Miracles, How Do They Work?

Magic show I put on

"A miracle is not something that violates the laws of nature, but rather its the excercise of higher laws which we don't understand to achieve a desired aim."

 -James E Talmage

Somehow, many make the assumption that believing in miracles excludes belief in the value of science and objective study.  If anything, my belief in miracles through God's power drives me to take science more seriously.

3 Ways to Know What's True

When teaching Jesus Christ's gospel as a missionary, I soon get the question "how do you know if it's true."  I've come to expect this question and know so well what it can lead to, that I'm rather disappointed if it doesn't come up on it's own.  I've found that these are the three basic things that everyone should be doing to start finding the truth about God's plan and his relationship to us.

3 Ways to know spiritual truth

• Study the doctrine in the Holy Bible and Book of Mormon, as well as the words of modern prophets.
• Live the commandments, to see how they improve and bless your life. John 7:17
• Pray in faith and ask God in the name of Christ, if the message is true. James 1:5-6

What's happened as you've tried these three things?  Can you think of anything else that has helped you to confirm the truth about God's plan for us?

Doctrine and Covenants 1:37-38

Can anyone guess which language this is?  (Don't cheat and use something like Google Translate)
Here it is in English:

Search these commandments, for they are true and faithful, and the prophecies and promises which are in them shall all be fulfilled.
What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same. [D&C 1:37-38]

It's a great scripture that I sent to a gentleman and a Saint in Slovenia, who chose despite great opposition from family and friends to follow the voice of the prophets and be baptized into Christ's reestablished Church.

The Purpose of Life - Made Simple (A Must See!)

I've served as an Mormon missionary online for nearly a year.  In that time, I've learned that having something to show makes a big difference when you've got a message to show.  I love the videos produced on the Mormons Made Simple site.  They are often the perfect thing to share with someone who has questions about our church, or isn't sure what to expect when they visit.
Recently, they launched a video that everyone should certainly find interest in, "The Purpose of Life."
Our unique understanding of the purpose of life is something that sets Mormons apart.  The answer to life, the universe, and everything is a great deal more fascinating than "42."
So sit down with a snack, be prepared to take a note or two, and enjoy the show!



This is a great clip to share with a friend.  If you have questions about this plan, and I hope you will, feel free to chat with a Mormon missionary.  Ask away.  :-D

For I am thy God.

Elder Meza asked me write this out for him last week.   For those who don't speak Spanish:

Thou whom I have taken from the ends of the earth, and called thee from the chief men thereof, and said unto thee, Thou art myservant; I have chosen thee, and not cast thee away.

 Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I amthy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness.

Isaiah 41:9-10

Unity in Testimony - Christ's Doctrine

I made this chart as a visual aid to follow what Christ said in 3 Nephi 11:32.  

  Tell me about what you see going on it it.

And this is my doctrine, and it is the doctrine which the Father hath given unto me; and I bear record of the Father, and the Father beareth record of me, and the Holy Ghost beareth record of the Father and me; and I bear record that the Father commandeth all men, everywhere, to repent and believe in me.

[3 Nephi 11:32]

Recipe for Faith

Since returning to the Missionary Training Center where I volunteer online, I haven't had the same opportunity/need to cook for myself as I did when I was in Slovenia, or as a college student.  I really enjoy cooking my own meals, and when I was in Slovenia, I'd especially enjoy cooking crepes on Sunday mornings.   Crepes are a French version of pancakes which was popular in Slovenia as well. Since my mother sent me farm fresh eggs from home, I've had a chance to make myself crepes here, and plan to make crepes again Sunday afternoon this week.  I make crepes using a recipe that my mother used my entire life which is as follows:

Recipe for Crepes

4 eggs

2 cups milk

2 cups flour

Pat of butter

Beat eggs, milk, and flower in a bowl until smooth.  Set stove to medium-low heat.  Melt butter on a frying pan and then pour about a cup of batter.  Flip when the top is no longer drippy and remove when both sides are golden brown. Top with fruit or yogurt.

As a missionaries, we study the scriptures for two hours every day after breakfast.  I must caution you that studying the scriptures right after enjoying some delicious crepes produces some interesting results such as the following:

Recipe for Faith [Hebrews 11:1]

Start with Belief (acceptance it could be true)  

 [Hebrews 11:6; Alma 32:18,26]

Mix with Hope (desire for it to be true)

 [Romans 8:24-25; Ether 12:4,32]

Show forth Works (act on what you want to see)

 [James 2:17-20; 1 Thes 1:3; Alma 37:46]

Obtain Confirmation* (evidence it is true)

 [Ether 12:6; Moroni 7:37]

*If you don't see confirmation or results, you need to check that you followed the recipe properly, putting appropriate, sincere effort in or that your ingredients were pure, meaning that you started building faith from a true principle.  Another possible complication may be that you don't know how to identify the product or that additional baking time is needed.

These principles work whether trying to find out the nature of God, finding out if something is from God, applying the scientific method, or trying to find out whether you friend's experience is what its cracked up to be.

Who do I pray to?

When I was a young man in DeMolay (a masonic group for boys), we would start every meeting, activity, and meal together with a prayer.  This was much like the practice that we carried on in my home of regular prayer as a family.  Many young men in the group, did not have a tradition of prayer in their homes, were not as familiar with it, and were far from a relationship with our Father in heaven.
When the time came to ask for God's blessing on our activity, sometimes one of those young men had never prayed before.  I loved the first question that would often arise when we talked about prayer.  "Who do I pray to?"

"How can i get a closer relationship with God?"

God is our Father heaven and he is more than willing to come closer to us, when we reach out to him.

As we often hear quoted "use it or lose it." Increasing our faith has also been described this way: "Faith is like the muscle of your arm. If you exercise it, it grows strong. If you put it in a sling and leave it there, it becomes weak." -True to the Faith

It doesn't take much faith to get more faith. The Book of Mormon teaches that if you will exercise even a particle of faith it will grow in you to become massive within you [Alma 32]. Concerning the Book of Mormon, the prophet Joseph Smith said, "a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book." The Book of Mormon teaches that the commandments Christ gave in his ministry give us an avenue for building that trust. When we keep the commandments that Christ gave we will receive the blessings in our lives he promised in return.

"But if ye keep the commandments of God, ...God is powerful to the fulfilling of all his words. For he will fulfill all his promises which he shall make unto you, for he has fulfilled his promises which he has made unto our fathers." (Alma 37:16)

As time passes, we can see that if he can keep those promises, that he can keep his other promises. That promise is that his grace is sufficient to erase our shortcomings in the eyes of our Eternal Father and allow us to return to live with him.

Some of the first things we can do to exercise our faith are to start praying and opening communication between us and our Father in heaven. As in any relationship, our trust increases when we have to rely on him.

Really a Plan of Happiness

Last November while I was serving as a missionary Slovenia, my mission president called me to let me know that my grandmother had died the night before.

"If the bible is the word of god, why wasnt it given to man the minute he was created, if god knew all things?" (sic)

Because since the beginning, God has revealed things little by little as the world at large is willing to listen to more of what he has to say. It is known historically, that the Bible was not given to us by God in one lump sum. Instead, starting with Adam, each prophet wrote things down, and they were compiled together by prophets and leaders that came later.