Since I've been here in college, life moves fast! This Wednesday one of my life long dreams will open in a quiet meeting with my bishop. I will begin my missionary papers for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I suppose my impatience with waiting until my 19th birthday will be put on hold while I fill out my paperwork, but the impatience will probably be focused until April 7th when my papers are eligible to be sent into Salt Lake City. I have been so excited to serve a mission, and I hate waiting. I've been counting down since my 18th birthday for this occasion, and it is 3 days away, and my papers are can be sent in 39 days! I've even found my missionary scripture I would like on my plaque! Alma 29: 9
-"I know that which the Lord hath commanded me, and I glory in it. I do not glory of myself, but I glory in that which the Lord hat commanded me; yea, and this is my glory, that perhaps I may be an instrument in the hands of God to bring some soul to repentance; and this is my joy."
39 days until my papers get sent in! I'll keep everyone posted on the missionary process!
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Gifts
I have been given a gift. It has been one of the greatest gifts that I have ever received. It isn't tangible, nor can you see it. You can only hear it, and feel it. I have been given the gift of music. I don't wish this to be a post about how talented I am with music, but rather how grateful I am that I have been blessed with music in my life.
One of the greatest joys in my life, has been feeling the friction between my fingers and the piano keys as my fingers run up and down the piano. The feeling of guitar strings burning callouses into my fingers. The feeling of musical notes pouring out of my hands and floating into the ears of innocent bystanders. The feeling of solving a musical puzzle, and looking at the beautiful rewards that come from solving that puzzle.
Music has been a wonderful to express myself throughout my life. It has always been my closest friend, it has always been something with whom I could vent and share my darkest feelings.
As I have grown older, I have unlocked mysteries of music, and have been able to apply them to my own musical studies. I have been able to learn different instruments, and take instrumental theories and apply them to other instruments. This is one of my favorite aspects of music. Musical theory is universal, it applies to everything!
Hopefully I have the sense to use my talent to serve my fellow human beings. Music isn't something that should be used for selfish reasons, it should be used to bring beauty and fulfillment into the lives of others.
One of the greatest joys in my life, has been feeling the friction between my fingers and the piano keys as my fingers run up and down the piano. The feeling of guitar strings burning callouses into my fingers. The feeling of musical notes pouring out of my hands and floating into the ears of innocent bystanders. The feeling of solving a musical puzzle, and looking at the beautiful rewards that come from solving that puzzle.
Music has been a wonderful to express myself throughout my life. It has always been my closest friend, it has always been something with whom I could vent and share my darkest feelings.
As I have grown older, I have unlocked mysteries of music, and have been able to apply them to my own musical studies. I have been able to learn different instruments, and take instrumental theories and apply them to other instruments. This is one of my favorite aspects of music. Musical theory is universal, it applies to everything!
Hopefully I have the sense to use my talent to serve my fellow human beings. Music isn't something that should be used for selfish reasons, it should be used to bring beauty and fulfillment into the lives of others.
Tuesday, December 21, 2010
Christmas Traditions
When I was a small child, my family had a wonderful Christmas tradition, which unfortunately was discontinued when the children in my family grew up. My family owns a book, which contains 25 wonderful Christmas stories, one for every night leading up to Christmas. Every night the children would gather around my mother or father, often with a comfortable warm fire blazing in the background, and listen to stories of service and of love. It is one family tradition that I most utterly miss. I don't believe that my family has done these stories since I was about 8 years old. Now that I am 18 years old, the tradition has faded into the memories of me, my brother, and my sister, but I can still recall the magic that it brought into my life as a young child during the most magical of all seasons. For my blog post tonight, I would like to retell one of my most favorite stories entitled, "The Sixth Word."
Just a week before Christmas, I had a visitor, this is how it happened. I had just finished the household chores and was preparing to go to my bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door of the front room, and to my surprise, Santa Claus himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his fingers over his mouth so I would not cry out.
"What are you doing...?" I started to ask, but the words chocked up in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone-gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.
He then answered me with a simple statement of "Teach the children." I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said again, "Teach the children. Teach them the old meaning of Christmas-the meanings that Christmas nowadays has forgotten."
I started to say, "How can I..." when Santa reached into the toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.
"Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promise long ages ago. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was a sign of the fulfillment of that promise. The countless shining stars at night-one for each man- now show the burning hope of all mankind." Santa gently laid the star upon the fireplace mantle and drew forth from the bag a glittering red Christmas tree ornament.
"Teach the children that red is the first color of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave His life and shed His blood that every man might have God's gift of Eternal Life. Red is deep, intense, vivid-it is the greatest color of all. it is the symbol of the gift of God."
"Teach the children," he said as he dislodged a small Christmas tree from the depths of the toy bag. He placed it before the mantle and gently hung the red ornament on it. The deep green of the fir tree was a perfect background for the ornament. Here was the second color of Christmas.
"The pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round," he said. "This depicts the everlasting hope of mankind. green is the youthful, hopeful, abundant color of nature. All the needles point heavenward-symbols of Man's returning thoughts toward heaven. The great green tree has been man's best friend. It has sheltered him, warmed him, made beauty for him." Suddenly, I heard a soft tinkling sound.
"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for man to return to the fold-it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord. As the soft sound of the bell faded into the night, Santa drew forth a candle. He placed it on the mantle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shapes in shadows slowly dance and weaved upon the walls.
"Teach the children," whispered Santa, "that the candle shows man's thanks for the star of long ago. Its small light is the mirror of starlight. At first, candles were placed on the trees-they were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. The colored lights have now taken over in remembrance."
Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow and said, "A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as men should be tied, all of use together, with the bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow."
Santa slung his bag over his shoulder and began to reach for the candy cane placed high on the tree. He unfastened it and reached out toward me with it.
"Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show at Christmas time. The candy cane is the symbol we are our brother's keepers."
As Santa looked about the room, a feeling of satisfaction shone in his face. He read wonderment in my eyes, and I am sure he sensed admiration for this night.
He reached into his bag and brought forth a large holly wreath. He placed it on the door and said, "Please teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love; it never ceases, stops, or ends. It is the one continuous round of affection. The wreath does double duty. It is made of many things and in many colors. It should remind us of all the things of Christmas."
Santa's face seemed to light up in the darkness as a smile creeped up his rosy cheeks. A tear ran down his face and got lost in his big white beard. "Goodbye my friend," he said, and in the blink of an eye Santa disappeared. A melodious whisper seemed to float on the wind after Santa left, "Please teach the Children"
Just a week before Christmas, I had a visitor, this is how it happened. I had just finished the household chores and was preparing to go to my bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door of the front room, and to my surprise, Santa Claus himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree. He placed his fingers over his mouth so I would not cry out.
"What are you doing...?" I started to ask, but the words chocked up in my throat as I saw he had tears in his eyes. His usual jolly manner was gone-gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.
He then answered me with a simple statement of "Teach the children." I was puzzled. What did he mean? He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree. As I stood there bewildered, Santa said again, "Teach the children. Teach them the old meaning of Christmas-the meanings that Christmas nowadays has forgotten."
I started to say, "How can I..." when Santa reached into the toy bag and pulled out a brilliant shiny star.
"Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promise long ages ago. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was a sign of the fulfillment of that promise. The countless shining stars at night-one for each man- now show the burning hope of all mankind." Santa gently laid the star upon the fireplace mantle and drew forth from the bag a glittering red Christmas tree ornament.
"Teach the children that red is the first color of Christmas. It was first used by the faithful people to remind them of the blood which was shed for all the people by the Savior. Christ gave His life and shed His blood that every man might have God's gift of Eternal Life. Red is deep, intense, vivid-it is the greatest color of all. it is the symbol of the gift of God."
"Teach the children," he said as he dislodged a small Christmas tree from the depths of the toy bag. He placed it before the mantle and gently hung the red ornament on it. The deep green of the fir tree was a perfect background for the ornament. Here was the second color of Christmas.
"The pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round," he said. "This depicts the everlasting hope of mankind. green is the youthful, hopeful, abundant color of nature. All the needles point heavenward-symbols of Man's returning thoughts toward heaven. The great green tree has been man's best friend. It has sheltered him, warmed him, made beauty for him." Suddenly, I heard a soft tinkling sound.
"Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring for man to return to the fold-it means guidance and return. It further signifies that all are precious in the eyes of the Lord. As the soft sound of the bell faded into the night, Santa drew forth a candle. He placed it on the mantle and the soft glow from its tiny flame cast a glow about the darkened room. Odd shapes in shadows slowly dance and weaved upon the walls.
"Teach the children," whispered Santa, "that the candle shows man's thanks for the star of long ago. Its small light is the mirror of starlight. At first, candles were placed on the trees-they were like many glowing stars shining against the dark green. The colored lights have now taken over in remembrance."
Santa turned the small Christmas tree lights on and picked up a gift from under the tree. He pointed to the large bow and said, "A bow is placed on a present to remind us of the spirit of the brotherhood of man. We should remember that the bow is tied as men should be tied, all of use together, with the bonds of good will toward each other. Good will forever is the message of the bow."
Santa slung his bag over his shoulder and began to reach for the candy cane placed high on the tree. He unfastened it and reached out toward me with it.
"Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherd's crook. The crook on the staff helps bring back the strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane represents the helping hand we should show at Christmas time. The candy cane is the symbol we are our brother's keepers."
As Santa looked about the room, a feeling of satisfaction shone in his face. He read wonderment in my eyes, and I am sure he sensed admiration for this night.
He reached into his bag and brought forth a large holly wreath. He placed it on the door and said, "Please teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the eternal nature of love; it never ceases, stops, or ends. It is the one continuous round of affection. The wreath does double duty. It is made of many things and in many colors. It should remind us of all the things of Christmas."
Santa's face seemed to light up in the darkness as a smile creeped up his rosy cheeks. A tear ran down his face and got lost in his big white beard. "Goodbye my friend," he said, and in the blink of an eye Santa disappeared. A melodious whisper seemed to float on the wind after Santa left, "Please teach the Children"
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Harry Potter
It seems like everyone is blogging about Harry Potter right now, so I will add my blog to the list of everybody's blog. From the first time I read the Harry Potter and the sorcerer's stone, I was hooked. Harry Potter was my favorite book ever. I grew up with the boy, what do you expect. My sister and I even loved playing Hogwarts when we were children. I even convinced myself that when I turned eleven, my acceptance letter to Hogwarts would come, and I would be whisked away to a magical land, wherein my magical training could commence. I looked forward to the quidditch matches I would be involved in, and the hexes I would shoot at my enemies. Sadly, I grew up, and my imaginative relativity quickly became only my imagination. I continued reading however. I read of Harry's tales of fighting Basilisks, winning wild quidditch matches, snogging girls, fighting dragons, Winning triwizard cups, a kind old man named Albus Dumbldore, rivalry battles with Draco Malfoy, also fighting the dark lord Voldemort. I read recently in an article that JK Rowling's Harry Potter series had sold over 400 million books, which made her the first billionaire author ever and the Harry Potter movies, have so far made 5.5 billion dollars, which does not include the first part of movie number seven, and part two as well.
JK Rowling's books also made the number of people that read books, go up. When her first book was released people hardly read at all. During the years that all seven books were written and released, the world saw the number of readers go up drastically. The Harry Potter novels were translated into 67 languages, so it's no wonder why we saw that number go up. Now that all the books have been released the world is seeing the number of readers decline again, which makes me sad. Reading can introduce people to all kinds of wonders.
Now that the Harry Potter books are done, and the movies are almost done, a sadness creeps up my limbs. I'll always have the books and movies yes, but the suspense of when the next movie or book being release is gone. Harry Potter is all grown up, and now I suppose I have to grow up as well. Thank you JK Rowling for introducing me to the wondrous, magical world of Hogwarts, where all things are possible. Thank you Harry Potter, for your brave tales of valor. I'll join you at Hogwarts in my imagination.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Vertigo
Yesterday I was diagnosed with vertigo. Apparently my ears have filled up with fluid, which cancels out the balancing feature of my head. Basically every time I move just slightly, I get incredibly dizzy. Not just spin in a circle buzzed dizzy. Like merry-go-round as fast as you can, then getting off and can't even stand up dizzy. It pretty much sucks. I don't recommend getting it. Sunday night was full of vomiting and dizziness. With a small convulsion, which was fun I must say....
Saturday, November 13, 2010
Sacrament talk
So I'm giving a talk in sacrament meeting in ten hours and 7 minutes, so enjoy my talk on the Stripling warriors!
Good morning brothers and sisters. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is James Daniel. I’m 18 years old, I grew up in Provo, Utah, but I’ve lived in California twice, Colorado, and Indiana. Most people, who know me, know that I have two loves: Baseball and piano. I’ve been playing and watching baseball for about 8 years, and I’ve been playing the piano for even longer. There are 142 days until my mission papers can be sent into Salt Lake and 268 days until my 19th birthday, so I’m pretty excited to serve a mission. I am currently a political science major at Weber State University, and that’s about it for me.
My purpose today is to speak to you about the 2,000 stripling warriors, and the lessons that we can learn from studying about them. Growing up in primary I had two favorite scripture stories. First was the story of Ammon chopping off all the Lamanite robber’s arms, and let’s face it, what ten old boy isn’t going to love a story about arms being chopped off. Second was the story of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors. Reading about them in the 53rd and 56th chapter of Alma is always a delight, and I am very excited to discuss the wonderful lessons we learn from these fine young men.
About 90 years before the coming of Christ, the Ammonite people, converted by Ammon, made a wonderful covenant with the Lord to bury their weapons of war deep in the Earth. They covenanted that “they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.”
About 26 years later, the war between the Nephites and Lamanites pressured the Ammonites to break their covenant, and to fight to protect their families and religion. They saw the sacrifice that the Nephites were making for them, and they were “desirous to take up arms in the defence of their country.” A man named Helaman prevented these men from breaking their covenant, and in the process saved their souls. In 53rd chapter of Alma, we read of the sons of the Ammonites, who did not make a covenant with the Lord. In defense of their people, they take up arms, and Helaman takes command of these 2,000 sons of the Ammonites. To make a long story short, the stripling warriors are involved in multiple battles, and to Helaman’s astonishment, none of the 2,000 warriors died.
From the stripling warrior’s mighty example, we can learn of many very important lessons, however I would like to focus on 3. The first is faith. When the stripling warriors went into battle, they had no battle experience at all. They had never as much as picked up a weapon, and yet they had no fear when they went into battle against the Lamanites. They knew that if they did not doubt that God would deliver them and keep them safe. Alma 56: 47 says, “Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives.” Like the Stripling warriors, what aspects of our lives can we go into with no fear? For me, it was moving away from home. I’m 18 years old. I was scared to death to move away for the first time away from my family. My first two weeks here in Ogden were miserable, and I had no idea what to do. I missed my family terribly; I still hadn’t made a whole lot of new friends. I was figuratively in my own personal war against an army of Lamanites. Fear is a big part of everybody’s life, but the thing that destroys fear and gives you hope is faith. When you exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can conquer entire legions of Lamanite armies. Eventually, I exercised faith and I was able to make friends, and the homesickness and fear dissolved into strength and courage. I know that using faith is easier said than done, but in Alma 56:56, we get to see the results of when the stripling warriors used their faith. Helaman says, “But behold, to my great joy there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.” Not only did none of the Stripling warriors perish, but they scared the Lamanites so much, that they surrendered! And they had never fought before! I imagine looking upon an army of Lamanite soldiers can be quite an intimidating thing, and yet they did not fear. Similar in our life, when we see figurative Lamanite armies and we do not fear, we can do the same things that the stripling warriors did, we will fight against our opposition with mighty power, and eventually we will scare it off. Our fears become scared of us.
The second lesson that we can learn, is obeying the words of our parents. Alma 56:47-48 says, “Yea, they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, god would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.” The Family A Proclamation To The World says, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live” Parent’s roles are so very important in children’s lives. We can see the effects of righteous parents with the stripling warriors. Their mothers helped them develop such incredible faith, that they conquered multiple armies of the Lamanites. That means that today our parents can do a similar thing. I don’t believe I could have conquered my fear of moving out to Ogden, without the faith and courage that my parents taught me. What an awesome responsibility we will have when we become parents. We will have the ability to teach our children how to conquer any problem, and how to use and exercise faith. And after we teach them faith, they can bring forth mighty miracles.
The third lesson that we learn, is that of good missionary attributes. Alma 53:20-21 lists many attributes that described the stripling warriors that can help us become good missionaries. They were exceedingly valiant for courage; they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. They were men of truth and soberness. They kept the commandments of God and walked uprightly before him. Elder Ballard in a Liahona article said, “While we are profoundly grateful for the many members of the Church who are doing great things in the battle for truth and right, I must honestly tell you it still is not enough. We need much more help. And so, as the people of Ammon looked to their sons for reinforcement in the war against the Lamanites, we look to you, my young brethren and sisters of the Church. We need you. Like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, you also are the spirit sons and daughters of God, and you too can be endowed with power to build up and defend His kingdom. We need you to make sacred covenants, just as they did. We need you to be meticulously obedient and faithful, just as they were…What we need now is the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries who, like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, are “exceedingly valiant for courage and also for strength and activity” and who are “true at all times in whatsoever thing they [are] entrusted” (Alma 53:20).
Listen to those words, my young brethren and sisters: valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We don’t need spiritually weak and semicommitted young men and woman. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 4:5).”
Although we have no record of the stripling warriors serving full time missions, their example can help everybody be better missionaries, even if you are not officially called as a full-time missionary. It will help those brothers and sisters serving full time missions, but it will also help those who do not go on missions, and those who have returned from serving missions. Those who have returned from serving missions, your work is not yet done. When living by these attributes, you can be such an example to those who are not of our faith, and serve all of God’s children. These attributes can also apply to magnifying your calling. If everybody were to serve in their callings with these kinds of attributes, can you imagine how our church would be? Can you imagine the kind of missionaries that the church could produce, if all the young men in our church lived by these qualities?
The stripling warriors are an incredible group of young men, from whom we can and have learned many valuable lessons. Their tale is incredible, and the lessons we learn from them are priceless. There is a very important reason why Moroni included their story in the Book of Mormon, and we cannot ignore the multiple lessons we learn from them. I touched on just a few, the more you read of their account, the more lessons you will learn.
I know that this church is true. It cannot be false. I know that Joseph Smith, did see the Father and the son in the Sacred Grove. I know that the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God, and that is God's word to us on the Earth today. I know that Jesus is the Christ, and that he did atone for all of my sins, and all of your sins. I know that President Monson is God's prophet on the Earth today, and that he receives God's will for his children today. In this I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
Good morning brothers and sisters. For those of you that don’t know me, my name is James Daniel. I’m 18 years old, I grew up in Provo, Utah, but I’ve lived in California twice, Colorado, and Indiana. Most people, who know me, know that I have two loves: Baseball and piano. I’ve been playing and watching baseball for about 8 years, and I’ve been playing the piano for even longer. There are 142 days until my mission papers can be sent into Salt Lake and 268 days until my 19th birthday, so I’m pretty excited to serve a mission. I am currently a political science major at Weber State University, and that’s about it for me.
My purpose today is to speak to you about the 2,000 stripling warriors, and the lessons that we can learn from studying about them. Growing up in primary I had two favorite scripture stories. First was the story of Ammon chopping off all the Lamanite robber’s arms, and let’s face it, what ten old boy isn’t going to love a story about arms being chopped off. Second was the story of Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors. Reading about them in the 53rd and 56th chapter of Alma is always a delight, and I am very excited to discuss the wonderful lessons we learn from these fine young men.
About 90 years before the coming of Christ, the Ammonite people, converted by Ammon, made a wonderful covenant with the Lord to bury their weapons of war deep in the Earth. They covenanted that “they never would use weapons again for the shedding of man’s blood; and this they did, vouching and covenanting with God, that rather than shed the blood of their brethren they would give up their own lives; and rather than take away from a brother they would give unto him; and rather than spend their days in idleness they would labor abundantly with their hands.”
About 26 years later, the war between the Nephites and Lamanites pressured the Ammonites to break their covenant, and to fight to protect their families and religion. They saw the sacrifice that the Nephites were making for them, and they were “desirous to take up arms in the defence of their country.” A man named Helaman prevented these men from breaking their covenant, and in the process saved their souls. In 53rd chapter of Alma, we read of the sons of the Ammonites, who did not make a covenant with the Lord. In defense of their people, they take up arms, and Helaman takes command of these 2,000 sons of the Ammonites. To make a long story short, the stripling warriors are involved in multiple battles, and to Helaman’s astonishment, none of the 2,000 warriors died.
From the stripling warrior’s mighty example, we can learn of many very important lessons, however I would like to focus on 3. The first is faith. When the stripling warriors went into battle, they had no battle experience at all. They had never as much as picked up a weapon, and yet they had no fear when they went into battle against the Lamanites. They knew that if they did not doubt that God would deliver them and keep them safe. Alma 56: 47 says, “Now they never had fought, yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their fathers than they did upon their lives.” Like the Stripling warriors, what aspects of our lives can we go into with no fear? For me, it was moving away from home. I’m 18 years old. I was scared to death to move away for the first time away from my family. My first two weeks here in Ogden were miserable, and I had no idea what to do. I missed my family terribly; I still hadn’t made a whole lot of new friends. I was figuratively in my own personal war against an army of Lamanites. Fear is a big part of everybody’s life, but the thing that destroys fear and gives you hope is faith. When you exercise faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, you can conquer entire legions of Lamanite armies. Eventually, I exercised faith and I was able to make friends, and the homesickness and fear dissolved into strength and courage. I know that using faith is easier said than done, but in Alma 56:56, we get to see the results of when the stripling warriors used their faith. Helaman says, “But behold, to my great joy there had not one soul of them fallen to the earth; yea and they had fought as if with the strength of God; yea, never were men known to have fought with such miraculous strength; and with such mighty power did they fall upon the Lamanites, that they did frighten them; and for this cause did the Lamanites deliver themselves up as prisoners of war.” Not only did none of the Stripling warriors perish, but they scared the Lamanites so much, that they surrendered! And they had never fought before! I imagine looking upon an army of Lamanite soldiers can be quite an intimidating thing, and yet they did not fear. Similar in our life, when we see figurative Lamanite armies and we do not fear, we can do the same things that the stripling warriors did, we will fight against our opposition with mighty power, and eventually we will scare it off. Our fears become scared of us.
The second lesson that we can learn, is obeying the words of our parents. Alma 56:47-48 says, “Yea, they had been taught by their mothers that if they did not doubt, god would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it.” The Family A Proclamation To The World says, “Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live” Parent’s roles are so very important in children’s lives. We can see the effects of righteous parents with the stripling warriors. Their mothers helped them develop such incredible faith, that they conquered multiple armies of the Lamanites. That means that today our parents can do a similar thing. I don’t believe I could have conquered my fear of moving out to Ogden, without the faith and courage that my parents taught me. What an awesome responsibility we will have when we become parents. We will have the ability to teach our children how to conquer any problem, and how to use and exercise faith. And after we teach them faith, they can bring forth mighty miracles.
The third lesson that we learn, is that of good missionary attributes. Alma 53:20-21 lists many attributes that described the stripling warriors that can help us become good missionaries. They were exceedingly valiant for courage; they were men who were true at all times in whatsoever thing they were entrusted. They were men of truth and soberness. They kept the commandments of God and walked uprightly before him. Elder Ballard in a Liahona article said, “While we are profoundly grateful for the many members of the Church who are doing great things in the battle for truth and right, I must honestly tell you it still is not enough. We need much more help. And so, as the people of Ammon looked to their sons for reinforcement in the war against the Lamanites, we look to you, my young brethren and sisters of the Church. We need you. Like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, you also are the spirit sons and daughters of God, and you too can be endowed with power to build up and defend His kingdom. We need you to make sacred covenants, just as they did. We need you to be meticulously obedient and faithful, just as they were…What we need now is the greatest generation of missionaries in the history of the Church. We need worthy, qualified, spiritually energized missionaries who, like Helaman’s 2,000 stripling warriors, are “exceedingly valiant for courage and also for strength and activity” and who are “true at all times in whatsoever thing they [are] entrusted” (Alma 53:20).
Listen to those words, my young brethren and sisters: valiant, courage, strength, active, true. We don’t need spiritually weak and semicommitted young men and woman. We don’t need you to just fill a position; we need your whole heart and soul. We need vibrant, thinking, passionate missionaries who know how to listen to and respond to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit. This isn’t a time for spiritual weaklings. We cannot send you on a mission to be reactivated, reformed, or to receive a testimony. We just don’t have time for that. We need you to be filled with “faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God” (D&C 4:5).”
Although we have no record of the stripling warriors serving full time missions, their example can help everybody be better missionaries, even if you are not officially called as a full-time missionary. It will help those brothers and sisters serving full time missions, but it will also help those who do not go on missions, and those who have returned from serving missions. Those who have returned from serving missions, your work is not yet done. When living by these attributes, you can be such an example to those who are not of our faith, and serve all of God’s children. These attributes can also apply to magnifying your calling. If everybody were to serve in their callings with these kinds of attributes, can you imagine how our church would be? Can you imagine the kind of missionaries that the church could produce, if all the young men in our church lived by these qualities?
The stripling warriors are an incredible group of young men, from whom we can and have learned many valuable lessons. Their tale is incredible, and the lessons we learn from them are priceless. There is a very important reason why Moroni included their story in the Book of Mormon, and we cannot ignore the multiple lessons we learn from them. I touched on just a few, the more you read of their account, the more lessons you will learn.
I know that this church is true. It cannot be false. I know that Joseph Smith, did see the Father and the son in the Sacred Grove. I know that the Book of Mormon was translated by the power of God, and that is God's word to us on the Earth today. I know that Jesus is the Christ, and that he did atone for all of my sins, and all of your sins. I know that President Monson is God's prophet on the Earth today, and that he receives God's will for his children today. In this I so testify, in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.
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