I wanna be like...

Who did you look up to when you were growing up? Was it your Dad? Your big brother? Your favorite athlete? We all have people in our lives that we looked up to and tried to emulate in our lives. I have a couple of nephews that rotate through different super heroes and stars from their new favorite TV show. The little dudes came rushing back into my mind when I saw a post that my cousin had put on his facebook about how a man who wrote a book about how superheroes really can be great role models (Check it out if you'd like).  Though I never really got into the whole superhero thing, I to have people I looked up to.

Who is the best role model though? The One that if any person decided to follow, they would be guaranteed a better lifestyle, better qualities, and a better experience in their life? A scripture comes to mind to answer this question: 

"For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps:"(1 Peter 2:21)

Jesus Christ was sent to this Earth to be that example for each and everyone of us. I recently found a link in the scriptures of where he tell us pretty plainly that we are to be like Him, and act like it. The first was in Matthew where Christ tells us that we are the 'light of the world'.

"Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid."

We are light in this world, and are meant to shine! There is someone else who is referred to as 'light' in the scriptures. Any guesses?

"Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life." (John 8:12)

So. Christ is the light, and so are we? Correct! Looks to me like we have some work to do! We can walk the steps that Jesus walked. Think of His mortal life--it was one of service. We can help others want to know Christ because they know us. People feel it, and can tell when there is a 'light in the darkness'. That can be you. That can be me. Our job is to be the best we can be, and that can be done through the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Jesus Christ is my super hero, I think I want to be more like him...

You're Best

The phrase 'the only constant in life is change' rings true to me yet again as I start over in a new area of Pennsylvania. This change however brought me much more responsibility and expectations. Over the last eighteen months, some of the people I have looked up to, and learned from the most, have been here doing what I am doing now. I see what they left behind and look forward to what I now have to do. Don't worry, you can say it out loud. I sure did--'Uh-Oh!'

 The first week went by so fast I don't even remember everything about it. Now that we have settled into a little more of what we will normally do, the weight of it all also settled in. It's game time and I am still trying to memorize the playbook!

It's a pretty good thing then that I have a pretty awesome guy by my side to keep my head on straight. My companion, Elder Winter, slipped me this quote:

"Don't worry about trying to be better than someone else. Learn from others, yes. But don't try to be better than they are. You have no control over that. Instead try, and try very hard to be the best that you can be." -John Wooden

 We really don't have to 'fill so-and-so's shoes' or leave our mark on whatever we do. We're there for a reason, now do everything you can do to be the best you that you can be. God doesn't put us in any situation that we can't handle, we just get really intimidated at the look of the challenge.

There is an invitation given to all of us that comes to mind that fits into this.

 "Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect." (see 3 Nephi 12:48 & Matthew 5:48)

 Now that is a big wall to climb. The same principle applies though! This life isn't a race, it's not a competition of me vs. you. We can accept and fulfill this invitation by simply trying our very best to be the best that we can become. That isn't always easy, because we grow through trials. I am thankful for the opportunity I now have to grow, and see what I can become. I have my situation in life, and you have yours. How have you grown from your current situation? Are you growing, today? Remember, God is there, and will help us along the way. 

Just Smile!

Smile. What do you think of? Whether it is your little niece or your best friend. Smiles are contagious and pretty much all around awesome. Smiling is good for the soul! If you don't like to smile, come see me and we'll see if we can fix that.

I like to think of the most important people in my life, and their smiles. They are important to me. Whether it really was one of my nieces or nephews, or a new friend on the streets of Philly. There is another important Smile I came across while reading the Book of Mormon the other day.

SMILE brought new meaning to me in this scripture.

"O, my beloved brethren, remember the awfulness in transgressing against that Holy God, and also the awfulness of yielding to the enticings of that cunning one. Remember, to be carnally-minded is death, and to be Spiritually-Minded Is Life Eternal." (2 Nephi 9:39 emphasis added)

S-M-I-L-E = Spiritually-Minded is Life Eternal. So smiling means we are 'spiritually minded'. That means if the scriptures are true (they are, I promise) then we will receive Eternal Life a.k.a. live with God! Smiles get us into Heaven!

So what is being 'Spiritually-Minded'? Elder Douglas L. Callister explained it this way,

"A spiritual-minded man is observant of the beauty in the world around him. As the earth was organized, the Lord saw that “it was good.” Then, “It was very good.” It pleases our Father in Heaven when we, also, pause to note the beauty of our environment, which we will naturally do as we become more spiritually sensitive." (see his full talk 'Seeking the Spirit of God')

You better smile today

 It truly is as simple as that. If we notice God in our life, and allow His creations to magnify us, we will naturally do the right thing. Elder Callister continues in his talk in comparing all of God's creations to Moses and the burning bush. That all the world burns with the Spirit, and only they who see it take off their shoes-or respect it, pay attention to it, and seek God in it.

It's as simple as that. If we all just smile. Look to God in our lives, because He IS there, then we will feel of his comforting Spirit in our lives. It works for me all the time, every time, and it will for you to. So 'SAY CHEESE'!

Hope No More

Yesterday I had another one of those experiences where God puts some people in just the right moment at just the right time.

While driving to visit some families, we received a call from a man named Ryan, who had been working in the area as a door-to-door salesman. He gave us the information for a woman named Carol who he thought we should stop by. We went to her home, and were welcomed warmly. Carol has many family members that belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. She has seen how the church has affected her children's lives and knows that it has benefited their lives. Carol has studied many religions and beliefs. She has found, as many do, wonderful things in each and has held those beliefs dear to her heart. She knows they are true. She has the hope and desire in her heart that they all can be true, even though she can't find it all in one place.

Our discussion turned towards The Book of Mormon, Another Testament of Jesus Christ. We were able to promise her that all of her hopes and desires in her heart about her family, and receiving the direction and peace of mind she has seen in her childrens lives, can be hers! Today! The Book of Mormon was written for our day (see Mormon 8:35) and it can give us the answers we need. That is why it was buried in that hill for so long. That is why our loving Heavenly Father patiently waited until we all got here to call Joseph Smith to bring it forth. The Book of Mormon provides safety for your soul, answers to the questions you have in your heart, and confirmations to every good thing you hope and dream is true.

Carol connected those dots to herself, and excitedly accepted the invitation to read the Book of Mormon, to see for herself what God has to say to her.

I know that the Book of Mormon is true. Because of that, I know of a surety that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God, and that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is God's church on Earth today. I know it by the power of the Holy Spirit, after fervent prayer.

This Book wasn't written only for me, or for Carol. It was written for each one of you! Now read it and find out why.

Waves and Washings

I just received one of the greatest letters I have probably ever gotten in the last eighteen months. It came from a dear friend I sometimes call Jimbo, or Jim. Jim had great news. He has decided to dedicate the next two years to serving Jesus Christ and the people of the Washington Kennewick Mission as a missionary (just like me!) for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. He is going to be one killer missionary and I look forward to receiving many more awesome letters from him.

Jim and I with Sarah and Steph at Graduation!

The reason I bring it up is not only to show how great of friends I have, but after sharing a particular experience he had had in his life, he shared a quote that has such great meaning in it. Here is how it read from his letter:

'There's some lyrics I love from a song that is like perfect for this, "When the rains fall, when the floods rise, when the storm comes, I am still washed by the water." Try and take that attitude, no matter what happens or how bad it gets, you can still be washed by it, and still become stronger from it.'

Wow. Any trial or experience we go through can benefit us. We just have to look for it. Any way it will hit us, whether it is coming down on top of us, sneaking up on us, or coming like a blast from the side, we can be able to 1) withstand the blow (see Alma 13:28 1 Corinthians 10:13 and Philippians 4:13) and 2) receive some kind of benefit from it (see Ether 12:6 ). God truly looks out for us and will not let us down.

God desires to bless us in our adversity, that is the purpose of life. He wants to know how much we will trust in Him, so he knows we will not squander that which he has given us. I know that in my own life, I have seen a blessing come from every trial I have reacted positively to. I definitely didn't have that in mind as I went through it, and I need to do better at that, but I have the hope and faith that with the attitude that we will come out on top. We can be 'washed' by those waves.

Now don't think that this only will work for me, or for Jimbo, but it is most definitely for all of us. The glory of God can be seen in all of our lives, we just have to look inside us, find it, and bring it out. So do it, have the attitude that you can find good in trials, because you will!. As Jim said to me, I now say to you, 'Go ahead, I DARE ya!'

Pick Your Jersey

A good friend of mine gave me a quote that had to do with sports-so it is instantly awesome of course. What gave me more reason to like it is the message it gives:

"The future of this world has long been declared, the final outcome between good and evil is already known. There is no question as to who wins because the victory has already been posted on the scoreboard. The only really strange thing in all of this is we are all still down here on the field trying to decide which team's jersey we want to wear." Elder Jeffrey R. Holland

 This game isn't going to be a nail-biter, no instant replay required. The outcome is already posted, the articles are written, the post-game show is about to begin. It's over. Good is the winner. Now, the question is who wants to be a part of it?

I've had my successes in sports, and know what it is like to see the scoreboard with the clock at all zeros and the score in your favor.That is definitely not a time when you want to take off your jersey and go switch with the kid on the other team. I can honestly say that I never felt that way... ever. When the game is over, and you know you are the victor, you are on to bigger and better things.

We have such a great advantage now as we play this game called life. We have the stat-sheet, the playbook, and the best Coach in the universe. The other guys don't stand a chance! All we have to do is listen to the Coach, His assistants, and our teammates. If we do that, we win, no matter what. It sounds pretty easy, but we have a few decisions to make, and plays to run on our part first.

A big problem is that we don't remember getting subbed in. When we got here the game was well into play, the fourth quarter had already started. It took us some time to get our barrings, but we had help. A family trained us up on the ins and outs of what we were supposed to do, and we were off to the races-some a little more clumsily than others.

At times we have been wearing the right jersey, at others not so much. No matter how hard we try we cannot wear both jerseys at the same time. We cannot serve 'two masters' (see 3 Nephi 13:24 and Mathew 6:24) As Elder Holland said it truly is strange how often we keep jumping back and forth. No matter, our Coach understands. He sees our weaknesses and knows our strengths. He won't put us in a situation that we can't handle, so trust Him, and stay on His side.



Ultimately it's black or white. We need to pick our jersey. We can pick God and win, or we can pick the Devil and lose. All of our choices can be boiled down to these two teams, so which will you choose?

Don't forget, we know who the winner is going to be already.

The Bus Driver

We had just finished eating at a Taco Bell, when I saw a bumper sticker on the back of a mini van that caught my eye. It read:

'It's ok, I'm a School Bus Driver, all my problems are behind me.'

Now my first reaction to this was a chuckle of course--I've been there. The minute I would step onto those giant yellow playgrounds I'd  unconsciously give myself permission to have at it - race to the back seat, defend it till death, or at least settle for the isle seat, and get ready for the awesome trip ahead. Needless to say, I do not have 'bus driver' on my list of 'Stuff i'd like to do for a living'. Kudos and a plate of cookies to all those bus drivers out there...

Anyways, my life has been so enveloped in tying all things to a spiritual aspect lately that I began pondering the attitude about life that this phrase could imply. 'All my problems are behind me'. At times I make mistakes-ok, most of the time I make mistakes, but then I try and fix those and move on, leaving those problems behind me. I learn from those mistakes and in that sense they remain at the back of my mind (or bus) so that I don't go through it again, but I continue down my road that is called life.



Me with some of the squirts
 at my High School Graduation



Now i'm not saying children are my problems, I don't have any yet, and I would never consider the 11 (two pending, and one I haven't met yet) neices and nephews I have as problems. I have had the little squirts climb all over me, but love them to death. These 'problems' I refer to are the ones we all know about, and have.

Sometimes I make mistakes and put them right on the windshield, puting my entire focus upon them and not letting go, other times I just let them off at the next stop, just so I can pick it right back up the next time around and go through the process all over again. What i'm getting at is learning, letting go, and living on.

I am thankful for the gift from God called repentance. I love the fact that I can change for the better, that not one of us need to dwell upon the fact that we messed up. What a glorious hope-filled message, the opportunity to change. To become closer, and more like, God, who does not mess up. The fruits of repentance that are so wonderful inspire us to share it with others. (see 1 Nephi 8:11) To repent we must simply acknowledge we did something wrong, admit to God-in the name of Jesus Christ-we did wrong, ask for forgiveness, then learn from that mistake and do your best to never do it again. If you have never tried this, do it! I know that forgiveness is available to all of us, and that we all have the ability to put our problems behind us, and move on down our paths with the joy and potential God has in store for each one of us.

So when life gives you problems, be a school bus driver, and move on down the road.

Go and Build an Ark

I came across a quote the other day that turned out to be a little bit more of a learning experience than I had expected.

"Remember, professionals built the Titanic, and amateurs built the ark." Authur Unkown (let me know if you find out)

Now you and I both know the results of these two massive ships that were built in years past. But why were the results so different? The professionals mentioned above who built the Titanic were the best of the best--a crew of highly experienced ship builders who began the project of creating the largest passenger steamship in the world. Noah was commanded to build a ship with his sons to save his family and many animals from the flood, who knows how much experience he had at accomplishing such a task, if any at all. The Titanic sank just four days into it's very first journey. The Ark stayed afloat for nearly a year, saving all who were aboard.

Now how the heck did that happen?

Noah, of course, had a bit of an advantage. Though he was not an elite engineer of modern times. He was a God fearing man who trusted in His God to help him accomplish the great task he had been commanded to do (Genesis 6:22). Noah knew that when God says He is going to do something, it will happen. So he acted accordingly. Now what did I learn from this?

Often in my life I try to build Titanics. I try to create something so big, great, wonderful, and world pleasing, just to have it 'sink' on me four days later. Does that ever happen to you? I am always puzzled as to why that happens after the hard work I put into it, just to have it not happen. Whether it be a State Championship, or a doodle, stuff happens. How this quote helped me is knowing that when it is God's will, it happens. No matter what it is, or who I am, it works out.

We don't have a knowledge of what Noah's ark really looked like, just that God told him to, it was air tight, and it held a ton of stuff. Maybe the people at the time scoffed and scorned because it wasn't made of the most elegant wood, or didn't have a cool name painted on the side. Noah could have done anything to that boat, and someone still would have had something negative to say. Just like with anything you or I do, it will never meet everyone in the world's expectation. Bummer. There will always be the 'coffee shop crew' who will critique your last game, or the stiff professor who doesn't believe in a 100% paper. Our job is to be satisfied with our best, and then move on.

Knowing that my best is good enough to God is more important than trying to make my best good enough for so-and-so. Don't try to be a professional, just be a Noah-an obedient follower of God. As you do so, your efforts are made beneficial to you, others, and to God. Go to  God often and ask Him if your goals are things He would want you to do, then if they are He will show you how to do it. Once you know that God is on your side, there should be nothing stopping you from you going out and building that ark!

The 'To Be' List

I have been reflecting recently on the recent General Conference for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, an opportunity to hear a Prophet of God, and hear what God would have us do in our lives today. My attention has recently been drawn to the talk given by one of God's servents-Elder Lynn G. Robinns, of the Quorum of the Seventy, entitled "What Manner of Men and Women Ought Ye to Be?"

Now i'm not going to try and give his talk, you can read it for yourself. I would, however, like to describe my thoughts of one particular portion of his talk about how we often times create 'To-Do Lists'. He said,

"Many of us create to do lists to remind us of things we want to accomplish. But people rarely have to be lists. Why? To do’s are activities or events that can be checked off the list when done. To be, however, is never done. You can’t earn checkmarks with to be’s. I can take my wife out for a lovely evening this Friday, which is a to do. But being a good husband is not an event; it needs to be part of my nature—my character, or who I am.

Interesting isn't it? I have one ginormous 'To Do List', and I run around like crazy trying to get it all done. But how often do I focus more on what I need to be than what I need to do? To me, being is what I am inside-reality. Doing is on the outside-which can change every day. The trick, and the commandment really, is to make these things-the outside and the inside-the same. Just having some cool stuff on my 'Done' list will not cut it. I cannot be a hypocrite. What good will that do?

"For what is the hope of the hypocrite, though he hath gained, when God taketh away his soul?" Job 27:8

This is all part of God's command to endure to the end. It is the only way. We can't do the gospel. We have to be it, all the time. We have to have faith, change daily for the better, and never forget Jesus Christ and what He did for me, and for you. It is our only path to Eternal Life.

"Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life." 2 Nephi 31:20

Am I really saying that we have to be that way every day for the rest of our lives? You better believe it. Why should I? Because I love Jesus Christ. I answer His call. I will do it for Him.

"If ye love me, keep my commandments." John 14:15

I still struggle to be all the time. I have doubts, but we can overcome them! When we have doubts, or when being gets really, really, hard, remember that you love Jesus Christ, that He asks you to be that way, and will be there for you every step of the way. Go ahead, think and pray about what God wants you to be, and make a list. Then be it, and don't even think about checking one of those things off until I say so!

God lives. He wants us to be as He is, and will help us to do so. Now go out and BE! Trust Him, don't trust me, and you'll see yourself grow more than you could imagine.

Expect Greatness

"Expect Greatness" has been one of my favorite mottos to live by. In High School, while playing football, I put that on the front of my playband. Not to tell everyone else to expect that just from me, but to tell myself that it is my job to expect greatness from my teammates, my coaches, and especially the other team.

Since I have become a missionary, I have been able to relate much of my 'sport smarts' from the playing field to the missionary field. This motto, "Expect Greatness", has been something I have learned a gospel tie to.

We can expect greatness in every aspect of our lives. We first must develop the HOPE that it can happen, then work our tails off to make it happen. That is the FAITH required for greatness a.k.a. miracles.
       'And Christ hath said: If ye will have faith in me ye shall have power to do whatsoever thing is expedient in me.'            Moroni 10:33

Anything we want to accomplish, that is part of God's will, we can do. We just must expect it, then work at it. God will sustain the effort, and the miracle will be brought to pass. Let us 'Expect Greatness' in all that we do, so God may be glorified in our works (see Matt. 5:16)

God bless you all, I Expect Greatness from you.