The Reason to Go Back

Por tanto, quisiera que fueseis firmes e inmutables, siempre abundando en buenas obras para que Cristo, el Señor Dios Omnipotente, pueda ^asellaros como suyos, a fin de que seáis llevados al cielo, y tengáis salvación sin fin, y vida eterna mediante la sabiduría, y poder, y justicia, y misericordia de aquel que ^bcreó todas las cosas en el cielo y en la tierra, el cual es Dios sobre todo. Amén.

Mosíah 5: 15

I would like to take the time today to tell a story which I know will fortify your faith, because it did so to mine. This weekend I had the chance to return to my mission, to visit with converts and old friends from a time that in many ways seems a lifetime ago. I was joyed to see so many progress in the the Gospel, and for the Church to grow as it has in Brooklyn, Queens, and on Long Island since my last visit two years ago, and even more since I first stepped off the plane at LaGuardia Airport over five years ago. Peoples' lives were moving along just as mine was, but love based on the condition of service in the name of the Lord weighed out the awkward moments. This was all well and good, but not the story of the day.

The story that ruled the day was that of Wendy, a convert of four months in the Riverhead Second Branch. From Guatemala, Wendy speaks no English but was brought into the Church via efforts by Spanish-speaking missionaries and members alike. As I got to know her, the Brother Edwards (first counselor in the branch presidency whom I am proud to call an old friend) approached us, and asked if I would translate while he interviewed her, to which I obliged. It was clear that Wendy had a trusted Brother Edwards, but was still in desperate need of a translator.

As he spoke to her, it was clear that he was extending her a call to serve. It was her first calling, a small but important responsibility; she called to serve on the activities committee, to help plan activities, to act as a liaison for the Spanish speakers in the branch, and to invite her non-member friends to the activities as they came. With each word that Brother Edwards spoke, Wendy had her eyes intently fixed on his expression, trying to make out meaning to his foreign method of speech; with each word that I translated, her eyes became aglow with a confirmation of what she suspected he was saying. Yes, she was being called to serve in her very first calling, and she all but jumped for joy in acceptance of the new responsibility she would soon receive. To date I had never seen anyone accept a calling with such zeal, and I know that I never have become so excited. Truly, callings are something that I have often taken for granted, and I am glad to have learned a lesson from Wendy.

After the interview was over, Wendy told me how she was so happy to be a part of this Church, so grateful to have found it, and that she will never leave for as long as she lives. What great faith and excitement for a convert of only four months!

...

A week ago I spoke with a friend at one of the many social events in my single's ward, and mentioned that I would be visiting my mission. She asked me what I thought I would get out of it, to which I balked a little, because I did not really know why i was going, aside from the fact that I should take advantage of the close proximity while I still had the chance. The above story, which occurred a mere hour and a half before I was to leave, is the reason I found. It wasn't found in converts and old friends who knew me years ago, and who loved me now in spite of not really knowing who I've become; it was found in the person who never knew me, but who needed me in the same moment in time when I needed her. Wendy unknowingly testified to me that the work goes on, and that it is not mine, but has always belonged to the Savior of us all.

The above scripture is a quote of the great King Benjamin, exhorting his people and all of us in turn to be steadfast and immovable, always abounding in good works so that Christ might give us all that he has. How grateful am I for the tender mercies of the Lord, which help me remain like a rock. How grateful am I to be an instrument in the Lord's hands, or in the very least strive to be one. I invite us all to strive, and to look for those opportunities to feel the Lord's tender mercies on a daily basis. I know that as we do so, we will be blessed beyond measure, and I know this because I have felt it in my own life. That is the reason. That is what life is all about.

Have a great week!

On Being Willing

Behold, the Lord requireth the heart and a willing mind; and the willing

and obedient shall eat the good of the land of Zion in these last days.
Doctrine and Covenants 64:34

I would like to focus my thoughts this week on a question that can be gleaned from the above passage. What does it mean to be "willing?" How do we know that our hearts are in tune with the Lord?
One answer to this is a simple response that I received from one of my home teachees less than two days ago; he said that we know we are on the right track when we receive a confirmation from the Spirit, a peace that is spoken to our mind and hearts (see D&C 6:23). So, perhaps a better question is, how do we get there?

This can be answered as we answer the original question on what it really means to be "willing." First off, we know that willingness precedes some sort of action, as is manifest in many different examples (see Mosiah 18:9, Moroni 4:3, D&C 97:8 for a few). In the scriptures, these actions almost always involve coming closer to God, most often through sacred covenants. Sacred covenants are made effective through our faith to follow them, and therefore willingness must needs be a product of faith; this is a faith that "everything will turn out okay," that Heavenly Father's richest blessings will become manifest in our lives if we serve him, and keep our covenants. In its purest form, this faith sees trials as chances for growth, as trials were always a part of the deal. As an example, take the baptismal covenant, as described by the prophet Alma:

And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light;

Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—

Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments, that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you? (Mosiah 18:8-10)

Let it be known today that "mourn[ing] with those who mourn," "comfort[ing] those that stand in need of comfort," and "stand[ing] as a witness of God at all times and in all things" takes work, perhaps even more than we ever would have contemplated going into it. I think that this is part of the Plan, however, as our faith is only strengthened as we put it through the refiner's fire.

A tangible example and symbol of this is my CTR ring, pictured above and at left. If one looks closely, one sees gnarled metal and stripped paint. A look at the back side reveals scratches and a misshapen circle as the result of being worn every day for roughly the last seven years. Perhaps the wear and tear that would come upon it were numbered, but most likely not. However, if we look back upon its face, we can see that the ring still portrays the iconic Mormon message, fulfilling the measure of its creation. I still get many people in and outside of the Church who ask me about my ring, and for those not familiar with what it represents, it provides me an opportunity to speak on the beauty that the Gospel brings. There is a great type in this story, being that as we take upon ourselves the name of Christ and enter into covenants, we may not possibly understand what type of commitment that will really entail, but if we have faith the Lord will use us until our time in this mortal sphere has reached its conclusion. His image will still be on our countenances, even if we are stripped of beauty, worn down, and misshapen. I know this to be true, because I experience it every day in my life.

Let us be true to the faith that our parents have cherished, those truths for which martyrs have perished. I know that as we do so we will be blessed, and our willingness to serve and be sons and daughters of Christ will be "manifest by [our] works that [we] have received of the Spirit of Christ unto the remission of[our] sins." (D&C 20:37)

Have a great week!

Learning from Those Who Remain

I am grateful for the opportunity to share today from Chapters 8-11 of 3 Nephi. In this passage, we begin with much destruction across the face of the land, as a sign of the death of the Savior, and in part as a sanctification of the land in preparation of His appearance on the American continent. Here is an excerpt from that great and terrible scene:

And it came to pass that when the thunderings, and the lightnings, and the storm, and the tempest, and the quakings of the earth did cease—for behold, they did last for about the space of three hours; and it was said by some that the time was greater; nevertheless, all these great and terrible things were done in about the space of three hours—and then behold, there was darkness upon the face of the land.

And it came to pass that there was thick darkness upon all the face of the land, insomuch that the inhabitants thereof who had not fallen could feel the vapor of darkness;

And there could be no light, because of the darkness, neither candles, neither torches; neither could there be fire kindled with their fine and exceedingly dry wood, so that there could not be any light at all;

And there was not any light seen, neither fire, nor glimmer, neither the sun, nor the moon, nor the stars, for so great were the mists of darkness which were upon the face of the land.

And it came to pass that it did last for the space of three days that there was no light seen; and there was great mourning and howling and weeping among all the people continually; yea, great were the groanings of the people, because of the darkness and the great destruction which had come upon them.

And in one place they were heard to cry, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and then would our brethren have been spared, and they would not have been burned in that great city Zarahemla.

And in another place they were heard to cry and mourn, saying: O that we had repented before this great and terrible day, and had not killed and stoned the prophets, and cast them out; then would our mothers and our fair daughters, and our children have been spared, and not have been buried up in that great city Moronihah. And thus were the howlings of the people great and terrible. --3 Nephi 8 : 19-25

In this passage, we can observe a few things that happened to the Nephites, and then make a comparison to our own lives. First and foremost, no one was prepared for the destruction that would ensue; or better said, it is possible that no one fully comprehended the calamity that would stretch across the face of the land, even if they knew it was coming. In Chapter 9 of 3 Nephi, the voice of Christ is heard across the land, declaring the destruction that was caused to come upon them, and why:
And many great destructions have I caused to come upon this land, and upon this people, because of their wickedness and their abominations. 3 Nephi 9:12
But look further, to those who remained:

O all ye that are spared because ye were more righteous than they, will ye not now return unto me, and repent of your sins, and be converted, that I may heal you?

Yea, verily I say unto you, if ye will come unto me ye shall have eternal life. Behold, mine arm of mercy is extended towards you, and whosoever will come, him will I receive; and blessed are those who come unto me.

Behold, I am Jesus Christ the Son of God. I created the heavens and the earth, and all things that in them are. I was with the Father from the beginning. I am in the Father, and the Father in me; and in me hath the Father glorified his name.
...And ye shall offer up unto me no more the shedding of blood; yea, your sacrifices and your burnt offerings shall be done away, for I will accept none of your sacrifices and your burnt offerings.

And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit. And whoso cometh unto me with a broken heart and a contrite spirit, him will I baptize with fire and with the Holy Ghost, even as the Lamanites, because of their faith in me at the time of their conversion, were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost, and they knew it not.

Behold, I have come unto the world to bring redemption unto the world, to save the world from sin.

Therefore, whoso repenteth and cometh unto me as a little child, him will I receive, for of such is the kingdom of God. Behold, for such I have laid down my life, and have taken it up again; therefore repent, and come unto me ye ends of the earth, and be saved. 3 Nephi 9: 13-15, 19-25


To those who remained, the Savior called to repentance, that they might be sanctified further through the Atonement which he wrought. In this moment, Christ was preparing the Nephites for something greater that would come to pass. This occurs in Chapter 11, when the Savior himself appeared and ministered unto the Nephites who remained in the Land Bountiful, near the temple that was built to worship Him. I know that this happened, as I can feel it in every fiber of my being as I write of it. Christ appeared to them in a pillar of light, and declared himself as the promised Savior.



And it came to pass that when Jesus had spoken these words the whole multitude fell to the earth; for they remembered that it had been prophesied among them that Christ should show himself unto them after his ascension into heaven.

And it came to pass that the Lord spake unto them saying:

Arise and come forth unto me, that ye may thrust your hands into my side, and also that ye may feel the prints of the nails in my hands and in my feet, that ye may know that I am the God of Israel, and the God of the whole earth, and have been slain for the sins of the world.

And it came to pass that the multitude went forth, and thrust their hands into his side, and did feel the prints of the nails in his hands and in his feet; and this they did do, going forth one by one until they had all gone forth, and did see with their eyes and did feel with their hands, and did know of a surety and did bear record, that it was he, of whom it was written by the prophets, that should come.

And when they had all gone forth and had witnessed for themselves, they did cry out with one accord, saying:

Hosanna! Blessed be the name of the Most High God! And they did fall down at the feet of Jesus, and did worship him. 3 Nephi 11: 12-17

In this we see repentance and sanctification. The people were purified that they might behold the Savior of all mankind, resurrected and perfect in all ways. Note, however, that this is far from the end of the story:

And it came to pass that he spake unto Nephi (for Nephi was among the multitude) and he commanded him that he should come forth.

And Nephi arose and went forth, and bowed himself before the Lord and did ^bkiss his feet.

And the Lord commanded him that he should arise. And he arose and stood before him.

And the Lord said unto him: I give unto you power that ye shall baptize this people when I am again ascended into heaven. --3 Nephi 11:19-21

Christ goes on to call upon Nephi to be the chief among a new quorum of apostles, men of God with the authority to act in his name, performing the duties that Christ would perform if he were on the earth. This is the final piece: a call to serve. Although we only receive an account of Christ calling apostles, I believe that there were many other assignments made for the members of the Church to better serve others, and thereby work toward exaltation.

I hope that in reading this story you have seen a pattern, for there surely is one. We can learn from those who remained, and how they went through a progression toward their call to act and serve on behalf of the Savior. It began even before the destruction took place, as God was mindful of those he would spare, having a great love for them, and desire that they not be lost in mortality like those who would not be spared. It then went to the more righteous part of the Nephites, who were still unprepared for the trial that would come upon them. Nevertheless, they were able to endure the storms, tempests, and earthquakes, as well as the great mists of darkness that overcame them. They passed through regret for their sins, and were reassured that there indeed was hope for something greater. They repented of their sins, and were sanctified, and the Savior appeared unto them, and called them to serve. So, in sum:

LACK of PREPARATION
STORMS, TEMPESTS, EARTHQUAKES
SURVIVAL
DARKNESS
REGRET/REASSURANCE
REPENTANCE
SANCTIFICATION
CALLING

May we all think on where we are in this progression, and how we can move forward, diligently serving in the end. Have a great week!

Happy Birthday! A year in review

Today is officially my 52nd post on this blog, which excites me for new conceptualizations to come. I'd like to take the time here to talk a little bit about myself, and where I've gone in the last year. I hope you enjoy this break from protocol, and I hope hearing the story of Weekly Conceptualizations will inspire you to go out and serve.

And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people, and bring, save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him
in the kingdom of my Father!

And now, if your joy will be great with one soul that you have brought unto me into the kingdom of my Father, how great will be your joy if you should bring many souls unto me!
Doctrine & Covenants 18:1-16

The scripture above is the crux of the whole blog. I don't think that I have used the blog to declare repentance unto others, but I hope it has inspired someone somewhere at some time to be better. I created Weekly Conceptualizations because I was looking for a way to be better myself, to get more out of my scripture study, which I have found in the last year to truly be the hinge point upon my level of spirituality on a day-to-day basis. The scriptures are true, as are the words expressed by modern prophets. I chose this arena to express my feelings about the words of prophets old and new because I knew people would see it, and that would provide me the opportunity to serve in a capacity that I as of yet had not experienced. I offer my apology; this blog is truly a selfish pursuit.

With that said, I also apologize for the waxing and waning that has occurred from week to week. Some posts have been grand discourses; others have been simple thoughts and testimonies. It would be my desire to write a grand discourse every week, but I can only write as much as what I prepare for. It is easier to prepare when the Spirit is present, as creativity and talent seem to reach a leading edge, almost seamlessly producing an outcome that can only be described as spiritual. This spiritual "flow" is the ideal; however, it is not always reality.

For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things. If not so, my first-born in the wilderness, righteousness could not be brought to pass, neither wickedness, neither holiness nor misery, neither good nor bad. Wherefore, all things must needs be a compound in one; wherefore, if it should be one body it must needs remain as dead, having no life neither death, nor corruption nor incorruption, happiness nor misery, neither sense nor insensibility.
2 Nephi 2:11

I have felt opposition in the past year, and it is reflected in my ability to better serve. This blog has endured three time zones, three callings, countless home teaching visits, and many a Sunday too tired to write. Over the last ten months it has endured being relegated to the time in between breakfast and four to five hours of church sandwiched between two or more hours of travel. This blog has endured culture shock, being overworked and underpaid, and long days away from refuge, both spiritual and physical. I have been through a lot over the last year, but I am consoled by this scripture, which I feel I can apply to myself:

My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions
shall be but a small moment;

And then, if thou endure it well, God shall exalt thee on high; thou shalt triumph
over all thy foes.

Thy friends do stand by thee, and they shall
hail thee again with warm hearts and friendly hands.

Thou art not yet as Job; thy friends do not contend against thee,
neither charge thee with transgression, as they did Job.

And they who do charge thee with transgression, their hope shall be blasted, and their prospects shall melt away as the hoar frost melteth before the burning rays of the rising sun;

...

And if thou shouldst be cast into the pit, or into the hands of murderers, and the sentence of death passed upon thee; if thou be cast into the deep; if the billowing surge conspire against thee; if fierce winds become thine enemy; if the heavens gather blackness, and all the elements combine to hedge up the way; and above all, if the very jaws of hell shall gape open the mouth wide after thee, know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good.

The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?

Therefore, hold on thy way, and the priesthood shall remain with thee; for their bounds are set, they cannot pass. Thy days are known, and thy years shall not be numbered less; therefore, fear not what man can do, for God shall be with you forever and ever.
Doctrine & Covenants 121: 7-11; 122: 7-9

These things give me hope for a brighter day. And yes, my hope is bright. I started this blog with that idea, that hope is measured in brightness, that how bright our hope is reflects the level to which we have the Spirit at any given time. If we have the Spirit in greater abundance, then our hope is brighter. Hope is in future events, based in faith on true principles. Thus, a " Perfect Brightness of Hope" (see 2 Nephi 31:20) can be interpreted to be the level to which the Spirit enlightens one's understanding of the principles in which they already have faith.


It is my prayer that we who are tired, downtrodden, and having a hard time might have hope for a brighter day. I KNOW that brighter days are ahead for all of us. How can I know this in spite of a lack of knowledge of every person's personal circumstances? Simple. It comes through the knowledge that I have that Jesus is the Christ, and that He as a perfect man wrought the Atonement on behalf of the imperfect, which constitutes all of us. I know that if we apply the Atonement in our lives, we will be granted strength to withstand trials and that we will be able to gain that inheritance which we so long for. My message a year ago was much the same, and I reckon it will continue to be the same. Like Nephi, my soul delights in plainness. It is my prayer that ths week and every week we may be simple, looking toward the Savior that we might live.

Have a great week!