Spiritually Defining Moments

By Charlie Brown

Generally it isn't an easy thing to do, that is having a conversation about sacred experiences.  We live in a skeptical secular world.  Our spiritual experiences may not even be a welcome subject to discuss outside of our church fellowship. This post is to write down something of my spiritual journey, and the moments that caused me to seek understanding about life, eternity, and have brought me to my present place in life.

When I was young, our family attended various Protestant churches, mostly the Methodist and Congregationalist. One of my grandfathers and his son, my uncle were pastors in the Assembly of God church. From these experiences, I gained a basic interest in God, but never felt any desire to know much more beyond Sunday School and the sermons. Sunday church meetings may not the most eagerly anticipated event of our week but we went regularly. 

When I was eight years old, a month before I turned 9, my mother died in an automobile crash. We lived in a rural area near Grandview, Idaho.  My dad, mother, and two brothers went into town about 10 miles away to do the weekly shopping.  I don't remember the reason, but I asked to stay home to play with some friends that day and to not go.  Her death caused me to wonder about the existence of God and many other truths about life.

One of our neighbors came across the accident and picked up my two brothers who had suffered some lacerations but were not taken in an ambulance as our parents were.  I saw them arriving and when I got to their home, they sent me to get clean clothes for my brothers. When I got to our house and walked in the door, for a reason I cannot explain, my first inclination was to kneel and pray.  Before this I had never prayed on my own where I felt a desire to petition God.  I simply asked Him to bless my family.  I was unaware of my mothers passing or the condition of my dad.

I had no idea how to seek the truth, but I had a longing that would not go away to know who God was, and why we are here on earth. I wanted to know about life after death. I had heard that there was a heaven from church attendance, but that was the extent of any knowledge about life after death.

After this I began to pray often, mostly in my mind as I sought to express my thoughts to God. I had listened to the prayers of pastors and ministers and we had a few of the rote prayers we had been taught, but never really imagined what it was like to try and communicate with God. I just wanted more information, and answers to questions didn't seem to be available to me.

As time passed I continued to ask God to bless my family. I wanted to know God and wondered if that was possible.  I wasn't familiar with Paul on the road to Damascus or Moses in the burning bush or any of the biblical encounters with God.

At the beginning of the seventh grade we moved to Boise, ID. We had been living in housing at Strike Dam near Grandview. I met some Latter-day Saints but never considered them to be any different than Methodists or any other denomination. My brothers and I had many of the normal challenges of being adolescents. My dad remarried, divorced, and married again and life went on.

When I was 16, I started attending The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to play basketball with my friends.  As I attended church I picked up on some of their beliefs and teachings, but never considered that I needed to belong to a church or to their church to please God. I liked to ski on most Sundays and felt the mountain was as good of a place for God as any other.

I continued to pray during my teenage years and express my concerns and ask for guidance.  One particular evening when I was 17, after praying and contemplating some of the questions in my mind, I went out with a friend. We began to discuss some of the beliefs of the Church about the health code and the eternal nature of the family.  As we did so my thoughts were stirred in a way I had never experienced.

I experienced what I can only describe as pure light and knowledge pouring into my mind, and it continued for weeks. The thoughts and understandings that I gained enlightened me with such clarity I could not deny what was happening.

I was given a simple yet clear vision of what I should do with my life for the next few years. The spirit confirmed to me that Joseph Smith was a prophet and that the teachings I had learned about were true. For weeks the thoughts and impressions stayed in my mind with an intensity that would not subside. I felt the love of God for me and it instilled in me a desire to learn about Jesus Christ and to follow him.

Many questions were answered as I visited with the missionaries. I learned that family relationships can be eternal and that the plan of salvation centers on the family and the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Holy Ghost confirmed the truth of those answers to me.  I was baptized two weeks later. I learned that God can answer the prayers of sincere seekers of truth. I read the Book of Mormon and received a witness that it is the word of God.

Two years later I went on a mission and taught the doctrines of salvation and the restoration of the gospel to others in Argentina. I had good success and formed many amazing relationships that endure to this day.

A year or so after I came home, I met and married a young woman, and we have been married 42 years at this writing.  In the last 4 decades we have been blessed, and many of our deepest and fondest desires have come to pass from our family relationships and the gospel covenants. In our families is where love is centered and relationships can be strengthened in meaningful ways. 

After joining the church I encountered various negative and erroneous information about the church from different critics and sources.  I studied these claims and continue to do so. I discovered that many narratives existed which were spread around the Christian communities with false information about the church. From the earliest days of the Church, Joseph Smith was mocked and slandered by the critics of his day. Many of those same arguments that are not supported by true and factual information have be circulated in Christian communities for almost two centuries. 

The impressions of feeling God's love and giving me direction are as clear in my mind today as when they happened. In the last 47 years the nature of this foundational witness and experience has been confirmed many times. The good fruits of my decision have been abundantly manifest in my life.

The revelation to me of the love of God gave me knowledge that Heavenly Father desires all of his children to know truth. I have learned about the Savior’s sacrifice for our sins, his infinite atonement, and how it has extended grace, mercy, and repentance to us. He is our Savior and Redeemer. I came to know that death is not to be feared because of the power of his resurrection, and that family relationships do not end at death.

I have witnessed the truth of sacred texts given to enlighten us and strengthen our faith in Christ. These include the Book of Mormon and revelations given to teach eternal truths along with the Bible. I know we can hear the voice of the Savior when we study the scriptures we have been given. 

I have seen that God speaks to his authorized servants who are present day prophets of God. Their counsel has been demonstrated to me to be inspired again and again in my life. The heavens are open again and have been so for two centuries now since Joseph Smith declared his testimony of the appearance of the Father and Son to him. The church of God and the Gospel of Jesus Christ are being restored.

These are the latter days spoken of by biblical prophets. We are preparing the world for the Second Coming of Jesus Christ however soon or late it is. The light and power of God's spirit have testified to me that Jesus Christ lives. The Holy Ghost has been a constant source of guidance as I have navigated the uncertainties of life. Keeping the covenants that he has given us has brought me peace and happiness that is real and lasting.

I know our prayers can be answered if we are willing to seek and ask God.  We are children of God. There is an eternal plan of salvation that we can know about and understand. We can gain sufficient knowledge to have faith in their love and their works of salvation that bring peace and happiness now and eternal life to come.

#HearHim #JesusChrist #GeneralConference