Last Wednesday's Dinner Appointment.

We arrived just a few moments early..

As we walked our way up to the front door step something caught my eye! It was just a little guy, I didn't think anything bad would happen at all, it seemed harmless..

 

I ran after it! Not thinking too much about..

 

I grabbed it.

 

Held it up.

 

And luckily,

 

It was just a little garter snake!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

With that case I was safe! 

 

Or so I thought...

 

 

As I put the little guy down, He snapped at my foot!!

 

I am glad I had my shoes on! :)

 

If not.. I would have had a snake on my big toe!

 





 

 

 

 

At times in our everyday lives Satan will throw little things at us, They may just be little tiny temptations for things that don't seem so bad. Most of the time it is the little things that get us. We think to ourselves nothing bad will happen if I do it just this once...

 

BUT! That is how Satan snares us..

 

He gets us to just do little things that are not inline with God's will, and then we just keep on doing them, and doing them..

 

We have got to protect ourselves from falling into those traps!

 

It is a good thing God has given us things to strengthen us!

 

 

 

“Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day. …

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

“And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

“Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

“And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” (Eph. 6:11–18.)

 

 

 

We need to use and put on the "whole" armor of God.

 

 

 

In the Book of Mormon, there is an amazing Hero named Captain Moroni. He is the man!! The scriptures say

 

"Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men."

 

 

 

How cool is that?!!

 

 

What are some things you can do to be like Captain Moroni and fight off the temptations that are thrown at us everyday?

 

 



 

Read more about Captain Moroni starting at Alma Chapter 43-62!

Have You Ever Spilled Milk? ..“To err is human, to forgive divine.” ...

I know I sure have...


My first Mission President said it best!

"Everyone spills milk! It doesn't matter the age, Whether it be a new born, three year old, 24 year old, or an 86 year old, We ALL spill milk. We may do it while eating cereal, pouring a glass, or making pancakes.

 

-The new born and three year old would just sit there and cry, waiting for an adult to clean it up for them.

 

-The 24 year old may not think anything bad would come from spilling just a little milk..

 

-The 86 year old may not be able to bend over to wipe it up! And would have to wait for someone else to fix it.

 

Most of the time when we spill milk, we blame it on someone else, right?

 

Because we don't want to be the one that has to clean it up! I mean who wants to be the one that messed up...

 

But.. If no one cleans it up, it will start to make a bigger mess, bugs will get attracted to it, maybe even cats!

 

What if the milk keeps spilling more and more, and no one ever cleans it up?

 

The floor could eventually rot! How nasty would that be?

 

Then eventually the foundation..

 

Not very fun..."

 

 

We can relate that back to our life by replacing the milk, with things we may have done wrong to another person or God. Some of the things could have been little innocent things. We might have done or said something that kept building and building, until the person couldn't stand it. Most of the time we just leave it unfixed.
 

-What can that result in?

 

It could lead to a lot of things! None of them being things that are good..

 

 

 



Back home I did a whole lot of duck hunting, it was "my thing". I loved it! One part that was usually pretty hard, was packing all of my supplies out there.. My supplies consisted of; two or three dozen decoys, shotgun, ammunition, snacks, water, and bug spray! Most of the time I was carrying about  50 to 75 pounds on my back for miles at a time through mud and water. At times it was very difficult!

 

 

 

 

 

-In our lives if we don't forgive or ask for forgiveness we may feel like we have that weight on our backs ALL the time.. That is no fun at all!

 

 

We need to remember to forgive others as well, if we want forgiveness!

"For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

 Matt. 6:14–15

 

 

Jesus Christ has already been through EVERYTHING that we will ever personally experience in this life. All of the pains, afflictions, temptations, and mistakes. He knows how we feel, and He is there for us! Through faith in Him, He can ease our burdens.

 

 

 

 

“To err is human, to forgive divine.” (Alexander Pope, An Essay on Criticism, 2:1711). There is no peace in harboring old grudges. There is no peace in reflecting on the pain of old wounds. There is peace only in repentance and forgiveness. This is the sweet peace of the Christ, who said, “Blessed are the peacemakers; for they shall be called the children of God” (Matt. 5:9). Of that I testify in the holy name of Jesus Christ, amen."

-President Gordon B. Hinckley

 

 

Will y'all this week try to focus on forgiveness, it will help others lose the extra weight on their backs and will, in return help you!

 





Are You Hungry?

Oh me.. Recently it seems like I am starving every two or three hours!! What is wrong with me? Missionaries do always eat a ton! So I shouldn't always be hungry right? I guess I am still a growing boy. Every young man's mother knows that boys are bottomless pits!

Do you ever get hungry like this? Where you just can't seem to fill that emptiness?

Imagine you didn't eat anything for two days, You would survive, but your stomach would be gnawing at your back bone right?!

Alright, Now you haven't eaten for a whole week! How hungry are you now? (Somehow you are still alive..)

Okay.. Now it has been a month and 3.5 days, How are you feeling now? (Well if you had gone without food for this long you would be dead.. Let's say you are still alive though!)


A while back, in a church meeting, I heard this analogy used with scripture study!

 

Questions:

-Why did our Heavenly Father give us scriptures?

-Do you think scriptures are important to Him?

-How important is it for us to read the scriptures He has given us?

In the world today there is so much reading material out there! Books, magazines, newspapers, even Ebooks, they can be a blessing. Some of the material is great and useful for us all! While some of the material out there has none or little "nutritional" value at all for us..

"Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."

- 2 Nephi 32:3

 

In order for us to grow in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and stay on the path that leads to eternal life, we need to develop a habit of Gospel Study!


Tips for study!!
- Turn it all off! Set aside some time to turn everything off (Cell phone, TV, Facebook, Etc.) So you have some time to study!
- "Liken" what you read and learn to yourself! (1 Nephi 19:23)
- Substitute your name in a verse of scripture to personalize it!
- Ask yourself, "How should I change as a result of what I have learned?"
- Set goals to live what you are learning!




I am so grateful for scriptures and the things we can learn from them! I have definitely gained a very strong testimony of scripture study the past 18 months, and that is why I chose to share this message with y'all! I hope you try it out! Let it grow into a habit in your life, test it! (Alma 32; in the Book Of Mormon)


If you need a copy go to this link!
http://mormon.org/free-book-of-mormon

It doesn't matter how long it has been since you last picked up your scriptures! Like Nike says,

"Just Do It!"

 

 



Please don't starve yourself from the words of Christ! :)

No, That is not a cheese burger! That is a cupcake!

... Yes the cupcake was delicious!