Man's Best Friend

   No, I am not talking about the one that wags his tail when you get home and begs to play outside and chews up your couch. I am talking about a guide. This guide can be our best friend, if we let him...
   There are a lot of misconceptions about the Holy Ghost. What is it? Or who is it? What does he/it do? Why is he/it important? A lot of churches teach different things about his role. (Yes, I am going to refer to the Holy Ghost as "he").
   He is the 3rd member of the Godhead. Yes, they are separate beings: God the Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost. They all are separate beings but work as "one" in purpose. The role of the Holy Ghost is to show us truth. John 14:26 says: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." He is there to guide us and teach us. But only if we let him. There are a few requirements on our part in order to receive this guide or "comforter." Peter in the book of Acts says "...repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38). In order to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, we must be repent and be baptized. But that baptism must come by the proper authority, as does the reception of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. We need the Holy Ghost in order to get through this life. He is like the flashlight that helps us see the path in front of us. We can avoid a lot of bumps and holes in the road by his guidance. He is that little voice that whispers "Don't do that" when you are about to do something wrong. He is also the feeling of joy and love when you are keeping the commandments and staying on the path. He testifies to us of truth. But here's the catch....
    We must always be worthy in order to receive his guidance and inspiration. He does not dwell in "unholy places" as the scriptures say. Elijah describes the Holy Ghost as a still small voice. If we are too busy or too preoccupied, we will miss it. In the Book of Ether, the Lord says "for ye shall remember that my Spirit will not always strive with man." (Ether 2:15). The Spirit will not fight for our attention. If we don't pay heed to his whisperings, he will discontinue dwelling within us. He is like Jiminy Cricket from the movie "Pinocchio." He tries to guide Pinocchio to do the right things, but ultimately the choice is his whether or not to do it. Jiminy lets him do his own thing after a while because he was tired of Pinocchio not listening to him. Such it is with the Holy Ghost...It is also like a quarterback in football. His team is on the road, playing in the opponent's stadium. That crowd can get loud. If the crowd is too loud, the QB will not be able to call the play right, and the offense gets confused or it will result in a penalty. If our lives are too "loud" for the Holy Ghost, he can't call the play. He can't lead you to victory. Quiet the crowd a little and listen to him. You might want to listen to what he has to say. He is always guiding you in the direction your Heavenly Father wants you to go. He truly can be "man's best friend"...If you let him!

The Gift of Time

  Our Heavenly Father has given us many gifts. He has given us everything we have. One of the greatest assets is the gift of time.
 Do we use this gift wisely?
   Elder Ian S. Ardern of the Seventy said "time is never for sale. ("A Time to Prepare" Ian S. Ardern, Ensign Nov. 2011). There are many great ways to use this great gift of time that is so precious and priceless. How often do we pass the time doing useless things such as video games, watching TV sitcoms, sleeping too late, and many more unproductive activities? Time is precious.
   Today's world is a world of chaos, commotion and instant gratification. It may be hard at times to "stop and smell the roses" as they say. It can be pretty easy to be spread too thin. But from time to time, we need to check ourselves to make sure our priorities are in order. How often everyday are we giving ourselves time for scripture study? Personal prayer? I'm not talking about the prayer in the morning where you turn off the alarm and get on your knees and fall asleep again in the prayer position by your bed. I'm talking about a sincere conversation with our Heavenly Father. How often to we do that? He wants to here from us. He has given us everything, can't we give just a little time each day back to Him? The job that you commute to frantically...He gave you that. The kids you run around taking care of...He gave you those. The technology you always play around with...He blessed you with that. He has so richly blessed us. We must devote time to Him.
   Now, nobody is perfect and I ain't saying I am. We all do things that might need to be lowered on our priority list. At the same time, God wants us to be happy and not be so stressed. He is happy when we are happy. Even when it's a simple pleasure such as going to a baseball game. There's nothing wrong with that. But we must be careful with what consumes our time. There must be a balance to everything we do. Leave enough time for family, for work, physical exercise, relaxation, but most importantly the things pertaining to the gospel. We owe it to our Heavenly Father. He loves us so much and He wants us back. He wants us to be happy. I promise that we will find happiness as we devote more time to our Father in Heaven.

Let God Help

   I have been very blessed to see a lot of success in Ridgeland, SC. The miracles seem to pour in unceasingly. Every time I see someone get baptized, it strengthens my testimony of the reality of this gospel. This past Sunday, Melissa was baptized. She is a great example of faith. I have never seen anyone who wanted a remission of their sins as badly as she did. She left so much behind and left so much at the mercy of the Lord. She truly trusts in her Heavenly Father. I have never seen anything quite like it.
   Trusting in our Heavenly Father is something we can all do more. How much do we rely on ourselves? Nephi in the Book of Mormon teaches us that it's better to trust the Lord than the "arm of the flesh" (see 2 Nephi 4:34-35). We as humans are very prone to only trust ourselves and in our own  abilities. This is especially true in men. We tell ourselves "I don't need help. I'm fine. I can handle this on my own." Don't lie to yourself. Be humble enough to get on your knees and ask your Almighty Father for help. He will help us. He is so willing and ready to help us...but we need to ask Him.
    We need to trust in Him even when it seems all is working against us. Think of the story of Job. He lost his house, his family was killed, he was afflicted with all sorts of physical ailments, and he lost his property. Yet he said  "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him: but I will maintain mine own ways before him." (Job 13:15). We can talk to Him about anything. Our prayers are supposed to be sincere and from the heart, not anything memorized or without feeling. Talk to Him as you would talk to your best friend about your problems. He will listen. He wants to help. All you have to do is let Him...
   Prayer is an amazing gift from our Heavenly Father. It is a direct communication with Him, there is no middle man, you don't have to wait to get signal. You always have signal with Heavenly Father. You are never roaming alone. All you have to do is ask the Father in the name of Christ in faith, and "whatsoever ye shall ask...it shall be given unto you." (3 Nephi 18:20). Let God help, ask Him in prayer for anything. He always answers, He never rejects or ignores your call. He listens. He knows you, He loves you, and He wants to help. Let Him.

New meaning of Spring

      I can't believe it is already April! Throughout my life, as April approached my thoughts would turn towards baseball season. The green grass, the pop of the gloves, the ping of the metal bats, the smell of the spring air. Now that I am a missionary, I have come to understand something far more important about the spring season. It's not only a symbol of a new baseball season, but more importantly a symbol to new life through Jesus Christ's Atonement and Resurrection. Though baseball still runs through my veins, I have come to deeply appreciate the spring as a symbol of Christ's eternal love for all of us. He died for us. He also lives for us. We will celebrate Easter this Sunday. We really should celebrate Christ the whole week, or better yet, our whole lives.
    Where would we be without Christ?....The Book of Mormon prophet Nephi tells us where: "...for behold, if the flesh should rise no more our spirits must become subject to that angel who fell from before the presence of the Eternal God, and became the devil, to rise no more." (2 Nephi 9:8-9). Not a fun place, that is for sure. Christ redeemed us from eternal torment. He died and lives again, so that we may live again after we die. (see 2 Nephi 2:8). That is the whole point of Easter. He lives!
    Because He died for us, we all will be resurrected, granting us immortality. But it doesn't stop there. Everyone gets immortality, evil and righteous, male and female. God's work and His glory is to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). The immortality AND eternal life of man. Eternal life is different than immortality. Christ gave us all immortality as a gift from Him. Eternal life is something we must earn. We "must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men." We must also "endure to the end," and if we do that, God tells us that we "shall have eternal life" (see 2 Nephi 31:20).
    I know that my Redeemer lives. I know that through Him, I can be saved if I do my part. We all can, if we do our part. Our part is to follow His teachings and keep all of His commandments. He has set the example, we all must follow it. Spring means more to me than just baseball. It means I might live again, through Christ, my Savior.