The Divine Gift of Gratitude

What is it about gratitude that makes a difference for better in our lives? I guess it’s because we’re focusing on what we have rather than what we don’t have. It’s expressing gratitude to God and others for everything that is given us. President Monson, the prophet of God for our time, said this past General Conference that “to live with gratitude ever in our hearts is to touch heaven.” He also said that we usually take for granted and show the least gratitude for those people around us that we love most. So, today I am going to express gratitude for the many blessings in my life. I think of the scripture from Moroni where he exhorts people that they “would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts” (Moroni 10:3). I think each person, even those who go through the hardest of trials in life can still find blessings for which they can be grateful. Here are some of my many blessings:

•Choice - The right, responsibility, and results of choice – there was a lot of talk last Conference about Agency. I’m grateful that no matter what I’ve done in my life, that I can still make choices to better myself and that I can be helped by God to do so.
•Possibilities - I guess associated with choice is that there are endless possibilities in life. We truly can do anything we want in life, if we really put the work forth. That's pretty amazing.
•Family –I’m grateful most especially for Amelia’s patience in me, as I try as Elder Christofferson said, to more convincingly love her throughout time. I’m grateful for how she is not only my wife and is ever there for me, but also for how she mothers Fred. I’m also grateful for my siblings and parents. These who have known me longest, both my strengths and weaknesses, each love me though we might not all be the best at showing it at times as well. As Fred has come into our lives, I’ve been especially grateful for how it has changed both my siblings and especially my parents for the better. They love Fred so much, which makes me feel their love too.
•Friends – I love the many friends I’ve made, both in and out of the Church. I cherish so much friends who would do anything to buoy me up. I consider friends to be one of the great blessings of life. I pray that as time goes on, I will become a better friend to any that I come in contact.
•Priesthood Leaders – I’m grateful for leaders both local and from the headquarters of our Church, who have the faith and strength to lead in righteousness, who do not fold under the pressure of popular criticism, who teach what God would have them teach no matter the consequence, who love all and show it by their example. I'm also grateful for the past prophets who have preceded these men(all the way back to Father Adam).
• God and Jesus Christ - I’m grateful for Our Heavenly Father’s constant concern for us His children. I’m grateful that He created a plan whereby all could do whatever they want, that we have that freedom. I’m grateful too though that He always reaches out to us, if we would only reach out to Him. He has especially reached out to us through His Son Jesus Christ. I know that I can never show enough gratitude for Jesus Christ and for how “the chastisement of our peace was upon him” (Isaiah 53). I want to ever and ever strive to show more gratitude for His atonement and love, as He always so patiently strives to show us a better way in life. I’m grateful for the Holy Spirit who testifies of the living reality of God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ and they truly live today. I’m grateful for their love that I feel as I strive to do Their will.

I was there when...

Have you ever wondered about being at a famous event in history? Have you ever imagined what it would be like to be there, at that time? Don’t we all? I think it’d be nice to be able to ‘look’ in on any event that we’re told of in history and be able to judge for ourselves whether this or that happened. History, as we’re told, is told by the winners. I’m reading this graphic novel right now that paints a pretty sordid picture of the 500 year resistance that has been waged by the Indigenous peoples against the ‘White Man’. I’ve never heard anyone dog Christopher Columbus before and say that he was a slaver who enabled the killing/raping of many people. It’s interesting cause in our doctrine, the LDS think of him as being inspired to find the Americas. In Nephi’s Vision, he said, “And I looked and beheld a man among the Gentiles, who was separated from the seed of my brethren by the many waters; and I beheld the Spirit of God, that it came down and wrought upon the man; and he went forth upon the many waters, even unto the seed of my brethren, who were in the promised land” (1 Nephi 13:12). We interpret that “man among the Gentiles” to have been Columbus. And yet, it is generally understood that Columbus thought that the Americas was India.


There are a few different instances of misinterpreted history even within the Book of Mormon. Ammoron, a king of the Lamanites, accuses the Nephite people of forcing Zoram to come into their caravan. And yet, we know that Zoram loved Nephi and followed him willingly. We also know that after the Nephi/Laman split, that generations after the Lamanites believed the tradition that their Father Laman had been wronged by Nephi. This tradition of lies that was passed down to the Lamanites is why when Ammon and his crew taught the Nephites that it was important for them to help them “to the knowledge of the truth, to the knowledge of the baseness of the traditions of their fathers, which were not correct” (Alma 17:9).

The same occurs today. What is history? As church members we understand the history of the world so differently than most of the world. We believe that the history of mankind has been its acceptance and rejection of God. We believe that these are the last days as we prepare for the Second Coming of Christ. We believe that not only did Jesus live, but that He died for all mankind and was also resurrected. He lives. Elder Christofferson said this last General Conference:

"The scriptures enlarge our memory by helping us always to remember the Lord and our relationship to Him and the Father. They remind us of what we knew in our pre-mortal life. And they expand our memory in another sense by teaching us about epochs, people, and events that we did not experience personally. None of us was present to see the Red Sea part and cross with Moses between walls of water to the other side. We were not there to hear the Sermon on the Mount, to see Lazarus raised from the dead, to see the suffering Savior in Gethsemane and on the cross, and we did not, with Mary, hear the two angels testify at the empty tomb that Jesus was risen from the dead. You and I did not go forward one by one with the multitude in the land Bountiful at the resurrected Savior’s invitation to feel the prints of the nails and bathe His feet with our tears. We did not kneel beside Joseph Smith in the Sacred Grove and gaze there upon the Father and the Son. Yet we know all these things and much, much more because we have the scriptural record to enlarge our memory, to teach us what we did not know. And as these things penetrate our minds and hearts, our faith in God and His Beloved Son takes root.”

One day we will have the truth of history. And Satan’s attempts at changing history to a myriad of untruths will be replaced with the eternal truth that God is over all. The history that God has told, as told by past and living prophets, is the truth. Though many may oppose the truth of history, the “truth will endure to the last, /And its firm-rooted bulwarks outstand the rude blast / And the wreck of the fell tyrant’s hopes.”

Dispelling the Enemy

I really loved Elder Holland's talk from this past Conference. He essentially talked about true love vs. lust. Love will endure all trials, lust is always ready to leave when trials begin.

Dispelling the Enemy

Any time people talk to one of these men of God
Not because of fame but the gospel
I shook his hand he asked ‘are you doing good?’
Never would they be guarded or hostile

At this time three girls make their way
In tears try to share their story
Each divorced resulted fruit of pornography
At that point sigh at eternal glory

What a sore subject to relate
Tears at theirs spark action
Wonder why the world mars in mire
Yet the Church cannot sanction

Immorality is so publicly prevalent
Media industry spew from their pulpits
From the same come much of good
Craters that throw us in deep pits

Yet men do not only fall
All can get caught in the web
Text game chat song – pierced
Little by little our virtue we ebb

If this were a full grown tree
Than attack tree not branches
The true culprit is lust
Some say deadliest in art of ashes

Ashes most from family
Love is to be forever
Lust gluts on all about
We become an ever craver

The whoring of love it is
People give up at any price
Trust it's tender victim
Sale of property timed suffice

Action - proximity governs probable
All sources must be banned
Look at righteous old Joseph
In prison he'd rather stand

Know that this is addiction
You need others to help
In the end it is we that choose
Watching steps keeps a whimpered yelp

We keep our fortress the mind
Keep good expel unsought guests
Do and Be where the Spirit is
Have angels seen or not God enlists

Conclusion - Remember the Savior
Always think of Him you win
He suffered you hurt Him too
Repent! With Him you can overcome any sin

Life is a war between good and evil
Legions fight and we each person
Satan desires to have us
He kills by degrees of poison

Like Nephi of old let us say
I am so weak and easily beset
I groan at all my sin
I trust in God thus am set

Revelation Received - Changes Are a Coming

I feel like with my life that I don't know beforehand what I will do, in some senses (1 Nephi 4:6). I don't know what career I will end up with. The Lord revealed strongly through two impressions, during President Uchtdorf's Sunday talk, that I should be a cop. I've started the process, talked to a RCMP recruiter and there might be possible hindrances with that because I've been lazy with the paying of debts that I have. So, if I was to give advice to posterity: stay out of debt and when you are in debt get out as soon as possible because it could have long-lasting repercussions. That advice works with spiritual debts as well (those caused by sin and yes I know we can never fully pay the debt we've incurred-hence the Atonement). Anyways, so I will pursue being a cop, but if I'm stopped by this debt thing, then that's why I don't know where I'm going to end up. The impression of being a cop came when President Uchtdorf spoke of driving around Canada and seeing that not all was beautiful with our landscape or houses(paraphrase). Also, when speaking of reaching out to others, he said we shouldn't care about what we see or smell. I thought about how cops would see and smell much that would be nasty. On the previous example, the vision that came to my mind is that cops go into the worst areas of a town, both spiritually and physically-thus by having, carrying the Spirit into such places as a torch, perhaps some might come out of their holes of despair. Please help me, O lord, lead me, guide me. I hope it can be said of me, that "Nevertheless I went forth" (1 Nephi 4:7).

Conan's Last Show - Be of Good Cheer

Did you see Conan's last show a couple months ago? I was pretty interested in the whole Jay Leno/Conan thing and definitely felt that Jay was not an innocent victim as he said. Perhaps NBC is the big bad orchestrator, but Jay could have walked away from his contract too. He could have stood up to NBC if he really didn't want the show back. I don't even know how Jay's show is doing now, but I know I've become less of a Jay fan as a result of that whole thing

Anyways, I mention Conan's last show because at the very end of the show he gave his heartfelt feelings of his leaving. During this whole Jay/Conan debacle he started harping harshly on NBC's stupidity and perhaps rightly so, but on this last night, he was positive towards NBC and his long history with them. He asked fans to "not be cynical. I hate cynicism. For the record, it is my least favorite quality. It doesn't lead anywhere. Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get. But, if you work really hard and your kind, amazing things will happen - I'm telling you, amazing things will happen..."

I really like that. Not only because it was heartfelt but because what he said is true. Though I believe that us Mormons have the fulness of the truth and that through living the restored gospel true, eternal happiness can be found, I also believe that truth is independent of religion and that any time we live by truth happiness can come into our lives. A scripture in Doctrine and Covenants 93:30-31 says the same thing:

"All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence.

Behold, here is the agency of man, and here is the condemnation of man; because that which was from the beginning is plainly manifest unto them, and they receive not the light."

It is true that if we have hard times if we just stay away from negativity, keep working hard, and be kind to others amazing things will happen. When I saw Conan say this I thought of President Monson, the living prophet of God today, and how he said:

“It would be easy to become discouraged and cynical about the future—or even fearful of what might come—if we allowed ourselves to dwell only on that which is wrong in the world and in our lives. Today, however, I’d like us to turn our thoughts and our attitudes away from the troubles around us and to focus instead on our blessings as members of the Church. The Apostle Paul declared, “God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.”

None of us makes it through this life without problems and challenges—and sometimes tragedies and misfortunes. After all, in large part we are here to learn and grow from such events in our lives. We know that there are times when we will suffer, when we will grieve, and when we will be saddened. However, we are told, “Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.”

How might we have joy in our lives, despite all that we may face? Again from the scriptures: “Wherefore, be of good cheer, and do not fear, for I the Lord am with you, and will stand by you.”

...My beloved brothers and sisters, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."

President Monson said essentially the same thing as Conan work hard and be positive. Would Conan want to be equated with the teachings of the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints? Probably not, considering they dogged on Orrin Hatch and Mormons for Hatch's Hannukah song. Yet, I love how truth can be found anywhere.

December 23rd a la Pope

Having spent some of the Christmas in Palmyra, New York I've decided to do write a bit about our time there and some thoughts a la Alexander Pope. Above is us in the Sacred Grove. I received feedback that my previous post was a bit wordy. Hopefully this is a bit shorter:

I served my mission in Upstate New York
I say Upstate 'cause it's not the City, dork
I met a lady said he was all 'bout girls and cash
It's sad to see when people believe trash
Prior the mission I never really been east
Called the Cradle, it has a spiritual feast
Here Joseph saw God and and His Son
It's either true or just a big con.

His Vision tells Father and Son are separate
Them as all one confusing to contemplate
Easier to think of Them like Abe and Isaac
Idea of Abe and Abe requires Provasic.
He learned They have bodies of bone and flesh
Else Jesus would not have ate honey and fish
After Ascension Jesus did not leave body on shore
But like Paul said, He "dieth no more."
Jo learned God speaks to man today
Why? Hugh B. queried it this way
Does God love us the same today as then?
Has He the power today as way back when?
Do we need Him as much today as then?
Yes! Yes! Yes! The world is such a lion's den.
Smith found that Christ's Church was no more
Thus rather than Reform, God was to Restore
Of course many loved God and tried their best
Yet for years man told God He was a jest.

So God called Joseph as a prophet
Was he really in it for the profit?
The best proof is the Book of Mormon
Read it, you'll find it not common
It gives peace to those who read
It testifies Jesus is the Christ in very deed
Pray to know and you'll feel the Spirit
Just like science, requires you try it.