Knowledge is Power

Hello Everyone! 

I have finally finished my semester class and am done till September! I promised that I would post my final essay and I would like to tell you about what it is about. I was asked to tell the three principles this semester that have stood out most to me and have been a powerful example in my life. The three scriptures that I chose have been scriptures that have meant a lot to me and during this semester have become even more powerful to me. I really had a wonderful semester and am glad I had the opportunity to learn so much!         

   What does the word powerful mean to me? How about knowledge? If you look up what powerful means in the dictionary it says powerful means having a strong effect on people's feelings or thoughts, while knowledge means facts, information, and skills acquired by a person through experience or education or an awareness or familiarity gained by experience of a fact or situation. This semester I have gained knowledge and understanding from my personal studies as well as from my classmates. That is where the word powerful comes in because there have been a few principles throughout this semester that have left a powerful influence on me. A couple of the things that had an influence on me this semester were things that I had previously found interesting and amazing but because of my classmates, those things have an even more powerful effect on me.

            My first principle is found in Matthew chapter 6 and reads, "Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:  For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also." If you were to shorten these scriptures into a short principle it might be, we should not treasure the things of this world but treasure that which you can hold in your heart and only you can touch. This scripture had an effect on me because it taught me that the natural man in each one of us is pushing us to want to give more importance on the material things we can gain in this world and to care more for them than the things we can take with us once we pass on from this Earth. In church we have been taught that the only things we can take with us when we die is the knowledge and experiences we have gained and what is in our mind and heart. All that we take with us to heaven are treasures that can neither be destroyed nor taken away from us and those are the things that matter most. Things like our faith and testimony and the lessons we have learned through experience are things that we should treasure because they define who we are and show others what is in our heart. I have been trying to apply this more in my life and I have really noticed that I have started to feel better and less worried about all the material things in my life.

            The next principle that had an influence on me was in Mark chapter12 verses 42-44. These scriptures are about the widow and her two mites and I came up with the principle that, each one of us should give all that we can in service of the Lord. Even when our contribution is less than others, as long as we know that we gave all that we could give, it does not matter. I have always loved the story of the woman and her two simple mites. The Mormon Ad for this scripture stood out to me when I looked it up for my student choice assignment that covered this topic because you can tell that she is a poor woman and she is holding out all that she has and she knows that she will need those mites to live but she sacrificed them because she knew that’s what she needed to do. Others around her could give so much more than she but she still gave what she could. This example is one that we should follow, each one of us. As long as we can honestly say that we gave all that we could and were being obedient, than that is what matters most. I have learned that sacrificing is one of the hardest and most rewarding things you can do to gain knowledge and blessings in your life. In applying this in my life I have looked at those around me and looked for things that they have had to sacrifice or are sacrificing and how much of a difference it made in their lives.

            In Mark 10:7-9 it reads, “For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder.” My principle that I had for these scriptures was that when you marry your eternal companion you are bound to each other and should not let another tear you apart. The reason that this was one of the principles that stood out to me most was because I am not married and I don’t plan on being married anytime soon but when I read this I think about the people I look up to in my life and what their marriages are like and how if I were to apply this into my life in the future, how much better my life and marriage will be.

Examples in my life have been my dad and two of my best friends parents. My dad was baptized when he was 8 but never went to church again in his life and my mother is not a member and they were only married for about 10 years before my dad died but while he was alive, nothing ever came between them in their marriage. My girl best friend’s parents were married outside the temple because her dad was not a member and it took him 18+ years to join the church but through it all nothing separated them. My guy best friend’s parents have both been members their whole lives and they are one of strongest marriages I have had the privilege to learn about because his mom tells me stories about their life and all the troubles that they went through but they never let anything come between them because they relied on God.

These examples show that with God’s help, faith, and trust a marriage will work and it will last. God doesn’t want to see any of us hurt or heartbroken so He will be there for us, to help us in any trials we have in our life and in our marriage.

When we are born we are attached to our parents but when the time comes we break ourselves off of them and re-attach ourselves with our spouse. In my mind I imagine that there are two trees with strong deep roots that represent God. Tree number 1 is Jacob’s (figurative name) parents and tree two is Susan’s parents. Jacob and Susan are both branches on their trees and when it is time to get married they are cut from their tree and put on a new, young tree so that they can work together to build up their tree. God is there to help them by sending nutrients up to them so that they can become strong and healthy and because God is the roots and they grow deep into the ground, if a strong wind comes and tries to tear them down they will not fall.

            This semester has been one of my favorites and full of powerful principles and learning experiences that have made a difference in my life and am grateful for my classmates for sharing all that they learned and have experienced!

Letter of Advice to College Freshman

I had to write a letter of advice for incoming freshman and thought that I would share it!

College is such a different experience compared to High School. Sure there is your academic side that you must make sure is the top grade so that you can continue on and there is your social side of college, like friends, dances, sports, activities, church, and so on. But did you know there is another part to college? I am sure that each incoming freshman is excited to live on their own and not have parents nagging at them to do their homework, go to sleep on time, keep track of your money, and etc, but that is what makes college so considerably different than high school.

College is about managing your classes, your life, your time, and your money. I personally thought that I was prepared to live on my own because I was such an independent person. I was wrong and I will share with you the three things I wish I had known as an incoming freshman.

In high school I was busy with seminary and my high school band and softball programs. I rarely got to bed before 11 or 12 at night and was up on a dime at 5:15 every Monday-Friday for Seminary.  That is only 4-6 hours of sleep, depending on the night. I could easily work with that schedule and was rarely tired. When it came time to register for classes I signed up for whichever classes were open, since I was a new freshman with 3 credits my choices were limited. Due to the lack of choices, I had a Monday, Wednesday, Friday class at 7:45 in the morning. I thought I could easily handle that since I had been getting up earlier for the past four years! This is my first piece of advice, the amount of credits you take and the times they meet need to leave you time to sleep 8-9 hours each night. Trust me when I say, you cannot function with less than 6 hours of sleep on a regular basis when taking 15+ credits. You need to give your mind and body time to rejuvenate so that you don’t have to cram during finals at the end of the semester.

Studying, the most dreaded periods of a person’s college life. During high school, I never once had to study for a test and passed them all with A’s or B’s. College, however, is a completely different story. My second piece of advice, schedule and maintain studying times and habits. Make them early in the semester so that it will become a habit for you. If one way of studying doesn’t work, try another, and if none of those work, walk to the library and ask them where the Tutor Center is and believe me, you will be glad for that piece of advice. I am not just saying this because it is important to make A’s on all of your tests and assignments, I am telling you this because if you train yourself to study and make time for it, you will have less stress throughout each semester you are in college. Remember me saying I never studied during high school? In college I have never once not studied for an assignment or test.

My third piece of advice is simple. Don’t overwork yourself. After the first couple weeks of the semester have passed by things will seem like they are starting to pile up and are becoming harder. Don’t stress! It is okay to take breaks when you are doing homework. It is much better to take a moment to relax than to overwork and overstress yourself because it does more damage than good in the long run. You are going to have roommates that are stressing out just like you and taking a break to do some bonding time is a great way to let your brain relax.

College is fun and unique depending on how you make it. All you have to do is remember to get your sleep, set a schedule, relax and enjoy learning and growing as a son or daughter of God!

The End.. or is it?

Well everyone,
I have finished all my class work and no longer have a post to put up! I am excited but also I feel like I am forgetting to do something so I am posting this to satisfy the habit of doing a weekly post.
I have a paper to write for my final and plan on posting it when it is completed! Until then I hope you have a marvelous week!

The Holy Ghost

Hello Everyone!

)The reason I picked this picture is because the sun is like the Holy Ghost, strong and burning!)

This blog is called The Savior’s Instruction about the Holy Ghost and covers the scriptures of,

John 14:15-17, 26-27

John 15:26-27

John 16:7-8, 13-14

What the savior taught us in these scriptures can be put into two lists. The first is what the Holy Ghost does and second what disciples must do to receive the Holy Ghost. This blog goes well with the one before this called “A new Commandment.”

List one: What the Holy Ghost does

He is a comforter

He will abide with us forever

The spirit of truth

He dwells with us

He will teach us all things

He will bring all things to our remembrance

We will have peace through the Holy Ghost

He testifies of Christ

He will reprove the world for three reasons: sin, righteousness, and judgment

Guide us in all truths

Purifies and sanctifies us from sin

In the Institute Manual this paragraph explains in wonderful words what the Holy Ghost does.

The gift of the Holy Ghost adapts itself to all these organs or attributes. It quickens all the intellectual faculties, increases, enlarges, expands and purifies all the natural passions and affections; and adapts them, by the gift of wisdom, to their lawful use. It inspires, develops, cultivates and matures all the fine-toned sympathies, joys, tastes, kindred feelings and affections of our nature. It inspires virtue, kindness, goodness, tenderness, gentleness and charity. It develops beauty of person, form and features. It tends to health, vigor, animation and social feeling. It invigorates all the faculties of the physical and intellectual man. It strengthens, and gives tone to the nerves. In short, it is, as it were, marrow to the bone, joy to the heart, light to the eyes, music to the ears, and life to the whole being.

List two: What disciples must do to receive the Holy Ghost

Strive to be worthy

Through faithfulness obey the commandments

Make covenants and keep them

Strive to gain a testimony and increase it

After the Savior died and was resurrected the Apostles had the Holy Ghost with them. In the Bible dictionary it says there is the power and the gift of the Holy Ghost. The power of the Holy Ghost is given to all those even before baptism so that they can gain a testimony but the gift of the Holy Ghost is something special and something more powerful because it is only given to those who gain a testimony and follow Christ’s example and be baptized. Only once you are baptized can you have the Holy Ghost dwell with you continually, based on your worthiness. The Apostles gained that gift from Christ before He died and was resurrected. The Holy Ghost helped protect them and helped them to teach and share the gospel so that they could fulfill their missions.

Each and every day we receive promptings from the Holy Ghost for things we ask for but also for things we need to know and hear. One of the things that the Holy Ghost does is to comfort us and help guide us so that we are protected. That is something that I am truly grateful for in my life. I don’t have any straightforward examples or stories other than when I am needing to be comforted because of the trials in my life, I always have the Holy Ghost there to give me peace and knowledge that I will be alright!

I am truly grateful for the trials I went through early in my life. I am grateful for having the opportunity to move into a home that had the gospel and could help me to gain knowledge of why I went through what I did. I know that everything in our lives happen for a reason and for a purpose. Without Christ dieing for each one of us and being resurrected and without Joseph Smith seeking through prayer knowledge of the truthfulness of God, I would not have all these blessings in my life and I have come to know that all of this is true because the Holy Ghost has helped me know these things!

A New Commandment

Hello Everyone!

The topic for this blog is called “A New Commandment” and covers John 13:34-35.

These scriptures say,

“A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another. By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love one to another.”

As I was typing those verses the song in the Hymnbook called “Love One Another” came to mind and I sang the song along with the words.  J

From what those verses said those around us will know that we believe in Christ and are disciples of Christ because we show love and service to those around us. In other words, if we are Christ-like, we are showing our example to others.

If you were put in certain situations how would you show that you are a disciple of Christ?

Here are two examples of situations and how you can show that you are a disciple.

#1

Someone you know is ridiculed or made fun of because of the way he or she dresses.

If, as Disciples of Christ, we hear this happen we should put in a few words that we have and say that you don’t find anything wrong with how they are dressed. You could explain if you know why the person dresses how they dress but in a way that does not infringe on their personal life. No matter what you say or do, to be Christ-like you need to stick up for the person and not put them down like the other people. 

We all dress in different ways whether it is because of personal likes or abundance or lack of money. We never know the reason behind a strangers clothing or looks and we should never make fun of them for it!

#2

You see a new person at church.

This situation is one that happens a lot in our lives. As college students it happens every semester but in a family ward it is a different kind of situation. A new person walks in and everyone turns to see who they are. Has that ever happened in your ward? It’s a common reaction but it is one that makes the newcomer feel uncomfortable. The way that we can be Christ-like is if there is time before church or if you must wait till there is time between classes, you should introduce yourself and make them feel at home! Being made welcome is something that every single person wants and needs and sometimes a friendly smile and how are you doing is just what they need!

I am behind in doing this assignment but each week as a habit I make the youth that I grew up with feel special by either smiling or giving them a hug or if it is my week to teach in primary I share the treat that I brought for the kids with him or her. There are a couple youth that I grew close to during high school and have come to know that by me showing I care and that I have been thinking about them, makes them feel wanted and feel a bit better!  I really do feel that I can say yes to the question, “Do people know that I am a disciple of Jesus Christ by the way I treat them?”