Snowboard for Freedom!!

Among other things, one of my favorite feelings of freedom is speeding down a mountain of fresh powder.  There is a feeling of being invincible with the cold air rushing past you and the weightless feeling as you fly over rises in the snow and carve back and forth in the powder.  Thinking quickly but staying relaxed is when I'm most successful on the slopes.  It took me many hours to be able to handle the more advanced runs.  There were many bruises and a few concussions.  On one occasion I had more confidence in myself than I should have had.  I was racing my good friend and we were approaching a bridge we were supposed to go under.  The next thing I know I'm laying on my back and he is hitting me across the face to get me to wake up.  I had caught edge and slammed into the snow which knocked me out.  It was a painful lesson to learn.

Agency (aka 'free will') is our ability to make choices.  Just like I had the choice to overstep my bounds, each of us get to choose what we will do in our lives.  There are laws in heaven that are unchangable.  When we use our agency to choose to comply with the laws we gain more freedom to continue to act as we will.   Because I had put in the practice, I eventually was free to snow board down the more advanced runs.  Another example I love is the piano.  Because a person complies with the instructions to practice they eventually are free to play just about anything they want.  Those of us who choose not to comply with those laws are not free to sit down and produce beautiful music, however, the choice is ours. Every choice we make can be placed in one of two categories, to follow Christ or Satan.  We choose who we follow each day.  May each of us choose to follow Christ and save ourselves the spiritual concussions and free ourselves spiritually to play beautiful music.  By choosing Christ, we choose freedom.

Zion and Glacier

Glacier National Park is beautiful. I had the opportunity to hike to Hidden Lake up in Logan Pass.  The majesty of the sheer cliffs is hard to put into words.  A feeling of insignificance is all that accompanies each who journeys there.  As we proceeded with our hike I was reminded of a beautiful place much closer to home.  Zion National Park is the desert version of Glacier.  IN Zion there is a popular hike called Eagle's Landing.  The hike begins low in the valley and ascends up the side of the mountain.  In the final stretch of the hike the trail narrows until it is only a few feet wide with a thousand foot fall on either side.  There is chain to hold on to so you don't fall.  This hike has claimed many lives.  This difficult hike is often like our journey as disciples of Jesus Christ.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland says it well. "Obviously as the path of discipleship ascends, that trail gets ever more narrow until we come to that knee-buckling pinnacle of the sermon of which Elder Christofferson just spoke: “Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.” What was gentle in the lowlands of initial loyalty becomes deeply strenuous and very demanding at the summit of true discipleship. Clearly anyone who thinks Jesus taught no-fault theology did not read the fine print in the contract! No, in matters of discipleship the Church is not a fast-food outlet; we can’t always have it “our way.” Some day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that Jesus is the Christ and that salvation can only come His way."

Often the path is not easy but we need to remember to stop and look around and appreciate the beauty of it.  The end of Eagle's Landing puts you on a safe pad of rock to overlook the rest of the canyon from a unique perspective and a sense of accomplishment. So too will be our final embrace in the arms of our Savior. When at the end of this life we can hope to hear not only "You're done" but "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

Lemonade Stands and the Plan of Salvation

One ice chest, a poster board, sharpie pen, and three young boys equals one lemonade stand.  In the staggering heat of southern Utah, people will pull over and throw their pocket change to young kids selling warm, watered down, over priced lemonade because they feel bad for the poor kids just about to pass out from heat stroke.

I remember being one of those red faced kids whose face would light up when a car would slow down.  We worked so hard to make money so at the end of the long hot day we could walk up to the gas station and buy a root beer.

Now every time I see a lemonade stand if possible I will pull over and pay for one of these warm, watered down, over priced, half filled cups of lemonade reflecting on my days as a lemonade salesman.  When I stop to think of what I had to offer people then and what I have to offer people now I chuckle.

As a full-time representative of our Savior Jesus Christ, sharing the message He would if He were here now, I have the privilege of offering to others the opportunity to learn about Gods plan for us as His children.  The Plan of Salvation is not watered down or overpriced.  In fact it is free of charge, refreshing, and rejuvenating to the soul.

As missionaries we have a most remarkable message that will enhance the truths one already treasure.  We invite all to consider the evidence we have that God loves is children and has once again reached out to us by revealing the fullness of His gospel to a prophet.  This prophet's name is Joseph Smith.  The evidence of this glorious truth is found in a book called the Book of Mormon which you can read, ponder, and pray about.  If you pray with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, God will tell you by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true.  By gaining this knowledge you will also come to know how your family can be together forever.

God be thanked for once again revealing His merciful plan of happiness and fulness of His gospel to a prophet.

How do you know??

In a conversation I had recently, as I was telling a man of the gospel truths that I knew to be true, He asked me.  " How do you know?"  It was a simple and sincere question I had heard before and I thought of the standard answers that I tell everyone.   However, his question was so pure that it got me thinking...how do I know?...How does anyone know anything spiritual?

We know that the sun is shining when we see it.  We know someone is speaking when we hear it.  In this world if we want to know anything that is temporal then we rely on our physical senses to give us that information.  Is God going to cater to our physical senses to answer us?  He definitely could.

How will our Heavenly Father let us know He is there?  How can we know when we are receiving an answer to our prayers?

In the New Testament John tells us "26But the ^aComforter, which is the ^bHoly Ghost, whom the Father will send in my ^cname, he shall ^dteach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you."(John 14:26)

Jesus Christ tells us "8But, behold, I say unto you, that you must ^astudy it out in your ^bmind; then you must ^cask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your ^dbosom shall ^eburn within you; therefore, you shall ^ffeel that it is right.

 9But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings, but you shall have a ^astupor of thought that shall cause you to forget the thing which is wrong; therefore, you cannot write that which is ^bsacred save it be given you from me."(D&C9:8-9)

One final scripture I will share comes to us from the writings of Paul in the New Testament. Galatians 5:22 says "22But the ^afruit of the ^bSpirit is ^clove, ^djoy, ^epeace, ^flongsuffering, ^ggentleness, goodness, ^hfaith," 

When we study it out in our mind and then prayerfully seek an answer as to weather the decision we have made is correct, we can know by the fruits of the Spirit that it is right.  The Spirit of the Lord or the Holy Ghost does not throw you to the ground, punch you in the face and say "take this."  The Holy Ghost prompts so gently that we have to be paying close attention to recognize answers when they come.  Being in tune with the spirit is something that takes great effort and practice.

As I answered the man's question "How do you know?" I could say. I know by the power of the Holy Ghost that these things are true.  And not just because it was a one time thing, but I receive that same witness over and over again confirming the truths I already know.  Patient Persistence along with hope are part of the key to revelation.

I testify that anyone who is truly seeking answers or guidance from God will find it through His Spirit.  Pay attention to your feelings and to when you are feeling the 'fruits of the spirit.'