Believe Anyway

Today's lessons in my ward were not "cohesive" in the sense that I had one major takeaway.

So, instead, I will just reflect on my thoughts from the day. The storm will pass. It will be scary, and hard, but we are prepared, we can keep going. Life doesn't always make sense, but we can believe anyway.


"Let me begin by reminding you that we so blithely say in the Church that life is a school, a testing ground. It is true, even though it is trite. What we don't accept are the implications of that true teaching—at least as fully as we should. One of the implications is that the tests that we face are real. They are not going to be things we can do with one hand tied behind our backs. They are real enough that if we meet them we shall know that we have felt them, because we will feel them deeply and keenly and pervasively."
Neal A. Maxwell (here's a link to the amazing address where this came from)

Elder Maxwell talks about how these things are very real, but they are very temporary. :) Keep believing, keep working, keep striving.

Sorry, this is short, but here are two pictures of the sun shining through the storm clouds. Life is hard, but we can prepare, we can learn, we can turn to each other, we can come unto Christ.

Sunday, November 11

Let's see. Loyalty and covenants have been on my mind a lot. We also talked a lot about kindness and following the Spirit.

I don't have a ton of time, but had a couple of thoughts about those and other things. Loyalty is so intertwined with the gospel, it's important to remember, and covenants are wonderful and I love that we have them. I love the emphasis on being kind, but also standing for true principles. It's a hard balance, but it is vital. Follow the Spirit, trust in Him to lead you in paths that are right.

I just wanted to remind you that you're fantastic. And to keep striving to improve your fantastic-ness, it is possible. I don't have much time to chat... 

 My testimony keeps growing, and it's a wonderful thing. The church is restored on the Earth, and Christ is in charge. I loved that a lot of my friends passed scriptures along when Obama won. It was really cool to watch them react. I was actually in the temple during the voting- well, after I voted. It made the whole thing peaceful, and where I'm not happy about it, and feel like evil is encircling us, I doubt Mitt Romney could have saved the world, though I would rather have him as president anyway. We already have a Savior, we already know the outcome, and we just have to keep going, keep striving, and keep trusting, being truly, fiercely loyal to our God and King.

ANYway. You rock. Keep trusting God and keep working hard.

Danger, Will Robinson

Is apathy dangerous? I would argue that apathy is at least as bad for your soul as pure hatred. Even as I say it, I wonder if I can back it up sufficiently. Yet, I stick by my statement. Apathy can take many forms, but I think I will focus on your testimony and personal growth.

See, I was in choir today, preparing for next week's musical number. I am not the most musical person I've ever known but, I have a little ability there. Anyway, I started hearing someone off pitch just a little, and as I paid attention, it became obvious that that person was me. I had stopped paying attention. I figured I was well on my way and knew how to sing, so no big deal. I had forgotten to listen.

I just didn't care to and my ability slid.

In life, it is easy to not pay attention to what you are doing. It is easy to care about what others are doing and how it affects you, but it is not so easy to look at yourself. It is hard for me to look at myself because when I do, I'm often plagued by so many "you should be doing..." "you should look like..." "you should be perfect already" types of ideas, so I often shut it off and just assume I am doing good enough, in every area.

Life is a difficult balancing act. In my ward today, we talked about many things, but one thing that really stuck out was about commitment, and why the Lord requires that we make and follow them. Everything God does is out of love for us, and therefore, the commandments are for our eternal - and temporal - well being. Are we following them?

What areas are you lacking? Ask yourself what more you could do, what more you could give up, and what you need to work on. You are not yet perfect. For instance, I need to be more patient with my eternal progress, my roommates' conflicting beliefs/behaviors, and where I am at in life. I also need to work harder at trusting in God, in being a better visiting teacher, and loving my calling. The thing is, I live either in "Oh, I'm doing just fine and don't need to pay attention or work for anything" and "I am a horrible person, there is so much wrong with me and no hope that I can ever be perfect."

My friend mentioned how she likes to think of all of the commitments and laws of God as traffic laws. She travels a lot, and often finds that many people don't care about traffic laws, they just drive how they want. God gave us our 'traffic laws' so that we could all help each other, so that we can come back to Him easily. But, sometimes, we don't care. We don't see the big picture, why things matter, and we all have that one law where we feel we can be the exception, or that it is really 'just a suggestion.'

Apathy is dangerous. It leads us down paths we don't really want to go. Hold on to your commitments, remember them, remember to make them a part of who you are, and consciously work to improve. Trust that as you work on the areas that the Spirit is with you on, that you will come closer to God, you will improve, and it will all fall into place. Remember that your heart must first be in the right place. Learn to care, learn to hope, learn to turn to the Savior when everything else falls apart.

I believe in Christ.

Today has to be a really short post. But I wanted to say that I believe my Savior will save me, in His way, His time, and it will be perfect. I believe Him when He says He will keep His promises, and I believe that He has made promises with me. And I can trust in that enough to go forward and serve His children, my family.

Now, I'm off to go celebrate my wonderful mother's birthday.

It's true, then what else matters?

Do you believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the restored church of God, or just a group of nice people trying to be good? The church is either of God, it has either been restored in its fullness  and is still on the earth, or all the prophesies are wrong and we are all lost without hope because the healing word of God cannot go to all people.

What do you believe? What do you live by?


Do you see the world in shades of gray. When I have, I have found that living in a world of gray is so confusing,  not knowing what is right or where to go. Life is hard enough on its own. When I focus on God, I can see black and white, better, and know the way I should go.

I don't doubt, I don't question the Lord. I know in whom I trust. The way I see it, you now have to choose what to hold on to. If you just pick a few threads of the gospel you will find yourself falling in the great storm of life because they don't have enough strength on their own to sustain you. You are at a crossroads my friend. 

Do you read and study your scriptures daily? Do you pray? When was the last time you went to the temple? And when can you go again?

I know these are private answers, so I don't really expect an answer, but I love introspective questions, so really come up with answers.

I know that we are not alone, our God has not taken His authority and power to help all His children find strength. It is here, it is within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  This church is not just an organization ran by good people, it is an organization with Christ at its head, and Thomas S. Monson, the Lord's anointed prophet directing it here on Earth. If Thomas S. Monson is anything else, this church is false. I know that He is God's prophet, and it is through listening to Him that we hear the Savior's voice too.

Our Savior lived in mortality for not much longer than I've been alive. Within that time, He never once put Himself first, He never once made excuses so that the way was 'easier' than living obediently. He never complained or ignored His fellowmen, and lived in such a way to bring others up, not leaving them in doubt or held captive by darkness. He remembered us, and He loves us, and though He was constantly given reasons to turn away, to take an easier path, to give up, He never gave any heed to the tempter. The temptations were still there, but He turned away from them and focused on God and His eternal work, of which we are both a part. He knew what was right and He lived it. He ignored counterfeits by immediately identifying them, and rejecting them. Christ concluded His mortal ministry in the greatest pain, the greatest loneliness, the greatest hurt, and with as many reasons to quit as you could possibly imagine, but He held on. I know that our Savior lived this way so that we can come back. So that we have a reason to rejoice, to find strength, and to find direction when we are lost. There is a way prepared. This way, we can be strong, we can have faith at all times, we can be truly wise and not just intelligent, we can be true, and we can be united eternally.  It is through His life, and His death, His daily struggles and conquests over the adversary that the door was opened, the way was prepared, and now we can follow in it.

The choice is yours what to believe. I hope you would write it down in your journal and I would hope that you would find truth and live it. Theoretical debates are great, but whatever path you choose, I hope you find peace and answers, not just more questions. Choose who to follow and I hope you find joy and healing.

The life you lead is your own. If you look for faults or inadequacies in the church, I guarantee you'll find them. Does that mean that Thomas S. Monson is not the true and living prophet? No. God has not ceased leading this Church. Do you believe that? Please don't fall to doubt and fear, questioning everything and trusting no one.There is a way prepared, the truth was restored by Joseph Smith, and prophets have led the church since. It is through this continuing revelation we find strength to go on each day, and hope for eternity. We cannot have that without the prophet. I would hope that you continue to read and study the words of God as much as you do any other book, for where there is light in those books you mention, there is only one source of perfect light, God, and if you only settle for a little light, a little bit of truth in a sea of almost-truths, you'll live your life in darkness. And I for one will not live that way.

I know it is long, but it is true. What else matters?

Fellowship and my thoughts on beer

I have another blog, and someone has reached out to me and we chat via email sometimes. I just got this in my email, and my reply is below. I probably should have planned it out a little more, and prayed a little harder for inspiration, but I think it is right.

"May I say something controversial and hopefully thought provoking? Did you know...that beer is ok according to the Word of Wisdom (being a mild barley drink), and that Mormons were one of the foremost producers and consumers of beer until Prohibition? And that the fact that Mormons consider it a moral standard to not drink today has nothing to do with revelation, but instead is largely based on ignorance? Not saying I have ever had a drink or necessarily ever will, but this is one aspect of a potentially very large and interesting discussion. And I know it's controversial :) and I am still learning more on the subject. But I thought I'd throw that out there."

My reply "I think it is great to learn things for ourselves, like you said you are still learning more, and so am I, so I don't want to crush your opinion with mine, so please keep that in mind as I ramble:Up until reading this, I had never heard any of that, but from where I stand, it needs more research on my end before I comment - I don't know any more than what you have told me and don't feel like looking it up so I will just give ya my opinion as is. :) We could easily get into the semantics of the Word of Wisdom. It may be ok. Here's my thing. I don't care. I have personally seen effects of people drinking beer, it stinks, and it takes away agency and humanity. Therefore, I am morally opposed to it. Call it ignorance if you will, maybe the Word of Wisdom says it is ok. Personally, I don't think it does say that, mostly because of beer's affects on the human brain. The Word of Wisdom is a principle to guide us, it doesn't say don't drink beer, and it doesn't say don't drink gasoline. Personally, I shall not drink either. And, I'm not sure it hasn't been revealed.

The thing is, the Word of Wisdom was given from a loving Father who knows more than we do, obviously, and can see the complete picture. The specifics that were revealed are just that, revealed in section 89. Sugar, caffeine, white flour, etc. etc., I'm not sure. I also don't know what it means by we are to use strong drinks for the washing of our bodies or something... I don't understand a lot, but I will stand up for what I know to be true, and I will turn to the One who does know all things to clarify my perspectives further on this subject and any other I come across.

I hope, as boldly as I felt I was there, that I didn't come across as antagonistic. If I did, I am sorry. My opinion hasn't changed, and I need to learn more. I am grateful for what you have shared with me and am excited to learn more with you.


There is always going to be a lot we don't understand, and semantics alone can be very vague and confusing. Then you add in trying to understand revelation, and it is very hard. And it is even harder to broadly apply it to the world, let alone to just one person."

AND I gave a talk today! It went well, I think. I felt really strong and bold with my preparation, and that the Spirit was guiding me. Hopefully that is the case and people's hearts were touched.

It was on Fellowship and I really have caught the vision, at least a glimpse of the vision, of how important fellowship is, and I've resolved to work at it a little more. We can trust in the promise that we are going to be ok and provided for, that we are not forgotten, and we can be there for each other. We need each other and we need to step up and help each other.

General Conference

Oh. Wow. What else can I say about today (and yesterday, of course)

First, the Spirit testified so strongly of the truths that were spoken. I am so glad I was able to watch and listen as history was made and historic talks were given. Second - I developed a blog post that I'm very excited about. It has to do with Fact - Meaning - Feeling - Action. Get excited, and go check out my other blog soon. This one is mostly for me, after all.

I wanted to write a little snippet of all the talks. But, I am running out of energy and computer life, so I'm just going to say a couple of things I want to remember. First, taking notes is vital. I convinced my littlest brother to write down one thing from each talk that he liked, and he did, and I felt the Spirit from what he learned and it was so cool to watch him learn of Christ too, all it took was reminding him to pay attention :)

I'm a huge note-taker and firmly believe that I have received so much inspiration in my life because I write things down. Sometimes, I cannot act immediately on promptings I received, but I can write them down, which helps me value them and remember them.

Probably the biggest takeaway is to keep striving. It is vital that I step up and be more valiant. I can have hope, I can remember my Savior, and I can be at peace, finding enabling strength to get me through each day. Study these words. eave the neutral facade that you are in, make a decision, and come unto Christ. Learn of Him, act more as He does, and find yourself becoming as He is.