Thermite: Reaction

I've already explained what a thermite reaction is. I've already compared the different parts of this reaction for your understanding. Now I'll tie it all back together, and you can decide if you want a part of this.

My comparison has been leading to conversion, and how similar it is to a thermite reaction. True conversion is an amazing thing, can light others on fire (spiritually), and won't stop working for the person under normal or even many abnormal circumstances. It takes a few key ingredients to work, and won't happen by accident. It will be an unforgettable moment in your life, and you can experience it by following a simple recipe. However, it is just the first step. After the initial reaction, some heat remains but it is all too possible for everything to cool off completely if more action isn't done.

If you have worked properly and are ready to hear the truth, when it hits you amazing things will happen. If you feel the feelings mentioned in Galatians while working on your prayers and study, that is how you can gain the same type of conversion that you might hear others talk about, be it Peter of old or Brian of mormon.org. Recognize the stirrings within you, and talk to your missionaries. You will not regret it. However, you need to act on it. Be ready and willing to change your life, or your feelings will stop just as a fire will eventually go out unless action is taken.

Now that my comparison is complete, I would like to take this opportunity to share something personal. This is my path along the process of conversion. I've stated that I've gained this conversion through revelation by the power of the Holy Ghost. This started when I was quite young, maybe 5 or 6 years old, and I only fully realized it a few months ago when I was trying to pinpoint my conversion. Hopefully you'll be more aware of your life than I was.

So, my parents were "Mormons" since they were young. They've both served missions and are great examples of living righteously and have helped me grow up. Despite the way they can affect my actions, I still needed to decide for myself. I remember one church meeting when the speaker was talking about the necessity of asking in prayer if the Book of Mormon is true. I, being maybe 6 years old, felt a great desire to do this. I knew that this was something I needed to do. I took that moment right then and there to kneel down next to the pew and say a prayer. I don't remember the words of that prayer, I don't remember the rest of that day or what I was feeling after that prayer. However, I knew that I needed to. Because I didn't get that answer right away, I didn't do too much. I lived my life, I obeyed my parents, I was active and willing in the church. However, I was rarely annoyed about going to church, I learned the stories, and I never doubted them. I tell you now that I know that my simple and heartfelt prayer between the pews that day opened the way for a knowledge to steadily and stealthily grow as I always felt good about the Book of Mormon. Now I am trying to share this wealth of joy with you.

I have since felt the "fruits of the Spirit" so many times in connection with my church activity. I felt them while listening to others talk of their conversion, I felt it while talking about truth, I've felt it now while I share this precious moment with you. I know now that because of my simple prayer as a young boy, I can tell you that I know that Jesus Christ has restored His church today. I know this more than anything else, be it simple math or advanced history. And I know that you can know this just as much as I do.
Read the Book of Mormon. Pray to know if it's true. Be willing to listen and act on your answer.
I did.

Thermite: Ignition

We've got the ingredients assembled, and we're waiting to see sparks fly. Something is missing; a pile of rust and aluminum shavings are just sitting there, and nothing has happened. This is where the ingredient is no longer in the control of the thermite mixer. This is the final edge, the last thing that's required for a thermite reaction, and needs to be special. A normal fire at the end of a match or a lighter won't light thermite. You need something hot enough to light the aluminum, such as magnesium. You need to be prepared for what happens next, since it will be quite the experience.

Just like with thermite, the final push for your "reaction" will be out of your hands. It needs to be extremely special, and it comes by the power of the Holy Ghost. No phony imitation will do. If you have a good thermite mixture, filled with good study and earnest prayer, the Holy Ghost will have the ability to ignite you and push you on your way to conversion. Be prepared; this is where the magic happens.

So how can you ignite the spiritual mixture you've been working on? As I said, it is through divine power that it will happen. All we can do is strive to be as receptive to it as possible. We know that the Spirit speaks in a still small voice (Helaman 5:30). How can we hope to hear if we are busy doing things that drown out his voice? How can we listen for the divine prompting if we are focused on an addicting or distracting behavior? You need to calm your environment and listen for the spark that can "pierce [you] even to the very soul" and ignite the preparation you've already gone through.

Another problem is that too many people don't realize that the revelation you will receive is rarely the 3000°+ burning of a strip of magnesium or a visit from an angel. It is quite often the gentle and calm "fruits of the Spirit" talked about in Galatians 5:22-23. The problem with not realizing this fact is that if you are searching for those visions and signs, it is quite possible that you will miss the small voice I've already talked about. If you are paying attention and notice these feelings, it is only because you have a suitable mixture of study and prayer. We know that the Spirit helps us "know the truth of all things" (Moroni 10:5) and we know that "God [can] not lie" (Enos 1:6). You will only feel the fruits of the Spirit if and only if you partake of truth; if you feel these fruits, you must know that the Book of Mormon is true. If true, it was translated by the power of God through Joseph Smith. If he was guided by God, then He restored his church through Joseph Smith as the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. This line of logic continues to all aspects of the Church. See how a small spark can ignite so many things?

You have successfully studied words of truth, and you have properly humbled yourself in prayer. The Holy Ghost has blessed you with the spark to ignite this work, and now you have the blessing of a sure knowledge of the truth! What do you do with it now? Now you watch as the thermite reaction rages forth in a mighty experience. You go forth with the knowledge that you have. You experience conversion.

Thermite: Aluminum

Onward to the next ingredient: aluminum. This is where the fire is, and this is what is actually burning. While the rust makes it possible to burn as long as there is heat by providing oxygen, the aluminum makes it possible to burn at high temperatures due to its high boiling point. It can be slightly harder to get, but it is also used in so many applications that it's seen more often than rust in some situations. For thermite, it needs to be untainted and a fine powder.

In my comparison, this is prayer. The reaction you'll be experiencing will be during or because of a prayer. You might not be comfortable just praying right off the bat, or you might pray every hour of the day already. Regardless of your previous experience with prayer, the prayer you'll need for this is special and focused towards a specific purpose.

The main purpose of your prayer will be to know if the studying you've been doing is good, or, in other words, if the Book of Mormon is true. Fortunately, we have guidelines to help us know how to go about praying for this specific purpose. It is found in Moroni 10:4, where we learn the key parts from each clause of the sentence:

1. "ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ,": Pray to Heavenly Father in the name of Jesus Christ. I know that there are those that are uncomfortable doing this, but this goes along with testing the fruit to see if it is good. Give it a try, you never know what might happen.
2. "if these things are not true;": Have a question in your mind and in your prayer. Simple enough, right?
3. "ask with a sincere heart,": To get your answer, you must mean your question. Asking flippantly, asking because somebody is telling you to, or asking with a closed mind will not work as well as desiring to know if God really has restored his Church in this day.
4. "with real intent,": This is where things get more interesting. While it sounds like the previous bit, it actually relates to your willingness to act on the answer. If you want to know if the Book of Mormon is true for scholarly reasons, you are less likely to receive your answer than if you want to know if it is true to help you decide if you should join the Church that I represent.
5. "having faith in Christ,": For most Christians, this is easy. Otherwise, remember that faith is related to hope (Hebrews 11:1 see also Alma 32:21), so having a hope in Christ is the first step towards having faith.
6. "he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost.": This is a promise. The previous 5 parts are the ingredients and instructions of the recipe; this is the result.

You have received a promise that you can know about the truth of the Book of Mormon yourself. It might not be easy to refine your prayer for such a specific purpose, but I know that it is possible and you will get your answer. I know that I have, and that it took many years before this promise was realized in my life. You can trust me and the millions of others that all promise that this knowledge has blessed our lives. Or you can take this recipe up and find out for yourself.


Now, if you've been following along, you have successfully gathered some studying and spent some time praying. You've created your thermite mixture; now you just need to light it and you'll have an amazing reaction.

Thermite: Rust

To begin this comparison, we'll start with rust. It is by far the most common ingredient. Anybody can find rust, and many times it is an unwanted thing. However, rust itself won't work. It needs to be fine enough, and if it is really just dirt or impure it won't work.

As to the Gospel, this is study. Just as with rust, anybody can find time for study, many people dislike it, and studying things that aren't true will make the final reaction a dud.

In order to prepare yourself for your personal "thermite reaction", you must read the scriptures and other sources of truth. But how can you know if what you are studying is true? The answer is in the final reaction. If it works, it must have been good. This is the same principle found in Matthew 7:15-18. If what you study brings forth good fruit (a successful and awesome reaction), then it must be good.

I want you to study the Book of Mormon. The reaction that I want to prepare you for includes knowledge concerning the Book of Mormon, whether it is true or not. The first step is studying it, which is more than just reading it. According to Moroni 10:3, you need to ponder it as well, which means to meditate and think deeply on what it says. When the Book of Mormon talks about God "[consecrating] thine afflictions for thy gain," (2 Nephi 2:1-2) consider how your life may have been shaped for the better by things that you've suffered through. This applies to all aspects of the Book of Mormon, and the more of this you do the more prepared you will be.

On the other hand, I do not think that studying material designed to create doubt, fear, or hatred will be beneficial. There are many people who desire to study something from all angles before they do anything, but they find things that are created for the intent of ruining your faith before it starts. These would be as helpful as gathering dirt for your thermite, for it creates an atmosphere opposite to what is needed for the later ingredients. You can study all you want, but don't look for the things that will ruin the reaction. If you do find something worrisome, make sure that it is truth and not slander, fact and not supposition. Ask your missionaries and listen to what they have to say.

If you get the right kind of rust, you'll know by the power of the reaction in the end. However, rust doesn't make the thermite burn. It only supplies the oxygen in a quick and ready source for the reaction. The reaction really takes place in the aluminum.

Thermite: Introduction

Every time I see another missionary's blog and there is an analogy or some other comparison, I think of something I once heard. While comparing Mormons and our culture to other "normal" people, the situation was brought up of accidentally killing the family cat. Normal response: "That's so sad!" Our response: "There's a lesson in this!"

It just goes to emphasize how amazing the Gospel can be. Almost anything in the world can be related to some principle or aspect of it. To begin what will likely be quite a few of these comparisons, I've chosen something rather fascinating to the "guy" in me. Thermite.

Usually composed of two simple ingredients, when properly mixed and lighted it can reach absolutely amazing temperatures. As you can see in this and many other videos out there, not much can withstand the power of lighted thermite. It burns at temperatures up to 2500°C, can't be smothered (by lack of oxygen. Only by lack of heat), and is just awesome!

A thermite reaction is made up of three things (for my comparison): rust, aluminum, and ignition. Two of those ingredients are common and can be acquired without too much worry. The ignition is a bit trickier, but if you know where to go it becomes a little easier. I'll go through one by one, each item in a separate post to get this comparison straight.