For those who don’t know, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has an initiative we call “ministering.” The name has changed over the years, but it’s always been essentially the same thing. The concept is simple. Minister to one another, teach one another, visit with one other, check in on one another. Christ’s church should be a family and the ministering program is the way that the Church tries to keep its members connected, like a family should be connected.
Ivy recently went with me on a ministering visit. This wasn’t Ivy’s first rodeo. She’s done her fair share of ministering in her years on this earth. What was interesting about this ministering visit was what happened after.
One Saturday Ivy and I joined the missionaries meeting with a new friend of the church. He was on his way towards baptism. This was my first time meeting him. This person went on to get baptized and has since become a very good friend. So this was a significant visit with the missionaries.
Afterward, Ivy and I dropped by a family’s home to say hi. I had never met this family. They didn’t know who I was. This was a true “cold” drop-in. They had two young boys under the age of ten and a brand-new baby girl.
I knocked at the door and heard the normal shuffle going on behind it. The door was opened by two shirtless boys.
“Hi, my name is Brayden, is your mom or dad home?”
The younger one ran off yelling, “Dad!”
The father came to the door, and I introduced myself. I then introduced Ivy to the two boys. We small-talked for a couple minutes, invited them to church, and that was it.
On the way back to the car Ivy was, as is normal, full of questions.
Why did we visit them?
Because they’re in our church and we want to check on them.
That home was their church?
No, that was their home. But they go to our church, and we just invited them.
When will they come to our church?
Hopefully tomorrow.
On and on. Anyone who has been around a toddler knows what I’m talking about.
The next day we went to church and Ivy was very disappointed when her new friends weren’t there.
After church, we were preparing for our Sunday afternoon nap. As consistent as Ivy’s numerous questions is her desire to avoid a nap. She was giving us her normal fight before lying down.
I finally said, “Ivy, you’ve been so good today, if you go take a good nap, when you wake up, we can do whatever you want.”
I immediately worried about this open-ended promise I had given. What would she request? Surely her most common requests: a trip to Six Flags or Las Vegas.
Ivy shocked me with her reply. After her nap, the thing she wanted to do more than anything – go see her new friends.
I’ve thought a lot about this.
What was it about that visit that made Ivy’s day?
You know what I think. I think her little, pure spirit realized she just got to do something special. And she wanted to do it again.
She wanted more than anything in the world, whether she fully realized it or not – more than a trip to Las Vegas to see family or a fun-filled trip to Six Flags – more than either of those things, she wanted to go ministering. Ivy’s spirit knew the importance of ministering.
Sometimes I wish we adults could remember the purity of that desire – to minister to one another, teach one another, visit with one another, check in on one another, love one another.
I saw in Ivy what we all seem to forget. Supporting those around us – ministering – is more important than anything. Even a trip to Six Flags.
In Teaching in Heaven I talked about the struggle of sharing the gospel with friends and loved ones who have such a different starting point in religious background and understanding from what I have. I talked about how this can be frustrating at times. This is a follow up to that post. This is more a reminder for myself than anything.
When I was Ward Mission Leader, I worked with a missionary who once said, “Be disappointed, but don’t get discouraged.” This is a saying I’ve tried to remember and sometimes could be easier said than done. When that frustration builds that those around me having zero interest in something so important to me, I get frustrated. When nobody seems to want to talk about things that have eternal significance, I have to work to be disappointed but not discouraged. It was explained that disappointment is temporary and can be combatted, but once you get discouraged, that is constant, and hard to shake. It is difficult to recover from discouragement.
I believe it’s important while we’re here to share ourselves and to share our stories. We have all been given some level of light that we can share, and we can only share that light if we share ourselves. This isn’t restricted to those in the Church of Jesus Christ. This is about everyone. We’re all here for a reason and all have something to share.
We don’t put a candle under a bushel. We let it burn bright (Matthew 5:15-16).
While everyone needs to share themselves, for those who are members of the Church of Jesus Christ, it’s important to remember what we have to share. It’s important we share the light we’ve been given that has eternal significance. And then, after sharing your light, don’t be discouraged. Share and love and give and know that these moments of sharing will be immensely important. Don’t let yourself forget that one day when we all remember why we were here, every person you shared the light of Christ with will want to thank you for sharing that light. And how great will be your joy in the kingdom of your Father with those people (D&C 18:15-16).
So when the world tells you to be shy about your religion, to be reserved about your religion, to not share these important things, remember what Christ said. The world will love you not for you share things not of this world. The world hated Him, because He wasn’t of the world (John 17:14-16). Step above the world as often as you can and share those parts of you, your testimony, that will make someone greet you with a hug of love when this life is over.
That’s what this life is all about, after all. Share your light. Don’t cover your candle.
Be disappointed in the world and the distractions that take so many away from true joy, but don’t be discouraged.
One day Christ will say to you, “I always knew you.” That, and bringing others unto Him will be worth all the disappointment this world can give.
Share yourself. Share your story. Share your light.
I recently heard something I found interesting. “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist.”
This statement came from a religious person who was speaking with a person who said they were an atheist.
The religious person asked, “Do you hope you’re wrong?”
The atheist replied, “Yes, I do.”
The religious person replied, “Good, otherwise you would be hoping for something that is inherently bad, so that’s good, your hope is for something good.”
Hope.
Can we hope for something bad?
The atheist went on to say that he used to be “very Christian.” But he just doesn’t believe it anymore. He doesn’t believe there is any life after this. But he hopes there is. I find that sad.
What’s the evidence he relies upon to have a belief that nothing exists after this life? He couldn’t say. Just a feeling. He just didn’t believe it anymore.
I find that extraordinarily sad.
Why would we believe one thing and hope for another?
I’d love for an atheist to have this discussion with me. Not to argue. For me to try to understand.
The religious individual went on to say he didn’t have enough faith to be an atheist. He didn’t have enough faith to believe that the infinite amount of coincidences that needed to happen for this earth to be formed and for life to flourish on it, he didn’t have that faith. It was much easier for him to have faith in a supreme creator that built and made this all work.
I found that to be an interesting point. Is it easier to believe there was a BANG and the jigsaw puzzle fell together? Or is it easier to believe there is One God?
It’s unclear who officially wrote the Lectures on Faith, though they were approved of and taught by Joseph Smith. At a minimum, the concepts and theology of them comes from revelation given to Joseph Smith. Yet another example and evidence of his calling as a prophet.
I write here my notes and thoughts on these videos and the lectures. There are seven Lectures. The 10 video series I’ve been watching spans almost 5 hours and reviews each of the Lectures. In writing this it will help me put together my thoughts and understanding on what Joseph Smith tried to teach us about faith. Through this process I know my faith will grow by studying these principles. What Joseph Smith taught about faith is beyond profound, it is revelatory. I will need to study his words and all supplemental material for the rest of my life to get a grasp of the profound and eternal nature of faith. I look forward to reading over my notes here many times to refresh my mind and expand my knowledge on the subject.
Video 1 was an introduction to the Lectures. Video 2 was all about Lecture 1 – Faith Defined.
First, what are the Lectures on Faith? They are principles put together by Joseph Smith to help early elders to share the gospel.
Lecture 2 Links the principles of faith and the doctrine of revelation. The power of human testimony is the medium with which the gospel is passed from generation to generation.
Lectures 3 and 4 The character and attributes of God. If we don’t understand the attributes of God, we can’t have confidence to exercise proper faith in Him.
Lecture 5 The Godhead, nature of the members of the Godhead.
Lecture 6 The Law of Sacrifice.
Lecture 7 The fruits of faith.
What is the plan for the Lectures on Faith?
Teach what faith is.
Teach how to obtain faith.
What happens if you obtain faith?
Bob Millet
My favorite part from the first video was this suggestion from Bob Millet, one of the panelists. His suggestion was this: read the Lectures on Faith 20 times then you can start to study them.
Now that I have an overview on what all 7 lectures will cover and teach, I can get into Lecture 1.
Lecture 1: Faith Defined
Obvious question to start, what is faith?
Faith is the first principle in revealed religion and the foundation of righteousness. Faith is the substance of things hoped for but not seen (Hebrews 11:1). The lecture starts broad – faith is the belief that something will come to pass. Then it gets more religious in tone: “the principle of action in all intelligent beings.”
Faith is a principle of action. Faith implies works, it implies activity, both physical and mental. Just as faith is the moving action in all things temporal, so it is with spiritual (paragraph 12).
By faith God formed the earth. I think this is the most profound point from Lecture 1. That it is God’s faith that is His power. Take faith from God and He would cease to exist (paragraph 16). I know to many this seems like outright blasphemy. But before rejecting the idea without thought, consider what is being said. Faith is a principle of power. It is the power by which God formed the earth. Take away His faith, take away His power, He ceases to be God. Luckily for us God’s power cannot be taken away.
God’s faith and knowledge are equivalent. It is God’s perfect faith that allows His perfect knowledge. Consider: faith is believing in something that you haven’t yet seen. Since God’s faith is perfect what He has faith in will be, it will exist. We mortals look at faith as weak, unproven, unscientific. It is God’s trust in the Plan of Salvation that makes Him create worlds. It is God’s perfect faith that created those worlds. It is God’s perfect faith that makes Him the Almighty.
Again, faith is the power of God. If faith is that important, it adds a whole new meaning, explanation, and understanding to this life. Why do we move through life as if through a misty darkness, unsure of everything? Why the veil that covers our eyes and fogs our minds to so much that we used to know? Why don’t we know where we come from? Why don’t we know where we’re going? Why doesn’t God send angels down to tell us which church is true? Why doesn’t God allow profound miracles to occur before unbelievers’ eyes so they can KNOW that He exists? The reason God doesn’t do these things is due to the importance of faith. We are here to learn faith, develop faith, grow faith; because it is that important. God does not want to take that opportunity of growth and development away from us. He won’t. He knows how critical it is.
Faith, then, is the first great governing principle which has power, dominion, and authority over all things: by it they exist, by it they are upheld, by it they are changed, or by it they remain, agreeably to the will of God. Without it, there is no power, and without power there could be no creation, nor existence!” (Paragraph 24).
Hopefully to uplift someone, anyone. Believer, nonbeliever. Member of the Church of Jesus Christ, member of any church, member of no church. I’d like to teach people who know nothing about this faith some of what I believe. I’d like to share with members of my faith the things that have impacted my testimony.
Recently a new motivation has emerged. With a daughter on the way I realize one day she can read all this. Whether or not anyone reads any of this. One day my daughter might.
Right now, I’m posting individual posts that are unrelated to each other. Mostly my thoughts and musings. As I post more, I plan on categorizing posts into certain sections. If someone could come to this page and read a quick one to two-page entry and leave slightly uplifted, that’s my ultimate goal. Most of my writing I hope to be somewhat thought provoking. Just things I’ve thought about or ideas and concepts that have really impacted me and changed the way I’ve looked at life.
I hope for this to be informational. I was greatly impacted by the writing of a man, John Pontius. As I read more, I’m impacted by the writings of many people who took the time to put thoughts on paper. Maybe something I write one day will help someone. I also hope to discuss what I feel makes the restored Gospel of Jesus Christ special. I hope for people not of my faith to read, and maybe have something stirred in their souls. Something that reminds them of where they came from, and maybe have a desire to learn more about Christ’s Church and what makes it so important.
As I write I’ll share a lot about me. I wanted a section to describe, briefly, who I am and how I got here.
Anybody reading on my page will immediately notice the strong religious theme. It’s what I think about most. For a portion of my life, it was not this way.
About me:
I was born in Payson, Utah in 1990. I moved to St. George, Utah when I was ~5. I moved to Las Vegas, Nevada when I was ~9. I lived in three houses from ages 9 to 18 in Las Vegas. We moved a lot and that was always difficult for me while growing up.
Payson, UtahSt. George, UtahLas Vegas, Nevada
In 2009 I moved to Arizona to go to Arizona State University. I decided early on I didn’t want to go to UNLV (University of Nevada Las Vegas) or UNR (University of Nevada Reno). I wanted to get out of Nevada, I wanted a fresh start. I had no family in Arizona. Las Vegas wasn’t far, but I would be completely on my own.
I still remember when I was driving to Arizona for orientation with my mom. She got sick on the way and we stopped. I think we were in Boulder City, about an hour into the drive. I took her to the emergency room. My dad drove there to be with my mom. I had to be at orientation the next morning. I drove to Arizona by myself. It was the first time I’d driven that kind of distance alone and was symbolic of me becoming independent.
I went to ASU for five semesters. I studied construction management. I always did well in high school with minimal effort. I’m one of those obnoxious individuals who brags about never studying in high school. Boy did I learn my lesson once I got to college. My grades, with zero work ethic and desire, quickly reflected my effort. It didn’t help that I soon realized I wasn’t interested in what I was studying. Construction management can be interesting, but it wasn’t for me. There’s only so much I could take learning about the strength of concrete.
Like if you get the reference
My junior year I officially dropped out of college with (of course) the intention of going back and finishing once I found my passion. I say “of course” because that’s what we all say. During school I found that I was much more interested in parties, poker, and basketball than I was in learning about safety standards of construction sites. When I stopped going to school I continued to live on campus and enjoy college life, minus the higher education part. I spent a full year couch surfing. I’m sheepish to admit now, but I look back fondly on that year. It was a year spent staying up until 5am, waking up at 1pm, sneaking into the student rec center to play basketball, getting food, finding a party, rinse/repeat. It may sound like a pathetic use of time but it’s something I think I needed to experience.
If my daughter ever reads this – not everyone needs to experience this. That’s part of why I’m writing. To show that I made mistakes and lived life a certain way. Ultimately, I can’t regret it because it eventually got me to where I am today. I have learned through my own experiences where true happiness exists. True happiness comes from serving others, giving yourself to something bigger than yourself. True happiness comes from loving others. I had to go a round-about way to learn what’s important in life. Not everyone has to make things as difficult as I made things for myself.
During my time couch surfing, I was working odd jobs here and there to have enough money for food and extra-curricular activities. I went to Utah near the end of this adventure for some “soul searching.” After “finding myself,” or not finding myself, I ended up back in Arizona working as a helpdesk tech for two companies. I went with one of those companies 3 years later when they switched offices and took over as the Systems Administrator. I now (as of 2020) work for a managed services provider supporting various companies with their technology needs.
As I write this blurb about my journey and my past, many thoughts come to mind of what I learned along the way. I might refer back to this when I need a topic to write about. Like my lack of desire studying something I wasn’t passionate about or the years spent partying and what that taught me about what I want out of life.
Faith-wise, I started falling away from the church, due to my choices, when I was 16. I always had a testimony of this restored church, of Joseph Smith, the Book of Mormon, and Jesus Christ. That never changed. Despite my many mistakes and many wrong decisions, I always knew it was true. When I went to ASU I lost contact with the church completely. It amazes me to look back and realize I didn’t even know where the church building/institute building/anything related to the church was on campus. It’s like I’d lost connection with that part of me.
Throughout the years I’d attempt half-heartedly to return to church. It never stuck. I was completely inactive from about 18-25. Seven long years of inactivity.
As of this year, 2020, I’ve been back at church for four years and never been happier. I hope to express through my writing the joy the gospel has brought me and share some of my experiences that can maybe help others. That’s the hope. I’ve felt drawn to writing these entries so if one person is helped it’s a major win.
And if all these hopes fail, I’ll at least be able to look back on everything I’ve written. One day I can show my daughter and she can know I always believed. She can see it wasn’t always easy. She can see life has ups and downs, but it will work out. Have faith. That makes this worth writing.
No Coincidences 