mkshelton

Clutter

Look around you–is your life full of clutter? When my children were younger and we would go on family vacations I loved being in a hotel room. It was clutter-free; no toys laying around or anything shoved into the corners. When I would get home, our house looked so crowded. There were so many thingsContinue reading “Clutter”

Spiritual Power

There are many types of power in the world. Political Power, physical power, and natural power are a few. Many years ago I worked for McDonnell Douglas, an Airplane manufacturer in Long Beach California. At the time they were building a new airplane; the MD-11. This plane sat 280-400 people, weighed six hundred thousand pounds, and hadContinue reading “Spiritual Power”

Take a Step

Nature has a way of helping me to strive to be better. On my hikes I always marvel at the majestic beauty around me. The tall and straight trees, amazing mountains, and inspiring waterfalls always instill in me the desire to do better. A few weeks ago we stopped by Smith Rock (East of SistersContinue reading “Take a Step”

Zeal

In the Book of Mormon one of my favorite words is Zeal! This is a word that denotes a strong feeling. It means ardent, excitement, ferver, and enthusiasm. We see it first in Mosiah 27:35 where the sons of Mosiah after being converted to the gospel go about “zealously striving to repair all the injuries”Continue reading “Zeal”

Be of Good Cheer

How do we find courage to carry on during difficult moments of life? The following story was told by S. Gifford Neilson, “In 1978, I stood on a football field in a stadium packed with 65,000 fans. In front of me were several very large opponents who looked like they wanted to take my headContinue reading “Be of Good Cheer”

Why Read?

There is magic in reading! And Knowledge. And Adventure. And Excitement. And Fun. There is more treasure in books than in all the pirates’ loot on Treasure Island and best of all, you can enjoy these riches every day of your life walt disney I love books. I always have. I remember my mom takingContinue reading “Why Read?”

Cohesion and Unity

We can learn many things from nature. One is cohesion and unity. The beauty in nature is not because everything is the same but happens because everything is different. And these differences work together to create harmony, unity, and beauty. Each plant, no matter how small or large helps to create the whole picture. EachContinue reading “Cohesion and Unity”

Listening

In a conversation with others, how often are we only half listening? If most of you are like me, many times I am already thinking about the next thing I’m going to say, or a rebuttal for the argument, or something else entirely. By doing so did we miss something important or even the realContinue reading “Listening”

God Among Us

Today in church we discussed a recent talk in our General Conference entitled “God Among us”. Many of us shared things, especially over this past year, where our faith may have been strengthened or wavered. This past year has been difficult for people who have dealt with loneliness, bad health, loss of jobs, or evenContinue reading “God Among Us”

Saint or Sinner?

Are you a saint or a sinner? In a talk at church today one of the speakers told about Nelson Mandela. His forgiveness of those who had imprisoned him earlier amazed many people and he received much praise. However in response to the accolades he would say. I’m no saint—that is, unless you think aContinue reading “Saint or Sinner?”