Hungry for Heaven

 This blog is dedicated to Ronnie James Dio, a great man, a great example, and a great musician. R.I.P.

 When I think of Dio in the context of the scriptures I always come back to a scripture in the book of Alma, it seems to fit the kind of person Dio was and what he stood for:

 O that I were an angel, and could have the wish of mine heart, that I might go forth and speak with the trump of God, with a voice to shake the earth, and cry repentance unto every people! Yea, I would declare unto every soul, as with the voice of thunder, repentance and the plan of redemption, that they should repent and come unto our God, that there might not be more sorrow upon all the face of the earth.

 Ronnie James Dio was a singer, and though he was hardly above 5 feet tall, he sang with the voice of thunder. He sang songs about standing up for yourself and making yourself heard, he sang songs about overcoming the things that keep you down, he sang about fighting your fears, and he sang about the power of desire. Our desires shape who we are and how we act.

 There is a song of his named Hungry For Heaven, and it's one of my favorites. I love the idea of that song, being hungry for heaven, desiring to make yourself better. When you hunger for something its not just something you think about It's something you need, you have to have it, and you'll do anything for it. I have often thought to myself "Am I hungry for heaven? Or am I just kind of snacking on salvation?"  

 Dio wanted to sing, he wanted to touch the hearts of millions through his music, and it became who he was. He influenced countless lives though both the lyrics of his music and the huge amounts of money that he donated to charity as a result of his success. And Dio did it all because that was just the kind of man he was. He was Hungry For Heaven.

 One Columnist said about Dio after his death:

 "The amazing thing is, Dio the man never succumbed to the typical ravages of drugs, booze or hideous all-body tattoos. He never gained 75 pounds later in life or lost most of his voice through merciless shredding and ended it all playing county fairs for 19 drunk dudes in a barn before collapsing in a heap in a motel room in Jersey. There's a lesson in there somewhere. Or everywhere." -Mark Morford

 Ronnie James Dio knew what he wanted and he knew how to get it. And the lesson I learned from his life is that you can succeed and still be a good person. He passed away a few years ago on May 16 2010 from stomach cancer, after 7 Chemo therapies, but he was performing until the end. He was still on stage at age of 67 until his health kept him from doing so.

 I know what I want, and I know how to get it. I only want to make my Father in Heaven proud. I want to do what he would have me do to be close to him, and I want to do it with the same kind of passion that Dio devoted to his art. It might not be easy, but neither is singing in front of thousands while suffering from stomach cancer.

 It is the celestial glory which we seek. It is in the presence of God we desire to dwell. It is a forever family in which we want membership. Such blessings are earned through a lifetime of striving, seeking, repenting, and finally succeeding. - President Thomas S. Monson

Nobody is gonna hit as hard as life

This song goes out to all the Darek Heims.

 "You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't about how hard ya hit. It's about how hard you can get it and keep moving forward. How much you can take and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done! Now if you know what you're worth then go out and get what you're worth. But ya gotta be willing to take the hits, and not pointing fingers saying you ain't where you wanna be because of him, or her, or anybody! Cowards do that and that ain't you! You're better than that! I'm always gonna love you no matter what. No matter what happens." -Rocky Balboa

 Rocky Balboa faced the odds his whole life, he fought when he thought he couldn't, and he won. He never backed down, he never lost heart, even when he fought the most challenging fight of his life. In the Cold War, the Soviet Union had a champion named Ivan Drago, the strongest fighter in the world. He was a giant, a Goliath, and he fought and killed Rocky's best friend Apollo Creed. Rocky was afraid, he was sad, and he fought anyways.

 Rocky said to his wife Adrian "No maybe I can't win. Maybe the only thing I can do is just take everything he's got. But to beat me he's gonna have to kill me, and to kill me he's gotta have the guts to stand in front of me, and to do that he's gotta be willin' to die himself. I don't know if he's ready to do that. I don't know. I don't know."

 "Well might we look carefully into our own lives and judge our courage, our faith. Is there a Goliath in your life? Is there one in mine? Does he stand squarely between you and your desired happiness? Your Goliath may not carry a sword or hurl a verbal challenge of insult that all may hear and force you to decision. He may not be ten feet tall, but he likely will appear equally as formidable, and his silent challenge may shame and embarrass."-President Thomas S. Monson

 Everyone has a Goliath, everyone has an Ivan Drago, someone who's bigger or stronger. Your Ivan Drago doesn't have to be a person, maybe it's smoking, drinking, or depression, maybe it's an uncontrolled temper; But there's not a single person on this planet who isn't afraid of something. Being afraid doesn't make you a coward. Being afraid just means that you have something to overcome. It means that there is something in the way of your happiness.

 We don't have to face our Goliaths alone, "Deal courageously, and the Lord shall be with the good." (2 Chron. 19:11). Our Lord will always fight for us, if we rely on him. "Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s." ( 2 Chron. 20:15)

The scriptures give us many examples of courage: "And David said to Saul, Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine." (1 Sam. 17:32) "For God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2 Tim. 1:7) "Arise; for this matter belongeth unto thee: we also will be with thee: be of good courage, and do it." (Ezra 10:4)

"Like David of old, 'our cause is just.' We have been placed upon earth not to fail or fall victim to temptation’s snare, but rather to succeed. Our giant, our Goliath, must be conquered."-President Thomas S. Monson

And we can, like Rocky Balboa when he overcame, say "Yea, I love yous too. I just also wanna thank God. Except for my kid bein' born, this is the greatest night in the history of my life. I just wanna say one thing to my wife who's home: YO, ADRIAN! I DID IT!"



This Blog is dedicated to Darek "Plum Tea" Heim

Jurassichastity!

  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them.
  And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it. (Gen 1:27-28)

  We have a powerful and sacred gift to create life, and it was entrusted to us by our loving Father in Heaven. In whose image we were created. One of the very first commandments given to us was to have children, to multiply and replenish the earth. This is a big deal, this is Gods very power of creation given to us. When used properly it can bring so much joy into our lives, but when used improperly it can lead to so much sorrow.

  In the movie Jurassic Park a group of scientists try to create their own life. They clone dinosaurs for a theme park they are making and try to play God. They abuse the power of creation and it quickly leads to a dangerous situation that they were not prepared for. As a result of their toying with things they did not fully understand several scientists were killed by the dinosaurs they themselves made. While our choices may not lead to velociraptors eating Samuel L, Jackson, they may have serious consequences of their own.

 "I was overwhelmed by the power of this place; but I made a mistake, too. I didn't have enough respect for that power and it's out now. The only thing that matters now are the people we love: Alan and Lex and Tim. John, they're out there where people are dying."  -Dr. Ellie Sattler

  This privilege that God gave to man is not something to be taken lightly, but that isn't to say that it's bad! Within the bonds of marriage and with a full understanding of the importance it has, the ability to bring souls into this life is a beautiful and holy thing. But outside the bonds of marriage and with no thought of the consequences of our actions it can ruin relationships and even lives.

   Just don't forget whose power it is, and to treat sacred things like sacred things. Be chaste, and have a nice valentines day.

Gospel! Defender of your Universe!

GOSPEL!

DEFENDER OF YOUR UNIVERSE!

  When the universe is in danger, 5 heroic pilots go to battle in giant robotic lions. Each lion is powerful and capable of doing great things, but when the enemy is too strong the pilots combine their forces to form a fighting robot more powerful than any evil force. Voltron! The Defender of the universe!

 
  When we are in danger, when we are confused or depressed or afraid, when our universe is in peril we have our own way to conquer evil. There are 5 spritual protectors who we can rely on when we need to be saved from the problems that we face everyday. Each one is strong but together they form a defense from the world that no evil can defeat. These are the first 5 principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

  Faith! - Faith in Jesus Christ and his atonement is our first line of defense, it gives us hope for better things. Its something that comforts and strengthens us. With faith we can do and be better all the time.

  Repentance! - When we act on faith and turn ourselves toward God, and away from sin, we are forgiven. This is repenting and it relieves us of feelings of guilt and shame that keep us tied down.

  Baptism! - Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins washes us completly clean. It gives us a fresh start and shows our willingness to follow our Heavenly Father and keep his commandments. After Baptism we can renew these promises by taking the sacrament every week at church, which is taking bread and water in rememberance of Jesus Christ.

  The Holy Ghost! - Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptised every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38) The Holy Ghost guides us through life, and helps us to feel the love that God has for us. The Holy Ghost tells us in our hearts what is true and good, and helps us search for those things that will make us happy.

  Enduring to the end! -  Once we have had faith and repented so that we can be baptised and recieve the Holy Ghost its not over. We will still face trials and have challenges, but by using the first 4 principles we can live the 5th.

  These first five principles are the spiritual protecters that we can all make our own. They are here to fight the evil in our lives, and together they form! Gospel! Defender of your universe! With Faith, Repentance, Baptism, Recieving the gift of the Holy Ghost, and Enduring to the end, there is no evil that can stand against you. You will still be tempted, but there will always be a way to conquer it.

  I know this works, because I have tried it. I know that we have a loving Father in Heaven who wants us to be the best we can be. And He has shown us how. I challenge everyone who reads this to pray to know if this is true, and you'll get an answer.

IMMORTAL KOMBAT!

  I love fighting games, and one of my favorites is Mortal Kombat. In Mortal Kombat a group of talented fighters battle to defend the earth from an evil tyrant named Shao Kahn who wants to be the king of everything. The only way Shao Kahn can conquer the earth is by beating earths champions 10 times in a row in a tournament to the death. This tournament is called Mortal Kombat, because the fighters lives are on the line. This game is closer to reality than you think. We all fight evil every day in a tournament of the spirit, where your very soul is on the line. I'll tell you how and why we fight our very own Immortal Kombat.

  Every day we are tempted, whether it be to break the law or just do something we know isn't right, it's something we deal with all the time. But what most people don't think about is why we are tempted, and what happens when we give in. We are tempted by a tyrant who wants to conquer us, and we can't let him win.

   We fought a war before we were born, against someone who wanted to be our king. We all fought on the side of God who is that same all powerful being that made us and our enemy was our brother. We were spirits created by our Heavenly Father, he had a plan so that we could have bodies, make choices, and grow closer to him. But one of the spirits thought he had a better plan, to force everyone to make good choices so that everyone could be perfect and then this spirit could have all the glory. The spirits name was Lucifer or Satan, and God saw the flaw in Satan's plan. If we were all forced to good then we would never learn, and we would not appreciate what we had. So Satan's plan was rejected and Satan rebelled. He took one third of the spirits in heaven with him. We fought for our Father, and Satan was cast to earth. Satan was put on earth as part of our test, to see if we would really choose God's way and be happy or choose the devils way and be miserable.

  So now we fight, every day. We battle an evil army led by the spirit that wants to rule over us. But we don't fight alone, we were given a champion to defend us. When God made his plan he knew we would make mistakes, so he provided a way for us to be forgiven. He gave us his son Jesus Christ to take upon himself the sins of the whole world so that we might have a fair chance. When Satan wraps his chains around us and says "Get over here" and "Your soul is mine", Christ can come in with a combo breaker and deliver a Fatality. But we have to let Him. We have to follow the commandments, we have to repent of our sins, and we have to make promises with God so that we can be saved if we will follow him. And then when we have done our best then we can say like Paul, "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith". And we can live with God, and be happy for all of eternity.