Someday I’ll be finished with my MBA and I will start posting more. Maybe I should post the paper’s I am writing. I have written well over 100 pages in the past 6 months. I got have to get back to writing a paper.
See you again in six months.
Journal Entry
Christmas Time
Because this is Christmas time I am writing my feelings about Jesus Christ. I am thankful for his life and teachings. His teachings have had a great affect, for good, in my life. I believe from following his teachings I am happier and have more freedom. Many, especially here in Utah, claim that religion restricts freedom. I am going to disagree with that statement. Because I profess to follow Christ here are the reasons his religion has kept me unrestricted; I have not used or experimented with alcohol, cigarettes or elicit drugs and therefore I am not a slave to those addictions. I have not engaged in promiscuous sexual conduct, and therefore my life is not restricted by the effects of sexually transmitted deseases. I do not steal or Murder and therefore not in prison. These are all pretty serious things. I am not however, trying to say that I am anywhere near perfect. I have done many things wrong in my life, and continue to make mistakes, that bring me sorrow as I realize my errors. My faith in Jesus Christ has helped me out with the sorrow I have felt.for my sins. Jesus Christ promises if we follow him he will forgive us of our sins and with this forgiveness we can feel peace. I have felt the peace that comes from Atonement Jesus Christ made for the sins of mankind, mine included.
I have also learned to listen to the promptings of the Holy Ghost in my life to help me make good choices. Unfortunately I have also felt the effects of poor choices I have made from not listening to the promptings of the Holy Ghost. Everyday I strive to have the wisdom and strength to follow Jesus Christ and listen to the promptings he gives me through the Holy Ghost. Even with all the influence he has had in my life I still lack faith. Why do I still ask myself, almost daily, “Is he real?” As i contemplate this question I realize it is because I am selfish, lazy and want to find an easier way. Hopefully I can overcome my selfishness and laziness to more fully enjoy the peace that comes from committing myself to following him.
I also believe that if all people followed his teachings life would be easier, not just for me, but for everyone.
Why is Christmas time the best time of the year? It’s because it’s about Jesus. The more we think about him and follow him, doing what he would do the better our lives will be.
Christmas time is less happy now because we have tried to push Christ out of Christmas and replace him with the holidays.
Merry Christmas
Google Voice and Sprint
I have been using google voice off and and on for over a year. Now it been hooked up with sprint. There are a couple of cool things about this. Here is a short list.
1. I am at a computer a lot, and I can text from my web browser.
2. Voice mail to my phone is transcribed and sent to me as an e-mail. I can also download and listen to these messages on my smart phone.
3. I can call people from the computer and they see it’s from me. I’ve used a skype number with my last company for over 6 months and people wouldn’t answer my call because most of the time the skype number didn’t even show the number it was coming from.
4. This is super cool! If I am in a building, house, where I don’t have cell coverage, like the basement of my in-laws, I can receive calls to my cell phone on my laptop.
There are probably other things for other people. but these things, while small, make my life just a little bit better.
Testimony
What do I believe? and do I tell others what I believe?
I’ve read from several different authors that telling stories is one of the most effective ways to help people remember your points, in this case my beliefs.
What are my stories that help me remember my beliefs and help me explain to others what I believe?
They may have gotten that idea from the Bible, or maybe just the example of Jesus Christ. Christ use parables with great skill to teach and help people remember those teachings.
Yesterday was the beginning a conference for my local congregation of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The theme was taken from Doctrine and Covenants 62:3 which states;
Nevertheless, ye are blessed, for the testimony which ye have borne is recorded in heaven for the angels to look upon; and they rejoice over you, and your sins are forgiven you.
I thought about this passage as the meeting progressed and I listened to people testify of their beliefs. I asked myself the question, “What do I believe?”
Kurt Larson, on of the congregations leadership, brought up another scripture from Peter 3:15 which states;
“..be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you..”
After hearing this I thought, ” I have stories that I use to help explain what I believe.” I also thought as an added measure I should probably write these down here in my journal.
As these stories come to mind I will write them down hear in my journal.
The first experience I had that changed my life and my belief occurred as I was in the mission training center in Provo as I was getting ready to serve in the Micronesia Guam Mission. I was just barely 19 but I had been participating in the the Church of Jesus Christ most of my life. I was baptized at 8, and ordained to the various offices in the priesthood as I got older. And while I believed there was a God, Jesus was the Savior of the World, and they had sent prophets to testify of him, I was not sure what the foundation of that belief was.
Then one day as we were being taught to be effective missionaries, the instructor asked us if we could identify the Spirit of the Lord, or in other words the Holy Ghost, as it testified of truth. The instructor then explained the influence of the spirit was always present in the training center. He then asked us to sit silent and think about how each of us felt. I remember realizing I was, and had been from the time I entered the training center,I felt really happy, I felt excited and I also felt a great sense of peace and calm. He explained that is the influence of the Holy Ghost in our lives letting us know what we are doing is right and this same influence will let us know what is right and true.
I then realized I had had this feeling many times during my life. As I was in sacred places, as I was helping people, as I was doing good thing. I had felt this happiness, peace and calm. I then realized this was the influence of the Spirit of the Lord in my life.
Since then I have had many other experience were the Spirit has touched my life. Sometimes through my own experiences and sometimes through the experiences others have shared with me.
John 14:26 “But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance”
One experience that has had a profound experience in my life was on my mission. I was assigned to serve in the Chuuk Lagoon(formerly called Truk). We had to learn the local language to communicate with the people. I have been out over a year and was able to communicate fairly well with the people. I was however learning new words all the time. One day we were teaching a family and discussing tithing and I was asked something I did not know how to answer. The phrase, or word, for tithing used in the scriptures was “eu n engon” And so that is the word I used when teaching the principle. Eu is one. and Engon is ten. But the “n” in the middle I was not so sure what that was about. But i used it and hoped people would understand. Well during the discussion the father of the family asked “Met wewen Eu N Engon.” Without hesitation I started to speak, but the speaking was not me. I said “Eu N Engon awewen Eu me nein Engon.” Directly translated I had said “Tithing means one among ten” Which makes so much sense in their language. He was nodding his head in understanding and I was almost overcome because of the spiritual experience I had just had.
Destruction of Japan
Tragedy is endless. Sadly I see and hear bits of news from Japan. So much grief and pain.
There is a couple from the ward we are in that are the Mission President in Sundai. She was able to send a message to her son and he attended our ward this past week and this is how his mother started the e-mail;
quoting from
D&C Section 45 And then shall the Lord set his foot upon this amount, and it shall cleave in twain, and the earth shall tremble, and reel to and fro, and the heavens also shall shake.
Amazing how well that seems to describe the situation.
I have seen pictures that compare the devastation of the the US nuclear attack durning WWII. It looks much the same.
Why do I sit here and do nothing. I don’t feel like I can do much, makes me feel a bit useless.
It is wonderful to see how well behaved the people of Japan are, no looting, no rioting, just calm perseverance.
I wish we would all take notice and follow their example.