Prophets

One thing that makes our church unique is that we believe in a living prophet who leads and guides the world today. If you are familiar with the Bible at all you will know that because God loves us He has always sent a prophet. He called Noah to tell all of the people that because of their wickedness they would need to repent or a great flood would come. Moses was also another prophet who was called to lead the Israelites out of Egypt.

A prophet is someone who is a mouthpiece for God. He gets direct revelation from our Heavenly Father and tells us the way to get back to our heavenly home to live with Him again. Through a living prophet we have had God's power and authority restored to the earth again. This authority makes ordinances like baptism, the conferral of the Holy Ghost, and the eternal binding of families, possible. He is a special witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. He teaches us more of Him and how we can get close to Him. The prophet teaches the world which paths will bring peace and ultimately give us the most joy.

 Our prophet's name today is Thomas S. Monson. I know that he has been called of God because every time I listen to his words, and apply them into my life, I know I am in accordance to God's will. I feel closer to my Savior, when I follow His chosen prophet.

The Plan of Salvation

   So this week I've been thinking a lot about my Grandpa. My Grandpa passed away a couple weeks ago. He has been in pretty bad health for the last little while so it wasn't too unexpected but it was still sad to see him go. As I was listening to his funeral on a CD last night, I was thinking about how grateful I am for the Plan of Salvation. The Plan of Salvation, or the Plan of Happiness, is the plan that our Heavenly Father has provided for us. It answers the questions: "Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" and "Where am I going?"

  The "Where am I going?" answer, specifically has brought the most comfort. Eventually, we all leave our mortal body. Our body stays in the ground and our spirit goes to a place called the Spirit World. The Spirit World acts as, somewhat of a waiting place for spirits. It is a place where missionary works still continues. Where those who have heard the gospel of Jesus Christ can teach it to those who never got the opportunity in earth life.  Then those spirits will get the chance to accept or reject the message (see 1 Peter 4:6).

  After the Resurrection, where are body and spirits reunite (never again to be separated), we are judged based off of our deeds and desires of our heart. We are then placed in one of three kingdoms of glory (see 1 Corinthians 15:40-41). The Telestial Kingdom is comparable to a star in glory, it is for those who didn't repent or accept Jesus Christ. The Terrestial Kingdom is comparable to the moon in glory, it is for those who were honorable but weren't valiant in their testimony of Jesus Christ. The Celestial Kingdom is comparable to the sun in glory, this is where our Heavenly Father dwells and where our families can be together forever. This is for those who accept the gospel of Jesus Christ and remain true to their testimonies of Him throughout time and eternity.

   I love our Heavenly Father's plan for us. I know that it is truly His because I have prayed to know. The Holy Ghost has whispered to my spirit the surety of this plan. How grateful I am to know where my Grandpa is! How grateful I am to a God who loved us enough to provide His Son who made this whole plan possible.

 If you want to learn more about the Plan of Salvation click here.

Temples

Salt Lake City, UT temple

 So this week was a little of a hectic one. I don't know if you've ever felt that way before... things were just overwhelming and I felt very little peace in my life because of all of the things that were calling for my attention. I was able to go to a LDS temple a couple of days ago and being inside that holy edifice brought the peace and clarity that I desperately needed.

Mesa, AZ temple

Oakland, CA temple

 The temple is, literally, the house of the Lord. I like to think of it as, the place where "Heaven meets Earth". It is a holy place where ordinances are performed that help us make promises to get closer to God. Whenever the power and authority of God has been on the earth there have been houses of the Lord. They are there to help enable us to do the things that God wants us to do. They help endow us with the strength and the power to get through the strains of this world. In a revelation given through Joseph Smith, the Prophet, on June 1, 1833 the Lord said, "Yea, verily I say unto you, I gave unto you a commandment that you should build a house, in the which house I design to endow those whom I have chosen with power from on high; For this is the promise of the Father unto you; therefore I command you to tarry, even as mine apostles at Jerusalem" (Doctrine and Covenants 95:8-9, pg. 185-86).

(I don't actually know these people but here they are getting married in the San Diego, CA temple!)

  The temple is also a place where we can be married for time and all eternity. Our Heavenly Father wants us to have our families forever and so He provides His temples so that the with the proper priesthood authority we can be "sealed" together throughout the eternities.

Hong Kong, China temple

  I love the temple. It is a holy place, and I know that is where the Lord dwells. When we live a worthy life, and do everything we can to follow Jesus Christ, the temple can be that beacon of light that we can always go to for truth and strength. I know that because of the temple, my family is forever thing, and that brings me my greatest joy.

Simplify

http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages-gallery?lang=eng#moments-that-matter-most
 In my house, in St. George UT, there hangs a plaque on the wall of our living room that just has one word on it: "Simplify". When my Mom first bought it we all kinda gave her a hard time, I really didn't understand what it meant. The more I live, though, the more I have come to appreciate that word. I love the scripture found in the Book of Mormon, in Alma 37:6-7 (pg. 300), that reads, "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. 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." Joy can come in the littlest forms. In the feelings you get as you kneel on bended knee in the morning, by a smile from a stranger, having your dog get so excited when you come home, watching a sunset at the end of the day. It is in those type of moments when the Spirit of our Heavenly Father can testify of our relationship with Him. When we can feel His infinite love and love from those around us. When we slow down to take notice we can feel joy everywhere.

The Hill Cumorah Pageant!

Sorry I haven't written in forever. We've been involved in the Hill Cumorah pageant this entire week! Check out this link to see what its like. It goes from July 8,9, and 12-16. Come and see the excitement!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syoIsiTGHQ0

Choose the Right

When I was thinking about joy this morning I was thinking about how joy comes from making good choices. Freedom of choice is one of the most precious gifts that our Father in Heaven has given us. When Adam and Eve were in the Garden of Eden they were in a state of innocence. They knew no evil because they knew no good. They didn't know sweet because they didn't know what the bitter was like. To give an example: I love doughnuts. I think they are delicious. I could eat them all the time, any kind of doughnut. I also hate pickles. I have never liked them. They smell bad and taste bad and I always pull them off of fast food restaurant burgers. I would prefer not to eat pickles but if I had never had a pickle, and tasted how bad it was, would I begin to understand how tasty a doughnut really is? Probably not. I would probably still like the doughnut but I wouldn't be able to appreciate it for what it really is. So, in the beginning, Adam and Eve never had to deal with sadness but they never knew how great happiness was. Once they both partook of the fruit, there was a fall from their sinless state, and sin was introduced. Instead of looking at this as a way to make us miserable we understand from the Book of Mormon that, "Adam fell that men might be; and men are that they might have joy" (2 Nephi 2:25, pg. 59). We now can choose evil, but we can also choose good, which was all part of our Heavenly Father's Plan. "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself" (2 Nephi 2:27, pg. 59).

  If you ever look at Mormon's hand you might notice something, other than a wedding ring. Not everyone, but most, Mormon's have a "CTR ring". This isn't something that we have to wear but it is something that we choose to wear because the initial stand for "Choose the Right". It is there are a reminder to make the correct choice. Choices come to us every day, every hour, every minute. It often reminds me of the Disney movie "Pocahontas". As Pocahontas is canoeing down the river she comes to a split in her path where she has to decide which way she wants to go. She can choose the smooth steady course, or the raging river. There are many ways we can turn our lives, and many paths we can choose from but my message today is that when we choose the path of our Savior, Jesus Christ, we will experience the joy that He has waiting for us at the end. And even if, sometime, we choose the wrong path, our Savior's sacrifice for us makes it possible to get back on the right path. I'm so grateful for our freedom to choose. I'm grateful that our Heavenly Father provides ways for us to know which way is the right way by providing prophets, families, and the scriptures to guide us on our journey back home.

Family

This morning I was thinking about what to write in my blog post today and the image of my family popped into my head. If there is anything that truly brings me great joy it is my family. They are that constant safety net in my life of people who are always there for me and who accept me for exactly who I am. So, I'm going to tell you a little bit about my family and what makes them so great:

My Dad- Super driven, a hard worker, a city manager, loves learning, you can sometimes catch him listening to Miley Cyrus music, loves quoting movies, a provider, someone who takes pride in his family
My Mom- A quiet hero, humble, patient, full of love, meek, doesn't like to watch the same movie twice, temperate, loves the sun, loves watching ER shows on TV, a great listener
Kreigh (my older brother)- Entertaining, child-like, pure, artistic, a good father, only has about 5 different foods as part of his diet, can continue to function on no sleep
Krista (my sister-in-law)- Stubborn, passionate, dreams big, isn't afraid to take charge and get things done, always can make any situation not awkward, the best person to have inside jokes with, the sister I always wanted
Kyle (my little brother)- Quiet, witty humor, incredibly smart, valiant, faithful, is comfortable in his own skin, is willing to entertain your crazy ideas, obedient, self-sacrificing

I could make the list go on and on. I really love my family. We haven't always agreed on everything, we haven't always gotten along but because of the foundation of faith that my parents tried to instill in us since we were young we've been able to become great friends. Families have been ordained of God, and because of that they are the most important social unit now and in the eternities. When the gospel of Jesus Christ is brought into families the home can be a place of peace and refuge, it can be a place where the spirit dwells, it can be an anchor in a world that's values are shifting. Having time together as a family to read from the Bible and the Book of Mormon, to pray together, to eat meals together, to learn and grow together, has been such a blessing in my life. I know that we can find happiness in our families, no matter what background we come from. I know that when we make the Savior apart of our families that He will keep us safe and we will be able to experience peace and joy.