Feeds:
Posts
Comments

General Petraeus’ Top 10 Reasons why BYU Grads make Great Soldiers

August 29, 2010 by ama49

In the most recent BYU Magazine edition, I saw something General Petraeus shared when he visited BYU a few months back.  I’m not sure if he came up with this on his own, or if someone else wrote them, but I thought they were fun to share:

Petraeus’ Top 10 Reasons BYU Grads make Great Soldiers

10. They have already been on many a mission.

   9.  Army chow is no problem for folks accustomed to eating green Jell-O and shredded carrots.

   8. It’s no problem if they don’t know what rank somebodyels is; they just refer to them as brother or sister.

   7. They never go AWOL; they prefer to call it being less active.

   6. They will seize any objective swiftly if you tell them refreshments will be served.

   5. They know how to make things happen.  IN fact, if you ever need a base built quickly in a barren wateland, you have only to stride out to where you want them to start, plant your walking staff firmly in the ground, and say with a loud voice, “This is the place!”

   4. They have innovative ideas for handling insurgents, like assining them home teachers.

   3. They always have a year’s supply of provisions on hand.

   2. They are the worlds most reliable designated drivers.

   1. They understand how far Iraq has come over the last seven years; in fact, they think that Iraq’s old spot in the “Axis of Evil” can now be filled by the University of Utah.

Posted in Latter-day Saints, Mormon Christians | 1 Comment »

A Mormon Testifies of His Christian Faith

August 20, 2010 by ama49

Recently, a fellow friend from another Christian faith asked me to share my thoughts on Jesus Christ with the intention of posting it on his site in order to help other Christians with the concept of Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints) being Christians.

I’ll open with a quote taken from C.S. Lewis’s book, Mere Christianity.  When defining what a Christian is, Lewis references Acts 11:26 and states: “the original, obvious meaning…Christians was first given at Antioch to the disciples, to those who accepted the teaching of the apostles” (pg XV).

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ (LDS) bible dictionary shares a similar definition of what a Christian is: “A name first given to believers in Jesus Christ at Antioch in Syria, about A.D. 43 (Acts 11: 26).”

Therefore, the heart of what it means to be a Christian is first believing in Jesus Christ and then following Jesus as His disciple.

With this definition in mind, I will move on to share my thoughts on a brief history of Mormonism and what following Jesus Christ as a disciple, or in other words, being a Christian means for me as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Following Jesus Christ was the young boy, Joseph Smith’s most pressing desire.  In the early 1800′s he was seeking truth and struggling in knowing where to find it.  He saw much truth in many Christian faiths, but at that time, the Christian faiths were contending with each other.  In regards to this time he states the following (which can be found in Joseph Smith’s History):

…there was in the place where we lived an unusual excitement on the subject of religion. It commenced with the Methodists, but soon became general among all the sects in that region of country. Indeed, the whole district of country seemed affected by it, and great multitudes united themselves to the different religious parties, which created no small stir and division amongst the people, some crying, “Lo, here!” and others, “Lo, there!” Some were contending for the Methodist faith, some for the Presbyterian, and some for the Baptist.

He goes on to write:

…so great were the confusion and strife among the different denominations, that it was impossible for a person young as I was, and so unacquainted with men and things, to come to any certain conclusion who was right and who was wrong.

 My mind at times was greatly excited, the cry and tumult were so great and incessant. The Presbyterians were most decided against the Baptists and Methodists, and used all the powers of both reason and sophistry to prove their errors, or, at least, to make the people think they were in error. On the other hand, the Baptists and Methodists in their turn were equally zealous in endeavoring to establish their own tenets and disprove all others.
 In the midst of this war of words and tumult of opinions, I often said to myself: What is to be done? Who of all these parties are right; or, are they all wrong together? If any one of them be right, which is it, and how shall I know it?
 While I was laboring under the extreme difficulties caused by the contests of these parties of religionists, I was one day reading the Epistle of James, first chapter and fifth verse, which reads: If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.
 
Joseph Smith then decided to act on this scripture.  He went to a nearby forest, knelt down and prayed out loud and in pure sincerety and earnestness.  As he was praying, he received an amazing answer to prayer and saw a vision, similar to the one Stephen has in the new testament.  Joseph Smith says in his own words:
I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me…When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!
 
Through a sincere desire to follow Jesus Christ by searching, showing faith, humility, and prayer, Joseph Smith was able to be instructed by Jesus Christ himself as to how He wanted His church and followers to be.  One of these included bringing forth the Book of Mormon, which acts as another witness of Jesus Christ, which the Bible states is necessary for all truth to be established (see 2 Cor 13:1).  It is a collection of writings that are similar to the Bible about the sermons and letters of other prophets that believed in Jesus, but didn’t live in the same area as Jerusulem, where the Bible takes place.  The Book of Mormon is necessary because it confirms and clarifies truths about the gospel of Jesus Christ that are found in the Bible.
For example, we read in the Bible about how to be saved through faith, or confessing the name of Jesus, and we read about people needing to be baptized in order to enter into the kingdom of Jesus.  We read about the Holy Ghost and we read about salvation through the grace of God and being judge for our works after this life.  For someone seeking to follow Jesus Christ, it can be confusing to know how exactly to follow Jesus,  just as it was for Joseph Smith. 
Thankfully, we have the answers in the Book of Mormon.  In the book of 3 Nephi, Jesus appears to a group of his disciples after his resurrection.   This group of disciples was struggling with issues on how to follow Jesus Christ completely.  Some of what Jesus tells them is that the church should be called by His name and that the gospel of Jesus Christ that leads to salvation is: Faith, Repentance, Baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring in faith until the end (see 3 Nephi chapter 27).
I will conclude by sharing some personal experiences along with my testimony.
At a certain point in my life, I too was struggling with faith and a testimony of Jesus Christ.  Similar to the experience of Joseph Smith, I read scripture found in the Bible and also in the Book of Mormon that testified of Jesus Christ.  I wanted to have my own personal witness that there is a Jesus and how to follow Him.  As I prayed for the first time in sincerety to know, I was filled with a sweet, peaceful feeling that spoke to my soul.  I knew it was God speaking to me through his Holy Spirit.  I decided to embrace the Church of Jesus Christ’s teachings and follow the gospel of Jesus Christ through faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. 
As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ I have made a commitment to God through being baptized that I will be His disciple.  Baptism was just the beginning though.  Being a disciple of Jesus to me means asking for His Spirit to give me strength in following His example in all things and repenting and asking for His mercy and grace when I fail (daily) and enduring in faith by ”taking up the cross and following Him” (Matt 16:24).   Taking up the cross means that I should deny myself of ungodly things and strive to do what Jesus would have me do as a father, neighbor, employee, brother, husband, son, and friend.  As I do this, my life is richly blessed and so are the lives of those around me.  I believe this is the greatest contribution I can make to society to help fight the evils we see around us today.  Through the blessing of the Lord’s atonement, when he suffered for me in the garden of gethsemane and died on the cross,  as I do these things, I have faith and hope that someday I will sit at the feet of Jesus and hear him say “…well done thou good and faithful servant.  Thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

Posted in Christianity, Church, Mormon Christians | 9 Comments »

Maybe I Shouldn’t have Given them Salty Cookies…

August 5, 2010 by ama49

In the LDS Church men from the ages of 14 on up are assigned as home-teachers. Home teachers are assigned in pairs and are assigned families in the congregation to help both spiritually and with their temporal needs as well. Home teachers are encouraged to share at least once a month a spiritual message with the family.

Last month, I read the message by the LDS church President, Thomas S. Monson called Canaries with Gray on their Wings. The message of the story is basically not to judge a book by it’s cover and treat everyone with respect and dignity, including yourself. Since there were children at two of the families I home teach, I decided to have an object lesson illustrating not to judge things by their appearance.

I made some cookies and dumped tons of salt in them and baked them. Before I baked them, I made sure (actually it was my wife) that the cookies would turn out large and nice-looking. I then made a batch of normal cookies but baked them to look unattractive and small.

You’ve probably guessed the outcome. When I brought the plate of cookies, I included both the large and small ones on the plates. Everyone picked the large ones first. Most of the kids were polite and just stopped eating them. I asked them what was wrong and they said the cookies are salty. I then asked them why they chose that cookie and they said because it looked better. We then would have a discussion about how things aren’t always as they appear and we need to not judge others by their appearance.

I thought it was a good learning tool, but the past few weeks when I go to church and see the kids all they do is point to me and tell their friends not to trust me because I cook salty cookies. I’m not sure the point of the lesson really stuck with them. Maybe I shouldn’t have given them salty cookies…

Posted in Spirituality | Tagged , , | 2 Comments »

Memories of my Father that Influence me as a Father

June 21, 2010 by ama49

Today during church I heard a quote that I’ve heard numerous times throughout the years from David O McKay (a former LDS prophet), which I think is a very good quote to hear and apply over and over again.  The quote given in 1965 to a group of LDS church employees is as follows:

“Let my assure you, Brethren, that some day you will have a personal Priesthood interview with the Savior, Himself. If you are interested, I will tell you the order in which He will ask you to account for your earthly responsibilities.

First, He will request an accountability report about your relationship with your wife. Have you actively been engaged in making her happy and ensuring that her needs have been met as an individual?

Second, He will want an accountability report about each of your children individually. He will not attempt to have this for simply a family stewardship but will request information about your relationship to each and every child.

Third, He will want to know what you personally have done with the talents you were given in the pre-existence.

Fourth, He will want a summary of your activity in your church assignments. He will not be necessarily interested in what assignments you have had, for in his eyes the home teacher and a mission president are probably equals, but He will request a summary of how you have been of service to your fellowmen in your Church assignments.

Fifth, He will have no interest in how you earned your living, but if you were honest in all your dealings.

Sixth, He will ask for an accountability on what you have done to contribute in a positive manner to your community, state, country, and the world.”

I thought it was interesting that the top two things mentioned are relationships within the walls of the home.  I was touched as I read the post “Remembering my Dad.”  In this post, the author describes how he lost his father over 30 years ago, but not a day goes by that he doesn’t think about him.  He then goes on to describe what he misses about his father, most of which includes how his father treated his wife and kids. 

As I reflect back on my own memories of my father, I don’t think about the church assignments he went to or how hard he worked to provide for us (even though that is definitely important, and he definitely did work hard to provide).  I do think of the time we spent with each other though.  The following things come to mind:

  • My Dad teaching me how to read by the age of 4 and also teaching me to play the piano by the age of 5.
  • Watching my Dad mow the lawn while I was very young wishing I could mow the lawn (now I wish my Dad was here to mow my lawn!)
  • Dad’s homemade popcorn
  • Dad playing church songs on the piano
  •  Loading too much hay on the trailor and it broke the axle as my brother an I fell off the wagon laughing. 
  • Long talks at 4:00 a.m. in the barn milking cows. 
  • The time my father and mother took us in a canoe at Jackson Hole, Wyoming and had a water fight in the canoe. 
  • Dad making donuts for my brother and I after a long days’ work on the farm and eating so many donuts that we couldn’t breathe anymore. 
  • My Dad staying up late when his sisters would visit laughing and being silly.  I learned by watching him interact with them how to have a good relationship with siblings no matter how old you are.
  • I remember the way he treated my step-mom and how impressed I was at a young age and how I wanted to have a wife like her and treat her like my dad did. 
  • He was our scout leader and had so much fun with all of us.  One time as he was swinging in the rope swing with all of us into the river he lost his glasses and we had to guide him back to the car afterwards.  All the boys thought my Dad was awesome and I remember feeling proud that he was my dad.
  • Coming home after a date in highschool and my Dad waiting up for me to hear how the date went.
  • Staying up late with my friends talking with Dad in highschool until I fell asleep (and my friends and Dad kept talking)
  • After going to college and returning home for a visit; wrestling my Dad discovering that he wasn’t invincible after all.
  • Teasing my Dad about his bald head only to discover 20 years later that I have the same fate!
  • Seeing him cry with joy and love as my wife and I were married.
  • Watching him play in the sand on the beach with my little daughter.

Now that I am a father, I strive to remember the memories of my father that I cherish and I try to create memories for my little daughter.  I try to make sure I spend time reading with her and playing with her regularly.  I try to make sure she always has some time to get up on my shoulders or ride my back.  I try to make sure I am there to give her a bath at night and tuck her into bed.  There is never a day that goes by that I do not think about the first day I saw her eyes look up at mine as a newborn and tears came to my eyes to see such a precious and sweet little girl fresh from Heaven.  I try to always whipser into her ear that Daddy loves her and has always loved her since the first day I saw her before I tuck her in at night.  I hope that out of all of the things I try to do that she remembers at least a handful of them and it helps her in her life.

Posted in Family | 6 Comments »

How Does God Speak to us? Help me help this reader…

June 2, 2010 by ama49

I recieved the following message from a reader the other day:

Dear Friend,

I liked reading your letter on God and receiving his message through understanding of God´s manner of speaking.
I have been reading very much and watching Daystar programs considerably. All of these things are interesting but the more I read the Bible and meditate, pray, and listen for that voice of God— the farther and farther from understanding anything it seems.

If I continue to understand less and less as there is so much contradiction, the natural process would be to become an athiest. Something I am not hoping for.

But my simple and nieve question is– If God can do anything, why can´t he communicate with us?

After all that silly business of speaking in tongues is accepted as real and I think is nonsense. Is that God speaking to us?
I wish I could find some message that felt like it really represented our relation to God, if there is indeed a relation.

I have written about this in previous articles throughout the years.  Most notably Discerning between God Speaking and our Own Desires, and Receiving and Recognizing Answers to Prayers.  In these articles, I address various ways to understand God and how He has spoken to me.

I feel that it would be beneficial for the reader to see other people’s responses though rather than just mine.  Take some time to pray and ask God to help this reader before you respond.  I have faith it will help him.

Thanks for your help!

Posted in God, Prayer, Spirituality | 17 Comments »

Lessons Learned from my Experience Dressing as a Homeless Man

May 16, 2010 by ama49

It was about 5:45 p.m. on a friday evening as I drove my car a few blocks away from the food bank and parked it ambiguously.  I hadn’t showered for two days and had about 5 days of facial hair growth as I stepped out onto the street and made my way towards the Salvation Army’s shelter.  I was wearing my work clothes and felt nervous inside with questions in my mind about how the experience would play out.  Never before had I put myself in a situation where I was on the receiving end of being homeless.  I had always been the one giving help.  As I walked up to the building, a man laying on the ground with a read face and reeking of alcohol starred me down.  I asked him where I could get some food to eat and he pointed around the alleyway where there were more people who looked similar to him.  I thanked him and started walking towards the alleyway.

For one of my Masters Degree courses in managing diversity, our professor asked us to put ourselves in a situation that challenged our world view.  I’ve been pretty fortunate throughout my life with the blessings of knowing God and having a supportive family, and feel that although I’ve had challenges, I have never had to deal with homelessness.  After discussing my idea with my professor, he thought it would be a good idea to expose myself to the homeless culture.  Originally, I was going to go there and just ask them questions about their situation, but the more I thought about it, the more I felt it would be a better experience for me to be one with them instead.  As I approached the alley, I prayed in my heart that I would be led by the Lord and learn a lesson that He would have me learn.

The alley was lined with people who had dreadlocks, dingy clothes, tons of piercings, and down-trodden faces.  Some didn’t look so bad, while others clearly had been living a rough life in many ways.  I walked through the crowd and asked for help in where to go.  The first gentleman just starred at me and turned his head but then I saw one of the Salvation Army workers who told me to go into a certain door.

As I entered the door, I saw a plate and people lined up to dish up some spaghetti and salad.  I thanked them as they dished me up and turned to see where I should sit.  There were groups of people at tables and also a few lonely individuals at tables throughout the room.  As I scanned the surroundings, a young man with long hair in a ponytail with his head down caught my eye and I walked over to him and sat down in front of him.

“Can I sit here?” I asked. 

There was no response, so I took that as a yes and sat down wondering if I would get a conversation in.

I took a few bites of food and then asked “So do you come here often?”

Then the young man looked up at me and said “Sometimes.  Do you have a place to stay?”

I hadn’t thought about what my story would be so I thought quickly and told him I bounced around to friends houses.  Then I asked him if he had a place to stay.  He told me he did, but that he had lost his job as a professional musician when the studio went under.  He also told me that his wife had just left him as well.  However, he said that he had faith things would work out.  I was intrigued with his optimism and asked him why he felt things would work out.

He proceeded to share his testimony of Jesus Christ with me and the hope he had in his heart.  He told me of how earlier in his life he was addicted to drugs and alcohol but that through a miraculous prayer, he was healed of his addictions and became a follower of Jesus.  He then started telling me that if I had hope and faith things would work out for me as well.  He started sharing some inspirational scriptures from the Bible with me and I felt very moved as he reached out to me even though he was in such bad circumstances. 

When he told me that he was not on unemployment and that he didn’t have enough money for rent I asked him how he planned on paying.  He looked at me with confidence and said “God is faithful.  He will provide.  He always does.”

I was touched as I thought about all that I have been blessed with financially and the beautiful little family that I have.  I realized as I spoke with this young man that it could be taken away anytime and that essentially everything I have is not mine, but a Gods that He is loaning to me.  In this instant, I then thought about this young man and an idea came to my mind.

“How much money do you have saved up for this month’s rent?”  I asked him.

“None.” he replied.

“Would a couple hundred dollars help you?” I asked

“Oh. Yes!”  He said.  “I’m not sure where I’d get it, but I could definitely use it.”

I then asked him where the nearest bank was and he said two blocks up the road. 

I looked at him and said “You have a very good heart and the Spirit of the Lord is with you.  I feel that God has led me to give you some money to help out.  Let’s go to the bank and I’ll get you a couple hundred dollars.”

His mouth hit the floor and he said “You’d better not be messin’ with me man!” 

I assured him I wasn’t.

As we walked to the bank I told him I had dressed up as a homeless guy to try to see things through different lenses then I am accustomed to.  I told him I have a good job and a beautiful wife and little daughter.  He was very amazed that I would do that.  As I withdrew the money and handed it to him, he lit up and was so grateful.  He asked me if he could pray for me and of course I told him he could.

When he prayed for me, I felt such love and charity coming from his heart.  Not once did he pray for himself, but he prayed for me, my job, my wife and daughter.  He thanked God for answering his prayers that somehow he could find means to pay his rent.  He also prayed for his wife who had recently left him that she would get healed from alcoholism and find faith.  He thanked God for Jesus and faith.  I felt up-lifted and renewed from his prayer and as he finished I asked him if I could pray for him as well and I did.

After we prayed together, I gave him contact information for the LDS employment services location that was right next to where he lived.  We walked to his house and he gave me some of his business cards he had made in case I came across anyone who needed guitar lessons.

As we parted ways, I had a silent prayer in my heart for him that he would find the answers to his prayers and with the faith that he has, I’m sure he will. 

When I stepped into my car I reflected on the feelings of nervousness that I had originally felt and how I felt now.  It is amazing how God can replace fear with faith and I was once again reminded of how God “doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely.” (Uchtdorf, 2009)

Posted in Christianity, Faith | 20 Comments »

Website that shows where Humanitarian Donations of LDS Church go

May 6, 2010 by ama49

While looking on lds.org this morning, I came across a humanitarian website that I hadn’t seeen before.  It includes information about where the money we give the LDS church goes for humanitarian needs such as Africa, Haiti, and other countries.  I invite you to read some of the stories on the site.  Before sharing the site, I thought this introduction from President Monson was appropriate (sorry, my video isn’t working for this url and all I can give you is the link):

http://www.youtube.com/user/MormonMessages#p/a/u/2/wdmy7mbSUEo

The url for the humanitarian site is rather long, so you can click here to view it.  Also, if you feel like making a donation, this website will take you to the donation form.

Posted in Christianity | Leave a Comment »

A Pastor’s Sincere Plea from Persecution

April 30, 2010 by ama49

I’m not an expert on Christianity in Pakistan.  In fact, until the other day I had never considered Christianity in Pakistan.  However, the other day I received the following message:

My name is Pastor Asif Mubark . Me and my younger Brother Evangelist Kashif Mubark Runing Catch The Holy Fire Ministery here in Pakistan for 8 Years. We have 20 home churches all around Pakistan. As you know serving in A Islamic country is not easy way to go but we are very thankful to our Lord for His protection that we are still safe and serving. Please always keep us in your prayers as now a days persecution is very high in Pakistan. Last year the Muslim Mob burned down 3 Differents Christian colonies Inculding Our Christian Colony Gojra . Other 2 Christian Colonies are just on 10 miles away from my Hometown. Please pray for the persecuted church of Pakistan. May God bless you abundantly and your work! Your fellowship will be a privilage for me.
Your Brother
Evangelist Kashif Mubark

This pastor’s sincere plea for strength as he tries to share the word of the Lord in a country that discriminates Christians touched me.  Please join me in praying for not only this pastor, but all people in the world who are persecuted.   Pray for the people persecuting them as well that their hearts may be softened and the Lord’s love can be more abundantly spread throughout the world.

Posted in Christianity | 1 Comment »

Man Led by the Lord to find Missing Girl in a Swamp

April 26, 2010 by ama49

One time, when I was a little guy I took my little brothers and sisters with me into a forest.  After a few hours, when we tried to turn around and return home and the sun was starting to set, I realized we were lost.  I was 9, my brother was 7 and my sister was 5.  I felt afraid and didn’t know what to do.  I rounded up my brothers and sisters and prayed to Heavenly Father that we would find our way back home.  Amazingly, we were able to find our way back even though it was getting dark.

As I listened to this recent story of a girl who was lost in a swamp, I remembered the experience I had as a young child and how God answered my prayers and I’m sure those of my mother.  I thought it was amazing how the man who found this girl was led by the Lord and how he was prepared with so much faith to find her.  I believe that faith is belief in God + action and this gentleman definitely showed great faith.  Check out the story on the MSNBC website below:

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/36776293#36497656

Posted in Faith | Leave a Comment »

Favorite Christian Songs you Usually don’t Hear in Church

April 20, 2010 by ama49

Below is a list of some of my favorite Christian songs you usually don’t hear in church (listed in no particular order).

Face to Face Kenneth Cope

Meant to Live Switchfoot

On Fire Switchfoot

Faceless Man Creed

Gravity Sean McDonald

Alive P.O.D.

Breath of Heaven Amy Grant

Flood Jars of Clay

Love Song for a Savior Jars of Clay

Breathing Lifehouse

Homeless Michael McClean

Everything Lifehouse

His Hands Kenneth Cope

Jesus Freak DC Talk

Feel free to share your songs.  Let’s see how big our list can get!

P.S. Just for fun and old times sake here’s a link to the Mormon Rap video:  http://graceforgrace.com/2008/06/21/mormon-rap/

Posted in Christianity | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments »

Older Posts »