Marie's Sunday Message - October 30th, 2022

Do you want to see two people in love? Just look at this picture of Steve and me that was taken just this week. It is one of my favorites. And you know what? I am as happy as I look! I know I’m silly but I love being married to him! We had a wonderful week together filled with beautiful events and great friends.

At the end of the week, we attended the induction of one of Steve’s close friends, Pastor Miller Johnson, into the Beverly Hills High School Hall of Fame. Alan Nierob also attended with his incredible wife Tobi as well as Brad Turrel, Leeza Gibbons, and her husband Steve Fenton (he hosted it), and many of their high school friends. Since I never went to public school, I was able to experience the beautiful camaraderie they have had with one another over the years. One thing I saw more than anything is how sports shaped their lives. They learned the importance of teamwork and how dedication builds self-worth. (I am going to tell all of my children they need to get their kids into sports!) There were so many amazing people in that room!!! We were all sitting around the table remarking how important long-time friendships were but stated the ultimate and most important friendship is the one we have had with our spouses.💖 We all spoke about how most relationships are filled with unexpected turns and a few detours, but you know what? We all learned that every challenge is filled with blessings geared toward helping us grow.

In our marriages, we have learned to buckle up for the ride and hang on to each other. The greatest miracle of Steve’s and my lives were finding each other again, which truly was a miracle! And that is the ultimate pattern of a loving Heavenly Father—another chance. Heavenly Father is all about second chances and it’s never ever too late. Remember the laborers in the vineyard? (Matthew 20: 1-7) The one who worked all day was paid the same as the one who hopped in on the night shift. I’ve pondered about this parable a lot this week and since these stories can have many meanings, I thought I'd share the thoughts about it that came to me the most.

At this point in my life, I think the Vineyard is symbolic of “giving our heart to God”. He didn’t care about the work they might have done, He cared that they gathered in the Vineyard for the work. Heavenly Father was paying everyone the same regardless of how long they worked in the Vineyard. It doesn’t matter when someone comes to the Lord, it just matters that they COME to the Lord. I know so many who have waited outside “the Vineyard” because they thought it was too late for them. But it’s never too late.

It’s not too late to be happy, to change, and to learn. It’s just not ever too late. Our God will always be there to give us another chance, or a million chances if that’s what we need…He will never give up on us.

And we shouldn’t give up on each other, ourselves, and especially on God’s love for us.

#Sundaymessage

Marie's Sunday Message - October 23rd, 2023

I’ve been going through some challenges…life is full of them, right!? But there are so many people struggling right now! If I feel down, overwhelmed, or discouraged, all I have to do is look around me because there’s always someone going through something much more difficult than me.

For example, my bestie Darla’s beautiful daughter-in-law, Brynna, has had some significant challenges in her life. Last year I wrote about how she has been fighting a rare form of brain cancer, and still is, with no cure. Now, this year, another serious challenge has been added for them to contend with as a family. Brylie, Brynna, and her husband Austin’s sweet 13-year-old daughter, recently had surgery on her foot. Afterward, she began having a terrible reaction to the epidural they gave her. She started shaking uncontrollably from what they believed was called #CRPS (Complex Regional Pain Syndrome). But, this week, the doctors now suspect it might be something more complex called #FND (Functional Neurologic Disorder). It started on her right foot and has now spread further to her hips, legs, right knee, right ankle, right arm, shoulder, elbow, wrist, and fingers, all shaking in different directions and can be individually or all at the same time. The tiniest occurrence can trigger shaking like a simple brush of fabric or a splash of water can bring on an episode. Her amazing parents hold and comfort her to try to stop her body from convulsing. Sometimes, these last up to 11 hours or until she finally falls into a deep sleep from exhaustion.  What is almost as bad as the severe pain she experiences is that her doctors haven’t been able to figure out exactly how to help her. 😢 Because she is awake through these episodes, they know they aren’t seizures and she is completely aware of the pain. And this, of course, just adds to the trauma the family is experiencing.

I cannot imagine the feelings her entire family goes through while watching their precious little girl suffer so greatly. What do you do when there is nothing that can be done? When your faith is taken to the last inch of the journey? When it seems it would be so much easier to just give up and it makes you question everything?

Well, first, you just hang on. I know there’s a better tomorrow, and I always have, and the Sperrys do too! We have to always believe that the answer or the miracle is just around the corner!  That’s not naïveté, that’s faith. And faith to me is keeping a positive attitude under every circumstance. So giving up is not even an option, but having faith is! Hebrews 11:1 say, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” That describes the Sperry family perfectly. They believe help will come. No, they KNOW help will come, and so do I!!! We will never give up our faith even in the darkest of storms.❤️

I have a hard time thinking everything happens for a reason, but I do believe something good can always come from any situation, good or bad. It’s a choice. When times are the hardest, if we try, we can see our best blessings. Without hard times there is no need for miracles. But because this “earth life experience” can be challenging, we need miracles, God, and each other.

I have repeated this over and over about the Savior wants us to have a community…meaning, He wants us to be close enough to each other so that we can truly serve each other. Covid separated us so much we don’t, and are afraid to, know each other anymore! There isn’t a feeling nearly as wonderful as having someone show they care about you. Although sometimes when we are in the darkest of places, the adversary tries to make us feel we’re undeserving…That’s a lie! So let someone bring dinner, wash dishes, or just take the kids for an afternoon. Our first great commandment is to love the Lord; the second is like the first, but to love each other and ourselves. When I had severe postpartum depression, the best way to “love myself out of it” was to serve others.

They say social media is not healthy; well, I think it can be healthy if we can use it to share information. You never know who might feel alone with it, and connecting these families could bring them both comfort. (Another example of community or extension of a family by the way.)😉 We can love and serve Darla’s family by praying for them and directing any information to them about #CRPS and #FND and to her doctors at @primarychildrenshospital because they know discouragement gets in the way of miracles. So, if you do know anyone or anything about either of these disorders, please…let me know, and I will pass it along!!!! 💖

One thing I know as an absolute truth is…no matter what we are going through or how dark the world feels, no matter how intense the pain or anxiety, and no matter how sad the loneliness is, our Savior, Jesus Christ, is pure light. We are definitively promised that the light removes the darkness!!! We also know that when the scripture speaks of light, remember, that’s God!  

Knowing I can give every burden to the Savior is what gets me through each day. I hope you will seek Him daily as you go through your trials of life. So here’s to reflecting and absorbing the light the Savior brought us…His light, the Light of the world…He is Hope and that’s the miracle of Jesus Christ.

#Sundaymessage

❤️👇

This is a must-listen. I hope it touches your heart as it has mine.  It’s been a go-to for me. Christ is and always has been my miracle. He is real and His atonement works!!!! Believe!!!!!  Everything else is an illusion. I love you❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️