A friend of mine on facebook shared a post about Chick-fil-A and asked how a group of people could hate another group (when did the definition of "hate" change, by the way?). Someone responded with "Leviticus 18:22."
Not the best response, I agree. Because it didn't speak to the concern of the post (about "hating" a group of people).
So someone else responded "if you believe in Leviticus 18:22...do you also believe in Leviticus 20:13?"
It's a legitimate question. How does someone who believes in the Bible respond?
An understanding of the law of Moses is a good start...but it's not enough. A belief in the Holy Bible alone is also insufficient. A belief that God no longer speaks to man places a well-intentioned Christian in a difficult position when trying to argue the relevance of biblical values in today's world. Why would a loving Father in Heaven, who is the same yesterday, today and forever, speak to one group of people in one part of the world for thousands of years...and then go silent?
If you had/have children, would you be an active part of their lives until the age of 15 and then simply abandon them? Never to visit them or interact with them again until they were 72?
I testify that God lives; that Christ was literally resurrected on the third day and is alive today. And that His Gospel is still actively practiced in His Restored and Living Church.
He speaks to men and women today just as he did for thousands of years. He speaks to His children as a whole through a living prophet - Thomas S. Monson. And He speaks to us individually as we seek Him through scripture study, prayer, and meditation.
Why do I believe the principle taught in Leviticus 18:22 but no longer abide by the law given in Leviticus 20:13? Because of living revelation. The Doctrine of Christ is eternal and the same yesterday, today, and forever. But the world we live in today is very different than the world that existed 4,000 years ago. It's different than the world that existed 500 years ago. It's different that the world that existed 12 years ago.
The philosophies of man have no foundation absent the inspiration of the Spirit. Living revelation through prophets, scriptures, prayer, and meditation have kept me spiritually safe during my 34 years on this earth and have provided guidance and direction in a world that argues there is no evil and there is no God.
Confusion, inequality, and judgment abounds in the world we live in today. The glory of God is intelligence, or, in other words, light and truth. Light and truth forsake that evil one. (Doctrine & Covenants 93:36-37)
Those who seek truth will find God. Those who find God will be filled with love. For God is love. (1 John 4:8) And all of the serious issues of our day could be handled better...
Friday, August 3, 2012
Sunday, June 3, 2012
I talked to Jesús
I recently had a conversation with Jesús. And he's from Guatemala.
Several weeks ago, I was sitting in a room at work preparing for a meeting when I unconsciously twisted my wedding ring around my finger with my other hand...only to feel no wedding ring. I gasped and a couple of my co-workers immediately dropped to the floor searching for my ring. It was no where to be found. I retraced my day in my mind and felt certain that I had lost my ring in a particular bathroom after washing my hands.
Although I've plateaued for some time now, I lost 45 pounds over the past year. (I have 20 more to go and am having trouble losing it...so I'm open to any suggestions.) With that weight loss also came a shrinking of my fingers. And recently, I had noticed while drying my hands with a paper towel, I would pull the ring right off. Once I had caught it after I had thrown it into the trash. It seems that this time, I had not even noticed.
So I rushed down to the bathroom and began searching through the trash. I know...gross. But this was my wedding ring. While rummaging through the trash, someone mentioned to me that the janitor crew had emptied the trash several hours ago. So I called our administrative services to confirm when trash is emptied. I had been in the bathroom around 12:30. The trash was removed at 1PM.
I was given Andy's information as a contact for the trash collection. I called him and he laughed when I told him what I thought had happened. Andy said there's no way I'd find it. I told him I had to at least try and he met me 5 minutes later. Below the complex where I work, I jumped on his cart and we drove through some tunnels to find the group of janitors so he could specifically identify where the trash from that bathroom might be. There were nine buildings and who really tracks if trash from building x goes to trash room y?!? Fortunately, the janitor who emptied that particular bathroom knew where he put it.
The trash room of building J.
So Andy drove me over to that area, opened the trash room door, explained what kind of bags I could eliminate and which ones I should focus on. He handed me some rubber gloves and said good luck.
Good luck. This was a trash room that collected all the garbage from 3 buildings, each 4 stories high with a basement. There were a lot of trash bags. But I was determined to search each one. After all, this was my wedding ring.
The smells were extremely unpleasant. Liquids seeped out of many of the bags. And I was overwhelmed. Then a young man walked through the door. He had been asked to help me until he left for the day.
I said a prayer that we would find the ring. Did I mention this was my wedding ring? Of all the prayers Heavenly Father would answer concerning a lost item, surely a wedding ring was at the top of the list. I knew Heavenly Father knew where my ring was. And I knew He could help me find it among the many trash bags piled to the ceiling.
I prayed several times. I mentioned to Heavenly Father how diligent I was searching...how I was willing to go through all the smelly, disgusting trash in order to prove my dedication. Prayers are answered through action...and I was acting. I was willing to put forth an honest effort. And there was a young man here helping me. Surely he deserved the satisfaction of finding my wedding ring? Faith would be strengthened. A miracle would be witnessed and shared with the entire janitor crew.
But no ring. We searched every single bag. Took out every item from each bag and put it back into the bag. It was never found.
But I got to talk to Jesús. He was the young man who came to help. He wasn't paid anything extra to go through this trash with me. But he helped me with a smile on his face. And we had a good chat. Since then, I see Jesús more often in the hallways. I hadn't noticed him before. But now that we've met, we see each other often. We talk about his family in Guatemala. We talk about my family here and my experiences in Venezuela. It's interesting how, now that we've been connected, we run into each other...supposedly having passed each other unaware countless times previously.
It's interesting how prayers are answered. The ring is lost...but I found Jesús (or perhaps it is better stated that Jesús found me). And I'm grateful for the experience and lesson learned.
Several weeks ago, I was sitting in a room at work preparing for a meeting when I unconsciously twisted my wedding ring around my finger with my other hand...only to feel no wedding ring. I gasped and a couple of my co-workers immediately dropped to the floor searching for my ring. It was no where to be found. I retraced my day in my mind and felt certain that I had lost my ring in a particular bathroom after washing my hands.
Although I've plateaued for some time now, I lost 45 pounds over the past year. (I have 20 more to go and am having trouble losing it...so I'm open to any suggestions.) With that weight loss also came a shrinking of my fingers. And recently, I had noticed while drying my hands with a paper towel, I would pull the ring right off. Once I had caught it after I had thrown it into the trash. It seems that this time, I had not even noticed.
So I rushed down to the bathroom and began searching through the trash. I know...gross. But this was my wedding ring. While rummaging through the trash, someone mentioned to me that the janitor crew had emptied the trash several hours ago. So I called our administrative services to confirm when trash is emptied. I had been in the bathroom around 12:30. The trash was removed at 1PM.
I was given Andy's information as a contact for the trash collection. I called him and he laughed when I told him what I thought had happened. Andy said there's no way I'd find it. I told him I had to at least try and he met me 5 minutes later. Below the complex where I work, I jumped on his cart and we drove through some tunnels to find the group of janitors so he could specifically identify where the trash from that bathroom might be. There were nine buildings and who really tracks if trash from building x goes to trash room y?!? Fortunately, the janitor who emptied that particular bathroom knew where he put it.
The trash room of building J.
So Andy drove me over to that area, opened the trash room door, explained what kind of bags I could eliminate and which ones I should focus on. He handed me some rubber gloves and said good luck.
Good luck. This was a trash room that collected all the garbage from 3 buildings, each 4 stories high with a basement. There were a lot of trash bags. But I was determined to search each one. After all, this was my wedding ring.
The smells were extremely unpleasant. Liquids seeped out of many of the bags. And I was overwhelmed. Then a young man walked through the door. He had been asked to help me until he left for the day.
I said a prayer that we would find the ring. Did I mention this was my wedding ring? Of all the prayers Heavenly Father would answer concerning a lost item, surely a wedding ring was at the top of the list. I knew Heavenly Father knew where my ring was. And I knew He could help me find it among the many trash bags piled to the ceiling.
I prayed several times. I mentioned to Heavenly Father how diligent I was searching...how I was willing to go through all the smelly, disgusting trash in order to prove my dedication. Prayers are answered through action...and I was acting. I was willing to put forth an honest effort. And there was a young man here helping me. Surely he deserved the satisfaction of finding my wedding ring? Faith would be strengthened. A miracle would be witnessed and shared with the entire janitor crew.
But no ring. We searched every single bag. Took out every item from each bag and put it back into the bag. It was never found.
But I got to talk to Jesús. He was the young man who came to help. He wasn't paid anything extra to go through this trash with me. But he helped me with a smile on his face. And we had a good chat. Since then, I see Jesús more often in the hallways. I hadn't noticed him before. But now that we've met, we see each other often. We talk about his family in Guatemala. We talk about my family here and my experiences in Venezuela. It's interesting how, now that we've been connected, we run into each other...supposedly having passed each other unaware countless times previously.
It's interesting how prayers are answered. The ring is lost...but I found Jesús (or perhaps it is better stated that Jesús found me). And I'm grateful for the experience and lesson learned.
Sunday, January 1, 2012
The Book of Mormon
No catchy title. It speaks for itself.
This book is powerful in so many ways. Not only is it a powerful witness of Christ, it was written specifically for our day. Christianity would not be what it is today without the Bible, and I love that book dearly. It has played a critical role for centuries and continues to be a special witness of Christ.
But the Book of Mormon...
Someone in Sunday School really put the lesson and our study of the Book of Mormon this year into perspective for me. She commented that the Book of Mormon is evidence that Heavenly Father knows us, loves us and speaks to us individually...in a way that nothing else does.
The teacher shared her personal testimony of how she came to know that the book is true. Until that point, it was a rather dull lesson. She cautioned at the very beginning not to be complacent with this year's topic simply because we are all so familiar with the book. And, while I agreed, I was concerned that our discussion was the "same old" discussion every introductory class has about the Book of Mormon.
But then...
She shared her personal testimony of her witness. And the class participation could not have been stronger. One by one, several members of the class shared their witness...their personal story of how they came to know the book to be true. And the Spirit began instructing all of us.
And that's the miracle of the book. There is a promise given that if we read it and pray to know of its divinity, the Holy Spirit will testify to us. Heavenly Father knows us better than any mortal on earth. And He knows how to speak to us. He answers our prayers through other holy writ, or through a friend, or through a close family member, or through an experience, or through a thought, or through a combination of any of the above. The point being that He knows how to speak to us in a way that we can clearly and unmistakably recognize. When those experiences happen...wow! And the Book of Mormon is one way...sometimes the first way...that we open ourselves up to have a very personal experience with our Father.
The Book of Mormon was written for our day. It is a powerful witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It emphasizes the importance of family and personal revelation. And we will grow closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, as we prayerfully read and ponder its teachings.
I love this book. I know it is true. And I invite you to read it for the first time, dust it off from the shelf and read it again, or renew your dedication to read it daily. It will change your life for the better.
This book is powerful in so many ways. Not only is it a powerful witness of Christ, it was written specifically for our day. Christianity would not be what it is today without the Bible, and I love that book dearly. It has played a critical role for centuries and continues to be a special witness of Christ.
But the Book of Mormon...
Someone in Sunday School really put the lesson and our study of the Book of Mormon this year into perspective for me. She commented that the Book of Mormon is evidence that Heavenly Father knows us, loves us and speaks to us individually...in a way that nothing else does.
The teacher shared her personal testimony of how she came to know that the book is true. Until that point, it was a rather dull lesson. She cautioned at the very beginning not to be complacent with this year's topic simply because we are all so familiar with the book. And, while I agreed, I was concerned that our discussion was the "same old" discussion every introductory class has about the Book of Mormon.
But then...
She shared her personal testimony of her witness. And the class participation could not have been stronger. One by one, several members of the class shared their witness...their personal story of how they came to know the book to be true. And the Spirit began instructing all of us.
And that's the miracle of the book. There is a promise given that if we read it and pray to know of its divinity, the Holy Spirit will testify to us. Heavenly Father knows us better than any mortal on earth. And He knows how to speak to us. He answers our prayers through other holy writ, or through a friend, or through a close family member, or through an experience, or through a thought, or through a combination of any of the above. The point being that He knows how to speak to us in a way that we can clearly and unmistakably recognize. When those experiences happen...wow! And the Book of Mormon is one way...sometimes the first way...that we open ourselves up to have a very personal experience with our Father.
The Book of Mormon was written for our day. It is a powerful witness of our Savior, Jesus Christ. It emphasizes the importance of family and personal revelation. And we will grow closer to our Heavenly Father and His Son, Jesus Christ, as we prayerfully read and ponder its teachings.
I love this book. I know it is true. And I invite you to read it for the first time, dust it off from the shelf and read it again, or renew your dedication to read it daily. It will change your life for the better.
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