Choosing Glory

Chris and Lili Anderson

We were blessed to hear a very special fireside this week with all the other senior missionaries serving here in Samoa.

Sister Tollman gave such a great description, I will quote from her blog.

"Chris and Lili Anderson  are both mental health specialists. Chris works in the missionary department of the Church counseling with mission presidents and missionaries. He helped pioneer Critical Incident Stress Response services and training as a part of LDS Family Services. He led response teams to several incidents, including the Columbine High School shootings, the World Trade Center attack, several hurricanes, the Indonesia tsunami, and the Haiti earthquake.

After almost 20 years of being a full-time homemaker, Lili returned to school. She holds a Master's degree in Social Work and a PhD in Marriage, Family and Human Development at BYU. Lili has a private practice and is the president of The Association of Mormon Counselors and Psychotherapists. She also serves on two public affairs committees for the Church. When she has time, she writes books.

Lili has an incredible way of looking at the Gospel and applying it to our mortal experiences. She has authored a book entitled "Choosing Glory."

Lili shared with us her insights regarding Doctrine and Covenants 88:22-24. Every kingdom in God's glory is governed by law. If we want to live in those realms, we must learn to live those laws. She taught our missionaries that we need to live a Terrestrial life now. This is a life where the natural man is harnessed, and we have self-control and delayed gratification. This kind of living brings external peace and presence of the Spirit. This includes doing the right thing at the right time. It means being diligent--getting up, falling down, and getting up again. If we obey basic commandments and live a terrestrial life, we live a safer life. When we live this kind of a life, we can seek God's sanctifying power and begin to live a Celestial life, which is a life of Christ-like being. Here we feel the right things; our hearts are completely aligned with God. 

She helped us understand that the world is becoming more and more Telestial. Our world is becoming increasingly dark and evil. If we want peace in our lives we have to be "more different" than the world. In times past, it was easy to help our children learn about goodness because most of the world was still Terrestrial. As the world deteriorates, it will become necessary to be more different. We surely will become a peculiar people. Lili quoted Elder Marvin J. Ashton, "There is nothing worth having that the Gospel will deny you."

There is so much more! We have been truly blessed by their visit. Learning from them has been a life-changing and mission-changing experience for us and our missionaries. Now, go get her book and learn for yourself!."

I very much enjoyed this fireside.   I keep thinking about what she said about how we can't jump from telestial straight to celestial.  We need to develop all we can to live in a terrestial way so we will be prepared to be celestial.  

She had a great way of using examples and making analogies that just made sense to me. When I get a chance, I want to get her book and read it.   Love opportunities like this to learn from top notch people in the gospel!

This is what is says about her book Choosing Glory over at Amazon.com

Choosing Glory considers the doctrine of celestial, terrestrial and telestial realms, suggesting that here on earth we deal with all three kinds of individuals, behaviors, institutions, and ways of life. Dr. Anderson applies a three realm perspective to daily choices, dating, marriage, parenting, stress and progression. She offers concrete tools to help us find safety from telestial elements that threaten our peace and reminds us that we were meant for more than a good terrestrial life. This book invites us to recognize that every day we are in fact choosing glory.