I really enjoyed writing this blog. I love blogging, and I plan on making more time for it in the future. I unfortunately didn't keep up very well with this blog, and ended up posting a ton right at the end. However, I have learned some new things about myself as I've taken this journey through my first semester of college.
One really interesting thing I noticed as I was comparing what I wrote near the beginning to what I wrote at the end is that I wrote two of the same blogs without realizing it. #4 and #18 talk about the same point, just with slightly different points of view. It is rather interesting to see (1) how they are similar and (2) how they are different. The fact that they are so similar, and yet written several months apart, tells me that writing really is something that is good for me. This has solidified in my brain that I need to keep blogging because obviously someone is trying to tell me something...
As I look back over this semester and my posts, I can see how I've progressed into a better writer. The first thing I can see is my titles: they got much more creative and interesting as I went along. I think I am going to keep blogging so I can continue to see my progression over the course of my four to six years of college. Maybe someday I can show my kids my blog so they can see that I really was a kid once, and know what I'm talking about when I try to give them advice.
Anyway, this has been a great experience, and I have learned alot about myself. I hope to learn more as I continue blogging in the future.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
20. Music Speaks Louder Than Words
So, I decided that since I'm a music person, I need to have at least one post about music on here, and this has been on my mind lately, because we have talked about it in Music 101.
When music was first written, it was accompaniment only, or used for meditative purposes. Over the centuries, people started recognizing that it has a power of its own. Today, it is the driving force behind movies, plays, TV shows, and life in general. You'd be hard pressed to walk down the street and not see someone with headphones in, listening to music. At the theater, if you're scared, it's better to plug your ears than close your eyes. Why? Because music is more powerful than words.
If you've never played an instrument, you may not have felt the soul to soul connection that can only come through music. I am one of those lucky enough in this life to feel that connection. As I play, I feel as if I'm speaking in a different language, one which everyone understands and speaks. I've felt the touch of another's soul on mine as I've either played or listened to someone else play. The only other feeling in the world I can equate it to is the feeling I get when the Spirit, a soul, touches mine and whispers truth.
That is why music is so beautiful and dangerous. Music can be used for great good: we sing hymns at church and bring the Spirit into our homes with good music. But music can also be used for great evil. Satan can use music to create turmoil, hate, anger, and contention. The leaders of the Church have begun stressing more and more how important it is to be careful of the music we listen to, because it affects us so deeply. Music arouses strong emotions, for good or ill.
I do not know if there has been official declarations on whether certain types of music are good or bad, but I know how I feel. That is what the Apostles and Prophets tell us: listen to the Spirit and what He is telling you. If He wants to leave when you hear a song, you shouldn't be listening to that song.
For me, music is a way to connect to God. It calms me down when I am frustrated, helps me recenter my life and focus on listening for the Spirit. That's why I keep playing it: I long for that connection to another soul, specifically to the Holy Spirit. I'd like to add my testimony to those of the Prophets and Apostles: listen to good music, for it will bring you great joy and be an helpmeet to you. Beware of that music which drives the Spirit away, for music can chase away the Spirit faster than you can say the name of the song. To borrow a quote from Forever Strong: "Listen right."
When music was first written, it was accompaniment only, or used for meditative purposes. Over the centuries, people started recognizing that it has a power of its own. Today, it is the driving force behind movies, plays, TV shows, and life in general. You'd be hard pressed to walk down the street and not see someone with headphones in, listening to music. At the theater, if you're scared, it's better to plug your ears than close your eyes. Why? Because music is more powerful than words.
If you've never played an instrument, you may not have felt the soul to soul connection that can only come through music. I am one of those lucky enough in this life to feel that connection. As I play, I feel as if I'm speaking in a different language, one which everyone understands and speaks. I've felt the touch of another's soul on mine as I've either played or listened to someone else play. The only other feeling in the world I can equate it to is the feeling I get when the Spirit, a soul, touches mine and whispers truth.
That is why music is so beautiful and dangerous. Music can be used for great good: we sing hymns at church and bring the Spirit into our homes with good music. But music can also be used for great evil. Satan can use music to create turmoil, hate, anger, and contention. The leaders of the Church have begun stressing more and more how important it is to be careful of the music we listen to, because it affects us so deeply. Music arouses strong emotions, for good or ill.
I do not know if there has been official declarations on whether certain types of music are good or bad, but I know how I feel. That is what the Apostles and Prophets tell us: listen to the Spirit and what He is telling you. If He wants to leave when you hear a song, you shouldn't be listening to that song.
For me, music is a way to connect to God. It calms me down when I am frustrated, helps me recenter my life and focus on listening for the Spirit. That's why I keep playing it: I long for that connection to another soul, specifically to the Holy Spirit. I'd like to add my testimony to those of the Prophets and Apostles: listen to good music, for it will bring you great joy and be an helpmeet to you. Beware of that music which drives the Spirit away, for music can chase away the Spirit faster than you can say the name of the song. To borrow a quote from Forever Strong: "Listen right."
19. Stronger Than I Ever Knew
I recently heard a poem that I loved. It's called The Oak Tree, by Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.
"A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree's leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing Oak?
The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway
But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You'll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me
Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I've found, with thanks to you
I'm stronger than I ever knew"
I love this poem because it puts so simply why we face trials, or at least one reason why. Jesus spoke in parables. Why? I think one reason is because it makes the lessons more accessible. This poem does that using vivid imagery. Everyone has seen a storm whip a tree around, or tear it's branches off. Everyone has felt the winds of trials rip into them. We can relate to the oak tree and gain strength to stand strong.
I hope that when we stand before Christ at the Judgement Day, we can say to the wind "I've found, with thanks to you, I'm stronger than I ever knew." Trials help us, even if they hurt while we're going through them.
I have had an experience with this. My Sophomore year of High School, I was struggling with everything, school, church, friends, everything. I felt like I was lost, being tossed by a mighty wind all over the place, with no roots. No matter how hard I prayed, I felt like no one was listening. But someone was, and He sent me one of my best friends in the whole world. This friend helped me get through the year, by listening when I needed someone to talk to, by sending random texts throughout the day to make me smile, by doing his best to understand what I was going through, even though he didn't fully understand all the Spiritual stuff. He helped me find my roots.
At the end of that year, I looked back and realized that I had not left my roots, the wind had just twisted me so I couldn't see them. After that year, I could look the wind in the face and say "Until today, I wasn't sure Of just how much I could endure, But now I've found, with thanks to you, I'm stronger than I ever knew."
Just like the Brad Paisley song quoted beneath my blog picture, I lost myself, but with the help of a friend sent strait from God in answer to a desperate cry for help, I got through the wind and found that my roots go deeper than I thought. I have a stronger testimony now that God does hear and answer our prayers. I also know that He knows what's best for us, what winds we must face to grow stronger, and He knows exactly how deep our roots go. If we turn to Him, He will not let the wind knock us down. We may get scratched, dented, bruised, torn, and scarred, but at the end of the day, we will be able to stand before Him and say "I have given my all, I have fought the good fight."
poem courtesy of http://www.ellenbailey.com/poems/ellen_143.htm
"A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree's leaves away
Then snapped its boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke.
How can you still be standing Oak?
The oak tree said, I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway
But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You'll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me
Until today, I wasn't sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I've found, with thanks to you
I'm stronger than I ever knew"
I love this poem because it puts so simply why we face trials, or at least one reason why. Jesus spoke in parables. Why? I think one reason is because it makes the lessons more accessible. This poem does that using vivid imagery. Everyone has seen a storm whip a tree around, or tear it's branches off. Everyone has felt the winds of trials rip into them. We can relate to the oak tree and gain strength to stand strong.
I hope that when we stand before Christ at the Judgement Day, we can say to the wind "I've found, with thanks to you, I'm stronger than I ever knew." Trials help us, even if they hurt while we're going through them.
I have had an experience with this. My Sophomore year of High School, I was struggling with everything, school, church, friends, everything. I felt like I was lost, being tossed by a mighty wind all over the place, with no roots. No matter how hard I prayed, I felt like no one was listening. But someone was, and He sent me one of my best friends in the whole world. This friend helped me get through the year, by listening when I needed someone to talk to, by sending random texts throughout the day to make me smile, by doing his best to understand what I was going through, even though he didn't fully understand all the Spiritual stuff. He helped me find my roots.
At the end of that year, I looked back and realized that I had not left my roots, the wind had just twisted me so I couldn't see them. After that year, I could look the wind in the face and say "Until today, I wasn't sure Of just how much I could endure, But now I've found, with thanks to you, I'm stronger than I ever knew."
Just like the Brad Paisley song quoted beneath my blog picture, I lost myself, but with the help of a friend sent strait from God in answer to a desperate cry for help, I got through the wind and found that my roots go deeper than I thought. I have a stronger testimony now that God does hear and answer our prayers. I also know that He knows what's best for us, what winds we must face to grow stronger, and He knows exactly how deep our roots go. If we turn to Him, He will not let the wind knock us down. We may get scratched, dented, bruised, torn, and scarred, but at the end of the day, we will be able to stand before Him and say "I have given my all, I have fought the good fight."
poem courtesy of http://www.ellenbailey.com/poems/ellen_143.htm
Monday, December 6, 2010
18. I Wrote That?
J.K. Rowling, in her interview with Oprah said something I found interesting. She said that before she wrote Harry Potter, she couldn't have told you her beliefs, but now that she has written it, she understands better what she believes. I understand what she meant. I have found an understanding as I wrote my personal narrative.
When we were told to pick a memory that taught us something from life, I thought "well, that's it! I can't think of a single memory that taught me something; it took lots of times over the course of years to teach me the lessons I know now." However, as I thought a prayed about it, one memory kept returning: that of Dave on a scraggly old hill in Colorado. This is what I eventually wrote my personal narrative on, as posted below.
When I first thought of that memory, I still wasn't sure exactly what I had learned from that experience, except a special bond with Dave and another song added to my favorites list. However, as I started writing, a lesson took shape, and I realized as I wrote what I had learned from that experience. Thus, I understood better what J. K. Rowling was talking about.
I also had another testimony of this near the beginning of the semester. This is also posted below, but I'd like to focus on a different aspect of it. My first horn lesson, my teacher asked me why I play French Horn. As I thought about that, I felt the urge to write it down. I had recently started blogging more, so I decided to blog about it. You cannot tell as well from the post below, since I edited it to make it less scattered, but you can see the process I went through on the original post here: http://byu-adventure.blogspot.com/ . I wrote that post over the course of five days. As I wrote down my thoughts, they started forming better pictures and lines in my head; they started making more sense. This was one of the strongest testimony-growing experiences I have had in relation to writing.
This idea is one of the reasons I believe we should keep journals. I know not all of us feel less scattered after all our thoughts are on paper, but I know many of us do. Maybe we should try journalling just to clear our heads, sort of like cleaning house every night so when we wake up in the morning, our brain is ready and waiting to fill itself up again with as many ideas as we can throw at it.
My experiences with blogging have given me a firmer resolution to journal in order to make sense of the mess in my head, in order to clean house so I can face tomorrow with a clean house, ready for the crazy children of the day to come in and run wild.
When we were told to pick a memory that taught us something from life, I thought "well, that's it! I can't think of a single memory that taught me something; it took lots of times over the course of years to teach me the lessons I know now." However, as I thought a prayed about it, one memory kept returning: that of Dave on a scraggly old hill in Colorado. This is what I eventually wrote my personal narrative on, as posted below.
When I first thought of that memory, I still wasn't sure exactly what I had learned from that experience, except a special bond with Dave and another song added to my favorites list. However, as I started writing, a lesson took shape, and I realized as I wrote what I had learned from that experience. Thus, I understood better what J. K. Rowling was talking about.
I also had another testimony of this near the beginning of the semester. This is also posted below, but I'd like to focus on a different aspect of it. My first horn lesson, my teacher asked me why I play French Horn. As I thought about that, I felt the urge to write it down. I had recently started blogging more, so I decided to blog about it. You cannot tell as well from the post below, since I edited it to make it less scattered, but you can see the process I went through on the original post here: http://byu-adventure.blogspot.com/ . I wrote that post over the course of five days. As I wrote down my thoughts, they started forming better pictures and lines in my head; they started making more sense. This was one of the strongest testimony-growing experiences I have had in relation to writing.
This idea is one of the reasons I believe we should keep journals. I know not all of us feel less scattered after all our thoughts are on paper, but I know many of us do. Maybe we should try journalling just to clear our heads, sort of like cleaning house every night so when we wake up in the morning, our brain is ready and waiting to fill itself up again with as many ideas as we can throw at it.
My experiences with blogging have given me a firmer resolution to journal in order to make sense of the mess in my head, in order to clean house so I can face tomorrow with a clean house, ready for the crazy children of the day to come in and run wild.
17. Agency: A New Deifinition
Agency. We talk about it so much, it has become common place. What do you think of when you think of agency? Until the last couple months, I thought of agency as refusing to drink or rejecting Satan's temptations, but now I see it as so much more.
There is too much stuff to put it all in a blog post and not have it be extremely long-winded and boring. But there is one idea in the scriptures that hit me hard: God will not force a man to Heaven. We see this idea whenever resurrection or sanctification is mentioned. We also see it in Moroni when God talks about how both He and Satan entice men one way or the other, but never force them. It is one of the reasons we don't take the Sacrament unworthily. It is why God lets us make stupid mistakes, and lets some of His children leave Him forever. Our ability to choose for ourselves is more important to Him than getting all of His children back, and it is more important to us (or was when we understood what that meant). That sounds horrible, but it boils down to what happened in the pre-mortal life: Satan's plan to take our free agency was rejected by everyone who is currently (or ever has been) on the Earth in favor of the Plan where we retained our agency, knowing full well that that meant some of us might not return.
As I've thought more about this idea, it has become ever more clear to me how much (1) agency matters and is important and (2) how much God trusts us. He trusts us to not only get ourselves Home, but to also bring as many of His other children with us as possible. My hope and prayer is that we will use this gift of agency, over which a war was fought in Heaven, to choose to come Home and choose to help as many of our brothers and sisters as we can make it Home, too.
There is too much stuff to put it all in a blog post and not have it be extremely long-winded and boring. But there is one idea in the scriptures that hit me hard: God will not force a man to Heaven. We see this idea whenever resurrection or sanctification is mentioned. We also see it in Moroni when God talks about how both He and Satan entice men one way or the other, but never force them. It is one of the reasons we don't take the Sacrament unworthily. It is why God lets us make stupid mistakes, and lets some of His children leave Him forever. Our ability to choose for ourselves is more important to Him than getting all of His children back, and it is more important to us (or was when we understood what that meant). That sounds horrible, but it boils down to what happened in the pre-mortal life: Satan's plan to take our free agency was rejected by everyone who is currently (or ever has been) on the Earth in favor of the Plan where we retained our agency, knowing full well that that meant some of us might not return.
As I've thought more about this idea, it has become ever more clear to me how much (1) agency matters and is important and (2) how much God trusts us. He trusts us to not only get ourselves Home, but to also bring as many of His other children with us as possible. My hope and prayer is that we will use this gift of agency, over which a war was fought in Heaven, to choose to come Home and choose to help as many of our brothers and sisters as we can make it Home, too.
16. Harry Potter and J.K. Rowling
I don't know if you saw it, but about a month ago, J.K. Rowling gave Oprah an exclusive interview, one of only a few she's ever given. I watched most of it, and it was very amazing. It was like other interviews, where the questions and answers are predictable. This was emotional: J.K. Rowling almost cried once. It was amazing to hear her reasons for the books and how her life affected the books. If you haven't seen it, go to http://video.the-leaky-cauldron.org/video/1629 and watch it. It's amazing.
J.K. Rowling talks about her life. When she started writing Harry Potter, she was clinically depressed, poor, and struggling to support her daughter. 6 months after she started the books, her mother died. She herself says that this made the books what they are today. The Harry Potter books are about death, how it affects the living, its many forms, etc. From her life, she drew characters such as the dementors, who represent how one feels when they are depressed. The story about the books coming to her on a train is true. Everything just popped into her head, flooding her with all the specifics about Hogwarts and wizards and such. In this interview, she talked about her family and her first marriage in depth for the first time.
One of my favorite quotes from the interview was actually from a commencement speech Rowling gave at Harvard: "Rock bottom became the foundation from which I rebuilt my life." She talks of the importance of failure, and how it is not necessarily a bad thing. From failures, we learn, and we grow. Similarly, with trials, we learn and we grow. Though it would be nice to stay away from rock bottom, we can know that we have a rock we can build on: the Savior. He's always there for us, throughout our trials and hardships.
Another idea they presented was the difference between a phenomenon and something normal. They talked about it in terms of Micheal Jackson. An article they had read said that Micheal Jackson didn't realize Thriller was a phenomenon, not the norm, and he spent the rest of his life chasing a phenomenon instead of moving on. Both Oprah and J.K. Rowling agree that they must move on, leave the phenomenon as a phenomenon, and move on to something different. This applies in our lives. If we are constantly comparing ourselves to what we did then, or how we were then, we will never be happy with how we are now. We must say "that was a great phase of my life, I wonder what the next one will hold" and move on. Take lessons with us, but then let the rest play out how it should. Many people waste away trying to relive the glory days and they miss the beautiful, fascinating, and wonderful things about the now. I hope that I and each of us will be able to appreciate the now instead of constantly looking back at the then and making ourselves unhappy in the process. Happiness now comes from enjoying the now, and not living in the past.
This interview was very interesting, even from a non-fan point of view. As with the rock bottom quote, many of the subject they discuss can be applied to our life today. This video is well worth the time it takes to watch it.
J.K. Rowling talks about her life. When she started writing Harry Potter, she was clinically depressed, poor, and struggling to support her daughter. 6 months after she started the books, her mother died. She herself says that this made the books what they are today. The Harry Potter books are about death, how it affects the living, its many forms, etc. From her life, she drew characters such as the dementors, who represent how one feels when they are depressed. The story about the books coming to her on a train is true. Everything just popped into her head, flooding her with all the specifics about Hogwarts and wizards and such. In this interview, she talked about her family and her first marriage in depth for the first time.
One of my favorite quotes from the interview was actually from a commencement speech Rowling gave at Harvard: "Rock bottom became the foundation from which I rebuilt my life." She talks of the importance of failure, and how it is not necessarily a bad thing. From failures, we learn, and we grow. Similarly, with trials, we learn and we grow. Though it would be nice to stay away from rock bottom, we can know that we have a rock we can build on: the Savior. He's always there for us, throughout our trials and hardships.
Another idea they presented was the difference between a phenomenon and something normal. They talked about it in terms of Micheal Jackson. An article they had read said that Micheal Jackson didn't realize Thriller was a phenomenon, not the norm, and he spent the rest of his life chasing a phenomenon instead of moving on. Both Oprah and J.K. Rowling agree that they must move on, leave the phenomenon as a phenomenon, and move on to something different. This applies in our lives. If we are constantly comparing ourselves to what we did then, or how we were then, we will never be happy with how we are now. We must say "that was a great phase of my life, I wonder what the next one will hold" and move on. Take lessons with us, but then let the rest play out how it should. Many people waste away trying to relive the glory days and they miss the beautiful, fascinating, and wonderful things about the now. I hope that I and each of us will be able to appreciate the now instead of constantly looking back at the then and making ourselves unhappy in the process. Happiness now comes from enjoying the now, and not living in the past.
This interview was very interesting, even from a non-fan point of view. As with the rock bottom quote, many of the subject they discuss can be applied to our life today. This video is well worth the time it takes to watch it.
15. Cutting Up Others' Words
When we were beginning our research paper, we talked about different strategies to write it. We watched a video of different famous people talking about how they write papers. My favorite was the cut-n-paste method. It involved reading tons of books, finding every quote you might possibly use and typing them up, citations and all. Then you print out the quotes and take a pair of scissors to it. You go crazy, cutting up the quotes and such, and end up with pieces of paper all over the floor/table. Then you pick those pieces of the quotes you like and outline your paper with them. You glue/tape them to another piece of paper, organized, and then go to your original quotes and find the citations for each quote you picked to use. Finally, write your paper around those quotes.
This method works very well for research-based papers, but it takes a lot of time. I did not do this for my research paper, because I procrastinated, but I plan on trying this method in the future.
I like this method because it is similar to how I think: all over the place. I'm very scatter-brained, and my ideas are often difficult to get down on paper. I feel like this method would give me a way to express my ideas using other's words, refining them in the process, so that when it came time to sit down and write, my ideas are succinct, simple, and already backed by experts. I also like this method because it is hands-on. I already try cutting and pasting on the computer, but I often get lost in all the windows. I like to see everything laid out side-by-side, so this method sounds to me like it would suit me well.
I plan on trying this method with future papers, and maybe even trying it with some creative writing pieces...but first I must stop procrastinating.
This method works very well for research-based papers, but it takes a lot of time. I did not do this for my research paper, because I procrastinated, but I plan on trying this method in the future.
I like this method because it is similar to how I think: all over the place. I'm very scatter-brained, and my ideas are often difficult to get down on paper. I feel like this method would give me a way to express my ideas using other's words, refining them in the process, so that when it came time to sit down and write, my ideas are succinct, simple, and already backed by experts. I also like this method because it is hands-on. I already try cutting and pasting on the computer, but I often get lost in all the windows. I like to see everything laid out side-by-side, so this method sounds to me like it would suit me well.
I plan on trying this method with future papers, and maybe even trying it with some creative writing pieces...but first I must stop procrastinating.
14. Which Would You Choose: Less or More?
If you had a choice, would you choose to work less or more? I feel pretty comfortable in saying that most of the human race would rather work less for the same results. Why then, do we so often give ourselves more work than necessary, and often with less results? It's every oxy-moronic.
I'm talking about procrastination. You're probably all smiling and nodding your heads at this point; you know what I mean. I should have realized this a long time ago, but obviously I didn't because Wednesday night right before the research paper rough draft was due found me up late on the computer, surrounded by books and articles, starting to stress out of my skin. As I went to the school the next on about four hours of sleep, I started realizing how much more work procrastination was. It seems counter-intuitive, since we usually spend less time on something we've procrastinated than we would had we done it in a timely manner. However, I am convinced that the stress and loss of sleep amount to having spent four times as much time on the assignment than we would have otherwise. And stressing too much can lead to death, which is never a good thing.
The worst part is that the assignment we procrastinated and spent four times as much energy on than we should have is probably not as good as it would have been had we done it early. Isn't that an interesting oxymoron that continues to crop up in our lives: we strive to do the same amount of work with less effort, yet we constantly make choices that lead to us doing more work for less results. What's worse is that we know about this problem; we're told all through the scriptures "don't procrastinate the day of your repentance." I feel like many people don't catch the full meaning because they focus on the repentance part, but if you take that part off, it becomes "don't procrastinate." We've been told for centuries not to do it, and logically, we shouldn't want to do it, but the moon still finds us up late into the morning, writing papers, and stressing over an undone project. It makes me feel stupid.
However, with this feeling of stupidity comes a re-found resolve to end my procrastinatory tendencies. After I've felt how much work procrastinating takes (research paper, studying for tests...this blog), I have decided that procrastination is one of the Devil's tricks, and I am not going to fall for it anymore. I no longer want to give the Devil a reason to laugh and sneer.
So the moral of the story? Don't procrastinate.
I'm talking about procrastination. You're probably all smiling and nodding your heads at this point; you know what I mean. I should have realized this a long time ago, but obviously I didn't because Wednesday night right before the research paper rough draft was due found me up late on the computer, surrounded by books and articles, starting to stress out of my skin. As I went to the school the next on about four hours of sleep, I started realizing how much more work procrastination was. It seems counter-intuitive, since we usually spend less time on something we've procrastinated than we would had we done it in a timely manner. However, I am convinced that the stress and loss of sleep amount to having spent four times as much time on the assignment than we would have otherwise. And stressing too much can lead to death, which is never a good thing.
The worst part is that the assignment we procrastinated and spent four times as much energy on than we should have is probably not as good as it would have been had we done it early. Isn't that an interesting oxymoron that continues to crop up in our lives: we strive to do the same amount of work with less effort, yet we constantly make choices that lead to us doing more work for less results. What's worse is that we know about this problem; we're told all through the scriptures "don't procrastinate the day of your repentance." I feel like many people don't catch the full meaning because they focus on the repentance part, but if you take that part off, it becomes "don't procrastinate." We've been told for centuries not to do it, and logically, we shouldn't want to do it, but the moon still finds us up late into the morning, writing papers, and stressing over an undone project. It makes me feel stupid.
However, with this feeling of stupidity comes a re-found resolve to end my procrastinatory tendencies. After I've felt how much work procrastinating takes (research paper, studying for tests...this blog), I have decided that procrastination is one of the Devil's tricks, and I am not going to fall for it anymore. I no longer want to give the Devil a reason to laugh and sneer.
So the moral of the story? Don't procrastinate.
13. Eternal Perspective
During the October 2010 General Conference, Per G. Malm of the Seventy spoke of having an Eternal perspective. This talk hit me very hard. He said, "A helpful habit is to lift our vision daily in order to maintain an eternal perspective of the things we plan and do..." He then told a story about his Grandmother, her grandchild, and some eggs: "She sent one of her young children to buy some eggs. The trusted child was probably joyfully walking home along the road, but most of the eggs were broken when the child arrived home. A friend of the family was there and admonished my grandmother to scold the child for behaving so badly. Instead, Grandmother calmly and wisely said, 'No, that will not make the eggs whole again. We will simply use what we can and make some pancakes that we can enjoy together.' "
At this point in his talk, I realized something. We look forward our whole lives to what we'll do after college, what our job will be, where we'll be in retirement. We complain about how hard enduring to the end is. However, I would submit that if we look shift our view above the mundane of the world and look forward to Eternal life, making choices based on this and not on what job we'll have in five years, we will find it infinitely easier to endure faithfully, to keep the commandments, and love God. We will have His Spirit with us, we will not have questions about the gray areas of life, we will naturally live righteously. Elder Malm said this, "When we learn to handle the small and simple daily things in a wise and inspired way, the result is a positive influence that will solidify harmony in our souls and build up and strengthen those around us."
It is a training process to lift our view to Eternal spheres, but I believe that when we do, we will be happier. Our lives will be full of joy, we'll look around us and see the beautiful things in this world, see His children for who they are and love them. If we have an Eternal perspective, everything else will simply fall into place how it should be, and God will make more out of our life than we ever could imagine was possible.
At this point in his talk, I realized something. We look forward our whole lives to what we'll do after college, what our job will be, where we'll be in retirement. We complain about how hard enduring to the end is. However, I would submit that if we look shift our view above the mundane of the world and look forward to Eternal life, making choices based on this and not on what job we'll have in five years, we will find it infinitely easier to endure faithfully, to keep the commandments, and love God. We will have His Spirit with us, we will not have questions about the gray areas of life, we will naturally live righteously. Elder Malm said this, "When we learn to handle the small and simple daily things in a wise and inspired way, the result is a positive influence that will solidify harmony in our souls and build up and strengthen those around us."
It is a training process to lift our view to Eternal spheres, but I believe that when we do, we will be happier. Our lives will be full of joy, we'll look around us and see the beautiful things in this world, see His children for who they are and love them. If we have an Eternal perspective, everything else will simply fall into place how it should be, and God will make more out of our life than we ever could imagine was possible.
12. First Presidency Christmas Devotional
The First Presidency Christmas Devotional last night was amazing. In congruence with what we talked about at church that day, an amazing realization struck me: we were there, singing as angels at His birth, and now we herald His second coming in this life.
Our choir director is in Women's Chorus. At Celebrations of Christmas, they sang "Silent Night". Our choir is also singing "Silent Night", so I choir director presented us with an interesting idea that her choir director had presented. As we sing "Silent Night", we are to think about that night, about the angels, the shepherds. Then think that we were probably one of those angels who sang praises on that lonely hill with the shepherds. When we sang that song, we were to pick a character from the manger scene and sing as that character. Our choir director told us she always picks the angel. I found it really interesting and wonderful to think that I really was one of those angels.
With this idea still fresh in my mind, I watched the Christmas Devotional. President Uchtdorf said, "When Jesus was born, the joy in Heaven was so great, it could not be contained." (May be slightly different, I don't have the actual text.) We know this from the Book of Mormon account when the Heavens lit up, and from the Bible when the angels sang to the shepherds. When he said that, I thought about how I was one of those angels that could not be contained. Was I one of the angels who sang to the shepherds? I don't know if I have ever felt joy like that since that day long ago, but I know my soul still remembers the feeling.
When he spoke of our duty now, to prepare the Earth for His second coming, everything clicked with perfect clarity. We were there, that silent night so long ago. We were the ones who couldn't be contained within the veil. We were filled with so much joy we could not be quiet. Now, we are here to herald Christ's Second Coming. We don't speak out because we feel nervous or worried about rejection or looking stupid. I would assert that in order to overcome this fear and hesitation, we must reconnect with the joy we felt when Christ was born at the Meridian of Time. Our souls know the feeling, and long to feel it again. Through the Gospel, we can find that joy, and when we do, we will not be able to be contained by our mortal feelings: we will share that joy with the whole world. I hope someday I can reconnect with that joy, and fulfill this yearning in my soul for the pure love of Christ, the greatest joy of all.
Our choir director is in Women's Chorus. At Celebrations of Christmas, they sang "Silent Night". Our choir is also singing "Silent Night", so I choir director presented us with an interesting idea that her choir director had presented. As we sing "Silent Night", we are to think about that night, about the angels, the shepherds. Then think that we were probably one of those angels who sang praises on that lonely hill with the shepherds. When we sang that song, we were to pick a character from the manger scene and sing as that character. Our choir director told us she always picks the angel. I found it really interesting and wonderful to think that I really was one of those angels.
With this idea still fresh in my mind, I watched the Christmas Devotional. President Uchtdorf said, "When Jesus was born, the joy in Heaven was so great, it could not be contained." (May be slightly different, I don't have the actual text.) We know this from the Book of Mormon account when the Heavens lit up, and from the Bible when the angels sang to the shepherds. When he said that, I thought about how I was one of those angels that could not be contained. Was I one of the angels who sang to the shepherds? I don't know if I have ever felt joy like that since that day long ago, but I know my soul still remembers the feeling.
When he spoke of our duty now, to prepare the Earth for His second coming, everything clicked with perfect clarity. We were there, that silent night so long ago. We were the ones who couldn't be contained within the veil. We were filled with so much joy we could not be quiet. Now, we are here to herald Christ's Second Coming. We don't speak out because we feel nervous or worried about rejection or looking stupid. I would assert that in order to overcome this fear and hesitation, we must reconnect with the joy we felt when Christ was born at the Meridian of Time. Our souls know the feeling, and long to feel it again. Through the Gospel, we can find that joy, and when we do, we will not be able to be contained by our mortal feelings: we will share that joy with the whole world. I hope someday I can reconnect with that joy, and fulfill this yearning in my soul for the pure love of Christ, the greatest joy of all.
Sunday, December 5, 2010
11. Following in Another's Footsteps
I'm a dancer, among other things. I dance Country Swing, Lindy Hop, Charleston, Blue Tango, and even a little Hip Hop. If you teach it to me, I'll dance it. When I first started out, I was in a High School class with more girls than guys with one of my band friends. We decided that since we were comfortable with each other, we'd dance together. After a few days, we settled into a pattern with me leading and her following. So, the first four months of my dance career (not including those times at EFY or Youth Conference when they try to teach teenagers to touch each other and dance), I was the lead of our team. We had fun in that class. I learned the basic steps to a bunch of new dances, and learned how to move to a beat. However, I found I had trouble when I came to college and now had to follow a guy I had only just met and would only dance with for one song.
When I started following, I was stiff and thought more about the steps than the movement. I'd watch the feet of my partner and strive to do my part perfectly. What ended up happening was that it looked stiff, incompetent, and like a made a ton of mistakes. I joined the Swing Kids Beginning Dance Team, and there I learned how to follow. I learned to let go. The steps are important, but you must implant them in your brain so it becomes second nature to do them, and then not think about them anymore. Put in a little style, and go big. If you dance big, even if you make a mistake no one can tell. Over the course of two months, I learned what steps generally follow certain steps. I got good at reacting to what steps a guy takes. This worked: it looked OK. But it felt off-step. I was always half a step behind the guy, reacting instead of going with him. Then last Thursday, I went to Blue Tango at the OZZ...
At Blue Tango, I had a very interesting conversation. One of my partners said he has led and followed and he decided following was harder. I disagreed; I thought following was easier since you only think in the moment, not about what's coming. However, I have since thought about it, and decided he was right. I think following is harder. When you lead, you think just about what you're doing, and what you want your partner to do, then you push or pull them that way, give them cues to tell them what to do. The follow, however nice it is not to think about what's coming, has the harder job because they must interpret the clues the lead gives them, and act accordingly, all in a split-second so it doesn't look off-set. It's a mind-set different from our normal mind-set. When I realized that in the last week, I also realized that following God is a mind-set we must develop, it's a process. As followers of God, He is sending us signals on what He wants us to do. It is our job to interpret and act on those signals in a timely manner. If we are distracted or out-of-tune (if our connection is bad), we misinterpret signals, or miss them altogether, and our life becomes off-kilter.
So, this semester as I've danced, I've learned to develop a follower's mind-set and have gotten better at understanding where my partner wants me to go next. I'm still learning, but with practice I'll get there. And I'll keep developing my connection with God to get a better and understanding of where He wants me to go next. With practice throughout my life, I'll get to where He can give me a look and I'll know what He wants and do it, so I'll be an instrument in His hands.
When I started following, I was stiff and thought more about the steps than the movement. I'd watch the feet of my partner and strive to do my part perfectly. What ended up happening was that it looked stiff, incompetent, and like a made a ton of mistakes. I joined the Swing Kids Beginning Dance Team, and there I learned how to follow. I learned to let go. The steps are important, but you must implant them in your brain so it becomes second nature to do them, and then not think about them anymore. Put in a little style, and go big. If you dance big, even if you make a mistake no one can tell. Over the course of two months, I learned what steps generally follow certain steps. I got good at reacting to what steps a guy takes. This worked: it looked OK. But it felt off-step. I was always half a step behind the guy, reacting instead of going with him. Then last Thursday, I went to Blue Tango at the OZZ...
At Blue Tango, I had a very interesting conversation. One of my partners said he has led and followed and he decided following was harder. I disagreed; I thought following was easier since you only think in the moment, not about what's coming. However, I have since thought about it, and decided he was right. I think following is harder. When you lead, you think just about what you're doing, and what you want your partner to do, then you push or pull them that way, give them cues to tell them what to do. The follow, however nice it is not to think about what's coming, has the harder job because they must interpret the clues the lead gives them, and act accordingly, all in a split-second so it doesn't look off-set. It's a mind-set different from our normal mind-set. When I realized that in the last week, I also realized that following God is a mind-set we must develop, it's a process. As followers of God, He is sending us signals on what He wants us to do. It is our job to interpret and act on those signals in a timely manner. If we are distracted or out-of-tune (if our connection is bad), we misinterpret signals, or miss them altogether, and our life becomes off-kilter.
So, this semester as I've danced, I've learned to develop a follower's mind-set and have gotten better at understanding where my partner wants me to go next. I'm still learning, but with practice I'll get there. And I'll keep developing my connection with God to get a better and understanding of where He wants me to go next. With practice throughout my life, I'll get to where He can give me a look and I'll know what He wants and do it, so I'll be an instrument in His hands.
10. French Horn and Me
"Why do you play French Horn?"
When my teacher asked me this in my lesson, I told her because I like to create music and I love the sound of the horn. She told me this wasn't good enough. It isn't.
I've played horn for seven years now. Think about that, if a soccer player just liked to kick a ball around and loved the sounds of a crowd, would he stick with soccer for seven years? I don't think so. These are pluses, but he's got to like the thrill of running around a field, fighting against an opposing team, controlling a little rolling thing...you get the idea.
Let's start at the beginning, to see how I got here, and maybe learn something along the way...
I started playing Horn in 6th grade. In 5th grade, they came to each class and passed around a sign-up sheet for those who wanted to join band. When it got to me, I picked Horn for three reasons:
1. It sounded like an interesting instrument.
2. My dad played it in High School.
3. It was challenging. You had to get the director's permission to play it. I like challenges.
These reasons lasted about a month. Sure, it was a challenge and an interesting instrument, but it didn't feel like much of a challenge for me: it came almost naturally, like math. And it really didn't matter that my dad had played it, that had only caught my attention. So I had to have new reasons to keep playing the Horn.
My second reason for playing was that I couldn't quit before getting one year into it. I also liked learning, and I learned that whole first year. I loved the people in our small band in sixth grade, and band was the only time I talked to them. I think a major part was that I didn't want to let anyone down by quitting (I was the only Horn).
Those reasons only hold up for 6th grade, however, because in 7th grade, I went to Junior High School and joined the 7th grade band. I was one of 6 horns, in a band that was at least five times bigger than the one I had just recently left. My band friends became my all-the-time friends, and we had a blast. No one would be severely let down if I quit, since I was one of six Horns sitting on the third row. All of my previous reasons once again became obsolete. I found myself, yet again, changing my reasons for playing, and not even realizing it.
I feel like 8th grade is the time when my current reasons started forming. Unfortunately, I didn't keep a journal back then, so I really don't know what I thought or way I stayed in band. Part of it was the friends I had there. As humans, we are social, and band was how I could be social really easily. I also really liked my band directors. In 8th grade, we had three directors, two of which dealt directly with me. They were great people and really funny. In high school, we had one of the best directors in the state (in our opinion). He was so dedicated to us. He made us work hard, harder than we thought we could, but it paid off when we received superiors at competitions. He was so funny, as well, though his sense of humor was subtle. My band directors have helped keep me in band. But this isn't the only reason; it can't be, because Senior year, our band director changed, and I didn't like some of the stuff he did. The Spirit of the band changed, and all of Senior year, I wanted out. But I didn't leave.
As I was thinking about this questions during the week between my lessons, and in the months since then, I have decided that my reasons are so well-hid that not even I can find them. It's like I drew a map of where I hid them, then lost it. I have figured out a few reasons why I play, though. Here they are:
1. I love music because it speaks directly to my soul. I feel the Spirit when I here good music. So, I play Horn to immerse myself in it.
2. Camaraderie. I know it may sound shallow, but I enjoy working with other musicians. They are very much like me, and so I get along with them. My friends are musicians, and that may be because I'm in band, but I think I'm in band partly because that's where the people I befriend are. Since coming to college, I've found a ton of friends, and only after knowing them awhile do I find out that most of them are in band (and at least five play French Horn).
3. The above two reasons are why I play music. Now, why do I play Horn? It started as a fling, where it sounded interesting. But the reason I stuck with Horn is this: it felt right. I played trumpet for a semester and I have tried to teach myself the flute. Neither of those stuck with me because they didn't feel right. Horn is what stayed because I am supposed to be playing it. I don't know why yet, but I know one day I will find out the higher purpose, even if it's just to bring me joy.
4. Which leads me to the fourth reason I play Horn: joy. I am happy when I'm playing Horn, even if I'm in pain or I'm frustrated, or bored. I love playing the Horn, creating something out of nothing. I told a friend awhile ago that I couldn't think of a blog title because I couldn't make something out of nothing. This may be true in writing sometimes, but it is never true when I'm playing my Horn. Just playing an F is creating beauty where nothing was a second ago.
While I may not know why I play French Horn, or the plan that God has for my life using it, the important thing is that I'm doing what I feel is right. So far, on my journey, I have picked up friends, sheet music, bruises on muscles I didn't know could get bruised, muscles I didn't even know I had, and an ability to recognize the Spirit as I play. I hope to gain more and more of these precious experiences, those moments when I touch another's soul in a way you can only do through music, as I continue to play and travel on the path to Eternity.
When my teacher asked me this in my lesson, I told her because I like to create music and I love the sound of the horn. She told me this wasn't good enough. It isn't.
I've played horn for seven years now. Think about that, if a soccer player just liked to kick a ball around and loved the sounds of a crowd, would he stick with soccer for seven years? I don't think so. These are pluses, but he's got to like the thrill of running around a field, fighting against an opposing team, controlling a little rolling thing...you get the idea.
Let's start at the beginning, to see how I got here, and maybe learn something along the way...
I started playing Horn in 6th grade. In 5th grade, they came to each class and passed around a sign-up sheet for those who wanted to join band. When it got to me, I picked Horn for three reasons:
1. It sounded like an interesting instrument.
2. My dad played it in High School.
3. It was challenging. You had to get the director's permission to play it. I like challenges.
These reasons lasted about a month. Sure, it was a challenge and an interesting instrument, but it didn't feel like much of a challenge for me: it came almost naturally, like math. And it really didn't matter that my dad had played it, that had only caught my attention. So I had to have new reasons to keep playing the Horn.
My second reason for playing was that I couldn't quit before getting one year into it. I also liked learning, and I learned that whole first year. I loved the people in our small band in sixth grade, and band was the only time I talked to them. I think a major part was that I didn't want to let anyone down by quitting (I was the only Horn).
Those reasons only hold up for 6th grade, however, because in 7th grade, I went to Junior High School and joined the 7th grade band. I was one of 6 horns, in a band that was at least five times bigger than the one I had just recently left. My band friends became my all-the-time friends, and we had a blast. No one would be severely let down if I quit, since I was one of six Horns sitting on the third row. All of my previous reasons once again became obsolete. I found myself, yet again, changing my reasons for playing, and not even realizing it.
I feel like 8th grade is the time when my current reasons started forming. Unfortunately, I didn't keep a journal back then, so I really don't know what I thought or way I stayed in band. Part of it was the friends I had there. As humans, we are social, and band was how I could be social really easily. I also really liked my band directors. In 8th grade, we had three directors, two of which dealt directly with me. They were great people and really funny. In high school, we had one of the best directors in the state (in our opinion). He was so dedicated to us. He made us work hard, harder than we thought we could, but it paid off when we received superiors at competitions. He was so funny, as well, though his sense of humor was subtle. My band directors have helped keep me in band. But this isn't the only reason; it can't be, because Senior year, our band director changed, and I didn't like some of the stuff he did. The Spirit of the band changed, and all of Senior year, I wanted out. But I didn't leave.
As I was thinking about this questions during the week between my lessons, and in the months since then, I have decided that my reasons are so well-hid that not even I can find them. It's like I drew a map of where I hid them, then lost it. I have figured out a few reasons why I play, though. Here they are:
1. I love music because it speaks directly to my soul. I feel the Spirit when I here good music. So, I play Horn to immerse myself in it.
2. Camaraderie. I know it may sound shallow, but I enjoy working with other musicians. They are very much like me, and so I get along with them. My friends are musicians, and that may be because I'm in band, but I think I'm in band partly because that's where the people I befriend are. Since coming to college, I've found a ton of friends, and only after knowing them awhile do I find out that most of them are in band (and at least five play French Horn).
3. The above two reasons are why I play music. Now, why do I play Horn? It started as a fling, where it sounded interesting. But the reason I stuck with Horn is this: it felt right. I played trumpet for a semester and I have tried to teach myself the flute. Neither of those stuck with me because they didn't feel right. Horn is what stayed because I am supposed to be playing it. I don't know why yet, but I know one day I will find out the higher purpose, even if it's just to bring me joy.
4. Which leads me to the fourth reason I play Horn: joy. I am happy when I'm playing Horn, even if I'm in pain or I'm frustrated, or bored. I love playing the Horn, creating something out of nothing. I told a friend awhile ago that I couldn't think of a blog title because I couldn't make something out of nothing. This may be true in writing sometimes, but it is never true when I'm playing my Horn. Just playing an F is creating beauty where nothing was a second ago.
While I may not know why I play French Horn, or the plan that God has for my life using it, the important thing is that I'm doing what I feel is right. So far, on my journey, I have picked up friends, sheet music, bruises on muscles I didn't know could get bruised, muscles I didn't even know I had, and an ability to recognize the Spirit as I play. I hope to gain more and more of these precious experiences, those moments when I touch another's soul in a way you can only do through music, as I continue to play and travel on the path to Eternity.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
9. Modern-Day Prophets
In General Conference, November 2010, a certain talk was mentioned twice: 14 Fundamentals in Following the Prophet", a talk by President Benson. I decided that since two of the living prophets had mentioned it, I should go look it up. So I did. The first thing that hit me was that it was given at BYU. That meant that his audience was college students, like us. His message was that we should follow the living Prophet and he gave us the fundamental lessons about doing so. His message hit home to me: my testimony of the Prophet has increased as I've read it. Here's what did it for me:
Point two: "The living prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works."
Think about how many times we're told to read our scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. They say it at least five times every conference, and bishops and stake presidents say it all the time throughout the year. It's said at least once a month in my ward. Think about your love for the scriptures, how strong it is. Then think "My love for the Prophet and how much time I spend reading his words should be more than that for the scriptures." Maybe we should sit down and read the Ensign...
Point five: "The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diplomas to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time."
No Prophet has had a doctorate in anything. Joseph Smith didn't even have a high school education, yet look at what he said, and how science has eventually proved it. Prophets don't have to know anything about a specific area, because God knows everything and will give them what they need to know. President Benson makes this promise: "if there is ever a conflict between earthly knowledge and the words of the prophet, you stand with the prophet and you’ll be blessed and time will show you have done the right thing."
Point six: "The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture."
This is an interesting idea since this class has been talking about the use and power of words. Writing concisely means you write your thoughts and ideas with the fewest words possible while still getting your point across. Prophets speak concisely, which means they rarely say "Thus saith the Lord" anymore. They don't have to. Moses and Old Testament prophets did, but they had the lesser Law. The people didn't understand the importance of Prophets. Today, we do. Prophets always speak for the Lord. Follow every commandment, counsel, and word he says.
Point 14: "The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer."
“I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep.” -President N. Eldon Tanner
Can you imagine what would happen if people started picking and choosing commandments? If you're just looking at the Ten Commandments alone, that's 10! different permutations. Each permutation would become it's own church, and soon we'd have 3,628,800 additional churches on our hands! Think about what would happen as people: if one person picks "Love thy neighbor" to follow, and another decides to ignore "Thou shalt not kill", we'd have a massacre on our hands. The commandments are meant to be taken all together.
I really like the line "we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God." This is logical. If we're not following God's Prophet, but we're following someone (ourselves) and some commandments, and we think that we are speaking for God, we just put ourselves up as a prophet who is false with one follower: yourself. From that point, everyone in Pres. Tanner's and Pres. Benson's audience would have heard of the scriptures about false prophets, and know the dangers and punishments that come with following them. Neither of them has to say what happens, we all know those who follow false prophets do not reach exaltation.
Here is something that hit me throughout the talk: the use of strong words. [bolding added]
“Now I tell you that a man in his position [following the dead prophets but rejecting the living ones] is on the way to apostasy. He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who cannot follow the living prophet of God.” We've talked about the power of words; forfeit is such a powerful words. It connotes giving up, weakness, sorrow, loss. All are negative words. When I think of someone forfeiting, I think of someone who has given in to worldly pressures and lost his/her will to finish the task. I think of someone who has tried hard, but not hard enough, and who will regret that decision forever after. It is a powerful word, in connection with the greatest gift in this life: eternal life. How would it be to forfeit Eternal Life; to try hard, but not hard enough. To make all that work meaningless because you just didn't go far enough.
"Yea, they are they [rich, learned, and proud] whom he [God] despiseth." Despise. Hitler's hate of the Jews was powerful, but I've never heard anyone use the word "despise" in congruence with it. God hates those who are "wise, and ... learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up" more than Hitler hated the Jews. Yet at the same time, He loves them enough to extend His infinite mercy towards them. I think that's a second part of the word "despise" that we overlook: despise does not equal hate. Despise is like hating someone's actions, while still loving the person, so you despise them. It's a powerful word, but to me, there is also hope behind that word.
"We should never discriminate between these commandments..." Never is such a powerful word, at least to me. I had a teacher who would say that "never" and "always" get overused and have come to mean something completely different. When we here "never", we take it to mean "I won't, unless...." "Never" does not have a condition on it, it is set in stone. Using that word here draws attention to the point and tells of the importance of it: we cannot ever discriminate between the commandments.
I loved this talk. It was written to us. It is rhetorically strong and sound. The point is important: follow the Living Prophet, God's mouthpiece on Earth. This has strengthened my testimony of following the Prophet and given me a greater conviction to read the Ensign as part of my scripture study.
Point two: "The living prophet is more vital to us than the Standard Works."
Think about how many times we're told to read our scriptures, especially the Book of Mormon. They say it at least five times every conference, and bishops and stake presidents say it all the time throughout the year. It's said at least once a month in my ward. Think about your love for the scriptures, how strong it is. Then think "My love for the Prophet and how much time I spend reading his words should be more than that for the scriptures." Maybe we should sit down and read the Ensign...
Point five: "The prophet is not required to have any particular earthly training or diplomas to speak on any subject or act on any matter at any time."
No Prophet has had a doctorate in anything. Joseph Smith didn't even have a high school education, yet look at what he said, and how science has eventually proved it. Prophets don't have to know anything about a specific area, because God knows everything and will give them what they need to know. President Benson makes this promise: "if there is ever a conflict between earthly knowledge and the words of the prophet, you stand with the prophet and you’ll be blessed and time will show you have done the right thing."
Point six: "The prophet does not have to say “Thus saith the Lord” to give us scripture."
This is an interesting idea since this class has been talking about the use and power of words. Writing concisely means you write your thoughts and ideas with the fewest words possible while still getting your point across. Prophets speak concisely, which means they rarely say "Thus saith the Lord" anymore. They don't have to. Moses and Old Testament prophets did, but they had the lesser Law. The people didn't understand the importance of Prophets. Today, we do. Prophets always speak for the Lord. Follow every commandment, counsel, and word he says.
Point 14: "The prophet and the presidency—the living prophet and the First Presidency—follow them and be blessed—reject them and suffer."
“I thought how true, and how serious when we begin to choose which of the covenants, which of the commandments we will keep and follow, we are taking the law of the Lord into our own hands and become our own prophets, and believe me, we will be led astray, because we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God. No, we should never discriminate between these commandments, as to those we should and should not keep.” -President N. Eldon Tanner
Can you imagine what would happen if people started picking and choosing commandments? If you're just looking at the Ten Commandments alone, that's 10! different permutations. Each permutation would become it's own church, and soon we'd have 3,628,800 additional churches on our hands! Think about what would happen as people: if one person picks "Love thy neighbor" to follow, and another decides to ignore "Thou shalt not kill", we'd have a massacre on our hands. The commandments are meant to be taken all together.
I really like the line "we are false prophets to ourselves when we do not follow the Prophet of God." This is logical. If we're not following God's Prophet, but we're following someone (ourselves) and some commandments, and we think that we are speaking for God, we just put ourselves up as a prophet who is false with one follower: yourself. From that point, everyone in Pres. Tanner's and Pres. Benson's audience would have heard of the scriptures about false prophets, and know the dangers and punishments that come with following them. Neither of them has to say what happens, we all know those who follow false prophets do not reach exaltation.
Here is something that hit me throughout the talk: the use of strong words. [bolding added]
“Now I tell you that a man in his position [following the dead prophets but rejecting the living ones] is on the way to apostasy. He is forfeiting his chances for eternal life. So is everyone who cannot follow the living prophet of God.” We've talked about the power of words; forfeit is such a powerful words. It connotes giving up, weakness, sorrow, loss. All are negative words. When I think of someone forfeiting, I think of someone who has given in to worldly pressures and lost his/her will to finish the task. I think of someone who has tried hard, but not hard enough, and who will regret that decision forever after. It is a powerful word, in connection with the greatest gift in this life: eternal life. How would it be to forfeit Eternal Life; to try hard, but not hard enough. To make all that work meaningless because you just didn't go far enough.
"Yea, they are they [rich, learned, and proud] whom he [God] despiseth." Despise. Hitler's hate of the Jews was powerful, but I've never heard anyone use the word "despise" in congruence with it. God hates those who are "wise, and ... learned, and they that are rich, who are puffed up" more than Hitler hated the Jews. Yet at the same time, He loves them enough to extend His infinite mercy towards them. I think that's a second part of the word "despise" that we overlook: despise does not equal hate. Despise is like hating someone's actions, while still loving the person, so you despise them. It's a powerful word, but to me, there is also hope behind that word.
"We should never discriminate between these commandments..." Never is such a powerful word, at least to me. I had a teacher who would say that "never" and "always" get overused and have come to mean something completely different. When we here "never", we take it to mean "I won't, unless...." "Never" does not have a condition on it, it is set in stone. Using that word here draws attention to the point and tells of the importance of it: we cannot ever discriminate between the commandments.
I loved this talk. It was written to us. It is rhetorically strong and sound. The point is important: follow the Living Prophet, God's mouthpiece on Earth. This has strengthened my testimony of following the Prophet and given me a greater conviction to read the Ensign as part of my scripture study.
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