Letters to Missionaries

My beloved Nephews, I wish to open your understanding to something I have learned. The scripture say... 11 If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? 12 Or if he shall ask an fish, will he offer him a scorpion? 13 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? (Luke chapter 11) Has the Savior only given you bread and fish? No, but a stone a serpent also. You may wonder how it is so, so I will explain. Who is the bread of life? Who has asked you to be a fisher of men? (Also noted, Jesus name in Greek means fish)? Who is the chief cornerstone? Who was represented as a brass serpent later nailed to the cross? The easy stuff that was easy to ingest in the mind and heart was quickly represented. Jesus fed the thousands with loaves and fishes, but he was also the stone which the builder...

Elders,  I recently watched a video of a saint struggling to find the temple in the Book of Mormon. It was at this time that he read in Eather 3:6... "And it came to pass that when the brother of Jared had said these words, behold, the Lord stretched forth his hand and touched the stones one by one with his finger. And the veil was taken from off the eyes of the brother of Jared, and he saw the finger of the Lord; and it was as the finger of a man, like unto flesh and blood; and the brother of Jared fell down before the Lord, for he was struck with fear." Brothers, we come to the temple, to a Vail to see the finger of the Lord to touch our testimony, touch our hearts, to brighten us. While we have a Veil over our eyes, ears, minds, and hearts, remember that it is there to allow us to behold the Lord line upon line so that the veil, that precious Veil, will cover us from the storms that threaten to destroy us.  Elders, we wear the emblems of the Vail, so that we can find comfo...

Elders, Recently we have received a lot of talks that talk about Hesed (unconditional covenant charity). This action words is all over Psalms 136 primarily but it's seeded all over scriptures. Brothren, let me paint a picture. Suppose you were a a pioneer pushing a cart in the snow. You feel the push from the angels. You feel the pull of the angels. Angels, as defined by Joseph Smith, are resurrected beings or beings who have been so valent in life that they have earned their place in the Celestial Kingdom, though they are dead (William Clayton account, February 9 1843). Do you hear your angels prompting you? Do you hear the Holy Ghost using words you have heard before? I hope you have a hesed relationship with people who are sealed to you. Your father and mother, your sisters and brothers, these relationships are eternal but not the only ones, your ancestors want that same relationship. Your Savior and Father in Heaven want that relationship. The Holy Ghost is a gift. He wants tha...

Elders,  Elder Dale G. Redlund once said... "God expects us to magnify the abilities we have been given, but He does not want us to compare our abilities to those of others. Consider this insight provided by the 18th-century Hasidic scholar Zusya of Anipol. Zusya was a renowned teacher who began to fear as he approached death. His disciples asked, “Master, why do you tremble? You’ve lived a good life; surely God will grant you a great reward.” Zusya said: “If God says to me, ‘Zusya, why were you not another Moses?’ I will say, ‘Because you didn’t give me the greatness of soul that you gave Moses.’ And if I stand before God and He says, ‘Zusya, why were you not another Solomon?’ I will say, ‘Because you didn’t give me the wisdom of Solomon.’ But, alas, what will I say if I stand before my Maker and He says, ‘Zusya, why were you not Zusya? Why were you not the man I gave you the capacity to be?’ Ah, that is why I tremble.” Elders, God doesn't expect you to be anyone else. He has...

Elders,  When we were baptized we took the Lord's name upon us to represent him in all things. A profound responsibility for an eight-year-old. Then again we receive the priesthood at twelve, with the many roles and responsibilities. Again, we take on us the name of the Lord representing him in power and majesty. Then you embarked to surrender your own name to have His as your name, to be wholely His servant. Brothren, now is the time to be careful not to take the name of the Lord in vain. This is one of the ten commandments. I know some if not all of us thought it was about swearing and maybe that's in part, but we have taken His name, to be a light in a dark world. Do I know how hard it is? No. I don't know your experience. I barely understand. My experience is an echo of yours. Now the one who's name you have taken, He knows what you are going through. Carry His name like a banner. You are like the army of Helamen. Darkness cannot quench light, but it flees from the ...