Praises on High

Domine Fili Unigenite - Begotten Son, Jesus Christ

D&C 25:12 For my soul delighteth in the song of the heart; yea, the song of the righteous is a prayer unto me, and it shall be answered with a blessing upon their heads.

My lovely family came to support me at my choir concert. 04/12/16.

National Puppy Dog Day! Hurray.

While baby girl is nibbling on my hand, let's take a walk down memory lane. . .

     "GRRR," says Daizy Mae.

                 She's two.                                        Send her to me Dad.                        

Joint-Heirs with Christ

Romans 8:16 - The spirit beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:
17 - And if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; . . .

"It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which . . . you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. . .

"There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilization -- these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit -- immortal horrors or everlasting splendors."
-C.S. Lewis

As Abra'm, Isaac, Jacob, too,
First babes, then men -- to gods they grew.
As man now is, God once was:
As God now is, man may be, --
Which doth unfold man's destiny."
-Lorenzo Snow

"Would the God of Heaven plant the vision and desire for Godhood within a man's soul and then frustrate him in is ability to attain it?"
- The Infinite Atonement

Placed in a Leper Colony

A leper colony is a place used to quarantine people with leprosy. These colonies were established as a safeguard in hopes of offering protection for the "clean". Even the slightest suspicion of leprosy such as a rash, a rub, or a burn, societies would banish citizens into these colonies. This was a life sentence where a slow and painful death was inevitable. Most often people banished to the colonies didn't even have leprosy, but eventually that is where they contracted the disease.

Are we so quick as to put others in leper colonies? From the first signs of sin do we cast people away? Do we throw them in until they eventually believe that is what they are? If so, we are the ones handing out the death sentences.

I don't care what you have done in your life. I don't care what they have done in their life! Don't put people in a leper colonies, not even yourself. There is nothing on this earth and in the eternities beyond that Jesus Christ hasn't paid for. 

If you truly repent you are forgiven. Through the Atonement there is no such thing as a second-class citizen.

My Twin

BYU basketball

Tor & I love hikes. So, Y not?

Wherefore am I thy Servant?

More often than not, there are words in my heart that are hard for me to express. In order for me to say exactly how I am feeling, I write notes, write in my journal, or write another blog post, so that others can know how I truly feel. In this case there are often words left unsaid, feelings left unspoken, and thoughts that gather dust in a lonely corner. 

While reading in Moses chapter 6, I found someone who felt similarly to me:

Moses 6:31 - And when Enoch had heard these words, he bowed himself to the earth, before the Lord, and spake before the Lord, saying: Why is it that I have found favor in thy sight, and am but a lad, and all the people hate me; for I am slow of speech; wherefore am I thy servant?  

32 And the Lord said unto Enoch: Go forth and do as I have commanded thee, and no man shall pierce thee. Open thy mouth, and it shall be filled, and I will give thee utterance, for all flesh is in my hands, and I will do as seemeth me good.

I have the opportunity for a whole 18 months to let myself become as God "seemeth me good." I picture myself, having faith and letting the Lord speak through me as I open my mouth and get to work. In the end, I have faith that I will become the Lord's mouthpiece, not just on my mission, but for the rest of my life.  

Moses 6:47 - And as Enoch spake forth the words of God, the people trembled, and could not stand in his presence. 

Moses 7:13 - And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him.

If I have enough faith, when I speak the word of the Lord the earth will tremble, the mountains will flea, and the rivers will turn their course. I don't want another day to go by that I don't express my truest thoughts, my heartfelt gratitude, or my testimony of our Savior Jesus Christ to be unheard. Through my words, I want my heart to be transparent, my voice to ring with clarity, and my spirit to speak through my mortal body.

Provo City Center Temple

April 9, 2016

I had the opportunity to attend the Provo City Center open house, and I am thrilled to be entering the House of the Lord to receive my endowment on April 9, 2016. I feel so blessed and privileged to be a part of something so wonderful and so powerful. 

"We live in a world of symbols. No man or woman can come out of the temple endowed as he should be, unless he has seen, beyond the symbol, the mighty realities for which the symbols stand."

Preparing to Enter the Holy Temple (pg. 8)

Believe

I want nothing more than just to believe.
I want to wake up in the morning and believe in everything.
I want to believe in God, His Son, and the Atonement perfectly.
I want to believe to such an extent that there is nothing, absolutely nothing I wouldn't give up.

"For all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living."  Mark 12:44

AK July 26 - Aug 3

lil guy chillin. SURVIVED 6.3 earthquake.



           Star fish Present I got for Tor <3 Aug 3rd. 

 

Lots of bear bells, salmon, but no bears.

Uncle Craig and I.

#SELFIE

EXIT GLACIER

Pizza slice glacier.

SHHH. We found Lost Lake!

7 miles uphill + 7 miles downhill

How Do You Emotionally Regulate?

Every destructive habit comes from unhealthily regulating emotions. This is perhaps one of the most powerful tools of Satan, so how are we combating this evil? 

Emotions such as anxiety, depression, stress, anger, fear, and doubt are all running rampant in our society and in our hearts and minds. If not taken care of they can lead to destructive urges such as binge eating, surfing the internet, or watching TV. Such actions can lead to pornography, drug addictions, or even the destructive habit of biting your fingernails -- all in a moment to ease emotional instability. If we succumb to such tendencies we are becoming desensitized to the whisperings of the Holy Ghost, pleading with us to stop because we are toying with self-destruction. 

I'm here to issue a challenge. Make a promise to yourself and to God to emotionally regulate by:

Reading your scriptures,
Praying to God,
Going on a run, 
or taking a cold shower.

If there is one thing God wants us to know as we fight off the natural man it's . . .

We are better than our emotions.

I was Lost, But Now I am Found

Matthew 16
24 Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.
25 For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it.
26 For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Matthew 16: 24-26

A lot of people, especially my age, say that by going on a mission or taking time to explore their options is just a way of finding themselves. They need time to find themselves before they commit to school, a job, marriage, or even the next step in life. This is where I differ from the rest of the people.

I don't want to find myself, I want to lose myself.

I want to lose myself in the service of others. I want to lose myself in the service of God. I want to lose myself to kindness, love, and inspiration. I want to lose myself in knowledge, learning, and in the attributes of Jesus Christ. I want to be so lost that the world can never find me, Satan can never reach me, and doubt can never hold me back.

It is only the Good Shepherd that will find me and lead me safely home.

What Will We Feed Our Kids?

I have been thinking more and more about what I want to major in, so I have been testing out my options and interests. I was able to listen in on a class today about media and body image. I intended to work on other homework and occasionally listen in, but I was captivated. Dr. Coyne began the lecture with various studies of preschool kids and of all things, DISNEY PRINCESSES. 

Have you ever thought about what the media is feeding our minds from the earliest age? Beauty comes from a perfect body image.

Who is going to tell our little boys that superheroes don't need muscles? 

Who is going to tell our baby girls that beauty does not come from waist sizes?

"You can’t live your life worrying that the world is staring at you. When you let people’s opinions make you self-conscious you give away your power."

Elder Jeffery R. Holland: TO YOUNG WOMEN

Who is going to teach them? Who is going to lead the way and show them? They need to know what God's plan for us really is.

"In such a resurrected state one's countenance, one's outer glow and beauty will be but a manifestation of one's inner spirituality -- thus, the inner and the outer beings will be, in essence, mirrors of each other. Celestial bodies will radiate celestial glory; terrestrial bodies terrestrial glory; and telestial bodies, telestial glory." - The Infinite Atonement, pg. 170

Master the Tempest is Raging

Master, with anguish of spirit
I bow in spirit I bow in grief today.
The depths of my sad heart are troubled. 
Oh, waken and save, I pray!
Torrents of sin and of anguish
Sweep o'er my sinking soul,
And I perish! I perish! dear Master.
Oh, hasten and take control!

[Chorus]
The winds and the waves shall obey thy will:
Peace, be still.
Whether the wrath of the storm-tossed sea
Or demons or men or whatever it be
No waters can swallow the ship where lies
The Master of ocean and earth and skies.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, be still; peace be still.
They all shall sweetly obey thy will:
Peace, peace be still.

[Master the Tempest is Raging, p.105]