Social Media for Believers

Just found some great tips on Twitter for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ using social media and I want to share them with you! @AHeartForGod believes as I do, that social media is a tool that we have been given to share our love and testimony of Jesus Christ with the world. So, let's not shy away, but let's embrace the great opportunity to help our brothers and sisters in every corner of the world to understand what Jesus has done for us! Enjoy!

CLICK HERE --->  http://www.aheartforgod.org/2011/08/15/5-blogging-5-twitter-and-5-facebook-tips-for-believers/

Please follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/DoesJesusLoveMe @DoesJesusLoveMe Thanks!

I just had a thought that I want to share: If you are learning about Jesus for the first time, please talk to Our Father at any time. We call this "prayer."  For instance, if you desire to know the truth about Jesus Christ, you might pray something like this, addressing God, the Father and closing in the name of Jesus Christ:

"Our most kind Father in heaven, I thank thee for the blessings in my life. I ask for thy Holy Spirit to be with me as I seek to know more about thy Son, Jesus Christ. May I discover his character, teachings, and learn to become what Thou would have me become. Thank thee for every breath and may I be led to a better place through Thee. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."

This is simply an example, but you can say whatever you would like and God will hear you. It is the best communication to address God, our Heavenly Father first, and then say whatever is in your heart, and then end "in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen"

Best wishes from me to you as you use social media to share the wonderful messages from Jesus Christ!

With love.  And yes, Jesus does love you and me and each one of us on the earth - past, present, and future!

Can You Find 15 Minutes a Day to Grow Closer to Jesus Christ?

Hello, can you find 15 minutes a day to grow closer to Jesus Christ? Here is an article from Family Share that outlines 5 ways to grow closer to Him.

http://familyshare.com/5-ways-to-grow-closer-to-jesus-christ 

Silent Night, a movie by Christian Vuissa

This movie is a story about the men who created the well-loved Christmas song, Silent Night. Joseph Mohr and Franz Gruber collaborated on December 24th, 1818 to write it for a service that night!

Christian Vuissa is the producer and director. It is a quiet, inspiring movie that makes the audience want to be better in their own personal lives.

Apologies due to the poor quality of this clip, but it is the moment when they sing it for the first time in Austria 1818 at midnight mass.

The Mormons won a Catholic film award for this movie. :D

 http://youtu.be/RSLpmh1XPMU

There is Always Hope!

Very interesting story!  Pray for this young man!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjzHZU2fCZw

 "Love one another," Jesus taught.

Landmarks to Get Home

If you were dropped out in the middle of nowhere and someone told you to walk for a couple miles in one direction to see if you could make a fairly straight line, you could do it if you had something to focus on, right? For instance, in this picture with a tree, you could fix your eyes on the tree and walk directly toward it. As long as you could see the tree, you could walk toward it and your path would be fairly direct.

Suppose you were dropped out in the middle of a field and told the same thing. How would you make sure that you walked a straight line for miles? 

It would be very difficult if there were no landmarks of any kind. In fact, there was a study done by researchers* where people were dropped in the middle of nowhere on a cloudy day and told to walk in a straight line. They ended up walking in circles, and even crossed their own paths at several points. There were others who were dropped off on a sunny day with a clear landmark in the distance and told to walk a straight line toward that landmark, They were able to walk almost a straight line toward the landmark. 

If we have landmarks in our vision, we are able to walk toward them. If we have nothing to set our sights on, we can wander around aimlessly for a long time. 

For spiritual growth, we have been given landmarks by the Lord. He gave The Ten Commandments to the people of ancient days. He gave the Holy Bible for us to use. We have a church with inspired leaders to help guide us. We can ask in prayer for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We can pray directly to God, our Heavenly Father and close our prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ." We can seek other holy writings. These can be our landmarks to help us walk a straight path.

I testify to you that God lives. His Only Begotten Son, Jesus Christ, is the Savior of us all. He is the light and the way. He is the only way that we can return to our Father's presence in heaven. Whether we believe it, or see it right now, or not, this is fact and we cannot alter that fact no matter what we do. It is our responsibility to follow Him and do those things He has asked of us so that we can eventually become clean enough to enter into His presence. This is more of a reality than what we see around us every day. I promise. 

With love, I wish for you only the best, and comfort when you need it. I may not be there with you right now in person, but if my words ring true to you, then please pray that our Father in heaven will send to you a way to get those landmarks you need to return to His presence. Remember to close your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen."  Jesus is our way back home.

Love.

*Sorry I cannot cite the study, but I heard this report from Elder Bednar, a very reliable source.

Come Back to Jesus All Ye Saints

If you have left the Lord's church, I would like to extend this invitation: Won't you please come back and re-jon us? We are not perfect, but we love you and we miss you! We also need the wisdom that you have gained by leaving and hopefully returning.

Here is President Gordon B. Hinckley's very last time he shared his testimony. How appropriate that he served his mission in the British Isles and he was permitted to share his last public testimony on earth in the British Isles!

Click here ------> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noDM2zmNy2c

We all loved President Hinckley. We know we could trust him and he would never be dishonest.

I know there have been things that you have found on the internet and by talking with other people. Many of you feel that even if the church started out on the right foot that now it is not being led by Jesus Christ.

If this is you, consider two things. Let's recognize that the the world is managed by the Lord. In our miniscule understanding of the world, we cannot assume that our view is what is really going on. As we learn more, our new perspectives help us gain greater understanding of what is real. I testify to you that when Jesus said he is the light of the world, and he is our savior, that He was telling the absolute truth, We cannot wrap our heads around that. It's way bigger than we are. We have no clear understanding why we even need a savior. Yet, that is all true.

Over the past few years, I have been watching videos of the near-death experiences of people who were atheists. They talk about Jesus and describe him the same way he talked about Himself as was recorded in the Bible. You can find these yourself online. Some of the ones on Christian shows seem hokey, but there are some that make you say "wow!" 

Another thing is that there is a girl named Akiane who was a young child of atheist parents when she started drawing and painting pictures of a man she said was Jesus. You can also search her art to see the pictures. She had never been taught about Jesus and started these art renderings at a very young age. Pretty credible.

There are evidences all over the place that Jesus is who he claimed to be. Let's first recognize that he is the Master, and is on the same team with God, our father. They have the same purpose - to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

So, if Jesus and God are in control of the world, then most likely they will make sure that faithful followers of a church with his name will not be lead astray.

What is the second thing to consider? Maybe you messed up. Maybe you disobeyed and then the Holy Spirit had to leave you as a constant companion. So, maybe everything you are trying to figure out now is just made-up stuff. That is not a good place to be in. Some people say that they felt like they were in a bubble when they lived the Gospel. Well, yes, that bubble was your protection. It was meant to be a blessing. What is real IS the eternal perspective. Every thing else is mortal and has an ending. So, may I please remind you of what you need to do? Repentance.  Four steps: 1) Recognize that you messed up and are now walking away from the Lord instead of toward Him. 2) Ask forgiveness. 3) Make things right. 4) Make a sincere vow to change your ways.  Is any of that easy? Oh no, it sure is not. It may take time and a series of trials and errors until you get it right. But please walk toward your Savior and not away from him.  He loves you enough to sacrifice his life for you. Isn't that just too much to comprehend?

Please come back, dear brothers and sisters. Nobody meant to offend you. We are all just doing what we can to be good. And we all know how hard that is!!   We love you. We want you to come back. We don't care if you have done stupid things because we all have. Please come back to Jesus.

And by the way, if I didn't love you simply because you are my brother or sister, I wouldn't take my time to write this blog. I love you and I haven't met you in this mortal life. Can you imagine how much our elder brother, Jesus, loves you? He is giving you a gazillion chances to come back to Him. Please do it now.

Love.

As A Man Thinketh

A short review that I saw today:

http://federalfinancialgroupllcbookreviews.wordpress.com/2013/07/09/as-a-man-thinketh-by-james-allen-a-review-for-federal-financial-group-llc/

Pick your #Addiction: Pornography, Drugs, Alcohol.....?

Overcoming Pornography

Today at church the spiritual leader of my congregation (our Bishop) said that the most common problem our men and young men are struggling with is pornography. As most people are aware, pornography is often an addiction. Not only is it addictive, but can lead to some very serious problems and is often destructive for marriages and families.

One of my friends, Christine Dixon, helped two of her sons overcome a heroin addiction, but said the solution was the same for any kind of addiction. They used a 12-step program to overcome their addiction. Their story is here: http://familiesbattlingaddiction.com/

Here is a link for the 12 step program: https://addictionrecovery.lds.org/?lang=eng This program is the best thing out there so far and has literally saved lives. It deserves a try.

It is always best if the person who is caught up in an addiction has the support of their friends and family. But even without that support, it is possible to overcome a powerful addiction!

Best wishes to you and your loved ones! If you are overcoming the addiction, my best best wishes for your success!  You CAN do this!  <3 <3 <3

Jesus Stories from the Holy Bible

Jesus Christ Bible Stories

Someone showed this link to me yesterday. I am very impressed with the quality of the productions and the script stayed true to the written word in the Holy Bible. These are good short videos for anyone learning about Jesus or anyone who wants to get a clear perspective on how the stories might have been in real life. Also, anyone who wants to learn English might benefit from watching these because the actors speak slowly and clearly.

Because they are so true to the Holy Bible, these videos could be used in teaching about Jesus in Sunday School or at any Christian services or meetings. They could surely benefit missionary work in all parts of the world.

The Lord Jesus Christ atoned for us so that we could all return to live with Him eternally. He must surely love us. Our Heavenly Father must also love us more than we can imagine, because He allowed His Son to come to earth and do that for us.

Enjoy learning more about Our Savior!

https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/bible-videos/id475327718?mt=8

Jesus Christ is Our Savior and Redeemer

In a movie made 60 years ago called THE ROBE, a fictional Roman is converted to become a Christian. The movie is a classic and it is very dramatic. It is seen through the point of view of the Romans, which in this movie represents "the world", as opposed to the kingdom of Christ. For the photo to go with this post, I chose the closing scene of the movie. In this scene, the Roman tribune who has been converted, a fictional character named Marcelus, goes before the Emperor Caligula who really lived and is not a fictional character.

Even today many people struggle with the idea of a kingdom of God. Is there a God that is over all the earth? If so, is he a loving god or a god to be feared? Who is this Jesus? If he is the Son of God, then why is there so much trouble in the world? SO many questions that seem to be left unanswered to people who will not take the time to study the scriptures and pray with faith.

Are we not all creating our own kingdoms by the choices we make? For instance, I choose to not drink alcoholic drinks. That's my choice. Do I have friends who drink? Yes, I do. Do I spend a lot of time with them drinking? No, I don't. Are they welcome into my home? Yes, of course. Will I offer them alcoholic drinks at my home? Nope. Do they expect to be served alcoholic drinks when they come over? No, they don't. And everybody is ok with that. That is an example of one aspect of my kingdom - no alcoholic drinks. Other examples include the humor I choose to laugh at, the level of modesty in the way I dress, the type of music I choose, the way I treat others, etc. All the choices I make create my kingdom.

Jesus Christ also has his kingdom. He chooses to do everything his Father wants him to do. He has chosen to ascribe to what his Father has done in the Kingdom of God and Christ continues to teach us how to be a part of that kingdom if we want to. It is totally up to us. He has given us the scriptures to use as a written manual. He has given us commandments to use as guidelines. He even promises that the Holy Spirit will reveal truths to us if we seek them.

Jesus Christ has given us an open invitation to be a part of his Kingdom. The doors of his kingdom are open to every single person who has ever lived or who will live on this earth. We can open the doors and come toward Christ, or we can choose to back away and do something different. He doesn't change. When he came to earth and taught his followers he was the same as he is today. He lives.

We are the ones who must choose. We can choose to be fully engulfed with the world and its empty promises or we can be fully engaged and make covenants to live in a kingdom that Christ has invited us to be a part of. He has even asked us to help him make it grow.

Who is on the Lord's side?

And yes, Jesus does love you. He always will. His love is not based on your behavior. He loves you unconditionally and waits with open arms for you to come to him. I promise you this.

Be as a Little Child

We must be as a little child. Jesus loves each one of us very much. We can choose to come unto Christ.

JESUS CHRIST

JESUS CHRIST

This is how I picture Jesus. Alive. Well. Full of joy. Full of light. Taking time to enjoy the small things.

We can read about Jesus of Nazareth in The New Testament. Here is a link to the New Testament: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/nt?lang=eng  At the top of this website page, you can change the language to something more familiar to you. The New Testament is a historical record of what Jesus did while he was on the earth during his mortal ministry.

There is also another book which gives a historical account of Jesus while he visited his people in ancient days who lived on the continent that is now called America. This is called The Book of Nephi and the link to the part about Jesus starts here: https://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm/3-ne/8?lang=eng  As you read, you will see that what happened on Calvary affected people who lived on the other side of the earth, as well. It is a remarkable account. From this book we get a second record of the divinity and mission of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

As always, if you struggle with having faith in Jesus Christ, feel free to lean on me until you get your own faith. Even though I have never seen Jesus face-to-face, the evidence that he is close-by is everywhere. When we see Him again, we will feel like we are all one family. I promise.

Side note: I apologize that I do not know the name of the artist on this drawing. If you know it, please leave the name in the comments. Thank you!

The Shroud of Turin and a Blog Treasure

First, the treasure! Check it out: When you have a chance, you might enjoy reading this other blog which also talks about the Shroud of Turin! http://allstandtall.blogspot.com/2011/04/real-face-of-christ.html I found it randomly one evening while I was watching some YouTube videos about studies of the Shroud of Turin.

The Shroud of Turin is thought to be the 14 foot piece of fabric that Jesus was buried in. There is an image that looks like Jesus on the cloth. Scientists have studied the cloth and have proven that the image is not painted nor burned onto the cloth. The image is not deeply embedded into the fibers of the fabric and has been tested and photographed thoroughly. At least one man, Dr. John Jackson, who holds a PhD in Physics has made the study of the Shroud his life's work.  He leads a team at the Turin Shroud Center of Colorado, and you can find more information here: http://www.shroudofturin.com/founders.html

Here are links to the first of a series of six YouTube videos which reports the findings of some scientists who have studied the Shroud of Turin and developed an image of the face depicted in the cloth. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=47Vz74IhxaE  You can find the other five episodes on YouTube.

I was so fascinated by the convincing evidence! I also thought about the images painted by the child artist, Akiane, and the faces were so similar. I contacted the team of Dr. John Jackson with a question: According to your research, how tall was Jesus? They responded that they calculate that he was 5'10" and about 170 pounds. Of course, his appearance is not important. I want to recognize him when I see him again!

Personally, I am looking forward to seeing Jesus again. I am grateful that in Romans 8:16-17 of the New Testament, I learn that I am literally his child and therefore an heir. It is great to know that through obedience and following his guidance and the instructions of the Holy Ghost that I have the potential to become like him. Christ has commanded us to become perfect, as he is. So, I am grateful that there is a way provided to do this. He is the Way (John 14:6) and that can be the topic of another blog post! :D

May your day be beautiful and peaceful!

Muslim, Buddhist, Hindu, Catholic, Atheist, Everyone

It does not matter what religion you ascribe to, Jesus Christ gave his life for you. He prepared a way for you to have immortality and eternal life. He atoned for your mistakes if you will only turn to Him and repent and strive to become a better person.

If you do not follow Jesus, then you will not belong to him. You will be on your own on the day when judgment before God is presented. I wish I could say it is different, but that is the way it is.

Look to Jesus. Come follow Him. He loves you more than you or I can comprehend.

Akiane, the Daughter of an Atheist

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmm-0-Rdxo8&feature=player_embedded#!

This Christian Woman is My Hero

This Christian woman is my friend and my hero. She was born in Bahrain, raised in India, educated in the USA, and now she is helping to feed the poor in Africa. She is the wife of one of the Presidential candidates in Mali, West Africa. Mali is the third poorest country in the world. Her name is Marissa Coutinho Samake. She is very young. She and her husband, Yeah Samake have two small children. If you feel inspired, please write her an email and offer to help. There is no intermediate non-profit organization, so anything you give will go directly to help. I got all choked up when I saw this photo because I know this is Marissa's personal email. She has given herself to help these people.

Here is a message from Marissa:
"Went to Farabana to donate some much needed food to the children. Because mothers can't find enough to eat, they are not able to breastfeed effectively. This takes care of one part of the problem. If you want to help with something like this, $50/month will buy food for the children and also enable the woman's co-op to sell the extra food in the neighboring villages. Please email me @ maris783@yahoo.com or message me if you are interested in helping. Together we can feed the children of many more villages. Thank you." - Marissa Samake

There is more information about the work that the Samake's are doing at https://www.facebook.com/teamsamake  That print is kind of small, so in case you cannot read it well, you can write to Marissa at maris783@yahoo.com or message her through Facebook if you are interested in helping at all. May God bless you with abundance!

BECOMING and REPENTANCE

Hello!

Thank you for reading my blog. I hope your day is going well so far!

Yesterday I was pleased to hear a great talk about repentance given by Virginia H. Pearce. She is the daughter of a great religious leader, Gordon B. Hinckley. She shared some stories about her personal life which has been rich with experience. Most importantly, she talked about how much our Savior loves us and how we are partners with him to help bring the members of our human family to Him. Also she talked about how, by repenting, we have an intimate relationship with our Savior. As we become more in tune with Him, we can learn to follow the promptings of the Holy Spirit and be guided by the Lord.

A few months ago, I heard a talk by Brad Wilcox. I believe he is a professor at a religious university. He was talking about "becoming". He said that the most important thing we can do for ourselves is to keep improving. In improving little by little we are "becoming" the person God has intended us to be. We are gaining more understanding as we pray and we are moving toward a Christ-like persona. Our person is becoming like Christ.

Repentance is for all of us. We are all sinners. We may not kill anyone or we may not be a drug addict. However, we all do things that are not right. We hurt people either intentionally or unintentionally. We need to ask God for forgiveness. If we pray to Our Father in Heaven and close our prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ", we know that he has heard us. We know that, with faith, we will be able to move forward. We need to repent whenever we do something that makes us feel a little uncomfortable or a lot uncomfortable.

The grandest thing to remember is that it is not in God's nature to be untrue. He cannot be untrue. The Lord said that he is always there for us. He cannot lie. He is always there for us. Even in our darkest hour, the Lord  will hear our sincere prayer. I promise.

Please feel free to share your thoughts in the comment section. In the meantime, I hope and pray that God will bless you with whatever you stand in need of.

With love.

A Christian Running for President in a 90% Muslim Country in Africa

We have a friend named N. Yeah Samake. He is from a village called Ouelesseebougou in Mali. Mali is a landlocked country in West Africa. They call it Sub-Saharan because it is just below the Sahara Desert. It is hot most of the time, with temperatures often reaching 120 degrees Fahrenheit. (Over 48 degrees Celsius). As a child growing up with 17 siblings, his father insisted that the children would get an education to help them break out of the cycle of poverty. Even though there were many, many times he and his family went to bed hungry, all of the children received an education and are now enjoying the fruit of their labors. Yeah is now a well-respected Mayor there.

He moved to the United States at the beginning of this millennium to complete his graduate level university studies. Fairly soon upon arriving to the United States, he converted to Christianity. His family remains Muslim, but he and his wife are Christian. His family and his countrymen are supportive of his religious choice. 

In 2011, Mayor Samake announced that he would run for President in Mali in 2012. The election is on April 29, 2012. He has many large groups of young people who are anxious for him to win because his platform includes transparency and integrity. He also has the endorsement of many other mayors in Mali. I have heard people in the USA tell him "I wish you could run for President here!" He wants to help his fellow countrymen raise their country from poverty up to the level of an emerging nation.

Samake will be the first to tell you that he cannot do this alone. If you feel motivated by his courage and leadership ability, please consider reading more about him at http://samake2012.com . You can also follow him on Facebook and Twitter @YeahSamake and @TeamSamake Another place to read about what is going on in Mali is through Yeah's wife's blog at http://firstladymali2012.com . She even has Bambara lessons in her blog! (In Mali, they speak Bambara, French, and some English.)

Of course, donations are welcome. Most importantly, your prayers on Mayor Samake's behalf and the behalf of his country's citizens are very welcome. Luke 1:37 says that "with God, nothing shall be impossible." I believe that - and I know you do, too. 

Pronunciation guide:

YAY SAHM uh kay = Yeah Samake

Way lay say BOO goo = Ouelesseebougou

MAH lee = Mali

Thank you for reading and thank you for your prayers!

Jesus Christ is the Literal Son of God, Our Heavenly Father

Around the world yesterday, we celebrated one of the greatest events of the history of the planet. We celebrated the birth of the literal son of God, Our Heavenly Father. God loved us, so he sent his only begotten son. With a mortal mother and an immortal father, Jesus is the only one who could overcome death and pave the way for all of us. This was done because of love for each and every one of us.

When you read this and you feel a special feeling, this is your spirit recognizing that it is reality in an eternal perspective. The Holy Spirit is there to testify to you of all things that are true according to God's truth.

With faith, go forward. Act on all things that bring you to Jesus Christ. He wants to be your advocate. When you have made mistakes in the past, Jesus Christ steps forward to offer mercy which satisfies justice. This is true, but difficult to understand why it has to be this way. That is where our faith comes into play. In the next week or so, I will be posting some thoughts about repentance, if you would like to check back.

My heart is full as I write this. I feel like I am writing this for somebody who is really searching for information about Jesus. If it is you, dear reader, know that Jesus does live this day and He looks forward to a reunion with you. Please live worthy of His presence, so this can happen. Do good wherever you live and talk to God, Our Father in Heaven. Close your prayer "in the name of Jesus Christ." It will be sure to be heard.

With love.

What If We Could Love One Another?

What if we all got along? What if we were able to "love one another" as Jesus told us to do? What would this world be like?

We have each been given the power to choose for ourselves how we will manage our thoughts, feelings and actions. Sometimes we don't feel like we have choices, but we always have a choice. We must be brave and choose to love our fellow man, even in the face of hatred and fear. If we can love one another, the world will become a better place.

While we are choosing our actions, we should consider how our actions will affect others. Will they have a positive impact or a negative impact? Will our actions cause a ripple effect?

We can always ask Heavenly Father for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. If we close this prayer "in the name of Jesus", we can rest assured that our prayer was heard by the great God who is Our Father in Heaven.

In following Jesus, we can become a loving soul.  The world can be healed.