Reflections of a True Millennial

            It seems like at this time in history, it’s the worst it could ever be. Immorality is laced into almost every source of entertainment, and living your standards is harder than ever. Sometimes it just feels like the whole world is going against you. But you know what? I wouldn’t want to live in any other time. The youth of the world were chosen to come at this time; it’s no accident. But sometimes you feel like you’re dirt, maybe even less than dirt. Why would God save you for this time? Because you’re not dirt! The capacity of your faith is tremendous. The huge amount of sin and evil around you calls for an equally large amount of faith, and you came to the earth at this time because you can handle it. When we gathered at EFY this past week, our session director complimented our tremendous faith. Our area is one of the roughest places to live righteously, our schools have a handful of Mormons, and morals are hard to find. But because we are...

This week has been the best week of my entire life. Especially for Youth 2011 has been incredible. I feel like I can take on anything the world throws at me. The immense power of Heavenly Father has been gratified in my mind and I feel as if with Him, I can do anything. And it's true, with Him I can do anything. The slogan of EFY this year was "Believe. Hope. Endure." Notice how these three words are verbs. Going to EFY wasn't only for learning about the Gospel for a week, it was for learning how to take action and live the Gospel every single day of your life. Not just on Sundays, not just while you're with your friends from Church, but every single day. So I'm going to break down this simple phrase and talk about each one of these words. Believe If you don't believe, there's no point in living the Lord's way. Belief is key to righteousness. Without it, you wouldn't even care about the Gospel. So believe. It's as simple as that. It...

Today I had the opportunity to go to the Temple and do baptisms for the dead. I've been many times, considering the fact that it is over 200 miles away, so in some visits the Spirit has not been felt as strongly. In the Temple, there can be a lot of waiting around with seemingly nothing to do, and the time seems trivial. However, today I put this time to use. Instead of sitting around or talking with friends I decided to open up the Book of Mormon and read some chapters that I find special and important. This included 3 Nephi 27 and Alma 38, two chapters that I hold dear for various reason. The spirit that fills the Temple enlightened my mind with new understanding and conviction to hold true to the teachings of the Lord. The peace that came because of this simple reading has really brightened my day and strengthened my armor of righteousness. I'm not a perfect person, I have my struggles whether you can see them or not, so this Spirit felt today has helped me. So I challenge y...

Yo yo, so two of my friends have started some pretty awesome blogs that you probably should check out! They are at the following links: http://justanother-andres1.blogspot.com/ http://ashleyswonders.blogspot.com/ Yeah they are pretty awesome and I like some of their writing techniques, so check them out when you can!

A key aspect of being happy is making others happy. And what better way to do that than to serve others? When you serve others you feel good about what you're doing. You're giving up your own time to help someone in need. Service is essential! It is often thought of as boring or old-fashioned, but service can be fun! If you love to sing or play music, write someone a song. If your writing is spectacular, write a heartfelt note to those you love. If you love to make things, use your abilities to make something for a friend. Whatever it is that you're doing, do it with love. Service can lift the spirits of others and yourself. In the Lord's ministry on earth he stated that the second commandment was to love your fellow man as yourself.  Treat everyone with kindness and love, just as the Savior would. That is a great act of service. Some people in the world have unforeseen trials and tragedies, some have very apparent trials. Either way, a simple act of love would surely b...

I feel like I've written about this before. Maybe I did in an alternate universe and I only subconsciously remember it. Or maybe it's just because all this inspirational stuff is pretty similar. Or maybe I'm just crazy. Any way, I'm writing about this. As a lowly freshman in the beginning of the year, I was bored during Spanish (as usual) and started looking around the room. On the top right corner of the whiteboard, was a tiny piece of paper that looked as if it was about to fall down. On it was typed "Be yourself, everyone else is taken."So that's my simple message for this day. Be yourself. God gave you your talents and personality for a reason. So don't try to copy anyone else. Don't try to fit yourself into what society thinks you should be. Don't care what people think about you, be yourself. Express yourself in your own way and stand out. If someone doesn't like who you really are, they're not truly your friend. Someone will act...

You live in America, you live in the land of the free and the home of the brave. You have the legacy of a nation that defies boundaries and sets their own limits. We set the standard that others try to live up to. You have freedom beyond imagination. Anyone anywhere has the opportunity to be whatever they want and do whatever they want. Men and women risk their own lives just to protect this land. People come together to celebrate this land like no other. From all over the world, thousands come to this land. Think of the blessing you have by just living here! You have limitless possibilites in this land. So use your opportunities to the best of your ability. Be brave, be bold, be free. Happy Independence day.