My talk on reverenece

Sorry for the delay anyway I did a talk on reverence in church so here it goes Reverence Today I’ve been asked to give a talk on reverence. It’s been a long time since I’ve given a talk so I’m glad to be here today. A Primary song from the children’s songbook says… Rev’rence is more than just quietly sitting It’s thinking of Father above A feeling I get when I think of his blessing I’m rev’rent for rev’rence is love. I like this description of reverence because it helps me learn more about what reverence is. A couple of summers ago my family went to Turkey . Because Turkey is a Muslim country, in every city we visited there were many mosques and we were able to go inside lots of them. If we wanted to go inside we had to do certain things. We had to dress modestly and take off our shoes. My mother had to wear a scarf over her head. We had to talk quietly and behave reverently when we were inside. Outside the mosque we saw many men preparing to go inside to pray or worship. There were special fountains where the people washed their hands, their head and their feet. How we acted in the mosque and how the people prepared themselves to worship in the mosque teaches us about reverence. The clean feet means you should be found in reverent places, (means you won’t go into bars, casinos or any other secular places.) The clean head means you think clearly which means you’re wise and you don’t think any bad thoughts. Clean hands means you do whatever God wants you to do such as serving other people, reading the scriptures, and praying . Each of them symbolizes purity, both physical and spiritual. In other words we show reverence to God by how we live our lives. However it’s hard to be reverent due to all the things going on in The World today. Elder Boyd K. Packer of the Quorum of the 12 apostles said this. “ The world grows increasingly noisy. Clothing, grooming and conduct are looser and sloppier and more disheveled. Raucous music with obscene lyrics blasted through amplifiers while lights with psychedelic colours characterizes the drug culture. Variations of these things are gaining wide acceptance and influence over our youth…This trend to more noise, more excitement, more contention, less restraint, less dignity, less formality is not coincidental or innocent nor harmless. The first order issued by a commander mounting a military invasion is the jamming of the channels of communication of those he intends to conquer. Irreverence suits the purposes of the adversary by obstructing the delicate channels of revelation in both mind and spirit.” To me this means the devil can jam our communications with Heavenly Father and conquer us if we are too irreverent in our lives. I can keep my channels clear as I pray, read the scriptures and stay quiet. My autism is an example. Whenever it’s noisy and uncomfortable for me, I always talk to myself (my mother calls it rockets.) Because of autism my mind is more complex and there are advantages and disadvantages. An advantage is my increased brain capacity and sharper memory: a disadvantage is when an unwanted thought gets into my head it’s complex to get it out. But I found the most effective method. You know the boxes in buildings that say “In case of fire break glass”, well, I have a ‘in case of bad thought, read scripture’. My emergency scripture is my favourite, James 1:5. If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally and upraideth not and it shall be given him. but let him ask in faith, nothing wavering.” I’d like to bear my testimony. I know the church is true. I know that we will return to Heavenly Father one day. I know we can overcome sin .I know that if we are reverent we can fulfill God’s plan. In the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

My 14th Birthday

Sorry I kept you in suspense, forgive me please. Anyway I'm 14, and to me it's a one of those golden moments in my teenage life. You know why? First, I'm a teacher, Second, I'm now in Venturers, Third, I can stay up later, Fourth, I can get a driver's learner's permit (though that may not happen because I'm distraction prone and I wouldn't last five minutes on the open road.) Fifth I can watch 14A movies! What I got on january the 3rd, I got a movie pass, 2 history books, 2 video games, A book on the apostasy and the King James Bible, and a BOSU ball for working on my small muscles. So this is a great event in my life.

Scout Camp 4

This scout camp was the best and I'll tell you why. At the beginning it was a long drive I tell you, and while on the way Tyler and Brad threatened me to ditch me on the side of the road and leave me for the carnivorous chickens. When we arrived we made our very own shelter, and after a meal of hot dogs and hot chocolate, we played capture the flag. Most of the time I was a 'warning system' which meant I alerted my team if there was an intruder on our area. Many rounds later we walked to the other side of the campsite, and there i fired my first flare. After many people shot flares we settled into our shelters (which by the way was pretty warm) and dozed off. After a rude awakening by morning cold and loud cannon shots we ate a nice breakfast and then it was fun and games. The first one was sort of a worst-case scenario where a guy was injured (I was him) and we had to make something that will carry him to safety once we done that we had a race. My team had to drag in the 'device' and get to the finish first before the others did, and I won! Next was archery and my aunt said I could try to beat Grayson's record, and I did. Next was building a fire. We had to burn a piece of string before another team did. I grabbed sticks, dead leaves etc. and once again I won. Next after that was the obstacle course it was long and exhausting but we made it through eventually. Then was my favourite pellet guns there we fired pistols, snipers, rifles etc. and it was fun. After closing ceremonies we packed up and left.

The Current of Chasity

When I was in Hawaii during the around the world trip, I was constantly warned by signs of strong currents, and I knew why. Without warning they can pull a man from the shallow shore to the deepest, unsafe depths of the ocean. We were told keep an eye out for calmer, different colour waters that are the signs of a riptide. Just like the currents, bad choices can pull us away from God's shore and to the deep waters of the devil. The currents that drown us are adultery, homosexual, lesbian and relations outside of marriage. However we can 'swim' out of this riptide by the following. Scripture study, repentance, forgiveness and other ways. And god has set his own signs, the holy ghost to warn us of the threat. So my words are... read the signs the lord puts up and don't drown to the devil.

The Calgary Temple

This post is about the open house and dedication of the Calgary temple. The temple was amazing! There was a room with two mirrors with a reflection that never ends to symbolize eternal life. it also had the baptismal font with the 12 oxen. There was also a room with a spectacular image of the Garden of Eden. The outside was made of pure marble with wheat carved into it. After the trip I felt pure, holy and very jealous. I kept whispering to my mom that the Calgary temple was way better than the one in Edmonton. The dedication was a once in a lifetime experience. it showed people waving white handkerchiefs shouting "Hosana" (I was part of it too and I was watching from my church.) The temple was amazing and I look forward to going there again.

Father of the False

When I was on CNN, something caught my eye. Poaching was once again on the rise in Africa. More people were hunting rhinos and elephants. I told my Grandpa Bob at once, and he said reason people were hunting animals with precious ivory, is because of Aphrodisiacs. He told it was grinded rhino horn that you slip int someones drink and they fall in love with you. Insane huh. Who is the Father of Lies? The one and only The Devil Himself. He spurred that idea to control people. Lies such as that are against commandment 9 'thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor.' The Great Apostasy (or I like to call it, the dark ages of the church) is example. When my Church was forgotten. It kept going until the restoration (the renaissance of the church.) every lie and ridiculous thing from phoney medicines, inaccurate documentaries to bad advertising was originated from Satan. No wonder they call him the Father of lies.

The Media Menace

This blog post is about how the media affects us. The media( radio, television, and the Internet.) can be used by both good and evil. For example my church has the Mormon Channel which has peaceful music and helpful messages. And don't forget about general Conference. But at the same time it can be used to poison minds and tell them to do sin For example, in 1939 a man used the book War of the Worlds to tell people that they were invaded by aliens when they don't exist, causing widespread panic and mayhem. Another is Joseph Goebbles of the Nazi propaganda, who told lies about the Jews. And films with alcohol, drugs, nudity, language and smoking puts lives on the line to hell. People performing dangerous stunts on YouTube tempt others to do the same thing. And the reason why I hate cartoons it's because unlike non-fiction, they disorientate and mock the real world. SO be cautious or bad things will happen.