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Monday, February 28, 2011

Just some thoughts and feelings

    Recently I've been pondering on the scripture Mosiah 2:41, found in the Book of Mormon. It asks us to consider something. "And moreover, I would desire that ye should consider on the blessed and happy state of those that keep the commandments of God. For behold, they are blessed in all things, both temporal and spiritual; and if they hold out faithful to the end they are received into heaven, that thereby they may dwell with God in a state of never-ending happiness..."
    I wish that all could feel and say that they fit into that happy state, but there are so many that cannot say that. I wish I was able to reach out and by the direction of Heavenly Father, bring them all to the truth and bring happiness to their lives. However, everyone has the right to make their own decisions, I can't make decisions for others.
    I am reminded of a scriptural lesson learned in Ether 12:6, also found in the Book of Mormon. Moroni, a prophet, says, "I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith."
    If you have a desire to be happy then have faith in the Lord that he has the power to make that happen. It may not be seen, at first, but the lord knows every one's potential and it is always possible with the Lord.

God's plan of happiness for all of us

Sunday, February 27, 2011

Church on Sunday

          Sunday is the day we worship the sabbath. Every member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints goes to church on Sunday to their local church building. Each congregation is called a ward. Wards are divided up by boundaries and 6-10 wards are collectively called a stake.
          When I go to the Franklin LDS church building I attend the Winstead Hill ward. It meets at 11:00AM. Every time I go I feel like I am part of a big family. Each of us care for each other and are learning about our Father in Heaven and His plan for us here on earth. We are concerned for each other's welfare and spiritual well-being. Anyone is welcome to come and visit and I am positive they would feel comfortable attending. The Book of Mormon teaches us by example what Christ church should do; "And the church did meet together oft, to fast and to pray, and to speak one with another concerning the welfare of their souls." (Moroni 6:5)
          I would hate to go through a week without first attending church on Sunday. I have found that as I go to church, the Lord blesses the rest of my life through out the week. I had, once before while I was in college, attempted to miss church for a lame reason that I had felt sick. As my ride left to church with out me, I immediately began to feel regret and the rest of my day was spent with a negative feeling of guilt. My week following was nothing special and I had difficulty being myself. That next Sunday I made sure I was at church, I couldn't afford another week without the blessings from the Lord for coming to His church and worshiping Him. 
        The Lord's church is on the earth today, come and see and feel the truth of it by attending a local LDS church. You will see the blessings come into your life, as I have, when you come to His church.  



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Friday, February 25, 2011

This is one of my favorite mormon.org "i'm a mormon" videos, check it out and enjoy!

Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Do commandments tie us down or keep us up?

                                     
   God gives us commandments for our benefit. They are instructions from God on how to live a happy life. Our ability to choose right or wronge will never be taken from us, but we can lose out on happiness in this life and in the next due to our bad choices and resistance to God and His instructions.
    Ive noticed that a lot of people these days feel that commandments are a burden, not a blesssing to their life here on earth. Some say it is not necessary to keep God's commandments, because through Christ and His grace, we have a free ride to heaven.
    Commandments can be compared to a string tied to us as a kite. Some may want to cut the string to release them from an earthly anchor so that they can be free to fly higher or wherever they would like. Those who have flown kites know that this is not a good idea. Kites need that string and someone on the end of that string to keep it anchored so that it can fly consistantly and not crash to the floor. It is the same for us with the commandments of God. They act as an anchor to our souls and allows us to fly in safety. Cutting ourselves from God's instructions and not relying on them is just as destructive as cutting the string to a kite. Commandments allow us to be free and they help us reach our full potential. As we keep Heavenly Father's commandments, we get closer to Him and to a life of happiness.
   I know that Heavenly Father loves us and has given these commandments to us so that we can be happy and so that we will be ready to live with Him again.

Friday, February 18, 2011

The Temple

Have you ever wondered about the Mormon Temple on Mack C Hatcher Memorial Pkwy in Franklin Tennessee? Check out these links to find out more about the temple and about the Mormon church services held every sunday!

Tuesday, February 15, 2011

The Path

    Why did so many of those who lived in Jesus's time not follow him and his teachings? Was the perfect truth and the perfect teacher not enough to persuade them? Even with such ideal situations at hand, there ability to choose was still in place. That ability to choose is called agency. Agency is the ability and privilege God gives people to choose and to act for themselves.
    We see in the scriptures that the majority of the people used their agency to not believe the savior while he was on earth. Christ said in Matt. 15:8-9, "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men." With their hearts far from him, their "understanding [was] darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their hearts." This blindness of heart kept the people from seeing Christ for who he truly was, their savior.
    This same blindness in heart we can see today as Christ's message is still being taught among God's people. Some may say they follow him, but they continue to teach doctrines of men and not of God.
Isaiah, an Old Testament prophet, prophesied of these days in Isa. 42:16, "And I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them."
    I testify that these paths are found in the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ has yet again brought a clarification to his teachings and to his one path. Just as in times of old, we are faced with a decision to make: will we use our agency for good by seeking for, finding, and following him and his path? Or do we not look, not believe what we have found, and not be willing to follow God's commandments? As we exercise faith, we will be lead to that path by the spirit. I know each of us have that power to choose to follow our savior and his path. More about the Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ

Friday, February 11, 2011

How can I find God's direction in a world of distractions?

Nephi, a young man found in the early pages of the Book of Mormon, was faced with a decision we all have to make. Should I forget about worldly things and follow God?
  His father, Lehi, had a dream that he and his family needed to leave home and move away from Jerusalem because it was going to be destroyed. Nephi's brothers immediately began to complain because leaving Jerusalem meant leaving "the land of their inheritance, and their gold, and their silver, and their precious things." How often do we complain about following God's commands and directions when God asks us to leave our worldly possessions behind?
  Nephi took a different approach by asking God in prayer if what his father said was true. He said, "I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father." with a witness that his father's dream was true and that he needed to leave, Nephi found comfort in his decision to follow God's direction.
Through prayer we can always recieve direction and comfort in following God's directions. In a world like today, we need to be relying on God to first give us direction and then to give us comfort when He asks us to walk away from our worldly habbits and possesions. Prayer is how Nephi relied on God and we can do the same today.
I am so grateful that God loves us and is constantly helping us to move away from the world and closer to happiness and His love found in obedience to His commandments.

Monday, February 7, 2011

Hope is seeing what isn't seen

"For we are saved by hope: but hope that is seen is not hope: for what a man seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it." - Romans 8:24-25
The Apostle Paul teaches us to have "hope [in] eternal life, which God, that can not lie, promised before the world began..." (Titus 1:2) A prophet from the Book of Mormon named Ether says, "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with a surety hope for a better world..." (Ether 12:4) Our hope in eternal life is made possible by our savior, so we should "have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal..." (Moroni 7:41)
I believe in these prophets and the words that they have shared with us in the Bible and the Book of Mormon. They have helped me see the hope that I can have eternal life. I know that Christ is the one who has made it all possible. Through studying God's scriptures and prayer, I have began to see the unseen. Hope has motivated me to move in faith towards a more righteous life and towards my savior, it can do the same for you.
The Book of Mormon 
Hope through Jesus Christ

Saturday, February 5, 2011

Foundational Doctrine

I believe Christ wants us to experience life, but also be able to withstand the storms that come our way that come in opposition to our correct choices. I read in the Book of Mormon today in 3 Nephi, chapter 11 verse 39 which reads; "Verily verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and whoso buildeth upon this buildeth upon my rock, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against them."
The doctrine of Jesus Christ is faith, repentance, baptism, the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. I have found that if I focus on these simple things I can overcome the storms that come my way by holding on to Christ's teachings and His doctrines.