Help for Haiti

The First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints appealed to members today to send help to those suffering in Haiti. Anyone wishing to donate should go to the Church Humanitarian Services site and send money directly that way.

The people in Haiti also need our spiritual help through this hard time so please take the time to pray for those in need and ask for those souls to be watched over during their suffering and challenges. Our hearts go out to those in need and any help that you can send would be greatly appreciated.

To read the First Presidency's statement and also to learn more about how the Church's Humanitarian efforts go here.

What Kind of Message are They Really Sending?

What do you think about this?

“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 Ne. 32:8).

If you'd like to learn more about the Book of Mormon watch this or click here to request a free copy.

Pioneer Day

Today is Pioneer Day! I know I don't live in Utah anymore, but I have a hard time not wanting to celebrate such a great holiday. Pioneer Day is a Utah holiday that celebrates some of the first pioneers that crossed the plains and mountains to settle in Utah. I believe it's also the day that Brigham Young looked up from his sick-bed upon the Salt Lake Valley and said, "This is the Place!" I have many pioneer ancestors (I'm reading about Robert Taylor Burton right now) and I'm thankful for their sacrifices and strong faith that helped them leave their homes and settle in an unknown land. I hope you all have a Happy Pioneer Day! (It really should be a national- or at least Western States- holiday...)

Life is not easy

Many times in my life I've found myself thinking too much about me. When this happens I start to get depressed and I often feel lonely or neglected. I start thinking of all MY problems and all MY needs and how they aren't being met. I have a great pity party and get down on others for not noticing my problems or for not helping me in the way I think they should. At times like this I often need a kick in the rear to get me over myself and to have me get my priorities straightened out.

Life is not easy- it's not meant to be. There will be change, there will be trails, there will be tears and growing. We are here to learn how to become like our Heavenly Father which is anything but easy, but oh so worth it! I'm thankful for a loving Heavenly Father who keeps me on the right course and gives me a good kick every now and then if I start thinking too much of myself.

I've found that at hard times- times of fear, loneliness, sadness, doubt etc. that the easiest and quickest way to turn "my frown upside down" is to forget myself and help someone else. When I serve others I am helping someone have an easier day or making their circumstance just that much more bearable and I'm also doing my Heavenly Father's work. As it says in Mosiah 2:17 And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God.

I'll probably have to work on this my entire life, but I hope that each time I learn this lesson that I can do a little better. I can see others and help them instead of worry about myself and I can learn from my own trials how to help others get through those same times. Heavenly Father loves us and if we trust in Him with all our hearts He will direct our paths.

Real Men

What is a "real" man? In today's world there are so many conflicting descriptions of what makes a man a man that kids, teenagers, and even adults get confused and turn to the world, media, and peers to help them know how to enter into manhood.

Under the pretense of "manhood" boys are encouraged to drink, smoke, engage in immoral activities, use crude language and humor, watch violence on tv, pierce their bodies, steal, and do all sorts of vulgar things. Those who choose not to participate are called mamma's boys, sissys, pansys, or religious fanatics. We see enticing advertisements on tvs, magazines, and billboards promoting beer, smoking, and other vices. "Those who use cunning tactics to peddle their mares disregard the souls of young people and love only their money. They would have us believe that a person with a cigarette or alcoholic beverage in hand is a man, when in reality he is nothing more than a slave to a destructive substance. They would have us believe that a person who engages in illicit sex is a man, when in reality he is nothing more than an abuser of those who are "tender," and "chaste," and "delicate." (Jacob 2:7) They would have us believe that brute force, or crude behavior, uncontrolled temper, foul language, and dirty appearance make a man, when in reality these characteristics are animalistic at best and the opposite of manhood at worst." -Elder Carlos E. Asay

A real man is not what the world would have him be. He patterns his life after the most perfect man to ever live on the earth- even Jesus Christ. Our Savior, Jesus, was the man among men. He was pure, meek and humble and yet was more of a man then any man who has every lived. He yielded not to temptation, learned obedience by the things which he suffered, and he grew in love and grace. "Thus, he, the only sinless and perfect man who ever walked this earth, is qualified to state: "What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I am." (3 Ne. 27:27.) " -Elder Asay

I want to pay tribute, on this Father's Day, to all the REAL men out there, who are working hard to become the best men they can be by becoming more Christ-like every day. To the father who loves his children more than anything and teaches them correct values in a firm and loving way, to the man who is willing to stand up for what he believes in even in the face of obscenities and ridicule, to the husband who takes care of his dying wife through years of heartache and pain without ever uttering a word of complaint, to the ultimate father- even our Father in Heaven- who loves each of us with the love of a perfect father.

So, even though the world may wish to turn our men from the truth about what it truly means to be a man, let us be thankful for those men in our lives who stand a little taller and are better than the world. Let us encourage all boys and men that we know to be true men, and let us be ever thankful for good fathers and men who make this world a better place.