lessons

Those of you that know me , know that I work for the LDS church as a maintenance mechanic taking care of the various meeting houses within my Stake borders, 10 in all. Most members in our Faith do not receive any pay for their service, just like myself when I worship on Sundays and prepare talks or others do we are all based upon the principles of lay ministry and giving freely of our time to serve in the Lord's work. In any case the work that I perform requires many different types of skills, some are plumbing, others electrical and HVAC work, sometimes I am painting or even cleaning, but whatever the day en tales one thing is always needed for me to do my job and that is my handy Palm Pilot. It contains all the serial, model, and makes of every piece of equipment used in every application in all the different buildings. It also contains all the address's telephone numbers and contact info for any one or place, so it is a very helpful tool to have, or should I say was. Tuesday night someone took it upon themselves to pay our country home a visit in the dark, there by helping themselves to some items from inside my truck, one of the missing items......a Palm Pilot!

Can you believe that! I live on a road that within a mile literally holds five other homes besides mine, and I know each family! I called the local Sheriff"s Department and they came out and filed a report, but the chances of getting my stuff back is slim to none. You know when I was younger and lived in the city , my car had gotten broken into several times and I just learned to not leave anything in it and leave it unlocked, it was cheaper for repairs. When we moved to a small town someone stole some straps from the tool box on my work trailer so I put a padlock on it and never had anymore problems. I currently live in a remote area of the country were nothing ever bad happens..........almost never LOL .

A lesson from the life of understanding is something I must be supposed to learn, or how to appreciate the fact that all things in this world are not permanent. One or the other. Either way it reminds me of the time we lived in town and someone walked right up to our back door through the snow and took my LP tank off the outside BBQ grill, I was mad at first, then I talked to my Dad and told him what happened and he said " maybe those folks that took it needed it more than you, maybe they didn't have any heat or way to cook for their family." What a Saint Dad is. I guess the person that took my stuff will find something to get from it, I wish they would have stole the scriptures off the dash, maybe they could have gotten something from that.

A lesson for me perhaps, a laugh for them, they didn't take the charger and the battery in the Palm is so old it dies after about one hour.

Charity

Good morning Brothers and sisters, my talk today was given to me by my lovely wife, while being over stressed and over worked, felt unable to give this talk so I volunteered to help out and I must say that it is not only befitting for myself to give this talk but also a huge blessing to be able to speak on such a wonderful subject, The topic today is Charity. The first thing I thought of when I looked at the subject line on the talk sheet was , “I am charitable”, but after thinking about the subject matter more deeply and reviewing my own role in the charity towards others I found that perhaps I have some areas to improve upon myself.

Some of the greatest stories in the history of the Scriptures have charity in them, we all remember the story of the 10 lepers that Jesus so kindly healed or the woman who’s disease of the blood was healed at the touch of His robe, or one of my favorite were the woman being convicted at the steps of the temple for adultery was pardoned by the Savior with His soft spoken words “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone”. Those are just a couple of the very many that stem from a long list of so many examples of how Charity was overflowing from the Savior. As with so many of the other important Prophets and Apostles of both yesterday and today.

So my question to myself and also to all of you is “are we being Charitable to others, have we put aside our own concerns and focused upon another’s, are we consumed with self help books and c/d’s on how to fix our own lives and better ourselves in all aspect first and for most, and then we worry about our family, friends, or neighbors.

We as Latter day Saints have something that no other church in the world today has, we have the gift of restored truths with principles that allow us to not only excel l above normal expectations but be a light in the darkness of society today to set the example of the ever legendary commandment of “Love thy Neighbor” Something found amongst the Latter Day Saints that is our huge legacy that comes from the Relief Society as well as the Priesthood ,is the ever necessary need for service among the children of God. We truly are people who are willing to give of ourselves whenever we can and I am proud to be able to be a part of service.

From Corinthians comes the beautiful truth, “Charity never faileth.” A wonderful line from new testament that is so appropriately used by our beloved Sisters today in the Relief Society, the very motto found at ever ward or branch worldwide by these special examples of the Savior’s love.

What is charity? Moroni, in writing a few of the words of his father, Mormon, recorded, “Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever.”

Joseph B. Wirthlin once stated, when we reach out to assist the least of Heavenly Father’s children, we do it unto Him.

Paul’s message to this new body of Saints was simple and direct: Nothing you do makes much of a difference if you do not have charity. You can speak with tongues, have the gift of prophecy, understand all mysteries, and possess all knowledge; even if you have the faith to move mountains, without charity it won’t profit you at all 1 Corinthians 13:1–2.

Currently in my own life, I have looked at a few of my own personal trials, for some there have been struggles great , for others struggles light, both though can carry the burden of guilt, sometimes shame and, almost always regret. The true love of Christ is charity, by that charity we feel of His grace, something I have spoken of many times within my blog that I write, it is that grace that sets us free from the despairs of the world that I just spoke of. Not very long ago in a council with our dear Branch President , we spoke of personal trials and the struggles we sometimes face as men and women, and His words were that of the Saviors as he so Prophetically quoted , “For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.” Words of our Savior testifying again of His eternal Charity.

True love lasts forever. It is eternally patient and forgiving. It believes, hopes, and endures all things. That is the love our Heavenly Father bears for us.

We all yearn to experience love like this. Even when we make mistakes, we hope others will love us in spite of our shortcomings—even if we don’t deserve it.

It is wonderful to know that our Heavenly Father loves us—even with all our flaws! His love is such that even should we give up on ourselves, He never will.

We see ourselves in terms of yesterday and today. Our Heavenly Father sees us in terms of forever. Although we might settle for less, Heavenly Father won’t, for He sees us as the glorious beings we are capable of becoming.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is a gospel of transformation. It takes us as men and women of the earth and refines us into men and women for the eternities.

I so bear my testimony that this is the true Church of Jesus Christ and that this work, the work of Charity is for all the Saints as well as all of mankind to be ever engaged in, I testify that as we adhere ourselves to the principles of living righteously and maintaining the covenants that we have made through baptism , that we will be able to live up to the expectations that Christ and our Father in Heaven has for us, and we will be Charitable in all our dealings, I bear witness that I know these principles are true and leave you this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

His Grace

As I have thought about some of the things we face as people in this life, I often wonder how much we look to the Savior for the strength we so desperately need. With the rise of unrighteous behavior all around us and the ever scary threat of evil and contention driven at the very core of the world we live in , it makes it difficult sometimes to remember the most important stuff. I try as I look through the dismal peep hole of life's door to see past all the crap and look at what really matters. When I do this I see the world as the beautiful splendor that it was intended to be seen as.

I thought just recently about the atonement and what its significant role in humanity it played. I thought about the amount and measure of harm and suffering it brought to the Savior and then was able to take a breath and wipe the tears from my cheek and say thank you Father for the love that Thou has for us. And with that thought still fresh in my mind, my minds eye began to see the face of the Savior, his soft eyes and gentle look. The way He simple would smile as he instilled eternal truths into those that would listen and with the love He could only posses softly reach toward a fallen child and embrace them with gentle care. And then with His soft reproach to Peter to sheath his sword when the soldier came for Him, and to still show compassion and love for all mankind, it made me think. While still caught up in the imagination of it all I began to feel the sorrow as I visualized the torture from the guards and the hateful laughter as they forced that crown of thorns upon our Majesty's head, how painful that must have been. With an eye single to the work laid before Him, He struggled to carry His cross, the cross He chose over heaven, so that we could be free. Deeply ingrained in my countenance and my memory is that dreadful but glorious event. When God became man that we might become eternal.

I know that this is a topic that I have spoken of often before, but one that can never be spoken of enough. For me each time it is brought back into perfect memory and I began to think deeply about it, is when there is something that I need to be focused upon, or even learned. Now a dear sister from church so eloquently wrote not long ago, that everyone is entitled to that atonement, and the power that it possesses, the power to free captive souls. There are people all around us that we as everyday people don't approve of, or maybe even don't like, those people need our prayers. Those people are the ones that this atonement is for as well, it does not apply only to the righteous and no one, no one deserves to die without a chance at salvation.

Many stand at the head of this great country we live in that probably don't know God the way we do, maybe it is because no one ever told them, maybe because someone never prayed for them. I know that there are people next door to us or people we work with that never have had a chance to hear the gospel of Jesus Christ taught to them. So what do we do, we pray and we teach and if possible we invite them to attend church or read the word of God. But what we can't do is forget that the atonement is for all of God's children and not just His faithful children. The rewards listed for each faithful servant are available to all, we just need to share what they are.

The next time we feel the need to judge, or even condemn, please remember that when Jesus chose the cross over heaven, he chose to give us His grace and His mercy and more over, His freedom from death. May we all be willing to change I so pray in the sacred name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

A blessing

The most impressive thing I have seen or heard of in my life came from a person who has touched my life and the life of my family tremendously. I wanted to post something before now to tell the world of that person and the greatness that is within them, but unfortunately I haven't had the time.

The greatness of this person is found in the awesome things that she does for others, her selfless acts of kindness and her charity to all.....reminds me of someone else who too did such things for all of us. As I read the things that she has done and the impact she has upon lives my mind always fades to the Savior.

Once while under the distress of a horrible illness , this same woman faced a challenge that almost took her life! The diagnosis was dim and the cost for medication to high. With faith, not just any faith but that of which is possessed by those who are a step ahead of the rest of us , the kind of faith that men like Peter, James, and John possessed, to say nothing of Lehi or Nephi, and of course Joseph. Her dismal outlook of dispare held no chains over her, and like the woman in the scriptures whose disease of the blood was healed at the touch of the Saviors robe, so my dear friend was also, by her faith and that of her Loving husbands, a blessing was performed and freedom was again granted.

The reason for the praise, more than any other is that by example this person has lead a life worthy of praise and has shown me and the world what the love of God looks like. If you stare at this woman for even a glimpse the light of Christ will Peirce to your very soul.

A gift was given........A blessing for all............A life was spared, the beautiful thing about it is she has never forgot!

Thank you Ann for your inspiration! I cannot express to you how much Hope and I love and adore all that you do. We are very blessed to know you and are so thankful that you set a wonderful example of what God's love truly looks like.

And they wrought a mighty miriacle upon the land

So it would appear that the only time I seem to blog anymore is about once a month. The last one wasn't even a blog but just some picture of the chickens.

The quest we appear to be on these days lingers toward survival rather than living, with the economy in the so called toilet and with the Whitehouse in an uproar, and with politicians deciding our future on Earth, we really are living in a scary time. Some will say the end is near but that is always the comment . Some will say that we have started the apocalyptic era of time with wars and rumors of wars at our door step, but some will say isn't life great!

I currently know 4 woman who are expecting baby's in the near future, and honestly my hat is off to them. That is the kind of positive thinking we need around each of us. I know that in the lectures on the Prophet Joseph Smith, by Truman G. Madsen, he speaks of and quotes the Prophet when he says" and in the last days when things are ruff, it will only be the Latter-Day Saint woman whom are willing to give birth" What a wonderful message to the world these pillars of the world are sending for all to see! Give birth , breath life into what some would call dark or even death. My hat is truly off to you ladies.

In the ministry of the Apostle Paul, as he carried his message, the Savior's message, to each of the Church's and to the towns he explained to them that in there time of peril and hardship there was hope. Hope found through the ministry of Christ, and although Paul thought that he would see the return of Christ in his day, he never once sat upon his laurels and waited to do something. There was never an ounce of procrastination in his testimony or willingness to spread the good news, that Jesus is the Christ. Paul's counter part across the globe, Alma, too worked diligently with the same kind of admonishing to the people, " be ye ready for the great and dreadful day of the Lord". Never once thinking that Christ was not coming, but it was hope that drove these men, these great men on valor.

In the days that follow the stories of these great apostles there are many instances throughout history in which people think its time for Christ to return. I believe it will be soon myself, but I do not think its time to sit back on my laurels and wait for Christ, In stead I think its time to serve Christ, time to really live. For the things that are truly important. So I commend these woman who choose to have children and I say with all the fervor of my soul, that life is meant to be lived, and lived well. A sad glance at the issue that face us all don't solve any problems but instead cause more problems. I heard a motivational speaker once say that "the world doesn't need to hear another sermon as bad as it needs to see one" I could not agree more!

What a better way to say " World we are still here and we will continue to be here" than to have children. I know we all say we know this.... but think about it some more ......all things, yes every single thing is subject unto the Father, with that in mind be positive and have the faith that is instilled in each of us to believe that He know what He is doing.

The survivors

The mighty Solemn our Rooster, he's kinda mean. He jumped up and kicked Chase the other day!

Thats Barbie on the right, Easter on the left and Solemn again.

Hey that's not a chicken, but he sure is cute!

the newbies and the recoveries.

12 little babies altogether. 6 Road Island Reds and 6 Rockford's

Mable is the white one ( my chicken ) and the brown is Dog ( Alex's ) she wanted a dog and we told her no so when we were going to get the chickens at first she said " well can I name one Dog?" We said sure. LOL these are my two survivors and my egg layers, there both good chickens.

in a nut shell

So long I sat at the edge of our bed typing away at this computer, blogging to share my thoughts and feelings. The mishaps of everyday life have a way of getting in the way. So with a fire of a desire to start blogging again I will start with everyday living, the very thing that has seem to keep me from my task.

I have been very busy with work but more importantly , I have been busy emotionally and spiritually. I have been striving to better myself as a husband and man, and now the father and Priesthood holder. I have embarked upon the "Love Dare" to understand what true love is and have a greater appreciation and deeper love for my wife. The book and Idea is fantastic! All though, trying diligently to be rigorously honest with myself , I have had to redo a couple of the Dare's, however long it take I will get through the 40 days and turn it into forever. I can honestly say it has already changed our relationship to the better and I see a change in both myself and Hope, and she doesn't know I am doing it. On the back cover it says "Whether your marriage is hanging by a thread or healthy and strong, The Love Dare is a journey you need to take." I have made it to day 19 so far and It is tough if your trying but so far well worth it.

My chickens have made a mighty come back! The two that were sick on there very death bed have begun to lay eggs. How cool is that! The day that the attack took place, while devastated at not only the loss of our beloved chickens, but trying to subdue the pain the children faced because of the loss, we ordered from the local feed store 12 more baby chickens. With the thought in mind that we would only have 2 hens and 1 rooster, the idea of more sounded great, who knew that we would, with the help of God manage to save the other two. That is okay though because we are happy to have the pets, yes I said pets because we love them that way. They were never bought with the intent to kill so we have chose to name them and the kids are happy.

I am happy to have the opportunity to share a little being that I never seem to have time anymore. I hope you enjoy.

A path too often travelled

I have spent a great deal of my life back treading to get past prior mistakes in life and for me they just never seem to stop. While talking with a dear friend of mine on the phone last week, I spoke of how the hardest thing in my life to get past is the short temper and the anger that is in me. Now I don't know about the rest of you but I struggle. I have been blessed with the strength to get past every bad habit, including smoking , by the power of God, but I will be darned if I can't get past this anger of mine.

I have spent thousands of dollars and many waisted evenings sitting in some form of counseling or therapy over the course of my life and almost all of it has been because of some anger issue, now a reformed man (LOL I try) I strive to get over things that are not in conjunction with heavenly Fathers plans of how we should be. I have tried many things to get past this issue but am at a stand still most of the time.

So I speaking to my dear friend, I say to him that I always think it is funny how God seems to try and get us to see the err of our ways. I was given a set of C/D's from one of my co-workers to listen to entitled " Being a better you " as I am reading the books " Broken things to mend, by Jeffrey R. Holland" and also " 7 habits of highly effective people " I don't know, you think someone is trying to tell me something or am I just digging that hard.

Honestly and all joking aside....I hate getting angry I really do, nothing makes me feel smaller or less worthy of His grace then when I get mad and yell at my children or my spouse, and further more when they are hurt by it. I struggle so much and find that I am back in a position almost daily that I have to ask for forgiveness to them and God for my actions and words. Humbling for me aggravating to them. So I have been praying harder and more fervently that God will help me be a better Husband, Father, Priesthood holder, and man. The first Sunday of the month is coming up and that is what I am going to focus on for my fast , and all you that read this I ask that you would please throw my name into yours if you feel inspired to help me in my quest to be a better me.

If you haven't seen the movie "Fire Proof" You should. It is a spiritual movie of a man facing a problem like mine...the great thing is that the movie was inspired of a real book called " The Love Dare " I bought it a week ago and have secretly started the dare. I had to repeat day 1 three times before I got through but now I am onto day 3 so hopefully and with faith I can make it to day 40 and turn that into 40+ years.

Not often do I put myself out there for all to see, but I can't hide behind anger nor can I bottle up the feelings anymore. I want a good life for me and my family, that's why we joined the Church and devoted our lives to God. So I ask all who read this to keep us and me in your prayers and through that I know I will find strength.

Why we are here.

I had a sweet little sister from down in Findlay ask me today, "Jason..why are we here at this time in life?, Why couldn't we have been born when things were simpler?Don't you wish we could have been sent to another one of the world that God created?" My response was Sister...we have been set apart for this time to do a great work amongst our Father in Heavens people. I said that we were set apart before the foundation of the worlds and that we had been hand picked to be the righteous people to share the Gospel and the message that it has been restored so that others may find their way back home. She said" You know I never looked at it that way before."

I think it is safe to say that those of us here on this planet today have been chosen, hand picked if you will, to carry out very special deeds. The Prophet Joseph through the Prophet today surely are and were just enough to not to have had to come here, to Earth. If those that dwell on other planets are considered so righteous that they did not have to come to Earth to be tempted by Satan and his dominion, then surly The Prophets of old and new would have been listed among those. My theory is that God hand picked each of them to do his will and alot of us as well. We have been set apart for a mighty work and we must full fill that oath and obligation, even if we can't remember making it, deep down we know it is true.

Next time we ask our selves that ever dangerous question....WHY ......remember that we chose to follow and He always leads the way. The Master taught us all that he had a plan for each of us, I believe That is why we are here.

True Love

You have to read this if you haven't already. ( who-knew ) This is one of the greatest images of what Jesus taught us all in the beginning and in his mortal ministry as well. He taught that we should always be courteous to others and when ever we could to feed the hungry , cloth the naked , and pray for the sick. My dear friend and one of the best examples of a human and man has set a bar above the rest once again.

We as Christians , as Saints, should always be at this level of humanity , charity , and grace. How hard is to skip one meal if it means feeding someone who would probably appreciate a meal so much more than we do. I must admit it brought tears to my eyes to read the blog and how the light and love of Christ shown through the example of a great example.

Our Talks, His Message

Today I was blessed to give a talk in Sacrament meeting . I have not spoken since two stake conferences ago after Elder Kikuchi had asked me to speak, and then my great Branch President had asked if I would share the same message with those of our congregation, so need less to say it was my honor to be able to address the fine members of the Wauseon Branch.

I spoke on the import of Family history work, and how the work of building a family tree goes hand in hand with the work of the Temple. Those who are members of the great Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, know that you cannot do one without the other if you are trying at all to full fill our promises to the commandments of God. I felt my talk was bold today, perhaps a little demanding as I admonished the members to not only start their work, but also not to procrastinate. I also admonished them to be temple worthy and if they were not, then they needed to get there and to speak with President Allen and get things straightened out.

I pined over that talk after I wrote it, I read it again and again and thought I hope this sound right when I deliver it. You know, it takes a molecule of faith to say a simple prayer, it takes a bucket full to understand that it is not your message but His that you are about to share with the beloved members. I sat on that stand and listened to the first speaker and thought to myself..."I hope my talk is long enough...I hope I am not to nerveous.....I pray that the Spirit will guide me", and bam like a ton of brick being lifted from me I felt relief that He was in control.

You see He inspired it from the beginning, helped me write it, told me where to look , and there I sat worried about me. When I asked for His guidance, when I said I needed His help, He was right there and with the love only He can give, I heard that small still voice say "It's okay, I'm right here, I never left you, but thanks for asking " With a peace in mind that He was going to lead I had no worries, and the message was shared the way He intended for it to spoken. I had several people after say how much they enjoyed it and one woman said "You made me cry" I responded "that's because it must have been for you".

I have always felt that each talk , whether given in general conference in Salt Lake...or in the smallest Branches across the plains, they are inspired to inspire , they are talks from God himself for someone who has their listening ears on that day, personal messages if you will , directed towards those in need or with a struggle. Whether mine was or not, I can't say 100%, I feel it was, but we shall see.

My dear friend said to me at baptism yesterday, " I haven't seen any blogs lately?" the only thing I could say was " do you miss them " her answer was yes. Thanks Jenny for the nudge I needed it.

Hospitible or Hostile? You choose.

I spoke with a dear member of the leadership in our Stake today and he indicated to me that he had a rather unfortunate argument with his neighbor this past week, the sad part of it was that it could not just be a mix of words based solely upon the problem at hand, no instead it turned into a bash on Mormonism for him. His and his families values were at stake and he stood for what he believed, even in the face of adversity.

I shared with him my own past couple of weeks with my brother and also how I got something out of this past conference that , to me , sent a message that we really need to be getting more prepared for the second coming. Here we have a story of neighbor against neighbor , brother against brother, persons contenting one with another over discrepancies, usually doctrinal based.

As we get closer to the last days, the scriptures have told all that will listen with an open mind that we will see these very days come to pass. That Satan will sift us a wheat , that even the most valiant will fall, and we will content one with another. I stand to tell you and all those that can read my blog, it is time to stand for that which we believe, not that most of us don't but maybe we need to step it up a notch. How many of us let Satan tell us how much we don't deserve something? Forgiveness, a promotion at work, a chance at love or a relationship. How many times have we gotten to a point where we are in the good grace's of what we think God would have for us, only to think that we know better than He to what we deserve. We are all worthy of His mercy , grace, and love. We must go forth more boldly and declare the good news that Jesus is the Christ and that the Gospel has been restored, even at the cost of being hated for it.

If we as Latter-Day Saints are going to do what we have been asked to do, then there are going to be ugly times ahead of us. I know that we can avoid confrontation with those around us, but to me it seems worth the risk if I can plant a seed, even one as small as a mustard seed.

Stepping Stones

This past few weeks have been a bit rough for me , not Spiritually at all but some what stressful if you will. I received a bit of relief last week when I got word from my attorney and the courts that my custody battle for my daughter is now over and she is officially in my custody, hooray! I have also, as some may know, been having a bit of struggles with my brother, Tom. Despite the fact that he feels he is always correct , no matter the answer he has given, he made it ever difficult to speak with him. I found myself getting to a place where my feelings were not quite leaning the way they should have and there towards the end of a solid week of standing up for what I believe in , I found myself rather punchy in some of my responses. I felt after re-reading some of them that I could have handled them with a little more finesse and showed more kindness instead of being consumed with getting the point across. Either way I have rested at the endeavor. I wrote him an email tonight after receiving an additional four from him yesterday, stating that I no longer wish to engage in trying to answer the ever tiring anti-Mormon questions, I stated that, if they were sincere questions from him to understand what it is I truly believe, I will be happy to answer with the best of my ability but no longer will I answer the anti questions that he is trying to show me where I am wrong at.

I had posted a comment for my blog stating that I will no longer support his blog and have removed it from my site, I feel impressed still to stand with that decision. Not for the sake that I can't get along with members of my family , but more so because I can't promote someone that condemns the very thing that I would die to uphold. He has a very good grasp on the Bible as he sees it and I feel comfortable that he has made some correct choices in his life, but more so than anything , I am grateful to our Father in Heaven for His infinite mercy, that will allow those that don't truly understand an opportunity to decide for themselves and that He bases things on people individual understanding of the Gospel and does not condemn them for their ignorance. (not a nice word but hey if it fits)

Sometimes these things are so hard to deal with, but there is strength to be had in all struggles. I have said before and it is something that I try to live by, adversity can either be a stepping stone or a stumbling block, it is how you perceive the problem that makes it either of the two. I pray that my Brother Tom may have an opened mind and a softened heart, and that he will come to a point in his life where the things that I have shared with him will begin to make sense.

different strokes for different fokes

This is an email that I recently have responded to my brother's questions. I fought hard with myself to not be over critical or to be defensive at all. I have placed in my blog as a special thing for my ever so faithful viewers to read. I pray I did ok with my responses.

Well I will do my best at answering your questions , I would like to know if you actually watched the video's I sent though because it didn't sound like you did and I will attach the entire talks tat I had shared with you so you can examine then more carefully. The versus I sent to you were from the King James Bible as well , We as Mormon's, view it to the best version because it as close to the originally writings as possible.

I have read parts of the book of mormon and and your other books and magazines on the web. Joseph Smith stated that the book of mormon was "the most correct book on earth" and that he translated letter-by-letter from the golden plates, "by the power of God". If that is true, why did the mormon church have to make more than 4,000 changes to it when it was originally published?

If you consider comma's and other clerical refinements then yes, spelling was another major problem at the time because most of the translation work was done on scratch paper and written in short hand. The plates were translated in just over two and a half months and contain 531 pages of scripture, which I might ad has been tested many times by countless colleges around the world to see if a college student ( fitting Joseph Smith's age ) could possibly put together a book that contained such an accurate account of biblical history, prophetic writings and contained more people and towns and ways of life then any book or play ever composed by Shakespeare or Plato. It to this day has never been accomplished. In the opening page of the Book of Mormon, it states (And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ.) How many different copy's of The Holy Bible do you own? I have four different type in my home, study bible , easy read , King James , and Children's, they all have changes in them from wording to punctuation. So I feel that since the very first Book of Mormon to the one I read today tells the very same thing word for word with spelling corrections and punctuation correction, then Yes it is " The Most Correct Book on Earth" An important thing to know here is that Joseph Smith Translated the text, He did not Write a story. Check out Joseph Smith Testimony to see what I mean.

According to your religion, when I die I will be going to the "Terrestial Kingdom" or the "Telestial Kingdom", which yes may be apart from God, but I will find the glory of the telestial kingdom that "surpasses all understanding" (D&C, 76:81-90). Essentially, I have nothing to lose. If your wrong, you will spend eternity in Hell where there will be "wailing and gnashing of teeth"-Matthew 13:50.

Paul, an Apostle of Jesus Christ, Taught of His original Devine Doctrine Wrote:
2 aI knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the bbody, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the cthird dheaven.

3 And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;)

4 How that he was caught up into aparadise, and heard bunspeakable words, which it is cnot dlawful for a man to utter.Also:
40 aThere are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the bcelestial is one, and the glory of the cterrestrial is another.

41 There is one glory of the asun, and another glory of the moon, and another glory of the bstars: for one star cdiffereth from another star in dglory. The Three Degree's of Glory recorded here and also in Doctrine & Covenants 76 verses 81-113 depict the degrees that are determined by our ability to follow the commandments given in all the Holy Scriptures. The fact that you make the comment " Essentially, you have nothing to lose" is not true. D&C 81-85 states:
81 And again, we asaw the glory of the btelestial, which glory is that of the lesser, even as the cglory of the stars differs from that of the glory of the moon in the firmament.

82 These are they who received not the gospel of Christ, neither the atestimony of Jesus.

83 These are they who adeny not the Holy Spirit.

84 These are they who are thrust down to ahell.

85 These are they who shall not be redeemed from the adevil until the blast resurrection, until the Lord, even Christ the cLamb, shall have finished his work.This is were the "wailing and gnashing of teeth"-Matthew 13:50. as you put it will take place. The thing about the Terrestial kingdom is to my understanding and knowledge , that this is the degree of Heaven that most Christians will be going to, including you and most people you know . In fact there are probably going to be more people at this degree than most people think, the only qualifications a Christian has to attend this degree of Glory consist of the belief in Christ, Repentance, Faith, and Baptism for the remission of sins. So if most faith based churches teach these principles, and almost all do then no matter the denomination you will make it to Heaven, and for the record you are judged according to your understanding of the Christ gospel, not what people have told you or tried to tell you, so if you are a scholar in Biblical theory and knowledge then you probably have more to fear than the men or woman with the most basic understanding. The fact that you study the Holy Bible and I study all 5 of the canonical scriptures doesn't make a difference in the eyes of God, it is based on our individual understanding.The even bigger factor to look at is something I told someone that asked me this very same question not long ago, that when You, Tom get to the Terrestial Kingdom, you are going to think beyond a shadow of doubt that you made it to Heaven, and will have no knowledge of whether I made it with you or made it to the Celestial Kingdom, You will be in a state of Glory filled with all you have ever been promised to your understanding and as you are able to see Jesus Christ either sitting upon his throne or walking and talking amongst you, you will feel like you have got to where you need to be and that this is the One and only God. In our belief we teach that the Father (Elohim) and the Son (Jehovah or Jesus Christ) reside in the Celestial Kingdom and that there and only there will you have the knowledge and comfort of both, It is Jesus Christ the Creator that resides over the Terrestial Kingdom.

The very first commandment of the Ten Commandments says "God is first", specifically, "thou shalt have no other gods before me"-Exodus 20:3. Isaiah 43:10 says "before Me there was no God formed, and there will be none after Me." Isaiah 44:6 says, the Lord Himself speaking, "Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God." According to your mormon teachings, aren't you going to be a god when you die because you went through the "temple recommend" ritual, allowing you to enter into the "Celestial Kingdom", having several wives and millions of babies and having your own planet?

Its states that you shall have no God before Me, it never said there is no other gods with Him, He is the first and the last because He is our Father and Creator and we will never be Him or above Him, However He does want us all to be like unto Him. I and no other Mormon would or is trying to be over God! The fact that we teach the principle of being Christ-like reflects upon the fact that He Himself gave us the Commandment to do unto others has He has done , and to love one another as He has loved us. I don't understand why the idea of a Father in Heaven that promises us everything that he has he will give unto us:John14:2 In my Father’s ahouse are many bmansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.& Doctrine and Covenants 84:38 And he that receiveth my Father receiveth my Father’s akingdom; therefore ball that my Father hath shall be given unto him. The idea of having many wives is rediculace and is taken from the principles of the Koran. There is no way that anyone is going to have more than one wife and if that was the teaching of Christs church today then we would all be like the fundamentalist in Colorado city and places like that. The reason that we are Sealed to one another (Hope and I) is so that we can be together forever in the Celestial Kingdom and there we will be learning over the next millions of years what it takes to be as great as God and then someday if it is God's will then yes we would be able to be a god over a world of our own, it really isn't that hard to understand if you truly believe the promise that the Lord has shared that all that recieveth the Father recieveth all that He has. It never said the minute you get there your a god. The revelation was given after a question arouse as to what we do for all of eternity, the answer was Progression. It was never taught that you will be a god to over throw God.

In addition, I understand that you probably prayed initially about the book of mormon, according to moroni 10:4-5, to make sure it was true. I'm going to bet your going to quote James 1:5 that says to ask God for wisdom. The passage in context is talking about testings and trials and temptations. So maybe you weren't, lets say that the book of mormon is false. I know you believe it, but just for the sake of argument, suppose that it is not an historical document, but rather a counterfeit not inspired by God who inspired the Bible. Who then would be the real inspiration behind counterfeit book(s) that claim to be from God? Try satan. The book of mormon says to pray about the book of mormon itself. That is extremely dangerous spiritually because the Bible makes it very clear that the book of mormon is false. Didn't Joseph Smith say an angel, Maroni, told him about the plates?

I was taught the basic principle that you have quoted here that is mostly correct, however I would not quote James1:5, of which I find humorous that you have your interpretation that you boldly proclaim that you are correct on. I believe it is also teaching the principle of testing your faith. Anyhow Moroni did appear to young Joseph Smith ( his History ) after he prayed in the Sacred Grove and both Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him and told him many great things. It was after this that the Angel Moroni, a glorified resurrected being appeared to him 4 times and told him where to find the plates. Joseph was 14 at the time. I my self did not believe the lessons nor the need for prophets and apostles on the earth today. I didn't believe almost everything they taught me at first because I was basing all my knowledge on what you and I were both raised on, Pentecostal background, the religion of our Mom and Dad, So I began to study very diligently the Bible and did my best like you are doing here to prove me wrong, I quoted these same verses from Galatians and you know what with each comment or attempt to discredit I found I was usually on the losing side , but that didn't change my mind about Mormonism, I was praying day and night to know what to do , I asked in the realest form of faith and understanding I had as to what I should believe, I prayed that God would help me and that He would answer my question about whether this church was His church restored upon the Earth today or if it was the work of Satan. 6 months I prayed that prayer and was ready to give up and go back to just believing what ever I wanted, A young missionary name Alex Carter was in our area teaching the Gospel and invited us to go to Kirtland with him and his companion , I tried to find as many excuses as possible and everyone I came up with someone had an alternative. I went and we were in the visitor center and had just sat down after looking around and we were about to watch a movie about Joseph Smith and the beginning of Mormonism. I was watching and when the part of the movie came to the Sacred Grove and the boy Joseph knelt in prayer and The Father and the Son appeared to him....the Spirit of the Lord was so overwhelming I began to cry, I felt so peaceful and warm and knew at that moment that that was the answer to my prayers for the past 6 months, then as we toured the places where the early Saints first began teaching the gospel in the School of the Prophets I felt the Spirit the same way there and knew that Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet and that I was to follow this Church, Christ's church. Something to think about with the scripture references you have here is that these were written at or around the actual time of Christ, so if these are His true teachings , then they would be applicable to His restored church as well, I am more inclined to believe that Paul is teaching from the very doctrine that I now behold in the teachings that are available for our day and age. Both of those verses tell us not to deviate from Paul's teaching of Christ's church and many churches claiming the very name christian are offending that right now. He is referring to The Church of Jesus Christ.

To pray for an answer is to ignore God and what He has already said, which is to dishonor Him. We have only ourselves to blame, then, if satan comes and answers such an irresponsible prayer instead. You must rely on the authority of the Bible ALONE to prove all things. Everything else is from a false prophet and heresy.

If the Bible is so accurate then explain to me why the entire set of scripture ever written don't exist? Why is it if they contain all of God's words why was it compiled by men of various backgrounds, ever heard of the Nicene Creed?In 325 A.D. a council got together to discredit the true teachings of Jesus Christ and decide what mainstream Christianity would consist of! I know that the words that ARE in the Bible are the word of God but to say you must rely on it alone is the same as being willing to believe anything anyone tells you without asking for yourself. Here I will use James 1:5... Is it wrong then to ask in faith as the Bible says?Is it irresponsible to seek the council of a God that truly exists and does in fact talk to man if you have enough faith to believe. I hope that you do your homework involving the Nicene Creed, you may find that the things you have been told all your life is not exactly correct. Did you know that Christian Biblical Scholars have now placed the time that John, while exiled on the Isle of Patmos wrote the book of Revelations before 1&2 Peter, before the book of Jude and the three epistles of John. Not my church here, the Christian community came up with that, So lets say here that you don't have all the facts about what you thought to be true, How would that make you feel?Take a look at this talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland an Apostle of Jesus Christ in our day and age. This is the entirety of the short video I sent yesterday.

Do you believe that Jesus Christ and satan, or lucifer, or spirit brothers?

Absolutly without a doubt and so am I and so are you ! Jerimiah 1:5 I knew you before you were in the womb . Romans 8
16 The Spirit itself beareth awitness with our bspirit, that we are the cchildren of God:

17 And if children, then heirs; aheirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we bsuffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.Also D&C 93
33 For man is aspirit. The elements are beternal, and cspirit and element, inseparably connected, receive a fulness of joy;

34 And when aseparated, man cannot receive a fulness of joy. We participated in a Grand Council in Heaven where we heard the Father’s plan for our salvation. We chose to follow Jesus Christ, who was chosen to come to earth as our Savior and Redeemer, and we shouted for joy at this wonderful opportunity (see Job 38:7; Abr. 3:24–28).God is speaking of the creation of lucifer, the light cherub because he is the angel of light. His body is filled with precious stones that would light up heaven when Gods glory shown through it. But satan wanted to be more, he wanted to be God, and satan was cast out of Heaven. As a matter of fact, in Luke 10:18 Jesus said "I beheld satan as lightning fall from Heaven". Isaiah 14:12-14 says: Lucifer, “an angel of God who was in authority in the presence of God” (D&C 76:25), said, “I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost” (Moses 4:1). But he sought that God should give unto him God’s own power and glory, and he proposed to change the conditions of our mortal experience, destroying our agency. Without agency, we would have been incapable of actually becoming like our Heavenly Father, so this proposal was rejected by God and by two-thirds of His children. Lucifer then rebelled, there was a War in Heaven—a war of words and a spiritual conflict—and he was cast out with “a third part of the hosts of heaven” who had followed him (D&C 29:36). He became known as Satan, and he and his followers now work with devilish determination to destroy our souls (see Rev. 12:7–9; D&C 29:36–39; Moses 4:1–4).Also , We came to earth without the memory of our prior existence, but we did come with individual strengths and talents, as well as weaknesses we must strive to overcome (see Ether 12:27; D&C 104:17; D&C 138:55–56; Abr. 3:23). Earth life is not the beginning or the end of our existence, but it is both a test and a crucial stage in our ongoing development. Our performance in this test shapes our eternal future (see Abr. 3:25–26).

Jesus is God and the Holy Spirit. He is the Triune God, 1 in 3. They are not seperate. He lives in Heaven and the earth is His footstool.

Something never Taught in the Bible! I can produce countless examples of the Savior praying to His Father teaching that he can do nothing but what He has seen the Father do, How about John Chapter 17 , the intercessory prayer just before the Garden? Who did he pray to there and then in the Garden when He cried out " If it be thou , Thy will be done, not Mine" How about, John 5: 23 That all men should ahonour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that bhonoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. And one of my most favorite set of verses of all is from John 17, 19 And for their sakes I asanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth.

20 Neither apray I for these alone, but for them also which shall bbelieve on me through their word;

21 That they all may be aone; as thou, bFather, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be cone in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.

22 And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be aone, even as we are bone:

23 I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made aperfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast bloved them, as thou hast loved me.

24 Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world.How about this last verse? It testifies of a premortal existence where Jesus was with the Father before the world began, you were there Tom and so was I. Here is the rest of the other video clip I shared with you by Elder Jeffery R. Holland, Now if you read these and have questions I will try to help here also.

Do you believe that God has many wives? Do you believe that God the Father is now on planet Kolob, with his wives having spiritual children according to the "Pearl of great price, Abraham chapter 3?

I believe that the place called Kolob exists and that God the Father does in fact dwell there, I believe it to be Heaven or the Celestial Kingdom. I know for a fact that God does not have more than one wife, he has just our Heavenly Mother as his companion, as far as them having children, I believe that they already had them because we are , well 2/3rds , trying to return home to them. The reason that there is never any discussion upon our Heavenly Mother is not because she doesn't exist but for the sake of Her not being degraded and Her name not being taken in vain like so many do unto the Father.

I hope this does not make you upset Jason. I hope you wake up and see what you are in. Your special "garments" you wear have 4 symbols on them. They are the signs of the Free Masons, which is also where you get some of your secret handshakes as well as most of your symbols in your temples. The all seeing eye is from the days of the egyptians which is their main, one of many gods. Which is one form of Baal worship. The free masons are a demonic cult as well. Joseph Smith was one, he signed up with his brother and in one day made it to the very top because of influence.

Well I am not offended at all, clearly that has been some miss representation on the free masons as well as the temple Garments and so called secret hand shakes. I will not say much about what goes on inside the Temple , Tom, other than the things that happen there are sacred and not secret. The Garments that I wear are part of my endowments as you have read a little about but they are more so a symbolic article of clothing that acts a a shield against the fire darts of the adversary. I wear them proudly because they do in fact protect me and I have earned a right to wear them. Being able to attend the Temple is not something ever Mormon gets to do, we hope that every one will get their chance, but unfortunately there are some that don't live up to the commandments of God. As for the free mason's , I would like to remind you that they are the very fore fathers that pioneered this great country of ours, one that allows you to practice your religious beliefs freely. They were also the ones that, and I might ad were "spiritually inspired" to write the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. something you vowed to up hold upon entering the military . The gentlemen that were and are free masons are not of a demonic cult, they are however very sacred in there practices and teachings , and by which have preserved some of our most sacred records and rights as Americans. It is almost unpatriotic to call them bad. AS for Joseph Smith, well he was many things in his life. He was a Prophet of God, a General in the Navoo Legion, A Judge , A Lawyer, At times a Policeman , in fact he was even a Presidential Candidate at one time, He was also a Disciple and an Apostle, and a Father, and at the end a Martyr. And as for the all seeing eye ... we don't have anything like that. LOL but that's funny.

Can't you see that this is nothing more than a man made religion and you are seriously violating the will of God? You are not following Jesus, you are following satan himself and you will burn in hell the day you die because you are trying to exalt yourself above God as well as make yourself work to try and get to heaven, which is nothing more than trying to bribe God for passage into Heaven

There is nothing man made about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the fact that God does speak to man today should not be condemned but embraced. Satan has no power or deminion over the righteous Tom and that is in any religion, Why if my church would we teach the principles of love charity , virtue, good to others, service, chastity, the word of wisdom, if we were led by Satan? The fact that Satan is real and trys to mislead peolpe is very real and is something to watch dilligently not to fall into , Here are some words from the book of Moses,

15 Blessed be the name of my God, for his aSpirit hath not altogether withdrawn from me, or else where is thy glory, for it is darkness unto me? And I can judge between thee and God; for God said unto me: bWorship God, for him only shalt thou cserve.

16 Get thee hence, Satan; deceive me not; for God said unto me: Thou art after the asimilitude of mine Only Begotten.

17 And he also gave me commandments when he acalled unto me out of the burning bbush, saying: cCall upon God in the name of mine Only Begotten, and worship me.

18 And again Moses said: I will not cease to call upon God, I have other things to inquire of him: for his aglory has been upon me, wherefore I can judge between him and thee. bDepart hence, Satan.
My point is that if you are filled with the Holy Spirit, Tom you can judge one from the other, personally I have been on both sides in my life, you of all people can testify of that , I have felt the presence of Satan in my life Tom, I know him well, I have also been blessed to feel of the light of Christ and I know Him and He is with me , just as He is with you. As far as me working to get to Heaven, well that is something that the anti mormon tracks always say about us when in fact the very Gospel of Jesus Christ was filled with service.
Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn awisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the bservice of your cfellow beings ye are only in the service of your God
Romans 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your abodies a living bsacrifice, holy, cacceptable unto God, which is your reasonable dservice.
Revelations 2:19 I know thy works, and charity, and aservice, and faith, and thy patience, and thy works; and the last to be more than the first
Did not Christ himself teach that we should help our fellow man? Did not the principles of Charity come from helping one another? I and no other Mormon believes that we will recieve any stage of glory based upon our works, it is living the commandments of God that seal your destiny not the charity and service you do. Those items should be in everyones lives no matter who they are,. You help out around your church and neighborhood don't you? Are you trying to please God by being cheerful towards your fellow man or are you working to get to Heaven? We as Mormons do service for the soul principle that Christ told everyone to! That is the only reason.

Please Jason, I beg you to stop and think for one moment about all the things you have done and seen and heard. There are thousands of people out there that are getting out of this religion because they are waking up and God is showing them the true light in His Son, Jesus Christ. Not the Jesus that you guys worship and believe in. There are literally millions upon millions of mormons that are not on their own planet having spirit babies, they are burning in hell, unless they repented and started following the true Jesus Christ. You have the chance to get out and walk away now. Do it while you can and seek the One true God!!! I beg you Jason!! Once you die, it will be too late and you and your family will have that regret forever, not awhile, or a thousand years, forever.

I have went through each paragraph and have tried my best to share my understanding of the Gospel with you, I hope that you can come to grips with the judging of others. I did not ever intend for you to become so wroth with me that you would sit in judgment of me and condemn me and my family and every other Mormon to hell. The fact that you think that I worship a Jesus Christ that is different than yours must be true if this is how you feel, because the message that He sends me and every other Christian in this world is to love one another as He has loved us, My Jesus does not condemn any other Church nor does He set the limit on who gets to go to Heaven like you so clearly have done by proclaiming that your right and I am wrong. The fact that you chose not to believe in the Mormon Faith is ok , Tom, you have to make your mind up about what you believe. I know that when things were still ruff in your life back before you recommited your life to Christ , I prayed dilligently for you to come unto Christ.I was at my bed side one night praying for many things , you and your family were a part, and I recieved an answer by the power of the Holy Ghost , that you would be coming along soon. It was only two weeks later that you callled with your new found faith and was so happy to tell me about how well you were doing. That night I thanked our Father in Heaven that He was able to strenghthen you and help you come unto Christ. And now look how wonderful your family life has become and the changes that you have made in your life you have been blessed for.
You know people leave churches all the time, I don't care from what faith or background. I can assure you that even with the people that leave the Mormon faith, or the Penticostal faith, they still have a chance at redemption.

I would like to share my testimony with you, and share of the divine experience that I have been able to partake of. I know that this church , Christ's church is the true church He established 2000 years ago, I believe that Thomas S. Monson is a prophet of God and that The Heaven are open and do in fact testify of a living God and His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ. I know that the Book of Mormon and the other scripture we have are the word of God and were kept for this day and age , for this dispensation of time, because it is the time it is needed the most. I have been to the Holy Temple of God, and the Spirirt of the Lord is stronger there than any other place I have stood before. I have been blessed to have personal revelation that pertained to the very welfare of my Family and by listining to that revelation and council many great things have happened for me and my family. I have stood in the waters of Baptism and baptised for those that have passed on before the restoration took place, and felt of the gratitude that those on the other side of the vail had for us that so dilligently seek to help and assist in there final journy. I have laid my hands upon the head of a very sick woman, using the Holy Priesthood that I have been endowed with and blessed her that she would be made whole, the hand of Jesus Christ was with mine and the other priesthood holder that very night, I felt it and so did he, and more importantly so did the woman. The next day to the doctors surprise she was miraculously healed. I know that Jesus lives! Iknow that He is my redeemer and that He is with the Father at this moment and is very mindful of us all. I pray that you will be able to someday know that to.

The Beginning of Beautiful

This week is truly an inspiration in time when we look back to the meridian of time. An article in this past Ensign magazine depicts the last week of Christ, a subject definitely of worth to study. I have been ever mindful of the import of this week and the real aspects that the Atonement of Christ brought, but more so I have been filled with a special feeling from the Spirit this week. As I drove to work this morning I had an overwhelming feeling that today was the day in history that many thing from the scripture came to pass. Jesus being anointed was great and the fact that the end was drawing near had to be making it all seem very real to Jesus, but it was the thought of Him being arrested today that brought tears to my eyes as I drove and racked my mind with many thoughts.

Christ had taken the Twelve to eat a final supper together, laughter and joy must have filled the room, probably some reminiscing about past days together and the trials and joys they had experienced together. I am certain that as the evening went on that they must have all began to wonder how soon things would be coming to an end and for Jesus, He must have been filled with sorrow and hurt and even a little doubt as to whether He could go through with it. He had taken the time to wash all their feet and had declared unto them a new commandment, (12 This is my commandment, That ye ^alove one another, as I have ^bloved you), they continued to talk until supper. At supper the thought of nearing the garden must have been weighing heavily on Jesus so much, He spoke and stated that one among them would betray Him this night....with puzzled faces, Peter said to John "ask Him which one it is" as John leaned in and said "whom Master shall it be" the ever famous response "To him whom I give the sop" and took a piece of bread and dipped it in the gravy and handed it to Judas and said "what ever though doest , do it quickly". In that statement I feel a fraction of the pain already within Him, He must have been sorrowful already and had to begin to fear the end that was only hours and a day of torture away.

As He left the eleven at the gate and Peter and John ventured up a little further, our Master, Jesus, fell upon the ground and began to pray, I am sure that He prayed stronger and more fervently than He had in some time, a shred of fear had begun to creep in and a little doubt as to whether He could go through with the task as He asked the Father "Father if it be thou, let this cup pass from me, never the less not my will but Thine be done" .An Angel had come to minister to Him and comfort Him, I know that it seems hard to think that Jesus was struggling, but it is important to remember here that He was a mortal man still, the Son of God the Father definitely, but still very tangible in every respect. His body was and is made of flesh and bone and very sensitive to pain just as ours, and with the knowledge of what was to come, He must have begin to fear. I don't like to think that Jesus would have ever had doubt or fear, but I truly believe He did. The idea of the kind of suffering He was going to have to endure and the fact that it had already begun had to be heart retching.

I believe the Angel came to Him and spoke softly of things to come and those which He had already been a party to in the past, I believe that the Angel probably reminded Him of the conversation He had had with heavenly Father before coming down to the Earth to live as a mortal. In deeper doctrine, Joseph Smith spoke of how Jesus had seen what it looked like to suffer for the Atonement, something to look into LDS members. I believe that the Angel gave Him words of encouragement from God Almighty, to strengthen Him. And with that council from a Heavenly visitor the fear and doubt left Jesus and he had fully begun an unstoppable Atonement.

As my thoughts are at the feet of Jesus this night, I cry with both joy and sorrow for the struggle that He so willingly yielded for us. I feel as though we are a special beloved people to have a God and a Savior that would go to such lengths to make sure we are free. I wept as I thought of the suffering that began today, over 2000 years ago. I wept when I think of the suffering that He so willing took for all of us, as they spit in his face, smote His cheek, kicked Him and shouted obscenities at Jesus. The horrible imprisonment, the dragging from one town to the next because no one wants to charge Him. I don't know about you but, there is more to remembering these next few days , than anything that has to do with main stream Easter.

I will challenge all that read this and that includes myself, to share the real mission behind the Saviors work this Easter, to really reflect on the truth behind how it all came to past, to read with the intent of really understanding what it all was for. I challenge everyone to view Christ for what He really did for us and to look to the Savior, the Master and Teacher, to share with us the true meaning of the Atonement and the graphic pain staking selfless act of mercy He so freely gave to all.

As for tomorrow He will carry His cross to the place of the skull, Golgotha. With torn flesh from catanine tails and thorns that have pierced His precious head, weaker than words can describe, He will carry the very burden you share at this very moment on His back, and there within Him he has suffered and carried for all of us. When you hear someone say remember the cross....really remember it, I do.

I am so thankful for a loving Heavenly Father that was willing to suffer His only begotten Son that we might be able to return to Him, and for Our Brother and Savior Jesus who became the Christ. In His holy name Jesus Christ I pray, Amen.

Charting the Course

I was going to post a blog the other night on how over whelming the feeling I had received that the messages we as Latter-Day Saints are so privileged to be able to listen to modern day Prophets of the Lord speak to us pertaing to the relevance of being prepared for the end times. I heard many great and uplifting talks and revelations on various topics, but the message for me was one of the same no matter whom was speaking. That message was "Christ is coming soon and no one is to be left behind" . Now whether your a Latter-Day Saint or a Christian of another faith the fact that Jesus is returning is no mystery, however what we as followers of Christ or Disciples as we are called, are to be doing is the very verb of the word disciple. I heard President Dieter F. Uchtdorf, 2nd Councilor in the First Presidency speak on the import of discipleship and how we as member of Christ's body of followers need to be out in full armor working towards enlightening our fellow man.

So I have been thinking... Am I doing all I can to share the gospel of Jesus Christ? No I don't think I am , and frankly I don't think most of us are. Whether it be because you don't feel comfortable or maybe it is because you don't feel like people will even listen. Perhaps you feel like I do sometimes, that all your effort seem to be in vain because no matter the length you go to people still wont hear with their hearts. I took a look at my own personal life and thought hard about the past few weeks , days, even years, and I came to the conclusion that I know that when I have exercised my faith enough to try to plant a seed in someones mind, when I have prayed in faith in the name of Jesus Christ, God has been there. I had the missionary's over to our house tonight for dinner, upon their arrival they informed my wife and I about a family at the end of our street that they happened to tract upon. It turned out they not only welcomed the Elders in but set a date for them to return and teach them a lesson. This family has been one in our neighborhood that has seen very rough times, for Hope and I we have had our fill and can honestly testify of the hand of the Lord when in need. This family, humble in every aspect stopped and talked with my family back at the beginning of last year, we were able to supply them with clothing and school supplies that we had no use for and because we took the opportunity to talk with them , their children and ours have played together for some time now. last week I stood outside picking up a few things around the yard as the kids all played, walking past was this family who took a moment to stop and talk , in the coarse of our conversation we began to discuss church. Their young son said to me " you should come to church with us some time it's fun" I indicated to him that that was very nice, but we were very involved in our church and that we attended regularly. The mother asked me where we went to church, I replied " The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints" She asked what faith that was and I told her Mormon. I had expected the usual respond of " OH that Church" but instead got a " I don't know anything about that church what is it? " I told her that the best answer was found at www.mormon.org and didn't feel impressed to explain much more than that. After our conversation was over and the kids had all come in I realized that God had brought them to us all those months ago and that was why she and her family were there. As the missionaries told me of the introduction they had with this family and how they had made such good mention of our family that they would be pleased to hear from the missionaries again. To me I thought I wasn't doing my part as a member, turns out God is always charting the course and all we have to do is be ready to act when He directs. If we pray to have those around us find the Gospel of Jesus Christ, then those who are seeking will find, the faith we must possess is that of a caliber we all need to aspire to gain, one that allows us to realize we must be willing and more importantly ready to do the work of God at any cost , at any time, no matter what.

President Thomas S. Monson said at conference " the future is as bright as you make it" It doesn't have to be dreading and dismal, The Prophet of Lord has declared it, so rise up all you Saints of God and follow a Prophets call.

Line Upon Line

My brother has a blog at word press and I go there to visit his site to see how things are coming along in his writing. I am rather impressed usually, he does such a great job of teaching the gospel as he understands it and always has such good Bible verses to read attached in them. I had received probably two dozen or so emails from him as he had begun to express his new found love of the Savior in his life and as he has progressed in his own spirituality he has begun to write more and more, a habit that I think is great, and after much nugging , he finally started a blog. I had been reading his blog and realized that there were two I had not read before and to my surprise the one pertaining to knowing whether your going to Heaven when you die struck my intellect, only to find at the end he went from loving people to condemning other religions..... namely mine. I was hurt, really hurt. I know that our doctrinal differences have been a topic for argument in the past but I thought that we were moving beyond that as brothers and I was hoping that my family was finally getting over the fact that the faith I now followed so diligently, that had changed the life of me and my wife, has been one of a positive and uplifting faith and one that definitely was Christian.

I wrote a comment at the end , I do not think he would have the courage to actually post , but it was along the lines of if the Bible states, that the Spirit of God will not dwell in any unclean temple and my Church is not of God, then why do I get promptings from the Holy Ghost and why do I feel the Spirit in church. I went on to say that I know that things are true in my faith and that I know that my salvation is sealed in Heaven contingent upon my faith in the Savior. I also spoke that if God did and does speak to men than there is still revelation on the earth today.

You know I really want to have a good relationship with my family and it makes it hard when they are willing to degrade something that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt is true! I have stood in the Holy Temple of God and felt the presence of the Holy Spirit stronger there than any other place I have ever been before.

I had joined the Church after many long months of investigation and when I did join and felt the love that my Savior had for me and He taught me to have that same love for others , I wanted everyone I knew to have it, especially my family. As I have approached each of them over the past few years it has always been the same kind of negativity, but you know I never give up praying that some day their heart will be softened to the Spirit enough and have an opened mind enough to actually hear the Spirit whisper the truth in their hearts. I had prayed for a long time that my Brother would find God, and when He did I rejoiced for gladness that my prayers had been answered only to have him come at me with anti-Mormon material, and you know that was ok because he believed what he felt comfortable with and what my Mom and Dad believed, and he was not looking beyond it either.

So I had worked hard over this past year at looking at others religious beliefs and choosing to be more supportive and by doing so I want the relationship between my Parents and Brother to be good. I know that by expressing my faith and trusting in our understanding Heavenly Father, all things will be made known to those that seek him in this life or the next. I pray for them that won't hear that they hear, and those that choose not to see will see and I pray it is sooner than later , that I might enjoy the gladness of watching them prosper in the rich fruit that only the Savior can provide. I love you Tom,and all that are within the sound of my voice, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.