Beauty and the Beast - Transformation

Some people see Humility as 'childish', 'weak', or 'Dependent' on others.

True Humility is not exalting yourself above others, and Submitting to God's will.

Beast was Submissive, and not swift to anger.

Even after Bell came back, he only told Gaston to get out, and did not throw him of the ledge.

Throughout the movie Beast is trying to calm his temper and have Bell fall in Love with him.  He is concerned that the Flower will lose all of its petals before she does, which would result in him staying in Beast-form forever.

We each have our own Spiritual Flower, which if it runs out of petals before we have received a change of heart, we will be stuck as we are forever. (Alma 5)

We must come back to the Lord as swiftly as we can, before the time of our Probation (this Life) runs out.(the Flower)

Red is the color of Power.

As Beast is being transformed his RED Cloak wraps around him, much as we need the Power of Christ to completely envelope us so that we might have this transformation take place in our hearts.

Transformation = Change

One of the missionaries that I have had a chance to serve with once spoke of the Change wrought upon Cucumbers when they are made into pickles.  He stated that we should become 'Celestial Pickles'.

You see when a Cucumber (which is totally gross and nasty by the way), is made into a Pickle (which is AWESOME), it must be completely submerged in a Salt Brine (Also totally gross and nasty).

This is the only time, to the best of my knowledge, that two negatives make a positive outside of math.

The Salt Brine represents Trials we go through in Life.  If we choose to only partially go through them we will not become a 'Celestial Pickle'.  However, if we Humble ourselves and are Submissive to the Lord's Will, then we will have His help in everything we do, and He will make us into whatever kind of Pickle He knows we need to be.

As we go through this transformation, others will be able to see the Light of Christ shine through us.  Much as the Light that comes from Beast's Hands, Feet, and Heart.  This is an AWESOME representation of how the Light of Christ not only changes our Heart, but cause our Actions (Hands and Feet) to be changed as well.

It has been said that "the Eyes are the Window to the Soul."

After Beast has been transformed he says, "Bell, it's me."  She is a little unsure of him, even having seen the Transformation take place, until she looks into his Deep Blue Eyes.

This is something that she Recognizes, and she immediately says, "It IS you."

How are we going to Recognize the Savior when He comes again?  Sure there will be Miracles all around us, and everyone will know it is Jesus Christ.  But how shall we KNOW that He is our Savior?  I believe we shall know Him if we have BECOME like Him.


Yes, we shall all live 'Happily Ever After', IF we keep the Commandments and Follow the Lord's Prophets.

I SHOT HIM!!

So this one time, Rodney found a new toy.

Every now and then we get these ideas that we are 'Invulnerable'.  We often forget that we only have the promise of the Lord when we do what He says.

The Spirit is much like the Protective Shield, and He will guard us from temptation as long as we turn to God with all our hearts and seek after Him.  We must do our part before the Lord will do His.

When we are serving the Lord we should not intentionally put ourselves in bad situations.  We need to do all that we can to protect ourselves first, and then ask the Lord to do thatr which we cannot.  In other words, we should not test out the Lords protection by driving twice the posted speed limit, and we should not allow our friends to shoot us, even in the leg.

The Lord has set limitations on our life, and if we are not obedient to His commandments we put ourselves in danger where He cannot help us, for God must keep His word.

Who is REALLY in Charge Here?

Just in case you were wondering, I do not like sports.

However I do like looking at symbols, and most sports teams have an animal as the symbol of the team.

Lion

Penguins

Bears

So why do we used all these animals as a symbol of strength for the team? We are higher on the totem pole than they are right?

"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth."
-- Genesis 1:26

So if we are the ones who attach specific symbols to animals, wouldn't God help us learn through symbols as well?

Christ sacrificed His life for us Vicariously.  His suffering can take away our sins.

In the same way He commanded us to be baptized.  This allows us to follow His example more fully.

"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


There must be an opposition in all things.  Think about it, if you never got hurt at all, would you really know what it felt like not to be in pain?  If you never saw the sunshine, would dark clouds really be that gloomy?  If you were never alive, would you be able to die?

 "For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.

If not so, ..., righteousness could not be brought to pass,

 neither wickedness,

neither holiness nor misery,

neither good nor bad.

Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one;

wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead,

having no life neither death,

 nor corruption nor incorruption,

happiness nor misery,

neither sense nor insensibility."

-- 2 Nephi 2:11

So there is opposition in all things, and they compound in one.  The Ankh is an ancient Egyptian symbol of life, but it closely resembles a cross which we see today as a symbol of death.  This is where we may easily see that opposition must be a part of mortality.  Through the Resurrection of Christ we shall all be made alive, but with His Death on the cross He would never have been Resurrected.

God can see everything.  Below is the Eye of Ra as well as the 'All Seeing Eye' that is on the back of American currency.  Egypt again has the ancient form of a symbol we recognize today.  They knew that God could see everything, and used this trait to depict Ra, the false 'Sun God' of Egypt.

As we read the scriptures, we should look for those symbols that help us to understand the True nature of God, as well as our purpose in life.  These Symbols will make it so we know exactly who is in charge here on Earth, and it is the same person who has been in charge forever.

Deception - Not Always

Sometimes I think we might feel like others are dishonest with us,

or that they only want to take advantage of us.

In this clip from the Karate Kid, Daniel is complaining because all he has done is 'chores' for Mr. Miyagi.  What Daniel doesn't realize is that Mr. Miyagi has been building 'Muscle Memory' for his Karate training.

Things are not always as they seem.

Sometimes God does the same thing with us as He tries to help us learn the Gospel.  We often think that 'LIFE' is just not fair.  Which is not exactly true.

"Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man,

for the judgments of God are always just,

but the judgments of man are not always just."

-- Mosiah 29:12

God will Judge all men with a Just Judgementat the last day.

Everyone will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Most of the time when something 'unfair' happens to us, we start thinking that something has gone wrong.

If we step back and look at things from a different perspective, we can often see that it might be completely what should have happened.  I have often heard people talk about 20/20 hindsight, (when I was little I thought that meant some people had eyes in the back of their head), and this is what I intend to point out in this video clip.

Daniel didn't see the true meaning of things as he was sanding the floor, waxing the cars, painting the house, or painting the fence.  Yet after a simple and brief explanation from Mr. Miyagi, he understood exactly what each of those tasks was for. 

As we pass through life, I promise everything happens for a reason.  If we seek first to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Follow His Commandments, we can then learn to accept God's timing.  We will be closer to Him, and we will understand those things that He wants us to learn.

We all must be DOING something ... For in the DOING, do we BECOME.

O. Vincent Haleck

How do I 'Digivolve' Myself ? ?

We all have different stages of growth.  We learn things as we go through life and they help us to deal with things we will face in the future.  Without learning and growing from trials we simply get frustrated and worried when faced with new obstacles.

This is a clip from Digimon, a show I loved growing up.

Patamon Digivolves into Angemon, and Angemon Digivolves into MagnaAngemon.

Out of all the Digimon of the First season Patamon was the last to Digivolve.  This is because he wasn't sure about what would happen when he did.  Only after he learned that he needed to in order to protect others was he willing to do it, and that willingness to serve is what gave him the strength to Digivolve.

Later on he learns an extra Digi-evolution and Digivolves into MagnaAngemon.  This would be impossible without going through some kind of test to make him stronger.

Just as steel is stronger when it is forged and put through the fire, so to must we each pass through a Spiritual Fire and grow from our trials.  (Numbers 31:23)

By learning from our trials we will be strengthened and increase our capacity to endure, and 'Digivolve' ourselves into a greater ability of obedience to the Commandments of the Gospel.

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.

Some of My Favorite Scriptures

"And this Zeezrom began to question Amulek, saying: Will ye answer me a few questions which I shall ask you? Now Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good; therefore, he said unto Amulek: Will ye answer the questions which I shall put unto you?

And Amulek said unto him: Yea, if it be according to the Spirit of the Lord, which is in me; for I shall say nothing which is contrary to the Spirit of the Lord. And Zeezrom said unto him: Behold, here are six onties of silver, and all these will I give thee if thou wilt deny the existence of a Supreme Being.

Now Amulek said: O thou child of hell, why tempt ye me? Knowest thou that the righteous yieldeth to no such temptations?

Believest thou that there is no God? I say unto you, Nay, thou knowest that there is a God, but thou lovest that lucre more than him.

And now thou hast lied before God unto me. Thou saidst unto me—Behold these six onties, which are of great worth, I will give unto thee—when thou hadst it in thy heart to retain them from me; and it was only thy desire that I should deny the true and living God, that thou mightest have cause to destroy me. And now behold, for this great evil thou shalt have thy reward."

-- Alma 11:21-25

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."

-- 2 Nephi 2:27

"And I will come unto you, and if there be any among you that has a desire for freedom, yea, if there be even a spark of freedom remaining, behold I will stir up insurrections among you, even until those who have desires to usurp power and authority shall become extinct."

-- Alma 60:27

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.

Saxophones - Bigger was Better

When I was in high school I played the Bari Sax.  I played in the Marching Band, Jazz Band, and Concert Band.  (remember that one time...at band camp :)  Quite a bit of my time was spent after school sitting alone in a practice room with just me and my saxophone named Kristy.

(this is not Kristy, it is just a cool Sax)

One of the worst parts of playing Bari Sax is the reed.  Most people start out playing on an Alto Sax, then a Tenor, then to the Bari.  The Alto has one of the smaller reeds and is rather easy to play on, even when I was in sixth grade.  The tenor is a little bigger, and I played Tenor from seventh grade until ninth grade.  In ninth grade I started out on the Bari which, in comparison to the Alto, is frankly huge.  You have more metal that the air needs to pass through, and a longer, thicker, less flexible reed.  The reed is what actually produces the sound from a Sax.  The air passing through and escaping at various points is what changes the note being played.  Normally you need to replace a reed about every 2 months.

So when you get a reed you have different options of thickness, which determines how hard the reed is to get vibrating.  Reeds start at 1 and go up in hardness by half.  I usually play on a 3 or 3 1/2.  If you pick a reed that is to soft, meaning the number is lower than what you need, then when you begin playing you end up splitting the reed because it can't handle the pressure and stress it is under.  If you get a reed that is too hard, you won't be able to make any music at all, because it takes more wind from your lungs to get it moving.

God chooses His Prophets the same way I would choose a reed.  He puts them to the test as they grow up and throughout their lives.  Sometimes the individual is too soft, and when trials and affliction come around the give way to temptation, and brake.  Sometimes they are too hard, or hard-headed, and refuse to yield to the promptings from the Spirit, and don't do as God commands.

But every now and then, when you find the right reed with the right thickness, you can play for 4 or 5 months without getting a new reed.  With a Prophet, only those who follow the Lord and keep His commandments are chosen and ordained unto this calling.

" For many are called, but few are chosen."

 -- Matthew 22:14

"Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen.

And why are they not chosen?

Because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world,

and aspire to the honors of men"

-- Doctrine and Covenants 121:34-35

As I stated the air escaping through various points is what creates different notes and makes the music pretty.  This could be related to each of the Apostles having their own personality.  Each individual will express the gospel in their own words.  So it is all music, but with a little flavor. 

 

Sometimes you might find that someone claims to be telling you the truth when they don't really know.  It's kinda like they are trying to play a certain note but they don't know the fingering.  When you are playing a Sax the worst thing that can happen is not knowing where to put your fingers.  You have to put all your fingers in the right spot or you do not sound very good.

So the feelings you get when someone is talking about the Gospel is how you know what is right, and what is not.  The Spirit testifies of Truth.  (John 15:26)

"Yea, behold, I will tell you in your mind

and in your heart,

by the Holy Ghost,

which shall come upon you

and which shall dwell in your heart.

Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation;

behold, this is the spirit by which Moses 

brought the children of Israel

through the Red Sea on dry ground."

-- Doctrine and Covenants 8:2-3

You don't usually have a Saxophone in a Symphony.  Everyone has their own part in life, but in a Symphony they just don't like the sound of a Sax.  I don't really know why they don't put a Sax in a Symphony, and I don't know how exactly this relates to the Gospel of Jesus Christ, but all things denote that "there is a Supreme Creator."

"But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

-- Alma 30:44

Me and My Dad - Live to Learn

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 year 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.

Armor of God -- Fight for Your Life

"Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:"

-- Ephesians 6:10-17

Loins girt about with Truth.  In Biblical times to 'Gird up your Loins' would be to wrap the bottom of you cloak into your belt, and by doing so you would be more able to move about and perform the days labor.  You really don't want your clothing to limit your movement in battle.

The Breastplate of Righteousness.  The Breastplate covers your Heart and Lungs, as well as other vital organs.  When the scriptures say that in the last days, "men's hearts shall fail them", (Luke 21:26) it is because they do not have their Breastplate protecting them.  Your Righteousness, which is your diligent obedience to the Commandments of God, will protect you from having your heart fail you.

Feet Shod with Preparation of the Gospel.  When the Hebrews were 'Preparing' to leave Egypt they were told to eat the Passover.  This was done with their Shoes on their feet and their staff in hand, and you ate while standing.  This is because even though they had not yet received permission to leave Egypt, they were planning on going somewhere.

Whenever I go home for anything my Mommy always gets frustrated with me because I never take my jacket off.  This has several reasons behind it, but the first and foremost reason is because I like having my jacket on, even in the middle of the summer.  Then there are the reasons that are actually logical, like my jacket is somewhat a safety object and i am more comfortable around people when I am wearing it.  My jacket has all my stuff in the pockets, my keys, my iPod, my phone, and an assortment of other things for the day.  My jacket is what prepares me to go do what I need to later, and I don't take it off just because I am going to sit down for a few minutes.

 

A Shield of Faith.  You must have Faith in order to be equipped with your best defense, your Shield.  This Faith is required because when you put your Shield up you cannot see your enemy.  You cover your head and most of your upper body to block the opponents sword, but also block him from your eyes.

Much like when Luke Skywalker puts the BlastSHIELD down and cannot see the remote, but must follow the promptings within, or his instinct, to know what to do.

 

The Helmet of Salvation.  The Helmet protects YOUR BRAIN.  There are a few things we need to know in order to return and live with our Heavenly Father.  First is that Jesus Christ is His only Begotten Son in the Flesh.  Second is the Plan of Salvation.  Once you have a Knowledge you must protect it and continue learning.

The Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.  The only offensive weapon you have in the Armor of God is the Sword of the Spirit.  In combat your sword is your life, you need it in hand if you are to fight the foe. 

If you do not have your sword and you go up to battle anyway, your only option is to try and block the blows of your enemy.  Sure you have your other Armor, but how long can your Shield last when it is being beat upon repeatedly.  How long do you think it would be before your breastplate either came loose, or perhaps had a small gap between the plates where the enemy's sword found a way through.  How long before your legs grew tired and you trip over your own feet.

The answer, not very long at all.

Without the Spirit you begin to lose faith (Shield), it is harder to keep the commandments (Breastplate), and you become less prepared for the fight (Feet Shod).  Once you lose these other pieces of Armor you are an easy target and then POOF, you die.  When it comes to the Armor of God you die Spiritually, and Christ is the Light and Life of the world, therefore the only way back is through His Atonement.

So remember to always have your Armor, and be on Guard.

God will protect you, IF you are doing what is Right.
 

"And it came to pass that I said unto them 

that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, 

according to the truth; 

and the righteous have I justified, 

and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; 

wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, 

for it cutteth them to the very center."

-- 1 Nephi 16:2 (emphasis added)

The Scriptures are the Word of God.  Both the Bible and the Book of Mormon.  God teaches only Truth, and therefore the Wicked take the Scriptures to be Hard.

Keep the Commandments, Read the Scriptures, and do whatever it takes to truly have the Spirit with you at all times, in all things, and in all places.

The Sword of the Spirit is the Spirit of Truth.
Truth will fight your battles for you, as long as you keep it close by, and in your Heart.