"Thank you Daddy!"

So today's post is about my sweet little girl Audrey. Yes, she is sweet even though she sometimes tries to flush her clothes down the toilet... Anyway, a couple days ago I took her outside to pick some raspberries. We have the whole south side of our house lined with them. She was holding a bowl as I picked the raspberries and put them in. First of all I have to say that my little girl knows how to eat those berries! She ate about half a bowl in the 15 minutes we were out picking.

The real part I wanted to write about though was hearing her sweet little voice say, "thank you Daddy," each time that I put any raspberries in the bowl she was holding. First of all it is so cute to hear her trying to say it correctly... She can say "Daddy" pretty well but thank you comes out something like "daint do"... So cute and sweet! Little girl just melts my heart!

Anyway, each time I put berries in she would thank me. After a few times I really started to get a kick out of it. Then after she had said it probably 20 or so times, it started to make me really think... She was so willing and happy to show gratitude for every little thing that I did for her or gave to her. I am guessing she thanked me around 25-30 times in those 15 minutes of picking berries. I thought to myself... Am I like that with God?  My Heavenly Father probably does things for me at least that many times in a day... Do I recognize His hand and give Him thanks? 

My daughter taught me a fantastic lesson that day about gratitude, and recognizing God's hand in our lives. Perhaps this recognition of all the things that God does for us in this life is one of the important ways that we fulfill the scriptural injunction to, "pray always." 

I believe that God is very involved with the smallest details in our lives. Heavenly Father is very well acquainted with everything happening in our lives.  Elder Bruce R. McConkie taught that, God our Heavenly Father "has all power, all might, and all dominion. There is no power he does not possess and no truth he does not know. Every good thing dwells in him independently in its eternal fulness. He is the Creator, Upholder, and Preserver of all things. His name is Elohim, and he is our Father in heaven, the literal Father of the spirits of all men."

Joseph Smith taught, "While one portion of the human race is judging and condemning the other without mercy, the Great Parent of the universe looks upon the whole of the human family with a fatherly care and paternal regard."  President Ezra Taft Benson once said that, "Nothing is going to startle us more when we pass through the veil to the other side than to realize how well we know our Father and how familiar his face is to us." If His face is familiar to us, then surely our faces are perfectly familiar to Him who knows all that we have the privilege of calling Father!

The Savior also knows us intimately.  As Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said so well regarding Jesus: "He assisted in the creation and management not only of this planet, but other worlds. His grasp is galactic, yet he noticed the widow casting in her mite." Elder Maxwell also said, "Whether descriptively designated as Creator, Only Begotten Son, Prince of Peace, Advocate, Mediator, Son of God, Savior, Messiah, Author and Finisher of Salvation, King of Kings—I witness that Jesus Christ is the only name under heaven whereby one can be saved! ( D&C 18:23

I testify that He is utterly incomparable in what He is, what He knows, what He hasaccomplished, and what He has experienced. Yet, movingly, He calls us His friends." (See  John 15:15

I hope that we can all recognize more how much is done for us by our Heavenly Father, and thank Him as often as my daughter thanked me. What joy will surely fill our lives as we recognize the hand of God in our lives and find that joy in our journey!

Tender Tidbits from Trenton and Taft

So I thought I would just jot down a couple of fun experiences with Trenton and Taft over the last day of two. I don't want to forget them. I know they seem little, but I just love these little moments and so I try to write them down when I can.

Yesterday night I was getting the boys ready for bed and determined to tell them a story. I am trying to spend more time with them and make sure that they know how much I love them, so this was one way to accomplish that goal. They usually really like to hear stories before bed, but I often feign that I am too tired and head to bed instead of spending the extra ten minutes. Last night I determined to forge ahead and be a better dad.

Corban is mildly obsessed with dragon stories and sleeps in the same room as Trenton. They have a trundle bed and Trenton is on top and Corban is on the bottom. I told the boys that I would tell them a dragon story. Corban was of course elated, while Trenton replied that he didn't want to hear my story. I told him to plug his ears then, because I was going to tell it whether he liked it or not. I laid down next to Corban and started my story and Trenton plugged his ears. Three seconds later his fingers came out of his ears and he was listening intently to an intense, humorous and spiritual story about him and his three brothers hunting down and evil dragon that was destroying villages.  I almost always try to throw in some spiritual lessons as I tell the stories, because it makes me feel even better about staying up late. This story was no exception, and the boys learned through a dragon story how to trust in The Lord with their prayers and to lean on Him when they need help with things.

As I finished the story, Trenton rolled over to the edge of his bed and let out a deep sigh.  He then said, "I think I am going to pass out...that story was sooo good!"

Although it is apparent that I am an incredible story teller (at least according to a biased six year old), the main reason that I wanted to remember this is because I want to remember that even when kids claim they don't want your attention, they really do.  I also write this down to be able to show Trenton when he is a teenager that he actually liked me at a one point in his life :-)

The other story comes from tonight. We do a date night with an individual child once a week. Amber and I switch off, so each kid usually gets to go with us each of us about once a month. We figure it is good for them to get some alone time regularly since we have several kids and it can be a bit crazy around our house sometimes.

Tonight was my date with Taft. After a dinner at McDonald's (we had a coupon), we went to trafalga and played a little mini golf. Taft only hit it in the pond once, so I considered my golf coaching a rousing success and penciled him in for the PGA tour 13 years from today.  After golf we went to get a smoothie (buy one get one free coupon, thank you very much).  Then we went to walmart and picked up some groceries for Amber.  Then we went to pick up Trey from scouts. 

As we sat in the church parking lot sipping on some smoothies and waiting for Trey to get done, I determined that I would do a quick Facebook check. Turns out my friend Norma had posted a fantastic video that Taft and I watched in the parking lot (watch it here: http://sfglobe.com/?id=2539&src=fbfan_2539 ).

When it was done, I turned to Taft and said, "that was pretty cool, huh!"  He responded with the most obvious tone he could muster and said, "uhhh, yea dad!" It was without question that he thought it was the coolest thing ever. 

It is just so fun to see how the simplest things that you do with your kids turn out to be so meaningful. Neither one of these things was fantastic parenting on my part, but I made an effort and I saw the benefits from it. I love being a dad and seeing these little sons and daughters of God learn and grow. It is truly remarkable... Even when I come home and find Amber wiping up the bathroom floor because Audrey and Corban stuffed one of Audrey's dresses down our toilet and started flushing it and flooded the bathroom... Just another day in paradise!

Learning the ABC'S

First off, if you started reading this because you actually needed a lesson on the alphabet, I apologize. I'm not actually teaching about the alphabet. Also, I'm not sure why I gave that explanation because if you needed a lesson on the alphabet then you probably wouldn't be able to read the title in the first place. Or the explanation. 

What I'm actually writing about was my experience at my parents house yesterday after Sunday dinner. My family and friends got together in the living room and had a little sit-down lesson with my dad where he went over the ABC'S of Human Emotional Needs. I found it very thought provoking so I figured I would write it down for anyone who chooses to read it and also to solidify in my mind what I learned from the lesson. 

The ABC'S of human emotional needs are the following:

A - Acceptance

B - Belonging

C - Comfort

S - Security

Every person has a need to feel each of those things. They're things that we seek and yearn for. If we aren't feeling those things, then we're likely feeling some of the opposites. We may feel rejected, uncomfortable, embarrassed, angry, frustrated, etc. Each of those negative feelings take us away from the basic emotional needs that we have. If our emotional needs aren't being met, and we're feeling some of the negative feelings, then we try to compensate in some way by developing mechanisms whereby we can have (or provide ourselves the illusions of having) those emotional needs met again. These coping mechanisms are different for everyone (what are they for you?), but some examples include reading, exercise, eating, drugs, alcohol, television, sleep, etc. 

Each of our coping mechanisms provide the illusion of satisfying our emotional needs. For example, if I personally feel rejected, embarrassed or frustrated then I often turn to exercise. Exercise causes me to release feel-good chemicals such as endorphins that give the illusion that my emotional needs are being met. However, that illusion only lasts for a short time. When I finish exercising and I'm no longer releasing those feel-good brain chemicals then the illusion is gone. What do I do then? I'm not physically capable of exercising nonstop. There are physical limitations to what I can do. Just thinking about exercising won't help either. That doesn't release the desired chemicals that produce the illusion that I seek. I actually have to be performing the activity. So what else can I do?

Switching gears for a second to look at this from a gospel perspective. There have been times in my life where I have felt God's love for me. During those times, all of my emotional needs were met. I simultaneously felt Acceptance, Belonging, Comfort and Security. One of these times came when I first left to serve a mission for the LDS church. I was leaving my home and family for two years. Home and family was a place where all of my emotional needs were met. Suddenly I didn't have that and I felt alone, scared and uncomfortable. I needed to find a way to have my needs met again. The first night that I was away and was struggling with these negative feelings, I knelt down and prayed to my Heavenly Father and asked Him for strength and asked him to help me know that He loved me. Immediately a warmth washed over me and I knew that He did. In that moment the love of God had the ability to help me feel Acceptance, Belonging, Comfort and Security all at once. 

Since that experience, I have often looked back and thought about that time. Whenever I think about that time, those feelings come back to me and my emotional needs are met. I don't have to actually seclude myself and kneel down in prayer to ask for a re-confirmation of God's love for me in order to have those feelings come back. All I have to do is remember. Unlike all other coping mechanisms that we come up with to meet our emotional needs, God's love is ALWAYS available. He is always there and always willing to reach out and help us. 

The point of my dad's lesson (at least to me) was that as Children of God, we have a Heavenly Father who loves us unconditionally and who will always be there for us. If we are ever going through a time where we feel lost, alone, afraid or rejected, we have a Father that will help us overcome those feelings. If you personally have not felt Heavenly Father's love, then take the time to kneel down, pray and ask Him (with faith) if He loves you. I promise that He will answer and that He will find a way to show His love for you. The experience that you have when you feel His love will be something that you can think about and reflect on during future trials and it will help you have the strength to get through.

God is real. He knows me, He knows you, and He loves all of us. Now I know my ABC'S, next time try it out for free. That's all folks.  

 

  

Today's Personal Pentecost

I have to be frank...today was a spectacular day!  Last week, my oldest son Trey turned 8 years old.  This is the age at which children have the option to be baptized and become members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  Trey decided a while back to move forward with that decision and has been extremely excited about it.

When asked why he was so excited about it, he talked about the chance to follow Christ's example: since Christ was baptized, Trey felt privileged to be making that decision and following in the Savior's footsteps. He was grateful for the opportunity to promise God that he will walk the Savior's path for the rest of his life.  Perhaps it is a heavy decision for an 8 year old, but as funny as it sounds, I really think that Trey understands very well what he is doing and was more than happy (and very grateful) to do it!

I would like to just share a few thoughts about the experience from my perspective.  The most important thing in my life is God, and my family is a part of that since God asks us to create eternal family units here in this life.  Because of this, I have been very excited for Trey to make this commitment to God, and I have been very excited to see how he has learn and grown and striven to follow the Savior's example.  As I walked down into the water with my oldest son, I was ecstatic, recognizing that he was making such an important step in his personal walk with God. 

Paul taught the Galatians the "fruit of the spirit"... in other words, the things that God's Spirit produces.  He described them as "love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, faith, meekness, temperance"... The Spirit was producing these feelings of love, joy and peace in my heart as we were in the water preparing to participate in this sacred ordinance.  As I placed Trey under the water and brought him back up, the Holy Ghost witnessed to me that this was truly a sacred event.  One of Heavenly Father's sons was choosing to enter the gate that leads to the path that leads to eternal life (2 Nephi 31:17-21).  It was truly a choice experience, and one that is difficult to describe because of the impact it had upon my mind and heart.

The Lord teaches us in DC 84:20-21 that, "Therefore in the ordinances thereof, the power of godliness is manifest.  And without the ordinances thereof, and the authority of the priesthood, the power of godliness is not manifest unto men in the flesh."  This describes well what I felt, and what I think many others felt as they watched and felt the power of this sacred ordinance.  It was a clear witness to me that Trey was doing something that our Heavenly Father very much approved of.  When Trey and I went back into the locker room to change into dry clothing, he was completely euphoric.  There is no way that any amount of parental brainwashing could have induced the joy that he was experiencing and expressed at this time.  It can only be described as godly!

Following the baptism of water, I was able to confirm him a member of the church, and give him the gift of the Holy Ghost, just as the ancient apostles did following their baptisms (Acts 19:1-6).  This is also referred to as the baptism of the Spirit (John 3:5).  As I blessed Trey, I could feel God speaking to him through me.  Again I could feel God's power lift my heart and bless all of us in the room with His Spirit.  Then I was able to bless my little daughter Evelyn to give her strength and direction through her life, which I know that she will need.  Again I could feel that the words that I was speaking in her blessing were not mine, but the words of her Heavenly Father.  I was merely the instrument that was there to receive His word and pass it on to her.

There isn't much chance that Evelyn will remember what was said or felt today, but I know my wife and I will remember some of those things and tell her.  I hope that Trey will remember today and what he felt.  I know I will not forget today, and I will always remember the hug we shared right after he came out of the water and again when we got out. Choice experiences and cherished memories!  I hope that this experience will be the beginning of a personal relationship developing with Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost.  I have seen some of that relationship develop with him already.

We oftentimes speak of the day of Pentecost in the ancient church to describe amazing spiritual outpourings (see Acts 2).  Today for me was a personal Pentecost.  I felt the outpouring of God's love in amazing ways.  I felt His Spirit and saw a tiny little sliver of the love that He has for us as His children.  It is a day that I will never forget.  I again received a witness today through the Holy Ghost that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the church which God has established to minister to us His truths and His ordinances.  He wants us all to have joy, and I felt and saw that today, a little piece of heaven during a personal Pentecost!

Faith

Lanky, left handed pitcher Randy Johnson was known to have some nasty pitches (according to those who watched him and particularly those who hit against him).  His most famous pitch in my mind will always be the one where he de-feathered a bird in one shot ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KxEUW3pQX6A ).  One of the most entertaining sports events I have ever seen for sure.  One of those things that you have to "see to believe"...probably because the statistical chances of that happening are pretty small.  However, we do have a YouTube video, so it must have really happened....right?  Or was this video a carefully orchestrated event to deceive sports fans and pump up some interest for Major League Baseball?  Or maybe some clever techno-gurus edited the video and just made it LOOK like Johnson hit the bird with the ball...

My point is this...almost every single thing that we might be able to believe in ultimately has to be accepted on faith.  Whether it is something so simple as pressing a keyboard in expectation of a letter appearing on a screen or something as "far out" as believing that Moses really did part the Red Sea for the children of Israel and Jesus really did raise the dead, the fact is that all of us ultimately accept whatever it is we believe on faith.  Whatever actions we take are based on some sort of faith.

So what is Faith?  "Faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things, faith is to hope for things which are not seen, which are true" (Alma 32:21).  "Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the substance of things not seen." (Hebrews 11:1).  "Faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." (Ether 12:6)  "Confidence in something or someone. As most often used in the scriptures, faith is confidence and trust in Jesus Christ that lead a person to obey him. Faith must be centered in Jesus Christ in order for it to lead a person to salvation." (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/gs/faith?lang=eng&letter=f)

For example, I believe that Hawaii exists.  I have seen it on maps, been taught about it in school, tasted pineapple from Hawaii, and even have cousins who have lived there and have confirmed to me that Hawaii is indeed a reality.  However, the fact remains that I have not set foot on and of the islands of Hawaii myself.  I haven't seen it with my own two eyes. I accept this simple fact on faith.  Because of the "evidences" that I have seen, heard and tasted, I believe that I can say that I know Hawaii exists.  I trust the sources I have heard this from sufficiently to say that Hawaii is indeed for real, and has some wonderful things to offer, even though I have never actually been there.

Spiritual knowledge is similar for all of us.  Many times we want "proof" that God is real, or "proof" that the events in the Bible really occurred.  We want to substantiate and legitimize what we hope is real as we read it in the scriptures and hear it from others.  However, if we trust the word of God for what it is, and follow the pattern we see there, we find that spiritual knowledge comes in a very different way from that of secular knowledge.

The Apostle Paul teaches in multiple portions of his epistles to the Corinthian saints about how spiritual knowledge is gained.  In 1 Corinthians 2:9-14, Paul explains that, 

"...Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.

 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God.

 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God.

 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God.

 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man’s wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual.

 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned."

From these verses (and looking at the surrounding verses to help with context), we understand that Paul is explaining to us that spiritual knowledge comes differently...through the spirit of God speaking to our spirit (also referenced in Romans 8:16).  In addition, Paul adds in 1 Corinthians 12:3 that "no man can say that Jesus is the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost."

The bottom line is that you will not come to a true knowledge of Jesus as the Son of God and the Savior of all Mankind without a spiritual manifestation.  No amount of intellectual pursuit will gain you as sure of a witness as the Holy Ghost can!

This begs the question...how does the Holy Ghost speak to us?  Elijah had an experience with God's spirit in 1 Kings 19:11-12 where we learn that the Holy Ghost speaks in a "still small voice."  A quick example from Luke 24 (https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt/luke/24?lang=eng ) teaches us well as the resurrected Jesus teaches 2 disciples on the road to Emmaeus.  As Jesus leaves, the disciples confer with one another, saying, "Did not our hearts burn within us as He talked with us by the way and opened to us the scriptures?"

If the "still small voice" and the "burning heart" still leave us a little confused, Galatians 5:22-23 simplifies it for us:  "But the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, meekness, faith, temperance..."  In other words, the truth of God (and ALL truth comes from God, no matter the source we find it here on earth) will lead us to these types of thoughts, feelings and states.  Ultimately, God's word is supposed to lead us to "the peace of God, which passeth all understanding." (Phillipians 4:7)

In other words, although I may or may not be able to provide physical evidence or historical analysis to prove that Elijah raised a widow's son from the dead, that Jesus really did come back to life after 3 days, that Joseph Smith actually saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, or that the Book of Mormon really is the word of God as given to some of the ancient inhabitants of the Americas, I can say that I have had a peaceful witness from the still small voice of the Holy Ghost that these things are true, and as real as the nose on your face!  That witness is undeniable and has come multiple times.

Although intellectual pursuits are intriguing, and finding historical evidences to "legitimize" our faith gives us the appearance of confidence, the only thing that will keep our faith is the sure witness of the Holy Ghost that God will give to all seekers of truth (1 Nephi 10:17-19)...and on the flip side, whatever "evidences" people accept (on faith) that would destroy your faith are just as likely (if not more so as you will hopefully see later) to be false as what you choose to accept on faith.

I know this may sound like a sort of delusional "pipe dream" to a lot of people, these things really are real.  God really does speak to His children through the Holy Ghost, and you can test God on His word.  You can go through a "spiritual scientific method" process.  Jesus invites us to do God's will and we will know if the doctrine is from God (John 7:17).  I have followed Jesus' teachings and have experienced the blessings that are promised and know those doctrines to be of God.  James invites us to "ask in faith" (James 1:5) and the Book of Mormon prophet Moroni teaches us that "by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5).  I invite everyone who has not to search out these spiritual truths themselves and find for themselves that God promises are true, and that He will speak to us if we follow His pattern of spiritual learning.

So next time you read that very compelling article arguing that Jesus wasn't really divine, or that Joseph Smith was really a criminal, or how the Book of Abraham can't be true because of certain peoples interpretations of an Egyptian pap, just remember that ultimately EVERYTHING is accepted on faith.  How does the writer of the internet article know that Jesus was or wasn't divine?  Was he or she there?  Did they personally scientifically verify with DNA tests?  No, actually they accepted ON FAITH something that someone else said, did, wrote or experienced.  Their ridiculing of your faith or mine is no less hypocritical than me picking my nose while telling my kids not to do it.  Ultimately what we choose to accept as truth is something we choose to accept on faith... no matter what it is!

My personal experiences have taught me that the gospel of Jesus Christ is just as real as anything else I have experienced.  The joys that have come to my life as I have learned, understood and applied the teachings of Christ are as real as the pineapple that I ate from Hawaii, and are actually even more delicious to me! We have a Heavenly Father who is the Father of us all, a Savior in Jesus Christ who has paid the penalty for our sins and can offer His grace to us in any time of need, and God has established His church on the Earth to help families learn not only how to find heaven after Earth, but how to find heaven on Earth.  I have seen, felt and heard little pieces of that heaven and know these things to be true and to be real.

I finish with a thought from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland that I hope that we can take to heart in regard to our faith:

"...you have more faith than you think you do because of what the Book of Mormon calls “the greatness of the evidences.”“Ye shall know them by their fruits,” Jesus said,and the fruit of living the gospel is evident in the lives of Latter-day Saints everywhere. As Peter and John said once to an ancient audience, I say today, “We cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard,” and what we have seen and heard is that “a notable miracle hath been done” in the lives of millions of members of this Church. That cannot be denied." https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2013/04/lord-i-believe?lang=eng

A notable miracle has happened in my life and in the lives of my family, and that I cannot deny!