This week, we finished the Book of Mormon in class. What an amazing feeling it is to have gotten through this book another time! I am so grateful for the opportunity I had to be in this class. This week in particular, I was feeling very blessed because I was given an answer to a prayer. I have been struggling with some trials and I just couldn't understand why some things were happening to me. Then Brother Griffin shared and explained a scripture that gave a whole new meaning to my life
Ether 12:27 reads, "An if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that the 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."
Trials are hard to go through but that is the way life is supposed to be. God is constantly wanting to test our faith and he never gives us any trials that we can't handle. The important part of this scripture is the idea of humbling yourself because God can't help you t grow until you humble yourself and turn to Christ for help. I know that trials help us to become closer to Christ also, which is a blessing in itself.
I have a testimony of this Gospel. I have enjoyed being able to post my feelings and spiritual experiences on this blog.

I think that we can all agree that college is full of some of the best times and some of the worst. These next two weeks happen to fall into the category of the worst times in my opinion. That is because finals are approaching! I don't think I am the only one who looks for solace from Christ when I am struggling. This period of time is no different and as I think about my upcoming tests, I have a continual prayer in my heart. As I continued to stress out this past weekend, I payed extra attention to my scripture study in order to find some comforting scriptures that might help me.

Alma 36:3 reads, "And now, o my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know 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."

Whatever is happening in life, I find comfort in this scripture. I like to replace my name with Helaman in this situation because it becomes more applicable to me. First off, his father is speaking to him and telling him to listen to his words so that he can learn. The most important thing he says in this verse is basically that no matter what, when we trust God, he supports us in our trials in some way. To me, that could mean he sends someone to comfort us or even wraps his own arms around us. Either way, he is there for us no matter what. This scripture reminded me that God is loving and sent his son to die for us so that we can make it back to him. He is always rooting for us in every good thing we do so as I continue to study and take my finals, I know that I can count on him to help me. I know he won't magically give me the answers, but I will be grateful when he helps me to feel calm. 

This upcoming week has me thinking a lot about what I am grateful for. It has been a difficult semester and I have often found myself looking at all the negative things going on in my life instead of looking to the Lord and seeing all the blessings he has given me. Because of the spirit of Thanksgiving, I decided to look for scriptures that would apply to me this week. 

In Alma 34:38 it reads, "That ye contend no more against the Holy Ghost, but that ye receive it, and take upon you the name of Christ; That ye humble yourselves even to the dust, and worship God, in whatsoever place ye may be in, in spirit and in truth; and that ye live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you."

This scripture is so powerful when you really think about what he talking about. Aside from excepting the Holy Ghost into our lives, we need to remember Christ as well. This is a time for worship as well and during that worship, we always need to remember to thank God or EVERYTHING he does. We might find ourselves asking him for a plethora of things in our prayers but when was the last time you truly thanked him for the little things he has done throughout the week? So I invite you to think about the things you are thankful for this week. Also, remember the Lord because without him, you would not have those things. He has truly given us everything in one way or another. Happy Thanksgiving :) 

I have had a very sad week. I have been disgusted and hurt by the hate that I see in our great nation. On Tuesday night, Donald Trump was elected president. Since that day, people have began rioting, protesting, and being violent. While I understand that people are upset, it is no way to act towards someone who is going to be leading our country for the next 4-8 years. No matter what, we need to turn our hearts to God in prayer for this man who will move our amazing country forward. Now more than ever do we need to come together and turn to the real man in charge; God. For those of you who fear for our future, I would like to share a scripture with you that really helped me this week. 

Moroni 7: 41 reads, "And what is it that ye shall hope for? Behold I say unto you that ye shall have hope through the atonement of Christ and the power of his resurrection, to be raised unto life eternal and this because of your faith according to the promise."

This is something I wish everyone would understand. We should be having hope because we have God and our Savior to care for us, no matter the circumstance, As long as we have faith in Christ, we can move forward with happiness and acceptance for the future. Pray instead of protest and create change instead of violence. Most importantly, respect the opinions of those around you because we are all Gods children, regardless of our differing beliefs. 

This week I want to talk about passions. I am going to be a little more specific to sexual passions though. It is obvious that it is part of human nature to have these desires. I think our society has made it so that people believe they have the right to act on these desires and that there won't be any consequences for those actions. However, I know for a fact that acting on these desires without any commitment can hurt you physically and spiritually.
In Alma 38 we read the words given to Shiblon by his father. There is a very powerful lesson that pertains to what I want to talk about. In verse 12 it reads, "Use boldness, but not overbearance: and also see that ye bridle all your passions, that ye may be filled with love; see that ye refrain from idleness." This scripture has a lot of very important points but I want to focus on the word Bridle. This basically means to control your passions and not let them overtake you. He then says that when you do this, you will be filled with love. To me, that means that if you love someone, you will hold back your passions for that person to show them respect. I strongly believe that if you refrain from letting your passion get out of hand, you will always make the right decision. We all get into situations that may cause us not to make the right choice, but it is important to remember that we are all children of God, and we should respect ourselves and those around us. If this concept was more established in the world, I think we would see a lot of problems with sexual assault and unplanned pregnancy disappear. So overall, bridal your passions people. You will feel happiness and love when you do so.

For my blog post today, I would like to focus on Lamoni's people. In Alma, his people are addicted to killing and bloodshed. When they finally heard the Gospel of Jesus Christ though, they were ready to bury this addiction.
 Alma 24:19 reads , " And thus we see that, when these Lamanites were brought to believe and to know the truth, they were firm, and would suffer even unto death rather than commit sin; and this we see that they buried their weapons of peace, or they buried the weapons of war, for peace." They gained strength and guidance in order to put aside their addictions and become better people. This can relate to us today because we all have addictions. While it may not being the addiction to murder, it is still a good lesson to take into consideration. People are now addicted to drugs, alcohol, pornography, eating, and so on. If we follow the teachings and examples of Lamoni's people, and bury our addictions, then we will be stronger and more happy. I know that the weight of addiction not only affects you, but it also affects those around you. The great thing about burying your addictions is that you don't have to do it alone. When you look to Christ, he will help you. And in the end, it will be worth it.

 

There is an important decision that must be made on November 7. The nation will gather to chose a presidential candidate. I have had a lot of time to think about the future of our nation and I surprisingly found solace in the Book of Mormon.
Mosiah 24:15 reads, "And now it came to pass that the burdens which were laid upon Alma and his brethren were made light; yea, the Lord did strengthen them that they could bear up their burdens with ease, and they did submit cheerfully and with patience to all the will of the Lord."
Here, we learn that Alma and his people had their burdens lifted from them because they trusted in Jesus and they were blessed. Unlike them, I find a lot of people in our society not trusting in God. They believe that religion causes War, so they decide to push it away, instead of embracing it. People want freedom in this world but a society that wants more freedom with less righteousness will never work. I can only hope and pray that people realize that we need to look to God and Jesus Christ to be blessed. I personally find myself praying to know who I must vote for and I know that God will guide me, as well as anyone else, who submits themselves to ask.

This week, we studied in Mosiah. I am always amazed at the fact that no matter how many times I think about the sacrifice and love of Jesus Christ, I always find new ways to appreciate him.
 In Mosiah 10: 12, 17 reads, "They were a wild and ferocious, and a bloodthirsty people, believing in the tradition of their fathers, which is this-Believing that they were driven out of the land of Jerusalem because of the iniquities of their fathers, and that they were wronged in the wilderness by their brethren, and they were also wronged while crossing the sea...And thus they have taught their children that they should hate them, and that they should destroy them; therefore they have an eternal hatred towards the children of Nephi."
In these scriptures, we learn the the Lamanites are teaching their children that Laman and Lemuel were wronged, and therefore they need to hate the Nephites, I think in the context of today's world, it is easy to find hatred towards other people. If someone is like the Lamanites, they will have wroth and hatred towards individuals. But, if someone is forgiving and loving, then they are opposite of those people. It isn't right to hold grudges, especially in the eyes of Jesus Christ. He faced the ultimate offense. He was crucified and left by God to suffer for our sins. And at the end of the day, Christ preached, "Forgive them, for they know not what they do." He is merciful and once we realize that we need to forgive others, the love will easily flow from our hearts because we will be becoming more like Christ.

I have always had a testimony of Tithing. Since I was baptized, I would take any opportunity to earn some money, just so I would be able to pay tithing. As I grew older and was able to get my own job, I was still consistent with my tithe paying. In this weeks lesson, I had a defining moment where my testimony of tithing actually grew stronger.
In Jacob 2: 17, it reads," Think of your brethren like unto yourselves, and a be familiar with all and free your substance, that they may be rich like unto you."
This scripture can easily be related to tithing and fast offerings. We know that the purpose of this life is to become more like our Savior, and by participating in paying our tithing and fast offerings, we can. Jesus Christ was the richest of all. And what did he do? He became poor in order to lift us up. Now it is our turn to lift up our fellow brothers and sisters in order to become more like the Savior. I know that keeping the commandments and paying tithing will do just that!

What does Grace mean to you? I think a lot of people get confused on the idea of Grace or think that we are saved purely through the Grace of Christ. While that is partially true, we must not forget that we also have to come unto Christ and work and keep the commandments, The commandments are an extension of Christs grace to come unto him. Keeping them brings us closer to him, which is why we should ALWAYS chose the right!
 2 Nephi 10: 24 reads, "Wherefore my beloved brethren, reconcile yourselves to the will o God, and not to the will of the devil and the flesh; and remember, after ye are reconciled unto God, that it is only in and through the grace of God that ye are saved."
If you read further into the Book of Mormon, Nephi continues to explain this concept. In 2 Nephi 25: 23 it reads, "For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that is it by grace that we are save, after all we can do."
That last line is so important in understanding the Grace of God. We must look to Christ in order to make it back to heaven, He payed the ultimate sacrifice for us because his job is to get us in to heaven. Our job is to come unto him.

This week was the dreaded Isaiah Chapters. Although I never made a huge deal about trying to read this part of 1 Nephi, I finally understand how awesome these versus of scripture are. There is one specific verse of scripture that I wanted to focus on today.
 In 1 Nephi 21: 15-16 reads, "For can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yest will i not forget thee, O house of Israel. Behold, I have graven thee upon to palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me."
This scripture was very powerful to me. When I think about how mothers abandon their children all the time, especially during history, and it make me sad. But Jesus points out that he was the ultimate forsaken one. He was abandoned and alone to suffer for our sins so he knows what its like to feel that way. Jesus Christ doesn't want us to feel that way though, which is why he has "graven" us on the palm of his hand. He will never forget us and that is why I am so grateful for Jesus Christ and his sacrifice.

"I stand all amazed at the love Jesus offers me.

confused at the grace that so fully he proffers me.

I tremble to know that for me he was crucified,

That for me, a sinner, he suffered, he bled and died."

This week, we talked about the Atonement. For me personally, I always get really emotional when I re-learn about the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for me. Sometimes we may ask ourselves why we needed Jesus Christ to atone for us. Sometimes it is hard to believe that an all powerful God couldn't except our repentance directly but after this week, I have a testimony that we needed a mediator.

In 2 Nephi 9: 7, it reads, "Wherefore, it must needs be an infinite atonement—save it should be an infinite atonement this corruption could not put on incorruption. Wherefore, the first judgment which came upon man must needs have remained to an endless duration. And if so, this flesh must have laid down to rot and to crumble to its mother earth, to rise no more."
 This scripture shows that we would crumble and fall without His guidance. I love when it says the Atonement is infinite because that makes me realize how lucky we are to always have His mercy and Grace. Without Jesus Christ, we would have been lost. God knew that if we didn't have someone to suffer through what we would suffer, then we wouldn't be able to turn to him for guidance and understanding. We can go to him cause he knows what we have gone through. And that is such a blessing.

So this week, my Book of Mormon class was by far one of the most mind blowing spiritual classes I have ever been in. These professors of religion really know what they are talking about. I gained a lot of insight throughout the class but there is one thing I would really like to talk about that specifically touched my heart. 

In 1 Nephi 8 in the Book of Mormon, we read about a vision which the prophet Lehi had. In this vision, he beheld the Tree of Life. He talks about seeing various things in this vision, but the thing I would like to focus on specifically is the rod of iron. In 1 Nephi 8: 19-20 it reads, "And I beheld a rod of iron and it extended along the bank of the river, and led to the tree by which I stood. And I also beheld a strait and narrow path, Which came along by the rod of iron, even to the tree by which I stood; and it also led by the head of the fountain, unto a large  and spacious field, as if it had been a world." 

Now it is important to note that the river ran right next to the rod of iron. This river was like unto the depths of hell. We as children of God may wonder why He would put the rod so close to that river. Did He want us to suffer? Did He hope we would fall in? The answer is, of course not. These are purely symbolic. God knows that we are all human. No one is perfect and it is because no one is perfect that God sent Jesus Christ to die for us. God knows that everyone will spend some time in that river, and he leaves the rod close enough that we can grab back onto the rod and continue on the strait and narrow. 

I would like to bare my testimony that God knows us and loves us, and he wants us to come back to him. I am grateful for that knowledge and I hope you all recognize and appreciate it as well.

Fast Sunday can be the best and worst day ever. As a Mormon, we are commanded to fast every first Sunday of the month. For me personally, I have done it only a few different times for different purposes. Now that I am attending BYU, I decided to make it a goal that I fast every fast Sunday, WITH A PURPOSE. My purpose this week was to gain a better testimony on fasting. I stumbled upon a scripture in Omni 1:27 in the Book of Mormon, which reads, "And now, my beloved brethren, I would that ye should come unto Christ, who is the Holy One of Israel, and partake of his salvation, and the power or his redemption. Yea, come unto him and offer your whole souls as an offering unto him and continue in fasting and praying , and endure to the end; and as the Lord liveth, ye shall be saved."

This scripture really made me appreciate the sacrifices Jesus Christ has made for us and how little we have to do in return. The Lord doesn't ask much from us. This scripture is saying that as long as we offer ourselves unto him through prayer and fasting, we can be saved.What a great promise! I felt very spiritually fed this Sunday and am grateful that I gained a stronger testimony of fasting. Not to mention that my "break the fast" food was AMAZING! 

As a first post on my blog, I thought I would start by talking a little bit about myself and what I am here to gain. I am a freshman at Brigham Young University. As a student of this university, I am required to take religion classes. This semester I have chosen to go in depth on the Teachings and Doctrines of the Book of Mormon. For those of you who don't know, the book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. This blog will be my journey through a serious study of this book and I encourage whoever is reading it to take what I say into their hearts. Now while I will be posting my spiritual experiences, it wouldn't be a true representation of who I am without a little humor to it. So besides my spiritual experiences, I will be posting funny pictures to make you laugh. While I love and am devoted to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I sometimes find that the people in the church do funny things. Why not laugh about it? So please enjoy my posts for the next semester and I hope and pray that you find joy and humor in my experiences.