on becoming a better christian

"What were you doing with all that time when you weren't in church? I hope you were being a true Christian then, too."

First of all, THIS IS THE CUTEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN.

My dear friends, what if I told you that the church isn't what matters. Yes, church isn't what matters. The church is a tool. It's a vehicle. An instrument. It's a freaking awesome one, at that, but it simply isn't what matters.

What matters is the gospel. What matters is Jesus Christ.
What matters is drawing close to Him. What matters is letting Him shape you and perfect you and make something better of you.

What matters is being a true disciple. Again, what matters is Christ, and only Christ. He is the center of everything, and He is who matters.

Our religion is the best thing ever. It's true and it's inspired and it's led by a prophet of God and I love it with all my heart.
You know what, though? I think a lot of people have cool religions. They don't have as much truth as we do, and true, their doctrine is less complete, but they are still good.

I've seen members of other religions who are more faithful, true, disciples of Christ than people I know within my own religion.


So tell me, when we leave this life, when we kneel before Jesus, when we have the miraculous opportunity to finally worship again at His feet... who will be more prepared, the humble one who dedicated his entire life to serving Jesus? Or the one who can only stutteringly say, "well... I mean, technically I was a member of your church."

Now, I'm taking liberties here. Obviously I don't know what God's judgement bar will be like. And I know that Christ is so merciful.

But I do know that I want to meet Christ as his disciple. I want to run to Him. I want to greet Him as my friend because I will know Him. And I will know Him because I dedicated the time necessary to get to know Him and because I allowed Him to make me a worthy servant and a fisher of men.



So, my lovely readers, remember to be a Christian. A real Christian. Not just a sayer, but a doer. Not just a member, but a disciple. A follower. 
Take Stephen Covey's advice when he said, "the main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." 

And who is the main thing? Christ. Our loving Savior is the main thing. Always.

In Christ Alone by Keith and Kristyn Getty



 Love,
Haley

choose to choose the right.

 Are you missing out on all the joyous things in life because you just don't know enough about them or where to look for them?

If there's a way to be perfectly happy here on earth, it surely can only be accomplished by living the teachings of the gospel and drawing yourself close to God.

The happiest you will ever be in your life is when you are being aware of and accepting God's will for you.

I wish more people realized this. And there's more to it than going to church on Sunday. It's teaching your children the gospel. It's learning to rely on God. Always. It's making yourself more and more sensitive to feeling the Spirit. It's praying. It's studying. It's bettering yourself.

So if you are attending church each week with a hard heart and you make sure every word spoken goes in one ear and out the other... are you any better off than the man who doesn't even attend?

Or do you go to church, listen intently to each lesson, maybe even teach one, and then you go home and keep on keeping on the way you were before?

You are better than that. Live up to your potential. Look up. Rise up.

Be who God intended you to be.

You know what my pet peeve is? I have nonmember friends who say, "Wait, you're not allowed to do [fill in the blank], right?"
I also hear it on TV... You Mormons aren't allowed to drink coffee, right?

Really? What do they think is going to happen to us if we do drink coffee? It's the same as every religion out there. Do we have standards we are asked to keep? Absolutely. Are we forced to stay away from alcohol and coffee and tattoos? Absolutely not. No matter what is going on in your life, whether you are even a member or not, you will not be asked to leave a Sacrament Meeting... or any church meeting.

And I know many members of this church who may drink coffee or chose not to serve a mission or something like that, but they are still one of the most wise, spiritual people I know.


Nevertheless, I do know this:
Aligning your life with the teachings of the gospel and doing as the Prophet - as God - asks will make you the happiest you could ever truly hope to be.

Not just believing in Him - but following Him - will make you eligible for blessings you never could have imagined. That is your potential. To be good. To be like God.

And that is when happiness becomes a real, tangible thing that will fill you up.

Make no mistake about it, obedience truly is the key to freedom.

Choose to choose the right. Choose to partake of the feast of happiness, peace, and joy that God grants so bountifully.

no. excuses.

No, this isn't a post on chastity. :)

And I love the music they use in the backgrounds of these videos. :)

Okay.

Elder Holland kinda calls out all the young men in this video... but of course, this can apply to many, many people. Not just young men who hold the Priesthood. :)

In the beginning when I first watched it, I felt all guilty and thought of what a terrible person I am... haha. But it ends happy and has a very good message.


"This is a life and death contest we're in, young men."

When I watch this video, it hits home what an important battle I am fighting... the outcome of this battle doesn't just affect my life. It affects my eternity. It affects the eternities of those around me.

And the straight path... it truly is narrow. And you really have to work if you want to achieve your eternal goals. They won't just be handed to you... of this, I am certain.

We talked a little about lame excuses in seminary today...

----------

Luke 14

 15 - And when one of them that sat at meat with him heard these things, he said unto him, Blessed is he that shall eat bread in the kingdom of God.

 16 - Then said he unto him, A certain man made a great supper, and bade many:

 17 - And sent his servant at supper time to say to them that were bidden, Come; for all things are now ready.

 18 - And they all with one consent began to make excuse. The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused.

 19 - And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused.

 20 - And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.

24 - For I say unto you, That none of those men which were bidden shall taste of my supper.

----------

So... we decided that "I have married a wife" was the lamest of the three excuses for why the men couldn't come to supper. :)


You know, I try really hard not to be too blunt when blogging. But I like how Elder Holland... well, he really is pretty blunt sometimes.

Because, as he said, nothing else seems to work.


To be honest, there are a lot of things I don't know.
I don't know what my future holds - or what yours holds.

But I know that my God doesn't want excuses.


He wants no more Oh I'll go to church every week and I believe everything I hear... but that's enough spirituality until next Sunday.

No more Oh I'll tell my kids the scriptures are true, but I don't need to read them. 

No more then I'll repent or I'll start praying tomorrow.

He isn't in need of hearers only.

Our God needs DOERS!!!


Think of the Conference talks we have heard just recently.

We have sheep to feed.

Lives to bless.

People to save.


We have work to do! And now is the time to be fully converted!

No more excuses.

No more hypocrisy.

(Not saying you are a hypocrite and of course I am not exempt!)

There are people out there who need you.

They need the Gospel and you are the one meant to bring this Good News to them.



So do good.

Be good.


And show your gratitude for God - and for all that He has given you.

And do whatever it takes to become truly converted so you can fight this battle.


no. more. excuses.



Because I have chosen to fight for what is right.

And I need you on my side.

the lord i will obey...

Wow! Two in one day! Has that ever happened?

I feel kinda bad because I have been sooo busy.

I've realized I haven't been blogging much on weekdays...


But I work after school, come home, eat dinner, practice piano for an hour or two... (yes, that long. Piano is definitely contributing to my stress level at the moment... ha.) Then I do my homework for a couple/few more hours and then I shower and go to bed.

Or I read in bed.

Either way, same thing every day. And I have been getting six hours of sleep/night which so is not enough.


So blogging has been put off until weekends. It just takes me too long and requires me to think too much.

haha. I am definitely getting enough mental exercise with chemistry and piano - which are both a bit demanding at the moment.

And it doesn't help that I am easily distracted so things tend to drag out longer than they need to. ha.


Anyways. I owed two posts today. Definitely.


So the song I am sharing today has played on soft sunday sounds quite a bit lately...

And at first I liked it but didn't... let me explain.


The song is about Abraham and Isaac, and it really is a beautiful song.

It talks about how Abraham will obey the Lord when he is asked to sacrifice his only son.


As you and I know, Abraham did not sacrifice his son. An angel stopped him before he could. It was a test of his (and Isaac's!) faith.


Anyways. In this song, it doesn't tell the ending. It doesn't talk about Abraham being stopped.

It just kinda... ends.

And the first time I heard it, I was all what???? He didn't die!! 

But now I love it. So so much.

This song isn't about God stopping Abraham. It is about Abraham and how he was determined to obey the Lord no matter what was asked of him.


And I think it is the coolest song ever.

Anyways. without further adieu...


Holy is the Lord by Andrew Peterson, who is a non-LDS Christian singer with some awesome songs...

(Oh and I didn't put a video because I wanted you to read the lyrics, but I am kinda liking this video if you want to watch it. And it concludes the song a little more, too.)



Wake up little Isaac 
And rub your tired eyes 
Go and kiss your mama 
We’ll be gone a little while 
Come and walk beside me 
Come and hold your papa’s hand 
I go to make an altar 
And to offer up my lamb 

I waited on the Lord 
And in a waking dream He came 
Riding on a wind across the sand 
He spoke my name 
“Here I am”, I whispered 
And I waited in the dark 
The answer was a sword 
That came down hard upon my heart 

Holy is the Lord 
Holy is the Lord 
And the Lord I will obey 
Lord, help me I don’t know the way 

So take me to the mountain 
I will follow where You lead 
There I’ll lay the body 
Of the boy You gave to me 
And even though You take him 
Still I ever will obey 
But Maker of this mountain, please 
Make another way 

Holy is the Lord 
Holy is the Lord 
And the Lord I will obey 
Holy is the Lord 
Holy is the Lord 
And the Lord I will obey 
Lord, help me I don’t know the way



I wonder sometimes how obedient I would be if asked to do something super crazy and life-changing. 

I probably will be, someday.


I think back on the pioneers and how they left everything to follow the prophet. Lives were lost and people suffered more than you or I could ever imagine. 

I wonder if I could have done what they did. I honestly don't know. That's a lot to sacrifice.


I think someday the saints will be asked to leave everything and go to meet the Savior. I don't know if it will be in my lifetime or if it won't, but I want to make sure I am in the habit of being obedient. 

I think that when that day comes, you will be able to see who would truly sacrifice everything for the One who created the world. Where people's priorities lie. 


So I will obey. 

I will live the gospel every day of my life. 

I want the Lord to know that I am on his side. 

That I am loyal to him. 

"The crowning characteristic of love is always loyalty." 

Elder Holland said that in our last General Conference.

I love the Lord, and I want him to know it. 

There is this really old Mormonad that explains that living the gospel is like brushing your teeth. You can't just pile on the toothpaste and brush one day and expect to be good for a week.

Church is a Sunday activity. Your religion - the gospel of Jesus Christ - should be a way of life. 

"Holy is the Lord, Holy is the Lord... And the Lord I will obey."

Always. No matter what.






P.S. Listen to this song too (by the same guy). It ends with the same phrase as the song you just listened to, which I think is kinda cool.

P.P.S. I am feeling really good right now. Y'all should start your own blogs like this. It makes you feel good and fills you up with the Spirit whenever you sit down to blog.

you know what you know.

We, as humans, long for acceptance.

I think it's just in the nature of the natural man.


We know what we know. The wildebeest in the above video knew the whole time that it was a crocodile that he was looking at in the water. But he just had to prove his point. He wanted to make sure that the other wildebeest knew who was right.

And he paid for it.


Do we find ourselves doing this?

I certainly have a tendency to do this sometimes... I want people to see things how I see them.


You know?


But here's the thing... you don't have to prove things to others. Even things you know are true.

If you know it's bad, stay away.
If you know it's good, cleave to it.

Of course I am not suggesting that you shouldn't share knowledge and try to enlighten your friends.

Let me try to illustrate this thought...


I love the gospel.

It's everything to me.

It makes me so happy.

The knowledge it brings...

The peace it brings...

The joy it brings...

It's unexplainable.


My ward family is everything to me.

My neighbors - my friends in my ward - are truly my family.

They mean the world to me and have helped to raise me. I don't think many outside the church truly realize what an amazing thing a ward is.


And the gratitude that enters into my heart whenever I think of my Savior...

The gospel is a miracle.

And I love it.


But the thing is... just because I know the church is true doesn't mean everyone I talk to will believe the church is true.

That would be awesome, but it just isn't like that.


Sharing the gospel is so important. You can bless the lives of those around you for eternity.

But I've been trying to remember that I can't convert anyone.

The Spirit can convert people. And I can try to make people sensitive to feeling the Spirit, but I can't just have a nice chat with someone and make them love the gospel. I will never be able to.

The Spirit changes hearts, not me.

So I guess if I want to help change hearts, I need to make sure I am sensitive to feeling the Spirit myself.

So that others can feel it through me.


Something that breaks my heart is when you see people who have had the gospel their whole lives and still they don't truly appreciate it. They have been surrounded by truth, and maybe at one time had a testimony. Maybe they still do have a testimony, they just don't have the conviction and motivation to become fully converted.

And it makes me so, so sad. Like, so sad.

And sometimes I just want to annoyingly yell at them... don't you know what people have sacrificed for you to have this gospel? Don't you know exactly who you are? Who you can become? How much God loves it when you are faithful to Him?

Don't you realize how happy you will be when you become fully devoted to your Creator?


But I don't say these things to them... (At least I don't yell these things to them... haha)



I do what I can. But they have truth right under their noses. And sometimes nothing I say or do will make them see it.


I just pray for them. That their hearts will be softened and changed. And that it won't take some drastic, life-shattering experience for them to become converted.

Alma 30:44 - But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.

What an amazing scripture, right?


All things denote there is a God.



Look at all the tiny details that work together perfectly... The earth is like one big, perfectly engineered machine.

When you look at the beauty of nature... the beauty of humanity... the beauty of love and forgiveness...

There is no way it all just created itself.

It wouldn't make sense.

I always think of Elder Nelson's talk from last April...
"Anyone who studies the workings of the human body has surely 'seen God moving in his majesty and power'..."


And still, so many people believe that all of this just happened. That a Big Bang could create intelligent, loving, and truly beautiful people.

You guys, there are an infinite number of signs - an infinite number of evidences - of a God.

And people praying for some big sign... they just don't get it. 


There are signs everywhere. 

You are a living, breathing, evidence of a God. 


No matter what anyone else believes... You know what you know. Nothing could ever change that.

And if you feel you need to prove a point... stop. Remember to be patient with people. 

We're all just living life the best we can.

Remember who converts people... who changes hearts.


Do what you can, and pray that the Lord will make up the difference. 

Because, in the end, He always does.

sunday tidbits

Things that I liked that I heard/read today...


a great song...

So this song is called I Just Knew by Cherie Call... I kinda just wanted to embed the song by itself and then post the lyrics... but the following video is seriously the only place I could find the whole song to embed for you guys... So you know... it works I guess... :)



He’s the son of a king, but He came to us with nothing
No purple robe, no crust of bread
With His soft tiny hands, He reached out for me to hold Him
There was no crown upon his head
So I guess that I should not have been surprised
When I saw the human tears in His holy infant eyes

And no one ever taught me how to sing
A lullaby for the son of a mighty king
But when I held Him in my arms
And I rocked Him just the way that mothers do, I just knew

Just as we knew he would be, He lived so selflessly
He was a legend in the land
People came from far and wide, they looked at Him with pleading eyes
Longing for the healing in His hands
And in those endless busy days
He still had time for me, He always found a way

And no one ever told me how to love
A healer and a teacher sent from up above
But when He cared for me and helped me
In the tender way that only He could do, I just knew

In sunlit moments I could see me in the traces of His smile
I know He came from me
But He was better than this world would allow
I could not save Him when He died
Now it seems that He’s the one who holds me when I cry

And everybody asks me how I’m sure
That the little boy I raised is our Redeemer
I could list the dreams and prophecies
And miracles that prove His mission true
But in all honesty
Every moment I was with him, I just knew


Great, right? It's on her album Gifts and is available on iTunes!!


Okay next... a great quote...

The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can live after we die but that we can live more abundantly (see John 10:10). The miracle of the Atonement is not just that we can be cleansed and consoled but that we can be transformed (see Romans 8). Scriptures make it clear that no unclean thing can dwell with God (see Alma 40:26), but, brothers and sisters, no unchanged thing will even want to.

~ Brad Wilcox

Click here to read his whole address... it is fabulous...

And click here to read some of my thoughts about true conversion...

and last... an awesome story...

I read the following story in the New Era today...  (Pretend that it is you who are being addressed...)

----------

Thank You For Your Example... by Angela Farmer

Several years ago, a young man named James traveled internationally with a group of athletes. He was listening to a conversation that another athlete, Tom, was having about a beautiful young woman whom he was interested in—you. Most people considered Tom to be a very good-looking and well-accomplished athlete.

Tom admitted his disappointment that you had such high standards. In order for him to date you, you asked that Tom seriously consider the teachings of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Tom said the standards of sexual purity were more than he had expected. James was deeply impressed that there was a Church with young people who were so serious about their religion and standards, and he asked for the name of the Church.

On returning to the United States, James decided to go to a Church meeting and see what inspired such dedication. He surprised the missionaries by showing up at church one Sunday. Soon afterward, after receiving the missionary lessons, James was baptized. Years later, I met James at a single-adult activity, and we were eventually married for time and all eternity in the temple.

I often think of you. It may have been uncomfortable for you to hold up high standards to a good-looking athlete, but I’m grateful you did. There is no way you could know how your dedication to high moral standards changed our lives. We just celebrated our 16th anniversary. I wish I could meet you. I would like to show you our lovely children and our happy home.

I hope you understand that even when you simply live your standards, you can have a profound effect on the lives of others. Being morally clean is a path to more than just personal happiness.

----------

Cool, right? She converted a young man and eventually... a family... without even knowing she had shared the Gospel...

Read here and here about missionary work... or just click on the Missionary Work label in the sidebar... there are a few more... :)

So there you have it! Happy Sunday!

A Thing of the Spirit

“Pure religion is a thing of the Spirit and not of the intellect alone."
- Bruce R. McConkie 

     In this book, in the section written by Richard Bushman (a professor at Harvard), he talks about a time when he was being interviewed on the radio. The  conversation ended up being focused on religion, and he was asked, 

"How could an educated, well-informed, modern Mormon accept all the stories that go with Mormon belief?"

Well... what would you say?

Of course... he went on in his essay talking about his belief in the Mormon Church, but I think that the question he was asked is one that we should know how to straight-forward answer. 

     To some people who don't know a lot about our religion, our beliefs may seem a little different. 

     Some people... try to explain everything with science. If they can't have tangible proof of something happening... well, it didn't happen. I happen to know a couple of people that think that way...

Darn skeptical scientists. 

Well... here's an awesome quote from Einstein...

"Every one who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that a spirit is manifest in the laws of the Universe-a spirit vastly superior to that of man, and one in the face of which we with our modest powers must feel humble."
- Albert Einstein 


Isn't that an awesome quote? And it was said by someone that we consider scientifically/mathematically brilliant. 

     I suppose he got it...

You know... some things can be explained completely with science. I mean, leaves are green because that's the only color in the spectrum that they reflect back... okay, I can believe that. Sounds reasonable to me.

BUT... Everything cannot be perfectly described by science. Our earth... and everything in it... didn't just happen on its own. Life didn't happen on its own... especially intelligent life.

Like what Elder Russell M. Nelson said in the last General Conference...
Talking about our amazing physical bodies, he said,


"Yet some people erroneously think that these marvelous physical attributes happened by chance or resulted from a big bang somewhere. Ask yourself, “Could an explosion in a printing shop produce a dictionary?” The likelihood is most remote. But if so, it could never heal its own torn pages or reproduce its own newer editions!"


(Reminds me of this song)


You know what I think is interesting... some scientists/atheists say that their explanations just make more sense... that they're more practical.


Something cool about our gospel... not only do we have manifestations and believe in God... but all of our Church's teachings make perfect sense. If you think about it, the Gospel really explains everything we need to know... and it explains all of those things perfectly. 


It makes sense. And of course, we have the Spirit telling us that what we believe is true. 


That quote at the very top of this post... is one of my favorite quotes of all time. We just... can't always explain things so that they make sense to other people. We know God exists because we have faith. And after putting that faith to the test, we will find that God really is there. And He loves us.


And the Church is true. 

Did one of my posts leave a lasting impression on you? I'd love to hear about it! Comment below!

 Want to read about the layout of my blog? Click here.

My Conference Highlights [Part Two] - Judging and Sharing the Gospel

     Why am I blogging at this hour? It is TOO LATE for me to be blogging right now... whatever... I am going to die at soccer practice tomorrow... I suppose I will worry about that then. :)
     (Bad idea)

     So. I suppose that I will finish up my General Conference favorites...

-----

A:

     I would first like to talk about something that Elder Quentin L. Cook said in his talk last Saturday afternoon. (full talk here.)

     I loved these two lines...
     "Our great desire is to raise our children in truth and righteousness. One principle that will help us accomplish this is to avoid being overly judgmental about conduct that is foolish or unwise but not sinful."

     That last part that I have bolded really stood out to me.
     Here's why:
I am in ninth grade. I go to a school with seventh, eighth, and ninth graders.
Can I just tell you how incredibly immature some junior high kids can be? It is seriously ridiculous.
    I'm honestly not thinking of certain kids, and there are plenty of kids who are very well-grounded and are realistic about things... but still.

     I hear things all of the time that cause me to wonder, "WHO THE CRAP CARES???"

Haha... well...

     Then I listened to General Conference. I realized that if kids - or adults - care about things that seem really dumb and pointless to me... it really doesn't matter.

     None of it is my business anyway, I mean, I shouldn't be judging them either way, but that talk by Elder Cook made me realize that if something matters to someone else, that's fine, and I shouldn't question it or let it bug me.

Ya know, people all mature at their own rate. Some people may never grow out of the drama that seems so pointless to me right now...
     But... some people will.

     Life is a journey. We should spend our entire earth lives learning and growing. We just all do it differently, and that is perfectly fine.

     If people like to chat about dumb stuff, I'll be okay with that. I will stop judging. They usually aren't even doing anything wrong.

     I suppose that I was the one doing something wrong after all.

-----

B:

     My last thought that I starred in my General Conference notebook was from David F. Evans' talk found here. 

He said:

"The work of naturally and normally sharing the gospel with those we care about and love will be the work and joy of our lives."

Naturally and normally. 

     I totally can relate to this one. 

     I remember in elementary school, around second or third grade, me and some other girls actually bribed a girl with jolly ranchers if she would listen to us tell her about the Church during recess.   

     I mean, that's pretty funny. I kinda laugh about it now. 

     BUT, for some people, even as they get older, this seems to be their method of sharing the gospel. Granted, maybe not with jolly ranchers, but some people are so desperate to share the gospel with their friends, that they end up making it an awkward, forced situation.

     Fast forward. I have several friends now that are not  members of the Church, and I'm fine with that. I really wish that everyone would be eager and ready to hear the gospel right when they meet you, but that's understandably not often the case. 

     There have actually been many days at lunch when our conversations have naturally shifted to religion. That is when you share with them your feelings on the gospel, as long as they are willing to listen. 

     I promise you... so much more will be accomplished if you are not forcing the messages on someone. 

     I think that we all think of converting someone as a cool idea, and we hope that we have the chance to do that someday. If that happens, it will be because they opened their heart and were willing to listen. 

     Do not approach it the wrong way or always pester someone if they don't want to talk about religion. Just be patient, and hopefully they'll come around. 

My Conference Highlights [Part One] - True Conversion and Spiritual Experiences

     Okay. Long time no see, right? I haven't blogged in a week. That may be the longest gap as of yet. (Not counting when my computer was broken last December. I've created a mental block of those weeks. That was a very dark time, yes. Haha...)


     Anyways. Conference. I hope that you watched with attentiveness. If you took notes, double points for you.


"Whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same." [D&C 1:38]

     When you listen to the Prophet or apostles speak, you are hearing God's will. I think most of us would say that when God reveals things to us, we want to hear it. Why then, do people not make it a priority to watch General Conference? There is always something shared that can speak to you. 


     If you missed any of the sessions, you can watch them here. Text for the talks will be available Thursday. Sometimes it is easier just to read them. 


     So for the next couple of posts, I would like to go over a few of my favorite talks. (I'm not actually sure how many "parts" this little series will have. Who knows, this may be the only one, but I'm sorta thinking 2-3...)




     One talk that I loved was in the Saturday Morning Session... "The Gospel and the Church" - by Donald L. Hallstrom.



(Hopefully you've already heard this talk, but if you haven't, or if you need some refreshing, here's the talk for your convenience. I'm surprised that all of the talks have already been uploaded to youtube. Sweet.)


Here are some of my favorite quotes from this talk:

     "Sometimes we use the terms 'Gospel' and 'Church' interchangeably, but they are not the same. They are, however, exquisitely interconnected, and we need both."

     "Some have come to think of activity in the Church as the ultimate goal. Therein lies a danger. It is possible to be active in the Church, and less active in the Gospel."

     "How much faith do we really have? How repentant are we? How meaningful are the ordinances in our lives? How focused are we on our covenants?"

     "We need the Gospel and the Church."

     "We often wonder: 'How can someone be fully active in the Church as a youth, and then not be when they're older? How can an adult, who has regularly attended and served, stop coming? How can a person who is disappointed by a leader or another member allow that to end their church participation?' Perhaps the reason is they were not sufficiently converted to the Gospel, the things of eternity."

     "The Lord wants the members of His Church to be fully converted to His Gospel. This is the only sure way to have spiritual safety now and happiness forever."


     If you never heard the talk, do you get the basic message? True conversion. 

     Hopefully you understand the concept of true conversion, because it is different than just being a member of the Church.

     There are some members of the Church who have been members their entire life, but do not follow the commandments. There are other members who are converts, and maybe have had the Gospel a shorter time, but they are more faithful and valiant. There are some people who have had the gospel their entire life, and it is their highest priority.

What is the difference between these different types of people? They've all been exposed to the same teachings.

     The difference is that some are not truly converted.

     Say you were born into the Church and were baptized when you were eight. You have grown up in the Church your whole life. There comes a time, however, when you must become truly converted. That is when you fully believe in the Gospel and its teachings, and you understand that nothing should be more important in your life.
     True conversion requires a change of heart.

     -----

     How can we get this change of heart? Well, "ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith." [Ether 12:6].

     Keep the commandments. Pray often. Go to church. Read your scriptures often. Try really hard to have a spiritual balance in your life. When you are to this point, pray for a witness. Pray for a special experience. Pray that the Holy Ghost will tell you that what you are doing is right. 

     You will receive a witness. 

     Now is when another talk comes in... "To Hold Sacred" - by Paul B. Pieper (Sunday afternoon).

     (It's a long quote, but really good.)

"At times we may feel vulnerable and in need of greater spiritual assurances. The Lord told Oliver Cowdrey, 'If you desire a further witness, cast your mind upon the night you cried unto me in your heart, that you might know the truth of these things. Did I not speak peace to your mind concerning the matter? What greater witness can you have, than from God?' The Lord reminded Oliver - and us - to rely on sacred personal witnesses already received when our faith is challenged. Like Moses, Alma, and Joseph before, these divine encounters serve as spiritual anchors to keep us safe and on course in times of trial." 

- Paul B. Pieper

     Times of doubt will still come for most of us... but when that happens, never forget those witnesses you received. Never forget the times when the Holy Spirit enveloped you. Write those experiences down!

     For me, I always think of a night at EFY when I felt the Spirit so strong that it was almost tangible. It was such a happy feeling, and I knew that the Gospel should always be the most important thing in my life. I always want that feeling within reach. 

     If I ever have times when I have doubts - times when Satan is working on me - I just remember experiences like that. I remember what I felt then, and how it was undeniable. It washes all doubts away. 

     I think that is what Elder Pieper is trying to say... never forget those special experiences, because in times of trial, it's important to have those witnesses to look back on. 

(To read all of Elder Pieper's talk, click here.)

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