Small and Simple Things

I will be personal with you for a moment. I find it very tempting to give heavy attention to my own sorrows and struggles before I even start to think of what others are going through. When I am having a hard time, I want others to be worried about me. When I am having a great day with amazing experiences, I expect others to rejoice with me. It is far easier for me to turn inward than to look outward. I suspect that I am not alone in this, but for now, I will speak for myself. If I am the main character in my story, this attitude is fitting as the story should focus on and revolve around the problems, needs, thoughts, and actions of the protagonist. Is this wrong? Shouldn't I be the main character of our own life? This view of the world is portrayed through pinterest, instagram, and other social media outlets It is all about me, my story, my selfies, and my posts. It is taught to us by our individualistic society. It is easy to develop the view that the world revolves around me a...

About a year ago, I read a book entitled, Weakness is NOT sin . Many of the thoughts in this post come from this book. I highly recommend it. Ether 12:27 - "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness . I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that they humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them." God shows us our weakness . He gives us weakness . Notice that the scripture doesn't say that he gives us " weaknesses. " What is the difference? This scripture isn't talking about our anger issue, or our fear of commitment, or our susceptibility to fall into a particular sin. Rather, this scripture is talking about our general weakness. It is referring to the general idea that we are "less than the dust of the earth" (Helaman 12:7) and that while our spirit may be willing, ...

On May 27, 2015, I was boarding a bus with my good friend Gregory Barker. We were starting a journey that would begin with an 18 hour bus ride. We were joined by 34 strangers who were filing onto the bus where we would be riding and sleeping that night. I boarded that bus not recognizing yet recognizing that I was missing something. I didn't realize that I was missing it until we arrived at our destination the next day. On Thursday, we arrived at our first site in Kansas City, Missouri. It is a beautiful temple and it was great to walk around the temple and enjoy of the spirit that you can feel on temple grounds. Directly after, we went to the Community of Christ temple (a dissension of the LDS church) in Independence and it was a beautiful building. Speaking with Gregory, it was interesting that we both noticed the lack of meaning and symbolism within the building. Our next stop on the tour was Liberty Jail. This was a place of great suffering, butt along with suffering came ...

The declaration of the United States of America states that all men are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. Men have pursued happiness since the beginning of time in a variety of ways. Psychologists and others who study human nature brew up theories trying to discover how to live a happy life. Should there not be an answer that applies to all? If there is a universal answer to this question, would it not be the most important information we could possibly share with others? The pursuit of happiness ends when one discovers, and patterns their life after the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ. The gospel of Jesus Christ has been around since the beginning of time. The first two humans to walk the earth were taught the Gospel by heavenly hosts. Adam and Eve lived the gospel and were blessed. Since Adam and Eve, God has called prophets to preach and remind each of us where peace and happiness ca...

Real Life Questions: The Things That Matter Most Are you allowing the Lord to dictate your life? Or is your life completely dictated by the world? Too often we allow ourselves to be so occupied by the things of the world that we kick things of eternal importance out of our priorities altogether. If we are "too busy" to read scriptures, say prayers, attend the church or temple, we should consider who is dictating our schedule.    Do you find joy in doing Holy things? How many of us feel genuine excitement at the thought of going to the temple, reading our scriptures or going to church? A desire to do holy things can be attained through prayerful seeking. So start your seeking today!    Are you being true to your name? Many have come before you to prepare a path for you to live on this earth. Are you being true to that heritage? Would your ancestors be proud to see what you are doing with the family name?     Are you being true ...

"And the Lord God doth work by means to bring about his great and eternal purposes; and by very small means the Lord doth confound the wise and bringeth about the salvation of many souls .                                                                                                        Now ye may suppose that this is foolishness in me; but behold I say unto you, that by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise."                                          -Alma 37:6-7 This life, and the purpose for which we are here is quite simple.  We have ...

I have been greatly blessed in my life to have friends, both old and new, that support me and help me to be a better person. Some of my closest friends have been by my side for as long as I can remember, but time isn't the only thing that bonds two people together.  In life we stumble across people with whom we seem to make an instant connection.  So how are meaningful friendships formed and how do some last a lifetime while others die off seemingly before they start? I believe that the answer is something quite simple.  If we look to our own lives and think of our best friends we are sure to find the answer.  Real friends are just that... real.  There is no need to act, pretend, or impress each other as there is a deep mutual understanding of one another.  Unlike some who are willing to hang out when things are easy, fun, and convenient, real friends are more than happy to stay around when things get rough, bad, and ugly.  They want the best for y...