Joyful Wells | Sharing Cups of Water

We’re all familiar with the verse about removing the beam in your eye before worrying about the speck in someone else’s (3 Nephi 6:6). This instruction can keep us busy for a while.  It also reminds me that there are so many people who genuinely want to help others and that’s a good thing. If that’s what one desires, greater effort will be required and expected in order to be trusted as one of His faithful messengers (hence the beam). You have to be different than those around you. And in the end, you will labor so much only to help some understand just a little (hence the speck).  That should also keep us busy for a while.  By the way, here’s a comparison between the Restoration Edition and the Covenant of Christ version about this: “And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother’s eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull the mote out of thine eye, and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypocrite, first

For those studying the  Covenant of Christ   with their families before the vote in October, below is a Quizlet link to help children memorize the new verses - if you think it could be useful. I will post a new set just before the first Sunday of every month until the conference.  https://quizlet.com/931591985/covenant-of-christ-scriptures-kids-flash-cards/?i=5nic8b&x=1jqY If the scriptures are sustained, perhaps something better than Quizlet can be produced. Hope to see you there. 

In everyday conversation, I often struggle to express myself in words adequately. At least, I genuinely think I do. I guess that’s why I enjoy writing.   We also live in a day when it’s common to talk over one another when exchanging ideas.  This is a double whammy for me. For too long, I’ve projected how poorly man communes with one another onto the Lord - That is, he is also inadequate in expressing himself in a way I would understand and that he would inconsiderately talk over me.  Instead, he is patient and loving, so that we can understand one another. I’ve created my own veil that needs to be passed through, and the veil gets thinner the more I consider this. “And now come, says the Lord by the spirit unto the elders of his church, and let us reason together that you may understand. Let us reason even as a man reasons, one with another, face to face. Now, when a man reasons he is understood of man because he reasons as a man; even so will I the Lord reason with you that you may u

I learned about a man recently fighting a particular temptation, so he left behind all his daily worldly entertainment and went for a walk.   Shortly into his walk, he encountered another man walking and decided to interject himself and begin a discussion. They walked and talked for a long time, so long that the first man forgot about the temptation altogether. He was happy to have met him. After they parted ways, the man realized how much time passed, so he began walking back home.  On the way, he noticed a plastic grocery bag caught on a bush across the street and thought, “The earth can’t be renewed if we keep polluting her.” So he decided to cross the street and throw it away.  As he approached, he also noticed some old trash by the bush. He thought, “Maybe I’ll pick up this little bit of trash, put it in this grocery bag, and throw it all away together.” But as he looked around, he saw even more trash. And more. And more.  He concluded he couldn’t get it all with what he had but w

"I Won't Back Down" Tom Petty Well, I won't back down No, I won't back down You can stand me up at the gates of hell But I won't back down No, I'll stand my ground Won't be turned around And I'll keep this world from draggin' me down Gonna stand my ground And I won't back down (I won't back down) Hey, baby There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down) Hey, I Will stand my ground And I won't back down Well, I know what's right I got just one life In a world that keeps on pushin' me around But I'll stand my ground And I won't back down (I won't back down) Hey, baby There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down) Hey, I Will stand my ground (I won't back down) And I won't back down (I won't back down) Hey, baby There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down) Hey, I Won't back down (I won't back down) Hey, baby There ain't no easy way out (I won't back down) Hey,

Rob Smith from upwardthought just released a 26-minute video  on obtaining blessings through faith.  The whole video is worth watching multiple times, and I hope everyone will listen to it. Here’s one part in the beginning that stuck with me: “[…] the pathway to everything you want lies exactly through everything you already know about but aren’t living up to. The second (and I do mean the second) that you comply with the best that you know, God will give you more.”