Families Can Be Together Forever - Part 3

The temple is a great blessing to us all because we know that our families can be together forever. Watch this video and learn more about the blessings of the temple!

Families Can Be Together Forever! - Part 2

     As many of you may know, my older brother just got married this last weekend and that was obviously an exciting time. One of the best things about it all though is that he and his wife were married in the temple. When a couple is married in the temple, they are sealed together as husband and wife for time and all eternity. A temple marriage is never "till death do you part", but rather it is a marriage that can last forever. What great comfort that brings to know that death is not the end. While we may temporarily be seperated by death, we can be together again one day with those who we love the most!

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Families Can Be Together Forever! - Part 1

     "Till death do you part" has always been a tough thing for me to imagine. You go through life with your spouse, learn and work together, and raise kids, and then after you die it's all over. It just never seemed right to me. You may have wondered if there is such a thing as a 'forever family'. Well I'm here to tell you that there is and your family can be together forever! This is only possible through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. When God again called a prophet on the earth, one of the many things that was restored was the sealing power. We read in Matthew 16:19 that Christ gave this power to Peter:

     "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

     With these priesthood keys again on the earth, marriage doesn't have to end at death. Your family, whether you have one now or not, can be together forever through the restored gospel of Jesus Christ!

More to come soon...

Good News!

     It seems like it can be tough nowadays to find good news. When you turn on the TV everything tends to be about war, murderer and any other terrible thing happening in the world. It seems kind of like there isn't much good in the world. Well that's where the Gospel comes into play. The word gospel actually comes from an Old English word meaning "good news" and that's exactly what the Gospel of Jesus Christ is all about! Despite all of the hardships and trials we face there is good news because of Jesus Christ. I know that this is true and it brings hope to us all!

"If a Man Die, Shall He Live Again?"

     With Easter being so close I have thought a lot about what it means and why we really celebrate it. President Thomas S. Monson gave a talk in April 2010 regarding the Easter holiday and I wanted to share part of it with you:

     "Centuries ago the man Job—so long blessed with every material gift, only to find himself sorely afflicted by all that can befall a human being—sat with his companions and uttered the timeless, ageless question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” Job spoke what every other living man or woman has pondered.

This glorious Easter morning I’d like to consider Job’s question—“If a man die, shall he live again?”—and provide the answer."

     He went on to explain the Savior's sacrifice for us all and then added the following.

     "No words in Christendom mean more to me than those spoken by the angel to the weeping Mary Magdalene and the other Mary when, on the first day of the week, they approached the tomb to care for the body of their Lord. Spoke the angel:

“Why seek ye the living among the dead?

“He is not here, but is risen.”

     Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed.

The empty tomb that first Easter morning was the answer to Job’s question, “If a man die, shall he live again?” To all within the sound of my voice, I declare, If a man die, he shall live again."

I too know that this message is true! During Easter remember that Christ is risen. He died for us all and was then ressurected that we too may rise one day. I am grateful for my Savior and all that he has blessed me with. If you want to know if this message is true, ask your Heavenly Father in prayer and you can know that it is!

Happy Easter!!!

His Sacred Name - An Easter Declaration

     I couldn't put this in any better way so just watch the video and remember why we really celebrate Easter. The eggs and candy may be nice but they pale in comparison to our Savior's sacrifice and ressurection. Enjoy!

Flecks of Gold

     One of my favorite talks from the last General Conference was by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. He presented a question and then related the following story that I'd like to share.

How can we free ourselves from this tangled web of challenges and uncertainties to find peace of mind and happiness?

Oftentimes we are like the young merchant from Boston, who in 1849, as the story goes, was caught up in the fervor of the California gold rush. He sold all of his possessions to seek his fortune in the California rivers, which he was told were filled with gold nuggets so big that one could hardly carry them.

Day after endless day, the young man dipped his pan into the river and came up empty. His only reward was a growing pile of rocks. Discouraged and broke, he was ready to quit until one day an old, experienced prospector said to him, “That’s quite a pile of rocks you are getting there, my boy.”

The young man replied, “There’s no gold here. I’m going back home.”

Walking over to the pile of rocks, the old prospector said, “Oh, there is gold all right. You just have to know where to find it.” He picked two rocks up in his hands and crashed them together. One of the rocks split open, revealing several flecks of gold sparkling in the sunlight.

Noticing a bulging leather pouch fastened to the prospector’s waist, the young man said, “I’m looking for nuggets like the ones in your pouch, not just tiny flecks.”

The old prospector extended his pouch toward the young man, who looked inside, expecting to see several large nuggets. He was stunned to see that the pouch was filled with thousands of flecks of gold.

The old prospector said, “Son, it seems to me you are so busy looking for large nuggets that you’re missing filling your pouch with these precious flecks of gold. The patient accumulation of these little flecks has brought me great wealth.”

Those little flecks of gold in our lives can often seem insignificant, but over time they add up to bring us great wealth. Don't give up on what you're doing because you are only finding 'small flecks'. Over time you will find see just how much those small flecks make a difference in your life.

Choose This Day

     Choose today that you will be better. Choose today to quit a bad habit. Choose today to serve someone. Choose today that you will follow Jesus Christ.

What Do Mormons Believe??

      I'm sure many of  you have wondered at one time or another, "Austin is a 'Mormon'. What does he believe??" Well if you have ever wondered that, I'm here to present you with a simple and clear declaration of my beliefs as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. This is found in the Articles of Faith which are 13 statements that summarize our fundamental beliefs. These are all things that I have found to be true and you too can find out if they are true; just pray and ask God.

1. We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and in the Holy Ghost.

2. We believe that men will be punished for their own sins, and not for Adam’s transgression.

3. We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel.

4. We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost.

5. We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof.

6. We believe in the same organization that existed in the Primitive Church, namely, apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of tongues, prophecy, revelation, visions, healing, interpretation of tongues, and so forth.

8. We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly; we also believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God.

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.

10. We believe in the literal gathering of Israel and in the restoration of the Ten Tribes; that Zion (the New Jerusalem) will be built upon the American continent; that Christ will reign personally upon the earth; and, that the earth will be renewed and receive its paradisiacal glory.

11. We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.

13. We believe in being honest, true, chaste, benevolent, virtuous, and in doing good to all men; indeed, we may say that we follow the admonition of Paul-We believe all things, we hope all things, we have endured many things, and hope to be able to endure all things. If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things.

Another Testament of Jesus Christ

     The Book of Mormon is a book you've probably heard of and you may have even taken the chance to flip through its pages once or twice. So what is it exactly? Why do we have it and what is its purpose?

If you have ever wondered about these things, watch this video and hear all about it.

     Just like these people, I too know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I have read it and prayed and asked God if it is true and like millions of others, I received the answer that it is! One of the last prophets to write in the Book of Mormon gave us a neat promise:

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort (encourage) you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." (Moroni 10:3-5)

It's that simple. If you will pray and ask God sincerely if the Book of Mormon is true, he will answer you by the power of the Holy Ghost. You will feel in your heart and know in your mind that it is true. I know that the Book of Mormon is true and it strengthens my testimony of Christ just as the Bible does. You too can know that it is true, all you have to do is ask.

 

Opposites

We all, in one way or another, experience opposites in our lives: happy and sad, care free and stressed, hot and cold, and the list could go on. We know that our Heavenly Father loves us and wants us to be happy, and so why does he allow us to feel sadness? The Book of Mormon gives us an answer to this question in 2 Nephi 2:11.

"For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so... righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad."

This scripture helps us to see that without sadness, we wouldn't know happiness. If we were never stressed, we wouldn't know what it was like to be care free. And if we didn't know what was wrong, how would we know what was right? We can see that there is a purpose to all of the opposites that we face in life. We will all go through valleys or low times in our lives but they help us to appreciate the mountains or the great times of our lives. So remember that all of the tough times you face will help you to appreciate the good in life. I know that our Heavenly Father is watching over us and he desires for us to be happy. He knows us each individually and he loves us!

Things That Matter Most

     With another General Conference quickly approaching I have reflected on the lessons that I learned during the previous conference 6 months ago. My favorite talk was called "Of Things That Matter Most" given by Dieter F. Uchtdorf. He related a story about airplanes and turbulence:

     "Have you ever been in an airplane and experienced turbulence? The most common cause of turbulence is a sudden change in air movement causing the aircraft to pitch, yaw, and roll. While planes are built to withstand far greater turbulence than anything you would encounter on a regular flight, it still may be disconcerting to passengers.

What do you suppose pilots do when they encounter turbulence? A student pilot may think that increasing speed is a good strategy because it will get them through the turbulence faster. But that may be the wrong thing to do. Professional pilots understand that there is an optimum turbulence penetration speed that will minimize the negative effects of turbulence. And most of the time that would mean to reduce your speed. The same principle applies also to speed bumps on a road. Therefore, it is good advice to slow down a little, steady the course, and focus on the essentials when experiencing adverse conditions."

     I love this comparison! It's so easy for us to speed up and try to do more than we can, and this often results in skipping out on the things that matter most. So what is it that we should focus on? What is it that really matters most? President Uchtdorf talked about four key relationships we should focus on, but I'd like to talk about two of them.

     The first is our relationship with God. God is our loving Heavenly Father and we should seek to build our relationship with him just as we would with our earthly father. To do this we can read his advice and his words given to us by prophets and in the scriptures. We can also talk with him directly through prayer and receive answers back.

     The second is our relationship with family. We know that our families can be together forever and that is a great blessing. President Uchtdorf gave a few suggestions about how we can strengthen our family relationships: "We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship."

     I know that as we will slow down and focus on the things that matter most, our loving Heavenly Father will bless us and we will be more happy.

     I love watching General Conference because of the messages like this one. It is something that strengthens us and will bring us closer to our Father in Heaven. I promise that as you watch the upcoming conference you will be strengthened just as I have been!