I've decided that I love being in a choir. I actually think that my voice is made for this type of music. I don't have a solo voice, but my voice blends in very well with others.
This Sunday we had a Stake Easter fireside. It was wonderful. I particularly enjoyed our final song, "I Believe in Christ". It is a wonderful song anyway but on the final verse the congregation joined us. As the stake bore its testimony through music, the windows of heaven open up and the Spirit of God pored out upon me (I don't really know about the rest of the congregation). It renewed my testimony of the Atonement.
For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart, yea the song of the rightous is a prayer unto me and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. D&C 25:12
Monday, March 29, 2010
Saturday, March 27, 2010
My wonderful Nephew's
I realized one of the nicest things about being in Utah is being in close proximity to two of my nephews. Luckily Laurie and Michael are kind enough to let me come over and get them riled up right before bedtime.
It doesn't matter how rough my day has been. I can go over and play with them. With out fail, they make me feel like a million bucks.
Michael is Huish through and though, personality wise. Physically, he looks like a really big Hilton baby. But he is very passive aggressive. Sober is a word that describes him. He has a very serious nature and likes to be in control. When we play games its by his rules; I can only chase him so far, I can only throw pillows at him when he permits...etc...etc. So as long as I play by his rules we're friends. Its really quite cute and endearing. The nice thing is that he decided that he likes me.
Hyrum is a Ross. He looks almost exactly like I did when I was a kid, just with red hair. He has the Ross personality. Like Samuel he likes to keep things stirred up, especially with his serious older brother. Hyrum will grab something of Michael's, wave it in front of his face and take off running down the hall screaming at the top of his lungs. Michael, like so many of Samuel's older siblings, will take the bate and chase him also screaming. Hyrum is a little lovable imp.
If I'm not married before I graduate I'm going to try to live next to all my siblings at some point so that I can develop this kind of relationship with all my nieces and nephews. It has truly been a wonderful experience.
It doesn't matter how rough my day has been. I can go over and play with them. With out fail, they make me feel like a million bucks.
Michael is Huish through and though, personality wise. Physically, he looks like a really big Hilton baby. But he is very passive aggressive. Sober is a word that describes him. He has a very serious nature and likes to be in control. When we play games its by his rules; I can only chase him so far, I can only throw pillows at him when he permits...etc...etc. So as long as I play by his rules we're friends. Its really quite cute and endearing. The nice thing is that he decided that he likes me.
Hyrum is a Ross. He looks almost exactly like I did when I was a kid, just with red hair. He has the Ross personality. Like Samuel he likes to keep things stirred up, especially with his serious older brother. Hyrum will grab something of Michael's, wave it in front of his face and take off running down the hall screaming at the top of his lungs. Michael, like so many of Samuel's older siblings, will take the bate and chase him also screaming. Hyrum is a little lovable imp.
If I'm not married before I graduate I'm going to try to live next to all my siblings at some point so that I can develop this kind of relationship with all my nieces and nephews. It has truly been a wonderful experience.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Another Testiment of Jesus Christ
As I look at church history and the order that things were done I see something interesting. Before the priesthood, before temples and family history work, before all the "staples" of a Mormon's life there was the Book of Mormon. Why was this book so important that it was the first thing that God revealed to Joseph Smith after revealing himself to the boy prophet?
Jeffrey R. Holland said "The Book of Mormon was the first and is still the greatest of all the missionary tracts in this dispensation" What does teaching with the Book of Mormon do? I find that it does at least 3 things;
1. It brings the teacher and learner to a knowledge of God and his Sons atoning mission. Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." It serves as a keystone to a deep and real testimony of Jesus Christ. It gives us examples of how great men have received testimonies of Christ and gives us the steps for us to follow in like manner.
2.It invites the special spirit of the restoration. The knowledge of the Book of Mormon is to important for our Salvation for God to allow that to go unblessed. If we read and study with real intent then we are promised that He will make these things known unto us through the Spirit. "Reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon are critical for an enduring conversion. Those who begin reading the Book of Mormon for the first time take important steps towards coming to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and the the true church has been restored to the Earth."
3.It gives the Spirit the opportunity to bear witness of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The messianic message of the Book of Mormon brings the readers mind to Christ. This puts them in a state of being that is conducive to receiving revelation "And I did read them many things which were written...but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the [prophets]."
The Savior gives us a warning in the book of Mathew "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" As members of the Lords church, we are the elect. Joseph Smith spoke wisely when he called the Book of Mormon the "Keystone of our religion". As we read ponder, and pray over the message that it contains it will hold our testimony together just as a keystone holds an arch together. It becomes a keystone in our personal testimony of the atoning mission of the Savior.
The Book of Mormon was the first defense that God gave us in this dispensation. He knew the fight is our future. He saw the waves of filth washing over the world in the forms of violence and pornography. He has provided us a Dam to protect us from it. The Keystone of that Dam is the Book of Mormon. As we read ponder and pray from its pages we will be protected from the world.
Jeffrey R. Holland said "The Book of Mormon was the first and is still the greatest of all the missionary tracts in this dispensation" What does teaching with the Book of Mormon do? I find that it does at least 3 things;
1. It brings the teacher and learner to a knowledge of God and his Sons atoning mission. Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." It serves as a keystone to a deep and real testimony of Jesus Christ. It gives us examples of how great men have received testimonies of Christ and gives us the steps for us to follow in like manner.
2.It invites the special spirit of the restoration. The knowledge of the Book of Mormon is to important for our Salvation for God to allow that to go unblessed. If we read and study with real intent then we are promised that He will make these things known unto us through the Spirit. "Reading, pondering, and praying about the Book of Mormon are critical for an enduring conversion. Those who begin reading the Book of Mormon for the first time take important steps towards coming to know that Joseph Smith is a prophet of God and the the true church has been restored to the Earth."
3.It gives the Spirit the opportunity to bear witness of the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The messianic message of the Book of Mormon brings the readers mind to Christ. This puts them in a state of being that is conducive to receiving revelation "And I did read them many things which were written...but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the [prophets]."
The Savior gives us a warning in the book of Mathew "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect" As members of the Lords church, we are the elect. Joseph Smith spoke wisely when he called the Book of Mormon the "Keystone of our religion". As we read ponder, and pray over the message that it contains it will hold our testimony together just as a keystone holds an arch together. It becomes a keystone in our personal testimony of the atoning mission of the Savior.
The Book of Mormon was the first defense that God gave us in this dispensation. He knew the fight is our future. He saw the waves of filth washing over the world in the forms of violence and pornography. He has provided us a Dam to protect us from it. The Keystone of that Dam is the Book of Mormon. As we read ponder and pray from its pages we will be protected from the world.
Monday, March 15, 2010
The Fulness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ
My purpose is to convey how the Gospel of Jesus Christ unlocks the healing power of the Atonement. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said "All things pertaining to our religion are apendages to the Atonement." The Atonement is what makes our return to the Father possible. It is the act whereby fallen man is reconciled to a perfect, exalted Father. We access the atonement when we live the principles of the Gospel.
Why did we need the Savior? Why is the Atonement so important to our Salvation? Perhaps an experience from my childhood will help explain. On our property we have a ditch that is bigger and more circular than the other ditches. When it rains it becomes a small pond and my friends and I treated it as such. We would have a wonderful time playing in it and getting muddy and nasty. On occasion we would get lucky and my sisters would wonder out of the house unprotected. On these occasions we would grab them and throw then in. This happened on this day and we were having a grand time. My mother decided to take advantage of the distraction and clean our perpetually dirty house. Eventually the ditch lost its appeal to us children so we set off towards the house to play inside the toy room. my mother saw us coming and met us at the door. In my young eyes my mother who is usually about 5'2" turned into a 10' giant with laser vision. She then lovingly directed us to the back of the water hose and hosed us down. Only then were we allowed to enter her house and go to the bathroom to finish the cleaning process with a much needed (though undesired) bath. In like manner, when we were born, we left the perfectly clean home of our Heavenly Father to wallow in a mud pit. It was necessary to our progression but, as a result "All mankind [became] fallen...which consigned them forever to be cut off...[We] were cut off from the presence of the Lord" Because "If [we] be filthy [we] cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But, the kingdom of God is not filthy" "Wherefore, save [there] should be an infinite atonement" we could not dwell in Gods home. The only way that we can be clean again is by "washing our garments in the Blood of the Lamb" The atonement is represented in this analogy by the water coming out of the water hose. The water that cleaned us off. But in order to access this water several things needed to occur before hand. First, the water bill had to be paid. Second, we had to turn the nozzle to release the water. We turn the nozzle when we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ paid the water bill, he paid the price for our Salvation. His payment began in the Garden of Gethsemane where his anguish over the wickedness and abominations of his people was so great that he sweat great gout's of blood. This was swiftly followed by the betrayal of Judas, the abandonment of his remaining Apostles. The Savior then experienced the irony of being a God convicted of blaspheme. The degradation of being beaten and mocked by the Rulers of the Jews and then by the Gentile Rulers. The inhumanity of being scourged with 40 stripes save one and then being forced to carry his own cross down to his own crucifixion. In less than 48 hours every mortal form of support had left him and then the unthinkable happened, our Savior felt the divine spirit of God withdraw. "My God My God! Why has thou forsaken me?!" what human mind can fathom the significance of that awe-full cry? In addition to the agony of crucifixion the agony of Gethsemane returned, intensified beyond human capacity to comprehend much less endure. In his bitterest hour, the dying Christ was completely alone. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consumated in all its fullness, the Father withdrew the comfort of his immediate presence and the support of his divine spirit, leaving our Savior completely, utterly alone. In order to pay our water bill our Savior literally "Descended below it all" surely "He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows, [surely] he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquity and with his stripes we are healed."
The water bill has been paid. Jesus Christ said "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." The Savior invites us to "Come...everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price"
I testify that the water bill has been paid. I testify that as we turn the nozzle to access the cleansing water of the Atonement that we will be made clean. We will be allowed to return to the clean house our or Father.
Why did we need the Savior? Why is the Atonement so important to our Salvation? Perhaps an experience from my childhood will help explain. On our property we have a ditch that is bigger and more circular than the other ditches. When it rains it becomes a small pond and my friends and I treated it as such. We would have a wonderful time playing in it and getting muddy and nasty. On occasion we would get lucky and my sisters would wonder out of the house unprotected. On these occasions we would grab them and throw then in. This happened on this day and we were having a grand time. My mother decided to take advantage of the distraction and clean our perpetually dirty house. Eventually the ditch lost its appeal to us children so we set off towards the house to play inside the toy room. my mother saw us coming and met us at the door. In my young eyes my mother who is usually about 5'2" turned into a 10' giant with laser vision. She then lovingly directed us to the back of the water hose and hosed us down. Only then were we allowed to enter her house and go to the bathroom to finish the cleaning process with a much needed (though undesired) bath. In like manner, when we were born, we left the perfectly clean home of our Heavenly Father to wallow in a mud pit. It was necessary to our progression but, as a result "All mankind [became] fallen...which consigned them forever to be cut off...[We] were cut off from the presence of the Lord" Because "If [we] be filthy [we] cannot dwell in the kingdom of God; if so, the kingdom of God must be filthy also. But, the kingdom of God is not filthy" "Wherefore, save [there] should be an infinite atonement" we could not dwell in Gods home. The only way that we can be clean again is by "washing our garments in the Blood of the Lamb" The atonement is represented in this analogy by the water coming out of the water hose. The water that cleaned us off. But in order to access this water several things needed to occur before hand. First, the water bill had to be paid. Second, we had to turn the nozzle to release the water. We turn the nozzle when we live the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ paid the water bill, he paid the price for our Salvation. His payment began in the Garden of Gethsemane where his anguish over the wickedness and abominations of his people was so great that he sweat great gout's of blood. This was swiftly followed by the betrayal of Judas, the abandonment of his remaining Apostles. The Savior then experienced the irony of being a God convicted of blaspheme. The degradation of being beaten and mocked by the Rulers of the Jews and then by the Gentile Rulers. The inhumanity of being scourged with 40 stripes save one and then being forced to carry his own cross down to his own crucifixion. In less than 48 hours every mortal form of support had left him and then the unthinkable happened, our Savior felt the divine spirit of God withdraw. "My God My God! Why has thou forsaken me?!" what human mind can fathom the significance of that awe-full cry? In addition to the agony of crucifixion the agony of Gethsemane returned, intensified beyond human capacity to comprehend much less endure. In his bitterest hour, the dying Christ was completely alone. That the supreme sacrifice of the Son might be consumated in all its fullness, the Father withdrew the comfort of his immediate presence and the support of his divine spirit, leaving our Savior completely, utterly alone. In order to pay our water bill our Savior literally "Descended below it all" surely "He has born our griefs and carried our sorrows, [surely] he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquity and with his stripes we are healed."
The water bill has been paid. Jesus Christ said "Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again. But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life." The Savior invites us to "Come...everyone that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price"
I testify that the water bill has been paid. I testify that as we turn the nozzle to access the cleansing water of the Atonement that we will be made clean. We will be allowed to return to the clean house our or Father.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
The Nature of Man
In the church the phrase "the natural man" is generally associated with the carnal nature of man. This assumption is made with good reason, the Book of Mormon repetitively condons the carnal nature of man, and I agree, the carnal nature of man is evil. I think that the natural man also has inherited some of the qualities of its Creator. This morning while I was sitting on the bus I noticed a person that I would identify as a person who has given into the natural man totally. He had a nasty goatee, and ICP shirt, piercing in various body parts, and he appeared to, and his language frequented the use of profanities. As the bus came to a stop a man who was confined to a wheel chair rolled to the door, slipped from his wheel chair and started to slide down the door. With out question, the previously mentioned man, grabbed the wheelchair and carried it down the stairs. As far as I am aware they had had no previous interaction. This "natural man" instinctively acted to help his brother. I believe that the purpose of life is to refine the natural man. To purge the carnal part of our nature and refine and enhance the divine characteristics. I am grateful that God woke me up long enough to witness the goodness of man.
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