Rooted Tom Ellsworth

We live in a valley on the coast of Los Angeles County. There is a stream that flows past the north end of our property, makes a wide loop, and then passes on past the south end of our property. Close to the wide loop of that stream there used to be a giant oak tree, probably sixty feet high and about that circumference. The trunk was about eight feet in diameter. Its giant roots had anchored it in the sandy soil of the valley for hundreds of years. It survived drought and fire, disease and insect pests, and the periodic floods that rose 10 to 15 feet around it. One year the stream changed course. The new course brought the stream to the edge of the roots of that great tree. There was a little erosion. The next year, when the rains came, there was more erosion. So it continued for about eight years, until, late one night after many hours of rain, there was a loud cracking rumble in the valley, and that might oak fell. We have often been counseled to sink our own roots deep in the gospel. Securely grounded, the droughts and fires, the pests and floods of life cannot topple us. But, if we allow some of our roots to be exposed, eroded by expediency, selfishness, and lassitude, we put ourselves in peril. Gospel roots are familiar to us all: faith, obedience, repentance, fidelity at home, following the prophets, activity, service, prayer, and scripture study. Tom Ellsworth, 9/2009

To Be Like Him

45 And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things.

46 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, if ye have not charity, ye are nothing, for charity never faileth. Wherefore, cleave unto charity, which is the greatest of all, for all things must fail

47 But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him.

48 Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the sons of God; that when he shall appear we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; that we may have this hope; that we may be purified even as he is pure. Amen." (Moroni 7:45-58)

Can Satan Control our Thoughts?

A friend of mine asked a really good question. I'm not sure if I answered it well enough but it sat in my mind last night. So I looked up a couple of things that might help clarify the idea.

The question was about a comment in class last Sunday. We were discussing some things and I mentioned that Satan doesn't have power over our minds. We are more like the temple than we think. Satan has no power on the Temple grounds. He cannot come there. Likewise, when we are doing things that are right and keep our minds on the Lord's errand, we cannot be influenced or controlled by Satan.

President James E. Faust said, ". . . However, we need not become paralyzed with fear of Satan’s power. He can have no power over us unless we permit it. He is really a coward, and if we stand firm, he will retreat. The Apostle James counseled: “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.”27 He cannot know our thoughts unless we speak them. And Nephi states that the devil “hath no power over the hearts” of righteous people.28 We have heard comedians and others justify or explain their misdeeds by saying, “The devil made me do it.” I do not really think the devil can make us do anything. Certainly he can tempt and he can deceive, but he has no authority over us that we do not give him.

The power to resist Satan may be stronger than we realize. The Prophet Joseph Smith taught: “All beings who have bodies have power over those who have not. The devil has no power over us only as we permit him. The moment we revolt at anything which comes from God, the devil takes power.”29

He also stated, “Wicked spirits have their bounds, limits, and laws by which they are governed.”30 So Satan and his angels are not all-powerful."
(James E. Faust, January 2007)

It's interesting how much power we really have. It seems like many of us don't realize the strength within us. When we are under the influence of good things and have been listening to good music of all kinds, reading our scriptures, keeping a prayer in our heart, serving others and fasting on occasion, we find ourselves in a place where we can discern good from evil easily. You might have found this to be true for yourself and maybe even wondered why others you know don't see the evil around like you do. Well, we're all in a different place in our abilities.

I found these scriptures that might help in understanding how important it is to keep a clear and righteous mind. What is very interesting is how important the mind is in all of this.

Serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing mind, 1 Chr. 28: 9. Love the Lord thy God with all thy mind, Matt. 22: 37. To be carnally minded is death; to be spiritually minded is life eternal, 2 Ne. 9: 39. The voice of the Lord came into my mind, Enos 1: 10. The word had a more powerful effect upon the minds of the people than the sword, Alma 31: 5. I will tell you in your mind, D&C 8: 2. Study it out in your mind, D&C 9: 8. Let the solemnities of eternity rest upon your minds, D&C 43: 34. Your minds in times past have been darkened, D&C 84: 54. Retire to thy bed early, arise early that your bodies and minds may be invigorated, D&C 88: 124. Satan knew not the mind of God, Moses 4: 6. The Lord called his people Zion, because they were of one heart and one mind, Moses 7: 18.

The thing that jumps out at me is that the mind is a central concern for our Father in Heaven.
We can communicate through our minds with Him. We don't even have to open our mouths. We can ponder on the things in our lives without disturbance all in our minds. What a great gift and protection.

So when we hear good people around us and at church talking about the importance of good music, good movies, good computer games, good books, good anything that has influence in our lives over our minds, we might take a stronger notice to the truth of these points. We are the ones with the agency to choose. It's evident that we choose our level of progress and the level of blessings and protections. We chose what interferes with the good in our minds.

We are the ones with the power over evil, over Satan. It's the battle we can win every day.

Peace Power

Isaiah said, “The work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever” (Isaiah 32:17).
That peace is also promised in the revelations in which the Lord declares, “If ye are prepared ye shall not fear” (D&C 38:30).


I've been watching the news and trying to keep up with the chaos and corruption in the world. I am surprised at the level of anti freedom activities in our country among other things like the growing immorality, increased animalism in our culture and the acceptance of all of this. I've gotten a little worried (or a lot, really) wondering why others don't seem to notice.

So when I read these two scriptures, I thought about the feelings that I was having while thinking about all of the problems that are going on. I have been thinking that it's good to be active in protecting our freedoms like Captain Moroni. It's good to know what is going on and ask questions like Moroni and other great warriors when Pahoran was in trouble. (http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/59)

I also realize that nothing is more powerful than righteous "warriors". People who focus on living righteously and seek peace not to hurt or harm or control their fellow human beings, their brothers and sisters.

A description of Moroni: "19 But behold, this was not the desire of Moroni; he did not delight^• in murder or bloodshed, but he delighted in the saving of his people from destruction; and for this cause he might not bring upon him injustice, he would not fall upon the Lamanites and destroy them in their drunkenness."
and more about Moroni: "11 And Moroni was a strong^• and a mighty man; he was a man of a perfect understanding^•; yea, a man that did not delight in bloodshed; a man whose soul did joy in the liberty and the freedom of his country, and his brethren from bondage and slavery;

12 Yea, a man whose heart did swell with thanksgiving to his God, for the many privileges and blessings which he bestowed upon his people; a man who did labor exceedingly for the welfare^• and safety of his people.

13 Yea, and he was a man who was firm in the faith of Christ, and he had sworn^• with an oath to defend his people, his rights, and his country, and his religion, even to the loss of his blood.

14 Now the Nephites were taught to defend themselves against their enemies, even to the shedding of blood if it were necessary; yea, and they were also taught never^• to give an offense, yea, and never to raise the sword except it were against an enemy, except it were to preserve their lives.

15 And this was their faith^•, that by so doing God would prosper^• them in the land, or in other words, if they were faithful in keeping the commandments of God that he would prosper them in the land; yea, warn them to flee, or to prepare for war, according to their danger;

16 And also, that God would make it known unto them whither^• they should go to defend themselves against their enemies, and by so doing, the Lord would deliver them; and this was the faith of Moroni, and his heart did glory in it; not in the shedding^• of blood but in doing good, in preserving his people, yea, in keeping the commandments of God, yea, and resisting iniquity.

17 Yea, verily, verily I say unto you, if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni^•, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil^• would never have power over the hearts of the children of men.

18 Behold, he was a man like unto Ammon^•, the son of Mosiah, yea, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God.

19 Now behold, Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable^• unto the people than was Moroni; for they did preach the word of God, and they did baptize unto repentance all men whosoever would hearken unto their words.

20 And thus they went forth, and the people did humble themselves because of their words, insomuch that they were highly favored^• of the Lord, and thus they were free from wars and contentions among themselves. . ."(http://scriptures.lds.org/en/alma/48)

What is the power? Where does the peace come from? Where is their strength?
Faith, Scripture reading, Prayer
They stay humble and serve others.
They trust the Lord.
They love their friends AND enemies

The Gospel is peace. It's a way of life.

And, if we need to be prepared and we study, pray, serve others fast and learn, we'll be prepared for the things ahead. We'll know what to do and we'll be able to do it. After all, the Lord wouldn't give us something we can't handle, right? (Proverbs 3:5-6, 1 Nephi 3:7)

Looks like a great time to dive into the patterns of the Book of Mormon one more time!

As an adult I have always noticed when people around me use God and Lord and Jesus Christ in a profane way. It bothers me. I know it's breaking a commandment. I know it's disrespectful. But I really like what I gained in this thought process through reading this one paragraph from a talk by Pres. Henry B. Eyring, ". . . I had learned from my parents and from the Savior’s teachings that we must address our Heavenly Father in the reverent language of prayer. “Our Father … in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9). I knew that we never profane His sacred name—never. Can you imagine how the prayers of a child are harmed by hearing a parent profane the name of God? There will be terrible consequences for such an offense to the little ones." (President Henry B. Eyring, That They May Write Upon Our Hearts, Liahona, April 2009)

What seems to be important when we first look at the "Lord's Prayer" from the New Testament, is how He spoke of His Father's name. He referred to His Father's name as hallowed. In seeing this I think immediately that this is an important fact. Heavenly Father's name is hallowed so it must be treated with the utmost respect. It means that using the name of God, surely is disrespectful and a very unhallowed act.
Once in my growing up years, someone asked if when I was mad, did I say my sister's name out loud or my brother's or my Dad's name? Of course that would be silly, right? It would sound strange to yell out my sister's name if I stubbed my toe or had someone cut me off in traffic, right? She didn't do anything! I thought so myself. So then, if God the Father is much more important and His name is much more hallowed, how much sense does it make to use his name when cursing in anger or swearing at people? He has nothing to do with our getting cut off in traffic or the door slamming on our finger.
So how about not only worrying about our innocent children and the impact we are making on them in our selfish, disrespectful actions, but let's worry about the statement it makes about us and our characters. We are children of God. He is our Father and loves us more than anyone else ever can or will. He has our sole interests in His heart. In all of the love for us, He just asks for our love and respect to shine through in the things we do and say with our fellow beings every day. It's but a small thing we can do for Him.


More on the Savior:
http://jesuschrist.lds.org/?cid=wpats2

"Kindness, love, patience, understanding, and unity will increase as we serve, while intolerance, jealousy, envy, greed, and selfishness decrease or disappear. The more we give of ourselves, the more our capacity to serve, understand, and love will grow."
--Carlos H. Amado, "Service, a Divine Quality", Ensign, May 2008, 35–37

Marriage and Divorce

I have to admit that I am not the perfect spouse and I do not have the perfect marriage. I have never met anyone who is or has either. BUT I have met many many people who work very hard to have or be both.

When we fall in love and "know" that the person we are in a relationship with is THE one that we would like to spend the rest of our life with, we have a level of love that has been developed.
We are very interested in continuing that development. We talk about our goals and watch for characteristics that would be positive or negative and make worthwhile decisions as to whether or not marriage is an option. This life changing decision should never go without sincere prayer by either party.

Prayer. When to start? Yesterday. I remember one time a woman at church teaching a few of us young teenagers that she had been praying for her future spouse for many years before they had met. She had prayed for his well being, for his spiritual development, and for whatever else might need to be happening before they met. She felt strongly that this kept her in the right frame of mind as well as that it blessed him. I took her advise and found myself receiving promptings at times as to my future husband's well being. One time in particular, I didn't feel calm, I had a worried anxious feeling and prayed more for him. I did find out later that he had some things he went through at the time. Interesting, huh?
What did this do for me? It taught me that I had someone that I needed to work on being prepared to meet someday. It taught me that the world didn't/doesn't revolve around me. It gave me an eternal perspective, one that confirmed to me that there was a life plan for me and that I was actively involved in it.

Before we meet. Many people assume that what they do previous to meeting Mr or Mrs Right doesn't have much bearing on the outcome of finding that wonderful person. Wrong. Everything we do from childhood into adulthood has everything to do with being prepared to participate in a healthy marriage and create a loving family. Some things to consider: Learn patience in your home growing up and in college with roommates and on missions with companions. Learn to serve others (for a myriad of reasons). Learn about yourself, your personality, your strengths, your weaknesses. Work on yourself so that you get in the habit of changing you and loving others for being who they are.

When you meet. Communicate with that person. Observe the habits and characteristics that they have. Pray daily or more for a confirmation that they are the Mr or Mrs Right of your life. Have faith that you'll know. And when you have that confirmation, hold on to that moment in your mind and heart for the rest of your life. That confirmation should be your personal scripture on your heart, your "iron rod" of your family helping you to hang on through the good and bad times-they come and go like the ebbing tide of the ocean.

When you Court. Keep positive. Keep Prayerful. Keep learning and growing. This is the time to learn to work together in planning, in praying, in working, etc. There is so much to learn throughout life and this is the exciting beginning of the process. Keeping strong in prayer individually and as a couple will help you have the spirit to know this person better and to have healthy instincts in your relationship develop. Being sexual at this time will interfere with your ability to have the spiritual guide. Be watchful that you protect this most wonderful tool in your developing relationship.

Marriage. Marriage is not just a promise between two people. It is a sacred covenant between the Savior and these two people. This new couple promises the Lord certain things and He also has endless promises for them as they keep this eternal covenant.

After the honeymoon is over. There is a much needed time of joy and rejoicing, of celebrating this life moment. After the glittery dust settles, breath and start your journey! As much as you should have been praying before, you should double your efforts now. This is not about changing your new spouse to fit your demands. This prayer time is for YOU to work on YOU. You need to change. You need to improve. You need to be one with the Lord as you become the best you that you can be in the challenges that will most assuredly come.

Know this. At at least one time in your married life will have to carried what seems like 100% of the family burden. YOU WILL and YOU CAN. A sweet spouse can get laid off of a job, become very ill, get in an accident, go through rigorous schooling, etc. etc. etc. Just because you have to work harder for a short or long time doesn't mean that the other spouse has failed you. I know of a family who's very healthy father had a stroke at a very young age. The mother had to work for years and years and still does! They are a large family and so loving and supportive of each other. No they couldn't have a lot of money but they hung in there and served each other, served others readily, and worked hard together. Many many sacrifices were made. She never gave up on him and he never gave up on her. NEVER. So just because you might not have the "cookie cutter" life now, doesn't give you license to break up your family.

My father once told me in all of his wisdom, "Unless the Lord gives you permission, you don't have permission to break His covenant". Think, like I did, long and hard about this. In the Bible we read in aMatthew 19:7-8 (King James Version) that divorce is not of God, but was given to man because of their hard hearts. When things are so bad that ending a marriage seems like the only way to save the family member from harm, then there is much prayer and fasting that will need to happen as well as some wise counseling to gather. There is always more that just oneself to consider in these serious matters.

Nowadays, our community would tell us that it's ok to start over in a new marriage. Why not? We've grown apart? Hogwash. That's the biggest cop out ever. It's selfish and egotistical to assume that when we don't "feel" the honeymoon excitement that we "deserve" to have someone else.

What has happened? Well, you need to think about it. What are you doing to build up your spouse and family? What are you doing without condition? What are you doing to show your family that YOU are willing to stick out the hard/bad times? What are you doing to show them how it's done? YOU have that responsibility. Don't look to others to teach your loved ones. You promised them that you would carry this "cross" before you even got to this earth. You promised them that you would be their guide and advocate and friend. You promised them that you would be a healer in their life not a destroyer.

The toilet seat won't always be where you want it. The money will not always be there in abundance (and maybe never). The kids won't always pick of their rooms (call me if they do). You won't always feel successful and fulfilled. But when you look back on the hard times from the watchtower of the better times, you will see the growth and the majesty of a developing life. You will have something more valuable that riches to take with you when this life is over. It will be that you will come to know that you are changing, you are strong, you are capable, and that you have the strength of the Lord at your side.

If you have tried the Lord in all your life's activities and decisions, you will find that your path will be His path and His path your path. You will find joy DURING your journey.

None of this is spoken from a perfect spouse nor from a perfect person. But I have and continue to try the Lord in everything in my life. I have and continue to face serious challenges.

His ways are proven. His ways bring the most joy and the most indelible success that can be found.

a. "7 They say unto him, Why did Moses then command to give a ^awriting^• of ^bdivorcement^•, and to put her away?

8 He saith unto them, Moses because of the ^ahardness^• of your hearts suffered you to put away your ^bwives^•: but from the beginning it was not so." Mathew 19:7-8