lds poetry by kelly miller: Let Us Not Feel Apprehensive

Friday, August 14, 2009

Let Us Not Feel Apprehensive

Let us not feel apprehensive
As we are privileged to speak of faith
(But, not in a way that's offensive...)
For these words should be spiritually framed

I am confident in my belief
In our beloved Lord and Savior
For He has helped me in trial and grief
And to not share His love, I'd feel a failure

I try to follow His teachings
And pray in His name each day
Humbly to Him I'm now reaching
For He helps me to form words to say

Let us speak spirit to spirit
And feel His love within stir
That as I speak you'll more than hear it
But, feel your heart swell and concur

Now, let me tell you where I go to be strong-
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
It's where I have been led and know I belong
As His countenance to my soul weekly He paints

There we follow Jesus Christ
And try to live as He taught
Continually, He lights my life
And without Him, and His church, I'd be lost

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/print/705323254/Dont-apologize-for-faith-BYU-grads-are-urged.html

Don't apologize for faith, BYU grads are urged
LDS shouldn't be on the defensive, Elder Ballard says
By Marc Haddock
Deseret News
Published: Thursday, Aug. 13, 2009 9:39 p.m. MDT
Stop being defensive about your religion.
That's the message Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve delivered to 2,422 BYU graduates at the Marriott Center Thursday during commencement exercises for the Class of June 2009 and August 2009.
Ballard recounted the early struggles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which owns the university, and a resulting sense that church members need to adopt a defensive posture. Things have changed, he said.
"This isn't 1830, and there aren't just six of us anymore," Elder Ballard said. "Constantly anticipating criticisms or objections can lead to an unhealthy self-consciousness and a defensive posture that doesn't resonate well with others. It is inconsistent with where we are today as a church and as a great body of followers of Jesus Christ."
He said the church's rapid growth has given the religion, now the fourth largest in the United States, a higher profile than ever, and that church members would find themselves in more discussions about their beliefs than in the past.
"You need to be honest, open, forthright, engaging, respectful of others' views and completely non-defensive about your own," Elder Ballard said. "If we want to be respected today for who we are, then we need to act confidently — secure in the knowledge of who we are and what we stand for, and not as if we have to apologize for our beliefs.
"That doesn't mean we should be arrogant or overbearing," he said.
Elder Ballard offered two suggestions to remaining non-defensive in conversations.
"Don't let irrelevant issues drown out the more important subjects," he said, mentioning polygamy as a specific example.
"This ended in the church as an official practice in 1890. It's now 2009. Why are we still talking about it?" he asked.
His second suggestion: "Emphasize that Latter-day Saints follow Jesus Christ and what Jesus Christ teaches."
"Whenever you are having a conversation about the church, you should try to make this a point. We follow Jesus Christ. We try to live as he taught," Elder Ballard said. "That's the basis of our faith and our lives. This is the strongest non-defensive position you can take."

this brings to mind a poem I wrote earlier this year based on
...
To speak or write of Jesus
Who is the author of good news
Is always timely, for anyone of us
For it's the best message one can choose

Elder Lawrence E. Corbridge
February 10, 2009

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The Captain of the Soul- Invictus/ The Soul's Captain by Elder Orson F. Whitney

Invictus by William E. Henley
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the Pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.
In the fell clutch of circumstance,
I have not winced nor cried aloud.
Under the bludgeonings of chance
My head is bloody, but unbowed.
Beyond this place of wrath and tears
Looms but the Horror of the shade,
And yet the menace of the years
Finds, and shall find, me unafraid.
It matters not how strait the gate,
How charged with punishments the scroll,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.

The Soul's Captain [The Answer]
by Elder Orson F. Whitney
of the Quorum of the Twelve
Art thou in truth? Then what of him
Who bought thee with his blood?
Who plunged into devouring seas
And snatched thee from the flood?
Who bore for all our fallen race
What none but him could bear.
The God who died that man might live,
And endless glory share?
Of what avail thy vaunted strength,
Apart from his vast might?
Pray that his Light may pierce the gloom,
That thou mayest see aright.
Men are as bubbles on the wave,
As leaves upon the tree.
Thou, captain of thy soul, forsooth
Who gave that place to thee?
Free will is thine — free agency
To wield for right or wrong;
But thou must answer unto him
To whom all souls belong.
Bend to the dust that head "unbowed,"
Small part of Life's great whole!
And see in him, and him alone,
The Captain of thy soul

He's Been There Before

He's Been There Before by Elder Troy Whittle
The alarm bell rings at 6:30, I stumble to my feet
I grab my companions bedding and pull off his sheets
A groan fills the room, is it already time to arise?
It seems like just a second ago I was able to shut my eyes

The morning activities follow- study, prayer and such
When it's time to leave the apartment, you feel you haven't accomplished much
"We have a super day planned," My comp. says with a grin
I lowly utter a faithless breath, "Yeah, if anyone lets us in."

With the word of God and my faithful Schwinn, we ride off in the street prepared to
Face another day of humidity and heat
It's 9:30 in the evening, the day is almost through
My champion and I are riding home not accomplishing what we thought to do

We ride up to the mailbox, hoping to receive a lot
Only to look inside and hear my echo reverberate "air Box"
We go up to our apartment, the day is now complete
The only thing to show for our work is a case of blistery feet

It's past 10:30 p.m. My companion is fast asleep,
Silence engulfs me all about and I begin to weep
In the midst of sadness, I kneel down to pray
I need to talk to father, but I'm not sure what to say

"Oh, Father" I begin, "What happened to us today?
I thought we'd teach somebody, but everyone was away
My hands, my aching hands- worn, hurt and beat;
If our area was any smaller, we'd have knocked every street"

"Why on missions are the days so much alike?
The only difference about today was the flat tire on my bike
Will you send some cooler weather? The heat is killing me
I sweat so bad, it gets in my eyes, it's very hard to see"

"Why do I have to wear a helmet, isn't your protection enough?
People always laugh at me, and call me stupid stuff
Please send us investigators so I may give them what they lack
I want to give them Books of Mormon, the weight of them hurts my back"

"And what about my family: They don't have much to say
I'm sick of not hearing from home day after day after day
Oh Father, Why am I here am I just wasting time?
Sometimes I just want to go home, I'm sorry but that's on my mind"

"My companion, Heavenly Father, what are you giving me?
"The way he rides his bicycle, I don't think he can see
Now you have it, I can't go on, I don't know what to do
That, my Father in Heaven, is the prayer I have for you"

My prayer now finished, I stand up, then jump right into bed
I need my rest for tomorrow, we have another long day ahead
Sleep start to overtake me, I seem to drift away
Then it seems a vision takes me to another time in another day

I'm standing alone on the hill. The view is very nice
A man walks to wards me and says, "My name is Jesus Christ"
Tears of joy well up inside, I fall down to His feet
"Arise," He states, "Follow me to the shade. You and I need to speak"

My attention's towards my Savior, total and complete
He says, "Your mission is similar of what happened to me
I understand how you feel, I know what you're going through
In fact, it would be fair to say I've felt the same as you"

"I even know how you felt when no one listened to you
At times I felt not quite sure what else I could do
I know you don't like to ride a bicycle, for you a car would be sweet
Just remember the donkey I rode wasn't equipped with 21 speeds"

"I understand you don't like sweating, in fact it's something you hate
I remember when I sweat blood from ev’ry pore, oh the agony was great!
I see you don't like your companion- you'd rather have someone else-
I once had a companion named Judas who sold my life for wealth"

"It's hard to wear a helmet and have people make fun of you
I remember when they put thorns on my head and called me King of the Jews
So you feel burdened down by the weight of your pack
I recall how heavy the cross was when they slammed it on my back"

"Your hands hurt from tracting and knocking on doors all day
I guess when they pounded nails into mine, I ached in a similar way
It's hard not to hear from home when your family's not there to see
I lost communication on the cross and cried, "Father, why hast Thou forsaken me?"

"We have a lot in common, but there's a difference between us you see
I endured to the end and finished my mission, so follow and do like me"
He embraced me with His arms and His light filled me with His love
With tears in my eyes I watched as He went back to the Father above

I stood with awe and wonder when a beep rang in my head
I listened and heard the alarm, then realized I was in my bed
My companion let out a groan, "6:30 already, no way!"
I sat up and said, "Come on, I'll even carry your scriptures today!"

No matter what we go through, when we feel we can't take more
Just stop and think about Jesus Christ, He's been there before
By Elder Troy Whittle
Texas Houston Mission

153 Countries Visited! June 2015

Global Statistics

Visits from 153 countries registered.

No.	Country	Date of Last Visit	Percent & Number of Visits
1	United States	June 15, 2015	82.86%	25,281
2	United Kingdom	June 14, 2015	2.61%	795
3	Canada	June 13, 2015	2.42%	737
4	Australia	June 13, 2015	1.81%	551
5	Philippines	June 14, 2015	1.35%	412
6	New Zealand	June 14, 2015	0.99%	303
7	India	June 14, 2015	0.79%	241
8	Brazil	June 14, 2015	0.58%	176
9	Germany	May 15, 2015	0.49%	151
10	Mexico	June 3, 2015	0.40%	121
11	South Africa	June 8, 2015	0.34%	105
12	Russian Federation	Apr 20, 2015	0.26%	80
13	France	June 3, 2015	0.21%	64
14	Malaysia	June 5, 2015	0.14%	44
15	Czech Republic	Apr 17, 2015	0.14%	42
16	Pakistan	Mar 21, 2015	0.13%	41
17	Spain	Apr 28, 2015	0.13%	41
18	Italy	June 8, 2015	0.13%	39
19	Netherlands	May 28, 2015	0.12%	38
20	Europe	June 11, 2015	0.11%	35
21	Indonesia	May 18, 2015	0.11%	35
22	Cote D'Ivoire	May 17, 2015	0.11%	35
23	Japan	Apr 17, 2015	0.11%	33
24	Singapore	May 28, 2015	0.11%	33
25	United Arab Emirates	Apr 25, 2015	0.10%	32
26	Argentina	Apr 27, 2015	0.10%	31
27	Korea, Republic of	Feb 1, 2015	0.10%	31
28	-	May 10, 2015	0.10%	31
29	Thailand	Apr 5, 2015	0.10%	30
30	Ireland	May 19, 2015	0.10%	29
31	Jamaica	June 1, 2015	0.09%	28
32	Turkey	June 14, 2015	0.09%	28
33	Trinidad and Tobago	May 18, 2015	0.09%	26
34	Sweden	May 8, 2015	0.09%	26
35	Guatemala	May 5, 2015	0.08%	24
36	Denmark	May 10, 2015	0.08%	23
37	Saudi Arabia	May 1, 2015	0.07%	20
38	Nigeria	Apr 4, 2015	0.07%	20
39	Hong Kong	Apr 18, 2015	0.07%	20
40	Colombia	May 29, 2015	0.07%	20
41	Chile	Mar 23, 2015	0.06%	19
42	Finland	Mar 25, 2015	0.06%	19
43	Taiwan	Mar 28, 2015	0.06%	18
44	Romania	May 17, 2015	0.06%	18
45	Fiji	Feb 27, 2015	0.06%	17
46	Ghana	May 8, 2015	0.06%	17
47	Belgium	May 30, 2015	0.05%	16
48	Switzerland	Apr 12, 2015	0.05%	16
49	Poland	Apr 6, 2015	0.05%	15
50	American Samoa	Apr 10, 2015	0.05%	14
51	Ecuador	Feb 23, 2015	0.05%	14
52	Serbia	Mar 10, 2015	0.05%	14
53	Austria	Apr 8, 2015	0.04%	13
54	Senegal	Nov 24, 2014	0.04%	13
55	Norway	June 1, 2015	0.04%	13
56	Uruguay	Aug 18, 2014	0.04%	12
57	Peru	Apr 13, 2015	0.04%	12
58	Portugal	Apr 6, 2015	0.04%	12
59	Kenya	Oct 29, 2014	0.04%	12
60	Tonga	Dec 9, 2014	0.04%	11
61	Dominican Republic	Mar 12, 2015	0.04%	11
62	Hungary	Feb 16, 2015	0.03%	10
63	Guyana	Apr 28, 2015	0.03%	10
64	Bangladesh	Jan 19, 2015	0.03%	9
65	Algeria	Feb 5, 2015	0.03%	9
66	Kuwait	Mar 30, 2015	0.03%	9
67	Egypt	Apr 4, 2015	0.03%	9
68	Belize	May 8, 2015	0.03%	9
69	Costa Rica	Feb 4, 2015	0.03%	8
70	Bahamas	Jan 9, 2015	0.03%	8
71	Israel	Feb 27, 2015	0.03%	8
72	Ukraine	Jan 24, 2015	0.03%	8
73	Asia/Pacific Region	June 9, 2015	0.03%	8
74	Honduras	Feb 6, 2015	0.02%	7
75	Cyprus	Mar 21, 2015	0.02%	7
76	Guam	Apr 10, 2015	0.02%	7
77	Greece	June 2, 2015	0.02%	7
78	China	Dec 16, 2014	0.02%	7
79	Panama	Apr 7, 2015	0.02%	6
80	Morocco	Mar 3, 2015	0.02%	6
81	Sri Lanka	Sept 28, 2014	0.02%	6
82	Iraq	Feb 25, 2015	0.02%	6
83	Togo	June 6, 2015	0.02%	6
84	Botswana	May 7, 2015	0.02%	6
85	El Salvador	Apr 23, 2015	0.02%	5
86	Vietnam	Oct 30, 2014	0.02%	5
87	Cook Islands	June 3, 2015	0.02%	5
88	Bulgaria	Oct 27, 2014	0.02%	5
89	Lithuania	June 23, 2014	0.02%	5
90	Slovakia	Jan 19, 2015	0.02%	5
91	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Mar 23, 2015	0.02%	5
92	French Polynesia	Nov 23, 2014	0.02%	5
93	Bahrain	Nov 11, 2014	0.02%	5
94	Slovenia	Jan 16, 2015	0.02%	5
95	Grenada	Mar 10, 2015	0.02%	5
96	Qatar	Jan 15, 2015	0.02%	5
97	Saint Lucia	May 8, 2015	0.02%	5
98	Puerto Rico	Feb 27, 2015	0.01%	4
99	Tunisia	Jan 23, 2015	0.01%	4
100	Malta	Mar 22, 2015	0.01%	4
101	Croatia	Jan 20, 2015	0.01%	4
102	New Caledonia	Jan 13, 2015	0.01%	4
103	Barbados	Apr 29, 2014	0.01%	4
104	Azerbaijan	Jan 14, 2015	0.01%	4
105	Moldova, Republic of	Nov 29, 2014	0.01%	3
106	Lebanon	Feb 11, 2014	0.01%	3
107	Zimbabwe	July 23, 2014	0.01%	3
108	Benin	Feb 19, 2015	0.01%	3
109	Antigua and Barbuda	Aug 1, 2014	0.01%	3
110	Isle of Man	Dec 20, 2014	0.01%	3
111	Bhutan	June 8, 2015	0.01%	3
112	Venezuela	May 14, 2014	0.01%	3
113	Georgia	Mar 3, 2015	0.01%	2
114	Namibia	Oct 22, 2014	0.01%	2
115	Armenia	Jan 12, 2015	0.01%	2
116	Virgin Islands, U.S.	June 20, 2014	0.01%	2
117	Jordan	May 19, 2015	0.01%	2
118	Mozambique	June 23, 2014	0.01%	2
119	Uganda	Aug 4, 2014	0.01%	2
120	Marshall Islands	Jan 28, 2015	0.01%	2
121	Mauritius	Feb 20, 2015	0.01%	2
122	Oman	May 12, 2014	0.01%	2
123	Curacao	Apr 29, 2015	0.01%	2
124	Sierra Leone	Apr 26, 2015	0.01%	2
125	Samoa	Nov 1, 2013	0.01%	2
126	Saint Kitts and Nevis	June 30, 2013	0.01%	2
127	Macau	July 18, 2014	0.01%	2
128	Albania	Aug 17, 2014	0.01%	2
129	Dominica	Mar 12, 2013	0.01%	2
130	Ethiopia	Jan 8, 2015	0.01%	2
131	Estonia	Mar 20, 2015	0.01%	2
132	Cape Verde	May 27, 2013	0.00%	1
133	Cayman Islands	July 27, 2014	0.00%	1
134	Cambodia	Sept 16, 2013	0.00%	1
135	Myanmar	July 18, 2014	0.00%	1
136	Lesotho	Jan 12, 2013	0.00%	1
137	Mongolia	Mar 14, 2015	0.00%	1
138	Zambia	Apr 22, 2013	0.00%	1
139	Montenegro	Nov 19, 2014	0.00%	1
140	Kazakhstan	Jan 9, 2015	0.00%	1
141	Nicaragua	May 29, 2014	0.00%	1
142	Paraguay	Mar 10, 2013	0.00%	1
143	Haiti	Feb 1, 2015	0.00%	1
144	Timor-Leste	Feb 21, 2013	0.00%	1
145	Iceland	June 20, 2014	0.00%	1
146	Aruba	Jan 9, 2014	0.00%	1
147	Liberia	Jan 3, 2014	0.00%	1
148	Northern Mariana Islands	Oct 9, 2014	0.00%	1
149	Gibraltar	Jan 27, 2014	0.00%	1
150	Swaziland	June 16, 2014	0.00%	1
151	Jersey	Mar 30, 2013	0.00%	1
152	Niue	Nov 30, 2014	0.00%	1
153	Latvia