Tarzan - Strangers Like Me

To continue from yesterdays Tarzan, we shall discuss how we are all alike, even when we can seem strange to others.

"there so much to Learn"

There is much to learn about Life, the Universe, and Everything.  However the answer is not 42, the answer is 'The Gospel'.

"It's all so Close, and Yet so Far"

Many people believe in Christ, but they all have their own way of expressing that Belief or Faith.  But the Bible says, "One Lord, One Faith, One Baptism". (Ephesians 4:5)  But if there is only 'One Way' to return to live with our Heavenly Father, then why are there so many different Denominations?

It is because of the Great Apostasy, or Falling Away. (2 Thessalonians 2:2-3)  So all of these Denominations have come so Close to having the Truth in its Fullness, but they are Far enough away that they don't realize it.

There is something Bigger out there.  Do you want to Know?  Do you want me to Show you?

"But behold,

if ye will awake and arouse your faculties [make an effort],

even to an experiment upon my words,

and exercise a particle of faith,

yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe,

let this desire work in you,

even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place

for a portion of my words."

-- Alma 32:27

I can tell you more, and I will show you.  But first you must have a Willing Heart.

When Clayton becomes frustrated he makes an excellent point about the Gospel.  If we spend all our time on what We want, but it is not the pursuit of Truth and increased Knowledge, which is what the Lord wants, then we are putting our spiritual life at risk.  As he states, the 'boat' could arrive any day, and we should ask questions Straight Out, or Without Reservation.

Give a Question in the Comments, or go to LDS.org and MORMON.org for a greater understanding of the Gospel.

Why Should WE Worry?

So this song is by Dodger, and he is wondering why he should care about anything.

Why should we care?  What great need do we have to worry?

Many people believe that they can be 'Saved' and then they are good for the rest of forever.  This is not exactly the best line of thinking.  We cannot 'Be Saved' in this life.  It is possible to 'fall' even after being Baptized, or accepting Christ.

We should take major precations with our choices in life.  As today is the Fourth of July, and most Americans will be celebrating the Day of our Independance, which usually includes Fireworks.

As a missionary I am held to particular rules that are for personal safety, which I am not held to outside of the Two Years that I wear a Name Tag.  One of those rules is to not handle fireworks.  some people think that this is ridiculous, and that being 22 years old 'I should be able to do things like this safely'.

Well I have handled many fireworks before my mission, and I too am pretty sure that I can still do so safely.  so "Why Should I Worry, or Care"?  The point is that God, through His Prophet, has given His Divine Counsel to avoid doing so.

So if I am able to follow God's counsel for Two Years, I will have His blessings with me.

Even after we accept the Gospel of Jesus Christ, we still need to give heed to the Commandments that God has given us.  We can't just sit back and think that everything will go along just fine.  We must continue to repent from sin, and make things right when we do something wrong.

No one can 'Be Saved' until AFTER they are dead, and AFTER ALL of their choices have been finalized.


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Computers and Scriptures

Have you ever wondered why there is more than one book of Scripture?

Why couldn't Moses have written everythuing we need?

Why did other men, Prophets, continue to write more Scripture?

Well, it is kinda like a Computer.

This is a Motherboard.

A Motherboard is what keeps everything together and allows all the other computer parts to function.

This is a Video Card.

This individual Chip processes each pixel on the screen, and tells the computer what to show.

This is a Sound Card.

Everything you Hear comes from this.  Sometimes the Card is the problem, not your volume.

These are RAM sticks.

RAM stands for Readily Accessable Memory.

This is what determines how fast your computer can process things.

The Scriptures act much like a Computer.  Each individual Book of Scripture does what is needed, to help people learn and understand the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Not every book of Scripture details every single principle of the Gospel, so you must read all of them in order to make the Gospel Functional.

The Video Card could be considered 'Visions'.

"Where there is no vision, the people perish"

-- Proverbs 29:18

The Sound Card could be 'Hearing the Word of the Lord'.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God,

that I will send a famine in the land,

not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water,

but of hearing the words of the Lord."

-- Amos 8:11

The Motherboard is the Spirit, keeping everything together.  Without the Spirit we would not have our own personal testimony that the Scriptures are true, and it would be quite difficult to understand how each peace of Scripture fits in with the rest.

The RAM is our mind.  When we learn something from the Scriptures, we need to do whatever we can to remember what we learn, and Apply it into our lives.  It does no good to go to church or to read the Scriptures if we don't act upon what has been revealed.

So just like a Computer has many different parts that make it work, the Gospel calls for a Prophet to reveal the Will of the Lord in Modern times.  Just as the Children of Israel needed Joshua after Moses, and later Elisha after Elijah.  The Lord set Peter as the Chief Apostle, founding the church upon the Rock of Revelation, and after Christ's ascension Peter was the Prophet on the Earth.  The computer of the Gospel is now functioning under the Prophetic Guidance of Thomas S. Monson.

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Elder Dallin H. Oaks: "Love and law"

General Conference is coming up on the 31st of March and the 1st of April.

Here is a previous Conference Talk from Elder Oaks.

Armor of God - Five of Six - Helmet of Salvation

The Helmet of Salvation is a piece of Armor we can acquire pretty much by ourselves.

"He saved others; himself he cannot save.

If he be the King of Israel,

let him now come down from the cross,

and we will believe him."

-- Matthew 27:42

"O the vainness, and the frailties, and the foolishness of men!

When they are learned they think they are wise,

and they hearken not unto the counsel of God,

for they set it aside, supposing they know of themselves,

wherefore, their wisdom is foolishness and it profiteth them not.

And they shall perish."

-- 2 Nephi 9:28

The Pharisees always thought they had the answers, and so they rejected the teachings from Christ.

Remember, you cannot be saved in ignorance.  There is something in the Gospel of Christ you have to KNOW for yourself.  You can't rely on everyone else to have the answers for you when the end comes.

Even the Turtles cover the melon.

The Helmet also protects your head, which houses your brain, and you would want to make sure that it stays attached and covered in case of a zombie apocalypse. 

This is because without your brain, you can't do anything.  In other words, without the Helmet of Salvation, your brain doesn't know what to do in order to Live the gospel.


NEXT POST : Sword of the Spirit

Armor of God - Four of Six - Shield of Faith

"Above all, taking the shield of faith, 

wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked."

-- Ephesians 6:16

The Shield of Faith is your most important piece of armor.  It says 'Above All' because even if you aren't righteous all the time, or you don't have a good preparation period, or sometimes you are not as 'True' as you should be, YOU CAN STILL HAVE FAITH.

"Jesus said unto him, 

If thou canst believe, 

all things are possible to him that believeth."

-- Mark 9:23

Faith is more than a mere belief.  Faith is an action word, if you have faith in something you are willing to DO something about it.  The first principle of the gospel is Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  Without this faith it is not possible to have any form of progression Spiritually.

However, if you have Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the second Principle of the Gospel becomes something that we desire almost daily, that is to repent for things we do wrong.  Faith leads us to Repentance.

Faith can be acquired and still be forgotten.  Sometimes it goes dormant and is not needed for a time.

"Yea, your knowledge is perfect in that thing, and your faith is dormant"

-- Alma 32:34

This is when we need to continue to Study the Scriptures to increase of Faith in other parts of the Gospel, because Faith has a very short shelf life.

If we use our Shield of Faith, we can deflect and block all the attacks that Satan throws at us.

However, if we have that Faith in Christ, but we don't ACT on it, it is like having a shield and going into battle with it just hanging by our side.  No effort to lift the Shield and there will not be a deflection of oncoming attacks.  The shield then becomes this dead weight that instead of helping us, it actually hinders us.

"Thou believest that there is one God; 

thou doest well: 

the devils also believe, and tremble.

But wilt thou know, 

O vain man,

 that faith without works is dead?"

-- James 2:19-20

"Ye see then how that by works a man is justified,

 and not by faith only."

-- James 2:24

I know that by having True Faith in Jesus Christ we will come closer to our Savior and receive a fulness of Joy.  We will have more peace in our lives, and there will come a time when we shall see that our Faith has 'Shielded' us from the Fiery Darts of the Devil.


NEXT POST : Helmet of Salvation

Westley = The Gospel in Action

The Atonement of Jesus Christ includes His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His Triumphant Resurrection.  Without this Atonement all mankind would be lost.

Lost is Bad

However, due to the Reality of this Atonement all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.



Westley in "The Princess Bride", used the Atonement in his everyday life.

He bested Inigo's Steel...

He defeated Fezzik's Strength...

He then out-thought Vizzini...

These three will represent all of our Pains, Afflictions, and Temptations.

How did Westley overcome all these things?

Through the Atonement of Jesus Christ.

"And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people."

-- Alma 7:11

By obedience to the Commandments we can all overcome the trials in our life.

"And he cometh into the world that he may save all men if they will hearken unto his voice;

for behold, he suffereth the pains of all men,

yea, the pains of every living creature,

both men, women, and children,

who belong to the family of Adam.

 And he suffereth this that the resurrection might pass upon all men,

that all might stand before him at the great and judgment day.

 And he commandeth all men that they must repent,

and be baptized in his name,

having perfect faith in the Holy One of Israel,

or they cannot be saved in the kingdom of God."

-- 2 Nephi 9:21-23

Just as Prince Humperdinck and Count Rugen caused lots of pain for Westley, the devil is always there trying to make us feel like we are worthless or that we should simply give up.

Right after they went through the worst day ever, Count Rugen goes and makes things worse.

But though the Atonement, even when we have fallen for a time there is still hope.

This Hope is in the Resurrection.

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world,
yea, even a place at the right hand of God,
which hope cometh of faith,
maketh an anchor to the souls of men,
which would make them sure and steadfast,
always abounding in good works,
being led to glorify God."
-- Ether 12:4

May each of us study the Scriptures and Pray often, so that we too can have these blessings of the Atonement in our life.




It is by obedience that we may receive our own 'Happily Ever After'.

Laws and Ordinances

Just as we have Laws for a Country and State Laws, there are also Laws that have been set to Govern our Spirit.  It is by obedience to these Laws that we receive blessings. (Doctrine and Covenants 130)

Faith is the First Principle of the gospel, or a Spiritual Law of Salvation.  Without Faith there is no progress.  Faith is an action word, and you gain more by exercising it.  Just like a muscle in your physical body, Faith is the muscle of your Spiritual body, the more you use it the stronger it becomes, but if neglected and left to itself it begins to fade away.

Reading scriptures, praying, going to church, and teaching others about the gospel are all ways to exercise Faith.

Repentance is the Second Principle or Law of the gospel.  Repentance is also an act of Faith, therefore if you have Faith it will lead you to Repent for things you have done wrong.  Repentance is the means by which we receive forgiveness from our sins, and align our will to the will of God.

Sometimes you might hear of an Ordinance.  The Ordinances of the gospel are Physical actions, prompted by Faith, that are part of the Plan of Salvation.  Where Faith and Repentance are Principles to live by everyday, an Ordinance is something that happens at a specific place and time.

Baptism is the First Ordinance of Salvation, and the Third Law of the gospel.  Baptism is the Gate by which we start down the path of living the fulness of the gospel.  Baptism is symbolic of death, burial, and the resurrection. When we are Baptized we are cleansed from past transgressions.

Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, or Confirmation, is the fourth Law of the gospel and is the second half of Baptism.  Baptism and Confirmation both must be done by Priesthood Authority.  The Priesthood is the Authority to act in God's name, and makes the ordinance binding both in this life and for all eternity.  The Gift of the Holy Ghost is different from the Influence of the Holy Ghost.  The Influence of the Holy Ghost is how we gain a testimony of truth before baptism, the Gift of the Holy Ghost is a promise given as part of the Baptismal Covenant (a covenant is a promise made with God) and entitles each of us to have the Holy Ghost as a constant companion as long as we live worthy of His presence by keeping the commandments.

By living these Principles and partaking of the Ordinances of the Gospel, we chart a course for ourselves to return to live with our Heavenly Father.

How Do We Glorify God?

This is a story about me, my breakfast cereal, and JEEPs. (I LOVE JEEPs, just in case you didn't already know that.)

So there I was, eating my breakfast cereal, when out of the middle of nowhere I had a bit of revelation.  I was thinking about how to "Be an example of the Believers"(1 Timothy 4:12), and the thought came to me of what we were commanded to do.

"Let your light so shine before men, 

that they may see your good works, 

and glorify your Father which is in heaven."

-- Matthew 5:16

Then I thought, "How exactly do we Glorify our Father in Heaven?"

"For behold, this is my work and my glory

—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man."

-- Moses 1:39

So if God's work and glory is immortality and eternal life, then to glorify Him would be to help others find this eternal life.  Everyone will be resurrected and become immortal, because the Savior was resurrected.

"And, if you keep my commandments 

and endure to the end 

you shall have eternal life, 

which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God."

-- Doctrine and Covenants 14:7

So I thought about how we gain eternal life, or rather how do we keep the commandments.  Those who keep the commandments have Faith, Repent of their sins, are Baptized by someone holding the Priesthood Authority, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and then Endure to the End.

Baptism and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost are ordinances, something that takes place at a specific place and time, and is performed by someone holding the proper Priesthood to do so.

Faith and Repentance however are both principles of the Gospel that we must have every day of our lives in order to truly Endure to the End.

But my original question was How do we apply this in our lives?

Basically everything we do should be to Glorify the Father.  This doesn't mean we shout praises and sing hymns all day long although there is a time to do so.  This means that everything we do should be an example, to help others make that decision to exercise their Faith in Jesus Christ by, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and then to help them stay strong and Endure to the End throughout the rest of their lives.

Being this example and striving to help others to also come into the waters of Baptism will qualify them for eternal life, which brings much more Joy and Happiness to God then any amount of praise or singing.  

Our Heavenly Father is most happy when we keep His commandments, so as we help others come closer to Him, we are only giving Him praise and glory by our works.  Let His work and glory, become what we work for, and we can truly Glorify Him.

If you are wondering when I am going to get to the JEEPs I mentioned, I will start now.

So my favorite car in the world is a JEEP.  I don't have one yet but I really really want one.

Why do I want one?  Because I think it will make me happy, but that happiness will only last a short time in this life.

So why would someone want to be Baptized?  Because the example of those who have been Baptized makes them think that being Baptized will help them be happy, and this happiness can last forever and extend beyond this life.

source



The JEEP will represent Baptism.  I don't have a JEEP, but the JEEPs I see around me look cool in my eyes, and I desire one.

So since I have been Baptized, I need to be just like a JEEP and my example should help others desire to be Baptized.



source

 

People are there to Glorify the Father by helping others get Baptized!!

JEEPs are there to make me want a JEEP!!



source



He Will Take Upon Him Their Infirmities

I love this picture.  Christ loves the world, and everyone that lives in it.  But when He has suffered for all of our sins, and we go about as if we don't care, I am sure that He has wept for the pain that He can not keep back from us.  If we go on and make bad choices that go against His Commandments, then we cause the burden to be that much worse for our Savior.

Baptism of Fire - Holy Ghost

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is often referred to as the Baptism of Fire.  The Baptism of Water is done by Immersion, and so is the Baptism of Fire.

Do not be alarmed, you don't have to be Immersed in physical Fire to be Baptized by the Holy Ghost.  Baptism of the Holy Ghost is inward where Baptism of water is outward.  You feel the cleansing power of the Spirit after you receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is kinda like having an Upgraded Conscience.  He warns you of danger and can lead you away from bad choices.  It is also a Promise that as long as you live worthy, He will be your constant companion, a friend that never has to go home.  Whenever you need help or guidance in life He is there to give it to you.

So since Fire is a cleansing agent used to purify metals, (Numbers 31:23), the symbolism of the Holy Ghost being a Baptism of Fire is that it cleanses and purifies our souls.  This Spiritual Cleansing can, and is intended to, happen continually throughout our lives.  Just as we are Baptized by Water and will not be perfect in keeping the Commandments, we will also need a way to continually repent and be forgiven from those sins.  This is done by partaking of the Sacrament, or Sacrament of the Lord's Supper.  The bread and water are emblems of His Body and Blood, which were willingly sacrificed on our behalf.  The conditions that we must meet as we partake of the Sacrament, is that we have a Broken Heart and a Contrite Spirit. (3 Nephi 9:20)

You can learn these things for yourself by reading the scriptures, and praying to know that what they say is true.

"And when ye shall receive these things,

I would exhort you that ye would ask God,

the Eternal Father,

in the name of Christ,

if these things are not true;

and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart,

with real intent,

having faith in Christ,

he will manifest the truth of it unto you,

by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost

ye may know the truth of all things."

-- Moroni 10:4-5

Scriptures: 2 Nephi 31:17, Acts 8:38, Doctrine and Covenants 19:31, Acts 19:6, John 14:26, Numbers 31:23, 3 Nephi 9:20, Moroni 10:4-5

Why Does it Feel so GOOD to be Baptized??

So this post comes from abyss of my minds' twisting nether.  Mostly I have a mental 'filing cabinet' where everything to do with gaming or movies and TV shows gets dumped.  It's probably the biggest filing cabinet in my brain.  But, once upon a time I was watching a movie called "Stargate", where a group of US Air Force guys use an alien device which creates a stable wormhole to another location, usually a planet, and when you pass through the event horizon, (point at which the wormhole is located), it transports you almost instantly, (about .2 seconds or something), to the other side.  No one had ever recorded being able to turn it on before.  So when they go through the first time it has a cool Computer Generated visual sequence with some intense sound effects.  You then see one of the characters standing on the other side and he says, "What a rush."  After a few minutes go by everyone calms down and they go about securing the area and doing their military thing.

Well, I'm not military, but that is kinda the best way to describe how I feel when someone follows Christ into the waters of Baptism.  I feel this RUSH every time someone comes to the waters of baptism.  However just like in the movie, a few minutes go by, or for me it is a few days, and then everything is normal again.  Nice and pleasant where I know what I need to be doing and can do so with confidence.  This is one way that the Lord prepares us for future trials in life.  He gives us a taste and when we handle it well, we prove that He can trust us.  He then trusts us with a little more the next time.

 "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept;
line upon line, line upon line;
here a little, and there a little"
-- Isaiah 28:10

"For behold, thus saith the Lord God:
I will give unto the children of men line upon line,
precept upon precept,
here a little and there a little;
and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts,
and lend an ear unto my counsel,
for they shall learn wisdom;
for unto him that receiveth
I will give more"
-- 2 Nephi 28:30

I know that as we follow the lord, we will be able to have that RUSH of Happiness, that EXCITEMENT within our soul, so that we will be sustained in our trials and carried through all our afflictions.

What Exactly is Required to be 'Saved' in the Kingdom of Heaven ? ? ?

"What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him?"

-- James 2:14

Lets say you are at home, and your stomach says your hungry.  You believe and have faith that there is food in the fridge.  Your friend tells you that there is indeed food in the fridge.  You know that the food in the fridge would make your stomach feel better, but unless you actually get off the couch and go in to the fridge and get some of the food you will still be hungry.

In the gospel you can believe that Christ is the Savior of the world.  You might even read scriptures, and have your friends tell you all about it.  But unless you actually do those things which Christ has commanded us to do on your own, you will never be able to gain a testimony, and be saved at the last day.

The first action to take after having a Faith in Christ is Repentance.  To Repent is to ask for forgiveness for sin, or something you have done wrong, and to promise that you will do you best to never do it again.  Part of the Repentance process also includes making things right with others, or paying them back if you stole something.  When we sin we incur spiritual debt, but through Repentance and exercising our Faith in Jesus Christ that debt can be paid.

Mark 16:16

After you believe and repent of your past sins the next step is Baptism.  Just as before if you have a belief and do nothing about it, then you really don't believe in it that much.  If you truly believe that Christ is your Savior, and you have a desire to follow Him, then you will be baptized even as He was.

When Jesus Christ was baptized He walked somewhere around 40 miles to get to John the Baptist.  There were people who baptized right in Jerusalem, but He walked to John the Baptist because John had something that the others did not have . . . The Priesthood.  The Priesthood is the Authority to act in the name of God.  It is required to perform sacred ordinances.  While anyone can go to a lake and perform a baptism, only those baptisms done by Priesthood Authority will be recognized by God.

Acts 2:38

Even after we are Baptized we still need to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  This is much like an upgraded conscience.  The Holy Ghost is there to testify of truth, to comfort us(John 14:16), and to help us make good decisions.  We can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost before Baptism, but the Gift of the Holy Ghost is when He becomes a constant companion, if we live worthy of His presence.

Matthew 24:13

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is just that, His Gospel.  We have to follow His plan in order to have a part in it.  We cannot pick and choose which parts we like and which parts we don't.  If we are to live again in the presence of our Eternal Father, we need to Endure to the End of all things.


So in order to truly be 'saved' you must have Faith in Jesus Christ and His atonement, Repent of your sins, be Baptized by someone who holds the Priesthood, Receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Endure to the End.

Restoration of "The Lost City"

So I am a huge fan of Stargate, and almost every episode has something related to the gospel in it.

I am going to go into how the overarching theme of Stargate Atlantis resembles the Restoration of the Gospel.  For this the city of Atlantis will represent the Gospel of Jesus Christ.





Once upon a time, there was an Ancient civilization known as the Ancients.  They lived in the Pegasus Galaxy and they ended up fighting a war with a hybrid species called the Wraith.



Wraith....The Bad Guys



Once upon a time, there was a Prophet called Moses.  He lived in the middle eastern area of the world, and taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Some of the children of Israel didn't keep the commandments from God like they were supposed to.  This caused there to be a mix of Gentiles and disobedient Jews.  This also ends with fighting a war of religion between the obedient ones and this hybrid group.



Gentiles and Believers rejected the Messiah



The war between the Ancients and the Wraith progressed with the Ancients much more technologically able, but the Wraith had way more manpower.  Eventually they realized that they were winning every battle, but in the end the couldn't win the war.(SG-1 season 10 episode 3)



Pegasus Galaxy Map in Atlantis



When Christ came to the earth He also won every battle, but He couldn't win the war.  He did indeed conquer the devil in overcoming sin and death, but the war for the souls of men is still being waged.  He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind, made the lame walk and the deaf hear.  Whenever His oppressors posed a question to catch Him in His words, He only gave the correct answer.  Even with each battle won, there were too many who would not believe in His divine mission. (John 10:25)


The Ancients abandoned their capitol city, Atlantis, seeing no way to defeat the forces against them, but they sunk the city to the bottom of the ocean.(2 Thessalonians 2:3)  This made it possible for their descendants to return to the city and finish the war.(Acts 3:21)


Jesus Christ knew He would not convince those who refused to believe.  He laid down His life so that others might live, if they would believe on His name.(John 20:31)  He left the promise that all things would be restored at a later time, before His second coming.(Acts 3:21)



Christ Performed Miracles

The Stargate program found out how to get to Atlantis, the place of the ancestors, and they sent an expedition to return to the city.  They reactivated the technology that had long slept, and restored everything that had been forgotten.




Gate address...Kinda like a phone number



In the year 1820, Joseph Smith was praying to find out the truth.  He searched the Bible and found that he needed to ask God about it.(James 1:5)  Through him the church that Christ set up was restored.  The priesthood, which is the authority to act in the name of Christ, was again given to man.

The Wraith are eventually defeated once and for all, but only after the city of Atlantis was restored. 

The Devil will also eventually be defeated, but only after the "restitution of all things", prophesied to prepare the way for the Savior's second coming.

Military = The Gospel

All branches of the military have some differences in rank but the purpose is still the same. The General gives his commands and it goes through the ranks ensuring the message is sent. The organization still needs to be there to ensure that every soldier can return home safe and to have accomplished their objective. When at war, the soldiers need to work together as a unit to accomplish the goal. The information comes through the chain of command. Without that organization, the army would fail and wouldn't win.

Physical weapons are used to destroy the enemy of the people. 

Spiritual weapons are used to destroy the enemy of our soul.





Air Force Ranks



Everyone has their own rank and their own duties, but without each one of them the army would fall.

The Lord has always called those to stand as officers.(2 Chronicles 23:18)  In the church, there is the Prophet, who acts as the leading General under the direction of Jesus Christ.  The Prophet has two counselors (Exodus 17:12) who would stand as Lieutenant Generals.  The the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles would be Major Generals.  Those who hold the office of Seventy (Luke 10:1) would be Brigadier Generals.  Stake Presidents are like Colonels, with their counselors being Lieutenant Colonels.  Bishops would stand as Majors, with their counselors being Captains.  An Elders Quorum President would be a 1st Lieutenant, and his counselors standing as 2nd Lieutenants. (Matthew 21:23) This is the design that has been established by God to govern the affairs of His church, and just as in a worldly army it all starts at the top and then filters down.



U.S. Military Seals

Each branch of the military specializes in its own field of combat.  You don't usually see an Air Force pilot as a crewman on a Submarine.

Christ has set up His church the same way, there are several organizations designed to best help the people in that area.  They include the Elders Quorum for men over 18, Relief Society for women over 18, Young Mens and Young Womens for ages 12 to 18, Primary for the kids 2 to 12, and a Nursery.

"The Lord's house, is a house of order."

(John 2:13-16 and Doctrine and Covenants 109:8)

The Book of Mormon and the Bible each teach and testify of Christ.  It is by reading these books of scripture which were written by Prophets, or Spiritual Generals, that we learn the battle plans and how to follow our Savior.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ Requires WORK

So some people think we are in a huge depression.  Others think it's just a little recession.  I think it doesn't matter because if you are doing as God would do, He will bless you with everything you need.

Even though we don't always get everything we want when we want it, God will provide for our necessities.  In the Book of Mormon there was a people who took an oath to never take up weapons of war ever again.  These people were called the Anti-Nephi-Lehites, and they had the promised protection of the Nephites.  When their mutual enemy, the Lamanites, came to war against them, the Nephites struggled to defend themselves as well as those who they had sworn to protect.  When the time came that the Anti-Nephi-Lehites wanted to take up arms to aid their brethren, Helaman forbade them lest by breaking the covenant, or promise, which they had made with the Lord, they would have been slain.  However, they had many sons who had not entered into this covenant, and these sons valued the liberty of their fathers, even more than their own lives, and they 'enlisted' to join the army against the Lamanites.  See Alma 53:14-16.

Thus we see that once you say you are going to do something, you need to do it.  We also see that the liberty of the fathers was protected by the hard work that their sons gave in service.  However we cannot look to someone else to fulfill the requirements the Lord has set to enter His kingdom.

When Joseph, son of Jacob, whose name was changed to Israel, was sold into Egypt, he served in several positions where everything was 'commited into his hand'.  After more than a couple years since seeing his family he was brought before Pharaoh to interpret a dream.

The dreams of Pharaoh, and Joseph's interpretation, are as follows:(the teal is my own interjections)

"And Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:

And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine(good cows), fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:

And, behold, seven other kine(sick cows) came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed, such as I never saw in all the land of Egypt for badness:

And the lean and the ill favoured kine(sick cows) did eat up the first seven fat kine(good cows):

And when they had eaten them up, it could not be known that they had eaten them; but they were still ill favoured, as at the beginning. So I awoke.

And I saw in my dream, and, behold, seven ears(good corn) came up in one stalk, full and good:

And, behold, seven ears(bad corn), withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:

And the thin ears(bad corn) devoured the seven good ears(good corn): and I told this unto the magicians; but there was none that could declare it to me.

And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, The dream of Pharaoh is one: God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.

The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one.

And the seven thin and ill favoured kine that came up after them are seven years; and the seven empty ears blasted with the east wind shall be seven years of famine.

This is the thing which I have spoken unto Pharaoh: What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.

Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:

And there shall arise after them seven years of famine; and all the plenty shall be forgotten in the land of Egypt; and the famine shall consume the land;

And the plenty shall not be known in the land by reason of that famine following; for it shall be very grievous.

And for that the dream was doubled unto Pharaoh twice; it is because the thing is established by God, and God will shortly bring it to pass."

-- Genesis 41:17-32

Here we see that everything the Lord does is done by the 'mouth of two or more witnesses'.  He gave Pharaoh two dreams, plus the testimony of a Prophet.  Three witnesses were given that there would be a time of plenty, and then a time of famine.

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God,

that I will send a famine in the land,

not a famine of bread,

nor a thirst for water,

but of hearing the words of the Lord:

And they shall wander from sea to sea,

and from the north even to the east,

they shall run to and fro

to seek the word of the Lord,

and shall not find it."

-- Amos 8:11-12

"Let no man deceive you by any means: 

for that day shall not come,

except there come a falling away first,"

-- 2 Thessalonians 2:3

And thus we can plainly discern,

that after a people have been once enlightened by the Spirit of God,

and have had great knowledge of things pertaining to righteousness,

and then have fallen away into sin and transgression,

they become more hardened,

and thus their state becomes worse

than though they had never known these things."

-- Alma 24:30

Here we have more than two times that the Lord has told us there would be a falling away, or an apostasy, before His second coming.

"And he shall send Jesus Christ, 

which before was preached unto you:

Whom the heaven must receive

until the times of restitution of all things,

which God hath spoken

by the mouth of all his holy prophets

since the world began."

-- Acts 3:20-21

"I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren"

-- Deuteronomy 18:18

The famine of hearing the words of the Lord is over, the church that Jesus Christ established has been restored again to the earth, which is the restitution of all things, including the Priesthood which is Authority to perform sacred ordinances in the name of Christ.

We are told to "WORK out your own salvation"(Philippians 2:12), and the way has been shown in the scriptures.  The Book of Mormon stands as SECOND witness of Jesus Christ.  Through the Book of Mormon we find that we must indeed have FAITH in the Lord Jesus Christ, REPENT of our sins, be BAPTIZED by someone holding the proper authority to do so, receive the GIFT of the Holy Ghost, and ENDURE to the END.

I promise that if anyone is struggling with life right now, be it because of family problems, lack of employment, depression, or addiction, by reading the Book of Mormon for 5 minutes a day you will find peace, hope, and balance in your life and family.

The Tale of the Snoodle

This is a Veggie Tales clip, teaching about how God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:8-9)

Although the young Snoodle, who was very sad, didn't know it at first, he was designed to be glad.

As we move along on the dirty, dreary, dusty roads of life, we can look to Him, who can erase all the strife, for He knows better than we.  And as He hears us, we know that He cares.  For when do we seek Him, that He's not aware??

If we look past the cloud of despair, that others paint for us and throw in the air, we will see that He loves us, and is standing right there, but we must turn around, and just ask Him where.

Where do we need to go??  Where is thy truth to be found??  Where is the safety, from the great storms of life??

The answer will be as it has been in the past, search thee the scriptures, from the first to the last.

ok.... "No more rhymes now I mean it! ... Anybody want a peanut?" (The Princess Bride)

Even though the drinking of Tea is bad because it harms your body, (you can substitute some hot chocolate), the character depicting our Heavenly Father has the young Snoodle wait while He painted a picture.  This is the doctrine of "Be still, and KNOW that I am God." -- Psalms 46:10

We can also KNOW that our Heavenly Father is there for us, by reading His scriptures and Praying to Him asking for Him to tell us what is right.

I know that from reading the Bible and the Book of Mormon, we will find the truths of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and these truths will lead us back to His presence.

Mowing the Lawn

So today I was mowing a lawn for service this morning with a riding lawn mower, and I have never used one of those before.  After the first few minutes I realized all my lines were squiggly, and not even close to straight. Then I remembered something that I learned about 3 years ago.

When you drive a tractor through a field, you don't watch what is right in front of you.  You watch the edge of the field you are driving towards.  This gives you a stationary spot you can aim for the entire length of the field.  I considered this concept and decided that it would work for mowing the lawn as well.  Turns out I was right.

Then I thought about how this could be applied to the gospel, and as I sat on the rumbling lawn mower I thought of making goals.  When you make a goal to do something you automatically have things to do before you get there.  I made a goal mark of getting to the other side of the lawn in a straight line.  This meant I had to adjust the steering wheel several times a second, it wasn't a very straight steering wheel in the first place, but eventually I would get to the other side, turn around, and aim for somewhere at that end of the lawn.

This is applied in the Gospel of Jesus Christ because we have to know where we are going in order to get there.  The path to return and live with our Heavenly Father is 'straight and narrow' so we have to make sure we can see the end goal from wherever we are.  Then we can progress down that path that is before us until we get there.

Occasionally we find ourselves making squiggles in our path.  This is not a good thing but we can always pray and receive strength from Christ to straighten out our paths.

"I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me."

--Philippians 4:13

"Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path."

--Psalms 119:105

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is that which Christ taught pertaining to the requirements for us to return and live with God. 

These requirements are:

 Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and His Atonement, 

Repentance,

Baptism,

Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost,

and Enduring to the End.

Faith in Jesus Christ is more than just Believing He lived and died for us.  Faith is an action word.  When we have Faith, we do things that we otherwise wouldn't, to try and help others.  We show our Faith by our actions.  Faith can be shown by attending church, praying both vocally and within our hearts, giving service to others in need, reading the scriptures, and following the teachings of the Savior.  Through Jesus Christ, we can be cleansed from all of our sin.  This is possible because of His Atonement, where He Suffered, died, and was Resurrected three days later.

"For behold, he surely must die that salvation may come;

yea, it behooveth him and becometh expedient that he dieth,

to bring to pass the resurrection of the dead,

that thereby men may be brought into the presence of the Lord."

-- Helaman 14:15

Because of this Atonement we have the ability to repent, which is to confess to the Lord and ask for forgiveness.  We can be assured that we have truly repented of our sins when we can look in the mirror, thinking of what we did, and not have feelings of guilt or shame.

"Then Peter said unto them,
Repent,

and be baptized

every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ

for the remission of sins,

and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

-- Acts 2:38

After we repent, we must follow the Lord into the waters of Baptism.  Jesus walked many miles to get to John the Baptist because John had the authority to perform this ordinance.  That authority is called the Priesthood.  Today, we must be baptized by that same priesthood which John had in order for our Baptism to be of effect in Heaven.  When Christ was on the earth, He gave this Priesthood Authority to His Apostles.

"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven:

and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven:

and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

-- Matthew 16:19

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is having the right to the constant companionship of the Spirit.  The Spirit is the Third member of the Godhead, and as such He testifies of the truth and divinity of Jesus Christ.  He also can give us guidance and help us avoid danger and make good decisions.  Although we can feel the influence of the Holy Ghost before Baptism we don't have the gift of the Holy Ghost until after we are baptized.  This gift is also given by the laying on of hands, through Priesthood Authority.

"He said unto them,

Have ye received the Holy Ghost since ye believed?

And they said unto him,

We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost.

 And he said unto them,

Unto what then were ye baptized?

And they said, Unto John's baptism.

Then said Paul,

John verily baptized with the baptism of repentance,

saying unto the people,

that they should believe on him which should come after him,

that is, on Christ Jesus.

When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus.

 And when Paul had laid his hands upon them,

the Holy Ghost came on them"

-- Acts 19:2-6

After we have done all of this, we are qualified to return to live with our Father in Heaven.  However, we will continue to be tempted and will sin again.  This is why we must pray always for help and guidance from the Lord.  We must Endure to the End of everything.  To the End of the Day, the End of the Week, and the End of our Lives.  We must continue in fighting for what we know to be just and true.

"And now, my beloved brethren,

after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path,

I would ask if all is done?

Behold, I say unto you,

Nay;

for ye have not come thus far

save it were by the word of Christ

with unshaken faith in him,

relying wholly upon the merits of him

who is mighty to save."

-- 2 Nephi 31:19