I’ve cruised, posted, and written in the Bloggernacle for one year. It’s been an interesting experience.
My initial goal in coming to the Bloggernacle was to mingle with LDS who are seeking to fulfill their baptismal covenant by receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. I assumed that with the vastness of the internet’s reach I’d find multiple sites where church members discussed things of the Spirit and shared spiritual experiences in a meaningful way. However, I quickly learned that most LDS who post and comment in the Bloggernacle have other priorities.
LDS author James Farrell observed:
“Many [LDS] today carry a secret: We do not love what we have been commanded to love. We do not love what is holy. Although we might reverence things that are deemed holy – the temple, for example, and the scriptures, and the Sabbath – we do not love them. Not really. Not with our whole souls.” The Holy Secret, James Farrell
The apostle John on this subject said:
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. 1 John 2:15
There is a significant difference between reverencing the Lord and loving Him. If one truly desires to be a follower of Christ and to be perfected in Him then the first order of Spiritual business is to fulfill our baptismal covenant and receive the gift of the Holy Ghost.
Without taking this step all the others steps we take in the church and in life have less meaning and effectiveness.
Lorenzo Snow taught:
There are men among us who possess the gift of healing, and might have great faith; but they do not exercise the gift, they do not live for it, and, therefore, do not have the power to use it so effectually as they might… I wish to impress upon you, my brethren and sisters that there are Elders among us endowed with Spiritual gifts that may be brought into exercise through the aid of the Holy Ghost. The gifts of the Gospel must be cultivated by diligence and perseverance. The ancient Prophets when desiring some peculiar blessing, or important knowledge, revelation or vision, would sometimes fast and pray for days and even weeks for that purpose. JD 23:194 -195, Lorenzo Snow, May 6th, 1882
My Goal for the Second Year in the Bloggernacle
The title of the blog is LDS Alive in Christ. To be alive in Christ means we are experiencing the gift of the Holy Ghost. For the coming year I am going to focus on helping those who visit this site with information that will aid them in growing in their gift of the Holy Ghost.
If this is a subject of interest to you please bookmark this site. If you have material you would like to bring to my attention please email me: diligentlyseek@gmail.com
The power is within each of us to grow in the things of the Spirit. I hope this site will provide information and motivation for each of us to realize are potential with the gifts the Lord urges us to seek after.
In closing, I would like to express that out of all the experiences I’ve had in life there is nothing that even comes close to the beauty and splendor of the manifestation of the Spirit the Lord has given to me. When I have repented and sought Him diligently He has been there. Sometimes I wish He wouldn’t wait so long to respond, but I’m not going to counsel the Creator.
Congratulations Jared! I remember some of your first comments before starting your blog. The ‘nacle has made progress in that time, more are willing to discuss things of the Spirit now than then.
I also recently passed my one year anniversary of writing essays on my blog. For years I read others who wrote in group blogs and several of the early solo LDS bloggers. I have enjoyed your posts and look forward to many more in the coming year, especially as you focus on the things of the spirit.
Thank you for sharing these two quotes by James Farrell and Lorenzo Snow. I feel the same way. I suspect that at times I tend to love the idea of increasing my readership, increasing the number of comments left on my essays or getting more links from other LDS bloggers, more than loving the gospel of Christ.
Your essay reminds me that the real purpose I started to blog was to provide myself with a formal vehicle in which to study the gospel and share my insights with others of like mind. I am grateful that I found your blog early and appreciate your desire to focus on spiritual experiences in our lives.
I am confident that Lorenzo Snow’s comment could be applied to us today. There are many bloggers out there who could vastly improve and increase their spiritual gifts through diligent effort and perseverance. I have prayed often over some of the essays I have written, but could do better in this area.
God bless you in your journey as you continue to share your thoughtful and spiritually-minded essays with those who can appreciate what you are trying to accomplish. I suspect that you have grown some in the past year as you have written and shared the insights you have gained through the Holy Ghost.
Howard,
Thanks for your kind thoughts. I agree with you that there has been an increase in willingness to discuss things of the Spirit. I hope the momentum continues.
Tim,
Your words are uplifting. I want to do better in my ability to uplift others as you do.
Your site is awesome. Keep the good work up. I marvel at your gift to communicate on such a wide range of topics.
Regarding increasing number of readers: As I have measured my stats I’m finding more and more people are using Google to search for topics on repentance and prayer. They don’t leave many comments but they spend a lot of time reading these topics. My all time most read post is, “Blown Away by Church History? Get real!” This is a topic that needs more attention.
Regarding my growth in things of the Spirit as I’ve blogged: No doubt about it. Blogging has allowed me to draw nearer to the Lord. Like you, I seek the Lord’s guidance.
Francisco,
I removed your “post” because it was off topic. Please understand.