"Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ" - Elder Robert D. Hales

"Seeking to Know God, Our Heavenly Father, and His Son, Jesus Christ" - Elder Robert D. Hales

Sometimes after I read these talks, I just want to write on here, "Go read it.  The end," because it's THAT good.  This is one of those talks.  It's so very powerful and a call to action.  Read it.  Please.

But then what would be the point of having this blog if I'm just going to tell you to go read something else? :)

I recently watched a movie that was set in a world where no one could lie about anything.  Eventually, one guy was able to tell something that wasn't--the first lie.  It made for a pretty funny movie with lots of crazy scenarios, but in one scene, the makers of that film really made quite a statement.  When his mother died, he told her that she would go to heaven so that she wouldn't be so scared about dying.  After that everyone came to him asking about this after-life, and he began to explain about God.

Did you catch that?  The man who was lying was explaining to the people about God.

This really got to me, and I thought about it a lot afterwards.  In Elder Hales' talk, he says, "As prophesied, we live in a time when the darkness of secularism is deepening around us.  Belief in God is widely questioned and even attacked in the name of political, social, and even religious causes.  Atheism, or the doctrine that there is no God, is fast spreading across the world."  It's spreading so fast that I can't even watch a movie without it being thrown in my face.

However, I'm in the mindset that no one is truly an Atheist as they claim to be.  I heard a quote recently that said, "They may go in the foxhole an Atheist, but they don't come out one."  My brother-in-law just recently came back from Afghanistan, and he said everybody was praying over there.  He also said that he saw many instances when he knew God was watching out for him and the others there.

How do I know there is a God?  Even if I hadn't felt the Holy Ghost bear witness to me that he is real, I don't think I could look at this beautiful Earth and believe that it just appeared here by chance.  The Earth we live on is so amazing.  Our own bodies are so amazing.  Scientists have tried to create artificial intelligence but have yet to succeed in making anything as complex as our brains.  How could something so complex just have happened?  No, our magnificent bodies have been created by a Supreme Being--Our Heavenly Father.

Another point that Elder Hales mentions that I felt was important was that we are created after his image.  That means that Heavenly Father has a body of flesh and bones.  Elder Hales says, "Some people may be surprised that we look like God.  One prominent religious scholar has even taught that imagining God in the form of man is creating a graven image and is idolatrous and blasphemous. But God himself said, 'Let us make  man in our image, after our likeness.'"

At the end of his talk, he gives us a call to action:

If you cannot remember believing in God or if you have ceased to believe or if you believe but without real conviction, I invite you to seek a testimony of God now. Do not be afraid of ridicule. The strength and peace that come from knowing God and having the comforting companionship of His Spirit will make your efforts eternally worthwhile.

Even more, with your own testimony of God, you will be able to bless your family, your posterity, your friends, your own life—all those you love. Your personal knowledge of God is not only the greatest gift you will ever give, but it will bring you the greatest joy you will ever have.

If you feel as though you've lost your testimony or if you're not even sure you have one, take his challenge!  Do not be afraid.  Ask with sincere intent, and you will know.

Please know that our Father in Heaven loves you.  He cares about you so much.  For proof, in Moses 7:28 it says, "And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept."  He wants you to be happy.  When you're sad, he is sad.  He weeps with you.

Come to him.  Speak with him.  Discover that eternal love he has for you.  You're never too far gone to speak with him.  Whatever your state in life, you can always turn to him.  He will listen, and he will answer.

New Member Profiles on Mormon.org

Ever had a desire to share your own personal conversion story and testimony with others but wasn't sure how?  Mormon.org has launched a new profile site where YOU can upload your picture and share your testimony and answer questions.  This is their official statement about it:

Mormons come from diverse backgrounds and experiences who all share a deep commitment to Jesus Christ and to each other. The new Mormon.org is designed for visitors to learn more about members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Each profile is a collection of stories and testimonies from Mormons. Participation is optional, but you must be a member of the Church to create a profile. The profiles will be made public this summer when the new site will launch. English-only profiles will be available this year; other languages will follow after.

I, for one, am really excited about it, and I'm already working on my very own profile page.  Since most of us are on social networking sites like Facebook anyway, why not make your own Mormon profile?  Your testimony could help someone searching for answers.

You'll need a LDS Account to log in.  If you already have a log-in for the stake and ward websites, you're set!  Use it to log in.  If not, you can talk to your ward clerk to get your membership record number and your confirmation date.

I can't wait to see what develops from this.  :)  Visit Mormon.org today!

Finding Time for the Bible

Every once in awhile, we get a newsletter in the mail from our local Church of Christ.  I always look through it because I figure that if our church sent out stuff to people, I would want them to read it, so I should do the same for other churches.  This last one we got had a little section called "Finding Time for the Bible."  I really liked it because I've made a goal this year to read the Old Testament, and I often find it difficult to find time to do it.  With kids interrupting me every five seconds or me wanting to catch just five more minutes of sleep, sometimes the Bible gets set aside.  I actually cut it out and put it on my fridge as a reminder. If you're like me and need to find some time to read, here's some tips they suggest:

• Put a Bible under your pillow to read each night before you go to sleep.
• Wake up ten minutes earlier each morning.
• Turn off the TV at 8:00pm each night and read to your children.
• Read a few verses at mealtime when the family is together.
• Talk less to have a few more minutes to read.
• Keep a Bible in the kitchen, to read while waiting for food to cook or for water to boil, or near the phone, to read while on hold.
• Carry a Bible in your purse or pocket to read while waiting in line for doctors or when arriving early.
• Take a Bible on trips and read on a plane or in a hotel.

Of course, this can apply to any set of scriptures.  Who says we have to read scriptures on a set schedule?  We can read any time! Often I use extra minutes in my day to check my e-mail or read a novel, but what if I used that time to read a chapter in the Bible or the Book of Mormon?  I would be much better off, don't you think?

I'll leave you with the last words of the article:  Don't just own a Bible--read it!

Our Roles as Parents

This week we did a kind of switch-a-roo.   We would normally learn from the Gospel Principles this week, but we had a special visitor from LDS Family Services give a combined lesson with the Priesthood about parenting.

I don't know if you noticed it or not, but in April's General Conference, there were A LOT of talks about teaching children and youth the gospel and keeping them on the right path.  Maybe it's because I've been thinking about how I should be teaching my own children lately that I felt like they were talking about it so much.  My favorite that I've read so far is "Mothers Teaching Children in the Home" by Elder L. Tom Perry.  If you're a mother, you should definitely check that one out.

So with all this talk lately about raising children up in Christ, I'm thinking that it must be pretty important.  Maybe we should start taking note...  if the Lord's prophets are telling us that we need to teach our children, they must know something about the future that is going to require our children to be unwavering in their testimonies.

Our teacher shared lots of quotes with us today.  I wasn't able to copy them down word for word (my hands only move so quickly), but I was able to get a little bit.  These things do not only apply to parents.  These tips can be useful for Primary and youth leaders, mentors, teachers, and whoever else deals with young people on a regular basis. Here's a few things I learned today:

• We need to bear our testimonies in our homes.  Often we teach principles, but how often do we actually bear our testimonies to our children?  I know I haven't.
• Parents have the main responsibility to to train our children because we're farther along in our development, but truly we all work together to build each other up.  Sometimes (okay, many times) our children teach US!
• We need to really listen to our children when they talk to us.  I'm very guilty of tuning my son out because he talks non-stop, but when I actually do listen, he surprises me with what he knows and asks me very intelligent questions.
• In a talk by M. Russell Ballard he encourages fathers to have the big talks with their sons.  There's so much immorality in the world that they need that rock to cling to when they're faced with it.  I'm pretty sure that this applies to more than just fathers, too. 
• Pray, pray, pray!  Not just as a family, but with your children individually to teach them. Pray for family members.
• Teach children to WORK!  It's never to early to start.  For that matter, it's never too late.  The best thing my Mom and Dad ever did for me was teaching me that I had to work to get through life.  They not only taught me to work but instilled in me a desire to my work well.  Work together with your children.  Not only does the job get done faster, but it's more fun, too.
• Education is a commandment, so continuously learn to teach our children.
• Teach a child confidence by giving them praise.  Teach them it's okay to fail.
• Avoid anger.  Is it possible to feel the Spirit while angry?  No!  Learn self-control.
• If we want our children to honor us, we need to honor our own parents.  How can we expect our children to treat us with respect if we show our parents disrespect?  Our children learn by watching us. Monkey see, monkey do, right?  :)

These are just a few points that hit home for me.  Some of you reading are in different stages of parenthood in your own lives, so these may not be as helpful.  I encourage you to read the words of the prophets from our last General Conference to get the guidance you need to help your own children.