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

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...

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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.

leave the world behind.

I love EFY. It's always the best. So... for the next few blog posts I will probably be sharing with you parts of lessons that were given.

So here's the first one.

First of all, think of your standards. Do you think that the standards that the Church has given hold you back? Are they hard to keep?

Do you feel like they restrict your freedom?

Well... Ariel felt like her freedom was restricted.

She didn't want to stay under the "C". ["C" meaning Covenant for our little discussion...]

Do you want to stay under the Covenant?

Or are you always finding that you want to be part of the world?
[I left that video out... but it would be appropriate to go watch at this time! Click here.]


But... as Sebastian says in the following video...

"The human world is a mess!"


[Isn't that such a cheerful song? I love it!]




"Down here all the fish is happy
As off through the waves they roll
The fish on the land ain't happy
They sad 'cause they in their bowl"


Living under the Covenant makes you happy.
Keeping your standards makes you happy and gives you freedom.

Elder Boyd K. Packer said: “Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to him the one thing, the one gift, that he would never take. …

“Obedience—that which God will never take by force—he will accept when freely given. And he will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of—the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to be, at least a thousandfold more than we offer him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is obedience”

Obedience. The key to freedom.

Don't try to be a part of a world you don't belong in. 

Between YOU and your GOD...

    So I counted just now... and I have 78 posters/pictures on my wall... I honestly can't cram anything else onto my wall. :) (At least it hides the paint color... I've been wanting to repaint my room for a while now... :))
     Anyways... if you care to play I-Spy, you can find the following poem hanging in my room amidst all of the other stuff. It is perhaps one of the first things that I hung up because it is one of my very favorites:

----------

People are often unreasonable, illogical and self centered;

Forgive them anyway. 

If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives;

Be kind anyway. 

If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies;

Succeed anyway. 

If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you;

Be honest and frank anyway. 

What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;

Build anyway. 

If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous;

Be happy anyway. 

The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow;

Do good anyway. 

Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough;

Give the world the best you've got anyway. 

You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and your God;

It was never between you and them anyway.

[Credited to Mother Teresa, although nobody is positive... there are many speculations as to who first came up with it.]  

---------- 

I think that the following quote kinda goes along those same lines:

"My young friends, be strong. You know what is right, and what is wrong, and no disguise - however appealing - can change that truth. If your so called friends urge you to do anything you know to be wrong, you be the one to make a stand for right, even if you stand alone."
- President Thomas S. Monson

I love the last two lines of that poem... because in the end, it really will be between you and God. Nobody else. And 'final analysis' will come sooner than you might think.

     Imagine a never-ending strand of little tiny seed beads. Our earth life is one of those tiny beads. Do not throw away the rest of the beads - the rest of time itself - because you decided to give in and take foolish advice from people. If you had a wider window - a greater perspective - you would always try to make the best choices you could, because you would better know what you would be sacrificing otherwise.

     The thing is... we do know. It's just tricky to visualize sometimes. BUT... I know that if we try to live life the best we can... and make the choices that would please our Heavenly Father... we will find peace and happiness during and after this life.

Just Give Him a Little More...

This post was inspired by the following song:
(You're supposed to click play and then scroll through the lyrics as you're listening) :)

More - Kenneth Cope

More steady, more sure,

more trusted, more pure.

Some say it doesn't matter.

More trained, and more aware,

more aim to get me there.

I climbed this far.

You raised the bar.

You want my heart.

More fierce desire

to stand against the wind,

More blazing fire

when dark is closing in,

a more love-inspired change within,

So there's more and more 

of me to give.

More words to learn and know,

more etched upon my soul.

Some say it doesn't matter.

More tried, more true.

Less me, and much more you.

I stretched this tall.

You sound the call.

You want my all.

More fierce desire

to stand against the wind

More blazing fire

when dark is closing in,

a more love-inspired change within,

You keep reaching out, you're calling out to me

for more strength in shoulders to face the war with sin.

More wise and bolder,

to save the souls of men.

A more faithful soldier,

to the end.

You want more and more of me to give.

More and more of me to give.

More,

More and more of me to give.

More love, more light.

more purpose

more serve with all my might.

I need more hope, more faith,

more patience, each day I pray for more.

More and more of me to give.
More fire, more zeal,

more spirit to know what's real.

More courage, more joy.

More, more, and more of me to give.

More grateful, more true,

more humble to trust and do.

You call, I hear.

I'll walk the path that's set in stone

my heart is fixed on getting home,

and what on Earth could ever matter more?

More and more of me to give.

More...

--------------------------

     Just a thought as I was listening to this song... 

     You don't have to be perfect. In fact, you won't be.

     Maybe you struggle getting out of bad habits, and into good ones.

     Maybe don't try for perfection... just try to do better. Just try to offer a little bit more.

    

     If you are reading your scriptures only once a week, maybe try reading twice, or three times weekly. Gradually try to do better and better, to offer more and more... until you are at seven.

     

     The same concept applies to many other things. It doesn't have to happen all at once. 

     Don't compare yourself to the people who are doing amazing at whatever it is. Maybe they are struggling with something else. 

     God will know that you are trying. He recognizes the milestones that you reach. 

"In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway."

(That's from a brilliant poem hanging on my wall... should I do a post about it? Hmmm...)

Don't strive for perfection. Strive to give Him a little more...

--------------

For a free mp3 download of the song "More" by Kenneth Cope (plus like... forty other songs...), click here.

P.S. You know how you sometimes stare at a word so much that it seems as though you spelled it wrong? Even if it's a really simple word? Yeah. That's me right now. I might end up checking with you that I spelled more right... haha.

P.P.S. Should I resurrect "What's Up Wednesdays"? I don't want my posts to get too boring... but I also don't want to stray too much from the purpose of this blog. What do you think? To see my last (and only) "What's Up Wednesday" post... click here.

Come Come Ye Saints

I love the movie 17 Miracles... it is a very inspirational movie that really strengthened my testimony and made me very, VERY grateful to the saints who sacrificed so much so that we can have the gospel today. So many people take the knowledge that the gospel brings us for granted...



 The Martin Willie Handcart Companies suffered the highest percentage of deaths of any emigrant parties to go west...

"Our pioneer ancestors sacrificed virtually all they had, including their lives in many cases, to follow a prophet of God."
-M. Russell Ballard

     It amazes and humbles me that these people were SO faithful- that they were willing to do whatever the prophet asked them to... no matter what. 
   
     They suffered SO much... there were deaths every day, people who became incredibly ill... they were also persecuted constantly... I have no doubt that all of those saints were changed forever from those experiences.

D&C 101:15- And all they who have given their lives for my name shall be crowned.

     I know that we question all the time why people doing good things- people following the prophet- suffer, and sometimes die... that last powerful scripture is why.

     Sometimes God also lets the righteous suffer and maybe die so that the wicked will be condemned. The terrible things that they did to the saints will be a witness against them at the last day.


     Another thing that always amazes me is how courageous and positive the pioneers always seemed to be. Of course they questioned, and were sometimes probably angry and frustrated and confused.

But they were also oh, so faithful and obedient. And they also turned to God in their trials.


-------
Come, come, ye Saints, no toil or labor fear;
But with joy wend your way.
Though hard to you this journey may appear,
Grace shall be as your day.
'Tis better far for us to strive
Our useless cares from us to drive;
Do this and joy your hearts will swell —
All is well! All is well!

Why should we mourn or think our lot is hard?
'Tis not so; all is right.
Why should we think to earn a great reward
If we now shun the fight?
Gird up your loins; fresh courage take.
Our God will never us forsake;
And soon we'll have this tale to tell —
All is well! All is well!

We'll find the place which God for us prepared,
Far away in the West.
Where none shall come to hurt or make afraid;
There the Saints will be blessed.
We'll make the air with music ring,
Shout praises to our God and King;
Above the rest these words we'll tell —
All is well! All is well!

And should we die before our journey's through,
Happy day! All is well!
We then are free from toil and sorrow, too;
With the just we shall dwell!
But if our lives are spared again
To see the Saints their rest obtain;
Oh, how we'll make this chorus swell —
All is well! All is well!

-------

“I will never get over being thankful to them; I hope you never get over being thankful to them. I hope that we will always remember them. . . . Let us read again and again, and read to our children or our children’s children, the accounts of those who suffered so much.”
- Gordon B. Hinckley  

Living Up to Your Potential

     I found this beautiful song, and just had to share... so I decided to do a post reminding everyone of the potential that they have...



     Wasn't that beautiful? I could feel the Spirit very strongly while I listened to that song. I thought that it went along with this topic, because it reminds me that God is proud of the good choices that me make. Unlike us, He sees the whole picture. He sees us for what we can become.


     Let's recall the stories of Gideon and Samson. (You can read about them in Judges in the Bible.)


Gideon first... In Judges 6, it tells you that the hand of Midian prevailed against Israel, and had for several years. God tells Gideon that he will be the one to defeat the Midianites.

  12- And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and said unto him, The Lord is with thee, thou mighty man of valour.

 14- And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy might, and thou shalt save Israel from the hand of the Midianites: have not I sent thee?

      Let me point out that Gideon was a poor man. When he was young, I'm sure that he and his family never imagined that he would be the one to defeat the Midianites. God had great things planned for him though, and was also waiting to bless him if he would be obedient. 
     So how did Gideon react?

  

15- And he said unto him, Oh my Lord, wherewith shall I save Israel? behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am the least in my father’s house.

16- And the Lord said unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou shalt smite the Midianites as one man.


    Gideon chooses to do what God has commanded him to do. It seems impossible to him at the time, but he has faith and it ends up working out... just the way he was promised it would.

Now Samson.

     This story is probably better known... It starts with an angel of the Lord appearing to Manoah's wife, who was barren, and telling her that she will have a child. 

Judges 13:5- For, lo, thou shalt conceive, and bear a son; and no razor shall come on his head: for the child shall be a Nazarite unto God from the womb: and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.

     As a Nazarite, there are certain things that you are not supposed to do. You aren't supposed to cut your hair, for one. One of the other things is that you can't marry out of the covenant.  

     Unfortunately, the first decision that we see him make is to marry out of the covenant. 


14:1- And Samson went down to Timnath, and saw a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines.

  

2-And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and said, I have seen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philistines: now therefore get her for me to wife.

  

3- Then his father and his mother said unto him, Is there never a woman among the daughters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goest to take a wife of the uncircumcised Philistines? And Samson said unto his father, Get her for me; for she pleaseth me well.

 
     Anyways, it would take a lot of explaining for you to know the whole story, but the main events are as follows...
- Samson starts hanging out with Delilah (bad), and she cuts his hair during the night.
- Because Samson has broken many commandments, he can no longer live up to his potential. 
- Samson does end up killing many people, including some Philistines, but he also kills himself, which kinda stinks.




-------


     So what is my point in telling you these stories? I want you to look at the difference between these two men. Both are born with incredible potential, and both get the chance to reach that potential. One, however, doesn't recognize the fact that he was born for great things. Thinking that he is smarter than God, he breaks the commandments. Because of this, he was not able to reach his full potential. 


     I want you to know that God sees great things in store for you. Like I said before, He sees you for what you can become. Like Gideon and Samson though, you must keep the commandments and trust in the Lord before you can reach your full potential. He will then reward you with all of the amazing blessings that you have earned. 


     Never forget that God sees you different than the world sees you. He wants so much for you to follow His commandments so that you can live with Him again. He wants to give you blessings. I know that it pleases Him so much when we are worthy enough that he can reward us with these wonderful blessings.

All Blessings Come by Obedience

 
D&C 130:21- And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated.

Okay, so nobody told me what subject they would rather read about... But did you really think I would write about chastity?? No way.

One of my very favorite quotes is about obedience, so I am using that as the subject of this post. Here it is:
"Obedience to God can be the very highest expression of independence. Just think of giving to Him the one thing, the one gift, that He would never take... Obedience- that which God will never take by force- He will accept when freely given. And He will then return to you freedom that you can hardly dream of- the freedom to feel and to know, the freedom to do, and the freedom to BE, at least a thousand fold more than we offer Him. Strangely enough, the key to freedom is Obedience."
                                                                                     -Boyd K. Packer

God gave us EVERYTHING! Without Him, we wouldn't even exist. He has already given us so much freedom, including the freedom to choose. The least we can do is obey His commandments. They are ALWAYS for our own good.

I found this awesome story that President Monson told in the Priesthood session of General Conference in October 2006. It is an awesome example of how obeying will bless us, even if it doesn't seem like it at the time.

-----------

"[Young] Rupert stood by the side of the road watching an unusual number of people hurry past. At length he recognized a friend.
'Where are all of you going in such a hurry?' he asked.
"The friend paused. 'Haven't you heard?' he said.
" 'I've heard nothing,' Rupert answered.
" 'Well' continued [the] friend, 'the king has lost his royal emerald! Yesterday he attended a wedding of the nobility and wore the emerald on the slender golden chain around his neck. In some way the emerald became loosened from the chain. Everyone is searching, for the king has offered a reward to the one who finds it. Come, we must hurry.'
" 'But I cannot go without asking Grandmother.' faltered Rupert.
" 'Then I cannot wait. I want to find the emerald,' replied his friend.

"Rupert hurried back to the cabin at the end of the woods to seek his grandmother's permission.
'If I could find it we could leave this hut with its dampness and buy a piece of land up on the hillside,' he pleaded with his grandmother.
"But his grandmother shook her head. 'What would the sheep do?' she asked. 'Already they are restless in the pen, waiting to be taken to the pasture, and please do not forget to take them to water when the sun shines high in the heavens.'

"Sorrowfully, Rupert took the sheep to the pasture, and at noon he led them to the brook in the woods. There he sat on a large stone by the stream.
'If I could only have had a chance to look for the king's emerald!' he thought.
Turning his head to gaze down at the sandy bottom of the brook, suddenly he stared into the water. What was it? It could not be! He leaped into the water, and his gripping fingers held something that was green with a slender bit of gold chain [that had been broken].
'The king's emerald!' he shouted. 'It must've been flung from the chain when the king [astride his horse galloped across the bridge and the current carried] it here.'

With shining eyes Rupert ran to his grandmother's hut to tell her of his great find.
'Bless you, my boy,' she said, 'but you never would have found it if you had not been doing your duty, herding the sheep.'
And Rupert knew that this was the truth."

The lesson to be learned from this story is found in the familiar couplet: "Do [your] duty; that is best; leave unto [the] Lord the rest!"
(Henry Wadsworth Longfellow)

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I promise that if you obey the Lord, and obey His commandments, and TRUST HIM, then you will be blessed beyond your wildest dreams.