Prayer

If anyone knows anything about warfare, they know that communication is key.  I am serving as a missionary for my church in a city called Jacksonville, and right by Jacksonville there is one of the largest military Marine bases in the nation.  I do not know a whole lot about the Marines, and the Armed Forces, but I do know
that in order to win a war, there must be effective communication.  We ourselves are fighting a war each and every day.  That war is against Satan himself.  Satan is giving it everything that he has to lead us astray, and to destroy us.  He is fighting with all of his might, to lead us in path's that only lead to destruction.  We have to fight back.  If we just sit back, idly, then we shall be overtaken by the adversary, and be led down paths which only lead to darkness and misery.  Our adversary is strong, and he is powerful, and the only way that we can win this war against Satan is through effective communication.  That communication, which is prayer, is essential if we want to win this struggle that we face each and every day.

Prayer truly is a lifeline.  It sustains us, and strengthens us.  Through prayer, we can literally talk with our father in heaven and receive the aide that we need.  If we try to win this war against the adversary ourselves, then we will fail.  But when we unite ourselves with God through prayer, then Satan will have no power over us.  I have truly seen prayer work miracles in my life.  I have been in many tough situations.  Situations where I could not handle it on my own.  But as I called upon my Loving Father in Heaven, he has sent down his Grace and his Love, to accompany me. Sometimes we get upset when we are given hardships in life, or sometimes we get a little impatient when our prayers are not answered immediately.  This leads some to turn away from Prayer and to turn away from God, but that is the poorest decision one can make.  If you are in the middle of a war, and you are facing a tough situation, the worst thing that you could do is to decide not to call for aid.  Sometimes we think that we can handle it on our own, but we simply cannot.  Prayer does work, and prayer is real.  I know that God does answer each and every one of our prayers, and through our prayers the Lord will strengthen us against all temptation.  It is through our Faith that we can receive strength necessary to combat all evil.  This I absolutely know to be true.  I would invite each and every one of you to give prayer a try, because I know how much happiness it can bring into your life.  SEMPER FI!

Motherhood

Tomorrow is a wonderful day, because it is Mothers day!!!!  I love mothers day!  It
gives us a wonderful opportunity to share our love and thanks for all the wonderful people in our lives who have helped us along our way.  There are many women in my life who have helped shape me into the kind of person that I am today.  I have my grandmas, my aunts, my mother, and even close friends, that have helped me grow into the kind of man that I am today.  I am so very grateful to these wonderful ladies, and for their wonderful examples.  I am so very grateful for their love and their patience towards me, as I have learned and as I have grown.  Now because Mothers Day is so near, I would like to thank each one of them through this blog post.  You all are the best!

I know that mothers are absolutely essential to life.  If it wasn't for the Mother of All, Eve, then none of us would be here today. (Gen. 3:20)  It was through Eve, that life could come into this world.  Mothers give us life.  That is such a wonderful and powerful gift from God!  If it wasn't for that wonderful gift, then none of us could be here today.  It is a gift that should be honored and respected, and something that should not be treated lightly.  Each and every women in the world has a very important responsibility.  Even if you are not a mother right now, or even if you do not have the capability to be a mother, you still have the responsibility to fulfill that role as a mother to those that you love.  It was not just my Mom who raised me into the man that I am, but it was the combined effort of each and everyone of the women who has loved me and has been there in my life.  It is a great responsibility to be a mother, but it is also a great blessing.  I am so blessed to have the women that I have in my life today.

I would like to thank each and every one of the women who has helped me to grow, and to learn.  I know that it is through mothers, that we can learn to be more loving, and more caring, and more Christlike.  I have had many examples of righteous women in my life, and I am so grateful for each and every one of them.  They have blessed my life in numerous ways.  I know how important mothers are in our lives, and in our communities.  Mothers, we need you, and we need you to be great Christlike examples for your children and those around you.  I love each and every mother out there who is doing their best to help those they love grow, and learn in this crazy world.  I am so very grateful for my mother, and for all that she has done for me.  I love her so very much.  I hope you all can share your same love for your mothers as well.  I hope you have a great Mothers Day!

Forgiveness

I talked in a post earlier about true repentance.  Repentance is to change, and to become better, but if it were not for the heavenly virtue of forgiveness, repentance would mean nothing.  Forgiveness is real, and it is free to all who willingly ask for it.  The Lord has said "Yea, and as often as my people repent will I forgive them their trespasses against me." (Mosiah 26:30).  This, I absolutely know to be true.  If you repent and simply just ask,  the Lord will forgive, because he wants to forgive.

Forgiveness is incredible, and it is truly a miracle. If it wasn't for the Savior's ability and willingness to forgive then all hope would be lost.  But the Savior does love each and every one of us, and because of that he truly does want to forgive all of our trespasses against him.  It doesn't matter how many times we mess up or make a mistake, if we simply do what the savior asks of us, and go to God in prayer, we can obtain forgiveness.  The Savior forgives so freely based on our desires to change and become better.  I just love it, and I love that Christ loves us enough to forgive us, always.

Forgiveness is truly a Christlike attribute, and it would do us well to follow in that example that Christ has set.  The Lord has said "I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men." (D+C 64:10).  We have been commanded to forgive all men.  This is such an important commandment because the Lord has also said "Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy" (Matt. 5:7).  The gift of mercy is free to all, but it is important to treat others the way we want to be treated.  When we extend the hand of mercy, then we are given that same hand in return.  We all have sinned and come short of the glory of God (Romans 3:23),  that is why we need mercy, and that is exactly why we should extend mercy as well.  For with what judgement ye judge, ye shall be judged (Matt. 7:2).  Forgiveness is real, and it is wonderful.  We need to learn to let people repent.  We need to learn to let things go.  We need to learn to forgive, when someone asks us for forgiveness.

"For behold, are we not all beggars?... And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a remission of your sins.  And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay;  he has poured out his spirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with joy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy." (Mosiah 4:19-20).  The Lord will truly forgive each and every one of us.  Let us follow in that example.  This world will be a better place.  We can make a change in this world.  There will be greater joy in the family, and greater love in the home, when we truly learn to forgive.  It truly is a miracle, but we can make that miracle happen each and every day, if we let it.  Have a wonderful day!

By This Shall All Men Know

One thing that each and every one of us needs to feel, in our lives, is Love.  Love is incredible, and Love makes me so happy in my life.  There are a couple meanings of Love.  Some often associate it with romance, but true Christlike Love is very different.  To love as Christ loves, is to have a true and unfailing concern for

the well being of those around us.  So true Love is always unselfish.  If I were asked to describe the mission of Jesus Christ, I would describe it simply as Love.  I love how the scriptures define true Christlike Love.  In John it says "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends."  (John 15:13)  This is how Christ showed his love or charity for us.  He layed down his life willingly, so that we could all live as well.  This is an enormous amount of Love, to be willing to sacrifice one's own life to save anothers.  There are many parents who have this kind of Love for their children.  They would rather sacrifice their own life on behalf of one of their own children.  This is true Charity.  This is how our Father in Heaven feels for each and every one of us.  I feel God's love for me each and every day. Whether or not you believe it, God will always love you, and that will never change!  Doesn't that just make you happy?!?

But what also brings me happiness is feeling the Love of others, and sharing my Love for those around me as well.  In order for us to have true Love for our God above, then we must have true Love for all of God's children.  In the scriptures, Christ taught

 "34 A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. 35 By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another." (John 13:34-35)

In order to truly Love our Father in Heaven, then we must always be striving to have that same abiding love for each and every one of his Children.  Each and every one of us have felt the Love of God in our lives, now it is our responsibility to share that Love with others.  You have the power to change the world, and it is through pure Christlike Love.  You have the power to change someones life, for the better, today!  All it takes is a little bit of Love.  YOU CAN DO IT!  There is someone that needs to feel God's love for them through you today.  As we share the Love and Light that we have been given in our lives, then that same Love and Light will grow ever brighter.  We all have the same responsibility to Love as Christ has Loved us.

I would Love to hear how this Love has made an impact on your life, as well as how you have been able to impact other peoples lives through your love.  I know that Jesus Christ loves each and every one of us.  I also know that you have a father above, that will always love you no matter what.  I hope you have a GREAT day

He Is Risen

During this Easter season,  I have been thinking a lot about what Easter is really all about.  We all love the easter bunny, and Easter egg hunts, and eating lots of candy, but have you ever thought of why Easter is so important.  I know I have, and I have thought a lot about the true meaning of Easter.  The reason that we have Easter is because of Jesus Christ.  We celebrate Easter in rememberance of the day when Christ was resurrected.  Easter is the day when we celebrate Christ's victory over death!  It is truly one of my favorite holidays.  But why is this so important?  Why is it so important that Christ was resurrected?  Well it was important that Christ, our Savior, conquered death, so that we could too.  That is what is so incredible about Easter is that through Jesus Christ, each and everyone of us can overcome death ourselves, and that is a gift from the savior!  Isn't it just incredible!  You will overcome death through Jesus Christ; that is his free gift to all.  Death is something that must come upon each one of us, but death is not the end.  In Christ, death has no sting.  Each and everyone of you will be resurrected as well, through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the holy messiah! This is explained so well by a prophet named Jacob.  He said 

"8 Wherefore, how great the importance to make these things known unto the inhabitants of the earth, that they may know that there is no flesh that can dwell in the presence of God, save it be through the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah, who layeth down his life according to the flesh, and taketh it again by the power of the Spirit, that he may bring to pass the resurrection of the dead, being the first that should rise" (2 Nephi 2:8)  

Christ was truly the first to be resurrected, but he will not be the last!  That gift is open to all!  Isn't it just amazing?!

He is Risen!

Along with each and every prophet that has been called to testify that Jesus Christ is our savior,  I would like to add my witness.  I know that he lives.  I absolutely know this.  My testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ has brought the most happiness and peace into my life, then anything else in the world.  Now I have not felt the wounds in his hands,  I have not had his hands layed upon my head, and I have not seen his presence,  but I still know, as a fact, that he lives.  He suffered for each one of us.  He knows each and everyone of us by name.  He is truly the Son of God.  I have not always had this testimony, but as I have served my Lord on my mission, I have come to know my savior in a very personal way.  I do not know much right now.  I am not a bible scholar.  I am not learned in many things, but the most important thing that I do know is that Jesus Christ lives.  Out of every thing I know, the one thing I know with the most sincerity of my heart is that my redeemer lives.  My Father in Heaven has testified this to my heart through his Holy Spirit, and God does not lie. (Enos 1:6)  Above everything else, that is what I want each and everyone of you to truly know, that Jesus Christ lives.  Because of Him, you will live as well. 

This is a great website to go to, to see other great videos about Easter and Christ!
 http://easter.mormon.org/

Unto One of the Least of These

As Christ taught his apostles, he taught them a very fundamental and eternal truth.  He said "And the king shall answer and say unto them, verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." (Matt. 25:40)  This truth is also emphasized in the Book of Mormon when it says "And behold, I tell ye these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17)  This is so True!  When we are serving and loving our fellow man, that is truly how we serve and love our God.  As a missionary, really all we do is serve others.  I absolutely love it!  I wanted to write this blog post today to talk about service, and how serving others has brought me such great happiness.  I love what Christ said in the book of Matthew "For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it." (Matt. 16:25)  In this scripture Christ is asking us to lose ourselves for his work.  His work is to serve and to love those around us; to devote all of our time and talents to the service of our fellow man.  Those who lose themselves, and lose their lives in the service of others will surely gain eternal life, which is the greatest of all gifts from God. In this post, I would like to emphasize two kinds of service.  There was a prophet of God who taught "...I would that ye should impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath,... both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants" (Mosiah 4:26).  The two kinds of service that I would like to talk about are temporal and spiritual service.

So temporal service is often times what we immediately think about when we think about service.  It is giving of our physical substance.  God blesses us with a vast amount of blessings.  Some people are blessed with an abundance of money.  Some are blessed with an abundance of strength.  And others are blessed with an abundance of Love.  God gives us all of these blessings and many more, so that he can bless others through us.  That is how we make our blessings count.  God does not want us to be selfish, and to think of only ourselves.  He gives us so many blessings, so that we can bless all of those around us.  Then when we give of our abundance and give of our blessings, then we receive them back even greater.  Then when we receive them back even greater, then we can give even more to those around us.  Isn't it just an incredible pattern of life!  No matter who you are, God has blessed you.  He has given you talents and abilities, and with that he expects you to give back.  Whether it be through monetary donations, or just being there to talk with a friend in need.  There are literally millions of ways that you can serve your fellow man.  As a missionary, I love to do yard work for others.  I didn't like to do it a lot before my mission, but as I have been here, I have found the true joy that comes from that temporal kind of service.  It just makes my day to be able to put a smile on someone else's face through my service.  It is the best!

Well the other kind of service that I would like to talk about is spiritual service.  Just as we are blessed physically, we are also blessed spiritually.  There are many gifts that our father gives us which are commonly referred to as the gifts of the spirit (1 Corinthians 12:4-10, D+C 46:11-26).  There are many spiritual gifts that our loving Father in Heaven gives us.  Among these are Faith, Knowledge, Wisdom, Love, Humility, and even a personal testimony.  All these are wonderful blessings that God gives us, but much like temporal blessings, God expects us to share our spiritual blessings with others as well.  We are the conduit through which God can pour out innumerable blessings upon others.  Spiritual service is truly my favorite service.  As a missionary all that I seek to do is to help others come unto Christ.  That is such a great spiritual service.  To do this, I teach others about Christ's gospel, I share my testimony, and I help others develop a stronger Faith in Christ.  This, I believe, is truly the most rewarding service.  The great thing is that the blessings that come from this spiritual service are open to all.  Even if you don't feel like you have a very strong faith, you can still share that faith, and it will later be added upon.  Each and everyone of us has the opportunity to spiritually serve all of those around us.  As we do this and bring others unto Christ, I know that we shall find a greater Joy and Happiness in this life.  The Lord truly said "15 And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom of my Father! 16 And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!" (D+C 18:15-16)  Have a great day!

BE THE CHANGE!

YOU CAN CHANGE!  Change is one of the most wonderful things in the world.  That is one of the greatest gifts that God has given us: the ability to change.  Think about it.  No matter who you are, no matter what you have done. You can change!  That is just Awesome!  I think that ability to change is one of the greatest things that has brought happiness into my life.  Yes we make mistakes.  I sure have made a lot of them, but guess what, we all can change.  If you did something wrong, you can do better the next day.  If you made a mistake, you can change and try to fix it.  You can even change the color of your hair if you want.  Change is Amazing!  But the change that I would like to talk about today is the changing of our hearts.  It is coming unto Christ and being made into a new creature (2 Corinthians 5:17).  This change is needed because we all have sinned and come short of the Glory of God (Romans 3:23).  When we sin, it dirties our soul.  God's house, and his kingdom is pure, and so when we are filthy, we cannot enter into God's kingdom (1 Nephi 10:21).  But the wonderful thing is that we can change!  We can be clean again!  We can be pure!  We can return to live with God again! (Isaiah 1:18, 3 Nephi 27:19)  This can be done through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ (Moroni 10:32).  Christ's grace is sufficient for us, to change us from a natural man to the saint that our loving father in heaven wants us to be (Mosiah 3:19).  Isn't it just incredible!

I have experienced a lot of change in my life, especially since I have been serving a mission for my Lord and Savior.  Sometimes that change is unexpected, and sometimes I don't always like or appreciate the change, but it is always needed.  The Lord changes me into the man he needs me to be, whether I like it or not.  But I do Love the change.  One of my favorite scriptures on this topic says "When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things." (1 Cor. 13:11).  This is one of the mighty changes that we should all experience in life.  Before my mission, I could act pretty childish at times, but now I am a representative of Jesus Christ, and I must act as such.  Christ has given me the ability to make this change, and I absolutely love it.  I am not the same person that I was a little over a year ago.  I have changed and I have become better, but the even greater thing is that I am still me.  Christ wants us to be our selves, but he wants us to be our best selves, and he gives us the ability to do so.  As I have experienced this change in myself, I have truly learned much about who Jesus Christ wants me to be.  He wants me to know him and be as he is, for this is life eternal (John 17:3).  That is what I am always striving to do better at each day, to be a more Christ like Christian.

An important part to that is repenting, and changing from our old sinful ways.  We all make mistakes, but through the blood of Jesus Christ, we can be forgiven.  Just as the prodigal son was able to return to his father, we can return to live with our father in heaven again, if we repent and come unto Christ.  You are not so far lost that the healing hands of Jesus Christ cannot reach you.  You can change and you can become better.  Your father in heaven trusts in you, and he is watching diligently.  He will run out to meet us when we are willing to come back.  None are denied the mercies of Jesus Christ.  He is pleading for you to make the change.  Repentance is not a punishment, but it is a relief.  It makes us free.  God loves you so much.  He wants to see you happy so very badly.  He will always be there with open arms when we are ready and willing to come back.  His love for you will never change.  I hope each one of you knows that you are still loved no matter what mistakes you have made in your life.  We all can Change!  You can be that Change!  Now go out and do it TODAY!!!