Elder Richard G. Scott said,

There are few things in life that bring as much joy as the joy that comes from assisting another improve his or her life. That joy is increased when those efforts help someone understand the teachings of the Savior and that person decides to obey them, is converted, and joins His Church. There follows great happiness as that new convert is strengthened during the transition to a new life, is solidly grounded in truth, and obtains all of the ordinances of the temple with the promise of all the blessings of eternal life. President McKay showed us how to obtain such joy with his profound clarification of our responsibility to share the gospel: “Every member a missionary.” 1 I know many more would follow that charge were they to realize that there are many different ways to fulfill that responsibility. I will describe some of them. But first, why has each of us been asked to be a missionary? (Why Every Member a Missionary? Elder Richard G. Scott)

As I spoke at my nephew’s baptism, such love and joy poured through my heart. To know that he was on the path to eternal salvation infused with such happiness I, a published author, can scarcely gather the words together to convey my emotions. This is one of the greatest privileges we as members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will ever have, to find those seeking further knowledge of Jesus Christ and provide the answers.

Elder Scott speaks of different ways in which we can share the gospel.

• As mentioned in the previous blog, our actions speak louder than our words. So live up to the covenants you have made with God.
• Pray daily that you might know who might be receptive to the Gospel message, as well as that you might be aware when the time is appropriate to speak to them.
• Know the Articles of Faith. I like to carry a little laminated card with all 13 on it so that I have it handy at all times.
• Share your statements of faith on LDS.net. Create a profile, find friends, create your statements of faith, which is your testimony on different gospel subjects.
• Share your testimony on MormonTestimonies.org. Using the camera on your computer, record your testimony and follow the steps listed on MormonTestimonies.org to upload it for the world.
• Begin a blog, as mentioned in Blogging for the Lord, and use the tips mentioned in that post.
• Study the gospel, at minimum, an hour or so a week, although daily study brings you closer to the Lord and increases your knowledge. Pray daily that this information remain easy to retrieve from your mind.
• Invite the individual or family to social settings, whether it be dinner in your home,  a BBQ in the park, game night with friends . . . we have the privilege and joy sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is a joyous thing and a huge part of who we are, as Latter-day Saints, this social circle we belong to.
• Pay special attention to the image we might be presenting as a restricted circle. We are possessors of the “Good News” of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, and He has asked us to share it with all who will listen.

I know this can be a scary thing. But as I have watched my nephew share the Gospel, he has inspired me to remember what I have to share as well. Reach out my friends, for it is a precious knowledge you hold. Choose the methods which you are most comfortable with and begin sharing the Gospel.

With the introduction of Blogging (Web Journals) . . . yeah, I don’t know how they got blog out of that either . . . an explosion of housewives, mothers, grandmothers, grandafthers, husbands, fathers, sons and daughters began blogging about their lives to the world. As time went on, more and more people began blogging for a variety of reasons: daily journals, world affairs, business affairs, life, culture, politics and religion. Quickly newspapers and news stations began turning to bloggers for up to the minute, pulse of the people, information on a variety of subjects considered to be newsworthy. Now major news stations such as FoxNews, CNN and MSNBC check their regular blogs while on the air, seeing how the tide is turning in Blogland. This is how powerful blogging has become. It is a marvelous tool for setting the record straight and an opportunity to begin correcting the misconceptions about Mormons and give our full-time missionaries more time to teach.

On December 15, 2007 when Elder M. Russell Ballard put the call out, members from all walks of life responded and the internet was flooded with blogs sharing the Gospel, lives and times of Latter-day Saints across the globe. More Good Foundation, along with a number of private inviduals launched websites on every topic related to the Gospel of Jesus Christ as taught by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Even as early as April of this year the tide began to turn. No longer did anti-Mormons exclusively own the internet, but Latter-day Saints began battling the negative and false information being spread like a poison to those seeking information about the Church. Until this year, there were very few places to go for friends of other faiths to find information which wasn’t tainted by Anti-Mormons. So, you may be asking yourself: If I do start a blog what would I write about? Here are some ideas:

1)  Day-to-day life of being a Latter-day Saint.

2) Take a different gospel topic and write about one every day.

3) Watch the news, read newspapers and listen to talk radio and address these topics from a Latter-day Saint view point.

4) Promote your business while making it clear you are a Latter-day Saint and how it effects business decisions and practices.

5) Do a photo journal of life in the Church, writing brief descriptions of the pictures and how it applies to the Church.

6) Write about everything that interests you while providing links to Church and Church centric sites (meaning those that support the mission of the Church but are not affiliated in any way, shape or form.)

7) Post a different scripture every day and write your thoughts about it.

The ideas go on and on. It is my hope that this will help you to begin blogging for the Lord. Please post any questions via the Comment function. I will answer them, each and every one. Also, if you have other blogging ideas, please Comment about those as well. I’ll blog about each and every one.

In the meantime, why don’t you check out LDS.net, a social network for Latter-day Saints and those seeking answers from actual Mormons about the Gospel. It’s a great and wonderful mechanism for share the gospel online.

For as long as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has existed, even from the days of Jesus Christ, Himself, we have been called to preach His gospel to the world.

In the Bible Dictionary we find the description of the Abrahamic Covenant and our sacred calling as descendants of Abraham:

Being an heir to the Abrahamic covenant does not make one a “chosen person” per se, but does signify that such are chosen to responsibly carry the gospel to all the peoples of the earth. Abraham’s seed have carried out the missionary activity in all the nations since Abraham’s day. (Matt. 3: 9; Abr. 2: 9-11). (Bible Dictionary, Covenant of Abraham)

What a wonderful calling we have been given, what a phenomenal privilege. To be those called to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ across the world, through every medium available to mankind.

Although it is a great privilege there are many, if not most, who hesitate to share their testimonies of the Gospel, of Jesus Christ and all the principles, practices and precepts of His Gospel. And yet, with the advent of the internet a unique opportunity has been presented to Mormons all over the world.

On December 15, 2007 Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles sent the call out to Mormons:

“The emergence of New Media is facilitating a world-wide conversation on almost every subject including religion, and nearly everyone can participate. …

“Conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. …

“The challenge is that there are too many people participating in conversation about the Church for our Church personnel to converse with and respond to individually. We cannot answer every question, satisfy every inquiry, and respond to every inaccuracy that exists. …some who seek answers want them to come directly from a member of the Church, like each one of you. …

“May I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet, particularly the New Media, to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration. Most of you already know that if you have access to the Internet you can start a blog in minutes and begin sharing what you know to be true. You can download videos from Church and other appropriate sites, including Newsroom at LDS.org, and send them to your friends. You can write to media sites on the Internet that report on the Church, and voice your views as to the accuracy of the reports. …

“Others have recorded and posted their testimonies of the Restoration, the teachings of the Book of Mormon, and other gospel subjects on popular video-sharing sites. You, too, can tell your story to nonmembers in this way. …

“Use stories and words that they will understand.” (Elder M. Russell Ballard, Devotional Talk at BYU-Hawaii, 15 December, 2007)

This is a simple way in which you can begin to share the Gospel. It has been said that the missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints spend 90% of their time correcting misperceptions about the Church and it’s members and 10% of their time actually teaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is where we, as Member Missionaries, can step in and help our full-time missionaries. We can begin blogging to share the Gospel and give the world an accurate view of Mormons and our every day lives. You would be startled to know the misconceptions, myths and outright fairy tales that still exist in this day of easy access information.

This blog will be dedicated to helping Mormons worldwide learn many varied and effective ways to share the our Lord and Savior’s Gospel. We believe in the Jesus Christ of the New Testament. The one who is Jehovah of the Old Testament and the Messiah of the New. Let us spread His word to every corner of the world. There are those in every country seeking Him, join our full-time missionaries and let’s share the good news of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Check back often for new ideas on how to spread the Gospel.

Online Missionary Tool: Begin your own blog by going to www.blogger.com or www.wordpress.com, just to name two options. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3. If you run into trouble, simply drop back by this blog and I’ll be happy to answer any questions or walk you through the process. In doing this you will be combatting the host of anti-Mormon rhetoric which proliferates across the internet. Be a part of the Lord’s online army and raise that standard to the world, standing for truth and righteousness in all ways and in all things.

Some useful sites to begin building your religious knowledge are:

http://lds.org

http://mormon.org

http://jesuschrist.lds.org

http://askgramps.org

http://lds.net

http://mormontestimonies.org

http://ldsblogs.com

http://mormonwiki.com

Just to name a few.