These are some quotes I put together in a handout for my class today. I thought I would share them with you today...
From the experiences of war and its aftermath, Elder Boyd K. Packer drew lessons of peace which have on occasion been recalled as he has taught the Saints. Once, in a general conference talk, he reflected on being guided as a pilot by the signal from a radio beacon. Sometimes amid storms pilots had to listen very closely to hear the signal.
“There is a spiritual beam, with a constant signal,” he counseled. “If you know how to pray and how to listen, spiritually listen, you may move through life, through clear weather, through storms, through wars, through peace, and be all right.”
Elder Boyd K. Packer in Ensign, Nov. 1979, p. 21
“The need to exercise faith in Jesus Christ is absolutely essential. It is the foundation of the plan of salvation.”
Elder Richard G. Scott in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 119; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 87; italics in original
“Spirituality is the consciousness of victory over self, and of communion with the Infinite. Spirituality impels one to conquer difficulties and acquire more and more strength. To feel ones faculties unfolding and truth expanding the soul is one of life’s sublimest experiences.”
President David O. McKay in Gospel Ideals [1953], 390
“These are trying days, in which Satan rages, at home and abroad, hard days, evil and ugly days. We stand helpless as it seems before them. We need help. We need strength. We need guidance. Perhaps if we would do our work in behalf of those of the unseen world who hunger and pray for the work we can do for them, the unseen world would in return give us help in this day of our urgent need. There are more in the other world than there are here. There is more power and strength there than we have here upon this earth. We have but a trifle, and that trifle is taken from the immeasurable power of God. We shall make no mistake in becoming collaborators in the Lord’s mighty work for human redemption.”
Elder John A. Widstoe in Conference Report, Apr. 1943, 39
“Why is it that sometimes only one of a city or household receives the Gospel? It was made known to me that it is because of the righteous dead who had received the Gospel in the spirit world exercising themselves, and in answer to their prayer elders of the Church were sent to the homes of their posterity that the Gospel might be taught to them and through their righteousness they might be privileged to have a descendant in the flesh do the work for their dead kindred.”
Elder Melvin J. Ballard in Three Degrees of Glory, 29-30
“The spirit and influence of your dead will guide those who are interested in finding those records. If there is anywhere on earth anything concerning them, you will find it.”
Elder Melvin J. Ballard in Sermons and Missionary Services, 230; italics added
“As you start to write, you could ask yourself, How did God bless me today? If you do that long enough and with faith, you will find yourself remembering blessings. And sometimes, you will have gifts brought to your mind which you failed to notice during the day, but which you will them know were a touch of God’s hand in your life.”
President Henry B. Eyring in Conference Report, Oct. 1989, 15; or Ensign, Nov. 1989, 13
Sunday, March 29, 2009
Tuesday, March 24, 2009
Desires and Temptations
I found the coolest quote in the world yesterday while reading a talk by Ann M. Madsen titled, "Jesus, The Very Thought of Thee." So, I wanted to share it :D Enjoy!
Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said: "What we are speaking about is so much more than merely deflecting temptations for which we somehow do not feel responsible. Remember, it is our own desires which determine the sizing and attractiveness of temptations. We set our own thermostats as to temptation" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 27).
I know this is true. We may be enticed in opposite directions in a tug-of-war between light and darkness, but we are always the tie-breakers. The choice is always yours and mine. We can always move away from the darkness, even when we can't see the light clearly, just as Elder Maxwell explains: "There remains an inner zone in which we are sovereign, unless we abdicate. In this zone lies the essence of our individuality and personal accountability.
"Each assertion of a righteous desire . . . however small . . . adds to our spiritual momentum. . . . Our loving Lord will work with us, 'even if [we] can [do] no more than desire to believe,' providing we will 'let this desire work in [us]' (Alma 32:27)" (ibid., 26).
It seems clear that we can win against temptation, even before we enter the battle, by educating the desires of our hearts. Thus, the battle can be won before we find ourselves muddied in the trenches. If it is so easy, why don't we all just decide right now to do it? Because it is not easy; it is hard. Our souls are the battleground where Satan seeks to destroy our agency while the Lord fights to teach us to "bridle all [our] passions" (Alma 38:12) to be filled with his love. On this planet, created for this purpose, we experience our way through a jungle of good and evil, making choices that can ultimately exalt us. But it is seldom easy.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell has said: "What we are speaking about is so much more than merely deflecting temptations for which we somehow do not feel responsible. Remember, it is our own desires which determine the sizing and attractiveness of temptations. We set our own thermostats as to temptation" (in Conference Report, Oct. 1996, 27).
I know this is true. We may be enticed in opposite directions in a tug-of-war between light and darkness, but we are always the tie-breakers. The choice is always yours and mine. We can always move away from the darkness, even when we can't see the light clearly, just as Elder Maxwell explains: "There remains an inner zone in which we are sovereign, unless we abdicate. In this zone lies the essence of our individuality and personal accountability.
"Each assertion of a righteous desire . . . however small . . . adds to our spiritual momentum. . . . Our loving Lord will work with us, 'even if [we] can [do] no more than desire to believe,' providing we will 'let this desire work in [us]' (Alma 32:27)" (ibid., 26).
It seems clear that we can win against temptation, even before we enter the battle, by educating the desires of our hearts. Thus, the battle can be won before we find ourselves muddied in the trenches. If it is so easy, why don't we all just decide right now to do it? Because it is not easy; it is hard. Our souls are the battleground where Satan seeks to destroy our agency while the Lord fights to teach us to "bridle all [our] passions" (Alma 38:12) to be filled with his love. On this planet, created for this purpose, we experience our way through a jungle of good and evil, making choices that can ultimately exalt us. But it is seldom easy.
Sunday, March 22, 2009
A question
Today was a long day. I spoke at 9 a.m., played piano at 11 a.m., ran to correlation at 11:30 a.m., had church at 1 p.m., and then went out to do visits and got home at 8:30 p.m. And it was an awesome day!
I don't write this for oo's and ah's, but to illustrate a point in a question a friend posed to me. When I told him what I had coming up he looked at me and said, "Don't you ever get tired of it?" I replied, "No."
While my Sunday's are normally non-stop, it is a different kind of work for me. It is a work that gives me a further testimony of King Benjamin's words, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). Serving and fulfilling our callings will give us an added measure of the Spirit.
Lehi taught his son Jacob, and everyone, that, "thy days shall be spent in the service of they God" (2 Ne 2:3). "O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless at the last day" (D&C 4:2). Paul counsels that we, "present [our] bodies a living sacrifice... which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).
Later on the Doctrine & Covenants we learn that many are called but few are chosen. Why are they not chosen? "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world." Then we learn, "That the rights of the priesthood (God's power given to man) are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness... No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul" (D&C 121:34-36, 41-42, italics added).
How is it then that we pull down the powers of heaven in order to receive this added measure of strength we so desperately need? Three simple things... Go to Church and renew your covenants every week, pray daily, and read your scriptures. President Spencer W. Kimball said, "There is no limit to the priesthood... you hold. The limit comes in you if you do not live in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord and you limit yourselves in the power you exert."
I only limit myself through disobedience. I only limit myself through failing to obtain a personal, sacred relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. God doesn't forget about me. I forget about Him. He doesn't withhold blessings in a game of "I told you so!" When I am obedient he is "bound" to bless me (D&C 82:10). When I allow Him to take my yoke, the Spirit gives me the strong back I need when the world comes back to weight down on me.
My mortal life will be full of work until the day by body is placed in a casket and dropped into the cold hard ground. Even then, my Spirit will continue to work as I await the Resurrection and second coming of Jesus Christ. In the words of Paul, my body will be a living sacrifice.
President Kimball once said in an area conference that he wasn't afraid to die. What he was afraid of was having to face the Savior and hear him say, "Oh, Spencer. You could have done so much more." President Thomas S. Monson said we need to live our lives the way we wish we would have after we died.
I don't want to look back one day and cry over what I could have become. There are things that have happened, but the past is done and gone. With Paul, I once again say, "this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14).
"For man to lay down his all, his character, his honor, and applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even his life also — counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ — requires more than mere belief or supposition that he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge, realizing that, when these sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest, and be partaker of the glory of God... Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things." (Joseph Smith Jr., Lectures on Faith, 6:5, 7, bold and italics added).
I press forward to the high calling. I press forward to endure to the end and hear the Father say, "Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Ne. 31:20). I press forward to see the joyful faces of my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I press forward to hear the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the lord" (Matt 25:21).
I don't write this for oo's and ah's, but to illustrate a point in a question a friend posed to me. When I told him what I had coming up he looked at me and said, "Don't you ever get tired of it?" I replied, "No."
While my Sunday's are normally non-stop, it is a different kind of work for me. It is a work that gives me a further testimony of King Benjamin's words, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17). Serving and fulfilling our callings will give us an added measure of the Spirit.
Lehi taught his son Jacob, and everyone, that, "thy days shall be spent in the service of they God" (2 Ne 2:3). "O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless at the last day" (D&C 4:2). Paul counsels that we, "present [our] bodies a living sacrifice... which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1-2).
Later on the Doctrine & Covenants we learn that many are called but few are chosen. Why are they not chosen? "Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world." Then we learn, "That the rights of the priesthood (God's power given to man) are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness... No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul" (D&C 121:34-36, 41-42, italics added).
How is it then that we pull down the powers of heaven in order to receive this added measure of strength we so desperately need? Three simple things... Go to Church and renew your covenants every week, pray daily, and read your scriptures. President Spencer W. Kimball said, "There is no limit to the priesthood... you hold. The limit comes in you if you do not live in harmony with the Spirit of the Lord and you limit yourselves in the power you exert."
I only limit myself through disobedience. I only limit myself through failing to obtain a personal, sacred relationship with my Heavenly Father and my Savior Jesus Christ. God doesn't forget about me. I forget about Him. He doesn't withhold blessings in a game of "I told you so!" When I am obedient he is "bound" to bless me (D&C 82:10). When I allow Him to take my yoke, the Spirit gives me the strong back I need when the world comes back to weight down on me.
My mortal life will be full of work until the day by body is placed in a casket and dropped into the cold hard ground. Even then, my Spirit will continue to work as I await the Resurrection and second coming of Jesus Christ. In the words of Paul, my body will be a living sacrifice.
President Kimball once said in an area conference that he wasn't afraid to die. What he was afraid of was having to face the Savior and hear him say, "Oh, Spencer. You could have done so much more." President Thomas S. Monson said we need to live our lives the way we wish we would have after we died.
I don't want to look back one day and cry over what I could have become. There are things that have happened, but the past is done and gone. With Paul, I once again say, "this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil 3:13-14).
"For man to lay down his all, his character, his honor, and applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even his life also — counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ — requires more than mere belief or supposition that he is doing the will of God; but actual knowledge, realizing that, when these sufferings are ended, he will enter into eternal rest, and be partaker of the glory of God... Let us here observe, that a religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary unto life and salvation; for, from the first existence of man, the faith necessary unto the enjoyment of life and salvation never could be obtained without the sacrifice of all earthly things." (Joseph Smith Jr., Lectures on Faith, 6:5, 7, bold and italics added).
I press forward to the high calling. I press forward to endure to the end and hear the Father say, "Ye shall have eternal life" (2 Ne. 31:20). I press forward to see the joyful faces of my Savior and my Heavenly Father. I press forward to hear the words, "Well done thou good and faithful servant: thou has been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of the lord" (Matt 25:21).
Saturday, March 21, 2009
Saturday, March 14, 2009
Language
I have been in the classroom a lot lately and being there has opened my eyes to the importance of not only how we act and dress, but our language as a whole. Students are so impressionable and most of them are like little sponges.
Just yesterday I was in a kindergarten class and I continually said things were struggling (i.e. the markers weren't working and the projector didn't want to work). The students looked at me and said, "What is 'struggling'?" So, I had to explain it to them.
The day before something else came out of my mouth and I thought, "Wow!" Gotta be careful with that one. All the students snickered and I prayed that they would forget that it ever happened. By the grace of God, they will.
Heavenly Father's little angels are so impressionable and it's important that we act in light of our calling as teachers to raise them the way He would if He were here. Children certainly are precious to Him. I believe that how we act and speak show a maturity and preparation to have His little angels in our life.
Just yesterday I was in a kindergarten class and I continually said things were struggling (i.e. the markers weren't working and the projector didn't want to work). The students looked at me and said, "What is 'struggling'?" So, I had to explain it to them.
The day before something else came out of my mouth and I thought, "Wow!" Gotta be careful with that one. All the students snickered and I prayed that they would forget that it ever happened. By the grace of God, they will.
Heavenly Father's little angels are so impressionable and it's important that we act in light of our calling as teachers to raise them the way He would if He were here. Children certainly are precious to Him. I believe that how we act and speak show a maturity and preparation to have His little angels in our life.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
I Stand All Amazed
I don't know that my amazement is a good thing or a bad thing. Communication scholars say that when something stops amazing us, we just integrate it into life and don't think much about how that particular technology came into our lives. So, maybe it is OK that I am still at awe for all the things my Heavenly Father continues to do for me. I would hate to ever take anything for granted that He has given me.
For the past few days I have had the opportunity to be in a charter school teaching science. It is a place where I feel like I could fit in, and where my teaching style would be in congruence with the mission of the school. I tend to run a tight ship that sometimes isn't so widely accepted in public education.
Today I had an interesting experience. In my second hour class we had to have a little chat about respect and as I started my lecture the principle walked in the door... Oh, goody. Do I stop? Do I keep going? Well, I decided that I would forge on and if she didn't like it she would let me know. Besides, I wouldn't want to be in a school where I didn't have the support of a principle anyway.
Looking back on it, perhaps she was supposed to be in my class at that time. I have a pending job application there if I get accepted by the state into the ARL program. So, I would rather get it figured out before I even think about accepting a job there.
When school was getting ready to dismiss she popped her head in my door and said she wanted to see me after class. Hmm... Everything started running through my head, mostly stuff from Satan. In the end I had consigned myself that I was in trouble, and went in expecting the worst.
It turns out she wanted me to talk with one of the department heads. YAY! Turns out it was like an impromptu interview further delving into my ability to handle the position they have open. I felt good about it and I hope they were able to see what my abilities are. Heavenly Father just continues to show his hand in my life and I am grateful that he does so often.
God is amazing and he stands waiting to bless us if we will seek him. The last few months have been some of the most humbling of my life since being home from the mission. I am grateful to learn more abot my Savior and strengthen my relationship with Him and with God. I know I will be successful at whatever I chose to do because Heavenly Father is guiding my path and helping me understand where he needs me in this vast world.
I Stand All Amazed!
For the past few days I have had the opportunity to be in a charter school teaching science. It is a place where I feel like I could fit in, and where my teaching style would be in congruence with the mission of the school. I tend to run a tight ship that sometimes isn't so widely accepted in public education.
Today I had an interesting experience. In my second hour class we had to have a little chat about respect and as I started my lecture the principle walked in the door... Oh, goody. Do I stop? Do I keep going? Well, I decided that I would forge on and if she didn't like it she would let me know. Besides, I wouldn't want to be in a school where I didn't have the support of a principle anyway.
Looking back on it, perhaps she was supposed to be in my class at that time. I have a pending job application there if I get accepted by the state into the ARL program. So, I would rather get it figured out before I even think about accepting a job there.
When school was getting ready to dismiss she popped her head in my door and said she wanted to see me after class. Hmm... Everything started running through my head, mostly stuff from Satan. In the end I had consigned myself that I was in trouble, and went in expecting the worst.
It turns out she wanted me to talk with one of the department heads. YAY! Turns out it was like an impromptu interview further delving into my ability to handle the position they have open. I felt good about it and I hope they were able to see what my abilities are. Heavenly Father just continues to show his hand in my life and I am grateful that he does so often.
God is amazing and he stands waiting to bless us if we will seek him. The last few months have been some of the most humbling of my life since being home from the mission. I am grateful to learn more abot my Savior and strengthen my relationship with Him and with God. I know I will be successful at whatever I chose to do because Heavenly Father is guiding my path and helping me understand where he needs me in this vast world.
I Stand All Amazed!
Missionary Work
The moment I understood the will of my Heavenly Father I felt a determination to go at all hazards, believing that he would support me by his almighty power and endow me with every qualification I needed. –Heber C. Kimball
I have been contemplating what it means to be a missionary. What makes a great missionary? What does it mean to be a missionary? These are questions that have been bouncing around in my head.
Do I need to be like the Sons of Mosiah, the rebels turned righteous “preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers”? (Mosiah 27:32). Or maybe I need to be like the great prophet Alma who fled the court of wicked King Noah and baptized thousands in the waters of Mormon (Alma 18). Or perhaps I need to embody to greatness of Helaman who led 2,000 stripling warriors into battle, or the great Captain Moroni who writes an insightful epistle on faith, hope, and charity (Moroni 7).
I felt so small next to all these ancient missionaries. I have never experienced persecution, had to flee before evil kings, I didn’t baptize or lead thousands, and I haven’t written great works of scripture. How then am I supposed to become a great missionary?
Love of God
I got my answer while listening to a talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He shared the story about his family living in postwar Germany and the devastation that was all around them. In the middle of their darkness they learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
“This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.”
I thought about President Uchtdorf’s words “light, hope, and joy” and I thought back to a song I played this morning. In it are the words:
Our Savior’s love
Shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above
It breaks through clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord” (Prov 20:27). The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior’s love, is the perfect light. Our candle, lit by the gospel of Jesus Christ, will lead us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. And our candle will help not only to lead us, but to lead others back home.
You don’t have to be a great prophet, a captain of thousands, or a great writer of scripture. All you need is the light of Christ. All you need is the love of God. “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having… a love of God and of all men… this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father… and of the Holy Ghost” (2 Ne. 31:20, 21). Alma taught that, “every man should love his neighbor as himself” (Mosiah 23:15).
Moroni later taught us that charity is the pure love of Christ and that we should pray so we are filled with that love (Moroni 7:47-48). When you are filled with the love of Christ there is nothing that can hold you back. There is no mountain so tall you can’t climb it, and there is no ocean so wide you can’t cross it. When the love of Christ permeates our heart there are no “manner of –ites; but [we are] in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Ne. 1:17), and we will be able to say as Moroni, “I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children [of God] are alike unto me” (Moroni 8:16).
There are people who are here today because of you, because you reached out your hand to them, because you smiled at them, because they felt the love of Christ through you. Just by being here today, you are being a missionary witnessing that you are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, to always remember him, and keep his commandments (Moroni 4:3). Your very presence gives testimony to those around you that you know you are a child of God, that he has a plan for you, and that his gospel has been restored in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Open your mouth
Your attendance here today is step one in the journey. This is just one of the ways Heavenly Father is helping to prepare you to be a tool in his kingdom. The next step is to open your mouth. Through his prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord has declared, “thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing” (D&C 28:16).
Does this mean that every word that comes from your mouth needs to be scripture? No. Perhaps understanding the word “gospel” will shed some light on what I mean. In Greek, the words gospel means good news. With the sound of rejoicing, we should be sharing the good news we have in our lives. President Boyd K. Packer taught:
“Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it! Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two.
“It is one thing to receive a witness from what you have read or what another has said; and that is a necessary beginning. It is quite another to have the Spirit confirm to you in your bosom that what you have testified is true. Can you not see that it will be supplied as you share it? As you give that which you have, there is a replacement, with increase!
“To speak out is the test of your faith” (The Quest for Spiritual Knowledge, 1982).
A simple “hello” may be all someone needs in order to felt the love of Christ that day; or perhaps sharing a pass-along card with someone. Elder Bednar taught us that members are the full-time finders and the missionaries are the full-time teachers. You don’t need to have a vast knowledge about the gospel in order to share it. All you need is to open your mouth and the Lord will do the rest. “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34).
Your Heavenly Father has made a promise to you saying, “Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man” (D&C 84:85).
The Lord has made a promise to you that if you will study your scriptures, he will fill your mouth with the words someone needs to hear. Preparation invites revelation. Preparation will lead you to those who are ready to hear and accept the gospel. It is a promise as sure as I am standing here. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
You can do the Lord’s work
Years ago a man told this experience. He was 17 years old and with his companion stopped at a cottage in the southern states. It was his first day in the mission field and was his first door. A gray-haired woman stood inside the screen and asked what they wanted. His companion nudged him to proceed. Frightened and somewhat tongue-tied, he finally blurted out, “As man is God once was, and as God is man may become.”
Strangely enough, she was interested and asked where he got that. He answered, “It’s in the Bible.” She left the door for a moment, returned with her Bible. Commenting that she was a minister of a congregation, she handed it to him and said, “Here, show me.”
He took the Bible and nervously thumbed back and forth through it. Finally he handed it back saying, “Here, I can’t find it. I’m not even sure that it’s in there, and even if it is, I couldn’t find it. I’m just a poor farm boy from out in Cache Valley in Utah. I haven’t had much training. But I come from a family where we live the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it’s done so much for our family that I’ve accepted a call to come on a mission for two years, at my own expense, to tell people how I feel about it.”
After half a century, he could not hold back the tears as he told me how she pushed open the door and said, “Come in, my boy. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
Like this young missionary, there may be more power in your testimony than even you realize. The Lord said to the Nephites:
“Whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not” (3 Nephi 9:20; emphasis added).
Testimony comes as growth, not as a startling spiritual experience. A testimony can be just as simple as saying, “I know God lives and I know he loves me.” Your testimony born of the experiences you have had in life will be a lasting witness to you and those around you of the love of Christ. It all comes back to light, hope, and joy. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message that will take our brothers and sisters back to the presence of God.
Brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God. This is the good news!
I ask you, along with Alma, “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren (and sisters), 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?” (Alma 5:26).
If you can’t feel it, find it. If you can feel it, share it. Extend a hand to those around you and share the good news! This is the Lord’s Church! Jesus is the Christ! The Book of Mormon is true! There presides over us a prophet of God! Of this I bear my humble witness in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
I have been contemplating what it means to be a missionary. What makes a great missionary? What does it mean to be a missionary? These are questions that have been bouncing around in my head.
Do I need to be like the Sons of Mosiah, the rebels turned righteous “preaching the word of God in much tribulation, being greatly persecuted by those who were unbelievers”? (Mosiah 27:32). Or maybe I need to be like the great prophet Alma who fled the court of wicked King Noah and baptized thousands in the waters of Mormon (Alma 18). Or perhaps I need to embody to greatness of Helaman who led 2,000 stripling warriors into battle, or the great Captain Moroni who writes an insightful epistle on faith, hope, and charity (Moroni 7).
I felt so small next to all these ancient missionaries. I have never experienced persecution, had to flee before evil kings, I didn’t baptize or lead thousands, and I haven’t written great works of scripture. How then am I supposed to become a great missionary?
Love of God
I got my answer while listening to a talk by Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He shared the story about his family living in postwar Germany and the devastation that was all around them. In the middle of their darkness they learned about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the healing message of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.
“This message made all the difference; it lifted us above our daily misery. Life was still thorny and the circumstances still horrible, but the gospel brought light, hope, and joy into our lives. The plain and simple truths of the gospel warmed our hearts and enlightened our minds. They helped us look at ourselves and the world around us with different eyes and from an elevated viewpoint.”
I thought about President Uchtdorf’s words “light, hope, and joy” and I thought back to a song I played this morning. In it are the words:
Our Savior’s love
Shines like the sun with perfect light,
As from above
It breaks through clouds of strife.
Lighting our way,
It leads us back into his sight,
Where we may stay
To share eternal life.
“The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord” (Prov 20:27). The message of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Savior’s love, is the perfect light. Our candle, lit by the gospel of Jesus Christ, will lead us back to the presence of our Heavenly Father. And our candle will help not only to lead us, but to lead others back home.
You don’t have to be a great prophet, a captain of thousands, or a great writer of scripture. All you need is the light of Christ. All you need is the love of God. “Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having… a love of God and of all men… this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father… and of the Holy Ghost” (2 Ne. 31:20, 21). Alma taught that, “every man should love his neighbor as himself” (Mosiah 23:15).
Moroni later taught us that charity is the pure love of Christ and that we should pray so we are filled with that love (Moroni 7:47-48). When you are filled with the love of Christ there is nothing that can hold you back. There is no mountain so tall you can’t climb it, and there is no ocean so wide you can’t cross it. When the love of Christ permeates our heart there are no “manner of –ites; but [we are] in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God” (4 Ne. 1:17), and we will be able to say as Moroni, “I am filled with charity, which is everlasting love; wherefore, all children [of God] are alike unto me” (Moroni 8:16).
There are people who are here today because of you, because you reached out your hand to them, because you smiled at them, because they felt the love of Christ through you. Just by being here today, you are being a missionary witnessing that you are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, to always remember him, and keep his commandments (Moroni 4:3). Your very presence gives testimony to those around you that you know you are a child of God, that he has a plan for you, and that his gospel has been restored in our day through the Prophet Joseph Smith.
Open your mouth
Your attendance here today is step one in the journey. This is just one of the ways Heavenly Father is helping to prepare you to be a tool in his kingdom. The next step is to open your mouth. Through his prophet Joseph Smith, the Lord has declared, “thou must open thy mouth at all times, declaring my gospel with the sound of rejoicing” (D&C 28:16).
Does this mean that every word that comes from your mouth needs to be scripture? No. Perhaps understanding the word “gospel” will shed some light on what I mean. In Greek, the words gospel means good news. With the sound of rejoicing, we should be sharing the good news we have in our lives. President Boyd K. Packer taught:
“Oh, if I could teach you this one principle: a testimony is to be found in the bearing of it! Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two.
“It is one thing to receive a witness from what you have read or what another has said; and that is a necessary beginning. It is quite another to have the Spirit confirm to you in your bosom that what you have testified is true. Can you not see that it will be supplied as you share it? As you give that which you have, there is a replacement, with increase!
“To speak out is the test of your faith” (The Quest for Spiritual Knowledge, 1982).
A simple “hello” may be all someone needs in order to felt the love of Christ that day; or perhaps sharing a pass-along card with someone. Elder Bednar taught us that members are the full-time finders and the missionaries are the full-time teachers. You don’t need to have a vast knowledge about the gospel in order to share it. All you need is to open your mouth and the Lord will do the rest. “Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind” (D&C 64:34).
Your Heavenly Father has made a promise to you saying, “Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man” (D&C 84:85).
The Lord has made a promise to you that if you will study your scriptures, he will fill your mouth with the words someone needs to hear. Preparation invites revelation. Preparation will lead you to those who are ready to hear and accept the gospel. It is a promise as sure as I am standing here. “I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise” (D&C 82:10).
You can do the Lord’s work
Years ago a man told this experience. He was 17 years old and with his companion stopped at a cottage in the southern states. It was his first day in the mission field and was his first door. A gray-haired woman stood inside the screen and asked what they wanted. His companion nudged him to proceed. Frightened and somewhat tongue-tied, he finally blurted out, “As man is God once was, and as God is man may become.”
Strangely enough, she was interested and asked where he got that. He answered, “It’s in the Bible.” She left the door for a moment, returned with her Bible. Commenting that she was a minister of a congregation, she handed it to him and said, “Here, show me.”
He took the Bible and nervously thumbed back and forth through it. Finally he handed it back saying, “Here, I can’t find it. I’m not even sure that it’s in there, and even if it is, I couldn’t find it. I’m just a poor farm boy from out in Cache Valley in Utah. I haven’t had much training. But I come from a family where we live the gospel of Jesus Christ. And it’s done so much for our family that I’ve accepted a call to come on a mission for two years, at my own expense, to tell people how I feel about it.”
After half a century, he could not hold back the tears as he told me how she pushed open the door and said, “Come in, my boy. I’d like to hear what you have to say.”
Like this young missionary, there may be more power in your testimony than even you realize. The Lord said to the Nephites:
“Whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not” (3 Nephi 9:20; emphasis added).
Testimony comes as growth, not as a startling spiritual experience. A testimony can be just as simple as saying, “I know God lives and I know he loves me.” Your testimony born of the experiences you have had in life will be a lasting witness to you and those around you of the love of Christ. It all comes back to light, hope, and joy. This is the gospel of Jesus Christ, the message that will take our brothers and sisters back to the presence of God.
Brothers and sisters, there will be days and nights when you feel overwhelmed, when your hearts are heavy and your heads hang down. Then, please remember, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer, is the Head of this Church. It is His gospel. He wants you to succeed. He gave His life for just this purpose. He is the Son of the living God. This is the good news!
I ask you, along with Alma, “And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren (and sisters), 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?” (Alma 5:26).
If you can’t feel it, find it. If you can feel it, share it. Extend a hand to those around you and share the good news! This is the Lord’s Church! Jesus is the Christ! The Book of Mormon is true! There presides over us a prophet of God! Of this I bear my humble witness in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Saturday, March 07, 2009
5 months, 8 days, 1 hour, and 8 minutes
Today Jami and I bought our hotel and flight for Boston. In just over five months we will be heading to Boston and sitting within a stones throw of home plate at the Red Sox v Yankees game! It is a simple pleasure, I know. But I am looking forward to going to a new place, taking photos, and experiencing history.
Grad School and COML 509
I am moving my grad school thoughts to my blog "The Journey of Graduate School" It is open for all to read, but for some odd reason I wanted a separate space to express my thoughts and things I am learning. Here I will continue to share about my life and spiritual experiences. Thanks for stopping by and I would love to know what your thoughts and criticisms are.
My first post on the other side:
Ruminating about graduate school has caused me to reflect on a lot of things in my life. Some of those things I have wanted to share, so I started a separate blog about it. The journey has been eye opening and I am grateful I am here, even though there have been some bumpy spots along the way.
COML 509 is definitely the class that has put me through the ringer thus far. I was looking forward to the class (Social Dynamics of Communication Technology), but I didn't expect anything of what I got in the end. Most of my classes have offered two weeks for reflection and thorough discussion, along with a due date. But that was not so in this class.
Reflecting on the rapidity of our required posts I think to something one of our last authors wrote. In his book Media Unlimited Todd Gitlin writes, "Speed is the workers enemy" (105). The world we live in calls for things instantly and this class called for deep reflection instantly.
Another point of reflection I have had is that of no deadlines. The only deadlines in this class were for our reflection papers and for our first few postings. Everything else was pretty "lax" in when it was due (but it really wasn't). Was Dr. Preble trying to teach us about rapidity and the need for quick response even though there wasn't a set deadline? Naomi S. Baron wrote, "A lot of pressure to compose-and-send seems to be social. As more of the population goes online and as asynchronous e-mail gives way to synchronous instant messaging, interlocutors are literally sitting and waiting for us to reply" (2002).
Now, maybe Dr. Preble wasn't sitting at his computer waiting for our immediate replys, but was he expecting quick replys because we "knew" he was waiting? Were we expected to know that speed was essential? Or was speed more important than taking time to internalize and reflect on the points we were learning?
Everything I have learned over the last eight weeks has given me cause for reflection on how I spend my time with different mediums. I am spending less time on my computer and less time in front of the television watching movies (I don't have cable). Network television is ephimeral and doesn't have anything to offer me in return for my time. The news seems to flow more and more to narrative information rather than fact.
In all of this I have questioned, "What is happening to our minds?", "Do we ever turn off?", "Why don't we teach about critical thinking when our students are young?", "What will become of future generations if we lose rhetorical value and the ability to question?"
I am looking forward to not only my future classes, but a lifetime of learning and study. School doesn't end when you walk across a stage and they put a piece of paper in your hand. We must continually look critically at the world and the technologies that engulf us every day.
My first post on the other side:
Ruminating about graduate school has caused me to reflect on a lot of things in my life. Some of those things I have wanted to share, so I started a separate blog about it. The journey has been eye opening and I am grateful I am here, even though there have been some bumpy spots along the way.
COML 509 is definitely the class that has put me through the ringer thus far. I was looking forward to the class (Social Dynamics of Communication Technology), but I didn't expect anything of what I got in the end. Most of my classes have offered two weeks for reflection and thorough discussion, along with a due date. But that was not so in this class.
Reflecting on the rapidity of our required posts I think to something one of our last authors wrote. In his book Media Unlimited Todd Gitlin writes, "Speed is the workers enemy" (105). The world we live in calls for things instantly and this class called for deep reflection instantly.
Another point of reflection I have had is that of no deadlines. The only deadlines in this class were for our reflection papers and for our first few postings. Everything else was pretty "lax" in when it was due (but it really wasn't). Was Dr. Preble trying to teach us about rapidity and the need for quick response even though there wasn't a set deadline? Naomi S. Baron wrote, "A lot of pressure to compose-and-send seems to be social. As more of the population goes online and as asynchronous e-mail gives way to synchronous instant messaging, interlocutors are literally sitting and waiting for us to reply" (2002).
Now, maybe Dr. Preble wasn't sitting at his computer waiting for our immediate replys, but was he expecting quick replys because we "knew" he was waiting? Were we expected to know that speed was essential? Or was speed more important than taking time to internalize and reflect on the points we were learning?
Everything I have learned over the last eight weeks has given me cause for reflection on how I spend my time with different mediums. I am spending less time on my computer and less time in front of the television watching movies (I don't have cable). Network television is ephimeral and doesn't have anything to offer me in return for my time. The news seems to flow more and more to narrative information rather than fact.
In all of this I have questioned, "What is happening to our minds?", "Do we ever turn off?", "Why don't we teach about critical thinking when our students are young?", "What will become of future generations if we lose rhetorical value and the ability to question?"
I am looking forward to not only my future classes, but a lifetime of learning and study. School doesn't end when you walk across a stage and they put a piece of paper in your hand. We must continually look critically at the world and the technologies that engulf us every day.
Tuesday, March 03, 2009
Equations
I have been a delinquent blogger over the last month or so. This class on Social Dynamics of Communication Technology has been keeping me busy and has given me a lot to chew on in regards to how we "live" online.
In the middle of all of that I have been struggling with thoughts of a career change, or maybe it's a career morph... I'm still going to be a photographer/writer/dreamer, but I'm going to add another dynamic to my listing: teacher.
Over the last month I have spent quite a bit of time in the elementary schools and I have loved it. I have also been taking the CES Pre-service classes. So, we will see what comes of it all. I sent in my papers for the USOE Alternative Routes to Licensure yesterday. Thus the wait begins.
Being in the elementary class room has opened my eyes to some things I haven't seen before. Or maybe I was more humble to see where the Lord needed me to be. I always said I wasn't going to be a teacher, but as my great-grandma Standing always said: Never say never. She is probably having a good laugh about now.
In the last few months I have made some humbling changes to my life and I have learned more of what I need to be doing in order to have the Spirit in my life at all times. Making those changes have opened my mind to new levels I never thought I would reach. Growing up I always struggled with math, but in the last few weeks all these things have been coming into my mind. The Spirit has truly quickened my mind so that I can teach the things I need to teach.
I had to laugh the other night. The dream I had tells me that I am truly getting too much math in my mind. As I slept, I dreamed that there was a mathematical equation to cuddling. I don't remember it all, but I remember that I was so concerned that I was getting everything right that it just took all the fun of cuddling away. It's sick and twisted, I know. But it's quickly becoming my reality. Math, children, and who knows what.
My dating/social life has been practically zilch. If there is anything, it is ephemeral. I know there is someone out there, he is prepared and waiting. I just don't know where he is. So, I work on my patience and I tell myself that I have things to do in the meantime.
There are other things I want to write, but I have to get my class work and a 14 page paper out of the way first...
In the middle of all of that I have been struggling with thoughts of a career change, or maybe it's a career morph... I'm still going to be a photographer/writer/dreamer, but I'm going to add another dynamic to my listing: teacher.
Over the last month I have spent quite a bit of time in the elementary schools and I have loved it. I have also been taking the CES Pre-service classes. So, we will see what comes of it all. I sent in my papers for the USOE Alternative Routes to Licensure yesterday. Thus the wait begins.
Being in the elementary class room has opened my eyes to some things I haven't seen before. Or maybe I was more humble to see where the Lord needed me to be. I always said I wasn't going to be a teacher, but as my great-grandma Standing always said: Never say never. She is probably having a good laugh about now.
In the last few months I have made some humbling changes to my life and I have learned more of what I need to be doing in order to have the Spirit in my life at all times. Making those changes have opened my mind to new levels I never thought I would reach. Growing up I always struggled with math, but in the last few weeks all these things have been coming into my mind. The Spirit has truly quickened my mind so that I can teach the things I need to teach.
I had to laugh the other night. The dream I had tells me that I am truly getting too much math in my mind. As I slept, I dreamed that there was a mathematical equation to cuddling. I don't remember it all, but I remember that I was so concerned that I was getting everything right that it just took all the fun of cuddling away. It's sick and twisted, I know. But it's quickly becoming my reality. Math, children, and who knows what.
My dating/social life has been practically zilch. If there is anything, it is ephemeral. I know there is someone out there, he is prepared and waiting. I just don't know where he is. So, I work on my patience and I tell myself that I have things to do in the meantime.
There are other things I want to write, but I have to get my class work and a 14 page paper out of the way first...
Show Me
Hold me like a wild flower
Fall around me like a sun shower
Kiss me like your on fire
And tell me what's underneath
Show me
I want you to show me
What love is
Run with me like a hell bent gypsy
Scream for me from the highest balcony
Carve my name on an old red door in Spain
Make me immortal make me immortal in your heart
And show me
I want you to show me
What love is
What love is
Baby get my attention
Touch me deep inside
Show me what I've been missin'
Missin' all my life
Give me my finest hour
Give me my ray of light
Give me somethin' that can't be denied
Like a thousand red balloons in a saphire sky
A Roman candle burnin', burnin' through the night
Like the pyramids in Egypt
The diamonds in your eyes
Show me
Show me what love is
Like the Eiffel tower shining with a million lights
Snow flakes falling like confetti on a New York city night
And to hold on to forever
A new born baby's cry
Show me
I want you to show me
What love is
Show me
Show me what love is
Like your on fire
Fall around me like a sun shower
Kiss me like your on fire
And tell me what's underneath
Show me
I want you to show me
What love is
Run with me like a hell bent gypsy
Scream for me from the highest balcony
Carve my name on an old red door in Spain
Make me immortal make me immortal in your heart
And show me
I want you to show me
What love is
What love is
Baby get my attention
Touch me deep inside
Show me what I've been missin'
Missin' all my life
Give me my finest hour
Give me my ray of light
Give me somethin' that can't be denied
Like a thousand red balloons in a saphire sky
A Roman candle burnin', burnin' through the night
Like the pyramids in Egypt
The diamonds in your eyes
Show me
Show me what love is
Like the Eiffel tower shining with a million lights
Snow flakes falling like confetti on a New York city night
And to hold on to forever
A new born baby's cry
Show me
I want you to show me
What love is
Show me
Show me what love is
Like your on fire
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