Lindsey Memory’s Reviews > Zion Earth Zen Sky > Status Update

“ it is possible to be overly tolerant. But this doesn’t mean we should be intolerant. Perhaps the prophet was sending a warning to those who might twist brother Packers words in an unintended ways. Many of us, myself included, see ourselves as peacemakers, even when the stability we seek is making life miserable for money.”

“ rational, self interest, and goodwill for all are not the same thing. The limits of human intelligence are obvious and heartbreaking. Were not for the reality of inspiration, I might very well feel compelled to give my allegiance to positivism. The love of God is abundantly given to anyone who has a mind to perceive it. I have come to understand that doubting too, is a divine gift, a path to what is real.”

“As Bashō would say, fueki ryūkō, there exists the unchanging, even within constant change. Good poetry is written at those moments when we perceive the constant forms that exist within this ever-changing reality, when moments of truth, make a mark on our trembling hearts and minds.

“the bitter man who said he believed in ideas, not in people, came to trust his cookie-baking neighbors, and their kind gods. They, both gods and neighbors, learned to call him by his name. They loved him and his family. I’m not saying that ideas are unimportant. But the ones that matter most are embodied by the people who anchor them in the world of things.”

we fold back the sheet. We remove the rings from my mothers fingers. It reminds me of a movement I’ve seen before. When and where? I realized. My mother has taught me this final lesson about Jesus. I can’t take the sacrament without thinking of her life of sacrifice. Someone has to do the breaking in the pouring so his body and blood can be shared. We give the self away. We share a name and an identity.

“there probably aren’t many things more potentially confusing than studying the Scriptures. How could I have not realized this before? More study does not guarantee more understanding and clarity. If anything, raking is a surer way to the kind of knowledge that matters most. The truth is something to practice, not something to think about.”

“ bye and bye, I also come to understand that, for teaching to be effective, the Spirit us to be present. Good teaching happens when *all* are edified (D&C50:22-23). I eventually figure out that this applies to the university classroom as much as it does to the Sunday school classroom. Authenticity, yes. Manipulation, no.”

“On the face of it, nothing is so false as assigned friendship. Yet me being home teacher to Ruby is a godly way to help me overcome a tendency to avoid others. I know that, left alone, my life would become increasingly limited. For most people, this poverty experience is what adulthood is all about. Bring one thing, we stop being another. Few things are as depressing as the way life narrows as we age.”

“What just happened? Look, Charles. Think about what you know, not about what you don’t know. Keep the focus on loving others, and someday you’ll have all the answers you need. I promise. Until you truly learn to care for others, you’ll never be the person you want to be.” What gentle instruction! For the second time, Jesus‘s voice speaks directly to my heart. I change the course of my life—Once again.