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Reflections on the Atonement of Jesus Christ

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It is a tenant of our faith that “We believe that through the Atonement of Christ, all mankind may be saved, by obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel” ( AF 1:3 ). Yea, the Atonement was wrought for all of us, and there are none that do not have access to it; for, “God is no respecter of persons” ( Acts 10:34 ) and “he denieth none that come unto him, black and white, bond and free, male and female… all are alike unto God” ( 2 Ne 26:33 ). “For Jesus died on Calvary, that all thru Him might ransomed be” ( Hymn 177 , emphasis added). Indeed, Jesus Christ, Himself, speaking of His Atonement said, “For, behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all” ( D&C 19:16 ). He atoned for you and He atoned for me; He atoned for everyone. There is no one too far gone, no one too shrouded in sin, no one past the point of no return. We all fall short; we are all imperfect; we are all at the mercy of His Atonement. That’s why we are here; that’s why we partake of the sacram
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Goal Setting in 2018

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As this year comes to a close, let us look back with fondness no matter the hardships 2017 may have brought us; let us remember, as we press forward, that every trial, every problem, and every challenge we weather changes who we are and molds us into the person that God wants us to become. As we look forward to 2018, let us do so with renewed hope and courage; let us be eager for every new experience this year will bring, and set goals to help ourselves improve in every aspect of our lives. Goal setting is extremely important if we want to accomplish our dreams, and can be especially helpful as we enter a new year.  Elder M. Russell Ballard said it best, “I am so thoroughly convinced that if we don’t set goals in our life and learn how to master the techniques of living to reach our goals, we can reach a ripe old age and look back on our life only to see that we reached but a small part of our full potential. When one learns to master the principles of setting a goal, he will
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The Christmas Story

For me, Christmas is a time for reflection. I reflect on the Supreme Gift that our Father in Heaven has given us. I reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I reflect on how I can more fully be His disciple. I reflect on the Christmas Story and how I can apply the lessons therein to my life. This Christmas in particular, I thought about Joseph. I put myself in his shoes. What would it have been like to know that I was chosen to raise the Son of God? How apprehensive would I have been? What a sacred trust! Surely he felt that weight rest more and more upon his shoulders with each step towards Bethlehem. And then when that holiest of nights came, all he could muster was a stable for shelter and a manger for a bed. How he must have felt: the feelings of inadequacy, of not measuring up, of failing to provide. I say this not to beat up on Joseph. Joseph was a great man, and I admire Joseph. I speculate on this because that’s how I would have felt. And yet, everythi
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A Tribute to President Thomas S. Monson, A Navy Veteran

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President Thomas S. Monson was a great man, whom I admire tremendously, but now he's with his darling Frances, whom he missed so dearly. I enjoyed listening to him speak; I enjoyed his stories, his voice inflections and facial expressions. He had a great sense of humor from the pulpit. I remember sitting in the Priesthood Session of General Conference and watching him wiggle his ears. I know he was a prophet of God, not because that’s what the Church teaches nor because I know President Hinckley was a Prophet of God and therefore would make logical sense that his successor would be as well. I know for myself. I watched that first General Conference after President Hinckley passed away and saw the mantle pass to President Monson. I felt it deep within my heart, and I knew then that he was indeed a prophet of God. I related to President Monson more than anyone else I’ve heard speak in conference. His stories always spoke to me, especially the stories of his naval service duri
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Heeding a Prophet's Voice

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During this past Conference, I reflected on where I am on the path back to Our Father above, and how much further ahead I want to be; on who I am now and who I could be. As I reflected more, I eventually questioned: “On a scale from Laman to Nephi, how much do I actually Listen to a Prophet’s voice?” “When I turn off the tv following conference, do I follow his counsel or do I continue to be the same person I was prior to his talk?” As I continued to ponder question after question, I arrived at three basic but important questions about Prophets, which I would like to focus on today: 1.What is a Prophet? 2. Why are Prophets important? 3. How can we sustain the Prophet? What Is a Prophet? Surely, he is a man, just like us. He makes mistakes and has flaws, just like us. But unlike us, he was called to that holy calling by the Lord, and the Lord qualifies whom He calls. Alma, a prophet from the Book of Mormon, explained what this call entails: For I am called to spe
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The Christmas Story

For me, Christmas is a time for reflection. I reflect on the Supreme Gift that our Father in Heaven has given us. I reflect on the life and ministry of Jesus Christ. I reflect on how I can more fully be His disciple. I reflect on the Christmas Story and how I can apply the lessons therein to my life. This Christmas in particular, I thought about Joseph. I put myself in his shoes. What would it have been like to know that I was chosen to raise the Son of God? How apprehensive would I have been? What a sacred trust! Surely he felt that weight rest more and more upon his shoulders with each step towards Bethlehem. And then when that holiest of nights came, all he could muster was a stable for shelter and a manger for a bed. How he must have felt: the feelings of inadequacy, of not measuring up, of failing to provide. I say this not to beat up on Joseph. Joseph was a great man, and I admire Joseph. I speculate on this because that’s how I would have felt. And yet, everythi
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