A leap of faith is ALWAYS worth the effort

Today, there are a number of reasons to complain about the choices of God's inspired servants. -Children of same sex couples, women and the priesthood, campaigning against gay marriage.

In the past there have been a number of reasons to complain as well. "We might have been happy." -Laman & Lemuel / "We should have stayed in Egypt" -Israelites / "The Woolley handcart company should never have been permitted to leave at that time with so little protection and aid." -early Saints

What they didn't take into account was the Spirit's influence on the people that made these decisions and the blessings that followed.

Lehi was told to leave Jerusalem in a dream. He and his family gained much more than Lehi's life in the promised land than they ever could have under the rule of worldly leaders like Laban in Jerusalem.

Moses received instruction to take the Israelites out of Egypt for a promised land with connected freedoms. The Israelites gained more than just freedom in the promised land. They received preprepared farm land, buildings, and comforts.

Every member of the Wooley handcart company chose to leave at the time that they did, because they were impressed upon by the Spirit that this is where they needed to be. Their conversion was so strong that they left homes and comforts across the sea, taking only a few possessions and their incredible faith that they would make it...somehow, and they didn't mind the price they would have to pay to try. As evidenced in this famous account.

Not one of that company ever apostatized or left the Church, because everyone of us came through with the absolute knowledge that God lives for we became acquainted with him in our extremities...

The price we paid to become acquainted with God was a privilege to pay, and I am thankful that I was privileged to come in the Martin Handcart Company. (Relief Society Magazine, Jan. 1948, p. 8.)

There are still reasons to complain/question direction today. But when direction is given from an inspired source, perhaps there is still a sea to cross, 40 years of toil, or a winter trail to plow before we will see clearly the very real reasons our leaders were inspired to make these seemingly radical decisions.

Good will always come from following inspired directors, even if sometimes the vessels of inspiration might get it wrong from time to time.

Doubt should never overcome the faith we put in inspired sources, because God's ways are always higher than our ways (Isaiah 55:9). And if we can't confidently put our faith in something that challenges us to grow, what good is hoping to change to become like God?

Snow Frisbee with C(h)loe

This is Chloe (Cloe? Sp?) She's a beautiful black and white Border Collie, owned by a friend who's having me dog sit while she's out of the country.

Chloe, like most Collies, is extremely intelligent and has a ton of energy. The only way to keep her from digging a hole to China is to exercise her. Usually a 10-15 minute game of Frisbee twice a day and an evening stroll through the neighborhood is enough to keep her from tearing apart the earth's crust. That means that wind or hail, storm or mud rain (that happened yesterday), she's gotta go outside.

Today's variety? 8 hours of snow. I got a few pics and wanted to share. :) 

Jeremy Deighton Walked into a Bar

It was dusk, and Jeremy Deighton had just finished another hard day at work. Construction wasn't the easiest job, even when there wasn't snow on the ground in below freezing temperatures, like today. Thinking he could use a pick-me-up, he stuffed his hands deeper into his pockets and picked his way through strangers' footprints to one of his favorite haunts: the Lonely Traveler.

The Lonely Traveller was a cozy, out-of-the-way bar run by a quaint little man named Frank, who often looked as run down as the bar he ran. Though when you got him talking about football or his only daughter Jenni, he seemed like a man who had just won the lottery. He always said his only love was a good brew, but for the the local haunters, like Jeremy, he was much more than that.

Jeremy trudged into the bar like he would his own house. Taking a deep breath he noted all the familiar smells of his favorite ale's. He grinned, happy to be home.

Jeremy looked for his favorite seat at the bar, only to find it was taken by a tall, brooding stranger who looked like he'd had one too many drinks. Jeremy had been around enough drunks to know when they wanted their space and this one clearly wanted to be left alone.

Taking a place at the bar a couple seats down, Jeremy swiveled the stool away from the man to watch the college bowl game that was on.

"Damn Ducks. They beat my Seminoles," growled Frank. Jeremy turned to see the smiling familiar mustached face of Frank standing next to him, wiping a glass clean with a dirty old rag. Frank always had to be doing something with his hands, though it never seemed a priority to wash that old cloth.

Frank gave a knowing wink and asked, "The usual for you then Mr. Deighton?" Jeremy nodded his ascent without saying a word and turned his attention back to the game.

"Frank, why don't you give him some of the new stuff?" Came an unfamiliar voice from behind him. Jeremy swiveled in his chair to find out who had spoken and was surprised to find himself staring at the new guy.

Frank shot a look at the man and started talking about this new brew he purchased this morning. "It's really a tasty drink. Bought it off an old lady who was selling off the remainder of her cellar so she could pay her mortgage. Got a good deal too. Never tasted anything like it though. I didn't want to mention the stuff since there's not much left and this bloke's already drinking from the bottom of the barr..."

"He can have some," interrupted the man, "Th' stufs amazin' and I'll be damned if it doesn't make you fly. Every man should feel like I do right now."

Frank rolled his eyes but offered Jeremy a cup anyways. "Do you want to try it?"

Jeremy hesitated for a second, unsure if he wanted to waste his $20 budget on something new. Surely it can't be that bad though if Frank likes it, he thought to himself. And heck, he could use a change.

"I'll take it."

Jeremy grabbed the cup and took a small sip, rolling the ale around his tongue to catch the full flavor. By no means did he possess a refined palet, but that didn't mean he didn't know how to enjoy a good drink.

It tasted like a mix between an old french Marlot mixed with a juicy mango picked fresh off a tree in Maui. He liked it giving a "hmm" of approval, taking another sip.

"See?! Ain't that the best stuff ya ever did taste?"

Jeremy nodded his head quickly and tried to say so, but coughed hard as the sting of alcohol slid down the wrong pipe.

"I knew yo'd 'ike it!" Said the man, slapping his thigh. "Ya know, come to think of it, I feel like I could jump off the roof and fly!" Jeremy and Frank laughed hard at that. The man was funny when drunk. But also seemed kind of crazy. He had gotten up and headed for the stairs.

"Now where do ya think you're going?" asked Frank.

"I'm gonna do it," the man grumbled as he started up the first steps.

"No you can't! You're drunk and aren't thinking straight. Come back!" said Jeremy. "I can and I will. You'll see" came the echoy response.

Jeremy shot out of his chair and fell flat on his face. Wow that stuff is strong.

Getting up, he stumbled to the opening and looked up, only to find the man on the third story landing and opening the door to the roof.

"Stop!" Was all Jeremy managed to get out before the door slammed shut.

Determined to stop the man, Jeremy began climbing the stairs, one at a time, leaning heavily on the railing to keep himself straight. "Normally I could take these steps three at a time," he complained under his breath. "I wish it didn't affect me so much. If I'm moving this slow, then he must be too", so he kept shuffling in a general upward direction with hope.

1st landing. Keep going. 2nd floor. Halfway there. Third landing. He was picking up speed. The drink must be wearing off. The door was just inches a way. Jeremy reached, grabbed it and thrust the door open to the roof. He arrived just in time to see the man jump.

"Nooo!!!" Jeremy shouted as he raced as quickly as he could to the roof's edge.

Dodging a few poles clumsily and stubbing his toe on a box he swore moved in front of him, Jeremy made it to the edge and looked down, expecting to find the mess of the drunk below, surely with several broken bones and needing a doctor.What he saw instead was bizzare.

The same drunk mess that took his favorite seat, had recommended that drink, and whom, he might add, had just throw himself off the rooftop, was just standing there looking up at him. Not a scratch, just a face etched with the stupidist grin. "I knew it would work!" He yelled, becoming Jeremy to follow.

After gesturing for Jeremy to follow, the man turned on the spot to return to the bar, thinking to get more of the good stuff. "What were you thinking? You're a trouble maker, you know that?" Frank said as the man took Jeremy's seat and downed the last of his new favorite drink.

The man smiled and replied, "You'd better call 911. Looks like we're going to need a doctor after all."

The old bartender shook his head, and rolled his eyes. But he picked up the receiver and began turning the dial to a 9 on his old rotary phone.

"You know," Frank said jerking the 1, "You can be a real jerk when you're drunk Superman."

Frank could almost hear the sound of a siren as the the dial slid back to zero as the final number fell in place.

The Story of My Poinsettia's Near-death Experience

As Alyssa prepared to go on her mission, she handed me what looked like a potted plant and asked me to take care of it. She said it was a poinsettia and she wanted me to have it while she was gone, like the love fern Kate Hudson gave Matthew McConaughey in How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days. I hesitated, thinking back to my extensive background (maybe a week) of babysitting plants. 

• Babysitting two of her plants over a long weekend (few plants can die in a week, even with my care).
• Conducting a science experiment in fourth grade (where I watered the plants with coffee to see if they would grow).
• ... and that's it.

She can't be seriously thinking of me, I thought. Doesn't she know my record? I feed them foreign substances just to see if they can handle the real world!

Alyssa shook the plant a bit to get me to take it, snapping me out of my daze. Slowly I reached out my hands until I touched it. She proceeded to shove it the rest of the way into my arms, not realizing that she was signing its death sentence by doing so.

I took an oath nonetheless to take care of this plant as best I could. I took it home and sat it on my table facing the western sky (thinking that by default it had to survive because I was giving it life).

For the first couple months I tried to water it as best I could. This meant watering it every third Thursday and only if I happened to be in the kitchen at all that day. Its leaves were falling off before they had a chance to grow. What few remained were turning brown at the edges and only sporting a light green throughout the rest of the leaf.

The bottom half of the stem is full of stubs that should have been long, beautiful leaves, but shriveled away due to a lack of nourishment. The ground was like a graveyard of rotting pieces that should have lived for months to come. Seriously, I have no idea how it survived those hard months.

But survive it did and I've finally taken responsibility of the plant. I consciously water it every day, making sure that the soil stays damp, but not flooded. I even took the time to Google "Poinsettia Care." That's love if you ask me.

Let me tell you the difference it has made to! This little baby is perking back up. I examined the leaves the other day and they are GREEN. And I don't mean no brown, I mean a deep, gorgeous green that screams health! I took a picture of it to share with you (conveniently forgetting to take a before picture back when it was dying). Take a look!

I'm waiting for those awesome red leaves to develop up top but I have faith that with time they'll come. :) Also, there is another plant, Steve, poking out in pieces in the background. Ignore the yellowing leaves. They no longer have a place on my Poinsettia.

It got me thinking of a simple truth though. Children are like Poinsettias. The more you nourish them, the better they grow. Lessons in morality and kindness are the water. Teachings of personal worth and opportunity are the sun's glorious rays. They bring hope and life to everything they touch. The potential on these kids are only limited to their overall lifespan. Other than that they can grow taller and more beautiful than ever.

In contrast, the more you neglect them on a table with half closed blinds, the less opportunities they'll have. More leaves brown and fall than grow in these environments. With little hope, understanding, and moral values, how can they ever reach even a fraction of their potential before they give up? Pushes me to be a nurturing father when I grow up. What does that mean though? and how do you overcome fear to make it happen?

How to Improve Society

Many today are looking for a solution to our society’s problems. Recently, citizens have been fighting for or against gun restrictions. Two differing opinions fighting for the same purpose: the best society. People see issues like this every day and worry that their way of life is regressing. They long to know how to improve society to ensure a safe and prosperous future. The solution must come from within though. In order to find out how to improve society must begin with an understanding of what it is.

 

You and Me: The Roots

 

Society is a group of individuals coming together to form a mutual beneficial relationship. At its base, it is founded, controlled, and owned by us, people like you and me. That’s right, you and I have an equal say in how it will function throughout our lives. We share that right with every other person in the town, county, state, and nation we live in.

 

Merriam-Webster defines society as “a part of a community that is a unit distinguishable by particular aims or standards of living or conduct : a social circle or a group of social circles having a clearly marked identity” (Merriam-webster.com, definition 4).

 

More than that, a culture grows and evolves according to the changes in beliefs and standards of living or conduct. It is determined by popular—often unspoken—consent. You can tell what the majority of the people thinks about something based on how they react to it.

 

A criminal is given a fair trial when the people values justice. A man’s right to go where he pleases and say what he wants is protected by a people that values freedom. He is silenced and put away secretly when they don’t. A murder on the loose will be tracked down and punished in the people that values the protection of human life.

You and Me: The Determiner

The way a society acts is determined by the wills and consent of the people living in it. The way the people act is influenced by other people. Family, personalities, and opinions influence the things that we value. The more time we spend with someone, the more we become like them. 

You and Me: The Improvement

Any improvements must come from you and me. The change comes from a single person.

Raise Your Family

Family is the number one way to improve culture. Few people spend as much consistent time with anyone else. On top of that, the minds of children are much more impressionable when they’re young. Therefore, the things they learn under their parent’s tutelage have a powerful impact on who they become. Raise your family to value what society needs.

Be an Example

The way we live sheds off on our equals. People notice how we live and what we value. They often find one or two qualities they admire. Many people have been changed and affected by our examples. Be an example to those around you.

How to Improve Society

Live the values you think society should emulate. People will be influenced accordingly.

You must not lose faith in humanity. Humanity is an ocean; if a few drops of the ocean are dirty, the ocean does not become dirty. – Mahatma Gandhi 

This post was written to refocus the world’s attention on the importance of our family and friends in each other’s lives. The inspiration came from an article on Familius.com. Familius is a family oriented publisher seeking to help families be happier.

Just Married

I got married last night. . . or at least that's what by-standards in the Stadium Terrace parking lot thought this morning as they headed off to work or school. I woke up this morning to find quite a surprise waiting for me in the parking lot. My car was decorated in sticky notes, flowers, and half oreos, all wrapped up in plastic. With a "just married" sign plastered on the hood, it looked like a veritable honeymoon car.

The story goes thus-ly: Last night, for FHE, we had a huge water balloon fight. Due to the fact that I came out on top, a certain person and her accomplice felt it their personal duty to gather together a task force to take out Jeepy. And take out Jeepy they did. So my hat's off to them for that one. They left a few clues, but they go by the name "The Sisterhood." But I have managed to figure out a few of them by the notes and the pictures. I left a little something, something on the window of the ring leader's car. A symbol of sorts, . . . no more of a promise. Let this video be yer warning.

The Swinging Rope to Tears in Terabithia

Okay, I have something to say. And when I have something to say, I usually want to blabber about it till I’m blue in the face. And just as long as the people I’m telling the story to nod their heads, look me in the eye, and give me a few good “mmhmm’s” or “oh yeah’s” like they’re following along, I’m content. Be forewarned, it doesn’t have a lot to do with the point of this blog, but I want to write about this all the same.

Okay, so have you read/watched The Bridge to Terabithia? If you haven’t, stop what you’re doing, go read/watch it, and then come back. Because there is something spoiling in here.

….

Go on, get out of here.

…

For those that stayed tuned in, sit down, strap in, and start mindlessly agreeing with me. I watched the movie for the first time today. I know it’s been out forever, but I still want to talk about it.

Okay, so first of all, there wasn’t a bridge till the very end. What was up with that? I felt a little misled (although you can totally take a metaphoric approach to that and say that the bridge was when they crossed the river and entered Terabithia. Sorry, tangent. I’ll return).

Second of all, I have a love-hate relationship with that movie right now, and I hope you’ll understand why. It’s really sad, but it is so true to life that you can’t help but relate to and love it.

I was COMPLETELY blindsided by the unfortunate event that befell Leslie while Jess went to the art museum. I was in shock when his parents told him the news. It didn’t make sense. I wanted to cry.

What the heck? Leslie and Jess were the best of friends. They had rough moments, but you couldn’t find a better set of friends. They overcame bullies together, kept each other fit by running everywhere they went, and created an entire world with nothing but a few two-by-fours, nails, and a few blankets. They were the two kids down the block that you expected to grow old together, like these guys:

There was no question in my mind that, like Carl and Ellie, they would 1) prepare an adventure book, 2) fix-up the tree house into a permanent home, and 3) plan to visit Paradise Falls together...or something similar.

Until the unthinkable happens, and we lose “Ellie” all over again. I hate it. It’s like a punch in the stomach, a slap in the face. It’s so hard to take, because we’ve learned to love Leslie.

That’s also why I love it though. The relationship and subsequent tragedy is so easy to relate to. You and I have built up extremely close relationships with the people we come to consider our best friends (even if they are rocky friendships to begin with). We push, create with, and share some of our best moments them, propelling us into a friendship that we hope will last forever. Unfortunately, some of these relationships end because of unexpected loss, offense, or distance that pulls these friends apart. Some are shocking and unexpected, while others are drawn out and unnoticed. It’s the shocking ones that affect us the most though, and we’re often left with long-lasting sadness because of it.

Unfortunately, some of these relationships end because of unexpected loss, offense, or distance that pulls these friends apart. Some are shocking and unexpected, while others are drawn out and unnoticed. It’s the shocking ones that affect us the most though, and we’re often left with long-lasting sadness because of it.

The Bridge to Terabithia was one of those shocking ones that reminded me that the people I grow to love can be torn away from me in an instant, at any given time. What a scary thought that is. It’s so scary that I refuse to ever let myself think about it. That doesn’t mean it couldn’t. I virtually experienced that along with Jess as Leslie was taken away and served as a sad reminder to take advantage of every moment you have with those that you’re close with.

I am reminded of this in other movies as well. Like when Frodo leaves Sam behind in the Lord of the Rings, the crew leaves the apartment behind in Friends, Marley dies in Marley & Me, and Gerry virtually dies a second time in P.S. I Love You. I’ve been heard to say that I hate when stories end, and I think that the reason I hate them so much is because I feel like I lose the new friends that I’ve gained through the stories. A lot of them I’ll never see again, and it leaves me empty and sad for the loss.

Let me know what you think. Do you run into the same issues?

P.S. A lot of these links are random association that I had while writing this.