Falling into Place

I like to listen to audiobooks, talks, or podcasts when I'm getting ready for the day and sometimes I can while I'm working too. I like to listen to BYU Devotionals, which have so many different topics. On October 6, the speaker was Candace Berrett. Her talk was entitled "Angels to Beckon Me." 

You can watch the talk below or view the transcript of it at BYU Speeches. 

One of the topics she spoke about was waiting, waiting for a desire to be fulfilled and prayers to be answered.

"Sometimes waiting is a mere nuisance. But other times, even when everything is going as it should, waiting is really hard. Several years ago I was visiting a friend. In the morning, she was trying to get her baby’s food ready. I watched the baby cry, oblivious to the fact that her mom was getting her exactly what she wanted and needed. Certainly, this is what a baby should be doing—crying to communicate her needs. However, I have thought of that moment several times since when I have been impatiently waiting. How often when I am waiting do I recognize or look for the pieces that are falling into place exactly as I need them to? Or how often am I unaware of others or my Heavenly Parents working on my behalf?"

I love the reminder to "look for the pieces that are falling into place exactly as I need them to" while waiting. I am definitely not where I want to be at this point in my life in several ways. I pray for guidance to get there, and in the meantime, I'm trying to learn all I can where I am. I can see how things can be used as stepping stones for my future. I'm sure that I am not aware of everything my Heavenly Parents are doing daily to bless my life now and set things up perfectly for what they have prepared for me later. 

Candace also talks about, as evident by the talk's title, angels in our lives that are from the other side of the veil and those on earth who bless us. 

"I have been intrigued by the story of the angel appearing to the wife of Manoah, more readily known as the mother of Samson. The story indicates two things for which Manoah and his wife were waiting, although they were likely waiting for more than these two things. First, they and the other Israelites had been under the rule of the Philistines for forty years. Second, Manoah and his wife had been unable to have children. An angel appeared to the woman and told her that the waiting was over—kind of. The angel told her that she would bear a son, “and he shall begin to deliver Israel out of the hand of the Philistines.” I don’t know the exact timing, but it appears to have taken Samson at least twenty more years before he began to fight against the Philistines. Twenty more years of waiting in addition to the forty they had already waited is a rather long time in our relatively short earthly experience. Just as angels in the scriptures did not always end the waiting, mortal angels likely will also not bring an end to our waiting as soon as we would like. Instead, here, the angel offered hope and gave direction."

I'm so grateful for the angels at different points in my life who have offered me hope, given me a hand or love, and helped guide me to where I needed to go. Some are family. Some are friends. And some are just inspired people willing to listen to a prompting to help someone they barely knew. They didn't need to fix my trials to bless my life. I'm also grateful for the heavenly angels who I haven't seen, but who have helped me and been with me so I am never alone. 

It is my goal to be that for more people even through the challenge in getting together with others right now. The Spirit can guide me to what others need that I can provide as I pray to find opportunities. 

Uncertainty Ends...Eventually

While getting ready for church this morning, I watched a BYU devotional from the past week. It was called "Waiting Upon the Lord: The Antidote to Uncertainty" by Erin Holmes, a BYU professor in the School of Family Life.

                                                                                                                                                                             

I don’t think anyone lives a life without uncertainty at some point. That uncertainty, however, is very individual. Erin Holmes’ uncertainty was because of infertility, a trial I never have had to deal with. But I have had years of my own uncertainty. I haven’t yet determined if it increased, decreased or just changed with my divorce.

I appreciated listening to this talk today, even though nothing in it was new. The thoughts and quotes were much-needed, wonderful reminders to rely on the Lord and his timing as we keep our covenants.

“Though we live our lives in the real world, our dreams and goals are often reflected in ideals. When we experience a gap between the ideal and the real, we experience uncertainty.”

“The plan God has for you may not match the ideal you have envisioned...but you can have faith that together, you and the Lord can create something truly remarkable. “

She quoted a blog post by Ariel Szuch titled "You're Not Messing Up God's Plan for You."

“It’s tempting to think that God has some master plan that He’s measuring me against, and if I take one misstep I’ve missed my chance for happiness forever, or at the very least I’ll be doomed to walk around with the nagging feeling that I’m constantly disappointing God.

"But you know what? As I’ve examined that mindset, I’ve learned that I need a better understanding of God and what the term 'His plan for me' means.

I’m learning that God is much less a divine dictator who demands perfect compliance to a predetermined plan for our individual lives and much more a co-creator with us of the kind of lives we want to live.”

Wow. I have had the exact thought before that I have messed up my Heavenly Father’s path for me so there is no way to recalculate my route. I felt that even though I have kept my covenants and tried to seek the guidance of the Spirit, I must have made some wrong turns to end up a single mother. I love this reminder that our lives are not pre-determined or only one way is the right way. How beautiful that we can be co-creators with our Father to make our lives what He wants, no matter the struggles.

Here are a few other points from Erin's talk that stood out to me.

1. Actively seek God to find him.

2. God’s plan for you will not match the plan God has for others.

3. As we wait upon the Lord, we can choose faith and hope over fear.

4. If you feel lost, if you wait, you can feel God’s love for you.

She also quoted Neill F. Marriott from General Conference October 2015.

“Scripture says, ‘Search diligently, pray always, and be believing, and all things shall work together for your good.’ This doesn’t mean all things are good, but for the meek and faithful, things—both positive and negative—work together for good, and the timing is the Lord’s. We wait on Him, sometimes like Job in his suffering, knowing that God ‘maketh sore, and bindeth up: he woundeth, and his hands make whole.’ A meek heart accepts the trial and the waiting for that time of healing and wholeness to come.”

I was grateful that she said it “doesn’t mean that all things are good” because some things are really horrible and sad. I have sometimes felt bad for not being grateful for my trials. I know that I can become stronger because of them and that if I stay close to the Lord, everything will work together for my good, but it is not fun to feel pain, confusion and uncertainty. But one thing is certain. When we stay close to our Father in Heaven and keep our covenants, the end actually is certain. We can live with Him again and all things will be as they should, and I imagine that we cannot fathom with our earthly, imperfect view what that really means.

Elisa G Music

My amazing daughter Elisa has a YouTube channel to showcase her singing, and occasionally (not as often as I would like her to), she posts a new video. This is her latest one. She would LOVE if some people liked and commented on the YouTube video itself if you would like to.

Utah Local: Foreign Figures

It's been forever since I posted a local music post. Today I'm introducing you to an awesomely talented group who I've been following for a while now, even before they were called Foreign Figures. They have changed names and have had some changes in people in the band, but they've always been great.

The lead singer is Eric Michels and his brother Steve Michels is the drummer. Seth Dunshee is on bass and Jonny Tanner on guitar. They are talented musicians, singers, songwriters and good friends. They also all happen to be returned missionaries from Orem, Utah.

They say, " Foreign Figures has a unique melodic sound that doesn’t hold to any specific genre. Their influences range from alternative rock to R&B."    The first time I watched them, Imagine Dragons came to mind, but they have their own sound.

Photo Cred: Jake Grey 

The second time I saw them perform, I was sitting in Velour and Eric and Steve's mom just happened to sit next to me. She was obviously very proud of them and pointed out how both of her sons have been lead vocal in different bands and they both write songs.

All of them are so full of energy and they just explode on stage! It's really fun to watch and to listen to. They seriously perform like they're already a world famous band and I bet one day soon they will be. You can follow them on Facebook and check them out on their Website so you don't miss anything along their path to stardom and for info on buying their music and merch.

They've already won competitions like BYU's Battle of the Bands, The Stereo Room's Battle of the Bands and KSL’s Garage to Glory contest. Take a look below at two of their videos and the third is the music of their newly released single. The music is great and the videos are stunning. If you like them, please share on Facebook or wherever because they deserve way more views than they have. Can you tell that I'm a fan?? 

Let It Begin

Who hasn't gone through a very difficult trial? Who has not felt the weight of the world on your shoulders during that time? Sometimes those trials are due to our own mistakes, sometimes because of others' choices and sometimes just as a natural part of life. Whatever the trial, there is One who has agreed to take it upon Him and to carry that burden, but He only can if we invite Him to, if we "turn it over", if we "let it begin".

He can heal us. He has felt every pain, sorrow and sadness we have or will ever feel. My Savior knows me and is with me. He doesn't want me to suffer when He has already taken the sorrows on Himself. So I need to "Let It Begin".

These words in quotes that I've used are from a song that I heard last year after seeing Nick Sales perform somewhere, I think BYU. I liked his music and then looked him up online. Turns out he's from a little town called Spanish Fork in Utah, where some of my friends just happen to live. He's in BYU Jazz Voices now. He sings this song with Julie Yardley who originally sang it for EFY a few years ago. They both have videos online if you'd like to hear more from them.



For today, what do you need to do to take that first step, to "let it begin"?

Made Something Out of Nothing

I heard this pretty song today and appreciated its message. It's called He Knows My Name by Francesca Battistelli. It's important for us to know our Father in Heaven loves us and knows us individually and by name. It helps to guide us and our decisions and to see eternally instead of just seeing the here and now.


There are two parts that really made me think.

"I'm not meant to just stay quiet.
I'm meant to be a lion.
I'll roar beyond a song with every moment that I've got."

What does this mean to you?

In one way, to me it means that I shouldn't just stay quiet, but instead share the joy and peace that comes from knowing a God and His plan and feeling His love. I was a very shy child, but even with that quietness, I was always eager to share the gospel with friends and teachers. I wouldn't say that I ever roared, but I did talk.


"He calls me chosen, free, forgiven, wanted, child of a King,
His forever, held in treasure,
I am loved."

To me those are powerful words. We each inherently yearn to be loved, adored, chosen. It helps me to go on in spite of trials and disappointments when I know I am someone's forever and held in treasure by someone, He who knows my name and knows me. I'm so grateful for my Father, the King, and for his eternal love.

Spirit Daughters of the Most Creative Being in the Universe

I was recently going through a stack of papers in my closet as I was trying to organize. I came across a paper that had this quote:

"God left the world unfinished for man to work his skill upon. He left the electricity in the cloud, the oil in the earth. He left the rivers unbridged, the forests unfelled and the cities unbuilt. God gives to us the challenge of raw materials, not the ease of finished things. He leaves the pictures unpainted and the music unsung and the problems unsolved, that we might know the joys and glories of creation."
Thomas S. Monson (Teachings of Thomas S. Monson, p. 76)

Isn't that beautiful? Our Father in Heaven not only leaves things unfinished so that we can work and learn, which is important, but also so that we can "know the joys and glories of creation". He knows that feeling we have when we start from scratch and work hard and take time and then see an end product whether it be a painting, a sculpture, a piece of music, building a cabin, or something simple, which is what I do, and create a meal.

There is a special feeling that comes from creating something from nothing. And usually we want to share that creation with those we love. It makes us happy when others appreciate it.

The quote reminded me of President Uchtdorf's talk Happiness, Your Heritage from a General Relief Society Meeting in 2008 and it talks about how creating makes us happy.  Below is a portion of the talk.




"The desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. No matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we each have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before.

You may think you don’t have talents, but that is a false assumption, for we all have talents and gifts, every one of us. The bounds of creativity extend far beyond the limits of a canvas or a sheet of paper and do not require a brush, a pen, or the keys of a piano. Creation means bringing into existence something that did not exist before—colorful gardens, harmonious homes, family memories, flowing laughter."

I do not have the talents that many who I know do to create art or music or beautiful hairstyles so I'm glad that he listed a few things that I could create like memories and laughter. What will you create today?

Do You Like You?

I know I'm not the only one who struggles with self-confidence. When I look in the mirror in the morning, I don't see me, all of who I am. I see the flaws glaring at me. Even with make-up and clothes I like on, I see the flaws. There are so many of us who are focused on silly things and who TRY so hard. So I'm sharing this for anyone like me.

Colbie Caillat just came out with this new single with Babyface and Jason Reeves on the guitar. Beautiful message and music and voice.

The National Parks

Time to introduce you to another of the bands playing this coming Friday, May 2 at the Rooftop Concert Series . 3 BYU students together make the Indie Provo band The National Parks. Brady Parks from Denver is on guitar, kick drum and vocals. Sydney Carling from Kaysville, Utah has the keyboard , vocals, tambourine and glockenspiel, and Bae Sorenson from Salt Lake City plays violin and vocal harmonies. They say they sound like The Lumineers, Of Monsters and Men, Mumford & Sons.

In September 2013 they released their first album Young and it quickly made it up to #13 on the iTunes singer/songerwriter chart. Can you imagine that much love on your first album? Awesome.  They released a new single As We Ran also hit the Top 40 of the singer/songwriter chart. This song was written for the documentary film “Love in the Tetons”, the first film in the National Park Experience: A Film Series, which is about…America’s national parks. I dare you to watch the video and not start singing “Ooo-oo-ooh” along with it.

You can like them on Reverbnation or on Facebook . I love that they shared the Because of Him LDS video on their FB page with all their fans.

Come and watch them perform in Provo on May 2!

Our Christ

I'm so grateful for a weekend where I have thought so much about my Savior. Yesterday we went to the BYU Sacred Gifts exhibit, which has a collection of large (and a few small) beautiful artwork of Christ by Carl Bloch, Heinrich Hofmann, and Frans Schwartz.

 By Carl Bloch

 

 by Heinrich Hofmann

 

by Frans Schwartz

 

The art is on loan from several different locations and are loved by people of many different faiths. Most of the paintings are often used in LDS church lessons so I have seen them many times, but never so much larger than me and I have never seen the actual brush strokes. My son saw the exhibit with the young men once, but was happy to go again. My daughters were not excited about going and even after said it was boring, but they both asked me several questions about Jesus and pointed out details in the paintings that I didn't notice, so I think they did get something out of it. If you haven't been yet, the exhibit will be there untiil May.

Then today as I partook of the sacrament, I thought of many of these paintings and the feelings I had when viewing them. Our Relief Society (women's church group) lesson was on the sacrament where I was able to think about my Savior and my relationship with Him. Then after church Alexander and I went to choir practice where we are practicing a song for Easter called "When I Survey the Wondrous Cross". I was not familiar with it and when we first sang it last week, I wasn't sure I would like it. But after really reading the words today as we were singing, it was suddenly beautiful and had such power. I included the lyrics and a video of The Mormon Tabernacle Choir singing it so you can contemplate the lyrics too.


1. When I survey the wondrous cross
on which the Prince of Glory died;
my richest gain I count but loss,
and pour contempt on all my pride.

2. Forbid it, Lord, that I should boast,
save in the death of Christ, my God;
all the vain things that charm me most,
I sacrifice them to his blood.

3. See, from his head, his hands, his feet,
sorrow and love flow mingled down.
Did e'er such love and sorrow meet,
or thorns compose so rich a crown.

4. Were the whole realm of nature mine,
that were an offering far too small;
love so amazing, so divine,
demands my soul, my life, my all.

What They Need Most

A year or two ago, I was listening to a Christian radio station and someone was telling a story right as I was pulling into my parking spot. I decided to wait in the car and listen to the end. It was short, but had a great message. I quickly scribbled down the name of the pastor who told the story, but I have since lost that paper so I cannot give credit to him. I will share what I remember of the story, no doubt in different words.

There was a man who bought a bird and took him home. Not long after, the bird died.

 

He was talking to a friend and said, "I don't know what happened. I bought a biggest cage that the pet store had, and a colorful, fun swing for him to swing on. And I bought a ladder for him to climb on and a pretty little toy. I gave him everything a bird would want, so why did he die?"

 

The friend simply asked, "Was there food at that pet store?"

 

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in the fun and the new, that we forget the essential and basic. Our bodies need to be fed and our spirits need to be nourished. Our children need entertainment and down time, but only when balanced and when given proper doses of gospel learning as well. It's great to go to Disneyland or a circus, but if that is all we do when we spend time together, they miss out on simple walks together, baking cookies while laughing, talking while in the car (instead of everyone listening to their own iPods).

 

Our children need us to teach them rules and values. They need us to show them love. The world will not give them those things, and the few years we have with them in our homes goes by too quickly.

 

My son Alexander recently sent me a link to the October 2010 LDS General Conference talk Courageous Parenting by Elder Larry R. Lawrence of the Seventy. I am still struggling with being a parent to teenagers, with all the new challenges that come with that. I am grateful for counsel from our leaders who speak plainly and to the point.

 

 

"It takes courage to gather children from whatever they’re doing and kneel together as a family. It takes courage to turn off the television and the computer and to guide your family through the pages of the scriptures every day. It takes courage to turn down other invitations on Monday night so that you can reserve that evening for your family. It takes courage and willpower to avoid overscheduling so that your family can be home for dinner."

Elder Larry R. Lawrence, "Courageous Parenting", Oct. 2010

Not Too Far From Here

I heard this song online today and looked it up. I found out that many people have sung it. I'm posting this version because I think it's beautiful and the video has the lyrics, which are a reminder of how we can be what someone needs. There is someone out there who needs just what we can give them with our compassion and love, even if it only takes a minute, but sometimes it might take more. Someone is waiting, maybe next door or down the street, maybe even in our own home. Someone is wishing for a gesture of kindness, a little bit of help, an offer to relieve his burden.



One of my friends helped me to see how important seemingly small things could be. When I was going through a very hard time, she called me, from many states away where she lived, at least once a week to check on me. She was too far away to do much else, but that is what I needed anyway. Her phone calls meant so much to me and helped me through that time so I didn't feel so alone.

We can all do something for someone else. What has someone done that may have seemed small, but meant a lot to you?

Lara Johnston

My music post today isn't of a local Utah artist, like my usual music features, and she isn't even a beginning singer, but probably some or most of my readers haven't heard of her yet. She is Lara Johnston, daughter of Doobie Brothers’ singer Tom Johnston. She was previously on MTV's Rock the Cradle and on American Idol. She has opened for acts like KISS and Heart, and has performed as a backing vocalist for artists like Don Henley and Belinda Carlisle. I first heard her on Reverbnation and added several of her songs to my playlist.

The song K.I.S.S. (Keep It Simple Stupid) is one of her original songs that really stuck in my head. She is a talented song-writer and singer and this song seems ready for the radio to me.

I also like "Last Time", "The Party's Over" and "The Girl Next Door".

Okay, I like lots of them. Take a listen and see which are your favorites.

*Just a quick note: Some of you might want to skip "I Don't Give A" like I do. From the little I heard, it doesn't have the swear word that people would finish that with, just a little pause.

Right for You

Just a couple of Sundays ago as I was getting ready for church, I was listening to several episodes of Mormon Channel Daily and this one stood out to me. It's an interview with Joe Fowler and Joe Sines, who made the recent Mormon Message that some of you may have already seen called Wrong Roads, in which Elder Jeffrey R. Holland retells a story that happened to him and his son in the Grand Canyon.

I won't tell the story since it is told so well in the video. It was originally told by Elder Holland's son Matthew Holland (currently the President of UVU in Orem) in the New Era (a gospel magazine for youth) in the article Wrong Roads and Revelation. It discusses how sometimes Heavenly Father may send us down a path that isn't the right one in order for us to know which is the right path.  

Joe Fowler and Joe Sines talk in the interview about making the video and even before that about how they were sometimes inspired to go down an alternative path before realizing it wasn't the right path. (Click on their names in the first paragraph to listen to the podcast.) One of the Joe's talks about how he and his wife felt that it was right for him to get a better job so they started to do all of the necessary things for that change. Then it was soon obvious that it wasn't working out and they needed to stay where they were and he needed to keep his job. Because of the confidence they felt that this was the right job, despite other good opportunities being out there, they were able to be happy where they were. If they had not started down the path (a few times) to other employment, they might not have been sure that they were where Heavenly Father wanted them to be.

Although it is not in the video, I appreciated that the 2 Joe's emphasized that when they spoke with Elder Holland for the video, he mentioned that Heavenly Father will not inspire you to sin. That is a different kind of wrong road and is only prompted to be taken by the Father of Lies. The type of wrong road that he is talking about is one that is a good option, just not the correct one for that person at that time. 

At the time I was listening to the interview, I hadn't seen the Mormon Message they had made, so right after listening to it, I searched for it and found it right away.

      

I really liked the message and decided that I would use it for a Family Home Evening message and told Alexander, my son, that I was going to use it, but didn't want to tell him about it until the lesson. I just said that I had watched it and it had a great message. Then we went to sacrament and my visiting teaching companion gave a great talk and talked about this video and its message. As she started to talk, I told my son not to listen because that was the video. (Of course, I was kidding.)

Then the next day one of my friends shared it on Facebook, and then another friend. It was a message that is for everyone, and one that I felt was very personal and needed for me. I love that Heavenly Father cares enough about us to want us to be happy, confident and sure about the road that is right for each of us.

We have so many choices in this life and so many difficult ones are not between good and evil, but between two or more that could be good. Only our Heavenly Father knows which one is truly right for us and He will guide us to that, sometimes directly and sometimes after a bit of winding around or going down a different road.

BYU's Group for New Music

Last month was the first time that I went to a performance of BYU's Group for New Music, "an informal, occasional coalition of players who like to play unusual things written by living people." It truly was unusual music and it is so hard to explain, but I really liked it. I came home and looked up the names of the student composers and titles, but couldn't find any videos of them. I'm still working on that because I would love to share them with my son, who is in marching band, concert band, jazz band, percussion ensemble, music theory and music composition right now in high school.

Last night, I went to another of their performances and it was very different than the last one, but still as unusual. The group says that "one of the ensemble’s primary aims: to PROVOKE its members (both performers and those in the audience) to examine and broaden their definition of music." And I would like to pass on that objective, to help any readers I have to see music in a new way.

I actually found two of the pieces from last night online so you get a chance to learn about new music if you don't know about it yet. These two pieces are very different and the others I have heard have been very different from both of these too. This first one is called Entrada, composed by Stephen Scott. It's called a bowed piano technique, where they take the top off of the piano and use the piano like a string instrument. It was fun to see them do us right in front of us, where we stood around the piano, just steps away.



The second piece from last night that I found combines speech and music in an interesting and unique way. The composer, Scott Johnson, was a distinguished guest who spoke to the audience and had worked with the BYU students during his visit. Two of his pieces were performed. I couldn't find a video for the second, but you can hear a sample of it on Amazon and is called "Soliloquy From How It Happens (The Voice Of I.F. Stone)". You can hear samples from many of his other compositions on Scott Johnson's Scott Johnson's composition age.

I have no idea why the person who put the video on YouTube chose this photo for this, but it is the piece we heard with violin, cello, electric guitar, and piano, along with the speech.



So, I'm curious. What do you think about this small taste of New Music? If you want to learn more, the next performance I have found that is scheduled is at BYU's Madsen Hall in the HFAC December 6 at 7:30 and it's FREE.

BYU also has a Group for Experimental Music, that I haven't been to yet. They have a FREE performance this coming Thursday, November 21 7:30 at Madsen Recital Hall in the HFAC.

He'll Tell You You're Beautiful

This morning while getting ready for church, I was watching the “Come Follow Me” Youth Videos on the Mormon Channel. I have two youth and one child and need all the help I can get trying to teach them and raise them because I don’t seem to know what to do or say lately. But as I was watching this video, entitled “True Confidence – Standards: Sexual Purity and Modesty”, a message screamed out to me for me. It has a strong, beautiful message about sexual purity, but the message I needed was a bit different.

I admire people who have confidence in themselves and feel pretty even in sweat pants and no makeup. While a few different things have contributed to my lack of confidence, I know I am ultimately responsible for how I feel. I think it is a human longing to be loved and to feel pretty. Some people are blessed to have someone tell them they are beautiful just as they are and to make them feel pretty by how they treat them. Some of us do not. Wouldn't it be great if we all had songs written about us like "That's What Makes You Beautiful" or "You're Beautiful" or maybe a different song, but a song.

A quote that combines words from the two different girls in the video says:

                “The only person who needs to tell you you’re beautiful, the only person that needs to tell you that you have so many wonderful talents is the Lord. And because that’s what he’s blessed you with and He will tell you that if you ask him. And then that confidence will come in time, not at first maybe, but it will come eventually.”

It made me realize that I need to ask my Heavenly Father to feel beautiful.  Not vain or better than anyone else, but okay with who I am. This is not a call for anyone to compliment me at all. It is just something I need to work on and blogging about my thoughts and things that uplift me spiritually helps me. Hopefully the messages in the video will help others in the ways that they individually need it too.
 

Ahlixe's New Adventure

I have sadly neglected my blog, not because I am tired of it, but because my organic chemistry class requires so much time. I doubt that any of the few blog readers I have left play the game Minecraft, but maybe someone will search it and end up here, or maybe some of my blogger friends will have children who play Minecraft.

If you've never heard of the game, you create a whole world with 3-D blocks online. It is really popular.

My 17-year old son Alex really enjoys the game Minecraft and has decided to put his knowledge of the game and of the computer to work for him so he can earn some money for his mission. He recently started making tutorials on how to play the game. How can he make money with videos? He signed up to have ads put on the beginning and end of his tutorial YouTube videos and every time someone actually watches the ad instead of skipping it, he gets some change deposited into his account.

He has high hopes for this "job" and has spent hours and hours with his slow computer putting the first 8 or so episodes together. He has already been improving from feedback and is getting a lot of experience with different software.

If you wanna learn how to create things on the game or if you just have a few minutes to kill and wanna help someone earn money for his mission, watch the episode below or click over to his YouTube channel and click on any of his episodes. The ads show up sometimes, but not always, so you might need to click on a different episode if you're just being nice and trying to watch an ad.

Thanks for any clicks!

To Be Tested

In an English class in 10^th grade, my teacher asked the question, “In a few short words, what do you think the purpose of this life is?” I can’t remember what we were studying, but that question was an amazing opportunity to explain what I believed about such an important topic to a class where I was the only member of my church. We each had to answer and I was only the third one in the row so I didn’t have much time to think of a good answer, so out came one that made no sense to anyone, I’m sure. I just blurted out, “to be tested.”

Okay, I know what I meant and maybe some people with the same teaching and perspective that I have might understand, but it taught nothing and was very incomplete. Something as complex and essential is not easy to sum up in one sentence. I wish I would have figured out something better to say, but I do know that being tested and using our agency really is a big part of it.

We are here on earth where we cannot see our Father or Mother in Heaven or our Savior Jesus Christ, but we have been given the light of Christ and the Holy Ghost. We can know what is right and wrong. We are given different amounts of knowledge of right and wrong, depending on if we are exposed to the gospel or not in this life, and we are judged based upon the knowledge we have.  

Abraham 3:25
And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

I re-listened to a talk called To Act for Ourselves: The Gift and Blessings of Agency by Elder Robert D. Hales last week and, of course, it has some great quotes that I’m gonna share with you.

 

“[Satan] does lie at our door, as the scriptures say, and he follows us each day^. Every time we go out, every decision we make, we are either choosing to move in his direction or in the direction of our Savior. But the adversary must depart if we tell him to depart. He cannot influence us unless we allow him to do so, and he knows that! The only time he can affect our minds and bodies—our very spirits—is when we allow him to do so. In other words, we do not have to succumb to his enticements!”

"Are we following on the strait and narrow path that leads to God and eternal life? Are we holding onto the iron rod, or are we going another way? I testify that how we choose to feel and think and act every day is the way we get on the path, and stay on it, until we reach our eternal destination.

"The voice will be as soft as a whisper, coming as a thought to our minds or a feeling in our hearts. By heeding its gentle promptings, we will be protected from the destructive consequences of sin.

“But if we ignore those promptings, the light of the Spirit will fade. Our agency will be limited or lost, and we will lose the confidence and ability to act. We will be ‘walking in [spiritual] darkness at noon-day.’ Then how easy it is to wander into strange paths and become lost! How quickly we are bound in the chains of sin spoken of by Lehi to his rebellious sons.”

None of us can say that we are perfect and do not need repentance. Thankfully, that is available to all of us as often as we are willing to use it. But as Elder Hales says, “the light of the Spirit will fade” and the desire to return to the path may never be felt again. Some people think that they can play with sin for a while and then they will return, but sometimes those people no longer want to come back and so many opportunities, much happiness and freedom are lost to them and their eternity changed.

“Agency allows us to be tested and tried to see whether or not we will endure to the end and return to our Heavenly Father with honor. Agency is the catalyst that leads us to express our inward spiritual desires in outward Christlike behavior. Agency permits us to make faithful, obedient choices that strengthen us so that we can lift and strengthen others. Agency used righteously allows light to dispel the darkness and enables us to live with joy and happiness in the present, look with faith to the future, even into the eternities, and not dwell on the things of the past. Our use of agency determines who we are and what we will be.”

It must be wonderful to be able to say when we stand before our Father one day, “I was not perfect, but I chose your path and you can see that by the choices I made and by how my heart has changed. I was obedient because I loved you and because I knew you loved me.” The small choices we make each day add up to who we become and where we will spend our eternities.

You Make Beautiful Things

I was having a rough morning when I heard this on my way to class today on a Christian radio station. First time I heard this song. It's called "Beautiful Things" and it's by Gungor. The chorus says, "You make beautiful things out of the dust" and sings about how Heavenly Father makes things better and new. I kept hearing "out of the dark".

It's true. He can make beautiful things out of the dust, out of the dark, out of the pain. What now hurts will someday be healed. Someday.

The Experimentalist

I'm sharing an indie artist again, but this one isn't from Utah. He is The Experimentalist from California. I discovered his music on Reverbnation, of course. He's a young music student who writes, produces, sings and plays. Think we can talk him into doing a show out here in Utah???

 

His song Mr. No is especially catchy and fun. Check out some more of his videos on his YouTube channel.