing expense when I went back to BYU?  Twenty dollars was one month’s rent!  

But I knew my mom was right.  I had paid a full tithing on all the money I had earned over the years babysitting, delivering newspapers and taking in ironing.  It was an established habit.  Yet this was a tough way to compensate for my stupidity.  

Almost reluctantly, I went to the bank to withdraw the $20.  And wisely kept the money on my person until I turned it into our bishop at church the following Sunday.

It was too embarrassing to tell my bishop/employer what a foolish thing I had done.  Leaving my purse in the car—with my tithing money in it, no less.  I kept that to myself.  I was too humiliated to admit my folly!

Yet, quite surprisingly a couple of weeks later, my bishop/employer came into the office and told me that he had been really pleased with my work that summer.  He had decided to increase my pay by twenty-five cents an hour.  In 1965 the minimum wage was one whole dollar.  So, a 25-cent raise was significant!!!  

When it was time for me to return to college, and I tallied up my earnings, that $.25/an hour was just exactly—to the PENNY—enough to make up the $20 I had taken out of my savings account to pay my tithing. 

The Lord had remembered my need and provided a way to pay my rent because I had been obedient to that very important commandment of tithing as part of my covenant promise to him.

I am a witness that same outcome of obedience continues to be true in my life.  I know without doubt that Jesus Christ abides in us as we choose to make Him the foundation of all we do.

Obedience is a blessing....

*(Tithing is a "free-will offering" of 10 % of a person's "increase" which is given to the church.  In this day and age tithing is paid in monetary equivalents.)

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