#24: A Perfect Plan + Cool Graphics = The Path to True Joy

Okay, I had to post this video. It's amazing! The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints produces short videos on a variety of topics and calls them "Mormon Messages". Every year, they just keep getting better! I just found this one thanks to the miracle of social media. :)

This video, titled "Our Eternal Life" lays out one of the most basic beliefs that Mormons have--the Plan of Salvation. This plan answers the questions: where did I come from, why am I here, and where do I go after this life. And the graphics in the video are so cool I couldn't wait to share it! The LDS media department is so cool :)

Hope you enjoy!

If this video piqued your interest and you'd like to know more. Check out the rest of the story at mormon.org/plan-of-happiness. Or message me on facebook and I can tell you more (I do this full time!)

#23: The mystery of the forced manual labor

Last summer we painted our house (again). 

We tried to convince my dad that hiring the job out was the best way to go. But dad has a bad habit of making things like this a "family project" that we all do together. I never quite understood why we didn't just get someone else to do it or take what I thought would be an "easier way". Then I read this article about a dad who takes a project and turns it into an opportunity to have some face time with his kids. (You can check out the article here or just read it below.)

"Living in a small country town has its advantages, but one disadvantage is the mud in the spring. In an attempt to keep the mud outside the house, I planned to spread gravel on my dirt driveway. I had 60 tons of gravel brought in and left in two piles, which looked even bigger when I stood in front of them. In our town, people commonly have big trucks, trailers, tractors, front loaders, and backhoes. Me? I’m the guy with a shovel and a wheelbarrow.

I asked Rory, my 15-year-old son, if he would come out and help. He wasn’t the picture of enthusiasm, but he agreed....He was a teenager whose world was getting larger than the one his dad used to fill. I had never had any real problems with him, but he was no longer the little boy who would hold my hand and chatter as we walked. His world now included many activities and friends that took him outside the home. We still enjoyed each other’s company but found it harder to spend time together. I wouldn’t have guessed that moving gravel would facilitate openness between us, but on that day it did just that.

As we shoveled, each to our own rhythm, Rory started talking. At first we discussed the job at hand, but then the talk turned to other things that were on his mind. We discussed music that he was interested in. He was active in certain forums on the Internet and described the posted conversations. In school he had a psychology class, and we discussed some of the ideas. Then there was the topic of his friends, and several funny stories followed.

As we talked we filled the wheelbarrow, and then I would lift the load, wheel it to a bare spot, and dump it. I was pleasantly surprised when Rory followed me during these short intervals in order to keep up the conversation. I am pretty sure he didn’t know how much his willingness to talk meant to me. I tried not to let on. His talking so freely to me didn’t happen every day.

As we worked, blisters formed on my hands, but they were just a reminder of the sweet time I spent with my children, especially my oldest son.

Across the street a young construction contractor was building his house. While I was working, he was using a front loader to push the earth around the foundation of his home. It would have taken 20 minutes to get our job done with his powerful machine, but I was afraid he was going to come over and offer to help. I would have looked foolish turning down his help, but accepting it would have robbed me of the unexpected experience I was having with my children. Toward the end of the job, when I was exhausted, I wasn’t sorry. My children were still there and were still talking to me. Manually moving that gravel was the sweetest hard work I had ever done."

I'm guessing this is a big reason why dad made us do the work (I'm sure there were lots of other good reasons too, Dad...) This video clip was another big hint as to what was so important about all of us getting out there and doing the work ourselves. 

All in all, I'm grateful that my dad has always taken a "homegrown" approach to the jobs around the house (big and small). (That's easy to say now that I'm not living in the same state as my parents--can't get roped into a home improvement project for at least another 9 months haha) I have learned so much from my parents about how to work and take care of myself and those around me. The lessons learned and the time spent together were well worth the hours of manual labor.

#22: A lesson in lawncare

I was talking to someone the other day about feeling the spirit. We were lamenting the fact that when you first start out learning about the gospel, the spirit comes strong and deep and it feels great! Then after you've got your roots down, it's like it lessens and the times when you feel deep, spiritual impressions happen less frequently. When that happens (because it will happen to every follower of Christ at some point) it's easy to get discouraged and think that something's wrong. But that's not the case!

I had a realization that day that growing spiritually is sort of like starting a lawn from seed. After you prep the lawn and lay down the grass seed you water the lawn fairly heavily for a long period of time. You give the grass lots of water while it's still sprouting and coming in.

Now I'm not an expert in lawncare, but I've talked to plenty of people with really green lawns and they all say the same thing. Once the grass has come in and the root system is established, you change your watering pattern. To get a beautiful, healthy lawn you water deeply and infrequently. Now I'm not talking about starving the poor lawn but you don't water the grass every day. Maybe a couple times a week. That way the roots have to extend to find water. And when they extend, they get a firmer hold on the soil and the grass is able to withstand a lot more wear.

So we can see a pattern here. Once our little sprouts of faith and testimony come in, we're not going to get the same amount of spiritual water every minute of every day. We don't need to panic if we see our spiritual experiences coming a little less often. The Gardener knows what He's doing and He's not going to let our testimonies dry up. He's just letting our roots search a little deeper so that we become stronger and more beautiful.

Just soak up the water when you get it and dig a little deeper!

#21: Growing Pains

When I was little, I remember getting these really bad muscle aches every once in a while. My mom called them growing pains. The assumption was that everytime my muscles hurt randomly it was because I was growing. Yes, I wanted to be tall (my goal in life was to be 6' tall someday...that didn't happen, oh well) but as much as I wanted to be taller, those growing pains sure hurt and I can't say that I was always grateful for them even though I knew it meant that I was growing.

Eventually I grew up and the growing pains got less and less. Now I can't even remember the last time I had one. And it was definitely worth it because I really can't picture myself being happy staying at the size I was when I was 6.

Correlating this to missionary work--and life in general for that matter:

Sometimes things hurt (usually spiritually or mentally instead of physically although that's not always true). Everyone keeps telling me that means I'm growing.

Yeah, yeah, yeah...
Sometimes it's hard to remember that it's worth it but I know that the pain doesn't last forever. I know that ultimately it will be something I'm grateful for. The Lord has promised us that the experiences we have will be for our good. So the next time you feel one of those growing pains, just know that it won't be like this forever. And in the end it will be a good thing.

Growing is good!

#20: Fatherhood is Leadership

In honor of Father's day, I'd like to talk about the powerful influence a righteous father has on his family. I was luck enough to be born into a home where I was raised by righteous parents. Because of them, I have been very blessed in many aspects of my life. My father's example and influence on me has shaped much of who I am today. The prophets and apostles have counseled us many times about how to be a righteous father and how to spot one.

Elder M. Russell Ballard said:

"Fathers are expected by God and His prophets not only to provide for their families but also to protect them. . . On a day-to-day basis, fathers can and should help with the essential nurturing and bonding associated with feeding, playing, storytelling, loving, and all the rest of the activities that make up family life."

It has also been said:

“The home is where we learn what is right, what is good, and what is kind. It is the first school and the first church.” (O. Leslie Stone, Ensign Nov. 1976)

I was looking through the different values taught in the For The Strength of Youth pamphlet. I realized that all of those things had been taught to me already by my parents before I ever read them in a pamphlet. Values like Education, Work and Self Reliance, and Honesty and Integrity were important to my dad and so they became important to me.

My dad taught me how to be useful. Because of him I learned to do things like change a tire, use a pressure washer, paint a house, tape drywall, drive stick shift. He taught me how to work—and to work hard even when no one was watching.

3 Nephi 14:9-11 talks about how even imperfect fathers know how to give good gifts. My dad knows how to give good gifts. One of my all time favorite Christmas presents was a toolbox I got from him a few years ago. The tools themselves were very nice and I was glad to have them but what made the gift so memorable was the letter I got with it. In the letter, Dad talked about taking care of the tools you're given and using them wisely—and how with the right tools, you can do anything. That letter has stuck with me and impacted my life in a significant way. So has my dad's faith in me that I could do anything.

Elder M. Russell Ballard also said:

“Trust your father. He is not perfect, but he loves you and would never do anything he didn't think was in your best interest. So talk to him. Share your thoughts and feelings, your dreams and your fears. The more he knows about your life, the better chance he has to understand your concerns and to give you good counsel.”

When making big decisions in my life (college majors, work opportunities, serving a mission), I've turned to my dad for counsel and he's always given very thoughtful advice.

One last quote about fatherhood, this time by President Spencer W. Kimball:

“Fatherhood is leadership—the most important kind of leadership. It has always been so; it always will be so. Father, with the assistance and counsel and encouragement of your eternal companion, you preside in the home. It is not a matter of whether you are the most worthy or best qualified, but it is a matter of law and appointment. You preside at the meal table, at family prayer. You preside at family home evening. And, as guided by the Spirit of the Lord, you see that your children are taught correct principles. It is your place to give direction relating to all of family life. You give fathers' blessings. You can take an active part in establishing family rules and discipline. As a leader in your home, you plan and sacrifice to achieve the blessing of a unified and happy family. To do all of this requires that you live a family-centered life.”

I am grateful for a father who took prophetic counsel to heart and has tried his best to be the father that God intended him to be.

#19: I've been out here for how long?!

Six months ago today I said goodbye to life as I knew it and walked into a totally new phase of my life. Looking back, I still can't believe I made this decision. I've already realized that it's going to effect every aspect of the rest of my life. And I'm only 1/3 of the way through this crazy experience!

Things I've done in the last 6 months (in no particular order):

-seen the ocean
-seen people find lasting happiness by following a few simple commandments
-eaten an artichoke
-knocked on strangers' door and invited them to learn more about Jesus Christ and the Book of Mormon
-learned that it is humanly possible to be joined at the hip to someone 24/7 for 6 solid months. (That's 264,960 minutes straight, for the record)
-seen people use the Atonement of Jesus Christ to become better than they were
-eaten shrimp
-learned how to make things out of duct tape
-had my core convictions challenged by very angry people
-looked those very angry people firmly in the eye and told them exactly what I believe
-realized that God is the best planner. Ever. Period.
-prayed for miracles
-seen miracles
-checked an empty mailbox one more time (just to make sure we didn't miss anything)
-volunteered to give up chocolate for a MONTH just to get someone to stop smoking
-broken into a baptismal font just so someone could make covenants with God
-grown closer to Heavenly Father, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost than I've ever been in my life

Obviously this list doesn't even come close to everything that's happened in the last 6 months. But it's a start.

I am so grateful that Heavenly Father took a chance on me and let me come out here. I may have come out here to try and pay Him back for all He's done for me--but I ended up even more in debt to Him. Guess that's life.

I love my life!

#18: A Tale of the Old West

Faith,
                 Hope
                       and Charity.
                                                                  These three always go together. And I don't know about anyone else out there but I always had a hard time keeping faith and hope separate in my mind...they just seem to be used interchangably but I know they're different (otherwise the phrase "faith, hope, and charity" would be completely redundant). So what's the difference?

This morning, I was thinking back on a story one of my teachers told me years ago (I told you that you made a difference, Brother Butterfield!!). This story has stuck with me all this time because of how it demonstrates faith and hope and what the difference is. Here's the story as I remember it:

A man is wandering through the desert, dying of thirst. His canteens are hanging empty at his side. Just when he thinks all is lost, he comes upon a deserted town. In the middle of this ghost town is an old, dried-up well. Next to the pump the man finds a small jug of water and a note:

"Use this water to prime the well."

The story can take two different routes at this point. In one version of the story, the man isn't willing to take the chance on this old well and drinks the water in the jug instead. This tale doesn't have a very happy ending and the man perishes in the desert before he can reach civilization.

In the other version of the story, the man decides to take a leap of faith and trust that his sacrifice will lead to enough water to restock his supply so he can survive until he gets out of the desert. Here's where the tie-in to faith, hope and charity comes in:

Pouring the water down the well to prime the pump is FAITH. Faith is an action. In this case, the man's faith comes by testing the promise on the note.

Now, can the man just sit there and "hope" the well starts working? No--he has to pump the handle for all he's worth! That's real hope. HOPE is what sustains you between an act of faith and when you receive the promised blessing.

Where does charity fit in this situation? The man can demonstrate CHARITY by refilling the jug for the next person that comes along.

I love this analogy. Faith, hope and charity are all action words and this helps me to remember that to really have faith, hope, or charity I have to show it. I hope this story helps you remember the differences between these three principles and how important ALL of them are.

And, no matter what your circumstances are--never, never give up hope!