For some strange reason I woke up thinking about Pizza this morning. Actually those who know will not find that strange at all. I love pizza and could almost survive on pizza and nothing else without tiring of it.
Moving on I was thinking of pizza in relation to life with and without the gospel of Jesus Christ. Weird? Let me explain.
My introduction to pizza was when a young boy back in the 60's (1960's). My mother would buy Juno's Pizza Mix and make our family pizza for dinner. I liked it, it was good....but, steak was better.
My sister began dating and went to a pizza restaurant. She came home all excited about how delicious pizza was and it was her new favorite food. I thought, "how good can it be?"
It was a few years later before I found out on my own. My best friend, Fotu, began working at Pipes-N-Pizza. A few months later I also was hired on there. It was here I first tasted a real pizza. WOW!!!!!!
I was hooked!
This was the best food ever! What's steak?
Now the comparison. Many people live life without the Gospel of Jesus Christ, namely as it has been restored to the earth and organized as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. They get along in life and enjoy life. I have always been a member of the Church but we believe that ever person must come to KNOW for themselves whether it is true or not. This is accomplished through study and prayer. As I read the Book of Mormon for myself and knelt to ask God if it was true, I received a witness by the power of the Holy Ghost that it is true. It changed my life and enhanced my life. I have had the chance to share it with other people and watched how it has changed their lives.
One can be happy and enjoy life without the gospel/Church, but as God says, true happiness and peace are gifts reserved for those who are faithful followers of Jesus Christ, keeping His commandments, standing as a witness of Him at all times and in all places.
This is what I have experienced and witnessed in the lives of others.
Other religions can be of good influence but the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ containing the fulness of His gospel opens up a whole new fulness in life.
That is why we send out missionaries. We invite others to come and taste it for themselves. There is nothing to fear. Nothing to loose. Only something to gain.
In our Church we do not try to take others faith away from them...but enhance it, making it brighter and more joyful.
Try it.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Friday, October 4, 2013
Falling out of bed.
Years ago I heard a talk with this quote which impressed me. "Why do people fall away from the Church? For the same reason they fall out of bed...they are not in it far enough.
In the Book of Mormon the prophet Alma teaches how to develop faith, in Alma chapter 32. He teaches that faith can be developed and one can come to know truth and compares it to planting a seed and nurturing it. If it is a good seed it begins to grow and will grow into a strong plant. If not nurtured...it may still be a good seed but dies due to lack of attention. He goes on to teach that this is not just for people who want to develop faith but is a lifelong process to keep us strong in our faith.
I work with a lot of people in the Church. It is easy to know who will eventually quit going to church or to tell which will complain and be a little rebellious. They are those who do not read the scriptures and pray daily. They figure attending church once a week should fill all of their spiritual needs. When they have problems they usually blame it on the Church or on God...it is not their fault, or they wonder...why me?
Everyone of us will have challenges in life, challenges that test our faith and testimony of the gospel. In the early days of the Church Oliver Cowdrey began to have some questions...even after seeing an angel of God and the Gold Plates. The Lord through Joseph Smith told him to cast his mind back to the hour he first believed: "Did I not speak comfort to your soul, did I not cause your bosom to burn?"
The Book of Mormon often uses the words...remember. We are also promised that if we will study the scriptures daily and pray daily...more than once, in fact keeping a prayerful heart that we will be given power to rise above all our challenges and temptations.
There is nothing wrong with having questions...if we are willing to seek the answers. Often we want God to come down and answer our prayers as He did for Joseph Smith. When God gives us answers: through the scriptures, through prophets or even past personal prayers, He expects us to use those things to find answers...we need to do our part, to search and then ask for confirmation of their truth. Then He will send the comforter to give us the assurance and comfort we need.
God can see down the road and over the horizon. He has given us all we need to know Him and His gospel...for salvation. It is available to us. He has done this because of His love for us and His desire to help us through this journey called life. And, He has commanded us to pray daily and ask for the things of which we are in need....in other words to recognize our need for Him and to be grateful for His daily help. As we do this we remain humble and our faith in Him grows and grows to be a strong and healthy plant and we never need to worry about falling out of bed.
Years ago I heard a talk with this quote which impressed me. "Why do people fall away from the Church? For the same reason they fall out of bed...they are not in it far enough.
In the Book of Mormon the prophet Alma teaches how to develop faith, in Alma chapter 32. He teaches that faith can be developed and one can come to know truth and compares it to planting a seed and nurturing it. If it is a good seed it begins to grow and will grow into a strong plant. If not nurtured...it may still be a good seed but dies due to lack of attention. He goes on to teach that this is not just for people who want to develop faith but is a lifelong process to keep us strong in our faith.
I work with a lot of people in the Church. It is easy to know who will eventually quit going to church or to tell which will complain and be a little rebellious. They are those who do not read the scriptures and pray daily. They figure attending church once a week should fill all of their spiritual needs. When they have problems they usually blame it on the Church or on God...it is not their fault, or they wonder...why me?
Everyone of us will have challenges in life, challenges that test our faith and testimony of the gospel. In the early days of the Church Oliver Cowdrey began to have some questions...even after seeing an angel of God and the Gold Plates. The Lord through Joseph Smith told him to cast his mind back to the hour he first believed: "Did I not speak comfort to your soul, did I not cause your bosom to burn?"
The Book of Mormon often uses the words...remember. We are also promised that if we will study the scriptures daily and pray daily...more than once, in fact keeping a prayerful heart that we will be given power to rise above all our challenges and temptations.
There is nothing wrong with having questions...if we are willing to seek the answers. Often we want God to come down and answer our prayers as He did for Joseph Smith. When God gives us answers: through the scriptures, through prophets or even past personal prayers, He expects us to use those things to find answers...we need to do our part, to search and then ask for confirmation of their truth. Then He will send the comforter to give us the assurance and comfort we need.
God can see down the road and over the horizon. He has given us all we need to know Him and His gospel...for salvation. It is available to us. He has done this because of His love for us and His desire to help us through this journey called life. And, He has commanded us to pray daily and ask for the things of which we are in need....in other words to recognize our need for Him and to be grateful for His daily help. As we do this we remain humble and our faith in Him grows and grows to be a strong and healthy plant and we never need to worry about falling out of bed.
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