Look at the Postitive, The Negative is NOT the Answer

       Unfortunately, there are many who have thought about suicide. They are faced with trials and challenges that lead to feelings of guilt and shame. When we let those feelings torment us we are allowing Satan to take control of us. We are no longer letting Christ's Atonement take hold of the things we have done, or the things that we are stressing over such as: finances, jobs, friends, sins of any kind, and whatever else we have to deal with.
       All throughout the Book of Mormon this phrase pops up; "And it came to pass..." this doesn't say "And thus it continued..." It says and it came to PASS. "Pass" is past tense. Every trial we are faced with will eventually pass by just as they did in the Book of Mormon and in the Bible. If we continue to ponder on the bad in our life then we will pass by the good. Our purpose in this life is to gain knowledge so we can be like our Father in Heaven. He loves each one of us and knows what it is that we are going through. These things will come to pass. Here are a list of different quotes and sayings that have helped me to understand more of what I can do and what our Heavenly Father will do for us.
       "We may endure pain through the night. But joy will come in the morning, we need to just wait. Wait means to trust in the Lord through faith." (Unknown)
       "He always hears our prayers and will inevitably answer them. However, His answers will seldom come when you are on your knees praying, even when you plead for an immediate response. Rather, He will prompt  you in quiet  moments when the spirit can most effectively touch your mind and heart. Hence, you should find periods of quiet time to recognize when your are being instructed. His pattern causes you to grow. Be thankful that sometimes God lets you struggle for a long time before that answer comes. Your character will grow; your faith will increase. There is a relationship between these two: the greater your faith, the stronger your character; and increased in character enhances your ability to excersize even greater faith." (Richard G. Scott)
        "Sometimes the Lord brings us low, before he lifts us higher" (Joseph Smith)
       "The longer we delay corrective actions the longer the needed changes become, and the longer it takes to get back on the correct coarse- even to the point where a disaster might be looming" (Elder Randall K. Bennett)
       "No parent will just sit back and let someone harm their child. Yet we just allow Satan to tear us apart. He slowly binds us with little strings. One or two at a time. We can brake through one or two but when we allow anger, yelling, or any other negative feeling enter into our relationship with our loved one, we are allowing more and more strings to bind us down. This can all be prevented with the simple phrase 'I love you and I'm sorry' Don't let yourself get bound up by hurtful feelings or language in your home." (Elder TJ Owens)

What Lesson am I to Learn

       What lesson am I to learn from the sickness or disease that I have been given? I have done what I have been asked to do but its not getting any better. I know there is something for me to get from this, but what?
       In St. Matthew 9:12 Christ says this "...They that be whole need not a physician, but they that are sick."
       All throughout the scriptures it speaks of those that have been exceedenly blessed and then after a while they loose themselves in their own pride. They set their hearts on their riches instead of Christ and His Atonement. They forget what He has blessed them with because they have been given all that they have asked for. Therefore they feel that they dont need Him anymore for they have all they think they need. But oh how wrong they are!
       If we jump to 3 Nephi 6:13 it says "Some were lifted up in pride, and others were exceedingly humble; some did return railing for railing, while others recieved railing and persecution and all manner of afflictions, and would not turn and revile again, but were humble and penitent before God."
       Once again some became pridefull and did not seek after Christ but after making others suffer for their benefit. In Ether 12:27 it says "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."
       We have weaknesses so that we can look towards Christ for help. He is our own Physician and only the sick will follow Him. By sick I mean the humbled. We all have weaknesses but only the humbled will he help. So we should be thankfull that He loves us enough to cut us down. For if He didnt then we might become pridefull and not realize what He has done for us. Because of our illness or weakness, or whatever it may be, we will always remember what He did for us and be thankful for him suffering for each one of us.

Learn to Lead with Love and not Push with Force

       An old farmer drives his John Deere tractor down the road carrying a bail of hay, his cattle fallowing behind him. A young cowboy saddles up his horse and puts on his hat to head out for a long day at work.
       The young cowboy spends all day trying to round up his cattle and get them to move to the south 40. Its hot outside and he is getting real frustrated. The cattle aren't doing what he wants them to do. No matter how much he yells or as much as he cracks his whip, they still will not move.
       The old farmer continues to lead his cattle down the road. His cattle, all in a line down the shoulder of the street, follow their leader. The farmer gets to the gate and opens it. He pulls his tractor just inside to allow every cow to enter behind him. He gives each one an apple and slowly heads back home.
       The young cowboy finishes up for the day and heads home to prepare for supper with his parents. He rounds up his children, kicking and screaming along the way. He yells at them to sit down and be quiet until they get to grandma and grandpa's. When they arrive at his parents his kids pile out to give grandpa a big hug and see what grandma is cookin, then go outside to play. When supper is ready the young cowboy hollers for his kids to come and wash up. He gets them and put in their seats as grandma and grandpa wait patiently.
       After supper the kids get down and head out to play. The young cowboy, right after them, tries to make them settle down. After a lot of frustration from the young cowboy, grandpa get up and takes the kids by the hand and walks them to his chair. He sits down and puts the children on his lap as he reads a book with them. Then that old farmer looks up at the young cowboy and says "Son, you must learn to lead with love rather than push with force."

My Personal Bodyguard

I love Jackie Chan. He is someone that I wouldn't mind being around if something bad was going to happen. When I watch a Jackie Chan movie, I get all excited to go out and see if I can fight like him. As with a lot of people. When we are in a movie and the setting is an action movie then we get all ready and excited to get out and see what we are made of. But its when we are excited and then we leave the movie and we realize that Jackie Chan is not with us anymore and we realize that we are not as great of a fighter as he is. We get into that situaltion that calls for us to do something, but we get intimidated or just give into peer preasure and we don't do what we are suppose to. We dont have that comfort of Jackie Chan right there beside us.
       The same happens to us when we have a great spiritual experience in church, at a fireside, in a prayer, listening to a church speaker, or meeting with the missionaries. We have such a spiritual high and are excited to get out and follow along with the things that the spirit has talked to us about. But once we get around our friends or out into the worldly things, we realize that we arent around the same people and we lose that feeling of power. We forget about the things that we just learned and the goals that we just made because we are not in the same atmosphere as we were while we had that great feeling.
        What if we had Jackie Chan right beside us when the time for us to stand up to someone arose? Would you be scared to still go over and confront that person or that problem? If I had Jackie Chan next to me I would go out looking for somone to start something so I could watch him work. I would want to show my friends that I have Jackie Chan as my personal bodyguard. I would have that great feeling with me all the time knowing that he is right there to have my back.
       The same goes for us when we have that great spiritual experience. We can still have the spirit with us. And when we do it, is just like our Savior, Jesus Christ, walking along side us. Now what do we have to worry about? What possible problem could arise that He couldn't take care of? Wouldn't you want to share that great feeling with your friends? To show them that they too can have Christ walking along side them. By setting the exsample for them, they will notice the difference in us and they will want the same feelings that we have. But we first have to remember the things that we must do in order to have the spirit with us. Such as reading our scriptures, going to church and our other meetings, and saying our payers. These things will allow the spirit to be in our lives. We won't have anything to be afraid of anymore.

Missionary Work

       Missionary work is extremely important in these latter days. It is our job as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints to go out and bring others unto Christ. Just as when you hear a great story, it does you no good if you do not go out and share it with someone. You won't be able to get the fullness of joy that it has if you can not share it with someone. How great does it feel to call up your friend and tell them a great story that you just heard, so now you both can enjoy it together?
       Just as missionary work is important to share with others, it is also very enjoyable to share with your friends. Being able to see happiness be broght into your friends' life because of what you shared with them is one of the best feelings you can get. Watching them change their life around from not so good to even better is an amazing thing and we can all be apart of someones life changing experience. All we have to do is open our mouths and let the words flow.
       In Doctrine and Covenants chapter 4 verses 2 and 4 it says: "2. Therefore, O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind, and strenght, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day." Then verse 4 says "For behold the field is white already to harvest; and lo, he that thrusteth in his sickle with his might, the same layeth up in store that he perisheth not, but bringeth salvation to his soul."
       We are to "thrusteth in his sickle with (our) might" with all our "heart, might, mind, and strength" so we can lay up in store salvation to our soul. It says in verse 4  that the field is white ALREADY to harvest. We don't need to plant seeds when it is time to harvest the crop. As full time missionaries and as member missionaries it is our duty to go out and harvest Heavenly Father's crops (children). He has prepared them and now it is our turn to bring them unto him.
       Just as Ammon, in the Book of Mormon, when he served his mission, had the state of mind to baptise everyone that he could. We too must have that same mentallity. Ammon did't worry about his girlfriend and he didnt count down the time he had left, he just went out and put his heart, might, mind, and strength into missionary work. Look at how successfull he was by doing that. How successfull can we be if we fallow D&C 4?

CTR Many Different Meanings

     Many LDS members wear a ring that has CTR engraven on it. Alot of non-members don't understand the meaning of CTR. Well CTR has several meanings such as: Choose The Right, Cross The River, Can't Touch the Righteous, and Called To Retrieve.  Many people give these rings as gifts to a loved one to share with them the incredible feeling that comes with keeping the commandments of our Father in Heaven. These different sayings apply to all kinds of people. Choose The Right applies to all of God's children. Like it says in Mosiah 2:21-22

       21.I say unto you that if ye should ^aserve him who has created you from the beginning, and is ^bpreserving you from day to day, by lending you ^cbreath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own ^dwill, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your ^ewhole souls yet ye would be ^funprofitable servants.

       22.And behold, all that he ^arequires of you is to ^bkeep his commandments; and he has ^cpromised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth ^dvary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do ^ekeep his ^fcommandments he doth bless you and prosper you.

     What these scriptures are talking about that goes with Choose The Right is that our Father in Heaven is blessing us everyday by lending us breath. All that he asks of us is to keep his commandments. Choose The Right. How simple is it to just read our scriptures, go to church, and pray to Him each day? He loves each of us and wants to help us. All we have to do is ask and he will immediately bless us.

     The next one is Cross The River. This one goes along with the early pioneers, when they had to cross the country to get to Utah. They pushed through all of their struggles and hard times, they crossed the rivers set before them. They pushed forward on their faith and their prayers. We too must Cross The River when we are faced with a trial. Through our own prayers and our own faith we will be able to gain the strength needed to cross the river. Our Heavenly Father helped them out, I know that He will help us cross the rivers that we will face in our life.

     Can't Touch the Righteous. If we choose the right and cross the rivers that are placed before us, then Heavenly Father has promised us that He will bless and protect us. Satan will have no power over us if we continue to fallow the commandments.When we mess mess up, through Christ's Atonement, we can repent and be cleansed from out sins and be pure again. if we are clean and pure in heart then Satan and his followers Can't Touch the Richous.

     Called to Retrieve goes with missionaries as well as members of the church. We are all called to retrieve God's children and bring them back to Him. Just like when you have something that you love, you want to share it with your friends and family. Jesus Christ's teachings, the Gospel, has blessed our our lives and therefore we are to bring others unto it. This way they too can eel the love, peace, joy, and happiness that comes from Choosing The Right, Crossing The River, keeping ourselves righteous, and retrieving our brothers and sisters to come unto Christ.

Recieving faith and a sign from God; Just like when the Iron is Hot

       There are many questions reguarding faith and wanting signs from God. What is faith? How can I believe something without seeing it first? How can I obtain faith? God gave signs to people in the past, so why not me? These are all questions that many people have asked, and many more. Well I would like to compare faith and recieving signs to a hot iron.
       I was told this analogy that really changed my attitude: if someone held up a hot iron, so you could see the glowing white and orange, and said this is hot. would you believe them? What if you were blind folded? Would you trust and have faith in them? Or would you insist on having a sign first and having that iron placed on your chest so that you could know that it was hot?
       In Doctrine and Covenants 63: 9-10 it says: "9 But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe. 10 Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God."
       Then in the Book of Mormon in Ether 12:6 it says: "And now, I, Moroni, would speak somewhat concerning these things; I would show unto the world that faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye recieve no winess until after the trial of your faith."
       That blindfold that was talked about in the analogy will not come off, no matter how hard we fight against it, until we excersize  just a particle of faith. Just by trusting in our Father in Heaven we are excersizing faith. Just like it said in D&C 63:9 " But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs fallow those that believe." And as well, as it said in D&C 63:10, we will not recieve signs by our will but by only  the Lords will, will we recieve any answere.
       Going back to Ether 12:6 it says "... wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye recieve no witness until after the trial of your faith." AFTER we excersize some faith and believe in Heavenly Father and his prophet, in which he has called, then shall He take that blindfold from us and show us the glowing of the iron rod that is set before us.
       It is my testimony that those who are asking any of these questions, or ones like it, that they dont wait for that hot iron to be pressed on their chest. Pray to our Father in Heaven and open your heart unto him. He is here for us and he loves each of us. I have done this very thing and I have had the blindfold taken off. I know that God lives and that His son, Jesus Christ, is my savior. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is His true and living church. I know that Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God and  that Thomas S. Monson is the acting Prophet today. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.