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Spiritual Lessons I learned from Michael Jackson

June 26, 2009 by ama49

As I pondered about the recent death of Michael Jackson I thought most of us have some type of connection with him in some form or fashion. Therefore, here’s a post for all of us to consider.

The first album (record) I bought was “Bad” by Michael Jackson when I was 10 years old. I loved his music in the ’80s and songs like “Man in the Mirror” truly inspired me to look deeper inside and “make that change” within myself before putting blame on others.

Later on, his song “Black or White” reminded me of Nephi in the Book of Mormon and how he says God invites “all men to partake of his goodnes whether black, white, bond or free” (2 Nephi 26:33).

As time went on and as I grew up and we all watched Michael Jackson suffer my heart went out to him as he wrote songs like “Have you Seen my Childhood” and the media had a feeding frenzy on him due to his antics and erratic behavior.

Today when my mother (a born again Christian) told me about his death and how she thought he had converted to Islam she told me she wasn’t sure if he was “saved”. Although our concept of Heaven and Hell is slightly different, we both agreed that God would give each person a fair chance of salvation.

When looking at Michael Jackson’s life one of the greatest lessons I personally have learned is the truth of Jesus’ words of how blessed the person is who puts the kingdom of God first and trusts in Him rather than the arm of flesh.

Michael Jackson at one point had it all: fortune, fame, basically everything the world can offer. Yet he still was searching and suffering his whole life and died with millions of dollars of debt.

I am once again reminded on how human we all are and that all we have is a gift from God. We need to rely on the Lord through our good and bad times and remain grateful for every blessing he gives us. For as King Benjamin in the Book of Mormon says we rely on God for even our breath we breathe. One day we’ll breathe our last breath and stand accountable to God for who we are and what we’ve done.

My heart not only goes out to Michael Jackson and his family, but to all people who suffer their whole lives without having felt of the love and freedom of being born a new creature in Christ.

Posted in Christianity | Tagged , , | 18 Comments »

The Best Anti-Mormon Literature I’ve ever Heard

May 21, 2009 by ama49

Until I started blogging about 1 1/2 years ago I hadn’t heard of a lot of the stuff that’s out there such as “Adam/God Theory” and “Blood Atonement” that many anti-Mormons spread. The accusation of “earning” one’s salvation was something new to me as well that I had never heard of.

Faith is an interesting thing because it makes up so much of what a person does and how he or she views the world. When that faith is openly attacked the natural instinct is to bristle up and throw back some more punches.

Most “anti-Mormon literature” as we like to call it, is in my opinion ridiculous and pulled from obscure quotes by various prophets and not at all what we teach today. It’s the equivalent of taking some quote from one of the Christian crusaders and using it against all Christians.

However, there are many other of our fellow Christians who are well-intended in their approach with Mormons and who sincerely want to help us. Yesterday I read a great post over at Clean Cut that summarized a speech given by Dr Craig Blomberg. (If you don’t remember who Dr Blomberg is, he co-wrote “How Wide the Divide?“, which is a book on Mormon vs. Evangelical doctrine written by a Mormon and an Evangelical). In his speech, Bloomberg speaks to a large body of Christians in a talk entitled “What would Jesus Say to a Mormon?” I’ll have to admit that I was a bit skeptical about reading it because most people point fingers at us and try to tell us why we’re wrong. Dr Bloomberg did, what I think Jesus would have all of us do. He showed a genuine love for the LDS people and acknowledged their Christian beliefs. To view a summary of the 10 points he feels Jesus would say to Mormons you can also visit this blog.

I feel that although Blomberg doesn’t believe everything Mormons do he does exactly what a good Christian should do in my opinion and he sees the good and the common ground and builds on that rather than attacking the differences.  I also feel he did a great job in his top 10 list of pointing out things we as Mormons can definitely learn from, but he also showed other Christians that in many ways Mormons aren’t so far off from what they believe as well. 

What do you think about Blomberg’s approach?

Also, how to you feel about his top 10 list?  Do you feel it’s accurate?

For us as Mormons, how can we learn from this in our discussions with fellow Christians?

5-23-09

I just read another great post related to this topic that was written last fall.  It shares Dr Blomberg’s feelings of how the Mormon/Evangelical divide is from his perspective 11 years after having written the book.  Check out the site here.

Posted in Spirituality | Tagged , , , | 6 Comments »

Believing in Jesus and not Getting Baptized is like living with your Partner and not Getting Married

May 16, 2009 by ama49

If you’re happily married or have seen people in a happy marital relationship reflect on that relationship.  How did the relationship start?  How did it develop and blossom into a marriage?  Now, after the marriage was that the end?

As I reflect on my relationship with my wife I think of how it started as friendship and blossomed from there.  The more we became acquainted the more we grew to like and love each other. The more sacrifices we made for each other the more we grew to love each other.  We could have chosen to go on that way forever and even “play house” by moving in with each other like many do today.  After all, we were in love with each other.  Why do we need to get married?  It’s just a piece of paper anyways right?

Such is the rationale of many today, however, we decided we would show our commitment to each other by binding it through a marriage and we did it before God and others to see.  My wife showed her love and commitment to the relationship by taking on my name and I do my best to honor that name.  I wouldn’t have had it any other way and to do it another way would have been compromising and unfair to my wife and to myself and the children we bring into the world. 

Now that we’re married is all over?  No!  At marriage our journey had just begun and we continue to learn and grow together with the help of God.  Is it easy all of the time?  No.  But it’s surely worth it.  We try to have our eyes focused outside of ourselves and towards each other and with the help of God and also striving on our part I’m confident we’ll continue to do well.

Now compare this to the scriptures in 2 Nephi 31 and 32 .  In this scripture, Nephi discusses the purpose of baptism and how it pertains to our salvation.

If you read these chapters carefully, Nephi shows our journey to salvation as a relationship with Jesus similar to that of what I described in a marital relationship.  We study, learn about Him, pray, develop a love and relationship and at some point reach a decision of if we want to seal that relationship or not.  As described in the scripture, confessing Jesus as our Savior and baptism isn’t the end of the journey, but the gate into the kingdom of God…similar to the marriage that I previously described.  We commit ourselves to Jesus and enter into His kingdom through the gate of baptism by openly showing our commitment and dedication to Him publically.  We then take on a new name…Jesus Christs’ name and accept him as our Lord and Savior. 

After we confess Jesus as our Savior, enter through the gate to His kingdom through baptism and commit to a relationship with Him is it over?  No!  We have a whole life to live as a new born-again believer in Jesus.  We then receive the “baptism of fire” through the gift of the Holy Ghost and commence our journey.  As long as we rely on Jesus and continue to develop our relationship with Him we’re being true to our baptismal commitment.  We stay true and develop our personal relationship with Jesus through prayer, scripture study, service to others, repentance, learning in groups such as church, bible study, etc. 

Some may say that attending church or study groups  isn’t necessary after we’ve shown our commitment to Jesus.  Others may say we don’t really even need to be baptized to show our commitment to Jesus and merely confess His name. 

What are your thoughts?

Posted in Christianity, Spirituality | 1 Comment »

Mormon Prophet Says Abstaining from Water in Fast Not Necessary. Science Says it’s Healthier

May 12, 2009 by ama49

Mormons set aside one day each month to abstain from food and water for two meals and then donate what they would have spent on food and water to the poor.  As a Mormon I’ve always heard fasting should be both food and water.  However, I came across an interesting quote today.

President Heber J Grant stated in an official declaration:

When fasting, members of the Church are advised to abstain from two meals each Fast Day . . . also by prayer in connection with fasting to develop spiritual power. No direct instruction is given in the Doctrine and Covenants regarding abstaining from water while fasting. In the Bible there are three references in connection with fasting and abstaining from water. These are: Exodus 34:28 and Deuteronomy 9:9-18, where it states that Moses “did neither eat bread nor drink water”; and Esther 4:16, where Esther asked the Jews to fast for her and to “neither eat nor drink.”

The spirit of fasting is the main thing to encourage. Too much stress should not be laid on technical details, but the self denial of food, striving for spiritual strength and donating for the benefit of the poor should constantly be in mind. (Published statement from the First Presidency of the Church, March 26, 1932) MOFP5:307-08

I also came across a few interesting medical articles that stated fasting from food and not excluding liquid leads to greater health.  You can view these interesting articles here and here.

For people of other faiths this may sound trivial, but as long as I’ve been LDS I’ve always heard fasting should be both food and water and it isn’t complete without both. 

Personally I feel the same way that President Grant does.  It’s really between us and God and if we feel good about our fast we shouldn’t worry.  I feel that our fast shouldn’t be merely for medical purposes but for coming closer to God. 

I’d love to hear your thoughts though.

Do you feel that a fast can be complete without abstaining from water?  What do you do to make your fast complete?  What are your thoughts on the scientific studies?

Posted in Spirituality | 21 Comments »

The United States’ Fastest growing Christian Church in 2008 is…

May 5, 2009 by ama49

The Jehovah’s Witnesses up 2.12% from the year before.

According to the 2009 Yearbook of American and Canadian Churches, only four churches reported an increase in converts for the year 2008.  These churches were:

Jehovah’s Witnesses (1,092,169 members, up 2.12 percent )

Church of God of Cleveland (1,053,642 members, up 2.04 percent)

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (5,873,408 members, up  1.63 percent)

Assemblies of God (2,863,265 members, up 0.96 percent)

The LDS church remains the 4th largest denomonation behind the Methodist, Baptist, and Catholic churches but is quickly approaching the number 3 spot and will the Methodist church within the next 2 -3 years.   For the past few years the only churches to consistently gain in membership include the LDS and Jehovah’s Witness churches.  The LDS church maintains around 1.6% growth whereas the Jehovah’s Witnesses gain over 2% on average and have doubled in size in the last 5 years. (However, I’m not sure how accurate these numbers are because according to the 2006 report the LDS church had 5.9 million members and now only reports 5.5 million but the report stated the growth was maintained each year at 1.5%) For a more detailed statistical analysis of the LDS church check out the post over at Times and Seasons that was postes a few weeks ago.

IF these statistics are even close to being accurate this shows an overall decline in Christianity as a whole in the United States.  According to Mormon Metaphysics, there has been a decrease of 10% overall in Christianity.  Also, those churches such as the LDS and J.W. churches show significant gain, but they have a very aggressive missionary effort as well.  It does raise the question though of why those two particular churches are attractive to people.  Even with the missionary efforts if they churches didn’t have something to offer and if there wasn’t a need out there people wouldn’t join their organizations.

So in conclusion I ask the following questions.

1. Why do you think Chrisitanity is on the decline?

2. Why do you feel those religions such as LDS and J.W. see growth each year?

3. What could be done to bring retention and conversion rates up?

Posted in Church | 22 Comments »

LDS Addiction Recovery Program

April 30, 2009 by ama49

I’ve alluded in previous posts to problems I’ve dealt with as a result of issues from my early childhood.  One of my most often read posts is the one I wrote last year about overcoming anxiety and depression.  I’m grateful that God has been able to reach so many people through my experiences and I hope that the reference in this post will help as well.

Along with dealing with the depression that I previously wrote about, I was dealing with certain addictions (which, I feel were a trigger for depression I was having).  I won’t go into detail about the addictions I had to overcome, but I will discuss the process I went through in overcoming them.

As a young child I had some traumatic events in my life that affected my views on various things in life.  Unintentionally I formed addictions later in life as a result of these early experiences.  The funny thing is that I knew what I was doing was wrong but I would seem to always revert back to my addictive behavior over and over again.  It affected my self-esteem and the way I viewed the world and it went on for many years.

Overcoming the addictions I dealt with were a process.  First, I was in denial and I would put the blame on others such as my parents or the people involved in my addictive habits.  However, after a few years and a serious wake up call I realized I had a problem and needed to overcome it.  The only problem was that I couldn’t stop myself from the habits that had been formed even when I knew they were wrong.

To make a long story short, God helped me through blessing me with determination, patience, and guidance from the Holy Ghost for a number of years.  One day as I was driving the Holy Spirit told me in my mind to contact an old friend I hadn’t talked with in years.  When I called her I thought I was going there to help her on an errand from God but soon found out that she had recently gone through an addiction recovery program.  She became my sponsor for the program which was a major part in my addiction recovery. 

Looking back on it, I am deeply grateful that God knew me personally and cared for me deeply enough to guide me to the right program.  For me, it was very helpful and worked in the end.  However, I did feel a bit of a void especially when talking with my church leaders.  I would have loved to have been in a session with people who had similar views on God but I don’t think the leaders were properly trained or aware that the LDS church has an addiction recovery program.

The other day I came across this LDS reference and thought it would be very helpful for people to know about. 

Here they have support groups, counseling services and publications for addictions dealing with the following issues:

  • Alcohol
  • Drugs (both prescription and illegal)
  • Tobacco
  • Coffee and tea
  • Pornography
  • Inappropriate sexual behavior
  • Gambling
  • Codependency
  • Disorders associated with eating

    • I encourage those of you who are either dealing with any of these issues or are in a leadership or counseling role to help others with these issues to use this website as a reference.  I think if I had known of this before-hand it could have saved me some time and I could have overcome the issues with much more support.

    If anyone else has ideas of good references for those dealing with addictions please feel free to share.

    Posted in Depression and Anxiety, God, Holy Ghost | Tagged , , , | Leave a Comment »

    Understanding the Mormon Temple Ceremony as a Musterion or Sacred Secret

    April 20, 2009 by ama49

    As I was reading in the Book of Mormon the other day, the following part of a verse in Mosiah 2:9 stuck out to me:

    open your ears that ye may hear, and your hearts that ye may understand, and your minds that the mysteries of God may be unfolded to your view.

    What are the mysteries of God?

    The Bible Dictionary contains numerous references to the “mysteries” of God.  In fact, the New Testament has the most references out of all scripture.  I like the Greek definition of what “mysteries” means.  According to one of the ministers of Spirit and Truth Fellowship International, “mysteries” or “musterion” in Greek means “Sacred Secret“ in it’s purest English translation.  Therefore, when we read in scripture about the mysteries of God it is something sacred but secret to those who are not interested in “opening their minds, ears, and hearts.”

    The Bible contains numerous examples of people talking about the mysteries (sacred secrets) of God. 

    In Matthew 13 Jesus speaks in parables to a multitude.  His disciples then question him and ask him why he speaks in parables to the people rather than just come right out and say it directly.  Jesus then answers by saying “…it is given to you to know the mysteries of God but to them it is not given.”  This fits in with Jesus’ warning in Matthew 7 not to cast our pearls before swine.  In other words, some people haven’t opened their hearts and minds to be able to understand the sacred secrets of God and if they’re not ready it’s of no use to try to teach them.

    Another New Testament example is found in Ephesians 3.  In this verse Paul discusses how mysteries are made known to Jesus’ people through His apostles and prophets.

    Members of the Church of Jesus Christ or Mormons believe in modern-day apostles and prophets and that the mysteries of Jesus’ kingdom can be made known through them.  One mystery that many people from other faiths and also within the Mormon faith have a difficult time understanding is the temple ceremony and the ordinances and covenants made within the temple.

    In his book “The Inevitable Apostasy,” Tad Callister quotes Origen (an early Christian leader from the first century) on page 250, saying of the primitive Christian church:

    Whoever is pure not only from all defilement, but from what are regarde as lesser transgressions, let him be boldly initiated in the mysteries of Jesus, which properly are made known only to the holy and the pure.

    This quote shows that in the early Christian church there were certain “mysteries” of Jesus only reserved for those who had prepared themselves spiritually.  Furthermore, it mentions an initiation process.

    In addition, Callister references the scripture in 1 Corinthians 4:1 that talks about the leaders of the church being the “stewards over the mysteries of God.”

    Modern-day LDS temple ceremonies are similar to this concept.  Within the Mormon temples LDS members who have prepared themselves participate in ordinances and ceremonies and make covenants with God that could be compared to the initiations mentioned by Origen from the original Christian church. 

    What happens inside the temple is very symbolic and in order to understand the ceremonies and ordinances one must be spiritually prepared and willing to receive the “mysteries” of God.  If one hasn’t taken time to prepare spiritually, it will be hidden from our view much like those of Jesus’ day who did not understand His parables.

    My first temple endowment experience was very overwhelming and confusing to me.  Upon entering the temple I hadn’t properly prayed, studied about the temple and in the scriptures, and prepared for the experience.  Therefore, it was very overwhelming and confusing.  Looking back on it God didn’t reveal anything to me because it would have been similar to casting pearls before swine.  I wasn’t humble and didn’t have the right attitude upon entering the temple.  It wasn’t until years later when I had humbled myself more and taken time to pray, prepare, and develop the desire to learn the “mysteries of God” found in the temple that I started having amazing and sacred spiritual experiences within the temple.

    It is my testimony that if we prepare ourselves before going to the temple we can and will receive amazing communication from God and the sacred secrets He would have us know in our lives will be revealed. 

    What are your thoughts about the temple ordinances being a “sacred secret?”

    Posted in Temples | 10 Comments »

    Happy Easter and a Mormon Apostle’s Message about Jesus and Easter

    April 11, 2009 by ama49

    This General Conference was very uplifting for me in many ways.  Some of my favorite talks were those specifically about Jesus which included “The Way of the Disciple” by Dieter Uchtdorf, and “None were with Him“ by Jeffrey Holland, apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ. 

    This morning I was on the lds.org website and came across this short video about Jesus and commemorating His atonement and resurrection, which also highlighted some of Holland’s talk from last weekend.  I hope this helps you remember the Savior and what He did for us as you celebrate this Easter season. 

    Happy Easter to you all!

    Posted in Spirituality | 2 Comments »

    Non-LDS People who Still Believe in the Book of Mormon

    April 4, 2009 by ama49

    I recently read a great post over on the Mormanity website on a guy named “Bookslinger” who has been flooding the earth with the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible.

    After reading this post and the comments people mentioned how the Bookslinger isn’t currently a member of the LDS church, but after reading Bookslinger’s website I can see he’s a dedicated disciple of Jesus.  On this site, he shares amazing stories of meeting people from all walks of life and languages and sharing both the Bible and Book of Mormon with them.

    After learning that he isn’t currently a member of the LDS church it reminded me of the Baptist Preacher who believes in the Book of Mormon and preaches it to his congregation.

    Personally, I have seen the power of Jesus that comes from reading the words of the Book of Mormon.  After I read the Book of Mormon when I was 13 I had an intense desire to share it with the world.  I have personally experienced what Joseph Smith stated when he said the Book of Mormon will bring you closer to God than any other book.

    People may wonder how one can be a firm believer in the Book of Mormon but be a member of the LDS church. 

    Personally I think it is awesome that these people are true to their testimonies of the Book of Mormon even though for whatever reason they are not currently members of the LDS church.  I hope we can all learn from their examples in sharing the scriptures with others.

    Due to various circumstances there are people like those mentioned who are not members of the LDS church.  Why do you think some people aren’t members yet still believe?

    04-05-09

    I can tell from some of the comments below that my intention for this post didn’t come across like I’d like it to have.

    As LDS I feel we too often focus on one’s “membership” status in the church.  We are all sinners and beggars and are all in need.  I wanted to highlight the good that many “non-members” of the LDS church do and how God works through them.  I apologize if the post came across as being offensive to Bookslinger, the Baptist Preacher, or anyone else.

    Posted in Book of Mormon | 34 Comments »

    Are Mormons Born Again?

    March 30, 2009 by ama49

    Over a year ago, I wrote a post called “Why do People Leave the LDS Church?”  It has since become one of my most frequented posts and recently received a comment from a sincere seeker of Jesus who has just left the LDS church.  She has started a blog called Musings on Mormonism that shows her sincerety as a seeker of Jesus and her story of being a Mormon and chosing to leave the LDS church, yet devoting herself to following Jesus.  I respect her choice and also commend her for following her heart and pray that she brings people closer to Jesus.

    Her experience was very similar to the experience the experience of Shawn McCraney’s.  Recently I read his book called “I was a Born Again Mormon.”  In this book, he describes his experience as an LDS elder and missionary and also is conversion to Christianity and leaving the LDS church.  I didn’t agree with a lot of what he wrote, but one thing I did agree with was that it is important to be born again.  His definition of what a born again Mormon is and mine are drastically different, but I do agree with him in the fact that we as Mormons (and everyone for that matter) need to be born again.

    I feel that it is unfortunate that many of our fellow Christians feel that we are not truly born again and believers in Jesus.  No one is perfect, but if we are not doing things out of the love we have for Jesus, then we need to repent and become truly born again. 

    In John, chapter 3,  Jesus tells Nicodemus one must be born again to see the kingdom of God.  In the Book of Mormon in Alma, chapter 7 it states we need to be born again through repentance and baptism as well.  There are many other scriptures in the Book of Mormon and Bible for those who want to study being born again.  Clearly it is something necessary and something that we as LDS should be talking about and thinking about.

    In 2007, Elder Bednar, one of the Apostles for the Church of Jesus Christ, gave a great sermon called “Ye Must be Born Again.”  In this sermon, he discusses the importance in being born again and accepting Jesus:

    We are instructed to “come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny [ourselves] of all ungodliness” (Moroni 10:32), to become “new creature[s]” in Christ (see 2 Corinthians 5:17), to put off “the natural man” (Mosiah 3:19), and to experience “a mighty change in us, or in our hearts, that we have no more disposition to do evil, but to do good continually” (Mosiah 5:2). Please note that the conversion described in these verses is mighty, not minor—a spiritual rebirth and fundamental change of what we feel and desire, what we think and do, and what we are. Indeed, the essence of the gospel of Jesus Christ entails a fundamental and permanent change in our very nature made possible through our reliance upon “the merits, and mercy, and grace of the Holy Messiah” (2 Nephi 2:8). As we choose to follow the Master, we choose to be changed—to be spiritually reborn.

    I would like to share with you when I experienced a “mighty change in heart” and was born again as a new creature in Jesus.

    During a proselyting mission in Frankfurt, Germany I had had many discussions with non-believers and people who challenged my faith of if there was a God and if Jesus was real.  I struggled with my faith for awhile and questioned if there was a God and if Jesus was really the Savior.

    During this time, I would sometimes feel angry with myself for feeling this way and viewed myself as a hypocrite.  I concluded that if I really wanted to know Jesus I would need to immerse myself in His word and pray, which is exactly what I did.  In order to know Jesus, I decided I would read the book Jesus the Christ, by James Talmage along with the New Testament.  I studied and prayed for over 8 months and learned a lot, but never did receive a “born again” experience.  I actually wasn’t really looking for a sign and had the faith that God would reveal truth to me in His own time and way.

    One morning, it happened.  As I was praying, I felt completely overcome with a love and joy for Jesus that I had never felt before.  Words to a poem, which I may share at some later point entitled “I’m With You ’til the End” came to mind and I dictated as the Spirit of God spoke to me through my writing.  As I watched the words fall onto the paper describing who Jesus is and what His mission in life was and how He’s always there to help me, I felt my heart change and my love and desire to share the good news of the gospel overcome me.  I wept in gratitude as God had answered my prayers.

    That experience was more than 12 years ago now, but it is etched into my heart.  I’ve made many mistakes since then, but I am a drastically different person since becoming a new creature in Jesus than I was before.  I know that I have the opportunity to daily give my heart to Jesus and that He’ll lead me in all I do.  As I try daily to give my heart to Jesus then I notice that I gradually become more like Him in my desires to serve others and to love as He did.  Life, relationships, and everything becomes more meaningful. 

    Those of us who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ should always remember that in all we do nothing matters unless we do it unto the Lord.  Our fellow Christian brothers and sisters should never feel that we as Mormons are not born again and new creatures in Jesus, for without Him, nothing else matters.

    If you are a Mormon, how would you describe your “born again” experience?

    Also, if you are a fellow non-LDS Christian, feel free to share your born again experience as well.

    For more good posts on Mormons being born again visit:

    Begging for a Remission of Sins

    LDS Alive in Christ (this one is a beautifully written testimony by the author of the site of how he became born again.  Highly Recommended)

    Posted in Christianity, Holy Ghost, Jesus, Mormon Christians, Spirituality | 15 Comments »

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