It All Starts With A Desire

During my daily studies today I studied on desire. I read Elder Dallin H. Oaks talk on Desire (check it out for yourself, Desire). As I read the talk I started to reflect on my own personal desires. That is something I would suggest we all do. In the talk Elder Oaks says, "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming." As I read that I thought to myself, what are my priorities? What do I want to achieve and become? After further review there is a lot of work to be done, but there is still hope.

The hope comes because I know that it all starts with a desire. As Alma teaches in the Book of Mormon; "even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you" (Alma 32:27). Once we desire something we need to work to achieve that desire. We can see our desired out come and that is what we hope for. Then we have faith that the Lord will provide the way for us to achieve our desire. Now as we work the path to our desire hard times may arise. We must keep the faith and trust that the Lord will help us through it all. We have to have patience and remember that we will be provided with our righteous desires when the Lord sees fit for us to receive them. We just need to consistently work our hardest at achieving our desires. That is where diligence comes in, but we have to work at a pace that is right for the desired out come. Lots of times things just don't happen overnight. We just have to take the necessary steps to reach our desires. We must follow the council of King Benjamin found it Mosiah 4:27 of the Book of Mormon.

Alma does a great job summing this all up in Alma 32:41-43(Alma 32:41, Alma 32:42, Alma 32:43). I know that as we desire and work towards things of God and that have been ordained of God we will find the greatest joy and happiness imaginable in our lives. I know that the path is hard at times but I know that God will provide us will little tastes of this great joy. This will help us strive harder to reach our desires. I know that when we do reach these righteous desires that we will feel great joy and feel God's love in our lives and that is all we really need. I know that it all starts with a desire and as we do God's will and patiently work with the required effort we will reach our desires. I know that God loves us and will give us the greatest gifts as we serve Him and do His Will. Let us all reflect on our desires and strive to achieve our desires that will bring us closer to God and help us achieve His will for us.

There Really is a God

Yesterday I was walking around in down town Nashville with Elder Coles. We came across this lady walking her dog. She stopped and talked to us for a short moment and when the topic of religion came up she quickly informed us that she is atheist. Out of curiosity we asked her why. Her reply was life. Then she went her separate way. I personally was confused as to how life could show there was no God.

As I thought of it the first thing that came to my mind was this complex body we have. I thought of what a great creation it is. Then the scripture Genesis 1:27 came to mind about being created in God's image. I just know that God loves us and that he created these bodies for us so we could come to Earth to learn and grow. I know God lives.

Elder Coles and I continued on our journey and met a lady working out in her yard. We stopped and talked to her for awhile. We sat down with her in the grass and had a good discussion. As I sat there my mind went back to the previous discussion of life shows there is no God. As I was sitting there enjoying the nice weather and looking at all of the nice plants and everything I wondered how this showed there was no God. My mind again went to Genesis and the creation. It teaches us in the scriptures that God created the world and everything in. I also thought of a Book of Mormon prophet that teaches that all things prove there is a God (Alma 30:44). This world and universe is way to complex to just come into existence. It took a well laid plan from our Father in Heaven to develop this beautiful place for us to live.

Then as I was driving home that night I thought of how people could think there is no God with how crazy and messed up life can be at times. We are definitely faced with a lot of hardship and heartbreaks as we go through life. People might question why a loving all powerful God would do that. I do know that God loves us and wants what's best for us. I also know that God has blessed all of his children with agency or the freedom to choose ( 2 Ne. 2:27 2 Ne. 10:23). God allows us to make our own choices. This life is a test for us to prove we are going to follow God (2 Nephi 2:21)(Alma 34:32). As in all test there is right and wrong. It is up to us to figure out what is right but there is always and opposition or temptation to lead us to do wrong (2 Nephi 2:11)(2 Nephi 2:15). People will make choices that will hurt us but we can't get mad at God for that. I know that God loves us and is there for us. I know that at times life gets hard but I also know that it is during those hard times that we grow closer to God. We need to trust in God and stay faithful to His commandments and as we do we will find the light and joy at the end of the tunnel. I know that God loves each and every one of us. I know that he is just a prayer away and that he hears and answers all of our prayers. It all just starts with a desire to believe and then acting on that desire (Alma 32).

I know that everyone has their own beliefs but I know that if anyone will read the Book of Mormon and apply its teachings and pray and ask God if it is true they will find joy and happiness in this life.

The Lord Will Provide

One cool thing I have learned about God is that He knows our needs and that as we try to do the right things in our lives he will provide for those needs. Over the past few days I have really noticed this.
The first case took place in Tompkinsville, KY on Easter Sunday. We went up there for a baptism and church. Well at church we happened to meet a sweet guy. He told us how he has been reading the scriptures like crazy. As he has been reading the scriptures he as seen God leading him more in his life. (It is like the promise found in 2 Ne. 32:3). He also came to know that the Book of Mormon is true (Just like it promises in the Introduction (Second to last paragraph) and Moro. 10:4-5). He asked if he could meet with us. So we set up an appointment for after church. During our discussion he told us a pretty cool story. He told us that his first time at church he just felt so peaceful and comforted that he is at the right place. This was the spirit teaching him of truth and God's will for him (Galatians 5). Then he told us that on the ride home he was talking with his wife and told her that he wanted to meet with the missionaries. She didn't know of any missionaries in the area. Well the next Sunday he was able to make it to church there we were. It was way cool that the Lord knew of this guys need and desire to meet with us and provided a way for us to get in contact with each other.

The second instance this week took place in Shelbyville, TN on Wednesday. It was a way stormy day. There were a lot of tornadoes that caused some pretty bad destruction around the southern United States. We were out sharing the gospel doing our thing. Since we travel around a lot we have no home to seek refuge in and no keys to get into the church buildings. We also don't watch TV or listen to the radio so we really didn't know what was going on. So we just went about our day going from appointment to appointment and trying random people. To make a long story short the Lord protected us through out the day. We were able to teach some lessons and get around with out being stopped by the wind, rain, or flooding. I know that the Lord provided us with safety. I know that it is because we are doing the Lords work.

I know that if anyone and everyone reads the Book of Mormon with an open heart they will come to know the truthfulness of it. I know the Book of Mormon will change everyone's life for the better and bring them closer to God. All we have to do is have faith and an open heart. Then we have to take the time to read it, think about it, and then pray and ask God if it is true. I know that the Holy Ghost will come to testify of its truthfulness. The Holy Ghost will come as the still small voice and the good feelings that lift us up. I know that God loves each and everyone of us and that he will provide for our needs as we exercise faith by following his commandments. The Book of Mormon and Bible teach us of many cause of that. We just have to read and apply the things we learn. So go to http://www.mormon.org/ and request to have missionaries come visit you today. It will change your life for the better.

Families Will Be Together Forever!

I have been serving a mission for a little over 22 months now. It is all starting to come to a close for me. There are a lot of mixed emotions involved. At times I want to stay out here forever doing this great work. At other times I just want to go home and spend time with family and friends. But I know that I am truly doing God's work out here in preparing families to be together forever. Over the past 22 months I have met a lot of great people out here. Over a year ago I met a great family that began to recognize that the message we share is true. They took the steps to be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost. As they continued on their path they began to receive more light and knowledge from God and grow closer to him. Just this last Saturday (April 23) I was blessed with the opportunity to go the temple with them. In the temple they took a great step in coming closer to God. They were sealed as husband and wife for all eternity. Then their two boys came in and they were all sealed as a family for this life and in the life to come. It was such a great experience. The spirit of God was way strong in the room. It helped me to strengthen my testimony that God truly does want us to be with our families for ever. One of my favorite moments was just seeing the joy in their eyes as they took this step to be bound together forever. The best was when the man doing the sealing was explaining to the boys that he was going to seal them as a family forever. Then their oldest son who has some special needs gave the man a thumb up and said, "thank you." It was a very touching moment when this sweet kid realized how great of an event that was taking place in the lives of his family. I know that that family will be together forever as long as they continue to live as Jesus Christ taught us to. I know it will be a great reunion for them all in the life to come.

Families are a great blessing to us. God has given us our families so that we could learn from one another and grow closer to Him. As we focus on the teachings of Jesus Christ as a family we will grow close together than ever before. A family is a wonderful gift from God. I know that God loves us and every good thing comes from him (Moroni 7 verses 12-17). I know that since God loves us he isn't going to give us a gift and take it away. God wants us to be with our families. He has allowed us this time to grow together and build great relationships. God wouldn't just take that way from us or remove those great times from our memories. I know that our families can be together forever. For this to happen we have to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ. We have to take the proper steps such as being baptized by someone holding the proper priesthood authority of God, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and go to the temple, which is God's house her on earth, and be sealed to our families for all eternity. I know that God has created a perfect plan for us all but it is up to us to follow the spirit and live as Christ taught us to.

For more on families check these out; “The Family: A Proclamation to the World”, http://mormon.org/family/, http://mormon.org/faq/#Family|question=/faq/mormon-families/ , http://mormon.org/faq/#Marriage , Hymn 300: Families Can Be Together Forever

For other information check out; http://mormon.org/faq/#Priesthood, http://mormon.org/faq/#Restoration, http://mormon.org/restoration/,

The Power of Pondering

What is pondering? I know that pondering is taking the time to think things through. I know that as we prayerfully consider a situation and think it over in our minds that God will inspire us with the ideas we need to succeed in life.

Yesterday I was driving a long. I was thinking about a meeting that I had earlier in the day. In the meeting we kind of discussed things that we needed to be more sufficient at. We needed to save miles, money, and time. We also needed to be able to see as many people as possible. So on my drive I was thinking of ways that we could get this all to work out. Slowly but surely the ideas came flowing to me. As I would ponder upon these ideas I began to see how it all connected to solve the problems we were faced with.

So taking that to a spiritual matter I think of the introduction to the Book of Mormon which states, "..ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God,". We all need to have an open mind when pondering. We need to evaluate all of the options. As we do this God will bless us with the inspiration needed to improve our lives. I know that God loves us and He will never lead us astray. We need to take the time to focus upon him and learn what His will is for us. I know that if we all will study the Book of Mormon and ponder its teachings with an open heart God will show us how it can be a benefit to us. Then we just need to pray and ask God if it is true. I know that as we go through this process that God will answer our prayers and let us know what is true by the good feelings we receive. Those good feelings come from the Holy Ghost as Paul teaches in Galatians chapter 5. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and that everyone and any one can come to know that for themselves if they will take the time to read, ponder, and pray. The Book of Mormon will change everyone’s lives for the better. You should all give it a try. Check out http://www.mormon.org/ to learn more and order a free Book of Mormon for yourself.

Detour

So the other day the weather was crazy out here in Nashville. We got stuck at a chili's because the tornado sirens were going off. That caused a set back in our plans. So we were in a hurry up to Red Boiling Springs, TN for an appointment that we had. Traffic was kind of bad because of the crazy weather. So I am driving a long and I feel that I should hit the detour button on the GPS. So I do but it adds like five plus minuets to our travel time. I was thinking I don't want to be any later than I already am so I stayed on the original course. Well like twenty miles down the road the thought came to me again to hit the detour button. Once again being curious I do it. Well this time it adds almost ten minuets. Once again I'm like no way. Not even a mile down the road I get the same feeling so for the third time I touch the detour button. This suggested rout adds over 10 minuets. I think definitely not going to happen. So I continue on the same path. When we are nearly to Red Boiling Springs the road is blocked and a guy tells us we can't go that way because a tree is in the road. So we have to turn around and take a different road. This road leads us to another tree in the road but some guys hurried and moved it. We continued on down the road. We are on this crazy back road and crossed over to creeks but the third one we came to was like a raging river. And again I have to turn around. After this crazy adventure it added about thirty minuets to our travel time. I should have went with those detours.

I now realize that the Holy Ghost was the one giving me the idea to change routes. He gave me three chances just like He did with the Nephites in 3 Nephi 11:2-8 (Chapter 11 ). I know that if you don't listen to the spirit he will leave you and then we have to repent to have him return to us. It is great to know that we can all repent and over come our short comings. I know it is because of Jesus Christ and his sacrifice that it is possible. Another lesson I learned is that when the Holy Ghost prompts you the way he directs you might seem like it will be harder and take longer. It might look that way at first but God's way is the right way (see Jacob 4:8 Chapter 4 and Mosiah 4:9 Chapter 4). God sees things we don't and He will send the Holy Ghost to lead us to avoid troubles and trials. If we don't listen to the Holy Ghost we will have more pain and sorrow in our lives. My story of shrugging of the Holy Ghost just made me way late for an appointment. It could have been worse though. I could have put myself in physical or spiritual danger. The Holy Ghost comes to show us everything we should do as it says in 2 Nephi 32:5 (2 Nephi 32). It is up to us to listen. He will guide us on the right path.

I know that the Holy Ghost is here to guide us to righteousness. I know that the Book of Mormon will bring us closer to God. I know that if anyone takes the time to read the Book of Mormon and pray and ask God if it is true that our Loving Heavenly Father will send then the Holy Ghost to touch their heart showing them the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I invite everyone to read the Book of Mormon and pray about it for themselves. I know it will change your life and bring you closer to God.

Prayer the Answer for Everything and Anything

So I was sitting in Lebanon today teaching a lady. When I showed up I had no idea what we were going to talk to her about. All of a sudden it came to me to ask her how her prayers have been going. She told me not to good. So we had a great discussion on prayer.

I have learned in my life that prayer plays a huge role. When we pray we are literally talking to our Heavenly Father. I know that God loves and cares about us and wants to hear from us. We should talk to Him in a loving and respectful way. He wants to hear about what we think and feel. We need to ask him for help and support. We should thank Him for all that we have because He has given everything to us.

There are a ton of benefits of prayer. I was just thinking of a few from the lesson. First it brings us comfort. When we are having hard times we can pray and ask God for support. As we do so He will send the Holy Ghost to comfort us and give us peace. Second it shows God our love. We can show God our love by obeying his commandments (John 14:15). Prayer is a commandment from God (3 Nephi 18:19). Besides showing love by keeping the commandments we can show God our love by thanking Him for all of our many blessings. The third reason to pray is to receive guidance. We can ask God anything in our prayers and he will answer them. The answer might not always come as we expect it to but I know it will come. God answers all of our prayers in His own due time. Some times we just have to be patient. Answers can come from feelings we receive (Galatians 5:22). They can come by our thoughts. God can also answer our prayers by something someone else does for us or says to us. We just have to open our eyes, be patient, and show our faith by following Christ's example. I know the answers will come. Just as today I was praying and pondering what to teach and the Holy Ghost gave me the answer to teach about prayer (Moroni 10:5).

I invite everyone to pray more often. I know that if you do you will feel God's love more in your life. You will find yourself growing closer to God and increasing your relationship with Him. I know that when you pray and remain faithful the answers will come. I know God will give you the knowledge, understanding, comfort, and guidance you seek. So start today you have nothing to lose and everything to gain. While you are at it take the time to pray and ponder to find out if the Book of Mormon is true. It will change your life, I guarantee it!