Over the last few weeks there seems to be a common theme surrounding my life: the difference between a testimony and conversion. There are three main sources of inspiration for this post: 1. The Life of Peter (specifically, how it is portrayed in Rob Gardner's Lamb of God) 2. The book that Mom and Dad bought for me a long time ago, by Elder David A Bednar Act in Doctrine 3. The General Conference talk by Elder Wilford W. Andersen The Music of the Gospel.
On the drive home from LaGrande Oregon, Matt introduced me to a musical (called Lamb of God) that has a had a profound impact on me. There is something about the lyrics, the music, and the spirit of that masterpiece that touches the soul. A few of my favorite songs are interconnected as they pertain to the spiritual progression of Peter. The first song is when Peter affirms that he knows that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God. When you hear this song you will feel like joining in and testifying that you also know that "This is He". Then at the Last Supper Peter reaffirms his devotion by declaring that he is willing to die with Jesus. At this point, no one would question Peter's sincerity and testimony. However, Jesus himself tells Peter that he will deny him thrice. Then after this prophetic statement is fulfilled, the next song expresses Peter's pain and remorse. This song progressively builds as Peter's determination to commit the rest of his life to discipleship increases and he concludes with "when my eyes have closed in death, these words will hang on my last breath: I know Him." When you hear this song you feel a similar conviction that you will never again falter to be a true disciple.
In Act in Doctrine, Elder Bednar explains (as have others) that when Peter declared Jesus to be the Christ he bore his testimony (Matthew 16:16) but that he was not yet converted. We can see this by the fact that it was after this declaration that Jesus told Peter "when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren" (Luke 22:32). This is a strong example of the difference between testimony and conversion. I feel like we can all learn a lot from Peter's life of discipleship. I'm sure we have all felt that testimony within us that Jesus is the Christ and that this is his work. Some of us may have even felt to "have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually" (Mosiah 5:2). That being said, it is quite common for us to feel the pressures of opposition and to momentarily forget this commitment. So how can we, like Peter, overcome our moments of weakness and rededicate ourselves to our conversion for the rest of our lives?
So that this post doesn't get too long (and so that I can get to bed) I am going to leave it right here and have a second post to answer this question.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Sunday, February 15, 2015
McKay's okay
Erica and I had a very rough day today. However, I am grateful to have Erica by my side as we pass through our diverse trials in life. We are also grateful for all the support from those that care about us. I am grateful that I was able to give McKay a blessing. The only time he calmed down was when my hands were on his head. Thanks for all your prayers.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
WWJD
I just got back from visiting Matt in the hospital and it is well past my bedtime. So even though it would be plenty easy for me to excuse myself from blogging today I didn't want to have my new year's resolution end after a month. So in the true letter of the law I will be posting a very brief blog.
Often in the Church we say that as Christ's disciples we are to do what he would do if he were here. We often say this as an inspirational thought or as motivation to be better. However, if you really stop and think about what that means it should be rather overwhelming. I know that Christ commanded us to be perfect and that he said what manner of men we ought to be, even as He is. But to actually feel like when I am home teaching I am saying and doing what he would do is hard to imagine. I guess whenever I think of what Christ would do I envision him speaking in parables with an aura about him that makes it clear he is divine. However, a lot of our perception of Christ in mortality is based off the culture that he lived in. It is much easier to imagine what it means to do what Jesus would do when we relate him to a modern day version. Rather than walking in sandals and speaking to the woman at the well, we can see him as that friend that truly cares or that person that tries to make others feel welcome. I guess it just helps to remember that there are a lot of people doing what Jesus would do and we can look to their examples to see the works of the Lord.
Often in the Church we say that as Christ's disciples we are to do what he would do if he were here. We often say this as an inspirational thought or as motivation to be better. However, if you really stop and think about what that means it should be rather overwhelming. I know that Christ commanded us to be perfect and that he said what manner of men we ought to be, even as He is. But to actually feel like when I am home teaching I am saying and doing what he would do is hard to imagine. I guess whenever I think of what Christ would do I envision him speaking in parables with an aura about him that makes it clear he is divine. However, a lot of our perception of Christ in mortality is based off the culture that he lived in. It is much easier to imagine what it means to do what Jesus would do when we relate him to a modern day version. Rather than walking in sandals and speaking to the woman at the well, we can see him as that friend that truly cares or that person that tries to make others feel welcome. I guess it just helps to remember that there are a lot of people doing what Jesus would do and we can look to their examples to see the works of the Lord.
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Giving the Lord first Priority
So last month's home teaching lesson really hit close to home.
President Monson recounts when he was first called into the bishopric. He discusses how he had to choose between his lifelong goal to be an officer in the military or serve the Lord.
"But then something happened. I was called to be a counselor in my ward bishopric. The bishop's council meeting was on the same evening as my navy drill meeting. I knew there was a terrible conflict. I knew that I didn't have the time to pursue the Naval Reserve and my bishopric duties. What was I to do? A decision had to be made."
A few months ago, I had to make a similar decision of much smaller magnitude. Our ultimate frisbee playoff game was Wednesday night at 8 PM. Right during bishopric meeting. I rationalized that it was a one time thing and that we could just have bishopric to some other night. So I played in my game. When I hear this story by President Monson, I ask myself if I need to remember what it means to put the Lord first. President Monson probably considered asking his bishop to move the meeting to a different night. But he understood something that I still need to learn.
President Monson recounts when he was first called into the bishopric. He discusses how he had to choose between his lifelong goal to be an officer in the military or serve the Lord.
"But then something happened. I was called to be a counselor in my ward bishopric. The bishop's council meeting was on the same evening as my navy drill meeting. I knew there was a terrible conflict. I knew that I didn't have the time to pursue the Naval Reserve and my bishopric duties. What was I to do? A decision had to be made."
A few months ago, I had to make a similar decision of much smaller magnitude. Our ultimate frisbee playoff game was Wednesday night at 8 PM. Right during bishopric meeting. I rationalized that it was a one time thing and that we could just have bishopric to some other night. So I played in my game. When I hear this story by President Monson, I ask myself if I need to remember what it means to put the Lord first. President Monson probably considered asking his bishop to move the meeting to a different night. But he understood something that I still need to learn.
Sunday, January 25, 2015
Invest in your eternal marriage
So today I spoke in sacrament meeting. Since I am in the bishopric, I was asked to speak about our ward motto for the year, "Invest in your eternal marriage". I felt like for my post today I would regurgitate my talk.
Anyone that knows me (which should be everyone that is reading this blog) knows that I love languages, words, roots, and especially etymologies. So obviously I began my talk by pointing out that the original meaning of the word "invest" is "to cloth in the official robes of an office." I like this because the Spanish word for the temple garment and endowment is "investidura." If you remember, on my mission I received a "fully invested" BYU shirt, which was when I first made this connection. Anyways, I think it is significant to realize that if the Lord has invested so much power and knowledge in us, we should invest in ourselves and in our marriage. The type of investment that we are talking about are the righteous routines of scripture study and prayer as a couple, FHE, etc.
The idea of continous spiritual investments has been spoken of by general authorities. President Heber J Grant once said, "What are we working for? Wealth? Riches? If we have embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are working for eternal life. Then we are laboring to save our souls. And after saving our own souls we are laboring for the salvation of our children... I want to say that the best inheritance that you can leave to your sons and daughters is an investment in the kingdom of God."
Presdent George Albert Smith said that we "are making a real investment that will return an eternal dividend." Perhaps this adds some meaning to D&C 6:7 where it says that "he that hath eternal life is rich."
There are three underlying principles behind the idea of "investing in our marriage": 1. Faith 2. The law of the harvest 3. By small and simple things great things come to pass.
Essentially an investment is something that we pay now, with the anticipation that we will receive more at a future date. Obviously this requires a great deal of hope and faith. In the last general conference Elder Richard G Scott said, "we must take time to actively exercise our faith. Such exercise invites the postive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality." He then went on to explain that these four tools are scripture study, prayer, FHE, and temple attendance. This exercise of our faith requires hope. As Ether 12:4 puts it, "hope for a better world, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men". If we didn't have hope and faith we would not invest in our futures because we would only think about the now. For this reason, our entire life can be a "trial of our faith" and we may not "receive a witness until after the trial of our faith". Meaning, we might not see the return on our investment in this life. We might wonder if our small actions will really pay off, but the Lord has a way of duplicating our efforts.
Anyone that knows me (which should be everyone that is reading this blog) knows that I love languages, words, roots, and especially etymologies. So obviously I began my talk by pointing out that the original meaning of the word "invest" is "to cloth in the official robes of an office." I like this because the Spanish word for the temple garment and endowment is "investidura." If you remember, on my mission I received a "fully invested" BYU shirt, which was when I first made this connection. Anyways, I think it is significant to realize that if the Lord has invested so much power and knowledge in us, we should invest in ourselves and in our marriage. The type of investment that we are talking about are the righteous routines of scripture study and prayer as a couple, FHE, etc.
The idea of continous spiritual investments has been spoken of by general authorities. President Heber J Grant once said, "What are we working for? Wealth? Riches? If we have embraced the gospel of Jesus Christ, then we are working for eternal life. Then we are laboring to save our souls. And after saving our own souls we are laboring for the salvation of our children... I want to say that the best inheritance that you can leave to your sons and daughters is an investment in the kingdom of God."
Presdent George Albert Smith said that we "are making a real investment that will return an eternal dividend." Perhaps this adds some meaning to D&C 6:7 where it says that "he that hath eternal life is rich."
There are three underlying principles behind the idea of "investing in our marriage": 1. Faith 2. The law of the harvest 3. By small and simple things great things come to pass.
Essentially an investment is something that we pay now, with the anticipation that we will receive more at a future date. Obviously this requires a great deal of hope and faith. In the last general conference Elder Richard G Scott said, "we must take time to actively exercise our faith. Such exercise invites the postive, faith-filled power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ into our lives. Our Father in Heaven has given us tools to help us come unto Christ and exercise faith in His Atonement. When these tools become fundamental habits, they provide the easiest way to find peace in the challenges of mortality." He then went on to explain that these four tools are scripture study, prayer, FHE, and temple attendance. This exercise of our faith requires hope. As Ether 12:4 puts it, "hope for a better world, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men". If we didn't have hope and faith we would not invest in our futures because we would only think about the now. For this reason, our entire life can be a "trial of our faith" and we may not "receive a witness until after the trial of our faith". Meaning, we might not see the return on our investment in this life. We might wonder if our small actions will really pay off, but the Lord has a way of duplicating our efforts.
The second principle, the law of the harvest (or as a sister in my mission called it, the law of charma) teaches us that what we put in we will get out. So if we invest a lot in our marriage we will receive a lot back. Ezra Taft Benson said that "he observed his parents, he saw the joy, peace, and strength that came when family members chose to be faithful to one another and the Lord. He learned that the law of the harvest - "whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap" - applies to spiritual pursuits as well as physical labor. A lot of young married couples think that they can postpone sowing the seeds until a more convenient date. I love what D&C 64:33 says, "be not weary in well-doing, for ye are laying the foundations of a great work. And out of small things proceedeth that which is great." We really are laying the foundation for our future and we should never be weary of doing that which is good.
This leads to the last principle I wish to discuss, that by "small things proceedeth that which is great". This is a unique teaching to the Book of Mormon. The world would tell us that if you want something big you need to do something big. That only extraordinary efforts merit any great reward. However, since the Lord can magnify our efforts we know that even things that might appear small (like how Erica and I go out on a date every week) can lead to tremendous eternal blessings. "Now [the world] may suppose that this is foolishness, by very small means the Lord bringeth about the salvation of many souls."
So although right now Erica and I are at a very smooth part of our lives, where everything looks pleasant and the future seems bright, we should not think that we can avoid making this regular investments in our marriage. If we think that when trying times arise we can make some withdrawals, if we haven't already made those deposits we will find out that we have "insufficient funds." So at this young stage in our marriage it is important to not say "All is well in Zion, yea, Zion prospereth, all is well" but rather "while all is well, let us prepare by laying the foundation for the future."
Sunday, January 18, 2015
What Shall We Give?
I know the Christmas season has just ended, but obviously that doesn't mean that the spirit of Christmas should ever end. If you have been around me the last few weeks you know that I have had the song "What shall we give?" stuck in my head. I love this Christmas song. It has a great message and an angelic sound. I recommend listening to the MoTab rendition of this song if you are looking for a pick-me-up. Here are the words to this song:
What shall we give to the babe in the manger,
What shall we offer the child in the stall?
Incense and spices and gold we've a-plenty-
Are these the gifts for the king of us all?
What shall we give to the boy in the temple,
What shall we offer the man by the sea?
Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising;
Are these for him who will carry the tree?
What shall we give to the lamb who was offered,
Rising the third day and shedding his love?
Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger,
Bathing the infant come down from above.
It really is a great question. What shall we give to him who has everything? To a much lesser degree, we have all struggled to find someone a Christmas gift because it just seems like that person has everything they need or want. It might seem like there is nothing we can give that would be acceptable to him that created the universe. In Mosiah 2:21 it read, "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." That seems rather discouraging. It sounds like no matter what we give it won't be enough. However, Christ himself said before he came to the Nephites in America, "ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." So the only thing that we can really give to the Lord is the only thing that we really possess. Everything belongs to the Lord, except for our will and agency. If we give him our whole soul as an offering we allow for the whole effect of his offering.
What shall we give to the babe in the manger,
What shall we offer the child in the stall?
Incense and spices and gold we've a-plenty-
Are these the gifts for the king of us all?
What shall we give to the boy in the temple,
What shall we offer the man by the sea?
Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising;
Are these for him who will carry the tree?
What shall we give to the lamb who was offered,
Rising the third day and shedding his love?
Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger,
Bathing the infant come down from above.
It really is a great question. What shall we give to him who has everything? To a much lesser degree, we have all struggled to find someone a Christmas gift because it just seems like that person has everything they need or want. It might seem like there is nothing we can give that would be acceptable to him that created the universe. In Mosiah 2:21 it read, "if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants." That seems rather discouraging. It sounds like no matter what we give it won't be enough. However, Christ himself said before he came to the Nephites in America, "ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." So the only thing that we can really give to the Lord is the only thing that we really possess. Everything belongs to the Lord, except for our will and agency. If we give him our whole soul as an offering we allow for the whole effect of his offering.
Sunday, January 11, 2015
Standing as a Witness
Mosiah 18:9 - "To stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in."
This is a part of the covenant that we make when we are baptized. In church today we talked about how difficult it can be to stand for what we believe in when we live in a world that cares more about political correctness than eternal correctness. We discussed how it is hard to find a balance between "calling people to repentance" when they are clearly opposing God's plan and not coming off self-righteous, judgmental, or condemning. A comment was made that the key element to finding this balance was to do so with love, following the counsel given in D&C 121:43, "reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou has reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy". Some would say that just like being a witness in court means that you might offend some people in the real world standing up for what you believe in might not make you any friends. However, in class we discussed how it is best if you actually know the person and love them despite their philosophies. Then eventually, "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost", you can tell them how you are concerned about them and how you want them to know what you believe. The quote was given, "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." I had two experiences this week that really demonstrated this principle.
So since the holiday season is over, I have no more excuses for just eating sweets, drinking eggnog, and sitting around watching football. So this Monday I went to the gym and worked out in an attempt to make up for my three weeks off and in preparation for my BYU Ultimate Frisbee Club Team Camp (it didn't work, but that's another story). While I was working out I was rather appalled at the vulgarity of the music that was on, considering I was at the BYU gym. I got all worked up about how ridiculous it was that this employee was playing this music. Most everybody else had their own music to listen to, so maybe that's why nobody spoke up. I was close to saying something, but I was basically already done and I knew that I would just be too frustrated to speak to this person in a civil manner. So I just left.
Later that week while at my BYU team camp I found myself in a similar situation. We had music playing all day on a loud sound system and for the most part the music was appropriate. However, at one point there was a song that came on that had several expletives unedited. The difference in this case was that I am friends with the guy that was in charge of the music. So when I heard this song, instead of assuming the worst, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I jokingly said that I didn't realize he liked this type of music. He admitted that he thought he had all edited songs. I felt good knowing that I had stood up for what I believed in but that I hadn't made him "esteem me to be his enemy."
This is a part of the covenant that we make when we are baptized. In church today we talked about how difficult it can be to stand for what we believe in when we live in a world that cares more about political correctness than eternal correctness. We discussed how it is hard to find a balance between "calling people to repentance" when they are clearly opposing God's plan and not coming off self-righteous, judgmental, or condemning. A comment was made that the key element to finding this balance was to do so with love, following the counsel given in D&C 121:43, "reproving betimes with sharpness, when moved upon by the Holy Ghost; and then showing forth afterwards an increase of love toward him whom thou has reproved, lest he esteem thee to be his enemy". Some would say that just like being a witness in court means that you might offend some people in the real world standing up for what you believe in might not make you any friends. However, in class we discussed how it is best if you actually know the person and love them despite their philosophies. Then eventually, "when moved upon by the Holy Ghost", you can tell them how you are concerned about them and how you want them to know what you believe. The quote was given, "no one cares how much you know until they know how much you care." I had two experiences this week that really demonstrated this principle.
So since the holiday season is over, I have no more excuses for just eating sweets, drinking eggnog, and sitting around watching football. So this Monday I went to the gym and worked out in an attempt to make up for my three weeks off and in preparation for my BYU Ultimate Frisbee Club Team Camp (it didn't work, but that's another story). While I was working out I was rather appalled at the vulgarity of the music that was on, considering I was at the BYU gym. I got all worked up about how ridiculous it was that this employee was playing this music. Most everybody else had their own music to listen to, so maybe that's why nobody spoke up. I was close to saying something, but I was basically already done and I knew that I would just be too frustrated to speak to this person in a civil manner. So I just left.
Later that week while at my BYU team camp I found myself in a similar situation. We had music playing all day on a loud sound system and for the most part the music was appropriate. However, at one point there was a song that came on that had several expletives unedited. The difference in this case was that I am friends with the guy that was in charge of the music. So when I heard this song, instead of assuming the worst, I tried to give him the benefit of the doubt. I jokingly said that I didn't realize he liked this type of music. He admitted that he thought he had all edited songs. I felt good knowing that I had stood up for what I believed in but that I hadn't made him "esteem me to be his enemy."
Sunday, January 4, 2015
New Year's Resolution
So it has been longer than 1 year since I last posted! About a month ago, Matt pointed out to me the irony behind the fact that my last post was entitled "Not Procrastinating". However, I figured that there was no better time to start my blog up again than as a New Year's resolution...so I waited a month. But here I am with a new goal to start doing a weekly blog post again. One of the guidelines for setting goals in Preach My Gospel is: "be specific and realistic, but set goals that will make you stretch." I feel like my goal is specific and realistic, although based on my past results it will definitely make me stretch. Preach My Gospel also says that "challenging goals will help you work effectively and lead you to stretch and grow." This upcoming semester I will be very busy and I will need to plan effectively and find a good balance to succeed. Fortunately, by stretching myself with demanding goals I will be more efficient with my time and so I should actually get more done in the same amount of time than I would have with less demanding goals.
One last quote from Preach My Gospel to express the importance of setting goals:
"I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don't set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential."
See you next week, and the 50 that follow it.
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