The Prophet

I feel the need to write about a remarkable man who has made a difference in my life, and in the life of every person living and dead. It was said of him, after he was killed, that he "has done more, save Jesus only, for the salvation of men in this world, than any other man that ever lived in it." (D&C 135:3) I took that with a grain of salt for many years, not really understanding what it meant. I thought it may be an exaggeration, a little hyperbole written by his cohorts to emphasize how much they thought of him. I thought, "Really? To put him at the level of Jesus Christ? Above Moses and Abraham, Peter and Paul?" Actually, I don't think even the authors fully understood how true that statement really is.

People have filled the world for thousands of years. Prophets have come and taught about our Creator, God, while others have taught about false gods. False gods are generally concerned with what we can see, hear, feel, and know through our senses, while the true God gives knowledge about higher things that are not of this world. Sacrifices of what we know and think are required in order for us to receive the greater knowledge. Prophets have all taught these things, but there is one that stands out more than all the others.

Joseph Smith was only a boy like any other in a rural community in New York in the early 1800's. He was looking for truth, like almost everyone else. He had no special gifts or talents. His family were poor farmers, living off the land through hard work. But what he accomplished in only twenty years is astounding!

When Jesus walked the Earth in Palestine, He organized a church with apostles and prophets who were commanded to "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you." (Matthew 28:19-20) Peter, Paul, and the Apostles of that time tried, but were all killed before they could fulfill that commandment. Since that time Christians have generally tried to bring this knowledge to others, but much of it was lost.

The ancient Church of Jesus Christ taught concepts that were subsequently lost when the Apostles were killed. The scriptures were there, but there was nobody who could interpret them. People were "tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive. (Ephesians 4:14) And deceive they did.

The most important information was lost entirely -- the knowledge of the purpose of life. For almost two thousand years nobody knew why we existed, where we came from, or what happened after this life. There were all kinds of theories, ideas, and philosophies, but nobody really knew for sure, until Joseph Smith.

While translating the Bible into English, Joseph saw that much was missing from the original manuscript of the writings of Moses. One particular scripture is foundational, the most concise answer to all the "why" questions of life, that reveals God's goal for all of His children. In it, God is talking to Moses on the mountain, and tell him about the purpose of life,

"For behold, this is my work and my glory -- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

This statement is simple and concise, yet most profound and glorious! God has two purposes for man:

1. To make him immortal, and

2. To give him Eternal Life.

All religions and philosophies, before Joseph Smith, believed that these two terms were synonymous, and most still do. However, nothing could be further from the truth. Eternal Life is continually growing, learning, achieving, and improving. Immortality only means to continue to exist forever. Immortality is a gift given to everyone by Jesus Christ, but Eternal Life must be learned. It is something we grow into as we fulfill our purpose of life.

If you go to any school, philosophy, church, or religion in the world, and if they believe that life is forever, they will have some concept of heaven and hell. If you are good you go to heaven, and if you are bad you go to hell. In some cases all are going to hell, in others, all are going to heaven. The truth is so much more wonderful than any conception of man. Jesus said, "In my Father's house are many mansions..." (John 14:2) God is so merciful that He has created a Heaven for everyone who desires it. While Paul briefly describes in 1 Corinthians chapter 15 the various glories in the resurrection, Joseph Smith gives us details as to what they are, who goes to each, and how to receive our desires in D&C section 76. There he also revealed the meaning of "the third heaven" that Paul talks about in 2 Corinthians 12:2.

All growth or improvement requires the following:

1. A goal

2. A plan

3. A commitment

4. A sacrifice

Before Joseph Smith people didn't know where they were going -- they had no goal so they couldn't even begin the process of growth. The best they could do was to live a moral life in order to receive a higher glory than those who were mean and selfish. Thus, all religions and philosophies were on the same level. Because of Joseph Smith, however, we know what God has prepared for His children -- His goal for us. For the first time in almost two thousand years there is a real goal.

After having a goal, there must be a plan to obtain it. If you want to learn to play the piano, just saying you are going to play it is not enough, you need a plan. This must be a true plan. Sitting and listening to Beethoven all day is not going to make you proficient in playing it, you must actually sit down with an instructor and pound on the keys. In the same sense, every goal must have a true plan, or it will not be reached. Only through Joseph Smith can we know the true plan, the straight and narrow path, that can bring us Eternal Life. All other plans cannot bring us to reach our full potential.

Also, it was through Joseph Smith that the authority to administer the plan was given. Authority is essential in every organization. Without authority there is no organization, and all turns to chaos. The police have authority to write tickets to those who break traffic laws -- it would not be good if anybody could collect fines for infractions of the law. Parents have authority over their children, and nobody else can discipline them without being authorized by the parents. Likewise in the Church of Jesus Christ the authority is given to preach the Gospel and administer the ordinances, which are the commitments we make to God to carry-out the plan. This allows us to be coached on the path, making all the sacrifices needed to receive Eternal Life.

Moreover, Joseph Smith didn't just affect people in his own day, his influence is generational, from the beginning to the end of the world. There have been billions of people who have lived without the ordinances of salvation. In order to enter into "the third heaven" and receive eternal life it is essential that each receive the ordinances. Through the Prophet learn how we are able to help those who went before without a knowledge of the plan by performing these ordinances vicariously for them. Thus, all who ever lived on the Earth will have the opportunity to achieve the highest glory, to fulfill their purpose for existence, and receive "the greatest of all the gifts of God." (D&C 14:7)

In short, Joseph Smith, in his short life, did more for the salvation of mankind, besides the Author of salvation Himself, than anyone else.

1. He brought a knowledge of the purpose of mankind, and the reasons for our existence on the Earth -- our goal.

2. He revealed the entire plan of happiness, the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

3. He brought the covenants and ordinances, or commitments, that allow us to follow the plan.

4. He organized a church to administer the ordinances and help people carry-out the plan.

5. He prepared the way for all those who lived before to receive the same covenants and ordinances.

Through this man we have the ability to fulfill the purpose for our existence, that of Eternal Life. And not just we, but every person who ever lived has this same opportunity.

Thus, to say that Joseph Smith was a prophet is to belittle his profound contribution to mankind. No other prophet has such a direct effect on the eternal salvation of every son and daughter of Adam. While other prophets revealed truths about God to their own generation and those that followed, the things revealed by Joseph Smith have an immediate effect on all of mankind. The personal salvation of most people, and every family is dependent on the knowledge, ordinances, and authority given through him. Indeed, your own salvation, or your ability to reach your full potential, is dependent on him.

Why I'm Mormon

I have chosen to belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over all the other churches and philosophies in the world. I've studied just about everything in the realm of science, philosophy and religion. I know their doctrine. I know many honorable and intelligent people in the world of all faiths and beliefs, but I came back to being Mormon. There are many reasons for this, but I would like to discuss the major ones.

I was born in the covenant.

First of all, my parents, grandparents, and even some of my great grandparents were LDS. They all have amazing stories of their conversion to Mormonism, and they sacrificed a great deal to be members. I, on the other hand, had it easy. My parents were sealed in the Temple for time, and all Eternity so I was born in the Covenant. The power of the Priesthood seals couples to each other and their children to them, not just for this life on Earth, but even after -- forever; it is the power to bind on Earth, and in Heaven. This means that when I was born, I already had a covenant with God because He had promised my parents that their children would be theirs forever. Covenants with God allow Him to help us to be faithful; His angels are especially watchful over all those who have made covenants.

Intelligence is light and truth.

I have been told that Mormonism is the only religion that has increased activity as education increases. In other words, as Mormons become more intelligent they are more likely to participate in church, as opposed to all other religions, which are less likely. I believe this is true because we believe that intelligence is an essential part of salvation. The Lord told Joseph Smith, "It is impossible for a man to be saved in ignorance." (D&C 131:6) Moreover, there is no dogma. All the words of the prophets must be individually confirmed by every member to know that it is the word of God. Nobody dictates what I believe or know -- except God Himself.

I like more.

The word "Mormon" means "more good." This means to me that I can learn more about God from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. What's more, I have the freedom to study all knowledge and understanding in the world and incorporate it into my religion. No truth is outside of the Mormon faith, no matter what the source. I can find truth in the writings of Buddha, Mohammed, Paul, or even apocryphal literature. "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things." (Articles of Faith:13) I hate limits.

It's true, and living.

According to the Lord, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is "the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth." (D&C 1:30) "True" Means it is the only one that contains the fullness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as the authority to administer the ordinances.

"Living" Means it is growing, changing, improving both in doctrine, knowledge, wisdom, and power. This doesn't just mean that the cannon of Scripture is increasing, but also that the whole body of those who belong to the Church are growing as individuals and as a group. All other religions are dead, stagnant, not growing. For example, Latin is spoken by thousands of people and is taught in many schools, but it is defined as a dead language because no new words are added to it; a Latin dictionary never changes. English on the other hand, is a living language with hundreds or thousands of new words every year! The Mormon Church is like the English language, continually growing with us.

I want to understand God's will for me.

This is the most important reason I'm a Mormon today. Modern revelation helps us to understand our purpose because we know why we were created:

"For behold, this is my work and my glory -- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39)

God's work is to give us salvation in two ways:

1. Immortality and

2. Eternal life.

Immortality is a free gift from the Lord for all those who are born in the family of Adam. We will all be resurrected. We might go to any Christian or other sect and find a preacher telling his congregation that all are saved from death, and this would be true. All are saved in this way. However, there is another part of salvation that is totally lost to everyone, except the Mormons -- Eternal Life! Everyone else thinks these terms are synonymous, but nothing could be farther from the truth. The Devil continues to exist forever, as do all of his angels. Also, all those born on this Earth will be resurrected; immortality is a free gift to everyone.

Eternal life, however, is a completely different concept. It is living as God, growing up to be like our Father, continually growing and increasing. It means creating, populating, and ruling over galaxies and worlds -- being a god, just like our Father.

What's more, the plan for us to reach this goal is also only found in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. We call it "the plan of happiness." It is step-by-step instructions on how to reach our ultimate destiny, the goal of Eternal life. It is a true plan. It is the true plan. It is the only plan that will get me to my goal. The way is prepared by God, and all we need to do is follow Him. There is no other organization that knows or can help anyone carry-out the plan.

Since nobody else knows the purpose of life all other religions and philosophies are useless to me -- they cannot help me reach my goal. I want to know my purpose. I want my life to have meaning. I want to fulfill my ultimate destiny. I want to be the best that I can be. I want continual growth. Without the teachings of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints there would be no way to achieve my goal; I would be lost, wandering in a desert of ideas that go nowhere. I know. I looked around. This is the real reason I have chosen to be Mormon.

The Consecrated Life

1 Corinthians 6:19-20 What? know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's.

I’m going to try to speak about consecration. The problem is, I’m not there yet to be an expert on this subject so I’m going to use the words of prophets in order to learn, and I pray that the Spirit will be with us that we may learn together. Consecrate means: To set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service of God. The question, then, is: “How do we consecrate our souls, body and spirit, to the Lord?”

Answer: We grow up in the Gospel. In the same way we grow up physically, almost imperceptibly, we can grow up spiritually, however, this process doesn’t happen automatically. Nobody improves or grows in any way without going through each of the four steps:

1. A goal
2. A plan
3. A commitment
4. A sacrifice

Example: To learn to play the piano, grow up physically, build a house, or any improvement we want to make, we must go through each of the four steps.

THE goal
We need to ask, what is our goal? There are all sorts of goals in the world. The uniqueness of being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is that it is the ONLY organization in the whole world that can give you the highest goal in the Universe – Eternal Life. No other religion or organization even knows about this “greatest of all the gifts of God.” D&C 14:7  If your goal is not ETERNAL LIFE, then you don’t need to be here, this Church is only for the “A” students who want to learn, grow, and achieve forever.

Every blessing has a law attached: D&C 130:20-21
"There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated."  In other words, if we want to receive the blessing of Eternal Life, we must know the law upon which it is based – and keep it! This is a plan, indeed, THE plan.

THE plan
What does it take to obtain this blessing of Eternal Life? Why, that’s easy! It’s the PLAN OF SALVATION or the PLAN OF HAPPINESS. It's the GOSPEL, or the GOOD NEWS that Christ made our ultimate goal a possibility, even a reality. You already know what this entails, let’s start with the first principles and ordinances:

1.      Faith in the Lord, Jesus Christ
2.      Repentance
3.      Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins
4.      The laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost

From here, we learn gradually as we grow up in the Gospel. Just like every form of growth, we learn a little at a time, as Nephi explains: 2 Nephi 28:30
“For behold, thus saith the Lord God: I will give unto the children of men line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little; and blessed are those who hearken unto my precepts, and lend an ear unto my counsel, for they shall learn wisdom; for unto him that receiveth I will give more; and from them that shall say, We have enough, from them shall be taken away even that which they have.”

Commitments
Covenants are an intrinsic part of the Gospel. Baptism is the first covenant. From there, we go on to make covenants in the Temple, including the covenant of consecration. These covenants do two things:

1. They commit us to stay with the program, even when it gets hard. All of the hard things that help us to grow require commitments: Parents are committed to their children -- even if it gets hard.  Marriage is hard, at times, but because of the commitment we stay with it and keep trying. Statistics tell us that even marriages on the rocks will be better in 5 years if the couple continues to try to work it out. Likewise, we make a covenant with the Lord to "endure to the end" and end up happy.
2. Also, covenants allow the Lord to give us a curriculum, test us, and coach us through our trials and sacrifices. For example, baptism is the covenant that brings us into the Church, or the classroom of the Spirit. We are baptized for the remission of sins so we can have the Holy Ghost to teach us at all times. Without this covenant we can’t have the Spirit in this manner so we have no teacher. Without a teacher we cannot grow, learn, or reach the goal.

Sacrifice
The trials of life are the sacrifices we make for the Lord. Ultimately, He requires one sacrifice, as He commanded: D&C 59:8 “Thou shalt offer a sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in righteousness, even that of a broken heart and a contrite spirit.”

What is a “broken heart?” The heart is our deepest desires, wants, and needs. When we lose or don’t get the deepest desires of our hearts we have a broken heart. There are three ways this happens:

1. We receive all we desire, and find out that it doesn’t really fill our needs.
2. We have all we want and then it is taken from us.
3. We never get our needs filled.

President John F. Kennedy said, "Life is perfectly fair, sooner or later it breaks everyone's heart."  There are two ways people respond when they have a broken heart.

1. The pain of loss causes people to become bitter and angry.
2. We can choose to turn to the Lord and give our broken heart to Him.

When we turn to the Lord, He gives us comfort, and fills our hearts.

What is a “contrite spirit?” It is being broken, bruised, or worn. “Con” means “with,” and “trite” means “bruised or worn.” I think a broken heart is something that happens to us, whereas a “contrite spirit” is what we do. If we have a contrite spirit we put aside our own desires and wear-out our lives in the service of God.

When you feel broken, bruised, and worn-out, turn to the Lord -- This is our only acceptable sacrifice. It doesn’t happen over a day or a year, but rather over a lifetime. We cannot rush the process any more than Alex who exclaimed at the age of two when he got out of diapers, “I all growed-up!” Why couldn’t the five wise virgins share their oil? Why were the foolish virgins gone so long that they missed the feast? Growth takes time and cannot be given to another.

Listen to the earnest pleading of Alma (and Mormon) to us: “And now, my brethren, I wish from the inmost part of my heart, yea, with great anxiety even unto pain, that ye would hearken unto my words, and cast off your sins, and not procrastinate the day of your repentance; But that ye would humble yourselves before the Lord, and call on his holy name, and watch and pray continually, that ye may not be tempted above that which ye can bear, and thus be led by the Holy Spirit, becoming humble, meek, submissive, patient, full of love and all long-suffering; Having faith on the Lord; having a hope that ye shall receive eternal life; having the love of God always in your hearts, that ye may be lifted up at the last day and enter into his rest.” Alma 13:27-29

We come to have a consecrated life as we become more and more obedient to the Lord. The process is amazing! First, we start with belief – we believe that only Jesus Christ can help us find our goal of Eternal Life. This brings us to pray for help and guidance. When our prayers are answered and He tells us what to do, either through the Holy Ghost or His servants on the Earth, and then we exercise faith by doing exactly what He says. We gradually learn to live “by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.” (Matthew 4:4) As we keep His word, we come to understand His voice better and better. This allows us to keep more commandments and exercise more faith. At some point, we have direct communication with Heaven and know the will of God in all things. This is where we can consecrate our lives fully to Him.

Back to our definition: Consecrate: To set apart, dedicate, or devote, to the service of God.
If we don’t know the will of God, we have no way of consecrating our lives to Him. We can only guess, make assumptions, or do what we feel is right. How much damage has been done by well-meaning people! This is not consecration, rather it is doing our own will, according to our own understanding.

The key to this process is coming to know the Lord and His will for us. This only happens over a long time of keeping His commandments as we come to know them. Those who keep His commandments will receive more, until they know them all. John tells us that Jesus went through this same process: “And he received not of the fulness at first, but continued from grace to grace, until he received a fulness;” (D&C 93:13) Christ shows us the way. He did all the same steps He asks us to follow:

1. Goal – He had the goal not only of Eternal Life for Himself, but also to bring the opportunity to everyone else as well.
2. Plan – There was a plan for His life to bring salvation to all mankind.
3. Commitment -- He was baptized, and kept his covenants, living by every word of God.
4. Sacrifice – He made the ultimate sacrifice, descending into hell to bring out all those who are willing to follow Him.

The Lord, Jesus Christ, showed us how to consecrate our lives to the service of God. He said, “I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me.” (John 5:30) He willingly went into Gethsemane and took upon Himself the sins of the world. He didn’t want to, but submitted to all the will of His Father. Matthew tells us what happened in the Garden: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39)

Jesus is the Christ, the Anointed One. He lived a consecrated life. We can do the same as we believe in Him and receive more commandments as we do exactly, and only, what He tells us to do. We must seek the will of God in all things, and willingly do it, even if it hurts, or is very hard. We only grow when we do more than we can. Through Him we can do all things, because He “giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.” (1 Nephi 3:7) Through Him, everyone can reach the goal of Eternal Life! EVERYONE! He showed us the way. He IS the way. I testify in His holy name, Jesus Christ, Amen!

Skin in the Game

I have always had a hard time charging people for the services I render so I have given a lot of my services away. I mostly do this because I don't see any value in what I do. Giving people drugs or doing surgery might just as well hurt them, as help them, and I don't think they should have to pay for non-information and poor treatment. I have often thought I would feel better if I could charge by outcome. If you get better I will charge, but if you don't, I won't. In fact, I thought I could charge based on the value of the information. If I found a diagnosis that was difficult, but lifesaving I would charge a lot. That would make me feel better, but it would be impossibly difficult because people would never know up front if, or how much, they are going to be charged.

What's more, I don't believe in profiting from the misfortune of another. How can I take money from one who is sick and destitute? I have a hard time with that.

Before, I could not count on anyone actually doing the plan I had to free them from illness because I didn't require a commitment. I would talk, educate, manipulate, and cajole into doing what I tell them, but they had no skin in the game. I have counseled people for years who have never made a single sacrifice to get well.

Doctors are generally taught to use various manipulatory sales techniques such as:

"If you don't take your blood pressure medicine, you'll have a stroke!" (this is NOT true, by the way)

"If you don't do the chemotherapy and radiation you're going to die!" (also not true; when they do those treatments, they die anyway)

I could never feel good about being a doctor and try to scare people into doing what I wanted them to do. I tried it for years, but I never felt good about it.  "I did it, but I didn't enjoy it."  I used to be uncertain about myself and my advice. I wasn't sure that the drug I was giving would help, or that the surgery I was recommending would do more good than harm.  I was doing what was "right" in the eyes of a drug company so I was always holding myself back, not believing in my ability to help.  I didn't believe it, in my heart.

Now, however, my outlook has changed completely. I now know how to teach people to get well. I can help them to find vigorous health. At this point, I can help almost everyone with almost any problem. Also, I know that all improvement or growth requires four things:

1. A goal

2. A plan

3. A commitment

4. A sacrifice

If any of these steps are skipped, the growth will not happen so people don't get better. I can help now where I could not before because I know this. I can help people find a goal. I can make a real plan that will help them reach their goal, I can commit them to the plan so that they will make the sacrifice.

 

The money I charge is no longer for me, it's for them. Sure, I take their money, which helps us keep our staff and supplies, but it's not my money that I deserve because I'm smarter than them. Now, the money is their commitment to a program. They pay for their benefit, not mine. If they pay the money up front, they will do the program. If they don't, they aren't committed to doing it anyway, and they will not waste their money and my time by coming to my office. Once they pay, they have "skin in the game" and want to get better. They want to learn. They want to do everything I tell them. They will do everything exactly as I tell them because they put their trust in me.

It's now no longer working for money, it's a labor of love. I love it because I'm truly able to help people get well. We really can, and do, turn around the most horrible illnesses that I was always told were incurable such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, strokes, heart disease, diabetes, and many more. I'm not just handing out drugs and watching people get sicker, end up in a nursing home, and die. Instead, I watch them get well, and continue to learn and grow. It's a great comfort to me in life. Life has meaning, and purpose. I can really make a difference in another person's life!

It's also a labor of love. Love is sacrificing for the growth of another. I give my time, and my heart, the most precious thing in the world, not for my own benefit, not for money or fame or anything selfish, but rather to help others to grow. I can help. I can give a talk to hundreds of people and give every one of them information that would help them in their lives. The purpose is not to generate income, as before, but to help others learn and grow and improve their lives. I can teach them how to fish.

Moreover, I have more freedom, now, to provide more love. I can go out to the streets and find anyone who has schizophrenia, bipolar, or other mental illness, and I can show them how to get better. I put them through the same steps: A goal, a plan, a commitment, and a sacrifice. The commitment for them may not be money, it may be just their word that they will show up and do what I ask them to do. The office staff calls these people my "projects." I am allowed to have one "project" at a time. If one drops off, gets well, or graduates from the program, I can take on another.

Yes, I require my patients to put skin in the game because I have put my whole heart into it. If I know how to reverse a condition and they don't follow-through then it breaks my heart. I can't coerce or force others to do what I want them to do, they must be willing.

My whole being is integrated into this work. My head and heart are working together.  For the first time in my life I have a mission instead of a job. I can put my whole heart into this without any misgiving. I no longer feel any skepticism or doubt. I'm not holding back. I can give from my heart. I believe! I have skin in the game.

The Choice Between Life and Death

When I was young I saw a movie, Logan's Run, about a domed city where everything was taken care-of from birth to death. Nothing was hard. Everyone had everything they wanted, but nobody could leave the city, and when they reached a certain age they were killed. Logan finds a way out of the city and sees the beauty of the world. He comes back and starts yelling to those who are headed in to be de-commissioned, "You don't have to die! You can live! Live!" They were able to escape the city and go out into the big, wide world where they saw the Sun and trees for the first time. Reflecting on that I thought that there would be many who would curse Logan because now life was going to be hard. Everything would not be provided. They would be subject to contrasts of cold in the winter, and hot in the summer. They would have to work for what they had, find food, feel hunger, thirst, and fatigue. Freedom, power, and life have costs.

Life is growth, and growth is hard so life is hard. All of the things that constitute life make it hard. Change is hard, growth is change. Those who are alive are learning and growing. Children whine constantly about growing up. Most have a hard time with growth -- they don't want to learn to take care of themselves, clean up, work, go to school or church, and do all of the things their parents want them to do so they can learn and grow. They want things to stay the same, play, have fun, do what they want to do, be taken care-of, and do what they already know. New things are hard to learn, because there is a period of awkwardness where you do it wrong, you fall, you mess up. The process of learning is hard so life is hard.

In the Eternal scheme of things there is life and death, good and evil, light and dark, and Heaven and Hell. These contrasts are forever, and they never go away. As long as we are growing we must deal with them all the time; there is no rest. The ultimate choice in life is to grow, or not. If we choose to grow, we will always be dealing with these contrasts, the highs and the lows in order to grow continually. If not, we die.

Death is not the easy way

Death seems easy. You die, and everything is the same. You have no responsibility. Nothing changes. You do what you're told to do. You don't grow. You don't learn. You stop, you're done. You finished school, pushed by your parents, and now you never have to go to school again. It's easy. People "grow up" and think they can quit growing. They are done. They want an easy life that goes around in a circle on the flats, not a life that is continually climbing up a mountain. They want to do their job, go home, rest, have vacation, weekends to do what they enjoy, and putter around just keeping busy doing what they know in the place that they know. There is no real challenge to overcome. This only leads to the ultimate rest: death.

However, the ultimate "rest" is no rest at all -- it's damnation. People choose to be damned, stopped in their growth, because of laziness. They don't want to go on. They don't want to live. They don't want to grow. They don't want change. They want rest and relaxation. However, what they get is boredom and lack. They have no freedom or power to do anything! If a two-year-old stops growing he will have no power in the world. His abilities won't allow him to even take care of himself, much less others. This is like being damned -- no growth, no power. It is marked by lack, needs that can't be filled, emptiness, and boredom. Those who are damned are only able to do what others tell them to do. They are servants, drones, soldiers, workers, and laborers. They have no freedom. They are suited to one task that they know well, and they do that continually, forever. The scenery never changes. They don't get new jobs. They don't have to learn anything new. They don't go to school. They stop. They're done. Life is over. Death. Damnation. It seems so easy to just stop.

Choose to live

Freedom is the ability to grow, or to choose how we will grow. Without freedom we only find death. Patrick Henry's statement, "Give me liberty, or give me death!" was a truth that applies to all. If you don't have freedom, you only have death, and, if you choose death, you have no freedom. There is no life without freedom because we cannot choose to grow in the way we need to. Not choosing to grow is choosing not to grow. Not using our freedom of choice is the same as not having a choice. We always need freedom in order to move on and gain more power.

Power is the ability to do work, to bring about change. Some have the power to build buildings, others heal the body, still others improve business, all are changing lives. Knowledge is power. Growth is gaining knowledge through experience in all areas. We really can't understand something we have not experienced. When we experience something, we know it. It would be impossible to explain the taste of bitter, it must be experienced along with the contrast of sweet and salty. In order to know how to do something, we must have actually done it. These experiences increase our knowledge, and power. Instead of avoiding, or pushing against new experiences, those who desire more power seek them. Life is continual improvement, always gaining more power and more abilities -- it's never-ending life.

The hardest thing of all is Eternal life. Eternal life is changing forever. This is not easy, it's hard! There is no rest, end, or stop date; we don't ever "graduate," we just have to keep going. Once we climb one mountain, and reach the peak, we see the other peak, even higher, in the distance -- and we go for it! The reward is the journey, through which we come to grow and learn continually. We are living and loving others and ourselves. The landscape keeps changing and we find beautiful vistas -- at times. Most of all, we continually grow in freedom and power.

God has freedom, all knowledge, and all power. God is life. He continually grows as He helps His children to grow. He wants them to choose to grow forever, but many don't. They are lazy, and will suffer the consequences -- they will suffer death, hell, and damnation, forever lacking power. It's painful, and sad. God cries. He has compassion, suffering with His children. He feels their pain -- not just knowing how they feel, but actually feeling their pain, suffering with them. This is the cost of Eternal life. If you want to grow, you will continually face the contrasts of good and evil. You will always have the weeds in your garden. You will always have the wind blowing against you. You will always be fighting against entropy, laziness, and evil. God does. There is no end, if we choose to live.

The value of "fighting the good fight" is freedom, knowledge, and power. But most of all, life brings joy. Helping others to grow, live, and find more knowledge and power is love. We make sacrifices of all the things we want, and experience pain and hardship just to see others grow. Parents suffer much for the growth of their children because they love them. Love connects us to each other with a bond that cannot be broken by death. We find fulfillment, peace, and happiness. This is joy. It cannot be explained, it must be experienced.

I would join Logan in saying, "You don't have to die! You can live! LIVE!" Choose life. Choose growth. Choose power. Choose freedom. The price we pay to learn and grow is small compared to the benefits. I thank my God for giving me life, for not letting me die when I wanted to give up. I could have had a cushy life, enjoying the benefits of my education, going to work and doing the same things, returning every evening to my nice house on the hill and doing what I liked in my time off. Instead, He took it all away and gave me a business to run and nine more kids to raise, a sick wife and not enough money to pay for it all. The learning has been tremendous, and the growth curve is steep. Though it is very stressful, hard, thorny, rugged, and difficult, the path I'm on is upward and onward. I'm increasing in knowledge, power, freedom -- and love. I have grown tremendously! I love life. I love growth. I love freedom. I love power. I love even the fight against evil, laziness, entropy, decay, and death. I love to help others grow, which brings great satisfaction, peace, and joy. Life is worth all we suffer to have it.

The Greatest Commandment

Love is a mystery. It is like the wind. It comes, we know not from where, and it goes, we know not to where. We feel it, but we don't know why. It happens without our control. It also goes away when we least want it to. Love is so mysterious!

Though it seems so, I don't believe it for a second! When Jesus was asked, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law?" (Matthew 22:36) He answered, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37)

If love is so mysterious that we have no control over who we love, why would we be commanded to love God? Nephi assures us that "the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." (1 Nephi 3:7) This leads me to believe that love is something we can learn.

When a child is set in front of a piano, he will plink the keys until someone in the room tells him to stop because it becomes annoying very quickly. A piano teacher is brought in, and soon the child is playing scales and chords, and little tunes. Over time, as the child practices, he gets better and better. There is no top, he can always improve his skills. I believe love is like that. We are dependent and annoying at first, but as we are taught the skills of love, we can continually improve forever.

If love is a skill, why don't we learn it? Because we don't have teachers. There are no professional instructors in the skills of the heart. We just expect that over time we will learn by doing. However, this is like expecting a child plinking on the piano keys to become a concert pianist without a teacher. I've heard that it happens, but it isn't something that we would expect. Teachers are needed. Coaches are needed. We need instruction in how to have a heart, and how to place our heart on the Lord.

First, in order to understand anything we must be able to define it. We are told that love is not even comprehensible, much less definable. Part of the problem is that we use the same word to mean so many different concepts, feelings and actions. This creates a lot of confusion. In spite of this, we can know what love is and why we feel the way we do, and then act on what we know. There are two primary foundations of what we call "love." One is selfish and immature, and the other is selfless and mature. This is not to say that immature love is bad, while mature love is good, this is not the case. The lower form of love is simply the starting point. Like all growth, we start by being dependent.

Immature love

The immature form of love is based on need. This can be applied to anything we feel we love. Children love their parents because they fill their needs. We love our things of the world because they fill needs. We fall in love with our spouse because she fills our needs. There are two essential components to this love:

1. A heartfelt need, or desire
2. A belief that the other could fill that need

The need comes from our heart. We may be aware of it, but often we are not. These are the stuff of songs and poems. They express the deepest needs of our hearts. Some needs may be as simple as money, food, and shelter. Other needs may include learning, growth, a connection with others, or to be loved. The things we live, work, and pray for are the desires of our hearts -- they are the motivation of all we do in life.

When we find something or someone that we believe could fill any one or more of our needs, we will feel an immediate attraction, need, or love. But, with immature love, we don't have to have the need actually filled, all we need is a belief that it is possible. For example, we could have "love at first sight," which is falling in love with a person we don't even know because we believe that this person could fill our needs. All we need is a belief. This works with anything. If we believe a car could fill a need we could love it, even though we don't own it, or have never driven it. No matter what you love, if you look, you will find that it fills some need, or perceived need, of your heart.

We even fall in love with God, or our own concept of God, when we believe that He could fill our needs. Most of those who believe in God see Him as a parental figure who loves us, takes care of us, and fills our every need. He has the power to give us all we want and therefore it is easy to fall in love with Him in the same way we might fall in love with anyone in the world. I think this is why of the literature, poetry, and songs of love can be equally applied to a girlfriend, a parent, or God.

 

The problem with this kind of love is that it only lasts as long as the need is filled, or as long as the person believes it could be filled. We "fall out of love" with those we love because we realize that they cannot fill the need we had hoped. Some, though faced with the reality that another person cannot, or will not, fill their needs, they continue to believe, and thus continue to love. Others, like married couples, get married and want to stay in love, but find it dies over time. Thus, love is fickle. It can come and go depending on our perceptions and beliefs -- and not according to our desires. This is why it seems like such a mystery.

Mature love

There is another type of love that is almost the opposite of immature love in many ways:

• It is not based on feelings.
• It isn't selfish or reflexive.
• It doesn't seek to have my own needs filled, but rather seeks for the benefit of others.
• Instead of being self-centered, it is other-centered.
• Instead of being based on a belief or filling my needs, it is based on giving up my needs for the benefit of another.

There are two essential elements to this love:

1. A sacrifice by the one who loves
2. A benefit to the one who is loved

A sacrifice is giving up our own needs, that which we want, or desire. Those same things that we desire in our hearts, our needs, must be sacrificed. The very thing for which we "fall in love" is put aside or given up in order to have a mature love. Moreover, it must be a willing sacrifice, giving up what we desire, or even suffering pain or deprivation, not forced or thrust upon us without our consent. When we give up our hearts we are not seeking fulfillment, as with immature love.

For example, when we fast, we are instructed to give what we would have spent on food to the poor -- our fast offering. This is metaphorical for the type of sacrifice required for love: "I will suffer hunger so you can eat." Christianity is filled with examples of accepting suffering, not returning railing for railing, or even going "the extra mile." We give not what we are given by others, but even more, blessing those who curse us. If we are sued to take away our coat, we give the coat and our cloak also. These are to teach us how to have mature love.

Though it is hard to give up the things we desire in our hearts, it is even harder to know what will benefit another person. This is the part that must be learned over time. Very often, that which we perceive to be a benefit would actually be a detriment to others. Keeping children dependent by giving them everything they want often seems to be a benefit, but really is destructive. Giving people food or money would in some cases bless, and in others curse the person. So, we need to define "benefit" not in terms of a specific action, but rather in terms of the effect it produces. The desired effect is growth.

Any time we help another to grow we are providing a benefit. All benefit is growth, and without growth there is no benefit. Growth is improvement. When a parent gives up buying a new car she wants so her son can have a piano to play, she is showing love by sacrificing what she wants for the growth of her son. He will learn and grow from his piano practice in many more ways than musically.

Both elements, sacrifice and growth, must be in place.  If a person grows, but there is no sacrifice, it isn't love. Also, if there is a sacrifice, but no growth there is no love. If a person sacrifices his very life, but it helps no one it isn't love.  We can also use this to test the amount of love.  The greater the sacrifice, the greater the love; and, the greater the benefit, the greater the love. Thus, love is not only definable, but scalable.

It's important to note that the mom could buy a piano and the child could refuse to take advantage of it and thus gets no benefit from it. Is this love? Yes. A sacrifice made to increase the opportunity for growth is love even if the person who is loved doesn't actually grow. Just providing the means to do so is loving.

God's Love

God loves everyone on an immature level. He has His heart set on us, His children. He finds joy in each of His children who choose Him, and feels sad for all those who don't. It breaks His heart when we choose to suffer, causing the Heavens to weep. He gives us His whole heart. We are His every want. He believes in us to fill His desires.

He, of course, also loves with the most mature love, as manifested in the Atonement of Jesus Christ. God showed us the greatest love by sacrificing His only begotten Son. By our definition, Jesus Christ has the greatest love because He made the greatest sacrifice to benefit the largest number of people. He said, "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13) He used the same definition of mature love; notice the two elements: sacrifice of laying down his life, and providing a benefit for his friends.

In this, He is talking about His own sacrifice, where He would lay down His life for His friends, meaning his disciples. This is evident in the next statement, "Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you." (John 15:14) Notice that His sacrifice will benefit those who obey Him. This is because it is only through obedience that we can grow.

 

 God didn't lay down His life for everyone, this sacrifice will benefit only those who love Him. Thus, even the greatest love of God only applies to those who take advantage of His sacrifice by being obedient. He provides the opportunity for Eternal Life, but some will not avail themselves of it. He provides the means -- this is His love, as explained by John, "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved." (John 3:16-17) His love is His sacrifice for the benefit of the whole world, whether they actually grow -- or not.

How we love Him

We come to love God in the same way we love our parents, or anyone. We start with an immature love as we recognize that He fills all our needs. We stop loving the things of the world because we find only emptiness in them. They can, at best, only fill our need on a temporary basis. Food fills the need for minutes to hours. Sex fills our need for maybe days. Thrills make us feel better temporarily. Money doesn't really fill the needs we have in our heart. However, when we find that the Lord can fill our needs, we can truly love Him. He fills all of our needs by giving us "our daily bread." He provides for us. He encourages us to pray to Him and ask for our every need to be filled by Him. We are to fall in love with Him and He gives us the desires of our heart. By continually filling our needs, He continues to be the object of our love. We give Him all our praise and glory -- our hearts are set on Him.

As we mature, we find that the love of God is reciprocal. We find that a deeper love is needed, and we desire to be close to Him. Thus, rather than seek Him to fill our needs, we begin to look for ways to give up our own needs. Though we begin to love Him because He fills our needs, we grow in a mature love as we keep His commandments, as He said, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." (John 14:15) Keeping His commandments requires us to make many sacrifices. We give our money to the poor. We give our time to the Church. We give up the things we want of the world, such as:

• Time (the Sabbath)
• Money (tithing)
• Food (fasting)
• Sex (Chastity)
• Drugs/alcohol (Word of Wisdom) 

...or anything we desire. In fact, the final requirement of our covenant with God is the ultimate sacrifice of our heart. He said, "And ye shall offer for a sacrifice unto me a broken heart and a contrite spirit." (3 Nephi 9:20) The heart is all of our deepest desires. We love God when we willingly sacrifice our own desires in order to glorify His name.

This begs the final question of keeping the greatest commandment, "How can we benefit God, or help Him to grow?" Doesn't He have everything? Doesn't He have all power, might, glory and honor? Isn't He above all things? We are as ants to Him, and yet we have something to offer -- our heart, meaning our will. When we submit to His will we glorify Him by becoming part of Him. He is increased in glory, joy, honor, and power each time one of His children bows to Him in submission, giving his love and honor. So, when we love God, we help Him to grow by our sacrifice. This is how we can learn, step-by-step, to keep the first, and greatest, commandment.

 

Failure

"You cannot fail!" The voice of the Spirit of God tells me again as I pray and worry about the impending collapse of my business. It comforts me -- for a time -- but I just go right back to worrying when something else goes wrong. I have a fear of failure. This is paralyzing to me; it keeps me from doing things, making decisions and going forward.

I get it. I have an understanding of failure. What the Spirit tells me is true! In life, we cannot fail, unless we reject God -- and growth. There is no other failure. No matter what happens, life goes on; there is no end. Life doesn't come to an end, it only changes. I have seen people from all walks of life who worry about failure, from those living in the streets to the most famous man in the world. Yet, there is no failure. The fear is unfounded, it has no factual basis.

Around a year of age, children begin to walk. While learning, they fall -- a lot! In one case, a child we knew fell on a twisted leg and got a spiral fracture of the tibia, requiring a cast. Epic failure! But, it wasn't over, rather it was still in the beginning. She learned to walk, and is doing well to this day almost 20 years later.

 

All failure is like that. We see falling as having more meaning than it really does. It's normal to fall during the learning process; it's an important part of growth. Not trying because we might fall is true failure because we fail to learn and grow. If a child refuses to get on her two feet because she fell once and fractured her leg bone she will never learn to walk, run, and have all of the freedoms associated with ambulation.

If this is the case, rather than fear failure, it would be wise to expect failure, welcome it, embrace it, and be happy for all the times we fall. Then, after falling we can immediately get up and keep going, expecting to fall again -- gradually learning until we get it right. True failure is not learning or growing from the normal falls of life. God wants us to learn, that's why He sent us here. If we don't try, we reject His gift -- the gift of failure is the gift of life.