Weeks 8 & 9. Follow the Prophet/ Trust your base coach. Go the temple.

                                             Weeks 8&9  My random thoughts!

There has been a constant theme going on in my life the last two weeks and it coincides with the scriptures I have been reading. The theme has been Follow  the Prophet.

  In my church there has been a few changes in how the Bishops of their Wards govern their local congregations and it has caused quite a stir. Several people I know have left the church or are leaving the church over it. They trust their own feelings or they see the reaction of the world and they have decided to openly go against their professed beliefs. It's been a really sad thing to watch and to feel helpless to help them understand that we don't always immediately see the answers to our questions.   One of my 13 year old students in my church class on Sunday named Lexi, gave the best analogy on what to do and I would like to share that and a few of my own experiences with you.

-Follow your base coach!-

  My friend Lexi is a softball player. If you were to meet this girl you would see a spunky and strong young woman who is tough in body and in spirit. She is one to fight for what she believes in, even if it's a tough battle. She is one to try and steal bases in softball and to give all of her energy to every play on the field.  She holds nothing back.

   She came home one day mad because she felt that she could steal the next base but she didn't do it, because her base coach told her to stay put. Her father gave her the wise council to "trust her base coach."  He explained to her that her base coach can see all the field and players, when from her perspective she can only concentrate on where she is at and where she wants to go. She isn't focused on the whole team and all the players like her base coach is.  Win or lose the game she should trust in her base coach to get her to where she needs to go.

   She compared this with the Prophet of the church. From a lifetime of experience (and the experiences from the 12 apostles he works with) or from divine inspiration, he can often see more of what is going on with the worldwide needs of the church than we can from our own perspective.  Lexi is awesome and I appreciated her insight.

  Lexi is right, sometimes we need to trust our base coach, or trust the prophet. 

  Let me explain this another way. I live outside of Salt Lake City.  I was married in the Bountiful, Utah temple. The temple is situated high on a hill and you can see it from the valley below. If you want to get to the temple you basically just point your car at it and go, for awhile. When you get closer to the base of the mountain it's on, you have to follow the signs though and not to rely on sight.  There are guideposts like this one that tell you where to turn and where to keep going straight.

It gets confusing because sometimes you can see the temple out of your window but the signs point you in a different direction. If you follow what you think you should do, you get lost. The road you have to take actually makes you go pretty far right before the one and only road there, loops back to the left. Any other roads will get you off the path.  The signs are not close together so you need to watch closely and wait a long time before getting new direction. 

  The same is true sometimes with following the prophet. We might not understand why he seems to tell us to do  things. We feel like we might know a better or quicker way.

   Let be be very clear,  it is important that we decide for ourselves! I would never blindly follow anyone or suggest anyone not use their own inspiration from God. We don't have to listen, we don't have to follow but we are responsible for our choices and the consequences after. That is why with any council given we are invited to pray. We are asked to pray. They beg us to pray! 

      There may be obstacles we can't see or challenges the church faces that we don't understand. Trust your base coach, follow the Prophet because he knows the way. 

    I was trying to research why the Church had changed a recent policy and I came across some interesting information, that could possibly be related. In Denmark, some people had sued to have same-sex marriages done by religious institutions. Most religions protested and it went to their Parliament to be decided in court. The country decided that the government sponsored church which is Lutheran would now have to preform gay weddings and could not deny anyone getting married within their walls. Lutheran's didn't want this change but since the government helps pay to maintain their buildings than now it's punishable under their law for their clergy to deny going against their principles.  The LDS church at this time is still considered a "private church" and doesn't receive money from the Danish government so they are able to still only marry those they agree to.  Mormon's consider their temples to be their most holy places of God and Mormon's also believe that the way God wants marriage is to be between a man and a woman and those two should produce their own offspring when possible.  We also do work in the temple for those who have died and have not received sacred ordinances we believe are necessary to return to heaven. 

  

  Temple recommends are ONLY issued to members who meet a worthiness standard and have interviews to prove that worthiness to their Bishopric and Stake leaders.  Such questions asked are if we are living the law of chastity, abstaining from coffee and alcohol, and paying 10% tithing to the church.  If other governments made it law that every church had to violate their beliefs, and marry anyone who meets our church standards or not inside these temples it would be seen by members as breaking of sacred covenants and we feel like it would displease God.

     Let me also try and make it very clear that the LDS people try and love and serve others regardless of their beliefs and sexual orientation. I have a ton of gay friends 14 I think on Facebook that I can think of off the top of my head.  They are wonderful friends I have spent many years with and people I am proud to call my friends.  We as a family appreciate their gifts and their kindness and they show us so much love in return. The church never asks someone to be worthy to receive assistance, love or friendship. We just believe that for those sacred ordinances such as baptism and temple rites, that the person live a worthy life and is really committed and able to follow through on a life-long of dedicated service.  Some of the new changes to church policy might be not for the sake necessarily of local American congregations. It may be to protect itself in foreign countries that do not have "freedom of religion."  

    For many years our church was not able to have a temple in France because of the strict laws regarding public buildings.  Their government inspectors are required to go in buildings every six months or so to look for potential hazards. We believe our temples to be sacred and even those who clean the buildings have to hold current temple recommends showing they meet our basic beliefs and live those laws. It wasn't until after this was all settled that we were finally able to build a temple there.  

    We don't always get told why the church operates the way it does when new policy changes come out. That is when we need to really go and pray, trust our base coach and pray.  Taking our questions to the temple and having a quiet moment to pray and ask God helps as well.  We may not always get an answer but we can go and feel the spirit that what we are doing is right. 

  So the 3 lessons of today 

1. Trust your base coach

2.  Pray and ask for yourself

3.  Follow the Prophet and go to the temple

Week #6 & #7 Finishing out 2nd Nephi, some things I have learned.

This is to briefly cover some of what I have learned the last two weeks, from chapters 17-33.

  One of the biggest themes I took away from my reading was it talked a lot about baptism and the importance of it, so I will stick to this one subject alone this time. Please also feel free to read the talk I wrote for my friend Jake in another post I have published.

  I am at a baptism today for my niece Marley. Thinking about baptism is right in line with my life right now and with current media events.  

  In 2nd Nephi 31:4-10 we learn how Christ was perfect and yet he set the example for all of us by being baptized.  To be baptized you first need the the willingness to be humble and obedient to the laws of God, then be baptized by his authority. 

  He then it talks about how Christ received the Holy Ghost in 2nd Nephi 31:4-9

  I want to talk a little bit about Jesus Christ and Baptism.

  Jesus was baptized in the Jordan River, at age 30, by John the Baptist. He was one who had the church's priesthood lineage of that day and he was also cousins to Christ.  The direct quote from the scriptures 2nd Nephi 31:5 "and now, if the Lamb of God, he being holy, should have need to be baptized by water, to fulfill all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be baptized, yea, even by water!"

  Christ shows us the way by submitting himself to the rules and laws of God. He didn't need to be baptized because he was without sin.  He wanted to be faithful to his father's commandments and show us the way.

In verse 7 it says; "Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be obedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

  Something of note to point out that although he didn't need it, he was humble. He did it to show obedience in all things.

   In my faith we don't believe that children are born in sin (original sin) we believe that they are innocent for much longer.  We don't baptize until 8 years old or older.  It's not a magical number, it's not innocent until eight and a half and then you are sinful. We believe that around eight is the first time you are of your own mind enough to start to choose right and wrong for yourself if you have been brought up inside our religion. For us it's a commitment and a responsibility. We at baptism decide to take on the name of Christ (meaning we try to be like him) and we are held to a higher standard.

  In 2nd Nephi 31 vs 13 it says
"Wherefore my beloved brethren, I know that if ye shall follow the Son, with full purpose of heart, acting no hypocrisy and no deception before God, but with real intent, repenting of your sins, witnessing unto the Father that ye are willing to take upon you the name of Christ, by baptism-yea, by following your Lord and Savior down into the water according to his word, behold, then shall ye receive the Holy Ghost; yea, then cometh the baptism of fire and of the Holy Ghost; and then can ye speak with the tongue of angels, and shout praises unto the Holy One of Israel".

  It also talks about those who go against their covenant of baptism,  it says in 2nd Nephi 31 vs 14

"...and after this (you) should deny me, it would have been better for you that ye had not known me."

 God doesn't want us to take the covenant we make with him lightly and neither does the LDS presidency. In some instances it asks prospective members to wait until they are 18 years of age if they live in a household that teaches contrary to the beliefs of the church.

For me, I know being a member of the church is a great blessing but it's quite a challenge at times. I love the Lord very much but many members of my family are not of my faith. I know that the Lord loves them too, we after all are his children. I don't have all the answers but I rely on that knowledge of his great kindness and mercy and that is only through the Savior Jesus Christ. Getting to know him helps me feel more of worth and gives me the faith to trust in his timing.