The Engraving

Date: It's Important

2012-02-09T16:32:00.000-08:00

Hanging out:

"Consists of numbers of young men and young women joining together in some group activity. It is very different from dating."

Dating:

"Is pairing off to experience the kind of one-on-one association and temporary commitment that can lead to marriage in some rare and treasured cases."

(Elder Dallin H. Oaks. "Dating versus Hanging Out." Ensign, Jun 2006.)

Here are some questions for you to ponder: How many times have you done something this week that you'd call "hanging out"? Have you gone with a group of people to go bowling, have dinner, watch a movie or played games this week?

Now, have you gone on a date in the last month?

Hanging out doing activities with a mixed group of guys and girls is not dating. It's certainly not the best way to find a boyfriend or girlfriend and figure out if you'll work together. Hanging out allows for flirtation with everyone. It also allows you to be more relaxed and doesn't make you a better person. It allows you to be lazy. It's not good for society. In truth, it's helping to destroy it.

Dating has a role in society. It really does.

There are roles for both men and women in the world. This may come as a complete shock to you, but we do. We have a divine, yes, a divine responsibility based on who we are. Each of us is either a daughter or a son of God. Literally. Not figuratively. Your spirit is a child of God. You are special. He is always aware of you. You are divine. We are eternal beings; we have always lived and we always will. But we are here on earth to gain a body. We are not a mortal being have a spiritual experience; we are a spiritual being having a mortal experience.

Today, we are not living in a time where there is no guidance as so many people think. We have prophets on the earth. We have real prophets who receive direction from our Heavenly Father, our literal Heavenly Father. Back in 1995 we were given The Family: A Proclamation to the World by actual prophets. One part reads: "Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

There are roles for both a mother and a father. The mother is to nurture. The father is to preside, provide, and protect. They are sacred responsibilities. Of course, I believe in women having equal opportunities as the men and the men having equal opportunities as the women. "In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners" (The Family: A Proclamation to the World).

But how are we to prepare ourselves for these responsibilities? Are they just innate? I believe that for many they are. However, for many others they may not be. However, everyone needs to better themselves. How are we supposed to go around doing this? How do we better ourselves so we are prepared?

We start going on dates.

I'm not joking.

To better yourself you start dating. I'm not just taking about having a boyfriend or girlfriend and saying you are dating someone. I mean you've got to actually go on dates.

There was one lady who went to a marriage counselor saying that her husband doesn't work, that she's the one bringing the income. He doesn't contribute. The counselor asked her if he paid for their dates before they were married, and she said they had never gone on dates. They had just hung out a lot and then were married. She had never figured out the kind of person her husband was.

Dating has an important role in figuring out what type of person you are marrying and what type of person you are becoming.

Elder Oaks spoke about the Three P's of Dating:

Planned
Paid for
Paired off

Planned means there is a start, end and something to do in between.
Paid for doesn't just mean paying for your date, it means having the resources. If you planned to play a game, you provide the game. If you planned to have a campfire, you have the wood, the lighter, and everything for s'mores as well as the place to go and the transportation to get there.
Paired off is rather obvious. If you go on a date sometimes there is just you and your date. However, it also means that when you date as a group, you and your date are paired together. For the time of the date, you are responsible for your date and you have a commitment to that person. You aren't going to be flirting with another person on the date, nor with anyone else you come into contact with. When you are paired off you have a commitment to each other. Flirting with someone else while on a date is bad bad.

Meanwhile, with hanging out there is no such commitment. There really isn't a beginning or end. You provide only for yourself. You can flirt with every person that comes your way when you are hanging out.

How is dating preparing for the sacred responsibilities previously discussed?
Well, think of the men's responsibilities:

Preside
Provide
Protect

Do you a similarity between those and the Three P's of Dating? Besides the fact that they all start with "P" of course.

Presiding means to hold a lead position and authority to direct. It means to govern the family as the Savior governs the church (Ephesians 5:23). Christ governs in love and righteousness. A husband should preside over his family in the same manner, in lover and righteousness.
Providing means to supply the material needs for his family (President Ezra Taft Benson. "To the Fathers in Israel").
Protection can be covered in so many ways. Protection from fear. Protection from doubt. Protection from the evils of the home. Protection provided by the Priesthood men can hold.

Notice the similarities? When a guy dates he is bettering his skills to be the husband and father he has the potential to be. Even when the man is married, dates should continue as it is a continuous cycle to bettering himself.

What about the woman? We are to be nurturers. The New Oxford American dictionary defines "nurture" as the process of caring for and encouraging the growth or development of someone or something. Can you see how that would fit in with dating? How the girls can develop their skills of learning how to care for and encouraging the grown and development of the guy she goes on the date with?

When we stop dating, we no longer develop these skills as easily. We have no where to really practice them. Plus, you can't discover if they guy or girl you are interested in will actually be a good companion in life.

Dating is so vital for society. It prepares and strengthens every individual involved. When the individuals of a society are not as strong as they could be, how can we expect a strong society those people form?

So go out on a date or two this month. It's good practice. Plus, you never know, you may like it!

Gender

2012-02-03T19:23:00.000-08:00

"Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose."

The Family: A Proclamation to the World

In my Family Relations class, we listed a few of the stereotypical masculine and feminine traits:

How could these characteristics benefit a family?

In an ideal marriage, it results in two experts coming together on a problem. Two experts to see a different perspective on a situation. To see through each other eyes. Imagine a child that didn't do his homework. The father might be more worried about the fact that the homework didn't get done; because he is task oriented. The mother might be worried because of the social reasons behind his not doing his homework; because she's relationally oriented. Both are situations that need to be addressed. Having a dual expertise means more likely for a problem to be noticed and to solve.

Another interesting idea mentioned in class was the idea of a "Honey Do List." It was introduced by the girl that the "Honey Do List" was created because the woman's split awareness resulted in having a list of things to do and get done. A list helped her to focus. Yet, she'd give it to the husband who was task oriented and could be hyper focused.

How else could these traits benefit a family?

Marriage: The Institution of God

2012-01-27T17:03:00.000-08:00

Originally for this blog post I was going to type something about social class in relation to families. However, I then stumbled upon the following video and I felt I had to say something about this.

I believe he's on to something. He has some truths in here.

The diagram to the right is something I've learned. When a husband and a wife are both striving for the goal of reaching Heavenly Father, striving to become closer to Him and His son, Jesus Christ, they automatically become closer to each other. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ is what you should build your foundation on. A husband and a wife are partners.

There's a proclamation given to the world from literal prophets of God to say that "marriage between a man and a woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator’s plan for the eternal destiny of His children." It's from The Family: A Proclamation to the World. Families are important. Marriage is important. It is being attacked from all sides.

Bruce C. Hafen gave a speech entitled "How We Lost the Plot." In it he describes all the ways we have lost our way in what marriage is.

"When one believes that starting or ending a marriage is just a personal choice, one is less likely to think of one's own marriage as a serious social or moral obligation. Without even realizing why they assume and expect what they do, some people therefore feel less committed to making their marriages work and more willing to walk away when they're not getting what they want. . . . The changes in recent decades have portrayed marriage as an individual adult choice, rather than as a crucial knot in the very fabric that holds society together."

Being married is not just individual. It's something that brings two families together. It's an institution. It's the backbone of society. It's where future generations are raised. Marriage is a huge deal in mortality, let alone in the eternities.

"We can plan for success," President Henry B. Eyring advised ("The Family"). Don't plan to fail. Do the best you can and do what is right. Put your trust in God, and listen to his guidance and immediately follow it. He knows what is best. He's more invested in your life and in your family than I think we realize.

Look to our prophets and the wisdom and knowledge we can gain from their words. Turn to Bishops. Plan to be successful. It takes work, but it's worth it. Those are just a few of my own thoughts on the matter.

I've put up the video on Facebook asking for insights from other people. I may continue to update this as more come. But one such insight is:

"Without Christ as a member of marriage, a marriage cannot bring the degree of joy it's designed to bring to our lives. Without Christ in marriage we would lack the perspective and direction we need for such a sacred union to not only work but blossom" (Judith).

Devotional with L. Tom Perry

2012-01-27T10:08:00.000-08:00

One thing that's so great about attending BYU-Idaho is the wonderful spirit that resides here. Every week on Tuesday at 2:10, we have devotional in our year old BYU-Idaho Center. The speaker could be a faculty member, someone from BYU, or someone from the church. The talk is always centered around spiritual matters and our lives. It used to be that devotional would be held in the Hart building's gymnasium and broadcasted to the Taylor Chapel, the Hinckley Chapel, the Snow building, and the Kirkham building.

The BYU-Idaho Center was in the process of construction when I arrived here for my first semester in Winter 2010. I had never really been on that side of the campus because of all the construction until the following Sophomore year. The BYU-Idaho Center was dedicated December 17, 2010. My brother, who's on his mission right now, was able to attend that dedication. Apparently it was extraordinarily full. But you have to figure that President Henry B. Eyring, first counselor in the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints as well as Elder Russell M. Nelson and Elder David A. Bednar of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles were all in attendance.

One talk was entitled "Wait Upon the Lord" given by Elder David A. Bednar. Then there was an article put forth by LDS.org entitled "Apostles Emphasize Value of Education" talking of Elder Bednar's, Elder Nelson and Elder Eyring's words given during the dedication along with other comments they've had on the importance of education.

Pervious to this 15,000 seated auditorium, it used to be that if an apostle was visiting you'd have to get tickets to actually be in the Heart auditorium where he would be speaking. This time, with Elder L. Tom Perry, we could use the new 15,000 seated new BYU-Idaho Center. Without tickets.

It was packed.
BJ and I arrived perhaps an hour early and we were able to sit relatively close to the front. After 30 minutes, then 45 minutes, I noticed that the entire first floor was filled and that the doors were closed. I then noticed that the entire second floor was filled and that the doors were closed. The third floor was opened and almost full when I took this picture. I don't know if it has ever been that full. I'm guessing at the dedication of this building, but I don't know if it has been since then. It was amazing.

When Elder L. Tom Perry arrived, a hush descended upon the entire student body, even the few babies and toddlers. Everyone was in their Sunday best and stood.

It was the most amazing thing. It reminded me a lot of the one time I went to the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City when I was maybe 14 for a young women's session. But this, this was cool.

At BYU-Idaho, we are asked to show that we are prepared to be taught, and that's when people raise their scriptures, journals, and pens. That was pretty awesome too. To see all of these college students and faculty united and prepared to learn and be taught by the Spirit, it's an awesome sight and I wish you all could have been there.

After song, prayer, and scripture, Elder L. Tom Perry gave his talk entitled "Rely on Steady Scaffolding." On LDS.org, there is a summary of his talk and as soon as it is available at BYUI.edu's Devotionals and Speeches, I'll put it up here. He was telling us how the church is a scaffolding to help us build solid families and professional lives. It was such a great talk. Highly recommend reading it and writing down your own impressions. My own impressions were that the church is important because it helps us build eternal families and eternal characteristics that lead us back to our Heavenly Father, because it guides us, and supports us, and teaches us. Elder L. Tom Perry. What a great man.

Update: Elder L. Tom Perry's talk "Rely on Steady Scaffolding"

Family Dynamic Theories

2012-01-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

There are four types of theories or explanations of how marriage and the family works that my Family Relations class studied in our textbook, Marriage & Family: The Quest for Intimacy.

Systems Theory: focuses on social systems and how their interdependent parts maintain order. Or in other words, the different unspoken family rules your family has.
Exchange Theory: views social interaction as a cost-benefit analysis in which people try to keep their costs lower than their rewards. Instead of keeping track of exactly what's owed me, I expect to have my investment returned to me in some way in our continuing relationship.
Symbolic Interaction Theory: views humans as cognitive creatures who are influenced and shaped by their interaction experiences. Different actions, words mean different things to separate individuals because of the way it was used in your family life; basically a difference in family cultures.
Conflict Theory: focuses on contradictory interests, inequalities, and the resulting conflict and change. People want or need different things that sometimes come into conflict, so compromises or arguments could result.

My Family

I found that absolutely intriguing. I can see where they came up with these ideas. It's not that each is bad. It's just that each is an explanation for the dynamics of the family and why the do the things they do. It depends on how those dynamics work that determine a bad or good family situation. For example, if you keep track of the things you do for someone and you know exactly how much they owe you, it could get you into trouble as you build up the resentment. Or perhaps in your family a hand on the shoulder means a serious conversation or you're in some sort of trouble, so later when you're dating or married it happens and you immediately overact, thinking you are in some sort of trouble.

Basically, open communication is the key to keeping each of these family dynamics on the healthy track. Communication not only requires talking, but also developing the skill of listening and being respectful of differing opinions. Then you can discuss why you are having problems and how to best fix them.

Mosiah 5

2012-01-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

For Mosiah 4, I spoke about getting to know God. In Mosiah 5:13, it reads:

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart?

How can you know the master you haven't served? How do you know if he's good or keeps his words, or treats you well? How do you know him if you haven't served him? If you haven't been obedient? Many of you, I'm sure, have heard of Matthew 6:24:

No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

How can you know God if you have never served him? He's a much better person to follow. He wants what is best for us. He will guide us to Eternal life. He wants us to be the best we can be. When we follow Him, we are guided to be the best individual through work.

Mosiah 4

2012-01-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

There's a lot I could cover in Mosiah 4. Many truths and depths I could explore.

One is that I should come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and his matchless power, and his wisdom, and his patience, and his long-suffering towards the children of men (6). Basically, get to know God. Learn about my Father in Heaven and build a relationship with him.

James E. Faust in the October 1976 General Conference, gave a talk entitled "A Personal Relationship with the Savior." He gave us five steps to build such a relationship:

A daily communion involving prayer.
A daily selfless service to another.
A daily striving for an increased obedience and perfection in our lives.
A daily acknowledgment of His divinity.
A daily study of the scriptures.

Later on in the chapter, we are told we should have a remembrance of the greatness of God, and our own nothingness (11). How good and patient he is with us. We should humble ourselves even to the depths of humility, and call upon the name of the Lord, and stand steadfastly in Christ's actions of the atonement that was done for all of us.

When we do so we will realign our will with God's will, and we will be great instruments for him. We will become a people who edify one another and strengthen each other in the Lord, as well as helping each other out in mortality. Supporting one another.

We need to keep an eye on ourselves; watch our thoughts, what we say, our actions. We should observe and keep the commandments of God (30). Be aware of these things and correct our mistakes immediately. Keep our will in alignment with God's.

Hunger for Knowledge

2012-01-14T18:19:00.000-08:00

Within the innermost part of your heart, do you love to learn?

Don't just think about book knowledge. Do you love learning about different cultures by visiting them personally? Do you love learning more about the workings of a car to discover how to best improve it? Do you love to learn about your garden, to discover how to best protect it?

I love to learn. I don't ever want to stop.

In my Family Relations class, the teacher cited a Ken Bain quote, "Deepest learning occurs when students have questions that are important, intriguing, or just plain beautiful” (What the Best College Teachers Do).

Do I ask the right questions? Do I write questions that express my desire to learn?

Interestingly enough, in my Advanced Writing and Critical Thinking class, we covered this same idea. This particular teacher told the following story (with my own paraphrasing):

There was once a wise man. One day, a young man walked up to him. "Can you teach me everything you know?" said the boy.

The man gestured for the boy to follow, so he did.

The man walked into the ocean. The boy followed.

The man kept walking deeper and deeper. The boy kept following.

Eventually, the water reached up to the boy's chin. The boy asked, "When will you teach me everything you know?"

The wise man turned to the boy, grabbed his head, and held him under water.

The boy was shocked. His life was passing by his eyes. He thought he was going to die.

Just as the boy was about to discover death, the wise man pulled his head from the water and said, "When you want to know as much as you want to breathe, then I can teach you."

Do you want to know as much as you want breath or food? Do you starve for knowledge? It's only then that real wisdom can come. It's when you not only taste the knowledge, not only choke it down your throat, but rather consume and use the information that you really begin to know.

Francis Bacon wrote of this idea in an essay:

“Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously, and some few to be read wholly and with diligence and attention” (“Of Studies).

It takes work to really begin to learn. Sitting back and waiting for inspiration to hit is like sitting at the dinner table with your meal before you but only staring at it expecting it to be filling.

Often I believe expect that exact thing. I expect that attending school, appearing my in classes should be enough to give me knowledge for life. I frequently don’t have the inclination to complete my homework and actually work to learn.

So says Mortimer J. Adler: “. . . A great book, rich in ideas and beauty, a book that raises and tries to answer great fundamental questions, demands the most active reading of which you are capable. . . . You have to reach for [the ideas]” (“How to Mark a Book”).

Above, I have the chart I mapped in my journal of the class discussion in the Advanced Writing and Critical Thinking class. It's similar to the one drawn on the board, but slightly different in how I chose to present the information.

To learn, you must have an active soul.

Active: Engaged in action; characterized by energetic work, participation, etc.; busy (Dictionary.com).

Soul. “And the spirit and the body are the soul of man” (Doctrine and Covenants 88:15).

Thus, an active soul is when both the spirit and the body are engaged in action; characterized by energetic work, participation, etc.

“The soul active sees absolute truth; and utters truth, or creates. In this action, it is genius; not the privilege if here and there a favorite, but the sound estate of every man. In its essence, it is progressive” writes Ralph Waldo Emerson in “The American Scholar”.

Having an active soul means that not only is information memorized and pondered about, but rather it is applied. When applied, you learn. When truly learned, you progress.

Do you ask the important, intriguing and beautiful questions in class? Do you take advantage of the time? Or do you only sit back and memorize the facts that will appear in the tests?

I write my class notes in my journal, because it requires me to write the notes in relevance to myself. It's not just word for word what the teacher shares, but rather it's the information in relation to me and my life. Else I wouldn't put it into my journals. If it's tedious information that I know will be on the test, then I make it apply to me so I can write it down and remember and recall it.

Applying the information to your life is a lesson college tries to teach you.

A question stated in Family Relations was "This is my experience, so what should I choose to do?"

This semester I will be attempting to better study for my classes, taking advantage of the hours in a desk to ask the questions and mention the comments that will lead the lesson on to what I really want to know. Then I'll do my best to figure out how to apply it in my life and share it with others, hoping they will take something from my own insights.

Mosiah 3

2012-01-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

". . . Become as little children, . . .

"For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father" (Mosiah 2:18-19).

Children are in awe of the world around them. Little children are bundles of joy and do all they can to please, even if they get themselves into mishaps. We should be the like for our Father in Heaven. He loves us. He wants us to be happy and find joy. He tries to teach us things so we don't get hurt and so we can return home safely. But we aren't always willing to submit to his will. I think I could be better at this myself. To be someone who is always willing to obey God and his guidance for me. It would make life so much easier for me to bear sometimes.

Mosiah 2

2012-01-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Here's a bit of wisdom King Benjamin shared with his people as he gave his last speech as king before handing over the reigns to his son Mosiah:

"When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God" (Mosiah 2:17).

Elder Robert J. Whetten said:

“Conversion means consecrating your life to caring for and serving others who need your help and sharing your gifts and blessings. . . .

“Every unselfish act of kindness and service increases your spirituality. God would use you to bless others. Your continued spiritual growth and eternal progress are very much wrapped up in your relationships—in how you treat others. Do you indeed love others and become a blessing in their lives? Isn’t the measure of the level of your conversion how you treat others? The person who does only those things in the Church that concern himself alone will never reach the goal of perfection. Service to others is what the gospel and exalted life are all about” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 96; or Ensign, May 2005, 91).

This is something I should constantly be improving on in life. I should serve everyone I come in contact with every day. Classmates, roommates, those I visit teach, my visiting teachers, my home teachers, etc. It will strengthen and deepen my relationships with them.

Mosiah 1

2012-01-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

"And now, my sons, I would that ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers."

Mosiah 1:7

We should also study the scriptures and search them with diligence, because from the scriptures comes truths and inspiration that could help you in your daily life. When we come across instruction the scriptures we should also keep them, as well as all the other commandments of God. We will be blessed.

Words of Mormon 1

2012-01-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Words of Mormon are basically editorial notes as to why Mormon added the small plates to his abridgment of their history. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said that the small plates provides more information than was lost on the 116 pages:

“At least six times in the Book of Mormon the phrase ‘for a wise purpose’ is used in reference to the making, writing, and preserving of the small plates of Nephi (see 1 Nephi 9:5; Words of Mormon 1:7; Alma 37:2, 12, 14, 18). You and I know the wise purpose—the most obvious one—was to compensate for the loss of the earlier mentioned 116 pages of manuscript.

“But it strikes me that there is a wiser purpose than that. . . . The key to such a suggestion of a wiser purpose is in verse 45 of Doctrine and Covenants section 10. As the Lord instructs Joseph . . . he says, ‘Behold, there are many things engraven upon the [small] plates of Nephi which do throw greater views upon my gospel’ (emphasis added).

“So, clearly, this was not . . . tit for tat, this for that— you give me 116 pages of manuscript and I’ll give you 142 pages of printed text. Not so. We got back more than we lost. And it was known from the beginning that it would be so. It was for a wiser purpose. We do not know exactly what we missed in the 116 pages, but we do know that what we received on the small plates was the personal declarations of three great witnesses [Nephi, Jacob, and Isaiah], three of the great doctrinal voices of the Book of Mormon, testifying that Jesus is the Christ. . . .

“In fact, I think you could make a pretty obvious case that the sole purpose of the small plates was to give a platform for these three witnesses” (“A Standard unto My People” [Church Educational System symposium on the Book of Mormon, Aug. 9, 1994], 9–10; see LDS.org under gospel library/additional addresses/CES addresses).

Omni 1

2012-01-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

"And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power of his redemption. Yea, come unto him, and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him, and continue in fasting and praying, and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth ye will be saved."

Omni 1:26

To come unto Christ and partake of his salvation and the power of his redemption, we are to offer our whole souls. We are to continue in fasting and praying. We are to endure to the end. Elder Maxwell said, “As you submit your wills to God, you are giving Him the only thing you can actually give Him that is really yours to give” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 48; or Ensign, May 2004, 46).

Obedience to God and the Holy Ghost are helpful ways in learning to realign your wills with His. He knows the best for us. He can guide us to where we are most needed.

Jarom 1

2012-01-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

"And it came to pass that they came many times against us, the Nephities, to battle. But our kings and our leaders were mighty men in the faith of the Lord; and they taught the people the ways of the Lord; wherefore, we withstood the Lamanites and swept the away out of our lands, and began to fortify our cities, or whatsoever place of our inheritance."

Jarom 1:7

The kings and leaders of the Nephites were "mighty men in the faith of the Lord." They weren't mighty by themselves, but mighty in the Lord. They taught their people their ways of the Lord. They strengthened their people through teaching them the principles of God which people would be blessed from.

We are each leaders in different ways. Perhaps you are responsible for a group project, or perhaps you lead your home. Maybe you are a leader in the workforce or political realm. In each of those instances and many more, you can incorporate moral values such as integrity, honesty, agency and accountability, charity, etc. It doesn't necessarily mean you have to preach to people your beliefs. It just means you put into practice and encourage righteous action, because doing what is right and good is always beneficial.

Enos 1

2012-01-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Book of Enos is mostly about Enos praying. He's such an example to all of us. Often, when we pray we repeat the same sort of things over and over. Yes, they can be good if you really had thought about what to say and you ended up saying things that we use. But we should be more like Enos who told us of the "wrestle" which he had before God.

The Book of Mormon Institute Manuel about Enos 1:2 reads:

Enos did not wrestle with God. The record states that Enos wrestled before God in prayer. Such wrestling is the struggle to find and express one’s real desires under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost. Praying in this manner requires that a person eliminate vain, trite, or insincere repetitions and to pour the deepest desires of his or her heart into words. Each phrase becomes an expression of yearning and desire to do God’s will. Such prayers are assisted and guided by the Holy Spirit, “for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” (Romans 8:26).

Praying with a sincere desire and real meaning, with the Holy Ghost as a guide is something we should all be working towards.

In the Bible Dictionary it says under "Prayer":

As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.

Prayer is important. But I think we forget to do it as often as we should be. Prayer gives us blessings that we wouldn't have otherwise received. Wouldn't you like to start off your day that way?

Jacob 7

2012-01-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

In Chapter 7, Sherem denies Christ and says, if he's real then show me a sign. Basically, he's asked fro proof. But he doesn't understand what signs from God are. They are not for the unbeliever but rather to the believer.

Elder Bruce R. McConkie:

“Signs flow from faith. They may incidentally have the effect of strengthening the faith of those who are already spiritually inclined, but their chief purpose is not to convert people to the truth, but to reward and bless those already converted. . . .

“Signs are sacred grants of divine favor reserved for the faithful and concerning which the recipients are commanded not to boast” (Mormon Doctrine, 2nd ed. [1966], 713–14).

Every day we are each given signs. We only have to look for them.

Jacob 6

2012-01-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

My favorite verse of all time (well, one of them) is Jacob 6:12:

O be wise; what can I say more?

There's not much to say after that. Be wise.

FAML 160: Family Relations Blog

2012-01-05T18:46:00.000-08:00

This week has been pretty crazy. Currently, I'm trying to get all of my homework done so that I have an open weekend. One of my classes is FAML 160: Family Relations. For it, I'm supposed to have a blog where I post at least one significant entry each week. According to the assignment, this will be a place where I will share my thoughts, observations, concerns, and impressions regarding readings and discussions in this course. It's to be a blog so that class members, family and friends can all read and learn and hopefully contribute. Off in my list of blogs, I'm to include the blogs of my classmates so that we (and you) can easily check in on, learn from, and contribute to further our learning.

Also in the assignment was a portion talking about how since the blog will have my thoughts, observations, concerns, and impressions regarding the class it will be a bit like a journal. It used a quote given by President Spencer W. Kimball which I think is appropriate anyways, as I've always loved journals:

"Your journal is your autobiography, so it should be kept carefully. You are unique, and there may be incidents in your experience that are more noble and praiseworthy in their way than those recorded in any other life. There may be a flash of illumination here and a story of faithfulness there; you should truthfully record your real self and not what other people may see in you." ("The Angels may quote from it")

As a result of this assignment, since I already use this blog for pretty much everything, I'm using it for this class. I hope you learn as much as I do if not more. We'll learn together, you and I. This semester's going to be fantastical.

Jacob 5

2012-01-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

The Allegory of the Olive Tree

(Jacob 5)

If you want to read the whole thing, that's great. It's really fantastic. It's basically a history of the gospel throughout time and in the future.

President Spencer W. Kimball said:

“I believe we find a great lesson in this regard in the parable of the vineyard found in the fifth chapter of Jacob in the Book of Mormon. . . .

“‘. . . The branches have overcome the roots thereof, behold they grew faster than the strength of the roots, taking strength unto themselves. Behold, I say, is not this the cause that the trees of thy vineyard have become corrupted?’ (Jacob 5:47-48; italics added).

“It seems that some [Latter-day Saints] among us have this same problem; they want bountiful harvests—both spiritual and temporal—without developing the root system that will yield them. There are far too few who are willing to pay the price, in discipline and work, to cultivate hardy roots. Such cultivation should begin in our youth. Little did I know as a boy that daily chores in the garden, feeding the cattle, carrying the water, chopping the wood, mending fences, and all the labor of a small farm was an important part of sending down roots, before being called on to send out branches. I’m so grateful that my parents understood the relationship between roots and branches. Let us each cultivate deep roots, so that we may secure the desired fruits of our welfare labors” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 113; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 74–75).

I need to do my best to build my spiritual strength, putting my roots deep into the gospel making them firm. Have my foundation in the Savior.

Back at School

2012-01-04T19:04:00.000-08:00

I love college. I really do. When I was in elementary school, before the No Child Left Behind, I loved school. It was the best thing ever. I was always so excited for it.

After those early years, I lost it. Mostly because everything began to focus on tests, which I didn't think I ever did well at. Plus, it felt like I was never really learning anything. It sometimes seemed like a waste of time. I almost believe that 2 hours could be taken out of every school day because that's how much time was totally wasteful.

But since then, I'm in college and I get excited for the first time I have a class. It makes me so cheerful! I make new friends. I learn things that I never thought about. College really teaches you how to think. How to look at the world around you and figure out what you can do to influence it. I absolutely love college. I really do.

And BYU-Idaho is the school I love. The spirit of the school is very positive and I love how the students and faculty are so friendly. Total strangers can always be counted on to complement you or open the door for you or help you carry your things. Truly, it's the best.

I'm glad to be back.

(Plus the roommates are pretty awesome!)

Jacob 4

2012-01-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Nevertheless, the Lord God showeth us our weakness that we may know that it is by his grace, and his great condescensions unto the children of men, that we have power to do these things" (7).

Many times I don't want to know of my weaknesses. I'd rather be ignorant of them. However, it's not the smartest thing to do if you want to become better.

For example, if you were writing a paper and you gave it to someone to critic and edit it, wouldn't you like to have someone tell you what they liked, but also what you could do better to make it stronger or clearer?

Knowing what your weaknesses are helps you discover how you can develop them into strengths. We may think that a weakness is too large for us to overcome. Sometimes I look at my homework load and I just don't think I can get it done. I dispair. But there's something important to be learned. Our Heavenly Father can do anything. He can help us be inspired so that our homework may move more quickly. But we have to work. When we work as much as we can, when we give our all, our Savior can make up the difference. That's grace.

Don't dispare. Turn to God in prayer, asking for help, and continue working, knowing the Heavenly Father will do his best by you.

Jacob 3

2012-01-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

We have to awaken from our state. I think that sometimes we become stuck in unrighteous actions or traditions and we do not even realize it. For example, do you have a habit of not saying your morning and evening prayers? Do you have a habit of not reading your scriptures daily? Those are habits that should be corrected.

Jacob said to his people:

O my brethren, hearken unto my words; arouse the faculties of your souls; shake yourselves that ye may awake from the slumber of death; and loose yourselves from the pains of hell that ye may not become angels to the devil, to be cast into that lake of fire and brimstone which is the second death (11).

We are to listen to our prophets when they give us guidance in what we should do. They act in our best interest. They know the things we are struggling with and they know how we can get through our trials: daily scripture study, constant prayer. We are to wake up our souls and realize what we are doing and where those actions may lead us. We need to be aware before we can really change.

Jacob 2

2012-01-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

"But before ye seek for riches, seek ye for the kingdom of God.
"And after ye have obtained a hope in Christ ye shall obtain riches, if ye seek them; and ye will seek them for the intent to do good—to clothe the naked, and to feed the hungry, and to liberate the captive, and administer relief to the sick and the afflicted" (18-19).

When you seek for the kingdom of God, when that's the first thing in your life. Everything else will work out. If after you work towards returning to God's kingdom, you seek for riches, you will find them and you'll use them in the best way.

President David O. McKay said:

“What seek ye first? What do you cherish as the dominant, the uppermost thought in your mind? What this is will largely determine your destiny. . . . You may win in this world almost anything for which you strive. If you work for wealth, you can get it, but before you make it an end in itself, take a look at those men who have sacrificed all to the accomplishment of this purpose, at those who have desired wealth for the sake of wealth itself. Gold does not corrupt man; it is in the motive of acquiring that gold that corruption occurs” (Treasures of Life [1962], 174–75).

Jacob 1

2012-01-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

"And we did magnify our office unto the Lord, taking upon us the responsibility, answering the sins of the people upon our own heads if we did not teach them the word of God with all diligence; wherefore, by laboring with our might their blood might not come upon our garments; otherwise their blood would come upon our garments, and we would not be found spotless at the last day" (19).

When we are given a calling by the Lord, we are asked to magnify it. What does that mean though? President Thomas S. Monson said:

What does it mean to magnify a calling? It means to build it up in dignity and importance, to make it honorable and commendable in the eyes of all men, to enlarge and strengthen it, to let the light of heaven shine through it to the view of other men.

And how does one magnify a calling? Simply by performing the service that pertains to it. An elder magnifies the ordained calling of an elder by learning what his duties as an elder are and then by doing them. As with an elder, so with a deacon, a teacher,a priest, a bishop, and each who holds office in the priesthood (in Conference Report, Apr. 2005, 59; or Ensign, May 2005, 54).

For me, a Relief Society teacher, the best way to magnify a calling would be to prepare for the lesson in the first place. Secondly, I should do figure out ways to be the best possible teacher I can be, which includes figuring out different ways to invite the Spirit into the lesson.

2 Nephi 33

2011-12-31T07:00:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite callings I've had is to teach; teach Relief Society, teach Young Woman's, teach Primary, etc. I loved teaching. But I've always had to recognize that I really wasn't the teacher, that I'm more the conductor of a discussion. In fact, the Holy Ghost is the real teacher. For me to be an effective teacher, I need to invite the Spirit into the lesson. I need to follow promptings and and say what the Spirit wishes me to say. Then it's up to the students of the class to allow the Spirit to bring the message into their hearts and inspire them.

Nephi says:

"For when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men" (1).

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:

President Hinckley stated an important corollary to the command to teach by the Spirit when he issued this challenge:

"We must . . . get our teachers to speak out of their hearts rather than out of their books, to communicate their love for the Lord and this precious work, and somehow it will catch fire in the hearts of those they teach? [Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley (1997), 619–20].

That is our objective—to have love of God and commitment to the gospel of Jesus Christ "catch fire" in the hearts of those we teach (in Conference Report, Oct. 1999, 103; or Ensign, Nov. 1999, 80).

For me to be an effective teacher, I need to invite the Spirit into the class. But also into mine own heart, and speak from that. I need to bear testimony of what I am teaching as I teach it. I have to show how much it means to me. Perhaps then others will learn too.

Things I'm Gonna Miss...

2011-12-30T16:51:00.000-08:00

Today I'm getting ready to head back to BYU-Idaho via Utah. This means packing: deciding what to bring, what to throw away and what to leave behind. As a result of this process I've been thinking of all the things I'm going to miss for the next 7 months:

My family
My brother graduating high school
My sister's 16th Birthday
Our new floors
Free food prepared for me by parents
Not having to pay for the movie theaters
A fireplace
The California sunshine
The California winter
Home grown fruit
The radio

There's just a lot I'm going to miss. But there is also so much to be looking forward to! See you next year everybody!!!!!

2 Nephi 32

2011-12-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

Once we are members of the church, baptized and having the gift of the Holy Ghost, what next? Even for members that were baptized when we were eight, sometimes we ask, what now? What do I need to do to keep progressing down this path? Chapter 32 really answers this question.

We have been blessed by the Holy Ghost. We have been told to "feast upon the word of Christ" (2 Nephi 31:20). The Holy Ghost teaches the words of Christ. The words of Christ will tell you all the things that we should do (3). Having the Gift of the Holy Ghost gives you the guidance you need for it will "show unto you all things what ye should do" (5). So we need to pay attention and live such a life that welcomes the Spirit into our hearts. We need to listen. We need to act on every good thought we have.

But we must also pray always, so that we "must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of they soul" (9).

We pray about our impressions so that we may act on it in good faith and also have the right attitude or say the right thing, and even do the right thing based on that impression. For example, if I feel like visiting someone, I should pray away my doubts and then ask for help in doing and saying the right thing for that person. I hadn't really ever thought of that before. So now I will do my best to pray before acting on a good thought.

Updated motto: Good thought? Pray, and Do it!

2 Nephi 31

2011-12-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

To be saved, we must endure to the end in following the example of the Son of the living God (16). Verse 20 gives more detail:

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Stay firm in your foundation in Christ. Have a strong testimony of him. Follow him in Faith and hope. Have the love of God for all men; have charity. We we just push forward trying to follow him and in doing what is right. If we push forward, if we work to progress, if we absorb the word of Christ, and we endure to the end, then we shall have eternal life. I want that. So I'll just do my best everyday. Do my best, and correct mistakes that will be made because I'm mortal.

2 Nephi 30

2011-12-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

This next semester I'm taking a science class called "Origins of the Universe, Earth and Life." It's almost an oxymoron, because we won't know how exactly it was all put together until the Second Coming. So we are only studying what science has been able to put together. Anyways, verses 15-18 reminds me of this:

15 They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea.

16 Wherefore, the things of all nations shall be made known; yea, all things shall be made known unto the children of men.

17 There is nothing which is secret save it shall be revealed; there is no work of darkness save it shall be made manifest in the light; and there is nothing which is sealed upon the earth save it shall be loosed.

18 Wherefore, all things which have been revealed unto the children of men shall at that day be revealed; and Satan shall have power over the hearts of the children of men no more, for a long time. And now, my beloved brethren, I make an end of my sayings.

Good verses, right? I love it. Someday everything will be in the open. All knowledge. Everything. I'm so excited!

New Year Resolutions

2011-12-27T11:26:00.000-08:00

In case you happen to be totally oblivious, New Year's is right around the corner. We all know that a new year marks new beginnings or a fresh start. It happens to be the time of year where we make resolutions that will better ourselves.

So what are a few of my New Year Resolutions?

Follow a budget
Be a better listener
Learn to say hello in 5 languages
Strike up a conversation with a stranger
Be available for others when they need me
Add to my favorite recipes
Make a short video
Do some sort of exercise once a week outside of my normal routine
Manage my time better
Write a story
Become an expert on something
Donate my time
Discover adventures
Read a classic
Learn about my ancestors
Write old-fashioned letters
Take a photograph of life

New Year's resolutions can be whatever you want them to be. They can be serious, amusing or silly. But they're great. This time of year is when it's best to take full advantage of making goals for yourself. Here is a website that I just found that could help you in creating your own mixture of resolutions.

Have fun everyone!

2 Nephi 29

2011-12-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

"Know ye not that the testimony of two nations is a witness unto you that I am God, that I remember on nation like unto another?" (8).

"For behold, I shall speak unto the Jews and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the Nephites and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto the other tribes of the house of Israel, which I have led away, and they shall write it; and I shall also speak unto all nations of the earth and they shall write it" (12).

I love this. What would happen if you discovered a record of a people, whom you believe would have never heard of the Israelites' God, but when in fact their record proves they believed in the same exact God as the Israelites? Believed long before Jesus Christ came to the Earth, and long before Christian missionaries spread the news to all the world? That's what the Book of Mormon is. It shows that not only did the Native Americans believe in a God once upon a time, they believed in the same God as the Israelites. It's just another testament to me that the Book of Mormon is true. That Heavenly Father is our Father in Heaven and that Jesus Christ suffered and died for us. It's all true.

2 Nephi 28

2011-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have."

2 Nephi 28:30

We are given guidance, smal guidance that grants us wisdom. As we act on it and learn, we receive more. Our wisdom and knowledge is added upon. Meanwhile, if we decided to stop on the path of progression you begin to slide back down. You can't stop and stay where you are; you are always progressing or regressing. Try to spend every day making that extra step that moves you forward.

Merry Christmas!!

2011-12-25T10:42:00.000-08:00

I hope you are having a fabulous Christmas on this blessed Sabbath day. I truly love this day. I had no idea how excited I was for today until I tried to fall asleep. I always have some of the craziest dreams on Christmas Eve.

But before I tried to fall asleep last night, my family watched the short videos on the birth of Christ at The Life of Jesus Christ: Bible Videos. Highly recommend watching them. It certainly get's you in the right mood.

Today we received a quick call from my brother, Elder Walker, who's currently serving his mission in South Carolina Columbia Mission. He informed us that he'll Skype us later today. We are going to give him a tour of our remodeled house that will seem entirely new to him. It's exciting!

You know what's the best about being in a Single's Branch while I'm staying home? It's the fact that when Christmas happens to fall on Sunday they don't expect the majority of the young adults to attend the branch but rather attend their family's ward. As a result, the previous Sunday is the Christmas sacrament meeting. Where we sing and listen to a lot of carols and wonderful stories. It's perfect. Because the following week (ahem. Today), I get to go to church with my family in my home ward on Christmas and have a whole new Christmas sacrament meeting. It's excellent.

I really love Christmas.

I hope you each do too. Have a wonderful time with your families and friends. Enjoy the season. But remember what this day is truly about and it'll be that much better.

Merry Christmas Everyone!!

2 Nephi 27

2011-12-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

"For behold, I am God; and I am a God of miracles; and I will show unto the world that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and I work not among the children of men save it be according to their faith."

2 Nephi 27:23

It is comforting to know God is constant. That no matter what happens he'll be there. It gives me that feeling that all will be well today, and tomorrow, and the next day, as long as I put my trust in him. He's the same always. He's a God of miracles. It really makes me peaceful to know that.

2 Nephi 26

2011-12-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 26 speaks of how the Lord "inviteth them all to come unto him and partake of his goodness; and he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female; and he remembereth the heathen; and all are alike unto God, both Jew and Gentile" (33).

But there is one verse that really stood out to me:

". . . Wherefore, the Lord God hath given a commandment that all men should have charity, which charity is love. And except they should have charity they were nothing. . . ." (30).

There's a lot to say about charity. But I don't think I can express it better than True to the Faith :

Charity is “the pure love of Christ,” or “everlasting love” (Moroni 7:47; 8:17). The prophet Mormon taught: “Charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things” (Moroni 7:45; see also 1 Corinthians 13:4–7).

Jesus Christ is the perfect example of charity. In His mortal ministry, He always “went about doing good,” teaching the gospel and showing tender compassion for the poor, afflicted, and distressed (see Matthew 4:23; Mark 6:6; Acts 10:38). His crowning expression of charity was His infinite Atonement. He said, “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends” (John 15:13). This was the greatest act of long-suffering, kindness, and selflessness that we will ever know. With an understanding of the Savior’s enduring love, you can exercise faith and repent of your sins, confident that He will forgive you and strengthen you in your efforts to live the gospel.

The Savior wants you to receive His love, and He also wants you to share it with others. He declared to His disciples: “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that 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). In your relationships with family members and others, look to the Savior as your example. Strive to love as He loves, with unfailing compassion, patience, and mercy.

As you continue to receive the Savior’s perfect love and as you demonstrate Christlike love for others, you will find that your love increases. You will experience the joy of being in the Lord’s service. The Holy Ghost will be your constant companion, guiding you in your service and in your relationships with others. You will be prepared to meet the Lord at the Judgment, when He will reward you according to your dedication to His work. Mormon taught:

“If ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail—

“But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

“Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure” (Moroni 7:46–48).

Additional references: Matthew 25:31–46; 1 John 4:18; Ether 12:33–34; D&C 12:8; 34:3; 121:45

Moved, without Moving

2011-12-23T22:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever moved before? In the years growing up? or after high school? or during college? or after? I think that pretty much covers everything. I know that I've moved a total of 5 times. Once when I was 8 years old. Then 6 months after I graduated high school I moved off to college with most of my things. After 7 months of my freshman year, I moved home. Then the next January I moved back to school. Then I moved back. and soon I'll be moving to school again. Though in all honesty the biggest move was when I was 8. Even as an 8 year old I recognized it as perfectly hectic and crazy.

However, I've recently discovered what it must feel like to move without actually moving anywhere. It was just as insane.

My parents had decided that they'd like to remodel the living spaces of the main floor. Meaning that they've decided to replace the fireplace and all the flooring. Of course, once that was decided upon we might as well repaint everything since we don't have to worry about said floors because we were replacing them. Naturally, that meant we were to do all the walls. The walls that are two stories high and those that aren't. Also, when you think about replacing floors in the living room, kitchen, dinning room and family room it means that you have to move everything off said floors. This means tables, couches, piano, books, bookshelves, etc. You have no idea how much furniture you have until you need to move it. Let's just say our vehicles were out in the driveway for awhile. Goodness though. It felt as if we were moving. But not. Because we were still living in the same house as everything was being done.

Now it's all done. Except for the few touch up painting and deep cleaning chores that you always do when you move. It's been pretty intense.

Looking at the results though, well, let's just say that the inside of the house looks entirely different. Except for the structure of the house itself and the original furniture, even if it is rearranged. It's been fun.

But as a result, I haven't been on here for awhile. I'm going to have to go back and update everything. Especially the daily information on a chapter from the Book of Mormon. I've gotta say that the chapters quoting Isaiah are extremely difficult to make it through. But I'll get through them. I am sorry about that. I'll try to make up for it.

Have a great holiday weekend everyone!

2 Nephi 25

2011-12-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you are aware that the past several chapters have been chapters from Isaiah. In Chapter 25, Nephi explains Isaiah because "the words of Isaiah are not plain unto you, nevertheless they are plain unto all those that are filled with the spirit of prophecy" (4). Nephi also mentions why he speaks and writes the words of Isaiah: "for I know that they shall be of great worth unto them in the last days; for in that day shall they understand them" (8).

There is one verse in particular that I really enjoy:

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins" (26).

I can relate to a certain extent to the words Elder Jeffrey R. Holland once said:

“My greatest thrill and the most joyful of all realizations is that I have the opportunity, as Nephi phrased it, to ‘talk of Christ, . . . rejoice in Christ, . . . preach of Christ, [and] prophesy of Christ’ (2 Nephi 25:26) wherever I may be and with whomever I may find myself until the last breath of my life is gone. Surely there could be no higher purpose or greater privilege than that of ‘special [witness] of the name of Christ in all the world’ (D&C 107:23).

“But my greatest anxiety stems from that very same commission. A line of scripture reminds us with searing understatement that ‘they which preach the gospel should live . . . the gospel’ (1 Corinthians 9:14). Beyond my words and teachings and spoken witness, my life must be part of that testimony of Jesus. My very being should reflect the divinity of this work. I could not bear it if anything I might ever say or do would in any way diminish your faith in Christ, your love for this church, or the esteem in which you hold the holy apostleship” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1994, 39–40; or Ensign, Nov. 1994, 31).

Now, I'd think it's rather obvious that I love to talk of Christ, rejoice in Christ, and peach of Christ. It's kind've all over the place in my blog. But there's also one more where we "prophesy of Christ" (26). Sometimes I think that it only applies to our Church leaders. But for me it has also come to mean having and sharing your testimony of Christ.

So study the words of Isaiah. They are for our time. Remember also the words of Elder Holland where our very beings should reflect the divinity of his work.

2 Nephi 24

2011-12-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 24 is the last of the Isaiah chapters. The righteous will be gathered and will find rest from sorrow and fear. Doesn't that sound magnificent?

I've talked about the Millennium a lot ("1 Nephi 22", "2 Nephi 6", "2 Nephi 11", "2 Nephi 21" and others I'm sure). But it is still something that I really look forward to.

Just make sure you live righteously and repent.

2 Nephi 23

2011-12-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 23 is a bit gloomy. The heading to the chapter reads:

"The destruction of Babylon is a type of the destruction at the Second Coming—It will be a day of wrath and vengeance—Babylon (the world) will fall forever—Compare Isaiah 13. About 559–545 B.C."

The one that I can't really imagine is what verse 10 says:

"For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine."

I live in Modesto, CA and we can see the starlit night pretty well. If we want to see it better, we just travel a few miles out into the orchards. But in Rexburg, ID you can see the so many stars that it's hard to imagine the sky having that much depth to it.

I can't really imagine a world were, when looking up at night, you can't see the stars. That frightens me. Scary.

2 Nephi 22

2011-12-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 22 is all about praising the Lord in song. Isaiah 12:2 (which is also 2 Nephi 22:2) is the verse that inspired the following hymn, which is one of my favorites.

The Lord is My Light

James Nicholson

The Lord is my Light; then why should I fear?

By day and by night his presence in near.

He is my salvation from sorrow and sin;

This blessed assurance the Spirit doth bring.

Chorus:

The Lord is my light;

He is my joy and my song.

By dad and by night

He leads me along.

The Lord is my light; Tho clouds may arise,

Faith, stronger than sight, looks up thru the skies

Where Jesus forever in glory doth reign.

Then how can I ever in darkness remain?

Chorus

The Lord is my light; the Lord is my strength.

I know in his might I'll conquer at length.

My weakness in mercy he covers with pow'r,

And, walking by faith, I am blest every hour.

Chorus

The Lord is my light, my all and in all.

There is in his sight no darkness at all.

He is my Redeemer, my Savior, and King.

With Saints and with angels his praises I'll sing.

Chorus

2 Nephi 21

2011-12-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 21 speaks of the Millennium when Christ shall reign on the earth. I like the visuals of many of these verses, but my favorite is verse 9:

"They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea."

I like it so much because it has to do with knowledge and as much as I don't always like to do school work, I do love to learn. Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught:

“In our day we are experiencing an explosion of knowledge about the world and its people. But the people of the world are not experiencing a comparable expansion of knowledge about God and his plan for his children. On that subject, what the world needs is not more scholarship and technology but more righteousness and revelation.

“I long for the day prophesied by Isaiah when ‘the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord’ (Isaiah 11:9; 2 Nephi 21:9). In an inspired utterance, the Prophet Joseph Smith described the Lord’s ‘pouring down knowledge from heaven upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints’ (D&C 121:33). This will not happen for those whose ‘hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men’ (121:35). Those who fail to learn and use ‘principles of righteousness’ (121:36) will be left to themselves to kick against those in authority, ‘to persecute the saints, and to fight against God’ (121:38). In contrast, the Lord makes this great promise to the faithful:

“‘The doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven.

“‘The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever’ (D&C 121:45–46)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1989, 38–39; or Ensign, May 1989, 30).

2 Nephi 20

2011-12-18T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 20 seems to me to be more historical then a chapter where you can learn some lessons. However, I still learned some. One verse reads:

"Shall the ax boast itself against him that heweth therewith? Shall the saw magnify itself against him that shaketh it? As if the rod should shake itself against them that lift it up, or as if the staff should lift up itself as if it were no wood!" (15).

The footnote for this verse says that the prophet is comparing the king to a tool; the king of Assyria. But I think it also teaches us a lesson to not be boastful.

Being the Lord's tool is a very good thing. The Lord knows how best to use you and help others and such. However, if we have acted according to God's direction and served someone, and then go about boasting to everyone that it was all you, well, it's not very smart. So be humble and do your best to follow God's directions.

2 Nephi 19

2011-12-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 19 is entirely about the Savior. There is so much that could be discussed, but it almost feels to me as if I continue to repeat myself as Christmas comes closer. But I'll share one of the most well-known verses with you:

"For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder; and his name shall be called, Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (6).

To help us understand more about his titles, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said:

“As ‘Wonderful Counselor,’ he will be our mediator, our intercessor, defending our cause in the courts of heaven. ‘The Lord standeth up to plead, and standeth to judge the people,’ Isaiah (and Nephi) reminded earlier [2 Nephi 13:13]. Note the wonderful compassion of our counselor and spokesman in this passage of latter-day scripture:

“‘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;

“‘Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren that believe on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life’ [D&C 45:3–5].

“Of course, as noted by Isaiah, Christ is not only a mediator but also a judge [see Mosiah 3:10; Moroni 10:34; Moses 6:57]. It is in that role of judge that we may find even greater meaning in Abinadi’s repeated expression that ‘God himself’ will come down to redeem his people [Mosiah 13:28; see also Mosiah 13:34; 15:1; Alma 42:15]. It is as if the judge in that great courtroom in heaven, unwilling to ask anyone but himself to bear the burdens of the guilty people standing in the dock, takes off his judicial robes and comes down to earth to bear their stripes personally. Christ as merciful judge is as beautiful and wonderful a concept as that of Christ as counselor, mediator, and advocate.

“‘Mighty God’ conveys something of the power of God, his strength, omnipotence, and unconquerable influence. Isaiah sees him as always able to overcome the effects of sin and transgression in his people and to triumph forever over the would-be oppressors of the children of Israel.

“‘Everlasting Father’ underscores the fundamental doctrine that Christ is a Father—Creator of worlds without number, the Father of restored physical life through the Resurrection, the Father of eternal life for his spiritually begotten sons and daughters, and the One acting for the Father (Elohim) through divine investiture of authority. All should seek to be born
of him and become his sons and his daughters [see Mosiah 5:7].

“Lastly, with the phrase ‘Prince of Peace,’ we rejoice that when the King shall come, there will be no more war in the human heart or among the nations of the world. This is a peaceful king, the king of Salem, the city that would later become Jeru-Salem. Christ will bring peace to those who accept him in mortality in whatever era they live, and he will bring peace to all those in his millennial and postmillennial realms of glory” (Christ and the New Covenant, 80–82).

2 Nephi 18

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 18 talks more about our Savior. We often hear that Jesus Christ is our foundation, but for some he will be a stumbling block:

"And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling, and for a rock of offense to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem" (14).

Elder Bruce R. McConkie said:

“When the stone of Israel comes, he shall be a sanctuary for the righteous; they shall find peace and safety under the shelter of his gospel; but he shall be a Stone of Stumbling and a Rock of Offense (as also a gin and a snare) to the rebellious and disobedient in Jerusalem and in all Israel. They shall stumble and fall because of him; they shall take offense because of his teachings and be condemned and broken and snared and taken for rejecting them” (Doctrinal New Testament Commentary, 3 vols. [1971–73], 3:292–93).

Be the kind of people who will find safety in the Lord rather than hardships because of the choices you've made. Be the kind of person who can say, "I will wait upon the Lord" (17). Elder Robert D. Hales addressed this saying:

“As we put our faith and trust in the Lord, we must battle our pain day by day and sometimes hour by hour, even moment by moment; but in the end, we understand that marvelous counsel given to the Prophet Joseph Smith as he struggled with his pain of feeling forgotten and isolated in Liberty Jail:
“‘My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;
“‘And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes’ (D&C 121:7–8).
“My dear brothers and sisters, when pain, tests, and trials come in life, draw near to the Savior. ‘Wait upon the Lord, . . . look for him’ (Isaiah 8:17; 2 Nephi 18:17). ‘They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint’ (Isaiah 40:31). Healing comes in the Lord’s time and the Lord’s way; be patient” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 19; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 17).

2 Nephi 17

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

It's the Christmas season and in Chapter 17 it reads:

"Therefore, the Lord himself shall give you a sign—Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and shall bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (14).

How blessed are we to have a Savior. Immanuel, a name for Jesus Christ, comes from words in Hebrew that mean “God with us.” There should be no question as to why we celebrate Christmas. It's a season where we rejoice in his birth because it symbolizes our chance at Eternal life if we but repent and live righteously.

2 Nephi 16

2011-12-14T07:00:00.000-08:00

You know, the Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon can be really hard to relate to sometimes. I had that problem with Chapter 16. However, there was still a portion I could relate with in verse 10:

"Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes—lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted and be healed."

For us to be people who are obedient and righteous to the Lord and his prophets, we should try to open our eyes and see the world around us. See the people we interact with and see how we can help. See all the blessings we take for granted. See and enjoy the beauty of the world. We should try to hear the sounds of lovely music. Music of nature, music of the heart, music of the rhythms of life. We should try to understand that which we see and hear with our hearts. Our heart should be our interrupter. To do all this, we will be converted and healed by the Lord.

2 Nephi 15

2011-12-13T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 15 I understand much better then the previous one. It's informing us that Israel will be scattered upon the earth, then giving warnings of what we'll be faced with, but that the Lord will "lift up an ensign to the nations from far, . . . and behold, they shall comes with speed swiftly" meaning that Lord will gather his people (26).

There is a warning against carrying burdens of iniquity because of vanity:

"Wo unto them that draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin as it were with a cart rope" (18).

President Harold B. Lee described how sin is like a burden:

“If I were to ask you what is the heaviest burden one may have to bear in this life, what would you answer? The heaviest burden that one has to bear in this life is the burden of sin” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1973, 177; or Ensign, July 1973, 122).

Repentance is really an amazing thing. It helps us lift up the burdens we've placed on ourselves. Sometimes we are too proud and not humble enough to turn to the Savior and let him take our burdens from us. It can be a difficult process. But it is worth it. You can stand up straight and more fully enjoy life.

Verse 20 is a verse we hear a lot these days. It reads:

"Wo unto them that call evil good, and good evil, that put darkness for light, and light for darkness, that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

We see that often in our lives. The world around us says "of course this is ok!" when it really isn't. Many have lost their moral compass and are saying that immoral things are actually good. There are so many examples in life that you can't imagine actually living in the world without guidance. But this is why we have modern revelation and prophets on the earth today. They can help us find the right path through all these traps and obstacles. As President James E. Faust said:

“The gap between what is popular and what is righteous is widening. As prophesied by Isaiah, many today ‘call evil good, and good evil’ [Isaiah 5:20]. Revelations from the prophets of God are not like offerings at the cafeteria, some to be selected and others disregarded” (in Conference Report, Oct. 2003, 21; or Ensign, Nov. 2003, 22).

Thus, remember to humble yourselves and repent, sticking to the path that leads to real joy. It'll definitely be worth it.

12 Days of Christmas

2011-12-12T13:17:00.000-08:00

There are a great many things people do for the Christmas season. I was trying to think of ways I could do something special this year. Reading this month's Ensign, there was an article "As Christ Comforts Us" about an LDS family who ended up moving to New Zealand. They were there for the Christmas season and had come in contact with an Irish family of another Christian faith who were also spending this holiday far from the people they knew. They decided that they'd do the American tradition of the 12 Days of Christmas. Even some of youth from their ward became involved. Since that time, this other family and their congregation they met with for church, all believed the 12 Days of Christmas to be something members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints do.

It got me thinking though. I decided I wanted to do the 12 Days of Christmas for one of the girls I visit teach. I looked all over the internet for ideas for this. I've never done this before. So I wasn't sure what the tradition was. Then I found this site. It had a little poem thing to use with ideas as what to give each person for that day. Mixing them up a little and adjusting the words to my own use I came up with the following:

On the first day of Christmas I've often heard it said
It's nice to give someone you love a loaf of homemade bread.

On the second day of Christmas the rushing never stops,
So stop and sit a little while with these two lollipops.

On the third day of Christmas three packages of jello -
The light dessert, the bright dessert, red, green and yellow.

It's the fourth day of Christmas and I bet you thought we'd miss you
We didn't though, and here you have four rolls of bathroom tissue.

On the fifth day of Christmas five treats of sugar sweet.
We hope that you will soon enjoy the taste that can't be beat.

On the sixth day of Christmas, it will soon be Christmas night,
We give you six blue candles to put you in the light.

On the seventh day of Christmas, good wishes we are sending,
With seven chocolate puddings to help you (3 syllables and end in -ing).

On the eighth day of Christmas, with Santa coming soon,
We've brought you eight nice bright balloons to decorate your room.

On the ninth day of Christmas we know you're on the run.
So we want you to slow right down and have a little fun.

On the tenth day of Christmas this rhyme is near its end,
Along with ten sweet angels which from us to you we send.

On the eleventh day of Christmas it was getting hard to choose
But with eleven candy canes we felt we could not lose.

On the twelfth day of Christmas, twelve fruits you'll find in here.
Sent with love and the hope that we've brought a touch of cheer.
And as a final note we add, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

For each day, I'm going to deliver that day's portion of the poem along with the part that's mentioned in the lines itself. Obviously, you can change it to read whatever you'd like it to say. But it's a lot of fun to have it rhyme.

I'm excited for tomorrow! That's when I'm going to get started on doorbell ditching it at random points throughout the day. What's going to be fun is that when I shared this thought with my mother, she asked if I'd do this for my little brother too. It's so fun to do things for other people. It's fun to imagine their excitement and their total loss of what is going on. What's going to be really interesting is that the girl I visit teach? I've never seen her or met her or even know her and vice versa. This'll be a good opportunity to do something for her. What makes it harder is that I won't even be in town after this month, but I still want her to know that someone care for her and hope she's doing well.

The first day of Christmas starts tomorrow! I'm a bit ecstatic! Hope you too have found something to do for your fellowman this Christmas season.

Teaching "The Final Judgement"

2011-12-12T07:30:00.000-08:00

Remember last month when I taught the lesson in Relief Society? I was asked to teach yesterday as well! I really love teaching Relief Society. I've had the calling once before, and I love filling in for the YSA branch.

The's lesson was on The Final Judgment. I had never connected the fact that the Final Judgment is the FINAL judgement of judgements made as we move through life. That was absolutely fascinating to me. I mean we are judged worthy to receive the baptismal ordinance, as well as judged worthy to receive a calling, temple recommend and in the case of the men, the priesthood, etc. I love it.

I'm sure you've heard Matthew 7:1 where it reads "Judge not, that ye be not judged." It's used all the time. It tells us not to judge others. That being judging is a bad thing. But the interesting this is the Joseph Smith Translation for this verse which reads:

"Now these are the words which Jesus taught his disciples that they should say unto the people. Judge not unrighteously, that ye be not judged: but judge righteous judgment."

We have to judge righteously, which means having the Holy Ghost with you. Each individual is different, with their different circumstances. In order to have a righteous judgement you have to have to Holy Ghost as your companion. It doesn't mean that you are mean or anything, you have to have Charity (the love of God). But it means you judge righteously.

Anyways, that little portion had not much to do with the lesson in the manual, but I found it fascinating so I shared it. Another interesting part of the lesson covered what we would be judged on. Often, in the world, we think it has to do with just "accepting Christ" or good works outweighing the bad. In a way that's correct, but there's more too it. Accepting Christ doesn't just mean you announce that you've accepted him. But rather that your life follows his. You've accepted him in your heart to a degree that you shy away from any evil or bad thing. It is true that your good works should be outweighing the bad. But it's only those that are 100% good that'll make it into the Celestial kingdom. How is that possible you ask? We all make mistakes right? Yes, we certainly do. But there was one person who never made a mistake and suffered and died for all of ours, this way we could be made perfect. We can be 100% good through Jesus Christ, our Savior.

We are judged "according to the desire of our hearts" (Alma 41:3). We are judged according to our words, works, and thoughts (Alma 12:14). Goodness. We are judged on all that. That's scary. I mean, our actions, sure. Understand that. But our thoughts? That's what would frighten me. But that's also why I am so grateful for the Atonement. Through it we can repent and be 100% pure and clean and good. Through the Atonement it is possible for us to change. It is possible to change our hearts totally around. However, could you imagine what it would be like to not have a perfect slate when the Savior comes? You'd feel like the rest of Alma 12:14:

" . . . and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence."

It would be hard to face Christ with a guilty conscious. You'd really want to hide it you didn't repent. So to prepare for the final judgement, the best way is to do it is "line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little" (2 Nephi 28:30). It's doing those simple things every day that we are instructed we should do: pray oft, scripture study, repent, etc. I love how somebody in class put it. We should make each day a Celestial day. It's now on my list of mottos along with "Good thought? Do it!" and a few others.

We have the agency to choose the path that leads us. We can choose to follow the path to the Celestial, Terrestrial, or Telestial. To take the path that leads to the Celestial we should be doing the things that lead us there. So, wake up every morning thinking "This is going to be a Celestial day" and do the best you can to make it that way.

2 Nephi 14

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 14 is another Isaiah chapter. I honestly don't know what to say about this chapter. I like how verse 4 reminds me to make sure I cleanse my life. I like how verses 5 and 6 caused me to think about turning to the Lord for safety, comfort and peace.

I guess this makes me think of ways I can cleanse my life. Like the lesson I taught yesterday, I should try to live every day as if it were a Celestial day. Making sure I say prayers morning and night, studying the scriptures, these are small steps I could take to live a cleansed life.

It's also important for me to turn to the Lord. Because of his Atonement, I can repent. I can find comfort and peace through him. I can be happy.

So this was a simple and small post, but it still teaches you something. I love the scriptures. They always teach you.

2 Nephi 13

2011-12-11T07:00:00.000-08:00

Isaiah prophesies what will happen to Judah and Jerusalem in Chapter 13. I'm focusing in on what the first part of verse 9 reads:

"The show of their countenance doth witness against them, and doth declare their sin to be even as Sodom, and they cannot hide it. Wo unto their souls, for they have rewarded evil unto themselves!"

What is a countenance?
A countenance is an indication of mood, emotion, or character via appearance, especially the expression of the face

To me it's important that we have good countenances. It's a reflection of what's inside us. What the state of our spirit is. I'd like to have a countenance made clean and pure through the Atonement, so that when I am someday face to face with Heavenly Father and his son Jesus Christ I will not wish to hide myself under a rock. As it says in Alma 12:14:

"For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to chide us from his presence."

In order to make sure I have a countenance that I'm not ashamed of, I need to invite the spirit into my life. This means doing good. It means doing anything that invites the spirit. Serving others. Prayer. Scripture study. Even repentance. For we are not perfect and we make mistakes. President Brigham Young said, "Those who have got the forgiveness of their sins have countenances that look bright, and they will shine with the intelligence of heaven” (“Speech,” Times and Seasons, July 1, 1845, 956). People like to hang around people with bright and shinning countenances. There is just something you like about them and you gravitative towards them.

There are times when you do something that dims your countenance. It might not be noticeable to you. But those people so full of the spirit can notice. President David O. McKay taught:

“No man can disobey the word of God and not suffer for so doing. No sin, however secret, can escape retribution. True, you may lie and not be detected; you may violate virtue without it being known by any who would scandalize you; yet you cannot escape the judgment that follows such transgression. The lie is lodged in the recesses of your mind, an impairment of your character that will reflect sometime, somehow in your countenance or bearing” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1951, 8).

Thus, repent. When you think of something good, act on it. It's a great thing. Your worries and burdens seem not so heavy, you really just enjoy life and all it has to offer.

2 Nephi 12

2011-12-10T07:00:00.000-08:00

My Family at the San Diego Temple (Spring 2008)

Isaiah is speaking on a great many topics in Chapter 12.

One of those topics spoken about are the temples of the lord. So I just want to take the time to talk about how awesome Temples are. Isaiah uses the phrase "the mountain of the Lord's house" to describe temples (2). Elder Bruce R. McConkie said,

“All of the holy temples of our God in the latter days shall be built in the mountains of the Lord, for his mountains—whether the land itself is a hill, a valley, or a plain—are the places where he comes, personally and by the power of his Spirit, to commune with his people” (The Millennial Messiah [1982], 275).

Temples are just amazing places. My family has this tradition of either stopping at every temple we see and taking a picture in front of it, or we exclaim and point and chatter when we see one as we drive by. They are always easy to spot. At night they are lit up like bright stars on earth and in the day they are white and glorious as they seem to sparkle in the sunlight. "In the temple we are taught, we make covenants, and we are promised blessings. We receive ordinances that enable us to live in the presence of God" (Temples.lds.org). Temples are just amazing, awesome places. We are so lucky to have so many of them throughout the world with more being built every year. There are currently 135 operating temples (3 under renovation), 16 under construction, and 15 announced (Temples.lds.org). How glorious the temples of the Lord are. We really should take more advantage of them.

Repeating Personal Progress

2011-12-09T09:22:00.001-08:00

The Personal Progress is the program created by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for young women ages 12-17. In the current booklet it lists what the purpose of the program is:

"Personal Progress will help you strengthen your faith in and testimony of Jesus Christ as you learn His teachings and regularly apply them in your life. It will help you strengthen both your present family and your future family. It will help you prepare to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple. And it will prepare you to be a faithful, contributing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

"The Personal Progress program uses the eight Young Women values to help you understand more fully who you are, why you are here on the earth, and what you should be doing as a daughter of God to prepare for the day you go to the temple to make sacred covenants. It will help you prepare for your future roles as a faithful woman, wife, mother, and leader in God’s kingdom. Participating in Personal Progress teaches you to make commitments, carry them out, and report your progress to a parent or leader. The patterns you establish as you work on Personal Progress—such as prayer, scripture study, service, and journal keeping—will become personal daily habits. These habits will strengthen your testimony and help you learn and improve throughout your life" (Overview for Young Women).

I received my Young Womanhood Recognition on September 7, 2008. The Young Women Personal Progress booklet I was given just before I turned 12 years old is in a state of possessing a faded blue binding, as well as highlighter and pen marking each page accompanied by messy handwriting, dates and signatures. That little booklet helped teach me a lot of things in life.

The Young Women theme that is recited each Sunday is as follows:

We are daughters of our Heavenly Father, who loves us, and we love Him.
We will "stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things,
and in all places" (Mosiah 18:9) as we strive to live
the Young Women values, which are:
Faith
Divine Nature
Individual Worth
Knowledge
Choice and Accountability
Good Works
Integrity and
Virtue.
We believe as we come to accept and act upon these values,
we will be prepared to strengthen home and family, make and keep sacred covenants,
receive the ordinances of the temple, and enjoy the blessings of exaltation.

They first added "strengthen home and family" just before I joined Young Women's. Then the new value "Virtue" was added by December 2008. If I had a few more months before I graduated, I would have attempted earning my Young Women's Recognition once again. Since then, I've had that an idea bouncing around in my head for awhile. Yesterday, I determined to actually act on this idea. It's my early New Year's Resolution. In the young women's you have approximately 7 years to complete Personal Progress. As a result, as my own deadline is by the end of the year 2018.

You may be asking me why I want to go complete this program once again. But if you go back to what the purpose of the program is:

strengthen your faith in and your testimony of Jesus Christ.
strengthen both your present family and your future family.
prepare you to make and keep sacred covenants and receive the ordinances of the temple.
prepare you to be a faithful, contributing member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
understand more fully who you are, why you are here on the earth, and what you should be doing as a daughter of God to prepare for the day you go to the temple to make sacred covenants.
prepare for your future roles as a faithful woman, wife, mother, and leader in God’s kingdom.
teaches you to make commitments, carry them out, and report your progress to a parent or leader.
patterns you establish will become personal daily habits. These habits will strengthen your testimony and help you learn and improve throughout your life.

Is there any reason why I wouldn't want to accomplish this once again? It's called Personal Progress. I want to keep progressing. It'll help me focus on the things that would be most beneficial. Things to do that could always be areas one could be progressing in.

2 Nephi 11

2011-12-09T07:00:00.000-08:00

My Soul Delighteth. Those are the words Nephi uses throughout Chapter 11. He's introducing the words of Isaiah that he'll be quoting for the next several chapters and he uses the phrase "my soul delighteth in his words" (2).

I don't know about you, but Isaiah is sometimes the harder part of the Book of Mormon and Bible to understand. Occasionally, I'll receive some insight. But more often than not, I just don't understand it. This time around I'm using John Bytheway's Isaiah for AirHeads. It's extraordinarily helpful. Then I begin to understand why Nephi's soul delighteth in his words. In the original language, Isaiah's words were more like a type of poetry. And poetry in one language does not easily translate into another. But I've begun to see the beauty in the words of Isaiah. Both in it's meaning as well as in the syntax, the arrangement of the words within the sentences.

Nephi also shared other things his soul took delight in:

"Behold, my soul delighteth in proving unto my people the truth of the coming of Christ" (4).

"And also my soul delighteth in the covenants of the Lord which he hath made to our fathers; yea, my soul delighteth in his grace, and in his justice, and power, and mercy in the great and eternal plan of deliverance from death" (5).

"And my soul delighteth in proving unto my people that save Christ should come all men must perish" (6).

I understand these things, for my soul taketh delight in the same things. Sharing my testimony with others about Jesus Christ. I love doing that. It really makes me pleasure to be able to share something that gives me such joy and peace in life with others, because I know that they too can find such joy and peace. I glory in the fact that I've made covenants with the Lord that make it possible for me to live with him again as well as live with my family forever. That my ancestors have also made covenants making it possible for us all to be together forever. How can that not make me grateful and joyful? I find happiness in the Plan of Salvation for us to experience mortality, learn, grown, gain an immortal body and live in the presence of God with our families forever, if we are righteous. That's something I am certainly glad for. I am grateful for the chances I have to share my testimony of the Savior and his Atonement that made it possible to us to all live again with God and our families, as well as so much more. I understand Nephi.

This is the introduction Nephi gave to quoting Isaiah's words. The words which testify of Christ's first and second coming. Basically, the words which express the things that make his soul delighteth.

We can take delight in most anything, but for true delight, for delight that really enters your soul and makes you so cheerful, you find it in the Lord and what he's done for us. You can't stop being grateful when you begin to understand.

Spirit of Christmas

2011-12-08T17:20:00.001-08:00

Christmas season is the season where service is just abounding everywhere. I love it. You begin to think of ideas to serve your fellow man. For example, just today I thought of doing the 12 Days of Christmas for someone. It's made me soo excited. I love the opportunities we have to better ourselves during Christmas, and the rest of the year.

Scams

2011-12-08T08:29:00.001-08:00

In my family, we just let the phone ring unless it's a number we recognize and our parents are home. Because generally it's for them anyways and the message will usually be something along the lines of "tell your mom (or dad) that on blank-day, so-and-so needs this or that and that the meeting on this blank-day has been changed to this time." Etc. We leave it for the answering machine so our parents can actually get the message.

So the other day, when we were all together in the family room lounged on the couch, draped over chairs, or sprawled on the floor chatting about life while the television was paused, the phone rang. It was one of those numbers we didn't recognize, plus it was an unknown caller. My dad actually asked that we pick it up. We normally don't, because usually those numbers are trying to sell us something. But we did, and gave him the phone.

And guess what? Someone was calling from India! My family doesn't know anyone personally who lives there, just so you know. This person was telling us that we have a problem with our Windows on the computer and thus he called us so he could help, or whatever. Now, this guy called the wrong house. First, I think that we have only one non-Mac in the house. Secondly, we haven't had a problem with our computers. Thirdly, my dad's a computer scientist and so actually knows what computers can and can't do. Receiving a call from India about the fact that one of our computers is having problems and so reached out to this guy for help and then from that learned our actual house number to call to help was highly unlikely. Apparently impossible as well.

This guy asked if we turned on our computer. My dad said yes. As we were sitting on the floor not even near a computer. The guy asked a bunch of other questions that my dad just said yes to. Then my dad asked him, how can you see my computer screen? My dad knew that he couldn't, but asked to see what the man would say. Well. The man heard, hesitated (very obviously), and then studiously ignored the question pretending there was a language barrier and continued with what he was instructing. Eventually, it turned out that he wanted my dad to download something from off the internet. My dad has not moved from the floor in the family room. The man then asked what my dad saw on the screen. My dad asked, what am I supposed to see? The other guy pretended there was a language barrier again and repeated the question. Then my dad asked, do you know my name? The man paused a little and gave a mumbled and muffled reply of "Mr. Jay..." Um. Not even close. Then my dad said, I'm sorry. I think you have that wrong number. That's not my name. My dad then started asking further questions such as, how'd you know it was my computer? How'd you get this number? etc. The man hung up on us without even a goodbye.

After the dial tone came up, my dad turned to all of us and warned us about the dangers of scams and explained that this guy just called a number and wanted us to download something onto the computer that would contain a virus. He then told us that with computers as well as banks, we call them. They don't call you. We knew this all growing up, because that's how my dad is. But it was quite the teaching opportunity. Hands on and all. It was actually fun. My brothers were actually rolling around in laughter. In anycase, beware the scammers.

Other helpful hints: you know those e-mails you get every once in awhile? The ones that are like, forward to your friends so you can get good luck or help poor susan or something? If you really want to pass it along, put the addresses of those you are passing it to in the BCC (Blind Carbon Copy) this way people won't have your friends e-mail. Scammers of today would really like active e-mail addresses so they could send you junk mail and whatever else. Just a warning.

2 Nephi 10

2011-12-08T07:00:00.000-08:00

While reading Chapter 10, I kept in mind the events that occurred 70 years ago yesterday: the attack on Pearl Harbor. I wanted to say something about the day that happened long before my birth.

I've learned about Pearl Harbor through the American History classes taken while in school, the History Channel, and every once awhile a book or newspaper article. I also learned from a great-great aunt who was a Japanese school girl living Japan during WWII. She told our family that she was grateful for the atomic bomb that hit Japan, because as a school child she was training with poles to fight the American soliders. The bomb was the only thing that could have stopped such a total destruction of her people. They were ready to die fighting. Every citizen.

When my family visited Hawaii in the Spring of 2009, we visited Pearl Harbor. It was quite the experience. Seeing all the names of all the people who died during the attack was heart-wrenching. It makes you grateful for the men and women who serve our country.

So I was reading Chapter 10 when I came across verses 10-17:

10 But behold, this land, said God, shall be a land of thine inheritance, and the Gentiles shall be blessed upon the land.

11 And this land shall be a land of liberty unto the Gentiles, and there shall be no kings upon the land, who shall raise up unto the Gentiles.

12 And I will fortify this land against all other nations.

13 And he that fighteth against Zion shall perish, saith God.

14 For he that raiseth up a king against me shall perish, for I, the Lord, the king of heaven, will be their king, and I will be a light unto them forever, that hear my words.

15 Wherefore, for this cause, that my covenants may be fulfilled which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh, I must needs destroy the secret works of darkness, and of murders, and of abominations.

16 Wherefore, he that fighteth against Zion, both Jew and Gentile, both bond and free, both male and female, shall perish; for they are they who are the whore of all the earth; for they who are not for me are against me, saith our God.

17 For I will fulfil my promises which I have made unto the children of men, that I will do unto them while they are in the flesh—

He's talking about America here. The Book of Mormon speaks about America a lot. But it's comforting to know that if we live righteously, if we do the best we can, then we will be okay. God keeps his promises. We just have to keep our end.

How blessed we Americans are. We just take it for granted most of the time. We are people who don't have to worry about dictators ruling and killing mass amounts of people. We don't have to fear. Most of us will never see war, unless we volunteer to serve and protect this country. We are blessed upon this land to have freedoms. How wonderful it is to be here.

2 Nephi 9

2011-12-07T07:00:00.000-08:00

As you have probably noticed, I've been trying to blog everyday about a chapter in the Book of Mormon as I read through it once again. In each blog, I've try to focus on something from that particular chapter that really stood out to me. I try to show what I've learned or why I find it important or even how it relates to my own life. I really want to encourage inspiration from the scriptures as I read and then really study out a particular portion. As a result, I'm also working on keeping them short. Sometimes I get a bit carried away because it's just so exciting to me.

However, in Chapter 9, I've come across a problem. There is just so much that stood out to me in this chapter that my scriptures here are colored like the rainbow in most every verse. Seriously. I've also am grateful for the talent of writing neatly and tiny with a pen, because now the margins are filled with black-ink insight.

I suppose in order to make this short-ish I'll focus on the fact that I've discovered more favorite verses. I mean, I love most every verse; they are all amazing. But I have a few I really really enjoy because of their simplicity and what they seem to mean to me. One of them is Jacob 6:12: "O be wise; what can I say more?" This verse seems to speak very well for itself as to why it's one of my favorites. It's been a well used favorite since I was young.

But 2 Nephi 9:29 can now be counted among that list of favorites. It reads: "But to be learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God." Many people of the world read in the scriptures where the learned think they know better and are wiser than God, and it gets them into eternal trouble. Now, it is true that thinking you are wiser than God just proves your foolishness and idiocy. But I like how this verse explains that being learned is good if they hearken unto the counsels of God. I like that a lot. Thus, it's on the favorite list.

The other one I can count among my list of favorites is 2 Nephi 9:49: "Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God." When I read that I feel it's how I feel sometimes, and how I always want to feel. It sounds so cheerful. I want that. I want to have that be what people would think of me. My soul abhorreth sin. My soul detesth, loatheth, despiseth sin. That quite strong. I'd avoid it at all costs with that kind of feeling. I'd repent immediately with that kind of feeling. Sometimes there are those things you do that you know you shouldn't but you do anyways. That's more like a love of sin. Kinda. The next part of the verse speaks about "my heart delighteth in righteousness". That sounds cheerful, doesn't it? I mean, delighteth. What I good word. You delight in righteousness, so you'd seek it out. It's in your heart. It's a very good heart condition. I just love that phrasing. You could imagine a person like that being the kind of person you want to be around and be friends with. The last bit of the verse continues on in the same stream of joy, "I will praise the holy name of my God." I believe that I need to do that more frequently in my life. Praise God. Praise who he is and what he's done for us.

Anyways, so these are a few more new favorite verses with their perfect simplicity. Easier to memorize that way. The rest of Chapter 9 is absolutely impressive with it's teachings. There's so very much I took from this chapter. You really have to take the time to read and study each verse individually. Like there was verse 51 which started out with the moral behind many a Christmas story: "Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy." Or maybe the verses praising the Lord for his Atonement that he suffered for us so we could have bodies forever thus we would not be subject to Satan except by our own choice. There was just so much! I highly recommend reading it. I really do. Lots of pearls of wisdom in the Book of Mormon. This chapter in particular seemed to be a gold mine.

The Bible

2011-12-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

Scriptures are an amazing work of God that I don't think we take full advantage of them as we should.

Richard G. Scott said,

"Because scriptures are generated from inspired communication through the Holy Ghost, they are pure truth. We need not be concerned about the validity of concepts contained in the standard works since the Holy Ghost has been the instrument which has motivated and inspired those individuals who have recorded the scriptures.

"Scriptures are like packets of light that illuminate our minds and give place to guidance and inspiration from on high. They can become the key to open the channel to communion with our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ" ("The Power of Scripture").

How do we not take advantage of such a work? They are for us! They give us guidance and comfort in this mortal life as we try to understand our place in the grand scheme of things. As Elder Scott said the Book of Mormon and the other scriptures, including the Bible, are recorded words of God. The Holy Ghost inspired the people involved with the scriptures. There was such a process of the coming forth of the scriptures. Do we not understand the sacrifices made to bring these books forth?

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints know about the process and sacrifices made to bring forth the Book of Mormon to the world by Mormon, Moroni, Joseph Smith, Jr and many others. But there was also the miraculous coming forth of the Bible that we don't seem to study as much.

There is a three part series entitled Fires of Faith that Brigham Young University created about the creation of the King James version of the Bible: Yearning for the Word, Martyrs for a Book, and The King James Bible.

A few years ago there was a Mormon Message, "The Miracle of the Bible". It's not as in depth as the Fires of Faith series, but it's stilly pretty good.

I just hope that we each learn to take more advantage of the word of God. We are a blessed people to have the word of God so easily accessible. We should learn to be open to the guidence God wishes to give us. It'll make us much happier. A good way to invite that gudience is to read the scriptures. So take advantage of them!

2 Nephi 8

2011-12-06T07:00:00.000-08:00

Jacob is quoting Isaiah once again to the Nephite people in Chapter 8. But I'm only focusing on verse 7, because that's the one that really helps instruct me on how I could be better.

Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart I have written my law, fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye afraid of their revilings.

First, we are to hearken. Hearken doesn't just mean listen. It means to give respectful attention. It means that when my mother asks me to do something, I shouldn't say, "Yeah. Ok. Sure" as I'm distracted by the computer or television. It means that I stop what I'm doing so I can be respectful as well as give her my full attention. That's how we should be with God. We shouldn't just say, "Yeah. Ok. Sure" to the commandments or words of the prophets, we should sit up and really listen with respect and your whole being.

Secondly, this verse is speaking to those that "know righteousness". Those people who have God's commandments written in their hearts. To be counted among those who know righteousness, we have accepted our Savior and Heavenly Father into our being. We don't just obey and follow the commandments because that's what we are supposed to do, but rather we do so because it's a part of us. It's something that we believe. It's something that's written in our hearts. It's one thing to read it in a list, it's quite another to know them by heart because it's important to us.

Third, we should not be fearful of man. They are not worth fearing. Much of this chapter is saying, why would you fear man and forget God? Because God is magnificent, but man is only mortal. God can help you in your hardest times. If you stand by God and remember who he is you will remember that he is greater than man. What can man do that God cannot help you through?

Those are the lessons I've taken from this verse alone. I'm to really hearken to God, and have his word in my heart, and not be fearful of man. There is so much more in the chapter, but I only have so much time. No wonder we are asked to read and reread the Book of Mormon, there are always things to focus on.

The Close of 2011

2011-12-05T08:09:00.001-08:00

The end of the year is upon us once again. Today I found a video covering moments of 2011. Moments where there was great hardships but where we were all inspired.

There was a Yahoo! blog 2011 Year in Review in which I think that the video originated from. I really really enjoyed the video and it brought back many memories of my own when each of these things occurred.

I was at BYU-Idaho when the earthquake hit Japan. My Home Evening group happened to be full of returned missionaries from Japan and some who were grew up in Japan, including a roommate of mine. I also have a friend serving his mission in Japan and he had arrived there the week before the earthquake and tsunami. It was a very trying time in life.

Then in May 2011 there was a tornado that hit Missouri. My former roommate is from Missouri and was visiting when the tornado hit. Her flight was grounded for a time. But it took me awhile to learn of that. Luckily Facebook is awesome like that.

(An Image it Took 30 Years to Complete: Father and Son at First and Last Shuttle Launch)

There was also "the final space shuttle mission, STS-135, ended July 21, 2011 when Atlantis rolled to a stop at its home port, NASA's Kennedy Space Center in Florida" (NASA website). There was also the photo at right of the father and son watching the first and last shuttle launch. That was the most touching to me. Put a more human aspect on the events that I always took for granted.

I remember the 10th Anniversary of 9/11. The whole program was on the television. It was Sunday morning, and church started at 2:15 PM for me, so I watched most all of it. What a wonderful way of starting that Sunday. I made a breakfast for my family and we watched the program throughout the morning. How touching that was. The 9/11 memorial is on my list of places to visit someday.

Thus, the video gives me memories of my own experiences of the year.

2 Nephi 7

2011-12-05T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 7 begins with God asking the Israelites who abandoned whom? Was it he who turned away from them? Or was it the Israelites who turned away?

Obviously it was the Israelites. But it is a question we should ask ourselves. There is question John Bytheway quotes in Isaiah for AirHeads, "If you feel further away from God today than you were yesterday, guess who moved?" Are we opening the door to the Lord? Are we inviting him in?

There are things that we can do to make sure we are inviting him into our lives. We can be sure to pray to him. We can make sure to read the scriptures, the word of God for us. We can live in a way the invites the spirit to our lives which will guide us on to the path of happiness. We could do our best to be obedient to the commandments of God, charitable to all those who cross paths with, have faith in Heavenly Father, repent when we make mistakes and when we have difficult times turn to the Lord and his Atonement.

CHRISTmas

2011-12-04T20:06:00.001-08:00

Christmas. It's called CHRISTmas. It's not only a holiday where we celebrate the giving and receiving of gifts, leaving treats for Santa and his deer, and not having to go to work or school. It's a holiday where we celebrate the birth of Christ and all that symbolizes. We celebrate Christmas because of what Jesus Christ, our Savior did for us. He made it possible through the Atonement for us to repent and live with our Father in Heaven again. The Savior. That's the purpose behind all the decorations and sales and presents.

This year, at the First Presidency Christmas Devotional, they empathized the same message. Here's the whole thing if you haven't watched it!

In it, they have introduced The Life of Jesus Christ Bible Videos a free gift to the world. It doesn't cost. It's free on the internet. You don't have to sign in or registar or anything. Sounds too good to be true. But it is just as good as you couldn't imagine. Totally worth seeing or downloading or anything. The site is: LDS.org/bible-videos. Recommend watching them this Christmas season. They have parts of the Savior's birth. Perfect for the Christmas Season.

First Presidency Christmas Devotional

2011-12-04T12:10:00.001-08:00

You know what today is?

It's the day of the First Presidency Christmas Devotional! I'm rather excited! They have it this early in the month so that we may record it or have it online so that we may watch it in among our own Christmas traditions. They are always very good and inspirational! So don't forget!

Today it'll show at 6:00 PM Mountain Time. If you miss it, well, it'll be on the site along with all the former First Presidency Christmas Devotionals.

I really hope you can incorporate it into your holiday season!

2 Nephi 6

2011-12-04T07:00:00.000-08:00

In Chapter 6 of 2 Nephi, Jacob is now teaching the Nephite people from the words of Isaiah. But my favorite part is in verse 13 which reads:

". . . the people of the Lord shall not be ashamed. For the people of the Lord are they who wait for him; for they still wait for the coming of the Messiah."

When Jesus Christ comes to the earth again, the people of the Lord will not be ashamed or afraid of going forth to meet the Savior. They won't be wanting to hide any sins. They will know of the power of the Atonement and so, in preparation for meeting the Savior, they will have tried to live as righteously as they could and repent of their mistakes. They would have done so before the coming of the Lord because they've been waiting. In preparation for waiting they would have prepared themselves as much as they could so they could go forth to meet the Savior when he comes in his own timing.
It's like the Parable of the Ten Virgins. In order for us to partake of the Second Coming and all that entails, we have to be prepared and ready to answer the call whenever it comes.

2 Nephi 5

2011-12-03T07:00:00.000-08:00

Nephi's people did "prosper exceedingly" and "lived after the manner of happiness" (11, 27). That sounds absolutely fantastic!! Just those words themselves cause me to want to have what they had. However, I already am blessed in that way.

There are several ways that we can prosper. Today we normally turn our thoughts to material goods including money and status symbols when we think of prospering. But President Heber J. Grant taught was true prosperity is:

"When I say prosperity I am not thinking of it in terms of dollars and cents alone. . . . What I count as real prosperity . . . is the growth in a knowledge of God, and in a testimony, and in the power to live the gospel and to inspire our families to do the same. That is prosperity of the truest kind” (Gospel Standards, comp. G. Homer Durham [1941], 58; also cited by James E. Faust, in Conference Report, Oct. 1998, 74; or Ensign, Nov. 1998, 59).

We just had the American holiday of Thanksgiving. We counted the things we are grateful for. When you make that list what are some of the things that usually top it? Family. Friends. God. The food set before you. America. The things we are most grateful for are not usually the new flat screen TV, the awesome iPad 2, or the new smartphone. We are grateful for other things that is not usually counted among "prosperity".

Now what is the "manner of happiness" spoken about in verse 27? President Gordon B. Hinckley has said:

“The Lord wants us to be happy. Nephi said a great thing: ‘And . . . we lived after the manner of happiness.’ (2 Ne. 5:27.) What a wonderful thing. I want my children to be happy. I want them to do well. I want them to live well and live rightly, properly; and, in the same way, except that my Father in Heaven’s love reaches beyond any power of love that I have. I think He wants His sons and daughters to be happy. Happiness comes of righteousness. ‘Wickedness never was happiness.’ (Alma 41:10.) Sin never was happiness. Selfishness never was happiness. Greed never was happiness. Happiness lies in living the principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ” (“Fast-Paced Schedule for the Prophet,” Church News, Apr. 20, 1996, 3).

When we live in the manner of happiness, I imagine a group of people living in such a way to cause them to find joy. That's the gospel in essence. If we follow God and truly live the gospel, we will be living in the manner of happiness. I've discovered that in my own life.

Once, in high school, I was having one of those days where I was just down. I don't even remember why. I just know I wasn't feeling as great as I could be. Well, I had an acquaintance that I only saw once a day, if that, who came over to me and bluntly broke into my self-pitying mind by saying, "Why are you always so happy?" Now, she didn't know how ironic that question was on this particular day. I didn't feel happy at all. But that was her question, "Why are you always so happy?" I was so shocked by the question I think I said, "I have no idea." The moment after I said that I knew the answer, so I told her. I said, "It's because of how I live my life." In further explaining, I mentioned how I go to church every Sunday and then have seminary every morning before school. I mentioned how I don't just attend church, I live what I believe. In living it, I have found a happiness and satisfaction in life I couldn't have found any other way. The gospel is the path of happiness. It gives you the most and the truest joy. Even on those difficult days. You know who you are. You know where you came from. You know where you are going. You know the way to get there. Is it any wonder why I was always happy?

In True to the Faith under "Happiness", it reads:

"Your happiness can be contagious. As others observe you, they may desire to know the source of your joy. Then they can also experience the happiness that comes through living the gospel of Jesus Christ."

Being truly happy doesn't mean that I've not had hard and difficult days. Happiness is more of a choice you make in life. While living "after the manner of happiness" the Nephites still had their wars and contentions with the Lamanites (27, 34). You find strength in that which makes you happy, the gospel of Jesus Christ, and find that it can sustain you through such times.

So remember to count your blessings and live in the manner of happiness.

2 Nephi 4

2011-12-02T07:00:00.000-08:00

In the previous chapters, Lehi has been giving blessings, advice and prophesies to his posterity as their father, patriarch and prophet and he continues to do so in Chapter 4. What I really want to focus on is a father's blessing.

Sometimes as members, we wonder when it is appropriate to receive a father's blessing. As James O. Mason said in 1978,

". . . There is a sacredness about a father’s blessing that requires that it not be employed without careful spiritual preparation. . . .

"However, my daughter was right in one principle: a father’s blessing is available whenever there is a need; it is not something to always be saved for grand ceremonial occasions" ("I Have a Question", Ensign, July 1978).

So when is it appropriate? Elder Eldred G. Smith said:

“Father’s blessings can be given by your father, if he holds the Melchizedek Priesthood, anytime you wish one, anytime you have a desire for it. This is what I recommend to young people. It is recommended by the Church that whenever you are starting a new adventure in life, some change is taking place, some new goal coming ahead of you, it is appropriate and recommended that you ask your father to give you a father’s blessing. What would be more appropriate than in a family home evening you sit together in a family group and have your father literally put his hands on your head and give you a blessing for this particular occasion that is coming up.” (“Patriarchal blessings,” Eldred G. Smith, April 30, 1971, Salt Lake Institute of Religion, The Last Message series, pp. 2–3.)

In my family, we each receive a father's blessing at the beginning of every school year. It's a great blessing to know that our Father in Heaven is aware of our desires and struggles in life and that he gives us his blessing through our father on earth. It's truly miraculous and comforting. It's nice to be able to share the experience with your dad.

I know of some families who don't have fathers who are able to give such a blessing for one reason or another. But James O. Mason has said:

"If a person does not have an available or eligible father to give a blessing, he should remember that the bishop is available, as well as home teachers. They, or a relative, can give a blessing whenever needed. However, when the person performing the blessing is not the father, it is called a priesthood blessing instead of a father’s blessing" ("I Have a Question").

So we all can still be blessed in such a way. What a truly wonderful gift it is.

Avent Calendar for Christmas

2011-12-01T11:50:00.001-08:00

Life. It's one of those things you've gotta love. I mean, do you realize that we have 25 days until Christmas? I want a Christmas Advent Calendar. One with a little chocolate for every day. I'd make sure I was the first one up everyday so I could get it. I actually know a few people who do that. I think I'll just have to make one for myself. Maybe it won't have amazingly delicious chocolates in it.. but I'm sure I can have an M&M a day. Or maybe an Oreo. I'll figure out something yummy to eat. The holidays. It's a perfect excuse for taking delight in delectables. Then New Year's will arrive. The perfect excuse for making a goal to exercise. Life. Gotta love it.

I've got to create my own advent calendar.

2 Nephi 3

2011-12-01T07:00:00.000-08:00

Joseph Smith Jr. is the main focus of Chapter 3. I suppose I could go through the whole chapter can tell you what each part means to me. However, I think I'll share with you my testimony of this man.

Joseph Smith. He was the man who formally organized The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830. He saw our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. He helped to restored the fullness of the gospel to the earth today.

President Brigham Young shared his own witness of Joseph Smith:

“It was decreed in the counsels of eternity, long before the foundations of the earth were laid, that he, Joseph Smith, should be the man, in the last dispensation of this world, to bring forth the word of God to the people, and receive the fulness of the keys and power of the Priesthood of the Son of God. The Lord had his eyes upon him, and upon his father, and upon his father’s father, and upon their progenitors clear back to Abraham, and from Abraham to the flood, from the flood to Enoch, and from Enoch to Adam. He has watched that family and that blood as it has circulated from its fountain to the birth of that man. He [the Prophet Joseph Smith] was fore-ordained in eternity to preside over this last dispensation” (Discourses of Brigham Young, 108).

Joseph Smith was an amazing man. He gave us the truth of the gospel so we no longer had to wander through life lost and confused to what our purpose is. He returned us towards God and taught us of the Priesthood and revelation. He gave us scripture. Is it any wonder why we are so grateful and love him? He made it possible for us to find real lasting happiness. What a great man he is.

2 Nephi 2

2011-11-30T07:00:00.000-08:00

The theme of Chapter 2 seems to be focused on the wonderful gift of agency we've each been blessed with to be able to choose between good and bad.

"Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself. Wherefore, man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other" (16).

In order for us to be able to choose, we actually had to have things to choose between. Thus, the whole "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things" (11). If there weren't opposition than we wouldn't know what real happiness was nor was true misery might be.

"And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the garden of Eden. And all things which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created; and they must have remained forever, and had no end" (22).

Heavenly Father, being perfect, cannot create something imperfect. That goes against what God is. So if Adam and Eve had not transgressed they would have been forever not knowing anything better, or anything worse.

"And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin" (23).

Could you imagine being in such a state? Just living innocently, without any knowledge of what being really happy could mean? This is why it wasn't the beginning and end of God's Plan. It's call the Plan of Happiness for a reason.

He had two trees in the garden of Eden. The tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They were in opposition as well. It allowed them a choice. Elder Bruce R. McConkie said, "One was the tree of life, which figuratively refers to eternal life; the other was the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which figuratively refers to how and why and in what manner mortality and all that appertains to it came into being” (A New Witness for the Articles of Faith, 86).

But when Adam and Eve partook of the fruit from the tree of knowledge of good and evil they transgressed and were sent from the garden of Eden so that they could not also partake of the tree of life (Moses 4:28-31). Now, what is a transgression? Elder Dallin H. Oaks said:

“[The] contrast between a sin and a transgression reminds us of the careful wording in the second article of faith: ‘We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression’ (italics added). It also echoes a familiar distinction in the law. Some acts, like murder, are crimes because they are inherently wrong. Other acts, like operating without a license, are crimes only because they are legally prohibited. Under these distinctions, the act that produced the Fall was not a sin—inherently wrong—but a transgression—wrong because it was formally prohibited. These words are not always used to denote something different, but this distinction seems meaningful in the circumstances of the Fall” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1993, 98; or Ensign, Nov. 1993, 73).

Adam and Eve transgressed, they did not sin. President Joseph Fielding Smith said:

“Just why the Lord would say to Adam that he forbade him to partake of the fruit of that tree is not made clear in the Bible account, but in the original as it comes to us in the Book of Moses it is made definitely clear. It is that the Lord said to Adam that if he wished to remain as he was in the garden, then he was not to eat the fruit, but if he desired to eat it and partake of death he was at liberty to do so” (Answers to Gospel Questions, comp. Joseph Fielding Smith Jr., 5 vols. [1957–66], 4:81).

They had a choice even then. We've always had this gift of agency. We can choose between good and evil. Because of Adam's choice we have been able to come to earth. We have been able to discover what joy is. "And men are instructed sufficiently that they know good from evil" (5). Good leads to joy and peace. Evil leads to misery and torment. We can choose. Make sure you always do your best to choose the right, it'll lead you to great joy.

Learning from Ancestors

2011-11-29T09:00:00.000-08:00

Family History. I love it. As a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it's part of what we do. It doesn't just mean genealogy work. I means really getting to know your past relatives. In the church, we also use it to discover which portions of our ancestors' ordinances are done.

For me, however, I have to go back a great many generations to find someone without their work done. All lines of my ancestors joined the church back in the 1800s. They've pretty much been doing Family History work ever since then. As a result, I don't focus all too much on that aspect of it. But I do love to follow the doings and stories of each individual. I learn of their struggles to America back before it was a country. I learn of their struggles across the Great Plains to Utah and from there to other parts of the West. I learn of the hardships they faced in the Great War and the Great Depression. I learn how much technology has changed. I learn of their daily lives, their hopes and dreams. It's truly fascinating to me. Much of the lessons my ancestors have learned through their trials are simular to the ones I face now. You learn much wisdom from studying your ancestors' lives.

Palmyra New York Temple

A copy of an account given by Rebecca Bean at a Fireside in Salt Lake City in the late fall of 1964 was handed to my mother while she was in the MTC preparing for her mission. Just a few Mondays ago, my mother used this copy to teach us about my great-great-great uncle Willard Washington Bean who served as mission president with his wife Rebecca Rosetta Peterson Bean in Palmyra, NY for 24 years. Turns out he's the one who bought all the major church sites over there. And organized and helped plant the trees on Hill Cuhmorah. Which are still there. That's just a little bit awesome to me.

I'm really grateful for Rebecca Bean giving her account in 1964. I'm grateful that someone had recorded it. I'm grateful for the blessing it was that the MTC President's wife learned that my mother was a relative and gave a copy to her. I'm grateful that my mother taught it to us.

Learning about your ancestors helps you feel more rooted in the world. It gives you a sense of family togetherness and connectedness. You really get to learn the history of a time through the eyes of your ancestors. I can't really imagine a better way of learning history. You really become interested in it when you realize that in a way you are a part of it.

In anycase, for those of you who'd like to have a copy of Rebecca Bean's account it's here. Click on the symbol for printing and then "save page as..." This way you can actually put it on your computer if you'd like.

2 Nephi 1

2011-11-29T07:00:00.000-08:00

There's a lot in Chapter 1 of 2 Nephi. But I'll be focusing in on a part of verse 21:

". . . arise from the dust, my sons, and be men, and be determined in one mind and in one heart, united in all things, that ye may not come down into captivity;"

I really loved that. I began looking through the Priesthood session of the October 2011 General Conference for a talk and quotes I could use for this verse and I found the following poem in "The Power of the Aaronic Priesthood" that Bishop Keith B. McMullin gave:

Behold the Man

Keith B. McMullin

To men of old there came in time

The priesthood named for Aaron.

Through Levites, priests, and prophets too,

It served to bless God's children.

Then came the Savior of the world

And sought out one named John,

To be baptized by this same power

And mark salvation's dawn.

In latter days this selfsame power

Was again restored to earth,

That gospel truths from first to last

Might in one's soul find birth.

Aaronic Priesthood, truth sublime,

In preparation come—

That redemption might be had

Through God's Beloved Son!

And he who ministers these powers—

'Tis not a mere boy that can.

With priesthood mantle on him fixed

We say, "Behold the man!"

What I find interesting, is that the phrase "Behold the man!" actually comes from a scripture in John 19:5:

Then came Jesus forth, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!

Seriously, Jesus Christ really was the man. "Yes, Jesus is the man. He possesses all characteristics of the true, ideal man" Richard C. Edgley said in a talk helpfully entitled "Behold the Man!", which, by the way, is a very excellent talk. That's quite something to live up to. I mean, Jesus Christ was, well, perfect. It can be really hard to even want to strive to be that perfect when you think you can't do it. But that's the miracle of the Atonement. We can be perfected in him. Each of us. So I supposed that Lehi's call to his sons to "be men" is more like a call to be like Jesus Christ.

Preparing for the Christmas Season

2011-11-28T12:53:00.001-08:00

It's the Christmas Season. It really is. I see decorations up. I hear Christmas music on the radio. I've come across Christmas movies on TV. I see people helping each other out. The weather's getting brisk. It's truly the Christmas Season.

There are several things we do to prepare for Christmas. We set up our decorations both inside and outside. We look for gifts for our friends and family. We may go around and sing carols to your friends and neighbors, delivering a little gift as you go. Perhaps you have a Christmas Advent calendar. Maybe you begin reading all your Christmas books and stories. Possibly you read Luke 2. We may sing and hum about Santa and his reindeer or about how beautiful the first Christmas was. You might go to a soup kitchen and serve a meal. Or maybe go to a nursing home and sing carols. Sometimes you may have a huge meal with family and friends. There's a great many things we do to prepare for Christmas.

As for me, I've been searching our bookshelves for Christmas books. I found the perfect book Silent Night, Holy Night as narrated by Walter Cronkite and illustrated by Robert T. Barrett. It had a CD in the back and I began to listen. It's wonderful.

I looked all over the internet for the same so you could listen, and maybe watch it, legally. I found it on YouTube of course. It comes in two parts. It's a perfect way to get into the right frame of mind this Christmas Season. I hope you also find it worthwhile. Happy Christmas Season everyone!

1 Nephi 22

2011-11-28T07:00:00.000-08:00

I really like Chapter 22. I really do. Nephi's brothers had asked him what the meaning of Isaiah's words in the two previous chapters meant. So he explained it to them. It's also the last chapter in 1 Nephi. It's basically a brief history of what will happen in the world since Nephi's time. The creation of the United States of America (7), the restoration of the gospel (8), the gathering of Israel (6-12), Jesus Christ will show his power to the world (10-12), those against the church will end up destroying themselves (13-14), the righteous will be preserved (17), the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (20), and the Millennium will occur (24-28).

This chapter reminds me much of the lesson I taught in Relief Society a few weeks ago. The lesson was Chapter 44: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

One of the questions I was asked was, "How will Satan be loosed at the end of the Millennium?" I told them that in my personal opinion it would be much like when the Nephites and Lamanites fell away from following God and his commandments and as a result the Nephites were utterly destroyed. Satan was bound in the first place because there was no purchase for him in the hearts of men. So I was thinking that near the end of the Millennium the people will begin being prideful and such which allows Satan grasp into the hearts of men once more causing him to be no more bound.

Well, I just found the exact verse that explains how Satan will be bound during the Millennium.

"And because of the righteousness of his people, Satan has no power; wherefore, he cannot be loosed for the space of many years; for he hath no power over the hearts of the people, for they dwell in righteousness, and the Holy One of Israel reigneth" (26).

Isn't the Millennium going to be a fabulous place? It's like the Christmas Season times a thousand and all the time. Everyone will be so charitable and helpful, happy and joyful. It's going to be an amazing time. There will be nothing negative in the world. It'll all be peaceful. Can you imagine? I totally want to be there.

Now, we have no idea when exactly the Millennium will begin. If it'll happen in our lifetime or afterwards. But we can find comfort in the fact that "he will preserve the righteous" (17). That doesn't just mean Latter-day Saints. "They will be those who have lived virtuous and honest lives" (Chapter 45: The Millennium). I'm sure every single one of us knows of those great people in our neighborhood or in our lives who are truly wonderfully good people. They'll be counted among those who'll be preserved. What I didn't know is that "People will still have their agency, and for a time many will be free to continue with their religions and ideas. Eventually everyone will confess that Jesus Christ is the Savior" (Chapter 45: The Millennium). It's going to be such an amazing time for missionary work. Though I'm almost sure that Jesus Christ himself will be a big part of that.

Anyways, this whole topic makes me rather ecstatic. I just have to live as righteous a life as possible. It's all so exciting!

1 Nephi 21

2011-11-27T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 21 is another Isaiah chapter. I used the same sources as in the previous post about 1 Nephi 20. I have to mention that my favorite by far is Isaiah for Airheads by John Bytheway. I highly recommend it. Especially with reading The Book of Mormon. The other sources are mainly for the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament versus the Isaiah portions in The Book of Mormon. There's more to be understood when you read and study the words of Isaiah mentioned amidst the words of the Nephites and Lamanites. Like, why was Nephi quoting these verses to his brethren? Why were they important their peoples? This book really helps you out in both understanding the words of Isaiah as well as the background story going on while Isaiah was being mentioned. I really recommend it.

Anyways, chapter 21 has a lot in it. Mostly it's about the gathering of Israel in the last days and the restoration of the gospel and the like. It was truly fascinating to read the chapter and then read what John Bytheway wrote about it. I almost wish I could copy his entire words into here. But that's not really practical. So you'll just have to find it and read it yourself.

In any case, there's one verse that seems to hold some of the meaning of the chapter, verse 22:

Thus saith the Lord God: Behold, I will lift up mine hand to the Gentiles, and set up my standard to the people; and they shall bring thy sons in their arms, and thy daughters shall be carried upon their shoulders.

Then there is a Hymn that really kind've captures the meaning of the chapter:

High on a Mountain Top

Joel H. Johnson

High on a mountain top

A banner is unfurled.

Ye nations, now look up;

It waves to all the world.

In Deseret's sweet, peaceful land,

On Zion's mount behold it stand!

For God remembers still

His promise made of old

That he on Zion's hill

Truth's standard would unfold!

Her light should there attract the gaze

Of all the world in latter days.

His house shall there be reared,

His glory to display,

And people shall be heard

In distant lands to say:

We'll now go up and serve the Lord,

Obey his truth, and learn his word.

For there we shall be taught

The law that will go forth,

With truth and wisdom fraught,

To govern all the earth.

Forever there his ways we'll tread,

And save ourselves with all our dead.

So try to be a good missionary. Try to help others and be the best you can be. All will work out beautifully. The Lord remembers his people.

Officially the Christmas Seaon

2011-11-26T10:35:00.001-08:00

'Tis the Christmas Season!!

I L♥VE this time of year. I really really do. It's one of my favorites. Everyone is in such a good mood (if they aren't stressing about presents or something). I see my neighbors putting up their Christmas lights and decorations. As well as their trees. All the stores are playing Christmas songs. A lot of community service occurs, either planned or spontaneously. Neighbors helping neighbors, strangers helping strangers. I just love every moment. Families gather together. We keep each other in mind as we try to think of gifts to give them. You begin reading all the Christmas stories. You start watching all those Christmas movies. You begin listening Christmas music as you work around the house and drive to different places. I just love Christmas. Everyone is just so happy. It's such a fantastic way to end every year. Christmas. It's just wonderful.

I hope you each have a wonderful Christmas season!

1 Nephi 20

2011-11-26T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 20 is an Isaiah chapter in the Book of Mormon. It can be compared to Isaiah 48 in the Old Testament. There are actually quite a bit of Isaiah chapters in the Book of Mormon. They like to quote him and teach from him. As the Lord said to the Nephites:

"And now, behold, I say unto you, that ye ought to search these things. Yea, a commandment I give unto you that ye search these things diligently; for great are the words of Isaiah.

"For surely he spake as touching all things concerning my people which are of the house of Israel; therefore it must needs be that he must speak also to the Gentiles.

"And all things that he spake have been and ashall be, even according to the words which he spake" (3 Nephi 23:1-3).

But Isaiah can be hard to interpret. Thus, I'm using a few outside sources in my reading of the Isaiah chapters beyond the institute manual: Isaiah is for Airheads by John Bytheway, Visualizing Isaiah by Donald W. Perry, "Great are the Words of Isaiah" by Monte S. Nyman.

The Book of Mormon institute manual lists 3 basic guidelines to help us understand Isaiah's words:

Study other scripture. The scriptures themselves offer many insights into the meaning of Isaiah’s writings. The Bible Dictionary states, “The reader today has no greater written commentary and guide to understanding Isaiah than the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants” (“Isaiah,” 707). Not only do these books of scripture interpret passages of Isaiah, they contain doctrines and prophecies that shed light on Isaiah’s words. These modern scriptures fill in details that are not as evident in the Bible.
Seek the spirit of prophecy. As Nephi mentioned, those who were not “filled with the spirit of prophecy” (2 Nephi 25:1) in his day could not understand the meaning of Isaiah’s writings. The same is true today. Each serious student of Isaiah must seek revelation through the Holy Ghost to enlighten their mind and to help them read the words by the same Spirit in which they were written—in the testimony of Jesus Christ (see Revelation 19:10).
Study diligently. Elder Bruce R. McConkie (1915–85) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles encouraged Latter-day Saints to devote themselves to serious study of Isaiah: “Read, ponder, and pray—verse by verse, thought by thought, passage by passage, chapter by chapter! As Isaiah himself asks: ‘Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine?’ His answer: ‘them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts. For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little.’ (Isa. 28:9–10.)” (“Ten Keys to Understanding Isaiah,” Ensign, Oct. 1973, 83).

The lesson that I choose to take from 1 Nephi 20 (Isaiah 48) is that I should more fully rely on the Lord (2). Do I turn to the Lord as much as I should be? Do I rely on him as much as I could be? I know that I really do rely on him. But am I taking full advantage of what he offers? He is very all-knowing and such.

Also, I we are once again told the blessings that comes from following God's commandments. If we obey him we'll find peace in our lives (18). I like what Donald W. Perry has to say:

"Peace of conscience and spirit are gifts God gives to those who are obedient (Isaiah 26:3; Psalm 37:37; Romans 8:6; 14:17-19; Philippians 4:7). That kind of peaces comes from the Holy Spirit and is made available through the power of Christ and his atonement (John 14:27; 16:33). God's peace is not offered for this world alone. The peace spoken of here continues into celestial glory and will be consistent, ever flowing, like a river (Isaiah 66:12).
"When people obey the Lord's commandments their righteousness is as unstoppable as the ocean waves. Also, their righteousness is truly subject to the pull of the heavens, as waves are subject to the moon" (Visualizing Isaiah, 67).

I need to rely more on the Lord and be more obedient. Those are the lessons I took.

The Hike of a Lifetime (a.k.a. The Hike of MY Life)

2011-11-25T20:07:00.001-08:00

Exercise. There are a lot of things that are positive about exercise. One of the big ones is that it generally results in a longer life. Kind've something you'd think everyone would be doing then wouldn't you? Well, let's just say that I'm extremely lazy and don't purposely go out of my way to exercise. I just live life and call it exercise.

As a result of this, even though I have a wonderful metabolism and look in shape, I'm actually not really. I mean, yes, I can go play some games of Ultimate Frisbee whenever I'd like, but let's just say I'm not a marathon runner or an extreme sport person. I'm not anything of the sort. I don't prepare myself to go hike Mt. Everest.

Well, I have a story for you.

I went on a hike.

Now, at this point, my family would usually interrupt me with sounds of disbelief. In fact, most of those who were around during my teen years would have come across my expression of distaste of hiking. What's ironic is that I actually enjoy it. I'll blame the teenage brain. I mean, teenagers are certifiably insane. Before and after those years we're pretty normal. Before I was 12, my family used to go camping all the time. As a result we'd be hiking as part of the trip. Then the teen years hit and the phrase was "I'd rather go horseback riding." Which was true. I really would have rather gone horseback riding at the time then hike some volcano in Hawaii.

Basically, I haven't actually gone hiking for a long time. Unless you count hiking up to the "R" near Rexburg, ID. Thus, saying "I went on a hike", well, it has a lot more meaning then is normal.

How did I end up going on this hike? Well, I had this guy coming over to visit for awhile and I was trying to think of things we could do while he was in town for a few days. I came up with a few, but then ran out of ideas and still had a lot of time left over. My mother then suggested going to Yosemite which is 2.5 hours away from my house. Apparently it is the destination spot for people all over the world. I've actually only been there once; I was 9. I fell in the river that time. The words I wrote in my journal at 9 years old shows me that I thought I was this close to floating down the river. (Imagine your thumb and forefinger almost touching, and reread the previous sentence.) It's been quite the time since going to Yosemite. The only thing I remember about it is that I learned how to braid via pine needles and almost floating down the river.

Well, it soon became apparent that I'd have an entire free day with this guy and zero plans. So I mentioned my mother's suggestion. We decided we'd go. The next morning, after scriptures, prayers, driving my sister to school and breakfast, we left.

When we arrived, the sun was just getting over the mountains. It was odd. Because the sun had been up for awhile. And guess what? There was frost on the ground. It was a good thing that my parents had warned us to bring almost winter clothes. After looking around a bit, we then began to figure out which trail we were going to take. We looked at this awesome 3D map and then at actual maps. I noticed where we were on the map and the closest trail and pointed to that one. It didn't look to bad. It said it was 3 miles. I ran 3 miles every once in awhile in junior high. I could walk it, easy.

Yosemite Valley Map

False. False. False.

But that's later.

First, we took the Lower Yosemite Falls trail to the bottom of Yosemite Falls. That was fun. Really easy too. We saw families there playing on the rocks. As well as lots of people taking pictures. Of course we had our picture taken too.

We then started on our way to the Upper Yosemite Falls trail. We saw some deer. That was cool. It was odd though, because they weren't even scared of all the people staring at them and taking photos. Guess it happens all the time to them.

Well. After starting this Upper Yosemite Falls trail, it was extremely zig-zaggy. I had no idea how extremely tired I'd get of those zig-zags. They lasted forever. People on the way back down informed us how many more zig-zags there were left to the top. They'd also give encouragement such as: "you're almost there!" "The view's worth it!" etc.

We stopped often. I'll blame it on the fact that I wished to take pictures. and drink some water. and see all those people behind us as they became people in front of us. It was totally just so I could make new friends. No! It was the altitude. Definitely. That's it. Poor guy. Luckily he didn't mind all that much stopping every time I asked.

Apparently, though, my almost is not other people's almost. Seriously. See, to actually get to the top of Yosemite Falls you begin your hike up one mountain, then head down the other side almost to the valley floor I'm sure, then straight up to the top. With more zig-zags. But people were thinking that the top of the first mountain was the end of the trail. I do have to agree that the view was spectacular.

After a longer break, I was asked if I'd like to continue on. I said, "of course!" I'm blaming altitude and dehydration at this point. Naw, I'll just fess up and tell you that I really did want to accomplish getting to the very top. Also, well... I was kinda hiking with this guy... lol. I also thought we were a lot closer then we were. If we looked straight across the valley at the other mountains, we looked to be three-fourths of the way up. I was pretty sure that meant we were near the top.

Wrong.

Remember what I mentioned before? We headed back down, almost the the valley floor (it seemed). There was a point when we had a really good view of Yosemite Falls though! ➜

See? I'm pretty sure we were almost near the valley floor again. Except for the fact that the snow on the waterfall seemed to be at eye level. And I knew there was no snow on the valley floor. But still... we were not as high as we once were.

At this point in the trail is where we think even more people stopped and turned around. I'm pretty sure I would have, except for the fact that I was with this guy, and we didn't have another friend with us that I could send him up the rest of the way with.

Anyways, after this point I began noticing that all the hikers I had begun to see were all dressed as people who are professional, serious hikers. There were no longer any people with kids, nor any people who just decided to randomly pick a trail and take it without any serious preparation. Oh, wait! There was us!

Then, after a bit longer. And a "few" more zig-zags, we no longer came across people passing us up the mountain. In fact, it seemed like everyone was coming down the mountain. We were even told by one professional looking hiker that we must've had a late start.

More zig-zags. And the top of the mountain never looked closer. I'd even purposely stare at the trail for 10 straight zig-zags and look up again on one of my breaks to see if it looked any different. It didn't. It felt like some sort of nightmare. You know, where you are trying to reach something and you never get closer, then you turn around, and you are now farther away from the place where you started than where you are trying to go, so your only option in moving towards that place you were trying to go because you really hope that your closer than you think. It was like that.

Suddenly we were at the top. Well, sorta. We reached a spot that had this old rusted-looking sign on it.

It was very wet up there. And windy. Wasn't expecting that. Though it totally makes sense. We were on the top of a mountain. There was also snow every once in awhile. Sometimes ice. Sometimes slush. Sometimes nothing. Mostly it just looked like it had rained. Actually, it reminded me a lot of Oregon. Especially with all the moss. And the whole mountain part. and the wet. and the cold. It was a lot like Oregon.

After a bit more walking on legs that really just wanted a break we reached the part where we could see the entire valley. I had flashbacks to the Alps in Switzerland (especially the view from Mt. Rigi). It was gorgeous. Totally worth the hike.

Photographic evidence that we totally made it to the top!

There was an earlier photo of almost this exact angle. But look at the shadow differences. Also, this is the photograph that really reminds me of the Alps in Switzerland.

Top of the Yosemite Falls!!!

It was awesome. We ate some of the food we brought up with us. We took some pictures. We sat down and just enjoyed the view and the feeling of success. It was really just amazing that we made it. Especially with me in the equation. Yay us!

Coming down was also it's own adventure. By the time we were heading down the last bit of the trail, it became dark. Like, really. It was dark. And guess what? We didn't have a flashlight. Though, I then realized I had my iTouch and it had a flashlight app. And even though it wasn't exactly like a real flashlight, it did it's job wonderfully. Ha! Then we had to figure out where in the world we parked. We knew. But we couldn't figure out which way to go to get there. It was dark. Haha. After a bit more wandering and walking on frost and using the light and the unlocking button on the truck we found it! It lit itself up for us. Instead of keeping to the path, we cut straight through the woods to the truck. We piled in, and off we were. Though we still had a few hours of driving. But goodness, it was exciting.

So remember how it said the trail was 3 miles long? Well, after having been on it for a good while one of my most common topics was how it was totally not 3 miles. I mean, it took us 4 hours to get to the top! And it took 2 to get down. But still. There is no way that was 3 miles long. I googled it the next day and found YosemiteHikes.com. Here is some of what it said about the Upper Yosemite Falls trail:

Distance: 7.6 miles (12 km) round trip from the Lower Yosemite Falls trailhead; 9.4 miles (15 km) including Yosemite Point

Read: not 3 miles

Elevation gain: 2,600 feet (790 meters) to the top of Yosemite Falls; 2,969 feet (890 meters) to Yosemite Point

No wonder I had to stop all the time!! Right?

Hiking Time: 6 - 10 hours. Don't double-book hikes on days when you've got this one on your schedule.

Ha! We did it all in 6 hours! Go us! And we did the Lower Yosemite hike too! Ha!

Why hike to the top of Yosemite Falls? It's the mother of all stairmaster workouts, but with one-of-a-kind payoffs you won't get in a gym: panoramic views of Yosemite Valley; the only place outside Sentinel Dome where all of Yosemite Falls is visible (though you can't actually see it all at once unless you've got Exorcistesque peripheral vision); the chance to walk through the spray from upper Yosemite Falls; the chance to photograph Yosemite Falls and Half Dome in the same frame; and from Yosemite Point, closeup views of Half Dome that you can only beat by climbing North Dome.

True. I never want a stairmaster. Nor do I ever want to work out on one. Especially if it is anything like that hike. Minus the view. No way. The view is absolutely amazing though.

Crowd Factor: As with any trail that starts in Yosemite Valley, this one has plenty of people on it. It's got a friendlier vibe than the fall-out-of-your-car-and-you're-there attractions, though, because of the strenuousnosity of this hike. Your fellow hikers know they might need your help to carry them back down the trail again.

See. They were all serious hikers. Meanwhile we just decided to go to Yosemite the day before, then actually chose the hike while in Yosemite. Everyone was friendly though. And it's true that by the end of the trail we were helping each other out, though that was also from the lack of any light whatsoever.

Difficulty: High. It's a long, steep climb from the valley floor to the valley rim, and easily rates an 8 out of 10. Consider this question: would you climb the stairs all the way to the top of the Empire State Building? Well, in the course of your hike to Upper Yosemite Falls, you'll climb the equivalent of just over two Empire State Buildings.

It was not an easy hike. Not at all. My dad goes hiking all the time. I was told I should make a T-shirt with the words "I've gone on a hike my dad's never been on." Because he hasn't. And he could be one of those serious hikers.
P.S. Never take the stairs in the Empire State Building. They have elevators for a reason.

Hazards: There are mosquitoes along this route. There are a few spots, particularly the viewpoints, where the dropoffs are sheer and the guardrails welcome. Don't bring along any friends whose medication has led them to believe they can fly. And don't, under any circumstances, fall into the river above the falls.
This hike is a challenging workout. You won't make it unless you're in decent shape and you've brought enough food and liquid to carry you through a long, hard climb.

Basically, don't be me. Be in shape. Exercise is good for you. Start early. Eat food the whole time. and bring a lot more water so you don't have to ration it.

Totally recommend it though.

1 Nephi 19

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

This chapter contains one of my favorite verses, 1 Nephi 19:23:

And I did read many things unto them which were written in the books of Moses; but that I might more fully persuade them to believe in the Lord their Redeemer I did read unto them that which was written by the prophet Isaiah; for I did liken all scriptures unto us, that it might be for our profit and learning.

There are several things to be learned from this verse. Nephi taught his people using the scriptures. He read to them from the scriptures so that they may increase their testimonies in Jesus Christ. He did that by likening the scriptures unto them, this way they could profit and learn.

In modern times, we have received many instruction and guidance to teach us how to liken the scriptures unto us. One of my favorite is in the March 2009 Ensign entitled "Likening the Scriptures to Our Personal Lives". I recommend you read the whole thing. As it's all very good. But at the end of the article there are a suggested list of questions you could ask yourself as you read the scriptures:

What situations in my life are like the situations in these verses?
What are the principles in this chapter that will help me in my own circumstances?
What events or circumstances in my day are like the events or circumstances in these verses?
Is there something in this chapter that helps me with a current personal problem, question, challenge, or concern?
Is there something taught that is similar to what the living prophet and apostles are teaching today?
Is there something taught that could help with an issue the world is struggling with today?

I found the following video the other day while looking up things on LDS.org. It shows youth taking the challenge from President Monson this last General Conference to read the Book of Mormon. But while doing so, they naturally applied it to their lives. In anycase, I wish that each one of us will read the Book of Mormon and the scriptures and apply them in our lives. There is so much that we can learn from it. Reading the scriptures benefits our lives and help us find solutions to our daily struggles.

I hope we all can liken the scriptures to our lives.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-24T11:17:00.001-08:00

It's that time of year again!

Thanksgiving!

I love Thanksgiving. It's the time when families and friends get together and think of all the wonderful things we have in our lives and express our gratitude to our Heavenly Father for them.

It's truly fantastic. and it marks the beginning of the Christmas season where everyone has the Spirit of Christmas in their hearts. I'm rather excited for it all.

This Thanksgiving season there are several things I'm grateful for.

Family. I'm not sure where I'd be in life without my family. They are my best friends and will always be there for me. They help me be the best I can. My siblings are all such examples to me. I know that our's is a relationship that will last forever and I'm so grateful for it.

Friends. They make your day. They are truly wonderful people who will be there if you need them. Can't ask for anything more.

The Gospel. I'd be so lost in this world without it. It gives me the confidence and determination to be the best I can. It gives me a foundation in this world of chaos. I know that everything will be alright in the end if I do the best I can.

My body. I can run. I can jump. I can touch and feel. I can listen to music. I can see the colors of the world around us. I am so blessed to be able to hike mountains and swim in oceans.

America. God bless the USA. I live in a wonderful country. Even though I sometimes may not agree with what happens, I still live in a glorious country. I'm blessed with freedom. I'm blessed with the gift to not live in constant fear. I'm able to live with hopes and dreams. I'm so blessed to be an American.

There are just so many things I am grateful for in life. The food, a warm fire, technology, books, school, photographs, transportation, plants, fridges, ... etc. The list is impossibly long. But I am grateful for everything in my life. I'm grateful for the people in it, the things that make my life easier, and all such things I can't even think of.

Here's a Thanksgiving video made from the year 2009 about some random people in New York expressing what they are grateful for. It's still amazing if you haven't seen it.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving everyone! Hope it's magical for you!

1 Nephi 18

2011-11-24T07:00:00.000-08:00

When you read the scriptures, there are several ways you could go about it. Sometimes you look for a theme. Sometimes you read it much like any book. Sometimes you look by topic. Today being Thanksgiving, I looked through Chapter 18 through the lens of Thanksgiving.

At first there didn't seem to be much in the way of gratitude and Thanksgiving. Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael were once again rebelling and causing much grief to Lehi and Sariah, Nephi's young brothers Jacob and Joseph, and Nephi and his wife and children (9-21). Nephi had been bound so he couldn't move, bound so tightly that when he was eventually released, because Laman and Lemuel feared God, his wrists and ankles were extremely swollen and sore (10-12, 15, 20). Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael had threatened anyone who should speak for Nephi (17). Lehi and Sariah were brought down onto their sickbeds and were on the verge of dying (17-18). There didn't seem to be a whole lotta thanksgiving in there.

But then I read verse 16:

Nevertheless, I did look unto my God, and I did praise him all the day long; and I did not murmur against the Lord because of mine afflictions.

I imagine Nephi, recently loosed from his bindings that had chafed and injured him, on the boat that's being knocked around by the storm, knowing that his parents are on the edge of death because of his elder brothers and his wife, children and younger brothers surround him seeing if he's ok; yet, he found the strength within him to pray and praise God.

In the dictionary, praise means to express warm approval or admiration of or express one's respect and gratitude toward a deity.

Can we do that in our own lives? When we are experiencing injuries to ourselves and facing the likely deaths of your family due to natural disaster or age or sickness of heart, can we pray and express respect and gratitude towards God as well as express our approval and admiration of His will? It really takes a certain strength.

It's the kind of gratitude and feelings I should have towards God at all times. I really am grateful for all that God has blessed me with.

1 Nephi 17

2011-11-23T07:00:00.000-08:00

Remember the song "Nephi's Courage" I mentioned in a previous post? First it mentioned Nephi's going and getting the plates, then it mentioned his building of a boat. Chapter 17 is were Nephi's building of the boat occurred. It's also where his brothers murmured and wanted to kill Nephi, again, causing Nephi to give quite the speech to them while filled with the Holy Ghost.

Reading it, you side with Nephi. But there may be times when you read it and realize that you may have more things in common with Nephi's brothers then you thought. One of the things Nephi said to them was:

Ye are swift to do iniquity but slow to remember the Lord your God. Ye have seen an angel, and he spake unto you; yea, ye have heard his voice from time to time; and he hath spoken unto you in a still small voice, but ye were past feeling, that ye could not feel his words; wherefore, he has spoken unto you like unto the voice of thunder, which did cause the earth to shake as if it were to divide asunder (45).

Are there times when you can quickly justify an act you really shouldn't do? Or perhaps justify why you shouldn't do something you really should do? It might not be something dramatic or huge in the grand scale of things. But it's still something that could tip that grand scale the wrong direction.

Maybe you have that thought to visit a neighbor on the way home from class or work, but you justify your not visiting by saying you don't have the time, they're probably not there anyways, and they wouldn't want to talk to you even if they were. Now this isn't something terribly bad or any such thing, but when you start frequently ignoring such thoughts and promptings to do good, you are building calluses on your heart and becoming hard-hearted and past feeling. Soon you might begin ignoring other bits of inspiration.

Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin said:

“I fear that some members of the Lord’s Church ‘live far beneath our privileges’ with regard to the gift of the Holy Ghost. Some are distracted by the things of the world that block out the influence of the Holy Ghost, preventing them from recognizing spiritual promptings. This is a noisy and busy world that we live in. Remember that being busy is not necessarily being spiritual. If we are not careful, the things of this world can crowd out the things of the Spirit.

“Some are spiritually deadened and past feeling because of their choices to commit sin. Others simply hover in spiritual complacency with no desire to rise above themselves and commune with the Infinite. If they would open their hearts to the refining influence of this unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost, a glorious new spiritual dimension would come to light. Their eyes would gaze upon a vista scarcely imaginable. They could know for themselves things of the Spirit that are choice, precious, and capable of enlarging the soul, expanding the mind, and filling the heart with inexpressible joy” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2003, 27; or Ensign, May 2003, 27).

We should be careful in not developing callused hearts past feeling. We should turn to the Lord and have better communication with our Father in Heaven so we can be guided to do what is right and live well-satisfied, joyful lives.

1 Nephi 16

2011-11-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

In Chapter 16, several things happened. Lehi's sons and Zoram married Ishmael's daughters (7). The Liahona was introduced (10). Nephi's bow of steel broke (18). Ishmael died (34). Laman, Lemuel and the sons of Ishmael planned to kill Lehi and Nephi then were chastised by God and repented (35-39).

For me, the greatest lesson in here was of how Nephi dealt with the trial of the breaking of his steel bow (15-32). The words of Elder Marion D. Hanks really express my thoughts on this:

“What to do? Nephi says he made a bow and an arrow out of some available wood, got a sling and stones and, ‘I said unto my Father, “Whither shall I go to obtain food?”’ It is a simple thing, isn’t it? . . . This means that Nephi went to his father and said, ‘Dad, the Lord has blessed you. You are his servant. I need to know where to go to get food. Dad, you ask him, will you?’ Oh, he could have gone to his own knees. He could have taken over.

“I count this one of the really significant lessons of life in the book, and, I repeat, the pages are full of them. A son who had strength enough, and humility enough, and manliness enough to go to his wavering superior and say, ‘You ask God, will you?’ because somehow he knew this is how you make men strong, that wise confidence in men builds them. Lehi asked God and God told him, and Lehi’s leadership was restored” (Steps to Learning, Brigham Young University Speeches of the Year [May 4, 1960], 7).

I'm blessed with a fantastic righteous priesthood holder for my father. He presides over the family. However, I have friends who lack such a figure in their homes. One person that I know had a dad who was a priesthood holder, but couldn't really exercise such a gift. In her teen years, she was searching for a church to attend and discovered The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She quickly decided that she wanted to become a member. After some trials and changes in her life, she was ready. But she wanted her dad to baptize her as she had discovered that he was once an active member. She asked her dad if he would baptize her. Such a request changed their lives. He was so honored by such a request, he was so moved, that he softened his heart and returned to the right path and was able to baptize his daughter.

It's a bit miraculous.

Another example was told by President Ezra Taft Benson:

“Some time ago, a young man came to my office requesting a blessing. He was about eighteen years of age and had some problems. There were no serious moral problems, but he was mixed up in his thinking and worried. He requested a blessing.

“I said to him, ‘Have you ever asked your father to give you a blessing? Your father is a member of the Church, I assume?’

“He said, ‘Yes, he is an elder, a rather inactive elder.’

“When I asked, ‘Do you love your father?’ he replied, ‘Yes, Brother Benson, he is a good man. I love him.’ He then said, ‘He doesn’t attend to his priesthood duties as he should. He doesn’t go to church regularly, I don’t know that he is a tithe payer, but he is a good man, a good provider, a kind man.’

“I said, ‘How would you like to talk to him at an opportune time and ask him if he would be willing to give you a father’s blessing?’

“ ‘Oh,’ he said, ‘I think that would frighten him.’

“I then said, ‘Are you willing to try it? I will be praying for you.’

“He said, ‘All right; on that basis, I will.’

“A few days later he came back. He said, ‘Brother Benson, that’s the sweetest thing that has happened in our family.’ He could hardly control his feelings as he told me what had happened. He said, ‘When the opportunity was right, I mentioned it to Father, and he replied, “Son, do you really want me to give you a blessing?” I told him, “Yes, Dad, I would like you to.” ’ Then he said, ‘Brother Benson, he gave me one of the most beautiful blessings you could ever ask for. Mother sat there crying all during the blessing. When he got through there was a bond of appreciation and gratitude and love between us that we have never had in our home’” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1977, 45–46; or Ensign, Nov. 1977, 31–32).

Each of our parents are only human and make mistakes in life. But families can always help in making each individual member stronger. Families are amazing that way. Make sure we each do our own part.

1 Nephi 15

2011-11-21T07:00:00.000-08:00

There are many topics covered in 1 Nephi 15 but I'm going to focus more on what verses 32-36 teaches. See, Nephi was explaining to his brothers that a day was going to come where "they must be judged of their works", the works they did "by the temporal body in their days of probation" (32).

There are words and phrases from all over the world that expresses this belief such as "karma" and "what goes around comes around." We all seem to have this belief. Good leads to good. Bad leads to bad.

We are each here experiencing "probation" or mortality. This entire mortal experience is a test of sorts. To see who we will become. We are sent to Earth with no memories of things before. But we were given bodies and agency. What will we do with them? Will we earn our reward in the Celestial kingdom? Or will we end up burying ourselves as we choose that which is not good?

The following is from the Book of Mormon institute manual:

Elder Dallin H. Oaks spoke of how our works define who we are. What we become through our works constitutes the judgment we will receive:

"Many Bible and modern scriptures speak of a final judgment at which all persons will be rewarded according to their deeds or works or the desires of their hearts. But other scriptures enlarge upon this by referring to our being judged by the condition we have achieved.

"The prophet Nephi describes the Final Judgment in terms of what we have become: ‘And if their works have been filthiness they must needs be filthy; and if they be filthy it must needs be that they cannot dwell in the kingdom of God’ (1 Nephi 15:33; italics added). Moroni declares, ‘He that is filthy shall be filthy still; and he that is righteous shall be righteous still’ (Mormon 9:14; italics added; see also Revelation 22:11–12; 2 Nephi 9:16; D&C 88:35). The same would be true of ‘selfish’ or ‘disobedient’ or any other personal attribute inconsistent with the requirements of God. Referring to the ‘state’ of the wicked in the Final Judgment, Alma explains that if we are condemned by our words, our works, and our thoughts, ‘we shall not be found spotless; . . . and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God’ (Alma 12:14).

"From such teachings we conclude that the Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done. It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become" (in Conference Report, Oct. 2000, 41; or Ensign, Nov. 2000, 32).

I have an example that may help better clarify this.

Imagine a person who does all sort of things society would not support, but presents an innocent front. You know, like on the TV shows, it's that one character who is supposed to be good-looking or whatnot, but who is actually a criminal. Sometimes, if this person is ourselves (but not quite to that extreme Hollywood type), we try to rid ourselves of any outward appearance of our inward condition. This kind of person only cleans the surface. They scrub the outside of their person so that no one would suspect the dirtiness underneath. We sometimes call such a person as one with a mask on. This person is not really clean. Their state still comes through. We still suspect or are wary of such a person.

To really be clean, you have to clean the inside out. You have to clean and fix the source of the filthiness versus trying to cover the results of such actions and thoughts. You actually have to work directly on the actions and thoughts. It's basically repentance that I'm speaking of here. That's part of the miracle of repentance. A person so covered in grime in their souls can be made clean through the Atonement.

There are often those people in the world who just seem to shine. They seem to be bursting with happiness. Constantly being in that state can come from the doing of what is right. There's a reason why God gives commandments. He wants us to be happy. He wants us to choose to follow Him. As Elder Oaks said, "The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become." And what we can become is something magnificent that we can't really comprehend.

So try to do good. Go out of your way to do good. It'll be worth it.

1 Nephi 14

2011-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 14 is the last chapter where Nephi is learning from an angel the meaning of Lehi's words. It seems to me that it just for us in these last days.

In this chapter it tells us exactly how those who do evil will perish. They'll perish and be destroyed by their own works (1 Nephi 14:3-4). As they try to bury the saints of God, they are only tripping up their own selves.

Nephi is told that if we are to be blessed and saved, we are to harken to the Lord, not harden our hearts against Him, and repent (1-2, 5-6). The saints of God would be few, yet everywhere on the Earth (12). Even though multitudes would be gathered together to fight against the Lord, the saints and the covenant people will be blessed by the power of the Lord and will be armed with righteousness (13-14). There will be wars and rumors of wars among all the nations and people on earth, and the wrath of God will be poured out among the wicked; that day is when the "work of the Father shall commence, in preparing the ay for the fulfilling of his covenants, which he hath made to his people who are of the house of Israel" (15-17).

Elder Neal A. Maxwell explained a bit about being armed with righteousness:

“So let us look at ourselves. For the Church, the scriptures suggest both an accelerated sifting and accelerated spiritual numerical growth—with all this preceding the time when the people of God will be ‘armed with righteousness’—not weapons—and when the Lord’s glory will be poured out upon them (1 Nephi 14:14; see also 1 Peter 4:17; D&C 112:25). The Lord is determined to have a tried, pure, and proven people (see D&C 100:16; 101:4; 136:31), and ‘there is nothing that the Lord thy God shall take in his heart to do but what he will do it’ (Abraham 3:17)” (in Conference Report, Apr. 1988, 8; or Ensign, May 1988, 8).

Nephi then saw John the Revelator who wrote concerning the end of the world (18-24, 27-30). Nephi was then told to stop writing of what was shown to him because it was John the Revelator's job to write them and all the other words which were written by others are sealed to come forth in the time of the Lord (25-26).

Some of the lessons I plan on taking from this chapter is that those who do evil are only harming themselves and we should be righteous as it is our defense against the world. Those are pretty powerful lessons. Doing good defends you; doing bad destroys you.

1 Nephi 13

2011-11-19T07:00:00.000-08:00

Chapter 13 is still as part of the continuation of the explanation of Lehi's dream to Nephi. I find it interesting that the angel teaches Nephi the interpretation through showing him the history of the world (the future for Nephi). Though I suppose that was what Lehi's dream was all about and we just study the symbolism of the dream itself.

You know, it would be pretty fantastic to study the history of the world through the eyes of God. Nephi was shown the doings of the Gentiles with their nations and kingdoms, their building of a church, and their desire for praise from the world (1-9). He saw how the Gentiles were separated from his brothers' descendants by the ocean (10-12). Then he noticed that the Spirit of God working with the children of men to bring them to the land of promise causing his brothers' seed to be scattered and smitten (13-14). The Spirit of the Lord was with the Gentiles and they prospered and gained the land for their inheritance and were humble before God (15-16). But then their "mother Gentiles", their mother nations, came to battle against them (17). However, they had the power of God with them and they were delivered out of the hands of all other nations (18-19).

That was basically the history of the discovery of America and the creation of the United States of America. President Joseph F. Smith has said:

This great American nation the Almighty raised up by the power of his omnipotent hand, that it might be possible in the latter days for the kingdom of God to be established in the earth. If the Lord had not prepared the way by laying the foundations of this glorious nation, it would have been impossible (under the stringent laws and bigotry of the monarchical governments of the world) to have laid the foundations for the coming of his great kingdom. The Lord has done this (Gospel Doctrine, 5th ed. [1939], 409).

Thus, it is fitting that the next part of the chapter is about the restoration of the gospel through the coming of The Book of Mormon.

Nephi then saw a book among the Gentiles and learned that it was the Bible which came from the Jews in purity which was then edited, taking out many parts of the plain and most precious parts of the gospel as well as many covenants so that the children of God would be blinded and hardened (20-29). It is then explained he just saw the Gentiles being lifted from captivity, lifted by the power of God above all other nations, on a land that is choice above all other lands and the he has also seen that God will not allow the Gentiles to totally destroy his brothers', and partly his own, descendants (30-31). But it is also true that God will not allow the Gentiles to always be blind to the fullness and truthfulness of the gospel (32-34). For Nephi's descendants will write what the Lord ministers unto them and they'll be hidden until they are brought forth through the Gentiles by the gift and power of the Lamb (35). Those records will contain the gospel of Jesus Christ (36). Then the people in those days who seek to bring forth Jesus Christ's Zion will be blessed, for they will have the gift and power of the Holy Ghost, and if they persevere they'll be lifted up and saved (37). Then the Bible will also be given to his brothers' descendants (38). After the Bible was given to them, other books would come forth by the power of God through the Gentiles to convince the Gentiles, his brothers' descendants, and the Jews who are scattered across the earth that the records of the prophets and the 12 apostles are true (39). The last book will support the first (the Bible) and make know all the plain and precious things to the whole world testifying that the Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Savior and through Him we will be saved (40). The way to salvation comes through the way God has informed us through the Bible and the Book of Mormon (41). Then Jesus Christ will make himself known to everyone (42).

President James E. Faust explained why the standard works – the Holy Bible, Book of Mormon, Doctrine and Covenants, Pearl of Great Price – were each important to the restoration of Jesus Christ's Church:

“The Apostle John saw in vision the time when an angel would come to the earth as part of the Restoration of the gospel. That angel was Moroni, who appeared to the Prophet Joseph Smith. He directed Joseph to the place where golden plates containing ancient writings were deposited. Joseph Smith then translated these plates by the gift and power of God, and the Book of Mormon was published. This is a record of two groups of people who lived centuries ago on the American continent. Little was known about them before the coming forth of the Book of Mormon. But more importantly, the Book of Mormon is another testament of Christ. It restored precious truths concerning the Fall, the Atonement, the Resurrection, and life after death.

"Prior to the Restoration, the heavens had been closed for centuries. But with prophets and apostles upon the earth once more, the heavens were opened once again with visions and revelations. Many of the revelations that came to the Prophet Joseph Smith were written down in a book that came to be known as the Doctrine and Covenants. This contains further insights about principles and ordinances and is a valuable source concerning the structure of the priesthood. In addition, we have another canon of scripture called the Pearl of Great Price. It contains the book of Moses, which came by revelation to the Prophet Joseph Smith, and the book of Abraham, which he translated from a purchased Egyptian scroll. From these we learn not only a great deal more about Moses, Abraham, Enoch, and other prophets but also many more details about the Creation. We learn that the gospel of Jesus Christ was taught to all of the prophets from the beginning—even from the time of Adam” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2006, 68; or Ensign, May 2006, 67–68).

That's simply amazing to me. How wonderful it is to have the word of God in our lives and easily accessible. It helps us go the right direction so that we may return to the presence of our Heavenly Father.

Side note: Wouldn't it be pretty fantastic to see the whole history of the world through the eyes of God? I guess we just have. In a brief way. But for Nephi this was the future. For you and I, this is merely history and current events. I suppose that's why we have living prophets today who can warn us and guide us through the perils we will come to face.

1 Nephi 12

2011-11-18T07:30:00.000-08:00

Continuing with the interpretation of Lehi's dream for Nephi, chapter 12 begins with Nephi's gaze being redirected from by the angel to the land of promise, which in this case means the Americas (1 Nephi 12:1). He saw wars and contentions, then destruction of cities as well as all sorts of natural disasters (2-5). After all that, Nephi then saw the Lamb of God descending out of the heavens and organizing the church among the people, just like he did among the Jews (6-10). He saw how the people were perfectly righteous for three generations and much of the fourth, but soon enough they fell away resulting in the Nephites destruction (11-20). It left the remanent of the people dark, loathsome, filthy, full of idleness and all manner of abominations (21-23).

I'm pretty positive that I'd like to be considered righteous versus someone you really don't want to spend time with because of the lack of happiness. Verse 11 spoke about the three generations that passed in righteousness that I'd like to emulate:

And the angel said unto me: Look! And I looked, and beheld three generations pass away in righteousness; and their garments were white even like unto the Lamb of God. And the angel said unto me: These are made white in the blood of the Lamb, because of their faith in him.

What does it mean to have garments that are made white like unto the Lamb of God, but that is made white through the blood of the Lamb of God because of faith?

It means that even when we go throughout our day and make mistakes that stain our clothes, our soul, that when we exercise our faith and turn to the Lord and the Atonement made for us, we can be made clean of those mistakes. The Atonement makes it possible to wash our stained clothes and have our clothes, our souls, become perfected once again as if that stain was never there. The Atonement is where Jesus Christ suffered and died for us, where he shed his blood for us, so that we can be made perfect through him. That's what it means.

To stand in the presence of Heavenly Father, we are required to have stainless white garments, pure souls. Often we think that to have white garments, it just means we have to be members of the church, that we only have to be baptized and we're done. President John Taylor said:

There is something that goes a little further than we think about sometimes; and that is, while we profess to be followers of the Lord, while we profess to have received the Gospel and to be governed by it, a profession will amount to nothing unless we have washed our robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb. It is not enough for us to be connected with the Zion of God, for the Zion of God must consist of men that are pure in heart and pure in life and spotless before God, at least that is what we have got to arrive at. We are not there yet, but we must get there before we shall be prepared to inherit glory and exaltation; therefore a form of godliness will amount to but little with any of us. . . . It is not enough for us to embrace the Gospel . . . and be associated with the people of God, attend our meetings and partake of the Sacrament of the Lord’s supper, and endeavor to move along without much blame of any kind attached to us; for notwithstanding all this, if our hearts are not right, if we are not pure in heart before God, if we have not pure hearts and pure consciences, fearing God and keeping His commandments, we shall not, unless we repent, participate in these blessings about which I have spoken, and of which the Prophets bear testimony (Teachings of Presidents of the Church: John Taylor [2001], 114–15).

In summary, it's not just being baptized and being members, to have white garments you have to live righteously. Mistakes are made. We are only mortal. But that's why we have the Atonement. So I suppose it is more accurate to say we should be living the Atonement. Live the best we can and correct our mistakes as soon as possible. We always want to make sure we have no stains on our clothes. We want to be a "delightsome people" (4 Nephi 1:10).

1 Nephi 11

2011-11-17T08:17:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's post was about Nephi turning to the Lord and asking for understanding and knowledge about Lehi's dream, which was in another post from a few days ago. I feel like I can just copy and paste that table into this post and be done. The entirety of chapter 11 is giving us the meaning of the dream Lehi had.

In verse 1, Nephi desired to know the things his father saw, had faith that the Lord could make them known to him, and pondered in his heart before he received his answer.

When Nephi was given the interpretation of Lehi's dream, it was taught through seeing the Savior's life. From the birth of the Savior to the virgin Mary, being worshipped by many (1 Nephi 11:12-24). He saw John the Baptist prepare the way for the Savior and then baptise Him (25-27). Nephi saw the Savior going forth to teach the people with his 12 disciples with angels ministring unto men (28-30). Nephi saw the Savior healing the sick (31). He then saw the Savior be judged by the world and slain upon the cross, slain for the sins of the world (32-33). He saw the people of the world gather together against the 12 apostles, just like those in the great and spacious building, then saw it fall, an "exceedingly great" fall (34-36). It was explain that those who fight against the 12 apostles will have a great fall. With that wording, I imagine a fall of great destruction, a fall that is almost indescribable. A fall that wasn't only great in its personal destruction by also by how much they fell. Thinking they were on top of the world, then falling to below it.

There are many lessons to be learned from this chapter. But I really love that Nephi learned the meaning of the dream through seeing the perfect life Jesus lived. There is so much that we can learn through simply studying the life of Jesus Christ.

Elder Gerald N. Lund said:

Here was Jesus—a member of the Godhead, the Firstborn of the Father, the Creator, Jehovah of the Old Testament—now leaving His divine and holy station; divesting Himself of all that glory and majesty and entering the body of a tiny infant; helpless, completely dependent on His mother and earthly father. That He should not come to the finest of earthly palaces and be . . . showered with jewels but should come to a lowly stable is astonishing. Little wonder that the angel should say to Nephi, ‘Behold the condescension of God!’ (Jesus Christ, Key to the Plan of Salvation [1991], 16).

1 Nephi 10

2011-11-16T09:43:00.000-08:00

Chapter 10. I like it a lot. Though, I like all of the chapters. So it's not really a unique statement. This is the chapter where our Savior, Jesus Christ is mentioned.

Verse 4 reads:

Yea, even six hundred years from the time that my father left Jerusalem, a prophet would the Lord God raise up among the Jews—even a Messiah, or, in other words, a Savior of the world.

I began wondering why they referred to Jesus Christ a prophet. Growing up in the gospel, I haven't often heard the Savior referred to as a prophet, except in the scriptures or learning that's how the Jews view him. I decided to look up what a prophet is in the Bible Dictionary. In summary, a prophet:

Acts as God's messenger and makes known God's will.
Taught men about God's character
Preserves and edit the records
Denounces sin and foretell its punishment (redress public and private wrongs)
Preacher of righteousness
Tries to restore faith and remove false views about the character of God and the nature of Divine requirement
Predicted future events
General sense: anyone who has a testimony of Jesus Christ by the Holy Ghost

In that sense, Jesus Christ is definitely a prophet. He makes known God's will. He teaches men about God. He has, throughout history, had prophets keep records and even studied and organized them himself (3 Nephi 23:6-14). He definitely denounces sin, preaches righteousness, restores faith, predicts future events and has a testimony of who he is. I guess He really is a prophet then.

Lehi then informs us of John the Baptist who would prepare the way for the Savior and baptise Him (1 Nephi 10:7-10). How the Savior would be killed by the Jews and rise again then make himself known to the Gentiles (1 Nephi 10:11). He spoke of the Jews being scattered across the world and the Gentiles will receive the fullness of the gospel and gather Israel together (1 Nephi 10:12-14).

Before any of this had actually occurred, it would take a lot of faith to know that these things are true. I know that it is true because it has happened and is happening. But I admire Nephi who had a desire to "see, and hear, and know of these things" (1 Nephi 10:17).

Verse 19 then explains how one goes about knowing of these things, or any things really:

For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

You have to be diligent in your search. You have to have the Holy Ghost. That's pretty much it. It always has been and always will be. Life's pretty fantastic that way. Some further instruction comes from Elder Russell M. Nelson:

Living the Lord’s standards requires that we cultivate the gift of the Holy Ghost. That gift helps us understand doctrine and apply it personally. Because truth that is given by revelation can be understood only by revelation, our studies need to be prayerful (in Conference Report, Oct. 2000, 19; or Ensign, Nov. 2000, 17).

The key to understanding is our own effort and having the Holy Ghost in our lives.

Time for Registering!

2011-11-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's already time to sign up for my next semester. That's just a bit crazy to me. It was July only a few months ago! And now, it's the week before Thanksgiving and practically a month before Christmas. Then the week after that it's time for me to return to Rexburg, ID and freeze to death.

What Rexburg, ID practically looks like in January

I love Rexburg, don't get me wrong. I really do love the town. It's just the snow that is a little crazy. Oh, and the wind. I'm a Cali girl! Cold means it's 60º outside! Though once I'm there for a month and a half, I start thinking that 34º means it's warm... but that's a whole other issue.

But I'm excited to return. I get to learn some new things. I get to be productive every day (hopefully). I am able to see friends whenever I'd like to (when I'm not crazy busy with homework). I even get to be a Junior this time around. That's the oddest thing. To realize that I'm a Junior. It represents that I've been at school for the past two years. That I graduated high school 2 1/2 years ago. It's odd to look back on my younger self and realize how much I've changed and grown in those years. It makes me so grateful that I have grown, but it's just surprising at how much fast the years are passing me by.

I remember when I was in grade school that every year was so very long. From Christmas to Christmas or birthday to birthday. It was forever. Now? It feels like we just had Christmas. Not that I'm complaining. I absolutely love Christmas. However, they do seem to come more frequently than before. Maybe it's because when I was 8 years old, a year was 1/8 of my life. That's quite significant. Now it's only 1/20 of my life. I expect that Christmas will seem to come closer and closer together as life goes on.

In the next two years, I'll (hopefully) be graduated. My one brother will have returned from his mission to South Carolina and the other will have been out for at least a few months. I plan on using this blog for the both of them. I'm so clever. My sister will be a Senior in high school (that's a scary thought...). And my youngest brother will be in the midst of 8th grade. That's not too bad. Scary. But it wouldn't be high school.

Time. Goes by fast, and slow. and everything in between. "Time is relative." It's true. Albert Einsein was a pretty smart man. Time is time. It's hard to really pin it down. and it's always changing. It never stays constant.

I love it. I've got a lot to look forward to in life!

1 Nephi 9

2011-11-15T06:34:00.000-08:00

I'm beginning to think that one of the themes of the Book of Mormon may as well be the explanation of it's purpose in existing. Chapter 9 is speaking about the two separate plates Nephi wrote and named after himself. The small plates and the large plates. The small plates holds the "ministry of [his] people" (1 Nephi 9:3). The large plates contant "an account of the reign of the kings, and the wars and contentions of [his] people" (1 Nephi 9:4).

Nephi wasn't really sure why he was told to create two entirely separate plates, but he did it because of a "wise purpose in [the Lord]" (1 Nephi 9:5).

We can also practice obedience as Nephi did. Elder Marvin J. Ashton once said:

Sometimes when we are asked to be obedient, we do not know why, except the Lord has commanded. Nephi followed instructions even though he didn’t fully understand the wise purpose. His obedience resulted in blessings to mankind all over the world. By not obeying our present-day leaders, we plant our seeds in stony places and may forfeit the harvest (in Conference Report, Oct. 1978, 76; or Ensign, Nov. 1978, 51).

We can exercise this type of obedience in a smaller extent with our parents, teachers and leaders. When my parents ask me to take out the trash or clean the living room or some sort of thing, as a child you may not know why. But we can act immediately anyways. When the Lord asks us to do something, we definitely should do it. The Lord knows everything and he wants the best for us.

As verse 6 says:

But the Lord knoweth all things from the beginning; wherefore, he prepareth a way to accomplish all his works among the children of men; for behold, he hath all power unto the fulfilling of all his words. And thus it is.

Elder Neal A. Maxwell also contributed to that topic:

Some have sincere faith in the existence of a God but not necessarily in a revealing and omniscient God. Other sincere individuals question God’s omniscience, wondering, even though respectfully, whether even God can know the future. But an omniscient and revealing God can at any present moment disclose things future. This is possible because ‘in the presence of God, . . . all things for their glory are manifest, past, present, and future, and are continually before the Lord’ (D&C 130:7). Thus God ‘knoweth all things, for all things are present before [his] eyes’ (D&C 38:2). He told Moses, ‘There is no God beside me, and all things are present with me, for I know them all’ (Moses 1:6).

No qualifiers on the scope of God’s knowledge appear in holy writ. Instead, we read: ‘O how great the holiness of our God! For he knoweth all things, and there is not anything save he knows it.’ (2 Nephi 9:20). (If Thou Endure It Well [1996], 46).

The Lord knows everything. Why wouldn't you want to be obedient to Him? There really isn't a reason why you shouldn't. He wants what is best for us. He knows how we can get there. He prepares a way and tries to guide us down it. Why wouldn't you want to listen to his instruction?

Teaching Relief Society

2011-11-14T12:00:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, I taught Relief Society in my YSA branch! It was pretty great. I haven't taught Relief Society for a few years. It used to be my calling. When I graduated Young Women's and entered into Relief Society, I began to teach once a month from July through December. I loved that so much. The sisters in my home ward are some of my best friends. I really love them and their friendships. They are so wonderful. I consider my homeward as my extended not-family. It was truly a pleasure to teach the lessons. As the teacher, I was more of a conductor of a discussion than a lecturer. Especially since I realized that so many of the sisters had so much to contribute than I did because the had truly lived, and I felt as if I was just beginning. I didn't (and still don't) have as much experience. But it was honestly one of my favorite callings (though, truthfully I love them all).

As a result, being asked to teach Relief Society once again was truly something I was rather ecstatic to do. Even though I know almost no one in my Relief Society. I'm beginning to know them though and they are a great group of girls. But I've never taught my own peer group before. It's actually rather amusing that I was terrified of that. I'm more comfortable teaching YW's or the sisters in my home ward.

My lesson was Chapter 44: The Second Coming of Jesus Christ.

This is way I tend to prepare for teaching from the Gospel Principles manuel. I begin by reading it through once or twice. Just reading it. No notes. No highlighting. Just reading. I then go back and try to determine which quotes and sections really made an impression on me. I'd jot done little comments about my impressions near the the quote. I'd then go back through again and I write in questions along the side next to each section. This way, when I am teaching and we come to that point, if I feel it is appropriate, I can ask those questions and make those comments that the class can ponder and discuss.

I truly believe it is important to teach from the manuel. Not just pick a topic and go wild with it. However, I also believe that we can wander a bit from the exact words in the manuel. I just believe that everything we taught about has to stay under the umbrella of the lesson title. I always want to make sure that I am teaching what our Latter-day prophets feel is important for us to be teaching and learning about for that day. But I also want to make sure I allow the Spirit into the lesson and prompt people to speak and feel and learn something. Sometimes the lesson moves in a direction I wasn't quite expecting because that's what that particular class needed to hear.

For such flexibility, I really have to know my lesson and topic well. This way I can answer most any question that comes my way. Or I can guide the class in a certain direction based on the what I feel. I've never had a lesson set in stone. I just try to learn as much as I possibly can so I can be the best instrument I can be for the Lord and the Holy Ghost and teach what they'd like me to teach. It's quite the endeavor. But I really love it. What's really helpful is having a background in the gospel. Meaning daily scripture study is helpful in more than just guiding your daily life. It's helpful in adding to that foundation of information you can pull from.

It really is true that the teacher learns more than the class. The teacher has to know the topic and lesson well enough to move in any direction under it. Then with all the insights and knowledge from the class that you never even thought of, you learn even more. I really, really loved teaching the gospel. You have Latter-day Saints as your "students", you have the Holy Ghost as the teacher, and you just stand in front of the class and direct, just like the conductor for music. It's fantastic.

Yesterday went well. I'm so grateful for the opportunity I had to teacher in my YSA branch. It was wonderful

1 Nephi 8

2011-11-14T11:15:00.000-08:00

Chapter 8 is all about Lehi's dream of "The Tree of Life".

from Book of Mormon Manual - LDS Institute

Personally, I think that the above table is extremely helpful with really understanding Lehi's dream. So I wanted to include it in here for all of you to use.

There is so much that I could focus on in this chapter. But I think that I'm actually going to focus on what Lehi teaches his family after his dream.
In verses 37 and 38, it reads:

And he did exhort them then with all the feeling of a tender parent, that they would hearken to his words, that perhaps the Lord would be merciful to them, and not cast them off; yea, my father did preach unto them.

And after he had preached unto them, and also prophesied unto them of many things, he bade them to keep the commandments of the Lord; and he did cease speaking unto them.

It would be a hard thing to teach and guide wayward children back to the path that leads them to happiness. I'm sure you'd feel entirely helpless and insignificant with your efforts. Elder Robert D. Hales said:

We too must have the faith to teach our children and bid them to keep the commandments. We should not let their choices weaken our faith. Our worthiness will not be measured according to their righteousness. Lehi did not lose the blessing of feasting at the tree of life because Laman and Lemuel refused to partake of its fruit. Sometimes as parents we feel we have failed when our children make mistakes or stray. Parents are never failures when they do their best to love, teach, pray, and care for their children. Their faith, prayers, and efforts will be consecrated to the good of their children (in Conference Report, Apr. 2004, 90; or Ensign, May 2004, 88).

We have to remember that we are each individually blessed with agency. We each have the ability to choose right or wrong. You can't make someone do something. You shouldn't attempt to take their agency away. Just do the absolute best you can and recognize that you did your best. But don't ever give up on them. on anyone.

1 Nephi 7

2011-11-13T10:32:00.000-08:00

Whenever I begin read Chapter 7, it makes me chuckle. This chapter is where Nephi and his brethren return to Jerusalem to bring Ishmael and his family out to the wilderness with them. Or, more exactly, bring Ishmael's daughters out so Nephi and his brothers could marry them (1 Nephi 7:2). Now, in the past Laman and Lemuel both have murmured against the commandments of their father. They obey them grudgingly. However, this time, nobody complained at all as they obeyed (1 Nephi 7:3). I'm pretty sure they were quite excited to go collect their future wives.

It was only on the way back to the camp that they once again began to be rebellious (1 Nephi 7:6). Nephi then asks them questions trying to bring them back into remembrance of God who has gone so much for them (1 Nephi 7:8-15). I really like verse 12:

Yea, and how is it that ye have forgotten that the Lord is able to do all things according to his will, for the children of men, if it so be that they exercise faith in him? Wherefore, let us be faithful to him.

There is often times when I worry about life, the future and how exactly I'm supposed to face things I fear. But this question from Nephi really causes you to stop and think. It helps me turn back to the Lord in prayer and ask for help through these difficult struggles and worries in my life. We have to stay firm in our testimonies and live by them. We have to be faithful to God. Things will work out great. Just maybe not the way you first imagined.

"Ye have choice" (1 Nephi 7:15). We always have a choice to make. Between good and bad, good and better, better and best. We should to our best to make the right choice.

Nephi is pretty great in teaching us a lot of lessons, for after his brothers and soon to be brothers-in-law tried to kill him twice, he still "frankly forgive them all that they had done" (1 Nephi 7:21). Personally, I never want to face having to struggle with giving that sort of forgiveness. It would be hard. But if Nephi can forgive them for almost killing him, then I'm certain I should also be frankly forgiving in all areas of my life.

1 Nephi 6

2011-11-12T08:45:00.000-08:00

Chapter 6 is rather short, but in it Nephi describes his purpose of his writing. He wants us to be persuaded to turn to Heavenly Father (1 Nephi 6:4). For such a purpose, he will only write things that are pleasing unto God versus things that the world would have really enjoyed having written down (1 Nephi 6:5).

There is a quote from President Ezra Taft Benson explaining how the Book of Mormon actually accomplishes this purpose:

The Book of Mormon brings men to Christ. . . . It tells in a plain manner of Christ and His gospel. It testifies of His divinity and of the necessity for a Redeemer and the need of our putting trust in Him. It bears witness of the Fall and the Atonement and the first principles of the gospel, including our need of a broken heart and a contrite spirit and a spiritual rebirth. It proclaims we must endure to the end in righteousness and live the moral life of a Saint (“We Add Our Witness,” Ensign, Mar. 1989, 5).

If we want to know God, if we want to know more about ourselves and the world around us, studying this book is the way to go. Why would you not want to study this fabulous book?

In the August 2005 issue of the Ensign, President Gordon B. Hinckley challenged us all to read and reread the Book of Mormon in the article entitled "A Testimony Vibrant and True". He then concluded saying:

Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.

Seriously, why would you not want to read this book?

1 Nephi 5

2011-11-11T09:13:00.000-08:00

The scriptures are pretty special, as 1 Nephi 5 illustrates.

As soon as Lehi first received the scriptures, he gave a prayer of thanks and then studied them (1 Nephi 5:10). They gave an account of the creation of the world, a record of the Jews and prophecies of prophets (1 Nephi 5:11-13). They also contained a genealogy of his ancestors (1 Nephi 5:14). I'm sure that was wonderful to know your ancestors. For me, I always find it fascinating to hear about my own ancestors and what they did. It gives you a sense of connection with the past. It shows you where you came from.

Scriptures are something that you use to guide you in your daily life. It gives you guidance if you look for it. This particular chapter, for example, teaches me how I should be studying the scriptures and what I should be looking for.

I should begin with a prayer. A prayer of thanks for the blessing of having the word of the Lord accesible. I could then start studying from the beginning. But I could also study by subject: creation, history, prophecies, genealogy (some examples). As I finish my study, I should have the spirit with me at the point if not beforehand. Then I will have guidance for my own life and my family and would share my learning with others.

Nephi says:

And we had obtained the records which the Lord had commanded us, and searched them and found that they were desirable; yea, even of great worth unto us, insomuch that we could preserve the commandments of the Lord unto our children (1 Nephi 5:21).

The scriptures are always of great worth and desirable, because they inform you of what God wants His children to know and cause us to find happiness. Meaning, they present to us His commandments and His wisdom. You wouldn't want to raise children in an environment without every scrap of guidance that could lead them to happiness. It's a wonderful thing that Lehi's family, and my own, are each blessed with the scriptures.

In 1 Nephi 5:22, it reads:

Wherefore, it was wisdom in the Lord that we should carry them with us, as we journeyed in the wilderness towards the land of promise.

We travel in the wilderness everyday. That's a part of mortality. We try to work through hardships that we face in life. Carrying the scriptures with us, carrying the word of God with us in our hearts and in our homes, can help us on our way towards the land of promise, towards Eternal Life.

My Sister's English Teacher is an Alien

2011-11-10T12:31:00.000-08:00

My sister was given an assignment in her English class to write a persuasive essay about why they should or should not have phones in class. He informed them they could create and use any facts they'd like to. My sister took it to heart. Her essay was the discussion around the dinner table the other day and so I wanted to read the entire thing. She hurried over to the computer and emailed me a copy. Hope you enjoy it just as much as the rest of us!

"Cell phones should not be allowed in class. They are disruptive, distracting, and the signal from so many cell phones would tell the hostile aliens where we are. No one wants to be captured by those little purple things that live on Venus. They cut people up, tinker with their organs, then put them back together however they want to. These aliens, unlike the mythical illegal immigrants from Mexico that try to steal over the border, mythical because it has never happened before because the United States’ security is awesome, are real. It can be proven by the United States through their top-secret facility, Area 51.

From "Stargate SG-1"

"The aliens know that the youth of today are obsessed with cell phones. They prefer children to adults, and so then they see a mass of cellular signals, especially around schools, they know it is children they have found. These aliens have such high technology they could hide anywhere, or be anyone. English teachers especially are likely to be aliens because they abhor the grammatically incorrect use of any language while texting. Aliens hope to ride our world of cell phone use, so they don’t have to worry about using languages incorrectly, and so people cannot communicate easily with one another when they come to invade our planet. While they might have superior technology, we are more intelligent, especially since the only place they tend to look for cell phone use is during school hours, in school classrooms.

"Many people say there are no such things as aliens, especially aliens from Venus. It was those people who were taken first. As the aliens put their experiments back together, they install an alien self defense mechanism, ASDM for short. How it works is if the person with an ASDM is in the room when someone suggests that aliens are real, the mechanism kicks in and the person is tricked into disbelieving anything that is said. Those who say aliens aren’t from Venus, but from Mars, have a more complex ASDM installed in their brain. Those people were the people who already knew about the existence of aliens, and truly believed it and tried to do all they could in ridding the Earth of the aliens, but were unfortunately captured in battle. The original ASDM, which works for most people, wouldn’t work for them, so the aliens had to modify it. The newer ASDMs make it so human’s anger of aliens is directed at Mars instead of Venus.

"Since aliens are at war with humanity, it is important to know the telltale signs of an alien. First, aliens like to be English teacher, as sated before, so they can fix all the language issues. Not that all English teachers are aliens, only the majority of them are aliens. Second, aliens like their human impersonations to be male because they are the soldiers and the spies, while the females are the ones in charge and back on the ship and on Venus conducting the experiments on people. The aliens also like to have beards so they can more easily high the seam of their disguise under the beard. The biggest sign is when someone tells you they need to keep their phones on in case their young child needs to call them in case of an emergency, even though 9 out of 10 times the phone rings, it is a wrong number. That is a lie. Their cell phones aren’t cell phones because they loathe those ‘infernal contraptions’. Rather they are communicators used in speaking with the alien head quarters. Their ‘phones’ cannot receive wrong numbers because first, they aren’t cell phones, and second, they can only communicate to one place, alien HQ. When they say is it a wrong number, wait to see who gets asked to see him after class. Then notice, you will never see that student again. If you do, they usually come back with a cold, the side affect of the ASDM. What happens is that the alien receives instruction to get a child alone so they can beam him or her up and prepare them for dissection. If anyone has a male English teacher who has a beard and keeps their phones on for emergencies, run away screaming."

1 Nephi 4

2011-11-10T11:17:00.001-08:00

In 1 Nephi 4, we are told of how Nephi actually acquires the plates of brass from Laban. The key to his success was his being "led by the spirit" (1 Nephi 4:6). It often takes a lot of courage and faith to act without knowing what exactly it is you are going to do or say.

It reminds me of the times when I've friends wondering about the gospel and when I begin to answer, I have no idea where exactly I'm going with the topic besides sharing what I know, sharing my testimony. I'd consider that being led by the spirit. There are also times when you have the idea of visiting someone, and you really are afraid to for one reason or another, thus you come across an excuse as to why you can't or shouldn't. But then when you do act, you realized that it was good. That it was worth it.

Elder John H. Groberg said:

“Be willing to take reasonable risks. We live in an age of reason, logic, facts, and figures. These can be useful if kept in subjection to faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ. But if they ever take precedence over faith in Him, then they are not useful and can be very harmful. I have found in my life that most of the good decisions I have made may not have been made if they were based solely on logic or reason. . . .

“. . . Nephi was determined to do what God wanted him to do even with logic to the contrary. The scriptures tell us in 1 Nephi 4:6 that he went forth not knowing beforehand what he should do but knowing he should obey God and get the plates. . . .

“I suspect had he listened only to reason, Nephi and his brethren would still be waiting outside the walls of Jerusalem. I sometimes wonder if by our listening to reason and logic too much, and not trusting God enough, we may find ourselves waiting outside the walls of His holy city” (“Trust in the Lord” [CES fireside for young adults, May 1, 1994], 3, www.ldsces.org).

I think I should try to be better led by the spirit. That I should learn to act quickly to any sort of guidance from the spirit. Which means I really should become better at recognizing it.

To help with that, there is a quote from Elder Richard G. Scott saying:

“The bedrock of character is integrity. Worthy character will strengthen your capacity to respond obediently to the direction of the Spirit. Righteous character is what you are becoming. It is more important than what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished. It allows you to be trusted. Righteous character provides the foundation of spiritual strength. It enables you in times of trial and testing to make difficult, extremely important decisions correctly even when they seem overpowering” (in Conference Report, Apr. 2003, 80; or Ensign, May 2003, 77).

Thus, I have to work on building a good character. I'd think that'd come naturally from my doing the best I can every day. It's harder than it looks. To do the absolute best I can. Every day. What's really nice is when I accomplish such a task. However, it's nice to know that when I'm not able to do my best that there is the Atonement that can help me become even better.