Harry Potter and the Spiritual Gifts

So a rather genius idea was suggested to me to do the seventh installation of this blog series in two parts. It's brilliant for several reasons: 1. It fits the movie series, where the last movie was split into two installments. 2. It allows me to write about two ideas from the seventh book (one was suggested by the same person who suggested I do two parts... she's a winner). 3. It allows me to squeeze out one more blog. Rather than racking my brain for another idea, I can now simply draw out this idea, and get one more out of it! So, without much further ado, here is the summary of Book Seven!

Dumbledore is dead. Harry knows about the Horcruxes. Voldemort has control of Hogwarts and (soon) the Ministry. Harry has reached 17 years of age, which is the age of adulthood in the Wizarding community, and the protections that he's had on him, and the protections on the Dursley's home, will be lifted. Before that, the Dursley's are strongly encouraged to leave their home. They resist at first, but finally agree. As soon as the clock strikes midnight, bringing in July 31, 1997, Death Eaters are all over that house. The Order of the Phoenix set up a plan with several Harry impersonators (thanks to polyjuice potion), and he's able to get away, but not without losing Mad Eye Moody and Hedwig. Shortly thereafter, they're able to forget their problems for a brief time to celebrate Bill and Fleur's wedding. At this event, Rufus Scrimgeour, the new Minister of Magic, comes to Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and gives them items left to them by Dumbledore. To Harry, the snitch he caught in his first ever Quidditch game. To Ron, his "Put-Outer", a device that is able to magically extinguish any light. To Hermione, a book entitled Tales of Beedle the Bard, a book of fairy tales for young witches and wizards. The meaning behind these gifts is a mystery to all, though Scrimgeour is convinced they know why. All they can figure out is the connection of the snitch, and that's only in part. Snitches have a magical attribute that allows them to be able to identify the first person to touch it, in case of a close call. Scrimgeour assumes something will happen as soon as Harry touches the snitch, but is disappointed when nothing happens. However, after Scrimgeour leaves, Harry remembers that he didn't catch his first snitch, but nearly swallowed it. He presses the small golden ball to his lips, and a message appears: I open at the close. The wedding is a success, until a message baring Patronus from Kingsley Shacklebolt comes, telling everyone of the fall of the Ministry into Voldemort's hands. Chaos ensues, and Harry, Ron, and Hermione hightail it out of there, beginning their journey...

For the purpose of this blog, I'll leave off the summary at that point, and continue it in the next blog. The gifts given to Harry, Ron, and Hermione seem odd. None can figure out why they received them. The snitch certainly carried some sentimental value, but what of the mysterious message? What would the "Put-Outer" benefit Ron? And, while Hermione is certainly a lover of books, why a wizard's children book? The reasoning for it all is explained later in the book, and plays quite the pivotal role in the whole scheme of things. It's quite amazing how Dumbledore could foresee what would happen, and be able to recognize what each individual person of the group would need in order to help accomplish the task. He knew them well enough, their strengths and their personalities, to know what tools to present them with. The same could be said of the things our Heavenly Father provides for us. Since He knows us all perfectly, He knows what trials we will go through. He also knows what our strengths are, so that He can know what tools will best benefit us, and allow us to succeed. We all go through hard times, and will all face challenges, but we are never left to our own devices. The Lord never abandons us. He gives us each, individually, ways to cope with Satan's temptations. We each have personal abilities that allow us to overcome. Just like the snitch for Harry, maybe you have a lot of patience that allows you to grin-and-bear; or like Ron and the "Put-Outer", maybe you can look at things in a more eternal perspective to be able to let the little things just roll off you; or, like Hermione and her book, you have an unwavering positive attitude that makes it so you can greet any problem with a smile. We all gifts like these, and they've all been given us by our Heavenly Father. It's the difference in them that makes them unique to us, as we are all unique individuals (one of the many wonderful parts of our Heavenly Father's plan!). Our Father gives us spiritual gifts, and as we nourish them, we are "able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Ephesians 6:11). So know that we are not left alone, but have been given gifts to help us stand strong in the face of the adversary!

You can be an Avenger, too!

Ah, the Avengers. A crack team of Superheroes, backed by S.H.I.E.L.D., and overseen by Nick Fury. Of course, we've seen many different formations of this top notch squad, including such reorganized groups as the New Avengers, the Younger Avengers, the Mighty Avengers, and even the Dark Avengers. Members have included some of the biggest names in Marvel Universe: Iron Man, Captain America, The Hulk, Spider-Man, Wolverine, Hawkeye, War Machine, the Thing, Mr. Fantastic, Invisible Woman, the Human Torch, Luke Cage, Dr. Strange, Daredevil, and many many more. They are the world's best defense against any evil that may exist, both on and off this planet. Gathering the combined strengths of these great heroes, there seems to be no way to beat them. What one hero is incapable of doing on his own, a group of heroes can easily accomplish. Thanks to the innovative thinking and brilliant leadership of Nick Fury, the world's greatest heroes have been assembled to solve all the world's problems.
Sometimes we look at all the problems in our world, and wish that there were superheroes to save the day. With all the evil, we often find ourselves thinking "why can't someone just swoop in and fix this all?" It would be nice to have those heroes, but we have to make the best with what we have. Even without superheroes, we can make the world better.

The best way to do this is the same way the Avengers do it: They work together to solve the problems going on, and we can do the same thing. If we all join together, united in our cause, we can change the world. But, this is best done when we all have the same goal in mind. Never mind silly things that label us. Who cares what music we listen to, what sports we like, or if we even like sports, what political views we have, where we're from, or what we look like. Those things don't matter, and amount to nothing in an eternal perspective. We should all have the same vision, and all work together to accomplish it. United we stand, divided we fall. We need to all do our part to overcome the evils of this world, and make it the world it should be. Besides, we have God as our leader... He's a better than Nick Fury. If the Avengers can do it, so can we!

LDS FC: Our Manager

You thought I was done, didn't you? Well, the game of football doesn't only happen on the field! There's a lot done on the sidelines, by the supporting cast. The manager is a noble position to hold on the football club. It takes years and years to work your way up to that spot, and then several more years to be someone of note. You really have to perform well under pressure, and whip your team into top shape to be regarded as a manager.
There are many notable coaches and managers out there who have worked their way to a solid grounding, including Carlo Ancelotti, Arsène Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson, Andre Villa-Boas, Jose Mourinho, and Bob Bradley. These men are incredible in their line of work, and are just as renowned, and sometimes even more renowned, then their players. Much as it pains me to admit such things about Wenger and Ferguson, give credit where credit is due. The manager is the one who calls the shots. He organizes everything, from practices to workouts, strategies and game plans, and makes sure everything runs just as smoothly as possible. They need to know the game inside out and backwards, but more importantly, they need to know their players.
A good manager knows each of his players strengths and weaknesses, where the perform the best, and how they react under any circumstance. They know their players almost perfectly. And because of this knowledge, they can make the perfect lineup against another team. Their understanding of what threats the other team brings, and their own team's potential and capabilities allows them to make the best possible decision. Even when others, including the players themselves, don't understand just what the manager was thinking, he knows what he's doing and (usually) is making the right call. He stays in the background, not on the field scoring the goals, but if it wasn't for the manager, nothing would get done.

Ok, I think it's pretty obvious where I'm going with this... process of elimination would lead you to the conclusion that the manager is none other than our Heavenly Father. He knows us all perfectly! He knows our strengths and weaknesses, and how we'll react under any situation. He knows where we would fit best, what purpose we can accomplish, and who we would work with. He knows exactly what threats Satan has in store for us, and is thus able to make the perfect line up to fight him. He gives instructions to the players, from the background, the sidelines, and encourages where He can, but He can't (and won't) come on to the field and play the game for us. He can't score the goals or block the shots, He can only give us top notch leadership, and help us to train and practice to prepare ourselves. It's still our game, and we're still the players, but we have the best Manager ever to help us to win! No one knows the game, His own players, and the other teams' players better than our Heavenly Father. All we have to do is listening to his advice, cause it's good. He knows what's up. Nothing out there is a surprise to Him. There are no trick plays, no secret weapons, no sudden, last minute switch ups that He doesn't know about, and the He can't combat. The team is only as good as its manager, and is there any better manager than God, Himself? He's undefeated! And undefeatable. So, that cup is as good as ours, as long as we're willing to play as a strong, cohesive unit, and listen to the counsels of our coach!

Unlike our Heavenly Father, however, not all mangers are perfect...

God wants you to Live Long and Prosper

Pretty sure we all know the saying "Live Long and Prosper", accompanied by the hand sign. Of course, this comes from one of the most influential works of sci-fi in the history of... well, the world, Star Trek. Specifically Spock, the half Vulcan who acts as the cool, level headed counterpart to the often trigger happy, impulsive Captain Kirk. The two make the perfect team up to always get themselves and the rest of the crew of the Enterprise out of whatever tight situations they find themselves in. The saying is often rattled off with no real attention to what it entails. Live Long and Prosper. Good ol' Vulcans want us to have long, fulfilling lives.
Live Long, the first part, means to have a life that is not cut short, that it will be long enough for us to reach all the goals and achieve all the things we have set out for; that we won't just be blasted by a ticked off Romulan. Prosper, a very meaningful word. Many people have differences of opinions on what it means to prosper. A lot of people apply it to money. To prosper, you must be rich, and be able to afford anything. Others may think of it as success. They may have prospered in their field. Prospering means to be successful or fortunate; thrive; flourish. However one views being fortunate or successful, that is the Prosper implied by the Vulcan salute. So, when Spock raises his hand, pointer and middle finger together, ring finger and pinky put together, split between the middle and ring, thumb extended, he is wishing you to have a long, full life in which you have time to achieve your desires, and to be successful and flourish in all of your endeavors... But of course, that's a bit of a mouthful, so it can be summed up simply in "Live Long and Prosper."
Vulcans are an interesting race. They thrive on being stoic and emotionless. Their intelligence is almost unmatched, and their ability to stay calm in even the most stress filled situations make them a valuable asset. Spock differs from most of his planet, as he comes from a union between Vulcan and human, and is often looked down upon for it. He has several characteristics of humanity, including a temper and compassion, unusual of Vulcans.
Now, if someone such as this wants those he meets to have such a wonderful life, how much more would our Heavenly Father want the same? Moses 1:39 states "For behold, this is my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." Sounds an awful lot like "Live Long and Prosper", doesn't it? That's exactly what God wants for all of us. He wants us to have a long, productive life in which we can live a good life, and follow His commandments, to return to live with Him. There's no way to be more prosperous than to have Eternal Life, to live exalted in the presence of our Heavenly Father, and His son, Jesus Christ. Our Heavenly Father wants us to be happy; He wants us to succeed and to flourish. It is His greatest desire that we achieve this, and His very purpose to make it happen! He cares so much for us, and would like nothing more than to have all of His children, happy and smiling, satisfied with their mortal lives, to return to live with Him forever in eternal glory. So, next time you read Moses 1:39, think of it as God giving you the Vulcan salute. Live Long and Prosper.

Captain Planet! He's our Hero!

Do you remember the show Captain Planet? Such a cool show! A bunch of kids with crazy rings fighting the bad guys, and when it gets too much for them to handle... Call in the blue guy! That's right, Captain Planet! He's our hero! He steps in, and with his superpowers (which were always rather ambiguous), he would save the day! Good stuff! And all the kids had their rings, and they represented different things: Earth, Wind, Fire, Water, Heart... I'm still not entirely sure where Heart comes into play, or what exactly it means, but it was always the last one mentioned, so it must be important! And, of course, when they put their rings together (well, not really together, more just pointed them in the air in the same direction), the magic energy things would join in, summon Captain Planet, and he'd enter with his famous line: "With your powers combined, I am Captain Planet!" Cue '90s inspirational music to set the mood for the heroics! And of course, those weren't just any kids, they were Planeteers! What a cool name! Run around, wear a cool ring, summon a blue superhero, and get a cool name for doing it. All they needed were jackets with their name and logo on it! All their villains in some way represent the problems facing the stability and well being of the environment, and it's their job to not only save the world, but educate people how to take care of it. But, it's through all of their efforts that they can get the job done.
We often run into big problems in our life, and need some help. I'm sure we'd all love to have some superhero show up and save us. Unfortunately, that doesn't really happen. No caped crusader will come and beat the bad guy. We can't just sit back and watch as the situation is cleanly resolved. However, we aren't left alone. Our Heavenly Father has given us a protector, if you will. Someone to comfort us, to guide us, and to help us. This is the Holy Ghost. We are able to summon Him at any time to help us out in a bind, but there are certain things that need to be done, certain "powers" that need to be "combined". We need faith, obviously, as that is the beginning of everything. We also need obedience to the Lord's commandments, and to be worthy of this gift. We need to study the scriptures, and understand what the Holy Ghost is, and how it can help us. We need to pray, to tell our Heavenly Father what we need, and to ask for the Holy Ghost to help us out. With these powers combined, we can have the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to swoop in and help beat the bad guy! Pretty simple things to do to get the great gift of the Holy Ghost! It's incredible how much the Lord is willing to do for us, and for how little He asks in return! 

Go, Go Power Rangers!

So, back in the day, I was obsessed with a certain TV show. I had to watch it every day! I had toys, shirts, and would pretend to be the people on the show and fight the bad guys. I'm sure everyone may age (ish) remembers this show, and watched it (and if you say you didn't, chances are you're lying!) That show was the Power Rangers. Specifically, the Mighty Morphin' Power Rangers. Coolest show ever! It was always the same: the Rangers would be doing cool teenage stuff, then they'd have to go fight some monster that Rita Repulsa, then later Lord Zedd, then a combination of the two would throw at them. When they thought they'd beaten the monster, Rita/Lord Zedd would just make it GIANT, so the Rangers would have to get their Zords, then pull together to make the Megazord (I don't even know if they ever just had their individual Zords fight...), then they would beat the now giant monster with very jerky movements, while really inspirational music would play ("Go, go Power Rangers!"), the monster would fall over and (for some reason) explode! And the day would be saved once more. It was also always funny how the kids would wear clothes that were the same color as their Ranger color, Jason always in red, Kimberly always in pink, Billy in blue, Trini in Yellow, and Zach in black, then later Tommy in green... then white.
But of course, this wasn't all done on their own. I mean, they were all just teenagers in high school with seemingly nothing special about them (except they all just happened to be martial arts experts). They needed some kind of driving force. Someone had to choose them, then tell them what to do, then warn them when Rita was on the loose again. Cue the giant floating head. Zordon is a rather mysterious character, with quite the back story (I won't get into it... Just know that he used to be a wizard, and got trapped in a time warp). For several reasons, he's seen only as a giant, white floating head in a tube. He's kept in what's called the Command Center, which is pretty much the headquarters for the Rangers. He calls the shots, while his faithful robot sidekick, Alpha 5, does the upkeep. Somehow, he's always in the know as to just what Rita/Zedd are up to, and right before they make their attack, Zordon calls the Power Rangers to the Command Center where he prepares them for the task at hand. We of course learn in the movie that Zordon, outside his power tube thing, is a withered, white old man, bald and wearing an interesting grey outfit... he kinda looks like Darth Vader, at the end of Return of the Jedi when Luke takes his helmet off. Zordon is how the Rangers are able to keep Rita Repulsa from taking over the world! (Why she always just attacks California, specifically Angel Grove, instead of branching out and attacking where the Power Rangers aren't, I don't know).
Ok, this may be kind of a stretch, but bear with me. Think of the Power Rangers as prophets. They protect us from the evils of the world. They tell us what we need to know and do in order to properly follow our Heavenly Father. They warn us of evil, and help us to stay on the right path. But, they can only do so much without someone behind the scenes, warning them of evils and teaching them what to know and do. They need someone to help them out. They need a Zordon. Heavenly Father fills that role, of telling the prophets how to help and protect us. He tells them, they tell us. Zordon tells the Rangers, they save us. We all need the prophets' advice to help us live the best way we can (whether modern day prophets, or those found in the scriptures), and the prophets need the Lord to tell them what to tell us. Thank God we have prophets to help us in our life!

Your Masterpiece

Imagine your life as a big canvas. It's blank, and you've got plenty of paints, brushes, and everything else you need to paint a masterpiece. You're the artist, here. You make the painting what you want. Each decision you make, each path we choose, each sin we commit, or good deed we do is another brush stroke.  Often times, we find ourselves painting something we never expected. While we may have wanted to paint a self portrait, we find ourselves painting someone else. Or are we? When we find that the painting we're making isn't what we intended, maybe it's not because we're messing up: maybe we're trying to paint who we want to become instead of who we are now. As we work on our painting, it's important to realize that sometimes, we're taking on a pretty big project and will need some help. There are others out there who are pretty good critics, and can help us know the best way to paint our portrait. They can help us find just the right color we need, or what kind of brush we should use. They can help us decide how things should be situated, what kind of lighting to use, and how we should be positioned in the painting. This help can be very beneficial to us. People want us to have the best painting possible, and that's what they're doing: helping us. If we accept their help, we can improve our painting. And of course, there's one who knows exactly what we should be painting. He knows the potential we posses, and how good of a painting we can paint. He knows what it should look like, and He knows how you can make it look that way. That is, of course, our Heavenly Father. We're making our picture to present to him. Do we want it to be a beautiful masterpiece, or a stick figure drawing? As we progress, and use the right colors and brushes provided us, and avoid those dreary colors and old brushes, we can paint the ultimate masterpiece of our lives: something we can be proud of, and something our Heavenly Father can be proud of, and hang in His mansion.

Tight Like Unto a Dish

In the opening chapters of Ether, we are introduced to Jared and his brother (aptly referred to as the brother of Jared). The brother of Jared communes with the Lord, and is told to build barges. This brings up many questions: how many? how? how will we breath? how will we see? All valid questions, and all answered by the Lord.
In construction of the ships, the Lord lays out the exact designs, "and they were built after a manner that they were exceedingly tight, even that they would hold water like unto a dish; and the bottom thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the sides thereof were tight like unto a dish; and the ends thereof were peaked; and the top thereof was tight like unto a dish; and the length thereof was the length of a tree; and the door thereof, when it was shut, was tight like unto a dish." (Ether 2:17). In being tight like unto a dish, the barges were sealed against the water, so there was no worry of them filling and everyone sinking, which would be bad. They know it will be tight because these were the designs given to them by the Lord. Now, the issue of them being tight like unto a dish did present one problem, the problem of air supply. If it's airtight, then no more air can come in, and once the air in the barge is gone, they'll all suffocate. This is pretty simply solved, the Lord instructs the brother of Jared to simply put a hole with a stopper to allow air in, then stopper again when water starts coming in.
I'd like to focus on "tight like unto a dish". This is said many times in the verse in description of the barges. Everything, the top, bottom, side, and door are all tight like unto a dish. What does that mean for us? The benefit for the barges was that it would for sure keep out all the water. That was the main danger being presented to them (that and sea monsters), and what they worried most about. We're just going to set off on this grand voyage in these big wooden barges, in the wide open sea, with absolutely no knowledge of where we'll be or where we're going? We'll drown! But, thanks to the Lord's instructions, that didn't happen. We can seal ourselves. We can make ourselves tight like unto a dish the same way the brother of Jared did with his barges. By following the Lord's instructions and doing as He says, we protect ourselves from the dangers that surround us and want to get in and drown us. As we make our lives tight like unto a dish, we are better able to avoid/resist temptations, and keep ourselves afloat, guided by the Lord, towards that promised land. And all the while, the Lord will provide us with air to breath, and light to see. Are you tight like unto a dish?

Pride Cycle

Today, I finished the Book of Mormon (not the whole Book, just Mormon's book in the Book of Mormon). Here we see the beginning of the end. After Christ has visited, the people all convert to the gospel, and they have all things in common. For years and years they live in happiness and harmony. All is well. But then, after a couple centuries, pride starts to swell in people. They start thinking more about themselves, and putting on costly apparel, and looking good. They start contending, and people start thinking they're better than others. Suddenly, the people are on a quick downward slope. Before you know it, there are wars going on. Mormon is asked to lead the Nephite army against the Lamanites. There is blood and carnage. Mormon feels great sorrow for his people, because he and his son appear to be the only righteous people left. He sees that, after much death and bloodshed, his people are sorrowful, and he gets hopeful because he thinks they might remember their God, and repent. But, they don't. They simply have pity for themselves. This makes Mormon, once again, very sorrowful. As he continues to lead the armies, they grow in strength, and are able to defeat the Lamanites. As they do this, they boast of themselves, saying they did it themselves, and swearing by the heavens and God's thrown that they will kill their enemies. Mormon is not having any of that, so he resigns as their leader. He eventually comes back to lead them again, but they are all killed, every Nephite, except for Mormon, his son Moroni, and 22 others. The Lamanites are now pretty much the only survivors, and want to finish off the Nephites once and for all. Mormon, who has the plates containing the record of the people, gives it to his son Moroni. Mormon is eventually killed, and Moroni finishes the record before sealing them and being killed. It's just amazing to see how, in the span of 400 years, and entire people can go from being righteous and happy to being so wicked. The pride cycle is seen all throughout the Book of Mormon, where the people are righteous, get blessed, grow prideful, become wicked, are punished, repent, are righteous, get blessed, grow prideful... etc. etc. But, never has it been seen where the cycle doesn't... well... cycle. This is where it all ends. There is no upward climb, now. There is no returning to righteousness. There is no remembrance of their God. This is where the cycles stops, because the people have become so wicked, prideful, greedy, and vain. They have completely turned on the ways they have been taught. They have dug themselves into so deep a hole that there is no climbing out.
It's interesting that this happens after Christ comes. He introduces to them the Gospel and sets in order the way they should live. He ordains his disciples, and gives them the charge to teach. Everything is going so well for so long. It really makes you wonder what exactly happened to make this happen. How is it that the people of that time were just so wicked and vile that nothing, not even the words of Mormon exhorting them to repent, could bring them from the brink of destruction? What was different about those people?
The world has moved so far away from God. We see it everywhere. Things like drug use, sexuality, and language are viewed as everyday things, part of our normal lives so it's no big deal if they're displayed on TV or in magazines or wherever. Because of this, we become desensitized to things that should bother us. There are so many things out there that Heavenly Father doesn't like, that we think are just normal things. We too often have the "it's no big deal" mind set about it, and aren't bothered by the things we see. Let us always remember our Lord, and never ever be like the Nephites, where we forget Him and turn on Him. We need Him in all aspects of our life, and if we remember that, and keep his commandments, He will protect us.

Giant Elephant... in the Sky... He's Invisible.

Ever seen the movie "Horton Hears a Who"? It's a good one. Oftentimes, children's books made into movies aren't good, but this one was. I liked it a lot, especially the punk rock Who who just says "YEEEEAAAAAH!" and wants a high five. Good times. It's a fun little movie with a good message: A person's a person, no matter how small. But, if you delve a little deeper, you can take our lots of little messages in it. So, let's do that... First of all, Horton is a giant elephant. Ok, I'm sure you can find little metaphors and stuff for that, but it doesn't go along with what I'm saying, so moving on... He has a flower, and on the flower is a speck, but the speck isn't just a speck, it's an entire life-sustaining world. On it is a civilization known as the Whos (not to be mistaken with the '70s rock band). At first, he only communicates with the mayor of Whoville (the obvious name for their city). Horton, who pretty much holds their safety. If he lets them go, they could all die. Or he protects them, and they survive. Horton, being a good guy... er... elephant, decides to help them. The mayor of Whoville has to convince everyone, now, that there is a giant elephant in the sky that they can't see who's protecting them. This is a rather difficult task. Eventually, Horton makes himself known to the entire population of Whoville.
As the story progresses, Horton runs into opposition from a certain angry kangaroo, and all sorts of crazy stuff happens before the Whos collective shouting of "We're here! We're here! We're here!" makes it all the way from the tiny little speck and everyone can hear it, making them all realize Horton isn't crazy after all!
Alright, you really don't have to dive that deep to notice something here. Someone is literally holding a world in their hands (kind of), and communicates with one person? Hmmm... Obviously, this is much like Heavenly Father, and His communications with his Prophet(s). The Lord chooses some of some of His children to be messengers for Him. They're given the incredibly difficult task of convincing people that He's real and to preach His gospel. Eventually, if the people are willing to hear, and listen, they can know the of His existence. He'll reveal Himself to them. And, when danger comes about, we all need to call on the Lord, and He'll save us.
This isn't the greatest of analogies, but it's fun. God hears our prayers. We may not always hear Him, and it may often seem like we're talking to a giant, invisible elephant in the sky, He does hear us, and He will save us from evil kangaroos.

Fun with Legos

Life comes at you in little pieces. We never get our life as a completed masterpiece, we have to work at it, building it up with the small portions we're given. Sometimes, those pieces come as bigger pieces, like when we go through a tragic time that makes us grow faster than we'd like to, and sometimes they come in little tiny pieces, like with everyday experiences. Everything comes with time, and in pieces that you have to construct, and what you choose to make with the pieces given is up to you. Think of it as a box of Legos. I'm sure, if you were anything like me as a child, you had a HUGE tub full of random Lego pieces that you would have to dig through to find the next one you needed for your creation. You would often be searching in the very corners to find the right one. You took all the big pieces, and made your foundation. Then you took the smaller pieces to build the actual structure, and give it more detail. Often times, looking at others creations, it can seem like they got a lot bigger pieces than you, and were able to make a bigger, cooler thing much quicker. Or maybe they just got to buy a really cool Lego set that makes a really neat thing, and you're just stuck with this hodge podge selection. You look at all these great pieces of Lego-art, and you're jealous that all you have is some multi-colored house that would hardly pass building inspection. But, we are all capable of making amazing things with our Legos. Sometimes they may be spotted with random colors, sometimes you use two or more Legos to fill in one piece, and sometimes the towers on your castle aren't smooth, but it is still something wonderful. What will you make with your Lego pieces? Will you make something you can be proud of, something that showed the hard work and dedication you put into it, something that could be on display at Lego Land? Or is it some shoddy work, some lame, lopsided house that you just threw together quickly, with no good support, and a clear lack of concern for it's appearance?
Heavenly Father has blessed us greatly with this opportunity to come to this world, to make mistakes and learn from them, to grow and progress, and choose the right path. He has given us the skills we need, and provides the pieces. He also gives us the wonderful gift of agency, the ability to choose. We can choose which pieces we use, and which we push aside. We can decide the order in which we use them, the colors we use, and the sizes we use. We can choose what we make, how we make it, and how big we make it. It's up to us, and we need to always be keeping in mind that what we're making is going to make isn't just some little project. It's not just some fun little thing we make, then go Godzilla on and destroy. It is something that will last us into the eternities. If we're not full happy with it now, we've got a long time to be not happy with it. We should strive to make it exactly what we want it to be, so that we can happily take it into the eternities.
But, let us not forget: Legos are fun! I would love to sit there and spend hours just messing around with them. That's something very important that is often overlooked. Life will have hard times, that is unavoidable, but it can and should be fun as well. So, grab your Legos and get to work!

God, be Merciful to Me, a Sinner

Luke 18 gives us a parable of two men praying, one a Pharisee, the other a Publican. Publicans were looked down upon by everyone, and term "sinners and publicans" was used frequently, closing linking the two together. Pharisees, on the other hand, were holy religious men. They were showy in their devotion to their sect, and made sure everyone knew just how spiritual they were. The parable reads: Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

I love the mental image this parable paints. I can just see the Pharisee, clothed in fine clothing, standing tall and proud, with a look of smug satisfaction on his face, looking towards the heaven and proclaiming his superiority, and thanking God for his selfish doings. Then, off to the side, probably even behind the Pharisee, stands the Publican. I picture him as a working man, hardened by physical labor, his hands calloused and dirty, his clothing humble and worn, his demeanor that of sorrow and remorse as he reflects on what he's done. He can't even lift his eyes up to Heaven, fearing the possibility of an upset Lord looking back at him, ashamed of the deeds he's done. He pounds his chest, showing his grief, and in pure humility, not justifying his actions, not glazing over his shortcomings, but begging for mercy. Asking the God of all, a perfect, exalted man, to look down on him, a lowly, despised sinner, made filthy in the eyes of the Lord by the ways of the world, with compassion and sympathy. To show forth mercy undeserved to this man. He recognizes his sin, he feels great distress, and he wants to be cleansed of the dirt the sin has smudged on him. It's different from the dirt that gets on his clothes from walking, or from working. It's a dirt that can't be seen by anyone but himself and the Lord, and it's a dirt that can't be cleaned with merely soap and water. It's a dirt that can only come off through the blood of the Lamb. He cries unto the Lord for forgiveness. He recognizes his fallibility as a human, knowing that he's far, far from perfect, and he goes to the only one who can make him whole again, his Heavenly Father. "God, be merciful to me, a sinner." In his humility, the Lord states, he will be exalted. Let us be as this Publican, this sinner: let us always go to our Heavenly Father and say to him "God, be merciful to me, a sinner."

Remember...

"Remember Lot's wife."
A simple scripture. Short, sweet, and to the point. Christ's words in Luke 17:32 may seem simple at first glance, but if you think about it more, you discover just how profound of a statement it is. We often make simple phrases, such as "Remember the Alamo", "Remember the Maine", or "Remember the Titans" to use as a motivational phrase to strengthen our commitment. Never forget the things that happened here. Remember the Alamo, and the loss it was to us. Don't let it happen again. Remember the Maine, and how it was sunk by our enemies. Don't let it happen again. Remember the Titans, and their dedication and perseverance.
But why remember Lot's wife? Well, who was Lot's wife? Obviously, she was Lot's spouse. Who was Lot? Back in the Old Testament, there were two cities that lived in utter sin and wickedness, Sodom and Gomorrah. They were so perverse that the Lord was ready to just wipe them out. But first, He sent angels to go and see if they could find enough righteous people to make it worth it. There weren't, but there was one man, and his name was Lot. The angels warned Lot of the coming destruction, and he took his family and fled. They were warned not to look back at Sodom and Gomorrah, or they'd be turned into a pillar of salt. As they fled, Lot's wife looked back, and just as was told them, she turned into a pillar of salt.
Now, the sin wasn't in physically turning around to look. Lot's wife crime was deeper than that. She didn't just glance back, she looked back, longingly, wanting to return, missing her life there. She was leaving sin and deprivation to live in righteousness, but she couldn't leave behind her home. She didn't want to. When she looked back, she was saying that she wasn't repentant of what she had been doing, and that she didn't want what she was being given. She was desirous to continue living in sin.
That is Christ's admonition to us in Luke 17:32, that we remember the fate of Lot's wife as a result of her choice to look back. Not just to the city, but to her past. We must make positive steps forward in growing in faith and coming closer to our Heavenly Father. As a result, we often leave behind pasts that are colorful, and filled with mistakes. We must forsake these things, and leave them in the past where they belong. If we start to look back, to miss our past, and to want to return to it is when we start to slip, and become as Lot's wife. Stay strong, and endure to the end. And always Remember Lot's Wife.

Make your Choice

Life is all about choices. Big or small, they have an impact. Each day, we are faced with hundreds, even thousands of choices to make. Often times, they may not seem like that big of a deal, and it may seem like they won't have any long term consequences. And often, that's true. What you eat for breakfast today probably won't effect who you marry. But, there are many choices that we make that will effect the long term, and many of those are ones we don't expect. Obviously, there are big glaring choices that should be made. Should I follow Jesus Christ? Should I obey the commandments? Should I always be setting a good example? Those are pretty easy ones to answer "yes" to, because those will effect you today, tomorrow, and forever, into the eternity. As the Lord says in Luke 16:13, "No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon." Mammon is the material, the worldly, the temporal. If we serve mammon, let our own selfish desires take precedence, then we are letting that take us away from our Heavenly Father. We can only hold to one, the other we have to despise. So, hold to the One that brings life eternal.
Our choices stretch far beyond what we can even comprehend. In Helaman, Samuel the Lamanite preaches to the people, and he tells them, "and now remember, remember, my brethren, that whosoever perisheth, perisheth unto himself; and whosoever doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself; for behold, ye are free; ye are permitted to act for yourselves; for behold, God hath given unto you a knowledge and he hath made you free." We are able to act for ourselves, and choose whether we will follow our God and be righteous, or be wicked and perish. Nephi reaffirms this in 2 Nephi 2:27: "Wherefore, men are free according to the flesh; and all things are given them which are expedient unto man. And they are free to choose liberty and eternal life, through the great Mediator of all men, or to choose captivity and death, according to the captivity and power of the devil; for he seeketh that all men might be miserable like unto himself."
We must choose for ourselves: eternal life or death. The only way to eternal life is through Christ our Savior. It is through his Atonement that we can repent and be forgiven, and it is only through that that we can return to our Heavenly Father and have eternal life. So, in the words of the great prophet of old, Joshua, "choose you this day whom ye will serve...", and keep in mind the eternal significance of your choices.

Don't Forget to Pray

I have writer's block right now, so I'm going to blog about it. (Take that, writer's block!) Writer's block is annoying. I really want to try to have a new blog up everyday for all my adoring fans (or at least the few people who stumble across my blog). If I don't post a blog, my page views are around 2-10 (if I'm lucky). Whereas, I can expect to see 20s even 30s when I do post a new blog. But, it gets really hard to think of something to write about 6 days a week. I really should do a better job of really committing myself during my morning studies to find something really good to blog about, but even then, sometimes there just doesn't seem to be a full-length blog in it (though, that's probably my fault). So often, I just sit and stare at the computer screen, hoping something pops into my head. Often, it does. Sometimes, it doesn't. There have been several days when I just couldn't think of anything, so I just skipped a new post. It can get frustrating and annoying racking your brain for something original, catchy, and uplifting to write. Often, when I stumble across a halfway decent idea, I force out a few sentences, then go distract myself with something else for a few minutes before returning to the task at hand. It can be a pain, but I suffer through it, and out comes a blog that appears to get pretty well received.
The same problem can apply to all of us in a much more serious setting: prayer. How often do we fold our hands or arms, kneel down, and just kinda blank? It's happened to me on multiple occasions. We just have no idea what to say. What could we possibly say? God knows it all anyways, right? Why ask Him for something He knows we need? Or thank Him for the things He knows we're thankful for? Or we just don't know what it is we need. We get to a point where we're so stuck in a rut, so confused, and have no idea what help we even need, so how can we ask for help? That was has been a big one for me in the past. The point of prayer is not to redundantly state the obvious, or to have it be some masterful, eloquent personal sermon worthy of publication. Prayers are simply your conversation with God. Yes, He knows what you need and what you're thankful for, but that doesn't mean He doesn't want to hear it. Always offer up your thanks. "O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever." (1 Chronicles 16:34). Always remember that the Lord will help when called upon. Just like President Uchtdorf said, "When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer- no matter how eloquent the oration."“When our wagon gets stuck in the mud, God is much more likely to assist the man who gets out to push than the man who merely raises his voice in prayer—no matter how eloquent the oration.” We rely on the Lord for everything, and He's more than happy to help out, as long as you ask in faith, and show your willingness to do the things necessary. Prayers are what connect us to our Heavenly Father, and what help us overcome our problems. Never let paryer's block stop you from communicating with your Heavenly Father.

And the Oscar goes to...

So, last night was the Academy Awards (apparently). I had no idea about this. I had heard nothing about it from anyone, so I was completely in the dark. This is usually an exciting time for me, being an avid movie buff. I always look and watch and hope my favorite movies win (which they do from time to time, if they even get nominated). It's always fun to see big name celebrities (and a bunch of other people who make you wonder "how the heck did they get invited to the Oscars?") present awards to their fellows. I'm often quite upset with the outcome, and with the Oscars in general, however. It seems that, too frequently, the movies are awarded because of their obscurity, their "artsy" appeal, or how controversial they were, rather than the actual caliber and merit. Movies that are well written, directed, acted, and portrayed are often overlooked because they didn't tick people off. But that's besides the point.
The point of the Academy Awards are to award the people who worked on these films for their hard work, and to honor their creations. Many months, even years, of labor were put into them: from concept, to script, rewrite, rewrite, rewrite, casting, marking, filming, editing... the process is a long one, and I would imagine rather painful. You can run into many problems that could set back the deadline, or even threaten cancellation. But, the cast and crew work through all these set backs, and out comes a (hopefully) fantastic movie. And, if the Academy approves... Oscar Gold!
Our lives are a constant work in progress. There is a long process of making it the best that we can. There is a lot we have to do, tons of rewrites, and lots of set backs. But, we have to endure these things, and just push forward, and eventually we'll have our finished product. How much time and effort we put into our masterpiece will be evident. How was the character development? Did the director seem to really care about the message being conveyed? Were there any plot holes? We are director, producer, writer, and star of our own movie. And the Academy is (you may have guessed): Heavenly Father. He watches every single movie that's put out there, and He judges each one. He watches for any little flaws there might be, and chooses which is deserving of the prize. We're all striving for that goal, that "Oscar": we all want to return to live with our Heavenly Father. So, it's up to us to make the best movie possible, and if we do, when time comes, Heavenly Father will open that envelope, and say "And the Oscar goes to... You".

Like the Potted Plant...

We are all plants. All of us. Doesn't matter what kind of plant you are (ok, it kind of does), but we're all plants. And what is something we all learned in 5th grade science about plants? Plants use photosynthesis to eat. How do plants do this? They need certain things: air, water, light.
If you have a house plant, and you want it to survive, you have to take care of it. You make sure it gets water. There will (almost) always be air around it. It needs sun... you can't provide sun, but you can put it in a place where there is sun. Now, the more sun it gets, the more it'll be able to produce all that stuff that it needs to to feed itself. If we just put it in the windowsill for a few minutes a day, it probably won't do so well. Where as if we put it in the windowsill, and just let it go, it'll do great.
When we quickly read our scriptures, or say a quick, meaningless prayer, or do any of the things we should be doing grudgingly and half-heartedly, we are cutting ourselves off from that sunlight. The more we do things like scripture study, praying, church attendance, and more, the more we expose ourselves to the Spirit. We put ourselves in the windowsill when we follow the commandments of God, no matter how small they are. That Spirit is able to more fully fall upon us, and bless us with even greater blessings. The more we do these things, the more we'll feel the Spirit, and the better off we'll be.

Yes, But Not This Way

I read an amazing talk by Elder Jeffery R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, though he gave the talk when he was President of Brigham Young University, the other day. It was called "The Inconvenient Messiah", and it talked about us dealing with our temptations, and choosing to make the right choices, even if they're not what we'd like to do. This religion wasn't created so we could follow it when we chose, and do whatever we wanted, whenever we wanted. It was created so we would know how to live our lives, and what we should be doing to return to live with our Heavenly Father. Elder Holland gave another talk in the MTC while I was there on obedience that was full of great quotes, one of them being: "This isn't Burger King, you can't have it your way." He was specifically referring to the Mission, but it can be applied to our every day lives. We can't be "cafeteria members", picking and choosing what we like and don't like. We were given an unchanging list of rules. There are no loopholes, there is no sliding. Once you've entered into those covenants, you're in 'em.
In the talk, Elder Holland refers back to the Temptations of Christ, seen in Matthew 4:1-10. In this account, Christ had just been baptized, and had retreated to a secluded place, where He fasted for forty days. At the end of this, Satan came to tempt him. First, he tempted him on a physical basis, telling him to turn the rocks to bread. It wasn't that the evil in the temptation came from eating, it was taking the easy way out. Satan was tempting Christ to abuse his powers to make it easier for himself, more convenient. Christ, of course, resisted. Next, Satan tried to appeal to his Spiritual side, taking him to the pinnacle of the temple, and telling Him to cast Himself off. He would be protected, as the Son of God, and the angles would carry him gently down. He would not only be safe, but the world would see what had happened, and would know for a fact that He was the prophesied Messiah. It would have been an easy way for the people to gain that knowledge, and it wouldn't be faith based. People needed to believe that Jesus was the Christ, and have faith. Again, Christ resisted. Finally, Satan went all out. He showed Christ the kingdoms of the world, and offered them all to Christ... if He just worshiped Satan. Christ was fully aware that, at His Second Coming, all would be His. The world would be His kingdom, and He would rule over all. Even if Satan could give him all these things, it would have cheapened it. Christ will be King of kings and Lord of lords, and all will be his. All these things, eating, the belief of his children, and dominion over all, will come in time to Christ. He will have all these things, but He will have them in the proper order.
Yes, but not this way.
We all have temptations in our life, things we need to overcome. We all have those demons. It's up to us to stay strong, and not take the easy way out. Not look for convenience. As President Kimball told a woman who was convinced that a daily cup of coffee wouldn't keep her out of the Celestial Kingdom: "No, the coffee won't. But disobedience will." We must always rely on the Lord for relief from hard times. Just as it was said of him, "his angels charge concerning thee, and in their hands they shall bear thee up". Nothing is ever too hard. The Lord does not let us go through trials too difficult for us to handle. Keep your head up, you eye single to the glory of God, and go forth with faith, knowing that He will protect you. I'm not sure who said this quote, but it's perfect: "Obedience brings blessings. Perfect obedience brings miracles."
No one is perfect, no one is without temptation. Don't worry so much about how hard things are, focus on how good things will be. Look to the eternity. Look long term. Just as a close friend of mine did, as he was recently struggling with health issues and going through a really rough time, yet every time I talked to him, he had a positive attitude, and was looking forward to something good that was coming up. 

Worry is the anticipation that the outcome will be bad,
Faith is the anticipation that the outcome will be good,
Faith in God is the anticipation that whatever the outcome, it will be for your good!

The Lord is my Shepherd

Wow. So, thanks to a plug for my blog on the Mormon Times website, I've gotten a pretty good amount of views. I am incredibly grateful for that! But, it seems to kinda up the bar for me. I wrote something that received attention (which is way cool!), and now I feel pressed to write something really good to live up to my Nerd entries. Part of me considered doing another Gospel according to a Nerd entry, but I didn't want to overdo it (and frankly and pretty much out of ideas for that), so... Let's see what I can do!
In Luke 15, we see 3 parables given, that have a pretty common thread to them; they all deal with losing something of great importance, and finding it again. The first one we see is the parable of the lost sheep, where a man lost one of his sheep, and though it was just one of one hundred, he went off searching diligently until he found it, and rejoiced when he did. Now I'm not the biggest fan of sheep. They're kinda dumb and ugly and gross, but I would imagine that if these sheep were central to your livelihood, and if you spent as much time around them as this man did, you'd care a great deal about them, and would be very upset to have even one wander off, but incredibly joyful to have it back. The next parable is of a woman who loses a silver piece. The footnote to "piece" identifies is specifically as a drachma, which was a workers daily pay. That's a lot of money. Sure, she still has nine left, but ten is better than nine. She sweeps every corner of her house, looking and looking, until she finds it, and, like the Shepard, celebrates over finding it. The final parable given is the Prodigal Son, one of the best known parables. In it, a selfish son demands his inheritance, and leaves his father, brother, and home to live a riotous life. He soon realizes his mistakes when he gets so broke that it comes down to begging, or eating what the pigs eat. So, he decides that he'll return to his home, and offer to be a hired hand for his father. When he returns, his father runs out to meet him, hugs him, and puts shoes on his feet, a robe on him, and a ring on his finger. He then slaughters the best calf, and they have a large feast.
All three have closely linked meanings, but if you look at the details, you can see why Christ gave all three, rather than just summing it up into one: The sheep in the first one wandered off. Maybe he didn't mean to, maybe he was just misled, or curious, and misfortune struck in the way of him getting lost. The sheep was sought out and brought back to the fold. In the woman's case, through her own irresponsibility and lack of attention, she lost something very valuable to her. In searching for it, she found all the dust and cobwebs in her home, finding the dirties places and sweeping them out, making her home clean, then finding that which she cherished. In the Prodigal Son, the son willingly leaves, following his own desires and selfish wants, but then realizing the error of his ways, returns to what he knew was right.
These three exemplify many ways in which souls are lost from our Heavenly Father's fold. Some just wander off, out of curiosity, laziness, or a busy schedule. It's not that they're bad people, and that they're going against the church, they're just fall into unfortunate circumstances that take them away. Some people, however, lose sight of what matters most, through a worldly view and desires for something bigger and grander. They finally realize what wonderful thing they've lost, and in so searching for it, they discover all the dirty nooks and crannies of their souls, and clean it out, and in so doing find that which they hold most dear. And others, knowing full well what they have, willingly leave it in search of personal gratification and their own selfish desires. They often find themselves hitting rock bottom, and realize they have to go back to that life they abandoned if they want to be truly happy. What people in this situation often do is think that their Heavenly Father will be angry with them, and won't want them back, so they go hesitantly. They worry about judgments of others, and whether they'll actually be able to come back, but once they do, they realize that Heavenly Father isn't angry with them, and never was. He embraces them warmly, and welcomes them back into his fold.
We need always be aware those around us that are lost are still precious in the sight of God. He loves them all, just as He loves you and I, and we can help those souls return to the fold of our Heavenly Father, and if we do, we can rejoice right alongside Him over their return.

The Parable of the Bike

Once upon a time, a little girl was walking downtown with her dad. They had just finished up their shopping, and were going back to the car to head home. The little girl was quite bored after the long day, and was clutching to her dad's hand. As they crossed the street, a store caught the little girl's attention. It was a small store, with a large front window, and in that window was a bright, shiny pink bike, with a white basket, and tassels on the handlebars. The girl stopped abruptly and stared at the bike. She released her father's hand, and went right up to the window, gawking at it.
"Daddy!" she said. "I want that bike!"
The father looked at the glowing face of his daughter, then at the bike. He considered long and hard. He looked at the price tag. It wasn't too bad. But, he saw an opportunity to teach his young daughter a valuable life lesson.
"How about this, honey. I'll start giving you an allowance, and every time you do your chores, I'll give you money, and you can save up and buy the bike yourself."
The daughter thought about it for a moment. "Ok, daddy!" She said excitedly.
Over the next couple weeks, the little girl did every chore her mom and dad asked her to do, and kept her allowance money in a piggy bank she kept hidden under her bed. Every night, she would count it out.
Finally, a few weeks later, the little girl came running down the stairs.
"Daddy! Daddy! I have enough!" The little girl squealed with excitement. She was holding her piggy bank. "We can get the bike!"
"Ok, honey," her father laughed. They got in the car and headed toward the store. When they got their, the little girl was excited to see the bike still their. She ran into the store, her father right behind her.
"I'd like the pink bike, please!" the girl said to the man behind the counter. The man laughed and got the bike.
The clerk rang up the price, and the little girl spilled the contents of her piggy bank onto the counter. The man counted it all up. The grand total of the girl's savings was $5.75. The bike cost $40. The father looked down and laughed to himself. He apparently forgot to explain the purpose and value of money. The clerk also laughed, recognizing what was going on.
"Honey, you don't quite have enough money," the father began. He saw the smile disappear from his daughter's face. "But, I'll pay the difference so you can get it." The father pulled out his wallet and handed the cashier the money.
The little girl happily rode the bike all the way home, and continued to do all the chores her mom and dad asked her to.