Starving? Feast on Scripture.

Directions: Open daily. Add personal prayer.
Feast on the word.

"You don't have to read the scriptures...

  except on the days you eat"

This statement is very important. When we read the scriptures we are fed by the things we study. We gain strength to more easily overcome the natural man. Since we are spirits that are learning to control our bodies there are two sides to us. Our Spirit desires to be fed by the word of God and the uplifting things in life for the welfare of our soul. The spirit and the body are the soul of man. Our body is inclined to hunger for the carnal things of the world. One way to think of it is that our spirit is like a hand and our body is a glove. We control the body with our spirit as the hand controls the glove. The scriptures literally nourish our spirit to have greater power over the body. A children's song from our church goes "Scripture power keeps me safe from sin. Scripture power is the power to win. Scripture power! Every day I need the power that I get each time I read."
In the Book of Mormon in 2nd Nephi 32:3 it reads:
"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do." If we read the Scriptures, they will tell us all things what we should do.

The Book of Mormon and the Bible support eachother in their witness of Christ, they will guide us to God and give us power. We need to read the word of God every day. He has revealed His word to the prophets and the prophets have written it down in these sacred books called scriptures. If we heed Heavenly Father's words recorded, we will stay spiritually strong and safe. We will satisfy our hunger for righteousness and save our spirits from separation from God by sin. The Spirit will confirm the truths of the gospel to us. May we all feast on these precious gems, the Scriptures. I know these things are true and I say them in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Prayer - part 2

In Alma 34:17-27, Amulek teaches us that we can repent through prayer and that we can pray many times a day over our jobs, our family, and against the power of Satan. He also said that we must pour out our souls to God in prayer "in your closets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness."

I want to share a personal experience that I had when I was home and was years away from being at this point in my life. For a while in my life, I was feeling pretty empty and doing many things that teenagers do when they feel empty or unloved. I tried to distract myself, with petty things like "Facebook" and funny "Youtube" videos. They only made it worse. I didn't know what it was that I needed, I just knew I was incomplete in some way.
     After some reflection I decided to pray. This was one of the few times in my life I prayed out loud. I poured my heart out to God, and asked him many things troubling me. One of the things I asked him was if He really loved me. I can tell you that nothing I have ever felt can compare to the love and peace that I received that night. I felt a confirmation from the Holy Ghost telling me that Heavenly Father loved me personally. I felt so complete, so full of joy.

I encourage you to pray to your Father and don't act like you're talking to the air. He is literally the father of your spirit, you can talk with him like a child to his earthly father. Tell him what troubles you and ask him things you need to know for yourself. I testify to you that the Father is there and He is listening. Galatians 5 tells us some ways we can feel the spirit.

 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Again I invite you to search your hearts and come unto Him who is your Father. If you are having problems like all the rest of us on this earth, come unto His loving arms and ask for the help that he is waiting to give you. Plead for guidance and protection. He will hear your prayer and answer in His own time, you must trust Him. I testify these things are true in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Prayer - part 1

Have you ever felt alone and neglected? Have you ever felt like something was missing in your life? Prayer can bring you closer to our Heavenly Father. You are never alone. Jesus Christ teaches us how we should pray to our Father in Heaven in Matthew 6 verses 5-8.

 5 ¶And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

So Jesus is saying we need to pray to God privately, we need to keep it sacred. He also says that we don't need to be eloquent to pray or be wordy, it should be simple and heartfelt. God already knows the thoughts of your heart, so just simply talk to him. When you pause and ponder you will find things that you need to express, what it is that you really want to say to Him.

 In 2 Nephi 32:8-9 we read that we must pray always. It also teaches that whenever we feel like we shouldn't pray, thats when Satan or the devil is trying to drag us down. That is when we need to pray most. In Doctrine and Covenants 88:63 it says

63 Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me; ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

God wants us to pray to Him, and will draw nearer to you as you seek Him through humble prayer. I testify that these things are true and they will bless us as we follow them.

Here is a short clip about prayer I'd like to share.

Next week comes Prayer - part 2

Wise Men Still Seek Him

I wanted to share with you a wonderful video of how we can give back to Christ for all he has given us. This video talks of modern day wise men who saw an opportunity to serve, to love others who were in need of the pure love of Christ, which is charity.
In Moroni chapter 7 in the Book of Mormon it says "Charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him."
It also says that "charity never faileth".
you can read it here on the link below. In Moroni chapter 7: verses 45-48
http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/moro/7?lang=eng


I pray with all my heart that we can find those who are in need and may feel alone, unloved or neglected so that we may lift up their weary spirits. This is the way we serve God, by serving others. You will feel the love of those you serve and of your Heavenly Father also as you reach out to relay the love that Christ has given you to others. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Putting on the Armor

This blog is about a realization I had of the parallels of "Sleeping Beauty" and the gospel.

In the movie "Sleeping Beauty" there is a scene in which the three good fairies come and free Prince Phillip out of the dungeon of the evil Maleficent. They give him some tools after he gets out. The first tool he gets from them is a Sword of Truth, and then he receives the Shield of Virtue.

In this picture Phillip uses the

sword of truth to kill Maleficent.



If you watched the movie you remember that as Prince Phillip is escaping the castle, Maleficent spots him and they get into a final battle. She puts a curse around Stefan's castle with a huge thicket of thorns. Prince Phillip cuts all the thorns out of the way with his sword. Eventually Maleficent turns into a humongous dragon and tries to kill him herself. He blocks her flames with his shield many times and gets backed up to a wall of stone where a fairy tells him to climb up the wall. Its really awesome because he is totally untouched when she breathes her flames at him. He throws the sword at her and she dies.

       As I was thinking about this story and applying it to life I saw some interesting parallels.

Phillip is a prince, he got ambushed and was taken prisoner by Maleficent the evil witch. He was rescued by the three good fairies who give him these tools (the sword and the shield), that are more powerful than Maleficent's attacks.

       Today we have been given armor and weapons to fight the battle against the devil or Satan.

The apostle Paul writes in Ephesians 6:

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

14 Stand therefore, having your 1loins girt about with truth, and having on the 2breastplate of righteousness;

15 And your feet 3shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

16 Above all, taking the 4shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

17 And take the 5helmet of salvation, and the 6sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Take the armor of God and fight the good fight with all your might. With His help you can conquer all. He will deliver you out of every temptation and danger. The only power Satan has over you is the power you give him. Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Ephesians 6:10.

You are a child of God, a prince or princess of the most high King! In His strength you can do all things! As Lehi has said in the Book of Mormon "Awake! and arise from the dust.... Awake, my sons; put on the armor of righteousness. Shake off the chains with which ye are bound, and come forth out of obscurity, and arise from the dust." As you awake from your slumber may you put on the Armor of God and go forth fighting against every buffeting of Satan that comes your way. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Know by Heart, Play by Ear.

In the world of music, the phrases "know by heart" and "play by ear" are pretty peculiar. I would like to offer you some insight on these phrases, being a singer and a piano player myself.

To Know by Heart is to know something perfectly or to have memorized something perfectly.

To say "I know it by heart" usually means it's been way more than memorized, it's been internalized. "This song is personal to me," the performer is saying, "I have no problem recalling it. I know it." A performer has probably toiled countless hours practicing and perfecting this song to play and express it the best he can.

We can compare this to getting a testimony of The Book of Mormon. When we read the Book of Mormon with an open heart we can gain knowlege that is ingrained in us.

2 Nephi 33:1 "And now I, Nephi, cannot write all the things which were taught among my people; neither am I mighty in writing, like unto speaking; for when a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men."

The Holy Ghost carries the truth of what we read to our heart. The prophets in the Book of Mormon wrote such things when they were moved upon by the Holy Ghost, just as prophets of old in the Bible. So the Holy Ghost verifies the words they speak to be true. Notice that the Holy Ghost does not carry it into our heart but unto our heart. This takes us to the next phrase.

To Play by Ear is to try to learn a song by listening to the song itself and not having any sheet music to use.

You really have to listen closely to a song and to its very intricate details in order to get the exact same sound. The only way you can get a song to the express uniqueness by which it was written is to find the right combinations of chords and melody. As we listen very closely to the Holy Ghost we can know if the Book of Mormon is true or not. All we need to do is listen and turn down the noise of life so we can actually hear the Holy Ghost testify to our hearts of truth.

1st Kings 19:  The Lord speaks to Elijah in a still, small voice.
12 And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice."

Moroni 10:3-5
3 Behold, I would exhort you that when ye shall read these things, if it be wisdom in God that ye should read them, that ye would remember how merciful the Lord hath been unto the children of men, from the creation of Adam even down until the time that ye shall receive these things, and ponder it in your hearts.

4 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.

 5 And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

I encourage you to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder the message it contains. If you read it enough and are prayerful in understanding the teachings, you will come to know for yourself that they testify of Jesus Christ. If you listen to the feelings in your heart and the impressions on your mind and perhaps  "read by ear", then you can "know by heart" because the Holy Ghost testified to you the truth.
The Book of Mormon is the Keystone of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the true restored church of Jesus Christ with all my heart and soul. If you want to know for yourself, I exhort you to read The Book of Mormon and ask God, with Faith in Christ if it is true believing that God will give you an answer. Be honest in your heart and believing, I believe you will get an answer. God loves all his children and wants to show them the truth of all things if they just ask.

Life, Death, and Sunsets

I really love sunsets, so I thought I'd write about them on my blog. I'm from Arizona, and we get a ton of really beautiful sunsets in our valley. I can't remember a time when I didn't love and admire amazing sunsets. I have probably taken over 1,000 pictures of sunsets. The reason for that is because a sunset is always changing. The clouds are moving, the sun is setting, so it is a process. I take so many pictures of just one sunset to see if I can get the best shot, the most beautiful picture of one. From what I've seen, it takes only about 30 seconds or about a minute for you to get a different looking sunset. It's slightly different but it could make a big difference. Time is intensified when trying to capture the grandeur of a setting sun. I run to my camera whenever I see what could be a great picture.



“When I admire the wonder of a sunset or the beauty of the moon,

my soul expands in worship of the Creator”

 Mahatma Gandhi

Sunsets really give you a simple joy of the beauty of the earth. A sunset is the most magnificent display of clouds and light and colors I can imagine. It seems to be a small glimpse of what it will look like when Jesus comes again. Sunsets could also be compared to the end of life, as sunrises to the beginning of new life.

"Doors of Death" Russell M. Nelson, April 1992 General Conference Address
"Life does not begin with birth, nor does it end with death. Prior to our birth, we dwelled as spirit children with our Father in Heaven. There we eagerly anticipated the possibility of coming to earth and obtaining a physical body. Knowingly we wanted the risks of mortality, which would allow the exercise of agency and accountability. “This life [was to become] a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God.” (Alma 12:24.) But we regarded the returning home as the best part of that long-awaited trip, just as we do now. Before embarking on any journey, we like to have some assurance of a round-trip ticket. Returning from earth to life in our heavenly home requires passage through—and not around—the doors of death. We were born to die, and we die to live. (See 2 Cor. 6:9.) As seedlings of God, we barely blossom on earth; we fully flower in heaven."

“How strange this fear of death is! We are never frightened at a sunset.”

George MacDonald

There's nothing to fear of something as death. If we have an eternal perspective on life we would have a hope from the knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I feel like a beautiful sunset could be a reminder to us of God's plan for us. It is inspiring to me, and also gives me a sense of how fast life goes. One minute the sunset will be there and the next it's gone, you have to cherish it while you have it.
Life can be the same way. If we don't take advantage of the opportunities right Here in front of us, life might pass us up and move right on. If you don't stop to look around once in a while, you could miss it. Doesn't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you've got till its gone? Don't let life be that way, cherish what you have. Make a change you need to, and take the courage to be who you need to be TODAY. Pray to Heavenly Father for the strength to be your best self. Don't let yourself be held captive by the things of the past. Don't forget the reason for our life on Earth is to prepare to meet God.

“The Lord has turned all our sunsets into sunrise.”

Clement of Alexandria

“There is nothing more musical than a sunset.

 He who feels what he sees will find no more beautiful example of development

 in all that book which, alas, musicians read but too little-the book of Nature.”

Claude Debussy (French composer)