Enduring to the end

So yesterday we had a very good discussion on agency.  That lesson moved in enduring to the end.

I'd like to comment on this topic today.

You probably have heard the phrase - "Endure to the end".  This phrase is contained in at least a half dozen scriptures.

3 Nephi 15:9, 2 Nephi 31:16, D&C 14:7, D&C 18:22, Mark 13:13

to list just a few. 

The topic is all over the place and there is even an article from 1993 on the subject.

So what does this really mean?  What does enduring to the end really mean?

Per the guide to the scriptures:  To remain firm in a commitment to be true to the commandments of God despite temptation, opposition, and adversity.  

This phrase is usually tied to being saved, lifted up at the last days, receive the promise or  obtain eternal life.

The key element is the last one - Eternal Life.  We are promised that we can obtain eternal life if we hold out to the end while we are faithful to the commandments of God.

If ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, ye shall have eternal life:2 Ne. 31:20; ( 3 Ne. 15:9; D&C 14:7; )

Eternal life is the ability to live as Heavenly Father does.  It differs from Immortality in that you not only live forever, you also live in such a way that you are worthy to live in God's presence.
It is the greatest gift God can give us.  But, to be able to doe this we had to have someone intercede on our part.  All of us due to our mortal existence will fall short; Sin.  Thus since God can not look upon sin in the least degree we would never be able to return to be in his presence, no matter how good we are.   So that is where the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ comes into the picture.  He was willing and able to atone for our sins and make up the difference (Gap) that we will encounter at our day of Judgement.

The Plan of Happiness (Plan of Salvation) spells out what we must do to return to live in the presence of our Heavenly Father.   In this plan we learn that to obtain eternal life we need to have a physical body and be separated from the presence of GOD for a season.  During our mortal existence we will be given commands that we must follow, ordinances to fulfill, things to do that will then allow us to live in the presence of God upon our death.  This can be called living the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the road map we need to follow to return to God's presence.

"We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost." Article of Faith 4

So getting back to the "endure to the end".  We find we need to have faith and eventually be baptized and receive the Holy Ghost.  Does that mean that is all we need to do to obtain Eternal Life?
What exactly are we to endure?  How are we to endure?  These are valid and weighty questions.
For in reality it would be quiet disheartening to be employed by someone that never really gave you any instructions on what they expected yet, at the end of the day claimed you had not fulfilled your end of the bargain and 'FIRED' you for your short comings.   You see how this would seem very unfair and not very just.   If you get nailed for a traffic violation you might plead ignorance since yes the law might change on a regular basis and you simple did not get the up to date information.  Little different when your being held to a standard you had no way of knowing about in the first place.
Heavenly Father does not work that way.  He clearly laid out a plan and has made sure that the plan is known by the people down through time.  This plan is talked out in the ancient and modern scriptures.

"We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."  Article of Faith 9

Going back to the idea or concept of baptism.  It is labeled as  one of the "first principles and ordinances of the Gospel".  That means there must be more that will come afterwards.  There must be other things we must do in our "enduring" process. Oh there is a lot more to do.  We enter into covenants with God as we keep his commandments and fulfill the ordinances of the Gospel.
As we keep our end of the bargain we keep getting more blessings and opportunities provided by God to be more and more like him. 
Take the Temple and the ordinances we perform there - Endowment, Sealing etc.  There activities are further offerings on our part of our commitment to the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  But, is that all we need to do?  Is it enough to just be baptized and call it quits?  Is it enough to just get to the Temple once and call it quits? 
Some might say that it is but, they are taking the easy way out.  They are basically, saying that if you do it once you are good.  I say it would be hard to try that with your employment.   Who would want to keep someone that just shows up once and expects to get the full reward at the end of the day?
It would kind of be like the person that starts work and does not hang in their till the end of the day.
You will not give him his pay check because he has not earned it.  He has not held in there till the end and done all he can do to complete the job.  He has not earned his wage so to speak.


It is the same with enduring to the end.  Going to the Temple once is not enough, going to church only on occasion is not enough, doing anything just half way is not enough.

Now I know you might say hey what about the aged brother..... who can't get out and do much.  He might even be coming to church in a wheel chair, or has to use a cane or walker. Each unit in the church will have those people that due to physical, emotional or mental limitations can not participate the same as the rest.  You will need to make accommidations for those individuals.
They can still participate in some capacity.  They might be able to make phone calls or send letters.
They might not be the best choice for working in the nursery or helping to clean the building.  They might just be better suited to helping to hand out programs as a greeter or even put the program together.   The Lord is aware of the needs and limitations of all of his children.  He thus allows all the opportunity to serve and participate in the Church and take full advantage of the blessing offered by the Gospel.  We must not let our limitations no matter what they may be hold us back.  Not giving up  is part of what enduring to the end means.  It means we will strive till our dying breath to live up to our covenants we have made.  We will put forth our full and maximum efforts.






"Trials, deception, and iniquity—these are the enemies of endurance. Those who can bear the pain of trials, who can ignore alternate voices, whose loyalty can’t be bought with sin—these are they who will not betray their Master’s trust. They will faithfully maintain the charted course. They will endure."   Enduring to the End By Stephen E. Robinson




Buaidh no Bas

 

 

A few more thoughts on Marriage

Most of the talk these days is about gay marriage.  Oft forgotten is the fact that traditional marriage in America and around the world is falling by the way side.  Some even site this as a reason to allow for gay marriage....  "can't make things any worse"


In reality marriage has been under attack long before the gays started to make such a big deal out of it.  it may have started back in the free love days of the 60's and 70's.  The time when the sexual revolution began.  But, the seedy side of things has been a problem for years on end.
Child prostitution was an issues in England in the 1800's.  Royal families are full of less then legitimate heirs ..... some of which left their mark on history and did not just disappear in a convent somewhere.  Take Theresa Countess of Portugal the illegitimate daughter of Alfonso VI king of Leon and Castile.  Her son Alfonso Henriques became the first king of Portugal.


However, despite all this marriage has been falling apart for some time.  It is being attacked or damaged in a variety of ways.
First you have the fact that many states have made divorce "no fault".  That means you don't really need much of a reason to divorce your spouse.  Just claim differences that can not be resolved and presto.  Used to be you needed infidelity, or other types of abuse, or neglect.  That made people work on fixing things before heading to court.
Also there is a general attitude even among those interested in getting married that they will wait till they are better off financially, done with school etc.
Yes, once married you may have a kid or two come along fairly quickly.  Though delaying just creates other problems.
Along those same lines are those that feel let's just try things out for a time and see if it works out.  Then if things are going well we can officially hitch up even though we may have been living together for several years.  What does this create?  A higher rate of divorce for those that do get married after living together for a time.
Why?
Likely, it has to do with the lack of desire to fix things.  The lack of commitment that is created, and other related ideas and issues.



Then beyond the break down of marriage you have increasingly low birthrate in many countries due to the cost of living, and marriage related issues.  With persons delaying getting married you find also an increase in the delay of children or you find young children of older parents.  In the past people might get married by 20 and start setting up their own farm some where in the area of their families (farther west depending on land availability).  Thus the age span between generations is about 20 years +/- 5 years.
Now a days it is more like 30-40.  What a change.

So is there a solution to all this?
Is there something that can be done to fix society?  To strengthen marriage, make it more common place and at the same time make it better (better quality, more useful to society, more strengthening etc).
It may seem simple.  It may seem like 'why did I not think of that sooner'.  Just follow god's plan.  Spend time with your family and get your priorities right.  You find just this message in the below video.



One final thought.  Someone posted on facebook something along the following lines. 
'You can't read the bible in school.  But, they give them away for free in prison.  So maybe we wouldn't need to hand them out in prison, if we started to allow people to read the bible in school."
You get the point.

Want a book they likely won't tell you you can't read it at school?
Request a free copy here - Free not so banned book

Yes, we can fix things.  Hope is not all lost.  Stick with it and do what is right...... it will all work out in the end.


Buaidh - NO - Bas

Father's Day

I found a few videos that really sum up what it's like to be a father and all the wonderful things we get from the men that make and effort to be good fathers.

Remember the men that are fathers did not get a manual on how do what they need to do when you were born.  It's not like it came out along side the placenta as part of the package. Same goes for all the mothers (but many of them seem to get things right more times then not).

So as the fathers of the world struggle to do the right thing, to make the hard choice each day we should congratulate them.

They provide a special balance in the family.  A special sense of belonging that the mother can not provide.  But, together with the mother they help to make great things happen.

Just remember that you will one day be in their shoes.... and you will hope to do things right to be of your ability.  You may stumble or fall a time or two.  But, your family should rally around you and help you get up and over come your obstacles.   Your father may even be around to offer a hand to rise you up from off the ground.


Moses 1:39
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

This wondrous example is just an emulation of our Father in Heaven.  He want us to have the best in live and knows that our mortal existence will be fraught with trials.
He did provide a plan whereby we could all return to live with him.
He did not just leave us hanging.  He does let make choices here in our mortal existence.  He know we have to be able to do this to grow.  However, knowing we will fall short on occasion and become unworthy to return to his presence he provided a way.
He provide his only begotten son who bleed and died for us so that we could return to his presence.  His son who makes up the difference of our short comings.

So do as thy Father Heaven Doth.... show love to all and especially thy father.  Let him know how much you appreciate him.  How much he means to you.  And if you father is  no longer in your life for what ever reason..... find a father and tell him how much you appreciate all his efforts to do the right thing when the going gets tough.

Buaidh - NO - Bas

The Christmas Spirit

I'd like to talk today about the Christmas spirit.  As we are in the "Holiday" or Christmas season this topic is very applicable.

"The spirit of Christmas is something I hope all of us would have in our hearts and lives—not only at this particular season but also throughout the year." Rediscovering the Christmas Spirit Thomas S Monson



I'd like to dive further into this Christmas spirit.  What is it really?
Does it amount to you not saying 'Bah Humbug'? or does it entail the extensive giving of gifts.  Some can be labeled as not having the Christmas spirit simply because they do not want to participate in the local giving tree, or don't seem interested in giving out many gifts or cards.   Then you have the other side of things with those that send Christmas cards with the picture of their smiling family. Depending on how well you know the people you might give a chuckle since it seems like a fascade.  Christmas spirit is more then any of this.  More then the gift giving, cards, presents and the like.
It is however, hard to separate the commercial, worldly things from the more religious aspects.  President Monson again sums up a bit of what real Christmas spirit is.

"In this marvelous dispensation of the fulness of times, our opportunities to love and give of ourselves are indeed limitless, but they are also perishable. Today there are hearts to gladden, kind words to say, deeds to be done, and souls to be saved."  Rediscovering the Christmas Spirit Thomas S Monson





To find the true meaning of Christmas spirit we have to look to the what the day/event is really all about.   Is it not a celebration of the birth of the Savior of the world - even Jesus the Christ?

Christ came to this earth with one main purpose.  He came to this earth to redeem us from sin so we could return to the presence of our Heavenly Father as was determined in the premortal existence.  He came to give the ultimate gift.  To bleed and die for us.  And Heavenly Father gave us also the ultimate gift -
"For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  John 3:16


Any gift or present we give would pale in comparison to those gifts given by our Eternal parents and Christ Jesus.  However, we can consider what type of gift we might give him.  What we might do to emulate him more and provide a little Christmas spirit all around.

For some it can be as simple as giving up a space at the shopping mall.  Others it may be giving up a bad habit.  Still others it might be to go out of your way to be kind to all you encounter.  The list could go on.  Each and everyone of us can give something.  Even something seemingly small can be great in the eyes of the lord.

"...that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass..."  Alma 37:6

Imagine what would happen in the world if each and every person took it upon themselves to go one additional act of kindness, one additional good deed, one additional moment of Christlike attitude.

Hearts might be softened, and amazingly the world would be a better place.  Some grudges, or feuds would be put aside.  And there would be "Peace on Earth".

We all know that Satan the father of all lies would not be happy if this were to occur.  For he seeks to make us miserable like unto himself.  But, Heavenly Father and Jesus have a wholly different purpose for use.
"For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Moses 1:39

Thus those feeling of dejection, of depression, of sadness that may come at this time of year as you see others "enjoying" themselves are not of the Lord.  They are not the feeling he want to you to have. 

Oddly I am reminded at this moment of some song lyrics of the "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life" by Monty Python.

"Some things in life are bad
They can really make you mad
Other things just make you swear and curse.
When you're chewing on life's gristle
Don't grumble, give a whistle
And this'll help things turn out for the best...

And...always look on the bright side of life...
Always look on the light side of life..."

If your feeling down, dejected, or sad try and do something positive for someone else or even just go sing.  Try and provide some service, or even if it is simply giving a smile to everyone you see or offering a few words of Holiday cheer, you will begin to feel much better.  Christ did not hide his wonderful gift.  He did all in his power to get the 'Glad Tidings' out to the world.  He even asked all of us to do the same.

So if your tight on funds this year or fretting about the impending 'Fiscal Cliff' go out and do some acts of kindness, some service.   Because for some giving of their time is the hardest thing they have to do.  You'd be surprised at how many people thank you and how much you begin to feel the Christmas spirit.   And that is the same spirit that Christ has imparted to all of us.





Buaidh - NO - Bas

Grateful Prayer

Just a short thought on prayer.

Have you ever done a prayer solely made up of what you are thankful for?

General at least in my case my prayers are heavy on the the stuff I need help with or things I want to ask for like "protection".  They are light on the things I'm grateful for.  Some have suggested to do a grateful prayer where you go on and on about all the fine things you have received in life, like health, roof over your head, employment, family, possessions, and the like.  It can seems hard at first but, in the end you really have a lot of things to be thankful for.










The Lord wants to give you more blessings and sometimes he's just waiting to hear that you are thankful for a few of the things he has provided to you.  it is like changing the way you think of things.  Moving away from the ME, ME, ME attitude and more to the attitude of gratitude.  Less selfishness and more service minded.







That is another things to tray as well.   Provide a lot of service even when your down.  Even when you are in need.  Provide some service.  Your whole mood will change.







Great place to provide service is at the Temple.  Help your ancestors that did not have the chance to receive the saving ordinances when they were alive.  You'll feel wonderful when your done.
To find a temple near you check out the list at http://www.ldschurchtemples.com


So long for now.

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Essential Ordinances

4 We believe that the first principles and ^aordinances of the Gospel are: first, ^bFaith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, ^cRepentance; third, ^dBaptism by ^eimmersion for the ^fremission of sins; fourth, Laying on of ^ghands for the ^hgift of the Holy Ghost.
Articles of Faith - 4 


Well this past Saturday we baptized my daughter whom was also having her 8th birthday the same day.

She as a female member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints has complete the first of just a few essential ordinances that she will complete in her life.  This is also the 2nd time of 3 times that she used a white dress.  There are some good books and artwork on this topic you find out more about below.

We stressed out a lot during the week prior to the baptism for a couple of reasons.  First we had discovered following her interview with the bishop that there were no clothing for children in the usual place.  That lead to a frantic search as to who had this clothing.  We knew a couple of other children in another unit had been baptized about a week prior.  The other stress came from the fact I knew my daughter would not be able to bend her legs as as others do and thus we would need to work on an alternate method to make sure she was fully immersed.  We had practiced how I would hold here a lot and it went mostly as planned.  She did have a toe pop up and then we redoing it I was so worried about the feet I forgot to lower her head enough.  In the end we held her shoulder and legs and it worked out fine.

The Bishop mentioned several times how much understanding my daughter had on the whole baptismal ordinance.  He asked her in the interview what baptism means.  She gave as a response 2 things right off the bat.  That you have to be fully immersed and second that when you take the sacrament on Sunday it is like you are being re-baptized.  That is some very deep understanding.


So let us talk about this essential ordinance of baptism.  Why are we baptized?  What is the proper mode of baptism?  Whom can perform a baptism?  All these are very essential and important questions.  Since if one of these is not properly in place then we simply do not have a valid baptism.


We are baptized for a remission of our sins.  And secondly to be come a member of Christ's Church.  We also have the opportunity to receive the Holy Ghost at that time as well.

 38 Then Peter ^asaid unto them, ^bRepent, and be ^cbaptized every one of you in the ^dname of Jesus Christ for the ^eremission of sins, and ye shall receive the ^fgift of the ^gHoly Ghost.
Acts 2:38

Baptism is like entering a portal or door.  It is one of the first step on the way to eternal life.  It is like the first steps needed to get on the path that will lead us back to live with our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.  And thus after baptism we have become clean and start down the path as a clean reborn individual.  Now we know we will deviate from the path (Sin) and thus as we take the sacrament weekly and work on repenting we are bringing ourselves back on the the path.  If after all we have done we have maintained ourselves on the path (enduring to the end) we will be able to receive eternal life and our mansion in heaven set aside by our Heavenly Father.

Now we know that baptism is important.  But, you will notice there is some confusion as to how it must be done.  Let us look to the example of Christ to clear things up.

 13 ¶Then cometh Jesus from Galilee to Jordan unto John, to be ^abaptized of him.

 14 But John forbad him, saying, I have need to be baptized of thee, and comest thou to me?

 15 And Jesus answering said unto him, ^aSuffer it to be so now: for thus it ^bbecometh us to ^cfulfil all ^drighteousness. Then he suffered him.

 16 And Jesus, when he was ^abaptized, went up ^bstraightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the ^cSpirit of God descending like a ^ddove, and lighting upon him:

Matthew 3:13-16

Thus we see Jesus went unto John the Baptist.  Why would be go to John the Baptist?  Because we know that John had divine Authority (Aaronic Priesthood) to perform baptism.  Now we notice that John mentions that he should be getting baptized by Jesus.  Jesus with the ultimate authority could have done that but, we see nothing recorded about it at the time.  Jesus also mentioned the need to 'fulfill all righteousness'.  It is kind of hard to ask everyone to be baptized if you yourself are not willing to do it.  

5 And now, if the Lamb of God, he being ^aholy, should have need to be ^bbaptized by water, to fulfil all righteousness, O then, how much more need have we, being unholy, to be ^cbaptized, yea, even by water!

 6 And now, I would ask of you, my beloved brethren, wherein the Lamb of God did fulfil all righteousness in being baptized by water?

 7 Know ye not that he was holy? But notwithstanding he being holy, he showeth unto the children of men that, according to the flesh he humbleth himself before the Father, and witnesseth unto the Father that he would be ^aobedient unto him in keeping his commandments.

 2 Nephi 31:5-7

We also notice that Jesus was baptized by John in the river Jordan.  He was not baptized in a sink or at a well or some such location.  He was baptized in a river so he could be fully immersed.  That helps with the symbolism of rebirth.  Being fully covered by water and then coming out again like a person reborn.

I once saw a movie where they had Jesus go into the water and then John sprinkled some on his head.  Why even bother going into the river if your going to sprinkle.  You could have done that at the side of the well, in the backyard of some Sadducee's home or the like.

We also notice that Jesus came to John when he was of age (30 and starting his ministry).  Jesus was not baptized as a child and he definitely knew what he as doing.  It is clearly stated in the scriptures that one must be of age (Capable of understanding).  Those that die as young children are saved in Christ Jesus for they are pure and sinless.  See Moroni 8 for more details.  Clearly a child of 4 months is not fully capable of understanding what they are doing.  Let alone able to really sin thus they need not be baptized.  Also have you noticed how much more comprehension and understanding a child has as they reach their 8th birthday.  They begin to ask a ton more questions.  They begin to become more sensitive.  They also understand thing more and recognize for example when other children are not being appropriate and mean or misbehaving.  It all just makes sense.

We have touched briefly on whom can perform a baptism.  We see that Jesus went unto John the Baptist because he is one who had authority.

Via modern day revelation we know that there are two types of Priesthood.  The Aaronic and the Melchizedek.  Technically, Levitical Priesthood is an appendage or alternate name for the Aaronic Priesthood.  Aaronic Priesthood is the preparatory Priesthood.
"God gives priesthood authority to worthy male members of the Church so they can act in His name for the salvation of His children. Priesthood holders can be authorized to preach the gospel, administer the ordinances of salvation, and govern the kingdom of God on the earth."  Topic Priesthood

Those that hold the office of Priest may baptize but, not confirm and give the gift of the Holy Ghost.  Only those with the Melchizedek Priesthood may perform this portion of the ordinance.

One does not go around looking to receive the Priesthood or to attempt to gain office or position there in.  The Lord calls the individual.  No one seeks out the keys or authority associated with said Priesthood.

Take note that at first Joseph Smith sought of the lord Information concerning what church to join.  He did not seek out to obtain authority.  He simply wanted answers.  And later as they translated the Book of Mormon they read of authority and Priesthood.  Together they went into the woods and asked of the Lord.  'What are we to do?  Who has this authority necessary to be baptized?'(paraphrasing)  And who should appear to them but, John the Baptist himself to confer the Aaronic Priesthood, and tell them that as they stayed worthy Peter, James and John would come and confer to them the Higher or Melchizedek Priesthood.


Hopefully with all my words of wisdom and explanation one can see why Baptism is one of the essential ordinances.  As previously specified this is one of the 3 times my daughter will wear a white dress. The first was when she was blessed and given a name for the records of the church.  The second being her baptism and the third being wedding day at the Temple.

So if you have not been baptized as Jesus was please take the time to pray about it and find out why you should.  It will be well worth your time



For additional study on this and related topic see the following topics

Baptism
Holy Ghost
Priesthood

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Pondering Easter

What does Easter mean to you?

Do it mean simple the Easter bunny coming and leaving some eggs with treats and other goodies?  Or does it hold the religious meaning?
Maybe your like me and it hold a little bit of both.....

For me Easter hold both the religious and secular meanings.  I revile in the fun a child has as they search for eggs left behind by the "Easter Bunny" and the joy of getting a nice little present.  It can affirm the being good aspects of childhood.  But, Easter is so much more.  It is that celebration of the final atoning acts performed by our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.

It all started with the Passover supper held by Jesus with his disciples in that upper room.  What we now call the "Last Supper".  That final of times when he had the ability to instruct and teach to his apostles.  The time when he instituted the sacrament and gave some parting words or advice and council.

Short there after he went to the Garden of Gethsemane and bleed for our sins.

 41 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed,

 42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, ^aremove this cup from me: nevertheless not my ^bwill, but thine, be done.

 43 And there appeared an ^aangel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.

 44 And being in an ^aagony he prayed more earnestly: ^band his sweat was as it were great drops of ^cblood falling down to the ground.

Luke 22: 41-44 

Then after had finished bleeding from every pore for our sins he was betrayed into the hands of the Romans and the Chief Priests who had conspired against him.

We all know of his illegal trial before the priests and his scourging by a multi-pronged  whip.  His eventual other trials before Herod and Pontius Pilate where he became a political hot potato.

Then the final capstone to the whole Atoning process.  His death on the cross at Golgotha, after many long agonizing hours of hanging there in pain that one can not even imagine.  Which after three days lead to his resurrection and final glorious act of the Atonement.

I have many a time thought what would have happened if Christ has not been crucified or if he had not bleed for our sins in the garden.  Would the Atonement be whole? The answer is simple - NO.
We have the need for both portions of the Atonement.  The conquest of physical and spiritual death.  And both of these Jesus Christ the Only Begotten Son accomplished in less then a week's time.  Both parts are necessary to be able to accomplish our final goal of returning to live once again with our Heavenly Father.

So take this time to dwell on the good news that Christ brought us.  Do no dwell on the fact that he died on the cross.  Dwell on the fact that Mary found his tomb empty.  Dwell on the fact that he arose and over came physical death and has thus imparted this gift unto us all saint and sinner alike.

"Jesus Christ was the only one capable of performing the magnificent Atonement because He was the only perfect man and the Only Begotten Son of God the Father. He received His commission for this essential work from His Father before the world was established. His perfect mortal life devoid of sin, the shedding of His blood, His suffering in the garden and upon the cross, His voluntary death, and the Resurrection of His body from the tomb made possible a full Atonement for people of every generation and time.

The Atonement makes the Resurrection a reality for everyone. However, with respect to our individual transgressions and sins, conditional aspects of the Atonement require our faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, our repentance, and our compliance with the laws and ordinances of the gospel."

What Does the Atonement Mean to You? By Elder Cecil O. Samuelson Jr. 

He Is Not Here

“Our Savior lived again. The most glorious, comforting, and reassuring of all events of human history had taken place—the victory over death. The pain and agony of Gethsemane and Calvary had been wiped away. The salvation of mankind had been secured. The Fall of Adam had been reclaimed.

He is Risen a Prophet's Testimony - President Thomas S Monson


So take some time out and find out the most recent words from the modern day prophets.  For the gospel of Christ is not on that has since been left to the dust and past.  It is a living gospel and we have the opportunity to feed from the living waters each 6 months at general conference. 

April 2012 general Conference Sessions

Be filled this is much to be thankful for this Easter Season.

Buaidh - NO - Bas

Using the 1910 US Census

I found out a little something I'd like to talk about for a while today.
It all relates to the 1910 census.

So I was looking around for some relatives on the census data that is available on familysearch.org.  I did get lucky.  One of the reasons I was looking around at census data is to see what they might have put down for locations of birth for a great- grandfather.  And It turns out I was also looking for something that might show up on his first wife and the fact no one seems to have recorded my grand-aunt.

So as I got a hit on the 1910 census I was ecstatic.  I had the person(s) in questions and was jumping for joy.  I now could put the unrecorded grand-aunt in the system at new.familysearch.org.  But as always I found while looking into multiple census records that the spelling on the name could be in question.  It was spelled different on the 1910 census then the 1920 census.

So in my joy I sent the image off to my father and step-mother a very good genealogist and family history person.  She stumbled upon something that took my a while to process.  Turns out on the 1910 census they included a column by which a mother could list her total number of children and another column for how many were still alive.  Appears this was due to the Spanish flu that was going around the globe at that time.  It helped to see how may people/children may have been victims of the flu or had died early.

This information does not appear to be present on the 1920 census.  But, because of this we were able to located information regarding a child that died in infancy that as far as I know no one knew about.

I'm going to include an image of the census for the part of Ogden, Utah that matters to me. 

This might just spur you on to find out if you have a lost relative listed in the census.  In reality they provide a variety of very useful information in the census.  Mainly, you see the country/state of origin/birth, information on whether the father/mother are of foreign origin (sometimes it give the country), then things like how old, how long married, language or education information etc.

Census data can point us in the right direction to find other supporting documents for our not so distant relatives.  In some cases you can even see the migration of a family across the United States due to the locations of births of some children.

There is a vast array of information out there and we just need to tap into it.  Some of these ancestors are just waiting to be found.

But, some pragmatic people might say - "why bother doing all this work so you can finally baptize your deceased relatives?  So many people lived that have no record we'll never find them all."

Good point.  We may not find them all today or even in the next few years.  But, as we see how the plan works - that everyone will have the opportunity to have their saving ordinances completed, we will also see that God has not forgotten us.  He loves all his spirit children whether there are records for them or not.  He know us all by name and has not forgot even a one.  This people is something to shout from the roof tops to the whole world.

Buaidh - NO - Bas