Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Psalm 37: 4
In April the living prophet for the church Russel M. Nelson instructed the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day-Saint to attend the temple more often.
For some time I have felt a certain void in my soul and an uncomfortable distance from my Savior. I was off kilter and not my full self. I realized I hadn’t been attending the temple regularly. Herein lied the problem. I took my first opportunity to attend the temple the upcoming Saturday evening.
The following Monday, I began to have a new idea of book a gig in a bowling alley. Mind you, for several months I experienced a pressing desire play out with my band. I have been actively brainstorming with myself about places to perform. This new thought of performing in a bowling alley spiked my interest and resonated with life. YES! A bowling alley! How fun! The more I thought about it, the more it seemed perfect. I could advertise for Ensemble Jazz Experience, my adult jazz combo class, and meet those who could populate my business.
Wednesday I had time too investigate the bowling alley idea. After entering bowling alley near me into google maps, I found I had several options. The first result of the search felt dead. I quickly moved onto the following result displaying Kingpins, a family entertainment center. This felt alive and resonated with me. I called immediately asking to speak with a manager. When she answered, the words flowed from my lips as only directed my divine inspiration.
“I am a jazz musician and I play saxophone. I play in a jazz duo, trio, quartet and a small swing band. I am curious if you might be open to having live music in your establishment.”She responded. “Before you go any further, let my save you the trouble of repeating this. I am going to transfer you to Casey in the Beaverton location because they have been talking about having live music at their location.”
Okay, first I wasn’t aware that I hadn’t called the Beaverton location. Second, THEY HAVE BEEN TALKING ABOUT HAVING LIVE MUSIC?!?! WHAT! SERIOUSLY? You, just try and tell me that is not evidence of God working miracles. DUDE!
When I spoke with Casey she was so happy I called. She had been mulling over some what kind of band to have and wasn’t sure which way to go and loved the idea of live Jazz. I sent her samples of my playing and she is presenting her idea to the upper management this week. She will contact me with the outcome.
What happens if the upper management shoots down her idea and they don’t want live music. Do I loose my faith? No. The result doesn’t undo the inspiration given from God. The actions of humans will not cancel out the evidence of God’s hand working in my life. And yes, I attest this as being a direct blessing of temple attendance and following the words of the prophet.
God want us to be happy and be close to Him. I must do may part to keep the relationships strong and growing by daily prayer, scripture study and regular temple attendance. I am grateful for the council given by a living prophet to help guide me and keep me close to the Lord. I know that God lives and blesses me richly when I live according to his laws and commandments and follow the prophet. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is real and it works! Get on board, the savior Jesus Christ wants to prepare us for his His return.
“If you are not sure you even believe in God, start there. Understand that in the absence of experiences with God, one can doubt the existence of God. So, put yourself in a position to begin having experiences with Him. Humble yourself. Pray to have eyes to see God’s hand in your life and in the world around you. Ask Him to tell you if He is really there – if He knows you. Ask Him how He feels about you. And then listen.”
President Russel M. Nelson, acting president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day-Saints and Prophet of God.
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