Power Up Your Testimony

So I've been slacking on my blog posts, so I'm gonna get back into it with a simple one today.  I've really been thinking a lot about my testimony, the testimony of those around me, and how I can build both mine and theirs. 

What is a testimony?

A testimony is knowledge based on experiences one has had.  One can testify they witnessed something, either for a case in court, or even for vouching their friend really did eat 6 saltine crackers in under a minute (possible... by the way.. ha).  A testimony is something that grows over time and by degrees.  A testimony can even be built by the testimony of others. 

I'll liken our testimony to a flashlight that you winde up to generate the power to turn it on.  As you start from a dark light, it takes a while to winde it up until it is bright.  Once it's there, you have to continue to winde it in order to keep it bright.  If you stop winding, it will begin to dim.  You may not always be in dire need for the light, it may be daytime.  But night will come.  You may pass through a tunnel, or cloudy weather, or any number of places that the light needs to be used.  If the light is not there because you haven't been winding, it may be too late to prevent a mishap.  On the other hand, if that light is kept bright, it'll be there when you need it. 

I know this applies to us today, as we do the little things, reading our scriptures, saying our prayers, going to church, we "winde up" our testimony.  If we keep it bright, it will be there when we need it.  I know our testimony is one of the most valuable things we can have in this life.  I testify that my testimony has lighted the dark paths of my life.  I hope and pray we all keep winding our light.  If you feel yours getting dim, winde a little harder for a while, and it will catch up!

I Hope you're Hoping, Hopefully

So it's been a little while since I posted and I have been meaning to do so.  Here's a nice short post to share my recent thoughts and get my Blog ball rolling again.  What is Hope?

I recently studied "Hope" as one of the Christlike attributes in Preach My Gospel (pg. 117), and was taken back that it's not quite what I thought it was.  The world has a misconception on what hope really is.  In the world's view, hope has a connotation that leaves room for doubt.  "I hope my team wins the game," or  "I hope it's not raining tomorrow."  Well when the word hope is used in the scriptures, it is used in an sure and confident kind of way.  PMG says that hope is an abiding trust, an assurance, an anchor.  Hope is knowing that things will work out for our good.

Hope is closely related to faith.  Faith is an action.  If we have faith in something we move forward with steps we might not have taken otherwise.  Hope is the assurance that something will come of that action.  In my mind, faith starts the action, and hope maintains it.  In the Book if Mormon in Ether 12:4 it reads  "Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God."


Hope creates a foundation that is sure and steadfast.  Hope is the driving force that brings us to face the hard times and remember why our faith got us started in the first place.  I hope I can serve my mission to the best of my ability.  I hope I will receive remission of my sins.  I hope I will be found spotless and inherit eternal life.  I know that we can all attain these things as we go forward.

2 Nephi 31:20 reads,  "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of  hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."


I know that this is true!  I know that we can hope for a better world, and see it happen.

Here's Me

       So today, I'm writing a more personal and out of the ordinary (for my blog) type of post.  Most of what I've written is ideas I've had, things I've always wanted to get out into the world, or just plain gibberish that I've happily emptied from my mind.  Today, I'm gonna post what I consider to be a "normal post."  I feel it is time to just talk about where I'm at, and express the best I can in words, how thankful I am to my Father in Heaven for my wonderful life and people that make it that way.
     I'm now about 17 months into this 24 month ordeal, and blown away at the experience that it is.  I absolutely Love being a missionary.  It is full of so many things that just don't compare to anything else I've ever done.  I've never lived such a strict routine, and I love it.  I love seeing such changes in myself and others when consistent goal setting, plans set, and action really occurs.  It's amazing!  I love the gospel.  My testimony of this church and of the restoration is more solid than I ever thought it could be.  I can say "I Know..." and mean it.  I'm so thankful for this.  I've been blessed so much I sometimes think it is unfair.
     The parable of the talents has been on my mind a lot on my mission.  One guy got 5, another 2, and another 1.  The guy with 5 used them and made 10, the guy with 2 made 4, but the guy with 1 hid it away and lost the one he had.  The part to this that I've been realizing is that God gave me many talents.  I have an obligation to use them.  The more talents we are given, the more additional talents we then must gain and use for God's work.  I equate this to more than just actual talents, but also blessing we are given in life.  The more we are blessed, the more we should use those blessings thankfully to further God's work.
     I've been thinking a lot about relationships we have in this life as some of those blessings, or talents per se. The people around me, and the relationships and memories I have with them, are the best part of my life.  Time = Love, and Love is what it takes to make a good relationship, so good relationships require time.  I think that is why my mission is so great.  We spend all our time building these relationships with anyone and everyone that will hear our words.  No wonder I've grown to love so many people so much in such a short time (on the calender).  Whenever I first get to a new town, I think, "Eh, this place is ok... I don't really like the weather, or geography or... I doubt I'll want to come back here."  And then after a relatively short time, I meet so many wonderful people, build these amazing and inspired connections, and now I can't fathom Not coming back to visit.  It's happened everywhere I go.  Take away the people, I doubt I'd ever go back.  But with those faces, memories, and life-changing moments in both mine and their lives, I must go back to visit.
     Well back to my other train of thought, I've been so blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life, and right now I want to take a moment to tell the world about the most important relationship I have in this life.  My Mom.  She has spent more time on me than anyone I know.  She has given more of herself to making me who I am than I even realize.  Words can't express the amazement I have for who she is, what she's done, and the great example she has set for me.  She served her mission to Italy, and her testimony has never wavered in the tiniest amount.  She's always stood by me and sometimes I don't even understand why I deserve to be so lucky.  "Because I have been given much I too must give."  My mom's love is spreading to the people of California.
     Now that little Momma's boy is done, I want to say that so many relationships in my life have given me knowledge, experience, happiness, and growth.  These are what make me me.  I have been given so much, that I'm duty bound to use that for the benefit of God's work.  I'm so grateful to do it in this capacity.  I'm so glad to have learned what life is truly all about.  I know that I will be doing this my whole life, whether I have a badge on or not.  I've been shown a lifetime of love and blessings, and if I don't use them to do the same thing, I'd be hiding them away.
     This didn't go quite where I thought it would go, but in the end, I just want to tell the world, or anyone who may stumble across this blog and make it through my un-illustrated posts to get to this point, that I Love Life.  This is such a wonderful place to be right now.  I have so many wonderful blessings that I'm eternally grateful for.  The main one being Christ, My Savior, My Redeemer, My Lord, My Friend.  I'd be lost without him, and I'm eternally in his debt.  As we celebrate his coming into the world, I express my joy and hallelujahs for his birth.  He has shown more time and love than any being before and since for every single individual on this earth, me included.  I Know He Lives.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Allow Remembrance

Helaman 5:5 For they remembered the words which their father Helaman spake unto them. And these are the words which he spake:

 6 Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem [Lehi and Nephi]; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

What does remember mean in this context? Helaman went so far as to give his sons specific names to help them remember who they stood for and what they had been taught.  What did Helaman want them to remember?

 9 O remember, remember, my sons, the words which king Benjamin spake unto his people; yea, remember that there is no other way nor means whereby man can be saved, only through the atoning blood of Jesus Christ, who shall come; yea, remember that he cometh to redeem the world.

12 And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

Helaman wanted them to remember the teachings of Christ.  He wanted them to have that with them When the hard times come; When the storms hit.  Why did Helaman want it?

14 And they did remember his words; and therefore they went forth, keeping the commandments of God, to teach the word of God among all the people of Nephi, beginning at the city Bountiful;

Because they did what their father had asked.  They built their own testimony and went out to teach.  So what happened?  

18 And it came to pass that Nephi and Lehi did preach unto the Lamanites with such great power and authority, for they had power and authority given unto them that they might speak, and they also had what they should speak given unto them—

 19 Therefore they did speak unto the great astonishment of the Lamanites, to the convincing them, insomuch that there were eight thousand of the Lamanites who were in the land of Zarahemla and round about baptized unto repentance, and were convinced of the wickedness of the traditions of their fathers.

All because they remembered what they were taught!

So how can we remember?  

I love the example that Nephi and Lehi set for us all to follow.  I love seeing their efforts and results from them.  I think the way to help us do the same is to allow ourselves to remember. 

We allow ourselves to do many things in a day.  Maybe it's allow one more snooze of the alarm, or allow one more piece of candy, or one more missed opportunity.  Why not allow one more chapter of reading for the night, one more phone call to a friend, one more kind word, one more smile.  I know we have it within us to do what is right, and we have the desire and promptings to be an instrument in God's hand.  Just Allow It!  If we all allowed one more gift at Christmas, one more kind word, one more......  how much of a change could we make?  I know the Holy Spirit guides us and we have the choice to act upon it or shrug it off.  Allow yourself one more today.  Make the world happier for one more person, and make one more moment brighter. 

(All verses from Helaman chapter 5 http://lds.org/scriptures/bofm/hel/5?lang=eng, italics added)

Give Oh Give, Give Oh Give!

As this Christmas time is here, I'm reminded of the lyrics to a childhood song I used to sing.

Give said the little stream,
Give oh give. Give oh give.
Give said the little stream,
As it hurried down the hill.

I'm small I know but wherever I go,
The grass grows greener still.
Singing, singing all the day,
Give oh give away!

Simple, yet profound.  The stream gave what it had.  Although small, it's contribution was obvious and it saw the grass grow greener wherever it went. 

At this time of year, all we have to do is give away our little song, our little smile, out little time and love, and the grass will grow greener.  The love will reciprocate.  I know we all have something to contribute.  I know Christ's love is real, and for anyone who has felt a glimpse of that, there is a light within to share with others.  Give of yourself this Chrsitmas, and watch the grass grow greener in others lives, as well as your own.  That's the beauty of giving, all parties lift. Give oh give away!

Brain Flow

So along with my last post on Words, I have another idea rolling around that I have always liked sharing, and thought I'd include on this page.  Sometimes, words are hard to get out.  Things in our mind can be there but not have materialized into reality yet.  I want to talk about the concept of brainstorming, it's value, and how the lord can inspire us through our own thoughts.

There is great value in brainstorming.  I love doing it.  We as missionaries will brainstorm different teaching ideas, or things to say when we first meet people, or specific answers to questions we have posed often.  In all cases, the brainstorm starts out a bit slow.  We think of the same old things we always say.  Then the ideas start getting a bit out there, crazy.  There is so much value here though.  As we start to get the words flowing, the bad ones come out, but it will get your mind cranking and eventually the truly good ideas come out.  You have to start throwing out the crazy ones first, with the total understanding that you won't be using that idea.  It's just a brainstorm.  This is hard for people sometimes.  We as humans get so possessive about our ideas.  We don't want to admit it's a bad idea, we want to cling to ideas we have and pound them into the ground til they work.  As we let the ideas flow, letting them be bad, then we don't care any more.  Then the ideas can be flushed out, the old usual ones, then then crazy ones, then the good ones.  It helps to write things down. 

So why am I talking about this?  I think we all have the potential to affect those around us.  We can plan events, plan gifts for people, come up with all kinds of things that lift others.  Sometimes we get stuck in a rut.  Sometimes we need fresh new ideas.  Sometimes we're trying to overcome something, or trying to make a change in life, but can't seem to think of a way to do it.  If we take the time to get out a pen and paper, let the ideas flow, especially with other people, we can come up with ideas that can be turned into real action.  If you're trying to think of a good B-day present for mom.  Start with flowers... card... balloons... dayspa... circus animals... airplane flying by... parachuters... firework show... tickets to a circus... day at a horse ranch... now the flowing is happening, and the good ideas started.

I know God can inspire our ideas.  We have to do the work.  The old adage, "God can help the guy who's out Pushing his car and praying, much more than the guy just sitting In his car praying."  Sometimes that work can be in the form of pen, paper, and good brain flow.  God can inspire.  Brainstorming takes some effort, but if used well, God can inspire our actions.  Try it next time your planning activity, or trying to help someone out, or trying to help yourself out.  I know we have great potential if we give our self the chance to be inspired.  I know that we can let things go, and move on to better things.  Give it a try.  Happy Brain Flowing!!

Words Without Number

I have many thoughts rolling around my head on Words.  I want to share some of them on how we have power to control words, how God has used that power, and how we can use that power.

With a few simple words, I can direct your attention to something very specific.  Watch: The angel Moroni on the Tokyo Temple has a fly on it's nose with one wing.  Weird example, but with very few words, you now have your attention on the wing of a fly in Japan.  My point is that we as humans have been given the gift of learning and understanding words, in whatever language, that can take our minds together to any place we choose to take it.  There are volumes of written words all over the world that are impossible to read in this lifetime.  It's hard to choose what to take the time to read, with the vast amount that you'll never get too.  The power that words have to make us who we are is astounding.  Written or spoken, words can brighten your mood, make you cry for joy, or the opposite.  We can't control all of the words that we hear, but we can choose to bring certain words in or out of our life.

It's so amazing to me that words are the one tangible thing that God can give to us.  We have those words because of chosen prophets and their learning.  We have the ability to know what God has said to them, and what he still says.  Think about it, these words have traveled from outer space, across who knows how many light years, to arrive in our hands, ears, and hearts.  This is truly communication from the beyond this world.  As pointed out by Neal A Maxwell in his book "Things as They Really Are," men are trying right now to send radio waves into space and hoping for a response, when we already have messages that have come and continually come to us right now. 

Of course I'm alluding to the scriptures, General Conference, ensign, family proclimation, etc.  The history of the bible is complex and amazing, but God has preserved those words for us.  The coming forth of the Book of Mormon is a story for the ages, prophesied in both ancient America and Jerusalem.  I have a growing understanding and appreciation for the power of those words and their origin.  God loves us!  He is reaching out to us in the way that can affect us the most.  The power of those words can enlighten our souls and minds to truth.  Think about it.  TRUTH.....  There is a reality, and God wants us to know it.

I love the power we have with words too.  We have knowledge and understanding that deepens in us as we hear words and have experiences.  We can share those words with those around us.  We can choose to speak up.  We can choose to send out good or bad words.  Words are making reality out of our thoughts.  Once you say something, it's out in the universe now.  It's gone from a thought to real vibrations detectable to the world around you.  As those words echo from or to us, there is power that can follow those words if they are true.  That power is the Holy Ghost.  He can be in those words, and he can carry those words to the hearts of the hearers (2 Ne 33:1).  If the words, read or spoken, are truth, and the listener is in tune, the Holy Ghost can bear record of that.  I know this is true.  I have felt his presence in the words I've heard and read.  I've felt the lack of his presence in words also.  I've felt his presence in words I have spoken.  I know the Holy Ghost is real!!!!

Words are all around us.  We can choose to bring the best words into our life.  I know that as we read from the words God has, and still does deliver to us, we will grow in our understanding and be guided.  I know this life is a process.  Our minds are continually being prepared to receive more and more words.  We may hear words several times before they finally ring true.  We may hear words ring true in a new way over and over as we change.  I know that we as humans, use the words from God to grow and progress, the Holy Ghost will guide our Journey here.  I know those words lead to happiness in this life, and eternal life in the world to come.  In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

http://lds.org/scriptures?lang=eng -Scriptures online
http://lds.org/general-conference/sessions/2011/10?lang=eng - October 2011 Conference