Book of Mormon and Biggie Smalls

"Sky is the limit and you know that you keep on, just keep on pressin on.
Sky is the limit and you know that you can have what you want, be what you want."

-- Notorious B.I.G.

"Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself.

And now, my sons, I would that ye should look to the great Mediator, and hearken unto his great commandments; and be faithful unto his words, and choose eternal life, according to the will of his Holy Spirit;" -- 2 Nephi 2:27-28

Nothing To Do With Hermione Granger

"All I have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all I have not seen."

Ralph Waldo Emerson

"Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid; for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also has become my salvation." -2 Nephi 2:22

 

#TRUTH- Where It's Found

"Christianity, if false, is of no importance, and if true, of infinite importance. The only thing it cannot be is moderately important."

-C.S. Lewis

"And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.

And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of all things." -Moroni 10:4-5

 

The Power of Perserverance

"On occasion we need to make a second effort - and a third effort, and a fourth effort, and as many degrees of effort as may be required to accomplish what we strive to achieve."
-Thomas S. Monson

"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

Real Wealth

"Our lives are the only meaningful expression of what we believe and in Whom we believe. And the only real wealth, for any of us, lies in our faith"

-Gordon B. Hinckley

"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God"

Ether 12:4



 

How The Fray Strengthened My Testimony

The following excerpt is an observation made of Abraham Lincoln from the book The Integrity Advantage:

“The heritage of our American nation includes a profound reverence for integrity. . . . In one speech, characteristic of others he would make, Abraham Lincoln took a position that would end up costing him his race for U.S. Senate vs. Stephen A. Douglas. [He said boldly that] the country could not survive . . . as a house divided, ‘half-slave and half-free.’ He knew [what the] consequences of his words [on such an emotional issue might be, but he said]: ‘I would rather be defeated with [that declaration in my] speech . . . than to be victorious without it.’ [And he was defeated.]

“[But] the integrity that cost him the senate seat [later] won him the presidency [of the nation]. It . . . also inspired the nation to prevail in [its most brutal war] and [ultimately it freed those slaves about whom he spoke. In great measure] Lincoln’s integrity shaped our young nation’s values [at that crucial time and still defines] what it means to be American.”

"Thou knowest the greatness of God; and he shall consecrate thine afflictions for thy gain."

You can never go wrong if you're doing what's right. A line from one of my favorite songs says "sometimes the hardest thing and the right thing are the same" and more often than not that seems to be the case.

But..... Because God is real, because he loves us, and because all He wants for us is happiness, we can rest assured that all of our losses will be made up, all of our pain will amount to greater strength, and all of our afflictions will be consecrated for our gain. What a promise!

So next time keeping integrity means a little embarrassment, discomfort or losing out on the race for US Presidency, remember the cost of sacrificing our integrity is much greater.

Faith Points to the Future

So I've been slacking big time as of late when it comes to posting new blogs. I should have a new one up later on this week. In the meantime check out this Mormon Message. This short clip is one of my favorites! Enjoy!