Understanding our Knowledge on an LDS Temple

      Why is the Mormon Temple so secret?

      The Temple of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints isnt secret at all. In fact they want everyone to know what happens in there and all who follow what God has commanded can enter. To answere that question though, the Mormon Temple is not secret, its in fact sacred.

      In the Holy Temple of the Lord there are ordinances performed through the power of God, known as the Priesthood. This Priesthood, which Christ himself held and gave to his apostles 2,000 years ago, has been restored and is on the earth once more.

      This miracle can and will bring ALL who partake of it, closer to our Father in Heaven. That is a promise given to us by a Prophet of the Lord.

      In the temple we can be sealed to our family for eternity. How long is eternity? Well its more than any of us can count. But to be sealed to our spouce and our children is allowing us to be with them even after we go home to our Father in Heaven.

      The Gospel of Jesus Christ, if possible, can be summed up in one word... hope. The gospel gives us a hope which leads to faith. Faith turns into a belief, that belief grows into a testimony and then to knowledge. That doesnt end there, knowledge can only grow into an understanding. To understand something means we know how it works, its strengths and weaknesses, its purpose, its past, present, and future. In the Temple we can gain a better understanding of who we were, are, and can be. Most important we can understand a portion of the love Heavenly Father has for us.

      When we prepare ourselves to enter the temple, we will have the spirit of the Lord with us. Holding a temple recomend does nothing for others, but makes an eternal difference for us. Those of us who have had the amazing opportunity to enter the temple know what blessings come from it. but we dont always understand it.

      The Lord has challenges us to walk a little straighter, stand a little bolder, and kneel a little longer. Entering the temple does alot for us and even more for our family. Challenge yourself and your loved ones to prepare ourselves and them to enter.

       To put down or pick up, go to or get away from, believe in or cast out ANYTHING that we need to in order to enter in The House of the Lord.

      I know and am starting to understand a little more of the love of God. I can only do this because of the loving parents and other examples that I have had in my life to help guide me down this path. Now its our turn to be the example to those who are searching. I promise all those who read this and have that desire to obtain the blessings that you have felt will come to you when reading this, to talk to the missionaries or your bishop. "They will help you"!

      Those of us who need a little boost can read in the Bood of Mormon in 2 Nephi chapter 1, about what the Lord has prepared for us. In verses 6-9, I would invite you to substitute anything that has to do with "the promise land" with the word "temple". Likewise substitute "Jerusalem" with "the world" (or things of the world). As we read this chapter look at how we can apply the differnt events that take place that Lehi addresses. How simular are those situations to our own?
      Verses 13 and 14 are Lehi's last wishes of his children before he dies. Think of our own parents or our children wishing those things of us. 21-23 shows us what we can do if we choose to fallow these commandments and the power that we can have. 25-26 speak of false judgments that we might have made to allow another to offend us. If this is the case then we can pray for guidance on how to handle it.

      "UNDERSTAND  what this means, dont THINK about what was said."
 

Why is That Bad News

       "There is this man who was the most well known man in the village because of his stud horse. The village people would always compliment him on his horse. One day the horse ran away,  the people gave the old man their apologies. The man then said 'why is this bad news?'

      "A week later the horse came back fallowed by 15 mares he found in the canyon. The people congratulated the man for his possessions. The man says 'why is this good news?' The people now think this man is crazy. Why would he not be happy about these mares?

       "The fallowing day the man's son decides that these mares are still wild. So he jumps on one of them and gets thrown off. He brakes his back and is paralyzed. The people come to give their condolences to the man, 'Why is this bad news?' The people just leave because they think the man has gone mad.

       "The fallowing month the Governor comes to town and calls all the able young men to war. All but the old man's son goes. After the war the town receives news that all have died. The only young man left is the old man's crippled son." (unknown author)
   
 



 I was born and raised in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. My family was blessed more than I even knew. Many of my friends would mention to me how great my family is. When I was in high school my little brother was paralyzed in a football game. Many of his and my friends told me they were sorry to hear that. But... "Why is that bad news?".

      An hour after the accident he was given a priesthood blessing from my Bishop. Three days later he walked out of the hospital. That is when I gained my testimony of this Gospel (even though I was raised in it). My church member friends would tell me how great it was that I now have faith and understand what Heavenly Father has done for me.... "Why is that good news?"

       A year after that I turned 19. The eligible age for serving a mission. I had to leave my family, schooling, friends, and a great job. My buddies tried to get me to stay because of all that I would be missing.... "Why is that bad news?"

       Being on my mission I have gained new friends and new family members (they cant replace my original ones) more learning than I would've at any school, and a job that I love. My family tells me how proud of me they are and how much help I have been to the people out here.... "Why is that good news?"

      Now I'm coming to the end, I have to finish up what I have started in not enough time at all. I have to get things in order to move on, say my goodbyes and get ready for the trials I will face when I get home. I pray and ask for more time, to help out with what my family and friends are going through. I plead for help and encouragement.... Then I heard Him say "Why is that bad news?"

       Don't judge the situation, but acknowledge the blessings!

     

The Coke Machine with Legs, Running down the Sidelines or up the Middle

   


      There is not much we can do when a coke machine with legs is two feet away at full speed, exept maybe call your our mom.

      In football there are so many different ways to get the ball from one end to the other. That is the main task. With different coaches come different plays. All leading to the end zone. The coaches have played the game and are working with the team to help them learn from his mistakes to get them to state.

      Now picture yourself as a running back. We have 5 lineman and a tight end to defend us from the oncoming defence of line. We have the quarter back and another running back with us. As well as two wide receivers. The coach calls the play, the ball will be pitched to us. He calls it to run up the middle next to the left guard and the center.

       As the ball is hiked we look at the defense and think that it would be so much easier to just run a sweep down the sideline. That way we can just get away from that coke machine with legs linebacker.

      The ball is pitched to us and we change our play to fit what we think is best for us. As we take off for the sideline, the defense catches us. our blockers aren't there because we aren't running the play the coach has set up for us. But we know we can do it on our own, we have been playing ball all our life.

     We hit the sideline and take off toward the endzone, no one ahead of us and we think we have it set. But little do we know that sneaky little safety caught us and blind sides us. he pushes us out of bounds. That little safety who is like 5 foot nothin knocks us out of bounds. Now the whole game is stopped and the paramedics are called in.
 

      The next play the coach calls us to run down the hole he asked us to before. Some of us choose to experience not listening to him to understand that he does know what he is talking about. we we decide to see if he is right. The ball is pitched to us, our blockers get the hole open and we are off. We have the other running back ahead of us to take out the linebacker, the receivers cross in and knock out the safety and another linebacker. Now the field is open...ish.

      That coke machine with legs gets up and comes at us. Because we ran down the middle of the field, we have enough room all around us to stiff-arm, spin, stumble, jump, or whatever. As that coke machine hits us, we have put enough room between us and the boundary line to make some mistakes. We stumble a bit but our blockers are right there to take him out and allow us to continue to run down to the end zone.

                                                            TOUCH DOWN!!!

     In the Book of Mormon, Lehi talks about the Iron Rod and the "straight and narrow path" which leads to eternal life or Heaven. Some say that it is to narrow to follow, some find it easy to follow. Next time you have a chance, watch a football game. Count how many times someone steps over the line. The field is 50 yards wide. That is not narrow at all. And yet people still constantly try to push their limit and run down the sideline.

      As we try to run down the sideline of the Iron Rod, we will get pushed by something as small as the little safety or maybe attending something we know we shouldn't justify ourselves in doing it. Our coach (Jesus Christ) has called the play, the commandments. He has provided us with our team mates and blockers (our family and church family). They know the plays and know what each one of us is to do.

      Some of the plays we may not agree with or understand, but it is the trust that we put in our Coach and team mates that will get us through it. The Coach has called the plays, our blockers are set, now its up to us to follow it and be guarded. Or run outside and take the risk of getting taken out 

Anyone can be a Father, But it takes Someone Special to be a Dad

    I can remember a time when I was little that my dad embraced me in his physical pain, when he felt my emotional pain. My dad had surgery on his shoulder. My mom took my sister, two brothers, and I into see him. He was in the hospital bed waiting for us. I climbed in the bed with him and laid by his side. A tear rolled down my cheek as I thought of the pain my dad was in. As my mom wiped it away, my dad felt my broken heart, and in his own pain from the surgery, he wrapped his arm around me and held me tight to let me know he is always there.

      Almost 15 years later I can still remember my dad's powerful arm lift and comfort me by his touch. All four of us kids climbed in bed and allowed ourselves to be wrapped in his arms.

     One of the most powerful acts of love between a father and son takes place in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

     Each one of us knows what it is like to watch a loved one struggle. I heard this saying many times throughout my life: "If I could, I would take that pain away from you." It is hard to go through tough times but its even harder to watch a friend or child go through it.

      To relate John 3:16 to myself I added "For my parents so loved God that they sent their daughter out to raise His children, a son to serve His children, a son to protect His creations, and are preparing another son to become who He desires. That whosoever follows, believes, trusts, and teaches them will not perish, but have everlasting life."
   
      My parents have watched their only daughter get married and move out to take care of her own family. They have sent a son on a mission to serve the Lord and bring his lost sheep back home. They have sent a son into the military to serve and defend our country. They are working with their youngest son to prepare him for what is to come.

     It takes a lot of strength to endure, but it takes a lot more love to watch and support. Heavenly Father had to watch and support His Son as He suffered for us. My parents and many others can understand a portion of what our Father in Heaven felt as Christ asked for the "cup" to be removed. But then said "not my will, but thine be done".

     Just as Heavenly Father sends His Son out in the world to defend, protect, teach, and be the example for us. Our parents have to let us go and learn, to do the things that Christ did. Even when we turn the other way, they are still there to wrap their arms around us each time. How heartbroken was Heavenly Father as He watched His Son suffer on that cross. But how proud was He when He was able to hold His Son in His arms again.

      I know this first hand with my family. When one of us slips and falls my parents are always there. For those of us who don't have parents, we ALL have that wonderful loving Father in Heaven who is there for us each time we have a tear run down our cheek. He wipes it away and holds us tight.

     Christ says in  John 14:7,9  "If ye had known me, ye have known my father also....he that hath seen me hath seen the father." I can only wish that when someone looks at me they can see either one of my parents.

     "Anyone can be a father, but it takes someone special to be a dad." What makes your father the one you call dad?

Why Do I Not Get The Blessings That I Ask For

       Does God love them more than me? Does He bless others more than me because I'm not as good as them? Why do I not get the blessings that I ask for?

       So many of us ask ourselves these questions hoping that our Father in Heaven will  listen in and help us out more. When in reality He is there waiting for us to allow him to enter in.

       Just as a furnished house or temple has the electricity hooked up already to go, we too have the love of God  all hooked up and ready to be turned on. The light switch is like a dial where we can turn the brightness of the light up or dim it down according to our pleasure. We can make our temple within as bright as we want or as dark as we want.

      Christ is the light of the world. Light casts out darkness. His and His father's love for us is infinite. As we follow Their counsel we are turning up the light. As we do so the peace, joy, patience, and love that they have for us enters in, and casts out all the stress, fear, anger, and doubt that darkness fills us with.

       Does God love 'them' more than me?...Not a chance. Does He bless 'others' more than me because I'm not like 'them'?...Only if we let Him. Why do I not get the blessings that I ask for?... I don't know, why don't you?

       As a Child we say to our mother:
1. Teach me to walk in the light of his love;Teach me to pray to my Father above;


Teach me to know of the things that are right;Teach me, teach me to walk in the light.


    
    Our mother then says to us:


2. Come, little child, and together we’ll learn Of his commandments, that we may return


Home to his presence, to live in his sight—Always, always to walk in the light.




      Then as a family we say:


3. Father in Heaven, we thank thee this day For loving guidance to show us the way.


Grateful, we praise thee with songs of delight! Gladly, gladly we’ll walk in the light. (Hymn no. 304 LDS Hymn Book)




     As a child there were many times that I know my mom had to exercise EXTREME patients 


with my brothers and my sister and I. I know that it is because of her and my father's  example 


of "walking in the light" that has lead me to where I am now.


   
  "There is no place like home" better yet... "There is no 


place like in my moms arms!"

I know that Christ Died for me, But what Exactly did he Suffer for Me

      Yes, Christ died for me but just what exactly did he suffer for ME? We have been told to "liken" the scriptures to ourselves, and this is why...

      In the Book of Mormon there is a man who talks about what Christ's Atonement is. Alma 7:11-13 says this:

 11 And he shall go forth, suffering pains and ^aafflictions and ^btemptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will ^ctake upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

 12 And he will take upon him ^adeath, that he may ^bloose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to ^csuccor his people according to their infirmities.

 13 Now the Spirit ^aknoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the ^bflesh that he might ^ctake upon him the sins of his people, that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold, this is the testimony which is in me.

      Now we can change this a bit to make it personal to us.
11. And he shall go forth, suffering MY pains which are .... and MY afflictions which are... and My temptations which are...; and this that the word might be fulfulled which saith he will take upon him MY pains and MY sicknesses.

12. And he will take upon him death/fear, that he may loose the bands of death/ fear which hold me down; and he will take upon him my imperfections, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to how it is that I feel, that he may know by my way of thinking how to succor (bring) me unto him according to my imperfections.

13. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to exactly what I am going through. this, so that he will know how to take upon him my sins, that he might blot our my transgressins according to his deliverance. and now this is the testimony (the things I know to be true) which is in me.

      Go back through this and fill in the blanks with what we are going through. Then we will understand what it is that He exactly went through for each on of us.

Taking the Leap of Faith off our Balance Beam

       A balance beam is straight and narrow. To some it seams impossible to be able to walk or even jump on it without falling off. But it is those times that we do fall that helps us to get back on and become stronger because of it. Just how long does it take to get comfortable to walk on a balance beam...? It is up to us on how much time we put into it.
  
       For some, they can pick it up quickly. For others it takes a lot longer to learn how to trust our self and keep our eye single to our goal of getting to the end.

       For a lot of us its the leap at the end that gets us nervous. Nervous of falling, nervous of not making the perfect landing and the judges giving us a bad score. Once we have made it to the end, we have to take that leap, a leap of faith.

       Luckily for us we have a very loving judge, spotter, and coach. He is always there to catch us when we fall. To give us the encouragement if we feel that we cant make it to the end. He judges us by the time we put into learning and how much we get back up and on the beam. Not how well we do but how much we grow ourselves.

       Then He is at the end to help us make that leap. After all we have done to get to that point, He is waiting for us to jump and make that landing. To get that firm foundation underneath our feet. He can then show us even more only because we have taken that leap of faith and proven to ourselves that we can hold strong.

"Tell Jesus I said Hi...If you look, you can see Him"

       "This little boy saw his mother getting ready to go to the temple. He asked her to tell Jesus hi for him. His mother said 'I doubt I will see Him.' The little boy responded, 'If you look hard enough, you can.'"

        In Matthew 18:4 (in the Bible) and in Mosiah 3:19 (Book of Mormon) it speaks of becomming like little children. The purpose of this is for us to be willing to learn. Believing in everyone around us. Not knowing doubt, fear, bitterness, and so on.

       The little boy in the story knew that Jesus was at the temple. That is what he has been taught. He doesn't care about the things of the world. All he cares about is that his message to his Savior gets to Him.

       Now reread this story. Who is the one being taught? The little innocent boy, or the all wise parent?

       Look for Christ in all we do. Teach our children for they are the ones that will be teaching us someday. Set the example for them to fallow. For our Father and our Brother have done that for us already. But its up to us to be as a little child and look up to our great Father and loving Brother.

Breaking a Horse isn't Breaking at all, Its Building up

       When breaking a horse we don't correct him, when he does something wrong, to torture him. But rather we correct him to show him how to become better. Those who have ridden a well "broke" horse knows how calm and peacfull they are. We can trust them with our children or another inexperienced rider and not have to worry about them falling off and getting hurt.
  
       A wild horse, fresh to the ranch,  will not ever learn how to work or get along well with the other horses without getting correction, be it from the cowboy or the stud horse. It takes a a great horseman to tame a wild horse. But depending on the horse, if they are willing to learn, then even a young child could teach it a thing or two. It takes equall work on the horses' part and on the horseman's part to be able to give and recieve correction. Sometimes even the horseman messes up and has to take some breaking/correction from the horse. This is why they both need to be open-minded.

       If we put this into our own lives, whether it be us as the horseman or even the horse, we need to learn to take the correction that is given with an open heart. This way we can be that 'horse' that everyone can trust with those they love. For without that trust, we might just end up in the NFR Bronc Ridding events.

Be a Mentor, Not a Coach

       What is the difference in criticism and constructive coaching?
What is the difference in being a coach and a mentor?

A coach talks to us (criticizes us). They are there to teach us by telling us what we need to do. They may say things such as: "You need to work harder; If you were to change your attitude, you would be a much better person; You should do it this way, it is a lot better; When you understand what is really being said then you will really know how they feel."


       Anyone who tries to tell you how to do something is a coach. We can't choose our coaches. However, a mentor is one that is a leader. A person that others choose to fallow, respect, and trust. A mentor is not just something that anyone can be, rather it is someone that is looked up to by another person. They could be a parent, friend, sibling, companion, or another leader of some sort. A mentor is someone we go to for guidance. No one can be assigned to be a mentor. Instead it is a position earned and given by those around you.

        A mentor is one that shows by example rather than preaching with words. They may say things such as: "We can work harder; If we were to change our attitude, we would become a better person; If we do it like this... then it might turn out better; When we understand what is really being said, then we can know how we can help them;"

       The difference in the two is how they use the words "you" and "we/ us".  Reread the coach's part then reread the mentor's part. Notice the difference in how you feel. If we can relate a problem or situation, that someone else has, to ourselves, then we can better understand what we can do to give constructive coaching.
        When we try to help someone out, we must understand how they will take what we say by how we say it. Not everyone is like us, therefore we need to adjust our way of "coaching" to best fit their needs. By us doing this, we will be able to help those around us more than just preaching to them. "They don't care about how much you know until they know how much you care."

How can I relate The Atonement to myself better than just "He Died and Suffered for Me"

.

When asked about the Atonement of our Savior, Jesus Christ, so many of us just say:

"Well he died for me and he suffered for me..." 

     Which, yes, He did die for us and He did suffer for us. But do we really understand what ALL He went through? Just like when you tell a sad story about a loved one, we get emotional and tend to feel what they felt at that time. So, if we really do understand what all Christ went through, then we would feel as He did when asked that question.

     Imagine that you are standing outside your house and you see a large crowd down the street. your trying to stand on your toes so that you can see what is going on. But there are so many people around that you can't. So you kinda feel left out. 
_______

     As the crowd gets closer to you, you notice a man in the middle of the crowd. You look at him and see blood dripping off his body. You see him panting for air. He is so thirsty that his mouth is bone dry. On top of that he is holding on his back a huge board like a railroad tie. Your trying to see if there is anyone helping him but no one is even trying to. So you try to get out there but the crowd is so packed that you cant get to him. You think that he doesn't even know that you want to help.
_______

     As you are struggling with trying to understand what is going on, he finally makes it by you. He falls to his face because of the weight of the baord on his shoulders and the beatings that he has taken. He then gets wipped to stand back up and keeps going. He see's you watching, lifts his head, looks you in the eye and says, "This is for you!" Then stands back up and puts that board on his shoulders again and takes another step. He keeps looking at you as he continues down that road.
_______

    He finally makes it to the hill where the crowd has him place the board on the ground and then nails his hands and feet to it. He is then lifted in the air for all to see. As the blood from off his wounded body falls to the earth he thinks of those that he is doing this for. Your name is first.

     Christ remembers each one of us. He knows what we are going through. As we read the scriptures we get to learn of the things that he has done for us. Now it is our turn to not let all of that pain that he went through to go to waste. He died for us, we need to live for Him. Now share with someone else what The Atonement of Jesus Christ has done for you. I can promise you that you will gain a much stronger relationship with Him as you do so. I know that He suffered for me. I know that He called out my name when he was on that cross. I know that He thought of me when He fell to the earth and had to stand back up. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.