Look Forward With Faith

All of us are traveling down a road called life. It can be a joy ride, a thrill ride, or a car wreck depending on how we handle the up hills, down hills, sharp turns, bumps, and pot holes of life.
     Sometimes we feel like we can drive anywhere we want and have freedom and success. Other times we think we're driving solo with no co-pilot by our side and we feel nervous or frightened about what lies ahead. But as we continue to make it through those sharps turns and speed bumps we then look back through the rear view mirror and realize God and Christ have been there all along guiding us through a route that we may have never taken without their quite encouragement and guidance through the Spirit. So how do we make it so that instead of looking back through the rear view mirror and finding them we look forward through the windshield with faith and follow the road less traveled?

     We all would like to think we have enough faith in our driving until we hit a snow storm and that windshield starts to become blurred. I think back to this last winter and being an Arizona boy it was my first time driving in the snow. When you drive in a snow storm your personal vision is reduced drastically. Because of this you have to be very tentative, slow down, and use your windshield wipers to keep the snow from building up on your windshield. These three steps and a prayer will help you keep the faith to press forward and make it home safely.
      In life we hit storms of temptation, sin, laziness, or whatever Satan can throw in our path to reduce our vision and cloud up our windshields. If we will become aware of the distractions, slow down before we act, pray, and wipe away those temptations we will have a clear path to follow the guidance God and Christ give us. The more we can follow their guidance during the drive and have faith instead of looking back to the past and realizing they were there the whole time easier our road to travel will be. So have faith, travel smart, and enjoy the ride.       

Priesthood Lockout

NBA opening week! Ahhh! Professional hoops back again Time for the holiday season! The excitement has been building for big marquee match-ups like Kobe vs. Lebron, Celtics vs. Heat, and to top it all off the debut of the college basketball player of the year, Jimmer Fredette! So quick turn on your TV, grab a soda, and maybe even your thundersticks because it's time for some NBA Basketball!.....

      (chirp).....(chirp)......(chirp)....oh wait.....the nba is in a lockout. 

Due to recent labor desputes between players, owners, and league officials the NBA season has been halted, stopped, and put on hold until the parties can come to an agreement over  revenue sharing and the structure of the salary cap. The owners and league have their agenda and will let the players resume play once the players can agree to the terms of a contract.

   Sometimes a similar lockout occurs. God has allowed men to be players in helping him in his eternal work. Using his authority and priesthood power through them, here on the earth, these players are able to baptize, confir the Holy Ghost, administer the sacrement, give blessings of healing to the sick, and perform other ordinances in the temple. 

     In the Doctrine and Covenants section 121 we read these words from God about this Priesthood. He states"That the rights of the priesthood are inseparably connected with the powers of heaven, and that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness.

   That they may be conferred upon us, it is true; but when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves; the Spirit of the Lord is grieved; and when it is withdrawn, Amen to the priesthood or the authority of that man."

   So we see that if a holder of the Priesthood of God tries to use it in any other way then God would have him use it or if he tries to use it without being worthy just like the NBA that players priesthood is put into a lockout. Well then how does one receive that Priesthood authority again in his life? Through repentance hopefully he will bring his life back into harmony with the terms of his contract with God to hold and use that Priesthood again. Just like hopefully the NBA players can come to an agreement and take the court sooner then later.   

    

         To read more about the Priesthood of God visit Elder Wahl's blog The Ice Cream Truck and The Squad Car: Authority

Don't Be A Christian Bandwagoner, Be Loyal

Don't Ride The Christian Bandwagon, Be Loyal: After this past weekend's BYU vs. Utah football game which resulted in, what I've been told, was a dismal, one-sided, loss for my fellow Cougars it's been interesting to see what's since transpired. It started with stories I heard about people from other wards complaining about BYU. One speaker even said, "How can I speak about faith after BYU's performance?"
     Then the Elders I serve around on preparation day telling me how BYU will never be any good and will never amount to anything and on, and on, and on! I then get on Facebook to do my online proselyting and am bombarded with comments all over my Facebook news feed from individuals saying they are no longer going to watch BYU football, and how they aren't going to cheer for them any more. By the time I had witnessed all of this my true blue heart was just feeling crushed. This caused me to reflect on some lessons I've learned on my mission about loyalty.

Loyal: characterized by or showing faithfulness to commitments, vows, allegiance, obligations, etc.

 As a missionary we come in contact with a wide variety of people. Something I've noticed is that the world today lacks true loyalty. We, as missionaries, talk to many people who say they are Christian. As we continue to talk to them we find out that their actions are not so Christian, and then they complain that they aren't seeing His hand in their life. To use a sports term maybe you could call them bandwagon Christians.
   When they feel life is going good this is when they praise God and say how great He is, but when the losing streaks of life hit they're down in the dumps cursing Him. Similar to what we're seeing with what I'd call the "Sunday to Sunday BYU fan". The Sunday after BYU wins they are their biggest fans at church and the Sunday after a loss their fan-hood disappears. To use another sports term they have a "what have you done for me lately" kind of fan-hood. Sadly many of the worlds so called sports fans, and Christians, fall into these categories.

Christ, the most loyal fan of all.

     If we look at God and Christ they are the exact opposite. No matter what we do, good or bad, they will always be there for us. They are not band-wagoners, they are loyal fans of all of their children. They want to see us improve and succeed. Don't get me wrong when we play bad, in terms of obeying their commandments, they are disappointed, but that disappointment will never lead to dis-fellowshipment. They will allow us to go through the rough times and losing streaks of life though because they know it will strengthen us(see Ether 12:27) and make us better. 
      In order for us to gain their help during these rough times we need to show our loyalty to them, and by praying for help and striving to keep their commandments. Whether we feel we're currently winning, or losing, in the end our loyalty will make us true winners. So stop riding the pine of the Christian bandwagon and loyaly strap yourself to the rock of Christ with faith, and actions, solid in Him.        

    

Though The Floods of Life Come Our Way, We Will Survive

Breaking News:
New Orleans, Louisiana: Flood Evacuation Reinstated for Louisiana's Butte Larose Area!
Salmon, Idaho:Idaho governor declares emergency from flooding 
Missoula, Montana:Western Montana rain keeps falling into already high rivers‎

Flooding has affected more than just one area in the U.S this spring and it may not be over yet. Due to the heavy snow pack melting and heavy rains falling many areas are finding themselves literally under water. As rivers rise and streets and basements flood we see how devastating these floods are to streets, homes, businesses, and even crops, as much of the damage will take months to dry out and fix.

    Just as these waterways and rivers are taking a beating from all these storms we too will face storms in our life. The Savior taught a parable about floods when he said:

     "Therefore whosoever heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them, I will liken him unto a wise man, which built his house upon a rock: And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock.

 And every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doeth them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man, which built his house upon the sand:

 And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house; and it fell: and great was the fall of it." Matt. 7:24-27

     The Savior is teaching some valuable flood advice, or life flood insurance, in these verses of scripture but what does it mean to build upon a rock in our lives? The Prophet Helaman in the Book of Mormon understood this lesson about building upon a rock when he taught his sons. He said:

     And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

   The rock in our lives that we must build on is our Savior, Jesus Christ. When the devil sends those storms of life, when we find ourselves flooded, and wet, we will not wash away because of the foundational rock of Christ that we are built on. The Lord promises We Will Not Fall!

   In many flood zones people desire to get safely to higher ground. By following Christ and His teachings, and being a hearer and a doer of the word, we are not only built on that solid rock foundation but we are lifted to a higher plane of living. We no longer will find ourselves playing in the muddy flood water of the world but clean and dry from sin. As we do that we will be able to reach out a helping hand to those wading in the muddy flood water of life to lift them up to higher ground, encourage them to clean themselves, repent, and to start to build their lives on higher ground and the rock of our Redeemer, Jesus Christ.
            To read another Gospel view of Floods Click Here
Songs about Christ and Floods:
The Wise Man and the Foolish Man

O thou Rock of our salvation
‎
‎‎