WHO DO WE HEAR?

"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge? 

Where is the knowledge that we have lost in information?" 

                     ~T.S.Elliot


Every day there are so many people that just walk around with headphones in their ears, some even so much as to only have one side of the headphone in and the other side out so they can attempt to be involved in the world around them. For the sake of explanation, I'm just going to call this being "Plugged In". This plugged in idea is an influence that has seemed to overwhelm the youth and young adults in our times today.

Now, please don’t take this the wrong way, I love my music and iPod, but in observation of others you can see the extreme that I'm getting at. In a way, one's dependency on being plugged in has gone to new extremes and watching this has caused me to raise some questions as of what is going on and when did music become so infectious. Of course many would argue that they just love their music or they are not really listening to anything, that it might be educational, or the most ridiculous of all, that they can multi-task. Have you ever tried talking to someone that is plugged in? Your conversation results in, what?, hold on, and un-plugging one side of the head so you can only be paid a slight amount of attention. These are all very good ideas and observation, but there is more behind the scene than we often like to think. 

We live in a world today where there is an increasing onslaught of distractions and temptations. We learn in the scriptures how to listen to the Spirit and how His voice comes,

 "And it came to pass when they heard this voice, and beheld that it was not a voice of thunder, neither was it a voice of a great tumultuous noise, but behold, it was a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it had been a whisper, and it did pierce even to the very soul—." (Helaman 5:30)

  There is so much noise in the world, and with in all of that noise how do we ever think that we can hear the still small voice of the Holy Ghost? We can't, no one can. Every time we plug our mind in and seek after the fads and trends of the world, whether it is headphones, cell phones, texting, or just being worldly, we disconnect ourselves from that perfectly mild voice of the Spirit. 

The Holy Ghost communicates with us by feelings and thoughts in our hearts and minds, but when we give in to worldly influences our hearts and minds are no longer available to the Spirit. These vital communications usually come as love, joy, peace, longsuffering, temperance, gentleness, goodness, faith, and meekness just to name a few. 

With this line of communication we are able to better judge choices and action in our day to day lives and most often these acts that we do are to bless the lives of others. So in all, take time to smell the roses, un-plug your mind of the worldly things and seek for a better and I do know as one does this that they will be able to bless their lives and even better, bless the lives of others.

Watch and Pray

"Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

                                                                                                                          (Matt 26:41)

"Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man." (Luke 21:36)

"Verily, verily, I say unto you, ye must watch and pray always, lest ye be tempted by the devil, and ye be led away captive by him." (3 Nephi 18:15)

To often when we find ourselves praying and asking for forgiveness, it is because we forgot to be "watchful". Throughout the scriptures we learn that prayer can become a source of strength. We pray and look for the ways that it can strengthen us in our lives, but we never can seem to fully find it. The problem doesn't come because God doesn't hear our prayers. As a matter of fact, He really does here them. The problem comes because we are praying to late. Of course, we need to pray and ask for forgiveness, but the Lord wants us to be "watchful" and use prayer to head off the temptation and sin before we falter. When faced with temptation and the attack of Satan, if we are watchful, we can then pray and build up a defense to keep ourselves safe. Strength from prayer comes while we are battling with Satan, not asking for forgiveness. A powerful strength to overcome temptation will be found as we pray in the heat of the battle. A watchful vigilance of our lives can help us to overcome our weaknesses as we find strength and trust in the Lord. Cutting off the temptations, cuts off the Adversary giving us power and righteousness in our lives. A power that can only come through our Savior, Jesus Christ, by being watchful and prayerful. 

THE EYE OF THE TIGER

NEVER GIVE UP

DO YOU HAVE THE EYE OF THE TIGER?

HAVE YOU EVER WATCHED THE MOVIE ROCKY, I LOVE THEM, THE REASON BEING, ROCKY NEVER SEEMS TO GIVE UP. IN ONE OF THE MOVIES HE GOES TO RUSSIA TO FIGHT IVAN DRAGO. ALL THE ODDS WHERE AGAINST ROCKY IN THIS FIGHT BUT AS WE
ALL KNOW IN THE END HE WAS ABLE TO WIN!!

THERE WAS NO EASY WAY OUT FOR ROCKY, HE SAW THAT HE NEEDED TO DO SOMETHING THAT WAS HARD, SO WITH THIS HE PUT IN THE EFFORT AND TRAINED, AND THEN HE WENT INTO THE FIGHT KNOWING THAT HE HAD TO GIVE IT HIS ALL. 

IN THE END ROCKY GAVE IT EVERYTHING HE GOT, HE HAD THE EYE OF THE TIGER!!

SO NOW LOOK IN YOUR LIFE DO YOU HAVE THE EYE OF THE TIGER? ARE YOU WILLING TO PUT EVERYTHING YOU GOT IN TO THE FIGHT?

THIS LIFE ON EARTH IS REALLY A FIGHT IN OF ITS SELF, THE ODDS ARE AGAINST US SATAN DOESN'T WANT US TO BE HAPPY AND TO BE ABLE TO RETURN BACK TO OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, HE IS THROWING ALL THAT HE CAN AT US, FROM ANYWHERE TO FAMILY PROBLEMS TO SEX AND DRUGS, AND OTHER THINGS. HE IS TRYING TO THROW ALL OF THESE HOOKS, JABS, AND EVERYTHING ELSE HE HAS IN HIM. SATAN HAS BEEN TRAINING FOR THESE LAST DAYS FROM THE BEGINNING  OF TIME SO HE HAS HAD HIS TIME. SO IN A SENSE THE ODDS ARE REALLY AGAINST US. BUT THEN WE HAVE TO COME TO IT ON THIS POINT, DO WE HAVE WHAT IT TAKES? DO WE HAVE THE EYE OF THE TIGER?

SO HOW DO YOU THINK, WE GET THE EYE OF THE TIGER? FOR ME I USE TO HAVE THE EYE OF THE TIGER WHEN I WAS YOUNGER IN SOCCER, TILL ABOUT 14 WHEN I WAS HURT IN A SOCCER GAME, AND I WAS TAKEN OUT AND HAD TORN TENDONS IN MY SHOULDER, WITH THIS I WAS FEARFUL WHEN I CAME BACK. MY DAD SAW THIS AND HE TOLD ME NUMBER OF TIMES YOU GOT GET THAT DRIVE BACK. IT TOOK A LOT OF TIME TO GET THIS BACK, BUT I GOT IT BACK. THE WAY THAT I WAS ABLE TO GET IT BACK IS BY TRAINING HARD, AND IT FINALLY CAME DOWN TO WHEN I WAS IN ONE OF THE BIGGEST GAMES OF MY LIFE, AND WE WHERE DOWN IT IS AT THAT POINT WHEN I HAD TO STEP IT UP, AND I TOLD MYSELF "I WILL NOT LOSE."

SO AS I HAD TO GET THE EYE OF THE TIGER BACK IN SOCCER, I HAD TO GET IT IN THE OTHER SPORTS THAT I PLAYED AS WELL. I SEEM TO FINALLY GRASP IT AND I HAVE THE EYE OF THE TIGER WHEN I AM LOSING AND I ALWAYS TELL MY SELF "I WILL NOT LOSE" THIS IS WHEN I TYPICALLY AM ABLE TO DO IT.

AT ONE POINT IN MY LIFE, I HAD THE EYE OF THE TIGER, BUT I LOST IT. WHEN I LOST IT I SAW THAT MY LIFE WAS GOING DOWN THE WRONG PATH. I HAD STEPPED INTO THE RING WITH SATAN, AND HE WAS THROWING EVERYTHING HE HAD AT ME. I HAD AWAKENED THE GIANT, AND HE DIDN'T WANT TO LOSE.
AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS I WAS LOSING, BUT THIS IS WHEN I REALIZED THAT THERE WAS NO "EASY WAY OUT"  I HAD TO DO SOMETHING THAT WAS PROBABLY THE HARDEST THING FOR ME TO EVER DO. I HAD TO WIN THIS FIGHT! THERE WAS NO WAY GETTING OUT OF IT, I HAD TO FINISH WHAT I STARTED.
THE TRAINING THAT I HAD BEEN GIVEN EARLIER IN MY LIFE, WAS THEN GETTING TESTED AND I HAD TO DECIDE AT THAT POINT WETHER OR NOT TO USE IT OR LOSE. 

SO AS ROCKY HAD TO DIG IN AND REMEMBER WHAT HE HAD LEARNED. THERE IS NO EASY WAY OUT, BUT THE FIGHT THAT I HAD TO OVERCOME WOULD BE WORTH IT.

WHAT I HAD LEARNED WHEN I WAS YOUNGER, WAS THE IMPORTANCE OF THE GOSPEL IN MY LIFE. INCLUDED IN THIS WAS HOW IMPORTANT KEEPING THE COMMANDMENTS ARE, AS WELL AS SO MANY OTHER THINGS.
ALL THESE THINGS SOUND SO EASY, BUT WHEN SATAN IS TRYING HIS HARDEST ON BEATING YOU, IT'S HARD. BUT ONCE AGAIN THIS FIGHT WAS WORTH WHILE. I HAD TO COME TO THE CONCLUSION THAT I CAN WIN, AND I WILL WIN. THIS HAPPENED WHEN I SAW THAT HE HAD NO POWER OVER ME WHEN I PUT IN THE TIME AND TRAINING IN READING THE SCRIPTURES, GOING TO CHURCH, PRAYING, AND MORE IMPORTANTLY REGAINING MY TESTIMONY AGAIN.... IN THE END, I WON! THE FIGHT WAS HARD, BUT I HAD PEOPLE ALONG THE WAY TO CHEER ME ON AND TO TELL ME TO "NEVER GIVE UP" AND TO "NEVER BACK DOWN".
IT ALL CAME DOWN TO WHO WANTED IT THE MOST AND I CAN TELL YOU THIS I DID!!!

I WANT ALL OF YOU TO KNOW THAT SATAN IS OUT THERE, AND HE DOESN'T WANT US TO HAVE THE HAPPINESS WE WANT. SO WITH THIS, WHEN WE STEP INTO THE RING, HE WILL THROW EVERYTHING HE HAS AT US, BUT WE HAVE THE TOOLS AND MORE IMPORTANTLY, WE HAVE THE "EYE OF THE TIGER" AND WE WILL NOT LOSE. AS WE CONTINUE TO LIVE THE GOSPEL STANDARDS, AND WORK ON DEVELOPING OUR TESTIMONIES WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS FIGHT AND COME OUT ON TOP.

BY TRULY READING THE SCRIPTURES AND MORE IMPORTANTLY BY TRULY GAINING A TESTIMONY OF THE BOOK OF MORMON, WE CAN COME TO THE UNDERSTANDING THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH THIS FIGHT, AND THAT WE CAN WIN!! 

THE BEACON

SO MANY TIMES WE ARE LOST AND WE REALLY DON'T KNOW WHERE TO GO?

BUT WE ALL HAVE LIGHT HOUSES IN OUR lives. 



HERE IS A STORY ABOUT THAT REALLY TOUCHED MY LIFE, AND I HOPE IT WILL HELP YOU AS YOU READ IT.





The Beacon 
By Mary H. Duplex


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Amanda stood at the front window of the lighthouse keeper’s cottage and searched the angry white-capped sea again. There was still no sign of her father’s whaleboat. High waves crashed against the rocks, sending white spray high into the air before the wind snatched it away.

If only the storm hadn’t come up, she thought, Father would have been back with the doctor by now.

Baby Jonathan cried fretfully, and Amanda heard Mother’s soft, soothing voice as she comforted him. Then Mother called her name.

Amanda turned and hurried into the bedroom. “Is Jonathan any better?” she asked hopefully.

“His fever is still high,” Mother answered with a worried frown. She looked worn-out from her all-night vigil. Now it was late afternoon. As she replaced the damp cloth on Jonathan’s forehead, he closed his eyes for a moment. “Please bring me a basin of fresh water, Amanda. The cool cloths seem to help.”

Amanda hurried to the kitchen and drew a pan of water from the pump. A sudden gust of wind drove rain against the windowpanes.

The storm is getting worse, Amanda thought. But father is a strong man; he can row for miles without getting tired. And with the doctor’s help, they will make it safely. They just have to!

Amanda carried the basin of water into the bedroom and set it on the low stool beside Jonathan’s bed. “Father will be here soon,” she said, attempting a cheerful tone.

“If only this storm would pass,” Mother said. She wrung out a cloth in the cold water and wiped Jonathan’s flushed face, then laid the cloth on his forehead. A moment later Jonathan closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep. Amanda tiptoed from the room and closed the door softly.

The cottage seemed extra dark and dismal. Amanda put another log on the fire, to make the room more cheerful. Father and Dr. Benton will be hungry when they get here, she thought. Mother had planned to make stew for supper, so Amanda went into the kitchen and rekindled the fire in the cookstove.

Rain drummed on the roof, and the wind howled around the cottage. Amanda tried not to think about the storm as she prepared the meat and vegetables and put the stew on to simmer. Then she mixed a big batch of corn bread and put it into the oven to bake.

Time passed slowly, but finally the corn bread was out of the oven and cooling, and the stew was thick and rich. The mouth-watering smells made Amanda hungry. It was long past suppertime, and her father still had not come. Amanda lit the lamps and added another log to the fire in the fireplace. She opened the bedroom door quietly and entered with a lighted candle when she heard Jonathan whimpering. “Supper is ready,” she whispered. “Shall I bring you something to eat?”

Mother set the flickering candle on the nightstand and shook her head. “I must have dozed. Is your father back with the doctor yet?” she asked as she bent over the baby.

“No,” Amanda answered. “And it’s almost dark.”

Suddenly Mother put her hand to her face and gasped. “The beacon! Oh, Amanda, how could I have forgotten! The beacon must be lit!”

“Do you want me to stay with Jonathan?” Amanda asked.

Her mother shook her head. “You will have to light the beacon tonight. I can’t leave him.”

Fear tingled down Amanda’s spine at the thought of climbing the circular staircase to the lighthouse tower, more than fifty feet above the ground. When father became lighthouse keeper last spring, she had tried to climb up and watch him light the lamps. But she could never force herself to climb to the top of the tower. “I—I can’t,” Amanda whispered.

“You must!” her mother insisted. “Your father’s life and the lives of many others may depend on that light tonight. Be sure to trim the wicks and polish the reflectors before you fill the reservoirs of the lamps with oil and light them. Go quickly, dear. You must not waste another minute!”

Amanda hurried to the kitchen and got Father’s lantern. Her hand trembled as she lit it. Then she wrapped her shawl tightly around her head and shoulders and stepped out into the storm. The wind tore at her skirt as she started up the long path to the lighthouse. She leaned into the wind and struggled up the hill. When Amanda reached the lighthouse at last, she opened the door and quickly stepped inside. It was a relief to be out of the storm.

Amanda held her lantern high. In the middle of the floor the circular staircase disappeared up into the darkness above. Amanda felt like she was standing at the bottom of a deep well. Her heart beat wildly.

“This time I must climb to the top,” she said as she grasped the handrail and started to climb. Her footsteps echoed hollowly on the iron steps as she went round and round, climbing higher and higher. A wave of dizziness swept over her. Amanda clung tightly to the cold handrail and waited for the feeling to pass. She wanted desperately to run down the steps and back to the warm, cozy cottage.

“You must light the beacon!” she told herself sternly. “Somewhere out there in that awful storm Father may be watching for the light to guide him home.” She tried to force herself to let go of the handrail, but her fingers seemed to be frozen in place.

“Please, Heavenly Father, help me to find the courage to go on,” she prayed. Slowly her fingers loosened their grip. She took a step up, then another.

When she reached the top, Amanda didn’t even take time to breathe a sigh of relief. Quickly she set to work trimming the wicks of the nine lamps and polishing the big shiny reflectors. She found the can of oil for the lamps, then carefully filled and lit each one.

Taking her lantern, Amanda slowly wound her way down the staircase and out into the storm again. When she reached the porch, she stopped and looked back at the long fingers of light reaching out over the raging water. She wondered how far it could be seen in the storm. “The beacon is lit,” she said softly when she reached her mother.

Mother put her arm around Amanda. “You were very brave, dear. I know how much you dread heights. Go and have something to eat now.”

Amanda had finished supper and washed the dishes when she heard footsteps on the back porch. She rushed to open the door. “Father!” she cried. “And Dr. Benton! I’m so glad you’re safe! I was afraid you were lost in the storm.”

“We were until we saw the beacon,” Father said.

The two men took off their oilskins and left them on the porch. They warmed themselves by the fire for just a moment, then hurried in to see Jonathan. Amanda curled up in a chair by the fireplace to wait.

When she opened her eyes again, it was morning and her father was shaking her gently. “I thought you would like to know that you saved three lives last night,” he said. “Jonathan’s fever just broke. Dr. Benton told me he is going to get well.”





SO FROM READING THE STORY WE LEARN THAT AMANDA TOOK IT INTO HER OWN POWER TO LIGHT THE BEACON. Which allowed her to save not only her brother’s life, but many other people’s lives as well. 


WHO HAS SAVED YOUR LIFE? WHAT IS THE BEACON IN YOUR LIFE? 



I LOOK BACK IN SOME OF THE SITUATIONS IN MY LIFE.... WHERE I NEEDED THAT LIGHT HOUSE TO HELP GUIDE ME TO THE PERSON THAT I AM TODAY. FOR ME ONE OF BEACONS, IS MY DAD, AND THE TESTIMONY THAT HE HAS. NO MATTER HOW HARD SITUATIONS GOT IN HIS LIFE, HE HAS ALWAYS KEPT HIS BEACON SHINING BRIGHT, HELPING OTHERS FIND THEIR WAY. I REALLY LOOK UP TO HIM FOR THAT, HE HAS HELPED SO MANY FIND their WAY SAFELY BACK TO THE HARBOR. 



NOW AS A MISSIONARY I AM LETTING MY BEACON SHINE AND AM HELPING OTHERS FIND THERE WAY BACK TO THE HARBOR. IT TRULY IS SUCH AN AMAZING SIGHT TO SEE, WHEN OTHERS THAT ARE LOST FINALLY FIND THERE WAY BACK HOME.

Press Forward No matter the Road

HOW MANY TIMES IN ARE LIVES DO WE THINK CAN I KEEP GOING? CAN I REALLY ACCOMPLISH THIS TASK?

When I First Started

IF YOU HAVE EVER FELT THIS WAY, YOU'RE NOT ALONE, SO MANY OF US FEEL THIS WAY. WE ARE HUMAN, WE ALL HAVE DOUBT, WE ALL ARE AFRAID OF WHAT IS TO COME. BUT I WANT ALL OF YOU TO KNOW THAT WE CAN ACCOMPLISH HARD THINGS... I WANT YOU TO LOOK BACK IN YOUR LIFE AND THINK, WHAT WAS A CHILDHOOD GOAL YOU WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH?
   NOW THAT YOU HAVE THOUGHT OF IT, THINK TO YOUR SELF HOW DID I ACCOMPLISH IT? I KNOW THAT I HAVE HAD A LOT OF CHILDHOOD DREAMS I WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH, MANY OF THEM I HAVE OR I AM STILL WORKING ON. ONE OF THE BIGS ONES THAT I REMEMBER I WANTED TO ACCOMPLISH, WAS TO BECOME A MECHANIC LIKE MY DAD. IF ANYONE HAD A PROBLEM THAT THEY WANTED FIXED ON THERE CAR, HE WOULD BE THE MAN TO DO IT. IN HIGH SCHOOL HE WAS OFFERED A SCHOLARSHIP TO DESIGN ENGINES AND FORD MOTOR COMPANY WAS GOING TO PAY FOR HIM. (THIS IS NOT THE PATH HE ENDED UP TAKING THOUGH)

TO BE ABLE TO COMPETE IN THESE CHALLENGES THOUGH, I HAD ALOT TO LEARN, I HAD TO STUDY AND PREPARE. THIS IS WHERE I STARTED SEEING THE LORD STEP IN TO HELP ME. WHEN I PUT IN THE EFFORT I WAS THEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH THE THINGS THAT I NEEDED TO DO. WHEN I DID THIS I WAS THEN ABLE TO ACCOMPLISH A CHILDHOOD DREAM, I WAS ABLE TO BECOME ONE OF THE TOP HIGH SCHOOL MECHANICS IN THE STATE, AS WELL AS HAD THE CHANCE TO WORK ON VARIOUS CARS WITH DIFFERENT MECHANICS... STILL WORKING ON BECOMING THE BEST THAT I CAN BE.
SO NOW LETS LOOK AT THE SPIRITUAL SIDE OF THINGS, WHAT THINGS IN OUR LIVES HAVE THE LORD PLACED IN FRONT OF US THAT WE NEED TO ACCOMPLISH? HOW HARD IS THIS ROAD? DO WE HAVE THE PROPER TOOLS TO WORK ON OUR SELVES TO BECOME THE BEST THAT WE CAN BE.
WHAT ARE THESE TOOLS?
  SCRIPTURES, PRAYER, FAMILY, CHURCH, ETC... WE HAVE SO MANY OF THESE TOOLS, WE CAN USE TO ACCOMPLISH THESE CHILDHOOD GOALS, THAT WE HAVE SET WITH GOD. AS I HAVE TO WORK TO BECOME THE MECHANIC THAT I HOPE TO BE. I HAVE HAD TO STUDY AND USE THE TOOLS TO BECOME THE MISSIONARY THAT I AM NOW, IT HAS BEEN A LONG AND HARD PROCESS TO BECOME ONE. AFTER NINETEEN AND A HALF YEARS, HAVING TO BE REBUILT, AND ALOT OF OTHER UPGRADES, I WAS ABLE TO COME OUT HERE ON A MISSION. IT HAS BEEN ONE OF THE BEST DECISIONS I HAVE EVER MADE. NO MATTER HOW HARD THE ROAD GETS AND NO MATTER HOW MANY PARTS NEED REPLACING,  I KEPT PRESSING FORWARD. I KNOW THAT ALL OF US CAN BECOME WHAT WE WANT TO BE AS WELL AS WHAT THE LORD WANTS US TO BE.

When I came on My Mission!

 LET US TAKE THE CHALLENGE THAT IS PLACED BEFORE US AND NEVER BACK DOWN.