Spiritual Beings Having a Human Experience - "Heart Failure"

January started as a peaceful month of reflection on the previous year. We were able to contemplate the amazing experiences in a very full 2022 which was filled with many miracles.  These  included a Family History trip to Germany, a family reunion in Southern Utah, a new Church Service Mission with the temple department, and manifestations of the Spirit during the passing of my mother and our daughter Camila.   Debbie underwent significant elective surgery and we had amazing experiences studying the Old Testament. 

The month started with the celebration of Debbie's 70th birthday as she was recovering well from her previous surgery.  We also enjoyed time with our family and in our mission service.  On Thursday, January 19, we had a wonderful fireside in our ward with Dr. Matt Townsend.  Debbie expressed this well in her journal:

"He spoke about relationships and the importance of living inside the spirit circle and not in the body or the mind circle. He emphasized that we are spiritual beings having a human experience.  When we really know who we are we can receive the help and feel the presence of the Lord helping us through those difficult human experiences."

This quote has stuck with me.  It describes our mortal life as we should see it.

This slide identifies the blessings that come from the Spirit when we let that be our overarching source of feeling rather than the body or the mind.

The day after this fireside we learned about one of "those difficult human experiences".  Debbie had been developing what we thought was a cold. As we tended Pollyanna's kids for a few hours, Debbie was doing pretty well.

We watched little Hayvin and Skylar

Later that day, Debbie started having greater difficulties in breathing.  On Saturday,  her conditions worsened and we did a COVID test.  She tested negative.  By Sunday, January 22, her breathing was more labored and we decided that we needed to visit the Urgent Care.  As we arrived they took her vitals and found her resting heart rate to be over 140 and they sent us immediately to the hospital Emergency Room.

Debbie in the Emergency Room

In the emergency room and in a resting condition, her heart beat remained over 140.  They finally decided to "reboot" her heart to see if it could be restarted in a better rhythm.  They injected a medicine into Debbie that stopped her heart for a few seconds and then it started back up.  The heart rate went from 148 to 71 and back up to 121 within one minute.`

Emergency Room doctors inserting heart stopping medicine through an IV 

Heart rate of 148

Down to 71

Back up to 121

After working for a few hours, they were unable to get her heart beat under 100.  The next step was to be admitted to the hospital.  This Sunday night was a long night, including a 2 a.m. conversation with the doctor who explained the steps they were taking.  They gave Debbie medicine that would slow down her heart and considered moving her to a Cardiac Unit in a different hospital.  They then added oxygen as her heart rate decreased and her oxygen level also decreased.  We finally went to sleep for a few hours.

After a poor night sleeping on a small sofa without my CPAP machine, I decided to go home and take a nap. While I was home I received a phone call from Debbie.  The doctor was back.  After looking at results of a EKG, a cat scan and blood tests that they had taken earlier, they told Debbie that she had "heart failure".  They described that her blood output from her heart was about 20% wile 50-60% was normal.

The Relief Society President had been in contact with Debbie that Sunday and she let the bishop know of the situation.  Right after the diagnosis of "heart failure", the bishop offered to come to the hospital and assist in a priesthood blessing.   I prayed pretty hard before returning back to the hospital.  I felt that the bishop should be the voice of the blessing, while I performed the anointing.  His blessing was right on point, reminding us that Heavenly Father knew all of the details of her condition and promising clarification for the doctors.  Most importantly, he blessed Debbie with peace and calm.  Since 

Debbie struggles with anxiety, this was the most important blessing of all.  Debbie felt an amazing peace that is illustrated by this journal entry the next morning:

"It's 4:30 a.m. and I want to record some feelings and impressions I had a few minutes ago as I was offering a silent prayer.  I was awake because the girl from the lab had just finished taking another blood sample. As I was praying I had a feeling of great love wash over me.  The thoughts that came to my mind were, "I am here right beside you.  I will be with you every step of the way through this journey."  I wept as I felt the pure love of my Savior wash over me.  I now know that I'm not alone and whatever lies ahead for me, my Savior will be with me."

Each day as we met with the doctor they would tell us that we were not going home that day.  They needed to monitor the impact of medication, oxygen, and a diaretic which helped drain fluid out of her body.  Since Debbie has suffered with chronic kidney disease since her bladder stopped funcitoning 7 years ago, there needed to be an adjustment to the correct balance where the heart could be helped without damaging the kidney.  Finally, they told us that Debbie could go home on Thursday, but only after their final application of antibiotics through her IV at 3:00 pm to finish treatment of some pneumonia that they had also found.

Throughout every day, Debbie had a constant visit of doctors, nurses, rehabilitation personnel and medical staff.  She was also able to receive a few visits from Kari and Michael, Jacob and Beckie and McKenzie and friends from the ward.

These photos were taken on the last day in the hospital but were representative of the 5 day stay:

Nurses changed twice a day and each was introduced to us

They came to give medication

Take vital signs

Change the catheter bag

Give occupational therapy

And physical therapy

On Thursday morning, the doctor told us that Debbie could go home but she said that the earliest follow-up visit with a cardiologist that they had been able to schedule was February 24.  That was four weeks away and we were very concerned about what we would do in the meantime.  They had been treating symptoms but the true understanding of the source of the problem would only come with those specialized in cardiology.  We were told of the need to monitor her heart rate, oxygen level and her blood pressure. 

The doctor giving us discharge instructions and direction

They promised to keep trying to get an earlier appointment.  Debbie had the name of several cardiologists who had worked with her sister who had been a cardiology nurse for 30 years.  After contacting each of them, they all had worse waiting times than our previous solution.  At 1:00 pm we were told that they had not been able to find any better appointments with a cardiologist.  We told him about our experience in London when Debbie's bladder had failed.  At that time they had an expeditor that worked through regulations to get us out of the hospital in time to make a flight.  We hoped that he could find someone similar to work through this challenge.

Photo taken at 1:00 pm with the bad news of no earlier appointments.

We took time to offer a prayer of supplication to our Heavenly Father, asking for help for an appointment that was earlier.  Then at 1:45 pm we received a visit from a "hospital coordinator" who told us that she had been working with different cardiologists and had arranged for us to have tests and appointments for the coming week.  This was the miracle that we were looking for and praying for, exactly as we had requested.  We made phone calls immediately and by the time Debbie was discharged a little after 3:00 pm, we had a Cardiac Stress test scheduled for the next Monday, a visit with a cardiologist on Wednesday and a Cardiac MRI on Friday.  They then gave the last dose of antibiotic and Debbie was discharged. 

Our miracle coordinator giving us the wonderful news!

Finally leaving the hospital at 3:44 p.m.

As we got home, we had packages awaiting us from Amazon.  This included our equipment to measure Debbie's heart and oxygen rate and to measure Debbie's blood pressure.  Debbie felt good and went right to work on the Cornerstone Courier, our community newsletter.  She doesn't let grass grow under her feet.  

Flowers from Beckie and Dan and Amy and our new medical equipment

Sending out invites for contributions to the Cornerstone Courier

That night Debbie woke up a little before 3:00 a.m. with a racing heart rate of 137.  She woke me up and we thought, "here we go again".  Awake, her oxygen rate was good and the heart rate started going down again.  We called the hospital and they told us that we had been discharged and they could no longer work with us.  We needed to call our primary care physician.  We went ahead and called the after hours line and talked to an after hours physician.  She consulted with us for quite awhile.  She told us that we could either go to the emergency room again or stay awake until morning and start getting oxygen from our cardiologist or primary care physician.  We assumed that Debbie's oxygen level had dropped during the night, causing the heart to race.  

Debbie went ahead and stayed up while I got a little more sleep.  We were able to get into the primary care physician early the next morning, another miracle, and he ordered oxygen for her to use at night.  While we were waiting for the oxygen to arrive, Debbie took a nap and I watched her heart rate and oxygen level. As she fell asleep, she had an oxygen level of 95% (Good) and a resting heart rate of 84.  After she had been asleep for about an hour, her oxygen rate started dropping.  When it hit 83%, I woke her up so she would not have another episode.  Finally the oxygen machine arrived and she has slept well ever since without any complications.  We think we have solved her short term problems of a racing heart.

Reading at about 11:00 a.m. as she fell asleep (Good)

Reading at 12:30 pm as she entered into a deeper sleep (Danger)

Our new oxygen machine which allows Debbie to safely sleep

With all working well, we went ahead and worked on finding out how to eat at a restaurant with Debbie's new low sodium diet.  This became our biggest challenge.  I went to the store and bought sodium substitutes and low sodium foods.  This helps us at home, but eating out was tougher.  We finally decided to go to Longhorn Steakhouse and ordered salmon without seasoning.  Debbie then salted it herself with the sodium substitute.  At least for our first effort, we felt that she was able to eat and stay within the guidelines from the doctor.  We finished our dinner and came right home to one of our temple interviews with the Urdaneta Philippines Stake.  It was delightful.  The entire stake council participated in the interview after their Saturday morning Stake council meeting (Saturday in the Philippines).  As we finished they wanted to take group pictures.  The following are some that they sent to us.

A group selfie with us in the back on the video screen

Their photo of the video screen.  Debbie was there, but I had just moved my laptop when they took the photo, eliminating Debbie from the screen view.

Saturday we had another busy day.  We went to the funeral of Michael Hennessy, Beckie's father-in-law.  He had passed away before Debbie got sick.  This became a very busy week for Beckie and her family as they prepared a funeral for their grandpa while their grandma was in the hospital.

Later that day Debbie was feeling well enough to go to the temple and participate in a double sealing session.  Her siblings hadn't gone together for several months and we didn't want to miss this opportunity.  All of Debbie's siblings and spouses that are still living were there.  These are some of our most special moments in the temple.  It is a great way to get together on a regular basis.  Together we performed sealings for 19 couples and sealed 36 children to their parents.  We still have more to do that will have to wait until April when we go again.  By the end, Debbie was weak, but her failed heart was happy.  For the second time in two days, we navigated a low sodium diet at a restaurant with success.

Eating together after a wonderful time in the temple

These activities occupied the last ten days of our lives.  They were life changing but rewarding.  We have learned over and over in our Come Follow Me studies the importance of turning to the Lord in our trials.  We have felt that we haven't had that many personal trials recently.   That changed this last l0 days.  As we went through this trial (which isn't over yet) we learned to see the Lord's hand in our lives, knowing that "we are spiritual beings having a human experience".  This has helped us feel His spirit. 

These expeiences include being guided to the hospital without knowing the seriousness of Debbie's condition, receiving a peace of mind and heart from a blessing from the bishop, Debbie receiving a personal manifestation of the love of our Savior, answers to prayers about future appointments and resolving problems with oxygen in a timely manner.  During this time in the hospital we were also able to still participate in most of our missionary meetings, our Come Follow Me study group and assist some of our children that had their own personal challenges.  In this assistance we saw additional miracles in priesthood blessings given and the manifestations of the Spirit of the Lord.

Birthdays:

The first birthday celebration of the month was for Debbie as she turned 70 years old.  Although I got her a few practical gifts, what she wanted most was to go to the temple with her two daughters.  This was the highlight of a special day. 

Debbie with Kari and Beckie after going to the temple together on her birthday

Blowing out the "70" candle on a Razzle Berry Pie

The only grandchild birthday that we celebrated in person this month was of Evelyn who turned eight years old.  Her baptism is coming up this weekend and we are so excited for her.

Evelyn turning 8

Spiritual Progress of our grandchildren:

January has also been a month of spiritual progress of our grandchildren.  

Our last blog mentioned the ordination of our grandson, Ashton, on January 1.  Two weeks later I was privileged to confer the Aaronic Priesthood on our grandson, Jacob.  On the same day, three more grandsons were ordained in Pennsylvania.  James Preston ordained his brother Thomas to the office of a Priest.  Thomas then ordained his brother Henry to the office of a teacher.  James Preston and Thomas joined in the circle while their father ordained Edward to the office of a deacon and conferred the Aaronic Priesthood.  These ordinations make us so happy as our grandsons progress on the covenant path.

Jacob and his grandfather on his ordination day

This month Ashton was able to go to the temple for the first time with his parents.  I was able to watch his brothers while they celebrated this special occasion.  Debbie was celebrating her birthday with all those in the Relief Society that had January birthdays.

Jacob is anxiously awaiting his turn to do baptisms for the dead.  Hopefully that will happen in February as we are looking for reservation times.  When we travel to Pennsylvania in March for Timothy's baptism, we will be able to do baptisms for the dead with four of our grandsons. This is already reserved.

Ashton with his parents at the Bountiful Temple

Also this month, I (Tom) was released as the Sunday School President in our ward.  This has been a wonderful experience for over 3 years while Come Follow Me has become the gospel study plan for the Church.  Debbie and I were then called to be the Chairpersons of the ward Activities Committee.  More opportunities to serve together in the months ahead.

Gospel Study, Compassion and Miracles:

Even though I am released as the Sunday School President of our ward, our personal study will continue the very same.  We have learned the value of studying and pondering the scriptures.  Already in our New Testament study this year, we have learned so much about our Savior's life and his relationship with His Father in Heaven.  We know that the biggest value comes to us as we strive to live the principles that we learn.  Our goal is to understand the character of Christ and then try to become like Him.

This past year, Debbie and I both wanted to learn to become more compassionate.  Compassion was "our word".  Even though we still have much to learn, we learned much about compassion during the passing and the funerals for my mother and Camila.   As I have been a caregiver for Debbie during her surgery and recovery and now with her heart condition, my love for her  has increased.  I am learning to understand a little better the challenges of others.  When I do,  Heavenly Father allows me to see them from His perspective and compassion becomes more natural.

Earlier last year, the Lord taught me that I needed to learn to expect miracles in my life.  President Nelson has been saying the same thing for the past five years.  As I have looked at the past year, we have been blessed by many miracles.  These include guidance and a special healing miracle during our family history trip to Germany.  During our family reunion, Lamoni's wedding and the funerals of my mother and Camila, family relationships and love have been miraculously increased.  Before and during the funerals, words were revealed to share and transitions into the next life were heavenly.  Debbie's medical experiences have been full of trials and miracles.  Some of the miracles that I sought and received were learning to love Isaiah and hearing the will of God more clearly in my prayers.  Each of these miracles were granted.  Now I add to my list the  many miracles from the last 10 days.  When we expect and seek miracles, we will see them everywhere in our lives.

As we studied the Old Testament, my expectations of learning were greatly exceeded.  I tried to keep track of what the Holy Ghost was teaching me.  In the end, I was able to summarize one learning experience for most of the weeks.  The following is my list of 50 major learnings from the Old Testament.  This was one of the greatest miracles of all in 2022.

High Level Summary of Learnings from the Old Testament in 2022

 

1.     Moses 1: The infinite and intimate God – “This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to God.  While against the backdrop of infinite creation we may appear to be nothing, we have a spark of eternal fire burning within our breast. We have the incomprehensible promise of exaltation – world without end – within our grasp.  And it is God’s great desire to help us reach it.” (President Dieter F. Uchtdorf)

2.     Creation: God can make something magnificent out of something unorganized

3.     Garden of Eden: What does the Lord do to protect and provide for us in our nakedness?  He clothes us with his atonement.

4.     Moses 6: Teach others repentance as “us experiencing the redemption of Christ together”. (Elder D. Todd Christofferson)

5.     Moses 7: “It is not their wickedness, but their “misery”, not their disobedience, but their “suffering” that elicits the God of Heaven’s tears” (Elder D. Todd Christofferson)

6.     Moses 8: Enoch saw God smiling upon the ark and holding it in His own hands, for Noah and his family were in the ark, keeping the covenant.  They were sealed up in the ark by God.

7.     Abraham 1-2: The covenant is based on God wanting an increased relationship with His children.  This is the Abrahamic covenant.  This grace is available to all, but based on covenant relationships.  If you don’t want to live that relationship or that pattern, you will not receive that growth or grace.

8.     Genesis 18-23: If I go through Abraham’s thinking, if I go through with this sacrifice, God is required to either raise up Isaac immediately back to me, or get me other children.  God is covenantally bound to do this.  Therefore, I have just learned to implicitly trust that God know what he’s doing. (Insights – Scripture Central)

9.     Genesis 24-27: Birthrights – “Using the birthright convention metaphorically, being an “eldest son” – either because one comes from a certain lineage, for example, or simply belongs to a certain faith – does not entitle one to the blessings of the firstborn. Such blessings come through being born again in Christ, whereby we become members of the ‘church of the Firstborn” (The Hidden Christ by James L. Ferrell).

10.  Genesis 28-33: “Jacob realized that the covenants he made with the Lord there were the rungs on the ladder that he himself would have to climb in order to obtain the promised blessings – blessings that would entitle him to enter heaven and associate with the Lord.” (Marion G. Romney – The Gates to Heaven)

11.  Genesis 37-41: “All that is unfair about life can be made right through the atonement of Jesus Christ.” (Preach My Gospel) “It will be made right because God is fair.”  He allows this injustice to be a trial for us, to be a spiritual weight room where we can become as powerful as we choose to become through Jesus Christ.” (Dr. Lili De Hoyos Anderson)

12.  Genesis 42-50: True forgiveness: “come near unto me”, reconciliation.  Do not be my servant, but my brother. (S. Michael Wilcox)

13.  Exodus 1-6: “Earth’s crammed with heaven, and every common bush afire with God.  But only he who sees takes off his shoes; The rest sit round and pluck blackberries.” (Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

14.  Exodus 7-13: Moses knew more than people think.  He esteemed the reproach of Christ better than riches.  This is a Christian Old Testament prophet.  He’s choosing between Salem and Sodom.  He’s choosing between the riches of Egypt and the Tabernacle.

15.  Exodus 14-17: Crossing the Red Sea is the example of “the spirit of revelation”. (Elder Jeffrey R. Holland)

o   “Revelation almost always comes in response to a question, usually an urgent question.”

o   “In the process of revelation and in making important decisions fear almost always plays a destructive, sometimes paralyzing role”

o   “Along with the illuminating revelation that points us toward a righteous purpose or duty, God will also provide the means and power to achieve that purpose. Trust in that eternal truth.  If God has told you something is right, if something is indeed true for you, he will provide the way for you to accomplish it.”

16.  Exodus 18-20: God has told them that He will bring them into His presence.  So, what you have to believe is that God has the ability and the desire to change you, to transform you so you can come into his presence and then step forward in faith. (Dr. Kerry Muhlstein)

17.  Exodus 24-34: Moses pleaded for the Lord to go with him, to show Moses “His Way and “consider that this nation is thy people”.  He knew that this could happen by the grace of God.  In fact, he said that “If thy presence go not with me, carry us not up hence.” He knew that there was no other way except the Lord’s way.

18.  Leviticus: Today, the purpose of temples is more than obtaining exaltation for ourselves.  After receiving our own ordinances, we can stand in the place of our ancestors, vicariously receiving ordinance in their behalf.  In a sense, we can become something like the ancient high priest – and the Great High Priest – opening the way to God’s presence for others. (Come Follow Me manual)

19.  Numbers: “I will give you the laws and principles by which I have acquired my wisdom and stature.  Follow my example, mastering as I have mastered, and you will become as I am, and all that I have will be yours.” (President Dallin H. Oaks)

20.  Joshua: At the moment these four guides – prayer, obedience to God’s commandments, daily scripture study, and a commitment to follow the living prophet. . . from the book of Joshua will combine to provide the most powerful source of courage and strength there is: faith in our Heavenly Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Sister Ann M. Dibb)

21.  Judges: Story of Gideon – They don’t have any weapons. . . Who is going to do the fighting?  Well, it’s God that’s going to do the fighting.

22.  1 Samuel: I have heard His voice from time to time in major experiences in the past. Recently, I have seen His hand so much more and am recognizing His voice more easily on small matters.  As I strive to follow them, His voice comes more easily.

23.  1 Samuel 8-10: How can you show that you want Jesus Christ to be your Eternal King? By letting God prevail as directed by President Russell M. Nelson.

24.  Elijah: By speaking in a still small voice, I believe that He is waiting for us to be ready to listen to Him, without other distractions.  I must remove distractions from my life to hear Him.

25.  Elisha: He is a God of miracles.  The majority of these miracles were done to or for believers, which generally is a condition for miracles to occur.  Miracles come after the trial of our faith.  It appears to me that God will provide miracles in all aspects of our lives if we are seeking to do good. We should not limit His blessings by our unbelieve or fear of offending.  As President Russell M. Nelson has told us, we should expect miracles in our life.  This is part of maintaining our spiritual momentum. 

26.  Hezekiah: I have encountered many challenges and difficulty moments of decision. As I have turned to the Lord in prayer or hearkened to the words of the prophets, I have been delivered and guided in my life.

27.  Cyrus: The Lord is clearly in charge and can use all of His children in His great work no matter where they are on their journey of faith. We should never feel that we are the only ones that can do the work of the Lord, but warmly welcome all to join us in our efforts.

28.  Esther: “To become an instrument in the hands of God is a great privilege and sacred responsibility.  Wherever we live, whatever our circumstance, no matter our marital status or age, the Lord needs each one of us to fulfill our unique part in building His kingdom in this final dispensation.” (Sister Anne C. Pingree)

29.  Job: “When these trials are not consequences of your disobedience, they are evidence that the Lord feels you are prepared to grow more.  He therefore gives you experiences that stimulate growth, understanding, and compassion which polish you for your everlasting benefit.”

30.  Psalm 22:1 “Father, Father Why hast thou forsaken me?” Christ, even as He was expressing His own feelings and fulfilling this, connecting with the Psalm 22;1, He was also, I believe, comforting those at the cross, because this is going to track through His suffering in very powerful ways, and then it ends triumphantly.

31.  Psalms: The power of expression in prose and song.  I wrote a Psalm of my mother’s passing “My Mother’s Journey to Her Heavenly Home” that expressed her “perfect” and blessed experience. This was a powerful experience for me personally, as I was able to express freely the hand of the Lord and the powerful spirit that we felt in our home at this sacred time.

32.  Psalms: “Do you know why music is so powerful?  It’s because it has the ability to bypass the conscious and speak directly to the subconscious.” (Merrill Osmond)

33.  From my psalm written to Praise the Lord “Praise God for his lovingkindness and tender mercies.  He is great and has all power, yet He still knows and loves me individually. He knows all that I think and feel and sees into my heart.  He provides answers and direction for my eternal good.  This all-knowing power is extended to all of His children.  My mind cannot comprehend it.  My soul is full of gratitude.  Praise the Lord.”

34.  Proverbs: As I have studied and pondered the principle of trusting in the Lord and seeking His wisdom, understanding and knowledge, I sought the Lord in Prayer.  He gave me “His Counsel”, to Expect Miracles” as counseled by President Russell M. Nelson.  As I pursued this counsel, I received specific examples of miracles that I could seek.  The first was to “Learn to love Isaiah”.  The second was to seek more specific answers to my prayers.  Both were fulfilled during this year as my soul hungered after the words of Isaiah for five weeks.  In the second case, the Lord gave me specific words to share at the funeral of our daughter, Camila.  I must continue in my efforts, but already the Lord has given me answers of wisdom, understanding and knowledge.

35.  Isaiah: I love the comparison of Isaiah’s experience in Isaiah 6 to receiving the cleansing effect of the atonement of Jesus Christ by taking the sacrament to my lips each week and my required commitment to share God’s word with all those who have ears to hear.  I learned that Isaiah had a special calling to prophecy in a way that “by hearing yes shall hear, and shall not understand” which the Savior referred to when teaching by parables.  If my heart is right, I can hear and understand his words.

36.  Isaiah: In summary this wonderful concept of line upon line, precept upon precept here a little there a little is describing the process to receive true doctrine and understand the mysteries of God.  To do this we must be based on the precious corner stone of Jesus Christ, receiving knowledge precept upon precept through the power of the Holy Ghost rather than being based on our own learning. When these individual principles are taught separately, they teach true doctrine, but put together I feel like a stronger, purer doctrine has been revealed to me.

37.  Isaiah 43:10: I love how verse 10 and 12 are the supporting verses of the center of this Chiasmus.  The main message is “I am the Lord, and besides me there is no savior”.  In verses 10 and 12 it tells us that we are His witnesses.  If we know that Jesus Christ is our Savior, and I do know this, the responsibility to witness to the world accompanies that knowledge.

38.  Isaiah: Isaiah 55:1 and 56:4-8 are amazing verses.  God is a God of all people.  All who will keep His covenants are accepted into His holy house, receiving a place and a name better than of sons and daughters.  There are no exceptions, neither sons of the strangers or eunuchs or anyone else.  Everlasting blessings exceed those of mortality and the limitations that we suffer in this life.  These are my favorite verses of this week’s reading. His ways are so inclusive and have a perfect balance of mercy and justice.  It far exceeds our vision of heaven. I believe that this is part of the message in 55:8-9:

o   8 For my thought are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord

o   9 For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

39.  Isaiah: The law of the fast in Isaiah 58 promises great blessings, including “Then shalt thou call, and the Lord shall answer”.  This is part of my answer to receive more direct answers to my prayers.  I must include true fasting, with a focus and stronger purpose, even a 24 hour fast as proposed by the Church, if I want the miracles that the Lord is asking me to pursue.

40.  Isaiah: Isaiah 61 has always been one of my favorites, as it was quoted by the Savior in Nazareth, followed by his statement “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears”.  The promise in verse 3 appears to be given to those that mourn in Zion.  Those who mourn in Zion can receive beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness and that they might be called trees of righteousness.

41.  Jeremiah:  God knew me before I was born and foreordained to specific responsibilities.  It reminds me of my mission on this earth, determined even before I was born.  I am still learning about my foreordained mission.  As I discover or understand my purpose, I have more strength and faith and purpose to continue on the correct paths of my foreordained mission.  I was amazed at the many elements of foreordination in my patriarchal blessing.

42.  Jeremiah: Prophets get up “early in the morning” which is repeated often in Jeremiah.  “The idea is that prophets are always ahead of the times. Prophets never go with the times, not because they’re behind the times, as a lot of people want to think they are, but because they’re ahead of the times.  They are seers.  Here he is saying, “I teach them, rising up early.” (S. Michael Wilcox)

43.  Ezekiel: Watchman on the tower.  Tell them that God wants to forgive all of His children. I planned on doing this in a Christmas letter. However, I was able to include this in the talk at Camila’s funeral and feel that I fulfilled this prompting.

44.  Daniel: “Our culture tends to determine what foods we like how we dress, what constitutes polite behavior, what sports we should follow, what our taste in music should e, the importance of education, and our attitudes toward honesty. . . All too often, we are like puppets on a string, as our culture determines what is “cool” . . . We can create the real Zion among us by limiting the extent to which Babylon will influence our lives.” (Elder David R. Stone)

45.  Hosea: “Israel’s covenant with the Lord was meant to be so deep and meaningful that the Lord compared it to a marriage.  The covenant, like a marriage, included eternal commitment, shared experiences, building a life together, exclusive loyalty, and most of all, wholehearted love.” (Come Follow Me Manual)

46.  Amos: We need to prioritize caring for the poor, the needy and the oppressed. We are the hands of the Lord to lift the oppressed. Elder Holland taught “In our day, the restored Church of Jesus Christ had not yet seen its first anniversary when the Lord commanded the members to look to the poor and the needy and administer to their relief that they shall not suffer.  And then he says “That is the language God uses when he means business.”

47.  Jonah: Jonah’s lack of mercy to Nineveh was offensive to God.  Micah stated it so well when he taught, “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?” Jesus Christ was the perfect example of mercy.

48.  Nahum 1:7 The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him.  The verse reflects what the Spirit spoke to my heart in the temple on Thursday, December 1.  I was in a prayer meeting with my Thursday midday shift.  A member of the temple presidency was discussing with us the many blessings that come from the endowment.  Somewhere in this discussion he mentioned that in the endowment we are endowed with His power.  I have often wondered how this power comes from the temple.  At that moment I remembered some of the recent words of President Russell M. Nelson which I include below.  I realized that when we make covenants with our Savior in temple, we enter in a special relationship with the Savior where He has extra “Hesed” for us, “an extra measure of love and mercy”. This extra “hesed’ from the Savior makes all the difference in the power that we have available to us.  For me this was a life changing understanding.  As I have reread President’ Nelson’s words, I realize that this “hesed” that comes from our covenanting with the Savior is reflected in a very special relationship that we develop with Him.  This is a relationship where “he knows them that trust in Him”.

49.  Zechariah: “Holiness is making the choices that will keep the Holy Ghost as our guide.  Holiness is setting aside our natural tendencies and becoming ‘a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord’.  Our hope for holiness is centered in Christ, in His mercy and His grace”. (Sister Carol F. McConkie)

50.  Malachi; Will a man rob God?  I the Lord delight in mercy.  When we do not keep temporal commandments like tithing, we rob God of the privilege of pouring out mercy upon us.