What Does The Book of Mormon Really Teach?

   Is The Book of Mormon the word of God as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints claim it is? What does it really teach? Are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints Christian? I hope I can shed some light on these questions.
   In the Holy Bible, Christ taught "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." (Matthew 22:37-39) Lehi and Nephi, in the Book of Mormon were great examples of this.
   Lehi, one of the first prophets mentioned in The Book of Mormon, spoke of Nephi's love of God and for his fellowmen, saying, "...he hath sought the glory of God, and your own eternal welfare." (2 Nephi 1:25)
   Again, just before Lehi dies, he tells his son Jacob, "And I have none other object save it be the everlasting welfare of your souls. Amen." (2 Nephi 2:30)
   Lehi, in that same address to his son Jacob, exhorted him to "look to the Great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit." (2 Nephi 2:28)
   The Book of Mormon teaches that we must love God, love one another, keep the commandments, repent, believe in Jesus Christ, be faithful, praise God, give thanks, treat each other with kindness, and so much more! It even testiefies of the Holy Bible, that it "contains the covenants of the Lord" and "many of the prophecies of the holy prophets." (2 Nephi 13:23)
   With Christ, Lehi, and Nephi, I add my testimony that my only object is to love and serve God, and my fellowmen. The Book of Mormon teaches this plainly and I know it is truly the word of God. I invite all people to READ The Book of Mormon for themselves, to ponder what it teaches, and PRAY to God and ask if it is true. I know that anyone who sincerely and humbly takes this course of action will receive a witness from God of the divinity of The Book of Mormon, and of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints which espouses it, and especially of our Savior, Lord, and Redeemer- Jesus Christ. You will have a greater desire to bring your lives in harmony with His teachings, an increase of faith, and strength from God to know and do what is right.

   

   "And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins." (2 Nephi 25:26)

To find out more, go to http://mormon.org/book-of-mormon/  or send me a message on FaceBook.

Are Missionaries Weird?

   Do you think missionaries are weird? Maybe intimidating? As a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I get a lot of funny looks. They range from curiosity and confusion, to hoping not to be seen, and even anger. Some people are happy to see us, others yell out their car door.

   I think people see the Book of Mormon in our hands and the name tag and somehow get the impression we aren't normal. I'd like to debunk that theory. I think you'll find missionaries aren't so weird.

      I graduated High School, and during that period of my life most of my friends were NOT members of the LDS church. I played football. I wasn't good at it. I also tried wrestling, and track and field- same story: not good at them. You can probably tell I'm not much of an athlete! I also did ballroom dance. It was a lot of fun! We hung out at the park, mostly- if I did hang out with anyone outside of school. A lot of my high school friends still call me Ron to this day because they nick-named me after Ronald Weasly from the Harry Potter series (one of my friends was a HUGE fan!).

   Everyone's family situations are different. Some of my closest friends came from very different family situations. You and I may come from different types of homes. I had a close family. Some of my fondest memories are spending time with my mom or dad just talking or spending time together watching TV. Before my mission I spent a lot of time babysitting for my nieces and nephews.
   My closest friends and I were piano bums. We would mess around on the piano at each other's houses and play songs off the radio from artists like Taylor Swift, Relient K, The Fray, Axis of Awesome, and a lot of music from movies- especially Disney classics like Mulan. We wrote our own music. It was nowhere near professional, but it was fun.

   My family went on vacations growing up to places like the Grand Canyon, Four corners, and Disney Land.
   I had a crush on the girl down the street. Twice. I was horrible at trying to talk to them. I got WAY too nervous and generally the first thing that came out of my mouth was the dumbest thing I could think of. (can you relate?)
   I have a FaceBook. I had a myspace. I got on them way too much.

   I like to break into song randomly. So do my parents. I don't like to read all that much- but I'm beginning to like it more and more.

   I have broken my left collar bone, my left elbow, and snapped my left Achilles Tendon. It hurt. I was in Seventh Grade and I'm not afraid to say I cried!

   Do I need to continue???

   So do you still think missionaries are weird? Well, maybe I am, but you see, we're regular joes who have had regular childhoods and grew up in loving homes and we're really normal people. Each one of us has a different story, but we each have had our ups and downs, our adventures and embarrassments. We had to learn our ABC's and 1,2,3's just like anyone. We didn't just pop out of nowhere! We have lives. We have feelings. We have cares, concerns, questions, preferences- just like anyone.

   In the end, we're all children of God, and we're all a whole lot more alike than we think. I was just talking to a man from Ghana, who made similar comments about his race. He said he thinks it is okay to have a sense of pride in one's own herritage, but it is not okay to put others down for it. I think that applies to religion as well. I definitely am thankful to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, but I don't think lowly of others who are not of the same religion. I would hope people of other faiths would feel the same way toward missionaries like me. We have different beliefs, but we are all children of God and He loves us all equally.
   In the words of a well-known song: "why can't we be friends?"

I Like To Look For Rainbows

   You know, I just love the hymns of our church. No, they aren't all that entertaining, but there's a lot of meaning and beauty in them. I especially love the children's hymns! For example, the children's hymn "I like to look for rainbows" always gives my courage and strength to keep on following God and trying to do good.

"1. I like to look for rainbows whenever there is rain
And ponder on the beauty of an earth made clean again.

2. I know when I am baptized my wrongs are washed away,
And I can be forgiven and improve myself each day.

ChorusI want my life to be as clean as earth right after rain.
I want to be the best I can and live with God again."

   Who couldn't be lifted in a hard time by that? That's why I love children's hymns.

   Feel free to listen to some of the children's hymns on the interactive music player on LDS.org: Interactive Church Music Player .

I'd suggest "I am a child of God" "I'll walk with you" "I lived in Heaven" -just a few of my favorites.

Go to the source- Mormon.org

   I think it's funny how when many people want to know about our church, they ask their preacher or a friend. If I wanted to learn about Catholicism do you think I'd ask a Baptist? It's sounds funny when you put it like that, doesn't it? Why not just go to the source? Wouldn't it make more sense to ask a member of the church? Most members are more than willing to share about their beliefs. Better yet, talk to missionaries like me- that's one of our main purposes is to teach about our church. Or if talking to people would make you too nervous, why not go to mormon.org, the church's official website on the basics of our beliefs.
   On mormon.org you can find profiles of members who have posted a little bit of who they are and their testimonies of why they are members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You can find the Church's official stance on many subjects. It's a great way to learn about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And when you think about it, it just makes sense, doesn't it?

http://mormon.org/people/find/eng/

Finding Peace

   Some days are hard. Agreed? Missionaries are just like any of you- we have easy days and hard days, happy days and sad days. Sometimes it's hard to find peace in the hard days. It's hard to find happiness in the sad days. Sometimes it's tempting to just sit on the couch with some comfort food (I recommend mint-chocolate chip ice cream) or to take a nap, but as missionaries, our whole effort is for other people and we really don't have much time to sit and mope when we can be out in the world lifting up hands that hang down. So we have to find other ways to cope with the stresses and keep on trucking. Let me give some suggestions on how you can make it through the day and FIND PEACE in a difficult world.
   1) I ALWAYS find peace when I read from the scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. Jesus Christ promised to send us the comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, and whenever we read from the scriptures the Holy Ghost comes into our lives stronger. And just like His name suggests, he comforts us and gives us strength to keep pushing and to do what is right.
   2) Say a prayer.... alone..... OUT LOUD. You may feel awkward the first time you do it, but God hears you. I know He does. And every time I've done it, it's helped me really work out my problems. You'll find you receive answers to your prayers easier when you pray out loud and "counsel with the Lord in all thy doings..." (Alma 37:37). Talk it out with the all-mighty. He's a perfect therapist!
   3) "Forget yousrelf and go to work." Some counsel Gordon B. Hinckely's father gave him, when he was on his mission in England. When we think of others first, our problems don't seem so bad, we recognize the blessings God has given us, and we are filled with gratitude. We are filled with love and care for others. ( http://lds.org/new-era/1995/05/sweet-is-the-work-gordon-b-hinckley-15th-president-of-the-church?lang=eng&query=forget+yourself+go+work )

   Do you have any suggestions? feel free to leave a comment with some ideas on how to find peace!

Walking

   Missionaries are often tagged by their white shirts, ties, and name tags. You may have seen us walking down the street, or biking across town. That's usually us! In case you were wondering, some missionaries do have cars. Elder Waltman and I have a car. But we try not to use it too much so we can be out talking with God's children: it's kind of hard to have a Gospel conversation with the guy going through a hard time when you pass him at 40 mph going down the road.
   Today is one of those days when we are going to give up the car and walk it. We have people to see and a Gospel to preach, and I can't wait to go! So if you see us out there on the road, say hello! We'd love to talk with you!
   Well, I'm going to go hike around town for a few hours! Hope to see you out there!

"..I do not boast in my own strength.."

   Once a week, Elder Waltman and I get together with some other missionaries and we teach and learn from each other. Today was my turn to teach. I had been asked a couple days ago to prepare a talk on a Christ-like attribute of my choice. I prayed about it and came to the conclusion I should talk about humility.
   "Humility is willingness to submit to the will of the Lord and to give the Lord the honor for what is accomplished. It includes gratitude for His blessings and acknowledgment of your constant need for His
divine help." -Preach My Gospel pg 120.
   I really like how Ammon showed humility after serving the Lord and helping thousands of people come to a true knowledge of their savior Jesus Christ. Ammon began to talk about the success they had and one of his brethren cautioned him, "...I fear thy joy doth carry thee away unto boasting." (Alma 26:11)
   "But Ammon said unto him: I do not boast in my own strength, nor in my own wisdom; but behold, my joy is full, yea, my heart is brim with joy, and I will rejoice in my God." (Alma 26:12)
   "Yea, I know that I am nothing; as to my strength I am weak; therefore I will not boast of myself, but I will boast of my God, for in his strength I can do all things..." (Alma 26:13)
   Ammon kept no honor for himself, but gave all the honor and glory to God- where it rightly belonged.
   Each of us has been given talents, ability, senses, knowledge or other gifts from God. Sometimes it is hard to see that everything we have and are, are gifts from God. And any good thing comes from Him. Anytime we have happiness or success, it is because He had His hand in it.
   I for one am grateful for the blessings He has given me. He gave me the ability to see the beauty of nature. He gave me a loving family. He gave me the opportunity to be here in Nashville and meet so many wonderful children of His. This list goes on and on!
   In our church we have a hymn called, "Count Your Many Blessings." I would invite each of you to take a moment to count your many blessings from God and see how He has touched YOUR life! Feel free to comment on my blog and share what you're grateful for!

Pray with all energy of Heart

   If I could get out just one message, or teach someone something that could change their lives I would most definitely teach the significance of PRAYER. Yes, I would love to teach people of God and Jesus Christ, don't get me wrong, but prayer is our connection with God, and is the only true way to gain a witness of their reality or divinity.
   In our church, some young men are the ones who bless the sacrament (or eucharist, or Lord's supper, or communion some faiths might call it). I was one of those young men before I served my mission. As I got older, other young men started to bless the sacrament and would look to me for advice and help on how to do it. My first advice was ALWAYS to remember that the blessing is a prayer, and prayer is a conversation with someone- GOD. When you pray, you are talking to an actual being! You aren't talking to the air, or saying something that only sounds nice to the people who hear the prayer- you are talking with God.
   I remember the times when the young men and I really prayed to God, and not just recited a prayer. The Holy Spirit was SO strong! We KNEW God heard us, because we were sincere and we were talking with Him with full purpose of heart. God's power was evident and we were blessed.
   I know this is the case for all who pray to God, remember He's a person, and talking with him, not preaching a sermon to Him- they will be strengthened and enlightened by His spirit. So, to you readers out there, the next time you pray remember that and you will really talk with God! He will answer your prayers, and it will change your life. You will find you are closer to God than ever.

   "36. Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doings be unto the Lord, and withersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.
   "37. Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day."
   -Alma 37:32-43