Questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (a.k.a. the Mormons)

Here are some of the most popular questions about my church, which is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. You might know us as the "Mormons," but we prefer people to use the church's real name, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I'm not an official spokesperson from the church, but this is how I'd answer these questions if you asked me.

Check out ComeUntoChrist.org for more detailed
information. Or, feel free to ask me directly if you
have any questions.  

Why are you a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of 
Latter-Day Saints? 

Having two parents in the church meant that I was born
into it—but now, of course, I'm a 28-year-old who makes
his own decisions. The reason I stay in the church is
because it makes me happy and gives me hope for the
future. It helps me overcome my imperfections, brings
me closer to God, and helps me understand His 
purpose for my life.

It’s my personal belief that The Church of Jesus Christ 
of Latter-Day Saints is true and that if people will really 
examine it and try it for themselves--and I mean give
it a real shot--they will feel that way too. 

What are the basics of The Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-Day Saints? 

We're Christian. We believe in Jesus Christ and we share
many traditional Christian beliefs—Christ's life and ministry,
His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, His death on 
the cross, and His resurrection. We believe that He lives 
today and that He can help us as we do our best to keep 
Him the center of our lives. 

We believe in the importance of families. Our belief is that
families can be together forever--even after death--if we try
our best to do what's right and keep God's commandments.
This means that marriage does not end at death, but lasts
forever. It also means that other family relationships among
parents, children, and siblings will last forever. This is one of
my favorite parts of the church!

What’s the difference between your church and other 
Christian churches? 

Here are two main differences: 

First, we believe in a living Prophet--a modern-day Moses
or Abraham from the Bible--who has a special distinction 
that makes him God's spokesperson on the earth. Today, 
his name is Russell M. Nelson, and we believe he has
the same responsibility that Moses and other
Biblical Prophets had--to lead all of us and to help us
understand God's direction for them.

In the Bible, Christ called Twelve Apostles. In the church
today, we also have Twelve Apostles in addition to a
living Prophet.

Paul taught that there is "one Lord, one faith, one baptism"
(Ephesians 4:5). We believe that The Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-Day Saints is the "one faith" Paul was
talking about, and that becoming a baptized member
of the Church is the "one baptism" he was referring to.
Of course, these are all incredibly bold claims to 
make--I get that.

But, like I said before, I really believe they are true. And I
really believe that if someone will sincerely take a look at
the church, they will feel the same way I feel. 

Of course, these claims don't make members of the church
better than others and they don't make us closer to God
than anyone else. I've met plenty of people of different
religions that are much better people than I ever will be.
These claims just mean that we believe The Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's church. It's our
goal to help others understand that message. 

Another difference is that we believe in the Book of Mormon,
a book similar to the Bible (we read and believe in both) in
that they both teach of Christ and how He can bless our
lives. The Bible was written by Prophets in Jerusalem 
and the Holy Land, while the Book of Mormon was
written by Prophets here in the Americas. 

The Book of Mormon's climax is when Christ makes a
personal appearance to the people here in the Americas
(saying that the people in the America's were the
"other sheep" he talked about in the John 10:16).
I've found great peace from reading the
Book of Mormon and I believe it's a true book. I also love
and revere the Bible.

What’s the deal with polygamy? 

First, it's important to understand that NO ONE in The
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints practices
polygamy. It's against the rules of the church. 
If you've heard of other groups of people in Utah
or elsewhere that currently practice
polygamy, they are not part of our church.

In the early days of the church (1800s), a small percentage
of church members were polygamists, meaning they were
involved in marriages with one man and multiple wives.
At the time, the Prophet had revealed that polygamy for
some church members was God's will for them at the time.
Later, church leaders felt inspired to end polygamy in the
church. Again, it's not practiced in the church today. 

I invite you to check out ComeUntoChrist.org and find out
more about the church. I invite you to ask God if what I've
said here is true.

The church and what it's taught me about God has blessed
me beyond my ability to explain. It makes me happier than
any other thing in my life. Check it out and let me know if I
can answer any more questions.

Check out this link for a 60-second explanation of our beliefs: https://youtu.be/61j0ZZ-06aU

Having a Support System

With the semester ending I finally have a little time to slow down and do things that I've needed to do for a while--like update this blog.

My last few months have been pretty intense and have pushed me to work as hard as I possibly could in order to keep my head above the water. I spent this past semester interviewing with companies around Utah trying to find a good fit. I interviewed at a ton of different places, and I'm blessed to say I'll be interning with a great company this summer in the SLC area. I also spent this semester trying to succeed in my second-to-last semester in the business school. I'm blessed to say I survived, and I only have 6 credits left before I graduate.

The reason I bring this up is because one thing has become super clear to me recently: I couldn't make it through all the things going on without a solid support system. My parents, sisters, brother-in-law, and nieces have been such an amazing support to me. And my friends (you know who you are) and roommates that put up with me on a daily basis deserve a huge shout-out as well. I'm telling you, I wouldn't be where I am without these people who allow me to vent to them, to bounce ideas off of them, and to ask them for help and validation. Of course, I believe that God puts certain people in our lives for a reason, and I'm super blessed to be surrounded by these people who have been an unbelievable support system for me.

And speaking of God, I believe that He knows exactly what He's doing. As I've asked Him for help, He's given it to me. That help hasn't always come in the form that I most expected, but I believe that it has always come--and I'm so grateful for that.  He knows exactly what I need--even more than I know what I need. If you don't feel like you have a lot of people supporting you, you should know that you can always turn to God. Tell Him what's going on and ask Him for help. I promise that He'll help and support you in incredible ways--ways that no other person or support group could possibly help you.

I'm so grateful for the supportive people I have around me, and it inspires me to be better and to be that kind of friend to others. Let's all go out and try to BE THAT FRIEND. Let's be the shoulder that someone can cry on, the trusted confidant who can listen and counsel and give support. We might not know all the obstacles that others are facing, but we can reach out and try to help them with the burdens that they're carrying. I've been so grateful for people who have done that for me.

And whether you feel like your support system is big or small, I invite you to turn to God and ask him for help and love and validation--and I promise it'll come.

How a belief in God has blessed my life

Every fall when school starts again my life gets crazy. I know I'm not the only one that this applies to...everyone gets busy with school, work, social life, etc. It sometimes seems like life will never slow down and that everything has to be done at about 900 MPH.

With everything happening so fast, I have become more and more grateful for the fact that I believe in a God. I'm grateful to believe in a Supreme Being who, amid all the chaos that life brings, knows who I am and knows how to best help me. Maybe that sounds funny. But I think it would be incredibly difficult to navigate through life if I didn't have this belief.

Being a college student is a really interesting time of life for a lot of reasons. It's a time of lots of uncertainty--where will we end up in a few years? What should we major in? What degrees should we pursue? The list seems like it goes on forever.

While admittedly there are a lot of things that are uncertain right now, there's one thing that we don't have to wonder about: God is real, He loves us, and He knows all of us individually. He knows who He wants us to become, and He knows how we can get there.

I've studied about prayer and how we can communicate with God. It's a pretty incredible concept to me--that we can communicate with an all-knowing Being who knows us perfectly. We can tell Him our feelings, emotions, and aspirations. We can ask for divine help and He'll help us. I appreciate that although I'm pretty limited as far as my ability to fully express my feelings, God knows what I'm talking about and knows how to bless me. 


To pray to God is one thing, to TRUST Him is another. Google says that To TRUST someone means to "believe in the reliability, truth, ability, or strength of..." that person. I'm grateful to believe in and trust in a God who knows me and knows what He wants me to become. I'm obviously not a perfect example of any of these things, but I am trying my best to trust in God and His plan for me and my life. For me, it relieves so much anxiety and stress to think that a higher power is in charge of my life. If we just do what's right and try our best to improve every day, God will take care of us. It might not be in the way or timetable we'd expect, but He is looking our for our best interests and will take care of us. 
I know that if we put our trust in God and pray with a real desire to learn and receive guidance, He will bless us beyond our ability to comprehend. I've seen it happen in my life. I've received comfort, peace, and a sense of motivation for the future as I've reached out to my Heavenly Father. If you don't feel like you have a relationship with God, I invite you to try praying. Try talking to Him. He wants to talk to you and everyone else. Express your feelings, and see if He doesn't respond. 

Trials

It's been a long time since I've posted on here! 

If you're in my ward, sorry that you just heard me say most of this in a talk a couple of weeks ago. But, as I was getting ready to speak, I learned a lot from my studying and thought I should share it. Here are some of the things I learned about trials: 

Some trials come from our poor choices, but others come for other reasons that may only be fully understood--at least at the time--by our Heavenly Father. Life isn't easy, and I don’t think it was ever supposed to be. But as we pass through trials we have the opportunity to become better and learn important lessons that will help us later.

Everyone has unique circumstances, abilities, and weaknesses. People reading this, including myself, are worrying about school, work, money, family members, friends, dating, marriage, weaknesses, wrong things others have done to them, and lots of other things. I don't know who reads this blog, but if you're reading this and you're going through a hard time right now, please don't give up. Seek God and ask Him for His help. He will help you like He's helped me so many times!

Life’s hard, but we don’t have to--nor should we--face it alone. We need divine help. In my life I've learned that through God’s grace we can overcome or at least learn how to cope with our challenges and trials. However, this requires work and faith and dedication on our part. There are things we need to do in order to faithfully face and overcome our trials.

One that I'm working on it prayer. Prayer is not a passive principle. It takes time and consistent effort to develop a relationship with God through prayer.

One of the leaders of my Church, Elder Jeffrey R. Holland said, “God is anxiously waiting for the chance to answer your prayers and fulfill your dreams, just as He always has. But He can’t if you don’t pray, and He can’t if you don’t dream. In short, He can’t if you don’t believe.”

So, sometimes God is just waiting for us to ask for what we need. 

Earlier in the year, I was feeling a lot of pressure in my life. I was in an interesting situation that I didn't really understand or know how to feel comfort. I remember praying harder than I had in a long time, and over time, I felt God answer my prayer and help me with the things I needed. I didn't feel an immediate answer to the prayers I had offered, but eventually they came and I was given the help I was looking for.

From that experience, I learned a few things about trials. First, we can’t always expect answers to prayers or solutions to trials to come instantly. God doesn't want us to curl up in a ball and stay in our rooms and wait for our trials to pass us by, although some days that might be tempting. We aren't beings that were created with that intent. He expects us to get up, work hard, pray hard, serve others, and have faith. We all have hope--which is found through the Savior Jesus Christ. We need to keep our focus solely on Him and His Atonement. As we do this, we will be supported through our trials.

Another Church leader, David A. Bednar said, “You and I in a moment of weakness may cry out, ‘No one understands. No one knows.’ No human being, perhaps, knows. But the Son of God perfectly knows and understands, for He felt and bore our burdens before we ever did. And because He paid the ultimate price and bore that burden, He has perfect empathy and can extend to us His arm of mercy in so many phases of our life. He can reach out, touch, succor—literally run to us—and strengthen us to be more than we could ever be and help us to do that which we could never do through relying upon only our own power.”

Jesus Christ understands and can empathize with our trials and weaknesses. If you feel like you’re the only one who is going through a hard time, please know that everyone, no matter how perfect their life may seem, and how many advantages they may seem to have, is on the same journey as you and I, and they face many of the same difficulties that you and I face. I know that the Savior lives and that He will reach out, succor, and heal us as we will let Him into our lives.

Here are where the quotes come from:

Elder Holland: https://speeches.byu.edu/talks/jeffrey-r-holland_terror-triumph-wedding-feast/

Elder Bednar: https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/bear-up-their-burdens-with-ease?lang=eng

Learning Experiences

One of the things I've thought about over the last few months is the concept of going through "learning experiences." In my life I've hated that phrase because usually I've looked at it in a negative light. I've hated "learning experiences" because they've usually meant that I've been going through a hard time or making a lot of mistakes...but at least learning from them. Just like no great coach is happy when his team just has a moral victory (but still loses), none of us are usually initially happy when we fail or struggle. However, I have learned that these learning experiences can be a positive thing for us in our lives and they end up helping us in the long run. Just like a coach can look at the positives from his team's loss and use them to help his team improve, we can find positives in our lives, even when we make mistakes. 
I've found that the times when I've struggled the most has taught me the most about life and helped me to thrive in the future. Sometimes our mistakes help us learn what will really make us happy and successful in the future.
I appreciated a speech given by our new President at BYU about a month ago. He said, "...all failures are changeable and temporary- except for the one that occurs when we give up." When we mess up, we can ALWAYS make it right and get a fresh start.
Some of the most influential people to ever live have, at one point in their lives, been "failures." (If you need more proof of that - look at this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zLYECIjmnQs)
We can't always control what happens to us in life, and we can't control what others think about us. But we can try to always be found doing what's right and always trying to improve.
Near the end of his talk, President Worthen said, "Too often we ask the wrong question when we fail. We ask, “Am I good enough?” But the real question is, “Is God good enough?” Is He as good as He says He is? Can He really deliver on His promise...if we will trust Him and strive to do the best we can and keep going whenever we fall short?"
I know that God IS good enough. He can make up for our failures and help us see how we can improve and be truly happy. He can help us be forgiven from our mistakes and become better people. He's definitely done that for me, and He can do that for everyone. I'm trying to be grateful for my learning experiences and to improve from them.

President Worthen's full talk: http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=2218

HOPE

I've been really intrigued lately with the word HOPE.

I'm not talking about "I hope it's sunny outside today," or "I hope I get an A on my test," although I do hope for both of those things (but the longer this semester goes, the more I'm realizing both of those are probably unrealistic...)

The kind of HOPE I've been reading about lately has a deeper meaning. It's not a temporary or fleeting emotion. It's not just a thought or something that comes into a person's mind once or twice. It's a word that forms a mindset in someone and becomes part of who they are.

When someone has HOPE they are optimistic about the future.

When someone has HOPE they realize they try to find the silver lining in their circumstances.

When someone has HOPE they are resilient and refuse to give up.

When someone has HOPE they recognize that future success will be even sweeter because of all the struggles that have been endured along the way.

I'm not trying to say I have perfect hope or anything like that. I originally started studying this topic so that I could learn how to increase the hope in my own life. Sometimes it's hard to just "be positive" about what's going to happen tomorrow or next month or next year. Obviously, much easier said than done. It's definitely a work-in-progress in my own life.

I know there are lots of good people out there who feel like they have lost all hope. I've felt like that before. I hope that some of what you read here will help. Yesterday I was at a meeting where one of my Church leaders spoke. He was talking about overcoming trials and looking forward to the future. I don't remember word for word what he said, but essentially he said, "I'm speaking you as a Church leader, but also think of me as your grandfather." And then, as he started to choke up he said, "Hang in there." People that have a hope-filled mindset in their lives strive to "hang in there" and stay strong through trials.

To illustrate this point, I have two examples of people with firm hope:

The first example is of my mother. My mom, although you would never know from just talking to her, has had various health problems throughout her life. She has had to endure various surgical procedures and has been bedridden multiple times. Throughout her life, however, she has emulated a person who is full of hope and especially optimism. Her personality simply will not let her be negative or focus on unfortunate trials. I've never heard her complain about what she's going through. She's one of the most energetic and fun people I know. Every time she has gone in for a procedure, she has said, "I'll be OK. It will work out." While our immediate family is usually saying, "Mom, are you sure you're going to be OK? Don't you think you should just rest today and take the day off?" she always responds with a "Don't worry about me, I'm fine!" She wouldn't know how to "take a day off" if she tried. She's an example and a light to everyone she comes in contact with.

Another great example I could share about hope is my cousin, Tenille. She's truly an amazing person. She's married, 37 years old, has 4 little boys, and is pregnant with her 5th child, a girl, due next January. In August of this year, she was diagnosed with stage 2 Hodgkins Lymphoma. She started a blog to describe her feelings and how her trials have strengthened her faith in Jesus Christ and His plan for us and our lives. I caught myself becoming emotional as I read her blog today. Even though she has just been diagnosed with cancer, she used the words/phrases "blessed," "renewed faith," and "hope" to describe some of the events surrounding her life as she faces this huge trial in her life. She truly knows and comprehends what it's like to have HOPE for a better tomorrow. Check out her blog at:  thistale2tell.blogspot.com

I'm grateful for the people who read this and hope it helps someone out there.

21 September 2014

I guess my post today is going to be pretty simple. The last few months haven't been the easiest for me, but throughout the last few days I have had an overwhelming sense of gratitude for everything in my life. 

Gratitude is interesting to me. Immediately when I hear someone talk about gratitude, I almost always tune out. "Oh, they're just going to tell me to be more grateful" is what I always think. And, usually, I'm right. But recently I've learned a lot about gratitude and the positive influence it can have in our lives. 

I was introduced to the idea of being "grateful in any circumstances." It means that no matter what's going on, I can be grateful. It's easy to think, "one day I'll be happy (when I get a job, get married, or retire...etc), one day I'll be grateful for everything I have, but for now I'm just angry and stressed out." But I've learned that as I try to find the "silver-lining" in everything and look for the good, I have SO much to be grateful for. And it's made me so much happier. 

I'm so grateful for my good family. My parents and extended family have season tickets to the BYU football games, so I get to see them almost every weekend which is great. I'm grateful for the chance I have to talk to my family on the phone and to see them in person on a regular basis. When you can't directly communicate with your family for two years, you realize that in your life you have taken them for granted. I appreciate and love my family so much and am grateful that I can talk to them whenever I want now. 

I'm grateful to be here in school. School's hard, and it's not always fun. In fact most of the time it isn't super fun. But I'm grateful for the opportunity to be studying at a great university and for the chance to learn the valuable skills that will hopefully make me useful in the workforce some day. 

I'm grateful for my people in SoCal. You guys mean the world to me and have deeply impacted my life. I think about you on a daily basis and am grateful for things like Facebook that let us communicate and keep up with each other. 

Hope everyone has a great week!

**For more on where I got the idea of "grateful in any circumstances," you can check out:

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2014/04/grateful-in-any-circumstances?lang=eng