I wish words could do a better job at describing a feeling. Much like a taste or a sound, feeling is arbitrary and after the volumes that have been written about experiencing God through the Holy Ghost, it is safe to say that one must come in contact with that feeling personally in order to full grasp the complexly simply peace that comes from our Heavenly Father.
When it is said that the Lord works in his own way and his own time, this means to me that His hand can often be a surprise when it touches our hearts or lives. Some of the most spiritual experiences have come right out of the blue and answered questions that I did not really know that I had or was going to encounter. A lot of these experiences are things that I do not feel right sharing but the common theme among the most memorable is my surprise when a feeling comes, a thought is entertained and I know that it did not come from anywhere else but God simply because there was no other way that this very specific feeling would have came to me at a particular moment. This surprise of mine could be viewed as something of being unprepared, for faith in God should erase this the surprise when He interacts with us, but I believe that sudden contrast in my mood and sentiments creates a proof of sorts. It is true that I feel the spirit at church and other expected times but the real testament to me has been when the Lord has seen it fit to teach me something in a powerfully impressing manner at a time when I had both needed it but yet was taken back by the moment.
D&C 88:66 likens the Lord to a voice of one crying in the wilderness. "In the wilderness, because you cannot see him- my voice because my voice is Spirit, my Spirit is truth; truth abideth and hath no end". I hear this verse quoted often in that we cannot see out maker but a key piece of information is sometimes overlooked. When we feel the spirit, according to this scripture, we are feeling the voice of the Lord. He is speaking to us. How much more sacred our moment of spiritual peace become when we think of the personal nature that it is to feel the spirit. It is direct communication from our Father.
Recently I have had the surprising experience to have the voice of the Lord testify to me that the Book of Mormon was actually translated from the plates of gold given to the Prophet Joseph Smith. It is a true record of a group of people living here on this continent to whom Jesus Christ ministered after His death and resurrection. It is the record of the "other sheep, which are not of this fold" who truly heard Jesus speak and His lips profess what must be done to achieve salvation. I sat down on the couch this morning with a bowel of cereal, picked up my Book of Mormon from the floor, flipped it open and read the end of verse 61 in Alma 5, "come and be baptized unto repentance, that ye also may be partakers of the fruit of the tree of life". As I did so, I felt a voice say to me that this is true and that Joseph got this book from exactly the means which he claimed. It was real, distinct, and all be it unexpected, welcomed and life changing. The Book of Mormon is true my friends, the Lord loves us and watches over us in our hour of need, even if that hour is surprising when it arrives.
4/19/10
3/29/10
Moving!
Not us. Just Jake's spilling of his guts.
http://theintergalacticrepublic.blogspot.com/
This blog will be about Jake and Jess. So we'll get on that. Asap. For posterity. And aliens who secretly read our internets.
Jake
http://theintergalacticrepublic.blogspot.com/
This blog will be about Jake and Jess. So we'll get on that. Asap. For posterity. And aliens who secretly read our internets.
Jake
2/9/10
Bull
I am someone who likes to know what’s going on.
Accordingly, I make it a priority to catch the headlines from the day, be it on the radio, web or television. Well, with the start of our state legislative session taking a lot of the local news time and bandwidth, I have found myself consistently infuriated with how my tax money is being spent.
Doing away with 12th grade? Loosening the child car seat regulations? Passing a resolution to convey their personal opinions about global warming? Please someone tell me what is going on and how any of this could be viewed as more than just a big waste of time and budget in an already fiscally difficult year. I do not understand how this is echoing the needs of the state.
We need job growth, not the murdering of an already under-paid education system (yes, Utah spends less per child than any other state in the Union). We need our health care system fixed because it is broken, even Jason Chaffetz said it is a “complicated” situation and admitted it needs help. And as a Latter Day Saint who has been counseled from a very basic doctrine to honor legitimate powers that be, we want resolutions that do more than just defy what President Obama is trying to do. I am in Obama’s camp but still, I’ve grown up hearing stories of Mormons in WWII fighting the German cause because that’s the land they called home. Well, Obama is not Hitler but even if he was, by that logic it wouldn’t matter, we are to support and respect our leaders. Using your voice to make a difference is American but to waste state resources to simply kick against the pricks and further your political ambition is bull. Disagree with Obama all you want but please stop pushing through fluff on the tax payer’s tab that will be ruled invalid in court anyway.
After figuring my taxes for '09, I have to pay $421 to the beautiful state of Utah but that check is becoming harder and harder to sign the more I hear about what our elected officials are doing. It is getting to the point where the only way I would feel good about my taxes is if they were going towards buying a muzzle for Chris Butters and hanging a 3 foot sign around his neck that reads “I don’t represent the LDS church”.
Wake up to what's really going on, legislature.
Jake
Accordingly, I make it a priority to catch the headlines from the day, be it on the radio, web or television. Well, with the start of our state legislative session taking a lot of the local news time and bandwidth, I have found myself consistently infuriated with how my tax money is being spent.
Doing away with 12th grade? Loosening the child car seat regulations? Passing a resolution to convey their personal opinions about global warming? Please someone tell me what is going on and how any of this could be viewed as more than just a big waste of time and budget in an already fiscally difficult year. I do not understand how this is echoing the needs of the state.
We need job growth, not the murdering of an already under-paid education system (yes, Utah spends less per child than any other state in the Union). We need our health care system fixed because it is broken, even Jason Chaffetz said it is a “complicated” situation and admitted it needs help. And as a Latter Day Saint who has been counseled from a very basic doctrine to honor legitimate powers that be, we want resolutions that do more than just defy what President Obama is trying to do. I am in Obama’s camp but still, I’ve grown up hearing stories of Mormons in WWII fighting the German cause because that’s the land they called home. Well, Obama is not Hitler but even if he was, by that logic it wouldn’t matter, we are to support and respect our leaders. Using your voice to make a difference is American but to waste state resources to simply kick against the pricks and further your political ambition is bull. Disagree with Obama all you want but please stop pushing through fluff on the tax payer’s tab that will be ruled invalid in court anyway.
After figuring my taxes for '09, I have to pay $421 to the beautiful state of Utah but that check is becoming harder and harder to sign the more I hear about what our elected officials are doing. It is getting to the point where the only way I would feel good about my taxes is if they were going towards buying a muzzle for Chris Butters and hanging a 3 foot sign around his neck that reads “I don’t represent the LDS church”.
Wake up to what's really going on, legislature.
Jake
2/3/10
Jake and his camera...
I bought Jake a video camera for Christmas, which has turned into me helping him make silly movies, like the one below. I thought you might like it.
Running update.
So, the running has been going better than my blogging, which is good. I've been doing around a mile and a half just on the track behind my house. I'm amazed at how happy it makes me feel. Man, go jog a mile or so and read your scriptures in the morning if you have to have a guaranteed good day.
I'm also gonna do the Wasatch Back this summer! It's this huge relay race that lasts like 24 hours, teams are made up of like 15 people and each person runs 3 or so legs. Should be fun.
Anyway, just letting you know that I'm not dropping the ball... yet. ha.
Jake
I'm also gonna do the Wasatch Back this summer! It's this huge relay race that lasts like 24 hours, teams are made up of like 15 people and each person runs 3 or so legs. Should be fun.
Anyway, just letting you know that I'm not dropping the ball... yet. ha.
Jake
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