Hi, I'm Stephen

I love nature, I love culture, I love to learn, I live to laugh and to make others smile. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I love the environment, culture, history, music, film, literature, comedy in general, politics (from a somewhat independent perspective), and food. I love helping people who suffer, particularly those with emotional trials which are not easily discerned with our eyes alone.

I will figure out college when I return from my mission. :)

Why I am a Mormon

I was raised in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but I was not an active member for the majority of my teenage years. I read my scriptures and prayed, but I rarely attended church. As I have returned to church and served my mission, I have found greater blessings than I ever found without the Church in my life.

My life has brought its share of challenges, but they have helped me to learn more about myself than I ever would have if I had never faced them. Faith in Jesus Christ and hope in His power to forgive me and help me when I sin or am weak has allowed me to push through so many hard times, and has translated my suffering into meaningful experience.

How I live my faith

At the moment, I am a full-time missionary for the Church. This is a sacrifice of two years of my life, but it has helped me understand what I can accomplish as a disciple of Jesus Christ. It is the most challenging two years of my life, but I do believe it is teaching me more discipline and desire to be the best that I can be than I could find in any other endeavor.

I have always studied the doctrines and principles of the gospel of Jesus Christ, but applying them in my life is a more difficult task than simply reading or memorizing, a task which I strive to achieve more and more every day. As I work to be the best that I can be, to do the best that I can do, I can see God's hand in my life, granting me the grace which I need to overcome my weaknesses. When I give up, become too comfortable or casual, or focus less on serving God, I see his hand less in my life. Still, God is a patient and loving father in heaven, and he helps me when I choose to be helped by him.

I always seek to learn everything that I can. I haven't always been particularly disciplined, but I have always craved knowledge and wisdom. As I am learning more discipline in my life, I am finding far more of that which I have always wanted, and I thank God for it.

Mormons believe Jesus Christ is their Savior. Why do we need a Savior?

Stephen answered...

This life is extremely difficult. Nobody gets throughout without some degree of help. Without a Savior, we would be abandoned to the consequences of guilt, shame, weakness, and death with no hope of ever being free.

Family, friends, governments, churches, counselors - all of these things help us enormously in our lives, but they do not, and cannot solve all of our problems.

When we do something wrong, we feel guilty. We can learn from our mistakes, or we can continue making the same mistakes.

We all have challenges unique to us - weaknesses, impediments, inclinations and so forth. If we don't have hope of overcoming these things, they can crush us. These things are all part of Heavenly Father's plan, however. He has prepared a means for us to obtain help from him, through our faith in his son, Jesus Christ. Because Jesus Christ suffered all that we have suffered, he knows exactly what comfort we need, and he is willing to grant us help if we will follow him. This help is what we call grace.
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Meaghan answered...

Have you ever met a perfect person? I doubt it. Why? Because everyone makes mistakes. When you make a mistake or are confused on what you should do, you want someone to help you, right? We all need someone to help us. We all need a Savior. We always hear that Jesus Christ saved us, but what does that truly mean? It not only means that he suffered and died for you personally, it means that he lived and lives for us too. He wants to help us. Jesus Christ is the only one who underestands everything that we go through. He not only wants to make up for the mistakes we make, but he wants to carry our burdens too. All we need to do is let him carry our burdens. Everyone faces personal challenges and Jesus is there to help. Everyone makes a mistake qa some point in life too. The beauty of having a Savior, is the fact that we can be forgiven. Sometimes our hands get dirty, but they can always be washed clean.

Where did Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints begin?

Dave answered...

Are you a secular or a spiritual type of person? (1 Corinthians 3:2, Hebrews 5:12.)

Secular answer: The answer you may want to hear is that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints began in 1830 on the Peter Whitmer farm in western New York. That’s when the founder, Joseph Smith, made the Church a legal entity in the United States. Many people are satisfied with that answer.

Spiritual answer: This is the same church that has been around since the dawn of time. This is the gospel that Jesus Christ gave to Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, that Christ and his apostles taught while he was here on the earth. Because we are prone to wander, God sends prophets to adjust our perspective and invite us to return, so that we may be truly happy. In order to invite the world back to his path once more, God restored this original gospel to the earth through Joseph Smith. Wherever the gospel goes, the Church is careful to live within the laws of the land. It spans all time and all lands, in any country which allows the Church to be established legally. (Twelfth Article of Faith: We believe in being subject to kings, presidents, rulers, and magistrates, in obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.)

Everyone on earth may know these truths for themselves, directly from God. It all depends with which answer you’re ready/willing to be satisfied. I have learned for myself that the answers that come from God are desirable above all others. (Book of Mormon, 1 Nephi 8:12).