Today, my heart is singing “There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today.” I live in a part of the country that is very reluctant to give up it’s hold on winter. Some people like that, but I don’t happen to be one of them. Yes, winter carries its own blessings. My favorites are warm fuzzy socks and hot chocolate. But my heart yearns for sunshine, warmth and the beauty of growing things.

It was a joyful occasion for me on Saturday when two of my children presented me with the first flowers from my garden that had triumphed over winter’s cold. It brought a spirit of hope and joy to my day. Just from two tiny little flowers.

Now the weather here is giving in to strength of winter once again. The days are now gray and sadder again, there have been no more flowers. That’s why my heart is singing. I have seen the flowers, and I know that they will soon return again.

This hymn has four verses. Each is dedicated to an aspect of happiness that we can bring into our lives and souls. I’m looking eagerly for each of these.

Sunshine

Music

Springtime

Gladness

Why are these called out? Because they are very basic, very essential ways to bring joy into our lives.

We need more sunshine and light in our lives, given by the source of all light and truth Jesus Christ.

We need more uplifting music that touches the places in our spirit where we feel things most deeply.

We need hope for beauty and renewal through the atonement of Jesus Christ.

We need gladness and gratitude for the blessings of life.

Four simple things. On paper they don’t seem much bigger than the tiny flowers my children brought me, but their impact is lasting. Do you need a lift today, a little touch of sunshine, a little hope? Join me in singing – There Is Sunshine in My Soul Today!

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, known as the Mormons, revere John the Baptist. As Jesus Christ said, John was not only a prophet, but also “much more than a prophet” (Luke 7:26).

WHAT IS A PROPHET?

Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ explained that a prophet was essentially a witness of Christ.

“If any person should ask me if I were a prophet, I should not deny it, as that would give me the lie; for, according to John [The Revelator], the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy; therefore, if I profess to be a witness or teacher, and have not the spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus, I must be a false witness; but if I be a true teacher and witness, I must possess the spirit of prophecy, and that constitutes a prophet.” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 269.)

God has always called prophets to instruct His children. Moses, Joel, Jeremiah—all of these men were sent to teach us about the life and mission of Jesus Christ.

JOHN THE BAPTIST

However, there is one special prophet that we usually overlook. That is John the Baptist. We do not usually think of him as a prophet—partly because he did no miracles like Elijah or Elisha, and partly because we sandwich him in-between Christ’s teenage appearance at the Temple and the three temptations. We quickly mention that he was beheaded at the request of Salomé, and then we drop him off the radar until May 15, 1829, when he appeared to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery and gave them the Aaronic Priesthood.

We loose the savor of his mission and greatness. We only see him as a minor character, written out at the end of the first act of a play. As Jesus Christ said, “Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist” (Luke 7:28).

Since he did not perform miracles, and spent most of the New Testament in prison before being beheaded, what does this mean, he was “much more than a prophet”?

JOHN’S GREATNESS: THREE REASONS

In 1843, Joseph Smith gave a three-point explanation why John was such an impressive prophet—even the greatest prophet, second to Christ.

He explained:

“I attended [a] meeting at the Temple [on January 29, 1843]. … I stated that there were two questions which had been asked me concerning my subject of the last Sabbath, which I had promised to answer in public, and would improve this opportunity.”

“The question arose from the saying of Jesus—‘Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist; but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.’ [Luke 7:28.] How is it that John was considered one of the greatest of prophets? His miracles could not have constituted his greatness. [See John 10:41: ‘John did no miracle.’]”

“First. He was entrusted with a divine mission of preparing the way before the face of the Lord. Whoever had such a trust committed to him before or since? No man.”

"Secondly. He was entrusted with the important mission, and it was required at his hands, to baptize the Son of Man. Whoever had the honor of doing that? Whoever had so great a privilege and glory? Whoever led the Son of God into the waters of baptism, and had the privilege of beholding the Holy Ghost descend in the form of a dove, or rather in the sign of the dove, in witness of that administration? The sign of the dove was instituted before the creation of the world, a witness for the Holy Ghost, and the devil cannot come in the sign of a dove. The Holy Ghost is a personage, and is in the form of a personage. It does not confine itself to the form of the dove, but in sign of the dove. The Holy Ghost cannot be transformed into a dove; but the sign of a dove was given to John to signify the truth of the deed, as the dove is an emblem or token of truth and innocence.”

“Thirdly. John, at that time, was the only legal administrator in the affairs of the kingdom there was then on the earth, and holding the keys of power. The Jews had to obey his instructions or be damned, by their own law; and Christ Himself fulfilled all righteousness in becoming obedient to the law which He had given to Moses on the mount, and thereby magnified it and made it honorable, instead of destroying it. The son of Zacharias wrested the keys, the kingdom, the power, the glory from the Jews, by the holy anointing and decree of heaven, and these three reasons constitute him the greatest prophet born of a woman.” (“Chapter 6: The Mission of John the Baptist,” Teachings of Presidents of the Church: Joseph Smith, [2007], 79–87.)

So John was great because he prepared the way before Christ, baptized Him, and had proper priesthood authority. But his greatness has nothing to do with miracles (like Moses or Elisha), or eloquence like Isaiah, or solid theology like Paul. Christ’s teaching, in essence, turns our assumptions about greatness on their heads. John the Baptist was a servant.

SERVICE

This reminds us of the Psalmist, “I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness” (Psalms 84:10). It is the quiet service that counts. Dallin H. Oaks, an apostle, warned about “property, pride, prominence, [and] power” (“Alternate Voices,” Ensign, May 1989, 27ff). John the Baptist had none of these—he was a hermit in the wilderness living off of locust and wild honey. Yet, he was the greatest prophet.

The key was his service. In a sense, we all need to be the woman who washed Christ’s feet—

“Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40).

ORDINANCES AND AUTHORITY

The last two points that Joseph Smith highlighted dealt with ordinances and authority. These two questions are hot-button issues for Christianity. Sometimes we get the idea that all we need to do as Christians is to feed the poor. Of course that is an element of Christianity, but there are other issues to Christianity.

Christ fed the hungry, true, but He also submitted to the ordinances of the Gospel. And He also submitted to the Jewish authorized ministers "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat: All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe."(Matthew 23:2-3). Christ also called twelve apostles and groups of seventy elders. Implicit with this is church organization. Christ endorsed organized religion.

I also appreciate the point that “John did no miracle.” We look back at Moses, Elijah, or Elisha, and we get the idea that to be great, a prophet must do mighty miracles. Being a prophet is more than calling fire from heaven, smiting people, or such things. We get distracted by the spiritual razzle-dazzle.

Jesus points out that one can be great without doing the things we usually call greatness:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD” (Isaiah 55:8)

TRUE GREATNESS: CHILDREN

In another situation, the disciples were debating who was the greatest among their group. Jesus Christ explained:

“And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.”

“Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.” (Matthew 18:1-5)

In Christ’s eyes, who is the greatest? Those who are humble as children, and those that receive children. In other words, garden-variety parents.

MEEKNESS

Howard W. Hunter, the fourteenth president of the Church of Jesus Christ, said this about the meek:

"In a world too preoccupied with winning through intimidation and seeking to be number one, no large crowd of folk is standing in line to buy books that call for mere meekness. But the meek shall inherit the earth, a pretty impressive corporate takeover—and done without intimidation!"

"Sooner or later, and we pray sooner than later, everyone will acknowledge that Christ’s way is not only the right way, but ultimately the only way to hope and joy. Every knee shall bow and every tongue will confess that gentleness is better than brutality, that kindness is greater than coercion, that the soft voice turneth away wrath. In the end, and sooner than that whenever possible, we must be more like him. 'To those who fall, how kind thou art!/How good to those who seek!'" (Howard W. Hunter, “‘Jesus, the Very Thought of Thee’,” Ensign, May 1993, 63.)

CONCLUSION

That hits me in the heart. We aspire to greatness, but what does that exactly mean? Christ shows us that we can be great in small ways. John played second-fiddle to Christ, but so do we all. First-, second-, or third-fiddles—it’s all irrelevant, so long as we play our part well.

John said of Christ and himself, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). We should have the same outlook. The key issue is not our perceptions of so-called greatness, but increasing Christ.

This is the point of John the Baptist’s mission: true greatness is really true meekness.

...For Mormons, General Conference is an exciting time when large numbers gather to hear sermons, sacred music and news. But the most satisfying, profound and exhilarating thoughts and feelings of inspiration come when one person receives an answer to a serious personal question or is reassured by a connectedness to God and others. (LDS Newsroom)

Our family joined millions of members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Saints (informally known as Mormons) this past weekend for General Conference. Some were able to be present at the Conference Center in Salt Lake City for this wonderful event. Many more watched the live broadcast in select Church meetinghouses around the country and around the world. My family participated from home.

For us, General Conference this past week was an amazing emotional experience. We laughed and we cried. We were inspired, uplifted and motivated. Questions were answered. More importantly, we felt loved. We felt again how much our Heavenly Father cares for us. In the next few posts, I'd like to share just a few of our inspirational experiences, those "Aha" moments, from this latest General Conference.

Watching General Conference from home has many advantages: you don't have to drive somewhere else, the kitchen is just a few steps away if one needs a drink, and everyone can have their pick of the best and most comfortable seats in the house. On the other hand, participating from home means dealing with some distractions: frequent visits to the kitchen or bathroom, the overly comfortable seats can lull some family members to sleep rather than pay attention, and there is a tendency to do other things while watching General Conference. Because we were aware of these distractions from past experiences, we were able to minimize them significantly. As a result we were able to fully enjoy the spirit of General Conference.

Participating in the Solemn Assembly made the sustaining of our newly called Prophet and leaders profoundly personal. From our living room, we each raised our hands, and stood up to show our love and support for our leaders. At first, our sons thought it was odd to participate in such a manner. After all, we were at home and there was no one else there to see us. They giggled nervously the first couple of times we raised our hands to the square. However, by the time we got to the part where we were called to stand up by quorum, and as a Church body, they were fully engaged in the sacredness of the occasion.

I know that my children will treasure what they felt during the Solemn Assembly for a long time. They saw for themselves that in the Church, their sustaining vote counts. Each of them felt special and needed. They gained a greater understanding of how important each of us is to the Lord and to His work. In that meeting, our children saw clearly how every single one of us, even little ones, matter to the Lord.

The Solemn Assembly both inspired and humbled me. I remember thinking during this solemn occasion that the Lord does love us equally regardless of our station in life or our race and color. The Solemn Assembly reminded me that no one is too simple or too insignificant for Him to know and notice.

The first article of faith is the center of all other believes. It says, “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.”

You’ve learned something about this topic during your lessons with the missionaries. Most Christian churches believe in these three beings, but most have different ideas about the subject than we do. We don’t, for instance, believe they are all the same personage—the trinity. Instead, we believe that each member of the Godhead is a separate individual, but unified in purpose and teachings.

God is literally the Father of our spirits. He created us and loves us. Like any parent, He has to make rules for us and enforce them. The various churches of the world have differing views on what type of being God is. We know Him to have a body that is like ours, but perfect. We also know Him to be a kind and loving God. He doesn’t take pleasure in punishing us and does so only because we've chosen disobedience over obedience, thus deciding for ourselves our path. He wants us to be happy, to learn, and to grow, and to eventually return home to Him.

Jesus is our Savior. The church is named after Him. He came to earth to become like us, to experience what we experience, and ultimately, to take our sins upon Himself.

The Holy Ghost is somewhat different from the other members of the “Godhead.” He doesn’t have a physical body, but without him, it would be nearly impossible to make it back to Heavenly Father for most of us. We depend on him to help us make choices and to provide comfort when life gets hard.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland wrote:

“Indeed no less a source than the stalwart Harper’s Bible Dictionary records that “the formal doctrine of the Trinity as it was defined by the great church councils of the fourth and fifth centuries is not to be found in the [New Testament].”

So any criticism that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints does not hold the contemporary Christian view of God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost is not a comment about our commitment to Christ but rather a recognition (accurate, I might add) that our view of the Godhead breaks with post–New Testament Christian history and returns to the doctrine taught by Jesus Himself.” --Jeffrey R. Holland, “The Only True God and Jesus Christ Whom He Hath Sent,” Ensign, Nov 2007, 40–42

These three members of what we call the Godhead are the core of our earthly existence. Building our relationships with them should be a top priority as we begin our time as members of the church. When this relationship is solid, everything else about the gospel seems so much easier. It’s easier to live the gospel and to avoid temptation and persecution when we know Heavenly Father very well and can recognize the Spirit when it speaks to us.

When you’re not sure where to start in the gospel, start here, getting to know the Godhead in a personal just-for-you sort of way.

I find it extraordinary when God takes two people, who might not have met otherwise, and places them together.

My husband forgot his wallet one morning. This event alone has never happened before, so already the day seemed quite unusual. The kids and I headed downtown to deliver the wallet. Around the outskirts of Temple Square, a block that holds one of the temples of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (nicknamed the Mormons), one can see several panhandlers all looking for a monetary handout. It’s been years since I’ve carried any cash with me, and so I usually just try to greet them with a smile.

One particular woman approached me and asked for money. . . change. . . anything I might have to spare. I hated to tell her I honestly didn't have anything. Her face absolutely crumpled. At that moment I stopped. I couldn’t help myself. I reached out and took her in my arms. She was desperately hoping to find enough money to take her kids somewhere to sleep that night. I expressed my wish to help, but that I simply didn't carry money with me. It was hard to walk away, even with her reassurances that everything was fine.

There are ATM's in the building where my husband works, and I took out some money. I simply couldn't get her out of my head. We visited with Daddy for a few minutes and headed back out to the car. I prayed I would see her on the way. Sure enough, she was right where we'd left her. As I handed her the money, what little we could afford, I couldn't resist and once again gave her a hug. She began to cry, and then said something I don't think I'll ever forget.

"Thank you," she said. "Most of all thank you for seeing me. Most people won't even look."

I asked for her name, wondering when the last time someone had used it in love. Samantha. Isn't that beautiful. I told Samantha I'm so glad I got to meet her today, and I am. I think God put the two of us together that day for a reason.

This post is by no means encouraging you to go around finding those who are homeless and giving them money. Instead I'd ask you to take a moment to think about all the youth who have struck out in horrible ways in recent years, most often because of how they have been treated by those around them. How many of those teens had the same hopeless, helpless attitude? How many felt as though it had been so long since someone really looked at them, asked their name, and spoke it in love?

We may not be able to control the actions of those around us, but we can control ourselves. Because I stopped and listened to the promptings of the Holy Spirit that day, I will never be able to hear the name Samantha without thinking of a mother just trying her best in horrible circumstances to take care of her family. It's hard to say what little influence I might have had on her, but she is now imprinted upon my heart. I am the one who came away blessed.

Take a moment and really look at those around you, and ask the Lord to guide you to someone who just needs to be seen today.