I was asked today to give a talk Sunday on the Sprit of God (from 1 Corinthians 2) and I was hoping for (lengthy) thoughts on how you would explain the difference between the Spirit (or Light of Christ) and the Holy Ghost. I had felt for most of my life, the Spirit. It is how I survived (how I continue to survive) and it is different than the Holy Ghost, which for me, has an almost physical feeling of accompaniment with it. When the missionaries told me I did not have the Holy Ghost, I was almost offended having experienced such promptings of the Spirit and the love of Christ for all of my prior 28 years. It was a feeling of insanity that I am glad I have come to terms with in a way that was incredibly precious to me. I would love your thoughts though.
Please leave your thoughts with me about this. I think it is a point that is very important that I try to touch on.
And I know. the timing is impeccable. Not really sure what to think of it. This is only the second talk I have been asked to give in this ward.
HISTORY
A Little History:
Our story begins in Pocatello, Idaho, circa 1972, when the lovely Debby Christensen agreed to a first, though fateful date with admirer, David Croshaw. Long story-short, he bade her follow him, and they went arm-in-arm to the Logan, Utah temple for establishment of an eternal family unit, Generation 1, on May 23 1973.
From their first blissful summer in Salt Lake City, educational pursuits took them to Provo/Orem, Utah, birthplace of Leslie and Rebecca, and to San Francisco/Oakland California, birthplace of Colin and Matt. Then, for establishment of livelihood, expansion of the tribe with Abby and Dana, and for raising/unifying of Generation 2, it was back to the roots in Pocatello for a rewarding sojourn.
In time, driven by a raging, but commonly shared sense of adventure and independence, one-by-one, Generation 2 escaped the homeland to distant regions of the country and the world, each ultimately developing their own tribal expansions by pairing with worthy mates and initiating Generation 3.
Now sensing fulfillment of their purpose in Pocatello, Generation 1 has also left those roots and transplanted to Cascade Idaho, from which base, they anticipate more abundant contact with The Posterity, Generations 2 and 3, in the future. That contact however, awaits fulfillment of a call to LDS missionary service in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, wherein they hope to help the state of the world by sharing the love of Jesus Christ.
So now, including Generation 0 (Grandma and Grandpa Christensen) home base includes Yuma, Arizona, Pocatello, Idaho, Cascade, Idaho, Vancouver, BC, Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Spokane, Washington, Boise, Idaho, Los Angeles, California, back to Boise, Idaho, and on and on (Generation 3+) to infinity.
Our Mission Statement:
This is the blog of our eternal family unit. Initiated years ago, it served well as a journal, but even more so, as an archive of our personal interaction. It was a gathering place, a confabulation instrument, a unifying force for four generations of widely dispersed and progressively prolific posterity, and their valued associates. Though it served these purposes well for many years, it eventually took a back seat to new-kids-on-the-block, Facebook, and Instagram, and was sadly forgotten.
We now move to resurrect this blog with an added functional purpose of archiving the missionary experiences of Generation 1, of their movements and activities as they participate with The Gathering of Israel in the land northward. In so doing, we hope that via their own comments and posts, this blog will again serve to gather and unify the posterity and their friends.
As in the past, that the young and vibrant may know the old and tired, that enduring bonds may be fostered and maintained, that experience and encouragement may be openly shared, that posterity may embrace truth, and that hearts may be knit together, we must resist detachment despite our geographic divergence. We shall do so here.
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7 comments:
Crystal, I gave a talk on the Light of Christ a few months ago, I'll email it to you.
I was just reading it and I actually quoted you in it. I must have asked for thoughts on here also.
I have been reading A Marvelous Work and a Wonder by LeGrand Richards. It is wonderful and if you can get your hands on a copy of it on page 111 the chapter explains beautifully the Light of Christ and the mission of the Holy Ghost. It is explained in words that made it clear to me and I have had questions re the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. Hope this helps. What fun it was to meet your brother and his wife, I am just sorry Val wasn't there.
Crystal, I always kind of think of the light of christ as your conscience...it tells you when something is right or wrong. It makes you want to be kind to others. Keeps you honest, etc.
The Holy Ghost is something beyond your own conscience. It comforts you, it protects you from danger, it testifies of Christ and teaches you things you couldn't possibly know on your own. In Eva's simple 2-year old words, "The Holy Ghost helps us". (Seriously...I've heard her talk about the Holy Ghost more than once.)
There's a great talk Elder Packer gave in the April 2005 Ensign, called the Light of Christ. You should be able to find it on the church website. Good luck with your talk!
One more thing, if it isn't already obvious, both the Light of Christ and the Holy Ghost can be ignored. They are tools available for our use, but no one's forcing us to use them.
Crystal,
Here's how I understand it:
what you felt throughout your life was the influence of the Holy Ghost. It is available for anyone. It comes in short bursts in times you need it. You can only obtain the Gift of the Holy Ghost after you are baptized and then given the gift through confirmation.
The Light of Christ is another very interesting, deep concept. It is the power that tells us all what is right and wrong. Everyone who comes to the earth are blessed with this This is kind of our conscience. Unfortunately, most who are blessed with this will ignore it. This is from LDS.org:
The Light of Christ is the divine energy, power, or influence that proceeds from God through Christ and gives life and light to all things. The Light of Christ influences people for good and prepares them to receive the Holy Ghost. One manifestation of the Light of Christ is what we call a conscience.
I can't explain it quite as well as some, so here are a couple really good talks:
The Unspeakable Gift by Joseph Wirthlin
Tha Light of Christ by Boyd K Packer
Walk in the Light by Henry Eyring
These are good ones. I hope this answers your questions.
Colin
Crystal, there is also a great article in the Ensign from many years ago. I gave a relief society lesson several years ago on the Light of Christ. It really made me look at the world differently. In this article it describes how the Light of Christ is in and through and around everything in the world. everywhere we look and within everything we look is the Light of Christ. another great concept is that the light of Christ is the conduit through which the Holy Ghost works, kind of a divine fiber optic line. I'll forward you my lesson. debby
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