Author Archives: Tyson Alexander

The Absolutely Critical Necessity of Basic Fundamental Core Essentials for Increased Improvement of Progression and Betterment

30 Thursday Oct 2014

Posted by in Fundamentals, Opposition, Sports

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If the title was a bit dramatic – I apologize, but I tried to create a feeling of real dependency – one that in this case I feel cannot be overemphasized.   I also apologize for having another post with reference and illustrations from sporting events – I just can’t help myself.

There are many athletes with nicknames, and some of them are awesome.  Some of them are also horrible – and some of them are not even worth considering because they either aren’t nicknames (T-Rod, A-Rod, etc. are not nicknames – they are just shortened versions of their real names) or these supposed nicknames were as Jim Rome puts it ‘self glossed’ which is jungle way of saying ‘you can’t give yourself a nickname – that’s just not how it works’.    Some of the great nicknames throughout history are known – and some not so much.  But there is one nickname that might be the best of all – ‘The Big Fundamental’.  I don’t know where or when Timothy Theodore Duncan was first called ‘the big fundamental’ but it fits and he’s seen some awesome results.  He is a five-time NBA champion, two-time NBA MVP, three-time NBA Finals MVP, and was the NBA rookie of the year.  He is a 14-time NBA All-Star, and the only player to be selected to both the All-NBA and the All-Defensive teams during each of his first 13 seasons – and I’m not aware of a single endorsement deal of his. Let that sink in.

Part of why I like his nickname so much is that it so complimentary.  Others (especially those who have given themselves nicknames) probably think his nickname is ‘lame’ and highlights his lack of flash or show – which is precisely why it’s such a compliment – especially to him.  I guarantee you he loves this nickname.  He’ll probably never tell you as much or even bring it up – but he loves it.  He loves it because that he knows the value of and has seen the result of hard work continually centered in the basic fundamental core essentials.  He probably spends 95% of his time working on the ‘plain and simple’ things like footwork, positioning, dribbling, outlet passes, rebounding, etc. instead of the ‘strong and mighty’ things like dunking, crossovers, taunting gestures or cute hand signals to be practiced each time a relatively good play is made.  In short – he paid attention to, saw the benefit of, and grew to love the ‘weak and simple things’ of the basketball world that ‘brought great things to pass’ and ‘confounded the wise’ or in Tim’s case – the other teams.  They cannot figure out how and why the Spurs keep winning – despite their small market status, their lack of a flashy star, and their consistent use of ‘small and simple things’ like the old fashioned pick and roll.  I realize Greg Popovich has a lot do to with this – but his nickname isn’t the big fundamental so he isn’t the focus here.

You’d think in the NBA that most people would have a pretty good handle the fundamentals by now – and most of them do okay, but Tim Duncan has mastered the basics.  He doesn’t keep going ‘back to the basics’ when things get crazy or when they lose a few games – he just doesn’t stray from them.  They are who he is.  They are what he is.  They have become his identity and his purpose and his love.  So much so that they have started to exude from his person.  He sweats fundamentals.  He sneezes and fundamental drills come out.  He cries footwork drills.  He dreams about the three-man weave while mapping out his next bank shot.  He loves them because he knows that they are the foundation of greater things and that nothing great can last without a solid foundation.

If we think of his nickname in a spiritual sense (likening basketball to spirituality and eternal progression in real life) – what things can we work on, and how can we think in order to become like ‘the big fundamental’?  The answer is the same for all of us – it’s an unwavering allegiance to, understanding of, and consistent practice in the gospel basic fundamental core essentials.  These are the core doctrines and principles that we learn when we are young but tend to overlook (or assume we know all about) when we get older.  If we learned everything about basketball fundamentals while we were in Jr. Jazz – we might be in trouble.  And if we are relying on our primary aged recollection of the fundamentals –  we might be in trouble.

With this in mind, these fundamentals are often looked at or even referred to (by others) as ‘weak and simple things’, and nobody likes to think of him or herself as weak and simple, and certainly nobody likes to be ‘complimented’ in a way that highlights or ‘reinforces’ their weak and simple characteristics or their repeated use of and reliance upon them.  But if we can get to the point where we really love the fundamentals, we can love that nickname or that ‘compliment’ as it’s applied to us.  We can truly relish the basics and start to see the ‘weak things become strong’ even if our opponents and seemingly all the other players around us are focused on more advanced topics or have seemingly moved on to ‘gospel calculus’ instead of ‘gospel addition and subtraction’.

This is especially true when we realize how much work still needs to be done, how hard and long that work will be, how slowly we seem to be progressing towards the ultimate goal, how daunting our opponent is, and how quickly and repeatedly he claims his powers and ability as ‘great’.  We all like to think we are ‘strong and mighty’ and I emphatically include myself in this category – since I need to remember this as evidenced by the topics I’ve chosen to write on in my last few posts (offense vs. defense, competition, power, etc.) – but the fact is that the answers (to all the questions that matter) are ‘always in the doctrines and principles of the gospel’ (See Elder Bednar’s Increase in Learning book).

Perhaps we often overlook the fundamentals and the ‘weak and simple things’ because we live in the age of instant gratification and quick results.  We tend to believe in and rely on results – and when the results aren’t amazing and mammoth-sized after 16 seconds – we give up or move on to the next promise of results because we don’t think we have time to develop patience or work to help ‘weak things to become strong’ (See Ether 12:27).  But it may also because we tend to believe way too much in our perception, what our mortal eyes are able to see, or what our mortal brains process based on the outward appearance of strength instead of strength ‘as it really is’ (See Jacob 4).

The point I am trying to make is that true power and true strength (real greatness) often do not come dressed up the way most people think they do.  They come disguised as weakness and are further developed and solidified by the repeated performance of very simple things – or in other words, they come dressed up as basic fundamentals.   This process (the repeated performance of weak and simple things, or the very nature of weak and simple things themselves) in many cases turns out to be very irritating to the wise and powerful people, groups, and organizations that claim to have all the answers.   It has always been this way, and it will always be this way, because God said it more than once (in 3 different books by way of 3 different prophets).  He said in Alma 37:6, “by small and simple things are great things brought to pass; and small means in many instances doth confound the wise”.  He said in 1 Cor. 1:27 “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty”, and in the D&C he has said “I call upon the weak things of the world, those who are unlearned and despised, to thresh the nations by the power of my Spirit” (D&C 35:13), and “The weak things of the world shall come forth and break down the mighty and strong ones” (D&C 1:19).

So what are the weak and simple things (fundamentals) that confound the wise?  How about some things that are so weak and simple (often termed as ‘old fashioned’ or ‘out of style’ that even our primary aged kids (4 and 5 and 6 year olds) understand but the ‘wise’ (as termed by the world) in large part throw aside as unnecessary, childish, or as a certain someone termed them ‘lame’.  Things like prayer being a very real communication with God and that the habit of praying regularly builds strength.  Things like reading scriptures to grow in spirituality.  Things like 14-year-old boys with no formal education being used to restore the greatest kingdom ever.  Things like getting out of debt and staying out of debt. Things like food storage.  Things like simple obedience.  Things like serving other people before us.  Things like going to church and worshiping on Sunday instead of seeking for entertainment.  Things like home teaching.  Things like genealogy.  Things like temple attendance.  Things like living prophets.  Things like faith.  Things live love.  Things like self-control and discipline.  Things like tithing.  Things like being nice and thoughtful and patient and kind – even when nobody else seems to be.  Things like assisting other people and helping them reach their goals instead of spending so much time and effort in what we ourselves want.  Things like placing more value in people that in things.  Weak and Simple things like that.

Before we think of this as counter-intuitive and contrary to reality (weak and simple things being true power) let’s remind ourselves that Tim Duncan and his Spurs are five-time champs AND “there are many called, but few are chosen…(they are not chosen) because their hearts are set so much upon the things of this world, and aspire to the honors of men, that they do not learn this one lesson…that the powers of heaven cannot be controlled nor handled only upon the principles of righteousness…when we undertake to cover our sins, or to gratify our pride, our vain ambition, or to exercise control or dominion or compulsion upon the souls of the children of men, in any degree of unrighteousness, behold, the heavens withdraw themselves, the Spirit of the Lord is grieved…he is left unto himself…to fight against God” (good luck in that fight)….”no power or influence can or ought to be maintained…only by [note the weak and simple things that are listed] persuasion, by long-suffering, by gentleness and meekness, and by love unfeigned; by kindness, and pure knowledge, which shall greatly enlarge the soul without hypocrisy, and without guile…let thy bowels also be full of charity towards all men…and let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly, then shall they confidence wax strong in the presence of God”.  That might be the epitome of using weak and simple fundamentals to bring great and mighty things to pass.

Offense vs. Defense

25 Saturday Oct 2014

Posted by in Battle, Opposition, Strength

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I think all of us (at least all of us who have been familiar with sports) at one time or another have heard or participated in a debate of offense vs. defense. We’ve likely even heard the phrase ‘the best offense is a good defense’ or even ‘the best defense is a good offense’.  Both of these tend to be supported by those who specialize in one area or the other.  For example – a fantastic offense (think of Oregon in years past) would likely feel confident enough in their talents, skills, stamina, and strategy that by the end of the game they (the offense) would have produced more results  (a.k.a. points) than their opponents’ offense therefore allowing them to come out victorious in the end (without too much thought about defense – or at least what appeared to be a much less focused emphasis on defense).  There are others (think of Alabama in years past, the SEC, or maybe even Provo High School basketball in years past) who subscribe to the opposite school of thought in the sense that they feel confident enough in their defensive strategy, skills, schemes, and stamina that by the end of the game, their defense allowed fewer points than their opponents defense did, also allowing them to come out victorious in the end.

Now, the important part of relating this concept to a spiritual setting is not whether you subscribe to the offensive or to the defensive mindset (as both have very valid points), but whether we can truly and fully understand the concept of an offensive defense and a defensive offense – at the same time.  Hold that thought – because before we can understand that concept we need to understand exactly what the traditional differences are between offense and defense.

Offense:  There are two main definitions for offense and I think both of them are appropriate in this particular context.  The first is: the act of attacking, or a pattern or style of scoring attack, and the second is: something that offends or displeases (or the act of offending or displeasing).   The main (traditional) idea is that when we are offensive, we are in the state of attacking, or on the move attempting to dismantle, outsmart, outplay, or be stronger than any defensive attempt made by our opponent.  Depending on the type of game you are playing, this might be one play at a time (football), or it might be a sequence of plays off and on (basketball or soccer), a very established set of events (half inning in baseball), or a one-on-one defense/offense showdown such as boxing, tennis, or fencing.  The whole point of offense is to force the opponents defense to retreat, give in, or be moved allowing us to gain the goal, or in other words, to force the opponents defense to surrender.

Defense:  The best definition for defense in this context is: resistance against attack; or the practice or art of defending against attack.  The main (traditional) idea is that while on defense, we are not actively attacking, but straining to prevent an attack from the opponents offense.  There are just as many strategies, schemes, and formats for defensive positioning, all with the goal of strengthening the defensive stance against the opposing offense.  Similar to the offense described above, there are times when it is performed one play at a time, one sequence at a time, in a series, or in a one-on-one showdown.  The whole point of defense is to not allow the opponents offense to gain ground or score, or in other words – to force the opponents offense to fail.

With this understanding, it is important for us to realize that there are some types of competition, especially in individual competition (boxing, fencing, karate, sumo, chess, etc.) where the lines (strategies, functions) between offense and defense are not entirely clear.  This may make it increasingly difficult for casual observers (and maybe even seasoned observers) to understand if the individuals are taking a defensive stance or an offensive stance, which is which, and when the transition between the two takes place.  They may just see ‘fighting’ or ‘some type of competition in which two people (or teams) are fighting to achieve the same goal’ – which is to win – let’s be clear on that.  That does not, I repeat, that does not discount the fact that there are two very different styles and approaches being utilized by each team (offense and defense) at the same time.

Now, back to the initial debate of offense vs. defense and which stance is better – and I think for all of us the answer is easy:  it’s both – at once.  Especially if we are to ‘liken all things unto ourselves’ and make this a spiritual discussion – we need the best of both worlds.  We need a strong defense, and we need a strong offense – and we need them at the same time.  We need an offense that is literally relentless, and we need a defense that absolutely refuses to yield.  We need an offense that is ‘sharper than a two edged sword’, and we need a defense that can withstand the exceeding fury from Satan himself.

So, how is this to be done?  How can our defense also be our offense?  And how can our offense also be our defense?  The logical answer is to:

  1.     .      Arm ourselves with power that is simultaneously offensive and defensive
  2.    .       Understand that as participants in the ultimate battle between good and evil being defensive is very offensive to our opponent (Satan).

What kind of power is both offensive and defensive?

Before we think of the type of power, it may help if we recall that the places (very literally places of refuge from the storm) that we commonly refer to and attend in order to rest from the constant storm of evil to bolster our defense are in fact the same places that we attend in order to bolster our offense.  For example, our homes are a very real defense against the storm, but they are also the places where we arm ourselves and our children with faith, with testimony, and ‘with the sword of truth and right’ (See Hymn 259).  This defense creates a very real power that we can use offensively.  The temple is another place that we can go to be literally away from the cares of the world and mend our spiritual defenses.  But do not forget that the temple is the one place on earth where we can receive an ‘endowment of power’.

In addition to the places that we go to receive this power, we have tools that can help us receive this power.  The scriptures, living prophets, and maybe the best of all – direct and unlimited communication with the source of said power who is willing (eager even), to bestow as much of this power on us as we are able to bear and use.  This power (the kind that is both offensive and defensive) is the power of the gospel.  This power comes from earnestly seeking, repeatedly asking, and righteously using it.  It comes from obedience.  It comes from knowledge.  It comes from exercising your faith.  It comes from fasting and prayer.  It comes from sharing it with others.  It comes from consistent, diligent, and steady seeking, using, and serving.  It comes from God.  It comes as a gift made available through priesthood ordinances and temple covenants.  It speaks to us and is confirmed to our hearts through the Holy Ghost and it is all made available through the miraculous atonement of our savior Jesus Christ.  It is available to everyone and it is the greatest power there is.

Being defensive is very offensive and being offensive is very defensive.  

As we steadily and diligently acquire this power and as we understand the defensive use of this power is very offensive to our opponent and the offensive use of this power creates a great defense for us.  In fact, the more we use this power, the previously clear lines between offense and defense become less and less distinguishable – and we are simply ‘watching with all perseverance’ (see Eph. 6:18).  The goal is to get to this point (watching), where there is not a series, or play of offense followed by a series or play of defense.   We want to get to the point where our offense is on full attack mode at the same time that our defense is operating in 4th and goal mode where we cannot give an inch.

This process can become so developed within us that our opponent will be confused as to which state they are in or should be in to combat us.  They will think they are in the midst of an offensive attack only to realize (when it’s much too late) that they have been misled all along the way by our offensive defense.  A perfect example of this is in Alma 52 where the majority of the Lamanite army is pursuing a portion of the Nephite army (led by Teancum), and during this pursuit (since the Lamanites saw the Nephites start to flee) they ‘took courage and pursued them with vigor’ and ‘supposed by their numbers to overpower Teancum’ (vs 23-24).  At this point, the Lamanites (in their minds) are clearly playing offense, meanwhile, another portion of the Nephite army (led by Moroni) took possession of the Lamanite controlled city of Mulek (also playing offense) without much resistance and yet another portion of the Nephite army (led by Lehi) is waiting to meet the Lamanites near the city Bountiful.  When the Lamanites meet Lehi (who had met with Teancum) and his army the Lamanites ‘fled in much confusion’ likely because they thought they were on the offensive side only to discover that the Nephites were much better at offense in this battle and they had not planned on a defensively offensive approach.  So, the Lamanites attempt to flee back to their base (the city of Mulek) and outrun Lehi only to run into Moroni and the portion of his army fresh from their overtaking the city (which no doubt the Lamanites realized immediately) finding themselves in an extremely defenseless position (surrounded by offensive Nephites).   This battle ends bad for the Lamanites, and there are key phrases (which lead to further understanding) in verses 33 and 34.  “And it came to pass that Jacob, being their leader (of the Lamanites), having an unconquerable spirit he led the Lamanites forth to battle with exceeding fury against Moroni…Jacob was determined to slay them and cut his way through to the city of Mulek (back on offense).  But behold, Moroni and his men were more powerful; therefore they did not give way”.  The Nephite army was definitely offensive (trapping, cornering, taking the city of Mulek), but at the same time, they were extremely defensive to the Lamanite fury that ‘they did not give way’.  This duplicity of strength (offense and defense simultaneously) was so effective that the Lamanites ‘being much confused, knew not whither to go or to strike’ (vs. 36).  This is effectively defending and offending the opponent until they are defeated.

Moroni and his captains knew how to fight.  They knew how to play offense and defense, and they knew how to play them at the same time.  They knew how to acquire power and use it.  They learned this so well in fact, that if we (all of us here and now) ‘had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold, the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever; yea, the devil would never have power over the hearts of the children of men’ (Alma 48:17).  This is amazing.  But before we deflate ourselves with the thought that ‘nobody could be as awesome as Moroni’, let’s remember that the very next verse gives us hope since he (Moroni) ‘was a man like unto Ammon, the son of Mosiah, and even the other sons of Mosiah, yea, and also Alma and his sons, for they were all men of God…and ‘Helaman and his brethren were no less serviceable unto the people than was Moroni…” (Alma 48:18-19).  It can be done.  It must be done.  We can do it.  We must do it.  We can arm ourselves with such power that we can continually play defense by ‘not giving way’ and continually play offense ‘by gaining power’ and cause our opponents to ‘flee in much confusion’.

As Sheri Dew put it, ‘it seems clear that the only way to fight the fire and brimstone of hell prepared for Lucifer and those who follow him is through the fire and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, the fire of testimony’ (See her book ‘God Wants a Powerful People’ – pg. 80).  I can think of some pretty impressive firepower rooted in faith.  The fire of a burning, unwavering, unshakeable testimony of Jesus Christ, his prophet of the restoration Joseph Smith, and the Book of Mormon.  The fire of obedience and love for truth and right.  The fire of the spirit as it literally burns in our hearts.  The fire that we can call on to defend and protect our souls.  The fire of the gospel as it strengthens us, quickens our understanding, expands our visions, and motivates us to become like Christ himself.  This is the great offensive and defensive power.

Let us become great, immovable rocks planted firmly on the shore, with foundations in and on and through Jesus Christ and his gospel truths.  Let us withstand (defensively) the constant barrage of waves as they roll in from Satan and his followers with their malicious intent to weaken and destroy our homes and our families and our identities and potential.  Let us ‘not give way’ and refuse to yield.  While we are constantly withstanding these waves, let us move together (offensively) to limit his reach and his impact.  Let us offensively defend the shore becoming more and more powerful by moving further and further out to sea while behind us, the trail of our faith and power is creating a more ‘firm foundation’ of rock for us and others to stand on.  Let this continue slowly but surely until at last the small puddle of what used to his great sea of evil is surrounded on all sides by ‘mountains of the Lord’ firmly rooted in Jesus Christ, radiating his pure light, love and truth.  Let this be Satan’s last view as the walls close in.  Family after family linked together in love, the unit he attacked so fervently to destroy, becoming at last the most powerful weapon of all, causing him to ‘weep and to wail, and gnash his teeth’ in one final attempt at glorious darkness only to be extinguished by the piercing and pure light of Christ.

Comforters and Companions

08 Wednesday Oct 2014

Posted by in Holy Ghost, Marriage

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When my wife Amanda is away from our home (even if it’s for 5 minutes) – everyone goes completely wild.  It’s almost like she takes the well-mannered and calm parts of our brains and most of our sensibilities with her because while she is away the house gets turned upside down, and all the children (I include myself with the children) start acting like cavemen and/or wild animals.  I am convinced that there is some type of chemical reaction that occurs in each of us when the mother of our home is absent.  In fact, I know this is true, because the minute she walks in the door, everything is back to normal.  The house might still be a mess (it’s hard for that to rectify itself), but all of us feel the difference when Amanda is home.

There is a comforting power (yes, it is a power) that my wife has, that we cannot live without – at least not very long.  If we were left to our own devices (without her loving influence), we would quickly slip into ‘a state of nature…. in the gall of bitterness…being without [mom] in our world, and therefore we would be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness’. 1 This is not an over-dramatization – we would literally destroy ourselves due to lack of Amanda because we would be in a ‘state contrary to the nature of happiness’.

For us to be ‘in a state consistent to the nature of happiness’ my children need a mother and I need a wife.  By myself, I just can’t do it.  I need a best friend who is also my helpmeet.  I need someone who is every sense of the word superior to me, greater than me, better than me, smarter than me, more loving than me, more patient than me, more caring than me, more thoughtful than me, more giving than me, more understanding than me, more patient than me, and much more naturally spiritual than me who can lift me up to be more than I currently am.  I need someone who can comfort me even when she wants to kick me.  I need someone who can give me soft advice and hard advice (and someone who knows the difference).  I need someone who can pick me up when I am down, and I need someone who is strong enough to carry the weight of being a righteous mother.  I need someone who knows and understands that a righteous mother with a strong influence over her family makes Satan tremble.  I need her to make me whole.   I need someone who has my back even when, or rather especially when, I deserve it the least.  I need someone who will always be there.  I need Amanda.

My wife is my favorite person in the whole world.  She makes me happy.  She makes me laugh.  I just like to be around her.   Even if we aren’t actively communicating – I just like to be close to her.  When we read, I like to be in the same room as her – just because.  When she cooks dinner – I like to just stand in the kitchen and watch (sometimes I help) because I just like to be near her.  I like the way she makes me feel.  She makes me feel wanted and important and special and she makes me feel worth.  In short – she makes me feel love.  She has a powerful effect on me that no other human has because of how I feel around her and because of how I feel for her.

Even when we aren’t in the same room – we are still together.  We are united.  We are a true companionship.  My thoughts can be her thoughts and our goals are the same.  Our hopes, dreams, intents, and happiness can all be shared – completely.  She is a true companion, and she is constant (unrelenting awesomeness and never-ending source of power and love) and she brings me comfort.   Her presence and power is the opposite of the chaos that we feel when she is away.  The peace and calm knowledge that we have when ‘mom is home’ cannot be replaced.

There is another power that brings the same comforting and calming affect and we have been told that we have access to it.  This is good news for you women because us men just cannot compare with your awesomeness – and this power is so good at it, they actually just named him ‘The Comforter’.  This comforting power has a similar affect on us – bringing peace, assurance, patience, and love while it is with us and as expected when this comforter leaves, we immediately turn into wild dogs and crazy people with no sensibility and/or reason.  We might be able to fend for ourselves for a few minutes – but eventually we will slip (not so gracefully) into ‘a state of nature…. in the gall of bitterness…being without God in the world, and therefore we would be in a state contrary to the nature of happiness’. 1

For us to be ‘in this state consistent to the nature of happiness’ we need help.  We need someone who is bigger, better, stronger, wiser, kinder, more patient, more loving, more understanding, more eager, and more awesome as our companion.  We need a best friend who is also our jumpstart.  We need someone who is every sense of the word superior to us, (in this case – perfect) who can lift us up to be more than we currently are.  We need someone who can comfort us even when he wants to kick us.  We need someone who can give us soft advice and hard advice depending on the situation we’re in.  We need someone who can pick us up when we are down, encourage us to continue onward and upward2 and we need someone who is strong enough to carry the weight of being a comforter to the whole entire world. We need someone who knows and understands that we have power within us that we haven’t even tapped into yet.  We need his half (let’s be honest – his half is essentially a whole) to make us as whole as we can be.   We need someone who has our back even when, or rather especially when, we deserve it the least.  We need someone who will always be there.  We need the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

The spirit (and its comforting power) is my favorite thing in the whole world.  It makes me happy.  It makes me cry like a baby and I love it.  I just like to feel it.   Even if we aren’t actively communicating – I just like to be close to it.  When I read, I like it to be with me – just because.  When I ride my bike (or insert any daily activity here) – I like to pay attention because he will help me and lead me and guide me.  I like the way it makes me feel.  He makes me feel wanted and important and special and he makes me feel worth.  In short – he makes me feel love.  The spirit has a powerful effect on me that no other force can has because of how I feel because of it.

Even when we aren’t in the same room – we can still be together.  We are united.  We have the promise of a true companionship.  My thoughts can be his thoughts and our goals should be the same.  Our hopes, dreams, intents, and happiness can all be shared – completely.  He is a true companion, and He is constant (unrelenting awesomeness and never-ending source of power and love) and he brings us comfort.   His presence and power is the opposite of the chaos that we feel when he is away.  The peace and calm knowledge that we have when ‘the spirit is felt’ cannot be replaced.

Let us seek this companion, who has promised to be our ‘constant companion’3 if we meet follow his rules for companionship.  Let us realize that the peace that he promises is far beyond ‘peace’ as we can define it or as it can be imagined by earthly minds.  It is ‘His peace that he gives us, not as the world gives’.4  That is real comfort and that is real joy.  Let us live ‘in a state consistent with the manner of happiness’

1 See Alma 41:11

2 There have been many people and sources for this phrase, but I choose to cite C. S. Lewis from the Chronicles of Narnia (The Horse and His Boy) – since he is my favorite.

3 See D&C 121 (the whole section)

4 See John 14:27

I Really Like M&Ms

06 Monday Oct 2014

Posted by in Food, Preparation

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A few years ago I had a problem, a serious problem.  I was addicted to peanut M&Ms. Now, before you discount this as a funny story or even a non-serious problem, I should impress upon your minds the seriousness of the matter.  This problem was in every sense of the word an addiction. It was unhealthy, unrelenting, and insatiable, and – as a hallmark feature of a true addiction – I was largely unaware of the magnitude of the problem while ensnared in its chains.

I had, have, and still do love peanut M&Ms more than any human should, and this particular problem started when I was visiting one of my brothers’ homes in Arizona.  He had a large jar of candy sitting on the counter and it just so happened that this large jar of candy was filled (literally filled, like a swimming pool of sugar and peanuts and chocolate) with peanut M&Ms.   While we were there visiting this candy jar was available for any and all to partake at their leisure.  No limits, no effort (except for lifting off the candy jar lid, which I soon just left sitting on the counter for ease in stuffing my face more quickly), no parental influence to tell me that was enough (after all, I was an adult right?), nothing but myself to govern my appetite for the delicious treat.  This trip (in which I ate the majority of his candy) was only the beginning of my problems.

Soon after this initial frenzy, and my true discovery of these M&Ms, I quickly transitioned from ‘wanting’ them to ‘needing’ them.  I needed them every day.  I needed them to be by my side to give me comfort when I was weak.  I needed them to speak peace to my heart when others were mean to me or didn’t understand me.  I needed them to assure me that everything was fine and I needed them to feel good (this is healthy right?) – and it just got worse from there.  Soon, not only did I ‘need’ peanut M&M’s, but I ‘needed’ them in a larger quantity and with less frequent breaks.  At first, a small (single serving) package would fill the void, which quickly transitioned to me ‘needing’ a ‘tear-n-share’ size bag.  This seemed a simple enough transition, after all, good + more good = more good.  Then, over time, my dependence upon M&M’s grew and I needed a ‘small bag’, then a ‘large bag’ (I completely skipped the ‘medium bag’ since it seemed appropriate).   This problem escalated into my ‘need’ for a family size Ziploc bag (you know, the kind you get at Walmart or Costco in the mega bulk section) which I would hoard for myself and devour in a weekend.  Read that again to understand where I was…I would consume an entire 45 oz. bag of peanut M&M’s in a weekend – by myself.

What happened next, was disturbing, but also very logical.  I began to store them.  I began to think to myself “what if I can’t go to the store and buy more?” or even worse, “what if I want some (need some) and don’t have any?”  That was unacceptable to me, so I ALWAYS had more than I needed just in case I wanted some.  In fact, I remember a time when I went to the store and bought 2 or 3 ‘tear-n-share’ size bags for a trip only to reason with myself that ‘I would probably need more’ so I went right back and bought twice that amount.  I am not proud of this.   When I was home, I hid them in various locations (in case someone found one stash – I would always have another).  I was totally prepared for any event, because I knew that I would be safe and that nothing was going to prevent me from enjoying M&Ms.

Now, the law of diminishing returns is in full force when you eat M&M’s.  But that doesn’t stop most people, and it certainly didn’t stop me from trying to plow through it chasing the delicious taste of the first few M&M’s (you know, the one’s I could taste before my body started begging me to stop).  I would make myself ill each time I would feast upon them.  Many times I would go to bed in an absolute state of sugar-coma vowing to not go quite that overboard next time – only to eat a bowl of M&M’s for breakfast the next day.  I had M&M’s in my baseball bag, my golf bag, my wallet, the pocket of every pair of pants I owned, my computer bag, my car, and probably my scripture bag.  There was no activity (including sporting events that I participated in) that was exempt from the tentacles of my disease (yes I did also buy them at the snack shack).  I made sure of that.  I even painted a pumpkin in the image of a yellow M&M for Halloween.

To be fair and honest (as you can imagine) I gained 40 pounds during these dark times.  40 pounds!  Imagine if you put 40 pounds of M&M’s on a scale, because that’s exactly what my hindquarters and midsection was comprised of (your welcome for that image in your minds) and it was not pretty by any stretch of the imagination.

Flash forward a few years to now – and I have shed this habit.  I still love M&M’s but I managed to free myself from their addictive powers, and since I can see a lesson to be learned from this experience, including turning weaknesses into strengths (See Ether 12:27) I’d like to relate it to a parable that we all know; a parable in which my M&M’s can (and hopefully will be) likened to ‘oil’.  This story is found in Matthew 25:

Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bridegroom.

And five of them were wise, and five were foolish.

They that were foolish took their lamps, and took no oil with them:

But the wise took oil in their vessels with their lamps.

While the bridegroom tarried, they all slumbered and slept.

And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold, the bridegroom cometh; go ye out to meet him.

Then all those virgins arose, and trimmed their lamps.

And the foolish said unto the wise, Give us of your oil; for our lamps are gone out.

But the wise answered, saying, Not so; lest there be not enough for us and you: but go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves.

And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut.

Afterward came also the other virgins, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us.

But he answered and said, Verily I say unto you, I know you not.

Watch therefore, for ye know neither the day nor the hour wherein the Son of man cometh.

If we consider my love for, storage of, preoccupation with, and constant protection of M&Ms a ‘simile’ for what we should be doing with our ‘oil’ we can learn a valuable lesson.  Do I have sufficient storage of oil in my lamp?  Am I worried that if I take a trip I might run out?  Am I worried that my rate of oil consumption is more accelerated that my rate of oil storage?  Do I have enough oil stored up in case of emergency?  What about Saturday night when I know the store is closed on Sunday?  Have I prepared my oil stash to last the night or next day?  What about if we were bears and I had to survive a long harsh winter in a cave?  Have I stored enough oil for myself?  Have I helped my family store their oil?  Do I have various stashes in case one gets spoiled?  Am I confident that no matter what happens I can and will have access to this oil in time of need?

This gathering and hoarding of oil is a good thing – and the more weight we add the better.  Imagine the spiritual pounds we will add if we continually seek after, feast upon, and store this oil to the same degree that I did with M&Ms.  There is no law of diminishing returns with this oil – in fact it’s the opposite – the more we eat, the better it tastes, the more ravenous we become and the more spiritual pounds are added to our hindquarters and midsections.  Then, when the rubber meets the road and the bridegroom comes – we will have enough in our store to abide the day.  Those without stores of oil or ‘no meat on their bones’ will be left asking those who appear more plump to ‘give us of your oil, for our lamps have gone out’.  These spiritual pounds are not shareable, and they are only gained by repeated consumption of spiritual food and the only advice we can give at that point is to ‘go ye rather to them that sell, and buy for yourselves’ – or in other words – go get yourselves some M&Ms and start eating.

Competition

16 Tuesday Sep 2014

Posted by in Opposition, Strength

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I am the 2nd of four brothers that all grew up together (4 brothers in a row) and I am not sure I can overstate the level of competitiveness that prevailed in our home.  There was nothing that we did that wasn’t a competition of some kind (even if we didn’t say it – we all knew it).  Normal activities that somehow resulted in a full scale competition could range from who could eat the most or the fastest, who could win while playing any type of game, who could sleep the most, who could play with their friends more often, who was better at Nintendo, who could make the other one angry, who could drive the car, who had the best hair, who sat on the comfy chair, who got the last drink of Kool-Aid, and the list goes on literally forever.

There is however, one area of competition that seemed to be exceedingly intense – sports.  Ever since we could walk – we were competing in sports.  We were each other’s first and sometimes only opponents and we couldn’t escape it since we all lived in the same house.  We grew to understand each other’s strengths and weaknesses and with a complete lack of mercy these weaknesses were heavily exploited to make the competition even worse (Colby forced me to drive left every time.  Every. Single. Time.  Or, he made me shoot a deep 3). It forced us to study, and to learn the ins and outs of everything in order to try new things, understand the rules, improve the fundamentals, and more importantly, to become better.  I can guarantee that there weren’t any other boys our age (besides those we played with) that knew all the rules, and who loved the competition as much as us.  We understood exactly who we were, what role we played on the team (and just as importantly if not more importantly we knew what role the others on our team should play), what we could become, and we loved the competition!  I remember crying only a few times during my childhood and every single time it is related to sports.  I even cried while I was on the pitchers mound once…. during a game.  I cried in right field once after striking out with the bases loaded because I knew I had let my team down…. I cried on the bench of a basketball game because I didn’t get to play very much, and I cried after the game lots of times (only when we lost).  I loved playing and competing it so much I can’t even describe it for you.  Hint: it’s a lot.

Sports were the only things we ever did.  Before school, during school, after school, during the summer, during the winter, it didn’t matter what the weather was like – we were playing something somewhere with someone.  Even when we weren’t home playing each other – we were likely off with others playing some kind of sport.  For those of us who were not the oldest, this meant that you sometimes got to play (or were forced to play) with kids twice your age and twice your size.  Be it remembered again that I don’t think anyone ever got a single ounce of mercy from anyone else, and if they would have asked for it – that would have been the beginning of the end for that person.

There were many times when Colby and his friends would compete against me and my friends, and the results were very similar to MetroMan vs. MegaMind: “he would win some, I would almost win others”.   There were also times when I would practice for hours and then when I felt I was ready, I would come and challenge him and he would somehow win by a point on a lucky shot or a phantom foul call.  With all this practice I improved a lot and let’s be honest – it made him better.  There is no way that he could absorb the relentless attack of a motivated little brother who has no other goal than to beat his older brother and therefore retain bragging rights forever without exerting unnatural force and most assuredly some divine help.

This constant competition likely drove our parents crazy.  In fact, I’m positive that neither one of my parents have ever said to any of us “thanks for being so competitive and ruthless while you were growing up – It was super fun to watch and it really helped make my life easy”.  But looking back at those great moments – this ruthless competition provided many opportunities for us to grow up.  I learned how to compete.  I learned how to give every single thing I had against people that were twice as old and twice as big with little hope for success but that wasn’t stopping me at all.  I learned to work, and I learned to want it. I learned what to look for in teammates and what to expect from a good opponent.  I learned to battle.

Being so close to Colby in age also gave me the opportunity once in a while to be on the same team (brothers were always on the same team in Jr. Jazz, little league, etc.) and we quickly realized that while we were on the same team that competitive spirit that we each had somehow multiplied exponentially when we harnessed it together against the other team.  What that meant for me is that we didn’t spend any time or energy fighting with each other, and we had plenty of energy together to compete together – against the other team.  This was awesome.  When we combined talents, understandings, intentions, strategies, and energy to become the best teammates that we could – the results were pretty amazing.  This coherence only happened during sports (I don’t remember being on the same page during our Saturday chores or really any other time).  Our teams were always good and they were even better when others who we had normally played with (friends) were also on our team and they harnessed their energy and competitive spirit.  On the other hand – it also helped me realize the differences between good teams and not so good teams.  It also helped me understand and realize that sometimes there are people on my team, that aren’t really dialed in, or that aren’t giving the same level of effort that I was, and that affected the whole team, and this fact helped me try to be an even better teammate.  We also had the opportunity to play for some awesome coaches.  Coaches that helped us learn, helped us grow, challenged us and helped us understand things.  We also had coaches who didn’t really want to be there and couldn’t wait until the season was over so that they didn’t have to practice or deal with us anymore.  We (even then) knew the difference and would choose wisely if given a choice.

This constant competition in all things sports (combined with our intimate knowledge of professional athletes) also allowed us to talk about sports when we couldn’t play them.  During school or church, or while walking to school or church, or while sitting in the car, or pretty much anytime when we couldn’t actually play sports – we talked about them, we dreamed about them, we envisioned ourselves being them, and we called ‘I’m Jordan’ or ‘I’m Maddux’ when we played and thought that we were just as good as they were.  I know that we are all guilty of developing our own ‘dream teams’ based on opinion, facts, knowledge, bias, uniform colors, success, statistics, and maybe even location and arguing with each other over whose imaginary team is or would be better.  Some of us maybe even still do this in our minds…. and some of us might even still write them down.  Hopefully we have all arrived at a point in our lives where we can assemble these dream teams based on various roles, talents, characteristic attributes, etc. in order to make a great team (talents working together) instead of just a bunch of really good players who would happen to wear the same uniform (i.e. having 4 centers and one power forward on your dream team).   The hardest part of this activity was trying to decide which of the all time greats would be your 5 starters (basketball) or 9 (baseball) given the whole history of sports.  Good luck with that.

This whole backstory is to make a point: we can and do make our own dream teams.  Or maybe a better way to put it is, we can and do decide which team we play on, who our teammates are, and who our coach is.  The best part is that there is no limit to the number of starters that you can choose because there isn’t a limited number of positions like in baseball or basketball – at least not in the traditional sense.  For example – in the limited scope (when we attend or watch a sporting event) there is a single game going on where 5 or 9 or 11, etc. players from each team play and the others are on the bench waiting their turn.  But what if there were 20 games going on at once (between the same 2 teams), and each side has to field a team for each court/field/etc.?  Now imagine there were 2,000 games going on at once, or even 2 million games and each side has fielded its team to each of those locations.  This is the ultimate game.  Each team is recruiting players, and each coach is delegating authority and preparing their teams for continued battle.  This is the game of good vs. evil.  It is real and it is going on even now.

The more we realize this, and the more we understand that it is absolutely a competition, and that it has been going on since the beginning of the beginning the more excited we become, and the more involved we become in the action all around us.  We get to analyze the strengths and weaknesses of each team, we get to see the players on both sides, dream about becoming like them, playing with them, and then (best news of all) we get to make a conscience choice to draft ourselves to whichever team we want to play for.  We also get to decide if we are a starter, a bench warmer, a utility player, a low post threat, a water boy, a pinch hitter, a closer, or maybe even a pinch runner.  We even get to try them (some voluntarily and some via ‘callings’) out until we learn and understand what we are really good at and how we can help the team more effectively. Some people are better suited to call the plays from the front office, some people are good at kicking field goals, and some people are good at running really fast.  Some people are good at shooting 3’s and some people are good at free throws.  Some people are good at defense and some are good at taping ankles.  Some people are good at shagging foul balls, and some people are good at throwing changups.  Some are good at laminating the coach’s card and others are good at holding the cord to the headset so that the coach can wander wherever he wants during the game.  The point is that there are a gazillion opportunities to help the team, and we need every single person that we can get.  This is why both sides are recruiting and constantly ‘enticing us to choose good or evil’.

When we (as players and competitors) decide to get on the same team, and to follow the same coach, and to give everything we have to help the team win, our competitive natures can exponentially increase the success of the team.   We get to practice while we play.  We get to improve by playing and playing and playing some more.  We get to enjoy the process, and we get to meet awesome people, and we get to feel that rush of being on the smallest but best team of all.   We get to focus our energy and our intensity with others who have the same drive, motivation, testimony, etc. in order to become the best teammates we can be, and to become the best team we can be.

We also get to compete against a team that on paper may seem to be much bigger, stronger, faster, more agile, more stacked, better coached, better prepared, has more experience, has flashier uniforms, a larger crowd or booster club, a better travel bus, and definitely more team members.  In fact, their team name is called ‘The World’.  Their warm up routine is a really great show.  It strikes fear into the hearts of many.  When they’re done with their warmup and all during the game, they are excellent trash talkers and they try to get in your head by saying whatever they think will affect us and IT’S ALL A SHOW to be ‘seen of men’ or ‘to have glory of men’ because ‘they think that they will be heard for their much speaking’.

The strength of ‘the world’ is in it’s show.  They are also very good at isolation defense.  They full court press and trap like crazy while on defense to make the offense feel ‘isolated’ and ‘apart from’ their team.  They try to make each person on the other team feel like they are alone, or that there is no hope of help.  This is their best strength – let us be aware of it as a tactic of battle – because only then are we able to properly see it for what it is – their weakness.  Their supposed strength (the show) is a complete weakness because it has no substance.  We can break that full court press by attacking it, and once we’ve attacked their trap, we will be able to see through their defense and reach our goals.  Do not confuse this breakthrough with complete victory, because ‘the world’ will fight and claw and cheat and steal and do whatever they can to disrupt us, make us panic, take us off course, confuse us, distract us, and they are coached and prodded by a relentless motivation of pure hatred which when backed against the wall will become ‘yet more angry’ and they will fight ‘like dragons’ and become ‘exceedingly wroth’.  This will require poise (especially under pressure), power, and focus to overcome.  It will require faith, and it will require confidence.

When it really comes down to it (the end)– they (the world) are the ones who are ‘exceedingly afraid’.  They are the ones who are ‘astonished’ and who ‘tremble’ and who are ‘filled with terror’ and wish that ‘rocks would fall’ upon them or that they could somehow ‘cease to exist’.  They are the ones that have ‘imagined up unto themselves’ glory or success or who ‘boast in their own strength’.  They are the ones that are ‘racked with eternal guilt’ and live in a ‘state of misery’, which hath no end.  They are the ones led by a coach of who abandons them when he promised he’d be there for them and when they think they need him most.  A coach who binds them down with chains to rule over them and ultimately rejoices in their misery and captivity.  Like most battles where a heavily favored opponent (the world) is defeated by ‘small, simple, and weak things’ – ‘how great and marvelous will be their fall’.

Do you want to be on that team? I don’t.

Let us not forget what we have on our side.  We have a power that they will never understand.  We have a coach that understands each one of us, our strengths, our talents, and he knows exactly where to put us to do the most good.  His only desire is to help us win because of what it does for us, not because of what it does for Him!  We have teammates who are willing to give everything they have.  We have the playbook.  We have the commentary on past history.  We have the game film from the game we are playing.  We know what happens, we know who wins.  We are the ones who have a coach that laid down his own life so that we could choose and become something more. We have a team that can do ‘all manner of miracles’ and have a ‘fulness of joy’.  We have team that has ‘seen and heard unspeakable things’ and have promised the same for others.  We have a team that can ‘smite the earth with the word of God’.   We have teammates that are ‘holy, and that the powers of the earth cannot hold them’.   We have a team that will ‘sing together, for we shall see eye to eye’.  We have a team that is ‘filled with the Holy Ghost’.  We have a team that is ‘encircled about with fire; and the angels do minister unto us’.  We have a team that ‘knows and do bear record of Jesus Christ’ and ‘have a knowledge of our redeemer’.    We have a team that can minister ‘with power and great authority’.  We have a team that can speak with such power that ‘it is not possible that they can disbelieve our words’.  We have a team that has ‘great joy, and is exceedingly glad, for great shall be our reward in heaven’.    We are members of a team that has ‘been chosen from out of the world’, and can ‘see with our eyes and feel with our hands, and do know of a surety’.  We have a team where the very ‘power of heaven shall come down among us’, and Jesus Christ himself ‘will be in our midst’.   We have a team that works together and helps each other out.  We have a team that is ‘scorned, and shamed, and spit upon’, but we have a team that will overcome through ‘power, through love, and a sound mind’.

Our uniforms, shoes, sponsorships, and bus may not be flashy, our team may not talk trash (Elijah can handle that for us), we may not act the part of what ‘the world’ thinks a team should be, but we are in fact the greatest team ever assembled, and I for one am going to give everything I have to this team, because I love this team and all those who play for it, I love our coach, and I love to compete against the world because I know ‘of a surety’ and have a knowledge of my redeemer and His great love and plan and it makes ‘my heart burn within me’.

The strength of our team is our power through unity and the light and love of Jesus Christ.  The power that comes through Him and His atonement.  The power that comes to each team member through faith, love, devotion, practice, and service.  This power is viewed as a weakness by the world because they can’t see it.  They don’t believe it’s real because they can’t see it.  They think they can defeat us because all they see are the weak and simple things of the earth going about believing ‘foolish traditions’ and ‘binding themselves with a yoke of bondage’ and weakness ‘as to the strength of men’.  What they don’t see are the legions of angels surrounding us at all times who are ready and willing to fight for and with us.  They don’t see the amazing and consuming power of the priesthood to ‘bind on earth and on heaven’.  They don’t see that all it takes is for us (members of the opposite team) to combine forces, motivations, and share that love and light to drive away their hate and darkness.  Don’t let this strength be our weakness, don’t let their traps and full court presses confuse us or fog up our minds or eyes – let us join with the angels, and ‘let our hearts be turned to our fathers’ so that we can call upon them during times of struggle and strife.  They are already here – we just might not ‘see’ them.  Let us feel them, and become more aware of them, and then have the faith necessary so that they ‘cannot be withheld from our sight’, or that we ‘cannot be kept without the veil’.  Then can our power grow, then can our ‘weak things become strong’.  Then we can show forth and share His power to destroy our foes.

Come join with us.  Take upon you His name – even Jesus Christ.  For “who can stand against the works of the Lord?  Who can deny his sayings?  Who will rise up against the almighty power of the Lord?… Who will despise the Children of Christ?…Behold, ye shall wonder and perish” (Morm. 9:26).  They shall be ‘as stubble fully dry’ and destroyed ‘to the uttermost’, for ‘the mountains quake at him, and the hills melt, and the earth is burned at his presence, yea, the world, and all that dwell therein’.

Christ the royal Master, leads against the foe

Forward into battle, see his banner go

Hell’s foundations quiver, at the shout of praise

Brothers, lift your voices, loud your anthems raise

Like a mighty army, moves the Church of God

Brothers we are treading, where the saints have trod

We are not divided, all one body we:

One in hope and doctrine, one in charity

Onward then, ye people, join our happy throng

Blend with ours your voices, in the triumph song

Glory, laud, and honor, unto Christ the King

This through countless ages, men and angels sing

(Hymn 246)

A Few Thoughts

29 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by in General

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Often times, we beat ourselves up thinking that we aren’t quite good enough to start on the path back to church, or to follow Jesus Christ and do what He has asked us to do, and that if we just work on ourselves for a little while maybe we can get to a place where we will feel comfortable moving forward – but until then we say to ourselves – “I’m not quite sure that He (Jesus) is ready for me in my current state, He’s just still too disappointed in me” or “I’ve just made way too many mistakes, there is no way I could really be forgiven”.   These thoughts could not be further from the truth.  This is exactly what our common enemy wants us to think and feel.  He would like us to think that we need to work it out on our own and improve before we can feel comfortable at church or partake of his blessings.  This is untruth.  With this in mind, I’d like to share a few quotes:

“The message is not just ‘come unto me’, but ‘come as you are’.  He doesn’t say ‘go get your act together and then come back when you fit the mold’.  He says ‘let’s start right where you are and go from there’”.

-Brad Wilcox

“He’s not embarrassed by us, angry at us, or shocked.  He wants us in our brokenness, in our unhappiness, in our guilt and our grief”.

-Chieko N. Okazaki

“Because of him (Christ), we can rise above past problems, blot them out, and watch them die, if we are willing to have it so….The chance to change our past is at the heart of Christ’s greatest gift to us all”.

-Jeffrey R Holland

Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you…and ye shall find rest unto your souls.  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

Matt. 11: 28-30

Let us not struggle against the only one that can heal us and make us better.  Let us not resist the helping hand that is offered, because it is actually when we think we deserve it least that we likely need it most, and His hand is mighty and powerful and can heal us every one.

Jesus Feeds the 5,000

20 Wednesday Aug 2014

Posted by in Poems

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In Galilee up on the mountain

The people followed Jesus there

As night grew near and even came

A meal for them was due

He knew at once the course to take

Yet for a test He questioned one

Where shall we buy bread that these may eat?

My lesson is not quite through

The answer came with hesitation

There is no bread that we can buy

To meet the needs of such a crowd

Before the setting sun

Another said there is a lad

With five loaves and two small fishes

Yet what are they among so many?

There is nothing to be done

Jesus took the loaves and gave His thanks

As He had done before

Then told His friends to share the bread

With all those who had stayed

Somehow, someway the meager meal

Became a mighty feast

For at the end when they were filled

Twelve baskets still remained

To all who witnessed this great scene

Remembrance seemed to kindle

This happened once before they said

To our fathers long ago

Moses and the manna from heaven

Could this mean our wait is over?

We have been looking for thousands of years

For the promised Messiah to show

He’ll come to deliver from bondage and burden

From chains He will set us free

Defeat all our foes, bring back our kingdom

Sustain us with manna once more

Glory, peace, and prosperity bring

We’ll rest from our labors and pains

At last it is here, our deliverance and bliss

Our long day of rest is in store

They sought to take and crown Him their king

By force to make Him their king

Force Him to fight for them and their rights

Force Him to give them more bread

Jesus knew at once the thought that began

They wanted bread just not the right kind

They wanted meat and bread of the world

Not bread of His flesh – offered instead

To them the deliverer promised the world

Endless feasts and bread with no labor

Political freedom, life in the palace

No rulers, and never a care

Jesus knew that the king they wanted to serve

He could not, and never would be

There are two kinds of bread you must understand

One common and one much more rare

Your fathers indeed had manna to spare

Yet mine is the true bread of God

It giveth life and light to the world

I AM THAT BREAD your true hunger to fill

The bread of my Father to all of the world

In order to rise up again

This is His will, His plan and my purpose

Hear me clearly now all those who will

Their excitement and clamor, their force and their zeal

At once declined to a murmur

How is it so that you are this bread

We know that it cannot be so

Ye are a son of Joseph and Mary

Your father and mother we know

Their hopes were all dashed, expectations removed

From the kingdom that they hoped to know

Jesus continued to drive the point home

Eat my flesh and drink of my blood

My flesh is meat, and my blood is drink,

Dwell in me and ye shall eat bread

The bread that I offer is made of my flesh

My words they are spirit, my words they are life

Their murmurs grew loud – understanding His meaning

They realized now what He said

An hard saying indeed, this to them seemed to be

They asked who can hear it, itis not for us

Their hope of deliverance from toil and from pain

Vanished again – as quick as it came

We want a king who provides for us bread

But not this live bread of which you proclaim

We want the bread that you brought down from heaven

Real bread like our fathers – that is our aim

We want the pleasure of meals without price

Food of a plenty – we’ve seen you provide

Don’t make us labor for things we can’t see

We want the real bread – the kind you just made

Saddened and pained, the savior then asked

Doth this offend you, these plain words I say

The truthful Messiah that you claim to know

Is here now before you, precious few are my days

There were many indeed – including disciples

Discouraged that Jesus had drawn clear the line

Between those who sought him learn and to follow

And those who would use him to gain their own way

Those who were troubled, followed no more

Thinking his sayings too stringent to stay

Jesus asked those around him, the ones to him near

You that remain – Will ye also go away?

Then Peter, great Peter said with force and with zeal

To whom will we go Lord? We know whom thou art

We know of thy truth and have felt in our hearts

We believe and are sure – Thy bread it is good.

Indeed He had planned this decisive encounter

To identify those with intentions so pure

From those who sought him, their own wills to serve

His faithful and chosen ones in His presence now stood

Let us be like them, His followers true

Seeking and eating His flesh and His blood

To believe and be sure, that is our start

Feasting indeed on the true words of life

To stand in the presence of Jesus the Christ

To hear with our ears and see with our eyes

To feel with our hands, to know in our hearts

For us to know Him – this is the prize

Opposition

15 Friday Aug 2014

Posted by in Opposition

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Sometimes, in order to learn how something works, we need to understand how it doesn’t work – we need to understand its opposite.  We need to know how it is different, what makes it different, and until we do, we cannot truly learn.   ‘It must needs be, that there is opposition in all things1”.   It has to be.  It must be.  It is.   Not just in some things or most things– but in all things.  The sooner we understand this the sooner we will begin to see ‘things as they really are’2.

Most of most of us have experienced opposites on a somewhat routine basis and have come to the conclusion about which of the two opposites we prefer.  The point is that a choice cannot be made unless there are two sides to choose from.  Unless there are two opposites, choice cannot even exist.  And even more than these opposites existing, is the necessity that these opposites both clamor for our attention and our choice.  Each opposite has its champion, and each champion wants our loyalty, because ‘man could not act for himself save it should be that he was enticed by the one or the other’3.

We cannot have truth unless there is un-truth.  There can be no right unless there is wrong.  There is no heaven unless there is hell.  If sin doesn’t exist, then neither does righteousness4.  If sadness doesn’t exist, then neither does happiness.  If evil doesn’t exist, then neither does good.  But good does exist – which means so does evil.  Right does exist – which means so does wrong.  Truth does exist, and so does un-truth, and therefore it ‘must needs be’ that we are being enticed by one and the other, and we must make our choice between the two because they ‘are in opposition to’ each other.  They are not friends.  They do not agree.  They are real and each champion says ‘come, follow me’5.

Not only do they (opposites) need each other to exist, but we actually understand and feel the strength of each opposite because its opposite exists.  We feel the strength of Christ and his good because we feel the strength of Satan and his evil.  We cannot truly experience sweet (and therefore prefer it and choose it and enjoy it) unless we know bitter.  We can’t truly feel joy (and therefore seek after it) unless we’ve felt its opposite of sadness – and the more exquisite the pain we’ve felt, the more exquisite the joy6 we are able to feel, because of the existence of its opposite.

This agency is absolutely necessary for our lives on earth. It is identified as being given to us by God, as He knows the necessity and power of choice; and moreover the attempted removal of our agency is the primary reason that Satan was cast out7 and therefore ‘became Satan’. Thus Satan became the champion of evil.  His opposite in all things – Jesus Christ – was and always has been the champion of good.  Each of these two champions have gained followers and are currently clamoring for our loyalty by ‘enticing us’ to follow them.

We are able to feel the strength or force of our choice when and because it is made with complete agency because we know it’s opposite also exists and we’ve chosen of our own free will (essentially – we’ve chosen sides).  And because we have been ‘instructed sufficiently to know good from evil’8 we are able to feel in our hearts the effect of our choices as they bring different results and consequences to their choosers. By these choices we begin to become more like the champion that we choose to follow.  If we follow Jesus Christ – and actively choose his enticements – we will become more like Him and his other followers and by necessity less like his opposite.  We will begin to feel His light and His love.  We will begin to do the things He did and feel Him close.  If however, we choose Satan – and actively choose (or fall for) his enticements – we will become more like Him and his followers and by necessity less like his opposite.

This is the why we are on earth9; to see (when presented with opposite choices) which champion we will follow.  To ‘see’ the enticings for what they are, to learn of their effects, and to choose the good – not only because Jesus told us to, but because we want to.

  1. 2 Ne. 2:11
  2. Jacob 4:13
  3. 2 Ne. 2:16
  4. 2 Ne. 2:13
  5. Luke 18:22; John 21:22; 2 Ne. 31:10; Matt. 4:9; Moses 1:12
  6. Alma 36:21
  7. Moses 4:3-4
  8. 2 Ne. 2:5
  9. Abraham 3:25

Introduction

12 Tuesday Aug 2014

Posted by in General

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We are four brothers, and although we have many similarities, we are all very different.   Each of us are contributors to this blog and you’ll no doubt recognize  the difference in experience, writing style, use of humor, etc. and I think all of that is good; because you’ll get more than one perspective on Jesus Christ, His gospel, His doctrines, principles, and applications and how all of that has helped each of us.

Casey lives in Idaho, Tyson lives in Utah, Colby lives in Arizona, and Riley also lives in Utah.

I (Tyson) think that I have the greatest brothers in the world and I want to share them with everyone because I think they have great advice, great experience, awesome stories, and they are funny and wise.

Hopefully this blog will bring you joy, happiness, laughter, and allow to you feel the love and light of the world and strive to be the best person that you can be.