Trying to find balance in the busy? A game-changing reminder

My son traveled to London recently. He had not been back since he accompanied me as a 4-year-old when I taught in a Brigham Young University Study Abroad program. I recommended that he visit St. Martin-in-the-Fields, one of my favorite London destinations.

The Little Drummer Boy is one of those Christmas songs that has a special meaning behind the catchy tune. Though we all may think from time to time that we have nothing special to give to our Savior, the truth is everyone something they can share with others that helps honor Him.

While at the Church of Oxford's Pembroke College Chapel, Elder Holland answered questions concerning family life, mental health, Church policy, and many other concerns members have.

While attending the Church of England’s signature Christmas service, Elder Holland shared a message about the hope and comfort Christ's birth brought him after his father passed away on Christmas.

It's not a place Joshua Smith ever expected to be.

Early in my career as a psychologist, I worked with a client who suffered from depression. Knowing that depression is primarily fueled by inaccurate, negative thoughts, I set out to help him change his thinking. Each week he would come in with a very pessimistic view of life. I’d tell him to try to focus on the positive. One particular time, he responded by providing a long list of negatives in the world, including widespread poverty, school shootings, dread health crises, pollution, domestic violence, hatred, ethnic genocide, social inequality, etc. He said, “How can I focus on the positive when there is so much negative all around us?” His answer gave me pause. I didn’t know how to respond. Was he actually correct? Were my attempts to get him to “think positive” simply a naïve overlooking of all the drama, death, and injustice that seem to plague the world every day?

If service were a color, what color would it be? Maybe for you it’s a soft green or pastel blue. Perhaps it’s a dazzling purple or vibrant orange. For a very long time, service was always yellow to me because of the bright, sunny way serving makes me feel. Many years ago, a significant experience at Christmastime meant from that time on, service would forever be red.

Job posed the question of the ages when he asked: “If a man die, shall he live again?” (Job 14:14).

"Son of God" shares the story of the holy night of Christ's birth from a different perspective—that of Mary, a mother elated at the birth of her perfect Son and frightened at the thought of all He will have to face and bear. This original song by Paul Cardall featuring Patrice Tipoki will have you thinking of the Nativity in an entirely new way, one that makes that sacred night more personal and meaningful.