Thought

Certain Women

January 19, 2025 Melodies of Light1 Comment

Happy Sabbath, all!

This week has been full of so many thoughts! One of my favorite has been about “Certain Women.” There is a General Conference talk by Sister Burton that talks about regular, ordinary women in the bible who were witnesses of our Savior’s ministry. Here’s a large excerpt from her talk:

“The New Testament includes accounts of [certain] women, named and unnamed, who exercised faith in Jesus Christ [and in His Atonement], learned and lived His teachings, and testified of His ministry, miracles, and majesty. These women became exemplary disciples and important witnesses in the work of salvation.”

Consider these accounts in the book of Luke. First, during the Savior’s ministry:

“And it came to pass … that [Jesus] went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God: and the twelve were with him,

“And certain women, … Mary called Magdalene, … and Joanna … , and Susanna, and many others, which ministered unto him.”

Next, following His Resurrection:

“And certain women … which were early at the sepulchre;

“… When they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had … seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive.”

I have read and passed over the seemingly unremarkable expression “certain women” numerous times before, but recently as I pondered more carefully, those words seemed to jump off the page. Consider these synonyms of one meaning of the word certain as connected to faithful, certain women: “convinced,” “positive,” “confident,” “firm,” “definite,” “assured,” and “dependable.”

As I pondered those powerful descriptors, I remembered two of those New Testament certain women who bore positive, confident, firm, assured testimonies of the Savior. Though they, like us, were imperfect women, their witness is inspiring.

Remember the unnamed woman at the well who invited others to come and see what she had learned of the Savior? She bore her certain witness in the form of a question: “Is not this the Christ?” Her testimony and invitation were so compelling that “many … believed on him.”

Following the death of her brother, Lazarus, Martha, the beloved disciple and friend of the Lord, declared with what must have been great emotion, “Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.” Consider her certainty as she continued, “But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee.” She further testified, “I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.”

We learn from these sisters that certain women are disciples centered in the Savior Jesus Christ and have hope through the promise of His atoning sacrifice.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2017/04/certain-women?lang=eng

I am in charge of planning the music for Stake Women’s Conference coming up we have been thinking about including this song as part of the program:

Beautiful, right? As I thought about who would be the best individual or group to sing this piece, the thought occurred to me that we could do a type of flash-mob musical number…picture this:

Many lines of the song could be sung by individual women who stand up where they are, sing a line, handoff the microphone, and then walk to the front. Some of the lines (like” I am certain that he lives”) could be sung all together. As women throughout the room stand and sing one by one, and the group in front testifying grows, it will help us all see ourselves as those “certain women”- who are imperfect, yet capable of carrying out a great work. We are the certain women of our time!

There are times that this responsibility to be in charge of the music has felt stressful or overwhelming. Today my heart is full of joy thinking about orchestrating such an experience for the women of our area, and how fun it could be to gather with other women to prepare and enjoy spending time together.

Love,

Laura

Uncategorized

Raccoons and Cotton Candy

September 30, 2024 Melodies of LightLeave a comment

This has been a wonderful weekend. It was Stake Conference weekend for us, so we had church meetings (The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) gathering congregations from barely over the Canadian border to close to Spokane. There was one meeting last night and one this morning, both 2 hours long. I came away feeling that my soul had been nourished.

After those meetings (and a nap!) was a baptism. The girl who was baptised, Agnes, is in my primary class during the second part of church each week. More than that, our families have known each other for more than a decade and I’ve watched her grow up from being a newborn. She and I had a sweet connection when she was little- rocking her to sleep healed a part of me that I didn’t know needed healing. But that story is for another day.

One of the speakers at the baptism talked about this silly youtube video where a raccoon picks up a piece of cotton candy. Since Raccoons wash their food before eating, this raccoon washed the cotton candy and then looks perplexed because it has completely dissolved. He tries again, only to have the same thing happen!

Here is the video:

She then talked about how we can be washed clean from those sticky things in our lives because Jesus Christ in essence “dissolves” them when we repent. They are gone- and we can move forward. Isn’t that clever?!

That talk also reminded me of a line of a hymn that stood out to me last night in our church meeting. The hymn is “It is Well.” There is a verse that talks about what happens to our sins when we come to Christ: They’re “nailed to the cross and I bear them no more…” What a moving visual that is. I have thought about it in terms of sin, but today I felt differently about it as I contemplated other burdens I carry. They, too, are “nailed to the cross and I bear them no more” as I come to Christ.

I don’t think that means that we have to feel guilty if we carry a burden. The juxtaposition here is that sometimes we are called to carry a burden for a little while, and that’s part of our growing process- it’s part of what we came here to experience so we could grow and change. No matter how faith-filled we are. And even when we recognize that its time to move forward, letting our burden go and giving it to our Savior is a process- especially for big, challenging experiences in our lives. That’s all okay. It’s okay that it takes time to figure it out. We have a very patient Savior.

But I think there are times where tough experiences in our rearview mirror don’t need to burden us so much, and make it harder to move forward. For these situations, I think the hymn is so moving- for burdens of all sizes, shapes, and seriousness- “they are nailed to the cross and I bear them no more.” So much hope in one phrase.

Love,

Laura

Music

“Carpenter, Carpenter”

May 15, 2024 Melodies of LightLeave a comment

This one is close to my heart.

Some of you know that 2021 was a really hard year for me. February brought pain like I’d never experienced- physical, mental, emotional, spiritual. I had surgery pain from a hysterectomy, and a combination of the rest from a mental breakdown. Healing from those experiences has been a very challenging journey- and I still have some effects that I continue to work through. I am so grateful for how far I’ve come, and for the transformative affect it has had on my life.

The Carpenter in this song is my Savior, Jesus Christ. I have come to know his kind, gentle, steady hands better as He has guided me through my healing process. I love Him and I trust Him.

I love the thought I’ve heard various times that when we experience suffering, we have experienced a small taste of what our Savior experienced suffering for all of us, and therefore have a unique ability to succor (or run to) others who are suffering. It is partially with this intent that I share my song with you. Perhaps it can reach someone whose heart is aching and needs extra hope and comfort. If there’s two things I’ve learned it’s these: God never leaves us alone, and He ALWAYS makes beauty from ashes.

Love

Laura

(Composing, Arranging, Recording, Mixing and Mastering by Laura Harper)

Quote

Compensatory Light

September 24, 2020September 22, 2020 Melodies of Light1 Comment

This quote has been rattling around in my head all week. Need more light in your life? It’s available!!

Here is my major theme this morning: As evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory spiritual power for the righteous. As the world slides from its spiritual moorings, the Lord prepares the way for those who seek Him, offering them greater assurance, greater confirmation, and greater confidence in the spiritual direction they are traveling. The gift of the Holy Ghost becomes a brighter light in the emerging twilight.

To understand better, think of these comparisons: If the world were growing more physically dark, He could give us enhanced night vision. If loud noises were constantly in our ears, He could give us a filtering mechanism to block the unwanted sound. If the race we were running was extended, He could give us increased lung and muscle capacity. If the exam we were taking was more difficult, He could quicken our minds.

My brothers and sisters, as evil increases in the world, there is a compensatory power, an additional spiritual endowment, a revelatory gift for the righteous. This added blessing of spiritual power does not settle upon us just because we are part of this generation. It is willingly offered to us; it is eagerly put before us. But as with all spiritual gifts, it requires our desiring it, pursuing it, and living worthy of receiving it. “For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift?”

-BYU speech by Elder Neil Anderson

Here is the whole talk if you’d like to review it.

A Compensatory Spiritual Power for the Righteous

Have you found this to be true as the commotion in the world increases? I have! It usually means stepping away from the news, going somewhere by myself, and praying. I have felt Heavenly Father’s desire to communicate with me to a greater degree than I did before 2020. I have had some sweet experiences listening and Hearing Him – not in an audible way, but in my mind and my heart. I have received messages that were personal and unmistakably from Heaven- under the stars.

He is so aware of us and loves us so much!

Have a wonderful day, friend!

Love,

Laura

Quote

Give me a light…

March 5, 2020 Melodies of Light2 Comments

cherry-laithang-NmPpz1jA_JE-unsplash — Photo by Cherry Laithang on Unsplash

This morning I read this quote that was too good to keep to myself. This is the source if you’d like to look up the entire talk: https://speeches.byuh.edu/devotional/choose-a-growth-mindset

I love the poem written by Minnie Louise Haskins in 1908 and originally entitled “God Knows”. It invites each of us to put our hand into the hand of God when we might be feeling fearful and the path ahead is not visible. It reads like this: And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year: “Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown.” And he replied: “Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.” That poem leads my thoughts to a Book of Mormon scripture with a similar feel. It asks, “Know ye not that ye are in the hands of God? Know ye not that he hath all power …. ” (Mormon 5:23)? When you feel overmatched, please remember that God can open all doors and help us climb the highest peaks.

Isn’t that inspiring?! Happy Thursday!

Love

Laura