Into the Mind of His Saint

Aftermath

2011-04-30T22:39:00.000-04:00

When Jesus came down from the area of the garden in which he had just taken upon himself the sins of the world, had sweat great drops of blood, and suffered more than any person can comprehend, he knew it was only the beginning of his struggles when he received the next measure of treason. A kiss delivered by one of his own, pain through his heart by the soft touch of flesh in what would normally be recognized as a touch of kindness was a treasonous example of greed and bribery. For 30 pieces of Silver a man that was loved for all his perfect abilities as well as his flaws sold that love for an immediate need. What came next was to change history forever, but how could Judas have known that. He fortified his needs, momentarily, then realized the aftermath of his decision.

In life we sometimes are faced with similar examples of this same kind of behavior, but to often we over look it. Greed and the enticement of the carnal world in which seems to plague our surroundings appeal to us much like they did to Judas in his day. It is easy, I think, to forget those thing we learn sometimes like "Choose the right", "our Duty to God" , "Strength for Youth", so on and so forth, when the bribery looks so good.

Recently in my home I felt my own level of betrayal, and though my life and story are nothing like that of Jesus or Judas, the things that have happened recently reminded me of such. My heart was broken, my trust gone, and harsh reality had set in that those closest to me were acting on their own accord, with their own aspirations in mind. I was betrayed by one who I worked so hard to save from the vain ambitions of the carnal world, traded for materialist pieces of silver.

I can't say how Jesus felt or how he dwelt with the betrayal he endured, because I wasn't there. The fact that Jesus suffered, died, and rose again because of the plan of salvation and the meaning of the atonement was something magnificent that had to happen and was planned out from the beginning of time. The fact that Judas betrayed Him, that had to happen as well, his greed however cost him his life, and his place with his Father forever.

I guess sometimes the fact that we know the outcome of the choice we make doesn't seem to matter at the time. However the impact, or Aftermath that it creates can echo for eternity.

spinning wheels

2010-10-31T21:33:00.005-04:00

As I look back at the last time Ive posted its been almost a year. Unfortunately I don't know if it been time or desire I've lacked the most to write.

I stand for what I believe and always have even when it hasn't won favor with those that don't agree. I have recently been a bit troubled by those closest to our family. Some of those whom we've drawn closest to in the past several years have began to get a little under my skin. I have lost faith in some, trust in others, hope for a few, and have been very disappointed in the decisions of those who once were rated very high in my opinion. I have watched men make decisions of men instead of being led of God and have watched men strong in God be led away by men.

As I began upon the journey of turning my life around over 4 years ago and becoming a follower of Christ , a lot of important ordinances and duties were revealed to me and my family that was not present before our Baptism. I have always had a strong love for the gospel of Jesus Christ and truly can testify of the Restoration, Joesph Smith, Book of Mormon, Temples , and Prophets today.

I will not say why for sure, but can say that I know that the saying " the gospel is perfect , the people are not" is something to hold dear to. I am very upset by some recent things that have went on and things Ive either been a part of or heard of. I have no desire to be a part of the "leadership" group any longer and feel that not knowing anything that goes on would be best especially when it comes to such a tight knitted little family that can't ever seem to keep its mouth shut.

The part in the scriptures that references to not judging others and also talks about forgiving all men is something people need to read daily. Maybe in there interpretation of the Word, they feel that they judge wisely when they make inappropriate comments about an investigators choice of clothing or maybe its the ill look upon there face when they refer to a new members choice of clothing for Sunday or the fact that still wear more than one ear ring. Whatever the minute complaint, it still falls as judgment and still makes me uneasy.

I cannot speak For the Lord Himself, but if I had to guess........ I'm pretty sure he don't really really care what we all have on as long as were there, and further more, I find it hard to believe that a God as merciful as ours would condemn us for fundamental discrepancies.

lessons

2009-11-19T00:09:00.002-05:00

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

2009-11-14T22:07:00.001-05:00

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

2009-10-07T23:18:00.004-04:00

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

2009-10-02T00:11:00.003-04:00

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

2009-09-18T00:47:00.003-04:00

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

2009-08-19T22:19:00.000-04:00

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.

2009-08-19T22:13:00.002-04:00

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

2009-08-19T20:58:00.002-04:00

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

2009-07-29T01:32:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-06-25T23:59:00.002-04:00

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

2009-05-25T22:41:00.006-04:00

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

2009-05-25T00:08:00.003-04:00

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.

2009-04-27T00:39:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-20T23:44:00.003-04:00

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

2009-04-15T10:31:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-09T23:29:00.004-04:00

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

2009-04-08T00:16:00.002-04:00

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

2009-03-29T23:31:00.003-04:00

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.

Can't please everyone!

2009-03-26T21:52:00.003-04:00

As my life has progressed in the church and the labors of the Lord, I have found myself in a predicament from time to time where the things that I have either said or done offends someone. Now as far as I am concerned and I believe that our Savior looks at it as, If you are offended then you probably need to take a look at yourself because the reasons behind contention usually lies within. I have recently been involved in some issues within my own family and they have not been easy to deal with in fact the stress of all of it has even taken its toll on my health, but I know that through all struggles, all trials, and all adversity , if we put our faith in our Father in Heaven then we can learn and grow from these experiences. There are some that know me that choose to not like me, most of them are not part of my faith and I want them to know that no matter the depth of there aggravation or even hatred towards me or my family that through everything, I still am inclined to have Christ like love for those that don't know what love is.

There is a philosophy in our religion based upon the principles of Christ Like attributes and love, one that requires all true followers of Christ Jesus our Lord and Savior, to love everyone , no matter who they are. Why some would ask? If it is true that we all were created before the world was organized and we lived, when in the spirit, with our elder brother Jesus, then we would surely know that we are all children of our Heavenly Father. The children Of a God that loves us all equal, without favoritism one to the other. We must then know that we are all brothers and sisters no matter who we are. I have spoken of the importance of the "ONE" before in my blog and it has been a topic from general authorities in the past and a topic of great importance. I feel we as people must look to one another and put off the hatred and the contention and start loving people for the fact that, eternally we are related, good or bad does not determine our amount of love and shouldn't. God himself will be the final judge and ruler over our fate, we must not hold on to ill feelings towards others because it only brings you down to a level that only Satan would want to be at.

For the person that commented on the ratings part of the blog caption, and rated it as poor, I hope that you can find something that appeals to you somewhere that holds the same kind of spiritual truths and compassion towards others as I try so diligently to provide. I appreciate your opinion and understand if you didn't like the posts, it is not for everyone. May God bless all who read this and anything else that holds true to God.

Wonderful Sabbath

2009-03-22T23:19:00.002-04:00

Today was a great day for me and my family, we were able to sit in Sacrament meeting and hear from my daughter Alex for her very first talk! She was very nervous, but with the help of her very faithful friend , Sarah Pratt, she was able to pull it off great. I think that she did a fantastic job speaking and her delivery was magnificent. I was impressed that she was not only very clear in how she spoke but also that she took her time and did not rush through it like I have seen some of the youth do when they are nervous. So a very proud day for Dad today to see his recently (August 2008 ) baptised daughter up there giving a talk. I know that we are not to use words like pride and proud when referring to our children, well pleased is always better, but I am proud of her and I know that our Father in Heaven is as well.

I also was blessed to be able to get a visit yesterday and also enjoy the company tonight with other members, the visitation of Brother Alexander Carter and new wife Andra (formerly elder Carter from back in summer of 2006). He was by far my all time favorite missionary. I am certain that the Lord had sent him to us at that time to help us understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Elder Carter came into our home with such a love and conviction for the gospel that it could do nothing short of emulate the true love of Christ. He brought with him a firm testimony and the real intent that all Priesthood bearers should have in there lives , that unshakable knowledge of Jesus Christ and His purpose.

My family owes a debt of gratitude to this young man, by his example and willingness to follow the admonitions of Christ and the Holy Ghost , Hope and I were able to receive of the rich blessings of the waters of baptism, confirmation, and a temple sealing and endowments, being forever entwined in matrimony with one another. We have been given the greatest gift giveable by a young man that boldly stood upon a door step of rejection and persecution, to stand firm and immovable and never be anything less than bold even in the face of adversity. I am forever in his debt for listening to that still small voice that softly directs each of us.

I was happy to see that he was married to a beautiful young lady, who has obviously stolen his heart, and as I observed their relation , both in my home and at the home of a dear friends tonight, I was able to think of how blessed this young couple was and it was because of those diligent labors that brought them were they are today. As we drove home tonight I said a silent prayer and thanked our Father in heaven for the gift of being able to call this young man my friend, and for the compassion that He, Jesus Christ has shown this young man because of his labors, I thanked our Father for sending him to us, to teach us and to guide us to achieving our eternal goals. And as my prayer came to its end I thanked Him for watching over Elder Carter and sending him such a great young woman to be his eternal soul mate.

It is beyond words to express the capacity of God's grace , mercy, and love. I do know that it is without end and it is for each of us, much like the plan He had had for Hope and I to be joined together for always, He too had a plan for the wonderful Carter couple that blessed us with there presence this past weekend.

Always His plan, always His time...................Always!

Tired?...me too! Anger? ... me too! Life.......me too!

2009-03-19T23:19:00.005-04:00

I have never been so exhausted in all my life! I have had the worst week in history for dealing with sick kids and trouble in the home. It seems as though we have had one of the those weeks when every kid in this house has had a doctors appointment and the even though we got our baby into see a doctor on Wednesday morning for his upset stomach and fever, it turned out that we were back in the emergency room on that same night because the poor kid couldn't even keep down 1 ounce of water! It was 4 am before we got to lay down to bed and 6:30 that morning to get the rest of the kids ready to go to school and get off to work just don't feel like enough sleep. Every day we have been to an appointment with one of the kids or been for our selves its been tough we were in the E.R. on Monday night with one of the other kids and didn't get home until 3am . I honestly think that so far this week I have got about 12-16 hours of sleep. I have a friend that always says to me " No rest for the wicked, and the righteous don't need it " kinda an oxy moron but I feel like it fits.

I like the fact that as I looked through my favorite blogs that I read that those authors have been having similar experiences! I know that for me it feels like an exercise of will power and stamina. I often think of Nephi , son of Heleman, that was so righteous that God said that anything he commanded with his Priesthood authority would be granted. If we but exercise our faith in a manner like Nephi we too can have things changed in our lives for the better. I know that times seem hard and whether its a short temper, one that leaves us feeling a bit un-worthy of God's help, or the fact that we can't get to sleep for the other members in our households, I think it is important that we focus on how we look at the change we can make.

I sat talking to my daughter today, who once again faces another struggle, and explained my views on stumbling blocks or objects placed in our path of travel. Whether they be large or small stones , never the less they are still stones. I explained to her that as we face these stones, or challenges, that it is our outlook and attitude towards them that makes them either stumbling blocks or stepping stones. We as individuals can face all sorts of opposition in our lives and if we choose, we can step up and rise above the average and continue in our journey of life, or if we choose ,we stumble. Either we we are the authors of our own journey.

As I touched on that point today and also in this talk I feel as though it definitely fits all categories and aspects of our lives. If we turn to Christ in all things we can step up to any challenge, even bridle tempers and embrace lack of sleep. With that said I will end this blog with a small thought......Line upon line , precept upon precept, in Him, through Him, and By Him... all things are made possible.

No Doubt

2009-03-04T00:17:00.002-05:00

I can say that all is well and for the most part mean it... but there is always something that lies in the dark that seems to hold me back. I strive to be as good as any one can ever be and sometimes I don't quite meet the criteria. It is tough sometimes being in a position where eyes are upon you and people actually need for you to help them with stuff. I find myself in a slump tonight. I have been struggling with some issues at work for the past two weeks and I have allowed my frustration to alter my proper perspective on where my goals should lie. With all the stress of custodial battles and pleasing people I have been about stretched to my limit, but the worse thing is, I haven't relied upon my Father in Heaven like I should. I haven't prayed correctly these past few days and I certainly haven't been in the best mind frame and that for me personally can be disastrous!

With real intent, and a heart full of remorse, a plea to my God that He may forgive the sin and the transgression. I am as they say only human and with the blinders of Satan, I look at myself incorrectly. No matter the offense, the lack of work towards the Kingdom, or even the lack of duty to God, can be resolved at the foot stool of my bed. A quiet prayer a fervent heart and a prayerful plea sets me free.

For more than two weeks now I have wanted to expound upon the topic of faith, not generalized but specific aspects of faith, one point that I heard that aroused my attention. Blind faith. Believing without seeing like you know God exists but you haven't seen Him yet, that faith in all things those things that are spoke of and not spoke of. Like the fact that we are all children of our Heavenly Father, we as latter day saints believe in a premortal world whereby we lived once before with our creator before coming to Earth and having a veil drawn before our eyes, keeping us in a state of amnesia. But we know its true. Most Christians believe that there was something before this and know there is something after, but their knowledge is limited. Doesn't mean they don't have blind faith. What about relying on our Father in Heaven to help us in all things? Are we able to to believe that He will protect us in all life's storms? Even Peter, had moments where his faith faltered, when the Savior rushed across the water to the boat at sea, as He called out to them " It is I, be not afraid" , Peter said unto the Lord, " If it be thou: bid me come unto thee" and the answer, as always " Come unto me" as Peter focused upon the face of the Savior he was able to walk upon the water's surface, but when he broke that eye contact with Jesus and looked upon the dark water with the waves crashing at his feet , fear and doubt settled in and Peter began to sink. But as quick as he cried out " Lord save me" the Savior in His infinite mercy stretched forth His loving hand and lifted Peter from the dark water and with a gentle rebuke said unto Peter " Oh ye of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt" and the Savior helped Peter back into the boat and with a gentle embrace demonstrated His love, mercy, and charity as only the true and living Son of our living Father in heaven, could have.

As my struggles have been difficult and my mind not focused on Him, I am led by the heart to feel of this story and to share it with you , that we may all know of the love that is found from a Savior that never leaves us, even when we may leave Him, that in and through Him, we can be saved. It may only be from at bad week or some behavior that is in need of work, perhaps its large or small, either way , through Faith we know that Jesus is there and is waiting for us to cry out " Lord save me".

Blessed by His hand

2009-02-25T22:39:00.004-05:00

With the whisk of His mighty hand all things are made a new! I have been so blessed these past couple of years and it was through much prayer and thought that I was able to not only recognize His influence but also to embrace it. In a talk by one of my favorite speakers of all time, Elder Jeffery R. Holland an Apostle of the Lord, he spoke of the Saviors call to everyone, stating, " Come unto Me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest" . No matter what the trial, struggle, or fear, as long as you come unto Christ, first, He will be there to lift you up and heal your broken spirit.

It has been this way for me for some time, as my life has progressed in the church so has my struggles. The ever eager advisory is always waiting in the wind to jump at any given chance. With the surety of the Saviors promise though, I have the armor of God to protect me from the fiery darts of the one that intents to beat us all.

I realized that no matter the task at hand, no matter how difficult I thought things are, through Christ all things are made possible. The conversation had raised between my Branch President and myself on our way back from a meeting at the Stake, a discussion on the importance of the "One" , a topic that I have touched on in the past, but one that is ever important. Our discussion consisted of someone that is very dear to me, a child that has faced many unfortunate times over the past year and a half, some things a child should never have to endure. A comment had been made about how it would be very beneficial to have this child in the warm embrace of those who could be nurturing as well as help increase their understanding of the gospel, thus helping to build a productive youth and grow to be a fine adult. Through many prayers and unfortunately some suffering, that child is in the environment that will fortify the spirit and build good structure for the growth process as well as the healing process.

I spoke with that same Branch President this evening , and as he smiled at me, he said I believe that a blessing has been issued. I feel from God this day, I feel as though the windows of heaven themselves has opened and the voice of the Angels themselves pierced the hearts of those that needed to feel of that love that was necessary to help this child. The soul of one is worth more than anyone can fathom, " He has en graven us upon the palms of His hands" the scriptures tell us, at a cost beyond comprehension. This day His love hath proceed to all within the sound of His voice and He has seen and felt the struggles of this Child and has taken upon Himself her cares and struggles and trials, and as we and her have knelt in mighty prayer that our Father would hear or plea's, He has indeed answered with a very loud and firm answer and for that I am eternally grateful.

Faith..the mighty work

2009-02-18T00:00:00.003-05:00

I was going to post a blog about the upcoming saga based around the stressful nature of the poor heartaches my daughter has recently been facing, but I feel it is necessary to avoid that for now, at least till everything is over.

Instead I will tell of the wonderful couple of days that I have been pleased to have with my loving daughter. We went out together on Monday and were able to stop by one of the buildings that I take care of, and there kneel in the chapel and have a prayer just the two of us in God's Holy House. It is such a blessing being able to work for the church, to be able to stop in any town I am in and kneel in the chapel and have a quiet reverent prayer. Even greater when those days consist of the companionship of one of my children. Later that night the missionaries came over for family home evening and taught a wonderful lesson on faith. It was definitely a subject that needed to be discussed for the up coming week. I shared a few of my thoughts with my daughter about how she should be studying her scriptures and we spent some time this evening in prayer and scripture study. It is marvelous to be able to see a wonderfully bright and beautiful young child take in all that knowledge. It is as if her mind is a sponge waiting impatiently to be fed. I hope that the time she does get to spend with me and Hope and the rest of her family will benefit her growth in the gospel and help her draw nearer to our Father in heaven.

The faith that was talked about having was " First person faith ", a concept I have not thought much about. It is the process of having faith in yourself that all things you do , you are doing by faith in God. To say that ' I " am doing something because it is commanded of God and know, like Abraham did with Isaac that to do as thou art commanded brings great blessings of trust, love, and faith from a heavenly Father who literally adores us.

A question I have to ask myself..... Do I have the kind of faith that Abraham had? What of Job? Do I have The makings of a man that can rely soly upon the admonishing of God and trust with real intent? I sure hope so. I thought about this alot and I have found myself in a spot a time or two where I know I could exercised more faith and failed, each time the result was less than acceptable. My prayer this day is that each of us aspire to increase our faith in all things and to exercise that very principle which God hath commanded us to do.

Confusing? Are you kidding me!

2009-02-03T00:29:00.004-05:00

Some times in life we as Christians seem to stumble a little as to where our path were on leads, over the past few weeks on more than one occasion I have heard or read that there is no need for organized religion or even a denomination, that there is no point in following anyone but merely reading the scripture alone is enough. Now I start off with this because it seems to be a stumbling block for many people of various faiths, one of which I suggest leaping over as soon as possible. The Idea of not having someone to follow, but merely living up to your expectations, doesn't really seem like a christian view, in fact it reflects closer to the one that wants us to fail by our own devices. I don't know why exactly I picked this particular topic to blog on other than the fact that the idea of a person stating there is no need for a Prophet or stating that we need to get out of the way because we are confusing the gospel is ridicules in every aspect of the word. I heard some where someone say we are only complicating the religious scene by seeking out the truths of the scriptures and in order to really be in tune with God , we should just get step aside and leave everything up to God.

I understand that for some people out there, an understanding of God's wants and needs from us seems a little to hard to comprehend. I also understand that if your mentality is one that allows you only to believe what someone else tells you or suggest to you then I can see why believing that the word of God is alive and always waiting to be rediscovered, would be obsurd. I cannot understand why a person would dismiss the idea of organized religion if they claim the title of Christian. The whole Christendom teachings are based upon order, God's house is a house of order. If there is no need for organized religion then God is a liar! Now I don't think that anyone claiming to be Christian would want to call God a liar.....would they? If there was no need for organized religion then why would Christ have come to establish His church among the Gentile and Jew alike? If it wasn't relevant to have organization then why the need for sacrificial ordinances set up since the days of Adam? If there was no need for organized religion then why does God talk of gathering the scattered tribes of Israel? I say to you there is a need for organization.

The church, as many of my faith know it, Has every aspect of the way Christ himself set up His church when He walked the earth. I know that there are many other churches that claim a title of a denomination and they are as organized as they can be, but most struggle with what and how to do things because they lack the capacity of an open mind. The Prophet Joseph Smith once said "order in Heaven , disorder on Earth, surely God cannot be responsible for Both", how true a statement is that!

There are many Gospel truths that, had man merely stepped aside or chose to deny the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we would have never been able to discover. The thought that someone can be content not aspiring to know more about God, or to be at least trying to have a better understanding of God just amazes me. I could not imagine a life where by, I sat by idle and let the teachings of the Master go by without trying to understand even a shred of what was going on. I know that for me I not only feast upon the words of Christ , but I dig and dig until I can't dig any more until my cup runneth over.

Great Leader

2009-01-31T23:27:00.003-05:00

I was called out of my home this evening to attend to a water leak in the Lima ward building. Upon the call from my boss and the phone conversation with a member of the Bishopric I was in route to access and help the problem. I had called the member back and had asked him if he would please call some of the other brethren and have them come over to help with vacuuming the water from the carpet and moving furniture. I received a call when I was about ten minutes away, stating that they had things cleaned up and the water shut off and that they didn't need me anymore. Being that my boss had called me to go meant I had to anyways and with being so close I was definitely going to stop and check on everything. Much to my surprise upon arriving I found only 2 brethren there, one with his family the other had taken his family home earlier. The family that had remained there to make sure things were finished in the building was our beloved Stake President Dennis Smith and family. The other gentleman, a member of the Bishopric.

The joy I have in my heart towards these brethren is overwhelming! The call for service does not only pertain to those of us that are "only an Elder" but to all those who serve the Lord. I was impressed that our Stake president was there, it showed the true caliber of his magnificent love, not only for the Stake, but the building and the members.

I have always said that if a great leader wishes for his followers to do the things he asks, that the leader himself must be willing to do the very thing he would ask of another. We have been asked by our Priesthood leaders to serve as Christ himself served, with a willing heart and joy. Our stake president set that very example tonight along with his family and those other men that were there with him.

OUCH !!!!

2009-01-30T23:49:00.003-05:00

Hope was involved in an accident , where, she trying to be a goodly Saint, had an unfortunate miss hap. While checking to see if a person stuck on side of the road in our snow covered roads, needed assistance, she was hit from behind by a young man unable to stop in the icy conditions. I will tell you she is quite sore today, but she's a trooper and will get by. I love my wife so much, she is so strong.

Earlier in the day , Hope and I had an argument that was due to bitter feelings about an argument we had had last week. With the bitterness of not saying sorry on either side there has been some tension over a few things. When we departed from one another yesterday there was no love expressed towards one another ( something I don't suggest ever doing ) and with the grumpiness of an over-due sympathetic apology not coming from my lips, I sternly walked out the door and didn't say much upon leaving at all.

At Priesthood last night several times the topic of being courteous to our spouses and showing love unfeigned was much talked about, I don't believe in chance so the messages must have been for me. Upon hearing the news, Hope was in an accident , my heart sunk.

I will tell you, never in my life have I been so sorry that I didn't say I love you to my eternal soul mate. Had the accident been worse, perhaps the unfortunate would have happened and it could have been decades before I was able to utter those three simple words again , which should have started with I am sorry.

We don't truly appreciate the things we have alot of times until they are threatened to be removed or removed from us. Like the scripture to not procrastinate the day of our repentance ...it rings true with all things in our lives . Especially our spouses.

Chase on the move

2009-01-28T20:37:00.004-05:00

I have been meaning to get this recorded, Baby Chase has been walking now for the past few weeks. Yesterday he got up twice from the floor all on his own. Pretty soon he will be running around the house like the rest of the kids. I need to work on my video taking skills but hey its something.

Snow

2009-01-28T20:29:00.002-05:00

In case those of you out west miss any of this, we have about 12-15" in or front yard alone. We got an additional 4" last night! You gotta love that.

Does Anyone Read This Thing?

2009-01-27T23:44:00.002-05:00

I have often wondered as time has went on how many, if any read this blog? I know that my dear friends in Colorado do...but does anyone else, if so how's come you don't leave any comment ?

Tax Time...Ain't it Grand!

2009-01-27T23:31:00.002-05:00

I began this month with the anticipation of beating myself out of procrastination and settling in for a couple of night of getting everything ready for when all my paperwork had arrived through the mail. You see, every year I wait till the last possible second then in some kind of crazy rush that usually leads to a angry rage of hating the government and all those extra forms, I find myself e-filing at midnight April 15th, or the day after and paying a fee. This year I was ahead of the program, I have everything ready to go, I use TurboTax, and have for several years...believe it or not it works great . Anyhow I got all my papers ready to go, the last one's I was waiting on came in the mail yesterday, so tonight I sat down and began filing.....everything looks good, almost done get to the end...press the button that says (e-file) and bam.............seems the IRS is in the middle of revamping one of the forms I have to file for my child support and therefor I can't file yet. They will let me know via e-mail as soon as possible as to when I can file..LOL I about went nuts! But hey I guess its better than procrastinating.

salvation through prayer

2009-01-26T14:01:00.002-05:00

I read the blog of a dear friend of mine often and never have I been more amazed or inspired as when reading hers! I can't understand sometimes why we as Latter-Day saints struggle so much with things the way we do. Perhaps it is because Satan would like nothing more than to see us fail at everything we do . I understand that as we understand the gospel more clearly we are more at risk of being tempted...at least it seams this way for me. I seem to fall short in areas where I work the hardest to perfect, maybe I set my goals to high or maybe I just don't try hard enough . Either way I can understand the struggles that people go through. With all things we stand in need of we can call upon the name of the Lord for strength...my problem seems to be I don't cry out enough. So with that thought in mind I feel as though this a good place to stop and just say, that in all things we can find strength through prayer and fasting. I think I will go and pray. May God Bless us all.

Mighty Change

2009-01-20T22:49:00.002-05:00

Although we are in store for some big changes I feel inspired to say that I feel our new President Barack Obama will do a good job! I know that his views and the general Christian movement throughout the world do not agree on the same principles, but I still feel inspired that his being in office will bring about great change in this nation. One can only hope that as the time arises when our morals are under fire that those who will stand , do stand when they need to .

As we have been instructed and from the deepest parts of my soul, I know that it is very important to be praying for President Obama. Our Prophet Thomas S. Monson and those that have stood before him as Prophet, Seer, and Revelator to The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have always stated that we are to sustain our elected officials and pray that God will guide them in leading us. Never in history have we needed to be praying more than we are right now!

With the world in such religious and economic turmoil, we as Christians need to be at our best when it comes to praying. Oh I know that many do always pray and you may even say this doesn't apply to me, but I would like you to consider a few points of view that may not be your own. The fact that President Obama is an African American is huge, not only for the demolition of racism and segregation, but in the eyes of every person, nation, and country, will his entire family and himself be under a microscope. Ever step he takes, every decision, and word that is uttered from his lips will be under review, and persecution. This President will be watched and anything that he says will be used against him by those that only know hate and deceitfulness in there hearts. We as people today have an opportunity to put away hatred towards people of other nationalities forever and we as Christians have that solemn responsibility to not only do so but set an example to those around us.

We don't have to agree with all that the President stands for but we do need to stand behind him and do our parts to go to the one that can guide him ....God, through whom all things are made possible. If things go our way in the upcoming decisions made by those elected to office, understand that God allowed that to happen and thank Him, if things happen in the near future that we don't agree with by way of those elected to office, understand that God allowed that to happen and thank Him. We don't always have to understand why things happen the way they do, but as Christians we do have to understand that God is in charge and for His reasons things are as they are. If we choose to listen and do as we are instructed by our Father in Heaven and allow His will to be done, not ours, then we will be at peace no matter what may come.

May the Lord bless our new President and his family and may he be guided and directed by the Holy Ghost, that his decisions we be in conjunction with the Almighty. I can only pray.....with great faith.

Common Topics

2009-01-16T00:43:00.003-05:00

The subject of both growth and mercy seems to be big topics in not only my blog, but also the blog of a dear friend of mine. I get to thinking about these topics and think about all the wonderful opportunities we have to grow from the struggles of day to day life. Even upon the most dreadful things that we are forced to over come and learn from , with each struggle comes those two same things , growth and mercy.

Our Father in heaven , and His son Jesus Christ are always there for us, one pleading the cause the other helping us along, both with the same out come in mind, They sit upon there holy thrones and hope that we as children of God will make the correct choice to help someone, or show compassion on another, or follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit, hopefully strive to follow the commandments to the tee. I can't say for sure, because I haven't yet sat and talked to God the Father, but I am pretty sure that when we don't do the things that we should be doing, it hurts Him. In Genesis 6:6 it states " And it repented the Lord that He had made man on Earth, and it grieved Him at His heart " And this was at the time of Noah, can you imagine. He already knows what the future looks like and here we are in the infancy stage of humanity and already He is suffering from our iniquities!

As I thought about that point of view, and it made my struggles seem a little less huge! I want to understand my Father in Heaven enough to know before I do something that might grieve Him to His heart, that I choose not too. That, for some, can mean a little changing to be better, for other, a large need of improvement. Either way we all need to aspire to be Christ like and that's why we have things like growth and mercy, and honestly we can't make it without them.

The growth aspect for me is evident in ever choice I make and this applies to all. We all choose to look at things any way we see fit, our agency was a gift for just this purpose. I try my best , and not always do, but I try to look at challenges as a spiritual stepping stone, for every step that requires a struggle, is just one more step towards righteousness. And without His tender mercy we would never make it out of bed in the morning. I can't even tell you how many times I have fallen short, and although I struggle, His tender mercy allows me to grow from those struggles and pick my self back up, the Savior stretching out His hand and offering the mercy of forgiveness, and no matter how great or small, repentance is always there for us. Something that is definitely a mercy from God himself and not to be procrastinated, "do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the the end" Alma 34:33.

Both of these gift are wonderful to have in our lives! We are all so fortunate to have a Father in Heaven that can look down upon us with love and knowing all that has transpired in our lives from day to day, even those things that grieve Him to his heart, can show us how to grow and share His infinite mercy. When I can read a passage out of the scriptures that tells me that God's feelings were hurt or that He wept, it truly makes it all the more possible to view him as He was intended to be seen ...............as a Father.

Tender Mercy

2009-01-09T22:08:00.000-05:00

Today I was working in one of the Lord's buildings that I tend to and felt, as I do often, to go and look at something up in the furnace room near the gymnasium. I entered the room, tended to the thermostats and noticed that one of the settings was not correct. After adjusting it to the correct settings I realized that that particular furnace was not working. Now today was one of those days where I was supposed to be able to quit early and be home in time that Hope could get some sleep before she had to go to work at 6:00pm for a 12 hour shift, so a broken furnace, that by the way I did not have parts for on my truck, " shame on me", was going to put a damper on my schedule. I took a minute to think and ponder what to do....... I knew what was wrong and could fix it easy enough with the correct part, but the parts were 45 minutes away in Toledo. It was already 11:30 and I needed to get home to help with the baby and get the kids from school.

I said a short but direct prayer and the answer came..... " go get the parts, go home and go back later to fix it". I followed the promptings just as I had to go up there in the first place. It had started to snow and pretty heavily, I was concerned with lunch time traffic and for heading down the interstate from Bowling Green to down town Toledo was gonna be hectic. Before I left the parking lot I was on the phone to the supply house as to the availability of the parts I was in need of and sure enough they had 1, only 1! "Not a very hot Item" the salesman told me, so I said to him "well I am in Bowling Green, I'll be there as soon as I can". When I walked through the door, the guy behind the counter looked at me funny and said "I thought you were in B. G. when you called?", I said "I was "and he said "boy that didn,t take you very long"! I didn't have any traffic at all in fact that was the fastest I had ever made it there and I didn't speed! I grabbed the parts , had him order me 2 more for stock on the truck, and headed for home. When I walked through the door it was 1:15! Now I swear that I was not speeding at all. Were talking , B.G. to Sylvania & Jackman in Toledo, to Home in Liberty Center in 1hr 45min, with parts. Seemed hard to believe and then I thanked my Father in Heaven for His Help and Protection and anything else He helped with.

So the time came to go back and fix my furnace, I asked the boys if either would like to go and Connor said he would. When we arrived at the Church we took in the tools and parts and went right to work. Everything went smooth the furnace fired right up and we were able to look around the church. I showed Connor all around and showed him all the cool mechanical rooms even those ones that are up in the ceilings that most members don't even know exist, he just loved it! Then we went into to look around in the chapel, and he was in aw of the size verses our branch chapel. We looked around and then I said let us go up to the front and have a prayer, he said ok. Went up and knelt down in the very front, as I do much of the time when I am either enter or leaving a building, and I spoke a simple prayer and thanked our Father for giving safety, and skill, and for providing with safety as we drove in the wintry conditions. When I finished I looked at Connor, and there in his little eyes were tears, I asked Him "can you feel the Spirit of the Lord" and he said "That's why eyes are wet". I told him that that was God speaking to him In the presence of His Son in His house, and that we were fortunate to be able to feel that , I then explained that Those Buildings are Jehovah's and He is there if you only have enough faith to believe it. Through simple expression of innocents, my little treasure of a Son says "Oh I know He's here."

I never cease to be amazed at the infinite Power of God! He is truly mindful of our every need, whether it be time, availability, or comfort in knowing your children know, He is always there. His tender mercy's are always available if we but have the faith to believe! I cant help but feel that the reason I needed to go back tonight was for a purpose greater than my comprehension!

UNITED !

2009-01-08T21:33:00.000-05:00

With the days filled with struggles more and more for everyone in the world, times really start to look dim. I have been thinking much lately about the concept of sharing the Gospel of Jesus the Christ with people and how the things we do and say impact those around us. It amazes me most when I think of how ridicules it is for all of us out there that claim the title of Christian but don't act like Christ. I feel that we as Christians should be more willing to support others in there attempts at being good Christian people instead of allowing doctrinal principles to get in our way. I am in no way saying that I would share the Gospel any different that I do now, as a stalwart Mormon , ordained to the office of Elder, I am saying that we should attempt to be more understanding of one another's religious beliefs. Those who know me, know that my parents and brother and I do not see eye to eye on religious belief very often, but I got to thinking about our differences and came to some conclusions. I realized that they do not have to believe the same way as I do to have a place in the eternities, I realize that our understanding of what the eternities are going to be like is very different, but we both believe that there is an eternity with Jesus to those that believe on His name. We all pray generally in the same fashion, with honest intent and a heart full of faith " hopefully" that the things we pray for will be heard. I know that we all, " those claiming to be Christian" believe that Jesus is the Christ and that His Atonement set us free from the bond of death , and that He is now with His Father in the eternities.

There are plenty of generalized similarities to our beliefs, it is our own attitudes towards one another that separates us as people. We are all children of our Heavenly Father, no matter where we choose to worship. I feel that we as Latter-Day Saints need to reach out more to our brethren of different faiths and let them know that we are here to testify of Christ and that we bring a similar message to all those willing to listen. The fact that we as Christian everywhere choose to slander one another for the religious beliefs is childish and not Christ-like at all, Satan plots us against one another by feeding on instigating thoughts and slanderous words. As we allow ourselves to get caught up in mocking people of other Christian Beliefs, or talking out against there doctrinal views then we are allowing Satan into the very core of Christ's central location, the temple that we call bodies. If we are the body of Christ then we had better be acting more like Christ! Christ would have never turned away from His fellow man merely because they thought differently than He did. He was the greatest teacher the world has ever known, and his basic message was how to return to our Father in Heaven.

The fact that we as Latter-Day Saints are fortunate to have the true Gospel, as Christ Himself had original set up on the Earth is magnificent! We are very fortunate to have the revealed words of The Book of Mormon, another witness of Jesus Christ and His teachings to another set of his Sheep which were not of His fold in Jerusalem, but upon the American continents. To be able read from the Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price, scripture given through a modern day Prophet, is a wonderful gift to have. To be part of a His true Church reestablished, today , led by a Prophet, His councilors, and a Quorum of Twelve Apostles is beyond magnificent it is heavenly in all aspects of the word! We are fortunate, we are blessed and we are a gifted, chosen people of God. It is our duty to share the Gospel with those we come into contact with, however we need not take offense to those that choose not to believe, for some day they will come to know as we do, that the truth is revealed through the Prophet that stands at the head of this church and says " Thus saith the Lord" .

We still need to be ever mindful that God gave us all our own agency, and no matter how hard we try to explain the Gospel as we know it some will never come to believe for they are set in the beliefs that are comfortable to them, It is indeed challenging when faced with the opposition of one who not only chooses not to believe what we have to share, but then turns on us with slanderous and hurtful remarks. Remember brethren that they too are children of the same God and whether your Mormon, Methodist, Catholic, or even atheist, He still loves each of us the same. " God is no respecter of persons" He care's for the one and will seek him out just as the lost sheep of the 100, he will leave the 99 to save the one, so be it for us.

We need not be bitter towards others but exhort our attitudes as one of love towards all people everywhere. Share your testimony and share your love with those around you. Express the kind of understanding that Christ would have, and try to remember your purpose as a Christian, to share the good news.

We should be united as one form of Christian body in the fight against moral in-justice, to stand up together as men and woman of Christ and say that we will not bow to the horrible trash that is being presented as normal society. We should be representatives of one another as a believer in the Savior.

I would like to bear my testimony that I know that Jesus is the Christ, That He dwells with His Father, our Heavenly Father, that they as well as the Holy Spirit are in fact Three separate and distinct individuals. I bear my witness that Jesus Christ Did in fact take upon Himself , by the plan of His Father, the sins of the world, for those that had and have lived, were living at the time , and are living today. That He did suffer and die on the place of the skull known as Golgotha, and did in fact set us free from Satan's evil plan. I bear you my witness that I was baptized by immersion in water by one holding the Holy Priesthood of God and the authority to act in His name, and as I was then ordained a member of His Holy Church by one Holding the Holy Melchizedek Priesthood, by which I was baptized with fire and received as my constant companion the Holy Ghost. I have been given the blessing of His holy Priesthood to act in the name of God and to administer blessings in and Through Him. I have stood in the Holy Temple of God and Have been able to receive of His rich Blessings, I have been part of a blessing that healed a woman instantly, I have felt the Spirit of the Lord so strong that it made the very core of my body shake with the understanding of what He had in store for me. There is not a shred of doubt that enters my being when asked Do I know Christ? I know Him and I love Him and I serve Him. In the name of Jesus Christ , Amen

As we draw closer to Thee

2009-01-02T23:34:00.000-05:00

As I stumbled through my last post, drifting through thoughts that are not pertinent to full filling any part of my calling as Elders Quorum President, I was reminded of something important,"of course by a dear friend", as we draw closer to our Savior , we become more at peace than we know. I was struggling with some things that always seem to be in the back of my thoughts and after allowing myself to be tempted , I was suddenly under the distinct impression that I was some where spiritually I was not supposed to be. After a review of my present situation, I was able to go to the one place where I can always find peace....my knee's. I felt of the love that my Father in heaven has for me and truly was able to be spiritually fed and reminded as to what my purpose was here. I was able to feel of the Spirit and to know that His mercy and grace is infinite! I am truly blessed to be able to have the Son pleading for my ever mistake.

I wrote a letter to the Elders Quorum tonight as to the upcoming month and that was the first thing I have addressed to them since Matt left, I think that maybe his leaving left a empty hole in me , now I know that might sound funny to some of you, but I can assure you all that there is nothing like the love that can be found in the camaraderie of your fellow man. His spirituality and motivation helped form a great presidency and I felt the wrath of being left without his guidance. Now if you will think about that for a couple of minutes, that kind of impact allowed me to slip a little from the place I am supposed to be, image when we grieve the Spirit and walk away from Christ. Just the slightest gap in our armor and the adversary steps in, a few sprinkles of doubt, perhaps a sin or two, next thing you know, you don't feel worthy of much, let alone forgiveness. I want to tell you that no matter what we always have the capacity to ask and be forgiven , no matter the offense. I can tell you that I know that we all are being plead for at each time that we go before God and cry out confessing our deepest secrets and sin. If we fail to see ourselves as worthy we are then again grieving the heart of God and thus making the Atonement a waist. "We all come short of the glory of God"

Some times the things we do may seem huge, sometimes tiny, either way all can be used for good if we so choose to look at things this way. I fell that as I struggle I am being made stronger for something else later. I have noticed that each time I fell that I am not in the correct frame of mind , God steps in and helps me to understand.

Personal revelation is for each to be shared as we see fit, to be written in a journal perhaps or never spoken , either way the receivers choice. This is my journal...... I laid a sleep in my bed this morning and as I felt like I was going to start to wake up a very distinct voice came to me and shared with me a few things that I had allowed myself to forget, I was reminded of my calling and to the present responsibility I hold. I expressed my gratitude and also my sorrow for not being the best I could be, and I was comforted and told that I was still a son of my Father in Heaven and that He loved me very much, I was reassured that I was forgiven for those things that I stood in need of forgiveness and then I was admonished not to sin again. I felt very comfortable and at peace as I arose from my sleep and I knew in my heart that my Savior is ever mindful of the things we all stand in need of. Praise be to God in the highest. As I draw closer to Thee oh Lord, I can feel thy comforting hand touch my heart and ease my troubled soul. I love you Father and My Savior Jesus Christ.

winter blues

2008-12-30T19:55:00.001-05:00

Although I've been told that people read this, it never feels as though any one is truly reading, I know that its probably because I don't have a whole lot to say these days. I seem to be caught in a rut of sorts, a sort of depression. I was listening to a talk on my way to one of the buildings I work in, and I heard the man say how everyone gets into that stage of depression every once in a while. Reviewing my own personal life I realized that I'm in one of those places. I don't know exactly when it began but I do know that its been going on for at least several weeks now. I don't feel very spiritual and I've tried increasing my scripture studies , and I realized that I had not been praying as often as I should , But even still, I don't feel that I am in tune with the Spirit the way I should be. Times between Hope and I have seemed kinda ruff lately and money always seems tight, even when there seems to be enough. I cant seem to shake the feeling of not caring much about too much , and for me that's a bad thing. I love my job and it truly is a huge blessing in my life , without it who knows what I would be doing. I enjoy being at church most of the time but get very tired of all the worrying about everyone else's problems. I think that maybe I need a break from some of the responsibilities included in my calling , but if I tell anyone that there liable to release me, thinking I'm not doing a good enough job, and I definitely don't want to be a slacker! So I'm kinda caught in a strange place , the Lords work never ends and to do it to the best of my ability is difficult , to give up is not acceptable and to go half way isn't getting results. So where do I go? I will try my best, but I need to pray that I do it with the correct frame of mind, It is to easy to get into the bluesy feelings about things. I don't want to let people down , but honestly I don't feel strong enough at this time to bare the burdens I'm already toting. Hopefully things will take a turn for the better soon, maybe someone out there will be able to give me a fresh perspective on ways to handle this funk that I'm in.

Why do some people have to be so mean?

2008-12-25T03:00:00.000-05:00

The last post I had, I made mention of how Christmas and Christ need to be a separate thing. Now my reasoning behind that is that sometimes I feel that all to often we forget the real reason for the season. That does not mean that I don't think there should never be any talk of Santa!

I spoke with my sister in law today about the plans for this up coming next 2 days of what we are going to do and during our discussion some how we began to talk about Santa and the commercialization of the whole season, I expressed my opinion, as I always do , and I told her that I don't like all the hype that Santa gets and not Jesus..... So she informed me that my brother and I are on the same page that he feels like I do. Well at the time I thought nothing of that comment, Until I found out later by my Mother " who supports Tom completely" that not only does he not like the hype attached to Santa, but that he told his children that there is no such thing as Santa and that the whole Christmas story about him is one big lie and that the only thing they need to be thinking about is Jesus! His kids are 6,4,2.5, 1!!!!!! Give me a break! That is probably the most idiotic thing I have ever heard, I would never tell my kids that there is no such thing or tell them its all a lie. I don't like the commercial end of things , but I was dressed up as Santa last night for dear friends of mine for the enjoyment of many wonderful children who so patiently were awaiting Santa. It is up to each of us to share with our children the true meaning of Christmas and celebrate the birth of Christ, but I can't see crushing little children's hearts like that,, Frankly it makes me sick to my stomach to no that people are so wrapped up in there own personal religious beliefs that there own selfishness allows them to justify crushing a child's imagination and dreams. How can people be so mean?

It will be a rough couple of days, I feel that we will be on are way home sooner than original planned, If the cat gets out of the bag, so to speak, about Santa at there house and my kids hear anything out of line ....its gonna be ugly!
Santa may not be real but he is in the hearts of children every where, I asked Connor this morning " Hey Connor" I said " what is Christmas about?" His response " Jesus " !
Enough said............................................

http://blacknright.wordpress.com/2008/12/17/a-mormon-mom-looks-at-jesus-vs-santa/

Check this out.

Jesus Time instead of Christmas time

2008-12-20T01:42:00.001-05:00

With all the hustle and the bustle this time of year, we can if were aren't careful lose site of the miracle of it all. I am not one for the Christmas season....Santa and the toys department don't have my vote this time of year, oh sure I go along with things for the kids, but believe me if I had it my way you would never hear ho ho ho from me. I do however love the fact that this is the time that Christians around the world have chosen to celebrate the birth of the baby Jesus! That's our miracle for the hustle were in. I wish we could all be ever mindful of the true reason for this season of giving and remember that He came and gave us the best gift ever, Himself! Now I know that all those out there that read this that are Christian know the real reason and we all choose to be kind and generous and be helpful to the needy, but maybe just maybe there are one or two people that read this that haven't thought about why we need to remember Christ at the holidays.

To start off Jesus wasn't born on December 25, no that was the celebration day for the pagan sun god Saul, and when the Romans had adopted Christianity they chose to replace that day with the recognition of Jesus birth. If you read in the four Gospels in the New Testament you'll see that it talks about the Angel that visits with the Shepard's out in the field that are watching over the sheep, there aren't any sheep out in December because its cold out there also this time of year and the grass doesn't start growing until mid March, so they were probably out there in April. Any how the announcement was made that the Savior of the world had just been born and that the prophecies of old had been fulfilled, 600 years has passed since the writing of the Old Testament at this time and so those waiting were so over joyed that here at this time 4000 years after Adam now comes the Christ, the Holy redeemer of all of Israel. The scriptures in the four gospels say that it was such a glorious occasion , that the Heavens could not be held back and the Vail was torn and the angels sang so loudly that the Shepard's heard them as they say" peace on earth and good will toward man" . Now the important part is that He was born, the time doesn't really matter but the fact that He was born that was a big deal. Now we have our freedom to the ability to get back to our Heavenly Father. This is the part for me that mean so much, Christ being the Son of God could have came at any time , he could have chosen to come now a days when there are more rights that protect people's beliefs or values and non-values, He being the Son of God could have chosen to not come down here to face the persecution that He endured, but He knew it had to be that time. It was important to come unto a people that would be sure to disown and even kill him. Without the death there could be no life for any of us, it was all part of the plan from the beginning , in the creation period of the world, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ knew it was necessary, and so did we. After being sent here to earth we as people loose that memory of knowledge of life with the Father, so as we are sent here to our probation period of our lives we forget the reasons we were created to begin with, so Jesus had to come down and show us and teach us so that we would remember and learn . So the reason for the Birth of Christ was a saving gift the Gift of life.

Through his eternal example we have been given the gift of life and the knowledge to do marvelous things in the name of God. We as Christians have a solemn duty to spread the gospel to every end of the earth, He did. We are blessed to belong to a Heavenly creator that loves us so much that He sent His Only begotten Son to be our savior. I am thankful to God that my real Christmas present this and every day was and is Jesus the Christ . I am thankful for his mercy, His grace , and His endless love for all of us. Out of all the people good and bad in this world, He loves us all the same, not one more than the other. The scripture tell us that He even loves the sinner , that's me! I don't know about you but I sure am glad you don't have to be perfect in order to have God love you.

Take this time of the year and tell the people around you how much you love them, then show them by making sure there where they need to be with Christ, pray with your family this holiday season, Love one another, and be kind to all you meet. Share the gospel of Jesus with someone who might benefit from the Good news of great joy that the angels proclaimed at His birth. Try to remember that it isn't Santa its the Savior, and that he is watching all the time to see if your naughty or nice.

To those of you out there that read this ...Merry Christmas, and may God bless you this holiday season and may He bring you joy as you remember His Son. I love you

How can I forget.

2008-12-03T01:33:00.000-05:00

I spoke to my dear friend via email chat last evening and after, I took a few minutes to pray, sincerely pray and ask the Lord for His grace and mercy, strength and understanding. With the words still fresh upon my lips I felt of the Spirit of the Lord, How sweet the tender mercy of a loving Heavenly Father. I realized something that I am sure I am not alone in last night, while I talked with my friend and pondered the conversation I realized that I forget to remember those spiritual experiences that have been defining moments in my relationship to God. As I got to thinking about all the time that prayers have been answered and how many times He has forgiven me in the past for my transgressions, I began to realize that once again a prayer had been answered! I sat at this computer and with a fear and doubt filled heart posted a blog of desperation as I plead for prayers....not realizing that it was not just to those that would read the blog but to a loving Heavenly Father as well. My friend chimed in to chat with me and in the course of a few minutes , I had begun to feel better,as I thought it over more today this very morning as I traveled to work I was praying and felt the Holy Spirit testifying of the love that the God-head possessed for me. I felt renewed in Christ and realized that prayers were answered. I can't help but think how wonderful and merciful He is to all of us, In Genesis 6:6 the Bible states that God looking down at what men had done it, "grieved the heart of God" and yet he loves us anyways. I got to thinking about the fact that He loves us so much that He is willing to have pain in His heart in order to have us learn, I learned that when I start forgetting what it is that He truly wishes for me to be doing, I need to stop my whole life and ask " Father what can I do to more pleasing unto you?" As my day went on today I was able to feel of the Spirit more and know with a sure knowledge that my Savior lives and He did die for my sins, and that no matter what , He has a place in His heart for me. I sometimes need to remember that His yoke is easy and light and that He can carry my burdens if I can learn to swallow my pride long enough to ask.

A dear and marvelous man passed away last evening Elder Joseph B. Worthlin, an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. He will truly be missed.....and remembered. I will say that he is very fortunate to have been blessed to be part of the greatest Churches ever to be on Earth, And I know that Elder Worthlin is with the Savior now. I am almost jealous.
http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/joseph-b-wirthlin-oldest-apostle-dies-age-91
God bless you all.

Prayers please

2008-12-02T00:30:00.000-05:00

Finding the strength to do the right thing isn't always easy! I have been privileged in my life to have many opportunities to do the thing that our Father in Heaven has asked, many times I have come up short. Lately I seem to be struggling quite a bit, I wont go into any details but I have been facing the same challenge over and over and it seems as though I fall prey to Satan's temptations every time. I can't seem to get past the hurdle. I hope those of you that are out there, that do in fact read this, will pray that I get the strength I so desperately need to beat my demons. I realize that there have been some gaps in my blogging and I don't have time to write quite as often as I would like , perhaps if I got back into the writing habit again then maybe mind would be more spiritually fed.

No real worries, but I could use a few prayers.....I have been slipping a little too much back into my old ways of thinking and not focusing on the long term plan. I read my friends blog tonight and she really made me think about how much I am not putting what God wants first in my life at this moment. If I want to have that communication line opened to our Heavenly Father then I had better get back on track.

Sorry I haven't kept my promise to be consistent in blogging and thanks Ann for your inspiring words ......I miss you guys so much , I need Matt so bad it truly hurts!

Doesn' t seem right .....does it?

2008-11-19T23:48:00.000-05:00

I read the blog of my dear friend Ann tonight and as I read I felt the Spirit speaking to me about the recent adversity that she faced and how we had gone through similar struggles. I read a long and seen several parts about how they had struggled to get to church and with every step forward , Satan managed to push them three back. Funny how people call adversity a struggle, but we refer to Satan as the adversary! I think that we as people allow are selves to be pushed around just a little too much. As I read on, my friend talked about the financial struggles and then the feelings of unworthiness....Now if you know Ann and Matt at all there is no unworthiness issue there ever, those two are pillars in spiritual excellence! I think it doesn't seem right, how Satan could whispered in her ear and she listened for a minute.

A fact of the matter is that we as people don't view Jesus and Satan as tangible individuals, we don't see them as if there able to be right there. We think all too often that they are just vapors that float around or story's told in books and that neither really has any effect on the mind. Sad part is Satan is able to be right on top of us at all times, and if we don't cry out to our Savior to come help, well then we stand and listen to the devil tell us lies.I have been in situations plenty of times in my life were the thoughts I was having were not in conjunction with what the Savior would have me be thinking about and if I festered long enough in my own thinking and let Satan keep picking at me, then I started to believe the lies he was spreading.

I kept reading on down further in the blog post and Ann had took a new perspective on things , Just as she always does. She is truly a Saint in all aspects of the word. As I continued, I read that they had success and were able to make new friends and as I read further down I began to see something that I found hard to come by myself....humility! It took pushing me hard several times to get humility out of me and I didn't have nearly the faith my friends here have. As times got harder though I realized that as I called upon the name of Christ , every time He would come and save me, oh how sweet our Savior is. I know that every time I have been in a situation where I have been given opportunities to change something, God allows me to be tested if you will just a little to kinda make me earn it. I told my friend that perhaps there was something our Father in Heaven wanted her to know or learn, He always seems to teach me this way.

I try to listen to three very special hymns daily.........." I need thee every hour" " Love one another " and " Keep the commandments" With those songs in my thoughts all day, I seem to do quite well with any obstacle.

Don't it Hurt?

2008-11-10T23:03:00.000-05:00

I find myself in an awkward position from time to time. I get caught up in the things of this world and let them drag me down to the point of not feeling worthy of God's grace. Grace and forgiveness go hand in hand you can't have one without the other, but for me I have a hard time dealing with feeling as though I've been forgiven of a sin . I struggle so, trying desperately to be as good as I can be and without warning ...there I've done something again. Does it hurt for you too? Is it hard to feel worth the forgiveness, even when it seems to be a reoccurring sin? I struggle to do what is right in the eyes of God, and yes we are all our own worst critic,but for me it seems to break my heart when I do something wrong.

I found myself listening to a Christian radio station.....something I do often, when I heard a preacher speaking on the topic of having to have faith in grace. Not faith alone mind you, but faith in grace , then he went on to describe how our Father in Heaven gave His only begotten to die for the transgressions of man. How we need to be able to accept that grace from Jesus Christ and realize the purpose of that which He had suffered so greatly for. I began to think to myself , How do I feel when I repent?. Then it occurred to me that yes I was heart felt in my prayers , and yes I truly was meaning the words which I spoke and yes I was humble. So if all those things were in check....then was I having faith in grace? No , I believe that when I pray to ask for forgiveness I believe that He hears my pleas and forgives the sin , but if I don't forgive myself and don't have that faith in the grace of a Father who loves me so much then I never really get forgiven now do I.

I would admonish all who read this to pray on the topic at hand and ask this very hour .... Lord do I have sin that I am in need of repentance? I do I'm sure, If you say you don't then your a better person then I could ever be and if that is so then would you please leave me a note at the comment box and tell me how perfection feels. I , we have got to come to terms with every wrong we have ever committed , even those that lie in the darkest part of our memories. I feel as we aspire to be more forgiving of ourselves, when we have humble asked Father in Heaven for forgiveness, then we must have faith in grace and know that his mercy and grace is sufficient to all.

So with that I leave you , begging to have His mercy and grace, praying for faith in His grace, and believing that it is sufficient for me ...just like it was for the Apostle Paul.

Christians and Politics

2008-11-07T23:19:00.000-05:00

I always have wondered when the country was going to be prepared to have a person of another race become president. I never thought it was going to be in my life time, I must say even though he ( Obama ) does not stand for the same moral values as I do, I was impressed with the general public in there ability to vote in an African American to the office of president! Some say that this will bring about terrible things...me personally I feel it is a step in the right direction as far as loving our fellow man as our brother. Perhaps we as people can get rid of the racism we have so long suffered from in this country. I had the pleasure of reading an article written by my brother Tom which I will post in the next paragraph , but the funny thing about his article is that I heard the same comments on a local christian radio station and had thought on the very topic earlier this week.

Tom says......

"Our country has spoken and elected a new President. Pray that during the upcoming days and weeks, over the next crucial months in our nations history, pray for our outgoing President and our incoming President. Pray that Mr. Obama would appoint people in his administration that will hold the values of God. That the name of God would be re-established in our great nation and the name of Jesus would be exalted above all things. Pray that Mr. Bush would make decisions that the transition between them would be smooth and successful. Pray that the upcoming changes would be made in a way that will glorify God and bring His name to the world. He is what our country was founded on, lets pray that one day it will be again."

Good stuff from other opinions other than my own! I have taken to prayer in these past few days as to how the Spirit will guide Mr. Obama as he takes seat in the desk in the oval office. Much like that of so many more in this country are doing , I heard a striking number of more than 6o million people had voted for the McCain administration , so that means alot of us out there still have good moral values. At a breath taking 48%-52% overall voting polls , I would say that it was close .We have the ability to pray and lets face it ....no one , is out side the reach of God's hand!

Enough on the political field , I made mention of it because we as Christians need to stand for the things we believe in, this is not the end nor a reason to give up hope. We must stand fast in our efforts to still instill in our children what is right and wrong, I know that its hard with all the influence of the media we are exposed to these days , but honestly we are the ultimate ones responsible for the teachings of our children. It is still our job as Christians to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ to the ends of the world especially to our next door neighbors , but really to keep building His kingdom up on Earth today. Even in spite of struggles we must press forward...When Job in the Old Testament had asked of God why must he struggle , why must he be tempted so greatly....the answer " The Son of man hath descended below them all; art thou grater than He?" With that thought in mind I would ask you ..... are you willing to still stand for what you believe in. Of course you will !!! So lets not look at our current situation as one that is bad but embrace it as a time to pull together as believers in Christ from all walks of life and pray that the things we are in need of will come to pass. He already knows what it is we need ..... He wants us to ask for it , its called humility. Funny how that works.

I have spent a great deal of time these past few weeks thinking about my own spirituality, and sometimes there is alot of struggles and sometimes there aren't many. Its the times when I"m not in tune with the Spirit that I don't have the struggles, why you would ask? Because that's when Satan doesn't have to work as hard because I'm listening to the wrong side! Its been my experience that when I am doing as good as I possible can and am trying to be as Christ-like as possible that I'm faced with opposition! I know that it is because Satan tries to break those down who confess the name of Jesus, so stand fast brothers and sisters. We are not alone in our fight for what is right .... He is ever mindful of the world around us.

Be ever prayerful, ever mindful , and ever loving of those around us. They need us and we need them , tell your wife and kids you love them and show the world that your bigger than any color or any political party. Be a Christian. I love you all.

Troubled Thoughts

2008-10-20T22:02:00.000-04:00

This is my thought on the ever controversial question of why it is so important to belong to the religion we as humans choose to belong to , I grew up Pentecostal, as many of you know and I thought about how important it was for me to share the truths of the restored Gospel to those whom I love so deeply in my life. My family , my parents , brother and his family, I tried so hard to explain things to the best of my ability as to why I knew they were true. I shared with them in the same fashion it had been shared to me in and the result was much like that of when the young Joseph Smith tested the verse of James 1:5 and the result was " shucks boy...That kind of stuff just doesn't happen any more ...it all of the devil" . My mother once told me she was concerned with my salvation, my father said I was going down the wrong road and my Brother after sending me anti-Mormon material dictated a letter that clearly stated his withdraw from wanting to ever hear what I had to say about religion anymore.

I 've been pondering lately as to the thought on trying so hard to bring others to Christ .... and you know I don't have to try as hard as I have been. Now I'm not saying I'm giving up, but I have come to the conclusion that the relationship with people around us needs to based off the principles of Love, the same love that the Savior had for each of us. Its not our job to judge someone on there religious preferences, does not the Bible teach us that we are to love everyone? Does God look at people as categorized as we do? We select what we think is right and we feel it is our job to tell others this is it and nothing else. I know, I grew up in it! I grew up with thought that only Pentecostals would be making Heaven, the rest well, they could try but they just weren't his pick......sounds like Jews and Jehovah's Witness doesn't it? My point , If God is the almighty and we as Christians ( That includes all that proclaim the name of Christ valiantly) ,are his chosen people then were does the statistics come in on who gets what? I believe that all ( I mean ALL ) churches have truths and all have good in them, I believe that there are those that are closer to the actual truth and some , unfortunately , that are way off. However I know that there is a church that does proclaim that they are built upon the very principles set by Christ Himself and that they follow , to a tee , the very instructions that are not only outlined in the Bible but all the standard text that are available to everyone. I would love to be able to share the restored gospel to everyone , unfortunately, persecution and the foul mockery of Christians , so called Christians, and non believers alike prevent the good word of God from speaking to man at this time in the world from being heard. Satan has such a powerful grip upon so many people that they are to blind to see truth when it slaps them in the face.

When I thought of this subject it was one that brought both good and bad feelings, I know that by sharing these thoughts I can upset some readers and honestly I'm ok with that. I am not here for a popularity contest, my calling is much greater than that! In the book of 1Corinthians 15:40-41 Paul teaches the principle of three distinct levels of glory, or heavens , One of the sun, one of the moon and one of the stars. In 2Corinthians 12:2 Paul talks of a man that was caught up to the third heaven, In the Doctrine and Covenants section 76 it outline the description of the three degrees of glory and as to there purpose, So if there is more than one account of reference to degrees of glory in the Bible alone wouldn't you think that that would be good enough to testify of truth, then if you knew or even were curious to know if there something else testifying of the same thing like section 76 , wouldn't you want to know? Ask in faith the Father on knee's is it true? He would tell you yes!

A man I value the opinion of, made a stupid statement the other day during a meeting I was in attendance in. We spoke loosely of other religions for a brief couple of minutes and to the simplicity of how some people come to believe they are saved was addressed. I shared the way I was brought up and shared how people believe that when they feel as though they would like to turn there life over to Christ they can simply say a prayer , some times directed by a pastor and following along in the prayer can then be saved after asking Jesus into there hearts. He said to me that was the stupidest thing he has ever heard. Now I will tell you from experience that when I struggled through life and had made attempts at getting straighten out that was a life saver and I felt of the Spirit of God. People that believe that concept are not stupid nor does it mean that they are not saved from the fall, it simply means that they are at the beginning of a great journey one in which we as Latter-Day saints should embrace and also try to help and nurture to grow. If we stood before our Creator and said that we didn't lend a hand, an ear, or our love because those people didn't belong to our Church , then Brethren we we ourselves are guilty of a grave sin, one in which I will not be part of! The degrees of glory were outlined because he knew not everyone would follow His Holy anointed Prophets, not everyone would be open to His true teachings because they weren't ready to commit to something that requires complete change of one's self, and especially to have to face the persecution of those that condemn the very thing they claim to stand for. I will no longer pass judgment upon someone of another religion , nor will I push someone into doing something they don't want to do. Satan's plan consisted of no agency and his plan didn't allow choices . And we all chose the plan of Christ , those of us with a body ....and that's a lot of us!

I will share a testimony with you that I know that the Church of Jesus Christ is the true church of God and that I am a Latter-Day Saint , That we have a Prophet that stands at the head of His church, The Book of Mormon is the word of God , that we have a Church that consists of Prophets and Apostles in these the latter days. Most important , because without him we would not have what we have today , I know that Joseph Smith was and is a Prophet of God and is at this moment involved in the great work beyond the veil. I have been able to stand in the waters of Baptism in the Holiest place in the world and by proxy , baptize for the dead and have a confirmation of gratitude over whelm me and testify to my spirit of the import of the work . I have been blessed to be part of a blessing that healed a very sick woman, instantly ! I have felt the Spirit of God so strong that it completely consumed my every sense , and with that was struck with a sure knowledge of the God head ,of Elohim, Jehovah , and the Holy Spirit. You can always voice your opinion, but I say to you ............. I know !

How important are other peoples lives, Written by my brother Tom Calton

2008-10-19T08:02:00.000-04:00

I received this letter from my brother , Tom and felt inspired to share it with those whom read this blog may it lift you as it did me.

"So let us be thankful, because we have a kingdom that cannot be shaken. We should worship God in a way that pleases Him with respect and fear, because our God is like a fire that burns things up"-Hebrews 12:28,29

Before we start each shift at work we all meet in the break room so the boss can inform us of important items of safety and repairs that are happening on each piece of equipment. We also find out where we will be working for the next 8 hours. The other night I was asked to start cleaning the equipment because we had the board members of our Chinese plant coming in for a tour. I gladly accepted my assignment and headed out on the floor. The comment was made by several people that this was extremely important and "we needed to make everything look like we didn't even work there". Anyone serving in our armed forces has participated in an event like this when a high ranking commander or official was coming by. I myself was volunteered once to paint rocks along the main road of the base only to turn the rocks over and paint the other side so we didn't miss anything and make the rocks look as though they appeared from the ground perfectly white and they were just there when they built the Air Force base.

How often do we make our lives with Christ appear as though nothing is wrong or it is perfect? Do we go out of our way for fellowship? Obey every word in the bible? Do we reach out for help in our small groups? At church? With our closest friends? Do we pray every day? Why are we so afraid sometimes to tell our Creator the things we have done or what we are afraid of? Did He not hear or see us and we got away with it?

1 John 1:6,7 says "So if we say we have fellowship with God, but we continue living in darkness, we are liars and do not follow the truth. But if we live in the light, as God is in the light, we can share fellowship with each other. Then the blood of Jesus, God's Son, cleanses us from every sin."

So why don't we reach out when we are struggling? What about when we see someone else struggling? We should be reaching out to each other and the person on the other side of the sales counter, no matter if they are reaching back or not. We should be praying for the lost world and each other deeply from our hearts. He will hear us. But what do we do? We hide in our shell or take care of it ourselves, we can fix it right? No, let us reach out to one another for help and prayer. Isn't that what we are there for? "Now that you have made your souls pure by obeying the truth, you can have true love for your Christian brothers and sisters. So love each other deeply with all your heart."-1 Peter 1:22. I struggle with that, don't you? .......Sometimes I only want to care about myself..........I don't have time to listen, I have to be somewhere....... It's hard to love and care sometimes. We don't want to admit we can't fix it, our pride and arrogance takes control, instead of Jesus.

It's the start of a new week. Lets reach out and help each other, support each other, and strengthen and lift up each other. "Strengthen yourselves so that you will live here on earth doing what God wants, not the evil things people want."-1 Peter 4:2. Love. Compassion. Share our hearts. "But dear friends, use your most holy faith to build yourselves up, praying in the Holy Spirit."-Jude 20

Let God consume every square inch of your life with His holy fire! Trust Him. Obey Him. Talk to Him. Pray!! Stay focused on our Lord and Saviour so we can ask for help and be there for others. Read your bible, let God talk to you. Give Him all your praises and don't complain. Put God first in everything, He will never let you down.

"Here on earth we do not have a city that lasts forever, but we are looking for the city that we will have in the future. So through Jesus let us always offer to God our sacrifice of praise, coming from lips that speak His name."-Hebrews 13:14,15

Thank God for this day we have; He made it for us.

Timing

2008-10-17T01:56:00.000-04:00

Sometimes there is just not enough time to sit down and type out huge blogs, this one will be short.
I had the most peculiar phone call tonight one that trouble me so, my 13year old daughter the one that just got baptized, was calling from the neighbors house. Instantly my senses were enhanced and my adrenaline began to flow , I knew it wasn't gonna be good. I talked to her for a minute on the phone and found out that her mother and step-dad were fighting with her about getting home late from a church activity, ( if the kids gonna be late ...that's were I want it to be ) , any ways she was getting yelled at so much and they smacked her for back talk, so I had to call her mom and see what was going on. It turns out that Satan is up to no good as usual, now the reason I say this is because the moment I got on the phone the Spirit was with me.......I felt strong that there was evil a foot. Alex is going to go to the Columbus Temple on a youth temple trip on Saturday with me and several other members and old Satan is doing his best to keep that from happening, I instantly noticed by the way she began swearing at me and taking the Lord's name in vain, once she even referred to me and my Bible and how stupid it was. I new at that moment that the most important thing to do was play it cool and not let the situation get out of hand then all would be well and Alex will still make her first trip to the Temple.

Am I doing all I can?

2008-10-09T23:45:00.000-04:00

Tonight we had priesthood leadership , to go over the principles of the Gospel that are in need of our support as priesthood holders. I noticed that a great deal of the topic matter was much like that of General Conference that just transpired this past weekend. I was asking friends of mine and discussing the topic of doing so much already in the church , and later this evening the thought came to mind ....Am I doing all I can? Not only as a Priesthood holder but as a Husband and Father? Do I aspire to be like Christ? I don't think so all the time. One of the topics we talked about was " The One " , for those of you not of my faith , the one is that person that you can think of that is in need of help, or maybe your neighbor when there out doing yard work , maybe they could use a hand . Maybe its the person that is latter in years loading there car at the grocery store ...do you offer to give them a hand. My thought turned about as to what I've done lately and to meet the needs of "the one" . I asked someone the other day if I could help them load a cart full of drywall, they thanked me and said someone was coming so I went on about my day . I could have helped though until the other person arrived ! I didn't do enough , does that make sense? I could have done more that's what I'm getting at , I thought about the weeks past and how I have had opportunity's to serve someone and have not . I also began to think that I , we could be more helpful to our wives and try to help her out more with the cleaning and the kids, You know they talked about that at both General Conference and Priesthood leadership ...treat our spouses better than we have been ! Even if we treat them good we can always do better , something I need to work on .I thought of my dear friend Matt and how I've never in my life seen a man as wonderful as he is with his wife and kids...he is a good example as to what we , I should be aspiring to be like .

Christ showed His service to so many ,We were asked tonight to give examples that we could think of for His display of service throughout the scriptures. Many examples came forward, the story of Lazarus , the story of John the Baptist , the story of the Woman who when being persecuted for adultery the Savior stepped in and said " Let he who is without sin cast the first stone" then He turned to the woman and said " were art thou accusers ? They have fled Lord because of Thee , arise woman for thou are forgive go and sin no more" The Savior not only rescued her from death but provided His Loving forgiveness and built her spirits up again before leaving her. That is the true power of the Priesthood ...service with unfeigned faith and love for the recipient. He went to the American continents among the Nephites and visited with them and He blessed each of there children one by one , that is a great act of kindness and compassion. Most important to me is the effort of the Atonement . Not any act of service can be greater than the offering He gave to me and you ! This is my offering ...I will give all that I have to Him for its all I can Give..My life is my offering .

Next time you see someone that might need a hand or hand up , give them a minute . I can promise you it will be worth an eternity.

Conference

2008-10-04T00:55:00.000-04:00

I am so excited that this weekend is General Conference ! This to those of you that are not of my faith , is a chance for us Latter-Day Saint and the rest of the world if there willing with an open mind, to listen to A Prophet of God in this day and age , the very same as those from olden days , to share the message of God to the people . Also it is a great opportunity to listen to the Twelve Apostles of Christ of this dispensation as they address the general public and share the message that Our Father in Heaven has for us . Like those great Spiritual giants of today we are also blessed to be able to hear from other General Authorities and members of the Seventy and General Bishopric . It is a wonderful opportunity to learn of the lesson's that Christ has for us in the modern day.

If you look at the format of how we will be given inspiration during this General Conference , I would like to point out a very important point. That each of the titles given to those of whom I have listed are not something that Mormons have made up for our leaders but more importantly they are the very names by which Christ Himself had labeled His devoted servants. Commonly miss-conceptualized as a Church that founded itself on its own principles , the Mormon faith is truly in fact, based upon the very format of how Christ had set up His Church when He walked the earth and taught us His Law and His Commandments. This Church , His true Christian Church ( yes I say True ) is founded on His teachings not man's , it is not corrupted by the world nor does it base its decision on what is comfortable to popular opinion . We as Latter-Day Saints read from the King James version of the Holy Bible because it as close to the original writings as we can get in the English language , and it is one of the only copies of the Holy Bible in this day and and age that has not been interpreted a hundred different ways to make people more comfortable about what and how they read it .....In essence we as human have taken the words of God and have changed them so that we have them more befitting to this day and age , so that we can interpret what we think we are reading.

We have the Book of Mormon..Another Testimony of Jesus Christ , miss understood by most as the Mormon Bible , not the case at all . Yes it is a cannon of scripture , and yes it is included in all of are teachings, not because it is to be separate from the Bible but to go hand in hand with the very same teachings of the Gospels of Matthew , Mark , Luke , and John , to edify the very position that The Apostle Paul was preaching , to emphasize the ministry of Peter and most important to build up the Kingdom of God and testify of His Son , Jesus Christ .

I was told as a child and even as an adult ,when I began to investigate this Church, that what was being taught was wrong and that the Mormon teachings was a cult and not of God. That Satan had his hand in it all and they were trying to lead God's good Christians away . Well I have to say that is not true at all! I believe that it is Satan telling people not to follow the Mormon faith because he knows the true identity of Christ's true Church and he can't afford to loose anymore souls than he already has. Satan has the ability to tempt not only the weak but especially the righteous , So to those out there thinking your protected from his influence just because you show up to church on Sunday morning and feel good about praying once or twice a week , I say beware !

If you really need to ask yourself how does one know of a true Church , I say unto you pray , pray that the Spirit of the Lord will testify to your heart the truth of all things and remember that the feelings of the Spirit are listed in Galatians 5:22 , if you pray to know and don't have those feelings ....good chance it wasn't God giving those feelings to you, pray again this time with real intent to know and an open heart.

I look forward to the chance to listen to The Prophet Thomas S. Monson give talks this weekend and to the Twelve and the rest of the General Authority's ,for I know that in my heart and by the Power of God and His Holy Spirit , that as I listen as do so many others , we will blessed to Hear from God himself speaking to us through His Ordained Prophet and Holy Priesthood. To better be prepared for the second coming of our Lord, Jesus Christ . To be armed with the Spirit of righteousness and be empowered to spread the good news of Christ.

God bless all of us ,and may we find peace and happiness in our fellow man , and learn to love one another and strive to be more like Jesus , I leave you with this and say this in the name of Jesus Christ , Amen.

Has our agency gotten in the way of principles?

2008-09-28T17:43:00.000-04:00

I have thought much about the question that is presented here. I think that when we chose to follow Christ in the grand council before the world was and accepted our agency as a part of our lives instead of the slavery term based return policy that Satan had in mind, we took upon ourselves a responsibility to be steadfast in the work of God. If we allow ourselves to use the excuse that we have agency that allows us to not visit the sick or the needy , or if we simply don't feel like going to a meeting or attending an important church function , such as any of the conferences or leadership meetings that have come and are coming to pass , we simply are not following the idea of the agency that was truly given to us. I believe that the agency that our Father in Heaven had in mind for us when we excepted the plan was not to do wrong but to do right ! He never intended to have us say that we don't need to learn from his appointed teachers , He never said you already know enough , or would He ever say don't feed my hungry. Unfortunately we are all guilty of this , we often get so caught up in our own lives and the responsibilities that we feel are important to us that we forget that we hold a greater responsibility to those around us, that when the Savior gave a new commandment to the 12 He said " This new commandment I give unto you ,that ye Love one another as I have loved you ,then ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." John 13:34-35 Our agency was intended for this kind of grand design that we may choose to love each other and that we may choose to do good and be true and just with all men. That we would choose to full fill our duty to God.

This topic can be one of a touchy nature , and to those that don't feel that it is relevant to our salvation , I would challenge you to look deep into your own life and question yourself as to this important fact ...do I love my fellow man? Have I put things off because I found a greater excuse that justifies what I chose to do over what I should do ?I know I have in the past ! I think we need to go to great lengths to be strong at everything that is asked of us and that we should continue to strive to be like Christ in all things especially our agency...........yes I said like Christ , He too had agency , didn't He. He could have chose not to go through with it , The Atonement. When He cried out in the Garden, He was second guessing His decision , Satan was there he said to Jesus " you don't have to do it" He could have backed out at anytime but through that same agency that our Father in Heaven gave us, He gave to Christ as part of the plan of returning to Him!

We must use our agency for the just cause and not for the excuse, else we shall have efforts in vain.

Stand

2008-09-24T00:30:00.000-04:00

You see all the time on TV these days and hear about it on the radio , these kids that make a stand for what they believe! Whether it is about tobacco use or drugs or alcohol these kids stand for what they believe in not doing , ( I think its fantastic that we have youth that strong in this day and age) . Today I heard on a local radio station I listen to called K-love ( Christian Rock ), there were these kids who were going to meet all over the world tomorrow to stand for what they believe in, Jesus ! They are going to meet at flag poles for prayer at 7:00am and show there faith by joining this cause.

When is the last time we stood for what we believe in . I bare the name Mormon proudly on the back of my truck with its .org behind it hoping that those behind me in traffic just might be brave enough to find out that the thing there so quick to persecute is the very thing they base there faith on ! Jesus the Christ! I have thought often on this subject sometimes even voiced my opinion a time or two, the thing is its kind of a touchy subject for people so I'll say it like I do most things ....the way they are.

Peter the first disciple of Christ and the leader and Prophet of Christ's true Church after the ascension to Heaven occurred for Christ, even faced this problem. When asked on 3 different account , He , Peter denied the Christ , he could not bare the thought of persecution at the hands of the Romans. Peter walked with The Son of God , he talked with Him, he ate with Him , slept next to Him and knew with his whole soul that Jesus was the Christ and still He denied Jesus! That is powerful to me , it shows the true strength that Satan has over us, that fear and doubt is not of God!

We as Mormons , Christians , Jews , Gentile, Muslim , Ect. why do we not stand for what we believe? Is it not our job to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Doesn't our Scriptures teach us that God is no respecter of person's and that we are all His children? Didn't we all choose to be here on this planet at this time ? We sided with Christ in the Grand Council before the World was, and we fought at that time for what we believed in ! That Jesus would be our Savior and that we would fight against Satan at all cost and would try our best to return home to our Father in Heaven that waits there for us . My point is if we cant stand now ....we wont stand later ! We must be diligent in our efforts to spread the Gospel , not for gain ( to those who pay there preachers) not for body's in the seats , but so that those that don't remember Christ may have a chance at redemption.

God loves us all! He wants each of us to Love one another, unconditionally. We don't have time to bicker about religious preferences , we are at the sifting of the wheat . Those who are strong in faith will be strong when they need to be , those who are luke warm or riding the fence .... you will fail!

I put the name Mormon on my truck because I hope it will help someone .......It has if nothing else helped me , when I am about to get angry with someone because the way they are driving and I go to pass , I think about that sticker and think to myself , That's not very Christ-like behavior, I probably should be a lot more reverent than this! If we all had a sticker on us what would yours say?

Distance

2008-09-16T23:24:00.000-04:00

Tonight I said goodbye to one of the greatest people I've every known, He and his family are moving so far away.I touched on the subject not long ago but felt inspired to write something again. My friend said to me as we broke from a hug " Keep building up the Elders Quorum and don't stop blogging" , Matt you're the best!!

A million times in my life it seems as though things are lost , friends, loved ones , tools , and toys, they aren't all the same but it feels the same when things you love come up missing, I can't express the feelings of joy that Ive had since being a member of this church . I lost a lot entering those waters of baptism ! Not the same kind of loss as my friend and his family moving away because this loss was terrific. I lost a part of my life becoming a member of the Christ's Church and for the better. Many times throughout my new found life in Christ I have wanted or have been able to relate to problems that members have been struggling with, because I've been there .There is not to much before baptism that I had not done , Ive been on both sides of the tracks and have seen and experienced things I pray someday I will forget. That kind of loss I embrace . You see I always knew deep down that God loved me , and that He had something special for me , As we have , but I wasn't willing to accept that . As I grew older in my age I began to forget that God loved me ( I lost my desire to do good ) I began to feel as though He couldn't love me and surly I wasn't worthy of anything He had to offer. I found myself listing to the Adversary and He spoke smoother than that of those trying to help me. I found that the less I thought of God the less guilty I felt about the decisions I was making , you want to talk about losing...... I just about lost everything, including my life!

Our Father in Heaven has this great plan laid out for each of us , things he would like us to aspire to complete , choices He would like us to make (correctly) ,But most importantly He wants us to lose something.........US ! It is important that we lose the mortal capacity of what we should do or be like. He wants us to " Put off the things of this world and take upon us the righteousness of Christ" , to lose can be looked at many different ways. I lost everything that I thought was good and found everything that was really important in life. We as a couple , faced some of the hardest times in our married life just in the past year and a half , But it was by His grace that we managed to survive it . We didn't do it on our own , there is no way we could have , logically and financially there is no way without His mercy could we have survived the challenges we faced .

Some loss is good , Some loss is bad, some is just plain Hard. He has given me and all of us the strength we need to endure to the end. The loss isn't anything if you look at the glass as half full. I found that in every opposition I have had to bear , God has presented a reason or solution , it just needs to be recognized. Old habits , Bad habits ........good loss ! Losing faith.........very bad loss.

Do you have the Faith to look at the glass Half full?

I love you Matt & Ann , Thanks for all you've done , all your help, all your love,and most of all your friendship!

Still Searching

2008-09-03T23:38:00.000-04:00

After the last entry on the Atonement and a promise of more I thought about the nature of the topic I had chose to discuss.I realize that for anyone reading this you may ask yourself , why does this person write these topics as if someone had asked to know or was inquiring to a specific question. Truth be told , I write them for myself ! I love to sit and ponder on the deep waters of doctrine and as to why such things are as they are. My Savior gave me a chance by becoming the Christ as He gave up his Ghost that great day on the cross , on that hill . You see He was born a child just like you and I and had the same Vail drawn over his eyes as we have upon our eyes, our amnesia doesn't allow us to remember the grand counsel before the world was , and at the time when Jesus was a boy He didn't know any different than us . It wasn't until a visit from a heavenly messenger that He came to know who He was, He wasn't the Christ until He had went that extra mile of suffering for us that misery we can't fathom . It was in the garden of Gestamine that He plead a prayer with His Father the Great Elohim , Our Father , Please Father He begged let this cup pass from me, How He must have been afraid......Sound silly doesn't it? To think that Jesus was afraid. He was still a man was He not? Perfect in every effect, there's no doubt of that , but never the less still a man , who had feelings and was suffering even then by great drops of blood from his pours . He suffered when he was taken from Pilate to be Chastised and think of the pain..Lacerations over your hole body from cataninetails ( whips made of leather usually containing pieces of metal, and bone, sharp enough to rip flesh from bone ) . I can't even imagine. But I'm thankful......So greatly appreciative of the strife that He endured so you and I could live as free men , children of our Father in Heaven. I wonder if I can ever aspire enough to be good enough as a person to be worthy of the debt that was paid that I might breath! I think not , so I say that I must strive to be the most effective in all that I do in the name of Jehovah, I must be diligent in my scripture studies and pray with the most sincere heart , and not forget to count my blessings in doing so. There will never be enough time in this dispensation to make up for what the Son did for us. I will pray that all that think on this subject will begin to ask the question of themselves......Do I strive to do the best I can at being thankful for the breath I take ? Am I willing to lay down my life for His cause? Would I go to the end of the atmosphere to prove to Him that I love him with my whole Soul? Brothers and Sisters out there I would. He is my Savior , My God, My King, I would tell Him over and over if He were here on the earth still today, I love you Jesus and Thank you , My spirit thanks you , my soul thanks you .

Search for the Truth

2008-09-02T05:38:00.000-04:00

I never in my life had thought about the Atonement of Christ as much as I have been here in the past few weeks. The word Atonement, for those of you that are not members of my Church, is the word that tells of the sacrifice that Jesus made for us, that in its self made Him the Christ , the Savior of the Universe. For those of you wondering it is a Christian term and does come out of the Bible as well as the rest of the Canonical books of scripture , it is more comely used by people that read from a more traditional set of scriptures rather than those that are re-translated like so many are these days. In any case the point I make is that if we as humans were to dig deep within the scriptures and search diligently with an open heart we may be able for a small instance to begin to understand what it is that Jesus the Christ suffered so greatly for us for. Not throwing any stones to those out there that don't follow my faith , but simply being " Saved" isn't enough , and frankly I don't believe a person can say a repetitious prayer that was said the week before in Sunday service and be truly saved , such as the ones I was raised saying growing up in the Pentecostal church. I'm not trying to hurt feelings , its just I can say that I KNOW by the still small voice of the Holy Spirit that struggles I make in effort to please my Heavenly Father are fare greater recognized today than that of the feelings I had back when I followed a different faith. I believe that God does recognize those prayers of others as commitment, just as those who get baptized without proper Priesthood authority , I believe that He smiles upon those people and accepts there prayers and their honest intent for whats its worth , but I also know that there is an order to the plan of Salvation and to simply say I 've been saved and to do nothing more is really not aspiring to follow the commandments of God. He is a mercifully God and His Son Jesus is very mercifully to us all , He , Jesus , said there is only one name by which ye can come unto the Father that name is Jesus Christ. A friend of mine and I were talking on the subject of how it feels to truly know the amount of suffering that Christ had to endure, I related to the movie " The Passion of the Christ" , if you haven't seen it you should , you can get an enormous amount of understanding from watching that movie , we discussed how it wasn't really relevant to have to watch a movie like that to understand, and I feel that if you have the spiritual capacity to comprehend the scriptures enough then you can fully understand the suffering . I did some digging and reading from the different "Gospels"of the Bible and looked through the epistles of Paul and there is more underlying there than what one truly knows. Then the funny thing was that on this past Sunday a Friend of mine came up to me at Church and gave me a CD to listen to titled " The importance of the Atonement"I could go on and on for hours to get all the point across that I would like , but honestly I don't have the time . I will save more for another day.Next time you read your scripture , Take time to pray first and if you have the Spirit with you.......Who knows you might find something you never seen before.

Friends

2008-09-01T22:01:00.000-04:00

Holiday weekends sometimes make for the most long drawn out weekends ever. With the visiting of friends and family it can be some what burdensome from time to time. I had the opportunity to spend one of these days off with one of my best friends and his family, it was a great time to be able to have that time for memory sake. I ,unfortunately will be loosing this friend of mine and his family , due to a move that will benefit his family greatly, I must say that I am rather depressed about the whole thing, I know that that is selfish , but I hate to see them go. I know that I won't really be loosing them , but they will not be so easy to visit nor will be as convenient to talk with them . I will pray that they may always be safe and that when they get established in the new home that awaits them that it too, will bring such marvelous joy to them , I will also pray that the Lord will continue to bless them with good kind people and friends that can be there for them when they need it . I know that the Lord has magnificent plans for this man and his family and I believe that he is following the promptings of the Holy Spirit, that guides all that live righteously , and because of that , he and his family will be blessed again and again for his obedience to the word of God. You know who you are if you read this , and I want you to know that I love you and your family ! I will never forget the kindness that was shown to me and my family by you and yours. I will always remember the love that has been shown towards my children in primary, and your patience when I was new to the Gospel. Not very often in someones lives do you encounter people with such pure hearts as the ones these friends of mine have . Like friends of mine that not long ago moved away as well , they have blessed my life with great joy that can never be repaid. I will aspire to be as they were for I know that through them I became a better person . Thank you.

Prophetic Topic

2008-08-25T22:43:00.000-04:00

Those who reject the living prophet will not progress and will bring upon themselves the judgments of God.

“Notwithstanding, literally speaking, that all knowledge comes from God, yet when it has been revealed, all men have not believed it as revelation at the time. …

“Noah was a perfect man, and his knowledge or revelation of what was to take place upon the earth gave him power to prepare and save himself and family from the destruction of the flood. This knowledge, or revelation, … was not believed by the inhabitants of the earth. They knew Adam was the first man, made in the image of God; that he was a good man; that Enoch walked with God three hundred and sixty-five years, and was translated to heaven without tasting death. But they could not endure the new revelation: the old we believe because our fathers did, but away with new revelations. And the flood swept them away. …

“The same principle … was signally manifest among the Jews when the Savior came in the flesh. [They] boasted of the old revelations, garnished the sepulchres of the dead, gave tithes of mint and anise, made long prayers for a pretense, and crossed sea and land to make proselytes, but yet when the new revelation came fresh from the mouth of the great I Am himself, they could not endure it—it was too much. It showed the corruptions of that generation, as others before, and they cried, away with him; crucify him! …

“Once more, the same course and language were used when the Book of Mormon came to this generation. The old revelation, the old patriarchs, pilgrims and apostles, were blessed. We believe in them, but the new ones we cannot abide.”22

“The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves ‘in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth’ [see Hebrews 11:38], and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.”23

“I have not the least idea, if Christ should come to the earth and preach such rough things as He preached to the Jews, but that this generation would reject Him for being so rough. … Many men will say, ‘I will never forsake you, but will stand by you at all times.’ But the moment you teach them some of the mysteries of the kingdom of God that are retained in the heavens and are to be revealed to the children of men when they are prepared for them, they will be the first to stone you and put you to death. It was this same principle that crucified the Lord Jesus Christ, and will cause the people to kill the prophets in this generation.

“Many things are [inexplicable] to the children of men in the last days: for instance, that God should raise the dead; [they forget] that things have been hid from before the foundation of the world, which are to be revealed to babes in the last days.

“There are a great many wise men and women too in our midst who are too wise to be taught; therefore they must die in their ignorance, and in the resurrection they will find their mistake. Many seal up the door of heaven by saying, So far God may reveal and I will believe. …

“It always has been when a man was sent of God with the priesthood and he began to preach the fullness of the gospel, that he was thrust out by his friends, who are ready to butcher him if he teach things which they imagine to be wrong; and Jesus was crucified upon this principle.”24

“Woe, woe be to that man or set of men who lift up their hands against God and His witness in these last days: for they shall deceive almost the very chosen ones!

“… When a man goes about prophesying, and commands men to obey his teachings, he must either be a true or false prophet. False prophets always arise to oppose the true prophets and they will prophesy so very near the truth that they will deceive almost the very chosen ones.”25

“In consequence of rejecting the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the Prophets whom God hath sent, the judgments of God have rested upon people, cities, and nations, in various ages of the world, which was the case with the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, that were destroyed for rejecting the Prophets.”26

William P. McIntire reported: “[Joseph Smith] prophesied that all those that made light of the revelations that were given, and of him and his words, would ere long cry and lament, … saying, Oh! that we had hearkened to the words of God and the revelations given.”27

To read the rest of this fantastic article click this link

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=da135f74db46c010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=4c9720596a845110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1&contentLocale=0

Confirmation

2008-08-24T23:03:00.000-04:00

Today , I was blessed to be able to stand with a magnificent body of men , all holding the Priesthood of God , and lay our hands upon the head of my daughter and confirm her a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and give unto her the gift of the Holy Ghost. This wonderful experience is something I am glad I was able to be a part of ! In our church we follow all the attributes of how Christ had set up His church when he was God in the flesh , so if you were to search your scriptures to find the truths of what I have been speaking of you will find that , the Apostle Paul taught that after Baptism by water , then comes the Baptism of the Holy Ghost by the laying of hands. How great it is that we are blessed to have the true church of Christ restored to us in this the latter days , and by the proper Priesthood authority we have been given the ability to perform necessary ordinances to be able to return to our Father in Heaven . I am pleased that I was given an opportunity to join the true Church of Christ, I think that some of us in this life have the opportunity pass before us but unfortunately we allow our own judgment to out weight the Spirits. Once I was told by someone close to me ,that they were concerned about my salvation, because I had joined the Mormon faith . I have thought about that statement so often and have inquired of the Lord through prayer to be instructed from the greatest teacher, and you know I can only say ....... It is unfortunate that someone with no knowledge of how our faith truly believes can make a statement that in its self limits the power of God. Think on that if you will. I believe in the truth that is witnessed by the Spirit , my mind is open to what He has to teach and my heart is receptive to the Love He shows by His warm touch when His Spirit testifies of the truth to my spirit. I love our Father in Heaven , I love my Savior Jesus Christ , and I love the Holy Ghost ...my companion. I am blessed and you can be too . I have had the hand of the almighty work in the life of my Family as well as in my own so much , I could fill this web page to its capacity with stories of how faithful works brought righteous rewards.

Baptism

2008-08-23T22:43:00.000-04:00

Never before in my life , other than her birth could I have been more please in being part of my daughter , Alex's life. Today she entered the waters of baptism and arose from them a new person , a refreshed body of Christ following flesh! I have encouraged my children to follow the precept of the Church in which we follow, but never have I forced it . Alex , like her elder brother Garrett, live with there Mother and there life in the Gospel is somewhat difficult from time to time . Being raised with two different set of standards can be confusing to a child and what is even harder is dealing with parents that don't even get along. My beautiful Daughter took the lessons from the Missionaries all on her own, that was hard for me , being the Elders Quorum President , I was always wanting to help with the lessons but felt that it would be best if she did them on her own. I must say that I was rather impressed by her ability to retain the information she was given, and what is even better is she chose on her own to be baptized. She really pushed the issue of Baptism with her mom and even though her mother felt it wasn't necessary , Alex pushed more to get her permission, she explained that even though she was baptized at birth it didn't count because children aren't supposed to be baptized when there little because there not accountable for there wrong doings . Also there has to be proper priesthood authority to baptize. Just as John the Baptist held that authority, that Jesus Christ set out to be Baptized by him , meant that He , John held a Hugh responsibility, The Priesthood of God. I am blessed to be able to hold that Priesthood , the very same that John the Baptist held , that very same that Jesus Christ held. With that Priesthood Authority I was blessed to be able to Baptize my daughter , some day I hope that I can baptize my son Garrett, and in two more years, if they choose , I will baptize my twins. How great a day that we had in the Lord , by his strength and all authority we were able to have a wonderful experience. Thanks to all who participated , the help was great and the talks were fantastic , my wife worked so hard on her talk to sound as great as it did . She truly has aspired to make Alex's life in this family like it would be if Hope was her mother, I will say that she impresses me with her love for those children!

Just A Thought

2008-08-21T20:53:00.000-04:00

I see the loving, the striving, not the defects. I see the conquest of your particular battle and count it a victory.

GOD

Our Duty To God

2008-08-21T20:48:00.001-04:00

Brethren,
I call upon each of you at this very moment as representative of the Lord Jesus Christ ,and your Your Heavenly Father calls upon you as the great Priesthood holders of this , the last dispensation, to go forth and proclaim the very Gospel in which we so fervently believe in. I was inspired to call upon you as the Home Teachers to go forth and teach, preach, expound, exhort, and baptize , Just as Doctrine and Covenants 20:50 directs as does 20:45-54 proclaims the very purpose of the Priesthood ,and the duty thereof.
I would exhort each of you to take this opportunity to look into your own heart as to that in which the Lord would have us do. We as Priesthood holders have a solemn duty to God , Our Families at home , And the Families in the Branch and Branch boundaries, to go forth and administer to the needs of all people through Home Teaching . It needs to be established that it is not about the number of families you manage to home teach in a month but how well you teach when you are with your families.Brethren, I know that it seems as though the only thing we seem to talk about is home teaching , I know that sometimes it gets repetitive , But we need not underestimate the importance of our responsibilities . We are not merely bodies that fill seats on Sundays but more so the pre-ordained Priesthood holders of a great majestic Power. And when wielded in righteousness we have been given the ability to move mountains , literally . Doctrine and Covenants section 121:34-37.Our Heavenly Father has extended a call to all men , We as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have accepted that call when we entered the waters of baptism,took upon the name of Jesus Christ , and vowed with the Oath and Covenant established in Doctrine and Covenants section 84 . This promise we made is not to be taken lightly , but literally. It has been proclaimed in the beginning description of section 84 that "Men gain eternal life through the oath and covenant of the priesthood" . I pondered personally for some time the importance of what section 84 stated in its fullness and before accepting the responsibility of the priesthood I was asked if I truly understood that responsibility. With the promise of my unfailing service to Our Heavenly Fathers work fresh on my lips and the agreement to go forth abiding by its precepts instilled in my mind, I humbly accepted a calling to be part of the greatest work to ever unfold in our time, in this dispensation.
Brothers I would ask that you would take the time to review the scriptures listed here today, I would ask you to review the oath and covenant section of the Doctrine and Covenants , and apply these principles in our daily lives. I need to remind myself and need to be reminded from time to time that this work is the work of the Lord and not my own , I speak as a representative as do you of He that Atoneth for all mans sin. It is my understanding that we are to do all we can to be like the Savior, To try and obtain the very attributes of Christ Jesus. I know that with every ounce of my being that we as priesthood holders need to do all that is asked of ourselves in order to glorify the Kingdom of God. Since the teachings of the Holy Bible, The Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, and The Pearl of Great Price , from the beloved Prophet Joseph Smith through the teachings of the inspirational Prophet Thomas S. Monson we have been taught to spread the Gospel to every nation, kindred, and, tongue. We are all missionaries in this great work.
Brethren I pray that you will look upon this ,that which has been laid before us this day and accept a call again in the name of Jesus Christ, to go forth and do the very best we can at magnifying our callings as Home Teachers and Priesthood holders. I can promise you without any doubt that if you will give your whole heart to the will of the Father and His work, You will be blessed beyond belief. It is my testimony to each of you that the Spirit of the Lord requests your attention in these the last days, and that you have been commissioned to fulfill an executive priesthood duty.
As your President of the Elders Quorum, I would like to extend my love to each one of you and to let you know that your Heavenly Father is mindful of us all , as I will also try to be . I ask that you would please accept my appreciation for all that you do , and for taking the time to magnify your callings. If there is anything I,or my counselors can do or anything you would like to see done, changes perhaps that you think need to take place, please let us know . I will be happy to speak with anyone, as will any member of this presidency.
I leave you with a word from the Doctrine and Covenants section 121:45 "Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven."
I say these things with love and with you in mind , and in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Sincerely,
President Jason M. Calton
Elders Quorum

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." Philippians 4:13

Perfecting The Saints

2008-08-21T20:45:00.001-04:00

Perfecting The Saints

The thought had come to my mind as I was praying as to what could be addressed to you wonderful Brethren whom majestically hold the Priesthood , then it came to me , Perfecting the Saints. Brethren ,as a worn out record will play on and on in most cases even when the sound begins to distort we still listen. Imagine the words of the angel Moroni when he visited young Joseph Smith in his bedroom the night he was answered of his prayers . How diligent was the angel Moroni ? Could he simply have spoken once and the impression alone would have surely been forever burned into your memory as it was for young Joseph, But still the importance was so great that the words were spoken over and over . In our most recent copy of the Ensign, President Henry B. Eyring comments in his talk "Safety in Counsel" that and I quote " One of the keys to recognizing those warnings are that they are repeated. For instance , more than once in general conference , you have heard our prophet say that he would quote a preceding prophet and would therefore be a second witness and sometimes even a third." The Apostle Paul wrote" In the mouth of two or three witnesses shall every word be established"(2nd Corinthians 13:1), This is so true in this work that is laid before us this day.
Let me first start by saying how grateful I am of each of you for your undieing Faith in our Heavenly Father and His work , That you as Priesthood holders have not only stepped up to the plate when it comes to fulfilling our duties , but yet you've surpassed the expectations of the Stake goals . How marvelous is that when we ponder on how skilled we truly are in this work.
To start off with the topic of Perfecting the Saints one must ask himself , Is this truly necessary? Have we not already spent much time in quorum meetings and scripture studies? Haven't we spent a lifetime fulfilling the callings we have been given ? I would say to you yes you have ! I would then ask you is all well in Zion? Is the Lords work finished? Have there been all the souls saved needed to be saved? Have we shared the blessed message of the restored Gospel to all those we come into contact with on a regular basis? I would answer nay! The reason for the importance of perfecting the saints is not meerly another topic of discussion , but rather a lesson that needs to re-taught over and over . If the Lord taught the principles of the Three fold mission to His prophets to teach to us, and the prophet taught it over and over until one day it reached your classroom, I would have to say it was an important topic to expound upon. The reason for the need to talk about this goes far beyond what I can simply put into words , If I had the words of every man , I still would be tongue tied when it comes to speaking on the importance of our Heavenly Fathers work. You see if we are not skilled in perfecting one another and go forward diligently striving to be better saints , then we will not be able to do the other two parts of the three fold mission! It starts here, It ends here. We must be absolute in our determination to be as good as we can, Imagine if you will for a moment ........If the Prophet Joseph Smith was doing what ever he felt was the thing to do and hearkened not the Spirit ,he would surely not been able to Baptise for the dead or even preach the Gospel effectively, let alone build this great church up again upon the face of the Earth ,by the Hand of God. Think of all those great leaders and men that have gone before us they truly must have been trying to perfect one another as well as themselves.
We are taught the importance of trying to be Christ-like ,In fact in " Preach my Gospel " Chapter 6 is all about Christ-like attributes .Was not the Savior Himself the perfecter of all man kind? Doesn't His example alone make you want to strive to be your very best . He spoke unto Simon Peter and Andrew and said unto them " Follow ME , and I will make you fishers of men " , He himself was Perfecting the saints . The importance of this attribute and 1st fundamental of missionary work was evident from the beginning with the Saviour. In 3rd Nephi the Savior said " Become as He is". So my question to you today is are you trying to be like He is? Are we doing all that is needed so that we are worthy of being able to go forward with the other two parts of this plan.
We have been expounding on the topics lately of Missionary work , a great deal on learning how to "return and report" and the importance of fulfilling our duties to God. These topics are being addressed and taught because we are facing perilous times before us in these latter days. We must be fortified and edified with and by the Spirit of God so that we can go forth to help one another. This Quorum has been asked to do the very same thing that every other Quorum in this Great Church has been asked to do. The question I think we need to ask ourselves , me included , is that are we doing all we can to be the best we can be? Are we striving to do the best at Perfecting the Saints ? Are we striving to perfect ourselves ? I know that we are , I also know that like that old record , we must keep on playing even when the music gets distorted. That to me means that we must have repetition in lessons and even though these letters from the leaders of this quorum are meant to be uplifting and inspiring we don't all see it that way , nor do we all think the same way when it comes to understanding the Gospel , that is why it is so important to always keep an open mind and heart , This way the Spirit can directs us as to what we should do.
Brethren, it is my prayer that we can continue to grow as a quorum , in love and respect for one another , that we may be able to lean upon one another when there are times less than desirable . I pray that we can become closer as a brotherhood and grow to rely on each other for support . I love each of you ! I pray that you each may feel my love for you and that my words will be taken as I intended for them always to be heard , with compassion and charity in my heart. When these things can be achieved in this quorum I promise you that you will feel the Hand of the Almighty God working within our quorum and that His Spirit will speak to us just as I am talking to you to you now , and with that will come a better understanding of what is in store for us and then we can truly begin to appreciate the importance of His work.
I leave you with this and say these things in the name of the one whom saved us all from all sin , even Jesus Christ our Savior , Amen.

President Jason M. Calton
Elders Quorum Wauseon Branch

Letters From The Past

2008-08-21T20:41:00.000-04:00

STEWARDSHIP INTERVIEWS

Brethren , we as the Elders Quorum would like to express to you , our Brethren the deep sorrow that we feel as these interviews are not being done . To often , I feel as though the idea of having to stay after Church on Sunday is not appealing to most of us, and seems rather burdensome . It is my Prayer that you will examine a few points of Doctrine with us as well as a testimony or two on the importance of these stewardship interviews . Before we get into that though , understand that , this Quorum or Priesthood does not belong to this Presidency , but to you . We have been called to help in the Lords work not dictate it to you , It is not our intention to force you to do anything you don't want to do , But it is our responsibility to guide and direct you in the way the Lord would have His work preformed . So before we go on , let us be ever mindful that this work is not just expected of you , it is required by (OUR) Heavenly Father , who has set up this work the way He sees fit.
Doctrine and Covenants Section 72 : 3-4 "And verily in this thing ye have done wisely, for it is required of the Lord, at the hand of every steward to render an account of his stewardship in both time and eternity.4 For he who is faithful and wise in time is accounted worthy to inherit the mansions prepared for him of my Father" I feel as though this truly testifies of the importance of this work. We as Home-teachers , are we not stewards over those families we teach? Is it not our duty to report our findings in those families homes back to our district leader? Shouldn't the Leaders of the Church know of the welfare of those Members whom we visit? Doctrine and Covenants Section 51 : 19 " And whoso is found a faithful, a just, and a wise steward shall enter into the joy of his Lord, and shall inherit eternal life." Sounds like a great Promise to me !
The work of the Lord was never explained as easy or slothful , it requires devotion and love . Sacrifices seem so astronomical to those of us that view our beliefs as a religion. I am here to tell you that being a Member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints , is not a religion , But more so a way of life . We have a huge amount of responsibilities, that most so called Christians can't even fathom , not because we simply feel like placing callings or responsibilities upon one another so that we have a task to do ,but because in this "Life Style" we all have chose to live, We are required to carry the Responsibilities of leading ever possible soul back unto Christ , and not just for Sunday but for all eternity. So let me ask , are the sacrifices we make to do the work and will of our Heavenly Father , are they as large as a Sacrifice as the Atonement of Christ? Are we being asked to lay down our lives for all man kind or are we being overzealous in our thoughts on our own responsibilities, thinking perhaps that we already do enough.
Brethren , please understand that it is not our intent to chastise you for your absenteeism to your Stewardship Interviews or lack of Home-Teaching , But rather our Duty to God . We have been told that "My house is a house of order" , I know for myself....I don't want to be the one not do the will of the Father when it comes time for Judgment. If the work , His work requires me to sacrifice some time, and I feel I could be doing something else then I believe I need to do some repenting.
Our Heavenly Father gave Adam , Our earthly Father Stewardship over all things ! Could you imagine if Adam would have decided to do something else besides report back to Our Father in Heaven and tend to the needs of His people.
Our stewardship interviews are an obligation of bearing His Priesthood. We took that responsibility upon us when we were ordained. It is our duty to render an account of our stewardship that we have because we hold the Priesthood of God. 'Return and report' is an essential and eternal principle...think of what we learn about the order of the Priesthood in the Holy Temple. Every Priesthood holder returns and reports his actions; and this applies to us as well, for we hold that same Priesthood.

The Elders Quorum Presidency
President Jason M. Calton
1st Counselor Matthew G. Richmond
2nd Counselor Jim L. Pratt

What I would Die For

2008-08-21T01:12:00.000-04:00

The fact of the matter truly is that most of say we would die for something ,but I ask you would you truly die for that which you believe in? I know that with all that is within me that I would most certainly have laid my life before Pontius Pilate at the counsel before the Pharisee's to save His life .No time in my life have I been more clear of that statement than I am at this moment . I have come to understand that living a life full of vain ambitions and worldly affects mean nothing in the grand vision of things, My Savior gave me the breath that I breath , He made it possible to choose if I would stand for what I believe or would falter on those proud morals most of us use so loosely . I love Jesus the Christ , He is my advocate with the Father , the Creator of this world, and my Shepard . At the moment he was asked "are you this king of the Jews , this Jesus of Nazareth... His response , you say that I Am ,for this cause was I born , to this end came I into the world". With freedom at his fingers He spoke no more when they wanted His blood.So I ask do you know what you would die for? Would it be for the desire of your heart? The thing you have never been able to grasp? Would it be the center of your very moral fiber that is in jeopardy when you choose the wrong decision .........I pray you choose the right . I have thought deeply upon the subject of what I would Die for and the fact is I hope that most of the things I would list would be the same as yours , but the real question still remains in my mind .......Would you take the place of the Savior if asked ? Is your Faith strong enough to be there if Father calls on you? I question myself some day's , but I aspire always to be the very best I can be , I try to be like Christ as much as I can , I'm so human though that even though I aspire to be like Christ I fail. The trick is to learn from those failures and not repeat them again. I would die for my Family , I would ask to take there place if it were possible .......I only hope I will be able to be that strong when the day comes that I am asked " Do you know this Christ " " Are you a Christian "? I can if effect lay my life down for the things, the moral fiber , the Gospel of Christ in which I believe in therefore laying my life down for Christ to build up His Kingdom on the Earth today. So I say again ...Do you know what you would die for . If you can figure that out then the Gospel of Jesus Christ will fill your very soul!

What it is we live for .

2008-08-18T23:40:00.000-04:00

I can't say when it was exactly when I first realized what it was that I lived for . I believe it was shortly after coming to be a member of this Church , with the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost , my senses were enticed to be more receptive to the Gospel. I have always loved the Lord, I just never realized that I was able to be loved as much as He wanted to love me ! I believe that there is a time in a persons life when they are more inclined to have an opened mind and a willing heart to listen to the promptings of the Holy Spirit , some sooner than others , some are raised within the walls of the LDS faith and even they have to still gain there own testimony of the truthfulness of the Gospel, But mostly if willing , Our Father in Heaven will knock at our hearts door. I spent alot of time pondering upon weather this was something that my family and I should get into , any choice that we make that requires a complete life makeover is scary and with Satan's help seems impossible ! As I began to read the Scripture more regularly , and my heart became more filled with the Holy Spirit , I began to feel a change taking place within me , a feeling that I had something more important to live for than just me . See the fact is that I know most of us out there are selfish , its ok to admit it ,we wouldn't have the word in our vocabulary if there weren't people to pin it on, My point however is that I was selfish in thinking that the only persons salvation I should be focused on was my own. I did not care about my Wife's relationship with God , and honestly being raised Pentecostal , I never thought much about others relationship to God either , I can't really remember being taught to worry about others relationship with the Lord . I don't even think I was concerned with what my Kids believed , as long as it wasn't Satan worshiping ! I found though through this lifestyle that I now live ( I call it a lifestyle because its so much more that a religion , I'll expound upon that at a later date) I can be free of the past and no longer am burdened with selfishness or more importantly what my Family does believe in , Because we believe in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints ! What do I live for ? I live for God the Father , His Son , my Savior Jesus Christ , and my companion the Holy Ghost, but I live for my Family so much , Because I'm blessed to have an Eternal Family. These things not only do I live for but also I would die for . When you can figure out What it is you would die for then you will truly begin to understand your purpose on this earth .

words to ponder

2008-08-18T23:16:00.000-04:00

"To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did." When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better. Concentrate on this sentence..... 'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'

Talent shows

2008-08-16T23:16:00.000-04:00

The talent that is within by our youth is amazing! I witnesses a Farly large amount of children along with my 5 year old twins, show there stuff tonight as they did what it is they do best . From playing the piano, to karate chopping boards , and the occasional skit of comedy about vegetables , I must say I was impressed by there bravery.