Christmas Poem

I enjoy good poetry.  Especially if I want to get in the right mood for a special occasion or season.  I have felt very much in the Christmas mood with my mother setting up all of the decorations for the house, so I decided to write a poem.  Now I'll let you all be the judge of how good it is, but hopefully it will do the job of getting us in the right mind for what this Christmas season can bring!

The Shepherd's Story

What did you see that first Christmas day?

I saw a couple come to Bethlehem, for taxes to pay.

What did you see that first Christmas day?

I saw an inn, with no more room they say.

What did you see that first Christmas day?

I saw a lowly manger with beds of hay.

What did you see that first Christmas night?

I saw a star, so very big and bright!

What did you see that first Christmas night?

I saw Angels! Bidding us not to have fright.

“For unto you is born this day,

“Christ the Lord, in a manger he lay.”

Then proclaimed the Host, as the prophet did pen,

“Glory to God in the highest, and peace, good will toward men.”

What did you see that first Christmas night?

I saw shepherds, guided by a star's light.

What did you do that first Christmas night?

I worshiped Jesus Christ the Lord, with all my might.

What do you do for Christmas today?

I still seek for that babe, laying in the hay.

Have Ye Recieved His Image in Your Countenances?

I have been home for over two months now from New York.  It is interesting to me how easily I have slipped back into the worldly things, such as movies and music.  The more I get back into the popular things of the day, the more I see the person I used to be.  This reminds me of a question that Alma asked the people of Zarahemla, after they had fallen into a bit of an apostasy,  "And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God?  Have ye received his image in your countenances?  Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? . . . And now behold, I say unto you, my beloved brethren, if ye have experienced a change of heart, and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, I would ask, can ye feel so now?"  (Alma 5:14, 26)


This mighty change of heart that Alma talks about is conversion to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is a lifelong process which we must pursue in order to gain eternal life with our Father in Heaven.  It is a course that is impossible if we strive with vain ambition to travel alone.  There is only one name under Heaven whereby man can be saved, and that is the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  He has told us time and time again "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."  (Matthew 28-30)  So why do we shun his name or his yoke?  His is the only way that we may gain true happiness.  Let us not be "weary in well-doing, for (we) are laying the foundation of a great work!"  (Doc. & Cov. 64:33)

Everyday Things

It has been 3 weeks since I have returned home from my service as a full time missionary.  Let me tell you, the transition has been odd.  It has been a lot smoother than I thought it would, but it ain't all roses and daffodils.

The other day I went for a run.  I know it is a strange hobby, but it is a lot of fun!  On this run I was pushing my body so that I could run the 4 mile loop I was doing in less time than I usually do.  Well for some reason my lungs didn't want to cooperate.  I became short of breath and the airways started to close off a little.  I guess it just wasn't time yet to push that hard.

So what does all this have to do with anything?  As with running, we will be asked to surmount some pretty incredible tasks in our life.  All of which boils down to whether or not we are doing the simple day to day things to prepare ourselves for these events.  Just like a runner has to train diligently and consistently to be able to run a marathon, we can't expect to forgo the important things of life and be ready to be on the lords  team.  It just doesn't work.  It is the everyday things that will prepare us for the occasions when we will truly be asked "Whose on the Lord's side, Who?"

Elder Ulisses Soares: Abide in the Lord's Territory!

For Love of God and All Mankind

"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?  He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself.  And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live.  But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbor.

And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. And by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side.  And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.

But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him.  And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.

Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves?  And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise." (Luke 10:25-37)

"Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law?  

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.  This is the first and great commandment.  And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.  On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets."  (Matt. 22:35-40)

"But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.  Wherefore my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure.  Amen."  (Moroni 7:47-48)

Staring the Bull in the Eyes

For the past couple of days I feel as though I am staring a bull in the eyes.  As a missionary we spend two years away from movies, television, dating, family, friends, and other such interests and go out to a place that the Lord has asked us to go and spread his message and serve his children.  Looking at two years at the beginning is a long time.  I now have 4 months left as a full time missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I find myself asking this question, "Where did the last two years go?"  So there is my bull, the end of the greatest two years I've ever had.  I cherish each moment I have with all of the people I have met out here and all the friendships that I have gained.  You all will never be forgotten.  I love being a missionary and I will give it my hardest these last few months!

As I have pondered the beautiful moments I am reminded of this video.  How many times do we forget the small things in life?  We need to live each moment as if it could be a cherished memory for the ages.  "For behold, this life is the time for men to prepare to met God; yea, behold the day of this life is the day for men to preform their labors."  (Alma 34:32)

Moments that Matter Most

Healing the Wounded Soul

Have you ever had that family member or that friend who has had more than their fair share of trials and heartache?  The one who you are amazed at everyday as they greet you with a smile and always has a listening ear when you need to vent a little?  Or is it you that I am describing?  Have you ever had to go through heartache and grief?  Have you ever wondered if there was a way to root out the pain in your soul?

Well, lets look at the scriptures.  There was a man named Jacob who was a prophet of The Book of Mormon.  He had a lot of struggles in his life.  First off, he was born in the wilderness (1 Nephi 18:7).  Not the most convenient place on earth to begin your life.  Then his family needed to cross the ocean, and while they were in the middle of their trip some of his older brothers decided they were going to harrass the other family members so much that it ended up bringing their parents "even upon their sickbeds. . . even they were near to be cast with sorrow into a watery grave."(v. 17-18)  Thankfully all was amended on the voyage and the brothers had humbled themselves enough that they all arrived at the promised land (v. 23).  Later, Jacob's father told him; "Thou art my first-born in the days of my tribulation in the wilderness.  And behold, in thy childhood thou hast suffered afflictions and much sorrow, because of the rudeness of they brethren." (2 Nephi 2:1)  Jacob did not have the best time growing up.

Despise all of this tribulation and trouble that he had to go through, Jacob never wavered in his faith.  His faith was strong enough that he was able to see his Redeemer, just as Isaiah and his older brother Nephi had seen him. (2 Nephi 11:2-3)  So having all this opposition, there has to be a secret that he had where he could be healed.

After Nephi had died it rested upon Jacob to be the Prophet.  He had a very hard task ahead of him because he had to put some things in order.  He felt bad that he had to bring up these sins that the people had committed because there were those in the audience who had not done the wrong, but were still affected severely because of actions others had taken. (Jacob 2:1-9)  But he offers some advice to those who have been wounded by the actions of others and have come to listen to the Prophet speak:  "And it supposeth me that they have come up hither to hear the pleasing word of God, yea, the word which healeth the wounded soul."  (v. 8)

 No matter what has happened in the past, it is in the scriptures that we can find the healing balm.  They will tell us what we need to do (2 Nephi 32:3) and they will invite the spirit of God into our lives.  They point us to Christ who is the master healer.  They lead us to him so we can be healed through his atoning blood.  "For, for this end was the law given; wherefore the law hath become dead unto us, and we are made alive in Christ because of our faith; yet we keep the law because of the commandments.  And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins."  (2 Nephi 25:25-26)


May we always look unto Christ no matter how good or bad our situation seems!

Believe in God

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend." (Mosiah 4:9)

Where does our trust lie?  In whom do we believe?  How can we show more fully our willingness to obey God?  Why does it always seem so hard?

When we are first asked to accomplish a seemingly hard task, our natural instinct is to run away.  To duck our heads so we won't face the brutal opposition.  Jonah was afraid enough that he boarded a ship in a desperate attempt to flee from the presence of the Lord.  Many times we try to flee from the Lord as well.  We may wake up late and convince ourselves that it is too late to go out now, that we'll be able to get to it next time.  Or we may receive an invitation to go somewhere else when we know that the Lord would have us do his work.  Whatever the case may be, it is up to us to muster up the Faith to do hard things.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things." (2 Nephi 2:11)  Without opposition we would not survive.  If the gravitational force of the Earth was not here, then we would all just float out into the deep dark vacuum of space.  But thankfully, we have gravity to keep us all here with those we love.  Thus, opposition is an important principle.  If so, then overcoming opposition is even more important!  Let us build our Faith in God that he has all power and that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them."  (1 Nephi 3:7) 

He knows each of us personally.  He knows our weaknesses, and He knows how we can overcome them.  "He will take upon him their infirmities, . . . That he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:12)  "Come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation." (Omni 1:26)

You'll Never Walk Alone

Do you remember that really annoying time when your surroundings changed suddenly and you felt all alone?  The time when you moved to a new town, or changed jobs, or went to a new school and you weren't sure if you fit in or not?  Whatever the case was, you were terrified and scared about what would happen to you and the ones that you loved.

Let me share with you a story from the Scriptures.  A story of one who thought he was lost and never had a chance to come back.  This is the story of the Prodigal Son.

"A certain man had two sons: And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.  And he divided unto them his living.  And not many days after the younger son gathered all together, and took his journey into a far country, and there wasted his substance with riotous living. 

"And when he had spent all, there arose a mighty famine in that land; and he began to be in want.  And he went and joined himself to a citizen of that country; and he sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swine did eat: and no man gave unto him.  And when he came to himself, he said, How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough and to spare, and I perish with hunger!  I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as one of thy hired servants.

 "And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.  And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son.  But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat, and be merry: For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry." (Luke 15:11-24)

Sometimes we may not be able to go back to our former life and our former situations, but there will always be people who are on the lookout for you just as the father was for his son who went away.  Your influence in others' lives is very dramatic, and even if you don't feel like you make a difference, you do.  Remember that as you follow His guiding voice you will always be where God needs you.  You may not know why at the first, but He needs you to preform His work on earth.  He loves you, He wants you to be happy, and He knows how that can happen.  "And he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according the thier infirmities." (Alma 7:12)

Remember, "You'll Never Walk Alone."

Whom Dost Thou Seek?

"Now when Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judæa in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him. . . And when they were come into the house, they saw the young child with Mary his mother,and fell down, and worshiped him: and when they had opened their treasures, they presented unto him gifts; gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." (Matt. 2:1-2, 11)

The story of the wise men is one of my favorite Christmas stories!  The story isn't very detailed, or long, but it carries a powerful message with it.  We don't know who these men were, exactly where they came from, or how they knew about Christ, but they were willing to leave and to set out on a journey to find just a small child.

Even as a child the true worshipers of God understood who Jesus was and who he was going to become, the Savior and Redeemer of the world.  There is a song by Kenny Chesney that helps me understand just how it was when that baby boy came into the world some 2000 years ago.

Just a Kid
Kenny Chesney

Well the news spread through Jerusalem,
tonight a child is born
There are shepherds fallin' to their knees,
and Angels blowin' horns
But in their golden halls the Pharisees
Scoffed and drank their wine
They said it's only Hebrew prophesy

We don't care and besides
He's just a kid
That's all He is
One more pebble in the gravel,
One more rumor in the rabble.
How can He be king?
He's just a kid.

Well in no time it seemed
the world was knockin' on His door
Performing miracles and wonders
they had never see before
Soon the Pharisees stopped laughing
The silver sum was paid
And near the end He knelt down
in the garden and He prayed:

I'm just a kid
That's all I am
I'll need Your strength to see me through it
If it is Your will I'll do it
But how can I be king
I'm just a kid?

Now I think about the Baby
and the Man at Christmas time
Of mothers, sons and fathers
and children just like mine
About the power in unselfishness,
love and sacrifice
The Gift that we were given and the price.

And how the news spread through Jerusalem,
tonight a child is born
There are shepherds falling to their knees,
and angels blowin' horns
I wonder how on Earth the Pharisees
could scoff and drink their wine
And say "He's only Hebrew prophesy
We don't care and besides He's just a kid
That's all He is
One more pebble in the gravel
One more rumor in the rabble
And how can He be king? He's just a kid"

Oh how can He be king?
He's just a kid.

 Let us remember who our true King is this Christmas season!  Merry Christmas everyone!

THANKSGIVEN!!!!

This is one of my most favorite times of year!!  The time when it is dignified to stuff yourself beyond belief with turkey, stuffing, potatoes, and pie.  I can't think of a better combination.  But amidst all of the cranberries, biscuits, and yams, it is a time to ponder on the things of our lives that our Father in Heaven has blessed us with.  It is a time to think of what matters most in our lives. "It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to sing praises unto thy name, O most High" (Psalm 92:1)  So this year, enjoy the food, but most of all remember what THANKS we owe to the Lord for what he has GIVEN us.

http://lds.org/pages/mormon-messages?lang=eng#moments-that-matter-most

What is a "RESTORATION"?

 Restoration, a word used quite a bit among members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that has the potential to confuse a lot of people.  Some hear the word and may think of old antique furniture, or an old colonial home, or if you're a gear head like me, you may think about a car.  All of these are good comparisons to the idea of The Restoration.  Since I have no idea how to restore furniture, and even less of an idea about colonial houses,  we'll roll with the idea of the car, how about a 1953 Diamond T?

In order for a Restoration to happen, you first have to have an original object.  This is an example of what my truck would have looked like back in the day of 1953.  We will compare this to the original church that Jesus Christ set up when he was on the Earth.  "He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;"  (Ephesians 4:11)  He set up an organization that would help bring everyone in unity, an organization "built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets:"  (Ephesians 2:20)

But as we all know, over time things tend to get roughed up a lot.  Dents and dings form in the body, and if they are not taken care of then rust can come along and start to make a big mess of things.  Equipment breaks, and pieces go missing.  Sadly, the same happened to the Church of Jesus Christ.  "I looked and beheld the Lamb of God, that he was taken by the people; yea, the Son of the everlasting God was judged of the world; and I saw and bear record.  And I, Nephi, saw that he was lifted up upon the cross and slain for the sins of the world.  And after he was slain I saw the multitudes of the earth, that they were gathered together to fight against the apostles of the Lamb."  (1 Nephi 11:32-34)  The church was in disarray.  The apostles were killed off, and soon there was no priesthood authority on the earth to guide and lead the church by revelation.  Soon, when once there was one church, there were many churches teaching different doctrines.

The time and setting eventually came along and our loving Heavenly Father was able to reach out in love to his children.  In the early 1800's God the Father and his son Jesus Christ came to a boy named Joseph Smith in answer to his earnest prayer.  They called Joseph to be a prophet, and through him they would restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Soon you see that old clunker out in the driveway as more than a paperweight, but you see a potential for something amazing! 

Of course you can't just wake up one morning and know exactly how to restore a vehicle, let alone the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  Three years after the visitation of God the Father and Jesus Christ, Joseph was visited by a heavenly being by the name of Moroni.  He was directed by Moroni to a hill where a record of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas was deposited.  Joseph received instruction from Moroni for four years before he could take the record and translate it into The Book of Mormon.  Other key events that made it possible for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to be restored were;  restoration of the priesthood (both Aaronic and Melchizedek), the coming forth of The Book of Mormon, and the final organization of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints on April 6, 1830.

Piece by piece the restoration happens.  The final product is the same as the original, but now it is alive and working!  The Gospel works.  I know the the original church that Christ established when he was here in the flesh is back on the earth.  If you have any questions or for more information visit http://www.mormon.org/.

 

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things."

Opposition, usually is never a word that someone wants to hear.  Opposition can come in many forms, physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual.  Sometimes this opposition can be very painful, while other times it doesn't seem painful at all, in fact we are so used to it that we don't even notice it.

Some painful opposition might come because of someone elses choice, which could result in injury or death.  This is something that happened to my family, and for the whole story look on my post about Jeremy Kunz.  Or it may come because of something someone said that was very hurtful.  Just walk down a hall at your local High School to see this happen.  While other opposition can come because we made a mistake, and the road back seems hard and painful.  And that little voice in your head tells you that you can never make it and that you are a failure and you'll never amount to anything.  So why so much opposition?

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.  If not so, . . . righteousness could not be brought to pass." (2 Nephi 2:11).  There has to be an opposite in all things.  It's like two sides of a stick, you try and pick one end up, and the other follows.  We are here in this life to grow and to become like our Heavenly Father and His son, Jesus Christ.  They know our potential, and have commanded to achieve that potential.  I loved this post by one of my friends, he compares this idea to growing jalapenos.  One more thought, is that opposition can be helpful!  Think of gravity.  Our bodies want to be in motion.  They want to go and go and go.  But, there is an opposing force to our bodies just going.  The gravitational force of the earth keeps us down on our feet and in out chairs and in our beds.  If we didn't have this oppostion, then our bodies would just float away!  That would be kind of scary if you ask me!!

Opposition is a true reality.  We cannot run from it, we cannot hide from it, but we are not alone in our battle.  Alma told the people of Gideon about Christ, and that "he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictons and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. . . . and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)  Christ knows us, he knows everything we go through, and he knows what we need so we can obtain our potential.  Elder D. Todd Christofferson  explained this well in his April 2011 Conference address.  I know Christ lives and loves each one of us.

Newsies and the Gospel

Once again we take another walk down memory lane as we look at another one of my favorite movies, Newsies.  Yeah that's the one with Christian Bale when he was really young and they called him "Cowboy."  This movie is great!  Tons of singing and dancing for the more artsy folk, it has a nice love story for the romantic, a little bit of rebellion and fist fights for action guy, and for those who like to think while watching a movie, a story of a young man trying to find his place in life. 

Cowboy is an orphan who is tying to make his way in life as a paperboy.  There is a lot of opposition for this young man.  His main goal is to make it to Sante Fe.  If he can just make it out there then he will be set!!  But in the end he realizes something, everything that could make him truly happy in life is right around him!  The friends that he has made have become his family and that is what made him truly happy.

We are a lot like Cowboy.  We feel like there is a goal that if we reach then we have made it!  Whether that is that highend executive job, that 6 figure payment, that house on a private beach, or that magnificent ranch out in Idaho.  But there is an easier path to true happiness.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is there for all to partake of.  He invites us all to come unto him to have rest (Matt. 11:28).  I know that he can bring true happiness into our lives! (Mosiah 2:41)