Reflections of a True Millennial

To catch the real meaning of the “spirit of Christmas,” we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the “Spirit of Christ.” -Thomas S. Monson Welcome to the biggest holiday of the year, which the entire kid calendar revolves around. It's approximately 7:57 now, so surely you've ripped the wrappings off of several presents, and stuffed yourself with ham- or some other pork product. The gifts have probably been plugged in, powered up, or turned on. Let the games begin. But through all of this, one can feel an unmistakable giddy feeling. It's something more than the giddiness of a new toy. It's a sense of unity and brotherhood with all those around us, including our older brother Jesus Christ. Over two  millennia  ago, our Eternal Father sent down the greatest gift ever received by the world. A gift to all men, the tall and the small, the black and the white, male and female. Born in the most humble circumstances was the King of Kings, the very Savior of the worl...

"In this battle between good and evil, you cannot play for the adversary whenever temptation comes along and then expect to suit up for the Savior at temple and mission time as if nothing has happened. That, my young friends, you cannot do. God will not be mocked." -Jeffery R. Holland Welcome to the information age. Thousands of things are competing for your attention every second, and often the most demoralizing are made to appear as the greatest. It seems as if the world's views are a complete opposite of those that are found securely in "For the Strength of Youth" or Scriptures. The tried and true principles of the Church that lead to happiness in this life and the next, are often shunned and treated as silly laws that have no merit in an ever-changing world. You are being raised in enemy territory, and often the battlegrounds are found in school and online. In either of these places, one cane be whoever they want to be without any trustworthy adult figure ...

What's the deal with teenagers? How come we have some pre-conceived notion that life is a bitter place? Why do we seek out relationships at such a young age that will almost surely end in heartbreak? Why do we glorify the imperfections of others, and try to hide our own? Why is life seen as an unfair place and that they're is no hope? Why are grades the only factor of success or failure? Why can't everyone just be happy? We all have genuine trials and hardships, but we also all have something to be thankful for. We have the Supreme Creator of the universe cheering us on. We have people that love us. We have the opportunity to live in the most advanced time of history. But when it all comes down to it, it seems all of us succumb to sorrow. Seek out the good in life! Glorify the greatest aspects of yourself and others. Be kind and chivalrous to everyone you meet. Remember that one bad grade on a test isn't going to ruin your whole life. Life really isn't such a bad pl...

In "The Alchemist" by Paulo Coelho, a young Andalusian shepherd boy sets out on the journey of his personal legend. A recurring dream instructs him of his necessity to trek across the African continent to the Pyramids of Egypt to find a treasure, but more than that his personal legend. In the book it explains personal legend like this:  “One’s Personal Legend is what you have always wanted to accomplish. Everyone, when they are young, knows what their Personal Legend is. “At that point in their lives, everything is clear and everything is possible. They are not afraid to dream, and to yearn for everything they would like to see happen to them in their lives. But, as time passes, a mysterious force begins to convince them that it will be impossible for them to realize their Personal Legend….whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth” (21-22). A ltho...

"We can lift ourselves, and others as well, when we refuse to remain in the realm of negative thought and cultivate within our hearts an attitude of gratitude. If ingratitude be numbered among the serious sins, then gratitude takes its place among the noblest of virtues" -Thomas S. Monson The fourth Thursday of November- the day we stuff ourselves full of food and give thanks for everything we have. After all, there is a lot to be thankful for. Although a feast of such enormity is not reasonable for day to day life, gratitude is, and sometimes we seem to forget that. Thanksgiving is one of those days where we forget about all our troubles and simply give thanks. But in daily life our troubles seem to overwhelm the good in life and despair sets in. Each day, we should take the time to remember the blessings in our life and thank God for every living breath we take. Mosiah 2:17 says "When ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God....

Today is November 21st, 2011. Also known as Jada's 15th birthday. She died five months ago today, but preceding death shouldn't impede any celebration of this glorious day. Fifteen years ago an angel was born into this world. Now she is back in the angelic world. Imagine the glorious celebration that might be going on right now. Come on, a birthday party in heaven would be pretty sweet right? Jada touched so many lives in so many ways, so on this day just remember how she touched your life. And use that as an inspiration to touch the lives of others. You never know if you'll be around in the future, but you always know you're here now. So use every moment to touch the life of someone else.

You're a kid. A teenager actually. But sometimes it seems like you want to be an adult. Sometimes we think we can handle all the responsibilities of the world and live the seeming luxuries of adult life. Sometimes we think that the grass is greener on the other side, but we get there and it's not all that we hoped it would be. Sometimes we think we found true love and the ensuing drama encompasses us. Sometimes we take on the world and we get pushed down. Well guess what? You're only a kid once, so live like one. Don't drown yourself so much with duties and responsibilities that you forget to have fun. Because if you forget to have fun every once in a while, life isn't a happy place. And when you mount upon yourself many burdens you unevenly devote time to each, and thus none receives your full effort. If you commit yourself to something, do it to your best ability or it's not worth doing. This is kind of a rambling list, but what I'm really trying to say he...

Turn to almost any page of the Scriptures and somewhere among the lines you'll find the simple words "and it came to pass..." followed by some event of the ancient times. Such an oft-repeated line seems irrelevant and is comparable to the transition terms such as "first", "next", or "last" taught to fourth grade essay writers. While each repetition of this saying does not reveal a new profound truth, the essence of the phrase is applicable to our own lives. Everything came to pass  not to stay. Similarly, in life our trials come to pass. They are not meant to confound us and tear us down through the eternities, but they are meant to test us for "a small moment" and help us come closer to God. Sometimes life seems like it isn't fair, but it is so very fair. The fact that God gives us trials is a testament to the fact that He wants us to grow and achieve our eternal perspective. Your trials will pass, while they are around you end...

"If the Savior stood beside me, would I do the things I do? ... would I say the things I say?" - "If the Savior stood beside me" by Sally DeFord Throughout the day, you stand beside hundreds of people. Your friends, classmates, people in the hall, family members, teachers, and many more. Depending who you are with, you act differently. For example, something you may say to your friend wouldn't be said to a random person or a teacher. But what if the Savior stood beside you? Would you be able to act the same way and not be ashamed? What would you change if He was always there? Would you still be gossiping about what Suzy did last night? Would you still be laughing about that kid who tripped in the hall? Would your language stay the same? Well guess what? "He is always near me, though I do not see Him there" (ibid). He sees your daily actions and hears your daily speech. Move your life into accordance to what would be acceptable if the Savior stood bes...

"What would happen if we took off our masks, peeled back the labels, tore down the walls we have? What would change if we just saw each other as children of our Father?" - "Take it Home" by Jenn Blosil Everyone you know is a child of God. Let me say that again: Everyone  you know is a child of God. If everyone is of such a divine lineage, why do we undermine and belittle each other so much? By disrespecting each other, we are disrespecting creations of God. Why do we feel the need to make fun of people about their dress, looks, religion, or other aspects of their lives? "Who am I to judge another, when I walk imperfectly?" (Lord, I would Follow Thee) You don't know what is going on in people's lives, so you have no right to make rash judgements and hasty generalizations. You're own life is not perfect, so your time and efforts should be focused towards perfecting your life, not bringing down someone else's. Can every young man treat every...

I love the fact that no one is perfect. That means we can always be better. Sometimes perfection seems like a daunting task. How are we supposed to become as our Father in Heaven if we make mistakes everyday? It almost feels like to become perfect we have to sit at home reading the Scriptures with no contact to the outside world. Well guess what? We don't. Perfection is possible, no matter how hard it seems, and it all starts with our inherent desire. Our inner soul must be tuned to the promptings of the Spirit that we may act in righteousness immediately when a choice is placed before us. We must accustom ourselves to live without hesitation to do what is right. Remember that the thoughts and judgements of the world mean nothing.  All that matters is what God thinks about you, and "we are everything to God" (Dieter F. Uchtdorf October 2011). His "work and [His] glory is to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39). You are God's pr...

You know that moment when you don't see the sun for five days straight? Yeah that's what happened this week in "sunny" south Florida. Its quite a hardship to have soaked socks all day and a wet umbrella in your locker, but for some it was worse. A tornado ripped through the area at 130 mph and damaged several homes. Some places were split in half, while the next door neighbors were untouched. A friend of the missionaries wasn't the most fortunate and had some damage done to his house. Just looking at the mess around his house made me want to pick up everything and just move it, maybe just start over. But this man wasn't in that same mentality. He siphoned some gas from his car and revved up the chainsaw, getting to work. He wasn't going to wait for someone else to come and clean up for him, he had work that needed to be done so he did it. This kind of relates to some messages heard in stake conference today. One speaker quoted a verse from Jeremiah that ba...

"But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." -Matthew 6:33 You're a high school student, and you've got a lot to do. You've got a lot of stress to make it into college and have a life, or else it seems like you'll be a failure. You have to compete with rigorous classes that require effort and hard work, while juggling a plethora of extracurricular activities, and making enough time for friends and family members. Sometimes the pressure is just too much to handle. Often we get so caught up in the things that seem important, and we neglect what is necessary to our eternal salvation. Scriptures lay untouched for weeks, service is forgotten, prayer is pushed off for a later time, but these are things that we need to be doing everyday. When preaching to the tribes of Israel, Joshua said "Choose you  this day whom ye will serve." (Joshua 24:15) He did not say "Choose you a later day who...

Sometimes you just have to laugh. I have this crazy friend, and last night we decided to bike to Wal-Mart at ten o'clock and pick up some Kool-Aid. After all, it is only 20 cents a packet. We got six packets and paid with change only, how ghetto can you get? Upon arrival at his house the mixing began, and we filled up the pitcher to the top with Kool-Aid. While pouring the initial cup, the top came off and a sea of blue Kool-Aid rushed out all over the counter and floor. With this scenario comes two options: you can get angry that 5 cents of Kool-Aid poured all over and you're going to have to pick it up, or you could laugh your head off. We choose the latter option. Sometimes you just need to laugh! Is it the end of the world when something like that happens? No, so why would you act like it is? Just laugh.

I felt like I had one thing to write about today, but then I say this video and my thoughts seemed to go the other way, but I want to talk about both somehow. Bear with me. But first watch this video. That my friend was an inspirational video with slow motion, happy music, and quotes interspersed throughout. But I'm sure you see the message. Sometimes we get caught up in life, and sometimes we're doing things just to please everyone else or focusing on things that have little value in the grand scheme of things. It would do us all good to take a step back and consider what the important things in our life are. Are the things we're doing really making us better people or are they just causing stress and anguish? Christ remarked to His followers that they should, "Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin." (Matthew 6:28) The simple creations of God are not burdened with life's troubles so heavily that they fall und...

You probably chuckled a little bit at this title. After all, how could you be a genius? You got a 60 on your last math quiz, and struggle to keep up in your AP classes, if you even have AP classes. Does that qualify you as dumb? No. Albert Einstein once said,  “Everybody is a genius. But if you judge a fish by its ability to climb a tree, it will live its whole life believing that it is stupid.” Well, from that we can learn two things. First, fish can't climb trees. Second, they're not dumb because of it. After all fish can swim around in the vast ocean, get food, and do whatever fish do. So they're not dumb, they're just not tree-climbers. Maybe you can't get straight A's, but your not dumb. Think of all the other things that you can accomplish. You might be a genius of music or athletics. One definition for genius is, "natural ability or capacity." Everyone has the natural ability for something. The key is to figure out what you're good at and p...

Today in chemistry we saw a picture of a horseshoe. That shows you how exciting chemistry is... Anyway, it was being super heated by a blacksmith and was obviously very hot. Throughout it's use, that little horseshoe probably got scuffed up, and became uneven. Yeah, I'm making an analogy about a horseshoe, live with it. Anyway, that horseshoe became imperfect and throughout our lives, we too become imperfect through the wear and tear. When we're born, we're perfect little babies. We wear little baby clothes and wear little baby shoes and are just so dang cute, but that's beside the point. We're perfect and go through life making mistakes, and doing stuff that kids do. Then eventually we're baptized and become perfect again. But then what? We keep going through our days and making mistakes, but how do we become perfect again? It's not like we can just be re-baptized! Well, it takes some effort, and you've got to work. One of my favorite quotes is by M...

I really have no idea what this post is about, sorry. I don't even have anything major to write about, but I guess I might as well write. Maybe I should write about the important things in life, yeah that sounds good. Well remember that time when you totally flunked a test and came out of class livid, practically with steam coming out of your ears? You might have said a not so nice word and slammed your locker or something. What was the point of that exactly? Is one Algebra 2 test really that important, really so important that you're going to curse someone out of take the Lord's name in vain. Really? No. You're not going to sit on your deathbed regretting that test. Of course, you should strive for good grades and all that jazz, but everyone messes up, just don't let it get over you head. Remember the things that are really most important in life, such as family, Church, the gospel, friends, etc.  But a warning about friends, don't rely too much on them, they c...

And thus it comes to a close. This October, the 181st semi-annual conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints was mightily uplifting. It brought a feeling of peace that our trials aren't too heavy to carry and a renewed conviction to choose the right always. A lasting theme that I recognized from this conference was the fact that God is always mindful of you. No matter how low or insignificant you feel, He cares about you. His work and His glory is "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." (Moses 1:39) President Uchtdorf put it best in the statement, "Compared to God we are nothing, but to God we are everything." God is always watching over you, ready to protect you. He is always there. Just remember that.

You are a Child of God, but so is everyone right? Well the difference between you and everyone else is that you know you are a Child of God, you have knowledge about your divine nature and your eternal parenthood. So you know how important your life really is. With your knowledge comes the requirement of a higher standard, a rising above. A prime example of this higher standard is Captain Moroni of the Book of Mormon. Mormon describes Moroni by saying "if all men had been, and were, and ever would be, like unto Moroni, behold the very powers of hell would have been shaken forever..." (Alma 44:17) Pretty powerful stuff right there. Moroni is probably my favorite person in the Book of Mormon, his faith was incredible. Under the shadow of Amalickiah's plan to seize kingship, Moroni stood tall and raised his standards- literally. Upon his garment he wrote "In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children." (Alma 46:12) Then...

Hey remember this post post about changing your life? If you don't you better read it! Anyway, I was serious in that post. If you're not completely happy with your life, sit down right now and write ten ways to improve your life. That's what I did! But this brings up the question, how do I change my life? There's this program at Church where we learn things then we act upon them. So start by learning what you need to do. The ability to change your life probably isn't found in a textbook, but it can be found from men and women who are very close to God. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (aka Mormon) has many men and women like this, and they speak to the members of the Church twice a year for one weekend. Their messages are inspired directly from God himself. The words radiate with power and joy. Even if you're not a Mormon, try to listen to some of these speakers. Whether you believe they are Prophets and Apostles or not, they still have a sensibl...

Just one of those days, right? Where it's not bad, but not particularly good either. Sometimes it seems like you are so inspired at Church and home, and you wouldn't do any wrong. Then you get to school and somehow you sink back in with all the rest. In the Sacramental prayers each week, we promis to always remember Him. So that's what we need to do. Always put Christ at the center of your life, and you will not fall. Do whatever you need to do to help you remember him. Maybe put a sticky note in your pocket or make your phone background Church related. Whatever it is, if you always remember Christ and His Church, you will have the power to remain righteous and strong wherever you go. Have a great day!

Life is a pretty complicated thing, and sometimes we get caught up in it. We begin to shift value from some aspects of our life to others. This shifting is sometimes a good ting, making important things become clear, but more often than not, we get caught up in life and place importance on things of little or no worth. Little things that have almost no eternal value are magnified to extreme proportions and take up the bulk of our time, while the simple things such as Scripture study and Prayer are pushed aside, and ultimately forgotten. Go back to the basics: read your Scriptures, Pray, spend time with your family, laugh with friends, and just follow the Lord. You were taught all these things since you were a child. So if these were the things you have been taught your whole life, wouldn't it make sense that they are the most important? Make time for these things everyday in your life, they will make you who you want to be.

Okay Kids, my old blog URL was not flying so littlemormon.blogspot.com is THE NEW URL! SPREAD THE WORD!!!

If you work with fish, you probably smell like fish. Or probably deodorant... But anyway, if you spend time with jerks, you're probably a jerk. Your friends are so important in your life. They're those kids that text you when you're feeling down. The kids that laugh so hard at you sometimes, but you just can't seem to be mad at them. The kids that want you to move out to Utah just to be with them. The kids that set goals with you to read Scriptures and serve everyday. The kids that leave notes on your bulletin board. The kids that share a secret lingo with you. Yeah, those are your friends. They're always there for you. Mine are always there for me, and I love them so much. But you know who my best friend is? Jesus the Christ. He's my older brother, and He will always love me, and always be there for me. And I love Him for that.

Do it. Change your entire life. Decide right now on what you can do to become a better person. Do it, and don't tell me there's nothing you can change because there is. Nobody is perfect, even people you think are. Drop your friends, write a book, delete your Facebook account, I don't care. Just do it, don't get stuck in a rut where you're wasting your days away. Don't depend on someone else. Don't do something that you don't want to do. Life is too short for things like that. So pick yourself up, and brush the dirt off of your shoulder. You've got a life to live and a purpose to fulfill! You are not an accident, you are not a creation of evolution. You are a Child of God. A literal descendant of the most might being in the universe. Live your life, that's all there really is too it kids. Be the best you can be, and live your life every second.

I'm not perfect. I don't know everything. I don't even know most things. I have my flaws, and I stumble and fall. I make people sad, annoyed, or anything else. I'm just a human. But I'm not perfect, and I know it, and that's not going to bring me down. Because my imperfection doesn't make me wrong, it makes me who I am. If I wasn't striving to follow the Lord and His will, I wouldn't be me. I'm not a follower of Satan, I don't want all the answers to be handed to me. I'm a follower of Christ, and I want to make my own path with His help. If it wasn't for trials and adversity, life would be boring, and we wouldn't grow. I heard a quote somewhere, it goes something like this: "I'm glad God loves me enough to tear me down and bring me up again." If we didn't face sorrow or have pain, we would never grow enough to have joy. So I'm not perfect, and neither are you, but embrace your imperfections and perfect them, ...

Life is short. And it can change so much in such a little time. A thought that you convinced yourself to believe could be proved a fallacy the next day. Of course, some things such as the trueness of the Church or the existence of God are always true, but other things aren't. Other thoughts in your mind are placed there by your own imagination or by others, and you begin to accept those thoughts as truth. But, one day the truth will shine forth, and it will be undeniable. Don't be led astray by the temptations of the world. Don't ever convince yourself of an untruth. In the end it will only bring sorrow, when reality is realized. Learn and seek things by the Spirit, to receive revelation on what is true. The Lord hasn't put you in the dark, He has given you the Spirit for a reason, so use it. Use it in anything you are unsure of to find an answer. And be patient, because answers don't always come immediately, but they do come.

The title of this post is referenced in the Scriptures four time: DC 133:5, 3 Nephi 20:41, DC 38:42, and Isaiah 52:11. Just the number of references testifies of it's importance. Those who hold the Priesthood are those that hold the vessels of the Lord, and we must be clean at all times. In any time, we may be called upon to exercise the power given us from God. If you were called right now, would you be ready? Have you conquered lingering sins, that ye may be worthy to act in God's name? If you have not, become worthy today. Live better and be better so that ye may live in harmony with the Priesthood of God. It is a very real thing and has immense power, don't let it escape from you. Never become caught in a position where you are unable to use your Priesthood because of grave sin. And even if you do not have the Priesthood, always be worthy. You never know what responsibility you will be given. This video explains it perfectly, please take a few minutes on this Sabbath af...

The adults of this world are the present. They used to be the future, but now their time has come, and now we are the future. You and I are the ones that will build- or break- this world that we have. The thought of the weight of the world resting on our shoulders is immense. How can the teenagers in this world shape it for the better? It seems as if there is no hope. Well there is hope. This weekend I went to a nerd robotics competition. High school kids making robots to compete, seems like a pretty simple thing, but really it's a testament to the bright future ahead. Creativity is not dead, the desire to build something better is still alive. We have the ability to make something new and better, so don't let the world get you down, instead bring up the world yourself.

Sometimes we just go through everyday doing the same things, going through the motions, and life seems boring. But maybe life isn't so boring after all, maybe it's just our perspective. Maybe we don't appreciate the little things enough, and we're always looking for some grand thing to brighten our day. If we just looked at those little things, our days might be a little bit brighter. If we gave more appreciation to ice cream you get at lunch, or the kid who picked up your books when you dropped them, or your friend who texted you, or any other thing. If we were more thankful for these things, life would be a lot better. I know this girl who has all the reason in the world to be sorrowful and down. Her entire life has completely changed within the last year. She's also an excellent writer. And through her writing, you can see that she doesn't let life get her down. She appreciates the little things like rain, or people coming over to visit, or going to Wal-Mart ...

On this day ten years ago, two towers fell. Terrorists shattered the safety of our country with the falling of two towers on American soil. Their intent must have been to split this country apart; to cause a feeling of vulnerability and split the very nation's people. But ten years ago, two towers fell, and today, we still stand. We stand as one nation under God, a people united in the cause of justice and truth. Our political atmosphere appears to be divided, but when you break it down we are all Americans. Times of distress don't strain us, but they make us stronger. We come together and we never forget. Let the world come at us, we will stand for truth and courage. We will unite. On this tenth anniversary of 9.11 my street became cluttered with flags and ribbons displayed outside homes. This alone is a testament to the fact that we're still here and nothing will stop us as Americans.

What would you do in the last hour of your life? For many people, the last hour started ten years ago early this morning. It started just as any hour had probably started for them, the beginning of a days work at the World Trade Center. But as time progressed it ended much differently. At 8:46 AM flight 11 crashed into the North tower. Minutes later at 9:03 flight 175 crashed into the South tower. The minutes of life were ticking down as people scrambled to action. Ordinary citizens put on the persona of courage and helped their fellow-man. They put their own lives aside to assist others. Their clock was ticking and many of them probably realized that, but they felt no remorse or pain. They were living the last hour, their time had come, and they were living it the way they should. Their true characters and personalities came out as they became heroes. "Greater love hath no man than this, that he lay down his life for his friend." You might not know when your last hour wi...

Remember when you were a kid and the most common word that exited your mouth was "why?" Well it seems like many teenagers also commonly spout the question "Why?" But now they have more intellect and use complete sentences, such as "Why can't I date before I'm 16?" or "Why can't I go out on Sunday?" or "Why can't I curse?" I'd like to categorize such questions into the "Why can't I?" category. Questions such as this begin with those three words and end with a seemingly over bearing or impossible rule or commandment. But to all these "Why can't I?"'s I counter with a Why would you? Why would you ever want to do something that would compromise your chances of eternal life? Seeming pleasure of doing as the world does is idiotic and pointless. Following the world's ways will only further you from the one goal that matters in this life- to live with God again for eternity. So whenever yo...

There a few things that can never be taken back. One is time, another is thoughts. The only time you own is this exact moment. Now that moment is gone and you're onto another one. Once a moment is gone, it's gone forever. It can be reflected upon, talked about, thought of, but it can never be re-used. Another thing that can never be taken back is your thoughts, once a thought crossed your mind, it happened. And it becomes another moment in time, that cannot be changed. Sometimes we don't use our time wisely, or have the thoughts we desire to attain. Sometimes we get sucked into some mindless activity and can't seem to break the bonds, or we become polluted in the head from the filthiness around us. But don't dwell on what happened, dwell on what can happen. Bad days come, sometimes even bad weeks or months, but through it all the sun will rise every single morning. With the rising sun comes an opportunity to be different everyday. Yesterday might have been less than...

I know I've written about friendship multiple times, but a post on my friend Maddie's tumblr made me think of something new. As I stated in my summer post, my summer basically started with a day at the park. We went to the park after I sent out an annoying Facebook message asking some people to go to the park. I didn't particularly know a lot of these kids, I mean we had hung out a few times, but we weren't good friends. Why did I choose to invite them? I don't really know. They seemed like good enough kids, but it's not like I was desiring new friends or anything. Maybe it was just something that had to happen. Now some of those kids that I invited to the park are my very best friends. So the moral of the story is to not be afraid to be friends with someone. Extend the effort to be friends to everyone you meet. If they deny you, who cares? It's not like your friends with them anyway. And if they become your friend, then you will be so much happier. So be a ...

So school is back in session. Yay... But school isn't all that bad because it's a way for us to challenge ourselves, without school you wouldn't be half as smart as you are now. A lot of things we learn in school seem (and are) pointless, but maybe we aren't learning for the actual knowledge but rather for the acquisition of learning ability. If your an engineer then the theme of Romeo & Juliet doesn't matter, but by learning the theme in 9th grade you got the ability to learn in a different way. As we go throughout school we obtain many abilities and skills that will assist us in any profession. So challenge yourself to learn the most you can and use school to it's full potential! Another way to challenge yourself is to continue the learning at home. You could read things that you actually want to read, and challenge yourself in things that you enjoy. You could also jog your memory with the quizzes on  Sporcle . They're really fun and challenging. And y...

And we're back. Three months of fun and now it's done. Well technically I don't start for another week, but most of you start school tomorrow, so yeah. Anyway, as we head back to school, don't forget who you are. Don't forget that you're a child of God, and remember not to compromise your values for anyone. Always live up to your standards because if you can't even keep a promise to yourself, who can you trust? Strive to live with virtue and goodness in all that you do. Don't just try to fit in and be a cool kid, stand out and be yourself. You shouldn't care what anyone thinks about you as long as you're being the person that you want to be. Because if you're living up to what someone else then you're not really living. So as you head back to the races, be the best that you can be, learn the most that you can learn, and have the most fun that you can have. Good luck!

     Summer 2011 was definitely the best summer of my life. Most of my blog posts are inspirational, but this one is more about the amazing summer that I had. So much has happened that one blog post can't even begin to describe the best three months of my life. I've met so many new friends. I've felt the Spirit so strongly on multiple occasions. I've had amazing adventures. I've had heartbreaking lows. But through it all, I've become more of who I want to be. Maybe summer officially started on June 9th, but for me the adventure started in May. In May, I started to hang out more with these awesome kids from Church. I think it all started when we went to the park on one hot Saturday afternoon. Back then, some of them were just kids from Church. Now a lot of them have become my closest friends. We continued to do things almost every weekend before summer started. But with the start of summer brought something sad as well, a girl named Jada that I had known for all ...

Why do I even spend the effort to write this? Well it's turned into something that isn't really about me anymore, it's about my friends and family. Because my friends and family are a part of me. They have shaped who I really am, and without them I wouldn't be the person that I am today. So this is all really to make them happy because I'm happy when my friends and family are happy. Seeing someone close to me in pain makes me sad. So that's why I do all of this. I try to make others happy, because there is no reason to be sad. Everything happens for a reason, so find the reason and move on. I promise that if you try to help others, you will feel much better yourself. So I challenge everyone to offer a helping hand to those in need, because it'll help you too.

No matter who you are, you are a child of God. No matter what you've done, what has happened to you, or what has come into your life, you are a child of God. And that is a fact. He is your Father and will never forsake you. He is there to guide you, to protect you, to lift you up, to help you make it through. You have the best dad ever and He is looking out for you. Sometimes you're faced with trials and hardships, but it's all in His plan. You have no reason to be sad because you are a child of our Heavenly Father. And that's all that really matters.

This blog is based on my life, and friends are really important to my life, so I like to mention my awesome friends who do awesome things. So I love to compliment my friends, because they are all just that cool. And when they become happy, I'm happy also. Anyway I wrote something cheesy on this girl's wall the other day, and she sent me the sweetest message ever. And that's because love comes back. If you're ever having one of those days where you simply hate everything, go out and compliment someone. It will make life so much better, your spirits will just be lifted while you're lifting someone else. So always make an effort to compliment and help others, it makes you so much happier. I guarantee it will. Just forget about yourself and start to work towards the happiness of others. (Title from "Love Comes Back" by Stephanie Mabey Watch it here )

We are the chosen generation, brought forth to the earth in this day to spread the Gospel. We are literally stakes of Zion, and representatives of God in our schools and communities. In some places of the world, faithful youth are few and far between. As the old addage goes, "United we stand, divided we fall." So as youth of the Church we need to be united. Divisions and cracks among peers only gives Satan more power over us. Believe me, I know the drama. I have best friends that are pulled apart. And they're still all my best friends, they're just separate now. I know that everyone has their reasons for these divisions, but I challenge everyone to let them go. I know that is really hard, it really is, but just try it. We can't afford to live separately. I'm not asking you to be best friends with everyone. I'm asking you to forgive and forget, so that we don't give the adversary any more power than he has now. And I know some of you have been really em...

So there's this friend of mine, and she has been asking me so much to be mentioned in my blog, and now the opportunity has finally come. That's because her blog inspired me to write this post. In a recent post she mentioned something that really stood out to me. That was for us to live worthily at all times. The one overarching purpose for us to come into this world was to live righteously enough to enter into God's Kingdom again. Nothing else even matters. Why would you steal something when it undermines your quest for your salvation? Why would you ever take a sip of beer? Or a whiff of drugs? Or cheat on a test? Or steal music online? Why would you ever do any of these things if it is putting you farther from Heavenly Father? Committing sins won't even make you happy in this life and it certainly won't make you happy in the next life. There is absolutely no reason at all that you should commit sin. It will bring you heartbreak and sorrow in this life and the next....

Have you ever hoped so much for something, and then end up not getting it? Like maybe there was that one toy you really wanted on Christmas, and then you didn't get it when you woke up in the morning. Well, today was basically one of those days. Let me give you some background information. One of my best friends lives in Nebraska. I've never set one foot in Nebraska, but he's my best friend. We all had high hopes of him moving out here because of a job his dad was going after. But today the news broke, that wasn't going to happen. But oddly, I'm okay with this. Somehow, I'm not too sad. Because I have no reason to be sad. What if I never even met this friend? I'm happy because I had the chance to meet him and become such good friends with him. Even if he's not moving here, I'm still glad that he can be valued as one of my best friends. So even if things don't end up in the right destination, don't be sad. Be glad that you had the journey, and...

June 21st, 2011. I received a frantic call from a dear friend that her best friend was involved in a car accident during her family's cross country trek to Nevada. I rushed home, and minutes later Facebook confirmed that our friend had died. Tomorrow is her funeral. At first all anyone could feel was despair and anguish for the first few days. Was it real life, did that actually happen?  But since then, the sadness has been replaced with joy. Not joy for the end, but joy for the beginning. Joy for the beginning of an era of remembrance and joy for life in general. Because she is gone from us, it has become easier to look in retrospect at the past with her. I've known her my whole life, but never became really good friends with her until the months that I knew her. I'm glad I had those months, because I'm glad that I could even value her as one of my best friends. And also our loss brings about a joy for the lives we still have. Everyone else is still here, we still have...

That’s right, I’m writing about swag. At the insistence of a friend, I’m actually writing about this. Recently in my group of friends everyone has become obsessed with the word swag. For example, the other day I had to pick out my locker at school. I walked in, saw the perfect locker, and exclaimed “Swag!” Example two, a group of my friends recently made a cake that had swag spelled out on top with chocolate chips. So what is swag? While the dictionary defines it as “an ornamental festoon of fruit,” the world describes it as something similar to “coolness.” It’s almost like being yourself. So it doesn’t matter if you’re wearing the cool clothes, or hanging out with the cool kids, because everyone is their own type of cool. And that’s the thing. You can’t try to copy someone else just because they appear to be cool. You have to be you, because being someone else just isn’t worth it. So live your life and be yourself. That’s right, I just wrote about swag.

Check out my friend's blogs!! http://j-lax.blogspot.com/ http://briannahales.blogspot.com/

You've probably heard the saying "Life isn't fair" countless times in your life. But I'm here to say that life IS fair. Before you stop reading and report me to a mental asylum, read on. Obviously, we all get trials in life. Some people get greater trials than others. But no matter what the trial, it is fair. Because if Heavenly Father places a trial before you, it's because He knows that you will be able to overcome it. And it's up to you to make the effort and overcome it. You can't just hope for the problem to be solved, or for the tribulation to go away. You actually have to make the effort to overcome that trial. How so? Fight. Not literally, but center your will around the idea to never give up. There are great things in store in the future, if you live the way you should today. So never give up, no matter how daunting a task may seem. Because an amount of pain now will be worth it in the long run. And that is why life is fair, because we actuall...

So since the EFY soundtrack is amazing, I decided to take a line from each of the songs and write about it. I already did this for the song "What Faith can Do" and now I'm writing about "We Believe". Everyone has those days, where it seems like the whole world is against you and everything bad decided to happen within one 24-hour period. But those are just days, merely 24 hours. Think about it, you have eternity to live. So what does one bad day really matter? 24 hours, or 1440 minutes,  or 86,400 seconds vs. eternity. So really, if today gets you down, it's not the end of the world. Because tomorrow is a new day. The sun will rise and spread it's bright rays across the earth. And that's a guarantee. Because even if it was cloudy today, the sun will rise. So even if you had the worst day of your life, tomorrow can be better. Because we don't believe that life is shaped by one day, it's shaped by a lifetime of decisions and actions. You didn...

Hey hey! Check out my friend's blog! It is actually really inspirational, so check it out and follow it. Thanks!   j laxpro1.blogspot.com

According to dictionary.com a Wunderkind is "a wonder child or child prodigy." Somebody today remarked that I was such a person, but I think that can apply to everyone. We're all wonders at what we set our minds to. Anyone can do anything they want and become the best at it, all it takes is work. You're not born a master at anything, you might have the abilities to excel at that, but it still requires work. You are what you strive to become. So don't ever go through life on the assumption that you're a beast and have everything made for you. And don't go through life thinking that you're a loser and have no future. To anyone, the way your life turns out is all based on work. So never give up on your dreams and on who you are, because it can all change based on your effort. That's my two cents for today.

Okay, so I know that I have a lot of people to mention in my blog, but I'm procrastinating that. Oh the irony. One of the most important things we will ever have is time. But the only time you really have is right now. So what are you going to do with it? You could squander it doing something unimportant such as going on Facebook, or you could use it to develop your God given talents. Now of course, it's okay to participate in things such as Facebook or video games. They're not very important, but in moderation they are fun. But the use of our time should be focused on developing our talents and finding your purpose in life. The first part of this isn't too hard to tackle. To do this, you have to find out what you like to do. Try a variety of things such as writing ( :D ), drawing, singing, playing an instrument, playing sports, or anything else. Find one or two things that you are good at and passionate about, then follow these things. Work hard to become better and de...

I'm sure you've seen articles and such that claim social networking is making us less social. And there is truth in that, but only if it has consumed you. I'll talk more about that at the end. I counter, that social networking has made us more social. Let me give you a few examples. There's this kid who lives in Nebraska, he's a friend of a friend. I was introduced to him on Skype, and now we're really good friends. Is that anti-social? There's this girl, she used to live her until not long ago. I met her in person, but she lives upstate. Is talking to her on Facebook anti-social? You see, when used properly, these social networking outlets can make you more social! I've met more friends and talked with so many great friends through things such as Facebook and texting. But there is a catch, these very social activities become anti-social if you become addicted to them. I'll be the first to admit that I am on Facebook all day long, and that's a re...

So today is my Birthday. A birthday is traditionally a day to celebrate the day that one came into the world, and celebrate their life ever since. But I don't think today should be a day to celebrate me in particular, because I wouldn't be me without all those that have touched my life. Without my family, friends, and the Church, I would not be me. So today should be a day to celebrate those three things. All of these have shaped who I really am, I'm a piece of each of them. So on this day in July, I want to thank my friends and family and my Heavenly Father. They are really who I am because really we all make each other. And without those who have touched my life, I wouldn't be anywhere. So thank you.

So one of my friends told me that my blog makes her want to change the world. So I replied and said, so go change it. Well actually changing the world seems like a broad topic that could never be covered in a blog post, and I probably won’t explain it very well, but here we go. So when thinking this over, the saying came to my mind, “Be the change you want to see in the world.” The world isn’t exactly the best place, right? Well don’t lament over the problems of the world and fall into a pit of despair, rather live the way you know you should live. Do the things that you wish the world did. As a Latter-day Saint youth, and possibly the only one in your school or neighborhood, people look up to you. If you do certain things, other people will begin to follow and change themselves. They can see your happiness and will try to imitate that. So maybe the goal isn’t to change the entire world, but to simply change yourself. Become aligned with the Lord’s standards, and your influence can cha...

You can do anything you want, you can be anything you want. Impossible is not a word to describe what you want to do. With faith, nothing can hold you back. Your dreams can be realized no matter what they entail. Faith in the Lord provides His assistance, and to Him anything is possible. I think impossible is actually two words, “I’m possible.” I’m here and I’m possible. I’m a complex being; my body operates many procedures to keep me alive. I’m possible, so anything that I desire is possible. I could change the world, change others, change myself, or do anything in my desires. So next time you are faced with a daunting task, remember that it’s not impossible because “I’m possible.” If impossibility restricted everyone, the amazing world we have today would not be here. I’m possible and nothing is impossible. (Title from "What Faith can Do" by Scott Krippayne http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qY6vXaWx8S4)

This past week I have had the opportunity to sit in a car for 1400 miles. Not exactly what I would call fun, but it had to be done. So after 1400 miles the car stopped in Texas. Gazing out the window and walking around Texas really shows you the beauty of the earth that God has created for us. And He hasn't just created this earth, He created the entire universe. All the stars in the sky, the sun, the moon, the planets, everything. He created it all. So why does He care about us? How does He know us? In Moses 1:39 it says "For behold, this is my work and my glory- to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." He uses all of His efforts to save us because He loves us. We are literally His children. Your parents would do anything to assist you, and so would Heavenly Father. So really out of all the beauty He has created, He cares most about you. So don't forget your divine importance to God. He'll never give up on you, so never give up on Him in life.