It has been a tough year. My opinion is that it’s been more difficult not being able to attend church regularly than I ever expected!
I thought I would love not having to get ready for church meetings. I admit that holding sacrament meeting at home has been interesting. I enjoy holding the priesthood so I can bless and administer the sacrament for my family. Our musical qualities have a lot to be desired. My wife and I don’t play the piano, but we could always listen to the hymns with our phones. Our children play the piano, but they are in their own homes now. We have had the privilege of attending church meetings with them and their families in their homes. It has been a great experience. On occasion we still have children with us. The grandkids come to visit on occasion as well. These are special Sundays for all of us on.
Talk about special Sundays — we all have them. I have been in the Church my entire life. I can’t say that I am surprised with the recent changes in the Church and around the world. These modifications are needed and have reason, and I believe that they are ushering in the Second Coming. I hope so.
The pure love of Jesus Christ sustains and lifts us from the challenges of our day.
I remember going to church before the 3-hour block. And now we will all tell the story of attending church with face masks — but this is not the end, not yet.
We have peace despite the chaos in the world.
If you think this article is about sports or war, I can’t blame you. But the real message is that we can have peace in Christ and are all in this together. Our success is assured, if we simply endure to the end.
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We are at war figuratively, especially in light of the coronavirus outbreak that seems to influence everything we do or don’t do right now. But we can’t forget the victory has already been determined, and none of this can frustrate God’s work.
I almost send this article to our editor numerous times, but the Lord was not finished with it yet. And He is not finished with any of us yet, either.
Incredibly, this apparent hardship too will promote His work and glory as well. His timeline is not ours.
Just watch. “Prove me now herewith” is the way that He put it.
Better yet, become deeply involved in the work — it will improve your life today just as it has for so many others.
Just watch.
Additional Readings:
Calling an Audible: Finding Peace in Christ
In 1989, Walter Penning formed a consultancy based in Salt Lake City and empowered his clients by streamlining processes and building a loyal, lifetime customer base with great customer service. His true passion is found in his family. He says the best decision he ever made was to marry his sweetheart and have children. The wonderful family she has given him and her constant love, support, and patience amid life's challenges is his panacea.
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Thanks for sharing Brother Penning! 2020 was an incredibly hard year for all of us! It was just one thing after another! In my religion class, I shared a scripture that I believe can also apply here, which is Matthew 17:20-
“And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.”
So many, and I mean SO many of my tasks in 2020, and even 2021 seem to be undoable. I’m sure many can relate! But as we put our faith, prayers, and fasting to work, the Lord will put His ways to work. Our “mountains” are moveable with Christ! Even if its a simple task that we have at hand, the Lord is anxious to help us. We should become more willing to allow Christ to help us this year! That’s one of my goals!
This was an amazing post Walter. I agree that it is crazy to think we attended church for three hours. I personally loved having church with my family because we got the opportunity to hear and strengthen each others testimonies every Sunday. It really stood out to be when you said “…we can’t forget the victory has already been determined, and none of this can frustrate God’s work.” It can be frustrating to think that nothing is going right in this world due to all the chaos that keeps occurring one after the other. However, we must remember like you said, that God does have a plan for us and everything he puts in our path is to teach us a lesson for the future. I do not know what the Lord has in store for me, but all I can say is that I trust him and know that we each play a significant role in his plan.