"Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!"

     I am going to end my conference talk theme with this talk called "Ask the Missionaries! They Can Help You!" I felt it was a proper talk to use to do this. I don't have much to say about it because it is the simple principle of "Ask the missionaries! They can help you!" that I really like so much. There are 2 underlying messages that I see here.
      The first one is simple. If you have any questions, comments, or concerns...well "ask the missionaries!" The Lord has called these young men and women and set them apart to help you grow through trials. They can find an answer or else find someone who can find the answer. Just do it. Ask them!
     The second on is a little harder. This promise puts a lot of pressure on the missionaries. We now have a responsibility to fulfill the promises of the Lord given to us by an Apostle. The Lord gives us the knowledge and ability to be able to do it but it is still a scary thought sometimes.
     I am so grateful to be a missionary right now and I hope to be able to help those who need it. I hope to be that missionary who they can trust enough to ask.

"Of Regrets and Resolutions"

     The next talk I am going to share is titled, "Of Regrets and Resolutions." I was thinking about saving this for New Years Eve, but I decided to do it now because there is no real good reason to wait till then. All goals set then end up failing anyway. I would also probably regret not doing it earlier. ;)
     He begins with an interesting comment that "We are all mortal." It was kind of interesting to hear that and then it was followed with a question of "Do you have any regrets?" He gives three major regrets that are common among most people as they prepared to depart this life.
     The first one was "I wish I had spent more time with the people I love." He talks about how so many people spend so much of their life busy at work or some other project that isn't that important and how they wish they could go back and spend more time with the ones they love. He also talks about how, especially in our day, many people simply pretend to spend time with others, because "with the click of a mouse, we can 'connect' with thousands of 'friends'" without having to be with them. As this can be used for good, it should not replace those physical relationships with have with people. I love my family so much and I am grateful that I get to spend lots of time with them.
     The second is "I wish I had lived up to my potential." He is quick to define that he does not mean climbing the ladder of success in our various professions. He means we miss out on becoming the person our Heavenly Father intended us to be. "When it comes to living the gospel, we should not be like the boy who dipped his toe in the water and then claimed he went swimming." We need to be fully submerged in the Gospel and become that person that God knows we are capable of being. "The more we devote ourselves to the pursuit of holiness and happiness, the less likely we will be on a path to regrets."
     Lastly "I wish I had let myself be happier." I am not quite sure I can understand this one as well because let me tell you what, I love to be happy. I can't imagine what it would be like to keep myself from enjoying all the many things that I love so much. He uses an example of him and his wife biking (that you will have to read) to get the message across of, "it’s not a race; it’s a journey. Enjoy the moment...Sometimes in life we become so focused on the finish line that we fail to find joy in the journey." He makes the point of it is foolish to ruin the enjoyment of an experience, "because we are constantly anticipating the moment when they will end." My challenge to all is to enjoy the ride that you are on, even if it seems that you have more hills on your trail than the next guy. Take the time to notice the moments that matter most.

     So lets resolve to spend more time with those we love, resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be, and resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances. Just remember "many of the deepest regrets of tomorrow can be prevented by following the Savior today."

"Where Is the Pavilion?"

     I really enjoy this talk and it has helped me significantly with how I have viewed my relationship with God. It is titled, "Where Is the Pavilion?"
     He begins by saying, "The pavilion that seems to intercept divine aid does not cover God but occasionally covers us. God is never hidden, yet sometimes we are, covered by a pavilion of motivations that draw us away from God and make Him seem distant and inaccessible. Our own desires, rather than a feeling of 'Thy will be done,' create the feeling of a pavilion blocking God. God is not unable to see us or communicate with us, but we may be unwilling to listen or submit to His will and His time." It is interesting to think about how much pride it takes to think that it is not our fault we don't hear from God. I am guilty of it myself sometimes. I then have to ask myself, why would God hide from us? He loves us. It only makes sense that we are the ones too proud to take down our "pavilion."
     He tells us that, "We remove the pavilion when we feel and pray, 'Thy will be done' and 'in Thine own time.' His time should be soon enough for us since we know that He wants only what is best." It is as simple as being patient. God knows what we NEED. Just as any good parent he will give us what we need when we need it, and the things that we may WANT may not be things that we will get quite yet or maybe not ever.
     He gives a couple of examples where the desires of men were not fulfilled in their time table, but as God promised they were fulfilled in His time.  I conclude with this, "For any of you who now feel that He is hard to reach, I testify that the day will come that we all will see Him face to face. Just as there is nothing now to obscure His view of us, there will be nothing to obscure our view of Him."

"Five Scriptures That Will Help You Get through Almost Anything"

     I cam across an article called, "Five Scriptures That Will Help You Get through Almost Anything." It is an awesome article that shares with us how to get though hard times, like it says in the title.
     One of the greatest questions in all of life is, Why do bad things happen, even to good people? Thanks to the scriptures we can answer that question. The first scripture, 1 Nephi 11:17, tells us we don’t have all the answers to explain all the tragedies in the world. "However, we know, we are sure, that God loves His children." So, instead of thinking, "Why did this happen to me?" think, “Well, I know God loves me; I know that. So what can I learn from this experience?”
     The next scripture, Moses 7:26–33, tells us that sometimes our trials are a direct result of someone using their agency to do evil. "Everyone on earth has agency, and sometimes those who misuse it have an impact on many innocent people." He asks a great question that really changes my perspective of tragedies. "Sometimes we see things on the news and ask, 'How could God allow this to happen?' Could it be that one day we’ll discover that God prevented much more than He allowed?"
     Scripture three, Alma 14:10–13, tells us not to let a tragedy define how we live. "You still have your own mission. Like Alma and Amulek, perhaps you were spared because your work is not finished!...Needless to say, Alma and Amulek witnessed an awful scene. I wonder if they were ever able to forget what they saw. How did they survive?"
     Scripture four, Alma 7:11–12, answers that question. "The words “sin” or “sins” do not appear anywhere in those two verses." However, it does say that, "Jesus took upon him: pains, afflictions, temptations, sicknesses, and infirmities." So, let the atonement help you through your personal tragedies.
     The last scripture, D&C 101:32–36, tells us that we might never get our questions answered in this life, but one day the Lord will return and answer all of our questions.
     The Ultimate answer is not that the scriptures can get us through hard times, it is that Jesus Christ can get us through them. He is the only one who will help us get through everything. And with Jesus we can get rid of the "almost" in the title.

     "We know that God loves His children. We know that part of His plan is to allow evil to exist in the world. We know that if we’re still alive, we have a work to accomplish. We know that the Savior suffered not only for our sins, but also for our pains and afflictions, and we know that one day He will conquer the evil one, answer all our questions, and bless us with a fullness of joy."

"Israel, Israel, God Is Calling"

     So the next talk I have decided to share is another talk by Jeffrey R. Holland called, "Israel, Israel, God Is Calling."
     It begins by talking about how "Israel’s history down through the ages [was that] when things got too sinful...the children of the covenant would be sent fleeing into the wilderness to reestablish Zion and start all over again. He then goes on to say "one thing that has changed is that the Church of God will never again flee." As Brigham Young said, "We have been kicked out of the frying-pan into the fire, out of the fire into the middle of the floor, and here we are and here we will stay." "We no longer think of Zion as where we are going to live; we think of it as how we are going to live." He gives us three lessons for the establishment of Zion.
     I will share with you the first example he gives of some very poor sportsmanship, to say so lightly, at a basketball game, and you can read the talk to find the other two. After this game "what was said and done and showered upon [a young basketball player] that night, and on his wife and their families, should not have been experienced by any human being anywhere anytime..." In a later event one young man said "Listen. We are talking about basketball here, not Sunday School. If you can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen. We pay good money to see these games. We can act the way we want. We check our religion at the door." He then replies to that story with, "'We check our religion at the door'? Lesson number one for the establishment of Zion in the 21st century: You never 'check your religion at the door.' Not ever." This is not the what we should be catching ourselves doing ever. We are to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places. If there is anything we need to make sure we are doing, it is standing as a witnesses of God, even if we are the only one. Before you make any rash decisions, stop and think, "Would I be comfortable if God caught me doing this?"

"Safety for the Soul"

     I have been thinking about the Book of Mormon and the role it has played in my life and decided to share this talk, "Safety for the Soul," by Jeffrey R. Holland, because of the powerful testimony of the Book of Mormon that is found in it.
     It starts of by talking about the vision Lehi has about the Tree of Life found in 1 Nephi 8. He says, "The principal point of the story is that the successful travelers resist all distractions, including the lure of forbidden paths and jeering taunts from the vain and proud who have taken those paths. The record says that the protected 'did press their way forward, continually [and, I might add, tenaciously] holding fast' to a rod of iron that runs unfailingly along the course of the true path...'I beheld,' Nephi says later, 'that the rod of iron...was the word of God, [leading]...to the tree of life;...a representation of the love of God.'" As it says in this story, the scriptures are what will guide us to return again to our Heavenly Father.
     He goes on to offer up a more modern testimony of this same principle by sharing the testimonies of Joseph and Hyrum Smith as well as his own. I invite you to watch it because I will not do it justice if I try to summarize it, and if you have time I would even invite you to watch the whole talk as it is that powerful.

     He ends by echoing Nephi's witness in his "last days": "Hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ. And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ...and they teach all men that they should do good. And if they are not the words of Christ, judge ye—for Christ will show unto you, with power and great glory, that they are his words, at the last day.” I invite all of you to take the challenge and read and pray from the Book of Mormon and gain a testimony of it's truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost. I know it to be true. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

"His Grace Is Sufficient"

     This weeks talk is titled, "His Grace Is Sufficient." This is by far one of the best talks I have read in a long time. He begins by trying to explain to someone how much of getting to Heaven is what we do and how much is what Christ did in his Atonement. So basically, he was simply explaining what grace is. He uses an example in which there are 2 points, one representing God, and the other representing us. He asks her to draw a line,from us to God, representing how much is our part and and how much is Christ's. After some trial and error, he explains that Christ is the whole line. The girl is still confused now thinking that she doesn't have to do anything except accept Christ as her Savior. As this may have some truth to it, there is still more that is not so easily seen. He goes on to tell her "you have plenty to do, but it is not to fill that gap."
     He uses an example of a mom providing music lessons for her child. "Mom pays the piano teacher. How many know what I am talking about? Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift." That practice is similar to what Christ expects of us in the way we live. It will NOT get us to heaven, but it WILL make us grow and make Christ happy! He gives a bunch of other examples of how the practice applies to us, but I will let y'all read it to find them on your own. There is one, however, that I will share. He talks about how hard it is to practice and how it will take forever to get it perfect and how you might just be no good at piano. Let me ask you this; if someone hits a wrong note, does that mean they're no longer worthy to practice? No! We expect them to keep trying. "In all of these cases there should never be just two options: perfection or giving up. When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No." Perfection may be the ultimate goal, but is not the only option other than quitting. Learning takes time. He closes by saying, "As we do, we do not discover—as some Christians believe—that Christ requires nothing of us. Rather, we discover the reason He requires so much and the strength to do all He asks (Philippians 4:13). Grace is not the absence of God’s high expectations. Grace is the presence of God’s power (Luke 1:37)."
     Christ has made a huge investment in you, so don't let him down. Become that master pianist by practice, practice, practice.

To see the whole speech view: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=1966&fb_source=message

"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."

"Heavenly Homes, Forever Families"

     So I have decided that I am going try having a new theme again. I am going to share some of the my favorite conference talks given by some of the leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints including the Prophet and his Apostles. I was reading a talk by our current prophet, Thomas S. Monson, called "Heavenly Homes, Forever Families" and I felt like I needed to share it.
     It talks about how we can build an "eternal home." What exactly does that mean? He starts off by saying "A home is much more than a house built of lumber, brick, or stone. A home is made of love, sacrifice, and respect. We are responsible for the homes we build. We must build wisely, for eternity is not a short voyage." He talks about how a family can be together forever. I think it is interesting that something as simple as a family is so important and sacred to God that he blesses it with the ability to be forever. God’s blueprint to make a house a home and a home a heaven is so simple.
     First, he says, we need prayer. "A prominent American judge was asked what we, as citizens of the countries of the world, could do to reduce crime and disobedience to law and to bring peace and contentment into our lives and into our nations. He thoughtfully replied, 'I would suggest a return to the old-fashioned practice of family prayer.'... There is real meaning behind the oft-quoted adage, 'The family that prays together stays together.'" The first step is so simple. Something as easy as saying a prayer can mean so much and help to build this "eternal home."
     Second, is service. He shares the example of Christ and his perfect selfless service. With the good Samaritan, He taught, “Love thy neighbor” (Luke 10:30–35).
     Lastly, is rescue. We all need to make sure we keep track of our family and make sure that we are to the rescue when our family needs it. We need to make sure we are showing love to our family, and for those that need to be rescued, showing our love for them is the most important thing we can do.
     I have been lucky and blessed enough that I have a great family that is always there for me. I know that they are always there for me and love me. I know that we have been able to build a fairly decent "eternal home" because my parents have tried their best to use God's blueprint to make our house a home and our home a heaven.

"It's 'Only' Violence"

     I read another article that applied to me quite a bit and I would love to share some of it to y'all; it was called "It's 'Only' Violence." It begins with an eye opening story that really caught my attention.

     "Not long ago I decided to conduct an informal survey to find out about Church members' views on television and movies. When I asked members what makes some movies and TV shows objectionable, the most common response was sexually explicit scenes, followed by profanity. Nobody mentioned violence. When I asked about specific movies, a common response was, 'That movie had only one bad scene.' I asked, 'What happened? Did someone get killed?' The answer was always the same: 'No. It was a sex scene.'" When I applied myself to this I realized that not very often do I consider violence as something that makes a movie objectionable. I often find myself enjoying a good little battle between good and evil and don't even raise a thought to how it may be offensive for God to see us enjoying that. Now I am not saying that your classic Jerry smashing a pan in Tom's face is what is being talked about here. I think it is more of a Jack Bauer tearing some terrorist's guts out to get some information, or a Jason Bourne fighting with a hand towel to win the fight and chokes a guy with a power cord type of thing, both of which I have enjoyed. 

     It continues, "Sex outside of marriage is a serious sin. In fact, Alma taught that it was among the most grievous of sins. But what did Alma rank as the two most serious sins? Denying the Holy Ghost and 'shedding … innocent blood,' or committing murder (Alma 39:5–6). I was puzzled that many [people] did not feel concerned about watching people being murdered on the screen. And many seemed to consider profanity to be more objectionable than violence in movies and TV programs." I, myself, have never really thought of violence as something that was that bad too watch, like I said before, but when you consider the fact that to God the only thing worse is denying the Holy Ghost it changes my perspective a bit. 

     But why could this possibly be so bad for our society? "The Spirit is offended when we pollute our minds with harmful, violent material, whether or not such material causes us to commit violent acts. Consuming violent media makes it more difficult to keep ourselves 'unspotted from the world' (James 1:27). It is troubling that so many people consider it entertaining to view violence or play violent video games." He says that even if the violence we see does not make us more violent it does keep us from having the Spirit. Now the fact of whether violence actually causes someone to be more violent is questionable. However, it is much more feasible and realistic that seeing violence causes one to be more violent, as displayed in many of the studies from the article.

     If I was to address every point in the article this post would be huge so I will end it here and recommend that y'all read it. I would however like to end with one quote to get those gears in your head spinning. "By the time the average American child graduates from elementary school, he or she will have seen more than 8,000 murders and more than 100,000 other assorted acts of violence, such as assaults, on network television. The numbers are even higher if the child has access to cable television or a videocassette or DVD player, as most do."

"Leave It Alone"

     I want to talk a little bit about an article I was reading that struck me as important to write about; it was called "Leave It Alone." I am not sure why I felt it was important, but I did so hopefully it touches and helps someone.

     I would like to start off with a little excerpt. "I plead with you to leave it alone. Stay away from any movie, video, publication, or music—regardless of its rating—where illicit behavior and expressions are part of the action. Have the courage to turn it off in your living room. Throw the tapes and the publications in the garbage can, for that is where we keep garbage."

     My advice to all would be "Don't Start!" However, if you already have, "Stop It!" The path it takes you on is not worth it. People may think they are casually watching and listening to this type of so-called entertainment. They think they are spiritually strong and will be immune to its influence. They do not realize that they are trapped or else soon will be. It will relieve you from the troubles of your day and it will give you immediate pleasure. In reality, it is only relieving you of your spirituality and your capacity to draw on the powers of heaven in times of need. The consequences are eternal. "Satan has slyly and slowly lowered the social norms of morality to a tragic and destructive level." I plead with y'all to not let this spiritually destructive disease get you. Avoid it like the plague, for it is just as destructive.

     "The secret to cleansing our spirit of whatever the impurity is not very complicated. It begins with sincere, heartfelt prayer every morning and ends with prayer every night. This is the most important step I know in the cleansing process. It may simply be a prayer for strength to turn from bad habits, or a prayer that sin will be distasteful to you.

     Meanwhile, remember that not all prayers are answered the same day or even the next day. Sometimes it takes a long time. If you have tried and have given up, I plead with you to try again and again and again. Our Heavenly Father will not forsake your efforts if you persist.
     The second step in this plan of attack is to gain an added measure of spiritual strength through a daily study of the scriptures. Your study need not be long, but it should be every day. If I were you, I would read the scriptures tonight and never let a day pass without reading in them, even if only for a few minutes. The scriptures assist us to overpower darkness with light.
     The third step that I would counsel is: when necessary, receive the blessing that comes in the confession process. Too many are harboring the inner feeling of guilt resulting from unrepented mistakes. Part of the repentance process is confession. If you happen to be one of those who has this need, I plead with you to go see your bishop before the sun sets tomorrow."

     I know that this is inspired of God. We have no need to let this destructive enemy get us. If you are in this trap, I plead with you to get help. The lack of the Spirit in your life is too great a price.