I love music. So, I was very excited when I heard that our upcoming ward activity was to attend Music and The Spoken Word up in Salt Lake City, one Sunday Morning. We would have to meet early in order to arrive in time, and then afterwards, we planned to eat lunch at the tables in between Temple Square and the Joseph Smith Memorial Building, before returning back to Orem for Church.

Everything was planned, and I had set my alarm clock the night before to give me plenty of time to get ready and be at the Church on time. As I pulled into the church parking lot, my eyes were quickly riveted upon the sight of the "Love Bus.” Brother ------- the first councilor in our Single's Ward Bishopric owns an old school bus which he has fixed up. When we found out about the bus, we begged to be able to use it for official ward activities. Especially when we found out that the bus number was nine and we are the 9th Ward. It seemed as if it was meant to be. Brother ------- quickly agreed, and so now whenever we have a ward activity that requires transportation we ride in it. It is jolly fun.

A few months ago, the bus was lent to some local High School kids for the Sweetheart's Dace. The youth painted the outside with lots of hearts and arrows, and the name "The Love Bus.” We thought it quite funny and somehow appropriate for a Singles Ward bus.

The ride up to the Conference Center across the street from Temple Square was fun. Someone hooked up their ipod full of LDS music up to the speakers, so we listened to music, and chatted with our neighbors during the long ride.

Soon we had all arrived at the Conference Center, and the program was starting. Since Music and the Spoken Word is broadcasted live, we all made sure to remain quiet, as we all became lost in the beautiful music celebrating our nation’s freedom (for it was the patriotic broadcast due to it being a few days prior to the 4th of July) sung by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir, and accompanied by the Orchestra on Temple Square. We were all caught up in the program which ended all too soon.

Lunch was a simple affair, and soon we were back on the love bus heading home. All in all the activity was a success as far as I am concerned. All involved, had lots of fun. We were edified by the beautiful and patriotic music, and we were brought closer together in comrade and friendship. I look forward for when the Love Bus will ride again…

People look to Christ for many different reasons, just as they did during His mortal ministry. Some came looking for miracles, some to have their daily needs met, some to try and find fault with Him, some to seek forgiveness, some to learn from Him and feel His love. What first brought you to Christ? Are your reasons the same now as they were then?

The more time that we spend getting to know Christ and emulating His behavior, the more we learn about the depths of His love for us. The more we stand in awe of what He has done for us. The more we want to share that joy with others around us. Understanding His love and recognizing the depths of our own are the elements that motivate us toward becoming better disciples of Christ.

For me, the most important part of coming to know Christ is coming to know and understand the true power of the atonement. What a wonderfully marvelous blessing. I think of Christ with His disciples, shortly after feeding the five thousand. Many began to follow Him because of that miracle. They looked for Him to feed and take care of Him. But, when Jesus tried to invite them into His presence more fully, many turned away.

And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst. (John 6:35)

Hearing Christ proclaim this and express His divinity was beyond their capacity to understand. They walked away.

From that time many of his disciples went back, and walked no more with him.
Then said Jesus unto the twelve, Will ye also go away?
Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? thou hast the words of eternal life.
And we believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God. (John 6:66-69)

Those who stayed understood more fully what Christ’s role in their lives was to be. They understood that no one else could do for them what Jesus Christ could do. Others have preformed miracles, other have taught great truths, others have show great kindness and mercy. No other could atone for our sins and open the doors to resurrection and eternal life for us. Jesus Christ has offered each of us with the most exquisite bread, but it is still up to us whether we accept it or turn away. Discipleship is the result of accepting the atonement, not as a one time occurrence or a blanket effect for every human fallacy that when could commit, but as a treasured gift that we will reach for again and again. Each time we express sorrow for our sins and inadequacies, each time we exercise repentance, each time we turn to Christ with our broken hearts and wounded souls, we come away filled to an extent we never thought possible. When you understand and experience that type of connection, where else would you go other than the path the Savior invites you to walk with Him? How much excitement would you feel? Who would you want to share that with? Pondering and answering these questions are the heart of discipleship. We follow because we love Him and we understand His love for us.

I think of a very clear example of the power of the atonement given in the Book of Mormon. This account by Alma the Younger is one of the most powerful testimonies of the power the atonement I have ever come across. It’s long, but definitely worth the read.

And now, O my son Helaman, behold, thou art in thy youth, and therefore, I beseech of thee that thou wilt hear my words and learn of me; for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials, and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.
And I would not that ye think that I know of myself—not of the temporal but of the spiritual, not of the carnal mind but of God.
Now, behold, I say unto you, if I had not been born of God I should not have known these things; but God has, by the mouth of his holy angel, made these things known unto me, not of any worthiness of myself;
For I went about with the sons of Mosiah, seeking to destroy the church of God; but behold, God sent his holy angel to stop us by the way.
And behold, he spake unto us, as it were the voice of thunder, and the whole earth did tremble beneath our feet; and we all fell to the earth, for the fear of the Lord came upon us.
But behold, the voice said unto me: Arise. And I arose and stood up, and beheld the angel.
And he said unto me: If thou wilt of thyself be destroyed, seek no more to destroy the church of God.
And it came to pass that I fell to the earth; and it was for the space of three days and three nights that I could not open my mouth, neither had I the use of my limbs.
And the angel spake more things unto me, which were heard by my brethren, but I did not hear them; for when I heard the words—If thou wilt be destroyed of thyself, seek no more to destroy the church of God—I was struck with such great fear and amazement lest perhaps I should be destroyed, that I fell to the earth and I did hear no more.
But I was racked with eternal torment, for my soul was harrowed up to the greatest degree and racked with all my sins.
Yea, I did remember all my sins and iniquities, for which I was tormented with the pains of hell; yea, I saw that I had rebelled against my God, and that I had not kept his holy commandments.
Yea, and I had murdered many of his children, or rather led them away unto destruction; yea, and in fine so great had been my iniquities, that the very thought of coming into the presence of my God did rack my soul with inexpressible horror.
Oh, thought I, that I could be banished and become extinct both soul and body, that I might not be brought to stand in the presence of my God, to be judged of my deeds.
And now, for three days and for three nights was I racked, even with the pains of a damned soul.
And it came to pass that as I was thus racked with torment, while I was harrowed up by the memory of my many sins, behold, I remembered also to have heard my father prophesy unto the people concerning the coming of one Jesus Christ, a Son of God, to atone for the sins of the world.
Now, as my mind caught hold upon this thought, I cried within my heart: O Jesus, thou Son of God, have mercy on me, who am in the gall of bitterness, and am encircled about by the everlasting chains of death.
And now, behold, when I thought this, I could remember my pains no more; yea, I was harrowed up by the memory of my sins no more.
And oh, what joy, and what marvelous light I did behold; yea, my soul was filled with joy as exceeding as was my pain!
Yea, I say unto you, my son, that there could be nothing so exquisite and so bitter as were my pains. Yea, and again I say unto you, my son, that on the other hand, there can be nothing so exquisite and sweet as was my joy. (Alma 36:3-21)

While many of us will never go through this type of instant and dramatic change, we are familiar with the emotions associated with this account. We have come to know Christ. When we know Him and our hearts have been filled with joy through the atonement, we will choose no other path than His. The desire to share, serve, and follow comes not from a sense of duty, but of conversion to the love, joy, peace and gratitude of the gift of the gospel, its pearl of great price.

Yea, and from that time even until now, I have labored without ceasing, that I might bring souls unto repentance; that I might bring them to taste of the exceeding joy of which I did taste; that they might also be born of God, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. (Alma 36:24)

That’s why we choose discipleship.

If you’ve been reading the Book of Mormon along with me, you’re now ready to start the Book of Jacob. Jacob was the brother of Nephi, the second Book of Mormon prophet. Let’s take a look back at his background.

Jacob’s father was Lehi, a prophet in Jerusalem around 600 BC. Lehi had been a successful man of wealth when he was called to be a prophet in a time when there were many prophets warning the people to repent or Jerusalem would be destroyed. When the people threatened his life, God instructed him to take his family and flee. They were later joined by another family and a man who would become a friend. Eventually, God led them across the water to a promised land of their very own.

Lehi and his wife Sariah had four sons when they fled Jerusalem. The oldest two broke their parents’ hearts by being disobedient and rebellious. They cared nothing for the faith of their parents or the well-being of their family. Over time, their wickedness increased until they were periodically trying to murder their younger brother Nephi, and sometimes other family members as well.

These wicked older brothers, Laman and Lemuel, had a particular animosity toward Nephi, whom God had designated to become the family’s leader when their father died. This call to leadership came from angels while Nephi was still a teenager.

After the family began their travels, two more sons, Jacob and Joseph, were born. Jacob was the oldest of the two, and he is the author of the next book in the Book of Mormon.

He had a very challenging childhood. He’d never known a real home, since he was born in the wilderness to a homeless, traveling family. He’d never known the relative stability that might have existed when Laman and Lemuel were merely badly behaved teens. Instead, he came into the world with two older brothers who were cruel and uncaring, bent on destroying those who were good. By then the older brothers had married into the other family journeying with them. This family had some children who were also wicked. Think how frightening his childhood must have been, with the constant violence or threat of violence, never having a home or the security of stability.

In spite of all this, Jacob grew to be a good man. His father had designated Nephi to care for the two youngest upon his death. After Lehi died, Nephi was forced to take his family, including Jacob, and those who wanted to live the gospel, to find a new homeland. The violence of the two oldest sons placed the others in too much danger. Jacob grew up in his brother’s care and soon took on important leadership roles in the church.

It might be that a childhood spent wandering gave Jacob a special understanding of the Israelites, and their long journey through the wilderness. This was a favorite theme for him, as was the atonement, which promised joy however challenging his life on earth had been.

He grew up with both the best and worst examples and had a clear understanding of the price of sin and of the blessings of obedience. His trials, rather than making him bitter, made him spiritually strong, and he was permitted to see the Savior in a vision. In fact, Jacob was the first of the Nephites to know what Jesus’ name would be. Although someone else was named king, he appears to have become the head of the church after his brother's death.

Near the end of his life, he wrote:

“And it came to pass that I, Jacob, began to be old; and the record of this people being kept on the other plates of Nephi, wherefore, I conclude this record, declaring that I have written according to the best of my knowledge, by saying that the time passed away with us, and also our lives passed away like as it were unto us a dream, we being a lonesome and a solemn people, wanderers, cast out from Jerusalem, born in tribulation, in a wilderness, and hated of our brethren, which caused wars and contentions; wherefore, we did mourn out our days.” (Jacob 7:26)

Despite this sad summary of his life, we see throughout Jacob’s story that he made the most of a challenging life, to become a devoted servant of God, and the father of prophets. He is a lesson to us about how to cope with lives that don’t go as they ought to. Jacob, while accepting that he’d had a hard life, made good use of his trials to bless and teach others.

Sometimes people will ask me why I decided to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints—a Mormon, as some call us. I explain how I studied the religion and then turned to God in prayer to find out if the church was true. Often, they respond, “Oh, I’ve been taught not to do that because you can’t tell if the answer is from God or from Satan.”

When I hear this, my mind often turns to a scripture found in the Book of Mormon:

And now, my beloved brethren, I perceive that ye ponder still in your hearts; and it grieveth me that I must speak concerning this thing. For if ye would hearken unto the Spirit which teacheth a man to pray ye would know that ye must pray; for the evil spirit teacheth not a man to pray, but teacheth him that he must not pray. (2 Nephi 32:8 in the Book of Mormon)

God knows the truth of everything, and while man might lead you astray, God never will. For this reason, Satan is very afraid of having people pray about truth. Once they receive truth from God, their faith can become so strong he finds it difficult, if not impossible, to reach them. So it’s in his best interests to discourage us from praying—but it’s certainly not in our own best interests. If we're unwilling to pray about truth, we are forced to trust mere men.

Throughout the Bible, God instructs us to pray. Never does He say to avoid prayer for fear you won’t recognize the answer. The scriptures regularly assure us that if we have faith and learn to know the Father, we will recognize God’s voice.

Have you ever met someone briefly and then, when you met them again, didn’t recognize them? They weren’t recognizable to you because you didn’t know them well. Have you ever developed a close friendship with someone, gotten to know their heart, and then been separated for many years? When you encounter them again, you remember them, even though you haven’t seen them in years. The difference is in how well you know them.

This is how it is in our relationship with God. When we build a relationship with Him, when we study the scriptures, ponder in our hearts, and spend time talking to God, His voice becomes more familiar to us. In time, we know Him so well there is no doubt who is speaking to us.

God has given us the ability to recognize His voice through the Light of Christ. When we pray, sincerely seeking truth for all the right reasons, and committed to doing whatever God tells us, the Light of Christ will whisper in our hearts that it’s true. Satan can’t bring true peace, so when we feel peace, joy, or contentment, we know the answer is from God.

God wants you to ask Him what is true and He’s prepared to give you an answer you will recognize as His. I know this because I know God can do anything at all, including this, and I’ve tried it. Would you like to try it too? Read How Can I Know This is True?

Have you ever read the stories of people in the scriptures who were privileged to listen to the Savior speak in person, and longed to be among them? When you read of the Sermon on the Mount, do you imagine yourself sitting on the hill, gazing up at the Savior and savoring every word He says?

While we may not be able to travel back in time to sit on a hill with the Savior or to join Him for dinner, listening as He speaks, God, in His kindness, has given us a way to feast on the Savior’s words even today. He instructed His people to keep records, and many of those records include the words of Christ for us to feast upon and treasure.

“Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. “(2 Nephi 32:3 in the Book of Mormon)

The Savior’s words give us a visual understanding of how we are to live our lives on earth. He spoke, often, for example, of how we are to treat the poor and the disabled:

But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind (Luke 14:13)

But a careful reading of the scriptures shows us how Jesus Himself carried out this commandment:

Throughout the New Testament, we see the Savior’s kindness to those who were considered unimportant in His community—the poor, the disabled, the sinner. He was kind to them, forgiving, accepting. He included them in His world. He didn’t accept the sins, but He did accept the sinner. He taught the downtrodden by serving them and by treating them with respect, even when others didn’t. I’ve always loved the way He treated the blind man begging on the side of the road. (See Mark 10.)

The man believed that Jesus could heal him, so when He found that the Savior was coming down the road, he called out to Him. Others told him not to bother Jesus. The blind, in those days, were not important members of society, and a blind begger seemed to some to be too unimportant to warrant the attention of someone as important as the Savior. This showed a strong lack of understanding of who the Savior was. Jesus called the man to him and treated him with great respect. He asked what He could do for the man---when was the last time someone spoke so respectfully to this man? Then He told the man it was his (the blind man’s) faith that had healed him. The crowd around him heard that message, and must have looked at the man with a new respect.

The Savior’s treatment of this man mirrored the way He treated everyone at any level of society. This set an example we could see and emulate. Sometimes we humans need a visual to follow when learning what to do.

The scriptures give us a glimpse into the Savior’s life and teachings. Whether or not we see Him standing in front of us teaching, we have His words preserved and reading the Bible and the Book of Mormon allow us to feast on the words of the Savior.

2 Do ye not remember that I said unto you that after ye had received the Holy Ghost ye could speak with the tongue of angels? And now, how could ye speak with the tongue of angels save it were by the Holy Ghost?

3 Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do. (2 Nephi 2-3, Book of Mormon)

The Book of Mormon teaches us that after we have been baptized and received the Gift of the Holy Ghost, we can speak with the tongue of angels. What an amazing gift that is! Of course, such an amazing gift also comes with amazing responsibility. Verse three explains that angels speak only by the power of the Holy Ghost. So what do they speak of? They teach the words of Christ. In other words, they teach the truth.

When we let people know we’re Christians, do we keep in mind that God expects us to speak with the tongue of angels? Do our words adequately represent who we are—a representative of the Savior? Do our tongues speak only the truth?

The first step to learning to speak with the tongue of angels is to find out what the truth really is. If we want to represent him properly, we have a tremendous obligation to find out what is true and to share only that. How do we know what’s true? We can ask someone we know, but people, even famous spiritual leaders, can be wrong. There are millions of people who have preached God’s word, but many of those people contradict each other. God is not a God of confusion. There can only be one truth. If the law of gravity is true, it can’t also be false. It’s our responsibility to find out what is true. Refusing to take on that responsibility makes us an irresponsible representative of the Savior.

So if we can’t necessarily trust men, who do we ask? We ask God, of course. He knows the entire truth, and will never mislead us. We can turn to Him in prayer and ask Him what is true and what we are to share with others. Following His instructions, instructions that came directly from Him, is the first step.

Once we’re on the right path, we must, as Nephi said, feast on the words of Christ. We need to study the scriptures in depth and make certain we know them well. Then we can teach only the truth, as God wants it taught.

From that moment on, we must guard our tongue to be sure it’s always representing God and the Savior well. We must speak with a voice of kindness and love, with an inviting voice, not one that turns people away because of attacks and belittlement.

When we speak lovingly God’s own words, and the words of Christ, we speak with the tongue of angels. What a wonderful gift!

And now, behold, my beloved brethren, this is the way; and there is none other way nor name given under heaven whereby man can be saved in the kingdom of God. And now, behold, this is the doctrine of Christ, and the only and true doctrine of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, which is one God, without end. Amen. (2 Nephi 31:21)

Members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, sometimes called “Mormons,” do not believe in the doctrine of the trinity. God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are three distinct individuals. So what does the above scripture from the Book of Mormon mean?

On LDS.org, we learn what it means to say God, Jesus, and the Holy Ghost are one God:

“Although the members of the Godhead are distinct beings with distinct roles, they are one in purpose and doctrine. They are perfectly united in bringing to pass Heavenly Father's divine plan of salvation."

People learning of the church for the first time are sometimes puzzled by this belief, and it can be helpful to understand more about why we believe as we do on this subject.
Joseph Smith, the first prophet of modern days, learned of the true nature of God and Jesus when he was fourteen years old. Confused about which church to join, he followed the advice of the Bible (James 1:5) and went to the woods to pray about the problem. As he prayed, God and Jesus came to him to answer his question. You can read more about this at Mormon.org.

Because he saw God and Jesus, Joseph understood that they were separate beings. When the Bible speaks of Jesus as God’s Son, Joseph realized this was a literal statement. When Joseph grew up and was called by God to restore the gospel to the earth, He learned more about this fascinating subject.

Harpers Bible Dictionary, a non-LDS authority on the Bible, says the trinity is not found in the Bible. (Paul F. Achtemeier, ed. (1985), 1099) Instead, it was defined as a part of Christian doctrine in 325 BC at the Council at Nicaea. The Nicene Creed, which developed from this council held by various scholars to unify the various Christian beliefs circulating, contained the doctrine of the Trinity and was passed along to Christians as if it had come from the Bible. It is the result of argumentation, debate, and decision, not prayer or prophecy.

There is indeed confusion in the Christian world over this doctrine, but Christ Himself felt no confusion about it. He said, “For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me.” (John 6:38, King James version of the Bible.) There is no clearer statement that Jesus knew He and God were distinct individuals.

For more on this subject, read Apostasy and Restoration by Dallin H. Oaks.

In my previous entry, I spoke of baptism. Baptism is only one of the steps on the path back home to our Heavenly Father. Often the hardest work comes after that wonderful moment when you’ve risen from the water and everyone is smiling at you.

For that single moment, you are perfect. But when the service is over, you leave the chapel and go out into the real world, where challenges and trials await. Your trials don’t end because you’ve chosen to commit your life to serving God. Satan certainly has no plans to leave you alone after you’ve made such an eternally significant decision. No, he’s going to work hard to convince you to change your mind.

The Book of Mormon gives us guidelines as to our responsibilities after baptism:

Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)

These are wonderful, inspirational words, but they aren’t platitudes. They are an outline for the rest of our lives, and they involve hard work and diligence. Enduring to the end is harder than it seems. It involves becoming a true disciple of Christ, a term meaning Pupil, and continuing the process all your life. Great bursts of faith are exciting and make for inspiring legends. We all love to read about those who were martyred. Within the history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, we praise Joseph Smith and his brother Hyrum for their willingness to die for God. There were, in fact, many martyrs in our religion during the early years of the church. However, James E. Faust, an ">apostle of God, made this critical point:

For most of us, however, what is required is not to die for the Church but to live for it. For many, living a Christlike life every day may be even more difficult than laying down one’s life. I learned during a time of war that many men were capable of great acts of selflessness, heroism, and nobility without regard to life. But when the war was over and they came home, they could not bear up under the ordinary daily burdens of living and became enslaved by tobacco, alcohol, drugs, and debauchery, which in the end caused them to forfeit their lives.” (James E. Faust, “Discipleship,” Ensign, Nov 2006, 20–23)

What does it mean to live for your faith? It means that in the small, every day choices, we take into consideration the will of our Father. His choices, not ours, are the foundation for our everyday lives, all the large and small choices we make all day long.

It’s often said that Satan can’t capture us in one spectacular moment. He leads us away in small steps, increasing our comfort level with sin. Once Satan can get us comfortable with the little sins, he can convince us that slightly larger ones are okay as well. Soon, our baptismal covenants are forgotten and we’ve fallen far from where we belong. So it’s in the small moments of life that we have to be particularly vigilant, to be certain it isn’t the little, seemingly harmless, sins that are setting us on the wrong path. “It’s just a little lie.” “It’s only a cup of coffee.”

Remaining steadfast and enduring to the end may become the hardest challenges you face, even harder than making the choice to convert will be. The rewards, however, are beyond measure, and worth the vigilance and dedication to faith and truth.

To learn more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and the lives the “Mormons” live, visit Mormon.org.