Listening on the Court

In middle school I signed up for a before school basketball intramural team.

Tuesday and Thursday mornings I would show up early in the morning with my basketball shorts and shoes on ready to play.

My Dad was always so willing and supportive to drive me, and all the rest of my siblings when they played, nearly every morning we played and then stayed and watched us play basketball.

I would try my hardest on the court and then at half time walk over to my Dad to hear what I could improve on and what I needed to do better.

I would get back on the court with a renewed sense of dedication.

One time my Dad asked me if I could even hear him when he would talk to me while I was on the court.

I honestly didn't even realize he was saying anything!

Focusing so hard on playing my hardest  I didn't know that there was more advice being given than just what I would receive off of the court.

Heavenly Father speaks to us when we are on our knees.

We take this counsel and try our hardest and then get on our knees at the end of the day and give a report on how we did.

However, He does not just speak to us while we are on our knees but throughout the day continually.

He does not just speak to us when we take that break off court, but rather while we are playing every step of the way.

Be in tune enough to hear that direction and advice that's given all the time and not just when you take those quiet moments in the morning and before bed.

As we hear the counsel we can take advantage of that inspiration minutely, instead of daily.

Seek for it!

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Is this Non-Fiction?

We were at a family's house watching the restoration DVD and their son (who is in kindergarten) was sitting right next to me.

It began to portray Joseph Smith seeking out answers to his questions in the Bible.

And then, making that decision that changed the world, knelt down in a grove of trees and asked his Heavenly Father what his soul pondered.

Their son turned to me and asked if the movie was non-fiction.

With a smile I told him that everything that was on the movie actually happened.

It truly was Non-Fiction!

How do I know this?

How do I know that as Joseph Smith knelt down in the grove of trees that he really did have his prayer answered by God and his son Jesus Christ

That They actually appeared to him in flesh and bone and spoke to him?

That he really was called as a prophet of God to restore Christ's true church on the earth once again?

Because I have knelt down and asked God myself.

As missionaries we don't want people to just listen to us and call it good,

No!

We want you to question it! We want you to honestly seek for the truth!

We want you to find out the same way we did, on your knees.

Talk to missionaries! Listen to what they teach!

But don't just leave it at that,

Get down on your knees and ask God, and listen to what your Heavenly Father teaches you through the Holy Ghost.

That is what we invite people to do, seek for themselves and ask the center of all truth, your Heavenly Father.

Imagine if this really was true,

It means that God speaks to his children today through a living Prophet

It means there is one true church on this earth

It means that the Priesthood power that Christ ordained his apostles with is once again found among members of his church on the earth today.

What we claim is miraculous.

How we ask you to find out is miraculous.

You Heavenly Father will answer your prayer.

Diligently seek and ask.

I say all of these things in the name of Him whose church is found once again on this earth, Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Falling Short

My first day in western New York, I bowed my head in prayer in the Sacred Grove and opened my heart to God.

I promised him that I would be exactly obedient and always work hard on my mission.

Then I set out and tried to live up to what I promised.

But I didn't live up to it.

I found myself some mornings waking up later than I should have.

Frustration found a way into my mind and I allowed it to discourage me.

I hesitated while street contacting and missed an opportunity.

My heavy eyelids won me over and I found myself sleeping through a study session.

I promised Heavenly Father and the Lord that I would work my hardest, yet here I am not being a perfect missionary.

Only two years to completely dedicate all of my time to serve the Lord and I'm not using that time to the fullest!

On one of many nights, I get down on my knees, bow my head, and open my heart to God once again.

Whispering the words in my head, I ask for forgiveness for falling short of my promise once again.

Then most importantly, I ask for the strength to be that missionary that God knows I can be.

My vision of my work has changed since that first day.

I'm not going to be a perfect missionary.

I won't be the perfect person that I want to be.

I'm going to be the person and missionary that God wants me to be, weaknesses and all.

Re evaluate your expectations for yourself,

and align them with the expectations that God has.

Then when you have that vision,

Get down on your knees,

Use the greatest gift God and his beloved Son has ever given you

The Atonement.

and Start Over.

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Spiritual Giants

I often try to notice what I really look up to someone for and try to mirror it in myself.

As I've done this I realized that these characteristics fall under the characteristics of the Savior.

When we try our hardest to make our lives in line with the Savior's perfect example, we begin to become spiritual giants and are able to bless other's around us, here are some examples I have seen in my life:

Faith: Growing up Bishop Oldham was bishop of the ward (church congregation) and his unwavering faith was a great example to me. Even when things in  his life didn't seem to go as planned he still moved forward with a smile on his face, i'm sure he had times when he was down, but he never questioned the faith.

Hope: Click Here for the example.

Charity and Love: My Mother is a great example. Growing up I was not an angel child and I put her through a lot of hard times. However she always welcomed me back with open arms. A mother's love for her child is very similar to the love the Savior has for each and every one of us.

Virtue: My sisters have always been a great example of this. No matter what people say to them or what is going on around them they always stay strong because they both know who they are. They both know they're a daughter of God and that He loves them. They don't allow other thoughts not in line with their eternal nature to enter their minds.  They both have a testimony that blows me away every time.

Knowledge: I always love listening to my dad when he would give talks because he had studied out the scriptures in his mind and had a knowledge of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. He knew of it's importance and made it apparent by his actions.

Patience: Nathan, a childhood friend, stuck with me through everything, no matter what I did! He had patience. He would spend time with the little kids and no matter how they acted he always loved them. No matter what, he was slow to frustrate and quick to love.

Humility: Our current mission president, President Francis, always relies on the spirit. He truly recognizes that without the spirit he wouldn't be able to do what the Lord has asked him to do. He truly is humble enough to align his will with the Lord's.

Diligence: My young men's president growing up, Brother Taylor, was always working hard at improving. He made it through a few years with us and kept with us the whole time. He was willing to work at loving, serving, and bettering us and himself in his calling at every moment. He diligently worked at being the best he could be.

Obedience: I recently taught someone who we would teach a principle of the gospel of Jesus Christ and he would accept it and immediately follow it to his best without questioning of it's truth. He knew that this was the restored gospel and that the Lord had commanded him to do it, so he did it!

Finding these traits in others made Christ come much more alive and real to me. He really did walk on this earth and led the perfect life for us.

Seek the traits and learn to apply them in your life.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

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