Thus far, the Occupy Wall Street (OWS) movement has:

• Blocked and shut down transit bridges in Portland, Chicago and Seattle.
• Injured dozens of police officers.
• Littered the lawns of universities, public parks and churches with trash, abandoned tents, drug paraphernalia and blocked countless roads and byways.
• Interrupted the lives of hundreds, if not thousands of everyday employed people.

What have they accomplished? Better yet, what are their goals? Are they united or are they a group of people whining about their lives without doing anything to actually change that direction? Thus far, all I have seen is the interruption of regular, everyday hardworking people’s lives in OWS’s attempts to make somebody pay. These employed people have to leave home hours early and arrive home hours late, taking away from valuable time with their families, just to get through the crowds.

Believe me, I want a full-time job that provides for my needs, with a little extra to put away for rainy day. I want affordable healthcare. I want affordable rates for home and student loans. I want to be able to provide for myself and (someday) a family.

But what satisfaction would come in life if all of that were handed to me on a silver platter? If I have learned one thing from reading about my family history (Mormon and proud!), it is that my ancestors worked hard; they labored hard all day, every day to provide a roof and food for eachother. They didn’t have much, but they appreciated and loved what they had. Some of them worked two and three jobs to make ends meet.

Am I frustrated with how the banks have been operated by their boards? Yes, absolutely. Do I want, hope for and welcome a change? Yes, absolutely. Does their “movement” have any chance of making positive change in a good direction? No, I don’t believe it does. If they want to change the way the banks operate, they get to VOTE their current elected officials out of Congress! The existing laws that can help the situation aren’t enforced and any new laws that might help willl not be passed by those in office now.

These OWS people want jobs? McDonalds in North Dakota has a starting wage of $15 and hour. They want healthcare? They want an education? Go work hard. Don’t expect somebody else to pay for it, and don’t punish everyone in the town or city you live in who is trying to work just as hard as you claim to be.

Tomorrow will be two months since my Mother passed through the veil of mortality into the eternities. Since then, we have struggled as a family to find the feeling of “home” in our house. I am amazed at all of the little things Mama did that made our house a home; the decorations, the cute things she sewed, painted and made; even her annoying socks with bells on them– they all seem so empty without her beautiful face to brighten our days.

Yet still I feel her. Upon laying my head down to sleep, I have felt Mother tucking me in. While sitting in the House of the Lord, I heard her speaking words of Love and comfort to me; words that only she could have said to uplift my spirit. While talking with my Father and brother, I have felt her sitting there with us; telling us that she Loves us.

So often I have heard that upon our departure from this mortal life, we are done. That’s it! No more living. There are few greater fallacies than the claim that this life is all there is! I know from sacred, personal experiences that the “dead” from this world do live on; they are intimately aware of us and our needs. They are positioned to assist us with our greatest fears, struggles and trials, far more than they could have in this life.

Such experiences have solidified my faith in Heavenly Father’s plan; that great Plan of Happiness. Though taught in various forms worldwide, I cannot express my gratitude to know the full extend of that plan. We are eternal beings! Our lives neither began upon our birth in this mortal world, no do they end upon leaving it! Our Savior, Christ, has atoned for the sins, weakness, pain and sickness of all humanity; such that we have full right to the gift of salvation, and full access to exhalation, should we choose it.

I wish that I could adequately relate how grateful I am that my Mother is no longer suffering physical pain, as well as her ability to influence and guide me with great power, as the Lord deems necessary. I am also grateful for the closeness, care and concern that has grown even deeper between Dad, my brother, nephew, sister-in-law and I. Though we miss our Matriarch, we have come to depend our each other and the Lord so much more.

What a great and Loving God we have!

Lately I have been involved in some wonderfully uplifting conversations with some close friends. We have been able to discuss politics, religion, values, education and a plethora of other topics together; all without judgement or discontent in the eye of disagreement.

On the flip side, I have experienced some conversations with other friends that were, for lack of a better term, a complete waste of good air. It seemed that regardless of what my views were, or how much I listened to and respected their views, unless they were in direct correlation with what the other person said or thought, I was chastised and mocked for my beliefs. I was called “old-fashioned,” “ill-informed,” and my personal favorite, “ignorant.”

It seems that the current definition of “discussion” is, “Give me my Truth, or I will give you my Hate.”

When did society come to a point that an opposing view, by nature of it being different from one’s own view, is wrong and ignorant? Haven’t some of the most rewarding ideas in our history come from open discourse of opposing views? (Think about it.. the Magna Carta, the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, etc.)

I do not have much to say other than the questions posed in the previous paragraph. I enjoy open discourse and encourage others to listen to the views of those with whom they completely disagree. There might just be more in common than previously recognized.

My mind has been widened and my spirit has been uplifted by hearing beliefs and philosophies that are not my own.
For that perspective I am ever-thankful to Father in Heaven!

To begin with, I would like to say that I have the most Loving, inspiring and spiritually-tuned Mother that I have ever known.

Since I was in the 6th grade, she has struggled with cancer in various forms. The past two years have been especially bad given that the cancer in her brain has grown, despite various surgeries and treatments. As this has happened, I have seen this beautiful woman slowly decay physically. Her speech began to slur, eventually leading to an inability to communicate at all. She lost her appetite, which left her unable to maintain body strength; leaving my Father, Brother and I to assist her with every facet of her life.

It has been our honor to assist her through all of this. Times have been tough; though I have constantly felt the Love of Jesus Christ resting upon our home.

Today we had one such moment that I will always treasure.

A lady from my Mom’s local church came by to visit with Mom and give her a beautiful necklace made just for her. We had the usual difficulty communicating with Mom, though she did seem to understand a little more clearly today than before. After her visit, I helped Mom finish her lunch and then helped her into bed.

Usually, it is quite a laborious task to get her into bed. With her unable to help, she is pretty much “dead weight”. But today, she helped quite a lot. Almost instantly though, she seemed to “wake up” from months of incoherence. She looked at me and said, “I love you so darn much, Derek!” I almost could not believe my ears! Not only had she said a full sentence, but she was able to put emphasis clearly on each word. I immediately sat down beside her and said, “I Love You too, Mama.”

..I should back up for a moment. You see, Mom’s ability to speak lapsed the most while I was in California this last July. Because I was gone then, I haven’t had the opportunity to converse with her since before I left. That made today all the more special to me.

We proceeded to have a conversation for several minutes. She expressed her Love for me, as well as how proud to have me as her son (though I jokingly say that second part was her medication talking!). I took a brief recess to call my Dad and Brother (they were at the store and work, respectively) to tell them to come home asap. I returned back to Mom to continue the conversation. She told me how she felt worried about us boys; wondering how we are doing. I assured her that though it has been hard, we Love her and are honored to care for her. I assured her that my Brother, Dad and I are well. She shared that she didn’t know what she wanted to do; to live with the pain or to pass on to our Father above. I promised her that as long as she wanted to stay, we would care for her and keep her comfortable; but when her time comes, I invited her to go home to Heaven.

Mom asked me to give her a priesthood blessing (as an Elder in the LDS Church I have the ability to do so). It was an uplifting and beautiful moment; being able to lay my hands on my Mother’s head and offer a blessing from her God meant just for her. Both of us had faces strewn with tears of joy and peace.

As our discourse continued, her speech began to lapse. Though there was the occasional word that gave hint to what she wanted to say. When my Dad and Brother arrived, we gathered around her and had a nice time talking and joking together as a family.

My Mother expressed well over two-dozen times today her great Love for all of us. Even when she was going to bed this evening she told my Dad how worried she was about my Brother and I. She is truly a magnificent Mother. During our discourse, we talked about family trips, conversations and even a few fights that we’d had. It gave me the opportunity to apologize, as her the same (though she didn’t have need to.)

Words cannot accurately express how I am feeling currently. The spirit of God has filled my heart and our home today. Whatever the future holds, I know that God is in it. That gives me great comfort. God is truly Good.

Today I just want to say that I Love my Mother. She has done so much for myself and my family and asked for near-to-nothing in return. It is an honor to be the son of Charlene Whitaker.

I Love You, Mommy.

Well, I have spent the better part of the past couple of hours pondering the words that were spoken during the Afternoon and Priesthood sessions today. More importantly though, I recall the feelings that came to me. This post will be quite brief, as most of what I remember are feelings that are, to me, very sacred and personal; things between myself and Father.

What I took away from the sessions was the great need to include my Saviour in my daily activities. He is, after all, the life and light of the world.

President Thomas S. Monson, the living Prophet of God, spoke about making choices in life.  He shared his “Three R’s of Choice”:

The Right of Choice:

He quoted President David O. McKay, “Next to the bestowal of life itself, the right to direct that life is God’s greatest gift to man.”

The Responsibility of Choice:

Of this, President Monson said,  ”We cannot be neutral.There is no middle ground. The Lord knows this. Lucifer knows this. As long as we live upon this earth, Lucifer and his hosts with never abandon the hope of claiming our souls.”

The Results of Choice:

“All our choices have consequences. Some have nothing to do with our salvation have nothing to do with our salvation. Others, have everything to do with it.”

As he discussed those “Three R’s”, situations came to my mind where I made choices that I knew were not in harmony with the law of God. Since I desire to be with Him again someday, it is of eternal importance that my choices reflect that desire; both inwardly and outwardly.  Not to boast or have pride in myself (President Uchdorf gave a phenomenal talk on Pride, basing it on President Ezra T. Benson‘s talk “Beware of Pride”), but rather to show the happiness that comes from the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I wish that I could more accurately describe the thoughts, feelings and emotions that I have, but I think that perhaps I am meant to ponder some more.

But alas (again!), the best is yet to come!

Tomorrow has more in store!

9:00 AM – 10:00 AM MST: Music and the Spoken Word (live link)

10:00 AM – 12:00 PM MST: Sunday Morning Session (live link)

2:00 PM – 4:00PM MST: Sunday Afternoon Session (live link)

“It is contrary to the design of heaven for the Lord to reaveal to us individually what he has already revealed collectively.” -?

“True success in life comes from true consecration of one’s life to the purposes of the Lord” Elder D. Todd Christofferson

The two quotes above really stuck out to me during this session. I do not remember the name of the Elder whom I reference in the first quote, but I will update the post once it is published one the Church website.

Overall, it was a very enjoyable session! Though the beginning of the session had some audio issues (which caused a pethora of my friends to text and call me pleading for a resolution. lol), I am grateful that it was promptly fixed.

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland gave a heartfelt testimony to the members of the Church:

“We sustain you. That we return to you those same heartfelt prayers and that same expression of Love.
We all know there are special keys, covenants and responsibilities given to the presiding officers of the church. But we also know that the Church draws incomparable strength; a truly unique vitality from the faith and devotion of every member of this church.
Whoever you may be. In whatever country you live, however young or inadequate you feel or however aged or limited you see yourself as being. I testify that you are individually Loved of God, you are central to the meaning of his work -and you are cherished and prayed for by the presiding officers of his church.”

Often times, I feel that I lose sight of the fact that everyone plays an essential part in the plan of God. It is easy to forget that without the young girl at the grocery store, the man on the telephone trying to sell me the latest and greatest in home cleaning and the woman walking down the street with her pack of faithful children close behind –without each of these, the purposes of God would be bankrupt and void.

One life does matter.

I feel a sense of inspiration rising within myself to spread a helping hand out beyond my area of comfort. You see, my Mother has been struggling with her ailing health over the past several years. Father, Brother and I have dedicated ourselves to seeing to her care; feeding, cleaning, bathing and most importantly –talking with her. Our neighbors, friends and family have shown such Love and concern that I can hardly relate the great relief that we have felt as a family.

Such expressions of Christ-like Love have inspired me. They have inspired me to look not only within my own home; but to look to those very same neighbors that have helped to uplift and inspire my family. I hope to remember these feelings when times get tough. I hope to look out to others with a hand of concern and aide just the same as they have for me.

So many of the talks given during this session “hit home” to me. I am excited to read over the talks given during this session once they are available online .

But alas, the best, as they say, is yet to come!

The General Sessions will be available online at new.lds.org, radio.lds.org and various television and radio stations wordwide.
Saturday Afternoon session today: 2:00 PM MST (online, tv and radio)
Priesthood session today will be at 6:00PM MST at your local LDS church.
Music and the Spoken Word: Sunday at 9:00AM MST (radio.lds.org and radio)
Sunday Morning Session: 10:00AM MST (online, tv and radio)
Sunday Evening Session: 2:00PM MST (online, tv and radio)

Well, it sure has been awhile since I have updated the site. While my other blogs have been flourishing, I have let this one diminish away.. though I guess that is because I haven’t been doing anything much more with this site. lol.

Life has been good to me though. My family, though we have our struggles, is closer than we have been in a long time. I have a job (though I rarely get to work), and I have most excellent friends. I am grateful to God for the beautiful things in life; especially the springtime!

Yes, there are perhaps a few things I would change if I could, but let’s be honest.. who wouldn’t? lol  I would earn a million dollars this year, spend more time shooting with my friends and solve world hunger. But alas, I get to be reasonable! So my goals for the next few months? Get another job that I am able and wanting to work more at, get back to school and spend more time with my family.

Sounds pretty cheesy, huh?

Okay, so I am not one to promote Mitt Romney’s politics. Hiis “health care system” in Mass. has gone about as well and the Hindenburg’s flight. He is, however, one heck of a businessman. When it comes to fiscal accountability, I feel that our country needs a good, solid, honest businessman. So I have posted below a portion of Mr. Romney’s ten point plan to “fix” the U.S. economic situation. I have some comments at the end of the quote.

The full link can be found at his website:
http://www.freestrongamerica.com/oped/item/mrpresident_heres_how_to_lift_our_economy

or at his blog on USA Today:
http://blogs.usatoday.com/oped/2009/12/column-mr-president-heres-how-to-lift-our-economy.html

“[Mitt Romney's] 10-point plan

The president’s economists insist that technically, the recession is over. But double-digit unemployment was neither prevented nor has it ended. To get people back to work as rapidly as possible and to restore America’s economic vitality, the nation must change course. Here’s the advice I would give:

• Repair the stimulus. Freeze the funds that haven’t yet been spent and redirect them to immediate, private sector job-creation priorities.

• Create tax incentives that promote business expansion and hiring. For example, install a robust investment tax credit, permit businesses to expense capital purchases made in 2010, and reduce payroll taxes. These will reignite construction, technology and a wide array of capital goods industries, and lead to expanded employment.

• Prove to the global investors that finance America’s debt that we are serious about reining in spending and becoming fiscally prudent by adopting limits on non-military discretionary spending and reforming our unsustainable, unfunded entitlements. These are key to strengthening the dollar, reducing the threat of rampant inflation and holding down interest rates.

• Close down any talk of carbon cap-and-trade. It will burden consumers and employers with billions in new costs. Instead, greatly expand our commitment to natural gas and nuclear, boosting jobs now and reducing the export of energy jobs and dollars later.

• [ This is the only one that I disagree with whole-heartedly ] Tell the unions that job-stifling “card check” legislation is off the table. Laying new burdens on small business will kill entrepreneurship and job creation.

• Don’t allow a massive tax increase to go into effect in 2011 with the expiration of the 2001 and 2003 tax cuts. The specter of more tax-fueled government spending and the reduction of capital available for small business will hinder investment and business expansion.

• New spending should be strictly limited to items that are critically needed and that we would have acquired in the future, such as new military equipment to support our troops abroad and essential infrastructure at home.

• Install dynamic regulations for the financial sector — rules that are up to date, efficient and not excessively burdensome. But do not so tie up the financial sector with red tape that we lose a vital component of our economic system.

• Open the doors to trade. Give important friends like Colombia favored trade status rather than bow to protectionist demands. Now is the time for aggressive pursuit of opportunities for new markets for American goods, not insular retrenchment.

• Stop frightening the private sector by continuing to hold GM stock, by imposing tighter and tighter controls on compensation, and by pursuing a public insurance plan to compete with private insurers. Government encroachment on free enterprise is depressing investment and job creation.

The 10% unemployment crisis hangs like an albatross around President Obama’s neck. Eventually, as with every recession and recovery, the economy will improve and jobs will be created, but those who were unnecessarily unemployed due to the president’s faulty economic program will not forget. In order to most rapidly re-employ all Americans and to speed a strong recovery, the president must change course. If he does not, Republicans will bring a change of their own to Washington in the 2010 elections.”

In response to Mr. Romney’s statement of Republican’s bringing “a change of their own to Washington”, I just want to point you back to my previous blog. I don’t care who is in office: Republican, Democrat, Libertarian, Green, Catholic, Mormon, Atheist, Married, Single, Jew, Heterosexual, Homosexual, Communist, Socialist, Doctorate Professor or High-School Dropout. I don’t care. Those are just titles and history shows us that a title is nothing more than a mask to wear during an election.

We do need change. Unfortunately, President Obama and the Congress are doing what was promised by the Obama presidential campaign and much, much more. I am sad to say that I am not getting the “Change” that I voted for. Let us pray together. With that sense of prayer in our hearts, let us write to our elected officials and share our dissatisfaction with the way things are going.

In regards to health care, I just want to point out that France and Japan still spend roughly half of what we do and they insure every citizen with equal or better benefits than the U.S. federally funded insurances do. They also have higher overall approval ratings for the health care provided than many U.S. private sector insurance companies. Are their systems perfect? Absolutely not. But we could most certainly learn a thing or two from their systems

We are responsible for not only ourselves, but for each and every one of our Brothers and Sisters around us! That is how God has always intended it. So let us write those prayerful letters to the decision-makers in our Government!

It is time for change; It is time for the GOD CHANGE!

I was recently asked what I thought about Scott Brown defeating Martha Coakley. Quite honestly, I don’t care. What I care about is what the people in office do with their time there — regardless of what their political affiliations are.

I believe that just about every member of our Congress, the Executive office and the Supreme Court, as well as the local governments for our states, counties and cities have let us down.

They are putting their own motives (which has been is “die Democrats” or “die Republicans” for far too long) ahead of people getting the quality health care they deserve. It sickens me that they are so busy trying to make the opposite party look to be “wrong” that they don’t take the time to sit down together and make something work.

People are dying from cancer, suffering from Alzheimer’s and children are still dying from SIDS. Kids are unable to get cavities fixed because their parents cannot afford healthcare through their employers or get it through the government; and they cannot afford the prices charged by dentists. People are STARVING for Heaven’s sake!

Honestly, I don’t care who is in office. I really don’t. I just want them to do something– anything to help those who currently cannot help themselves.

Yes, some people will abuse the system. But quite honestly, I don’t give a damn. Let them do it. If that means that we can prevent premature death and enliven a real quality of life through healthcare and preventative medicine, let’s do it! If a some people “sponging” means that the mother of five can take her kids to the doctor when they are sick, and she can get herself a mammogram once a year, then that is ABSOLUTELY FANTASTIC!

Our society has become too obsessed with “me! me! me!” to even see the suffering that is right in front of them. 1 in 8 children in America is suffering from malnutrition of some kind! How can we let this happen?? The entire nation of Haiti is in unrest because of the recent events. And we are bickering about political offices .. It makes me sick.

Perhaps the Mormon Law of Consecration should be nationalized so that us self-proclaimed “Christians” can see exactly how badly other people need our help; and how often we can actually help them.

If you care for yourself, your family and your neighbor, please write to your Senators and House Reps. Tell them to WORK TOGETHER to come up with a viable, long-lasting and cost-effective plan to ensure that every person gets taken care of. Not just the people in your family or on your street or in your city. But across the cities and states of this great nation; reaching down into the slums and ghettos, and out to the “hickvilles” and metropoleis, and across the world. If one of us fails, we all do.

It is all of us, or none.

The past several days I have heard several conversations both at work and at local stores regarding “proper” association between people. A man said that he has not told his mother that he Loves her since he was a child because it just isn’t right for a man to show that kind of weakness. Two friends said that it isn’t appropriate to use the word “love” to define them simply because they share the same gender. People have said that they shouldn’t “have” to shoulder the burden of caring for people that they don’t even know. A woman at work said that it is inappropriate to talk about religion of any kind, because someone may be offended.

They are wrong.

I Love my mommy, daddy and big brother. And I am not ashamed to say it! They are my strength, and they give me hope when there appears to be none. With just as much ardor, I Love my friends and their families.

My mother is the strongest woman alive; she has experienced more than her fair share of trials and beat them all. I admire her Love, courage and faith in God. If I could emulate even one iota of my Mother’s Love and desire to keep her family happy and together, then I will be a successful man indeed. I Love You, Mommy.

My father is the greatest example of loyalty, love and protection. He has always ensured that our family is cared for and, even though it wasn’t always convenient, has made sure to spend time with us each and every day. He works hard, even when his body hurts and his mind is weighed down with the worries of life. I admire his example and hope to someday be even just half the man that he is. I Love You, Daddy.

My brother is my closest and most trusted friend. I know that God gave him to me so that I can seek his counsel and be guided by someone that has experienced many paths. He is not perfect, but neither am I. And through our many failures in life we stand together as brothers; which is the greatest bond of all. I Love You, Brother

My brother’s kids are some of the most awesome and intelligent kids I know! The two oldest boys are growing into good, honest young men. The youngest nephew is quite the flirt with the ladies (it seems that every girl he has met is his “sweetheart”), shows great concern and Love for his family, and kicks my butt at video games. They all are fantastic kids, and their parents are good, hard-working people.  I look forward to seeing them grow into their potential as leaders and men of God. I Love each of you boys. Keep up the good work!

Recently, my good friend (he is a brother to me) and his wife had a beautiful baby boy! To them, our parents (the new grandparents), our beautiful little sisters (the new aunts!) and the whole family I say, “CONGRATULATIONS!” They are some of the most loving and well-humored people that I know. I Love you all for your help and influence in my life; every day and in both the difficult and easy situations. I Love each of you, Brother, Sisters, Mom and Dad.

If a man does not have his family and friends, then he must stand with God; and glory be to that man for having the strength to stand by the side of God. But when he does have family and friends, and they all stand with God, nothing can keep them from living full, happy and successful lives; and nothing can stop the work of God from progressing!

I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints by CHOICE. I am not forced. I Love my God, and I love all that seek Him and His glory. With that in mind, I love all of my friends, and I thank them for the influencial and amazing roles that they have played in my life; the Christians, the LDS, the Jews, the Muslims, the Buddhists, the Atheists, the Hindu’s, the Agnostics, the Anti’s, the Wiccans; the educated, the wise, the un-educated and the “otherwise”; I have learned from each of you. For that, I Love you, brothers, sisters and friends.

If there is anyone that I have omitted, it is not intentional and I beg your forgiveness. My Love goes out to you as well. I am a Child of God; we all are Children of God. I Love you all as my brothers and my sisters; as my friends and family. Every person is special, every person is unique. We all have talents to share, Love to give, joys to embrace, pains to endure and struggles to overcome. Let us share with eachother our good times, and those we would perceive to be bad times. With that in mind, I hope and pray that we will realize that there are people out there that are really suffering –truly suffering. People are starving both physically and spiritually. They are insecure, both emotionally and financially. Recent events in Haiti have once again brought to our attention how important it is to care for one another.

The past few days I have felt rather frustrated with the selfishness I have seen in myself and in those around me. For the most part, those of us in the United States (and other “developed countires) are so blessed to have our homes, access to seemingly unlimited paths of knowledge and wealth, clean water, sanitary living conditions and reasonably accessible health-care. Yet there are those that drink mud because they have no systems to filter their water. They die of smallpox and polio while the vaccine lies perhaps only a few hundred miles away. Even in my own area, I have heard people say that they should not be responsible for the care of another person’s health.

Well, my friends, I have to say that enough is enough. God has blessed us with such potential! A mother of four with a severely disabled child; Should she be told that she cannot work a part-time job because if she does, she will lose all of the health benefits that her disabled child needs and deserves; not to mention that she will not be able to provide for her other three children.  A family of four working hard to pay their mortgage after their Father lost his job; should we just let them fall by the wayside because of hard economic times? The child born into a family that cleans homes for a living; should they receive any less of an education than the rich because they make less money, but have worked twice as hard for their dollar?

No way!

Friends, it is our time to wake up and hear the call! We are meant to care for each other, to uplift each other, to love, assist, bless and feed each other. I Love each of you; each and every one. God has been impressing on my mind how important it is that we take more concern for our own families, for our own friends and for our own communities; rather than expecting someone else, from somewhere else to do it for us. When we have done that, then we are to reach out beyond our local boundaries and assist those that for whatever reason cannot assist themselves.

How much joy is possible? How much healing is possible? How much happiness, friendship and blessings are we able to receive? There is no limit! As we seek out and LOVE each other, UPLIFT each other, HELP each other and BLESS each other by constant prayer for and with each other, we will see the glory of God, and He will take care of the rest.

Let us Love, Uplift, Help and Bless. For if one of us is failed, we all have failed. It is, indeed, all of us, or none.

So many times during the past few years I have realized the greatness of mistakes I have made. All too often I have let my temper get the best of me; saying things that in a settled situation would otherwise have never come up. While at other times, I let my emotions drive me past any sense of abnegation in regards to selfish, carnal desires.

While I cannot in honesty say that I am free of these restraints now, I am able to acknowledge great improvement in those areas which I previously lacked admirable success. Regardless of this limited batch of success, I have been drawn to wonder how I can “atone” for those failures. The “standard Sunday School answer” is to acknowledge you have done wrong, stop doing it, and ask for forgiveness both from God and the person wronged. It sounds so simple, yet I find it more difficult when the person I wronged seems to deny forgiveness. Of course, the sin then does not lie with me, but that doesn’t necessarily make it easier to bear.

The reason this has been on my mind so heavily lately is, well, I guess that I am not quite sure. God has brought many memories and situations back to my mind to teach me to be the man he would have me be. I know that much for sure. Yet it feels as though something more is to be learned from these situations in the past that I hurt others, and in so doing hurt myself.

I will ponder this. I really look forward to spending some “me and God time” this week to figure some things out ..

It really is wonderful to feel the Lord’s hand guiding my spiritual and emotional maturing.. So very, very wonderful. All the while, I look forward, rather excitedly, to that sweeping, inspiring sense of the Healing Power of Forgiveness.

Alma chapter 5, verses 12-14 reads,
“And according to his faith there was a mighty change in his heart…
And behold, he preached unto your fathers, and a mighty change was wrought in their hearts, and they humbled themselves and put their
trust in the living God. And behold, they were faithful until the end, and
they were saved. And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren, have ye
spiritually been born of God? Have ye received his image in your
countenances? Have ye experience this mighty change in your hearts?”

Today, the Lord has caused me to reflect on the significance of Easter Sunday.

The hymn “I Know That My Redeemer Lives” comes to mind as a great Testament of Him.
(v1)
I know that my Redeemer lives. What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives who once was dead. He lives, my ever living head.

He lives to bless me with His Love. He lives to plead for me above.
He lives, my hungry soul to feed. He lives to bless in time of need.

(v3) He lives, my kind, wise heav’nly friend. He lives and loves me to the end.
He lives, and while He lives I’ll sing; He lives, my Prophet, Priest and King.
He lives and grants me daily breath. He lives and I shall conquer death.
He lives, my mansion to prepare. He lives to bring me safely there.

(v4)
He lives! All glory to his name! He lives my Savior still the same.
Oh sweet the joy this sentence gives:
“I know that my Redeemer lives!” He lives! All glory to His name!
He lives, my Savior still the same. Oh, sweet the joy this sentence gives: “I know that my Redeemer lives!”

How wonderful these words of Truth are!! I have known times in my life when, as a direct result of my own actions, I have felt the utter hell of an empty soul. Yet I have also known times of most exquisite Happiness.

The path of travel between the two has been simple; It has been a choice.
When I have followed my own designs, desires and dictates I often found myself in a place of darkness; withering without the Light of Christ. The time to travel there was not immediate. Rather, it was line upon line, precept upon precept. Each choice I made led me further down the path of bitterness.

Upon realization of my dark surroundings and the dimming of my Personal Light, I have turned back to God. That Turning does not change my actions or thoughts right away. But it does change the type of Power surrounding me. When I have prayed to the Lord for help, He has allowed for His Light to surround me. Each choice that I made – line upon line, precept built upon precept – led me closer to Him and the Fullness of His Light.

But how can a God teach His people, help them, comfort and grow them without of Himself knowing their pain, temptations and struggles; their Happiness’, Joys and Loves? For a carpenter to show another how to build a table, he must first know how to build a table himself.

The most integral part of The Lord’s Plan of Happiness comes in to parts:

First, The Birth and Life of the Lamb of God.
Christ Lived a Perfect Life. His Life was perfect not because there weren’t any troubles; He was tempted more than any man or woman ever has been or ever will be. He was persecuted and Hated for fulfilling His role as Son of God. His closest friends denied and betrayed Him. But His Life was perfect because of his Choices. He led the Perfect Example for men to emulate.

The second
portion of the Plan of Happiness was the Death and Rising of the Lamb of God.

Christ, while in Gethsemane, felt every pain, hunger, ache, illness and consequence of sin for every person that has, does and ever will live on earth (and all planets created by God as well.)
He was left alone; even his closest friends on Earth slept while He endured the first part of the Atonement in Gethsemane. One of His disciples betrayed Him for a handful of silver. While on the cross, nails were driven into His hands and feet; a torture left for the most heinous of criminals.

After enduring the price of Justice for the Sin of all mankind, Christ said to the father, “into thy hands I commend my spirit… And He gave up the ghost.”

So many pastors of religion today mis-understand why Christ, of necessity, had to suffer and die as He did.

According to the Laws of God, Justice must be met in full. The moment any individual makes choices contrary to those Laws, they have distanced themselves from the presence of God. Unless an Atonement be made, nobody would see the face of God again.

It could be argued that men and women could Atone for their sins on their own; respectively suffering for their own deeds and directions. That is not, nor has it ever been the Plan of God.

Christ made the ultimate sacrifice; he gave up his will for the will of the Father. In that, He made an Infinite Atonement–Saving men from the pains of hell.

Dying, however, was only a portion of the Atonement. The real miracle came three days later when Christ rose from the dead. Such a supernal moment brings tears to the eye of Christians world-wide. When Christ broke the chains of hell and sin; men cried at his death. Yet, when he rose; Triumphant, Beautiful and Pure, men rejoice! For Christ has broken the bands of not only hell and sin, but of Death!

Because of Christ’s sacrifice, all may Life forever with Him and the Father! What greater joy can be found?

Another thought from church today ..

Today in church Brother Huff spoke of a friend of his that several years prior had, of necessity, been ex-communicated from the Church. The man’s church leaders expressed their great Love for this man; exhorting him to Repent and come back unto Christ’s fold. Brother Huff moved and lost touch with the man. Several years later, at a mutual friend’s wedding, this same man approached Brother Huff, asking if he remembered him. Admittedly, he did not. The man told him that he was the one that had been ex-communicated so many years prior. He then shared with Brother Huff the great Power of Christ’s Atonement to heal and cleanse a man. He had fully repented and returned to membership in the Lord’s flock.

I yearn for that great feeling this man must have had at many points in his life; triumph over evil, sin, addiction and hell. I look to the day that my God will look at me and say “Well done, thou good and faithful servant. Well done.”

May God uplift us all so that we all may remain true to the lyrics of a great song …

“Brothers and Sisters, united for a cause! My soul’s been lifted because our paths have crossed. And I’ve gained strength from you! Oh, my heart has been renewed! And I pray that not one of us will be lost … because I want to see you there! Yes! Each and every one!”

All of my life I have known certain Truths; God is Love, man came to earth to prove worthiness to the Covenants of God, Good is Good, Bad is Bad, etc. For me, specifically, I have known specific purposes (I dare say “callings) for my Life. They are not complex, nor in the eyes of man esteemed to be worthy of seeking. Perhaps that is why they are so important to me; they cannot be sought, but only attained through various Covenants, Commitments and Commandments of God. They are, to me, the “most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet … yea pure above all that is pure“.

Yet each time I come close to finding that path, a choice made in a moment of folly causes a devation –and even moreso, a separation– from that path. What is it about Life and it’s many Journey’s that causes a man to willingly depart from that which he knows to be True and Purposeful? I know the Purpose, I know the Cause. Yet the alteration of my Dedication seems so easy when a moment comes swiftly, without time to “prepare [my mind]“. Indeed, “When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation is past”. (see: Our Sacred Priesthood Trust)

As I have pondered my actions, my childhood and the Truths I have been taught by those dear and near to me, certain Truths have been called up to my memory. It is a few of these that I would like to share.

First; “This is my work and my glory– to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man”

What is God, if not Love? I have heard among many of my friends, associates and those I have had but a moment with that God is a hateful and vengeful being. What sort of God would allow such atrocities as the bombings in Cairo, the USS Cole, September 11th, 2001 and the Rwandan Genocide of ’94? What Almighty and Omnipotent God would allow a woman to be beaten, raped and murdered, with her five-month-old daughter lay at home with her alcoholic, abusive, babysitter-father? What God, in His Infinite Love would sit back while a loving mother and father find themselves unable to feed, clothe and house their children, being forced onto the streets to plead with others for the staple necessary to survive?

I, too, have echoed these concerns. Yet as I have studied and learned exactly what we are meant to do here during our time on earth; I have found that not only are many of these seemingly terrible situations necessary to grow us into the Gods we are to Become, but I believe that we chose many (if not all) of our experiences on Earth during the Counsel in Heaven. We know that God knew us before we were born on earth. That is evident in Jeremiah 1:5. Logically, we must have known Him as well. We knew and understood His plan when it was presented to us. We shouted together when we learned that we would come to earth to gain a physical body so that we might be like Him.

We knew then that our Life on Earth would not be simple; it would not be easy. In fact, we were presented, with great detail, the course of our Lives on Earth. We were taught what we would endure, and still we shouted for joy! Knowing the great benefit we would obtain, if only we continued to remain Worthy of the Covenants we made then, would make on Earth and in the Eternities. We knew then as many of us know now, we are to Become “the god[s] and goddess[es...we] inherently are.” What greater promise is there, than to be a god, unto the Most High God! Our families will continue forever, into the Eternities, without end.
With such a great reward in mind, is not the path worthy of the walk? Regardless of the stones, crevices and steps along the way.

Second, Temples are necessary for the Salvation and Eternal Life of Man.

During the past few months, I have found that my Faith has wavered when it comes to Temples. Of course I can SEE the physical building of the temple. Atop the entrance of every Temple there is the phrase “Holiness to the Lord; the House of the Lord.” They are beautiful, magnificent buildings. They add splendor and elegance to any area they are build in. The Church makes sure this is so for two reasons. One, to please the surrounding neighbors, and two (and more importantly), to show our reverence and Love for God.

The true Beauty and Purpose of the Temple is not found in the beauty of its walls, grounds and trees, but rather in the Covenants and Ordinances made and observed therein. These Covenants and Ordinances are a strength in this Life. One may seek answers to heart-felt questions, direction in Life, Revelation for oneself on how to best help a Loved one and simple Peace, to just name a few. Indeed, we know that the Temples are a place of worship. I know that to be true.
I know that in order for any man, woman or child to attain the Glory which is that of Life Eternal, we must be Sealed together as Eternal Families. A man and woman must receive a special blessing called an Endowment. Therein one will commit at a greater level than at Baptism to follow Christ, the Lord and to Life, Preach and Teach His Gospel. The Covenants made are to bring us one step closer to that Eternity with God the Father and His Son, Jesus Christ.
The beauty of this blessing is that it is not a “given” like a body and a Life on Earth is. We must Prepare ourselves Spiritually, Emotionally and Mentally to enter the House of God. It is not easy. The requirements are strict, firm and unchanging. There is no way to justify yourself into this Sacred House. Doing so would be damnable. The questions one must answer to enter are simple and to the point. They cover, in limited detail, the phrase “do unto others as you would have others do unto you.”

I recall a profound point made in the movie “Bucket List“. Carter Chambers (played by Morgan Freeman), a family-man mechanic and Edward Cole (played by Jack Nicholson), a wordly billionaire come together in the cancer ward of a hospital Edward owns, both diagnosed with terminal cancer. They make a list of things they want to do before they “kick the bucket”. (i.e., “kiss the most beautiful girl in the world, see something truly majestic, etc). While they sat atop one of the crumbling pyramids in Egypt, Carter told Edward what the Egyptians believed was necessary to enter Heaven. They would be asked two questions and, depending on their answers, would either be accepted into Heaven or would not. The first question, he said, was “Did you find Joy in your life?” The second question, a bit more complex, was “Did your life bring Joy to others?”

I believe that these two questions encompass all that the Temples and the Gospel of Jesus Christ stand for. Within those sacred walls we learn the path to True Happiness and Joy in our own Lives. Following that direction will, I believe, automatically cause one to bring Joy to others.
Such Joy, and Obedience unto the Laws and Ordinances necessary to achieve it will, through the Goodness of God, allow for men and women to reach their full potential as Gods and Goddesses. Such a Happiness and Eternity with God and our Loved Ones deserves great Commitment, as required to enter and maintain entrance to the Temple.

The Third Truth, ironically enough, is the Third Law of Motion/Gravity. Sir Isaac Newton stated that “..for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction.” Though the context in which he stated that was, of course, in reference to the force of one object coming into contact with another, and how the second object would react. I believe that his statement very much applies to the choices I make and the consequence required by the Laws of God.

For example, prior to the birth of Christ, men practiced the Law of Moses. This Law required physical obedience to the Laws of God. Also for specific sins there were specific punishments/repentance was required. If a man killed another by accident (i.e. Man A and Man B have a disagreement over rights to certain crops and man B is killed after the disagreement becomes physical), man A’s punishment was death. His only escape from that punishment was to run to the closest templed-city, and remain within those walls for seven years. Until he reached the security of those walls, the family of the deceased could still seek out his punishment of death. I feel that relates most wonderfully to the Law of Christ, which is a Higher Law, requiring physical and mental cleanliness before God.

Today, with the Higher Law, there is only one “escape” from Spiritual Death (that is the result of sin gone unrepented). That “escape” is Repentance and acceptance of Jesus Christ into one’s Life through the Atonement.

Strictly speaking, the term “sin” refers to any action (voluntary or not) that causes a separation from oneself and the Light of Christ. It can be anything from telling a little white lie and stealing a piece of candy from the grocery store, to raping and murdering a person (and everything in between). Any of these actions automatically causes a distance between us and God. According to Justice, “no unclean thing can inherit the kingdom of God“.

In order to reconcile oneself from sin, there is the Atonement of Christ. During this sacred and eternally encompassing Ordinance, Christ felt the result of every sin of and for everyone; every pain, guilt, illness, regret, sadness and heartache. He felt every ounce for every person so much that it caused his body to bleed from every pore. He suffered this twice; the first time in the Garden of Gethsemane, with aid from Heavenly Father and, the second time on the Cross at Golgotha — alone and without divine support.

There are times in our lives that we have sinned to such a point that God cannot influence us unless we directly seek him out. That is why, while on the cross, Christ felt the Father leave Him and He cried, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?” Christ needed to know and understand the feelings that men have when their choices have caused a complete absence of God in their lives; so he would know exactly how to help in the very moment they “cry unto Him for mercy“.

I have experienced such moments in my Life. I know the pain, the anguish and the suffering that comes from decisions that drive the Spirit of God away with a 9 iron. But I also know the great Power that comes from relying on the Lord, Jesus Christ to help, for support. He knows and understands our every weakness, our every concern, care and pain. He knows MY every weakness, concern, care and pain. So he knows exactly what to do at exactly the right moment to ease my pain and make it so I will grow and fill the mold He has for me in my Life.

Below is a link to an AMAZING video depicting Life and Christ’s role with each of us. Set to the song “Everything” by Lifehouse!

These things and so much more have been racing through my head the last few weeks, especially today. I hope to share more soon, when I gather more thoughts and feelings. Until then, God Be With You Till We Meet Again!