The Phantom Menace: Resisting Temptation

Hello everyone! I do hope these posts are fulfilling, and that they at least give you a smile. Anyway, now that I have your attention, I hope. Yes you, behind the screen! I'll just jump right in with the good stuff.

So, what is this "Phantom Menace" that I'm talking about? No, it's not the Star Wars movie title :), but what could it be? So many times in life we focus on things that might not be that important, or lose focus on some of the things that are. Why is that? Why is it so hard to stay focused in this world? Why do we have many of the problems that we do? It's because we're distracted. There are so many things in the present day that sometimes pull us away from focusing on actual life, and lead to many of the problems we see in society. Many of these things are very common things, and are things that we see and interact with on a daily basis.

I think it's very interesting to think about how easy it is to slip off into many of these distractions. Things like drugs, media, and technology have very different perspectives with many of their uses. Why? Because there are unseen forces that attack the simplicity and the neutrality of these different aspects of our lives. We are at war. There are no guns, nor airplanes; explosions, nor countries in this war. The Adversary, the Devil, or Satan is on full assault against mankind, and he is pulling ahead in the last leg of the race.

Temptation is everywhere, and if we can't find something to anchor ourselves against the storm, then we'll be blown away. Isn't it interesting that the word tempest, which means severe storm, is really close to having the word "tempt" and "test" in it? Life is an opportunity to learn and grow, fail and succeed, and love and lose, but we are not alone and we aren't without opposition. I urge you to find your own anchor, whether it's your family, your friends, Jesus Christ, or the Gospel-something to help you find that foundation. I think it's hard to try and find your way without somewhere to start. I want to give you a few things you can do to help you try and resist this onslaught of wayward winds, and to help you find your own anchor in your life.

• Find Jesus Christ. How could someone not want to find Christ in their lives? So many things in life are so horrible to deal with, and are so harmful to us that there seems that we can never have hope. Christ suffered those pains and afflictions when he performed his Atonement and was crucified on the cross for us. He loves us and he just wants us to feel that and to feel that healing power that he can give. I've seen too many struggling families, wayward children, and lost people who I feel badly for. No one is perfect. I know that for a fact. Because of this, it's not hard to get lost or to get buried by life's trials. If you have difficulties or temptations that you don't think you can handle, then give Christ a chance to help you. Trust in his promise when he says, "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.1" 

• Recognize Your Special Self. Why do we degrade each other so much? Why do we have so many problems in our societies, our countries, and our communities? Why are we so bent on getting ahead of whoever, that we forget that we're all in this together? Really? How much farther do you think we could be, if we just worked together, instead of working individually. Everyone of you are special, royal individuals. You deserve to be loved and cared for, and you deserve people to go through life's journey with you. I really hope that you can at least smile from this post. You do have talents and gifts that you may not even realize that you have. Don't ever short yourself, and remember that you need to build yourself up sometimes, and not focus on comparing yourself to other people-they're not as perfect as you think. 

• Accept That Everyone Needs a Break. Temptation and heartache are everywhere. Sooner or later, all of us are going to have to just stop and take a break. That's totally fine. We need to remember that we're not in this life alone, and that we can do this. We're all trying to reach that big goal in life, hopefully, to be able to return to God at the end of our lives. You can do this, and Christ can help. He is with us every step of the way, and sometimes-most of the time for me, he is carrying us through our struggles. Remember that you are loved!

• Life Isn't Really a "Highway". To preface this point, I would like to share with you the last part of one of my all time favorite poems. Here is an excerpt: "Two roads diverged in a wood, and I-I took the one less traveled by, and that has made all the difference.2" I love the last line of the poem. Many, many times, there are several paths we all can take in life. Which one has something at the end worth walking towards, and is that road's journey worth it? It always makes all the difference, doesn't it? There is a lot of people who just go along with the different things of the world, and just do things that they see other people doing. They're just following that mainstream highway of life, and it's hurting so many people. The journey is as important as the end, and some paths don't have a good ending. So, I'm sorry Tom Cochrane, but life isn't really a "highway". 

My fellow friends and loving readers, life sometimes isn't mainstream-there is temptation, evil, heartbreak, and trials, but we have Christ and each other to help and love us. There is a lot of temptations out there, and it's not easy to try to manage all of the things we deal with on a daily basis, but we can do it. The most important part is that we have to trust ourselves and stay true to the path that will be best for us. At the end of your life, do you want to say that you stayed true to the straight path, and took the road less traveled by? I do. So let's keep walking it together, no matter if more people are on the mainstream "highway". Let us all press on! 

1:  Matthew 11:28, New Testament

2:  Excerpt from The Road Not Taken by Robert Frost

A Personal Inception

Sometimes we get down on ourselves don't we? Life's road is usually cracked, windy, and maybe even sometimes broken. There are bumps all around it, and we have a hard time navigating them. Why is that? Have you looked at yourself recently and asked, "Who am I?" I have. It's been a life long journey up to this point. Every time I think of it, every time I think I'm close, it slips away. Why? Because it's a journey, it's not a destination.

I talked about this a little bit in my last post, when I talked about being in the Eye of the Storm, but now I want to focus on that personal journey that we all have to find ourselves. I'm not an expert in any respect. In fact, I'm wrestling with myself and my mind to continue making progress in my own journey. It's difficult. I've shed many a tear and hugged many a floor, wondering how to keep going. So how would we?

For me, I've done lots of searching. Searching the Bible, the Book of Mormon-reading guides and studies, praying every single day, and doing a lot of self study. It's hard, because we sometimes don't know when we've reached the next step, or when we've achieved that next tier in knowledge.

I recently read an article that outlined some of the basic steps to finding yourself. I almost cried reading it. Most of the things it talks about, have been things that I've been searching, wrestling, crying, or searching for for a while. It didn't give me any dominate answers, but it gave me something to start from. I'd like to outline a few of its points, as well as input a few of my own gospel points in.

For me, my challenges are mostly emotional, especially at the present time. Most everything else is fine (Though, none of them are ever perfect), but I'm definitely working on that side of me more then anything. I don't mind talking about myself, but usually I'm quite reserved in "who" I talk to about it. I always have this fear that by revealing some of my mistakes or vulnerabilities, that I'll just come out more broken. I'll put that fear aside for now, at least with a few of these challenges that I'll share with you.

I recognize myself as a perfectionist. It's not a boastful label nor is it a horrible trait, but it is a challenge for me in lots of respects. Sometimes I try so hard to be perfect; to love everyone, to be nice and neat always, and to do my best in things I do, but with perfection as my bar, I never succeed. Now, if I'm talking about it, I must recognize that I have this tendency or trait, right? 

So, why is it so hard? It's because it's a mental way of thinking. It's part of my personality. Can I change it? Honestly, I don't know, but I just know that I have to find someway of letting it in and fusing with me. You can only fight yourself so long before you lose, and I've gotten to that point many times. That's one of the rules of life though: Nobody is perfect, and we don't need to be concerned about being loved by everyone. That's something that's hard for most people, including me. I love the quote by Raymond Hull that says:

"He who trims himself to suit everyone will soon whittle himself away." 

It's hard to do this sometimes, but we need to accept ourselves and realize that we are very special people. This goes along with self worth and self confidence. Again, something that I'm working on, but we need to accept that each of us are special, and we have talents that we've been blessed with.

There was two or three main points from the article that I will mention now. The first subject on one of the "Steps to Personal Discovery" was entitled, "Let go of the need to be loved by all."

This is something that I think is difficult for many people. We want to be accepted don't we? It's our nature to want praise and affection for the things that we do or the achievements we get, but let's face facts. With nearly six billion people on the world (Don't quote me on that statistic!), we can't get along or be loved by everyone. Someone somewhere is going to hate or dislike us for reasons we don't know. Just accept that you won't get along with everyone. You have friends and family who, hopefully, love you, and even though everyone may not like you, you're still a wonderful person who has gifts and talents to use through your life.

The second point that I'd like to outline is, "Immerse yourself in Solitude." 

This is definitely true for myself. Everyone needs time alone, whether you're the "Chatty Cathy" or the "Shy Stewart". The article clearly describes that solitude is a time for rejuvenation, self-talk, and utter peace. Reading that sentence gave me a lot of peace. I love to discuss things with myself inside my mind. I find that, even when I can't turn to anyone else, I am my greatest listener. If we don't stop and think once and a while, our brains go into overload. How can you expect to find peace if you've burnt out the 'memory boards' of your brain? Not possible. Everything needs rest, and that goes for your mind and your feelings too.

For me, my time consists of quiet pondering, simple writing, and soft prayers. I would consider myself a creative person at heart, and it really is something when I can just sit down and let my mind zoom through the universes and feel that peace. 

The final point I'd like to talk about is, "Be ready for Dead Ends." 

I told you at the start that reading this article made me tear up, and the following point and quotation is one of the reasons why. I love you all. Thank you for coming into my life and for teaching me many, many things about myself. I will leave you, my good reader, with this quote, and bid you a wonderful time till we blog again :). Be safe, and remember that you always have a caring friend right here. 

Finding yourself is a journey, not a destination. A lot of it is trial and error. That's the price you pay in return for the satisfaction you receive: More often than not, you hit a bump in the road, and sometimes you fall flat on your face. Be prepared to understand and accept that this is a part of the process, and commit to getting right back up and starting over. 

Credits:

www.wikihow.com/Find-Yourself 

The Eye of the Storm

"Don't Cry for Me-"

No, not Argentina, sorry! Was almost about to break into song there, but I'll spare everyone!

Just a little something to bring you in he-he!

Anyway, I've just been feeling different lately, especially with the things that I feel like writing about. I've told you this in the past that I love writing. It is a very calm stress reliever for me at many times. However, when thinking of something else to write about in future posts, I've been thinking about some different perspectives and topics.

The title of this blog wasn't just a sly hook, but there is a relation I would like to make to the song it references to how I've been thinking about life and myself. I don't know if a lot of you feel this way, if you do, I really hope that I can shed more light on some of the facts associated with these feelings.

Over the past little while, I've been doing extensive internal analysis with myself. Others would coin it as "Soul Searching", but the meaning is the same. What I do as a missionary is invite people to Jesus Christ and teach them learn about the gospel he established and how it has hereby been restored.

I'm telling you this to let you know how I feel, and then to hopefully connect with something that you, the reader, might be feeling. Teaching people about the gospel is fairly easy, in actuality. As we know from the Bible, and other scriptures, the Holy Ghost or Holy Spirit testifies and influences truth through everyone. Teaching is easy, because the Holy Spirit helps it to be easy. We, as missionaries, are just messengers and vessels through which the Spirit can be felt. The essence of true conversion is the testimony that the Holy Ghost gives to each and every person. We, the missionaries, can't convert anyone-that's the Holy Spirit's job. Ours is only to create the opportunities. People will accept it or not, and that's one of the benefits, at least for our feelings as teachers, from people's agency.

I don't want to get off on a tangent about the Holy Ghost right now, because I will discuss him and his role in depth another time, but I want to make a related between teaching people and being a missionary, and then still being human and a normal person.

I made a reference to the song, Don't Cry for Me Argentina, from the Broadway musical Evita, because it has an interesting message, and I just felt like I could connect with some of the feelings I've gotten from it. I don't know why this happened. I've been involved with that musical in the past, but something about it really has been pressing on my mind lately.

The song relates Eva Peron's feelings to the people of Argentina. She first relates her experiences as she aspired for more in life, and how she had to climb to the top for freedom. She didn't like the poor life, and so she wanted to reach for the stars. She then exhorts them, the people, not to weep for her, and that she'll always be with them. Like I said, I don't know why this certain song has been coming to my mind lately, but within the song I think there is some very special messages for life.

I don't want you, the reader, to take my relation and comparison to this famous musical creation literally. I want you to actually listen. Listen to the feelings and emotions that come into your heart if you ever get to listen to the song.

It won't be easy, you'll think it strange. When I try to explain how I feel...

I hope you focus on the feelings and emotions that the tune and tone of the song bring. Sometimes in life we feel that we can't properly explain ourselves to people. I don't know what the reason may be. But we try our hardest to be true to ourselves and to try and grow as individuals.

I find myself a lot of times like a small boat, sitting in the middle of a hurricane-the eye of the storm, and looking all around me at the treacherous winds. Every time I might try to navigate out of the storm, I can't because of the circling barriers of wind. I'm not broken or shattered, because I'm in the eye of the storm, but I'm not going anywhere either. It's this whirlwind wind of repetition. It may be with experiences, thoughts, feelings, life-whatever you may have felt this way about. Sometimes we just have to think inward and pull ourselves up.

The song I referenced, disregarding the context in the actual play, has a very powerful, and individualistic view. I think we need to reach for the stars. We may be in a storm of hatred or uncertainty, but I think if we just first, trust in Jesus Christ, and, second, realize that we're more important than we think we are, we can go far and reach for that freedom.

I haven't fully navigated out of the storm. Life is a storm, and I think, at least for me personally, I'm going to be battling with Life's winds for a while, but I take comfort in the fact that I'm still sailing and that, even though there may be some fierce winds, each of us control whether our boat shatters, or whether we keep on navigating.

I testify of the power of the scriptures. They are truly a map to life. I know that Jesus is my savior and that he can always help us through that storm way. I'm not perfect, and I'm still pressing on and navigating, but I take comfort in the fact that I don't have to navigate alone. I have wonderful friends and family with me, taking this treacherous journey with me.

Finally, my wonderful readers, thank you for continuing to take comfort from the words that I speak. I really hope and intend for them to be a loving comfort for you, and for them to make you feel a bit better. Know that a caring friend is never far away if you need one. I love all of you, and I'm grateful for the opportunity and the chance to make the journey a little bit brighter. I do love the last part of the song that I've mentioned earlier, and that is what I'll leave you with:

"But all you have to do is look at me to know, That every word is true..."

Don't Cry for Me Argentina Lyric Excerpts
Copyright Andrew Lloyd Webber

Friendship: The Web Strands of Life

Hello again everyone!

Thanks for continuing to follow me, and read the different things I've been posting. I sincerely hope that these past posts have at least made you smile, and hopefully left you feeling a bit more cared for. Some of the past blog posts I've done have been about different subjects that have, in someway, related to God and religion. Bad thing? Absolutely not :D! But, I feel inclined to talk about a certain subject that, can also be related to God, but has a more Earthly and subtle tone to it.

I just want you, the reader, to remember that as we take another blog journey together, and as you read on, that the purpose of this blog is to give you the opportunity to build upon your knowledge of Christ, and also let you feel as much love, care, and comfort that I can give you through
a simple computer screen. Enough about introductions-everyone seems to dislike them anyway ha-ha!

Friendship is one of those things that sometimes gets misconstrued in today's society. I would like to enlighten you as to some of the benefits and blessings of friendship, and how, if you don't already, you can get more out of those relationships with those people you hold close to your heart. I guess we'll start with the dictionary definition of "friend" first-might as well put it out there :)! A friend is:

"A person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard." 

I liked the word attached in that sentence. Notice, however, that no where does it say that a friend is simply an item to be had-"A person." I would like to point out that this post, the subjects in it, and the intention behind it is in no way meant to be taken negatively or with ill-feelings. It is merely to expound on what friendship is to me, and hopefully you as well, and give my appreciation and love to the privilege I've had of having so many wonderful, and unique friends.

I always used to wonder why-growing up in this world today, so many people focused so much on how many people they could call "friends", and how much people liked them. If you think about it, isn't that what society views as the focus and function of friends? Simply social status?  Why does it matter how "many" we have, or how much everybody "likes" us? Shouldn't we try to know people who actually "care" about us, and not just "tolerate" us?

I would like to share an example of one of my friends. It's really hard to share just one. It almost makes me teary-eyed thinking about how many people must care about me, and really pray for my success. I might use two or three ha-ha!

The first example I would like to use is one that shows friendship in a different light. I've gotten to know this certain friend over about a year, maybe a year and a half. Because of certain circumstances-him living in Sweden, and me not being rich enough to fly there :), I've only gotten to develop our relationship through other means, but it's really been a great experience. It really didn't matter that much that we couldn't have the physical side of things, and he's been a great help and support for me in times of struggle and hardship.

I don't know about you, but this life would be the worst thing in the entire universe without people to share it with, and people to help us along the way. I like to think that we are taking this journey together, and that our friends are right there beside us, holding our hands and walking with us. It's really special. If you think about it, part of the basis of life's "test" is developing friendships and love with other people. Sometimes it's hard trying to find friends, and sometimes you may feel alone, but there's always someone who loves and cares for you.

I would like you to know that as you read this, I hope you feel at least a little bit cared for. Some if not most of the problems in our degrading society today could be solved if people just tried to care for one another and become friends. I wasn't over exaggerating, nor was I being allegorical when I called friendship the "web strands of life". It is isn't it? Christ should be our foundation for life; church, scriptures, and prayer should be the map to life, and friendship should be the structure of life.

I've said in past blogs that these aren't to promote myself, nor are they to profess my expertise in any such area, but to help and uplift anyone who reads them. You're probably going to get tired of me saying that, but there it is, he-he. If you ever need someone to talk to, or give you some hope to look forward to, I know a few people ;)! I hope that you have gotten a smile out of this, and realize how precious your friends are, and how essential they are to life's journey.

Before I end this post, I'd like to share one more example of one of my friends. This is another friend who I haven't met in person, but we've talked on just about everything else you can imagine, and I have met him "face to face". Anyway, he's what I would consider as a "forever friend". Sometimes these friends are one in a million, other times they are right in front of us, but I'm taken back to the quote that states:

"Honestly, i don't need someone that sees what's good about me. i need someone that sees the bad and still wants me :)"

This certain friend has definitely seen my bad side sometimes. Yeah we've gotten furious at each other plenty of times, but he's still with me. We still talk, we still cry together, and we still uplift each other. I don't think we come by "forever friends" that often in life, and when we do we might miss them. But I can't tell you how much it makes my heart lift, and how much it makes my tears water when I feel the care that these friends have for me.

Without structure, life would fall apart-without friends, the journey isn't worth walking. So please watch out for them, and make sure you're not running the track of life's race too fast, to miss the people that are cheering you on...

I love you all, and thank you for continuing to follow my blog. I wish you a great week, and a sunny day!

Life's Conundrum Undone

It seems a lot in life, we focus a lot on something that shouldn't receive so much attention or worried feelings about. We forget sometimes as humans that we are living beings and are part of the entire natural world on the earth. Sometimes we fear or focus on death as that final crack of the gavel on the judges stand, or the end of a tape that's playing, but it's not. I guess it's just that fear of the unknown that is really the issue or the reason why the aspect and eventuality of death is so jarring. It is a scary thought though, especially if you aren't part of any religious organization or church the preaches there is life after death. As you may have guessed, I'd be one member of one of those religious organizations :)!

You've heard me mention the church that I'm a member, and currently a missionary for, many times I'm sure. For the purposes of this blog I'll refer to it as the Mormon Church, as that seems to be the name most people recognize. Anyway-I'd like to touch on our basic beliefs about death, life, and what we teach and believe to the people that we meet. It would be scary honestly-if I didn't have the knowledge that I do now through being in the church. It would be a heart-wrenching experience to lose a family member in the natural way of life, and not know where they are.

Have you ever asked those life questions to yourself? Where did we come from? Where do we go when we die? Why is there suffering on this earth? Why did my family member have to pass away? What am I supposed to do? Why is life so hard? I could go on, but I think you get the picture.

We know from the Bible, both the Old and New Testaments, that Jesus Christ and Heavenly Father (God), have made promises with different groups of people and given us teachings down through the ages to be happy and sound in our lives today. Jesus Christ then came down and established his church, called apostles, and ministered unto the people. Eventually, after three years, he atoned for the sins of the world in the Garden of Gethsemane, as recorded in the New Testament, and was crucified on Calvary the following day. We know that Jesus Christ is the Savior of the world, but why is he exactly? Well, here we go!

Our gospel teaches us (The Bible and the Book of Mormon-which will be elaborated on in the near future), that we all lived with heaven with Heavenly Premortal Life. In this life, we lived as spirit children of our Heavenly Father, but we weren't like our Father in an important way. He had a resurrected, perfect body of flesh and bones, and we were still spirits. Because of this, our Heavenly Father, out of pure love for us, created a plan for use to be able to have the chance to become like him, receive a body, and grow in many ways.

The plan is labelled the Plan of Salvation or the Plan of Happiness in the Bible and Book of Mormon. That is God's purpose in a nutshell:

"For behold, this is my work and my glory-to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39, Pear of Great Price). 

To accomplish this, God instructed Jesus Christ to create the Earth for us to be able to receive bodies and to grow with them through the tests of mortality. We needed a savior though, to pay the price of sin, death, and suffering that would result from being born into a mortal world. As you could guess, Jesus Christ volunteered to be the savior and pledged all the glory to the Father as he suffered for the sins of the world to protect the agency of man. But another volunteered as well. Lucifer told the Father saying,

"Behold, here am I, send me, I will be thy son, and I will redeem all mankind, that one soul shall not be lost, and surely I will do it; wherefore give me thine honor." (Moses 4:1, Pearl of Great Price).

Because of this, and his desire to rebel and take away man's agency, he and everyone who followed him was cast out of heaven. Those who chose to follow Christ and thereby chose to come down to earth to receive a body, and take part in this wonderful plan. Because you are here, you chose to follow Christ :D!

From the Bible, we have the account of the creation of course and of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. They both were created in God's image, and they were perfectly innocent and lived in God's presence. Eventually though, Eve was tempted by the serpent or Satan to partake of the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil-something God had forbidden them to do. Because of this, Adam had to choose to either remain in the Garden and follow the second commandment, or follow Eve and thereby doing, fulfill the first and higher commandment to "multiply and replenish the earth."

As you could guess, he chose the latter and thereby introduced sin, suffering  and mortality into the worlds, as was the plan from the beginning. That is our purpose of life on earth-to learn grow, and find peace with God and to gain a body of flesh and bones just like the Father has. That is the reason we have commandments from Heavenly Father and why we have our God-given agency. We have it so we can learn and grow, and learn to come to our Heavenly Father in love and dependence. Because of our fallen state however, we need a savior, Jesus Christ, to pay the price of sin and suffering, and to also overcome physical and spiritual death.

Because Jesus Christ came down to earth, as stated before, atoned for our sins in the Garden of Gethsemane, and was killed and risen from the dead-we will all be resurrected and can become clean from our sins by using his Atonement, and coming unto him. Christ will forgive our sins if we have faith in Him and his Atonement, repent and try our best to correct our wrongs, be baptized like he was by John the Baptist, receive the Gift of the Holy Ghost, and continue enduring and using Christ and God to help and love us!

That's a lot of information, I know. But doesn't it make sense? Why would we have this beautiful Earth, the millions upon millions of universes, and all of this evidence of a higher power? Doesn't that give you hope? Maybe comfort for a loved one? I hope so. But I'll explain the last part of this "Plan" before I digress.

We are all mortal, and unfortunately we all must die eventually. After death, our spirits will go to the Spirit World, as described by the Apostle Peter in Peter chapter 4 in the New Testament, and we will either live in a state of peace or misery depending on how we lived through our life. This isn't the end, only a waiting period where the people who've accepted Christ and have lived good lives can rest, and where the people who haven't, and who live in doubt and sometimes misery, will have a chance to accept Christ!

After Christ's Second Coming, everyone will eventually be resurrected, never to die again, and having perfect and immortal bodies. We will return to God's presence to be judged according to the works and desires that we had on this Earth life. If we repented, and tried our best to do good in life, then we will receive mercy.

After being judged, we will go into one of three kingdoms of Heaven: Celestial, Terrestrial, and Telestial. The Celestial Kingdom, or the glory of the sun, is where the people who've accepted Christ, and fulfilled the tenants above the best they could, and have accepted his Atonement, will go to reside with Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ. The Terrestrial Kingdom, or the glory of the moon, is those who lived honorable lives, but haven't accepted the fullness of the gospel. Finally, The Telestial Kingdom, or the glory of the stars, is for those who continued in their sins and did not repent in this life (1 Corinthians 15, New Testament).

Our goal should be the Celestial Kingdom, and we all hope that everyone can get there. I testify that this Plan is divinely inspired and is so special and great in going through life's hardships and challenges. I love you guys! I hope that this all makes sense. If not, ask questions :D! I think this truly is the unwinding that we all need to "Life's Conundrum", and is how we, as a people, can have hope and love toward each other, and happiness and faith for the future!

Love you guys, and have a fantastic week!

Talents for the Ages

Something in which I've continued to work on throughout my life so far up to this point, is what skills I actually have inside me? What am I going to be able to accomplish, and what else could I learn to add to my personality? Have you ever noticed the fact that you aren't really the same as the person who might be sitting right next to you? Ever wonder why you haven't met someone exactly like you? It's because we're all individuals-we all think, act, and experience different situations and moments in our lives that shape our nature and our being. If you think about it, it's a good thing that you aren't like that guy or girl next to you, isn't it? How would you ever win an argument against yourself? Forget about it. We're all different for a reason, and it's those difference that can help us grow our talents, and our skills, and our likes.

For me personally-music and literature have been something that I've held dear to my heart for a long while now. My family and I have always been musically inclined, and my love for music has grown every time I'm involved with it. My mother is a professional musician, and my dad has also had musical experience. They actually met because of music, within the BYU (Brigham Young University) Singers, Choral group. I think it would be good to say that music has been a big influence for me.

Along with music, I've always loved the art of literature and English. I enjoy reading books, learning knew things, and studying the English language  Just recently, about three years ago, I started looking at literature and English in a different light. I had always loved English throughout school, even though I had a few teachers who were a bit on the edge. There were days when I just wanted to burn my English notebook, but luckily those weren't very frequent. Throughout school, it'd always been about learning the proper function and structure of the language, as well as writing essays and reading books. Like I said: I love books, but it was hard sometimes. I told you that my view had shifted slightly about three years ago, and that's because I discovered a new skill-writing.

Sure-I wrote essays, papers, portfolios of course, but this was all for school academia. I liked learning and school, but other then teaching you and learning for yourself, you're not really doing anything for anyone else at that moment. But with writing, actually being able to apply the learning, and get the things that spin around in your head and imagination down on paper, was astounding.

Never underestimate or undermine yourself by telling yourself that you're not good enough, or that you could never be as "fill in the blank" as "whatever person or thing". Just stop it. The world has such a twisted view of what happiness and joy is, and it's only getting worse my friends. You think popularity, money, and cars are the only things you need? No they're not. Singly going after popularity leads to pride and then leads to destruction; singly going after money leads to greed and then leads to bankruptcy or crime; and all these other things that are materialistic that don't really matter. If you have all these are you bad? No of course not :)! You're really blessed, but I hope that you're using it the right way.

Everybody has something. Some talent that they can use or discover that they can magnify and make bigger to share with the world and with their friends. Music and Writing are two of mine that I've attempted to share with people. And you know what one of the best feelings is that I would take every time over fake popularity. I've heard a few times-it doesn't happen a lot, but when it does it's truly special, I've heard a few times a phrase similar to this one. "Mark, thank you, you have inspired me to do "something." I can't tell you how humbling and how deep that hits home for me. It's just my voice-they are only words that I make up when I use these talents. How could someone say that to me? How could I make a difference with just that? Well the fact is I did. Just by using it with the intent of making people happy and letting them have their own personal experiences with either of the examples I've shared.

I've held onto that throughout my journey so far. And now I'm on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, teaching people about Jesus Christ and trying to help people feel the love from their Heavenly Father and from me ^_^! I hope that I can inspire you-yes you right now reading, to do something great. These are just two examples of things you can discover for yourself. Just start doing something, work at it, then you'll find that you really are special no matter who you are. We all have talents, and like Jesus' states in his parable of the ten talents written within the New Testament-we all need to multiply our talents and share them with people, not hide them away to rust and recede.

I testify that you are loved :D! And that you are special, and I hope that if you read this that you're day has been brightened  I love you and want to give you as much comfort and hugs as I can :)! Have a great time, and a good week, whenever you read this okay?

Till we meet again ;)!

Love: An Eternal Remedy for Pain

I don't know about anyone else, but I just love love. Does that make sense? No? He-he, well I'll explain that statement! It doesn't matter if you're a parent, a child; student, or spouse, a sister, or a brother-we all can feel love. There are some people in the world-maybe even you reading these words right now, who unfortunately haven't gotten to feel loved or cared for. I'm truly sorry if you haven't, but I hope that with this, and as you read my words, that you can feel that love that I have for you already.

You may ask, "Well how can this person
who I don't know already love me?" Good question, and here's the answer: It's because I know that everyone has worth, and most people, if you’re really look deep enough, just need a hug or at least some form of affection or acknowledgement. Am I professing to be this wonderful, love-filled person, who just goes around and hugs everyone? No. I do love hugs, but I'm still a human. I still get frustrated, upset, and impatient with many things-including people, but that's part of life and part of being a human. I may not be able to look at everyone I meet and just be a loving person upfront, but I do try my best.

I really like how the dictionary defines love. It's simple, sweet, and you can really feel love for the definition, if that isn't an epitome of a cliché'. Love is defined as a profoundly, tender, passionate affection for another person. It's really easy isn't it, to become frustrated with someone? It seems that it is really easy for us to look at a person and automatically start finding what's wrong with him or her. We all do it-I do it, no one is innocent from this, but it's something that we can improve and work on as we grow closer to one another.

Think of how much different life would be-how different the world would be, if people took a step back, and got over themselves. Remember that as I'm talking, this is applying to everyone including myself :)! But think about it. Think about the conflicts, the economic condition, the programs, the welfare, the poverty, disease, despair, and fear-All of it. What would fix everything? Do I need to say it? Apparently I do, because the world hasn't gotten it yet unfortunately. It's love, my friends.

As a member and representative of Jesus Christ, and of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I've had the opportunity to study the Bible, and the other main book of scripture that we use called-The Book of Mormon. Now I won't get into too much detail about the book just yet, as I want to focus on this overlying idea of love, but basically the Book of Mormon is an ancient and past record of the people and prophets of the American continent that lived here many generations ago. Similar to the Bible-which is an ancient record of the prophets and people that lived in Egypt, Israel, and Jerusalem-the Book of Mormon goes hand-in-hand with the Bible to relate truths that the Bible leaves slightly vague or unexplained.

Within the Book of Mormon, near the end, one of the prophets is describing Jesus Christ, and what his example and his teachings should mean to us. I'm going to quote from the prophet Moroni-one of the last prophets in this record, and this is in the 7th chapter of Moroni near the end of the Book of Mormon:

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things...But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever; and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him..." (Moroni 7: 45, 47-Book of Mormon)

Let's think about that for a moment. So charity is the pure love of Christ. Love. And it endureth all things and is forever. My readers, friends, fellow ministers, and loving family-Love is the antidote to pain, and is the remedy for any and all situations that cause grief. I hope that if you're reading this, you've felt loved-because I love you. I'm not perfect. No. But through my experiences up to this point in life, I know that to feel loved and cared for is one of the most special and intimate feelings in the universe.

I testify and exhort you to try to love a little more. But more important than trying to love others, you need to start loving yourself as well. If you can't love yourself, you can't love other people. We're all different people. This ignorant status-quo paradigm that the world has shoved into our faces is absolutely and irrevocably false, and it's getting worse and worse. You. Yes you reading these words right now. You are special; this is me telling you right now, that you are loved! Look in the mirror, and give yourself a hug from me :)!

That's something I pray for everyday-to be able to have a better capacity to love, because I don't have the best control in the world-who does? But I know that Jesus Christ loves me, and so does our Heavenly Father. It may be hard. I know that some people have a harder time of loving themselves and other people than others-I'm probably one of them, but just remember:

"Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people, but thou shalt love thy neighbour as thysel: I am the Lord." (Leviticus 18:19-Old Testament)

It's really hard sometimes I know that, but just stay strong, and if anything just love yourself and realize that you are loved ^_^!

I would finally exhort you to seek out for people to give you love-sometimes you just need someone to say something nice to you, or to acknowledge you. I would put my invitation out there that if anyone needs some care, you can always seek Jesus Christ...and the Elders :D!

I love you my friends, and fare thee well till next time!