No Matter What Happens

Elder Busche

F. Enzio Busche

F. Enzio Busche was born in Dortmund, Germany. He led an idyllic life in the country for a few short years. In 1939 – when Enzio was just nine years old – the first English bomb fell on Dortmund, and his childhood ended. Years of devastating war, family turmoil, and despair began. Enzio was conscripted into Hitler’s army at the tender age of 14, and taken as a prisoner of war just months later. He endured fear, hunger and countless trials. After the war, in his early twenties, Enzio faced a new battle when he contracted a debilitating liver disease. As he lay dying in his hospital bed, he experienced a personal conversion to Jesus Christ, and a miraculous healing. Afterwards, he and his wife Jutta searched for God’s will in their life. They sought answers to their many religious questions.

“I told the Lord we wanted to find his church,” Busche recalls. “I knew that the earlier followers of Christ had been persecuted, so I told the Lord that it didn’t matter if his was an obscure church, even a ridiculed church.”

After that prayer, the overwhelming peace Enzio had felt in the hospital returned. Several weeks later, two Latter-day Saint missionaries stood on the Busches’ doorstep offering a spiritual message. Enzio and Jutta listened to the missionaries, studied the church, and were baptised two years later. They became humble and faithful members, serving in leadership capacities all of their lives. Elder Busche was often invited to speak. His theme centered on peace and happiness:

“Many are starving spiritually. We must feed the spiritual part of our being by learning to distinguish and search for the Spirit in all matters of our daily lives. Life is not meant to be easy, but when we are filled with the Spirit that Heavenly Father gives us as we live according to our covenants, we will be full of joy no matter what happens.”

When Elder F. Enzio Busche spoke to the student-body at Brigham Young University, the title of his talk was ”Unleashing The Dormant Spirit“. In this illustrated video, we hear Enzio’s wise instruction on how to keep a joyful soul, no matter what.

O Divine Redeemer – A Mormon Witness

Elder Neal A. MaxwellAt the October 1981 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormons), Elder Neal A. Maxwell gave his first talk over the pulpit as a newly ordained apostle. It was entitled: “O, Divine Redeemer“. Elder Maxwell was known for his keen intellect, and love for poetry and alliteration. Each talk became a scriptural masterpiece of literature, devotion and instruction. He served for twenty-three years as a witness of Jesus Christ before succumbing to Leukemia in 2004.

I thank SethAdam Smith for creating this beautiful video highlighting Elder Maxwell’s powerful testimony, “O Divine Redeemer“. A Mormon Witness of Christ.

Learn more about The Mormons and Jesus Christ, at www.Jesus.lds.org

Mormon Temple Blessings

This video explains more about Mormon Temples, using excerpts of a talk given by apostle Russell M. Nelson of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, candid comments from members of the church, and beautiful photography of both the inside and outside of temples around the world.

Harvard: Mormon Student Interview

A 20-year-old Harvard junior from Idaho named Rachel Esplin is capturing the attention of both the Mormon and non-Mormon community with this six-month-old video. Esplin is the president of the Harvard Latter-day Saint Student Association, and was chosen to represent the Mormon religion during a University ”Day of Faith” Panel moderated by journalist Sally Quinn. On March 6, 2009 The Boston Globe ran a feature article on the video, and included a follow-up interview. The article had received nearly 300 comments as of this posting.

Esplin is asked a series of questions that could be considered “tricky” for members to answer in a private setting, and certainly challenging in the public arena. However, she delivers a poised and candid interview. Questions range from whether she wears sacred undergarments, why the temple is secret, who Joseph Smith was and why he is important, and how she reacts to allegations that Mormonism is a cult. She is also asked to respond to the often negative perception of the role of women in the church. Concluding questions deal with her personal relationship with Jesus, and her plans for the future.

You will notice that this interview lasted 21 minutes, but don’t let that put you off. This is well worth your time! It is a fine representation of a young Latter-day Saint perspective, and informative for those who may have curiosity of our beliefs. It also stands as a great example to Latter-day Saints themselves, on how to answer the “tough questions” with grace, honesty, and humor.

“Esplin is …an East Asian Studies major who is planning to get married this summer and expects to graduate in December; she hopes eventually to go to law school.” -from Boston Globe

Fight The Good Fight

Captain MoroniThe holy scriptures teach that there is a great battle being waged for the souls of mankind. The forces of good and the forces of evil surround us. Often, the physical battles related in the scriptures are symbolic of the spiritual battles we each must fight in order to stay on the straight and narrow path, following our Savior, Jesus Christ. Along our path, we must make choices that will either draw us farther away, or bring us closer to light and truth.

In the MoSop Movie below you will see images depicting two battle stories found in The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. In 72 BC, an invading force threatened to destroy the entire Nephite nation. Their military leader, Captain Moroni, united his people quickly by tearing his coat and writing upon it all of the things worth fighting for (family, wives, children, freedom, and God). He hoisted this “Title of Liberty” upon a staff, and waved it throughout the land rallying his people to victory.

Stripling Warriers - FribergTen years later, the country is once again threatened. This time, defences are weak, the soldiers are worn down and discouraged. They are in critical need of reinforcement. A leader named Helaman recruits 2,000 young men called the”Stripling Warriors“ . These young boys fearlessly march into battle to defend the freedom of their family and country. Despite daunting odds, the inexperienced youth are victorious. Their faith never wavers, and not one is lost in battle. These men explain to Helaman that they trusted in the words and prayers of their mothers. They believed that Christ would deliver them and strengthen them, no matter how difficult their task.

Today, faithful Latter-day Saints of all ages go out into the world to share the restored gospel message. LDS - Mormon MissionariesJust like Helaman’s little army, they have limited experience, and face daunting challenges. However they go forth with faith. They trust that Christ will strengthen them no matter how difficult their task. At their own expense, they willingly sacrifice their time to share the things that matter most with any who will listen. These valiant individuals are bringing needed reinforcement of hope and peace to the world.

beautiful_saviorIt is Jesus Christ who will strengthen each soul during our individual battles of life. He has promised that He will magnify our efforts as we go forth to serve our fellow men and make the world a better place.

The text for the song ”Fight The Good Fight” is taken from passages by the Apostle Timothy:

“I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness..and not to me only, but [unto all] that love his appearing.” – 2 Tim 4: 7-8

The Apostle Paul taught exactly HOW  to prepare ourselves for battle against the forces of evil:

Whole Body Armor“Be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

“Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness…and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked…and the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God”Armor of God

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;…that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” - Ephesians 6:10-20

 

To learn more about The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, our missionary work, and The Book of Mormon, go to Mormon.org

Mormon Temple Ceremony and Worship

LDS portland-templeMormon Temple worship and the ceremonies which take place inside are often a subject of curiosity and scrutiny. Because the worship which takes place in LDS temples is closed to the public, there is the potential for suspicion, rumor, misunderstanding, or inaccurate information. This is unfortunate. My website is designed to enlighten readers, to answer questions, and to build bridges of understanding.

Latter-day Saints wish the world to understand that our temple worship is not deemed so much as ”secret”, but rather “sacred”. In other words, it is something so special to us we keep it private and personal. In the temple, Continue reading

When Hollywood Bullies Mormons

hollywoodAn upcoming HBO “Big Love” episode is slated to depict a re-creation of a Latter-day Saint (Mormon) temple ceremony. This is extremely distressing to the faithful LDS community, who understandably feel pain that something very sacred to them is to be disrespectfully paraded in public, and misrepresented by “ex-Mormon consultants”. 

I enjoyed reading Bryce’s eloquent post over at Temple Study today. Among many great points, he included a timeless quote from the late LDS President Brigham Young (1801-1877):

Every time you kick ‘Mormonism’, you kick it upstairs; you never kick it downstairs.  - B. Young

This statement has proved true. Bryce points out the positive perspective one can take whenever there is negative attention or media hoopla. Certainly, it is not the first time  Continue reading

Mormon Message: The Things You Do

In this week’s Mormon Message  video, presiding LDS Bishop H. David Burton gives details regarding the humanitarian effort of the LDS Church.

The scripture passages:
“As ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matthew 25:40) and “Remember in all things the poor and the needy” (D&C 52:40) take on special meaning as Bishop Burton shares this profound truth:

“The things you do for yourself are gone when you are gone.
The things you do for others remains your Legacy.”

O Be Joyful In The Lord

Set to an arrangement of the song “O Be Joyful In The Lord”, this  MoSop Movie proclaims the beauty of God’s ultimate creation, and the divine purpose of life.

joyful-woman“And my soul shall be joyful in the Lord: it shall rejoice in his salvation!” - Psalm 35:9

When the Savior walked the earth, He taught these profound words of hope and encouragement:

“…rejoice, because your names are written in heaven”

- Luke 10:20

Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (“Mormons“) believe that each human being is a literal child of God. Our spirits lived before we were born on earth, and they will return to God after this life. Our soul is eternal, and our mortal lives are a  gift. The family is the most sacred unit on earth. In holy temples throughout the world, families can be united together not just until death parts them, but for all eternity!

O Be Joyful!


Continue reading

MoSop Movie Debut Takes Flight

For over a year now I have been continually amazed and inspired by the inspirational gems created on YouTube, especially the Guru of Mormon-YouTube-ism SethAdamSmith. Off and on I would say to myself:

“Self, Someday I’ve got to sit down and learn how to make my own movie! I mean, how hard can it really be?”

Well, for some [insane] reason I decided that last night “someday” had arrived.

I embarked on my Movie Producing quest with gleeful abandon. Of course, knowing me, I certainly couldn’t go about it in any sort of logical way. My learning process always involves twists and turns and scaling the Mt. Everests of the Creativity Kingdom.

This time was no different.

For the sake of posterity, or anyone else who thinks they might like to become a Movie Producer Continue reading

Hinckley’s Parable of The Shoes

In this video, the late President Gordon B. Hinckley of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints tells a touching story from his youth.

more about “Hinckley’s Parable of The Shoes“, posted with vodpod