General Conference: The Super Bowl of the Church

The 181st semiannual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is this weekend. This is like the Super Bowl of the church! You've got to watch it! We're talking Apostles and Prophets delivering messages to us from our Heavenly Father. General Conference has something for everyone. So watch with an open heart and willing mind and the Holy Ghost will impress upon the things that you need to take from the talks and messages you hear. I love General Conference. I love the chance to hear from these great men of God and I know you will too.

Check it out. Sat. Oct. 1 at 10am and 2pm and Oct. 2 again at 10am and 2pm.
  

Yoke Up With Christ

Yoke Up With Christ-As the Mormon Pioneers made their treacherous journey for a home of religious freedom and refuge they had two main modes of transporting their goods and moving down the unmarked trail. The most effective and convenient ways of the two was to travel in a covered wagon. A covered wagon allowed someone to be able to carry heavier loads because of the two oxen that pull the wagon. The two oxen are attached to the wagon by what is called a yoke. The yoke not only attaches them to the wagon but attaches the oxen to each other to ensure they move as one pulling the load equally down the same course together.

 There were times that because of the grueling travel an ox might get so exhausted and sick it might die right on the trail leaving all the work of pulling the wagon to one ox. This made travels even tougher because the single ox doing all the pulling would get worn out and exhausted faster because of his partner not being there to share the load and burden.

Don't try to take the load upon yourself

     In our lives we too have a load to bear. It is not an easy one especially as we make our way down the path of life. We too, in a way, have that yoke upon us. At times we feel like that lone ox, like no one is helping us. This however is a false idea. We will always have a partner to share the load if we will come unto Him.

    Jesus Christ said in Matt. 11:28-30 "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

    Our yoke can be made easy, our burden can be made light through Jesus Christ. He is there to hitch up and yoke up to us to help us through our everyday struggles. There are times we may feel like He is not helping, not pulling his share of the load, but that's when we need realize He's pulling more than His fair share. He performed the Atonement for us to help us pull our way down the trail. With our diligence and patience, and His efforts of the Atonement, if we will be yoked up with Him we will be able to continue down that trail. Our burdens will become easier to bear, and we will be able to make it down the bumpy trail to our Heavenly Father a little bit easier.   

Popcorn!, Peanuts!, Crackerjacks!!!

Popcorn!, Peanuts!, Crackerjacks!!!-As you sit and enjoy a baseball game you will notice vendors walking up and down the aisles selling all types of food and treats for you to enjoy during your baseball viewing experience. As they climb up the stairs and get closer to you, you hear them yell out their pitch of what they are selling. "POPCORN!!!, PEANUTS!!!, CRACKERJACKS!!!, HOT DOGS!!! Who wants a Hot Dog!!!" Their voices fill the stadium and the sight and smell of their food quickly tempts you into buying one of their treats.
   While living in Arizona I would attend many Arizona Diamondbacks professional baseball games. As I sat with my Dad or with friends these vendors would come by calling out what they were selling. The one vendor I remember the most was the one who sold lemonade. He would walk up and down the aisles of the upper decks yelling "Lemonade, Lemonade, Like Grandma Made!!! OOOOWEEEOO!!! You know You Want it!!! You could hear his humorous sales pitch from clear across the ball park! There were many times I bought a nice cold lemonade from him and enjoyed it very much. He and his lemonade surely added to my baseball viewing experience.

   Similarly there are, in a sense, vendors for God. They are His missionaries. His missionaries are called to serve Him by proclaiming, not selling, His Gospel to all of His children in the ball park, world. As a missionary I walk all over trying to get people to listen to what our Heavenly Father wants them to know. Though I don't walk around yelling about the Gospel I do ask others to invite us into their home and hear what our Heavenly Father has to offer them. Unlike the food that the vendors sell at a baseball game it isn't good smelling or good tasting physically, but it is spiritually. John 6: 35 states: And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. As a missionary through preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ we are able to help others to find that bread of life and that water. Those who are willing to listen and partake will truly never hunger or thirst again. It is my privilege to be a servant of my Heavenly Father and help others come unto Christ and I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Life is Full of Strike Outs and Home Runs

The Cubs and baseball
have been a big part of my life
ever since I can remember.

Life is Full of Strike Outs and Home Runs-My whole life I have loved playing sports. Baseball, basketball, football, soccer, you name it, I played it. But of all the sports baseball was at the top of my list. I looked at it as MY sport. Growing up as a little kid and living outside of Chicago, Illinois is where I found my love for America's pastime. Almost every day I would watch a popular Chicago children's television show, Bozo The Clown, on Chicago's own WGN television station. And not too long after Bozo's program would finish Chicago Cubs' baseball would be on in the afternoon. This is where I fell in love with the game of baseball as I watched Ryne Sandberg, Shawon Dunston, and the Cubbies play to the voice of the famous broadcaster Harry Carry. At the young age of three I was mesmerized. This is what started up my own baseball career.
   As a three year old I would run around with my Cubs hat and shirt on along with my ball and glove. I'd throw the ball around and play with whoever would play with me or on my own. As I grew up I played T-ball, machine pitch, and kid pitch baseball for 12 years up through my sophomore year of high school.

   In the game of baseball you have a lot up ups and downs. As a batter each time you step to the plate there is the possibility of striking out or getting a hit. Every time I stepped up to bat it was my main goal not to strike out. I was terrified of striking out. I hated it. Striking out simply was no fun! On the contrary I remember the first time I ever hit a home run.

   My first year of machine pitch, at the ripe old age of nine, I had been having a decent season thus far. It had started out a little rough with quite a few strike outs but I was starting to gain more confidence at the plate. As the pitch came in I swung away at it. PING! went the ball off of the metal bat. As I sprinted towards first base, like I'd been taught, I caught the ball out of the corner of my eye cross over the tallest part of the fence in left center. The cheers from the crowd then followed as I realized I had just hit a home run! What an exciting experience it was to jog around the bases knowing I had just hit my first home run.
   Now over the years I've realized the lessons I learned in baseball are starting to apply to my life. How many times do we "step up to the plate" in our lives looking for the happiness and joy of "hitting a home run"? At times we will find that success, and happiness. But there will be other times when our Heavenly Father is going to throw us some curve balls, or trials, and strike us out, or humble us. Is this because he wants to strike us out and see us go through disappointing times of trials? No, He wants us to go back to the dugout, refocus, practice, or build our faith, and overcome the tough times of trials in our lives so that we can feel more joy of the "home runs" of life. In Alma 36:3 Alma teaches his son Helaman that "whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day."  No matter how many times we strike out as we trust in our heavenly coach, Heavenly Father, he will support us and will lift us up in our times of trial. Our disappointing times of striking out will quickly pass and the joy and happiness of blessings of a "home run" will be ours.

The Foul Line of Christ

A three inch straight white line runs from home plate to the outfield fence 355 feet away. Though this line may not seem overly important it controls a large aspect of the game of baseball. This line is known as the foul line. The foul line determines which hit baseballs are in play, fair, or out of play, foul. Every day before a baseball game a member of the grounds crew, who helps take care of the baseball field, re-chalks the foul line so that it's perfectly straight and bright white. Because this bright white, and straight chalked line runs over the brown dirt and green grass of the baseball field it really sticks out so everyone on the field or in the stands know what is fair and what is foul.

      Like the foul line our Savior, Jesus Christ, has set before us a straight path, or line, to follow his teachings and our Heavenly Fathers commandments. Alma 37:44 says "give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss." This straight course, or line, of the word and commandments determines what is good or bad, fair or foul, in this life. This line will determine a large aspect of our lives whether in this "game" or the "game" to come.

     Along with that just as the ground crew member keeps the foul line chalked straight and white our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ have appointed a Prophet as his crew member to re-chalk and remind us of the teachings and commandments that our Father wants us to follow. Likewise as the white chalked line stands out on the field our Heavenly Father's commandments will stand out above what those of the world are doing. This helps everyone know, as Nephi said in 2 Nephi 33:9, to "walk in the strait path which leads to life, and continue in the path until the end of the day of probation.", or game. As we continue to follow God's commands of what is fair and what is foul we will be able to get a "hit" of eternal life!
 

The Gospel of Baseball Part 4- 3rd to Home through the Spirit and Enduring

D&C 18:22 says "And as many as repent and are baptized in my name, which is Jesus Christ, and endure to the end, the same shall be saved. If we change that scripture around a little those who Endure to the End the same shall be "Safe". Currently we are standing on third base. By going from first to third base we've gained faith, had a change of heart, and have committed to getting to home plate. All we have left to do is make it the 90 feet home to score a run. We've got to step up our efforts and endure to the end! This is one of the last principles of the Gospel of Baseball.

   Because we've been so dedicated to making it home to score we need to know we aren't alone. We have a third base coach to help us along the base path home. 1 Nephi 2:22 says that by the Spirit, or third base coach, all things are made known. This is the other last principle of the Gospel of Baseball.  Our third base coach is here to lead, guide, warn, and coach us away from the defense. It's important though that we listen and know how his guidance is going to come to us. Sometimes it may be a loud shout of what to do and other times it may be a quite hand signal. Not matter how it comes to us if we will follow his counsel we will, as it says in Alma 40:11, make it home to that God who gave us life.

   The same thing happens in our lives. After we have gained faith, repented, and been baptized we will be given a third base coach of the Holy Ghost to help guide us home to our Father in Heaven. And though the defense of Satan will try to tag us out of returning home, if we will heed and follow that still small voice, or sometimes that load voice, of the spirit and continually strive to endure to the end by building that faith and repenting, we will make it home safely to that God who gave us life.