Dallin Crump

faith

I don't know everything, but I know enough.

When a young Neil L. Anderson was preparing to serve his mission, he felt inadequate. He prayed: “Heavenly Father, how can I serve a mission when I know so little?” As he prayed, he had the impression: “You don’t know everything, but you know enough!”

Whenever I am struggling in body or in spirit, whenever I'm wrestling with confusion or doubts, I try to direct my thoughts to the plain and precious things I know about my faith, and how I came to know these things.

I know that I am a child of a living Heavenly Father. From a very young age, as I heard and sang the beloved song “I am a Child of God” at home and church, I came to know and understand that God loves me and knows me.

I know that Jesus Christ is our Savior and Redeemer. He was sent by the Father to conquer sin and death. He died for us and he rose from the grave. He has made it possible for us to live with our Heavenly Father again some day. I have felt His love for me.

I know that Joseph Smith was a true prophet of God and that the Church of Jesus Christ was restored to the earth through him. I know this because I have read the Book of Mormon, which was translated by him. Through study and prayer I have come to know that the Book of Mormon is a true volume of scripture, another testament of Jesus Christ. And if the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith is a true prophet who brought it forth by the power of God.

I know that the Priesthood – the power of God delegated to man – has been restored to the earth.

I know that we have a living prophet on the earth today – Russell M. Nelson – who holds this Priesthood authority and receives revelation from God for His people.

I know that temples are the House of the Lord. They are sacred places where we can perform holy ordinances and make covenants with God that bind us to Him and allow us to access His power when we try to faithfully honor and keep them. When I go to the temple, I feel the peace and love of God. I feel like whatever is going on in my life, everything is going to be alright.

I don't know everything. I have hope that one day I will, but until then, I can find strength and comfort in the things I know. And it is enough. Enough for me to stay in the church, keep the faith, and press forward.

Elder Anderson said:

Our spiritual journey is the process of a lifetime. We do not know everything in the beginning or even along the way. Our conversion comes step-by-step, line upon line. We first build a foundation of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. We treasure the principles and ordinances of repentance, baptism, and receiving the gift of the Holy Ghost. We include a continuing commitment to prayer, a willingness to be obedient, and an ongoing witness of the Book of Mormon. (The Book of Mormon is powerful spiritual nourishment.)

We then remain steady and patient as we progress through mortality. At times, the Lord’s answer will be, “You don’t know everything, but you know enough”—enough to keep the commandments and to do what is right. Remember Nephi’s words: “I know that he loveth his children; nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.”


#faith #Christianity #ChurchOfJesusChrist

One last Christmas video. Despite some disappointing turns of events that prevented us from seeing some loved ones, this has been the most joyous Christmas season for me in at least three years.

May we always be grateful for God's incomparable gift of His Son. And may we always be looking for gifts of time, love, and service to give to Him.

What shall we give to the babe in the manger? What shall we offer the child in the stall? Incense and spices and gold we've aplenty. Are these the gifts for the king of us all? 

What shall we give to the boy in the temple? What shall we offer the man by the sea? Palms at his feet and hosannas uprising, Are these for him who will carry the tree? 

What shall we give to the man who was offered, Rising the third day and shedding his love? Tears for his mercy we'll weep at the manger, Bathing the infant come down from above.

Discuss...


#100DaysToOffload (No. 93) #Christmas #faith #music

There are certain traditions and activities that embody the spirit of Christmas. Live performances of Handel’s Messiah are certainly in this category.

My wife had the opportunity to play violin in a community performance of this masterpiece and my son and I had the opportunity to enjoy it in the audience.

For a community choir and orchestra made up of volunteers, it sounded excellent. Singing along, especially with the Halleluja chorus, one couldn't help but feel the spirit of Christmas – the spirit of Christ.

For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6 KJV)


#100DaysToOffload (No. 83) #music #Christmas #faith

Tonight I participated in our Stake “Choirside” (a play on the word “fireside”). All of the ward choirs performed a Christmas song centered on Jesus Christ.

At the end, the entire congregation sang O Holy Night together with piano and organ accompaniment and it was quite a powerful and moving experience.

Traditions like these really help me get into the real spirit of Christmas and set the tone for the season.


#100DaysToOffload (No. 76) #Christmas #music #faith

Another favorite Christmas video that I have watched every year since I first saw it is a music video of the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square singing Infant Holy, Infant Lowly.

The music is sublime, as always. But the video itself is amazing and symbolic on so many levels.

It depicts a prison inmate being released. They intentionally never show his face, I think, because we are supposed to imagine ourselves in his place. Are we not all prisoners of sin and death? Do we not all need Jesus Christ to set us free?

“Christ the babe was born for you.”

Discuss...


#100DaysToOffload (No. 69) #Christmas #faith #music

It has become a tradition in my family to watch the 1994 version of Miracle on 34th Street around Thanksgiving. It’s one of the things we do to kick off the Christmas season. We watched it this evening.

My favorite quote from this film is from Kris Kringle himself:

If you can’t accept anything on faith, then you are doomed to a life dominated by doubt.

This reminded me of a quote from Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf:

It’s natural to have questions—the acorn of honest inquiry has often sprouted and matured into a great oak of understanding. There are few members of the Church who, at one time or another, have not wrestled with serious or sensitive questions. One of the purposes of the Church is to nurture and cultivate the seed of faith—even in the sometimes sandy soil of doubt and uncertainty. Faith is to hope for things which are not seen but which are true.

Therefore, my dear brothers and sisters—my dear friends—please, first doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. We must never allow doubt to hold us prisoner and keep us from the divine love, peace, and gifts that come through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.

At times I have grappled with doubt like everyone else, but I refuse to live a life dominated by it. I choose to have faith in something – in someone: Jesus Christ. I join with millions this Christmas season to celebrate His humble birth.

Merry Christmas!


#100DaysToOffload (No. 60) #faith #Christmas #Christianity #ChurchOfJesusChrist

It's been a whirlwind weekend, but I somehow started a new Mastodon instance! ZCMI.social is now a thing.

It's currently open only to a small group of close friends and associates for a “closed beta” until I get this whole Mastodon Admin thing figured out. If there is any reasonable degree of success after a month or two, I might opening it up for more people to join.

But let me back up. Why did I name it “ZCMI” and who is it for? The original ZCMI – Zion's Cooperative Mercantile Institution – was a department store chain founded in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1868. It changed owners throughout the years and went defunct about 20 years ago. (Seriously, how many department store chains have died in the last couple decades? Remember Mervyn's? Fred Meyer? Montgomery Ward?).

The ZCMI in ZCMI.social stands for Zion's Cooperative Mastodon Instance! It's intended for members of my church – The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints – who are actively trying to live their faith. I envision it as as a safe space for church members to talk about their faith and interact with and support other members trying to walk the covenant path. The name of this new Mastodon instance is a way of honoring our past while looking forward to the future.

There is still a lot of work to do – a few of my colleagues and I are coming up with some community guidelines and refining the server rules (I mostly copied our existing rules from Fosstodon because I think they're a pretty great place to start).

Over the next month I'd like to try to get at least 30 or 40 people on there and actively using it and see where things go from there.

I'm excited!

Discuss...


#100DaysToOffload (No. 55) #tech #faith #ChurchOfJesusChrist #SocialMedia

Listening to one of my music playlists on random, I was reminded of the existence of a beautiful piece of music performed by the supremely talented Norwegian soprano Sissel.

In the summer of 2019 she performed with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. The entire concert is remarkable and worth watching. But one song in particular stood out above the rest for me and many who heard it.

You can't tell from the video, but all 18,000+ people in the audience were on their feet during the lengthy applause after the song. They knew they had just experienced something heavenly.

Sissel's performance of Slow Down by Chuck Girard, arranged by Sam Cardon, is one that I keep coming back to. It soothes and heals, reminds me to stop and take a deep breath. It refocuses me on what is most important. It reminds me that God is near.

Discuss...


#100DaysToOffload (No. 49) #music #faith #Christianity #intentionism

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