Going out with the Missionaries:

If you were hoping for part 2 of my post on answers to prayer, you will be disappointed(for now).  But now that I have been reminded, I'm going to have to write it soon.

Twice this week I've had the chance to go out with full time missionaries to teach a lesson...  actually it was the same lesson. The first time we were there for three hours, no actual lesson was even started. It turned into more of a Q. and A. session. The second time the missionaries were better prepared to stand their ground, so the first half of their "Plan of salvation" lesson actually ended up getting taught.

I just hope I was overall a benefit and not a detriment to the teaching of gospel truth: that "where I am" in the gospel, my struggles and prejudices and incompletely understood truths, did not subtract from the value of my testimony. In my defense, I did my best to listen for and respond to the Still Small Voice.

The funny thing? The spirit was there in greater abundance the first evening. Unscripted, we taught and testified of gospel truths and the Holy Ghost was there to affirm our witness. I don't know if the couple being taught understood what it was, but I tried to do like I was taught (all those years ago) as a missionary, and identified the spirit as being present. And it was present.

I was nervous about going in the first place, but I felt I should go to help in Gods work. I was rewarded by an enjoyable visit, and not only that, but some lingering spiritual questions of mine were answered with a reaffirmation that the organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is inspired of God. Jesus once said "If any man will do [Gods] will, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, or whether I speak of myself." I am a witness today that this principle still works.

I have a lesson to teach in Sunday-school today about how God answers our prayers. The "textbook" story is that of Zacharias and Elizabeth whose prayers to have a child are answered- but not in the timetable anyone would expect.

I've been trying to think of examples from my own life where my prayers have been answered in different ways and times.

The first example that comes to mind is one of receiving an answer quickly and having the result I hoped for. I was 15 or 16 and had gone on a Boy Scout camp to one of their organized camps, and myself and a friend (using the buddy system) were headed back from the center of the place to our troops campground. The trail we were on started to dwindle, and eventually my buddy expressed some doubt we were going th e right way. I was confident, and when he again expressed a desire to turn back and go a different way, I sent him off and continued on my own. You know where this is headed, of course. The trail got less pronounced until I was searching for signs of a trail, and then just hoping that it would pick back up again. I was lost. First I panicked for a while, and took off running until I tired, and there was no sign of trail, camp, boys, fire, or anything I hoped for. Just forest noises and the sound of the wind in the pine trees. Defeated, I got to my knees. I addressed my Heavenly Father, admitting to him that I had been stupid. I had left the safety of the trail and left my buddy behind. I asked if he would help me to find my way to camp. The fear left me and though I did not know where I was I felt confident that I would find a way and I set out, peering as far into the woods as I could see.  After 15 minutes of blindly walking, I spied a bit of blacktop, a road,through a gap in the trees. I rand toward the distant road until it fell from view, and then I kept walking in the same direction. I am not sure how long I walked, getting peeks of this road every once in a while, but eventually I walked right back into the busiest part of the camp and was able to find my way back. I had only been gone for a couple of hours and no one had even missed me.

A second example is a little harder.  I wanted to include a time when the answer to my prayer was "No", or like Zacharias, "Not right now" or even no answer at all, and talk about how the love of God is manifest in those answers too. I may have to come back and write about that later.

The following is a slightly altered version of the 23rd psalm. It came to me the last time I read it as I considered the words in contrast to Mathew 7:21-22

Not every one that saith to me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.

The question suggested is: am I the sheep of the Good Shepherd? Am I following Him? How is he trying to lead me?


If the Lord is my Shepherd

If the Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.
He will make me lie down in green pastures if I follow Him: He will lead me beside the still waters.
If I am his sheep, He will restore my soul: He will lead me in the paths of righteousness for his names sake.
Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I will fear no evil if I am with Thee; Thy rod and Thy staff, they will comfort me.
Thou canst prepare a table before me in the presence of mine enemies; Thou wilt anoint my head with oil; and my cup will run over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life if I follow the Lord: and I will dwell in the house of the lord forever, if the Lord is my shepherd.

It is easy to live a Christlike life when everything is going well.
So I guess you probably don't get much "credit" for it in Gods eyes, and it doesn't bless those around you much at all.

So you're generous when there is plenty to go around.
So you are hardworking when you feel enthusiastic.
So you are kind to those who are kind to you.

So what! Do not even the publicans and sinners do these things?

I'm feeling discouraged about some personal relationship stuff, and I'm reminding myself that its in these down times that we show our true character. And I'm praying for help, because I don't feel very charitable, generous or enthusiastic right now.

May He bless me! And may He bless you too in those times when the devils path looks easier or more satisfying in the short term. Its a trap!

This update is a little long in coming.
Responsibilities at work and at school have been time and attention consuming.
I have tried to set aside time for my little ones and my wife. the blog is just NOT that important.
I am thankful for many things. It is a blessing to be employed, and even beyond that, to be able to have an employer flexible enough to go to school while working full time. God smiles upon me and mine, in busy stressful times as well as in those of relative ease.

A prayer in poem form

I feel compelled to write again, not because of anything outside, but because in my too busy foolishness I have been drifting towards worldly desires.

O Lord, wilt Thou hear my prayer?
Forgive my sins?
Fortify me that I may not repeat them?
O Lord, God, Almighty Ruler of the universe,
Here is a weak and simple man,
quick to fall into sin and slow to repent,
but wanting to repent.
Sin sick and thirsting for the Living water which is found through thy Son.
Unworthy, but hoping to hear the words He has spoken to others:
Behold, thou art made whole: sin no more lest a worse thing come unto thee.

In the name of Jesus Christ,
hear me I pray.
One tiny voice
among millions of millions of men and women.
Thou knowest them all;
And me too.

Proving the Existence of God

I frequently like to read science related articles. I also enjoy participating in the discussions in places like Ars Technica. But invariably there are people who love to use the opportunity of some theory or interesting discovery to disparage religion, invariably claiming that science, and scientific thinking are incompatible with religion.

I can speak with specificity only to my own case, but this simply is not the case. Let me elucidate.

In any discipline there are two paths to knowledge. First the scientific method, or second, just ask someone who knows. The scientific method,(observe, hypothesize, test, observe, alter hypothesis, test... repeat), is slow, painful, and subject to a number of pitfalls from researcher bias, to faulty assumptions. Since we cannot be competent in every field (and don't have enough time to test every hypothesis) The second method is the one by which we gain a lot of our knowledge, especially abstract knowledge.

It is this second way to gain knowledge for which the faithless like to criticize believers. Even though they employ the same kind of "faith" every day. They just choose to place their faith in different sources than I do. If they find the arguments of Charles Darwin, or Carl Sagan, or the hate spewing Richard Dawkins more compelling than the arguments of Moses or Isaiah, they are still expressing faith in something they themselves did not conclude scientifically.

Heres where I take issue with them. I may "believe" in the creation story as expressed in scripture, but in day to day expression of my faith I have tested and retested my hypothesis that there is a God. I know that God exists! And furthermore, I know how anyone can come to this same knowledge. But there is a catch. God has not always answered my prayers. My observation is this: God is not willing to be treated as a curiosity. He is not willing to answer every question about everything we might want to ask. But when I express a sincere willingness to do whatever he wants me to, I have consistently found that God has revealed himself to me (as long as I followed through and kept my commitment).

There you go. If you don't believe, or just don't know if God is there, go test my hypothesis. Ask God if he exists and tell him that you will do whatever he tells you if he does exist and does reveal himself to you.

See where that gets you.