My favorite way to engage the Christmas season is to ponder how the Christmas story relates to me in my life. Today. Now.

For example, I have a post brewing in my head about the simple phrase that appears in the Christmas story more than once: “Fear not.” (I hope to write that post soon, especially given the fear that can be stirred by headlines like the tragedy in San Bernadino yesterday. My thoughts and prayers are with all who were affected personally, and for all of us as we process yet another act of senseless violence.)

There is so much symbolism in all the different elements of the Christmas story.

I’m grateful to share a beautiful, simple Christmas song, written by Shawna Edwards, that ponders the message of the Star of Bethlehem. There is endless truth in the message that Jesus Christ is the Light of the World, and can be the Light in our individual dark times.

As in the past, Shawna is offering a free MP3 of the music, at The Star Still Shines.

“The Star Still Shines” is sung by David Osmond. Tyler Castleton arranged the song.

The post The Star Still Shines — New song from Shawna Edwards appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

My friend Michelle wrote a great post asking for thoughts about social media and how to keep a balance with it all. I thought I’d share my thoughts here, since this is one of the places where I am trying to be more authentic about my faith (even while, yes, I also try to share content that is more generic/general here).

With unprecedented urgency and from voices of those we sustain as prophets of God, we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have been asked to flood the earth with the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ and what our faith means to us. We’ve also been warned with similar urgency to beware the dangers of the internet and social media.

Interestingly, I was just talking with a social media expert friend this week about Elder Bednar’s talk, and how it was so masterfully balanced…inviting us to share while also warning of the potential pitfalls of too much social media and/or engaging with media that is harmful.

The words from his talk can be read by anyone. I wanted to just share some feelings I have had as I have thought about his talk, and they center around a two-word phrase from the scriptures that intrigues me:

“One voice.”

I’m particularly drawn to this phrase and how and where it is used in the Book of Mormon (although the one instance in the Old Testament also catches my attention).

It wasn’t until I went back to the scriptures tonight that I noticed some patterns that seem to appear around this phrase. At the moment, I interpret the patterns as appearing in essentially three situations:

1) When covenant people are gathered around a cause, calling together upon God for protection and/or in a spirit of commitment to taking a stand for truth and liberty, to defend family, faith, country (as in Alma 43 and 3 Nephi 4)

2) When covenant people are gathered as families around a prophet of God speak about the Atonement of Jesus Christ and to give counsel for their lives (as in Mosiah 2-5). The people then, with one voice, respond to the prophet’s teachings with their collective plea for salvation and their declaration of desire to be true to their covenants and to receive the blessings of the Atonement that come by so doing. (A similar pattern also appears in Exodus 24.)

3) When covenant people are gathered around the Savior, both when receiving the personal and collective ministering of the Savior, Jesus Christ (3 Nephi 11), and after they receive the sacrament from His authorized disciples. With one voice, the multitude gives glory to Jesus (3 Nephi 20).

What does this have to do with my feelings about Elder Bednar’s talk?

This may seem shallow compared to the above, but I was interested in his focus on, of all things, hashtags. (Doesn’t seem very prophetic at the outset, right?)

On one hand, the I think hashtags can be overused, to the point of being annoying. They can also be hijacked by people who have opposing voices, to the point of sometimes making them feel meaningless.

And yet.

I can’t help but feel that perhaps there is something Elder Bednar’s trying to tell us here. Is is possible that the deliberate, authentic, focused use of tools like hashtags is a way to come together as followers of Christ with one voice?

Looking at the scriptures tonight, I can’t help but wonder if there is some possible instruction about how, when, and why to use such tools.

Pattern #1 actually made me nervous to write about. The notion of war-cries in today’s politicized, polarized, sound-byte-driven world (to borrow the thought from one of the commenters on Michelle’s post) is admittedly wrought with potential problems. In truth, we have been told by prophets of God that the adversary is at war against God’s plan, against family, against faith, against liberty. But — and I think this is a big but — to use social media with a heart at war is to, I believe, violate the commandments of the Savior.

Scriptures that weigh on my mind in this regard include, for example, 3 Nephi 11:29 (warning that “contention…is of the devil), Doctrine and Covenants 19 (which contains an injunction to avoid talking of tenets but rather invites us to declare the good news and basic principles of the gospel), and 2 Timothy 2 (warning us to avoid questions that can engender strife all while inviting us to share instruction where people “oppose themselves”). Doctrines and scriptures around agency (e.g., 2 Nephi 2, Alma 29:1-4) also press on my soul.

Lest I wither in fear too much about this pattern, though, I’m sobered to see something akin to the Hosanna shout in 3 Nephi 4 (which only appears two other times in the Book of Mormon, once in 1 Nephi 11 and once in 3 Nephi 11). The cry to God in praise for protection and help in defending the “cause of Christians” (Alma 48) is striking. I cannot help but think of the recent meeting of various religious leaders at the Vatican and the rallying cry we have received to defend the doctrine found in the Proclamation to the World on the Family.)

But I think we each simply have to decide what it means for us to “stand for truth and righteousness.” My feelings about what that means for me are complex and often conflicted, and they have changed in some ways over the years.

Pattern #2, to me, captures a lot of what happens on social media when devoted Mormons want to share about their (our) faith. Or at least what I see most on my Facebook wall is people enthusiastically sharing videos and memes that capture sound bytes of prophetic teachings, official Church content, and so on. I think there is a deeper meaning to the concept of “one voice” in Mosiah (many scholars see it as a cry tied to religious rite), but for purposes here I will just focus on the pattern of rejoicing with one voice in prophetic teachings (which is a great reason to rejoice!).

Pattern #3 to me transcends them all. Reading these passages tonight, I wonder: when we #sharegoodness, are we sharing what it means to truly feel the Savior’s influence in our lives? (Do we feel the Savior’s influence in our lives? What does that look like?) I ask that parenthetical question because I look back on my own social media sharing over the years and I have found myself often sharing about causes, and sharing prophetic teachings. But how often have *I* shared about my faith in the Savior? Truth be told, I feel like my own faith in the Savior has taken on a new level in recent years. How, where, and when to share that is something I wonder about.

I also absolutely love the cry from the people in Mosiah 5, praying for help applying Christ’s atoning blood. The how of applying the Atonement is, in my feeling, perhaps the most important message we can share. It’s one thing to know the doctrine of the Atonement. It’s another thing to have experienced the Atonement.

What happens in 3 Nephi is very sacred, so it’s not like this kind of sharing would necessarily be everyday Facebook or Twitter material (or could it be?). I ask the question thinking of counsel we have received along the way to be simple, natural, and everyday-ish in our sharing as well.

And yet. If we are to always remember Him, can we glory too much in Him?

(So many questions about how to use these tools!)

The bottom line for me is this: I do wonder if our careful use of hashtags could perhaps bring us together more with one voice around the Savior so people can know without question that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints truly are Christian. Christ is our everything. Do people feel that in what and how we share on social media?

I use the “we” here, but these are questions I am asking myself. I do not want to overuse social media with regard to my faith. I imagine friends of mine whom I may know from work or other settings may grow weary of what I do share. And even though I use social media for personal and professional reasons, when all is said and done, my faith really is everything to me. That is authentic. It does permeate my daily thoughts, actions, and decisions. Even though my professional work has been and is of a secular nature, my faith is still my foundation for why I care about my work. My choice to be married and have children is rooted in my faith. 

I don’t believe there are easy answers. How much social media use is too much? When and how should it be used? How often? (As timestamps of my posts show, I often write in the wee hours of the night. Besides the fact that I’ve had sleep issues basically my whole life, nighttime after kiddos (now teens) are in bed is when I’ve usually felt most able to connect with heaven and myself. And yet, I have wondered whether I need to make some changes in spite of both of those facts.)

As I said before, I think for each person, the if, when, where, why, what, and how of social media is so, so personal.

My social media expert friend noted that it will take years for us, collectively and individually, to learn how to effectively use these tools (and, I hope, learn to measure the impact of it all). I think conversations like the one Michelle initiated can help. I’ve closed comments here to encourage people to contribute to the discussion over there.

What are your thoughts? What do you see as the positives of social media (whether for the purpose of sharing faith or for other reasons)? What do you see as negatives? How do you find balance in your own use of social media? What do you like to share on social media? Why? What do you like to see on social media? Please share your thoughts over on Michelle’s post.

The post One voice: Thoughts on social media sharing appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

I loved this activity because in a relatively short amount of time, the youth were all able to share something. Individually, each one of them got to reflect on their testimonies and share in a way that was non-threatening. Collectively, they got to create a visual representation of their faith. It is also fun to see the patterns — and the variations — in their thoughts.

We had a lesson in our combined Young Women class today about joining voices together online (using Elder Bednar’s CES talk, “To Sweep the Earth as a Flood.” It gave me the motivation to finish recording what the youth had shared. It’s inspiring to me to read what they had to say.

Add your thoughts in the comments below, via Twitter, on Facebook, or in other ways. What do you feel grateful to the Savior for?

#BecauseofHim
I can shine!
I can face my fears.
I can start over.
I can live a good life every day.
I can eat food.
I know I will be able to make it through life.
I have amazing people in my life. 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 🙂 [smileys in original!]
When I screw up I can try again.
I have a family.
I can testify.
I have a body.
We live!
I feel safe when I’m alone.
I have an eternal family.
I can be positive!
I can live again.
I can feel joy.
I am HAPPY.
I’m a better person.
I can see the blue sky.
When I fall down I can get back up.
I can love everybody.
I can walk the earth.
I always have at least one friend.
I can share my talents.
I am strong.
I can live again.
I can be alone on this earth while knowing He’s standing right beside me.
I can repent.
I have strength.
I can be saved.
I have empathy.
Positive thoughts.
I don’t have to feel alone.
I am healthy.
I can eat yummy food.
I feel peace.
I am who I am today.

#BecauseofHim

I can be forgiven
I am free to choose and decide right and wrong
I can be with my family forever!
I know my worth!
I love everyone!
I find joy in the little things!
I can know the truth.
My family is forever.
I can feel the Spirit all the time.
I can feel peace and love.
My burdens are lifted.
I am never alone.
I know where I’m going.
I won’t ever be alone!
There is hope!
We can change the world!
I am free.
I can share His love.
I try to love everybody.
There are small and simple things.
I love others.
Blessings are real.
I can preach on Twitter.
I can be so so so HAPPY. 🙂
I can try again and again!
I have a family
I’m writing this right now.
I know what’s right.
I can live with my family forever
We can all go back to Him.
I am happy.
I can repent.
My family is eternal.
I can live with my fam forever.
I’m never lost.
I’m happy about life.
There is a light in the world!
I get a second chance.
#real talk
I feel safe and secure
I’m sitting here right now.
I know who I am.
We can lift each other up.
I am fierce!
The atonement is real.

#BecauseofHim
I can have good food.
I can have a family.
I get to be a good person.
I’m not afraid to be who I am.
I’m alive.
I have choices!!
I can pray.
I work hard.
I have an AMAZING family 🙂
We can be forgiven.
I can repent.
I have hope.
I pray.
I can be with my family forever.
I know God lives.
I love more.
I live a better life.

#BecauseofHim
I can be saved.
I can repent.
I can be forgiven.
I can be clean from sin.
I can return to Him.
I will live again!
I can have hope.
We have the gospel.
I can go home.
I am blessed.
I can be spiritual.
I can be saved.

The post #BecauseofHim #MormonYouth share their faith #sharegoodness appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

During Education Week at BYU, Elder Bednar asked that we flood the internet with our testimonies. He said, “My beloved brothers and sisters, what has been accomplished thus far in this dispensation communicating gospel messages through social media channels is a good beginning—but only a small trickle. I now extend to you the invitation to help transform the trickle into a flood. Beginning at this place on this day, I exhort you to sweep the earth with messages filled with righteousness and truth—messages that are authentic, edifying, and praiseworthy—and literally to sweep the earth as with a flood.”

So I am going to share my thoughts and testimony of Jesus Christ.

My name is Michelle Iverson. I am a wife, mother, teacher, writer, missionary, and disciple of Jesus Christ and I believe that love is a super power!

It is a power we use in everyday life as we care for our families and friends, serve others through our work and church callings, and share the gospel. But there are also those defining moments in life where we get to find out what we are made of and it is in those moments that we can call on love to help us make it through.

When I was a very little girl I was sexually abused by my grandfather. This was a very scary experience for me that continued on for many years. I felt confused because I really loved my grandpa and I loved myself, but what I was experiencing made me wonder if I should love either one.

Those early defining moments in my life created a wall around my heart. I no longer saw myself through eyes of love. In fact, I hated myself. When I looked in the mirror, I could never see who I really was. I saw something so far from the truth. I could only see a broken, ugly, and unlovable image looking back at me. I carried secrets and those secrets were heavy and dark.

As I grew up and started to date, I realized that I had some serious issues with trust and commitment. I saw men as untrustworthy, and so that is what I often attracted and experienced in my relationships. Several years after I returned from serving a mission, I met and married Tyler. A couple of years into our marriage, I discovered he was struggling with a pornography addiction. All of the fears and insecurities I had carried my whole life were unleashed again, and I was left wondering if there was a single man on the planet I could truly trust with my heart.

Here it was, another defining moment. I remember praying and venting all of my pain, loneliness, and anger to Heavenly Father one night. I laid next to Tyler and quietly cried in the dark. I was angry, but I knew that if I was ever going to heal my heart and the incorrect perceptions I had of myself, I had to learn how to love and it had to start with me.

Throughout my life, I have found that the overriding lesson here on earth is love. We are given many experience where we learn how to wield our superpower with faith and humility. True love, the kind that heals lives and changes hearts, comes from Christ. He is the source of our power and I have seen his grace and light work wonders in my life and literally “save the day” in the most heroic ways. Anything I have been able to overcome is only because of him. He has healed my heart, my children, and my husband.

My greatest desire is to love as he loves, and life is giving me many opportunities to practice. It is the difficult things we face that carve out a deeper reservoir of light within us and allow us to use our powers for good! I love my Savior Jesus Christ. I know that he lives! He is real, and when I look at myself now, I am looking for him.

Michelle Iverson is a wife, mother, author, speaker, teacher and follower of Jesus Christ. She loves to share her insights and experiences through her writing and teaching and seeks to restore well-being to the lives of those who suffer. After experiencing sexual abuse in her childhood, and sexual addiction in her marriage, she and her husband Tyler have become passionate about sharing their story. Michelle’s true passion is helping women overcome adversity through the “sacred art of self-nurture.”

The post #BecauseofHim — Healing from Abuse and a Spouse’s Addiction appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.

Guys. I have an idea.

You know Elder Bednar’s Education Week talk on “flooding the earth” with good LDS social media posts? I decided we ought to do an LDS version of the ALS ice bucket challenge. You have 24 hours to share an LDS scripture, quote or thought on whatever social media site you are on, tag it with #sharegoodness, then tag five people to do the same within 24 hours. I think this could be cool, so I need help from all of you following me and a few well-known people who can spread this to more followers for it to really get around.

She then got bold and thought big and tagged…

WHOEVER READS THIS, @22alfox @nieniedialogues @latterdaysaints and @kcrawl13. You all have 24 hours, get this started and challenge people, even if I didn’t tag you individually!

I think this is a fun idea.

I want to share the #DidYouThinkToPray video, and pictures from an activity done with the youth of the ward yesterday in a combined lesson. They did their own #DidYouThinkToPray sharing with sticky notes. It was amazing to see what a few dozen youth could create together in just a handful of minutes. And so I want to help them #share[their]goodness here. (I’ll try to get some better photos soon. These turned out very grainy.)

(And by the way, if you haven’t watched the video that explains the origins of the #IceBucketChallenge, it is worth your time. You might need a tissue. There is so much goodness in the world in spite of (and sometimes because of) all that is hard.)

The post #ShareGoodness #ShareGoodnessChallenge appeared first on Women in The Church of Jesus Christ.