Love One Another

     Somebody related a story to me this week that really impacted me and made me think about the effect our actions have on others. Without going into detail about what exactly happened, suffice it to say, that two well meaning people were treated harshly by those they were trying to help.
     As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints I served a two year mission a bunch of years ago. I know what it's like to be ridiculed and harassed by those I was trying to help. I even know what it's like to have somebody spit in my face.
     A few lessons that I picked up on after hearing about the experience:

• We should be more tolerant towards others that have a different belief system
• We should always treat others with kindness and respect
• Our actions have consequences. The pain we cause in others may have lifetime effects

   John 13:34  " A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another."

Have you heard of Enos?

   Do you know who Enos is? If you are not a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, you probably do not. Enos was a prophet from the Book of Mormon, he was also the son of Jacob, who was also a prophet.This story takes place about 420BC in the Americas.
   I'll tell you a cool story about Jacob.(And this story is found in the book of Enos in the Book of Mormon., btw) Enos was taught by his father Jacob about the Lord, but, as you know, nobody but the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is perfect. Jacob felt guilty about the sins he had committed in his life.
   One day, Enos went hunting for food, and while out in the wilderness, began to think about all of the things his father Jacob had taught him about eternal life and returning to live with God. Enos felt like he had to pray for forgiveness. he prayed all day long. He cried unto the Lord, and even when nightfall came, he continued to pray and raised his voice to the heavens. After a while, a voice said to him, "Enos, thy sins are forgiven thee, and thou shalt be blessed." Enos knew that God could not lie and felt that his sins had been forgiven him, but he still wondered, and asked, "Lord, how is it done?" And the Lord said, " Because of thy faith in Christ, whom thou hast never before heard or seen. And many years shall pass away before he shall manifest himself in the flesh; wherefore, go to, thy faith had made thee whole."
   How awesome would that experience be? His is sins were forgiven because of his faith in Christ. I know that this really happened, not because some person told me it happened, but because I have asked Heavenly Father if it happened. I have received an answer through the still small voice of the Holy Ghost. You can know to. Go ahead and ask Him. He'll let you know as long as you ask with faith with a sincere desire to know.

If you'd like to learn more about the Book of Mormon or about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints go to mormon.org.

How have ye forgotten?

In the Book of Mormon, two brothers, Laman and Lemuel complain about everything, are disobedient and even give their younger brother Nephi a beating. This, after they have successfully retrieved the geneological records of their family from big bad Laban, who surely would have killed them if he could have. The Lord blessed them significantly. I like the scripture in 1Nephi, Chapter 7, verse 11..."How is it ye have forgotten what great things the Lord hath done for us...?" 

How often do we get blessed by the Lord in our lives and we fail to recognize his hand in those blessings? How often do we receive a blessing and then turn around the next minute and do something less than righteous. When we are obedient to the Lord and when we are grateful for the things that he has given us or the opportunities that are presented to us, that is when we show our true appreciation. It is one thing to say a prayer of thanks, it is a completely different way of showing gratitude when you do so with your actions. Many people call this "paying it forward", I call it gratitude.

Gotta Have Faith!

No, I'm not referring to the George Michael song from the 80's. I mean real, genuine, faith in God. Seriously, you gotta have it. Why? Well, in Matthew 6:30 Jesus was giving his Sermon on the Mount and he said, " Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, sahll he not much more clothe you? O ye of little faith" and in 31 continues, "Therefore take no thought, saying What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?" Basically, if God cares so much for something like grass (that we perceive to be insignifacant), how much more do you think he cares about us as His children living here on earth?  This is one thing I am learning this week as I recently began taking classes online to get my business degree. I need to stop being so fearful, which is the opposite of faith. I need to trust more in God, that he will help me as I strive to build my relationship with Jesus Christ. I hope you will trust more in Him and the plan He has for you too. And He does have a plan for you.

Hello World!

   Hi! and thanks for visiting my blog! Who is LDS Dude? Well, I am of course! LDS because I am a member fo the church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Many people call us Mormons because we believe in the Book of Mormon as well as the Bible. We believe that with these two very important books that God has given us, we have all the truths necessary to return to our Heavenly Father's Presence! Isn't that awesome? I think so too!

   Going back to the explanation of LDS Dude. I say Dude a lot. I can't help it, I was born and raised in Southern California. We say dude for everything, or at least I dude. Sometimes I even call my kids dude. " Hey Dude, did you make your bed?" My wife frowns on this usage of the word dude.

   Anyway, again, welcome to my blog. I will try to post here often. Feel free to ask me any questions you may have about the the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (the official name of my church) If you are respectful and genuinely want an answer to your question, I'll be happy to do my best to answer it.