~by Michelle

Truths about God’s love and His plan and His Son Jesus Christ are truths that even children can comprehend. Today, a children’s song came to mind that carries with it this kind of beautiful simplicity — and also points to so many layers of awe-inspiring truths.

This song talks about how we all lived with God before this life. We were given the opportunity to choose whether or not we wanted to come to earth and receive bodies and learn by experience through this mortal journey. We knew Jesus before this life, because He was central to God’s plan to allow us the opportunity to come back Home.

In this life, we have an opportunity to choose God’s plan and to choose to have faith in Jesus — again.

The song reminds me of William Wordsworth’s poem, “Ode: Intimations of Immortality from Recollections of Early Childhood.” (I’d never seen the whole poem before; I recommend reading it in its entirety.)

Wordsworth was an English poet who was born in the later 18th century. His poem articulates this sense that our existence didn’t start here, but that

Our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting:

The Soul that rises with us, our life’s Star,

                      Hath had elsewhere its setting,

                         And cometh from afar:

                      Not in entire forgetfulness,

                      And not in utter nakedness,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come

                      From God, who is our home:

Wordsworth also acknowledges that as we grow older, experiences of life can leave us forgetting, growing blinded to our divine identity evidences of Light all around us.

But we don’t have to walk blind, in the dark. We can, as the scriptures say, be as little children.

As these children sing, we can “Choose Him Again.”

[Song written by Shawna Edwards and performed by One Voice Children’s Choir]

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In my professional life, my work is to explore how we can be well in a digital world. There are so many facets to wellness — mental, physical, emotional, social, spiritual. We talk about civic wellness as well — about the impact of digital life on our ability to talk about hard things and solve hard problems.

For me, this continual interest in understanding wellness is not just my job. I’ve long been fascinated with human nature and behavior (my background is in Psychology and studying the human side of organizations and systems). But beyond all of that still is something deeper.

And once in a while, in my networking and study and reflection for work, I come across material that stops me in my tracks.

I recently learned about a new initiative called AI and Faith, seeking to bring the perspectives of people of faith into discussions about and design of Artificial Intelligence. In talking with one of the leaders of this organization, I learned about some of the work of Andy Crouch. Crouch is an author of several books; he was the executive editor of Christianity Today for four years; he’s involved in other organizations like Fuller Theological Seminary and the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship.

I’ve only started his newest book, but the following video gives a glimpse into what he sees as the antidote to the negative impacts of technological advances. To be sure, progress has its upsides, but, as he notes, it also has its paradoxes.

How he connects some of his thoughts into Romans 16 is thought-provoking and inspiring. I’ll never look at the chapter the same again (which, as Crouch helped me see, was not written by Paul, but by a person named Tertius.)

In addition to the video below, I wanted to share a snippet from his newest book that I just started (this share is not promotional, it’s emotional; what he said moved me deeply).

In the first chapter, he shares his perspective on what early Christianity was: a radical kind of social revolution, a movement toward the truest kind of inclusion in divisive times.

Much like the struggles of our day, there was increasing fragmentation and stratification of society as the quest for wealth and power became more of a focus in an “ever-more complex and urbanizing empire.” But, Crouch notes, “The Roman empire was a lonely place for almost everyone, powerless or powerful.” So what was the countercultural movement about?

People from all walks of life and social strata came together — such as the group greeted and seen and acknowledged by Paul in Romans 16 — around a shared belief. “They had come to believe, against all evidence and social convention” (and in the face of oppression in the culture and in the political power structure), “that they were in fact fully persons and that they had discovered the way to a flourishing life together.” (Of course we who are Christians know that that belief was not fabricated by them, but instilled by their belief in Someone who sees all as equals, and Who gave His life for each one.)

If you have ever seen a portrayal of the kind of excess and social inequality found in these ancient times, you can imagine the contrast he draws as he describes what early Christians did instead.

“[G]roups of men and women, Jews and Greeks, slaves and free…enjoyed a very different kind of meal. In halls that were accustomed to to feasts that signaled the status and significance of the host, this community would pass a single loaf of bread from hand to hand, in remembrance of someone not present. In place of reverent toasts to the emperor, they would sing songs both ancient and new that spoke of a different king and kingdom.” (The Life We’re Looking For, p. 17)

I won’t ever think about my church’s sacrament in the same way, either.

The post Romans 16: an oft-ignored chapter of the Bible that holds insight into digital and civic wellness appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle

When COVID-19 first started, my youngest was finishing up high school. As schools and everything closed down, I think most of us expected (or at least hoped) that the situation would pass fairly quickly.

I definitely didn’t imagine my daughter not being able to return to school for the rest of her senior year. I definitely didn’t expect to have online church as the only option for as long as we did. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we saw missionaries having to work for months completely from their apartments, using only technology to engage with people. Many missionaries had to leave their missionary service altogether, or were reassigned to different locations in their home countries. I never imagined that my missionary son would have to come home early because of a pandemic. I never imagined sending off another missionary into a pandemic.

While we’ve seen a return to schools and church and more “normal” life, to a degree, now the Omicron variant has made us have to make shifts again. Medical systems are strained. Medical workers are exhausted and staffing shortages are an issue (because some have quit the profession for how difficult this has been, and because many are sick). Many schools are needing to make significant adjustments (including going online in some cases) because of the number of teachers and students who are sick. At least where I live, testing capacity is now far beyond demand, and treatments for COVID are in short supply and/or don’t work with this variant. In my local area (a cluster of 9 congregations), we just went back to online church because too many people are sick and our leaders hope to slow the spread in our community.

And, as throughout the pandemic, emotions continue to run high as different opinions about it all are expressed and explored and debated.

At the beginning of the pandemic, a quiet voice whispered to my spirit, “There is more going on here than COVID.” In my own personal experiences, although COVID has been so difficult for so many reasons, this has been true.

In the larger picture of things, this has also been true. There has been a great deal of loss, to be sure, and there have also been compensatory blessings. I’ll share a simple example that I learned about this weekend.

When COVID started, an instructor in the religious education system of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints decided to put his lessons on YouTube for his students. (I was familiar with his channel, but didn’t know the history.) He never could have imagined that “six months later we hit our one millionth view, as people around the world are eagerly pursuing an unshaken faith in God by immersing themselves in His word.” (https://unshaken.podbean.com/) On YouTube, his video series, Unshaken, has almost 59,000 subscribers, and the podcast version of Unshaken has over 1.9 million downloads. Where in the classroom, students get to spend about 24 hours or so in a given semester exploring God’s word together, with these videos, people who have listened, Jared Halverson says, have spent a cumulative total of five solid days — or five semesters’ worth — of time immersed in the scriptures — all because of a pandemic and the upsides of living in a digital age. (When technology is used for good, such good can happen! #UseTech4Good)

Another example is RootsTech (which is coming up again soon). Last year, RootsTech went virtual-only for the first time. RootsTech is the largest genealogy/family history conference in the world. When they first announced the all-online version of RootsTech, they projected 40-50K people would sign up. Soon, they realized their projections were significantly off. In the end, over 1.1 million people participated in the 2021 RootsTech conference! And leaders of the conference realized, through the constraints COVID presented, that they could make materials available all year around and thus serve more people than ever before. (See https://www.deseret.com/faith/2021/3/3/22307976/what-drew-more-than-1-1-million-to-attend-rootstech-connect-2021-family-history-genealogy for more on RootsTech 2021, or RootsTech Connect)

COVID has been a difficult challenge, to be sure, but stories like this are legion. I don’t share any of this to minimize the horrible things that have happened, including millions of lives lost, numberless jobs lost or impacted, long-term health impacts from the disease for too many, mental and emotional challenges experiences or exacerbated by the stress and increased isolation many have suffered…and the list can go on.

And, as has already been mentioned, there is so much of division and contention around the politicization of the pandemic, and that has put wedges in families and cities and nations and religious communities and beyond.

This week, after wrestling (again) with some weariness from it all, I was reminded of a scripture that means a lot to me. For a little background, I’m struck by the statement from the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints about encouraging precautions such as vaccines and masks. Before they mention precautions, however, I’m intrigued that they call this time a time of war. “We find ourselves fighting a war against the ravages of COVID-19 and its variants, an unrelenting pandemic.” Wartime situations call for different measures than what we are used to as normal.

As I think about this, I think: The war is not supposed to be against each other, but against the disease. Still, the length of this war has brought frustration, weariness, even hopelessness. “Does the journey seem long?” a hymn asks. I think most of us would say, “Yes! This pandemic just feels like it’s dragging on forever. I want it to be over!” “I’m so done with COVID!” I’ve heard many exclaim. Experts and prophets alike predict it will eventually move into an endemic phase. But we aren’t there yet. It’s not over yet. And, I remind myself, I need to not forget that for too many in the world, war is just part of their normal. (There it goes again….my heart can feel heavy even at the thought.)

So what can be done to keep from being buried in frustration or weariness…or even apathy or enmity toward others in times of war?

I love this scripture from Alma 62:41 in the Book of Mormon.

“But behold, because of the exceedingly great length of the war…many had become hardened, because of the exceedingly great length of the war; and many were softened because of their afflictions, insomuch that they did humble themselves before God, even in the depth of humility.”

When the journey seems long, when whatever wars we may be fighting — be they collective (such as this one against a global pandemic or other physical or philosophical wars that plague our world), or personal battles — turning to God for help can help us not lose hope (or help us find it again). He can help us heal from the impact of hard things. In His way and time, He can show us how He can make beauty from ashes (see Isaiah 61:3), and turn all things to our good (see Romans 8:28 or Doctrine and Covenants 122:7-9). What if, in the end, no matter what the specifics of the war, the invitation is to let it all turn our hearts more toward God?

President Russell M. Nelson has said (a message that was repeated by many during the last General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ) [emphasis added]:

“The joy we feel has little to do with the circumstances of our lives

and everything to do with the focus of our lives.”

We are encouraged to have that focus be on the Savior, Jesus Christ.

Elder Russell M. Ballard recently said, ““The pandemic will [eventually] wear itself out, but don’t let it wear you out.”

I’m recommitting this week to seek God’s help so that my heart can stay soft as COVID and other wars continue to have such an impact on our world. I know I can’t do it without His help, but I have felt Him reminding me that He is there, wanting to send strength in time of need. [There are many Bible and other verses that explore seeking God’s strength in hard times. I just included a link I found on an internet search. See what other verses you can find in your own searches online or in your paper copies of scriptures.]

How do you recenter or seek for God’s strength in times of difficulty?

The post “Does the journey Seem long?” God can help with COVID-19 pandemic burnout appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

“And it came to pass that Abram looked forth and saw the days of the Son of Man, and was glad, and his soul found rest.” JST Gen. 15:12

Some in the scriptures, like Abram (Abraham) or Isaiah had the chance to see the days of Jesus Christ in vision. Others had the opportunity to see and experience the Savior personally while He was on the earth (such as is recorded in the Four Gospels). Others were able to see Jesus when He visited people after His resurrection.

For the rest of us, we have the scriptures as a way to see some of “the days of the Son of Man.” I’m also grateful for the way that I can “see” some of what it might have been like to see His days in vision or in person through media like The Chosen. The more I can see of Christ, the more I can visualize who He is, the more glad I am, and the more rest I feel. As the scriptures teach, He will come again. I want to get to know Him as well as I can now so that when He comes again, He won’t be a stranger to my mind and heart.

I’ve started watching The Chosen again to prepare for Season 3 that will come out this spring. (Did you get to see the bonus Christmas episode they created?) But it’s also a way for me to “come and see.” As I started Episode 1 over the weekend, I was reminded that those at The Chosen encourage us to read the Four Gospels, to go to the text to learn more of Jesus.

Multiply Goodness is an interfaith Bible study group that encourages women to join in small group Bible study and discussion. See if there is a Bible study group near you, or you can start one!

If you would like a free copy of the Bible, or would like to study the Bible with missionaries from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, you can go to ComeUntoChrist.org for either option.

Get a free copy of the Bible.

Study the Bible with missionaries

…Or consider different ways you can study the Bible in a way that works for you or fits your needs right now.

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The post “Come and See” – Learn more about Jesus Christ through The Chosen (“People must know!”) and Bible Study appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

This special interfaith event, “Witnesses of Christmas, was filmed from both Copenhagen’s historic Church of Our Lady and the visitor’s center near the Rome temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Music was provided by Jenny Oaks Baker and the Family Four and soprano Alex Sharpe. Narration was provided by Danish actor Tomas Ambt Kofod, who begins in the Church of our Lady (home of Bertel Thorvaldsen’s Christus statue, as well as statues depicting the original twelve apostles). A replica of the Christus and the other statues can also be seen in the background at the Rome temple visitor’s center behind the musicians.

This special Christmas presentation includes “memorable musical performances blended with a biblical account of our Savior’s humble birth in Bethlehem. Encounter the diverse cultures of Europe as you watch holiday traditions in this unique Christmas event.”

The post Witnesses of Christmas – A Special Christmas Concert from Europe appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Last night, I watched last year’s “Christmas with The Chosen” again, and I’m excited that tonight is the night that the 2021 “Christmas with The Chosen” livestream event is happening.

The Chosen took their Christmas special first to theaters this year. The director and producers of The Chosen hoped to at least be able to sustain two days’ presence in theaters (only one showing per day), but the record-breaking response has extended the time “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” will be in theaters: until December 16. [Edit to that…it looks like it will be running in some places all the way through Christmas Eve.]

But director, Dallas Jenkins, has never wanted this to be about making it big. He wants the message to go big, but his first focus is still on the intention to keep The Chosen available for free. He says on the YouTube link for tonight’s livestream:

When the theater chains told us they wanted to extend our run in theaters, our response was, “That’s great, but those who can’t see it in theaters have waited long enough.” So we’ll see you LIVE Sunday night, Dec. 12, 8:00 ET, for “Christmas With The Chosen: The Messengers.”

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UOTkTBxTxEA

If you haven’t had a chance to watch last year’s “Christmas with The Chosen,” it’s also worth a watch. The show includes powerful narration as well as guest musical appearances from For King & Country, Zach Williams, Mandisa, Chris Tomlin, Hillsong United, Joshua Aaron, The Bonner Family, The Piano Guys, Stephen McWhirter/Jason Clayborn, Phil Wickham, and Matt Maher.

The post Celebrating “Christmas with The Chosen: The Messengers” 2021: Livestream appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

~by Michelle

I can’t even remember now how I found out about The Chosen. Have you heard of it? If not, I highly recommend it.

I have been a Christian my entire life. I love the scriptures. I love learning about Jesus.

But I haven’t always understood how, as the scripture say, to let Him carry my burdens or lighten my load. I think this has bee complicated by the fact that I have dealt with dysthymia (low-level depression) and some degree of anxiety for most of my life. I’ve struggled with perfectionism. I have understood about Jesus in my head, but haven’t always known how to access and feel and surrender to His love and help.

This is an ongoing journey for me, and God is continually helping me discover more about what it means to let Jesus into my life more fully.

The Chosen is one of the ways He is helping me.

I just re-watched what may be my favorite episode of the series so far, if it’s possible to have a favorite. Just yesterday, I was having one of those days where heaven felt far away. I have lived long enough now to know that these kinds of days come for me, and they go. As I keep showing up for my days the best I can on any given day, God always has a way of showing up, in His time and way.

Yesterday, He broke through the clouds and let me know I was seen. This sweet experience came through a conversation with a fellow traveler on the road of faith who is also seeking to understand more how to lean on God for healing help. She doesn’t practice a religion, but believes strongly in the Bible and in God. In our conversation, patterns emerged, mostly about having eyes to see — eyes to see ourselves with more love, eyes to see (and ears to listen to) others, and eyes to see how God can turn all things for our good.

So to finish my day, to let that feeling of being seen settle a little more in my heart, I watched “I Saw You” (Season 2, Episode 2). As has been the case throughout the series, I felt things beyond words, and was taught and nurtured by God’s Spirit. I’d forgotten some of what was in this episode (it’s been several months since I last watched it). It felt good to remember.

I’m grateful to those who use their talents to share their faith, to bring art like The Chosen to the world. I’m especially grateful for how this unique show helps me see and feel and experience more of what it could have been like to walk with Jesus when He was on earth — and to understand more what it can feel like to let Him walk with me in my life now.

p.s. While I was looking up the video to embed, I discovered that tonight at 8:00 p.m. Eastern Standard Time (1:00 a.m. on Monday, GMT) there will be an update on The Chosen‘s holiday plans. Last year’s Christmas special was incredible, and this year, from what I have heard, they have more gifts to share. I won’t be able to attend the special in-theater experience for health reasons (please be sure to mask up if you go), but I look forward to see how and when they will, as they always do, bring what they have created, to their app and YouTube channel.

Note: I receive nothing for posting about The Chosen. It’s just something I want to share.

The post What’s your favorite episode from The Chosen? appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

The Jubilee event was rained out (more like hurricaned out), so we don’t have an on-demand virtual ticket to give away. But you can see what they captured on-the-fly in a livestream from Emily Belle Freeman’s house after the decision was made to call the event. They still were able to bring 1.5 hours of content to us all. You can find the recording of that livestream here:

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CS3OQMRiSg_/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

This is what they write about what is in the livestream.

“Lisa Jo Baker and Emily Belle Freeman gave their full talks. Morgan Jones, Nish Weiseth, and Neill Marriott hosted their panel discussion. We had the beauty and encouragement from Yahosh Bonner singing. Emily spoke with one of the producers of The Chosen about what he’s learned about bridge-building. We worshiped alongside TJ Faamausili, who played his ukelele and sang for us. Lisa Valentine Clark hosted and made us laugh the whole way through.”

Some screenshots follow.

– – – – – –

Original post is below:

Years ago, I came across a group called Multiply Goodness. Their mission is “to empower women to love God’s Word and build bridges across different faith traditions through guided Bible study, inspired gatherings, and intentional friendship for the purpose of multiplying goodness throughout the world.” They model and share how you can create or engage with your own small Bible study group. Free small group leader and participants guide downloads are available. You can also find some free study guides from past studies, like a 14-day Live Love Experience or a “Fruits of the Spirit” study. (Monday they begin a new study: “In His Image.”) They have an Instagram account where most of their sharing and gathering happens.

But on occasion, they host physical gatherings. Today Multiply Goodness is hosting an event called a Jubilee in Lehi, Utah. [“In the Old Testament,” they share on the event website, “the jubilee was considered a time of rest, abundance, and joy.”] The theme for the event is “Connected” — exploring “the ways we are already connected to one another, how we can build stronger connections between us, and how we can invite others to experience that connection.”

They realize that many won’t be able to attend because of health or distance or funds or schedules, or because they hadn’t ever heard of this event. But there is good news! Multiply Goodness is offering a virtual option for their Jubilee. This is an on-demand program that will become accessible next week.

We at Women Seeking Christ are giving away a virtual ticket to the Jubilee. Simply share a favorite Bible verse and why it is meaningful to you in the comments below by August 28 at midnight EST. We’ll run a random number generator and send an email to the lucky recipient.

Here is what I have been told about the virtual option:

“The virtual option is an on-demand experience that will provide digital copies of materials that are given at the Jubilee, as well as a video production of the onstage event with the speakers and worship music.” [They have changed it from the livestream option because of feedback they have received about women wanting to watch the onstage events on their own time.]

We love the spirit of what Multiply Goodness is doing — helping unite women from various faiths around the Word of God and inviting them to take His light out into their spheres.

Again, if you would like to be entered into the drawing for a free virtual ticket, please share your favorite Bible verse below in the comments. And if you are looking for some inspiration in your Instagram feed, be sure to follow Multiply Goodness.

The post Multiply Goodness is hosting a Jubilee! And we are offering a free virtual ticket giveaway — UPDATED appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

There is a story in the Book of Mormon about a man named Alma. He his friends (sons of a prophet-king named Mosiah) went around trying to dissuade people from believing in God.

They were not unlike Saul in the New Testament, both in terms of what their life’s work was for quite a while (working against the work of God), and also in terms of external events that helped them turn their lives around.

But it wasn’t the heavenly visitation of the Lord or an angel that really helped Paul become a disciple of Christ, or helped Alma and the sons of Mosiah become ambassadors for God. It was a change of heart brought about because of the acceptance of the grace of Jesus Christ and choosing a changed life.

One way we know this is because there were plenty of people in the New Testament who interacted face-to-face with Jesus Himself and were not converted to Him. There are many in the Bible who professed to believe in God but did not follow His ways. Likewise, in the Book of Mormon, there is a story of an angel appearing and not making a difference in people’s lives (two other sons of a prophet, Laman and Lemuel, who never fully got their hearts into following God and ended up at war with those who did…a war that lasted for generations).

We don’t need heavenly messengers to invite us to change. We can invite Jesus into our lives and hearts. “Angels” extending such an invitation (or reminding us of the invitation we’ve already sought to accept) can be people in our lives, or words in scripture coming alive through God’s Spirit, or missionaries sharing the message of mercy available to us all through Jesus Christ, or music touching our heart, or a show like The Chosen giving us a live-action view of what it could have been like to walk with Jesus when He was on earth.

Here is an example of such a story of a simple invitation. The story was shared by a sister missionary serving in the southeast area of the United States. (The man in the story gave permission for the missionary to share his story, but here we will keep his name confidential.)

This missionary and her companion visited with a man who is awaiting trial for a crime. His mind was very weighed down with everything going on and he expressed a desire to make better decisions in his life.

One of the sister missionaries shared Alma’s story in Alma 36. This story helped him feel hope that because of Jesus Christ, he can change. (See also the words in vs. 19 not circled here.)

This story stood out to me all the more so because I recently had two young men about to start their missions (angels in my own life) invite me to read these same verses on a weekend when my mind was weighed down with worry and weariness. I was raised reading the Book of Mormon, but I still felt like God was reaching out to me through this invitation to re-read these verses.

Alma went from a harrowed-up mind to a mind filled with joy. What was the difference? Turning his mind and heart to Jesus Christ. Remembering what his father Alma had taught about Jesus Christ. Allowing the love of Jesus Christ to enter into his mind and heart.

And once he had tasted of this joy, Alma “labored without ceasing” to share that joy in Jesus with others.

24 Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto ^arepentance; that I might bring them to ^btaste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be ^cborn of God, and be ^dfilled with the Holy Ghost.

There are myriad stories like this in the scriptures. The woman at the well from John 4 in the New Testament is another that comes to mind. She sat with Jesus while He told her about the sins in her life. As He did, she opened her mind and heart to the reality that He was the long-awaited Messiah. And then she left her pot and went to share the glad news with those in her circles.

I’ve been raised on the teachings of Jesus, but I need reminders to keep turning my mind and heart to Him. My mind is all-too-easily weighed down.

Writing is one way I seek to remember.

Pondering all of this also reminds me of a video that was made a few years ago for Easter. It talks about second chances, clean slates, new beginnings. Here’s the link to that video, or it is embedded below. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGCbMEmpY4g

There’s a saying that the past is a good predictor of the future. But when a person involves Jesus Christ in his or her or their life, this little saying goes out the window. Those who understand how humans can change (practicing a different focus on the present as a way to be released from the bondage of the past) understand this principle, even when they don’t fully understand (or at least don’t openly teach) that Jesus Christ is the One who makes such change possible. (I’m thinking, for example, of a saying from Eckhardt Tolle written on my mirror: “The past cannot prevail against the power of the now.” (from his book, The Power of Now.) The truth that change is possible is everywhere, in leadership trainings and spiritual movements.

The reason it is possible is because of what Jesus Christ did for us and because of the divinity within us as children of God.

Here’s to new beginnings each day because of the reality of God and Jesus Christ.

The post #BecauseOfHim Every Day can be a New Beginning appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

“Sometimes [God] refines us in ways we might not have wanted because He intends to use us in ways we might not have thought.” Emily Belle Freeman, quoting her sister, in a talk entitled “Finding God’s Fingerprints”

I listened to this talk today, and was moved by many thoughts Emily Belle Freeman shared. Among others, she talks about how the hard times we go through may be helping us prepare for ways God needs us to help others.

She recounts the story of a “wise woman” in 2 Samuel 20 who lived in the time of King David’s reign. The kingdom was under threat, and a general in David’s army had a plan to surround the city where the primary enemy, Sheba, was.

But his plan was to destroy the whole city to overcome this one man.

The “wise woman” “cried out of the city and said,

Hear, hear; say, I pray you, unto Joab, Come near hither, that I may speak with thee.

And when he was come near unto her, the woman said…I am one of them that are peaceable and faithful in Israel: thou seekest to destroy a city and a mother in Israel: why wilt thou swallow up the inheritance of the Lord?

Her negotiations and subsequent actions “in her wisdom” (engaging her people in helping with the problem [cutting of the man’s head…not exactly your 21st-century solution, but one matching the time] saved everyone in her city from destruction.

Emily calls this woman a “difference maker.” We don’t know this wise woman’s backstory, but we can have confidence by what little we see in the text that she is a devoted woman of God. What life experiences might have influenced her to exert such courage and clarity at such a time as this?

I’m struck that the key difference that she made was through a brave but simple one-on-one conversation, and then collaborative work with other God-fearing people, leading “in her wisdom.”

I recently had a conversation with a friend about the power of women. She stirred feelings in me that prompted me to start this website in the first place. As did Emily.

When we know who we are — or Whose we are — we can be stronger instruments in His hands to do good in the world.

Here are a few quotes that capture what it might mean to be a “difference maker” as a woman of God.

I believe the change we seek in ourselves and in the groups we belong to will come less by activism and more by actively trying every day to understand one another. Why? Because we are building Zion—a people “of one heart and one mind.”⁹ As…women [of God], we have broad influence. That influence is applied in everyday moments when we are studying with a friend, putting children to bed, talking to a seatmate on the bus, preparing a presentation with a colleague. We have power to remove prejudice and build unity. –Sharon Eubank

“We are women of faith, virtue, vision, and charity who rejoice in motherhood and in womanhood and in the family. We are not panicked about perfection, but we are working to become more pure. And we know that in the strength of the Lord we can do all righteous things because we have immersed ourselves in His gospel (see Alma 26:12).” –“We are Women of God” – Sheri S. Dew.

“To be a righteous woman is a glorious thing in any age. To be a righteous woman during the winding up scenes on this earth, before the second coming of our Savior, is an especially noble calling. The righteous woman’s strength and influence today can be tenfold what it might be in more tranquil times” (Teachings: Spencer W. Kimball, 217).

“If we don’t do our part, no one else is going to do it for us. … We can’t delegate [our part in Heavenly Father’s plan of happiness]. We can’t pass it off to anyone. It’s ours. We can refuse it, we can deny it, but it’s still our part, and we’re accountable for it. There will come a day when we will all remember what we knew before we were born. We will remember that we fought in a great conflict for this privilege. How do we meet this responsibility? We daily put our energies into the work that is uniquely ours to do” (Julie B. Beck, “Understand the Divine Roles of Women,” Ensign, Feb. 2009, 67).

And if we can seek to remember now what we knew before we came to this earth — and we can remember, or at least catch glimpses, through the help of the Spirit of God — then we will be led as to how we can be difference makers — to help bring Christ’s love and healing power and to the lives of others.

Or at least bring that invitation to “Come and see.”

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