What I've Learned: My Love for The Book of Mormon

Throughout my mission and my life I've had many powerful spiritual experiences in which I was the only one to feel the spirit and receive a divine lesson from God. This may have happened to you as well and it has a name. It is more commonly known throughout the church as personal revelation.
Personal revelation is an experience meant for that single person receiving it. It is typically for guidance in making a decision or teaching to understand what God would have us do or how we need to look at things. However, the Spirit can also impress on our minds a greater appreciation for our blessings. That being said I felt it appropriate to share this experience of receiving a greater witness and testimony of The Book of Mormon.

Earlier in the week as I was out and about knocking on doors hoping to share our message of the Restoration of the Gospel I looked down at the Book of Mormon I held in my hand. There I was standing in the middle of this empty street, and all of a sudden this completely unexpected feeling came over me. As I looked down at that book I held firmly in my hand the world stopped for just a moment and I was filled with complete gratitude for all my blessings. I wanted to share with everyone this book that had brought so much peace and happiness and understanding into my life. I realized after that just how much I love the Book of Mormon!

Here's what the Prophet Joseph Smith said about the Book of Mormon in its Introduction page. "I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."

Precepts are the commandments and teachings given in the Book of Mormon. Living those precepts are how we learn and grow. What I've learned has changed my life!

This is a short list of some of the things I've learned or in other words.

What the Book of Mormon has taught me...

• Christ's Atonement overcomes everything we are faced with (Alma 7:11-13).

• Willful sacrifice brings us closer to Christ (basically all of 1 Nephi).

• The importance of personal blessings and teaching my--future--children (2 Nephi 2, 3; Mosiah 1:2-7; Alma 36-42; Moroni 9)

• The Spirit can change my heart to only desire to do good (Mosiah 5:1-2)

• When I only seek to do The Lord's will He will give me power to accomplish all things (Helaman 10:4-5).

• The Lord will provide a way to keep His commandments no matter the struggle! (...throughout every page)

I LOVE THE BOOK OF MORMON!

The Potter's Wheel

   Last night during my personal prayer before I went to bed I received some inspiration on this blog post. I was on my knees last night trying my hardest not to go through the motions of prayer and actually have a good one on one conversation with God. I was feeling a little anxious and excited because of the responsibility I was about to receive to train a new missionary. As usual I questioned whether I was worthy of that trust and whether or not I was ready for it. This is just one of the thoughts and feelings I received from that prayer...

   In pottery there's a special instrument in making clay pots and that is the potter's wheel. The wheel is a circular platform that spins so clay can be formed with slight effort and movement. The most important part of the process though is the beginning. Your clay has to be right on the center of the wheel, because if its not the clay is going to fly off the wheel or become impossible to work with.

   Our Heavenly Father works with us in the same fashion. We are the clay and He is the potter. He forms us to what he desires and we in turn desire to be shaped the way he wants us to. There is one condition though. For Him to begin forming and shaping us we must be in the center of His wheel. The wheel is the gospel of Jesus Christ...

As we continue to center our lives around Christ and His gopel we are able to be built up and be ready for the time when we are put into the fires of trial and struggle to be made into that which we are destined to become.

"But now, O Lord, thou art our ^afather; we are the clay, and thou our potter; and we all are the ^bwork of thy hand." (Isaiah 64:8)

The words of Isaiah are true. We are His clay and we are the work of His hand. We must let that work be a good work and center our lives upon the Gospel of Christ. I challenge everyone to bring your lives into allignment with God's will and receive the blessings He has in store for you. I leave this message in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

If you have any thoughts, feelings, or opinions about this post please feel free to share.

  

Skateboarding

   Recently, with all the beautiful weather and melted snow, I've been thinking of some of my past time hobbies. Now, it may not seem like it with a nametag, glasses, and part in my hair, but I used to skateboard! Ya, I know sounds like I'm just making stuff up, but its true I actually did...   There were a lot of things I learned from skateboarding. Such as it takes a lot of time and practice before you actually improve. It took me over a month of constantly trying a kickflip, one of the most basic tricks in skateboarding, before I could even land it. Even then I couldn't just do it on demand. Another thing I learned is that when I finally got to a certain point in my skateboarding ability I could rely on that to be something to keep me going when the world seemed to be falling apart.

Professional Skateboarder
Rodney Mullen
Doing a Darkslide

  

 When I felt so stressed and overwhelmed about school, work, my family, or my friends I would just go skate for a bit and all the stress I had would just melt away. It didn't matter what people thought about me or if I wasn't all that "skilled" anyway. It was something that could bring a peaceful calm feeling into my life.

When the gospel of Jesus Christ came into my life I had that same feeling. No matter what people thought or how much I was lacking I could still feel the peace the gospel brought into my life. No matter how hard life got I always had something to rely on and trust in.

It took a lot of time though, and a lot of effort, but the gospel and church became the thing that made me who I am. Just like the effort I put into skateboarding to have it be a part of my life, there is also an effort in living the gospel and receiving the rewards of doing so. Just like how after a lot of time and practice I was able to do some pretty awesome things with my skateboard, there is also a lot of amazing things we can do with the gospel as we continue to work at building our faith and testimonies.

Where Did the Time Go? Why Do I Feel Like I've Lost a Part of Me?

   It's been two months since I started my mission on December 1st of 2010. In only two months I felt like I have remembered every moment of my entire nineteen year existence on this earth, and for a while I felt like every moment that has passed in my life has been lost. Everything that I have lived through or experienced is merely a memory. Its kind of depressing when every moment in your life just happens and after that its gone.
   You grow so attached to those memories of your playful youth and summer fun as a child. Those times with your family and friends are postponed for two years and when you return home things will never be as they once were. Kind of sad, huh? Well, all of these thoughts and emotions stemmed from my head, so I felt it best to stop thinking in such a short measure of twenty years and start thinking of eternity. Which was a good idea because there is a lot of happiness when thinking of existence in terms of before, now, and forever.
   As I continued pondering my life the words "line upon line, precept upon precept" from 2nd Nephi of the Book of Mormon came into my mind. I soon realized that everything that happens in our life stays with us, nothing is lost only gained. Its such a comfort to know that all those wonderful moments in our life aren't lost, but instead are apart of us and makes us what we are. As for those not so wonderful moments, those times of struggle, they still make us better than what we were before.
   There is a scripture in The Doctrine & Covenants in Section 122:7 that helps remind me of those hard times in my life like those times of doubt and discouragement. It says "And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackeness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape opent the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good."
   So when you start dreaming of the past and longing for those moments of happiness remember that it only gets better. Every second passed is a second gained. Life is not a countdown to the end, but an account of the infinite. Keep your thoughts in the now and enjoy the moment. Because that moment is a part of you and won't happen again.
   President Monson had this to say of life, “Sometimes we let our thoughts of tomorrow take up too much of today. Daydreaming of the past and longing for the future may provide comfort but will not take the place of living in the present. This is the day of our opportunity, and we must grasp it.” President Hinckley also said "Life is to be enjoyed, not endured." Two great pieces of counsel to follow.
   I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen