Spiritual light bulb

What would you do if you saw a light bulb had gone out in your house? What if there were other light bulbs that worked around it? Would you change it, or wait until you noticed it get darker? Would you notice if it did get darker, or would the difference be so small until you realize you remembered the room being brighter, and then you looked up? 

I noticed in our bathroom a while ago that it seemed to be dimmer than I remembered, but instead of looking up at the light, I just turned on the lights above the bathroom mirror and chalked it up to just being my perception being off. The other day it bothered me that it really seemed darker than before, so I decided to look up. I saw it. Darkness where there should've been light. I thought "Oh, no big deal, I'll change the light bulb later." Later came and went as it does when you put something off. I learned to live with the dimness in our bathroom. I'd look up and say to myself that I need to change it, but I'd do it later. 

Tonight, I've had thoughts come to my mind that I didn't want, so when I couldn't find my phone to listen to music, I started singing Hymns in the shower. But the words were harder to bring too my mind than they used to be. I noticed my darkness. I thought "Oh, I should start memorizing Hymns again. I'll do it later." I thought this as I was drying my hair, and as I hung up my towel, I saw the darkness where there was supposed to be light, and the words came to my mind (not in my voice), "How long are you going to take to change the light?" I knew immediately that the Lord wasn't referring to a dead light bulb, but the dead spiritual "light bulb" in me. I'd stopped singing Hymns, stopped trying to learn new ones. I'd slowly stopped studying about the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and I stopped trying to keep my "light" going, and slowly it started to dim. I thought "Oh, I should do better," and yet I let my light slowly grow dimmer by barely doing anything to keep it going. What i did to lit it a little, but only for a short while before it dimmed again, and before I knew it I was dark having the Lord ask me "How long are you going to take to change the light?" Slowly i adjusted myself to the darkness instead of changing my light. If my light had gone from bright to completely dark, I would've noticed and done something about it. But Satan didn't work that way. He takes you one small tiny step at a time until you find yourself in the dark trying to figure out what happened and wondering how you ended up that far down before you realized it. 

Don't get yourself so busy you don't notice until later. Keep your mind open, take those moments of quiet and do a spiritual check to see where you're going right and where you need work. Life isn't supposed to be go go go to where you are so exhausted you can't do a spiritual checkup with the Lord. Whether you do it every day or however often is between you and the Lord, but just make sure it gets done. Make sure to be willing to listen! He can't help us to see our light if we aren't listening as well as talking to Him. I started to see signs but I still thought "I'll do it later," which is just like "I'm fine, really, all is well in Zion." But the Lord needs active warriors who are awake and watching, not passive observers who say "My Lord delayeth His coming." Before you know it, He's here, and you're on His left side. 

Check your light often and do not procrastinate the day of your repentance. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen. 

~Jessi Hill 

I Asked

I wrote this poem years ago when praying earnestly for my wife during a time of intense trial. Notice how it started out as pleading for her relief, but it turned into a revelation about her need for suffering in preparation for greater things. I titled the poem "I Asked." I hope you enjoy it. 

~Brad 

I asked if He would take away her pain and transfer it to me. 

He said "I won't. She needs the pain. It gives her strength. Just wait and see."

I asked if He would take away her worries, free her from her cares. 

He said "In time. Her worries remind her to come to me in prayer."

I asked if He would take her past, erase it from her memory. 

He said "Her past will help her comfort others when they stand in need."

I asked if He would help her feel the joy and love beyond the hurt.

He said "I'm doing that through YOU, each time you put your family first."

~Brad Hill

Spiritual Dominos

When someone sets up dominos, he sets them up in a way that, once one is put into motion, the rest fall in order to the desired end, also known as a "domino effect." These dominos can be set up in a straight line, a curve, in a given shape, or even in different directions at the same time. All the pieces must be in perfect order to receive the desired outcome, i.e. starting at one end and flawlessly going through the entire arrangement to the other end. Our lives are one giant domino effect. Every decision we make causes us to go in a specific direction. We all start in the same place...birth. However, we will not all end in the same place. Our decisions will determine where we end up, whether it be in the Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial Kingdom, or in Outer Darkness. I made decisions all throughout my childhood that shaped who I became as an adult. Some of those decisions weren't the best, and caused me to be blinded to certain truths I had learned as a child. I chose to quit going to church for a period of time. I chose to hang out with friends who did and encouraged things that were against my personal beliefs and the counsel of the Church. I chose to not go on a mission even though my parents encouraged it. Then I met my first wife, and chose to straighten up and start going to church again. However, due to various reasons, I decided to quit going to church again. I made decisions throughout our marriage that ultimately led to leaving her and ending the marriage. I made the decision to start smoking and drinking and participating in activities contrary to the Church again. I made the decision to live in West Valley near where I lived previously with my ex-wife. All of these decisions led me to meet my current wife and her 3 kids. I decided to move in with her, and after a short time I decided to propose marriage to her. After we were married we both decided (she decided first and I followed) that we needed to start going back to church. We decided to quit smoking and work our way to the temple. These decisions led us to be called as Primary teachers. In receiving this calling, we decided to be more diligent in teaching our kids from the scriptures and in Family Home Evening. All of these decisions ( and more) have led me where I am today. If any one of these decisions had differed, I would be in a completely different situation. God has set out our dominos. They go in all different directions, and we choose which direction we take them. If we took out any one piece of this domino effect, the whole thing would be forced to go in a different direction. God has set the final domino in His Kingdom in Heaven, and He wants us all to end up returning Home to Him. He has given us the scriptures, prayer, parents, and Church leaders to help us find our way to that final domino. I hope and pray that I will make it there, and I know I am the only one who can determine that. I hope and pray that each one of you will make it there as well. There is the straight and narrow path laid out for us through the example of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and there are many off roads. But through baptism, repentance, and continually striving to keep the commandments, the dominos can always lead back to the straight and narrow, and if we remain faithful, we will reach the final domino, even the highest degree of glory, the Celestial Kingdom, to live with Heavenly Father and His Son for eternity.

~Brad Hill 

Lepers and Rays

In Luke 17:11-19, it tells the story of 10 lepers. Jesus Christ heals them all, yet only one comes back. Jesus says "Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" verse 17.

Imagine you have a debilitating disease raging in your body that has left you ostracized from society, disfigured, and disabled. People see you and run away screaming as it is viewed as a curse from God. You're with a group of others who also have the disease, when in the distance you see Jesus, the One everyone talks about. Everyone with you pleads "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us." verse 13. He tells you to "Go shew yourselves unto the priests." verse 14. As you walk that way to do as He commanded, you see yourself become clean from this disease! How wonderful! Your life looked bleak, with nothing more to look forward to than the sweet release of death. But here you are, clean! Jesus truly is the Son of God. Which Leper do you choose to be? Out of the ten men only one, upon seeing he had been healed, went back glorifying God, his face at the feet of Jesus giving Him thanks and gratitude for this blessing that meant the world to him. Are we the nine, or are we the one. Jesus says to him "Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole." verse 19.

I asked myself "Which leper am I?" I answered "I want to be the one." How do I choose to be the one? How do I choose to be and act grateful for the healing and blessings in my life? Studying my scriptures, sincerely praying, keeping His commandments, inviting Him to always be with me. By doing as the Savior has done. He teaches us when we are little to study our scriptures, say our prayers, treat others kindly, keep our covenants, keep His commandments. These primary answers are rays of light. As we do them continuously, those small rays add up every day. As we endure by following His way, those days will add up to be a pillar of light, as explained by Elder Alexander Dushku in his talk "Pillars and Rays" (G.C. April 2024).

I testify that to become the one who comes back, our everyday, seemingly small effort will one day become a pillar if we but endure daily until the end. I so testify in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

P.S. From our last blog post, the shirt came clean, and so can you through faith in Him.

~Brad Hill