Half Full or Half Empty...

  I have heard this question asked many times in many different ways... Is the glass half full or is it half empty? There are many different ways to look at it or different parts to argue but here is my two cents on this topic. I saw this and it brought this question to a whole new light for me. When you see the glass you can see how much water is actually in the glass, but what about all of the stuff in the glass that you can't see... like the air!

  

  We so often just look at what we can see and don't focus on what that we can't see. We can apply this to what Christ does for us in our lives. We can do all we can to try and "fill" the glass that is our life full of good things, but there will always be a bit more "water" to be put in or better things that we could have done. But the same way the air fills the part of the glass that we can't see, so Christ does for our lives. Just like this scripture from the Book of Mormon in 2 Nephi 25:23 where it says, "...to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do."God knows we can't do it all on our own, and He doesn't expect us to do it all. He just wants our best. One may feel he has done everything that he needs to do and yet to another they see the empty parts but Christ is there to fill it up. So when you are filling empty or think that you are doing pretty good by yourself just realize that there is someone filling in for you! In the end the glass is always full.

Montana...

  I have been thinking a lot about the great love that I have for the great state of Montana. I heard this quote that describes my feelings quite well. Its by John Steinbeck, entitled Montana, “I’m in love with Montana. For other states I have admiration, respect, recognition, even some affection. But with Montana it is love. And it’s difficult to analyze love when you’ re in it... " I have a great love for my home here in California, but there is something about those big sky's that made the name God's country feel like home. 


  There are more things than I could possibly talk about when it comes to my feelings on the state of Montana, but one of the reasons for my great love, is because thats where I was able to gain a greater love and understanding of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! The line talking about how its hard to recognize love when your in it makes me think to the life of Jesus Christ, how some knew He was the Christ, but it took until after He was gone to grasp the fuller meaning of what Christ had done for the whole world!


  I am so grateful for the time that I was able to spend in Montana, for the wonderful friends I was able to make and the work I was able to preform for the Lord, and see His great hand in my life and also in the lives of many others. God lives and wants to help us all find that love for His gospel, and brighten all of of lives. I know these things to be true, and I leave it with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Easter

  I normally can at least think of a few things to say about the things that I post, but today all I can say is WOW!!! Watch and you'll see why. Don't forget to follow the one that saved us all...

The Final Count Down...

  My blog today will consist of some of my thoughts now that I am at the last week of my mission. There is so much that I wish I could talk about but I will try to keep this brief.. A mission is a lot like a roller coaster, there are a lot of high points a few lows, but they are a ton of fun and they go FAST!!! It may seem hard to believe that 2 years goes by fast but when you are forgetting about yourself and your needs the time flys by. There has been no greater joy in my life, so far, than the great and many miracles that I have been able to see and experience on my mission while serving the Lord. To grow in love faith and trust in the Lord.

  One of the things that I have gained such a greater understand and love for is the term enduring to the end. There are a few places in the scriptures that talk about this enduring to the end and how important it is. I like sports so I like to think of things like sports and enduring to the end is no different. Say you are running a race and you start off strong, you take and early lead there is no one close to you, or even if you are right in the middle of the pack. You are going along and all of a sudden you get tried so you throw on the brakes and walk off the track. Doesn't make much sense to me. Sure its easy and and you were tired but where does that get up in life? No where! I have often heard the quote, " I never said it would be easy, all I said is that it would be worth it. Life isn't easy! There are many curve balls many obstacles that pop up in our way that slow us down or discourage us, but we must go on. There is a prize out there for all of us if we finish the race. We may come out of it with a few bumps and bruises, scratches and scrapes, but in the end we will all be made whole, because of the love of our Great Savior and Redeemer. So don't give up work hard, especially if the time is short!

Buffets

  The other day we went to a buffet and I thought to myself, "Wow all things really can realate back to the Gospel of Jesus Christ!" Even eating at a buffet. The reason for this idea was because at a buffet there are so many things that we like and they can satisfy that hunger we have and so does the Gospel!

  In some people's lives they may not realize that they are missing something on their "plate of happiness." They may have their favorites, so they are not willing to look or try things that are unfamiliar to them, so they pass something really good by. We all have times where we do this in our lives. We see something and we think that is gross or think no I don't want to talk to them when it may be something that will change their life forever, for the better. True if you find a new food that you fall in love with it may not be for the better because it may cause you to gain lots of weight, but the gospel will never make you fat unless you are like the Prophet Nephi form the Book of Mormon and say, "come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness." 2 nephi 9:51

  There are so many messages in the scriptures that will bless us in our lives or bring a new love for the scriptures we did not know was there. Don't be afraid to feast upon the words of Christ because they will teach you what you need in your life to be happy.

Brothers...

  Recently we watched a video having to do with two brothers and how they had their struggles, but in the end they were able to work things out. It made me think if I am showing the kind of love to my loved ones that they need or even deserve. So think of your family and loved ones and how you can show your love to them.

How Bad Do You Want It?!

  I have had this topic on my mind a lot these last few weeks. There are many things in life that we have, or more like get to choose how much, or how bad we "want" them. We get to choose how much effort we put into sports, or class, work or how much effort we put into following the Master, Jesus Christ. A great deal of how well we do in these things, or whatever it is that we are working towards in life, depends on how bad we want it! I know for me putting effort in my school work was a struggle because I didn't care for the work and at the time I didn't see what I would get out of it. But when it came to working with my hands I would gladly give all that I could. And now that I have been able to build such a greater relationship with my Savior, and I want to follow Him!


  We all my see different types of blessings or rewards to how much effort we put into things. For the same reason that all of us get different things out of what we read or the jobs we do, because we are all different. But one thing that will always be the same is that God will love us. The scripture comes to my mind from the book of Matthew chapter 11 verses 28- 30:  "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." We all have the different challenges different interests and the different things we enjoy as our reward to a job well done, knowing that you have given it our all. The reward that we know will be the same for the work that we put into it is, if we put all of our trust in the lord and "serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." I know this to be true because this is what the Lord has promised us. So ask yourselves a question, How bad do you want to live with God some day? Then get to work and do what He asks of you, you know your best and so does He. When the road gets hard and the journey seems like it will never end, He will give you rest. This is my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.                                                 

Weak Hands and Feeble Knees

  During one of our visits this week we were talking to someone about how their life had been going. It was going well, but they had some things that were getting them down. So we did one of our favorite things to do, shared a scripture to bring them some comfort and they thanked us and shared a scritpure that they had found that brought them some comfort. It made me realize once again the importance of scripture study, because some times the things we read will help us and also others that we will run into. The scripture they shared with us comes from Isaiah 35: 3-4.
 

  "Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not: behold, your God will come with vengeance, even God with a recompence; he will come and save you."

  Thats what we are to do. Is to help strenthen those who's hands are weak and have feeble knees. The Lord is there watching over us as well and in the end He will get His vengeance with those that wronged His children. But so often in life we are ment to learn from our trails and then go and help strengthen others. Lets go to work, there are lots out there that are weak and need our help!

SMILE

  While reading through the scriptures, I have noticed there are lots of places that one could make some really good acronyms. And that’s where my thought is from today, is one my favorites it is smile. It comes from the Book of Mormon, the book of 2 Nephi 9:39.

  "O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be spiritually-minded is life eternal."

  From the being of that scripture you may be thinking how does that have to do with smiling?! But as you look at the last 5 words of the scripture you see that being Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal. The devil is trying so hard to make us think that following him brings happiness. But we know that those things are not pleasing in the eyes of God. But being spiritually minded will bring us eternal life. This is the greatest of all of the gifts of God. Remember that smiles are contagious, when you see someone smiling; it is so much easier to smile. So let’s be happy not only now but in the life to come that will come as we remember to smile each day!                                                

Mothers

  I was given this idea by my very good friend again. I really liked the idea, because I realized, well I won't be on my mission for mothers day and I know how much my mother has meant to me and there have been a number of influential mothers and women through out the scriptures and time so I will take the time to talk about a one of my favorites.

   The first of course being my own mother. She has helped me so much throughout my life and has helped to teach me so many key lessons that have helped shape me into the person I am today. One of my favorite scriptures growing up, that comes from the Book of Mormon talks once again about the great importance of mothers. It is Alma chapter 56 verses 47 & 48: "Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their mothers, that if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it." This to me is so great because when we are taught these key truths from our youth, to put our trust in God, He can and will deliver us from harms way.

   There are many other examples from the scriptures I could use such as Mary and how she was such special woman that she was chosen to be a mother of our Master, Jesus Christ. When we take the time to think of what a special role mothers have in bringing our Heavenly Father spirit children into this world, it is sad to see how little respect is given to women. As we look into the world we live in we can see how the values and morals of all people are being diminished. What a sad thing this is that the people of the world are not treating one another with the respect that they deserve, especially women. Mothers have such a key role in the way a child learns and grows, that if they stop caring in the way they raise their kids what will it do to the world? The young men I talked about in the scripture above, they were able to do so many great things because they were taught to trust in the Lord from their childhood. I am not saying that dads are worthless, because I have learned so many lessons in life such as the importance of hard work and to keep going even when you are tired or don't want to go anymore that have greatly blessed my life. Women just have such a great love and spirit about them that we must respect love and cherish them. This is what the Lord wants us to do.

You Never Know Who is Listening

The story that I have here is a forward that someone sent to me that was too good to keep to myself so I will share it today.

"A little girl went to her bedroom and pulled a glass jelly jar from its hiding place in the closet. She poured the change out on the floor and counted it carefully. Three times, even. The total had to be exactly perfect. No chance here for mistakes. Carefully placing the coins back in the jar and twisting on the cap, she slipped out the back door and made her way 6 blocks to Rexall's Drug Store with the big red Indian Chief sign above the door. She waited patiently for the pharmacist to give her some attention, but he was too busy at this moment. Tess twisted her feet to make a scuffing noise. Nothing. She cleared her throat with the most disgusting sound she could muster. No good. Finally she took a quarter from her jar and banged it on the glass counter. That did it! 'And what do you want?' the pharmacist asked in an annoyed tone of voice… I'm talking to my brother from Chicago whom I haven't seen in ages,' he said without waiting for a reply to his question. 'Well, I want to talk to you about my brother,' Tess answered back in the same annoyed tone. 'He's really; really sick....and I want to buy a miracle.' 'I beg your pardon?'  said the pharmacist. 'His name is Andrew and he has something bad growing inside his head and my Daddy says only a miracle can save him now. So how much does a miracle cost?' 'We don't sell miracles here, little girl. I'm sorry but I can't help you, 'the pharmacist said, softening a little. 'Listen, I have the money to pay for it. If it isn't enough, I will get the rest. Just tell me how much it costs.' The pharmacist's brother was a well dressed man. He stooped down and asked the little girl, 'What kind of a miracle does your brother need?' 'I don't know,' Tess replied with her eyes welling up. I just know he's really sick and Mommy says he needs an operation. But my Daddy can't pay for it, so I want to use my money..' 'How much do you have?' asked the man from Chicago. 'One dollar and eleven cents, 'Tess answered barely audible. 'And it's all the money I have, but I can get some more if I need to.' 'Well, what a coincidence,' smiled the man. 'A dollar and eleven cents--the exact price of a miracle for little brothers.' He took her money in one hand and with the other hand he grasped her mitten and said 'Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let's see if I have the miracle you need.' That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, A surgeon, specializing in neuro-surgery. The operation was completed free of charge and it wasn't long until Andrew was home again and doing well. Mom and Dad were happily talking about the chain of events that had led them to this place. 'That surgery,' her Mom whispered, 'was a real miracle. I wonder how much it would have cost?' Tess smiled. She knew exactly how much a miracle cost.... one dollar and eleven cents... plus the faith of a little child. In our lives, we never know how many miracles we will need. A miracle is not the suspension of natural law, but the operation of a higher law. I know you'll keep the ball moving! Here it goes. Throw it back to someone who means something to you! A ball is a circle, no beginning, no end. It keeps us together like our Circle of Friends. But the treasure inside for you to see, is the treasure of friendship you've granted to me. Today I pass the friendship ball to you. Pass it on to someone who is a friend to you.

MY OATH TO YOU... When you are sad... I will dry your tears. When you are scared... I will comfort your fears. When you are worried... I will give you hope. When you are confused...  I will help you cope. And when you are lost... and can't see the light, I shall be your beacon... shining ever so bright. This is my oath... I pledge till the end. Why you may ask? Because you're my friend. Signed: GOD"

99 Yards

  I recently read a talk called 99 yards. It was a great talk talking about how important it is to finish something. The story goes there is a football team in a championship game, and like it is in many key games they were down by a few short points, a touchdown would win the game but there was only short amount of time left in the game so it was going to take a team effort. There they go, determinded to win. They have a few good plays, a good pass up the field, a few good runs, first down after first down. Then here is where they have been wanting to be, 4th and goal from the one yard line with 10 seconds left. Down by 3, field goal ties the game or go for the win! The team was confident, they knew they wanted to win, so they went for it! The pads crashed the whistle blew, one team is calling for the touchdown the other says no good. The pile clears and the referee says no good.




 This is one of that sad but true stories of life. Where we are left to wonder did they, or did you, give it your all? Did you do all that you could with what you posses? We all have things in your life where as sad as it is this is what we are left to wonder... These feeling of regret are so hard to get rid of, thats why it is so important to give life your best shot! To do everything you can with as much effort as you can, excuses are a dime a dozen, but true effort is hard to find. You are the only one that will know if you did all you can, just like this team is the only one that will know. Sure we don't always get the results we desire but but we better do all we can so we don't have to face that all fearful question of, was that my best? Christ set the bar high as He suffered for each of us. He knew that we couldn't do it without some help. So, since He was willing to do it all perfect, do you think we could step it up when it comes to the small things? Very few notice the small things that go past each day, but nothing goes unnoticed in Gods eyes, so we can all have a great victory each day, if we do our best to make it the full 100 yards.

Oh Be Wise...

  The scripture I will blog about today is an idea that I got from a very good friend. I have read over this scripture a few times and never noticed it. It is very short and sweet but packs a very thought provoking question. The scripture comes from The Book of Mormon, the book of Jacob chapter 6 verse 12.

  "O be wise; what can I say more?"

  This is some of the greatest advise in the scripture in my opinion. There are many different ways and many different things that we can choose to be wise in, and what is wise to one may seem foolish to another, but that is part of the reason I like it so much. The man who wrote this was a prophet of God, in this chapter he is telling the people to follow Christ, and warning them that in the last days the wicked shall perish. So this comment of be wise, is telling them to follow Christ. Keep the commandments, be good to your neighbor, help those that are in need, and when you are faced with a choice that may not help keep you on the right path, be wise! Do what you have been taught! Growing up I was taught to CTR, choose the right. If we reflect on the good things that we have been taught in life about when we are faced with a tough choice, it is far easier to be wise!

All Things Denote there is a God

  In my reading in the Book of Mormon today I came across one of my favorite examples that we do have proof that there is a God. There are many times in all of our lives where we may wonder why can't God just show Himself to me, it would make it a lot easier to believe if I could just see Him. That is similar to what was happening at this time in the Book of Mormon. There had been a great missionary effort going on in the previous chapters and many thousands of people had been brought to the knowledge of our Savior Jesus Christ. And like most times in mortality when there is a lot of good things happening there seems to be a lot of negative things thrown out to try and slow us down. This was the same for these people, a false prophet had come in and began to tell people that Christ was not going to come, that once we die thats it there was nothing after this life. Lucky for them they had a prophet there that was able to help them and this is what he said. This comes from Alma chapter 30 verse 44.

  " ...The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator."

  This to me is so powerful because all of the small things we look at each day are proof that God is real. The way that everything seems to work together and so much of it is for our benefit. The story goes on that this wasn't enough proof for the man he still wanted to see a sign so that eventually lead to his death. This scripture means so much to me because at those times where you feel down, maybe because you haven't seen the grass for the last 5 months because there is too much snow or it has been below 30 for the last 6 weeks straight, what a joy it is when things warm up, the snow starts to melt and we can see that God hasn't forgotten us! If we look high or low we will always be able to see that God is still around and making good things happen all around us.

Proverbs 3: 5-6

 Today’s thought comes once again from my exploration of my scriptures looking for high lighted scriptures and this was a good one. It comes from the Old Testament from the Book of Proverbs chapter 3. I love scriptures that talk about putting your trust in The Lord, because He truly is the only one that can support us through all of our trails. People maybe able to help, but He is the ultimate source to turn to.

  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

  This scripture has gained a whole new meaning to me in my life. We all have those things in our lives where we don't understand why they happen. And they cause us to wonder, what did I do wrong to disserve this? Is God mad at me? When are things going to get better or easier? The answer that this scripture gives me is, don't try to understand it. That’s what happened and it’s now our job to find out what the Lord has in mind for us with the current struggles or situations we are faced with. As we put our trust in the Lord He will direct our paths and make out journey easier. It far easier to tackle a big job with help, and our trails in life are no different.

Taste and Hear of the Good of The Lord

  Today, the thought that comes to my mind is from the Book of Psalms from the Old Testament. Lately I have noticed that I have begun to forget a lot of the scriptures that I have worked to hard to read apply and love. As a result I have been going through my scriptures just looking for scriptures that I really like so I can keep remembering them so they can help me and those that I come in contact with. This is one of those scriptures that I came across. Psalms 34: 4-8.

"4 I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

 5 They looked unto him, and were lightened: and their faces were not ashamed.

 6 This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

 7 The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

 8 O taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him."

  To me these are so great because we all have situations in our lives that we have to seek the Lord, or look for the Lord, or cry for Him. And the wonderful thing is that He is always there. He hears us and answers us and watches over us and protects us from harm. What a loving God that we have. It can take time to have these blessing or promises fulfilled in our lives but they do come. If He was able to help people hundreds of years ago when they were struggling, He can certainly help us now. The scriptures prove this to be true and we can all have a time in our lives where we can see it too.

Prophecy Fulfilled...

  Today, I wish to discuss something that I found really cool. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints we claim to have a living prophet on the earth today. A man called by God to do Gods will and help us, Gods children by revealing to us Gods will. Like it talks about in the book of Amos 3:7 " Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets." One of these Latter day prophets back in 1974 said this which is exactly what is happening today.

"Prophecy about the Future of Missionary Work
In 1974, President Spencer W. Kimball issued an amazing prophecy about the technology driving the gospel message.

Technology will help spread the gospel. We need to enlarge our field of operation.… The Lord will lay in our hand inventions which we can scarcely conceive whereby we will be able to bring the gospel to the peoples of the world…. I have faith that the Lord will open doors when we have done everything in our power. I believe that the Lord is anxious to put into our hands inventions of which we laymen have hardly had a glimpse….We shall use the inventions the Lord has given us to awaken interest and acquaint people of the world with the truths, to ease their prejudices and give them a general knowledge. We shall need to answer specific questions, and perhaps that can be done by two-way radio and TV perfected to a point beyond our present imagination. It is conceivable that such a program greatly perfected could be multiplied ten thousand times in ten thousand tongues and dialects in ten thousand places far and near…. Tens of thousands of young missionaries endowed with the power from on high will follow up the proselyting.[ii]

“Two-way radio…TV perfected!” What did the Internet and related technologies look like to the prophet’s mind in 1974?"

Wow, that is the 3rd time that I have read it but I love it each time. How would a man in 1974, thats 16 years before I was born, have an idea like this and share it to the church unless he knew that it was true. I know that President Spencer W. Kimball was inspired by God. That this revelation was given to him by God and it is being fulfilled as I type the very words on this page. Now we are able to help people of all walks of life in all of the countries of the world, and we can do it while staying in the walls of our own home, or public library... This is a way to help people all around the world. I know that God still has many more things left to reveal because the world is not done changing. He is the same, and always will be but He can still help us in this changing world.

My Thought

  My thought today comes from The book of Mormon in the book of Alma chapter 9 verse 28. The reason for this thought, is being leadership on a mission is a lot like being in a leadership responsibilities in jobs or wherever we have been selected to lead. Where sometimes, the last thing on your list is to worry about yourself. We, as missionaries, have to work in our own area, but we also have to look after the other missionaries areas to make sure things are going smooth. So, there are lots of prayers offered for them, the people they teach and for the people we teach and come in contact with. We have been sharing this with the missionaries we have been going on team ups with as part of our "training" to help encourage them to work hard. Here is the scripture:

 "Therefore, prepare ye the way of the Lord, for the time is at hand that all men shall reap a reward of their works, according to that which they have been—if they have been righteous they shall reap the salvation of their souls, according to the power and deliverance of Jesus Christ; and if they have been evil they shall reap the damnation of their souls, according to the power and captivation of the devil."

  These are such important things to remember as missionaries and as everyday people, because we may in some way be preparing the way of the Lord by our actions because people are always watching the things that we do and say. We need to go around doing good for many reasons, but just from this scripture and the many other scriptures like it, the reward for doing good is FAR greater than that of for doing evil. Everyone, the time is at hand so lets do all we can to prepare for that great day when the Lord comes again, I know every little thing we do can make a HUGE difference. I say that in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Happy Valentines Day... Late...

  Things didn't work out quite the way I had planned, I was trying to get this one up on Valentines Day, but better late than never I guess. This is something I saw at someones house and I liked it so I thought I would copy the idea. Its comes from John 3:16.

                                            For God so loVed the world
                                                  That he gAve
                                                       His onLy
                                                      Be gottEn
                                                            SoN
                                                                That whosever
                                                            BelIeveth
                                                               IN should not perish but have everlasting  
                                                             LifE

  That is the greatest Valentines gift ever given. God truly did, and still does love us that much. Its so amazing to think of such a great amount of pure love, God only ask us to love Him and keep His commandments because He loves us. He will give us all that we need so lets give Him what He asks for.

Pearl of Great Price

 
  I love the time that we, as missionaries, get to spend studding and pondering upon the scriptures. What I was thinking about today was the story of the Pearl of Great Price. The story is about a rich man that is searching for pearls of value. But as he is in the market place one day he finds a pearl of great price and sells all that he has. Here is the story.

  "Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: Who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it."

  This is great for a few reasons; one of my favorites is because it’s short sweet and to the point. When you find yourself happy with your life style, like this man probably was with his way of life and then he saw something greater that what he had, and so he got rid of those things of less value so he could have what was truly great. The gospel of Jesus Christ is like this. We all have our things in the world that we like, that are "fun" and make us "happy" but we can sense there is something out there greater, something of more worth. What this parable is saying to me is, when we find that of great worth, something that will take us to a whole new level of happiness, we must leave or “sell”, what is slowing you down behind and move to the one of greater value. If we do, we can find an added measure of happiness. I know this to be true, and I wish to leave this in the name of Jesus Christ, who has that of most worth, Amen.