A BOM for a Hero

Okay, I didn’t know this, but apparently the “famous Book of Mormon” that Tolstoy had… you have all heard the story, right?  ANYways, it was send to him by a farmer from Idaho!

He sent a letter with a book of mormon to Russia!  From Idaho to Russia! In like the 1900s With it he sent a really nice letter praising Tolstoy and his work.  He stated that Tolstoy was a representation of all that was good in humanity.

I just thought it was cool that he had enough GUTS to send a Book of Mormon to his hero.   I tried to picture my self sending a Book of Mormon to my hero… or my idols.  (first of all I had to think of who that would be…)  But man, that is pretty gutsy!  And you know, I think it is cool!  I may try it myself!  haha!  I think I am going to send a Book of Mormon to some of the people that have influenced my life (outside the church).  Maybe Jon Stewart??  hahaha   

Anyways, I thought it was another cool thing from Idaho.  Let’s be brave like that when it comes to sharing the gospel.  Love you guys!

Billy's Temple Prep

So - my wife is out of town.  I hate going to our ward (even though I shouldn't) without her.  So I went to Billy's ward!  Turns out he had the temple prep lesson today!  Lucky draw!  I decided to share my notes with you guys on his killer lesson.  He doesn't know in posting this, so hopefully he doesn't get mad.  Also, I recorded the whole thing.  I haven't even listened to it - so it may not be that good of quality.  Take it for what it's worth.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-bGd24M6J0OaUZucm56TVZyRG8

Blessings from the Temple:

Lesson 3

Exodus chapter 40

38 For the cloud of the Lord was upon the tabernacle by day, and fire was on it by night, in the sight of all the house of Israel, throughout all their journeys.

The temple was the place of the Lord since the beginning of time

Mathew 21:12-15

Jesus flipping tables - RAGER.

The purpose of the temple was changed - it was no longer for the fulfillment of covenants and the enriching of the children of God

He was pissed - shows the importance of the temple in God's plan

2 nephi somewhere...

(Chap5-16)

16 And I, Nephi, did build a temple; and I did construct it after the manner of the temple of Solomon save it were not built of so many precious things; for they were not to be found upon the land, wherefore, it could not be built like unto Solomon’s temple. But the manner of the construction was like unto the temple of Solomon; and the workmanship thereof was exceedingly fine.

Nephi built a temple - so what?

Where people are - temples need to be

PURPOSE OF THE TEMPLE

---Preparing for exaltation---

That's what it's all about!

D and C 97

16 Yea, and my presence shall be there, for I will come into it, and all the pure in heart that shall come into it shall see God.

17 But if it be defiled I will not come into it, and my glory shall not be there; for I will not come into unholy temples.

       18 And, now, behold, if Zion do these things she shall prosper, and spread herself and become very glorious, very great, and very terrible.

19 And the nations of the earth shall honor her, and shall say: Surely Zion is the city of our God, and surely Zion cannot fall, neither be moved out of her place, for God is there, and the hand of the Lord is there;

20 And he hath sworn by the power of his might to be her salvation and her high tower

Check out these blessings!!!

YOU DONT HAVE TO BE PERFECT TO GO TO THE TEMPLE!!!!

'Pure of heart' does not mean "oh, you haven't sinned in two weeks, you're good to go." 

If your heart is in the right place in your heart, and you're doing your best, you're in!  You're golden!  You can see God.

I really recommend listening to the recording - there's a good story about James Franco that you WONT want to miss!  (Around 25 minutes)

Guilt or shame can keep us from going to the temple

Guilt - I've done something bad

Shame - I am bad

We can't equate things we've done with who we are

If you don't listen to the whole thing - or even to the James Franci story - listen to the last minute  - Billy throws down a great testimony of the temple.  

Here is the link again:

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B-bGd24M6J0OaUZucm56TVZyRG8

Ken Caminitti - For Your Health

Here is a reminder of our boy's STATS.  

And here is the scripture that he landed on today:

Psalms 3:3

"But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my Glory, and the Lifter up of mine head"

Don't go into battle without your shield!!!  What are you, NUTS?!  You have to get in your daily prayers!  It's your protection.  Plus, if you are feeling down, God can lift you.  He can help you be happy. 

Dostoyevsky and the Atonement

"If anyone could prove to me that Christ is outside the truth, and if the truth really did exclude Christ, I should prefer to stay with Christ and not with truth."

-Dostoyevsky

This quote was in one of my books when I started the mission.  I read this my first day in the MTC and haven't been able to forget it since.  I strive for this level of devotion to Christ.

Okay, so I know that I talk about my Russian Literature class a lot.  I just can't help but share what I learn in this class!  I love Russia.  I love Russian literature.  I love all of you guys, so it just makes sense to share.

ANYWAY - 

The lecture today was EPIC.  Here is picture I took of my professor (Raissa Volfovna) throwing down:

Today we were talking about Dostoyevsky.  If you have never heard about Dostoyevsky, read about him here.  He is the author of Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, and Poor Folk... to name a few of his novels.

In short, he was a genius and a believer.  

But what is interesting is that his life, and the testimony that I quoted in the beginning, didn't come without a struggle.  He lived through some scary stuff.  

At one point in his life, he was on Red Square with a death sentence from the Tsar.  He was saved only after watching group after group of his friends get shot in front of him.  It was after this, that he promised to never waste another minute of his life.

After telling us this story, our Professor went on to describe how Dostoyevsky became an avid gambler.  At one point he had lost everything down to his wives earrings.  He was LOW. 

At this point, a few of my fellow students started "bagging" on Dostoyevsky.  They commented on how he didn't hold to his promise of never wasting a moment of his life again.  They commented on how his work is too dark and how they felt that he was a "hypocrite".

Thats when my professor LOST IT.  She went OFF on this student!  haha

She explained that after he hit his low point with his gambling, that he swore again to his wife that he would never gamble.  And that after that day, thanks to his love for his wife and for his daughter (and to his Savior), he never gambled again.  

My professor went on to explain that this is how Dostoyevsky teaches us in his novels as well.  His themes are dark and scary.  They are full of murder, theft, temptation, and sin.  But he, through his characters, always shows us a way out of the dark times.  He shows us the path back to the light!

And then to translate the poem that is on the board in the picture (I was actually taking a picture of what she pulled up, but I happened to catch her in one of her passionate moments... haha):

Don't say that there is no salvation,

That you are in sorrow inescapable:

The darker the night, the brighter the stars,

The deeper the mourning, the closer God is...

 - Apollon Maykov (another Russian poet)

And that is what is beautiful about this life and about the atonement!  There is always a way back.  This earth is mired in sin, evil, and sadness.  At times is can seem REALLY DARK.  Sometimes your sorrow is so deep, you feel you can't escape!  BUT WE CAN.

I want to add my testimony to that of Dostoyevsky's.  I know that Christ is the way.  I have a testimony of the efficacy of the atonement.  IT WORKS.  We can be clean!  The dark and scary parts of life have an escape!  If our challenge is gambling, the death of a loved one, pornography, same sex attraction, or just doubts in general - the way out is through Him.

John 14:6

 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.

Lobster Claws

Feet are a big deal.

For some reason I have been thinking about feet a lot lately.  I don't know if I just have a bad case of the Foot, or what, but I feel like there has been a lot of discussion about feet in my life lately.  Probably because I had an incident last week that made mine look like they were going to fall off (more about that later)... but really I have been having a lot of "feety" thoughts lately... so I figured I would share.

I searched the scriptures to see how often "feet" were mentioned... and I got a HUGE amount of results.  Here are a few:

• Exodus 21:24

  24 Eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot...

  • John 12:3

    3 Then took Mary a pound of ointment of spikenard, very costly, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment.

    • Doctrine and Covenants 84:109

      109 Therefore, let every man stand in his own office, and labor in his own calling; and let not the head say unto the feet it hath no need of the feet; for without the feet how shall the body be able to stand?
      
      

      • John 13:14

        14 If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet.
        
        

        • 3 Nephi 17:10

          10 And they did all, both they who had been healed and they who were whole, bow down at his feet, and did worship him; and as many as could come for the multitude did kiss his feet, insomuch that they did bathe his feet with their tears.
          
          

          • Mark 9:45

            45 And if thy foot offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter halt into life, than having two feet to be cast into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched:
            
            

            • Doctrine and Covenants 60:15

              15 And shake off the dust of thy feet against those who receive thee not, not in their presence, lest thou provoke them, but in secret; and wash thy feet, as a testimony against them in the day of judgment.
              
              

              • Acts 14:10

                10 Said with a loud voice, Stand upright on thy feet. And he leaped and walked.
                
                

                • Luke 24:40

                  40 And when he had thus spoken, he shewed them his hands and his feet.
                  
                  

                • Exodus 3:5

                  
                  
                  5 And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
                  
                  
                  
                  
                  There are SO many stories about feet! There are lessons to be learned from all of them. I will let the spirit speak to you as to what you can take away from these scriptures, and I will tell you a few of my own feet stories:
                  
                  
                  Story ONE -
                  
                  I was probably six years old. During a highly competitive round of cabin games, I jumped off the back porch of the patio and the patio and landed on an overturned board with nails sticking up. One of the nails went right through my cool Ninja Turtle velcro shoes. I screamed. Dad came running. They pulled me off the board and took me to Uncle Manx to get my foot cleaned up and make sure I didn't have tetanus or whatever. Lesson learned - "look before you leap."
                  
                  Story TWO -
                  
                  When I was 15/16 our stake went on a pioneer trek. We bussed out to Wyoming and walked the route that the pioneers did. We pulled handcarts up hills, over rivers, and thought Martin's Cove. It was pretty cool. Jay and I thought that we were really cool and decided to "get the real pioneer experience" and do the whole thing barefoot. Turns out it was genius because the paths were soft most of the way and we didn't have any shoes to get blisters from. So while everyone else was dealing with moleskin and crying that their blisters popped, we just laughed. However, this soft dirt didn't last the ENTIRE TIME. The few mile section in Martin's Cove was covered in tiny, sharp rocks. These rocks were the kind that cripple you as you try to run across the road barefoot... and the place was full of them. Long story short, my feet hurt SO BAD... there were a couple of times that I felt pretty dumb for choosing to go barefoot. But, I was determined and made the whole thing. I can say that I really did gain a deeper appreciation for the saints that came across in the dead of winter without shoes... Yeah okay, my feet weren't freezing cold - but I did feel pain. Lesson learned - The pioneers were tough.
                  
                  Story THREE - 
                • This last year, as I spent time in California with Madison's dad, I watched as her Uncle Scott would massage Madison's Dad's feet every morning. Her dad couldn't move his feet at all, and the little bit of mobilization got the blood flowing and had to feel SO GOOD. This one thing he did every morning is symbolic of the love and care that he would give throughout the day. He would dress, feed, help in the bathroom, and watch YouTube and cycling videos with his brother all day every day. Scott was literally and angel human for Tracy.  Lesson learned - Love your brother! 
                • Story FOUR -
                  
                  Two weekends ago, around mile 19 or so in the St. George Marathon, as Madison and I took a few seconds to stretch out our untrained legs, I looked down at my feet and saw that my right shoe was bloody.  I knew my feet were hurting, but I didn't know I was bleeding! From then on, it was a mental game. I didn't look at them again until the end of the race.  I knew that if I took my shoe off at that moment and tried to "fix the problem" that I wouldn't finish the race. So I ignored it. At the end of the 26.2 miles, I removed my shoes and my socks only to find the gnarliest blisters I have ever seen. I was messed up - BUT I FINISHED. Lesson learned - I can do hard things when I CHOOSE not to give up.
                • Who knew there were so many lessons to be learned from feet!?!  I am sure that by the end of this mortal race, not only will I have bloody feet, but my hands, knees and probably elbows will be bloody from crawling to that finish line.  BUT - I am going to make it!  And when I get there, I don't care how bloody my feet and knees are, I will kneel at Christ's pierced feet and thank Him for helping me make it home.  
                • Here is a picture of the nasties, in case you were curious:
                • 

Hello Bearries,
I hope everyone is doing great in their respective spheres. A big (if belated) shout out to Zach and Landon for starting grad school. I just finished a book called "The Chosen" and was deeply affected by it. In particular there was a passage that I though was particularly poignant. In it the main protagonist is concerned that his dad is working too hard and asks him to slow down. To this the dad responds by saying

"Human beings do not live forever Rueven. We live less than the time it takes to blink an eye, if we measure our lives against eternity. So it may be asked what value is there to a human life. There is so much pain in the world. What does it mean to have to suffer so much, if our lives are nothing more than the blink of an eye?...I learned a long time ago, Reuven, that a blink of an eye in itself is nothing; but the eye that blinks, that is something. A span of life is nothing; but the man who lives the span, he is something. He can fill that tiny span with meaning, so its quality is immeasurable though its quantity may be insignificant. A man must fill his life with meaning, meaning is not automatically given to life. It is hard work to fill one's life with meaning- that, I do not think you understand yet. A life filled with meaning is worthy of rest. I want to be worthy of rest when I am no longer here."

• David Malter to his son, Reuven (p. 217)

Mormon put it in a gospel context to his son when he said against a backdrop of extreme hardship "And now, my beloved son, notwithstanding their hardness, let us labor diligently; for if we should cease to labor, we should be brought under condemnation; for we have a labor to perform whilst in this tabernacle of clay, that we may conquer the enemy of all righteousness, and rest our souls in the kingdom of God."

One of the greatest changes that occurred in my life when I gained a testimony was the new meaning it brought to my life. I now knew (and know) that I have a divine role in the scheme of life, and that as a child of God my worth was such that the creator of the universe put a plan in motion to provide for my eternal happiness. With this knowledge and forgiveness though, came a deep responsibility to do my best to try and live up to what Jesus Christ gave to m, and wants to share with me. 

For sure our lives at times seems hectic and challenging, but when I find the time to serve God by keeping the commandments and serving his children it makes the down parts of my life either become easier to cope with or go away entirely. I feel strongly that each of the Bearrie boys have a strong capacity to do something meaningful with their lives; you guys are awesome and are uniquely gifted at reaching out to the people around you. I know that by trying our hardest to stay close to the spirit and serve God and the church that we can find the most meaning to our lives, and be able to make a huge difference to some of God's children. 

A Quick Thought on the Atonement

Just a quick Sunday thought. This video just crushed me. I want to bear my testimony that the Atonement is real and that through Christ everyone of us really can change and become who we want to be and who we need to be. There are 11 other videos like this one on the church's new addiction recovery page (watch the other ones here http://www.mormonchannel.org/12steps). The ones I've watched have taught me a lot about the Atonement and about our Savior. I think that these are just phenomenal.