"Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear"

     So, the next talk that I have decided to share with everyone is called, "Perfect Love Casteth Out Fear." It is another great talk on sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ with friends by simply loving them. The message that is most clear to me in it is, “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear...” (1 John 4:18).
     He begins by talking about how The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is growing and how the publicity and talk of the Church grows with it. A lot of news about the Church is great as "there are prominent members of the Church in government, in business, in entertainment, in education, and everywhere else, it seems." Unfortunately the publicity is often distorted in its truthfulness and clarity so he tells us that "there are a number of things that we can do to advance an understanding of the Church."
     The first thing we must do is "be bold in our declaration of Jesus Christ." His life and teachings are what make up the Gospel as well as the many holy books written in the Bible and The Book of Mormon. Only through Jesus Christ is it possible to make it back to our Father in Heaven. It would only make sense that Jesus is central to EVERYTHING.
     Second, we must "be righteous examples to others." Just as important as sharing our beliefs is living them. When questioned about why we do not have crosses as a symbol of Christ in any of our religious buildings, the prophet Gordon B. Hinckley said, our symbol of Christ is seen by the way our members live their lives. We need to live our lives as best as we can to resemble the life of Christ. It is one thing to believe in Christ and talk about Him but to actually be like Christ, now that is something!
     Lastly, we need to "speak up about the Church." We have the opportunity to share the gospel with friends and family every day. I have come to understand that the best way to do share the gospel is by just doing it. He says two things that I really like. First, "some members seem to want to keep their membership in the Church a secret." This is where the message that I love so much comes in. “There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear...” Just love your neighbors and you can do it. Second, "do not try to make the Church sound better than it is. We do not need to put a spin on our message." The Gospel is true. That is a fact. We do not need to speak anything but the plainness of the truth and the message will pierce the hearts of those who are honest seekers of the truth.

"Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet"

     The next talk I want to share is called, "Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet." Did you know it was possible to share the gospel while using the internet? Maybe you did, but just never thought about doing it yourself, or maybe you just don't have the courage to. Whatever the case may be I hope this helps you to be able to do it.
     He starts off by telling us how powerful new technology, especially the internet, is and gives a few great examples of how the church has been able to use it to spread the message of the gospel of Christ. He talks about how the internet is the modern printing press and how anyone can publish anything they want now. It is so true! There are two side of the spectrum too. There are bad things out there as well as good, and not just about the church but just bad in general. It is our job to increase the amount of good that is out there. Here are some examples of how I have shared the gospel using the internet: Pictures, Me!

     We are given a few great tips on things to avoid. He basically tells us there is no need to argue or be defensive. He says, "Our position is solid; the Church is true."  We just need to have a conversation like you would with a friend in the same room. As missionaries, online, we are told to avoid speculative, controversial, or contentious discussions and to teach by the Spirit just as we do when teaching face to face. We need not be ashamed of the gospel of Christ. We need to stand firmly and speak with faith. Join the conversations that are already out there. There are lots of things happening that are making people interested in the church, and who knows how long that will last. Take advantage of that blessing!

     "With so many social media resources and a multitude of more or less useful gadgets at our disposal, sharing the good news of the gospel is easier and the effects more far-reaching than ever before...My dear young friends, perhaps the Lord’s encouragement to 'open [your] mouths' might today include 'use your hands' to blog and text message the gospel to all the world!" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf.) Think about the effect you can have if you share something like your testimony in a Facebook post. The effect will be tremendous! What other things can you do to share the gospel online?

"Waiting on the Road to Damascus"

     The next talk I want to share with you is titled, "Waiting on the Road to Damascus."Dieter F. Uchtdorf begins by talking about Saul and the road to Damascus. His experience is rather spectacular and changed his life forever. Christ appeared to him and asked him, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:3-6.) He also briefly describes the experience Joseph Smith has in seeing God, The Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ. He says, "Nevertheless, there are some who feel that unless they have an experience similar to Saul’s or Joseph Smith’s, they cannot believe...They spend their days waiting on the road to Damascus." The truth is, that it is those who diligently seek to learn of Christ that will eventually come to know Him. That means we need to do our part to gain that witness, we can't just sit and wait.
     He gives us three simple principles; Hearken and Heed, Serve, and Share. Hearken means to listen with the intent to obey. We need to live to be among those whom the Lord can rely on to hear His whispering and respond, as Saul did on his road to Damascus, “Lord, what wilt thou have me to do?” We need to serve those around us. President Spencer W. Kimball taught this concept when he said: “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other.” We need to share the gospel to all those around us. He goes on to say, "[The Lord] entrusts a testimony of the truth to those who will share it with others."
     We need to not wait on the road to Damascus, but rather move forward in Faith, Hope, Charity, and Love and be blessed in being able to see the light of Christ in our lives.

     What can you do to get off the Road to Damascus and become a disciple of Christ?

"Beware of Pride"

     Ok so before you all discount this talk just by the title I want you to just take a look at it anyway. Besides, if you are feeling guilty about it already, it is probably a good thing for you to read...haha. The title of the talk I am going to share with you is "Beware of Pride." Surprisingly, it was not as harsh as I was expecting it to be.
     It starts off by warning us of pride and telling us of the destroying power it has. There are three parts I want to quote near the begining that say, “Pride gets no pleasure out of having something, only out of having more of it than the next man…It is the comparison that makes you proud: the pleasure of being above the rest. Once the element of competition has gone, pride has gone.” (C.S. Lewis), "The proud stand more in fear of men’s judgment than of God’s judgment. 'What will men think of me?' weighs heavier than 'What will God think of me?'" and "Pride is ugly. It says, 'If you succeed, I am a failure.'" He goes into depth about these statements, but they all hit home with me by saying how when we are prideful we forget God. It's really as simple as that.
     The best part of this talk is when he talks about humility. He says the antidote for pride is humility, meekness, and submissiveness. It is the broken heart and contrite spirit. A common misconception is that to be humble you have to be able to put yourself down, but in reality, “True humility is not thinking less of yourself; it is thinking of yourself less.” (C.S. Lewis) Now, I don't want you all to think that you are awful people, because if you are anything like me you probably thought you were the most prideful person on the earth. (There is even pride in thinking that...haha) However, I do want you to understand how destructive pride can be and how you can reverse it. I really love this video on unselfish service, which teaches me how to be more humble through service.

     I want you all to think of what things you can do to help get rid of your prideful desires. "Let us choose to be humble. We can do it. I know we can."