The External Storm

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for,

the evidence of things not seen." - Hebrews 11:1


Faith is something that happens inside of us,

something that the eyes can't see.

I'm sure you would agree,

that we can have both storms around us,

and storms inside of us.

We need to not let the external storms,

awaken internal storms.


In Mark chapter 4, it gives us a story of when the apostles of the Lord,

allow the external storm to awaken an internal one.


They were on the sea of Galilee and were in a boat with Christ.

As they were making their journey a huge storm hit their boat.

Water was filling the boat!

"the waves beat into the ship, so that it was now full." -Mark 4:37

As I think most of us would be doing,

the apostles were panicking!

And what was Christ doing?

Asleep in the boat, which if the boat was filled with water,

I'm sure he was a little wet.

Why didn't Christ wake up?

He knew He was the Savior, and that it wasn't His time to die.

He didn't allow the external storm (literal in this sense),

to awaken the internal one.


The apostle woke up Christ and said this,

"Master, carest thou not that we perish?" -Mark 4:38

Christ's response proves that His internal storm was and always will be,

calm.

"Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith?" -Mark 4:40

Immediately after, Christ calmed the storms around the apostles.



Christ will not always calm the storm around us.

Most of the time He wont.

But He will give us the strength to keep the internal storm,

calm.

We need to have faith in Him,

rely on His promises,

and be calm in the strength of the Lord,

no  matter what external storm is raging.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Expressions of Faith

Standing at the podium,

the person begins to tear up.

They exclaim their love for the Lord

and how much He means to them.

Many people in the congregation share tears with the speaker.

Turning to their neighbor,

a member of the congregation condescendingly notices,

there eyes were dry.

I wonder why they aren't feeling the spirit of the Lord,

they think.

This isn't an uncommon thought process.

Some grow up wondering why they can't feel the Spirit,

as strong as their neighbor, since they have never cried themselves.

An expression of faith is just as unique as the person expressing it,

and most importantly,

Christ doesn't condemn a person whether they cry when they feel the Spirit.



I have had this thought rattling in my brain for many years,

but could not find an adequate way of expressing it.

My professor explained it in a way that exceeded even what I felt would have been adequate.



The story starts in Luke 10.

Let's start in verse 38.

"[Christ] entered into a certain village: and a certain woman named Martha received him into her house."

It's important to note that the house is referred to as Martha's house,

It would seem that she would be in charge and be hosting Christ.

Verse 39-40

"And she had a sister called Mary, which also sat at Jesus' feet and heard his word.

But Martha was cumbered about much serving,"

Up to this point Christ has said nothing to Martha.

If Christ came to my house,

I would be panic cleaning and preparing something for Him to eat.

Let's continue,

"[Martha] came to him, and said, Lord, dost thou not care that my sister hath left me to serve alone? bid her therefore that she help me."

My professor had a great point,

when has Christ ever said after someone was accused,

Oh, you know? you're right. Go ahead and help.

He has never! So He doesn't at this point either.

"Martha, thou art careful and troubled about many things. But one thing is needful: and Mary hath chosen that good part, which shall not be taken away from her."

Why does Christ wait until now to say something?

If Martha was frustrated enough to say something I'm sure she's been laboring for a good time by now.

Christ wasn't condemning what Martha was doing,

but rather condemning Martha judging Mary.


Is Mary more faithful than Martha?

From this story we can't tell.

All we can tell is that they show their faith and express it in different ways.


Later in the book of John, it was written that Jesus loved Martha.

and as Jesus visited after the death of Lazarus,

He spoke with Martha as she was taking care of everyone,

and shared profound points of doctrine.


Mary's way of expressing faith was to kneel before the Lord.

Martha's expression of faith was to work and prepare her house for the Lord.


The Lord did not condemn one action over the other.


This is where it all ties in,

whether you are crying, over-joyous, or logically appreciating the doctrine truth silently in your mind,

the Lord knows your faith.

Don't think you're missing a feeling of the Spirit,

just because your eyes stay dry throughout the church meeting.



Work with the Lord and come to know how the Spirit works with you,

and how you as an individual can express your faith throughout your life.


In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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You Never Know

John the Baptist not only was Christ's cousin,

but he was the forerunner to Christ. 

When John died,

he was in part leading the way for Christ. 

When Christ found out, 

not only would He have mourned the loss of a friend,

but also realized that in a way, He was next. 

Right after Christ finds out, this is what He does:

"When Jesus heard of it, he departed thence by ship into a desert place apart: and when the people had heard thereof, they followed him on foot out of the cities."
-Matthew 14:13

A natural feeling right? 

I'm sure He wanted time to pray to his Heavenly Father,

and also process the news. 

However as He was in His boat He saw many people gathering,

to hear from Him. 

He didn't just keep sailing on,

but stopped the boat and turned toward shore.

He continued to heal the sick and afflicted,

both spiritual and physical.

It's not stated, 

but do you think anyone asked how He was doing?

When we see others,

we need to not only see them as a means to the end,

but as a mean themselves.

I'm not saying I would have asked Christ how He was doing, 

if I was there.

However I can say I don't ask people how they are doing,

often when they are struggling and just praying for support.

When we are checking out at the grocery store,

talk to the cashier.

When we are picking up the car from a mechanic,

don't yell at the person giving you your invoice.

When we are interacting with another person,

assume they are just as important as you feel you are.


Open your eyes and see those around you,

then God can start using you.

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Woman

A Woman: An adult human female,

a female worker or employee,

a wife, girlfriend, or lover. –definition from Google.

A Woman: An adult female person,

a daughter, of God. –definition from LDS scriptures.

Which definition do you prefer?

While reading the New Testament,

I was once again surprised at how Christ refers to his mother,

“Woman, behold thy son!” –John 19:26

If I referred to my mom like that…

Well we wont share what would happen.

Is Christ disrespectful towards women?

The answer is an ecstatic NO!

Christ defended women.

Whether it was his mom or a woman living in adultery,

He referred to them as Woman,

and this is because He saw them as they really are,

daughters of God.

In today’s world being called a woman is offensive,

Because it’s sexist,

Disrespectful,

And rude!

When did this change happen?

Christ knew what the word mean to him,

And we all need to follow His example.

A Woman is not only a lover, coworker, or employee,

but a daughter of God.

Never forget your identity or the identity of the women around you.

Don’t let the world change it into something to be ashamed of.

Woman: a daughter of God.

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Why is God not blessing me when I'm doing what's right?

Joseph and Mary’s story in the New Testament is one of trust and love.

and most importantly it’s about their complete devotion to their Heavenly Father.

Joseph was betrothed to Mary when Mary conceived.

Joseph knew it wasn’t his baby, then who’s?

His wife claimed that it was Heavenly Father’s son,

and that he would be God’s only Begotten Son.

If it wasn’t for Joseph’s spiritual sensitivity,

and devotion to God,

do you think he would have trusted this “excuse.”

Because of the whisperings of the Holy Spirit,

he could trust in his Heavenly Father.

As much of a blessing as it was to Mary to have Joseph on her side,

everyone else didn’t react the same.

The night of Jesus’s birth, Mary found there was no room in the inn.

Sitting through my New Testament class,

I learned something that brought on much more of a meaning to that statement.

The translation for inn came from the Hebrew word Katalyma.

That word is used multiple other times for simply a guest chamber.

We’re talking about an upstairs room in a house.

It wasn’t a hotel that wouldn’t take them, it was their kin and friends.

Mary was despised because of her situation.

Despised by everyone except Joseph.

Mary’s story is a great example of the fact that those who stand with God,

don’t always have everything in this world.

“Mary… a virgin, a precious and chosen vessel.” -Alma 7:10

Even though she was a precious and chosen vessel,

and was chosen to be the mother of the Son of God,

she still didn’t have everything in the world one could wish for.

She didn’t even have a room to give birth in.

We tend to feel forgotten or forsaken by God when things don’t go well.

I would invite you to think to Mary’s example

and realize even the people God describes as a “precious and chosen vessel”

still don’t have the riches of the world.

God knows how we can return to Him,

He knows the best people we can be.

We need to trust Him.

As we go through the trials and tribulations,

it’s important to remember to do as Mary did,

and not forget these events.

But rather,

“[Keep] all these things, and [ponder] them in [your] heart.” –Luke 2:19

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Your Mission, If You Choose to Accept it...

Your mission, if you chose to accept it…

What would your mission be?

My first reaction, taking down a secret organization

that’s about to release a nuclear bomb.

How cool of a party story would that be?

On a more serious note,

We each do have a mission.

Luckily after reading our mission,

the message didn’t burst into flames.

We can study and read our mission all we want:

In the Holy Bible and additional scripture we have received.

Do you know your mission?

Do you know that we already chose to “accept” our mission,

before we even came to earth?

We are to become like Heavenly Father,

and return to him

with as many of our brothers and sisters as we can.

We were in Heaven with our Father

and we saw what an evil world it was.

Yet we still chose to come.

We still accepted our mission.

Heavenly Father does not leave us alone,

take the example of Moses talking to God.

 Put yourself in his shoes.

As God was speaking to Moses he said the following,

“I am the Lord God Almighty, and Endless is my name…

And, behold, thou art my son.” –Moses 1:3-4

We are His son.

What do son’s do?

They try to become the best parts of their father.

That is exactly what we are doing, becoming like Him.

All commandments and guidance form the spirit leads towards that simple goal,

becoming like Him.

However it doesn’t end there,

as we do become like him,

we will have a natural inclination to bring our brothers and sisters,

with us.

Look into your own life and begin changing,

then look around and love others,

because that is what He would do.

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The End.

Well, the time has come...

my mission is coming to an end.

It's not something that's horrible really,

just a big change.

Don't get me wrong,

I am going to miss New York a LOT!

I mean I even bought this shirt

just because I am going to miss it so much!

I don't know what I'd do without these two years.

I don't know what I would do without meeting

all of the incredible people that I met!

They have taught me lessons that will bless me

for the rest of my life!

This isn't my quote but I love it, 

"Your call is less about geography and more about the relationships."

-Elder Hamula

It's SO TRUE.

Think about the millions of lessons you have learned 

from those around you.

And if you haven't learned millions of them

then you better start getting to know more people!

I know God will always give us what we need 

to be happy in this life when we follow Him.

I know because I chose to give him these last two years

He has made me happier than I have ever been.

Ever. 

If you are one of the many that made my mission what it is,

THANK YOU!

While I may not be able to keep in touch with all of you in this life,

we'll definitely talk in the afterlife. 

So until then, God Speed!

May you see His hand in your life every day

and make those choices so you can come to know Him,

and His son, your Savior, 

more and more each day.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen. 

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