The Faith to Climb Mountains

President Henry B. Eyring had this to say during the April 2012 General Conference:

"Many of you are now passing through physical, mental, and emotional trials that could cause you to cry out, 'When I have tried all my life to be good, why has this happened to me?”'

"You know how the Lord answered that question for the Prophet Joseph Smith in his prison cell:

"'And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. 

“'The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

“'Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.'

"There seems to me no better answer to the question of why trials come and what we are to do than the words of the Lord Himself, who passed through trials for us more terrible than we can imagine.

"You and I have faith that the way to rise through and above trials is to believe that there is a 'balm in Gilead' and that the Lord has promised, 'I will not … forsake thee.'  That is what President Thomas S. Monson has taught us to help us and those we serve in what seem lonely and overwhelming trials.

"But President Monson has also wisely taught that a foundation of faith in the reality of those promises takes time to build. You may have seen the need for that foundation, as I have, at the bedside of someone ready to give up the fight to endure to the end. If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts, the power to endure will crumble.

"Now, I wish to encourage those who are in the midst of hard trials, who feel their faith may be fading under the onslaught of troubles. Trouble itself can be your way to strengthen and finally gain unshakable faith. Moroni, the son of Mormon in the Book of Mormon, told us how that blessing could come to pass. He teaches the simple and sweet truth that acting on even a twig of faith allows God to grow it

"That particle of faith most precious and which you should protect and use to whatever extent you can is faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Moroni taught the power of that faith this way: 'And neither at any time hath any wrought miracles until after their faith; wherefore they first believed in the Son of God.'

"If we have faith in Jesus Christ, the hardest as well as the easiest times in life can be a blessing. In all conditions, we can choose the right with the guidance of the Spirit. We have the gospel of Jesus Christ to shape and guide our lives if we choose it. And with prophets revealing to us our place in the plan of salvation, we can live with perfect hope and a feeling of peace. We never need to feel that we are alone or unloved in the Lord’s service because we never are. We can feel the love of God. The Savior has promised angels on our left and our right to bear us up. And He always keeps His word."

Source:

Eyring, H. B. (2012) "Mountains to Climb". Conference Report, April 2012.  Accessed at  http://www.lds.org/general-conference/2012/04/mountains-to-climb?lang=eng March 19, 2013.

Watch full address here:

Video: On The Lord's Errand -- The Life of Thomas S. Monson

"No one can understand President Thomas S. Monson," said Elder Jeffrey R. Holland, "who does not understand the frequency, the repetition of those kinds of spiritual promptings in his life, and his absolute loyalty in responding to them."

I can think of no better modern day example of how to serve the Lord by serving his fellow men and women than that of President Monson.

Balancing Truth and Tolerance -- A Talk by Elder Dalin H. Oaks

"The existence and nature of truth is one of the fundamental questions of mortal life. Jesus told the Roman governor Pilate that He came into the world to 'bear witness unto the truth.' That unbeliever responded, 'What is truth?' (John 18:37–38). Earlier the Savior had declared, 'I am the way, the truth, and the life' (John 14:6). In modern revelation, He declared, 'Truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come' (D&C 93:24).

"We believe in absolute truth, including the existence of God and the right and wrong established by His commandments. We know that the existence of God and the existence of absolute truth are fundamental to life on this earth, whether they are believed in or not. We also know that evil exists and that some things are simply, seriously, and everlastingly wrong."


Read the rest at:

https://www.lds.org/liahona/2013/02/balancing-truth-and-tolerance?lang=eng

Video: Together Forever

I first watched this video at a baptismal ceremony in June 1988.  My reaction was "Wow, what a great video."  Together Forever was the third of three great videos released by the church around the time of my mission.  It wasn't long before I wrote home recommending that my family find and watch this excellent video.

Video: How Rare a Posession

"I speak unto you as if ye were present, and yet ye are not.  But behold, Jesus Christ hath shown you unto me, and I know your doing."

This video was released by the church in November 1987, just two months before I left on my mission.  It is, quite simply, fantastic.  I loved showing this video to investigators, as well as to members.  Watching this video always invited the Spirit, and it was often strong and sweet.  This video, which we called H-RAP for short, was one of our best tools.

Video: Our Heavenly Father's Plan

This video was released by the church in 1986, a couple of years before I left on my mission.  The video basically corresponded to the 1st discussion that missionaries of my era taught.  Learn it, live it, love it.

The Book of Mormon: Fruit of Joseph Smith and the Keystone of Our Religion

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Savior warned us against false prophets and then said that we would know them by their fruits.  "Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs or thistles," he asked.  "Even so every good tree bringeth for good fruit; but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil fruit."

The Savior continued, "A good tree cannot bring for evil fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit.  Every tree that bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire.  Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know them."  (Matthew 7: 16-20)

We believe that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.  How shall we know that he is a prophet?  By his fruits.  The most important fruit of Joseph Smith is the Book of Mormon.  In the Book of Mormon, the prophet Mormon expounded on the principle that "by their works ye shall know them" using the contrast of good and bitter fountains.  "For behold, a bitter fountain cannot bring forth good water; neither can a good fountain bring forth bitter water; wherefore, a man being a servant of the devil cannot follow Christ; and if he follow Christ he cannot be a servant of the devil."

Mormon continued, "Wherefore, all things which are good cometh of God; and that which is evil cometh of the devil; for the devil is an enemy unto God, and fighteth against him continually, and inviteth and enticeth to sin, and to do that which is evil continually.  But behold, that which is of God inviteth and enticeth to good continually; wherefore, every thing which inviteth and enticeth to do good, and to love God, and to serve him, is inspired of God."  (Moroni 7: 11-13)

The first thing to consider, either as prospective missionaries first read the Book of Mormon, or as their future investigators read it, is does the Book of Mormon invite and entice its readers to do good, to love God, and to serve him?

Early in the book, we read that the "right way" is to believe in Christ.  Nephi, the first man to keep the record that would become the Book of Mormon, wrote, "I say unto you that the right way is to believe in Christ, and deny him not; and Christ is the Holy One of Israel' wherefore ye must bow down before him, and worship him with all your might, mind, and strength, and your whole soul; and if ye do this ye shall in nowise be cast out." (2 Nephi 25:29)

Nephi would later write, "And now, my beloved brethren . . . hearken unto these words and believe in Christ; and if ye believe not in these words believe in Christ.  And if ye shall believe in Christ ye will believe in these words, for they are the words of Christ, and he hath given them unto me; and they teach all men that they should do good." (2 Nephi 33:10)

The second thing to consider is the promise given by Moroni, the last record keeper of the Book of Mormon.  Moroni promised that if we ask God in the name of Jesus Christ, with a sincere heart, real intent, having faith in Christ, if "these things", the Book of Mormon, are not true, that God will manifest the truth of it unto us by the power of the Holy Ghost.  "And by the power of the Holy Ghost," he said, "ye may know the truth of all things."

The prophet Joseph Smith was called by God to translate the Book of Mormon by the gift and power of God.  God commanded Nephi and Mormon and Moroni to keep a record and to write the words of God.  It is God, then, who gave us the Book of Mormon; Joseph Smith was his instrument in bringing forth the book in our day.  Because Joseph was God's instrument, the Book of Mormon is considered to be a fruit of his labor.  If the Book of Mormon persuades men to do good and to believe in Christ, and if it is the word of God, then Joseph Smith is a prophet of God.

President Gordon B. Hinckley said, "If the Book of Mormon is true, the Church is true, for the same authority under which this sacred record came to light is present and manifest among us today.  It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior in Palestine.  It is a restoration of the Church set up by the Savior when he visited this continent as set forth in this sacred record."

President Hinckley went on to say that, "If the Book of Mormon is true, the Bible is true.  The Bible is the Testament of the Old World.  The Book of Mormon is the Testament of the New.  The one is the record of Judah, the other is the record of Joseph, and they have come together in hand of of the Lord in fulfillment of the prophecy of Ezekiel.  Together they declare the Kingship of the Redeemer of the word, and the reality of his kingdom."

President Ezra Taft Benson called the Book of Mormon the "keystone of our religion," the "keystone of testimony," and said "Just as the arch crumbles if the keystone is removed, so does all the Church stand or fall with the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon."  President Benson also counseled us to use the Book of Mormon in handling objections to the church:

"All objections, whether they be on abortion, plural marriage, seventh-day worship, etc., basically hinge on whether Joseph Smith and his successors were and are prophets of God receiving divine revelation.  Here, then, is a procedure to handle most objection through the use of the Book of Mormon.

"First, understand the objection.

"Second, give the answer from revelation.

"Third, show how the correctness of the answer really depends on whether or not we have modern revelation through modern prophets.

"Fourth, explain that whether or not we have modern prophets and revelation really depends on whether the Book of Mormon is true.

"Therefore, the only problem the objector has to resolve for himself is whether the Book of Mormon is true.  For if the Book of Mormon is true, then Jesus is the Christ, Joseph Smith was his prophet, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is true, and it is being led to day by a prophet receiving revelation.  Our main task is to declare the gospel and do it effectively.  We are not obliged to answer every objection.  Every man eventually is backed up to the wall of faith, and there he must make his stand."

Finally, Elder Richard G. Scott gave counsel that prospective missionaries can follow and then share with their investigators in the mission field:  "Try reading the Book of Mormon because you want to, not because you have to.  Discover for yourself that it is true.  As you read each page, ask 'Could any man have written this book, or did it come as Joseph Smith testified?'  Apply the teachings you learn.  They will fortify you against the evil of Satan.

"Follow Moroni's counsel.  Sincerely ask God the Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, with real intent, if the teachings of the Book of Mormon are true.  Ask with a desire to receive a confirmation that the book is true.  You will then know that Jesus Christ lives, that Joseph Smith was and is a prophet, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's Church.  You will confirm that the Savior guides His Church through a living prophet.  These truths will become a foundation for your productive life."


Benson, E. T. (1988). A Witness and a Warning: A Modern-Day Prophet Testifies of the Book of Mormon. Salt Lake City: Deseret Book.

Hinckley, G. B. (1959). Conference Report, October 1959.

Scott, R. G. (2003). Conference Report, October 2003.