Role of a Prophet

"I'm glad you took the time to come here and visit, but I'm not interested. I don't believe that I need to go through a prophet to get to God."

This has been the line of thought that people have used to politely turn us away when we tell them that the Lord has called living prophets. Sometimes, when appropriate, I have asked, "Do you think I pray to the prophet?"

"Well, no."

"Do you think I worship the prophet?"

"No."

"Why, then, do you think that having a prophet on earth means I have to go through him to get to God?"

I haven't gotten any meaningful answers to these questions, because the line of thought itself is flawed. When Heavenly Father calls a prophet, He does not plan for His children to go through him.

I'd like to draw on an example from the scriptures.

And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

In time, the Lord delivered the people of Israel from slavery, and Moses, His prophet, played
a big part in the  miracle.

And Israel saw that great work which the Lord did upon the Egyptians: and the people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses.

Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, and spake, saying, I will sing unto the Lord, for he hath triumphed gloriously: the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea.

The people of Israel did not worship Moses, the Lord's prophet. They, and Moses, sang unto the Lord.

This has been the first half of my thoughts on this subject. The next half will draw on a personal example, the Israelite named Caleb. He turns up in the story I'll be looking at next time. (Reminder: His name is Caleb, my name is Caleb, thus the "personal example", eh?)

Deeper Insight

Yesterday, as I was bearing my testimony (some people call it witnessing to others) I was taught something about myself that I hadn't realized before!

My testimony is given in part on this site, but I had an expansion to it when I realized that I had been searching for something. See, from about age 12 until just before I moved out, I would go through these phases of fascination. I wouldn't call them "obsessions", but I would get very interested about one particular hobby or game for several months, than move to something else. At the time, I called them my fads.

I went through chess, go (or baduk), Rubik's Cubes, Starcraft, airsoft guns, boffering, Society for Creative Anachronism, drawing, and untold books and book series. (At least seven long series that I can think of off the top of my head.) I also read books about each of the items on this list. I also put a lot of time and thought into a book series that I myself wanted to write someday (and still do, kinda). Probably a few other things, too.

All through these years, I was an active member in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I read my scriptures pretty often, I attended Church, and said my prayers, because I felt good when I did.

I said that to say this: most of the people who go and search for something go through religions. Not me. I was already content with my religion, and had evidences of its truthfulness even at that age. But I was searching for something! It makes me laugh out loud to think of it now.

I was looking for a direction to grow, for a way to build and create new things. I wanted to build myself up and develop myself. I wanted knowledge. I wanted purpose. All of these things, and I never realized that I was even looking!

Woah! What a lightning strike when I realized that, because I have finished my search. I found it as I have served this mission for the Lord. I hadn't even noticed my fulfilled feelings until I shared my testimony with someone else. Then all of this spilled out of my mouth, and I was surprised at myself as I said it.

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the very best place for us to focus our energy. In it we can gain lasting knowledge and fulfillment. We can help and build others up. We can give of our time and talents, and they will not go to waste. We can find purpose, and we can find ourselves.

I am so blessed to be a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It has shaped me and blessed me. It will do the same for anyone who will experiment upon what I have said, and try it for themselves. It is true.

Mormons and Enthusiastic Service

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saint's everyday activities are directed by inexperienced but enthusiastic volunteers. Volunteer work falls in with the Savior's direction to His Apostles, "freely ye have received, freely give." It's very important to us, and to me!

Most who know me already know that I serve as a teacher and fellowshipper in The Church for free. Here's the averages connected with community and congregational service by active "Mormons". (See Original Article Here)



And, to make this personal, this is me clearing brush, also for free! But, I had fun doing it. The dog gave morale support.

This Computer Shall OBEY!

YAAAAAH! That's one more victory for the computer illiterate! I put a widget on my blog! It's the widget on the top right, for now. It might get moved later. It has a teeny, tiny video in there. I wonder how they got it to fit...

That's right! April is coming, and that means General Conference! I'm about to time out for now, but more on this later! Watch the widget video! Make sure to expand it first, or you'll strain your eyes.

Family Strength

My family is stronger because we are members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. How much stronger? Well, as an indicator, I'll tell you something. You might not believe this without meeting some of us Crites people in person, but I'll tell you anyway.

I have never heard my Dad raise his voice to me, Mom, or any of my brothers or sisters. Ever. That's not to say that he didn't punish us when we were bad, because he did. I gave an example of that right on this blog a while back. I've just never heard him yell!

Well, okay, I'll tell you the only exception: once, my little brother had the hiccups. He couldn't shake them, no matter what he tried! He was sitting on the big chair in the living room complaining about it to one of my sisters as Dad snuck up behind him. Dad got right behind him and yelled his name, loud. I was in the next room over, and I jumped. Remember, I had never heard Dad yell.

I ran to look in at what was going on. Dad was hugging my brother, chuckling and telling him he was fine, because my brother was close to tears with confusion. He also had no more hiccups. I am not exaggerating. This is the only time in my life I have heard Dad raise his voice at anyone.

Thomas S. Monson, living prophet of the Lord, said,

To you who are parents, I say, show love to your children. You know you love them, but make certain they know it as well. They are so precious. Let them know. Call upon our Heavenly Father for help as you care for their needs each day and as you deal with the challenges which inevitably come with parenthood. You need more than your own wisdom in rearing them.      -Abundantly Blessed

My Dad's patience and kindness is the product of his own personality combined with the Spirit that fills this Church. With a prophet to reiterate what matters most, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is a stronghold for charity in a world that grows permissive, or even amused, about snide and mean-spirited jibes. It will stay a stronghold all the way up until Jesus Christ comes again.

Some of the most common questions about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints have been piled together and answered all in one place! And it comes with a big "infographic"! I like.

Here's a quote from the article, Mormonism 101: FAQ, that sticks out to me.

...Journalists should be aware of some common pitfalls. For instance, reporters pressed for time tend to take peripheral aspects of the faith and place them front and center as if they were vital tenets of belief. Additionally, sincere commentators often overemphasize what others see as “different” about Latter-day Saints at the expense of highlighting the Church’s most fundamental doctrines in their reporting. Unfortunately, as many members attest, this kind of journalism paints a distorted picture of the Church and continues to confuse the public.

I learned some statistics I didn't know from this! But the core message is something I do know: "We're not trying to hide who we are. Anyone who cares to honestly look into what we believe has everything right in the open. Just ask!"

Understanding Me

In the first few seconds after a person opens the door to a Latter-Day Saint missionary, that person makes a yes-or-no decision that decides whether they will listen to the missionary or not. It isn't, "Am I going to listen to this guy?" It is usually an unconscious decision that the person never even notices. It's "Do I know who this person is and what they are here to say?"

It's about communication and understanding. A person who opens the door and sees another set of Mormon missionaries and thinks to himself, "I know what you're here to say. You want to tell me about your church. You're probably from Utah. Your Moms and Dads are probably all Mormons, too..." and so on, is not very likely to pay close attention to what that missionaries say. The trouble is, all of those things the person thought may be true! Still, there is more to them than all of those things. This person assumes they already know who the missionaries are and what they have to say.

Someone who opens the door and sees two sharply-dressed young men with big smiles and thinks to himself, "I wonder why these boys are so cheerful? Why did they come here? Why aren't they working or in college? What kind of upbringing must they have had, that they are dressed so nice and talking about religion, instead of running around constantly in trouble like some others their age?..." and so on, is ready to truly communicate. They recognize that they don't know everything about the missionaries, or their message, and allow them a chance to tell it.



I got on a kick about this after reading this article, Permanent Things: Toward an Understanding of Mormons. It's a good, short article that covers a lot of ground fast, and does a good job offering an understanding of a Latter-Day Saint.

All of that said, before any of you can understand all of me, and who I am, and why I'm like that, you'll have to read the Book of Mormon for yourself, because of how much that book has become a part of me. To know why I'm so excited about the book, you just have to read it! Can't say it much more simply.

When more people are ready to truly communicate, instead of making assumptions about each other, it will make all the difference.