Space

There is never enough time is there? The time we have and what we do with it is what matters the most because we are accountable for our time spent in this life. How, when we stand before God, can we think to justify what we do not actually believe? Excuses that seem well enough for others in this life, excuses that we adopt because we see them put to use, will pale in His presence. As such, time, in conjunction with our actions, is our most precious commodity.

It is easy to think, ever being raised in the gospel, that there will be plenty of time for worship and deity in our lives - later. 'Right now, I just want to have fun. I still believe, but I don’t want to do anything (about it).' While we are young it is very easy to slip into this state of mind that allows for sloppy adherence, even complacency. We are learning new things and seeking new experiences - rightly so, as these help shape us into the people we will be as adults.

However, it is very easy (especially for youth) to become distracted by those experiences and place the pursuit of more life experience above our eternal goals. Take the case of Alma the younger. Not only was he raised in the church, his father was the Prophet. Talk about serious blessings! Anyway, he and his friends (the sons of King Mosiah) began to kick against the pricks when it came to the gospel. Sure they were surrounded by people who believed, but they hadn’t ever experienced the conversion. I imagine Alma as a typical young man, looking to his father for all the answers while young, even believing for a time the teachings of his father. But, as all children know, 'Because my father said so' only carries you so far with your friends.

Alma and his friends not only rebelled by not coming to church and practicing their religion, they went about persecuting the righteous people in the church. How much dishonor did he bring his father and his family? I don’t know how to measure it other than to say: a lot. Of course, his father, Alma, prayed for both his sons and the sons of Mosiah. Because he had such great faith in the Lord, his son was visited by an angel while in the presence of his friends. So great was the power shed upon him that he fell to the ground and was unconscious for a few days. Of course, in the account we read that he repented of his ways and Alma and his friends spent the remainder of their lives trying to rectify the damage they had done.

This is but one account we have of a miraculous visit from a heavenly being. Now, how does that work? How do Angles simply appear and disappear into thin air? Let me tell you a story about a place called Flat-Land. Flat-Land is a place where everything is two-dimensional. Which means, all things in Flat-Land, trees, animals and people can only move towards or away from each other in their sphere (2D). What if a person was traveling along a road in Flat-Land and came up against a wall they could not climb? How would the person move past it? Let us assume that this person cannot dig under it and cannot go over it. What then?

Well, you, who are not in Flat-Land, might pick them up and place them on the other side of the wall. Of course, the Flat-Man has no understanding of moving in 3D, so all he knows is that you moved him from one side of the wall to the other - a miracle! What if Flat-Man was choking on something and you reached in from the side and took it out of his throat? Another miracle! And would that not make you an angel or even a god to him?

Now let us assume that Flat-Land represents the earth on which we reside. We are the Flat-People and God and his angels are the ones who do those things which we cannot, being so limited in our view and understanding. Taking that one step farther, how many worlds has God created? An infinite amount? Assume now, that every Earth is represented by another piece of paper and they are all laid on top of each other in a book. Or woven together in some tapestry that He keeps charge of.

Is that a little easier to understand how God can keep tabs on everything? Of course, this is metaphorical in nature, but the Space and Time issue in regards to miracles really made send to me when I was 12 years old.

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Also, Congratulations to my youngest brother and his new wife, Michon! They were married this last weekend and a joyous occasion was had by all. Good luck, you two!

Time

A good deal of time has passed since my last post. That happens when you have a full schedule and a large family. But then, time is a relative thing isn't it? We regulate time according to the Earth's rotation and revolution around the sun, so time is based on this planet. Is time then, different for God? I think the answer is unequivocally yes. Not to say that God is not felt on this earth by his Children, but that God physically dwells in his body on a separate planet than this earth.

Obviously, from the above paragraph you can see that I believe in God. Indeed, not as some formless, spiritual entity but as a physical being, even the very father of my spirit and every other spirit on this earth. I have thought long and hard about this over several years. You see, I was born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (commonly referred to as Mormons). And though I was raised a member of the church, I never really understood, in any depth, the doctrines and teachings. I was baptized when I was 8 years old according to the traditions of the church and mostly because my parents wanted me to.

One of the best things about the Church, I have come to realize, is that it is an individual religion. It emphasizes your personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Savior and God the eternal Father. But how can you achieve this confirmation that this (or any) church is true and what it purports to be? How can one gain a testimony of this? That is a very good question that I lacked the understanding to. You see, when you are baptized into my church, you are then confirmed a member by those in a authority to administer the ordinances of the Church. They place their hands on your head and confirm you a member of the church and then say the 4 magic words: receive the Holy Ghost.

The Holy Ghost is a member of the Godhead: Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost (sometimes referred to as the Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, etc). All these members of the Godhead have been ordained Gods. Obviously God the Father is the Most High God and the one we pray to. He is the literal father of our spirits, even the other 2 members of the Godhead. He has a physical body of flesh and bone, which has be perfected by resurrection (follow that thought and you realize he must have lived as a mortal man at one point and walked an Earth as we do now). Jesus Christ also has a physical body, having lived as a mortal man in the middle east and after having been crucified, rose on the 3rd day as a resurrected being. Therefore, his body is also perfected flesh and bone. The Holy Ghost has a spirit body only, having never lived on this or any earth as a mortal.

The Holy Ghost has a physical presence wherever he happens to be at any given time. However, his influence can be felt virtually anywhere at any time. Think of it like rays of the sun. The Sun is always in one place, however, the light and heat from it can be felt over half of the world at once. Imagine if those rays penetrated the Earth and could be felt throughout the entire world at once. Then you have some concept of the influence of this member of the Godhead.

My point in this is that when I finally understood how the Holy Ghost's influence is recognized and felt, I had the remainder of my question. See, communication was my question: how does one communicate with God? We have half the answer through prayer. We can speak to God by praying to Him in the name of Jesus Christ. But God does not speak directly to man since the fall of Adam, except to introduce and bear witness of his son Jesus Christ. So, how does God answer us? Through the Holy Ghost. This influence can be felt directly as a peaceful, gentle feeling; some have described hearing a voice or a thought like a voice in their head. Sometimes the answer comes through another person. I have had experience where another member of the Church shows up seemingly randomly with a solution to a problem I have prayed about. They had no idea what was going on in my life, only that they felt the influence of the Holy Ghost to stop by.

The Holy Ghost can often bear witness to us of the truthfulness of all things. What I have found is when I am reading my scriptures there will be a passage that I have read many times and this time it will stick out to me and I will interpret it a different way that applies to my problem. It has been said that if you want God to talk to you, read your scriptures.

In any event, I was 26 when I finally seriously prayed to know if the Church was true. I read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover and prayed sincerely. I was immediately impressed with the delightful confirmation to my mind and heart. I felt as though someone were stand behind me as I knelt and placed their hands on my shoulders as if to comfort me. I have never forgotten that, and I have never doubted since. I only wish I had inquired sooner.

I will speak more of this next time. But let me leave you with one of my favorite poems:
I Love the Lord

I love the Lord, in Him my soul delights.
Upon His word, I ponder day and night.
He's heard my cry,brought visions to my sleep,
And kept me safe o'er deserts and the deep.
He's filled my heart with His consuming love,
And borne me high on wings of His great dove.

Yet oft I groan, "O wretched man am I"
My flesh is weak and I'm encompassed by
A world of sin, which holds me in it's thrall,
If I give in and to temptations fall.
Then strength grows slack, I waste in sorrow's vale;
My peace destroyed, my enemies prevail.

Awake, my soul! No longer droop in sin.
Rejoice, my heart! And let me praise again,
The Lord my God, who is my rock and stay
To keep me strict upon His straight, plain way.
Oh let me shake at the first sight of sin
And thus escape my foes without and in.