Quote from Dallin H. Oaks

“The Final Judgment is not just an evaluation of a sum total of good and evil acts—what we have done...It is an acknowledgment of the final effect of our acts and thoughts—what we have become. It is not enough for anyone just to go through the motions. The commandments, ordinances, and covenants of the gospel are not a list of deposits required to be made in some heavenly account. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a plan that shows us how to become what our Heavenly Father desires us to become.”

Scripture Insight: Mosiah 2:21

I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath...

Discussion
I think the use of the word "lending" here is interesting. King Benjamin could have said "giving" but he didn't. He went with "lending" which has connections with owing something in return. The Lord provides us our lives here (our "breath") so that we can carry out his work. He doesn't just give it to us. He wants us to pay him back via our faith and dedication in Him and His work.

Scripture Insight: Mosiah 2:6

And they pitched their tents round about the temple, every man having his tent with the door thereof towards the temple, that thereby they might remain in their tents and hear the words which king Benjamin should speak unto them.

Discussion
So basically they were watching #ldsconf from the comfort of their own home before it was cool....who knew there were hipsters in the Book of Mormon?

Scripture Insight: 1 Nephi 16:5

And it came to pass that they did humble themselves before the Lord; insomuch that I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness.

Discussion
Here we have Nephi talking about his knucklehead brothers Laman and Lemuel. He has just spoken many hard truths to them until the point of them humbling themselves. I think the most interesting piece of this scripture is where Nephi says "...I had joy and great hopes of them, that they would walk in the paths of righteousness."

Despite all the hard hearts and stiffneckedness of his brothers, he still has faith in them. Time and time again they murmur against him and the Lord, heck, they go on to do 2-3 more times before the end of this chapter, even to the point of murderous intent. Yet Nephi is hopeful. I think this says a lot about him and his faith in the gospel's power to change the hearts of others.

The real question is, do we have that same faith as we work with those around us who appear to be struggling or even murmuring?

Scripture Insight: 4 Nephi 1: 1-2

1 And it came to pass that the thirty and fourth year passed away, and also the thirty and fifth, and behold the disciples of Jesus had formed a church of Christ in all the lands round about. And as many as did come unto them, and did truly repent of their sins, were baptized in the name of Jesus; and they did also receive the Holy Ghost.

2 And it came to pass in the thirty and sixth year, the people were all converted unto the Lord, upon all the face of the land, both Nephites and Lamanites, and there were no contentions and disputations among them, and every man did deal justly one with another.

Discussion
This is taking place right after the Savior visited the Americas and the people there took hold of the message presented to them and believed in it. I think its interesting to see such a sharp contrast to how the people here responded compared to those in the New Testament because while there were many who believed and the church grew, there was also contention and persecution. Many of the Saints were killed because of their faith and yet here in the Americas everyone accepted it. I'm sure there are many factors to be considered in this, but its still interesting to note.

Study Recap: Finding Forgiveness by Elder Richard G. Scott

Title: Finding Forgiveness
Author: Elder Richard G. Scott
Source: May 1995 Ensign
Link: http://www.lds.org/ensign/1995/05/finding-forgiveness?lang=eng

Rating: 3/5

Favorite Points

• Each one of us encounters unique challenges meant for growth.
• Every incorrect choice we make, every sin we commit is a violation of eternal law. That violation brings negative results we generally soon recognize. There are also other consequences of our acts of which we may not be conscious. They are nonetheless real. They can have a tremendous effect on the quality of our life here and most certainly will powerfully affect it hereafter.
• Which of us is not in need of the miracle of repentance? Whether your life is lightly blemished or heavily disfigured from mistakes, the principles of recovery are the same. The length and severity of the treatments are conditioned to fit the circumstances.
•  Obedience and faith in the Savior give you power to resist temptation. 
• Study and ponder to determine how serious the Lord defines your transgression to be. That will bring healing sorrow and remorse. It will also bring a sincere desire for change and a willingness to submit to every requirement for forgiveness.
• Abandonment of sin. This is an unyielding, permanent resolve to not repeat the transgression. By keeping this commitment, the bitter aftertaste of that sin need not be experienced again. Remember: “But unto that soul who sinneth shall the former sins return.”  Joseph Smith declared: “Repentance is a thing that cannot be trifled with every day. Daily transgression and daily repentance is not … pleasing in the sight of God.”
• Please understand that confession is not repentance. It is an essential step, but is not of itself adequate. Partial confession by mentioning lesser mistakes will not help you resolve a more serious, undisclosed transgression. Essential to forgiveness is a willingness to fully disclose to the Lord and, where necessary, His priesthood judge all that you have done.
• Remember, “He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.”
• Full obedience brings the complete power of the gospel into your life with strength to focus on the abandonment of specific sins. It includes things you might not initially consider part of repentance, such as attending meetings, paying tithing, giving service, and forgiving others.
•  The Lord said: “He that repents and does the commandments of the Lord shall be forgiven.”
• Satan would have you believe that serious transgression cannot be entirely overcome. The Savior gave His life so that the effects of all transgression can be put behind us...
• Do not take comfort in the fact that your transgressions are not known by others. That is like an ostrich with his head buried in the sand. He sees only darkness and feels comfortably hidden. In reality he is ridiculously conspicuous. Likewise our every act is seen by our Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son. They know everything about us.
• resident Kimball taught: “To every forgiveness there is a condition. The plaster must be as wide as the sore. The fasting, the prayers, the humility must be equal to or greater than the sin.”
• “It is unthinkable that God absolves serious sins upon a few requests. He is likely to wait until there has been long, sustained repentance.”
• In closing, with all the tenderness and sincerity of heart I invite each one of you to thoughtfully review your life. Have you deviated from the standards that you know will bring happiness? Is there a dark corner that needs to be cleaned out? Are you now doing things that you know are wrong? Do you fill your mind with unclean thoughts? When it is quiet and you can think clearly, does your conscience tell you to repent?
• For your peace now and for everlasting happiness, please repent. Open your heart to the Lord and ask Him to help you. You will earn the blessing of forgiveness, peace, and the knowledge you have been purified and made whole. Find the courage to ask the Lord for strength to repent, now. I solemnly witness that Jesus Christ is the Redeemer. I know that He lives. I testify that He loves you personally and will help you.

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Watch What You Say

Given that I was serving a foreign speaking mission, I wanted to learn as much as possible about the language to avoid saying the wrong thing. Part of this was learning all forms of profanity...not so I could use them though, but so I could know which words NOT to use! Can you imagine a missionary teaching a lesson and saying, "I know that the effin' devil wants to ensnare you..." Not good.

So two occasions come to mind where I fell prey to saying the wrong thing. One was using a word I didn't understand the meaning of (and it can be bad) and the other was saying something in English which also turned out to be bad.

The first involved a less-active member we were working with who used to be a boxer. He told me his boxing name was "Coño Hernandez." Now since his first name was Antonio, I assumed "coño" was another shortened version, like Pete for Peter. But no, I was wrong*. My companion (also American and aware of what it meant) and I were talking to the bishop and his wife about him and I referred to him by his boxing name. Their eyes got pretty big and explained my error. Bad part is that as a way to get our foot in the door I also asked many potential investogators nearby to this member if they knew the boxer "Coño Hernandez." Instead, the foot went in my mouth.

Another occasion I was with my third companion who was from Mexico, but spoke English very well and we alternated days on which we would speak to each other so we could both practice. So one day we're walking along the street and we see this little girl who looked very sickly and like a zombie. Being curious and wanting to know more Spanish I asked him in English, "How do you say zombie in Spanish?" Next thing I know this little girl looks at me before running off crying. I look at my companion and who tells me "zombie" in Spanish is "zombi." They are pronounced almost exactly the same so the little girl understood me calling her a zombie...oops.

So as a missionary you are told to always open you mouth and speak to people. Sometime though it seems it would be better to shut your mouth before your big foot ends up there.

*I won't repeat here what the word means, but feel free to use Google Translate if you're curious. I checked before posting this to make sure it would bring up the right meaning.

Mormon Channel Highlight: Understanding Islam

I came across this podcast the other day and listened to it while driving on a trip. I knew many of the things shared due to previous study and interactions with Muslims, but found the podcast informative and well worth the time to listen to.

This also comes from the Insights series which has the following description:

Insights features professionals in many fields who share knowledge in their areas of expertise so that we may learn "of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass . . . that [we] may be prepared in all things." (See Doctrine and Covenants 88:79-80.)

The link to the episode with an overview of Islam provided by a BYU professor can be found here:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/insights/1

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Hunting Stories

One of my best companions was a guy from a small town in Idaho. Of all the people I served with, he was the one I worked the best with and we just flowed with the work perfectly. We were together for 3 months and they were really enjoyable...except for one things: his hunting stories.

They were cool and interesting at first, but there always seemed to be one right after the other. How many hunting stories can a person really have!? All day long, day after day, it was coyote that or deer this. I didn't think it was possible to go hunting that much.

So one day I finally ask him, "Elder, how many deer have you killed in your entire life?" He was daunted by the question and had to think for a moment how many it really was. You can imagine my surprise when he said "Gosh, probably 4 or 5." What!? I looked at him completely flabbergasted and asked in exasperation, "4 or 5! Where the heck do all these hunting stories come from then? How have you killed on 4 or 5 deer!?"

Turns out most of his stories were about coyotes on the farm and where he lived you could only kill 1 deer per season because there were so few. That week I emailed my step-dad who is a big hunter and said where we're from you can kill more than 1 deer per DAY on most occasions. That's a big difference between one part of the US and another.

Not impressed with his low deer count, I started tuning out the hunting stories because who really cares about coyotes? Still love the guy though!

Study Recap: “Awake My Soul!”: Dealing Firmly with Depression by Steve Gilliland

Title: “Awake My Soul!”: Dealing Firmly with Depression
Author: Steve Gilliland
Source: August 1978 Ensign
Link: https://www.lds.org/ensign/1978/08/awake-my-soul-dealing-firmly-with-depression?lang=eng

Rating: 4/5

Favorite Points

• Feeling discouraged and inadequate happens to all of us, but when these feelings become a way of life, or even frequent visitors, they’re signs of trouble.
• As I remember my own experiences of being trapped in the web of discouragement, the worst part was the feeling that I was helpless to get free. Working on a “positive mental attitude” seemed like only kidding myself. 
• Fasting and prayer brought specific guidance, and over time my struggles produced what may perhaps be the long-term answer to my prayers—some concepts and skills that have helped me pull myself out of these depressions.
• It’s not the Holy Ghost’s problem but ours. Each of us has many voices within, criticizing and praising, encouraging and discouraging, desiring and warning, reasoning and disregarding. We’ve all wondered at some time which voices were from the Lord and which were from Satan, which came with us from premortal life and which we’ve acquired since birth. Fortunately, some good clues to discerning the source of these voices are given in Moro. 7:16: “Every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent … of Christ.”
• For years your personality may have been growing in one direction. Now you must help it grow in another direction. You cannot easily erase those destructive voices from the past, but you can recognize what they do to you and turn them off. You can rid yourself of these voices by replacing them with positive feedback and experiences that will build self-esteem. The Lord has promised that our weaknesses can become strengths and that “all things shall work together for [our] good” if we search and pray. (Ether 12:27, D&C 90:24.)
• Once we can turn off the negative voices, we can see their source. Discouragement is not the Lord’s method—it’s Satan’s. Satan emphasizes your weaknesses; the Lord, your ability to overcome. Satan urges immediate perfection to make you feel inadequate. The Lord leads you toward perfection. Once we recognize the source, we can cry with Nephi, “Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart, and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.” (2 Ne. 4:28.)
• The Lord seeks to strengthen you, to give you the power to overcome problems. He wants you to recognize your weaknesses and then do something about them, Jesus didn’t condemn the adulteress. He said, “Go, and sin no more.” (John 8:1–11.) Alma made it very clear to Corianton that he had committed a terrible sin in being unchaste, but he concluded with: “And now, my son, I desire that ye should let these things [Corianton’s doubts about God’s justice] trouble you no more, and only let your sins trouble you, with that trouble which shall bring you down unto repentance.” (Alma 42:29.)
• It’s one thing to face up to our weaknesses and work on them. It’s another thing to dwell on them. The gospel teaches us to take charge of our minds as well as our bodies. Suppose you’re thinking about a mistake you’ve made. Ask yourself: Is this helping me deal with the problems I’m now having or is it making me feel more inadequate? If it’s dragging you down, push it out of your mind or crowd something else in front of it.
• If I immediately start tormenting myself for my weakness when I find myself dwelling on an unworthy thought, I don’t have enough strength or determination to resist the next temptation. If, instead, I thank the Lord for showing me that the thought is unwholesome and helping shift my mind away, I leave the situation closer to the Lord, grateful for the strength I have, and praying for greater strength in the future.

Scripture Insight: D&C 43:34

34 Hearken ye to these words. Behold, I am Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world. Treasure these things up in your hearts, and let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds.

Discussion
I love that part at the end there: "let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds." I picture in my mind this vast unknown universe out in space and the sheer magnitude of it (the background image for OS X Mountain Lion comes to mind). It all seems so vast and overwhelming in magnitude, but this provides a calming feeling because everything is in order.

Knowledge of the gospel can be the same way. The amount of knowledge and learning to be had is extensive and seems daunting. But with every little nugget of truth we learn, it brings with it a calming influence of support and reassurance. I just want to lay back and let it all wash over me.

Study Recap: Improving Your Personal Prayers By Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy

Title:Improving Your Personal Prayers
Author: Elder Kevin W. Pearson of the Seventy
Source: June 2013 Ensign
Link: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2013/06/improving-your-personal-prayers?lang=eng
Summary: What would listening to your personal prayers reveal about you and your relationship with Heavenly Father?
Rating: 4.5/5

Favorite Points

• I am convinced that personal prayer is one of the most significant challenges facing members of the Church, particularly youth and young adults. And because they struggle with prayer, they struggle spiritually.
• Our personal prayers are a barometer of our spiritual strength and an indicator of our spiritual well-being. I have learned as a father, priesthood leader, and mission president that listening carefully to another’s prayers can reveal much about his or her relationship with God.
• What would listening to your personal prayers reveal about you and your relationship with Heavenly Father?
• To pray is to speak with God, the Eternal Father of our spirits—not at Him but with Him.
• He loves each of us perfectly and is full of mercy and understanding. He knows everything about us. He knows what we need, even when we can see only what we want. He has infinite power and capacity to sustain and guide us. He is always willing to forgive us and to help us in all things.
• Personal prayers should be solemn, sacred expressions of praise and gratitude; heartfelt petitions for specific needs and desires; humble, contrite confessions and requests for cleansing forgiveness.
• Prayer is an essential and enabling spiritual link between God and man. Without prayer, there is no possible return to the Father. Without prayer, sufficient faith to understand and keep the commandments is impossible. Without prayer, the necessary spiritual power to avoid temptation and overcome trials and adversity would be unavailable. Without prayer, repentance, forgiveness and the cleansing power of the Atonement are unattainable. With the power of personal prayer, all things are possible.
• Prayer is spiritual work preceded by mental and spiritual preparation. If we don’t take the time to humble ourselves and carefully consider that we are about to call upon God the Eternal Father in the name of Jesus Christ, we will miss the very essence of the divine pattern established to bless us.
• Remember, however, Satan will be the only one who tells you that you cannot or should not pray. The Holy Ghost always encourages us to pray, even if we are struggling with obedience and personal worthiness.
• Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart” (Bible Dictionary, “Prayer”). Prayers that follow this pattern represent vain hope, not faith.
• Prayer is not a negotiation process. It is an alignment process. We don’t move God to our point of view. Prayer is less about changing our circumstances and more about changing us.  

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Doorstep battle with JW's

In my third area we were teaching this one sister and things were going pretty well...until we found out she was meeting with missionaries from the Jehovah Witnesses too. We found this out because one day when we showed up for our scheduled appointment with her, the JW's arrived 2 seconds after us for an unscheduled appointment with her. Talk about awkward.

The lady answered the door but didn't let us in. She didn't let them in either so it was all good. My companion at the time liked to bible bash (moron) so he started getting into with the JW's. I had a moment of weakness though and responded to one of their "attacks." They had said that Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost were all one person. They were very snarky and condescending about it and I couldn't help myself.

I got very smart with them and did not use my nice missionary voice. I read the account of Jesus's baptism from the New Testament and pointed out that we had: 1. Jesus in the water, 2. the voice of God coming from heaven, and 3. the Holy Ghost in the form of a dove. I held a finger with each person as they were mentioned and then looked at my hand in "shock" afterwards ("Oh my, would you look at that, three separate beings!"). I then also counted each of my fingers for them in a very...well, what's a good term for I treated them like they were a bunch of naive little children.

Looking back on that day I'm not super proud of my actions and know that is not how the Savior would have acted. The lady we were teaching did let us in that day and not the Jehovah Witnesses so that's one thing, but she didn't end up getting baptized at that time either. I hope my actions did not impede someone from being able to take advantage of the rich blessings of the gospel.

Moral of the story for current or future missionaries: the Lord wants us to speak boldly of his gospel and preach repentance with love, not bible bash and cause contention with bad attitudes.

#HastenTheWork: Best of #LDSBroadcast

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Judging and Horchata

My first area on the mission was in this small little village in the middle of the desert. There was nothing going on there and the largest body of water was the baptismal font. It was also a very poor part of the country and most of the people lived in mud brick houses.

I still remember my first Sunday in the field as my companion and I were out visiting some of our investigators. We went to visit this one older lady and her children and their home was more humble than most. She offered us some horchata (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Horchata) which in that part of Mexico was a warm mix of rice, milk, and cinnamon. Its is extremely tasty.

This particular woman made the horchata and raw cinnamon sticks which she left in the drink itself. Being very naive and not recognizing it as such, I thought it was a twig from a tree that she had used to stir it since she didn't have a spoon. I dutifully drank my horchata and covertly threw the "twig" outside while no one was looking.

Some months later I was serving in another area, this time in the city and in a pretty well to-do part of the region. This guys weren't rich or anything, but they had cement homes and could easily support their families. So I was much surprised to find that one day one of the families served us horchata and there was the "twig" again! It couldn't be! This was a well-off family who didn't need twigs to stir.

I shared these observations with my companion after we left and boy did I feel embarrassed. He explained to me that this "twig" was actually a raw cinnamon stick that I didn't recognize, because truthfully, I had never seen one before. It taught me an invaluable lesson though about judging people unfairly and keeping an open mind because you don't necessarily know everything (only Heavenly Father does).

Mormon Channel Highlight: Effective Leadership

I want to start a new thing where I will occasionally share something from the Mormon Channel that I found very interesting, useful, or particular insightful.

The first comes from a series called Insights which sadly does not appear to be releasing any new episodes. Here is a description of the series:

Insights features professionals in many fields who share knowledge in their areas of expertise so that we may learn "of things both in heaven and in the earth, and under the earth; things which have been, things which are, things which must shortly come to pass . . . that [we] may be prepared in all things." (See Doctrine and Covenants 88:79-80.)

One of the first ones I listened to in this series was about learning effective leadership with Kim B. Clark, President of BYU-Idaho. It is a very worthwhile material to check out. It can be found here:

http://www.mormonchannel.org/insights/29

Only 3 years old and my daughter is hitting on missionaries...not like you think though

So funny thing happened yesterday at church: my 3-year old daughter hit one of the missionaries in the junk. We were walking by in the hallway after church heading to the car. I was holding my son and my sweet daughter was walking slightly behind me with my wife. As I'm passing the Elder I hit him on his arm with the papers I have in my hand as a way of saying bye. We're cool like that.

Well, my daughter saw me hit the Elder so she wanted to do it too. She's a good deal smaller than me though since she's only 3 so she hit him the best she could at her level. Unfortunately for the missionary, she was right on level with his crotch. Silver lining is that is was just a tap and more awkward for the Elder rather than painful. He's good natured though and we all had a good laugh at it.

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Homeless Convert

There was this homeless guy who we helped get baptized and he faithfully attended church each week. This brother stayed in a small village approximately 10 miles outside the city and would scrap together enough money each week for the bus fare to attend church. The stake patriarch would then give him a ride home afterwards and some food to eat. I have always been impressed by his faith and dedication.

Shortly after returning home from my mission I went back to visit. I flew into Mexico City and stayed with a former companion. We were there for a few days and then rode a bus to our mission and specifically where we served together. This is the same area previously mentioned where I was there for 1 year (again, that is literal and no exaggeration).

Throughout the week that we were there we were visiting with some of the families from the ward and our converts, almost all of whom had stopped coming. Also unfortunate, since this wonderful homeless brother did not live in the city and I actually had no idea where he stayed, I wasn't able to meet up with him at that time. But on Sunday I saw him.

My former companion and I were late to sacrament meeting because we had stopped by and picked up some of our converts to bring them to church with us.* So they open the doors and we walk in. I see this amazing brother there with so much faith sitting on the back row. I sit down next to him and see his eyes light up when he sees me. He reaches over to gives me a big hug and the spirit can be felt. He then looks me right in the and says, "You're late."

*The full-time missionaries there at that time had zero investigators there that day and zero reactivations.On the other hand, my former companion and I brought back 4 people who hadn't been attending. Slackers!

I love that guy.

Quote from Lorenzo Snow

Of ourselves we can do nothing. As Jesus said: “Verily, verily I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do; for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise.” [John 5:19.] He came into this life to do the will of his Father, and not his own will. Our desire and determination should be the same. When things come up that require an exertion on our part, we should bring our wills into subjection to the will of the Father, and feel to say, what is the will of our Father, whom we are here in the world to serve? Then every act that we perform will be a success. We may not see its success today or tomorrow, nevertheless it will result in success.

Sunday School Attention Activity

I was studying the Sunday School lesson a few weeks ago and came across the following attention activity* that I thought was very poignant and insightful:

As appropriate, use the following activity or one of your own to begin the lesson.

Display the small pieces of the picture that you have brought to class, but do not display the picture (see “Preparation,” item 3). Tell class members that these small pieces are part of a bigger picture. Invite them to briefly guess what is in the picture. Then display the picture, putting the small pieces in place.

Point out that although the small pieces are important, they would have little meaning if they were not part of the big picture. Explain that experiences we have, decisions we make, and truths we learn are like small pieces of a big picture. They have less meaning if they are not put in the context of a bigger picture: the plan of salvation. A knowledge of the plan of salvation can help us make righteous decisions, find joy in mortality, and prepare for eternal life. This lesson discusses the plan of salvation.

*I study the lesson out of the Instructor's Manual and not that weak student study guide

Study Recap: Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice by Bruce R. McConkie

Title: Obedience, Consecration, and Sacrifice
Author: Bruce R. McConkie
Source: April 1975 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1975/04/obedience-consecration-and-sacrifice?lang=eng
Rating: 3/5

Favorite Points

• It is written: “He who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory.” (D&C 88:22.) The law of sacrifice is a celestial law; so also is the law of consecration. Thus to gain that celestial reward which we so devoutly desire, we must be able to live these two laws.
• Sacrifice and consecration are inseparably intertwined. The law of consecration is that we consecrate our time, our talents, and our money and property to the cause of the Church: such are to be available to the extent they are needed to further the Lord’s interests on earth.
• The law of sacrifice is that we are willing to sacrifice all that we have for the truth’s sake—our character and reputation; our honor and applause; our good name among men; our houses, lands, and families: all things, even our very lives if need be.
• Joseph Smith said, “A religion that does not require the sacrifice of all things never has power sufficient to produce the faith necessary [to lead] unto life and salvation.” (Lectures on Faith, p. 58.)
• We are not always called upon to live the whole law of consecration and give all of our time, talents, and means to the building up of the Lord’s earthly kingdom. Few of us are called upon to sacrifice much of what we possess, and at the moment there is only an occasional martyr in the cause of revealed religion. But what the scriptural account means is that to gain celestial salvation we must be able to live these laws to the full if we are called upon to do so. Implicit in this is the reality that we must in fact live them to the extent we are called upon so to do.
• As a young man, serving at the direction of my bishop, I called upon a rich man and invited him to contribute a thousand dollars to a building fund. He declined. But he did say he wanted to help, and if we would have a ward dinner and charge $5 per plate, he would take two tickets. About ten days later this man died unexpectedly of a heart attack, and I have wondered ever since about the fate of his eternal soul.
• As you know, the young man went away sorrowful, “for he had great possessions.” (Matt. 19:16–22.) And we are left to wonder what intimacies he might have shared with the Son of God, what fellowship he might have enjoyed with the apostles, what revelations and visions he might have received, if he had been able to live the law of a celestial kingdom. As it is he remains nameless; as it might have been, his name could have been had in honorable remembrance among the saints forever.
• Now I think it is perfectly clear that the Lord expects far more of us than we sometimes render in response.
• It is our privilege to consecrate our time, talents, and means to build up his kingdom.
• Freely we have received and freely we give, for salvation is free.
• It is the Lord’s work and not man’s. He is the one who commands us to preach the gospel in all the world, whatever the cost. It is his voice that decrees the building of temples, whatever the cost. He is the one who tells us to care for the poor among us, whatever the cost, lest their cries come up to his throne as a testimony against those who should have fed the hungry and clothed the naked but who did not.

Scripture Insight: Alma 12:10-11

10 And therefore, he that will harden his heart, the same receiveth the lesser portion of the word; and he that will not harden his heart, to him is given the greater portion of the word, until it is given unto him to know the mysteries of God until he know them in full.

11 And they that will harden their hearts, to them is given the lesser portion of the word until they know nothing concerning his mysteries; and then they are taken captive by the devil, and led by his will down to destruction. Now this is what is meant by the chains of hell.

Discussion
As I look around and see the state of world affairs, this scripture comes to mind as many turn away from the truth provided by the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. It seems that even some church members are included in this as they become more aligned to the philosophies of men and the reasoning of this world. It would appear that their spiritual senses are being dulled which can lead to a gradual hardening of the heart.

As indicated here in this scripture, this hardening of the heart can prevent light and knowledge from entering into them. Two people can sit and listen to the same sacrament talk or General Conference address, but if one of them have hardened their heart then they will be unable to fully receive the message intended and their ability to have their faith and testimony strengthened will be limited. We all need to exercise greater faith in our lives and put our full trust in the Lord and his servants here on the earth, particularly the prophet as he will not lead us astray.

Study Recap: “My Ways Are Not Your Ways” By Elder Clayton M. Christensen

Title: “My Ways Are Not Your Ways”
Author: Elder Clayton M. Christensen
Source: February 2007 Ensign
Link: https://www.lds.org/ensign/2007/02/my-ways-are-not-your-ways?lang=eng
Rating: 5/5

Favorite Points

• Many of the Savior’s most profound teachings are counterintuitive. “Love your enemies” is an example. The solutions that our minds are prone to develop are often different from those the Lord would have us pursue. “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord” (Isaiah 55:8).
•  When we encounter roadblocks in our efforts to build the kingdom, the reason often is that our solutions are grounded in the wisdom of men—which is foolishness to God (see 1 Corinthians 3:19).
• The Savior taught that good shepherds go after individual sheep that don’t return to the fold. Yet we frequently focus on the ninety and nine, leaving those who are lost to continue wandering from the Church. In every sacrament meeting, for example, our clerks count the number of sheep who returned to the fold. They store this number in a safe place for the quarterly report, and then we go home. If we conformed our ways to God’s ways, we’d list the names of the individual members who could have returned to the fold on that Sunday but didn’t come. Then we’d go find them.
•  We should be careful not to offend members who deliberately do not want to attend. But helping each member who only occasionally returns to the fold on Sunday to feel needed and feel our love is a simple practice that every ward and branch can begin. Many less-active members got that way because they didn’t return to the fold one Sunday and nobody seemed to notice.
• Some wards and branches suffer from inadequate leadership. The reason is often that we rely on the same qualified people to fill key callings, denying others experiences in which personal growth can occur. When a branch is just emerging and there are no alternatives, leaders extend callings to people who don’t fit the traditional mold of talented, capable leaders and invite them to assume important responsibility. During such periods, the branch and its members often grow in exciting ways. Many times, however, there comes a point when a group of talented, experienced leaders and teachers has coalesced. When there are capable people available to ensure that Church programs run efficiently, we often stop drafting people from the periphery of capability into the positions of responsibility in which they can grow. Because they seem less qualified than those in the experienced core, we leave them on the periphery. The experienced leaders and teachers play musical chairs, exchanging positions of responsibility. This is not the Lord’s way.
• Building His Church on the backs of the simple and weak (see D&C 1:19) was not a temporary, stop-gap staffing plan to tide the Church over during its early years until enough experienced, committed, qualified leaders had arrived on the scene.
• The Lord deliberately weakened Gideon’s army so that Israel wouldn’t get confused about whose power had led them to victory (see Judges 6; 7). None of Jesus’s original Twelve Apostles had evidenced adequate experience or commitment when He called them. Enoch, Moses, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Amos, and Joseph Smith were unqualified by the world’s standards when the Lord put them to work. But God transformed them.
•  ...the focus of many parents and youth leaders is to help our youth find their lives. Too often we define strong youth programs as those with a large “critical mass” of youth, well-planned activities, and opportunities for Latter-day Saint friendships. These are good things to have. But while we work so hard to provide enriching experiences for our youth, we sometimes deny them the most important opportunity of all—the chance to lose their lives for the sake of the gospel.
• The Savior’s formula for converting our hearts to His cause is unambiguous. He instructs us to lose our lives in His service.
• A strong youth program is not defined by the numbers of youth. Nor is it defined by the charisma of youth leaders. Rather, it is one that gives every young person the opportunity to lose his or her life for the sake of the Savior.
• The youth whose lives leaders need most urgently to influence are those whose parents do not regularly enroll them in the Savior’s service. A strong youth program isn’t one that coddles these at-risk youth. Rather, it will give them opportunities to sacrifice in the service of God, to feel needed in the Church and feel the Spirit as they serve.
• If the reason for attending church between ages 12 and 18 is fellowship and fun, then Relief Society and elders quorum can be a shock: they aren’t very fun.
• The burden of adult discipleship looms heavy if young people have never shouldered the Savior’s yoke.
• Long ago I had concluded that it was quite simple to administer the mechanics of missionary meetings, but I could not lead that work with passion and credibility unless I could speak in present-tense verbs and first-person pronouns about finding people for the missionaries to teach.
• When Moroni foresaw that many in the last days would believe God had ceased to be a God of miracles (Mormon 9:15–20), perhaps he had in his view not just those of other faiths but some of us as well. When we are doing all we can and our leaders ask us to do even more, miracles are the only option. That is why the Savior asked us to forsake the rational limits of our adult minds and employ the faith of little children instead.
• I once felt passed over when another man was called to a leadership position I had felt I might receive. In the crisis of self-confidence that ensued, I realized that because our minds are finite, we create hierarchies and statistically aggregate people. We perceive stake presidents to be higher than bishops and Primary presidents higher than Primary teachers because they preside over more people. But God has an infinite mind. He needs no statistics above the level of the individual in order to have a perfect understanding of what is happening. This means, I realized, that the way God will measure my life is not by the numbers of people over whom I have presided but by the individual people whose lives I have touched with His love and with the gospel of Jesus Christ.
•  There is a calling far higher than that of stake president, bishop, or Relief Society president. It is to be a doer of good, a disciple of Christ, an intermediary through whom God answers others’ prayers.

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Drool

Shortly after arriving in the actual mission field I was in my first area with my trainer and we were knocking doors. Since I was still in the early portions of my mission my language skills were still developing and I contributed less to the lessons. I would teach a principle here and there and testify when needed. But answering questions and addressing concerns? Not so much.

So most of the time I was a bump on the log. Very boring stuff. So anyway, we knocking doors one day and a nice elderly couple invites us in and we teach the first lesson. I play my part and then my companion takes over completely at the end to address the wife's concerns which were many. So I'm sitting there in the penetrating heat of a Mexican summer in the desert, bored because I'm following everything that's being said, and tired because we walked an average of 10-15 miles per day.

In the middle of this, I fall asleep at some point and I'm not quite sure when. All I know is after some undetermined amount of time, I slowly open my eyes and notice that my head is down over my lap and a string of drool is leaving my mouth and hitting my backpack which was in my lap. My brain takes a few moments to process what's going on and when the moment of realization hits, I jerk up and wipe the drool from my face.

I do a quick check of my surroundings and assess the other people in the room. My companion is turned away from me and engaged with the wife still. She has not noticed anything and isn't looking my way at all. I look over at the husband to see if he's upset by my sleeping only to notice that he feel asleep too! I felt so relieved (and some validation that I wasn't the only one who found my companion extremely boring).

I looked back at my companion and the wife and realized they would still be going at for a good while longer (my trainer wasn't very good at picking up when people weren't interested) so I put my head back down and joined the husband in some quick shut-eye. Very refreshing.

Study Recap: “Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure” by Elder Robert D. Hales

Title: “Behold, We Count Them Happy Which Endure”
Author: Elder Robert D. Hales
Source: October 1998 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/04/behold-we-count-them-happy-which-endure?lang=eng
Summary: We cannot expect to learn endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when things get difficult now.
Rating: 3/5


Favorite Points 

• When suffering upon the cross at Calvary, Jesus felt the loneliness of agency when He pled to His Father in Heaven, “Why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46). The Savior of the world was left alone by His Father to experience, of His own free will and choice, an act of agency which allowed Him to complete His mission of the Atonement.
• Joseph knew that if he were to stop going forward with this great work, his earthly trials would probably ease. But he could not stop, because he knew who he was, he knew for what purpose he was placed on the earth, and he had the desire to do God’s will.
•  Often we do not know what we can endure until after a trial of our faith. We are also taught by the Lord that we will never be tested beyond that which we can endure (see 1 Cor. 10:13).
• In 1968 a marathon runner by the name of John Stephen Akhwari represented Tanzania in an international competition. “A little over an hour after [the winner] had crossed the finish line, John Stephen Akhwari … approached the stadium, the last man to complete the journey. [Though suffering from fatigue, leg cramps, dehydration, and disorientation,] a voice called from within to go on, and so he went on. Afterwards, it was written, ‘Today we have seen a young African runner who symbolizes the finest in human spirit, a performance that gives meaning to the word courage.’ For some, the only reward is a personal one. [There are no medals, only] the knowledge that they finished what they set out to do” (The Last African Runner, Olympiad Series, written, directed, and produced by Bud Greenspan, Cappy Productions, 1976, videocassette). When asked why he would complete a race he could never win, Akhwari replied, “My country did not send me 5,000 miles to start the race; my country sent me to finish the race.”
•  Dwelling in the world is part of our mortal test. The challenge is to live in the world yet not partake of the world’s temptations which will lead us away from our spiritual goals. When one of us gives up and succumbs to the wiles of the adversary, we may lose more than our own soul. Our surrender could cause the loss of souls who respect us in this generation. Our capitulation to temptation could affect children and families for generations to come.
•  Also, we cannot endure to the end alone. It is important that we help by lifting and strengthening one another.
•  We are taught in the scriptures that there must be opposition in all things (see 2 Ne. 2:11). It is not a question of if we are ready for the tests; it is a matter of when. We must prepare to be ready for tests that will present themselves without warning.
•  Eternal vision allows us to overcome opposition in our temporal state and, ultimately, achieve the promised rewards and blessings of eternal life.
• We learn to endure to the end by learning to finish our current responsibilities, and we simply continue doing it all of our lives. We cannot expect to learn endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when things get difficult now.
• Everyone has something they must learn to master. Some are just more obvious than others.
• Enduring requires doing better than your best of today by developing additional gifts as granted from the Lord.
• There is more to endurance than just surviving and waiting for the end to overtake us. To endure to the end takes great faith.
• Some may say if we have enough faith, we can sometimes change the circumstances that are causing our trials and tribulations. Is our faith to change circumstances, or is it to endure them? Faithful prayers may be offered to change or moderate events in our life, but we must always remember that when concluding each prayer, there is an understanding: “Thy will be done” (Matt. 26:42). Faith in the Lord includes trust in the Lord. The faith to endure well is faith based upon accepting the Lord’s will and the lessons learned in the events that transpire.
• There is nothing that we are enduring that Jesus does not understand, and He waits for us to go to our Heavenly Father in prayer. I testify that if we will be obedient and if we are diligent, our prayers will be answered, our problems will diminish, our fears will dissipate, light will come upon us, the darkness of despair will be dispersed, and we will be close to the Lord and feel of His love and of the comfort of the Holy Ghost

.

Study Recap: Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually by Elder Robert D. Hales

Title: Becoming Provident Providers Temporally and Spiritually
Author: Elder Robert D. Hales
Source: April 2009 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/becoming-provident-providers-temporally-and-spiritually?lang=eng
Summary: When we live providently, we can provide for ourselves and our families and also follow the Savior’s example to serve and bless others.
Rating: 4/5


Favorite Points

• Today I speak to all whose freedom to choose has been diminished by the effects of ill-advised choices of the past. I speak specifically of choices that have led to excessive debt and addictions to food, drugs, pornography, and other patterns of thought and action that diminish one’s sense of self-worth.
•  All of these excesses affect us individually and undermine our family relationships.
•  Of course some debt incurred for education, a modest home, or a basic automobile may be necessary to provide for a family. Unfortunately however, additional debt is incurred when we cannot control our wants and addictive impulses.
• ...for both debt and addiction, the hopeful solution is the same—we must turn to the Lord and follow His commandments. We must want more than anything else to change our lives so that we can break the cycle of debt and our uncontrolled wants.
• Our challenges, including those we create by our own decisions, are part of our test in mortality. Let me assure you that your situation is not beyond the reach of our Savior. Through Him, every struggle can be for our experience and our good (see D&C 122:7). Each temptation we overcome is to strengthen us, not destroy us. The Lord will never allow us to suffer beyond what we can endure (see 1 Corinthians 10:13).
• We must remember that the adversary knows us extremely well. He knows where, when, and how to tempt us. If we are obedient to the promptings of the Holy Ghost, we can learn to recognize the adversary’s enticements. Before we yield to temptation, we must learn to say with unflinching resolve, “Get thee behind me, Satan” (Matthew 16:23).
• Our success is never measured by how strongly we are tempted but by how faithfully we respond.
• Our world is fraught with feelings of entitlement. Some of us feel embarrassed, ashamed, less worthwhile if our family does not have everything the neighbors have.  
• As a result, we go into debt to buy things we can’t afford—and things we do not really need. Whenever we do this, we become poor temporally and spiritually. We give away some of our precious, priceless agency and put ourselves in self-imposed servitude.
• Money we could have used to care for ourselves and others must now be used to pay our debts. What remains is often only enough to meet our most basic physical needs. Living at the subsistence level, we become depressed, our self-worth is affected, and our relationships with family, friends, neighbors, and the Lord are weakened. We do not have the time, energy, or interest to seek spiritual things.
•  These two lessons are the essence of provident living. When faced with the choice to buy, consume, or engage in worldly things and activities, we all need to learn to say to one another, “We can’t afford it, even though we want it!” or “We can afford it, but we don’t need it—and we really don’t even want it!”
• I testify that the appetite to possess worldly things can only be overcome by turning to the Lord. The hunger of addiction can only be replaced by our love for Him. He stands ready to help each one of us. “Fear not,” He said, “for you are mine, and I have overcome the world” (D&C 50:41).

Scripture Insight: 2 Nephi 32:3

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

Discussion
You know that hunger you feel at the end of the fast, where you are willing to anything in sight because it all sounds good. I think of that when I read this scripture and feasting upon the words of Christ. We are so hungry for truth and knowledge we want to gobble it all up. We want to read and learn as much as we can.

Then there re are other times where we feel only slightly hungry. We get more picky. We may want to eat this but not that. It can be like, yeah, I like that, but I'm not in the mood for it. There's something specific we have in mind. These are times where we are seeking something specific from the scriptures and become picky about what we read. This is not feasting. This is going back and forth to the kitchen every 5 minutes looking for something to eat but never getting anything (we think what we want will magically appear but it never does). We finally settle for something that sounds okay and walk away unsatisified.

We need to approach our scripture study like the first example and not the second. And lets hope we never get to the point where we're "full" and feel we don't need anymore nourishment from the good word of God.

The trick is to always remain "spiritually hungry" so we can feast like the scripture advises. Any thoughts on how to do this?

Study Recap: The Importance of Receiving a Personal Testimony by Elder Robert D. Hales

Title: The Importance of Receiving a Personal Testimony
Author: Elder Robert D. Hales
Source: October 1994 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1994/10/the-importance-of-receiving-a-personal-testimony?lang=eng

Rating: 4/5


Favorite Points

• Our testimony comes by the gift and power of the Holy Ghost. The testimony received and carried within us enables us to hold a steady course in times of prosperity and to overcome doubt and fear in times of adversity.
• Each of us needs to know what a testimony is, how we can get it, and what our responsibilities are once we have received a testimony. 
• Individual testimonies are the foundation and strength of the Church. Our testimony provides a guiding light that leads to a commitment which directs our conduct and our way of life. Our testimony is true north on a spiritual compass. It is a moving force that cannot be seen but can truly be felt. It is a burning within that tells us what is right. It is when “your heart tells you things your mind doesn’t know” (Harold B. Lee).
•  
  Our testimony is a gift from God. It should be shared, but we do not have the authority to bestow a testimony upon someone else, because a personal testimony is granted by the Holy Ghost. It can aid others in gaining knowledge for themselves—a knowledge abiding in the heart that leaves no room for doubt.
• We must each gain such a testimony if we are to withstand the trials and adversities of mortality and go on to the glorious eternal future we all desire.
• Joseph Smith sealed his testimony with his own blood. The Prophet’s martyrdom was a voluntary acceptance of death to seal the testimony of the Book of Mormon and the Doctrine and Covenants (see D&C 135:1) and to bear holy witness of Jesus Christ and his gospel in this dispensation. 
• We do not give our testimony and life in the manner that Joseph Smith, the martyred Prophet, gave his life. Rather, we give testimony by devoted service in our lives each day to lift and strengthen others.
•  People often ask me, “How do you know?“ “How can you know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ?” While there seems to be no exact formula by which each of us receives a testimony, there does seem to be a discernable pattern. Though prayer is important in gaining a testimony, we cannot merely ask in prayer for a testimony and expect it to be given immediately to us.
• Generally, testimony emerges over time and through life’s experiences. We can compare testimony to the process of watching a photograph develop. Powerful impressions of the Spirit come like flashes of light on receptive photographic film. Like the chemicals needed to develop the picture, certain spiritual conditions and experiences are needed in our lives for our personal testimony to develop into a certain truth and knowledge. And like a photograph, a testimony, if not carefully preserved, will fade with time.
• Testimonies often come when there is willingness to serve where we are called. They come when a decision is made to strive to be obedient. Testimonies come during efforts to help, lift, and strengthen others. They come from prayer and from studying the scriptures and applying them in our lives. Whatever our circumstances, there seem to be moments in each of our lives when we can be given the knowledge that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ.
• There is no greater search in life that we can embark upon than the quest to gain a testimony of the truth.
• Be willing to endure the test of time. Do not think that it is easy to maintain a testimony. Others will test you. Sometimes they will point the finger of mockery and scorn. Sometimes they may persecute you openly. Be prepared. Know in advance that the best of God’s children have had the courage of true conviction and were willing to suffer ridicule, deprivation, and even death for the sake of true testimony. Is each of us willing to do likewise?  
• Doubts about matters of religion that arise from a lack of knowledge can be constructively resolved. The solutions are instruction, study, and prayer, which result in increased testimony, which drives out further doubts.

Scripture Insight: D&C 76: 75, 79

75 These are they who are honorable men of the earth, who were blinded by the craftiness of men.

79 These are they who are not valiant in the testimony of Jesus; wherefore, they obtain not the crown over the kingdom of our God.

Discussion
This scripture seems more applicable now than ever before. While Satan has always had his power to influence and deviate those away from the true principles of the gospel, it seems that there are more and more members that I come across that have views or beliefs that are in stark contrast to church teachings.

For example, a large movement in the US and in many countries around the world has made a push for adopting same-sex marriage for "equality." Even a casual reading of "The Family: A Proclamation to the World," the scriptures, and other teachings of the prophets makes it clear that acting on same-sex desires is a grievous sin. It has been clarified more in recent years that having those desires is no different that the carnal desires one might have towards the opposite sex or to use illicit substances. The sin comes from acting on those impulses or allowing them place in our minds.

The church as a policy does not get involved in politics and allows members to support whatever political affiliation they choose. Civic duty is encouraged. It is interesting to note that one of the few and rare circumstances that the church did get involved with the political scene was when it encouraged members in California to oppose the adoption of same-sex marriage in that state. Again, the church's (and by the church we can also say the Lord's) position on this topic has been clear.

Yet there are many active church members who support same-sex marriage. I came across one person who stated that they did not believe that the Family Proclamation was true revelation by a prophet. My response, you had the First Presidency and the entire Quorum of the Twelve get together and sign a document of one accord and send it out to the entire world...there not going to do that unless it is revelation.

It's sad to see even faithful members of the church get caught up in the wiles of the devil and his craftiness. I know that they are good people, even "honorable" as the scripture above states. But we all need to look to the Prophet in all things and hold strong to the iron rod.

#MissionaryStoryMonday: Mexican Coke

There are few things better tasting in the world that Coca-Cola from Mexico. They use real sugar instead of corn syrup which gives it a better (and more addicting) flavor. Now I stopped drinking caffeine by personal choice a few years before my mission and was a little shocked at first as to how many members and other missionaries were drinking Coke (how can that be!?). My first Zone Leader is the only guy I met on the mission staunchly avoided it all cost.*

But then one day I had one and it was awesome. The best was when the family you were eating with had Coke to drink for you. Now things are a little different where I served and most of the time the family did not actually sit and eat with us. They would've eaten beforehand or they ate in another room. I'm still not sure why they did this. Anyway, since they were not there it was just you and your companion plus any other missionaries that happened to be with you.

One day we were with another companionship and eating in the home of one of my converts (the one mentioned in a previous post). She set down two 2 liter bottles of Coke on the table and we all began salivating like Pavlov's dog. We completely forgot about the amazing enchiladas she made us that day because we just wanted Coke.

One of the other missionaries that was there said something that I had not realized before that day but immediately knew it was true. He said that we shouldn't freak out because there was Coke because what happened every time is that we would become so fixated on it instead of the food and would try to drink more of it than someone else before it was gone. Guilty.

We all stopped for a moment to appreciate the truth bombs he was throwing at us. But then I looked at him said, "You're just saying that so we'll drink less of it so there will be more for you." And thus began the frantic race to drink Coke.

*This guy would sing the follow lyrics to the tune of "Choose the Right": Choose the Sprite, when the coke is place before you!

Study Recap: “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father” by Elder Neal A. Maxwell

Title: “Swallowed Up in the Will of the Father”
Author: Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Source: October 1995 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1995/10/swallowed-up-in-the-will-of-the-father?lang=eng

Rating: 5/5


Favorite Points 

• Whenever Church members speak of consecration, it should be done reverently while acknowledging that each of us “come[s] short of the glory of God,” some of us far short (Rom. 3:23). Even the conscientious have not arrived, but they sense the shortfall and are genuinely striving.
• A second group of members are “honorable” but not “valiant.” They are not really aware of the gap nor of the importance of closing it (see D&C 76:75, 79). These “honorable” individuals are certainly not miserable nor wicked, nor are they unrighteous and unhappy. It is not what they have done but what they have left undone that is amiss. For example, if valiant, they could touch others deeply instead of merely being remembered pleasantly.
• In a third group are those who are grossly entangled with the “ungodliness” of the world, reminding us all, as Peter wrote, that if “[we are] overcome” by something worldly, “[we are] brought in bondage” (2 Pet. 2:19).
• To the extent that we are not willing to be led by the Lord, we will be driven by our appetites, or we will be greatly preoccupied with the lesser things of the day. 
• Busy, he ends up in a posture of some accommodation with the world. Thus he forgoes building up the kingdom first and instead builds up himself. A small course correction now would make a large, even destinational, difference for him later on.
• Once the telestial sins are left behind and henceforth avoided, the focus falls ever more on the sins of omission. These omissions signify a lack of qualifying fully for the celestial kingdom.
• Only greater consecration can correct these omissions, which have consequences just as real as do the sins of commission. Many of us thus have sufficient faith to avoid the major sins of commission, but not enough faith to sacrifice our distracting obsessions or to focus on our omissions.
• Most omissions occur because we fail to get outside ourselves. We are so busy checking on our own temperatures, we do not notice the burning fevers of others even when we can offer them some of the needed remedies, such as encouragement, kindness, and commendation.
• Actually, everything depends—initially and finally—on our desires. These shape our thought patterns. Our desires thus precede our deeds and lie at the very cores of our souls, tilting us toward or away from God (see D&C 4:3).
• One’s individual will thus remains uniquely his. God will not override it nor overwhelm it. Hence we’d better want the consequences of what we want!
• Another cosmic fact: only by aligning our wills with God’s is full happiness to be found. Anything less results in a lesser portion (see Alma 12:10–11).
• The Lord will work with us even if, at first, we “can no more than desire” but are willing to “give place for a portion of [His] words” (Alma 32:27). A small foothold is all He needs! But we must desire and provide it.
• So many of us are kept from eventual consecration because we mistakenly think that, somehow, by letting our will be swallowed up in the will of God, we lose our individuality (see Mosiah 15:7). What we are really worried about, of course, is not giving up self, but selfish things—like our roles, our time, our preeminence, and our possessions. 
• He is only asking us to lose the old self in order to find the new self. It is not a question of one’s losing identity but of finding his true identity! Ironically, so many people already lose themselves anyway in their consuming hobbies and preoccupations but with far, far lesser things.
• As one’s will is increasingly submissive to the will of God, he can receive inspiration and revelation so much needed to help meet the trials of life.
• The complete consecration which effected the Atonement ensured Jesus’ perfect empathy; He felt our very pains and afflictions before we did and knows how to succor us (see Alma 7:11–12; 2 Ne. 9:21). Since the Most Innocent suffered the most, our own cries of “Why?” cannot match His.
• Progression toward submission confers another blessing: an enhanced capacity for joy.
• Consecration, likewise, is not shoulder-shrugging acceptance, but, instead, shoulder-squaring to better bear the yoke.
• If we have grown soft, hard times may be necessary. If we are too contented, a dose of divine discontent may come. A relevant insight may be contained in reproof. A new calling beckons us away from comfortable routines wherein the needed competencies have already been developed. One may be stripped of accustomed luxury so that the malignant mole of materialism may be removed. One may be scorched by humiliation so pride can be melted away. Whatever we lack will get attention, one way or another.
• God’s blessings, including those associated with consecration, come by unforced obedience to the laws upon which they are predicated (see D&C 130:20–21).

Ooooh, Teaching BURN!

Below is another excerpt from Teaching, No Greater Call:

Sister Virginia H. Pearce, who served as first counselor in the Young Women general presidency, said:
“A teacher’s goal is greater than just delivering a lecture about truth. It is to invite the Spirit and use techniques that will enhance the possibility that the learner will discover the truth [and] be motivated to apply it. …
“… Imagine hundreds of thousands of classrooms every Sunday, each with a teacher who understands that ‘the learning has to be done by the pupil. Therefore it is the pupil who has to be put into action. When a teacher takes the spotlight, becomes the star of the show, does all the talking, and otherwise takes over all of the activity, it is almost certain that he is interfering with the learning of the class members’ [Asahel D. Woodruff,Teaching the Gospel (1962), 37].

Scripture Insight: Helaman 12:3

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.

Discussion
This is very sad and yet very true. I also find it sad that there are many that when it situations like this, do not take that opportunity to exercise greater faith in the Lord but curse or revile Him instead for letting that happen to them.

Study Recap: Lessons from the Atonement That Help Us to Endure to the End by Presiding Bishop Robert D. Hales

Title: Lessons from the Atonement That Help Us to Endure to the End
Author: Presiding Bishop Robert D. Hales
Source: October 1985 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1985/10/lessons-from-the-atonement-that-help-us-to-endure-to-the-end?lang=eng
Rating: 2.5/5

Favorite Points

• My brothers and sisters, I believe in Christ, and I stand to be accountable for that testimony.
• In the gospel of Jesus Christ, there comes a point in time when we must stand accountable for who we are and what we are going to be.
• How many of us are sleeping when those around us are hurting and are in need? How many of us give our testimonies of the Lord, but then do not listen, as in 1 Jn. 4:20, “For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?”
• Do we not understand that we, too, will have moments in our lives when we will be brought to our knees, when we will need help to endure to the end? Even Joseph Smith showed impatience after being in jail for a few months and wondered why he could not get on with his mission. At that time the Lord said to Joseph, “All these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.” (D&C 122:7.) The ways in which we handle our trials are part of the maturing of the physical and spiritual man.
•  There are times when it is best to follow the Lord’s example and not attempt to answer every accusation made against us.
• Many lessons can be learned from the account of the Atonement. It is comforting to know that, though suffering, Jesus Christ was able to look down from the cross and be concerned for His mother, that she should be properly cared for, as He asked for the help of a disciple. This is one of the great messages we have heard this conference—that we turn some of our attention from our own trials and tribulations to concern and caring for others.
• Each one of us will someday, either in this life or in the life to come, have to give our testimony that He is truly the Son of God, the Savior of all mankind, Jesus Christ.
• Some years ago, as a pilot, I was taken by an instructor up in an airplane. By turning the airplane at less than two degrees at a time, the instructor succeeded in turning the airplane completely upside down. My inner ear could not detect the transition because he kept positive gravity upon us at all times. Therefore, I did not know that, when he gave the airplane to me, it was upside down. Everything on the airplane, every instrument, was exactly right except for the landing gear, which was upside down; and every reaction I made had an opposite reaction from what I thought it would have. This is called vertigo, and it taught me a great lesson.
  I would like to talk for a moment about spiritual vertigo. Although we know of the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, of His obedience, of His willingness to serve and to be an example to us, and of His message to “come, follow me,” there are times when we get off course, less than a degree at a time, and do not know that we turn totally upside down.
   

Excerpt from Teaching, No Greater Call

Each Individual’s Responsibility to Learn the Gospel

In a letter about studying the gospel, Elder Bruce R. McConkie wrote: “Now let us come to … a conclusion that will have an important bearing on our eternal salvation. It is that each person must learn the doctrines of the gospel for himself. No one else can do it for him. Each person stands alone where gospel scholarship is concerned; each has access to the same scriptures and is entitled to the guidance of the same Holy Spirit; each must pay the price set by a Divine Providence if he is to gain the pearl of great price.

"The same principle governs both learning truth and living in harmony with its standards. No one can repent for and on behalf of another; no one can keep the commandments in the place and stead of another; no one can be saved in someone else’s name. And no one can gain a testimony or press forward in light and truth to eternal glory for anyone but himself. Both the knowledge of the truth and the blessings that come to those who conform to true principles are personal matters. And as a just God offers the same salvation to every soul who lives the same laws, so he offers the same understanding of his eternal truths to all who will pay the truth seeker’s price.

“The Church system for gaining gospel knowledge is as follows:

a. The responsibility rests upon each person to gain a knowledge of the truth through his own efforts.

b. Next, families should teach their own family members. Parents are commanded to bring up their children in light and truth. The home should be the chief teaching center in the life of a Latter-day Saint.

c. To help families and individuals, the Church, as a service agency, provides many opportunities to teach and to learn. We are commanded to ‘teach one another the doctrine of the kingdom’ (D&C 88:77). This is done in sacrament meetings, in conferences and other meetings, by home teachers, in priesthood and auxiliary classes, through seminaries and institutes, and through the Church educational system” (“Finding Answers to Gospel Questions,” in Charge to Religious Educators, 3rd ed. [1994], 80).

Scripture Insight: D&C 58:27

27 Verily I say, men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness;

Discussion
I have mixed feelings about this particular passage. I love the insight and importance it conveys about autonomy and our responsibility when it comes to living the gospel. I also dislike the scripture because of the same reason. It makes me realize that I am not "anxiously engaged" and "do many things of [my] own free will." Indeed, I do many things because of my calling and its what I'm supposed to do. I don't murmur or complain about it and there is no resentment of any kind. I enjoy what I do. But I also know deep down I wouldn't do most of what I do without having the calling.

It makes me think of the scripture in 1 Nephi 16:2:

 "And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."

 I'm the wicked man getting cut "to the very center." But the original scripture in D&C does give me hope though because it gives me a standard to follow so I can work towards that goal of being "anxiously engaged."

#MissionaryStoryMonday: My Second Area

I love my mission and every moment. Even those three months with the companion from hell that I would punch in the face today if I saw him. Most of my memories though are from my second area. It's not just that I had a great time there and was able to accomplish a lot of work, but I have a lot of fond memories from there because I was there for so long. And by long, I mean long.

I'm not exaggerating this one bit, but I was there for literally one year. HALF of my mission was in this one area. Companions and other Elders in the house would come and go, but I would carry on. And this was a small area. I would estimate approximately 2 miles by 5 miles. I really did knock on every door and most I hit twice. We could be contacting someone and then I would cut my companion off and we would leave. When my companion asked why, I told him that the person gave us a bad address because that's how well I knew the streets.

I had four companions there and we each enjoyed success. In fact, I was more successful as a missionary towards the end of my service there compared to the beginning. You would think it would the other way around due to burn-out from being in the same small place. But no, just the opposite (I was burnt out though).

The bishop there was great. The ward was great. We had an awesome apartment. Everything about the place was amazing. I was there so long I consider myself an honorary citizen of the city.

I always wondered though: why I was there so long? Other missionaries would joke around and say my picture of the Mission President's wall was behind the door so he always forgot about me. Now I had some thoughts as to why, but I was never sure. So during my exit interview with my Mission President before going home I asked him, "why was I in [INSERT AREA HERE] for so long?" I'll never forget his response: "I don't know, I thought you knew."

This has always stuck with me. The Lord has everything happen for a reason and each experience we have, whether good, bad, or neutral, is for our benefit. I also know that He will indicate to us the why behind it when we are ready and if we ask for the answer.

Study Recap: The Purpose of Church Welfare Services by Marion G. Romney

Title: The Purpose of Church Welfare Services
Author: Marion G. Romney
Source: April 1977 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1977/04/the-purpose-of-church-welfare-services?lang=eng

Rating: 2.5/5


Favorite Points

• I hope we all understand how our consecrations to the Lord—whether in time, work, or money—unite to relieve suffering while sanctifying both the giver and the receiver.
• In this revelation, which the Prophet designated the “law of the Church,” the Lord revealed the essentials of the united order, which was His program for eliminating the inequalities among men. It is based upon the underlying concept that the earth and all things therein belong to the Lord, and that men hold earthly possessions as stewards accountable to Him.
• In His way, there are two cardinal principles: (1) consecration, and (2) stewardship.
• This procedure preserved in every man the right of private ownership and management of his property. Indeed, the fundamental principle of the system was the private ownership of property. Each man owned his portion, or inheritance, or stewardship, with an absolute title, which, at his option, he could alienate, keep and operate, or otherwise treat as his own. The Church did not own all of the property, and life under the united order was not, and never will be, a communal life, as the Prophet Joseph himself said.
• “For,” declared the Lord, “if ye are not equal in earthly things ye cannot be equal in obtaining heavenly things; “For if you will,” he continued, “that I give unto you a place in the celestial world, you must prepare yourselves by doing the things which I have commanded you and required of you.
• The united order is implemented by the voluntary freewill actions of men, evidenced by a consecration of all their property to the Church of God. No force of any kind is ever involved.
• “The Church never was, and under existing commandments never will be, a communal society, under the directions thus far given by the Lord. The United Order was not communal nor communistic. It was completely and intensely individualistic, with a consecration of unneeded surpluses for the support of the Church and the poor.” (J. Reuben Clark, Jr., “The United Order and Law of Consecration As Set Out in the Revelations of the Lord,” from a pamphlet of articles reprinted from the Church Section of the Deseret News, 1942, pp. 26–27.)
• The united order exalts the poor and humbles the rich. In the process both are sanctified. The poor, released from the bondage and humiliating limitations of poverty, are enabled as free men to rise to their full potential, both temporally and spiritually. The rich, by consecration and by imparting of their surplus for the benefit of the poor, not by constraint, but willingly as an act of free will, evidence that charity for their fellowmen characterized by Mormon as “the pure love of Christ.” (Moro. 7:47.) In this way they qualify to “become the sons of God.” (Moro. 7:48.)
• “Many people spend most of their time working in the service of a self-image that includes sufficient money, stocks, bonds, investment portfolios, property, credit cards, furnishings, automobiles, and the like to guarantee carnal security throughout, it is hoped, a long and happy life. Forgotten is the fact that our assignment is to use these many resources in our families and quorums to build up the kingdom of God—to further the missionary effort and the genealogical and temple work; to raise our children up as fruitful servants unto the Lord; to bless others in every way, that they may also be fruitful. Instead, we expend these blessings on our own desires, and as Moroni said, ‘Ye adorn yourselves with that which hath no life, and yet suffer the hungry, and the needy, and the naked, and the sick and the afflicted to pass by you, and notice them not.’ (Morm. 8:39.)
  
  “As the Lord himself said in our day, ‘They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own God, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth old and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall.’ (D&C 1:16; italics added.)” (Ensign, June 1976, pp. 4–5.)

Quick Note About Teaching

While studying the other day I came across this useful piece of advice that's directed towards teachers but is useful for all members and leaders:

A call to teach does not require that you know everything about the gospel, so you should not feel embarrassed if a class member asks a question that you cannot answer. Instead of making up an answer, admit that you do not know and offer to try to find an answer.

Scripture Insight: D&C 101:37

37 Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul.

Discussion
This scripture throws me off some. I read it through and on the surface and it looks like it could mean that I don't have to worry about those second servings of ice cream or chocolate anymore, after all, it says "care not for the body, neither the life of the body." It talks about caring more for the soul. Which makes sense because our current physical bodies are just temporal in nature and in the resurrection they will be perfected regardless of who we are or what we did to them.

That covers the saved from physical death part. But there's also spiritual death which is more significant for our eternal outcome. This is also the main meaning behind this particular scripture as it advises us to focus our souls which brings the more spiritual matter into it. So I'm all good up until here. I'll eat that extra piece of fried chicken and then finish my wife's fries that she's not going to eat. As long as I'm in line with the commandments of God and repenting appropriately, I'm good to go.

But then I come back to the word soul, which is the combination of the body and the spirit. So if I am to worry about the soul, I still have to worry about my body. But is this referring to our current physical bodies (the temporal one) or the resurrected ones? Because I really would like that extra helping of mac n' cheese...

Study Recap: Healing Soul and Body by Robert D. Hales

Title: Healing Soul and Body
Author: Elder Robert D. Hales
Source: October 1998 General Conference
Link: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/1998/10/healing-soul-and-body?lang=eng
Summary: If we seek the truth, develop faith in Him, and … sincerely repent, we will receive a spiritual change of heart which only comes from our Savior. Our hearts will become new again.
Rating: 3/5


Favorite Points

• I pondered deeply the purpose of pain and studied in my mind what I could learn from my experience and began to comprehend pain a little better. I learned that the physical pain and the healing of the body after major surgery are remarkably similar to the spiritual pain and the healing of the soul in the process of repentance. “Therefore, care not for the body, neither the life of the body; but care for the soul, and for the life of the soul” (D&C 101:37).
• I have come to understand how useless it is to dwell on the whys, what ifs, and if onlys for which there likely will be given no answers in mortality.
• To receive the Lord’s comfort, we must exercise faith. The questions Why me? Why our family? Why now? are usually unanswerable questions. These questions detract from our spirituality and can destroy our faith.
• Pondering takes our thoughts from the trivial things of this world and brings us closer to the gentle, guiding hand of our Maker as we heed the “still small voice” of the Holy Ghost (see 1 Kgs. 19:12; 1 Ne. 17:45; D&C 85:6).
• Our Savior knows the heart of each of us. He knows the pains of our hearts.
• It is interesting to note that, other than in the book of Job and a few other places, there are very few scriptural references to physical or mortal pain. The pain most frequently spoken of in the scriptures is the pain and anguish of the Lord and His prophets for the disobedient souls.
• Elder Orson F. Whitney wrote: “No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude and humility. All that we suffer and all that we endure, especially when we endure it patiently, builds up our characters, purifies our hearts, expands our souls, and makes us more tender and charitable, more worthy to be called the children of God, … and it is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we come here to acquire” (quoted in Improvement Era, Mar. 1966, 211).
• The greater and more intense suffering of the Lord was not physical—not the trial nor the mocking, not the beating or being spat upon; it was not even being betrayed by a beloved associate or rejected by those whom He loved, nor was it the physical act of crucifixion. Although all of these things happened and each action was very painful, the Savior’s greatest pain during the Atonement was endured to help the transgressor to be healed:

  “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” (D&C 19:16–18).