My daughter Emma Hicken, gave this talk in church today One of my favorite paintings is a work by Georges Seurat called “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte.” As you stand before the large canvas, measuring about 6.5 feet by 10 feet, the first thing that strikes you is the sheer … Continue reading Virtues and “A Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte”
When Christ comes again, it will be the conclusion of terrible destruction throughout the world. Some, often the oppressed, believe the destruction will have been his retribution for all the pains he suffered. And surely that is true, for the scriptures say so. But as I survey his life, as an obscure child in a … Continue reading Blameless
“It is said that any virtue when taken to an extreme can become a vice.” Of Things That Matter Most - Dieter F. Uchtdorf [The following are a like and a comment on this post] +1'd by: David Benedict Morgan Hendrick - 2018-05-21 09:23:15-0400 My name is Mr Hendrick Morgan, I have been diagnosed with … Continue reading The complements of virtue provides power.
“My brothers and sisters, except for Jesus, there have been no flawless performances on this earthly journey we are pursuing, so while in mortality let’s strive for steady improvement without obsessing over what behavioral scientists call ‘toxic perfectionism.’ We should avoid that latter excessive expectation of ourselves and of others and, I might add, of … Continue reading Be Ye Therefore Perfect—Eventually
“When a reporter tried to recognize Mother Teresa for her life’s mission to help the poor, she retorted: ‘It’s [God’s] work. I am like a … pencil in his hand. … He does the thinking. He does the writing. The pencil has nothing to do with it. The pencil has only to be allowed to … Continue reading Humbly recognize God’s purposes in our actions
“Service is not something we endure on this earth so we can earn the right to live in the celestial kingdom. Service is the very fiber of which an exalted life in the celestial kingdom is made.” The Living Bread Which Came Down from Heaven - By Elder D. Todd Christofferson
As a Home Teacher I once gave a blessing to a single sister with three teenage children just before school began. I sensed she was somewhat discouraged at the challenges she faced. In the blessing I said that, like a Mormon Pioneer in 1848, when in the middle of Wyoming while en route to the … Continue reading Discouraged
Sidney Gilbert's life (1) gives the impression he was a quiet man, as described by Susan Cain (2). I think Heber C. Kimball's comments might reflect a momentary lack of appreciation for introverts (3). The following talk is a classic, and very relevant. After referring to the great acts of Heber and others, the author … Continue reading Sidney Gilbert, Section 53, and Being Quiet
Thought for the day from a work conversation. Patience is not a weakness; it's an enabling power for very hard things. It doesn't mean one does not know how to push; rather it means one can choose when to push, and when an objective is more likely if one chooses to be patience.
In Japan just now, I watched an older woman stand and give her seat to a mother and young daughter, then engage in a pleasant conversation with a new found friend, the husband. That prompted me 10 minutes later when a mother carrying a baby and helping a young daughter boarded the train to give … Continue reading
Kip on Character 