Burger House

The name Burger House seems to be an obvious mom and pops, simple but cheap, burger joint. Oh but there is so much more to it than that. Burger House is a restaurant in Miami, AZ, right off the main highway going through town. For many passing through Miami, its easy to go right on by without a second look, but to a few it is a tradition to stop. To the common person Burger House isn't that appealing. But to me its the best of its kind in AZ. Another little known fact is that Burger House isn't known for its burgers, its known for its Mexican food. So the saying "don't judge a book by its cover" rings true for other things in this life.

One of those things is Jesus Christ.  Jesus of Nazareth was what seemed to be a simple man. Oh but there was so much more to him than that. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, just north of Jerusalem. We learn form scripture that Nazareth was not a place known for good things, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" John 1: 46. Jesus had many disciples as he taught, how many were there for him when he was crucified? " And when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.(Isaiah 53:2)" He was not famous, handsome, or wanted by most people. But to some he was who they had waited their whole life for. Jesus didn't win the Nobel Prize, he wasn't wealthy, he was much more than that. He was the greatest man that ever walked the face of the Earth. He has done more for you and I than any other person has, can and will do. He gave his life that we may all live. Today there are many that pass by Jesus Christ unaware of the blessings that come from knowing Him.
Come to know Jesus Christ better by reading the Book of Mormon, and Bible.     

Healthy and Balanced Diet for your Soul

I'm starting to see a pattern with my blogs, most involve food. So what would be a healthy and balanced diet that your spirit will be strong? Well of course the words of Christ! But we can draw spiritual nourishment from many places.

First we have the Bible, its like having a baked potato fully loaded. What about the meat? The Book of Mormon is like having a nice steak cooked to perfection. This is a great meal but we still need our vegetables, a meal is not complete without vegetables(that's for all the moms). The words of a living Prophet, will be our healthy vegetables.

Last of all but not least, dessert! Our own Revelation, prayer is an essential part of this diet, and is absolutely essential for our own personal relationship that exists with God.

Now these foods may not really relate to the gospel, but its important to always remember to feed our spirit with the things it needs. Scripture study, listening to a prophets counsel, and prayer are great ways to help your spirit grow. And don't forget to eat spiritual food, because no one likes to be hungry.

Empty Stomach

An empty stomach is never good. It makes all kinds of noise and well your hungry! Elder Houston and I were talking the other day about a sandwich that was good but it mostly just filled the emptiness. How many times do we eat and end up hungry again later? It happens everyday! That is how our spirit works as well. It gets hungry so we feed it. Sometimes we feed it with mildly good things, maybe bad things, and maybe sometimes not at all. So what is a good diet for your spirit? Lets see what the scriptures say:

"...feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do"(2 Nephi 32:3). Feast on the words of Christ. The words of Christ come in the scriptures, and a prophet. So instead of filling your spirit with stuff that is unhealthy fill it with the words of Christ, "...feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst"(Alma 32:42). Read the words that can fill our spirits and tell us everything that we should do. So go read the scriptures! And don't forget to pray! Stayed tuned for how to have a healthy and balanced diet for your soul.



M&M's

M&M's, one the greatest candies in the world, but there is something about them isn't so good.

Take a close look at these M&M characters, notice anything odd? Probably not, they look like great guys, all happy and friendly. Well at a first glance you wouldn't notice it but they have a candy coating. What does having a candy coating have to do with us? Well let me tell you.

A while back I wrote a blog about Whoppers melting, and I thought about how M&M's dont melt. Then I thought of a scripture in Ether 12:27. It goes like this: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." So if we humble ourselves we will be made strong. Back to the M&M's now, I thought about how they have that coating on the outside that kinda keeps them from melting or being humble, you could say that the coating is pride. Then what if the M&M's listened to this advice, they would put off the coating (pride), and become humble. When we become humble the Lord has promised to make our weaknesses into our strengths. So that soft chocolately center in those M&M's would be made strong, to withstand the heat of the world. In our own lives sometimes we let our pride keep us from being humble enough to accept our weaknesses, and letting the Lord build and strengthen us.

So what kind of candy would you have if the M&Ms applied this scripture in their life?

Putting All Your Faith in God

Putting all your faith in God is some what of a difficult thing to do. Having total and complete faith in God was hard for even Peter. We know that faith can move mountains, heal the sick and be a shield, but how do we obtain enough faith do these things. Alma teaches that faith can be compared to a seed, that it starts out very small but with proper nourishment and care it can one day become a magnificent tree bearing the most desirable and delicious fruit.

Here are two extreme examples of faith.

 Here we have Peter, who was invited to come to Jesus by walking on water. "And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me" (Matt 14: 29-30).

Then we have the brother of Jared in the Book of Mormon. "For the brother of Jared said unto the mountain Zerin, Remove—and it was removed. And if he had not had faith it would not have moved; wherefore thou workest after men have faith"( Ether 12:30)

What could we do if we had half the faith that these two men had? What could we do? Most cases in my life I haven't needed to remove a mountain, or walk on water. At times we can be like Peter and doubt, but when we do we have to be like Peter and ask the Lord for his help.

 To remove a mountain we would just get a big bulldozer, and a bunch of diesel. But what about the spiritual mountains that block our way? As the brother of Jared we must put our faith in God, its only a mountain, God put it there he knows how to remove it.

"With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." (Matt 19:26) With our faith in God we can do all things, we could move mountains we could walk on water, we could accomplish the impossible.

Watch Your Step

When hiking on a dangerous mountain, you might here someone say "watch your step." If you are crossing a rickety old bridge, you might here someone say "watch your step." Our prophet and apostles warn us in the same way of the worlds dangerous paths.

Sahara Desert

The Sahara Desert. A huge sand box that seems to never end. Imagine being placed in the middle of the Sahara, having never been there in your life, with a limited amount of water. Now if I had my quad I would love it. But in this case we don't have it. Which way is the best to go? How much water can I drink a day to survive the travel to safety? I have no idea. I would need a map, compass, and guide to aid me in my journey. In life we encounter similar journeys that can be spiritually more difficult than the Sahara.

So we need a few things to help us get through the deserts of life.

1. The Map. The scriptures are maps that show us where others have traveled before. They can point out sources of water or spiritual nourishment. They can help us find a route that will lead us to where we want to go.

2. The Compass. A compass is a navigational instrument for determining direction relative to the Earth's magnetic poles. A prophet is Gods chosen servant that is there to help give us direction. The prophet receives revelation from God to give direction to the entire earth.

3. The Guide. The Holy Ghost can be like your own personal guide in this life. To employ the Holy Ghost as your guide you must first have faith, that will lead you to repentance, then follow Jesus Christ into the waters of baptism, now you are prepared to receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and have him as your constant companion and guide.

 God has provided us with these tools that we may travel safely through life and the largest deserts that come before us. So next time you decide to go and get lost in the Sahara make sure you have these tools.