Friday, July 15, 2011

God is our Loving Heavenly Father

It's been a while since I've last blogged. Forgive my tardiness. I was lying in bed the other night contemplating the complexity of life and it hit me like a tonne of bricks; I need to blog about what has changed my life. So, I shall take you all on a journey in my own words and thoughts about what I know to be true. I'll be straight to the point and also fun with it all. It'll be transitional, If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask.

There is so many different beliefs about Deity and what it is. Who is God? What is God? Why is there a God? Is there even a God? I'm here to tell you with the entirety of my heart and with soberness that there is a God and He is the father of our spirits. Here is the scriptural foundation:

"...we are children of God:" Romans 8:16
"...we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold..." Acts 17:29
"...Father of Spirits..." Hebrews 12:9

 Yes, you have two 'daddies', how do you feel about that? You have a father temporally and spiritually. He has a body that is glorified and perfected. He loves us. He's chuffed to bits when we do what is right and cries with us when we suffer.
How do you show your love to your parents? You do what they ask of you and obey them, right? Thus showing them respect. It's the same with our Loving Heavenly Father, by obeying His commandments and making right choices we express our love for Him. Love should be our driving force in obeying Heavenly Father but He even promises us in Doctrine and Covenants 82:10 :
I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say. But when ye do not what I say ye have no promise.”
Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
We'll get into this later on.
How about that? Our perfect Father in Heaven has provided us, His Children, with a way to be successful in this life and to return to His presence. However, we must be pure and clean in order to do so. Disobedience moves us away from Him. The focal point of our Father's plan is Jesus Christ's Atonement which includes his suffering in the Garden of Gethsemane and death on the cross, it ends with his Resurrection. Through the Atonement we can be alleviated from feelings of guilt and shame that come from sin.

Random side thought; As son's and daughters of our loving Heavenly Father we can become just like Him, Romans 8:17.

Sunday, June 26, 2011

Four Wheelers and the Gospel

Hi, my name is Elder Hubbard. Elder Jenkins has given me the privilege and opportunity to write his blog today. I am from Pendleton, Oregon which is a little podunk town in the north-eastern part of Oregon. Something that I love to do is riding in the mountains on four wheelers. My family and I ride for as many days as we can during the summer. One of the many things i have learned about riding four wheelers is the trust you have to have for the machine in which you are riding. As you work at learning your machine your skills and trust in your bike continue to grow. Soon you can feel comfortable riding swiftly along the gravel roads or riding along the steep paths that take us to the most beautiful sights in the world.

       As I have taken a break from that riding experience, and started the experience of a two year mission, I have learned a lot about how to trust the Holy Ghost and the tools our Heavenly Father has given us to succeed. As I have began to Trust the equipment given to me I have learned how much easier it is to ride the bumpy courses of life. Learning to Trust our tools, the scriptures, words of the prophets, and the Holy Ghost, helps us as we navigate the courses of life. Just like on four wheelers, occasionally we cannot make it through the muck and mud of life. Luckily our Father has given us a life line, someone who will pull us from the muck of sin. Repentance is like that life line that will change our course and help us get back on the path. Just like on Four Wheeler after we get out of the mud, we continue to press on, looking for more and more beautiful things to see. Life will always be full of times that we get stuck, but our Father in Heaven has both provided the tools necessary to overcome any of the mud pits we get stuck in. On a four wheeler those things are a good wench, a bigger engine, or four wheel drive. In life we have been given a Savior who know how to help us, the Holy Ghost to Purify our Hearts, and a family who supports and lifts us up. All we have to do is learn to Trust our Heavenly Father and his Guidance for us. We do that by consistently trying to use the Holy Ghost, By Reading our Scriptures daily, and through prayer we can learn to trust our Heavenly Father. I know that if you do those things you will learn to trust our Heavenly Father. I love my Savior, I know that He lives, and that he loves us. I love you all. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Who's side are you on?

One of the greatest things in life is rugby. I love everything about it. You push yourself to the physical limit. You need to apply physics (momentum hitting momentum),  and mathematics (which angle would be best to run to break the line of defense). You need to work in unity to seize victory. You need to display courage, overcome your opponent, and recognize your enemy. Luckily, in rugby, you have a kit, or jersey, to identify which team you are on, making it very easy to know who is your ally and who is foe.

Growing up I'm sure you all played Cowboys and Indians and goodies and baddies, something along the same lines. We all wanted to be the good guy. In every movie it's easy to identify the 'baddies' by their demeanor,appearance, and motives. The good guy always wins. That is exactly what is going to happen in the grand scheme of things, Christ will have the victory over Satan. We can choose whose side we are on: there isn't any middle ground. We're either with God, or against him.  In the Gospel of Matthew we read:

"No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon."
Matthew 6:24


So there's two sides. Who's side are we on? How can we join God's team? We show who's side we are on by our actions, thoughts and deeds. I invite you to follow the example of Jesus Christ and to wear his jersey. It's great to be on the winning team...Choose ye this day whom ye will serve. (Alma 30:8)


Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Who me? Are you sure?

Hello and Good day to you all. For those of you who don't know me I will briefly introduce myself. My name is Mathew Graham Hubert Hugh Van Jenkins, or Elder Jenkins as of right now. I am from the small isles known as Great Britain. I have been called to serve in the California Santa Rosa Mission. I have recently been called to serve as an online missionary. I haven't the foggiest idea what I'm doing but I have faith that my Lord will Provide a way.
I am not the most computer proficient, and am clueless when it comes to blogging but 'if there's a will there's a way'.
This is how I feel as an online missionary, rather clueless.
I'm learning though...
In order to be a successful blogger according to Ether 12:27, I need to be humble.  That means to submit to the will of the Lord and to give Him the Honor for what is accomplished. It also means to have confidence in Him.
We've all had times in our life when we feel inadequate or incapable of the task that lies ahead. That is how I felt before I posted this blog. I know we are never given something we can't handle in life. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads:
 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
Let's 'man up' and bear the burden and see the blessings that will come forth from doing so. My wish that we all press on with a 'steadfastness in Christ having a perfect brightness of hope and a love of God and of all men.' 2 Nephi 31:20. In the name of Jesus Christ. Amen