Rough Waters

The past few days I have been very dis-heartened by different things I have heard/seen in the media. It's no secret that I am a member of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and I am proud to shout that from the rooftops. In fact, I am so certain that this is the only true church on the face of this earth that I went and lived in Quito, Ecuador as a missionary for my church. Where as a missionary we went and knocked on strangers doors, spoke to people in the street, and spread the good news of our gospel to everyone we met. I'm so thankful to be a member of Christ's church on this earth and that is why I become soo frustrated by this world that we live in. In the past few years that world has been on a steady decline. Morals and standards are things of the past. People, more and more, seem to be led to do evil easier than they are to do good. From the steady stream of Horror Movies to political propaganda we are quickly sliding our way to hell.The couple of things that have prompted this blog post are: 1. Proposition 8 and how the courts are deciding whether to overturn how the PEOPLE OF CALIFORNIA VOTED and 2. HBO's television series Big Love airing sacred LDS ordinances on it's filth of a television program. Here are my thoughts....
1. Regarding Proposition 8 the people of California (NOT JUST THE LDS PEOPLE) voted to ban same-sex marriage. They stated on voting day that they think that MARRIAGE should be between a man and a woman. They voted, they won, end of story. I too believe that MARRIAGE is between ONE MAN and ONE WOMAN. That is how God, our Heavenly Father, has stated it is from the beginning of time. This is not some new thing that the Christian community has decided to enact and push on people.
2. I have known about the series Big Love on HBO since it's conception back in 2006. I have always been appalled and against this series. I do not like how they blur the line between polygamy and our Church. Yes, in the early beginnings of our church, The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, there were select people called to practice polygamy. For many, many years though this has been something that we do NOT practice and we vehemently OPPOSE anyone and any organization that practices it to this day. The wonderfully ignorant people at HBO have, unfortunately, crossed the line this time. They are choosing to show extremely sacred practices from the insides of our temples. Little do they know that they will ultimately pay the price for this decision. In the publication of this week's TV Guide magazine there are pictures and a lead in story for the episode where they talk about how this family has been living a life of polygamy and now they were going to let The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints know about it. Excuse me??? We would NEVER willingly let any of that evil into any of our temples. I wish someone would have given them better information.
I am extremely saddened with how evil this world we live in has become. It makes me think of the song "Master the tempest is raging". The song begins with the Apostles and Jesus in a boat amidst extremely rough waters and explains that they are soo frightened. This is the first verse:
1. Master, the tempest is raging!The billows are tossing high!The sky is o’ershadowed with blackness.No shelter or help is nigh.Carest thou not that we perish?How canst thou lie asleepWhen each moment so madly is threat’ningA grave in the angry deep?
Note, if you will, when the song states 'Carest thou not that we perish?'. The Apostles think that Jesus does not care about their apparent safety and that he will let them perish. I would ask all of you, myself included, how many times do we ask the same question 'Carest thou not that we perish?'
The second verse is more directed to our lives and the world that we live in:
2. Master, with anguish of spiritI bow in my grief today.The depths of my sad heart are troubled.Oh, waken and save, I pray!Torrents of sin and of anguishSweep o’er my sinking soul,And I perish! I perish! dear Master.Oh, hasten and take control!

The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:Peace, be still.Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed seaOr demons or men or whatever it be,No waters can swallow the ship where liesThe Master of ocean and earth and skies.They all shall sweetly obey thy will:Peace, be still; peace, be still.They all shall sweetly obey thy will:Peace, peace, be still.


I know I have ranted too long but I will end this blog with this final thought. I know, that Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father love us so much. They know that we are in perilous times, that the waters in which we are traveling are so rough and scary but they are with us always. The chorus of this song brings me peace because it says... Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea Or Demons or men or whatever it be, NO waters can swallow the ship where lies THE MASTER OF OCEAN AND EARTH AND SKIES. They all shall sweetly obey (Christ's will): PEACE, BE STILL, PEACE, BE STILL.