Reflection~Enos-Mosiah 3

Sorry; I accidentally posted my past reflection papers in a slightly incorrect order... Here's a missing one :)

Our Heavenly Father has given us all that we have. He has given us everything, down to a single moment’s breath. He hears and answers our prayers, and He leads and guides us through times of doubt and certainty alike. He gave His Only Begotten Son, our elder brother and Savior Jesus Christ, to atone for our sins, sicknesses, and sorrows. How, then, can we—we imperfect, inferior, inconstant mortal men and women—possibly repay Him? For all it entails, the answer seems a simple one: we can repay God for all that He has done and continues to do for us by giving ourselves to Him—all that we have, all that we are, and all that we aspire to become.

Final Reflection

This semester has been an eye-opening and uplifting experience for me. I have had so many wonderful times and met so many wonderful people at Brigham Young University, both inside and outside of class. I look forward to my Book of Mormon class next semester, where I will strive to learn as many important concepts and rediscover as many enlightening scriptures as I have in this class.

Reflection~Alma 1

My brother Steven left to serve a Spanish-speaking mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ogden, Utah when I was in sixth grade. He had completed a year at Brigham Young University before, so I knew what it was like to have him gone. All the same, I was worried about his going, and I knew I would miss him greatly, since I wouldn’t be able to talk to him whenever I wanted to for two years. I remember the day he left almost like it was last week. It was early in the morning, and I was crying. He hugged me and said goodbye. When he, my little brother, and parents left for Utah, I went back into my room. I was still crying, but I knew even at my young age that I could seek comfort through the words of the prophets. I opened my scriptures up and began reading.

Reflection~Mosiah 25-Alma 22

In the past, I have been prompted to speak with someone about the gospel. On too many occasions, I have ignored these promptings, and I still regret that decision. In reality, hardly a day goes by that I do not think of those sons and daughters of God who could have benefited from my sharing the gospel message with them. Even if they would have rejected the restored truths of Jesus Christ, I would have been able to feel the peace from the knowledge that I had at least given them the opportunity to accept it.

Reflection~Mosiah 11-29 and Addiction Recovery

The Savior knows and understands absolutely every single thing every single person goes through and experiences. Even in our times of deepest sorrow and private remorse, when it seems as though no one could possibly understand, Jesus Christ does. He provides us with the comfort and support we need to feel whole again. No matter the size or significance of the problem, He can aid us in our path to recovery—be it physical, mental, emotional, or spiritual.

Reflection~2 Nephi 33:10-11

I cannot remember the first time I read—really read—2 Nephi 33. I do, however, remember how much it affected me once I had put forth the effort of reading it with a purpose. I consider the entire chapter my favorite scripture in the LDS standard works, but for present purposes, I will focus primarily on verses ten and eleven. In these verses, he simultaneously demonstrates a great amount of humility, boldness, and conviction.

Reflection~The God Who Weeps

We, in our present states of mind, cannot possibly comprehend what it would be like to be gods or goddesses. To shape and create worlds without number!—as mortals, we automatically desire to attach a numerical figure to these worlds; how can something truly be innumerable?—to hold the entirety of creation in our hands!—the vast responsibility associated with such a calling is unfathomable; would it not be too much for one to handle?—to be the most all-knowing and ever-present being in the universe!—we humans do not know everything, but we do know enough to know we cannot know everything at this time; what kind of power would accompany such a wealth of knowledge? Of course, special attentions to unique power, ability, and knowledge cannot be the only matters of concern when considering the greatness of God’s responsibilities. To feel the pain of each individual… To witness the disobedience of one’s own beloved children… To fully understand the tears of every wounded son and daughter… How can one withstand the heartache brought about by these examples?

Reflection~2 Nephi 17-29~What is Grace?

The concept of a “saving grace” is one that can be easily misunderstood. Grace can be defined as a key to salvation—the priceless gift of Christ’s Atonement. Some religions believe that accepting grace is the single requirement for one to enter the kingdom of heaven. However, while it certainly plays an imperative role in that effort, grace alone cannot guarantee us eternal happiness. We must accept the Savior’s selfless gift of divine mercy, yes. But we are also expected to prove our acceptance of and appreciation for that gift.

Reflection~2 Nephi 19-22 (Isaiah 1:3)

In class, we discussed Nephi’s quotations of Isaiah’s writings. During this time, we examined Isaiah’s poetic form. It was interesting to me that such a topic would be near the center of our class conversation because it lined up well with two of my other classes. When we began looking at Isaiah’s words as poetry, I had just finished writing a close reading paper about a particular poem for my American Literary History class (English 293). I was also in the process of writing a second close reading paper about another poem for my Fundamental Literary Interpretation class (English 251).

Reflection~1 Nephi 11-18

Along with membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints come blessings beyond compare, joy in this life and in the eternities, and extra strength largely available through the Priesthood. However, living as a member of the Church is seldom easy for anyone. Even from before the creation of the world, God’s children have been faced with the fierce temptations of the adversary. Oftentimes, we feel we stand alone in our strivings to do what is right. And indeed, oftentimes, we do stand alone in a particular effort, save our constant companionship with the Holy Ghost, our Savior, and our Father in Heaven.

Reflection~1 Nephi 1-5 (4:7)

This is a reflection paper I wrote for my Book of Mormon 1 class last week. It is in regard to 1 Nephi chapters 1-5. I focus mainly on 1 Nephi 4:7. Before reading this, please understand that I mean it when I say (in the final paragraph) that I do not mean to boast in sharing some of my personal experiences of following the promptings of the Spirit. Now that that's been said, I hope you like it!

Reflection~The Book of Mormon

My first assignment for my Book of Mormon 1 class was to right a reflection paper on our relationship with the Book of Mormon. I loved doing it, and I wanted to share it. Periodically (or maybe frequently--not sure yet), I will post some of my reflection papers for you to read.

Gratitude

Why, hello there!

If you're a new visitor to my blog, welcome!! If you're not new... welcome back! I'm so glad you've decided to check out what I have to say today. If you look to your right (I'd make a splendid tour guide, wouldn't I...?), you'll be able to quickly find some of my most popular posts, as well as several other super awesome little gadgets. One of them is labeled "Great Sites to Check Out." I highly recommend following those links and have fun exploring!

Now, I've shared a bit about different aspects of my beliefs and knowledge. Today, I'm going to talk about one more that I hope can be universally agreed upon: The importance of gratitude.

The Plan of Salvation

"Where did I come from?" "Why am I here?" "Where am I going?" Those are really awesome questions, and ones that I think pretty much all of us have had. Luckily for us, those seemingly unanswerable questions DO have answers... And we have access to them.

The Good Shepherd

I love this picture. One alternate title for the Savior is "the Good Shepherd" (John 10:11, Alma 5:38, etc.). Who can deny that this painting beautifully illustrates that title?

Jesus is holding the sheep gently in His arms, yet strongly and securely enough to ensure the sheep will not fall from His embrace. To me, He looks pleased that He has been reunited with this sheep. Even the sheep seems calm and content to be once more in the protection its Master's arms.

When I Have Grown a Foot or Two...

Hello!!

I recently returned from a mini-mission! On Thursday, June 6th, we had a Missionary Training Center experience. It was pretty much like a fireside directed by the Chicago mission president and his wife, as well as two missionaries from the area. The next day, we began our experience as mini-missionaries. Here, I'll tell you some of the stuff that went down last weekend. I've broken it up into days/times of day. Keep in  mind, this is an ultra-condensed summary.

The Best Spokesperson

As I was sitting here, eating my apple slices and caramel (I think the company that packaged them needs to have some lessons in proportions. My caramel was most definitely on the lacking side), I was reading some selections from the Institute manual (Institute is a weekly church class that totally rocks, in case you were wondering). The topic of study this term is the teachings of living prophets of God.

I've posted briefly about prophets before, but at the bottom, you'll find a link to a great resource if you're still a little bit unsure about what exactly a prophet is. In fact, anywhere in the post you see a red asterisk (*), there will be a related URL included at the bottom. (Feel free to browse around on any of these sites.)

So, why do you think we need a living prophet? Or do we even need one? How do we know if someone's a real prophet, anyway? I mean, there have been more than a couple individuals claiming to know when the end of the world was going to be, for example (and that didn't turn out so hot for them, did it?).

Answer those questions for yourself. And then, if you're an incredibly awesome person, you probably want to keep reading to see what I have to say about them, too. (Okay, even if you don't read what I have to say, you're still probably an incredibly awesome person. But you're just really, really, really cool if you keep reading.)

Helaman 5:12

So, today, I'm basically going to give a little bit of Krista's mind when reading Helaman 5:12 in the Book of Mormon.

Here's the scripture in its uninterrupted fullness:

"And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall."

Pretty good stuff, right? Now, I'm going to add in my own commentary [that'll be in green and enclosed in brackets].

Who was Joseph Smith?

Today's post is about a topic--a person and an event--that some people scoff at. You may have heard rumors concerning Mormons' reverence of the prophet Joseph Smith. Let me correct any misinformation upfront: We do not worship Joseph Smith. We hold him in our hearts as a true, righteous, and productive servant of God--that God to whom we direct our worship.

Having said that, I'll begin telling you the account of Joseph Smith in (mostly) my own words. At the bottom of the post, you'll find a video depicting some of the key points I'll mention.

Special Stake Conference with Russell M. Nelson

Today, Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles came to the Rockford area and spoke to nearly 1,100 members and visitors of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Here's a picture of him:


Remember apostles from Jesus's time, like Peter, James, and John? Well, Elder Nelson is an apostle of God, just like they were! That's why it's so amazing to have been in the same room as him, and hear him speak to us directly and personally.

There were so many great things that he said, I can't share them all. But here were some really amazing points he made (some are direct quotes, but--as I was taking notes by hand--you'll have to excuse me for not having everything verbatim):