[Nearer, My God, to Thee by BYU Vocal Point, feat. BYU Men's Chorus]

Love this! Love the Latin language! So cool! I love listening to men sing. :)

[#BecauseofHim]

I know this is an Easter video and that I'm late with it. But this short video really touched my heart today. I love my Savior! 

[persecuted for your faith]

Lately, I have received much abuse because of my faith and the church I belong to. The sad part is that this abuse has come from people who should know and love me, yet it seems that they don't know me at all and they think they can say whatever rude things they want about my faith. It makes me so sad that they don't seem to have any idea who I really am and what a positive, edifying influence my faith is for me. 

It is not new though that people who try to live the gospel are being persecuted. This has happened all through the ages. I just finished reading Elder Holland's talk from last General Conference and it helped me as I was reminded that I'm not the only one who has been treated unfairly or rudely because of faith.

With admiration and encouragement for everyone who will need to remain steadfast in these latter days, I say to all and especially the youth of the Church that if you haven’t already, you will one day find yourself called upon to defend your faith or perhaps even endure some personal abuse simply because you are a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Such moments will require both courage and courtesy on your part.

For example, a sister missionary recently wrote to me: “My companion and I saw a man sitting on a bench in the town square eating his lunch. As we drew near, he looked up and saw our missionary name tags. With a terrible look in his eye, he jumped up and raised his hand to hit me. I ducked just in time, only to have him spit his food all over me and start swearing the most horrible things at us. We walked away saying nothing. I tried to wipe the food off of my face, only to feel a clump of mashed potato hit me in the back of the head. Sometimes it is hard being a missionary because right then I wanted to go back, grab that little man, and say, ‘EXCUSE ME!’ But I didn’t.”

There was a missionary who was stabbed to death when I was serving my mission in Ireland. There were some other missionaries who were badly beaten. These kind of things happen all over the world still. People who turn hate into violence or hurtful words. Most of it stems from misunderstandings or ignorance.

Lately I have noticed that it seems ok to belittle people who believe in God. To make rude remarks of them. To ridicule them. I don't get it. How is there ever going to be peace in this world if we think that that kind of rude behavior is acceptable? We can have our beliefs and thoughts but couldn't we learn to live civilly? To treat those who think differently from us with respect and kindness?

I love these words from Elder Holland.

That kind of hate for a prophet’s honesty cost Abinadi his life. As he said to King Noah: “Because I have told you the truth ye are angry with me. … Because I have spoken the word of God ye have judged me that I am mad”⁹ or, we might add, provincial, patriarchal, bigoted, unkind, narrow, outmoded, and elderly.

And these.

Sadly enough, my young friends, it is a characteristic of our age that if people want any gods at all, they want them to be gods who do not demand much, comfortable gods, smooth gods who not only don’t rock the boat but don’t even row it, gods who pat us on the head, make us giggle, then tell us to run along and pick marigolds.¹¹

Love how he says that. :)

People just don't want to hear it when someone says something they do is not right. It has always been that way. People want religion or things they believe in to be easy. "Do what you want." So it has been throughout the history and so it is now and will be in the future too. 

Jesus clearly understood what many in our modern culture seem to forget: that there is a crucial difference between the commandment to forgive sin (which He had an infinite capacity to do) and the warning against condoning it (which He never ever did even once).

No matter what the world does, a disciple of Jesus Christ will need to continue to try to live the gospel and to try to be an example for others of the blessings that come from keeping the commandments of God. The gospel of Jesus Christ really is the only hope for mankind. There is no other doctrine that can heal people's hatred or make people into better people than that what Jesus Christ teaches. There are doctrines that can do much good, but the fullness of the gospel is the only thing that can cure this world. So despite any persecution, we need to stay committed to the gospel. 

Be strong. Live the gospel faithfully even if others around you don’t live it at all. Defend your beliefs with courtesy and with compassion, but defend them.

Have I mentioned how much I love Elder Holland? :)

[God IS love!]

I came across this quote as I was browsing Pinterest. 

I couldn't get it out of my mind. Not because it challenged my faith in any little way - it didn't. But because it made me sad that people judge something sacred and good to be a thing of garbage. And because they judge God without knowing who He is.

Yes, you can look at the Bible and draw all sorts of conclusions from it. Especially if you don't study it, but just quickly read through some things and use your limited knowledge to make conclusions about it. 

To me, the Bible is a sacred book. It shows God's dealings with people throughout the ages. The thing that leads to misunderstandings about the Bible is that God has dealt with humans who are VERY imperfect, unknowledgeable, and prone to do wrong, human things. God is omnipotent, omniscient and all loving. But He has had to teach people with small snippets of wisdom as they couldn't deal with the whole truth due to their limited understanding/willingness to accept His wisdom. Line upon line, precept upon precept.

The Old Testament shows this perfectly. Through Moses, God wanted to give much wisdom to the people. But they weren't ready so the preparatory law of Moses and only the Ten Commandments were given to prepare the people to receive more.

Then Jesus Christ came and gave "The New Testament". New laws, new teachings, new ways to see and do things. What He taught was revolutionary! Sadly, people weren't ready for it yet. Eventually, people rejected His teachings and started to change them until you could barely recognize them anymore.

Time of dark ages began until religious reformers paved the way for Jesus Christ's gospel to be restored in fullness in these last days again (more about that on another time). The prophets of old have looked forward to this time we live in. The time when the gospel will be taught in all the world and the many prophecies will come to pass. No, the gospel won't be widely accepted by people in the world today either. But many people will find God's Plan and it will make people into better people as they try to live according to what God teaches them.

God really is Love. He is our Father in Heaven who loves us, His literal spirit children. He knows what is good for us, what is bad for us. He will try to give us as much light and knowledge as we are willing to accept from Him. People in Bible times weren't ready to accept much from Him. Hence some of the things in the Bible. But it wasn't because God isn't perfect and loving. It's because the people weren't ready for the fullness of His teachings. 

We only see this short, earthly life. God sees into all eternity and knows what makes us happy in the long run. 

I want to bear witness that the Bible can help a person get closer to God. But only if it's studied with a prayerful, humble heart. With a sincere desire to get to know God. With a desire to understand Him. 

I promise you that if you sincerely study the teachings of Jesus Christ and try to live according to those teachings, that you will get closer to God. You will see miracles happen in your life. You will become more forgiving, loving and kind. You will start to see things more eternally, not just temporarily. 

Yes, there are many bitter, negative "Christians" out there. Who judge people etc. But they really aren't living the gospel. They aren't following Jesus Christ. The Bible talks about these kinds of disciples. They haven't "got it yet". They don't understand what a disciple of Jesus Christ really should be doing. 

God is LOVE. I bear witness of that. I have experienced His love in so many ways. He loves all of His children. As a Loving Father, He sometimes says "no, you shouldn't do that" to some things we like to do. Not because He is mean, but because He sees the eternal picture and more perfectly sees what will be for our eternal benefit. Just like our children get mad at us sometimes when we say "no", so do people get mad at God for saying "no". My experience has proven time and time again that they'd be wiser to stop and listen. He does know better!

[lessons from Elder Scott]

Some thoughts from an article by Elder Richard G. Scott, taken from the February 2014 Ensign. He offers some wise words on how to live a joyful, peaceful life.

"Strong character is more important than what you own, what you have learned, or what goals you have accomplished."

"Men and women are needed who will act nobly and courageously for what the Lord has defined as right - not for what is politically correct or socially acceptable. We need individuals who have the spiritual, righteous influence that will motivate others to live honorably... Above all, we need mothers and fathers who will preserve the sanctity and safety of the home and the integrity of the family..."

Some good rules to follow by:

1. Establish a set of principles by which you will guide every aspect of your life.

2. Don't make exceptions to your standards.

3. Be loyal. 

4. Live so that the Lord can guide you to where He wants you to be and to serve.

5. Serve others.

6. Smile.

"I will tell you a secret of how to wake up in the morning with a smile on your face no matter how you feel: go to bed with a coat hanger in your mouth."

7. Don't complain.

8. Always have a Church assignment. 

"The last two are the most important."

9. Go to the temple. 

10. Use the Savior Jesus Christ as your example for life.

"There have been times when my choice to stand for principle against strong forces implied that there would be significant personal loss by taking the action. But that did not deter me. I was determined to do what was right. The anticipated loss, however, never came. Somehow, doing what was right in time opened far greater and more meaningful opportunities. I testify that you will never go wrong when you trust in the Lord and in His promises, no matter how severe the challenge."

May I share an experience with you? I served in the U.S. Navy with Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, a very demanding individual. When I was called to be a mission president, he tried to dissuade me from going. When I said it was a prophet of God who had called me, he said, “If that’s the way Mormons are, I’m not going to have any of them working in my program.” I knew there were many families in Idaho, USA, depending on work in that program, and I was concerned about it.

As I prayed, a song came to my mind: “Do what is right; let the consequence follow” (“Do What Is Right,” Hymns, no. 237). I did that. I couldn’t see how some of the challenges we faced would be worked out the way I hoped they would be with the individual who would come to replace me, but “do what is right; let the consequence follow.” It all worked out very well.

When Admiral Rickover knew I was going to leave on a mission, he had said he never wanted to see me again and never wanted to talk to me again. On the final day of my working with him, I asked for an appointment. The secretary gasped, expecting that there was going to be an explosion.

I went in, and he said, “Scott, sit down. What do you have? I’ve tried every way I can to change your decision. What is it that you’ve got?”

I handed him a copy of the Book of Mormon and said, “Admiral, I believe in God. And I believe that when we do the best we can, He will help us.”

Then Admiral Rickover said something that I didn’t ever expect to hear. He said, “When you finish your mission, I want you to come back and work with me.”

[our value]

Such a great article about self worth and self esteem by Elder Cook in January 2014 New Era magazine. So important to realize that our self worth doesn't depend on how we look or how popular we are, etc.

Some quotes from his talk:

The Lord taught that His ways are not the same as the world’s ways and that “my ways [are] higher than your ways” (Isaiah 55:8–9). Following the Lord’s ways allows you to receive eternal blessings and to have the Holy Ghost with you, which can help you feel good about yourself more deeply and consistently than anything the world has to offer. 

When someone seems better at something than you, you may feel like you’re not good enough and that you need to be better in order to be accepted. One problem with this lie is that by tying your self-worth to other people, you’re often comparing another person’s strength to one of your weaknesses.

...loving yourself is not about tooting your own horn or conforming to the world’s view of self-esteem. It’s about being who you are—a unique child of God—and knowing that who you are is a good thing. When you understand your eternal worth and you live in a way consistent with your divine heritage, you will gain a lasting self-esteem that is better than anything the world can offer.

[yes, you can!]

Some limits may apply but too often we think we can't, when in reality, we can.