Naruto and Elvis

In the series Naruto, two characters play "shogi" (you could think of it as japanese chess) and discuss whom they believe "the King" is. They mention political leaders and teachers among other things, but in the end, they decide that children, the next generation are all "the King." I believe this is very much true. The adversary targets children because he knows that if he can get them young, it'll be easier for him to drag them down and ruin their lives. 

Elvis sang, "Why are children always first

To feel the pain and hurt the worst? 

It's cruel but somehow,

It just don't seem right."

And it isn't right. Children shouldn't experience all of life's pain. They're not ready for it. 

As siblings, parents, friends, adults, teachers, and fellow human beings we have a responsibility and duty to protect and raise the next generation! They are "the King!" They're the most important piece in the game of life, the most vital resource in the war between light and darkness. 

We need to guard the youth in our lives. 

Countdown Day 56: Knowest Thou The Condescension of God?

Countdown Day 56: Knowest Thou The Condescension of God?

In 1 Nephi, an angel asks Nephi, "Knowest thou the condescension of God?" 

Nephi's response is simple but profound. He replies: "I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things." 

We may not understand exactly how the atonement works on a literal spiritual level. We may not comprehend all the nuances of God's nature. Sometimes, we may even be uncertain of ourselves... But there is one cornerstone we can rely on, that we should always remember: God loves his children. In a world of doubt and darkness, one bright truth will never change: God loves his children. This is constant and unconditional; it doesn't matter what you do or don't understand. It can be understood by small children and taught to the oldest person: God loves his children. 

Countdown Day 55: Put Downs

Countdown Day 55: Put Downs

Today I had a epiphany. When a person puts them self down in ways like, "I'm the worst choice to be this groups teacher," or "There's no way I can do this calling," they're not only insulting themselves, divine children of God, but they're insulting God's own intelligence, and His power! 

God chose you for your roles in life. He's not stupid; He knows your strengths and weaknesses better than you do. When we think like that, we unconsciously presume that we know better than God does. 

Even when we can't do something on our own, God has the power to do literally anything. Through the atonement, we can change ourselves and improve. Saying "I can't do it" is lazy and unfaithful. With God's help, anything is possible. 

Countdown Day 54: Unconditionally

Countdown Day 54: Unconditionally 

As all good parents should, God, as well as Jesus Christ, loves us unconditionally. Similar to our earthly parents, they know everything about us. And despite knowing about all of our faults and mistakes in detail, they still love us more than anybody could imagine. It's unconditional. No matter what we do, Christ and Heavenly Father still love us, just like our earthly family should. We can always go back to them, because they will never stop loving us, and wanting the best for us. They will always love us unconditionally. And that's a fact. 

Countdown Day 53: Never Was Happiness

Countdown Day 53: Never Was Happiness

Alma taught his son Corianton, who was having some issues, that "wickedness never was happiness." I like to keep this in mind, to remind myself of what's really going to bring me happiness. 

Even if doing the wrong thing brings us temporary happiness, it's fleeting and fake. As soon as the endorphins or adrenaline, or whatever it may be, dies down, that "happiness" is gone. 

When we do what we know is right, it brings us real joy. It lasts, and leads to more of it. 

In life, many different things claim they'll make us happy, but most of then are false promises and don't bring us true joy. True joy comes from truth -- of which the gospel and the spirit are composed solely of. 

Countdown Day 52: Resurrection and Judgement

Countdown Day 52: Resurrection and Judgement

Everybody, save those who followed Satan during his rebellion and never got to go to Earth, will receive a resurrected body. These bodies will be like the ones they had in life, but they'll be perfect. We will no longer be subject to death, disease, and other physical and mental infirmities. All of humanity will then be judged. An extremely select few, such as Cain and Judas, will be sent to outer darkness, where they will be unable to progress and will literally be damned. Everybody else will be sent to one of three kingdoms of glory. What's great is that the lowest of these kingdoms is far better than life on earth! So no matter what, you're going to be better off than you are now. 

The lowest kingdom is the Telestial Kingdom. It is likened to a star in the sky, being the least 'bright' of the three kingdoms. 

The middle kingdom is the Terrestial kingdom. It's brightness is likened unto the moon. 

The highest kingdom is the Celestial kingdom, which is likened unto the sun. This is where God the Father lo

Iives, and should be your ultimate goal. 

Countdown Day 51: What Happens When You Die

Countdown Day 51: What Happens When You Die

Eventually, everybody dies. Thanks to Christ, death is not permanent, but until the Second Coming, the dead remain dead. Upon death, your spirit is separated from your body. While your body rots, your spirit goes to one of two places: spirit prison, or spirit paradise. These places are like waiting rooms for those who have died, until Christ returns and everybody's spirit will be reunited with their body. 

Spirit paradise is a world of light and freedom. Those who have heard the gospel and accepted it, along with necessary ordinances, end up here. 

Spirit prison is where those who have not yet heard the gospel, or who have refused it go. It is a world of darkness and bondage. 

While Christ's body lay in the tomb for three days, he prepared a missionary effort in the spirit world. Spirits from paradise go and teach those in prison, who have the option to accept the gospel, and any ordinances performed for them in the temple, and move to spirit paradise. 

God is not unfair. All of His children will have a chance to hear and accept the gospel, regardless of when or where they lived. 

Countdown Day 50: The Atonement

Countdown Day 50: The Atonement

The keystone of the God's plan -- the Plan of Salvation, Happiness, Redemption, etc -- is the atonement of Jesus Christ. Without it, death wouldn't have been overcome, and thus nobody would be resurrected. Just as key is overcoming temptation and sin. By living a perfect life, and through his actions in Gethsemane, up through his suffering on the cross, and his resurrection, Christ paid for our sins. Because he died for us, God is able to exact justice (through Christ's sacrifice) while also extending mercy (through the atonement). With the atonement, we can repent and forsake our sins, and change ourselves into better beings. The atonement is both infinite and endless, and is accessible by all men. Through Jesus Christ, we can all return to Heavenly Father. Were it not for the atonement, our sins would forever prevent us from reaching Heavenly Father, because "no unclean thing can dwell in the sight of God."

Countdown Day 49: The Fall of Man

Countdown Day 49: The Fall of Man

While Adam and Eve lived in the Garden of Eden, they were unable to physically change. Their existence was static. They didn't age, give birth, or die. It wasn't until Satan tempted Eve to eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil that her eyes were opened to understanding good and evil. As we know from 2 Nephi 2, there must be opposition in all things. For example, in order for Adam and Eve to be happy, they had to experience sadness. Long story short, Eve got Adam to partake, and they were driven from the Garden of Eden. Because of this transgression, man was now subject to pain, sin, and death. They no longer were in the presence of Heavenly Father, though He did gift them with ways to communicate with Him. However, Adam and Eve were also able to exercise their agency, as they had in the Garden, and chose to be faithful. They were able to, and did, have children, which was necessary for God's plan of salvation. If Adam and Eve had lived in the Garden forever, the plan would've been frustrated. Ironically, even Satan was used as a tool to fulfill God's plan. He continues to fulfill that role as our tempter, making our righteous choices possible by giving us a wicked choice, in opposition. Though humanity was made subject to the natural man (all of our wicked impulses and urges, our desires to be selfish and lazy, and pretty much everything bad about humans that comes as "part of the package") because of the Fall, we also had the Light of Christ, and the Holy Ghost to guide us. 

"Adam fell, that men might be, and men are that they might have joy." 

2 Nephi 2:27. 

Countdown Day 48: The Creation of Earth and Man, and the Veil

Countdown Day 48: The Creation of Earth and Man, and the Veil

Jesus Christ, under the direction of Heavenly Father, created Earth (and the rest of our known plane of existence) as a place for us to be tested in a myriad of ways. After all, we couldn't receive bodies without a place to put them, right? 

Creation went through 7 days. On the 6th day, man (Adam and Eve) was created. They were given the Garden of Eden to take care of, and learned at the knees of Heavenly Father. 

Why did they need to learn? 

Not only were Adam and Eve in a natural, innocent, childlike state, but they had forgotten the premortal existence, as all of God's children have. The reason for this is a "veil of forgetfulness" placed by God. 

If it wasn't for the veil, there would be no point in coming to earth. We wouldn't need to exercise faith in God, because we would literally know and remember that He exists. 

Countdown Day 47: The Premortal Life

Countdown Day 47: The Premortal Life

Before we lived on earth, our spirits existed in heaven in the presence of Heavenly Father. We learned and progressed there, at God's feet. We reached a point where we could no longer progress -- we needed bodies, and a chance to exercise true faith. Heavenly Father presented a plan for us to receive bodies, be tested, then return to Him. This plan required a savior. Jesus Christ volunteered, as did Lucifer, who advocated a different plan. He said he would force everybody to be obedient, and in return everybody would return to God's presence, and God's glory would be his. 

One of the main points of the plan, and our existence, was that we exercise our agency (free will) while on earth to show our faith and obedience. God chose Christ as savior, and Lucifer incited rebellion. A third of Father's children followed Lucifer, for various reasons stemming from fear and doubt. There was a war in heaven, that Lucifer lost. He and his followers were cast out, and Lucifer became known as the devil. He tries to tempt us and bring us down because we have bodies, and he doesn't. He never will. He is absolutely miserable, and can't stand for anybody to be happy. 

Countdown Day 46: I Have Seen Majesty but Once

Countdown Day 46: I Have Seen Majesty but Once

http://www.moroni10.com/mormon_history/joseph-rebukes-guards.html

The Spirit of God can affect all men. It is the purest source of charisma and confidence, and is what true power comes from. When the Spirit strives with you, your countenance changes, to reflect the member of the Godhead who walks with you. The Holy Ghost is what makes somebody -- or something -- truly majestic. 

Countdown Day 45: Ame ni mo Makezu

Countdown Day 45: Ame ni mo Makezu

"Be not defeated by the rain."

http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ame_ni_mo_Makezu

A wonderful poem, that expresses simple fundamentals of life in a beautiful way. 

I particularly like the message of perseverance, of putting others ahead of yourself, and of always helping others, regardless of place and situation. 

Countdown Day 44: Prayerful Attitude

Countdown Day 44: Prayerful Attitude

When we pray for answers, we have to pray with a correct attitude. We have to commit to accepting whatever answer we receive, regardless of it's the one we want. We need to be open to answers we hadn't thought of prior. We need to be humble, obedient, and worthy. If we're not worthy, it's difficult to discern any answers from prayer, since Heavenly Father uses the spirit to communicate with us. 

Countdown Day 43: Newsong (3 of 3)

Countdown 43: Newsong (3 of 3)

"Who is the person I want to see the most?!

The number of people I love dearly 

Will only continue growing!

That's how I become stronger~

We haven't heard enough of our story, 

For us to say, "That's it, I'm no Shakespeare." 

Because all of us should be ourselves.

That's just another way we grow stronger. 

We just want to be stronger."

We are all unique, and different. There's beauty in our variety... No single person comes up with all the good ideas. No one artist paints every masterpiece. If we stay true to ourselves we'll eventually find the thing that is unique to ourself -- our strength. The only way we can grow stronger is to accept ourselves. 

If we want to use the atonement, we have to recognize our failings, and reach out to Christ so he can help us overcome them. 

Countdown Day 42: Newsong (2 of 3)

Countdown Day 42: Newsong (2 of 3)

"Made up of jumbled up tunes, 

We are all creatures worthy of love. 

Even if we can't write a song, our hearts will still sing. 

After enduring many storms, 

Are we still creatures worthy of love? 

Even if we sometimes lie, our hearts will be honest... 

We've all been lied to, and hurt before...

But haven't we also told lies, and hurt others?"

No matter how imperfect we are, a humans, we seek to improve, as children of God. We make mistakes and lie and hurt people. We're confusing creatures, mixed up and thrown around. We endure many storms, but we're still treasures, each one of us. No matter how many times we fail, we'll get back up and try again. That's our part of the bargain. In return, God will help us (which is called grace) and we can access the atonement. Ultimately, the atonement is the greatest force for change in existence. 

Countdown Day 41: Newsong (1 of 3)

Countdown Day 41: Newsong (1 of 3)

"Who is the person you want to see the most? 

The number of people you hold dear, 

Will only continue to grow! 

That's how you become stronger." 

We garner strength from our bonds with others. When we truly love another, we will push ourselves harder to speak kinder, be present more, and generally be better human beings. True love will improve us as individuals. The more people we love, the better we'll become -- the stronger we'll grow. In life, we accumulate loved ones. In life, we increase our strength. In life, we learn to love. 

Countdown Day 40: Undone (1 of 2)

Countdown Day 40: Undone (1 of 2)

"Come undone,

Surrender is stronger.

I don't need to be the hero tonight. 

We all want love, 

We all want honor. 

But no one wants to pay the asking price." 

In life, we can't always be the hero. Sometimes, we lack the requisite skills, and other times, we are in danger ourselves. But, there is one person who will always be our hero, no matter what our situation is. He will never fail us. 

A large part of life is learning to surrender, to come undone and lay our pride down. We have to learn to give ourselves up and be humble. The atonement is a force for change. Pride dictates we don't change. In order to exercise the atonement, we have to humble ourselves. The scriptures say we offer up a broken heart, and a contrite spirit -- and that's exactly what we're talking about. 

Even though we can't pay the price of our own sins, Christ can, and did! How magnificent.