Feelings Through Scripture

Earlier this morning I was studying in The Book of Mormon in the Book of Mosiah and I had a sudden realization of the power of scripture. What our own reactions, thoughts, and feelings can be when reading these stories. Here are a set of verses sharing an account of King Mosiah reading the story of Zeniff and his people as well as Alma and his people.

Mosiah chapter 25:
 1 And now king Mosiah caused that all the people should be gathered together.

 4 And now all the people of Nephi were assembled together, and also all the people of Zarahemla, and they were gathered together in two bodies.

 5 And it came to pass that Mosiah did read, and caused to be read, the records of Zeniff to his people; yea, he read the records of the people of Zeniff, from the time they ^aleft the land of Zarahemla until they ^breturned again.

 6 And he also read the account of Alma and his brethren, and all their afflictions, from the time they left the land of Zarahemla until the time they returned again.

 7 And now, when Mosiah had made an end of reading the records, his people who tarried in the land were struck with wonder and amazement.

 8 For they knew not what to think; for when they beheld those that had been delivered ^aout of bondage they were filled with exceedingly great joy.

 9 And again, when they thought of their brethren who had been ^aslain by the Lamanites they were filled with sorrow, and even shed many tears of sorrow.

10 And again, when they thought of the immediate goodness of God, and his power in delivering Alma and his brethren out of the hands of the Lamanites and of ^abondage, they did raise their voices and give thanks to God.

After reading these scriptures I realized just how we should feel from learning about these people. I realized that just moments before I was reading those same stories and I didn't have that sense of feeling. I couldn't help but wonder what made me lose that. It wasn't because I didn't appreciate the scriptures or what I was reading, but it was because I didn't make what I was reading connect with my own life. I seemed to have forgotten that these people really did live, that these things really did happen, and the whole reason I knew this was because of the witness of the Holy Spirit.

It wasn't until after I let the Holy Ghost remind me of truth and make these people my own spiritual brothers and sisters that I began to feel the joy, the sorrow, and the gratitude God wanted me to feel from reading the scriptures.

I invite any that read this to search, study, ponder, and pray over the scriptures (The Bible, The Book of Mormon, etc.). It is not only a source of knowledge, but something that can change our souls to what God, our Heavenly Father, wants us to be.

The Temple: No Greater Sacrifice

This video shares a powerful message from President Thomas S. Monson on the great sacrifices made to go to the temple. When families are so important to The Lord that he dedicates his temples to sealing families for time and all eternity you know that any sacrifice made for that purpose is worth the cost.

To learn more about families being sealed together follow this link:
http://mormon.org/church/


To watch this and other church related videos you can go to this site:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=73jY8xH_vhc&feature=player_embedded

To watch the video and other messages from the church you can go to this site:
http://www.lds.org/?lang=eng

Story of The Three Trees

This is a story I heard at a stake conference several weeks ago. I felt the story needed to be shared. I know I felt a greater appreciation for Christ and the struggles we go through so our prayers can be answered...
Enjoy!

Once there were three trees on a hill in the woods. They were discussing their hopes and dreams when the first tree said, "Someday I hope to be a treasure chest. I could be filled with gold, silver and precious gems. could be decorated with intricate carving and everyone would see the beauty." Then the second tree said, "Someday I will be a mighty ship. I will take kings and queens across the waters and sail to the corners of the world. Everyone will feel safe in me because of the strength of my hull." Finally the third tree said, "I want to grow to be the tallest and straightest tree in the forest. People will see me on top of the hill and look up to my branches, and think of the heavens and God and how close to them I am reaching. I will be the greatest tree of all time and people will always remember me."

After a few years of praying that their dreams would come true, a group of woodsmen came upon the trees. When one came to the first tree he said, "This looks like a strong tree, I think I should be able to sell the wood to a carpenter" ... and he began cutting it down. The tree was happy, because he knew that the carpenter would make him into a treasure chest. At the second tree a woodsman said, "This looks like a strong tree, I should be able to sell it to the shipyard." The second tree was happy because he knew he was on his way to becoming a mighty ship. When the woodsmen came upon the third tree, the tree was frightened because he knew that if they cut him down his dreams would not come true. One of the woodsmen said, "I don't need anything special from my tree so I'll take this one", and he cut it down."

When the first tree arrived at the carpenters, he was made into a feed box for animals. He was then placed in a barn and filled with hay. This was not at all what he had prayed for. The second tree was cut and made into a small fishing boat. His dreams of being a mighty ship and carrying kings had come to an end. The third tree was cut into large pieces and left alone in the dark.

The years went by, and the trees forgot about their dreams. Then one day, a man and woman came to the barn. She gave birth and they placed the baby in the hay in the feed box that was made from the first tree. The man wished that he could have made a crib for the baby, but this manger would have to do. The tree could feel the importance of this event and knew that it had held the greatest treasure of all time.

Years later, a group of men got in the fishing boat made from the second tree. One of them was tired and went to sleep. While they were out on the water, a great storm arose and the tree didn't think it was strong enough to keep the men safe. The men woke the sleeping man, and he stood and said "Peace" and the storm stopped. At this time, the tree knew that it had carried the King of Kings in its boat.

Finally, someone came and got the third tree. It was carried through the streets as the people mocked the man who was carrying it. When they came to a stop, the man was nailed to the tree and raised in the air to die at the top of a hill. When Sunday came, the tree came to realize that it was strong enough to stand at the top of the hill and be as close to God as was possible, because Jesus had been crucified on it.

The moral of this story is that when things don't seem to be going your way, always know that God has a plan for you. If you place your trust in Him, He will give you great gifts. Each of the trees got what they wanted, just not in the way they had imagined. We don't always know what God's plans are for us. We just know that His ways are not our ways, but His ways are always best.

Author Unkown

My New Year's Resolutions

 "The study of the doctrines of the gospel will improve behavior quicker than talking about behavior."
--President Boyd K. Packer, Ensign, May 1997, 9

Christmas is gone and past, but we can still keep the Spirit of Christ burning within us. A new year is coming up along with the usual new year's resolutions. I thought, "What a great time to make some goals!" To me there's no better way to getting what you want than making a goal and a plan and working to you achieve the goal.

Everyone has their own set of goals and things they hope to accomplish, but I thought I would share some of my own. Maybe to share ideas, maybe to hold myself accountable by posting them on a blog, but mostly to help me be the kind of person I want to be.

I'm going to write my dad a letter every week on my P-Day (Preparation Day)

I'm going to take time and have my own personal vocal prayer to my Heavenly Father. At least once a week. Praying for specific friends and loved ones and their needs. (Should be interesting seeing that I'm a missionary and private time doesn't happen too often.)

I'm going to seize opportunities to do something good for someone instead of second guessing myself and not doing anything at all.

I'm going to remember the example of Jesus Christ, because no matter what happens in life be it good or bad there is always something He did or some way He reacted to life that we can follow and be blessed for it.

Some of these ideas are easy to tell if you accomplished or not, and others are a little bit more difficult being more focused on the quality of your character. Either way, these are my resolutions and I'm hoping to see them accomplished!

Now its your turn to make your own resolutions and have a great New Year's Celebration!!!

BYOF (Bring Your Own Fireworks) Its gonna be a big party!