Looking back at the past year I can honestly say is has been a roller coaster ride. The beauty of hindsight is the ability to learn from it. Hopefully I will apply some of these things I've learned...
First, avoid being compelled to be humbled. Anyone that has met me knows that I love to joke around in a prideful way. Though most of the time it is a joke - I still have the tendency of becoming proud. This is something I have been trying to work on but yet I feel I have a long way to go. Ultimately, I have realized that we can either be compelled to be humble or choose to be humble. I think humility is the first step towards spirituality. We have to be able to put our will aside to do the will of our Father in Heaven. (D&C 112: 10, 22)
Second, have a grateful heart. Life seems to go so much better when I realize all the blessings that I have. I truly will always be grateful for God, my family, friends, country, and the talents and opportunities that have been given to me. I have also been looking for small things like never before. I have found that recognizing is the first step, the next is to have a grateful heart no matter the situation. This means being grateful amidst trials and challenges. Then we can show our gratitude by serving others. Recently I have seen so many blessings come into my life! (Alma 26: 8, 37)
Something to think about - how Humility and Gratitude go hand in hand!
Lately I have had many things on my mind and have had a lot of experiences that have taught me. A few important reinforcing principles include: how much I care about my family, the need for humility, a greater desire for service, and how fascinating people can be when you really get to know them.
Last Sunday I was able to talk to both my parents that live in Salem, my brother in Illinois, my older sister in Eugene, and got to see my Grandma and little sister. Everyone is so busy that its usually random when I get different members of my family. When I realized that I was able to talk to everyone in one day I truly noticed how much them mean to me! I also realized that talking to them is one of my favorite things to do.
Something else that has been on my mind is the desire to live with more passion. I feel that this is a quality I truly admire in others. I have seen people be passionate about many things and the greatest of all causes, I feel, is the desire to come closer to Christ. And to bring others closer to Christ as well. I end my blog with a clip from Elder Eyring (an Apostle from my Church). He speaks on being more committed in serving the Lord and this is my hope that by writing this that someone will feel a deeper desire to do so.
I loved this video! I have always been fascinated with Mt. Everest and this is the ultimate climb! If you have an hour to spare and are in the documentary sort of mood, watch this and you will come away amazed and full of the desire to do the impossible.
"Listen to him who is the advocate with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him- Saying; "Father, behold the sufferings and death of him who did no sin, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified." Doctrine and Covenants 43:3-16
Yesterday I had the privilege to go to an Easter Conference held at BYU. A couple of speakers spoke on the life of Christ and focused mainly on his death and resurrection. This really helped me to remember the significance of Easter and burn into my mind how grateful I should be. Latter in the day I went to watch my nephews hunt for eggs, and do some hunting for myself. I love being with my family and holidays are a great time to remember traditions and memories. From an early age I was taught about Jesus Christ and looked forward to easter.
On this beautiful Easter morning I reflect on the phrase, "He is not here, He is Risen!" Angles declared his birth with great rejoicing and likewise angles declared that he had conquered the bands of death. I know that Jesus Christ suffered for each of us. He has the power to heal, no matter what it is in our lives that need fixing, he has the power to heal. He made it possible for us to repent our sins and to heal spiritually, He can also heal us physically, mentally and emotionally. He is the only begotten of the Father and only doest he will of the Father. The Holy Ghost testifies of him. I know from the Holy Ghost that the Savior died on the cross and rose on the third day. He fulfilled every prophesy and was indeed the awaited Messiah. He will come again and rule on the Earth for a thousand years. I know that we can come closer to God the Father, His Son Jesus Christ, and feel the presence of the Holy Ghost more in our lives.
Sunday, April 5, 2009
Most people are familiar with the story of Moses parting the red sea, there is so much to learn from this story. The children of Israel were held captive in Egypt. God spoke to Moses on mount Sinai and chose him to be a prophet. Moses then received power from God to lead the Children of Israel out of Egypt. Moses received revelation from God and taught the 10 commandments to the people. Moses also prophesied of the coming of Jesus Christ. So you already knew this... The first thing I want to point out is that it is God's pattern to call Prophets - Moses, Abraham, Daniel, Jacob, Isaiah, and Peter. In the example of Moses, God didn't speak to each individual on what the church should do, rather God chose a Prophet to lead his church. What really matters is that we have a prophet on the earth today. On my mission there were many people that would question me when I said this. One objection was that revelation doesn't happen anymore. To this I say that God doesn't change and will not change. When people actively seek God he answers. I would also like to point out that every time someone creates something good in life the inspiration comes from God such as a work of art or the internet. I want to make it clear that with all the distractions and evil in the world we need a prophet today more than ever. Many people are hesitant when someone claims they are a prophet because many have done so. So how can we know if someone is a true prophet? In Matthew 7: 15-20 Jesus Christ teaches us how to know, "Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles? Even so every good tree bringeth forth evil fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." Therefore we can know by their fruits. We can also know through prayer.
This weekend I have been watching General Conference. General Conference is when the leaders of the Church speak to all the members in the world. It is broadcasted to all the churches by satellite. I know that God does have Thomas S. Monson is a prophet on the earth today. Doctrine and Covenants 1:38-39 teaches, "What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. For behold, and lo, the Lord is God, and the Spirit bareth record, and the record is true, and the truth abideth forever and ever. Amen." The Prophet speaks what the Lord would speak. I invite you to read a talk given by President Monson in April 2007 General Conference. This talk was one of my favorites, its all about the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This will help our minds be focused on Christ around Easter this year. I Know That My Redeemer Lives!
President Monson
Monday, March 30, 2009
Dactrine and Covenants 25:10-13 10 And verily I say unto thee that thou shalt lay aside the things of this world, and seek for the things of a better. 11 And it shall be given thee, also, to make a selection of sacredhymns, as it shall be given thee, which is pleasing unto me, to be had in my church. 12 For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads. 13 Wherefore, lift up thy heart and rejoice, and cleave unto the covenants which thou hast made.
I have always had a great lover for music. I must attribute this to my childhood. There was always music playing – either my Dad was playing the piano or working on a song in his studio or siblings practicing instruments. I learned the trumpet but didn’t enjoy it. I was always prone to sing and that’s what I do. The scripture above is so interesting because we can see that music if done in the right way is a prayer unto God. Music is a form of worship and praise. I know that music has power to it. Movies are the best example that comes to my mind. Music can move us to tears or add to suspense and can even tell a story in and of itself. So how do we let music effect us? When I was about fourteen I got into the whole downloading free music scene. I had hundreds of mp3’s and I loved to find new music. The type of music really altered my mood, emotions, and the things I thought about. I didn’t realize those things till much later. A great changing point came when I was watching General Conference. I felt this strong feeling that I needed to delete all my music. My first reaction was – there’s no way! I love that stuff! But as I kept listening to conference I knew I needed to. So when I got home I deleted all that music from the computer and spent a long time without any set music for recreation. This brings up another good point. I feel there is a lot of good music out there. I think that it’s perfectly fine and probably healthy to have fun music that is sole to entertain. I also feel that it is so easy to cross the line into music that distracts us from feeling the spirit of God. I have really been thinking about this topic because I spent most of my day on Saturday getting music together for a dance. It was mainly hip-hop and the music was great for a lively and fun dance. I was so immersed in that music that I couldn’t get songs out of my head and it was multiple ones so my mind felt so cluttered. On Sunday I took a lot of time to ponder in the morning and really asses things in my life. I was moved by the sacrament hymn we sung and I felt the reassurance once again that Christ did Atone for my sins and the sins of the entire world. So today I found myself listening to music on my ipod and I found that I was more selective in my choice of music. Maybe you will too.
I was able to go to the Draper Temple Dedication this last Sunday and I wanted to express that I know the temple is the house of God. As it says in Doctrine and Covenants Section 109:8, "a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of God."
I want to share a couple of other things that have stood out to me recently. They may not have any coherent link but rather important principles.
1. A friend asked me if my mouth ever hurts from Ismiling too much, it was a random thing said without thought but it made me think - sure i have had those moments but at the same time I can smile more...
2. Ether 2:16, the Lord is speaking to the Brother of Jared and tells him to build barges, the exact words are "Go to work and build, after the manner of barges which ye have hitherto built. And it came to pass that the brother of Jared did go to work". I really like that phrase, its also interesting to note that later the Lord didn't tell him how to light the barges but rather Jared took an idea to the Lord.
3. Here are a couple of quotes fr Personally, I am enthusiastic about the future. You can be too. You are living in the most exciting period of time in history. Many reasons could be cited for that optimism. Yet your greatest source of hope and assurance is that you have the fulness of the teachings of the Master. They will show you how to live a good life. You can receive ordinances and covenants that when righteously lived assure true happiness and significant attainment.
Life is beautiful when you make the effort to find beauty in it. In some of the most materially deprived parts of the world, I have seen the sunrise in all of its splendor and heard birds joyously welcoming a new day. I have seen beauty reflected in a small pot of flowers by a humble shelter or in the shy, beaming grin of a child at play, intent on discovering the world around him.
You can become depressed if all of your interests are focused on the media with its explicit details of the most worrisome world events. With care you can find much to reverently appreciate in this world Father in Heaven has given you. Begin by remembering that you are a son or daughter of God with divine potential. He will help you have a joyful, fulfilling life. om "The Power of Righteousness" by Elder Richard G. Scott, in the November 1998 Ensign -
4. Attitude is Everything. It almost sounds cliche, and certainly maybe too definite. However, I have felt more and more strongly about the importance of attitude.
5. I recently read again one of my favorite scriptures, "Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory!" Doctrine and Covenants 128:22 - Joseph Smith is writing the saints about temple work, this can also apply to our lives in many ways.
