Pure Thoughts, Part 1

When I was young I went on two long backpacking trips with my father and some varsity scouts. On both excursions we relied heavily on spring water to get through the hike. When there were no springs we had to purify our water, by filtering, boiling, or by using iodine tablets. The water from streams and rivers needed purification due to the various microorganisms in it, especially giardia, which is a bacteria that attaches itself onto the inside of intestines and stays there for an extended time. If we had not purified our water, the results would have been drastic and long-lasting.

We preferred the spring water because it did not take as much effort to process as did filtering or boiling water, nor did it have the taste of iodine. When we were able to get water from springs we did, because this water was naturally purified by the ground. It was water that we did not work hard to procure but still reaped its benefits and blessings – we were like the Savior's disciples who were told: "I sent you to reap that whereon ye bestowed no labor" (John 4:38). Even though the spring water was naturally pure, we still tried to fill our bottles as close to the source as possible, to avoid the impurities that enter once the water leaves its subterranean origin. As water is to our body, so are thoughts to our spirits. Without filtration and purification of our thoughts, our spirits will sicken and languish. Like spring water, there is a pure source for thoughts; the scriptures and the prophets teach in purity and the Spirit helps us keep our thoughts pure. However, since much of that around us is not from a pure source, we must filter and cleanse our thoughts.

Parallels in Purifications

As I took a shower this morning in preparation to go to the temple with the youth of my ward, I thought of the symbolism of the shower. As I cleaned myself physically to get myself ready to enter the temple, I pondered whether I was spiritually clean and ready to enter the temple. I thought over my recent actions or inactions as I prepared. As I washed myself from head to toe, I thought how that paralleled baptism and repentance. While I was not fully immersed in a pool of water, which occurs at baptism, the water of the shower washed away dirt and other uncleanness. The heat of the water reminded me of the purifying burning of the Holy Ghost. The scrubbing with soap is like the spiritual scrubbing that comes in the process of repentance - it requires effort; without the cleansing of soap, the purification process is incomplete. Without repentance and effort on our part, even the cleansing of baptism is insufficient, for repentance is a condition of baptism.

Blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood, Part 6

We should not try to dominate or control others just because we hold the Priesthood. We can persuade others to do what is right and to repent by being patient, gentle, and meek.
We are also counseled to be kind, full of knowledge, but without guile and hypocrisy (how often knowledge and hypocrisy go together!). We should be full of charity towards all. We should have virtuous thoughts all the time, not just when at church or performing priesthood ordinances.

I love the promise in these verses; if we do all those things – be pure, without guile, and full of charity – we will be able to stand before God with our heads held high. We will be confident and know that we are worthy to be in His presence. His Spirit will give us that assurance – we will be comfortable because we will have years of experience with the Holy Ghost and will be comfortable with His presence.

Pres. James E. Faust explained some of the great responsibilities that bearers of the Aaronic Prieshood have; he also answered the “now what?” question:

“1. All priesthood holders need to magnify their callings, acting in the Lord’s name to the extent their office and calling permit. We magnify our callings by following the direction of our quorum presidency, the bishop, and our quorum adviser. It means preparing, administering, and passing the sacrament as we are asked to do so. It also means performing other responsibilities of the Aaronic Priesthood, such as cleaning our Church meetinghouses, setting up chairs for stake conference and other Church meetings, and performing other duties as assigned.

2. Holders of the Aaronic, or preparatory, Priesthood are obligated to qualify for the higher priesthood and to receive training for greater responsibilities in Church service.

3. Holding the Aaronic Priesthood carries with it the obligation of being a good example, with clean thoughts and proper behavior. We acquire these attributes as we carry out our priesthood duties.

4. You will be associated in your quorum and other activities with young men who have the same standards that you have. You can strengthen each other.

5. You can study the scriptures and learn gospel principles to help you prepare for a mission.

6. You can learn to pray and recognize answers.” (Ensign, May 2006).
Aaronic Priesthood holders may feel that they are too young to become so serious about the gospel; the Lord doesn’t think so. Heavenly Father has such great love and trust in them that He gives them the Priesthood, a portion of His power.

For men in the church, there are a few momentous ordinances in life that are necessary for exaltation. Baptism and confirmation, ordination to the Aaronic Priesthood, which occurs when at age 12, ordination to the Mechizedek Priesthood, which occurs when one is at least 18, and marriage in the temple for time and all eternity. Aaronic Priestood holders may be young, but they are on their way along the path that leads to eternal life with our Father in Heaven.

Blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood, Part 5

What kind of people does the Lord expect Aaronic Priesthood holders to be in order to prepare for the blessings and responsibilities of the higher priesthood? Let’s look at the life of Joseph Smith for an example. He was 14 when he saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ – that is the same age as the Teachers in the Church. I remember being a Deacon and thinking that the Teachers seemed old; I remember being a Teacher and marveling at what great things Joseph Smith was called to do when he was my age. Before the First Vision, Joseph spent a couple years thinking about the gospel, about the scriptures, and about which church was right. In one of his accounts of the First Vision he said that he spent time contemplating the heavens and the stars. Joseph spent a lot of time reading the Bible and attending different churches so he could figure out which one was right. He was confused so he decided to ask God in prayer. Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him in answer to his humble prayer.

Joseph Smith was very serious about the gospel at a young age. At the age of Deacons and Teachers today he wanted to know what was true so he read the scriptures, thought about them, and talked with his family. He followed the scriptures and prayed to know what was right. For those preparing to receive the Aaronic Priesthood, I hope that you are as serious about the gospel as Joseph Smith was. He was young, he had fun and wrestled and played, but he took the gospel seriously.

When young men are given the Priesthood, they become different than they were before. They are given a great responsibility – a portion of God’s power. These words in the Doctrine and Covenants explain some of the personal characteristics both Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthood holders need to have: “No power or influence can or ought to be maintained by virtue of the priesthood, only by persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; By kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile – Reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou hast reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy; That he may know that thy faithfulness is stronger than the cords of death. Let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men, and to the household of faith, and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly; then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of God; and the doctrine of the priesthood shall distil upon thy soul as the dews from heaven. The Holy Ghost shall be thy constant companion, and thy scepter an unchanging scepter of righteousness and truth; and thy dominion shall be an everlasting dominion, and without compulsory means it shall flow unto thee forever and ever” (D&C 121:41-46).

Elder Maxwell on LDS Involvement in Moral Issues

I don't normally post things other than gospel essays I've written, but I thought this video was very nice. I have to give credit to Rusty at Ongofu for introducing me to it.

Blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood, Part 4

The Aaronic Priesthood also holds the keys to repentance and baptism. Priests can baptize. They cannot, however, confer the gift of the Holy Ghost and confirm someone a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Baptism without confirmation is incomplete, just as the Aaronic Priesthood without the Melchizedek Priesthood is incomplete. A bishop, whose office is part of the Aaronic Priesthood, helps people repent if they have more serious sins.

As stated earlier, the Aaronic Priesthood is a prepatory priesthood. It prepares those who bear it for the Melchizedek Priesthood, which is the priesthood of higher ordinances, administration, and governing. Elder Hales spoke of these preparations:

“The Aaronic Priesthood is…given for this preparatory time in your life. How you bear that priesthood now will prepare you to make the most important decisions in the future. These decisions include receiving the Melchizedek Priesthood, going to the temple, serving a mission, getting an education, selecting an occupation, and choosing a companion and being sealed for time and for all eternity in the holy temple. There is a time and season for all of our decisions. Make sure you make decisions in the proper time and season. All of these life-altering decisions will be made in a very busy, relatively short period during your 20s—during what I call the 'Decade of Decision.'"

He continued:

“While training to be a jet fighter pilot, I prepared to make such vital decisions in a flight simulator. For example, I practiced deciding when to bail out of an airplane if the fire warning light came on and I began to spin out of control. I remember one dear friend who didn’t make these preparations. He would find a way out of simulator training and then go to play golf or swim. He never learned his emergency procedures! A few months later, fire erupted in his plane, and it spun toward the ground in flames. Noting the fire warning light, his younger companion, having developed a preconditioned response, knew when to bail out of the plane and parachuted to safety. But my friend who had not prepared to make that decision stayed with the plane and died in the crash.

In the decade ahead, your time for preparation will be limited. As you are Aaronic Priesthood bearers, it is important that you prepare now. You must develop your own preconditioned responses for the important decisions you will make in the next decade of your life. You must know what to do and when to do it when each decision presents itself. Remember that making no decision at all could be just as deadly as making the wrong decision. Many of the decisions you make or don’t make will have eternal consequences.” (Hales, Ensign, May 2007).

Blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood, Part 3

“Upon you my fellow servants.” When you are given the Aaronic Priesthood, you are given the responsibility to serve others. As Deacons, you will be able to pass the sacrament – the sacrament is the single most important thing that we do at church, and Deacons are a part of it and partially responsible for it. That is a lot of responsibility! The most important thing we do at church is mainly done, under the direction of the Bishop, by the young Aaronic Priesthood holders – ages 12 to 18. There is nothing more important Deacons can do than to faithfully pass the sacrament and live worthily to do so. The sacrament is so important that the Savior blessed and passed it around Himself at the Last Supper; He now delegates this responsibility to the Aaronic Priesthood.

The Aaronic Priesthood also holds the keys to the ministering of angels. Think about that. As a bearer of the Aaronic Priesthood, you are entitled to the ministering of angels – for angels to strengthen and teach you; even if you don’t ever see them, they are there. Elder Holland spoke on this topic at the Oct. 2008 General Conference:

“I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world Himself. Matthew records in his gospel that after Satan had tempted Christ in the wilderness ‘angels came and ministered unto him.’ Even the Son of God, a God Himself, had need for heavenly comfort during His sojourn in mortality. And so such ministrations will be to the righteous until the end of time.”

Elder Holland went on to explain to whom angels minister:

“As Mormon said to his son Moroni, who would one day be an angel: Has the day of miracles ceased? Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved? Behold I say unto you, Nay; for…it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men…. For behold, they are subject unto [Christ], to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness.”

Those who hold the Aaronic Priesthood – and everyone else – who have strong faith and a firm mind will be able to see ministering angels. Seeing angels may not necessarily involve vision; seeing angels might simply be discerning their hand – the Lord’s hand – in our lives and in the world around us. However, I believe what the scripture says – those with a firm mind in every form of godliness will have the privilege of seeing angels. I should note, that a pure heart is not always a pre-requisite for beholding heavenly messengers – Nephi’s brothers Laman and Lemuel saw an angel and heard it speak but they were not strong in faith or with firm minds in the faith. Even the viewing of angels is not enough to dispel the darkness of disbelief but it can strengthen the faith and lives of those with strong faith.

Blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood, Part 2

Within the Aaronic Priesthood, there are four offices: deacon, teacher, priest, and bishop. Bishops also hold the Melchizedek Priesthood and are ordained High Priests but they are mainly responsible for the Aaronic Priesthood in the ward.

What are some of the things you can and should do when you hold the Aaronic Priesthood? “With the authorization of the presiding priesthood leader (usually the bishop or branch president), deacons pass the sacrament. They help the bishop or branch president watch over Church members by giving service and assisting with temporal matters such as gathering fast offerings. Teachers may perform all the duties of deacons, and they also receive other opportunities to serve. They prepare the sacramental bread and water and serve as home teachers. Priests may perform all the duties of deacons and teachers. With the authorization of the presiding priesthood leader, they may also bless the sacrament, baptize, and ordain others to the offices of priest, teacher, and deacon.” (Source)

John the Baptist came and restored the Aaronic Priesthood to the earth. We even know what he said when he gave the Aaronic Priesthood to Joseph Smith and Oliver Cowdery. We find a record of John’s words in D&C Section 13 (and Joseph Smith History 1:69). What does it say and what does it tell us about the responsibilities the bearers of the Aaronic Priesthood have?

“Upon you my fellow servants, in the name of Messiah, I confer the Priesthood of Aaron, which holds the keys of the ministering of angels, and of the gospel of repentance, and of baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; and this shall never be taken again from the earth until the sons of Levi do offer again an offering unto the Lord in righteousness.”

Blessings of the Aaronic Priesthood, Part 1

The Priesthood is the power and authority of God given to man. Just think, our Heavenly Father is willing to give part of His power to young men, when they are only 12 years old. By this power, the earth was created. By this power, sick people are healed. By this power, the Church is directed.

I want to focus on the thing that will be most important for those who are preparing to receive the Aaronic Priesthood (as well as for those who have already received it) – what the Priesthood means for them. I’m going to focus both on what the Priesthood is as well as why it matters in one’s life. When a young man is ordained to the office of a Deacon and given the Aaronic Priesthood, he might ask himself, “OK, so now what?” I’m going to answer the “Now what?” part.

First, let me write a couple things about the Aaronic Priesthood. The Aaronic Priesthood is named after Aaron, the brother of Moses. This priesthood is often called a preparatory priesthood. “And the lesser priesthood…which priesthood holdeth the key of the ministering of angels and the preparatory gospel; Which gospel is the gospel of repentence and of baptism, and the remission of sins, and the law of carnal commandments, which the Lord in his wrath caused to continue with the house of Aaron among the children of Israel until John, whom God raised up, being filled with the Holy Ghost from his mother’s womb” (D&C 84:26-27). It is the priesthood of outward ordinances. Because of the wickedness of the children of Israel in the wilderness, the Lord took Moses and the Mechizedek Priesthood away from them (see D&C 84:25) and left them with a lower priesthood. It was, for them, a priesthood that would help prepare them for the restoration of the Melchizedek Priesthood back into their midst. So, for Aaronic Priesthood holders, their time spent performing the ordinances of that priesthood help prepare them for the Melchezidek Priesthood. How does one prepare to receive the Melchizedek Priesthood? By keeping the commandments, participating in church, and serving others.

Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 5

Quoting Elder Holland again from the October 2008 General Conference:

"In the course of life all of us spend time in 'dark and dreary' places, wildernesses, circumstances of sorrow or fear or discouragement. Our present day is filled with global distress over financial crises, energy problems, terrorist attacks, and natural calamities. These translate into individual and family concerns not only about homes in which to live and food available to eat but also about the ultimate safety and well-being of our children and the latter-day prophecies about our planet. More serious than these—and sometimes related to them—are matters of ethical, moral, and spiritual decay seen in populations large and small, at home and abroad. But I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world Himself. Matthew records in his gospel that after Satan had tempted Christ in the wilderness 'angels came and ministered unto him' (Matt. 4:11). Even the Son of God, a God Himself, had need for heavenly comfort during His sojourn in mortality. And so such ministrations will be to the righteous until the end of time."

We should remember that the Savior suffered more than any other person. As the Lord told Joseph Smith in his great sufferings: "The Son of Man hath descended below them [your sufferings] all. Art thou greater than he?" (D&C 122:8). Also, "He that ascended up on high, as also he descended below all things, in that he comprehended all things, that he might be in all and through all things, the light of truth" (D&C 88:6). We can take strength in knowing that the Savior suffered the things we suffer - He suffered more than we will ever suffer - and knows and understands each of us. He comforts us in our trials. He cries with us when we are sad or hurt or afraid. As we wander in wildernesses, often in darkness, the Lord is there for us. We need but exercise faith to find Him who will guide us to the Promised Land. In the words of the poet:

And I said to the man who stood at the gate of the year:
“Give me a light, that I may tread safely into the unknown!”
And he replied:
“Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the Hand of God.
That shall be to you better than light and safer than a known way.”
So, I went forth, and finding the Hand of God, trod gladly into the night.
And He led me toward the hills and the breaking of day in the lone East. (Minnie Louise Haskins. From “The Gate of the Year,” in James Dalton Morrison, ed., Masterpieces of Religious Verse (1948), 92.)

I pray that we may follow the Lord so we can return home and not forever wander in strange lands. He is there for us always, especially in times when we seem to be strangers in a strange land - tired, lonely, and lost in the wilderness. The Lord will lift us and guide us home.

Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 4

For those feeling lost, who are struggling and sorrowed, Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin stated at the October 2008 General Conference:

You may feel singled out when adversity enters your life. You shake your head and wonder, 'Why me?' But the dial on the wheel of sorrow eventually points to each of us. At one time or another, everyone must experience sorrow. No one is exempt. I love the scriptures because they show examples of great and noble men and women such as Abraham, Sarah, Enoch, Moses, Joseph, Emma, and Brigham. Each of them experienced adversity and sorrow that tried, fortified, and refined their characters.
Learning to endure times of disappointment, suffering, and sorrow is part of our on-the-job training. These experiences, while often difficult to bear at the time, are precisely the kinds of experiences that stretch our understanding, build our character, and increase our compassion for others. Because Jesus Christ suffered greatly, He understands our suffering. He understands our grief. We experience hard things so that we too may have increased compassion and understanding for others. Remember the sublime words of the Savior to the Prophet Joseph Smith when he suffered with his companions in the smothering darkness of Liberty Jail: 'My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment; And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph over all thy foes.' (D&C 121:7-8).
With that eternal perspective, Joseph took comfort from these words, and so can we. Sometimes the very moments that seem to overcome us with suffering are those that will ultimately suffer us to overcome.

It is important to remember that when the Lord requires us to wander in strange lands, He will deliver us: "The God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he them out of it" (Acts 13:17). Not only are we blessed after our wanderings, we are blessed throughout them. Like He supported Nephi, the Lord lifts us through our afflictions in the wildernesses of our lives. He preserves us when the great swells of the oceans seem about to overwhelm us and bring us down to the depths of despair (see 2 Ne. 4:20). We may feel, whether we have sinned or not, that we "are led about by Satan, even as chaff is driven before the wind, or as a vessel is tossed about upon the waves, without sail or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer her; and even as she is, so are they" (Mormon 5:18). But the Lord will be our Captain if we allow Him to be.

Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 3

The Lord told Abraham, "I have purposed to take thee away out of Haran, and to make of thee a minister to bear my name in a strange land which I will give unto thy seed after thee for an everlasting possession, when they hearken to my voice" (Abr. 2:6). Abraham spent his days as a stranger and a wanderer: "By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise: For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:9-10). Moses too was a stranger in a strange land: "He called [his son's] name Gershom: for he said, I have been a stranger in a strange land" (Ex. 2:22). Those who wander are usually looking for a promised land, just as the tribes of Israel wandered for 40 years in the desert before they entered their promised land. The Psalmist called himself a "stranger in the earth" (Psalm 119:19); indicating that all of us are strangers here on earth; it is not our original home. Those who are faithful, like the prophets, will receive the blessings of eternal life in the celestial realms - the ultimate Promised Land: "These [the first Patriarchs - Adam through Jacob] all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country. But now they desire a better country, that is, an heavenly [one]" (Heb. 11:13-14,16). The prophets all had faith that they would receive a better country, a heavenly home.

Alma also taught on this theme: "And they [glad tidings of great joy] are made known unto us in plain terms, that we may understand, that we cannot err; and this because of our being wanderers in a strange land; therefore, we are thus highly favored, for we have these glad tidings declared unto us in all parts of our vineyard" (Alma 13:23). Ammon likewise talked about wandering in strange lands: "Yea, blessed is the name of my God, who has been mindful of this people, who are a branch of the tree of Israel, and has been lost from its body in a strange land; yea, I say blessed be the name of my God, who has been mindful of us, wanderers in a strange land" (Alma 26:36). Even in the Promised Land, a land of bounty and blessing, the Nephites were strangers because they were broken off from the rest of the house of Israel.

Isaiah stated: "For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land; and the strangers [foreigners] shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of Jacob" (2 Ne. 24:1). The Lord said that those who wander in strange lands, who spend time in wild parts of the vineyard, will return to their own land with the added strength of the wild branches (see Jacob 5). Even the people of Enoch first went through a period of wandering before they established Zion: "they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth; But obtained a promise that they should find it [Zion] and see it in their flesh" (D&C 45:13). That is what all the righteous have been promised - a city of refuge, a city of holiness, a place for the pure in heart, even Zion. Faith requires trial; promised blessings only come after our faith is tried. How hard our trials may be!

The Story of this Blog

While serving on my mission in Seattle, Washington, I had the desire to write a gospel-related book after I returned home. I had an unofficial goal to write a series of essays on various gospel topics and try to get them published by Deseret Book or one of its subsidiaries. Well, life ensued and I never wrote my book, not that it would necessarily get published anyway.

Then a few months ago I decided that I needed to change my gospel study habits. Since my mission I have always missed how much I was able to study the gospel as a missionary. We had about 2 hours of study in the morning plus at least an hour in the evening. I also tried to utilize lunch and breakfast times and any other time I had to study and read. I read the Book of Mormon a number of times as a missionary. I read substantial portions of the Old and New Testaments as well as Doctrine and Covenants and Pearl of Great Price. I read the books in the "missionary library" - Jesus the Christ, Articles of Faith, A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Truth Restored, and Our Search for Happiness. After I finished those books I started into books borrowed from members or purchased at Deseret Book. Everything revolved around the gospel and I loved it. It wasn't just the studying and learning that I loved but also the teaching.

I shared that simply to provide a picture of how immersed most missionaries are in the gospel (although, I do admit that I read more than all my companions did; but reading is my background - it's just part of who I am and who my family are; we're a family of readers). Then I came home. I continued to read the scriptures and study the gospel but over time I became busy with school, marriage, more school, work, kids, and more school. I found that I was no longer studying the gospel very intently; I felt like I was merely sipping from the fountain of living waters and nibbling upon the word. I found myself missing a few days or even a week of personal scripture reading. I had become careless in my scripture study.

So a few months ago, I don't remember exactly when but I think it was in June, I decided I needed to make a change. I felt that my gospel knowledge wasn't growing much; I also felt, to an extent, my personal spirituality was stagnant. I knew that I needed to be more intentional in my gospel study. Even simply reading the scriptures every day would not be enough. I decided to start a topical study of the gospel. I began to treat my scripture study as if I were preparing talks for Sacrament Meeting (or writing essays on gospel topics). I felt that, for the time being, I had a good linear (temporal) foundation of the Book of Mormon so I could stop reading it straight through and begin to study topic by topic.

I randomly pick topics - usually whatever comes into my mind first. Sometimes I pray and ask that I be led to my next topic and sometimes I just pick a topic. Next I look up and write down scriptures. Then, I start expanding on the scriptures and try to form my thoughts into mostly coherent essays, adding more scriptures as I find them or as they come to me. Recently, I've started adding in quotes from General Conferences, as appropriate.

This blog is my book. I still hope that I can turn many of these essays into a published book, or at least expand on one or two of them and turn that into a book, but this will suffice as my book for now. This blog allows me to share the gospel and my testimony with others, as few as they may be. I hope that these posts will brighten someone's day, lighten someone's load, or strengthen someone's testimony, even if it is just my own.

My shift from nibbling upon the word to feasting (or, at least trying to) upon the word brought a noticeable - to me - change in my life. Studying the gospel intently will always have a positive effect on your life. It gives you greater power over the Adversary and greater peace about your path. The burden may not be lighter but you will be strengthened so that it becomes easier to bear.

That's the story of the genesis of this blog. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do creating it.

Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 2

Entering the wilderness is not usually easy, even for the righteous who know of and believe in the promised blessings. Even Sariah complained for a time to Lehi: "Behold thou hast led us forth from the land of our inheritance, and my sons are no more, and we perish in the wilderness" (1 Ne. 5:2). Such grumblings and murmurings are common among those who do not recognize the Lord's hand in their lives. It is difficult to keep an eternal perspective when you are suffering. Sariah had forgotten (or never really yet believed) that it was not Lehi who told them to leave Jerusalem, it was the Lord. Lehi merely acted as spokesperson. She quickly repented of her murmurings though. When Nephi's bow broke, his family started to murmur against the Lord because of their afflictions and because of the sufferings they had experienced in the wilderness (see 1 Ne. 16:20). However, Nephi went before the Lord, prayed, and made a new bow. He had faith through his afflictions and trusted in the Lord.

Some in Lehi's and Ishmael's families murmured when Ishmael died: "Our father is dead; yea, and we have wandered much in the wilderness, and we have suffered much affliction, hunger, thirst, and fatigue; and after all these sufferings we must perish in the wilderness with hunger" (1 Ne. 16:35). They forgot all the times the Lord had blessed them with food, just like the Israelites were blessed with manna, quail, and fresh water by the Lord in their need. We too are often quick to forget the blessings of the Lord when we wander in strange lands, in deserts of despair or forests of darkness.

What is a strange land? A strange land at the most basic level is somewhere that is not your home. A strange land can also mean somewhere new, not the land in which you or your ancestors grew up. Even though you may be in a promised land, rich in resources, you can still be in a strange land. A strange land could also mean a land of wickedness or a land of non-covenant people.

Strangers in a Strange Land, Part 1

"Time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days" (Jacob 7:26).

Many times throughout history the covenant people of the Lord have suffered as they wandered. They have wandered physically, emotionally, or spiritually in strange lands. Their sojourns in these wildernesses have been hard, harsh, and heavy. Oftentimes these people had to leave their homes behind to enter unfamiliar places. Some, like Jacob, felt that all their days were spent in mourning. Why are the righteous so often asked to do hard things and suffer?

We made the choice in the pre-earth life to come to earth. We knew that we would face suffering, sickness, limitations, and sorrow. We also knew that we could experience great joy and progression. We agreed to enter this ofttimes dark and dreary world because we knew of the blessings that would result if we were faithful. Elder Jeffrey R. Holland talked about some of the thorns and darkness of life during the October 2008 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints: "When Adam and Eve willingly stepped into mortality, they knew this telestial world would contain thorns and thistles and troubles of every kind. Perhaps their most challenging realization, however, was not the hardship and danger they would endure but the fact that they would now be distanced from God, separated from Him with whom they had walked and talked, who had given them face-to-face counsel. After this conscious choice, as the record of creation says, 'they saw him not; for they were shut out from his presence' (Moses 5:4). Amidst all else that must have troubled them, surely this must have troubled them the most."

Alma and Amulek as Types of Christ, Part 5

After the fall of the prison many came running to see what caused the commotion. When they saw Alma and Amulek walking out unscathed and filled with the power of God they "fled from the presence of Alma and Amulek even as a goat fleeth with her young from two lions" (Alma 14:29). The righteous of the Lord who are of the House of Israel "shall be among the Gentiles, yea, in the midst of them as a lion among the beasts of the forest" (3 Ne. 21:12; see also Mormon 5:24 and 3 Ne. 20:16). Christ is compared to a lion in the scriptures and was born into a house of lions (see Gen. 49:9). Indeed, He is "the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the root of David" (Rev. 5:5). Those who fled from Alma and Amulek fled as goats. Goats are often used in the scriptures as an analogy for the wicked: "And before him [the Son of Man] shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left.... Then shall he say...unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Matt. 25:32-33,41). The Good Shepherd calls His sheep and they follow Him. The goats, those who will not hear His voice and follow Him, flee from before His presence just as they did from before Alma and Amulek.

As we study the scriptures we can learn many things and see many parallels with the life of the Savior. We may even see some parallels in our own lives.

Alma and Amulek as Types of Christ, Part 4

After many days Alma and Amulek were once again visited in prison by the chief judge as well as teachers and lawyers. The chief judge hit them again and taunted, "If ye have the power of God deliver yourselves from these bands, and then we will believe that the Lord will destroy this people according to your words" (Alma 14:24). Throughout his crucifixion the Savior received similar taunts (see Luke 23:35; Mark 15:31-32; Matt. 27:42). After all the people visiting Alma and Amulek in prison had hit them and taunted them, Alma cried forth saying, "How long shall we suffer these great afflictions, O Lord? O Lord, give us strength according to our faith which is in Christ, even unto deliverance" (Alma 14:26). In His infinite agony, the Savior cried similar words on the cross, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? (Mark 15:34; see also Matt. 27:46). After this cry, Alma and Amulek "broke the cords with which they were bound" (Alma 14:26). The Savior broke the cords of death, "And the death of Christ shall loose the bands of this temporal death, that all shall be raised from this temporal death" (Alma 11:42).

When Alma and Amulek broke their bonds, those who came to taunt and torment were afraid and started to flee (see Alma 14:26-27). Some (although they were not wicked), when seeing the empty tomb and hearing the angels proclaim Christ's resurrection, had the same feeling of fear: "And they went out quickly, and fled from the sepulchre; for they trembled and were amazed...for they were afraid" (Mark 16:8). Those who fled from Alma and Amulek were so afraid that they "fell to the earth, and did not obtain the outer door of the prison" (Alma 14:27). Just as these wicked people did not make it out of the prison, the wicked who reject Christ remain in spirit prison. The prison then fell down around Alma and Amulek, "The earth shook mightily, and the walls of the prison were rent in twain"; those who were in the prison taunting Alma and Amulek "were slain by the fall [of the prison]" (Alma 14:27). At Christ's death there were earthquakes in the Old World as well as the New: "And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent" (Matt. 27:51; see also 3 Ne. 8). Those who reject the Lord suffer spiritual death just as those at Alma and Amulek's prison suffered physical death.

Alma and Amulek "came forth out of the prison and they were not hurt; for the Lord had granted unto them power, according to their faith which was in Christ...[for] they were loosed from their bands; and the prison had fallen to the earth" (Alma 14:28). Christ came forth from the prison of Death through the power of God, "And God hath both raised up the Lord, and will also raise up us by his own power" (1 Cor. 6:14); "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father" (John 10:17-18). "And he hath power given unto him from the Father to redeem them from their sins [and death]" (Hel. 5:11). Christ opened the prison doors for all that we will have power over death and be resurrected. He also opened the prison doors for others to be saved from spiritual death and hell through faith in His name.