Category: Hope

Advent Day 20

But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God. And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted.

Jacob 2:19

Advent Day 19

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

2 Nephi 31:20

Keep looking up to keep your hope bright and shiny!

Advent Day 18

But remember, God is merciful; therefore, repent of that which thou hast done which is contrary to the commandment which I gave you, and thou art still chosen, and art again called to the work.

Doctrine and Covenants 3:10

Sometimes the tempest that surrounds us is our own fault because our poor choices make us miserable. But God is merciful! We can repent. We are still chosen and can get back to work for the Lord. “Peace, be still,” is something the Savior has power to say to the winds and rain, and also to our broken hearts when we repent. I love this message of hope.

Janine Clarke on the piano, and Parker and Isabelle Paulsen, vocalists, summer 2019

Advent Day 17

Therefore, dearly beloved brethren, let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power; and then may we stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed.

Doctrine and Covenants 123:17





Good people all, this Christmas time
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved son





With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas Day
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born





Near Bethlehem did shepherds keep
Their flocks of lambs and feeding sheep
To whom God’s angels did appear
Which put the shepherds in great fear,





‘Prepare and go,’ the angels said
‘To Bethlehem, be not afraid
For there you’ll find, this happy morn
A princely babe, sweet Jesus born’





With thankful heart and joyful mind
The shepherds went, this babe to find
And as God’s angel had foretold
They did our saviour Christ behold





Within a manger he was laid
And by his side the virgin maid
Attending on the Lord of life
Who came on earth to end all strife





Good people all, this Christmas time
Consider well and bear in mind
What our good God for us has done
In sending his beloved Son





With Mary holy we should pray
To God with love this Christmas day
In Bethlehem upon that morn
There was a blessed Messiah born

	


	
	






	
	

		
Advent Day 16
	


	

		

He that ploweth should plow in hope; and that he that thresheth in hope should be partaker of his hope.
1 Corinthians 9:10





This scripture is like the story of the Little Red Hen, with all the steps she takes to prepare a loaf of bread, while others want none of the work, only the end product.  With hope, like bread, we have to labor in stages if we want to enjoy results.





To me, “plow in hope” can apply to anything I do. Clean the house with hope that it will make things easier for the family; Write with hope that my words will keep someone company; Study with hope that it will help me in my decisions and attitudes; Make traditions with hope that they will bind our family together…





Here is the recipe for my favorite whole wheat bread, which requires you to grind wheat and wait for 3 risings of the dough. It’s worth every step. It is spongy light goodness. I hope you will try it. Now, “Bake in hope!”





Richard’s Whole Wheat Bread





Preparation: Grind 3 c. hard white wheat with a grain mill and set aside.





Place the following in a stand mixing bowl and mix with a regular paddle attachment:









1 1/2 T. yeast





2 c. warm water





1 2/3 c. whole wheat flour





1/3 c. gluten (Bob’s Red Mill Vital Wheat Gluten is sold at Kruger stores.)









Mix and let sit until double. (15-30 min)





After the dough has doubled in size, change to a dough hook and add the following to the mixture, gradually incorporating the flour:





1/4 c. vegetable oil





1/2 c. brown sugar





1 1/2 t. salt





3-4 c whole wheat flour, add until dough mostly cleans the sides of the bowl as it is mixed.





Once dough is uniform and cleans the sides of the bowl during mixing, continue to mix for about 5 minutes with a stand mixer. Place in an oiled bowl, cover in plastic, and let rise until double (around 30 minutes).





After rising in bowl, punch down dough and shape into 2 oiled pans. Cover with oiled plastic wrap and let rise again until double (20-30 minutes). Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Makes 2 regular size loaves.





To make mini loaves, shape dough into 6 or 7 oiled mini pans, let rise until double, and bake for 20-22 minutes.






	


	
	






	
	

		
Advent Day 15
	


	

		

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.
1 Peter 3:15





In deciding what to post this month, I realized my perfectionism paralysis about posting my violin recordings was NOT the meekness and fear Peter is talking about. When I play the violin for people, it is one way I share hope and testimony, but probably never perfection.





The memory of playing this song with Daniel is perfect. We played this in 2016 in church and also in people’s homes that Christmas. I have sweet memories of Daniel and me loading and unloading his keyboard into the trunk to carry it through the snow into homes of the elderly in the neighborhood so we could play this song. I cherish those moments with my friends that I will not have this year, but at least now I have a link I can share with them. I think Peter is asking us to be be brave and give, right through our fears.






	


	
	






	
	

		
Advent Day 14
	


	

		

The hope of the righteous shall be gladness.
Proverbs 10:28





We made this video eleven years ago, and I’m so glad that we did the work. I blinked, and the kids were too old to do things like this, so I am grateful for record. Hope fuels so much of parenting, and when you’re in the middle of it, you can’t always see the wonder happening in front of you.






	


	
	






	
	

		
Advent Day 13
	


	

		

And I also remember that thou hast said that thou hast prepared a house for man, yea, even among the mansions of thy Father, in which man might have a more excellent hope; wherefore man must hope, or he cannot receive an inheritance in the place which thou hast prepared.
Ether 12:32





In ancient Jewish tradition, an engaged bridegroom would build or prepare his own home within his father’s property, a house in the “mansion of his father” to present to his bride. In figurative terms in the scriptures, Christ is the bridegroom, and his church is his bride.





About the custom of building a home for the bride,





“The new home was built under the direct personal supervision of the groom’s father. In that culture, a son is considered to be a representative of his father, and everything that the son does reflects either favorably or unfavorably on the father. Every aspect of the son’s daily life was considered an extension of his father’s training and teachings.” (Beloved Bridegroom by Donna B. Nielsen, p. 34.)





The house he prepares for us is with the toil of His Atonement. As the bride, we are to watch and wait in worthiness for his coming. In Jewish tradition, the arrival of the bridegroom was a surprise, as the coming of the Savior will be someday. Our task is to wait, with hope, for all the good things he has prepared for us.

	


	
	






	
	

		
Advent Day 12
	


	

		

These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.
John 16:33





I have always loved this scripture, and recently, I studied what “things he [had] spoken unto [them]” so they could have peace and be of good cheer. His teachings leading up to this statement of be of good cheer are all about the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost coming to our aid. I like this quote from Elder Holland,










“Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish…Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations … is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and the Restoration of His gospel. Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone nor unaided, even if sometimes we may feel that we are. Truly the Redeemer of us all said: ‘I will not leave you comfortless: [My Father and] I will come to you [and abide with you].’ (John 14:18)”





-Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, “None Were With Him,” Ensign, May 2009.