Happy Ash Wednesday! Join me for the lessons I've learned about Repentance from the savanna's of South Africa.

Welcome Franz.

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To the creative,

spiritual journey podcast.

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Life is calling you each day,

calling you to step out your front

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door and onto that path that leads

through the wildernesses, beyond the

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horizon to stand on mountain tops.

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Sunny.

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Bonanni from the

motherland of South Africa.

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It's here that my husband and I are

serving a mission for the church of

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Jesus Christ of latter day saints.

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My name is Judy Cooley.

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Along with my sister-in-law Ghia Cooley.

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We are your host But we'd

rather you consider us.

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More like your hiking buddies

together for a brief moment.

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As we walk this path, we will

share what's in our heart.

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Uh, our love for the savior

and his beautiful creations.

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As well as the joys and the lessons

we are discovering along the way.

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So will you shake off the desk, pick

up your packs and join us on the trail.

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It's going to be an incredible journey.

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Let's go.

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Today.

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Is 428.

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I've been numbering the day

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When we embarked on this mission

to go and serve with all our

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heart, might mind and strength.

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Ooh, and it's taken all of it.

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This podcast gives me the opportunity

to joyfully testify of Jesus Christ.

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And to shine his light and

to stay connected to you.

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My friends.

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Today is also Ash Wednesday.

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A holy day of prayer and fasting in

many of the Christian denominations.

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It marks the first day of lent,

which is 40 days of fasting.

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And penitence before Easter.

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It's not something we celebrate

in the church of Jesus

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Christ of latter day saints.

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In fact, growing up in Utah, I was totally

unaware of it until I moved to Colorado.

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And I encountered France with black

crosses smudged on their foreheads.

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I understand now that the

ashes used Our firm burnt Palm

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leaves from the previous year.

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Palm Sunday.

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Interesting.

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Huh?

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So why ashes.

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You hear about the practice of

wearing sack, cloth and ashes?

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In the old Testament.

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It was a public sign of

repentance and humility.

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The first mention of this at cloth and

ashes is found in the book of Genesis.

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The story of Joseph and his brothers.

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You know, The story of

sibling rivalry and jealousy.

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Jacob mourned the loss of

his favorite son, Joseph.

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After Joseph's siblings sold him into

slavery and then lied to Jacob that his

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beloved son was killed by a wild animal.

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And so he dressed himself in sack, cloth

and ashes and more into, for 40 days.

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It could also be from the garden

of Eden when the Lord tells Adam.

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From dust thou art and Fred

dust bout shall return.

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Ashes reminders.

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Of death.

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We will die.

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And so we should treat each day as a gift.

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Y 40 days before Easter.

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It is a reminder of Jesus fasting

for 40 days in the desert before

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his earthly ministry began.

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So for many practicing Christians,

Ash Wednesday is spent fasting.

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Praying and deciding on a

personal sacrifice for the season.

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I've never been very good at fasting.

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I don't know about you.

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But I tend to get hangry.

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And that seems to defeat

the purpose of fasting.

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Because we're supposed to

be humble and teachable.

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I do believe that fasting is powerful.

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Spiritually and there's many

incidences in the scriptures.

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That teach us how fasting

combined with mighty prayer.

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Can bring about miracles.

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And in fact it brought thousands of the

Laymanites to repentance and to Christ.

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We are commanded to fast

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Fasting for me is showing.

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My physical self.

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That my spiritual self is

the captain of this vessel.

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And sacrificing, I know

always brings forth blessings.

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So Ash, Wednesday, Palm

Sunday, Easter fasting.

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Sacrificing all these things are symbolic.

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To draw our attention to the savior.

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we have many traditions,

symbolic rituals and ordinances.

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That bring us into Christ

that point to Christ.

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So that we can always remember him.

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What I find interesting

though, is the Mardi Gras part

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of this leading up to land.

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That to me seems like it's

just a party hard before land.

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Get it out of your system.

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I'm not sure if fasting and repentance

is supposed to work that way.

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This past year in South Africa.

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Not only have I fallen in love

with the landscape of South Africa.

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But she has taught me a great

lesson from the African failed.

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Which is the offer console word for field?

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Also known as the Savannah.

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Or in is a Zulu.

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LA LA.

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When we arrived in January of 2024.

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Ah, I was probably the most

homesick person there was.

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And we landed in Durbin and

we're trained, and then it was

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time to drive to new castle.

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And I had in my mind.

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New castle was an industrial

city and I was dreading, not.

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Happy about being.

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here for the next two years.

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as we drove and left behind the

big city of Durban, And looking

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at the car window at The field.

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It calmed my heart.

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It was the middle of summer.

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So the fields were bright green.

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Dotted with Acacia trees.

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Now Acacia trees are these flat top

trees It's just how you pitcher.

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Africa The lion king.

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And I'm getting glimpses

of wild flowers and birds.

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And the sky is so big and colorful clouds.

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And these majestic drunk Ginsburg's

mountains in the backdrop.

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I could envision wild

animals, roaming, freely.

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I just sat mesmerized for miles.

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South Africa is so beautiful.

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I fell in love with her that day.

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We have a view from our window of a field.

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We've watched the wind blow

through the long grass.

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It looks like ocean waves.

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In autumn, we watched it turn golden and

then winter came the fields everywhere.

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We're set on fire with prescribed burns.

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So for months, Uh, fields burned.

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Even in the townships, even

the field outside my window.

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Our home smelled like a campfire.

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The fires are fast.

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And precise.

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Eric of course found this a very

exciting, he even said if he had to get

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a job here, that's what he'd want to do.

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Be the one that starts the fires.

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That's cause the family calls

him the Lord of the flames.

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At home, these fires would be alarming.

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To see the whole.

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Mountain side on fire.

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I thought it was strange

And it would actually.

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rain ashes outside covering our car and

our porch and floating into the house.

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So in winter.

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Most of the fields are black.

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Come spring, October, November.

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Bright green grass.

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Begins to appear through the ashes.

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So why is it important to burn the grass?

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What is this all about?

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This is from the website,

south African national lands.

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Many of the grasses and some plants

require burning to remain healthy.

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By removing accumulated dead material.

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The fire also clears the ticks and other

unwanted pissed and invasive plants.

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The grasses have this root system.

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That that can withstand the fires.

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And so do the Acacia trees.

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After the burn, the black and

soil quickly absorbs sunlight.

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The sunlight warms the earth.

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And encourages seed germination.

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The charred plant remains.

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Turn into a rich fertilizer.

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Encouraging new growth.

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To sprout from the network of that

root system, deep below the ground.

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In pastures and Meadows, the new

growth is a healthier foliage.

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So from this ashes comes beauty.

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Comes new growth.

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S to someone who doesn't

understand the purpose of the fire.

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This would look devastating.

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And destructive.

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Fire in this case becomes a cleansing.

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And renewing force for the earth.

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This got me to thinking

about the cleansing.

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And renewing a force a repentance.

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By fire.

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And the holy ghost.

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And second Chapter 31 for 17.

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For the gate, by which you should enter

his repentance and baptism by water.

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Then come at the remission of your

sins by fire and by the holy ghost.

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What does this fire look

like spiritually to us?

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Okay, can we do it?

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Can we talk repentance?

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This has never been easy for

me to talk about the R word.

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But as a mission, Avery supposed

to preach nothing but repentance.

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That's what it says in

the doctrine covenants.

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And the prophet Russell M.

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Nelson said in April, 2019.

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Quote recently, I have found myself

drawn to the Lord's instructions given

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through the prophet Joseph Smith.

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say nothing but repentance

and to this generation.

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This declaration is often

repeated throughout scripture.

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It prompts an obvious question.

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Does everyone need to repent?

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The answer is yes.

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So why is repentance so misunderstood?

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Why am I uncomfortable talking about it?

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Maybe it's like the burning of the fields.

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To those who don't understand this

remission of our sins by fire ACON

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look devastating and destructive.

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When I looked up the definition of.

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Penitence.

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For understanding, because it

was mentioned in my research for

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Ash Wednesday, so many times.

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This is what I read.

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Penitence is.

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Latin root.

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For pain and punishment.

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There you go.

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Sounds fun.

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Repentance pain, sorrow, or grief

of heart for sins or offenses.

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real penitence brings from

a conviction of guilt.

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And in gratitude to God and is

followed by an amendment of life.

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Now, what words jumped out to you?

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Was it pain and punishment?

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That sounds miserable.

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I don't know about you, but naturally

I avoid pain and punishment.

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And so it's no wonder that repentance.

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Gives us this negative vibe.

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If you remember.

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Elder Holland statement that

repentance is the most hope for

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word in the English language.

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Hopeful.

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What dictionary is he reading?

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I'll tell you.

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The Bible dictionary.

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It says that repentance.

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The Greek word of which this is

translation denotes a change of mind.

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A fresh view about God, about

oneself and about the world.

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I love that a fresh view.

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It reminds me of my field.

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Since we are born into conditions

where mortality repentance comes

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to mean a turning of the heart.

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And wheel to God.

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without repentance.

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there can be no progress in the

things of the soul salvation for all

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accountable persons are stained by

sin and must be cleansed in order

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to enter the kingdom of heaven.

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Repentance is not optional for salvation.

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you can't opt out.

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It is a commandment of God.

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And I know that all of God's laws.

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And commandments.

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Are given because of

his great love for us.

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The lot is love.

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The commandments.

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Our love.

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So that is why That repentance

is wonderfully joyous.

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He says too many people consider

repentance as punishment.

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So let's get this clear.

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Repentance is not punishment.

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But this feeling of being

penalized is in gendered by Satan.

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He tries to block us

from looking to Christ.

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Jesus Christ who stands there with

open arms, hoping any wheeling to heal.

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I forgive cleanse, strengthen,

purify, and sanctify us.

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Now wait.

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Repentance is not punishment.

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The Webster dictionary has it wrong.

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And so do most of us in our Christian

culture and traditions have it wrong.

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Oh, what joy field?

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My bosom.

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And I heard him say that, did it yours?

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The word repentance in the

Greek new Testament is met.

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Tenao.

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The prefix Meto, meaning change.

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And the suffix Nao is

related to the Greek words.

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That mean mind, knowledge,

spirit, and breath.

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This when Jesus asks you and me to repent,

he's inviting us to change our mind.

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Our knowledge or spirit,

even the way we breathe.

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He's asking us to change the

way we love think serve, spend

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our time, treat each other.

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and even take care of our bodies.

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This is the lesson of the

burning of the fields.

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So, what do you think

about this invitation?

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To discover the joy of daily repentance.

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We should be.

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excited about it.

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I viewed it, most of my

life as something miserable.

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And Sometimes I find it

hard to make it sincere.

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Without some way of feeling punished.

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To be truthful.

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Didn't think about it daily.

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President Nelson continues.

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Please do not fear or delay repenting,

Satan delights in your misery.

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Cut it short.

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Cashed his influence out of your life.

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Start today to experience the joy

of putting off the natural man.

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The savior loves us.

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Always.

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But especially when we repent.

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He promised that though the mountains

shall depart and the Hills be removed.

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My kindness shall not depart from

the, that is why his love his charity.

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Never.

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Fails.

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So if you feel like you have straight

off the covenant path too far, too

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long, Done something way too bad.

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And there's no way to return

that just simply is not true.

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I think some of the

misunderstanding is because.

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We are mixing up the feelings

of shame of having sand.

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With the hope, enjoy repentance sin.

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And it's natural consequences

is the punishment.

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CN is the turning away from God.

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Separating ourselves from his presence.

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Is what causes the suffering and the

pain sin creates the gap and the shame.

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Satan does his best work

on us after the sin?

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Telling us lies that lead us

to misery and hopelessness.

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Repentance is not punishment.

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Shame or oppression.

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It is the opposite.

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Repentance is turning towards

God using the enabling grace of

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the atonement of Jesus Christ.

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It's returning to him.

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His love to return to our covenants.

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Repentance is exercising.

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Faith.

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Repentance is a wonderful gift and this

really does bring beauty from ashes.

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Repentance is a healing balm,

the cure, the medicine to heal

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us from our pain and suffering.

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If we really know.

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And understand that.

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I think we would want to run.

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To repentance daily.

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If we look at the Hebrew definition

of repentance it's to return.

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To return to God.

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So if we take this Greek and this Hebrew

definitions and we mesh it together,

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And we have that repentance is.

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Turning to God.

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So that we can be changed.

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We can become cleansed by the fire

made new, again, just like the

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new, fresh, bright green grass

that comes out of the ashes.

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Our faith will be stronger.

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Our testimonies healthier

and our souls resilient.

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That is what daily

repentance can do for us.

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So this being Ash Wednesday.

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40 days til Easter lint begins.

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This is the fasting and

preparing our hearts for Easter.

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Okay.

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40 days.

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What can you do?

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Either stop.

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Or begin new.

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For 40 days.

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When pondering and praying to

figure out what I am going to do.

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This is funny because I did this

while walking and praying out in the

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Greenfield where we run with the zebras

and the blessed bucks and spring books.

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And will there be.

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this impression came upon me

that I was to try this invitation

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by the prophet to repent daily.

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Remembering it is joyful and a wondrous

gift, not a list of things I've

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done and the punishment I deserve.

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I'm going to practice recognizing

where I separate myself from God.

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And I had this idea.

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I'm calling it the stop.

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Drop and roll plan.

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You get it.

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Cause that's the fire drill.

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, I am going to stop.

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when I'm doing.

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Whatever it is that I'm doing,

that's turning me away from the

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spirit, turning away from God.

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I drop it, or I may even

need to drop to my knees.

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Which doesn't mean literally.

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But it may drop into prayer in my heart.

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So I can roll.

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Back into God's presence.

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Stop drop and roll.

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Let me give you an example.

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I have a problem with

social media distractions.

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Because I make a post every

day, sometimes after the post.

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I find myself.

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Wandering down these endless.

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Rat holes.

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Um, social media.

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Which takes me away from time on the

mission, my attention from things that

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I'm supposed to be doing in the moment.

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And away from the spirit sometimes even.

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I catch myself.

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I will stop it immediately drop to.

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Prayer in my heart.

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Put my focus back on Christ.

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And roll.

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Back into his presence.

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So, are you interested in joining

me in this Ash Wednesday experiment?

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Yes.

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So begin with praying.

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To know what sacrifice for the

next 40 days leading up to Easter.

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What you can stop.

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And while you can start to prepare your

heart to celebrate the greatest event.

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In the forever.

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The infinite torment and

sacrifice of the son of God.

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Jesus Christ.

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His crucifixion.

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And resurrection.

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Ask heavenly father.

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I promise you.

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He'll tell you, you ask,

he'll tell you what.

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Where are you lacking?

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Where do you need to change?

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What do you need to stop?

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What do you need to begin?

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He wants us to willingly give

him our hearts and, you know,

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I know change can be hard.

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But it can also be fun.

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It can be rewarding and exciting.

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What do you want to stop doing?

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Burn it?

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And repent of it.

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And what do you want to start doing?

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Where do you want to see this new growth?

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Where do you want to

experience this in your life?

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Change.

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And let's not just wait to do it on.

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Ash Wednesday.

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And live in Mardi Gras all year long.

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But to find joy in daily repenting.

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Daily turning our faces towards

the son, the son of God.

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And let the shadows, the

shadows of sin fall behind you.

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I can't finish all this.

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Talk about ashes without sharing an

African proverb that goes like this.

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Ashes flight back into the face

of one who throws it, meaning.

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What goes around, comes around.

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So I'm tossing it out there.

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I'm tossing the ashes

and crane repentance.

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I know, it sounds a little crazy.

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But I'm inviting you to repent

and prepare your hearts.

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For Easter.

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I'm sharing the joyful

message that he is risen.

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He's broken the chains of death and CN.

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And we need no longer sit

in sack, cloth and ashes.

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We are redeemed.

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Now that is the greatest

message I could share geeky.

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And I know your time is precious.

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And want to thank you for walking with

us on your journey for a little moment.

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I'd appreciate it.

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If you'd share this podcast with

someone, you know, who could use

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some light shined on their path.

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And the more we walk with the merrier.

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Ghia.

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And I have a goal of reaching 150

hiking buddies on the creative,

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spiritual journey podcast.

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And that is only accomplished with your

help sharing it one person at a time.

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Happy Wednesday, Fran.

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And I'll see you on the trail.