Praise to the Man

This year in Sunday school we are studying the Doctrine and Covenants and during Priesthood/Relief Society, we again have the privelege of studying the teachings of the prophet Joseph Smith. What a great combination! So with that, I've been reflecting a great deal on my testimony of the gospel and specifically about the restoration and how much it means to me.

A few years ago, I heard a version of the hymn "Praise to the Man" that was arranged by Lex De Azevedo. I was driving in my car at the time and when the song came on, I nearly had to pull over as I listened to it because it hit me so powerfully that I was no longer focused on the road, but on the magnificent life of the prophet Joseph Smith. From the time I was a young boy, I have always had a really intense interest in and testimony of Joseph Smith and the restoration of the gospel that he was instrumental in restoring to this earth. I believe with all the energy of my soul that Joseph Smith was (and still is) God's prophet. I know that he was foreordained to do the work that he did and I am so grateful for his example, his energy, his work, his testimony and all that he did so that we could have the gospel on this earth once again. So the music became in my mind anyway, a soundtrack for the life of Joseph Smith. I would listen to this version of "Praise to the Man" over and over again and often I'd close my eyes and picture different times in his life, or events, or pieces of his personal history or the church history. Eventually I determined to make this movie in my mind into a reality, so I gathered every picture I could find that had anything to do with Joseph Smith and I got to work. The video in this post is the end result of the project and really is the ultimate expression of my own testimony of this incredible man. I love and appreciate him so very much and when I pass onto the other side, I can't wait to personally thank him for being such a instrumental part of the restoration and for making it possible for the world to know their Savior once again. In Amos 3:7 we learn that "Surely the Lord God will do nothing, but he revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets." It is a pattern that was set forth from the foundation of this world. To know Jesus, we must know His prophets and their teachings. Their whole objective has always been and always will be to lead us back to our Father in Heaven through the Savior. As I think of the prophet Joseph Smith, that's what I think of. I think of his life, but I think about it in the context of what he did for us to help lead us to Christ. I'm confident that if we learn about him, we will learn about Christ.

A couple of years after I did the video, I had an opportunity to visit some of the church history sites in Missouri and Illinois including Nauvoo briefly and Carthage. My favorite place on that whole trip was Carthage because I felt such powerful gratitude for the blood that was shed and the lives that were given there. I hope you enjoy the video!