Last week we received an email from Pres. Romney of the Russia Moscow South Mission, where Caleb is serving. Several months ago, he challenged his missionaries and their families to read the Book of Mormon three times in three months. Now he is designating the month of July as the "Month of Perfection" and asking the missionaries to keep the mission rules perfectly, and for their families to do the same.

There is a tendency in our culture to mock or try to tear down individuals who might be trying to live high moral values, because they are wrongly judged as thinking they are better than others. "You think you are so much better than the rest of us!" Even... "Here comes Goody Two shoes!"

How lucky we are to know of the Plan of Salvation, that shows us the right way to live, so that we don't have to thrash around trying to figure out our own ways of correct living through this life. The plan is already in place, and our job is to be obedient to that plan.

A preacher, not of our faith, said, "After preaching for 25 years, I have learned two things. One is that there is a God, and the second is that I am not Him." Do some often feel that THEY are the God, and feel they have the right to decide what laws are important and which ones aren't? Do we think that because we have our agency, that we can choose which commandments to keep? Truth cannot be changed by our wishes. Our agency and opinions will be dashed to pieces if they go against true principles. Truth can be mocked. It can be denied, voted upon, belittled, and groups can be gathered to try to amend it, but truth remains unchanged.

Hugh Nibley said, "What on earth do a man's name, degree, academic position, and of all things, opinions, have to do whether or not a thing is true or not"

In the 1994 edition of This People Magazine, a survey was included, taken by a Randall Wright in which he questioned LDS youth to see how many had seen an R-rated movie in the previous year. The report showed that 92% of LDS students who participated in the survey, had seen at least one R-rated movie, and the average number seen was 17. The editors of the magazine were so concerned about the high numbers, that they called this Ronald Wright to check the accuracy. They asked, "Can this possibly be true?" He answered that it was, and that he said, "I can't think of any other area where parents and youth have gone so blatantly against the prophets' counsel than with R-rated movies."

When a prophet speaks, it is the same as if God speaks. "But the plot was great! The music was terrific, the special effects were amazing. There was only a little language, immodest clothing, adultery...blah, blah,blah. Remember the father who heard all these excuses when their kids wanted to see a questionable movie? He made some brownies for his children, and told them they were made of the very best ingredients, but he had added just one additional thing...He added a very small amount of dog manure. The kids refused to eat them, even though there was only a little bit of filth in them.

Satan is so very slick! He will try to lure us in with terrific music, great story lines, special effects, bad language, and a little dog manure in otherwise great brownies!

Maybe we need to take time to think of the counsel of our prophets and see if we can try harder to live them as perfectly as the missionaries in Russia are being asked to live theirs. This doesn't mean we are judge whether or not our prophets are asking us to follow the truth. It isn't our right to judge God or His commandments. God will judge us!

Morgan is going to Bulgaria in order to bring God's words to people who have not had them, and give them the opportunity to improve their lives, and make commitments to follow the commandments of God. We are not on our own to make up the rules. We have been bought with a price, a terrible price. His ways are not our ways, but we are to try to align our lives to His ways, without arguing or whining.

He says, "Be still and know that I am God."