Grace.

Today in my religion class,

my professor asked us to complete this sentence:

Grace is like ___________.

When it was time to share,

my hand shot up.

Grace is like the PF Flyers

that Benny the Jet wears in The Sandlot.

Guaranteed to make you run faster and jump higher.

"It is... through the grace of the Lord

that individuals,

through faith on the Atonement of Jesus Christ

and repentance of their sins,

receive strength and assistance to do good works

that they otherwise would not be able to maintain

if left to their own means."

-Bible Dictionary

In the past month,

I've run faster and jumped higher

than I ever could on my own.

It's my PF Flyers.

Mary Magdalene.

There was a woman weeping,

who came to be with Him

as early as she could.

Before the day began.

But He wasn't there.

Where, then?

Then she saw a man standing.

And kindly He asked her

why she was crying

and whom she was looking for.

She answered,

and then He said,

"Mary."

It was Him!

Miracle of all miracles.

Could it be?

Before He went home

to "my Father,

and your Father;

and to my God,

and your God,"

He stopped to talk with her--

a woman crying.

Lately,

I have thought of this story again and again.

And my heart has inclined toward it.

Mary, so earnest.

Christ, so kind and so real.

John 20

Healing.

This is one of my favorite religious paintings.

"Healing at the Pool of Bethesda," 1883

Carl Bloch

The sick and infirm sat here 

waiting for a chance to be healed.

Then came Jesus.

...

We have this painting hanging in the art museum at BYU.

It's huge,

and it's nice to sit in front of it.

I don't look at Jesus

or the man being healed,

but the one next to them.

The one in the cap, hugging his knees.

I am drawn to the sharpness 

with which Bloch has painted his face.

...

Off to the right,

there are those who don't notice Him.

To the left,

they are watching, marveling,

maybe doubting.

But I think that man is hoping.

He's stealing a hesitant glance.

He sees what Christ can do,

and he knows it.

But he may not believe that it could work for him.

After all, he is so lowly and common.

Will He come to me next?

Am I good enough to be healed?

...

Of everyone in that painting,

I think we are that man,

trying to remember that the answer to those questions

is yes.

Where meek souls will receive Him still

I love this video.

Not only do I love cathedral choirs,

where the big men sing the low parts,

and the little men sing the high parts

and wear those funny collars,

but I also love how the congregation joins in.

I love the way the old men,

so stately and distinguished,

sing about the angels and archangels,

cherubim and seraphim.

And how that mother and her adorable baby

remind us of Mary & Jesus.

I love this little group of believers,

singing their praises.

This video is what it means in O Little Town of Bethlehem:

Where meek souls will receive Him still

the dear Christ enters in.

The condescension of God.

I am a Christian.

And I love Jesus Christ.

I know that Jesus Christ lived as a god,

but he came to where we are

to be with us and help us.

Joy to the world, the Lord is come!

"He came down to earth from heaven,

who is God and Lord of all.

And His shelter was a stable.

And His cradle was a stall.

With the poor, and meek, and lowly

lived on earth our Savior holy."

Jesus Christ with the lowly
at the pool of Bethesda

"Our God, heav'n cannot hold Him,

nor earth sustain.

Heav'n and earth shall flee away

when He comes to reign.

Jesus Christ at His second coming.

In the bleak midwinter

a stable place sufficed.

The Lord God Almighty,

Jesus Christ."

"For as surely as thou livest,

behold, I have seen my Redeemer;

and he shall come forth, and be born of a woman,

and he shall redeem all mankind who believe on his name.

Now, when he had said these words,

his heart was swollen within him,

and he sunk again with joy"

Alma 19:13

When I think about these things,

I feel happy!

I feel important

and not alone.

And that's enough for me

to know they're real.

A blessing on your head.

My educational career has been one big lucky break.

No really.

Just now,

as I was thinking I would never be able to finish 

my presentation due tomorrow,

I found out that my professor is sick

and 

class

is

cancelled.

What about Greek 102 when the only times I didn't do my homework

were the only times that Dr. Bay decided 

not to check our homework?

And what about when I should have failed that class 

and I got an A?

How about getting in the 85th percentile on a practice LSAT

without ever studying?

Seriously, so blessed.

I can't not believe that God is watching out for me.

Mountains to Climb.

In the Book of Mormon,

in Helaman,

in the fifth chapter,

in the forty-third verse,

I learned something.

"And it came to pass that when they cast their eyes about,

and saw that the cloud of darkness was dispersed 

from overshadowing them,

behold,

they saw that they were encircled about,

yea every soul,

by a pillar of fire."

Sometimes it seems like I'm overshadowed by darkness,

but when I look around,

I realize that I'm encircled in light.

It's funny,

like when I feel sadder than sad,

and it's harder than hard,

but suddenly through the smog comes the thought,

"I'm so glad that I have mountains to climb."