Tuesday, December 27, 2011

Spiritual Scars



This blog post is for everyone of us who has hit their thumb with a hammer, cut their fingers while cooking, or burned their hand because they forgot that the stove burner was on. I know I personally have done every one of these things and more. We all do dumb things that leave us hurt in the end.


The picture to the right is a picture of me after doing something not smart that left me with 8 stitches in my head and a scar. Let's just say I will never use a wooden stake as a sword to hit away a exercise ball again.


That mistake only left a physical mark on my head, but some mistakes we make leave scars on our hearts. These mistakes that leave scars on the heart are known better as sins. We all make mistakes in life, and these mistakes create feelings of guilt and shame. These feelings can be relieved with repentance. You can be fully healed through the Atonement of Christ.


President Thomas S. Monson said something similar to this in the October 2011 General Conference For any who have stumbled, he declared that there is a way back. "The process is called repentance. Our Savior gave His life to provide you and me that blessed gift. Despite the fact that the repentance path is not easy, the promises are real. We have been told, 'Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be as white as snow.' 'And I will remember [them] no more.'"


I want you to know that because of Jesus Christ we can be forgiven of our sins. That because of him we can be healed. I leave this things with you in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.


Friday, November 11, 2011

A Lesson from Tantor

Last night I was thinking about a quote from Disney's Tarzan.  The quote was when Tantor was a kid and he asked his mom a simple question about the water "Are you sure this water's sanitary? It looks questionable to me!". It must be a missionary thing but for some reason it made me think about prayer. Tantor asking his mom for guidance is similar to what we do when we pray, because we all have those times when we know we need guidance from our Heavenly Father.

 Prayer to me is talking to our Heavenly Father, asking for guidance and thanking him for the things we feel  thankful for. Prayer has really helped me out in my life and on my mission. The reason it has is because I don't know everything. When I pray I receive answers or guidance of what to do. I know you can too.  

I want you to know that I know that praying works. I know that when we pray, we pray to our loving Heavenly Father. That he hears our prayers and he loves us and always wants to help us. He doesn't answer our prayers on our schedule, but I know with out a doubt he will answer. I leave you with that in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Friday, August 12, 2011

Patience The Project that almost killed us

I don't know about anyone else out there but Patience is something I have been fighting with sense I was little. I had such a little amount of patience while growing up that, when my dad tried to teach me how to play baseball after I think it was five attempts of trying to throw the ball to him and missing I gave up. When I grew up I did get a little more patience but I still didn't have it like my mom or dad does. They are the most patient people I have ever met. But one thing that taught me and my family to have patience was my Eagle Scout project.

I know most people who do a Eagle Scout Project say it was hard or a challenge but mine seemed like it was endless. Well my project was a rod iron entrance gate to a zoo. When I started it was going to be 6 feet tall to 4 feet tall. When I first shared this idea to get it approved they told me there was no way that this could take the amount of hours I needed for it to be my eagle project. Of course the person who told me this had never built anything in there whole life. They approved it so I began working on it. I had measured the width of there already existing gate so I knew how big it need to be. Then I began building. We worked on it got all built and painted. I brought it over to the foundation I was building it for to show it to the women. She looked at it and said it was not tall enough. Me and my Dad looked at her and said, well you approved this height. She then told us how then she couldn't of used it because by law it has to be taller.


Everything that is already painted was the part that we turned in the first time. Everything that is bare metal is how much we added on to it.

Well, as soon we left we started figuring out how we could a make the gate grow at least 4 feet taller. Which after a couple of months we did just that. After finishing up painting it again we decided we should check the measurements of the gate to make sure everything was good. Here is when it gets worse! When I attempted to measure the already existing gate I was by myself and I didn't really know how to read a tape to well. To make the explanation short I will just tell you I was about 6 feet short!

Well, at this point of the story you can tell why I learned patience by building this gate. After realising that the gate was short. I really wanted to just throw up my hands into the air and say, "what ever with this thing". But I didn't. I refuse to give up. I know in life we have hard times where it feels like we are having too many trials. But, I know without a doubt that from them we learn and become better from being patient.

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Building our Megazord in Christ Part 2 Faith in Jesus Christ

For the first part of our Megazord we need to have faith in Jesus Christ, having faith in Jesus Christ is so important that it is the right leg of our Megazord. The reason it is the leg is because it is so hard to get through life with out believing in Jesus Christ. In Proverbs 3:5-6 it talks about trusting in the Lord. It says 5. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. 6. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

Faith is defined as a strong belief that motivates a person to act. Having faith in Jesus Christ is much more then saying "Yes, I believe in him". Having Faith in Jesus Christ means you trust him and you are 100% sure he loves you. Faith in Jesus Christ leads to action because you belief but also because you know that he has made it possible for you to be forgiven. It leads to wanting to become better. It also leads you to repenting of past mistakes. Not just saying your sorry for what you did and then the next day do it again. It means having godly sorrow for what you did and never doing it again. It means loving him enough to trust him in obeying the commandments. He only wants what is best for us. I know if when we have the faith to do what Jesus Christ would want us to do we are blessed and we become stronger. I know just like D&C 38:7 But behold, verily, verily, I say unto you that mine eyes are upon you. I am in your midst and ye cannot see me. I know that faith is important. I know if we have faith in Jesus Christ we become stronger and can make it through any trial we have while on earth. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Saturday, June 25, 2011

Building our Megazord in Christ Part 1 Introduction

I don't know about anyone else out there, but do you guys remember the Mighty Morphin Power Rangers? It was the best T.V. show ever! The show was about 6 teenagers who fought to protect the city of Angel Grove from an evil witch lady named Rita. She would send out some type of monster that would attack the people and try to destroy the city. When that would happen, the Power Rangers would come and fight the bad guy. After a couple of minutes of using their main fighting skills, they would defeat the bad guy. Now, when they defeated the monster instead of Rita calling it quits, she would make her monster grow huge; bigger than all the buildings here in Montana. When that happened, the Power Rangers wouldn't call ghost-busters, they would call the Zords. Each Power Ranger had a Zord. A Zord was a big robot that was part of making an even bigger robot called the Megazord. This is how they would fight the bigger monster. They would defeat him and then it would be the end of the episode. 


But, this is not the end of my blog post. Now that you all remember or now  you know who the Power Rangers are you probably want to know why I'm talking about the Power Rangers. Well the reason why is because of life. In life we have a lot of monsters that come our way. Sometimes we defeat them and other times we don't. Just like the Power Rangers, when we defeat our enemy's they get BIGGER and the only way to win is to call for our Zords, and then build our Megazord. The way we build our Megazord is by working on having Christlike attributes. Christlike attributes help us keep moving forward in life and become stronger. These Christlike attributes are faith in Jesus Christ, Hope, Charity and Love, Virtue, Knowledge, Patience, Humility, Diligence, and Obedience. 

Coming Soon:

Building our Megazord in Christ Part 2 Faith in Jesus Christ



Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Late Mothers Day

Well, I know this is about 16 days late but here is my Mothers Day post.

Without mothers none of us would be here today. Our mom's are our first teacher we ever have. We learn a lot from them. They teach us what they know. They do this so we can learn right from wrong. I know I have learned a lot from my mom. She taught me a lot of different things. To make a list of them all I would have a list bigger then what a computer could hold. She taught me how to create, how to love, how to pray, how to read, and how to listen to the holy ghost.

When I was little I lived in a little town called Orland California. While we lived there my dad was a police officer and my mom did nails. One day my sister Mindy who was 10 and I was 4 were left at home for about an hour until my mom could get back home. Well, like most sibling we argued when we were little. We were watching T.V. and it was something my sister liked and I wanted to watch Power Ranger. She did what all bigger siblings do and told me no, because of that I did what all respectable 4 years old who don't get there way would do. I through a fit. I went to my room and climbed on top of my bunk bed. Which was covered in stuff animals and I fell asleep up there. After a little bit my sister tried to find me and couldn't find me. Not being able to find her little brother she called my dad a cop. Who brought the all the cops that were on duty at the time and none of them could find me. Needless to say my mom when she came home from work saw a bunch of cop cars and cops and didn't know why. My mom just walked in and talked to my dad. The first thing my mom did when my dad said I was missing she said "He isn't lost until I can't find him." Next she walked right into my room and found me on top of the bunk bed. This was the story that taught me how moms are always right.
 

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

David and Goliath

Well for all of  those out there that don't know me only as Elder Maloney my name is David, because of my name my favorite story of all time from the Bible is David and Goliath. When I was little I liked this story mostly because it had my name in it. Sense I have been on my mission I reread this story and I found I like it even more then I use too. I have found more then just a person against something impossible and then he succeeds. What I found was a boy with more then courage or faith behind him. David just like Nephi and even Abraham knew that god would provide a way because of that he was able to say this to Goliath (1Samuel 17:45-46)
Then said David to the Philistine, Thou comest to me with a sword, and with a spear, and with a shield: but I come to thee in the name of the Lord of hosts, the God of the armies of Israel, whom thou hast defied. This day will the Lord deliver thee into mine hand; and I will smite thee, and take thine head from thee; and I will give the carcases of the host of the Philistines this day unto the fowls of the air, and to the wild beasts of the earth; that all the earth may know that there is a God in Israel. 
I know that we all have Goliaths in our lives and I hope we can be like David and know that god is behind us and be able to face them head on. I know that we can do a lot more then we think we can because we all are a lot stronger then we know. I know our daily Goliaths may be big but when we concord them we can look back see how much closer they have brought us to Christ. I leave this with you in the name of Jesus Christ amen.






Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Hard Times

Hey everybody sorry it has been so long of a wait for another one of my blog posts. It seems I have been having writers block for the last week or so. Also know as a drought when it comes to ideas for blog posts. I finally got one.

I know I can't speak for anyone besides myself , but I know sometimes I have been in situations life brings where I sadly I have thought "What are you doing Heavenly Father." I have my own plan here and this was not part of it. I guess I can assume we have all had difficult times in our lives where we look up at the sky and say why. I would like to share a story from Elder Hugh B. Brown shared while he was an apostle. He had an experience just like we all have had that changed his life.

You sometimes wonder whether the Lord really knows what He ought to do with you. You sometimes wonder if you know better than He does about what you ought to do and ought to become. I am wondering if I may tell you a story. It has to do with an incident in my life when God showed me that He knew best.
I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet (two meters) high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:
“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”
That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”
Years passed, and I found myself in England. I was in command of a cavalry unit in the Canadian army. I held the rank of field officer in the British Canadian army. I was proud of my position. And there was an opportunity for me to become a general. I had taken all the examinations. I had the seniority. The one man between me and the office of general in the British army became a casualty, and I received a telegram from London. It said: “Be in my office tomorrow morning at 10:00,” signed by General Turner.
I went up to London. I walked smartly into the office of the general, and I saluted him smartly, and he gave me the same kind of a salute a senior officer usually gives—a sort of “Get out of the way, worm!” He said, “Sit down, Brown.” Then he said, “I’m sorry I cannot make the appointment. You are entitled to it. You have passed all the examinations. You have the seniority. You’ve been a good officer, but I can’t make the appointment. You are to return to Canada and become a training officer and a transport officer.” That for which I had been hoping and praying for 10 years suddenly slipped out of my fingers.
Then he went into the other room to answer the telephone, and on his desk, I saw my personal history sheet. Right across the bottom of it was written, “THIS MAN IS A MORMON.” We were not very well liked in those days. When I saw that, I knew why I had not been appointed. He came back and said, “That’s all, Brown.” I saluted him again, but not quite as smartly, and went out.
I got on the train and started back to my town, 120 miles (190 kilometers) away, with a broken heart, with bitterness in my soul. And every click of the wheels on the rails seemed to say, “You are a failure.” When I got to my tent, I was so bitter that I threw my cap on the cot. I clenched my fists, and I shook them at heaven. I said, “How could you do this to me, God? I have done everything I could do to measure up. There is nothing that I could have done—that I should have done—that I haven’t done. How could you do this to me?” I was as bitter as gall.
And then I heard a voice, and I recognized the tone of this voice. It was my own voice, and the voice said, “I am the gardener here. I know what I want you to do.” The bitterness went out of my soul, and I fell on my knees by the cot to ask forgiveness for my ungratefulness and my bitterness. While kneeling there I heard a song being sung in an adjoining tent. A number of Mormon boys met regularly every Tuesday night. I usually met with them. We would sit on the floor and have Mutual. As I was kneeling there, praying for forgiveness, I heard their singing:
But if, by a still, small voice he calls
To paths that I do not know,
I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:
I’ll go where you want me to go.
(Hymns, number 270)
I arose from my knees a humble man. And now, almost 50 years later, I look up to Him and say, “Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for cutting me down, for loving me enough to hurt me.” I see now that it was wise that I should not become a general at that time, because if I had I would have been senior officer of all western Canada, with a lifelong, handsome salary, a place to live, and a pension, but I would have raised my six daughters and two sons in army barracks. They would no doubt have married out of the Church, and I think I would not have amounted to anything. I haven’t amounted to very much as it is, but I have done better than I would have done if the Lord had let me go the way I wanted to go.
Many of you are going to have very difficult experiences: disappointment, heartbreak, bereavement, defeat. You are going to be tested and tried. I just want you to know that if you don’t get what you think you ought to get, remember, God is the gardener here. He knows what He wants you to be. Submit yourselves to His will. Be worthy of His blessings, and you will get His blessings.

All of you who know me know I'm not very patient. I have never been. I can honestly say that I am working on it. In Doctrine and Covenants 24:8 Be patient in afflictions, for thou shalt have many; but endure them, for, lo, I am with thee, even unto the end of thy days. I know if we are patient in life everything will work out.

I know that Heavenly Father loves us. I know he knows us and that he gives us trial so we can learn and become who he wants us to be. I say this in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.

Saturday, March 19, 2011

The Truest Book on Earth

In August 2, 2005 President Gorden B. Hinckley raised a challenge for everyone to read the Book of Mormon before 2006. When this happened I was a know it all fourteen year old. I knew that I needed to do what the prophet had said but, I sadly procrastinated like we all do. I waited till Winter Vacation to began reading it. I read the whole Book of Mormon during those two weeks. I read it so quickly that I didn't really remember or retain any of it. From reading it I gain a testimony that it was true but I only got out of it how much I put into it. If I would have tried harder to read the Book of Mormon I would have learned a lot more then I did and I know I would have.

When I arrived at the Mission Training Center in Provo, Utah I decided that I wanted to read the whole Book of Mormon from start to the end before I turned twenty in March. The reason why I wanted to do this was so it would be fresh in my mind. Also to strengthen my testimony in it. I'm very happy to say I did it and boy did I learn a lot. In the introduction of the Book of Mormon there is a quote from Joseph Smith that says Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”

One of the most common things you hear as a missionary is that we don't believe in the Bible because we have the Book of Mormon that is wrong. The Book of Mormon does not replace the Bible. They go hand and hand because they both testify of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon on the cover even says another Testament of Jesus Christ. I know this book is true. By know this I know that Thomas s. Monson is a Prophet of God. The best thing of all is you don't even have to take my word for it. The only way you will know if this book came from god is if you read it and pray asking with a sincere heart to know. I challenge you to read the Book of Mormon and to pray to know if this message I wrote for you is true. I can tell you with out a doubt that if you do what I challenge you to do that you will receive an answer that it is true. If you do not have a Book of Mormon and you would like to read one then click here Free Book of Mormon.

Monday, March 7, 2011

Looney Tune Life Lesson 1

When I was growing up we didn't have a lot of different T.V. channels to watch, so we didn't have a lot of cartoons to watch. Instead We would watch tapes that had cartoons on them. Looney Tunes was one of my favorite cartoons to watch. I mean Looney Tunes was a really funny cartoon. Looking back at them you can learn a lot from them. Two characters I learned a lot from were Wile E. Coyote and Roadrunner.

Wile E. Coyote is a hunter and a apparently a genius which we all know he isn't. He always is trying to catch the Roadrunner. That is his only purpose in life is to catch the Roadrunner. The way he tries to get him is by planning and trickery. He knows that the Roadrunner loves to eat seed. That is always the way he tempts him into being able to catch him. So he uses this against him.
Wile E. Coyote reminds me of another hunter out there that we all know. Everyday he is hunting for us. His advantage is he knows us before we ever come here. His purpose is explained in 2 Nephi 2:18 it says "And because he had fallen from heaven, and had become miserable forever, he sought also the misery of all mankind. Wherefore, he said unto Eve, yea, even that old serpent, who is the devil, who is the father of all lies, wherefore he said: Partake of the forbidden fruit, and ye shall not die, but ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil." Some know him as Lucifer or Satan. He tempts us like no other because he wants us to be as miserable as he is. But, unlike coyote who never catches Roadrunner he sadly he does catch his prey and never lets go.

Unlike Roadrunner who never slips or gets caught we sometimes do. But the great thing about getting caught is we can be free again. The way that is possible is by Jesus Christ. When he died for us he made it so we can be wash clean of our sin's and be forgiven. That doesn't mean you can do something bad ask for forgiveness then do it two minutes later. When we repent we are turning away from the sin and turning to god. We are tell him we are sorry for what we did because we know that it was wrong not because we were caught. We are promising to not do it again so we can become better. I know this to be true and I am so thankful for him doing that for us. I know life is never easy but I know that when we follow the commandments we receive blessings. In Doctrine and Covenants Section 130:20-21 says "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated. And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." I know this to be true. I hope you have a nice day and watch out for Wile E. Coyote.

Saturday, February 26, 2011

Our Stormy Day's

Life is never easy. We all have our stormy days. In the Book of Mormon there is a prophet named Helaman who gives advice to his son's about the days that are the hardest. He tells us how we will be able to make it through them. He says in Helaman 5:12
And now, my sons, remember, remember that it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the son of God, that ye must build your Foundation; that when the devil shall sends forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, a foundation whereon if men build they cannot fall.

What is says is simple. If we believe in Christ we will be able to make it through the hard times. If we never had sad times we would know the difference of happy times. Also if we never had opposition in life our relationship with our Heavenly father would be weak. 

The Oak Tree

by Johnny Ray Ryde
A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree's leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark

But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing Oak?

The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway

But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You'll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me

Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I've found, with thanks to you
I'm stronger than I ever knew



Through our windy day's we become closer to our Heavenly. We learn how much we can endure and we will be blessed for doing so. I hope you have a nice and warm day wherever you may be.



Wednesday, February 23, 2011

The Fellowship of The Unashamed

  Well, hello I'm Elder Maloney and this is my first blog post.  I hope that as time progresses my blog posts will become better and become a regular thing you will read. Today i want to share a quote with you that is very close to my heart. I will tell you why it is so personal to me after i share the quote.

The Fellowship of the Unashamed it was written by Henry B. Eyring

"I am part of the fellowship of the unashamed. The dye has been cast! I have stepped over the line. The decision has been made; I am a disciple of Jesus Christ. I won't look back, let up, slow down, or be still. My past is redeemed, my present makes sense, and my future is secure. I'm finished and done with low living, small planning, smooth knees, colorless dreams, tainted visions, worldly talking, cheap giving, and dwarfed goals. I no longer need pre-eminence, positions, promotions, plaudits or popularity. I now live by faith, lean on His
presence, walk with patience, am uplifted by prayer, and labor with power. My face is set, my gait is fast, and my goal is Heaven. My road is narrow, my way is rough, my companions are few, my guide is reliable, my mission is clear! I cannot be bought, compromised, detoured, lured away, divided or delayed. I will not flinch in the face of sacrifice, hesitate in the presence of the adversary, negotiate at the table of the enemy, ponder at the pool of popularity, or meander in the maze of mediocrity. I won't give up, shut up, or let up, until I have stayed up stored up, and paid up of the cause of Christ. I must go till He comes, give till I drop, preach till I know, and work till He stops me. And when He returns for His own, He will have no problem recognizing me. My banner will be clear."

Well the reason it is so close to my heart is because when I became a missionary I felt like I had stepped over the line when I became a missionary. Everyone knew where I stood when I became a missionary. I no longer hid from the world who I am and what I believe in. I am David Maloney. I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I know we have a Heavenly father. I know Jesus Christ died for all men that we may return to the kingdom of his (our) father on conditions of repentance. I know that him and his father appeared to a young man named Joseph Smith. When he had the question of which church to join. I know he was told to join none of them. That the church that Christ lead while he was here was gone. The reason why it was gone was because he had taken authority off the earth. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophey of god just like Noah, Moses and many other prophets of old. 

I don't share this with you to cause contention or anger. I share this with you because I know without a doubt that what I said is true. The way I know is not by just following what my parents believe our being brainwashed. I know because I have done what James 1:5 says If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

The only way you can know if this message or anything else is true is by praying and asking to know if this is true