sing!

I'm Not Alone

Sometimes as a missionary I feel kind of disconnected from...

normalcy.

Let's face it, our lives are just plain

weird.

We just don't live the same way as everybody else in the world! And we share a message that most people are NOT familiar with. It gets kind of

lonely.

ya know?

Last night we came home and I had a letter waiting for me from each of my parents. They were right in the middle of a tour of many church history sites. They were among the wonderful locations that represent the restoration of the gospel. I want to share some of their thoughts and feelings with you. 

"It was so awesome to walk into the Sacred Grove. Just knowing that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were there instilled an incredible reverent feeling! I tried to imagine, 'was it there---or there?' The fact of the matter is, it doesn't matter where, it only matters that I believe it happened! And I know it did!"

"...Even though I already have a testimony and don't need to see these sites to now they really happened, It's so nice to be able to look around and get a sense of what it felt like to be there."

 So I guess the point is, 

This is the faith of my fathers. As I go door to door, person to person, I am not sharing something that just I believe.

I AM NOT ALONE

...and neither are you. 

Made New

Being forgiven of sins has always been a tough one for me to understand. How can a GIANT mistake just go away...? My last companion Sister Nordstrom helped me get this one.

It's kind of like your life is a 2x4. Every little mistake you make is a nasty nail pounded deep into the wood, marring the perfect grain and forever changing the natural beauty. Lucky for us, Jesus Christ paid for those nails. When we sincerely repent, it's as if each of those nails is pulled out.

That almost covers it. Aren't there still holes and defects from the nails?

Yep...

Jesus Christ doesn't just pull out the nail. He gives us a whole new 2x4. We get to start all over.

"If thou believest in the redemption of Christ,

thou canst be healed."

- Alma 15:8

LoNg TiMe nO SeE!!!!

Well, its been way too long since I posted anything. My apologies! But I'm back and ready to get things rollin' again. So let's just jump right into it.

I decided that we, (missionaries, people, Christians, whoever) just totally over complicate things.

THE GOSPEL IS SIMPLE!

God is simple. What He wants us to do is simple. I just want to get back to the basics. The most basic thing I can think of is... 

FAITH

So a few thoughts:

First, faith is a principle of action and power. So basically, it means you have to DO something. For example, God says, "Hey I think you should drop everything in your life and go on a mission." Then I got to show my faith by saying, "I think I'd have to be crazy, but okay."

Remember the whole, faith vs. works deal? Guess what, it's both!

"Even so faith, 

if it hath not works, 

is dead, 

being alone"

- James 2:17 

See how easy that is?

Nephi described it perfectly. He was asked to do a hard thing (go get the scriptures from a murderous billionair) and the way he responded was,
 

"I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded,

For I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, 

save He shall prepare a way for them

that they may accomplish the things which He commandeth them."

-1 Nephi 3:7 

Nephi is the man. He just gets it, ya know? If God asks you to do something, no matter how crazy it seems, just do it - it's not like he's going to ask you to do something without making it possible. 

Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

Second, how do you get faith?

       1 - Keep the commandments

       2 - Study the scriptures.

*** 'nuff said ***

 

 

Welcome to Clarksville!

It's official. I got transfered to Clarksville. It's so hard to say goodbye to everyone in Nashville and I will miss them all! But, I am so grateful for this new calling.

I know now more than I ever have that God is in control. This is exactly where I'm supposed to be and I wouldn't dare fight Him on it! The reason being.... I have seen miracles in the last 3 weeks.

President McKee always says, "Keep your bowl right-side up" meaning, expect miracles and be ready to receive them. That's the darn truth.

I came into this area without much direction or knowledge and with a whole lot of fear, but my bowl has been overflowing since the very first day. I realized that Heavenly Father has countless miracles that he's ready to bless us with, we just usually aren't prepared for them. We deserve more miracles than half a dozen or so in our lives. He will allow us miracles every single day if we let Him.

So my new goal: expect miracles and be ready to catch every single one.

What's the Grace thing?

Ever been asked that one?

It's a loaded question....



Wanna know the answer?

What does it even mean?

Or is it different for everyone....?

Plain and simple - - the answer is

 - we all have -

No matter what, Christ covered the whole deal. Period. No matter how many sins, he got 'em all.

We will be resurrected and brought into the presence of God.

No matter what WE can do.

We are 100% saved by Christ's grace.

The question is, will we be "changed by grace".

People get so excited about this "one-time" fix of our mistakes that they forget to think about what comes after being "saved by grace".

He didn't just suffer for us so we could sit back and relax, he suffered for us as an investment - we have to BECOME something - like Him.

HOW?!?

He saved us - He just asks us to show faith in him, repent, be baptized, receive the Holy Ghost, and "endure to the end".

These make us a new person. A person like Him.

His part was really hard... ours is simple.  

We just show Him our appreciation by letting Him change us today.

We can't do it by ourselves but...