mkshelton

Singing

Today we were able to sing again in church for the first time since the pandemic started almost a year ago! It was a little harder to hear through the face masks, but it felt good to once again join with everyone in singing hymns to our Lord. Singing evokes strong emotion in each oneContinue reading “Singing”

Decisions

It is said we make over 35,000 decisions each day. Researchers at Cornell estimate that 227 of these are about food! That’s one decision every two seconds of our waking hours. How much weight does one decision have on your life? Each decision we make has the potential for a life-long change in our behaviorContinue reading “Decisions”

Ministering

I have found that when I am feeling down or overburdened with something that one of the best ways to help is to turn my focus outward rather than inward. There is something uplifting that happens when we serve and minister to others. We realized that we may not be so bad off and thatContinue reading “Ministering”

Unity

Today in church we heard talks on unity and making decisions. Recently I listened to a talk that spoke about unity and diversity. The speaker brought up the thought that we need both unity and diversity to continue to grow as a society. “Without unity, Diversity becomes divisive. Without diversity, unity becomes stagnant.” Kevin worthlin,Continue reading “Unity”

Bridges

As I was hiking the other day I crossed over a small bridge that went over a creek. I thought about the purpose of bridges—to get over an unpassable, deep, or dangerous area or obstacle. They help us get more directly to our destination. One time while hiking the trail just ended at a creek—IContinue reading “Bridges”

Clouds

Yesterday Melissa and I drove to a scenic viewpoint right before Silver Falls State Park and ate dinner in the car together while watching the sunset. On the way there we were worried about a bank of dark and ominous clouds that might block the sun too early and ruin our plans. However, what happenedContinue reading “Clouds”

Opposition

As I’ve been hiking a lot more this last year, I’ve noticed that I am stronger now and better able to hike longer than I was earlier last year. The first couple of times I was sore and could hardly move. At first I hiked a few miles and that was it. Then later inContinue reading “Opposition”

Upward Climb

Yesterday in church there was a talk that mentioned faith and repentance are not one time events but a process. As we focus on the Savior our faith grows, we repent of mistakes we have made, and then we hopefully find ourselves at a higher place. Once again our faith grows and we see newContinue reading “Upward Climb”

Renewal

After the storm and fires there is still beauty. This last September our area experienced extreme fires. With a strong east wind and high temperatures they raged to hundreds of thousands of acres within a few days. The skies turned orange as smoke filled the air. I watched the news in horror at the lossContinue reading “Renewal”

Light

I have always been intrigued with light. And how such a small light can make a big difference. I remembering being in a large dark cave in Kentucky and have the tour guide turn off the lights and it was pure darkness. You could wave your hand in front of your face and still couldn’t’Continue reading “Light”