The Sacrament - Do we really partake with meaning?

When we partake of the Sacrament each week, does it have a "profound" weekly effect upon us, or has it become too common that we lose the extremely important part it should play in this weekly priesthood ordinance? I must admit  at times, if I really don't focus my thoughts and my spirit towards the Sacrament while I'm participating, it comes and goes, and I'm unchanged by its power.

I have come to realize just how powerful the Sacrament can be in our lives each week. It truly has a power, that if utilized, will make us stronger spiritually and bring us closer to God. In the D & C 84:20-22 it says, "Therefore, in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest. And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh; For without this no man can see the face of God, even the Father, and live."

Adam's transgression took us away from the presence of the Lord. Christ's Atonement and the remembrance of that Atonement (The Sacrament), brings us back into His presence. So it is very important that we allow the "power of godliness" to manifest itself in and through us.

So just what is the power of godliness? To me, the power of godliness is the power of the priesthood which changes, heals and improves our lives. As we participate in this holy ordinance the power of the priesthood cleanses and "...are sanctified by the Spirit unto the renewing of their (our) bodies." D & C 84:33

As we partake of the Sacrament, having kept the commandments during the week, the Atonement performs a cleansing action, we come closer to God and  our bodies receive more light and knowledge. The Atonement, and the Sacrament which renews the atoning powers, has remarkable powers to change us each week.

This Sunday, ponder the marvelous power of the Sacrament, and the great atoning sacrifice that Christ performed, and allow the change to take place as the "power of godliness" is manifest to you through this holy ordinance.

Love,

Dad

The Light of the Body

I took this picture in the Sacred Grove

In 3 Nephi13:22, as well as Matthew 6:22 it reads: "The light of the body is the eye; if, therefore, thine eye be single thy whole body shall be full of light." And then in D & C 88:11, "And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings."

I've always been intrigued with light and how it plays into our makeup and the Gospel Plan. The 88 section of the Doctrine and Covenants teaches us a lot about this light. We are told that Christ is "the light of truth." (verse 6) He is also the "light of the sun, and the power thereof by which it was made... the light of the moon, and the power thereof by which it was made... the light of the stars, and the power thereof by which it was made." (verses 7-9) Verse 11 says, "And the light which shineth, which giveth you light, is through him who enlighteneth your eyes, which is the same light that quickeneth your understandings."

Science has recently discovered that the human body literally glows, emitting a visible light in extremely small quantities. This research was conducted by a group of scientists in Japan. They learned through their research that the body emits visible light, 1,000 times less intense than the levels to which our naked eyes are sensitive. They also discovered that faces glowed more than the rest of the body. Matter of fact, the part of the body that emitted the greatest light were the eyes. Interesting how scripture indicates that "the light of the body is the eye."

So what significance does light play in our life, and especially as it pertains to the Gospel and our relationship with our Savior? It plays a very vital and important part. In verse 67 of section 88 it says, "And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things."

So as we live the commandments, with an eye single to the glory of God, we grow in light. As we grow in light, over time our bodies become sanctified (verse 68). And as we become sanctified we "shall see Him; for He will unveil his face unto you, and it shall be in His own time, and in His own way, and according to His own will." (verse 68)

So living the commandments brings us closer to the Lord, increases our ability to comprehend all things, and eventually brings us into the presence of the Lord.

What a great goal for each of us. So it is important to keep our lives clean. Focus on truth and light. As we do so, we shall see the face of God.

"Verily, thus saith the Lord: It shall come to pass hat every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am." (D&C 93:1)

Love,

Dad

Joseph Smith and his Heavenly Visits

After completing Teresa's Book of Mormon challenge, I decided to read Joseph Smith's history. As you know, I have been a lifetime student of the Prophet Joseph Smith. I have always been drawn to him, his experiences and his doctrines and teachings. With my motorcycle trips to Kirtland and Palmyra, I developed an even deeper love for this great man. Often times when I am struggling with a trial, I'll remember the great struggles that Joseph endured, and it seems to make my burdens seem a little lighter.

I've always been intrigued with the heavenly experiences  of Joseph Smith. In reading his history, it seems that he knew all the Book of Mormon Prophets, as well as the early New Testament apostles and the Old Testament prophets. George Q. Cannon said, "Not only did Moroni appear unto the Prophet from time to time, but other heavenly beings visited him before he was privileged to obtain the plates."

We don't really think of anyone else visiting him other than the Father and the Son, and Moroni. Speaking of Moroni, if I were to ask you how many times you thought that Moroni visited with Joseph Smith, what would you say? Well, there have been 23 documented and recorded times that we know of. It could be a lot more, but this is the number that has been documented.

John Taylor said, "when Joseph Smith was raised up as a Prophet of God, Mormon, Moroni, Nephi, and others of the ancient Prophets who formerly lived on this Continent... came to him and communicated to him certain principles pertaining to the Gospel." We know that he was visited by John the Baptist and Peter, James and John. But these were not single occurrences. Heber C. Kimball said that when the Twelve were anointed in the Kirtland Temple "John stood in their midst, while Peter was in the stand." Later, when the Prophet was in Missouri, he reportedly stated that he had "a conversation a few days ago with the Apostle Peter."

John Taylor also said, "If you were to ask Joseph what sort of a looking man Adam was, he would tell you at once; he would tell you his size and appearance and all about him." Joseph also said that his brother Alvin "was a very handsome man, surpassed by none other but Adam and Seth."

Joseph knew the apostle Paul. In 1841 he gave a detail description of him: "He is about five foot high; very dark hair; dark complexion; dark skin; large Roman nose; sharp face; small black eyes, penetrating as eternity; round shoulders; a whining voice, except when elevated and then it almost resembles the roaring of a Lion. He was a good orator active and diligent, always employing himself in doing good to his fellow men."

Others who ministered to Joseph Smith were the three Nephites. Heber C. Kimbal reported the appearance of one of them to the Prophet in the early days of the Church, near the Hill Cumorah. Later, Kimball's wife, Vilate, wrote informing her husband that Joseph had received a visit from one of the Nephites and had been informed of things that would shortly transpire in America and in the British Isles. The Prophet is also reported to have seen the three Nephites when the Saints were making a defense of Far West.

John Taylor also said, "The principles which he had, placed him in communication with the Lord, and not only with the Lord, but with the ancient apostles and prophets; such men, for instance, as Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Noah, Adam, Seth, Enoch, and Jesus and the Father, and the apostles that lived on this continent as well as those who lived on the Asiatic continent.

Joseph Smith was a great man, a visionary man. "Joseph Smith has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world than any other man that every lived in it. (John Taylor)

Although we may not measure up to the same caliber as Joseph Smith, we too can see and hear from the beyond the veil, as he did. We can commune with heavenly beings. Next time when you feel the presence of angels - stop, feel and listen. They will speak to you, I bear testimony of that.

If you have doubts, or if your testimony needs a little boost. Take a moment to listen to an apostle's testimony of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. Elder Holland gave one of the most powerful testimonies, that I believe I have ever heard, of Joseph Smith and the Book of Mormon. And with his testimony, I add mine, that I know that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of God. That the Book of Mormon is the word of God. And that we have restored to this earth, God's kingdom. I also bear my personal witness that His messengers, His angels are always around us. We are never, ever alone. In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Love,

Dad

The Sixth Sense

Over this past year, I have been drawn to watching a lot of science and universe stuff on discovery and the science channels. I think it is interesting how science, through their telescopes and experiments are starting to prove spiritual things from a scientific angle. They don't credit these discoveries as something spiritual, but none the less, they can't ignore them.

This past week I watched an episode of "Through the Worm Hole," by Morgan Freeman, called the "sixth sense. Basically, they were trying to explain, as well as document the proof that people can read other people's thoughts, as well as have intuitions or premonitions of future events before they happen. They even have proven some of it through experiments.

Here's a summary of this episode:
Is there a Sixth Sense?

By Patrick J. Kiger
Editor Amanda Arnold

Sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch are the tools most of us depend on to perceive the world. But some people say they also can perceive things that are outside the range of the conventional senses, through some other channel for which there is no anatomical or neurological explanation. Scientific researchers who study such abilities call them extrasensory perception (ESP), but lay people often refer to them as the "sixth sense."

Either term really is a catch-all for a variety of different purported abilities that vary from person to person. Some people claim the power of telepathy -- that is, the ability to perceive others' thoughts, without having them communicated verbally or in writing. Others claim to have the power of clairvoyance, which is the ability to perceive events and objects that are hidden from view because of barriers or distance. Still others claim to be gifted with precognition, which enables them to look into the future and glimpse what hasn't yet occurred.

The belief in ESP or the sixth sense dates back thousands of years. The Greek historian Herodotus wrote that Croesus, who ruled a kingdom in what is now Turkey in the sixth century B.C., consulted oracles -- that is, groups of priests claimed to be able to predict the future -- before he went to war. In ancient India, Hindu holy men were believed to possess the power to see and hear at a distance, and to communicate through telepathy. In the late 1700s, the Viennese physician Franz Mesmer claimed that he could give people ESP powers by hypnotizing them. Just before his assassination in 1865, President Abraham Lincoln told friends that he'd dreamed of his own body lying in state in the White House. In the 20th century, Edgar Cayce and Jean Dixon attracted wide followings by claiming that they could foresee future events. During the Cold War, U.S. military and intelligence agencies, spurred by reports that the Soviets had psychics at their disposal, even tried to utilize clairvoyants who claimed remote-viewing powers for espionage purposes.

Since the late 1800s, researchers have tried to determine whether or not a sixth sense actually exists, and have looked for a scientific explanation for such abilities. In the 1890s, engineer Nikola Tesla, one of the pioneers who helped harness electricity, hypothesized that telepathy and other psychic powers might simply be a form of natural wireless communication, similar to radio transmissions. Starting in the late 1920s, Duke University researcher Joseph B. Rhine, who coined the term "ESP," developed methods for systematically testing psychic powers. Rhine used decks of specially-designed cards called Zener cards, which had different symbols -- a star, a cross, wavy lines, a circle and a square -- printed on them. Subjects tried to identify which symbol was on a certain card, without looking at the printed side. Over a 13-year period, 27 of the 33 experiments conducted by Rhine produced statistically significant evidence that a sixth sense existed. More recently, retired Cornell University psychology professor Darryl Bem published a controversial article in which he found additional statistical evidence that one type of ESP, precognition, might exist. But other scientists have expressed skepticism about that evidence, and published studies of their own with negative or inconclusive results. But so far, such debunking efforts have failed to dissuade believers in the sixth sense from insisting that such powers are real.

Given our gospel knowledge, we know that the Spirit works in marvelous ways of which we can't really explain or fully understand. None the less, it is real, and we can experience it's divine powers. Through it  the Lord know's our thoughts, we can understand others thoughts and we can be shown the future before it happens. It is a great communicator of doctrines and principalities.

The world can call it the sixth sense... we know it as the Spirit. What a great understanding to have.

Love,

Dad

As We Start A New Year - Putting Things Into Perspective

As we start a new year, looking forward and not back, this video has helped me to put things into perspective. I've watched it many times. It is a classic.

As we move forward, putting one foot in front of the other, let's put things into perspective and remember our divine origin, as well as our eternal direction. I know for me, I sometimes get so caught up in the daily challenges, that I momentarily forget my eternal context, getting pulled into the moment.

We are God's children, His off-spring. Our main purpose, as well as His, is for us to "bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Christ has already accomplished part one of this goal through His resurrection. It is up to us, with the help of our Heavenly Father and our Savior, to accomplish part two, that of achieving Eternal Life.

We know what we need to do. We have been schooled over and over again by our parents, our primary teachers, or Relief Society teachers, our Prophets and Apostles, our leaders and the scriptures. It really is all about not losing that perspective. Keeping things in perspective is simply not allowing the world to distract us.

I have often quoted this advice from President Benson: "When we put God firs, all other things fall into their proper place or drop out of our lives. Our love of the Lord will govern the claims for our affection, the demands on our time, the interests we pursue, and the order of our priorities." -- President Ezra Taft Benson

As we journey through 2012, let's put God first, and everything else will fall into its proper place. Now that is perspective.

Love,

Dad