Good Rebellion

Can those that rebel against the church be doing it a favor? Yes! Let me clarify that I speak of the body of the church, the men and women that make up its general membership and not the core doctrines and ordinances or even the organization as a whole. Many people find some way of expressing that the LDS Church's core doctrines are true but sometimes the people aren't. Meaning that we should accept what the church teaches and not necessarily the way the lay membership behaves and acts. However, the beliefs and actions of the lay membership are as much a part of the fabric of the church as the core doctrines. It is a cop out and excuse to think that ones actions as a member of the church do not directly reflect upon the good name of that church for better or for worse.

My mother had a friend who brought a visiting family member to our home. The family member saw inside the refrigerator when my mother opened it to get something out. As my mother was closing it, this lady ran over opened the door and looked inside. She exclaimed, "You are the first Mormon I've seen that did have beer in your fridge." As looking in people's refrigerators is not a common practice and she did live in Utah, she probably had met many that didn't have beer in their refrigerators. Though the ones close to her that she spent time with did. Even though it was a small group compared to the whole church, it significantly shaped her view of Mormons as a whole because she knew that we aren't supposed to drink.

The Lord found it important enough that the church share the same beliefs that he spent a great deal of time speaking to the people in 3 Nephi about their doctrine.

3 Nephi 18:34 And I give you these commandments because of the disputations which have been among you. And blessed are ye if ye have no disputations among you.

3 Nephi 11:35 - 36 Verily, verily, I say unto you, that this is my doctrine, and I bear record of it from the Father; and whoso believeth in me believeth in the Father also; and unto him will the Father bear record of me, for he will visit him with fire and with the Holy Ghost. And thus will the Father bear record of me, and the Holy Ghost will bear record unto him of the Father and me; for the Father, and I, and the Holy Ghost are one.

Christ wishes us to be one of heart, mind and soul. That we may embrace and share his doctrine. People sharing common beliefs is a major tenant of the gospel and is one of the many reasons for correlation. While in the bloggernacle and DAMU, correlation is often used as a dirty word, it is an attempt by weak, mortal men to unify the doctrine of the church. To seek to obey the commandment of God to have no disputations among us.

The other point that must be established is that we learn "line upon line and precept upon precept." Things that are clear to some, may not yet be clear to others. We learn piece by piece growing in faith and doctrine. This causes some discordance between members as some have different understandings than others. We must accept that no one person has all the answers, including the church leadership. Even the prophets and apostles have to inquire from the Lord from time to time his will concerning matters and points of doctrine. It will take an eternity for us to gain the knowledge and understanding we must have to become like God.

So where does rebellion fit in? I'm not talking about out and out apostasy, where someone rejects God and actively works against the church. I'm talking about those, especially in the younger generation, that stand up for what they believe. They state that some of the old, antiquated ideas that are often bandied about in the church are false or incorrect and we should seek a more correct way of living or acting. There are many leaders, especially on the local level, that rule their dominion and try to force obedience through silly rules or practices that are not part of the core doctrines of the church. Thank goodness for those that stand up and rebel against those practices. That is why we fought the War in Heaven, we stood up for our freedom to worship and learn.

I have noticed a definite shift in the thinking of the church and its membership in recent years. There are more of those that are not willing to just sit there and take it, but want to stand up for the truth and right. I see the transparency opening up in the leadership with the publishing of the new Church Handbook of Instructions. They listened to the cry for more openness and a better understanding of the workings of the church.

You may not think that one voice can change a decades old incorrect practice, but when that one voice joins with the other voices in courage and strength it can create a big change. Remember the Lord works through small and simple things. Your small and simple voice can help the Lord work His purposes. We must constantly be seeking for Zion and the truth. We have not made it yet and so changes must be made. Even the church as a whole must grow and develop as an organization as much as its individual members. Though some of our beliefs differ, we are a group of Saints seeking the Lord and we should continue to seek to be one in him. If not for the voices that stand up and "rebel" against wrong ideas that seem to creep into the hearts of some, we would not continue to move forward.

Happiness

Much has transpired over the last few years of my life and even the last day or two that has caused me to realize that I am happy. I once wasn't happy, but now I am. It's not that life's challenges have gone away and life has become more simple. In fact, just the opposite. Between Bubs and Slou (who are wonderful), bills, a career, a business, a church calling, a church assignment and so forth, life has become more hectic and busied. One would think that my level of happiness would have diminished because I didn't have as much time for myself. What I realized is just the opposite, I'm boring and would rather spend time with others.

One major misconception with happiness is that people think external sources will make them happy. It could be toys, money or even other people. They think they will be happy when such and such happens or when this problem goes away. The awful truth is that happiness starts with you. You must want to be happy. Let me say that again, you must truly want to be happy. If you have some reason for remaining unhappy, then you will never be happy. Second, you must change the attitudes that cause your unhappiness.

Another major misconception is that being happy somehow shields you from the atrocities of life or that those that are happy don't have any problems. Again, not true. A happy person still has sadness, hurt, anger and heartache. They just have learned to deal with them in healthy ways so they don't become what life is about. Happiness is not a moment to moment emotion, but rather a general state of being.

Though bordering on trite, the old glass half empty/half full euphemism is quite accurate. Those that are happy tend to find the positive purposes in every situation. From a Gospel perspective, they see the light in the darkness and find the lessons in trials. Everything in life is a lesson to help them learn and grow. They enjoy the knowledge and lessons they receive.

It is not an exhaustive list, but here are a few key points that will help you find happiness:

1. You grow into happiness, not just find it somewhere. It is a process of changing your thoughts and ideas so that they breed contentment instead of contention.

2. You must accept yourself as you are not what you want to be. That doesn't mean you won't work on becoming better or that there are things about yourself that you don't like. It means that rather than agonizing over your weaknesses you accept that you have them and accept that as you work on them you will become more like the person you want to be.

3. You must be selfless. The key to ultimate happiness is looking beyond yourself. Having a purpose beyond your own happiness. That is why you grow into happiness. If you are too focused on fixing 'you' or making 'you' happy, then you miss the point. It is more that you focus outside of yourself and then down the road you realize that you have become happy.

4. Have a plan and a purpose. Set goals for your life and in all areas of your life. Know what you are going to do each day.

5. Lastly, have fun! Really, find time to have fun and spend time having fun with others.

Where the Wild Things Are

I just finish watching Where the Wild Things Are. Wow, what an amazing movie. It's not a kids movie, rather a movie about a kid. Reminding us parents what it was like. We get so caught up in what we think is important. We may even do those things for the right reasons, but we should always stop and think. Sometimes they just need us as we needed our own parents.

I think kids will enjoy it and see a bit of themselves, but the power in this movie is what it had to say to their parents. I saw some backlash when this movie came out. Parents complained it wasn't a kids movie. They threw fits all over the blogosphere and movie reviews. Really, they were just like kids that didn't get their way. They wanted someone to entertain their kids for them and were disappointed when it wasn't the way they wanted. They threw a fit.

Aren't we all just kids sometimes, though. We really just want to be loved, and there really isn't anymore that we need….