Saturday, April 30, 2011

Change

I know that two posts in one day is like cheating, but it was a good day.
I think that for the most part change is positive. 
People can change their attitudes, people change their underwear, people change the things they like (and dislike), people change their taste in food, culture, music, attire, friends. 
I am an advocate for change. 
Change just for change can be fun sometimes too.
My favorite though is to see change that revolves around a constant. That is poetry in motion.
That is what happened today.
Today we went to a meeting to reorganize the YSA wards into YSA stakes and it was phenomenal.
The Spirit was so strong as the General Authorities explained why the changes are happening. Tomorrow will be very eventful. 
It is also funny to see people who are opposed to change. 
They seem to hate change just because it is different. 
I often wonder if they change their underwear every day. 
I also wonder if this may be the reason that they are so upset.
I don't always love change either but I know that it is usually very needed.

Exactly

I was thinking today after an early morning confrontation and I thought, "What a jerk! Here I am doing a favor for them and they treat me like that. Wow!"
Then I was severely humbled and the Spirit whispered into my heart, "Well they certainly do enough for you."
Then I retorted with, "Well, I am never a jerk like that."
Then I realized that I was lying. I have been a jerk like that.
Then the Spirit whispered again, "Isn't it funny how out of character that was."
I retorted with, "Well they just don't know what kind of day I've been having and everything that I have done for them and what it means to me."
The Spirit then replied, "Exactly."
That was the end of the conversation.
I have thought about this all day. Exactly.
I realized that if I were to take more time to think about how other people feel and what other people have done then I would not do the things that I do to be rather jerkish. 
Just the same way that had this person realized that what I was doing was going out of my way to help them they would have not done what they had done.
I believe that most people have a heart (even if it is black and made from the volcanic rock of Hell), and that because they have a heart that they would not be jerks if they realized what was being offered to them. 
I am going to try harder to not be a jerk, by looking at what other people offer me as their very best.
Thanks


P.S.
This person was later informed of their actions by a non-partisan third party and apologized for being a jerk. Just because the other person may learn a profound life lesson is no reason to be a jerk.

Friday, April 29, 2011

How amusing

I think angry people are funny.
That unfortunately does not always help.
I just find the idea behind getting upset incredibly amusing. 
I mean really.
If I get upset and scream and holler and curse, oh I don't know, say the snow for example. The fact is that it snowed on April 29th. So what? 
It still snowed.
The car is still wrecked.
The house burned down.
The cat died.
Crappy things happen. But I am not a person that takes crap.



"In all of this, I suppose it goes without saying that negative speaking so often flows from negative thinking, including negative thinking about ourselves...I love what Elder Orson F. Whitney once said: “The spirit of the gospel is optimistic; it trusts in God and looks on the bright side of things. The opposite or pessimistic spirit drags men down and away from God, looks on the dark side, murmurs, complains, and is slow to yield obedience.” As someone once said, “Even in the golden age of civilization someone undoubtedly grumbled that everything looked too yellow.” I have often thought that Nephi’s being bound with cords and beaten by rods must have been more tolerable to him than listening to Laman and Lemuel’s constant murmuring. Surely he must have said at least once, “Hit me one more time. I can still hear you.” Yes, life has its problems, and yes, there are negative things to face, but please accept one of Elder Holland’s maxims for living—no misfortune is so bad that whining about it won’t make it worse."    
How easy it is to pick and I don't mean to, but it really irks me to see unhappy people. They are wasting their lives. I once wasted too much of my own life being sarcastic, being negative and seeing the ugly. The funny thing is that I then left happy valley and saw how hard the world really was. I went to the MTC. I learned there that there were people who 1. Had a reason to be miserable and 2. Were not.
They truly understood the fact that there is no misfortune so bad that whining about it won't make it worse. Everything that we suffer makes us a little more understanding and loving. It makes us more sensitive to the Spirit, when we let it. And it allows us to touch the Hem of the Atonement.
Certainly Christ can sympathize with you about your day going not as planned. The Man whose life was one ironic turn after another. 
I am trying to understand about how you feel about the weather or whatever other bad thing has happened. Then try to understand that there is a better way to live your life. Please be happy :)
P.S. The car has been wrecked multiple times, the house is fine and I hate cats, but all joking aside it wouldn't kill some of you to smile every once in a while. Just ask all my friends who do :)

Thursday, April 28, 2011

You Again?

This was an interesting movie and no spoilers and no movie review but there was a main message that I found intriguing; forgiveness. 
I find it incredible that this one principle is so often very misunderstood.
Forgiveness is not just a point that we reach, a decision we make, or a feeling that we get. It is not simply saying I am sorry. It is touching the Atonement in a sacred way, when through the mercy of Christ we understand in a very real sense what we have done to someone else and we understand sorrow, as God understands sorrow. 
It is something so special that I want to experience it more in my life.
There is really nothing scary about asking or giving forgiveness to others. The only thing we fear, which is true with most things, is our own worst selves. 
Forgiving someone who has not asked forgiveness is allowing the Atonement to touch in new ways that deepens our love for Christ. He paid for that hurt, and all the damage that was done. Not forgiving someone is telling Christ that His suffering was not enough. It has already been paid for. Do not make another try to pay for something that they could not possibly when Christ purchased it perfectly. Both the forgiven and the forgiver will come to appreciate the Atonement so much more. 
The forgiver for they will feel the total recompense and know of the true love of the Savior and the forgiven for they, and only they, know what a terrible price would have had to have been paid for the things that they have done wrong to have been paid for. Much the same way that upon facing a canyon wall of slate one realizes that they are expected to do the impossible in climbing it, only to realize that at the moment when they feel that all is lost to realize that while they were agonizing over it the Savior overcame it. 
There was a lot that may not be gained by just watching it, but I had been thinking a lot and it impressed in the presentation of these ideas.

Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Quandary

I just realized that I don't have any blogs that have a Q letter title so here it is.
I have lots of time to think and think and think. It is probably how I spend at least 50% of my day. If you are talking to me and I seem to be ignoring you I am not. I am fully listening and processing what you are saying. In fact I could most likely repeat back with 95% accuracy the last few exchanges that have taken place. The reason you may think that I am ignoring you is that I am either eavesdropping on some else or I am thinking.
I know that it is a bad habit and I have gotten pretty good at focusing when it is just me and another person, or a smaller group, but please don't think I am being rude if you ask me a question and I respond with, "Huh?" and then proceed to answer your question. Your need for a response summons me from my other activity, I proceed to reconstruct the discussion in my head and then formulate an answer. The "Huh" just gives me that extra half a second to think.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Passover

Today you may or may not be aware that passover ended and thus our Easter celebration comes to a close (even though I will be eating hard-boiled eggs for a little bit longer:)).
I have thought a lot about this Easter and what it has meant to me. It has reminded me in a lot of interesting ways how mindful God is of us. 
I then got to thinking that; If I were more mindful of God then I would merely see that He was being more mindful of me.
I know that at first it sounds selfish, but it really isn't. 
If we paid more attention to God we would SEE that He pays more attention to us. He already pays lots of attention to us in our lives and does things for us that we never see. Giving more attention to Him and what He does, how He sees the world, and how He thinks, simply gives us better perspective on what He is already doing.
This is when the true power of prayer is unlocked in our lives. 
When we realize what God is already doing we can then pray to have those ends fulfilled and if we are looking towards that end and understand His perfect timing then we are ready for whatever happens next. 
I guess I got to thinking more about this at work today.
I got another offer for a raise (I just have to pass a super hard test is all, but still).
I got to thinking. Does the company favor me over other people?
I soon realized that was ludicrous.
The benefits of the company are available to everyone. Some people choose to play games or watch movies in their spare time and I choose to take calls, and talk with others techs about issues and learn. 
Then I got to thinking about blessings from God. He doesn't love one child above another and yet some people live "better" lives than others. I realized that the love of God compared to his children is not like eccentric circles, as most people believe but a set of infinite concentric circles with the love of God always being the outer circle. As we expand our personal obedience and follow His commandments the circle increases but is still infinitely smaller than the outer circle. God's love is the exact same, infinite and eternal. We each have a circle that we can choose to enlarge or decrease within the span of His love. Following God and his prophets will yield greater understanding, wisdom, confidence, peace, and every other form of blessing, while not will yield a decrease.
God's love has not decreased, but our capacity to receive it has. Just as trying to pour 1000 gallons of water through a hole that has a diameter of 5 microns will take forever, while using a hole that has a diameter of a mile will take no time at all. The initial amount is the same, but given a small enough hole, with not enough time there may even be some blessings that we fore go. 
I hope that you have a greater desire to see God's hand in your life and realize the blessings that He is already willing to give us that are contingent upon our asking, and seeing what He truly wants for us. 
Happy Easter everyone!

Monday, April 25, 2011

Hard-boiled Eggs

So day after Easter and now we get to eat all of the eggs that we hard-boiled so that we could color. 
This is perfectly acceptable to me as I have a soft spot for hard-boiled eggs.
I especially love egg salad sandwiches that I get to take to work :)
I also have been thinking about the other kinds of leftovers. 
Easter candy, merchandise that is reduced in the stores, signs & banners coming down. 
I think that it is a shame in a lot of ways to take down the banners and signs and put away the Easter eggs and basket, much the same reason that I don't like the day we take the Christmas tree down. 
I am not advocating leaving it up as it would become less special, but at the same time I think that what makes these times of year special are the fact that we have constant visual reminders of why we have these seasons. 
And even though they do tend to get over commercialized and deranged in their celebration I think that the underlying theme of the season is found betrayed in peoples's attitudes.
I hope that the only thing leftover from your Easter celebration is not an empty basket, and some hard-boiled eggs, but that it was a time of special renewal for you. 

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Alone...

Elder Holland is always very insightful in ways that are personally meaningful to me. This talk
None Were With Him
is one of those talks that speaks to me in a million different ways. I considered it the best way to end my section on Easter. You can read the whole text here.
I hope that we never allow others to suffer alone. That would truly be an Easter gift worth giving to the Master.
Happy Easter everyone!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Resurrection Morn

Tomorrow Morning is a commemoration of one of the most important events in history. The morning of the resurrection. I hope that your Sabbath is great and that you have a day that is full of true celebration.

Friday, April 22, 2011

Good Friday

So it was Good Friday today and a good Friday it was. I hope that your day was great and that you are making plans to have a wonderful Easter. Work is fabulous and I can't shake this feeling like life is going near enough perfect that if it ever gets perfect I am not sure that I will notice. 
I think it came from two things. 
1. Being happy with what I have
2. Learning how to set realistic expectations.
Some people may say they are the same thing, but I distinguish between them much like Faith and Hope
Faith is working with what I have and realizing that I am happy. 
The hope is realizing that there are still things that I do not have that God does. Thus it is expected that I will not be able to attain full joy until I come to possess those things as well.
Happiness is an interesting thing.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

Sacre

Sacre is a very nice root word meaning holy. 
Consecrate-become holy together. 
Sacrament-holy way. 
Sacrifice-causing or making holy
I really like that one. Sacrifice is causing or making something to become holy. You hear cute definitions that it is giving up something to get something better, but I paused to think is it really giving something up in that way?
When we sacrifice are we simply giving up willingly that which we would not be able to take and would be stripped from us in the next life anyway. Like wise we can only have something sacrificed that is yours. Hence sin does not count as a sacrifice. It makes you holy, but you don't have a choice in the matter eventually. Eventually all sin will be paid for in full, none will be transported into the Kingdoms of Glory. More importantly and related; it is not yours. It has already been purchased.
So I thought what is a sacrifice. 
Something that makes us more like God. But that is super vague. 
Causing to become holy. 
We can only sacrifice what is ours. 
I realized that we only, truly sacrifice our will then. Things that others count as sacrifice are not making people holy. The things that we sacrifice are already God's. 
I think about early Jewish sacrifice with the season of the Pascal Lamb. An innocent lamb was to be sacrificed for a persons sins. The lamb did not take away the persons sin nor make them holy. But seeing an innocent animal die, in similitude of the Savior, was to invoke in their hearts and minds a change. 
They were to see things in a new way. They were to put away sin, to give their wills to God that they might become more like Him. They were putting every bad part of themselves on the alter with that animal, and letting the fire of the alter purge it away. As you would be watching that innocent animal slain for you would you sit and count sin that you were and were not willing to lay on the alter?
God does not want our sacrifice of animals nor did He of the ancients.
He wants a broken heart and contrite spirit. He wants our dreams, our hopes, our plans, our fears, our will.
In return he has promised us His Spirit to always be with us. 
This Easter may we consider a sacrifice that is worthy of the Savior. Not a sacrifice of beast, but a sacrifice designed to make us holy.

Wednesday, April 20, 2011

Easter

So you may or may not know but Easter is this week!
I love Easter and the Passover time of year. 
There are lots of interesting things about the Passover and lots that have been lost. One that my Institute teacher showed us was particularly interesting.
"The afikoman (dessert) — an integral part of the Seder (Passover) itself — is used to engage the interest and excitement of the children at the table. During the fourth part of the Seder, called Yachatz, the leader (Patriarch) breaks the middle piece of matzo (there are three) into two. He sets aside the larger portion as the afikoman. Many families use the afikomanas a device for keeping the children awake and alert throughout the Seder proceedings by hiding the afikoman and offering a prize for its return."-Wikipedia (they did a pretty good job)
At the end of the Seder the child with the afikoman will present it to the Patriarch and bargain a purchase price for its return to the Patriarch . 
The Jewish culture is so beautiful with the symbolism that keeps us pointed to Christ. Easter is our celebration of the Atonement, culminating in the Resurrection which was our purchase price. 
With it we are redeemed before God, the Grand Patriarch, and made spotless through the blood of the Lamb. I hope that you have a wonderful Passover, and may the Easter Bunny bring you good things as well.

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Tuesday

So yeah poor Tuesday. 
It was confirmed to me though that people in general and myself included are rarely ever happy with things just being the way they are. If it is Monday, people wish it was Friday, if it is Tuesday, they wish it was Friday, when it's Friday, they wish they didn't have to get up. I want to scream and say are you ever happy?
That is the thing that started me towards being happier.
I realized that most of the reasons that people are unhappy is because they don't see what they have. 
People are unhappy in a relationship because they don't realize that someone loves them. They can't see the love the other person is offering and so they don't realize until it is too late. People hate the rain because they would rather be out playing when they are stuck at work, or studying for finals, etc. anyway. People are unhappy it's Monday because Friday will be a better day than Monday. (Little do they know that on Friday their alarm will not go off, they will get a flat tire, and choke on their lunch.) 
Find joy in the journey and realize that life is never as bad as it seems. Only our attitude.

Monday, April 18, 2011

Yeah. So. About that...

Yeah so about that. I just need to make up my mind period. This is not a good thing. If I could ever make a decision it may actually kill me. Not making a decision will probably kill me too, but it seems like less work for the same end result. Then there is that part of me that just says I need a couple good hours of ping pong.

Sunday, April 17, 2011

Every three thousand miles

So you may or may not be aware that 3,000 miles is the usual recommendation for changing your oil. It has nothing to do with this post just FYI.
Changing your heart, however, has no scheduled maintenance ideal. 
Just thought to share some thoughts about changing your heart that were inspiring to me today.
Changing your heart requires an understanding of what it is and what it is to become.
Changing your heart is so altering that when the new is compared with the old, the old should not be discerned. 
Changing you heart allows for you to be renewed. 
This was very interesting as I thought more about this personally. It is possible to go through life with build up and guilt and regret and still be productive and happy, for a time. There comes a time that you will not be able to forge on. That is why we need a change of heart. It replaces our old heart that is torn, broken, mended, and re-mended. Loaded with sins and repentance, struggles, and the struggles of others. It replaces that heart with a new model that is closely fashioned after His heart. We keep with us all that we learned, but out capacity to love as He loves is increased. 
I made it a personal goal to make sure that I get in for my heart change more often than I get in for my oil change. 
P.S. 
All the sacrament talks were really good. One of the most insightful things that was said came right after Roger played a beautiful medley for our musical number and the High Councilman got up and said, "I doubt he's always been that good. As you put time into the gospel there comes a point when you just fly, just like Roger."
More to come on flying tomorrow unless I get distracted by some other thought. 

Saturday, April 16, 2011

You are more than what you have become

Anybody recognize that line?
Not exactly one of the most commonly quoted movie lines of all time, but I really like it.
I'll give you some hints; there is a lion who runs away from home when his uncle kills his dad and tries to kill him whose dad ends up coming to him in a vision. Ringing any bells? Oh well, maybe not, but it is one of my favorite movies. I really like that line especially. I find that I have to constantly ask myself, "am I more than what I have become?" The answer is often yes and found in the advice given to Simba. You are my son. 
When we come to realize that we are sons and daughters of God with infinite potential to become like Him then we realize that all too often we are less than what we have become. We should shun the feelings of, "I am okay" just as much as we should shun, "I cannot do this." 
Both are wrong. 
We are more than we have have become. We are infinite and eternal. We can do it. We are the offspring of God. There is a balance that we must strike, but when we do then we understand who we are, what we are to do, who we must become, and we take our place in the Circle of Life.
Remember who you are.

Friday, April 15, 2011

Aye, Aye Captian

So as I was leaving from work late, on a Friday, missing ultimate Frisbee, one of the people that I work with asked me how I was doing. I answered with fantastic. She gave me a salute and an, "aye, aye captain." I gave her a quizzical look and she clarified, captain optimistic. Then I understood.
I think that people are funny. I am funny most of the time. It just takes some looking for find it sometimes. I was at the temple with some friends and I was running a little late (again the work thing) and came in and sat down and got to chat some before he left and I sat waiting my turn. I noticed that people who came in after I had, started leaving before me and thought, "Hmmm, that's weird." Then another of our friends came and we got to see each other and catch up some and soon the temple workers asked me my name. They had lost my paper and were trying to get me into a booth cause I had been there a long time. 
I could have said something, but decided not to. I think that I was there to meet up with our other friend who was late. It is interesting that some people would find it irritating that I was waiting for so long, but I enjoyed it and believe that it truly was for the best. 
So people have rotten days and days when things don't go as planned. They choose to complain. I have yet to see this fix anything. If any of you know of a situation in which complaining helps I would like to know. There are those few truly talented individuals who can complain before something actually goes wrong, which I guess is better than complaining after the fact, right?
I choose to focus on the good things of the day. I got to work. I helped a bunch of people who really needed my help. I had a stuffed breadstick for lunch. My notes didn't get erased from the face of the earth, after I finished a call. I got to use my break time. Megan came over and talked with me today. It was casual Friday, and I got to wear my Disney/Hawaiian shirt. The sun was shining, and it was a beautiful day.
I find that the main thing that helps me with patience and optimism is trust. Trust that things will work out in the end. Trust that one less game of ultimate will not kill me. Trust that God has something better to do with my 5 minutes, 30 minutes, or hour. 
I hope that you have days full of faith, hope, and charity. And when you do remember to share it. 

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Wisdom

It is knowledge that a tomato is a fruit. It is wisdom to not put it in a fruit salad. 


Knowledge is knowing what to do. Wisdom is knowing why you do it. 
I think that this is one of the most significant things that I took from conference. We know lots of things as members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day saints. Memorize scriptures, quotes, sayings. People can tell you dates and people and events. Some can tell you places, and setting. Some can unfold the complexities that few ever find. This all works together to tell us what to do.
But it is never enough
We must apply to wisdom.Wisdom is being able to put everything that you know into a proper perspective and then after sorting through the most important things first finding out what you need to do and then asking God why you need to do it. That is when testimony comes. When we can gain learning that invites us to change our lives for ever and then ask God, "Why?" 
He will tell us all things that we need to know and help us to see the end from the beginning. Who we will become if we do the things that are required. In so doing we learn about and gain a personal relationship with the Master because as we seek to do His will we are becoming like He is. Therefore our relationship grows with Him. Then we seek to become more like Him and learn more about Him and cycle upwards in faith, hope and charity. 
The knowledge of who saw the gold plates, and when they saw them and where they saw them is interesting. The testimony that they saw them  by the gift and power of God and that they are true and because they are true I need to repent and seek forgiveness everyday is wisdom.

Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Wow it's Wednesday...

I hope you all had a fantastic Wednesday. I sure did. Work was super busy and I got to explain a lot of things that people don't really go over with some special features of the software that it is generally accepted that, "No one really knows why or how it works, it is just a feature of the software." This was unacceptable for me so I contacted the most genius people I knew and picked their brains for hours over a long period and figured it out and got explain it to a customer today. It was great. I am well convinced at this point that if I were a multi-millionaire and could do anything, and have anything, that I would retain my position at my current company helping customers one at a time. I have never been more enthralled with any job or position or title that I have ever had before and it is some of the most satisfying, honest work that a person can do. I love to help people and stretch my mind and abilities. Life is good and I hope that it is treating you well. 
P.S.
Reading awesome stories before you go to sleep yields epic dream sequences. 

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Can you see what I see?

I don't think anyone else does, but it is fun to think about and talk about what other people see. Some people can only see the good in others. Some people can only see the bad. Some people can see both the good and the bad, but have no way of evaluating what they see and either catagorize it as all good or all bad. Some people can see the good and the bad and while giving proper weight to the bad can look beyond it and see the potential for good. Some people will think you are wrong no matter what.
Perspective is an interesting principle. With perspective I can ultimately skew something until it reaches a point where only advanced methods of descriptive geometry can be used to discover its original shape and dimension. With perspective I can see what others cannot or even sometimes refuse to see. But how do we know that our "perspective" is not the skewed one. 
The temple is a great answer.
When we go to the temple we receive the Lord's perspective and thus obtain a meet measuring stick to judge if our perspective has been off. Likewise we can re-evaluate when we pray, read the scriptures, go to church, teach, bear our testimony, or do any other good thing that invites the Spirit into our lives. He it is who can teach us all things and bring all things to our remembrance and show unto us the mysteries of God. 
We tend to ask others, "Can you see what I see?"
We need to listen until we can hear God ask, "Can you see what I see?"
Because unlike our feeble attempts with fingers, squinted eyes, or even laser pointers. If our answer to God is no and we truly desire to see what He sees then He will open the eyes of our understanding until we do see what He sees.
Revelation
Elder Bednar is truly a master teacher.

Monday, April 11, 2011

Irony...?

I think that it is ironic. 
People can neglect the small and simple things and then conference rolls around and they brace themselves for new and interesting doctrine and the most spiritually enlightened men that I know are found reading the scriptures to us. Teaching us about prayer, tithing, following the prophet, going to church, and being good people. 
That is pretty deep/new & interesting doctrine. 
The most amazing thing is that as you do those things then your ability to grow from conference increases. We may in fact do those things, however, if we are prone to say, "I already read my scriptures, or say my prayers, or don't view pornography, or pay my tithing, then we cut ourselves off as well.
God will not unfold any more to our view and we will not progress. 

Satan does not care which side of the path you stray from whether it's the right or the left, because at least it is not the path. To gain all we can from conference we must always be asking, " how can I be kinder, have a better fast, get more out of paying my tithing, reading my scriptures, saying my prayers, doing service, being happier?
When we stop accessing our progress we digress. 
Isn't it ironic?

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Aware

I was thinking and heard in sacrament meeting several times that God is aware of us. I wondered to myself, "self that sounds pretty important so what does it mean to be aware?"

I looked up the records that I could find and found some possible roots for it; prudent, aware, alert, wary, attentive, cautious, to cover
I was very glad to see that aware came up but some of the more significant ones were prudent, alert, attentive and to cover. I truly do feel that God is prudent with the experiences that He gives me and gives me just enough. I feel that He is alert and attentive to my needs and my feelings so that He can comfort me. 
But the most significant one for me is to cover.

The following is an excerpt from Hugh Nibley from one of my favorite series that he wrote:

In Semitic languages, where one root can have many meanings, the first rule is always to look for the basic or literal meaning of the word, which in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic usually takes us back to early days and simple homely affairs of life in the desert or the countryside. One simple physical act often triggers a long line of derivatives—meanings which are perfectly reasonable if one takes the most obvious steps from one to the next, but which can end up miles from the starting-place.

The basic word for atonement is kafar, which has the same basic meaning in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic—that being “to bend, arch over, cover; 2) [to pass over with one’s palm &c., to wipe out, rub] … to deny, … to forgive, … to be expiated, … renounce.”

The Arabic kafara puts the emphasis on a tight squeeze, such as tucking in the skirts, drawing a thing close to oneself. Closely related are Aramaic and Arabic kafata,  meaning a close embrace, which are certainly related to the Egyptian hpt,  the common ritual embrace written with the ideogram of embracing arms. Hpt may be cognate with the Latin capto and the Persian kaftan,  a monk’s robe and hood completely embracing the body.

Most interesting is the Arabic kafata,  as it is the key to a dramatic situation. It was the custom for one fleeing for his life in the desert to seek protection in the tent of a great sheik, crying out, “Ana dakhiluka,” meaning “I am thy suppliant,” whereupon the host would place the hem of his robe over the guest’s shoulder and declare him under his protection. In one instance in the Book of Mormon we see Nephi fleeing from an evil enemy that is pursuing him. In great danger, he prays the Lord to give him an open road in the low way, to block his pursuers, and to make them stumble. He comes to the Lord as a suppliant: “O Lord, wilt thou encircle me around in the robe of thy righteousness! O Lord, wilt thou make a way for mine escape before mine enemies!” (2 Ne. 4:33.) In reply, according to the ancient custom, the Master would then place the hem of his robe protectively over the kneeling man’s shoulder (kafata). This puts him under the Lord’s protection from all enemies. They embrace in a close hug, as Arab chiefs still do; the Lord makes a place for him (see Alma 5:24) and invites him to sit down beside him—they are at-one.

This is the imagery of the Atonement—the embrace: “The Lord hath redeemed my soul from hell; I have beheld his glory, and I am encircled about eternally in the arms of his love.” (2 Ne. 1:15.)

“Behold, he sendeth an invitation unto all men, for the arms of mercy are extended towards them, and he saith: Repent, and I will receive you.” (Alma 5:33.)

This is the hpt—the ritual embrace that consummates the final escape from death in the Egyptian funerary texts and reliefs, where the son Horus is received into the arms of his father Osiris (end of excerpt).

I truly feel that the Lord is aware of me and I hope that I can be more aware of Him being aware of me. I hope that I will take more time to rewind the day and see His hand in my life and then thank Him for the bounty. 

Saturday, April 9, 2011

You had a bad day?

"When we feel to say, "Hope you know I'm having a hard time." We can be assured that He is there and we are in His loving arms. 
Think of the Savior in the Garden of Gethsemane. I testify that the Atonement of Jesus Christ covers all of the trials and hardships that any of us encounter in this life."
With this insight we can know that nothing is truly hard. It is short-sighted. It may set back our plans. It may inconvenience what we think needs to happen. When we hit road blocks then that is the time that our faith is truly tried and strengthened. After we have done all we can then we with confidence leave the rest in the Lord's hands as we go to Him and say, "Hope you know I'm having and hard time." And then in my experience the Lord answers with our next move. It may be something that we did not anticipate or even consider. It may be something that we had encountered and dismissed as the wrong path. When we hit the dead end it is not that He has abandoned us or that we of necessity were incorrect in following our promptings. It simply means that we have reached the end of the road that we were on. If we truly rely on the Lord we realize that there is no sorrow that is not swallowed up in the suffering of the Savior. We can agonize and fret, but He was in agony for us long ago in a Garden called Gethsemane. He suffered that we might not suffer if we would repent. 
Most of us live below our privileges in this matter. The Atonement covers sin and I thank God every night that it does, but repent really means to turn, or to gain a new perspective. He suffered that we might not suffer if we will turn to Him and get a new perspective. I will not say that it does not hurt nights, but I do not suffer. It feels empty, but I am not empty. I am filled with His love. That makes it incredibly hard to have a bad day.

Friday, April 8, 2011

At last

Yeah so it was a great Friday and I stayed at home and watched Tangled with the fam. I love being at home some nights. It is great. I also love Tangled. I think that it is a great Disney movie. I was thinking though about the dong they sing in the boat. "At last I've seen the light and it's like the fog has lifted." 
If that's what it's really like I can't wait(and I am not talking about floating on a boat with a girl with 70 ft. of hair).
It did make me think about other things though, like reading my scriptures, and general conference. I work at something so hard and for so long and wonder why life is hard, and then I get it. It just clears everything up and life gets a little bit sweeter. My usual rule of thumb is that if life is going too fast, getting to crazy, or seems like it is just crushingly busy then I am not being engaged religiously. I may do things, but I am not doing them. I become a robot, and it takes a good strong gust of life for me to realize that I need to unwind, relax, and pick up a good book. In fact the best book, or run to the temple, get something done to help someone else. And while it doesn't make life less busy, it slows it down. And that is a feeling that I can say at last to.

Thursday, April 7, 2011

Judge

So I have been thinking about judging and how to judge and what to judge dealing with people. 
It's interesting.
Because judgements that aren't righteous don't make a difference.
All they really do is waste time, energy, resources, and every other good thing. 
If we truly learn what Jesus was teaching in the sermon on the mount then we learn to be our own judges. It almost sounded selfish when I was first thinking about it. You have to worry about yourself first. 
If that is where it stops and there is no foresight then not only does it stop there, but digression is guaranteed. 
The leaders of Jesus' time judged themselves and sought their own higher level of righteousness. This led to their down fall. He encouraged us to remove first the beam from thine own eye THAT thou mayest more clearly see to pull out the mote which is in thine brother's eye. We are to judge ourselves so that we can receive the Spirit and then not judge but assist our brother. 
The wounds that we wear instills trust in those whom we try to serve. 
That is why I have personally come to trust the Savior to assist me to become better. He wears the wounds of someone who knows how to be better, not because he read some book, or because he knows a lot of stuff, but because He was better. He lived a perfect life. He suffered more than we can imagine. 
Now pulling out a beam from our eye may not be pleasant, but I will ensure that it is nothing  like the suffering of the Savior. It will however help us to serve those whom He loves.
It is said that he who has mercy on another remembers himself. I submit that this is a part of the meaning in the Savior's teachings. That in so suffering and bearing our wounds to another in trouble we might better understand and reassure them of the power and majesty of the Atonement. 
I'm not advocating pulpit confession, but sharing a tender moment with someone in need that shows that you are not perfect and therefore do not judge them and that Christ is perfect and does not judge those who return to Him is a tender experience. It does more to strengthen the bonds of disciples than most other things. 
God does not sit upon His high tower and judge blindly as we more often than not are prone to do. He judges our intentions, our actions, our desires, our capacity, our dedication. I do not. I judge the here and now. Judging is an interesting thing.
I offer to make a difference in my judging. To look to someone's capacity and realize that not only do they have more to offer, but I can help. To look on the desires of someone and help others to see the same. Righteous judgement makes a difference. 
I think to myself, "Will this matter in 20 years?" If the answer is no then our judgement may be hasty. If the answer is yes and we act under the influence of the Holy Ghost then not only will it matter in 20 years, it will make a difference all the rest of their lives.
Unfortunately, the answer is more often than not no. What someone else wears to church, or drinks, or watches, or says, will really make a difference for me in 20 years. I have never talked about another person so much as when I try to find a reason that doing something is right for me. Will it make a difference for me if I do them though? This time the answer is more often than not yes. We are to learn to judge ourselves. 
Comparisons are not judgement, they are neglecting judgement. They are saying in effect, that because someone else has made a decision that they can make the same decision without any of the effects that the other person faces that you never see. If you pick up one end of the stick then you pick up the other. 
I also dislike judging more and more because of what it does to the person handing judgement. They cannot see another receive remission thankfully. This is because it implicates them. If we are not trying to be better and set the markers for our lives on someone else's life, and they repent and return, then our marker raises with them. We in turn try to revoke the forgiveness that they receive to make sure that we are secure in sin. This is a miserable boat to be in.

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Love pt.2

Yeah so I have been thinking about Elder Scott's talk and several other talks given in General Conference, CES Firesides, BYU Devotionals, and I have come to one conclusion among others, he is in love. 
I love to hear him talk about his wife and some of the goals that he has given me. 
I think that it is sad and sometimes amusing to hear what others think love is. There definition is shallow and self-serving. Elder Scott knows what love is. I think that he is probably one of the greatest husbands to have ever lived. If you didn't see his talk I would recommend watching it and taking some serious notes. I keep watching and taking notes (and yes the ladies can take notes as well because he talks a lot about his wife).
HERE

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Fear

False Expectations Appearing Real
I need to focus more in this and not have so much fear.


“A computer once beat me at chess, but it was no match for me at kick boxing.” —Emo Philips

Monday, April 4, 2011

The aftermath

Yeah, the aftermath of General Conference is glorious. I know that I have good friends when we haven't seen each other for 5 days or 4 years and we start off by talking about conference and how it was so incredible. I love that for months afterwards we will be discussing President Eyring's sense of humor, the sadness that rests on President Monson, The hope given by Elder Holland, the invitation to look to become more childlike by sister stevens, President Uchtdorf's accent and many other General conference favorites.
But the real aftermath is what happens to our hearts. Because of general conference and the things that were felt and words which touched us, we will never be the same. The aftermath of general conference will truly be felt as one is more loving to their spouse when it would be easier to get angry as exhibited by Elder Scott, or when we have a hard day and cannot go on but find the strength to do so because we gained a testimony because of what was felt from President Eyring, or when doubt succumbs to faith when a long awaited for prayer is answered by applying principles of revelation from Elder Bednar. 
The true miracle like so many other things is the church is not felt until long after the event is over. The word was planted in our hearts and by faith, or the lack there of, we will reap the aftermath. 

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Vacation

I know weird title right after conference but for me that is what conference is in a lot of ways, a vacation. 
Mostly the best and only true kind of vacation for me is what I call a vacation from life.
I got done listening to conference and felt so good about life. Everything is going to work out fine. Have faith and keep moving forward and you will be fine. It was such a relief to know and have witnessed the fact that we have men who talk with God that tell us what we need to know. They did not tell us the world is going to end or to pack up and move. Just do what you are doing but do it better and give it your best. Make sure that you are becoming what you need to become. 
That is why I love going to the temple, church, reading scriptures, but all of those are fro the moment that I am in them. Conference is long enough that I get a good couple of days that feel like a couple of weeks that take off a couple of years from my life. That is why I love Disneyland. In a similar way it sucks years off of my life. I think that we all need a vacation from life. 
Reading conference is great and re-listening to it is important. But the greatest blessing for me is the moment to take out the time from my life and take a vacation from life for a couple of days. 
I hope that you enjoyed conference and that you will re-read and re-listen to the talks. They were inspiring and uplifting and the Sunday Afternoon session rocked my world.
You can find the talks that have changed my life HERE. And for real guys check out the Young Women Session as well. It is packed with great stuff that you ought to know.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Highlights from Priesthood

I used to feel really bad for the girls that I could watch their conference live and they had to wait to see what happened in Priesthood Conference. I don't feel so bad because with the advances in the technology seeing as they have to wait less but it was great so I will share some highlights.
Elder Anderson
Told a story about a boy who lost his CTR ring. The Lord has set His hand to gather Israel. There will always be something to leaver behind to follow the prophet of God. The majesty and certainty of the Second Coming
Elder Snow
Hope is an emotion that brings richness to our lives. It is a reasonable confidence. Hope for things out of our control lead to superstition and disappointment. Hope for things within our control inspire action, hard work, dedication and making ourselves better.
President Gibson
Told a story of his boys watching over and protecting bunnies. Power in our presidencies. The priesthood is not a gift, it is a commission, an opportunity to serve.
President Uchtdorf
Told the parable of the cruise ship. A man wanting to see the world scrimped and saved to go on a Caribbean Cruise. He could not afford much food and packed a suitcase with canned food and crackers. He envied those who could go to movies, golf, and eat luxurious foods on the cruise. On the last day one of the attendants asked which farewell meal he would attend and he then realized that the things he had forewent were included in the cruise. He had lived below his potential . We must learn the Purpose, Potential and Practical use of the Priesthood. We must never lose the awe and wonder of service in the Lord's kingdom.
President Eyring
Told stories of his early experiences with church service in the priesthood and how we need to fell our Oath and Covenant of the Priesthood. Learn the eternal lessons. Rid our lives of contention.
President Monson
Wanted to talk about some things that "keep me awake and weeping on my pillow." Don't do or say anything that you cannot be proud of. What will protect us in turbulent times? A strong testimony. Read the Book of Mormon. Cease any unrighteousness. We cannot be of the world and must reject false teaching. Young men of marrying age are to marry. Commitment to your marriage will bring happiness. We must be motivated to try harder this time around.
It was superb so when it comes out Wednesday or Thursday you should look it up.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Are you Ready?

Many might finish that statement with the intimidating "to rumble." 
Alma would finish it with "to meet God"
I simply wonder if you are ready for conference and ask you to consider the following

Elder M. Russell Ballard: “It is no small thing, my brothers and sisters, to have a prophet of God in our midst. . . . When we hear the counsel of the Lord expressed through the words of the President of the Church, our response should be positive and prompt. History Elder M. Russell Ballard help each of you with your problems, your struggles, your families, your lives. . . .“We have no selfish desire . . . other than the wish that our brethren and sisters will be happy, that peace and love will be found in their homes, that they will be blessed by the power of the Almighty in their various undertakings in righteousness” (in Conference Report, Oct. 1992, 80; or Ensign, Nov. 1992, 59–60).
Elder Quentin L. Cook: “We know of the experience of Naaman, who was struck with leprosy and who eventually contacted the prophet Elisha and was instructed to ‘go and wash in [the] Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean’ (2 Kings 5:10). “At first, Naaman was unwilling to follow Elisha’s counsel. He couldn’t  understand the thing he had been asked to do—to wash seven times in the Jordan river. In other words, his pride and stubbornness were keeping him from receiving the Lord’s blessing through His prophet. Finally he went down and ‘dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean’ (2 Kings 5:14). “What a humbling thing it must have been for Naaman to realize how close he came to allowing his own pride and his unwillingness to listen to the counsel of the prophet to prevent him from receiving such a great, cleansing blessing. And what a humbling thing it is to contemplate how many of us might miss out on great and promised blessings because we do not listen and then do the relatively simple things our prophet is telling us to do today. . . .“Today I make you a promise. It’s a simple one, but it is true. If you will listen to the living prophet and the apostles and heed our counsel, you will not go astray”
President Dieter F. Uchtdorf: “We have a living prophet on the face of the earth. . . . He knows our challenges and fears. He has inspired answers. . . .“The prophets speak to us in the name of the Lord and in plainness. As the Book of Mormon confirms, ‘the Lord God giveth light unto the understanding; for he speaketh unto men according to their language, unto their understanding’ (2 Nephi 31:3). “It is our responsibility not only to listen but also to act upon His word, that we may claim the blessings…”