Every Day Follower of Jesus Christ

Pausing and thinking of Walt Disney and the labors of his life to create a magical place where worries could be left outside the gate, reminded me of how God inspires each of us to pursue that which is good.  Walt pursued that which was wholesome and good

We are eternal beings. We lived as intelligent spirits before this mortal life. We are now living part of eternity. Our mortal birth was not the beginning; death, which faces all of us, is not the end.

Happy memories flood my mind as I remember these men and women who sacrificed for me and shaped my character.  We all believed that families were a forever unit and the bonds we created on earth continued in the next life, when we would return home to our Heavenly parents and Savior Jesus Christ.

The look should never cause you to become cynical. “Cynicism is an intellectual cop-out, a crutch for a withered soul, a thin excuse for inaction and retreating commitment. Do not become cynical about government or education or civic affairs or relationships or religion or the human race or the time in which you live.” - Jeffrey R. Holland

Because of creation and the wonders we experience on this earth, an early morning walk, a hike in the mountains, a plane ride across the expanse of an ocean,  sunrise, sunset,  a field of wild flowers, all around us is the goodness of creation.

Today is a good day to take stock of where we are on the path of discipleship.  Do we have spiritual momentum?  Have we cast Satan out of our lives?  Do we let God prevail in our lives?

Self-pity was a daily companion that drained my strength, darkened my attitude, and left me in a void of despair. "Nothing dissipates our strength faster or more quickly drives away those who would truly wish to help us than self-pity.”

“I will never consider defeat and I will remove from my vocabulary such words and phrases as quit, cannot, unable, impossible, out of the question, improbable, failure, unworkable, hopeless, and retreat; for they are the words of fools. I will avoid despair but if this disease of the mind should infect me then I will work on in despair."

This mortal journey  isn’t just about focusing on your own life. No, this path inevitably leads you to become a blessing in the lives of God’s other children.  It leads us to echo the words of a child on a series saying, “I am blessed because of you.”

There have been times that I have not acted as I would if I could see the Savior next to me, I know that even when we make mistakes and choose to do the wrong thing, Jesus stays near us and watches over us anyway, waiting for us to reach out and hold His hand again. Because He loves us so dearly, we are always in His watchful care, even when we don’t know it, and someday we will all look back and...

The basic truths are always the same, but the emphasis needed will be made by the living prophets under inspiration from the living God. 

We may be rowing upstream against class 5 rapids in our world today, but we must teach our children that sin is sin. As you recall situational ethics or the new aspirational ethics would negate that right is right, wrong is wrong. We must teach our children every day that sin is sin and repentance is available. This is what builds their integrity.

This discussion reminds me of Thoreau’s admonition in  Walden?     He told us if we have built castles in the air our work need not be lost, for that is where they should be.  The he urged us to put foundations under them.

We cannot know when our privilege to extend a helping hand will unfold before us. The road to Jericho, where the good Samaritan found himself and where each of us travels, bears no name, and the weary traveler who needs our help is often unknown to us.

George Q Cannon, an early apostle of Jesus Christ in the fullness of times, asked. "Do angels take the Lord's name in vain? The idea is so ridiculous that we scarcely like to ask the question…How dare we do that which angels dare not do? Is it possible for us to argue that that which is forbidden in heaven is praiseworthy on earth?"

What are you that God is mindful of you?  That God counts the hairs on your head?  That God magnifies you?  and sets His heart on you?  Finally, what are you that God weeps over you?

There are four very simple steps that must be implemented to stop the flood of youth loss of purpose and value to others.  Today’s complexities whether perceived or real require greater simplicity.  He who forged the path for you and I leads and communicates in simplicity.  Keep the Commandments.  Come, Follow Me.  Lay your burdens at my feet.  God is for you.  Y...

Awakening this morning there thoughts occupied my mind: (a) Doubt your doubts not your faith. - Deiter F. Uchtdorf (b) the worth of souls, including my own are great in the sight of the Lord. (c) Avoid getting caught in the trap. Oh how subtly Satan works to ensure us and will use innocents to further his work, unknowingly. It always helps to spend a few minutes in the scriptures and words of the...

Cooperation is necessary in order for faith to develop. Faith is a living thing that grows and develops. It can die if we are not mindful. If we are unable to act upon faith, it dies. When we look upon others with distrust then failure is the expected outcome before the spirit of cooperation can be tested.

Without the ability to connect at the soul level any progression is fleeting and unfulfilling. It begs the question, what is holding me back? Followed by holding me back from what? The what is your infinite potential, the purpose for which you are on this earth that only you can accomplish.

Sir, we are not weak, if we make a proper use of the means which the God of nature hath placed in our power. Three millions of people, armed in the holy cause of liberty, and in such a country as that which we possess, are invincible by any force which our enemy can send against us. Besides, sir, we shall not fight our battles alone. There is a just God who presides over the destinies of nations;...

In celebrating the 246th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, certain divine facts stand out above all others—that God rules in the affairs of man and nations; that righteousness produces great nations and sin destroys them; that virtue exalts a nation, while sin is a reproach to any people; that in guiding the destiny of nations the Lord has given to man his free agency—the right to ch...

You must read the Declaration of Independence to feel its inspiration. You merely need to study history to recognize that a group of fledgling colonies defeating the world’s most powerful nation stemmed from a force greater than man.

Our Constitution, unlike the Declaration of Independence has a spirit that is undeclared, unspoken; the spirit of our Constitution would be revealed through the actions of the American pioneers, entrepreneurs, spiritual leaders, and citizens, through processes and through events that would express the unfolding demands of a shifting world and history.

We will immerse ourselves today in the Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ, to learn more about how the enemy amongst us operates.