The Temple of God!

Many people attack our church for many different points in our doctrine. One of these points is our building of Temples. Recently I read in Exodus where the Lord tells the Children of Israel to build a temple to worship their God. Not only does he command them to build one, but he gives them the exact dimensions of how the templs should be built. You can read this in Exodus 26-31. You can read about the Building of it in Exodus 36-40. As you can see, the temple is doctrinally based in the Old Testament. So how about the New Testament? Well the first place Christ went to in Jerusalem when he was twelve years old was the temple of Herod. If you remember the story mary and Joseph left Jerusalem, and could not find Jesus. They looked all over the city. They never thought to look in the temple. They went there and found him talking teaching the chief priests. Mary told him that they had looked everywhere for him, and I love his reply. "And he said unto them, How is it that ye sought me? ^awist ye not that I must be about my ^bFather’s business?" (Luke 2:49) His Father's business took place in the temple. There are many other instances where Christ goes to the temple to preach. Twice he throws the moneychangers out of the temple. It must be an important part of His Father's kingdom. Today we have temples that dot the earth. The Lord told the Prophet Joseph in Doctrine and Covenants 88: 119, "Organize yourselves; prepare every needful thing; and establish a ^bhouse, even a house of prayer, a house of fasting, a house of faith, a house of learning, a house of glory, a house of order, a house of God!" In the temple we are "endowed with power from on high." I know that God has given us temples to bless us and to bless our ancestors. The best part about temples is that we can, after we perform ordinances for ourselves, perform them for our dead vicariously. Thus linking our families for eternity. I know these things are true! 

Murmur not!

Today I was reading in Exodus 13-17. You know, the children of Israel murmur against Moses a lot. The first time they do it is when the Egyptians are coming. They turn to Moses and say, You should have left us alone. Now we are going to die in the wilderness. Then Moses parts the Red Sea, and after the children of Israel cross brings the seas back together on top of the Egyptians. Then they are thirsty and they start to complain and murmur again so Moses purifies the water with a tree. Then they are hungry and complain again. Then the Lord provides manna and quail. Then they are thirsty again so the Lord provides water out of a stone. All of this was done that the children of Israel would know that he is God. And that Moses is his prophet. Man you should just trust the prophet. We in our own lives ask the why before we know the what. We should not do that. I know that this principle of obedience is an eternal principle.

Moses and Pharaoh

Today I was studying about Moses and his encounters with pharaoh. So the Lord tells Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh and tell him to let the people go. And because of this, Pharaoh not only says no but makes the burden of the children of Israel even heavier. So the Children of Israel are angry with Moses, and Moses goes to the Lord, and says, "Lord, wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharaoh to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all." I love the Lord's response. He says, "I am the Lord!" Sometimes in our lives we do something good and trials come of it. We need to remember those four words. He has it all figured out. he knows us better than we know ourselves. We must not counsel the very Being that gave us life and controls life and death. Remember that he is the Lord and the wicked will receive their just reward. We know what happened to the Egyptians after they didn't listen to the Lord's counsel. The plagues came. Let us be patient in our afflictions!

Max's Big Change!

About 10 months ago, I was serving in Townsend, MT. It is an amazing place, 30 miles southeast of Helena. When you drive through you may miss it as there are only about 1600 people there. I didn't know that this place would change the course of my life. Then on Sunday, April 18th, I met Max Michaelson (name has been changed). He is originally from Idaho. And he has lives all over the northwest, and in Kansas. His wife had joined the church about a year and 3 months before. Missionaries had been teaching Max for 2 and half years, and he was so close. The first time I met him, he was even more stubborn than I was. He had issues with Prophets and coffee. He wouldn't budge but neither would I. It was a clash of the titans. i tried to commit him to baptism but he wouldn't. So I left there having dropped Max Michaelson for three months. During those three months I saw two companions leave Townsend. We visited him and his wife occasionally but didn't teach them. Right before the second one left he and I went back to teach him. We got there and something told us to start teaching him again. So we did. Then I got a new missionary, and we began the teaching process again. For two months, we struggled back and forth. Every night, hours of prayer was spent on his behalf. We even tried to set a baptismal date with him for August 14th. He declined the date. Finally at the end of August, he went to meet with the Stake President, I found out later, to tell him that he wasn't going to join. Well after a three-hour meeting with the Stake President, he went home. We had just gotten back from a couple baptisms in Harlowton, and the Spirit told us to go to the Michaelsons' Home. So we did. He told us that he was ready and wanted to be baptized. I can't tell the joy that i felt because not only the prayers of myself and my companions but the prayers of missionaries for the last three years had been answered. He was baptized on September 17th, 2010, a day that I won't soon forget! I testify that the worth of souls is indeed great in the sight of God. "And if it so be that you should labor all your days in crying repentance unto this people and bring save it be one soul unto me, how great shall be your joy with him in the kingdom  of my Father!" I testify that because of Max Michaelson, my life will never be the same. I thank my heavenly Father that I was able to be an instrument in his hands to bring Max into the Church, the Kingdom of God on earth today.   

Touch My Heart

I have been reading lately about the brother of Jared and how when the Lord wanted him to think of a solution to his problems, he did as the Lord commanded. He needed light in the boat so he went into themountains and found stones. He took of these stones, which were shiny like glass, and brought them before the Lord. The Lord, seeing the great faith of the Brother of Jared, touched the stones with his finger and gave them light. He then saw the finger of the Lord because of his excellent faith. Faith is an interesting element to missionary work especially in finding people to teach. Our mission president talked about us replacing ourselves for the stones in this story in order to increase our faith to find. So this is the poem that came from it.

TOUCH MY HEART by Elder Kuck

Lord,
Touch my eyes to see through the facade of the world,
Touch my ears to hear the cries of a soul suppressed by the temptations of Satan,
Touch my hands to carry the burdens of those around me,
Touch my spirit to commune with the spirit of God,

Touch my heart to feel the love of God for my fellow men,
Touch my soul to speak with their souls,
Touch my mind to fear no longer the door before me,
Touch my mouth to speak with the tongues of angels,

I know who you are, Father, and I know who I am, your Son!
Touch me to share this knowledge with others,
Touch my heart to break its rough corners,
Touch my heart Lord.

Goals: the way to eternal happiness!

Well I have started a study of the old testament and I am currently in Genesis. I love how goal oriented God is and how if we want to become like him we need to be as well. When God set up his plan he first set a goal. In Moses 1:39 we learn about this when he says "behold this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." He then devised a plan where this could come to pass. Namely the Plan of Salvation. Another instance in which we see the Maker's goal setting ability is in the Creation of the Earth. He had a goal that he through His only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, would create an earth where His children could dwell. It is a necessary goal. He then every period for 6 creative periods takes a step towards the ultimate creation of the earth. Day 1: He creates day and night! Day 2: He divides the Heavens from the earth. Day 3: He separates the water and the dry land. He created plants and trees. Day 4: He allows the Sun, the moon, and the stars to be seen from the earth. He creates the rotation and revolution of the earth. Day 5: He creates the animals. Day 6: He creates MAN! And on Day 7 He rests from his labors. He accomplished his goals. And we can accomplish the goals we set if we take the steps that heavenly Father took. Take small steps that lead into accomplishing big goals. The Church is true!

The Gospel of Jesus Christ

Our Savior Jesus Christ suffered everything for us. Now he invites us and expects us to use his Atonement for the salvation of our souls. The Atonement is Christ's suffering, death, burial and resurrection which allows us to return to our Heavenly Father one day. We apply the Atonement into our lives by living the first principles and ordinances of the gospel which are Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, Repentance, baptism, Receiving the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the End. Faith is believing and hoping in something you cannot see. For instance, I cannot see Jesus Christ! I know that he is there because I have studied the scriptures, prayed to know if he is there, and felt the confirming witness of the Holy Ghost. I testify that He lived, died and Lives again! It is one thing to believe in Christ, but do you believe him? You show that you believe Him through repentance. Christ himself said in the Doctrine and Covenants 58: 42, "Behold, he who has ^arepented of his ^bsins, the same is ^cforgiven, and I, the Lord, remember them no more." I know that this is true! We must repent, but we also be baptized before the full cleansing power of the Atonement can take full effect in our lives, both by water and by fire. The baptism of Water means baptism where you are fully immmersed in the water. The baptism of fire means the baptism of the holy ghost or receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. but in order to retain the effect of the Atonement we must endure through life's trials constantly repenting and reminding ourselves of Christ's Atonement and our commitment to Him. In this Christmas season we must remind ourselves of Him and why we celebrate his birth into the world. As President Monson, the Prophet and Seer of the Lord, puts it, "There is no better time than now, this very Christmas season, for all of us to rededicate ourselves to the principles taught by Jesus the Christ. Let it be a time that lights the eyes of children and puts laughter on their lips. Let it be a time for lifting the lives of those who live in loneliness. Let it be a time for calling our families together, for feeling a closeness to those who are near to us and a closeness also to those who are absent." I stand as a witness of Him, even Jesus Christ, the Son of the Living God.