Mormon Musings

"It matters not whether you or I feel like praying, when the time comes to pray, pray.  If we do not feel like it, we should pray till we do." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young , p. 44 "When you have labored faithfully for years, you will learn this simply fact--that if your hearts are aright, and you still continue to be obedient, continue to serve God, continue to pray, the Spirit of revelation will be in you like a well of water springing up to everlasting life. Let no person give up prayer because he has not the spirit of prayer, neither let any earthly circumstance hurry you while in the performance of this simple duty. By bowing down before the Lord to ask him to bless you, you will simply find this result--God will multiply blessings upon you temporally and spiritually." Brigham Young, Discourses of Brigham Young , p. 46

" In our individual study and classroom instruction, we repeatedly emphasize the importance of recognizing the inspiration and promptings we receive from the Spirit of the Lord. And such an approach is correct and useful. We should seek diligently to recognize and respond to promptings as they come to us. However, an important aspect of baptism by the Spirit may frequently be overlooked in our spiritual development. We should also endeavor to discern when we 'withdraw [ourselves] from the Spirit of the Lord, that it may have no place in [us] to guide [us] in wisdom's paths that [we] may be blessed, prospered, and preserved' ( Mosiah 2:36 ). Precisely because the promised blessing is  that   we may always have His Spirit to be with us,  we should attend to and learn from the choices and influences that separate us from the Holy Spirit. The standard is clear. If something we think, see, hear, or do distances us from the Holy Ghost, then we should stop thinking, seeing,

" Into every adult human life come experiences like unto the battling of the storm-tossed voyagers with contrary winds and threatening seas; ofttimes the night of struggle and danger is far advanced before succor appears; and then, too frequently the saving aid is mistaken for a great terror. As came unto Peter and his terrified companions in the midst of turbulent waters, so comes to all who toil in faith, the voice of the Deliverer— 'It is I; be not afraid .'"  (emphasis added) James E. Talmage Jesus The Christ,  pp. 313-14

“You remember the Prophet [Joseph] saw in panoramic vision at least nine of the Twelve in a foreign land. (He doesn’t say England, but that is where they eventually went.) He saw them gathered in a circle, without shoes, beaten, tattered, discouraged. Standing above them in the air was the Lord Jesus Christ. And it was made know to the Prophet that He yearned to show Himself to them, to reach down and lift them. But they did not see Him. The Savior looked upon them and wept. We are told by two of the brethren who hear Joseph rehearse that vision that he could never speak of it without weeping himself. Why? Why should he be so touched? Because Christ willingly came to earth so that all of the Father’s family could come to Him boldly, knowing that He knows what is taking place in us when we sin, that He knows all our feelings and cares. The greatest tragedy of life is that having paid that awful price of suffering 'according to the flesh that His bowels might be filled with compas

"When answers to urgent prayer don’t seem to come, it can be that we don’t understand some truths about prayer, or because we don’t recognize answers when they come.   Communication with our Father in Heaven is not a trivial matter. It is a sacred privilege. It is based upon unchanging principles. When we receive help from our Father in Heaven, it is in response to faith, obedience, and the proper use of agency. It is a mistake to assume that every prayer we offer will be answered immediately. Some prayers require considerable effort on our part. Don’t worry about your clumsily expressed feelings. Just talk to your Father. He hears every prayer and answers it in His way. When we explain a problem and a proposed solution, sometimes He answers yes, sometimes no. Often, He withholds an answer, not for lack of concern, but because He loves us perfectly. He wants us to apply truths He has given us.  For us to grow, we need to trust our ability to make correct decisions. We need to d

“When we are filled with the Holy Spirit we will not sin. We will be filled with wisdom, and we will be able to have the fruits to heal the wounds of the afflicted and to build a community of Saints. It is also obvious that without constant efforts, it will be very difficult to always be focused on our most righteous desires. Therefore, I want to share with you a vehicle, an instrument, that I developed some time ago for myself and for my family. It can assist us to reach our focus as we read the suggested vision of true discipleship as a Latter-day Saint. It helps when, from time to time, we ponder and seek identification with the following thoughts: ·        Embrace this day with an enthusiastic welcome, no matter how it looks. The covenant with God to which you are true enables you to become enlightened by him, and nothing is impossible for you. ·        When you are physically sick, tired, or in despair, steer your thoughts away from yourself and direct them, in gratitude and love

"Brothers and sisters, whatever your distress,  please  don't give up and  please  don't yield to fear. I have always been touched that as his son was departing for his mission to England, Brother Bryant S. Hinckley gave young Gordon a farewell embrace and then slipped him a handwritten note with just five words taken from the fifth chapter of Mark: 'Be not afraid, only believe.'(Mark 5:36 ).  I think also of that night when Christ rushed to the aid of His frightened disciples, walking as He did on the water to get to them, calling out, 'It is I; be not afraid.' Peter exclaimed, 'Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water.' Christ's answer to him was as it  always  is  every  time: ' Come,'  He said. Instantly, as was his nature, Peter sprang over the vessel's side and into the troubled waters.  While his eyes were fixed upon the Lord, the wind could toss his hair and the spray could drench his robes, but all was well—he

“Mormonism is truth, or in other words the doctrine of the Latter-Day Saints is truth…The first and fundamental principle of our holy religion is that we believe that we might have the right to embrace all, and every item of truth, without limitation or without being circumscribed or prohibited by the creeds or superstitious notions of men, or by the dominations of one another, when truth has been clearly demonstrated to our minds, and we have the highest degree of evidence of the same.” Josesph Smith, Letter from Joseph Smith to Isaac Gallad, March 22, 1839, Liberty Jail, Liberty Missouri, published in the Times and Seasons, February 1840, pp. 53-54 “‘Mormonism’...embraces every principle pertaining to life and salvation, for time and eternity. No matter who has it. If the infidel has got truth it belongs to ‘Mormonism.' The truth and sound doctrine possessed by the sectarian world, and they have a great deal, all belong to this Church… All that is good, lovely, and praiseworthy

"And now, my son, remember the words which I have spoken unto you; trust not those secret plans unto this people, but teach them an everlasting hatred against sin and iniquity.  Preach unto them repentance, and faith on the Lord Jesus Christ; teach them to humble themselves and to be meek and lowly in heart; teach them to withstand every temptation of the devil, with their faith on the Lord Jesus Christ. Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly in heart; for such shall find rest to their souls.    O, remember, my son, and learn wisdom in thy youth; yea, learn in thy youth to keep the commandments of God. Yea, and cry unto God for all thy support; yea, let all thy doing be unto the Lord, and whithersoever thou goest let it be in the Lord; yea, let all thy thoughts be directed unto the Lord; yea, let the affections of thy heart be placed upon the Lord forever.  Counsel with the Lord in all thy doings, and he will direct thee for good; yea, when thou lies

I would suggest just reading (or listening to) the entire talk by Hugh B. Brown. Text is pasted on a "page" of this blog and original transcript and audio is available at:  http://speeches.byu.edu/index.php?act=viewitem&id=114 .   "...Then we proceeded to prepare what I may call a 'profile of a prophet.'  Perhaps you students would like to amplify what I must condense today and draw your own standard or definition of a prophet and see whether Joseph Smith measures up. We agreed between us that the following characteristics should distinguish a man who claims to be a prophet: 1. He will boldly claim that God had spoken to him. 2. Any man so claiming would be a dignified man with a dignified message—no table jumping, no whisperings from the dead, no clairvoyance, but an intelligent statement of truth. 3. Any man claiming to be a prophet of God would declare his message without any fear and without making any weak concessions to public opinion. 4. If