Forgiving Yourself

Having the tendency to dwell on mistakes,

tear yourself up over them,

and then wave a white flag in defeat,

will never lead you to improving.

Think of Peter.

He denied knowing and walking with Christ.

He denied faithfully standing by his side

He denied all of this three times.

"And the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he

had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice."

I can't even imagine what it would have been like to be in Peter's shoes. 

Making a mistake I can barely handle my earthly father's "look"

let alone the loving, understanding, majestic, disapproving look upon my mistake

of Him who suffered all of our sins and has an understanding of each of us perfectly.  

I can imagine my reaction being much like Peter's:

 

"And Peter went out, and wept bitterly."

 

Imagine if Peter gave up.

 

If he tore himself apart in worldly sorrow, throwing up the white flag,

 

instead of becoming a tool in God's hand through Godly sorrow.

 

Think of the miracles that would have gone undone!

Think of how much of the Bible we wouldn't have today.

Don't tear yourself up.

Counsel with God,

Allow His Son's grace to work inside of you,

and continue to be the instrument He wants you to be.

Don't let Satan win.

#wearthewinningjersey

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen!

 

Read More

Music

There is an incredible spirit that follows music.

It can break barriers and touch people's hearts in ways that nothing else on this earth can.

The question is how it touches us.

Recently I was at the church building and someone sat down next to me at the piano.

He began playing a familiar hymn

I matched his melody with supporting arpeggios and chords and it all came together in an instant.

We hit the last note and both looked at each other and couldn't help but smile.

At that moment we both felt it.

There is power in music.

 

"I know that my Redeemer lives.

What comfort this sweet sentence gives!

He lives, He lives who once was dead...

He lives and I shall conquer death.

He lives my mansion to prepare.

He lives to bring me safely there." Hymn 136 

"Fear not, I am with thee; oh, be not dismayed,

 

For I am thy God and will still give thee aid.

 

I'll strengthen thee, help thee, and cause thee to stand...

 

Upheld by my righteous, omnipotent hand." Hymn 85

 

 

"For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart;

 

yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me,

 

and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads" D&C 25:12

 

 

Sing out and shout!!!! For great is the Holy One of Israel in the Midst of thee.

 

Think on the music that influences you and allow it to carry you towards the Savior and not away!

 

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

 

 

 

 

Read More

Family. Isn't it about, time?

With the new iPad's I have been able to watch the old commercials that used to air with the catchy tagline: "Family. Isn't it about, time?"

Here are some of my favorite ones:

God has blessed us with families here on earth to bring us joy!

When a family is centered on Christ that is when true happiness is found.

I have had the opportunity to grow up in a family with parents that constantly worked on having our family centered on our Savior. 

Was it always easy?

Were we always perfect at reading scriptures every day?

Did we have a perfect record of prayers as a family?

Never were we perfect!

But I can testify that when we tried our hardest we came together and the spirit of love was felt more than ever before.

The atonement of Jesus Christ can heal anything as we allow it and use it in our lives.

A family that prays together, stays together.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

Read More

Step into the Wilderness

Often when we follow the counsel of The Lord,

we will have to tarry in the wilderness before we find our promised land.

This pattern is shown time and time again.

Lehi was promised a great land,

and he tarried 8+ years in the wilderness before he arrived.

The Israelites were promised a great land,

and they tarried in the wilderness for 40 years before they arrived.

Blessings and answers almost always come line upon line, precept upon precept.

There was a change that I was earnestly trying to make in my life.

No matter how hard I tried I seemed to always fall short.

Amid my frustration a challenge was extended to me to read the Book of Mormon 20 minutes a day.

Grudgingly I accepted the challenge not know the affects it was going to have.

I soon found myself lost in the stories and teachings of the prophets.















On my knees I sought for an answer once again to know of the truth of the Book.

My heart was once again touched and my testimony strengthened.

All during strength came to me.

I was happier.

My life was simpler.

The relationship with those around me grew

I was able to become more Christlike,

and in the end, I made the change, that seemed impossible to
accomplish not long before.

The Book of Mormon has power.

We will be blessed as we search and ponder it's teachings.

The blessings and answers will not come until we take that step of faith,

step into the wilderness and the unknown,

take the chance and trust in God,

and receive that witness from your Heavenly Father of the truth of it's power.

I know and testify that the Book of Mormon is the word of God.

It was translated by a prophet called of God

and we have a prophet on the earth today.

It will bless your life in ways that seemed impossible

The Book will change who you are.

Take the step of faith,

and read it.

And most importantly,

Pray about it.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Read More

The Atonement

The experience of humankind's unity with God, exemplified by Jesus Christ. -Dictionary.com

The word atone means to reconcile, or to restore to harmony. Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ we can be reconciled to our Heavenly Father. -True to the Faith 

Because of the wrong choices we all make

We are no longer in harmony with our Heavenly Father.

However, through Jesus Christ, we can return to Him,

and once again be in Harmony with God.

Ever since I was little I was taught that through Jesus Christ we can have our sins washed away.

I remember a specific time when I was worried about death.

What if I didn't repent of everything I did right before I died?

I sure hoped God told me when I was going to die so I could repent of any sins I forgot of in the five minutes before I passed on to the next life.

Then the next thought hit me,

Never have I had the best memory,

How would I remember every sin I committed?

Kneeling down I asked to be forgiven of every sin that I have forgotten

A warm enveloping feeling covered me and I knew I had been forgiven.

Quickly, I learned that the Atonement forgives all of our shortcomings

As long as we are giving our best to God.

Not only does the Atonement forgive our shortcomings,

the Atonement makes them up.

He doesn't ask for perfection in this life, rather progression towards perfection.

We will never comprehend in this life exactly what the Atonement fully means and exactly how it works.

However we can continue to learn exactly what it means to us in times of sorrow

in times of hardships

and especially in times when feelings of unworthiness sweep over us.

Use our loving Savior's gift in your life.

Find out what the Atonement means to YOU.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Read More

Keeping Your Spirit Warm

With all the winter weather that's hitting Buffalo, it's no surprise that my thoughts have turned towards the dropping temperatures and white powder falling non-stop from the sky.

Whenever we do introductions with new people we meet, the weather is always compared to our hometown.

One of my companions, being from Arizona, would always get the, "Wow, then you must hate this weather!" or, "Wow! This is a whole new experience for you then?"

Then they ask where I'm from, and after my answer it usually goes like this,

"Okay, well you know then."

Yes, I do know.

However it's still crazy cold outside and miserable walking through it!

It doesn't matter whether you grew up in Buffalo or in the Bahamas, it's still -10 degrees outside!

It's all how you prepare.

Walking outside in pretty cold weather, I looked back and saw my companion from Arizona with his glove to his face.

After asking what he was doing he replied, "Did you know that when you hold your glove to your face your breath warms up your face?"

That was a lesson I learned many winters ago and I couldn't help but smile.

We all live through the same winters.

However those with gloves, coats, hats, and scarfs are much warmer than others!

Our spirits become cold, especially through those trials or winters that we go through.

We have prayer (Gloves and Coats), the scriptures (Hats and Scarfs) to keep our spirits warm.

Yes you may be able to make it through the winter without those pieces of clothing,

But anybody who has lived through a harsh winter knows that nothing is more inviting then a pair of gloves, a coat, and a hat.

Warm your spirits. "The Spirit of God like a fire is burning."

Allow it to burn inside of you.

With it you will be able to conquer any blizzard or harsh winter that will come your way.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Read More

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!

Read More

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.

Read More