rel121sec58fall2008

There is No Remedy for Love But to Love More! by Amanda Dinsdale

2009-01-03T11:21:00.000-08:00

When you think of love many things come to mind... family, spouse/boyfriend, friends, but do you remember God? With all that we do within our life span how many of us show our love for God in all that we do? To say we love God and to not show it through our day to day actions and words is one of the greatest sorrows of our heavenly father. Together we can learn three ways that we can best show remember love, its strength and how to show it: always show love to God through our actions and words, remember God sees no sin to great and through repentance he can show his love for you, and finally showing love for one another shows one of the greatest loves for God.

First strive to always show God our love for him in our actions and words. In Deuteronomy 11:1 it says "Therefore thou shalt love the lord thy God, and keep his charge and his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments, always." This scripture clearly states that to love God we keep his charges, his statutes, his judgments and his commandments ALWAYS. To define always would be, "at all times; within all events," according to the OneLook online dictionary search. At all times and in every event includes how we show our love to God in our actions and words. To love God is to be an example for others that look to you for guidance. Through your own actions and words you can become closest to God by being Christ like. Your actions will bring all those people who are close to you, closest to God. Mothers are a prime example of this very blessing; refer back to the stripling warriors and their mothers. The mothers first showed their love for Christ and practiced the teachings of their love in their everyday choirs and doings; the sons saw their mothers love and peace through their examples and they too came unto God by showing their love through their faith and in keeping his commandments. Just like the mothers of the stripling warriors we too can be so filled with God's love if we will show him our trust and faith in keeping his commandments. In Mosiah 2:4 it says "... keep the commandments of God, that ye might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men." I truly testify of the greatness of example of those you look up to; if my parents were not obedient to God and were not great examples to me in all their actions I would not be the daughter of God that I am today.

Second we must remember that in no way are we perfect like Christ. We strive for perfection in our lives to achieve the greatest gift of God which is eternal life but along the way we all make mistakes. Our mistakes may be big or small according to the challenges we face and our faithfulness in Christ and Heavenly Father. But whether our mistakes are big or small we can find peace, love and forgiveness through God’s greatest sacrifice of giving his son Jesus Christ and through Christ’s atonement for us. One of my favorite scriptures for repentance is Alma 5: 26-28 which reads, “26. And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? 27. Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourselves, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins? 28. Behold, are ye stripped of pride? I say unto you, if ye are not ye are not prepared to meet God. Behold ye must prepare quickly; for the kingdom of heaven is soon at hand, and such an one hath not eternal life.” Are you ready to repent of your own sins and to come unto Christ? Are you ready to receive his love and be washed clean through the blood of Christ? Repentance is not easy to do especially the greater the sin is but if you are ready to answer both those questions with a firm yes then you are ready to receive the love of God and once again be clean.

The picture I wanted you to see at the beginning of my blog is no ordinary picture. You may have thought that I put it there just because it is cute and I liked it but more than both of those two things I put it as the picture for this blog because it represents great significance in repentance. Like a watermelon we all have a shell or exterior that protects us from injury to our inner organs that are vital to our existence. In a spiritual sense our physical shell or body protects our spirits as we journey through mortal life. Within the watermelon is the juicy sweet or stale interior which represents our spirits and hearts. If the interior of our watermelon is stale then our hearts are hardened and our spirits are dirty but if our interior is soft, sweet and juicy our hearts are pure and ready for knowledge and to the experiences that which can make us strong. Finally deep within every watermelon, imbedded in the interior, are the seeds black, shiny, bigger or smaller. The seeds are a representation of the sins that paint our spirits with dirtiness. But that is the greatest significance of all; in order for the watermelon to grow and become as big as its full potential it must start with a seed and continue to grow. We as human beings all make mistakes and within our souls seeds grow; we can either choose to let the seeds be and Satan can turn our interior old and stale or we can let Christ remove the seeds and make us sweet again. In choosing Christ it is not as easy as just letting the sins rest within us but it is the most rewarding. In order to let Christ remove our seeds or sins we must first open our hearts, cut open our exterior, to reveal our most humble and soft state. Slowly and surely as we continue to come unto Christ our sins will taken out and we will be left with a pure spirit and filled with God’s love. Once we have been washed clean of sin we will be pointed back in the right direction of the path to eternal life. Through repentance I have personally felt the love of Christ and Heavenly Father. A couple of years ago I went through a time in my life when I wouldn’t take council from anyone but instead I wanted to learn for myself. For a time I stayed strong and immovable till the greatest weakness was found within my soul and Satan used it to tempt me. Trying to be strong I continued to fight the temptation and find ways around it till finally I broke and for the moment the sin felt right but when the moment was over I realized that it was very wrong. Being young and naïve whoever I continued to keep the sin a secret till the guilt built so strongly within me I me and my biggest change of heart came forward. To repent of my sins I too had to open my heart and humble myself so that Christ could remove my sin and pour his love upon me. Truly repentance is the strongest gift that can be felt within a lifetime for when your sins are made clean and you and Heavenly Father both forget them; your spirit can be at peace!

Finally to truly show your love for God you can serve others and let other serve you. One of the greatest scriptures and truths of the Gospel is found in Mosiah 2:17 which states, “… when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.” Service to others is not hard in anyway and can be shown in little actions alone; a simple smile, giving a dollar to a homeless person, shoveling a widows driveway or even washing the dishes for your mom. When you perform these acts in a humble and giving state you will immediately be filled with the love of God. That love alone can heal any sorrows and troubles that you might have and it also teaches you to love those that you serve, or that serve you. In learning to serve others and in doing so our example is once again exhibited for others to follow. Mosiah 4:15 says, “… ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another.” Through your example you will prove that very scripture truthful in teaching others to love and serve one another. Service to others can in turn help you when you are in need and others do service for you.

In ending my blog I want to share one more scripture with you, in Jacob 3:2 we are taught that if we are pure in heart, we can receive the word of God and feast upon his love but only if our minds are firm forever. I bear witness to you that if you will do all that God has asked through keeping his commandments, remembering him in all that we do, serving and loving others, and finding his love through becoming pure of heart we will be truly happy and return to him. Through our examples we are the greatest tool for God in bringing others souls to him and the truth. We as saints of this true Gospel can feel God’s love and show our love to him and others in everything we do. It is our choice to return to Heavenly Father and Christ and receive eternal life and with love on our sides we are unstoppable. I say these things with all my heart and bear witness that they are true in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Work Cited

1. The book of Deuteronomy
2. The book of Mosiah
3. The book of Alma
4. The book of Jacob
5. OneLook Dictionary Search (http://www.onelook.com/)
6. LDS Online Scriptures

Legacy... By Alicia Collette

2008-12-19T14:22:00.001-08:00

Many of the pioneers had constant faith and dedication to the Lord in whatever they were asked to do. For many of the Pioneers it took enormous amount of faith to leave everything they knew behind to journey west with the Prophet Brigham Young, especially when they had no clue what to expect on the trail nor upon arriving at their destination. How the saints must have felt, leaving so much behind- their farms, houses, the temple they had just finished. Personally Temples are marvelous to me. Whenever my sister and I would drive down to utah for something, we would always end up stopping at one of the Temples just to enjoy being in its presence. I have lived within 20 minutes of a Temple my entire life and I can’t imagine taking so much time and effort to build a house of the Lord just to leave it behind. That would have been the hardest part for me.

The pioneers were also the first ones to journey west and to try and settle here. That meant there were few trails to follow and to know where to go. In 1868 Brigham Young commented on their coming here. “We made and broke the road from Nauvoo to this place…Some of the time we followed Indian trails; some of the time we ran by the compass. When we left the Missouri River we followed the Platte. And we killed rattlesnakes by the cord in some places; and made roads and built bridges till our backs ached. Where we could not build bridges across rivers we ferried our people across, until we arrived here, where we found a few naked Indians, a few wolves and rabbits, and any amount of crickets; but as for any green tree or a fruit tree, or any green fields, we found nothing of the kind, with the exception of a few cottonwoods and willows on the edge of City Creek. For some 1,200 or 1,300 miles we carried every particle of provisions we had when we arrived here.”

The pioneer journey west was more than just a long walk. They faced horrible weather conditions, wild animals and Indians, and lack of supplies. Many died from starvation and cold. Many had worn out shoes, and the sharp rocks caused their feet to bleed, leaving a trail of blood in the snow. Others buried their children or parents. The excruciating experiences that occurred during their lives caused many of them to develop unshakeable faith in God, which sometimes can only be achieved through hard trials such as these. Those that did not develop the faith were tested even more along the way.

During their trek west, some companies ran into some apostates from the church who were returning from the west, and going back to the East. These apostates tried to persuade some in the companies to turn back. Can you imagine how hard that would have been? Not only had the pioneers been suffering on the trail for so long, but then seeing other members that they probably knew and loved that are saying there is no Zion and that they shouldn’t continue on…Sometime It’s easy to see how they would have given up and returned and a few did but the majority continued onward.

I, myself, have been on two pioneer treks, one in Northern Utah where we hiked up and down a mountain with handcarts and the other just last summer at Martin’s Cove. Both were incredible faith building experiences where I was able to have just a taste of what the pioneers really went through. One of the things I remember the most happened during my first trek after we had climbed up the face of the mountain. It was taking forever to pull up the handcarts over logs and rocks in our way to the top but we knew once we arrived at our destination we’d get lunch. That’s what our leaders promised The whole time I was thinking of all the possibilities of what they might serve us for lunch, kind of encouraging myself to keep going: yummy sandwiches, maybe some juice, crackers or fruit snacks just all my favorites. I’m pretty sure my mouth was watering haha Anyway once we made it to the top of the mountain we were all exhausted and ready for our feast when the bishops hand out our “food boxes”. Basically it was bread, apples, some nasty trail mix. Some of them contained extra things like jam or jerky but not very many. I was distraught! Here I was expecting a meal fit for kings, cause well I just climbed a mountain! And I got what appeared to be your average pioneer snacks. Our leaders wanted us to experience what it was like to LIVE as a pioneer not just walk the trial. Never before had I felt so much respect and love for those who sacrificed so much for the gospel. When you go on treks like this and hear stories about the pioneers and experience things they did, you come to know them as real people. They’re no longer just names in books or people from years before. They become individuals that had families, had trials, difficulties, adventures, likes and dislikes. People like you and me.

President James E Faust said, “In the heroic effort of the pioneers, we learn a great truth. All must pass through a refiner’s fire and the insignificant and unimportant things in our lives can melt away and make our faith bright, intact and strong. There seems to be a full measure of anguish, sorrow, and often heartbreak for everyone, including those who earnestly seek to do right and be faithful. Yet this is part of the purging to become acquainted with God.” The story of the pioneers that crossed the plains is truly one of faith. Faith in every footstep.
Coming to know the pioneers like this also makes me curious about my own ancestors, to know the trials they faced as they prepared the way for my family now. From different sides of family I have relatives that crossed the plains. One of them was only a young child when his family began the journey west and upon arriving in Salt Lake he was the only one still alive. Another one of my ancestors was greatly persecuted in the east before heading west. His farm was burned by mob and he was run from his home. On another side of my family, they weren’t pioneers that crossed the plains but were still pioneers to me. In Europe, before immigrating my great grandfather, Alois Cziep was converted to the gospel and upon doing so, he received a letter from his father. He told him how wrong it was to join the church, how it was all a lie and that he would burn for doing so. It reads; if you decide not to head my words, I shall not speak to you again in this life. Although it took a lot of faith to accept the church and to be disowned by his family, If it wasn’t for his sacrifice I, along with countless other relatives, wouldn’t have been born into this gospel and enjoy the blessings that I do now. He was converted around the time of the Second World War and during the war people in Europe really didn’t have contact with the church leaders, which would have made it even more difficult. My grandma said that for seven years they were praying for the leaders of the church without any contact or news from anyone, only to find out that the prophet they had been praying for had passed away and a new one had been called! Just for comparison, after President Hinckley passed away, thanks to texting, my friends and I knew after three hours. Can you imagine not knowing there was a new prophet for that long? That would have made it even more challenging to stay active, just being so far away from everyone else. I’ve grown up in a bubble of church members and I know it’s just easier.

Other relatives such as my Collette grandparents are both great examples of pioneers because of all they did in their lives to further the gospel. Both served missions of their own and then later served two more missions as a couple. They both have served faithfully in their church callings. My 80 year old grandma has played the organ in her ward and for sessions in the temple for over 50 years. Now she’s one of the ladies in charge of primary. She told me she actually thought the bishop was joking with her when he asked her to accept the calling of a primary teacher. She was all bishop you do know I’m turning 80 right? She truly is an example to me.

When I hear stories about some of the trials that the pioneers had to endure, coming to think of them as individuals, and learn about all that my ancestors endured to be a part of this gospel and to further its growth, It’s humbling to know how much easier my life has been in comparison. It brings a question to mind; what am I doing that is leaving a legacy for those who come after me? I haven’t given up family or friends to be a part of this gospel. I haven’t been persecuted or driven from my home. I haven’t given my life or lost love ones close to me. There are so many things that I and you can still do further this gospel and to leave our legacy. For starters, I’d like to serve a mission. That is one way I can give of my life or at least 18 months of it to this gospel. For the many of you who have already served, there is still so much that can be done. This church is one of service. My patriarchal blessing states that exactly. I’m going to leave you with the words of a song written by Katherine Nelson.

when all is said and done
as the season slips away
when i've taken steps beyond my sight
will i find my strength in greater light
will my courage grow with every passing day
and will my faith be constant as the setting sun
when all is said and done

when all is said and done
and the years have turned to gold
will my life become a legacy
of the things that matter most to me
will the fire of faith grow bright inside me
and will i want to be the person i've become
when all is said and done

when all is said and done
when my eyes can finally see
will i glory in the sweet release
and will mercy fill my soul with peace
will i kneel and wonder at the savior's feet
will i hear him say, "well done"
when he sees who i've become
will i live with him
when all is said and done

My prayer is that we may all be able to living our lives so that others will know of the Legacy we are leaving. The Lord has called us to a great and marvelous work to establish Zion the land of the promise and I hope that this priceless legacy of faith left by the pioneers will inspire all of us to more fully participate in the Lord’s work of bringing to pass the immortality and eternal life of His children. I know this church to be true deep in my heart and I am so grateful to those who came before me and prepared the way, for the legacy of faith they leave. I know Christ is our savior and redeemer and that heavenly father loves each and every one of us and knows us personally. I know the book of Mormon to be the word of God and Joseph Smith to be a true prophet of God. I’m so grateful for President Monson the leaders of our church and the examples that they are to me, for leading and guiding us all towards eternal salvation. I know these things to be to true and I leave them with you in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

"Joy to the World" (1) by Ariane Williamson

2008-12-18T12:56:00.000-08:00

With the Christmas season fast approaching, one word that echoes in plays, carols, and general wishes of good cheer is joy. Joy fills the hearts of people everywhere with the peace and happiness the holidays bring. In the scriptures, the most beautiful verses of joy are those that speak of Jesus Christ. In Alma 13, Alma and Amulek preach to the people of Ammonihah, and Alma says to the people, “Yea, and the voice of the Lord, by the mouth of angels, doth declare it, that they may have glad tidings of great joy; yea, and he doth sound these glad tidings among all his people…”(2). Here he is prophesying of Christ’s birth, and the joy that will be sounded by angels to the people.

Alma continues: “And now we only wait to hear the joyful news declared unto us by the mouth of angels, of his coming…”(3). Later, the people ask him when Jesus will come to them, the people in America. They are told, “he would appear unto them after his resurrection; and this the people did hear with great joy and gladness”(4). Imagine the joy the people felt knowing that the Savior would come among them, that they would be able to see, hear, and touch him.

Joy has so many wonderful meanings. For instance, in Hebrew, joy can mean “gladness,” “rejoicing,” “make merry,” and “cheer”—all words used to describe Christmas! In English we wish each other “Merry Christmas,” but in French the phrase used is Joyeux Noël, which literally means “they joy,” and Noël comes from the Latin root natalis, which means “birth.” So Joyeux Noël, roughly translated, means “they joy in the birth,” and therefore, when French speakers wish each other “Merry Christmas,” what they are really expressing, though they may not know it, is joy for the birth of Christ.

To me, some of the greatest joy can be felt through the gift of the Holy Ghost. Not only does it give hope that we can one day experience all this, but, as Parley P. Pratt wrote, the Spirit is, “as it were… joy to the heart and light to the eyes”(5). King Lamoni’s father asks to receive this joy when he says to Aaron, “Yea, what shall I do that I may be born of God… and receive his Spirit, that I may be filled with joy… I will give up all that I possess, yea, I will forsake my kingdom, that I may receive this great joy”(6). How many of us would be willing to give up all that we possess to receive the Spirit?

A few weeks ago, as a member of the Women’s Chorus, I was able to participate in the BYU choirs’ “Celebration of Christmas” concert. We sang many moving songs celebrating the birth of Christ, including “Il est né” (“He was born”), the “Hallelujah” chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and “O Holy Night.” By far my favorite moment came when all the choirs sang the song “Carol of Joy.” During our final performance, as I sang, the words to this beautiful carol came to me and touched my heart: “Earth wrapped in sorrow, lift up your eyes! Thrill to the chorus filling the skies. Look up, sad-hearted! Witness God’s love; join in the coral swelling above! O friendless world, to you is the song! All heaven’s joy to you may belong! You who are lonely, laden, forlorn… a Savior is born!” (7). While we sang those words, I was touched by the Spirit very profoundly because I realized in that moment that the reason we celebrate Christmas is not wholly because Christ was born, but because of what he came to Earth to do. This song was a wonderful testimony of Christ’s mission and the sacrifice he made for us. I truly relate to Alma when he says, “Therefore, let us glory, yea, we will rejoice, for our joy is full; yea, we will praise our God forever”(8). I pray that everyone, wherever you are, can feel the joy this season brings to the hearts of people everywhere and share the love of our Savior as we commemorate the wondrous occasion of his birth.

Works Cited:

1. “Joy to the World” by George Frideric Handel

2. Alma 13:22

3. Alma 13:15

4. Alma 16:20

5. Parley P. Pratt, Key to the Science of Theology: A Voice of Warning

6. Alma 22:15

7. Eileen Berry, “Carol of Joy”

8. Alma 26:16

Image from http://www.yougotjesus.com/baby_jesus.htm

Finding Strength by Lindsey Beus

2008-12-17T18:58:00.001-08:00

Scientists have spent many years on trying to make the human race stronger. There is an idea programmed into your minds that we must be strong in order to survive. This is the idea of the “survival of the fittest.” The only question is, how do we receive strength. Alma prayed to the Lord and said, “O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance” (1). Alma and Amulek, were in a tough situation where they were being held as prisoners. They needed the strength to break free. We don’t need to keep searching the fields of science for how to receive strength. The Lord grants us strength based on our faith, when we ask and require it. Alma and Amulek were able to break free “for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ” (2). The answer is as simple as that.

Everyone needs strength in his or her lives for various things. This strength can be emotional, mental, physical, or spiritual. My sister suffers with depression and has the struggle of having no control over her emotions. She was on medications, but they did little to help her be happy, but rather, made her lose focus in life and become more miserable. I have watched her grow stronger every day as she preys for help to Heavenly Father. I am convinced that it is because of her prayers that she was able to get off of the medication and onto weaker natural herbs but find happiness, even when she has less help from human knowledge. She is one of the strongest people I know and I know that she is strong because of her faith. “Surely, shall one say, in the Lord have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed” (3). I know that like Isaiah says, my sister can overcome the horrors of the world, and if she can when her mind tells her that the world is against her, then anyone can.

We may also need physical and spiritual strength to fight back against the adversary and his fiery darts. “And in the strength of the Lord they did contend against their enemies… until they had driven them out of all the lands of their inheritance” (4). We also need to find our strength in the Lord and drive the daemons of our lives out of our lands and away from our salvation. We cannot let our personal weaknesses win.

We do also need to remember, that we have been blessed with strength already, but we do not need to mock those who have less of that blessing, or attempt to overuse ours. “And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength” (5). We must remember not to push ourselves too far, but to do all that we can, nothing more and nothing less. However, the Lord will grant us the strength we need to do what has to be done, and we have been promised in the word of wisdom that we shall walk and not faint.

It is my testimony that everyone can find the strength they need in the Lord. Life is hard, and we all need someone to hold us up every now and then. Even if life is a struggle, we can look forward to the eternal rest and happiness that awaits us if we work hard and give all the strength we have to do what is right.

1. Alma 14:26
2. Alma 14:28
3. Isaiah 45:24
4. Words of Mormon 1:14
5. Mosiah 4:27
6. Image by Madison Holler

A Mind of Gratitude By Alicia Collette

2008-12-10T12:28:00.000-08:00

“In the church of Jesus Christ, we teach not to teach people thing they didn’t know but to teach them to do things they aren’t doing.” (1) It seems as though we are taught gratitude multiple times over. It’s apparent that we still not grateful for everything we have in this life and therefore we must be humbles and learn to be grateful again. The problem is that we grow to expect certain pleasures we enjoy; parents doing the laundry, mother making dinner every night, and parents helping to pay for necessities. The key is to take the time to remember how much others help us and to be grateful.

“He who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious” (2). Gratitude is a feeling of appreciation and thankfulness for blessings or benefits we have received. It is an uplifting exalting attitude. The Lord wants you to have a spirit of gratitude in all you do and say. As we live with a spirit of thanksgiving and cultivate a grateful attitude, we will have greater happiness and satisfaction in life and be stronger spiritually. We cannot be mean spirited when we are grateful.

We also are advised to find gratitude while in our trials. The fact is, it’s hard to be grateful when you facing a trial but the trial continues to be hard until you realize how grateful you are for things and once you have a grateful attitude the trial becomes easier to bear. Being grateful for past mistake and trials in my life is something I try to do because they make me who I am. Even if I wasn’t grateful for them at the time it all works out in the end. We resonate with the Prophet Joseph’s petition after he had been falsely accused and imprisoned in Liberty Jail for months: “O God, where art thou? And where is the pavilion that covereth thy hiding place?”The Lord’s answer is reassuring:“My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;“And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high.” (3) One of the essential doctrines illuminated by the Restoration is that there must be opposition in all things for righteousness to be brought to pass. This life is not always easy, nor was it meant to be; it is a time of testing and proving. Elder Harold B. Lee taught, “Sometimes the things that are best for us and the things that bring eternal rewards seem at the moment to be the most bitter” (4)

Of course our ultimate gratitude should be towards Christ and his atonement. Without Christ, we would all have to suffer outer darkness. “There is no grief, no pain, no sickness so great that the Atonement of Christ and the love of Christ cannot heal.” (5) We should thank our Heavenly Father for His goodness to us by acknowledging His hand in all things through thoughtful prayer. We should especially thank Him for His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, for the Savior's great example, for His teachings, for His outreaching hand to lift and help, for His infinite Atonement.

Showing our gratitude is an essential part of being grateful. Express gratitude to the Lord by the way you live, by doing so you show that you love Him and are grateful to Him. Keep his commandments, pray, serve others and express appreciation to everyone who helps you in any way in the name of Christ. The story of the ten lepers is the classic example of giving thanks to those who bless your life. And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole. (6)

It is essential that we take the time to have a grateful mind and attitude towards life. Not only will our lives improve, but we can help others on their way to salvation. Christ is the ultimate example of perfect gratitude and we should follow in his example. I know that through a humble attitude and a grateful look on life we can strive to be more like our older brother. This gospel is the only way back to our father in Heaven and I know that if we do our best, one day we will be reunited with those we love. Amen.

Works Cited
1. Missionary Fireside –President Bradford Brazil Sao Paulo Interlagos mission
2. D&C 78:19
3. D&C 121:7
4. Harold B. Lee quotes
5. Teaching of the Prophet Joseph Smith
6. Luke 17 11-19

"New in Christ" Jake Chappell

2008-12-09T14:34:00.000-08:00

There are many people in the church who abide by the “sticks and stones” concept. Someone may say an offensive comment about another and the choice is presented to ignore it or dwell on it in the heart. Obviously, there may have been a misunderstanding where communication failed or gossip stirred, however, a recurrent demeaning insult proves that there is a problem. Yet, no matter how far one strays, they can still come back to the fold through Christ.

In May of 2001, my family and I moved from Arizona to Idaho. The move was hard on my siblings and me, as we left the comfort of old friends to begin new relationships in Idaho. My older brother, Joseph, was especially taken aback because he was starting high school and knew no one. But it turns out that school was not the problem. On our first day of church, everyone was inviting and happy to greet us. All of us kids had found new friends and were doing well. But Joseph was choosing not so stellar friends and some members at church obvously did not approve of his new conduct.

Joseph found a new hobby, snowboarding, which he enjoyed with his friends. They all had grown their hair out to a little less than shoulder length and it was the cool thing with his friends. When Sunday rolled around, we sat in the middle row of the pews, as usual. One of the regular attending members came around shake hands and called Joseph “Skater Boy”. Big deal, right? It’s just a funny, stereotypical joke. Eventually, this member’s sons would come to mutual and repeat the name over and over, never calling Joseph by his name. And Sundays were no different with this entire family, in fact, many of the members thought that Joseph was a rebel and unworthy to perform priesthood ordinances. This all started with his long hair. I myself grew my hair out the same length as Joseph, and I would always get little comments from people telling me to cut it, telling me that I looked like a punk. Since when did a hairstyle that is not extreme at all become punk? Eventually I cut my hair so that people would stop bugging me about something so minuscule. THEREFORE thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things (Rom 2:1).

One Wednesday, I heard Joseph say, “Why should I go to mutual if I will only be taunted?” Of course, my parents encouraged him to attend and he went, unwillingly. Eventually, Joseph and another young man decided to do other things during mutual. They would attend sparingly, only participating in church ball or other activities that they were interested in. Joseph began his descent into worldly things as he made friends with low standards. By junior year in high school, he brought home failing grades along with addictive substances that he hid from my parents. He was a completely different person, I would go in his room to hang out, the room would be smoky, smelling of incense and he would look half asleep, laughing about everything.

At length, he dropped out of high school, my parents found out about his problems, he had completely stopped all church activity, and who knows what else. With the many prayers of my parents, he has turned around dramatically. This sounds bad but is actually pretty good; he only smokes cigarettes and drinks occasionally now. He found a job and has started trying to get to church on Sundays. He told me that he wants to stop smoking because he knows it is bad for both his physical and spiritual health. I am glad that he has found a glimmer of hope for the future, and I pray that he can know of God’s love for him and that he can repent. There fore, if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new (2 Cor. 5:17).

Now, I am not implying that just because of a member’s sense of self-righteousness, Joseph chose wrong things. What I am saying is that when a ward is united, they know each other’s wants and needs and do everything necessary to find and keep the “lost sheep”. I feel that our ward only wanted the stereotypical image of a righteous young man, and Joseph did not meet their criteria. In Jacob 2, Nephi has just died and the people have already well on their way through the pride cycle. Jacob denounces their practices and preaches repentance. And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul (Jacob 2:8). I know that the prayers of my family and others are helping put experiences in my brother's life to soften his heart, and I know that Christ can heal his, and all other's wounded souls. I am so greatful for the opportunity of the Gospel in my life and the blessings I recieve for obeying Gods commandments. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Works Cited

The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981.
The Scriptures: CD-ROM Edition 1.1. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2005.
http://www.lds.org

The Holy Bible: King James Version

I Believe in Christ- by Lindsay Chandler

2008-12-08T07:54:00.000-08:00

For the last few years that my grandpa was alive, he would occasionally take me aside and say, “Lindsay, at my funeral, you’re going to play ‘I Believe in Christ’ on the flute, with your cousin playing the violin.” I would always remind him that we had many years to think about that, and to not worry about his funeral yet. So when he passed away a year ago, it was a huge shock to me. Suddenly, I had to recommit to my testimony of death and resurrection, to once again believe that I could be with him again. I struggled with this for a long time, until one day I knelt beside my bed to pray for peace and comfort. Then the words “I Believe in Christ” became fixed in my mind. I sat there, stunned, and completely at peace. I realized that my grandpa didn’t ask me to play that song just because he liked it. He asked me to play it because he wanted me to know that he had a testimony of Christ. Now, whenever I sing or hear that song, tears come to my eyes as I realize that he is bearing his testimony to me all over again. I will never forget that message.

I can proudly say that I, too, believe in Christ. Believe is a strong word, much stronger than the world says it is. There are many Hebrew words similar to the word for believe (ye’aminu). Some of them are ye’eman (faithful), ne’emanim (of long continuance), ya’amin (put trust in), ye’amen (let it be established), and ye’amnu (let it be verified) [1]. So to combine these various translations, to believe is to be steadfast and confident in a truth. When you believe something, you defend your belief and support others that share your belief. It is a commitment. Neal A. Maxwell said that “True believers are settled in their views of Christ…gladly perform their duties in the kingdom…are humble…are willing to do what Christ wants…have a balanced contentment…truly pray…have both right conduct and right reasons for that conduct…rejoice in the success of others…remember that forgetting is part of forgiving…are innocent as to sin, but not naïve…are happy” [2]. Those who truly believe are willing to do God’s work and live a life that conforms to his word. To believe is more than a statement; it is a lifestyle, a change of heart.

When we believe in Christ, we are also uplifted by him. We are granted that Spirit “which giveth knowledge, and also power according to [our] faith and desires which are in God” [3]. We can then use this incredibly powerful spirit to strengthen our testimony, and to help other people believe in Christ as well. True disciples of Christ will never be satisfied until the gospel is brought to the whole earth. It amazes me that the Spirit can testify to someone of Christ’s divinity through another. When Ammon is teaching King Lamoni about God, he asks the queen if she believes in his words. Her reply is, “I have had no witness save thy word and the word of our servants; nevertheless I believe that it shall be according as thou hast said” [4]. Her faith was strong after only a few witnesses, because she had the Spirit. When we have the courage to share our testimony with others, the Spirit can touch their hearts so that they know that what we say is true. It is not only a blessing, but it is our responsibility as well.

Of course, no one receives a testimony without any effort. As Alma says, “if thou wilt call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall receive, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest” [5]. God will not deny answers to those who diligently seek for them. If we ask in faith, and believe what we have been given, then we can strengthen our testimony with his help. I think that the reason why I received an answer to my prayer was that I turned to Heavenly Father. I really knew that he could give me the strength and comfort that I needed, and I was not disappointed. He cares about us so much, and he wants us to believe.

I believe that Christ is the son of God. I believe that he came to this earth to teach us God’s will and to be an example to us, but most importantly, he came to die for us. As the scriptures prophesied, “he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and sicknesses of his people” [6]. And “he shall take upon him the transgressions of those who believe on his name” [7]. I believe that he really made this sacrifice for all of us because of his deep love for all of God’s children. I believe that he is a beloved friend and brother to anyone who follows him, and that he looks after us with love. I love him with all of my heart; he is my best friend.

[1] LDS Scripture Concordance Program
[2] Neal A. Maxwell, “True Believers”, New Era, April 1994, 20
[3] Alma 18:35
[4] Alma 19:9
[5] Alma 22:16
[6] Alma 7:11
[7] Alma 11:40
Photo: taken by Bill Chandler

"Christmas Needs Love to be Christmas" by Adam Yankee

2008-12-08T02:10:00.000-08:00

During this time of the year I feel it customary to write on the subject of love. For the past couple of days, I have been feeling fit to burst because I am so full of the Christmas spirit. Love is the true meaning of Christmas, after all that is why our Savior came to the Earth, “that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men.”1 Love is the most powerful force known to mankind, it is the whole reason we exist and the reason that we will one day be reunited together with our heavenly family.

It is a wonderful thing to imagine just how much the Savior loves each one of us, it knows no boundaries. We should be the same way in our love towards our fellow men. During the Christmas season we all have many opportunities to show others how much we care, whether it’s a food drive, a dollar for the Salvation Army, or giving a toy to child that has none, we can make a difference. When we focus on giving rather than getting, that is when you will feel what Christmas is all about. “Every man should love his neighbor as himself,”2 if we follow this simple instruction, we will not only be serving our fellow man, but the Savior as well.

A few Christmas seasons ago, I had an experience with my family that I will never forget. It was Christmas Eve, and my family and I were driving about town bringing plates of homemade goodies to friends and various others when we finally finished and had one plate left. Driving home that night, we drove past a homeless man on the side of the road pushing what was probably all of his belongings in a grocery cart and wearing what looked like a seventy year old coat. A couple minutes later, I told my mother that I was prompted that we should go back and give that man the remaining plate and she said that she was already thinking the same thing. So we drove back around and found him tottering along in the cold and black of night on his way to wherever he would call home that night. We stopped the car and got out to see him, as we approached him trying to get his attention he seemed confused that we were actually talking to him until we got up to him. We handed him the plate of cookies and told him we loved him and to have a Merry Christmas. After a few moments, tears began to trickle down his face and he told us that he had no teeth. With a smile on his face he asked us if we would give them to a child that would enjoy them in his place. He said not to feel bad that he couldn’t eat them, because the greatest gift to him was that he knew someone that Christmas cared about him. The greatest gift we can possibly give is our love. Love breaks all barriers and unites all the inhabitants of the Earth. “Having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another.”3

It is important to remember why we celebrate Christmas. We celebrate because of the birth of our Savior and the Love that he has for us. “For God so loved the world that he gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”4 Christ is the ultimate example of Love; He died for us so that we could live together again. It is hard to express in words how powerful his love his; it is something that once you come unto Him yourself that you will come to understand.

As I near the end of this blog, I would like to express how much I love everyone right now, how much I love my Savior and how much I want to help those in need. I would like to close by saying that I know for a surety that if we will focus on spreading love and kindness to everyone around us this season, that we will find true happiness. “Feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.”5 With all my love, I wish you all a Merry Christmas.

1. Book of Mormon, Mosiah 2:4
2. Book of Mormon, Mosiah 23:15
3. Book of Mormon, Mosiah 18:21
4. Bible:New Testament, John 3:16
5. Book of Mormon, Jacob 3:2

Take a Ride on the "Soul" Train

2008-12-01T10:01:00.000-08:00

Take a Ride on the "Soul" Train
Bethany Cox

During my very first semester at BYU (summer of '07) I took a class called Intro to Philosophy. Near the end of the semester we started talking about 'the soul'. What is a 'soul'? Is it the spirit of somebody? Is it an all-encompassing personality? Well of course we never came to any one conclusion. There is no such thing as any one conclusion in philosophy. I came up with my own idea and wrote my final paper on it. I got a B+, I think. The following paragraph is MY understanding of souls and the way they work and interact with each other.

Our souls are living. They have substance that we can't See or feel because that substance is in some other dimension, i.e. behind the veil. Our souls envelop us and radiate outside of our physical bodies. This is what some people refer to as "aura". Now, what exactly shapes our souls and makes them what they are today? Our souls start out pure and clear and innocent. When we come into close proximity with any other person's soul or aura, they mix and mingle and share themselves with each other. We, in a sense, become a part of whoever we interact with through our "soul sharing". This explains the feeling of empathy. We are a part of everyone and every person is a part of us, so we can feel each other. But that is a topic for some other blog!

Like I said, that is all my interpretation of souls and what they are and how they grow and become "us". Now what do the scriptures say? Jacob 2:8 mentions "the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul." This leads me to believe that, yes indeed, the soul is living and can feel and be wounded and healed. Enos 1:4 says "my soul hungered". Another indication that the soul is living and needs care. Omni 1:26- "offer your whole souls as an offering unto Him" we can give of our souls and share with Christ and others. We need to be consciously offering our souls to God, sharing all of our experiences with Him. If we pour out our souls to God he will, in turn, fill us with HIS soul, or the light of Christ. King Benjamin "labor[ed] with faculty of his whole soul" (Words of Mormon 1:18) to establish peace in the land. He shared of his love and wisdom and peace and helped shape the souls of all who were in the land.

The Old Testament word for soul is "nephesh". This is translated in 31 ways in the Bible, with "life" being the most occuring translation. Other translations include myself, pleasure, appetite, ghost, dead body, creature, one, and person. It is very interesting that one word can be translated to 'life' and 'dead body'. This is explained by the root of the word 'nephesh' which is 'to breathe'. A dead body once breathed. Our souls live and breathe. (w.c. 5.)

I believe that the word "soul" is very much misused in our language today. It is more than our eternal spirit or personality or body or memory. It is all of that combined that lives forever, perhaps reincarnating to grow from more experiences in different circumstances. I know that our souls are exactly 'us' and we can be who we want to be if we associate with other souls who have already reached whatever plane we would like to be on. We, in turn, must help others reach their 'soul goals' by sharing our souls with them and accepting theirs.

Works Cited
1. Jacob 2:5 (Book of Mormon)
2. Enos 1:4 (Book of Mormon)
3. Omni 1:26 (Book of Mormon)
4. Words of Mormon 1:18 (Book of Mormon)
5. http://www.pickle-publishing.com/papers/soul-and-spirit.htm
6. picture from http://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/26/science/26soul.html

My Brothers Mighty Change of Heart - By Evan Stuart Elg

2008-11-25T12:30:00.001-08:00

When I was younger there was much conflict in my home as is common in homes with five children. For several different reasons my brother left home at an early age with embittered feelings toward the church and my father. For years now his feelings only grew harder and more resentful. At times he would say many hostile things towards the church. There were many moments of intense anxiety in the hearts of my family concerning my brothers welfare, he was in the army and was deployed to Afghanistan where he saw combat, what if he died living in his transgressions? What if he lived his whole life, becoming and old man but never accepting the gospel?

Through this time my brother kept in contact with a friend of his who was a member of the church. Over time my brother came to fall in love with his Mormon friend. Her example and unwillingness to marry someone who was not a member of the church caused my brother to reevaluate his feelings towards the church. During this time of introspection my brother began to come back to church and re investigate the gospel and its teachings. During one memorable sacrament meeting I felt impressed to get up and bear my testimony, I did and I was immediately followed by my mother after my mother bore her testimony something unimaginable happened, my brother got up to bear his testimony! Although unable to completely accept the gospel at that time my brother bore testimony to several different gospel principles. This moment brings to mind the scripture from Alma which says, “he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them.”[1] This testimony from my brother seemed completely uncharacteristic of him, I almost could not recognize my own brother.

During the summer before I began college I thought a lot about the scripture which says, “And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father!” [2] So during the summer I prayed that I might somehow be the means or be a part of one soul coming unto Christ. Summer came and went without any opportunity to be part of someones conversion. It was while here at Brigham Young University when I got a phone call after a football game from my brother. My brother was calling to ask if I would come down to San Antonio to baptize him into the church. Few moments have taken me with such surprise as the moment when I got that phone call. I told my brother of course and after a few more moments of discussing the technical details such as when and how I would get there I hung up the phone and went home. I spent a lot of time thinking in my mind how could such a thing happen? How could my brother who had such strong and bitter feelings want to be baptized? When I talked to my mother about my brothers desire to get baptized we both wondered if it could be genuine, was he doing it for the right reasons?

When I arrived in San Antonio I met my brother and spent some time with him before and after the baptism. My mother asked me to watch him closely to see if the change was real. I think what we were looking for can be best described by the scripture, “And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?”[3] It was my observation during my time with him that something was different, my brother was a changed man. When I was talking to my mother on the phone she told me about how after he had been baptized Clint went home to Tennessee to visit the family and she said she could tell there was a difference, she said he was more patient with everyone and that he was polite and reconciliatory with my father.

In Alma the question is asked, “if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask can ye feel so now?”[4] It was my great joy to feel the song of redeeming love in my brothers life. What can bring such a change of heart? What power is there that can replace hate with love and bitterness with sweetness? There is only one answer to these questions and its the atonement of Jesus Christ. Alma records, “And according to his faith there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. Behold I say unto you that this is all true.”[5] Alma's testimony is my testimony. The words “this is all true” hit me with particular power. To me those words are one way of saying the Book of Mormon, the Bible, the gospel, and the prophets are all true. They all testify of Christ and his atonement. I am thankful for the gospel in my life and I am thankful for to have a savior who died and overcame death so that it is possible for us to change and return to live with our heavenly father. Without this power my brothers conversion would have been impossible and I end this with my sincere belief that this is all true.

Works Cited

1.Alma 5:7
2.D&C 18:15
3.Alma 5:14
4.Alma 5:26
5.Alma 5:12

"Faith in Christ, The First Principle of the Gospel" by Vallan Sherrod

2008-11-25T07:42:00.000-08:00

Faith is listed in the Fourth Article of Faith as one of the first ordinances and principles of the Gospel. Yet, what exactly is faith? One of the more famous scriptures answering this question is Hebrews 11:1, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” What are we to hope for? In Hebrew, the words faithful and truth share the same root. This suggests that we have faith in the truth. In John 14:6, we find that the truth is Christ when he said, “. . . I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” The truth is the Savior, Jesus Christ. Enos 1:8, where the Lord answered Enos' prayer in the Book of Mormon, is a great scripture that emphasizes this point, “And he said unto me: Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard nor seen. And many years pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith hath made thee whole.” We must root our faith in the Savior and his Atonement.

When we exercise faith, there are many blessings promised in the scriptures. One blessing is that God will answer our prayers when we exercise faith in him. Enos remarked on this principle in Enos 1:15, “... Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it.” Enos is not the only one who has remarked on this great principle. If we ask in faith and what we ask is right, God will always answer our prayers. He has done this numerous times for me. One such experience was when I was on a staff at a Scout camp. On Wednesday of the week-long camp out, all those on staff were asked to present a spiritual or inspirational thought to the participants that evening on what was called the Vesper Trail. When I am put on the spot, I usually forget everything I can share. Thus, when it was only a half hour or so before we had to share our thoughts, I still hadn't come up with anything to say. I decided to say a quick prayer asking Heavenly Father what I should say, and it was amazing! Immediately after I opened up my eyes, a thought came to my mind of an experience I had earlier that week, and I knew that experience was what I should tell the participants of the camp. I knew God was there to answer my prayer. This is just one of the many experiences that have taught me the power and truthfulness of praying in faith.

These answers to our prayers come through the Holy Ghost. In Jarom 1:4, it reads, “And there are many among us who have many revelations, for they are not all stiffnecked. And as many as are not stiffnecked and have faith, have communion with the Holy Spirit, which maketh manifest unto the children of men, according to their faith.” When we have faith, the Holy Ghost is with us, and through him, God can answer our prayers.

The greatest blessing of having faith in Christ is found in Mosiah 3:12, “. . . [S]alvation cometh to none such except it be through repentance and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ.” This is why faith is such an important principle. Only through faith in Christ can we be saved. I have seen this principle countless times as I have been reading the Book of Mormon this semester. Actually, it seems right that we would have to have faith in Christ in order to be saved by him. If we don't have faith, then we will not act on that faith by following his commandments. If we don't follow the commandments, then we cannot be saved.

How do we obtain this faith? In Jacob 4:6, Jacob gives us an answer, “Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.” We can obtain faith by searching the words of the prophets in the scriptures and the words of today's prophets. The spirit will testify of their truthfulness. We also obtain faith from our experiences when the Spirit witnesses to us of the truthfulness of our faith. Another great way to obtain faith is given by Alma in Alma 32:28-29,

Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me. Now behold, would not this increase your faith? I say unto you, Yea; nevertheless it hath not grown up to a perfect knowledge.

When we are wondering whether a principle is true or not, we practice it, and if it is good, the Spirit will let us know of its truth.

Once we have obtained our faith, it will constantly be tried by adversity. Everyone is tried for there faith, “Nevertheless the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith” (Mosiah 23:21). It doesn't matter how bad or good we are; our faith will always be tested through trial. A great example of this is Job. He was living the best he could, and his faith was still tried through tremendous adversity. How can we strengthen our faith so we can get through these hard times like Job did? One way is to continue to exercise our faith and pray for help. “But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction” (Jacob 3:1). If we continue to exercise our faith, then God will help lighten our burden. However, it does not mean that everything will instantly become better. When Alma's people were in bondage to the Lamanites in the Land of Helam, they had to exercise patience in their afflictions. “And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage” (Mosiah 24:16). We too must exercise patience in bearing our trials. Another strength to help us in our trials is our past experiences. A member of my Bishopric called these “defining moments.” These are moments in our lives that we have come to a surety of a truth. Jacob had such moments to strengthen him when Sherem tried to “shake” Jacob from his faith,

And he had hope to shake me from the faith, notwithstanding the many revelations and the many things which I had seen concerning these things; for I truly had seen angels, and they had ministered unto me. And also, I had heard the voice of the Lord speaking unto me in very word, from time to time; wherefore, I could not be shaken. (Jacob 7:5)

When our faith is tried, we should look back to those moments when we knew of a surety that our faith was true. These moments will give us strength in our current trials.

Finally, I would like to note Alma 7:24 which remarks on the importance of faith. “And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” When we exercise faith with hope and charity, we will always be following God's commandments, so we can become more like him. I know that when we pray in faith that God will answer our prayers. He will also help us through our trials. Things will always work out in the end, even if they seem nearly impossible. We just need to keep exercising our faith.

Works Cited

The Book of Mormon Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981.

The Holy Bible. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1979.

The Pearl of Great Price. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 1981.

Breaking a Heart To Change It. By Rubie Huber

2008-11-24T21:11:00.000-08:00

One of the Great conversion stories of the Book of Mormon is found in Mosiah with the conversion of all of King Benjamin's people. These people were all converted when they heard the testimony of their king and prophet. The experienced a change in their hearts that made it so they had no more desire to sin. As they said as one in Mosiah 5:2 "...the Lord Omnipotent, which has wroght a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." They were changed by knowledge of "the infinite goodness of God, and the manifestations of the Spirit," (Mosiah 5:3) I couldn't think of a better way to be converted unto the Lord and have your heart changed by him.

Unfortunately though, sometimes Heavenly Father needs to resort to other means to change our hearts. Once in Relief society , the lesson was on having a broken heart and contrite spirit. In trying to explain a part of the lesson, sister Macintosh held up a tiny metal ball. She said "this ball represents our hearts. Sometimes we harden them so much that the only way Heavenly Father can get into them is to break them, he will never force his way in." The object lesson made me think of my own experiences I had dealt with the previous year. My senior year of high school I had been applying to different colleges and deciding where I wanted to go. My mom threw out the idea of going to BYU, but I had been born and raised a Utah fan and couldn't ever see myself going there. I planned on the University of Utah instead, which would mean that I would still live at home because it was only fifteen minutes away and it would be a waste of money to move up there. Throughout the year I had many tough experiences. Drama sprung up with my friends that I had never experienced before or anticipated. It got so bad that I wouldn't eat lunch at school anymore but instead went home by myself. A few friends in particular would not leave me alone but instead were a constant source of misery. Different events happened and all trust was lost, and in the end all I was left with was a broken heart. I didn't understand why I had to be put through so much misery, I didn't despair but trusted that there must have been some reason for the torture. As I reviewed my choices for college I had been accepted to BYU and as I stacked it up against the University of Utah, the hour distance stuck out to me like a beacon of light, a way out of my terrible friend situation. I swallowed my pride, and told my parents and family that I wanted to go to BYU. I was still a little unsure if I would like it there, but just had to get out of my city so much that I was willing to go. Now at BYU I realize that I was led here by the Lord. I knew early on that he wanted me to go to the Y but was too stubborn to admit it, I had hardened my heart against his will, and so he had to break it in order to get in. Now having been at BYU almost a full semester I have grown in ways that I know I couldn't have at any other school, I love it now for more than just the distance, I love it because it's what God wants for me.

We all must go through trials, some are meant to make us stronger, and I believe some are meant to break our hearts. It is sad when we are compelled to be humble ins such ways by our Heavenly Father, but we are imperfect, and when we harden our hearts to his will it is his only way of getting in. As Alma explains to the poor Zoramites in Alma 32, it is better to be humble because of the word, but even if we are compelled it can be a blessing and is usually preparation for growth. (Alma 32; 12-14)

My sister who recently entered into the mission field, spoke of her conversion to the Lord's will during her Farewell talk. She had been given the option of having her heart be changed by the word, or by being compelled to be humble, and like so many of us, chose the latter, involving herself in misery and pain. She knew she should serve a mission just after hearing a talk by Elder Bednar, but pushed the thought out of her mind until over a year later. Through that year she was faced with challenge after challenge and heart ache after heart ache. It wasn't until that she was at her lowest of points and felt like she hadn't heard from Heavenly Father for a long time, that he gave her the revelation again to go on a mission. She was so hungry for a manifestation of him by then, that she knew right away that she must obey the prompting that she finished her papers in a week and had her call to Milan Italy in another week. Her heart was hardened and had to be broken. Yet again Heavenly Father knew exactly what was needed to help her come to his will.

That is one comfort that helps with the prospect of a Heavenly Father breaking your heart. That we know through the scriptures and through prophetic revelation, that Heavenly Father loves us and only does what will help us most. It is a comfort to know that we can avoid broken hearts if we try, by simply being obedient and humble from the beginning. We know that just as we will never be tempted above what we can bear, we also will never be tried more than we can bear or more than we need. In a fireside I went recently Elder Christopherson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke and testified to the truthfullness of this principle. He stated that he took great comfort in the fact that every trial he has ever gone through or ever will go through, was tailor made just for him to produce the most growth, and the most happiness.

I know that as mortal men and women we are in a fallen state, and must experience a change of heart in order to be happy. We must reconcile ourselves to the will of God by changing our hearts to be centered around his son Jesus Christ. I know that God loves us and only will ever do things that bring us the most joy and most happiness in the end. I know that if we humble ourselves then we are better off than having to be compelled to be humbled. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true church and will always teach us only things that will lead us to our Father in Heaven. I say all these things in the name of his son and my savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.

Final Judgement vs. Intermediate Judgment - Andrew Allison

2008-11-24T21:00:00.000-08:00

Often one is told not to judge one another for that shall be the deed of the eternal god which is in heaven on our judgment day. This judgment is described in Alma 11:44 which reads, “Now, this restoration shall come to all… and shall be brought and be arraigned before the bar of Christ the Son, and God the Father, and the Holy Spirit, which is one Eternal God, to be judged according to their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil.” [1] This often creates confusion in why then is there a need to have laws in our mortal world. This query was explained in a talk by Dallin H. Oaks in 1998, where he breaks down judgment into two sections, final judgments and intermediate judgments.
The final judgment is the one spoken of in Alma 11. This judgment is reserved to Godhead and no mortal is given the right to condemn another. This is the judgment that is referred to in Mormon 8:20 which reads, “Behold what the scripture says—man shall not smite, neither shall he judge; for judgment is mine, saith the Lord, and vengeance is mine also, and I will repay.” [2] We cannot tell how they will be judged because that is not within our power.
The Atonement gave Christ the right to judge us because of our iniquities. In Hebrew the word judge is shephat. This word has multiple meanings, one of which is avenger. Unless we are to repent and ask forgiveness for the wrongdoings that we have committed, Christ is given the right to avenge the wrongdoings against him. That might seem like an eye for an eye philosophy but for us not to repent for our sins, especially after having knowledge of the gospel seems very disrespectful.
The second type of judgment which President Oaks refers to as intermediate judgment is something that he describes as being, “essential to the personal exercise of personal moral agency.” [3] This is the type of judgment that is described and used in Mosiah 29:11 which reads, “let us appoint judges, to judge this people according to our law; and we will newly arrange the affairs of this people, for we will appoint wise men to be judges, that will judge this people according to the commandments of God.” [4] This is the type of judgment that is necessary for people to be able to live with full use of their agency.
Though intermediate judgment is deemed necessary and approved by the Lord those that look to judge must be wary to follow the lord’s commandments in judging others. For later in the chapter of Mosiah in verse 28 a warning is given,” And now if ye have judges, and they do not judge you according to the law which has been given, ye can cause that they may be judged of a higher judge.” [5] Although this may be taken slightly out of context, the higher judge could be shown as the Lord in the final judgment. If we commit unnecessary harshness in the judging of others we will be judged on it.
The main point to get out of this is that some judgment is necessary, while other is reserved for our eternal God. In order for us to without fault we must judge correctly and with Christ in mind.

[1] Alma 11:44

[2] Mormon 8:20

[3] President Dallin H. Oaks “‘Judge Not’ and Judging,” Ensign, Aug 1999

[4] Mosiah 29:11

[5] Mosiah 29:28

Any Man Can Change By AMY MANN

2008-11-24T20:57:00.000-08:00

Is it possible for even the most hard-hearted to experience a change in heart and to turn to our Father in Heaven to be spiritually reborn? I answer with a resounding, “Yes!” This life is all about continually improving ourselves and continually finding more truth. How is it that one can come to encounter this change? It is preceded by faith, repentance, and humility and is wrought through the Spirit of God. This process is what lifts men up to more than they can be because of the atonement of Jesus Christ, the Savior. In this essay I’m going to describe what I’ve learned about having a change in heart and being Spiritually reborn through experiencing a change in heart.

First of all, having a change in heart is not something new. In the Book of Mormon there are many examples of those who have experienced that mighty change. I use the word “mighty” because that’s exactly what it is. For instance, the change that the people of Alma felt was because God, “changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the mist of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word…Yea, they were loosed and their souls did expand.” How incredible? How mighty?! However, these people needed to do their part as well. In order for this change to occur they needed to have faith in their Heavenly Father and humble themselves before Him . It is true that any man can change as long as they are willing to put their trust in God and humble themselves before him.

A person who has experienced this change not only changes a part of themselves, but all of themselves. They are Spiritually reborn. President Ezra Taft Benson said, “When we have undergone a mighty change, which is brought about only through faith in Jesus Christ and through the operation of the Spirit upon us, it is as though we become a new person. Thus, the change is likened to a new birth. Thousands of you have experienced this change. You have forsaken your lives of sin, sometimes deep and offensive sin, and through applying the blood of Christ in your lives have become clean…You are in reality a new person. This is what is meant by a change of heart.” Also, Alma likened being Spiritually reborn to receiving Christ’s image in your countenance. To me, this indicates that when you have a change in heart you really are a new person and in reality take on a new countenance.

I have felt this mighty change in heart. Yes, I gained a testimony when I was about 15, but this is not the only change in heart I experienced. My freshman year of high school I went through an extremely traumatic experience. I was left broken and, what I felt was, alone. I could not forgive or forget and stayed cold for too long. About a year or so later I was finally able to humble myself, put my faith in God, and feel that change in my heart. It was as if my soul had been illuminated and I was a completely new person. I no longer felt any “disposition to do evil, but to do good continually.” I know that this is because of my Savior’s love for me and because of His atonement.

I say again that any man can change. “We all must at some point experience that change in heart and that rebirth of the Spirit as we continue in the process of conversion. The process of rebirth and change of heart is intended to be comprehensive, available to all nations, and, hence, each individual.” It is though our Savior Jesus Christ that bad men can become good and good men can become better. I know that our Heavenly Father wants to help us to become better and happier and simply requires trusting in Him and humbling yourself enough to allow the change to occur. I feel like you have to want it. I know that this life is about changing and finding what makes you happy. I have felt it in my personal life and have seen it in the lives of those around me. I encourage you to humble yourself, let go of your sins, and trust in that God who will lift you up and cause a mighty change in your heart.

[i] Alma 5:7,9

[ii]Alma5:12

[iii]Alma 5:13

[iv] President Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct 1989, 2

[v] Alma 5:14

[vi] Mosiah 5:2

[vii] Keith K. Hilbig, “Experiencing a Change of Heart,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 29-33

Communicating Peace by Jill Ashby

2008-11-24T20:55:00.000-08:00

“Peace [is] 'harmony within one’s self, and with God and man'” (1). I really like that description. “Harmony” makes me think of a choir, and how balanced the singers have to be in order to have good harmony. In True to the Faith it reads, “Many people think of peace as the absence of war. But we can feel peace even in times of war, and we can lack peace even when no war is raging. The mere absence of conflict is not enough to bring peace to our hearts” (2). We are all striving for peace. First we must take a look at ourselves spiritually, and then look heavenward. Once we've attained that peace of mind, then is the time to proclaim it.

The very first thing we need to do to acquire peace is to look inwardly. Self-evaluation can be a difficult task, but it is essential for spiritual growth. President Ezra Taft Benson counseled, "The price of peace is righteousness. Men and nations may loudly proclaim, ‘Peace, peace,’ but there shall be no peace until individuals nurture in their souls those principles of personal purity, integrity, and character which foster the development of peace. Peace cannot be imposed. It must come from the lives and hearts of men. There is no other way" (3). We cannot expect to have peace unless we're willing to work for it. In Doctrine and Covenants, it reads “But learn that he who doeth the works of righteousness shall receive his reward, even peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come” (4). A more specific way to acquire peace in our hearts is through hope. Faust tells a story of a women who exemplified this hope. He explains, “Peace comes through hope” and she expresses how she had never experienced any kind of peace like it and felt closer to Heavenly Father than ever before. (5) These acts of looking inward and striving to become a better and a more righteous people is the first step to fully finding peace.

The other way we can receive this feeling of peace is through Christ. He is the ultimate source of peace. Christ teaches, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you” (6) and “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace” (7). Christ is our only hope for peace. Without Him we would forever be in confusion and pain. Jenny Jordan Frogley sings a song called Peacegiver. The following is a selection of some of the lyrics:

Days that have been,
Days that will come
Seem like a blur,
In the heat of the sun.
And I find when the strain
Is too much to bare
I can't find peace. No!
In anyone anywhere.
The spirit is broken
I'm down on my knees
I seek the One who can offer relief.
Peacegiver (8)

He literally gives us peace. It is His gift to us as long as we are continually striving in righteousness. Because it is Christ that brings peace, we can look to our Father in Heaven to find this peace. President Thomas S. Monson said, “The passport to peace is the practice of prayer. The feelings of the heart, humbly expressed rather than a mere recitation of words, provide the peace we seek. In Shakespeare’s Hamlet, the wicked King Claudius kneels and tries to pray, but he rises and says, 'My words fly up, my thoughts remain below: /Words without thoughts never to heaven go'” (9). Prayer is absolutely essential to this feeling of inner peace. Even when everything around you is crumbling down, it is still possible to get down on your knees and feel that peace once again.

Once we have felt this peace, how would it be if we didn't share it? In class we discussed Abinadi's preachings to the wicked priests in the Land of Nephi. Isaiah said, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!” (10). The priests were confused and Abinadi goes on to explain it to them. “And these are they (meaning the prophets) who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” (11). This concept of “publishing peace” really spurred something deep inside of me. It reminded me of an experience I had recently involving Proposition 8. I'm from California, and many of my friends back home very strongly disagree with me on this issue. One friend in particular approached me about it on Facebook. She expressed to me the pain that certain members of her family were experiencing, and very politely, yet strongly, let me know how much she disagreed. At first I had no idea what to say. I took so long that before I knew it another one of my friends had already posted something calling her intolerant. I knew that in order to keep some sense of peace, I needed to respond quickly. After much thought and careful wording I finally responded letting her know that I did not think she was being intolerant, that I hated all the pain it is causing , and then gave my own simple reasoning for being in favor of the proposition. The response I received back was more than I could have imagined. She told me that my response was the nicest she'd received from anyone. We are seriously better friends now, than we ever were to begin with. I share this story because of the excitement I felt to be a “publisher of peace.” I would also like to point out that we do not just “publish” peace, we speak it, “proclaim [it]” (12), write it, blog it, facebook it, or even text it. There are ways for us to spread peace all around us; not even just in word, but in action. True to the Faith reads, “In addition to feeling peace yourself, you can be an influence for peace in your family, your community, and the world. You work for peace when you keep the commandments, give service, care for family members and neighbors, and share the gospel. You work for peace whenever you help relieve the suffering of another” (13). Although there will always be times when we need to fight, peace must come first. Otherwise, we'll never solve anything in this world.

It's interesting to discuss peace rather than happiness and delight. Although peace is implied with joy and delight, it is not always the focus. I have gained a greater appreciation for the peace I have in my heart. I know that it is because if Christ that I feel this peace. I know that I can feel peaceful anytime I want to as long as I get on my knees and pray. I know that he is watching over me and protecting me. Without faith ...there is no peace, only fear. I know that as long as we believe in him, he can take away all our fears. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

1.Romney, Marion G. Tambuli, Feb. 1984, 1–8; or Ensign, Oct. 1983, 3–7
2.True to the Faith. (2004), 113–14
3.Benson, President Ezra Taft. “Purposeful Living,” Listen, A Journal of Better Living, Jan.–Mar. 1955, 19.
4.D&C 59:23
5.Faust, James E. “Hope, an Anchor of the Soul,” Ensign. Nov 1999, 59
6.John 14:27
7.John 16:33
8.Peacegiver by Jenny Jordan Frogley
9.Monson, President Thomas S. “Gifts,” Ensign. May 1993, 59
10.Isaiah 52:7
11.Mosiah 15:14
12.D&C 98:16
13.True to the Faith

"Do you feel the Lord's love in your life? “-Bonnie D. Parkin by Marina Bair

2008-11-24T20:53:00.001-08:00

Mormon explains that through our faith in Christ we can have hope. He also says that, “Ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal and this because of your faith in him according to the promise.”(1) And then he goes on to say, “Behold I say unto you that he cannot have faith and hope, save he shall be meek, and lowly of heart. If so, his faith and hope is vain, for none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart; and if a man be meek and lowly in heart, and confesses by the power of the Holy Ghost that Jesus is the Christ, he must needs have charity; for if he have not charity he is nothing; wherefore he must needs have charity.” (2) According to Mormon faith and hope are the foundations of charity. Now that we have the foundation I want to go into more detail about what charity is.

Charity is mostly described as the pure love of Christ, which it is, however I wanted to look more into what else it is. And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. (Moroni 7:45) In this scripture Mormon list several characteristics of charity including it being the “pure love of Christ” (Moroni 7:46). There is another scripture that is similar to this one, it is found in Mosiah 3:19, it reads, “For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.” Through this scripture one can see that a child has characteristics of charity. Children are submissive which means more then being obedient. Submissive means to be, “Inclined or ready to submit; acknowledging one's inferiority,” (3) or being humble. And they are “willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him,”(4) or another word would be long suffering. There is a story that Pres. Monson shares about a child that shows the love and complete trust that is mentioned in Mosiah. He said, “Last summer I received a letter from a woman who has emerged from a long period of Church inactivity. She is ever so anxious for her husband, who as yet is not a member of the Church, to share the joy she now feels. She wrote of a trip which she, her husband, and their three sons made from the family home to Grandmother’s home in Idaho. While driving through Salt Lake City, they were attracted by the message which appeared on a billboard. The message invited them to visit Temple Square. Bob, the nonmember husband, made the suggestion that a visit would be pleasant. The family entered the visitors’ center, and Father took two sons up a ramp that one called “'the ramp to heaven.'” Mother and three-year-old Tyler were a bit behind the others, they having paused to appreciate the beautiful paintings which adorned the walls. As they walked toward the magnificent sculpture of Thorvaldsen’s Christus, tiny Tyler bolted from his mother and ran to the base of the Christus, while exclaiming, “'It’s Jesus! It’s Jesus!'” As Mother attempted to restrain her son, Tyler looked back toward her and his father and said, “'Don’t worry. He likes children.'” After departing the center and again making their way along the freeway toward Grandmother’s, Tyler moved to the front seat next to his father. Dad asked him what he liked best about their adventure on Temple Square. Tyler smiled up at him and said, “'Jesus.'”

“'How do you know that Jesus likes you, Tyler?'” Tyler, with a most serious expression on his face, looked up at his father’s eyes and answered, “'Dad, didn’t you see his face?'” Nothing else needed to be said.”(5) Children are so innocent and their souls are so radiant that you almost feel their trust in the Lord.

What we need to ask ourselves now is, “How do we gain these characteristics?” The characteristics that I want to focus on are long suffering, beareth all things, meekness, patience, and love. Alma 1:25 reads, “Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them.” This is long suffering. They suffered, but they bore it and kept their trust in the Lord. Mormon said that beareth all things is a quality of charity. Whenever I read that scripture I thought that it meant patience, however after looking at several meaning of the word bearing I have found it to have a greater meaning. Bearing means, “to hold or remain firm under, to sustain, to bear witness or testimony, to possess as a quality or characteristic, to have as an identification.”(6) With these definitions bearing means to be steadfast, sustain our leaders, and bear our testimonies. But what I thought was interesting was that when we live the gospel we show characteristics of Jesus Christ and that every Sunday we take his name upon us. Or in other words we are identified by his name. So when Mormon said to beareth all things, that phrase encompasses many things. The story that comes to mind is that of Joseph Smith and the night that he was tarred and feathered. That night he was in a lot of physical pain, but also emotional, because of the loss of one of his children. The next day when he was preaching, he saw the men who caused that pain and instead of standing up and accusing them for what they did, he bear his testimony of the gospel them. He exemplified long suffering and beareth all things. A more recent example would be those who live in California. We are undergoing persecution and resentment, because we stood up for proposition 8. But we will not back down from what we know is right and true. Will we not fight back with harsh words or defacing of property, will stand with the law and put our trust in the Lord. King Benjamin said that, “If ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men; and also, the atonement which has been prepared from the foundation of the world, that thereby salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the Lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even unto the end of his life.” (Mosiah 4:6 emphasis added)

The next virtue of charity I want to speak on is on being meek. Meekness is one virtue that I don't think many people know what it is. In German the word for meekness is “sanftmut” which means “soft courage”. Meekness, I believe, is a combination of humility and patience. When you have humility and patience and people are persecuting you, you will not contend with them you will be patient, but will not back down from what you believe it true. The patience I am speaking of here is not simply keeping your mouth closed and weathering arguments, but that you are loving and patient. It is important that your attitude is in the right place otherwise it is just a heated silence on your part and not the loving patience that the Lord has for all of us. The last quality that I wanted to talk about is love. The love of God is the most powerful thing that I have ever felt. And I feel it the most when I am learning about the plan of happiness and when I am around little children. Those are the times I feel the Lord's love for all of his children and I want to share it with others. I love the hymn, “Our Savior's Love” because it illustrates how strong and powerful the love of God is. The first verse says, “Our Savior's love, shines like the sun in perfect light, as from above it breaks thru clouds of strife. Lighting our way, it leads us back into his sight, where we may stay to share eternal life.” (7)

Charity like most things in the gospel is a life long pursuit. We may feel charity very strongly at times, but without constant effort and the help of the Lord we can lose it. Mormon said that we should, “Pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love.” (8) To gain these qualities, to gain charity, is hard and takes time, but if we call upon the Lord and do our part, he will help us become as little children. And as the hymn says the love of God breaks clouds of strife and shows us the way back to him. And in Mosiah 2:4 it says that if we keep the commandments will we, “be filled with love towards God and all men.” May we feel his love and share it with others is my prayer in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Works Cited:

Moroni 7:41
Moroni 7:43-44 (cross reference of Alma 7:24)
Dictionary.com
Mosiah 3:19
Thomas S. Monson, “' A Little Child Shall Lead Them'”, Ensign, May 1990, 53
Dictionary.com
Hymn # 113
Moroni 7:48

The Restoration of All Things by Elizabeth Gillen

2008-11-24T20:38:00.000-08:00

The Restoration of All Things

In my life I have experienced much joy and much sorrow. I know that is not unique to me; I have heard of many experiencing sorrow beyond what I believe I could handle. My best friend’s father is dying of cancer and she is currently trying to repair a broken relationship and to learn to love him before he passes on. She does not want to talk about it and I hope she knows that I will be there to listen to her when she is ready.

It is human nature to wonder why one person experiences great sorrow and great pain. It is human nature to question who we are and where we came from. It is human nature to try and have faith in something. The prophet Enos had an experience that I know many can relate to. He records: “I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins…My soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens. And there came a voice unto me, saying: Enoe, thy sins are forgiven thee…And I said, Lord, how is it done? And he said unto me…thy faith hath made thee whole” (Enos 1:2,4,5,7). Do you feel whole? Hath thy faith made thee whole?

I was introduced to the church more than 2 years ago before my senior year of high school. During high school, I experienced much trouble and had a difficult time being happy. I had a friend Braden who I became close with as we trudged through Chemistry our junior year. I did not know that he was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I did know that he was always positive and was genuinely happy. As we moved into our senior year, I discovered he was Mormon. I didn’t know very much about the church, but I was intrigued. When I was a little girl living near Washington DC, my sister and I would beg my mom to drive by the Mormon “castle” so we could see it. I remember seeing commercials about The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ when we lived in Atlanta. When we moved to Pennsylvania, we lived near a Mormon church building. Having been exposed to the church but knowing nothing about it, I began to grill Braden about the church. I tried to figure out why he was so positive and why he seemed like a whole person rather than some teenager trying to figure out life.

The day I had my opportunity to ask him questions was a day for which I will forever be grateful. We were working on a French project and I began to ask him every question I could think of about the church. Why did the Mormon Church need to exist? What do you think about non-mormons? Why do you practice the Word of Wisdom? How does the Priesthood work? He offered me The Book of Mormon but I declined. What I was feeling scared me. Following that discussion, I continually visited Mormon.org and I felt the stirrings of a testimony in me. Three weeks later, I decided I wanted The Book of Mormon. For a week, I would go to speak to Braden to ask for the book, but I would be scared and not ask for it. One day, I went to go ask and then I started to say to myself I wouldn’t do it but a voice in my heart said, “Liz, you must go ask for the book. Your salvation depends on it.” I listened to that voice and asked.

I was surprised at how happy Braden seemed that I asked for the book. He checked his bag to see if he had one. He didn’t but brought one in it with his simple testimony written in the front cover. I reread it now and realize it wasn’t complicated nor was the language poetic. The spirit, however, made his words seem the most profound things anybody could ever say to me. The Lord said unto Enos: “Whatsoever thing ye shall ask in faith, believing that ye shall receive in the name of Christ, ye shall receive it” (Enos 1:15). He encouraged me to read Moroni 10:3-5 before I read the rest of the book. I wanted to know the truth and I wanted to know if I could be made whole. I sought the Lord and I sought direction with all of my heart.

That night, after reading all of 1 Nephi on my way to a cross-country meet more than an hour away, I was made whole. I realize now that it was the beginning of the process of being made whole but the Spirit of the Lord entered my heart and enabled me to feel what I had never felt before. My whole soul did hunger, and my whole soul was fed. Psalm 4:1 says “Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou has enlarged me when I was in distress.” My heart was enlarged as I began to seek for the truth. Through the Restored Gospel, I learned that as I followed Him “He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake” (Psalm 23:3).

I know that all things will be restored. All sorrow will be made to joy. I know that the atonement of Jesus Christ is the way we can be healed and made whole. My whole soul has been healed; the knowledge of the gospel has been restored to me. I know by witness of the Holy Ghost that Jesus Christ is the son of God, that He is the Savior of the World, and Redeemer of Mankind. I know that Gospel was restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith. I know that The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ and that through it we can become closer to the Savior Jesus Christ. In His name. Amen.

--The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.
--The Holy Bible

<-- Liz and Braden on the day of her confirmation 2/2007

Un cambio en nuestros corazones siempre trae gozo y felicidad by Diana Zarrabal

2008-11-24T20:22:00.000-08:00

Como hijos de dios cada uno de nosotros tenemos dones que hemos recibido y otro mas con los que se nos bendecirá. Fuimos creados a su imagen y semejanza. Pero también nos dio la oportunidad de venir a la tierra y tomar un cuerpo, también el libre albedrío que es el poder de escoger entre lo bueno y lo malo y vino por medio de la expiación de Jesucristo que vino a la tierra y pago por nuestros pecados por medio del cual pudimos ser limpiados. También la oportunidad de poder arrepentirnos de nuestros pecados y no volver a cometerlos más. El arrepentimiento es uno de los primeros principios del evangelio y es esencial para nuestra felicidad temporal y eterna. “Te digo, por tanto: Ve; y al que transgrediere contra mí, lo juzgarás de acuerdo con los pecados que haya cometido; y si confiesa sus pecados ante ti y mí, y se arrepiente con sinceridad de corazón, a éste has de perdonar, y yo lo perdonaré también”. Mosiah 26:29

Cuando una persona a cometido un pecado ya sea mayor o menos tiene la oportunidad de cambiar su corazón por medio del arrepentimiento. Una persona que tiene el deseo de cambiar de corazón puede llegar a alcanzar la felicidad. Al recibir el evangelio de Jesucristo y al aceptarlo hicimos una conversión de obediencia hacia nuestro padre celestial. Aceptamos el evangelio con el propósito de hacer un cambio en nuestros corazones por medio de la fe que desarrollamos y la esperanza de que algún día estaremos en su presencia. “Y todos clamaron a una voz, diciendo: Sí, creemos todas las palabras que nos has hablado; y además, sabemos de su certeza y verdad por el Espíritu del Señor Omnipotente, el cual ha efectuado un potente cambio en nosotros, o sea, en nuestros corazones, por lo que ya no tenemos más disposición a obrar mal, sino a hacer lo bueno continuamente”. Mosiah 5:2

Durante el transcurso de mi vida como miembro muchas veces he sentido la necesidad de hacer un cambio en mi vida. Se que como hija de Dios debo de tratar de cumplir los mandamientos para lograr la perfección con el motivo de llegar a la presencia de mi padre y ser como el. Y ya casada y sellada alcanzar la felicidad y la plenitud del evangelio y durante este trance perfeccionarme para estar en su presencia. Hace unos meses pase por una prueba muy fuerte en mi vida que hizo que recordara que el cumplir con las cosas que nuestro padre celestial nos mando hacer aquí en esta tierra no es solo el ir a la capilla y escuchar a los discursantes y maestros y darle el tiempo hasta que nos desocupemos de nuestros deberes diarios, si no recordarlo cada día al orar por la mañana, durante el día con una oración en nuestro corazón y por la noche para poder descansar y amanecer con un nuevo día. También escudriñar las escrituras, escuchar la voz de los profetas, visitar la casa del señor pero sobretodo obedecer los mandamientos. A veces nuestro padre celestial nos manda pruebas fuertes pero que sabe que podremos soportar para que podamos crecer espiritualmente y poder hacer ese cambio en nuestras vidas de algo que tal vez no estamos haciendo correctamente. “Y mi alma tuvo hambre; y me arrodillé ante mi Hacedor, y clamé a él con potente oración y súplica por mi propia alma; y clamé a él todo el día; sí, y cuando anocheció, aún elevaba mi voz en alto hasta que llegó a los cielos”. Enos 1:4

Muchas veces pensamos que el señor se a molestado con nosotros cuando sentimos que las pruebas por las que estamos pasando no las podemos superar fácilmente, pero el señor lo hace por que nos quiere y desea que alcancemos la felicidad por medio de pruebas que a la larga nos hacen ser mas fuertes y poder superarlas mas fácilmente. El señor nunca nos desamparara si nosotros lo buscamos continuamente. Al arrepentirnos de corazón nuestras cargas pueden ser aligeradas por que no volveremos a cometer el error nunca más. “Y además, creed que debéis arrepentiros de vuestros pecados, y abandonarlos, y humillaros ante Dios, y pedid con sinceridad de corazón que él os perdone; y ahora bien, si creéis todas estas cosas, mirad que las hagáis”. Mosiah 4:10

Los antiguos profetas pasaron por pruebas muy fuertes entre ellas la oposición de los del pueblo hacia lo que ellos creían. Sus conocimientos del padre llegaron por medio de la fe y búsqueda de la verdad. El padre escogió a estos profetas para esparcir el evangelio. También el que ellos pudieran declarar la futura venida del mesías. Ellos también tuvieron que arrepentirse de sus pecados y regresar al padre celestial nueva mente. Muchas veces sus hijos se revelaban contra ellos y el señor los reprendía a tal grado que les hacia sentir pesar a causa de sus pecados. Muchos de ellos hacían ese cambio en su corazón de manera que creían en el y continuaban lo que sus padres habían comenzado. En las escrituras nosotros podemos ver que el pueblo de Nefi pasó por mucho pesar. Eran desobedientes hasta que el señor les hacia sentir que debían recordarlo siempre. Pasaban por la esclavitud, hambre, infelicidad o falta de conocimiento. De alguna manera nosotros estamos pasando por lo mismo y debemos seguir adelante y agarrarnos de la barra de hierro. Y si sentimos que nuestro padre nos a abandonado es por que el espíritu ya no esta con nosotros. Cuando el espíritu nos abandona es más difícil regresar al camino pero siempre tenemos la oportunidad de cambiar y estar a tiempo de alimentar al espíritu que se encuentra con hambre de amor y conocimiento. Ese cambio de corazón que cada unos de nosotros necesita es esencial para poder seguir incrementando nuestra fe y poder tener la esperanza de llegar a nuestro padre celestial. “Porque es preciso que haya una oposición en todas las cosas…….De modo que todas las cosas necesariamente serían un solo conjunto; por tanto, si fuese un solo cuerpo, habría de permanecer como muerto, no teniendo ni vida ni muerte, ni corrupción ni incorrupción, ni felicidad ni miseria, ni sensibilidad ni insensibilidad”. 2 Nefi 2:11

Se que esta es la iglesia verdadera que los libros canónicos son la palabra de dios escritas por los profetas. Que el profeta José Smith es un profeta vidente y revelador que fue inspirado por dios. Que el señor mando a su hijo a dar su vida por nosotros y pagar por nuestros pecados. Se que las familias pueden ser eternas y que no hay prueba mas grande que no podamos superar. El señor siempre estará ahí con nosotros apoyándonos, el nunca nos da mas de lo que podamos soportar. Se también que si tenemos el deseo de arrepentirnos de corazón el nos escuchara y nos ayudara a hacer ese cambio para ser mejores cada día y poder llegar a su presencia. Se estas cosas que las comparto con todos ustedes en el nombre de nuestros señor Jesucristo amen.

Mosiah 26:29
Mosiah 5:2
Mosiah 4:10
2 Nefi 2:11
Enos 1:4

There is No Remedy for Love but to Love More. By Amanda Dinsdale

2008-11-24T20:05:00.000-08:00

Work Cited

1. The book of Deuteronomy

2. The book of Mosiah

3. The book of Alma

4. The book of Jacob

5. OneLook Dictionary Search (www.onelook.com)

6. LDS Online Scriptures

Is your path firm? by Sean Bennion

2008-11-24T19:37:00.000-08:00

Firmness is one of the most elementary of Gospel Principles, even if it is not one of the most commonly thought of or even recognized. Firmness is described in the Miriam-Webster Dictionary as “securely or solidly fixed in place; not weak or uncertain. Also, not subject to change or revision, steady, not easily moved or disturbed, steadfast, well-founded, indicating firmness or resolution.” That’s a lot to take in, but in short, firmness is a sure foundation. A synonym is stout and strong, while an antonym is uncertain or weak. How does this relate to Gospel Principles though? It has to do with the concept of Enduring to the end.

In Jacob 3: 1-2 we read, “But behold, I, Jacob, would speak unto you that are pure in heart. Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever.” This passage is referring to people who are finding it hard to stay on the Lord’s path due to persecution, temptations, or other such causes. The Lord is encouraging us to pray and ask for help. Firmness of Mind seems to be synonymous with faith in this case. It seems that one has to be firm in mind in the knowledge that their Redeemer will help them through a difficult time. In the next chapter, however, we are told that we need firmness in another area to make this one possible: firmness with the Holy Ghost. Jacob 4:18 speaks of “Firmness of the Spirit.” The Spirit is the means by which the Lord comforts and guides us, and to receive those blessings we need to be one with the Spirit.

I have been blessed many times in my life due to firmness of the Spirit, but there is a certain time I would like to share. I was hanging out with some friends, and one of my friend’s sisters came out and told us she had a certain product in her room she needed to hide quickly before her parents went through her room. We were just leaving in my friend’s truck, and she wanted us to stash it in the back just for a couple of hours. Honestly, what would that hurt? It’s not like we would use it. But I knew it would be unneeded and unnecessary temptation, and it’s wrong to lie to someone’s parents, no matter how indirectly. I like to be nice, though, and it is hard to say no. Besides, what if my friends made fun of me and told me I was just being a goody-good and make fun of me? But with a quick prayer I was able to tell her no, and my friends immediately agreed. There is a scripture that came to my mind: it’s Mosiah 15:5, and it is telling how Christ “Suffereth temptation, and yieldeth not to the temptation, but suffereth himself to be mocked, and scourged, and cast out, and disowned by his people.” It always helps to know that Christ has been there, and knows how we feel. Fortunately, though, my friends didn’t disown me.

King Benjamin, in his final address to his people, further testified of firmness. His entire speech was focused on the Savior’s Atonement, and begging his people to take advantage of it. The end of his speech, in the final synopsis of all he had been saying, was a plea with his people to be steadfast. He said, in Mosiah 5:15, “I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his, that you may be brought to heaven, that ye may have everlasting salvation and eternal life, through the wisdom, and power, and justice, and mercy of him who created all things, in heaven and in earth, who is God above all. Amen.” Steadfast is another synonym with firmness: they both mean immovable. This verse is powerful: it tells us that through being firm, or steadfast, we are brought into Heaven to live with our Father again. King Benjamin obviously felt strongly that this was important: it was the last thing he said to his people.

Being firm is key to our salvation. Firmness in your beliefs is the most powerful thing you can have: the Lamanites, because of their firmness, would rather be killed then commit sin: Alma 29:14 tells us that “When these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin.” The question we need to ask ourselves is: how firm am I in my faith? What would I, or what wouldn’t I do, to keep my standards? Firmness is the key to Exaltation.

"...not as the world giveth, give I unto you..." By: Katrina Walker

2008-11-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

The Merriam-Webster Dictionary describes peace as a “freedom from disquieting or oppressive thoughts or emotions.”[1] I believe that this definition fully encompasses the essence of peace. We can receive the peace of God when we are in the full company of God. “…may the peace of God rest upon you…according to your faith and good works…” [2] According to our diligence, faith in God and our good works, we can receive peace from everything around us. Meaning, that we can find peace in everything that we do, we will find God in every aspect of our lives if we are in the full company of God. The peace of God is not like the peace of the world, it is heavenly and wonderful. “…that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another.” [3] Along with having faith and doing good works we need to be grateful to God and rejoice for our blessings in order to have the full peace of God.

When we are repentant and feel the Godly sorrow for what we have done when we have sinned we will feel the heavenly peace afterwards. When we full abstain from the sins that we have committed we will feel God in our lives. “…having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience…” [4] All over the scriptures the prophets and people will repent and feel the grace and peace of God in their lives, as long as they abstain from pride and the sins of the world. As long as we allow Christ come into our lives we will feel the peace of the Lord.

As we feel the peace of the Lord we will want to share it with anyone we come across. The missionaries are out there doing exactly that. “And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!” [5] Missionaries take the Gospel of Christ around the world to “publish” the peace, and bring good tidings of great joy. They tell those who the meet of the peace of God and that they can be saved through Christ, which will always give them peace.

The scripture that has always been my favorite is John 14:27. [6] “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” This scripture is Christ talking to the apostles before he goes to perform the atonement. This shows me that when we need Christ at our darkest hours that he will give us the Godly peace that we need to get through this life. This tells me that even those closest to Christ still needed peace in their lives to be able to get through the trials that come their way. “…not as the world giveth, give I unto you…” This is the title of my blog because it shows the essence of Christ, it shows that the world cannot give us the peace that we truly need in this life. Also, Christ tells the apostles to not let their hearts be troubled or afraid. When we have Christ’s peace in our life we don’t have room for our hearts to be troubled or afraid. When I went through a hard and dark time of my life the only way I was able to get through it was by praying for peace. I needed to fulfill the requirements of humility, faith and good works before I could actually fully receive it, but it was worth the wait. I never was truly happy until I “got over” my depression. Truly looking and searching for the peace of God was the most fulfilling and happy time of my life because I learned to truly serve and to be grateful for what I have been given in this life.

I know that God lives and that He loves me. I know that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ in these Latter Days. I know that when we truly search and understand the peace of God we will receive every ounce of it. I know that the Lord’s peace is the only comforting peace and that the world could never give this to us. I am so grateful for this knowledge and for the trials that I have had, this has truly shaped me into who I am today. I’m grateful for the atonement and I know that it is real. If Christ hadn’t performed the atonement I know that we wouldn’t be fully able to feel His peace. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Works Cited:

[1] Merriam-Webster Dictionary, http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/peace

[2] Alma 7:27

[3] Mosiah 2:20

[4] Mosiah 4:3

[5] Mosiah 15:14

[6] John 14:27

Picture:

http://www.stvartan.ca/Jesus%20knocking%20at%20our%20door.jpg

Do the Hokey Pokey by Eric Davis

2008-11-24T19:22:00.000-08:00

My senior year of high school was the most spiritually consistent time of my life. My seminary teacher and seminary class built me up to withstand the trials and temptations of the world. On the very first day of class my teacher told the class we were going to do the Hokey Pokey. We all stood up, confused and tired, unsure of where he was going with it. We went through each limb, taking the chance to put our right arm in, our left arm in, and each leg in turn. At last we came to putting out whole selves in. As we did this each member of the class came to understand the demonstration without needing clarification. In this class we had to put our whole selves in in order to get get our whole selves out. If we are to become whole first we must be willing to give of our whole selves. As said in Matthew Chapter 10, "He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. If we will give our lives to the Lord he will make us truly whole.

There are many ways to put our whole selves in, but sometimes they are hard to recognize. Alma wrote of the sheep of the good shepherd in chapter 5 saying, "if ye will not hearken unto the voice of the good shepherd... ye are not the sheep of the good shepherd." This section also cross-references to Matthew 6:24 which states, "No man can serve two masters... Ye cannot serve God and mammon." As a part of giving our whole selves to God we must remove the actions that serve Satan. As long as a part of us disobeys the word of the good shepherd or listens to the servants of Satan we cannot give our whole selves to God.

One of the best ways for us to give ourselves to God is to serve His children. King Benjamin taught that "when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." If we will give up our time and effort for others we show God our willingness to put our whole selves into His work. We should take every opportunity to serve and bless those around us as a part of giving our whole selves to the will of God.

Sometimes we run our of ideas for how to give our whole selves to God. But when in doubt there is nothing better to do than pray. Enos wrote of how he prayed to know how to put his whole self in: "I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul... and there came a voice unto me saying: Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed." If we are ever unsure of our standing with God, whether we need to turn from Satan, or who we should serve, we can always go to Him in prayer and trust that he will answer and assist us. In relating prayer to turning our whole selves to God and serving others Elder Bednar said in the last General Conference, "Prayer becomes more meaningful as we counsel with the Lord in all of our doings, as we express heartfelt gratitude, and as we pray for others." If we will ask God how to put our whole selves in and how we can better serve others He will bless us.

The wholeness that God can bless us with when we lose our lives for his sake and find them again is very difficult to describe. I believe the wholeness we receive is much like the emotions felt by the people of King Benjamin when they said, "the Spirit of the Lord Omnipotent... has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually." God grants us the desire to do only His will as we turn to Him. I believe our wholeness is referred to later in the same chapter when King Benjamin says, "I would that ye should be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works, that Christ, the Lord God Omnipotent, may seal you his." To have Christ seal us to him must be a wholeness we cannot possible feel any other way. Christ being our perfect Redeemer is our greatest example and to be sealed to Him in this sense must mean that we are inseparably connected with Him. We would be with Him forever, enjoying eternal happiness and everlasting exaltation. I know that God wants us to give our whole selves to him so that He can make us whole and I know that He will do that if we will do the Hokey Pokey and put our whole selves in.

Works Cited

Matthew 10:39

Alma 5:38

Matthew 6:24

Mosiah 2:17

Enos 1:4-5

November 2008 Ensign page 41

Mosiah 5:2, 15

Grown in Faith By Sheridan Murray

2008-11-24T19:21:00.001-08:00

Grown in Faith
Abinadi demonstrated great faith in Christ during his time here on the earth. He was alone in his beliefs and was hated in his righteousness. He went before the city and preached what the Lord commanded him and he was persecuted for it. In his prophesying he told the people that if they did not repent then the Lord would visit them his anger. In Mosiah 11:21 it says, “Except they repent and turn to the Lord their God, behold, I will deliver them into the hand of their enemies.” And again in verse 24, ”Yea, and it shall come to pass that when they shall cry unto me I will be slow to hear their cries; yea, and I will suffer them that they be smitten by their enemies.” As I read these passages of scripture I thought of how much I rely on the Lord for protection on a daily basis. These people are so hard in their hearts that they can not see how easy it would be to have the Lord’s protection. He is not asking their lives, just their lifestyle. They have their “favorite sins” that they want to hold on to.

Thinking about it this way makes me wonder if I am choosing to keep my favorite sins. We often do not see that many of the things we do are disdainful in the sight of the Lord. In many cases these are probably not even “big” sins, but can be as small as playing video games too often, or a failure to keep the Sabbath day holy because of a special once in a lifetime television program. It could be something as simple as teasing a younger sibling. I Jacob 4:7 we are told “Nevertheless, the Lord God showed us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things.” We are told in verse 6 of the same chapter 4 that through finding these weaknesses and working to overcome them, “we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea.”

At the time that I was reading these verses in Jacob for class I was wanting to date a very nice young man, one that I was very luck to meet and I knew that he liked me back. At this same time as things were going so well for me I was not looking for ways to improve myself in my life and that worried me a bit because if you aren’t progressing spiritually you are regressing, there is no static spot to stay in spirituality. I had been praying to know what I needed to be working on to better myself. While I was reading this verse I was thinking heavily about what to do about my situation with this young man. When I read that verse I knew immediately what I needed to do. He has not served his mission yet and a girlfriend was not what he needed, at that moment I decided to make sure that I was not a distraction for him, that I would help him to unattached himself from me and get out and meet knew people. I am so grateful that I was reading this scripture, it could not have come at a better time.

Through faith we become willing to make changes in our lives. Abinadi knew what the Lord wanted and what would happen when the people continued to be wicked. The people had such hard hearts inept of faith and took the truth to be hard. It is apparent to me that Abinadi was on the Lord’s errand as numerous times he is delivered from the hands of his enemies so that he can continue to do the Lord’s work. If Abinadi had hardened his heart or given up in his errand he would have surely been destroyed for the Lord would not suffer him from the hands of his enemies. In Mosiah 13: 3 and 4 Abinadi commands, “Touch me not, for God shall smite you if ye lay your hands upon me, for I have not delivered the message which the Lord sent me to deliver; neither have I told you that which ye requested that I should tell; therefore, God will not suffer that I shall be destroyed at this time. But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me.” Abinadi’s faith was not in vain he kept prophesying until Alma heard him and the work was passed on at his death.

In German, the word faith is das Vertrauen. Other words associated are assurance, belief, confidence, trust, dependence, and reliance. It is interesting that there is one word in German that can mean so many different words in the English language. My favorite is assurance, because as we live with faith we are assured that the Lord will stand by us and keep us safe as we strive to have the spirit as our constant companion.

Believing with our Whole Souls - Ashlee Johnson

2008-11-24T19:20:00.000-08:00

Although the word “believe” may seem like a small and simple word, it is easier said than done if you ask me, and I’m sure many would agree. I grew up believing in God, believing in the LDS church, and never really considered any alternative. However, as I grew older, I realized I had not discovered truly for myself if I believed in God. I mean really believe. In 2 Nephi 25:29 it says, “I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not… wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out.” [1] I said I believed, but there were random doubts in my mind that I could not seem to settle. I did not believe and trust in Him with my whole soul yet, and I’m sure many have found themselves in my same position.

Is there a reason to believe in God with our whole souls? It is interesting to look at the Hebrew translation of the word “soul”. In Hebrew, “soul” is translated as “ne'fesh” or “ne'shama”. This word is derived from the word root “hey” in Hebrew, which interestingly enough has to do with “star shine”. [2] In further research of this, I discovered that the ancient writing of this root is a picture of a man raising his arms and looking up at a great sight (most likely something shining or bright). [3] From all of this it seems that our souls have a natural inclination toward our Heavenly Father, or toward his brightness. This was extremely comforting for me. It shows that I am capable of believing with my whole soul, I just have to find the right direction to face. Believing with our whole souls will face us toward Him, and make us stronger and wiser in everything we do.

Being able to face toward Him and let Him help us in our daily lives is just one of many reasons to devote our whole souls to him. Other reasons can be to live with Him again, to be saved, and to feel protected. But how can we believe in Him with our whole souls? One way is to serve Him with all our might, mind, and strength. We can do this through fast and prayer. Omni says, “Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” [4] Other manners of service for our Lord is to go to our church meetings, fulfill our callings, and continue to build up the kingdom of God. We can also be grateful toward Him. King Benjamin preaches in Mosiah, “I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you… I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.” [5] By serving our Heavenly Father, it will bring us closer to believing in him with our whole souls.

When we truly believe in Him, we can have a perfect knowledge of Him. Once I had realized I did not yet have this perfect knowledge, I began to fast and pray, and serve him with my whole soul as often as I could. After two months of praying for a stronger testimony and belief, I went to the LDS Girl’s Camp “Oakcrest” for the first time. There, we did an activity in which we were all blindfolded and we had to follow a very small string with our hands. It was a long hike, and some of the counselors were acting as the “enemy” and tried to guide us away. Eventually I reached the end, and although I was exhausted and a little frustrated, the minute I took off my blindfold I was filled with nothing but happiness. Right in front of me was a giant picture of Christ, (as displayed in this blog) blown up to be about twenty feet high and ten feet wide. I was literally absorbed in His light! Right next to the picture, there was also a group of counselors singing the camp’s theme song for that year. The song was based on Mosiah 4:9, where it says, “Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth.” [6] I sat down in front of the picture with the other girls, listening to the beautiful song and waiting for some of my closest friends to come up. Once they reached the end however and took off their blindfolds, they hardly glimpsed at the glorious image in front of them. It was as if they hardly cared! I knew they were not very devoted to the church, but it was so incredulous to me that they were not feeling what I was feeling. I could not take my eyes off of the picture! Right then I realized that this was exactly what I wanted. I desired nothing more than to be with Christ again, and I definitely did not want to be one of those who hardly cared for Him. It was a brutal awakening to see my friends like that, but it strengthened my testimony and made me believe in Him with my whole soul so that I would not be like those girls.

With this experience and my determination to begin serving the Lord with my whole soul, I gained a perfect knowledge of Him. I felt exactly as King Benjamin says in Mosiah 4, “That as ye have come to the knowledge of the glory of God, or if ye have known of his goodness and have tasted of his love… I say unto you that if ye do this ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God… and ye shall grow in the knowledge of the glory of him that created you, or in the knowledge of that which is just and true.” [7] I know that if we serve the Lord with all our might, mind, and strength, and turn our whole souls to Him, we may gain a perfect knowledge of Him and believe in Him with our whole souls. I know God lives, and He is there for me every day. Believing in Him is definitely worthwhile. I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Works Cited

1. 2 Nephi 25:29

2. The Scriptures: CD-ROM Edition 1.1. Salt Lake City: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 2005.

3. www.ancient-hebrew.org

4. Omni 1:26

5. Mosiah 2:20-21

6. Mosiah 4:9

7. Mosiah 4:11-12

Love Always-Tanner Zylstra

2008-11-24T19:03:00.000-08:00

Love is one of the most important emotions a human being can obtain or feel. This commandment that is often preached to us can be found in the song "Love One Another". In this song, it explains how we need to love one another as Jesus love you. We are taught that we need to love everyone around us just as much as Jesus loves each one of us. In Mosiah 2: 4, King Benjamin is addressing his people and asks that they might "Keep the commandments of God, that they might rejoice and be filled with love towards God and all men." In Mosiah 4: 15, it says that "But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another." In this verse, King Benjamin is explaining that children need to be taught to love and serve one another just as Jesus did. In our lives here on Earth, one of our main goals is to strive to become like Jesus. There is no better way to become like Him than by loving everyone and everything around you.

A person who has love in their life in general is a much more happy person. This love can be for anything. Whether your love is for a family member, your spouse, your friend, or for simply a hobby or sport that you enjoy it is vital to your well-being. My grandpa and grandma are a perfect example of this. My grandparents were happily married for over fifty years. They were very active and healthy until my grandma developed Alzheimer's Disease. Her health quickly declined but my grandpa's health still seemed to be better than ever. My grandma passed away a few years after being diagnosed and my grandpa was left all alone. Even though my grandpa still loved all of his children and grandchildren, he couldn't bare being apart from his wife. Because his love was so great for her, my perfectly healthy grandpa unexpectedly passed away just a few weeks after my grandma. It was very sad times for my family, but we all knew that they are happier now that they are reunited.

Throughout the scriptures it speaks of love. Perhaps the most commonly referenced scripture concerning love is Mosiah 23: 15. It says "Thus did Alma teach his people, that every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them." Let's be honest, most human beings love themselves a whole lot more than we should. If we all took heed to these words and loved our enemies as much as we loved ourselves then the world would be a much better and happier place. There would be no wars, less people dying, and no one would be full of so much anger. On the other hand, I think that if there wasn't love at all the world would turn into complete chaos because no one would care about each other.

Although it is impossible to think that we can love everyone, especially our enemies, there are ways to help us. In True to the Faith, it states "Our love for those around us increases when we remember that we are all children of God—that we are spirit brothers and sisters. The love that results from this realization has the power to transcend all boundaries of nation, creed, and color." By recognizing that we are all part of the same spiritual family it makes it much easier to love one another. True to the Faith also explains how to show love for our Heavenly Father. "We manifest our love for Heavenly Father by keeping His commandments and serving His children. Our expressions of love for others may include being kind to them, listening to them, mourning with them, comforting them, serving them, praying for them, sharing the gospel with them, and being their friend." It doesn't take much to show God and the people around us our love for them. All it takes is a little effort.

Having a love for God to me is the most important love we can obtain. In Alma 11: 24, it says "Believest thou that there is no God? I say unto you, Nay, thou knowest that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him." In this verse, we are warned of loving our money and riches so much that we will deny God. In today's day and age, it is getting extremely easy to fall in to this trap. Everywhere we look we see something that relates to money or how we can achieve a higher social status. Although it is not wrong to have worldy possessions, we need to be sure to put all our love towards things that matter and especially towards our Heavenly Father.

I know that if we fill our lives with love we will live a much more successful and happier lives. Jesus' greatest example of love for us is found in the Atonement. He suffered for each and every one of us. To not keep God's commandments and show love to all would be very selfish and ungrateful of us. As it says in Jacob 3: 2, "O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever," I know that if I always have a love for my Heavenly Father I will always know that the church is true. I am so thankful for God's love for me. I can feel it everyday.

Works Cited
1. Mosiah 23: 15
2. Mosiah 4: 15
3. Mosiah 2: 4
4. Alma 11: 24
5. http://www.lds.org/cm/display/0,17631,4650-1,00.html
6. True to the Faith
7. Jacob 3: 2
8. http://www.jesuz.com/Jesus-with-children.jpg

LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE--Garrett Paulsen

2008-11-24T18:51:00.000-08:00

Love is one of the most important concepts we can conceive on this earth. Anyone can receive, or give away love. Through love, all things can be made possible. The best example one can use to show what love is, is through Christ. In Mosiah chapter three, it rehearses many of the things he went through while on this earth to show his extreme love and devotion to everyone. He was tortured, hurt, spat upon, and mentally abused by many. Through enduring all of these hardships, he showed how much he truly loves us. It is because of his love that it is possible that we may return to live with him and our heavenly father again. To gain eternal salvation we must do all we can to become like him. Is there a better way than to love our fellow men like Christ did? Perhaps the best way we can show our love of others is by showing charity to others, and through acts of service. Showing our love will help us to gain as many blessing as we can, and live the best life we can.
Although love is very important, there is a fine line between good love and bad love. If we are not careful we may start to love worldly things, things that are not important, and that we should not love. Doing this only gets in the way of our eternal progression and slows our pursuit for happiness. It is all too common in this world where a good person is turned into an evil being because they have come to love things of this world. In Jacob chapter 2, he tells the people to denounce the love of riches, pride, and unchastely; for those things would bring their downfall. An example of this coming to pass happens in Mosiah chapter 11 when Noah becomes king. He doesn’t rule for the people, but he rules so that he can gain as much wealth and worldly things as he can. He becomes a wicked king, and his people follow in his path, becoming just as wicked. It is a shame things like this have to happen, and it can be stopped by keeping your love away from worldly things and on heavenly things.
In Mosiah chapter 2 verse 4 it says, “Keep the commandments of God, that they might and be filled with love towards God and all men.” Through this verse we can see how we can obtain love; we must keep the commandments of God. In doing this, our ability to love, not only God but also all other people, grows to endless bounds. This is comforting because this is also saying that by doing the things god has told us to do, it will make it even easier to keep doing those things. It is an endless circle that god made so the righteous can have help to keep being righteous.
The church Hymn titled god is love says…
Earth with her ten thousand flowers,
Air with all its beams and showers,
Heavens infinite expanse,
Seas resplendent countenance,
All around and all above,
Bear this record, God is love.
I think that this hymn is so powerful because it shows the true power of love; God is love.
It is so very important to love our brothers and sisters on this earth. Another great example of someone having a lot of love for their brethren is in Mosiah Chapter 7. This is the story of Ammon and the Lamanites. He knew that the Lamanites did not like the nephrites, but he put his life in risk so that he could teach them the gospel and help them become followers of Christ. We can follow his example, not by necessarily putting our lives at risk, but by sharing the truth with others around us. Remember, love thy neighbor as thyself. I will end with my testimony that I know that god loves us and sent his son, Jesus Christ, who also loves us greatly. Through love many things are possible, and it is important to make our love for others grow. Amen.
Mosiah 3
Jacob chapter 2
Mosiah 11
Mosiah 2:4
Hymn: God is love
Mosiah 7

Peace of the Lord - Corby Campbell

2008-11-24T18:31:00.001-08:00

For the sake of shortness I’d like to jump right into a story. I’ve mentioned before parts of my experience breaking my neck. One thing I’d like to expand on now is the peace that came with the experience. When I broke my neck I was still conscious, and fully aware that I wasn’t able to get up. A cop arrived on the scene shortly after and starting asking me all sorts of random questions; “What are your sibling’s names?” “Got any pets?” etc… I was thinking to myself, “Man this guy is kind of annoying, I don’t really feel like small chat right now!” when it hit me, he was trying to keep my mind occupied so that I wouldn’t go into shock. I laughed in my head a little and then interrupted him mid sentence by saying something like, “hey, so I know your asking me questions to prevent me from going into shock, but… I’m not going into shock.” He looked thrown off balance for a second, but he said “ok”. This in retrospect was a total blessing. I can’t take much credit for the calm I experienced then, and for the peace I’ve had through the transition into my new life. At no point laying on the grass did I think something like “Pull yourself together Corby! Panicking wont help anyone!!” I was just blessed with the peace right from the start. Even with the conscious realization it was most likely a permanent injury.

The greek word for peace is Shalom or Shalawm. Other meanings of the word include , completeness, soundness, welfare, peace, health, prosperity, tranquillity, contentment, friendship, and friendship with God especially in covenant relationship. What a treasure trove of words! Any combination of even 2 or 3 of these would be amazing! I’d like to use the scriptures to give examples of just a few.

First is welfare. An online dictionary describes welfare as “the good fortune, health, happiness, prosperity, etc., of a person, group, or organization.”[1] Of course bringing welfare to others is tied to missionary work, so I’d like to quote Mosiah 12: 21 “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth” here we have an example of bringing welfare to others by publishing peace. And people who see the feet of those coming to publish peace rejoice too. So both parties are uplifted by the service.

The second I’d like to mention is a meaning used by king Mosiah in chapter. While speaking to the people and exhorting them to make choices that will uplift the kingdom, he said, “And now let us be wise and look forward to these things, and do that which will make for the peace of this people.” Here he is referring prosperity of the kingdom. Another thing we can observe from the combination of this interpretation and the last, that of welfare, is that peace often is not just for an individual, but it affects those around us. And we have peace as a whole.

Next is even more important than success as a nation. In Mosiah 4:3 we read, “And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come, according to the words which king Benjamin had spoken unto them.” here the people during king Benjamin’s time experienced peace of conscience because of their covenant with God. This is a peace that goes beyond any achievement of worldly wealth or societal prowess. Because one can know of their standing with God, which far surpasses any mortal achievement. Here we know no matter what happens to our world state, our eternal life is in good order. This knowledge can bring so much peace to our lives.

Me personally, when I think of peace, I think of peace of mind, peace of purpose. Probably the best word in the list above would be “tranquility”. I believe this was the type of peace me and my family were blessed with when I broke my neck. Paul said it well in his letter to the Phillipians, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” [Phillipians 3:7] one thing I did have on the forefront of my mind when I broke my mind is that God is aware of me on a very personal level, and that everything happens for a reason. And I knew He wants us to be happy, so I knew there must be a purpose for the experience I was having. As such it was very easy to be content and even a little excited about what was happening.

In a talk given by President Hinkley in the November 2005 Ensign, he reminds us, “The Lord has said, ‘If ye are prepared ye shall not fear’ (D&C 38:30).”[2] I echo his reminder. I bear testimony that as long as we’re working in the right direction, even if we aren’t perfect yet, we can feel confident in our standing with the Lord, and feel the peace that He has to offer us. And I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1 - http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/welfare
2 - http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=f318118dd536c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=70ca6169b62fe010VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

3 - Picture done by Danny Hahlbom. Found at http://www.allposters.com/-sp/Christ-and-Child-Posters_i925504_.htm

"And His Name Shall Be Called...The Prince of Peace" 7 by Ariane Williamson

2008-11-24T17:27:00.000-08:00

In this hustle bustle world of materialism and uncertainty, when stress is high and morale is low, it is often hard for us to take time out away from the world and stop to smell the roses. People are conflicted in their ideas of life and religion, so many search for truth in a lying world. Many go through life without the peace that the gospel brings in their lives. When King Mosiah’s sons go to preach the gospel, it is written of them, “And how blessed are they! For they did publish peace.”1 “Publishing peace” is, in essence, the purpose and intention of missionary work.

About two years ago a new girl my age joined our ward. She was easy-going and amiable, and in time we became very good friends. It was only after a long acquaintance with her that I began to learn more and more about her life. Kelly* was four years old when her father left their family and her mother was forced to find work to sustain herself, Kelly, and Kelly’s older brother. He floated in and out of their lives, only around just enough for Kelly to realize how he didn’t care about them and wasn’t willing to support them. She grew up hating her father and resenting his non-involvement in her life. Then when she was sixteen, Kelly’s father was diagnosed with cancer and died within two months. This time was especially hard for Kelly because she continued to carry a grudge against her father even while he was dying, and refused to see or contact him in any way. A few months later a couple of young men in suits and nametags knocked on Kelly’s door. Through the influence of loving family members Kelly was able to take the discussions and finally decided to get baptized. Before she was baptized, Kelly learned about repentance and the importance of forgiveness. Kelly told me later that it was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life, but she decided she was going to find it in herself to forgive her father and all the sorrow he had brought on her family. She said that the moment she came out of the waters of baptism, she felt more peace than ever before. The bitterness was gone, replaced by a peaceful feeling and she knew she had done the right thing. The peace that Kelly felt was the Holy Ghost testifying of the truthfulness of the Gospel.

Our prophets, past and present, have always “published peace” by teaching us truth and helping us to walk in the ways of righteousness. In his General Conference address last October, Elder David A. Bednar spoke of three ways for us to make our prayers more meaningful: by counseling with the Lord, expressing heartfelt gratitude, and praying for others2. At the time I was feeling discouraged, homesick, and stressed out, so I decided to apply these principles to my personal prayer. I started by expressing heartfelt gratitude, and I found so many things to be grateful for that I no longer was worried about the things I had to do. I felt peace and knew that that comfort came from the Holy Ghost. Later when I was reading my scriptures, one struck me in particular because it testified of my experience: “And these are they who have published peace, who have brought good tidings of good, who have published salvation; and said unto Zion: Thy God reigneth!”3 The Hebrew word for “publish” also means “cheerful” and to “announce glad tidings.” How true these connotations are in the context of the gospel: that the prophets preach good tidings to us in such a cheerful, positive way, and if we heed their counsel, we too can feel peace.

The best example we have of peace is in Jesus Christ. In Mosiah 15, Abinadi testifies to King Noah and his wicked priests of the nature of God, and he quotes Isaiah 53 to them: “For O how beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that is the founder of peace, yea, even the Lord, who has redeemed his people; yea, him who has granted salvation unto his people.”4 Christ is the “founder of peace” because he saved us, his people, from death and destruction when we could not save ourselves. In Hebrew the word for peace is “Shalom,” which also means “safety,” and “friendly.” What better friend do we have than Jesus Christ, and what better source of safety? When Christ was born, and the angels in the heavens declared, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace…”5, they were proclaiming that the Prince of Peace had come to earth.

Soon before his crucifixion, Jesus said to his disciples, “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you.” 6 He has not left us alone: missionaries and prophets proclaim his gospel, the gospel of peace. I know that this gospel is the true gospel of Jesus Christ, and I know that true peace can be found in him. He is our Savior and because of his divine sacrifice for us we can be forgiven of our sins and feel that peace in our lives. In his name, amen.

*Name has been changed

Works Cited:
1. Mosiah 27:37
2. Bednar, David A. “Pray Always.” Ensign, November 2008.
3. Mosiah 15: 14
4. Mosiah 15:18
5. Luke 2:14
6. John 14:27
7. Isaiah 9:6

You are Stronger than You THink: BY Lucy Lybbert

2008-11-24T17:13:00.000-08:00

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, once said that our trials upon this earth are difficult but they are a lot easier because Christ our Lord and Savior has borne all of our terrestrial hardships we will face in this life time. In Mosiah it says “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised and we esteemed him not. Surely he has borne our grief and carried our sorrow, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities… and with his strips we are healed” (Mosiah 14:3-5). Because of the great atoning sacrifice Christ gave for all of us our trails and burdens are lighter. We may be despised and mocked on every principle we believe in but we can find peace in knowing it is only for a short while. We will be freed from this bondage we face upon this earth.

In our lives we will face trials it is a natural part of life. When we feel trapped in bondage ,“ He will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people… and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities” ( Alma 7:11-12).This was Christ’s mission to go forth before his fellow man and to give us a way to return to our heavenly father, and a way to feel of the peace the gospel offers. I know in my life there are times when I can’t take it anymore and when I just feel so broken by whatever it is I may be facing. The one thing that I know will save me is to turn to my savior. On the LDS scripture concordance and also in class I found that Jesus is the Hebrew root for salvation so I find it very appropriate that one of Jesus’ many names be the Savior. In Mosiah after praying for salvation the lord says unto his people “Lift up your heads and be of good comfort, I will covenant with my people and deliver them out of bondage and I will also ease the burdens which are put upon your shoulders, that even you cannot feel them upon your backs, even while you are in bondage… I, the Lord God do visit my people in their afflictions” (Mosiah 24: 13-14). We never walk alone in our trials if we allow the savior to help us. My Laurel’s leader shared a story with us once called footprints in the sand.

It reads, One night a man had a dream.He dreamed he was walking along the beach with the LORD.Across the sky flashed scenes from his life.For each scene, he noticed two sets of footprints in the sand:one belonging to him, and the other to the LORD.
When the last scene of his life flashed before him he looked back, at the footprints in the sand.He noticed that many times along the path of his life there was only one set of footprints.He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of his life.
This really bothered him and he questioned the LORD about it:"LORD, you said that once I decided to follow you,you'd walk with me all the way.But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints.I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me."
The LORD replied:"My son, My precious child, I love you and I would never leave you,During your times of trial and suffering,when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you."

This story always leaves me with a powerful feeling of our savior’s love for us. That when we are at our lowest of lows and saddest moments that he will carry us, that we need not feel rejected by him when we are rejected of man.

He will always come he will always be there to help us and when we place our faith in him knowingly we cannot fall. We are stronger than we think when we have the lord. When I was little and would be upset and crying my daddy would gather me up in his arms and with me in his strong grasp he would carry me into his bedroom , sit down with me in my grandma’s old blue rocking chair and there he would cuddle me, sometime sing until the last tear was dried. Then he would tell me he loved me and tuck me back into bed. A while later down the road of life when I had well out grown my rocking chair days I found myself crying in my room cuddled up in that old blue rocking chair and my daddy heard me. He came into my room took me in his arms again and held me close. Then again once all the tears were dried he took my hand told me he loved me and then he said “ Lucy you are stronger than you think when you have the savior in your life, it won’t make the bad days go away but it will and can make them more bearable”. I am so grateful for my dad’s great testimony of the savior and how it can help us even when we feel as though there is not hope and no direction to run that will make our problems go away.
I know that life gets hard. I understand that we all must face trials but because our savior has prepared a way we do not have to travel this life alone. He suffered the ultimate cost of his life so that we may all have a liter load and so that we may return back home again. When we have the savior we are stronger than all the trials all the rejection and all the criticisms of man. When we have the savior we are stronger than we know. “And now may the peace of God rest upon you” (Alma 7:27). Just like I felt that peace when my dad told me I was strong when I had the Savior in my life. We can all have that peace forever, knowing that by Christ all will be made whole again. Also because I have this knowledge I can’t keep it in, as it says in Mosiah, “They did raise up their voices and give thanks to God” (Mosiah 25: 10). I will praise all my days in my actions, how I choose to live my life making sure that it reflects the gratitude I feel in my heart towards my savior for never leaving me alone to feel despised or rejected of man.

I am so grateful for the gospel I know it to be true. I know that I am a divine daughter of god. And even more basic a child of god. Because I know these things I can live my life with a comfort that my heavenly father loves me, and the he loves me in spite all of my many flaws. I am so grateful to have a family that has raised me in the gospel and loved me enough to give me every opportunity to grow strengthen and bare my testimony. I am grateful for a healthy body that functions on the blessing of modern medicine. I love this wonderful truth that we have. I feel so blessed to have the savior in my life. I cannot deny his power and his love in my life. Without him I would be lost. His is my light my life my redeemer. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Works Cited

Foot steps in the sand- Author Unknown

LDS scripture concordance

The Book of Mormon

Mosiah 14:3-5

Alma 7:11-12

Mosiah 24: 13-14

Alma 7:27

Mosiah 25: 10

Stand For Truth and Righteousness- Youth conference 07

An Eternal Matchless Love by Lindsey Beus

2008-11-24T16:49:00.000-08:00

My father’s side of the family has always been a tad quirky. His grandparents had an idea when it came to naming their daughters. They wanted to have three daughters, and name them Faith, Hope, and Charity. They only ever reached Hope, but the idea of those three being the center of their life, was instilled into every generation afterwards.
“And now abideth faith, hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of these is charity,” which actually makes me a tad grateful that my family never had a third girl to name charity (1). Charity is most important because “Charity never faileth …”(2). Having that kind of name in a family might cause some rivalry and problems. On the other hand, having that sort of trait in our lives, can help get rid of problems. There is a famous song by Nickel Creek that speaks of love. The words are soft and sweet, and help to show just how important it is. The words go:
The boy only wanted to give Mother something
And all of her roses had bloomed
Looking at her as he came rushing in with them
Knowing her roses were doomed
All she could see were some thorns buried deep
And the tears that he cried as she tended his wounds

And she knew it was love
It was one she could understand
He was showing his love
And that's how he hurt his hands

He still remembers that night as child
On his mother's knee
She held him close and she opened her bible
And quietly started to read
And seeing a picture of Jesus he cried out
"Momma, he's got some scars just like me."

And he knew it was love
It was one he could understand
He was showing his love
And that's how he hurt his hands (3)
The word Charity has been defined as “benevolent goodwill toward or love of humanity” or the pure love of Christ, but I personally don’t think that is a very good definition because we are supposed to have charity, but pure love is “matchless bounty of his love”, and we could never comprehend it (4 & 5). However, the definition is as close as anyone can come to describing it, so I guess it will have to do. Charity is love. That much is sure. For God so loved the world that he sent his only begotten son… to suffer and die for us. Jesus Christ has offered us forgiveness and repentance when we are so low and filthy that we had to have him spill blood for us all. Truly, we don’t deserve that love and forgiveness, but he gives it freely to all that seek it anyways. “The Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love” (6). Because we have been commanded to have charity, my must strive for it, or at least we must strive to obtain what we understand.

I am sure we all know of someone who has shown charity to us in our lives. For me, I was blessed enough to see that charity abounding in my own father. My father has adapted that meek love in his life to the point that he has never raised his voice to me, even in my disobedience. My father works hard to keep my family living in relative comfort, and in giving to charities either through the church or other companies of aid in the world, and I have never heard him complain a day in my life. He has even kept a cheerful disposition when dealing with the three girls (us two daughters and my mother) that don’t always get along and let our character traits clash. Because of my father, that is my view of charity. My father always reminds me of the scripture which reads: “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a clove of God and of all men” (7). That is my view of how close a mortal can get to the pure love of Christ.

We must remember to love all mankind and to especially love the Lord, our God. “Even when we have merited love the least, He has loved us the most. Truly, He loves us first” (8). We can never really repay him for that love, but we must try. It is the least we can do. With charity, we can have the love required to return to our Father in heaven and spend an eternity with those that we love, and that is an amazing promise.
Works Cited:
(1.) 1 Corinthians 13:13
(2.) 1 Corinthians 13: 8
(3.) “The Hand Song” ~ Nickel Creek
(4.) http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/charity
(5.) Alma 26: 15
(6.) 2 Nephi 26:30
(7.) 2 Nephi 31:20
(8.) Enlder Gene R. Cook April 2002 General Conference Charity: Perfect and Everlasting Love

Firmness of Mind: Becoming Like the Stripling Warriors- Dana Woodbury

2008-11-24T15:30:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of Jacob chapter three, Jacob gives a blueprint of how we can receive help from God. He says, “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction. O all ye that are pure in heart, lift up your heads and receive the pleasing word of God, and feast upon his love; for ye may, if your minds are firm, forever” (Jacob 3:1-2). These verses are powerful in what they suggest. Jacob is saying that if a person has a firm mind, prays with exceeding faith, and receives the word and love of God, then he will be blessed immensely. Later on in the chapter, he also hints at a need for families to love each other. He praises the Lamanites because, “their husbands love their wives, and their wives love their husbands; and their husbands and wives love their children” (Jacob 3:7). This family unity will someday, he says, cause the Lamanites to, “become a blessed people” (Jacob 3:6). The other blessings listed in this chapter include consolation in hard times, and having the Lord as an advocate to plead our cause and send down justice upon those that are against His people. These blessing can be a great strength in times of need.

When the words of these verses are studied closely in other languages, it brings further meaning to them. In the Spanish translation of verse 1, it uses the word “abogara” to describe how Christ will bless us. This word, in essence, means a lawyer or attorney. What a comfort it is to know that Christ will be like our defense attorney. When I was a senior in high school, I worked as a secretary for a defense attorney. As I watched all of the work and effort that he put into each client, it amazed me. Each client had an extensive file filled with notes and any other papers or recordings involved in the case. This attorney knew everything about his client’s experience and he worked hard to make sure that he could help them in any way that he could. When I think of standing at the judgment day, I would want someone like that there to defend me, someone who knows and understands my experiences and someone who is wholly on my side. That kind of support makes judgment day seem not quite as formidable. Another insight that can be found through studying the language of these verses is in the Hebrew translation of the word firm. It means “to be erect” or “to stand perpendicular.” This reminds me of a song by Jamie Glenn entitled “Walk Tall (You’re a Daughter of God).” In the song, the chorus states, “Walk tall you’re a daughter, a child of God. Be strong and remember who you are. Try to understand, you’re part of His great plan. He’s closer than you know. Reach up; He’ll take your hand.” These word provide the image of Christ there as a constant guide and support. He will help you to be erect. He will hold you up when things get tough and thus, you will remain firm as He has counseled you to be.

In the scriptures, there are many examples of people who receive these blessings. However, in searching the cross-references to these verses in particular, the scriptures lead you to Alma, where the story of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors is found. After studying these verses, it is clear that these young men are perfect examples of how to receive these blessings. First, these young men were firm in mind and had exceeding faith. After making it through several battles without losing a single man, Helaman is amazed. In Alma 57:26-27, he says,

“And now, their preservation was astonishing to our whole army, yea, that they should be spared while there was a thousand of our brethren who were slain. And we do justly ascribe it to the miraculous power of God, because of their exceeding faith in that which they had been taught to believe- that there was a just God, and whosoever did not doubt, that they should be preserved by his marvelous power. Now this was the faith of these of whom I have spoken; they are young, and their minds are firm, and they do put their trust in God continually.”

Clearly because of the faith and firmness of mind, these young men had the Lord on their side to bring destruction to their enemies. These warriors were also blessed because they kept the commandments of God. Indeed, “they have received many wounds; nevertheless they stand fast in that liberty wherewith God has made them free; and they are strict to…keep his statutes, and his judgments, and his commandments continually” (Alma 58:40). Although they had suffered physical pain, they were able to be consoled through the power of God. The blessings that they received for their faithfulness were innumerable.

These young men are also an example of love. In 1 John 5:2 it says, “By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his commandments. For this is the love of God, that we keep his commandments.” It has already been shown that the stripling warriors had no problem keeping the commandments; so naturally, they are great examples of loving their fellowmen, too. In chapter 56 of Alma, it shows the love that they had. First, they loved their brethren, the Lamanites. They say to Helaman, “we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone” (Alma 56:46). Even though the Lamanites had never been very kind to their people, these men are able to forgive and forget. They have no desire to kill, only to preserve the rights of their families. This brings up another point. Later in this chapter, it states that these warriors, “never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56: 47-48). These young men had such faith in and such love for their parents that they knew that they were fighting for a good cause. They wished to preserve the freedoms of their loved ones and thus put their lives on the line. This is a great example of the strength that family ties can bring. By having courage and fighting for their families, these young men allowed the Lord to pour out blessings upon them.

Overall, Jacob’s counsel is simple. By doing things like praying and turning to God, we are able to receive many blessings in our lives. We can become as the stripling warriors, strong and faithful in all things, if we hearken unto this counsel. I know that there have been many times in my life where I have been in need of comfort. In these times of need, I found that if I truly believed that the Lord would help me and if I turned to Him in prayer that I was able to receive great comfort and was able to overcome any heartache I was experiencing. I know that the Lord loves each and every one of his children and that he wants to bless us. He is just waiting for us to ask Him, so don’t be afraid. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Works Cited

1. The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ

2. The Bible, King James Version

3. http://www.lds.org/, Young Women's Camp manual

I'll Like You Forever, and Love you For Always -- By Lindsay Kendrick

2008-11-24T15:17:00.000-08:00

My Friend, "Adam"

This past summer, I had the wonderful and unique experience to be a cast member at the Hill Cumorah Pageant. This beautiful pageant takes place upon the sacred Hill Cumorah and relays stories of the Book of Mormon to thousands upon thousands of people during the month of July. Not only is the spirit of the performance touching for all who attend—both member and non-member alike—but it is even more powerful after the crowds have long gone home. Every night, after performance, our entire cast of about 500 valiant members of Christ’s church would gather together and sing The Song of Cumorah. This touching song reads:

If you have felt a change in your heart

And sung the song of redeeming love,

Then come unto Jesus, our Savior

Sin and death are swallowed up in Christ.

Jesus light and life of the world.

If you have felt the change in your heart,

And sung the song of redeeming love,

Then come unto Jesus our Savior:

Come unto,

Come unto Him!

As members of the Pageant, we were told to live our lives as missionaries. We were to help bring the Spirit to others so that they could feel that change in their heart and sing that song of redeeming love. There are steps that must be taken to get to this point, however. It is my testimony that as we come unto Christ, remember what that felt like, and then share it with others that we will be able to live our lives so much more like our Father in Heaven and will have His spirit to be with us.

The last three lines of The Song of Cumorah all have the same message, “Come Unto Christ.” We must do this in order to have a mighty change of heart and sing the song of redeeming love. When we approach Christ, He will fill us with love, encouragement, and forgiveness. If we do not approach Christ, if we do not try to repent of our sins to feel the mighty change of hear, then we will feel empty and alone. In Mosiah we read, “Therefore if that man repenteth not, and remaineth and dieth an enemy to God, the demands of divine justice do awaken his immortal soul to a lively sense of his own guilt, which doth cause him to shrink from the presence of the Lord, and doth fill his breast with guilt, and pain, and anguish, which is like an unquenchable fire, whose flame ascendeth up forever and ever” [1]. And later we find, “And again, believe that ye must repent of your sins and forsake them, and humble yourselves before God; and ask in sincerity of heart that he would forgive you” [2]. The only aspect of life keeping us in our sins and from our Savior is our own pride, our own unwillingness, our own hardheartedness. Life could be so much happier if we had the faith to always place our trust in God, and let Christ—who has already paid for all of our sins—take our hurt, pain, and sin away from off our shoulders. There is a famous Mormonad from the New Era that says, “When you can’t stand it, kneel” [3]. When we come unto Christ, he will allows us to feel that mighty change of heart and know of Him. We will be able to stand all the trials that come our way.

I have seen, firsthand, this change of heart take place in someone who has fallen away from Christ. I have seen someone sing the song of redeeming love. Growing up, I had a very near and dear friend named **Adam (name has been changed with permission). Adam and I were never more than friends but we were very and extremely close. Adam lived 45 minutes from my house and went to a different school and church ward, but was in my same stake. Six months before we began high school, something about Adam started to feel different. He was becoming very bitter and angry along with many other depressing emotions. After eight long months of trying to figure out what was happening to my beloved friend, all emotions erupted on one massive night. During this night, my Adam, my beloved friend, informed me that he no longer believed in the Church, the Book of Mormon, and not even Christ or God. He wanted to know; he’d been praying for a feeling of the spirit that would testify that this was the true gospel…but it never came. He said he never felt it. He had told me he figured there was no point in giving up other things in life for the gospel if he didn’t even believe it, so he began breaking every single commandment he could think of. He didn’t want to change—he actually liked the way his life was now. My heart was so heavy for him. I couldn’t think of anything to say to him that would change his mind, when I realized it wasn’t my place. It was not my place to judge him for his acts and feelings. The only thing I could do was to be there for him. After I hadn’t replied for nearly five minutes, Adam began to softly cry. Through his tears he asked with real sincerity, “Do you hate me now Lindz?” With tears streming down my face as well, I threw my arms around him and said “Of course not Adam. We always say ‘I’ll like your forever and love you for always.’ And I still mean it.” However, we both knew that things from that moment on had changed. He didn’t have to be a member to be my friend, but he was no longer the friend I had known—he began to change so much. However, he knew my standards and did not want to tear me down. Adam and I never lost touch, but we certainly were not as close as we had once been. We did different things on the weekend and hung out with different people. We just never had the time. Almost three years later, Adam asked me to get ice cream with him one night. It had been almost four months since we had last seen each other. It was August—senior year was about to begin and our summer was about to end. Adam seemed very different. Over the past three years Adam had delved deeper into a life that I knew he would not like at the end. After getting kicked out of school for drugs and alcohol, he had done home school the last semester of his junior year. He had informed me that night at ice cream that he was going back to school for senior year and was going to try again. This raised hope inside of me. We began talking about the last four years and everything that had happened. It got very quiet like it did that emotional night all those years ago. Adam informed me that he had gone to EFY that past June—something I had no idea he had done. He just smiled at my look of shock and asked if I wanted to hear an incredible story. He explained that when he got to EFY he wanted to leave right then—it was no place for him, he felt. However, he decided to stick it out. And not only was Adam going to finish the week, but he was going to study and study hard. He started to feel happier, he explained, but he didn’t think anything of it really. At least, he didn’t think anything of it until the Testimony Meeting at the end of the week. He sat there and heard all the kids bear their testimonies as he always had done when he attended church sporadically over the years. But this time, he not only heard, but he listened. Near the end of the meeting, Adam was overcome by a feeling of warmth and love. He said he felt like someone was hugging him, but he knew no one in the room was even touching him. He then thought in his mind “God, if you’re there, I want to know. I want to remember. I really do.” And to his heartfelt desire came the soft-spoken reply “You never really forgot.” Adam again said, “I want to know,” to which came the reply “You always have.” Adam told me he had never felt that way before in his life. He was so excited. This 17 year old who didn’t even want to go to EFY, let alone stay a whole week, then decided that he never wanted to leave. Adam had a change of heart that week at EFY. By the time he and I had gone to ice cream, he had already stopped drinking and was trying to quit smoking. He was cleaning up his language and studying his scriptures. He was my Adam as I had grown up with him. He was happy. I was happy for him. We shared the most tender embrace I could remember us having. He whispered in my ear, “I will like you forever, Lindz, and love you for always.”

One of the aspects that come with a change of heart is to always remember your impressions, feelings, and whisperings of the Spirit. When we remember we are blessed in all things we will be blessed with such happiness. In the scriptures we read that when we remember and seek not sin, then we will be blessed with a “happy state” and will be “blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end and they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never ending happiness. O remember, remember that these things are true; for the Lord God hath spoken it” [4]. The opposite of remembering is forgetting. The Lamanities, and even the Nephites, were so quick to forget the blessings and ways of the Lord. They were pushed towards pride, hatred, and sin. Alma asked the people, “…if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now? Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God?” [5]. He wanted them to remember what they had felt; to never forget their feelings when their heart was changed so mightily. And as much as it saddens me, my dear Adam has already forgotten his mighty change of heart. Within the first four months of senior year at his high school, Adam began to fall away from Christ again. He did not return to his drinking and smoked cigarettes on rare occasions. But, despite this, Adam could no longer remember the wonderful engulfing feeling he had had from the Spirit that past summer. He no longer believed. To this day, Adam claims there is not God. But deep inside him, I believe, he still hopes; he has not fully given up. We must never forget the promptings of the Spirit. They come to us for our purpose, to answer our questions, to mightily change our hearts, and to help us sing the song of redeeming love. We must remember.

To help us continue on the path after having a mighty change of heart, we must share the gospel and our experience with others. President David O. McKay coined the popular phrase “Every Member a Missionary” [6]. Each and every one of us has the potential to help bring others to Christ. We must share our testimonies that they may be strengthened. We are commanded to preach the gospel. In Mosiah we read, “Yea, even he commanded them that they should preach nothing save it were repentance and faith on the Lord, who had redeemed his people” [7]. In D&C, the Lord explains that missionary work is so vitally important so “that the fullness of my gospel might be proclaimed by the weak and the simple unto the ends of the world, and before kings and rulers” [8]. The Lord will not leave us alone in our mission to help spread this happiness of the gospel to others. He will bless us with what we need to say and how we are to react. We just need to have faith that we will be lead to know what to do. Nephi had this faith as he tried to obtain the brass plates from Laban and beautifully said, “And I was led by the Spirit, not knowing beforehand the things which I should do” [9]. The Lord will strengthen us in all we do when we are trying to do what is right. He commands us, “And ye shall go forth in the power of my Spirit, preaching my gospel…in my name, lifting up your voices as with the sound of a trump, declaring my word like unto angels of God” [10]. God wants all of His children to come back to Him and He needs us to help. He needs us to share our experiences with others and walk everyday with the Light of Christ and the Spirit of the Lord in our countenances.

Let us all have the desire to Come Unto Christ and sing The Song of Hill Cumorah. Let us have a mighty change of heart. Let us never forget the Lord and the whisperings and feelings of the Spirit. And let us never forget to share our testimonies with those around us. It is my testimony that Christ is there; He is there, ready and willing to take our sins upon him and strengthen and bless us. Christ will never leave us. He will not judge. He will “like us forever and love us for always.” I bear testimony that I have had a mighty change of heart, that I have been truly converted by the power of the Spirit and the promise of Moroni. I know that God is there. I know that He is waiting for me to return to him. And I hope and pray, with all my heart, that we will all meet again at that great day.

**Though my friend has given me permission to share some of his story, he has asked to have a different name. "Adam" is a fake name. He did, however, allow me to use a picture of him.

Works Cited:

[1] Mosiah 2:38

[2] Mosiah 4:10

[3] Mormonad. New Era, February 1995

[4] Mosiah 2:40-41

[5] Alma 5: 26-27

[6] Conference Report, April 1959. pg 122

[7] Mosiah 18:20

[8] D&C 1:23

[9] 1 Nephi 4:6

[10] D&C 42:6

Learning Truth through Pondering Jeremy Chugg / JDBlogger

2008-11-24T14:48:00.000-08:00

Have you ever pondered about truth? Wondered at if we could ever know any truth at all? If you have thought about it then continue to do so. If not then here is an opportunity to think about it. We will think about Truth as a pillar, Truth in the relative, Truth as a tool, and learning of truth as using seeds and tools. Mosiah 27:14 Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth. Just as Alma prayed for his son to be brought to the knowledge of truth; I pray today that we can be brought to truth!

Truth can be likened unto a pillar. A quote from Thomas Jefferson said “It is error alone which needs the support of government. Truth can stand by itself” (1). Truth stands firm and is absolute. When we learn truth we should be firm like unto the lamanites in Alma 24:19 “ And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and thus we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace”. Truth can stand and be firm just like a pillar and we should follow it.

Is this always the case with Truth that it is firm and strong like a pillar? We have been speaking about what has been called absolute truth. Now we can look at relative truth. First of all I don’t necessarily believe that relative truth is bad! Lots of useful items we have in this world have been made because of relative truth. When I went to Chemistry class they taught me all about relative truth. Maybe they didn’t call it relative truth but that’s what it was. People’s theories on how the world worked and when a new theory came along that explained it better; the new theory is regarded as truer than the last. It was kind of fun to think about the different models with atoms and how we went from plum pudding model to a orbital model and thus forth. I bring up relative truth only as a matter of it being not absolute truth. For example when in Alma 30:43 When” Korihor said unto Alma: If thou wilt show me a sign, that I may be convinced that there is a God, yea, show unto me that he hath power, and then will I be convinced of the truth of thy words” shows that we should not get caught up in proofs because scientific theories even change over time (besides that Korihor was lying from the beginning).

Truth can be a tool. I like ropes as tools, I’ve use them to tie stuff up or swing from or to hold things in place. These are all good things that ropes can be used for, However tools don’t always turn out the way we think they might. Abinadi who was a very firm pillar told King Noah and his priests in Alma 13:4 But I must fulfil the commandments wherewith God has commanded me; and because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. And again, because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad. The ironic thing about this story is though Abinadi was tied with ropes and burned. He was freer than King Noah was when he was tied and burned. King Noah lost his kingdom, life, and probably salvation too. Physical ropes in this story told of tying people up. However if we look at the spiritual ropes we can see the truth that God let Abinadi’s testimony be sealed with blood and that the words left all came true.

Truth now relates to each of us. Think about learning the truth in patience or another attribute that you feel is weak and start a seed. Think about this attribute while you read Alma 32:28 “Now, we will compare the word unto a seed. Now, if ye give place, that a seed may be planted in your heart, behold, if it be a true seed, or a good seed, if ye do not cast it out by your unbelief, that ye will resist the Spirit of the Lord, behold, it will begin to swell within your breasts; and when you feel these swelling motions, ye will begin to say within yourselves—It must needs be that this is a good seed, or that the word is good, for it beginneth to enlarge my soul; yea, it beginneth to enlighten my understanding, yea, it beginneth to be delicious to me.” Learning truth starts small then to keep it in the right direction use the tools needed to keep it growing straight and tall. In this we become firm by the use of truth instead of being angry by it and causing our own downfall. Do all things in truth you will always be a pillar of truth in life.

May we all look forward for truth with open hearts! In Mosiah 23:10 Alma speaking to his people: Nevertheless, after much tribulation, the Lord did hear my cries, and did answer my prayers, and has made me an instrument in his hands in bringing so many of you to a knowledge of his truth. May we all bear testimonies of the truth we have found. God loves each of you and is willing to open truth to you, be open to this (Science changes as new evidences come along you should be open too). Pray and start as a little seed do as according to what you find. I know I need to all the time to learn and grow. Christ is our savior and redeemer and truth comes from him. I say these things in Christ’s humble name and hope you will ponder truth of these words yourself.

Jeremy Chugg.

(1) Thomas Jefferson; http://www.wisdomquotes.com/cat_truth.html.

"Stretched out Still" Erin Petersen

2008-11-24T14:16:00.001-08:00

In English class my junior year, we did an exercise to see if we agreed with viewpoints of other religions. My teacher would read a statement, and we would stand on one side of the room or the other depending on if we agreed with it or not. One of the statements was, "God is forgiving." I headed to the 'agree' side of the room to find that there was only one other person standing next to me. I could not believe that the rest of my class believe that God did not forgive our mistakes and sins. What kind of God would He be if He did not have mercy? I couldn't even fathom such a thought, because God's mercy is key to our purpose on Earth.

The Lord's mercy is unending. When looking up the word 'mercy' in Hebrew, the word רַחֲמִים appears, which means Rachamim. Rachamim is the idea that though a person may seem unworthy, they are not judged on the superficial, but on the heart, which is why "God sits upon the throne of mercy"[1]. It also means to realized that Heavenly Father is a merciful God who will redeem us[1]. There is also a gate to Jerusalem which is called "Sha'ar Ha-rachamim," which means the Gate of Mercy. It is from this gate that the Savior is supposed to enter the city[2]. So literally, it is through "mercy" that the Lord will save Isreal, his people. Isaiah illustrates God's mercy towards his children. In chapter 9 of Isaiah, the atrocities of the people are being told. Yet three times it is repeated, "For all this his anger is not turned away, but his hand it stretched out still."[3] While the Lord cannot "look upon sin with the least degree of allowance"[4], he still hopes for his children, wants them to return to him. He leaves his hand outstretched, waiting for the wayward ones to grab hold of it and return.

Patience is a part of the Lord's mercy towards us. There are some sins that we may repeat many times, but the Lord still waits for us to turn every time, and leave those sins behind us. "Let us prune it, and dig about it, and nourish it a little longer..."[5] These words are spoken by the servant of the vineyard when the branches of the olive tree were to be cast into the fire in Jacob 5. Much painstaking time was put into the tree already, and the product was not rewarding. Yet, Christ was willing to give more time in the hopes that the tree would yield good fruit and would not need to be destroyed.

Because the Lord is merciful and patient, it is sometimes hard to understand why He would be 'angered,' or punish His children. Yet His chastisements are part of His great mercy. In Mosiah 23:21 it says, "Nevertheless, the Lord seeth fit to chasten his people; yea, he trieth their patience and their faith."[6] Why would the Lord do such a thing? Why would he try our patience and faith. In Helaman 15:3, we find the answer: "...yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them"[7]. The Lord wants our happiness, and he knows that "wickedness never was happiness"[8] so he chastises his people, he lets them know when they've done something displeasing in his eyes because he wants his children to be happy. Before he was converted, Alma the Younger went about destroying the Church of God and leading people astray. He was confronted by an angel and told of his sins before God, which lead to a mighty change of heart. He said, "...after wading through much tribulation, repenting nigh unto death, the Lord in mercy hath seen fit to snatch me out of an everlasting burning, and I am born of God"[9] Alma could not have been 'born of God' if he had not been chastised of the Lord. God is merciful enough to let us know when we've done something wrong and allow us to change our lives.

The plan that the Lord set forth in the pre-existence is known as many things, but one of the names for it is The Plan of Mercy. Part of this plan was to allow all sons and daughters of God to have agency, to have the power to chose for themselves what they want to do. King Benjamin taught that "...Under this head ye are made free, and there is no other head whereby ye can be made free"[10]. In allowing us the freedom to choose for ourselves, the Lord knew that we would make mistakes, and he knew that because we were not perfect, there would be no way for us to return to him unless we had a mediator. Jesus Christ chose to be that mediator, and grant us the atonement, for, "If there should be no atonement, all mankind must be lost"[11]. Because of Chirst's compassion towards our fallen state and his desire for us to be exalted, he bore all grief and pain so that we could become one with the Father. The atonement requires mercy, it requires patience, and it requires the Lord to chasten us so that we will know of the need to repent and come unto him.

The first time I went to the Logan temple, I was early. I was waiting by myself in the chapel, and oddly enough, I was the only one waiting. The temple matron must have noticed, because she came over and started talking to me. She took me over to a picture of Christ and showed me that no matter where I moved in the room, it would always appear as if his foot was pointed toward me. "That's because the Lord never turns away from you," the matron told me. "When you don't feel the presents of the Lord, it's because you've strayed off the path, and the Lord cannot be with any unclean thing. But He's always turned toward you, waiting for you to come back to him." I firmly believe that this is the case. The Lord loves us and wants us to return to live with him. He knows our weaknesses, our faults, our grief, our trials, and he will succor us if we but ask him. It gives him no greater joy than when one of his children returns to him, so he has implemented the Plan of Happiness so that we may have a way back to him. The Savior made the way possible by granting the power of his atonement to all who come unto him. Through his compassion and love, it is possible for everyone to be the best that they can be, to receive exaltation, and all that he has. I know that we just have to turn to him, and that he will be waiting, hand outstretched, ready to lead us once again. Of this I testify, in the name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, amen.

[1] www.inner.org
[2] www.learn-hebrew-names.com
[3] Isaiah 9:12,17,21
[4] D&C 1:31
[5] Jacob 5:27
[6] Mosiah 23:21
[7] Helaman 15:3
[8] Alma 41:10
[9] Mosiah 27:28
[10] Mosiah 5:8
[11] Jacob 7:12

The Immense Power of Hope - Ryan Chapman

2008-11-24T14:11:00.000-08:00

Everyone has trials, everyone has problems; and at times these things can discourage us and bring our spirits down. As it says in 2 Nephi 2:11, “there is opposition in all things.” So it is natural for us to feel down at time. However we cannot let the struggles we go through take over our lives. We must use the solution of hope to overcome our trials. We must look at them from a different perspective and see the hope of the future.

Recently about a year ago, a man that I deeply admired passed away. He was a man that had an impact and was an example on my life. His passing was kind of a shock to me, for I didn’t see it coming so soon. However, once I took in the fact that he has moved on, and I looked at his passing in an eternal perspective, I remembered that I will one day be able to see him again. It says in Alma 11:45, “Now, behold, I have spoken unto you concerning the death of the mortal body, and also concerning the resurrection of the mortal body. I say unto you that this mortal body is raised to an immortal body, that is from death, even from the first death unto life, that they can die no more; their spirits uniting with their bodies, never to be divided; thus the whole becoming spiritual and immortal, that they can no more see corruption.” This verse reminds me that we will both be one day resurrected; and I will be able to see him again.

One of my everyday goals in life is to constantly be striving to be an exemplar of the lifestyle of Jesus Christ, and live as pure of a life as he did. I try to live and act the way that would. This means that I am constantly trying to involve myself in good works. In Alma 7:24 it says, “and see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works”. As this scripture says Hope is one of the ways for me to involve in good works, and be one step closer to acting like Christ, and just as it says in John 3:3, if I have hope, I can be pure even as he is pure.

Hope is a power that helps me to look forward to the eternities. I Mosiah 4:6 it says, “…salvation might come to him that should put his trust in the lord, and should be diligent in keeping his commandments, and continue in the faith even until the end of his life”. This verse brings hope to my being, because it says that I have an opportunity to live with god forever and have salvation, as long as I follow his commandments and endure to the end even till very moment I breathe my last breath.

I look forward to the time that Christ comes again. Just as the people in Jacob 4, I too have a hope of his glory to come and of the prophets of our day. They truly are prophets of god, and lead our church under gods command. I am so grateful for the power of hope and the infinite joy that it gives me to help me get through the trials of my life. I am so grateful for my many blessings, and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Sources

2 Nephi 2:11
Alma 11:45
Alma 7:24
Mosiah 4:8
John 3:3
Jacob 4:4
2008 General conference address, Dieter F. Uchtdorf, "The Infinite Power of Hope".

Hope in Christ - Kelli Harline

2008-11-24T13:55:00.000-08:00

In True to the Faith, it says "sometimes the word Hope is misunderstood. In our everyday language, the word often has a hint of uncertainty." Some examples of this are: I hope I do well on my exam, or I hope that cute guy asks me on a date, or I hope I get my braces off before Christmas. But there is another kind of hope I would like to talk about and that is, as President Uchtdorf has said, "the great hope of mankind, even in our Redeemer, Jesus Christ...Hope in God, His goodness, and His power refreshes us with courage during difficult challenges and gives strength to those who feel threatened by enclosing walls of fear, doubt, and despair."

How do we obtain an unshakable hope in Christ? Jacob 4:6 says "Wherefore, we search the prophets, and we have many revelations and the spirit of prophecy; and having all these witnesses we obtain a hope, and our faith becometh unshaken, insomuch that we truly can command in the name of Jesus and the very trees obey us, or the mountains, or the waves of the sea." Through the Prophets' teachings in the scriptures and from modern day prophets' testimonies, we can affirm for ourselves through the Holy Spirit that these things are indeed true. Hope is an expectation; we can hope or expect that we will be healed through Christ's Atonement or we expect to be resurrected if we are faithful and obey the commandments. Jacob 4:11 says "Wherefore, beloved brethren, be reconciled unto him through the atonement of Christ, his Only Begotten Son, and ye may obtain a resurrection, according to the power of the resurrection which is in Christ, and be presented as the first-fruits of Christ unto God, having faith, and obtained a good hope of glory in him before he manifesteth himself in the flesh." Once we have this hope in Christ and His Atonement, we can put our hope into action and apply it to our own experiences, and then blessings will come in our lives because of our hope in Him and our testimonies will be strengthened.

The scriptures teach us that there must be opposition in all things. Darkness, fear, and doubt are all part of this human experience and we all feel them from time to time. During those times, it is important to remember that "...the love of God pierces all darkness, softens all sorrow, and gladdens every heart," as President Uchtdorf has stated so well. We must look to the Lord with hope and an eye of faith, that these challenges will be for our good and our experience that we will one day be like God. Believeing this truth demonstrates hope and can help lift up our spirits to carry on with optimism and confidence. One of my grandpas has that kids of hope. He turned what could have brought discouragement to determination. Eight years ago he was diagnosed with lung cancer. He was told that he had a 10% chance of surviving 5 more years. Despite this shocking news, he remained strong, positive, and hopeful. He kept his sense of humor along the rough road of chemo, surgery and radiation. In his lung cancer support group, more and more of the other patients were not survivng, but my grandpa remained strong. To this day he continues to be cancer-free and shares his faith and hope with others who are now dealing with that terrible disease. His hope in the Savior is what kept him going in the face of opposition.

Hope in Christ brings us peace and sweet knowledge that we will live again after this life to live with our families again. My neighbor who was twelve years old unfortunately was not granted the blessing of overcoming leukemia. Even though he didn't make it, his family has the hope that they will be reunited with him again. Through hope in Christ and His infinite Atonement, the pain and sorrow of their loss has been replaced with peace. President Hinckley said: "There is nothing more universal than death, and nothing brighter with hope and faith than the assurance of immortality." In John 11:25-26, Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me though he were dead, yet shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." The Savior's gentle and comforting words of this subject give all of us hope to keep living our lives worthily, with steadfastness of faith and hope in Christ that gives us the ultimate victory over death.

A powerful example of having hope in times of despair and desperation is Joseph Smith. He was tarred and feathered, many of his children died during infancy and he was imprisoned in horrible conditions at Liberty and Carthidge. Yet even after all this hardship and heartache, Joseph Smith remained faithful and kept a real hope burning right within him. I love the passage in D&C 121 where it makes an account of the prophet's time in Liberty Jail: "O God, where art thou? And where is the paviilion that covereth thine hiding place?" Then the Lord answers Joseph's anguished cry: "my Son, peace be unto thy soul. Thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; and then if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high." This comforting reassurance from God is what gave Joseph his hope during this dark and lonely time in Liberty Jail. We can have this same hope that if we endure our trials well we will be given eternal life and peace forever. It is so important that we remember this promise and that we maintain our hope in Christ during times of adversity.

In closing, President Uchtdorf said: "No matter how bleak the chapter of our lives may look today, because of the life and sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we may hope and be assured that the ending of the book of our lives will exceed our grandest expectations." Hope in Christ brings us through the rough times and if we remember the counsel given in Hebrews 6:19 "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil;" we can conquer any trial and challenge with optimism, courage and patience.

It's my testimony that the power of the Infinite Atonement is real and that it heals our lives, that if we have the infinite power of hope in Christ, our lives can be full of joy, peace and love, and that our lives in the world to come can be eternal with ever-lasting happiness. I know that the adversary also exists and he works hard to bring us down, but we must not let his weapons of despair and discouragement diminish our bright hope in Christ. I know He loves us and yearns for our return in His kingdom, and He will help us get there if we have strong hope in Him.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Works Cited:

1. True to the Faith p.

2. President Uchtdorf's talk entitled "The Infinite Power of Hope" Ensign Nov 2008

3. President Hinckley "Stand a Little Taller" p.

4. John 11:25-26 CR from Alma 5:12

5. Jacob 4:6

6. Jacob 4: 11

7. D&C 121

8. Heb 6:19 CR Alma 5:12

"Reject Not the Lord" -Mallory Manning

2008-11-24T13:24:00.000-08:00

There is a simple truth that, despite its simplicity and significance, many people choose to ignore: to reject Jesus Christ is to reject the salvation, comfort, and joy that He offers to those who believe in Him, repent, and obey His commandments. Mosiah 14:3 tells us, “He [Christ] is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not” [1]. I can think of fewer things that could cause me more sorrow and regret than to know of Jesus Christ, especially to have a testimony of Him, and then to reject Him and His word. Indeed, the scriptures tell us that the greatest sin, which cannot be pardoned and will condemn whoever commits it to eternal outer darkness, is to have a sure, manifested witness of Christ through the Spirit, and then to turn against Him and reject the truth. Conversely, nothing can bring us greater eternal joy than to be able to live with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ in the highest degree of glory of the Celestial Kingdom forever, together with our families. If we reject Jesus Christ, we cannot achieve this ultimate and most desirable goal. Jacob echoed this idea when he wrote, “And now I, Jacob, am led on by the Spirit unto prophesying; for I perceive by the workings of the Spirit which is in me, that by the stumbling of the Jews they will reject the stone upon which they might build and have safe foundation. And now, my beloved, how is it possible that these, after having rejected the sure foundation, can ever build upon it, that it may become the head of their corner?” [2].

Pride is often a main cause of a person rejecting Christ. According to the LDS concordance program, the word “reject” in Hebrew can also mean “despise,” “abuse,” and “illegalize” [3]. These meanings are very applicable to the last few weeks of Jesus Christ’s mortal life, as he was despised of, abused by, and unjustly condemned by law of the Jews, who were His chosen people. A good number of these people, most notably the Pharisees and scribes, hated Christ so much because of their pride. The New Testament is full of stories in which the Pharisees, who saw Jesus as a threat to their power, tried to catch Him in wrongdoing or contradicting Himself. They were all the more enraged and resentful of Him when they could not, and this fueled their pride and their hatred toward Him. In 1 Nephi 19:14, it says of the people of Jerusalem, “And because they turn their hearts aside, saith the prophet, and have despised the Holy One of Israel, they shall wander in the flesh, and perish, and become a hiss and a byword, and be hated among all nations” [4]. The people in the Book of Mormon, as well, were often motivated by pride when they rejected the Gospel. In Alma 5, Alma the High Priest said, “O ye workers of iniquity; ye that are puffed up in the vain things of the world, ye that have professed to have known the ways of righteousness nevertheless have gone astray, as sheep having no shepherd, notwithstanding a shepherd hath called after you and is still calling after you, but ye will not hearken unto his voice!” [5].

Many of the people whose stories are told in the Book of Mormon rejected Jesus Christ, often because of pride, and their lives bear a testament of the sorrow this choice brings to people. Throughout the history of the Nephites and Lamanites we read of what is often referred to as the “pride cycle,” which occurred numerous times (though not always) among both peoples. The people would be righteous for a time, which would cause them to prosper and become wealthy. Then their wealth would make them proud, and in their pride they would turn away from Christ, which would eventually lead to destruction and sorrow, which in turned humbled the people and often caused them to repent. After being visited by an angel along with the sons of Mosiah, Alma the Younger said, I rejected my Redeemer, and denied that which had been spoken of by our fathers; but now that they may foresee that he will come, and that he remembereth every creature of his creating, he will make himself manifest unto all” [6]. The story of Alma the Younger’s remarkable repentance after having rejected Christ and the teachings of his father for so many years gives great hope for those who may have turned away from the Gospel or may be refusing to listen to the word of Christ at the time being.

People may reject Christ and the gospel because of fear or guilt stemming from things they have done in the past that they feel that they cannot be forgiven for. This can be caused by an imperfect or incomplete understanding of the repentance process or the Atonement of Christ. In Spanish, the word “rechazar,” or “to reject,” can also mean “to resist” or “to avoid” [7]. Small children avoid their parents when they know they have done something wrong; similarly, children of God may tend to avoid Him and Christ when they are ashamed of something they have done or fearful of being punished. Understanding the Atonement and our Savior’s love for us can help overcome this fear and be willing to accept Christ and abide by His laws.

I once struggled with this very problem when I was about ten years old. I loved to play with fire, and my mom was very strict about letting me use candles in the basement. One day I wanted to have a relaxing bath in the basement bathroom, so I sneaked a couple candles down and lit them in the bathroom. However, the smoke from the candles and match built up in the small bathroom and set off the smoke alarm, which I quickly turned off. I lied to my mom and told her that it had made noise because the batteries were low, and I even went as far as to change the batteries unnecessarily to cover up my disobedience. Even though it wasn’t a very severe mistake with big consequences, it ate away at me for weeks, but I avoided repenting because I was so ashamed of disobeying my mom and lying to her. Finally, though I accepted that I would never feel better until I repented, so I told my mom about my mistake, and she was very kind about it. (She did confiscate my candles for a while, though.) The catalyst for my decision to tell my mom was a scripture we read in Primary the previous Sunday: “O ye fair ones, how could ye have departed from the ways of the Lord! O ye fair ones, how could ye have rejected that Jesus, who stood with open arms to receive you!” [8]. I have a testimony that Christ is indeed waiting with open arms to receive us if will not reject Him, but repent of our sins and follow Him willingly. I know He loves us and wants us to be happy, which we cannot be unless we obey Him and allow His Atonement to apply to us by repenting and believing.

Works Cited

[1] Book of Mormon, Mosiah 14:3
[2] Book of Mormon, Jacob 4: 15, 17
[3] LDS Concordance Language Program
[4] Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 19:14
[5] Book of Mormon, Alma 5:37
[6] Book of Mormon, Mosiah 27:30
[7] LDS Concordance Language Program
[8] Book of Mormon, 6:17

A Holy Invitation: Awake Unto God...

2008-11-24T12:39:00.000-08:00

By: Sarah Langford
The glorious rays of sunshine invite the quiet dawn to wake the sleeping world. As the sunrise passes along day to night, the moonbeam invites the world to slow down and return to rest. The falling autumn leaves invite the chill of winter to cover the world. Yet the promised season of spring invites the frost to melt and life to continue to grow. The glorious gift of change constantly surrounds us. The great philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus discovered the teaching that “The only constant is change”. Seasons come and go, people come and go, and hours come and go each day. These constant changes within the natural world remind us of this truth and invite us to accept the reality of the inevitable concept of change.

In addition to changes within the natural realm of life, there are also important changes within the spiritual realm of life. As the natural sun changes the darkness of night to day, so too does the literal Son of God, invite man to change out of darkness into light. This change does not involve the phases of the moon, the seasons, or even friends that come and go. This change is solely for one’s heart. It is strictly personal, confidential, and private. “No one is more anxious to see us change our lives than the Father and the Savior. In the book of Revelation is a powerful and profound invitation from the Savior. He says, “I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him” (1). He does not say, “I stand at the door and wait for you to knock.” He is calling, beckoning, asking that we simply open our hearts and let Him in (2).

A change of heart means to have a reversal of one’s opinion, attitude, or feelings (3). The word change itself comes from the Latin word cambiare meaning to exchange. Change has several different synonyms such as transform, switch, modify, become different, replace and reverse. With the Latin meaning of exchange, how can we open our hearts and exchange our old ways of the world with the spiritual desire to let the Savior in? How can we experience this change of heart? The Book of Mormon contains a wonderful example in better understanding this necessary moment. In the book of Alma, a holy invitation is given to all to have this spiritual experience. “Being pure in testimony, the holy prophet Alma posed over forty crucial questions regarding the commitment to the Savior to the people of Zarahemla” (4). The people at this time were not living inline with the teachings of the Savior. Amongst these forty questions, he offered three holy invitations to improve the quality of life and help souls become closer to the Lord. “I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?” (5).

Alma’s piercing inquiries are valid for each of us to ask ourselves repeatedly throughout life. To be born again spiritually, to have the Lord’s image in our countenance, and have this mighty change of heart, we have to get rid of any trace of the natural man, repent of our old ways, and exchange them for a heart devoted to the righteous ways of the Lord. Like Alma we have to be “… changed from [our] carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness, being redeemed of God, becoming his sons and daughters” (6). This is the invitation to exchange unrighteousness for righteousness. With a commitment to righteousness, a change of heart is a change in a person’s entire life. Thoughts, feelings, desires, actions, and everything that the heart represents are exchanged, reversed, modified, transformed or switched for the better. This change is what the Lord was speaking of when he commanded “See that ye serve [the Lord] with all your heart, might, mind and strength” (7). Once we give our might, mind and strength to the Lord, our hearts will come out of darkness into the light of the Savior.

Enduring through the various changes in this life, a change of heart is one of the most important experiences for spiritual progression. “We all must at some point experience that change of heart and that rebirth of the Spirit as we continue in the process of conversion. The process of rebirth and change of heart is intended to be comprehensive, available to all nations, and, hence, each individual.”(8). This change of heart is completely individual. Alma, at one point an enemy of God, changed his nature, his will, and his heart, to become an advocate for the Lord and a Christian example to the world. We each can have this individual transformation. I personally lived eighteen years of my life with the shadow of worldly darkness over my head. I did not fully have my eye single to the Lord’s glory. I was happy and enjoyed life, but did not have the greater joy and happiness found in a life in line with the will of the Lord. Once I decided for myself to change, to pray more earnestly, ponder more sincerely, and speak much kinder, something happened. A desire to be better, to serve more, dress more modestly, and live true to my religion, swelled inside of my heart. I gave myself to the Lord, and in doing so found out who I really am at heart. My entire nature changed and all because I committed myself to the Lord. “The Lord works from the inside out. The world works from the outside in. The world would take people out of the slums. Christ takes the slums out of people, and then they take themselves out of the slums” (8). The Lord helps us make this important transformation. He is there, willing, and wanting to help bring us closer to Him. He is the light, shining through the clouds of darkness, hoping we will look and seek after His goodness. It is a choice we must make individually. “You do change human nature, your own human nature, if you surrender it to Christ” (8). Since I have surrendered my heart to Christ, my heartbeats are happier, the Spirit speaks deeper to my soul, and my life is pleasantly clearer. My heart has often felt like singing the song of redeeming love and continues to sing out with joy with every sunrise (9). All because of my permanent, real change of heart.
This beautifully sincere and holy invitation summons mankind to reflect upon our souls and contemplate the nature of our hearts. If it seems as if our lives are in the midst of darkness, or we are lost in a deep sleep, let the power and love of the Lord work upon you and confer a mighty change of heart within you. He can change you. “Behold, he changed their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God” (10). This is the Lord’s holy invitation: a call to awake unto God.
A holy invitation is, Offered to all mankind, to come
Unto the true loving Savior, With true change in heart, soul, and mind.
A change that only brings blessings, From the heavenly hosts above,
A change that brings true happiness, and wraps your soul in God’s sweet love.

Just as the sunshine softly and gently invites us to awake from the world of darkness, our Savior and Light of the World invites us to arise and awake unto the happiness found in the Lord. With each sunrise, arise, and awake unto God.

Sources

1) Rev. 3:20.
2) Ezra Taft Benson, “A Mighty Change of Heart,” Ensign, Oct 1989, 2.
3) "Change of heart." The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, 2004. 23 Nov. 2008.
4) Keith K. Hilbig, “Experiencing a Change of Heart,” Ensign, Jun 2008, 29–33
5) Alma 5:14
6) Mosiah 27:25
7) D&C 4:2
8) First Presidency Message. “Born of God”. By: President Ezra Taft Benson.
9) Alma 5:26
10) Alma:5:7

The "How-To" on Changing your Heart- Chadd Johnson

2008-11-24T12:08:00.000-08:00

In the Book of Mormon a "Change of Heart" is often talked about. Prophets from King Benjamin to Helaman discuss the subject as the effect that bringing Christ into your life has, a change of heart. Readers know all this, but often they overlook what this means. Having your heart changed creates a chain reaction that eventually leads to an entirely changes person. A change of heart is more than the heart.

In Alma 5:7, Alma Jr. is preaching to the people and reminding them of what their parents went through, "Behold, he change their hearts; yea, he awakened them out of a deep sleep, and they awoke unto God. Behold, they were in the midst of darkness; nevertheless, their souls were illuminated by the light of the everlasting word; yea, they were encircled about by the bands of death, and the chains of hell, and an everlasting destruction did await them." This scripture is explaining what a change of heart feels like. It is being set free from whatever is holding you back. Quiting smoking, overcoming temptation, breaking bad habits, and baptism are all times in which your heart changes. Interestingly the word for 'heart' in Greek is 'Kardia.' While it means heart is also means "thoughts or feelings." A change of heart is therefore a change of your thoughts or feelings to align them with God's. We should be having 'thought' changes everyday of our lives until we are perfectly aligned with God.

How do we know when we have received a change of heart. Later, in the same chapter, verses 14-15 he continues his talk on a change of heart. He asks them if they have been born again, which is synonymous with a change of heart. In verse 15 he gives the blueprint to know if this has happened, "Do ye exercise faith in the redemption of him who created you? Do you look forward with an eye of faith, and view this mortal body raised in immortality, and this corruption raised in incorruption, to stand before God to be judged according to the deeds which have been done in the mortal body?" When we have gained a change of heart we will have greater faith in the atonement and Resurrection.

In my own personal life I have experienced this change. The change did not come to me in a flash of lightening, or in one singular moment. My heart has been changed in steps. I have changed, as it says in Mosiah 27:25, "from (my) carnal and fallen state, to a state of righteousness." The key, for me, to obtain this was to pray, study, and have faith. If you want to have a change of heart I plead with you to go to your Father in Heaven in prayer and ask him. Then read and study his words written in the scriptures. The people in Mosiah 5:2 received this "mighty change" when they listened to the prophet, so it stands to reason that the same thing will happen to others if they do the same.

A Change of Heart is when your thoughts or feelings are altered. We get this through prayer, study, and faith. I tell you that this is true. We can get a change of heart from following the teachings of Christ and prophets. He leads and guides the church today through his servant the prophet. I challenge any of you readers that wants to grow closer to God, to pray and read the Book of Mormon. It works. It has and still does work in my life.

Works Cited:

Alma 5:7

Alma 5:14

Alma 5:15

Mosiah 27: 25

Mosiah 5:2

LDS Scripture Concordance Greek Dictionary "Heart"

Picture from LDS.org

New Person In Christ

2008-11-24T11:53:00.000-08:00

Souls With Strength To Serve by Morgan Shill

2008-11-24T07:43:00.000-08:00

The word "soul" can have many different meanings. Soul translated from Arabic means "the core of." Soul translated from Hebrew means "heart, emotion, and embodiment." Lds. org defines soul as, "a synonym for spirit to describe a person in four different phases of his or her eternal existence (pre-mortal life, earthly life, the spirit world, and the resurrection). Today I would like to discuss the earthly phase where the spirit is joined with the body, and I would also like to talk about giving our souls to service.

Throughout our earthly life, the Church can be an anchor for our souls. President Hinckley has said, "Cling to the Church. If you do so it will become as an anchor in the midst of a stormy sea, It will be a light to your lives and a foundation upon which to build them." Jacob 2:8 reads, "And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul." Both this scripture and quote enforce the idea that the Gospel of Christ is a sure foundation that our souls can build upon. When we are struggling or being tried, the Church can be our support and mend our broken souls in times of trouble. The Gospel can be our guide, and give us purpose in times when we are lost and feel hopeless.

We must offer our souls in service to the Lord and live the Gospel so that we can live with Heavenly Father again one day. In Omni 1:26 we read, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved." In this scripture we are promised that if we come unto Christ and offer him our "whole soul," fast, pray, and endure to the end, we will be saved. Although this seems like much to offer, we owe everything to the Lord. He has given us everything that we possess and the only true thing we have to give back to him is our service to others. When we serve we feel true joy and happiness from the work we do, which is a blessing in and of itself. By offering our soul to the Lord, we can be instruments in his hands, so as to spread the Gospel throughout the nations.

Through service in Christ, and a grateful heart we can become "unprofitable servants." Mosiah 2:20-21 reads, "I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another- I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day by lending you breath, that ye my live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another- I say if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." I really like this scripture because it has so much power in it. It helps us to remember and realize how blessed we are because of the love and goodness that Heavenly Father has given each and every one of us. He has blessed each of us immensely with a body, and agency, and so many other temporal and spiritual blessings. When we serve the Lord with our whole soul, we serve him through serving others and bringing the truth and light of the Gospel to those that surround us. I have a personal testimony that when we serve others with a grateful, and humble heart, we will be blessed and find light and happiness in our efforts.

When we serve Heavenly Father and give him the service of our souls, we will receive blessings. We can find one example of this in the Words of Mormon 1:18, which reads, "Wherefore, with the help of these, king Benjamin, by laboring with all the might of his body and faculty of his whole soul, and also the prophets, did once more establish peace in the land." Another example can be found in Mosiah 26:14-15. "And it came to pass that after he had poured out his whole soul to God, the voice of the Lord came to him saying: Blessed art thou Alma, and blessed are they who were baptized in the waters of Mormon. Thou art blessed because of thy exceeding faith..." Both King Benjamin and Alma were blessed for serving the Lord with all of their souls. A little over a year ago I had the opportunity to go and help clean the Conference Center with two of my friends, my dad, and a few people from my ward. We had to do various things like vacuuming the aisles, and cleaning the choir chairs, etc. At one point during the night i was cleaning up on the stage and I walked up and stood at the podium and looked out over all the empty chairs. As I looked out at the vast number of seats, I imagined how during conference all of the seats are full with steadfast, valiant members of the Church. In that moment the spirit overwhelmed me, and re-testified to me of how truly amazing this Gospel is, and how lucky we are to know of its truth. If I had not taken the opportunity to serve by cleaning in the Conference Center, I never would have had this wonderful experience. I would like to bare testimony that I know that when we choose to serve and offer our souls to the Lord, we will be blessed and be filled with Christ's love.

Works Cited:

1. The Book of Mormon

2. www.lds.org

3. Stand a Little Taller by Gordon B. Hinckley

Firm as the Mountains by Lauren Bush

2008-11-23T21:16:00.000-08:00

While a declining society beckons us to be weak and self-indulgent, the growing gospel cries out for every soul to be firm. Firmness in mind and spirit allows us to be securely fixed on a proper course through life. Being solid and unyielding can be beneficial, but on the other hand, a rigid and hardened heart is the kind of firmness to be avoided at all costs. Furthermore, as a true seeker longs for spiritual firmness, the Savior is the rock in which to draw that strength from. As we continue to apply correct principles in our life, we derive a firmness that enables us to be valiant disciples of Jesus Christ.

Spiritual firmness means to be strong, immovable, secure, steadfast, and solid in the gospel. “Look unto God with firmness of mind, and pray unto him with exceeding faith, and he will console you in your afflictions, and he will plead your cause, and send down justice upon those who seek your destruction” (1). Firmness of mind and spirit enables individuals to live courageously. The prophet Abinidai had great firmness of mind when it came to dealing with Kind Noah. He was so immovable in his spiritual strength that he never wavered, and faced death with extreme courage. Latter-Day Saints can have the same kind of strength and firmness when they experience persecution or difficulties. “Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable in keeping the commandments of God, and they bore with patience the persecution which was heaped upon them” (2). Recently, my home state of Arizona voted on, and passed, Proposition 102 that amends the Constitution citing marriage as being between one man and one woman. The same proposal was passed with Proposition 108 in the state of California. After the voting process was over, Latter-Day Saints were singled out and persecuted and people I know personally have been threatened physically and emotionally. Aside from a little diss here and there throughout High School about my religion, I had never seen this kind of persecution or hatred. It is pleasing, and comforting, to realize that this does not scare me or affect me, because I am firm and steadfast in my faith.

Unfortunately, there are other forms of firmness that are dangerous and crippling to our spiritual well-being. “Ye are lifted up in the pride of your hearts, and wear stiff necks and high heads because of the costliness of your apparel, and persecute your brethren because ye suppose that ye are better than they” (3). I admit to being caught up in this unflattering kind of stiffness in High School. Expensive jeans and name-brand clothing were a temptation I often indulged in. I rarely found something to my liking on the sales rack or discount table. I am sure there were times my neck was stiff as a board! Now I am a poor college student and have changed my ways! As awful as this is, there is another form of firmness even more undesirable; a hard heart. “Now the eyes of the people were blinded; therefore they hardened their hearts against the words of Abinadi, and they sought from that time forward to take him. And king Noah hardened his heart against the word of the Lord, and he did not repent of his evil doings” (4). It is difficult to soften a hard heart. Stiffness and hardness pull us away from Christ. They lack the foundation of firmness that enables us to live with true happiness.

There is but one firm foundation on which to base our lives. It is a rock upon which we can always rely on for strength - it is our Savior Jesus Christ. “Wherefore, the people of Nephi did fortify against them with their arms, and with all their might, trusting in the God and rock of their salvation; wherefore, they became as yet, conquerors of their enemies” (5). When one is firm it means one is not likely to change. The Savior will never change. “Change and decay in all around I see; O thou who changest not, abide with me!” (6) When we rely on Jesus Christ we are able to stand firm in our convictions. David O Mckay once said, “If you have a testimony of Christ on your side, you can pass through the dark valley of slander, misrepresentation, and abuse, undaunted as though you wore a magic suit of mail, that no bullet could enter, no arrow could pierce. You can hold your head high, toss it fearlessly and defiantly, look every man calmly and unflinchingly in the eye, as though you rode, a victorious king returning at the head of your legions, with banners waving and lances glistening and bugles filling the air with music” (7).

As the world grows increasingly more wicked, it is more important than ever to have a firm spiritual backbone. Spiritual firmness enables us to stay on the path of righteousness and provides the greatest degree of happiness. When we allow ourselves to get stiff, or harden our hearts to the teachings of the gospel, we become spiritually weakened. The one true way to find the necessary strength we need is to believe in Christ. He is our rock. Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, “May you and I build our lives upon the foundation of Christ. May we apply correct principles to become steadfast and immovable - solid, firm, resolute, firmly secured, and incapable of being diverted from the path of righteousness - keeping and honoring our covenants and commitments, living worthy and pure lives, and becoming valiant disciples of the Savior” (8). I too testify of the importance of being steadfast and immovable. It is a pleasure each day to stand on campus and look upon the beautiful Wasatch mountains. They represent firmness to me and are a daily reminder to be strong in my faith. “Firm as the mountains around us, stalwart and brave we stand. On the rock our fathers planted for us in this goodly land” (9). I further testify that to have a hard heart, or to be firm in opposition to the gospel plan, is dangerous and can even cause spiritual death. If we believe in Christ, and take his name upon us, we will find the courage we need to fight temptation and overlook persecution and difficulty.

Works Cited
1. Jacob 3:1
2. Alma 1:25
3. Jacob 2:13
4. Mosiah 11:29
5. Jacob 7:25
6. Hymn #166
7. David O. Mckay, CR, Apr. 1958, p. 130
8. David A. Bednar, “steadfast and Immovable, Always Abounding in Good Works,” New Era, Jan 2008, 2-6
9. Hymn #255

“The Truth shall make you free” – by Lindsay Chandler

2008-11-23T21:10:00.000-08:00

The scripture that I chose for the title of this blog [1] is one of my favorites, because it is full of hope! I feel hopeful about this scripture because I do have truth, or at least a great deal of truth. I don’t understand everything yet, but I am learning. While I learn more about the gospel, about the world, and about my relationship with Heavenly Father, I am freeing myself from the chains of ignorance and doubt. Heavenly Father wants his children to be free, to have the truth. He has provided so many sources of spiritual and temporal knowledge because if we are to be like Him some day, we must understand truth as well.

One of the greatest sources of truth that has been given to us is the Holy Ghost. The Spirit can bear witness to us of the truth of all things. As Jacob says, “the Spirit speaketh the truth and lieth not” [2]. We can trust in spiritual promptings because the Holy Ghost cannot lead us astray. He can remind us of the things we’ve studied when we take a test at school, confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon to an investigator, or reassure a struggling member of his or her testimony of the gospel. I am so grateful for the gift of the Spirit, because he has strengthened my testimony of truth countless times in my life. I remember one morning I woke up very early and went outside to write in my journal and study the scriptures as the sun was rising. In those quiet moments, I prayed to have a witness that Joseph Smith was a true prophet, as I had been reading in Joseph Smith History that day. My prayer was answered with a peaceful, firm confirmation of the truth of his mission. I believe that I received that witness because I did as King Benjamin encouraged when he said to “open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view” [3]. When we do the things that invite the Spirit into our lives, we open our minds to receive truth.

The world is full of people who claim to know the truth. But we know that while people of other faiths have some truth, they do not have the full truth. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the full truth. We also know that Christ’s truth may be different than man’s truth, because His truth is complete. The Hebrew word for “truth” is expressed in several different forms, but two variances of the word struck me as particularly meaningful. The first is “’amitt,” which means “Christ’s truth.” It is used to mean “thy truth,” or “His truth.” The other is the word “alethos,” which means “a truth” [4]. The definition “a truth,” seems to have less force and meaning to me, while an expression noting “Christ’s truth” is steadfast and immovable. It is holy. I feel like I can trust what Christ teaches us because His truth is complete and correct. Alma says that “the glory of the Only Begotten of the Father [is] full of grace, equity, and truth” [5]. We worship Christ and reverence His name because his glory is truth.

Not only is the truth of the gospel complete, it is endless. God’s words to His people were as applicable to the children of Israel as they are to us, and the standards that we live by will still be in place in the last days. Even in eternity, the truth will be the same. As Abinadi said, Christ “is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened” [6]. Light and truth are often synonymous in the scriptures, so this scripture is saying that Christ’s truth is endless. I am grateful to have truth that will be applicable in the eternities. It is comforting to know that when I study the scriptures and listen to the words of the prophets today, I am preparing for my future.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we are blessed to have important truths, but we also have a responsibility with those truths. First of all, we have a responsibility to seek out truth. Robert R. Steuer, a member of the seventy, said that “the light and truth we see in all things urges us to obtain knowledge by study and by faith” [7]. We have many ways to obtain this truth, through the scriptures, through prayer and spiritual revelation, and through the words of the living prophets. Second, we have a responsibility to live the values that we know to be correct. Alma remarks that if the people who had been blessed with light and knowledge had transgressed, it would have been worse than if the Lamanites, who did not have the truth, had transgressed [8]. This is because the Lord expects more from the people who understand the truth. Finally, we have a responsibility to share this truth with others. The gospel is spreading rapidly throughout the world because there are countless souls who are seeking for the truth. We must share the truth that we have with them.

I have a testimony of the truth of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. I know that it is endless, eternal truth, and that it brings much hope and joy to the lives of those who follow it. I am so grateful for the gift of the Spirit, and for the truth that the Spirit reveals to us.

Works cited:
[1] (Title) John 8:32
[2] Jacob 4:13
[3] Mosiah 2:9
[4] LDS Scripture Concordance Program
[5] Alma 9:26
[6] Mosiah 16:9
[7] Robert R. Steuer, “The Power of Light and Truth,” Liahona, May 2008, 99–101
[8] Alma 9:23

The Holy Bible. King James text: LDS version. Salt Lake: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

The Book of Mormon. Salt Lake: Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Image: http://www.scripturecase.com/quad.asp

Derek Died, but Peace Survived by Amy Symmes

2008-11-23T20:33:00.001-08:00

Events in life can be unexpected. Last Monday my good friend Derek Lowry, who was only twenty-one died. He became sick, was taken to the hospital, and died from medical complications in the same day. The day before that he was fine. He had told his family that he was finally at peace with not being able to serve his entire mission because of health issues. Was it because he was finally at peace that he died? His mother said it was his time to go because it all happened so quickly. So when he got sick, God used it as his chance to take him. His family said that now Derek gets to start his real mission in the Kingdom of Heaven. A scripture that has brought me comfort as I remember Derek is St. John 16:33 and it says, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” What peace this scripture brought to me. I know that Derek feels peace because he is with God now. I am in this world still and Derek’s death has been an unexpected tribulation but in God I can have peace.

Derek left this world having a peace of mind, just as he told his parents. Since we never really know when it will be our time to leave this world we should live always with a peace of mind. In Mosiah 4:3 it says, “And it came to pass that after they had spoken these words the Spirit of the Lord came upon them, and they were filled with joy having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ who should come[…].” This scripture tells us that if we are clean and without sin that we can have peace of mind. Derek was the most childlike person I know. He even fainted when he tried to kiss a girl the first time. This boy did not commit huge sins and he was able to tell others that he was at peace with himself because of it. If we try to keep ourselves clean and pure, without sin in front of our Lord daily and forever we can always have peace of conscience and be ready to meet our maker when the time comes. We can meet our maker with peace of conscience like Derek did.

Another thing that adds to peace of mind is being good to others. Mosiah 4:5 states “And ye will not have a mind to injure one another, but to live peaceably, and to render to every man according to that which is his due.” Derek made everyone around him feel like they were worth something. He was the reason I would go to my singles ward activities. Derek made me feel loved. I can liken this unto living with my roommate. My roommate, Sarah, and I get along so well. It is because we are kind to each other and we try to live peaceably. I don’t put my stuff on her side of the room because I have my own side. This solves conflicts that could be started otherwise. We also look out for each other in good ways. We are kind when the other is having a bad day. We serve each other. We do not try to outdo, or be better than the other but we shower each other with love. Our room is a happier place because of it. This makes our lives better and brings a peace into our apartment that would not be there if we did otherwise. Derek also brought peace into the lives of others because he showed them so much love.

If we want to have peace we should turn to God. “The founder of peace, yea, even the Lord” is the only way we will obtain peace in our lives. The devil cannot replicate the feeling of peace. I know that the peace I feel over Derek's passing is from God.

Peace can affect us in positive ways. If we try to “ establish peace” we will gain peace. When I am at peace, I feel a sense of hope. Because the spirit speaks peace to my soul, I can know that Derek is in the right place. He is where God wants him to be. I know that families can be together forever and I can feel peace knowing that Derek’s family and friends will be able to see him again. It was hard for me to let Derek go, but as I turn to God I can feel peace. Peace as I live peaceably with others, peace as I look to God, and peace as I follow Derek’s example of living a Christ-like life. I will miss Derek but I have a peace of mind knowing he is with our Heavenly Father. May this be a tribute to Derek. I know our Heavenly Father lives and that Derek will be doing a great work in his Kingdom. I love you Derek.

Works Cited

1. John 16:33 (cross reference)

2. Mosiah 4:3

3. Mosiah 4:13

4. Mosiah 15:18

5. Mosiah 29:14

Peace is Possible- McKenna Weir

2008-11-23T15:33:00.000-08:00

Among the Savior's many titles He is called, The Prince of Peace. Christ, through his sacrifice for peace, broke the barrier between the fallen man and Heavenly Father. Paul taught this principle beautifully in Ephesians. He wrote: “Without Christ (we are) aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the World: But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us... so making peace... For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father.” 1 This doctrine is full of hope. I love imagery of the title Prince of Peace. As a Prince or government ruler, Christ provides for His people. He makes sure their needs are met. The way Christ assures us of this is through the feeling of peace. Peace is the language of the Spirit; the medium of prayer.
During times of trial we rely on and seek this assurance. The people of Limhi were in bondage to the Lamanites, but they had a righteous king who “began to establish peace among his people.” 2 Although, peace did not last in the land because of wars and contention, the people of Limhi were taught to rely on the Lord. They knew the pattern that would bring them prosperity. We learn from their experience that trials are not an absence of peace, but a time in which we often learn most about peace. I have noticed through my own experience that I learn the most about how to establish peace in my times of trials. In the summer before my junior year I went to a month long Governor's School program at Virginia Tech. I was one of only two members of the church in the whole program. I felt that during my time at governors school I had to defend my standards constantly. I felt outnumbered and I did not have the strength of my family or even my ward to rely on. I took President Monson's counsel wise words, “The passport to peace is the practice of prayer” to heart and took my concerns to the Lord. 3 Through the power of God's peace, felt assured that I was not alone in my time of trial.
The Atonement brings peace of conscience- an assurance of our standing before the Lord. King Benjamin taught his people of the redeeming power of the Atonement and admonished them to repent. The people felt the truth of these words. “The Spirit of the Lord came upon them and they were filled with joy, having received a remission of their sins, and having peace of conscience, because of the exceeding faith which they had in Jesus Christ.”4 When our conscience is free from the burden of sins we can become close to our Father in Heaven in a new way. I've noticed this in my own prayers. When I am not burdened by my own mistakes I can focus on building my relationship with my Father in Heaven through counseling. I don't mean that repentance does not bring us closer to Heavenly Father, but it is a step in our eternal progression that allows us to further understand the nature of God.
The work of missionaries is to offer the peace of the gospel through testifying and inviting the Spirit. The words of Isaiah are quoted in Mosiah 12:21. Isaiah exclaims, “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings; that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good; that publisheth salvation; that saith unto Zion, thy God reigneth.”5 Mosiah 27: 37 makes a similar exclamation, “How blessed are they! For they did publish peace.”6 I love the phrase “publisheth peace”. In French the word publish is similar to share. We share the message of peace because it is offered to all of God's children. There is an endless supply of God's love and we share that with our fellowmen by teaching the restored word of God. The word publish implies sureness. Those that publish peace are sure of their knowledge in Christ and are unashamed. Missionaries truly become Saviors as they offer the rich blessing of peace in the gospel.
During times of trial we seek the Lord's peace and come before Him in prayer. We are humbled by His mercy and the peace offered through the Atonement. Our gratitude inspires us to share this message that God lives. We can be assured of eternal things and be strengthened in our lives now. I have the same prayer as Alma. “May the peace of God rest upon you”. 7 May we all strive to be peacemakers in our homes and communities. As Russel. M. Nelson said, “Peace is possible.” 8 All things are possible when we turn to the Lord.
I am grateful for my Savior Jesus Christ. I know He lives and I know that because of Him we can return to our Heavenly home. I'm grateful for the peace I've felt in this knowledge. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

1. Ephesians 2: 12-19
2. Mosiah 19:28
3. Thomas S. Monson, “Gifts,” Ensign, May 1993, 59
4. Mosiah 4:3
5. Mosiah 12:21
6. Mosiah 27:37
7. Alma 7:27
8. Russell M. Nelson, “‘Blessed Are the Peacemakers’,” Liahona, Nov 2002, 39–42

Katie Bourne "How to Change Your Heart"

2008-11-21T14:20:00.000-08:00

The scripture that had a large impact on changing my heart, and should have the same effect on yours, is Alma 5:16. "I say unto you, can you imagine to yourselves that ye hear he voice of the Lord, saying unto you, in that day: come unto me ye blessed , for behold, your works have been the works of righteousness upon the face of the earth?"

When I received my acceptance letter to BYU I didn't know whether to laugh or cry. I always knew that BYU had a wonderful education and exquisite students, but it never felt right for me. I always listened to the rumors and trash talk that everyone around me kept saying. I admit, I wasn't excited to be joining my 3 siblings here in Provo. I really needed a change of heart. It wasn't until about a month and a half into school that I realized how my life would be changed. My heart began to soften and now I couldn't be happier to be attending BYU.

My heart felt restricted by the Church, I knew in my head the church set us free but my heart didn't feel it. President Boyde K. Packar said, "One of Satan's most frequently used deceptions is the notion that the commandments of God are meant to restrict freedom and limit happiness. Young people especially, sometimes feel that the standards of the Lord are like fences and chains, blocking them from those activities that seem most enjoyable in life. But exacly the opposite is true. The gospel plan is the plan by which men are brought to a fulness of joy. This is the first concept I wish to stress: The gospel principles are the steps and guidelines that will help us find true happiness and joy." Until you soften your heart, you can not see all the blessings that are pouring down upon you.

Alma 5:26 reads: "And now behold, I say unto you my beloved bretheren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?" After experiencing a change of heart, you can always experience it again. When our hearts are hard the spirit cannot dwell in them. We must have love and a tenderness in our hearts for all things. Having the right perspective on situations sets you free. Even your worst trials can turn out to be blessings. Along with the right perspective we must have the drive to never repeat our actions or thoughts again. Mosiah 5:2 says, "...because of the spirit of the Lord Omnipotent, which has wrought a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually."

A change of heart requires repentence. Once we accept the Atonement we will be able to accept ourselves. We will have a new attitude toward God, oneself, and life in general. Here at BYU I see the hand of God every day, from the beautiful whether to the smiles I see on campus. My mind has been set free because everyday I am surrounded by the gospel. There is no division between my church life and my "real" life; THEY ARE ONE. That is what this church is all about, that is what our lives should all be about. Everyday I wake up and see everything I could ever wish for right at my fingertips.

Alma 5:16

Alma 5:26

Mosiah 5:2

Boyde K. Packer

The Ultimate Hope-Cortney Black

2008-11-21T09:50:00.000-08:00

In Alma 7:24 it reads, "And see that ye have faith, hope and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works." Hope is defined as, "the confident expectation of and longing for the promised blessings of righteousness." We use the principle of hope in everything we do in our lives. We use it for simple things such as hoping we will do good on a test, hoping our team will win the game or hoping that you will have enough money for something. There is a deeper hope that we must have to make it through this life. We must have hope in Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father and their plan that they have made for us. In Jacob 4:4 it reads, "For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had a hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us. " Here we have testimony of Christ's coming and his glory. In Mosiah 4:9 it says, "Believe in God, believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth, believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." If we do believe in God and know that he knows so much more than us, he knows what we are going through and why, we will be able to make it through anything that comes our way.

There is a quote that hangs in my house with a picture of Jesus Christ that says, "I never said it would be easy, I only said it would be worth it." I love this because it is saying that this life will be hard, but that is why we are here-to show that we can make it through our trials and progress towards something better. Elder James E. Faust explains the purpose of trials in our lives, "That is part of our mortal test. The reason for some of these trials cannot be readily understood except on the basis of faith and hope because there is often a larger purpose which we do not always understand. Peace comes through hope." We will not always understand the purpose of hard times in our lives, but through peace and hope we can know that they are for a larger purpose and will benefit us in the end. President Hinckley is one of the greatest examples I know of somebody that exhibited ultimate hope in all things. He once said, "It isn't as bad as you sometimes think it is. It all works out. Don't worry. I say that to myself every morning. It will all work out. Put your trust in God, and move forwards with faith and confidence in the future. The Lord will not forsake us. He will not forsaks us. If we will put our trust in Him, if we will pray to Him, if we will live worthy of His blessings, He will hear our prayers." I love the part where he says, "It all works out. Don't worry." When hard times come we need to take them as they are and persevere through whatever it may be with hope, it will all work out.

When hard times come our way we need to rely on the Lord and have hope that he will be there for us. In Alma 9:17 it reads, "And at some period of time they will be brought to believe in his word, and to know of the incorrectness of the traditions of their fathers; and many of them will be saves, for the Lord will be merciful unto all who call on his name." We can use prayer to communicate with Heavenly Father and he can help us through any problem we ever face. When my mom was pregnant with my youngest sister, it was her sixth child and she had begun to have medical problems as the pregnancy progressed. As my mom and dad met with their doctor he urged them to consider an abortion to avoid any possible health risks on my mother and/or my sister. Not even considering this option my Mom and Dad told the doctor no, they would continue the pregnancy. Of course the doctor continued to try and convince them, but they would not budge. Throughout the pregnancy my parents relied on the Lord to help them through this difficult time. The health problems continued throughout the pregnancy, but on February 8, 1996 my little sister was delivered, with her and my mom as healthy as could be. The Lord will be merciful unto those who call on his name, he is there to support us in everything.

One thing in the church that has always impressed me is those that choose to go on missions. I have so much respect for the thousands of missionaries that are serving for our church right now, have served or will serve some day. I think it is such an amazing thing for a young person to choose to give two or one-and-a-half years of their life to the Lord. Really we all should because of all that Christ has done for us, but that age is such where so much could be happening and to choose to spend your money and time to progress the work of the Lord is amazing. These missionaries have such a strong hope that everything will work out and that a mission is where they are supposed to be. With that hope they are able to serve the Lord and the church and know that everything will work out. September 2007-My brother arriving home from his mission to Knoxville, TN.

Elder Faust tells us that the unfailing source of hope is, "the knowledge we have that we are sons and daughters of God and that His son, the Lord Jesus Christ, saved us from death. We can feel Jesus Christ's presence by continually seeking to live uner the shadow of His influcence." In Alma 22:16 it says, "But Aaron said unto him; If thou desirest this thing, if thou wilt bow down before God, yea, if thou wilt repent of all they sins, and will bow down before God, and call on his name in faith, believing that ye shall recieve, then shalt thou receive the hope which thou desirest." If we do these things we will recieve the hope we need to make it through this life and recieve eternal life. All we need to know is that we are sons and daughters of a Heavenly Father who loves us and wants what is best for us. He is willing to do anything to help us and guide us back to him.

I would like to end by bearing my testimony that I know this church is true. I know that we are children of God and with this knowledge we can have hope and make it through anything that comes our way. This life is not easy, but in the end anything we experienced will be well worth it. I know the scriptures are true and they can serve as personal doctrine and revelation for all of us. I know President Thomas S. Monson is a true prophet and leads us in these days. I am so grateful for this church and the knowledge I have of it. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Works Cited:

"Hope"-Elder Faust

The Book of Mormon

"The Ultimate Hope"-Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all - Heather Harston

2008-11-20T15:05:00.000-08:00

Love and charity are two gospel principles that go hand in hand. They are used as synonyms for each other, but I wish to explore a little deeper the meaning of each love and charity. Love can be defined in many ways. The book “True to the Faith” defines is as a feeling of deep devotion, concern, and affection.[1] Charity is the pure love of Christ, or everlasting love. These two virtues are essential in our earthly life and our eternal salvation. Love can be expressed in so many ways. It can be as simple as a smile and as easy as showing kindness. You can express your love by listening, sharing the gospel, serving others, and just being a friend.

We have each been invited to “feast upon [Christ’s] love.” [2] There are many examples of love in the scriptures. In Matthew the question is asked, “Master, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” The Savior’s simple reply, “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and the greatest commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.” [3] The Savior calls this the greatest commandment. This concept is again shared by Alma when he says “Every man should love his neighbor as himself, that there should be no contention among them.” [4] We should be “filled with love towards God and all men.” [5] It isn’t always easy to love those around us. But I think it is worth the effort because it is a commandment, and not just one of the commandments, but the greatest. We learn again from Alma that we can feel redeeming love when we have experienced a change of heart within ourselves. [6] When we are able to put differences aside, forget grudges, and love those around us with our whole hearts, we can then draw ever nearer to our Heavenly Father. As I strive to apply this in my life, I have found that I am a happier person. I have felt my testimony strengthen as I have come to look at those around me as sons and daughters of God, my spiritual family. Through loving others, we become better ourselves. When we realize this love and have embraced it, we are on the path towards charity, or the pure love of Christ.

It is important to “see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.” [7]The prophet Mormon teaches us much about charity. He shares, “ charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejocieth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Wherefore my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore cleave unto charity which is the greatest of all for all things must fail—But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.” [8] Mormon stated cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fall. [8a] When we have the pure love of Christ, we are never alone. We are never helpless. Even after all things have fallen, we still have the greatest of all, the love of Christ. A wonderful example of this is Job. After everything was taken from him he still clung to charity. He recognized Christ’s love for him. Charity was his life line through that difficult time. He was still kind to his friends even as they mocked him and never pitied himself in this situation. He never turned from Christ or his undying love. I love the verses found in Romans, “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loves us. For I am persuaded , that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, not things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” [9] It reminds us that there is absolutely nothing that can separate us from the love of our Savior. We have to come to trust in this and know it for ourselves. The greatest example we can ever have of love and charity is the Atonement of Jesus Christ. “As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love. These Things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” [10] True to the Faith shares that when have an understanding of this love, it is possible for us to exercise our faith and repent of our sins, be confident our Savior will forgive us and strengthen us in our efforts to live the gospel. [11]

Elder C. Max Cadwell shared more on charity. He says, “Charity is not just a precept or a principle, nor is it just a word to describe actions or attitudes. Rather, it is an internal condition that must be developed and experienced in order to be understood. We are possessors of charity when it is a part of our nature. People who have charity have a love for the Savior, have received of his love, and love others as he does.” [12] It is important to remember those 3 points. To have a love for the Savior, to have received his love, and to love others as Christ himself would. It’s also important to know that charity is a lifelong pursuit. It’s something that is developed as we live our lives and have love and compassion for those around us. I can testify that I love Jesus Christ. I know he walked this earth and atoned for our sins. I have felt his love. I have been comforted by him through the Holy Spirit. And every day I strive more and more to love others as Christ would.

In closing I would like to share a scripture from Moroni . “Wherefore my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.” [13] I would invite you to pray unto Heavenly Father and feel his love. I testify that we can become like Christ and be purified through his atonement. Please remember all that he has done for us and allow him and the Father to bless us with their love and charity, and to share it with those around us.

[1] True to the Faith pp 96

[2] Jacob 3:2

[3] Matthew 22:36

[4] Mosiah 23:15

[5] Mosiah 2:4

[6] Alma 5:26

[7] Alma 7:24

[8] Moroni 7:45-47

[8a] vs 46

[9] Romans 8:35, 37-39

[10] John 15:9, 11, and 13

[11] True to the Faith pp 28

[12] 1992 Ensign

[13] Moroni 7:48

The State of Mankind: Redeemed---By Rachel Chase

2008-11-20T07:07:00.000-08:00

As a little girl I was obsessed with playing dress-up. Decked out in clip-on earrings, bright red lipstick, a loose-fitting, much too long gown, and high heeled shoes that were five sizes too large, I would emerge from the toy closet and strut into my father’s office den. He would ooh and awe for my sake and then, smiling, would hoist me onto his lap and tell me that I was his princess, his little girl.

All fathers have a tendency to call their daughters, “my little princess.” To our father in heaven this is not simply patriarchal biased, it is fact. Especially to the rising generation of young people today, the prophets and apostles have repeatedly expressed that this group is a “chosen generation” and how as spirit sons and daughters of God we have the opportunity to become literal kings and queens in his kingdom.

In Exodus 33:11, Moses describes his conversation with God as a dialogue in which Heavenly Father talked to him “face to face”. God thought Moses important enough to make a personal visit, despite the fact that Moses was a fallen mortal, and this displays our price in the eyes of God. It is His work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Our heavenly father dips into human affairs despite how far we are from being like him and this shows the value he sees in his spirit children. Just the fact that we are indeed children of an omnipotent being is a powerful concept—we are people of a noble birthright.

Yet there are several passages in the scriptures which seem to challenge our royal significance. In Mosiah 2:25-26 it states: “And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you. And I, even I, whom ye call your king, am no better than ye yourselves are; for I am also of the dust…” Not even as much as the dust of the earth, he says. This is enough to shatter all human hopes of gaining godhood when we are no better than even the dirt.

So is Man God’s crowning creation or is Man lower than even the dust of the earth—insignificant and worthless? There are evidences to support both from the scriptures and the prophets, yet they seem to be two ideas than can never harmoniously exist. This is a problem: these two spiritual concepts seem to be a dichotomy to each other. Am I supposed to see myself as a “little princess” in God’s kingdom, or am I truly lower than the dust of the earth? Should I think highly of myself as a chosen daughter of God or am I only an insignificant speck in the spectrum of God’s power and all of his creations? And they would be contradicting themselves and unable to occupy the same sentence if not for another factor that has not been mentioned yet. I submit to you that we should not feel like dust; we should not feel like royalty; what we should feel is redeemed.

In Hebrew, the word “redeem” has several connotations. In application to Christ’s redeeming of all mankind the synonyms “ransom” and “pay the price” certainly apply. He, our kinsman, fulfilled the cost so that we could one day live with him again. This is the thing that bridges the gap between our state of dust and our potential to earn godhood. In Mosiah 4:2 it reads: “And they had viewed themselves in their own carnal state, even less than the dust of the earth. And they all cried aloud with one voice, saying: O have mercy, and apply the atoning blood of Christ that we may receive forgiveness of our sins, and our hearts may be purified; for we believe in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who created heaven and earth, and all things; who shall come down among the children of men.” In our lowest times, Christ sacrifice is able to lift us to new heights.
I find this illustrated in one of my very favorite songs called “You raise me up.”

“When I am down and oh! My soul so weary,
When troubles come and my heart burdened be,
Then I am still and waiting in the silence
For you to come and sit a while with me.
You raise me up so I can stand on mountains
You raise me up to walk on stormy seas
I am strong, when I am on your shoulders
You raise me up to more than I can be.”

As he always has and will, Christ serves as our perfect mediator between queenship/kingship and feeling like the dust of the earth. You see, he is the one that makes it possible for us to become from our dust-composed, imperfect, insignificant selves a king or queen in his kingdom—the only requirement is to draw upon the power of his atoning sacrifice, which power has the ability to change ordinary people into extraordinary ones. We needn’t feel insignificant and become depressed, nor need we feel so “chosen” that we fall into a pattern of pride; we only need rely on our elder brother who paid the price for us. He built the bridge between these two truths, he paved the way and it is marked by the dark red stain of his blood.

Enos testified of this as well in Enos 1:27: “And I soon go to the place of my rest, which is with my Redeemer; for I know that in him I shall rest. And I rejoice in the day when my mortal shall put on immortality, and shall stand before him; then shall I see his face with pleasure, and he will say unto me: Come unto me, ye blessed, there is a place prepared for you in the mansions of my Father.” Christ is the one who carries with him hope, a hope in a kingdom someday where the saints can find peace and rest to their souls because of what he did for us. “And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved.” (Omni 1:26)

To conclude I would like to echo the words of Mormon: And now, I would commend you to seek this Jesus of whom the prophets and apostles have written, that the grace of God the Father, and also the Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost, which beareth record of them, may be and abide in you forever. (Ether 12:41). As always, Christ is the one who makes it possible for us to reach the full potential that a son/daughter of God deserves. I love him as a friend, trust him as my brother, and worship him as my savior. May God grant us all the desire and faith to use the atonement in our own lives. I know that Christ died for us, and I also know that he lives again. One day, I hope to join him in God’s kingdom. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Works cited:

*The Holy Bible
*The Book of Mormon
*You raise me up lyrics

When I View his countenance

2008-11-19T17:44:00.000-08:00

Lost within a darkness, chained to captivity
The peace I need he brings me in my humility.

Oh when my soul feels weary
His love falls over me.
I find my souls solace beyond captivity
Where does salvation come from?
My Sav-ior, the only one

And when that day at last shall come, of death and hell’s defeat
Oh I will sing redeeming love, my praise’s will he meet.
At last the enlarging of my soul shall feel his mighty change.

Oh when my soul feels weary
His love falls over me.
I find my souls solace beyond captivity

Written Nov. 18 2008 by Lucy Lybbert
To the tune of Abide with Me Tis Eventide; Hymn #165

Ok so i know it doesn't really fit the counts we were given in class but last night i just kinda wrote out what I was feeling using the words of Alma 5 as a structure for my hymn