How to 'Unlearn, what You have Learned'.

I want to be a U.S. Marshal.  This means I have a very firm mindset.  I know exactly what I need to do and then I do it.  It leaves very little room for error, and I often tell others what bothers me.   In order to do what I want, I must first become who I want to be.

Unlearning a way of thinking is often very difficult, possibly the most difficult thing anyone would ever do.  With something that is hard physically, you simply go work out and build up strength until you can accomplish the task.  But when your obstacle is Mental you must be able to break it down, and yet not remove the wall.

Black Wall

I have wondered . . . How is it possible to build a Blue wall in the place of a Black wall without removing the Black wall?

Blue Wall

Then a good friend helped me to see that the wall doesn't have to be all one color.  Both colors can be part of the wall.  So all I have to do is figure out which bricks need replaced from the Black, and then remove it and insert a Blue brick.

"And according to his faith 

there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. 

Behold I say unto you that this is all true."

-- Alma 5:12

Knowing what to do is only the beginning, the actually doing it takes time and effort to change not only the way you act, but also the way you think.  Rethinking things and changing your mind is usually not all that difficult, but having a permanent change in how you see things is often a very hard struggle.

Black Wall with Blue Brick 'upgrades'

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, 

if ye have experienced a change of heart, 

and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, 

I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

-- Alma 5:26

I have one year left on my Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In that time I hope to assimilate all the Blue bricks I need to in order to make my wall balanced as it should be.

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, 

have ye spiritually been born of God? 

Have ye received his image in your countenances? 

Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

-- Alma 5:14

"The bricks are fallen down, 

but we will build with hewn stones; 

the sycamores are cut down, 

but we will change them into cedars."

-- 2 Nephi 19:10

Addiction Recovery

There is always a need to have something to latch onto in life.  Some people latch onto reading books as a way to deal with stress.  Many turn to video games.  Others may turn to harmful drugs or Alchohol.

I turn to Sprite!

We all have those things we enjoy, that help us to deal with high stress situations.  The Lord has promised us that if avoid Harmful Substances and Anything that causes an Addiction, we will be blessed.  By not having Drugs or Alchohol, we not only stay out of trouble with the law, we are more Healthy and much more Happy because we can spend our time (and Money) with our family.

Occasionally I am told that I am addicted to Sprite.(see picture below)  So in order to make sure that I don't cast away my agency I make sure that I only buy Sprite when I am eating out or for special occasions.  This year I bought 36 cans of Sprite to decorate the apartment and build a Christmas Tree.  Elder Burnham also got a 24 pack of Ski.

 Elder Burnham drinks the Ski and I drink my Sprite. (Sprite is the Elixir of Life)

These Can are all being used for us to build a Christmas Tree, as it was cheaper to buy something we would use and then recycle it into something else that would bring Happiness.

While I had more cans to drink, I drank them all about a week faster than Elder Burnham drank his Ski.  This again brought to mind the words of my family who so often tell me that i drink too much Sprite.

Basically if there is any addiction that you struggle with just know that our Heavenly Father can help.  Christ has suffered everything for all of us.  Even though I love my Sprite, I know it would be better for me to not have it very often and not have a large amount.

Please avoid any addictive substance, that you may better feel the Words of the Spirit.

What to DO When We Struggle

"And it came to pass that the Lord God caused 

that there should be a furious wind blow 

upon the face of the waters, 

towards the promised land; 

and thus they were tossed 

upon the waves of the sea before the wind.

And it came to pass that they were many times 

buried in the depths of the sea, 

because of the mountain waves which broke upon them, 

and also the great and terrible tempests 

which were caused by the fierceness of the wind."

Ether 6:5-6

We all struggle in life sometimes, and the winds and the waves and the storms come upon us with the fierceness of wolves.  However as these trials and temptations are beating upon you, look to Christ, that sure foundation, "whereon if men build they cannot fall." (Helaman 5:12)

"And it came to pass that when they were buried in the deep 

there was no water that could hurt them, 

their vessels being tight like unto a dish, 

and also they were tight like unto the ark of Noah; 

therefore when they were encompassed about by many waters 

they did cry unto the Lord, 

and he did bring them forth again 

upon the top of the waters."

Ether 6:7

If you are having a bad day, say a Prayer.

Meditation on the Law of the Lord

"But his delight is in the law of the Lord; 

and in his law doth he meditate day and night."

-- Psalms 1:2

How do we delight in the Law of the Lord?

As I was reading this scripture I thought about this question.  I wondered how it applied to me.  I could see that by obedience to the commandments of God I am indeed a happier person, but do I delight in the Law or just act out of fear?

The second half of this verse states that the individual meditates day and night in the Law.  During the times of the Old Testament the 'Law of God' was what we know as the 'Law of Moses'.  So it is saying that we should be meditating, or thinking about, the Law of Moses day and night.

Well what about now?  We don't follow the Law of Moses anymore, so does this scripture become void?

NO.

We are supposed to meditate the Higher Law, taught by Christ and His Apostles.  This makes it so that we can always be thinking good uplifting thoughts.  It is when we stop thinking about the Laws of God that we start thinking carnally and cultivate desire to sin.

So to delight in the Law of the Lord is to desire to 'do good continually'. (Alma 19:33)  It becomes something that we are happy about, and willing to do, rather than being told to over and over again.

As we meditate in the Law of the Lord by reading His scriptures and pondering their meanings, we will grow closer to our Savior, Jesus Christ, and be more able to follow His example.

Read a verse or two of scripture each morning and then think about it throughout the day.  I promise it will help in every aspect of your life.

Friends - Isn't that Everyone

So I have thought a lot lately about friends, and who my friends should be.  When Christ was asked what the greatest commandment was He answered to Love God and to Love others.

So what does it take to truly love someone?

I think it takes more than just being nice, and saying hi to them when you feel like it.  Being a true friend means you do whatever you can to help them.  True love is intended to last throughout the Eternities.

One of my friends told me that this was her favorite scripture.

"Thy friends do stand by thee, 

and they shall hail thee again 

with warm hearts and friendly hands."

-- Doctrine and Covenants 121:9

Sometimes we just need to remember that even though things don't turn out the way we wanted them to, Heavenly Father loves each one one us and wants what is best for us.  If we want what is best for those around us we will always be doing that which is right in the sight of God.

"And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; 

that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings 

ye are only in the service of your God."

-- Mosiah 2:17

So if we serve each other, we find more joy and happiness, plus we are serving God.  Charity is the Pure Love of Christ.  (Moroni 7:47)

Always remember,

"Thou art not yet as Job; 

thy friends do not contend against thee, 

neither charge thee with transgression, 

as they did Job."

-- Doctrine and Covenants 121:10

We always seem to think we have it the worst, but the Lord knows each of us and will not allow us to be confronted with anything we can't handle. (1 Corinthians 10:13)  Someone else has been through something worse, and they made it out ok.

"Be strong and of a good courage; 

be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: 

for the Lord thy God is with thee 

whithersoever thou goest."

-- Joshua 1:9

The Siberian Tiger is a symbol of Courage to me.

Earthbending - A Steadfast Ability

"And Jesus answered and said unto him, 

Blessed art thou, 

Simon Bar-jona: 

for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, 

but my Father which is in heaven.  

And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, 

and upon this rock I will build my church; 

and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it."

-- Matthew 16:17-18

Here Christ is teaching Simon, to whom He gives the name of Peter which means 'small stone', and tells him that Christ's church will be built upon the 'rock of revelation'.  Revelation is only possible when you are listening to the Spirit of the Lord.  When the timing is right, the Spirit will whisper what to do, how to do it, where to go, what to say, who to talk to, as well as give advance warnings.

Earthbending demands a special connection with the earth that is achievable with neutral jing, doing nothing but waiting and listening until the right moment to strike.  By waiting and listening you can sense where things are, and when someone else who might be a threat is near by.

Sometimes however even when the Spirit does speak to us we don't listen.  Either we are too distracted by things of the world, or we hear Him and then Choose not to obey.  If we are going to have the Spirit we need to be willing to act on what He tells us to do.

For good Earthbending you must be solid like a 'rock'.  Meaning you don't just move the rocks, sometimes you let the rocks move you.  If you can bind yourself to the Earth and accept what the stones intend to do, it makes them a little more willing to act under your direction.

"Now this was a great trial to those that did stand fast in the faith; 

nevertheless, they were steadfast and immovable 

in keeping the commandments of God, 

and they bore with patience 

the persecution which was heaped upon them."

-- Alma 1:25

"No matter how the wind howls, the Mountain cannot bow to it." -- Disney's Mulan

So practice being immovable like a rock, and sooner or later the rocks will move for you.  The Spirit will tell you what you need to know, but the more willing you are to listen and then follow His instructions, the more willing He is to tell you about stuff.

Fire Bending - It's a Talent

"And unto one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one;

to every man according to his ability"

-- Matthew 25:15

I am a Fire Bender. 

Just in case any of you are unfamiliar with what that actually means, I shall try to explain.  Avatar The Last Airbender is a cartoon based in a world where people can manipulate, or Bend, the four elements of Water, Earth, Fire, and Air.  Each nation has individuals that can Bend that specific element, but the Avatar can Bend all four elements. 

Airbending is the aerokinetic ability to control and manipulate currents of air.

Waterbending is the hydrokinetic ability to control water, as well as its many forms.

Earthbending is the geokinetic ability to manipulate earth and rock, in all its various forms.

However I said that I was a FireBender.

Firebending is the pyrokinetic ability to create and control fire.

Fire is the element of power, consisting of overpowering force tempered by the unflinching will to accomplish tasks and desires.  Firebending is the most dangerous of the four Bending elements.  Firebending represents energy and life, not rage and anger. 

Fire is also a symbol of Power.  The Holy Ghost is represented as a Baptism of Fire, being the Power that cleanses your Spirit.

"Then he called his twelve disciples together,

and gave them power and authority

over all devils, and to cure diseases."

-- Luke 9:1

" I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance:

but he that cometh after me is mightier than I,

whose shoes I am not worthy to bear:

he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:"

-- Matthew 3:11

Firebenders use their internal body heat as a source of their bending.  Firebending power comes not from physical size nor strength, but rather from the very control of one's breath.  In order to Firebend properly, one must have "inner fire", or a drive and purpose in what they do.

So you are probably wondering, How does someone learn to Firebend?  Most people learn from their father or other close family member.  Some learn from an instructor.  Others learn from ancient Firebending Scrolls.


This is a Firebending Scroll.

These Firebending Scrolls are like the Scriptures.  They are a record of how to Firebend, written by someone who learned from a Dragon, the original Firebenders.  Much like the Prophets and Apostles writting about their interaction with God.



These are two dragons, Firebending Masters, teaching Zuko and Aang.



Learning from a Master helps us to understand exactly what you should use your Bending for, and increases our abilities.  Much like the Apostles learning from Christ.

By reading the Scriptures, and praying to our Heavenly Father, we can each find how we should be using our own Bending element to better serve others.  We have been given talents, and we need to use those talents or they will be taken from us. (Matthew 25:25-28)

Read the Scriptures and learn of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Then Pray and let the Master teach you how to use that knowledge in helping others.

Firebending is one of those things that I enjoy, and so I do the best I can in warming up others on a cold day.



Prayer is How We Talk to Our Father

Do you like it when you talk to your parents?  Do you like it when your kids talk to you?

Does your Heavenly Father like it when you talk to Him??


We are all children of our Heavenly Father.  He loves us and cares about everything that we go through, every single day.  If we look to Him and ask for His help, He is always ready to help us.

All we need to do is Ask.  (Matthew 21:22, Moroni 10:4-5)

We should also give thanks for the blessings we have already received.  It makes heavenly Father even more happy to give us more blessings.

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.

Good Things Are Good

Hopefully this makes everyone smile.  :)

Hello. My name is Bruce.



Good feelings gone.

So this is my, 'Happy Time' post for the week. 

 Remember, if it makes you smile, and promotes good, it is of God

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.

Deliverance Comes from the Deliverer

We might not be able to stop our children from sticking their fingers in the toaster.  We might not be able to stop them from putting a knife in the power outlet.  We might not be able to have them understand why certain things are bad for them, and we might not be able to stop them from placing their hands on the red hot stove.  But we can always give them a band aid and kiss it better and tell them they shouldn't do it again.  Sometimes they listen, Sometimes they don't.

But just like that bright red on the stove, which is interesting and unknown to them, so is sin.  Something about it seems to attract us to it.  Our Father in Heaven repeatedly tells us, Don't do this...Don't do that.  He also has told us repeatedly, DO this, DO that, and DO them all the time, not just when you feel like it.

Again, like the red hot stove, when we sin we must take the consequence.  Sin brings Spiritual pain.  The only band aid strong enough to help is the Atonement of Christ.  He can kiss it better, and wipe away the tears.  But we have to be DOing what He has told us to DO in order for the Atonement to have any effect.

This is the method of us being Delivered from sin by Jesus Christ.  When we are obedient we receive blessings.  When we sin we we lose those blessings, and things always turn into problems because of our choices.

However, when the Children of Israel were in bondage in Egypt, the Lord raised up a Deliverer for them.  This came after they had Prayed and asked for His help in their afflictions.

"The Lord thy God

will raise up unto thee a Prophet

from the midst of thee,

of thy brethren, like unto me;

unto him ye shall hearken;"

-- Deuteronomy 18:15

Moses was sent to redeem, or save, his people from slavery to the Egyptians.  Jesus Christ came to redeem and save all people from slavery to sin, and the bondage of the devil.

"And I,

if I be lifted up from the earth,

will draw all men unto me."

-- John 12:32

Through Jesus Christ we are able to repent of our sins, and then receive forgiveness.  He was raised up to be our Deliverer.  We must do our part, for the Atonement to have effect in our lives.  We have to be full of good works and righteous actions, or we will stand before the Judgement bar knowing that we have sinned and cannot enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

"And for this cause have I been lifted up;

therefore, according to the power of the Father

I will draw all men unto me,

 that they may be judged according to their works."

-- 3 Nephi 27:15

"The spirit and the body shall be reunited again

in its perfect form;

 both limb and joint shall be restored

to its proper frame,

even as we now are at this time;

and we shall be brought to stand before God,
knowing even as we know now,

 and have a bright recollection of all our guilt."

-- Alma 11:43

The Power of Prayer

I was thinking this morning about Prayer, and how we have been commanded to "pray always".(3 Nephi 18:19)  I thought of how we can possibly have a Prayer in our heart for when we are not Praying vocally,(Alma 34:27) and how we could always be able to be near the Lord through the Power of Prayer.  Then I thought of a promise given by the Lord in the Doctrine and Covenants 25:12.

"For my soul delighteth

in the song of the heart;

yea, the song of the righteous

is a prayer unto me,

and it shall be answered

with a blessing upon their heads."

This lead me to think about some of my favorite hymns we sing at church.  One of my favorites is "I Need Thee Every Hour".  It talks about how we can truly come closer to the Lord, and our dependency on Him for everything we have.

" I need thee ev'ry hour,
Most gracious Lord.
No tender voice like thine
Can peace afford.

I need thee ev'ry hour;
Stay thou nearby.
Temptations lose their pow'r
When thou art nigh.

I need thee ev'ry hour,
In joy or pain.
Come quickly and abide,
Or life is vain.

I need thee ev'ry hour,
Most holy One.
Oh, make me thine indeed,
Thou blessed Son!

[Chorus]
I need thee, oh, I need thee;
Ev'ry hour I need thee!
Oh, bless me now, my Savior;
I come to thee! "

-- The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Hymnbook, Hymn 98

I hope that through thinking of Hymns we may be able to have a Prayer in our heart all day long, and thereby be near the Lord in all that we do.

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 . . . Simple Enough for Kids

So.....Once upon a time, there was God.

God loved His children, so He provided a way for them to learn and grow. 

This way of learning was called Life. 

God knew that His children would struggle as they went through Life. 

So He sent His son, Jesus, to help everyone who was struggling. 

We can look to Jesus as an example for everything, and with His help we can live with God again.