Let Us Take a Vote

I have pondered and thought about what I could share next.  I have a few ideas but I want to know what you veiwers would like to read or learn about!!  So let me know and we'll see what happens!

True Friend

This is a shout out to all the people that I'm not related to but I still love!  Yes this is about our dear friends!!  I have lots of pictures here of me with my friends, people that I would do about anything for.  So why are friends so important?  If I may, let me share a story!

  "And again he (Jesus Christ) entered into Capernaum after some days; and it was noised that he was in the house.
  "And straightway many were gathered together, insomuch that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door: and he preached the word unto them.
  "And they come unto him, bringing one sick of the palsy, which was borne of four.
  "And when they could not come nigh unto him for the press, they uncovered the roof where he was: and when they had broken it up, they let down the bed wherein the sick of the palsy lay.
  "When Jesus saw their faith, he said unto the sick of the palsy, Son, thy sins be forgiven thee."
(Mark 2:2-5)

Wow!!  How cool is that!  This guy was so sick that he couldn't get off his bed.  But his friends loved him and had faith that Christ could heal him that they carried him all the way to where Christ was.  But the place where Christ was at was so crowded that no one could get inside because of the huge mob.  But this didn't deter these faithful friends!  They climbed on top of the house, cut a hole in the roof, and lowered their dear friend next to Christ.  What love!  How many of us would do that for our friends?



Well, let's look at another story.  Let's look at Christ.  "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13)  Christ laid down his life for us, his "friends."  How many of us would do that for our friends?  How many of us would carry our friends to Christ?  We all know that he can heal us, and we know that he has all power, so let us all be a friend and help out our friends!

Love, true Love

You may remember one of my personal favorite movies, "The Princess Bride"?  I will be talking about three of the main characters, Prince Humperdinck, Princess Buttercup, and Westley.  First off lets think about a classic scene from the movie, the one where the clergyman can't pronounce his "R"s and thus talks really funny.  Remember that one?  Well if you don't, then that is OK.  All that really matters is that he talks about true love.  And in the movie Prince Humperdinck is not Princess Buttercup's true love.  Her true love is the farm boy Westley, who can hardly make a living for himself.  So why is he her true love?

In 1 Nephi 11:22 we are taught that the love of God "is the most desirable above all things."  Love is a very strong emotion.  What we truly love is what we will work for.  Think for a moment about last week.  What are the prominent memories that come to mind?  What were your desires for that week?  The things that we truly love are things that we will desire the most.  Christ has said that the greatest commandment is to "love the lord thy God with all they heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matt. 22:37)  And how do we show our God that we love him?  Again Christ said that "If ye love me, keep my commandments."  (John 14:15)

Alright, so back to the movie.  At the beginning of the movie we see Buttercup ordering Westley around, and all he would ever say is "As you wish."  Wow, that shows some love!  Are we always that submissive to the things that our Father in Heaven gives, or doesn't, give us?  Buttercup comes to realize exactly how much love Westley has for her, and she in turn falls in love with him.

So what is it that we truly love?  Are we showing our love to that person or that thing?  We all show our love in different ways, but Christ has said that "If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love; even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in his love."  (John 15:10)  I would challenge each of us to abide in the love of our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ by obeying them.  Then once we have that relationship established, show our love to the important things.  I know that you will see an increase of peace and joy in all of your lives if you follow this council.

BTW, this is my family,  I love them all dearly.  Some of them are no longer with us and there are some additions to the group, but I love them and miss being with them.  I also love my Heavenly Father, that is why I am spending 2 years away from my family to be his full time servant because he asked me to!!

Peace I Leave With You

We live in a world full of commotion!!  Where everything has to be done ten minutes ago and we seem to always be behind.  Everyday the news reports have some new disaster, tragedy, or war.  Some of which are in far off places that you may have never heard of before, but others seem to hit a little too close to home, or right on top of it.

Amidst all of this turmoil, how can we gain peace?  Where can we turn?  The Savior told his disciples that another name for the Holy Ghost is the Comforter.  "..the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name.." (John 14:26)  What a special gift!  Preach My Gospel (a manual that missionaries use)  says that "The gift of the Holy Ghost is one of our Heavenly Father's most precious gifts. . . He comforts us during times of trial or sorrow."  (Preach My Gospel p. 65)  And this gift is one that Heavenly Father is willing to give to all of his children!!  We may feel the influence of the Holy Ghost at one time or another, but we have to be baptized and then have hands laid on our heads by someone holding the priesthood authority of God to be able to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 8:18)  Then we can qualify to have his companionship at all times!!

I absolutely love music!!  And so I would like to share with you one of my favorite Hymns!! 

Where can I turn for peace?
Where is my solace
When other sources cease to make me whole?
When, with a wounded heart, anger, or malice
I draw myself apart searching my soul?

Where, when my aching grows?
Where, when I languish?
Where, in my need to know?
Where can I run?
Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?
Who, who can understand?
He, only One.

He answers privately.
Reaches my reaching.
In my Gethsemane, Savior, and friend.


Where Can I Turn for Peace? Click to hear song.

I know that it is through our Savior Jesus Christ that we can return to our Father in Heaven.  He has a special gift for every one, so "Men and brethren, what shall we do?. . . Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."(Acts 2:37-38)

Christ Set the Terms

Jesus Christ.  When we think of him what runs through our minds?  Words that run through my mind are advocate (1 John 2:1), savior (1 Nephi 13:40), mediator (1 Timothy 2:5), and redeemer (Alma 5:15).  Wow, what a list!  This is not all, the list of the attributes and importance of Jesus Christ is endless.

We are commanded to have these perfect attributes, "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect." (Matt. 5:48)  How is this possible?  How can we go back to Father?  Thomas had this same question.  Lets see what his answer was.  "Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me." (John 14:6)  So by the perfect life that Christ led, his suffering in the Garden and on the Cross, and then by his resurrection (all of this constitutes the Atonement) then we can be made clean!

So what's the catch?  Well, because Christ has now become our mediator with the Father, he sets the terms of the Deal.  Christ asks each of us to believe in him, or have faith (John 10:36-38), to give up our sins and to follow him, or repent (Alma 39:9), to be baptized and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, (3 Nephi 11:33-35; 19:9-13), and finally to endure to the end, (Matt. 10:22).  These are the terms that we must fill.  The concept of a mediator is explained very well by the video this link goes to.

http://lds.org/media-library/video/book-of-mormon-presentations?lang=eng&query=video+mediator#2010-06-05-the-mediator


This is the doctrine of Christ.  He is our Savior, and I know that we can have eternal happiness with our Father in Heaven and our families if we live what Christ has taught us!!

"Left Their Nets and Followed HIm."

It is always interesting to see people's reactions when we tell them about the guidelines that we as missionaries are to follow.  They feel that we are extremely restricted in our activities and in our daily lives.  Having to be home by 9:00 pm, getting up at 6:30 am, having study time, no television, and various other things.  But if you ask a missionary how much they wish they could do something else, most of them would say that they have never been happier!!  I know I can say that.  So why is it that we find joy when we are so restricted?

Thinking about this makes me think of Christ when he called the 12 Apostles.  He said to "Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother . . Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.  And they straightway left their nets, and followed him."  (Matthew 4:18-20)  It always amazes me how quickly Peter and Andrew obeyed the voice of Jesus as he asked them to sacrifice.  Well, he asks the same of us.  "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." (Matthew 16:24)   Those who "putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord" (Mosiah 3:19) will find that leaving their nets is the best thing that they will do.

So, does this mean that you have to serve a full time mission to qualify as someone who has "Left their nets"?  No.  "Now this is the commandment: Repent, all ye ends of the earth, and come unto me and be baptized in my name, that ye may be sanctified by the reception of the Holy Ghost, that ye may stand spotless before me at the last day." (3 Nephi 27:19)  And when we are baptized we say that we are willing "to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in."  (Mosiah 18:9)  So by following the commandments, being baptized and receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and fulfilling our baptismal covenant, then we show that we have put off our nets.

Well now your all set!!  But oops, you made a mistake.  You said as Peter said, "I go a fishing." (John 21:3)  You went back to your nets for a time.  You are no longer spotless.  But, there is still hope.  With a lot of faith and repentance, you can "Leave your Nets" once again and become perfected through the atonement of Christ.  "There is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God."  (2 Nephi 31:21)

It may be difficult to do all that God has asked of us.  But I promise that as we faithfully endure "and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon" (Mosiah 3:19) us, then we can be as "those who have washed their garments in my blood, because of their faith, and the repentance of all their sins, and their faithfulness unto the end." (3 Nephi 27:19)

Jeremy Kunz

There is a man by the name of Jeremy Kunz.  He is a great guy!  Everyone that comes in contact with him knows right away that he is one of a kind.  His smile, his sense of humor, and especially his love for his family makes him grand!!  He loves the outdoors; running, hiking, rock climbing, you name it, he enjoys it.  But out of everything he has, his family is number one.  Anyone who comes in contact with him knows that his wife and three kids are his top priority.  There are many other things that make Jeremy the amazing role model that he is, but there is not enough room on the internet to fit it all in!!

Jeremy loves to do that which pushes him to new limits.  Things that make him stretch and that he has to give his all for.  Because of that, he became a long distance runner.  Jeremy was never one to do things alone.  He loves to do things with other people that he is close to, so thus he doesn't particularly enjoy the usual marathons, he would rather run in a relay team made up of close friends and family.  There was one relay in particular that he really enjoys, and spends much of his running time preparing for, the Wasatch Back.  This is one of many relay races that the Ragnar Relay Series has available.  It is a grueling race of 189 miles through the Wasatch Mountain Range located in northern Utah.

In 2009, Jeremy and his team decided that they would try another one of these magnificent races.  The Las Vegas relay.  Another rough race through the hot desert of Nevada.  The race was going well.  All the teammates were making good time, and it was a joyous time!  He was even able to enjoy the race with his wife, Melinda.  Even though she was in the team's other van, they kept in contact with one another through phone calls.

Early in the morning, during the race, on Saturday, October 10, 2009, Jeremy was hit by a drunk driver and killed.

Wow, that's pretty crazy.  Some of you may be wondering why I would put such a depressing story on my blog?  Well, let me tell you a not so secret.  Melinda Kunz, Jeremy's wife, is my sister.  Jeremy has been a part of my family for most of my life.  I don't really remember a time when he wasn't in it.  And even now, though his physical body is no longer present, he is still a big part of my family.

If you'll notice, I didn't use past tense verbs when I wrote the description of Jeremy.  That is because the most important part of Jeremy, the part that makes him who he is, is not gone.  "The spirits of all men, as soon as they are departed form this mortal body, yea, the spirits of all men, whether they be good or evil, are taken home to that God who gave them life." (Alma 40:11)  But that isn't the end, "The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body."(Alma 40:23)  So this life isn't all there is.  There will be a time when I can once again see not only Jeremy but all of my family!!  How grateful I am for that knowledge!

Now what is my purpose in all of this?  I just want you, not everyone else who is reading this, but you who at this time, right now, is reading these words.  I want you to know that trials are hard.  There is pain in life but there is also overwhelming joy.  Joy in the plain truth that Jesus Christ lives.  That he loves us.  That we can become clean through his atoning sacrifice if we but follow his commands.

If you want to know more of the Plan that our loving Father in Heaven created for us, please visit mormon.org.