Smooth Sailing

I've been on a TG Sheppard kick lately.  Great music from my childhood.

Apparently this song, Smooth Sailing, is the story of my life.  :-)

It's too bad I couldn't find a live 80s perm fluff head version.  That would've been tight!  :-) The song is still awesome regardless. Enjoy!

Filled with Life and Energy

I read an article in the Ensign this month that I want to share with you.  I'm going to put a few of the quotes here but if you want to read the whole article click on this link.

I have done a blog post before about early to bed and early to rise but this article is much better and there are quotes from apostles and prophets to back up the claims.

"As a new General Authority, Elder Marion G. Romney (1897–1988) felt inadequate in fulfilling his important calling, so he sought advice from his friend Elder Harold B. Lee (1899–1973) of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles. The counsel offered that day both surprised and motivated Elder Romney. Elder Lee said: “If you are to be successful as a General Authority, you will need to be inspired. You will need to receive revelation. I will give you one piece of advice: Go to bed early and get up early.If you do, your body and mind will become rested and then in the quiet of those early morning hours, you will receive more flashes of inspiration and insight than at any other time of the day.”"

The article mentions many scriptural examples of rising early. I won't mention them here but click on the link to read the article.

“Cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated” (D&C 88:124)  Invigorate means “to fill with life and energy.”

"The ancient philosopher Aristotle suggested other benefits to those who keep an early schedule: “It is well to be up before day-break, for such a habit contributes to health, wealth and wisdom.”2 Early U.S. statesman Benjamin Franklin later put that thought into his well-known maxim: “Early to bed and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise.”3 Most people put health, wealth, and wisdom toward the top of things most desired in life."

"Former Brigham Young University president Ernest L. Wilkinson suggested that keeping an early schedule is associated with health benefits. Referring to President David O. McKay (1873–1970), President of the Church at the time, he said: “One of the great reasons, I am sure, why President McKay has lived to such a good, ripe, and vigorous old age has been the fact that as a young man he developed habits of retiring to bed early, arising early, generally before sun up, when his mind was clear and his body vigorous, to do the day’s work.”5"

"Connections have also been made between keeping an early schedule and mental and emotional health. Elder Russell M. Nelson of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles has said, “To those who feel defeated and downtrodden, look to the early hours of the day for your rescue.”6"

"The connection between sleep patterns and wisdom is not just a theory. A study conducted by researchers at Brigham Young University looked at the effect of several variables—such as exercise, nutrition, and sleep habits—on students’ grade point average (GPA). The researchers found that of all the variables, “weekday and weekend wake-up times had the largest relative effects on semester GPA. For each hour of delay in reported average weekday wake-up time, the predicted GPA decreased by 0.132 on a standard 0.00 to 4.00 grading scale. … Each hour of delay in average weekend wake-up time corresponded to a decrease in predicted GPA of 0.115.”7"

"Have we become like the children of Israel, who refused to follow the Lord’s antidote for snakebites “because of the simpleness of the way”? (1 Nephi 17:41; see alsoHelaman 8:14–15)."

"Consider the counsel President Boyd K. Packer, President of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, gave related to gaining wisdom: “I counsel our children to do their critical studying in the early hours of the morning when they’re fresh and alert, rather than to fight physical weariness and mental exhaustion at night. I’ve learned the power of the dictum, ‘Early to bed, early to rise.’”8"

Interesting sidenote -- at President Packer's funeral Elder Ballard mentioned Sister Packer encouraging her husband not to call the brethren before 5 AM. He said for that he was grateful to her. :-)

"During a fireside address at Brigham Young University, Elder Christensen further stated: “Some of you are not getting the rest that you need. Some are habituated to going to bed late and sleeping much longer than your system really needs, thus missing out on some of the personal inspiration you could be receiving.”10"

"President Hinckley added another promise to the obedient: “If you go to bed at 10:00 and get up by 6:00 a.m., things will work out for you.”11"

Quotes taken from the following article: Filled with Life and Energy, Randal A.Wright, Ensign, July 2015

There is some pretty powerful evidence that getting up early and going to bed early is good for you. I guess Ben Franklin and Aristotle were both onto something.  :-)

That's my two cents.

Religious Liberty

I was reading the Ensign the other day and since religious liberty is being attacked and has been in the news lately this quote by Elder Hales really stood out to me.

Elder Robert D. Hales
Quorun of the 12 Apostles

“As we walk the path of spiritual liberty in these last days, we must understand that the faithful use of our agency depends upon our having religious freedom. …

“There are four cornerstones of religious freedom that we as Latter-day Saints must rely upon and protect.

“The first is freedom to believe. No one should be criticized, persecuted, or attacked by individuals, or governments either, for what he or she believes about God. …

“The second … is the freedom to share our faith and our beliefs with others. …

“The third … is the freedom to form a religious organization, a church, to worship peacefully with others. …

“The fourth … is the freedom to live our faith—free exercise of faith not just in the home and chapel but also in public places.”

Elder Robert D. Hales of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, “Preserving Agency, Protecting Religious Freedom,” Ensign, May 2015, 112.

Taken from: April 2015 Conference Notebook, July 2015 Ensign

Real Men

I stole this from my sister's blog because I liked it so much that I wanted to post it on my blog.

Johnny Cash is right, real men live for God. Men who choose to follow God's commandments are much more attractive and masculine than pansies who choose to follow Satan.

Following God requires effort, conviction, and a lot of work to serve Him.  Any pansy/sissy can take the path of least resistance and "live for the devil".

Being a Christian isn't for sissies -- it's for real men.

Thanks for the reminder, Johnny.

That's my two cents.

President Boyd K. Packer Quotes

Since today is President Packer's funeral and in light of his recent passing, I want to honor him with some of his quotes from his many years of teaching the gospel. I read that he didn't want people talking about him at his funeral he just wanted the gospel preached. So here's my contribution (With a little help from the Deseret News) -- in his own words. :-)

"There is no end to his power to bless and direct the lives of those who seek truth and righteousness."

"Learn to pray. Pray often. Pray in your mind, in your heart. Pray on your knees. Prayer is your personal key to heaven."

"You are never far from the sight of your loving Heavenly Father."

"We have every reason to rejoice and little reason to fear. If we follow the promptings of the Spirit, we will be safe, whatever the future holds. We will be shown what to do."

"Reverence invites revelation."

"A testimony is a testimony, and it should be respected, whether it is small or large."

"We are not obedient because we are blind, we are obedient because we can see."

"Forgiveness is powerful spiritual medicine. To extend forgiveness, that soothing balm, to those who have offended you is to heal. And, more difficult yet, when the need is there, forgive yourself!"

“Keep the fire of your testimony of the restored gospel and your witness of our Redeemer burning so brightly that our children can warm their hands by the fire of your faith.”

"If you stumble, rise up, go on."

"(Christ) is the anchor that holds us and protects us and our families through the storms of life."

"We must choose whom to follow. Our protection is as simple as deciding individually to follow the Savior, making certain that we faithfully will remain on his side."

"Faith is a real power, not just an expression of belief."

"The Lord has a way of pouring pure intelligence into our minds to prompt us, to guide us, to teach us, to warn us."

"Life moves all too fast. When you feel weak, discouraged, depressed, or afraid, open the Book of Mormon and read."

"True doctrine, understood, changes attitudes and behavior."

"Your secret yearnings and tearful pleadings will touch the heart of both the Father and the Son."

"Our lives are made up of thousands of everyday choices. Over the years these little choices will be bundled together and show clearly what we value."

Well said President Packer! Your sage advice and wise teachings will be missed. RIP!

Illogical Logic

I found out a few things about myself during a conversation I had last night.  Let me list a few of them for you.

1 -- Because I extend invitations to family gatherings to people who have always attended and have always been welcome in my home, I am somehow taking sides.

2 -- Because I don't ostracize and alienate certain people I am a horrible family member.

3 -- When someone says to me, "It's on now, it's about to get real ugly" and I reply with, "Why can't you both just be Christlike and be civil with each other?"  then I'm called a religious zealot.  For which I kindly thanked the person for their compliment.  It's nice to know that people see that I'm trying to live my religion.  Although I hardly think that encouraging people to be kind and civil to each other qualifies.

4 -- Here's the kicker. I learned that I have never been through anything in my life... (short pause) except my accident. That is so laughable it doesn't even dignify a response.

5 -- For someone who claims to not care about my thoughts and opinions -- my calmly stated thoughts and opinions sure did bring out the anger and unhappiness of this individual.  Most people who don't care about things don't waste energy on them.

6 -- One thing I learned long ago is when people are in the wrong and they can't manipulate you into seeing things their way and embracing their distorted ideas, they become livid.  And it makes them even more angry when you remain calm and don't get angry yourself.

"And it came to pass that I said unto them that I knew that I had spoken hard things against the wicked, according to the truth; and the righteous have I justified, and testified that they should be lifted up at the last day; wherefore, the guilty taketh the truth to be hard, for it cutteth them to the very center."-- 1 Nephi 16:2

I find it interesting that people in the wrong such as liberal, socialist, totalitarians are angry even when they win. This is something I learned from Rush Limbaugh.  Take for instance the recent United States Supreme Court ruling that homosexual marriage is now legal in all 50 States.  You would think they would all be jumping for joy, turning cartwheels. After all, they won, they got what they wanted didn't they?  And they may have for a few minutes but then they returned to their angry agenda because the totalitarian in them will never be satisfied until every human soul is miserable like themselves and is manipulated into being in full agreement with their twisted ideas and completely embrace them.

Unless you embrace them and their distorted ideas full heartedly, you are the enemy and must be destroyed.  This is how evil people function.  They are not happy until everyone is miserable like unto themselves.  And they will attack you, your religion, your religious doctrine, your ideas and opinions, they will relentlessly persecute you and manipulate you until you embrace them and their distorted ideas.  And if you don't, their anger will escalate.

"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."--2 Nephi 2:27

I find it extremely sad that people choose the captivity of Satan and allow him to control their minds and life.  It's especially hard to see it happen to someone you love so much.  Life is too short to live it so angrily and unhappily.  I really wish people would have the courage to seek the help they need to get back to the truth they once embraced. Our Savior's atonement was not in vain.  Repentance is real. But, an important part of mortality is agency and people have to choose for themselves which side of the fence they are on. Unfortunately, Satan and his minions are very persuasive and deceptive and many -- even great followers of God -- have fallen prey to their cunning lies.

It really is amazing and even unfathomable that such illogical ideas can seem so logical to those who are blinded by the craftiness of men/Satan. Sin really does make you stupid.

That's my two cents.

Example of Good Parenting

I read this article about President Packer in the Deseret News today.  The following paragraph stuck out to me as a model for good parenting.

"He also used art to build relationships with his family. At one point, he worked with his children and grandchildren on carving and painting a wooden model of Noah's ark, complete with animal figurines.
"The grandchildren can come and play and touch and feel," President Packer wrote. "It is just part of the entertainment while they are at Grandma and Grandpa's house. Sometimes they break the pieces, but we glue them back together."" -- Deseret News, July 8, 2015

To President Packer, a teacher by trade, it was more important for the kids to learn and have fun rather than worry about his artwork or material things.

One article I read about him stated that he would allow his children to paint with him on his canvas and then spend hours painting over it to fix it.  An excellent example of a father who cared more about his kids than his stuff.

Timing Is Everything

I have been thinking a lot about timing recently.  It has been said that timing is everything.  It may not be everything but it certainly is important.

For example, you wouldn't feed a newborn baby a steak.  There is a certain progression from milk to puréed fruits and vegetables and cereals to eventually full meals including meat.  There is a general time frame for such progression.

The Scriptures even mention the importance of timing.  "To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" -- Ecclesiastes 3:1

In fact the very next verse in the third chapter of Ecclesiastes says that there is a time to be born and a time to die amongst a myriad of other things. I find it interesting how crucial timing can be in our lives.

For instance we are told that we were born at this specific time in the history of the world because of our valience or lack thereof in the preexistence. Similarly, each of us has an appointed time to spend on earth to prove ourselves worthy to our Father in Heaven and to learn and grow.  Although none of us knows the length or time frame of our mortal probation.

"nevertheless there was a space granted unto man in which he might repent; therefore this life became a probationary state; a time to prepare to meet God; a time to prepare for that endless state which has been spoken of by us, which is after the resurrection of the dead." -- Alma 12:24

How we spend our appointed time here in mortality is crucial to our destiny in the eternities.  The timing of our opportunities granted and subsequent choices can make a huge difference in the outcome of our lives.

For instance, there are specific time frames for different opportunities in our life.  The window of opportunity to serve a full-time mission is limited to certain age restrictions.  I'm not sure what the upper limit is but males must be 18 and females must be 19 years old to qualify to serve.  The upper limit is probably somewhere in the mid-20s.  Obviously there are other requirements to qualify but for this post I'm just focusing on age.

That is certainly a small window of opportunity which if not taken during that time frame, is lost. The gravity of such a loss may not be fully realized until later in life or until the next life.  But the loss of such opportunity is devastating.  A young man or woman who does not take the opportunity to serve a full-time mission during the timeframe when the opportunity is available -- especially when commanded -- loses out on many promised blessings and forever alters their future.

I'm grateful I was smart enough to take the opportunity to serve full-time mission when I was 21.  It's like an accelerated learning course.  My life is much richer because I took the opportunity.

Just like my example of the progression of foods a baby can eat -- there is a natural progression of life experiences and expectations.

Those who are privileged to be born into the Church progress from nursery to Priesthood/Relief Society.  Each organization has an age range.  Secular schooling also has age progression from kindergarten through high school graduation.  And on to higher education.

Ideally as members of the Church we progress from baptism at age 8 through the various auxiliaries including primary young men/women, for the boys they progress through various priesthood offices which also have age restrictions, at least on the lower end.  The natural progression would be from serving a full-time mission to Temple marriage to bearing and raising children.

Why is there such an organized age-related progression in the Church? Because the Lord in His wisdom has designed it that way because we build upon foundations previously laid.  Line upon line precept upon precept. "For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:" -- Isaiah 28:10

So the Lord wants us to continuously built upon the foundations we lay as we progress through life.

To be baptized we must have a simple knowledge of the gospel.  To serve a mission we should have progressed through those 10 or so years since baptism and have a larger foundation from which to preach the Gospel.  As we serve during those 18 months to two years we are continually learning and growing not only in the gospel but in life experiences.  Which then provides a better foundation on which to build a family, which would be the next step in the progression of life.

Now, we have been given numerous commandments, many of which require prerequisites or have specific time frames. The one I just mentioned, serving a full-time mission is one of them.  Another is,the commandment to multiply and replenish the earth which is obviously bound by the law of chastity.  According to God's laws, marriage must come before the bearing of children.  And missions must  come before marriage.  If you marry before serving a full-time mission, you have lost the opportunity and must wait many years to be granted the opportunity again. And by then all of your children will be raised and you will have missed all those blessings that could have helped you in raising a family.

Obviously those who make the mistake of bearing children before marriage are well aware of the severe consequences associated with the wrong timing and their bad choices.

President Kimball said the most important decision you will ever make is to marry the right person in the right place at the right time.  If any one of those variables is wrong, there will be consequences. Life will be more difficult.  You may marry the right person in the right place but if the timing is wrong, i.e. before serving missions, you will have missed that wonderful learning opportunity and chance to grow. You will be less mature and less able to face the stresses of marriage and kids.  And let's not forget, serving a mission is a commandment for all young men.  Therefore there will be consequences for breaking that commandment.

The window of opportunity for marriage and child rearing is also somewhat limited.  The experiences gained from the first two decades or so of life determine how well we are prepared for marriage and raising children.

Education is another example of how timing can be used to your advantage.  It is much easier to obtain your education while young.  Not only are you physically better able to learn but you are also better able to focus on your education and not other stresses in life that come as you grow older.

And of course as we reach the twilight years of life, we must continue to endure to the end and never give up on learning and progressing through mortality. Don't allow the windows of opportunity that the Lord grants us to learn and grow and progress through mortality to slip by you.  If you do, you will miss out on many blessings and much happiness.  Timing is everything.

"To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:" -- Ecclesiastes 3:1

That's my two cents.

RIP President Packer

In light of President Packer's recent death, I thought I would post this quote from him.  President Packer was a stalwart servant of the Lord who was never ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ and told it like it was and didn't mince words.

Well done thou good and faithful servant... RIP President Packer.

This is a quote I read in the June Liahona a few days before President Packer's death.  I really like it.

"Obedience is powerful spiritual medicine. It comes close to being a cure-all."-- President Boyd K. Packer, Leave It Alone, June 2015 Liahona

The Great Anesthetist

I have a handful of blog post ideas floating around in my head -- some of them for months.  I've either been too lazy or too sick to put forth the effort.  Hopefully I'll get around to at least two or three of them before I forget about them.

One that is fresh in my mind is from something I read on another blog yesterday.  I actually got the link from LDS living.  Anyway I will paraphrase in my own words the gist of what the blog post was about.  I'm sure the original is much better than my take on it.  I think it was from middle-aged Mormon man blog if you want to go find it.

Anyway it kind of hit home because I recently had major surgery and was under anesthesia.  The idea proposed on the blog was that Jesus is known as the great physician.  And then this man's friend compared Satan to the great anesthetist.  The idea being that Satan lulls you to sleep so that you miss living your life.  You miss out on the mortal experience.  There is a scripture to back up the claim.

"And others will he pacify, and lull them away into carnal security, that they will say: All is well in Zion; yea, Zion prospereth, all is well—and thus the devil cheateth their souls, and leadeth them away carefully down to hell."  --2 Nephi 28:21

President Uchtdorf recently spoke on the subject in a talk entitled "Are You Sleeping through the Restoration?" In his talk President Uchtdorf suggests three reasons why people would sleep through the restoration. Selfishness, addictions, and competing priorities.  It's a wonderful talk.  Click on the link to read or watch it.

I'm not going to elaborate but suffice it to say that many people in the church and out are anesthetized by Satan's cunning lies and are lulled away into carnal security thinking that all is well.  When in reality they are sleeping through/wasting their mortality and the devil is cheating their souls and leading them away carefully down to hell.

I was thinking about this yesterday because I've been focused on healing my femur and recovering from surgery.  So comparing my surgery to mortality I thinking was about how my surgeon put my leg back together but that was just the beginning.  Yes, he made it possible for my leg to heal but, my body must do all the work to heal itself.  Kind of the same way that Christ made it possible, as the great physician, for eternal life/exaltation to even be a possibility through His atonement.  But there is still much work that we must do ourselves to reach it.

But just like my leg, without my surgeon's efforts to repair my leg, it never would have healed. There is no guarantee that it will heal now but at least it's possible now.  Just like without Christ's atonement, eternal life/exaltation would not be possible.  But just like my leg is not guaranteed to heal even with surgical repair, exaltation is not guaranteed without effort on our part, but it is possible now because of Christ's atonement.

Then I was thinking about how I went into surgery early in the morning.  I remember everything until the anesthesiologist gave me a bolus of Versed in my IV.  Apparently I had a conversation with a scrub nurse afterwards but I don't remember any of it.  Versed is also an amnesiac.  The only reason I know I had a conversation with the scrub nurse was because my sister told me I did.  She said I was answering very slowly. The anesthesiologist told me right before he gave me the Versed that it would make me feel drunk.  Having never been drunk, I wasn't familiar with what that felt like.  But looking back, I don't know why anyone would ever want to do that to themselves intentionally.  Why would you want to impair yourself to the point where you don't remember part of your life?  But I digress.
After receiving the Versed the next thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room six hours later. I missed the entire surgery!  -- Thankfully.

Comparing my surgery to mortality, Satan being the great anesthetist numbs our spirits and makes us forget that which we know to be true.  The same way that my anesthesiologist numbed my body and made me forget the entire surgery. If we are not careful, and deliberately working towards building the Kingdom of God on earth and doing what is right, we can easily fall into Satan's anesthetic trap and sleep through our mortal probation.  And lose the opportunity to prove ourselves to our Heavenly Father. After all, that's the whole purpose of our being here on earth.  This is the privilege we've been given by choosing God's plan in the pre-mortal existence. We've been given the opportunity to come to earth and receive a body and prove ourselves. "And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;" -- Abraham 3:25

Don't fall into Satan's anesthetic trap.  Life is too short and too precious to waste. Our time here in mortality is a precious gift.  Don't squander it. Make a concerted effort to follow God's commandments daily. Read your scriptures and pray daily. Work hard to stay on the straight and narrow path and hold tight to the iron rod.  Don't allow yourself to be lulled into carnal security.  Christ's atonement made eternal life possible.  Do your best to accept this precious gift which requires daily energy and effort.

The healing process whether it be a leg or a spirit, requires a lot of energy and effort. The body's ability to heal itself is miraculous.  As is spiritual healing through Christ's atonement.

As thankful as I am for being anesthetized through my surgery, I still think it would've been cool if I could have scrubbed into my own surgery. That is a part of my life that I missed and will never get back.  Just like people who allow Satan to anesthetize their spirits and miss out on part or all of their life.

I have always said that sleep is the biggest waste of time. Although obviously it's a necessary part of life, don't sleep through more of life than is necessary. Spend your short time here in mortality productively.  Live life fully awake physically and spiritually.

Don't sleep through life like I slept through my surgery.

That's my two cents.

Bionic Woman

Yesterday I went for my 10 day postop visit to have my sutures removed and follow-up x-rays taken.

I don't know why they only gave me one AP view.  They did take a lateral but I didn't get it.  :-(

There was something wrong with the disc and I couldn't copy it electronically so I had to have dad take a picture of the screen.  That's why it's not very good quality.

Anyway here is my new bionic femur with the intramedullary nail and four screws visible.

They said they placed five screws so I'm assuming one screw is up near the femoral neck.  Not in view.

Now that I have hardware in my neck and leg you can call me the bionic woman.  :-)

This recovery is brutal.  I had no idea how hard it was going to be.  :-( Anyway, the skin looks good.  Sutures removed.  The leg is still quite swollen but hopefully healing slowly but surely.

Just wait... elaborated

Here is the full context of the quote I posted previously:

"We live, brothers and sisters, in the days preceding the Lord’s Second Coming, a time long anticipated by believers through the ages. We live in days of wars and rumors of wars, days of natural disasters, days when the world is pulled by confusion and commotion.

But we also live in the glorious time of the Restoration, when the gospel is being taken to all the world—a time when the Lord has promised that He “will raise up … a pure people”4 and arm them “with righteousness and with the power of God.”5

We rejoice in these days and pray that we will be able to courageously face our struggles and uncertainties. The difficulties of some are more severe than those of others, but no one is immune. Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said to me, “If everything is going perfectly for you right now, just wait.”

Although the Lord reassures us again and again that we “need not fear,”6 keeping a clear perspective and seeing beyond this world is not always easy when we are in the midst of trials."-- Thy Kingdom Come, By Elder Neil L. Andersen, Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2015 General Conference

Today is one of those days that Elder Maxwell warned about. :-( Sometimes I think I'm not very good at courageously facing my struggles.  Mortality is a mess.

That's my two cents.

Just Wait

This is how I feel today:

"Elder Neal A. Maxwell once said to me, “If everything is going perfectly for you right now, just wait.”"  -- Thy Kingdom Come, By Elder Neil L. Andersen,Of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, April 2015 General Conference

Last Words of Wisdom... Perhaps :-)

If everything goes as scheduled, I am in the middle of surgery right now.  I was contemplating what I might say if this were my last blog post.  The following is what popped into my head.

Live your life without regret,
and if you don't remedy it.

Obviously I wasn't an English major.  My skills as a poet leave a lot to be desired.  :-) I'm not even sure that's grammatically correct. Perhaps I should elaborate a little bit on what I meant.

Live each day as though it was your final exam in your test of mortality.  Don't do things you will regret someday.  When you do mess up, fix it right away.  Don't procrastinate.  Repent and make things right with the Lord.

Each day here on earth is a gift from God -- treat it as such.  Don't squander your time and energies doing stupid, useless, irrelevant, destructive or harmful things. Life's too short to be stupid.

Surround yourself with good people and choose your friends wisely.  Who you choose to associate with says a lot about your character and who you are.  If you don't like who you are or have become, associate with those who will be able to help you to become who you want to be.

Lastly, I want to share with you a secret.  The secret to a happy and successful life.  Isn't that what everybody wants?  Well I know how to obtain it!

It's really quite simple -- read your scriptures and pray EVERYDAY.  That's it.  If you do those two things you will nourish your spirit every day.  You will then be more receptive to the Holy Ghost and his promptings.  When you carry the Spirit with you, you will want to follow the Lord and keep His commandments.You will be more inclined to choose the right.  That is the key to happiness and success.

It requires daily effort.  Just as our bodies need nourishment daily, so do our spirits.  Spend as much time nourishing your spirit as you do your body. I promise you if you do you will find much joy and happiness in life. And be immeasurably blessed. That's not to say you won't have trials, for that's the purpose of mortality, but you will find happiness in those trials. Or perhaps I should say despite those trials.

People look at me and think my life is full of pain and suffering and limitations.  And yes, to some extent that's true.  Overwhelmingly though, my life is full of joy, happiness, and freedom.  I am extremely blessed.  Even with my physical limitations, which are temporary, by living the Gospel of Jesus Christ and knowing the plan of salvation, my life is more free and joyful than most people's.

Living Gospel standards and keeping God's commandments brings freedom and joy not captivity and restriction as the adversary would have you believe.

As you continue on your journey through mortality, don't just hang in there -- Endure it well! Get your priorities straight, don't be casual or weak in your obedience and faith. That's not going to cut it in these last days.  Be strong, be valiant, be faithful. Continually work on coming unto Christ and being perfected in Him. And as Elder Pearson said, "Don't just hang in there -- Endure it well!"

My hope and prayer is for exaltation in the kingdom of God for all of my loved ones.

Live your life without regret,
and if you don't remedy it.

That's my two cents.

No Regrets

There are innumerable things in life that we may end up regretting some day. But there are two things you will never regret doing.  They are: receiving formal education and serving a full-time mission.

I have done both. And I'm so happy I did!

There's not much you can take with you when you die except the knowledge you've gained while here in mortality.  Both formal education and missionary service help to increase your knowledge and learning dramatically.  And both are a privilege that not everybody gets.

The opportunity to receive a formal education used to be a prized treasure that many people would go to great lengths to be able to obtain and those who were lucky enough to have the opportunity recognized it as a great privilege.

Nowadays, especially in this country, it seems as though many people take for granted the opportunity for formal education and don't recognize its value.

For instance, many athletes are given full ride scholarships yet squander the privileged opportunity to obtain education because all they care about is playing ball.

And then others choose to forego college not because they don't have the opportunity but because they choose not to take it for whatever reason.

I have never heard anyone say that they wish they would have skipped college to start working, get married, start a family, etc. but I have heard a lot of people say they wish they would have gotten their education before or while doing those other things.

Even if you never use your degree to earn a living, it is still knowledge that you will always have and carry with you through the eternities.  Education is never a waste.  Higher education is a privilege that few people in the world have the opportunity to obtain.

Anyone with the opportunity would be wise to obtain a higher education.  And it is something you will never regret!

An even rarer privilege that even fewer people qualify for is that of serving a full-time mission.

Just for fun I did a few calculations.  Back in 1992 when I was a full-time missionary, there were only 46,025 full-time missionaries.  The world population in 1992 was 5.448 billion.  That computes to one missionary for every 118,370 people on earth. Or  236,740 people per companionship.  That's a lot of people to try and teach.

Using today's numbers--  Currently there are 7.321 billion people on earth and 85,187 full-time missionaries.  Even with the recent missionary surge that is still 85,940 people per missionary or 171, 880 people per companionship.  Obviously there is still a lot of work to do.  The Lord needs our help in hastening His work.

Even though serving a full-time mission is a commandment for every worthy young man, every worthy young woman is also granted the opportunity/privilege should they so choose.

I fully believe that those who serve missions gain much more than they could ever get back.  Serving a full-time mission is an education you cannot receive anywhere else.  It truly is a privilege that not many people qualify for and those who do qualify would be foolish not to jump at the chance to serve a mission for the Lord. Indeed it is a privileged honor.

Just yesterday I read about one young man who recognized what a rare, precious opportunity it is, and he went to great lengths to qualify to serve a mission.  I will paraphrase his story.

A young man from New Zealand who is a convert to the church decided he wanted to serve a mission as he was approaching his mid-20s.  His mission application was rejected because of a visible tattoo on his neck. This young man was heartbroken yet still determined to serve a mission. He was willing to do whatever it took to qualify to serve a full-time mission for the Lord.

He tried laser tattoo removal several times which didn't work and was extremely painful.  He was nearing the cutoff age of being able to serve and was getting discouraged. But he persevered and prayed for the Lord's help and continued going to Mission prep classes.

His Mission prep teacher ended up being his answer to prayer.  He helped him by connecting him with a dermatologist who could cut the tattoo out of his neck.  And he also was kind enough to fund the surgery for him. The surgery was a success. The young man said that it was a miracle that he had absolutely no pain during the recovery process. He now qualified to serve a mission.

His mother was so inspired by her son's dramatic change and determination that she was baptized shortly before he left on his mission. He served honorably in the Dallas-Fort Worth Mission.

That young man truly recognized the tremendous value and privilege of serving a full-time mission.  And went to great lengths to qualify to do so.

Yes, serving a mission is a rare opportunity granted to those who qualify.  It is also a great responsibility and commandment given to every worthy young man.  But as always, those who choose to accept that privileged opportunity are blessed beyond measure as are their families and those they serve.

The knowledge and experience gained in those few short 18 or 24 months provide a solid base you will use throughout your life.  And you will draw on those experiences to guide you and help you throughout your life.  It is an education you cannot get anywhere else. Based upon my own experience I can easily say that my mission was a much better education than was my college education.  But I treasure both.

 Serving a full-time mission for the Lord is something you will never regret.

Anyone with the opportunity to serve a mission and receive higher education would be wise to do so.

Life is too short to be stupid.

"O be wise; what can I say more?" -- Jacob 6:12

That's my two cents.