Blessing from our Father

Many Saints out there may have memories of their blessings by their fathers before the school year starts or when they are sick. Others may be more like me who do not have the unique blessing of having a priesthood holder within the household. Others may have had it at one point but dont anymore. No matter what your situation is you  can receive blessings from your father in heaven. He is the father to all of us. No matter who administers the blessing it comes from out Father above. Weather it is a health blessing or a baby blessing or even a blessing done within the temple, our Heavenly Father knows our individual circumstances and connects to us individually through blessings. I had recently suffered from a concussion that kept me in my house for a month. I was unable to go to school or even function properly. It was to the point where I was getting ill and not improving. After many doctors visits and no improvement I was days away from being put on an experimental drug that my doctor was even scared to give me. I was informed that there were signs of permanent damage and I was scared. I was unable to attend church for a while without leaving rather early and felt uncomfortable asking Heavenly Father for help. I was awkward and afraid to ask my Bishop and close friend for help. He had done so much for me already and I didnt know enough about blessings to ask for one. I prayed and prayed for a week for knowledge to know what to do and courage to ask. The following Sunday I attended the first part of sacrament meeting. I was feeling rather weak and contemplating no going at all but the small still voice inside me told me to go. I mustered up all the strength I had and went. Before the meeting started the Bishop sat next to me. He asked to see me in his office after the meeting. For some reason I got scared and remembered the horror stories of when i was little and people were called into the priests office. it was never good. Then I remembered what church I belonged to and who had asked me and felt calm. Anxious to see what the Bishop wanted and rehearsing how I would bring up the subject of blessings I patiently sat through the meeting anxiously awaiting our talk. By the time the meeting ended I ran to the seat out side of his office and within a few minutes was called in. To my surprise he asked me is he could talk to me about blessings. My eyes started to tear wit joy that my Father in heaven had prompted this righteous man to answer my prayers. I agreed right away and him and two other priesthood holders began to teach me about blessings. Thy taught me about how the blessing was from God and they were mere instruments. They explained how they give the blessings and how they work out in their own ways.  They taught me how the spirit guides them to give me advice and allows them to administer the will of the lord weather it be to heal me or comfort me.Then the blessing came. My head had been pounding from the bright lights and loud speakers. I had done too much thinking in such a short time. Once the blessing stop it was like my mind went numb. There was no more pain and everything had become clear. I could feel the hands upon my head like they were familiar even though I had just met them a few minutes earlier. I listened closely and carefully to what they had to say and felt the spirit strongly. It has been weeks since that blessing. I have not had one symptom since. The doctors tested me again as a follow up and I passed with flying colors. I astounded them and they did not believe the results so the retested me a few days later. I passed again. They called it nothing short of a miracle. The permanent damage turned out to be gone as well. I know that it was the blessing and to this day am so grateful that the priesthood is on the earth today and that our Father in Heaven loves us enough to give us access to it. I know that God answers prayers and will never forget this experience. I hope everyone no matter what their situation seeks help in their times of trials with faith.

Importance of Family

Ive been thinking about family a little bit and what they actually are. I have nothing in common with them really. I am of a different religion, I look nothing like them, and we don't share any of the same interests really. So why do I hold them so high? They could make fun of me or make me feel horrible about something but I would take a bullet for any of them. The truth is that we chose our families before we came here to Earth in the preexistence. No matter how dysfunctional they are I know that they are mine because I want them to be. I need them and they need me and thats just how it works. I chose them for a reason and Ive been looking for that reason lately. What they are mine. Well as I look and keep my heart open to the idea that i chose them, I am starting to notice the small things that bring us all together and make us a family. I notice the way we all look out for each other and the different things we all bring to the table. We may not all be the same type of people but we do balance each other out. I am so grateful for families. I am grateful for my family most of all and hope that they feel that way too. My advice is if you think you got it bad then step back and really look. You may be surprised to find that you are made for your family.

Understanding Matthew 13

In Matthew 13 we read about the parable of the tares and the wheat. While the men slept, the enemy sowed tares in with the wheat. They grew together side by side. When everyone realized this the servants were unsure what to do. The master said let them both grow together until they can be harvested. Then they will bind up the tares and burn them while saving the bundles of wheat. When I first read this I had no idea what the message was. Then I read D&C 86. The enemy is obviously Satan. The tares are false doctrines that keep us from our heavenly father and those that spread it in order to keep us from him. The wheat is the righteous who strive to do well. We grow together side by side on this earth. We influence how each other grows. In the final days those who are "tares" will not be spared but those who were righteous will be. This does not mean that we are either a tare or wheat. We can start off as wheat then become a tare or start a tare and become wheat. We get the choice of whichever we want to be. If we follow Christ's example we can all be like wheat and saved when Christ comes again. Do not let tares hold you back.

Calling all Converts

Being a convert isnt easy. It certainly isnt the most popular decision you could make when it comes to friends and family. At least it wasn't that way for me. We can be criticized for changing our lifestyle and for choices. Even the church's statistics of us staying active is against us. Guess what.....we arent alone. Most of this church is made up of converts. It can be hard sometimes and you may feel alone. If you do I recommend talking to the missionaries. I am a new member and the only member in my family. Once I became a member things got even harder in my home life. My family considered me the black sheep and thought I was some crazy bible/ book of Mormon thumper who had no life. I was made fun of all the time and hated being home. Instead of throwing in the towel and doing the easy thing, I had the missionaries come over. The missionaries didnt try to convert my family. Instead they just talked to them. We talked about life and sports and then God. We didnt talk about the church just our views on certain topics that religions battled over and we defended them. After a conversation that lasted almost 4 hours, my parents came out of it with a new respect for me and my choices. Missionaries are here to help up. They give up two years of their lives for us so that we can learn of the gospel and one day return to our Father in heaven. They are here for us because they love us. So use them. They can really help you experience as a convert become a lot easier.

New Year's: Look Not behind Thee

Happy New Year's everyone! So many people celebrate the new year in different ways. Its a great time to start new goals and to press the reset button on life. Its a new year and you are given a clean slate. Make the best of 2011. Its the first day of a new beginning. One great thing about the new year is that you can change whatever you want about yourself and become a completely different person and just use the excuse that its a new year resolution. If you ended 2010 in a bad mood or don't like something about yourself, here is the chance to change. Its not too late. The past is in the past and its time to move forward. Think not of what you didn't do but what you can do.

Mosiah 13 - Salvation does not come from keeping the commandments alone

In this chapter Abinadi teaches the Ten Commandments unto the people of King Noah. We learn many lessons like in verse 13. We learn that our God is a jealous God.This means that we should not worship earthy items over him. We can show him how much we love him through prayer and our obedience. Abinadi is commanded by God to teach the people of his commandments so that they could be righteous and be forgiven of their iniquities. in verse 28 we learn that we can not be saved by keeping the commandments alone but we must also take advantage of the Atonement and repent of our sins. We all sin and its ok to make mistakes but we should learn from them and repent of them as quickly as possible. Christ came to this Earth so that he could fulfill this plan and so that we can come back to our father in heaven one day. This chapter is just one of the many wondrous chapters in the Book of Mormon. Each chapter lays out guidelines on how to live a righteous life so that we can experience joy after sorrow and return to our father in heaven. This book opens new doors in life leading towards exaltation. If read with an open heart and mind you can find answers to your prayers.

Look to the Light

A Season of Second Chances

We are all aware of' the change in heart experienced in the Christmas season. People are either happy and full of joy or stressed to the max. If you are one of those people who is always stressed like me then I may have a little bit of advice to you. Keep Christ in your Christmas. I saw this on a bumper sticker as I was running a bunch of errands the other day. It got me to thinking about Luke 2 and the angelic scene of the savior's birth. I realized why we celebrate Christmas in the first place. Its not to get stressed out over what gifts to give or to battle it out with the family but instead to remember our savior and how grateful we are to have him. Christmas should be a season of prayer and praise. During the Christmas service at my church today we listened to many hymns and readings centered around the nativity. The second to last hymn was "I Believe In Christ", as we were singing this hymn I was able to feel the spirit lift me onto my feet. I looked around me and those surrounding me were standing to. It was truly magical to be able to stand in a song of praise to our Savior and what a way to let him know we do believe in him and love him. I looked back on past Christmases and remember those many where I did not have Christ in them. Those Christmases that were centered around getting presents and partying with friends. I had made many mistakes and broke many promises as my family watched my life spiral out of control. This Christmas is different though. Now I can remember the greatest gift given to me, my savior and his gospel. This gift has given me many blessings over the past two years. It has given me a second chance. So this season grab your second chance and bring Christ back into Christmas. Remember him and all the great things he did and do your best to have the spirit in your heart. Don't let the joy and good tidings end on December 25th.

My Journey

My Journey has been a long one and it is still continuing. I have had my Heavenly Father in my life since the beginning but not in the same way he is with me now. I was born into a Catholic household. Baptized as an infant I grew up going to Catholic schools and learning about our Father in Heaven. Although I knew I had a Father even greater than my own, which is hard to believe sometimes, I was taught i did not deserve him and to fear him. The Father I learned about did not show mercy and love but instead just always punished us. I didn't get it then and when I would ask questions I was told to  pipe down and focus on the lesson. I had a few trials growing up that led me down a path going further and further away from my Father in Heaven. It had been years since I prayed and years since I wanted to go to church. It want until this point that I uttered a small prayer. "Lord please save me". A month or so later I met a boy. There was something different about him that made me feel good about myself. When with him I felt a peace of sorts. The kind of feeling I had felt way back when before I had started on the path dictated by the adversary. He was the answer to my prayed sent to save me. After many long conversations about the church I agreed to attend with him. That day I knew that I had stumbled upon something great. That week I turned my life around and started to adhere to the standards of the church, I jumped into reading the Book of Mormon and stuck too it. Immediately my world changed. I became happy again despite the rejection from almost all my family and friends for my sudden lifestyle change. A smile replaced my frown and gratitude had overtaken resentment. My questions had been answered in my studies and I learned that the peace I felt was the spirit. I learned not to fear God but to love him with my whole heart because he really does love us. I learned about his plan for us on Earth and his plan for us in the eternities. I knew that the only thing holding me back form being baptized and showing my dedication to him were my parents. They were proud of the new person I became after adhering to the standards of the church but were still uneasy. I wasn't allowed to have the missionaries over so I met with them in secret at a friends house and after church. After all the lessons were complete I knew I had to work harder on getting permission from my parents. After many debates and tears they finally said yes. On may 9th I was baptized by that young man who answered my prayers. I became the first member on the church in my family. Since then they have been very supportive. I hope that one day they will open up their hearts just as I did and gain a testimony of their own. I have never been happier than ever to have the church in my life. My testimony grows each day. That young man is now on a mission of his own and is serving the Lord just as he was asked to do. I know that this church is true and that if you are humble enough to accept it then you will be blessed just as I have been. Now no matter what the adversary throws at me, I know that I can fight it off with the sword of truth. 

"The good shepherd doth call after you; and if you will hearken unto his voice he will bring you into his fold..."

(Alma 5:60)

The Great Book

The Book of Mormon truly is a great book. Through its many chapters and verses we are revealed many answers and mysteries. It was given to us for our own education so that we can come be with our father in heaven. It truly testifies that Christ lives and that he will come again. This book has blessed my life along with millions of other people in more ways then we deserve. Its many teachings have brought peace to my turmoil filled life. I challenge you to read the Book of Mormon and see how it blesses your life. You have nothing to lose.

Testimony of the Book of Mormon