Flip-flops and Scorpions

Although I've never actually been stung by a scorpion (we don't have many in Idaho), I imagine it to be a fairly painful experience. As a young boy, Elder Kearon knew exactly what to do and what precautions to take in order to avoid being stung by one of these. However, like most of us, he disregarded those precautions because of casualness in his behavior. We see instances like this all around us. We all know that by obeying the speed limit we reduce our risk of being in a serious accident, yet how many of us speed anyway? We know that wearing our seat belts may very well save our lives, yet how many of us neglect to buckle up?

The same principle applies to our spiritual lives as well. It may not be a scorpion, but it may be a sin or addiction that we are taught to avoid. Our parents or leaders may spend hours discussing ways to properly protect ourselves from these dangers, but in the end it is our decision whether or not we will follow their council. One such "scorpion" may be drug abuse. My parents always warned us of this danger and told us that if we would surround ourselves with good influences or good friends, we could protect ourselves and put on those "shoes." I've tried to follow council such as that throughout my life and have luckily been able to avoid many of the pit-falls that claim much of today's world. It may not always be convenient or even popular, but if we'll just put on our shoes, we'll be protected from the stings in life.

Latter-Day Saint Temples

In many places that I have visited, the most beautiful buildings are often the temples. The one in this picture is the Palmyra New York temple and is one of my particular favorites. Sitting atop a small hill, it seems to stand as an ever-lit beacon calling for mankind to enter and partake of its blessings. Sometimes I encounter people who are curious about temples or may wonder why we even have them. The simple answer is that a temple is literally the House of the Lord and we come closer to him by being in it. A temple is a place where we can enter into covenants with God and receive greater blessings at his hand. But without questions, the greatest blessing that comes from temples is the opportunity to be sealed as families for time and all eternity. Many marriages in the world today are "til death do we part," but in the temple, couples and families are able to make their relationships eternal. No more will the sting of death discontinue a family, rather it just relocates a few members until all are once again reunited in heaven. In this video, based on a talk by Elder Nelson, members talk about temples and their love for them:


As a missionary, we strive to bring people to Christ by helping them receive the gospel and enter into their first covenant, baptism. But baptism is hardly the end of the road, rather it is the beginning. The most beautiful blessings our Father in Heaven has to offer us are available as we make and keep covenants in his holy temples. The blessings of eternal life with those we love are available if we will always keep the temple in our sights and strive to receive the blessing therein.  For all those who have not yet attended the temple, continue working towards that goal so that one day you may receive that blessing. For those who have been to the temple, continue to go back. As we return to the temple often we learn, grow, and understand more of our Heavenly Father's plan for us. God has given us a piece of heaven on earth, let us all take advantage of it.

Illiteracy, It Hurts

As you can probably tell from this poster, illiteracy can sometimes hurt. Because that poor penguin couldn't read the words or understand the symbols, he was left with a bruised head and a bruised ego. In the United States the literacy rate is 99% meaning that only 1% of the population cannot read or write. Compare that with places such as South Sudan with a literacy rate of only 27%. Imagine that, 1 out of 4 people can read a sign, a document, a book, or anything else written!

In an April General Conference address, Elder Christofferson presented the idea of another kind of illiteracy: scriptural illiteracy.

Many people may be able to read, but are they taking time to read the scriptures? Many people may read the scriptures, but do they really understand and apply what they read? One of my favorite things that the video below points out is that the Lord has given us greater access to the scriptures than any other time in history. Therefore, how great is the importance of our study and learning from them. Back in William Tyndale's day, getting access to the word of God was either expensive or illegal. To have him give his life to provide the rest of England with the scriptures, obviously shows us how important they were to him. As a missionary, I've been blessed with the opportunity of studying the scriptures everyday. Back home I enjoyed them, but now I've developed a love of them. Before I could see that it was a good thing to do, but now I see that it is one of the fastest ways to invite the Spirit into our lives and come closer to our Heavenly Father. If we'll just put in the time with them, we will understand how much of a blessing they are and how grateful we are to have them. We will come closer to our Savior and literally change into the kind of person he would have us be. I can promise this because I've not only seen it in my life, I've seen in the lives of those around me. God does live and He's given us the road map to our lives, if we'll only read it.