12 Days of Easter: Day 4-- A Challenge for You!

(I'm almost caught up! Just one more day to make up)

Make Easter meaningful.
Here are some things I'm going to do. I challenge you to do one of these things, or to come up with your own way to make Easter meaningful.

1) Share "Because He Lives" with at least ten of your friends on any social media site.

2) Read the story of the Easter Week in the Bible
                           (St John 12-21; Mark 14-16; Matthew 26-28; Luke 22-24)

3) Join in the "He is Here" fun with mormon.org (especially good for all of you photographers out there :))
                               (for the link, click on "He is Here" at the top of the screen)

4) Draw a picture of a scene from the Savior's life (or print one off :)). Leave a space to write "HE LIVES"
Place somewhere you will see it often.

5) Find a favorite Easter song. Here are a few of mine: *Hope's Song
                                                                                   *Christ the Lord is Ris'n Today
                                                                                   *That Easter Morn
                                                                                   *He is Risen

6) Take some time to write down all of the blessings in your life. Find a way to mark the different types. For example; '*' could go next to blessings that you've earned, '#' next to material blessings, ':)' next to blessings that bring you closer to Christ.

7) Listen to the words of Latterday Prophets about Easter. These could be talks, videos, etc. but all of them are amazing.

Feel free to comment below about the challenge you took, what you did with it, and how it changed you.
I know that as we take action to seek for truth and meaning we will find it and the peace that comes with it.

12 Days of Easter: Day 3, He is Here

What a beautiful Easter Video!!
He is Here. In this little hotel room, when I'm far away from home and taking care of a rambunctious 4 year old at 11 pm He is still Here.
I can feel the Spirit as I watch this video, and I hope you can, too.

(The next day...) I was thinking about this post during sacrament meeting and put together these thoughts.
He is Here.
Here in this Church. With the small babies, elderly couples, and the families. With the boys and girls, gentlemen and ladies.
He is in this Room. He sees the sunflowers and hibiscus, the beautiful brown tiles, the dark blue seats.
He is in the Music. As we sing His praises He joins our song. He comes closer to us than ever before.
He comes through the Spirit. Comes to our hearts, to our minds. And we are able to feel His presence-- His Love.
The Love that took Him to the garden. The Love that brought Him up the hill. The Love that carried Him to the Cross.
His friends mourned Him and buried Him. They saw His body, but He was not there.
Three days passed. "He is not here." No, He was no longer in the tomb. No longer in death

HE IS RISEN

He is Here.

He is with you. He is with me.

Willingly, He sacrificed everything for us.

Freely, He now shares His love and peace.

Always Remember... 

He is Here.

12 Days of Easter: Day 2-- Christ's Friends and Enemies

Sorry I haven't been posting. Easter wasn't planned very well this year :S. It's 12 days go over my busiest weekend! :) jk.

So, here are some thoughts I've been having. I've been thinking about the people who are in Christ's story, and thought I'd mention a few of them.

Judas

I don't understand Judas. He had walked for three years with the greatest man on earth, and then basically sold him. 

One of my teachers pointed out that although Judas had done a terrible deed, the thirty pieces of silver were used for good. After Judas killed himself, the priests took the money back, and "...bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in." (a potter's field was the poorer people's graveyard). 

Angel

Luke 22:42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. 43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

I love this. Even though Heavenly Father couldn't take the cup from His Beloved Son, He sent someone to be with Him. Imagine the honor of being that angel; sent down to comfort the Savior during the greatest trial that was ever experienced.

Peter

Luke 22: 33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death. 34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me.

And we later see that this was fulfilled.

Joseph of Arimathea

Matt 27:57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathæa, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’disciple:58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.

What an awesome guy! I wish we knew more about Joseph. He may have risked his position, or offered to risk his wealth to obtain the Savior's body. And after that he didn't just put him in an ordinary spot; he put him in his own new tomb. Let me say it again. What an awesome guy!

Soldiers

Matt 28:11 ¶...Behold, some of the watch (the soldiers who'd been guarding the tomb) came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done.
12 And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers,
13 Saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept.
14 And if this come to the governor’s ears (if you get in trouble for lying), we will persuade him, and secure you.
15 So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day. 

To close, here is a wonderful video with exerpts from Jeffery R Holland's talk "None were with Him":
(full talk here) https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/none-were-with-him?lang=eng

I know that Christ walked the lonely road for us. I know that through the example of the Angel, Joseph of Arimathea, and the repentance of Peter we can see how we can best honor Him and help others around us.

12 Days of Easter: Day 1-- "Because He Lives"

I love the Mormon Messages that come out just around Easter time :).

Because I was late tonight, and still want to post something, I'll simply share the link to a page where you can sign up to recieve the new Easter-based videos that will be coming out starting this Saturday:
http://www.mormon.org/easter/teaser

Also, since Easter is all about Christ, here is a link to the Bible Videos that go through His life. They are truly beautiful, and I recommend them to people of all faiths.

Have a happy Easter! :D

Grace Part 3-- Mormon Messages Focusing on Grace

There is a very inspiring, simple series on the Mormon Channel on which people tell their stories of how grace has affected their lives.
There are stories of addiction, pornography, immoral sins, and just changing into a better person.
Here is the link: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAYgY8SPtEWG9lP4x8bbGgbUccxWmyzRk

Grace Part 2-- The Piano Lessons

Here is a story from Bro. Wilcox's talk "His Grace is Sufficient":

Christ’s arrangement with us is similar to a mom providing music lessons for her child. Mom pays the piano teacher. How many know what I am talking about? Because Mom pays the debt in full, she can turn to her child and ask for something. What is it? Practice! Does the child’s practice pay the piano teacher? No. Does the child’s practice repay Mom for paying the piano teacher? No. Practicing is how the child shows appreciation for Mom’s incredible gift. It is how he takes advantage of the amazing opportunity Mom is giving him to live his life at a higher level. Mom’s joy is found not in getting repaid but in seeing her gift used—seeing her child improve. And so she continues to call for practice, practice, practice.If the child sees Mom’s requirement of practice as being too overbearing (“Gosh, Mom, why do I need to practice? None of the other kids have to practice! I’m just going to be a professional baseball player anyway!”), perhaps it is because he doesn’t yet see with mom’s eyes. He doesn’t see how much better his life could be if he would choose to live on a higher plane.

Further comparisons between the piano and grace:

...The child must practice the piano, but this practice has a different purpose than punishment or payment. Its purpose is change.

...“But Brother Wilcox, don’t you realize how hard it is to practice? I’m just not very good at the piano. I hit a lot of wrong notes. It takes me forever to get it right.” Now wait. Isn’t that all part of the learning process? When a young pianist hits a wrong note, we don’t say he is not worthy to keep practicing. We don’t expect him to be flawless. We just expect him to keep trying. Perfection may be his ultimate goal, but for now we can be content with progress in the right direction. Why is this perspective so easy to see in the context of learning piano but so hard to see in the context of learning heaven?Too many are giving up on the Church because they are tired of constantly feeling like they are falling short. They have tried in the past, but they always feel like they are just not good enough. They don’t understand grace. ...When learning the piano, are the only options performing at Carnegie Hall or quitting? No. Growth and development take time. Learning takes time.

His parable of the piano reminded me of this value video:

I play the piano myself. When I was five my mom started teaching me, and I hated it. I resisted all the way. Finally, my mom left me alone and I didn't learn anything on the piano for more than three years. Then I decided that the piano was the thing for me! Now I can sight read intermediate songs and am learning more challenging ones. The piano is so much fun!! Was it easy? Not always. Would it have been easier to just not play the piano? That depends. It wouldn't of been easier to play "The Entertainer." It would have been a lot harder!!
Compare my story to the Atonement. Sometimes people feel like they aren't ready. They just go off and do their own thing. Did my mom abandon me on the street when I refused to play the piano? No. She waited until I approached her, and then she helped me excel. That is what the Savior is doing for us. If we chose not to use His Atonement He won't force us. But He's always ready and always willing.

Grace Part 1---Christ's Grace is Sufficient

To start off this post, here's a story told by Brad Wilcox:

A BYU student once came to me and asked if we could talk. I said, “Of course. How can I help you?”

She said, “I just don’t get grace.”

I responded, “What is it that you don’t understand?”

She said, “I know I need to do my best and then Jesus does the rest, but I can’t even do my best.”

She then went on to tell me all the things she should be doing because she’s a Mormon that she wasn’t doing.

She continued, “I know that I have to do my part and then Jesus makes up the difference and fills the gap that stands between my part and perfection. But who fills the gap that stands between where I am now and my part?”

She then went on to tell me all the things that she shouldn’t be doing because she’s a Mormon, but she was doing them anyway.

Finally I said, “Jesus doesn’t make up the difference. Jesus makesall the difference. Grace is not about filling gaps. It is about filling us.”

Seeing that she was still confused, I took a piece of paper and drew two dots—one at the top representing God and one at the bottom representing us. I then said, “Go ahead. Draw the line. How much is our part? How much is Christ’s part?”

She went right to the center of the page and began to draw a line. Then, considering what we had been speaking about, she went to the bottom of the page and drew a line just above the bottom dot.

I said, “Wrong.”

She said, “I knew it was higher. I should have just drawn it, because I knew it.”

I said, “No. The truth is, there is no line. Jesus filled the whole space. He paid our debt in full. He didn’t pay it all except for a few coins. He paid it all. It is finished.”

She said, “Right! Like I don’t have to do anything?”

“Oh no,” I said, “you have plenty to do, but it is not to fill that gap. We will all be resurrected. We will all go back to God’s presence. What is left to be determined by our obedience is what kind of body we plan on being resurrected with and how comfortable we plan to be in God’s presence and how long we plan to stay there.”

Christ asks us to show faith in Him, repent, make and keep covenants, receive the Holy Ghost, and endure to the end. By complying, we are not paying the demands of justice—not even the smallest part. Instead, we are showing appreciation for what Jesus Christ did by using it to live a life like His. Justice requires immediate perfection or a punishment when we fall short. Because Jesus took that punishment, He can offer us the chance for ultimate perfection (see Matthew 5:48, 3 Nephi 12:48) and help us reach that goal. He can forgive what justice never could, and He can turn to us now with His own set of requirements (see 2 Nephi 2:7; 3 Nephi 9:20).

“So what’s the difference?” the girl asked. “Whether our efforts are required by justice or by Jesus, they are still required.”

“True,” I said, “but they are required for a different purpose. Fulfilling Christ’s requirements is like paying a mortgage instead of rent or like making deposits in a savings account instead of paying off debt. You still have to hand it over every month, but it is for a totally different reason.”

("His Grace is Sufficient" by Brad Wilcox)

I know that through Christ's grace, through His Atonement and His love, we can all be healed. We can feel His peace and the happiness that comes with it.

Happy Families!!

I loved this video recently introduced by the Mormon Channel!!

How can we find happiness in our family?
"'Love one another; as I have loved you' (John 13:34). On this simple phrase hangs the success of every marriage and family. In the light of Christ’s love we see our family’s divine potential. We love them with all our heart, soul, and mind. And as we do, our ordinary family is transformed into an extraordinary one." (Happiness in Family Life; Love)

Really, if you love something aren't you happy when you're around that thing or person?

But now, how do we develop that love?

The answer is different for everyone. Some general things people turn to are service, developing relationships with Heavenly Father (who can then give you lvoe for your family).

The Church has set up a website called "Happiness in Family Life," which has many quotes and resources that teach about the several principles of living in a happy family.

Here is a beautiful example of love in a family:

I know that in my family, we grow closer as we do activities together and especially as we live the gospel. We are able to show love to each other and help each other every day.

Fear vs. Faith, Hope, and Charity

FEAR is a scary word. It paralyzes our potential; it stops our success; and it can contaminate our character.
Fear is one of the devil's main weapons. How can we fight against it?

I have three words for you: faith, hope, and charity.
Any one of those principles will get rid of your fear, and lead you on to the next principle.

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

"Power of Hope"

Faith of Abinadi
Through the years we learn that challenges to our faith are not new, and they aren’t likely to disappear soon. But true disciples of Christ see opportunity in the midst of opposition.

In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Abinadi was bound and brought before the evil King Noah. Although the king vigorously opposed Abinadi and eventually sentenced him to death, Abinadi boldly taught the gospel and bore his testimony anyway. Because Abinaditook advantage of that opportunity, a priest named Alma was converted to the gospel and brought many souls unto Christ. The courage of Abinadi and Alma was Christian courage.


1 John 4:18 
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear: because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love.


Finally, the perfect example of fearlessness: Christ.
    One of the symptoms of fear is sleeplessness; Christ could sleep through a storm. Think about that.
Calming the Tempest