Brown Family Faith Leap 2025

2025(6) Faith Leap - Chapter 11: Broken Things in Perspective Our window looks directly across to the neighbor's missing window pane. It rains hear constantly this time of year, and I have often asked myself: "why do they live with an open window when they know that it is going to rain more often than not for several months out of the year? Why don't they just fix it?..." An obvious analogy here would be related to repentance. What areas in my life do I know need repair and I have just not yet been willing to make the necessary sacrifices to make the change, despite knowing that the problem is growing ever worse by ignoring it? I can see some places where I need to start some repair work... But, also, when I zoom out just a little, I see a window just below the broken one that has obviously recently been replaced - a much larger problem that has been addressed. And, in front of the repaired window is a broken bed frame: evidence that my neighbors believe that, just be...

 2025(6) Faith Leap - Chapter 10: Happy OLD New Year!  Just as Bob was logging off of his Utah Commonwealth class, the sky suddenly exploded with fireworks - the entire neighborhood ringing in the Julian New Year (after already ringing in the Gregorian New Year - because why choose one or the other when you can embrace both?!) Is the amount of holiday-ing we’ve experienced this year a bit excessive? Yes. Yes it is. But the Holiday season is now officially over...I think. The thing I will miss most about the holidays will be the American Christmas music played over the speaker at the larger stores. Even this week on our shopping trips, we were greeted with songs like Sinatra's "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" and Autry's "Here Comes Santa Claus". I'll miss that little part of home. In his talk on Sunday, our Branch President reminded us of how Joseph Smith's family ended up in Palmyra. They had a successful farm until a volcano across the ocea...

 2025(26) Faith Leap - Chapter 9: Merry Christmas, Again! Again!  Pictured below: This week's beach treasures made into a Nephite, and a Christmas tree decorated with seashell ornaments and styrofoam snow. One thing I love about Georgia is the custom of hearing "God bless you" on your way out of any establishment. I have been pondering on this lately. Of course, just as with anything, this can become rote. But what if, each time we said it, it was said with intention? When I hear "God bless you", I hear a prayer, and an expression of gratitude: "Thank you for coming today. Thank you for smiling. Thank you for the friendly conversation. Thank you for making a purchase today. Heavenly Father, please bless them for helping me to provide for my family and for sharing their joy" And, what if, as the receiver, I did the same? "God bless you: Thank you for providing what I needed. Thank you for having the courage to be an entrepreneur. Thank you for your...

 2025/26 Faith Leap - Chapter 8: Happy New Year! (We did not ask for poses in the picture below. This is just how these 3 roll😍) My second witness message this week came from "Four Gifts That Jesus Christ Offers You" by President Nelson. Closely related to the gifts I chose to give to the Savior (see Chapter 7), I especially loved the instruction that repentance in Greek is metanoeo - which means change of mind, knowledge, spirit, and breath. We debriefed this as a family and were especially touched by change of breath: Initially, that felt a little abstract, until we thought about the best practices for calming down - whether we are anxious, tearful, or angry, the first step in emotionally regulating is to take a deep breath. That action releases tension and helps us to see the distressing situation more clearly. What an empowering truth that something as small as choosing to pause and breathe is evidence of a repentant heart. Highlights: Full-on Glutened = No bueno Bob i...