The Book of Mormon

Yeah, I know. It's been a while since I've posted. You find out that the longer you've been out on your mission, the less time there is to do things. Unfortunately, my blog just happened to be something that I just haven't had the time to do. I want to write about something that has been on my mind in the last month or so since I've posted.
A lot of emphasis has been made, both in the Ensign magazine and in the most recent General Conference a few weeks ago, about the Book of Mormon. I talk to a lot of people everyday of various religious backgrounds, yet so few people understand what this precious book of scripture is or how it can help them in their lives. A lot of people can't even accept it as scripture.

Members of the Church believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly. We accept the King James Version as the most correct translation. The Lord Himself tells us to study and teach out of the Bible: " And again, the elders, priests and teachers of this church shall teach the principles of my gospel, which are in the Bible..." (Doctrine and Covenants 42:12). Yet, there are some things that the Bible never mentions at all or leaves unclear. This is where the Book of Mormon comes into play.

The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. Just as the Bible is a testament about Christ, the Book of Mormon provides an additional witness and testament about Him. It has the fullness of Christ's Gospel. It answers what the Bible leaves unclear. The Book of Mormon is a record a family who around 600 B.C. left Jerusalem at God's command and came to the Americas. This family soon split up into two nations: the Nephites and the Lamanites. Throughout the course of the book, God called prophets to warn the people of the consequences of sin and to tell of the coming of a Savior who would redeem them and suffer for their sins. The climax of the book is the personal appearance of the Lord Jesus Christ to the people after He rose from the dead. He teaches them His Gospel, performs miracles, and organizes His church. The people live in peace for many years after His coming until the Nephites become so wicked that they are destroyed. Moroni, the last living Nephite and prophet to write in the Book of Mormon, gives this promise and testimony: "And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things. Yea, come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ..." (Moroni 10: 4-5, 32)

A wonderful talk about the Book of Mormon was given in General Conference a few weeks ago. It was by Tad R. Callister of the Presidency of the Seventy of the Church. Here is a link to his talk and I would encourage you to listen to his words. He explains things so clearly: http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/10/the-book-of-mormon-a-book-from-god?lang=eng

I know the Book is true because I have read it. I have felt the power and peace that it brings as I have searched its pages. I have asked the Author of all truth if the book is true, and I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. I encourage all, as an authorized representative of Jesus Christ Himself, to read the Book of Mormon and find out for yourself. You will be blessed if you do. To request a free copy of the Book, go to http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon/

Men are that they might have joy

As a missionary, you get to meet a whole bunch of people every single day. My experiences have led me to discover that there are a bunch of unhappy people in the world. I can't help but wonder why this is. The prophet Lehi in the Book of Mormon teaches simply that one of the reasons that God has put us on this earth is for us to be happy. "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy." (2 Nephi 2:25)

So if one of the purposes of mortality is to be happy, why are tons of people completely miserable? To be sincerely honest, a lot of the time it's because they choose to be. The prophet Lehi also taught on the power and the lasting impact of our choices:  "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)

I love music. Music, no matter what language we all speak, touches all who hear and all who hear understand the message of what is being portrayed. One of my favorite composers is a man named Eric Whitacre. The video below is one of his songs entitled "Hope, Faith, Life, Love." This song has only eight words: hope, faith, life, love, dream, joy, truth, and soul. As you listen to this beautiful choral arrangement, focus on what word is focused on longest and is the most elaborated musically.

I know that we can choose to be happy. Life is going to hand you lemons sometimes. That's as real and unavoidable as death and taxes. The real question is what are you going to do with those lemons. Lemonade sounds good to me! 

Inspiring Musician

Alex Boye has always been an inspiration to me. Listen to his conversion story and how he was prepared to hear the message of the Restoration of the Gospel.

Marriage and Family

We live in a world where the family is being targeted and ruthlessly attacked. Satan is trying his hardest to destroy family relationships. Divorce is becoming increasingly common these days and prophets, both ancient and modern, have stated that it will only get worse. The Atonement of Jesus Christ will help us stay strong in our families. The family is ordained of God. We are in families because that's the way God wanted us to be in. Families are meant to last beyond the grave. Elder Dallin H. Oaks, a member of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, gives some counsel if you might be struggling in your relationship with your family. I know that families can be forever. I know that Jesus Christ can heal your family relationship if you let Him. Trust Him. He will help you.

Watch and Pray

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41)

"Pray always, that you may come off conqueror; yea, that you may conquer Satan, and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan that do uphold his work." (Doctrine and Covenants 10:5)

Temptation is all around us. Everywhere you go, you see violations of God's commandments. Whether it's on the television, Internet, or with our friends, the commandments are seen as something that's optional and breaking them as something that's even desirable. You see, there's this wonderful thing about our marvelous gift of agency, with every choice comes a consequence. This is as certain as death and taxes. We control what we choose, but what happens because of this choice is out of our hands. The same is true with breaking the commandments of God.

The prophet Alma taught in the Book of Mormon that: "wickedness never was happiness" (Alma 41:10) If that's so, why does it seem that those who break God's commandments are happy? The consequences of sin may not happen immediately, but they WILL happen. Just as Dory and Marlin find out in this video clip, we may not notice the dangers of what we are doing until it's too late.

My friends, let us follow the voice of the Savior who told us to:  "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." (Matthew 26:41) The easiest way to avoid the consequences of caving into temptation is to make the choice well in advance that you won't. That way, when the temptation comes, you already know what you're going to do. I know that this is a true principle. Let's avoid subjecting ourselves to Satan and his awful chains. I know that wickedness never leads to happiness. It leads to misery. God's commandments make us free. Let us strive to make the choice to follow the example of our Savior, and strive everyday to become more like Him.  

The Book of Mormon (Reflections of Christ)

All I can say for this video is wow. This picture slide show shows the ministry of the Savior Jesus Christ among the people in the Americas as recorded in the Book of Mormon. The Spirit of the Lord is so present in this video. If you'd like a free copy of the Book of Mormon, please visit: http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon I know that the Book of Mormon is true. I have read it. It testifies of Jesus Christ as the Savior and Redeemer of the world. His grace and mercy after all we can do is the only way we can return back into the presence of the Father. You too can gain this knowledge for yourself as you read, ponder and pray about the Book of Mormon. God will answer your prayers.

None were with Him.

"For it is expedient that an atonement should be made; for according to the great plan of the Eternal God there must be an atonement made, or else all mankind must unavoidably perish; yea, all are hardened; yea, all are fallen and are lost, and must perish except it be through the atonement which it is expedient should be made." (Alma 34:9)

"And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy, to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also." (Alma 42:15)

"He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed." (Isaiah 53:3-5)

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)

I love these scriptures and the video about the sacrifice our Savior made for us. He loved us so much to suffer our pains, afflictions, trials, sorrows, everything we would ever experience in this life. I know these things are true.

Music!

A lot of people think the members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are not Christian. We are very much so Christians. Christ is the center of everything that we do in the Church. The Church itself has His name in the title. One of my favorite ways that members testify of the Savior is through music. Some of my favorite songs are all about the Savior, His life, and His Atonement. I thought that today that I would share a few of my favorites with you. I hope you enjoy and feel the Spirit of the Lord as the artists share their talents and testimonies.

For Lyrics, click on this link: http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/music.htm/hymns.htm/prayer%20and%20supplication.htm/136%20i%20know%20that%20my%20redeemer%20lives.htm#JD_Hymns.136

For Lyrics, click on this link: http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/music.htm/hymns.htm/sacrament.htm/193%20i%20stand%20all%20amazed.htm#JD_Hymns.193

For lyrics, click on this link: http://library.lds.org/nxt/gateway.dll/Curriculum/music.htm/hymns.htm/prayer%20and%20supplication.htm/134%20i%20believe%20in%20christ.htm#JD_Hymns.134

I hope you enjoyed the videos and music. I know that Jesus Christ is my Savior and Redeemer. He came down to earth and suffered for the sins of the world. It is Him, and only through Him, that we can return and live with God someday.

Fathers

Since today is Fathers Day, I figured I'd base my post off a really cool video of a really devoted dad. The role of the father is huge in a family. In 1995, the Church came out with a Proclamation to the World on the family. It says that "By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for the families." What a privilege and responsibility from the Lord. I'm still a few years away from having my own children, but I know that I will do my best to fulfill that call from the Lord. I love my father very much and I know that he's watching over me. Happy Fathers Day to all you dads out there. Have a great day!

Find out for yourself

I know I've shared this video before, but I couldn't not post it again. I know that Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, in the year 1820. I don't, however, want you to take my word for it. I want you to find out for yourself. The Savior said that: "Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them." (Matthew 7:20) One of the fruits of the prophet Joseph Smith is the Book of Mormon. He received it by an angel and translated it by the gift and power of God. The Lord, through Joseph Smith, restored the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ upon the earth again. You can know for yourself that what I'm telling you is true. Read the Book of Mormon with an open mind, then take it up with the Author of all truth, which is our Heavenly Father. He is our Father. He loves us. He wants us to return to live with Him someday. He will tell us what is true and what is not. I know that as you read the Book of Mormon and ask God, He will tell you that it is true. Millions of people around the world have done it and God has told them, so why not you? I promise you, as an official representative of Jesus Christ, that you will receive an answer, for God has promised it. Here's another video going into detail about Joseph Smith's experience with our Heavenly Father and His Son.

Temples made simple

I really like these videos. They explain things that people don't know much about, like the temple, and explain it in very simple terms. The temple is a very sacred place. In it, we make promises with God. We learn so many things about the purposes of this life and how to return to live with God one day. I hope you enjoy this video.

Can't explain it better than that!

What is the Book of Mormon? In this fun little video, it explains very clearly what the Book of Mormon is. It is a companion to the Bible. It doesn't add to or take away from the Bible. Instead, it supports everything that the Bible teaches and even encourages us to read it. In the last chapter of the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Moroni makes a powerful promise: "Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts. And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5) God will fulfil all of His promises. If you read the Book of Mormon and pray about it, God will tell you that it is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true, because I have applied this promise myself. The Holy Ghost has come to me, and told me that it is true. If God will tell me the truth, He will tell you as well.

Common Misconceptions

I'm sure a lot of you have heard some pretty outrageous stuff about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Some of which may seem true, but you don't know for sure. Here's a fun little video clip of some rumors that are out there about the Church. Hopefully this clears up some of your concerns. If you have more questions, visit http://mormon.org/faq/. I know that this Church is the same Church that Jesus Christ established while He was on the earth, restored by the prophet Joseph Smith. The knowledge I obtained can be obtained by you as well. If you read the Book of Mormon (visit this link to request a free copy http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon/), and truly, sincerely read it and ask our Father in Heaven if it is true, He will tell you. God is our loving Heavenly Father. He wants us all to return to Him. Why wouldn't He give us the knowledge and direction we need in order to accomplish this? I know God answers prayers. I encourage you to find out for yourself the truth. God will tell you.

Shoulder Angels and Agency

How many times do we have this kind of conversation with ourselves? We're thinking about doing something wrong, and we argue with ourselves whether we go ahead, do it, and justify it with ourselves, or we don't do it. In Kronk's case, he didn't do it in the end, but how many times do we listen to our miniature devil or carnal side of us?

 One of the purposes of this life is to "see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them." (Abraham 3:25) Obviously, this means that we have agency, or the ability to choose. If there's an ability to choose, there's a good and a bad. The prophet Lehi explained it best when he said that "it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility." (2 Nephi 2:11)

 Agency is part of God's plan. We must choose whether to follow God and His Son Jesus Christ, or to follow the devil. This choice is a very significant one, obviously, as it determines our eternal destiny. Let us choose to follow Jesus Christ by keeping His commandments. The Savior said that "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Let's choose to follow the Example of God's Beloved Son. We will be blessed beyond belief if we do.

The Whys of Missionary Work

Haven't we all felt like Phil in this song at least once in our lives? We have a goal or vision of what we want to accomplish, and you just try everything that you know to make it happen, but it doesn't for whatever reason. Take being a missionary for example. We want everybody to have faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized by somebody who holds the Priesthood authority of God, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by that same authority, and endure to the end of their lives. This is the formula that brings happiness not only in this life, but in the life to come.

Why do missionaries do what they do? What motivates us to devote two years and pay our own way to share the gospel with people? While many missionaries have many other motives for serving a mission, the main one is generally the same. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God; For, behold, the Lord your Redeemer suffered death in the flesh; wherefore he suffered the pain of all men, that all men might repent and come unto him. He hath risen again from the dead, that he might bring all men unto him, on conditions of repentance. And how great is his joy in the soul that repenteth!...And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10-13, 15-16)

Is everybody going to accept the joyful message we come out here to share? Of course not, but that doesn't stop us from trying. We go from door to door, talking to people we see on the street, in the hope that we can help just one person on the path towards returning to live with our Heavenly Father. We come to testify sincerely of the Savior Jesus Christ and His divine role as Savior and Redeemer. We testify that His gospel, which was lost after the death of Christ and His Apostles, has been restored through a modern day prophet Joseph Smith. We testify that the Book of Mormon is tangible evidence of this Restoration. As you read it, ponder its teachings, and sincerely pray about it, God will tell you what he's told millions of others...that it's true! I know myself that these things are true, for God has told it to me through the Holy Ghost, and He will for you as you put in your part to seek for the truth.   

It's not over til the fat lady sings.

One of the coolest things in basketball is that the game really isn't over until the final buzzer sounds. You have to play hard until the game really is over. I've posted a couple of videos that demonstrate phenomenal comebacks in just a short period of time.

This reminds me of a lot of people that feel that they cannot be forgiven of the sins that they have committed. The Savior said: "For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I; Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men." (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19) The Savior suffered in the Garden of Gethsemane for ALL of us. He did this out of complete selflessness, taking upon Him the pains of sin so we would not have to. The Savior also invites us to "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

The thing about repentance is that there will be a time when we will not be able to repent. Just like the basketball game, there's always time for a comeback until the actual buzzer sounds, then there's nothing that can be done. The prophet Amulek explained it this way: "And now, as I said unto you before, as ye have had so many witnesses, therefore, I beseech of you that ye do not procrastinate the day of your repentance until the end; for after this day of life, which is given us to prepare for eternity, behold, if we do not improve our time while in this life, then cometh the night of darkness wherein there can be no labor performed." (Alma 34:33) I exhort you not to wait until this time comes! Repentance is possible! The Savior Jesus Christ made it so by His ultimate suffering and death. Take advantage of this priceless gift of the Atonement. The Lord has promised that if we repent:"...I, the Lord, remember [our sins] no more." I know that these things are true. I bear my witness that God loves us, and wants us to return to Him. The way we do this is through repentance. I testify of these things.

United we stand

The inspiration for this post comes from a scripture in the Book of Acts, 10th chapter, 34th verse: "Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons." (Acts 10:34) This scripture has always stood out to me. God loves us all individually and equally. He doesn't play favorites. Pondering about this, a scene from a movie I really liked as a child came back to my memory. In the beginning of the movie Quest for Camelot, the Knights of the Round Table are returning to Camelot. It talks about how "hand upon hand, brother to brother, no one shall be greater than all." That's the same way it is with God. Nobody is greater than anybody else! Isn't that how it should be with us? Let us all look at everybody the way God sees people, as equals.

Chastisement=a positive experience???

The scriptures teach us that sometimes chastisement is necessary for God's people.

"My people must be tried in all things, that they may be prepared to receive the glory that I have for them, even the glory of Zion; and he that will not bear chastisement is not worthy of my kingdom." (Doctrine and Covenants 136:31)

"Verily, thus saith the Lord unto you whom I love, and whom I love I also chasten that their sins may be forgiven, for with the chastisement I prepare a way for their deliverance in all things out of temptation, and I have loved you—" (Doctrine and Covenants 95:1)

"Yea, wo unto this people who are called the people of Nephi except they shall repent, when they shall see all these signs and wonders which shall be showed unto them; for behold, they have been a chosen people of the Lord; yea, the people of Nephi hath he loved, and also hath he chastened them; yea, in the days of their iniquities hath he chastened them because he loveth them." (Helaman 15:3)

"And thus we see that except the Lord doth chasten his people with many afflictions, yea, except he doth visit them with death and with terror, and with famine and with all manner of pestilence, they will not remember him." (Helaman 12:3)

I love this video clip from the Prince of Egypt. Moses is talking with the Lord at the burning bush. Moses doubts that he can accomplish the task which the Lord has asked him to do, and the Lord rebukes him. Yet, in His loving way, the Lord picks him up and gives him His confidence and encourages him.

That's really the whole point of chastisement. Yeah, you may be getting yelled at for something dumb that you did, but in the end, they're only yelling at you because they love you and don't want to see you hurt. So, when chastisement comes, bear it and look for what you can do to make it a learning experience.

For more on this subject, check out an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ's view of chastisement: http://lds.org/general-conference/2011/04/as-many-as-i-love-i-rebuke-and-chasten?lang=eng&query=D.+Todd+Christofferson

"If...if is good." Or is it?

 As I was thinking about what to post today, I had a sudden spark of inspiration relating to this scripture found in the Doctrine and Covenants. "Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled. What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." (Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38) It really got me thinking about how God's promises really are all fulfilled. It may take time and patience, but in the end, they really are all fulfilled. Then I thought about the world and how the world might think about this subject. As I pondered this, this little video clip from the Disney movie Hercules came into my head. Towards the end of the clip, Pain and Panic (the little minion guys who are the only voices you can hear in this clip) expresses what I feel the world's view is towards whether or not God's promises are fulfilled.

If...if can sometimes be a frightening word. If expresses uncertainty or sometimes even fear. From my experiences as a missionary, I can really see how people really aren't sure about whether God's promises will be fulfilled, or even if there is a God at all. Yet, I know, from personal experience that there is a God in heaven who loves us more than we could possibly know. To show us His love, he makes promises, or covenants, with us and because He is our Father, He cannot lie to us. I know that God's promises will be fulfilled that have been spoken by Him personally, or by His servants the prophets. If you don't know, take it up with Him. He'll tell you if you're sincere enough when you ask Him. 



Great example of sportsmanship

In the world of sports today, it's really hard sometimes to find any sort of chivalry or sportsmanship. Most of what we see are technical fouls for fighting in basketball, 15 yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalties in football and what have you. We don't see much kindness or respect in sports anymore like we used to In this video, we have two softball teams playing for a conference title. One player, a senior playing in perhaps her final game, hits a three run home run. On her way around the bases, she forgets to touch first base. The run won't count unless she touches all of the bases. As she turns around to do so, she tears the ACL in her knee. What happens next is very touching. 

I can't help but be reminded of the Savior's teachings that "Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethern, ye have done it unto me." Let's always remember this as we associate with our fellow men.

Harry Potter and the Gospel

Yes, it is actually possible to tie in Harry Potter to the gospel of Jesus Christ. The prophet Alma said that: "But, behold, I have all things as a testimony that these things are true; and ye also have all things as a testimony unto you that they are true; and will ye deny them? Believest thou that these things are true? But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator." (Alma 30:41,44)

I am a huge Harry Potter fan. I love the books. Before my mission, that's basically all that I ever read. I listened to the books on tape before I went to sleep. I absolutely love it. I love the movies as well. The last Harry Potter movie I saw before I came out on my mission is Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. There are a few things about this particular movie that I didn't like, such as the adding of the scene where Bellatrix and Fenrir Greyback attack the Burrow. That never happens in the book. There was one scene that's not in the book that I found particularly interesting. For those of you who are unfamiliar with the books or movies, I'll explain a little bit about what's going on before we hit the clip. Harry's mentor, Professor Dumbledore, had just been killed by one of his colleagues and friends, Professor Snape. As a tradition of the Death Eaters, who are Lord Voldemort's (the ultimate bad guy) henchmen, every time they killed, they send the Dark Mark(symbol of a skull and a snake) into the sky. It's kinda hard to see in this 2nd video clip so I'll post this one just so y'all will see what it looks like. It appears in about the middle of the clip.

Harry had just tried to catch Snape and get revenge but was defeated rather easily by the well learned professor. Harry had come back to the place where Professor Dumbledore's body had fallen and we'll let the video take it from there...

What I thought was interesting was the way they all raised their wands to erase the Dark Mark. It signified to me the power we have as we work together. We are all on the same team as children of God. We all have the same enemy. Imagine what we could do against the evils of this world if we united together as the students and teachers of Hogwarts did! I know that each of us have a ton of potential, for we have an Eternal Being as our spiritual Father. Let us unite together against the influences of the adversary as we continue on the path back to our Heavenly Home. 

P.S. I own nothing of these clips. All the credit goes to Warner Brothers.

Lord, I would follow Thee

Yesterday, I talked about following the example of our Savior Jesus Christ. I also realized that it's been a while since I've done anything sports related. Back home, I was a huge fan of SportsCenter. I watched it all the time. One of my favorite parts of it was the Not Top Ten. Every day they would have a Top Ten, but on Friday's, they would take the best of the worst and arrange a NOT top ten for us. Here's one I found that I particularly enjoyed. This is an example of what NOT to do. :)

In all seriousness though, there's a hymn that I love that talks about following the example of the Savior.

Savior, may I learn to love thee,
Walk the path that thou hast shown,
Pause to help and lift another,
Finding strength beyond my own.
Savior, may I learn to love thee—

Lord, I would follow thee.

Who am I to judge another
When I walk imperfectly?
In the quiet heart is hidden
Sorrow that the eye can’t see.
Who am I to judge another?

Lord, I would follow thee.

I would be my brother’s keeper;
I would learn the healer’s art.
To the wounded and the weary
I would show a gentle heart.
I would be my brother’s keeper—

Lord, I would follow thee.

Savior, may I love my brother
As I know thou lovest me,
Find in thee my strength, my beacon,
For thy servant I would be.
Savior, may I love my brother—

Lord, I would follow thee.

The prophet Nephi said: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism—yea, by following your Lord and your Savior down into the water, according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel...And now, my beloved brethren, I know by this that unless a man shall endure to the end, in following the example of the Son of the living God, he cannot be saved." (2 Nephi 31:13,16)  I know that as we strive to follow Jesus Christ, He will help us get through the tough times of life. Everything He went through was for us and He asks us to follow him. If we do, we will be saved.



I'm trying to be like Jesus.

I’m trying to be like Jesus;
I’m following in his ways.
I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say.
At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice,
But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers,

Chorus
Love one another as Jesus loves you.
Try to show kindness in all that you do.
Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought,
For these are the things Jesus taught.

I’m trying to love my neighbor;
I’m learning to serve my friends.
I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again.
I try to remember the lessons he taught.
Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying:

Chorus

I'm trying to be like Jesus. What a simple, yet powerful declaration! The best example that any of us could follow is that of our Savior Jesus Christ. Listen to the words and the music of the song that the LDS children learn, sing, and cherish at an early age. He loves us. He wants us so much to return to live with Him that He suffered and gave His life so that opportunity is available to us. His only request? "Come, Follow Me"

  

I Know That My Redeemer Lives

Enjoy the video and music of one of my favorite hymns.

Te Lucis and the Life, Suffering/Death, and Resurrection of the Savior

I posted earlier on this blog about an experience that I was fortunate to have with my high school choir performing in Carnegie Hall in New York City (for those who haven't read it, click on this link http://eldersbsowards.blogspot.com/2011/03/one-of-my-most-powerful-testimony.html). Lately, things haven't quite been going the best. I've been battling an illness for about a week and things with missionary work haven't gone as I expected them to go. While I was pondering the events that were troubling me and trying to cheer myself up, I thought back to this experience. Once again, I was filled with gratitude for the opportunity to have this amazing experience. I also thought back to a particular song. The song "Te Lucis Ante Terminum" was our most difficult song of that year and probably the most difficult song I learned in my entire time at high school. It's really long, and it's A Capella, which means that there is no instruments accompanying us to help us stay in tune.

The song has 2 parts to it. The first part of the song, the music is happy and slow, drawn out, and really beautiful. Then the music changes and it changes drastically and without any warning. It goes from this calm scene to what we called the nightmare section. Then after this, it switches back to what it was before, slow, drawn out, and really beautiful. Now what does this song have to do with the gospel? To help me learn it and get the feel for how it should sound, I compared the beginning with the Savior's life. He was performing miracles, helping people, teaching the gospel and everything was happy with those who followed him. Then came the Atonement, when he suffered and bled from every pore, was whipped and mocked, hung on the cross, and died for us all. Then comes the glorious resurrection, and the victory over death and the grave. With the resurrection brings hope that we can all live with our Heavenly Father again. I think it's way sweet how it all connects!   

Most of the work that we did in class and in extra rehearsals either before or after school were on this song. It was a totally amazing experience. My best year of high school, no doubt about it. I have posted the song so you'll hear how our hard work paid off. I believe the recording is of the actual performance in Carnegie Hall. Enjoy.  

NBA Finals and Eternal Life

This time of year in the life of a basketball fanatic is all about the NBA Conference Finals getting to the NBA Finals. Two teams...seven games...One champion. To me, it doesn't get much better than this. One of my favorite of these recent NBA Finals is the 2008 Finals featuring the Boston Celtics and the Los Angeles Lakers. Boston won the first two games fairly easily on their homecourt by scores of 98-88 and 108-102. Game 3 in Los Angeles was a different story as Kobe Bryant scored 30 points in a 87-81 Laker victory. Game 4 started out all Lakers as well as they led at one point by as much as 24...but the game didn't end up that way. 

Although most of us won't ever get to play in a NBA Finals game, we are all searching for the ultimate prize. What might that prize be? The Lord Himself tells us: "And, if you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 14:7) We as the children of God are all on the same team. We are trying to win the ultimate prize of being with our Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. The Devil is trying to stop us from attaining this prize. We can beat him if we do what the Savior said...by keeping His commandments and enduring to the end. When we do that, we will defeat the enemy of all righteousness and hear our Savior say: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord." (Matthew 25:21) We can do it. We will do it, if we do what the Lord asks us to do.

For God so loved the world...

This video is entitled "The Bridge." It tells of a story of a man who is faced with one of the most difficult choices I can think of. Watching this video really made me think of my Heavenly Father and the pain he went through sacrificing His Son. I really felt the Spirit and I think you will too.

Forgiveness

Ah, what a topic forgiveness is. It seems sometimes like forgiveness is the last thing that we want to do when somebody has wronged us, yet, as with everything else in our lives, we can turn to the Savior for a perfect example. He taught that: "...I the Lord, forgive sins unto those who confess their sins before me and ask forgiveness, who have not sinned unto death. My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened. Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord,will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (Doctrine and Covenants 64:7-10) What powerful words from our Savior! If we don't forgive, then the greater sin remains with us. Yes, we as human beings have weaknesses and sometimes we offend, yet when offence comes, look to the Savior who said in his final hours: "...Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do..." (Luke 23:34)

Here is a very very touching video about a man who lost his family in a car accident involving a drunk driver. Every time I see this, I see true Christ-like love as this man forgives completely the young man who completely changed his life.

I testify that as we forgive, our burdens truly will be made light. Happiness will come, and so will hope and healing, as we forgive our brothers and sisters of their trespasses.

My Kindness Shall Not Depart From Thee

"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer...For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee." (Isaiah 54 7-8,10)

"The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he? Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever." (Doctrine and Covenants 122:8-9)

In this song, the texts from the Prophet Isaiah and the comforting words of the Lord to the Prophet Joseph Smith are combined with beautiful music composed by Rob Gardner. Let it be a reminder than even in our darkest hours, the Lord is with us every step of the way. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

Diligence and MJ

"And see that all these things are done in wisdom and order; for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be DILIGENT, that thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order." (Mosiah 4:27)

I love this scripture. Here, the Lord is telling us not to push ourselves beyond what our limits are. All that is expected is that we are diligent. First of all, what does it mean to be diligent? Diligence is a constant, earnest effort to accomplish what we want to do, or what the Lord wants us to do. So how do we show diligence spiritually? The main ones are what members of the Church like to call the "Primary answers," or the answers that we have been taught since we were little kids. Examples of such are reading our scriptures, saying our prayers morning and night, attending Church every Sunday that you can, paying our tithing, etc. Yet, being diligent is more than just simply DOING these things. Diligence means taking what you learn and APPLYING them into our daily lives.

In the year 1978, a young man faces the reality of getting cut during tryouts of his high school varsity basketball team. Told that he was too short to compete at that level, he walks away with motivation to prove himself. That young man's name was Michael Jordan. Anybody who has any clue of what basketball is also knows who Michael Jordan is. After getting cut from his high school team, he made the junior varsity team where he scored over 40 points in several games. His junior and senior year, he played varsity and averaged 30 points per game as a senior. This led him to a scholarship to play for the University of North Carolina. He earned the Atlantic Coast Conference Freshman of the Year and played 3 years for the Tar Heels, averaging 17 points per game. Drafted with the number 3 overall pick in the 1984 NBA draft by the Chicago Bulls, Michael was about to change the game forever. By the time he eventually retired in 2003, he was known and acknowledged by many as the greatest to ever play the game and the stats back up that claim. He was a 6 time NBA Champion, 5 time NBA MVP, 14 time NBA All-Star, 6 time NBA Finals MVP, 3 time NBA All-Star Game MVP, 2 time Slam Dunk Champion, etc, etc, etc.

So, my question is, what might have happened if Michael gave up after he never made the varsity team his sophomore year? Would he be as well known as he is now? I'd bet a million dollars (if I had a million dollars) that he would not. Michael was diligent, not only in practicing and listening to his coaches, but also in applying what he learned in the actual games. It never was easy for him, and there were plenty of times when I'm sure he wanted to give in, but he never did. If we are diligent with the Gospel, we too will be champions. Maybe not of the NBA, but of eternal life.

*Pictures from websites: www.classes.lt.unt.edu and www.bleacherreport.com
 

Good will prevail

One of my favorite things to do is get a group of my closest friends, get a bunch of food, and watch movies. I've always loved watching movies. I remember the good old days of Lion King, Aladdin, Snow White, The Swan Princess(I grew up with 3 sisters...cut a guy some slack), and a lot of the other classic children's movies. A general theme in these movies that I've mentioned and in a lot of children's movies is that the evil characters(Scar, Jafar, The Queen, etc) at one point or another seem to have won, yet the good somehow find a way to pull out the victory. The Savior said: "But if it be not built upon my gospel, and is built upon the works of men, or upon the works of the devil, verily I say unto you they have joy in their works for a season, and by and by the end cometh, and they are hewn down and cast into the fire, from whence there is no return."

It gets kinda hard when it seems like there's no reason to hope. Yet, there is reason to hope. We know that  

through the Atonement of Jesus Christ, all that is unfair about life will be made up. We will all live again. Our sins can be forgiven. All this and more is possible, because the Only Begotten Son of God atoned for us, in the most supreme act of love in the entire history of the earth. It is because of the Atonement that good will prevail over evil. As we put our faith in Jesus Christ, repent, be baptized by somebody who holds His Priesthood authority, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost by that same authority, and endure to the end, Satan cannot and will not win. The Savior is constantly extending His arms to us with the invitation to follow Him.

How grateful I am for the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I've done plenty of dumb stuff in my life, but thanks to our Savior, we can be forgiven. He promises: "Behold, he who has repented of his sins, the same is forgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." I know that He lives. I have not seen Him, nor do I think I will ever see Him while in my mortal life, yet I don't have to. The Holy Ghost has told me that He lives. I know that He loves us. If He didn't love us, He wouldn't have performed the Atonement, and if He didn't perform the Atonement, good would have eventually been overcome by the influences of the evil one. I end with a line from a Christmas Hymn:"Then pealed the bells more loud and deep: God is not dead, nor doth he sleep; The wrong shall fail, the right prevail, With peace on earth, good will to men.”

Can I really be happy?

In the world around us, happiness seems to be hard to find these days. Turn on the evening news and stories of murder, violence, rape, and other horrible things always come on first. In these times, a lot people tend to choose to be miserable and unhappy. There's one word I want to emphasize in that last sentence: CHOOSE. I have several friends back home that always told me that happiness is a choice, and it took so long for that message to sink in. In reality, we cannot control what happens to us, but we can control our reactions to it. Though times are hard, and evil is all around, let us use our God given agency and choose to be happy. Enjoy this video by Elder Richard G. Scott of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles.

Anger

In the 2007 season, BYU football faced the UCLA Bruins twice. One was in Pasadena, California in the famous Rose Bowl where UCLA plays their home games, and the other was in the Las Vegas Bowl at the end of the season. The first game, UCLA beat the Cougars 27-17. The game was close basically the whole way and a late turnover by the Cougars sealed their fate. In the Vegas Bowl, BYU controlled most of the way. At the very end of the game, UCLA had a chance to win the game with a really close field goal of only 28 yards...but to their dismay, it was blocked. The Bruins had their chance for revenge in Week 2 of the 2008 season when they travelled to Provo to take on the Cougars again.



As we can see...UCLA has had better days. The inspiration for this post came from Matthew 5:21-22: "Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment..." http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/matt/5.22?lang=eng 

Now, whether UCLA was angry with BYU, I don't know, but what I do know is that anger will get you nowhere. God has commanded us not to be angry with each other and sometimes that is hard, but I know that as we look for the good in people and try our best to love them as the Savior loves them, He will make up the difference.

When I am Baptized

As I have been out here on my mission, I have grown fond of some of the music that I sang as a kid growing up in the Children's Songbook. One of these songs is called "When I am Baptized." The lyrics go like this:

"I like to look for rainbows

whenever there is rain

And ponder on the beauty

of an earth made clean again.

I want my life to be as clean

as earth right after rain.

I want to be the best I can

and live with God again.

I know when I am baptized

my wrongs are washed away,

and I can be forgiven

and improve myself each day.

I want my life to be as clean

as earth right after rain.

I want to be the best I can

and live with God again."

(Children's Songbook #103)

Baptism is an essential ordinance if we want to enter into the Kingdom of God. Jesus said: "...Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/john/3?lang=eng To give us an example to follow, Jesus Christ Himself was baptized. The prophet Nephi said: "And now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water! And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water? Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments." (2 Nephi 31: 5-7) http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/2-ne/31?lang=eng 

God loves us. He sent His son to live a perfect life. He set the perfect example for us. He suffered for us. He died for us. All that He did, He did for us out of perfect, sincere love for each and every one of us. I testify that when we are baptized, our sins are washed away and our lives will be as clean as earth, right after rain.

Eternal Familes

One of the major blessings of the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ is knowing that we can be with our families not only for this life, but for all eternity. This knowledge has been a huge blessing in my life as I have had some pretty significant trials with regards to my family, but I know that as my family keeps the promises they have made to God, everything will turn out for our good. Enjoy this cute little video on the blessings of eternal families.

I can do hard things!

Have you ever done something that you thought was really hard? How did you feel while you were struggling during the task? Yet, how did you feel afterwards when you accomplished the impossible task? I remember an experience I had a few years ago which I would like to share.

For a church youth conference (an activity where the young men and the young women would go for a couple of days and do some fun stuff), we were going on a hiking/rappelling trip in a place called Robber's Roost in Utah. I wasn't particularly excited about this trip but I decided to give it a chance. A lot of my friends were going anyways so I might as well go hang out with them for a couple days out in the middle of nowhere. We traveled down there and camped at the trail head the first night. The next morning, we were off and running. The first day was really fun. We were navigating through these slot canyons and squeezing into narrow passages and rappelling down steep inclines and all sorts of fun. Rappelling wasn't really my thing but I was doing ok with it. At the end of the first day was where the problems started happening. Utah was in a pretty good drought at this point in time, but we were assured that the areas where we were camping had plenty of water to drink. We get to our first campsite...and there's very little water. There was not nearly enough for everybody who was on the trip to fill up their water bottles. We managed to find a place where water was dripping off several places and placed our water bottles underneath the drops and prayed that in the morning our bottles would be full of water. A lot of them were thankfully and we continued on our way. This 2nd day was much Much MUCH harder. We were tired and sore from the hike the day before, we had very little water, a few in our group had injuries that prevented them from walking very good, and a hike that was supposed to be only 9 or 10 miles turned out to be more like 20. There was a few times when I didn't think that I was going to make it, yet when this thought came into my mind, so did another one. The theme of the trip was "I can do hard things." This gave me comfort and helped me keep one foot in front of the other. A scripture also came into my head found in the Book of Philippians: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." (Philippians 4:13) http://lds.org/scriptures/nt/philip/4?lang=eng Needless to say, there was a lot of praying done that day. Yet, at the end of that second day, we made it to the campsite where, thankfully, there was plenty of cool water to drink. We had a little bit farther to go the next day and I had never been more thankful to see a car in my life. We had made it! It was really hard, and we almost gave up, but we made it.

In sports, we often see teams with a huge challenge in front of them. The same is true with my BYU Cougars in the year 1990 when we hosted the #1 ranked team in the nation, the University of Miami Hurricanes. This team the year before had won the national championship and it's not too often that really good teams agree to play in Provo. The game went back and forth until this play to put BYU ahead for good...completing the victory over a really tough opponent.

I know that we can do hard things. Our Savior, Jesus Christ, suffered all of our pains. He knows exactly how we feel when we go through these hard times. If we turn to Him, he will be right there to comfort us and give us the strength to keep putting one foot in front of the other.