Christmas
Why does the birth of a baby bring such great joy? Perhaps because a new baby can be a symbol of hope. There’s something about a brand-new life full of possibilities that invites us to ponder what life might hold for that child and what wonderful things he or she will accomplish. Never has this been truer than at the birth of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. Never has there been more hope placed in a child, and never has there been one born with so much promise.
When an angel invited shepherds to seek a newborn child in a manger, he also gave them a message about that child. It was a message of hope—that this baby had come to earth to fulfill a sacred mission. The shepherds made their message “known abroad … and all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds. But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart” (Luke 2:17–19). Perhaps it would be good to follow Mary’s example this Christmas: to ponder in your heart the things you have learned about the Savior this year. How did He fulfill His mission of redemption in the accounts you have read? And more important, how has His mission changed your life?
Here’s the video to that beatiful song Emmanuel by Hannah Kerr
Merry Christmas everyone. I love you. I hope you feel all the love of the Savior has for you this season!
Here is the quote from Neal A Maxwell about our submitting our will.
“…the submission of one’s will is really the only uniquely personal thing we have to place on God’s altar. The many other things we “give,” brothers and sisters, are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselves, by letting our individual wills be swallowed up in God’s will, then we are really giving something to Him! It is the only possession which is truly ours to give!”
I’m a new listener. A lot of your listeners mentioned a Book of Mormon episode. It would be cool if you re-released it on the new Book of Mormon thread.
I will!! Great idea.
Have a Merry Christmas! 🎄 I AM SO SO SO EXCITED FOR CFM BOOK OF MORNING 2020!!!!
I should totally proofread before I post something publicly… 🙄 I meant to Book a Mormon not a book of mourning…. Got to love autocorrect
OMGosh!!! Autocorrect strikes again! I give up 🤷
I could have just not posted this, but it is so funny cuz it’s my life. LOVE YOU!!
Hi! Thanks for your podcast! I enjoy listening to your insights as part of my personal Come Follow Me studies!
In your Christmas episode, you shared a quote by Neal A. Maxwell that I loved and wanted to know the source of. When you get a chance, will you s
share that with me?
Thanks so much and happy holidays! Shine on! 🌞
So sorry. Here’s the link to the talk. I also added it this episode’s notes.
Thanks!!!
I learned a story that has stuck with me, for a VERY long time. It’s a story about a Golden Buddha statue, in Bangkok. Back in the day, there was a monastery, in Thailand, that was known for it’s large Buddha statue. When the monks had heard that the Burmese Army were on the warpath, they put their minds together to decide how to protect their religious relic. They knew that the Burmese Army had no respect for their religious artifacts, and if discovered, they would melt it down and do whatever they wanted with it. So, the monks decided to cover the entire statue with clay. The idea was that when the Burmese Army came and saw a clay statue, it would not be worth their time to have anything to do with it, so it would be left alone untouched. The plan worked. The statue remained untouched – for nearly 300 years. Then one day, a monk went outside to pray in front of the statue, and as he prayed, a small pebble fell on his head. He looked up to find the source of the pebble, and saw a golden hole, in the statue’s hand. He went and told the other monks, and they all participated in removing all of the clay from the statue. They all stood in amazement, as they realized that there was a gold statue, in their backyard, the entire time.
I’ve been a faithful Latter Day Saint, my whole life. I’ve been going through a rather rough time, these past few years, trying to balance work, family life, church callings, school, my wife’s callings, etc – and work was taking priority, because we were going through some financial hardships. This meant that church, and callings, had to take a backseat. This has been going on for a few years, now. Just lately, I felt the inspiration to start listening to the recordings of this last General Conference. This, in combination with your podcasts, have really helped chip away the hardened clay that had grown over me, these past few years. The lessons from the talks seemed all have a similar message which I know that my Spirit needed to hear, which is the same message that I felt that I heard, from your podcast. We are divine beings, we are sons and daughters of God. We are His children. Literally. Not just, in general, or as a figure of speech, but we are His children. From an early age, the world would cover us up with soot, and clay, and cement, and the things of the earth – telling us what ought to be important, who we ought to be, where our priorities should be – and before long, it is easy to forget that we are divine beings. All that the Lord has can be ours, it IS ours, and the Lord has a LOT. Not just real estate, but His knowledge, his wisdom, his power… we are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven, and it is our divine birthright to be as He is. I’m still shaking off a lot of this dust, and I still working on improving my situation, but having this reminder of who I am, and realizing my true value has really helped change my spirits, as I learn to rely more on His Spirit.
Thank you for your words, your reminders, your testimony, and the Spirit that you have shared. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
This is one of the loveliest things I’ve read in forever!! I’m going to post it as it’s own thing if that’s ok? I LOVE IT!!
Sure. I’m okay with it.