Whose Team Are You On?

"The future of this world has long been declared; the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is absolutely no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is that we are still down here on the field trying to decide which team's jersey we want to wear!"

(This quote is attributed to Elder Jeffrey R Holland but I'm really struggling to find the actual talk it was given in. If anyone can point me in the right direction, that would be great! Regardless of who said it, it's a fantastic quote.)

There's been a lot going on in the world lately. The fight for and against gay marriage. The LDS Church's policy change regarding children of homosexual parents. Terrorist attacks in Paris and Beirut. The war in Iraq. The war in Syria. The fight against ISIS. All of this has led me to reflect on the belief I share with others of the LDS faith as well as other Christians: that Christ will appear on the earth for the second time and that the world will become a pretty scary place to live leading up to that moment.

As far as war and natural disasters go, there's not a whole lot you can do except practice emergency protocols and first aid, create a food storage, keep 72 hour kits, etc. You can choose to fight only in defense of freedom and your loved ones. However, the fact remains that in those situations, you very well might die. And that's what scares me.

Not because I fear death. I believe in an after life that's more glorious than you can imagine. And if this life gets even half as scary as I can imagine, death might be preferable. But the future (and I'm going to replace this with that glorious after life I mentioned) is only, in the words of Pres.Thomas S. Monson, "as bright as your faith." (https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2009/04/be-of-good-cheer?lang=eng). 

Am I spiritually prepared to die and meet God? Do I have a strong enough testimony to stand strong in a world of declining morals? Will I still stand strong when even the elect will be deceived (Matt. 24:24)? Sometimes being politically correct can keep you from answering these questions with a firm yes. Of course we need to be respectful of people and love our neighbors. But in standing up for eternal truth, you can not please everyone. Christ set the ultimate example in loving everyone around him, but he also stood firm in what he knew was right. 

We know who wins this battle between good and evil! As a Christian, I know that Christ will come again, and when he does, he will destroy the wicked. I don't know about you, but I want to be on his side. We need to put on the jerseys of good (the armor of God...Ephesians 6). We need to pray always, read the scriptures, go to church, listen to the Spirit, and defend truth. 

My goal is to be on the winning team. Will you join me?

Italian Stuffed Chicken

This was a definite pinterest success. I found the idea here: http://www.barbellsandbellinis.com/2013/05/roasted-red-pepper-mozzarella-and-basil.html  

I used this recipe as a base, but then I changed it up a bit.

Ingredients: 

3 Chicken breasts

1 Red bell pepper

Fresh spinach or baby spinach

1 medium tomato

Shredded mozzarella cheese (or fresh sliced)

Basil (preferably fresh, but I used dry and it was still great)

Italian seasoning

Grated Parmesan cheese (I used the dry powdered kind)

Salt and pepper

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350. Slice red pepper into strips and saute with black pepper. Set aside. Butterfly chicken breasts by slicing from the long side and cutting almost all the way through, stopping just before the other side. Grease a 9x13 glass baking dish. Open chicken and place in pan. Sprinkle with basil and Italian seasoning. On one half of the butterfly, place 3 strips of red pepper, 2 slices of tomato, a handful of spinach, and mozzarella cheese. 

 Close the top flap of the chicken and sprinkle with more Italian seasoning, salt and black pepper.

Bake chicken for 30-40 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from oven, and turn oven to broil. Sprinkle top of chicken with mozzarella cheese and Parmesan cheese. Broil for 5 minutes or until cheese is golden and bubbly. Enjoy!

How Seventh Day Adventists Taught Me to be a Better Mormon

It's always been a goal of mine to visit churches of other faiths. I've been blessed to have always had a knowledge of the truthfulness of the LDS gospel. However, I also believe that understanding other faiths can help me become a better, more empathetic person. What I didn't expect, is that I would learn how to improve my own personal worship. 

So this morning a friend and I went to a Seventh Day Adventist worship service. It was neat to see that their beliefs are actually very similar to those of the LDS church. The first lesson I learned was at the beginning of the service. They began with everyone standing up, walking around greeting each other and welcoming everyone. The thing is, they didn't just approach their friends. Many people approached my friend and I, making us feel comfortable and welcome. It created a feeling of love throughout the room.

The second lesson I learned was in their specific greeting "Happy Sabbath." These two words said so much for me. It reminds you that it is the Sabbath and a special day. It also reminds you to have joy in worshipping.

My favorite part of the service was singing hymns. Because I had never sung these songs before, I was paying extra attention to the words and was really able to feel the Spirit. I was reminded of Doctrine and Covenants 25: 12 "For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads." I definitely felt that this was true today in that the people really seemed to be praying through song. It made me want to pay closer attention to my LDS hymns and sing them as though I'm praying.

They passed around a collection bag which I was expecting, but then they also blessed the money afterward. The wording of that prayer made me think about my tithing. Specifically they prayed that the donated money would bless the lives of others and that those who donated would have enough left for their needs. I want to be better at kind of consecrating my money to the Lord rather than just giving it up.

In another prayer, they mentioned that we had come together to "encounter the Spirit." Something about that wording made me think about how I prepare for my Sunday meetings. I need to start praying that I'll be open to the Spirit and any inspiration that may come my way. Really that's how I was able to gain these insights; I had prepared myself to learn something new. 

This was a really great experience and I'm excited to learn about others as well. Next week: Catholics!