Why Read the Book of Mormon?

So picture this.  You're at home, sitting down watching TV listening about the latest weather pattern that is about to come in.  You hear the doorbell ring and outside your front door are two young men dressed in white shirts and ties.  They proceed to tell you (as quickly as they can before you shut the door) about some new book of scripture.  It's called The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ.  They say it's a book about the people in the America's and that Jesus Christ came and visited them.  You're a little bit curious but also skeptical, and you want to see how much these guy's really know.  So you ask a simple question, "Why should I read The Book of Mormon?"

It's a good question, and one that deserves some thought.  I mean, people usually only due things either to gain a reward or avoid a punishment, it's simple psychology.  Fortunately we have the words of modern day prophets to help us out.  President Ezra Taft Benson, former president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, gave an amazing talk in the October 1986 General Conference titled The Book of Mormon - Keystone of Our Religion.  In it he outlined 3 reasons why members of the Church should strive to study the Book of Mormon throughout their life's.  I think that the same three reasons apply to everyone and I think they are worth some thought.  So here they are -

1. The Book of Mormon is the keystone of our religion:

The Prophet Joseph Smith said that "the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book."  Simply stated a keystone holds an arch together, without it the structure crumbles.  If the Book of Mormon was false, then Joseph Smith wasn't a prophet.  If he wasn't a prophet than the things he said and did weren't true, and the whole Church falls and isn't true.  But with the Book of Mormon we are absolute and unshaken in our faith.  This is one reason why you should read the Book of Mormon, because by gaining a witness that the book is true, you come to know that "Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is his revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the Lord's kingdom once again established on the earth, preparatory to the second coming of the Messiah." (Introduction to the Book of Mormon)

2. The Book of Mormon was written for our day:


Many prophets in the Book of Mormon testified that the words they were writing were for us.  Many of these prophets even saw in vision and in prophesy our day and what we would need to steer us in the right direction towards God.  From the Book of Mormon we learn of the promises and covenants God has made with His children and those in the America's that are still in effect today.  We learn what happens when a civilization centers itself in God and what happens when they choose to disobey God.  We even learn where most of the ancestors of the American Indians came from for crying out loud!  I mean if each of us had a manual for our individual lives, wouldn't we at least glance at it?  The Book of Mormon is just that.  Specific direction and counsel for each and every one of us in this day and age.

3. The Book of Mormon helps us draw nearer to God:

This is something you have to experience more than anything else.  Almost half of the verses contained in the Book of Mormon include Christ in some way or another.  It contains the record of a people who were blessed with the opportunity to feel the prints in His hands and feet and the wound in His side.  It contains His gospel as given to His prophets.  It's overall purpose is to bring everyone closer to God and His Son Jesus Christ.  I can tell anybody enough about how powerful this book is.  You feel the Holy Ghost so strongly through the simple words on it's pages.  This Book is From God!!  The good feelings you get from reading the book are indescribable.  If you want to come closer to God and our Savior, this book will do just that more than anything else.

I want everyone to know that I know the Book of Mormon is true.  For me, my witness didn't come in one night at one particular moment of my life.  For me it came in bits and pieces, like a puzzle.  As I came to read and study its words truth was revealed to me at the rate that was perfect for me.  This continued for years until the thought came to my head "You know it's true, you have always known it is true."  I urge everyone from the bottom of my heart to simply read the book.  It's so simple, pick it up and read it.  Read it to come closer to God, read it for understanding, read it humbly so that the Holy Ghost can tell you if it is true.  I testify the truthfulness of Moroni's promise, God will answer you!!  Just give it a try, see what it can do in your life.

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.  And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." Moroni 10:3-5

My Christmas Blog Post



Temple Square at Christmas

It's the Christmas season so therfore it is required to make a blog post about Christmas.  So in order to prevent myself from becoming a Scrooge or a Grinch, I shall do such.

Living only 20 miles from down town Salt Lake City and having a dad that works in the office tower across the street from the temple have a couple of benefits.  One of which is the opportunity our family has almost every year to go and see the Christmas lights at temple square.





Temple Squre from Above

As you can see there are many attractions on temple square.  One of which is the visitors center which is circled in red.  It's an amazing building with so many pictures of Christ and various displays of Bible and Book of Mormon prophets.  It even has a very large model map of the city Jerusalem back when Christ was on the earth and where everything is.

After walking around with my family, looking at all the lights and all the buildings, our final stop is usually this same visitor center.  Then after looking at all the various cool displays and models do we reach my most favorite part of the building.

Jesus Christ in Visitor Center

In the main circular room stands an amazing statue of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  The walls of this room are of the celestial heavens, of stars and the earth and the glories of the night sky.  He stands there pure and magnificent, with open arms waiting to receive those who will come unto Him.  His hands bear the imprint of the nails which peirced His hands as He willingly gave His life for us on the cross.  Every time I enter that amazing place, tears fill my eyes as I look into His eyes and see the love that He has for me and all of us.

This is what Christmas is about, Jesus Christ.  It's as simple as that, it's about the Savior.  It is our the time of year we have to celebrate His magnificent birth.  Without His coming into the world and His suffering we wouldn't be able to return to our Father in Heaven.  May we remember through all the hectic hussle and bussle of the Christmas season that we reflect on that marvelous event. 

"For behold, I say unto you there be many things to come; and behold, there is one thing which is of more importance than they all - for behold, the time is not far distant that the Redeemer liveth and cometh among his people." - Alma 7:7



Nativity Scene at Temple Square Reflection Pool



The Salt Lake Temple

I was born and raised in Utah and have been there all my life. For fourteen years my family lived only twenty miles north of Salt Lake City. My dad works in down town Salt Lake so I have had many opportunities to go down there. Temple Square was and still is one of my favorite spots to go in the city. I have always grown up so close to the Salt Lake temple and it has a special place in my heart. Here's a little bit more information on the Salt Lake Temple.

Salt Lake Temple Time Line:

1847 July 28: Salt Lake Temple site is identified.
1853 February 14: Ground-breaking ceremony is held. April 6: Cornerstones are laid.
1855 July 23: Foundation is completed.
1857 June: First basement floor stones are laid.
1858 May: Foundation is covered to resemble a plowed field.
1860 Foundation is uncovered.
1862 Portions of foundation are replaced.
1867 Salt Lake Temple walls appear above ground for first time.
1873 April 4: First train brings stones from quarry for Salt Lake Temple.
1892 April 6: Capstone is laid.
1893 April 6: Salt Lake Temple is dedicated.


It took 40 years to build this amazing structure! It required a lot of sacrifices from the Saints. Why did they go to such lengths to build it? Becuase the blessings of the temple are real. The temple is built in a way that it resembles a fortress. That's symbolic because the temple is a fortress, a sanctuary from the things of the world. It's the Lord's house and within the Lord's house we can find comfort and peace from the things outside. I love the temple and the blessings they hold. I know this Church is true and the Savior Jesus Christ is real.


Photo's of Salt Lake Temple:

(East Towers)

(Assembly Hall)

(Celestial Room)

Every Window, Every Spire Speaks of the Things of God:http://lds.org/liahona/1993/11/every-window-every-spire-speaks-of-the-things-of-god?lang=eng&query=Salt+Lake+City+Temple

The Comfort of the Gospel

This is why I love modern day prophets. Through them God can say to us what we need to here in this day and age. We live in a time where the demands of life press down upon us more than they ever have before. At times I feel that I'm stretched to the point where I feel like breaking. But we aren't alone in this endeavour. Having faith in the eternal perspective gives me such great hope and comfort in my life. The Gospel of Jesus Christ carries me through these difficult times. It is what gives me the peace and comfort I need to live in this world and be who I am and become who I need to be. Through learning and living this Gospel, we will find the strength to overcome any challenge life may throw at us. I know this to be true.

"Perfection comes not in this life, but in the next life. Don't demand things that are unreasonable. But demand of yourself improvement. As you let the Lord help you, through that He will make the difference." - Elder Russell M. Nelson

3 Steps to an Answered Prayer

I love formulas, or step by step equations that can be used to solve every kind of problem. It's how my mind works I guess. So for me it's so cool to see God give us these kinds of equations or formulas to help us in every day life.

I was reading in 1st Nephi of the Book of Mormon and I found this simple yet powerful formula for receiving an answer to your prayer. In 1st Nephi 11 verse 1 we read

"For it came to pass after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart I was caught away in the Spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceedingly high mountain, which I never had before seen, and upon which I never had before set my foot."

Nephi wanted to see the things his father saw in visions. So he asks God in prayer if he can have this desire. And as a result his prayer was answered, through the use of this formula.

Step 1: Have a desire to receive an answer. Nephi had a desire to see the things his father saw. Simple enough but important enough.

Step 2: Believe and have faith God will answer your prayer. As it says in that verse, you need to have faith, God can't answer you if you believe He can't.

Step 3: Ponder, or put forth the effort to study things out. Nephi pondered what his dad said about his visions. He tried to make sense of them in his mind and probably did some study to help him understand.

Desire + Faith + Effort (pondering, study) = Answered Prayer

Nephi applied this principle and received a glorious answer (read 1st Nephi 11 to find out). We can all find answers to our prayers. God is willing to bless us and communicate with us, we just need to talk to Him. If we really have a desire to know something, develop faith in His ability to answer us, and put forth all the effort we can into our answer, God will answer you. I know this to be true. I know God loves each and everyone one of us and we all can receive answers to our prayers.

Puzzling Thoughts

"A testimony is a witness or confirmation of eternal truth impressed upon individual hearts and souls through the Holy Ghost, whose primary ministry is to testify of truth, particularly as it relates to the Father and the Son." - Elder M. Russell Ballard

I tried to describe a testimony at it's basics and Elder Ballard really nailed it. But sometimes I wonder how do you gain a testimony. I don't believe anybody wouldn't want such a testimony and witness of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. So how does one gain such a testimony?

My dad taught me this simple truth in many different ways. Imagine your testimony is like a puzzle. How do you put a puzzle together? Well obviously piece by piece. Step by step you place the pieces together one at a time to construct an entire picture. Our testimonies are built the same way. You don't gain a testimony all at once, but rather over time and piece by piece.

Those pieces you add to your testimony puzzle come from many different things. Reading the scriptures, you add a piece. You pray sincerely to your Father in Heaven, there's another piece. You pay tithing, there's another piece. You attend sacrament meeting, another piece. The list goes on and on. It's not the acts themselves that provide a piece, it's the Spirit that is felt that confirms the truthfulness of what happened. The the Spiritual things you experience as you keep and live God's commandments and diligently seek Him out are those pieces you add to your testimony puzzle.

For example, my father owned a motorcylce when he was in his youth. He was riding home one day on this motorcycle and was going pretty fast down the road. As he was riding a quite but powerful voice filled his mind and heart. It said "Slow Down". He thought about but really didn't listen to it. He heard it again, "Slow Down". This time he listened to the prompting. As he began to slow the bike's back tire blew. Huge chunks of rubber went flying and one of them caught in the chain. The bike started to fishtail and swerve all over the road. However my dad was able to maintain enough control of the bike and was able to stop on the side of the road. If he hadn't of slowed down, I don't think I would be here.

The Spirit is real and you can experience such promptings. But those experiences don't give you a testimony all at once. This thing that happened to my dad added a huge piece to his testimony puzzle. We can add such pieces to our testimonies if we do the right things. May we strive to do all the rights things so we can add more and more to our testimony puzzle.

It Will Get Better Once it Stops Hurting

That statement always makes me laugh. It's one of my Grandpaisms my Grandpa Hess always likes to say. He always says funny things like "Kill to stones with one bird", or if you fall down "Come over here and I'll help you up". But the saying "It will get better once it stops hurting" really has some truth if you think about it.

Life's tough sometimes. There's nothing really around that fact. Sometimes during life we experience some pretty hard times. Trials and tribulations are to be expected, but that doesn't make them anymore less painful. We face so many different kinds of trials like sickness, death, depression, loneliness, guilt, family issues, finance problems, learning problems, etc, etc, etc. The list goes on and on. At times we seem to be thrown a never ending string of them that doesn't look like it will let up. Each of us individually face our own personal demons that turn life into this gauntlet of pain. Life isn't fair; it's not a cake walk; life is hard. In Matthew 5:45, the Savior says "he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Good things happen to bad and good people, bad things happen to bad and good people. Life is hard. But there is hope.

We have a loving Heavenly Father and we are His children. He loves each and every one of his children. That is why we are here on earth. He wants for us to receive all that He has. His purpose is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." He has provided us this opportunity to learn and progress so we can be more like him. We are here on earth to be tried and tested, and that means sometimes things aren't going to be very pleasant.

Life is a refiners fire. Trials are those hot flames that lick and scourge us. But through those flames we melt off the imperfections we possess. We burn off the portions of our lives that need to be removed. It's not fun, it's not pleasant, and it hurts at times. But the end result is something pure and sweet, beautiful and incorruptible. Orson F. Whitney said "No pain that we suffer, no trial that we experience is wasted. It ministers to our education, to the development of such qualities as patience, faith, fortitude, and humility....It is through sorrow and suffering, toil and tribulation, that we gain the education that we came here to acquire." And we aren't suppose to go through them alone.

2nd Corinthians 1:3-5 says "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort. Who comforteth us in our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God. For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ."

God is there and so is His Son Jesus Christ. Just like any parent or sibling, they want to help their sons and daughters, brothers and sister get through anything that they are struggling with. We can find hope and comfort in our afflictions in our Savior. I know this to be true. Through them we can get through anything.

So what do we need to do to receive this help? First we need to ask for it. Prayer is essential for help during trials. I remember one experience in my life that really helped me out. I was on a scout river kanoing trip in Wyoming. All of our equipment was stored in these five gallon buckets and tied down in the middle of the kanoe. Due to bad planning on my part the sleeping bag I chose wasn't quite the right size for the bucket so the lid didn't close all the way. Despite my most desperate attempts, our kanoe got swamped as our leaders and fellow scouts had fun trying to sink everybody else while going down the river. When we finally got to shore to camp the night I inevitably found my sleeping bag soaked with water. I tried to let it dry out before the sun set but still it was pretty damp by the time night came. A cold Wyoming night in the wilderness in a wet sleeping bag didn't exactly add up to a good nights sleep. I crawled into my bag and immediately the cold sapped the heat from my body. I shivered and shivered and things got colder and colder. I was out of options that night, I had no where else to turn. "I could potentially die tonight" was what I was thinking. I needed help. In my cold, damp sleeping bag I rolled over and offered a silent prayer to my Father in Heaven. I asked Him so desperately that this would seem so insignificant to everything else that was going on in the world but I really needed to be warm so I could sleep. After I ended my prayer immediately warmth ran throughout my body. The shivering stopped and I relaxed. I was able to sleep that night so peacefully and warmly than I ever thought possible. I know God answers prayers. During our times of affliction, I promise that if you call upon God for aide He will answer.

Along with prayer, your scripture study can be such a source of inspiration and strength to you. Christ when he was on the earth was always healing those who were in needed. Any sort of affliction or sickness he healed. He could heal people miles away, just by His words. Christ's words have the power to heal. So why should the scriptures be any different? Scriptures have the power to heal and strengthen us. There are so many good things hidden in the scriptures that will speak just to you for exactly what you might be going through. So when in doubt, scripture it out!!

As I've said before, trials are tough, but they are necessary. The Lord hasn't designed these trials for you to go through alone. Christ gave up His life to give us the greatest gift of the Atonement. He has gone through all our pains, sorrows, afflictions, and sins. He knows what you are going through more than we can imagine. That makes Him the only one who can really comfort us in times like trials. When we need Him most, He will come and bear us up. Push forward through whatever life throws at you. Doctrine and Covenants 122 is so famous for whatever we face in life. Remember whatever we face is for our own good and will give us experience.

I hope that this will help anyone who is going through anything hard in life. Remember prayer and scripture study. By small and simple things are great things come to pass. And remember, it will feel better once it stops hurting.

President Uchtdorf said "Often the deep valleys of our present will be understood only by looking back on them from the mountains of our future experience. Often we can't see the Lord's Hand in our lives until long after trails have passed. Often the most difficult times of our lives are essential building blocks that form the foundation of our character and pave the way to future opportunity, understand, and happiness."

Here are some tips from Elder Wirthlin that will help through trials.