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Showing posts from 2013

Waiting

Recently my family was blessed with the opportunity to wait a what seemed like forever for the birth of my nephew James. My poor sister-in-law was 15 days past her due date. The baby was fully grown and had been close to entering the world when some complications occurred and his progress digressed. After waiting and waiting our family finally hear good news... She went into the hospital to get checked and the decision was made to admit her and get things going. We were told that baby would be born by tomorrow morning. When the morning came we all gathered together and went to the hospital by 8:30 am. When we arrived they told us that James would be there in about 30 minutes. Then they said in an hour. Only one more hour they would say. Again, and again, for the next nine hours we waited and waited. Finally, after a c section our newest addition arrived in the family. Perhaps it was because of the season, but I began to think about the long awaited birth of our Savior Jesus Chr...

A letter to the President

Dear Mr. President, Though I doubt you will ever read the letter found on a blog post, I still feel the need to write to you as if you will actually listen. You see, I know that you are a person too and as a human you must have some sympathies to feel human emotions. I’m sure you probably feel you’ve done an excellent job in your roll as president, and actually that’s not what I am writing for today. I am writing to ask you for your help.  You recently created “Obama care” which is supposed to allow all US citizens the right to insurance.   I wonder if you have considered at the time of its creation what some of the side effects would be for this decision. I write to represent myself, but also so many others that I know.  Do you know how hard it is to find a job these days? Have you tried it out Mr. President? (Obviously not, because you have a job and a salary and government provided healthcare) As a recent college graduate, I put 10 resumes and applicat...

Through another

I've known my friend most of my life. We grew up together. We went to youth camps, tennis matches, church dances, and anything in between.We were next door neighbors. We would go for a walk as often as we could and on those walks we dream, hope, and plan for the future.  We chose to be college roommates where she put up with my crazy habits! We helped each other through the moving out of home phase. We wrote letters as we both served as missionaries for our church. We've just always stayed really close.  Through the grace of God we were put in the same place once again after all this time and she continues to be a living example to me.  Today I had the special chance to be with my friend when she found her wedding dress. As we searched and found I just felt a profound sense of joy come over me. It was as though I could see God helping things work out smoothly for her. It filled my heart in a way that words can't describe. All those days of dreaming and planning s...

Road trip to eternity

Once upon a weekend I had the opportunity to spend 12 hours alone in a car with a couple who recently became engaged. As a single adult admittedly there may have been moments when I wanted to hit my head against the window, but when I truly stopped and observed I was surprised at how much I learned! Ironically, I ended up being extremely thankful for those precious hours. God is good to let us learn through experience. So here it goes ... time to dish the good, the bad, and the ugly for those less fortunate than I who missed the experience. First, basic linguistic research (done by yours truly) showed that the most commonly asked question by either party in the relationship was the level of their comfort. Simply,"Are you comfortable?"  Sometimes this would go back and forth about 5 times in a two minute time period, which may seem excessive, but actually when you think about it, is quite remarkable. In a world so focused on selfish tendencies we often forget to check on peo...

Just one

What if you were never born? Yes, you! How would the world be a different place? What would the impact be? Have you ever thought of the value of one life before? How many people do you meet on earth? Well, today I was pondering what difference just one person could make in the world. Of course I thought about some of the most influential people like Joseph Smith,George Washington, Martin Luther King jr, Rosa Parks, and Amelia Earhart. More recently, Seth Adam Smith, and Ben Arkell to name a few. ( if you don't know who these men are or what they have done check out these websites ( http://sethadamsmith.com   and  http://www.youtube.com/user/TheBookofMormon2day ) These people impacted thousands, and their influence continues to live on today in hearts and history books. But what about an ordinary person who hasn't reached the famous status? How much influence can they have on the world? I thought about some of the most dear and influential people in my own life and I was t...

A Letter

If I had the chance to speak to all of my friends in a collective moment about my perspective on dating and courtship this is what I would say....  Dear Friends,      For the past week or two I have been pondering intensely what I would say to you about dating and courtship. In order to formulate my thoughts I write to you this letter wishing that somehow you could be changed even just a little bit in your attitudes and behaviors about dating, the opposite sex, and the doctrine of the family. Many of you actually have it together. You know what you should do, and you are doing it. To the rest of us I offer my simple perspective. First, dating isn't actually about you ! (Yes, I know that sounds shocking and yes marriage does affect the rest of eternity, but it really isn't about you.) Think of our first parents Adam and Eve. When they were in the garden of Eden before they partook of the fruit they were essentially "dating with the purpose of getting...

Do Something

Sometimes I look around at the incredible people near by me and I am astounded. Why you ask? Many of these people have the same goal. They all want a very specific blessing and yet they don't want to do anything about it. Some of them have more control over the situation than others. To them I want to stand and shout "HEY DO SOMETHING", but then I remember self, you also have to do something too!  There are things to be done and yet we stand waiting for something to happen. This will not work! We need to run and catch our dreams. We need to take the bull by the horns and do something. I'm not saying we have to take giant steps every day, but we have to do something! Change requires action! If you want something go after it! Sometimes the attribute I feel the world is lacking is passion. As defined,passion is a powerful or compelling emotion. It seems like we often settle for less then what we actually want. Why? Because we simply don't want to put forth the ...

The Parable of the shoes

Recently, I have had the experience of dating, or being very close to a member of the opposite sex and then within a month or two watching them be engaged or married to someone else. After it happened again yesterday I found myself going into a selfish mode wondering what on earth was wrong with me that I wasn't good enough to marry, but then the very next girl was. As I sat pondering and praying about this topic a thought came to my mind. I thought about shoes. (Well originally socks, but it progressed into shoes..) When you go to wear your shoes you typically get two of the same kind. Two boots, or two flip flops, etc. While both are good shoes and have value protecting your feet, they both have different purposes and goals behind them. Some you wear to the beach, while others you perhaps wear to the temple. Typically you don't wear one boot and one sandal. While you could, it would slow your progress and make life very frustrating and unbalanced for you.   Shoes lik...

Why am I a member?

Why am I a member of the Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints? Why have I stayed a part of this faith? President Dieter F. Uchtdorf in a recent conference of our church posed these very same questions. As I have been pondering them for the past several days I have come to a basic list of reasons why I have stayed a member my whole life and why I plan to continue in the faith forever. There are the basic answers which I believe to be true for most members of the church such as: I have prayed for myself and received a witness through the spirit that these things are true, I believe the Book of Mormon to be the word of God. I believe in the power of the priesthood. I know that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God. I believe in modern to day prophets. I believe in personal revelation.  But I wanted to dig even deeper than that. Why am I personally an active and participating member of the faith? What causes me to want to keep the commandments of God? What motivates me to go ...

Seeing God's Hand

Today began as a very frustrating day and thing after thing was becoming upsetting. After a while I knelt by my bed and prayed my sheer anger and confusion to a kind Heavenly Father. As I prayed I expressed my pleas for help and hope. What happened next proved to me once again that God is aware of all of His children and that he knows us by name. Drying tears from my eyes I headed down the stairs to prepare a quick lunch before work. The impression came to check my mailbox outside. It wasn't mail time and I thought it an odd, but I thought to myself "self, why not?"   So I did. Inside I found 3 brightly colored pieces of paper with "nice notes" from members of the ward (congregation). These were unsolicited but greatly appreciated. Also inside I found a handmade bookmark with a note from a neighbor reminding me to believe in myself and to believe in God. I'm not sure what inspired her to leave that there but I felt such gratitude for her kind gesture. Ne...

You've got it wrong

To begin today I start by quoting a text message I received yesterday from a friend of mine. Said she, "I can't let myself think about it because I cherish his friendship."  Now to explain further let me give you some context. As many young single adults do, we were having a discussion about dating. A particular person she discovered interest in was one of her very best friends. She therefore discounted him and took him out of the running. Something about this drew me to great distress. Haven't we been taught our entire lives to marry our best friends? Why on earth would you take someone out of the running because they are your friend? Shouldn't that make a person more of a choice? As a Latter-Day Saint, I view marriage as an eternal covenant. This means that I'm not marrying someone for here and now, but for eternity. Personally, when the thought of eternity comes to my mind I don't imagine being with some stranger that I met on the street randomly ...

Ready or not here it comes....

Recently I was talking to my wonderful grandmother of 92 years who is currently struggling with her health. (At 92 that's no shocker) Suddenly I came to realize that I never knew when would be the last conversation I would have with her. As the realization dawned I began to focus more on what was being said. I began to listen more carefully, and concentrate on her needs. I was more deliberate in my expressions of love, and I truly cherished every moment. Then the thought came to my mind... Do I really ever know when anyone is going to pass on to the other side? I have had experiences in my life and in my own family that have proven to me time and again that life is short. I know that. It is a lesson I have already learned, so why is it so hard to apply?  Every day I have the chance to talk to people. Many of whom I do not know. What if I was the last person on earth that they ever talked to? What would their last message from earth life be? Is it a positive message? Am I sh...

The Lord Can Depend On Me!

In Matthew 21:16 we are reminded that out of the mouth of babes and sucklings we hear perfect praise. One particular primary song was brought to my attention this week, and I believe that its words are perfect praise, and a powerful lesson for each one of us to live every day!  Says, the hymn,"The Lord needs valiant servants to do His work in the Latter-days who follow the teachings of Jesus and serve His people in a loving way. I will be His Servant and Keep my Covenants valiantly. I'll stand for truth, I'll stand for right! The Lord can depend on me!" In the words to this song we learn the important message that each one of us are needed in the work of the Latter-days. We have a very specific purpose: to be someone that the Lord can depend on. We learn how to be such a person. First, we are to follow the teachings of Jesus. What are the teachings of Jesus? They are the scriptures. We live in a day where the scriptures are available to each one of us wi...

How am I better today?

When Jesus Christ spoke to His disciples at the Sermon the Mount in Matthew 6 he encouraged them to change their lives. He spoke of real prayer. He taught of putting God first and worrying more about the moment than the past present or future. When the Prophet Moses spoke he taught the ten commandments reminding us who to love first, some things we need to do, and some things we need to be sure we do not do. Love your neighbor as yourself. Keep the Sabbath day holy. Honor your Father and Mother, etc. So what if Christ, or his Prophet spoke today? What would they say? Well the answer is that they do speak and we were blessed to hear their words this very weekend. They said, to doubt your doubts before you doubt your faith. They said that when in the service of the Lord, it is not where you serve, but how you serve. They taught that the past is to be learned from, but not lived in. The value of true church only coming through the atonement. The challenge it is to lift people on on...

The Secret Life of a Butcher

Back in the day when  person wanted meat they would go to their local butcher. (Some people still do) They would ask the butcher to help them see the meat of the best quality, flavor, etc. The butcher would help them and they would happily go on their way. If the butcher did good work they would return for the same favor again and again.  Now, you may be asking yourself. What on earth does a butcher have to do with anything. Let me explain how I am blessed to be a butcher of sorts in my own life.  It turns out that men still need help to find their meat. Yes ladies I apologize, but in this analogy you are being compared to a piece of meat. Often these men come to my "butcher shop" or my home seeking help to find the correct flavor or taste of meat. I carefully listen to what they need and then assist them in finding and securing their flavor.  Most of the time, this butcher like lifestyle is actually quite rewarding. When it works out and the meat and th...

LDS Women and the priesthood: my meager opinion

In The Book of Mormon Alma desires to speak with the trump of God and to shake the earth crying repentance to every people. But he rebukes himself saying, "But behold, I am a man, and do sin in my wish; for I ought to be content with the things which the Lord hath allotted unto me." (Alma 29:1-3) For some reason in the past year or so there has been an increase in LDS women seeking more than the Lord has allotted unto them. They seek to gain the priesthood, wear pants to church, and demand "equality" from their leaders. Each of these wishes aren't in themselves sins necessarily. (I mean clearly the Lord is not going to smite someone down for wearing pants to church.) It is my personal opinion that the real question comes back to the doctrine of the church. In a world of confusion it is important to know where you stand. Are you for me or against me asked the Lord? When you prayed about the Book of Mormon and Joseph Smith, did you receive an answer? Did ...

Thoughts and notes on unity

"My life is a gift, my life has a plan, my life has a purpose, in Heaven it began. My choice was to come to this lovely home on earth and seek for God's light to direct me from birth. I will follow God's plan for me. Holding fast to His word and His love. I will work and I will pray. I will always walk in His way. Then I will be happy on earth, and in my home above." "There once was a man who was asleep one night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with light and the Saviour appeared to him. The Lord told him He had a work for him to do, and showed him a large rock explaining that he was to push against the rock with all his might. This the man did, and for many days he toiled from sunup to sundown; his shoulder set squarely against the cold massive surface of the rock, pushing with all his might. Each night the man returned to his cabin sore and worn out, feeling his whole day had been spent in vain. Seeing that the man showed signs of discouragemen...