Why I Need God in My Life

Yesterday, in a regional church meeting (Stake Conference), someone who recently got baptized shared a bit of his "conversion story" (why he decided to join the Church). He talked about how he really didn't have any huge challenges in his life, so he didn't see why he needed God or religion. But he received an answer to his prayers and decided to be baptized. Since then, he said, only good things have come into his life.

So why do I feel like I need God in my life?
Life can be terrible. There's depression, failure, setbacks, death, illness. If I didn't have hope in a Power that was looking down on me and helping me through those trials, they could be unbearable.
Life can be beautiful. Peaceful sunrises, laughter with friends and family, inspiring music, adorable animals, warmth and comfort, baby's smiles. I have somebody that I can thank for all of those amazing things. And I can take them as a personal message of love meant just for me from my Heavenly Father.
Life can be stressful. College, rent, dreams just out of reach. But I know that I can kneel down and pray, take some quiet time in nature, or sit in the Lord's house to find peace and answers.
Life is full of promise. My belief in God tells me that He has a plan for me and for all of us. There is a way to live that brings us happiness. There is a path back to His realm-- our home.

This path is His Plan of Happiness.

I know that God lives and loves each of us personally. He created a plan and sent a Savior to help us become the best and happiest people that we can be.

2 Nephi 4-- Becoming a Miracle

2 Nephi 4 is one of my favorite chapters about Nephi. Because in that chapter, it really seems like Nephi just opens up his soul and pours his heart out on the "paper" (it was plates of metal back then).
In chapter 3, his father Lehi dies. Soon after that his brothers and brothers-in-law plan to kill Nephi, his family, and his other supporters. His brothers are planning this!!
That is Nephi's life when chapter 4 begins. He just lost his dad, they're in a strange land, and his own brothers want him dead.
When the chapter starts Nephi cries unto God. But not about his trials. He begs God to take away his sins and his weaknesses. That's one thing I love about Nephi; when he is in a tough situation he's not afraid to tough it out.

One of my favorite quotes is this... "Do not pray for easy lives. Pray to be stronger men. Do not pray for tasks equal to your power. Pray for power equal to your tasks. Then the doing of your work shall be no miracle, but you shall be the miracle." (~Phillips Brooks)

Then Nephi says "19 And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins; nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.
20 My God hath been my support; he hath led me through mine afflictions in the wilderness; and he hath preserved me upon the waters of the great deep.
21 He hath filled me with his love, even unto the consuming of my flesh."

After he's asked for forgiveness, God gives it to him. The rest of the chapter is a beautiful prayer of praise to God.
Nephi spends three verses lamenting his sins very sincerely, but then he spends fifteen verses praising the source of his redemption.

Then comes chapter 5, verse 2: But behold, (my brothers') anger did increase against me, insomuch that they did seek to take away my life.

Nothing changed! His dad was still dead, he was still in a new country, and his brothers were still trying to kill him!

But now he had peace. He had God on his side, and he knew it. He'd received forgiveness and felt God's love. And God had given him the strength to continue on.

Nick Vujicic is another inspirational man. Here is one of his messages:

A Time and a Season

This fun song is based off of a section of the Bible: Ecclesiastes 3:1-8.
1 To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:
2 A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;
3 A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;
4 A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;
5 A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;
6 A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;
7 A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;
8 A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

I feel like I've been in one of those "times" of my life. Usually I feel a great drive to study and to improve myself academically, or to study the scriptures hardcore. But for the past few months I've felt at peace with just crocheting, listening to talks or cds, and playing with my family. At first I balked, and tried to get a lot of studying done; but that always left me burned out and unfulfilled after only a couple hours. 

As I was looking for a picture to describe how I felt, I was looking for doves, because to me, they symbolize peace. But even pictures of doves in flight felt like they were too active to describe my "time." So I picked this one, of one dove nurturing the other

I have done a few self discovering exercises, and have learned things about myself and my purpose. I've been able to focus on getting ready for college and my LDS mission. 

It's been really strange, as I said. I'm not used to this slow of a pace. But I think it's a good thing. I'm about to spend 18 months on go go go mode and in uncomfortable situations, so right now it feels like Heavenly Father is giving me a little restful period. "A time to gather strength."

Principles of Prayer

As I was scrolling through the Church's Google Plus page, I saw a bunch of posts about Prayer. I thought I'd join in, and share my own thoughts.

 One of the most spiritual experiences of my life happened during a prayer.
I was thirteen-- super insecure and still learning about how special I was. There was this girl I knew who was almost exactly the same age as I was but seemed to have everything. She was beautiful, liked, had a gorgeous singing voice, and seemed to have great spiritual strength. I thought to myself. "How can I ever be important to anyone when they have her?" I was constantly comparing myself to her.

One night, I broke down into tears. Laying in bed, I folded my arms and asked Heavenly Father if I was loved, if I was important to Him.             I didn't hear a voice. I didn't see an angel. What happened was my entire being was filled with light and love. It felt like I was recieving a huge hug from my Heavenly Father. Even now, five years later, just remembering that night and that prayer brings back that feeling. 

I know that Heavenly Father communicates with us through prayer. We are able to feel connected to Him on a very personal level. 

It is through prayer that I was able to discover my self-worth and feel of the love Heavenly Father has for me. I know He has it for you, too. 

He is only a prayer away.

Just a quick thought...

“There is not one of us but what God’s love has been expended upon. There is not one of us that He has not cared for and caressed. There is not one of us that He has not desired to save, and that He has not devised means to save. There is not one of us that He has not given His angels charge concerning. We may be insignificant and contemptible in our own eyes, and in the eyes of others, but the truth remains that we are the children of God, and that He has actually given His angels—invisible beings of power and might—charge concerning us, and they watch over us and have us in their keeping.”
-- Pres George Q Cannon
(Click here to view the entire talk by Pres. Eyring)

Our Heavenly Father!

Our Heavenly Father created us. He loves each of us soooooooo much! He wanted us all to be the best that we could be. Since He is perfect, being like Him is the best we could be.
He knew this (of course) and so He told us that we would all have a chance to prove that we could be like Him. That is why He sent us to earth.
We got our bodies when we came to earth, before that, we were spirits. Those who chose not to follow the Father's plan didn't get bodies. They remained as spirits.
The reason we have trials here on earth is because those are the times we prove ourselves. It's like exercising. You have to feel the burn to know you're getting better :).
I know that Heavenly Father loves ALL OF US! WE ARE EACH SPECIAL TO HIM. HE LOVES US EACH MORE THAN WE COULD IMAGINE.
If He loves us so much, why does He let us experience trials. It's like that exercise analogy, and He's like the coach, or the running partner. He pushes us, and tries to help us through it.
He wants us all to return to Him in heaven, but in order to do that, we need to be perfectly clean from all sin. (we can be this way through the Atonement)
That is another reason why He gives us trials, "even though" He loves us. If we prove ourselves, He will be able to live with us again, and we will be like Him.

Our Merciful God

Our merciful and long-suffering Lord is ever ready to help. His “arm is lengthened out all the day long” (2 Ne. 28:32), and even if His arm goes ungrasped, it was unarguably there! -Neal A Maxwell

This is a cool video talking more about God, and His mercy and forgiveness towards us.

A classic story about mercy is Jonah. He had a second chance to go to Nineveh, and the Ninevites had a chance to repent.
Here is a fun song from the "Jonah; Veggie Tales" movie:

The First Great Commandment

After a joyful reunion with the resurrected Jesus, Peter had an exchange with the Savior that I consider the crucial turning point of the apostolic ministry generally and certainly for Peter personally, moving this great rock of a man to a majestic life of devoted service and leadership. Looking at their battered little boats, their frayed nets, and a stunning pile of 153 fish, Jesus said to His senior Apostle, “Peter, do you love me more than you love all this?” Peter said, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.”10 The Savior responds to that reply but continues to look into the eyes of His disciple and says again, “Peter, do you love me?” Undoubtedly confused a bit by the repetition of the question, the great fisherman answers a second time, “Yea, Lord; thou knowest that I love thee.”11 The Savior again gives a brief response, but with relentless scrutiny He asks for the third time, “Peter, do you love me?” By now surely Peter is feeling truly uncomfortable. Perhaps there is in his heart the memory of only a few days earlier when he had been asked another question three times and he had answered equally emphatically—but in the negative. Or perhaps he began to wonder if he misunderstood the Master Teacher’s question. Or perhaps he was searching his heart, seeking honest confirmation of the answer he had given so readily, almost automatically. Whatever his feelings, Peter said for the third time, “Lord, … thou knowest that I love thee.”12 To which Jesus responded (and here again I acknowledge my nonscriptural elaboration), perhaps saying something like: “Then Peter, why are you here? Why are we back on this same shore, by these same nets, having this same conversation? Wasn’t it obvious then and isn’t it obvious now that if I want fish, I can get fish? What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world...“Were you as foolhardy as the scribes and Pharisees? As Herod and Pilate? Did you, like they, think that this work could be killed simply by killing me?"...To all within the sound of my voice, the voice of Christ comes ringing down through the halls of time, asking each one of us while there is time, “Do you love me?” And for every one of us, I answer with my honor and my soul, “Yea, Lord, we do love thee.” And having set our “hand to the plough,”17 we will never look back until this work is finished and love of God and neighbor rules the world.--Holland

I love this talk. Elder Holland really helps the scriptures become real to me.

I know that if we truly love God, nothing else will matter to us. We will pray to have His guidance, and we will act for Him and with Him in everything we do.
I say this in the name of Jesus Christ.
Amen

Trust in Him

This is a story that my friend sent me a few months ago. Since them, I have read it multiple times, but it still gives me thrills whenever I read it!
 

A few years ago, a Japanese teenager lost his left arm in a car crash that killed his mother.  He was involved in a prestigious Martial Arts group at the time. Shortly after the crash, the Sensei of this "Prestigious"  group dismissed him because of this injury. He was crushed, he had loved his martial arts, now it seemed his career was over. His loving father, seeing that he was depressed, found an old retired Sensei that would be willing to teach him.
     This Sensei taught the young man one move, and had him practice it over, and over, and over. The young man questioned his father "Why is it, that this old man has only taught me this one move? And why does he insist on me learning it so well? I will never be great! I will never show my potential if I never learn other moves!" His father told him, that even though he was learning only this one move, he had a wise master, who knew what he was doing. So, this young man continued to take his martial arts from this old Sensei. A few months later, he asked the Sensei "why is it, that you have only taught me this one move? And why do you insist on me learning it so well? I will never be great! I will never show my potential if I never learn other moves!"
      His Sensei smiled. "Some things are not for us to know right now, or soon, sometimes we must trust in the wisdom of those that have gone before us. This move is all you will ever need."
     So, he continued on with his training, always practicing his one move, and hoping that his master was right. Soon the national martial arts competition would come, and this young man found that his Sensei had recommended him to the competition, and he had been accepted, he was thrilled! Now was his chance to learn something else, surely his master would agree, if he was going to compete, he would have to know something else.  He asked, his master responded "Trust, I know what is best for you, This move is all you will ever need."
     He continued to practice his move, trusting in his Sensei's wisdom. It seemed impossible that he would ever gain the championship he had always desired, with only one arm, and only one move, he felt that he could not do it.
     The competition came, he was placed in the ring, the buzzer sounded, and the match was on, he waited, waiting for the moment he could use his move. It came. he used his move, and had his opponent pinned, he had won his first match of the championship, with one arm. He continued in the competition, winning every time, with his one move, his move. It came to the semi-finals, then to the finals. He asked his Sensei one last time if he would teach him one last move, his Sensei responded.
    "This is the only move you will ever need" With that he pushed the young man toward the ring. He stepped in, blood pulsing though his stressed out veins. This was it, honor or disgrace. The buzzer sounded. he could feel the bruises forming on his face and body. He waited, and waited. Then the opening came! he pulled his move, his opponent pinned. He, a one armed young man, had one the Championship with one move.  He asked his Sensei, "why is it that I could win with only one arm? And that this move let me beat the best of the best in all of Japan?"
     His Sensei chuckled, "The only way to stop that move, is to grab the left arm."
 
I love this story! It illustrates so beautifully how God knows how we can get ahead and find true happiness. Even if it looks like He's pulling us back, or slowing us down. 
There was a quote I read a while ago that goes something like this: "You need to draw an arrow back in order to shoot it forward, so if you feel like God is holding you back, be brave! He's preparing to shoot you forward"
CS Lewis gave another great analogy. Imagine yourself living in a house. God comes to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on. You knew that those jobs needed doing and so you were not surprised. But presently he starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts and does not seem to make sense. What on earth is he up to? The explanation is that he is building quite a different house from the one you thought of—throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up the towers, making courtyards. You thought you were going to be made into a decent little cottage; but he is building a palace.

Ether 12:27 And if men come unto me I will show unto them their ^aweakness. I ^bgive unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my ^cgrace is sufficient for all men that ^dhumble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make ^eweak things become strong unto them [emphasis added] 

I know that we can have strength and make it through hard times. Even if we don't find happiness until after death, we can at least feel peace in doing what's right, and then we will have eternity to live with God, and to feel His love for us. We will be able to look back and see the reason for everything that has happened to us. The method to our madness :).
So we just need to trust in Him, and do our best. He will take care of the rest.
 

What do those crazy Mormons believe in, anyway? part 11 (almost there :))

(note: this is the only one that doesn't start with "We believe...")
We claim the privlige of worshipping all-mighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience. And allow all men the same privlige; let them worship how where, or what they may.

 This one is talking about religious freedom. We claim the right to worship God the way we want to. And we respect that others have the right, too. This one is fairly straightforward, and it is very important.

"The Fellowship of the Unashamed" an AWESOME poem

This poem was supposedly written by an African Paster before he was martyred.
I memorized it once, and it is AMAZING!

I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast. I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won’t look back, let up, slow down, or be still.
My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I’m finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, Colorless dreams, tinted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals.
I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits, or popularity. I don’t have to be right, first, recognized, praised, regarded, or rewarded.
I now live by Faith, lean on His presence, walk with patience. I am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, my goal is heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions few, my Guide is reliable, my mission is clear.
I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table with the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity.
I won’t give up, shut up, or let up until I have stayed up, stored up, and paid up for the cause of Christ.
I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till all know, and work till He stops me.  And when He returns for His Own, He will have no problem recognizing me.  My Banner will be clear.
“For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power of GOD unto Salvation to every one that believeth…” Romans 1:16.

What do those crazy Mormons believe in, anyway? part 9

We believe all that God has revealed, all that he does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God.
This is one of my favorite Articles of Faith (for memorizing, that is :)).

One repeated word is "revelation", or the equivalent thereof. The scriptural definition of "Revelation" is communication from God to His children. This guidance comes through various channels according to the needs and circumstances of individuals, families, and the Church as a whole. When the Lord reveals His will to the Church, He speaks through His prophet. According to our faithfulness, we can receive revelation to help us with our specific personal needs, responsibilities, and questions and to help us strengthen our testimony. (True to the Faith; Revelation)
 
So we believe all He HAS. I think that this is the scriptures. The Bible and the Book of Mormon. We believe in them, and that they come from God.

All that He does NOW. This is an interesting comcept. And sometimes hard for other faiths to grasp. God still reveals things today. Just like the above definition says, when God wants to speak to His church, He speaks through the prophet.
When you think about it, God isn't a changeable God (*), and He isn't a respecter of persons (*). So why wouldn't He give revelations always?

God's Words... Never Cease

Elder Holland

All that He will YET. This means that God will continue to speak to us. And we have decided before hand to believe what He will say.

God is omniscience. He is all-knowing. He knows what's going to happen, and what's happening right now. His revelations can give us counsel TODAY of what we should do to get the best FUTURE experiences.

Quotes and a Poem about the Atonement

Here are some quotes that I LOVE about the Atonement.

“The Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone. . . . Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so” -Elder Holland

 

We cannot imagine the anguish of a loving Father, who, knowing what had to be done, accepted His Beloved Son’s willingness to suffer for all mankind. In this agony Christ was not left alone. As if the Father were saying, ‘I cannot take it from you, but I can and will send you strength and peace,’ ‘there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.’ -Elder Rex D. Pinegar

 

What weight is thrown on the scales of pain when calculating the hurt of innumerable patients in countless hospitals? Now, add to that the loneliness of the elderly who are forgotten in the rest homes of society, desperately yearning for a card, a visit, a call—just some recognition from the outside world. Keep on adding the hurt of hungry children, the suffering caused by famine, drought, and pestilence. Pile on the heartache of parents who tearfully plead on a daily basis for a wayward son or daughter to come back home. Factor in the trauma of every divorce and the tragedy of every abortion. Add the remorse that comes with each child lost in the dawn of life, each spouse taken in the prime of marriage. Compound that with the misery of overflowing prisons, bulging halfway houses and institutions for the mentally disadvantaged. Multiply all this by century after century of history, and creation after creation without end. Such is but an awful glimpse of the Savior’s load. Who can bear such a burden or scale such a mountain as this? No one, absolutely no one, save Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of us all -Callister

 

“For many years I thought of the Savior’s experience in the garden and on the cross as places where a large mass of sin was heaped upon Him. Through the words of Alma, Abinadi, Isaiah, and other prophets, however, my view has changed. Instead of an impersonal mass of sin, there was a long line of people, as Jesus felt “our infirmities” (Heb. 4:15), “[bore] our griefs, … carried our sorrows … [and] was bruised for our iniquities” (Isa. 53:4–5).
The Atonement was an intimate, personal experience in which Jesus came to know how to help each of us.” -Merril J. Bateman 

 

We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane. We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him. We know he suffered, both body and spirit, more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death. We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name. We know that he lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and would that he might not drink the bitter cup. We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be. As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours. -Bruce R McConkie

 

This one is for those who don't know if they can use the Atonement:

"I repeat, save for the exception of the very few who defect to perdition, there is no habit, no addiction, no rebellion, no transgression, no apostasy, no crime exempted from the promise of complete forgiveness. That is the promise of the atonement of Christ" -Packer 

 

Well, first of all, I have the capability to repent. I can now repent of all of my sins, no matter the size, and be forgiven of them.
I can learn to be willing to say "Not my will, but Thine be done" without fear. Christ said it with extreme faith in Heavenly Father. He knew that God had a plan for Him, and without His submitting to God's will, He would never had been able to follow through with the Plan. Don't let Christ's influence on you fade away! -Anonymous

 

This is a very powerful poem that was sent to me: 

After All We Can Do By Robbie Pierce

I had been in that hole for a very long time—
In the dark and the damp, in the cold and the slime.
The shaft was above me; I saw it quite clear,
But there’s no way I ever could reach it from here.
I could not remember the world way up there,
So I lost every hope and gave in to despair.

I knew nothing but darkness, the floor, and the wall.
Then from off in the distance I heard someone call:
“Get up! Get ready! There’s nothing the matter!
Take rocks and take sticks and build up a fine ladder!”
This was a thought that had not crossed my mind,
But I started to stack all the stones I could find.

When I ran out of stones, then old sticks were my goal,
For some way or another I’d climb from that hole.
I soon had a ladder that stood very tall,
And I thought, “I’ll soon leave this place once and for all!”
I climbed up my ladder, a difficult chore,
For from lifting those boulders, my shoulders were sore.

I climbed up the ladder, but soon had to stop,
For my ladder stopped short, some ten feet from the top.
I went back down my ladder and felt all around,
But there were no more boulders nor sticks to be found.
I sat down in the darkness and started to cry.
I’d done all I could do and I gave my best try.

But in spite of my work, in this hole I must die.
And all I could do was to sit and think, “Why?”
Was my ladder to short? Was my hole much too deep?
Then from way up on high came a voice: “Do not weep.”
And then faith, hope, and love entered into my chest
As the voice calmly told me that I’d done my best.

He said, “You have worked hard, and your labor’s been rough,
But the ladder you’ve built is at last tall enough.
So do not despair; there is reason to hope,
Just climb up your ladder; I’ll throw down my rope.”
I climbed up my ladder, then climbed up the cord.
When I got to the top of it, there stood the Lord.

I’ve never been happier; my struggle was done.
I blinked in the brightness that came from the Son.
I fell to the ground as His feet I did kiss.
I cried, “Lord, can I ever repay Thee for this?”
He looked all about. There were holes in the ground.
They had people inside, and were seen all around.

There were thousands of holes that were damp, dark and deep.
Then the Lord looked at me, and He said, “Feed My sheep.”
And he went on his way to save other lost souls,
So I got right to work, calling down to the holes,
“Get up! Get ready! There is nothing the matter!
Take rocks, and take sticks, and build up a fine ladder!”

It now was my calling to spread the good word,
The most glorious message that man ever heard:
That there’s one who is coming to save one and all,
And we need to be ready when he gives the call.
He’ll pull us all out of the holes that we’re in
And save all our souls from cold death and from sin.

So do not lose faith; there is reason to hope:
Just climb up your ladder; he’ll throw down his rope.

 

What in the World do those Crazy Mormons believe, anyway? (part 1)

Elementary, my dear Watson.
We believe that a man must have more than one wife in order to get to heaven (we call this mormigamy, often confused with polygamy).... Or not.* :)

 To answer these questions, I am going to used 13 statements called "The Articles of Faith". These explain mormon's beliefs.

Statement #1: We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost. 
Pretty simple, right?

Some people have supposed that Mormons aren't Christians. Well, check our name. No, not "Mormon", that's a nickname. "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints". People who think we aren't Christian either get us confused with Muslims, or are just confused, period.

Not only do we believe in Christ, Heavenly Father, and the Holy Ghost, but we also believe that they are separate beings. How would we know this? Simple.
 When Jesus Christ was batized, He was in the water. The Holy Ghost desended on Him in the form of a dove. The Holy Ghost was in the dove, not the water. The voice of God was heard from Heaven. God was in Heaven, not in the dove, nor the water.
Another example: Acts 7:55-56 (KJV) 55 But he (Stephen), being full of the Holy Ghost looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

 56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

The Holy Ghost was in Stephen, God was in heaven, Jesus was also in heaven, but He was next to God.

That is the first statement of belief.

*(There was once a time in LDS history when the men were getting killed off at a stunning rate, leaving many women uncared for. God spoke to the latterday prophet of the time, Joseph Smith, and told him to use polygamy to take care of all of the women. Only certain men were chosen for this, and later God revealed that the time came for mormons to stop using polygamy. But this has stuck with the reputation of the mormons ever since.)