It Was the Best of Times

Posted By Adam Arnesen on January 3, 2010

What does it really mean to be a man?  The modern world expects a man who is focused on himself, on career, and on worldly success.  The man of today is not expected by society to excel or to have ambition.  The modern man must be in peak physical condition and it is acceptable that these “men” be immoral in their personal and intimate relationships.  These worldly expectations are not, however, what the Lord expects of us, all of us on this planet, as His children. The following is meant to explore the traits needed by modern men to become modern men of God.  Please feel free to express your thoughts and feelings in comments below.

In this video, Elder Christofferson, an apostle of Jesus Christ, shares a story about his father and mother.

• “What characteristics of Elder Christofferson’s father exemplify manhood?”
• “What does it mean to be a men in the eyes of our Father in Heaven?”

From The Family: A Proclamation to The World we learn the following.

• “What are the duties of a man?”

In the same talk as shown in the above video, Elder Christofferson said the following:

• “What does this quote tell us about the need to become such a man?”

Now that we’ve thought about what the traits of a God-like man are, how are we supposed to attain those traits? We can’t simply decide one morning that we’re going to be loving or patient or considerate of others.  We need to know what the actual actions we should take are to help us access the power of the Atonement of Jesus Christ and make these traits a part of our character. We can learn a lot from the example of Nephi in the Book of Mormon.  In 1 Nephi 2:16, Nephi describes himself as “exceedingly young” and “large in stature.”  Compare this with the description he gives of himself in 1 Nephi 4:31 “I, Nephi, being a man large in stature, and also having received much strength of the Lord.”  What happens in the two intervening chapters that allows Nephi to change from describing himself essentially as a boy to describing himself as having become a man?  A careful examination of several of the verses in these chapters will help to illuminate the character and actions of Nephi that led to this change into a man of god.

Nephi begins his progression in 1 Nephi 2:16.  Nephi says that he had “great desires to know of the mysteries of God, wherefore, I did cry unto the Lord; and behold he did visit me, and did soften my heart that I did believe all the words which had been spoken by my father; wherefore, I did not rebel against him like unto my brothers.”  The important things to take away from this verse are that Nephi had great desire and that he acted on that desire by not only praying but by crying unto the Lord. It is also important to note that he allowed his heart to be softened by the Lord.  Having a soft heart is not what the world expects of its men, but it is absolutely what the Lord requires of men that can serve Him. Nephi also believes the words of his father who in addition to being his father is also his priesthood leader and prophetic leader.  The result of this is that he is not rebellious.  Not being rebellious doesn’t mean that he strictly or blindly conformed to a specific regimen of tasks but rather that he was willing to accept these tasks on faith and follow through to see the results. The overarching principle of the gospel that Nephi is demonstrating is faith, faith in Jesus Christ.

Nephi continues to demonstrate his faith in 1 Nephi 2:17-18.  In these verses he shares his testimony of what he has experienced with his brothers.  He first shares this with his brother Sam who believes what he says.  He then shares it with Laman and Lemuel who characteristically reject the testimony of Nephi.  Although they reject his teachings, Nephi is undeterred and continues to pray for his brothers because he is “grieved because of the hardness of their hearts.”

As Nephi continues to gain and exercise faith in Jesus Christ, he begins to have trials of his faith. The first trial comes in 1 Nephi 3:1-4 where he is commanded of the Lord, through his father and prophet Lehi, to return to Jerusalem to get the brass plates, their scriptures.  At first brush this may seem like a very easy thing for Nephi because of where he already was in his spiritual progression.  However, how often do we as children of God who are entitled to personal revelation decide not to follow the direction of our leaders thinking that we know better because of our own spirituality.  It takes great courage on the part of Nephi to accept this commandment even when he was personally receiving great divine revelation at the same time.

Nephi does follow the direction given through his leaders. He travels to Jerusalem and asks Laban, the caretaker of the plates, if he will give the plates to himself, Nephi, and his brothers.  Nephi and his brothers are thrown out of Laban’s house and accused of being thieves. Nephi, is still undeterred.  He quickly decides to go to their fathers house and get the gold they left behind and attempt to buy the records from Laban.  This attempt also fails and Laban steals their belongings and throws them out again. It would be easy at this point for Nephi to give up and decide that all that could be done had been done.  His brothers do, in fact, give up and start to beat Nephi in a cave.  An angel appears to them and tells them to stop but as soon as the angel leaves the brothers are back to their bickering and complaining.  How difficult would this be do endure?  Nephi had done his best and failed twice and even after an angel appears his brethren still do not support him.  Even in this extreme trial of faith, Nephi comes through and decides to try again.

What gives Nephi the strength to go on at this point? What reasons does he give his brothers for having this type of faith?  What does this have to do with scripture study? (1 Nephi 4:1-3)

After going back to Jerusalem, Nephi is told by the Lord to kill Laban who he finds drunk in the streets.  Nephi reluctantly follows this command and obtains the record.  The trial of faith is complete and Nephi has become a man. The pattern Nephi teaches us in these chapters is important to note.  First he has desires, he is obedient, and he prays. After this he willingly accepts the trials of his faith not once, not twice, but as many times as it takes for the needed results to be obtained.  Gordon B. Hinckley, a prophet of the Lord, describes again the traits that are obtained by following such a pattern.

The song “Rise Up, O Men of God” summarizes the message of this lesson

I know that becoming men of God is possible through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.  This faith can be cultivated by diligent study of the Book of Mormon and other scriptures.  I know that the Book of Mormon has a power in it that will come to us as soon as we begin a serious study of it.  I also know that Christ lives and that he loves us.  We are children of God and he will bless us as men as we strive to attain manhood as He expects us to.

Articles to read about this topic

• Let Us Be Men, D. Todd Christofferson, October 2006 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
• Rise Up, O Men of God, Gordon B. Hinckley, October 2006 General Conference of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on November 26, 2009

Today is thanksgiving and I felt like I should depart from my typical political posts and talk about some of the things that I am grateful for.  First and foremost I am grateful that I am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I am grateful for the knowledge that I have that I am a child of God and that because of the sacrifice of Jesus Christ I can repent and return to live with God.  I’m grateful for the prophet Joseph Smith and for his courage and example.  I’m grateful for the restoration of the gospel through him and for the added knowledge this brings to my life about my purpose on this earth and about the importance of family.

I am grateful for my family, for the love and friendship that we have and for the little troubles we have that keep life interesting!  I’m grateful for my awesome friends and roommates and for the support they give to me.  I am surrounded by some of the best people in the world and their examples are a great blessing in my life.

I’m grateful to be getting an education.  I can’t imagine what it would be like to not have an education. I think its often easy to take education for granted because it is so readily available to all of us.  I’m grateful to know how to read and write.  I’m also grateful that I’ve been blessed to have a good mind so that I can understand and reason about interesting things.

I’m grateful also to be a citizen of this great country.  I know that I often talk about the things that we do wrong but it is a great blessing to live in a country where we have the freedom to speak our minds.  I’m grateful for the freedom to worship the way that I want and the freedom to pursue my goals in life. I’m grateful for the heroes and patriots that founded America and for those that continue to defend her today.  I am grateful for their examples of unselfish service and sacrifice for freedom.

I hope that today, as we eat dinners and spend time with family, that we will all reflect on the many, many blessings that we have.  What are you thankful for?

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on November 14, 2009

This is is some of the most exciting news that I’ve seen on the space front in a while! For those of you who know me well, you know that I am passionate about manned space exploration and I hope that the Ares project will be able to continue and will get funding from the government to continue after this exciting announcement.  The hope is that the United States will return to the moon by 2020 and will hopefully establish a permanent base on the moon some time after that.

This report from MSNBC is a good view on water on the moon.

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on October 28, 2009

I thought this was a very interesting report on the shifting ideas of the upcoming generation’s perspective on gender roles and in particular the role of women in the workplace and in society. Look closely at the numbers presented. What do you think should be a woman’s role? Where would you fall in these polls?

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on September 24, 2009

I like this video and some of the points that the congressman makes. Stay tuned for my opinion on the health care debate.

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on June 28, 2009

The following is an essay by Hyrum Arnesen, my brother, which won first place in the “America’s Freedom Festival at Provo” essay contest.

No civilization in history has succeeded in maintaining itself. Each one has risen to power, become prosperous, and eventually declined, falling into decay. Can any country escape this fateful cycle? Yes! The Founding Fathers understood the reasons for the downfall of civilizations. They warned the Americans about these dangers, teaching them how they could maintain their freedom. Their formula for freedom included strong families, a willingness to sacrifice, and a strong reliance in God. Building on this foundation will keep our country strong.

For our country to stay strong, its people must be strong. They must be a virtuous, well-taught people if they are to carry on the tradition of freedom in this country. Good families build good people. The teaching in the home cannot be rivaled by any other organization. The Founding Fathers understood this principle. John Adams wrote, “The foundation of national morality must be laid in private families…. How is it possible that Children can have any just Sense of the sacred Obligations of Morality or Religion if, from their earliest Infancy, they learn their Mothers live in habitual Infidelity to their fathers, and their fathers in as constant Infidelity to their Mothers?” John and Abigail Adams exemplified the strength of a good family. While John was away in Congress, Abigail wrote constantly to him, supporting him, encouraging him, and prodding him to keep working in his trying circumstances. She helped to shape his ideas about freedom, as he shaped the country’s ideas about freedom. Today, when children learn in their homes about the heritage of freedom in our country, they can fight for it with strength and power.

America was founded on immense sacrifice. Soldiers bled, froze, and suffered extreme trials. Civilians’ homes were burned or used as stables, livestock was scattered, and food was destroyed or used by the British. However, these people were glad to sacrifice for freedom, for “liberty must at all hazards be supported…at the expense of their ease, their estates, their pleasure, and their blood.” The Americans were fierce for freedom. They would not, for any reward, give it up. The soldiers at Valley Forge could have deserted, but instead, they endured their trials knowing that “they that can give up essential liberty to purchase a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety.” This heritage of sacrifice continues today. During the Vietnam war a captured American soldier, carefully stitched an American flag from the threads of his own clothing. When the flag was discovered, it was destroyed and he was severely beaten. Undaunted, as soon as he recovered, he started stitching a new flag—the flag that represented freedom, his country, and his willingness to sacrifice for both.

Throughout all their trials, the Americans maintained a firm reliance on divine providence, trusting that God would help them. This reliance is as vital today as it was then. Thomas Jefferson wrote, “Can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with his wrath? Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever.” Similarly, George Washington clarified why America needs a strong reliance on God. He said, “The foundation of our national policy will be laid in the pure and immutable principles of private morality; …the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” Our government, our country cannot stand without a firm reliance in God. This country was founded with His aid. It cannot survive without it. We cannot maintain our freedom if we foolishly throw away our Christian morals and principles. As John Adams said, “Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand.”

Following these principles of strong families, sacrifice for freedom, and a firm reliance in God will give America strength. Without these principles, America will decline and fall into decay. With these principles, freedom will be protected and America will remain strong. Strong families create strong individuals, sacrifice protects hard-fought liberty, and a firm reliance in God ensures divine intervention in our behalf. The fateful cycle of civilization is broken and America endures in freedom.

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on June 27, 2009

This was one of my favorite talks ever from Elder Wirthlin.

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Posted By Adam Arnesen on June 3, 2009

American presidents have the prerogative to issues proclamations that affect public policy and draw the public’s attention to issues that are important to the president. This week Barack Obama issued such a proclamation. It proclaims the month of June 2009 as “Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Pride Month.” In the proclamation, Obama stated, “I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration. These individuals embody the best qualities we seek in public servants.” He further said, “As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected. If we can work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded, every American will benefit.”

I am amazed but not surprised at the forwardness with which Obama is pressing his agenda upon the American people. To make a presidential proclamation such as this forces Americans who are opposed to the agenda of the LGBT to unwillingly participate in supporting this divisive cause. While what Obama has done is not illegal in any sense, it is a frightening harbinger of what may be to come as this administration coddles and lulls the American people away from their values and into selfish and sinful activity. We do need to “work together to advance the principles upon which our Nation was founded,” but officially recognizing and condoning behavior that is contrary to the values of the founders will only hurt the long term prosperity and success of America.

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