A Sweet Change of Heart: Recent Episodes
Mike Gassaway
Hello Everyone & Welcome Back to A Sweet Change of Heart! We are currently online at our website at asweetchangeofheart.com and have new Videos/Podcasts coming out each week featuring the talks from the most recent General Conferences and addresses of the Apostles and Prophets. Followed by guitar renditions of uplifting music! We hope you enjoy it & feel free to share it with someone! Other episodes are available at A Sweet Change of Heart on Youtube, Facebook, Instagram, and coming soon Itunes, Spotify, & Google Play. Thank you for watching & we'll see you next time! ☺
Can you remember one of those times when you came to the end of a very long day. Physically, mentally, and even spiritually exhausted from the day-to-day of living in the world. Do you remember how it felt to finally lay down in bed, pull the comforter around you and just…rest.
That feeling of peace and rest was promised to us recently by President Russell M Nelson, our Prophet and President of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, when we make and keep covenants with our Savior Jesus Christ in a talk entitled “Overcome the World and Find Rest”.
He quoted our Savior Jesus Christ who said:
“Come unto me all ye who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me,...and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”
Then President Nelson said:
My plea to you this morning is to find rest from the intensity, uncertainty, and anguish of this world by overcoming the world through your covenants with God. Let Him know through your prayers and actions that you are serious about overcoming the world. Ask Him to enlighten your mind and send the help that you need. Each day record the thoughts that come to you as you pray, then follow through diligently. Spend more time in the temple and seek to understand how the temple teaches you to rise above this fallen world.
With the power of the holy Apostleship vested in me, I bless you in your quest to overcome this world. I bless you to increase your faith in Jesus Christ and learn better how to draw upon His power. Because Jesus Christ overcame this world, you can too. I so testify in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, amen.
One of the first things that we do when we move into a new home is plant fruit trees. And our most recent new home was no exception. Soon after moving in, we went down to a local nursery and bought our trees. Then we set ourselves to the task of digging the holes so that we could plant them.
Also featuring quotes from President Russell M. Nelson.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Well, on the very first hole, just inches below the surface I encountered the inescapable axiom of hole digging…rocks. And not the garden variety that you can remove with a simple shovel. These were big, bulky, boulder sized rocks that require significant effort and ingenuity to remove. I had to dig all the way out around them to find the edges and especially remove all the smaller rocks that lock the big one into place. Then I needed a hefty crowbar to pop it free and lever it out of the hole. There was more than one exhausting day of removing rocks from my life that I really enjoyed laying down at night…to rest.
You know I learned a lot of lessons from removing rocks. Rocks are like all of our mortal weaknesses in this life. Some are small and some are pretty big. If you really want to remove a weakness from your life you have to clear away all the debris or bad habits that “lock” the big weakness into your life. And some weaknesses are so big that like using my crowbar, you’re not gonna remove the weakness without help. We need loving support of family and friends, a good bishop, counseling, and most of all, we need our Savior Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement. Only through our Savior Jesus Christ and the power of the atonement can we overcome the world and remove the rocks from our lives. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Other episodes of “A Sweet Change of Heart” are available
You know, it seems like such a long time ago that we were able to share with you our witness of Jesus Christ. We have literally been traveling on the road and moving for months now. We’ve had good times, and some tough times, some extraordinary miracles, and some tiny tender mercies, from one end of the country to the other…and back again.
We are so grateful for everyone’s help, yet in all our experiences we’ve learned that there has never been a greater need for our Savior, Jesus Christ and the love and service He inspires than there is in the world today.
That was one of the main points in a message shared with us recently by Elder M Russell Ballard, Apostle in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints in a talk entitled “Follow Jesus Christ with Footsteps of Faith".
He said:
“Brothers and Sisters, I testify that as we follow Jesus Christ with footsteps of faith, there is hope. There is hope in the Lord, Jesus Christ. There is hope for all in this life. There is hope to overcome our mistakes, our sorrows, our struggles, and our trials, and our troubles. There is hope in repentance and in being forgiven and in forgiving others. I testify that there is hope and peace in Christ. He can carry us today through difficult times. He did it for the early pioneers, and He will do it now for each one of us.
May we ever follow in the footsteps of Jesus Christ and, with faith in our every footstep, focus on Him, keeping our feet firmly planted on the covenant path, is my humble prayer, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
In all our months of moving, we have been the beneficiaries of some amazing blessings from the Lord, Jesus Christ. Like angels, people would feel inspired to help us at times when we didn’t know how we were going to keep moving.
I would like to share with you one amazing example of “Christlike” service in the story of Bob. That was actually his real name and the only thing that I ever learned about him.
After months of moving, I was at our storage unit with one of our daughters and two of our grandsons ages 8 & 9. It had been another exhausting day and we were trying to load some of our heavier items into our truck.
We were way past our human limits when out of the blue, a man named Bob poked his head around the corner of my pickup and asked if he could help. We were so grateful for the extra hands. He helped us load our truck, then he stayed and helped us load our daughter's van.
It was only then that we learned that he occupied the adjacent storage unit, and that we had parked in his way. Rather than get upset and demand that we move, he jumped in and lent his helping hands right when we needed him the most. I will always be grateful for an angel named Bob.
Often, that is how the Lord, Jesus Christ performs his work. We get to be His hands as He inspires us to help one another. Just as He helped us first. Jesus Christ did for us what we could not do for ourselves, and now He inspires us to do the same for others. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Listen to the message of serving one another wherever we are needed: “I’ll go where you want me to go”.
Also featuring quotes from President M. Russell Ballard.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Hace varios meses, uno de mis hijos y yo hicimos una pequeña caminata hasta la cima de una montaña cerca de su casa. Mientras caminábamos por los caminos y senderos, hablábamos de muchas cosas. En realidad, creo que él fue quien más habló... ¡Me faltaba aire!
Definitivamente confiaba en su juventud y vigor para llegar a la cima de la montaña. Él es verdaderamente una parte de la nueva generación.
Resultó que, mientras avanzábamos por el costado, llegamos a una parte particularmente empinada del sendero que fue muy difícil para mí. Realmente estaba pasando por un momento difícil y usaba mis manos y mis pies para seguir adelante. Llegó un punto en el que le dije: “Hijo, normalmente no soy el tipo de hombre que se da por vencido, pero no estoy tan seguro de haber traído a ese hombre conmigo hoy”. Simplemente se volvió hacia mí y me dijo simplemente: "Papá, cuando llegues a la cima, podrás volver a ser ese hombre de nuevo". Me llevó a la cima de la montaña.
Cualesquiera que sean los desafíos que tengamos que enfrentar. Cualesquiera que sean las montañas que tengamos que escalar en nuestras vidas. ¡Nuestro Salvador Jesucristo lo sabe! Y Él nos llevará a la cima de esas montañas, para que podamos SER quienes realmente somos. En el nombre de Jesucristo, amén.
Estamos siempre en sus pensamientos. Escuche, "El Padrenuestro".
También incluye citas del élder Jeffrey R. Holland.
Por favor, siéntase libre de compartir esto con su familia y amigos.
Otros episodios de A Sweet Change of Heart están disponibles en inglés y español en YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, con enlaces a otros
Redes sociales y plataformas de podcasting.
¡Gracias por ver! ¡Nos vemos la próxima vez!
Several months ago, one of my sons and I took a little hike to the top of a mountain near his home. As we walked along the roads and trails, we talked about many things. Actually, I think he did most of the talking…I was gasping for air!
I was definitely relying on his youth and vigor to get me to the top of the mountain. He is truly a part of the rising generation.
As it turned out, while advancing up the side, we came to a particularly steep part of the trail that was very difficult for me. I was really having a tough time and using both my hands and my feet to keep moving forward. There came a point where I said to him, “Son, I’m not normally the kind of man who gives up, but I’m not so sure I brought that man with me today.” He just turned to me and said simply, “Dad, when you get to the top, you can be that man again.” He got me to the top of the mountain.
Whatever challenges we have to face. Whatever mountains we have to climb in our lives. Our Savior Jesus Christ knows! And He will get us to the top of those mountains, so that we can BE who we really are. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We are always in His thoughts. Listen to, “The Lord’s Prayer”.
Also featuring quotes from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Over a decade ago, one of our sons wanted to serve a foreign mission. He may have even been a little disappointed when he received a mission call to Long Beach, CA, but he always said he would go where he was called to go…and he did.
Well, the experiences that the Lord prepared for him were actually quite diverse. He served in an English Ward, a Spanish Branch, and a Cambodian Branch. He even got dragged into a “mock” sword battle amongst a large Samoan family during a Father’s Day celebration!
I asked him once what the high point of his mission was, and he told me that it actually came near the end of his mission. He was visiting with a few of the other Elders and one of them asked him if he was excited to be going home. He responded, “I am, but I’m choosing to focus on serving well the last little bit.” Which at that point in his mission he knew was the truth. What he didn’t expect was the other Elder’s response who said, “Elder, when I get there, I hope I can be just like you.” And he meant it.
After 10 years, his experiences have helped him to be a better husband, father, businessman, and lifetime servant of the Lord Jesus Christ. All his experiences and blessings “tailor-made” by the Lord for him for choosing to serve a mission and serving well to the end. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from President M. Russell Ballard.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching and we'll see you next time!
Last week on the 7th of June, my wife and I took a trip to Yellowstone National Park. Kind of amazing timing if you consider the current state of the park. In any case, neither of us had ever been there before, so it was all new to us.
It was beautiful! Powerful waterfalls, river rapids, majestic snow capped peaks, ice covered lakes in June, erupting geysers, and vast herds of buffalo. Absolutely gorgeous!
On one occasion, we were driving along a very narrow road with a sheer rock wall on our left and a steep precipice on our right. When we rounded a bend, an amazing vista of a snow covered peak with the river flowing through a little gorge 50 feet below opened up for just a second, but there was no place to stop and take a picture!
We pulled off at the next safe spot, but by then the view was gone. I decided to walk back down that narrow road so that I could take that “Perfect Picture”. My wife was a little dubious as to the wisdom of my decision, but I assured her that, “I got this!”
I back tracked about 150 feet walking on a little 6 inch piece of packed earth wedged in between the edge of the pavement and what looked like an ancient retaining wall that could have been built 100 years ago and a 50 foot slope to the river to get the picture! All I could say when I got back to the car was, “They seriously need a handrail!” and “I am not doing that again!”
“Press on” in life’s journey to our heavenly home. “Hold fast” to the iron rod, our Savior Jesus Christ. And, “Heed not” the adversary and his distractions. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from Elder David A. Bednar.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
One of the 5 things that President Nelson suggested would help us to increase our spiritual momentum is to seek and expect miracles. Well, I would like to share with you the miracle that has become my life for the past 4 months.
On February 5th of this year, my wife and I traveled to a distant city for a visit. We arrived in the evening and checked in at our hotel. We left to get some dinner and then returned to eat in our room. We then watched some TV for a little while and went to bed.
Sometime in the middle of the night, without any forewarning, I was awakened…by silence. I knew that I couldn’t hear anything but the sound of my own voice vibration inside my head. I was terrified! Was this temporary?! Was this permanent?! I began to weep and plead with God to heal my ears. In the end, I did feel peace and I obtained a promise that He would heal me to the extent that my ears would not prohibit me from the performance of any work I was here to do.
In exhaustion, the thought came into my mind, “Lay down your head and rest for now little one, you have a long healing road ahead of you.”
I did sleep for a few hours and when my wife and I awoke in the morning I told her, “Please don’t be alarmed, but I can’t hear.” She was astonished and deeply concerned. We prayed and wept and decided to go home.
Within days of our return, I saw a specialist who immediately recommended an aggressive treatment program of medication and shots into my left ear drum if I wanted to have any hope of recovering any of my hearing. After 8 weeks of rigorous treatment I had regained 12% of my hearing. The specialists had very little hope for more recovery, and recommended more radical measures. I declined, hoping to give the Lord more time for me on the “long healing road”. I’m glad that I did.
I am still healing! Our Savior, Jesus Christ, sends little healing miracles every single day along “the long healing road”. My first conversation with a friend! The first time I heard one of my granddaughters say “Hi Grandpa!” over the little speaker on the phone! And, of course, I wept on the day that I could hear enough notes to return to playing the guitar!
I don’t know how much hearing I will be given in time, but this much I know. I have learned more lessons about compassion for anyone who is afflicted and how much I love hearing every word that my wife says and increasing faith in God than perhaps I could have learned in any other way.
President Nelson suggested to us that one of the ways that we can increase our spiritual momentum is to “seek and expect miracles”. Well, I am living proof that our Savior, Jesus Christ blesses us with those miracles every single day! In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Listen to the message of peace in the hymn that has come to represent for me that first night of silence: “Abide with Me Tis Eventide”.
Also featuring quotes from President Russell M. Nelson.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Many years ago, I had an assignment to organize a leadership training retreat for the youth in our ward. We told them that if they would make all the preparations over the winter months that during their spring break in April, we would take them some 150 miles to a camp on the Oregon coast for a day of training and playing on the beach. They made all the preparations and the day finally dawned for the trip…cold and raining. I hoped, as we caravaned to the coast that the weather would improve, but it only got worse. We arrived at the camp and quickly unloaded our things. We got a fire going in the main hall as that was our only source of heat. The kids had brought some board games to play while the adults made lunch. Everyone was just trying to keep up their spirits on a really stormy day. During a lull in the activities, I decided to sneak off and walk the half mile or so to the beach to see for myself. All I saw were dark storm clouds in every direction…and rain.
It was a moment of humility standing there all alone on that stormy beach, and I added my prayer to all of the other prayers offered that day by our little group, both the spoken and the unspoken. “Heavenly Father. Thank you for letting us come. And…well…these kids have worked really hard to come here, and they are here now. Please help us to enjoy the day. Thy will be done. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen. I walked back to the lodge in the rain.
Lunch was warm and good and picked up everyone’s spirits. Then each presidency in our youth groups took a turn doing a skit and teaching a leadership principle. It was hilarious, and everyone had a great time! At the end, I apologized and said that it was just too stormy to go out on the beach, so we would head home a little early, and I invited one of our Young Men to give a closing prayer. He thanked Heavenly Father for all of us having such a good time even if we couldn’t go out on the beach.
When we opened our eyes, it was amazing. We saw the first rays of sunlight that we had seen all day come splashing through the windows. We spilled outside the doors to see what looked like millions of dazzling diamonds hanging from every blade of grass! Then, we raced to the beach!
The only way I can describe it is as though we were in a protective bubble of sunshine, with the storm still swirling around us. About 25 youths and 10 adults, we stayed and played on the beach for about 3 hours until we had to go home. We packed up, and you know what, we didn’t reach the end of the camp road to the main highway before it began again…to rain.
He who commanded the winds and the waves while He dwelt here below, still commands them today. He is the way, and the only sure foundation upon which we can build to stand against the storms of life. He is our Savior Jesus christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from President Henry B. Eyring.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Many years ago, when I was a newlywed, I had an amazing home teaching companion who taught me a lot about loving people, service, and not giving up.
On one occasion, we were assigned to visit a man who was living temporarily in our ward boundaries in a Motel 6. We stopped by his room one afternoon and knocked on his door. It opened slightly, and then immediately slammed shut. We were quite surprised. He had obviously recognized us and did not want to let us in.
We returned the second month with the same results. I wondered if we were bothering him, but my more thoughtful companion suggested that we should keep trying. The third and fourth months were the same. In the fifth month, there was a noticeable pause after the door opened slightly and then slammed shut. My companion smiled at me and said, “We are wearing him down!”.
Things were the same until the seventh or eighth month, when things changed. A woman answered the door. We immediately apologized and said that we were looking for a man who had apparently moved on. She said, “You mean my husband, no he is still here, he just stepped out for a moment. He’ll be right back. Would you like to wait for him?” We accepted, and entered and were introduced to their two teenage children that we didn’t even know existed. We were just explaining what home teachers were when the man walked through the door. He was stunned to see us. He was speechless, to which his wife said, “Honey, these are your home teachers.” He stammered a bit and apologized hoping that she hadn’t been offended. To which she responded, “ we have been here in this hotel room alone for months and you had a church with people who cared about you and you never told me! Why would you think I would be offended?! To which my companion quickly changed the subject and officially introduced us.
They were only there for a few months after that, but they actually came out to church a time or two, and she really loved the Relief Society sisters who came by to visit her. They even let us update their records with the whole family and gave us a forwarding address so we could send them on to their new ward.
You know, I never saw them again after that, but I have wondered…how sad would it have been if we had simply stopped trying after the second month or the third.
Our Heavenly Father’s plan really is for everyone. To know about Him and His love and our Savior Jesus Christ and His atonement is one of God’s greatest gifts…for everyone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from President Dallin H. Oaks.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
When I was a young man, one of my older brothers decided to serve a mission. He served a great mission, yet the greatest impact upon me came at the airport when he returned home. First, he hugged mom and dad, and second he looked for me and came up to me and took his missionary name tag off and handed it to me and said simply, “you’re next.”
I don’t know if he ever knew the profound influence his simple statement had upon me to serve a fulltime mission, and how much I love him for it, but I knew then that he had fulfilled his responsibility to the Lord, and that I was next.
It even started a little family tradition. When I returned from my mission, at the airport, I first hugged mom and dad, and then I looked for my next youngest brother. I found him, I took off my missionary name tag and handed it to him and said simply, “you’re next.”
Well our children knew the story, and the tradition continued with them, wherever overlapping missions would allow for the meeting at the airport. Each of our six children, 3 boys, then 3 girls, hugged mom and dad, and then found their next younger sibling, took off their missionary name tag and passed it on saying simply, “you’re next”.
Our Savior Jesus Christ said, “go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature”. His gospel is the only enduring solution for peace. His gospel is a gospel of peace. His gospel is the only answer. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Listen to the invitation to share the gospel with the world in the primary song: “We'll Bring the World His Truth”.
Also featuring quotes from President Russell M. Nelson
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
One of the ways that my wife and I seek daily restoration is riding our bikes. We don’t get to ride everyday, but once or twice a week, we ride on a paved path alongside a river that runs near our home. It's peaceful and beautiful, and the exercise is refreshing. We ponder many things as we ride, and usually the peace, the quiet, and the beauty leads to revelation from the Holy Spirit and personal restoration.
Well. we wanted to share with you some ideas for how you can seek a daily restoration, so we reached out to some friends to ask them what they do, and these are a few of their responses:
One friend said that he seeks daily “spiritual” restoration by adding to a daily gratitude journal.
Another friend said that she seeks daily “spiritual and mental” restoration through positive affirmations. Not just saying them, but having them in front of her throughout the day.
A third friend said that she seeks “physical” restoration through regular physical exercise.
Just a few ideas that I hope will help as you seek your own daily restoration, which is always a gift from God through the atonement of our Savior Jesus Christ. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Recently, my wife and I traveled to a city with a temple. We had been there to the temple before, but not for many years, so we decided to stop by for a visit. It was a dark moonless evening, so even though we knew generally where the temple was, we engaged the GPS on our phone to give us more exact directions. We were instructed to go down this side street and that one for several minutes in the darkness. It was actually a little unnerving following side street directions in the darkness and not seeing the temple where we thought it should be. Finally, we crested a small rise and the beautiful lights of the temple appeared not 5 miles away. After that, we didn’t even need the GPS. We just followed the lights of the temple to our next “high place”.
We go to the temple as a spiritual “high place'' from which we can chart our spiritual lives. We look back at lessons learned, and look forward to the next spiritual “high place'' as we navigate the side streets of our lives. Always with our Savior Jesus Christ at the helm. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Listen to the message of hope and spiritual “high places” In the primary song, I Love to See the Temple.
Also featuring quotes from President Russell M. Nelson.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
Some of the most important revelation I have received in this life involved finding my wife. And since it's such a great story, I’ll share with you the short version.
I had been home from my mission for about a year searching in earnest for her…at BYU. I had dated a lot and even had a semi-serious relationship or two, but in the end, none of them were right. On the 4th of July while everyone else went off to see the fireworks, I stayed at home pleading with Heavenly Father to help me find her. The next day, she found me. She sat down beside me and struck up a conversation. She was absolutely perfect in every way, except, I hadn’t quite figured out one critical bit of information. I asked, “How old are you? She said, “17” with a smile. What?!! There was no way that a beautiful, perfect 17-year old was ready to get married! In my frustration I excused myself and walked away. But the next day she showed up at my ward. I was intrigued. But then she left again before I got a chance to speak to her so I figured she wasn’t there to see me. On the third day, I had come home from an early shift at work, and was cooking a pizza in the oven for lunch. I was just staring out our living room window when I saw a girl that looked like the 17-year old way down at the end of our apartment complex. The Holy Spirit URGED me, “Go Now!” I left immediately, leaving my pizza to turn to charcoal in the oven! By the time I arrived, she was gone. For lack of any other reason to be there, I decided to visit a friend. I knocked, his door opened, and there she was standing in the kitchen talking to one of my friends roommates. So I did the dumb guy thing and decided she must be with him. I followed my friend back to his room to visit, but my heart just wasn’t in it. I was being tormented by the 17-year old who didn’t even know she was tormenting me! I emerged from the bedroom, only this time my friend’s roommate was sitting on the couch flanked by two other girls and the beautiful, perfect 17-year old was sitting alone by herself! I looked at the new scenario and that’s when I said to myself, “whatever it takes, SHE IS MINE!” She turned 18 two days later. And, I was wrong about one thing. She was ready to get married…to the right guy. Four months later we were married in the Seattle Temple. Now, 35 years, 6 children, and 7 grandchildren later, that was some of the most precious revelation of my life.
The Holy Spirit was with us the whole way, guiding us according to the hand of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We just needed to have the faith to ask, and then to act, and now, we go on blessing each other's lives every day. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from President Henry B. Eyring.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and
Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to
ther social media and podcasting platforms.
Thanks for watching! We'll see you next time!
How do we give up the things of the world in order to show our love for Jesus Christ? Well I have a funny story about that in my own life.
I am a child of the TV generation. I was raised on the Brady Bunch and Giligan’s Island so much that as an adult, I was uncomfortable in a quiet room and would turn the TV on just for the background noise. That may have been one of the reasons that we decided to move to a remote location in White Salmon, WA…Not to mention that it was one of the few homes that we could afford.
Well, soon after our arrival, I needed TV. So I went out and bought the biggest TV antenna that I could get from Walmart and mounted it on the top of a power pole in our yard just to get a few channels. Everything was going along fine for a few weeks, until our dog chewed through the antenna cable! You can bet I was out there a few days later repairing and securing the cable. And that lasted a little while until she found it again. This time I didn’t repair it for months until…football season. You know, I don’t even remember if we made it all the way through the season until she got it the third time. Because I never repaired it after that. I was done with TV sitcoms and series and I’ve never looked back.
Whatever it is that stands between you and your love of the Lord Jesus Christ, He will send angels to help you break that habit, or stop that addiction, or just lose the distractions in your life…even in the form of a dog. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from President M. Russell Ballard.
Please feel free to share this with your family and friends.
Other episodes of A Sweet Change of Heart are available in English and Espanol on YouTube, Facebook, Instagram, Buzz Sprouts, with links to other
social media and podcasting platforms.
Thank you for watching! We’ll see you next time!
You remember the story of the children of Israel wandering in the wilderness. There were fiery serpents that would bite them. In order for them to be healed, Moses was instructed by the Lord to erect a brazen serpent in the camp in the similitude of our Savior’s sacrifice upon the cross, so that whosoever was bitten by a fiery serpent, they might “look and live”.
To look and live is a simple act of faith in Jesus Christ. We can actually follow the “look and live” principle everyday.
As a diabetic, I have learned to act in faith in how I eat, sleep, exercise, travel, and just about everything that I do. To me, it is clearly a daily “look and live” principle.
In the restored gospel, our Savior Jesus Christ has instructed His living prophets to invite us to follow the “look and live” principle in our own lives. When we pray, study the scriptures, follow promptings from the Holy Spirit, or care for someone, these are all examples of simple acts of faith in Jesus Christ. That’s how we “look and live” everyday. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Listen to the simply beautiful and beautifully simple message in the hymn “Be Still My Soul”.
Also featuring quotes from Elder Gary E. Stevenson
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The most important words we can hear, ponder and follow are those revealed through our living prophet. President Nelson knows the Lord. He knows His ways and he desires that all God’s children will hear the Lord, Jesus Christ.
I invite you to consider the seven things of my soul. They commit us to Jesus Christ. They remind us of our covenants and they help us feel secure in the arms of the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Many years ago, we were traveling with some dear friends to the temple. As conversations go, we shared with each other news and observations of the world and of the Church. On one occasion, one of our friends expressed disagreement with the prophet on a specific matter. My wife gently squeezed my hand urging me to change the subject. We steered the conversation into less stormy waters, but his comment left an impact on my soul. Such that, later on that evening in my pondering and prayers, the Holy Spirit impressed upon my mind a little saying that we learned and taught our children and has ever been our guiding star. The Holy Spirit whispered:
“Don’t ever let your mind think, your mouth speak, or your heart feel that you can disagree with a prophet of God”.
President Russell M Nelson speaks for the Lord. Even if we don’t fully understand his words. On this matter, the Lord requires us to live by faith and trust Him until He gives us understanding…and by and by, He will always give us understanding. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
We want to express our gratitude to the Lord in the hymn, We Thank Thee O God for a Prophet.
Also featuring quotes from Elder Ronald A Rasband.
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One of the gifts mentioned by President Oaks is the gift of the Holy Spirit. By the Holy Spirit, we receive light, knowledge, peace, joy, and guidance - often to help one another.
Recently, one of our sons was out for a walk when he had a very distinct impression to make a few phone calls. He wanted to express appreciation and love for the people who had an impact upon him in his life. My wife and I dearly appreciated his call. We chatted briefly, and then he said he had some other calls to make. I don’t know about any of his other calls, but I can tell you with certainty that his call to us was inspired and really made our day!
God has given us everything that we need to not only survive, but to thrive in these ever changing times. The Church, the Holy Spirit, and especially the gift of a Savior in His Son, Jesus Christ, In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from President Dallin H. Oaks.
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I’d like to share with you an account of a woman who was invited by Elder Ronald A. Rasband to share her conversion story at the ground breaking ceremony for the Phoenix Temple where I used to work. She was a neighbor of the temple site and initially opposed to the construction of the temple adjacent to her property.
One day early on in the construction permit process, she said that she had spent the day circulating pamphlets about the Church hoping to unite her neighbors in an effort to stop the construction of the temple. When she returned to her home that evening, she finally read the pamphlet she had been circulating and to her astonishment, it was not at all an accurate description of her friends and neighbors who she knew were members of the Church. She told her husband that she needed to find out the truth for herself. She attended a sacrament meeting in the chapel adjacent to the temple site. Later, she listened to the missionary discussions. Nearly a year later, just prior to the ground breaking ceremony, by the power of the Holy Spirit, she had learned the truth for herself and she was baptized a member of the Church. Primarily, because of the good examples of her friends and neighbors who never even knew that she was observing them.
That’s how we share the gospel of Jesus Christ. By making and keeping our covenants with the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from Elder David A. Bednar.
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- (ENGLISH)
In order to share our love of the Savior, Jesus Christ and of our family, we decided to have a little “recording fun” over the holidays with some “future leaders” of the Church.
We asked each of our 7 grandchildren the following question:
“What has Jesus Christ done for you?
And this is how they responded: (Grandchildren responses)
And a little child shall lead them. In the name of Jesus Christ,, amen.
We hope you enjoy our love of the Savior Jesus Christ, and of our family in our family celebration. - Joy to the World.
Also featuring quotes from President Russell M Nelson's New Year's counsel for 2022. That’s followed by a rendition of Joy to the World.
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We celebrate the birth of Christ, because of the life of Christ. Each year at Christmas time, we have the sweet privilege of adding our personal witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ to the many witnesses of the Apostles and Prophets that we have heard throughout the year. A witness that:
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Before this world was, He was Jehovah, the Creator of this world.
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He is the lamb of God, born in a lowly stable among the sheep and among us, His lambs.
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He healed the sick, the blind, the deaf, and has all power to heal all our spiritual ills.
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He is our Savior. He willingly bore all our grief, our pain, and our sins. That he might save us from death and from hell.
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He gave up His own life on the cross that he might help us bear our own crosses.
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He was buried in a borrowed tomb, but broke the bands of death on the third day.
We humbly add our witness of Jesus Christ to the witness of the angels who declared at the empty tomb: “Why seek ye the living among the dead, He is not here, He is risen.”
At Christmastime, we celebrate the birth of Christ, because of the life of Christ…and He lives!
In the name of Jesus Christ, amen,
Merry Christmas from the Gassaway family and we hope you enjoy a witness of the life of Christ: O Holy Night.
Welcome to a Sweet Change of Heart! Season 2 Episode 15 is our witness of Jesus Christ. It’s followed by a rendition of O Holy Night. We hope you enjoy it!
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Just a few weeks ago we received an invitation from our Bishop to speak in our ward’s sacrament meeting about the events in the Book of Mormon as seen through the eyes of those people who experienced the signs of His birth, His death, and of His resurrection.
The signs foretold by Samuel, a Lamanite prophet, of His birth; A day, and a night, and a day, with no night. And the sign of His death: The voice of thunderings and lightnings and tempests, and 3 days of darkness that covered the whole face of the land while his body lay in a borrowed tomb in Jerusalem. Then, what a glorious union when Jesus Christ, Himself appeared and ministered to those people after His ascension to His Father in Jerusalem.
Now, giving a talk in sacrament meeting always comes with a measure of anxiety, but the preceding weeks of preparation, reading those verses of Scripture again and again were wonderful!
The Book of Mormon is true. It is another witness of Jesus Christ. Listen to that witness in the primary song: Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus.
Also featuring quotes from President Henry B. Eyring followed by a rendition of Samuel Tells of the Baby Jesus.
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One of our family's most favorite Christmas traditions is Christmas caroling. You may even have had us come by your home once upon a Christmas past. Well, recently my wife and I were reminiscing on our favorite caroling memories, and one particular Christmas Eve seemed to represent all the experiences of Christmas caroling throughout the years. One night on one street.
It began like any other caroling evening. Bundled up in blankets, riding from place to place in the back of grandpa’s truck. With family and friends and pans full of goodies to pass out along the way. We arrived at the next street and emptied out of the truck to go singing door-to-door. Some people we knew, and some we didn’t.
At one home there was a party going on and at least a dozen people came spilling out of the front door. Old, young, multi-generations, all listening and singing along. One young lady even remarked that she had never heard Christmas carolers before and loved every song.
At the end of the road a gentleman was outside his home listening, but went back inside his home before our whole entourage could arrive. We hoped it wasn’t an evaluation of our singing abilities!
Finally, we arrived at the home of an elderly woman that we didn’t know. We sang “The First Noel” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas.” She wept, and wanted us to stay. She told us that her husband had recently passed away and that she was now living alone and that our caroling was like a shining star on a very lonely Christmas Eve.
One night, one street...One Christmas eve so long ago. Our Heavenly Father gave all of us the greatest gift of a savior, His son Jesus Christ, the Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from the First Presidency Christmas Message. That is followed by a rendition of The First Noel.
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Several years ago I had an experience with the process of refinement that Elder Christofferson spoke of. I was working as a new Facility Manager, taking care of churches in Ohio, and I had an idea about how I could improve the way that I did my job that wasn’t exactly a standard procedure. My manager was a good man and recognized the value of my “unrefined idea”. We counseled together and he helped me keep my idea within our boundaries. With his help and the contributions of many others, the idea became refined, and went on to help a lot of people. It helped improve the way that we all take care of our facilities in the Church.
Because of the love of our Heavenly Father and our Savior Jesus Christ, they do not want to leave us just as we are. They want us to have joy and success. Because of their perfect love they want us to repent and keep the commandments. Because that IS the pathway to happiness. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Also featuring quotes from Elder D. Todd Christofferson’s talk The Love of God. That’s followed by a rendition of God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.
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Quotes from President Russell M Nelson' talk entitled "The Healing Power of Gratitude" & the Christmas song We Three Kings of Orient Are.
ALSO
Hello Everyone and welcome back to a sweet change of heart! We are so glad that you found us! A few days ago I asked one of our daughters if she liked the changes that we had made recently in our platform so that we could add a Spanish language version. She didn’t really answer my question, She just said simply, Papi, I miss hearing you tell the stories. Well, I told her I missed telling them, And, I think it’s time to start telling them again. I hope you like them!
I started college just a few months after I graduated from High School in 1983. After 6 different colleges and universities, multiple changes in my major, and many stops and starts, I finally finished with my Masters degree in 2002. 19 years later! And though I don’t advocate following my same unintended education path, I do admit that some things in life are not just about reaching the finish line. They are about the journey.
The journey of the Wiseman to find the Christ child began long before they ever saw the sign of His birth with their first lessons and preparations, and continued for many months after they saw the star through desert, fatigue, hunger, thirst, and danger until they found Him and offered Him the greatest gift that they possessed...what they had become.
The journey of the Wisemen is in the similitude of our personal journey to find Jesus Christ in our own lives. Our hope is that at the journey’s end, because of our savior, Jesus Christ, we will have become more like Him. That we may offer that "self" as our gift to Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
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