Fatherhood: A Glimpse of the Divine

     Watch this video on Fathers and see how the role of our earthly father is synonymous to the role of our Heavenly Father, and how a noble father gives us a glimpse of the Divine.

     I loved this video a ton, because it really helped me to see the love that my Heavenly Father must really have for me. We truly are the children of our Heavenly Father. We are given this beautiful Earth that is our world. We have food and toys and things that we desire that make us happy. We are given trial and sorrow that help us grow. We can communicate through prayer and scripture study. He answers us with what we need. He truly is the perfect Father and wants us to ultimately be happy.

     I too love my earthly father immensely. I cherish every moment that I get to spend with him. He truly is everything I want to be, my role model, my inspiration, my example, and most importantly my best friend. I hope that I can be as great as him one day. He is an amazing man and quite frankly the best dad I ever had. Happy Father's Day! SURE LOVE YA!

Motherhood: A Divine Calling

     I just want to start off by saying, I LOVE MY MOM! Okay, now that I have that off my chest, I want you to watch this awesome video and reflect back on the women in your life who have loved, mentored, and mothered you. Think about the many things those women have done for you! Now WATCH!

     So, I have been told a couple of times in my life that often women do not particularly enjoy Mother's Day. Well, if this is you, then I am going to be speaking mostly to you in this post. As it has been explained to me, it is often the fact that women see how awesome other's mothers are and how much they lack in comparison that makes Mother's Day such a drag; or maybe, it is that the expectations of how Mother's Day should be spent are often not met. Whatever the case may be, put it aside for just one moment. You, by the simple fact of being a woman, have a divine nature that is so uniquely yours and for which heaven itself sends angels to watch over you and your little ones, so cherish that. You are doing God's work. Your motherhood is an eternal partnership with Him. In my humble opinion, and as the video explained, a mother is someone who loves, and mentors others. So, I would like to add that you do not have to have children to be a mother. Any woman could have children, but in my opinion, it takes someone who is willing to care for and nurture someone out of charity and love to be a mother. For those who decide to take that divine role upon themselves thank you! Our Father in Heaven has trusted you to work with Him in raising His sons and daughters. How great is your call and how lucky are you. I hope and pray you enjoy your divine calling and have a wonderful Mother's Day! :)

P.S. If I didn't already mention it before, I LOVE YOU MOM!!!

Christmas (The True Meaning)

     I had my second Christmas away from home this year and it was great! It wasn't great because I was happy to be away from home, it was great because I was able to share the message of The Savior with so many wonderful people. I did get to Skype my family which was a way fun perk, but that isn't what I want to focus on. I want to focus on what I learned. I learned that my parents know how to give good gifts (what I want). I learned that God knows how to give perfect gifts (what I need). I learned that God has given us the greatest gift that we could ever want, A Savior, to help us get back once again to live with our Heavenly Father. I learned that we have family to spend time with, to learn and grow from, and to share the many joys in life. Most importantly, I learned that the true meaning of Christmas is Jesus Christ.

Merry Christmas!!!

"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.

"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?

Daddy!

     I am going to take another quick little break from my normal routine to devote this post to my dad. I love you dad so very much. You have been my biggest role model for ever and I look up to you for all things. I hope I can be as good a father as you one day! Thanks for all of the time you have spent with me throughout the years. I will always cherish those nights growing up, when you would spend time with just me, and we would go out to get an ice-cream cone or go check out the toys in the toy store (I bet you thought I didn't remember that). I loved those long car rides to various water polo games or whatever it may have been where I had the chance to just be with you and talk. Thanks for being my biggest fan and supporting me through all my sporting choices, even if I was not very good at some of them. I am so grateful to have you as my dad, because you are the best one out there and I love you so much. Thanks again for all that you do for me. Happy Father's Day, Dad!

I love you dad!

Mommy!

     So I have decided to take a quick little break from my normal routine and devote this post to my mom whom I love so very much. Like I said before, I love my mom so very much. Without her I would not have come into this world. I would not know how to tie my shoes. I would not know if there were snakes in the park. I would not know why Ben, my brother, had a crayon. I would not know how to do dishes. I would not know that sitting inside all day is not okay. I would not know how to make Macaroni and Cheese, and the list could go on forever. Yes, some of those were inside jokes that I have with my mom and others were just silly, but no matter what I still appreciate all those little things as well as the many other things I did not list. I am so grateful to have the best mom out there and I love her so dearly. Thanks for all that you do for me. Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

     I Love you so much, Mom!

Charity and Love

     The next Attribute is Charity and Love. With the passing of Valentines day I only see it fitting. Charity is the pure love of Christ. I look at that two different ways. First, that we should love Christ as much as ourselves. Second, that we should love others as much as Christ loves them. It is the love that Christ has for the children of men and that the children of men should have for one another. It is the highest, noblest, and strongest kind of love and the most joyous to the soul. We are to seek to develop that kind of love. When you are filled with charity, you obey God’s commandments and do all you can to serve others and help them receive the restored gospel. As it says in the scriptures, "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." (Mosiah 2:17.) If we could just lose ourselves in the service of others we would find it a lot easier to show love towards one another.
     A man once asked Jesus, “Which is the great commandment in the law?” Jesus replied: “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.” (Matthew 22:36–39.) I find it interesting that the second greatest commandment is to love others when you see very little of that in the world today. It seems as though with all these "Christians" in the world there should be very little hate towards one another and a lot more peace and kindness. However, that is not the case so something must be askew.
     In the Book of Mormon it tells us that Charity is a gift from God and that we must ask for it. If we will just humble ourselves to come to God and have him help us we will all be able to feel a special love for each individual on the earth. You will come to feel a sincere concern for the eternal welfare and happiness of other people. You will see them as children of God with the potential of becoming like our Heavenly Father. I challenge all to seek the help from God in having charity in our hearts and loving all of those around us.