The Object and Design of Our Existence

The Prophet Joseph Smith

"Happiness is the object and design of our existence; and will be the end thereof, if we pursue the path that leads to it; and this path is virtue, uprightness, faithfulness, holiness, and keeping all the commandments of God. But we cannot keep all the commandments without first knowing them, and we cannot expect to know all, or more than we now know unless we comply with or keep those we have already received." (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 255–56)

Music for Christmas

Merry Christmas!

There are so many great Christmas hymns and songs that change our hearts and turn our hearts to Jesus Christ.  Some are familiar.  Some are new.  I am grateful for good Christmas music that helps us to remember our Savior Jesus Christ and to become more like Him. Here are a few beautiful, inspiring Christmas hymns and songs:

1. This Little Babe - Britten: A Ceremony of Carols, see also here (wiki)

2. There is no Rose - Britten: A Ceremony of Carols

3. That Yonge Child - Britten: A Ceremony of Carols

4. As Dew in Aprille - Britten: A Ceremony of Carols

5. The Wexford Carol - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir (wiki)

6. O Magnum Mysterium - Nordic Chamber Choir (wiki)

7. O Holy Night - Josh Groban (and Whitney Houston here) (and Celine Dion here)

8. Un Flambeau Jeannette Isabelle - Petits Chanteurs du Mont-Royal

9. Oh, Come, All Ye Faithful - Vocal Point and Noteworthy

10. What Child is This? - Josh Groban, see also here

11. The First Noel - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

12. In the Bleak Midwinter - Sissel Kyrkjebø

13. Still, Still, Still - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

14. O Come, O Come Emmanuel - Traditional Choir

15. Joy to the World - Pentatonix (and Hallelujah)

16. Away in a Manger - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

17. God Rest You Merry Gentlemen - Mariah Carey

18. Breath of Heaven - Amy Grant

19. We Three Kings of Orient Are

20. Silent Night - Sissel Kyrkjebø (and Astro del Ciel, Andrea Bocelli, and Cantique de Noël)

21. Angels We Have Heard on High - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

22. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing - Celtic Woman

23. With Wondering Awe - Heather Tanner

24. Far Far Away on Judea's Plain - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

25. Little Drummer Boy - Pentatonix (and Josh Groban here)

26. It Came Upon a Midnight Clear - Julie Andrews

27. For Unto Us a Child is Born - Handel's Messiah, The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

28. O Little Town of Bethlehem - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

29. I Saw Three Ships - Jon Schmidt

30. Once in Royal David's City - King's College Cambridge

31. Holly and Ivy - Natalie Cole

32. Tu Scendi dalle Stelle - Andrea Bocelli

33. Il est né, le divin enfant - Lexi Walker

34. Betelehemu, An African Christmas Song - The Mormon Tabernacle Choir

35. Panis Angelicus - Andrea Bocelli

36. Silent Night on the Electric Guitar

Jesus of Nazareth

Jesus of Nazareth, directed by Franco Zeffirelli

If you want to see a great film, and you have six plus hours to spare, you could really do worse than Franco Zeffirelli's epic Jesus of Nazareth. (See also here).  Zeffirelli's Romeo and Juliet is also well worth watching, even if you've already seen it.   

How to Delete Your Facebook Account

I don't know whether or not I should be concerned that Facebook would not allow me to share a link that teaches you how to delete your Facebook account.  I tried to post the link in this blog post, but Facebook rejects that as well.

When I tried to share this content, I received the following message:

"Our security systems have detected that a lot of people are posting the same content, which could mean that it's spam. Please try a different post.  If you think you're seeing this by mistake, please let us know."

Um.  No.  This is simply an article about how to delete your Facebook account.

It is an interesting article.  Just Google Robert Isenberg and How to delete your Facebook account.

Only Christ Can Be Our Ideal

The Savior Jesus Christ

"The world is full of people who are willing to tell us, 'Do as I say.' Surely we have no lack of advice givers on about every subject. But we have so few who are prepared to say, 'Do as I do.' And, of course, only One in human history could rightfully and properly make that declaration. History provides many examples of good men and women, but even the best of mortals are flawed in some way or another. None could serve as a perfect model nor as an infallible pattern to follow, however well-intentioned they might be.

Only Christ can be our ideal, our 'bright and morning star' (Rev. 22:16). Only he can say without any reservation, 'Follow me, learn of me, [and] do the things you have seen me do. Drink of my water and eat of my bread. I am the way, the truth, and the life. I am the law and the light. Look unto me and ye shall live. Love one another as I have loved you.' (see Matt. 11:29; 16:24; John 4:13–14; 6:35, 51; 7:37; 13:34; 14:6; 3 Ne. 15:9; 27:21).

- Howard W. Hunter

Truth Will Cut its Own Way

The Prophet Joseph Smith

"If I esteem mankind to be in error, shall I bear them down? No. I will lift them up, and in their own way too, if I cannot persuade them my way is better; and I will not seek to compel any man to believe as I do, only by the force of reasoning, for truth will cut its own way."

- The Prophet Joseph Smith

Like Placid Galilee

The Sea of Galilee

While reading, click here to listen to Audrey Assad's beautiful song "Help My Unbelief."

"The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me (Ps. 138:8)."

"There is a Divine mystery in suffering, a strange and supernatural power in it, which has never been fathomed by the human reason. There never has been known great saintliness of soul which did not pass through great suffering. When the suffering soul reaches a calm sweet carelessness, when it can inwardly smile at its own suffering, and does not even ask God to deliver it from suffering, then it has wrought its blessed ministry; then patience has its perfect work; then the crucifixion begins to weave itself into a crown.

It is in this state of the perfection of suffering that the Holy Spirit works many marvelous things in our souls. In such a condition, our whole being lies perfectly still under the hand of God; every faculty of the mind and will and heart are at last subdued; a quietness of eternity settles down into the whole being; the tongue grows still, and has but few words to say; it stops asking God questions; it stops crying, "Why hast thou forsaken me?

The imagination stops building air castles, or running off on foolish lines; the reason is tame and gentle; the choices are annihilated; it has no choice in anything but the purpose of God. The affections are weaned from all creatures and all things; it is so dead that nothing can hurt it, nothing can offend it, nothing can hinder it, nothing can get in its way; for, let the circumstances be what they may, it seeks only for God and His will, and it feels assured that God is making everything in the universe, good or bad, past or present, work together for its good.

Oh, the blessedness of being absolutely conquered! of losing our own strength, and wisdom, and plans, and desires, and being where every atom of our nature is like placid Galilee under the omnipotent feet of our Jesus."

- Streams in the Desert Devotional