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"Some may count this experience as simply a nice coincidence, but I testify that the tender mercies of the Lord are real and that they do not occur randomly or merely by coincidence. Often, the Lord's timing of His tender mercies helps us to both discern and acknowledge them." –David A. Bednar

I started listening to Elder Bednar's talk yesterday morning, and the timing of the talk itself was an answer to prayer.  As of Monday, it has been one year since my baptism.  I started my wonderful new job working for the Church on Monday.  My life has been overflowing with blessings and I was starting to feel as if it couldn't possibly be fair for me to be blessed so abundantly.  The Lord spoke to me through Elder Bednar's talk and now it's clear to me that the timing of these blessings is not a coincidence.  He really does want to pour out blessings on us when the time is right.

This brings something else to my mind.  Just before my baptism a year ago, while I was wading through much pain and loneliness, the following talk gave me immense comfort and hope:

"With ever-increasing envy and mounting desperation, one day Rachel explosively demanded of Jacob, “Give me children or else I die” (Genesis 30:1). Leah subsequently bore two more sons and a daughter.

The Apostle Peter testified that “the Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering” toward us (2 Peter 3:9). In this age of one-hour dry cleaning and one-minute fast-food franchises, it may at times seem to us as though a loving Heavenly Father has misplaced our precious promises or He has put them on hold or filed them under the wrong name. Such were the feelings of Rachel.

But with the passage of time, we encounter four of the most beautiful words in holy writ: “And God remembered Rachel” (Genesis 30:22). And she was blessed with the birth of Joseph and later the birth of Benjamin. There are millions on earth today who are descendants of Joseph who have embraced the Abrahamic promise that through their efforts “shall all the families of the earth be blessed, even with the blessings of the Gospel, which are the blessings of salvation, even of life eternal” (Abraham 2:11).

When heaven’s promises sometimes seem afar off, I pray that each of us will embrace these exceeding great and precious promises and never let go. And just as God remembered Rachel, God will remember you. I so testify in the name of Jesus Christ, amen." –Spencer J. Condie

This is true.  I promise.

An interesting video published by the LDS Church.   

Washington Post: The New Face of Global Mormonism (Video)

Even before we call on Your name
To ask You, O God,
When we seek for the words to glorify you,
You hear our prayer;
Unceasing love, O unceasing love,
Surpassing all we know.

Glory to the Father,
And to the Son,
And to the Holy Spirit.

Even with darkness sealing us in,
We breathe Your name,
And through all the days that follow so fast,
We trust in You;
Endless Your grace, O endless Your grace,
Beyond all mortal dream.

Both now and for ever,
And unto ages and ages,
Amen.

–Michael Dennis Browne

My brother Adam gave me the Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, Consider the Lilies for my birthday. I've been listening to this song over and over. It's such a beautifully meek song. I want to see if I can find a group who can sing it a cappella at my baptism. I found the lyrics and the MP3 on the Stephen Paulus website.