I am not ashamed!!!

“There are times when I feel so unsure if the words I speak will be the cure.  What if my voice could change a heart?  Lord, teach me where to start.  While on my knees I’m pleading so that I can show that I am not ashamed, to stand and say what I believe. I know that he’s my savior.  He’s my strength and every need.  There is one name under heaven. Christ, he is my king.  For him I’ll give my life.  I am not ashamed.”

 Romans 1:16 “I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ”.  The gospel is nothing to be ashamed of but something to be proud of.   As Gordon B. Hinckley explained in a talk he once gave called "A Perfect Brightness of Hope" he said "We rejoice with you in the gospel of Jesus Christ. There are many blessings in store for you. We know at times it can be terribly lonely. It can be disappointing. It can be frightening. We of this Church are far more different from the world than we are prone to think we are. But the gospel is nothing to be ashamed of. It is something to be proud of. “Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord,” wrote Paul to Timothy (2 Timothy 1:8)."

 In the bible it talks about how the church is like a body (1 Cor 12:11-27: you should read it).  Every member of the body is important and plays an important part to the function of the body as a whole.  There are times when we might think that we are small and we don’t matter much.  Sometimes we think that it wouldn’t make a difference if we weren’t there because we think ‘what kind of contribution can I make?  I’m no one important.”  However, every part of our body is important.  Even if we were missing our little baby toes, our balance would be off and we would have to learn how to walk all over again; because they play a vital role in the function of the rest of our body.  When we look at the body as a whole we often overlook the importance of such a small feature but it is needed nonetheless.

 Our comments and contributions are important.  The spirit works in mysterious ways and he might impress you to say something that another person has been wondering.     You might have the answer to someone else’s prayer.  Of course it is not going to be easy and you are going to be a little frightened or intimidated at first, but who do you think is putting those fears inside your head?  Whenever there is an opportunity to grow spiritually there is always going to be opposition, because there is someone who doesn’t want us to be happy or help each other.  So he will put doubts in your head; doubts about whether or not your comment is worth sharing.  The only way to get over this fear is to open your mouth and just share what you have inside and the spirit will direct you with what to say. 

The more you turn away from, or deny the spirit the more difficult it is to recognize when he is calling you.  If you keep letting fear stop you from saying what the spirit has put into your mind, he is not going to be able to trust you as much with more revelation because he knows that you aren’t going to share it.  If will be more difficult for you to be in instrument in his hands when you are afraid of doing the work.  However, if you try to overcome your fear and allow him to work through you; he will give you strength.  He can make you strong enough to face your fears and help lift others who have fallen.  It is then that he can raise you to a higher level, closer to him.

The church of Jesus Christ isn’t a place where everyone goes just so that they can individually progress and leave everyone else in the dust.  It is a place where we can lift and strengthen others along our path.  Everything in the organization of the church is set up so that each person can help others, not so that they can help themselves.  The prophet isn’t called so that he can receive personal revelation that for him to keep to himself so that he is the only one that is saved.  No, he is called to teach and testify to the world of how they can be saved.  He receives revelation to prepare the world for what is coming.  The priesthood, as well, isn’t made or given to men so that they can bless themselves.  In fact, priesthood holders have to ask other priesthood holders to give them a blessing.  The priesthood is always given so that men can better serve others and lift their fellow men.  Every calling there is in the church is only an opportunity to serve others.  It is when we magnify these callings that the Lord can make us stronger.  Like Christ said in Moses 1:39 “For behold, this is my work and my glory; to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.”  Due to the fact that Christ wants to bring to pass the eternal life of ALL mankind he will bless us when we help him in reaching his goal.  We do that by letting the spirit work through us and sharing the thoughts that he has put in our hearts.  It is then that true happiness can be felt.

There are many who are out there that need our help with coming back to the church.  In Alma 31:34-35 Alma makes a supplication to God for his strength and help with being able to bring their souls back to him.  We must do the same and ask for God’s help to receive the revelation needed to help our brothers. We must ask for his strength to overcome our fears and be able to declare those things to our brethren.  We might be the difference in their decision to come back to the church.  You can help them feel welcome and wanted.  All you have to do is allow God to work through you.

I am so grateful for this gospel in my life.  I know that when we serve others we serve our God and help his cause.  It is a personal goal of mine to not allow my fear stand in the way of me sharing testimony of him at all times and speak the words that are in my heart.  My Lord and Savior have done everything for me.  The least I can do is live for them!  In his name, I share these things, even Jesus Christ. Amen

Psychology Experiment

I just want to say thank you to those 14 people who were brave enough to help me with my experiment. I am happy to say that your suffering was not in vain.  My actual presentation was today and thanks to all of you I am happy to say that I got 100% on it.  My teacher said that it was very entertaining and he really enjoyed the video clips.  I couldn’t have done any of this without you.  I owe you all so much… especially something that tastes good. haha Sadly I am not able to upload the pictures or video onto this blog right now but maybe one day I will be able to do so.

Love with all your heart and make sure they know it.

President Thomas S. Monson once said “I believe that among the greatest lessons we are to learn in this short sojourn upon the earth are lessons that help us distinguish between what is important and what is not. And what is important almost always involves the people around us. Often we assume that they know how much we love them. But we should never assume; we should let them know.  Wrote William Shakespeare: “They do not love that do not show their love”.  Despite the changes which come into our lives, may we fill our days, as much as we can, with those things which matter most. May we cherish those we hold dear and express our love to them in word and in deed. Send that note to a note to a friend in need, give your child a hug, give your parents a hug; say I love you more, always express your thanks. Never let a problem to be solved become more important that a person to be loved.”

There are so many times when we take for granted that which surrounds us, especially our family.  It is so easy to focus on the things that those people aren’t doing rather than the little things that they actually do accomplish.  We tend to hone in on the negative that we forget about all of the little mundane things that happen every day.  We also tend to assume that our loved ones know that we love them but we don’t do anything special to prove it to them.  Perhaps they do know that we love them but if we are always showing our love and especially saying it then there can be no room for doubt.  Also when we say it the more we think about it and mean it.  This causes our relationships to become stronger and our homes more able to invite the spirit.  In the hymn ‘Love at home’ it states “there is beauty all around when there’s love at home.”  The world becomes a brighter place, foods become more rich, your health tends to improve and quality of life goes up immensely when you love and know you are loved in return.

When you’re lying on your death bed you are never thinking ‘I should have invested more, I should have worked longer hours.  I should have bought nicer things.’  Normally your last thoughts go directly to those that you love and your quality of life and relationships you had with others.  You don’t ever want your last thoughts to be ‘did I love enough?’

In a talk by Elder Costa addresses this regret when he shared a poem posted by the husband of one of the flight attendants who was in one of the worst plane crashes in Brazil.  In this plane crash they say: ”There were 199 people killed, including passengers, airline workers, crew members, and others who were at the site when the accident happened.” This poem is entitled “Tomorrow Never Comes”, which is based off of a poem by Norma Cornett Marek.

If I knew this would be the last time I would watch you sleep,

I would hug you tighter. I would plead with the Lord to protect you.

If I knew this would be the last time I saw you walk out the door,

I would hug and kiss you and call you back to hug and kiss you one more time.

If I knew this would be the last time I would hear your voice in prayer,

I would record every gesture, every look, every smile, every one of your words,

So that I could listen to it later, day after day.

If I knew this would be the last time,

I would spend an extra minute or two to tell you, “I love you,” instead of assuming you already knew it.

If I knew this would be our last time, our last moment,

I would be by your side, spending the day with you instead of thinking,

“Well, I’m sure other opportunities will come, so I can let this day go by.”

Of course there will be a day to revise things,

And we would have a second chance to do things right.

Oh, of course there will be another day for us to say, “I love you.”

And certainly there will be another chance to tell each other, “Can I help with anything?”

But in my case, there isn’t one!

I don’t have you here with me, and today is the last day we have—our farewell.

Therefore I would like to say how much I love you,

And I hope you never forget it.

Tomorrow is not promised to anyone, young or old.

Today might be your last chance to hold tight to the hand of the one you love and show all you feel.

If you are waiting for tomorrow, why not do it today?

Because if tomorrow never comes, you certainly will regret for the rest of your life

Not having spent some extra time for a smile, a conversation, a hug, a kiss,

Because you were too busy to give that person what ended up being their last wish.

Then hug tight today the one you love, your friends, your family, and whisper in their ears how much you love them and want them close to you.

Use your time to say,

“I’m sorry,”

“Please,”

“Forgive me,”

“Thank you,”

Or even,

“That was nothing,”

“It’s all right,”

Because if tomorrow never comes, you will not have to regret today.

The past doesn’t come back, and the future might not come! “

Don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today.  Don’t ever assume that someone you love knows you love them but tell them.  Make sure you live everyday as if you were going to die tomorrow, letting everyone around you know how much they truly mean to you.  Then when that tragic day comes you will not have that regret of ‘did I love enough?’ but you will have a sense of peace knowing that you gave you’re whole heart, nothing wavering and there was no doubt about your love to others.  This will not only cause you to have a peaceful after life but a magnificent life here on earth as well because you will be surrounded by love.  And we all know the power of LOVE!

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen."

-Ralph Waldo Emerson

Out of the best books!

So I know that this is my first post and I believe what you really all want to hear from me is a little bit about myself... Sadly you won't be getting that information in this post.  However, I will let you inside my head a little bit.  I really love literature. I love how things are written and how the words on a page form something that is awe inspiring.  I am astonished at how great authors can not only pull us into great literature but they can really make you feel something powerful. From every word that you read you feel empowered.

I have come to the conclusion that there are not only great writers but great speakers who are smart enough to put their words in writing.   There is an intangible immortalized power that is given from God to authors.  It is put into their minds and released into their fingers so that they might be able to share the deepest thoughts of his heart.  Once the words are down on paper they carry an immense enlightening capability to your consciousness.  As each word is read it enters into your mind and can flourish in your soul; empowering you with a divine spark that envelops the soul and enlightens the world. As each book opens, it opens a new world to your view and imagination.  As we internalize the words given to us I can’t help but feel for a brief second the veil part and God smiling down on me.  It is as if I have finally come across this great gift he had ready for me and had just been waiting for me to find it and open it.  As I reread passages and apply them to myself I continue to feel his love as if I had just found the secret hidden message specifically written for me.  I now have no doubt of the need for the scripture in Doctrine and covenants 88:118 which says “And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith.”  God has immortalized his words specifically for you in Books which he has inspired for your learning and growth.

Many times we get too caught up in the world and everything that is going on around us that we don't realize what we have right in front of us.  Even though many people don't find reading very entertaining and even though it is a little slower by reading we are better able to truly understand something and apply it for in our lives. To me you don't get the same affect or feeling from listening to a book on tape or watching a movie as you do from reading a book, which is why I find it so important for us to read and read often; especially the Book of Mormon.  Although it may be a little difficult to understand at first with time as we become more familiar with the way that it is written we will be able to understand it more clearly and apply it to our lives more thoroughly.  By doing this we will be able to draw closer to the Lord and receive his strength to overcome anything that is thrown in our path.

So as you probably can guess, throughout this blog I am not only going to be talking about myself but I will be talking about scriptures, and quotes that have impacted me and why.  I hope that one day or somehow this might be able to help someone somewhere.