Please, accept this invitation.

Now, more than ever, we need the peace and assurances that Christ brings. Please, do not turn away from this invitation.  I know you need it.  I know, because I need it.

I know you have fears and anxieties, whether financial, political, physical, mental, or emotional.  I have many of these myself.  Perhaps not the same ones you have, but I want you to know that I've dealt with my share.

I know you have regrets and guilts.  Whether you've broken promises or lost relationships.  I've been there.  I'm guilty.  I have regrets for things I've done.

I know you have self-doubts and self-deceptions.  On one hand you feel like you can't accomplish or become what you need to.  On the other hand you tell yourself white lies (or full lies) to deceive yourself into believing you have done no wrong.  Please, know that you have innate worth, and that you can accomplish what you need to.  You can also disabuse yourself of the convenient lies you tell yourself.  I know you can, because I am doing so too.

I'm not saying that I am some great paragon of truth, or guide through life.  In fact, I am, myself, a lost sheep.  But I am also a Child of God, an Heir of God; as are you. (Romans 8:16-17)  I know that God will help His Children in what they need; and that if He will help a wretch such as I, He will reach out in love to all His Children, including YOU.

You are precious.  You are worth knowing who you are and how much love and peace is available to you.

So, please, here is my invitation.  Please take this as a serious, heartfelt offer.  I love you and want you to have the peace, love, and hope that I have found.

"[I] invite all men everywhere to read the Book of Mormon, to ponder in their hearts the message it contains, and then to ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ if the book is true." (The Book of Mormon, Introduction)

This invitation also applies to the Bible (see James 1:5) and to any words that talk, rejoice, preach, prophesy, or write of Christ. (2 Nephi 25:26)  It's not so much about the Book of Mormon, or the Bible, or other holy writ; it's about the message they contain.  It's about Christ's love, peace, and assurance.  It's about His Atonement for you, that you and I don't have to suffer forever for our wrongs towards others (or towards ourselves), that we can be cleansed and become more like Him each day.  More loving, more peaceful, more hopeful, less deceitful, and with less desire to do wrong and to waste away our days.

My invitation comes with a promise:

"Those who pursue this course and ask in faith will gain a testimony of its truth and divinity by the power of the Holy Ghost.

"Those who gain this divine witness from the Holy Spirit will also come to know by the same power that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, that Joseph Smith is His revelator and prophet in these last days, and that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the Lord's kingdon once again established on the earth, preparatory to the Second Coming of the Messiah."  (The Book of Mormon, Introduction)

I testify that the Spirit does speak to men, that God does again reveal His will through living Prophets for the benefit of you and me, His Children. (see The Living Christ)  I have felt the power of Christ's Atonement in my life and plead with you to seek for that same power yourself.  There is no other source of lasting peace, no other way to be filled with true hope.

Please, look to Christ and live. (Alma 37:47)

Thoughts on Faith, Choice, and the name "Israel"

 Here are a few thoughts that I've written down over the past several weeks.

Sep 2020:

To my children:

    There is nothing so important in this life as the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  It is solely because of God's desire for our Eternal happiness that we have this life to live.  If I have but one desire for you it is that you would nurture a testimony of the gospel Truth: of Christ and His Atonement.

    Treat your faith as the tenderest of plants or as the sickliest, smallest lamb--it needs daily, often hourly, nourishment and care.  It must be regularly strengthened and fortified.  You may pass through various stages in your life and in your faith.  Sometimes the trials of life may shake your faith and it is all you can do to maintain the smallest shred of faith; do so, and you will find that in the darkness of your trials your faith grew unseen into a weather-strengthened oak (or at least into a sturdy sapling).  Sometimes temptation and sin will seek to lure you away, or lull you to sleep such that you cease daily to nourish your faith. Beware this subtle weakening: always nourish your faith daily, for not only will your faith be strengthened, but you will find that this holy habit will be key to your escape from sin and temptation and even addiction.  At times life will be easy (relatively speaking) and faith will be a joy.  Be most aware of those time!  For this is when you can fool yourself into believing that you "have arrived," that all your work has paid off, and that you can relax.  It is not so! Even the sturdiest oak of faith needs constant nourishment and can be toppled by lack of care.

6 Sep 2020:

On Choice

When we seek the Lord's guidance between two choices and He answers that it is up to us, perhaps it's not so much about the choice, but rather a test of our goals and priorities.  For when we receive such an answer, it is natural for us to evaluate further the merits and detriments of each choice.  In doing so we generally need to know or have a general idea of our goals and desires, for it is in the framework of those goals and desires that we evaluate the desirability of each choice.

11 Oct 2020:

Israel: Let God Prevail

This thought was prompted by a ward member's talk in sacrament referencing President Nelson's Oct 2020 address in which he shared an insight he recently received into an interpretation of the name Israel.  He said that the Hebrew interpretation was "Let God Prevail" and that this represented a willingness to let God prevail in our individual lives; and that the Hebrew interpretation was critical to this understanding of Israel denoting that willingness.

I came at it backwards to see what I could find.  That is, I started with the English phrase and worked towards every possible understanding.

In English the phrase "Let God prevail" can be read in several ways.

1st, as an imperative, a command.  In this form, the name of Israel is a command to let God prevail.  Being part of Israel is then an agreement to obey this commandment.  This idea is born out in scripture: the Lord "loveth those who will have him to be their God." (1 Nephi 17:40; see also Ephesians 2:11-13, Exodus 24:7, Topical Guide: Obedience, and Bible Dictionary: Israel)

2nd, as a request.  In this sense, Israel is a plea to accept the Lord and His Gospel.  This is the purpose of missionary work: to invite all men to come unto Christ.

3rd, as an exclamation. I imagine here an exultant cry of "Israel!"  A joyous proclamation of God's prevalence and the goodness that comes of living God's commands.

4th, as a statement.  This would be an acceptance, or willingness to allow God to prevail in our own lives.  This one isn't as much of a grammatical interpretation like the first 3.  Rather, it is an implication of using or accepting Israel in the ways described.  In doing so, you are personally willing to let God prevail and willing God to prevail in your own life.

New name... again

This blog started as a proselyting and teaching tool while I was a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  I originally named it “Go ye into all the world...” to reflect my calling to teach the gospel. This title of course came from Christ’s command to His Apostles after His resurrection. The particular scripture reference is Mark 16:15.  (See also Matthew 28:19-20 and 3 Nephi 11:41.)

When I returned home I had planned on continuing to post on this blog as a way of sharing my testimony and thoughts relating to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I correspondingly renamed this blog “Be thou an example...” from Paul's first epistle to Timothy chapter 4, verse 12.  Paul counseled Timothy to be "an example of the believers" despite his youth.  Similarly, I wanted to use this blog for the same purpose.  However, as can be seen by the minimal number of posts over the last 8 years, I have not been the best at structured, regular writing and posting.

Now, nearly a decade later, I'm considering a new structure to my posts.  I realized that I often have insights either during personal or family scripture study, or during church each week.  There are many of these that are not too personal to share.  Also, I've been praying for a way to share the gospel online and one of these recent Sundays I felt the distinct impression that perhaps part of the reason for some of the insights I find is to share them.

In addition to this desire to share the gospel, I've always had in the back of my mind the idea of writing out the most important things I would want to tell my future children and grandchildren.  In line with this, I'll be using this blog to place my thoughts and insights on the gospel, as that is the most important thing in life that I can share with my posterity.

With a new purpose comes a new name: "That our children may know...."  This comes from The Book of Mormon, in particular 2 Nephi 25:26 quoted here:

And we talk of Christ, we rejoice in Christ, we preach of Christ, we prophesy of Christ, and we write according to our prophecies, that our children may know to what source they may look for a remission of their sins.

I know that this is truth.  I know that Christ is the ultimate solution.  I know that we will all sin, but that Christ will redeem us if we will but turn to Him with a broken heart and a contrite spirit.  There is nothing so important in life as this.

May the peace of Christ and His Atonement abide with you always.

How to Deal With Offense and Contention

It has been my experience that when people get offended it is due to a misunderstanding or miscommunication.  Also, when we face strife and contention pride is a major component.  If we can learn to exercise patience and humility, if we strive to harbor understanding, then we can leave behind much of the pain, suffering, and sorrow of our day-to-day lives.

This post will focus on offense, but the principles are universal and can help us with contention as well.

I've given quite some thought to this.  More than that, I've tried to apply certain principles to my own life.  Mainly I ask myself some questions at times when I could be possibly offended.  Usually the result is that I come up with several harmless alternatives for the reasons behind the offense.  I can forgive the possible fault and move on.  Often in the course of this I experience a moment of wry humor in the recognition of what I like to call the "human condition."  Basically, we are all human and thus we are all prone to mistakes.

We've all said or done something that we've regretted. Or we said or did it in a way that didn't convey our intentions as well as we would have liked.  What one person may consider an unpardonable slip in speech or action may be a weakness of another.  Also simple differences in our nurture and our environment instill in us differences of opinion and expression.  Misunderstanding comes quickly when we assume that we  know the thoughts behind a person's words or deeds and that our judgement is perfect.  Simply remembering that there may be more behind an action--things that we do not or cannot see, or a simple mistake--should be enough to help us pause.

When we pause in our judgements, let us use a few simple mechanisms to evaluate the perceived offense.  These mechanisms, expressed in writing, take the form of a list of questions.  However, by force of time and habit they become more a part of our character than an external checklist.

• First, could I see myself making the same statements or doing the same thing under any conceivable set of situations, even those beyond what I have experienced myself?
• Now, what are some other possible explanations for the offending act or word?
• Is this simply a case where the person could not find a better way to express themselves?  Or did they perhaps forget the expression that they wanted and had to make due with a less-effective substitute?
• Has the potential offender ever been in this situation before?  Could that affect how they might act?  Could that affect the possibility of being misunderstood and giving offense?
• Did I expect the person to be offensive in that way? And do I really, honestly think that they were intending to be offensive?
• Have I ever been misunderstood?
• Have I ever inadvertently given offense?
• And, not least of all, does it really matter?
• Is it worth getting offended over?
• Is it worth a reaction on my part?
• Would it be beneficial take up a defense, to criticize, or to correct in response?
• Is there another, more appropriate response that I could give, rather than to become offended?
• Basically, what is the truth behind the statement or action?  Was the truth spoken?  Am I the one at fault for being out of line with the truth?

Premeditation on how to avoid or prevent offense and on how to promote understanding is also worthwhile.  How can I make sure that I don't get offended? (Whether or not offense was meant to be taken.)  What can I do when I do feel offended?  Why do I usually get offended?  What are some causes of offense in general?

My answer to that last question is where I started this blog.  Misunderstanding and pride.  The same approach applies perfectly to resolving both misunderstanding and pride:  What led to the conflict?  Was it meant that way?  Is it worth it?  Am I in opposition to the truth?

There is a principle of humility and meekness in the ongoing effort to evaluate and understand offenses and contention.  This is especially true when we are willing to ask "Am I at fault?" and to confess, if only to ourselves, our own guilt.  Since humility and meekness are opposite of pride and unbridled passion, then as we cultivate the former the latter will fade.

Of use may be an address given by Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin entitled "Come What May and Love It."  He applies a set of principles to enduring trials in life.  The same can be used in the context of what we have been discussing here.  Portions of the address were used to create the following video which highlights the main points.





What Marriage (and Life) is REALLY About

I recently ran across Seth Adam Smith's post Marriage Isn't For You. Thinking that this was another of those worldly denouncements of all that is good in life I almost didn't read it. Well, I'm glad I did. Especially when I read a response article on another website. This other post sits on the edge of what I had feared the first to be. The author takes Seth's realization to an extreme and basically calls it detrimental to marriage.

So, what am I getting at with this post?

First, ideals are worth living for whether they are obtainable in this life or not. And I believe that the best ideals are more realistic and more obtainable than society gives them credit for being. Our society is losing the vision of living for ideals and the grace of allowing others to do the same.

Second, marriage is a thing of faith and work. No, you will not have all the answers before you get married, even if you wait until you're 99. And, no, you will not magically understand everything about marriage and families once you are married. You've got to move forward despite this lack of knowledge. It'll take work, hard work, but it'll be worth it.

Lastly, living for ideals in your marriage is not stupid or blind or any of those things that the world will tell you. Why can't family life be happy? Why can't couples never argue? Why can't each spouse place the other's concerns at the forefront of their lives? Why shouldn't spouses sacrifice to be at home more? Really, what is wrong with any of this? Just because it is hard, doesn't make it impossible. Just because too many families in the world are marred by sadness, abuse, contention, or selfishness, doesn't mean that the family you raise has to be. Happiness is a choice. All people can choose happiness or misery: life or captivity.


I cannot believe in any other way of living. If I don't have hopes, dreams, and ideals, then why would I work every day to be a better man than I was the day before? Why bother? Without vision, life isn't worth living.

So find a vision, however dim, of what you want your life to be like. Then never, never, give up on that vision. You may make mistakes along the way. It might be three steps forward and two steps back. You might be on top of the world one day and in the dumps the next. WHATEVER happens, always turn back towards your goal and try again. Because in the end you either make the effort or you don't. It's your choice.

Choose happiness.