Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.            Mosiah 4:9

This scripture always brings comfort to me to know that we are watched after by someone so great, so powerful, and so loving. We don't know why he does all things but we do know that he knows everything, and also knows us personally.

You got to COME ORIGINAL!

311

Come Original

You got to
You got to

You got to come original you got to come original
all entertainers come original
you got to come original you got to come original
all entertainers
hear why

To come original it ain't nothin' strange
you got to represent you got come full range an'
full range of emotion full range of styles
when you come to town you'll have them comin' for miles and

Come original you got to come original
all entertainers come original
you got to come original you got to come original
all entertainers
hear why
Yes why don't we hear why we should come original?

Romans 8:16

The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:

God is our Heavenly Father and we are all His children. We are UNIQUE to Him. We are all given different talents and gifts. For example, me, i've been given many different gifts and talents than you have. You have been given many different gifts and talents than I have. What fun would the earth life be if we were all the same person with the same personalities, same looks, same everything? It wouldn't be miserable. We should always act like ourselves. And also accept others for themselves also. That's the way that God wants it to be. 

You are great. You are amazing. Always tell yourself that. And tell others that too. That's what God says to us all the time. We just need to recognize it.

Just doing some snowboarding

I love to go snowboarding. Some of the favorite ski resorts i've been to are The Canyons resort in Park City, Utah. Snowbird and Brighton near Salt Lake City, Utah.  Last of all, Sundance resort by Provo (pretty close to my house).  Way fun ski resorts. Thing about them is they're all unique and different from each other. Some bigger, some smaller. Others more difficult. But they usually have easy runs and hard runs. All graded on different scales. Green being easiest, blue being the next, black diamond being difficult, and double black diamond most difficult. As beginners, you would usually stay in the green or blue. Thats where you feel comfortable and gain experience. After you have mastered the basics, then you can go onto the harder things like the black diamonds.

Snowboarding can relate to the gospel. The experience we gain while snowboarding is like building our testimony. We don't start out on the black diamonds. We build on the basics and the simple things. Like the green and blue runs. After we have mastered the basics. Faith, repentance, baptism, Holy Ghost, and enduring to the end. Then we can go onto bigger things. It's always good to refresh yourself on the simple things though. In the name of Jesus Christ amen.

Hope of the Resurrection

In the book of Job poses a question "If a man die shall he live again?" Most certainly. Why is the resurrection so essential to know about in this life?
The other day I went to the doctor and i've had these dry skin patches on my body. Something called psoriasis. He told me that i've had it for my whole life and I will continue to have it for the rest of my life. I was pretty bummed but it's not a big deal. Comparitive to cancer or diabetes it looks like nothing. But as I thought about it when we we're done planning, an answer came into my mind. The resurrection of course. A thing so vital about the gospel that I didn't even think of. All of our pains and our sicknesses on earth will be done away with in the resurrection when we obtain our perfect bodies.
 Alma 40:23 The soul shall be restored to the body, and the body to the soul; yea, and every limb and joint shall be restored to its body; yea, even a hair of the head shall not be lost; but all things shall be restored to their proper and perfect frame.
I know this thing I have will be gone. I will have a perfect body in the resurrection. This is possible because our Savior was resurrected.
 Job 19:25 For I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth:

You are never alone

One night I had a dream--
I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord
and across the sky flashed scenes from my life.
For each scene I noticed two sets of footprints,
one belonged to me and the other to the Lord.
When the last scene of my life flashed before me,
I looked back at the footprints in the sand.
I noticed that many times along the path of my life,
there was only one set of footprints.
I also noticed that it happened at the very lowest
and saddest times in my life.
This really bothered me and I questioned the Lord about it.
"Lord, you said that once I decided to follow you,
you would walk with me all the way,
but I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life
there is only one set of footprints.
"I don't understand why in times when I needed you most,
you should leave me."
The Lord replied, "My precious, precious child,
I love you and I would never, never leave you
during your times of trial and suffering.
"When you saw only one set of footprints,
it was then that I carried you."

...Mary Stevenson

This is my favorite poem. It describes the Savior and His love for all of us. At times we may think that we are alone. But we're truly wrong. Maybe we just don't recognize that He is with us. Ways that we may know that He is is through prayer and learning of His ways in the scriptures. I know that he is the good shepherd that knows each of us by name. He knows if we're prone to wander from the fold. He feels our pains, goes through our trials and tribulations. He is a beautiful savior.

“Brothers and sisters, one of the great consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path—the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heaven, family members on both sides of the veil, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends” (Jeffrey R. Holland).

Lord, show us the Father, and it sufficeth us

It seems in these days of craziness, people are never satisfied. I find myself being part of this unsatisfaction. For example, my first ipod. I loved it so much. Listened to it 24 hours a day (literally). It couldn't have been a month later that the ipod videos came out. Suddenly mine just wasn't good enough to do. I find it to be out dated. This is just the way we work.
Being on my mission, it still exists. Everyday we teach about Christ, how his church has been restored, and the Book of Mormon.
Moroni, the last prophet in the Book of Mormon gives a promise:

4And 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.

 5And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things.

It's by the Holy Ghost that we recieve answers and truth. How does the Holy Ghost feel?

In Galatians 5:22-23, Paul speaks of how it feels:

22But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,

 23Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

Many people who find their answer act on it. Eventually coming to know the love of God and his commandments. On the other hand there are those who recieve the answer and are not satisfied. They want more! Seemingly they always want more evidence. Whether it's to see the plates, for God to show them a sign. But even signs are most time not enough.

In D&C 62:8-10, the Lord speaks about signs and who recieves them:

 8Verily, I say unto you, there are those among you who seek signs, and there have been such even from the beginning;

 9But, behold, faith cometh not by signs, but signs follow those that believe.

 10Yea, signs come by faith, not by the will of men, nor as they please, but by the will of God.

It all starts with the small things. Trusting in Gods answers and believing those feelings are real, and are from Him.

Phillip, the Lords apostle exclaimed,"Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us". Let us not ask for signs but let us be satisfied and trust in the smaller answers that our Father in heaven gives us. Then will we have a better knowledge and understanding of God.

The Great Apostasy

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He set up a church.  In Matthew 16:16 Jesus explains to Peter how he will build His church upon the rock of revelation.

18And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

In Ephesians 2:20, Paul explains how the church is set up.

 19Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellowcitizens with the saints, and of the household of God;

 20And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone;

This is how the basics of the church is set up. Overtime the Jews became angry with Christ. They rejected Him and His teachings. They would crucify Him. Later they would come after His apostles. Eventually leading to no priesthood authority on the earth. Leading to what would later be known as the dark ages.

325 A.D. Emperor Constantine, ruler of Rome at the time saw these people arguing of what Christ taught. Debating of who God really is, how ordinances such as baptism should be performed. He set up a group of men who voted for these different doctrines. To be known as the Nicene Creed. In years to come, other creeds would be created.

Things became very corrupt. Many people changed the church for their own benefit.

Paul speaks of this in 2 Timothy 4:3-4.

3For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears;

 4And they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables.

People saw that these things were wrong, such as Martin Luther. He nailed 95 theses to the door of the church explaining what was corrupt. Such theses included paying money for forgiveness of sins. William Tyndale translating the Bible in english so that the common man could read it.

Many other people, inspired by God, reformed the church as best as they could. These men would be paving a path that would bring the Church of Jesus Christ back onto the earth again.

http://lds.org/liahona/2005/03/what-had-to-happen?lang=eng&query=Martin+Luther

The Sacrament

Matthew 26:26-28: And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.

Every week we have the opportunity to partake of this sacred ordinance which Jesus performed when on the earth. Symbolic of His death. We remember Him and the things He has done for us. His suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane, and dying on the cross. Such wonderful love he has for us.

Now what does he expect of us?

In Moroni 4:3, Moroni gives the prayer for the sacrament. He prays:

O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this bread to the souls of all those who partake of it; that they may eat in remembrance of the body of thy Son, and witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they are willing to take upon them the name of thy Son, and always remember him, and keep his commandments which he hath given them.

So he lists things we should do.

1. Willing to take the name of Jesus upon themselves

2. Remember Jesus and the things that he's done for us

3. Keep the commandments

If we do these things we will always have His spirit to be with us. I know the sacrament to be a very important part of church and why we actually go to church. As we do the things above our lives can be filled with joy. True joy and happiness. Not as the world gives but as God does. In the name of our savior Jesus Christ Amen.

The Dunes

Back home I did quite a bit of ATV riding. I rode my dads Yamaha Raptor. It was a good wheeler. Did most of my riding with family and friends. But mostly friends.

There is a place in Utah just outside of Nephi called the Little Sahara. When we would get enough money we would travel out there and go ride for the weekend, or whenever we had the day off.

On top of the dunes is where all the fun is. We would look for some jumps to show off on. Find some bowls to top out our ATVs on.

When your riding on the sand you never know whats going to be in your path or destination. There are lots of potholes and unlevel ground which can make you wreck. It's very humiliating, especially in front of friends. It has happened way too much in my experience. But these things only make you a better rider. Because next time you know how to handle, or avoid the situation.

So how can we relate this to our lives?

We are the driver on the ATV. The sand dunes is our life thats ahead of us. We have lots of smooth riding, we have fun, and enjoy the presence of friends and family. But sometimes we hit those potholes in life. We get injured and hurt. We'll wreck in front of our friends and be embarrassed. But these potholes in our life are there for a reason. They help us learn and grow. So next time your in the area you know what to avoid. Just like trials. Some you can't help. Your always going to find new ones. But we can avoid the ones that we've seen and experienced. I know that God has a reason for putting trials and tribulations in our lives. It's to help us learn. That's what this earth life is about. We can have fun in life. You just can't focus on the wrecks and injuries.

The Kite Of Life

Monday is our preparation day. That is the day we get things done like laundry, cleaning, etc. Afterwards we all went and played basketball. Elder Cabral getting bored of being schooled in basketball decides to fly a kite. But when he had it all unraveled and let it go, it didn't fly. Scratching his head he figured he needed some wind. Without wind the kite won't go anywhere!

This is relative to our lives. Without adversity we can't go anywhere. Lehi explains this while speaking to his son Jacob...

Nevertheless, Jacob, my first-born in the wilderness, thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain.

With those adversities in life God can help us reach our full potential. It is hard. Never said it would be easy. Satan is always unleashing his temptations on us. He makes us think that things aren't possible. With God all things are possible.

As we rely on Christ the rock of our salvation. We can fly high!

May 21, 2011

I've been hearing this date for a while now. May 21st 2011. I'd like to share something out of the New Testament that Jesus shared himself...
Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

 And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

 They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

 But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

 While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

 And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

 Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

 And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

 But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

 And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

 Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

 But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

 Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

We will have to wait and be prepared because we don't know when he'll come. He can come tomorrow for all we know. Jesus said "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only".
Just be ready!

The Leap of Faith

Might I say that Travis Pastrana is an amazing motorcycle rider! It's unbelievable some of the things that he is able to perform on a dirtbike. I used to watch a television show called Nitro Circus of which he is the main star. Watching in aw as he jumps from roof to roof having hundreds of feet below him. As showed in the picture on the right popping a backflip over a helicopter! Who is this guy? Is he for real? Never in my dreams could I do something so daring or spectacular. It seems when he is faced with a new jump or challenge that he steps up and nails it.

How i'm going to relate this to our lives today is building faith and testimony. Travis started out from the bottom. He didn't magically gain this power. He started from the ground to the top learning "line upon line and precept upon precept"(2 Nephi 28:30). I'm sure when he started out he wouldn't dare to jump a helicopter. It's simply little by little.

It's the same way with our faith. We have to learn one step at a time. Ways to strengthen our faith would be first to have scripture study,second, pray continually and build a relationship with our Father in Heaven, and third, to do good works always. As stated in James ch. 2:17-18 "Faith without works is dead". I'm sure Travis read a couple books on the scientific part of motorcycles and learning the best way to jump. But mostly he learned by going out and riding his dirtbike. Same thing with us we must go out and do good works and that is where our faith will grow most. For with God nothing is impossible. I leave this in the name of Jesus Christ amen. 

Mothers Day

A mother is the truest friend we have, when trials heavy and sudden, fall upon us; when adversity takes the place of prosperity; when friends who rejoice with us in our sunshine desert us; when trouble thickens around us, still will she cling to us, and endeavor by her kind precepts and counsels to dissipate the clouds of darkness, and cause peace to return to our hearts.  ~Washington Irving
I love you so much mom. I'm grateful for all the things you help me with in my life. I'm counting the seconds till I can talk to you guys! I miss you lots.
Love your firstborn son, Elder Geoff Merrell

Halo

Taking a journey into the world of Halo. When you play Halo you are Master Chief. He is a character in who kills a lot of alien critters. You play through many different levels in the game. Some that you breeze through and some which want you to throw the paddle on the floor and break your television.
Something that has risen to my mind when playing campaign mode is those awful little creatures called "Grunts".

While your playing the game they are really easy to kill. But they are usually persistant. Groups of them will come at you and that is when things become frustrating because they are easy to kill but yet you just can't survive.
How I relate this to our lives is the little things that come up: a person at work looks at you weird, your friend says something rude that you take offensively, your kids dont clean up their rooms! But as we solve these things with patience and take them one at a time we can become less angry with people and ourselves. As we read and study the word of God we can feel free and happy. Find a sanctuary of safety and peace to pray and ask for help. So lets always have a sniper ready to head shot the "Grunts" in our lives!

The Longboard Of Life.

One of my good hobbies back home is longboarding. I would go to Provo Canyon start at Vivian Park, ride down to the mouth of Provo Canyon with my friends.
As your going down there is very pretty scenery. There is pine trees, wildlife and you pass by Bridal Veil Falls very gorgeous waterfalls. You've got to ride a little bit slower to see the beauty. Longboards can go as fast as they want. It can all be a blur if you never slow down.
So where i'm going with this is that we are riding the longboard. The trail is our life. Slowing down will help us see the beauty of it all. The joys of life. There really is joy to life. Thats why we're here. Going as fast as you can down the trail can lose those precious moments of happiness. The moments that really matter.
It has and is being told to us by the prophets today to slow down and take it easy. Lets follow there counsel. We can take those hikes into the trees maybe have a picnic here and there. Were still going to get down to the bottom. It's my testimony that it will help our lives if we do. The stress will reduce, we will be more in tune with the spirit.
DON'T EVER LET LIFE PASS YOU BY

IT"S 311!

I would like to share with you one of my favorite bands. You might wonder why i'm posting about such a band as 311. One thing that sticks out to me about 311 is that they are positive. I think that is one thing the world struggles with today. The news is always about disasters. Rumors about wars and contentions. It's something our communities struggle with. Finding faults with people and their weaknesses. Last of all it's something our personal lives struggle with. Including me. We are always looking for what went bad that day to tell people. Looking for sympathy.

It's a good time to see how we can bring more positivity in our lives. I know that Jesus can help us with this with a thing called faith. With faith we can look at things from a different perspective than others see it as or as the world sees it. In the words of 311 "One day you'll see the clear blue, BEYOND THE GRAY SKY.

The Importance of a Modern Day Prophet

1. The prophet is the only man who speaks for the Lord in everything.

2. The living prophet is more vital to us than the standard works.

3. The living prophet is more important to us than a dead prophet.

4. The prophet will never lead the church astray.

5. The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or credentials to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time.

6. The prophet does not have to say “Thus Saith the Lord,” to give us scripture.

7. The prophet tells us what we need to know, not always what we want to know.

8. The prophet is not limited by men’s reasoning.

9. The prophet can receive revelation on any matter, temporal or spiritual.

10. The prophet may advise on civic matters.

11. The two groups who have the greatest difficulty in following the prophet are the proud who are learned and the proud who are rich.

12. The prophet will not necessarily be popular with the world or the worldly.

13. The prophet and his counselors make up the First Presidency—the highest quorum in the Church.

14. The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer.

-Ezra Taft Benson

I would like to share a song that brings great joy into my life. We may stray but He's always there for us in time of need.

The Gift of the Holy Ghost

The Gift of the Holy Ghost is one of the greatest gifts that we've been given.  Somtimes we don't recognize how important he is. As i was reading a talk given in an Ensign, it talked about the difference of the Power of the Holy Ghost and the Gift of the Holy Ghost. The Power of the Holy Ghost can come upon a man before Baptism. He can't be with them constantly but can guide them in where they need to go. Kind of like lightning in the middle of the night. There will be a few flashes in which you could reach your destination. They who have Faith in Jesus Christ, Repent, and are Baptized will recieve the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. The Gift of the Holy Ghost can be as like a flashlight. When we recieve him we can carry that flashlight around with us and constantly move to where we need to go.
John 16:7-Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.

Jesus Christ The Son Of God

I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears.

But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way.

God grant that all of us may walk in the light as God our Father is in the light so that, according to the promises, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son will cleanse us from all sin.

Bruce R. McConkie

The Love of God

Think of the purest, most all-consuming love you can imagine. Now multiply that love by an infinite amount that is the measure of God’s love for you.

God does not look on the outward appearance.  I believe that He doesn’t care one bit if we live in a castle or a cottage, if we are handsome or homely, if we are famous or forgotten. Though we are incomplete, God loves us completely. Though we are imperfect, He loves us perfectly. Though we may feel lost and without compass, God’s love encompasses us completely.

He loves us because He is filled with an infinite measure of holy, pure, and indescribable love. We are important to God not because of our résumé but because we are His children. He loves every one of us, even those who are flawed, rejected, awkward, sorrowful, or broken. God’s love is so great that He loves even the proud, the selfish, the arrogant, and the wicked.

What this means is that, regardless of our current state, there is hope for us. No matter our distress, no matter our sorrow, no matter our mistakes, our infinitely compassionate Heavenly Father desires that we draw near to Him so that He can draw near to us.

^{Dieter F. Uchtdorf}

I thought it appropriate to share a video on showing love

towards everyone you interact with especially family.

The Savior teaches us to love one another and to do kind

things. These acts of love are so important and can boost

peoples spirits and can help someone whose having a

bad day or facing trials in life. I know that as we do kind

deeds to each other that the Lord can bless us and that

we can be blessed with friendship and the Spirit at all times.

Testimony

I'd like to spend a minute and share my testimony. I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is the true church restored on the Earth today. That God the Father and Jesus Christ appeared to Joseph Smith personally. They told him that none of the churches were true.
Joseph Smith is a true prophet and that he did translate the Book of Mormon by the Power of God. We do have a prophet on Earth today. His name is Thomas S. Monson. He tells us what God wants us to know and what we should do. He and The Apostles testify of modern idolatries that destroy families and destroy lives. As we listen to them we can be safe from the wiles of Satan. That Satan has no power over us as long as we obey Gods Commandments.
God loves us. He knows everyone personally. We know this through the restored gospel as God spoke of His son Jesus proclaiming "Joseph, this is my beloved Son. Hear Him. He knows our problems and he knows our weakness's. As we let God guide our lives he can make those weak things strong.
Jesus Christ is the Son of God. He came to do the will of His Father. He loves us all that he would lay down His life for us. He wants us to return to God. We have that opportunity as we choose to obey the commandments that He's given us.
I love the Gospel and the peace that it brings and i leave my testimony in the name of Jesus Christ amen.