The importance of Agency!!

Agency is the ability and privilege God gives us to choose and to act for ourselves. Agency is essential in the plan of salvation. Without it, we would not be able to learn or progress or follow the Savior. There is an awesome scripture in  2nd Nephi chapter 2 verse 27 that says, "Wherefore, men are ^afree according to the ^bflesh; and ^call things are ^dgiven them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to ^echoose ^fliberty and eternal ^glife, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be ^hmiserable like unto himself."  Why would God give us this privilege and ability? Why wouldn't he just tell us everything, so that we could return to live with him again. He did this because he loves us and wanted us to learn and grow. If it was all given to us there would be no reason for us to be here. I know that each of us have the oppertunity to choose for ourselves, because we are all God's children and he loves us all very much. May all of us strive today to choose those things that will bring us joy and happiness and help us return to our Heavenly Father.

A living Prophet!!!!!

A prophet is someone who talks to God and tells us what God would like us to do so that we can return to live with him.  I think that is so cool that the Lord us so much that he would send us a prophet. If we didn't have a prophet to lead and guide us, I don't know where we would be. Why is it important to have a prophet?  There are many scriptures that explain that well. In Amos 3:7 it says, " Surely the Lord God will do nothing, ^abut he ^brevealeth his ^csecret unto his servants the ^dprophets." This is one of my favorite scriptures, because it shows that there are somethings that Heavenly Father wants to tell us all, and the easiest way to do that is to have a prophet who is here on earth to help the church go forward tell us. I think of Noah and how he warnd the people that there was going to be a flood, and because they didn't listen to the prophet they were not spared.  I know that we have a prophet today, just like Noah, Moses, and others in the Bible. I know that if we listen to his counsel which comes from the lord we will be blessed and live much happier lives. What a wonderful oppertunity we have to hear from the prophet this weekend. I am so excited and I hope that we all will strive to watch and listen to the prophet.

Whats the point of Prayer?

For a very long time, people have been praying. They pray for many different reasons. Some pray for guidence, comfort, because we are supposed to, or because that is the way they were raised. Whatever the reason may be for praying, the fact that we do it is very important. We have a loving Heavenly Father who loves us very much and wants to hear from us. When we pray we are showing him that we love him. We can talk to him just like we would to our own parents or friends. In the scriptures we are commanded to pray always. We are also told in the scriptures that we can pray anytime and anywhere we would like. We can pray in vocally or silently and we are also to have a prayer in our hearts. This to me shows how important praying is. I know from experience that when we pray to our Father in Heaven he does hear and answer our prayers. It may not be when we want or the way we want, but he always answers. I hope that we can all remember the importance of prayer and know that we can turn to our Heavenly Father no matter what.

Forgiving Others and Ourselves!!!

We are commanded to forgive everyone, no matter what they did or how many times they have offended us. I know for me personally it is easier to forgive others, but harder to forgive myself. This is something I think that takes a lot of patience. Most of us are the hardest on ourselves, and that is a good thing and a bad thing. It is a good thing when it helps us grow and change to be a better person. It is bad when it keeps us from moving on a living life to the fullest.  We are promised in the Doctrine and Covanents section 58 verse 42 that the lord will forgive those who repent and that he will remember them no more. What a great promise!! I know that sounds too good to be true, but I know from experience that this is true. It took me a while to really forgive myself and move on, but knowing that Christ remembers them no more is a huge help and comfort. I still work everyday at learning to forgive myself, and I know that all of us who learn to forgive ourselves will be happy.

The Power of our Example!!!

One of my favorite scriptures is in Helaman 5:6-7.

"Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first ^aparents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were ^bgood. "
"Therefore, my sons, I would that ye should do that which is good, that it may be said of you, and also written, even as it has been said and written of them."

 In this chpater and particualy these verses Alma is talking to his son's Nephi and Lehi. Alma is telling them that he named them after Nephi and Lehi who left Jerusalem and came to the America's. He tells them that the reason he gave them those names is so that they would remember their forefathers and their works and how people spoke highly of them and loved them. He then tells them that he hopes that they will do the same and so that when people remember them they will remember their good works and the good people they were. That is the same for us. When people hear our names, what is the first thing that comes to their minds? Our examples are more powerful than we think. My mom started to learn about the gospel, because of the example of her friend. She has never forgotten that friend, and when she hears that friends name a smile comes to her face. How will people remember us? My prayer is that our example to others is a ray of light, and that people want to be around us. May we always be good examples, and may we live in a way that when people hear our name and start to talk about us they too will have a smile on their face.

The Atonement and Our lives!!!

One of the greatest things that Christ did while he was on the earth, was perform the atonement. The atonement is made up of three parts. The 1st is when he suffered and bled from every pore in Gethsemane for our sins. This act enables us to repent when we make a mistake and become clean, so that we can live with him and Heavenly Father forever after we die. The 2nd part of the atonement was that he died on the cross. The 3rd and final part of the atonement is tht he was resurrected three days after he died on the cross. This is important, because it showed that he could overcome death, and because he could overcome death we would be resurrected when he comes again. This is something that has helped me so much in my life. It has also given me hope for a better world to come. I know that the atonement is real. Christ did really come and do all that, because he loves us and wants us to return to him. My prayer is that we all come to a knowledge of the importance of the atonement in our own lives, so that we all can strive to return home to his presence.

Joy and Change!!!!

Some of you might be wondering how joy and change go hand in hand. I can't say that I don't blame you, but they do. My favorite quote is, "Life is about change. Sometimes it's painful. Sometimes it's beautiful. Most of the time it's both." That is so true. Change comes in many different forms and situations. It could be the expectation of a newborn, the expectation of getting married, the passing of a loved one, or the change in seasons. No matter what the change is, we can deal with them if we pray to Our loving Heavenly Father. He wants us to be happy, because we are his children. He wanted us to learn and grow, and if we didn't have change then we would never grow or learn to appreciate the good things in our lives. Keeping a sense of humor and learning to laugh is very important when these tough times come. I know from personal experience that if we turn to Heavenly Father in prayer that he will help us through the changes in our lives, wither good or hard. I know that he wants to hear from us, just like our earthly parents like hearing from us. Our Heavenly Father loves and knows us better than anyone.

My Personal Testimony

I know this church is true. I know it without a doubt in my mind. It has brought my family so much joy and happiness. Not the kind of joy you would think, but the inner joy which comes from knowing where you came from, why we are here, and where we are going. These are questions we all have and I know that there are answers. The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. Along with the Bible it helps give us the answers to these questions and manu more.  I now that Joseph Smith was a prophet who established the same church that Christ established when he was on the earth. I know that we have a living prophet today, just like Moses, Abraham, and Noah of ancient times. I know that if we heed his counsel we can come closer to Christ and we will find that inner joy. I know that Christ came down and suffered for us in Gethsemane, on the cross he was killed, and then three days later he was resurrected. I know that if it weren't for him doing that we would not be able to live with him again and be with our families forever. I know all this is true and that you can find this out for yourselves as well. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.