Thoughts from Saturday and Sunday

Yesterday, I mentioned that we had Stake Conference this last Sunday. For those of you who may not know, Stake Conference in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is where the "stake" (which is a group of local congregations who are grouped together) meets and hears from the Stake President and usually a visiting general authority. 

There is usually a Saturday night meeting for the adults, and a Sunday morning meeting for everyone. Both meetings are about two hours long. 

Sometimes the Sunday morning meeting is hard to pay attention to, especially when you have small children. This is one of the reasons that I was especially grateful for the Saturday night meeting this year. I really heard a lot of things that I needed, and I received some really good counsel that really struck me to my core. I wanted to share a few things that really helped me.

The first thing that really stuck out to me was when one of the speakers said something along the lines of, "Unwavering faith means faith in God's perfect love, not faith that our family will be healed or saved." 

That was something I had never really thought about in that way. Sometimes when bad things happen, it is really easy to doubt and wonder why our Heavenly Father won't take the trials away from us. It's sometimes hard to understand why the Lord let's bad things happen and why our prayers for relief aren't answered immediately. 

One of my sister-in-laws had struggled with a lot of health problems for the last while. We've been trying to pray and fast for her, and sometimes we wonder why this trial never seems to end. However, as I thought about what the speaker had said, the thought came to me that I didn't have enough faith. Faith isn't just telling the Lord what we want and expecting Him to do it, it's also trusting that He loves us and will do the best thing for us. Sometimes trials are what we need and if we trust in our Heavenly Father, we will become more like him as we learn to endure and have more faith and trust. Sometimes immediate healing isn't going to be the best thing for us. Sometimes we have to pass through the trials in order to become the person that we're meant to be.

One of my greatest trials lately has been my inability to have more children. We've been trying for the last 3+ years. The greatest desire of my heart is to have siblings for my son and to have a large family. However, for some reason, it isn't time yet. I am slowly learning to have patience and trust in my Heavenly Father's plan and His promises. I am learning to trust that the Lord loves me, and His plan will ultimately lead to the greatest happiness for me. 

This is Kevin as a baby. It's hard to believe that it's almost been four years!

The other thing that I really liked that was shared was when another speaker said, "If you ever think that someone you love is entangled in sin so far that Christ cannot save them, you know nothing of the Savior."

The Lord knows His children and loves each and everyone of us. He lets us make our own choices, but we should never lose hope in our brothers and sisters. Sometimes people make bad decisions, but as long as people are alive, there is always the chance that they might change. If we give up on them, we are essentially saying that we don't believe in Christ's ability to heal and change hearts. We need to keep loving, hoping, and praying for those who are lost. 

The third thing that really stood out to me was a talk given on Sunday. The speaker shared a story where we was told by a general authority to give her father a kiss and tell him that she loved him every day for a year. That seemed like a really weird thing to do, and she was frightened to do it because her father was not a physical person and had never told her that he loved her. She didn't know why she'd been asked to do it, but she did it. 

As she obeyed, her father gradually softened, and finally told her that he loved her too. Only a few weeks after the year had passed, her father passed away. She bore testimony that we needed to heed the council of our leaders, even if we don't know why they ask us to do something. I thought that was a really powerful story. 

I'm so grateful that we took the time to go to Stake Conference. Sometimes, it's hard to want to go to church on Saturday night, but a lot of the goals and inspiration that I've received this week have come from the things that I was taught over the last few days. 

I'm super stoked for General Conference this year! I can't wait to learn what the Lord wants to tell me through his servants. 

MM: What My Toddler Learned from Conference

Kevin is only two years old.

He'll turn three in a few months, but it isn't very realistic to expect him to sit through eight (non-consecutive) hours  of general conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and understand much of it.

However, I was touched when during one of the sessions, Kevin turned to me and said, "Heavenly Father?" He had heard one of the speakers mention him. When I confirmed what he had heard, he then said, "Heavenly Father loves me?"

I told him that yes, Heavenly Father loved him very much. He nodded, as though verifying what I had said, and then repeated, "Heavenly Father loves me!"

He said this several times during the several sessions. When he would hear the names of Heavenly Father or Jesus, he would perk up and repeat, "Jesus loves me!"

I loved it. He even made up a song about it and sang it several times. I was pretty proud of his understanding. He is a great kid, and I am so grateful for him.

I loved conference as well. There were so many talks that seemed to just be targeted at me.

As some of you know, it's been a rough week for our family. Grig's sister who has been living with us, suddenly ended up in the hospital during the beginning of last week. I don't want to include much, because that's really her story, but I will give you a cliff-notes version. She essentially has a tumor in her brain that has been blocking spinal fluid from leaving her head. The pressure built up to a point where she wasn't able to remember the names of normal things, and every thing that she said came out in gibberish. She also lost the ability to walk. We rushed her to the hospital, and they were able to release the excess fluid.

Thank you for all of your prayers and kind words.

She actually is back at our home now (she returned today) and out of immediate danger. This tumor has been growing for years, and she still needs to have it removed, but once she's recovered enough from her first surgery, they are going to fly her back to Virginia and treat her there.

It has been a pretty crazy and stressful week, and I have found great comfort in the words of living prophets and apostles.

I am also pleased that, even though Kevin didn't understand much, he was taught the most important principle of the gospel. It made me feel like maybe we're doing something right.

I am so grateful for my family. Both my own family, and my in-laws. It's been wonderful to get to know Grig's family better and to watch them pull together during this difficult time. I am so grateful that they have welcomed me with open arms, and that they have been so kind to me. I couldn't ask for a better family to marry into.

In my side of the family, it's been a pretty momentous couple of weeks as well. Both of my married brothers' wives gave birth. I now have one new niece and one new nephew. That has been a wonderful blessing this week, though I have yet to meet the two newest members of my family.

Throughout all of these trials and blessings, I do know that Heavenly Father loves me and my family. That theme has seemed to permeate our home this week, and I am so grateful for His love. We saw many miracles as we tried to help Grig's sister and when we took her to the hospital. One thing that happened was the night before when I went and took Kevin's car seat out of the car because I had been going to make salsa with my grandma. Having the car seat ended up being a huge blessing.

I have seen many tender mercies, and I am very grateful for the love we have seen and felt. I am grateful that my son learned something from conference, even at his tender age. I was really surprised to find out how well he was actually listening, and very proud of him and the connections that he made.

I don't think there is a more important lesson that he could learn.

Mormon Monday: General Conference April 2015

Well, another spring has passed, and with it, another General Conference. In previous posts (Click here or here) I've explained what General Conference is if you're not familiar with it, but with this post, and wanted to talk about my favorite talk.

I always love to hear Elder Jeffery R. Holland speak. I think it is the passion with which he gives his talks that really helps me to feel the spirit. Here's the talk if you want to hear the whole of it:

He begins by talking about two brothers who are climbing a cliff without safety gear and encounter an obstacle that they can't get past, and a point where they can't return.

The older brother hoists the younger brother to safety, but then he faces his own death as he sees no way out for himself. He sends his younger brother off while he gives one last desperate attempt to save himself.

As he jumps, he lands and feels nothing under his clenching fingers but "loose sand on flat stone." He feels himself slipping to his death. Then, his younger brother who never left, grips his arms and pulls him to safety.

He moves from this story to talking about how yesterday was Easter Sunday, and it was the most sacred day of the year because it is where brotherly hands (Christ's) reached to save us all.

Elder Holland then proclaims that we can't fully comprehend Christ's sacrifice for us, unless we understand that there was a need for His sacrifice because Adam and Eve lived and fell. If there was no fall of mankind, we wouldn't need a Savior to lift us back up from the brink.

However, because Adam and Eve did live, we do need a Savior, and he CAN save us.

At one point, he talks about the purpose of life. He asks, "Are we all just hanging in a cold canyon somewhere, in an indifferent universe?...Each of us seeking for something to help, something to grip? With nothing, but the feeling of sand sliding under our fingers...with nothing to hold on to, and much less anything to hold onto us? Is our only purpose in life an empty existential exercise simply to leap as high as we can, hang on for our prescribed three score years and ten, and then fail and fall, and keep falling forever?"

"The answer to those questions is an unequivocal and eternal NO."

Elder Holland speaks with such passion that regardless of whether or not you believe what he's saying, you can tell that HE believes what he is saying. I really appreciate that about him. There is no pretense, he is simply saying what he believes with all of his heart. Elder Holland knows that Christ is our Savior and he isn't afraid to share it.

I also know that Adam and Eve lived. As much as it contradicts common scientific evidence, it doesn't matter to me because I have felt the truth of it from the source of all truth. "The resurrection must come by reason of the fall." As I know that Adam and Eve lived and their is a need for salvation, I also know that Christ lived and he was resurrected! Christ lives now.

He is a huge part of my life, and daily I strive to know Him more and more. I have a lot of work to do (as conference reminds me), and I know that Christ wants me to improve.

I know that wherever we are in life, whatever we've done, Christ is standing with open arms to receive us. He loves us more than we can comprehend. I have felt a tiny bit of the love that He feels for us, and it was almost more than my mortal frame could bear. If you've ever felt so full of love that you nearly felt as though you were going to burst, I think you have some small inkling of the love that our Savior and Heavenly Father feel for us. I have felt that way, and often toward people that I barely knew.

I often felt that way on my mission, and I knew it was the a gift from the Lord to me. He let me have a glimpse of how he feels for His children, and I am so grateful for that.

I know Christ lives. He loves me and He loves each one of you.

I'd like to extend the invitation to listen to the rest of general conference. It's all available on youtube, and on the church website lds.org. I know that as you listen with real intent and with prayer to find answers, they will be given to you.

They were given to me.

Mormon Monday: New Easter Traditions

As a fairly new married couple (only three years so far), we are still establishing family traditions.

One of the things that we really wanted to do was to make Easter less about bunnies and more about Christ. We wanted to focus the whole week on the Savior and what he did for us. So, after a discussion last Monday, we came up with the following plan for every day of this week:

Palm Sunday:

This is the day Christ rode into Jerusalem.

Put this scripture in an Easter egg and hide it for Adam to find.

Mark 11: 1-11

We then go outside and find the best plant that we would give to the Savior. We can press our flower or leaf in the pages of a book to flatten it.

Cleansing Monday:

This is the day Christ cleansed the temple.

Hide this scripture in an Easter egg and hide it for Adam to find.

Mark 11:12-19

After reading the scripture, we “cleanse” the house. Everyone helps to make the house as temple clean as possible. Once everyone has helped, we dye Easter eggs for FHE.

Teaching Tuesday:

This is the day that Christ delivered his last sermon about the last days and contended with the Pharisees.

Hide this scripture in an Easter egg and hide it for Adam to find.

Mark 11: 20-Mark 13:37

As a family, go on a hike up a mountain and read these scriptures.

Bring figs (or fig newtons) and talk about the fig tree.

Service Wednesday

This is the day that the woman anointed Christ with perfume and Judas Iscariot contrived to betray the Savior.

Place this scripture in an Easter egg and hide it for Adam to find.

Mark 14:1-11

Do an act of service for someone as the woman did for the Savior. List reasons why we love each family member and we’re glad they’re part of our family. Play family game such as hide and seek or capture the flag.

Passover Thursday

This is the day of the last supper and the Passover.

Place this scripture in an Easter egg and hide it for Adam to find.

Mark 14:12-51

Eat lamb, fish, and unleavened bread. Drink grapejuice (or grape-flavored kool-aid).

Good Friday

This is the day that Christ was crucified.

Mark 14:53-15:45

Watch video To This End Was I Born. Can also watch church bible videos.

Do Easter egg hunt! Explain how eggs symbolize Christ’s rebirth (resurrection) that will be celebrated on Sunday.

Holy Saturday

Mark 15:46-47; 1 Peter 4:6; D&C 138

This is when Christ was in the tomb. He was also preaching to the dead. For this day, we’ll spend some time working on family history and watching family videos.

Easter Sunday

This is the resurrection of the Savior. Have Easter treats Sunday morning when the children wake up. 

Have the following scripture in one of the eggs.

Mark 16: 1-20

Read scripture as a family and watch videos about the Savior. Sing hymns. Eat candy.

So, that's our plan. So far it's going pretty well. We have been cleaning all morning, and we're taking our first break. Feel free to steal any of our ideas. Our hope is that as we focus on the Savior this week, that Easter will have more significance and will be more about Jesus Christ.

Mormon Monday: Pure Hearts Reflected

In church on Sunday, we were talking about Matthew 5 and how Christ's law transcended the law of Moses. One scripture in particular made me think.

We were reading Matthew 5:8 which says:

Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.

The teacher in class provided the question, "What does it mean to be pure in heart?"

People in class gave some interesting answers. They said things such as child-like, innocent, and without fault.

These were all really good answers, and they started me thinking. I began to think about things that were without fault. A song came to my mind. It was a song I had heard in the MTC when I had played the piano while a girl sang it.

I can't find it, or remember what it is called, but basically the song was about how we want our souls to be a reflection of Christ, so that when people look at us, they will see Him. It was a beautiful song, and I wish I could remember what it was called.

Here is a song similar to it. I also really like this song.

I was thinking that I have met people in my life who seem to glow with an inner light. When you look at them, you just know that they would be great people to be friends with. It really seems like you look at them, and the Savior is reflected in their faces.

I want to be so clean and pure that when others look at me, they can see the Savior in reflected in my features. When my soul is pure and free of guile, then I feel that I will be on my way to being more like my Savior.

Link

*Edit 2/24/15*

My cousin knew which song I was thinking of. It's called, "A Window to His Love."

Here is a video where someone sings it. It is written by Julie de Azevedo Hanks.

Mormon Monday: Miracle of the Lamb

I recently got a new calling in my ward (congregation). I am now the 2nd councilor in the primary presidency.

That means that I am one of the four women that's in charge of helping the children's classes run smoothly. I am responsible for teaching all of the children once a month, and for helping them gain testimonies of their Savior.

It also means that when one of the teachers can't make it, sometimes I step into to teach a specific age group as well.

Last week I was asked to do that, and the lesson was on Christ's parable of the lost sheep. We talked about how our Savior loves each of us, and if one person is lost, he will do whatever it takes to find them. I had each of the children draw a picture of a lamb and then write their name on their page. Then, I would hide (or let them hide) their picture and everyone would look for it. I also shared the following story in a shortened version.

I hesitate to tell this story, because it is very sacred to me, but I feel like this is what I should write about today.

This story actually happened several years ago, when I was going to school to learn how to be a veterinarian. One of my favorite classes was called Sheep Production, and it was a very hands-on class. A couple of times a semester, we got to participate in what was called Lamb Watch. During this time, you would check on the ewes each hour, care for newborn lambs who were struggling, and sometimes help ewes deliver difficult lambs.

A few of the lambs at Lamb Watch.

One particular night, I had a young lamb in my care that was not doing well at all. The ram lamb was sprawled out in a very unhealthy position and his mouth was wet (a good sign of enterotoxemia). Almost as soon as we got inside, the ram lamb began to pant heavily, his tongue hanging out, and his breath coming out faster than I had ever heard a sheep pant before.  Normally, they only pant when they are giving birth.  I fed him a bit of colostrum, but the ram lamb continued to pant, almost at an increasing pace.  The TA that was there took his temperature and it was 107.5.  Normal for a lamb is 102.  We became worried at that point that he was going to boil his brains.

I held that lamb in my arms.  The TA proclaimed that the lamb was a goner. She had hope for its sister, which was walking around and curious, but the ram lamb wasn't doing well at all. The night was still, for it was very early in the morning and everyone else was asleep.  The TA was frantically searching on the internet for some way to help the lamb, while I sat still, praying harder than I’d ever prayed in my life.  All my concentration was focused on that tiny lamb, and though I knew that sometimes lambs die, I prayed that we would be able to find a way to save him.  At that moment, that tiny soul seemed infinitely precious and I couldn't stand the idea of losing that lamb. I began to massage his swollen tummy, and it seemed after a while (though it might have been my imagination) that the swelling was going down.  I continued to massage his stomach, and prayed harder.  I don’t know how long I held the panting, dying lamb, before a thought came to my mind.  Following the thought, I made the comment to the TA that “perhaps we could put him in cold water, to help the temperature go down.”

She said that she doubted that would help and I nodded, accepting that she was in charge and knew much more than I did, and continued holding the lamb.  The lamb's mouth was now dry from his panting, and his stomach seemed less swollen, but he continued to run an alarmingly high temperature.  I was also worried he was going to hyperventilate.  The TA gave him a few shots of some different things to help him, but nothing seemed to relieve him.

After a long while, she asked me to go out and check on the other lambs.  I knew she was trying to get rid of me for a minute and I went out, dreading what I would see on my return.  All the lambs were fine, and no more ewes had given birth, so I returned.

As I walked inside the door, the TA was on the floor with the lamb.  Next to her was an empty shot, and I knew at that moment she was decided whether or not to inject the lamb with a bubble of air and end its suffering.  She examined it, her face twisted with the difficult problem that faced her, for she loved the lambs as much (or more) than I did.  Then with a kind of shrug, she said, “What the heck (word changed).”  Then she walked over to the sink and turned on the tap.  I asked her if she was filling it with cold water, and she said, “No, lukewarm.  We don’t want to cause to much of a shock to his system.”  As the water filled the sink and we placed the lamb inside of the water, instantly he stopped panting and relaxed.  His body was covered in the warm water and he seemed to be much more comfortable.  We let him relax for several minutes, his panting at last silenced, and then we removed him from the water and wrapped him in a towel.  The lamb remained calm and seemed to still be comfortable.  She took his temperature, and it had dropped all the way to 105.  “That,” she said, “we can deal with.”  A little while later, he began to pant again, but it was at a much slower rate.  We checked his temp again, and it had risen a mere .3 degrees.  So, he had only gone back up to 105.5.  My prayer for that lamb had been answered.  I prayed a silent thank you, and from then until I left at 7, we continued to dip the lamb at intervals.  He continued to improve.  I left that morning with his chances at survival not certain, but greatly improved. 

This is a very sacred experience for me. As that lamb hovered on the edge of death, there was a very special spirit in that place that has lingered with me when I remember this story. One of the most important things I learned from this is that Heavenly Father loves all of His creations. If He would help me to save a tiny ram lamb, how much more does He care about us, His children.

I told a shorter version of this to my six-year-olds, and then I concluded with, "Heavenly Father loves all of us, even more than our mothers do."

One little girl's mouth popped open and she asked, "Even more than my mom?" The thought was incomprehensible to her, but I assured her it was true.

I know that Heavenly Father helped us to save that lamb that night. I have seen his guiding hand save me when I have become lost or stumbled in my journey. I am still a foolish sheep who often gets lost, but I am comforted by the thought that Heavenly Father and his Son are constantly looking to help me stay on the path.

We are His sheep, and He is our shepherd. If we listen to His voice and follow Him, we will be led to safety and recover from the fevers of this world.

Concerting this matter, Christ said (Matthew 18: 3-5,10-14):

3 And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
 4 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this little child, the same is greatest in the kingdom of heaven.
 5 And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me.  

10 Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

 11 For the Son of man is come to save that which was lost.
 12 How think ye? if a man have an hundred sheep, and one of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, and seeketh that which is gone astray?
 13 And if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the ninety and nine which went not astray.
 14 Even so it is not the will of your Father which is in heaven, that one of these little ones should perish.

Mormon Monday: By Small and Simple Things

Happy Easter!

We had a great day yesterday. We ate Easter candy, had a great service at church, and went to my grandparents for dinner afterward. 

Like many of you, I was trying to direct my thoughts toward the Savior yesterday. Before church, we listened to the following talk. It is one of my favorite about our Savior, Jesus Christ.

This is the shorter 4 minute version, but the longer version is also on youtube under "None Were with Him". This really changed the way I think about the Savior's atonement.

It is kind of amazing how such simple things lead to such incredible moments. In the Book of Mormon, there is the story about a prophet named Lehi who was leading his family through the wilderness and looking for guidance. One morning, he woke up and found a strange object, shaped like a ball outside of his tent door. If he and his family followed the counsel and commandments of God, this compass pointed the way they should go through the wilderness. However, if they sinned, it would no longer point the way.They called this compass a Liahona.

Last night, I was reading my scriptures, and I read the following versus (Alma 37:38-46):

 38 And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it. 39 And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness. 40 And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. 41 Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey; 42 Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions. 43 And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual. 44 For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land. 45 And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise. 46 O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.

I was contemplating this last night. Our Savior's death might seem like a small thing to people who don't understand it. I mean, people die every day. However (Alma 37:6-7):

 6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth  confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls.

The Lord's death may seem a small thing, but by dying and then being resurrecting, our Savior opened the way for the rest of us to follow in His footsteps and to gain eternal life! He died so that we could live.

There are so many things in my life that seem like small things. Just this last week, my husband and I were praying about whether we should move to a different apartment complex. Grig was playing outside with Kevin, when suddenly he saw a neighbor and good friend of ours, and he was impressed by the Spirit that we needed to stay in the apartment because she still needed us. I had been feeling similar impressions that we weren't supposed to move at this time. This seems like a momentous decision for us, but the answer came in small and simple ways.  

The Lord uses small and simple things to testify of the truthfulness of the gospel and to lead people to the Savior. Sometimes it is a simple conversation with a friend where a word sticks out to us, or something wonderful that we read. Sometimes it is searching through the scriptures. The Lord will not leave us alone. It is simply up to us to listen to the small, still voice of the Spirit that will help us know where we are supposed to go, and what we are supposed to do in order to find peace and happiness on this earth.

I know that Jesus Christ did live.

I know that he suffered for our sins, died on the cross, and was resurrected on the third day.

I know that as we turn to him for comfort and guidance, that we will find guidance and peace on this earth.

The Lord has a plan for each of us. If we listen to that still, small voice and do those small and simple things, we will be amazed at where the Lord can take us and the incredible things that each of us can accomplish! We are each small and sometimes I feel insignificant, but with the Lord's help, I know I can do amazing things. This is true for everyone.

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass. I know that is true, and I have seen it in my life many times. Don't look for great miracles. Keep an eye open for the small details and you will truly know that Christ is present in all facets of your life.

Finally, here is the Easter message that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons) put out for this Easter season. It's quite powerful.

Enjoy:

Mormon Monday: Mortality; Part 3 of the Plan of Salvation

Here's the other parts to this discussion.

Part 1

Part 2

Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

The fall had two consequences. The first was death of the body or physical death. The second was separation from God or spiritual death. Adam's fall caused all men to experience physical death, but we are not responsible for his sins, and Adam's fall did not cause us to sin. It opened the door so that we could be mortal and make mistakes, but each sin that we do is our own responsibility.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression. Adam's trangression may have caused death to come into the world, but he didn't make us sin. We are responsible and accountable for the decisions we make in this life. However, every time we sin, we draw further and further away from God. There is no way for us to remove the stains on our souls. Even if we try not to do it again, we are imperfect, and only perfect creatures can enter the presence of the Lord.

So, how then shall we return to our Father in Heaven?

It is through our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ.

As was planned from the beginning, Christ came into this world. Born of a mortal mother and an immortal father, he was the only one capable of being perfect in this life. His paternal heritage gave him the ability to completely resist temptation and choose not to sin, while his maternal heritage gave him the ability to die a physical death.

Due to this, he was able to come and be the perfect sacrifice. Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. I like to liken this to two scenarios.

You are in a boat and someone pushed you into the water. You can't swim and you begin to drown. Someone jumps in and pulls you out. He would then be your savior. You didn't have to do anything for him to save you, he just did it because he loves you. It wasn't your fault you fell into the water, and so you didn't have to do anything in order for him to save you.

This is likened to physical death. It is due to Adam and Eve's decision that death entered this world, and so, regardless of the choices you make in this life, Christ will save you from physical death. Eventually, everyone who's lived on this earth will be resurrected from physical death. Their bodies will be restored to their spirits, except they will be given perfect bodies, incapable of death. This is how Christ is our Savior.

1 Corinthians 15: 22

22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.

Now the second scenario. You receive a incredible coupon in the mail. If you take it to the store, it will help you to purchase several items that you need for free! However, if you just allow that coupon to sit in a drawer, it won't help you. It is only when you do something yourself and take it to the store that it will save you money. We call this redeeming a coupon.

I compare this to spiritual death. Christ suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the cross so that we could repent of our sins and become clean again. However, we are required to do somethings in order for this redemption to occur. God has given us an incredible gift, the gift of choice. He will never force anyone to do anything, because we need to learn the difference between good and evil by our own decisions and choose which we will follow. So, in this case, Christ is the Redeemer. If we come to him, and do what He has asked of us, we can be redeemed from our sins. Mosiah 3:7-10 says:

 7 And lo, he shall ^asuffer ^btemptations, and pain of body, ^chunger, thirst, and fatigue, even more than man can ^dsuffer, except it be unto death; for behold, ^eblood cometh from every pore, so great shall be his ^fanguish for the wickedness and the abominations of his people. 8 And he shall be called ^aJesus ^bChrist, the ^cSon of God, the^dFather of heaven and earth, the ^eCreator of all things from the beginning; and his ^fmother shall be called Mary. 9 And lo, he cometh unto his own, that ^asalvation might come unto the children of men even through ^bfaith on his name; and even after all this they shall consider him a man, and say that he hath a^cdevil, and shall ^dscourge him, and shall ^ecrucify him. 10 And he shall ^arise the ^bthird day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to ^cjudge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men.

 

What does Christ ask of us in order that He can judge us to be righteous?

We call this the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It can be stated very simply, as it is in the following Articles of Faith:

3 We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

 4 We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second,Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

These ordinances and principles are commandments. They are requirements for eternal life. Christ himself said in John 3:5:

Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 

 After you have done these commandments, you must also endure to the end. Faith is not a one-time occurrence, it is something we must have our entire lives. We also need to continually repent. Baptism does occur one time, but by taking the holy sacrament that the Lord instituted, we can continue to renew our covenants and be clean. Finally, after we are baptized, if it is done under the proper authority by one who received the priesthood from the Lord, you will receive the gift of the Holy Ghost from someone of the same authority.

These are incredible promises and commandments. The Lord does require of us to obey these few simple commandments, and as we do, we will have our sins remitted.

Through Christ, the effects of Adam's transgression can be taken away from us and we can become clean enough to enter the presence of the Lord. This mortal life is a time to prepare to meet God. (Alma 34:32)
It does have difficulties, but with the aid of our Savior, we can survive and concur both physical and spiritual death.

I testify that whatever happens, our Savior knows what we are going through and He is there with his arms outstretched waiting for us to come to Him. As we keep the commandments He has given us, and become more like Him, we will be able to enter the presence of our Heavenly Father and return to live with Him again. This life is a place for joy and hope. The Lord wants us to be happy and if we obey and worship Him, we will be filled with incomparable joy!

Mormon Monday: Did We Exist Before This Life? Part 1 of the Plan of Salvation

Jeremiah 1:5 says:

Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee; and before thou camest forth out of the womb I sanctified thee, and I ordained thee a prophet unto the nations.

As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, we believe that we did not begin on this earth with birth. This knowledge has been restored through modern-day prophets. We believe that our souls are much older than that. We believe that our Heavenly Father is the actual father of our spirits. We lived with Him before this life and He knew and loved everyone of us.

Our Father wanted us to grow and learn to become like Him. So, he presented a plan to us. It was a plan where we would come to mortality and learn the difference between good and evil. It would be difficult, but He promised us He would not leave us alone. As we made mistakes, He told us he would provide a way for us to return to Him again. Christ was chosen as our Savior.

Some of God's children, led by Lucifer didn't want to follow God's plan. Lucifer wanted to be our Savior and to force everyone to make good choices and return to God. God knew this wouldn't have been good for His children, and so Lucifer and his followers were cast out of heaven. Rev. 12:9

We knew this life would be difficult, but in order to become like our Father, this separation was necessary. Eventually, all children need to leave home, or they don't learn to be responsible adults. This life is meant to teach us how to choose good over evil and how to become like our Heavenly Father. If we didn't have trials and hardships, we wouldn't know joy and blessings. Opposition is necessary. If we were never sick, how would we know to be grateful for our health?

If we never experienced trials, would we be grateful for our blessings? It is when we face darkness that we truly come to comprehend and love the light.

This life is so important. The choices we make here do matter, and we are all brothers and sisters. We are in this life together and if we help each other, we can all return to our Father in Heaven. Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. If we turn to him, even though we make mistakes, we can be forgiven and become clean enough to enter our Father's presence.

Why is this knowledge important?

When we know that we existed before this, we understand that this life isn't just random. It has meaning and a purpose. God has prepared everything and knows what will be best for us. If we listen to Him and keep His commandments, we will achieve true happiness. We can trust in our Father and know He has our best interests in mind. We also know some other eternal truths. These I will quote from The Family: A Proclamation to the World:

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

In the premortal realm, spirit sons and daughters knew and worshipped God as their Eternal Father and accepted His plan by which His children could obtain a physical body and gain earthly experience to progress toward perfection and ultimately realize their divine destiny as heirs of eternal life. The divine plan of happiness enables family relationships to be perpetuated beyond the grave. Sacred ordinances and covenants available in holy temples make it possible for individuals to return to the presence of God and for families to be united eternally.

I know this knowledge is true. It makes sense to me, and it has brought me a lot of comfort in this life. I know that we are all children of our Father in Heaven and that we are never alone. This life has a purpose, and so do our pains and trials. However, this life is meant to bring us joy, and we can rely on those around us to support and help us.

Here are the next few parts of this discussion if you want to find out what we believe happens next:

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4
Part 5
Part 6

The Grinch

How The Grinch Stole Christmas (featuring Boris Karloff) was always one of my favorite cartoons when I was a kid.  However, I really, strongly DISLIKED the Jim Carrey version.  I found it extremely obnoxious. So, when I show my son The Grinch he will be watching the cartoon version. 

That's not really the point of this post however.  This post is about us. You and me.

Lately, I've been thinking about the Grinch a bit.  Two different people quoted the poem at church this last Sunday.  The moral usually seems to be the same, that Christmas is about more than presents, more than food, and more than commercialism.  If someone came and took all that away, Christmas would still exist and it would be joyful.

However, what if someone really did take all that away?

How would I have reacted Christmas morning if I came out and all the presents were gone?  What if someone had stolen our Christmas tree?  What if someone had taken all of our food?

I would have cried.  I wouldn't have held hands with my family (at least not at first) and sang Christmas songs about "Fahoo Fores Dahoo Dores", I would have probably cried my eyes out.  With me, The Grinch would have heard the sadness he so desperately sought. 

I'm sure eventually my parents would have helped me see the joy behind Christmas anyway, but for a few moments, I would have been broken-hearted.  Then, after having a wonderful talk with my family, we probably would have joined hands and sang.

If you've never seen Jimmy Kimmel's Halloween prank on youtube, it can be quite hilarious.  Basically, the day after Halloween, the parents take all the Halloween candy and hide it.  When the children wake up, the parents tell them that they became hungry during the night and ate all of the candy.  It is interesting to see some of the kids' reactions.  Some cry, some forgive, and some turn into screaming monsters. 

And that's just Halloween candy. 

What about you?  How would you react if they really did take away all the commercialism and it became a simple family ceremony with songs and Christ?

It definitely wouldn't be terrible.  I do, however, really enjoy Christmas traditions.  I feel like traditions bring families together and give children something to look forward to.  I'm sure we could replace the expensive gifts with other wonderful traditions of service and love, but I really like giving gifts to others.  I wouldn't want that tradition to go away.  Maybe it should just be simplified. 

Christmas is wonderful, and I'm thrilled that it's tomorrow!  I probably won't blog on Christmas.  Hopefully none of you will miss me too much. 

I'm sure you'll be okay. 

Have a Merry Christmas!  Keep the spirit of Christ alive in your hearts during this holiday season, and may we all be as happy as the Whos with whatever gifts others may give us. 

Don't let The Grinch win.

Mormon Monday: Are Mormons Christian?

Often, Mormons are asked if we are Christian.  There seems to be some sources out there that state that Mormonisms is not a form of Christianity, but is, in fact, a cult.

Really, it kind of comes down to semantics.

According to http://www.thefreedictionary.com/Christian, Christianity is defined as:

1. One who professes belief in Jesus as Christ or follows the religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus.

2. One who lives according to the teachings of Jesus.

If you believe in this definition of Christianity, then YES, the Mormons are Christian.

Mormons worship and believe in Jesus as the Christ, and we try to live our lives based upon the teachings of Jesus.

The reason there is a bit of confusion out there is simply because of the Trinity.  Though the word Trinity is never found in the bible, many religions believe that God, his Son, and the Holy Ghost are all part of the Trinity.  According to http://christianity.about.com/od/glossary/g/trinitydoctrine.htm the trinity is defined as:

The word "Trinity" comes from the Latin noun "trinitas" meaning "three are one." The Trinity expresses the belief that God is one Being made up of three distinct Persons who exist in co-equal essence and co-eternal communion as the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The idea of the trinity comes from the scriptures when Christ states that in John 10:30 "I and my Father are one."  This has been a confusing point of doctrine for all Christians.

The idea of the Trinity was established during the Nicene Creed, which according to Wikipedia,

The Nicene Creed is the profession of faith or creed that is most widely used in Christian liturgy. It forms the mainstream definition of Christianity for most Christians.

In the year 325, (three hundred and 25 years after Christ's birth) there was so much confusion and conflict throughout the different Christian sects that it was decided there needed to be some kind of decision.  So a council of men met together and decided to accept the belief that God is one being.

The reason a lot of Christian faiths do not believe that Mormons are Christian, is because of this difference in our beliefs.  Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints do not believe in the Nicene Creed or the doctrine of the trinity.  We believe that God, his Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three separate beings.  We believe that all that confusion in the early Christian church was because the apostles were killed off, and there was no longer a direct communication with God.  Men began to decide what they believed and the church became a church of men's philosophies mingled with the teachings of Christ.

We believe this is why there were so many terrible things done by the church in those days.  The true church of God couldn't have possibly killed and tortured so many people.

We believe that a restoration of the church of God had to come through God himself.  We believe that this was the only way that the perfect doctrine of God could once more be upon the earth.  When Joseph Smith had his first vision (read my Mormon Monday about that here), he was visited by God the Father and his Son and saw that they had two distinct separate bodies. 

In John 17:11 it says:

11 And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the ^aworld, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be ^bone, as we are.

The apostles couldn't possibly hope to become a co-equal essence or reach co-eternal communion with God, but they could become one in purpose.  Unity is a sign of God's church on earth.  

Are Mormons Christian?  Yes, I believe we are.  However, if your definition of Christian includes faith in the Trinity and a concept of Christ as a vague, formless being, than no.  We are not believers in that Christ. We believe in the living being that came to live among the Jews and was resurrected with a body that could be touched by his disciples.  We believe in a Christ that is still alive today and expects us to live our lives after his example.  

We are followers of Christ, whatever your definition of Him may be.  We try to be respectful of other's beliefs and feelings, and to treat them as He would.  Even though we may not always agree with other churches on doctrine, we can empathize and share our faith in the redemptive power of our Savior's love.  As Christ showed love to all who tried to have faith in him and even to those who didn't, we try to show love to all our brothers and sisters, regardless of who they are, where they live, and what they believe.  

That is how become true Christians.