In the popular song sung by Carrie Underwood she tells the story of a girl who's driving and looses control on an icy road. In desperation she throws her arms up in the air along with a prayer.
Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
Save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel
While this is a touching story of a woman and her baby who are saved from getting into a horrible car crash the lyrics have caused me to reflect would God really want us to just let go of the steering wheel as we offer up a prayer?
James 2:17-"Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone."
I do believe God will help us if we pray, but we also need to put forth some of our own effort. There are times, like the story in this song, that He will help us fully and completely, but other times we need to be willing to do our part as well.
Matthew 7:21-Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
So the next time you find yourself in a tough spot, or driving down an icy road of sin, don't just say Lord, Lord and throw your hands in the air hoping He'll save you. Instead say a prayer, grab the wheel, and take control of the situation as God helps and guides you to safety. In the end this will prove to be way more effective.
One thing I look forward to every summer is watching the X-games. Though I don't participate in skateboarding, BMX biking, or dirt bike riding myself it was always amazing to watch the things these xtreme athletes could do. One event that always blew my mind was the "Big Air" skateboarding competition. The Big Air competition takes place on a giant mega ramp. A mega ramp is a ramp that has a 30-foot drop in, a 25-foot gap and an 18-foot quarterpipe.
A Leap of Faith No Doubt! (Click to view full size)
As the skateboarder takes off down the 30 foot drop in he starts to fly down the ramp quickly gaining speed. He then approaches the first ramp where he is launched off over the gap and into the air. At this point the skateboarder pulls of a sick first trick. As gravity starts to take hold on his body he is quickly headed back down to earth. At the point that most humans would worry more about which bones they're going to break the skateboarder lands the trick and then quickly heads into quarterpipe where he hopes to seal the deal with one more gnarly trick, all while riding a thin peice of wood screwed down to four small wheels. All of this will either amount to a skateboard ride of glory or a ride in an ambulance.
I've thought about this event and have tried to fathom the skills, determination, guts, and potentially lack of brain cells it must take the cause some one to even attempt a big air mega ramp. Then again I think about some of the things I do in my life. Some would call it crazy to believe in and follow the words and commands of what some would label a so called God. There are those out there who would rather place their trust in themselves then someone they can't see. But for me it's simply faith. Just like the skateboarder, it started out as a leap of faith. I had to pray. I had to read the scriptures. I had to go to church. I had to put God, in a sense, to the test. I never really doubted, which crazy enough is how most skateboarders that attempt the mega ramp feel, but I wanted to see that he was truly there for me. And as I prayed, and as I read, and as I went to church I felt something. It wasn't the sense of victory or accomplishment a skateboarder must feel, though that must feel pretty cool. It was the Spirit, The Holy Ghost, that confirmed to me that there is a God who watches over me. And as I continue to go throughout life I find other times when I feel like I'm flying down a spiritual mega ramp on my skateboard. And when that happens I know I can trust in God and he will help me to a safe landing.
All of us remember where we were September 11, 2001. It is a day that will live on in our minds forever as we rewind and play back the memories of that awful day. Even I, at the age of 10, remember watching history unfold in front of me on my family's television screen. From the initial plane crash, thought to be an accident, to the second plane crash, to the Pentagon, to Pennsylvania, all of these images of terrorism flashed by leading up to the ultimate horror of so many lives being lost as those two iconic towers, along with a country and its people, had their world turned upside down, and came crashing down. America, the land of the free, the home of the brave, was now left in the dark, and in fear that September day. As the country mourned the loss of those, at the time, known and unknown there was only one place people could turn to find solace. "In God We Trust" was something Americans had always heard before but now it was time to start living it. The Book of Mormon prophesies of America and its freedom by saying "Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ." September 11th was a brutal awakening for all. In order for us, as Americans, to remain free and find the peace through our struggles, caused by these horrible events, we needed to serve and trust in God once again, just as our forefathers had done.
As the nation turned to prayer, church, and singing anthems of praise such as "God Bless America" something amazing happened. Despite the hurt, despite the pain, despite the fears and tears, America became knit together in unity and in love one towards another through God.(Mosiah 18:21)
Now here we are 10 years later. Where do we stand today as a country? Do we still trust in God, or have we allowed our faith to slip once again? I often wonder if we, as a country, as a nation, need an awakening yet again. Let us hope and pray that it doesn't take a similar series of unfortunate events to refocus our attention on the true ruler of this nation. Instead let this 10 year anniversary of September 11th cause us to reflect on that dark day. Let us take the glowing embers of the fire, the lessons learned, and leave the ashes behind. Let us reflect on our relationship and faith in and with God. The words and counsel from the third verse of our nations national anthem should be our guiding star.
Blest with victory and peace, may the heav'n rescued land Praise the Power that hath made and preserved us a nation. Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, And this be our motto: "In God is our trust."
Let us fear not. God is with us. He will give us aid and be our guide if we will come and put our trust in him once more. This is my promise, this is my prayer. God Bless America! Let us never forget September 11th. In the name our our Savior, Jesus Christ, Amen.
Watch this video below to see how one man's September 11th experience changed his life for the better. Also Click Here to learn more about viewing The Mormon Tabernacle Choir's 9/11: Rising Above concert.
“Practice does not make perfect. Only perfect practice makes perfect.”-Vince Lombardi
Two A Days: As football season is quickly approaching, teams from all levels are getting geared up and ready for the season. From the peewees to high school to college to the NFL ranks, all are getting ready for their season. To be ready before the season starts they work hard to practice and refresh their skills and knowledge of the game the best they can. For many teams this means two a days. Two a days is when teams have practice twice a day as they put as much effort as they can into preparing, the month before the season. This is a grueling process for football players as they are put through drills and run plays almost all day long. This very tiring and challenging series of practices really prepares the players and is a great start to their season.
There is something else that we should practice twice a day, and not just before football season. This would be communication with our Heavenly Father. Our two a days of life should come through prayer. Alma, a Book of Mormon prophet, gave this counsel to his son: "Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou liest down at night lie down unto the Lord, that he may watch over you in your sleep; and when thou risest in the morning let thy heart be full of thanks unto God; and if ye do these things, ye shall be lifted up at the last day." As we do this we will see ourselves become stronger both physically and spiritually. We will see the guiding hand, like a coach, the spirit, in our lives. As we pray twice a day and make it a habit in our lives we, like a football team, will become more united with our Heavenly Father and our season of life will be a success. This I can promise you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
To hear a testimonial about prayer Click Here
The Three Stones That Will Defeat The Goliaths Of Life-The classic Bible story of David vs. Goliath is one that most of us have heard before. David, the sheep herder, who is not only small but young, learns of big bad Philistine, Goliath, and how he's been picking on the Israelites. While the rest of Israel's army hangs back in fear of the giant Goliath David puts his trust in the Lord and a few stones saying "he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine" and "the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands." (1 Sam. 17:37,47) And the rest of the story is history! David after being mocked by Goliath uses his sling to throw a stone at Goliath and the stone kills him! The ultimate under dog story!
So what can we learn from this story and David's stones? In our lives we will all have Goliaths. We will all be faced with trials and challenges that seem GIANT! They seem impossible to over come! We, as the Israelite army, see no point in fighting the fight any more and we want to give up and give in. There are three little "Spiritual Stones" that can help us to over come these great Giants of life.
PRAYER- A great way to overcome the Goliaths of Life is through prayer. Prayer is direct communication with our Heavenly Father. As we are going through the struggles of life He wants to hear about it. He wants us to express to Him what we are feeling and how He can help. Through our prayers and His spirit we can find comfort and guidance in our times of need.
Scripture Study- We can rely on the words of God and the Prophets in the scriptures to bring us comfort and knowledge. We can learn from others experiences and trials in the scriptures and see how God helped them through those and then apply them to our lives. This is also where God will sometimes reveal things to us for our lives as we read.
Church- Through attending church each Sunday we can partake of the sacrament to have God's spirit with us through out the week. We can learn from the different lessons and talks that are shared, and find comfort and peace in knowing that we have a family at church who will be there to support and help us at all times.
I know as we use these "Spiritual Stones" and God's help we can overcome the Giant trials in our lives. It's a great blessing to have these stones by our side and if we will take them out and use them we will find the happiness that we seek as we defeat the Goliaths of Life. I can promise this to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
To Watch a video on Prayer Click Here
To Learn read the scriptures Click Here
To Learn how to worship with us Click Here
Eight years ago this week my sister, Lauren, at the young age of eight was admitted to Primary Children's Medical Center in Salt Lake City, Utah. She had recently been diagnosed with a rare skin disease called PLEVA but what was even more rare was that it was trying to take over her body by breaking down her immune system. After only a few days in the hospital they admitted her into the intensive care unit, intubated her to help her breathe, and put her into an induced coma.
As I stood there for weeks and watched her as she lay there unconscious with tubes and IVs of every kind coming out of her the only thing I could do was pray. At the young age of 12 I quickly gained a strong testimony in prayer, fasting, and in priesthood blessings. Through these I came to know that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ were aware of me. They knew my situation, what I was going through, and what my parents were going through. More important He knew what my sister was going through. There is a scripture in the Book of Mormon in Alma 7:11-12 that reads: "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." I know my Savior, Jesus Christ, knew the pains and afflictions that my family and I were going through. When I went to Him in prayer this is when He was able to succor, or comfort me. This is what brought peace into my life at this difficult time. And it was this peace that built my faith. I soon had the feeling, despite the odds and what some doctors would call hopeless, I knew she would be ok!
Some may question how that was possible at such a rough spot in my life but to me it because so simple. I was able to gain faith in the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was able to gain faith in my Heavenly Father's plan for me. I knew that no matter what happened, if my sister lived or died ,that I Would see her again! My family was sealed together by the Priesthood of God both on earth and in heaven. That same priesthood was what could save her life if we offered up a prayer of faith (James 5:15).
I know that it was by that prayer of faith and through the priesthood that she was healed. I know it is by faith that miracles still happen. I am grateful for the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Priesthood of God that is on the earth once again today. I know it's real. I am grateful for my sister Lauren. She is my hero. I'm grateful for the faith she has, that she is an example of the believers (1 Tim 4:12), and that she is alive and well today.
The Book of Mormon states in Ether 12:27: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness, I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." I know that my faith has been made stronger because of this experience. And though it was a tough thing to go through at the time I know I that I was humbled and am a better person today because of it.
