I don't know about anyone else, but I have a hard time making decisions.  I wouldn't go as far as saying I can't decide what to wear or what I am going to have for breakfast, but needless to say I worry if the choices I make are the correct choices, especially when it comes to decisions that can have more than one good outcome.  For example, I am currently finishing the last year of pharmacy school.  This means I will be graduating in May.  No more course work, expensive tuition or countless hours of studying and pouring over notes.  While I have been waiting for this moment since I began roughly three years ago, I will have a lot of decision making come graduation time.  I have the potential to possibly get hired on as a pharmacist at the company I currently intern for.  I could  find a job for another company in my current area.  I could apply for a year long residency, most likely out of state, that may take my future career away from where I have grown up.  For someone that is terrified of making the wrong choice, I have a lot to figure out in the next few months as school winds down.

Now I know personal goals, interest, and desire play a role in decision making, however often in life I have found that there is not just one path that I would like to walk down.  Unfortunately I can't walk up and down every possible path and if that were somehow possible, I would never get anywhere.  So in considering all the factors that play into making such a choice, my biggest fear is WHAT IF I MAKE THE WRONG CHOICE?

This brings me to what I would like to write about today.  I would like to share a few things that have stood out to me in my life about making important decisions and how we can gain confidence in the Lord to make decisions that require a lot of thought, effort, and uncertainty.

The Lord has made it clear in the New Testament that we should preach the gospel to others.  He gave this charge to his 12 apostles and much of the New Testament describes their experiences in telling others about the Savior and His gospel.  In the Church of Jesus Christ of latter-Day Saints men and women have the opportunity to serve as full time missionaries.  Missionaries are sent all over the world offering service, preaching the gospel from the scriptures and helping individuals make changes in their lives that the Savior promises will bring peace and happiness.  We meet with our local ecclesiastical leaders who help us to prepare for such service.  At the time of my experience men were eligible to serve missions at the age of 19 while women could serve at the age of 21.

Well at the age of 19 I was not fully prepared to serve a mission and even though I felt that a mission was something the Lord wanted of me, I did not believe that I could prepare myself and be ready to serve the Lord.  Well 19 came and went as well as 20 and 21.  The mission was a sensitive thing because people would always ask me about it and I felt like a failure.  Here I would have friends and people from school who had gone and come back while I was still here, the boy that did not serve.
While the thought was always in my mind about serving a mission, I would try and force myself to think about other things.  Here I was 22, surely much too old to serve.  I should focus on finishing school and figuring out what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.  The Lord would understand, I would serve Him in other capacities.

Now I have had others tell me about serving and deep down I knew they were right.  They did it out of love and they wanted the best for me, but I continued to tell myself that if I could just get past this time period people would let it go, forget about me and I could go on my way.  Now I have this uncle who I have admired since I was a little boy.  He is a great man who I very much respect and look up to.  He had talked to me about the mission quite a few times, but I just could not make the decision to do what it took to serve a mission.

Let me just say that during this entire process, especially looking back, I know the Lord was looking out for me.  He knew my stubbornness, and my feelings of inadequacy, and fear but He also knew I knew what was right and He knew I knew I needed to serve Him.  As I looked back on this experience and other experiences I often can relate to a man named Amulek.  Amulek was a man in the Book of Mormon who for the longest time put off what the Lord wanted from him.  He was a successful man who later became a powerful missionary for the Savior.  In Alma 10: 4-6 he describes in his own words:

4 And behold, I am also a man of no small reputation among all those who know me: yea, and behold, I have many kindreds and friends, and I have also acquired much riches by the hand of my industry.

5 Nevertheless, after all this, I never have known much of the ways of the Lord, and mysteries and marvelous power. I said I never had known much of these things; but behold, I mistake, for I have seen much of his mysteries and his marvelous power; yea, even in the preservation of the lives of this people.

6 Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear; therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know; therefore I went on rebelling against God, in the wickedness of my heart, even until the fourth day of this seventh month, which is in the tenth year of the reign of the judges.

7 As I was journeying to see a very near kindred, behold an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and said: Amulek, return to thine own house, for thou shalt feed a prophet of the Lord; yea, a holy man, who is a chosen man of God; for he has fasted many days because of the sins of this people, and he is an hungered, and thou shalt receive him into thy house and feed him, and he shall bless thee and thy house; and the blessing of the Lord shall rest upon thee and thy house.

What has always stood out to me was the phrase "Nevertheless, I did harden my heart, for I was called many times and I would not hear, therefore I knew concerning these things, yet I would not know".  Amulek from his description was doing fine.  He was a successful business man respected in the community.  He admits in this passage though that he had had experiences where the Lord spoke to him, but he would not hear.  I in my prayers would ask the Lord to give me an amazing experience to really know that He wanted to me to serve a mission.  My answers would come time and time again from others who would share their testimony of missionary service.  Now that was what I didn't want to hear.  I simply was doing lip service for the Lord.  What I really wanted was "Blake I know how you must feel and being 22 you would like Me to tell you that you should move on with your life, so you know what... I think you are right, go ahead with school and work and all will be well".  I wanted so badly for the Lord to agree with what I wanted that I would rationalize away any experiences that I had had in regards to what He wanted from me.  

To give a little more background, back before school and the business of life I used to be involved in canyoneering.  With canyoneering you would go through these slot canyons that had places where you would need to climb and boulder.  Often to get out of the canyon you would need to use a rope to descend down a steep cliff in order to move through the canyon.  Well this same uncle that I had mentioned earlier was heavily involved with canyoneering.  I had gone with him on several trips and had quite a few memories.  Well one trip down in Moab I had the chance to walk along a ridge ahead of several others in our group and had the chance to talk with him one on one.

Well we had the chance to talk about a variety of topics, but as you can guess my uncle brought up the mission.  I don't remember exactly the conversation we had, but I remember clearly at one point my uncle stopping, turning around to look at me and say "You know you need to go on a mission."  It was as if that moment I finally could surrender myself to what I knew to be true.  All the barriers of rationalization, doubt, and ignorance simply went away.  At that moment I looked back and simply said to my uncle"I know."  It was as if a moment of clarity and intelligence came into my mind.  I felt a flood of relief and peace and the lightening of a heavy burden.  This clarity was the Lord's way of communicating to me in a manner that was personalized to my overly rational, analytical mind.

Now I can't say that everything was perfect from then on out, but I knew I needed to move forward and I knew what direction the Lord wanted me to go.  Eventually I was able to serve a mission for the Lord and I am so grateful for that opportunity.  Knowing what I know now, I would have missed out on some choice experiences and I would have missed out on many faith promoting opportunities.  I know the Lord would still love me had I chosen a different path.  I most likely would have finished school and gone from there.  I'm not saying the Lord would have punished me, but for reasons that still are not all the way clear, the mission, was where I needed to be, when I needed to be.

What I have learned from this experience is that in the end I have to make my own choices when it comes to the many paths in life.  I have the opportunity to seek counsel and guidance in making these decisions.  The Lord ultimately knows best and wants to bless me and give me opportunities to grow and become like Him.  There will be times where some decisions are not life changing.  Some decisions will present multiple options that are good and the Lord will expect me to do my homework and seek out what I believe to be best.  There will be other times where the Lord will direct me down a specific path and will provide the guidance I need to find out what that decision should be.  He will guide me in a way that is clear to me for the Holy Spirit will speak to each of us in a way that will be clear.  A scripture that I love found in Doctrine and Covenants Section 11:12-14 states:

12 And now, verily, verily, I say unto thee, put your trust in that Spirit which leadeth to do good—yea, to do justly, to walk humbly, to judge righteously; and this is my Spirit.

13 Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy;

14 And then shall ye know, or by this shall you know, all things whatsoever you desire of me, which are pertaining unto things of righteousness, in faith believing in me that you shall receive.  

I like the rest of us do not need to fear what the future holds. I believe the future will hold many great choices and opportunities. I also know that the Lord has a plan for each of us. We each have the opportunity to serve Him and perform the work that He wants accomplished. I know that as we strive to follow the guidance of the Lord, that He will make sure we know the path we are to travel. That gives me a lot of comfort. It helps me to realize that the Lord loves me and each one of us. He will provide a way, His plans will not be frustrated. I testify that Jesus Christ lives and that He is the Savior. He literally is the Son of God and has overcome death and hell so that we will live after death and be worthy and confident to stand in the presence of God. I love Him and am grateful for the mercies He has shown in my life. I know that He will come again and that we have the opportunity to prepare for His coming. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Our Heavenly Father wants to hear from us.  He wants to hear about the details of our lives.  He wants to hear about the achievements and the disappointments we experience on a day to day basis.  He wants to hear from us when we are striving to follow Him as well as the times when we have decided to disobey His commandments.  He loves us completely and without reservation.  We can talk to Him anytime and anywhere.  In the book of Alma 34:20-27 in the Book of Mormon it states:

 20 Cry unto him when ye are in your ^afields, yea, over all your flocks. 21 ^aCry unto him in your houses, yea, over all your household, both morning, mid-day, and evening. 22 Yea, cry unto him against the power of your ^aenemies. 23 Yea, ^acry unto him against the ^bdevil, who is an enemy to all ^crighteousness. 24 Cry unto him over the crops of your fields, that ye may prosper in them. 25 Cry over the flocks of your fields, that they may increase. 26 But this is not all; ye must ^apour out your souls in your ^bclosets, and your secret places, and in your wilderness. 27 Yea, and when you do not cry unto the Lord, let your ^ahearts be ^bfull, drawn out in prayer unto him continually for your ^cwelfare, and also for the welfare of ^dthose who are around you. 

This scripture is telling us to pray over our employment, to pray over our families, to pray to  overcome our weaknesses.  We can pray for the strength to develop Christ like characteristics, to have the energy to perform our day to day tasks.  We can thank Him for the many things we have been given.  We can apologize for doing things we know are wrong and ask Him to forgive us.  

This tool of communication is so simple, yet so powerful.  It is available at all times and in all places.  We can talk to God before starting our day and before going to bed.  We can offer up a prayer while we commute to and from work.  We can take a few moments to offer up silent prayers in our hearts.  The main point I am trying to get at is God will listen regardless of our gender, ethnicity, wealth, political affiliation and so on. What is even more remarkable about prayer is that it is two way communication.  We can receive guidance, counsel, comfort, relief, etc.  

God will answer our prayers through a variety of ways.  He may give us feelings of peace and comfort to let us know a specific decision is the right.  He may provide feelings of love, joy, and peace simply to let us know He loves us and is mindful of our situation.  Other times we may receive counsel from family members or close friends that will resonate and ring true within us.  Scriptural passages may stand out to us and apply to specific questions we may have brought before our Heavenly Father.  Sometimes our prayers are not answered immediately because the Lord is waiting for a time and a place that will give that answer greater meaning to us or the Lord is waiting for us to soften our hearts enough to be receptive to that answer.   I cannot go over the endless ways we can receive guidance from our Father in Heaven and our Savior, but I do know they are mindful of us, want to bless us, and will give us every good thing that we need. 

I recently listened to an audio talk on CD called The Fourth Watch by a man named S.Michael Wilcox, discussing many of the things I have typed in this post. At one point he talks about the difference between the expected good versus the given good.  There are things in our lives we will pray about expecting an answer or an outcome that goes along with what we believe is best for us, when in reality God in His infinite wisdom will give us what is the best for us.  In Matthew 7:7-11 it states:  

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

I would highly recommend listening to or reading the entire devotional.  It addresses so many amazing concepts when it comes to receiving answers to prayers, and waiting on the Lord's timeline. 

I would like to add my personal testimony that I can personally talk with God anytime and over any matter, whether big or small.  I had the opportunity to be reminded of this concept just the other day.  There had been a concern on my mind for the past several days in regards to potentially hurting another individual's feelings due to conflicting schedules with myself and my family.  This situation was causing me a decent amount of anxiety and I did not know how to handle the situation.  I decided to go my Heavenly Father in prayer.  I asked Him if it would be possible in one way or another to change certain outcomes or events as to prevent some of the worries that had been on my mind over the last few days.  While at work I had learned that certain events had changed as to prevent potential hurt feelings with the individual mentioned above.  I knew at that moment that God had indeed heard my prayers and had answered them.  In reality this was not a huge deal, but Heavenly Father knew it was important to me and had intervened in my behalf.  It was a tender mercy showing me that I can go to Him for help in matters that are trivial or important.  

I know that God is real, that He lives and that He loves each one of us.  We can talk to Him as we would a close friend.  I know He listens.  I know He will respond, will guide, and will intervene in ways that will accomplish His purposes to bring us His children joy.  I know as we go to Him in prayer our relationship with Him will grow and we will desire to follow Him and His son Jesus Christ.  I am grateful for the Savior's perfect example of prayer and complete faith in His Father's plan even though He Himself had to go through more than I could ever imagine.  He understood God's will for Him and accomplished everything that God asked Him to do.  I hope that each one of us will take the opportunity to pray with Heavenly Father often, and ask for the strength and courage to follow the Savior in these trying times.  I love Him and I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ.  Amen.   

So it has been a little while since my last post.  Life gets busy is all I can say.  Not that it is an excuse, but what a crazy month it has been.  School recently started at the end of August and its been quite the experience balancing that with everything else going on in life.  I can't believe how crazy it has been to be honest.  I'm going to spend a few minutes talking about that and hopefully it'll relate to what I want to convey in this post.  

So for anyone that may be following my posts, I am currently a first year student in a 4 year pharmacy program.  It is a pretty intense program where I'll be taking anywhere from 16-18 credit hours a semester for 4 years.  Right now I am also working part time (not a significant amount of hours, but still its time).  In about a month my beautiful wife will be having our first child.  I also have other family members I keep in touch with, friends to associate with, and church responsibilities.  

Now I know my situation is not unique.  I know there are people out there that want to fit 36 hours of activities into a 24 hour day.  I also know it can be overwhelming.  It seems like I almost never get what I want to get accomplished.  I had been thinking a lot about this as it pertains to my spirituality.  

I know there is a loving Heavenly Father that loves me and wants to hear from me, yet I find myself exhausted at the end of each day and struggling to have a sincere conversation with Him.  I also know He has given us scriptures to learn of Him and to receive instruction in our daily lives.  Even with that knowledge it is so hard to open up the scriptures.  Basically it seems to boil down to how am I supposed to fit in my day to day activities and fit in the necessary spiritual activities that will increase my faith in the Savior and my Heavenly Father.  

Well this is not a unique predicament.  As the semester began I found myself struggling to keep up with the rapid pace of school.  Everyday was frustrating, as I failed to get everything I wanted to accomplish done.  I felt that if I'd do more of this or more of that I could get caught up.  Well I had a good experience one Sunday after church.  In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints individuals in each congregation have the opportunity to be assigned to be home teachers.  Home teachers are responsible for the temporal and spiritual welfare of the families they are assigned.  They have the opportunity to go out and visit their families at least once a month to see how they are doing, to provide service, and to teach and expound the word of God.  

Well our home teachers stopped by a couple of weeks ago to introduce themselves and to see how things were going.  At the end of the visit they asked if they could share a spiritual thought.  I was so grateful for the message they delivered because it was what I needed to hear.  I honestly do not remember what scriptures he used but he basically said that it is of vital importance to put the Lord first.  The Lord wants us to succeed and will help us accomplish our goals and His goals if we will put Him and the gospel first.  I wish I could remember exactly what he said but it included having meaningful prayer and scripture study and fulfilling our other spiritual responsibilities.  Now I've heard this before and I'll hear it again, but it hit me in a way where I knew this was the Lord letting me know here was how I was going to survive the hectic schedule I'd be facing.  I need to put Him first and everything will fall into place.

Now I'm not going to say I'm perfectly on the turn around, but I'm striving to do better, especially with the little things.  Making time to get on my knees and pray, to read from the scriptures, and to serve faithfully in my church responsibilities will allow me to accomplish more with school, my family, and my other goals.  I don't know exactly why it works, but I know it works.  The Lord will empower those that serve Him and make Him the priority.  I notice the difference in the days where I'll read my scriptures and say my prayers.  My studies go better, I understand the material better, and I have greater confidence.  It truly is remarkable.  

This is stated clearly in the Book of Mormon.  In Alma 37: 6-7 it says:  

"6 Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise.

 7 And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls."

Anyone that is facing the same challenges I promise this scripture is true and the principles of it are true.  For anyone that is feeling they cannot accomplish the tasks put in front of them, just take this challenge.  Do the small and simple things.  Put the Lord first.  Pray with sincerity, search the scriptures with purpose, and keep the commandments of God.  I know there will be more time in the day.  Things will work together easier.  Just try it out.  There will be a difference.  There will be added strength.

One final verse in the Luke 2:52

"And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favour with God and man."

The ultimate example is the Savior.  We do not know many details of His childhood and His life before His ministry, but we know as He increased in wisdom He followed the will of the Father perfectly.  He gained perfect strength, love and power because He did not let any worldly influences alter what He knew to be true.  Because of His perfect obedience and unwavering faith in His Father's plan, others recognized Him to be the Savior, the Son of God.  I know that He lives.  I know when we are overwhelmed or struggling to keep pace with life, we can turn to Him and we will be given a boost.  We will be carried throughout our activities and responsibilities and will be formed into the Savior's image.  I testify of these things in the name of Jesus Christ. 

 

A lot of good things have happened to my wife and I over the last few weeks.  We recently found out that we are going to have a baby girl.  We also just purchased our first home and are now on night three at the new place.  Everyone is healthy and we have the love and support of our families.  Despite all of these blessings I have focused on all the things that aren't "perfect" in my life.  I haven't had very much success in finding an internship in my field of study.  Instead I am working in a warehouse doing things that aren't remotely related to my field of study.  This has caused me to do more than my fair share of complaining.  Despite everything else going right in my life I have been chosen to dwell on a little hiccup along my path of life.

The Book of Mormon begins with an account of a family warned by the Lord to flee Jerusalem because of the city's wickedness.  The father of the household, Lehi, left his home and all he had and headed into the wilderness with his family.  He was a wealthy man, but was willing to give up whatever was necessary to follow the Lord.

Lehi had several sons that went with him into the wilderness along with his wife Sariah and daughters as well. His youngest son, Nephi, was a grateful man.  In 1 Nephi 17:1-3 it says:

"1 And it came to pass that we did again take our journey in the wilderness; and we did travel nearly eastward from that time forth. And we did travel and wade through much affliction in the wilderness; and our women did bear children in the wilderness.

 2 And so great were the blessings of the Lord upon us, that while we did live upon raw meat in the wilderness, our women did give plenty of suck for their children, and were strong, yea, even like unto the men; and they began to bear their journeyings without murmurings.

 3 And thus we see that the commandments of God must be fulfilled. And if it so be that the children of men keep the commandments of God he doth nourish them, and strengthen them, and provide means whereby they can accomplish the thing which he has commanded them; wherefore, he did provide means for us while we did sojourn in the wilderness."

I know that I don't have that kind of gratitude yet, not even close.  Here they were traveling in the wilderness.  This was a permanent thing, not a weekend camping trip.  The brothers wives were having children in the wilderness.  My wife is staying in a hospital with the latest technology and amenities.  I'm sure food had to be gathered and hunted daily so they would not starve.  And after all of this they are eating their meat raw.  What Nephi focuses on though are the blessings that were coming from the Lord.  He was grateful for healthy children that were receiving enough nourishment and the fact that everyone was strong and able to bear the difficulties of the journey.

I know personally the times I have been most grateful are the times I have felt the greatest happiness.  Often I am always looking ahead to what I can do next or what next achievement or accomplishment I can obtain.  While it is good to be ambitious I know that if we forget the blessings that are in front of us and take the time to appreciate them, we will be missing out and I feel that Heavenly Father will be a little sad.  After all it is because of Him we breathe, have fulfilling marriages, children, careers; all those things in life that make life so wonderful.  I know as we take the time to thank Him for what we have, He is willing to give us more in His own timing and if we are willing to go about and do productive things.

One does not have to have a lot of material possessions to be content and happy.  Personal satisfaction comes from gratitude, obedience to God's commandments, and giving to others.  Sometimes it seems counter intuitive, but it works.  Try it out for yourself and you'll know that it's true.

Ingratitude only brings complaining, loss of time, and misery.  There are so many things that are done for us by our Heavenly Father that often we choose not to see or do not ever realize.  Even the small things that seem to be "coincidences" are God's way of showing that He knows what is going on in our lives and that He loves us.  For example yesterday my wife called me from work saying that she had a flat tire.  I was definitely not using the gratitude card at the moment.  However, she had forgotten to take off roadside assistance so we were able to tow the car to the nearest Big-O-Tire store for free.  The gash on the tire was on the outside so the problem was easy to identify.  The tire didn't pop or go flat while she drove to work.  Because the tire was under warranty we were able to get the tire replaced without having to pay for a new one.  My wife pointed all these things out to me and it was just eye opening to consider all the "luck" we had.

I have so much, many have much.  In doctrine and covenants 59:21 the Lord reveals:

  "21 And in nothing doth man offend God, or against none is his wrath kindled, save those who confess not his hand in all things, and obey not his commandments."

I know these things are true.  I know that God is preparing greater things for us than what our world has to offer.  Maybe some of us will have a big house, a nice car, and a cushy life, but at the same time we may miss out on a lot of experiences that are more than worth their weight in gold.  I know that Heavenly Father loves us each and every one of His children.  I know that we are being watched over far more than we could ever realize.  I am grateful for Him.  I am also grateful for His Son Jesus Christ.  For which there could be no hope for better things if it had not been for Him.  I know we ought to be especially grateful that mistakes can be erased, burdens can be lifted, and trials can be overcome because of Him.  I love Him.  I say these things in His name, even Jesus Christ.  




  

So I have had a lot on my mind lately.  I had an interesting exchange that I have thought about over the last few days.  Every Friday I have the opportunity to volunteer at a local hospital.  I volunteer in the inpatient department answering phone calls, assisting nursing staff and doing a bunch of paper work.  Anyways I usually bring a book in case I have some down time.  This book in particular was about a family living during the time before the Second Coming of Christ.  It told of their dealings of the signs of the times and all the turmoils on the earth before the Savior came again.  Well I had one of the nurses come by and ask me what I was reading and what it was about.  She told me she liked apocalyptic sorts of novels.  I mentioned to her that the author was LDS.  She then mentioned what had been on my mind for the last little bit.  She mentioned that she had grown up in the LDS faith, but had become Catholic when she was 13.  She then said that LDS, Catholic it was all the same, it only matters that you believe in God.  Now it was a simple statement, but I wish I would have responded to it.  I decided to respond to that comment with my blog today.

I do agree with this nurse that it is important to believe in God.  I know that God exists and that He is our Father.  I believe this statement is one of the most important basic principles for a person to base their foundation on.  In the Book of Mormon in Mosiah 4:9 it says

"Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend."

However, I do not believe the rest of what her statement implied.  For I know that that part is not true.  While it is of the utmost importance to believe in God, it is not all the same, nor is it the only thing that matters.  It is one of the first principles to know the true nature of God the Father and His son Jesus Christ.  In fact it says in John 17:3

"And this is life eternal, that they may know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

It is life eternal to know the true nature of God.  Varying religions are divided on the nature and purposed of God.  It is imperative to understand God's true character and nature so that we as His children might better understand our relationship to Him and His purposes for us.  The restored gospel of Jesus Christ teaches that God the Father is the father of our spirits.  He has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as man's.  He and the Son Jesus Christ are two separate personages that are one in purpose and glory.  They are not a single entity as most of the Christian world teaches.

While a belief in God is essential, it is not a final conclusion to come to.  A believe in God leads to a belief in His teachings and a belief that His promises are real.  This means that when God repeatedly admonishes us to keep certain commandments, then if we truly believe in Him then we will keep His commandments.I guess this is how faith is developed, by hearing God's word and acting upon it.  This requires struggle and sacrifice a majority of the time, but this is how we come to know God.  For instance, I can say that I believe in the commandment God has given concerning tithing, which is we give back to God a tenth of our increase for the  building of His kingdom.  Now it is one thing to say I believe in this principle, but it is an entirely new thing to pay tithing when faced with financial hardship.  Although it is easy to justify, by not keeping that commandment or any other commandment God has given us, we loose an opportunity to grow in faith and come to know God more fully.  One more scripture illustrates this point.  This is found in John 14:15, it states

"If ye love me, keep my commandments."

Now I'm not saying I have it all figured out.  I'm not saying I do God's will all the time.  I don't, in fact no one does. The only one is the Savior.  We can be better though.  I know that God loves us, we are His children and that He wants to uplift us.  He does this by trying our faith and by seeing that we serve Him and keep His commandments. By doing these things one will come to know the strength and power that comes from obedience.  The more I strive to follow my Heavenly Father the happier I am.  I also at the same time realize how dependent I am on Him and how much I mess up.  It gives me greater appreciation for the Savior's sacrifice for me.  I know these things to be true and say this in the name of Jesus Christ.

 When the Savior walked the roads of Jerusalem He went about healing the sick, raising the dead and providing comfort to those in need.  There are many recorded miracles of Him giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf and healing to the broken heart.  He called 12 special witnesses, or apostles who in turn were given the power and authority to do the same things Christ did.  By the laying on of hands these apostles were given the power and authority to perform the same  miracles as Jesus could perform. This power given by the Savior is called the priesthood.  

Matthew 10:1

"And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease."

The apostles in turn were able to confer the priesthood to other worthy men so that they could bless the lives of others.  The priesthood holds the ability to run the Saviors church as it was run during the life of Christ and  the apostles.  Through wickedness this power to perform God's work was lost, but was eventually restored through a modern prophet by the name of Joseph Smith.  Anyways the Lord's priesthood has been restored and is held by worthy men in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I have been blessed to have been given the honor to hold the priesthood of God and have on many occasions felt the power of the priesthood in my own life. 

My wife and I are expecting our first child.  She is due in November and we are both really excited.  A couple of weeks ago my wife woke up in the middle of the night and was experiencing some bleeding.  We got in our car and drove to the emergency room of a hospital nearby.  We were both really worried about the well being of the baby and didn't know what to expect.  While we were waiting I felt impressed to call my cousin who lived nearby and have him help me give my wife a blessing.  Blessings are not a new concept.  Early members of Christ's church called upon priesthood holders to give blessings of comfort and healing. 

James 5:14 


"Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:"

My cousin was able to anoint my wife's head with olive oil that had been set apart for the specific purpose of healing the sick.  We were then able to lay our hands on her head and give her a blessing.  The blessing was a great comfort to my wife.  I do not remember all the words said, but I remember feeling a spirit of peace.  I felt calm and had a sense of love about me.  I knew that everything would be ok.  Prior to the blessing we were taken in to few an ultrasound.  After the blessing the doctor came in and explained that all the labs and everything looked good.  We had a high likelihood of going to term and delivering a healthy baby.  

I know that the priesthood is real.  I know it is God's power that He has given to man under certain conditions.  This power is used to uplift those around us.  I am so grateful that I have been entrusted with this power and responsibility.  I am grateful that I have the opportunity to act in the name of Christ and that I can do His will.  I know that's exactly what He would be doing.  I know that Jesus is the Savior and that He will return to the earth soon.  I know His power has been restored through living prophets.  I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the Lord's church.  It contains all the promises and ordinances needed to return to God.  I am grateful for Him and the guidance He gives me on a daily basis.  I leave these things in the name of Jesus Christ.  

I have had a lot of thoughts lately.  There have been a lot of things going on in the world that may bring about a little alarm.  One thing especially is the Supreme Court's review of legalizing same sex marriage.  Although we cannot predict what happens, we can take comfort in knowing that these things have been foretold centuries before.  In the Book of Mormon the Lord shows a prophet by the name of Nephi a vision of conditions on the earth in the last days.  In 2 Nephi 28: 7-9 it states:

"7 Yea, and there shall be many which shall say: ^aEat, drink, and be merry, for tomorrow we die; and it shall be well with us.

 8 And there shall also be many which shall say: ^aEat, drink, and be ^bmerry; nevertheless, fear God—he will ^cjustify in committing a little ^dsin; yea, ^elie a little, take the advantage of one because of his words, dig a ^fpit for thy neighbor; there is ^gno harm in this; and do all these things, for tomorrow we die; and if it so be that we are guilty, God will beat us with a few stripes, and at last we shall be saved in the kingdom of God.

 9 Yea, and there shall be many which shall teach after this manner, ^afalse and vain and ^bfoolish ^cdoctrines, and shall be puffed up in their hearts, and shall seek deep to hide their counsels from the Lord; and their works shall be in the dark."

We see so much of this going on in the world today.  Another scripture in the Old Testament found in  Isaiah 5:20 says

 "Woe unto them that call ^aevil ^bgood, and good evil; that put ^cdarkness for ^dlight, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!"

Again we see much of this in the world.  Morals and values have become relative instead of absolute.  People do not want to be held accountable for their actions.  As I speak there are people out there trying to change the very idea of marriage as ordained by Heavenly Father.  While I cannot judge another because I do not know the thoughts and intents of others' hearts I know that our Heavenly Father has given us commandments and has spoken on the subject.  These commandments are guidelines to protect and bring us safety as we travel through this mortal experience.  I know He gives these because He loves us.  A good parent has to say no to their children in order for their children to succeed.  Rules bring blessings.  There are many things in the world that we have been commanded to not do that will protect, guide and build us up.  This is a demonstration of God's love towards us.  I do not know all the reasons why some commandments are given, but I know that God's view is a lot better than ours.  I know that many are trying to legalize gay marriage.  I want to bear my witness that although I have no ill will towards any who support this notion, I know that it is not right.  Marriage has always and will always be a union between a man and woman, as husband and wife.  God has established that from the very beginning.  Eve was an help meet for Adam.  Together they brought forth children and taught them the gospel.  The Apostle Paul has taught that husbands and wives are to love each other.  That we are to love our spouse as our own flesh.  This is how God intended it to be.  God has prepared a way that man and wife could be married for all eternity.  The bonds of marriage do not have to end with death.  Because the Lord has restored His gospel on the earth today I know families can be together forever.  God does not condemn those that are following other paths.  Instead He offers the gift of His son Jesus Christ.  This requires change.  It requires giving up habits or associations that are against the teachings of the Lord.  We are promised peace and joy for following the Savior.  Because of His atoning sacrifice, everyone may live with Heavenly Father again, if we so choose.  I know that Jesus Christ is the Savior.  He can make us clean from our mistakes, pains, and disappointments.  His love is perfect.  So is His desire to help lift us and extend beyond ourselves.  I know these things to be true.  I testify in the name of Jesus Christ.