Bev Psalm 40: A Modern Liahona?

There it sat, in the sand, at his doorstep

   and of curious workmanship.

Tell us which way to go, which path to take

   in the wilderness.

North, South, East or West? Right or wrong

   or stand still? Question asked; answer

   sought. What will God reveal.

In that day two thousand years ago, there

   were no satellites or GPS, no Google

   Earth or Atlas maps, much less telegraph

   or telephone.

The digital age brought much, much more,

   on our wrist, in a pocket or in the palm

   of our hand, texting with thumb and fingers.

Take one more step into the future;

   AI answers questions, yes.

   Artificial Intelligence is at our beck and call.

There it sits, in our hand, of revolutionary

   craftsmanship: iPhone or Android, we can choose.

Tells us which way to go, reaching a destination

   quickly; but safely?

In the wilderness of cyberspace, questions asked;

   answers sought. Do we question what AI reveals?

Trust in a device made by man and designed by

   logic and from facts already known?

Or do we trust in faith to answers from our

   God that’s loved and known?

Ah, yes, our modern Liahona works by

   faith and prayers.

It’s personal revelation given to His child,

   who He knows by name.

Answers sought, then revealed, in

   God we trust, our destiny, His will for

   Us be done in all things.

Guided, step by step in perfect harmony.

   Celestial glory is our goal. We join with

   Him, walk with Him. He knows our name;

   we’re not alone.

We know His Name, Jesus Christ. We worship

   Him, deliberately and always.

Bev Psalm 39: My Remote Controller

Click, click, click

I slap the remote controller against my hand.

Again, slap, slap, slap, click,click,click

Nothing.

Maybe it’s the batteries.

Two AAAs are replaced; last two in old 14 pack.

Click, click, click. Nothing.

Went shopping, bought small pack of AAAs.

Got home. Replaced the batteries, not expecting a change.

Thinking probably need a new remote controller.

Click…what? It works!

Don’t throw away a device because it stopped working.

Change the batteries.

Don’t discard the person when they struggle, help them.

AA: Attention and Affection

AAA: Attention, Affection and Acceptance

C: Compassion

D: Direction

And if they still don’t shine, sit with them.

Just be there, still and quiet.

Shinning for them.

A light of God’s love to encompass them

That they may see your good works

And glorify your Father in which is in heaven.

Bev Psalm 38: Alone

 Alone I awake. Tiny steps I take, walking

   room to room, to my revelatory chair.

Writing lines of psalms, insights to share.

Life is not black or white, right or wrong.

It is all those choices that make us strong.

To rhyme or not to rhyme as I write is not

   the question I ask each time I look into

   the mirror and say, “Who am I?”

I see the note taped there: “You are cherished”

   and I say in response, knowing that is true,

   it helps, but I AM alone.

Alone does not mean lonely. Well, that’s

   also true, sometimes.

Friends visit for reasons I’m grateful for,

   care given, dishes washed, laundry done,

   bed linen changed, sacrament given and more.

Daughter comes to cheer and hug and help

   me solve puzzles galore.

Three hours there, one hour here and

   two hours more.

Maybe weekly, sometimes not. Yet, I am

   not lonely, just alone.

I pray. Angelic visitors come. Earthly videos

   viewed are on the same theme: prayers

   answered. The Holy Ghost comforts and

   it seems love surrounds me.

My heart overflows with joy.

Then I remember, Jesus alone, in that garden

   so long ago. Angels descended to strengthen

   Him but His work was done alone.

“Father, where art Thou?” silence from heaven.

“Not my will, but thine be done.” His work alone.

Alone is sacred. Whether in a wilderness, a

   Garden or in a revelatory recliner.

There is wisdom given as we walk slowly the

   paths of mortal life, if we intentionally make

   moments of silence, stillness and quiet,

   praying to know our Father’s will for us.

Ours only is to act and say, “Thy will be done.”

Bev Psalm 37: A

 Alpha and Omega, Christ is the beginning and

   the ending; Psalm 119 begins it’s 8 verse stanza,

   each line or phrase begins with that letter.

   Hebrew to English, that’s not recognizable, but a

   pattern is established! Let’s see how I do.

Alone, I find myself as David and others must have,

   in the solitude of study, searching scriptures both

   ancient and modern, gleaning gems of wisdom to share.

Although the circle of my influence is very small,

   Noah must have thought that same lonely idea,

   but had faith in the Lord’s promise of a flourishing

   future. I feel hope.

Ark or arc of influence, nevertheless, it’s God’s

   commandment obeyed that brings perspective.

   I explore here my own human experience with

   God, He who loves me, guides me and inspires

   me with His eye single to my eternal life and joy.

Advancing one step at a time, He leads, I follow.

   Little by little I learn of the doctrine of Christ.

   It’s easy! Faith, repentance, baptism by immersion,

   receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost from authorized

   hands, and enduring to the end.

Actions required to progress or endure are easy, too:

   obey His commandments, pray always, give service,

   testify often, again and again.

Actionable faith is what this is called. The five wise

   virgins, had sufficient oil. Today we live in tumultuous

   even terrible times, let us pour oil on troubled waters.

   May we hold up our lights to shine forth, leading

   others as examples of kindness and Christ-like

   lives of charity.

Angelic protection is promised and I’ve called upon

   this blessing often when I’ve walked in uncertain

   steps, pain and sorrow. Quiet moments of assurance

   and healing, able me to feel His peace, the peace

   that surpasses all our understanding.

  

      

Bev Psalm 37: B

 Becoming is the lifelong process of writing

   Upon our souls with the Christ as our stylus.

   To be like He is. Christians say: born again;

   to be like that babe laid in a manger 2000

   years ago. Or must we become a new

   creature, I say, Creation in Christ?

Breathless at the prospect. It is an overwhelming

   idea to be one in heart, mind and purpose,

   with the Creator of the Universe.

Begin with the first step on the covenant path.

   You are a child of God. He loves you and

   sees you in a way you can’t even imagine.

Because He’s known you for more than a

   Billion years, growing up at His side. You

   trusted Him when He said, “Now would be

   the perfect time to be born,” and yes, in

   those circumstances, you’ll learn the skills

   needed to be your very best self.

Bound to heavenly Father with silken cords

   of prayer, He listens, watches your growth

   and tests you along the way. Will you obey?

   Alas, not always. But eager to return to Him

   unblemished, you repent.

Bathed in the light of His love, you learn to

   follow the example of your elder brother,

   Jesus Christ. At first blind, but now you see,

   eye to eye into eternity.

Beautiful is the vision you see. Look: the

   Bread of Life, He beckons “Come follow

   Me.” He’s promised to bridge the gap,

   sacrificed all for thee; both justice and

   mercy served, just for you.

Bee in the desert gathering nectar of blossoms

   while pollen dust collects on your body

   and legs, brushing off on the next flower

   you visit. The hive is your home; the honey

   drops of a thousand blooms is your

   contribution, measuring about a tablespoon.

   Busy bee, pollinating for others to reap rewards.

 

Bev Psalm 37: C

 Calendar years come and go, but this year was a

   culminating convergence of 65 years of high school,

   friends, memories, photos and finding lost or

   deceased classmates for an April reunion.

Cardinal was the name of our yearbook. Seventeen

   Pages of Senior photos; 357 people. Some I knew

   And others I did not. Serving on the committee for

   3 years, my goal was to find them all. A skill as a

   Family history researcher helped.

California was the starting point. Ancestry.com

   provided the 1961 yearbook photos from ClassMates.

   A 1959 city directory for Pomona placed parents

   in the right location, Then the 1950 census put a

   child with parents. There I was with my family! Cool!

Curiosity helped me solve mysteries. It didn’t kill this

   cat! Yes, I love cats. Whether short or long hair,

   Siamese, Norwegian Forest or Maine Coon cats

   I could spend hours watching their antics.

Control is required if I’m to center my life in Christ.

   I didn’t study to become a veterinarian; so, with a

   cheerful heart, the focus turned to caring, and

   serving others with the gifts God gave me.

Confident that God would guide me, I noticed that

   children and youth were consistently connected

   to my church callings: Primary, Young Women, even

   in my profession as a director in the field and at camp.

Creativity became the gift used to serve others: games,

   Arts and craft ideas, etc. When I was an art museum

   Curator, I created exhibits, designed flyers, catalogues

   and compiled press kits, and news articles. This is my

   Christlike connection to the Chosen One, Creator of

   the World.

Bev Psalm 37: D

 David wrote many of the Psalms in the

   Old Testament. He wrote for his day;

   some of praise or thanksgiving, some of

   sorrow, all are rich in imagery and emotion.

Do I write daily or decide my hours should be

   spent doing descendancy research or

   learning how to use AI in FamilySearch?

Digital databases, Clouds and computing

   were never on David’s to do list. Yet my

   list is full of actual ‘Have to do’ and ‘Should

   do’s;’ the ‘want to do’ and ‘wish I could do’s’

   must be organized and evaluated every day.

Decisions, not terribly easy in a world crammed

   with new scientific developments, aides to

   help do in minutes what used to take hours.

   Could ChatGPT reduce typing time of this long

   psalm? Or is the learning curve too much for me?

Decide, I must. Dash with purpose of obeying

   God’s command. Duty, but more than that,

   I delight in the glow of Divine love as I write;

   drinking in the spiritual draft given by prophets

   of this dispensation.

Designing my day like an artist sketches, then

   adds color to create a work of art. Dreams

   emerge in concrete form after their spiritual birth.

Daughter of God. Doing His will, dancing around

   flowers, like Deseret; skipping lightly into pools

   of living water, flinging open windows of heaven

   for blessings of gratitude and generosity.

   Faith pours out!

Doubt’s flee! I can do this. It’s a delicate balance,

   But how can I fail when I center on Jesus

   Christ’s divine characteristics? Dawn once dim,

   breaks slowly and I’m delivered by His love.