Doubt - An effective tool of the Adversary

A very effective tool of the adversary is doubt. He tried to use that tactic on Christ multiple times.

Matthew 4 - Multiple times Lucifer tempts the Savior and says "IF  thou be the Son of God..." He tried to cast doubt into the Son of God.

Luke 23:37-40 (JST): The adversary, acting through soldiers and the malefactor who was crucified with Christ, again tried to instil doubt into the Savior during those crushing final moments on the cross when they said, "IF thou be the Christ, save thyself."

There are many ways he can try to instil doubt into us as individuals. These might be a few examples:

- You're not worthy to serve in this calling.

- Do you think a perfect Heavenly Father will really answer your prayers, after all you've done?

- You shouldn't be associating with these people, they're so much better than you, you could never measure up to them.

- Others may be noble and great and may see and hear wonderful things, but you can't attain that, it's out of your reach.

- You didn't really confess that sin, you're not forgiven. The Lord can forgive others, but you can't be forgiven of that. Your life has been to dark.

and so on...

The message of the gospel is the opposite of doubt and fear.  In 3 Nephi 9:14, the voice of the Lord says, "If ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me."

The invitation to come is extended to all, no matter how dark the past or seemingly real the doubt may be, Christ has carried that burden and he overcame. Some of the vilest sinners have turned and become the greatest missionaries: Paul, Alma, Ammon, and so on.

When we look to Christ, there should be no room for doubt in our mind. I invite you and I to cast away any misgivings or doubt and turn to the Lord with full purpose of heart. When we do, we shall conquer the enemy of all righteousness and not give into his doubt filled temptations!

You Never Know When Someone is Watching or Listening

I'm at a Global Leadership conference in Turkey. I was talking with an influential man from Texas and he asked if I was Mormon, I responded, "yes".

He then complimented me and told me the following story. He said, "I was at a restaurant one day and noticed a group of clean cut young men, they were all wearing suits. I knew they were Mormon missionaries.  This seemed a little out of the ordinary so I decided to sit nearby and listen to what they were saying. I was so impressed by their conversation. They were upbeat, positive and talking about how to serve others. I was amazed that young men would have that type of conversation!"

He couldn't say enough positive things about "the Mormons".

I'm grateful that those missionaries decided to be positive and uplifting that day. They could just as easily complained about their area, an investigator, or anything else. They never knew that someone was listening in on their conversation. Those missionaries will never know the influence they had on this man as a result of that conversation.

How many of our actions, conversations, and ideas are actually observed...when we think nobody is watching or listening?

This is a good reminder to be ever vigilant and try to adopt the lifestyle of the Savior at all times.  We may never realize when our word or action makes the difference in the life of someone else, for good or for bad!

Book Suggestion

I don't do this often, but I'd like to recommend a book which was recently recommended to me by my sister-in-law. Unfortunately it is a bit pricey and I could only find it at Deseret Book. In the first few pages, I quickly realized it was worth it.

It's a compilation of scripture, with no intermediate interpretation. It takes verses from the first four gospels, the BOM, D&C, and the JST - it combines select verses from each book and combines each of these together in a chronological sequence. It's about the same length as the four gospels combined.

This is a powerful book and shows what happens when you combine modern revelation (D&C) with the BOM and New Testament. It's amazing how well they compliment each other!

How to Find Protection from the Adversary

Elder Scott recently stated to the youth “Immerse yourself in searching for your ancestors, prepare their names for the sacred vicarious ordinances available in the temple, and then go to the temple to stand as proxy for them to receive the ordinances of baptism and the gift of the Holy Ghost. As you grow older you will be able to participate in receiving the other ordinances as well. I can think of no greater protection from the influence of the adversary in your life."

I agree with Elder Scott.  

Why does this combination of searching out those who have gone before, then taking those names to the temple carry such power, for the youth as well as adults?

I have had several personal and great experiences, I would even go so far as to use the word "miracles", while searching out the names of our family and taking them to the temple. These were far more powerful experiences than mere coincidence.

If you want some wonderful and sacred experiences, search out your ancestors and take their names to the temple - those experiences will come. Is all it takes is a little desire and a willingness to actually do something (act). If nothing else, just login to the website below and start going through your history.

A good start is to login to www.new.familysearch.org.

A Cool Video

This is a pretty awesome video. Someone once said, "If the hand of the Lord wasn't involved in the church, its young missionaries would have destroyed it a long time ago!" It was said somewhat jest-fully,  but the point is accurate. The Lord uses young men and young women to accomplish a significant portion of his work.

When you look around the world at what the majority of 18 and 19 yr olds are doing, this is actually quite amazing! Kudos to whoever made this video from Olympus High School. What a band of brothers and sisters! It's fun to watch a testimony of the gospel and atonement begin to grow within my own children.

Enjoy the video.

The Third Lecture

As I read the following statements, I felt a prompting to share them here. In the lectures on faith, Joseph teaches something of great importance at the beginning of the third lecture. He teaches, "Three things are necessary in order that any rational and intelligent being may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation."

He goes on to explain the three points, they are:
1. "The idea that he actually exists."

2. "A correct idea of his character, perfections, and attributes."

3. "An actual knowledge that the course of life which he is pursuing is according to his will." 

Joseph further explains, "For without an acquaintance with these three important facts, the faith of every rational being must be imperfect and unproductive, but with this understanding it can become productive and fruitful."

I want to pause and reflect on #3 - this is important!

Do you and I have an actual knowledge that the course of life we're pursuing is according to his will?

If not, why?

If so, wonderful!

We can all recite the common answers verbatim...read the scriptures, pray, etc.  The question for each of us is how much effort do we really put into doing these things we so often discuss? When done sincerely and with effort, they will lead us to the Lord.

Let me succinctly summarize it here. Think about the veil experience in the temple, it has all three of these components mentioned in the third lecture preparatory to real faith in God. When we understand his character and attributes and we have an actual knowledge that our course is according to his will, THEN we may exercise faith in God unto life and salvation. Then will our faith become productive and fruitful.

He Beheld not the Filthiness...

Nephi was questioned by his brothers regarding the dream of their father. Nephi was asked what the river of water meant or symbolized.

Nephi's response is found in 1 Nephi 15:27 when he explains, "The water was filthiness; and so much was his mind swallowed up in other things that he beheld not the filthiness of the water."

Though there are layers of meaning and symbolism in the different analogies, I realized one profound interpretation from the previous scripture.

When his mind was swallowed up in other things, he didn't behold the filthiness of the water. Sometimes, some of us may be considered naive as to the latest slang, video games, or grievous sins of the world...is that a bad thing? Sometimes I'll learn of some horrific violence, someone who violated an office, or some secret work or combination and I'm amazed that such wickedness could actually transpire. How do such situations of awful wickedness ever develop in the first place?

Is our mind focused and oriented on Christ, such that we don't behold the filthiness which surrounds us on every side?

We live in a world of corruption...drugs, pornography, secret combinations, and so on. Although it's important to be aware of those traps and temptations, when we keep our minds focused on Christ and his gospel, we generally don't understand or behold the filthiness of the water - which is a blessing.

This is simply a reminder not to walk up to the waters edge and see how filthy it really is. We don't need to look at the water. Our concern should be to cling to the rod of iron and keep our focus on the tree and its fruit. When we keep our eyes and efforts focused on the tree and its fruit, our minds and spirit are more likely to be swallowed up and we won't behold the filthiness which surrounds us.

I Will Be Your Light in the Wilderness

I love the verse in 1 Nephi 17:13 when he says "I will also be your light in the wilderness; and I will prepare the way before you, if it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; wherefore, inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments ye shall be led towards the promised land; and ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led." This verse has great personal application:

- I will be your light in the wilderness: Each of us begins in the wilderness, a place where it's easy to get lost and wander. However, with his light, the way is sure. How many people have been led out of difficult circumstances through "a wilderness"...Moses, Abraham, Lehi, Mulek, Jared, etc.. We each have our own "wilderness".

- I will prepare the way before you: He did so in the case of each name mentioned above. I look back in my life and I'm amazed at how doors seemed to magically open before us in each phase of our life. I'm a living witness that this simple statement is true!

- If it so be that ye shall keep my commandments; This makes the previous statement conditional. When we keep his commandments, he will be our light in the wilderness and prepare the way before us. Do we keep his commandments? How can you and I do better?

- Inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall be led towards the promised land: Using the names listed previously, their "promised land" was different for every one of them. Each were led by the Lord, yet ended up in different places. In our journey through mortality, when we keep his commandments, he will lead US to OUR promised land...whatever and wherever that may be. What's important to understand is that it's conditional upon our obedience. Wherever he leads us will be where he wants us and it will be the best place for us to be.

- And ye shall know that it is by me that ye are led: When we've felt his hand guide us and our family and watched the doors open, when the doors were otherwise closed, we CANNOT deny the guide and the source of the light. We can witness that it was by him that we were led.

During the past 14 years, we have moved around the United States and then moved back to Utah about 1 1/2 years ago. As we look back at our journey (even before the 14 years) it's so plain to see his hand leading us from place to place, even until we've ended up where we are now. In our case, doors open when they were closed. Miracles happened. Some may call it coincidence, I'm well past the point where I call things coincidence.

May we allow the Lord to be our light and guide by keeping his commandments and obeying that voice when we hear or feel it.

For He That Diligently Seeketh

I love the words of Nephi. He made a powerful statement in 1 Nephi 10:19 when he exclaimed,

 "For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost..."

I pose an introspective question for anyone who might read this:

What is "diligently" mean for you and me? Is it 5 or 10 minutes a day reading the scriptures? Is a few minutes of prayer morning and night sufficient?

If a team is diligently preparing for an upcoming game, they tend to put a lot of blood, sweat, and tears into their preparation...do we seek the Lord with that level of diligence?

Nephi later goes on to say in 2 Nephi 9:30,

 "Their hearts are upon their treasures; wherefore, their treasure is their God. And behold, their treasure shall perish with them also."

Where do you and I set our hearts? Do we have any "treasure" aside from the one true God? If so, does that treasure prevent us from diligently seeking him?

Nephi was able to see our day and the trials and tribulations we would pass through. His counsel is wise and inspired and we would be wise to hearken to these verses, set aside our "treasure", and diligently seek the Lord.

The Parable of the Snowmobile and the Forest

We've been visiting family in Bear Lake for a couple of days to celebrate the New Year. Yesterday afternoon, on a brisk and clear day, we took the snowmobiles into the beautiful mountains near Bear lake. It was to be a short ride, we rode away with only two hours of sunlight left.

As we continued to climb and go farther back in the mountains, we broke above the haze that lingered in the valley and the bright, deep-blue sky appeared. It was brilliant as the sun reflected off the snow.

We continued to go farther and deeper into the mountains, I was comfortable because I was with my brother-in-laws who knew the area very well. As we climbed up through some trees and came out on a ridge, I noticed that all the fresh snowmobile tracks disappeared. As we continued through the trees and up the ridge, I was thinking to myself, "I'm glad they know where we are, because I certainly have no idea." The entire ride we had seen fresh tracks everywhere, now it was just our tracks. After a few minutes, my brother-in-law pulled up and said that he had no idea where we were, even though they knew the general direction we needed to go, we were lost. This wouldn't have been a significant concern, except that the sun was setting and darkness wasn't far away from enveloping us.

I suggested we follow our own tracks out and so we turned around and started back. We had only gone for a few minutes and my brother-in-law, who was in the lead, made a U turn. I asked what we were doing and he said the tracks we had started to follow had turned into someone else's tracks. We were definitely lost. We chose a couple of directions and went for a few minutes before realizing that we were just making circles. I had always wondered how it was possible for people to get lost in what were normally totally familiar mountains, this was my answer!

We decided to simply start "down" the mountain, but after going for just a few minutes, we came upon a steep ravine and couldn't continue on that path - once again we had to turn around. Now the sun was low on the horizon and we didn't have much time before it was gone. We decided to say a prayer. We gathered in a circle, said a quick prayer asking for help and guidance and then closed the prayer. My brother-in-law decided to ride around a set of trees and see what was on the other side, we rode for one minute and discovered a large set of fresh tracks pointing the direction we needed to go. We followed those tracks for less than two minutes and as we went over one more ridge, the valley we were looking for opened into view - we knew we had made it and were safe! It took us 30 minutes to ride back home and the sun was below the horizon when we arrived at the house.

When we were lost, I couldn't help think of all the symbolism in this event.  We were closer  to a very dangerous situation than we probably realized, especially because we had no survival kit of any kind (matches, flares, etc.) and the temperatures that night would be below zero degrees.

Sometimes in life we cruise along on a path we think is safe. We think all is well and we're quite comfortable with our current situation. Some people go through their entire life, thinking they're on the right trail, when in reality they're going deeper and deeper into the forest where the return becomes even more difficult. Sometimes, we look around and suddenly realize "all is not well", and we try to get back to the true path. Even when we begin to awake, we sometimes try to do it on our own. We look for the path, but end up going in circles. It's not until we sincerely look to the Lord, that he alone can quickly lead us back to the true path and put us on the correct course leading to eternal life. There are many deceptive trails in life, we can choose to follow any one of them, but only when we look to the Lord, will he illuminate the correct path.

I'm grateful for prayer and the quick and immediate answer we received yesterday while snowmobiling. I'm grateful for the lesson taught to me by the Lord. He is the master teacher. I came home and hugged our children, the outcome could have been very different. Let us all look to the Lord and live. Let's be careful about complacency in the gospel or we may find ourselves in a place we never expected to be.

For God So Loved the World

I watch this video in wonder and awe at the majestic man who condescended to come down amongst men when he didn't have too. Here was a man who was already a God and the creator of the world, he had no need of himself to do what he did. In a fullness of charity and mercy, he chose to be born in the humblest circumstances, with no fanfare to laud his coming into this mortal realm. He was raised as a carpenter and then spent his time among the hungry, the "unclean", and those who sought him.

This video is a reminder of true and complete love. For whoever may read this, I know that Christ lives and the time draws near when he will return in majesty and glory. He offers a love and joy that isn't known on earth, only through him can it be found. The world as a whole continues to pull away, but he yet calls for those who are willing to lay down their lives and forget themselves, and in turn, find him.

The Power of Music

Last night my Wife and I attended the Mormon Tabernacle Christmas concert.  It was a beautiful event and the music was incredible. That's one of the primary reasons I love the Christmas season, the music!

For some reason, there is a power to music that can cut through the hardest heart and tear down the thickest walls. Music has pierced hearts when nothing else could.

I scanned the scriptures last night when we returned home, it was interesting to see that many times when people glimpsed and saw the throne of God, he was surrounded by concourses of angels singing.

These are just a few notable times when music was part of a sacred event:

1 Nephi 1:8 "He saw God sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God."

2 Nephi 8:11 "Therefore, the redeemed of the Lord shall return, and come with singing unto Zion; and everlasting joy and holiness shall be upon their heads."

Mosiah 2:28 "I am about to go down to my grave, that I might go down in peace, and my immortal spirit may join the choirs above in singing the praises of a just God."

D&C 138:24 "Their countenances shone, and the radiance from the presence of the Lord rested upon them, and they sang praises unto his holy name."

D&C 128:22"Brethren, shall we not go on in so great a cause? Go forward and not backward. Courage, brethren; and on, on to the victory! Let your hearts rejoice, and be exceedingly glad. Let the earth break forth into singing. Let the dead speak forth anthems of eternal praise to the King Immanuel,"


And there are countless more verses, but these are a good sampling. I would encourage all of us to bring music into our homes, especially during Christmas. If there's just two people, sing as a couple - it's still powerful! I would encourage us to sing hymns with our children in our home. We've found that our children will hum the tune of the hymns we sing with them as they randomly walk around the house.

I love music and the power it brings into our lives. I look forward to the day when we can join the heavenly choirs above where everything is amplified to a degree we can only faintly comprehend.

Have a great week!

Grace For Grace

In reading the first few verses of 1 Nephi, I noticed a similar pattern of great men through history. These men (and women as well) who have been ministered to by Christ and seen marvellous things in vision seem to have shared a similar "heart" or "desire".

1. We know Lehi was already a good man, so stated Nephi. It wasn't until he went forth to the people and prayed with all his heart on their behalf that a vision opened up to him which was so tremendous it caused this good man to "quake and tremble exceedingly" (1 Nephi 1:5-6).

2. When Enos prayed in mighty prayer and was pronounced clean by the Lord, he could have stopped there. But, his heart turned to his brethren, even his enemies the Lamanites, and he continued to pray until another marvellous vision was opened to him.

3. The three Nephites who asked to stay and minister were "more blessed" than the nine because of their love for their brethren and desire to minister. Read the Lord's words to them in contrast to his words to the other nine (3 Nephi 28:3-10).

4. The Lord received not of the fullness at first, but received grace for grace. The master of us all grew until he received a fullness, in part because of his unconditional love and service to others. He received grace as he extended grace and continued until he received a fullness. (D&C 93:11-14).

We should embody the spirit of Christ if we are to become like him. It's my hope that we can extend grace and love to those around us - especially during the Christmas season (although it shouldn't stop on December 25th). As we prayerfully consider how we can serve and lift others, marvellous experiences await us. Many times the greatest blessings come when we forget ourselves and find ourselves in the service of others. We will receive grace for grace!

Thine Angels Have Charge Over Them

There are great and wonderful blessings to be had in Temple worship. If you've found this blog and are taking the time to read it, most likely you already share that same feeling and knowledge. In the dedicatory prayer of the Kirtland Temple, Joseph spoke these words found in D&C 109:22:

"We ask thee, Holy Father, that thy servants may go forth from this house armed with thy power, and that thy name may be upon them, and thy glory be round about them, and thine angels have charge over them."

I've underlined four separate parts, but I only want to discuss the last six words of the verse, "Thine angels have charge over them." There are different ways this can be understood, one of those ways is that his angels will literally look after and protect us and those around us until our mission is finished. I want to share a journal entry about an amazing story from a Sister in Florida. This isn't to sensationalize the promise, but to illustrate one facet of its literal interpretation.

This account was shared in a testimony meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida. This is the story as written in my journal:

This sister is a worker in the Orlando Temple and as the sisters in the Temple were having there prayer meeting, Sister Hessi (another temple worker) recounted a story from her life that goes something like this:

One day Sister Hessi was doing names in the Temple. She was finishing up her session and was going to go home, however, she felt prompted to stay and do another name.  She hesitated because she had a baby sitter at home and gave the babysitter the time in which she would return.  But, she decided to stay and follow the prompting. She did the name for one more sister.

As she was driving home she noticed the emergency response vehicles in the area and realized they were at her house.  As she walked in the front door the babysitter said “I’m so sorry, I only turned away for a second”.  Her child had been swept away in the stream behind the house and had been swept under the culvert, they still hadn’t found the body.  She was going to go help look for her daughter when she felt like she should look in her room.  As she opened the door to her room, there was her daughter  all wet and dirty.  Sister Hessi asked her daughter how she got to her room and her duaghter didn't remember how she got out of the river, only that a nice lady brought her back to the room.  Sister Hessi asked what the nice lady's name was and it was the same name that she had just done in the Temple prior to going home that day."

There are MANY incredible blessings to be had with sincere and frequent temple worship. In addition, to this wonderful story of a mother in Orlando, it's my witness that when we attend to this great work, his angels WILL have charge over us - I know that to be true. I would encourage all of us to consider our temple worship. Is it just another ritual or is it something much deeper for you and I individually?

The Return of a Father

A close friend shared this story (and I share it with her permission) of her Father's return to the Gospel. Although it's long, it's well worth reading the entire story. There are many lessons to be learned from this story. Before reading it, I only pose one question - What would have happened if Ron didn't follow that prompting? Ron was an angel to this man!

Enjoy the story:

"My Dad was an only child who grew up in a rather non-religious family in California.  When he was 19 a friend introduced him to the gospel.  He hooked right on, was baptized and was religiously on fire.  He enlisted in the Navy for 2 years where everyone knew he was Mormon.  He was well liked and shared the gospel with anyone who was willing to listen.  After the Navy he was called to serve a mission in Preston, England. (Contemporary missionaries included Elder Cook and Elder Holland).  He returned home, finished his schooling at BYU where he met my Mom.

Although I do not remember it, my Mom has told me on several occasions that my Dad was very well versed in the scriptures.  His personality lends him to be a fantastic teacher and he had many happy years as an active member of the church. Around 1980 my Dad was introduced to some anit-Mormon literature.  At first he set off to prove it all wrong with his knowledge, but the more he read, the more questions he had the more and more he felt unsettled.  Around this same time he had a couple of close friends who were treated unkindly by church leadership, or at least that is how he viewed it.  A stake president had done some really bad things and wasn't excommunicated while other "lay" members of the church were excommunicated for what seemed like trivial matters. To be honest, I don't know that much about the situation.  My Dad has never wanted to "taint" the kids with his bad experiences with the church.  Finally, my Dad started to travel a lot during that time period.  He was gone from Thursday to Sunday night for about 5 months out of the year.  He fell out of the habit of going to church and quite frankly didn't want to be there.  I can remember going to church with Dad when I was little and he would bring a Robert Ludlum book to read in sacrament.  He went to appease my Mom, but obviously his heart wasn't in it.

At some point, he fell away completely...started drinking, never seriously, but wine and beer here and there.  As you can imagine it put a lot of stress on my parents relationship.

My Dad had been blessed with lots of people who love him and look out for him.  He has had bishops and home teachers reach out to him.  Sometimes he has treated these people VERY poorly and has not been kind and other times he has opened his door to them, but not his heart.  

My parents divorced in fall of 1999 and my Dad ended up living in his woodshop.  The last decade has been a really rough one for my Dad.  He has had terrible money problems what has been even more difficult for him is the loneliness that he has felt.  He has openly talked to me about suicide on many occasions.

About 6 months ago a man named Ron who lives in Logan, stopped in to see my Dad.  Ron is a Stake President on the USU campus, a former mission president and has been a bishop twice.  He bought a black walnut box from my Dad about three years ago, but has not had any contact with him since.  So about 6 months ago, Ron was driving by my Dad's shop and he had this feeling that he should stop in and visit with him.  So began their friendship. Ron has been down to visit my Dad at his shop 2 or 3 times a week for the past 6 months.  I think  Ron was the right man to help my Dad and I think my Dad was finally ready to open his heart.  Ron and Dad would talk about everything...religion, work, politics, their gardens, their life experiences, their families etc...they truly became good friends.  Plus my Dad really respected Ron.

About 3 months ago Ron called my Dad to be on High Council!!!  I don't know who was more shocked...my Dad, or myself when my Dad told me about it.  My Dad turned down the calling, citing that he was not worthy.  He didn't go to church, and he still liked to have a beer every now and then.  Ron said that was fine, but told him he was going to ask him again in the future.  Ron asked him again about a month later, again my Dad refused.  My Dad still hasn't accepted the calling, but he told me he is working towards it.

A week ago I had just returned from taking my Dad to a VA appointment for his Parkinson's.  While we were driving he told me that he had been to church for the past 3 weeks and had even gone to General Conference.  He said he was working to return to the temple.  I asked him where this change of heart had come from.  He told me that the doctrinal questions that bothered him so much all those years ago really didn't seem to mater that much to him now.  He said "it's easier to be in the church than out of the church.  I could have been swimming in the blessings of the gospel all of these years."  Isn't it true what he said?  Although life is hard even when you are living the principles of the gospel, life really is a lot easier when you live close to the Lord as opposed to living far from Him.  

My Dad will turned 73 years-old in January   Many many people have prayed for him for years.  I feel that I have been so blessed through this experience.  The Lord truly is merciful and prayers are answered. I' haven't seen him this happy for many years!"