Dear Family and Friends
I pray that you are each having a wonderful week! I know that it is sometimes hard to bounce right back when you have a bit of a holiday. I have been struggling for a while but not because of the holiday. I have had this pain in my right hip for a while now but the pain has worsened.
It’s not unbearable but it really puts a damper in moving, sitting, standing, and anything else physical. In the past month or so my right shoulder has been giving me painful trouble as well. I have been thinking that the problem with my shoulder is due to having to lift myself in and out of bed each night.
It is hard work to lift your body’s dead weight without the help of your feet. Also, I am not able to kneel either. I have tried but it is very painful kneeling -- even on my bed:(What can I say, I am just a mess!!!
Today was my day for Chemo therapy and it was the first time that I did not get my Chemo therapy. I went in for my follow-up appointment which has usually been good reports, but today was different. My oncologist told me that my bone scan does not look good.
Unfortunately, the areas where the cancer had traveled to before I was diagnosed are lighting up bigger that they have in the past. My Doctor is not sure what is up but he will possibly order another type of Chemo therapy to try to continue to keep the cancer at bay and not allow it to grow.
I was already scheduled to have an MRI of my lumbar region tomorrow, which I am not looking forward to at all!!! You see I am one of those people who are highly claustrophobic. Going into one of those tunnels takes a lot of faith for me. It has been extremely hard to wear these masks for any time at all.
I guess I mention these things to all of you because whenever you have a terminal illness, no matter what it may be, there will be changes throughout your illness, some of those changes might be easier to manage than others, but you must never give up.
You must continue to hold on to Jesus Christ and His Father – our Heavenly Father. You must trust in the will of your Heavenly Father as He knows best!!
If you have not taken the steps to get to know about your Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ, who is our Savior, it is not too late!!
No matter where you are at on your journey here in mortality, you need to have the strength, the peace, the comfort, the live, that can only come from your Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ give us so much!!!
I do not believe for one minute that I would have been able to manage the last five years with stage four breast cancer without the peace that only Jesus Christ can give to us. This reminds me of the time in the scriptures when Jesus walked on the water. do you remember this story?
When Peter saw Him, he asked Jesus to call him out onto the water. You do remember this story!!! Okay!! For those of you who cant recall this story. So here is Peter, he gets out of the boat and begins walking on the water towards Jesus. Peter is doing great until he takes his eyes off of the Savior.
Peter turns his eyes down towards the crashing waves beneath his feet. When his eyes leave the Savior, it is then that Peter begins to sink into the crashing waves and cries out for help. As long as his focus was on Christ he did fine! it wasn't until he lost focus that Peter began to sink into the sea.
We must keep our focus on our Savior, Jesus Christ!!!I pray that I have been making some sense to each of you. Sometimes when I write things down, they do not sound as they did in my mine, so please forgive me if my ramblings are somewhat of a muddled mess.
I am truly very thankful for my Savior and His Atonement and for all of the blessings He gives me. His Atonement enables me to keep going each day without worrying whether i will be here the next day, which is something that I could really focus on if i was not focused on my Savior!
In today’s post we are learning about our Walk With Christ – Day Five. Our walk takes us to Jerusalem and the story from the scriptures during a part of Jesus Christ's mortal ministry when He comes upon Ten Lepers who are in great need of being healed. How many of therm showed gratitude?
LUKE 17:11-19
The Road to Jerusalem
THE SETTING
Jesus was walking south toward Jerusalem, when He was approached by a group of ten people afflicted with leprosy. Jesus Christ gave them a simple instruction to go show themselves to the local priest, where they were pronounced clean. Yet only one of them came back to thank Jesus.
THE INVITATION
Dedicate a day to expressing gratitude—in person, online, over the phone, and in prayer. Also, like the one leper who returned, don't forget to take time to thank Jesus Christ for His influence in your life.
Luke 17:11–19
11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.
12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off:
13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.
14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed.
15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God,
16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan.
17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine?
18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger.
19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
The Road to Jerusalem
Luke 17:11–19
As Jesus headed south toward Jerusalem, through Galilee, he entered an unnamed village. By this time in his ministry, word had spread of His miraculous ability to heal the sick. He was approached by a group of ten individuals who had been afflicted with the painful, disfiguring disease of leprosy. The lepers seemed destitute but that didn’t mean there was no hope, and they pled, “Master, have mercy on us.” Jesus Christ instructed them, “Go shew yourselves unto the priests.” As the ten made their way to the priests, they discovered that they had been healed. They were overjoyed at their deliverance from the terrible affliction, yet only one of them came back to thank Jesus in person. The one who returned to express gratitude was rewarded when Jesus declared him not only healed but whole.
The Invitation
Give back by giving thanks
Gratitude is powerful. When we express it, the healing we find may not be as visible as that experienced by the ten lepers, but it is just as transformative. Dedicate a day to expressing gratitude—in person, online, or over the phone. Also, like the one leper who returned, don’t forget to take time to pray and offer thanks for the influence of Jesus Christ in your life.
Questions to Ponder
Who's someone you can reach out to and express gratitude?
What has happened in the past few days that has been a blessing for you?
What makes you feel gratitude for Jesus Christ?
Scriptures about gratitude
Rejoice in the Lord
"Rejoice in the Lord alway: and again I say, Rejoice. Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."
—PHILIPPIANS 4:4–6
Be grateful for trials
“My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing.”
—JAMES 1:2–4
Thank God for your blessings
"Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men!"
—PSALM 107:21
The following are videos for you to watch along your journey on Day Five in your Walk With Christ.
https://www.comeuntochrist.org/walk-with-christ-day-5?cid=email_119296&mid=501690&jid=1722366&sid=cbee775f951d5e5d64dbefbcff0475e2933f6aca383044aa7d2c295cb11340c0&MDI_ID=&
Gratitude Jon’s upbringing could have made him focus on what his life lacked. However, he chose instead to dwell on all the wonderful things he had. Watch his story and see how he found peace through gratitude.
Lola Ogunbote After scoliosis altered Lola Ogunbote's dreams, she had to learn how to focus on the positive in her life. Now she can say that adversity is the backbone of her success.
Think to Thank Remember to give thanks to those around you, even for the simple things.
Jesus Raises the Daughter of Jairus Jesus demonstrates His divine power by raising a young girl from the dead.
Did you enjoy the visit and your Walk With Christ on this Day Five of our journey with you family members and friends. What did you learn from Day Five that you can share with others? Who will you share it with? Did you make plans for a day of gratitude? How will you do this?
I came across a talk that seems to fit in here with our Day Five Walk With Christ. I hope that you enjoy it as I did.
Journey to Jerusalem
by Jeffrey Swinton
I wish you could have been with us as Lee Grisham and I spent last Christmas in the Holy Land. Lee and I had been companions together in the mission field and had received permission to visit the Holy Land en route home. I was a typical Latter-day Saint who had read all my life about the Holy Land, and Lee was a Jewish convert of a few years. So together we shared a desire to visit the land of his forefathers.
We flew into Tel Aviv, where the climate was warm. Once there, we quickly learned how Israelis try to make the best of everything—on the bus ride into town we listened to excerpts from a Haydn symphony to help us forget the rough ride.
The next day we went by bus to Jerusalem, where instead of seeing our mental image of a 20,000-year-old town, we were shocked to find a very large and somewhat modern city, although it is divided into what are called the old and new sections. But the old city really doesn’t have too much to do with Jesus’ life, as much of it was built by the Crusaders and others. Rome destroyed the Jerusalem Jesus knew, leaving not “one stone upon another.” (Mark 13:2.)
After we had seen these sights and many more in Jerusalem, we spent several days in other parts of the Holy Land. One special thrill was conducting our own little sacrament meeting, having been previously authorized, on the shores of Lake Galilee, where our bread was broken from the Jewish bagel and the water came from the sea.
A few days later, after having walked the hills, put our bare feet into the rough soil, tasted the water, felt the cold night air, and heard the bleat of the sheep, we found that the scriptures had become a living reality to us. But that wasn’t all. We had tried to follow in the actual footsteps of Jesus. Now our hearts tell us to follow the Savior in all the other paths of living that he has set for us. With the help of the Spirit, I know we can all do it.
Jerusalem—This is part of the old city of Jerusalem, seen from the top of the Mount of Olives where Jesus often taught his disciples. Cemetery stones dot the mountain in the foreground. The Brook Kidron used to run through the little valley between the mountain and the city. A Crusader wall surrounds part of the old city in which many of the streets are narrow and dark, lined with small shops with open fronts, and mostly populated by Arabs.
A Wedding—One of our nicest experiences was attending a wedding. As we walked along, we heard singing and music and found about thirty women dancing in a courtyard. As we stopped to watch, a young Arab invited us into the house. We found in one room younger men dancing to the music of an unfretted lute, a tamborine, and a drum. In an adjoining room, the older men sat in a huge circle on mats on the floor. They were sipping a hot beverage and talking quietly. We were fed well on lamb that was covered with a goat-cheese sauce.
Wailing Wall—Once in Jerusalem, one of the first things Lee wanted to see was the Wailing Wall. It stands about fifty feet high, and may be the last remaining portion of Herod’s Temple. To the Orthodox Jew, the wall holds great significance. He literally wails while he prays facing it. As we drew near, we put on a little black skull cap called a yarmulke, and we blended in with the crowd, many of whom were facing the wall, reading from the Hebrew Torah, and constantly bowing. The Orthodox group, young and old, who remain there all day are spoken of as “keepers of the wall.”
Dome of the Rock—Atop Mount Moriah, the small elevated southwestern portion of the old city, is the traditional site of Herod’s Temple. Today the area is maintained by Moslems who have built on the mount a mosque called the Dome of the Rock. Nearby is claimed to be the place where Abraham brought Isaac to be sacrificed. The Dome, shaped like a decagon, is covered with beautiful Turkish tile and crowned with a golden dome The interior is exquisite, with carpets and morocco and stained-glass windows.
Garden of Gethsemane—This is part of an old olive tree in the Garden of Gethsemane. Gethsemane, which means “olive oil press,” is several long city blocks distant outside the old city walls. Even though the area isn’t filled with trees as it was in the time of the Savior, it is easy to try to imagine what happened that great night when Jesus took upon himself the sins of the world. You get a lump in your throat as you think about what our Savior did for us here.
Garden Tomb—To the southwest of what is believed to be Golgotha is a site known as General Gordon’s Garden Tomb. According to Gordon’s research, it is the plot of land once owned by Joseph of Arimathea who gave his tomb for the burial of Jesus. Many people believe that this is the actual tomb in which Jesus was placed and from which he resurrected.
It is preserved in its natural state. I wish everyone could go there and feel the same emotion we felt as we gazed at the site. There are two small rooms within. In front of the door is a trough that runs across the entrance—wide enough to have been the track for a huge wheel-shaped stone used to block the entrance. As one meditates here, the Spirit is really felt.
Typical Village—Outside of Jerusalem we found many villages that are probably typical in style and design to the kind that Jesus knew in his day. Here is one of them.
I felt like this talk gave us a little bit more information on our walk through Jerusalem in this our DAY FIVE of our Walk With Christ. I don’t know about you, but I have never been to Jerusalem and I probably will never have the opportunity to go there before my mortal journey on this life is done.
With this in my mind I guess I wanted to give you the best picture that I could, for your spiritual journey in your Walk With Christ! I pray that all is well with you and your family members and friends. It is a beautifully hot day today again with the three digits.
I can do with out those really hot days can't you? Do you remember the Challenge for today’s journey? We were asked to dedicate a day to expressing gratitude—in person, online, over the phone, and in prayer. This would be a great practice to do every week and journal it!
Also, like the one leper who returned, don't forget to take time to thank Jesus Christ for His influence in your life. Please remember the questions we were asked to ponder for today’s journey: Who's someone you can reach out to and express gratitude?
What has happened in the past few days that has been a blessing for you? What makes you feel gratitude for Jesus Christ? Now that we have reviewed the questions. I hope that today’s post has been uplifting for each of you and your family members and friends.
As well as motivating you to do more each day to learn of and follow Jesus Christ!!! I don’t know if you have noticed those around you are either – speaking more of Jesus Christ and His Second Coming or they are totally oblivious to it or speaking and acting out against Christ?
Our Heavenly Father is giving us ample time to learn about Jesus Christ and follow His ways. Giving up our own will to that of the Father’s will. Repenting and having the opportunity of applying the Atonement of Jesus Christ in our daily lives. what is one way that you have applied the Atonement today?
Getting baptized into His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and coming unto Him and following in His ways each day!!! if you are not following Jesus Christ, what is one way you can follow Him today? Until my next post, please stay safe everyone!!!
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