This morning I started reading ahead to next Sunday's Old Testament lesson. In Deuteronomy (chapters 6, 8, 11 and 32) Moses tells the Israelites that they need to remember the Lord and all His blessings. The Lord delivered them out of Egypt (40 years earlier) and provided them with manna every day during those years...that was 12,514 times (not including the Sabbath) and fed them those 14,600 days (including the Sabbath)!
By the time of these chapters, all the older members of the tribes of Israel have died (except Joshua and Caleb) and all of their iniquities and longing to return to Egypt have been removed from their hearts as a people.
Now, when Moses tells them to remember the Lord their God, he impresses upon them how serious it is for their own safety and well-being as well as their posterity. For them personally, Moses tells them that if they leave the ways of the Lord they will be destroyed. He also tells them that if they let their sons and daughters marry with the other nations around them (seven of them, all larger than Israel) that their righteous ways will be turned from the Lord to worldly ways. Not good.
Moses really, really wants the Israelites to remember the Lord so he has them put scriptures (rolled up and put in little chests) on their foreheads, on their left hands and on their door posts. Man, talk about a continual reminder!
What a great reminder to keep the things of the Lord continually before our eyes. The lesson has a great set of related questions:
Why do you think Moses told the people to place passages of scripture between their eyes, on their hands, on the posts of their houses, and on their gates? How would such constant reminders affect our actions? What can we do in our homes to remind us of the Lord, his words, and our covenants with him? Do the pictures on our walls, the books we read, and the movies and television shows we watch remind us of the Lord, or do they suggest a longing for the world? (Lesson 17)
There is another part of the lesson that I really like. Moses taught the Israelites that if they ever got in a battle with any of the (larger) nations around them that the Israelites would prevail and not to worry about being a smaller force because the Lord was with them. In victory, they were to burn everything they came across, which included all the buildings, idols and everything else they encountered. If they took any spoils of war and kept them, they would be destroyed. Don't do it, House of Israel (that includes us in the latter days)!
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Sunday, January 5, 2014
The Moral Force of Women
Sometimes I watch General Conference talks for my scripture study. And when I do, sometimes I read the talk along with the speaker.
Today I watched and read along with Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk The Moral Force of Women from October 2013 General Conference. In it, he praises women for their contributions in many aspects of our society, including the workplace. He teaches truths such as how women have divine gifts such as "faith, courage, empathy and refinement in relationships in cultures."
He gave examples of women who provide excellent service and are great examples of what women can do for society and especially for their families and others they are close to. One of the women he spoke of is his grandma, Adena Warnick Swenson. She taught him about priesthood service and encouraged him to memorize the sacramental prayers. He mentioned that she never learned how to drive, knew how to help boys become priesthood men.
One of his emphases was on the dual standard of morality where men were exempt from being moral citizens while women were taught to be chaste and virtuous. Instead of overcoming this low standard by having men live up to the ideal of morality, women have adopted the double standard themselves. The result has been a growing number of fatherless families and growing poverty.
Here's one of my favorite parts.
Elder Christofferson tells that there are some who belittle "the mommy track" as a career, but we should praise and appreciate any worthy endeavor or career because we all benefit from the good that comes from these lofty achievements.
And I really like this part.
Today I watched and read along with Elder D. Todd Christofferson's talk The Moral Force of Women from October 2013 General Conference. In it, he praises women for their contributions in many aspects of our society, including the workplace. He teaches truths such as how women have divine gifts such as "faith, courage, empathy and refinement in relationships in cultures."
He gave examples of women who provide excellent service and are great examples of what women can do for society and especially for their families and others they are close to. One of the women he spoke of is his grandma, Adena Warnick Swenson. She taught him about priesthood service and encouraged him to memorize the sacramental prayers. He mentioned that she never learned how to drive, knew how to help boys become priesthood men.
One of his emphases was on the dual standard of morality where men were exempt from being moral citizens while women were taught to be chaste and virtuous. Instead of overcoming this low standard by having men live up to the ideal of morality, women have adopted the double standard themselves. The result has been a growing number of fatherless families and growing poverty.
Here's one of my favorite parts.
Elder Neal A. Maxwell once asked: “When the real history of mankind is fully disclosed, will it feature the echoes of gunfire or the shaping sound of lullabies? The great armistices made by military men or the peacemaking of women in homes and in neighborhoods? Will what happened in cradles and kitchens prove to be more controlling than what happened in congresses?"
Elder Christofferson tells that there are some who belittle "the mommy track" as a career, but we should praise and appreciate any worthy endeavor or career because we all benefit from the good that comes from these lofty achievements.
And I really like this part.
Former Young Women general president Margaret D. Nadauld taught: “The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind. There are enough women who are rude; we need women who are refined. We have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith. We have enough greed; we need more goodness. We have enough vanity; we need more virtue. We have enough popularity; we need more purity.” In blurring feminine and masculine differences, we lose the distinct, complementary gifts of women and men that together produce a greater whole.
In a world that seeks to give every person every opportunity to pursue every whim and desire, may we stand for what is right and be a beacon that leads others to their Savior, and ours. Let us encourage each other in every endeavor that builds and lifts one another and our society as a whole.Sunday, December 22, 2013
Feeling the Spirit of Christ-mas
At this Christmas season, it is extra awesome to me to speak of Christ and rejoice in Christ and hear others doing the same so often. I love the sincere "Merry Christmas"es that have been given to me this week and especially today in church by friends I've made here over the past couple months.
This month in our family, we have had each lesson of Family Night centered around the symbols and events of the Savior's birth. I'm not sure I remember which topics we spoke of each week, but our lessons have been on Luke 2, angels visiting the earth (and we always remember that angels' first words to those they visit are, "fear not"), the shepherds, the wise men, the star, ornaments, green, white, lights, etc. All the good stuff. Today I remembered at lunch that we didn't talk about the color red so I brought it up and one of my kids said it reminds us of Jesus' blood. Excellent answer. It's what I thought of too, but I don't remember really talking about that symbol each Christmas season.
Today our lesson in elders quorum was on receiving patriarchal blessings and living by them as our personal scriptures. The room was filled with a thick sense of the Spirit. I love my patriarchal blessing and I read it often. Sometimes every few months, sometimes more often. Our teacher today told us that he hasn't received his blessing yet and he is going to get it now. He's thought about it for a long time and with this lesson he decided it was time. He also said that (one of) the presenter(s) in our Christmas program in sacrament meeting today is our stake patriarch. "One more thing about me getting my patriarchal blessing," he said. The brethren who participated were excited and felt blessed to have received their patriarchal blessings. One quorum member said his dad got called as a patriarch about ten years ago. I shared my experience of fasting with my patriarch before receiving my blessing. The Spirit was so strong. Feeling the Spirit is the best feeling ever and it tells me I'm doing the right things in life. Here's the General Conference talk our lesson focused on: President Monson, Oct 1986 General Conference.
This Christmas season has passed by very quickly with our moving into a new home and the associated busy-ness. We are buying a few presents for each other (Angie and I) and we are getting a few things for our boys. It's a very non-commercial kind of Christmas, something we have strived for in years past and are getting better at it. My feeling that is we save for the things that we want and Christmas is a time to try to find something that we want someone else to buy. I'm feeling more than a little wasteful about it. But this is our best year so far. I feel really good about that.
PS - it's snowing outside. It's the kind of slow, gentle snow that makes me feel like it's Christmastime. Much better than the driven, sideways snow that takes my mind off Christmas and turns it to survival mode.
This month in our family, we have had each lesson of Family Night centered around the symbols and events of the Savior's birth. I'm not sure I remember which topics we spoke of each week, but our lessons have been on Luke 2, angels visiting the earth (and we always remember that angels' first words to those they visit are, "fear not"), the shepherds, the wise men, the star, ornaments, green, white, lights, etc. All the good stuff. Today I remembered at lunch that we didn't talk about the color red so I brought it up and one of my kids said it reminds us of Jesus' blood. Excellent answer. It's what I thought of too, but I don't remember really talking about that symbol each Christmas season.
Today our lesson in elders quorum was on receiving patriarchal blessings and living by them as our personal scriptures. The room was filled with a thick sense of the Spirit. I love my patriarchal blessing and I read it often. Sometimes every few months, sometimes more often. Our teacher today told us that he hasn't received his blessing yet and he is going to get it now. He's thought about it for a long time and with this lesson he decided it was time. He also said that (one of) the presenter(s) in our Christmas program in sacrament meeting today is our stake patriarch. "One more thing about me getting my patriarchal blessing," he said. The brethren who participated were excited and felt blessed to have received their patriarchal blessings. One quorum member said his dad got called as a patriarch about ten years ago. I shared my experience of fasting with my patriarch before receiving my blessing. The Spirit was so strong. Feeling the Spirit is the best feeling ever and it tells me I'm doing the right things in life. Here's the General Conference talk our lesson focused on: President Monson, Oct 1986 General Conference.
This Christmas season has passed by very quickly with our moving into a new home and the associated busy-ness. We are buying a few presents for each other (Angie and I) and we are getting a few things for our boys. It's a very non-commercial kind of Christmas, something we have strived for in years past and are getting better at it. My feeling that is we save for the things that we want and Christmas is a time to try to find something that we want someone else to buy. I'm feeling more than a little wasteful about it. But this is our best year so far. I feel really good about that.
PS - it's snowing outside. It's the kind of slow, gentle snow that makes me feel like it's Christmastime. Much better than the driven, sideways snow that takes my mind off Christmas and turns it to survival mode.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Life is better living the truths in the scriptures
Yikes, my last two posts were in September and January. I have not been consistent in writing since last year. This has been partly by choice and partly because of a lot of busy things going on this last year. Let's see where this post takes us (or me).
Ya, that's right. About a year ago I thought I was going to graduate, get a job and move. It turns out that I didn't graduate, got turned down for job interviews because of it and had no reason to move. There were a whole bunch of our friend who moved out of the ward at that time and we wanted to be a part of it. There was a mass exodus of friends that moved into this ward (branch at the time) and we wanted to ride the momentum and head out of here on a wave of excitement.
Heavenly Father has other plans for us. I actually think he has different plans for Angie, but I'll tell you the plans that I think He has for me.
I have learned to slow down a lot. Not all the way. But I am able to consciously slow down about all the things I think about and pack into my schedule. It turns out that the reason I'm so busy is because...drum roll, please...I fill up my schedule with stuff!
Man, how silly is that. I was so close to the problem I couldn't even see it. My stress levels have risen over the past several years and got to the point months ago that I thought I was going to pop. I'll just say that I was very tense, almost like I was in a fight or flight situation with every little thing in my life, every thing I thought about. There was no danger, just the perception that I had to accomplish a lot in a short time. The more I worked through, the more I pressed on to do more. Did I slow down to appreciate the accomplishments?
Nope. Big mistake.
Aren't I supposed to enjoy the journey and enjoy the accomplishments? Yes, yes, yes! But I didn't. I couldn't in that state of mind. I pushed to get done, thinking I'd feel better when my load was lighter.
One of the many scriptures that has brought me to this realization is 2 Ne 2:25, which says
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
27 ...it is not requisite that a man should run faster than he has strength.
Ya, that's right. About a year ago I thought I was going to graduate, get a job and move. It turns out that I didn't graduate, got turned down for job interviews because of it and had no reason to move. There were a whole bunch of our friend who moved out of the ward at that time and we wanted to be a part of it. There was a mass exodus of friends that moved into this ward (branch at the time) and we wanted to ride the momentum and head out of here on a wave of excitement.
Heavenly Father has other plans for us. I actually think he has different plans for Angie, but I'll tell you the plans that I think He has for me.
I have learned to slow down a lot. Not all the way. But I am able to consciously slow down about all the things I think about and pack into my schedule. It turns out that the reason I'm so busy is because...drum roll, please...I fill up my schedule with stuff!
Man, how silly is that. I was so close to the problem I couldn't even see it. My stress levels have risen over the past several years and got to the point months ago that I thought I was going to pop. I'll just say that I was very tense, almost like I was in a fight or flight situation with every little thing in my life, every thing I thought about. There was no danger, just the perception that I had to accomplish a lot in a short time. The more I worked through, the more I pressed on to do more. Did I slow down to appreciate the accomplishments?
Nope. Big mistake.
Aren't I supposed to enjoy the journey and enjoy the accomplishments? Yes, yes, yes! But I didn't. I couldn't in that state of mind. I pushed to get done, thinking I'd feel better when my load was lighter.
One of the many scriptures that has brought me to this realization is 2 Ne 2:25, which says
25 Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy.
And, of course, my friend King Benjamin's wisdom in Mosiah 4:27, which teaches me that
The Lord is blessing me through the truths in the scriptures and the whisperings of the Spirit. I have been practicing turning off my Go, Go, Go habit and playing more with my kids or actually sitting around and doing nothing.
This week I read a nice article about productivity on LinkedIn by Ilya Pozin. It's really about unproductivity. Thing #1 hits the nail on the head - put less on the To Do list and get more things done. It's not about the amount of things you check off your "list", but what is actually accomplished. And I'm not even talking about work here. I'm talking about life in general. Life needs to be worth living and that means enjoying the journey as we were meant To Do by our Creator.
I'm becoming better off by living the truths in these scriptures.
Yes!
Sunday, September 30, 2012
Conference is in the air
The first weekend in October is coming! What an awesome time of year this is. I think I subconsciously associate General Conference with the chilly morning air of September. It's an awesome time of year for a few reasons like no more summer heat, trees change colors (well, lots of trees in this area just go to sleep, but stay green), and the dark mornings will soon brighten with the end of Daylight Savings. All cool stuff.
Of course, I've been waiting for 6 months for General Conference. Ever since the last amen by President Monson in the Sunday afternoon session in April I have looked forward to October. And for 6 months I have read conference talks and have lessons on them in sacrament meeting talks and in elders quorum meetings. I also listen to talks in my car on my way to school. There were tons of awesome talks last conference and I'm re-reading some of them now and loving them. You know what's funny? I notice a big difference in how I feel when I read talks for my morning scripture study compared to when I hear them in the car. The Spirit is stronger when I read. It's probably because it's quieter and because I'm not distracted by details of driving.
This last week or so, I read and heard some really cool talks. When I really concentrate on them, I feel the Lord reaching down from heaven and filling my mind with directions for all aspects of my life. He helps me in my research, especially when I'm stuck on something. He helps me be a loving and kind husband. He helps me see how to teach my kids the gospel so they will be happy, both in our home now and for the rest of their lives.
The most important part of listening to conference talks, of course, is to feel and recognize the Spirit and learn how to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a tasty side to General Conference for our family. You may remember that we make peanut butter popcorn! T&L, if you're watching, thanks again for that recipe. :)
We have started talking with our boys about conference weekend. This helps us to look forward to it and also to settle down and prepare our minds for the weekend. It's like a marathon mixed with a fire hose. It really takes a few months to digest all the talks properly. And I'm thinking now about ways I can adjust my scripture study to make it for efficacious. This time I want to read through all the talks and mark them up. When I've done this in the past, I get more out of them when I hear them in the car. It doesn't go the other way for me.
Last night Angie brought up taking notes as she was heading to the Relief Society session of General Conference. It is something I used to do a lot more than I do now. I was on the extreme end in my younger years, to the point that only be able to summarize the talk and the stories therein and miss the real meaning or the principles that the Lord would have me learn right then. Now I'm on the other extreme and I hardly take any notes. Today at church, my friend JO said (and if it wasn't him, it was someone else in our joined meeting) that he takes notes just so he can pay attention. The debate for Angie and me is whether or not it actually helps because we don't go back and read the notes! I know that taking a few notes will keep my mind on the talks so that's a good reason for doing it. The times I take notes on what impressions come to me are the times I take away a really important theme for me to work on. It's really important to me and I love working on things and improving myself.
Maybe taking notes like that works for you too. If you'd like to share your thoughts on how you take notes, please do. As for me, I'll have out my little notebook and watch and listen for the Lord's direction in my life.
And eat some peanut butter popcorn.
Of course, I've been waiting for 6 months for General Conference. Ever since the last amen by President Monson in the Sunday afternoon session in April I have looked forward to October. And for 6 months I have read conference talks and have lessons on them in sacrament meeting talks and in elders quorum meetings. I also listen to talks in my car on my way to school. There were tons of awesome talks last conference and I'm re-reading some of them now and loving them. You know what's funny? I notice a big difference in how I feel when I read talks for my morning scripture study compared to when I hear them in the car. The Spirit is stronger when I read. It's probably because it's quieter and because I'm not distracted by details of driving.
This last week or so, I read and heard some really cool talks. When I really concentrate on them, I feel the Lord reaching down from heaven and filling my mind with directions for all aspects of my life. He helps me in my research, especially when I'm stuck on something. He helps me be a loving and kind husband. He helps me see how to teach my kids the gospel so they will be happy, both in our home now and for the rest of their lives.
The most important part of listening to conference talks, of course, is to feel and recognize the Spirit and learn how to become like our Savior, Jesus Christ. There is a tasty side to General Conference for our family. You may remember that we make peanut butter popcorn! T&L, if you're watching, thanks again for that recipe. :)
We have started talking with our boys about conference weekend. This helps us to look forward to it and also to settle down and prepare our minds for the weekend. It's like a marathon mixed with a fire hose. It really takes a few months to digest all the talks properly. And I'm thinking now about ways I can adjust my scripture study to make it for efficacious. This time I want to read through all the talks and mark them up. When I've done this in the past, I get more out of them when I hear them in the car. It doesn't go the other way for me.
Last night Angie brought up taking notes as she was heading to the Relief Society session of General Conference. It is something I used to do a lot more than I do now. I was on the extreme end in my younger years, to the point that only be able to summarize the talk and the stories therein and miss the real meaning or the principles that the Lord would have me learn right then. Now I'm on the other extreme and I hardly take any notes. Today at church, my friend JO said (and if it wasn't him, it was someone else in our joined meeting) that he takes notes just so he can pay attention. The debate for Angie and me is whether or not it actually helps because we don't go back and read the notes! I know that taking a few notes will keep my mind on the talks so that's a good reason for doing it. The times I take notes on what impressions come to me are the times I take away a really important theme for me to work on. It's really important to me and I love working on things and improving myself.
Maybe taking notes like that works for you too. If you'd like to share your thoughts on how you take notes, please do. As for me, I'll have out my little notebook and watch and listen for the Lord's direction in my life.
And eat some peanut butter popcorn.
Sunday, September 16, 2012
Stop it!
I've had an amazing and shocking experience since Brigham was born. My struggle with sanity and parenting for the past several years has become the norm (unfortunately) and the birth of my third son has been a big wake up call in how I deal with "problems" that I face on a daily basis.
For you parents out there who have more than one child and, for better contrast, with several years in between any two kids, this should make a lot of sense. Our lives turned to bliss when Brigham was born. Even the energetic older kids pushed the pause button on the ludicrous speed. I would look at Briggie and think, "Wow, I love you so much. Why do I love you so much? I don't know, but I do know you haven't done anything to make me mad."
A few days or weeks after the novelty of our newest birth wore off, we got back to normal. And I mean the normal that I've been trying to turn into happy times with less success than I hoped for. The short of it is this. The all-too-common complaining and bickering spurts would raise my temperature and then I'd look at the new baby who has never yelled at me and my feelings would abruptly change. Yes, that was a good feeling. I'm not complaining about that for even a (milli)second. The shock was that I have the difficult times and deal with those circumstances with such negative emotion.
It's really sad to me to think that I don't handle life and challenges better than that. I used to handle challenges like the water running off the untouchable duck's back. Now I long for those days and am trying to get that back. Piece by piece. Little by little is better than nothing. And it's been a hard road so far. There has been progress lately and I guess that's why I'm writing this blog post.
This last General Conference had some talks that talked about the problems that come when we hold onto anger, hurt and other prideful feelings. I've heard these different talks just this last week or two so they stuck out. Elder Scott talked about how anger, hurt and defensiveness gets in the way of receiving revelation. President Uchtdorf, in his now-famous "Stop it" talk taught me the following. I'll quote the paragraphs that mean the most to me. I'd like to paste his whole talk in here. It's that good.
Jesus taught: “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not … [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin”3 and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”4
For you parents out there who have more than one child and, for better contrast, with several years in between any two kids, this should make a lot of sense. Our lives turned to bliss when Brigham was born. Even the energetic older kids pushed the pause button on the ludicrous speed. I would look at Briggie and think, "Wow, I love you so much. Why do I love you so much? I don't know, but I do know you haven't done anything to make me mad."
A few days or weeks after the novelty of our newest birth wore off, we got back to normal. And I mean the normal that I've been trying to turn into happy times with less success than I hoped for. The short of it is this. The all-too-common complaining and bickering spurts would raise my temperature and then I'd look at the new baby who has never yelled at me and my feelings would abruptly change. Yes, that was a good feeling. I'm not complaining about that for even a (milli)second. The shock was that I have the difficult times and deal with those circumstances with such negative emotion.
It's really sad to me to think that I don't handle life and challenges better than that. I used to handle challenges like the water running off the untouchable duck's back. Now I long for those days and am trying to get that back. Piece by piece. Little by little is better than nothing. And it's been a hard road so far. There has been progress lately and I guess that's why I'm writing this blog post.
This last General Conference had some talks that talked about the problems that come when we hold onto anger, hurt and other prideful feelings. I've heard these different talks just this last week or two so they stuck out. Elder Scott talked about how anger, hurt and defensiveness gets in the way of receiving revelation. President Uchtdorf, in his now-famous "Stop it" talk taught me the following. I'll quote the paragraphs that mean the most to me. I'd like to paste his whole talk in here. It's that good.
Jesus taught: “Forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not … [stands] condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin”3 and “Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.”4
Of course, these words seem perfectly reasonable—when applied to someone else. We can so clearly and easily see the harmful results that come when others judge and hold grudges. And we certainly don’t like it when people judge us.
But when it comes to our own prejudices and grievances, we too often justify our anger as righteous and our judgment as reliable and only appropriate. Though we cannot look into another’s heart, we assume that we know a bad motive or even a bad person when we see one. We make exceptions when it comes to our own bitterness because we feel that, in our case, we have all the information we need to hold someone else in contempt.
Man. This describes me all too well. I have to admit to myself that when my kids are being kids (not making bad choices, I mean just being their learning selves) that my bad reaction does not have to enter the equation. The situation would be better off if I could just chill. I'd also be better off for the time I'd gain back where I, instead, have to cool off.
He said, “… of you it is required to forgive all men.”7
May I add a footnote here? When the Lord requires that we forgive all men, that includes forgiving ourselves. Sometimes, of all the people in the world, the one who is the hardest to forgive—as well as perhaps the one who is most in need of our forgiveness—is the person looking back at us in the mirror.
This topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two-word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following:
Stop it!
So I have some major renovation to do and I've already begun. It's hard. I believe that Jesus the Christ has paid for my sins and felt all the pain that I will ever suffer. He is willing to take that upon Himself because he loves me and He loves you. "Come unto me" comes with a beautiful reward of peace and happiness. Guess what I just realized? It also comes at a price. What price? "I will show unto [you your] weakness" (Ether 12:27). And while I am struggling now, I know from experience that the peace that will come into my life and permeate my heart in the end (and yes, at certain points along the way) will be much higher peaks than the valleys of difficulty.
I take great comfort in at least one point of Christ's doctrine. It is that children under the age of accountability are without sin and are perfect in Him. Skyler isn't even 8 yet so he is, in at least that sense, perfect. As I've watched him make choices I can see that he has the purest intent in everything he does. He is just hard to control.
Control? Yes, apparently that's what I'm after. And it is I who needs to let go.
I am applying the two-word sermon of "Stop it" and I already feel the Lord's tender mercies in my life. Outcomes are not what I would choose them to be. I'm frustrated on a daily basis, but avoiding the buildup of stress and anger is reward enough for the hard work. I hope this weakness will become a strength unto me.
Tuesday, August 28, 2012
Wherever you are
This morning I was reading in Helaman 7:7-9 as part of this week's Sunday school lesson. This is the chapter when Nephi was praying on his tower and the wicked Nephites (Gadianton's robbers) gathered around to hear him pray. Kind of a funny scene in my mind, but it set some awesome events in motion over the next few chapters and lots of people get converted.
Anyway, these verses have an attitude that will bless any person in whatsoever circumstances they find themselves in life. This might be the place they live, the job they have, hard things to deal with, or anything else that's hard to handle.
Nephi was having a hard time with the wickedness that his people had fallen into. In verse 7, Nephi wishes that he had lived centuries before when the Nephites were "easy to be entreated" and "were quick to hearken to the words of the Lord." What a great time that would have been!
However, Nephi is quick to say next that he knows he has been called to live in his own time. This is the part that caught my attention. It reminds me that the Lord has put me here on earth and given me the life that I have. There are some things that I wish I could change about my circumstances. But this verse teaches me that life isn't meant to be a breeze and that I need to learn from the difficult things. In fact, it is actually those hard things that give me cause to remember the gospel, our Savior, repentance and being the best husband and father I can possibly be. At Judgment Day, it won't really matter that my kids grump before school or stay awake past bedtime. I will be judged for my actions and desires.
I love the gospel and the blessings that come to me and my family for living it. Blessed be the name of the Lord. His plan of salvation is so amazing! :)
Anyway, these verses have an attitude that will bless any person in whatsoever circumstances they find themselves in life. This might be the place they live, the job they have, hard things to deal with, or anything else that's hard to handle.
Nephi was having a hard time with the wickedness that his people had fallen into. In verse 7, Nephi wishes that he had lived centuries before when the Nephites were "easy to be entreated" and "were quick to hearken to the words of the Lord." What a great time that would have been!
However, Nephi is quick to say next that he knows he has been called to live in his own time. This is the part that caught my attention. It reminds me that the Lord has put me here on earth and given me the life that I have. There are some things that I wish I could change about my circumstances. But this verse teaches me that life isn't meant to be a breeze and that I need to learn from the difficult things. In fact, it is actually those hard things that give me cause to remember the gospel, our Savior, repentance and being the best husband and father I can possibly be. At Judgment Day, it won't really matter that my kids grump before school or stay awake past bedtime. I will be judged for my actions and desires.
I love the gospel and the blessings that come to me and my family for living it. Blessed be the name of the Lord. His plan of salvation is so amazing! :)
Sunday, June 10, 2012
Humble pie
Today's Sunday school lesson was awesome. It was Alma 5-7, some of the most awesome chapters for self-reflection and self-analysis in light of gospel living in all scripture. They are powerful. Mega. Giga. Tera. Peta. (I'll stop there with the metric stuff.) It was a big lesson with very inspiring material.
I'll get right to the stuff that hit me the most. And I say this with the realization that I haven't been blogging so much about how stressed out I've been. Yes, I've missed some posts lately (I wrote one out of four weeks this past month). That was part of me realizing how much I am trying to do at once and figuring out what I need to let go of. There are so many cool things I want to do and work on. It's easy to come up with new ideas to work on, especially games to design. But I have to say no to new things plus I need to let go of some old and current things.
I'm still not around to Alma's point in today's lesson. Hold on a second. It's really good.
One friend of mine has taught me that I, on an energetic level, need more space. He describes the stress I hold in my neck as feeling pressured and I know I need to make more room for what really matters. At first that meant I could shuffle around how much time I spent on scripture study and give myself more to family time, but that didn't do it. I started saying no to things on my plate, like game development. It's too much right now with my work load and thinking about jobs.
I started telling myself that I'll not work on some things until after I move and settle in. It has helped. It really has. I'm past the stage of relying on the arm of flesh. There's no way I can keep up the load I put on myself so I thought I had given up my desires and was putting the Lord's will before my own. Until today's lesson.
The root of what's getting me is a twist on some of my favorite scriptures. I counsel with the Lord in all I do. Or I think I do. Maybe I've been asking to not be stressed without giving up the lifestyle that brings it on. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart? Lean not unto thine own understanding? Check, check. Really?
No. I'm fooling myself. I can see through Alma's teachings today that envy and a lack of humility have clouded my judgment (there are many more lessons that can be learned from these chapters). It kinda makes me sorrowful that I have let this happen to me. Where did I go wrong? Little by little it happened. Time for change. Again.
Long story short: I gave up radio and TV in high school because I heard in seminary it would make life better. Cut out the junk and fill the holes with uplifting things. Result? Amazing things happened in every aspect of my life. I was the happiest person I knew.
Not today.
I'm working at getting it back though. Counseling with the Lord must be accompanied by the quiet time to reflect and ponder on what He is trying to tell me. A "Go, go, go" attitude crowds out the Spirit. Perhaps I have turned that into "Go, go, slow down slightly," but really need to be "Go, slow, chill!"
Any unexpected thing to do or think about really puts me over the edge. How can I be operating at safe levels when a child's mess or crying puts me into panic mode? Answer: I actually thought I was doing ok. How? I don't watch TV or listen to the radio, but "Go, go, go" has been just as (or more) detrimental. Still, I've been deceived.
This sorta seems like I'm being really critical of myself. That's not how I mean it to come across. But I want to be honest and acknowledge my position before God. It's humbling, but that's the point. My will plus my arm of flesh will fizzle out. God's power and guidance will take me places I would never be able to see or experience. I know that's true. If bearing my soul helps out someone else then it's all worth it.
Thank you, John, for teaching the lesson today. Thank you, Alma, wherever you are. Maybe you are reading this via some Angel app. Thank you to all the ancient American prophets who wrote their testimonies and speak to me as if from the dust. Thank you good friends who have listened patiently as I spout off my problems. Your advice, wisdom and counsel has been worth more than gold. I hope you get an extra snack time in heaven when ambrosia is served in the afternoon.
My eyes have been opened. My heart has felt a change. It is now up to me to cut out a quarter of what I try to do. It's really slowing me down in the long run. I want to have the constant companionship of the Spirit. I believe that can happen if I slow down. "Go, slow, chill!" And keep praying. Prayer is a friend that I can't give up.
Thanks for following me in this journey. If you've felt similar to how I feel and want to tell me or other readers about it, please feel free. :)
I'll get right to the stuff that hit me the most. And I say this with the realization that I haven't been blogging so much about how stressed out I've been. Yes, I've missed some posts lately (I wrote one out of four weeks this past month). That was part of me realizing how much I am trying to do at once and figuring out what I need to let go of. There are so many cool things I want to do and work on. It's easy to come up with new ideas to work on, especially games to design. But I have to say no to new things plus I need to let go of some old and current things.
I'm still not around to Alma's point in today's lesson. Hold on a second. It's really good.
One friend of mine has taught me that I, on an energetic level, need more space. He describes the stress I hold in my neck as feeling pressured and I know I need to make more room for what really matters. At first that meant I could shuffle around how much time I spent on scripture study and give myself more to family time, but that didn't do it. I started saying no to things on my plate, like game development. It's too much right now with my work load and thinking about jobs.
I started telling myself that I'll not work on some things until after I move and settle in. It has helped. It really has. I'm past the stage of relying on the arm of flesh. There's no way I can keep up the load I put on myself so I thought I had given up my desires and was putting the Lord's will before my own. Until today's lesson.
The root of what's getting me is a twist on some of my favorite scriptures. I counsel with the Lord in all I do. Or I think I do. Maybe I've been asking to not be stressed without giving up the lifestyle that brings it on. Trust in the Lord with all thine heart? Lean not unto thine own understanding? Check, check. Really?
No. I'm fooling myself. I can see through Alma's teachings today that envy and a lack of humility have clouded my judgment (there are many more lessons that can be learned from these chapters). It kinda makes me sorrowful that I have let this happen to me. Where did I go wrong? Little by little it happened. Time for change. Again.
Long story short: I gave up radio and TV in high school because I heard in seminary it would make life better. Cut out the junk and fill the holes with uplifting things. Result? Amazing things happened in every aspect of my life. I was the happiest person I knew.
Not today.
I'm working at getting it back though. Counseling with the Lord must be accompanied by the quiet time to reflect and ponder on what He is trying to tell me. A "Go, go, go" attitude crowds out the Spirit. Perhaps I have turned that into "Go, go, slow down slightly," but really need to be "Go, slow, chill!"
Any unexpected thing to do or think about really puts me over the edge. How can I be operating at safe levels when a child's mess or crying puts me into panic mode? Answer: I actually thought I was doing ok. How? I don't watch TV or listen to the radio, but "Go, go, go" has been just as (or more) detrimental. Still, I've been deceived.
This sorta seems like I'm being really critical of myself. That's not how I mean it to come across. But I want to be honest and acknowledge my position before God. It's humbling, but that's the point. My will plus my arm of flesh will fizzle out. God's power and guidance will take me places I would never be able to see or experience. I know that's true. If bearing my soul helps out someone else then it's all worth it.
Thank you, John, for teaching the lesson today. Thank you, Alma, wherever you are. Maybe you are reading this via some Angel app. Thank you to all the ancient American prophets who wrote their testimonies and speak to me as if from the dust. Thank you good friends who have listened patiently as I spout off my problems. Your advice, wisdom and counsel has been worth more than gold. I hope you get an extra snack time in heaven when ambrosia is served in the afternoon.
My eyes have been opened. My heart has felt a change. It is now up to me to cut out a quarter of what I try to do. It's really slowing me down in the long run. I want to have the constant companionship of the Spirit. I believe that can happen if I slow down. "Go, slow, chill!" And keep praying. Prayer is a friend that I can't give up.
Thanks for following me in this journey. If you've felt similar to how I feel and want to tell me or other readers about it, please feel free. :)
Sunday, April 22, 2012
500 Dates
Angie and I have been on about 500 dates. Sounds crazy, right? It does to me, but it's true. We aren't keeping track, exactly, but we make it a point to go on a date each week and have done so ever since we were first married. I think we've missed some weeks and I remember going twice some weeks (when we went out for lunch spontaneously and didn't need a babysitter).
We've been married for 10 years now (in March). Multiply that by 52 weeks/year puts us over 500 dates just since we got married. We saw each other almost daily while we dated, but I don't know if those count as dates. If they do, add over 100 more (that's rounding down). We dated for over 4 months, including our engagement, before getting married.
Our first date was on Nov 3, 2001. We went bowling with some of Angie's friends. I knew Kristi from the singles ward we attended. All the other people were their friends. The guys were Dave and Davey, which is easy enough to remember. My other memories of that night were mostly about Angie and how I really, really loved being with her. I still love being with her. There was some leaning going on at the bowling alley. She sat on a table between turns and I only had the guts to lean my arm up against her leg as I sat on the seat next to her. She wanted to reciprocate some contact (she told me later), but we were both pretty shy about it.
After bowling, we went to her house and watched Shrek. Angie's dad was there with us. He must have been coming and going and I'll tell you why I think that. During the movie, Angie and I started leaning. Ya, leaning. It was pretty awesome. I really wanted to hold her hand and was getting up the, well, I can't call it "courage," to do so. It's more like I was building up a whole bunch of "anti-regret" and I didn't want to look back on the night wishing I'd have held her hand.
Let me tell you, this was very forward for me!
We leaned more and more until our hands were touching back-to-back. I faked a pretend hold in the hopes that she'd think I was going for her hand and then she'd hold mine. She didn't bite. Then it was just a flop attempt and I decided to just grab her hand. So forward for a first date! But I really, really liked her and there was crackling energy in the air. It was magical (for both of us). It was the awesome-est feeling.
I still get that feeling around her. Ya, she's that awesome.
So anyway, we were holding hands and this must have been when her dad left to make poopcorn (ew, that would be gross). How about popcorn? Let's just say he made popcorn. Because when he came back I could see his surprised reaction in my peripheral vision.
After Shrek, we watched Iron Chef. It was one of their family's favorites, but was new to me. What a fun show! We have lots of inside jokes from watching that show over a year or two before it was taken off the air. Anyway, let me jump to the end of the date.
Angie asked me out on this date so she came to pick me up. When she dropped me off, I didn't want to shake hands in the car or hug across the arm rest. I didn't want it to look like I was going for a kiss or anything! That's way beyond what I could have gone for. So I asked her if I could give her a big hug. I went around to her side of the car and gave her a hug. The hug she gave me back was 10 times more magical than holding hands during Shrek. It was bliss. Pure love. And I still feel that way when we have some peace and quiet and give each other a sweet hug.
In everyday life we still have a lot of good feelings for each other. We work hard at our marriage and parenting. We have good days most of the time. There used to be more hard days than we have now. We've come a long way and still have a long way to go. This weekend's stake conference was uplifting and I love how the Spirit teaches us what we need to do to be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is only through Him and our Father's plan of salvation that we can find true happiness in life.
And it's so good going through life with my wife and best-est friend, Angie. I love you, Babe!
We've been married for 10 years now (in March). Multiply that by 52 weeks/year puts us over 500 dates just since we got married. We saw each other almost daily while we dated, but I don't know if those count as dates. If they do, add over 100 more (that's rounding down). We dated for over 4 months, including our engagement, before getting married.
Our first date was on Nov 3, 2001. We went bowling with some of Angie's friends. I knew Kristi from the singles ward we attended. All the other people were their friends. The guys were Dave and Davey, which is easy enough to remember. My other memories of that night were mostly about Angie and how I really, really loved being with her. I still love being with her. There was some leaning going on at the bowling alley. She sat on a table between turns and I only had the guts to lean my arm up against her leg as I sat on the seat next to her. She wanted to reciprocate some contact (she told me later), but we were both pretty shy about it.
After bowling, we went to her house and watched Shrek. Angie's dad was there with us. He must have been coming and going and I'll tell you why I think that. During the movie, Angie and I started leaning. Ya, leaning. It was pretty awesome. I really wanted to hold her hand and was getting up the, well, I can't call it "courage," to do so. It's more like I was building up a whole bunch of "anti-regret" and I didn't want to look back on the night wishing I'd have held her hand.
Let me tell you, this was very forward for me!
We leaned more and more until our hands were touching back-to-back. I faked a pretend hold in the hopes that she'd think I was going for her hand and then she'd hold mine. She didn't bite. Then it was just a flop attempt and I decided to just grab her hand. So forward for a first date! But I really, really liked her and there was crackling energy in the air. It was magical (for both of us). It was the awesome-est feeling.
I still get that feeling around her. Ya, she's that awesome.
So anyway, we were holding hands and this must have been when her dad left to make poopcorn (ew, that would be gross). How about popcorn? Let's just say he made popcorn. Because when he came back I could see his surprised reaction in my peripheral vision.
After Shrek, we watched Iron Chef. It was one of their family's favorites, but was new to me. What a fun show! We have lots of inside jokes from watching that show over a year or two before it was taken off the air. Anyway, let me jump to the end of the date.
Angie asked me out on this date so she came to pick me up. When she dropped me off, I didn't want to shake hands in the car or hug across the arm rest. I didn't want it to look like I was going for a kiss or anything! That's way beyond what I could have gone for. So I asked her if I could give her a big hug. I went around to her side of the car and gave her a hug. The hug she gave me back was 10 times more magical than holding hands during Shrek. It was bliss. Pure love. And I still feel that way when we have some peace and quiet and give each other a sweet hug.
In everyday life we still have a lot of good feelings for each other. We work hard at our marriage and parenting. We have good days most of the time. There used to be more hard days than we have now. We've come a long way and still have a long way to go. This weekend's stake conference was uplifting and I love how the Spirit teaches us what we need to do to be more like our Savior, Jesus Christ. It is only through Him and our Father's plan of salvation that we can find true happiness in life.
And it's so good going through life with my wife and best-est friend, Angie. I love you, Babe!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Mosiah 4:9 is one of my favorite scriptures. I don't think about it very often, but when it's quoted, I instantly remember the reference. The message is powerful and I just came across it in my Book of Mormon reading. I love its message. This scripture reads:
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
This scripture is true. I know that God, our Heavenly Father created all things through Jesus Christ. I know that when I pray, I am speaking to my Father in Heaven and that He knows all. It is a gift and a blessing to be able to approach Him in prayer and to ask for divine wisdom. He knows and sees all. It is humbling to feel that I can communicate with my Creator and get direction for my life here on the earth.
And I'm learning the latter part of the scripture about how man cannot comprehend all the things that the Lord does. It seems like I have to keep reminding myself of that as I pursue many interests and take the next step along the path of my career. I'm following what I feel He has in store for me. Some choices are not the choices that I would make. Sometimes my opinion of what to pursue (such as where to live and the cost of living of such places) is not what the Lord has in store for my family. It has caused a lot of groanings in us to understand that He is in charge and knows all. He can see the whole path that we will trod and the blessings and pitfalls we will face if we trust Him or not.
I love the Lord and trust Him. I am grateful for the gift and promptings of the Holy Ghost. My life is rich. Not because I have attained blessings by my own wisdom or strength. Quite the opposite. It is when I give up my own opinions and ideas, and align myself with God's ways, that I am blessed with abundance.
What scripture(s) strengthen you?
9 Believe in God; believe that he is, and that he created all things, both in heaven and in earth; believe that he has all wisdom, and all power, both in heaven and in earth; believe that man doth not comprehend all the things which the Lord can comprehend.
This scripture is true. I know that God, our Heavenly Father created all things through Jesus Christ. I know that when I pray, I am speaking to my Father in Heaven and that He knows all. It is a gift and a blessing to be able to approach Him in prayer and to ask for divine wisdom. He knows and sees all. It is humbling to feel that I can communicate with my Creator and get direction for my life here on the earth.
And I'm learning the latter part of the scripture about how man cannot comprehend all the things that the Lord does. It seems like I have to keep reminding myself of that as I pursue many interests and take the next step along the path of my career. I'm following what I feel He has in store for me. Some choices are not the choices that I would make. Sometimes my opinion of what to pursue (such as where to live and the cost of living of such places) is not what the Lord has in store for my family. It has caused a lot of groanings in us to understand that He is in charge and knows all. He can see the whole path that we will trod and the blessings and pitfalls we will face if we trust Him or not.
I love the Lord and trust Him. I am grateful for the gift and promptings of the Holy Ghost. My life is rich. Not because I have attained blessings by my own wisdom or strength. Quite the opposite. It is when I give up my own opinions and ideas, and align myself with God's ways, that I am blessed with abundance.
What scripture(s) strengthen you?
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
I am grateful for divine protection
Today I am very grateful for the safety of my family. In particular, I am grateful for an answer to prayers that has saved the life of one of my sons.
I often hear families pray for blessings of protection and my family does the same. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that the priesthood authority has the keys to the administering of angels and in my personal prayers I have often prayed for the protection and safety of each person in my family. Something very scary happened on Sunday after church and luckily, or with divine providence, Wes was miraculously saved from being hit by a car.
We've had lots of trouble with keeping track of Wes after Sunday meetings. We spend more time tracking that boy down in the church building! He's like a little leprechaun. You can stare at him for ten minutes without blinking and the second you take your eyes off him, bam!, he's gone. This Sunday we tried something different. It was a nice day and people were hanging out on the sidewalk. Nobody wanted to get in their car and drive home so we decided to stick around. There was a group of kids on the lawn away from parents and they were at least 15 feet from the road. The kids were old enough to know to stay away from the road.
Enter Mr. Wes.
He wanted to go over with those kids and I watched to see what he would do. He plopped right down beside the other children and had a great time (and sat in place) for quite a while. Some kids came and went. I looked over at him often to make sure he was ok.
Here's the scary part. Avert your eyes now if you have a queasy stomach.
The last time I looked over at the group of kids, I saw Wes standing up a few steps away from them. He was staring at the road, probably 20 feet away from it. I honestly thought to myself, "Is this what it's like to be a parent and see their kid for the last time?" There were no cars around. The road by our church doesn't have much traffic on it or I would have been by his side the whole time. Well, he suddenly bolted straight for the road. And two cars appeared out of thin air, heading on a collision course with disaster.
I ran toward him, but there was no way I was going to get there first. The cars were going fast. They didn't show any signs of slowing down. The first car had no reason to slow down because he wasn't going to hit Wes. The second car was so close to the car in front of it that it probably couldn't see Wes. Whatever the case, they sped on their way and Wes ran right into the road, just feet away from being hit. He was laughing hard because he loves to run. I got to him right after he got into the road, sat down and turned to face me. I had already looked to make sure no more cars were coming. Then I reached down to hold his hand, which he took, and then he followed me off the road and I took him to the car.
I was pretty calm at the time. Since then, I've replayed it in my head lots of times and have gotten pretty scared. I think Skyler might have gotten the worst of it. He was there with the other kids and watched Wes running toward the road. He started screaming for me, paralyzed where he stood. And he was on the verge of tears after the fact.
Crazy times. And I know that my Heavenly Father has given us a miracle. For days I thought, "Our life could be very different right now. We could either be at the cemetery or in the hospital with a critically injured boy. Big sigh!
We have been giving our thanks in prayer to our Father in Heaven for his safety and that he is still with us.
We sure do love that silly boy. We love having him in our family. He brightens up our day with his smiles, his laughter and his testimony. I know that the Lord put him in our family and now I know he has been preserved to stay with us. I hope it's for a good, long time.
I often hear families pray for blessings of protection and my family does the same. The Doctrine and Covenants teaches us that the priesthood authority has the keys to the administering of angels and in my personal prayers I have often prayed for the protection and safety of each person in my family. Something very scary happened on Sunday after church and luckily, or with divine providence, Wes was miraculously saved from being hit by a car.
We've had lots of trouble with keeping track of Wes after Sunday meetings. We spend more time tracking that boy down in the church building! He's like a little leprechaun. You can stare at him for ten minutes without blinking and the second you take your eyes off him, bam!, he's gone. This Sunday we tried something different. It was a nice day and people were hanging out on the sidewalk. Nobody wanted to get in their car and drive home so we decided to stick around. There was a group of kids on the lawn away from parents and they were at least 15 feet from the road. The kids were old enough to know to stay away from the road.
Enter Mr. Wes.
He wanted to go over with those kids and I watched to see what he would do. He plopped right down beside the other children and had a great time (and sat in place) for quite a while. Some kids came and went. I looked over at him often to make sure he was ok.
Here's the scary part. Avert your eyes now if you have a queasy stomach.
The last time I looked over at the group of kids, I saw Wes standing up a few steps away from them. He was staring at the road, probably 20 feet away from it. I honestly thought to myself, "Is this what it's like to be a parent and see their kid for the last time?" There were no cars around. The road by our church doesn't have much traffic on it or I would have been by his side the whole time. Well, he suddenly bolted straight for the road. And two cars appeared out of thin air, heading on a collision course with disaster.
I ran toward him, but there was no way I was going to get there first. The cars were going fast. They didn't show any signs of slowing down. The first car had no reason to slow down because he wasn't going to hit Wes. The second car was so close to the car in front of it that it probably couldn't see Wes. Whatever the case, they sped on their way and Wes ran right into the road, just feet away from being hit. He was laughing hard because he loves to run. I got to him right after he got into the road, sat down and turned to face me. I had already looked to make sure no more cars were coming. Then I reached down to hold his hand, which he took, and then he followed me off the road and I took him to the car.
I was pretty calm at the time. Since then, I've replayed it in my head lots of times and have gotten pretty scared. I think Skyler might have gotten the worst of it. He was there with the other kids and watched Wes running toward the road. He started screaming for me, paralyzed where he stood. And he was on the verge of tears after the fact.
Crazy times. And I know that my Heavenly Father has given us a miracle. For days I thought, "Our life could be very different right now. We could either be at the cemetery or in the hospital with a critically injured boy. Big sigh!
We have been giving our thanks in prayer to our Father in Heaven for his safety and that he is still with us.
We sure do love that silly boy. We love having him in our family. He brightens up our day with his smiles, his laughter and his testimony. I know that the Lord put him in our family and now I know he has been preserved to stay with us. I hope it's for a good, long time.
Sunday, March 18, 2012
Sharing the gospel, planting a seed
Each week at church, the brethren of the priesthood (ages 12 and above) meet together for announcements before going to our classes. During this short meeting, each quorum and group reports and announces their own business and events. Part of the time is also given to the full-time missionaries serving in our ward. They remind us of our responsibility to share the gospel and I love the saying, "every member a missionary". I try to make the sharing of the gospel a part of my life by speaking to people around me about my beliefs and answering questions. Sometimes it makes me nervous. Sometimes I fail to follow promptings. I'm sorry for those times.
Angie and I eat at a favorite Mexican restaurant. We love Mexican food.
A lot.
We frequent our favorite Mexican spots wherever we live. Well, there is a manager at this place that we go to that I've wanted to share a Book of Mormon with. We asked our full-time missionaries in the area if we could use a copy of El Libro de Mormon to give away. They were more than happy to provide us with one.
A few weeks later, when I remembered El Libro de Mormon on my office shelf, we took it down with us on date night and hoped this manager would be there.
He was.
And I got nervous during dinner. I recognized that nervous feeling as, "I'm nervous, but I'm going to do this anyway. I feel the Lord is near to help me."
You know me, I'd rather get it over and done with so that I don't have to feel nervous any more. I would have even talked to him during dinner - because he likes to make the rounds and see how patrons are doing. It turns out that his rounds were in another part of the restaurant and I was nervous that I wouldn't get the chance to see him before we left.
Well, I'll just jump to the end. I started wondering if I should give El Libro de Mormon to our waiter. He's a really nice guy that we've seen there a lot of times over the year and a half or so that the place has been open. But I decided that I'd give it to the man I intended it for from the beginning. On our way to check out I was just going to meander up to the cashier and hopefully catch his attention. It worked. When he saw me, I smiled and walked over to him. We shook hands and then I asked him if he had ever heard of The Book of Mormon. I held it out so he could read the title. "No," he said. He held it with one hand, but wanted to let go of it. So I just told him that I wanted to give him this book and that it was about Jesus Christ. He was very grateful (I think) and he accepted it. I told him I can answer any questions that he has the next time I eat there. That will be soon enough!
Back to our church meeting and announcements. After I shared that story, the full-time missionaries said, "Oh, ya. We met that guy this week and he told us about that." How cool! I wanted to find out from them what happened before going home, but I didn't get a chance to. I guess I know who I'm calling tonight. :)
I love sharing the gospel and bask in the warmth of the Spirit and the love of God for reaching out to his sons and daughters. We are part of the gathering of the House of Israel in these, the latter days. The Book of Mormon is the standard of this work and His people are being brought in, one by one. It is a miracle. I'm so glad to be part of it.
"So the last shall be first" (Matt 20:16). I have seen that firsthand throughout my life as the gentiles are being gathered and joining the House of Israel. I saw it on my mission in Bahia, Brazil and see it again every time I open my mouth to share the gospel and every time I see a person get baptized into our ward. How awesome is that!
Very.
Angie and I eat at a favorite Mexican restaurant. We love Mexican food.
A lot.
We frequent our favorite Mexican spots wherever we live. Well, there is a manager at this place that we go to that I've wanted to share a Book of Mormon with. We asked our full-time missionaries in the area if we could use a copy of El Libro de Mormon to give away. They were more than happy to provide us with one.
A few weeks later, when I remembered El Libro de Mormon on my office shelf, we took it down with us on date night and hoped this manager would be there.
He was.
And I got nervous during dinner. I recognized that nervous feeling as, "I'm nervous, but I'm going to do this anyway. I feel the Lord is near to help me."
You know me, I'd rather get it over and done with so that I don't have to feel nervous any more. I would have even talked to him during dinner - because he likes to make the rounds and see how patrons are doing. It turns out that his rounds were in another part of the restaurant and I was nervous that I wouldn't get the chance to see him before we left.
Well, I'll just jump to the end. I started wondering if I should give El Libro de Mormon to our waiter. He's a really nice guy that we've seen there a lot of times over the year and a half or so that the place has been open. But I decided that I'd give it to the man I intended it for from the beginning. On our way to check out I was just going to meander up to the cashier and hopefully catch his attention. It worked. When he saw me, I smiled and walked over to him. We shook hands and then I asked him if he had ever heard of The Book of Mormon. I held it out so he could read the title. "No," he said. He held it with one hand, but wanted to let go of it. So I just told him that I wanted to give him this book and that it was about Jesus Christ. He was very grateful (I think) and he accepted it. I told him I can answer any questions that he has the next time I eat there. That will be soon enough!
Back to our church meeting and announcements. After I shared that story, the full-time missionaries said, "Oh, ya. We met that guy this week and he told us about that." How cool! I wanted to find out from them what happened before going home, but I didn't get a chance to. I guess I know who I'm calling tonight. :)
I love sharing the gospel and bask in the warmth of the Spirit and the love of God for reaching out to his sons and daughters. We are part of the gathering of the House of Israel in these, the latter days. The Book of Mormon is the standard of this work and His people are being brought in, one by one. It is a miracle. I'm so glad to be part of it.
"So the last shall be first" (Matt 20:16). I have seen that firsthand throughout my life as the gentiles are being gathered and joining the House of Israel. I saw it on my mission in Bahia, Brazil and see it again every time I open my mouth to share the gospel and every time I see a person get baptized into our ward. How awesome is that!
Very.
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Bearing testimony in word and deed
There are so many exciting things going on in life right now! Family stuff, work, research is moving along, graduation gets closer every single day, employment ideas, recruiter phone calls and job interviews, and some game development that is going very well right now. This blog is for spiritual matters. When I talk about non-spiritual matters I for sure want to talk about how it relates to seeking the guidance of the Lord and receiving answers to prayers.
Well, today is the first Sunday of the month and that means we had fast and testimony meeting today. I share my testimony often at church. Part of it is to overcome fear, but I try to feel when the Spirit tells me to bear my witness of the Savior. When I feel it most strongly, it is a feeling that starts the day or night before. I just know ahead of time that I'm going to do it so I am usually the first one up. That helps my nerves too, to be the first one up. I don't like being nervous so I'd rather act quickly and enjoy the rest of the meeting while I listen to other people's testimonies.
Another reason for sharing my testimony so often started many years ago when I learned that my sins can be forgiven by bearing testimony to others. That's in Doctrine and Covenants 62:3.
There are days that I really feel the Spirit (or lack of it) telling me not to bear my testimony that day. Those fast and testimony meetings tend to have lots of other people bearing testimony. Maybe I'm just being told ahead of time to not worry about it. I don't know. But what I do know is that when I feel like I should do something, it's always better to follow the promptings of the Spirit than to follow my own way.
I shared my testimony today about how much I love the beginning books in the Book of Mormon. I'm not sure if it's just Nephi's (and Jacob's) writing style. I think it's because they are bearing their own witness of Jesus Christ and that touches my soul. Most of what is in the 1st and 2nd books of Nephi is pure doctrine. A lot of what comes in later books includes mundane topics like history and war, speckled with doctrine. The last few chapters of the Book of Mormon really focus on the Spirit again and I really like those parts. Then, when I start reading the Book of Mormon over again, I bask in the testimony of one of my favorite prophets ever. I just feel so happy reading the testimony that others have of my Savior. It's a huge strength and blessing to me. One day I'll meet Nephi and tell him thanks (if that's how it works in heaven).
I enjoyed hearing everyone else's testimony today. The one I'll mention is a friend of ours who bore her testimony about a scripture that I have been telling Angie about a lot lately. When this friend quoted it, Angie and I looked at each other. It was awesome.
The scripture that she quoted can be found in Psalms 46:10 and D&C 101:16. "Be still and know that I am God." I have had a lot of things on my mind that are important (or that I make more important than they should be, like looking for work and my game development hobbies). "[Being] still" has saved my sanity lots of days over the past several months, ever since I began preparing for my interview with Google.
Our friend said, "This scripture has meant different things to me during my life," and that is true for me too. But the recurring theme for me is that I bring too much upon myself and try to handle it all. I love working on ideas and accomplishing big things (or what I think are big). In reality, I just need to calm myself down and understand the Lord's plan for me and "...know that [He] is God."
I'm holding back on exploring new job opportunities right now. The main reason is because I've been told way too many times by recruiters and employers that I need to call back when I'm about to graduate and can move on short notice. This is a good problem to have, but it hasn't stopped me from applying for more jobs that sound too awesome to pass up. Looking back, I just started looking for jobs too soon. The other reason that I'm not looking for jobs right now is that I found something at a recent astronomy conference that might work out and they will wait for me until the summer. Even without that, I wouldn't be looking for work right now like I have been. It takes a lot of time and there are many software development job openings right now.
My testimony is that the Lord knows all. His ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). When He tells me something and I feel and recognize His voice, I know that obeying will be the best thing for my life. Hands down. No complaining. Just do it.
One more thing that I want to say is that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are among the nicest and most charitable people I know. A friend of mine that I play a lot of board games with fell off a ladder a couple days ago. Long story short, he landed on his heels and broke them in a big way. He'll be off his feet for months. Several willing people at church volunteered to go build a wheelchair ramp at their home. It's an emergency situation for this family. I love seeing people reach out and serve.
I love being a member of this church.
Well, today is the first Sunday of the month and that means we had fast and testimony meeting today. I share my testimony often at church. Part of it is to overcome fear, but I try to feel when the Spirit tells me to bear my witness of the Savior. When I feel it most strongly, it is a feeling that starts the day or night before. I just know ahead of time that I'm going to do it so I am usually the first one up. That helps my nerves too, to be the first one up. I don't like being nervous so I'd rather act quickly and enjoy the rest of the meeting while I listen to other people's testimonies.
Another reason for sharing my testimony so often started many years ago when I learned that my sins can be forgiven by bearing testimony to others. That's in Doctrine and Covenants 62:3.
There are days that I really feel the Spirit (or lack of it) telling me not to bear my testimony that day. Those fast and testimony meetings tend to have lots of other people bearing testimony. Maybe I'm just being told ahead of time to not worry about it. I don't know. But what I do know is that when I feel like I should do something, it's always better to follow the promptings of the Spirit than to follow my own way.
I shared my testimony today about how much I love the beginning books in the Book of Mormon. I'm not sure if it's just Nephi's (and Jacob's) writing style. I think it's because they are bearing their own witness of Jesus Christ and that touches my soul. Most of what is in the 1st and 2nd books of Nephi is pure doctrine. A lot of what comes in later books includes mundane topics like history and war, speckled with doctrine. The last few chapters of the Book of Mormon really focus on the Spirit again and I really like those parts. Then, when I start reading the Book of Mormon over again, I bask in the testimony of one of my favorite prophets ever. I just feel so happy reading the testimony that others have of my Savior. It's a huge strength and blessing to me. One day I'll meet Nephi and tell him thanks (if that's how it works in heaven).
I enjoyed hearing everyone else's testimony today. The one I'll mention is a friend of ours who bore her testimony about a scripture that I have been telling Angie about a lot lately. When this friend quoted it, Angie and I looked at each other. It was awesome.
The scripture that she quoted can be found in Psalms 46:10 and D&C 101:16. "Be still and know that I am God." I have had a lot of things on my mind that are important (or that I make more important than they should be, like looking for work and my game development hobbies). "[Being] still" has saved my sanity lots of days over the past several months, ever since I began preparing for my interview with Google.
Our friend said, "This scripture has meant different things to me during my life," and that is true for me too. But the recurring theme for me is that I bring too much upon myself and try to handle it all. I love working on ideas and accomplishing big things (or what I think are big). In reality, I just need to calm myself down and understand the Lord's plan for me and "...know that [He] is God."
I'm holding back on exploring new job opportunities right now. The main reason is because I've been told way too many times by recruiters and employers that I need to call back when I'm about to graduate and can move on short notice. This is a good problem to have, but it hasn't stopped me from applying for more jobs that sound too awesome to pass up. Looking back, I just started looking for jobs too soon. The other reason that I'm not looking for jobs right now is that I found something at a recent astronomy conference that might work out and they will wait for me until the summer. Even without that, I wouldn't be looking for work right now like I have been. It takes a lot of time and there are many software development job openings right now.
My testimony is that the Lord knows all. His ways are higher than my ways (Isaiah 55:8-9). When He tells me something and I feel and recognize His voice, I know that obeying will be the best thing for my life. Hands down. No complaining. Just do it.
One more thing that I want to say is that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are among the nicest and most charitable people I know. A friend of mine that I play a lot of board games with fell off a ladder a couple days ago. Long story short, he landed on his heels and broke them in a big way. He'll be off his feet for months. Several willing people at church volunteered to go build a wheelchair ramp at their home. It's an emergency situation for this family. I love seeing people reach out and serve.
I love being a member of this church.
Sunday, February 19, 2012
Kids teaching the gospel of Jesus Christ
I love it when my kids get assigned talks in primary. Skyler is getting old enough that he can think up what he wants to say almost by himself. It's harder to get him to sit still long enough to come up with the talk than it is to get him to figure out what he wants to say.
I think this is the third time that Skyler has given a talk where we wrote it down and he read it by himself. The two previous times he wanted to write it down in a little notebook that he keeps in his scripture bag. This time he wanted to type it up. I sort of remember typing up one other one so maybe this is the fourth talk that he's done mostly on his own.
Last night we sat down at the computer together and talked about the topic, "How Nephi was blessed for choosing the right." I think it was a little harder for him to think about this topic than others, but that's ok. It just took some extra discussion about the end blessings for the choices he made, rather than talking about what he did to get those blessings.
Here is Skyler's talk. I typed it up for him, but he put all these ideas in. Angie and I both gave suggestions, but he chose what he would actually say. It was fun(ny) to hear him say stuff like, "No, I don't like that sentence so take it out" or "Change the order of those sentences." He wanted to be done a few times before the talk was long enough, but he stuck it through. I'm proud of him. Here's his talk in its entirety.
"My talk is about how Nephi was blessed for choosing the right.
"Nephi was freed from ropes because he prayed for help. His wrists were sore, but he did not complain.
"Nephi got the brass plates from Laban because he followed the Spirit. He knew that the Lord would bless him.
"Nephi was protected from his brothers by an angel because he chose the right.
"The Liahona gave him directions because he followed the prophet Lehi.
"I know the Church is true. We can be blessed by saying our prayers and choosing the right. I know that Jesus lives.
"In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
I think this is the third time that Skyler has given a talk where we wrote it down and he read it by himself. The two previous times he wanted to write it down in a little notebook that he keeps in his scripture bag. This time he wanted to type it up. I sort of remember typing up one other one so maybe this is the fourth talk that he's done mostly on his own.
Last night we sat down at the computer together and talked about the topic, "How Nephi was blessed for choosing the right." I think it was a little harder for him to think about this topic than others, but that's ok. It just took some extra discussion about the end blessings for the choices he made, rather than talking about what he did to get those blessings.
Here is Skyler's talk. I typed it up for him, but he put all these ideas in. Angie and I both gave suggestions, but he chose what he would actually say. It was fun(ny) to hear him say stuff like, "No, I don't like that sentence so take it out" or "Change the order of those sentences." He wanted to be done a few times before the talk was long enough, but he stuck it through. I'm proud of him. Here's his talk in its entirety.
"My talk is about how Nephi was blessed for choosing the right.
"Nephi was freed from ropes because he prayed for help. His wrists were sore, but he did not complain.
"Nephi got the brass plates from Laban because he followed the Spirit. He knew that the Lord would bless him.
"Nephi was protected from his brothers by an angel because he chose the right.
"The Liahona gave him directions because he followed the prophet Lehi.
"I know the Church is true. We can be blessed by saying our prayers and choosing the right. I know that Jesus lives.
"In the name of Jesus Christ, amen."
Saturday, February 11, 2012
Do not spend money for that which is of no worth
I've been reading 2 Nephi in the Book of Mormon and have come across several verses that I wanted to share. I'm in chapter 9 right now, but maybe I'll go back and pick up a few of the other things I wanted to blog about in previous chapters.
It's hard for me to remember that Nephi didn't speak all the words that we read in 2 Nephi. Every time I come to 2 Ne 6:1, I read, "The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi."
Oh, ya. Jacob!
He was one of Nephi's two younger brothers born in the wilderness during the years between Lehi's exodus (with his family as well as Zoram and Ishmael's family) from Jerusalem and reaching the promised land (somewhere in the Americas).
Jacob was a powerful teacher and had a strong testimony of his Savior. We read in 2 Ne 2:2-4 that "[Jacob knew] the greatness of God" and "beheld in [his] youth His glory". What a strong child and youth he must have been to gain a testimony of the gospel from his dad (Lehi) and other faithful family members when he had to live through the "rudeness" of his other brothers (2 Ne 2:1).
Back to chapter 9.
This is a long chapter about Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for all men. Toward the end of the chapter we read the following verses. Verse 51 is the scripture that our stake has chosen to be our theme for 2012. It makes more sense to me in the context of what leads up to it.
48 Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.
49 Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.
50 Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
I have a testimony of the truthfulness of these scriptures and of Christ's power to save. I know that this life is our time to prepare for our eternal reward and that we will receive from God's hand every blessing that we are worthy to receive in this life for our happiness now and at the Judgment Day for the eternities hereafter.
The choice I have before me is what job to pursue. It's been on my mind for years, but especially so for the past several months. Providing for my family and enjoying the work I do are just part of the decision. Where to live and our ability to save are also part of the equation. We need to provide for Wes's special needs in the short (and long) term(s). Verse 51 teaches me that I do not need to spend money for things which are of no worth. Having a PhD in physics and astronomy will bring in a decent income and there are lots of things I'd like to do with that income. Jacob, the wise teacher that he is, teaches me that the real importance in life is to "come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not".
I am thankful for the peace that comes over me from reading the word of Christ that I receive through His holy prophets and through the Spirit. I need to be still and let the Holy Spirit guide. Too often I try to stand in His way and I have to keep reminding myself to pause and listen.
It's hard for me to remember that Nephi didn't speak all the words that we read in 2 Nephi. Every time I come to 2 Ne 6:1, I read, "The words of Jacob, the brother of Nephi, which he spake unto the people of Nephi."
Oh, ya. Jacob!
He was one of Nephi's two younger brothers born in the wilderness during the years between Lehi's exodus (with his family as well as Zoram and Ishmael's family) from Jerusalem and reaching the promised land (somewhere in the Americas).
Jacob was a powerful teacher and had a strong testimony of his Savior. We read in 2 Ne 2:2-4 that "[Jacob knew] the greatness of God" and "beheld in [his] youth His glory". What a strong child and youth he must have been to gain a testimony of the gospel from his dad (Lehi) and other faithful family members when he had to live through the "rudeness" of his other brothers (2 Ne 2:1).
Back to chapter 9.
This is a long chapter about Jesus Christ and His atoning sacrifice for all men. Toward the end of the chapter we read the following verses. Verse 51 is the scripture that our stake has chosen to be our theme for 2012. It makes more sense to me in the context of what leads up to it.
48 Behold, if ye were holy I would speak unto you of holiness; but as ye are not holy, and ye look upon me as a teacher, it must needs be expedient that I teach you the consequences of sin.
49 Behold, my soul abhorreth sin, and my heart delighteth in righteousness; and I will praise the holy name of my God.
50 Come, my brethren, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters; and he that hath no money, come buy and eat; yea, come buy wine and milk without money and without price.
51 Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.
I have a testimony of the truthfulness of these scriptures and of Christ's power to save. I know that this life is our time to prepare for our eternal reward and that we will receive from God's hand every blessing that we are worthy to receive in this life for our happiness now and at the Judgment Day for the eternities hereafter.
The choice I have before me is what job to pursue. It's been on my mind for years, but especially so for the past several months. Providing for my family and enjoying the work I do are just part of the decision. Where to live and our ability to save are also part of the equation. We need to provide for Wes's special needs in the short (and long) term(s). Verse 51 teaches me that I do not need to spend money for things which are of no worth. Having a PhD in physics and astronomy will bring in a decent income and there are lots of things I'd like to do with that income. Jacob, the wise teacher that he is, teaches me that the real importance in life is to "come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not".
I am thankful for the peace that comes over me from reading the word of Christ that I receive through His holy prophets and through the Spirit. I need to be still and let the Holy Spirit guide. Too often I try to stand in His way and I have to keep reminding myself to pause and listen.
Monday, February 6, 2012
It Didn't Smell Like That In Brazil
Yesterday morning I woke up and smelled something really, really nasty. It was the worst diaper smell that I've ever experienced. Not that the smell itself was the stinkiest, but because I was still in bed and the aroma reached my olfactories before I even got out of bed.
Ew.
Gross.
The realization grew even more grim when I regained a bit more consciousness. No diaper-wearing child was clambering for attention at my bedside to be changed. That meant the source of smell was far, far away. Time enough for wafting odors to make their way into my room. But I doubted the worst so I kept thinking. And then it dawned on me. We were making beans (Brazilian style) overnight for Sunday dinner with some friends. Cooking beans is the most unpleasant kitchen smell that I've ever witnessed. Oh, except for liver. My mom ate liver and onions and that wins the worst smell award, hands down. But I digress.
Why the topic of Brazil? Why the beans and rice? I went to Brazil to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved almost every minute of it. We invited some families over for a tasty reminder of the time we spent in Brazil.
Serving a mission is a tough thing. Maybe that's why we're sent when we're young, energetic and resilient. We get to serve a mission when we turn 19, but can begin our two years any time before turning 26. Young women can go when they are 21 and have no upper limit to their age, except that they be single. And couples can go once their kids are grown and out of the house. Sounds pretty sweet. Angie and I are planning on going some day and we talk about it once in a while. Wes might go with us. We plan on having him around for quite a while. He's going to be a great missionary. :)
One of our friends that we invited over for beans and rice served in Bahia, Brazil in the mission neighboring mine. She told us a week or two ago that she made cheese bread balls and was trying to perfect the recipe. Her husband served in The Philippines. He's awesome. So are their kids. Our other friend went to Manaus on his mission. That's in the Amazon rain forest. His wife and kids are awesome too. We all had a great time hanging out until the kids' bed times told us it was time for the party to end.
I have to say that I love talking to people about serving or living in Brazil. I love speaking Portuguese. And I love telling people who ask me, why I lived in Brazil for so long and worked so hard down there. From 6:30am to 9:30pm, missionaries find others who want to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and spend their time teaching and answering questions. I am so glad I went, but I'm glad that the next time I serve I'll not be on such a tight and rigorous schedule.
I already know who my companion will be and I won't have to worry about transfers.
Ew.
Gross.
The realization grew even more grim when I regained a bit more consciousness. No diaper-wearing child was clambering for attention at my bedside to be changed. That meant the source of smell was far, far away. Time enough for wafting odors to make their way into my room. But I doubted the worst so I kept thinking. And then it dawned on me. We were making beans (Brazilian style) overnight for Sunday dinner with some friends. Cooking beans is the most unpleasant kitchen smell that I've ever witnessed. Oh, except for liver. My mom ate liver and onions and that wins the worst smell award, hands down. But I digress.
Why the topic of Brazil? Why the beans and rice? I went to Brazil to serve a full-time mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and loved almost every minute of it. We invited some families over for a tasty reminder of the time we spent in Brazil.
Serving a mission is a tough thing. Maybe that's why we're sent when we're young, energetic and resilient. We get to serve a mission when we turn 19, but can begin our two years any time before turning 26. Young women can go when they are 21 and have no upper limit to their age, except that they be single. And couples can go once their kids are grown and out of the house. Sounds pretty sweet. Angie and I are planning on going some day and we talk about it once in a while. Wes might go with us. We plan on having him around for quite a while. He's going to be a great missionary. :)
One of our friends that we invited over for beans and rice served in Bahia, Brazil in the mission neighboring mine. She told us a week or two ago that she made cheese bread balls and was trying to perfect the recipe. Her husband served in The Philippines. He's awesome. So are their kids. Our other friend went to Manaus on his mission. That's in the Amazon rain forest. His wife and kids are awesome too. We all had a great time hanging out until the kids' bed times told us it was time for the party to end.
I have to say that I love talking to people about serving or living in Brazil. I love speaking Portuguese. And I love telling people who ask me, why I lived in Brazil for so long and worked so hard down there. From 6:30am to 9:30pm, missionaries find others who want to learn the gospel of Jesus Christ and spend their time teaching and answering questions. I am so glad I went, but I'm glad that the next time I serve I'll not be on such a tight and rigorous schedule.
I already know who my companion will be and I won't have to worry about transfers.
Sunday, January 29, 2012
Young Woman of Faith
Thank you all for your suggestions for improving the content of this blog. I didn't get to email everyone back directly, but I really appreciate your efforts. :)
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In a general sense, there is so much that I want to say on this site. If I spent a few hours a day I could probably keep up on all the thoughts I have when reading scriptures, hearing talks in Sunday services, trying my best to have and follow the Spirit and watching the testimonies of my family members grow. Today I'd like to share my impressions of a powerful testimony borne by a young woman of faith last week in sacrament meeting. She is 14 years old.
I don't know her very well since I don't work with the youth. Her mother is a very faithful latter-day saint who tries to do her best to love and serve all those around her. This young woman seems like her testimony has grown almost over night. I say that because I don't see her as very outspoken. She gave the youth talk and I was shocked to see her on the stand before the meeting started. I was pretty curious to see what she was going to say and I was a little nervous for her. I've never seen her speak before (that I can remember) and I hoped she didn't feel too pressured into giving a talk. Nobody likes to be pressured into giving talks.
While she was giving her talk I felt such a strong witness that she knows that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. She spoke of struggling on a group assignment because one particular boy in the group obviously didn't want to help out with the work. When it came time to grade the other group members, this young woman wanted to give him the lowest grade possible. However, she gave some thought to it and even talked to her wonderful mother about what to do. They agreed that there may be some things going on in this boy's life that weren't obvious on the surface. Maybe he was having a hard time at home or something else kept him from working harder on the assignment. She wanted to give a grade slightly higher than the lowest just to help him out in some way, but then she said something that touched me even more. She didn't feel honest about doing that either! In the end, she gave him the lowest grade available because the teacher would know that he deserved it. Then her testimony of Jesus Christ and of being His follower touched me even deeper when she said that she would help him out in the future whenever she could instead of watching him do nothing and letting him fail.
I was so touched by her talk and her testimony. This youth speaker bore a powerful testimony of doing what is right. And through her willingness to share her feelings, many people at church were blessed. I am grateful for the friends that she hangs out with because together they are helping each other walk the path that will lead them one day to meet God and be found worthy to stand in His presence.
May we all stand and do what is right.
************
In a general sense, there is so much that I want to say on this site. If I spent a few hours a day I could probably keep up on all the thoughts I have when reading scriptures, hearing talks in Sunday services, trying my best to have and follow the Spirit and watching the testimonies of my family members grow. Today I'd like to share my impressions of a powerful testimony borne by a young woman of faith last week in sacrament meeting. She is 14 years old.
I don't know her very well since I don't work with the youth. Her mother is a very faithful latter-day saint who tries to do her best to love and serve all those around her. This young woman seems like her testimony has grown almost over night. I say that because I don't see her as very outspoken. She gave the youth talk and I was shocked to see her on the stand before the meeting started. I was pretty curious to see what she was going to say and I was a little nervous for her. I've never seen her speak before (that I can remember) and I hoped she didn't feel too pressured into giving a talk. Nobody likes to be pressured into giving talks.
While she was giving her talk I felt such a strong witness that she knows that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world. She spoke of struggling on a group assignment because one particular boy in the group obviously didn't want to help out with the work. When it came time to grade the other group members, this young woman wanted to give him the lowest grade possible. However, she gave some thought to it and even talked to her wonderful mother about what to do. They agreed that there may be some things going on in this boy's life that weren't obvious on the surface. Maybe he was having a hard time at home or something else kept him from working harder on the assignment. She wanted to give a grade slightly higher than the lowest just to help him out in some way, but then she said something that touched me even more. She didn't feel honest about doing that either! In the end, she gave him the lowest grade available because the teacher would know that he deserved it. Then her testimony of Jesus Christ and of being His follower touched me even deeper when she said that she would help him out in the future whenever she could instead of watching him do nothing and letting him fail.
I was so touched by her talk and her testimony. This youth speaker bore a powerful testimony of doing what is right. And through her willingness to share her feelings, many people at church were blessed. I am grateful for the friends that she hangs out with because together they are helping each other walk the path that will lead them one day to meet God and be found worthy to stand in His presence.
May we all stand and do what is right.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Trust in the Lord with All Thine Heart
Proverbs 3:5-6 just took on a deeper meaning for me this morning. I've been thinking tons about getting a job after graduation and have been applying to lots of jobs that sound interesting and that would use my skills I learned doing astronomy research. If you've read some of my other posts about how I stress out about things, it should come as no surprise that I have been stressing out about where to move and what job to take.
A few areas in the private sector where I'd do well are image processing, quantitative data analysis, physics modeling, problem solving, algorithm design and technical writing. From that list alone there are many different directions I could go as I take my first step into what academics call "the real world".
I'm an idea man. I'm also a perfectionist and a completion-ist (I got that word from my friend Rebecca. Thanks, Rebecca!). This spells trouble in times like this where I am free to explore ideas. There are several different avenues that any one of those skills could take me. I've spent tons of time looking up companies and job descriptions. I'm not sure that I'd call it a waste of time, but "overkill" is pretty accurate. When I see that I've spent too much time on job hunting, do I sit back and relax? No. By the time I begin any sort of relaxing technique to clear my mind, more ideas flood in and the stress level stays just the same. Nice try, self.
This morning I took a break from my Book of Mormon reading and flipped through some pages that I have bookmarked with those little tassels. I've had a tassel in Proverbs 3:5-6 for a very, very long time and I have read it at least once in the last week. Today it meant a whole lot more to me. Here's what it says.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I felt the Spirit tell me that I have been putting in too much effort on my own and have not used my faith in the Lord to ask Him for direction. My patriarchal blessing gave me wise counsel specifically about my career and I really do feel His direction in this important decision. However, I realize that I am trusting in my own power to fulfill the blessings promised to me. I'm overdoing what needs to be done and drowning out the Lord's will for me because I'm doing so much busy work. Instead of studying more companies and finding more job openings, I need to pause more often, pray and ponder. I need to take each day and week one at a time. I need to be actively patient and act in faith.
Then I cannot go wrong.
"Balance," I keep telling myself. Now I need to figure out how to do that.
A few areas in the private sector where I'd do well are image processing, quantitative data analysis, physics modeling, problem solving, algorithm design and technical writing. From that list alone there are many different directions I could go as I take my first step into what academics call "the real world".
I'm an idea man. I'm also a perfectionist and a completion-ist (I got that word from my friend Rebecca. Thanks, Rebecca!). This spells trouble in times like this where I am free to explore ideas. There are several different avenues that any one of those skills could take me. I've spent tons of time looking up companies and job descriptions. I'm not sure that I'd call it a waste of time, but "overkill" is pretty accurate. When I see that I've spent too much time on job hunting, do I sit back and relax? No. By the time I begin any sort of relaxing technique to clear my mind, more ideas flood in and the stress level stays just the same. Nice try, self.
This morning I took a break from my Book of Mormon reading and flipped through some pages that I have bookmarked with those little tassels. I've had a tassel in Proverbs 3:5-6 for a very, very long time and I have read it at least once in the last week. Today it meant a whole lot more to me. Here's what it says.
5 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.
6 In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.
I felt the Spirit tell me that I have been putting in too much effort on my own and have not used my faith in the Lord to ask Him for direction. My patriarchal blessing gave me wise counsel specifically about my career and I really do feel His direction in this important decision. However, I realize that I am trusting in my own power to fulfill the blessings promised to me. I'm overdoing what needs to be done and drowning out the Lord's will for me because I'm doing so much busy work. Instead of studying more companies and finding more job openings, I need to pause more often, pray and ponder. I need to take each day and week one at a time. I need to be actively patient and act in faith.
Then I cannot go wrong.
"Balance," I keep telling myself. Now I need to figure out how to do that.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ
President Benson reminded me that the coming forth of The Book of Mormon was preceded only by the First Vision of Joseph Smith, which was the visitation by God the Father and Jesus Christ to the boy prophet. The Book of Mormon preceded the restoration of the priesthood from the hands of John the Baptist and from Peter, James and John. It was published a few days before the restoration of Christ's church in the latter-days. It was given to us before the revelations of the degrees of glory, celestial marriage and work for the dead, which were given in the Doctrine and Covenants.
It surprised me to read this order of events. I don't normally think of the exact order in which these important events occurred, but have been surprised each time I remember that this is how it happened.
The Holy Bible (the "holy" was for Emily :) ) contains the Old Testament and the New Testament. Another word for testament could have been translated as covenant from the Greek text. A covenant of what? The promises that God has made with His children in different ages for their salvation, based upon their obedience. The Book of Mormon's title was extended to include Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It contains the fulness of the gospel or all we need to know about God's commandments for our eternal salvation.
Awesome.
Actually, "awesome" doesn't exactly cover it. There are times when my favorite word comes short of capturing the magnitude of my feelings. This is one of them. I guess I should say "eternal awesome" and that might do it. You be the judge. :)
President Benson summed up the gift of The Book of Mormon in a way that really hit home to me. He said that it is a gift from God to us that is greater than the industrial and technological advances of our time (and remember, he said this 25 years ago), medicine, flight and space travel. I marvel and wonder at how far technology has come and what we as a human race have achieved with it. And this book of scriptures is much greater than all of that. Why? Because it will bring us to God when none of these other things can or will.
For 1000 years, Book of Mormon prophets poured their hearts and souls into writing their testimonies of the gospel of Jesus Christ onto golden plates for our use. They lived a long time ago - from 600 BC to 400 AD. The truths they wrote are for us today, not for their descendants back then. In fact, Nephi knew that the civilization of his posterity would come to an end and be destroyed by the Lamanites (we talked about that in Sunday School today). These ancient prophets wrote to us, the gentiles and the members of the house of Israel. Wow, what faith that these children of our Heavenly Father had!
I have committed myself to reading through The Book of Mormon again this year. There are 239 chapters and 531 pages so I plan to read about one chapter per day in my personal study. Our family has been reading one column per day for a while now and we're on page 189. The other day we talked about finishing for our first time as a family. We can do this by increasing what we read to two columns and we'll finish by the end of the year.
We talked about the blessings we have received from reading and how many more blessing we'll enjoy from the Lord's hand. Our kids are excited about it and that makes us (Angie and me) very happy!
Awesome!
I love The Book of Mormon. It has changed my life and it strengthens me every single day that I read it. The more effort I put in, the greater the reward. I know it is a true book of scripture and contains the true gospel of Jesus Christ. I am grateful for this talk from President Benson. It has strengthened my testimony.
Monday, January 9, 2012
The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion
The October 2011 Ensign magazine reprinted President Benson's 1986 talk titled The Book of Mormon: Keystone of Our Religion. It was a great talk! President Benson was the 13th President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He loved The Book of Mormon. In the Introduction in The Book of Mormon, we read the following paragraph:
What is a keystone? It's the main (key) stone in the center of an arch and keeps the arch from falling. The Book of Mormon is the keystone to our religion because it is a true book of scripture and is a sign of the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth. The truthfulness of the church and of the book of modern-day scriptures go hand in hand. They are either both true or neither are true.
I have found for myself that both are true and so many other things in the gospel and the church. Through reading and pondering the scriptures as well as living the teachings of Christ bring me such a spirit of peace. I feel the same peace when I read His teachings in the New Testament. I feel so blessed to be on the earth in a time when the true gospel is preached. (I'm also amazed that technology in today's world is more and more available around the world and that so many people can learn what is true for him/herself.
There are a few more points that President Benson gave about The Book of Mormon and I'll write more soon.
Concerning this record the Prophet Joseph Smith said: “I told the brethren that the Book of Mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone of our religion, and a man would get nearer to God by abiding by its precepts, than by any other book.”
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What is a keystone? It's the main (key) stone in the center of an arch and keeps the arch from falling. The Book of Mormon is the keystone to our religion because it is a true book of scripture and is a sign of the true church of Jesus Christ on the earth. The truthfulness of the church and of the book of modern-day scriptures go hand in hand. They are either both true or neither are true.
I have found for myself that both are true and so many other things in the gospel and the church. Through reading and pondering the scriptures as well as living the teachings of Christ bring me such a spirit of peace. I feel the same peace when I read His teachings in the New Testament. I feel so blessed to be on the earth in a time when the true gospel is preached. (I'm also amazed that technology in today's world is more and more available around the world and that so many people can learn what is true for him/herself.
There are a few more points that President Benson gave about The Book of Mormon and I'll write more soon.
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