In times of trouble and confusion, where should we look?

     These days are filled with doubt, confusion, and seemingly double standards. The scriptures give warning to those who "...call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!" (Isaiah 5:20 see also 2 Nephi 15:20)

There is so much hate in the world. Not long ago it seemed distant but now you can hardly check your facebook feed or the top news headlines without seeing even a hint of negative press on current events in the country. It's as if there is an agenda at play trying to pit one man against his brother. Why is that?  The riots from people frustrated by the incident involving George Floyd have created a rage that has carried from city to city across the country.  

     Fortunately while we see this war of words and opinions, we have also had a message given by President Russell M. Nelson, prophet of the church of Jesus Christ of latter-day saints.  Without direction from Heavenly Father, we would be left to reason one side against another based solely on the arguments projected in the mainstream media and social media posts.  We must pick a side. The Lord does not tolerate hate of His children. 

President Nelson released this statement:

"We join with many throughout this nation and around the world who are deeply saddened at recent evidences of racism and a blatant disregard for human life. We abhor the reality that some would deny others respect and the most basic of freedoms because of the color of his or her skin.
We are also saddened when these assaults on human dignity lead to escalating violence and unrest.
The Creator of us all calls on each of us to abandon attitudes of prejudice against any group of God’s children. Any of us who has prejudice toward another race needs to repent!
During the Savior’s earthly mission, He constantly ministered to those who were excluded, marginalized, judged, overlooked, abused, and discounted. As His followers, can we do anything less? The answer is no! We believe in freedom, kindness, and fairness for all of God’s children!
Let us be clear. We are brothers and sisters, each of us the child of a loving Father in Heaven. His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, invites all to come unto Him—“black and white, bond and free, male and female,” (2 Nephi 26:33). It behooves each of us to do whatever we can in our spheres of influence to preserve the dignity and respect every son and daughter of God deserves.
Any nation can only be as great as its people. That requires citizens to cultivate a moral compass that helps them distinguish between right and wrong.
Illegal acts such as looting, defacing, or destroying public or private property cannot be tolerated. Never has one wrong been corrected by a second wrong. Evil has never been resolved by more evil.
We need to foster our faith in the Fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man.
We need to foster a fundamental respect for the human dignity of every human soul, regardless of their color, creed, or cause.
And we need to work tirelessly to build bridges of understanding rather than creating walls of segregation.
I plead with us to work together for peace, for mutual respect, and for an outpouring of love for all of God’s children."

https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/article/president-nelson-shares-social-post-encouraging-understanding-and-civility

     What part do we have in this? Should we just sit back in quarantine during this pandemic while others are out for good or bad rioting and protesting passionately?

President Nelson has given us God's command to repent of any prejudice we have toward another race.  What is within our spheres of influence to preserve dignity and respect for all? Has our moral compass been cultivated to determine what is right and what is wrong?

D&C 121:17 says that "those who cry transgression towards others do it because they are the servants of sin, and are the children of disobedience themselves." 

Seems interesting since President Donald Trump has been constantly attacked since being elected in 2016.  He can't be influenced by those with money and an agenda against the good of the country.  In Alma 14, Amulek and Alma contended with lawyers, judges, priests, and teachers, who were of the profession of Nehor. (Check Alma Chapter 1 for more information on Nehor) There are those who were in the church and in the system of government of the Nephites in the city of Ammonihah who were trained and somehow with formal qualification to ridicule and persecute these two men.  They seem to profit monetarily and grow in power by stirring up the people unto contention.  That is the way of the adversary. Alma even warns us in chapter 12, verse 6, that this pattern of stirring up the people to contention is "a snare", a trap, which satan has laid to catch you, "that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity."

President Nelson early last year warned of a coming deception. Are we approaching this? If so, I hope we have our wits about us to interpret our moral compass in these times of crises.

Alma's Warning to us

     I was reading the book of Mormon this morning in Alma chapter 12.  And verse 6 really jumped out to me.  Alma and Amulek were having words with Zeezrom about what they had just discussed with the wicked Nephites.  They had told them to repent.  This man, Zeezrom, made his money stirring up trouble in the community. He was a lawyer.  When there arose problems, his profession was able to profit from "riotings and all manner of disturbances and wickedness.....that they might get money according to the suits which were brought before them; therefore, they did stir up the people against Alma and Amulek."(Alma 11:20 )

                           
     Verse 21 tells us that Zeezrom was a man who was expert in the devices of the devil, that he might destroy that which was good. He tried to catch Alma and Amulek in their words, but because of the preparations of these two men and their faithfulness in the call from God to return to the city of Ammonihah, Zeezrom was able to see his own wrongdoings in his efforts to destroy Alma and Amulek.  He still pursued them in question, but after Amulek taught more on God's plan of happiness, Zeezrom became troubled by his conscience. Alma in Chapter 12 confirms Amulek's words and tells Zeezrom, the Nephites, and us of the adversary's plan.

 
6 And behold I say unto you all that this was a snare of the adversary, which he has laid to catch this people, that he might bring you into subjection unto him, that he might encircle you about with his chains, that he might chain you down to everlasting destruction, according to the power of his captivity.

Do we not see this in our world today?


     There are so many distractions, so many voices out there competing for our attention as we walk our path that if we are not careful we will be caught in satan's snares that he has subtly placed to bring us under his control. We are like the rabbit in it's innocent quest for food and adventure getting caught in a trap placed so casually that we fail to recognize we've been caught until after we see our lack of progress or start to feel the pain from the consequences of our actions leading us into subjection, at the mercy of one who is without mercy. Then the adversary can control us as he desires. I see this on social media and in the news with the riots going on. Many people feel the need to apologize for mistakes of the past that they were not apart of, and for the actions of one man who made a terrible decision that gathered attention world-wide. When Adam and Eve partook of the fruit, did that make me guilty? Am I responsible for them or myself and my actions and words? Am I to be held accountable for their choices or anyone else's choices? Alma 12:14 says " For our words will condemn us, yea, all our works will condemn us; we shall not be found spotless; and our thoughts will also condemn us; and in this awful state we shall not dare to look up to our God; and we would fain be glad if we could command the rocks and the mountains to fall upon us to hide us from his presence." So it isn't the words or actions of our neighbor that will condemn us but our own.  I see a lot of rants on facebook, especially from people I associate with at church. I am quite surprised at their perspective.

Now, I don't mind a perspective that is different from my own, in fact my wife and I have differing political views but we discuss certain things and I can appreciate her view in some areas. I see others putting their opinions on the internet and being passionate about justice for George Floyd, but at what point are people being deceived and not noticing the snare around their leg that has them under the subjection of an ideology that is false but plays on the emotions of others. This situation was not right how he died. However it has been used to divide the country. Many people are now kneeling to blacks in what they call a protest to police brutality or the oppression of blacks. How wrong is that? We only need to kneel before God. We do not need to idolize any one or anything. I had no plans of going this route in this post but this verse showed me how satan loves to stir up division among God's children to pit them one against another, to inflate contention towards another and create riots. The scriptures tell us the love of man will wax cold in the last days. Are we not seeing that?

Folks these times we live in are a testimony of the book of Mormon. I am so grateful for the foresight that ancient american prophets had through prophecy and revelation and by the power of God were able to testify of our Heavenly Father's plan to send His son to redeem us from our sins and when we fall short I am grateful for it's messages of hope through the Savior and His gospel.

If you're a Christian then where is your cross?

     Taken from Mormons: An Open Book ,by Anthony Sweat, published in 2012 - 
LDS prophet and Church President Gordon B. Hinckley(1910-2008) once said: "I do not wish to give offense to any of my Christian brethren who use the cross on the steeples of their cathedrals and at the altars of their chapels, who wear it on their vestments and imprint it on their books and other literature.


 But for us, the cross is the symbol of the  dying Christ, while our message is a declaration of the living Christ."(Teachings of Gordon B. Hinckley, Salt Lake City: Deseret book, 1997, pg 182)
    Some have said that the symbol of the Latter-day saints is our temples, or even the angel on top of our temples.(Howard W. Hunter, Exceeding Great and Precious Promises, Ensign, November 1994, pg 8) Others have said our symbol has become our missionaries (Abide In Me, Jeffrey R. Holland, Ensign May 2004, pg 30), or the unique way that we Latter-day saints live our lives. While all of these may be true, they all point to the true symbol and head of our Church - the risen Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
All LDS temples have the name of  Jesus Christ on them, all LDS missionaries wear a nametage each day that bears the Lord's name on it, and each member of the LDS Church Makes a promise to take upon [them] the name of Christ, by baptism"(2 Nephi 31:13).  Jesus Christ is the greatest symbol of our Church, and all other symbols in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day saints point to and declare His living reality."

    President Russell M. Nelson has in recent years, since becoming prophet and president of the restored church, made a greater effort to clarify that our symbol is not the angel Moroni atop of the 160+ temples that have been dedicated to this point, nor is it in the nickname Mormon that has been attributed to members of the church because of the Book of Mormon, but it is most definitely the Savior, Jesus Christ.
     On August 16th, 2018 President Nelson released a preliminary statement regarding the correct name of the church on the church's news website: “The Lord has impressed upon my mind the importance of the name He has revealed for His Church, even The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We have work before us to bring ourselves in harmony with His will. In recent weeks, various Church leaders and departments have initiated the necessary steps to do so. Additional information about this important matter will be made available in the coming months”
   In October 2018 during General Conference, he addressed in further detail the direction of the church and its members in referring to ourselves as members of the church of Jesus Christ. How to go about it he said...
"If we as a people and as individuals are to have access to the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ—to cleanse and heal us, to strengthen and magnify us, and ultimately to exalt us—we must clearly acknowledge Him as the source of that power. We can begin by calling His Church by the name He decreed.     For much of the world, the Lord’s Church is presently disguised as the “Mormon Church.” But we as members of the Lord’s Church know who stands at its head: Jesus Christ Himself. Unfortunately, many who hear the term Mormon may think that we worship Mormon. Not so! We honor and respect that great ancient American prophet. But we are not Mormon’s disciples. We are the Lord’s disciples......If someone should ask, “Are you a Mormon?” you could reply, “If you are asking if I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, yes, I am!”

If someone asks, “Are you a Latter-day Saint?”you might respond, “Yes, I am. I believe in Jesus Christ and am a member of His restored Church.”

     Then President Nelson extended a promise for our faithful efforts in referring to the church by it's correct name. 

     He said,"My dear brothers and sisters, I promise you that if we will do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church, He whose Church this is will pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen. We will have the knowledge and power of God to help us take the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ to every nation, kindred, tongue, and people and to prepare the world for the Second Coming of the Lord."

This promise was repeated in our last general conference as was introduced a new symbol for our church, being a rendering of Thorvaldsen's Christus under an arch with the offical name of the church underneath.

President Nelson reminded us "Previously, I promised that if we would “do our best to restore the correct name of the Lord’s Church,” He would “pour down His power and blessings upon the heads of the Latter-day Saints, the likes of which we have never seen.” I renew that promise today."  (Opening the Heavens for Help, May 2020 Ensign, President Nelson)

     I have made a concerted effort even more since the repeated invitation but it is a struggle to overcome tradition and habit in the form of a recognizable nickname. However, I know that his promise is real and can be realized as I am diligent. My children will have no problem with this distinction since they are young and won't associate - like has been done in the past - the church's name with the name Mormon. I see that as a blessing for them and their generation. It will just take some effort on my part. I have tried to avoid or explain the name Mormon as a nickname of the past or in relation to the man in the book of Mormon who wrote about his Nephite nation on the brink of destruction while he kept the record near the end of his life.  

     How are you doing with this direction from President Nelson?  Have you made an effort in faith to kindly clarify or correct those who misname the church and it's members? Have you seen evidence of the promise given by President Nelson back in 2018 and repeated a few months ago?

A Priesthood holder must be willing to be presided over

     These days leaders of the church continue to encourage and invite members to live the gospel as they have before.  Do you sense an urgency? I most certainly have. I noticed years ago maybe because I was serving as EQP that faithful priesthood holders were becoming fewer. My ward was dwindling as young families began moving away to other states.  I was desperate for help and had prayed for assistance that our ward needed in terms of active priesthood participation among the members.

     My counselors and I would meet every week prior to WC and sacrament meeting to confirm addresses for unknown members.  One of our goals as a presidency was to clean the rolls, similar to what the Church did under the presiding authority of Alma in the Book of Mormon (see Alma chapter 6 https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/alma/6?lang=eng). We knocked doors and introduced ourselves a few times to people who claimed they were not who we were looking for and that they neither knew the names we had mentioned. So we sent those names to records unknown or had them looked up by other brothers in the ward with the technology to track names and current addresses.  Much work was accomplished to where we were familiar with the existing names left. We could place a face with the names and were able to discuss home teaching assignments (as they were referred to prior to the new higher, holier approach) and which brethren we felt were best suited to minister to the needs of families and individuals in the ward.

     April 2018, I had not yet been released, but we had 2 weeks back to back where there was a stake conference, in which the ward boundaries were to be changed and then General Conference.  I was vacationing in California with my family to visit my brother and his wife, and upon our return home we had made our way from the airport in Nashville back to our home. I sat on the couch in front of the tv in time for the priesthood session. To my surprise was an announcement from President Nelson that all currently serving EQP's were effectively released.  I sent a text to the Bishop and told him I had enjoyed serving with him. He was hesitant to let me go, but I was certain of the release as prophet trumps a Bishop in presiding authority.  Not much longer was I formally released and then called and sustained as a ward clerk in a later sacrament meeting. I gave the new president some information about those individuals within the quorum that I knew, but there were members who had been moved into the ward after re aligning the boundaries that I was not familiar with.  I looked forward to serving and ministering now to those I would be assigned along with a high priest companion as my mentor.

     One night I was called by one of our ministering families to assist in giving a blessing to a few of their children who were taken ill. Having served in a leadership position and along with my previous experience as an elder in the Melchizedek priesthood I proceeded to administer, but was interrupted by my companion who told me to re anoint as I had incorrectly spoken. I and the girls father stood a little surprised and caught off guard from this bold intervention. I was sure I had said the right words to anoint. However, to avoid any contention or further confusion and he being a high priest, I submitted and redid the anointing. 

     We were all smiles afterward, but I struggled later that night and throughout the following week. Had I been saying it wrong this whole time? In a discussion with the quorum presidency in a PPI,  I had asked the question and was told that I had not erred. I realized that men become accustomed to tradition in how they exercise their priesthood.  Certain phrases can become repetitive and we as human beings repeat as we've been taught. There are ordinances that require a word for word recitation, but others require only an order of operation in the words we use.  Here is an article from Elder Renlund about an experience he had administering a priesthood blessing with a newly called and inexperienced branch president. When men are anxiously striving to exercise the priesthood it is important that they are encouraged in their efforts and not discouraged or publicly corrected unless necessary. Check it out. https://www.ldsliving.com/Elder-Renlund-s-Perfect-Response-When-a-Branch-President-Kept-Giving-Priesthood-Blessings-Incorrectly/s/88523?utm_source=Facebook&utm_medium=Social&utm_campaign=social_button&fbclid=IwAR3T6PYGyyCqsYbr7oFV7JKaIbeTkDeshwYNt0sVmTZvi6KHrTQaepR59l8

     What matters most is that we are trying.  I never complained to the brother I served with that evening but it was a lesson to me on how to mentor others including my sons as they grow older and are ordained to the priesthood, how they should be trained in exercising their priesthood. Doctrine and Covenants 121 is a great section for instruction on leading and training in the exercise of the priesthood.