Sunday, December 21, 2014

Home for Christmas


My oldest daughter, McKenna, just returned from China. She is home for Christmas after 4 amazing months of teaching English and touring China. She missed home while she was away, but now she misses the sweet children of China.

In her own words, here is a glimpse of what McKenna discovered in China:

Tomorrow is my last full day at the school. By Tuesday, I head to Shanghai to go home. I can't believe how fast my time flew, and my heart is in pieces having to leave my china life behind. I've learned so much about how to better myself gradually every day. I'm incredibly grateful for the experiences I've had and the friendships I will cherish for the rest of my life. This was my first time living away from home, and it has taught me about responsibility and liability. The kids and my roommates taught me to love unconditionally. And China taught me that life's okay. I'm okay and I will be okay. No matter the circumstances, I can get through it. Not only have I learned while being in China, I grew, lived, and loved.
I guess you could say,
I was Made In China.


I am so proud of my daughter and I know that her Father in Heaven is proud of her too.

Some additional thoughts I have had the past few weeks:

Early morning hours often give us more time to think. The dark and quiet walls of this house provide a moment of peace and contemplation. A chance to ponder and pray and reflect on so many things I am grateful for and all those that I love. Happiness comes from the simple things, and I thank a loving Heavenly Father for so many of them.

More often than not, the secret to happiness is appreciating what you have.

Sometimes we forget that life is full of hard trials and few escape this. Like the changing seasons, trials often come in phases. In your season of trial, never doubt that God both recognizes your suffering and waits to comfort you. Trust God and turn to Him, accepting adversity, not as fate, but as a crucial part of a divinely ordained plan. It may not ease the pain, entirely, but it gives purpose to your suffering. Then, when the hardship passes and the harsh season has ended, you too will testify that a merciful and loving God never abandoned you.

There will always be those who complain when it rains or when it snows or when the wind blows. There will be plenty of missed green lights and long waits at red lights. There will be plenty of spills on new shirts or clean carpets. Your favorite teams may even lose, your stocks may go down, your taxes go up. You may have back aches or head aches or constant other aches, but life isn't about conditions or consequences. You have a choice. You can choose to concentrate, too much, on all the negative conditions around you, or you can choose to fall in love with the people and positive things that surround you. It's your choice.

As often as we are encouraged to ask and answer the following question "What would Jesus do?", at this time of year we might also add an additional question: "What do you do for others?" The answer might be as startling as the question. ‪#‎whatcanidoforyou?

Having good manners is more than simply please and thank you: it’s how we behave around others and how we treat others. Being a peacemaker includes good manners, but it requires so much more. Those who strive to be peacemakers don’t try to cause arguments or contention; they avoid lashing out or yelling. They don’t swear at or swear around others. They avoid being cruel or hurtful in speech and action. They are positive even when situations seem negative. They are watchful with what they say and do, not because they are afraid of others, but because they aspire to a higher level of kindness. A peacemaker never mocks or pokes fun of others, but always wants to err on the side of kindness and generosity towards all those that they might meet. The peacemaker is full of Christmas cheer, love and compassion, because they understand that peace and joy and love are worth every effort and every sacrifice. Fill someone's heart with these gifts this Christmas. You will be much happier, and so will they.

If we, in the exercise of our faith, base our faith in conditions or results, our faith may be shaken if the conditions or results don't go according to our plans or desires. But when we place our faith in Jesus Christ, and exercise faith and trust in Him, our faith is strengthened whatever the outcome may be

I have hope in the final outcome because I have faith and hope in Jesus Christ. He is the perfect brightness of hope!

Merry Christmas!

Sunday, October 12, 2014

The Truth of All Things

4 months ago tomorrow, I was sealed to Shannon for time and all eternity in the Bountiful Temple. 4 amazing months later I reflect on all that has happened.

On the morning of the wedding I wrote these words"In these wee hours of the morning I am awakened by the realization that today, of all days, I am convinced, more than ever, that the evidence of God and the evidence of His love are found in His abundant tender mercies. I am an imperfect person, but I have an almost perfect witness that He lives, guides, blesses and loves each one of us. I will enter the House of the Lord today humbled by the wonderful opportunity to receive His greatest blessings! May my children, and my amazing wife know that my undeserving second chance is as sacred a gift as I have ever received and I covenant to love and serve them, with all my heart, every second of forever. Here's to Heaven and the amazing journey to get there!"

We are all on a journey. To get to where we need to go we need to learn how to get there. Destination requires direction. Destiny requires the same. We need a light to light our way.

In my garage I have a very powerful flashlight. It is large in size and has a 2.0 million candle beam. The light can shine a great distance and can also be seen from several miles away.

There is one problem with my large and powerful flashlight. It doesn’t work. It doesn’t work because the battery, which is built into the flashlight, is dead. I can’t use my flashlight because I have lost the AC adapter that is needed to charge the battery.

Picture in your mind, however, a different kind of flashlight. Picture in your mind a common everyday household flashlight. This type of flashlight typically has a tube or case that acts like a handle and holds two batteries in it. This type of flashlight also has a cap on the other end, that includes a lens and lamp. When the batteries are properly installed in the battery case, and the cap is screwed tightly on, and the flashlight switch is turned to the on position, the lamp begins to glow and produce a light that is visible. The light shines when it reflects from the cap and beams through the lens.

Let’s liken the smaller flashlight to our search for truth. Imagine that one of the batteries in the flashlight represents the word of God. Words are ideas, and the scriptures, the writings of apostles and prophets are filled with thousands and thousands of ideas. But ideas alone are not enough. One battery has very little use and isn’t operating at its full potential if it isn’t used correctly.

Now liken the second battery to the Spirit of God. When the second battery is connected and touching the first battery, a flow of electrons, called electricity, runs between the positive and negative electrodes of the batteries. The two batteries together work in tandem to help produce light. But without the rest of the flashlight, the surge of electricity is useless and ineffective.

Liken the handle of the flashlight to the human mind and a cap on the other end, that includes the lens and lamp, as the feelings of the heart. When an individual with an open heart and mind lets the word of the Lord in and lets in Holy Ghost, which testifies of truth, then the flashlight becomes operative, the electricity flows and the light shines forth.

We can produce and pass out countless batteries but without power of the Spirit, without an open heart and mind, great ideas alone don’t create the type of light that Alma discusses in the Book of Mormon.

Remember Alma 32?  Remember how Alma likened the word unto a seed? When Alma’s good seed is planted in good soil, that is, the good soil of a willing and open mind and heart, the seed “sprouteth and beginneth to grow.” Regarding the results of this experiment Alma exclaims: “O then, is not this real? I say unto you, Yea, because it is light; and whatsoever is light, is good, because it is discernible, therefore ye must know that it is good. Alma 32: 35 (Italics added)

Like Alma testing the seed to see if it is a good seed, sometimes we have to test batteries to see if they work. Like Alma’s seed, the word in our analogy is a battery. Like Alma’s seed, we need to try an experiment on the words we hear and read. We need to test the batteries. If the ideas we ponder on are truth, and we seek the Holy Spirit to enlighten our minds and hearts to know “the truth of all things”, then our flashlights will produce amazing light.

The truth then will illuminate our mind and heart. This kind of burst of light and truth really does exist. These bursts are nuggets of pure light and truth. They are found in talks and scriptures and in quotes and song lyrics. When we taste one these little morsels of truth, our spiritual taste buds come alive, our mind expands, our heart rejoices, and sometimes we cry, or can’t stop smiling or both.

I call this experience “cognitive cold fusion”, for lack of a better description, but others have used phrases to describe it like a "light bulb moment" or a "Eureka moment" or "an aha moment" or "stroke of insight" or "it dawned on me" or "wake up call" or "flash of inspiration". When pure truth reflects upon our senses, the scriptures tell us that “the eyes of our understanding are opened”. (See D&C 138:11)

Adam and Eve had a light bulb moment. The prodigal son came to himself and had and aha moment and turned back home. Look through the scriptures for such moments. Nephi had them, Enos had them, Alma the younger had them. These light and truth moments only occur when the Holy Spirit confirms that the ideas we are contemplating are true. When we come to know truth and live it, we become beacons of light and lamps of truth. We let our light shine before men and they recognize the truth in us.

But the truth doesn't come all at once. It comes in small packages, line upon line, precept upon precept.

Picture your mind and heart as a kind of lite brite machine. In this toy there is a light bulb deep within. This light bulb represents the light of Christ and the whispering of the Holy Ghost. If this light is burned out it becomes useless and the mind and heart are dark.

Now picture the little color pieces. Each represents a morsel of truth. When a truth is presented to the mind and the light is on, the truth also radiates its light and shines its color.

As you begin to find, know and remember each small truth a larger pattern of truth begins to appear.

You begin to know for a certainty that something is truth because the truth reflects the light.

You discover each truth line upon line and precept upon precept, one here and one there.

If you treasure each truth and nurture it. Your soul will enlarge with great wisdom and understanding.

And you will come to know "the truth of all things." Moroni 10:5


Thursday, May 29, 2014

Moving On

Today my oldest daughter is graduating from high school. This is a great accomplishment! My little girl is growing up and moving on. Today I will attend a ceremony that recognizes this achievement.  Recognition is important with so many things in life.

In our own lives we have many things we need to graduate from. Life moves forward, with or without us, and each year we age a little older, but hopefully a little wiser. Memories are wonderful but are only memories. There is always another tomorrow to think about.

But sometimes it is hard to let go of old habits and old ways. We stand still instead of moving forward when we are stuck in the ruts of our problems and our past.

One reason for this is we often foster those things which fester by giving them too much attention. We give our problems a life of their own when we dwell on them, focus our time and energy on them, and when we endlessly bring them to the attention of others. Ignoring problems may not make them go away, but obsessing over them and favoring them certainly will not either.

Some of our most difficult trials are those we really brought on ourselves. We can curse God and say "why me," or "how could you let this happen" when we really should be asking ourselves these questions. The consequences of earlier mistakes often bring on painful repercussions. These trials have some redeeming qualities, however, we often learn from these bitter pills not to make the same mistakes again.

Perhaps another definition of forsaking sin is to let go of the memory of the sin, the worry about the sin, the drama surrounding the sin, and even the reason for the sin in the first place. Letting go and moving on is as much about letting go of the emotional attachments as the sinful acts and practices. Putting the past in the past requires putting the past in the past for good.

Sufficient reflection and remorse should eventually come to an end. The grieving process has a grieving period, and when that period is over we must put our shoulder to the wheel and push forward. To get closure we will usually need God's help, but when we cast our burdens on His shoulders, His grace is sufficient to lift us out of the darkness, and help us find closure and peace.

Congratulations to McKenna for graduating! Here's to a bright and wonderful future!

Sunday, May 4, 2014

Sweet Gifts


Here is a deep question I want you to ask yourself. Is it possible to be happy with something and never lose interest or get tired of it? Some say do something enough times and you will eventually get bored of it. Try something enough times and you eventually will get tired of it.


I disagree. I believe the answer to the question is that you can permanently love something and never get tired or bored of it, even if you use it every single day. It's called contentment when you are so satisfied with something you never lose your desire for it. You are content because you value it, and it's value is high enough and your values strong enough that you will always cherish it.

I love milk. I probably drink it every day. I have all my life and I never get tired of it. I love a certain pillow, I have a favorite hat, I have a favorite Chinese restaurant that I have loved for 32 years. And these are material things, not people or things of a spiritual nature. It is possible to be happy and content with many things in this life, every day, every month, every year. The ties that bind us to people and to God can be eternal. We have the capacity to love God and others forever. And if we are righteous we will be happy and content for all eternity.

If you are bored of something, or have fallen out of love with someone, or have gotten tired of going to church, this says more about you than what has become fleeting to you.


A true testimony of the gospel grows and expands, it doesn't diminish over time. The love of Christ increases as we love and bless others. Relationships can become richer, with time, when our hearts are set on the things that matter most.


We have all been so excited to tell someone something that we could hardly stand it. Whatever the announcement was, it is practically impossible to describe the happy feeling that filled us. The Easter message does that for me. The meaning of life is clearer because I know my Savior lives. Of all the things I could ever post, this ranks above them all. He lives!

Easter morning this year I was not with my three sweet girls. I had no Easter gifts for them this year but I did had one gift I was able to share with them. I have a testimony of the redeeming love of Jesus Christ. I know He lives. I too can testify He is the Christ, the Son of the Living God. I know that He ransomed me from all my sins and has given His blood and life for me. I know that He healed the sick, raised the dead, and taught the word and will of His father. I am grateful to be a follower of Him and to my last breath I will testify of Him. The gospel has changed my life, has given me hope and purpose. All mankind are free to believe what they choose to believe, but I choose to worship Christ.

Today I stopped what I was doing and thanked my Heavenly Father for the sweetest gift I could have ever imagined having the priceless opportunity to marry Shannon. I am truly blessed by God to have found this amazing woman, to have fallen so deeply in love with her and to know that in just a few short weeks I will be by her side. With all that has gone wrong in my life, Shannon makes life so right. I love her with all my heart!

There is a different kind of tears that well up in our eyes and softly stream down our checks, inconspicuous and unannounced, when touched by the Holy Ghost in such a way that it invokes a sacred joy known only to those who recognize and feel it. If you find yourself weeping in such a way, stop and thank your Heavenly Father for the sacred gift of such an amazing outpouring of His Spirit. Your feelings and tears are evidence that you have, in fact, connected with Him.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

The Root Of All Evil


This week saw the warmest days of the year. Spring is definitely here and summer is not too far behind. Yesterday I noticed a lot of yellow flowers in my yard, but they aren't daffodils. The bright little yellow flowers, popping up all over my grass are dandelions!

So I went to the store trying to find a little dandelion tool like I used as a kid. A tool I used to fork out all the dandelions from my parents grass. I couldn't find the digger at the first store I went to, so I went to another store, a local home improvement store, and found both a dandelion digger and some weed b gone spray.

As I set out to remove, one by one, each dandelion cluster from my front lawn, I remembered, as a small boy, trying to get the dandelions out of my parent’s lawn. As a boy I learned, over time, that the weeds were easier to pull out of the ground, if the earth was moist. If I waited until midday when the ground was dry and hot, it was practically impossible to pull out the weeds.

Sometimes I did not pull out the weeds before I mowed the lawn. I would just skip that task. And, when the lawn was freshly cut, no one could tell there had been any weeds at all.

But within only a day or two, the weeds would return, sometimes in greater numbers, and they always grew faster than the grass.

When my mother realized what I had done, she would promptly send me out again to the lawn to pull weeds.

But the second attempt was often as futile as the first. This time, instead of mowing down the weeds, I would just pull off the tops of the weeds.

At first glance, it looked like I had successfully removed the weeds. But in a day or two there would be compelling evidence, all over the lawn: a new crop of weeds would implicate me for my carelessness.

My mother would send me out again, but this time she would follow me, saying things like “If you had done it right the first time you wouldn't be doing it again.” I watched her pull a few weeds, sometimes with a tool, and sometimes with just her bare hands. As she pulled the weeds she would often say. “if you want to get rid of the weed, once and for all, you have got to pull from the roots.”

Over the years I have often thought of my mother’s statement while pulling weeds in my own yard. I would reflect on her words “Pull from the roots” over and over again. Getting to the root of our problems is a very difficult task, without the help of our Heavenly Father. There are so many things we are ignorant of, and if we aren’t careful, they will be to our demise.

Money is one of those obstacles. Another is sexuality.

The scriptures cite that “money is the root of all evil”. Another way of saying this is “the love of money is the root of all evil.” Getting to the root of a money problem is more than just numbers and balance sheets however.

Money can be the means to an end but can never be the end itself. Money or the lust for money cannot bring happiness. We can be deceived by jealousy and greed, selfishly thinking that money and material things will make us happy, but there is another subtle deception: we can also be deceived if we think that money and material things will make others happy. We can throw money at others and at our problems and spend money and buy things for others, thinking that gifts and gold and trips and yachts and massive homes and expensive toys will bring permanent happiness, but trying to please others with what money can buy is a fleeting and fruitless endeavor. For like happiness, money can't buy love either.

Remember not having money or enough money can be just as negative as hoarding wealth. Fear of scarcity of money, jealousy of others and their material possessions, greed in always wanting more are also negative emotional attachments. Even the tightwad and the miser have emotional attachments about not wanting to give up or lose any money. Being stingy is not about the money or possessions, it is an emotional response about not wanting to share. Selfishness is an emotional inversion that steals happiness.

Similar to the endless pursuit of money to use to try and please others is the endless pursuit of money to use to try and impress others. Showing off wealth is a sure sign of weakness. Identity and individual self-worth or self-esteem should never be tied to what we have. This is just another hollow attempt at happiness based on misplaced priorities and pursuits. We are worth so much more than our bank accounts and our real estate

We are of infinite worth to an Eternal God who loves us unconditionally and eternally and blesses us abundantly.

And bargain shopping, while a noble aspiration, can become something akin to hoarding with incessant trips to yards sales, flee markets, and thrift stores. Especially if what is wanted is really something emotional and not something tangible.

What are we shopping for? Something of value or validation?

Like the lust for money, the lust for passion also is a difficult temptation.

The reward centers of the brain drive certain behaviors, and sexual appetites and passions are included. It is the wanting that drives much of these behaviors. In reality desires are simply intense wants. Because we live in such an instant gratification society, sexuality often falls victim to the same immediate and demanding expectations.

Chastity is moral control over ones desires, passions, and appetites. We have more control over our sexuality than we think. Even if there is a fine line or a blurred line between what we were born with and what we develop in this life, our sexual expression can and should be controlled. No matter how tempting sexual sins might be, we have God given agency over our sexuality. Remember to bridle ones passions isn't to repress or eliminate them, but like the bit in the mouth of the horse, we bridle our passions when we direct or redirect them in the proper expression.

There is opposition in all things. The opposing forces of chastity and sexuality can create a positive balance that fosters love instead of lust and self-discipline instead of instant gratification and indulgence.
Restraint is a positive tool in building a loving relationship. As the anticipation for intimacy builds, so too can the power to resist. Like a kite and kite flier holding the string, two great forces of good, in total opposition, are working in tandem to create the greater good.

Not all roots are bad. Righteous roots are good moral anchors in our lives.  If we are rooted and grounded in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, money and sexuality will not be divisive forces in our lives.

Wednesday, March 5, 2014

There is Sweetness in Meekness.



One of the great technologies that has been around for a while but one that I use and benefit from every day is digital scanning. I simply scan in a document and, after the proper steps of unloading and saving onto my computer, I have a digital copy of an original document. I can then use the internet to send these documents to county offices almost anywhere in the United States.

The steps in the creation of a digital document are far more simple than the steps it took to create the world. But the 6 days of creation and my digital documents have at least one thing in common: creating them was done with wisdom and in the proper order.

There are so many step by step things in our lives that it isn't hard to imagine that we can start chain reactions of cause and effect in our own personal lives with many little things we do. We create our own destiny.

We also have the power to create relationships between people.

Daily interplay between people involves connecting on many levels. Each connection requires a contact. Each contact requires a approach. An approach like a call, a text, a touch, a wink, a kiss, or a warm embrace. Even yelling across the room at someone is an attempt to connect.

With every approach there is an initial reaction. A contact creates a trigger or a reaction. This reaction could be an over reaction. If it is an over reaction, especially a negative one it can cause a chain reaction.

Initiating and reciprocating between people affects regions of the brain, and no matter what region of the brain is affected, initiating and reciprocating can cause a mutual spontaneous combustion of chemical releases in the brain. Between sweethearts it is aptly called "chemistry" for that reason.

Chemistry can also be negative however.

If the approach results in negative tension instead of positive tension or combustion, then a form of contention begins to develop between people. Contention is negative energy. It is like a form of emotional inversion that sets in and clouds the relationship.

Combating negative energy or negative tension may be as simple as taking a simple time out. We tell our toddler's when they need to take a "time out" Sometimes we, as adults, also need to step away from the contention by taking a time out.

The chemistry of the body can also be involved in the time out. The human body needs at least a 90 second time out to flush the hormones, neurotransmitters,adrenaline, and endorphin from the system. Anger often takes longer to leave the system.

Cognitively, the time out allows for more rational based thinking as well. Since chemicals like adrenaline and dopamine are triggered by feelings which can be triggered by negative outside influences as well, taking time out clears emotive regions of the brain that have been bathed and flooded by mood altering serotonin and other neurotransmitters.

Reconnecting after the timeout is necessary to avoid burying the feelings and not resolving the triggers that trigger them.

Chemical reactions are also triggered by fear. Although fear exists to help warn and protect us from harm, most fear is unrealistic and unwarranted. It is the result of a distorted perspective. These false fears are based on false notions of what is real. False fears are often fueled by imagination not truth.

Another type of inversion is emotional attachment. When we emotionally attach to an object, like a fancy car, or a yacht, or money itself, our mind and heart are too focused on material things that don't really matter in the eternal scheme of things. Not having money or enough money can be just as negative as hoarding wealth. Fear of scarcity of money, jealousy of others and their material possessions, greed in always wanting more are also negative emotional attachments. Even the tightwad and the miser have emotional attachments about not wanting to give up or lose any money. Being stingy is not about the money or possessions, it is an emotional response about not wanting to share. Selfishness is an emotional inversion that steals happiness.

A carnal and natural man or woman is a man or woman who violates his or her values to feed his or her lusts. He or she focuses on passions instead of principles, seeking the things of the world instead of the things of God. He or she follows his or her own agenda instead of God's agenda.

Some of these agendas are hidden agendas. Ulterior motives are a type of hidden agenda. True intentions are often masked behind facades of deception. A con artist intends to trick and con his or her victim with deceit and dishonesty. But ultimately the con artist is the one who is tricked by the diabolical scheme of the devil, the father of lies, who wants us to be miserable like unto himself. Seemingly innocent lies can literally metastasize over time taking a life there own. Secret combinations don't always start out as society's destructive downfall; they can simply begin with ulterior motives.

Unhappiness is not someone else's fault. And happiness is not about getting your own way. People often want things a certain way and want to be right. When things don't go their way they tend to freak out in an attempt to voice their displeasure or an attempt to force things their way. This over reaction is a kind of temper tantrum. It creates contention and negative energy. If it has worked in the past it will more likely be used again. Having things work out in our best interest is always a worthy aim when it is fair and when it is realistic. Taking things too personal is more often the fault of the offended than those who did not intend to offend.

One sad result of low self esteem is we tend to judge and criticize others. In reality it may also be an underlying cause of our low self esteem. Finding fault in others weakens our own character even if, in some twisted way, we feel prideful and superior to others. The commandment to love others as ourselves implies that we love and respect others and we love and respect ourselves. Those who can praise others will indeed feel better about themselves. Those with feelings of positive self worth have an abundance of positive feelings to share with others. These positive feels will equate to positive energy. When you truly love yourself you can easily love others. When you genuinely love others you will feel more love.

In addition to love, there is another character trait that can help combat the negative chain reactions in our lives. That trait is meekness.

Meekness is a strength not a weakness. Meekness is a strength to help us recognize and face our weaknesses. It is a strength because true meekness recognizes the need for God in our lives , and ultimately His loving and helping hand. Meekness is often an outgrowth of adversity. Those who are meek have humbly weathered life storms and consider themselves blessed.

The meek are grateful through the good times and patient through the bad times, never losing sight of the eternal plan of happiness.

There is sweetness in meekness.

Sunday, February 2, 2014

The Groundhog Saw Something


Happy Groundhogs Day!!

51 years ago my parents got engaged on this day!

It is also the first day of the 12 Days of Valentines. A wonderful little tradition I no longer implement.

And it is also the birthday of an old missionary companion and friend. Happy Birthday David Holt!

February 2nd is a fun kind of day!

Unless you are a Bronco's fan.

Since groundhogs day was also on a Sunday, I had a lesson to prepare. I spent the early morning hours of the day pondering on my lesson. And, while preparing for my Sunday School lesson, I received from the Spirit an amazing insight for my lesson and for life. It was an "aha" truth of the day.

The first thing the Spirit posed was a question:
"Is there a plan?"

As I thought about this question I thought about my recent weekend in California with my family. For this trip, unlike some trips I have taken, there was a plan. In fact it was a very specific, time sensitive, secret plan. My girls and I had been planning it for months.

And we only had five days to complete the task. Lucky for us, in addition to Saturday and Sunday, the girls had Monday, January 20th off and Tuesday January 21st was Davis County teacher prep/career ladder day.

So we scheduled each stop and knew exactly where we needed to be and when we needed to be there. Of course traffic, weather and other factors would alter things a bit, still we stayed true to the schedule and everything worked without a hitch.

Speaking of hitch, it was the beginning of getting hitched!

Life isn't a random and chaotic fluke that is the result of a big bang or latent evolution. Life is a grand plan of Divine design, and we are the children of God and have been give a plan for our redemption. We just need to find and follow it.

The Spirit further guided my lesson with the following thoughts:

Like a scientist that proves things by testing and becomes an expert, learning things by text book isn't enough, we must experience and test for ourselves; to prove all things and hold fast to that which is true.(1 Thessalonians 5:21)

In fact life is a test. We are the experiment. We learn line upon line as much, if not more, by experiment as by study.

In Alma 32, Alma tells us to "experiment" on the word.

Another key word is "try".

From Alma we read:  "And now, as the preaching of the word had a great tendency to lead the people to do that which was just—yea, it had had more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, or anything else, which had happened unto them—therefore Alma thought it was expedient that they should try the virtue of the word of God." (Alma 31: 5)

"But behold, if ye will awake and arouse your faculties, even to an experiment upon my words, and exercise a particle of faith, yea, even if ye can no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you, even until ye believe in a manner that ye can give place for a portion of my words." (Alma 32: 27)

"Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither must ye lay aside your faith, for ye have only exercised your faith to plant the seed that ye might try the experiment to know if the seed was good." (Alma 32:36)

Note that experiment and experience have the same root word.

Again from Alma, but this time the words of Amulek:

"My brethren, I think that it is impossible that ye should be ignorant of the things which have been spoken concerning the coming of Christ, who is taught by us to be the Son of God; yea, I know that these things were taught unto you bountifully before your dissension from among us. And as ye have desired of my beloved brother that he should make known unto you what ye should do, because of your afflictions; and he hath spoken somewhat unto you to prepare your minds; yea, and he hath exhorted you unto faith and to patience Yea, even that ye would have so much faith as even to plant the word in your hearts, that ye may try the experiment of its goodness, And we have beheld that the great question which is in your minds is whether the word be in the Son of God, or whether there shall be no Christ. And ye also beheld that my brother has proved unto you, in many instances, that the word is in Christ unto salvation."  (Alma 34:2-6)

We learn in the temple that Adam and Eve sought further light and knowledge and learned by their own experience good from evil.

A testimony of God is more than what you think of Him, it is experiencing Him.

How important then is experience? Look to the following scriptures for the answer

"And not only so, but we glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribulation worketh patience; And patience, experience; and experience, hope: And hope maketh not ashamed; because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." (Roman 5:3)

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, have ye spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your countenances? Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts? "(Alma 5:14)

"And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good." (D & C 122:7)

From the LDS Guide to the Scriptures comes instruction about wisdom: "A person gains wisdom through experience and study and by following God’s counsel. Without God’s help, man does not have true wisdom (2 Ne. 9:28; 27:26)."

Finally from Psalms:

"For thou, O God, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried." (Psalms 66:10)

Therefore life is a test, God will prove us to see if we are true and faithful. We will prove Him by Faith, His word, and by our own experience. Life is a proving period and a proving process. "We will prove them herewith" (Abraham 3:25) and "by their own experience" we will see if they choose light over darkness.

Perhaps the highlight of the day was that I was able to bear testimony today in church of the Lord's plan of happiness. I am grateful to a God for sharing so much of His wisdom. Today I had many "aha" "eureka" "lightbulb" epiphanies that literally moved paradigms and shifted my perspective.

The groundhog wasn't the only one who saw something today.

Friday, January 31, 2014

Promise and Possibilities


Tonight I did something I haven't done in awhile. I watched a documentary. It was about Mitt Romney. A behind the scenes look at his two failed campaigns to become President of the United States.

There was no commentary or voice overs, just raw dialogue between Mitt and family. It was a penetrating look at the effort to run and the pain of loss.

I once wanted to run for office, be a politician, be a church leader, even a general authority type, but 48 years have past and I am mostly past my prime.

But life is still full of promise and possibilities, and I am so very excited for something else to look forward to, or really someone else to look forward to. If you didn't know already, I have found a soul mate and have asked her to be my eternal mate! I now pledge my allegiance and love to Shannon, my one true love. She has given life new meaning and purpose and I am thrilled beyond measure to make her my life and spend the rest of my life with her.

Perhaps it came as no surprise when I asked her, but the way I asked her was a surprise. We had been dating for six months but I had been planning the proposal for quite some time. I innocently invited her and her two daughters to join me and my three daughters on a weekend trip to Las Vegas. Little did they know that that wasn't the real destination. After one night in Vegas at a motel, I told them we must get up early and load the car so we can move to a better hotel. But after the car was loaded I insisted that we first do some shopping in Primm. Nevada.

When we got to Primm, the Outlet Mall was closed. I acted surprised and said "let's go a little farther to the outlet malls of Barstow California."  And, as planned, the Barstow outlets are a ghost town of their former glory, so when we arrived and shopped for only short time I said "let's just go back to Primm because the Outlets will be open by now."

But when I got on the freeway, I headed the car in the opposite direction. It took only a matter of seconds for Shannon to notice and let me know I was headed the wrong way. Then, on cue, Macee said"Let's go to the beach" Shannon and Abby and Amanda were so excited for the beach, but that was only half the surprise.

I told them we needed to stop at my favorite Chinese restaurant first. I pretended to be lost and needed Shannon to find it's Fullerton California location on GPS. When we pulled in the parking lot, I distracted the group as McKenna, my oldest daughter, went in to the restaurant with specially made fortune cookies we had brought with us.

When the coast was clear we all went in and ate the wonderful Chinese food. After we were done, one of the staff brought out our chocolate dipped fortune cookies which, to their surprise, were filled with all the same fortune inside. The fortune was written in a Disney Font. It read: "Dreams Do Come True In The Happiest Place On Earth"!

Tears of excitement flowed as I handed an envelope to all six at the table. Again, with names written in Disney handwriting, we opened our individual envelopes to find passes to Disneyland and California Adventure!

Our next stop was the beach for a beautiful sunset. We could hardly sleep at the Anaheim Marriott that night because we had a very big day ahead.

The next day was a holiday and the parks were crowded, but we still had a wonderful day at both parks. Although it was January, the temperatures were in the 80's. 10 degrees warmer than usual! I was able to break away from the group long enough, in the morning, to ask for help with my proposal plan, and, just before dark, as the plan finally was able to unfold. Then around 9:00 pm we went to the World of Color light and fountain show where I had specially arranged VIP seating.

During the amazing visual animated water spectacle, there is a scene where Belle says, so tenderly, to the Beast " I love you". Immediately after, there is a lull of silence just before the big finale.

So right after Belle announced her love for the Beast, I went down on my knee, and with all 5 girls watching and cheering,  I asked Shannon to marry me! With tears of pure joy streaming down her cheeks, she said "Yes"!

The finale was everything we had hoped it would be and we left the park deeply in love and feeling like a family.

Life is full of wins and losses. I have experienced both. But I have never experienced such joy and hope as I have for the past 28 weeks, and that special night in Disneyland.

Our goal is the temple, and the date is June 13th!

Friday, January 17, 2014

It's How You See It


Life is not what it looks like, it is how you see it. It is not what is in the picture, but how you view it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder because what we perceive matters the most to us.

We are byproducts of our upbringing and life experiences. Our behavior is shaped by what believe and how we were raised. Our belief system and value system are shaped early in our life and so much of how we act is based on our conditioning. We can't escape all early influences but we are not destined by them. We have more choice over our lives than we take advantage of and, in they end, how we finished life will be much more important than how we started it.

The argument isn't over who is right and who is wrong it is how they are right and how they are wrong. The world asserts it's beliefs and it's science; we assert our beliefs and our revelations. "I was born that way" or "I cannot change" are arguments purporting science. But God is the ultimate author of what is right and what is wrong, not science. And God speaks truth through revelation. Science is valuable but it is the new Tower of Babel.

Faith in Jesus Christ is the greatest answer since Christ is the greatest solution. With God all things are possible and He wants to help us with all of our problems. We just need to have the faith to believe.

God manifests His divine love to us through an abundance of love and inspiration. Even chastening is evidence of His unlimited love for us. Our welfare is His welfare: it is His work and His glory.

Following Christ is not a casual but continual process.

It is in the qualifying and receiving of the Holy Ghost that we are refined. That mighty change of heart is both literal and possible because God's amazing grace attends His Holy Spirit as the Holy Spirit attends to us. Infused by that Spirit we are comforted, guided and ultimately transformed.

When we feel His Spirit, He is changing us.