Faith Still Precedes the Miracle ~ Part One

 Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take three minutes to five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in October 2019, and it is called "Faith Still Precedes the Miracle" by Brother Mark Pace. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Pace has mentioned the following; "... So I share with you that request from the prophet of God and thank you for your personal efforts this year in reading the New Testament. You may not realize this, but by accepting and acting on the prophet’s invitation, you are strengthening the Church. How? 

As you study the scriptures throughout the week, you welcome the Holy Ghost into your life. This increased influence of the Holy Ghost builds your faith in the Savior Jesus Christ and deepens your conversion. The collective strength of the conversion of each member is, in a very real way, the strength of the Church. ... The promptings of the Spirit have led me to talk of the importance of acting in faith and to remind you that faith still precedes the miracle.

Inspiring Discourses on Faith

In the Book of Mormon there is an absolute jewel in Ether 12. ... We learn from Moroni’s abridged record how the Jaredites were brought to the American continent and became a great civilization, with periods of righteousness and prosperity as well as periods of wickedness, war, and apostasy.

In Ether 12, Moroni recorded the continued slide of the Jaredites. They rejected the prophets, and the blessings of heaven were withdrawn. One prophet in particular, Ether, prophesied “great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not.”

And with that phrase “they did not believe, because they saw them not” - Moroni suddenly paused his historical narrative and launched into an inspiring discourse on faith. It was as if Moroni had just realized that faith could have been the antidote to the wickedness that led to the destruction of the Jaredite nation. 

If only they had been able to believe before seeing, maybe they would have repented and been spared. Of course Moroni knew that it was too late for the Jaredites, but he wasn’t writing to the Jaredites. He was writing to each of us, and it is not too late for us. Moroni wanted us to know that faith is the antidote to the wickedness of the world in which we live. 

"FAITH requires work." - Marcos A. Aidukaitis.

So Moroni took the opportunity to teach us that “by faith all things are fulfilled.” “faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith.” 

“if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them.” “neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith.” In other words, Moroni taught that faith precedes the miracle. He gave multiple examples in support of this truth. 

When Alma and Amulek were in prison and the walls tumbled to the earth, that miracle was preceded by their faith. When Ammon and Nephi and Lehi converted thousands of Lamanites, those miracles were preceded by faith. Even the appearance of Christ among the people could not have happened “until after they had faith in him.”

To Moroni’s list we could add another example. In Mosiah 24 we read of the great faith of the people of Alma, who were, at that time, in bondage to the Lamanites. The Lamanites persecuted them, forced them into hard labor, “and put task-masters over them.”

... And it came to pass that so great was their faith and their patience that the voice of the Lord came unto them again, saying: Be of good comfort, for on the morrow I will deliver you out of bondage. Note again that the Lord did not say how He would deliver them, just that it would happen “on the morrow.” 

But that was enough for Alma and his people. They spent all night gathering “their flocks together,” preparing for their promised deliverance. And in the morning the Lord caused a deep sleep to come upon the Lamanites, yea, and all their task-masters were in a profound sleep. And Alma and his people departed into the wilderness.

It was a miracle, and it came after the people of Alma had submitted cheerfully and with patience, preparing all night long without knowing how the miracle would happen, only that God had promised that it would. You see, they didn’t need to see the miracle before they would believe it. That is faith, and faith still precedes the miracle.

Patterns of Faith

My dear friends, examples of faith are not confined solely to the scriptures. Great faith was also demonstrated by Saints early in this dispensation. And it is clearly evident among our fellow Saints with whom we live day to day. Your lives are full of such faith and devotion. I wish I could talk to each of you and hear about the patterns of faith that have brought you to this point in your life. Even though that isn’t possible, you can rest assured that your Father in Heaven knows of your faith and is blessing you accordingly.

I would like to suggest five patterns of faith that you can make a part of your day-to-day lives to demonstrate your faith in Jesus Christ and qualify you for the miracles that God has prepared for you:

1. Following the Lord’s living prophet 2. Attending our Sunday meetings

3. Participating in home-centered gospel learning

4. Paying tithes and offerings

5. Attending the temple"

Stay Tuned until next time.

How Can God Grant Us Faith?

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take four minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish. 

What are some ways that you can think of that God has grant us faith? What does "Faith" means to you? 

What does "Faith" means to a immediate relative? What does "Faith" means to a friend?

I know that Heavenly Father has shown me some ways of how he has grant me faith. I have been able to learn about what is faith, and how to apply faith in life. I can think of some great ways of how Heavenly Father grant me faith and those ways are the following;

Applying faith to believe in Heavenly Father, applying faith to trust in Heavenly Father, applying faith to trust in Heavenly Father's timing, applying faith for having trust into everything will work out even when some things does not work out straight away but continue to have faith for those things to work out eventually, and so forth. 

Anyways, this post focuses on a October 1983 General Conference talk, and it is called "God Grant Us Faith" by Elder Gordon B. Hinckley. I hope you would be able to learn something new while reading this post. 

Elder Hinckley has mentioned the following; 

"... I see the fruits of your faith, and I am grateful. I thank you for the energy you put into this work. I know that at times it feels burdensome. Some of it may appear unnecessary. But out of effort and labor comes strength, and out of service comes gladness. I thank you for your faith in the payment of your tithes and offerings. 

You are making possible the growth and strengthening of this work across the world. But you do not need thanks. Every man and woman who pays his or her honest tithing has a testimony of the blessings that come therefrom. He or she can bear witness that the Lord opens the windows of heaven and pours out blessings as he has promised. (See Mal. 3:10.)

I give you the assurance, my brothers and sisters, that the work is moving forward. Wherever it is established in more than eighty nations, it is growing in strength. The faith of the people is increasing, as reflected in their increased activity. The missionary work continues to flourish.

Our young men and women continue to leave their homes to go into the world to bear witness of the Savior and of the restoration of his eternal gospel in this the dispensation of the fulness of times. (See D&C 124:41.) The work of salvation for the dead, through the vast genealogical program of the Church and the selfless labor of love that goes on in the temples, is moving at a pace never previously known.

Our people are more faithful in attendance at their meetings, and since our last conference a very substantial number of them have had opportunity to demonstrate their love for neighbor as well as for God. ... Despite the increased needs to meet such disasters, as well as aggravated problems incident to the present economy, fast offering contributions have kept pace. Thank you for this marvelous expression of faith as you have gone without meals yourselves to help those in distress.

... In August we were in Samoa and Tonga for temple dedications. Again our hearts were lifted by the outpouring of the Christlike love we experienced and witnessed among the wonderful Saints of Polynesia. Through ancient prophets the Lord promised that in the latter days he would remember his people upon the isles of the sea. 

We have witnessed a marvelous fulfillment of these promises where today, among these loving and gracious people, we have scores of congregations, strong and flourishing schools to bless them with the benefits of education, and now beautiful temples of the Lord in which they may receive blessings to be found nowhere else.

... For those of us favored to attend these dedicatory services, there has come a great refreshing of our faith and an increased affection for our brethren and sisters who love the Lord and walk with loyalty to him and his commandments.

... The history of this Church is a history of the expression of such faith. It began with a farm boy in the year 1820 when he read that great promise set forth in the Epistle of James: “If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

"FAITH is a real power not just an
expression of belief." 
- Boyd K. Packer.

“But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.” (James 1:5–6.) It was faith, the simple faith of a fourteen-year-old boy, that took him into the woods that spring morning. It was faith that took him to his knees in pleading for understanding. 

The marvelous fruit of that faith was a vision glorious and beautiful, of which this great work is but the extended shadow. It was by faith that he kept himself worthy of the remarkable manifestations which followed in bringing to the earth the keys, the authority, the power to reestablish the Church of Jesus Christ in these latter days. 

It was by faith that this marvelous record of ancient peoples, this testament which we call the Book of Mormon, was brought forth by the gift and power of God “to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ.” 

It was by faith that a small band of early converts, notwithstanding the very powers of hell brought against them, strengthened and sustained one another, left home and family to spread the word, ... in their search for peace and freedom to worship God according to the dictates of conscience.

... With the conviction that faith without works is dead, they drained that swampland, they plotted a city, they built substantial homes and houses for worship and education and, crowning all, a magnificent temple, then the finest building in all of Illinois.

Again came persecution, with profane and murderous mobs. Their prophet was killed. Their dreams were shattered. Again it was by faith that they pulled themselves together under the pattern he had previously drawn and organized themselves for another exodus.

... It was by faith that Brigham Young looked over this valley, then hot and barren, and declared, “This is the place.” Again by faith, four days later, he touched his cane to the ground a few hundred feet east of where I stand and said, “Here will be the temple of our God.” 

The magnificent and sacred house of the Lord to the east of this Tabernacle is a testimony of faith, not only of the faith of those who built it but of the faith of those who now use it in a great selfless labor of love. Wrote Paul to the Hebrews, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” (Heb. 11:1.) 

All of the great accomplishments of which I have spoken were once only “the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” But with vision, with labor, and with confidence in the power of God working through them, they brought their faith to reality. Behind us is a glorious history. 

... It is the product of faith. Before us is a great future. It begins today. We cannot pause. We cannot slow down. We cannot slacken our pace or shorten our stride. ... Said they: “Our motives are not selfish; our purposes not petty and earth-bound; we contemplate the human race past, present, and yet to come as immortal beings, for whose salvation it is our mission to labor; and to this work, broad as eternity and deep as the love of God, we devote ourselves, now, and forever.” (The First Presidency, 26 March 1907.)

With faith we must go forward toward the fulfillment of that commitment. We must ever keep before us the big picture, while not neglecting the details. That large picture is a portrayal of the whole broad mission of the Church; but it is painted one brush stroke at a time through the lives of all members, the composite of whose activities becomes the Church at work.

Each of us, therefore, is important. Each is a brush stroke, as it were, on the mural of this vast panorama of the kingdom of God. If there are blanks, if there are distortions, if there are off-color areas, then the picture is defective to all who look upon it. Shall any of us say that with faith we cannot do better than we are now doing?

There is no obstacle too great, no challenge too difficult, that we cannot meet with faith. We live in a world where the standards of the gospel are challenged, where they are ridiculed, where sacred things are mocked. Shall we compromise? ...

In a more troubled day, the Lord said to Thomas B. Marsh: “Be patient in afflictions, revile not against those that revile. Govern your house in meekness, and be steadfast. … “Go your way whithersoever I will, and it shall be given you by the Comforter what you shall do and whither you shall go. …

“Be faithful unto the end, and lo, I am with you. These words are not of man nor of men, but of me, even Jesus Christ, your Redeemer, by the will of the Father.” (D&C 31:9, 11, 13.) Said the Savior to his disciples, “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” (Matt. 5:48.)

This is the commandment which is before us. Regrettably we have not reached perfection. We have a great distance to go. We must cultivate the faith to reform our lives, commencing where we are weak and moving on from there in our work of self-correction, thus gradually and consistently growing in strength to live more nearly as we should.

With faith we can rise above those negative elements in our lives which constantly pull us down. With effort we can develop the capacity to subdue those impulses which lead to degrading and evil actions. With faith we can school our appetites. We can reach out to those whose faith has grown cold and warm them by our own faith.

Let us never forget, my brethren and sisters, that each of us is a part of the whole and that what we do mars or beautifies the magnificent panorama of the kingdom of God. As our fathers labored in faith with a moving vision of the destiny of this work, even so can we. There is so much to be done, so much improvement to be made, but we can do it, walking in faith. ..."

If you would like to read the whole talk either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1983/10/god-grant-us-faith

Stay Tuned until next time.

Choosing to Eat Wisely

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately four minutes to read from start to finish.

“What does it mean to you for eating wisely? What does it mean to a immediate relative for eating wisely? 

What does it mean to a friend for eating wisely? 

I am sure that all of us LOVES eating food, well who doesn’t love eating food? Food is so good but food can also be so harmful. Most people experience limitations of what they can actually eat without getting them sick because they have either food allergies or dietary needs or both of food allergies and dietary needs, or they’re expecting. 

For an example; I know that I have noticed a lot that I had several major symptoms of celiac disease as growing up. I did not say anything to my parents because I thought it was just a part of growing up and thought it was normal. 

I felt those celiac disease symptoms after eating my lunches at school when I went to school, and I always needing to go to go public toilets after eating fast foods. I have experienced bloating, very tired, headaches, abdominal pains, I did not grow tall in the height that I wanted to reach - I hate being short on some days, I did not gain much weight - I was weighing underweight when I was living in Australia, and so forth. 

By the time when I moved to a friend’s house, she cooked some dinner meals that was gluten free. She loves making dinner for me, herself and her Mom. I remembered on Sunday afternoons, she would always make my lunches and dinner. 

"EAT RIGHT. FEEL AMAZING."

Sometimes she would make my dinners while I was employed and busy with working, so I always came home with dinner that was already made for me. Whenever I have consumed the meals that my friend has made for me, my body didn’t felt like it was going to experience celiac disease. 

It helped me to make a decision to become partial celiac disease after moving away from her house. It helped me to get some ideas of what to make for lunch and dinner. I remembered whenever I came and visit my family for dinner, my body was feeling celiac symptoms again. 

It felt so bad. Eventually; I have moved away from Australia to United States, I have made the decision to become fully gluten free to ease my symptoms at all times as possible. I do not feel any symptoms of celiac disease symptoms at all, I do feel celiac disease symptoms whenever I consume any foods that are gluten over here.

I definitely do not see myself back to reality of having gluten foods again because I know my body would get celiac disease symptoms all over again. I don’t want to face that. I am glad that I have listened to my body eventually when I did because I feel so much healthier and better. 

Sometimes some people just make a decision one day to become vegetarian, it takes some commitment to get used to being vegetarian for days that turns into months that turns into years, and haven’t ever changed back to the life that they used to have before becoming a vegetarian. They still find some great ways of getting protein intake.

Sometimes we just make a decision that we should listen to our bodies more for what it needs. Sometimes we have some cravings because maybe our bodies is trying to tell us that we’re lacking of certain foods or vitamins to consume into our daily calories. 

We shouldn’t be needing to force anyone into our diets. Just because a diet works for you, doesn’t always work as effectively or well enough for someone else. You do what is best for YOU. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Choosing Employment Wisely

  Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish. 

Some jobs has area managers, regional managers, store managers, other managers, and employees. They all have expectations to meet to work as a team, and some jobs requires to be able to work independently. Whenever we have decided that we would want to get employment, we would look into any required prior similar job experiences, prior education, having a current drivers license, skills that we may have, and so forth. 

We also would look into if the job has a casual position or part time position or a full time position. Sometimes it doesn’t say what’s the position it is, just tells you of how many hours a week does the job requires. We also look into if our availability meets with the required some jobs are required days. 

Sometimes employers wants to have potential employees to be available to work during busy seasonal periods (such as Christmas Holidays), or/and on the weekends (including Sundays not only just Saturdays). Some jobs faces good customers and bad customers. 

I remembered when I was hired as a Delivery Expert/Delivery Driver at all Domino's stores that I was employed at, I needed to fulfill the following requirements. I needed to have a current driver's license in the same state as where the job was at. I would need to have a great understanding for what was my responsibilities are in the store and on the road, and the following is my responsibilities that I had to fulfill during all of my shifts. 

Assisting with customer service in store, Assisting with food preparation, and General cleaning duties while I was in store in between delivery to the next delivery. Delivering pizzas and other products to customers, Providing quality customer service at the door, Dealing with customer concerns, and Driving safely at all times for on the road. 

My dream job is to become a Professional Photographer and work full-time of running my own photography business in the future.  I always wanted to do photography. I remembered using my family’s camera to selfies and photos of other things. Eventually my parents decided to get me a first digital camera for Christmas. 

I already have taken some big steps in the past to help me to get started. I studied a Digital Photography degree and I graduated from the course when I was nineteen years old. 

I have current equipment for Photography. I had two years worth of photography experience by using Canon 600D for my first DSLR camera, then I upgraded to Canon 7D which has given me three years experience worth of photography experience for my second DSLR, and then I finally upgraded Canon 5D Mark IV for my third DSLR. I currently have my Canon 7D as a backup camera and I mostly use my Canon 5D Mark IV. 

I currently have been using two editing programs softwares on my laptop. I edit all photos on Lightroom and sometimes I use Photoshop for touch ups. I have a current several platforms for public access to see some of 

the photos that I have taken in the past. 

My website is www.meggygphotography.com My Instagram account is @meggyg_photography

My Facebook is Meggy G Photography -  www.Facebook.com/Meggygphotography

"There is no substitute for hard work." - Thomas Edison.

For becoming a photographer; 

- You would need to have some knowledge about Photography. Some photographers chooses to pay and study a course to be qualified as a Photographer (those courses can be Certificate IV of Digital Photography and Photo Imaging, Diploma of Digital Photography and Photo Imagining, Bachelor of Arts, and so forth) and some photographers chooses to study by themselves and watch some photography tutorials on Youtube. 

- You would need a reliable DSLR camera of your choice (Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc) with portrait lenses, and appropriate lenses (zoom lenses, low light settings, and so forth). I know it is expensive to purchase a brand new DSLR camera but you can always get second hand DSLR camera as long as it has reasonable remaining of the shutter life. 

- You would need a reliable laptop or a reliable desktop computer that you would be able to download the photography editing programs. Those programs are Lightroom and Photoshop from Adobe. It must be downloaded from Adobe website. Along with a laptop or desktop, I would recommend to purchase a 3TB or higher portable hard drive - storing all edited and unedited photos adds up and it would be big files, and you would not want to have a 16GB USB/Flash Drive when you do photography.  

- I would suggest that you would need to have a current driver's license and a car if you do have to plan to drive where for the location of where the sessions are. Even if you flew from one state to another state of your country for the session, I would suggest to have a car rental - it would be so much easier than relying on public transportation (sometimes public transportation may experience delays of getting to the locations). 

-  I would suggest for you to have a current passport if you have plan to fly to where for the location of where the sessions are. You would also need to plan to have travel insurance. 

- I would suggest to have a bank account, it is good to keep separate from your personal savings to from what you would earn from photography. I would suggest to set aside for emergency funds for any back up. 

- Have a understanding and act upon with how to legalize your photography business in your state and your country. It is always different wherever you go, but you do not want to get in trouble for not knowing how to do it. You do not want anyone to steal your business' name, you would want to earn any taxes after submitting taxes that you held from most sessions. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Choosing Wisely with Friends

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish. 

Throughout our lives; I know that sometimes we may feel overwhelmed or uncomfortable when we meet and make new friends. We may feel so excited when we meet and make new friends. Sometimes we do not remind ourselves about what would be some of the risks that can happen when it comes with for being someone's friend. 

"No matter where you live in the world; choose your friends wisely, and don't choose friends who are likely to judge your circumstances." I strongly know that our friends should have no time to judge and criticize our circumstances no matter what we are currently going through, and we were going through in the past. 

We should be the same way. We should not have no time to judge and criticize our friends' circumstances no matter what they are currently going through, and what they were going through in the past. It is okay to be worried about friends' choices, but we should not allow their choices to impact our choices in our lives. 

"CHOOSE your friends WISELY."

Loving Instead of Judging; 

I know that I feel judged by some former friends in the past. I know those friends just assume a lot even when they do not have all information. 

We should not make any assumptions before knowing all the information. For an example; I know that I was not expecting to be diagnosed of having left side ovarian cyst to be size of 2.5cm within the first six months into my marriage. I have felt the judgement by others because they assumed for multiple reasons why I have been gaining some weight so quickly for the first six months into my marriage. 

They have assumed that I have gained some weight so quickly because 

1. I seemed to be feeling a lot happier ever since I gotten married to Jacob, therefore the causes would be because I AM MARRIED, 2. The foods and the drinks has more ingredients, and the foods over here is very unhealthy no matter what I eat, and 3. I looked like if I was more than three months pregnant, and asked me bunch of times if I was pregnant. 

We should not judge other people by their appearances or looks. For an example; I know that I got judged by others of the way that I look. I know that I do look differently, and I also know that I do walk differently than most people. I have bilateral hip dysplasia in other words, I have both hips that are out of socket. 

Some people do laugh at me, some people just do not ask what medical condition that I have for me to caused walking differently, and some people has assumed that I have scoliosis in the past. Both bilateral dysplasia and scoliosis are two different medical conditions. 

We should be communicating with kind and uplifting words.

For an example; it is always a good idea to communicate with kind and uplifting words. We all should know by now that if we do not say anything nice to say, then do not say it at all. We should not be hurting others' feelings by saying mean words.

I would like to share a portion of the "Friends" section from For The Strength of Youth pamphlet, and it states the following; "Everyone needs good and true friends. They will be a great strength and blessing to you. They will influence how you think and act, and even help determine the person you will become.

... Choose friends who share your values so you can strengthen and encourage each other in living high standards.

To have good friends, be a good friend. Show genuine interest in others; smile and let them know you care about them. Treat everyone with kindness and respect, and refrain from judging and criticizing those around you. 

Do not participate in any form of bullying. ... If your friends urge you to do things that are wrong, be the one to stand for the right, even if you stand alone. You may need to find other friends who will support you in keeping the commandments. ..." - Here is the link if you would like to read the whole section of "Friends" from For The Strength of Youth pamphlet online either now or in your own time. 

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/manual/for-the-strength-of-youth/friends

Stay Tuned until next time.

Pure Love ~ Part Two

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take four minutes to seven minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in March 1999, and it is called "Pure Love" by Brother Eugene H. Bramhall. This post is part two, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Bramall has mentioned the following; 

"... It seems to me, however, that these accounts and one or two others demonstrate the essential point that our obligation to love ourselves and our neighbors is second only to our obligation to love God and that learning to love each other, to care for each other, is a learning process - the outcome of which is that we learn better to love God.

It seems to me that, in its ideal form, true love represents a perfecting process by which we learn to love well and truly and we develop the virtues of humility, charity, patience, judgment, selflessness, and a hundred other virtues that are recognized, polished, merged, and developed into a character able to withstand the refiner’s fire.

We start this process by loving God and then develop that love through service, sacrifice, gratitude, and giving. ...

Thus it seems to me that our Father in Heaven has given us the first and great commandment to love him with all of our heart, might, mind, and strength, and then he told us how to do that: by learning to love one another.

I will close these remarks with two more simple examples, one contemporary and the other drawn from an experience of about 50 years ago.

One morning as I met with the bishops of the BYU 13th Stake, over which I presided as president at the time, I was moved to talk of the lost sheep as described in the teachings of the Savior. I reminded this group of bishops that Jesus had spoken often of sheep as a metaphor for all of his children. 

At various times the Savior had told his apostles that “my sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me” (John 10:27), and he enjoined his apostles always to “feed my sheep” (John 21:16, 17; D&C 112:14). I told these men that in the Savior’s wonderful and moving sermon about the good Samaritan, he made it absolutely clear that we are all his sheep, even those who are despised and disregarded by others. 

I told them that in the Old Testament we are instructed in the clearest way possible that we are in fact our brother’s keeper, and I reminded them that Peter, following the Savior’s death and resurrection, had perceived “that God is no respecter of persons” (Acts 10:34).

Thus I think the reference to “foreigners” in Paul’s letter to the Ephesians is particularly important. In any event, on that particular Sunday morning, these bishops accepted my challenge to seek out those within their wards who needed special help and encouragement to find, in effect, the lost sheep among them.

Later that day, Christopher Germann, one of the younger bishops in the 13th Stake, was sitting in a regional conference next to a young woman who was sitting alone and who appeared unusually quiet and pensive. She looked just like you in your quiet moments. But there was something about her that drew his attention. 

She was not in his ward, and as he described the event to me later, he had hesitated to speak to her. He felt that he might be intruding on a particularly private moment. But the Spirit was powerful, and I still remember exactly his question to her: “How has your day been?”

She was surprised, but he introduced himself as a bishop, and she gratefully thanked him for asking, pouring her heart out to him in a way that reinforced the teachings of that morning. Now I will ask you whether you have someone to whom you might address the same question: “How has your day been?” 

And if someone asks you that question, are you ready to respond and to be moved by their spirit to another place in your life? I will tell you that right now there are many here who feel alone, frightened, and inadequate and who need the love and support that one or more of you can and should give. 

They need that special, careful, driven-by-the-Spirit attention that will bless both you as the giver and your new friend as well. Please reflect upon the experience of Bishop Germann as you remember this hour.

Finally, I will close by telling you of another young man whom I knew well, one whose spiritual life may well have been saved by three college students just like you. At the time they were strangers, but because they were willing to extend themselves, they became critical to the spiritual life of this young student. 

"PURE LOVE"

Here is the story: A young LDS student attended a large university in the western part of the United States. It was not his choice to do so, and he was very lonesome and very far from home, friends, and lifelong associations. Indeed, he did not know a soul, either at his university or, for that matter, in the entire state. Miserable, lonesome, and feeling lost, he invested himself in his schoolwork, ignoring his mother’s constant requests that he attend a local student ward.

Weeks went by, and then even a couple of months without any effort on his part at contacting the local LDS student group. His misery deepened, but he was no more inclined to attend church than he had been on that first Sunday. He was not doing anything wrong; it’s just that he was not doing anything really right, either. 

Today, if asked, he would tell you that his actions were unexplainable, though at the time they seemed absolutely natural. He was slowly dissolving in self-pity, and he would not let anyone or any influence change his life. And so it was late one Friday afternoon that Leo, Dean, and Skip knocked on his apartment door. 

Each was attending the same university, and each was involved in the local ward. They had come to invite this young miserable student to a ward outing. In the face of their unrelenting encouragement and remembering the gentle proddings of his mother, this young student finally consented to attend the ward outing, where, to his surprise, he had a good time in spite of himself.

He continued his activity in the ward, met the girl he would later marry, quickly found his spiritual roots again, formed lifetime friendships with Leo, Dean, and Skip, and went on to a lifetime of service in the Church.

The year was 1950, the university was the University of California at Berkeley, and I was the miserable freshman student. The girl I met, who then had very pretty blonde hair, became my wife. The debt I owe her and others can never be sufficiently repaid. 

The spirit of love and caring that I felt at that initial meeting with my dear friends has been the spirit that has carried me from that day to this. I cannot deny it, nor should you. It is the spirit that makes all of us one, the spirit that brings us all together not as strangers, not as foreigners, but as brothers and sisters in this ever-broadening kingdom of God.

In closing, perhaps I should apologize for this very personal anecdote. However, I have recited it here because I believe it illustrates, as much as anything, the importance and timeless relevance of our Savior’s teachings. Whatever the circumstances, remember always his admonition: “If ye are not one ye are not mine” (D&C 38:27). ..."

If you would like to read whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below. 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/eugene-h-bramhall/pure-love/

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Pure Love ~ Part One

Good Morning or Good Afternoon or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

What does "Pure Love" means to you? What does "Pure Love" means to a immediate relative? 
What does "Pure Love" means to a friend? 

This post focuses on a BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in March 1999, and it is called "Pure Love" by Brother Eugene H. Bramhall. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Bramall has mentioned the following; "... I will speak of love of God and love of man. I hope to illustrate that we can love God only as we learn to love ourselves and each other, and then I will draw two or three examples from history to demonstrate the importance of developing the capacity of true, unselfish love that reflects the best of who we are and what Heavenly Father would have us be.

In this process, I pray that I can offer an idea or two that will meet a need, satisfy a question, or offer hope. It is my prayer that I will be able to meet your expectations, and I invite your faith and prayers.

... Only two weeks ago Elder Holland, in his first devotional address here since being called as a General Authority in 1989, bore his testimony this way: I bear witness of the God of Glory, of the redeeming Son of God, of light and hope and a bright future. I promise you that God lives and loves you, each one of you, and that he has set bounds and limits to the opposing powers of darkness. 

I testify that Jesus is the Christ, the victor over death and hell and the fallen one who schemes there. The gospel of Jesus Christ is true, and it has been restored, just as we have sung and testified this morning. [Jeffrey R. Holland, “Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence,” BYU devotional, 2 March 1999, pp. 6–7]

The power of that fundamental and basic truth has never been more clear to me than now. I bear my own witness as I begin these remarks that we stand in the midst of giants who by their lives, words, and works carry the Savior’s message throughout the world. 

We call them apostles and prophets, just as they were called in the days of Jesus and Paul. ... President Hinckley has remarked that you are a royal generation. ... I believe that you and we have been preserved for this day and time to do much in the world that is good and important.

But I also know that each of us stands on the sturdy and steady shoulders of those who have gone before. ... Jeffrey Holland, as president of BYU, once addressed this subject. Speaking of those who have preceded us here, he said: We owe them something. We who are the beneficiaries of their sacrifice and their faith we owe them the best effort we can put forward in obtaining a truly edifying and liberating and spirit-soaring education. 

... Take this university forward in the same way your ancestors took it forward often with nothing more tangible to sustain them than their dreams and their traditions. [Jeffrey R. Holland, “Who We Are and What God Expects Us to Do,” Brigham Young University 1987–88 Devotional and Fireside Speeches (Provo: BYU, 1988), p. 20; emphasis in original] 

I am convinced that in order for us to know where we are going and to appreciate what we have, it is important for us to know where we, collectively, have been and to appreciate the sacrifices that have been made for us. ... In one way or another, all of us who have attended this university, who have walked its halls, who have taught here, or who have maintained its grounds or cooked its meals have had the same vision.

"Moroni 7:37 CHARITY is the PURE LOVE of
Christ."

King Benjamin says something of this in a different context. Speaking of our youth, he said: And ye will not suffer your children that they go hungry, or naked; neither will ye suffer that they transgress the laws of God. ... But ye will teach them to walk in the ways of truth and soberness; ye will teach them to love one another, and to serve one another. [Mosiah 4:14–15]

King Benjamin also said, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God” (Mosiah 2:17). The point is that pure love—the love for one another—can and should be a moving, powerful force for good. 

It is scriptural at its roots, and when it matures it can change us so that we become worthy to enter again into our Father’s presence. If we accept the first and second commandments at face value, it is likely that we will not be worthy to enter into our Father’s presence a second time until we have learned to love one another and to forgive one another—only then will we have also learned to love God.

Paul taught us that there are no strangers among us. ... Implied in this is the duty of all of us to love, forgive, and care for those who are less fortunate and more dependent than we are. ... 1852 by the First Presidency of the Church (consisting of Brigham Young, Heber C. Kimball, and Willard Richards), who enjoined us in part that we should seek after knowledge, all knowledge, and especially that which is from above . . . , and if you find any thing that God does not know, you need not learn that thing; but strive to know what God knows, and use that knowledge as God uses it, and then you will be like him; [you] will . . . have charity, love one another, and do each other good continually, and forever. 

[In James R. Clark, comp., Messages of the First Presidency of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 6 vols. (Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965–75), 2:86]"

Stay Tuned until next time.

Happy 25th Birthday to Me

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish. 

Happy 25th Birthday to me, and I can not believe that I have turned twenty-five years old today.

Twenty-five years has been full of constantly learning something new - such as learning lessons to help me to get through life. Twenty-five years has been full of great memories with spending a lot of times with my immediate relatives. 

Twenty-five years has been full of great memories with spending some times with my extended relatives. 

Twenty-five years has been full of great memories with spending some time with my friends. 

Twenty-five years has been full of laughter moments, full of some fun experiences, and full of happy moments. 

Twenty-five years has been full of some sad moments, full of some letting go to past friends, and so forth. 

"219165 HOURS, 9131 Days, 25 YEARS,
A QUARTER OF A CENTURY! Happy
Birthday."

I still remembered what I have done on my 15th Birthday; 

I was able to celebrate my Birthday with some great close high school friends, and I seemed to still keep in touch time to time with a few of them these days. They have respected that I am religious, and they made sure that they would not swear around me. 

I still remembered what I have done on my 20th Birthday; 

I have attended a baptistry session with my Mum at Brisbane Latter-Day Saint Temple, and I attended Institute in Toowoomba with my sister Emma. 

After Institute, the class of Institute has celebrated my Birthday at a Restaurant. I remembered having churros and a candle on top of one of the churros for me to blow out and make a wish. 

I still remembered what I have done on my 21st Birthday; I have received my endowments at Brisbane Latter-Day Saints Temple at 10am, and I had to work in the evening of my Birthday. I still remembered employees has wished me a Happy Birthday. 

I still remembered what I have done on my 22nd Birthday; Jacob was with me to celebrate my Birthday. We both went to Denny's early morning hours (sometime just after midnight towards the day when it was my Birthday), Jacob has dropped by to my friend's house with a surprise breakfast and that was bacon, eggs, and waffles with syrup from a fast food restaurant to eat for breakfast. 

Followed by he took us to Oquirrh Mountain Latter-Day Saint Temple to attend a initiatory session, and eventually we gotten some photos together outside of the Temple. Followed by eventually we went to Salt Lake City Latter-Day Saint Temple to attend a sealing session together, followed by Jacob and I went to The Roof (Restaurant in Salt Lake City) to eat dinner and dessert, and followed by eventually Jacob surprised me with giving to me roses.

Sometime after that, he dropped me off back to my friend's house. It was sure a long day on my Birthday but it was so much fun to spend some time with Jacob. 

I still remembered what I have done on my 23rd Birthday; Jacob was with me to celebrate my Birthday. We got our engagement photos taken. We are so proud and well pleased how great our engagement photos has turned out. 

Jacob and I didn't do too much on my 24th Birthday because Jacob was working, and today, Jacob is working again on my Birthday. 

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Price of Love ~ Part Two

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish. 

This post focuses on a BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in July 1982, and it is called "The Price of Love" by H. Hal Visick. This post is part two and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Visick has mentioned the following; "Our Modern World 

... I want to look at something of our modern world, where we’re going, to see if we can find our way a little bit. It ought to be obvious that a young man who pretends to love in an effort to seduce cannot really love because, if he truly did, he would sacrifice what he wants for the good of the person beloved.

It follows that when we take an infant as, for example, I first took Jennifer, our oldest, helpless, unable to feed herself, clothe herself, clean herself, and work and spend all of our time for this child, moving her up from infancy, clothing her, working for her, with her, striving through a thousand different individual, family, and Church meetings, it follows that we will love her. 

It has to be so. And it turns out often that the most difficult child in the family is the most loved because the family has made the greater sacrifice for that child. Of course, the child has to learn to love, too. And when he doesn’t pay the price, doesn’t serve, he doesn’t learn to love. 

It seems that when we make an investment in something, we value it, we care for it. ... The first time I knew how my father felt about me was when I took my baby Jennifer in my arms, and I said to myself, “Dad held me like this. Dad felt the feelings I feel.” Then I thought, “Why, why didn’t I know this? Why didn’t I tell him how much it meant to me?”

... What do we know about a retarded child’s quality of life unless we can be that child? Many retarded children are happier and more loving than the so-called “normal child.” ... Thoreau said that every deed goes into the great sea of cause and effect and remains there throughout eternity. Who knows what effect that one death has on the quality of life of all the people in this generation and those to come?

... There comes a time when you must pay the price, the sacrifice of love. ... I was looking at an article in the Wall Street Journal about something called “values clarification” that’s been taught in our schools for about ten years. I don’t mean in Provo schools, but in schools throughout the country. Values clarification says that there really is not any right or wrong or good or bad. 

Values are what we say they are. And, therefore, we should not be imposing on children our moral standards and beliefs. They ought to invent their own moral standards and beliefs. ... They are saying that society should not tell you ... whether you ought to use drugs. 

You make up your mind after you have examined it for yourself. And so some thirteen-, fourteen-, fifteen-year-old child, not having the benefit of the experience of older and, hopefully, wiser heads, is making up a set of values and acting on those values. 

Whenever their parents say, “What you’re doing is wrong,” he or she will say, “You can’t tell me that. That’s your value judgment, not mine.” ... Without sacrifice of desires and appetites for a higher good, what will our society consist of? What character or quality can result from self-indulgence and sloth?

... I would like to encourage us to see the joy of love and sacrifice, to find in the things that come to hand—the work that must be done—the things that apparently the Lord assigns us whether we want them or not—situations where we can create love.

"We often think of CHARITY AS AN 
ACTION, But I think of Charity as a 
STATE OF THE HEART." - Elaine Dalton.

“Vaunteth Not Itself”

True love is not what the world calls love. The word has been cheapened and destroyed along with many other once-beautiful words. When the world talks of love, it means living together without benefit of marriage or ... something equal far from the love born of sacrifice. That’s not what the Lord means by love. 

Maybe that’s why the word charity was selected by the translators of the King James Version in the book of Corinthians. Remember what it says about love - charity, the perfect love of Christ - the love Christ has for us: “Charity suffereth long and is kind. . . .” (in other words, doesn’t advertise itself). Charity “is not puffed up” (1 Corinthians 13:4).

(Charity isn’t pride because pride is a love of self, not of others!) All these qualities of love come through paying the price, through service, through sacrifice. ... If we would just pay those prices, we would learn to love BYU and we would make something of ourselves. 

... Sacrifice of pride will inevitably create character. “Charity vaunteth not itself.’ I don’t want to leave the impression, however, that I think life ought to be a dismal surrender of every good thing to the Lord. The Lord doesn’t need our things. He doesn’t need even our service. In fact, he told the Jews on one occasion, when they were boasting about being children of Abraham, that he could make children of Abraham out of the rocks on the ground. 

He doesn’t need what we give. We need to give. ... Do you know what “sacrifice” means? ... I pray the Lord of heaven will give us the opportunity to profit in that way and through our sacrifices learn to love as he does. ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below.

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/h-hal-visick/price-love/

Stay Tuned until next time.

The Price of Love ~ Part One

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish. 

What does the price of love means to you? What does the price of love means to a immediate relative? 
What does the price of love means to a friend of yours?

This post focuses on a BYU (Brigham Young University) Devotional in July 1982, and it is called "The Price of Love" by H. Hal Visick. This post is part one, and I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Brother Visick has mentioned the following; "It’s wonderful that no one ever recites your faults and failures when making an introduction. If they did, we might be here for some time. ... It’s good you don’t have to be perfect to talk about perfection, nor be Christlike to speak about Christ, or we would have few sermons from this pulpit.

Sacrifice and Love I wanted to talk today about the relationship between sacrifice and love. ... I can tell you this: You can’t have love without sacrifice. I don’t mean someone’s sacrificing for you so that you will love them. I mean you cannot love someone else or the Lord unless you pay the price. ...

Lark Mine ... Sacrifice is not paying your tithing or going to church on Sunday or filling a temple assignment, although those things are important. It’s being somewhere you’re needed, where you’ve got to serve when you’d rather be elsewhere or do something else. 

Do you think women choose as the highest of all intellectual accomplishment to take a master’s degree in physics and go home and change a dirty diaper, cook a meal, sweep the floor, make the beds? You don’t think that’s sacrifice? Then you don’t know what sacrifice is.

Sacrifice, Love, and Faith

In the thirteenth chapter of Hebrews and also in James, the second chapter, there are discourses about faith and how our forefathers proved they had faith. Some of the examples are the same in each chapter: Rahab the harlot, Abraham sacrificing Isaac, and Moses giving up all the riches of Egypt to be with his people. 

The scriptures list all the actions that prove these were sacrifices of faith. By their actions they proved that they loved the Lord, that there was nothing they would withhold from him. ... It seems easy when we read it on the page, you know. The Lord came and said to Abraham, “You’ve done all that I’ve asked you to do, and now I’ve got just one more thing I want you to do. 

"There is no change without sacrifice."
- Gloria Allred.

Take your son Isaac, your only son, whom you love, and offer him as a sacrifice.” Can you imagine what Abraham felt? How long had he waited for Isaac to be born? ... After a hundred years of waiting, finally the angel came to Abraham and said, “You’re going to have a son.” 

Even Sarah couldn’t believe it because she was too old, long past the age of childbearing. After all these miracles and everything was fulfilled, and life was good - Abraham loved this boy with all his heart - the Lord came and said, “I’m going to take the thing you love the most.” 

Abraham gathered some wood and took his servants and his son (whom I take to have been either a teenager or in his early twenties). They went to the foot of the mount. He told the servants to remain, loaded the wood for the sacrifice on his son’s back, and they began to ascend. Eventually, his son asked, “Dad, where’s the animal for the sacrifice?” 

Abraham couldn’t answer. He said, “The Lord will provide the sacrifice.” ... Can you imagine the sacrifice that Isaac was willing to make? His father explained it to him. He didn’t konk this hundred-year-old man on the head and say, “You’re crazy; I’m going down the hill.” He allowed himself to be bound and placed on the altar. 

He was willing to give the sacrifice of love as well and obey his father though it cost him his life. Finally, as the knife was upraised and started its decent, only then did the Lord say, “It’s enough. You haven’t withheld from me even your son.” It is hard in words to explain our deepest feelings. ..."

Stay Tuned until next time. 

What Are Some of My Purposes in My Life?

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening,

this post should take approximately three minutes to read from start to finish.

Prior to meeting Jacob; I have thought about what were some of my purposes would be in my life during my teen years and during my early twenties. I knew that I have always wanted to fulfill some of my following purposes in life; I wanted to be married in the Temple to a temple worthy and returned missionary guy who has kept their high standards, I wanted to become a wife one day, I wanted to become a mother one day, I wanted to become a sister missionary one day (even if it’s me to become a sister missionary when I retire and all of my children has grown up and left home), continue to live my life faithfully, I want to continue living within the teachings that I have been taught during my teen years and throughout my life as being a church member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, continue being temple worthy of holding a current temple recommend, remembering and staying true to my covenants that I’ve made in the past (the covenants that I have made at baptism and when I receive my endowments), and so forth. 

"The purpose of life is a life of purpose."
- Robert Byrne.

I have always wanted to fulfill some of my hobbies in my life and those hobbies are the following; Photography (I have strong hope that I would be able to turn photography into a long-term career and running and becoming a business owner one day), continue being persistent with blogging (I know that there are still some readers who has been reading my blogs), continue vlogging (I know that there are still some viewers who has been enjoying and watching my vlogs), and so forth. 

I have always wanted to fulfill several of my skills in my life and those skills are the following; I wanted to do better with learning new cooking skills, I wanted to do better with playing the flute (so I would be able to learn more than just knowing how to play one song), I wanted to do better with playing the piano, and so forth. 

What would be some of your purposes in your life? 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Live Your Life with Purpose ~ Part Three

  Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take five minutes to eight minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in February 2013, and it is called "Live Your Life with Purpose" by Sister Janie Penfield. This post is part three. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Penfield has mentioned the following; 

"How can we allocate our time, talents, and resources to align with our purpose and stay on course? We can do it through goals. I have a lot of goals that aren’t the New Year’s type of goals. ... I have the goal of being worthy of eternal life with my Father in Heaven and with my family. 

I have the goal of making my earthly and my heavenly parents proud because I have heeded their counsel and made the gospel of Jesus Christ an integral part of my life. ... Your goals may be similar to mine. These are our individual course markings. They are the significant choices in our lives that allow us to recognize that we are in alignment with our Father in Heaven. 

He has given us the personal guidance and direction we need to accomplish our goals. The companionship of the Holy Ghost provides us with unlimited personal revelation, direction, comfort, strength, and guidance from God. Humility and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ are essential to being worthy of personal revelation and answers to our prayers.

All answers do not come when we ask for them. ... President Boyd K. Packer tells us that “[we] must learn to seek the power and direction that is available to [us], and then follow that course no matter what” (“How to Survive in Enemy Territory,” Ensign, October 2012, 29).

... We must choose to be wise and take the Holy Spirit for our guide. We can benefit from the direction of the Holy Ghost in everything we do. ... Prayer is our communication piece with our Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost is His communication piece with us. We must keep the line open by seeking out the Father in prayer and by living worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship. 

President Packer also taught: [We] can always have a direct line of communication with [our] Father in Heaven. Do not allow the adversary to convince you that no one is listening on the other end. Your prayers are always heard. You are never alone! [“How to Survive,” 29]

"Find a purpose in life so big it will challenge
every capacity to be at your best."
- David O Mckay.

Staying on Course

... If we are to reach our intended destination, we must pay attention to the big and the small course markings. ... If we are not committed to our course and purpose, we will move with the push and pull of the world, away from the path that leads us to return to our Father in Heaven. 

We must be committed, and we must do all that we can to stay the course. We must look to the prophets to learn how to read the course’s legend to ensure that we stay firmly planted on the strait and narrow path, holding onto the iron rod with both hands. 

... What distracted us is far less important than how we got off course. It happened so subtly that we didn’t notice until we were off the course not right next to it or parallel to it, but off. So it is with the strait and narrow path. 

At one point in our lives we have two feet firmly planted on it. With a change of roommates or friends, a new girl- or boyfriend, a new city, a new schedule, or even a new job, we can slowly start moving to the path’s edge until we realize that we are doing things we never imagined doing: we haven’t prayed for days or weeks, we pass on spiritual things, our scriptures are covered in layers of dust, or so many other things happen that indicate we haven’t been feeding our testimony the nourishment it needs.

Most of the time we cannot pinpoint what changed in our life, but we know our testimony isn’t as firm as it once was. Maybe we can’t even remember why we keep the commandments. But there are many things we can do to ensure that we stay on course on the strait and narrow path. ... We need to make sure we are constantly feeding ourselves spiritually from the scriptures. Do you immerse yourself in the scriptures?

Mother Teresa and Alma both reminded us of the power of small acts in our lives such as prayer, scripture study, and charity. Mother Teresa said, “Be faithful in small things because it is in them that your strength lies” (In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers [Novato, California: New World Library, 1997], 15). Alma taught:

By small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise. . . . And by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls. [Alma 37:6–7]

There are no small things, because combined, they are our strength and they will bring about our salvation! There are a few other seemingly “small” things that will have a great impact on our ability to stay true to our purpose. One of these seemingly small things is our friends. Who do we choose to associate with? Who do we choose to date? To marry? To seek advice from and counsel with? To play and study with? 

President Thomas S. Monson said, “Choose your friends with caution” (“Decisions Determine Destiny”). We must cautiously choose who we allow to have a great impact on our lives. We do many “small” things with our friends. ... We all have companions in our time on earth. They may be siblings, friends, spouses, missionary companions, and even strangers who observe us or briefly interact with us. 

Are you the true friend you should be to those you are with, and are they the friends they should be for you? Do your friends make it easier for you to live the gospel or not? Do they help you draw closer to the Spirit, even in small degrees? Do they leave you better than they found you, and you them?

... Maintaining our testimony and staying on course will require righteousness and regular repentance. It will require great faith. We must be spiritually strong. We must live worthy of the Holy Ghost’s companionship. ... We must delve into the scriptures to know what to do in times of trial, how to help others, and how to answer our questions. 

The answers are in them. ... By studying the scriptures we develop our faith and learn about the Savior, His teachings, the commandments, our Father, and the plan of salvation. Studying the scriptures will keep us on course.

President Thomas S. Monson has given us exceptional counsel for how to stay on course: Obey the laws of God. They are given to us by a loving Heavenly Father. When they are obeyed, our lives will be more fulfilling, less complicated. Our challenges and problems will be easier to bear. We will receive the Lord’s promised blessings. 

... Open your hearts, even your very souls, to the sound of that special voice which testifies of truth. [“Believe, Obey, and Endure,” Ensign, May 2012, 128, 129] We need to open our hearts to that special voice, as President Monson said. 

The Holy Ghost is the only companion of constancy. All of the others will leave us even if only temporarily to run errands, go to class, or go to work for the day. The Holy Ghost will be a constant presence in our lives if we will live worthily. We control the level of influence He has in our lives. 

Do we listen to or ignore Him? Do we act or relax? Do we provide an environment that will allow the Holy Ghost to remain with us? Do we remove the “worldly habits, customs, and traditions” from our lives (Robert D. Hales, “Being a More Christian Christian,” Ensign, November 2012, 90)?

... While the challenges of each day do not fade with each sunset, I know that if we can do as the prophets have counseled us, we will be able to continue moving forward on the strait and narrow path. I also know that this path will lead us to eternal life - a life worth every amount of effort required to get there. 

If we will firmly establish the purpose of our life and stay the course that leads us to it, we will live in the house the Lord has prepared for us “among the mansions of [our] Father” (Ether 12:32). Let Heavenly Father guide and direct you. Live your life with purpose. ..."

If you would like to read the whole Devotional either now or in your own time, here is the link below. 

https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/janie-penfield/live-your-life-with-purpose/

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Live Your Life with Purpose ~ Part Two

 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take approximately five minutes to read from start to finish.

This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in February 2013, and it is called "Live Your Life with Purpose" by Sister Janie Penfield. This post is part two. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Penfield has mentioned the following; "Determine Your Course

Once we are fixed on our purpose, we must determine our course to fulfill that purpose. We have to make a plan for how we will reach our destination. ... We must continue to press forward despite adverse conditions. We must not be deterred by challenges big and small all the while taking in the beauty and wonders mortality affords us.

The map to navigate life on earth has been provided to us through the restoration of the gospel. The standard works, modern-day prophets, and inspired leaders help us navigate through the challenges of mortality. ... The latter-day prophets fill in the challenges and specific guidance for our day, helping us keep hold of the iron rod. 

We must determine our course to ensure that our daily choices have a chance of leading us to eternal life - we will not arrive there by chance. ... We need to be on the path when we reach the gate. Having the goal of eternal life, we know where we can look for direction to stay on the narrow way and to find the strait gate.

The scriptures and the teachings of the prophets have provided us with a course for our life on earth. ... We move each hand and each foot in front of the other, progressing as we make decisions to prioritize the work of the Lord, the keeping of our covenants, and our constant efforts to emulate the Savior. 

What is on the narrow way? Temple marriage, missionary service, paying a full tithe, keeping the Sabbath day holy, fulfilling callings, being charitable and the list goes on. Staying on the strait and narrow path requires us to make consistent “best” choices. 

... We learn from Elder L. Lionel Kendrick that the guidance we need is in the scriptures. 

He said: Those revelations received by prophets are given to us in the form of scripture or by the voice of the living prophets. Thus, the scriptures become a road map, a set of divine directions to assist us on our journey through mortality and our return trip home. [“Search the Scriptures,” Ensign, May 1993, 13]

Just as Lehi and his family looked to the Liahona for direction through the wilderness to the promised land, we should let the scriptures and the teachings of the prophets serve as our map as we make our way through the wilderness of mortality.

"Awakening is the purpose that enfolds all purposes"
- Stephen Batchelor.

President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: 

We all search for happiness, and we all try to find our own “happily ever after.” The truth is, God knows how to get there! He has created a map for you; He knows the way. 

... The map is available to all. It gives explicit directions of what to do and where to go to everyone who is striving to come unto Christ. [“Your Happily Ever After,” Ensign, May 2010, 126–27]

All you have to do is trust your Heavenly Father trust Him enough to follow His plan, keep your covenants, and keep His commandments. 

President Uchtdorf continued: Nevertheless, not all will follow the map. They may look at it. They may think it is reasonable, perhaps even true. But they do not follow the divine directions. ... [“Your Happily Ever After,” 127]

As members of the Church, we know that not all roads or trails lead to the eternal life we seek. “Happily ever after” will only be ours if we choose to follow the Savior and be His disciples. We are constantly making decisions, and if your life is like mine, most of those decisions are made while in “survival mode.” 

This is decision making in the moment, instead of planning out a course and moving forward when the time is right. This is not the best way to make decisions, for when I live in survival mode, I too often fail to accomplish the things I prioritized in my mind ... It is also while I am in survival mode that I see opportunities pass me by - ... waning family relationships, a decrease in desire to do the things to stay close to the Spirit, ... 

(How did I let that happen?) Perhaps you are like me. Perhaps you, too, let the chaos of life, your studies, your calling, your job, or your fun crowd out the opportunities the Spirit has to speak to you. Perhaps your prayers have become hurried or your scripture study is more reading than study. 

Perhaps you have reshuffled your priorities and have put staying close to the Spirit off to the side simply as a result of not prioritizing it. President Uchtdorf said, “Discipleship is the pursuit of holiness and happiness. It is the path to our best and happiest self” (“Of Regrets,” 23). 

... We have to choose it by being forgiving, charitable, grateful, and anxiously engaged in serving others. We have to make discipleship our course. How do we know what we can do to be a disciple? How do we know what we can do to fulfill our purpose on earth and build the kingdom of God? We have to ask Him through prayer. 

The scriptures have taught us that the Lord will give us answers to our prayers: “Behold, I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart” (D&C 8:2). We will hear by the whisperings of the Spirit what we can do to be more like Christ. 

We will be quietly drawn to opportunities that will allow us to serve on His behalf. We will find ourselves using our talents to build the kingdom of God if we follow the guidance in our heart." 

In the last general conference Elder Craig C. Christensen taught: Through the gift of the Holy Ghost, we receive added capacity and spiritual gifts, increased revelation and protection, steady guidance and direction, and the promised blessings of sanctification and exaltation in the celestial kingdom. 

All of these blessings are given as a result of our personal desire to receive them and come as we align our lives with the will of God and seek His constant direction. [“An Unspeakable Gift from God,” Ensign, November 2012, 14] ... We know how to get the direction of the Spirit. Now we have to do it.' 

Stay Tuned until next time.

Happy Birthday 16th Sam

 Good Morning, or Good Afternoon, or Good Evening, 

this post should take approximately two minutes to read. 

Jacob and I would like to wish my brother Samuel/Sam to a Happy Birthday, and we hope that he will have a great day. Time surely has flew by, and I can not believe that Sam is turning sixteen years old today, and today marks two years in a row of missing his Birthday. 

I can not believe that Sam was taller than me by the time when he was either twelve years old or thirteen years old, and I felt so short by standing next to him. By now, Sam would be taller than Jacob for almost or over a year. I must say Sam is quite tall for his age. 

Anyways, I still remember holding Sam when he was a baby, I remembered having portraits taken together of my siblings and myself together when Sam was a baby. Where did the time go? It is hard to believe that Sam would be graduating High School next year, and he would be eighteen years old in two years from now. 

Stay Tuned until next time. 

Live Your Life with Purpose ~ Part One

 Good Morning, Good Afternoon, Good Evening,

this post should take three to five minutes to read from start to finish.

How can you live your life with a purpose? This post focuses on a BYU Devotional in February 2013, and it is called "Live Your Life with Purpose" by Sister Janie Penfield. This post is part one. I would like to share with you some highlights while I was reading the Devotional. 

Sister Penfield has mentioned the following; "... Through my many adventures I have learned that each one must be planned with clear purposes or objectives to summit a peak, to complete a course, or to enjoy the views. I have found that planning with purpose is the best way to ensure that each adventure is successful.

For example, I love to Nordic ski. As with all skiing, there is a trail map that allows you to chart a successful course through the woods and terrain. ... Each ski trek begins with the question Where to? followed by Which route? 

Each trail takes us to a different spot with different options for adventure and scenery a steep climb, a flat meadow, or an incredible view. Before we begin to ski we must determine the purpose of our trek so we know which trails to take. Then we must ski on course or we will not reach our destination.

"Great minds have purposes, 
others have wishes."
- Washington Irving.

Determine Your Purpose

We are here on earth in a type of adventure. We left our Heavenly Father to obtain bodies, to be tested, to make covenants, to gain knowledge and experience, and to hopefully return to live with Him. 

But we do not always remember these purposes. Many who do not have the gospel have forgotten these purposes because of the veil. We often get weighed down by the daily monotony of school, church, family, and work and forget about our aspirations - aspirations that our Heavenly Father wants us to have. ...

Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught: As we consider various choices, we should remember that it is not enough that something is good. Other choices are better, and still others are best. Even though a particular choice is more costly, its far greater value may make it the best choice of all. [“Good, Better, Best,” Ensign, November 2007, 104–5]

... There are many good things that we can do, but we must stay true to our purpose and live the life of a disciple. We can get married or, better/best, we can get married in the temple. ... Individually we may become discouraged because of the distance between us and the mortal life we’ve aspired to. 

We may not be married, have children, or have the degree or success that we thought would give us the life we’d planned. Fame, fortune, fashion, and fun will play a part in our eventual destination. ... Our collection of choices will determine our final destination.

President Thomas S. Monson said: Eternal life in the kingdom of our Father is [our] goal. Such a goal is not achieved in one glorious attempt but rather is the result of a lifetime of righteousness, an accumulation of wise choices, even a constancy of purpose. [“Decisions Determine Destiny,” BYU devotional address, 6 November 2005]

So what can we do to ensure that we build a lifetime of righteousness and accumulate wise choices? We can live our life with purpose - the purpose to gain eternal life and be counted as a disciple of Jesus Christ. Keeping our destination or the purpose of our life in mind influences our decisions. ... Knowing that we will not go toward so many other destinations provides us with significant direction. 

We can make our judgments and decisions based on the decided purpose of our life. ... Committing to achieve the greatest possible outcome from mortality frees us from much of the push and pull of the world. ... Becoming a disciple also includes being baptized, making and keeping temple covenants, and building the kingdom of God.

It can sometimes be difficult to remember our predetermined course. The scriptures and the prophets counsel us to remember the things of the Spirit - our Savior and the Atonement, our covenants, and the commandments. Remembering helps us keep proper perspective and focus on our purpose. We must choose to remember. We must remember what we want and why we want it. 

... If we live worthy of the Holy Ghost we will remember our purpose. The Savior taught, “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance” (John 14:26)." 

Stay Tuned until next time.