Life Is the Stories You Can Tell
  • Life is the Stories You Can Tell
  • Sing His Praises
  • My Creed
  • Books I Love
  • Christmas Letters

Connecting the Dots

4/28/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Steve Jobs (THE Steve Jobs of Apple) said, "You cannot connect the dots looking forward. You can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future.” (Stanford University commencement address, June 12, 2005.)

Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf, Apostle, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, likened the dot connecting to neo-impressionistic art and identified the source we can trust to connect our dots.

"In the late 19th century, artists such as Georges Seurat and Paul Signac began painting in a new style that would become known as neo-impressionism. Their technique consisted of dotting canvases with small specks of color. Close up, these dots appear unconnected and random. But when you take in the entire painting, you can see how the dots blend into colors and how the colors form shapes that reveal a beautiful pattern. What once seemed arbitrary and even confusing begins to make sense.
Sometimes our lives are like neo-impressionistic art. The dots of color that make up the moments and events of our days can appear unconnected and chaotic at times. We can’t see any order to them. We can’t imagine that they have a purpose at all.
However, when we step back and take an eternal perspective, when we look at our lives in the frame of the gospel of Jesus Christ, we can begin to see how the various dots in our lives interconnect. We may not be able to see the entire picture just yet, but with patience we can see enough to trust that there is a beautiful, grand design. And as we strive to trust God and follow His Son, Jesus Christ, one day we will see the finished product, and we will know that the very hand of God was directing and guiding our steps.”   (Ensign, March 2019)

Tanah and I recently caught a glimpse of dot connecting on our lives.   Here is the story.
About 4 years ago Tanah told me that she wanted to backpack through Europe together, just her and I against the world, so to speak   My then teenage daughter wanted to spend a month alone abroad with me?!!?!?! AWESOME! What a priceless opportunity! Always (almost) up for adventure, I immediately endorsed her plan.

At the time I asked Lance if it were okay that I set aside all the extra money I make--money from projects not included in my salaried responsibilities as an OPA teacher--and he readily agreed.   The money in my “trip fund” has accumulated for years and has become a tidy sum.

This was our year for the trip.   I kept my summer clear of obligations, even agreed to a postponement of the family reunion, because Tanah and I were going to Europe this summer.    All systems primed and ready for take off! Then Tanah received notification that she had to serve jury duty March-July. Jury duty? I have been a registered voter for decades and have never been summoned to jury duty.   She has only been a registered voter in Cedar City for a few months and she was summoned. What are the chances? And March-July..the entire summer???? So the trip to Europe was postponed once more….

A month later Tanah was offered her dream job; she was invited to work with in costuming for the Utah Shakespearean Festival.   For Tanah nothing could be better….except maybe if she were given the opportunity to become executive assistant for the man who runs the Shakespearean outreach education programs at SUU.  Yep, a week later she was invited to be paid to be trained to be his right hand woman. They are absolutely ideal jobs for her, jobs that will put money in her bank, books in her bags, and food on her table for the rest of her stay at SUU AND jobs that will open doors for her when she graduates.     And they are jobs she would not have inquired about nor been able to accept had she been in Europe this summer. And she would have been in Europe this summer had it not been for a seemingly random summons to jury duty.  About the trip fund….  It has brought tremendous peace of mind in our current financial tight spot to know that, if need becomes desperate, we have some money stashed away.   

The very hand of God is indeed directing and guiding our steps.    May He continue to do so. May He guide yours as well. And, perhaps most importantly, may we be aware of and grateful for His dot connecting!


Image credits:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Georges_Seurat_053.jpg
https://www.flickr.com/photos/countylemonade/5915871833
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Connect_the_dots_puzzle_(partially_solved).png


Picture
Picture
0 Comments

The INFINITE Atonment

4/21/2019

0 Comments

 
Picture
Christian theory defines the Atonement as “the reconciliation of God and humankind through Jesus Christ”.     Infinite means “limitless or endless in space, extent, or size; impossible to measure or calculate.”   Jacob tells us the Atonement “must needs be an infinite atonement” (2 Nephi 9:7) and Amulek adds “..there can be nothing which is short of an infinite atonement which will suffice for the sins of the world.”   (Alma 34:12) What does infinite mean when applied to Christ’s Atonement?


Christ’s Atonement is infinite is that it is limitless and endless.   Christ’s Atonement is truly infinite in:
  • Power.    Christ’s Atonement has the power to conquer spiritual and physical death.  His is the truly the power of God, infinite and eternal.
  • Time.   The Atonement reaches forward and backward through time.   The option it gives all of God’s children to be reconciled with Him extends backwards to the origins of creation and forwards to the Final Judgement.  Though the time for repentance is not is eternal, the effects of Christ’s Atonement are.
  • Coverage.   All things, ALL, are blessed by the Atonement of Jesus Christ.
  • Depth. Christ descended below all things, beneath “all sins, all transgressions, all ailments, and all temptations known to the human family.”  (Callister, pg 96) He knows the suffering caused by sin because he experienced it. He knows the loneliness of being single, the heartbreak caused by losing a child, the relentlessness of chronic pain and ALL other aspects of our human experience.  
  • Suffering.   Christ suffered in both body and spirit.  (D&C 19:18) Not only did the Savior experience all aspects of the mortal experience, He took upon Himself ALL the suffering associated with ALL of mortality.  And He chose to do so as a mortal. “He took upon him infinite suffering, but chose to defend with only mortal faculties, with but one exception--his godhood was summoned to hold off unconsciousness and death….that would otherwise overpower a mere mortal when he reached his threshold of pain…. His divinity would be called upon, not to immunize him from pain, but to enlarge the receptacle that would hold it.   He simply brought a larger cup to hold the bitter drink.” (Callister, pg 119)
  • Love.  “Greater love  hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13)  Christ, a divine Being, indeed the very Son of God, laid down His life for us. And He suffered, deeply, for us.   And why? Because He loves us. Infinitely

Today, on Easter Sunday, on this day that represents Christ’s resurrection, on the day when we celebrate our opportunity to be resurrected physically and reborn spiritually, I want to express my gratitude to Christ for His Infinite Atonement.  I thank my Heavenly Father for so loving the world “the He sent His Only Begotten Son” and I thank my Savior for being that Son.


*This post was significantly influenced by the book The Infinite Atonement, authored by  Callister, T. R. (2013). Salt Lake City, UT: Deseret Book.  

**Photo credits:  
https://www.maxpixel.net/Joy-Jesus-Easter-Christ-Sun-Resurrection-God-4138925 He is risen sign
http://pngimg.com/download/22911 Picture of Christ with open arms
https://www.pexels.com/photo/art-atonement-bronze-christ-415636/ bronze statue
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Christus_statue_temple_square_salt_lake_city.jpg Christus statue

Picture
Picture
0 Comments

The Van Incident

4/14/2019

0 Comments

 
PictureThe Cedar City mechanic....
Spring break broke the van, almost broke the bank, and totally did not break our ties to our Las Vegas cousins. Here are the stories.

The week before spring break we spent nearly $1200 replacing the rack and pinion on the van so that it would be in tiptop shape for our spring break trip to Las Vegas.  On 1-15, close to Beaver, the check engine light came on again. We called our trusted mechanics and Jeremy (JP Midland in Roy) told us to get an engine scan at an auto parts store, which we did.   The scan showed engine misfires so the salesman sold Lance spark plugs and sent us to a local mechanic who told us it would take $250 and 2.5 hours to put the plugs in Five hours later it was done.  Total price, including parts bought from the salesman, was about $350.

The check engine light came on again on the way to St. George.   On a wing and a prayer we drove to Las Vegas where, the next morning, we consulted a mechanic that Marjorie and Jason trust.  The scan showed more misfires so, for $800, the mechanic replaced the coils.

On the way home, close to  Beaver, the check engine light came on again.  It was Sunday, General Conference was on and mechanics were off, so we decided to try to make it home.   We did make it home but the van did not. At Nephi the check engine light started flashing and our faith started failing.   We left the van in Santaquin in the parking lot of a mechanic Uncle Warren trusts and rode home with my parents (who heroically drove to Santaquin to rescue us).

Gratefully the van story does not end there but the spend-money-on-repairs story does.   When the Santaquin mechanic was able to work our van into his repair schedule (Thursday of the following week) he could not find anything wrong; no check engine light and no indication of problems on the scan.   He drove it for 30 minutes on the freeway….still no indication of problems. We drove it home Saturday without incident.

The drive home was without incident but the experience was certainly more than slightly incidental.  We are referring to the adventure as The Van Incident (not to be confused with the Saran Wrap Incident, which was much more physically and much less economically painful).

As traumatic as it might have been, The Van Incident did not define our spring break.   It was a glorious break from reality. Miles and Lance had at least two Monster Big Gulps daily from the neighboring 7-11 and I slept past 5:00 a.m. most mornings.    Marjorie and I enjoyed several long bike rides, weeded her front and side yards, cleaned out two refrigerator/freezers, and volunteered 4 hours at the D.I. where we semi-successfully sorted other people’s junk.    We also shopped at Costco and spent 7 hours Saturday at a junior high track meet. When Marjorie’s friend, Jen, learned what we did, she said “What? Did you not want them to ever come back?”

We do want to go back!  Watching Spencer run (and win the 400m) was awesome.  Weeding (and chatting) beside my sister was priceless.   Being corrected on the correct way to sort junk by almost every DI employee was hilarious.  Even shopping wasn’t heinous. (Costco has great samples…)     We would love to go back.  And we probably will. While we were there the Watkins voted and their decision, though not binding, was flattering and unanimous:  Hislops should make visiting Las Vegas their annual tradition. Good times.

Picture
Spencer wins the 400m
Picture
Tanah and Miles hang out while we wait for repairs to be completed in Cedar City
Picture
The van gets a ride from Nephi to Santaquin on the bed of this tow truck.
Picture
Miles rides inside the tow truck
Picture
The van rides outside
0 Comments

    Author

    Teresa Hislop
    thislop@msn.com

    Archives

    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    August 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    September 2012
    August 2012

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.