Luckily, I had most of this figured out by my junior year. I've posted similar things before, but this has been on my mind. I'm going to write this in a seminary lesson/self lecture format. Perhaps a little contrary to the title, this is really what I wish I could tell the whole student body at Viewmont High.
To make a claim: The truthfulness or untruthfulness of the gospel is, without a doubt, the most important question that we face here in mortality. There are those who say, "The LDS church is good. There are good people who are members. The Book of Mormon is a nice book with some good principles." Quite frankly, these people couldn't be more wrong. The church is either true, and is everything it claims to be, or it is a lie. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph Smith is a prophet, and this is the only true and living church on the earth today as it claims to be. There is no middle ground, no "It's a nice idea." It is what it claims to be, or it isn't.
Because of this fact, finding out for ourselves if the church is true or not is of utmost importance. Whether the church is true or not will affect nearly every major (and many minor) decisions in our lives. It simply does not work to just "not be sure." Of course, there is a time in all our lives that we must ponder, and before we get our answer about the truthfulness of the gospel, there may be a time that we're "not entirely sure yet." But this is the one exception. I challenge you to take both Moroni's and Alma's challenges (Moroni 10:3-5 and Alma 32:27). Even if you can "no more than desire to believe, let this desire work in you." The Lord has promised that if you really want to know and you ask sincerely, He will give you an answer. Take Him up on it. Test the promise.
At some point, you will feel a "great anxiety over the welfare of your soul" as Joseph Smith did (not an exact quote, I'm going from memory here). The sooner this desire, this anxiety, takes place, the sooner you will find an answer to this ultimately important question. Let this desire occur now. Wait no longer to have a sincere desire to know truth. It will set you free, I promise.
Now, for those of you who already feel confident about the truthfulness the gospel:
Turn to 2 Nephi chapter 8. (Yay for understanding Isaiah!) Here, Isaiah talks about how the ideas of men and their opinions, will waste away. As someone who has graduated, let me tell you a simple truth: Your experience at Viewmont High School can only matter in two ways (in terms of eternal salvation) (by the way, this is Josh speaking, not church doctrine): 1. There are those who find good friends at Viewmont High. Their friends encourage them to make good decisions. Ultimately it is because of the good friends they made in high school that ensured their spiritual safety. And 2. There are those who, because of the opinions of men and because they want to be cool or liked, will compromise their beliefs and standards. They will fall prey to an ultimately more experienced adversary who wants nothing more than to see us fall into his traps. Because of the childish social pressures at Viewmont High, these individuals forfeit their promised mansions in the Kingdom of God.
After graduation, the social life of Viewmont High vanishes as quickly as it appeared on your first day as a sophomore. Nobody cares who kissed who at that party, or how awesome everyone on the basketball team is, or what that one girl said to offend your best friend's girlfriend. Now this is not to say that the social aspect of high school is evil or bad. It is not--if it is viewed with an eternal perspective. I have close friends from high school and I cherish their friendship like I do the relationships with my own family. I do not regret getting involved in the social atmosphere in order to gain favor with these friends who I now consider brothers and sisters. However, if there is any person or group that you are associated with that influences you to compromise your standards or beliefs, drop them. They are not worth your time. This is your eternal salvation we are talking about. I know how hard it can be to make a decision to change friend groups. At the time, it seems like it matters SO MUCH. But keep an eternal perspective, friends.
There is a challenge at Viewmont High to "walk the line." Interpretation: everyone (it seems) is trying to be good, but not "too good". In general, there aren't major drug problems, there aren't major gangs, and you don't have to worry about weapons being brought to school or your personal safety as you walk to class. In fact, most everyone could be classified as "good." But no one wants to be a "goody good." It is considered SO uncool for one to actually enjoy seminary or to actually turn off a song because it is suggestive. That's just too good. I would submit: What is "too good?" Is it possible, with an eternal perspective, to be "too good?" Are we not commanded? "Be ye therefore perfect." (Matthew 5) Strict obedience to the commandments, my friends, is nothing short of the Celestial Kindom.
So drop them. Get rid of the influences in your life that are preventing you from becoming who you can become. To be honest, it will be hard; I have an aunt who had an idiot boy at her high school make her life a living hell all throughout high school. I don't blame her one bit for never wanting to have to relive that time in her life. High school kids are cruel and devilish. I can't promise that you won't be judged for doing what is right. In fact, I can promise that you will. But you will be blessed for it.
Please, my friends, let us be examples of the believers. Let us live worthily of the spirit. Let us be who we want to be. As has been said by much greater men than I, we have been chosen to live at this time. We are not here by mistake. We cannot, must not, allow our royal heritage be wasted because of the opinions of hormonal, illogical, carnal, sensual, and devilish teenagers. Rise above. The wrong shall fail, the right prevail. The question is, which side will you be on? Make the decision today. The time for indecision has passed and now it is time to rise up.
Sorry for how long-winded this was, I just have had this on my mind and wanted to put it down in writing. If you made it this far, you get the best news of all: My call was sent today!! :)
Friday, February 25, 2011
Wednesday, February 16, 2011
My mission papers are in
Guesses as to where I am going are currently being accepted. No prizes currently being offered. Sorry. Talk to my boss and convince her to pay me 30 dollars an hour and then maybe I'll be able to chip in some prize money.
Love you all :)
Love you all :)
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
It doesn't do it justice...
But this is some idea of what it's like to sit in the student section and get pumped up before the game.
Monday, January 31, 2011
First Thought Paper for Mission Prep
Four years ago, my home Stake became the first Stake in the United States to put on the Stake Youth Conference called “Moroni’s Quest.” The youth conference was similar to Pioneer Trek, but instead of reenacting what the pioneers did, we all dressed up as Nephites and Lamanites, and spent 4 days reenacting the Book of Mormon from start to finish. I was 14 years old at the time. I remember the spirit being very strong and that my testimony was strengthened of the Book of Mormon.
This last summer, my Stake again put on the Moroni’s Quest conference and I had a chance to be involved a second time in this great event. This time, however, I received an assignment to be Nephi, son of Lehi, in the reenactments. All of the reenactments were pre-recorded, to avoid the risk of lines being forgotten and to help the whole program to run more smoothly. I had a couple different recording sessions and about a week before we were to set off, I felt that my part was essentially done. Come to find out, the director of the reenactments wanted all of the actors to have their lines memorized, in order to make it more real for both the audience and for us as actors. I was not very excited by this proposition, because Nephi had A LOT of lines, and I was uncomfortable enough as I am nowhere near a lover of theater.
Grudgingly, however, I put the recordings of my lines on my ipod and began listening to the recordings while I worked for my Bishop during the day. After listening to the recordings countless numbers of times, I found that the story of Nephi, taught to me since my primary days, began to change. I began to hear the voice of the Lord speaking to me, Nephi, commanding me to slay Laban, build a ship, and explaining how it was to be done. I found that the words of Nephi to the Lord asking for “strength, that I may burst these bands with which I am bound” became my own words and my own prayer, pleading with my Heavenly Father to forgive me of my weaknesses and shortcomings. I realized that Nephi was not born with faith. He had to trust in the Lord and the adversary worked to shake his faith just as he does today. I found it easier, in my personal reading, to liken the scriptures to myself because I now see the characters as people, the stories as accounts of real events.
After the first day of the conference, I was exhausted in every way. I had been up early for rehearsals and then gotten the plates, killed Laban, built a ship, passed the plates to my brother, Jacob, and died. As I got in the tent, anxious for some rest, my fellow priest quorum brother asked if he could read a chapter out of the Book of Mormon out loud, because it helped him focus on the words more effectively. Initially, I was irritated. We had just spent the last 18 hours reenacting the Book of Mormon! Why would you be anxious to read it now? As he read, however, the spirit fell over our tent in a way that I had never experienced before. His testimony and faith in daily scripture study, no matter what the circumstances, strengthened my resolve to read the Book of Mormon more diligently.
On the final night of the conference, we experienced the climax of the Book of Mormon. We were blindfolded by our leaders, and led through strange paths and were deafened by the sounds of thunder and lightning. After a time, we were instructed to remove the blindfolds. As our eyes adjusted, we saw Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, coming down the hill to meet us. I was called as one of the twelve disciples, and partook of the sacrament, administered by my Redeemer. I saw the change in the countenance of my fellow Nephites and Lamanites as He walked among us. I know that He lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is the record of His people in the Americas. It really is true.
This last summer, my Stake again put on the Moroni’s Quest conference and I had a chance to be involved a second time in this great event. This time, however, I received an assignment to be Nephi, son of Lehi, in the reenactments. All of the reenactments were pre-recorded, to avoid the risk of lines being forgotten and to help the whole program to run more smoothly. I had a couple different recording sessions and about a week before we were to set off, I felt that my part was essentially done. Come to find out, the director of the reenactments wanted all of the actors to have their lines memorized, in order to make it more real for both the audience and for us as actors. I was not very excited by this proposition, because Nephi had A LOT of lines, and I was uncomfortable enough as I am nowhere near a lover of theater.
Grudgingly, however, I put the recordings of my lines on my ipod and began listening to the recordings while I worked for my Bishop during the day. After listening to the recordings countless numbers of times, I found that the story of Nephi, taught to me since my primary days, began to change. I began to hear the voice of the Lord speaking to me, Nephi, commanding me to slay Laban, build a ship, and explaining how it was to be done. I found that the words of Nephi to the Lord asking for “strength, that I may burst these bands with which I am bound” became my own words and my own prayer, pleading with my Heavenly Father to forgive me of my weaknesses and shortcomings. I realized that Nephi was not born with faith. He had to trust in the Lord and the adversary worked to shake his faith just as he does today. I found it easier, in my personal reading, to liken the scriptures to myself because I now see the characters as people, the stories as accounts of real events.
After the first day of the conference, I was exhausted in every way. I had been up early for rehearsals and then gotten the plates, killed Laban, built a ship, passed the plates to my brother, Jacob, and died. As I got in the tent, anxious for some rest, my fellow priest quorum brother asked if he could read a chapter out of the Book of Mormon out loud, because it helped him focus on the words more effectively. Initially, I was irritated. We had just spent the last 18 hours reenacting the Book of Mormon! Why would you be anxious to read it now? As he read, however, the spirit fell over our tent in a way that I had never experienced before. His testimony and faith in daily scripture study, no matter what the circumstances, strengthened my resolve to read the Book of Mormon more diligently.
On the final night of the conference, we experienced the climax of the Book of Mormon. We were blindfolded by our leaders, and led through strange paths and were deafened by the sounds of thunder and lightning. After a time, we were instructed to remove the blindfolds. As our eyes adjusted, we saw Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, coming down the hill to meet us. I was called as one of the twelve disciples, and partook of the sacrament, administered by my Redeemer. I saw the change in the countenance of my fellow Nephites and Lamanites as He walked among us. I know that He lives. I know that the Book of Mormon is the record of His people in the Americas. It really is true.
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Seriously?
BYU played Colorado State Saturday night. We beat them. But here's the thing that got me.
Jimmer Fredette scored a quiet 42 points.
Is that possible? A quiet 42?
But seriously, he had 21 in the first half that were great. He was playing his game, shooting the long-range, getting to the rack, all that jazz.
In the second half, he matched it, but with very little fanfare. Watching it with about 20 other freshmen in the lobby, EVERYONE was asking, "What happened to Jimmer?" and "Why isn't Jimmer scoring?"
He's incredible. I can't get over it. 42 points? That's absurd.
Beat the Aztecs!
Jimmer Fredette scored a quiet 42 points.
Is that possible? A quiet 42?
But seriously, he had 21 in the first half that were great. He was playing his game, shooting the long-range, getting to the rack, all that jazz.
In the second half, he matched it, but with very little fanfare. Watching it with about 20 other freshmen in the lobby, EVERYONE was asking, "What happened to Jimmer?" and "Why isn't Jimmer scoring?"
He's incredible. I can't get over it. 42 points? That's absurd.
Beat the Aztecs!
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
The Very, Very Earliest Beginnings of a Potential Story I'm Co-Writing with a Friend and I May Have Stolen From My Dad, I can't remember for sure
Shady.
That was the only way to describe him.
He appeared on rainy days on State Street in Bakersfield. He was always headed east, and always wearing a large, grey trenchcoat. His physique was altogether forgettable. Medium build, bland features, bland hair. He walked all hunched over like a timid high-schooler.
That was the only way to describe him.
He appeared on rainy days on State Street in Bakersfield. He was always headed east, and always wearing a large, grey trenchcoat. His physique was altogether forgettable. Medium build, bland features, bland hair. He walked all hunched over like a timid high-schooler.
Thursday, January 6, 2011
A regular occurence on campus
Almost every day when I'm walking to class, I hear some people who I'm approaching talking to each other. I think, "Oh that's cool, I wonder what language that is."
Seconds after I pass them, I replay the conversation in my head, trying to decipher where the duo must have served missions/be from. Then I realize.
That was English.
Seconds after I pass them, I replay the conversation in my head, trying to decipher where the duo must have served missions/be from. Then I realize.
That was English.
Thursday, December 23, 2010
Thank you Lauren
For teaching me how to love as deeply as my 18 year-old heart possibly could.
For helping me (indirectly) to learn to apply the Atonement.
For showing me how to have tons of fun.
For so many great times together, laughing.
For teaching me chivalry.
For helping me to be my best self.
For encouraging me (because of the person that you were) to think my most noble thoughts.
For encouraging me to serve a mission.
For teaching me sympathy.
For making me dig deep and turn to the Lord.
For opening up opportunities to be a better missionary.
For opening up opportunities to make friendships that I wouldn’t have made if we were still together.
For friendships made while we were together that I wouldn’t have made if we weren’t together.
Lauren, thanks for 14 great months. I cherish memories with you. They are close to my (broken) heart. I’m very sad that something so great and wonderful had to come to such a painful, immature, and bitter end. I’m so sad about the way you have handled the situation. I know you probably won’t read this, but I still wanted to thank you. I miss so many of the good things that we had together, but I have now realized that I deserve much better than the way you have treated me in the last month.
I deserve someone who cares enough to not want to hurt me.
I deserve someone who is nice to people, not just their significant other.
I deserve someone who loves me for me.
Someday, I’m going to find someone like that. You, Lauren, have helped me move closer to that person. In the end, after some serious maturation on your part, I think we could be great friends again, and maybe even date. But for now, I hope that you can realize your mistakes, think about someone besides yourself, learn your lessons, and be happy and successful in whatever you choose to pursue.
Now, other people need to be thanked.
Thank you Nate, for spending this week with me in Provo so that I didn’t have to sit with nothing but (potentially negative) thoughts for company.
Thank you Jesse, for your music that truly touches me, for caring about me, and for making your love for me apparent in your subtle way.
Thank you Mom, for letting me cry on your shoulder, being the absolute best mom, and for having sympathy in the most incredible, incomparable way.
Thank you Mom, Dad, Elizabeth, Nate, and Matt for so freely forgiving me and loving me fully and appreciating everything from my weird sense of humor to my specialty falsetto riffs in the living room (I guess those are the same thing).
Thank you Annie, for being the absolute best friend anyone could ever ask for. For listening to me, advising me, giving straight up sympathy, and assuring me that I deserve better treatment than I have received.
Thank you Becca and Jessy for putting up with me being in your apartment more than my own and also being wonderful friends to me.
Thank you to Adam for being my brother and an awesome roommate. You will make an amazing missionary.
Thank you Jessica, Elizabeth, and the rest of 129 for being awesome FHE sisters and letting me complain to you and caring.
I know there is more, but I think that covers the majority of my earthly helpers.
Thank you all. I love you and am so grateful to you all for caring about me and loving me. Also, thanks for dealing with the endless run-on sentences and ridiculous number of ands in this post.
For helping me (indirectly) to learn to apply the Atonement.
For showing me how to have tons of fun.
For so many great times together, laughing.
For teaching me chivalry.
For helping me to be my best self.
For encouraging me (because of the person that you were) to think my most noble thoughts.
For encouraging me to serve a mission.
For teaching me sympathy.
For making me dig deep and turn to the Lord.
For opening up opportunities to be a better missionary.
For opening up opportunities to make friendships that I wouldn’t have made if we were still together.
For friendships made while we were together that I wouldn’t have made if we weren’t together.
Lauren, thanks for 14 great months. I cherish memories with you. They are close to my (broken) heart. I’m very sad that something so great and wonderful had to come to such a painful, immature, and bitter end. I’m so sad about the way you have handled the situation. I know you probably won’t read this, but I still wanted to thank you. I miss so many of the good things that we had together, but I have now realized that I deserve much better than the way you have treated me in the last month.
I deserve someone who cares enough to not want to hurt me.
I deserve someone who is nice to people, not just their significant other.
I deserve someone who loves me for me.
Someday, I’m going to find someone like that. You, Lauren, have helped me move closer to that person. In the end, after some serious maturation on your part, I think we could be great friends again, and maybe even date. But for now, I hope that you can realize your mistakes, think about someone besides yourself, learn your lessons, and be happy and successful in whatever you choose to pursue.
Now, other people need to be thanked.
Thank you Nate, for spending this week with me in Provo so that I didn’t have to sit with nothing but (potentially negative) thoughts for company.
Thank you Jesse, for your music that truly touches me, for caring about me, and for making your love for me apparent in your subtle way.
Thank you Mom, for letting me cry on your shoulder, being the absolute best mom, and for having sympathy in the most incredible, incomparable way.
Thank you Mom, Dad, Elizabeth, Nate, and Matt for so freely forgiving me and loving me fully and appreciating everything from my weird sense of humor to my specialty falsetto riffs in the living room (I guess those are the same thing).
Thank you Annie, for being the absolute best friend anyone could ever ask for. For listening to me, advising me, giving straight up sympathy, and assuring me that I deserve better treatment than I have received.
Thank you Becca and Jessy for putting up with me being in your apartment more than my own and also being wonderful friends to me.
Thank you to Adam for being my brother and an awesome roommate. You will make an amazing missionary.
Thank you Jessica, Elizabeth, and the rest of 129 for being awesome FHE sisters and letting me complain to you and caring.
I know there is more, but I think that covers the majority of my earthly helpers.
Thank you all. I love you and am so grateful to you all for caring about me and loving me. Also, thanks for dealing with the endless run-on sentences and ridiculous number of ands in this post.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Explanation :)
Okay, so I feel bad because I've left some ominous, scary posts. Here's the story, so everyone knows what's going on.
So Lauren and I had been dating for about 14 months, and were just the happiest couple ever. We had lots of fun, we had our bad days like any couple, but 90 percent of our relationship was just smooth sailing and the other 10 percent was solved easily.
Over Thanksgiving break, Lauren broke up with me very unexpectedly. I didn't really have any forewarning, and that's part of what made it really hard. Originally, she said the reason was that with my mission coming up in about 6 months, we needed to break up, that it was just the best thing. Now I had been having similar feelings (about needing to slow down and become much less attached in order for me to be a good missionary and her to not be miserable when I left). I thought that just breaking up seemed like a pretty drastic action, but I accepted it and while it really hurt, I knew that I'd just have to get over it.
(I'm leaving out specific details here, but you'll all get the overview.) So after she broke up with me, and after saying that she still wanted to be good friends and everything, she was a really big jerk to me. I could give specific examples, but it's really not necessary, it's easy enough to say that she was really mean and did not show that she wanted to be friends. If anything, she made it quite clear that she didn't ever want to talk to me again, and that her life was much better without me. So that was hard.
Really hard.
But, I'm a strong guy, and I started getting over it. It really hurt, but slowly I was getting better at not thinking about it and getting over it.
The final dagger (and the origin of my last post) was that I found out that she already hooked up with a new guy. And that she's been with him for a week. This just really hurt that she didn't have respect or dignity to give me (or herself, for that matter) time to let wounds heal. So just to clear up the timeline--she hooked up with a new guy after about a week and a half of breaking up with me after us being together for 14 months. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that that is way too quick.
The hard part is that I feel like I've handled the situation so well and yet it's just one thing after another. But obviously, she has her agency. She's 16 and it's not an easy situation for her either. I definitely wish that she was handling the situation more maturely, but all I can control is how I react.
The point is, I'm fine. Yes, it really hurts. I never thought that she would treat me this way. But, for the most part, I am doing much better. Obviously it's hard to not think about her, and that's when I throw my little pity parties like my last blog post. But I don't want anyone to worry. With time, it'll pass, and every day it gets a little easier. Thank you all for your support. I love you guys. I am truly blessed to have family and friends who care about me.
So Lauren and I had been dating for about 14 months, and were just the happiest couple ever. We had lots of fun, we had our bad days like any couple, but 90 percent of our relationship was just smooth sailing and the other 10 percent was solved easily.
Over Thanksgiving break, Lauren broke up with me very unexpectedly. I didn't really have any forewarning, and that's part of what made it really hard. Originally, she said the reason was that with my mission coming up in about 6 months, we needed to break up, that it was just the best thing. Now I had been having similar feelings (about needing to slow down and become much less attached in order for me to be a good missionary and her to not be miserable when I left). I thought that just breaking up seemed like a pretty drastic action, but I accepted it and while it really hurt, I knew that I'd just have to get over it.
(I'm leaving out specific details here, but you'll all get the overview.) So after she broke up with me, and after saying that she still wanted to be good friends and everything, she was a really big jerk to me. I could give specific examples, but it's really not necessary, it's easy enough to say that she was really mean and did not show that she wanted to be friends. If anything, she made it quite clear that she didn't ever want to talk to me again, and that her life was much better without me. So that was hard.
Really hard.
But, I'm a strong guy, and I started getting over it. It really hurt, but slowly I was getting better at not thinking about it and getting over it.
The final dagger (and the origin of my last post) was that I found out that she already hooked up with a new guy. And that she's been with him for a week. This just really hurt that she didn't have respect or dignity to give me (or herself, for that matter) time to let wounds heal. So just to clear up the timeline--she hooked up with a new guy after about a week and a half of breaking up with me after us being together for 14 months. I don't think I'm alone in thinking that that is way too quick.
The hard part is that I feel like I've handled the situation so well and yet it's just one thing after another. But obviously, she has her agency. She's 16 and it's not an easy situation for her either. I definitely wish that she was handling the situation more maturely, but all I can control is how I react.
The point is, I'm fine. Yes, it really hurts. I never thought that she would treat me this way. But, for the most part, I am doing much better. Obviously it's hard to not think about her, and that's when I throw my little pity parties like my last blog post. But I don't want anyone to worry. With time, it'll pass, and every day it gets a little easier. Thank you all for your support. I love you guys. I am truly blessed to have family and friends who care about me.
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