Remember Who You Are - The Lion King

Simba had forgotten who he was.  He was the Son of Mufasa, and rightful Heir to the Kingdom of his Father.

"And if children,

then heirs;

heirs of God,

and joint-heirs with Christ;

if so be that we suffer with him,

that we may be also glorified together."

-- Romans 8:17

How then do we "suffer with him"?  Do we have to have our own Garden of Gethsemane, or Die on a Cross?  No.  We must however go through the pains of Spirit, and learn to Feel as He Felt.  To have Godly Sorrow for both our Sins, and the trials of those around us.

If you have forgotten who YOU are, YOU have forgotten the FATHER.

"And now, my sons, REMEMBER, REMEMBER that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."
-- Helaman 5:12

"Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?"

-- Hebrews 12:9

REMEMBER what we are supposed to be doing.

"Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you."

-- John 15:14

Pocahontas - Is Your Heart Feeling Savage?

Ask yourself, "Am I 'Savage' towards others?"

Interdenominational differences often cause people to raise aggressive defense against each other.  This is not intended to happen if we truly lived the Gospel as taught by Jesus Christ.

"And he gave some, apostles;

and some, prophets;

and some, evangelists;

and some, pastors and teachers;

For the perfecting of the saints,

for the work of the ministry,

for the edifying of the body of Christ:

Till we all come in the unity of the faith,

and of the knowledge of the Son of God,

unto a perfect man,

unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ:"

-- Ephesians 4:11-13

All of the offices of the Priesthood listed were given specifically for us to come into a 'Unity of the Faith'.  Are we Unified in our faith in the Savior Jesus Christ?  Is there only One 'Faith', or 'Church' on the Earth?

Jesus Christ set up His church when He was on the Earth.  Jesus Christ is Perfect, therefore anything He does or establishes must needs be perfect.  Futhermore, if there are any changes made to that church which He established it would become imperfect, because you simply can't make something 'more than perfect'.

If Christ's Church had the offices of Prophet (Adam, Noah, Moses), Apostles (Peter, James, John), Seventy (Luke 10:1,17), Pastor/Bishop (1 Timothy 3:1), Teachers (1 Corinthians 12:28), Deacons (1 Timothy 3:8), Patriarch/Evangelist (Hebrews 7:4), Elder (James 5:14), Priest and High Priest (Hebrews 5:10, Hebrews 9:6-7).

Christ is the Head of the Church. (Ephesians 5:23, Mosiah 5:8)

So how can we know of ourselves which Church is True to the organization of Christ's Church?

Prayer.  That's it.  Prayer is the only way to know if any particular Church is right.  Don't bother asking some mortal, even myself, because they will tell you as far as their understanding allows.  God however cannot lie, and has all the understanding of the Universe.  He is also your Heavenly Father and you can Trust Him without any reservation.

When Pocahontas goes to speak to 'Grandmother Willow', she seeks guidance.  This represents prayer. The Spirit, like the Spinning Arrow guides us in Truth, and tells us what we should do.  Once we know the path we need to have the courage to run the course.  Much as Pocahontas could have received her revelation that she should save John Smith, had she not run as fast as she could to save him, or in other words to Live the Gospel, then he would have been killed by her father, and many others would have been killed in war.

Search the Scriptures, for in them ye find direction.  Pray to your Heavenly Father and He will give you direction, but you must listen with your Heart.

A Book of Mormon Story

I have a Personal Testimony from the Holy Spirit, that the Book of Mormon is True.

It IS the word of the Almighty Father.

It IS another Testament of Jesus Christ.

Prince of Egypt: Heaven's Eyes

What is worthy of Honor?

If you ever have trouble seeing your Infinite and Eternal Potential, you might try asking what others see in you.  Most of the time your friends know what you are good at and they will tell you.

Then get on your knees, pray to your Father, and ask Him to help you see your life through Heavens eyes.

My Dad is . . . AWESOME!!

Today I want to brag about my family.  Mostly just my dad.  Within my family there are contained four women, and two men.  That means three sisters, mom and dad, and then me.  I usually never got anything I wanted at the store because I was the youngest and the only boy.  When we would rent a movie, it was almost guaranteed to be a chick flick, because three older sisters will always out-whine a single younger brother.  My dad was usually working late all the time so I didn't get a whole lot of backup either.  But that is just fine now, I can quote most of those movies better than my sisters.   ;)

However, as the years went by, my dad got a different job.  I got myself a job.  Then I went to college.  Then dad lost his job.  Then I came home from college.  Then me and my dad were home together all the time.  Almost everyday.  So we started doing more stuff together.  We went golfing.  I proceeded to lose somewhere about ten golf balls in the same spot, a water hazard, on a single same hole, which was only about ten feet away, all trying to tee off. (I think it was hole 3.)

Then we decided that golfing would be expensive.  So we started doing things we already had at home.  I had some video games, and we started playing them together.  Dad found a game that he enjoyed, so we started playing.  I have a lot more experience in gaming than he does, but I would teach him how to do different things and mix up the strategy he was using so he wouldn't be so predictable.  I thought that I was the teacher and he was under me.  I was wrong.  Not until months later did I realize that he was teaching me to be a good dad.  True he had been gone most of when I was growing up trying to make money to support the family.  But when he finally had time to spend with me, he found a small interest in something I enjoyed that he could do with me.

Although my dad only ever won about 5% (maybe less) of the games we played, I know that he had fun because he was playing with me, His son.  Although he really didn't know what he was doing, and I frequently had to let him win, he was happy being able to spend time with me.  I also enjoyed my time with him.

This picture is from snorkeling in New Zealand...I'm the scrawny one, standing by my dad.

I know that the family is there for us to learn from.  Not only do we have our best friends within our own family, but the family also contains the best teachers.  No one other than my dad will ever be able to teach me about being a dad, and only I could teach him gaming.

So it is with our eternal family.  My Father in Heaven is the only one who can truly teach me about Himself.  These teachings come from the Spirit, but I have to make time to listen to Him, and learn from Him.  This applies to everyone.  Old or young, male or female, bond or free, none of these matter.  I know from experience, both temporal and spiritual, that we must look to our Father if we want to go anywhere.

Learning from our Fathers

I have learned a lot from growing up.  I didn't always want to learn anything, but my Dad taught me somewhat whenever we did anything together. (1 Nephi 1:1) What I gained the most is what I need to do in order to survive the trials that come after me all the time.

So this is me and my Dad.  He is teaching me the ways of the master chess player.  He is also teaching me the ways of life.  I think I was losing at this point, but that would depend on what losing is.

Losing to me is not learning from what you did wrong last time.

Losing to me is not being happy that you got to play the game in the first place.

Losing to me is not playing again just because the other guy is better than you.

WINNING on the other hand, is when I would intentionally get every piece killed off without putting my King in jeopardy, just because Dad took my Queen on his third move.

WINNING is saying, "Dad you're better than Me, but I am going to play anyway."

WINNING is when the conversation goes something like this...

"I beat you." - Dad
"I took your Queen." - Me
"Queen doesn't matter if you don't protect the King." - Dad
"So, maybe he was a stupid King and I wanted you to destroy his entire army and take him out of power because he didn't do his job right." - Me
"I still beat you." - Dad
"So, I got rid of the stupid King so now I get a Smart King and then I can beat you." - Me

That is a WINNING conversation in my book.

While I was growing up me and my Dad played chess all the time.  I remember one day we were supposed to be fixing the sprinklers in the backyard but we took about 4 hours and eat Sandwiches, play chess, and watch M*A*S*H.  Mom was a little less excited when she got home and nothing was done, but me and Dad were happy because we spent time doing something we enjoyed.

I also remember times in school when the only way I knew how to explain something was through chess.  If it didn't have something to do with taking out that guy in order to move in on the King then it didn't matter.  Everything I ever used I had learned from my Dad.

About a two years ago, before my mission, me and my Dad started playing Starcraft together.  Almost every morning I would get up, eat breakfast, and turn on the computer to get on FaceBook.  After about 20 or 30 minutes, I would hear almost the exact same thing,

"READY TO DIE?" - Dad
"Sure." - Me

We would then play Starcraft for about 4 hours, and then go do chores.  My Dad should probably stick to chess, because playing 4-5 rounds of Starcraft a day, for about 2 months, he only ever 'won' about 30 games, while I 'won' about 200 games.

However my Dad won every single time to me.  Even though the game said he lost because I had killed off all his little army dudes, he never stopped playing with me.  He was always ready to say, "you cheated, do it again", even when he knew I didn't cheat he was alwasy trying to learn how I was beating him.

So as long as you learn from what you fail at, you never fail at all.  You never 'lose' if you 'Won' some knowledge.

"And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ,

we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ,

and we write according to our prophecies,

that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."

-- 2 Nephi 25:26

This is what I have learned from My Dad.

Mommy Prays - and Teaches Me

I wish to Honor my Mom today...

In the Book of Mormon, there is an account of 2000 young men who join the army during a particularly dangerous war.  Their fathers had made an oath and covenat not to take up weapons ever again, and so they could not go themselves to defend their family.  These sons knew the oath that their fathers had taken and chose to go themselves to protect their parents.

On the battle field their Commander, Helaman, asked if they would go against an army that had been chasing after them, knowing that that army was larger than them.  The Humble and Faithful 'Stripling Warriors' Gave their response based on what their parents, particularly their Mothers, had taught them.

"Father (Helaman), behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go,"

-- Alma 56:46

"And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

-- Alma 56:48

I also know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church here on Earth.  My mommy taught me to Pray when I was very young, and now that I am old I know that I can talk with my Heavenly Father whenever I need to, and that He will give answers to my Prayers.

What would i do Without my Mom?

Without my Mom, i would not be here.

Because of Mom, i have no Fear.

Without my Mom, i would be dumb.

Because of Mom, i don't suck my thumb.

Without my Mom, i get upset.

Because of Mom, i get a pet.

Without my Mom, i am confused.

Because of Mom, i watch the news.

Without my Mom, i would probably die.

Because of Mom, i don't get high.

Without my Mom, i wouldn't pray.

Because of Mom, i know the way.

Without my Mom, i would be lost.

To lose my Mom, is too high a cost.

I LOVE YOU MOMMY!!!

Pray About It . . . What Does it Mean to Pray ? ? ?

Prayer is one of the ways in which we as Humans receive Revelation.

The Bible Dictionary states the following about Prayer :

        "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.

        Christians are taught to pray in Christ’s name (John 14:13–14; 15:7, 16; 16:23–24). We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when his words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart."

Prayer is something we should do out of love.  When we love the savior we will pray to the Father for forgiveness when we have done something wrong.  When we love our neighbors we will pray for them even when they are not in need of help.

The pattern of Prayer that Christ taught His diciples was to pray to the Father, in the Name of Christ.  Much like a letter to a dear friend.  We speak freely and sometimes emotionally in personal prayer.  We can say whatever we want our Father to hear.  We give Thanks for our blessings, and we ask for those things we still need help with.

I hope that we might each find a new desire to pray, and to speak with our Heavenly Father more often.

This is my prayer for everyone, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.