Hot Hot Heat

Because we are mortal, we have passed through the veil of forgetfulness and don't remember what we went through before we were born into this world. But God hasn't just sent us out without help. God has sent down the Holy Ghost to confirm truth to us.
There are lots of people who say "show me a sign" or I'll believe it when I see it. In an answer to a question, Elder Boyd K Packer told this story. If someone were to walk into this room holding a white hot branding iron and told you it was a hot iron, would you believe them more than if they blindfolded you and seared your skin with that same iron? And that is how our testimony of the Savior and truth should be. It should be a spiritual witness given by the Holy Ghost, a member of the Godhead. John 3:27 "John answered and said, A man can receive nothing, except it be given him from heaven."

What does that mean for us? Lets not be a "doubting Thomas", but be blessed because we believe and have not seen. I know that we can receive spiritual witnesses if we will seek. As God has said repeatedly in holy writ "Turn ye unto me, saith the Lord of hosts, and I will turn unto you, saith the Lord of hosts." (Zechariah 1:3) Another announcement of "Ask and ye shall receive". So if we want to have a spiritual experience we need to prepare ourselves. Is it likely that God will bless us with a spiritual experience if we have not been preparing ourselves? Not likely. So read the scriptures, say your prayers, and live a Christlike life and you'll be happier and have a better opportunity to have a "spirtually searing" experience.

My favorite person from The Book of Mormon

Love this picture of Jesus

I think my favorite person from The Book of Mormon would have to be Jesus Christ. I mean he did come and visit the people in the Americas. So that is an obvious no brainer... But for the sake of going in depth into the Book of Mormon, I'll talk about someone else.



So after that being said I would have to say that my favorite person (like so many other people) is Captain Moroni. Captain Moroni was a boss. He was appointed the leader of the Nephite army when he was just 25. Think about that. Being responsible for the lives of an entire army when you are 25 years old. When I turn 25, I'm gonna be in school worried about what classes I need to pass to get a degree to start work.



Captain Moroni and the Title of Liberty



So with this trust that was put on Captain Moroni also came great power. I mean think about it, he was the Commander of an entire army of men, who would lay down their lives with him. I think the greatest part about Moroni is that he was given this power and yet it didn't get to him. You know the saying "Power corrupts, and absolute power absolutely corrupts", well that was not the case for Moroni.

Joseph Smith's Vision

When Moroni was out with his army, they had been fighting the Lamenites for a long while and he needed supplies from the cities. But they were not getting the help they desperately needed. And in an epistle to Pahoran he says this "Behold, I am Moroni, your chief captain. I seek not for power, but to pull it down. I seek not for honor of the world, but for the glory of my God, and the freedom and welfare of my country"(Alma 60:36). He is, in my opinion, the 2nd best example of what a man should be like. Even Moroni, while he was putting the plates together and reflecting on what Moroni was like said "Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto ^aMoroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the ^bdevil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."(Alma 48:17). What bigger or better complement could a person give another than that? Especially coming from Mormon, the Prophet in charge of collecting and putting the plates together.

The Book of Mormon is full of great men. It is rich with the history, stories, and accounts of those who inhabited the Americas 600 BC to about 400 AD. This record was translated by the gift and power of God through the Prophet Joseph Smith. If you have read this and want to learn more and talk to me directly, click my facebook link and shoot me a message!

God is great! Come and investigate the claims that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints makes.

Grace, Faith, Works

There are many misconceptions about Mormons. One that I run into on a regular basis is that "Mormons believe that you work for your salvation". This is what I want to try and focus on for right now....
So, because those of the LDS faith choose to show their faith by their actions, they are looked down upon by the rest of the Christian world as denying the power that Christ has. Well lets discuss this more. We believe that the Bible is the word of God. We believe all the promises therein. And just like the rest of the Christian world we believe that, "by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God"(Ephesians 2:8) We do not deny that it is solely by grace that we are saved. Grace is defined as an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation. Because Jesus Christ is the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2), it is only in and through Him that we can receive eternal life and exaltation.

The Reason

And now, because of this, I want to live my life in a way that is pleasing in the sight of God. I want to go out and serve. I want to help others, both believers and non-believers. Why? Why would I want to do that? Because I love God. I love my Savior. This love that I have for them, how do i show it? I show it in how I live my life. Not like the hypocrites who profess to know Jesus, and as the scripture says They ^aprofess that they ^bknow God; but in ^cworks they ^ddeny him, being abominable, and ^edisobedient, and unto every good work ^freprobate(Titus 1:15) But I will show my faith by the way I live my life. And this is not just me and my opinion, this is how your everyday "Mormons" live (or at least try). A perfect example of this is shared by James in the 2nd chapter he says "But wilt thou know, O vain man, that ^afaith without ^bworks is dead?

Was not Abraham our father ^ajustified by works, when he had ^boffered Isaac his son upon the altar?

 Seest thou how faith wrought with his works, and by ^aworks was faith made ^bperfect?" 

I know that it is because Christ is so forgiving that I can receive eternal life and exaltation. That I will show my love for Him by the way I treat others. And I will fail, I will fall short, but because he is full of grace and truth (John 1:14), I can and will be forgiven through my sincere repentance. And I could continue to blab on, but I will stop here. I know the Savior lives and loves. And because of that I am doing the things I'm doing.

Two witnesses

I'm grateful for the scriptures. I'm thankful for the validity they provide of the Savior. That he literally raised from the tomb and unlocked the gate of death that held us captive. What a great gift! What an awesome knowledge that we have of that.
Today I want to focus my thoughts on witnesses. In the scriptures Christ says (speaking to his Apostles), "in the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established."(Matthew 18:16) This verse is related to the Apostles when they are dealing with members of the early church, that if they didn't believe that they had done wrong, to bring a second or third witness. Anyways, my point is that every word should be established in the mouths of two or more witnesses. In a court case, if there is only one witness against the defendant, there really is no chance of being held guilty. And Christ knows the importance of having multiple witnesses.
The Book of Mormon is a second witness to the divinity of Jesus Christ. It upholds the Bible and tells of His divine mission as the Savior of the World. Some people may say that we have the Bible, we don't need any more. Or that we should not add to the Bible (see previous post). But in 2 Nephi 29:8 it says "Wherefore murmur ye, because that ye shall receive more of my word? Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember one nation like unto another? Wherefore, I speak the same words unto one nation like unto another. And when the two nations shall run together the testimony of the two nations shall run together also." God's word is truth. And it is the same. And it is forever, so if you want to try and discredit the Book of Mormon because it speaks the words of Christ, go ahead and try. Thats what I do as a missionary, is invite people to read the Book of Mormon and test it like Paul says in his epistle to the Thessalonians (5:21) "Prove all things; hold fast that which is good". Test it out and see if it is truth.
I know the Book of Mormon is true. I know that Joseph Smith translated it by the power of God. And I know that anyone who is willing to do the work to know if it is true, can have the same type of experience that I had in learning the truthfulness of this glad message.

DO NOT take away from or ADD to.....

OK, so there are people who have legitimate concerns about the Book of Mormon because it "adds" to the bible, and according to Revelations, that is a BIG no no... Well first off, we "Mormons" believe the Bible to be the word of God. So yes we agree with that statement in the Bible... So now let me explain this... (this is all basically being taken from a talk given by Elder Holland an Apostle)

If you will just imagine with me that we are watching all the chaos that is happening when Christ returns to Jerusalem. There is a HUGE gathering for the Passover (a major religious holiday for the Jews). The Pharisees and the Sadducees have just stirred the Jews into a blood thirsty frenzy, and caused a very strict to the rules Jewish people, to completely forget/ignore the proper channels which they were supposed to go through to have a trial, and illegally condemned Christ to death.

So, Christ is crucified and His followers are sent into hiding. Then, the rest of the bible happens. First, we have the acts of the apostles. They go and preach repentance and baptism. We have the account of Saul, who is visited by Christ Himself, and sent to preach. After the acts, we have all of Paul's epistles to people. Along with epistles written by Timothy, James, John, Peter, Jude, and the revelation given to John.

Today, we are lucky enough to have these books from these great men. These epistles were all written at different times and different places. And eventually these epistles all came together, gathered by I don't know who, and put into a volume, and labeled the Bible!

So the scripture in Revelations that says not to take away from or add too is clearly talking about the book of Revelations itself. It was not a declaration for the rest of time saying that the windows of Heaven are shut and no more revelation will be given. On the contrary, the Bible itself says that whenever a man speaks under the influence of the Holy Ghost, it is scripture.

The windows of Heaven are open. God speaks! not spake. And His mouthpiece is the Prophet Thomas S Monson today! If you do not think that there is a need for a Prophet, look at Amos 3:7 and see what that says.

I know that God lives and loves us. That He loves us so much that He sent His only son to suffer, bleed, and die for all of us.

PS: Here is a link to Elder Holland's talk... it'll make more sense than I can http://lds.org/general-conference/2008/04/my-words-never-cease?lang=eng&query=add+bible#4

A Testimony

Well I thought it would be a good idea to follow up my last series of posts with something that the others were lacking.... SIMPLICITY!.. You can really go into great details about the Gospel. You can prove points up and down, using the scriptures and even scientific studies and books, but that will not build a "testimony". A testimony is yours. It is what you think, feel, believe, and know. And it is my testimony that Jesus is the Christ. That He is the one who came into the world to fulfill the words of ALL the other Prophets before Him. That He took upon Himself, not only the sins of the world, but ALL the pains, sufferings, and afflictions, both physical and emotional that ALL mankind would endure. Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world. He is the "Bread of Life" and the "Fountain of Water" that is springing up into everlasting life. I know, because of recorded history, study and prayer, that He was literally resurrected from His borrowed tomb, and that He broke the bands of death for His people.

I believe in miracles and that there are miracles all around us. I believe that we can be the miracle for someone else. That if we will live according to the principles set forth in doctrine given by Christ that He can and will help us find those in need. Just like the Good Samaritan, we can be a miracle to someone else. And if we look close enough, we will see God's hand in our lives. We will see the path that we've taken and how we've been guided to those who changed, and will change the course of our lives. I love being a missionary and spreading the Good Word!

Revealed Truth and Science Pt 4: Time, Light, Health, and Conclusions!

Time
         Time, according to science, goes in one direction. Although not understood, it is now known to be a relative thing. That is, we measure time by our clocks, but objects moving relative to us will have clocks that measure time more slowly. The faster they are moving, the more slow time becomes relative to us. This concept was first suggested scientifically by Einstein in the early 1900s. The same concept can be found in Abraham 3. (Abr 3:3-10) This was first published in the spring of 1842 in Nauvoo in the Times and Seasons.The Prophet Joseph Smith had little formal education, yet the concepts of relativistic time in this chapter of the Book of Abraham were first discovered scientifically about 65 years later!
          What the revelations teach us about time is that it is measured differently throughout the universe, the one day with God is as one thousand years with man (II Peter 3:8; Abr 3:4). Moreover we are taught that time is only measured unto men (Alma 40:8, Rev. 10:6). From these we can learn that since all things are present before God (Doctrine and Covenants 38:2, 130:7), and God is not constrained by time as are we.

Light
          Science can provide extensive information about light, what it is, how it works, etc. Yet, when it comes time to describe it in detail, science will tell you that it is sometimes found as a particle of light (a photon) and other times we found as a wave. It takes elegant mathematics and impressive theories to correlate these two concepts.
           Revealed truth gives even more added dimensions, suggesting that light "quickeneth our understandings" (Doctrine and Covenants 88:11), is knowledge, truth, spirit and intelligence (Doctrine and Covenants 84:45). So we know from this that light comes in many forms, has great power, can permeate the souls of men, and is a carrier of knowledge and power. In addition, judging from the appearance of the Angel Moroni to the Prophet Joseph (Joseph Smith- History- v. 43), light can also be a transporter of angels- or at least is associated with such transport. Science still has a long way to go in this arena.

Health
          Here we must go to Doctrine and Covenants section 89, where we find that if we eat right, and don't use coffee, tea, alcohol or tobacco, we will have "health in our navel and marrow to our bones..... and shall run and not be weary and walk and not faint." (Doctrine and Covenants 89: 18-20 (Given in 1833))
          Health in your navel. Science has learned relatively recently (within the last 50 years) that alcohol and other drugs can cross the placental membrane deeply affecting fetuses. What does health in you navel mean? I believe it means that we will have healthy babies by restricting our intake of the harmful substances defined in this revelation.
          Marrow to our bones. In the last two decades scientists have come to understand that the entire immune system of the body is dependent upon the health of the bone marrow, where all of the factors needed for the immune system have their start. Bone marrow health is negatively affected by alcohol and tobacco.
          Run and not be weary and walk and not faint. Only in the last few years have scientist found out that a key enzyme in a cascade mechanism needed to provide energy for muscles is made inoperative when caffeine is present. So in the presence of caffeine, the body fails to break down the sugar storage molecules (glycogen) necessary to give us what is often termed, "second wind". Hence if we use caffeine, we run and are weary and walk and faint.

Conclusions!
             These are just a few examples to illustrate differences and agreements between science and revealed truth. There are many more that could be discussed in addition. Perhaps the take-home message is that science and revealed truth go hand in hand. The only time there is controversy is when science exceeds its scope or supposed Gospel scholars exceed theirs. From my standpoint, I like to wait and watch. Science keeps coming around with more and more factual material which continues to validate the revealed truths of the Gospel.
              It is my testimony that Gospel truths are eternal, and the more that science prove the facts and unveils the governing laws, the closer these concepts come to harmonize with the Gospel truths.

Revealed Truth and Science Pt 3: Life and DNA

Life

           Science defines a living thing as one that has form, can reproduce itself, can make or break down complex biomolecules and can take energy in one form and make it into another. Although this is a "definition" it is merely a description of the characteristics of living things. It does not really define life. Revealed truht talks about the "breath of life" (Genesis 2:7) which makes the soul composed of the spirit and the mortal body. Body without spirit is dead. The Gospel also speakes of many inanitmate objects having life- for instance the earth (See Moses 6). Scientists have never succeeded in making a living thing from non-living biomolecules. Recently they have made a piece of DNA in the lab (it took 15 years) which was inserted into a cell whose DNA was extracted, and the cell lived and reproduced itself according to the inserted DNA genetic message. However, synthetic biomolecules do not live, in and of themselves. The essence of life remains an unanswered question scientifically.
    
           From the Gospel's standpoint we are given to understand that Christ is the light and life of the world. (John 1:4, Mosiah 16:9) Yet we do not understand this very essence of life, other than it comes from the Father (the breath of life) and seems to be coupled with light. We are aware that the body without the spirit is dead (James 2:26), so the spirit is essential. But spirit is light (Doctrine and Covenants 84:45), so light and life are coupled very tightly. Yet we (at least I) really don't understand what this light really is.

DNA

            Much has been made of DNA testing and typing to provide evidence for relationships between individuals or individuals and forensic evidence. When the markers agre, there is a very high likelihood of an individual's identity and lineage. But when the markers don't match, considerable uncertainty exists. In other words, DNA testing can tell you things that are related rather conclusively, but cannot tell you when they aren't to the same certainty at all. With genealogical relationships, as the number of generations increase, so does the uncertainty in a mismatch. The DNA evidence for native American lineage is one such example. Much evidence accumulated since the first studies which indicated that all American Indians came from the far east has led to serious question about this theory.

Find the refrences to the scriptures right here http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng

Fashion and 8 Track Players

"In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." - Thomas Jefferson

We have a calendar in our apartment and today I just changed it from the month of February to March. The calendar is one that has pictures of beautiful things, mountains, rivers, trees, animals ECT, and it also has a quote. And that is the quote that was for the month of March.

And as I have reflected on it, the quote has really struck me and made me think. To go with the flow in style, but to stand like a rock in matters of principle. I wish we had government leaders who would do that. But that’s beside the point. Because style is constantly changing and new fads are coming out and others fading out, it’s ok for us to move with them. But important things, matters of principle we should stand as a rock. I don't know about you, but for me, this world isn't too hip on having values really. Right now I have the pleasure of teaching this family and they have expressed concerns that they don't like the fact that religious groups don't make a stand because they don't want to offend anyone... And that is something that separates The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints from others, is the fact that we stand for something. There are values and virtues that the world tramples under their feet, saying that they are old fashioned, out-dated, and irrelevant in society today. But that is not truth. Sure, the 8 track player in cars is out-dated, and the CD player is going to be pretty soon, but living a chaste life is not. Living an honest life is not. Being a virtuous person is not.

The morals of society will continue to decay, fashion will change, but the values that strengthen individuals, families, communities, societies, nations, and the world will hold fast and stand strong, and if necessary alone. Because God is the same yesterday, today and forever. Our Heavenly Father loves all of His children and wants nothing more than for our happiness. That’s why He has given us families and the gospel to strengthen us and our families. I know Heavenly Father knows me and answers my prayers. You can too. Just try Him.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.
Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.
In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.
Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,
other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed
that during the low periods of my life,
when I was suffering from
anguish, sorrow or defeat,
I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,
“You promised me Lord,
that if I followed you,
you would walk with me always.
But I have noticed that during the most trying periods of my life
there have only been one set of footprints in the sand.
Why, when I needed you most, you have not been there for me?”

The Lord replied,
“The times when you have seen only one set of footprints in the sand,
is when I carried you.”

- Mary Stevenson

I love this poem because we are human and have faults. And in my case, many faults. And we sometimes do not realize what is taking place in our lives when we feel down and alone. He is there to hold us up, to strengthen us and to give us peace.

Life is tough. Just ask my parents. Things happen that can cause so much pain. But the great thing is that Christ has been there, He has felt our pain and knows how to "succor" us perfectly.