Come Listen To A Prophet's Voice!

In the words of my mother (and a movie that will remain nameless)- "The time has come, the walrus said, to talk of many things! Like [prophets], [conference], and all those other things!"

Every six months, God's living prophets and apostles speak to His church. This has been known as General Conference. In giving a background to the history of church conferences, Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve has said,

"Conferences have always been part of the true Church of Jesus Christ. Adam gathered his posterity and prophesied of things to come. Moses gathered the children of Israel and taught them the commandments he had received. The Savior taught multitudes gathered both in the Holy Land and on the American continent. Peter gathered believers in Jerusalem. The first general conference in these latter days was convened just two months after the Church was organized, and conferences have continued to this very day."

(https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/10/general-conference-strengthening-faith-and-testimony?lang=eng&query=)

So, what do we talk about that takes us two days, and four sessions? There is a lot that we come to learn! Just as in times of old, these men have been called to be a witness of the glory of Chirst, and to teach us what our Heavenly Father needs us to know at this time. From the same talk, Elder Hales explains how the speakers figure out what to say.

"These conferences are always under the direction of the Lord, guided by His Spirit. We are not assigned specific topics. Over weeks and months, often through sleepless nights, we wait upon the Lord. Through fasting, praying, studying, and pondering, we learn the message that He wants us to give."

Just as in times of old, God directs his people today through revelation.  Through that revelation, we are reminded of the love that our Heavenly Father has for us, what we are doing well in our lives, and what we need to do in order to follow the example Jesus Christ set for us more perfectly. I always come away from General Conference feeling more at peace because the Holy Spirit helps me to know, from what the speakers are directed to say, what I need to do to become who God needs me to be.

Sometimes though, those ideas just stay in our heads unless we do something about it. I heard a fabulous, short parable a few weeks ago that puts this concept into perspective...

The Parable of the Turkeys!

Once upon a time, a turkey who had figured out to fly gathered together all of his friends and family. He was so excited about what he had learned, that he spent the whole day teaching his friends and family how to fly. They spent all day in good fun, soaring over the fence of their coop and then back. As the sun started to set, the turkeys decided that it was time to wrap it up. They all walked home together.

I hope that you found the same good humor in that as I did. They walked home! Just after they had learned this amazing skill...they walked! How often do we do that? Do we learn something incredible, marvel at the genius of it, and then leave it at that?  The things that we learn are no good unless we apply them!

As we approach the time for General Conference, I would encourage each of you to begin to prepare now by thinking of a question that you have. It can be a question about a concern, a life question, or even the question of whether God knows who you are or not. I promise you are not the only one who has wondered that. I did at one point, and it was during General Conference that I got my answer that God truly does know me and my needs. I promise you that as you get ready to receive answers during Conference, and if you listen intently, the Holy Ghost will help you to recognize your answer. I promise you that answers will come if they are sought after with real intent, and are acted upon! I love General Conference. I testify that as you act on what you learn, you will be incredibly blessed with the things that God knows you need. This is not a chance you will want to miss out on! =)

Times and Channels for Conference

Saturday and Sunday, April 5 and 6, 2014, with general sessions each day at 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. mountain daylight time (MDT)

	General Conference Website Video in 19 languages
	LDS General Conference YouTube Channel Video in English, Spanish, and Portuguese
	BYUtv Video and audio in English only
	BYUtv International  Video and audio in Spanish and Portuguese
	Mormon Channel Website Video and audio in English and Spanish
	Mormon Channel Mobile Apps Video and audio in English and Spanish
	Mormon Channel on Roku Video in English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, and ASL.
	Facebook.com/LDS Video in English only

A God Of Miracles!

In my most recent studies, I have made more of an effort to study the Bible and the Book of Mormon together. It is so amazing! It has strengthened my testimony of the divinity of Christ, and God's love for us.

My family! I see God through them all the time =)

God is our loving Heavenly Father. He is happy with us, and sad with us. He desires nothing but the very best for His children! Because of that desire, He has blessed us to come down to earth to learn and grow. He has a plan for us, and that plan is centered on Jesus Christ. Another major part of that plan was to gain a family. When a family is centered on the gospel of Jesus Christ (faith, repentance, baptism, having the gift of the Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end), they can be strengthened and unified. A family is the best place to teach and learn the principles of Christ's teachings. It is through prophets that we learn of the plan that God has for us and our families.

Prophets are men called of God, who are given the priesthood (or the authority to act in the name of God for the salvation of His children) to lead and direct His people. In the book of Amos, we read that,

"Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth his secret unto his servants, the prophets."

(Amos 3:7)

The prophets learn the gospel of Christ through revelation, and in turn, teach it to His children. They are witnesses of God & Jesus Christ as our Savior and Redeemer. Through out time, God will call a prophet such as Moses, Abraham, Jeremiah, and Noah to teach His people what they should do. Over time, the people make the choice to reject the prophets and their teachings. This is a state called apostasy. Whenever the choice is made to reject God's prophets, God will withdraw his priesthood authority for a time until the people are ready to listen again. Because God loves us, He will return to us prophets and priesthood so that we can learn how to return to live with Him. This pattern of God calling prophets, prophets being rejected and removed, and God calling another prophet after a time is something we see over and over again as we read the Bible.

All of the prophets taught of Jesus Christ, and bore powerful witness to His divine mission. In the Book of Mormon, a prophet named Jacob stated,

"For, for this intent have we written these things, that they may know that we knew of Christ, and we had a hope of his glory many hundred years before his coming; and not only we ourselves had  hope of his glory, but also all the holy prophets which were before us."

(Jacob 4:4)

When Christ came to the earth as the Son of God, He came to do the will of his Father in heaven. During His earthly ministry, Jesus Christ preformed many miracles such as healing the lame, giving sight to the blind, and raising the dead through priesthood authority. He was also baptized by John the Baptist, in order to show us the way. He taught his gospel, and called twelve apostles. He ordained them, and gave them authority to teach his gospel, preform saving ordinances, and establish His church on the earth. Christ also preformed the atonement, where He took upon himself the sins and pains of the world. After He had done all His Father had required of Him, the people rejected and crucified Christ. 

After Christ's death, His apostles were also persecuted. Many of them were killed. With their death, the priesthood authority of God was again removed from the earth. The world then entered a great apostasy. This time was prophesied by Amos when he said,

"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord God, that I will send a famine in the land, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of the Lord: And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to the east, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of the Lord, and shall not find it."

(Amos 8: 11-12)

The apostles had been able to keep the doctrine of Christ pure, but with the absence of priesthood direction, the teachings of Christ began to be changed. Without revelation, people relied on their own wisdom to figure out what the scriptures and other doctrines meant. Many people known as reformers sought greater spiritual guidance, even speaking of a needed restoration. However, known of them claimed to be prophets. These movements opened the way for our Heavenly Father to once again bless his children with the fullness of His gospel. When the time was right, God again called a prophet to lead and guide his children.

In 180, a young boy named Joseph Smith was living in Palmyra, New York. At the time, there were many religious conflicts. His family was very religious, and so they attended many churches. Joseph often wondered which one was correct, because each seemed to look at a passage of scripture very differently. He knew that, in Ephesians, it states that,

 "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism..." 
(Ephesians 4:4-5)

In a quest to find an answer for himself, he turned to the Bible. One day, he was reading the epistle of James, chapter one, verse five. This particular verse encourages all to ask God for wisdom if they need it, and He will give it to them freely. Joseph Smith, from his own account, said,

"Never did any passage of scripture come with more power to the heart of man than this did at this time to mine. It seemed to enter with great force into every feeling of my heart. I reflected on it again and again, knowing that if any person needed wisdom from God, I did; for how to act I did not know...At length I came to the conclusion that I must either remain in darkness and confusion, or else I must do as James directs, that is, ask of God. I at length came to the determination to “ask of God,” concluding that if he gave wisdom to them that lacked wisdom, and would give liberally, and not upbraid, I might venture."

(Joseph Smith History 1:12-13)

On a beautiful spring morning, Joseph went to a grove of trees, and offered up his first vocal prayer in his life. As he prayed, he received an answer as James had promised. As you read his account, pay attention to how if feels to do, and what thoughts you have as you read. In his own words, Joseph says,

I kneeled down and began to offer up the desires of my heart to God...I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me...When the light rested upon me I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

(Joseph Smith History 1: 15-17)

God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith. As he posed his question, They told him that none of the churches were completely correct, because they no longer had clear doctrine, or priesthood authority. They told Joseph Smith that, in time, he would be called to be a prophet to bring forth Christ' original church.

Later in his life, other heavenly messengers such as Peter, James, John, and John the Baptist appeared to Joseph Smith. They conferred upon him the authority they had held on earth to preform all saving ordinances. With that authority given to him, Joseph called twelve apostles and organized Christ's church on the earth once more. That authority has continued since then, with Thomas S. Monson as the living prophet today. 

God knew that the Bible would be changed, so through Joseph Smith He brought forward another volume of scripture known as the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ (see my post called "Ask, and Ye Shall Find"). It is a companion to the Bible, and gives us the fullness of Christ's gospel once again. It is also evidence that Joseph Smith truly was a prophet of God. It contains a record of the people living on the American continent 600 years before the birth of Christ, and 400 years after His death. After Christ was resurrected, He appeared to those living in the Americas. That account can be found in the Book of Mormon.

In order to know the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, one must read, ponder, and sincerely pray about it. The Book of Mormon is a book with a promise. In it, we read that,

 "...when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things."        (Moroni 10: 4-5)

I testify that God has again reached out in love to us as His children. The gospel of Jesus Christ has again been restored to the earth! There are living prophets who speak to us today. I have gained my own testimony of this by reading the Book of Mormon, and earnestly asking God if it is true. I cannot deny the feelings of peace and comfort that come to me as I follow Moroni's promise. I extend that same invitation to you. I promise that if you will read and pray with an honest heart, God will answer you!

Do You Trust Him?

This morning as I was studying, I was struck by the simple principle of trust. A story in the Book of Mormon tells us of a time when the people demanded signs and wonders before they could believe in the coming of Christ. Even though they had seen so many wonderful things, they stated that

"...it is not reasonable that such a being as a Christ shall come...But behold, we know that this is a wicked tradition, which has been handed down unto us by our fathers, to cause us that we should believe in some great and marvelous thing which should come to pass...we cannot witness with our own eyes that they are true."

- Helaman 16: 18-20, pg. 406

Note how they say that "cannot" witness. They have been seeing all of these great signs, but because of their lack of faith, they are not truly seeing. How many times do we see something, without truly seeing it? How many times does God bless us with a tender mercy, and because of it's simplicity, we deny that it as divine? The time we spend in mortality requires that we walk by faith rather than by sight. Most of the miracles that happen will not be what we term as "massive", but they will be simple and plain things. If we do not trust God with every fiber of our being, we will be unable to truly see what He does for us. If we do not trust in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, we will be unable to understand the love that God has for us. Our inability to recognize God's hand in our life comes from our lack of trust.

Do you trust Him? Not just in the general sense, but do you trust Him with all that you have? Do you trust Him enough to step into the fog, and accept the future that He has planned for you? Even though we may not be able to physically see Him there with us, do you trust Him enough to make choices that would make you worthy to stand in his presence? Do you trust in Him enough to recognize the small tender mercies He blesses you with daily, that lift you closer and closer to the divine potential that you carry within you? The more we trust our Heavenly Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, the more we will understand that the blessings we receive will come perfectly in the way that we need them, and in the perfect time that we need them.

If we could trust in God the way that He needed us to, we would be amazed by what would otherwise go unnoticed around us. I have come to trust my Father in heaven enough to know that He really is there. He is very aware of us, and knows how to help us in whatever we need. The moment we begin to trust is Him is when we will truly have our eyes open to the truly miraculous blessings that are around us. We will see the true meaning in the plain and simple. I testify that He is there. Christ lives, and as we have faith in Him, we will be more aware of the times where He catches us and places us back on our feet. Like the Israelites of old, look to God, and live!