A Christmas Eve Thought

 

As we meet this morning, it being Christmas Eve, some thoughts relating to this day invaded my mind during the weeks leading up to this day.  I’ll start with a message from 3 Nephi, which reads:

“And it came to pass that in the commencement of the ninety and second year, behold, the prophecies of the prophets began to be fulfilled more fully; for there began to be greater signs and greater miracles wrought among the people.

 

But there were some who began to say that the time was past for the words to be fulfilled, which were spoken by Samuel, the Lamanite.

 

And they began to rejoice over their brethren, saying: Behold the time is past, and the words of Samuel are not fulfilled; therefore, your joy and your faith concerning this thing hath been vain.”

 

Perhaps you were expecting angels to come down and leave messages of glad tidings at this time; however, it only gets worse for them as we read...

 

“Now it came to pass that there was a day set apart by the unbelievers, that all those who believed in those traditions should be put to death except the sign should come to pass, which had been given by Samuel the prophet.”

 

Try to imagine yourselves going home after today’s meeting, having hope in your hearts, all the while realizing that it might well be your last day in mortality.  Would you be hanging your stockings on the fireplace awaiting Saint Nicolas’ visit or hanging your head wondering why the Lord’s prophets had let you down?

 

Remember, have faith in the Lord, regardless of your circumstances. 

 

“Now it came to pass that when Nephi, the son of Nephi, saw this wickedness of his people, his heart was exceedingly sorrowful.

 

And it came to pass that he went out and bowed himself down upon the earth, and cried mightily to his God in behalf of his people, yea, those who were about to be destroyed because of their faith in the tradition of their fathers.

 

And it came to pass that he cried mightily unto the Lord all that day; and behold, the voice of the Lord came unto him, saying:

 

“Lift up your head and be of good cheer; for behold, the time is at hand, and on this night shall the sign be given, and on the morrow come I into the world, to show unto the world that I will fulfil all that which I have caused to be spoken by the mouth of my holy prophets.”

 

Within this short message important lessons are left, we’re reminded…the Book of Mormon was written for us in our day.  We’re to learn and appreciate the history of an ancient people; but why, on this day?

On the other side of the world a similar message was given:

Angels visiting the earth to greet poor shepherds as they watched their flocks by night as found in Luke 2:10 and 11. 

“Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.  For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”.

It’s the same message given to Nephi, the son of Nephi, when his heart was exceedingly sorrowful. 

So, here we sit on Christmas Eve, eagerly anticipating the celebration tomorrow brings.  Tomorrow is Christmas Day, the meridian of time as acknowledged by even non-believers. 

“Woke crowd” historians would have us use their updated version of “BC” and “AD”, calling those years prior to the birth of Jesus Christ “BCE”, or Before Common Era and all years following as “CE” or Common Era.  The wicked continue their efforts to erase the miracle of Christ’s birth from the hearts and minds of the world.

Believers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ look forward to the Second Coming of our Savior, Jesus Christ.  The scriptures have indicated all manner of signs alerting mankind of the “Great and Dreadful Day of the Lord”, many of which have already appeared.  And yet, the wicked continue, laughing at foolish believers who follow “signs given and warnings from Prophets”. 

As we observe and point out their abominations… they create laws which make it illegal to point out their abominations, calling such language “hate speech”.  Those guilty of offending the wicked are vilified, some are even charged with crimes and taken to courts where corrupt judges rule against the righteous…or am I mistaken.

My friend Gary Lewis wrote the other day, “The signs of the times surround us with witness that the latter-days are upon us. All the prophecies are being fulfilled.”  He included a quote from LeGrand Richards from April of 1951:

“If the inhabitants of this earth had the ability and the power to read the signs of the times, they would know that already the Lord has given far more than the darkening of the sun or obscuring the light of the moon or causing the stars to fall from heaven. For what he has accomplished in the establishment of his kingdom in the earth in these latter days, and the unseen power operating in the world for the accomplishment of his purposes, are greater signs than any of these phenomena that we read about—the signs of his coming." 

 

My message to all of you on this Christmas Eve, be of good cheer, have Joy in your hearts.  Be true to your beliefs and continue being faithful to the covenants made with your Father in Heaven.  Along this same line of thought, our Prophet, Russell M. Nelson, in his talk, “Joy and Spiritual Survival”, given October of 2016 reminded us,:

“When the focus of our lives is on Jesus Christ and His gospel, we can feel joy regardless of what is happening—or not happening—in our lives.”

We celebrate with great joy the birth of Jesus Christ; being equally aware of his death, resurrection and the atonement made on our behalf.  We also look forward with great anticipation and joy to His return… with the same faith as our ancestors were looking forward to His arrival the first time.

As I finish my thoughts this Christmas Eve, I wanted to share something from an old movie, The Bishop’s Wife.   At the close of the movie, the Bishop, having been reminded of the true meaning of Christmas, finished his sermon:

“…All the stockings are filled, all that is, except one. And we have even forgotten to have it up.  The stocking for the child born in a manger.  It’s his birthday we’re celebrating.  Don’t let us ever forget that.

Let us ask ourselves what He would wish for most.  And then, let each put in his share, loving kindness, warm hearts, and a stretched-out hand of tolerance. All the shinning gifts that make peace on earth.”

As surely as Jesus Christ was born so many years ago after signs in the Heavens were observed, so surely will the signs be fulfilled announcing the Second Coming of our Savior, even Jesus Christ.  

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

Max Might be a Shepherd Dog

Yesterday we loaded up a box with plates of homemade Christmas Cookies to share with friends living in the Centerville, Texas area near our property.  We started off with Ron and Norma Jeanne Fillmore since they live the farthest.  We had a great time chatting, paying attention to their dog who was demanding attention.  Then, on the way back towards Centerville we stopped at Sister Haven’s property, then at Sister Webb’s office.  Mike and Su Wallrath were the last we could visit there in Centerville, having spent the morning and much of the afternoon delivering cookies.

We then turned the truck towards those who live within a mile or so from our property.  As we drove past the entrance to our property we noticed our neighbor’s dog, Max, sitting by the gate.  Max likes to make sure we park properly, leading us joyfully down the driveway; but we didn’t turn into the driveway, instead we headed to the Jackson’s house.

I should mention, the Jackson’s are Max’s actual family; but Max has dual citizenship, not sure what else to call it since Max likes living under our roof too. When we pulled onto the Jackson’s property, there was Max sitting under the carport; he’d taken a shortcut by cutting across the acreage that separates our properties.  We visited with the Jacksons and then drove, as if to go home; but instead turned the other direction towards the Nells and James’ property.

Max first started to head to our place; but it was almost funny watching him try to figure out what we were doing.  Maybe he thought we were lost; but he made sure to keep up with our meanderings as we pulled into the next driveway to visit Dennis James and deliver another plate of cookies.

On the way back towards our property we noticed the younger Jackson family had just arrived home, so we stopped to visit there too.  Max sat at the edge of their driveway, frustrated once again with our inability to find home.

Lastly, we headed past our property to check the mailbox and see if the Clarks had gotten home.  We got lucky and were able to deliver their cookies as well.  No mail in the box, so we headed back as if to go home; but we noticed the gate to the Finley’s property was open, something that indicated they were available to visit.

Max sat on the road while we visited with Tammy, going over local issues about the dumpster company that kept adding charges to the monthly fees we’d already paid in advance for the entire year.  We agreed that the dumpster company had lost us as a customer.

Max must have given up on us as we watched him slowly walk down the road headed to our property.  About twenty minutes later, having finished our visits for the day, Max greeted us at the edge of our property as he energetically pranced in front of the truck, making sure I followed to where my old truck normally sits next to Lucy’s car.

If Max were a person who kept a diary, an interesting thought, it would be fun to read yesterday’s entry.  “The Stern’s got lost several times; but they finally were able to get home with my help.”

Of Course, We Trust Our Government

 

While scanning headlines this morning this image jumped off the screen, begging to be explained. 

It’s not that I don’t trust our government to be upfront and honest… No, they have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that those currently in power will do anything they can, legal or not doesn’t seem to matter, those in power will do anything they can to eliminate the voice of anyone who gets in their way.

If you like or don’t like former President Donald Trump makes little difference.  What should bother individuals in our Constitutional Republic is the weaponization of government agencies, silencing opposition by censorship, using tax laws to bankrupt businesses or businessmen that don’t conform to the leftist agenda tied to ‘climate change’.

This isn’t something which belongs solely to the American leftists.  To be sure, the agenda springs from a much more sinister group of elitists on a world-wide scope.  The One World Order folks, call them whatever you wish. The One World Order folks desire to eliminate the United States of America as a Constitutional Republic along with our Rule of Law and Individual God Given Rights included in the Bill of Rights.  There’s enough in this one paragraph to write an entire book, a detailed warning of the evil intent being displayed; but that’s too much for today.

Donald Trump has been criminally charged, and convicted by the leftist media, of trying to overthrow the government, allegedly, by inciting huge crowds to storm the Capital Building on January 6^th of 2020.  If you’ll recall, that was the day Congress was supposed to have an open discussion, followed by a vote, on the validity of questionable voting during the Presidential Election, a process which unexplainably determined Joe Biden being installed as the winner of the Oval Office.

You don’t have to be a Rhodes Scholar to look at the information gleaned, comparing what’s been released by the major news media outlets (propaganda stations owned by the far left) with information that’s miraculously found its way into the light of public discussion via unbiased sources…(wow, another run on sentence)…for a reasonably sound and questioning individual to come to the conclusion that there’s something Rotten in Denmark.  Forgive the use of an old saying which identifies treachery, treason, and sabotage due to voting irregularities which may or may not have been properly investigated by our trusted Federal Bureau of Investigation and Department of Justice, those Sterling individuals whose work is always to be accepted without question.

I shouldn’t have to include a paragraph, go look all this stuff up since it’s easily available via live Congressional and Senate interviews,  explaining substantiated and factual accounts which prove the FBI lied to a Federal Judge to obtain the illegal warrants which were used to wire tap Donald Trump even before he became President.  That all the ‘trumped up’ information had been supplied by the Democrat Party and his then Presidential Opponent…you got it, Hillary Clinton.  That the DOJ hasn’t lifted a finger to charge any of those co-conspirators, those who attempted to eliminate Donald Trump as a Presidential Candidate.  Aren’t these the same folks who have admitted to censoring conservatives, called conservatives domestic terrorists and imprisoned individuals who questioned the results of elections and then come up with the ‘trumped up’ criminal and civil charges against Donald Trump?

Would it take a Rhodes Scholar to determine the intent of these oh-so righteous representatives of our government simply want to interfere with the next Presidential Election Process by making it difficult, near impossible, for Donald Trump to properly run his election bid?  It’s much more difficult to campaign when a corrupt judge places a gag order on you.

How about a corrupt judge and prosecutor conspiring to withhold evidence which they know would vindicate you and be sufficient to have all criminal charges thrown out? 

Call this pure speculation on my part, my knowing how transparent those in power have been up until now, always being truthful when asked to present a case against individuals whom they don’t agree with.

So, Donald Trump is on trial for questioning the integrity of the election, having the audacity to call liars and cheaters…well, calling them liars and cheaters.  Quoting from the from the Newsweek posted article that accompanied the photograph: 

“Donald Trump's legal team has continued its attempts to gain access to what they see as important information in case against the former president in Washington, DC.

Trump says important information relating to the case has not been turned over to him and his lawyers, but the government has argued the information being requested is “not relevant to the case.”’

If you read through the rest of the article it concluded with the following:

“In the American capital, Trump is charged with: conspiracy to defraud the United States; obstruction of and attempt to obstruct an official proceeding; conspiracy to obstruct an official proceeding and conspiracy against rights. He denies all of the charges against him.”

I’m reminded of one of the closing scenes from the movie, Contact, where the Congressional hearing has been completed.  The Jodi Foster character was dragged through the mud as if she’d created her entire experience, that her testimony was without any evidence or fact.  She was being ushered into a waiting limousine.  At that moment the Matthew McConaughey character acting as the voice of one who represents truth and objectivity proclaims, “I for one believe her”.

Despite all the attempts to discredit Donald Trump, and there are aspects of his personality which make him difficult to like and support, despite of all the fabrications intended to destroy him both as a member of our society; but more importantly, to destroy his chances of ever returning to the Oval Office…despite of all this… I believe him.

That’s how much I trust our government. 

Dealing With Dementia

My brother Daniel has an advanced stage of dementia which makes for some interesting challenges.  He and his wife live on our three-acre property in the RV we purchased ‘just in case things got interesting’ and our kids needed to evacuate Houston and have a place to escape to.

That scenario didn’t pan out as planned; but in a way, it worked out the way the Lord would have it.  My brother and his wife needed a place to live as they fled an increasingly violent stricken area of Uganda, Africa where they’d been serving as lay missionaries.  Apparently, Daniel had been injured during a fall and his early signs of dementia had accelerated as a result.

We offered them a safe haven and they accepted our hospitality, acknowledging that they’d be helping to offset some of our living expenses like utility bills. This has worked out well going on right at a year now.

Daniel has been keeping up physically, doing lots of exercises, jumping constantly on a small trampoline looking gizmo along with walking the property back and forth.  He’s supposed to stop when he reaches the end of our property and turn around; but this morning Lucy was in the kitchen and noticed as he reached the front gate, he appeared to have it in his mind to go further as he disappeared, going down the private road and out of sight.

I got into the pickup truck and drove off in the direction Daniel had gone.  It didn’t take long to catch up as he was only an eighth of a mile ahead, casually walking in his pajamas while wearing a nice woolen cap; our morning temperature being about fifty degrees.  With the windows rolled down I eased up along side and encouraged Daniel to hop in.

“Oh, Thank You”, he responded, “I’m looking for a friend who has a house over here.” I continued driving down the hard packed dirt road past the Finley’s property.

“Let’s check the mailbox”, figuring he might enjoy going a bit further. I drove the truck onto the county road and used our neighbor’s driveway entrance to get turned around to facilitate access to our mailbox.  Daniel appeared a bit agitated, not being familiar with the landscape he was now seeing.  “There’s our mailbox.  Let’s see what’s inside”.

“Oh, that’s a good idea.  We’re expecting a package today.”  Upon opening the drop-down lid, it was clear the mailbox was nearly full with letters and small packages. 

“This package has your name on it.  See, Daniel Stern”, handing it to my brother who again explained that they’d been expecting this delivery.  The rest of the mail was addressed to Lucy, mostly junk mail from folks looking for donations since Lucy’s a sucker for various charities.

“Oh, this is the one we’ve been waiting for.”  I drove back to our property and into our driveway. I could see Daniel’s wife, Lisa, in front of our house as she played with our dogs while talking to Lucy who was sitting on the porch.  It was plain to see they were glad I’d corralled Daniel and brought him back.

I stopped the truck to permit my brother a chance to get the door open and exit.  He handed the box to his wife Lisa and introduced himself, “Hi, I’m Daniel”, to which she replied, “I’m Lisa”.

“I found another American while on my walk”. Daniel was doing his best to explain his good fortune at having found a friend while he was on our private road. 

While this sounds a bit surreal, I have to wonder how all this must be jumbled up in my brother’s mind as he tries to make sense of this world he’s now living in.  We must be ever so gentle with Daniel as he faces battles we can’t even comprehend.

Meeting Potential Spam

Strange as it might sound, I actually met Potential Spam the other day.  All these years his name would come up on my cell phone, interrupting a quiet afternoon with annoying precision.  I’d learned to ignore the ringing by tapping the dismiss function, returning to solitude and quiet.

Yesterday was different. I needed an electrician to solve an issue on our property.  While looking for a locally listed electrician, the search turned up vendor services companies which promised to find the most qualified or reasonably priced electricians according to my Zip-code.  After entering the required fields, the vendor services company informed me that an electrician would be at my property the following day between 8:00am and 11:00am.  The last detail required was my credit card information so they could charge me in advance for 3 hours of promised work.

(Image courtesy of Version)

I requested the name of the electrician and a phone number to contact the individual to assist him/her in finding our rural location.  Some versions of electronic maps we’ve found took folks off on a wild goose chase so it was easier to give them directions we knew would get them here.  The vendor service company was reluctant to provide the phone number of the electrician seeing as how they might lose their portion of a pre-arranged contract.

Fast forward to the next morning when I heard my cellphone go off around 7:30am.  Glancing at the information it was Potential Spam.  Before I could dismiss the call, it quit ringing.  A couple of minutes later the phone rang; again, it was Potential Spam.

Normally I don’t get those annoying calls quite so early in the morning; but my brain engaged momentarily, suggesting that it might be the electrician attempting to call.  He had contacted us via the vendor services company’s switchboard and thought it odd my phone number showed me living in California, as he laughed knowing the address given was near Buffalo, Texas.

Sure enough, it was the fellow trying to find our property, sorting through the various County Roads which weave around this area.  He wanted to let me know he would only be a few more minutes in transit, that he wasn’t too far off the mark.

His service truck pulled into our driveway, and I walked over to greet him.

As he opened the door of his truck, I reached out my hand, gaining eye contact as I asked, “Do you go by Potential or by your last name Spam?”  We got along great from that moment on. He diagnosed the electrical issue and promptly had things working.