How Far is Heaven?

There is a song that I am very fond of, I first hear it when I was in High School I was probably about a sophmore or so, the title of this song is "Heaven" by Los Lonely Boys, the song as the title states is a song about Heaven. They ask a very simple question yet one that definentaly in my mind sparked some curiosity, the question they ask is, "How far is Heaven?"

Today as i was sitting in a weekly meeting we have as missionaries and on the wall right next to the chalk board is a quote or statement that says;

"How far is Heaven? It's not very far. When you live close to God, it's right where you are."

How true is this statement? When we are living the way we should and we are keeping the commandments of God we are truley becoming closer to Heaven. There is a saying in our church that I really like it says, "Home can be a Heaven on Earth." "How far is Heaven? It's not very far."  This I truley believe, we can all make our home's a Heaven on Earth.

Happy Mother's Day!

As I have sat and pondered and written down my thoughts about Mother's Day, I have been unable to say what I want to in words. There is a song that comes to mind that I fell in love with as soon as I heard it, because it made me think of my own mother, so instead of writing a big blog, I am going to let a band named Il Divo do it for me, because they can express it better.

I am indeed very grateful for my own mom, she's done more for me than I could ever imagine. She is a very wonderful woman. My hope is that she knows how thankful I am, I have not always been the type to show how thankful I am or to listen the best. Most of the time in fact Im pretty sure she thinks I'm not listening or paying attention but I am. And I'm grateful for the wonderful example she has been in my life and continues to be. I love and cherish her. Happy Mother's Day not just to my mom, but to all the wonderful mother's around the world, without you, we would be in chaos.

Natural Beauties of the Earth

We look around us everyday and behold marvelous things that have been placed on Earth. Since spring time is coming we are now beginning to behold the beautiful flowers blooming, fields turning from brown to green right before our eyes, if you are in Montana you are watching feilds be plowed and planted, or baby calves running around their mothers in the field. Or if your a pilot in California you now get to watch from the sky people beginning to come back to the beach, you see the gorgeous mountainous terrain become greener than ever just off the coast, the cliffs with the water beating them at the bottom.

With this being said, is it possible that we could claim there is no God? How is it that anything but God could make such marvelous things? To me when I see the wonderful things of this world I think to myself how loving a Father in Heaven we have, no matter what "Natural Beauties" we look at they all testify of a loving Heavenly Father.

In the scriptures it speaks of God creating all things Lehi says this;

"And now, my sons, I speak unto you these things for your profit and learning; for there is a God, and he hath created all things, both the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are, both things to act and things to be acted upon." (2 Nephi 2:14)

During this wonderful spring season, as we begin to experience the many blessing and many beauties of this world. I encourage all of you to soak in this beauty. To go out and experience the beauty of this world for yourself, and know that there is a Father in Heaven who knows you personally! Who wants you to be happy! And who is waiting to hear from you. As we strive to live the gospel, Heavenly Father will bless us, he will help us. And most of all, he loves us!

He is Risen: Easter Affirmation

The Christmas Season is one of my favorites, because everyone is happy and loving. People care for one another, and most importantly many people think more about Christ. This season we are approaching is not the Christmas season, but it is Easter. At Easter time, it is not only a time to look at the pretty eggs left by the Easter Bunny or to find our candy hiding behind the books on the shelf, rather it is a time to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ.

There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ that I have grown very fond of because it talks about what the Lord went through or at the time will go through it says:

" And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

  And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities." (Alma 7:11-12)

To finish His Atonement King Benjamin says this:

"And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men." (Mosiah 3:10)

This is the reason we celebrate Easter, we are celebrating the things the Lord has done for us, we celebrate not his death but His Resurrection, the Lord is not dead but HE LIVES! This is my testimony to all who men and women everywhere.



"Hark, all ye nations"

In this recent General Conference the Mormon Tabernacle choir sang a song that struck me much more than it ever has before. The title of the Hymn is "Hark, all ye nations!" as you read the lyrics below please think of what these words mean to you:

"Hark, all ye nations!
Hear heaven’s voice
Thru ev’ry land that all may rejoice!
Angels of glory shout the refrain:
Truth is restored again!

Oh, how glorious from the throne above
Shines the gospel light of truth and love!
Bright as the sun, this heavenly ray
Lights ev’ry land today."

 Truth has definitely been restored to this earth, our Heavenly Father has given us a living prophet and apostles to lead and guide this church with Jesus Christ at the head. This song is fulfilled as we watch General Conference, we hear the words that Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ would have us hear. These words are not just limited to Utah or Montana or the United States, these words have been heard all over the world, along with hearing the words of the Lord from the prophet, there are also missionaries going out and about working diligently to spread this gospel so that all may hear and feel the happiness we feel. I pray that you may feel the spirit as strongly as I have while listening and reading these words.

Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ

We have talked about Heavenly Father, families, prophets, Jesus Christ's Ministry, and the great apostasy that happened here upon the Earth. All of these things happened for a reason, they all lead up to the Restoration of the gospel.

In 1820 there was a boy named Joseph Smith, he was 14 years old. He wanted to know what church was the true church. To me that is very impressive for a 14 year old, but he was interested because his mother was Presbyterian and his father was Methodist and along with that there was quite a bit of religious excitement going on around his neighborhood. Pastors and preachers that would take the same doctrine and teach it so differently, Joseph finally decided that he needed to ask for himself, he needed to know for himself whether or not he should join any of these sects of religion. One day while reading in the epistle of James first chapter fifth verse which read:

"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."

Joseph Smith took this verse to heart, in this verse James says, if you lack wisdom then ask God, he is not going to get mad, and he is going to answer the question which you've asked so this is just what he did. He went out to a grove of trees next to his home and knelt down offering a prayer to Heavenly Father and in his own words this is what he said happened:

"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 Personage, 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!"

In this account, Joseph Smith saw God the Father and His son Jesus Christ. They told him the he would be the one to restore Christ's church to the Earth. That all other sects sects of religion as good as they were, drew near to them with their Mouth but with their hearts where far from him.

I know that Joseph Smith saw Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, and that he did restore the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the Earth. It is a great blessing to be apart of this great cause in bringing the gospel to the world, this gospel is of great importance, the message that we share can and will change the lives of those who will let it.

Earthly Ministry of our Savior Jesus Christ and Apostasy

There is much to be said about the earthly ministry of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He did so many wonderful things while he was on the Earth. There is a set of versus in the Book of Mormon that explain the ministry of Christ much better than I could, and so I will post them here. In these versus, the prophet, at the time King Benjamin is giving an address to his people, teaching them the gospel of Christ and as always testifying of Christ:

"...shall come down from heaven among the children of men, and shall dwell in a tabernacle of clay, and shall go forth amongst men, working mighty miracles, such as healing the sick, raising the dead, causing the lame to walk, the blind to receive their sight, and the deaf to hear, and curing all manner of diseases. And he shall cast out devils, or the evil spirits which dwell in the hearts of the children of men." Mosiah 3:5-6

This of course is just the miracles he worked, He also performed what we call the Atonement, where He suffered for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane and later died for us up on the Cross at Calvary. Along with doing that the Savior set up a church here upon the Earth and as some know, called and ordained twelve apostles and gave them the priesthood or the "power" and "authority" to act in God's name.  

But sadly after the Savior Jesus Christ was Crucified his twelve-apostles were in fact rejected, just like their master. And as the prophet Amos prophesied of in Amos 8:11-12 where he says:

"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."

This indeed became true, the world fell into a widespread Apostasy or a time where the church was not on the Earth. And as always, the words of the prophet were fulfilled. But this leads us into what we will be talking about next, the Restoration of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.