MaeLyn's Musings

(Here is the talk that I gave today in church.) Image by ChatGPT, a person using instructions to build a model airplane. I love to make things. I like to sew, knit, crochet, bake bread, put together puzzles and LEGO sets. Some of you may like to do similar things. Maybe you like to do carpentry or make fly fishing lures, or build models or whatever. Something that I have learned over the years is that when I make something new and complicated for the very first time, it is a good idea to follow the instructions. Some instructions, patterns, recipes, blueprints, and tutorials are better and easier to follow than others.… but the best instructions are made by an expert: someone who has experience. They’ve done it before, they’ve done the measuring, they know what materials and tools are needed, they’ve experimented with different ingredients to get the best flavors and textures. They’ve figured out the best way to get the best result. And then these experts kindly made the instructions t...

Institute resumed today after a three week break for the holidays, and the subject matter was Alma 8-16. Here are some of the thoughts that I came home with. Alma 8:14 - When Alma was weighed down with sorrow, wading through tribulation because of his troubles in doing the Lord's work, the Lord sent an angel to encourage him. The Lord supports his servants when they are striving to do his work. Alma 8:18 - Even though he had been reviled and cast out of the city of Ammonihah, when the angel told him to return, Alma returned speedily to the city. We receive the blessings when we are quick to obey. Because Alma was quick to obey, he received not only a meal when he was hungry (v.20), but also a companion in his labors and they were both filled with the Holy Ghost. (v. 30) Alma 13:3 - Men were called and prepared from the foundation of the world ... with a holy calling. I, too, was given certain callings and missions to fulfill in this life. A comment was made by a class m...

Every once in a while I have one of those days where it seems like God is trying to tell me something. Yesterday was one of those days. This past year, every Sunday before church, we have watched a General Conference talk. The talk that Josh selected for us to watch yesterday morning was entitled " Gifts ", given by President Thomas S. Monson in April of 1993. At the end of his talk, he mentioned something in closing that I had heard before, but that touched me more powerfully this time. They were the words of President Harold B. Lee: “Life is God’s gift to man. What we do with our life is our gift to God.” In Sacrament Meeting yesterday, the talks given were about obedience. One of the speakers quoted Elder Neal A. Maxwell : “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,’ … are actually the things He has already given or loaned to us. However, when you and I finally submit ourselve...