Ten reasons why I respect Mormon Feminists

Some of you may not believe that I have love or respect for the Mormon Feminists and their various viewpoints, but I actually do. Even though I don't agree with each specific view point (they vary within themselves), nor their practice, I want to see the good in their motives and feelings. These are ten reasons why I DO respect them and appreciate them being our sisters in the gospel.

1. They are daughters of our Heavenly Father.
2. We are all members of the same church that claims modern day revelation.
3. Many of these sisters are close friends, and if not mine, someone else's that are loved.
4. They bring things to light that are not normally brought up.
5. They are typically wicked smart (they could be me out anytime on Jeopardy, surely).
6. They are ambitious.
7. They generally are very respectful.
8. They take a lot of slack and still tread onward.
9. Ordain Women handled the rejection of admittance to the General Priesthood meeting with class.
10. They speak from the heart.

It's such a conflicted issue for many people, including myself. But this doesn't mean everyone can't have a sense of respect for each other. The Lord knows what He is doing and that's what we can have faith on.

Arabic and Mormons: Why the Arabic Language is Amazing

Want to know something cool about Arabic? Arabic is a language where words are based off of roots, typically with just three letters. These three letters are then the base for what it is used for. For example كتب

(those are three letters( ك - ت - ب ), pronounced katiba) means books. But if you add one letter before it مكتب (maktab) it means "office." Or if you change it even a little bit more (keeping the root) مكتبة (maktaba)  it means "library." You can do this for several other words. Did you notice a pattern? They all are related to each other: books, office, library. This pattern is all over the Arabic language.

The Arabic word قلب (kalb) means "heart." The root letters are ق - ل - ب . Or in English sounds, k - l -b. The other day I was noticing a similarity between قلب (kalb) to a pretty well known LDS word, Kolob. Did you already notice the connection? K-l-b is the Arabic root of heart and the "roots" of Kolob are k-l-b, signifying that Kolob is related to the heart or center of something important, fantastic, and beautiful. For LDS members, this should be very significant.

There is your little Arabic lesson of the day :) 

Church History And A Testimony

There has been much discussion about doubt and leaving of the church recently. I also was part of a discussion recently on Facebook. Sadly, it was filled with too many people that wanted to only banter rather than discuss. I had to take myself away from that discussion and future discussions because I found myself feeling of no worth. These people's negativity, though not convincing me otherwise of my knowledge, I had a sense of no worth, no respect for God, and no respect for the basics of the gospel growing within my heart. Though I am sure for a few of them, their motives were sincere and truly desiring answers, others were out there looking to bash on the church (members and non-members) in whatever venue they could. These are people who seem to be on a perpetual search to find what is wrong with the church.

Many seem to be disgruntled by a number of things but particularly the one I'd like to address is the "covered up" church's history. Many have lost or had their faith weakened due to things that they have learned over the internet, word of mouth, or through their own research in church history books. They have felt as though they were tricked, lied to, or deceived. They feel that this is so because the church leaders don't put certain details in the church manuals and have purposely avoided such topics to avoid a history that is not perfect.

I have two answers to this reasoning that I hope will be helpful to all members and individuals seeking answers from God if the restored church is truly here on earth:

1) If the church really didn't want you to know these things the leaders now and in the past would have erased it from its records. You can look it up freely (even before the internet was available), the church is not hiding anything. The church has always done things to address the issues in the past and present. One example is the Mountain Meadow Massacre. President Hinckley dedicated a monument there not too long ago to commemorate the lives lost. It was a hard topic to bring up and many mixed feelings about it was felt inside and out of the church, still are. But if the church wasn't wanting to deal with it, they could have erased it by ignoring it. Same with many other things that are of deep church history issues. They didn't do this because it is what it is. The church is still standing today not because of it's history but because of it's true claim to being the restored gospel of Jesus Christ.

2) The church will always focus on the basics of salvation. We hear church history stories all the time in our lessons at church, general conference talks mention incredible stories of early Saints' sacrifices and diligence to overcome difficult times. They do occasionally focus on those Saints that fell away because of pride. All of this to gain an important lesson that helps us to come closer to our Savior. Everything they teach us (leaders and manuals) is to lead us closer to Christ, and they only have so much time to do it. The address of negative, taboo, or extremely odd church history experiences may not be as important to hear as such of an experience of faith. This is why I believe we don't hear too much over the pulpit or in the manuals of difficult subjects with church history. We do hear it occasionally to which I've almost always heard a reasonable response.

Clearly the church isn't perfect. Joseph Smith did have several wives, Brigham Young probably was a racist, and weird things happened in the mountains. So what? How does this help you gain a testimony of the divinity of Christ and His infinite Atonement? Are we shallow enough to neglect that Christ's atonement works with you and others? Shallow to neglect that God is doing His work with imperfect people? I would remind anyone that church history issues are not of the greater importance. The greater importance is your personal witness that Jesus is the Christ, the Book of Mormon is the word of God,  that you are on the path to make and keep covenants, and the many other basic principles of the gospel that are taught on a weekly basis.

One thing that made me sad from the last Facebook conversation is that they assumed I had never doubted. I was not a worthy vessel to share how to help overcome doubt. I did in fact tell them that I have doubted and they shouldn't assume (if you are reading this and think I am the perfect Peter Priesthood-y type, just stop it). I have doubted. I have doubted a terrible amount. My first time truly doubting was in high school. I had numerous older friends as a freshman, they were all very inclusive and allowed me to be part of their circle. After a little while, I got bombarded by several of them with anti-Mormon literature (namely church history issues). I could reply to a few of their questions and comments but ultimately I was beaten, and badly. I questioned myself why such claims were being stated and how I couldn't answer them correctly. Wasn't I a member of the true and living church? Wasn't it perfect? Was the church not perfect? Was it all a big lie? I recall talking to my dad about a few of the questions. One after one, I gave him the concerns and comments my friends gave me and one after another he would give me a reasonable answer in response to it. I continued asking my father since it was working until finally he said something along the lines of, "How can they know the gospel isn't true when they themselves haven't given an honest sincere question to know for themselves? These attacks don't matter. What matters is your testimony."

I knew his words rang true. You see, as a 9 year old boy I was challenged by the full-time missionaries to pray and know if the Book of Mormon was true, if Joseph Smith was a true prophet at which I did accept that challenge. That very night I went to my bed (I remember the setting well as we had just moved into our new house) and knelt down in prayer. The question was simple but my answer was profound. I knew then that the Book of Mormon was true because of a simple sincere prayer. My father taught me a great lesson. Rely on faith, not quarrels.

That freshman year in high school wasn't the only time that I had encountered major doubts. For pe
rsonal reasons I will not describe the whole story but rather just the end. I found myself in the office of a minister. This minister was the leader of a very popular church in my hometown. I would later term this church similar to those on my mission in Seattle as "Mega Churches." It was almost the popular thing to do, go to this church's 20 minute sermon and feel the love of God. So why was I in the minister's office? Because I was questioning my membership in the Mormon Church. Now looking back, the minister was a very wise man, a good wise man. After a series of questions, which his tone seemed to be of questioning my motives, he finally asked, "are you willing to deny the Book of Mormon?" I paused for a while, looking down. Pondering. Then without a hesitation, smiling, I looked back up and said, "no, I cannot deny the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon." Oddly enough, he smiled back and led me to the door of his office.

Do you get what I'm trying to say, yet? Encounter all you will about the church's history or even flat out lies about the doctrine (and occasional church history event) and you can still know that it is true because of a spiritual witness of the divinity of Jesus Christ and His work. To this day, my spiritual witness has helped me get through the thick darkness, the "earthquakes of doubt." The church is not perfect. The people in the church is not perfect but my Savior is. My Heavenly Father sent His Son, to die and suffer the sins and pains of the world. The pains of the world include doubt. Yours and mine.

If you are truly struggling to know if the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the only true and living church on the earth, I advise you follow Elder Scott's directions, "If you seek His help, be sure your life is clean, your motives are worthy, and you’re willing to do what He asks—for He will answer your prayers. He is your loving Father; you are His beloved child. He loves you perfectly and wants to help you."

Three things, 1) seek His help, 2) motives are pure, and 3) praying with real intent, willing to act upon the answer you receive.  Those things have helped me and they will help your or anyone else's struggles in gospel matters. The Book of Mormon and modern day prophets will lead you closer to your Savior. 

Mormon Political Neutrality

I remember at a young age someone reading over the church pulpit a letter from the first presidency asking us to participate on voting in current elections. There was never a stance on which party to vote for in these letters. But I do recall when Proposition 22 in California first came through to ban gay marriage, we were asked to support this matter. Then later with Proposition 8 over 2 years ago we were asked again to support this matter. I was on my mission at this time and I remember receiving so much grief from people on the streets and with less actives or former members - I did serve in Seattle after all. It was very confusing at times because we weren't on top of the news as missionaries. I remember when I came back from my mission, I was listening to a talk radio host an he said, "Unless you've been living underneath a rock, you should know all about..." and then he said name. I had no clue what he was talking about, must have lived under a rock. But I do remember what I heard in the wards I was a missionary over and know that it was no different than when it was for Proposition 22. We were standing up for the sanctity of the family and I believe in doing so.

It does not matter what politicians we support in the church. I know some very good Democrats and some very bad Republicans that are members and I believe the church is really for everyone.

Here is a link to a list of Latter-day Saint politicians http://famousmormons.net/pol.html

I received the following from my Political Science teacher here at BYU that used to be the Utah Democratic Party president -

_____________________________________________________

The Church’s mission is to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, not to elect politicians. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is neutral in matters of party politics. This applies in all of the many nations in which it is established.

The Church does not:

• Endorse, promote or oppose political parties, candidates or platforms.
• Allow its church buildings, membership lists or other resources to be used for partisan political purposes.
• Attempt to direct its members as to which candidate or party they should give their votes to. This policy applies whether or not a candidate for office is a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
• Attempt to direct or dictate to a government leader.

The Church does:

• Encourage its members to play a role as responsible citizens in their communities, including becoming informed about issues and voting in elections.
• Expect its members to engage in the political process in an informed and civil manner, respecting the fact that members of the Church come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences and may have differences of opinion in partisan political matters.
• Request candidates for office not to imply that their candidacy or platforms are endorsed by the Church.
• Reserve the right as an institution to address, in a nonpartisan way, issues that it believes have significant community or moral consequences or that directly affect the interests of the Church.

In the United States, where nearly half of the world’s Latter-day Saints live, it is customary for the Church at each national election to issue a letter to be read to all congregations encouraging its members to vote, but emphasizing the Church’s neutrality in partisan political matters.

Relationships With Government

Elected officials who are Latter-day Saints make their own decisions and may not necessarily be in agreement with one another or even with a publicly stated Church position. While the Church may communicate its views to them, as it may to any other elected official, it recognizes that these officials still must make their own choices based on their best judgment and with consideration of the constituencies whom they were elected to represent.

Modern scriptural references to the role of government: Doctrine and Covenants, Section 134

Political Party Participation of Presiding Church Officers

In addition, the First Presidency letter issued on 16 June 2011 is a re-statement and further clarification of the Church’s position on political neutrality at the start of another political season. It applies to all full-time General Authorities, general auxiliary leaders, mission presidents and temple presidents. The policy is not directed to full-time Church employees.

"General Authorities and general officers of the Church and their spouses and other ecclesiastical leaders serving full-time should not personally participate in political campaigns, including promoting candidates, fundraising, speaking in behalf of or otherwise endorsing candidates, and making financial contributions.

"Since they are not full-time officers of the Church, Area Seventies, stake presidents and bishops are free to contribute, serve on campaign committees and otherwise support candidates of their choice with the understanding they:

• Are acting solely as individual citizens in the democratic process and that they do not imply, or allow others to infer, that their actions or support in any way represent the church.
• Will not use Church stationery, Church-generated address lists or email systems or Church buildings for political promotional purposes.
• Will not engage in fundraising or other types of campaigning focused on fellow Church members under their ecclesiastical supervision."

The Good in Everything - Always

I was reading this month's home teaching lesson by President Uchtdorf titled "Looking For the Good" and many different ideas came up that I thought I would write.

I often consider myself an optimist but sometimes I just am not. And often most of us aren't. We are more prone to look for the negative in a class, a teacher, a stranger, a homeless man, a leader or sadly even a family member. Some people in and especially outside of the church love to say a few crazy things about Brigham Young. Why? Because he was very outspoken on his talks and his personal life. He lived in a time of great adaptations were needed after the murder of Joseph Smith so it seemed as though most things were extreme (compared to know). Many church policies still needed to be made, church doctrine indoctrinated and a tumult of new members of the church coming weekly to the Utah frontier. Can you imagine if other members that were close to him said some of the little things we say about him now? Look at what his own counselor, George Q Cannon, a man who probably knew Brother Brigham better than anyone else has to say about Brigham Young's death,

"I never criticized or found fault with [Brigham Young's] conduct, his counsel or his teachings at any time in my heart, much less in my words or actions. This is a pleasure to me now. The thought that never was with me was: If I criticize or fin fault with, or judge Brother Brigham, how far shall I go; if I commence, where shall I stop? I dared not to trust myself in such a course. I knew that apostasy frequently resulted from the indulgence of the spirit of criticizing and faultfinding. Other, of greater strength, wisdom and experience than myself, might do many things and escape evil consequences which I dare not do." George Q. Cannon, Journal, Jan. 17, 1878

 My point of this article is not just to say we need to sustain our church leaders, but rather to always look for the good and not ever let ourself let negative criticizing thoughts come into our mind and heart. Once we let the littlest feeling of negativity it is that much easier for greater negativity to come and eventually take over our positive outlook on an item. So before we criticize anything, let us make sure we remember that there is always something good out of them. You don't have to like them to find good. (But as you find the good, you may just start to like them).

I have found that this type of attitude makes life incredibly easier. George Q. Cannon was probably saved from his own personal apostasy through this type of attitude. Likewise, for those of us that are members of the LDS church, we would be well advised to do the same. We also find ourselves more compassionate, begin to feel the pure love of Christ for others. We can forgive and repent more quickly and effectively. We have the spirit with us. People see that there is a difference in our countenance when we look for the positive.

I often think of the atonement. I think of how people here on this earth with me forgive me for my mistakes and short comings. How much more then does my Heavenly Father forgive and love me because of his positive outlook on me? He doesn't view me as a trouble maker, but He views me as what my full potential is and always encourages me to keep moving forward no matter how hard I fall. The atonement of Jesus Christ is what allows this to work and the atonement is God's witness of His infinite love for us which we don't realize how much it really all is. So before we judge those that have made mistakes and have weaknesses - let us remember that someone views them in a much more positive manner and we should follow that example.

The Spirit of Christmas is the Spirit of the Atonement

I don't want to say the typical things you hear of how we are missing the real meaning of Christmas. I'd rather share what the meaning of Christmas is to me with a personal insight.

 I have fond memories as a little boy of my whole family sitting together in my grandparent's home and usually scriptures from Luke chapter two from the New Testament being shared of shepherds, wise men, angels, a star, and the miraculous birth of Jesus through the virgin Mary. I do remember having a sense of awe but mostly couldn't wait to open my Christmas Eve present and play with my brothers and cousins that were there.  It wasn't until I was probably about ten that I felt I comprehended why Christmas was a sacred time through it's celebration of the birth of Christ. 

We had just moved into our new home (the one my family currently lives in) and it was Easter day. We have some apricot trees in our new backyard that in the spring time grow flowers before the apricots begin to grow. Maybe some of you recall the song "Popcorn Popping," well the song is true, it really looks like popcorn! I saw this and remembered how vastly plain the trees had looked during the winter and now it was beginning anew, a rebirth, a newness, a fresh start. I then remembered what Easter was about - the resurrection of Jesus Christ. Then it hit me, "Christmas isn't about the birth of a baby through a miraculous event, it is about the birth of our Savior to perform the Atonement so that all of us may return to live with our Heavenly Father. Christmas isn't just about a miraculous birth but about what came about through the birth of Him who is most important for each of us.

This months First Presidency message is by President Uchtdorf he invites us to find a way to remember Christ more this season. When I taught this while home teaching most of them said through acts of service, reading the scriptures and remembering the Savior more often, etc. are how we can remember Christ more. I thought about those a lot and thought I'd see what I have done that has brought me closer to Christ this season. 

There was one simple moment of a friend and I walking back from sledding - she suggested we sing Christmas carols, so we did. While singing, even missing words here and there, we could feel the love that God has for us. I remember occasionally turning to look at her while singing and there were big smiles on our faces because of what it meant to sing these songs with deeper meanings than we can comprehend. 

President Uchtdorf in his message says the following: 

"The Christmas season is wonderful in many ways. It is a season of charitable acts of kindness and brotherly love. It is a season of being more reflective about our own lives and about the many blessings that are ours. It is a season of forgiving and being forgiven. It is a season to enjoy the music and lights, parties and presents. But the glitter of the season should never dim our sight and prevent us from truly seeing the Prince of Peace in His majesty."

Being more reflective of what the Savior has done, being forgiving and forgiven, coming closer to Christ - do these not all pertain what the Atonement does for us? I believe it does.
We have gifts we give to family and friends and what of a gift to Christ? This Christmas my gift to my Savior is to walk a little closer to Him, stand a little taller, do better in all that I do. I want to give my will to Him. I guess you can think of it as a renewal, a rebirth, gaining a brighter hope, a lot like the apricot tree in my backyard but for me in my life; all because of the birth of our Savior and the atonement. This season is a time to think of what the atonement has done for us and in turn give Christ's infinite love towards others.

"There is no better time than now, this very Christmas Season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus Christ" - President Thomas S. Monson 

I pray each day that I may stand as a witness to the divinity of Christ's eternal love. Merry Christmas to all of you!

The Name of God

After going to a friends church a few times, I noticed one thing that was done differently than in my own (besides the fact there was a rock band and the entire church service was only 20 minutes long) and it was the prayers. They were heartfelt and sincere but they missed the teaching of praying in His name, Jesus Christ.

We are commanded to pray in the name of Christ as Christians. 

2 Nephi 33:12 

And I pray the Father in the name of Christ that many of us, if not all, may be saved in his kingdom at that great and last day.

2 Nephi 32:9 

But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul.

Tonight, I watched two of the hardest movies I have ever watched before. Both showed the extremes of two religions, Judaism and Islam, being in great persecution by their own or by others. In one, while one was being stoned, the many false accusers yelled out, "Allahu Akbar" which means "The Most Great God." Allahu Akbar is a Qur'anic statement often said in prayers and recitations throughout Islam. Bismillah is another common term. Both show the great respect of God's name. In Judaism and Christianity, we have names Jehovah and Elohim. In LDS doctrine we believe Jehovah to be Jesus Christ and Elohim to Heavenly Father or even Jesus Christ's father. As I heard these men yell that phrase my heart broke knowing that they thought what they were doing was in the name of God which in fact the name of God was taken in vain. The woman was stoned to death because of false accusations due to her husband simply wanting another wife. The religious leaders who were corrupt to begin with allowed this false accusation to take control of the city hidden far away in the mountains of Iran. There was no earthly righteous justice to come to this woman. But there was God's justice. Even though, this wicked and wrong-minded men used "Allahu Akbar," "Allah is the greatest," a true statement of righteous heavenly judgement for this woman for surely Allah (God) will give her exactly that. 

I wonder what it means to God when we call upon him. I gave a blessing last week to a sister in my ward in which the blessing I spoke of her ability to know that her Heavenly Father loves her, to which I said her "daddy" loved her. Even our perfect example Jesus Christ used this as He was upon the cross: 

Mark 14:36 

And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.

Abba referring to a Hebrew or Aramaic word most commonly translated to "daddy." Jesus Christ understood His relationship with His Father. Do we? We will not understand it as Christ did in this life time, but are we growing closer to our Father in heaven? Do we pray each morning and night? When was the last time you had a sincere prayer? After these two movies (which I viewed one after another) I went to my room and weeped as a little child because of the great hold Satan has upon this world. 

It is almost surreal to realize, growing up in this time of the world and living in the United States, living in a country of freedom of religion, equality is greater here than anywhere else. Do I fully comprehend my relationship with God? Have I been so blessed and ungrateful for it to become blind to my relationship with God? I was born in the Latter-day Saint faith and consider that a miracle to which I do not understand why me but I often try my best to see the world through God's other children's view and understand the true meaning of God's eternal plan for each of us. I am only beginning this long journey and pray I may continue to be led by His Holy Spirit. 

I am grateful for my God and His tender mercies. I am grateful for prayer and how it allows me to speak to Him anytime I want. I am grateful to know the plan of happiness and to have that eternal perspective. I am grateful for my loving family and the amazing joy I receive from them. I am grateful to be spiritually led to study Arabic and the Middle East. This decision in my life is not understood by most but the inspiration came from Father himself. I am grateful for my membership in the church, of which I understand more and more what it really means. 

Allah, Elohim, Jehovah, El Shaddai, Adonai, Jesus Christ, Prince of Peace, God, Heavenly Father, Daddy, is all the same to me. 

Stay In The Light

Stay in the light. Yes, that's what I said. Last Saturday night I went to the Provo Temple and as I was sitting in a sealing room I noticed the beautiful wall paper that was there. The design was of floral design - vegetal plants interwoven within each other, but then I noticed that where the light from the lamps on the way were not showing you could not see the floral design. The rays of light showed the beautiful attribute of the wall while where the light did not shine directly on the wall paper you could only see the whiteness of the wall with no design. This thought came to me as a parallel of what it means to be in the light: The light is the gospel of Jesus Christ, keeping the commandments, and following the prophet.

In life we have our times of happiness and joy. No matter how hard we try to do everything right, things still go wrong. It is then evident why it is important to be in the "light" or the teachings of our Savior Jesus Christ; namely through his servants, the prophets. Jesus Christ has always used messengers or special witnesses to share His teachings so that we may have a guide or a map to lead us back to our Heavenly Father. Noah, Abraham, Moses, Isaiah, Peter, John, etc. are some examples of God's prophets. Today we have a living prophet. Currently this is Thomas S. Monson and he follows the examples of the prophets before him. 

Preach My Gospel describes the role of a prophet well:

"Truth is a knowledge of things as they really are, were, and will be. It does not change with conditions or time. Truth is the same in every age and culture. God is the source of all truth. We can have faith in Him because we know He will teach us only truth. God wants all His children to know the truth. Therefore, He reveals the truths necessary for salvation through prophets and apostles. He reveals truth to us personally through the scriptures and personal revelation.

A prophet is called and chosen by God and is a righteous man with great faith. The Lord reveals truth to him through the Holy Ghost. He commands His prophet to teach truth to all people. Those who believe God’s words as revealed through His prophet are blessed. Christ’s Church is built on the foundation of apostles and prophets, who direct the Church by revelation. The Lord called Joseph Smith as the first prophet and head of this last dispensation. His successors who lead The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints today are also prophets and apostles. The President of the Church today is a living prophet. We are to have faith in God’s chosen prophet, gain conviction of his divine calling, and follow his teachings.

We have frequent opportunities to sustain Church leaders publicly. Sustain means to support. We are to prepare ourselves so that when the prophets and apostles speak, the Holy Ghost can confirm the truths they teach, and we can then determine to follow the counsel they give us.

Those who listen to and follow the counsel of living prophets and apostles will not go astray. The teachings of living prophets provide an anchor of eternal truth in a world of shifting values and help us avoid misery and sorrow. The confusion and strife of the world will not overwhelm us, and we can enjoy the assurance of being in harmony with God’s will."

It is my testimony that no matter how hard life may be - if we feel lonely, sad, lost or distraught - that if we heed the teachings of a true prophet of God we will be able to conquer the adversary even when he sends his best against us. It is important to know that when we follow the prophet we have the promise of the Lord's strength on our side and we can live after the manner of happiness. May we all live in the light of our Savior.

Tar and Feathering of the Prophet Joseph Smith

As of lately, I have been reading the Joseph Smith Papers. It is compilation of the words, writings, teachings, of Joseph Smith. I cannot express my great gratitude towards this man. It was his sacrifice that allowed us to receive the restored gospel in our day. I decided to write down the dramatic experience of Joseph's tar and feathering in Hiram, OH March 24th, 1832. Not too many people know about the specific details that went on. Thanks to the help of Susan Easton Black and some further research of my own, I compiled this amazing story of personal sacrifice of the prophet Joseph Smith. 

While Joseph Smith was in Hiram, OH he was betrayed by a fellow friend and member of the church, Symons Ryder. Symons fell away from the church after Joseph Smith spelled his name wrong which is still spelled wrong in today's edition of the Doctrine and Covenants. He began to be irritated with all that Joseph had going on for him, he was worried a temple would be built next to his farm and would not have anything of it. On March 24th, 1832 Symons says this is the night Joseph dies. He sends letters to places all around Hiram, to all those that despise the prophet and the Mormon church. The men that volunteer know that close to midnight, they are to meet in the brickyard of Hiram. When the men get to the brickyard, they become drunk with whiskey as to be out of their minds to accomplish their plans of murdering Joseph.

Because of jealousy, pride and anger sixty men plot to kill Joseph Smith in the night. Twelve men approach the house of Joseph and Emma. Joseph and Emma are laying in the front room with their two newly acquired twins who were ill. Suddenly Emma begins to hear what she thinks is knocking against the house, like a tree blowing in the wind. Within a few moments the twelve men broke through the front door into the front room and Emma wakes Joseph up by screaming "Murder!" After the scream the twelve men are now beginning to grab Joseph. One of the men, Warren Waste, whom had prior to this event bragged in the saloon about being able to take down Joseph, made a mistake. He grabs Joseph's right leg, which is the strong leg, and is kicked in the face so hard that knocks Mr. Waste out of the front bedroom out onto the front porch. Years later, Mr. Waste was asked if Joseph was a prophet. He said he didn't know about that but he knew that he was the strongest man he had ever tangled with in the Ohio's. Another man in the room, Carnit Mason, grabs Joseph's head and eventually grabs his hair. He pulls so hard on his hair that he pulls out part of Joseph's scalp. Years later, a short man and an ancestor of mine Levi Hancock, was walking the Streets of Nauvoo and saw Joseph. Levi said to Joseph, "Joseph, I understand you lost part of your hair in the tar and feathering, could you show me?" Joseph bends over and shows that yes, Joseph was missing part of his scalp. Levi Hancock is my ancestor. 

Eleven of the twelve men now succeed in taking Joseph outside. They get him out to the porch. Warren Waste is now standing up after being kicked in the face; he is bleeding tremendously from the wound. He notices the blood on his hands and is very upset. He chokes Joseph trying to strangle him; he does so until Joseph loses consciousness. The interesting part about this is that the other mobbers are the ones who stopped Mr. Waste from killing Joseph, because they wanted Joseph to die another way, they already planned a premeditated murder. Joseph is now taken about thirty yards farther from the house. When Joseph regains consciousness he now sees all sixty men around him and there he sees his stride, Sidney Rigdon. Sidney was pulled out of his home by his feet and hit his head on the frozen ice causing it to bleed profusely and was lying in a pool of his own blood; Joseph thought his friend Sidney was dead. For the first time now, Joseph speaks to his captors and says, "You will spare my life won't you?" At which point, they say, "Call unto your God for mercy, for we will show you none." 

They now take him 30 yards further and take off all of his clothing except his shirt collar. It used to be back then that men's shirts were flat without collars, but the important people would put on a collar to show respectability, much like we do when we enter church in a suit and tie. Joseph, once naked, is then put on boards and suddenly he is introduced to the man who had been determined to kill him, Dr. Dennison. Dr. Dennison was the doctor that delivered baby Joseph in Sharon, Vermont December 23rd, 1805. Dr. Dennison was known for saying, "If I had known what this baby would become I would have smothered the gus." Dr. Dennison was planning to kill Joseph by castrating him. He has a knife in his hand and comes close to Joseph. As he comes closer to Joseph, his hand with the knife begins to shake and he eventually drops the knife. This was the plan of the mob to have Joseph be killed by castration but they had back up plans in case their first plan did not work. Once the doctor drops the knife, he pulls out of his pocket a vile of nitric acid. The doctor's plan is to put this nitric acid into Joseph's mouth and have him swallow it. Once it is swallowed it causes a cruel death of burning the body from inside out. The doctor attempts to put this small vile into Joseph's mouth, but Joseph keeps his teeth clenched very tightly as to not let anything pass through. Between the clenched teeth and the pushing so hard with the vile, one tooth or another will be broken off. It is not until 1843, when a dentist joins the church in Nauvoo, Joseph will get his teeth fixed. From 1832 to 1843, you could always tell Joseph was preaching because he had a whistle. 

Once the vile was dropped, the mob wondered how do they kill him? All of a sudden you hear, "Symon, Symon, where is the tar bucket?" Some run to get a tar bucket, some break into the home of Sidney Rigdon and grabbed pillows. Joseph now describes that a man fell on him like a mad cat and scratched him well. When the tar is ready and the paddle is put into his mouth, Joseph has no fight left. He knows he is going nowhere and he is done. They splash the tar all over his body and throw the feathers from the pillows over the tar. The last Joseph heard was, "The Mormons are coming." When you say the Mormons are coming, you have Orin Porter Rockwell and similar members who are there to protect Joseph. The mob disperses and leaves Joseph for dead in the street. 

When the tar was put into his mouth, Joseph fell unconscious. He regains himself and rips out the tar of his mouth, when he does so he loses consciousness again. Joseph later regained consciousness and crawled back to the front porch of his home. He discovers Emma and the future Relief Society sisters walking and worried on the porch. Joseph is not happy to have company. Joseph now yells to Emma, "Throw me a blanket." Emma is sure it is Joseph and looks towards the direction of the voice spoken, she sees the tar on him and concludes that it is blood and faints straight onto her back. Emma is helped by the other sisters there and Joseph receives his blanket. Many men come to find Joseph and see him at his home. The men then excuse the ladies from helping Joseph and send them to take care of the sick children. They then pull out their knives and begin to scrape away the tar off Joseph's body. These were not normal knives, they were corn husker knives, thick bladed and dull. 

The next day is church and Joseph speaks as usual, no matter what happens to him, it seems he preaches the gospel. After church, they break the ice on the river and Joseph baptizes three people. In coming days, Joseph and Emma lose one of their twins very likely because of the freezing air that entered the home when the mob came. Joseph and Emma had already lost three children prior to this child. 

Joseph Smith is a prophet of God. No greater man has ever lived and done a greater work, save Jesus Christ alone. I love Joseph; he is my brother and friend. Through the song, "Praise to the Man" (my favorite), we learn that "sacrifice brings forth the blessings of heaven." Joseph sacrificed everything to do the will of God, to bring the restoration of the gospel in this last and great dispensation. And now we see the blessings in this church because of what Joseph sacrificed. What can we learn from Joseph? What are we doing to sacrifice so that we too may have the blessings of heaven unto ourselves and unto the rest of the world? 
Millions truly have come to know who Joseph Smith is a true prophet of God and millions and millions more will still come to learn. Praise to the man Joseph Smith and his endless glory with the almighty God.

The "Magical" Slinky

Before I left back for Utah, my nephews Jack and Elliott were fighting over who got to play with this small slinky. I of course intervened and decided to stop it by putting it away, up high to where they couldn't see it. They didn't seem to notice that I put it away but after a little while I realized that we could have a little fun with this slinky after all. So I grabbed the slinky running up to Jack and Elliott and said, "Jack, Elliot. This is a magical slinky, one that can take us to anywhere in the world. But only if we are kind to each other and work together to overcome the hard things we have to go through." Their eyes lit up as they got excited when I began to say we were swimming in the ocean when all of a sudden a shark started to circle us. "Oh know!" Jack said. "We must get to the boat so the shark can't get us." So we all quickly ran into a bedroom and closed the door. It was a place of protection; a place where nothing could get us. "Phew, we're safe. Nothing can get us in here" I said. "I'm going to go outside and stop that shark" Elliott said with determination in his face, fists clenched with one on each side of his face as if he were going to try to intimidate the shark. So we left the room, creeping foot by foot down the hall way until Jack, who was holding the "magical" slinky, said "Oh no! An angry set of Vampires had shown up at the front door wanting to come in. We quickly ran to push against the door so they couldn't get in. The vampires were too many for us, they pushed the door wide open. Elliott jumped back and began to be scared running in circles. Jack ran and grabbed his hand yelling for us to all run back to the safe room. So we did. And we barely made it, too. "Ok guys" I said, "we now each have to take a hold of the slinky and pray that all will begin to disappear, that everything will be peaceful again in the house." Jack began to offer a real prayer. We went back outside and guess who showed up? Grandma Gemmell :)
When it was time for me to leave for Utah shortly after that experience I remember Jack wanting to play with the "magical" slinky again. Sadly I didn't have time as I had briefcase in hand. But they can be sure to count on it when I get back.

Elliott and Jack looking at a june beetle

Elliott and Jack raking the leaves with grandpa

Sometimes we fret too much in this life and not put enough trust in God. Ezekiel 37

Fret not thyself because of evildoers, neither be 

though envious against the workers of sin...

Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him:

fret not thyself because of him who pospereth in his way,

because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

Cease from anger, and forsake the wrath:

fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

Ezekiel 37: 1, 7-8

Yesterday I was reading Nephi's prayer and desire to have no more sin in his life. He says this:

O wretched man that I am! Yea, my heart sorroweth because of my flesh;

my soul grieveth because of mine iniquities. I am emcompassed about, 

because of the temptations and the sins which easily do beset me. 

And when I desire to rejoice, my heart groaneth because of my sins;

nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted...

Behold, he hath heard my cry...and by day have I waxed bold in

mighty prayer before him; yea, my voice have I sent up on high; 

and angels came down and ministered unto me...

Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin. Rejoice, O my heart,

and give place no more for the enemy of my soul.

2 Nephi 4: 17-19, 23-24, 30

There is much more to it but I think you get the point. Trust in God no matter what; whether it is your fault or because of someone else's fault that things go wrong, because that's just how the world works. During time here in college you can get very stressed. (Just like any other phase in life it seems.) And when you are stressed you are not often very happy. Not very joyous and excited for others. This last weekend was general conference. It was a wonderful conference, I was privileged to watch it with a few friends and roommates. I learned a lot about trusting in God and believing Him. To believe Him you must humble yourself. I've learned that my mistakes are from my pride. But I know that God can forgive you and I if we are but believing - trusting - hopeful - happy - not fretting (or worrying). Nephi states this: "O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness!" We can put on that robe of righteousness each day. I think I will buy robes for my kids and give it to them during a Family Home Evening and teach them the importance of righteousness. 

As my nephews and I played with the "magical" slinky we found out we had a place of refuge from all hardships. I have come to find that to be my Savior and keeping His commandments. 

For a current update: Life is great, I have so much to do but I am really happy. Sure, I don't have everything I would like, some of those make me sad, but it's a great time to come rely upon God more. That's the whole purpose, right? Classes are fascinating, I am learning a lot about my field of studies. I love the Middle East and it's rich culture. I am still social through library study gatherings. I started doing the P90X with a friend in my ward each morning at 6 AM. That really is some hard work but I think it will eventually pay off. I do it to be active, I don't need the muscles but I also don't want to be super skinny. My ensemble groups are getting better, I love being able to still play music. I love and miss my mission tremendously. And most of all I still love and miss my family.