Brightly Beams

Christ said the following: “Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” this seems to be something that is easier said than done. But I do know it is possible since I have seen it happen in my life. While serving my mission in the Oregon Portland Mission, I had been placed with a great companion, a hard worker, who knew how to get things done. I enjoyed every minute with him. Then the dreadful day came transfer day. I stayed in the area, but my companion was transferred. From the first time, I saw my new companion I felt like I wasn’t going to like him. And I was right, I wasn’t a big fan of him, he didn’t like to work and it was hard to connect with him. I was filled with hatred towards him. How could I love my enemy when I couldn’t even love my companion. This went on for weeks, and then months, no work was getting done and it seemed to me that no one wanted to even listen to us. It

The stories told to us in the book of Exodus are some very interesting ones. One of them has always been a curious one to me, the one of the golden calf. The Israelites had traveled many miles, witnessed many miracles. They were being taught how to trust in God again. Moses had a lot on his plate before him, to take a people living in slavery, and bring them to a land of freedom, and a land flowing with milk and honey . I always wondered how someone, after seeing so many wonders and miracles, could forget their God, the one who spared their lives, and brought them to freedom. Yet they forgot Him, they built a golden calf to replace the One True God. They said that His rules were hard to do and follow, some thought His ways were cruel. I always wondered how people could think so, how they could just forget and give up on their God. But I see it so much today, people trusting in their own knowledge and strength, and not His word given through His servants. They have put the ways of t

What is on your horizon? When you look at the horizon, no matter which direction, you are always looking forward. For many years the term “vision” has been mentioned a lot to me. When I was a kid I was taught to make goals, and work to achieve those goals. When I started school my vision was to finish school, and it seems like that will never end. When I came near the end of my high school years, my vision became to go on a mission. Once I was out on my mission I was reminded almost every day, which we all need to have a vision. My mission president told me that our investigators need to have a vision of eternal life, they need to catch hold of that vision, and if they didn’t, they wouldn’t progress. With my mission president drilling this idea into my head, I thought if my investigators need this vision, I probably do too. So I worked to see this vision, and with my lovely memory, I had to come up with reminders to help me remember the vision. What better reminder, than the temple?

This past Sunday I was privileged to teach the Sunday School lesson on the miracles Christ performed. Reading and pondering these tales of miracles always gets me excited and wanting to see them in person. And I have also heard many people ask, "Why has such miracles ceased to be performed?" But have they really stopped? Christ performed many miracles. He cast out unclean spirits, gave sight to the blind, healed the lepers, raised people from the dead, and most importantly He was able to survive the the trial and sacrifice of the atonement, which began in the garden of Gethsemane and went through His resurrection. This miracles have inspired many to follow Christ. But are miracles still happening? I would say that miracles are happening everyday, and all around us. Many of them are those moments we term as being luck or a coincident. Some are a baby taking his first breath, the rising and setting of the sun, the peace that comes during dark times, someone smiling at you at

Since I have been having to drive in early to school, I have been blessed with the amazing opportunity to watch the many beautiful rising of the sun. I am so grateful for these wonderful gifts from God. This world is just full of them. I have been privileged to travel to a few different places here in the states, and just in this country alone there are many beautiful canvas the Lord has used to paint such magnificent landscapes. With this earth being filled with such wonderful creations, how do we ever forget who made them? In this recent General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, Elder Robbins spoke about which way you face. Where do you put your attention to? On you drive to work or school, what do you look forward to seeing? As you are walking down the street, what are you focused on? As you live through your life, what is your ultimate goal? While on my mission I met a young man at the ward's Christmas party, I can't remember his name, and I c

This world seems to be getting darker and filled with more gloom. God is not a person of dark, but of Light. He wants us all to be happy and filled with joy. I served my mission in the beautiful state of Oregon. The state is filled with wonderful hiking trails, beautiful scenery, and the most spectacular flowers I have ever seen. But this state can also be very gloomy to some. It seems to always be rainy, with grey or dark skies most of the year. As a missionary, my mission president and his wife encouraged me to take vitamin d, because there wasn't a lot of sunlight, we needed to get our boost from something else. There have been many times in my life where I focus so much on the dark skies, but forget to see the beautiful flower near my feet. There are days where I worry about things of this world, and don't worry about my standings with God. The Lord wants us all to be happy, what brings happiness to your life? What causes you to have a smile on your face? What makes you f

"There are only two ways to live your life, one is as though nothing is a miracle, the other is as though everything is a miracle!" -Albert Einstein As we read the Bible we see these mighty miracles being performed. Moses parting the Red Sea, the walls of Jericho falling down, Jesus walking on water, a girl being raised from the dead, and the greatest miracle of all, Jesus Christ performing the atonement. I have always heard people ask, "Why aren't there any miracles these days?" Has God stopped the work of miracles in these days? No, He has not! We have become blind to the higher things in life, we see these amazing acts performed by God, and we see them as naught. The rising of the sun, the sound of laughter, the smile on a child's face, and the feeling of being loved. How are these not miracles? "Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracle!" That is probably my favorite line from the movie "Fiddler on the Roof." I feel we are expecting