This week I would love to talk about a simple scripture that really touched me in my personal reading in 3 Nephi 22. The entire chapter is beautiful, and I love especially the tender mercies He shows forth as He describes His own nature. Here we see another glimpse into the true nature of God and His perfect attributes. What really hit me personally were the titles He is given and what those mean for me. In verse 5 it reads, "For thy maker, thy husband, the Lord of Hosts is his name; and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel, the God of the whole earth shall he be called."
Each title here could be the topic of its own library of volumes of evidences and testimonies and yet the libraries would not be able to hold them. What I found powerful was reading each title and asking what that means for me. He is the one who made me, who formed me and allowed me literal life both spiritually and physically and he continues to make me into the man I want to become. He is equally yoked in my life and protects and presides so that I can even call him an equal partner in my marriage. He is glorious and powerful so that no powers on earth combined can stand before Him, and that same omnipotent being that commands armies is on my side when I choose to follow Him. He redeemed me, He picked me up out of the dust and strengthened me to a spot of purity once more before my Heavenly Father. He is the one that can help me and because of His nature and sinless life, He was able to live for me and become the Savior of all worlds. He is our God, He is the God of our enemies, and because of him I can love and see eternal potential in all people and go forth to serve them.
This scripture was powerful to me and I think dissecting and asking what each part means to us is a beneficial exercise that allows the Holy Ghost to instruct us personally. I invite all to do the same, in the name of my mercy seat, Jesus Christ, Amen.

This week, in class we talked about the suffering of Christ in Gethsemane, and his finishing the preparations in order that we may all be saved. What happened there we may not now, nor can we tell the pains He had to bear. But we believe it was for us, he died and suffered there. I loved learning about Him and feeling that closeness to my Savior as I come to try to know Him and the overwhelming love He must have felt in order to go through with this act that triumphed all other moments in all history. It was the culmination, it was the victorious moment, the agonizing moment we had exercised faith in for millenia in the pre existence and which all people everywhere will have to have faith in in order to continue on the pathway to Him. His suffering was beyond comprehension, and nothing I can say can begin to describe the extent to which He felt the deepest of pain and suffering for us. However, as Christ speaks of this moment in D&C 19:15-19, He says very swiftly that the glory be to the Father, and not to Him. After being designated as the Savior and preparing to do this, given that He had given Him the powers of heaven, that His is the priesthood, why would He give the glory to the Father. I understood humility but I also knew that credit is due where credit is due especially if it points us in the right direction. For years I didn't understand why He gives the credit to the Father.
Looking back now, I think part of my confusion came because I didn't understand what it is like to be a Father, and I forgot to always remember who allows all this to be possible. The question was asked in class, that if the sacrifice of Isaac by Abraham was is in similitude of Heavenly Father allowing His perfect Son to die for us, to offer himself a sacrifice for sin, who had the harder part? Isaac willingly gave himself as he talked to his father for no 30 year old can be over powered and tied down to an altar by someone well over 100 years old. He willingly gave himself for obedience, but who had the harder part between Isaac and Abraham? Imagine looking your only son in the eyes as you prepare the altar and the knife. Imagine the love ripping his heart apart as he realizes the reality of what he is about to do. Imagine his thoughts drifting to his dear wife, whom he will have to tell very soon that he has just killed her only son she bore in her old age. Imagine that agony, and perhaps it will be a small glimpse into what Heavenly Father must have experienced that night. Christ was perfect and had all power to stop but He drank the cup as the wrath of an All Mighty God was released on the only one who never deserved a single morsel of it. That justice would be felt and satisfied by the only one who never needed to feel it. The love Heavenly Father had for His perfect Son is expressed many times, but never before had it hit me so hard what He had to suffer that night and that the glory indeed be all to the Father. I love Him for everything He has done, does and always will do for His children. His is the plan that allows so much happiness and progression for me. His are the ears that my pleas fill daily. And I hope to come to know Him more through His Son.

This week as I read in Matt 20 and also heard in class the story of the two blind men right before Jesus enters Jerusalem for his final week, something hit me. I am sure there are many interpretations to scripture that the Spirit can use to instruct us according to our needs and questions at the time, and this time I learned something different than was shared in class. As Christ hears that these men are calling for him, He stops and asks something very interesting, he looks at these men and can clearly see what is wrong here. He knows the intent of their hearts and even more obvious He knows that they are blind. He could have healed them but instead he looks at them and asks, "What will ye that I shall do unto thee?"
What I thought of this week reading this, is the fact that Christ is about to end His mortal ministry. His teachings are not unheard, and He has been teaching very clearly every second that He can in all places. So when He asks this question, perhaps He was allowing a test, a chance for them to apply everything He had taught up to this point. He had taught so many incredible attributes we can acquire and how we can truly repent and come to our Heavenly Father. He taught of the Holy Ghost, and He taught of forgiveness of sins over physical healings. Perhaps here in a way Christ wanted to give them a chance to aspire for anything, the same way He asked of the disciples of the Book of Mormon what they wanted. They received according to their desires, even though as we read in modern revelation that John and the three nephite disciples desired something greater. Maybe Christ asks us the same thing, or as Elder Holland once put it, "You can have what you want, or you can have something better."
The men respond with a petition to be healed. Obviously faith was present and I diminish that in no way, but sometimes I ask myself if Christ did not think of the incredible things they could have received had they had greater desires. In verse 34 I like the word used, "compassion". He does not joy in their desires, He does not marvel at their faith. Once again, I know these men are incredible, but I can't help but ask how many times Heavenly Father hears my lesser desires and has compassion on me. He knows what is better, and He can tell us if we ask and listen, but so many times we are so preoccupied with the immediate problem before us that I know I dont consider the greater gifts God has for me. I love Him and know that He loves us, He has compassion with our fragile wills and growing capacity to follow Him. But I want Him to feel that joy He sometimes expresses, I want Him to be proud, I don't want to be one of the ones that He will say to at the last day, "Thy will be done". I want to say those words, and I think these two men are a perfect illustration of that principle. 

This week the scripture that really hit wasn't a particular verse but rather the first few chapters from Acts. Here we have the apostles and they have the incredible charge to teach ALL nations and convert everyone, not just Jerusalem. They are to establish the Lords kingdom here on the earth and do everything they can to move it forward. Thinking about that made me wonder where I would start. If you needed to teach everyone and quickly, what is the fastest way? I don't know the answer but Peter and the others give a response that is very telling. Every time they open their mouths to teach in the first five chapters of Acts that I read this week, they preach Christ. They talk of Him, they testify of Him, they speak of His mission and His divinity. They tell everyone who that man was they saw. They only preach Him, and the results are miraculous. Literally thousands are converted and baptized and join the church and band of followers.
It made me think about the way I not only interact with my fellow human beings and brother and sisters here, it made me think about the way I share the Gospel. It isnt that complicated. We should speak of Christ and strive to know Him on the level that the apostles did, then sharing the Gospel will come naturally. People will feel the knowledge we have of our Savior and will naturally gravitate towards the additional teachings we have for the world. I love Him, and I want to speak of Him more often and come to know Him. Like Elder Andersen taught, if we are ever unsure what to say as we share with those not of our faith (or those that are too) speak of Christ. And as Elder Oaks taught recently, people usually don't want the doctrine, they want the results of the doctrine. Then once they feel those fruits, they will desire to learn the doctrine. 

As I read the scriptures and attended class this week, I was impressed by the story of Peter on the day of Pentecost in Acts 2. He gives a powerful sermon centered on Jesus Christ and is able to boldly tell the people of His divinity and glory. I have often repeated the words of the crowd back to Peter to show what conversion sounds like as they say, "Men and Brethren, what shall we do?" to which Peter exhorts them to repent and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that they can receive the Holy Ghost all there had experienced. The part that hit me while reading is what comes after, where those new converts then proceed to endure to the end and progress in their testimonies.
Verse 46 really hit me:
"And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with gladness and singleness of heart"

These new converts really were amazing. They had felt in their hearts this godly sorrow that drives us to bridge the gap and repair the breach between our Savior and us, then with the help of the apostles, they stay on the covenant pathway. Especially with Pres Nelson's address directly following the announcement of his call to be the new president of the church, he talked of staying on the covenant pathway. These converts were careful and deliberate in partaking of the sacrament and attending the temple with we can liken to our Sabbath worship and temple worship. We can liken this to not just attending those meetings, but really renewing our covenants with full purpose of heart acting with no hypocrisy. When I have done so, I have felt that same gladness and singleness of heart. I have felt joy in knowing I am closer to my Savior, and I have felt the humility and purity that comes from a clean conscience. That virtue gives us joy and singular purpose, and allows us to better love others and serve our God. The rest of the surrounding verses talk of other things we can do to persevere to the end of our lives in Christ, but I share this verse feeling that it holds particular weight with the prophetic exhortions of our day. I know that my Savior lives. I love Him so much for what He has done and is doing and will yet do for someone as low as I. I do not always feel worthy of His love but I know my worth, and I know He saves, and that He redeems, and He loves me. I feel joy in that, and pray for a singleness of heart to now serve Him.

Hi friends and those who accidentally click on this.

I was reading a lot in the Testament of John especially after the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. The apostles after talking with Christ a few times, are unclear as to what they should be doing and looking for guidance turn to Peter who says to them that he is going fishing. As I studied this chapter I reread the talk by Elder Holland entitled "The First Commandment," in the which he talks of this experience. I love the portrayal Elder Holland gives it as these slightly confused apostles go back to what they know best without a clear direction to go in. Perhaps they had heard their call, but I don't believe they felt and understood their call until this morning coming off the lake.

Elder Holland talked about these verses with such force that I will paraphrase a little of what he said. First in verse 15, it says,
"So when they had dined, Jesus saith unto Simon Peter, Simon, son of Jonas, lovest thou me more than these? He saith unto him, Yea Lord; thou knowest that I love thee."

After responding Jesus returns to ask him this question, a second and then really digging in, asks the burning question a third time. Peter, maybe thinking harder or perhaps confirming or perhaps even with equal sincerity responds to the affirmative.

Now why would Christ be asking a question like this after He had given them command to teach all nations? Here they were fishing! They were going back to what they knew best but leaving aside the weightier matters, the things that really mattered. Here they are, perhaps like I said knowing what to do but hadn't quite felt what they needed to do. So Jesus helps them to see the why in asking the question that should motivate all other things in our lives. Do you love me?

That is the reason we act. That is the reason we obey. It is the reason we strive diligently to serve and to share this Gospel and to lift all others around us to a higher plane of living. This is not an item for the backburner, this IS the flame that ignites the rest and it is fueled by that statement, Do you love me?

I will use Elder Holland's words to summarize, "What I need, Peter, are disciples—and I need them forever. I need someone to feed my sheep and save my lambs. I need someone to preach my gospel and defend my faith. I need someone who loves me, truly, truly loves me, and loves what our Father in Heaven has commissioned me to do. Ours is not a feeble message. It is not a fleeting task. It is not hapless; it is not hopeless; it is not to be consigned to the ash heap of history. It is the work of Almighty God, and it is to change the world. So, Peter, for the second and presumably the last time, I am asking you to leave all this and to go teach and testify, labor and serve loyally until the day in which they will do to you exactly what they did to me."

I know that we can be those disciples, and I choose to be changed forever by this message. I will return from my mission but I will not go back home. I will not go back to normal, I will live what I know and feel like Peter until the day I am called back to the presence of my Savior to very likely answer that same question, "Isaac, did you love me?"

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen

Hello dearest friends. This week I found something in my reading that really impacted me in the reading of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ especially the part where He is taken in before Pilate. Here He is, in front of the most powerful person in Jerusalem. He is the one that has all the power from Rome and gives the okay on all things regarding the Jews. This is the man to fear if there ever was one. Now picture Jesus Christ, He has already suffered beyond anything a man can suffer in Gethsemane for hours, and all night was being beaten and abused and tortured basically and I doubt He slept at all. So here He is in the lowest point physically someone can be in, and here is the ruler of the land and Christ doesn't even respond to his first question. Pilate almost mad asks why He isn't answering if he has the power to kill him. Christ responds, "Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin." (John 19:11).
Can't you hear the power there? What I take from this is the power that comes from being in good standing with your Heavenly Father, this is the power of personal righteousness and purity which is virtue. He had power when He talked and others could feel it. So much so, that when Pilate was talking to the crowd later he called Christ their King more than once. Later he wrote in on the plaque above His head and refused to change it when the Jews requested that they change it. Pilate truly believed and felt that this man was different, he felt the power when this man talked and knew that He was special. Any man could feel the absolute dignity and regality with which Christ composed himself, for it was power that is not learned, it is earned through His merits.
Not only did I learn of the dignity of Christ but also how interesting it is that Pilate knew that this man was the Son of God. Yes it is sad that he would be guilty of such an offense, but it is also worth noting that even a normal man could feel how special the Savior was and was willing to admit that he believed of the divinity of Christ. Would we recognize Him? Would we be willing to ignore the voices of the world to act upon those impressions? I feel that the two questions we ask and are answered here are 1. What can learn from Christ's dignity in responding? and 2. How are we like Pilate sometimes?
May we choose to live right and may we listen to the testimony of Christ the Holy Ghost imparts. 

Hello dearest friends,
This week I wanted to write a tiny bit about the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ, and a scripture we often quote but takes on so much more significance the more I learned about it. We know that the Christ child was born in a stable "because there was no room for them in the inns." I love this because as you look at the Greek root word for inns, Luke wasn't talking about the inns like taverns. The root word refers to the living quarters or room in the space where people stay, most likely family. Especially taking into consideration that they were in their home town and visiting, they had relatives there that would let them stay on a normal occasion. However, even for a pregnant woman, there was no room in their relatives' houses? Why? Because Mary was pregnant out of wedlock before being wed and therefore would have been a social outcast among her own family, and THAT is the reason there was room for them in the inns.

Our teacher brought up a good point that Mary had done nothing wrong, and quite to the contrary was actually highly favored in the sight of God so why the backlash? Mary was trying her best to live the way she should and still was cast out by those she loved. How many times are we like this, where when we are trying to live our best we are still not accepted by the rest. The others in our lives, even those we love dearly and are family can cast us out or cause us to feel pain. However, Mary still did what was right, and that is the point I am trying to share: being in favor with God doesn't always mean being in favor with your fellow men. God loves us so much and wants us to do the things we have asked us, since they will be always for our benefit and growth. And when we live right, although we will have the assurance that we are living according to our Heavenly Father's pleas, we won't always be popular. We won't always be the most accepted or welcomed person, because our Savior wasn't either. And can the servant be greater than the Master? We follow Him with trust and meekness, submitting our will to His and choosing first always the things of God without regard to what others may be thinking or saying. We choose to live right regardless of what others may say. Then we will hear those words from the Person who matters most, if not the only the matters, "Well done my good and faithful servant."

As I did my readings this week and worked on my project to fully study one chapter in depth, I chose to read John 4 multiple times to better understand that chapter that helped shape my mission and come to understand better the way the Savior teaches and loves. One verse that really stuck out to me this time was the verse 24, specifically the Joseph Smith Translation of it. To give it context, The Savior uses a perfect visual metaphor of living water at noonday to the woman to peak her interest and see how sincere she was about learning, especially given that He was a Jew. She has true desires so they talk and Jesus with much love explains to her about how we can truly worship the Father and then in verse 24 says, "God is a Spirit." However, that makes no sense and really the translation changes it to "unto such has God promised His Spirit." This makes way more sense, especially looking at how Jesus described the living water as something that would stay inside and burst forth and grow into eternal life. That is the Spirit, with the divine role to be with us always and help bring us back home. That is why Paul later describes it as the "earnest" of the Spirit, since it is a guarantee that Heavenly Father is serious about His promise of a large reward even the infinite gift of eternal life. So that is what Jesus was trying to teach at this time, He was trying to show this wonderful faith-filled woman the ultimate gift of the Holy Ghost and how through sincere worship she can have that and "will never thirst."

I love this promise and sublimely simple yet powerful lesson He chose to teach someone who was living well and had faith. He did not rebuke her, but instead taught her of this incredible gift that He had come to bring and invited her to live in such a way that she could have it. That is what I want, I want to always be worthy of the gift of the Holy Ghost, not just the influence. I don't want to just feel Him there, I want that living water bursting up inside of me, growing and changing me, and leading me to my Heavenly Father again. If we can live with a spirit of worship, that is what the Father has promised us. He gives us that gift as we make covenants and strive to live them with exactness. He loves us and wants each of us to have that living water. I desire that and want to live in a way that will make my Father proud. I love Him. 

Recently this week I have been reading from the New Testament and trying to understand better the Saviors life. As I read, a certain passage really impacted me in a way that I hadnt understood before, which is in John 10:38. In the past I thought to myself that the Pharisees must have been so blind and so hard-hearted to see such miracles and testimonies and all the while be plotting how to kill Him. While I don't know how I would have reacted in their situation, what really hit me is how this applies to what I am living in my own life. Christ says that "though ye believe not me, believe the works." It made me think of the many times I have disobeyed willfully the commandments that He gave us, or those times I didnt act on an impression and hesitated instead. It brought back times where I have wandered or doubted or simply felt weak and far away from my Savior. Though we sometimes struggle to walk by faith, Christ doesnt just say believe because I say so, but rather that we should believe the works.
What are those works in our lives? How has Heavenly Father shown us evidences of His love towards us? Maybe it is those tender mercies and little miracles that abound. Maybe it is our testimony we felt during a song or talk or while bearing it to others. Those sweet manifestations of the Spirit that come so often as we recognize them. However He speaks to you, the honest and humble seeker of truth will point to times in His life that they can say He has worked in their lives. Those are the moments we must hold on to. Why? Jesus goes on to say "THAT ye may know, and believe."
Those witnesses are to give us knowledge and to lead us to trust our Savior. If we feel far, we can start by remembering those sweet time He has testified to our hearts the truthfulness of His grace and power and goodness, and that will lead us to know and believe again, enough to summon the trust to take that next step and see his goodness abound in our lives. Though I may not live in His time, I can still believe Him, see His works and follow my Shepherd. 

This week as we continued our study into our Heavenly Father and Christ's roles in the creation of man and what that means for us, we were able to study a passage in Genesis 1, verses 26 and 27. The first thing that hit me is the power in knowing from other sources as we cross compare to Abraham and Moses, that this is the point of the creation where Heavenly Father took direct part. Many parts were delegated but here Heavenly Father went with Christ to create man. As actions speak much louder than words, He showed how much we mean to Him and all He is willing to do for us. We are His work and glory and He has all His hopes in our progress and we grow towards Him. What I mean is that He is very invested into us, not just His creations but rather His offspring. When we are down, let that one sink in for a second and remember that He is very aware of us and cares a lot about what is going on. It will help us to feel His love and thereby exercise faith in His plan and the promptings of the Holy Ghost.
What really hit me as well was when we looked in class at the Hebrew roots of the words in Gen 1:26-27. Seeing that the roots actually signify the plurality of Gods involved in the creation and how it is the translation that sometimes is mixed up. As I said before it is a testament that it wasn't only Jesus involved in the creation but our Father was a very active role and the power by which it was all done. Beyond the literal denotation of the words, the fact that the original texts have been mixed up in a lot of places shows the importance of searching for truth. I learned while reading this that it is so important that we be in tune with the Holy Ghost so we can see the truth in all things and dissect truth wherever we can find it. On top of finding truth, it is important to realize the obvious that if it is not all truth then the other parts must contain error. Therefore, instead of getting caught up in the trivial of the scriptures, with other resources from God and the Holy Ghost, we can find answers to our questions and not be led astray. Knowing that truth is found in all things and has varying degrees of purity when found leads me closer to the ultimate source of pure truth and helps me not to stumble with every wind of doctrine. I love that although we do not have everything, He has given us enough to find our way. 

How many times are we sitting in a church meeting and hear the lines "I know the church is true" or "I know the Gospel is true"? Growing up it almost becomes something of habit and things we use interchangeably. Luckily as we grow older and pay more attention we learn that although both are still just as accurate as the first time we said them, the phrases mean very different things. Personally as I served a mission in Chile, I had the unforgettable experience of spending two years in the service of my Savior. They were two years where His name didn't leave my lips and anyone I met would hear my testimony of both His restored Gospel and His Church in these latter days. I loved sharing how we can all feel joy and true peace not just occasionally, but rather every day of lives as we follow Him.
Of course as we taught the missionary discussions, we would get the one called "The Gospel of Jesus Christ" and in order to help our investigators remember it with simplicity we would teach the lesson as the five things we need to do. As I served, I came to recognize that the five things, faith, repentance, baptism, receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end, were pretty useless without context and so upon further study of Preach My Gospel, we started teaching not just the five things, but we would preface each lesson with WHY we need the Gospel in our lives. We would talk of spiritual death and sin and how without reconciliation all hope is lost because of the law of justice.
However, what I feel now looking back, is that I should have focused much more on the most important part of all, the only reason those five things have any power at all, the answer to the demands of justice, the reason for hope, our Savior Jesus Christ. After all, it is not just faith that brings miracles and salvation to us, it is faith IN Jesus Christ. It is not just the Gospel or Atonement we need to implement and learn about, it is the Gospel OF Jesus Christ and His Atonement. Too often do I focus too much on the acts and gifts He has given us and not enough on who gave those gifts to us and His power to save us. After all the act of repenting isn't what saves us, and not even close. We do not merit our salvation.

No, rather we rely on the mercies of He who is powerful to save, He whose merits can rescue a sinner such as myself. His is the power. He is the good news of the Gospel.

That is what hit me as I was reading in 3 Nephi 27:13-14. Being an engineering major who switched to Biophysics, I analyze a lot and look for the cut and dry formulas that can be applied across many problems I encounter in my studies. So when I read Christ saying that He is about to explain what the Gospel is, I get excited to look for the five things He has asked us to do to be cleansed of sin. However, in verses 13-14 he doesn't start with that, but rather says that the Gospel is this:

13 Behold I have given unto you my gospel, and this is the gospel which I have given unto you—that I came into the world to do the will of my Father, because my Father sent me.

14 And my Father sent me that I might be lifted up upon the cross; and after that I had been lifted up upon the cross, that I might draw all men unto me, that as I have been lifted up by men even so should men be lifted up by the Father, to stand before me, to be judged of their works, whether they be good or whether they be evil—

He is the Gospel, which is really the Good News. The doctrine that our Savior was trying to teach in the simplest way possible is that He has come to the world. After millennia of waiting for this promised Savior to bridge the gap and lead us home as the Good Shepherd, after so much time of preaching the joy that comes through following Him, He has come! And why did He come? He came to draw all people unto himself, to lift us upon His shoulders and carry us home. For really we do not earn our salvation, but we work at living the Gospel of Jesus Christ to allow Him to cleanse us from sin and lead us back to our Heavenly home.

What a gift to know that, and I never want to forget that He is the gift and He is the answer. In all the learning and striving we do, we cannot lose our center who is Christ. As we work to improve constantly we cannot forget the news: that He has come. Let him make so much more of you. I love that He is my Savior and Redeemer and I want to obey because He has that power to save and redeem. So next time life is confusing or contradictory, at least we have a back up that is constant and all powerful, our Lord Jesus Christ.