Women and the Argument for the Priesthood

   

              Alright, it's been like 6 1/2 months since I've written, however, I've felt inclined to write about this topic for some time and I am finally doing it. It's really quite simple, but let's start a ways back, just for basic background to those who may not know basic church history/doctrine. 

              *** If you are a member that knows the basic doctrine of the restoration, then you can skip down to where it turns blue.

             When Christ was on the earth like 2000 years ago, He didn't come down here to just hang out and make people feel nice, He had a lot of missions to accomplish in a very short amount of time. One of those being, to establish and build up His church, The Church of Jesus Christ, the one and only true church. Now as we know, a lot of people didn't agree with Him, His teachings, or the men that He called and ordained to be His apostles. Why did he even call apostles?  Well, to give them authority (priesthood) to act in His name and help Him run His church and teach the people pure doctrine! It's all through the Bible, God calls prophets and apostles to teach and guide the people back to Him. 

            Anyways, as we know, Christ, His teachings, and His apostles were constantly rejected by the majority of the world. Even before Christ died, in His church, people didn't always agree, but Christ and the apostles were there to lay it down straight and the people could accept it or leave. Well, Christ was killed to atone for the sins of the people. So what happened to His church? Well, our Savior had planned ahead when He had called and ordained His apostles to run His church. He had given them the priesthood authority, or the authority to act in His name. (Luke 9:1-6). 

            Unfortunately, there is a pattern where God calls a prophet (or apostles) and the people reject them and usually kill them. Then the world is in the dark for awhile (also called apostasy), but because God is merciful and loves us, He calls another prophet to bring light and lead and guide the people of the world in Godly truth. Well the people rejected, imprisoned, and killed the apostles of God. Without the priesthood keys that the apostles held, the church fell into a state of apostasy, because there was no one with authority there receiving direct revelation from God on how to lead the church or people of the world. This literally brought the people into the "Dark Ages."

             As the pattern continues, God being ever merciful, He called another prophet to the Earth in the year 1823, his name being Joseph Smith Jr. (If you have questions about this, ask the missionaries or go to lds.org or mormon.org).  Jesus Christ and God the Father appeared to Joseph Smith and Joseph Smith was given the priesthood keys and was called to restore the true church of Jesus Christ. The church of Jesus Christ is now known as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was revealed that this would be the last dispensation, or in other words, the last time period in which we have a prophet and priesthood keys on the Earth until Christ comes again. The authority will not be taken again and the church will not fall again before the Savior comes! Hence the latter-days.

           History constantly repeats itself. Here we are in 2014, a time where the people think they know everything, regardless of what history says or what the Bible or Book of Mormon say. People disagree with a piece of doctrine and try to change it. They either end up leaving the church (and maybe starting their own church) or they realize they aren't in control of Christ's church and that the church of Christ will not and cannot be peer pressured to change its doctrine to please every Tom, Dick, and Harry. For those of you who would like a church that mixes true doctrine with the philosophies of men, there are plenty of those, but the LDS church isn't it. 

          Now the point of this whole blog post is that Christ gave his keys to His prophet Joseph Smith Jr., Joseph then passed it to the apostles and it was passed to the succeeding prophet and apostles until now. Today President Thomas S. Monson holds the priesthood keys. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is here claiming to have the priesthood keys and to be the church of Jesus Christ. So dear women (and men that are in agreement with the ordination of women), if you believe all that was mentioned above and that President Monson holds the priesthood keys, then don't you think a true prophet of God would give women the priesthood if God told him to? If he is a true prophet, then I'm sure that, if commanded to do so, he would... or he'd probably be struck down. 

         Now, if you think that President Monson is just hogging the priesthood all to the men and himself, then deep down you probably don't believe him to be true prophet of God. Therefore, you are arguing to have something that doesn't exist, you are arguing to gain priesthood keys from a false prophet. False prophet = False priesthood keys.

       So which is it? I mean the whole argument is invalid and either of the above answers won't get you the priesthood just because you think and say that you want it and "should" have it. I think that the definition of "should" is defined by Christ, since it is His church. The Lord's church isn't run as a democracy. The prophet is here acting as Christ's mouthpiece and has to guide the world in these latter-days. If you believe that, then trust that the prophet and apostles would give the priesthood to women if the Lord commanded them.                                 

       This a church of questions, it's how this church came about. The problem happening right now is not that things are being questioned, it's that people aren't accepting the answer God is giving through His prophet. Picketing and peer pressure do not change the answers and at this point these women and men for ordain women are not asking questions, they are demanding and publicly defying and mocking The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and its ordained leaders. 

        I hope that these people will come back to their basic beliefs and not let pride become between them and the blessings that await them as faithful saints of Jesus Christ. Having love between members, regardless of opinions, is so critical. Let us not forget that poor choices don't equal a bad person. If members and non-members alike can remember to exemplify Jesus Christ and treat each other with respect and love, then all will be made right.

By: Natasha C.

            

         

             

             

Bloom Where You're Planted

   

                

How many of you have felt trapped by your circumstances? I know that there have been times where I felt trapped. Sometimes life seems unfair and it is. At times it seems like some people have had a perfect life since birth and others were put in the midst of chaos and dysfunction. However true or untrue that may be, we can bloom where we are planted.

This blog is in no way to be any type of personal pity party, the purpose of sharing personal experiences is to help others in difficult circumstances know that they can be what they want to be.
Growing up I had a lot of influences pulling me in different directions. I was born out of wedlock to young parents that were trying to figure things out. Was that a rocky start to my life? Sure. Did alcohol and substance abuse negatively effect my family? Yes, but I don't condemn my parents, because they had their own trials and shoes to walk in, but yes their decisions made my childhood harder. Much of my childhood was surrounded by things of the world. From a young age I knew that I wanted different. God placed my step grandparents into my life just in time for me to see that there was some better way of life. Before my 8th birthday I had realized that the thing that set their life apart from the rest of my family was the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. They lived it. Another thing that I was able to recognize as a child was the importance of school.

God blessed me with the ability to see things on a bigger scale, I knew that if I did well in school and lived by the Lord's standards that my life would be different. To do this took a lot of work. It's so easy to fall into the ways of the world and all of it's temptations. It's easier not to do your homework than to do it. It's easier to go to sleep in or go to the movies on Sunday than attend church (especially at first).
This is one of Satan's deceptions, things appear to be easier in the moment, but in the end, life is so much harder. A little extra work in the present makes life so much easier in the long run!

There is a scripture that helped me hold my head up through trial and temptation 1Cor. 10:13 "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it."
I know that God never gives us more than we can handle, so if you've been given a lot to go through, YOU are strong enough to bloom right where you are! God does not set us up to fail. God loves You. YOU can succeed! I know the restored gospel of Jesus Christ changes us from inside out! I know that Heavenly Father has a plan for each one of us and we can choose to wither away and let our circumstances stomp us or be used as a crutch or we can bloom where we are planted! What will you choose?

Repentance

This past week my mission companions and I were talking about repentance with Godly sorrow versus worldly sorrow. This is such an important subject, because it has two completely different outcomes. So what's the difference?

Worldly sorrow is something that comes from getting caught or from simply knowing that it's wrong and simply knowing you should repent. Worldly sorrow stems from pride, peer pressure, and shame. There is no desire to change when we have worldly sorrow and we won't change until we come to a realization of the love that god has for us.

Godly sorrow is something that comes from knowing the characteristics of God and understanding his love and desires for us. There is a distinct difference between being caught or just knowing that what we're doing is wrong and rotely "repenting," versus the realization that what you are doing disrespects your Heavenly Father and your life that He has given you. It's realizing that you love God and want to please Him because you simply love him. You love god so it hurts you to know that you are disrespecting Him and his wishes. Godly sorrow brings a sincere desire to change and a willingness to submit to every requirement for forgiveness. Godly sorrow stems from humility, love, and submissiveness. When you reach the point of not caring what anyone else in the world thinks of you, but only caring what God thinks of you, then you've reached Godly sorrow. No consequence is too great or humiliating. None of it matters anymore because you want to be right with God again.

When we repent with humility, sincerity, and a love for our Heavenly Fathers commandments, we can then be set free and washed clean of the sin that tempts and plagues us.

I chose to use these pictures from the story of the adulteress woman in the Bible, because I can see all 3 aspects of what I said above. To begin, the woman was peer pressured and forced by the hypocritical and judgmental world. She was placed in front of a loving and perfect Savior and I believe she instantly felt His perfect love for her, which brought upon her Godly sorrow because she instantly loved Him. She was compelled to be humble, but nevertheless humbled herself to the Lord and repented and forsook her sins and returned to them no more.

The Lord is perfectly merciful and just and I'm so grateful that I can repent when I do wrong.

Light of Christ vs. Gift of the Holy Ghost

   

                

Every person has something good in them, it's called the light of Christ. The light of Christ is in all of us because every single person on this Earth had already chosen to follow Jesus Christ in the pre-mortal life (read my blog on the Human Experience to learn more about pre-mortal life). We are now here living life on Earth and all searching for something more. We are all searching for our purpose and how to fulfill our purpose, consciously or not.

When we hear truth, the light of Christ is ignited, things begin to sound familiar! “The Spirit of Christ is given to every man, that he may know good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God. . . . And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the light by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same judgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged” (Moroni 7:16, 18).

Now the other way we can recognize truth is by the Holy Spirit, also known as the Holy Ghost, the third member of the Godhead. The Holy Ghost is a spirit personage without a body of flesh and bones. The Holy Ghost's job is to testify of the truth and of the Father and the Son. Before baptism we feel the power of the Holy Ghost working on us and testifying to us so that we can make decisions to align our will with the Fathers. After Baptism by the authority of Jesus Christ, we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.

1 Nephi 10:19 For he that diligently seeketh shall find; and the mysteries of God shall be unfolded unto them, by the power of the Holy Ghost, as well in these times as in times of old, and as well in times of old as in times to come; wherefore, the course of the Lord is one eternal round.

The power or influence of the Holy Ghost is different than the gift of the Holy Ghost. When we have faith and are baptized we are also confirmed by the laying on of hands to receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. Acts 8:17- Then laid they their hands on them, and they received the Holy Ghost.

 Before baptism the Holy Ghost comes to testify, but leaves afterwards. The gift of the Holy Ghost is to have the constant companionship of the Holy Ghost when we are worthy. "To be worthy to have the help of the Holy Ghost, we must seek earnestly to obey the commandments of God. We must keep our thoughts and actions pure." Gospel Principles, (2011), 120–24.
During our mortal journey, God has made a way for us to recognize and know his truths. There is no GPS or other technology that can ever come close to the guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit!! I know that we need to follow the promptings that we receive from the Holy Ghost and that when we do, we will be led to happiness. I'm grateful for the light of Christ, especially as a missionary because it's amazing to watch the light be ignited when people here truth, the Spirit does that. And I'm grateful to have been baptized by one holding authority and to have been given the Gift of the Holy Ghost by the laying on of hands. I'm grateful for God's plan and this gift to guide me back to Him.
3Nephi 12:6- And blessed are all they who do hunger and thirst after righteousness, for they shall be filled with the Holy Ghost.

Know Ye Not That Your Body is a Temple?

Hello world,
Did you know that we are God's greatest creation? It is true!!!Of the Creation, President Dieter F. Uchtdorf said: "We are the reason he created the universe!..
"This is a paradox of man: compared to God, man is nothing; yet we are everything to god. Knowing that Jesus Christ created the earth for us because we mean everything to Heavenly Father can help us increase our love for them."

We've been blessed with bodies 1 Cor. 6:19 What? Know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost that which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?
We've been given the greatest gift, it's called a body! As previously discussed in my blog on Modest is Hottest, we would never want to deface our temple bodies!!

This brings me to a different aspect of bodies being a temple, keeping the Word of Wisdom. In The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, we follow an inspired health standard from God to keep our bodies at their best! So what does it consist of?


Here are a few do's and don'ts:
We DO want to exercise regularly to keep our body fit to make a good place for the Spirit to dwell and to stay physically able and healthy!

We DO want to eat healthy so that we can feel good, have energy, and be in good health!

We DO want to do all things in moderation, why? Because even if something is good, it should be in moderation, we couldn't live off of carrots only! We find peace and happiness when our lives are in balance.

We DON'T want to put harmful or addictive substances into our bodies, legal or not. Why? Because we lose our power and give the control to a substance! For example, we do Not drink alcohol, coffee, or tea, We do Not do drugs or anything like unto it. A lot of people think to themselves, "Coffee?!" Well I'll ask you a question, how many people do you know that feel like they can't start the day without it? Or get headaches when they don't have it? ... That is a sign of addiction and loss of control over the body.

This sounds like a checklist, but it's more than that. Our Heavenly Father has given us health laws to teach us how to care for our bodies. The scriptures tell us about god's laws: "No temporal commandment gave I..., for my commandments are spiritual" (D&C 29:35). This means that his commandments concerning our physical state are for spiritual good. When we keep the Lord's law of health and obey his other commandments, the Lord promises to bless us physically and spiritually. Gospel Principles, (2011), 167–72

We are happy and healthy when we keep God's law and take care of the gift that He has given us. Our bodies are sacred and deserve to be treated as such! I KNOW that this commandment brings happiness! I've seen the effects that substance abuse and addiction can have on a family. These things do not bring lasting joy, they try to imitate happiness, but only the gospel of Jesus Christ can bring lasting happiness, when we act upon God's laws.
If you or anyone you know are struggling with addiction, there is help! I know that all can be healed if they so desire and put their faith in Christ. If you need help or have questions please contact me or visit and talk to a specialist at  http://addictionrecovery.lds.org/?lang=eng!

Faith

                     

People talk about faith all the time, but what is faith? Is faith simply believing or is it an action? 

"Desire is a particle of faith that develops within us as we experience divine truth. It is like spiritual photosynthesis. The influence of the Holy Ghost, acting on the Light of Christ within every human being, produces the spiritual equivalent of a chemical reaction—a stirring, a change of heart, or a desire to know. Hope develops as particles of faith become molecules and as simple efforts to live true principles occur."

In the Book of Mormon in the book of Alma chapter 32, Alma the prophet compares faith to a seed. There is a lot to learn from this chapter, here are few things I learned from this chapter:

1. That we only need a particle of faith to come to gain faith and come to know something, that particle of faith is desire.
2. Faith is in things not seen.
3. If it is a good seed, your bosom will burn and your mind will be enlightened.
4. Faith means action, you must experiment upon the things that you desire to know.
5. Desire becomes faith, faith becomes knowledge.
6. Having a knowledge in one thing, doesn't mean our nourishing and growing stops.
7. When we neglect the plant, it will dwindle aka when we neglect our faith, it dwindles.
8. Just because undernourished faith dwindles, doesn't make those things any less true.
9. It takes diligence and patience to nourish the word.
10. After our patience and long-suffering we receive the reward.

"As patterns of obedience develop, the specific blessings associated with obedience are realized and belief emerges. Desire, hope, and belief are forms of faith, but faith as a principle of power comes from a consistent pattern of obedient behavior and attitudes. Personal righteousness is a choice. Faith is a gift from God, and one possessed of it can receive enormous spiritual power."

Sometimes we let our guard down and our faith wavers, but never forget the things you do know! In times of trial, think of the times you felt the Spirit testify and hold your ground! Our faith is tested, but when we are diligent and patient and continue abounding in good works we will receive the fruits of our labors. Stay true to the faith you already have and continue to build upon what has already been built! When in doubt, just look at all blessings and knowledge that you've already received through your faithfulness and continue to nourish your faith! Faith is both belief and action, it can't be one or the other!

Remember that we are spiritual beings on a human experience. It is but a small moment in the eternities.. sometimes that grain of sand looks like a mountain. Lucky for us our faith can move mountains!

"In this Church, what we know will always trump what we do not know. And remember, in this world, everyone is to walk by faith."

Check out mormon.org or lds.org or message me at tash.carrell@facebook.com

¿Qué es un mormón?

                    

Hola todos! Aqui en la misión, mucha gente nos conoce como “Mormones”. Es un apodo que tenemos pero que signifíca? A ver! Soy miembro de La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Ultimos Dias. Mucha gente dice “La Iglesia Mormona”. 

-Creen los mormones en Jesucristo? Claro que si! La Iglesia se llama “La Iglesia de JESUCRISTO de Los Santos de Los Ultimos Dias. 

-Creen en la Biblia los mormones? Si! Usamos la traducción Reina Valera. 

Pero mucho gente piensa que tenemos algo que reemplaza La Biblia. No es cierto. Lo que tenemos es algo que se llama El Libro de Mormon. Es otro testament de Jesucristo, no esta aqui para reemplazar. Este libro contiene la plenitude del Evangelio, junto con La Biblia. Es un registro de las profecias de Jesucristo y una historia de las personas de la Americas Antiguas.

-Creen en la gracia de Jesucristo? Si, claro! Sabemos que por la gracia de Jesus resucitaremos y viviremos para siempre. Conquistaremos la muerte fisisca tal como El la conquistó.
 -Tienen fe los de la Iglesia Mormona? Si hermanos, tenemos fe! Fe es una palabra con muchas definiciones. Pero para nosotros, la fe es creer en algo que se espera y no se ve. Es actuar y mostrarle a Dios que crees que El existe.
-Y los Mormones adoran a este Jose Smith, verdad? NO!!! Lo estimamos como profeta de Dios. Igual que a Moises, Noe, o cualquier de los Santos Profetas del Señor. Lo respetamos como a la Virgin Maria, quien es la madre de Jesus. Pero no lo adoramos. Ni oramos a el. Solo adoramos a Dios el Padre y a Jesucristo.
-Entonces..que es lo que les hace diferente? A eso voy.. mira.
       •Sabemos que Jesus ha restaurado su Iglesia a la tierra otra fez. Es la misma Iglesia que El habia establecido durante su ministerio terrenal. Lee el Libro de Efesios!
       •El poder del Sacerdocio, que el poder de Dios dado al hombre, también se ha restaurado cuando Jesucristo llamo y el Profeta Jose Smith y dio su autoridad para actuar en su nombre.
       •Dios nos ha dado otro libro de Escritura Sagrada (El Libro de Mormon) para trabajar mano a mano con La Biblia.
                                                                              
      •La Iglesia de Jesucristo de Los Santos de Los Ultimos Dias es La Iglesia del Señor en la tierra hoy en dia.
      •Entendemos que Dios El Padre, Su hijo Jesucristo, y el Espíritu Santos son seres diferentes. Dios el Padre tiene un cuerpo perfecto y glorificado. Jesucristo también tiene un cuerpo así. Sin embargo, El Espíritu Santo no tiene cuerpo porque mora en nosotros. Todos los miembros de La Trinidad comparten el mismo propósito.
-Son Cristianos? Si. Un Cristiano es alguien que cree en Jesuscristo.
-Que hacen los misioneros mormones? Dejamos nuestras familias por un period de tiempo (18 meses-2 años) para compartir el Evangelio Restaurado con todo el mundo. Sabemos la veracidad del mensaje y sabemos que bendecirá las vidas de todos los que lo acepten.
 -Y que pasa despues de la misión? Regresamos a la vida normal. Seguimos como miembros de la iglesia. Pero ya no salimos todos los dias a tocar puertas. Siempre compartimos el Evangelio. Despues de la mission, nos casamos, estudiamos, trabajamos. Les prometo que somos normales
-Tienen muchas esposas? Nope. Hay apóstatas que si las tienen. Pero nosotros no.
-Tuvo su poligamia práctica de la iglesia? Sí, que se remonta al padre de Abraham. Pero más recientemente, sí los primeros santos del Evangelio restaurado practicaban la poligamia, pero ya no es una parte de nuestra iglesia. Como se ha visto a través de la Biblia y el Libro de Mormón, Dios tiene a su pueblo practican la poligamia y los comandos que se detuvo. Creo que él puede hacer eso ya que él es Dios.
-Son racistas los mormones? No. Aceptamos a todos. Dios obra en su debido tiempo. Es posible para todos ser parte de La Iglesia verdadera del Señor.

Matrimonio en el templo

-Que es el templo? Por que no pueden entrar todos? El templo es un lugar sagrado. Es la casa del Señor, literalmente. Adentro de los muros del temple, se efectuan ordenanzas sagradas. Los bautizmos por los muertos se hacen en el templo. Lee 1 Corintios 15. Miembros dignos de La Iglesia también se casan el el templo. Es algo que se llama “el Sellamiento. Esta sagrada ordenanza, efectuado por la autoridad del Sacerdocio por alguien que ha sido llamado y apartado, dura por toda la eternidad.

Matrimonio Eterno

Ni la muerte puede separar la pareja si viven dignamente. 1Corinitos 3:17 
-Se salvan por las obras? Las obras no nos salvan. Cristo nos salva. Pero sabemos que la fe sin obras es muerta es si misma. Santiago 2. 
-Son Salvos? Si pero hay más que decir al respect. Uno no se salva al decir una oración especial, ni al bautizarse. Los que viven los mandamientos y reciben la palabra de Dios con sinceridad se salvarán. Si aceptamos a Cristo en nuestro Corazon, vamos a seguir Su ejemplo. Estoy bien agradecida por la oportunidad de compartir el Evangelio Restaurado de Jesucristo y de contester muchas preguntas. Sé que los que buscan la verdad la hallarán gracias a la Restauración del Evangelio. Amo mucho a mi Salvador, Jesucristo!