You know that feeling when something just SPEAKS to you? Those things that grasp every part of you and you just feel the truth and light in it?

I feel it when I look at beautiful art.

I feel it when I see an incredible sunset.

I feel it in nature.

I feel it when I read a book that resonates with me, the author drawing deep on our emotions.

I feel it in music, or when in deep conversation about something important to me. I feel it in listening to spoken word.

I believe God is in it all.

And that somehow He speaks to me through all these mediums.

If I am still enough to hear.

So when I listened to these two podcasts this week, they spoke to me. Because they explained beautifully those very sentiments.

In the podcasts Michael Wilcox talks about “God’s Many Voices,” and how God’s voice is woven into everything around us.

And how we need to seek the good.

Michael Wilcox is a member of my church, but he explains that God is woven into every religion.

The key operative values in Confucianism is BENEVOLENCE and HARMONY.

The core, deep values in Buddhism are COMPASSION and SELFLESSNESS.

In Christianity, FAITH, HOPE and CHARITY are key.

And really, aren’t BENEVOLENCE, COMPASSION and CHARITY really all one and the same?

When it comes down to it, truth-seekers are all looking for and trying to exemplify the same things.

Michael Wilcox talks about a having a “fixed foot” in your beliefs, but not being afraid to have a “searching foot” to find all the good in the world. He compares this to a compass, like the ones you use to draw perfect circles. One foot is fixed and the other explores and learns and expands.

(I had heard his analogy about this before and actually gave Dave a compass for his birthday years ago, he’s so good at this type of thinking.)

When you are confident in your own “fixed foot,” you don’t fear going out and looking at other truth to further build your own.

There is “truth” in Shakespeare, Tolstoy, Joan of Arc, Francis of Assisi, so much beauty and light in the world!

To get the full gist of what I’m trying to condense here, I so highly recommend listening to these two podcasts (linked below).

I especially LOVED the second one where they go into all kinds of “standard works” from all different religions and point out SO MUCH BEAUTY there.

All this thinking makes me more excited than ever for General Conference this weekend: a time when our church leaders spill out so much light and goodness over four sessions on Saturday and Sunday. It’s all broadcast so people can watch all over the world and it is filled up with truth from the spoken word sense.

Everyone is invited to watch, those who are members in our religion and those who are not…anyone looking for more light in their lives.

Sending out so much love and compassion and benevolence and charity as I try to find more myself, wishing everyone a very happy weekend.

How to watch General Conference:

All the links for viewing options are HERE.

Listen to “God’s Many Voices”

(the podcasts I talked about):

God’s Many Voices

God’s Many Voices (part 2)

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8 Comments

  1. How does the concept of “God׳’s many voices” line up with the LDS Belief, and consistent teaching, that yours is “the one true church?”

    1. I think if you listen to the podcasts it will help answer that question. The culture of our church has come up with the thought that is sometimes shared that it is the “only true church” but there is truth in all churches that seek to connect people to God (just like in the scripture “C” pointed out). I believe, with my “fixed foot” that we have continual revelation (one of our “Articles of Faith” explains that we believe all that God has revealed and that He will yet reveal many plain and precious things pertaining to the Kingdom of God”). This was reiterated in Conference today. Truth is revealed in so many myriads of ways. Everything that leads us to do good is from God, and those things that lead us to do good do not have to be from only one source. All that Michael Wilcox points out that God speaks in so many different ways throughout the world just rings so true and is so beautiful to me!

  2. Jenny! I liked your thought… great question! From my perspective, I think God is the Father of us all… there is “one Lord, one faith, one baptism.” (Eph. 4:5.) But I also believe and love this scripture, in The Book of Mormon: “Behold, doth he cry unto any, saying: Depart from me? Behold, I say unto you, Nay; but he saith: Come unto me all ye ends of the earth, buy milk and honey, without money and without price. Behold, hath he commanded any that they should depart out of the synagogues, or out of the houses of worship? Behold, I say unto you, Nay. Hath he commanded any that they should not partake of his salvation? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but he hath given it free for all men; and he hath commanded his people that they should persuade all men to repentance. for he doeth that which is good among the children of men; and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men; and he inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile. Behold, hath the Lord commanded any that they should not partake of his goodness? Behold I say unto you, Nay; but all men are privileged the one like unto the other, and none are forbidden.” He is the God of all truth. And The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believes that the world is full of truth in every faith and every religion. And the world is full of imperfect people, both of faith and not of any faith. Gordon B. Hinckley, a previous prophet of our Church said: “We say to the people, in effect, you bring with you all the good that you have, and then let us see if we can add to it. That is the spirit of this work.”

  3. I have to say that I listened to those 2 podcasts at your recommendation, and my mind was blown in the BEST way possible. Thanks so much for passing that along. Loved it soooo much!

  4. Followed ur blog for a while and love ur spirit. Moved to comment for the first time.I love this so much and believe in it wholeheartedly. I was born into the Hindu faith and still practice it because I love it. But I truly believe there is only one God, one Father and we are all brothers and sisters on different paths to the same goal, to seek Him. I feel like I am in the presence of a kindred spirit when u describe your feelings about God, your faith, your appreciation of the Lord in all the love, kindness and beauty you see around you. I feel the same way even though we are of different faiths/religions. And I love the point of having one foot firm in ur own religion or beliefs to provide you depth, an anchor, a manual so to speak, for your path. . Otherwise if u start picking and choosing things to practice from each way religion or faith – then it just becomes a religion of convenience

    1. Oh P, I so agree with you. I do feel like we are all brothers and sisters all just doing our best to follow God in the best ways we know how. And it’s such a beautiful thing to learn from the different ways others are striving to do just what you are striving to do, just in a way that speaks to them.

  5. Just a reminder that for the first time ever there are actually 5 general sessions. 10am, 2pm, and 6 pm on Saturday as well as 10am and 2pm on Sunday. MST.

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