book review: mere christianity

I had an old, old copy that used to be my grandpa's and I loved reading it because the pages were yellowed, they were falling out, and it had markings from my grandpa which was so cool to see what stuck out to him!

This has been on my reading list for yeeeaarrrss, so I was beyond thrilled to finally be reading it and it totally lived up to all its expectations. Bryan gave a talk in church last week about the scripture in Doctrine and Covenants that says, "And as all have not faith, seek ye diligently and teach one another words of wisdom; yea, seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom; seek learning, even by study and also by faith." 

He spoke about the first phrase in this scripture which implies that at times we all lack faith and that it's OK. And rather than letting our questions go unanswered or losing our faith altogether it is our responsibility to seek diligently and gain more knowledge. Ultimately the best resource is the scriptures where the words of our Savior and His prophets are written. 

But I also believe that there are many books that contain words of wisdom and that as we listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost guiding us, we will be able to find truth.

A member of the high council got up after and started talking about how C.S. Lewis is the most quoted non-LDS member to be quoted in General Conference.

As I was reading this book it was very evident to me that this is a man who knows of God. He was inspired and sought out truth. I am grateful for all those who promote faith and share of their knowledge throughout the world regardless of what religion they belong to.

I know that this book is one of the "best books" and that words of wisdom and found throughout. I truly felt like my faith was strengthened as I read about topics that are very near to my heart and the spirit testified of the truth I have come to know. i am also grateful for the additional knowledge that I have by being a member of Christ's true and living church on the earth and that there are a multitude of books that we can seek learning from. 

I highly recommend this book to anyone.

My favorite part was his explanation of the atonement which can be found in Book 2 Chapter 4.

Provo YSA 96th Ward

hiiii. I wrote this post forever ago and was waiting to post it until I put pictures in but that hasn't happened yet, so here it is!

My last Sunday in my ward was actually way more emotional than I thought it was going to be! I was a little bit caught off guard by the wave of emotions that overcame me. This is the longest I have been in one place besides when I lived at home so it was quite monumental.

What I realized was that I was so grateful for this ward because it was the perfect place for me to become more converted.

When I moved in I had just returned from my four months in Jerusalem and it was the first time I had lived off campus. I was terrified! I was living with my sister so that helped, but it took the whole semester for me to really feel comfortable and make some friends.

Anyone that has lived at condo row will tell you that this is the best ward. In fact, people not only stay here for years on end, but they always come back! They find that the environment in which you live there can not be found anywhere else in Provo.

Through living in this ward I was able to grow exponentially in my spirituality.

I was able to serve. I did this through my calling where I got to share my musical talents with others. Yes, I had to be there on time even when we had church at 8:30 am 😳 but it was so worth it to stand up there and conduct praises to our Heavenly King even if the friendly faces in the audience sought to distract me each week ha! I also got to serve through visiting teaching. I had one roommate who was a great role model of visiting teaching. She genuinely cared about our sisters and was constantly thinking about ways we could reach out to them. She checked in with them through texts, dropped off treats, and when we had our “formal” meeting she topped it off with something like a pancake breakfast before church. I was so grateful to be a benefactor of her Christlike service as I sought to strengthen my testimony of looking outside myself and serving others.

I was also able to create friendships. We are a part of a very social church! Especially single's wards in Provo, Utah thrive off of activities for everything. Random dance parties, fhe, ward prayer, football games, movie nights, karaoke nights, BYO__ food parties, you name it, they’re going to do it. Really the only way to get involved is to show up. Regardless of how awkward you feel or the terrifying feeling of being a loner with no one to talk to. It turns out that just by showing up you automatically put yourself in a better position to get to know others just through association. Eventually these friends I made became my main friend group that I did everything with and who dated a ton. It was the absolute best! They were a bit of an older crowd that were always down to go on trips and group dates and play sports. We did the funnest things and I found my life being so busy and happy because of the people that were dropped into my life. They served faithfully in their callings as well and it was great to know that we didn’t have to put a lot of work into seeing each other because we went to church together and lived near each other so it was easy to be social. They weren’t perfect, neither was I, so I was really able to evaluate what was important to me, how I wanted to live my life, and qualities I was looking for in a spouse and a friend.

I connected with the Bishopric. I think that one of the main reasons people came back was because of the amazing bishopric. They are simply the best! They are all pretty young and have families but they absolutely loved their callings and dedicated so much time to creating a ward family for us. They loved to joke around, they threw big parties, and they wanted to get to know us. We gathered at their homes frequently for dating advice, pool nights, Halloween parties, dinner, and conferences. I gained an individual relationship with all three of them and they strengthened my testimony of priesthood leadership and dedication to serving the Lord. They were great examples of the things that matter most including marriage and family. They had it all and it was a pleasure to learn from them weekly.

Because of the closeness of this ward, I learned about Zion. The 96th ward is one of the closest things that you can get to Zion here on earth. The people in this ward truly were united and full of love.

During the time I was in this ward I learned an ample amount about the atonement of our Savior. I was stretched and changed and grew in ways I didn’t think possible. Oftentimes it was filled with tears and trials, but there was so much good that came because of it. I think the moments where we go to our own Gethsemanes are never welcome, but they are necessary for us becoming more perfect. I am grateful for the knowledge I have of my Savior, Jesus Christ, for his life and example. I know that through Him we can find forgiveness, relief from our burdens, comfort through trials, and that when the world seems to be crumbling around us, that an anchor can be found through Him. He is the way to life and salvation and our lives here on earth lend themselves to be turned to Him time and time again to find direction and the way to return to Heavenly Father. There really is always light at the end of the tunnel when we have Him as our center.

I studied the scriptures more, I pondered more, I observed more, I tried to share my testimony more, and I became more converted by doing these things.

Of course this growth and improvement could’ve happened anywhere but I truly feel like I was placed in this ward for a reason and that it wouldn’t have happened in the same way or in the same time if I had been elsewhere. And that is why it was special to me.

Mosiah 18:30

And now it came to pass that all this was done in Mormon, yea, by the waters of Mormon, in the forest that was near the waters of Mormon; yea, the place of Mormon, the waters of Mormon, the forest of Mormon, how beautiful are they to the eyes of them who there came to the knowledge of their Redeemer; yea, and how blessed are they, for they shall sing to his praise forever.

I love these places in our lives that become holy to us. Just like the people who were baptized in the waters of Mormon, the 96th ward is one of those places where I came to the knowledge of my Redeemer and my life is blessed for it.

Now, of course I'm not complaining about graduating from the singles ward, but I did think it was necessary to acknowledge the wonderful last two years of my life.