Testify of Christ: Second Session

As shared in my last post, the primary purpose of modern prophets and apostles is to testify of Christ and stand as witnesses of him and his resurrection.  This morning I studied my notes from the April 2011 LDS General Conference and gathered up what was shared about Christ as these prophets and apostles filled this role.

Testify of Christ

Over the last weekend was the 181st annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  As is typical for any General Conference, the messages focused on our Savior Jesus Christ.  Every speaker related his or her topic to Christ and finished with a testimony of him, his divinity, his resurrection from the dead, or his sacrifice for us.  This fulfilled their special calling from God to act as a special witness of Jesus Christ, "...for the testimony of Jesus is the Spirit of prophecy." [Revelation 19:10]

I'm spending this morning reviewing my notes from the first session of conference shown above.  The first thing I'd like to do before I can read the transcript is search through my notes for some of the things that were taught about Jesus Christ, especially things that were new to me.

Don't Get Caught!!!

As much as I love fly fishing, I've never been good at it. Thus, I probably wouldn't be good at the Devil's job either. What really matters is the job we've got head of us as we try to avoid the devil's lures....

Sharing Faith in Christ on the Web

There's little stopping most of us from sharing our testimony online like this.  I know that Jesus Christ continues to live today and the major work of preparing for his return is to tell the entire world that he lives and appears to modern prophets.  As Lindsay says in this video, we have the privilege of being able to share our faith.  Let's put it to good use.

Finding Some Light Because of Cancer

I love the video at the bottom! :)

“The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, they whole body shall be full of light” – (Matthew 6: 23).  Have you ever noticed how some people just seem to have a real glow about them?  Some people, all we have to do is make eye contact with them and suddenly our day is just a little better.  These people seem to expel sunshine from their face, something truly angelic.  I notice for myself, as I meet these people in my own life, I am drawn to them, and I have a desire to be close to them.  I do not believe this is happenstance, but rather a part of something which they have truly a part of them.  The source of this inspiring light is Jesus Christ.  He is the light we need to let shine for all men.  I know as we focus on serving and following Him, the periods and pieces of darkness in our lives can made clean and whole through the sacrifice and atonement of Jesus Christ.

Striving to make the light of Christ a part of us takes a daily effort on our part.  It is a continual effort of putting off the natural man, and turning, and then yielding our hearts to Jesus Christ.  Just as cancer can erode us physically, sin also can damage us spiritually.  Just as recovering from cancer is more involved than a simple pill, repentance also is much more than a simple confession in our lives.

Random Thursday post!

I was listening to a talk by an Apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ, Bruce R. McConkie today, and it led me to finding this slideshow about our Savior. The talk I listened to is called "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane". It is a powerful witness by a SPECIAL witness of Christ. I would highly recommend it for anybody who wants to know just a little more about the story of Christ's last 24 hours in mortality. For now, here is the slideshow. Comment and give YOUR testimony of Jesus Christ!

"Unto A Lively Hope"

Hope.  Like faith, it's another one of those words that seems difficult to define at times.  What exactly is hope?  And what is worth hoping for?

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary has several definitions for hope, some of which are "to cherish a desire with anticipation", "to expect with confidence", and "desire accompanied by expectation of or belief in fulfillment".  The dictionary then gives several examples of "hope" being used in a sentence.


    Everyone in your family is well, I hope.

                      The latest reports hold out hope for a possible end to this crisis.

                                       I hope you're feeling better soon.

While all of those examples are good things to hope for, the hope that I have found in life is a lot more certain.

Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur.

The apostle Peter writes in his epistle that through the mercy of Christ, we can gain a "lively hope" (1 Peter 1:3), and Paul speaks of hope as "an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast" (Hebrews 6:19).

The prophets in the Book of Mormon are not silent on the attribute of hope either.  In 2 Nephi 31:20, Nephi writes "Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life."

 Hope is a truly powerful thing.  For me, hope is the force behind my faith.  Without hope in Jesus Christ, His Atonement, and His gospel, I have no reason to do the things I do.  President James E. Faust, who at the time was serving as First Counselor in the First Presidency of the Church, stated, "Hope is the anchor of our souls. I know of no one who is not in need of hope—young or old, strong or weak, rich or poor." ("Hope, an Anchor of the Soul") Our hope reaches far beyond the limits of what we are sure of, and helps us to believe in a world where disbelief is often viewed as easier, less restrictive, and increasingly common.  It is in this type of world that hope becomes all the more important, for if we refuse to find hope, then we will most likely never find joy.

Elder Wood - Michigan Lansing Mission

On days when the world seems to be against me, I can find joy in the hope that tomorrow will bring a new day.  When I feel lost or sorrowful, I can find joy in knowing that there is always at least One who is reaching out to me in love.  Elder Neal A. Maxwell said, "Those with true hope often see their personal circumstances shaken, like kaleidoscopes, again and again. Yet with the “eye of faith,” they still see divine pattern and purpose (Alma 5:15)." ("Brightness of Hope")

I have come to realize that of all the things in the world that I could hope for, none are more beneficial to me than having hope in and through the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ. (Moroni 7:41)  Even when the world turns upside down around me, and I don't have any idea where to turn next, as I center my life and my hope on Our Savior and His teachings, I know that things will turn out alright.  My hope is sure, and I know in whom I have trusted.

See My Blog: http://elderjoshwood.blogspot.com/

Movie Monday- Continuing our Savior Jesus Christ

As I was making my blog post yesterday I thought of this short video that condenses a talk given by Elder Jeffrey R. Holland. It's one of my favorites about the Savior.

What difference does it make?...

Laying a foundation

When people look at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, too often, they do not see any difference. I am asked more times than I could possibly count, "what makes the Mormon church different from any other Christian denomination?"  And the answers to that question can be given in relatively short descriptions, but the deeper meaning cannot fully done justice through the answer that many desire.  There are things that set apart the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from any other church on earth, but to understand that, some of the points that do make the difference, must also be truly understood. I think as well, one important thing to realize, said by the prophet Joseph Smith, is that "The fundamental principles of our religious are the testimony of the Apostles and Prophets, concerning Jesus Christ, that He died, was buried, and rose again the third day, and ascended into heaven; and all other things which pertain to our religion are only appendages to it." Central to all that we believe, the very church and gospel itself, the foundation of all of it, rests on "Jesus Christ, Himself being the chief cornerstone." (Ephesians 2:20). Now in our day, ...

The White House... of the Lord

After being closed for several weeks because of the holidays, the temple reopened this week.  On Thursday mornings I volunteer with my mission in the temple to help make the temple a reverent place where people there can worship.  We assist people through a ceremony that outlines for them God's plan for our happiness and the means by which we can return to him.  Today we were able to do that again, and I loved it so much that we're probably visiting again tomorrow morning.



With the Christmas season well over now, it's wonderful to have the temple as a reminder of Christ to keep the Christmas spirit going.  I really do feel close to God in His temple.  I wonder, if it feels that good to visit the temple after it was closed for several weeks, it must be so much more of a difference between a world where there was no temple to our God after the temple in Jerusalem and now when God has enabled His people to build a temple again.

1 Nephi 14 - Bible + Book of Mormon = Good

The Name's Elder: 1 Nephi 14 - Bible + Book of Mormon = Good: "The prophecies in these chapters are beautiful. They feel good. Towards the end of this chapter, Nephi is told that he shall not write the remainder of the things which he has seen, but that one of the Apostles of the Lamb of God shall write them. Hopefully this sounds familiar, but if not, verse 27 leaves no room to err. The Apostle's name would be John. Let me think for a moment, where was it again that I've read about the end of the world and the events preceding Christ's second coming? I believe that would be the Book of Revelation, written by the Apostle John.

Let us also reflect on some of the teachings of the preceding chapters - that many of the plain and precious truths and covenants contained in the record of the Jews (Bible) would be lost.

So - for events concerning the end of the world, we turn to the Bible. For a more clear and all-encompassing collection of the doctrines of Christ's Gospel (faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, endure...), we turn to the Book of Mormon. For a more detailed description of the life of Christ, we turn to the Bible. For a second testament of His life, we open the Book of Mormon. And so on, and so forth.

What I mean to suggest by all this is that BOTH are very desirable. Both have much to offer us. We need these two testimonies as one in our hands, as prophesied would be the case in Ezekiel 37:15-17. One supports the other. What a blessing to have such access to the precious word of God. May we all be overcome with gratitude in so much that we take advantage of these wonderful blessings. "



Posted by Elder Kunz
See his blog at http://thebookisblue.blogspot.com/

Understanding Christ's Birth

Knowest Though the Condescension of God?: Birth and Childhood

This is a great video I've had the opportunity to watch today as further personal study into the events surrounding Christ's birth.  In this video, Brigham Young University scholars of ancient scripture discuss 

A wonderful thing about this video is how they compare the information we have from the multiple accounts in Biblical sources and other sources available through modern revelation, like the Book of Mormon.

They also discuss external historical information that makes it easier to follow some of those events.  Beyond that, I enjoyed seeing many of the historical sites that were involved in Christ's birth and childhood.

The Other Wise Man

One of those books that comes out of my family's storage for Christmas is the Other Wise Man by Henry Van Dyke.  It traces the fictitious life of Artiban, who was a middle eastern wise man or magi, like the wise men who visited Jesus Christ as a child.  It teaches a wonderful lesson that a lifetime of service is the best gift we can offer Christ, and is far more valuable for us and to him than gold or jewels.

Elder Sabin, one of the leaders over our small band of missionaries, surprised us by spending a district meeting reading the story of the Other Wise Man.  It brought back great memories from Christmases at home and ways we'd try to serve others, especially around Christmas.

I also enjoyed watching the movie, the Fourth Wise Man, which is based on the classic story.  I hope you'll read or watch it and think of ways that you can more passionately serve as Artiban did, as the Spirit prompted him throughout the story to swerve as Christ would.  If you need some practical ideas to get started, you can find them at: http://mormon.org/humanitarian-aid/.

Look to the Light!

At Christmastime and always, Jesus Christ is the Light of the World for all who seek Him. For more Christmas videos, visit http://christmas.lds.org./
Originally posted on a missionary blog by Elder Dajeu

Only In Our Day...

Elder Joshua Albright: Only in our day...:

Standing with some Christmas lights

Have you ever taken a step back, and looked to the many blessings that we have been given in the world around us, with the technology and abilities that we have and are able to use. Like right now at this moment, you are (I'm guessing), not sitting right next to me or anything, and yet are able to read and look at this and read it at an instant with a click of your finger. Imagine living thousands of years ago, lets say, in the day of Moses. If you didn't live right there with him, maybe if you lived only 100 miles away, think of the difficulty in getting to hear the prophet of God speak. Or being able to listen when he teaches. Now what is you lived on another continent during the days of Moses. If you lived in the americas, you would most likely not even know the name of Moses, nor that he was a prophet of God or to hear what he was teaching from God. Now look at...
the day in which we live. We have open communication through technology to all over the world, we can call and talk to people in England, Tanzania, China, with something as simple as putting in their phone numbers.

President Thomas S. Monson

Now God has prophets and apostles on the earth at this very time, to lead and guide all of His children. He didn't stop loving us, He still does. And look at how much God has given us in our day to spread His word, and to hear from His chosen representatives on the earth. It was so awesome just 2 days ago, to be able to watch the prophet, and his counselors from the TV, to see the Christmas Devotional. If you haven't had a chance to watch that, please watch it, it was so great and the Spirit was truly strong as I watched and listened to the prophet of God on the earth. Click here to watch =)

Do You See Him As He Is?

Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. [1 John 3:2]

When I teach about our Heavenly Father, one of the first things I always ask to get people thinking is about how they picture him in their minds.  Watching this, I also thought about how we picture Jesus Christ in our minds.  What they physically look like in our minds isn't as important as the characteristics we relate with them.
As a missionary, we emphasize the attributes of faith, hope, charity, love, virtue, knowledge, patience, humility, diligence, obedience.  This are the qualities of Jesus Christ that we work to develop in ourselves.  As we picture Jesus Christ, do we think of him displaying these qualities?  Many of the artists in these portrayals of Christ captured these and other qualities.  As the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth approaches, let's focus our attention on Jesus Christ.  Through the holiday, we'll see many depictions of him.  Let's stop and think about the Christ-like attributes we see in the depiction, and behold more than just the scene.  As you see those attributes, think of ways that you can develop them in yourself, so that when you see him, you will be like him and see him as he is.

The Standard of Truth: Kids and Christmas

The Standard of Truth: Kids and Christmas:
"The Christmas season is HERE! It is my favorite time of the year. This is a great video with some cute kids and their thoughts about Christmas. We can learn a lot from Children! During this Christmas season I hope we can all direct our thoughts and actions towards Jesus Christ. For He is after all, the reason for the season."

Elder Jordan Catron

Montana Billings Mission

Check out my blog: Elder Catron's Blog

MORMON COP: Glory- Campfire Scene (Morgan Freeman's prayer)

MORMON COP: Glory- Campfire Scene (Morgan Freeman's prayer):

In the movie, GLORY, Morgan Freeman admonishes his men to fight, and if necessary, die standing up while facing the enemy. These Civil War soldiers are the first African Americans to fight in the Civil War for their own freedom and the freedom of all American citizens in the future. These soldiers of the 54^thRegiment were ready to step up and do their part even if it meant giving their life for the cause of freedom.

Let Us All Press On!: "If a man die, shall he live again?"

Let Us All Press On!: "If a man die, shall he live again?": "I am so grateful today for the inspired words of our modern prophets. I was reading one talk in particular during church that meant a lot to me. The talk was given by Thomas S. Monson, who is the current prophet today. Below is the video of that talk. The part I'm writing about starts at 2:37 and goes through 4:45, but you can watch the whole thing if you want! :)

"If a man die shall he live again?" (Job 14:14)

It's a good question. For some even a scary question. Many of the people I meet on the street or at doors say something like, "I dunno buddy; I don't like to think about it!"

Well I am here today to say that there is more! There is so much that awaits beyond this mortal life! Today we are here in what we call mortality. We have physical bodies that are subject to pain, suffering, temptation, disease, and other hardships. At some point we may struggle through employment difficulties. We might be betrayed or abandoned by someone close. Many experience depression or anxiety. All those make life challenging, and sometimes seemingly impossible. In those moments where everything seems so insurmountable or even pointless, it is easy to lose perspective.

HOWEVER, if we remember that this life is not the end, then life is much more positive. In the Mormon church, we call that keeping an eternal perspective. Even if we fully believe that there's more to our existance than mortality, it won't help us unless we remember that always. By keeping our eternal perspective on, we can take our blinders off a bit and see that there's more to life than the trials that we're currently experiencing.

If a man die shall he live again? YES!!! The scriptures, the prophets, and the light of Christ in all of us bear witness that this is true! My invitation to all of you is to hold on to that. Keep moving forward. Continue trying. Follow our Heavenly Father's commandments because He has promised if we hold out faithful we "are recieved into a state of happiness, which is called paradise, a state of rest, a state of peace, where they shall rest from all their troubles and from all care, and sorrow." (Alma 40:12)

As a real life example, check out: http://www.mormon.org/me/1JWZ-eng"

By Elder Brandt Elison

See his blog at http://ldselison.blogspot.com/

ELDER UNGA: HE LIVES!!!!

ELDER UNGA: HE LIVES!!!!:
"Most people in the world today have questions and concerns about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, thinking whether or not they are Christians?? Well I would like to bear testimony of my Lord and Savior. I testify that Jesus of Nazerath is the very Son of the very God. I know with every feeling in my heart that HE Is the Christ. The very savior of the world. I know that He came to earth to fullfill His Fathers will and that He prepared a way for us to return home to live in peace and happiness for all time and eternity. I know of these truthfull statements because of the teaching from The Bible and The Book of Mormon Another Testiment of Jesus Christ.They both testfiy that Jesus Christ has the power to heal the starving spirits in the world. I know that to be true because my own soul has been stilled and comforted through these eternal truths. I did not gain my witness from a man but I have gained it from my Father in Heaven the Almighty God Himself as He has answered my prayers. I know that God loves His Children, and loved them enough to send his son Jesus Christ. I testify of this in the name of the Prince of Peace even Jesus Christ, Amen."

By Elder Unga
See his blog at http://elderunga.blogspot.com/