We Talk of Christ

Like a guiding star in a clear, dark sky, Jesus Christ lights our way.

“He came to earth in a humble stable. He lived a perfect life. He healed the sick and raised the dead. He was a friend to the forgotten. He taught us to do good, to obey, and to love one another. He was crucified on a cross, rising majestically three days later, allowing us and those we love to live beyond the grave. With His incomparable mercy and grace, He took upon Himself our sins and our suffering, bringing forgiveness as we repent and peace in the storms of life. We love Him. We worship Him. We follow Him. He is the anchor of our souls.”

While this spiritual conviction is increasing within us, faith in Jesus Christ is diminishing in parts of the world.

“We have taken upon ourselves the name of the Savior. What more are we to do?”

Part of the answer comes in following President Russell M. Nelson, who has invited members to follow his example and study the 2,200 scripture references of Jesus Christ listed in the Topical Guide.

We Talk of Christ

by Elder Neil L. Anderson

A Promise for Your Preparation

“I promise you that as you prepare yourselves, as President Nelson did, you too will be different, thinking more about the Savior, speaking of Him more frequently and with less hesitation. As you come to know and love Him even more deeply, your words will flow more comfortably, as they do when you speak of one of your children or of a dear friend. Those listening to you will feel less like debating or dismissing you and more like learning from you.”

We can do a little better by:

Speaking of Christ in Our Homes

“The stories of Jesus [are] like a rushing wind across the embers of faith in the hearts of our children.” When your children ask you questions, consciously think about teaching what the Savior taught.

“We talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, … that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.”

Speaking of Christ in the Church

“In our worship services, let us focus on the Savior Jesus Christ and the gift of His atoning sacrifice.”

“While our subject might be about families or service or temples or a recent mission, everything in our worship should point to the Lord Jesus Christ.”

Speaking of Christ with Others

“With those around us, let us be more open, more willing to talk of Christ. President Nelson said, “True disciples of Jesus Christ are willing to stand out, speak up, and be different from the people of the world.”

“Let the Lord guide them as they are willing, while we think more about our responsibility to be a voice for Him, thoughtful and open about our faith.”

“Be more open on social media in talking about your trust in Christ. Most will respect your faith, but if someone is dismissive when you speak of the Savior, take courage in His promise: “Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you … for my sake. … For great is your reward in heaven.”

“The Book of Mormon is a powerful witness of Jesus Christ. Virtually every page testifies of the Savior and His divine mission.”

And lastly - Lifting Our Desire to Speak of Christ

“Can you imagine being caught up to meet Him, whether on this side or the other side of the veil? That is His promise to the righteous. This amazing experience will mark our souls forever.”

“…let us talk of Christ, anticipating His glorious promise: “Whosoever … shall confess me before men, him will I confess … before my Father.”

I feel as I have so much to catch up on doing all these! However, I still need to put in effort and Hear Him more.

Butter Salmon Stir-fry French Beans Bento

Today bento looks nicer a little bit, as I cooked most of the dishes that I knew. The only complaints from the children are too much portion, they are having a full stomach every time after lunch ^^

Butter Salmon

Ingredients:

• Salmon, 2 pcs
• Salt, ½ tablespoon
• Pepper, 1 teaspoon
• Butter, 20 gram

Preparation:

Night Before

1. Salmon cut to half, seasoned with salt and white pepper, keep in the fridge for the next day.

Actual Day

1. Take out the salmon, pat dry the salmon with kitchen towels.

2. Heat butter in a frying pan over medium-high heat. Once the butter melts, pan-fried the salmon, cook for 2 minutes, and turn pan-fried to the other side. Pan fry each side for 2 minutes. Transfer to plate for cooling.

Baked Roasted Potatoes

Ingredients:

• Russet Potatoes, 2 pcs
• Salt, 1 teaspoon
• Garlic powder, ½ tablespoon
• Cheese powder, ½ tablespoon
• Olive oil, little

Preparation:

Night Before

1. Cut the potatoes into crescent moon shapes, soaked in cold water for 2 minutes, dried, and put into the fridge.

Actual Day

1. Add olive oil, seasonings with garlic powder, cheese powder, salt, and mix.

2. Preheat the oven, and roast until tender with 230 degrees Celsius for 20 minutes. Take out for cooling.

  

Tamagoyaki Lady Fingers / Okra

Ingredients:

• Lady Fingers, 8 pcs
• Eggs, 4 pcs
• A – Salt, little
• A - Sugar, 1 teaspoon
• A – Stocks, 20ml

Preparation:

Night Before

1. Wash and clean the lady fingers using salt to remove the outer hair, and remove the stem of okra.

Actual Day

1. Beat the eggs, add in the mixture [A].

2. Heat up the Tamagoyaki frying pan, add in a bit oil, add in the beaten eggs, and place 4 pcs of okra onto the egg sheet. Use the spatula to roll up the okras together with the cook egg, and wrap the whole okras up.

3. Push down the eggs, and add more beaten eggs into the pan, keep on the rolling and wrapping method.

4. Take out and let cool, and cut the tamagoyaki okra into half.

 

Stir-fry French Beans

Ingredients:

• French beans, 150 grams
• Mince garlic, 3 gloves
• Salt, to taste
• Olive oil, little

Preparation:

Night Before

1. Wash and cut the French beans into 5cm lengths, store in the fridge.

Actual Day

1. Heat up the frying pan, add in olive oil. Stir-fry the mince garlic till fragrance.

2. Add in the French beans and stir-fry for about 3 – 5 minutes, add in salt and stir-fry further for about 1 minute and it is done.

The rice is actually mix vegetables fried rice that I prepared in the early morning as well for the kids.

Miso Meatballs Bento

Today is the second day of bento making. I try something from the recipe book that I newly bought. Hope my bento making journey starts to be better.

Miso Meatballs

Ingredients:

• Seaweed, 1 sheet
• Ground mince pork, 300 grams
• Miso paste, ½ tablespoon
• Mirin, ½ tablespoon
• Rice Wine, to taste

Preparation:

Night Before

1. Cut the big piece of seaweed to 6 pcs 3cm square shape, put into the Ziploc bag.
2. Grounded mince pork put into a big bowl, add in the mirin and miso paste to marinate it. Take a handful portion and throw it between your both hands, to reduce the air in the meat, and increase the meats’ density. Store in the fridge and prepare for the next day.

Actual Day

1. Take out the marinated grounded pork. Take some portion and roll it into a ball shape, finally press it to form a burger shape. Stick the cut seaweed sheet on top and bottom of the meat.

2. Heat up the oil in a frying pan over high heat. Turn to low heat, pan-fry the miso meatballs for 5 minutes.

3. Slowly turn over the meatballs on the other side, add in the rice wine along the pan, and cover the pan for about 3 – 4 minutes. After uncover, pan-fry a little longer till the sauce thicken and it is done.

Hard Boiled Eggs

Ingredients:

• Eggs, 2 pc

Preparation

Actual Day

1. Put the eggs into small pot, add the water till cover the whole eggs. Heat up the pot with medium-high, turn the heat lower after the water has boiled, and cook for another 5 minutes then turn off the fire.
2. Put the cook eggs in the ice water, slowly crack the eggs shells, and let it for about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the egg shells, cut half and put in the bento box.

Stir-fry Choy Sum (Mustard Greens)

Ingredients:

• Choy Sum, 200 grams
• Garlic, 2 gloves
• Salt, to taste

Preparation:

Night Before

1. Wash and cut the Choy Sum, cut the garlic gloves to slices. Store in the fridge for next day.

Actual Day

1. Heat up the oil in the frying pan, stir-fry the garlic slices till fragrance.
2. Put in the Choy Sum and turn the heat to high and stir-fry till cook. Add in the salt to taste and it is done.   

Something interesting about this bento is the rice. I cooked the rice together with the cut pumpkin. It looks like we are having the pumpkin rice and it is so easy to make with the rice cooker.

First Bento Attempt

I started my first bento attempt for both Issac and Annabelle to bring to school for their lunch time. I feel so awful as this is my first bento attempt and it looks not nice at all!

Both children are still very supporting and told me that the taste is good, just the outlook not enticing only. I was indeed really touched by the kindness of my children towards me.

I definitely will try my best to make a better bento each time!

All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues

Elder Gong’s Conference talk given a lot of short stories and testimonies from the members around the world. He stands as a witness that the prophecies given when the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored and fulfilled.

Here are some quotes that I personally love about this talk.

All Nations, Kindreds, and Tongues

by Elder Gerrit W. Gong

“Truly, for those with faithful hearts and eyes to see, the Lord’s tender mercies are manifest amidst life’s challenges. Faithfully met challenges and sacrifice do bring the blessings of heaven. In this mortality, we may lose or wait for some things for a time, but in the end we will find what matters most. That is His promise.”

“As we hearken to the Lord’s spirit of prophecy, we can become, in our own way, part of the fulfillment of His prophecies and promises—part of the gospel blessing the world.”

“By small and simple means—in which we are each invited to participate—great things are brought to pass.”

“as we increase our faith in Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, receive the blessings found in living restored gospel truths and sacred covenants, and study, ponder, and share about the ongoing Restoration, we participate in fulfilling prophecy.”

“We are changing ourselves and the world in a gospel pattern that blesses lives everywhere.”

“Heavenly Father invites us everywhere to feel His love, to learn and grow through education, honorable work, self-reliant service, and patterns of goodness and happiness we find in His restored Church.”

“As we come to trust God, sometimes through pleading in our darkest, loneliest, most uncertain moments, we learn He knows us better and loves us more than we know or love ourselves.”

“As we discover God, sometimes unexpected answers to prayers take us from the street, bring us to community, chase darkness from our souls, and guide us to find spiritual refuge and belonging in the goodness of His covenants and abiding love.”

“Great things often begin small, but God’s miracles are manifest daily. How grateful we are for the supernal gift of the Holy Ghost, the Atonement of Jesus Christ, and His revealed doctrine, ordinances, and covenants found in His restored Church, called in His name.”

It is the small and simple things that we faithfully do each day that care vital to build the kingdom of God in our corner of the world. Continue what you are doing, and watch for opportunities to share the blessings of the gospel that we have with others.

The Culture of Christ

When I initially listened to Elder Jackson give his conference address, I thought that it is about the different cultures of the world that he meant by that. It took me a while to figure our why different culture would be contradict with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Culture of Christ

by Elder William K.Jackson

Until Elder William K. Jackson comment the followings:

“Many of our world’s problems are a direct result of clashes between those of differing ideas and customs arising from their culture…”

We all define ourselves in many ways, including by the various cultures which brought us up during our early life.

“It may seem that culture is so heavily embedded in our thinking and behavior that it is impossible to change. It is, after all, much of what we feel defines us and from which we feel a sense of identity. It can be such a strong influence that we can fail to see the man-made weaknesses or flaws in our own cultures, resulting in a reluctance to throw off some of the traditions of our fathers. An overfixation on one’s cultural identity may lead to the rejection of worthwhile—even godly—ideas, attributes, and behavior.”

In speaking of the culture of Christ, Elder Jackson taught:

“This culture is grounded in the testimony that our Heavenly Father exists, that He is real and loves each one of us individually. We are His “work and [His] glory.”1 This culture espouses the concept of equal worth. There is no recognition of caste or class. We are, after all, brothers and sisters, spirit children of our heavenly parents—literally. There is no prejudice or “us versus them” mentality in the greatest of all cultures. We are all “us.” We are all “them.” We believe that we are responsible and accountable for ourselves, one another, the Church, and our world. Responsibility and accountability are important factors in our growth.”

Elder Jackson after listed the Culture of Christ is a culture of the followings:

• Charity, true Christlike caring, is the bedrock of this culture. We feel real concern for the needs of our fellowman, temporal and spiritual, and act on those feelings. This dispels prejudice and hatred.
• We enjoy a culture of revelation, centered on the word of God as received by the prophets (and personally verifiable to each one of us through the Holy Ghost). All humankind can know the will and mind of God.
• This culture champions the principle of agency. The ability to choose is extremely important for our development and our happiness. Choosing wisely is essential.
• It is a culture of learning and study. We seek knowledge and wisdom and the best in all things.
• It is a culture of faith and obedience. Faith in Jesus Christ is the first principle of our culture, and obedience to His teachings and commandments is the outcome. These give rise to self-mastery.
• It is a culture of prayer. We believe that God will not only hear us but also help us.
• It is a culture of covenants and ordinances, high moral standards, sacrifice, forgiveness and repentance, and caring for the temple of our bodies. All of these bear witness to our commitment to God.
• It is a culture governed by the priesthood, the authority to act in God’s name, the power of God to bless His children. It edifies and enables individuals to be better people, leaders, mothers, fathers, and companions—and it sanctifies the home.
• True miracles abound in this, the oldest of all cultures, wrought by faith in Jesus Christ, the power of the priesthood, prayer, self-improvement, true conversion, and forgiveness.
• It is a culture of missionary work. The worth of souls is great.

• In the culture of Christ, women are elevated to their proper and eternal status. They are not subservient to men, as in many cultures in today’s world, but full and equal partners here and in the world to come.
• This culture sanctions the sanctity of the family. The family is the basic unit of eternity. The perfection of the family is worth any sacrifice because, as has been taught, “no other success can compensate for failure in the home.” The home is where our best work is done and where our greatest happiness is attained.
• In the culture of Christ, there is perspective—and eternal focus and direction. This culture is concerned with things of lasting worth! It comes from the gospel of Jesus Christ, which is eternal and explains the why, what, and where of our existence. (It is inclusive, not exclusive.) Because this culture results from the application of our Savior’s teachings, it helps provide a healing balm of which our world is in such desperate need.

Elder Jackson exclaimed:

“What a blessing it is to be part of this grand and noble way of life! To be part of this, the greatest of all cultures, will require change. The prophets have taught that it is necessary to leave behind anything in our old cultures that is inconsistent with the culture of Christ. But that doesn’t mean we have to leave behind everything. The prophets have also emphasized that we are invited, one and all, to bring our faith and talents and knowledge—all that is good in our lives and our individual cultures—with us and let the Church “add to it” through the message of the gospel.”

To Change – is the key word. As Sister Michelle D. Craig encouraged, I can ask myself 2 questions: “What am I doing that I should stop doing?” and “What am I not doing that I should start doing?” to draw me closer to Him.

Ask, Seek, and Knock

Elder Milton Camargo relates his own personal scripture study with the Come, Follow Me about Alma’s ministry in Ammonihah suggested to ponder the great blessings God has given him.

Ask, Seek, and Knock

by Milton Camargo

Alma exemplified what it means to ask, seek and knock during his ministry to the Nephites people.

Ask

“President Russell M. Nelson, has given a similar invitation in our day. He said: “Pray in the name of Jesus Christ about your concerns, your fears, your weaknesses—yes, the very longings of your heart. And then listen! Write the thoughts that come to your mind. Record your feelings and follow through with actions that you are prompted to take. As you repeat this process day after day, month after month, year after year, you will ‘grow into the principle of revelation.’”

“We don’t always need to know everything or see everything… The still, small voice is reaffirming, encouraging, and comforting—and many times that’s just what we need for the day. The Holy Ghost is real, and His impressions are real—the big ones and the small ones.”

Seek

“Seeking implies mental and spiritual effort—pondering, testing, trying, and studying… When we seek, we are humbly acknowledging that we still have much to learn, and the Lord will expand our understanding, preparing us to receive more. “For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; … for unto him that receiveth I will give more” (2 Nephi 28:30).

Knock

“To knock is to act in faith. When we actively follow Him, the Lord opens the way before us.”

“We learn that prayer requires spiritual labor, and it does not always lead to the outcome we hope for. But when we feel discouraged or weighed down with sorrow, the Lord gives us comfort and strength in different ways. He may not answer all of our questions or solve all of our problems right away; rather, He encourages us to keep trying. If we then speedily align our plan with His plan, He will open the way for us, as He did for Alma.”

While we are asking and seeking, we need to continue to move forward in faith, trusting that the Lord will not allow us to wonder too far from Him.

And the most important is that process of waiting or that I consider as ‘darkest moments’ because my Savior has been there all along, bringing me up when I felt there was none left in the world for me.

And that process or journey is how Heavenly Father moulds me to become a better version of me. I know that I have a living Father and Jesus is the living Christ. Amen.