Tag Archives: faith

Looking for Life in all the Dead Places

20 Sunday Apr 2025

Posted by in Heritage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , ,

The following is a talk/sermon given today in church by a dear brother who gave me permission to share it with the world:

Have you ever stuck a fork or a knife into an electrical outlet just to see what would happen? I want to preface this by saying, kids, do NOT EVER try this at home. But for those of you who’ve already been as foolishly curious as I have, you know it’s not fun. It’s not like it is in the cartoons. There’s a lot of pain, screaming, involuntary body movements, and ultimately, crying and tears. I only mention it because of a random thought I had as I was preparing this talk which reminded me of a Sunday school lesson a few weeks ago. We were discussing the restoration and I had made a comment regarding Joseph being the one to restore the power of God to the earth again. Using the analogy of a lamp that was in perfect working order; the lamp itself worked, the light bulb worked, but when you pulled the chain or turned the switch, the light didn’t come on, because it was no longer plugged in to the power source. Perhaps a better way to see it is the power had been cut off so that NONE of the lights in the house were working. The house being the earth and the lights being all the churches within in. Since Joseph Smith has restored the Lord’s power once again to the kingdom of God on the earth, whenever I speak about the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, sometimes it’s like sticking my spiritual finger in the Lord’s spiritual power outlet. The effect is sudden, overwhelming, it can be spiritually jolting and there’s crying and tears – minus the screaming. So if I’m suddenly rendered speechless and tears begin to flow, it’s just the effect of the spiritual BZZZZZ!

The title I’ve chosen for my talk is “Looking for Life in all the Dead Places”.

I perceive a country song playing in your heads right now.

When Mary came to the tomb of Jesus on the third day, she was met by an angel who said, “Why seek ye the living among the dead?”

Those words have taken on new meaning for me. Years ago, when I left the church, it was the beginning of a years long journey of looking for life in all the dead places and in every face except the face of the “light and life of the world” – our Savior, Jesus Christ. My “Alma the younger lessons” didn’t come in a nice compact, concentrated, 3 days of unconscious eternal torment and the harrowing of my soul. Mine took 3 decades of carefully chosen or foolishly chosen (depending on the perspective) yet tailor made harrowing lessons of my own, that I now see how God was using for His good to turn me from the “wide gate and broad way which leads to destruction”, back to the “strait gate and narrow way which leads to life”. He knew very well who I was in the pre-mortal world. He knew what I did there and the choices I made that resulted in me being here now. He knew things about me that I didn’t, and a lot more that I still don’t. Through my patriarchal blessing, it’s like being able to see through a tiny crack in the veil, a glimpse of who I was then, who I am now, and my purpose for being here.

We’re all here in this mortal world that I like to think of as “God University”, where we’re all in class 24/7 for the duration of our lives and the main course of study is “How to become like God”. Each of us has our own set of lessons specific to who we are and who we’re becoming. Some of us arrive here in “school” and from the beginning we’re set on the straight path. Some of us arrive and don’t have that opportunity and our learning in this life happens on a divergent path that hopefully will lead us back to where we need to be. All of it is for one purpose with the same end result, our own immortality and eternal life.

If you’re facing a crisis of faith; if you’re feeling like you’ve done everything right; everything the Lord has asked of you, and your watching your life go down a path that you never saw coming, through no fault of your own, and it’s causing you to question God, and it’s confusing to you because you can’t understand why this is happening. Or if you’ve experienced something or done something in your past that is, in your mind, holding you back from going to the temple and receiving ALL the blessings God has waiting for you for no other reason than YOU haven’t forgiven yourself. I stand before you today to deliver a message, “It’s time.” Time to come boldly to the throne of grace and FULLY surrender yourself to the Lord. Time to stop looking for your life in all the dead places. Cease seeking the living among the dead, and lose your life in the light and life of the world.

It doesn’t matter if we’ve been a conscious deliberate sinner or have repeatedly faced failure and disappointment, the moment we decide to try again; I’ll say that again. The “MOMENT” we “DECIDE”; the SECOND we CHOOSE to try again, the atonement of Jesus Christ can help us with IMMEDIATE effect. If you’re like me, I used to think that I had to jump through all kinds of spiritual hoops FIRST before forgiveness could be received. I was wrong. The powerful effects of the atonement of Jesus Christ happens the instant we repent and choose to try again. All of us have had these experiences at some point in life, multiple times, I’m sure. Some of you may be experiencing a time like that right now. Some may be feeling guilt for something you’ve already repented for and God has long forgiven and forgotten. But your memory of a past transgression has you falsely shackled and feeling unable to move forward. That is just one of the powerful tools of the adversary that he uses to cheat you out of everything God is trying to give you, by causing you to feel as though you’re less than what you’re really worth to God. You are worth EVERYTHING to God. So much so that He sent His only Begotten Son to do that which we could NEVER do for ourselves, and provide a way home to our Father. I encourage you to take THIS MOMENT to decide to allow Jesus Christ and His atonement to help you unchain yourself from the sorrow and guilt that prevents you from progressing higher.

Elder Holland said:

“However late you think you are, however many chances you think you have missed, however many mistakes you feel you have made, or however far from home and family and God you feel you have traveled, I testify that you have not traveled beyond the reach of divine love. It is not possible for you to sink lower than the infinite light of Christ’s atonement shines.”

If Christ can overcome death, what can He NOT do?

Someone asked me recently, “What do you do when you feel discouraged?” I’m sure we’ve all been asked the question, “If you could go back in time, what advice would you give your younger self?” As I carefully thought through this scenario, I came to the conclusion that this wouldn’t be very helpful for me. Instead of going into the past, I like to go into the future. Millennia from now. Instead of “GIVING” advice to my past self, I prefer to “RECEIVE” advice from the immortal, celestial, eternal, glorified, future version of me. That conversation goes something like, [my immortal self speaking];

“I know this thing you’re going through right now feels hard, even crushing, perhaps devastating and debilitating. I KNOW how you feel because I was you. But I’m standing before you as living proof that I AM who I AM now because of YOU; because of what you’ve done, because of what you’re doing now, and because of all that you WILL do. All of this that you’re experiencing now is all just part of the process. It’s part of OUR process of YOU becoming ME. You’re doing so well. Just stay the course and remain close to the Lord. Trust in Him and do everything He asks of you without question, without hesitation, and without resistance as Jesus did, even if you can’t understand WHY in the moment. You will come to understand everything in time. He will NEVER lead you wrong.  Have complete faith in that. If you can do this, and, spoiler alert, I ALREADY KNOW you can, you will have NOTHING to worry about. And one day, YOU will be ME.”

Imagine for a moment coming in contact with a creature that is glorious beyond ANYTHING you could ever encounter in this world, and like Joseph said about his first vision, “defies all description”. A creature so celestially glorious and other worldly that if you could see it now you would be tempted to drop to your knees and worship it. Then imagine that after the initial shock and wonder has had a chance to subside enough for you to come somewhat back to your senses, you’re finally hit with mind altering reality that this creature is YOU. What you’re really looking at is the immortal, resurrected, glorified, eternal version of what you’re in the process of becoming. I promise you that if you go and have a conversation with THAT person, your despair would dissipate directly.

I leave you with more words of Elder Holland.


Today is Easter, a time for the righteous principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ and His atonement to “PASS OVER”, pass over conflict and contention, pass over despair and transgression, and pass over, ultimately, over death. It’s a time to pledge total loyalty in word and deed to the Lamb of God, who “bore our griefs and carried our sorrows” in His determination to finish the work of salvation in our behalf. In spite of betrayal and pain, mistreatment and cruelty, and bearing all the accumulated sins and sorrows of the human family, the Son of the living God looked down the long path of mortality, saw us this weekend, and said: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid”.

In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

The Man Dressed In A White Robe Reconsidered

15 Monday Apr 2024

Posted by in Heritage

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , ,

I had not planned to share this for a long time, but the subject was broached today by an acquaintance, so I will explain why I have reconsidered what I wrote in a previous entry over a year ago.

I’ve been outspoken about that for a while in some circles, but I have also reconsidered who the man dressed in a white robe in Lehi’s dream was, based on personal experience and also with a conversation I had with a true messenger. Lehi and those like him such as Isaiah who have “ascended” to a new level of ministration are “exalted” to their new level by the Lord after experiencing a “descent” phase or a period of “abasement.” Consider a few things: Lehi had already experienced a theophany which is beyond the iron rod imagery or in other words at the “end” to which people should endure. He had already partaken of the fruit and found “rest.” I have made many videos about this “rest” and “partaking of God’s goodness” if anyone is interested in watching my Book of Mormon Spotlight videos on YouTube. We see this powerfully, but very briefly in 1 Nephi chapter 1 with Lehi’s theophany. Later, the opening scene of Lehi’s dream of the tree of life in 1 Nephi chapter 8 placed him in a lone and dreary wilderness where the white robed man asked Lehi to follow him. Lehi followed him until he found himself no longer in a dark wilderness but rather in a dark waste. Lehi essentially experienced a descent phase, or in other words, a condescension. It happened upon his consent to be guided there. Once his “abasement” period was completed, his ministration as one who then “ascended” like Isaiah to guide others to partake of the same “rest” began. And it began with Lehi guiding his family along the same path. This is why Lehi did not start out at the beginning of the iron rod in his dream, but the others did. Very few people press forward during their mortal lives with their minds and hearts set on partaking of the fruit of the tree of life, or “rest” while yet in mortality. Those that do may consent to a period of abasement or a “descent” phase where they demonstrate their willingness to serve God at all hazards (6th lecture on faith), not even withholding their lives as Lehi demonstrated when he preached repentance at Jerusalem.

Lecture on Faith 6:5 For a man to lay down his all, his character and reputation, his honor and applause, his good name among men, his houses, his lands, his brothers and sisters, his wife and children, and even his own life also, counting all things but filth and dross for the excellency of the knowledge of Jesus Christ, requires more than mere belief, or supposition that he is doing the will of God, but actual knowledge: realizing, that when these sufferings are ended he will enter into eternal rest; and be a partaker of the glory of God…

Or as the Lord asked:

Isaiah 6:8 Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me.

Gentile Kings and Queens

22 Friday Mar 2024

Posted by in Heritage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , , , ,

Today’s entry is just a quick blurb and not at all exhaustive. I share much more in my ongoing YouTube playlist titled “Book of Mormon Spotlights.” In my studies, I noticed a hierarchy of Gentiles mentioned in various places in the Book of Mormon, but mostly within the first two books of Nephi. They are:

1. Mother Gentiles
2. Gentiles
3. Gentiles who repent
4. Gentile Kings and Queens

Consider the following and feel free to make any corrections. Nephi wrote about the Mother Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:17) who would wage war against those Gentiles (1 Nephi 13:12-16) who wanted a better life and were brought to America by the power of the Lord. In the Old Testament, the northern kingdom of Israel, also known as Ephraim was destroyed by Assyria and the people were dispersed. They assimilated into gentile nations, but dispersed Ephraim was predicted to emerge in the last days to serve as “nursing fathers” and “nursing mothers” (2 Nephi 10:9) to the remnant of the House of Israel that is restored in the end-time. These “kings” and “queens” who are also referred to as these nursing fathers and nursing mothers by Nephi and also referred to as “foster fathers” and “nursing mothers” by Isaiah will be among those Gentles who repent and become covenant people of the Lord (2 Nephi 30:2) because as many of the Gentiles as repent are the covenant people of the Lord;

Now lets fast forward to Joseph Smith’s day. Joseph Smith knew that he and the converted saints were those Gentiles (D&C 109:60) that Nephi prophesied about – and that the Book of Mormon would come by “way of the Gentile” (Title Page) – should become the Gentile Kings and Queens because of Ephraim’s birthright. This refers to spiritual kings and queens and not political kings and queens. There are NO kings and queens on the Earth who care about Zion. They – meaning world leaders and leaders of nations – love Babylon and all her riches and power and don’t care at all about Zion.

In order to understand this concept better, we need to go back to Genesis chapter 48 where Jacob blesses his grandsons Ephraim and Manasseh. Remember that Ephraim was the younger brother who was given the birthright blessing of the first-born, which traditionally would have been Manasseh’s birthright. Ephraim was blessed to become a greater nation than Manasseh and that the descendants of Ephraim would become a “multitude of nations.”

Latter-day Ephraim has the birthright duty to bring the fullness of the gospel to his brother, Latter-day Manasseh, and also his other brethren of the House of Israel (D&C 103:1). Those of us who have been through the temple know that we have been anointed to become kings and queens but that we will not see this realized except through our faithfulness. How do we know what serving as kings and queens involves unless we learn how the scriptures define those roles and then begin emulating those who had those roles? How can we expect to be exalted as those kings and queens IF we never serve or know how to serve, using the role models provided in the scriptures of what those kings and queens actually did? One example would be Ammon, son of King Mosiah who selflessly declined becoming the next political king and instead became a spiritual king to serve his heathen brothers and sisters, the Lamanites in the form of a lowly servant to the vassal king Lamoni.

You get the idea. Then Jesus Christ gives a sequence of events in 3 Nephi chapter 21, which are already underway. But there are still a number of great events which I consider will be the great and marvelous work (although it began with Joseph Smith). But pay attention to how many times Jesus Christ declared, “…and then shall…” and it will become clear just how much is yet to happen. But these events will be sequential. 3 Nephi chapter 21 is a great chapter to study deeply.

Grace To Grace

16 Saturday Oct 2021

Posted by in Heritage

≈ 1 Comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

I didn’t expect to write this entry today, but I kept feeling nudged to do so while my previous entry “What Is Grace” is still fresh in the minds of those who have read it. More and more Christians are abandoning institutional religion while seeking and embracing Jesus Christ with real intent. While it is imperative to seek the Lord, it is equally important to fellowship with other worshippers. One cannot become a disciple of Jesus without loving and serving as He did. That does not happen as individuals on tops of individual mountains. Zion will be a nation of disciples dwelling together who have learned by grace to get along with each other. We must learn to be refined together in the same way that river rocks are rounded and smoothed together in the same running waters. You have to endure being bumped into each other, rubbed off of each other, and smoothed together by the uncomfortable flow of the rolling waters around you. Similarly does steel sharpen steel.

We must learn to receive “grace from grace” and continue from “grace to grace” as I wrote in my previous entry. When Jesus taught those around him to love God and also to love their neighbors as themselves, He was questioned by undiscerning disciples. “Who is my neighbor” and “how many times shall I forgive my neighbor?” Where they lacked in dos, they well made up for in don’ts. Jesus had to break down the concept of the kind of love He expected them to learn. They already knew it was wrong to steal and to lie and to covet. In His sermon on the mount, Jesus expounded on the concept of the higher law of love or in other words, the law of Christ. For example, he unequivocally declared, “Give to every man that asketh of thee; and of him that taketh away thy goods ask them not again. And as ye would that men should do to you, do ye also to them likewise” (Luke 6:30-31).

I still get asked by fellow LDS what about this? Or what about that? Should I just let so and so do this or that? They have not taken the time to study the personal teachings of Jesus Christ. But to answer their particular questions, the Lord covered those questions in fine detail which He declared in its entirety in D&C 98. In short, Jesus Christ declared:

13 And whoso layeth down his life in my cause, for my name’s sake, shall find it again, even life eternal.
14 Therefore, be not afraid of your enemies, for I have decreed in my heart, saith the Lord, that I will prove you in all things, whether you will abide in my covenant, even unto death, that you may be found worthy.
15 For if ye will not abide in my covenant ye are not worthy of me.

But I’m getting off subject there. People tend to want every scenario spelled out for them because they do not believe ALL the things Jesus Christ has already instructed us to do. Thus we have His sermon on the mount as a model for living and for loving. I love what Peter wrote to the blossoming Christians in his second epistle who had obtained that kind of faith. He gave them actionable further light and knowledge so that they might receive even more grace.

2 Peter 1:1 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like precious faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ:
2 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
3 According as his divine power hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
4 Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
5 And beside this, giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue; and to virtue knowledge;
6 And to knowledge temperance; and to temperance patience; and to patience godliness;
7 And to godliness brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness charity.
8 For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
9 But he that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sins.
10 Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things, ye shall never fall:
11 For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

In verses one through four, Peter greets those believers who had grown in faith and thus in grace. In verses five through eight, Peter then teaches them how they can grow from grace to grace. This is what disciples DO. They do these works to BECOME like Jesus Christ and all other heavenly beings who dwell with God. We are doing these things not necessarily in order to be saved, but we are doing them to become like saved beings. We cannot waltz into Zion or into heaven and expect Jesus to sprinkle magical fairy dust or magical grace dust and transform us into brotherly people. It doesn’t work that way. We develop brotherly kindness right now so that by abandoning our undesirable qualities (repentance), His grace covers us. This is why Peter says in verse nine that those religious and dutiful people who call themselves Christians do not do these things, it is as if they chose not to be baptized in the first place to be forgiven of their sins. They continue their journey ignorantly or hypocritically. And so Peter encouraged those Christians to give diligence to make their calling and election sure so that they never fall. They who forgive will be forgiven. They who love will be loved. They who elevate the downtrodden will themselves in the end be elevated. They will be saved in God’s kingdom as one who has received as much grace as he has been given the opportunity to receive while in this mortal life. Thus are we saved by grace. It’s an open book test and we have all the advantages and opportunities in the world to grow right now.

Have Miracles Ceased? Part One

09 Thursday Sep 2021

Posted by in Heritage

≈ Leave a comment

Tags

, , , , , , , , ,

I have witnessed too many people ask this question lately. My answer to this question is no. That’s the easy answer. Miracles abound in my life. I am not sharing this to boast of my own strength because I am nothing. I am less than dirt and less than rocks. Dirt and rocks are greater than me because even dirt and rocks obey God. When God says to the mountain move, it moves. Whenever God tells me to do something, I don’t always listen or I don’t always hear, though I am sincerely endeavoring every day to become better and to become complete. But in Christ, I know I can do all things. I have seen too much to doubt and to doubt it all would be to look straight up toward the sun at noon day and declare in defiance that there is no light. But that isn’t so much denial as it is blatant rejection. Through Jesus, I have caused the lame to walk, I have healed the sick, I have escaped death, I have been God’s instrument in preventing the death of another, and I have been given a vision, just to name a few examples. And I acknowledge that it is only through Jesus that I have been able to partake in such events because of a genuine and sincere desire to be obedient to Him in all things and at all costs. That is a scary notion!

I have spent a lot of time sharing the teachings that Jesus taught in His sermon on the mount. They are not only teachings, but commandments. Jesus summarized his teachings by saying, “Be ye therefore perfect.” That wasn’t a suggestion. It was a commandment. “If you love me, keep my commandments.” Our love for Him is measured by our willingness to obey Him and our obedience to Him is measured by the things we suffer for His sake. The Greek word for perfect, τέλειος or Teleios, means complete. Jesus desires us to be complete in Him. Jesus obeyed His Father perfectly, or in other words, completely, by all the things He suffered for us.

Hebrews 5:8 Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; 
9 And being made perfect, he became the author of eternal salvation unto all them that obey him…

If you’ve read this far, then maybe you really are interested. Now I’m going to throw you into the deep end. Too much is at stake in the world right now.

Moroni 7:27 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased because Christ hath ascended into heaven, and hath sat down on the right hand of God, to claim of the Father his rights of mercy which he hath upon the children of men?
28 For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.
29 And because he hath done this, my beloved brethren, have miracles ceased? Behold I say unto you, Nay; neither have angels ceased to minister unto the children of men.
30 For behold, they are subject unto him, to minister according to the word of his command, showing themselves unto them of strong faith and a firm mind in every form of godliness…
35 And now, my beloved brethren, if this be the case that these things are true which I have spoken unto you, and God will show unto you, with power and great glory at the last day, that they are true, and if they are true has the day of miracles ceased?
36 Or have angels ceased to appear unto the children of men? Or has he withheld the power of the Holy Ghost from them? Or will he, so long as time shall last, or the earth shall stand, or there shall be one man upon the face thereof to be saved?
37 Behold I say unto you, Nay; for it is by faith that miracles are wrought; and it is by faith that angels appear and minister unto men; wherefore, if these things have ceased wo be unto the children of men, for it is because of unbelief, and all is vain.

I am going to give you an example of true discipleship. His name is Liu Zhenying and is known as Brother Yun. He learned obedience by the things he suffered in China and through him, Jesus Christ worked marvelous works. But does God expect all of us to suffer as brother Yun did? Probably not, but we should be willing to suffer whatever God requires of us in our individual lives to bring to pass the salvation of others, whether they are your neighbors, total strangers, or even your worst enemies. The Bible is filled with examples of people working mighty miracles by the things they suffered because of their obedience to God’s commandments. But this is Brother Yun’s story. I hope his experiences encourage you to seek Jesus Christ with the same zeal that Brother Yun sought Him until he found Jesus. Did Brother Yun embody Christ’s teachings in the sermon on the mount? Absolutely!