Everyone needs to read this. I IMPLORE you, I DON'T CARE if you've read it before. PLEASE read this. Just take 20 minutes out of your day and read it.
http://lds.org/new-era/2000/02/personal-purity?lang=eng&query=Personal+Purity
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Eagle Court of Honor
No, no. It wasn't mine.
I only ever achieved Life Scout. It seems I didn't have the patience to do Personal Management and Family Life, something I hope I have now achieved, but which I do not think I have, and something for which I admire those scouts who have received their Eagle Scout award.
So, I attended the Court of Honor of a Priest from my previous quorum tonight, and I had a few thoughts I would like to share:
Guys. If you are slacking off about getting your Eagle Scout, you are about to read advice from someone who never got his. JUST DO IT. I don't care what your excuses are. I had some pretty bad ones. But believe me when I say that this is a GOOD THING. There is nothing inherently bad about the scouting program itself; there is nothing wrong to me with participating in the scouting program. In fact, it had major benefits in your everyday life, your usefulness, and your character. For instance, the scout motto is "Be Prepared." Is there anything wrong with that? No! That is something you can apply to every aspect of your life. As a member of the church, it is a good idea to be prepared with a testimony so that, if you meet someone who wants to know about the church, you can testify as to the truth of it. As an everyday citizen, it is good to be prepared with knowledge that scouting teaches you, like first aid, emergency preparedness, and lifesaving. There are GREAT THINGS about that. As a priesthood holder, it is imperative that you live your life so that if and when someone needs you to use your priesthood (needs a blessing, for instance) that you are ready, able, and willing to do so. The scouting program teaches good things.
The scouting program keeps you out of trouble. It keeps you doing useful things in your life. Believe me, I used to think that scouting was kind of useless. When was I ever going to apply anything I learned in scouting, honestly? But there are SO many things to apply! Not just principles, as previously mentioned, but practical knowledge for use everyday, in emergencies and such. And it's good for you to be exerting your energy toward something that will help you in your life rather than something that will end up harming you. And there are a lot of things out there that can do that.
This evening, during the Court of Honor, the sister of the progressing scout stood up and told something called, "The Legend of Eagle Mountain," though I would describe it more as a parable.
The story is essentially that a boy looked at the mountains one day, and saw boys climbing it. He followed them and began to climb himself, though he did not conceive that he could ever reach the top. At the beginning, he traveled with several boys, and the road was not steep. But as he progressed, the road became steep and more difficult, and boys began to break off, and stop climbing. But the boy continued to climb and climb. At times the road was easier and he walked more quickly, and at others the road was more difficult and he progressed more slowly. But the boy continued on, striving for his goal. And he reached the top. When he reached the summit in the evening, he looked to his left and saw a beautiful sunset. He looked to his right and saw a diamond studded sky of black velvet. He looked behind him and saw the trail he had traversed, and the boys who followed in his footsteps along the trail. And then he looked ahead, and saw new mountains. close and far. He saw one, and another, and another, and another. He looked forward and saw a whole slew of mountains. But he had climbed a mountain today. He could climb another the next day. This was a time for him to rest and celebrate that he had traversed this mountain. And that was what the Court of Honor was. A time for us to celebrate that this priest had attained and earned the title of Eagle. In any case, I felt that this was a great story, and applies to all of us. And it inspired me. And I feel like the Eagle Scout award as well as the Duty to God award are worthy pursuits (though my actions show otherwise). And to achieve them will give you great pride.
A more temporal benefit is that it will look amazing on a resume. It will give you great credit in helping to get you a job. People will look at that line, "I am an Eagle Scout," and consider all of those things you have promised to be, "Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent," and they will want to hire you. If you cannot consider the other things, at least consider that. It will help you to progress in your life, by finding you a job. People will place you in higher esteem when they know that you are an Eagle Scout.
I only ever achieved Life Scout. It seems I didn't have the patience to do Personal Management and Family Life, something I hope I have now achieved, but which I do not think I have, and something for which I admire those scouts who have received their Eagle Scout award.
So, I attended the Court of Honor of a Priest from my previous quorum tonight, and I had a few thoughts I would like to share:
Guys. If you are slacking off about getting your Eagle Scout, you are about to read advice from someone who never got his. JUST DO IT. I don't care what your excuses are. I had some pretty bad ones. But believe me when I say that this is a GOOD THING. There is nothing inherently bad about the scouting program itself; there is nothing wrong to me with participating in the scouting program. In fact, it had major benefits in your everyday life, your usefulness, and your character. For instance, the scout motto is "Be Prepared." Is there anything wrong with that? No! That is something you can apply to every aspect of your life. As a member of the church, it is a good idea to be prepared with a testimony so that, if you meet someone who wants to know about the church, you can testify as to the truth of it. As an everyday citizen, it is good to be prepared with knowledge that scouting teaches you, like first aid, emergency preparedness, and lifesaving. There are GREAT THINGS about that. As a priesthood holder, it is imperative that you live your life so that if and when someone needs you to use your priesthood (needs a blessing, for instance) that you are ready, able, and willing to do so. The scouting program teaches good things.
The scouting program keeps you out of trouble. It keeps you doing useful things in your life. Believe me, I used to think that scouting was kind of useless. When was I ever going to apply anything I learned in scouting, honestly? But there are SO many things to apply! Not just principles, as previously mentioned, but practical knowledge for use everyday, in emergencies and such. And it's good for you to be exerting your energy toward something that will help you in your life rather than something that will end up harming you. And there are a lot of things out there that can do that.
This evening, during the Court of Honor, the sister of the progressing scout stood up and told something called, "The Legend of Eagle Mountain," though I would describe it more as a parable.
The story is essentially that a boy looked at the mountains one day, and saw boys climbing it. He followed them and began to climb himself, though he did not conceive that he could ever reach the top. At the beginning, he traveled with several boys, and the road was not steep. But as he progressed, the road became steep and more difficult, and boys began to break off, and stop climbing. But the boy continued to climb and climb. At times the road was easier and he walked more quickly, and at others the road was more difficult and he progressed more slowly. But the boy continued on, striving for his goal. And he reached the top. When he reached the summit in the evening, he looked to his left and saw a beautiful sunset. He looked to his right and saw a diamond studded sky of black velvet. He looked behind him and saw the trail he had traversed, and the boys who followed in his footsteps along the trail. And then he looked ahead, and saw new mountains. close and far. He saw one, and another, and another, and another. He looked forward and saw a whole slew of mountains. But he had climbed a mountain today. He could climb another the next day. This was a time for him to rest and celebrate that he had traversed this mountain. And that was what the Court of Honor was. A time for us to celebrate that this priest had attained and earned the title of Eagle. In any case, I felt that this was a great story, and applies to all of us. And it inspired me. And I feel like the Eagle Scout award as well as the Duty to God award are worthy pursuits (though my actions show otherwise). And to achieve them will give you great pride.
A more temporal benefit is that it will look amazing on a resume. It will give you great credit in helping to get you a job. People will look at that line, "I am an Eagle Scout," and consider all of those things you have promised to be, "Trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean, and reverent," and they will want to hire you. If you cannot consider the other things, at least consider that. It will help you to progress in your life, by finding you a job. People will place you in higher esteem when they know that you are an Eagle Scout.
The Unmerciful Servant
So I taught the lesson of the Unmerciful Servant today in Primary, albeit not well. I definitely could've prepared better. That's what comes of getting it done on a Saturday, I suppose.
9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (italics added)
In any case, when I was preparing, I found a few things that I thought were interesting:
First of all, the Primary manual contained some compelling questions. To preface, I'm taking a class right now in which the teacher has said that sometimes when we relate parables to ourselves we always think of ourselves as the Good Samaritan, or the Father who welcomes his prodigal son, or the Shepherd. But he feels that that is not the case. We like to think of ourselves as the one in the good, holy, or merciful position, when actually, we are the ones who are behaving the worst in the parable, or who need the most help. So, according to that standard, we ARE the unmerciful servant. But the manual asked also, "How are we sometimes like the unmerciful servant? like the king? How do you feel when you forgive others? when you do not forgive?"This means that we are sometimes in the position of the king. We are in the position to forgive others. So, while, in my opinion, we should be thinking of ourselves as the unmerciful servant, and watching ourselves for that behavior so we can keep it out, I would agree with the manual that we have the opportunity to forgive, and add that that is something we should be watching for in ourselves as well.
Second, three of the scriptures I was supposed to read to prepare provide a valuable insight:
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses. (italics added)
32 And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you. (italics added)8 My disciples, in days of old, sought occasion against one another and forgave not one another in their hearts; and for this evil they were afflicted and sorely chastened.9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men. (italics added)
I think these scriptures teach an interesting lesson, that is (at least, what I get from it) that we can forgive someone outwardly, and avoid forgiving them inwardly. We can go through all the motions, and exhibit behavior which seems to show that we have forgiven them, but still not forgive them in our hearts.
This poses an interesting question. To borrow a phrase from the vlogbrothers (with whose videos I would advise discretion) a "non-rhetorical question." This means that I am absolutely fine with you coming up with answers in the comments and we can discuss it our something, if you feel so inclined. In the lesson there were a few questions to clarify when you are being forgiving. For instance:
Are you forgiving when you say, “I forgive you, but I will not forget what you did”?
and
Are you forgiving when you stand up for someone who has been unkind to you?
So this is my question, in a similar format: Are you forgiving when you forgive a person for what they have done, but you still do not trust them? If you are not being forgiving in this situation, is it then appropriate for you not to be forgiving them just yet, because you feel they cannot be trusted with important things?
I feel as though I have an answer, but I'd like to hear your thoughts. I'd like to testify that if we are not forgiving (as the unmerciful servant was not) then the Lord will not be willing to forgive us for the things that we have done wrong. I would also like to testify that we need his forgiveness, even temporally we need it. It makes our lives so much greater when we can know we have been forgiven, through repentance, for something we had done wrong, and to be able to drop those burdens from our backs and carry on, doing our best not to pick them up again. I testify that forgiveness is sweet and amazing, and if you repent of the things which you have done wrong, with a sincere and broken heart and a contrite spirit; that you go through the repentance process correctly, doing as you are supposed to do, and being who you are supposed to be in your heart, that you can be forgiven. And it will taste sweet to you.
Saturday, June 11, 2011
Nik Day
Yes, I learned something about my life from attending a Nik Day concert. And by the way, he did an awesome job. I'm thinking of buying some of his songs on Facebook. He played one called "One in a Million" that really resonated with me, but I don't think it's available yet. :P
In any case, that's the song I wanted to talk about. Or rather, that's one of the songs that is in the medley of songs I found interesting and enlightening.
As I was at the concert, I was sort of able to zone out and think just about the song and the lyrics and apply them to my own life (wish I could do that better with the scriptures, neh?) and I realized something I find interesting:
I feel as though my life is very much like a wavelength. But it's very standard, and it resides within some very stringent parameters. My life seems to be a series of ups and downs which, though not going too far down, never really go too far up, either. (Interjection: Let me preface this by saying that I have spoken with a doctor about some of my personal issues, and he was feeling that my high points and my low points were dangerously far apart, that is that, while the high points weren't exactly bad where they were, but that the low points dropped too far below where they ought to be (putting me in states of depression). This wasn't good, and he suggested medication). As I listened to Nik Day and his band play, I felt emotions about people I knew, and wondered... It seems to me that whenever I try to transmit an idea or an emotion, something is lost in the process. For instance, if I try to quote a movie, you don't really get the full movie experience because the only thing you're doing is listening to me talking, and you don't get the whole experience. Similarly, when I try to relate an idea I've been having, it makes so much more sense in my head than it does when it comes out of my mouth. So it only makes sense to me that a person trying to transmit an emotion through song will lose something in the process, or rather, that the audience will not feel the emotion as strongly as the artist does. Therefore, the (what felt like) massive amounts of emotion I was feeling must've been at least a bit less than what Nik Day was feeling when he wrote the song. And I wonder how it would be do feel emotions that strongly. I feel like my conditions have suppressed my emotions considerably to the point where I don't feel them the same as other people. In any case, I want to feel those things, but I do not want to experience the lows. But I feel as though to do so would be paradoxical. Just wanted to express that idea. Thanks for reading.
Oh, and I recommend the "One in a Million" song. Also, (ones that are on iTunes) "Monopoly," "Now That You're Gone," and, "How Could Life Get Any Better."
In any case, that's the song I wanted to talk about. Or rather, that's one of the songs that is in the medley of songs I found interesting and enlightening.
As I was at the concert, I was sort of able to zone out and think just about the song and the lyrics and apply them to my own life (wish I could do that better with the scriptures, neh?) and I realized something I find interesting:
I feel as though my life is very much like a wavelength. But it's very standard, and it resides within some very stringent parameters. My life seems to be a series of ups and downs which, though not going too far down, never really go too far up, either. (Interjection: Let me preface this by saying that I have spoken with a doctor about some of my personal issues, and he was feeling that my high points and my low points were dangerously far apart, that is that, while the high points weren't exactly bad where they were, but that the low points dropped too far below where they ought to be (putting me in states of depression). This wasn't good, and he suggested medication). As I listened to Nik Day and his band play, I felt emotions about people I knew, and wondered... It seems to me that whenever I try to transmit an idea or an emotion, something is lost in the process. For instance, if I try to quote a movie, you don't really get the full movie experience because the only thing you're doing is listening to me talking, and you don't get the whole experience. Similarly, when I try to relate an idea I've been having, it makes so much more sense in my head than it does when it comes out of my mouth. So it only makes sense to me that a person trying to transmit an emotion through song will lose something in the process, or rather, that the audience will not feel the emotion as strongly as the artist does. Therefore, the (what felt like) massive amounts of emotion I was feeling must've been at least a bit less than what Nik Day was feeling when he wrote the song. And I wonder how it would be do feel emotions that strongly. I feel like my conditions have suppressed my emotions considerably to the point where I don't feel them the same as other people. In any case, I want to feel those things, but I do not want to experience the lows. But I feel as though to do so would be paradoxical. Just wanted to express that idea. Thanks for reading.
Oh, and I recommend the "One in a Million" song. Also, (ones that are on iTunes) "Monopoly," "Now That You're Gone," and, "How Could Life Get Any Better."
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