A Life More Abundant

After 20 minutes in a small bus jammed to overflowing with passengers, I tapped the man who had taken my 20-cent fare and told him this is where we got off. I was tall by Central American standards, and squeezing past everyone took a little bit of time. 

Once the bus came to a stop and I got my feet on pavement, I could stretch out and breathe. My missionary companion exited behind me, and we began the walk down the dirt path to visit Vicenta Rodriguez.

Vicenta was 25 years old and lived with her brother, Neftali, and her elderly mother. Her other brothers frequented the house, but were involved in the pandilla - the gang- and we never met them. As we sat and talked with her, we asked her how job at the warehouse was going. She told us about her long hours and said that, despite the fact that the pay was low, she was grateful to have a job when so many others did not.

I asked her how much she made a week, and quickly calculated that she was paid less than 50 cents an hour for her work.

50 cents an hour! 

And I thought my $8 an hour job was low paying! I couldn't believe it.

I met many people during my 2 years in El Salvador who lived in depths of poverty that were beyond my imagination. Many in our world today - poor or rich - have opportunity to ponder this profound question: 

What is the purpose of this life anyway?

Why are we here? To be born, to work ourselves to death, to suffer hardships and sorrow, and then to die?

During this past week, I was deeply touched by these moving words from the Savior of Mankind, Jesus Christ:

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

John 10:10

As we follow our Savior Jesus Christ, our life becomes abundant. It becomes more than a job, more than "one more day". It becomes meaningful.

Following Christ does not mean we will be freed from poverty; In the Old Testament, Job lost all..

Following Christ does not mean we will not suffer; The Apostles counted themselves fortunate to suffer for Christ's sake (Acts 5:41).

But, following Chris does mean that life will be abundant. 

It does mean that, despite our challenges and trials, God will not forsake us (Matthew 28:20).

It does mean that the grace of God may be extended to us to help us carry our burdens (Hebrews 4:16)

Following Christ, and losing our lives as we serve Him, means that we will find our lives and find true joy in living (Matthew 16:25)

Jesus Christ descended below all things so that He can lift us above all things. 

He conquered the world - conquered sin and death - so that He can help us to overcome all things (Doctrine and Covenants 88:6)

"He is the light and the life of the world; yea, a light that is endless, that can never be darkened; yea, and also a life which is endless, that there can be no more death."

Mosiah 16:9

He is the Savior of all mankind. May we come to Him, keep His commandments, and experience an abundant life.

Photo credit: Tyler Foote

The Sweet Truth About Repentance

Jesus Christ died for our sins. This is true. But He did not die so that the wicked could enter heaven. He died so that the wicked may become righteous.

He died so that we (who are ALL sinners) can be freed from the shackles of sin - free to change and grow and improve.

He died so that - with His help - we can cease to be wicked and learn to be righteous.

That change is repentance.

Photo Credit: Tyler Foote

When Jesus Christ died for us on the Cross, he did more than just die for our sins. He suffered for them. He paid for them. Just as there are consequences for crimes in our earthly systems of justice, there are consequences for sin in the heavenly system of justice. Christ paid the price for each and every sin committed by each and every child of God. He took the consequences upon Himself - He served our term in prison, as it were.

He did this so that we may be released from our burden to pay the price and to serve our time in "spiritual prison", if we will repent.

However, modern scripture assures is that if we do not repent, we must suffer, even as Christ suffered, for our sins.

" 16 For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that theymight not suffer if they would repent;

 17 But if they would not repent they must suffer even as I;

 18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink—

 19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook andfinished my preparations unto the children of men."

~Doctrine and Covenants 19:16-19

To repent is more than just to overcome a bad habit. To repent is to be cleansed from our sins, having them washed out by the atoning blood of our Savior and Redeemer.

Once we have repented, the stain is gone. The sin is forgotten. The deed is paid or and put away and never remembered again between us and God.

"Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool."

~Isaiah 1:18

Photo credit: Christina Foote

The Good News is...

When the angel appeared to the shepherds outside of Bethlehem, he announced good tidings of great joy; he announced the birth of the Savior of mankind.

That singular event - the birth of Jesus Christ - began a life of service and devotion and salvation. Because of Christ and His Atonement, the way has been prepared for us to return to live with our Father in Heaven.

The good news that the angel announced was His Gospel - the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

The Greek account uses the word "evangelizomai", which is translated as "good news"

It is derived from euaggelizo, which can be broken down into

eu and  aggelos

……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….……………….

Eu means good

Aggelos means angels

What are angels?

Messengers for God.

The words of Alma come to mind - "O that I were an angel." His desire is to proclaim the Gospel as if with the trumpet of an angel.

And what is the good thing or good message that these angels announce?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Interestingly enough, euaggelizo is the root of another word we often use.

To evangelize is to preach to or to declare good tidings.

In Spanish, evangelio is translated in place of the English word, gospel.

What is the Gospel?

It is to declare the good message of Christ.

Missionary work is the Gospel.

It literally is the heart of the Gospel. The center. The soul.

Mosiah 18:22
 22 And thus he commanded them to preach. And thus they became the children of God.

Images used from lds.org

Christ is Not Just a Benevolent Bystander

When the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples to pray, He gave them a model to follow. We often refer to it as the Lord's prayer. Many Christians can recite this beautiful prayer from memory. There is much that it can teach us about God and what our communication should be with Him.

As I studied this powerful prayer, I came to a phrase near the end that taught me a powerful lesson about Christ.

"Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil," the Lord said (Matthew 6:13).

The Greek word used for "deliver" is ῥύομαι (rhoumai), which means "to rescue." 

But it means more than that. 

Strong's concordance, a well-known biblical resource, defines rhoumai further as meaning:

"to draw to oneself"

"to snatch up"

"to rescue a person to and for the deliverer"

"to deliver someone to and for the rescuer"

As I read these definitions, I imagined a family outing by a fast-flowing river. I imagined a struggling, drowning child, and an anxious group of onlooking adults unsure of how to save her from the fast-moving water. 
I then imagined a benevolent bystander who happened to be an excellent swimmer diving in and rescuing the child.
He did not know the child. He did not love the child. But he was a good person who wanted to do what was right.

This is a beautiful and noble act, but it is not what the word connotes.

Christ rescues us to Himself.
He is the one who is most concerned for our safety and salvation.
He plunges into the water out of pure love for us. He ignores any danger. He gives His life in order to rescue us.
He is not just a benevolent bystander.
He is our Savior, who saves us to Himself because He loves us more than anyone else.

Mount Sinai Renewed

Last weekend, I had a marvelous experience. In the midst of my busy semester and busy life, I was able to slow down and have an experience analogous to that of the children of Israel at Mount Sinai.

Just as their prophet, Moses, brought down the word of God and shared it with them, our prophet, Thomas Monson, delivered to us the words that God would have us know.

But not just him.
















The Twelve Apostles also addressed the worldwide church, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

These men, just like the 12 Apostles of Christ's ancient Church, are called to preach the Gospel to all the world. They hold the same authority given to Peter, James, John, and all of the ancient Apostles by Christ Himself.

How do Thomas Monson and these Twelve Apostles claim to have that same authority?
How could it be on the earth again?

The writer of Hebrews reminds us that "no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that is called of God, as was Aaron" (Hebrews 5:4).

Aaron received his authority from Moses, the Prophet.

Who did these men receive their authority from?

In 1829, Joseph Smith was visited by the leading authorities of Christ's ancient Church - Peter, James, and John - and given the authority which they held, in order to renew Christ's Church today.

That authority has been passed down in an unbroken chain of prophets, from Joseph Smith to Thomas Monson.

Mount Sinai is a thing of the past. But Prophets are not! God loves us today. He continues to send His prophets.
The words of God's prophet today, Thomas Monson, and the Twelve Apostles, are available.
Study them.
Ask God if they are truly prophets, for "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:15-16).

Here are their words

And here are a few of my favorite excerpts

"...are you the same person wherever you are and whatever you are doing—the person our Heavenly Father wants you to be and the person you know you should be?"
-Thomas Monson

"As you pray and serve others, your knowledge that you are a child of God and your feelings about Him will grow. You will become more aware that He is saddened if you are dishonest in any way. You will be more determined to keep your word to God and to others."
-Henry Eyring, Apostle

"There are countless ways technology can distract you from what is most important. Follow the adage “Be where you are when you are there.” When you are driving, drive. When you are in class, focus on the lesson. When you are with your friends, give them the gift of your attention. Your brain cannot concentrate on two things at once. Multitasking amounts to quickly shifting your focus from one thing to another. An old proverb says, “If you chase two rabbits, you won’t catch either one.” "
-Randall Ridd, leader of Young Men in the Church
"At times we may be tempted to practice what I call “natural man’s obedience,” in which we disobediently reject God’s law in favor of our wisdom or our desires or even popularity."
Robert Hales, Apostle

"Christlike love is the greatest need we have on this planet"
Jeffery Holland, Apostle

The 5 AM Snooze

My Freshman year at college, I went to a beginning guitar class with a friend a few times. The instructor was a HUGE Beatles fan. His curriculum for the class was to play Beatles songs, and only Beatles songs, the entire semester. This brought me to a realization - the Beatles wrote a LOT of songs!

During a pause between "Love Me Do" and "I Want To Hold Your Hand," the instructor made a comment that really impacted me.
"You know," he said, "The Beatles weren't popular right away. They wrote over 100 songs before ONE of them made it to the radio."

What?
I had seen "That Thing You Do." I thought the Beatles were just like The Wonders - their first song was an instant hit.




I once heard a story about a world-class violinist who performed countless masterpieces at a performance in one of the great halls of Europe. At the end of his performance, a well-to-do man who was in the audience approached him.
"You are a prodigy," he told the violinist. "A genius! I would give anything to be able to play like you."

"Me, a prodigy? A genius," the violinist responded, confusion and a bit of disgust in his voice. "You would give anything to play like me, would you? I practice 16 hours every day! I have done so for over a decade."

The other man's face showed his amazement. Perhaps he wouldn't give anything to play like this man.




I wish to share one more story to illustrate the point I hope to make.

I come from a large family, and love every member very much. All have gone on to successful careers, or are still being educated in order to pursue them. One brother graduated as an accountant and secured a job at a major accounting firm soon after graduating. He and his wife and new baby moved out to San Jose, California and began their adventure there. However, the job was not what he had anticipated.

The hours were long, the work was tedious, and he was not happy. He left for work before his daughter was awake and got home after she had gone to bed. He was missing out on the most important parts of life.

So he started waking up at 5 AM.
He had a friend at LinkedIn, and had the dream of applying for a job as a web developer.
He woke up early and studied programming. He had taught himself to program at a low-paying, undergraduate job, but knew he would need more than that.
He got the job.

What is he doing now?

He is, once again, waking up at 5 AM, this time to write a book on programming.
I recently asked him, "must victory always come at such a price?"
His response:
"There is no shortcut to a dream."

Another friend at his accounting firm said, "man, I wish I had the skills you do so I didn't have to work here anymore."
It is more than skills, I think my brother would agree. In fact, his book is based on the concept that anyone can learn how to program.
The violinist might say that anyone can learn to play the violin.
Paul McCartney might tell you that anyone can be a successful musician.

But...
They need to work.
They need to be willing to avoid hitting the snooze button at 5 AM.

As President Thomas S. Monson said, leader of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints,
"Work will win when wishy-washy wishing won't."

"Come, And See"

For me, there is perhaps nothing more frustrating than finding myself unable to communicate clearly something that is of importance to me.

As a 19-year-old boy, I left for El Salvador to be a missionary. Upon arriving, I was assigned to work alongside a man from El Salvador who spoke little English. We were together every minute of every day. No one else in my new "life" spoke English. I struggled, not being able to express what was in my heart because of my faltering Spanish.

My Spanish improved, but I found myself faced with the same problem as I tried to explain the Gospel to those I taught.

Just as the Gospel and the Church existed in the days of Christ, they exist today.
Prophets.
Apostles.
Baptism.
Salvation.

Many of them did not understand.

It is hard to describe in words that which is spiritual.

Paul spoke of the peace of God, which passeth all understanding (Philippians 4:7). Words fall short of describing such an intense and incredible feeling of peace.

Christ, the Master teacher, gave what I feel is a perfect solution to this problem. He did not try to explain every minute point of His Gospel with words. Instead He invited, "Come, and see."

And that is my invitation to you.

Come and see.

I believe that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is, in every literal sense, the same Church that Jesus Christ organized in the meridian of time.
I believe that He is the head of this Church, which now has over 15 million members around the globe.
He is the head, not Joseph Smith or Brigham Young or Thomas S. Monson.
Jesus Christ leads His Church today by means of these inspired prophets, just as He did in ancient times by means of Moses and Isaiah and Peter.

I cannot adequately express the peace and joy that come to me because of my membership in this Church, so instead of trying to explain it to you, I invite you to -

Come and see.

A Source of Unfailing Strength

In my Sunday church meetings today, the Bishop (the local leader of our congregation) addressed us and announced our ward's (or congregation's) theme for the year of 2014. He spoke of Paul's conversation with the Lord in 2 Corinthians 12 and the "thorn in the flesh" that he asked the Lord to remove, and how the Lord told Paul that His grace was sufficient and His power is made perfect in weakness.

The Bishop shared a Book of Mormon verse in which another servant of God, Moroni, is worried about his weaknesses and fears that his best will not be enough for the task at hand.

The Lord delivers these comforting words to Moroni:

And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my 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.

In the words of the Lord to both servants, I was struck by the phrase "my grace is sufficient." I decided to study it in more detail. I visited a website that allows side-by-side comparison of the Greek and English New Testament texts, along with detailed definitions and etymology of the Greek words. I would like to share what I learned.

.............................................................................................................................................

Arkei soi e charis mou

..............................................................................................................................................

'Arkei' generally means to suffice, or to be sufficient or enough. However, it can also mean "to possess unfailing strength."

What possesses this unfailing strength?

'Charis' means grace. Whose grace? 'Charis mou'. "My grace," the Savior tells us.

'Soi e' means "for you" (roughly).

.............................................................................................................................................

"My grace possesses unfailing strength for you."

.............................................................................................................................................

There is nothing that God cannot help us to overcome. If we put our whole trust in Him, we can overcome any Goliath.
Through the unfailing grace of God, our weaknesses - physical, mental, social, spiritual - can be turned into strengths.

Jesus Christ died so that we might live. He suffered all things so that He may lift us above all things.

His grace is sufficient.

I know it.

The Nature of Deity

This morning, I sought to better understand the nature of God. I made it the focus of my personal study in the word of God. Among other things, I read the words of Joseph Fielding Smith, a modern-day prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, found here.

As I read, I developed a statement of what the nature of Deity is to me. I would like to share this now, and invite the reader to carefully consider each point. The basis for this understanding of Deity is the First Vision of the Prophet Joseph Smith in 1820, in which he saw the Father and the Son as two separate and distinct beings (see video below).



Here is my statement of personal belief:


God the Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct beings. God is our literal and personal Father, who knows us by name. We were literally created in His image. Jesus Christ, His Son, paid the price for our sins so that we can live with God again if we choose to obey God and repent. But, because God has given us agency to choose, He will not force us to follow Him, and if we do not, we will not be saved. God wants all of His children to return to Him and has provided a way for us to be like Him. He sends His servants, prophets, to show us the way and to help us be successful and happy in this life.