Letter to the Class

Image Class,  Mosiah 3:19 says, "For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father." The story starts with the gathering of the people of Benjamin. I believe it was a holiday and dedication and ordination of his son to the kingdom of Benjamin. The people pointed their tent doors to the temple and the audience was so big the talk was written and handed around. Benjamin made an effort to show his personal service to his people. He showed that the government was upon his shoulders and he had tried to show tremendous effort to show that he would show God that he had tried to ...

Image One thing that Enos teaches us is conversion doesn't come because your dad is prophet. The callings of parents do not change the children. We as parents need to strengthen our children. Enos was a kid first and the son of a prophet second. All of the prayers and fasting and church going hadn't changed him. That had to come from within. Enos was strengthen by a godly parents. I, as a parent, while studying realized that I cannot convert my children to the Gospel no matter how much I try. Their conversion must come from within. All I can do is show how happy I am in the Gospel; show them that reading, fasting, and praying makes me happy. Children learn through mimicry. All I can do is take them to the water (Spirit) I cannot make them drink.  Once Enos was converted in his prayers he reached out to God in prayer. The Atonement had taken root and had begun to grow within his heart. It is curious that he prayed for himself, his friends and family, countrymen, then...

Image Family tree can be compared to a vineyard. In my family alone, there has been all all the experiences, love loss, moves, winters, storms and harvests. Chapter 5 of Jacob uses prune, dung, digged, grafted, nurished, burned frequently in the chapter, and of course quoting a prophet from the brass plates. Now the chapter could be an aligory or proverb. I thought of the two ways you could look at the chapter, prophecy and how we as a people are being directed and lead by the Lord collectively.  For me though, I look at the chapter at a personal level. How has God prune me; dung me: digged me; grafted me; nurished me; or burned me? My life has seen, surgeries, friends come and go, moves, marriages, funerals, blessings and callings. He has asked me to put away sin and do it no more. These changes were nessisary. What's still a marvel, He isn't done.  The garden is an olive garden (yes I see the pun). We use olives to provide nourishment, medicine, light and bl...

image Labor in sin what does it mean? Perhaps the Nephites had got so busy in life that the Savior was a afterthought. Life had become about work, the house, the vast amount of acquisitions. Jacob even mentions women as a trophy that the men wanted, wives and concubines, but we'll discuss that later. The first point that Jacob is simple hatred that the two people had foreacother between the sons of Lehi. Because God has changed the Lamanites from the Nephites, the difference was a catalyst for racism and bigotry, because over time one generation had become ignorant in unrighteous. Brothers and sisters, it took one generation to undo the teachings of Lehi to his children. How precious the gospel is and how precious our children are. We must be sure to teach them that those who do not have the gospel are more prone to vallue stuff over people. The subtle depleted value leads to bigotry and racism. Nephites we're starting to show it in their lifestyles through clothes...

image Redemption is a experience that changes all who see it. For some it's a process like a slow baked potato. Others it's like a Polaroid and in a flash of light the change occurs. I know for me, redemption has been slow. Decades have passed to realize how important Jesus is for me and weirdly (at least to me) that my imperfect mortality is needed for him. It seems at times, that there are people only we can touch in the way we weirdly know how and we speak the language that changes and touches the hearts of others. Let me give some examples... When I was on my mission in California, while serving it last area, we came across a Satanist. He wanted to speak about repentance and in a matter of minutes he was weeping. He wanted to repent of his dark ways. My companion, understanding his lingo, turned to me and said something like, I am about to say some things, forgive my speech. The next five minutes he said so much fowl language, I was shocked on the inside but cal...

image Brothers and Sisters,  In 2011 Elder Dallan H Oaks said, "Desires dictate our priorities, priorities shape our choices, and choices determine our actions. The desires we act on determine our changing, our achieving, and our becoming." Towards the last few days of his life Nephi wanted his people and by association us to make it to God and have no excuse on his part for not being there. We should be doing the same. Insuring that we squeeze every last ounce of good we can share as the Savior did in his most pressing moments. The last three chapters emphasize purity by water and fire. The same can be said about a potato that is going to be eaten. A potato needs washing before the fire that truly prepared it for consumption. So are we. Baptism by both water and fire completes the task. The power and keys of the priesthood complete a process much Luke and oven. We alone cannot provide the heat that purifies and efficiently prepares us for our eventual meeting wit...

Image My wife pointed out today that the poetry style of writing of the book, Tess of the Derberville, is difficult to understand. Isaiah at times is no different.  At times I struggle to understand the Book of Mormon, Isaiah chapters. What I have learned though this week is a true jem.  2 Nephi 26:23–28, 33 Jesus Christ wants everyone to come unto Him.  Through our the course of my life I have come to realize through the scriptures that Jesus needed to do what he has done. While most of us want to do the will of the Father,  Jesus is unique in that he needed to do the will, not only because of the Father but because of you and I. I don't know how it is done but he knows us, you and I, we are important to him. Through our obedience we become the children to the Savior.  When we are running like one of the three pigs to others for strength, let's the weaker in to build them up as the Savior does to us. 2 Nephi 28:2; 29:7–11; 30:3–6 The Book of Mormon ...