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!