Faith to serve (or beat the aliens)

Today I had the opportunity to share some of my thoughts on faith and experiences from my mission in sacrament meeting at church. I shared a similar talk three times before in congregations near my home. Maybe next time I get asked to talk I should write a new talk instead of recycling an old one. However, I like sharing this.

Returned home from unique mission

• Served 8 months in Slovenia/Croatia
• 14 months in Referral Center Mission

As the first principle of the Gospel. Faith is a principle of power. It gives power to enable all the other principles. How powerful is faith?

• Apostle Paul gives us example“Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.” Hebrews 11:33-34
  
• With faith the Lord can help us beat the oncoming alien onslaught (pause for laughter)

Become independent...

• If we can take care of ourselves, we leave ourselves more open to receive revelation
• Have independent personal testimony
• Know the scriptures and read the Book of Mormon

D&C 84:85- "Neither take ye thought beforehand what ye shall say; but treasure up in your minds continually the words of life, and it shall be given you in the very hour that portion that shall be meted unto every man."

• Eggs served at MTC are the same as at Scout Camp- If you can survive scout camp, you can survive a mission.

To gain faith in the Lord we need to serve him:

For how knoweth a man the master whom he has not served, and who is a stranger unto him, and is far from the thoughts and intents of his heart? Mosiah 5:13

I gained experience with this on a mission. When walking through a thick, depressing fog with a
Zone Leader, I was asked, "how do you stay so optimistic when the weather and our lack of success are so depressing." I quoted Buckaroo Bonzai, rocket-scientist, brain surgeon, rock-star comic book hero from the cheesy 80s movie my dad would make me wath, the Adventures of Buckaroo Bonzai across the eighth dimension, "No matter where you go, there you are [in the lord's service]."

I broke my foot in slovenia, walking 15-25 miles daily, and how Elder Nelson, a podiatrists son saved my foot from further injury. I shared how I was going to be sent home, and the reassurance that I received after reading D&C 50: 40-42]

40 Behold, ye are little children and ye cannot bear all things now; ye must grow in grace and in the knowledge of the truth.41 Fear not, little children, for you are mine, and I have overcome the world, and you are of them that my Father hath given me;42 And none of them that my Father hath given me shall be lost.

Trust in Lord provided means to finish my mission.

I was transferred to the Referral Center where I could continue serving online. I had to accept the assignment on blind faith, not knowing what to expect until I arrived there.

Missionary work is being performed through Mormon.org chat, Facebook, Skype, Instant Messenger. Most lessons were typed rather than spoken.

[Joke about asking to have a projector set up and type out my talk rather than delivering it verbally.]

Can you feel the spirit over chat?

Can you feel the Spirit when you read scriptures, Ensigns, conference talks and other inspired printed communications?

The Referral Center Mission has the highest number of baptisms per missionary bringing gospel to all the world. This is fulfillment of the command to “Go ye unto all the world and preach the gospel unto every creature.” Mark 16:15

All who seek full happiness can find it in the gospel of Jesus Christ, taught in His Church. Through Christ’s doctrine, we are taught that we can be part of the great plan of happiness that He has prepared for all of us, His sons and daughters. As we keep His commandments, we are blessed and come to know true happiness. We learn that happiness lies in doing small things that build up, that increase our faith and testimony. - Elder Claudio Costa

Jaz vem da Jezus Kristus je naš Odrešenik in da On

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.

Testify of Christ: Second Session

As shared in my last post, the primary purpose of modern prophets and apostles is to testify of Christ and stand as witnesses of him and his resurrection.  This morning I studied my notes from the April 2011 LDS General Conference and gathered up what was shared about Christ as these prophets and apostles filled this role.

Returned with Honor

Over the weekend, in a rather hectic trip over to the post office to ship a package, I ran into a return missionary who baptized one of the great guys that I taught as an online missionary when I had barely started out back in March 2010. In fact, Jon, to whom he helped me extend the opportunity to be baptized in Jesus Christ's name, also gained answers about our purpose in life, that only come from Jesus Christ's gospel.

Part of online missionary work is that we rely so much on the missionaries who are there in person.  Learning about the gospel on the internet is a wonderful opportunity thanks to the technology that we have today.  However, it only does so much compared to face-to-face contact.  Missionaries like Elder Kirkpatrick and his companions brought a face to the gospel for Jon.   Along with myself, they shared our purpose and how to have the joy that comes from following Jesus Christ and his servants he's sent to guide us today.
Whether you're ready to meet representative of Jesus Christ face-to-face, or would like to learn a bit first, we can help.

We Learn By Doing

I love this quote which my mother sent me.  I've been carrying it around in my jacket pocket for months and felt like sharing it today.  This quote from the prophet Spencer W Kimball is so important to me because it ties in three of my favorite scriptures with my purpose as a missionary and with the service I will render in  Christ's Church my whole life. 

Elder M. Russell Ballard - Follow the Doctrine and Gospel of Christ

As much as I love fly fishing, I've never been good at it. Thus, I probably wouldn't be good at the Devil's job either. What really matters is the job we've got head of us as we try to avoid the devil's lures....

Another Gospel

Well of Janez Nepomuk in Kranj, Slovenia

Galatians 1

  6 I marvel that ye are so soon removed from him that called you into the grace of Christ unto another gospel:

  7 Which is not another; but there be some that trouble you, and would pervert the gospel of Christ.

  8 But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed.

  9 As we said before, so say I now again, If any man preach any other gospel unto you than that ye have received, let him be accursed.

And what is the gospel that Jesus Christ preached?

Gospel means good news, and the gospel of Jesus Christ is his good news of what he's done.   That he lived, suffered and died for our sins, and rose from the dead never to die again.

The Galatians fell way from those simple truths, and much of the world had been led away as they had.  Paul was right to marvel at this, because it's always distressing to watch anyone drift away from the blessings that come from Christ's doctrine at work in a life.  It is certainly a curse to be without that sacred knowledge or to live without the hope that comes from Jesus Christ.

Our Example Jesus Christ

"Do what I say, not what I do." 

We can all be guilty of this sort of hypocrisy at times when we expect more from others than from ourselves.   Instead we should be an example in all that we do.

Our Savior Jesus Christ was an amazing example to us.