What's in a name?

Names have really been intriguing me as of late. Why are they so important to us? Why do we care if someone remembers our name or not? And we do care. For some reason, when someone can call us by name we feel as if they know us. They may remember a hundred things about us but if they can't remember what we are called then we still feel like they don't care, or don't know us.

When we are born, our parents decide what our names will be. Whether its Joseph, Andrew, Jeffery, or Kyle that word becomes a part of us. It's kinda weird. Growing up, we get nicknames that sometimes mean more to us than our original name. For some reason, we like that. 

At baptism we take upon ourselves the name of Christ. We strive to represent Him in what we do and say. Mosiah 5:8 says, "There is no other name given whereby salvation cometh; therefore, I would that ye should take upon you the name of Christ..." 

Christ said, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." Christ does know us and is ever calling out to us. Let's listen and follow Him. 

The night is darkest just before the dawn

I don't know if that saying actually has any real scientific merit but it certainly rang true for me this summer. My summer job took me away from Utah and down to the northern part of Texas. It was hot, dusty, and at times a little bit miserable. But overall I was in good company and had an enjoyable time. However, my last week of work was indeed a trial and a tribulation. Tuesday was particularly awful. My exhaust system on my car broke. Like, we are talking pipes hanging from the bottom of my car, scraping the asphalt. I was terrified that I would have to stay an extra day or two for it to get fixed.

Thankfully, we were able to get it fixed on Wednesday and I started the journey home on Thursday morning. I was so grateful. My prayers had been answered. However, 200 or so miles from home I hit something on the road and my right rear tire was shredded. Let me just take time to point out that I had already replaced all four tires on my car over the course of the summer. Needless to say I was a little bit bummed.

Anyway, we put the spare on and somehow made it the rest of the way home. Shoutout to Dalton Facer for sticking with me the whole way just in case I got another flat. But as we were driving across the rather large state of Wyoming I couldn't help but think of the pioneers who made a similar trek but on foot. After initial thoughts of, “why me?” I realized I had so much to be grateful for. So I thanked God for my safety, for my friends, for my family waiting for me, for technology and innovation, for all the blessings which I enjoy everyday.

The night may be darkest just before the dawn but what better time to look up at all the stars?

Without Sail or Anchor

Let me start off by saying that I am not a sailor, nor have I ever even been sailing. I have, however, watched movies where people do and it actually seems like a lot of fun.

In the last chapters of the Book of Mormon, Mormon casts before us an awful scene of blood and carnage. The Nephites and Lamanites are at war (which by this point in the book is a regular occurrence) and to say the least, things are not looking good. But as bad as the war is, Mormon is more concerned about their spiritual welfare. Because of his people's wickedness he knows that we too will sorrow for the destruction of this people as we read his account. And he's right.

In verse 18 of Mormon chapter 5 we read that the people were as though they were, "upon the waves, without sail, or anchor, or without anything wherewith to steer..." Like I said before, I'm no sailor but I think it is safe to say that those three things are essential. They give us control of the boat. With them we can stop, change direction, and return to our proper course should we stray. Without them we are simply at the will of the ocean. And after watching Shark Week that is not something I desire...

So as we set sail today and tomorrow lets not forget that we have power to stop and to change our course. Hopefully if we make minor adjustments (See President Uchtdorf's talk: A Matter of a Few Degrees) along the way we'll make it home to our Heavenly Father without being entirely lost at sea or eaten by a shark.

Something new from Alma 32

This summer my parents, being the great folks that they are, challenged our family to read the Book of Mormon before school starts. This week I arrived at Alma chapter 32, the great discourse on faith. I thought to myself, "Self, see if you can find something new today." So I read carefully and something jumped out at me that I haven't looked at too closely before.

In verse 5 the poor of the Zoramites voice a concern. They complain to Alma that they have no place to worship because the rich have kicked em out of the synagogues. Thinking of my own life, I really only consider going to church on Sunday or going to the temple as qualifying as worship. It's likely that I would feel very much like these Zoramites if all of a sudden I was no longer allowed to enter church buildings or temples.

In the next chapter Alma says in verse 3, "Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship?" He then goes on to explain that praying unto God in the wilderness, over our fields, and in our closets is worshipping God.

Prayer is worship, if we make it that by being sincere and thanking and praising God in our conversation with Him. Richard G. Scott said, "Think of it: the absolute Supreme Being, the most all-knowing, all-seeing, all-powerful personage, encourages you and me, as insignificant as we are, to converse with Him as our Father."

Netflix will be the death of me

Why do we watch tv? Why do we get caught up in the lives of fictional characters? Why, when I have free time, do I sit on my computer and watch Netflix (I don't literally sit on top of my computer, I sit on a chair and look at my computer)?

The answer to these questions... I don't know if I really know.. So bear with me as I kind of think out loud here.

Part of television's enchanting spell is probably that it's entertaining. But I don't think that's everything. I think, sometimes we start to place ourselves in the characters shoes. We want to know what will happen to us next. The problem is, there is always something left unresolved at the end of an episode. And with Netflix we don't have to wait until next week, or next season. We can watch 7 straight episodes and still leave hungry for whatever it was we were looking for.

For me, I see attributes in characters that I want. Somehow my brain thinks that if I keep watching, those qualities will magically be projected onto me. But of course that's not gonna happen. So, I spend all my time watching something that leaves me empty when I could be filling it with something meaningful. It's a little bit ironic.

And yep.. I think that's it. That's all I got. Netflix, TV, there you have it.

"We've got nothin' to hide.."

Ever been patted down by a police officer and checked for drugs or weapons? Well... now I can say that I have. The other night, we were on our way back from a little campfire when we passed by a car that had been pulled over. We joked, "Who gets pulled over in a state park??" Well, we do. A few minutes later we we saw the flashing lights of a policeman behind us. We slowed to the side of the road and the Texas officer came to the driver side window and did his whole little speech, "Do you know why I pulled you over?" etc..

He asked the driver to exit, then he asked me and the other passenger to come out of the car as well. We put our hands behind our heads and he frisked us. I can't say I was afraid or even mad. It was kinda cool actually. Unlike him, I knew that we were just a couple of Mormon boys from Utah. He wouldn't find any drugs or booze in our car.

On the drive home we laughed and talked about how fun that little escapade was. I realized that it would've have likely been a different story had we been drinking or using drugs like perhaps other kids our age would've been doing around a campfire.

When you are doing what's right you've got nothing to worry about, you can enjoy life!

The Pride Inside

We've all got talents, things that we enjoy doing and are good at. Sometimes we are afraid to say what we think our own talents are. It's easy to point them out in others, "He's a great basketball player." or, "She has a real knack (yes, that's how you spell it) for painting." Why don't we share with others what we think our talents are? We are afraid that if we admit, out loud, that we think we are good at something that someone will disagree because there's always someone better.

The first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word pride is Lion King. Not really, but it did come to mind earlier today. Simba belonged to a pride of lions and as a youngster he was pretty prideful too. He said things like, "I'm gonna be the mane (pun intended) event like no king was before.." Sure, Simba may have had a talent for leadership and certain gifts that would make him a great king but the pride was in comparing, and elevating himself above previous leaders, including his father.

It's not enough for us to simply be good at something and enjoy doing it. We often compare ourselves to others. We've got to be better. They may be good at this, but you're better than them at some other thing. Truthfully, it doesn't matter. Who cares? Find something you like and work at it for yourself. And don't be afraid to compliment people and point out what you've noticed they are good at.

And yep... I think that's it.