Introduction

For a Christmas gift to our Savior this year I’ve decided to start this blog.  I want to highlight and then comment on various events of his life and his teachings.  My desire is to testify of Jesus Christ.  I want to write about who I think he is and how coming to know him like this has been my saving grace.  Elder James E. Faust wrote a song called “This Is the Christ”  One verse says, “With saints of old, I too can testify, this is the Christ.”  And so with this blog I echo those words.

Opposite Toby Keith, "I wanna talk about You You You You!"
Over the past eleven years as I’ve studied Jesus’ life, gospel, and atonement I have learned so many amazingly beautiful things about him. I’ve shared some of them in my other blogs and videos. And I’ve been striving to implement them in my life.  Despite the fact that it has been no easy task, it has brought me so much Joy. I love talking about him! I love focusing on him and describing him. When I do, I see him more clearly.

I’ve read a few biographies on Jesus Christ. These mainly comment on his life as is recorded in the four gospels in the New Testament.

“Jesus the Christ” by James E. Talmage

“The Mortal Messiah:  from Bethlehem to Calvary: Book 4” by Bruce R. McConkie

Some biographers, in addition to commenting on the New Testament, bring in other biographies, documents, archaeological discoveries, and unauthenticated accounts to evaluate the possibilities.  

“The Life of Christ” by Frederic W. Farrar

“The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah” by Alfred Edershiem

“Excavating Jesus: Beneath the Stones, Behind the Texts” by John Dominic Crossan and Jonathan L. Reed

“Jesus And His Times” by Reader’s Digest

When I read these accounts, I sometimes agreed with their description of Him and sometimes I didn’t.  Yet their attempts to describe him have enabled the Spirit to communicate to me what was accurate. So it hasn’t even mattered to me if they were off a little here or there.  The fact that they were considering a specific characteristic about him or a specific event enabled me to consider it independently with the aid of the Holy Ghost to ascertain the truth.  That’s why I value each one of these authors.  I love it that they have stood up and shared their opinion of him.  In that way I can more clearly see who Christ is and who the authors are.

"Cursed is he that putteth his trust in man, or maketh flesh his arm, or shall hearken unto the precepts of men, save their precepts shall be given by the power of the Holy Ghost." ~2 Nephi 28:31

I hope that all who read my comments will do the same thing.  Put them to the Holy Ghost test.  It’s possible that sometimes I may not be completely accurate when I describe our Savior, even though my goal is to see him for who he really is. It is true that my perspective continues to be revised in some ways as I progress along my life journey.  Some of what I saw in him a few years ago has undergone some alterations.  But there are some characteristics  that have not changed at all.  

Evidence
Because the Holy Ghost bears witness of truth, it is the main source of evidence for what I write.  The more closely we are in tune with it, the better we can discern whether what anyone says about Jesus Christ is accurate or not.  I will use scriptures and quotes from the prophets that will serve as further evidence, as I have done in my other writings.  They verify that I’m not the only person who has seen him like this or who has understood his words to mean what I believe they mean.  There are foundational witnesses in the scriptures and the prophets.  

I also plan on using examples of other people who have developed Christ-like characteristics and have put them into action without any intent to “be seen of men.”  Yet I do see them and they are beautiful!

Witnesses of Truth
I love Jesus Christ. I love the scriptures and have been attempting to summarize what they are saying for many years. I’ve been looking for a way to describe the core structure of truth they are all describing or witnessing. That is, I’ve been looking for Christ in them. All scriptures and all the talks given by the prophets are describing this truth. But I have noticed they are repeating themselves.  They are all saying the same thing using different words, perspectives, metaphors, and experiences.  I’m still working on boiling it all down to its essence. But it is my total delight to match up what is said in the New Testament with what is said in the Old Testament or in the Book of Mormon, Doctrine & Covenants, or Pearl of Great Price. And the cool thing about it is that much of what other people are saying, singing, painting, creating also matches up! People from all ages all over the world and in so many different religions are echoing this truth. And that’s not all! The physics principles of the human body, the earth, and the universe all testify of Christ! It is so beautiful! It is one of my goals for this blog to bring all these witnesses together to praise Him and them at the same time. 

“But Alma said unto him: Thou hast had signs enough; will ye tempt your God? Will ye say, Show unto me a sign, when ye have the testimony of all these thy brethren, and also all the holy prophets? The scriptures are laid before thee, yea, and all things denote there is a God; yea, even the earth, and all things that are upon the face of it, yea, and its motion, yea, and also all the planets which move in their regular form do witness that there is a Supreme Creator.” ~Alma 30:44

“And behold, all things have their likeness, and all things are created and made to bear record of me, both things which are temporal, and things which are spiritual; things which are in the heavens above, and things which are on the earth, and things which are in the earth, and things which are under the earth, both above and beneath: all things bear record of me.” ~Moses 6:63

“… for [Isaiah] verily saw my Redeemer, even as I have seen him. And my brother, Jacob, also has seen him as I have seen him; wherefore, I will send their words forth unto my children to prove unto them that my words are true. Wherefore, by the words of three, God hath said, I will establish my word. Nevertheless, God sendeth more witnesses, and he proveth all his words.” ~2 Nephew 11:2-3

Listen:  He Reigns by Newsboys

Note on the Capital H
In all my writings I do not consistently use a capital H for the pronouns that refer to Christ.  Since I refer to him so often, that would be totally obnoxious.  At least that’s how it makes me feel.  Occasionally I’ll use the capital H for emphasis and clarity but usually I’ll use the lower case.  However, I do use capital letters for words such as Joy, Desire, Cause, Process, Effect, Result, and Conflict.  Those are words I have chosen to represent the meanings that are part of the core structure of truth—His core structure.  I’ve noticed that everyone is using those words or their synonyms to describe the truth they are seeing.

So as I give the facts, and my opinion, and my own adoration (I’ll try to keep it down), my goal is actually to picture Him reading what I’m saying about him.  I want him to see that I am talking about him out loud and to hear what I think of him.  In essence I want to be "guilty by association."  I’m hoping he’ll correct me as I go so I can get a better view of him.

My Story:  Writer-Curator of Jesus Christ
I’m thankful to have been helped to and through college by my grandmother, who enabled me to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Spanish Teaching.  I later obtained an additional year of college towards a degree in Health Science.  My educational training sharpened my intellect and prepared me to study and write about whatever subject attracted me the most.  It taught me how to research and summarize my findings. It also gave me various examples, which I have subsequently been able to use as evidence of core truths I’m trying to explain.  My religious education has been equally, if not more valuable as it has taught me how to develop my relationship with God so that I can talk to him personally in prayer and hear his answers (see blog post The Voice Inside My Head).

About 17 years ago when I started learning how to write stories, I wrote a historical fiction story about Jesus Christ but it was rejected by publishers.  I wrote another fiction story but didn’t get very far in the publishing world with that either.  I read lots of books about ‘how to write.’ I went to writer's conferences. I participated in a writer's group. I practiced, practiced, practiced. All of this was to train me to become a writer. But I still couldn’t accomplish my goal. The criticism was too harsh. The training was ineffective.  Constructive positive reinforcement was lacking. No matter how hard I tried, it wasn’t good enough. I got to the point where I swore I would never write again. But that just made me feel like someone close to me had died. I realized I couldn’t disembark from this journey. I couldn’t quit. I had to find a way to accomplish this goal.

I finally turned my entire self to the Lord for help.  I asked him to help me understand what the structure of story was.  Somehow I knew that was the tool I needed to “build the ship.”

“And I said: Lord, whither shall I go that I may find ore to molten, that I may make tools to construct the ship after the manner which thou hast shown unto me?” ~1 Nephi 17:9

And that’s what He did.  He taught me the structure of story, which turns out to be the same thing as the core structure of truth, which turns out to be the same thing as Himself—the core structure of Jesus Christ. This journey has been the greatest Joy of my life!

“Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” ~John 14:6

"He that keepeth his commandments receiveth truth and light, until he is glorified in truth and knoweth all things." ~D&C 93:28

Somewhere along the way, I changed the direction of my writing.  I was given a choice to make.  I could either write the historical fiction novel I had originally set out to do or I could continue researching the structure of story.  I chose the longer of the two journeys—the structure of story.  So I write about our Redeemer's story.  But I don’t focus on the timeline of events and how they all fit together or waste my time trying to prove that he really existed and was really the Son of God or that his miracles really happened.  That’s a given for me and I have no interest in entering into that argument. I focus on who he is Presently and Infinitely. I focus on the Living God and the Living Man.

"Therefore it is given to abide in you; the record of heaven; the Comforter; the peaceable things of immortal glory; the truth of all things; that which quickeneth all things, which maketh alive all things; that which knoweth all things, and hath all power according to wisdom, mercy, truth, justice, and judgment." ~Moses 6:61

The Word
Whether I use his name or some of those core-structure-truth words, every post, every video, every question in the Servant Program is about him.  

"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." ~John 1:1

And since his whole focus is on us—his Children, everything I have written is about his relationship with us.  

"Behold, I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands; thy walls are continually before me." ~Isaiah 49:16

He wants to know what our Desire is.  

"Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:" ~Matthew 7:7

He wants us to use our agency to choose him as our Cause, and to stay allegiant to him even when the going gets tough.  

"...choose you this day whom ye will serve..." ~Joshua 24:15

He wants to help us with our journey.  He knows each one of us and the pathway we need to take to obtain our Desires.  

"Wherefore, hear my voice and follow me, and you shall be a free people, and ye shall have no laws but my laws when I come, for I am your lawgiver, and what can stay my hand?" ~D&C 38:22

He wants us to know his voice well, pay attention to his feedback—confirmation as well as his warning signs so we can know when we’re on track and when we’re deviating from our desired destination.  

"My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:" ~John 10:27

He wants us to track our Results so that we can verify that in following his guidance, we’re indeed progressing towards the achievement of our goals.

"...live in thanksgiving daily, for the many mercies and blessings which he doth bestow upon you." ~Alma 34:38

As a writer-curator of Jesus Christ, I have joined the team that testifies of him. That is my chosen career, my occupation.  It is where I spend my time and talents. This blog is an extension of that career path. So I say again, “With saints of old, I too can testify, this is the Christ.”

I Learned to Communicate with God

I needed to communicate.  Really, there was no getting around it.  And I needed to communicate with my New Parent about my kids, about my life, about things I couldn't talk about with anyone else.   I decided to start writing letters to him.  I would figuratively send my letter out and then forget to check the mailbox.  I would even forget that I even sent the letter…until I ended up in major conflict and wrote another letter much like the first.

Finding Nemo

“Checking the mailbox” is like this game I once played with my primary class.  I showed the class a gift wrapped box and explained that we were going to send a child out of the room and then hide this desirable item.  When the child left, we hid the gift and I told the rest of the children that our job was to be her guide to help her find it.  I invited her back into the room and instructed her to find the gift.  When she got closer to the location we had hidden it, the rest of the class and I tapped our fingers on our chairs.  The closer she came, the louder and faster we tapped until she found it. 

After I learned that I needed to be searching for a response to my letter, I realized the responses were coming and they always had been.  It was just me who didn't know how to receive them.

As communication improved, my letters and their responses transferred to emails.  My ability to identify his response increased in speed.   

 

Finally communication became very rapid much like text messaging.  As I was writing the question in my journal, the answer would begin to come.  I didn't know the answer before I wrote the question.  Sometimes these answers would come in the form of songs I had heard, stories I had read, verses of scripture, or the words others had written in books or that I had heard spoken. 

More on the Concept of a New Parent

In past posts I’ve spoken of my need for a New Parent.  Because there have been many who have written down or spoken of the parenting structure they have found works the best, I have been able to be specifically retrained.  Dr. Glenn I. Latham, Stephen R. Covey, Grant Von Harrison, and Dean Hughes are three of those people who have influenced me like fathers.

There are specific fathers and there are more general fathers.  The specific fathers I choose to listen to are those whose words are attended by a specific feeling that I have come to know as my General Father’s signature (John 10:27).  In this way, I choose to be parented by my General Father and no one else.

I have noted in my blog post Responsibility and Choice that, “While we want the state of happiness, we don’t want the secrets to obtain it just handed to us.  We want to figure it out on own.  I think we're okay with clues but we are intelligent beings that love solving a good mystery.  We love progressing through a story.  We don’t want to hear the ending until the end.  And we can’t really feel the joy of the solution unless we’ve had to wait for it, solve it, sacrifice for it. ” 

I believe that my General Father knows this about me.  That’s why he hangs back a ways.  He wants me to answer the question myself having studied all the facts.  So he interacts with me via clues; the clues in themselves become my facts.  When people act as specific parents, their actions and words are like clues.  I can sense the figurative taps in my heart or lack of them.  The energy I feel there is not under my control except my controlling my thoughts.  If I think a thought or consider someone else’s, I can sense his opinion of it.  He gives his opinion because of the letter I sent him requesting his response.

So that means if I read a book and a story is told in it that applies to my own situation, I can feel it.  If I listen to a song and the words in it strike deep within my heart, I know my General Father is responding to my letter.  If I’m reading someone’s ideas on how to be a good parent and I feel a sense of peace or even excitement wash over me, I know I’m being answered.

That feeling cannot be mocked.  People have tried but it always comes out flat or sharp.  The real feeling is the most powerful, the most beautiful, and the most lasting feeling I have ever experienced.  I know it.  I love it.  I am allegiant to it.  He has won me hands down.

Revelation and Inspiration

Fasting

We know that drugs and alcohol numb the senses.  But I have found that when I turn to substances that are imbalanced to even lesser degrees for my peace and energy, my ability to sense my General Father’s texts decreases.  Occasional fasting  has enabled me to regain sensitivity for a period of time.  Since I desire a more continuous presence, I strive to fast on a more continuous basis from anything that disrupts the level of communication I desire to maintain.

Structure:  General vs. Specific

Before I started writing my prayers, I could only plead for general help.  “Please help me.”  I had no idea what I needed.  I only knew I didn’t like where I was at and somehow needed things to get better.

Star Wars: The Deathstar Battle

I’m sure I heard the directions from many different sources that I needed to get more specific—identify what I needed that would in actuality help me.  But the proton torpedo that finally penetrated my shields and caused a chain reaction of amazing events in my life was Grant Von Harrison’s “Drawing On The Powers Of Heaven” that my mom sent me.

Proton Torpedo #1:  Identify my Specific Desires

“When a person chooses not to use his free will in directing his thoughts, he leaves the dimensions of the mind that control his desires wide open to suggestion….So you have the choice of deliberately directing your thinking, or allowing other forces to dictate your desires and attitudes” (pg. 17).

Proton Torpedo #2:  Identify the Processes within my control to obtain my Desires and resolve my Conflicts

“The powers of heaven are governed by spiritual laws; their receipt is always predicated upon obedience to law.  When you understand and learn to comply with these laws, you will be able to consistently call upon the powers of heaven to assist you in your endeavors.  The scriptures tell us very clearly that we must be obedient to specific laws in order to receive blessings from God (D&C 130:20-21).”

Proton Torpedo #3:  Communicate my Specific Desires and Commitments to my General Father

“In order to draw on the powers of heaven, you must systematically decide what you want the Lord to help you accomplish.  It is impossible to exercise faith in the powers of heaven at your disposal without having a very specific end in mind.  The most serious failing on [our part] with respect to faith as a principle of power is [our] failure to make specific decisions regarding things [we] want the Lord to assist [us] with (Mormon 9:21).

Camhi Lane

A good friend of mine, Camhi Lane, wrote the following about how it does take effort to establish this communication relationship with our General Father:

“Work begs structure. There is a scheduled time and a place for work and there must also be a scheduled time and place for prayer. Try making an appointment with the Lord. Show up to that appointment. Don’t be late. Don’t be under dressed. The Lord will be there on time and ready and so should you. Are you going for a walk with the Lord? Good. Tell Him when and where to meet you. Would you like a standing appointment on Sundays at 8pm?  Great. Be there, and be ready to take notes because if you ask the Lord to show up, He will.”

Just as I need to have a time and place for Kid Report, I also need to have a time and place for my own Report.  I’ve needed to take the relationship seriously because I have wanted him to seriously help me.  Keeping these appointments is the core level of my commitment.

Imogen Heap “Can’t Take It In”

At the beginning of this journey—developing this communication relationship with my General Father--I really wanted my desires badly.   My life, my situation, had come to the point where I was motivated to do all I could to obtain them.  But at the same time I would not, could not deviate into using greater imbalanced methods to obtain.  Sink or swim.  The course I was on needed to be corrected.  I made the course corrections—kept my commitments continuously (and usually not perfectly).  Snail mail developed into text messaging.  Within 6 months, my life changed forever, the boredom I was experiencing leaving me, excitement moving into a predominant position, happiness, "how-can-it-be-so-beautiful" experiences one after another.   

Yes, there are refiner’s fires, hard times, things I would prefer not to have to go through.  This is definitely not Candy Land.  But overall has been a steady progression towards the best place I have EVER been in.