JUST DO IT

Thought for the day...

As you go about your day trying to accomplish your daily tasks, look for opportunities to help others. Don' t be afraid to give a helping hand to those around you.

Cougars United

As many of you already know, our football team is a great example to us all. The team continues to have so much success on and off the field. Weather they win or lose, we can learn from their example. At times we may not succeed or perform to our best abilities, but as we continue to see, its not how hard we fall but how we keep getting back up. The team show a lot of integrity as they continue to show composure in tough situations.

It has been while since i have last written and a lot has happened... I am a 22 year old student at Brigham Young University. As i have mentioned, I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints. Being a returned missionary for the church and a a student at BYU, there is a certain level of pressure that is put on us/me to get married. Not that it is forced upon us to get married fast, but it a sense... It is! We are a church that believes in progression, as do I. I do agree with the argument that we should not put off getting married. With the divorce rate continually at an increase, i can't help but to worry. I come from a bit of a different back-ground of which i have learned so much. I have see both the good and the bad from my parents marriage and feel that i have learned so much from them. There are many things that satan in doing to try and tear apart the families. The feel and believe that the family is the one greatest source that will make or break us all. From my experiences, my family is the reason I am who I am... From my classes and my past, my family background had/will have a huge impact in my future with my wife.
I love the things that i learn from my church. I have learned so much about faith. I have learned and i believe that there is no soul mate for anyone. We can and will have a happy successful marriage if we live by faith. If we rely on Heavenly Father and be true and faithful, we will return to his presence and have an Eternal Marriage, forever.

Cleave It or Not

While I was on my mission serving for the LDS church, I had the chance to teach numerous people about the commandments of God. We know that the first commandment tells of “to love the Lord God above all other things. It was sometimes very difficult to teach this to the people of the world. It has become very common for people to acquire a stronger love for worldly things over the love for Heavenly Father. The love for sports; jewelry, possessions and mainly money have become the worth of the world and have put the Lord aside. From these experience and things that I am learning at school, I have come to learn more about the importance and significance of the world “cleave.” The world is cleaving onto these worldly possessions and is not seeing the eternal perspective of it all. I guess that’s what they mean when they say “the truth hurts.” We need to stop and realize that our eternal lives are at stake and that we all need to change, in one or another, for the better. We must learn to love the Lord our God above all things. He is “the way the truth and the life: no man may come unto the Father but by me,” (John 14:6) the only way of which we will be able to receive our eternal glory and have our families forever. Also, when the time comes; we learn to cleave to our spouse and prepare for eternity. No more crying to mom and or dad to complain about things that are going on. On the same note, not relying on them for that financial comfort.

Bells of Hell

It is interesting to me as I think more and more about marriage. This coming weekend I am heading home to be with my family. My brother in coming and is going to bring his girlfriend along to do the whole "Meet the Parents" thing and even go ring shopping. I am taking two different classes that are focused on marriage. I do feel a little pressure when it comes to this subject but these classes have brought me alot of comfort. If I love my future wife the way that i love the lord i know that everything will be alright. I have come to learn more and more that there will be many blessing poured upon my family and i as i get married. At the same time, while the wedding bells rings, as will the bells of hell. I know that satan will continue to "attack" and come after my family, but through the gospel teachings i our faithfulness we can overcome all things. It does scare me to know the consequences that will fall upon me if i am not faithful, but with a hope and faith in the Lord I can look for a brighter day and be optamistic and true to the faith!!!

We are what we eat

Last week was pretty interesting for me. As I was driving up this last Tuesday, Jan. 15, 2008, there was a pretty bad snow storm that we got stuck in. While on the freeway heading north, we were going about 45 mph when all of a sudden we hit some "black ice." After a few seconds, which seem like minutes, we slid across three lanes and crashed into the wall.
Although none of us were injured, it really made me think about how fast things can change, how fast life can pass you by.
For my Marriage Preparation class that I am currently learning more about who we are and what we are to become. I was fascinated to read some of the words of our modern day prophets and those of old. What I understood from it is something that we all have heard and all believe. In a sense, "we are what we eat." If we aren't doing what our Father in Heaven asks of us, or if we are bad, then we will be bad. Pretty simple, but at the same time a little scary.
As my life "flashed before my eyes" last Tuesday, I couldn't help but think about the great words of Alma that he gave to his fellow priests. In Alma 5:27, in the Book Of Mormon, he states, "Have ye walked, keeping yourselves blameless before God? Could ye say, if ye were called to die at this time, within yourself, that ye have been sufficiently humble? That your garments have been cleansed and made white through the blood of Christ, who will come to redeem his people from their sins?"
I have thought about that often. Am I ready to die? Am I spiritually ready to be judged for my actions here on earth? Think about that..... ARE YOU READY??? If you feel that there is room for improvement, as we all should, look to the Lord and live!

Spread the word

"Every member a missionary." This is a bold statement. It is sometimes very hard to put this is to play. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints, its hard to understand what that really means. I had the chance to serve for two years for the church in Sao Paulo Brasil. Here, I learned more about myself, my fellow man, and my Heavenly Father than I ever thought I would.
While serving in Brasil as a missionary, we dedicate all day everyday for two years to spread forth the good fortune of the everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ being on the earth once again. Being home it is a whole different world. I currently live in Provo, Utah where it is estimated 95% "Mormon." This makes it a little harder to be a "missionary."
In a Marriage Preparation class that i am taking, we are learning of a new way that we can spread the gospel and have a chance to bless others lives and ours as well. So it is with great pleasure that i begin the "BLOGGING" world in hopes to make a little difference in such a chaotic world. My hope is that my words and experiences may reach out to someone in need and make an everlasting change in their lives as it has so done for me. And if not.... well at least I gave it a shot.