Soul Search Engine

Soul Search Engine

Plug in your thoughts and feelings to this useful device, 

Instantly you have insight, information, wisdom,

Far beyond what you have access to in your limited world.

Results called revelation ensue from faith-produced products

Such as prayer, fasting, scripture study, church attendance, service, meditation,

And a host of other inspired acts.

Free to all consumers,

We urge you to take advantage of this offer.

Sincerely Yours,

Army of Heaven

Post-it Notes

Have you ever forgotten something really important, only to realize, hours later, that you have missed a major event?

Well, if you don't have a Post-it Note ready, get one, because otherwise you will again miss a major event!

"What on earth could that major event be?"

"This kid who's writing doesn't even know me."

"I think this writer is losing his marbles...maybe he should write that on a sticky note..."

Calm down your excitement people, I will reveal the event!

"Knock, and it Shall be Opened unto You."

Another Guest post, written by one of my previous companions. Elder Skidmore, From Manalapan, New Jersey. How do you find answers in your life?

Keep Reading...

Charity, the Journey of a Lifetime

I don't know how many of you get frustrated with yourself, when you aren't developing Christlike attributes quickly. I am pretty impatient with myself. I expect a lot, in a short amount of time. Recently I have been really trying to have more charity, and while I do well some days, I draw blanks others. This quickly gets frustrating to me, and starts to discourage from my original journey.

I wonder how many people find this point, and start to lose hope.

I am here to give you that hope.

Rain on my soul!

Come from heaven, Cleanse this earth.

Dampen Fires, Clean the air.

Pour out unceasingly your blessed touch!

Give nourishment to those who thirst.

Heal the broken crags of new life.

Pour relief to the burdened ones.

Feed the mouths of those that cry out!

Save those that cannot save themselves!

Help them receive thee!

Father, Rain on my soul!

Pray for Peace, Pray for Strength.

Life is full of all sorts of challenges. Sometimes we face things that are as smooth as the glassy surface of an untouched lake, while others, toss us like the broken crags of a lifeless desert.
Recently my life has looked more like the desert from the outside. I had a loved one, who recently went through some trauma. Being hundreds of miles away, I felt helpless.  Like I was unable to do a thing to calm the storms in those I love's lives.
Work out here in the "field", also has it's ups and downs as well. During that time I also had many trials with the ones I have grown to love here, where I was here and able to help, but rejected in the ways I tried.
My instant reaction, is "Why?" "Why could I not have been there to help her?" "Why could I not be there to comfort my family?" "Why won't these people accept my help?" "Why do I try so hard if I am just going to fail?" "What purpose could God have in making my family and my investigators go through this?" "Why could he not just protect them?"
As I was thinking, that I had done everything I could have on my mission to have my family blessed, and have the Lords blessings poured upon my family, and as I was struggling to have a positive attitude towards my struggling work.  I was having a rough time, and as I teach many people every day.
I turned to God in prayer. And as I prayed to my Father, he poured his peace/love down upon me. I knew that he held my family in his protective arms and that there was no reason that I should continue to worry about them.  As well as peace, that as I continued to work diligently with my people, he will bless them.

As I went from one mindset to another, I was able to recieve the peace promised in the words of prophets, and from our Lord Himself. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you." I am so grateful for the peaceful knowlege, that I have, that the Lord has everything in his hands. And that as we "Cheerfully do all things that lie in our power...then we [can] stand still, with the utmost assurance, to see the salvation of God, and for his arm to be revealed."

What do you do in your hardest times?

Who do you turn to, when everyone turns on you?
Where can you go, when you're going nowhere?
What is the point, if everything's pointless?
How can you find something, if you are lost yourself?
When do I just give up?

Desperation, that is one of the most tragic feelings all of us can succumb to. I know I have had questions like these, maybe not written as well, probably a couple "Umm"s, "Uhh"s and other useless "words" thrown in there. But I have felt useless, hopeless, worthless and alone. It is hard to pull yourself out of your own selfish stupor, when you feel that it is pointless. You don't want to put in the effort, and you don't think it will help.

How can we change the way we feel when we are down like this? What can we do to help us out, no matter what our circumstances are?

Let me locate a time in my life where I really felt hopelessness. Alright, Got one. It was actually only a couple of weeks before my mission. I personally, was very stressed, and right before you take a big step to progress in your relationship with our Heavenly Father, you experience harsh opposition. So this is a great example, because whether you are doing everything right in your life or not, this is applicable. Anyway, so I think it was about a month before I left.

I have had my call, for a couple of weeks, and I get in a big fight with my best friend. It was over something really stupid, It was definitely my fault, but I hurt her feelings, and I was mad, and frustrated. To add on top of that, family relationships were getting harder too, my fuse had lost what little length it had, and I was being set off by anything and everything. Finally one of my best friends, who was dating my sister, does something stupid, and that was it, I was done. (Mind you, I was overreacting in all of this, but when you're emotions are just crazy, so are you.) So I took off running (and I don't like to run), I wanted to get alone where I could just be, and not worry about anyone or anything. But, escaping people and getting out of situations, doesn't get completely rid of the chaos from inside your head. So finally in pure frustration, I knelt down, not caring about the cold hard rocks I was kneeling on, and pled for peace from my chaos...That changed things. In my heart I immediately felt peace. I can recall times before feeling that same feeling, but never such a direct answer to a prayer, and never such a contrast. From that moment on, I was able to make amends with those who I'd wronged, I was able to rebuild relationships with my loved ones, and I was able to find peace, and strengthen my relationship with my Heavenly Father.

I am so grateful for the power of prayer. I am grateful Heavenly Father allowed me to continue to build up my chaos, until I came to him. It taught me an important lesson about prayer, that now I am able to share with others. But, you don't need to be on the brink of insanity to call upon our Heavenly Father, if I would have done so earlier, and asked for peace, I probably would have been in a better situation. So pray for peace in your life and in others, and this week, bear your testimony about prayer to a friend or a family member. If you do so I know you will be blessed, and the lives of the people you testify to will be blessed.

Man's greatest power, lies in the power of prayer. -Napoleon Hill-