The First Epistle of Elder Savage

                              (Jesus Christ statue, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)

        God is our loving Heavenly Father! He is all powerful, all knowing and perfect in every way! He created Me, You, your dog, cat, the space time continuum, and all the galaxies in the entire universe. He is the father of everything. God the Father is the Supreme Being in whom we believe and whom we worship. He is the ultimate Creator, Ruler, and Preserver of all things. He is perfect, has a body of flesh and bones, and has all power, and knows all things. We are his children and he cares for us, even that it is His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.
      
     Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, the Son of God. He is our Redeemer and mediator with the father. He is the Lamb of God, the very Messiah as prophesied of by Isiah.  Each of these titles points to the truth that Jesus Christ is the only way by which we can return to live with our Heavenly Father.
Jesus suffered and was crucified for the sins of the world, giving each of God’s children the gift of repentance and forgiveness. Only by His mercy and grace can anyone be saved. His subsequent resurrection prepared the way for every person to overcome physical death forever. These events compile what we refer to as the Atonement. In short, Jesus Christ saves us from sin and death. For that, He is very literally our Savior and Redeemer. In the future Jesus Christ will return to reign on earth in peace for a thousand years. Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and He will be our Lord forever. It should never be mistaken or mis-conceived concerning the Christianity of the Members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. For the title which they bear they have taken upon them, not only their unshaken faith in Jesus Christ as their savior, but more importantly by the devotion and determination of these Saints, to live every principle of their life as closely to that one perfect life that Christ lived.

      The Holy Ghost is the third member of the "God Head". The God Head is what we describe as Our Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ and the Holy Ghost, and will be described in my own words later in this essay. The Holy Ghost is a personage of spirit, without a body of flesh and bones. He is often referred to as the Spirit, the Holy Spirit, the Spirit of God, the Spirit of the Lord, or the Comforter. The Holy Ghost works in perfect unity with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, fulfilling several roles to help us live righteously and receive the blessings of the gospel. He witnesses of the Father and the Son and reveals and teaches the truth of all things. We can receive a sure testimony of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ only by the power of the Holy Ghost. His communication to our spirit carries far more certainty than any communication we can receive through our natural senses.

      Jesus Christ was created by our Father in Heaven as was You and Me, and Satan too. So, yes Satan is our brother as is Christ. Now unless you believe Satan is more powerful than God and had the ability to create himself, without being existent and also grant himself limited power to another supreme being's laws, ... ok ill stop now because it is ludicrous to even conceive such a fact that Satan is anything other than our brother. Hard to accept? Well if we have a Father, then we are his children. There is only one God who could have possible created us, so we are his children and brothers and sisters with every one else. Now I'm not building Satan up in anyway, but I'm tearing him down in every way I can, by teaching the true doctrine of Jesus Christ. Satan will NEVER have children, he will never have a body, he will never ever taste even a fraction or particle of joy or happiness, and he will never progress any higher. Yes even he is ultimately stripped of anything he has ever had or ever will have that could be credited to or described in any way as "good". He will endure the most ultimate of any punishment, and it will never cease for him, ever. Yes eternal and endless damnation.
     
       Well then... I have just explained to you in the clearest and most direct wording I could describing the relationships of the Major forces of power in whom we might ever associate with. Alrighty then, we talked about God a lot. Now if I did not make it clear before, let me make it absolutely clear right now. Our Heavenly Father, and the Son Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost are not one person, or being in anyway at all. Now do not overcrowd me with apathetic philosophy's declaring words without knowledge. I know the scriptures, and I know that they are true. So you may at times come across verses of scripture that may say in effect, "The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost which is one god..." This does not scarcely indicate in any way nor means that God is a Three headed mysterious omnipresent mist of confusion, nor would it indicate to any learned theologian that God is a three dimensional supernal manifestation of his humble self in a ultimate throne of power. Nope no way. Any time one wants to learn about, and then explain any conception of a Trinitarian God he must first endure a agnostic study of the writings of supposedly learned men, and be educated upon such matters from worldly sources, rather that it be an appeal to scripture or a supplication of prayer. No where in Gods holy inspired words does he teach anything resembling a Trinitarian God.

      However the divine connections between The Father, The Son and the Holy Ghost are of such absolute importance that they must be one in their mission, one in their power and authority, and one in purpose, or God as we know him must cease to be God. He cannot continue in anything, except he be within perfect, and absolute divine harmony, and exactness to his role, purpose and identity. He cannot and he will not. Anything that is done by Heavenly Fathers power, must be perfect. Here we find the role of Jesus Christ and his ministry on this world, in simplistic harmony with the ordinations placed upon him by God The Father. He came into this world not to condemn the world, but the world through him might be saved, by a vicarious work for everyone who has ever lived or will yet live upon this earth. We sacredly refer to this work as the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the most important event as far as the bands of time prevail us to comprehend. If it where not for this Atonement we could never be made clean in the eyes of God. Without Christ's atonement there is no hope anywhere for salvation. His Atonement was in accordance perfectly with the will of God to such the extent when Christ cried out to his Father "If thou be willing let this cup pass from me, not as I wilt, but thy will be done." Jesus Christ used his agency that day, he loved us with such a Godly love he gave everything and endured everything so that our souls may not be lost. Now it may be a little easier to also see the role of the Holy Ghost. His special mission to bear divine Godly witness to the children of men, of purposes of Father, and of the atonement of Jesus Christ, so that we might receive this guidance of the Spirit to help us follow them, that we also might inherit everlasting life. The atonement of Jesus Christ is available to all, but only accessible through the ordinances of salvation when administered by the proper priesthood authority. If you have not partaken of the Love of Jesus Christ, I invite you to do so now. Find the missionaries wherever you may be, listen to their message, and follow Jesus Christ by being Baptized by someone holding the priesthood authority of God. It will change your life, and you will receive a remission of your sins, and I promise the blessings of God will be upon you and your family.

     I love my Heavenly Father, and I love my Savior Jesus Christ, and I am forever thankful for the guidance and direction of the Holy Ghost. I bear my testimony to whoever may hear of these words, or stumble across this epistle, that I know that God has again called a prophet among the nations. We have authority and power from God to Baptize for the remission of sins, confer the Holy Ghost, and many other sacred ordinances. But above all we have the opportunity to come together as families, in the sacred temples of God and be sealed together for time and all eternity! The Book of Mormon is the word of God, and it was translated by his power through the prophet Joseph Smith. I know these things are true, or I would not testify, or declare these words. I have put it all to the test, I've studied and I have prayed to Heavenly Father numerous times to receive and reassure the testimony I have gained. Now if you have not gained such a testimony by asking in sincere prayer, if this church is true, I invite you to do so now. I boldly declare that God loves his children and that the windows of heaven are open. God answers prayers, and he will answer yours.

Know that I love you, and that God loves you.
In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.
Elder Savage

P.S Sorry about grammar and punctuation errors if there be any.

The Rambo Post!

   Ok really I thought I had some clever analogy to compare Rambo to the Gospel. But I really don't. But I will speak out boldly and say what needs to be said concerning some matters. Brothers and Sisters, do Not mess around with Satan. He has been tempting souls for well over 6,000 years that we know of. He is an expert and if you let him into your live he will drag your souls to Hell. He will do anything he possible can to stop your progression and drive you away from your Father in Heaven.

    He will do this by subtle temptation, lying and deception. We will bind you with cords that may over time turn into what may seem as everlasting chains. Every time you may break one of Gods holy commandments the Devil gains more and more power over your choices. I warn that breaking the Word of wisdom will cause your temporal body to gain control over your willpower and agency to do good, and addiction to harmful substance will tear apart families and break down your faith in your Savior. Breaking of the Law of Chastity will cut you off from the presence of Gods spirit and Satan may beguile you to commit abominable and horrible sin. Lustful thoughts will allow him into your mind, and your previously righteous decisions and countenance will mutate into despicable desires and actions. If you allow him Satan can and will utterly destroy your happiness, your health and in tragic cases your Eternal Salvation.

   I warn you, Please I beg of you! Never let Satan into your life! Never! Nothing good will ever come of it. He is a deceiver and he will trick you, he will tempt you. Do not let into these temptations! Do not be fooled. I testify the Broad is the way, and wide is the path that leads to damnation, and narrow is the way and straight is the gate that leads to eternal happiness.

   For those of you who may have already come this far and feel that there is not a way out, and for those who feel lost and abandoned and forsaken by God, this in not true! The truth is, God loves all of His Children! Every soul is great in the eye of God. Yea, it is His work and His glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. He has not left us alone. With Jesus Christ we can be made whole. We can be healed, and the chains that the Devil has placed upon us can be broken! It is only through the name of Christ that Salvation may come unto the Children of men.

   There is a way out of darkness, and that is to come to the light, and the light is the light of Christ. He truly did suffer the atonement for this very reason, so that we may be redeemed and that we may live again. Jesus Christ is the light and life of the world and it is only through Him and on His name that we may achieve true happiness in this life and eternal salvation in the life to come!

   I plead with all of you to break the bands that Satan may have laid upon you. Repent and Conquer Satan! If you choose Christ you will inherit  everlasting salvation and eternal Life. If you choose Satan you choose a terrible and a endless torment. The choice is yours. And Christ is the only correct option or choice. I KNOW that God loves us and he wants us to be happy forever. And he will always be there for us no matter what. Never feel forsaken or alone, Christ has paid the price for your soul, and by His grace and His mercy you may feel His love forever and ever. God Christ and I love you! Please follow him, be thou a example among the believers. Choose Happiness. In the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Love Yall

Elder Savage

Be Happy Cause I Said So!

        So why is Hank so happy? ........ Any ideas? Hmmm I really don't know either.
        Well is there a reason for him to be happy? Yea im sure.
        Is there a reason for any of us to be happy?    Think about this one.
        Is there a reason for any of us to be happy?

      Yea I really don't ever think that hard. Ha ha
      Well I really want to convey this in the best possible way that I can. I start with a profound doctrinal truth. God is our Father. He being Gos is a supreme, endless and eternal being. He is all powerful, all knowing, and almighty! Truly he governs the Heavens and the Earth. The universe's, however many of them may be, and all of its elements are subject to his matchless power and will. Every principle, law, and governing force in this life is all to the will of God. He loves us and wants our eternal happiness. He wants us to learn and grow so that we can become like him. But he doesn't send us here to feel alone and forsaken. He has given us blessings throughout our lives. And if we are faithful to him and keep his commandments he will indeed bless our lives more than we could ever imagine!

     I always can appreciate a good flowchart ha ha. So this states of yer not happy then change something. Well what we need to change is our perspective and our look on things. Lets realize that God loves us  and he will bless us. Lets do the things that he will bless us for. Obeying his commandments, praying, loving all of his children and serving him, and there are so many more thing we can do. God is great! He wants our happiness:)

    Its my prayer that we can all learn to recognize the wonderful blessings that God gives us daily. Even if ts as simple as the breath we breathe, the food we eat, or the happiness we have in our families. So I admonish all of you to look always on the brighter side of things and be happy:)

Love Yall
Elder Savage

The Aurmor of God

We are all enlisted till the conflict is o’er. …

Soldiers in the army, there’s a bright crown in store;

We shall win and wear it by and by.

Haste to the battle, quick to the field,

Truth is our helmet, buckler, and shield.

Stand by our colors—proudly they wave. …

Hark! ’tis our Captain calls you today;

Lose not a moment, make no delay!

Fight for our Savior, come, come away! …

Fighting for a kingdom, and the world is our foe. …

Glad to join the army, we will sing as we go;

We shall gain the victory by and by.

Dangers may gather—why should we fear?

Jesus, our Leader, ever is near.

He will protect us, comfort and cheer.

(Hymns, no. 210.)

        

     This analogy I take this directly from the Bible which is from Paul’s Epistle to the Ephesians. He speaks of The whole armour of God, and how it is important in strengthening our testimonies, building our faith and protecting us from the Adversary. This is what Paul has to say....

“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.

“Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day. …

“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 take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

“Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit.” (Eph. 6:11–18.)

The great unrest in the world today and the wars and rumors of wars are affecting us greatly; but as Paul says, our greatest and most deadly struggle will be “not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, [and] against spiritual wickedness in high places.”

     Consider the following questions:

Are we studying the scriptures so that we can increase our knowledge and faith and testimony regarding the gospel? Do we keep the commandments? Are we honest and truthful in our dealings? Do we keep the Sabbath day holy? Do we observe the Word of Wisdom? Do we pay an honest tithing? Do we attend our meetings and respond to the calls made of us by our authorities? Are we virtuous and clean and pure in heart and mind and deed?Do we fight against the evils around us—pornography, abortion, tobacco, alcohol, drugs? Do we have the courage to stand up for our convictions? Can we truly say we are not ashamed of the gospel of Christ? Do we live peaceably with our neighbors and avoid gossip and backbiting and spreading unfounded rumors? Do we truly love our neighbors as ourselves?

    If we can answer yes to these questions, then we will have on the whole armor of God, which will protect us from harm and preserve us from our enemies. If we must answer no to these questions, then our armor is weak, there is an unshielded place which can be found, a vulnerable area for attack, and we will be subject to injury or destruction by Satan, who will search until he finds our weaknesses, if we have them.

       Examine your armor. Is there an unguarded or unprotected place? Determine now to add whatever part is missing. No matter how antiquated or lacking in parts your armor may be, always remember that it is within your power to make the necessary adjustments to complete your armor.

Through the great principle of repentance you can turn your life about and begin now clothing yourself with the armor of God through study, prayer, and a determination to serve God and keep his commandments.

     Remember, keep your armor on! Always, Satan never stops trying to bring us down or to hurt us. He will do all he can to drag us away from Jesus. Let us make sure we are always ready for battle! And when we do fight, let us always repair our armor for the next fight.

     Most of this analogy I stole from my awesome companion Elder Richins, and I now claim it for my own! Ha Ha I'm kidding the credit is his.

  

Love Yall

Elder Savage

Jake the Rancher

                  

                  Jake, the rancher, went one day to fix a distant fence.

          The wind was cold and gusty and the clouds rolled gray and dense,

As he pounded the last nail in and gathered tools to go.

The temperature had fallen and the snow began to blow.

When he finally reached his pickup, he felt a heavy heart,

from the sound of that ignition, he knew it wouldn't start.

So Jake did what most of us do if we'd have been there.

He humbly bowed his balding head and sent aloft a prayer.

As he turned the key for the last time, he softly cursed his luck.

They found him three days later, frozen stiff in that old truck.

Now Jake had been around in life and done his share of roamin'.

But when he saw Heaven, he was shocked -- it look just like Wyomin'.

Of all the saints in Heaven, his favorite was St. Peter.

Now, this line, it ain't needed much, but it helps with rhyme and meter.

So they set and talked a minute or two, or maybe it was three,

Nobody was keepin' score -- in Heaven time is free.

"I've always heard," Jake said to Pete, "that God will answer prayers,

But one time I asked for help, well He, just plain wasn't there.

Does God answer prayers of some, and ignores the prayers of others?

That don't seem exactly square -- I know all men are brothers.

Or does he randomly reply, without good rhyme or reason?

Maybe, it's the time of day, the weather or the season.

Now I ain't trying to act smart, it's just the way I feel,

And I was wonderin', could you tell -- what the heck's the deal?

Peter listened very patiently and when Jake was done,

There were smiles of recognition, and he said, "So, you're the one!

That day your truck, it wouldn't start, and you sent your prayer a flying,

You gave us all a real bad time, with hundreds of us a trying.

A thousand angels rushed to check the status of your file,

But you know, Jake, we hadn't heard from you in quite a while

And though all prayers are answered, and God ain't got no quota,

He didn't recognize your voice, and started a truck in North Dakota.

  Moral of the story? Say your prayers!  

    I know that God is in fact our loving Father in Heaven, and because he is, He loves us! Well because he loves us, his children, He will bless our lives. He does this by answering prayers, telling us what to do, what path to follow, or to testify or truth, comfort when in need, and teach things we need to know. Well how he tells us, he doesn't come in a pillar of fire or anything but He tells us through the Holy Ghost, and He tells us by feelings, promptings, happiness, truths, and just down right makes us feel awesome about something. Example praying about the Book of Mormon he will testify of the truth, and we will feel it by feelings we cannot describe. If it is a decision to get baptized, when praying about it we will feel completely convinced that it is right by the Holy Ghost. We will feel good about the decision and we will feel happy and joyful.

   I add my testimony today that I KNOW that God hears and answered our prayers, maybe not in the way we wish or the way we hope, like ol Jake, but He does love us, and He will hear us forever.

Love Yall

Elder Savage

Press Forward Like a Cat

     If ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.
     What does it mean to "Press Forward"? How do we do this, and how can we gain this "Eternal Life"?
     Well have I gotten an analogy for you. When I think of pressing forward and enduring to The End I think of it as pushing our way through. The best pusher I can think of is a Cat. Ha ha not a cat, cat. I mean a Caterpillar, and no not the worm things that magically turn into butterflies. I mean a Caterpillar Bulldozer.

    Oh yea! Yup well this is a pretty good example of a Cat Dozer. Well lookin at a machine like this you can only imagine how much pushing power it really has. Anything that gets in its way is gone! Don't park your car in this things way or you probably wont have a car anymore, same goes for a school bus or any large buildings, bridges or ... well pretty much anything. This machine can knock over any tree, rock, or anything that gets in its way.

   Brothers and Sisters we need to be like a Bulldozer! We have the Lords promise that if we stayed anchored in our faith, that nothing can come before us that we cannot handle. We need to keep our hearts steadied and solid with the teachings of the Lord, meaning the words of the Prophets and the scriptures. We need to have that huge solid shield in front of us to protect us from any "rocks" or trials and tribulations and temptations. This shield is the Holy Ghost. We need to always remain worthy to have its companionship and protection. And most of all we need to be in control of our lives. That huge dozer is all in control and check by a few levers and pedals and we also much make sure we have complete and total control in our lives.

   And most important of all we mush press forward at all times with Faith in Jesus Christ! We must never give up hope or let trial in our lives shake us. We need to stand up and arise at any situation that we Believe in Christ! We know that God lives and that He loves Us!

      Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life. (2 Nephi 31:20)

   We have the Lords promise! We must always endure to the end! We must press on and push through!

Christmas and Snow

    Ahhh Winter time. My most favorite time of the year! Some of you would argue that Its cold or windy or snowy or cold and windy and snowy. But I beg to stand up and stand out. You might call me crazy and you might even find me complaining but I love the winter season more than anything in the world.
   Oh yes I have my reasons. Well the first one would be Hunting. I love hunting, a lot. And guess what time of year it comes around, late fall to early winter. Usually ill start off with some pheasant hunting in early fall, followed by the dove hunt, then the deer hunt followed by elk and ducks and geese and wrapping up in the spring with some Turkey hunting. Yup I hunt all of this and sometimes even more, so this would be my reasoning behind my love for the hunting season. Oh yea Ice Fishing too.
   Reason number two would be for the Christmas presents. Oh come on whats better than the over commercialization of Jesus Christ's birth by getting tonnes of free stuff. Hey the wise men did give gifts to Jesus himself. Yea gold frankincense and myrrh. Yes I'm kidding. Of course i don't believe in the sick disportrayal, mockery and idolship that is made during Christmas time by all those who loose the true spirit of Christmas. Yea I'm kidding again, I'm not that mad about it but really, what if Christ himself where here seeing this all going on what would he say? I love getting presents and I love giving presents too. Makes me happy, and I love free stuff ha ha. But we should never loose the true meaning of this season. To celebrate the Son of the Living God coming down to this earth to preform his mission. The start of his life in bringing every soul unto his Father. I love Christmas time and i love the songs, the decorations and the gifts but let us never loose the true meaning of this day.
    And to put the polish on this baby I would speak about the snow. I love Snow! Yea i said it, not only like it, I love it! I like coming in on a cold day and drinking come nice hot co-co. I love getting stuck in the mountains and cuddling to get warm. I love shoveling sidewalks to show others you care. I love when it blows in my face, when I fall down and am walking through the house in socks and step on some melted snow (water bomb).  I love it all. And the beauty that comes from the snow is unparalleled but anything. Nothing compares to a majestic mountain peak covered in snow or a herd of elk running in the high mountain powder. And to me it also stands as a witness. About how much weight and volume of snow we really get. In my valley in central Utah about 95% of the moisture and water used for growing crops and watering livestock come from the huge amount of snow high up in the mountains. How amazing is the power of God to make all of this happen! Millions and millions of pounds of snow is carried up by the wind and delivered in the mountains and valleys and stored well into the summer for a better use at later time. Wow God is Awesome!
    I love this time of year and all the many countless things that can come from it. It is my favorite part of year and I hope it is yours too, well I at least hope you see why I love it. Well remember Christ, dress warm and drive safe! Happy Holidays!

Love Yall
Elder Savage