Last updated on January 28th, 2024 at 10:23 pm
January 21, 2024
Here is the best thing I heard (What?), saw (Eye.), and read (Read.) this week, as well as the best idea (💡) I developed.
What?
Church News Podcast Episode 171: The 2024 youth theme with President Steven J. Lund and President Emily Belle Freeman on becoming active disciples of Christ, January 16, 2024
- “I was talking to a young woman who just graduated out of the [Young Women] program a couple days ago, and she talked to me about when she first started going to the temple to do baptisms for the dead. And she said, ‘I went with a friend. My mom dropped us off, and we went down, and we did our baptisms,’ and it was in the time where you would put on your one outfit to do your baptisms, then you would go change into a dry outfit and do the confirmations. And they got all done, and it had gone really fast. And nobody was there. And so they went back to the desk and said, ‘Can we go again?’ And everyone was like, ‘I think that’s fine.’
“So they got their new outfits, and they went, and they went again, and still nobody was there, so they were like, ‘Should we go again?’ And she said, ‘It was almost like we were at an amusement park, where we were like, ‘There’s no one in line. There’s no one there. We might as well go again.” Well, they did 100 names that evening in the temple because they had caught that fire and that vision of this experience that she will now never forget as long as she lives.
“And it’s so darling because the baptistry, just before it closed, the man and the wife who were running the baptistry, who had now spent the entire evening with them, invited them to go to dinner with them in the cafeteria down below. And she said, ‘That one moment had such a profound effect on my testimony.’ And I love that there are things that will happen with these youth as they go through this priesthood progression and as they learn to be in covenant relationship that will change their lives, change the trajectory of their lives, but also help them find a place where they belong and where they want to be as lifelong disciples of Jesus Christ.”
Eye.
Romney Peterson’s First Basketball Game
- My son (who turns 6 this week) played his first basketball game this week. He did score two baskets, but I was most impressed with his stellar defense! He slid side-to-side to guard his opponent with his hands up. And even when a side ache hampered him while running up and down the floor, he showed true dedication on defense.
Read.
President Russell M. Nelson, January 2024 Friend Magazine, “Power in the Book of Mormon“
- “I invite you to read the Book of Mormon. As you read, I encourage you to mark each verse that speaks of the Savior. You will become closer to Him through this process. And changes, even miracles, will begin to happen.” (What a powerful invitation to the children of The Church of Jesus Christ!)
💡
Make 2024 your year to stop procrastinating and start taking action.
This idea is inspired by the following resources:
- Brian Tracy, “Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time”
- “Resolve today to develop a sense of urgency in everything you do. Select one area where you have a tendency to procrastinate and make a decision to develop the habit of fast action in that area.”
- “When you see an opportunity or a problem, take action on it immediately. When you are given a task or responsibility, take care of it quickly and report back fast. Move rapidly in every important area of your life. You will be amazed at how much better you feel and how much more you get done.”
- General Conference Applied season 2 episode 16
- Church News Podcast Episode 67: Sister Nelson on being an eyewitness to President Nelson’s four years as Prophet, January 25, 2022
- “President Nelson never delays, he never puts off anything. I learned this early in our marriage. We would be drifting off to sleep, and I would think of something I needed his help with. I’d softly mention it to him as something that we might do on the weekend. And he would bolt up in bed and say enthusiastically, ‘So what’s wrong with now?’ And suddenly, we would be in the garage looking for a hammer and nail to hang a picture.
“So it’s absolutely no surprise to me that in the last four years, a multitude of important adjustments have been made to Church policies and procedures. ‘What’s wrong with now?’ will always be President Nelson’s response when he knows that an adjustment in policy or procedure is the Lord’s will.”
- “President Nelson never delays, he never puts off anything. I learned this early in our marriage. We would be drifting off to sleep, and I would think of something I needed his help with. I’d softly mention it to him as something that we might do on the weekend. And he would bolt up in bed and say enthusiastically, ‘So what’s wrong with now?’ And suddenly, we would be in the garage looking for a hammer and nail to hang a picture.