Little Lamb

Last year, after spending several weeks reading the New Testament, I wrote an Easter story for our daughter Lucy. She was three at the time. When the story was finished, I hastily printed off a few pictures from the gospel art kit to accompany it, stapled the whole thing together, and tossed it in the diaper bag in case we needed help passing the hour long drive to Grandma's house on Easter Sunday.

The memory of that drive is one of the cherished memories of my life. I thought Lucy would like the story tolerably well - I'd written it exclusively for her, with language I knew she'd understand and descriptions I thought she'd be able to envision. After Spencer dozed off to the drone of the car engine, I read it to her. I read it with all the love and testimony, hope and gratitude that had been accumulating in my heart during the preceding days of personal study. But even so, when I glanced back at Lucy near the end of the story, I really wasn't prepared to see her big eyes brim with tears. The words I was about to utter caught in my throat and all I could do was smile at her. Knowingly. She smiled back and we finished the last few words.

I've typed the story below.

It's not well crafted and it's hardly proof-read.

I share it not so much for its own merit but in case it might motivate you to create something from your own heart - something that might invite the Spirit to speak to your child this Easter - whatever your medium of choice.

Wishing all a happy celebration of our favorite holiday!

-me.

Little Lamb

An Easter Story

Jesus is my Shepherd. I'm his precious lamb.
Tenderly He guides me with His gentle hand.
Calm are waters where He leads.
Green are pastures where He feeds me.
Jesus is my Shepherd. He loves me.
Jesus is my Shepherd. Jesus knows my name.
For His sheep are numbered; each He loves the same.
If my tiny feet should roam He would seek to bring me home.
Jesus is my Shepherd
Tammy Simister Robinson

Little Lamb looked around at the crowded city. There were so many people! They were happy and busy. They were excited! It was holiday time. It was Passover!

But Little Lamb didn't stop to watch the people. She could hear loud cheers and she wanted to find out what was going on. She walked through the streets, following the sound.

When she made it to the city gates, she was surprised! So many people were gathered. They were excited and shouting! Many of them were waving long branches. They were cheering, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord!"

Who were they talking about?

And then she saw him: a man riding on a small donkey. His face was smiling. The people near him called him a King.

Triumphal Entry

Was he a king, that kind man riding on a donkey?

Little lamb watched the happy parade until it was out of sight. She thought about the smiling man on the donkey. She wanted to see his kind face again.

The next day, little lamb looked for the man. She looked in the market. He wasn't there. She looked in the fields. He wasn't there. She looked by the palace. He wasn't there. She looked near the temple. There he was!

But what was he doing? His face was not smiling. He looked strong and serious. He talked to the men at the money tables. He said the temple was a place to pray, not a place to buy and sell. Little lamb watched as money was scattered everywhere.

Jesus Cleansing the Temple

The men at the money tables left the temple, but other people came. People who were blind and sick came. They surrounded the special man.

Many called him Master. Many called him Lord. Many called him Jesus.

Christ Healing the Sick

Little Lamb watched Jesus greet the people. She saw the kindness return to his face. He put his hands on the people and they were healed. She saw them smile. She saw Jesus smile. Little Lamb smiled too.

And she smiled when she heard Jesus teaching. He taught about love. He said, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all they heart, might, mind, and strength," and "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself."

Little Lamb followed Jesus as he went through the city, helping people and talking to them.

Christ and the Children

Then, on Thursday, as the sun grew low in the sky, Little Lamb knew it was time for the Passover celebration to begin.

She watched Jesus enter a house with a group of men. Lots of men. She counted them. One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, eleven, twelve! What would Jesus and those twelve men do inside the house?

Jesus Washing the Apostles' Feet

She waited and waited. After a very long wait she heard the mens' voices singing a song. A beautiful song.

And then Jesus came out of the house. He walked with his friends to a garden. He told his friends to stop and wait. He said, "Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder."

Little Lamb sat. Again, she waited and waited. She wondered what Jesus was doing in that garden.

Jesus Praying in Gethsemane

He was there a long time. Little Lamb grew sleepier and sleepier. So did Jesus's friends. Many of them fell asleep. Little Lamb fell asleep too, fast and peacefully asleep.

When Little Lamb wok up, it was morning. She stretched and took a deep breath of spring air. Jesus and his friends were gone. She wondered where they were. She wanted to find Jesus. She looked for him in the market. He wasn't there. She looked in the fields. He wasn't there. When she got to the palace she could hear angry voices shouting. Little Lamb was afraid of the crowd. She ran away from the palace.

Little Lamb searched and searched but she could not find Jesus in the city. She walked out of the city gates and through the fields. On a hill in the distance she saw three funny towers.

The Crucifixion

The wind blew in Little Lamb's face. She shivered. It was only lunchtime, but the sky was getting dark. very dark. Little Lamb wished she could find Jesus. His smiling face was like a shining light. But she couldn't find him. Little Lamb looked for a place to hide as the sky around her grew darker still. "There's a place!" Little Lamb thought when she spotted a small stone cave.

Garden Tomb 1

Little Lamb hurried to the door of the cave and peeked inside. It was quiet. "I'll be safe here," she thought.

Outside she could hear the stormy sky rumbling. She could hear the trees and rocks shake and tremble. It seemed like the whole earth was moaning.

After a time, the wind and the world grew quiet. Inside the cave, Little Lamb laid down on a smooth rock that looked like a bed and fell asleep.

She slept until the sound of footsteps woke her up. Nervous, Little Lamb peered out of the cave. She saw a small group of men and women walking outside. when they spoke, their voices were quiet and sad. Little Lamb was curious. She stepped out of the cave for a better look. When she got close, she saw the man she had been looking for all day! Jesus! He was lying down. His eyes were closed. He was very, very still. The sad people near him were gently wrapping his body with soft white blankets.

Burial of Jesus

Suddenly, Little Lamb understood why the people were sad. Jesus was not sleeping, He was dead.

When Jesus was all wrapped up in the white cloth, two strong men carried him carefully into the cave where Little Lamb had been sleeping. After a few moments, Jesus' friends came out of the cave. But Jesus did not come with them.

The women cried as the men rolled a large, round stone in front of the door to the cave. The big stone covered the little door. Little Lamb would not be able to go inside and look at Jesus. She felt tears come into her eyes as the men and women walked slowly away from the cave.

Little Lamb sat in front of the large round stone for a long time. And then she walked slowly away too.

The next day Little Lamb went back to the city. She watched the people in the market. But she did not feel happy. She walked through the fields, by the palace, and around the temple. She remembered the day she saw Jesus healing the sick people at the temple. But he was not there today. His body was in that stone cave. Little Lamb wandered out the the city gates and found a grassy place to sleep for the night. Just before she closed her eyes, she decided she would go and find the stone cave again tomorrow. Perhaps Jesus' friends would be there too.

The next morning Little Lamb woke up before the sun did. The sky was still dark. She started to walk to the garden where Jesus' body was resting. She walked quietly. She felt sad. Finally she was close enough to see the cave. When she looked at it her eyes grew large. Something was different!

Garden Tomb 2

The big round stone covering the door had been moved! Little Lamb ran quickly to the cave, hoping to see Jesus lying inside. But when she peeked in, all she could see were the white blankets his body had been wrapped up in.

Little Lamb was confused. Where could Jesus be?

Soon she heard footsteps. Some men and a woman came to the garden and looked inside the cave. The men did not stay, but the woman did. She knelt down near the door of the cave. Little Lamb could see tears on the woman's cheeks. She was crying softly.

After a few moments, Little Lamb heard a man's voice talking to the woman. The man asked her why she was crying and who she was looking for.

The woman said she was looking for Jesus.

It was quiet for a moment. Then the man stepped forward into the sunlight. He said, "Mary." The woman looked up in surprise. So did Little Lamb. She knew the man who was talking. It was Jesus! He was standing right there in the garden. He was alive!

Jesus and Mary

Little Lamb's heart filled with happiness as she watched Jesus talk to Mary. After a moment, Jesus and Mary turned to leave, but before they left the garden, Jesus looked back for just a moment. He looked right at Little Lamb. And he smiled.

Miscellaneous + Happy Easter Week!

So, how awesome was that General Young Women's Meeting last night?!! Did you love Sis. Dalton's and President Uchtdorf's talks as much as I did???????

Now, we told you this blog would be an evolving project, didn't we?

You'll notice that our sidebar art is gone. *Sniff* We assumed that use of church art here on our obscure blog probably fell under the "for incidental, noncommercial use" clause of the copyright policy we didn't read. But today I did read. And the policy says that materials may be used "for incidental, noncommercial church or home purposes with the exception of Web site use." So we hereby repent. (Don't worry, Mom! We're not in trouble with the law! Nobody is calling us on the carpet! Just trying to CTR! Wink). Anyone want to paint us a beautiful picture of the Savior? =)

Also, we vacilate all the time about the structure of this blog. How often to post, what to include, what to just keep on our personal blog, whether or not to open comments etc, etc, so forth. In fact, this morning (you may have read!) we had some changes in mind about (about posting just twice a month, etc). But we've decided to scratch those changes. There's just too much to say - and we have too many guest posts pending (some really good ones - be excited!) to spread it out that much. We had also decided to take the month of April off (because of Conference! Who wants to read blog posts when there are Conference talks to feast on!). But we changed our mind about that too. Because there just isn't a better time to discuss the "reason of [our] hope" than the month of Easter. So we'll see you every week in April.

After all that changing around and changing back and housekeeping (which we know you don't really care to be party to!), I do have a pre-Easter post for today (because someone talked me into it!). But it will have to wait until after Church!

Gratitude that Goes Beyond

“We find in the bitter chill of adversity the real test of our gratitude; and that is true gratitude, which, triumphing over conditions merely physical and external, finds its ground of thankfulness in God Himself. It is independent of circumstances. It goes beneath the surface of life, whether sad or joyous, and founds itself upon God.” President David O. McKay

Behold Your Little Ones

3 Nephi 17
11 And it came to pass that [Jesus] commanded that their little children should be brought.
12 So they brought their little children and set them down upon the ground round about him, and Jesus stood in the midst...
21 ... and he took their little children, one by one, and blessed them, and prayed unto the Father for them.
22 And when he had done this he wept again;
23 And he spake unto the multitude, and said unto them: Behold your little ones.




Jesus loves the little children.
Even ours.  Who have been crabby and crying all morning.  =)

Missionary Week: Final Part

There's a little missionary-related piece of writing my mom sent me a few years ago (after her and my dad's mission) that I've been searching for to post today. But I haven't found it yet.

And there is a topic in my mind that begs writing down. But it's just too late.

There's the idea we discussed of doing a mission recipe exchange. Thought it would be fun to throw around some good international cuisine. But since we're too tired to look up and type out our exact recipes, we figured you probably were too.

So until I either find or write or have energy to do the above (and perhaps you know me well enough to predict that that might happen in time for Missionary Week 2011), here's a little documentation of the fun we had together last week:

(I told you: we love the window crayons)

What I wish I had a video of: Lucy and her Daddy singing Deilig er Jorden (Norwegians' Beautiful Savior) to begin our Monday night missionary celebration. What I at least have pictures of:

A good fish dinner. Very Norwegian. Thanks Cannon Center.

Lucy's flag place mats. For our Norwegian dessert that I didn't make (but we did eat left over baby shower cupcakes; I figured: Norwegians probably eat cupcakes).

A rousing game of "I have a little Troll and he won't scare you...

...and he won't scare you...

...but he will scare you!"

There were braids.

"Hi little Hilda!" Wes said affectionately to Lucy when he saw her wearing her supposedly Norwegian hairstyle. "Erter og poteter!" Lucy replied with a big grin and a skip in her step. ("peas and potatoes" is her favorite Norwegian phrase.)

And there were blueberries,

And there was an all-around good time.

But my favorite?

A little "read aloud" from the (amazing) Christmas gift Wes's parents compiled for him (and each of his siblings). Do you have a bunch of missionary letters laying around somewhere? You might consider making a similar compilation. Or you might at least consider pulling them out for a family read. It was a real treat for us!

Side by Side

My friend Ryan and I got called on missions at about the same time, he to Brazil and I to Norway. It was surprising when we both got back how close we still were. And how serving in such vastly different cultures and climates had brought us to the same truth: that God lives and that He loves all his children. Ryan just had way cooler, life threatening stories than I did, including this one:

There are few times in life when you’re able to focus 100% on a single cause. A church mission provides that opportunity; to live, eat, sleep, and breathe the same work, with virtually no outside distractions.

In being asked to share how missionary service affected my spirituality/relationship with the Savior, I was reminded of the Abraham Lincoln quote: “I’ve been driven many times to my knees, by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go.” While a great deal of life experience is gained gradually, there are also singular moments of realization that forever change you. So I’d like to share one of those moments, and how it affected me.

I recall a night when my companion and I journeyed down an isolated dirt road through the jungle. Several people had told us not to take that route at night. But being young and foolish, I ignored their council. Thirty minutes into our walk, we heard rustling in the trees. Soon we could see faces, moving through the bush on either side of us. There were 7 or 8 men following us from a distance, but gradually moving in from either side. We were going to be robbed. This was certain. Probably beaten, and possibly killed. I remember feeling absolute terror. But a clear thought came to my mind. A favorite missionary scripture: “And whoso receiveth you, there I will be also, for I will go before your face. I will be on your right hand and on your left, and my Spirit shall be in your hearts, and mine angels round about you, to bear you up. (D&C 84:88) ” And I remember thinking, “I don’t deserve to have that scripture apply to me. We were warned not to take this path at night. The Lord owes me nothing.” Seconds later, we came upon a small shack by the side of the path. The only occupied structure on this hour long journey. We knocked frantically at the door. A terrified voice from inside cried out “Go away! Leave us alone! Please don’t hurt us!” We desperately tried to convince the family we were not there to hurt them. As we begged to be let in, we saw 2 faces appear around the side of the house, then quickly disappear. The gang was emerging from the jungle and hiding behind the house, not 20 feet from where we stood. Suddenly the door flew open, a woman grabbed us by the shoulders, pulled us inside and slammed the door, locking all 3 deadbolts. An hour and a half later, we finally felt safe enough to leave. The next day we discovered that on the same night they had surrounded us, this band of robbers had pulled a taxi driver from his car, beaten and robbed him, and left him for dead. 2 weeks later, I got a letter from my Dad, dated the night of that incident. It said that he had felt a strong impression that I was in danger, and that he needed to pray for me immediately. And that when he got off his knees, he felt the assurance that I would be protected.

I’ve never felt so humbled. So childlike at the foot of a loving Father in Heaven. There are moments that forever change your perspective on life. Times when you’re privileged to “see the arm of the Lord revealed.” Missions provide an opportunity to work side by side with the Lord. To go to work each day with the Savior as your co-worker. These experiences certainly aren’t unique to missionaries. But because of the sheer volume of time spent in his service, missionaries get to see the Lord intervene in the affairs of men far more frequently than most people.

Missionary Week: Part One

Elder Walker, Christian, Moses, Elder Truman

Right after his baptism, Moses, Elder Walker and I were invited to share dinner at a young couple's home. They were curious to hear about Moses's conversion.

"So how did you find the church?"

Moses related the simple but inspiring story: he had been seeking truth and had asked his mother's advice about what he should do. She encouraged him to pray. "And that's how I found these guys," he said, indicating me and my companion.

Elder Walker and I laughed about that comment. Hadn't we found him? Hadn't we been fasting, and praying, and proselyting for months? Hadn't we stopped him on the street?

I still remember that day we met Moses. I remember watching him walk away after he'd given us his phone number. I remember feeling ... curiosity? hope? Something different. Our conversation was the same I'd been through countless times, but there had been a sincerity in Moses that we hadn't seen in anyone else.

We called him later that week. He was baptized about a month later.

I've pondered Moses's story for the past eight years. And I've realized over and over again that Moses was right. He found us. Heavenly Father answered his humble, sincere prayer and graciously allowed Elder Walker and I to be a part of the process. I'm convinced that God will likewise guide all such humble seekers of truth to find his true gospel.

Moses (far right), eight years after his baptism. Still keepin' the faith!

I returned home from my mission to Norway in mid-March 2002. We've thus designated the second week in March as our family missionary week. A time to keep a few Norwegian traditions alive with our children, to make Norwegian food, sing Norwegian songs, tell Norwegian tales. But mostly it's a time to remember Heavenly Father's love for all his children, regardless of language or location, and to remember the Savior's commission to preach the gospel in all the world (Mark 16: 15).

We hope you'll join our celebration! Come back Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week for some missionary related posts!

The Godhead

in God, the Eternal Father,

and in His Son, Jesus Christ,

and in the Holy Ghost.

Who is God? That's a good, basic question for a religious blog, isn't it??

We believe that three beings, God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, make up the governing, presiding council of the Godhead. Today we'll address how our Christian doctrine of the Godhead differs from traditional Christianity's doctrine of the Trinity. In subsequent first-Sunday-of-the-month posts, we'll discuss the members of the Godhead individually.

So: how do our beliefs differ from other doctrines of the Trinity?

The main (and major) distinction is that we do not credit the "three-in-one" compromise of Constantine's 325 AD council in Nicaea. We believe the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost to be physically separate, and personally distinct beings. While separate and distinct, we believe them to be perfectly united in one purpose: our salvation.

This belief is beautifully clarifying of ancient scripture. When we read in Genesis 1 that man was created in the image of God, we understand that our imperfect (but miraculous!) mortal bodies reflect the glory and image of our Heavenly Father's perfected, immortal body.

When we read of Jesus Christ's baptism in the river Jordan (Matthew 3), of his transfiguration on the Mount of Olives (Matthew 17), and of his appearance to the Nephites (3 Nephi 11), we recognize the witnessing "voice from heaven" heard by those present as the distinct voice of God the Father, speaking, indeed, from heaven, declaring the divinity of his beloved, obedient son on earth.

When we read of Christ addressing, "Our Father who art in heaven," the image of a devoted Son communicating with a distinct, loving Father is vivid and instructive.

But what of other prayers? What of the confusing, "Thou in me" and "I in thee," statements regarding the Father and Son? What about the scriptures - ancient and modern - declaring that the "Father, Son, and Holy Ghost are one God (D&C 20:28)?"

We believe those phrases imply the same kind of oneness that is understood in the Savior's desire to be one with us (D&C 35:2) and in his command for us to be one with each other (1 Corinthians 12): spiritual oneness. Unity of heart and mind. Confederation of purpose.

Christ's intercessory prayer is clarifying:

John 17

1 These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee...

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are...

20 Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;

21 That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.

It seems clear to me that the unity Christ desires to have with us is, truly, the same, like, as his unity with the Father: spiritual oneness, not physical sameness.

Now, this is the point of the post where I start to feel like I'm splitting hairs. I mean: do these details really matter? I know lots of Christians and folks of other faiths entirely who have an exemplary relationship with God as they understand Him. And although they understand Him differently than what I've detailed above, they live faithful lives and proclaim His existence and goodness with admirable vigor. So really, how valuable and/or relevant are these details?

For me, it comes down to two things:

1) Don't we all want to know what's true? Isn't there something intrinsically important about knowing of "things as they really are, and of things as they really will be"? (Jacob 4:13)

2) A correct understanding of the nature of God affords us a correct understanding of God's plan for us as his spirit children. In other words, these doctrinal details about God not only satiate our curiosity but are intensely relevant to our own futures. They give us a valuable glimpse of our previous relationship with our Father (as his spirit children) and of our potential relationship with Him (as his resurrected, immortal heirs - inheritors of his nature and his godly purposes of eternal parenthood and governance). They give us a changed view of ourselves and endow our lives with the exalted goal of returning to God - a being we previously knew and loved, who we can come to know here, and who we can someday resemble.

Those are big doctrines to just breeze through. The point is: these distinctions about the nature of God are important and relevant.

We're so grateful for those who have seen both the Father and the Son and whose testimonies ground our faith in three separate but united beings. Stephen in the New Testament saw Christ in vision, "standing on the right hand of God." In 1820, Joseph Smith prayed for wisdom regarding religion and, in answer, saw two distinct Personages, "whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above [him] in the air. One of them," God the Eternal Father, "spake unto [him], calling [him] by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son," Jesus Christ.

There is so much more to say about each of these beings: God, our presiding, loving, eternal Father, Jesus Christ, our gracious Savior, the literal, physical Son of God, and the Holy Ghost (whom I have barely mentioned), God's purifying, witnessing gift to us.

Be assured: more to come!