Search and Ponder

Follow the Prophet (PMG Ch. 4) In 1622 a Spanish treasure ship called the Atocha made a voyage from Colombia back to Spain. Because there was so much cargo--treasure, civilians, soldiers--the ship left later than planned and ended up traveling in the middle of hurricane season. As night fell, the sea was choppy, and by the time the morning came they were stuck in a vicious storm that beat at the masts and sails. The Atocha was carried up on a giant wave and smashed back into the water. It sank and only five passengers survived.* The world we live in is constantly changing, and sometimes it can be scary. In the media all around us we see constant messages designed to shape the way we think. What is beauty? What does a person have to do to be successful? What is acceptable as entertainment? Social media succeeds more and more every day in shutting us off from our surroundings, and definitions of 'tolerance' and 'love' evolve with society. Some people in the wor

Agency and the Fall of Adam and Eve (PMG) 2 Nephi 2:25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. Yesterday I went on a class assignment to the BYU Folk Dance Ensemble show called The Gathering.   In the opening prayer I heard the words "please help anyone here who is in need of an added measure of joy , that it may be granted them." The words stuck in my mind as the show began. They were doing a few dances like this:                                     and the words from the scripture in 2 Nephi came to my mind. We really are in existence so that we can have joy. Men are that they might have joy . I was amazed by how powerfully that little gem came to me. About 2100 years ago there was a man who had command over a lot of things, and a lot of people. He was a king, and he had power, by worldly standards. He hadn't made the best use of his power, and had put many disobedient and incapable servants to death, on top of any other wars an

 Luke 22 31 And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat:  32 But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren.  33 And he said unto him, Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death.  34 And he said, I tell thee, Peter, the cock shall not crow this day, before that thou shalt thrice deny that thou knowest me. What was Peter thinking? How could he claim to be so strong and good and then deny Christ three times? How could he be so fickle! No. One time I got a 94% on a test (ha one time). That happened right after I found out I had received a half tuition scholarship and right before I got my dream job teaching at the Missionary Training Center. I had also just started dating someone. I felt so good. I felt extremely blessed, and that gave me a lot of confidence. Every once in awhile I have a great experience or series of experiences t

Learn to Recognize the Promptings of the Spirit (Preach My Gospel, Ch. 4) President Boyd K. Packer taught: "The voice of the Spirit is described in the scripture as being neither 'loud' nor 'harsh.' It is 'not a voice of thunder, neither...voice of a great tumultuous noise.' But rather, 'a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper.' and it can 'pierce even to the very soul' and 'cause [the heart] to burn.' (3 Ne 11:3; Hel. 5:30; D&C 85:6-7)". For the last year or so, my parents have felt a persistent whisper to move out of the house they have lived in for almost 14 years. I spent 10 years of my life there and loved it. "Knowing that this still voice of perfect mildness" came from above, they were obedient to it. They spent months preparing the house to sell, and moved out to a rental home in the meantime. They decided to stay there until they could decide where to move. Summer 2012: the

The other night I realized how painfully empty my food shelf was in the apartment pantry, so I grabbed my keys and went out to get in my car and drive to the store. When I got to the parking lot I couldn't find my car anywhere. I walked around for a few minutes looking for it before the light bulb turned on: I left it at work. I had walked to campus, and then, because I was too lazy to walk back and get it, I had just walked home to my apartment......I still need to go to the store. Acted upon. Agency ( Preach My Gospel Ch 3, Lesson 2) 2 Nephi 2:26  And the Messiah cometh in the fulness of time, that he may redeem the children of men from the fall. And because that they are redeemed from the fall they have become free forever, knowing good from evil; to act for themselves and not to be acted upon, save it be by the punishment of the law at the great and last day, according to the commandments which God hath given. We are FREE. Every one of us is free. I am free, and I ca

  Knowledge (Preach My Gospel, Ch. 6) Up until yesterday, whenever people would ask me how classes were going, I would always say, "Pretty good." It's automatic, even if they aren't all going well. Yesterday during a math lecture I was struggling to stay awake in, I decided to look at my grades for all my classes...that definitely woke me up! After setting some rigorous goals, I am confident that the semester will turn out fine for me. But what happened? Why am I not satisfied with my performance in classes? It's because I have missed the aim of education. From a worm's eye perspective good grades are great. But from a bird's eye view, education is so much more! It can mean knowledge, which can mean power. POWER. That looks greedy, all by itself in all caps; but it's true. Knowledge is power. As seen in Alma 26:35, Acts 15:18, 1 Samuel 2:3, and Mosiah 4:9, our Lord is a God of knowledge, which knowledge gives him his power. "Sure,&qu

I just recently got a new mini copy of Preach My Gospel in Spanish. With no markings in it at all, I can start over in what I learn from it, and hopefully have some new insights. I often think of PMG as only a full-time missionary tool. It is not. It is so much more. Chapter 4: How Do I Recognize and Understand the Spirit? Personal Revelation Serving a mission was amazing, especially because of the closeness I experienced with the Holy Ghost. I remember feeling very often like I didn't want to do anything that would make it more difficult to feel and/or follow his promptings every minute of every day for two years so that I could effectively teach the people. Now I have been back from my mission in Chile for longer than I was there, and I can see how incredibly important the guidance of the Holy ghost still is. I teach missionaries at the Missionary Training Center and I have loved every minute of it since I began about 15 months ago. As last semester began I considere