Continuing to be impressed!

Some nuggets from the words of Jim and Natalie McCullough

at our September 2016 zone conference on

“Choosing to WRITE!”

·  From Sister Natalie McCullough:

How has God communicated with you recently? How have you felt the Spirit witness a truth, prompt you to action, or answer a question? What are you learning from your written impressions of the Book of Mormon? If you haven’t felt the Spirit lately, write from God’s perspective of what He would like to teach you about yourself. This is one way to PAY ATTENTION to the important  things that lie camouflaged below the line of vision as we rush through our lives to get to the next thing. By ignoring them, we may miss the whole experience of change and growth through personal insight and revelation.

·  Honest journal keeping is a way of bringing up the camouflaged “wild things of the soul” for examination. It is a way of having the full experience of change and growth in life, through self examination.

·  We have one kind of experience when we make a list of facts about our days, and

·  another when we ELABORATE on the facts as we imagine them from many

·  perspectives. It is much harder to remain the victims of our life stories when we imagine how it feels to be someone else in our story.

·  How is it different to WRITE thoughts than just to SPEAK them? There is power in the process of identifying and recording our rational thoughts, and emotion-based feelings, because these become our life story- they teach us things about ourselves that we may not consciously know.

·  Alma explains the purposes of record keeping to his son, Helaman:  (ALMA 37: 8, 10    And now, it has hitherto been wisdom in God that these [records] should be preserved; for behold, they have enlarged the memory of this people, yea, and convinced many of the error of their ways, and brought them to the knowledge of their God unto the salvation of their souls. And who knoweth but what they will be the means of bringing many thousands ...to the knowledge of their Redeemer?

·  WHO KNOWETH?... who of my loved ones will be brought to knowledge of their Redeemer through the record of my spiritual life journey?

·  From Brother Jim McCullough:

I I like to call journal writing … my log book.  Airline Pilot’s keep log books, logging hours as Pilot in Command (PIC).  Sea captains and all things nautical keep log books.  Log books record time, course, velocity, relevant conditions and observations. 

·  Facts are essential, but they tell only a part of the story.  You elders are on a great voyage, and it doesn’t matter how many oceans you have crossed or continents you are away from your own home. It doesn’t matter if you come from across the country.  Your exploration is to enlarge your boundaries of understanding, testimony and belief. You are the emissaries of good will, bringing eternal life to those who would hear your message.   Your orders are exceptional, no other minister has the Priesthood power or spiritual gifts you possess.  You have been set apart for this work.  You are the Captain of your soul.  Record this experience in your log book, your Captain’s logbook. 

·  What would the kingdom be today without Nephi’s log book- Nephi whose large family traveled and camped over a tiresome desert and who built a ship, and sailed across the ocean.  We would not have the  Book of Mormon, the second witness of Jesus Christ if it had not been for diligent, faithful, men of God who recorded the diet, disagreements, home sickness, fatigue and disappointments of his journey. These details in common with future great explorers make the experience come alive for us, they make the people accessible and real, but even more valuable, the log keepers of the Book of Mormon added their witness, their developing testimonies of the Living Christ and His great atoning sacrifice.  Each of us has this same story to tell.

·  South Africa has unique qualities, physical, cultural, historical.  They need your particular set of eyes to notice and make sense of their beauty.  Your mission is a journey of self discovery that calls for your unique understanding of your place in history,  and your mission experience’s influence on your developing history.

·  I have some special entries I will enter in my captain’s logbook these two weeks in South Africa.  THey will surely include the experiences I am having here with each of you, and the great Spirit of virtue and sacrifice and joy that I feel in your presence and in the presence of our dear mentors and friends, the Dunns. Thank you for your great, wholehearted commitment to the work in this time of preparation for all things to testify of Christ.  God Bless you in your ministry.  

We felt so grateful to have our dear friends visit. As we are reading the Book of Mormon daily as a mission, these words and reminders of the power of writing our impressions have made a big difference. We hope everyone is feasting upon the words and enjoying the daily opportunity to write impressions. Thanks Jim and Natalie for sharing such great thoughts with us.

We also appreciated the sessions taught by Elder and Sister Black and elder and Sister Card on "Questions of the Soul" I am finding so many places where the Book of Mormon is answering these important soul searching topics. It was wonderful to have these great reminders by our senior couples during zone conference. I hope many places are being marked that answer "questions of the souls" during our reading.