A glimmer of hope.

I have no idea who the student behind this is. But I know they're going to be successful.
By success I don't just mean income, although that will likely be the case. I also mean that I suspect they will find good employment, will do well there and find satisfaction in doing their job well. I suppose they will be well liked by their co-workers because they work hard and are cheerful doing so, which will likely lead to recognition and upward mobility. Or perhaps, if they're more independent minded they will start their own business which will succeed because they put the same work ethic into it they did their education. I believe they will be satisfied living within their means, staying out of debt, and likely save for the future. This will of course mean having fewer 'toys', and being moderate in their leisure spending. These traits of sacrifice and resisting indulgence will probably help enable them to be a good spouse and have wonderful, happy relationships. They will most likely find happiness in what they have, rather than wallowing in covetousness. After passing these traits on they will probably be blessed with happy, good-natured children.
Many years down the road I see this person as a happy, hard working, generous, self sufficient, person. After a lifetime of sacrifice, hard work, moderate spending, and squirreling away their earnings, they will undoubtedly be reviled as "the rich" by pampered, self-indulgent, ill-tempered, slothful, short-sighted, seldom washed ingrates, that will demand the government strip them of their wealth to be used to prop up these same slovenly ne'er do wells, all in the name of fairness.
For examples of the latter, please refer to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations.

It's begun. Again.

Once again the Mormon bashing has begun. As predictable as it is, it's still always disappointing to see otherwise decent individuals, that claim to believe in the founding principles of this nation and profess to be a follower of the Master, engage in behaviors that are so counter to those principles and His teachings.
In an odd way I admire their fire. Spreading the good word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is important work. Unfortunately in their zeal they take a giant leap away from teaching truth, and instead single out one particular faith with which they disagree and are so extreme as to suggest the followers should be opposed in every aspect of life.
The irony is that in this case they are actually fighting against the very truth they should be seeking.
It's a sad thing to know that one day the words and actions that they use to condemn Mormons will ultimately serve to be their own condemnation.

History in the making

I love Elder Holland's style. He speaks boldly with unmistakable love. He finds a way to hit us right between the eyes with his message, without making us feel like we've been beaten up.
I've included his talk from the most recent priesthood session of General Conference. It best represents a theme I believe I noticed. As I listened to this talk, and then to Pres. Monson's talk in the same session, my thoughts turned to this often recited quote from the Wentworth Letter: The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
These talks, considered in context with the new I am a Mormon campaign and other initiatives and uses of modern technologies, make me believe we are witnessing-no, strike that- that we are participating in the 'ramp up' to the literal fulfillment of this amazing prophesy.
What an incredible time in the history of the world to be living. Suit up!

Plan of Happiness

I've been randomly cruising through some of the profiles on Mormon.org. I very much enjoy reading other members' thoughts, stories and testimonies. An oft repeated comment is that members of the Church have found that they are happiest when they are faithfully living the gospel. This is true of course. I like to point out, especially to my children, the underlying doctrine to this truth.

There are actually multiple reasons, but one that seems to often get overlooked or not understood. The obvious answers are a)That when we are obedient we open ourselves up to receiving blessings. "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." D&C 130:20-21 and b) When we're living right we enjoy the company of the Holy Ghost, which by its nature is a blessing that naturally begets additional blessings.

There is an additional reason that keeping the commandments leads to happiness that is, in my estimation, less often considered. It is simply a result of natural law. There are always consequences that accompany choices. We come to understand this concept in other areas of life wherein the consequences are more immediate and easily identified. We learn to make better decisions and call it wisdom. I think much of the world might hear the word "commandments" and think of a God bent on controlling His subjects. Yet He grants us agency. The truth is that EVERY commandment of God has been given for OUR good. Our Heavenly Father is all knowing. And because He wishes us to be happy He gives us counsel designed to lead to our greatest possible happiness.

Most people don't hesitate to seek the advise of experts prior to making important decisions: doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, etc. Why is it so difficult to trust in Him whose wisdom knows no bounds, choosing instead to seek happiness outside the Plan of Happiness?

Why "I am a Mormon" ad campaign?

What amazing times we live in. With the proliferation of satellites and the Internet, there is almost no corner of the globe that information cannot reach. While some may believe the purposes for these technologies is for shopping, football, and social networking, may I propose another theory?

The Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; Persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, and calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God have been accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

By their fruits you shall know them

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is about to begin a new media campaign designed to clarify misunderstandings about the Church its members. I am excited for this because there is so much misinformation that needs to be corrected. The ads will be uplifting and have very positive messages. I suspect you will feel good when viewing them.
Unfortunately much of the misinformation is purposeful. There are those who don't want it clarified. Certainly we will witness increased intensity from the haters trying to salvage as much hatred as possible. I suspect these will leave viewers with feelings of darkness.
I suggest you take notice of how your heart and your gut react to the various messages and ask yourself which feeling comes from the Spirit, and which from your adversary.

Latter Day Pharisees

Isn't it fascinating how history repeats itself?
In nearly all arenas; social, political, cultural, discernible patterns repeat themselves with varying cycle lengths.
Spiritual matters are not immune. Throughout the scriptures we find repetition in how Heavenly Father deals with His children, and how Satan seeks to destroy truth. Perhaps this is at least partly due to our apparent unwillingness to learn from the past. It's no wonder one of the most often repeated words in scripture is 'remember'.

During some time recently spent studying the New Testament, and specifically the 4 gospels, I've noticed undeniable parallels between the Scribes and Pharisees that sought to destroy Jesus Christ and the movement He began, and today's self-anointed "Evangelicals" that seek to destroy His restored gospel. Granted this applies to a minority of Christians. I hope.

**Orthodoxy -- During Jesus' ministry the Mosaic Law had gradually been mutated from its original intent. The orthodoxy of the time, defined predominantly by the "experts in the law", the Scribes and Pharisees, had drifted so far from truth that Jesus Christ, the great I AM, even He that was the author and giver of that law was labeled a blasphemer by them.
Predictably, that pattern has repeated. After centuries of misinterpretation and diversion, sprinkled liberally with power broking, Christian orthodoxy also mutated so that many precious truths were lost. Along the way many recognized this drifting and attempted to correct it through Reformation. These attempts were incomplete at best. Alas the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Saints are often told they are not Christians because we don't align with current Christian orthodoxy. But that is exactly the point. In our day, just as in the Master's earthly ministry, it is the orthodoxy that is incorrect. It is a common human weakness to not recognize truth when it doesn't conform to preconceived notions.

**Misinterpretation -- Much of the cause of the mutation of The Law was the misinterpretation of scripture. The Pharisees intently studied the Torah and vehemently fought against any interpretation other than theirs. They could quote the Torah and regularly used passages from it to attempt to prove Jesus a fraud. They were certain they were correct. Clearly Jesus' ministry demonstrated that despite all their study and vehemence, they had missed the point. Latter-Day Pharisees also study the scriptures and are equally certain their interpretation, or Hermeneutics, is correct. They likewise attempt to use select, out of context Bible verses as blunt instrument weapons. If they truly understood the Bible they would be eagerly searching for the restoration of all things foretold therein.

I find it very interesting also how in both cases, people that had long been persecuted became the persecutors. The Jews had been persecuted for centuries. Modern day Christians are victimized all over the world, and even increasingly so in the quickly liberal-moving society in Western cultures. Many even hold their persectutions up as evidence that they are correct. And yet the experience of being persecuted and hated unjustly hasn't prevented the Latter-Day Pharisees from becoming persecutors any more than it stopped them in Jesus' time.

I find these comparisons to be fascinating. I also find them to be testimony that Lucifer's tactics for combatting truth haven't changed.

Hindsight being 20/20 we now know that Jesus of Nazareth IS the promised Messiah and that the Pharisees missed the boat. In time the Latter-Day Pharisees will likewise find themselves regretting.