I am a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have the opportunity to share some of my thoughts and insights with who every will read my blog. I Hope you enjoy what you read. If any questions arise please visit www.mormon.org
Thanksgiving!!! One of my favorite holidays of the year because I love the Food! Turkey, Ham, Stuffing, mash Potatoes, Gravy, ETC...
Its Just a really good time of the year. Snow on the ground (unless you're from the desert) and lots of activities. A time when Families come together and the turkeys run and hide.
Lately I have had the opportunity to reflect on what i am most grateful for. Things such as: Having a nice place to live, a nice truck, the cool weather, my family, my mission, the list goes on and on.
There are some awesome blessings that go along with being thankful. In the Doctrine and Covenants Section 78 vs 19 it reads: "And he who receiveth all things with thankfulness shall be made glorious; and the things of this earth shall be added unto him, even an hundred fold, yea, more."
During this season of Thanksgiving, let us all reflect on what we are most thankful for.
Who says lightning doesn't strike twice. According to anarticle on MSNBC, two Ireland-based aer lingus flights were struck by lightning at the Shannon Airport in Ireland. Luckily, no one was injured, but both planes did suffer damage, stopping the planes from reaching their final destination, Dublin. Its pretty amazing to me to think that two airplanes at the same place around the same time got nailed by lightning. What could have prevented that? Lots of money worth of repairs, and time that was lost that cannot be returned. Sometimes things happen in our lives that just seem impossible. Losing a secure job, our house gets swept away by a flood, and we wonder how in the world could that happen to us. We can take comfort in knowing that God knows our situation and is willing to comfort us. In response to a prayer, Joseph Smith was told,
The English idiom "don't judge a book by its cover" is perfect for this situation. The homeless man was judged as being a "shady" man. The truth, he was a nice guy that was just trying to live his life the best he could. In essence we are all trying to be our best self's. Along the journey of life we find that we get judged. Some will be offended, other will think nothing of it, and many dwell on it way too long.
"Life is perfect for none of us.
Rather than being judgmental
and critical of each other,
may we have the pure love of Christ
for our fellow travelers
in this journey through life."
~Thomas S. Monson~
President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Michael Jordan played basketball for Laney High School in Wilmington, North Carolina. Ironically, Jordan was cut from the varsity team as a sophomore. I bet the players of the varsity team might have judged Jordan just a bit. Thoughts of “why” probably interred into Michael's mind. He had to make a decision, to give up and let the event get the best of him or to get up and move on. Jordan once said, "Whenever I was working out and got tired and figured I ought to stop, I'd close my eyes and see that list in the locker room without my name on it, and that usually got me going again."
I often wonder if he had some kind of an idea that he was going to be such a fantastic player. Six-time NBA champion, 10-time All-NBA first team, nine-time All-Defensive first team, 14-time All-Star; All-Star MVP, one of 50 Greatest Players in NBA History, and last but not least...an Olympic gold medalist.
We cannot let ourselves become discouraged if we fail a time or two. The best athletes in the world all seem to have some common traits:
1) They practice long and hard. Tiger Woods, an American all star golfer, come to Arizona to play in a tournament. After a full day of golfing he would head on over to the practice green and there he would begin a practice session. It's no wonder he's ranked #1 in the world.
2) They never give up. Would Michael Jordan have become a 14-time All-Star by quitting when he was in high school...obviously not!
Each and every person has a chance to become "great". We all have our own talents and they are to be used! Our potential is to become like our Father in Heaven. A big task. Perfection is our goal. To follow Jesus Christ takes lots of practice. Sometimes we fail to progress. Like Michael, we fail to make the team, but through perseverance we can regain our spot. When we fall down we must get up and keep trying. If we continue on this course we will become "great".
It is my witness that we can become amazing. When we read our scriptures, go to church, and live as Christ teaches us, we are as the greatest people in the world.
Recently I was able to attend a 3on3 basketball tournament. It was extremely fun to watch and the crowds made me feel like I was in a big city. It was fun to watch the skill of the different players. Even though the first day of the event was cold and raining the players gave it their all.
It was funny to watch the skilled players bounce the ball and come up on a puddle, in which the ball would instantly stop, then they would have to quickly turn around and try to catch the ball before the other players got it.
There were some spectacular players there and some that have only played the game a couple of times. Basketball for me is something I really enjoy. The goal is to get the ball in the basket. So simple, yet as we add people to oppose you, and distances that will be worth more points (ie. the 3 point line). Life is kind of like this. We have one goal, to return back to our Father in Heaven. This is made difficult by people there to oppose us (such as Satan). Every once in a while we get close to our goal and we just seem to lose our focus and have to turn back to try again, like when the basketball hit the water. And every once in a great while we seem to be so far from our goal, and we hit the big 3 pointer, by bringing our life back on track. This is a game that we can win! We know the actions we must take to win. It won't be easy, but its very attainable.
When I was just a small boy, I had a favorite big brother. He would put his arms around me and we would go scrambling down some cool dirt path, At times like this i felt ten feet tall. He didn't mind me tagging about one bit, and there was nothing I liked better. I was so proud of him. When I was with him, I felt like I was beaming stronger than the sun. he was good at everything. I never could seem to match the mountains he would make out of sand---Mine would always seem to crumble and sag but his would stand as firm as the Rocky Mountains. Dad always tried not to show how proud he was of him (he being the oldest and all) but his smile seemed to beam a little brighter too, when my big brother came around. I felt my world had collapsed when he went on his mission. Dad and Mom had to both fight back the tears. He called on Dad regularly and let us know how much he loved us. He even told us how great his mission was so Mom would not worry.
The persecution was really bad there, as the Church was just getting started but he never seemed to let himself get down even though the people would not believe his messages. We would share in his joys when he would get some new converts, but i don't mind saying--I was scared that the non-believers would do something to him. it even got to the point where men were plotting to take his life but dad never seemed to be worried for some reason. Then, one day, we received a word that his mission had ended but not as most men's do, I was struck sick by the terrifying news--- they finally got hold of my big brother that I played with, who never seemed capable of doing anything wrong-- my big brother who loved everyone he knew and who, most everyone loved.The beat him and mocked him. he suffered all they did to him without striking back. Why would anyone want to hurt my big brother? I could not understand. A mob took him to a hill just outside of town and spitting on him, they nailed him to a wooden cross. My soul moaned as I heard that he begged Father to forgive them. Racked with unbearable pain, he gave up his life for what he believed. My big brother, my king, my idol was dead. I cried through what seemed to be the darkest days of my life.
Where was my big brother with whom i had shaped mountains of sand? Why did he, of all my brothers, have to die like this? i felt Dad's strong arm upon my shoulder---he did it for you and your brothers and sisters. Time passed and i was called on my mission. Sometimes I've forgotten what happened so long ago but every Sunday a small piece of bread and a small cup of water reminds me of my big brother and what he did for me, and assures me that he still lives.
Joseph Smith, a young 14 year old boy, had a question about which church he should join. For some of us this is the same question we have today. In the Bible, the book of James, directs us to ask God when we are in search of answers (James 1:5). In the spring of 1820, Joseph went to a grove of trees near his home and knelt in prayer. He described his experience: “I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me [ … ] When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other-This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!” (Joseph Smith-History 1:16-17). A historic answer to a young boys prayer! Joseph Smith was told to join none of the churches, but he was going to be an instrument in the hands of the Master, to bring back the church of Jesus Christ. I know that this event actually took place in history. For I have read of his account. And God has so blessed the world by providing evidence of the truth of this young boy. The Book of Mormon, Another testament of Jesus Christ is the way we can all know of the validity of the this prophet of God.
"We invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true. Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. (See Moroni 10:3–5.)
Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord’s kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah." (Introduction to the Book of Mormon)
I took this challenge on and I with millions have received an answer that the Book of Mormon is in fact the word of God.
For the last few days of my life I have been able to do a lot of service. Putting in fence, rolling bails of hay, and moving metal panels. The help I know was needed, and my heart was set in helping. It was hard work to do all that was asked of us. The metal poles were long and took a while to pound in, but the help of another made fast work of that job. The bail of hay was large but the help of others made moving easy. When four people surrounded the heavy metal panels, the lifting came with ease. Life was so much easier with the help of other people. Alone I could not have done all the work that was required, but with the help of others the work was made possible. We are all in need of that help in our lives. There are obstacles that will occur that will seemingly be impossible, but we don't need to worry. We have help. The great Savior of the world said, "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and i will give you rest." We do not have to go through this world alone. God has given us special people that will be there in our time of need. We have been put into families so that we can have a friend. Families take care of each other and watch each others back. When we are away from our families we will ALWAYS have a Father in Heaven. He loves us all, He wants the best for us, He is willing to help us. Its my testimony that the lord loves us all, cares for our needs, and lets us have special people in our lives that will give a helping hand.
We've all heard it, no matter how hard things are, there is someone going through something even more difficult. And it never fails that no matter who says it or how we heard it, we dont quite seem to find how that applies to us. I know that applies to me. As I was having a hard day, like we all have every once in a while, that thought has came to me. And after debating it im my mind for a while I finally chose to think about how that could even be true. I thought about people I have met on my mission. I thought about people back at home, and none of those things seemed to help. Then I thought about the Savior's words to us, "Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted." (Matthew 5:4) It was only then did I remember just how good I have it. Later the Savior taught, "come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30) I hope we will remember the Lord Jesus Christ everyday, because life's challenges are going to come and we need His help. I testify and promise that the Lord will be there to give us aid when ever we come unto Him. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.
Wouldn’t it be great if life came with a map, showing us where we’ve been and where to go?
Thankfully, life does have a map. Our Father in Heaven has a plan for us and wants us to know where we came from and where He wants us to go.
Before we were born, we lived with God in heaven. All of our spirit brothers and sisters were there, too—everyone who has lived or will live on earth. In this “pre-earth life,” each of us was an individual with the same ability we have now to learn, reason, and make decisions. We were only spirits then. God is the Father of all our spirits, so we call Him our Heavenly Father. I wish we could remember the pre-earth life, but as Paul told the Corinthians,"we walk by faith, not by sight"
In our pre-earth life, God knew that in order for us to grow and gain knowledge, we would have to leave His presence for a while. So, as part of the plan He prepared for us, He sent us to earth to experience the joy—as well as the pain—of mortal life. When we were born, our spirits received mortal bodies, giving us the opportunity to have families and to develop mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually.The Book of Mormon teaches us clearly that we came to this earth to prepare to meet God again.(Alma 34:32)
"Success is usually earned by persevering and not becoming discouraged when we encounter challenges. Paul Harvey, the famous news analyst and author, once said: 'Someday I hope to enjoy enough of what the world calls success so that someone will ask me, "What's the secret of it?" I shall say simply this: "I get up when I fall down" ' (quoted in Marvin J. Ashton, Conference Report, Oct. 1981, 126)."
How true is that! There is power in getting up when we fall down. No matter what your circumstances might be, the gospel of Jesus Christ can help you. We all run into things in our life that trip us up, make us fall down, and just seem to level us to the ground. When we read the scriptures, when we go to church, say our prayers, and do something nice for someone else we are really picking ourselves up. Jesus Christ should be central to all that we do.
"Jesus said, 'Without me ye can do nothing.' (John 15:5). I testify that that is God's truth. Christ is everything to us and we are to 'abide' in Him permanently, unyieldingly, steadfastly, forever. For the fruit of the gospel to blossom and bless our lives, we must be firmly attached to Him, the Savior of us all, and to this His Church, which bears His holy name. He is the vine that is our true source of strength and the only source of eternal life. In Him we not only will endure but also will prevail and triumph in this holy cause that will never fail us." (Abide in Me," Ensign, May 2004, 32)
It is my testimony that when ever we seem to be down in the dumps, struggling to get out, if we turn to the Lord of Host, the Prince of Peace, our Master and Savior, the Son of God, Jesus Christ he will be able to help us overcome any trials and situation we are in.
Picture a father teaching his son to ride a bicycle for the first time. The father knows that his son will probably fall or make mistakes. Because of the love the father has for the boy he doesn't want to see him get hurt, but he also knows that unless the child tries (and inevitably makes mistakes and falls) he will never learn how to ride a bike. The father stands back and lets the child ride by himself. He is there if the boy cries out for help, but other than that the father knows that this is something the boy must do for himself.
This is the same with our Father in Heaven. We all have things that we need to learn here on Earth and we will make mistakes and fall. We all need to remember that our Father in Heaven is out there for us. He loves us all and wants the best for each of us. He is there when we are having challenging times. He will listen to us when we cry out for him and he will answers our call. Remember 1 Corinthians 10: 13
" There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
During this season of Thanksgiving, let us all reflect on what we are most thankful for.
