Lifting Burdens: The Atonement of Jesus Christ

The 179th Semiannual General Conference

Today and tomorrow--October 3rd and 4th 2009, marks our 179th Semiannual General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

As members of the church we look forward to conference time each year, always held in early April and again in early October. This is the time that we are able to listen to the voice of our Prophet and living Apostles here upon the earth today.

Depending on where one lives, we can listen to conference either in our meeting houses, in person at the LDS Conference Center in Salt Lake City, Utah or in the comfort of our own homes, where it is available via TV. It is also available through the internet. I have attached a link for viewing conference online below. There are 4-2 hour sessions. Two each on Saturday and on Sunday each beginning at 10:00 am and again at 2:00 pm and each session will have different speakers. It is also available in many, many different languages.

YOU MAY WATCH CONFERENCE HERE


Docrtine and Covenants 1:38

What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same.

Hope

Alma 32:21

And now as I said concerning faith-faith is not to have a perfect knowledge of things; therefore if ye have faith ye hope for things which are not seen, which are true.



"Hope has the power to fill our lives with happiness.

Hope sustains us through despair."

--President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

A very inspiring message of hope and faith is found in the story of Nienie (Stephanie Nielson). In the video above she is the young mother shown with her two little daughters--the first photo after President Uchtdorf begins his talk. To read about Nienie and her families story you can visit her blog Nienie Dialogues. To read the story from the beginning you can to to her archives and start reading from August 2008 to the present time.

The Book of Mormon--Why and What Is It?

The Book of Mormon is another testament of Jesus Christ. It testifies of Jesus Christ. It is the history of the people who lived upon the earth on the American Continent from 600 BC to about 421 AD. The Bible is also a testament of Jesus Christ and it is the history of the people in the Holy Land. So as you can see they are both written histories, of people in two different parts of the world that have recorded the events of their times from before the birth of Christ until shortly thereafter.

They both fortell of Christ's birth and his ministry. Jesus ministered to the people of the bible while he lived and walked here upon the earth. After his death and crucifixtion he came and ministered to the people here on the American continent.

In the bible in John 10:16 we read....

And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold: them also I must bring, and they shall hear my voice; and there shall be one fold, and one shepherd.

Where were these sheep? Some of them were on the American continent. They were the people spoken of in the Book of Mormon. Here is one my favorite stories from the Book of Mormon which tells of Christ administering to these other sheep......

Please click HERE to read this account.

(found in 3 Nephi 17)

There were prophets in the Old World and prophets in the New World and they each kept records of their history and they both prophesied of Jesus Christ. These records of the Old World are The Bible and the records of the New World are The Book of Mormon.

"The Book of Mormon is a volume of holy scripture comparable to the Bible. It is a record of God’s dealings with the ancient inhabitants of the Americas and contains, as does the Bible, the fullness of the everlasting gospel"

"The crowning event recorded in the Book of Mormon is the personal ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ among the Nephites soon after his resurrection. It puts forth the doctrines of the gospel, outlines the plan of salvation, and tells men what they must do to gain peace in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come."

If you would like to read the Book of Mormon you may order a free copy or may also read it online. To order a free copy of the Book of Mormon you can go HERE to Mormon.org and in the gray box at the bottom of the page you can order a free Book of Mormon. You can also order a free copy of the Bible-King James version (and there are also a number of free videos you may enjoy). Or if you prefer to read the Book of Mormon online please click HERE.

Before you read the Book of Mormon I would like to suggest that you read this verse first......

Moroni 10:4

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.

I testify to you that I know the Book of Mormon is true beyond a shadow of a doubt. It holds the true word of God and testifies of Christ and through it's teachings we will learn the plan of salvation and what we must do to gain peace in this life. When you read the Book of Mormon if you do so with real intent, you will feel a special feeling of peace come into your life and you too can know that these things are true. I leave this testimony with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

Temples Will Dot The Land

I thought I'd share this beautiful video about temples. To find out more about our temples you may visit HERE.

Angels In Times of Need

"In the course of life all of us spend time in 'dark and dreary' places, wildernesses, circumstances of sorrow or fear or discouragement. Our present day is filled with global distress over financial crises, energy problems, terrorist attacks, and natural calamities. These translate into individual and family concerns not only about homes in which to live and food available to eat but also about the ultimate safety and well-being of our children and the latter-day prophecies about our planet. More serious than these—and sometimes related to them—are matters of ethical, moral, and spiritual decay seen in populations large and small, at home and abroad. But I testify that angels are still sent to help us, even as they were sent to help Adam and Eve, to help the prophets, and indeed to help the Savior of the world Himself. Matthew records in his gospel that after Satan had tempted Christ in the wilderness 'angels came and ministered unto him' (Matthew 4:11). Even the Son of God, a God Himself, had need for heavenly comfort during His sojourn in mortality. And so such ministrations will be to the righteous until the end of time."

By Jeffrey R. Holland found in his talk "The Ministry of Angels," Ensign, Nov. 2008, 29–30

How Can I Find Happiness?