"More Holiness Give Me"

More Holiness Give Me

By Philip Paul Bliss (1838-1876)

More holiness give me,
More strivings within,
More patience in suff’ring,
More sorrow for sin,
More faith in my Savior,
More sense of his care,
More joy in his service,
More purpose in prayer.

More gratitude give me,
More trust in the Lord,
More pride in his glory,
More hope in his word,
More tears for his sorrows,
More pain at his grief,
More meekness in trial,
More praise for relief.

More purity give me,
More strength to o’ercome,
More freedom from earthstains,
More longing for home.
More fit for the kingdom,
More used would I be,
More blessed and holy—
More, Savior, like thee.

Merry Christmas!

A very Merry Christmas to all of you! And a Happy New Year, too!

It hardly seems possible that the end of the year is almost here, and that Christmas is just a couple of days away. I pray that we will all remember our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ, and all that His birth means to us. To me, it means love and forgiveness and generosity and salvation. It means giving and sharing--not necessarily material goods, but attention and caring and service. It means family and friends and strengthening those bonds of eternity.

I love to think of the birth of Jesus Christ and how simply His great life began. I think of the peace and joy, of Joseph and Mary and all the things that they heard and saw and kept and pondered in their hearts. I think of mangers and animals and shepherds and angels, of wisemen and gifts and the wonder of it all.

May the Lord bless you throughout the coming year. And may you share what you know and what you receive with those around you.

Tell Me Your Favorite Books for Building a Strong Spiritual Self

I would be interested in finding out what books you like to read when you want some spiritual strengthening. They can be LDS books or not, but they should be books that you find inspiration in and perhaps some practical suggestions as to what a person can do to increase his spiritual strength.

One book I like is C.S.Lewis's Mere Christianity. Another would be All These Things Shall Give Thee Experience by Neal A. Maxwell.

So give me your recommended spiritual reading list! You can just list books/authors or you can comment about them, too, if you like. Thanks!!!!