Week #6
One of my favorite parts about studying the scriptures is that it helps me prioritize the things in life that are most important. Today I was reading in Matthew 6, verse 33 which reads: "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you"
To me this verse is a reminder that there are a lot of things we can worry about, aspire to achieve, seek to own, etc. But the most important thing is to become fully converted to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This conference weekend was a reminder of how important it is to stay focused on the gospel teachings in the world we live in today.
The principle I gained from this scripture is that as we seek to follow the Savior and obey God's commandments, the rest the things in life will be taken care of. Granted, we still need to work hard and provide for ourselves... but if we are truly converted we can live with less and still feel a sense of peace and joy that we couldn't feel with all of the material goods in the world.
This applies to me now as I'm balancing being a husband and friend with school and work. Life can be incredibly busy, but as I find the time to seek the Kingdom of God and the things of God, I will be blessed in my other day to day pursuits.
Thursday, October 11, 2018
Friday, October 5, 2018
Week #4
Week #4
This week the scripture on my mind was Mosiah 2:17 which is very well known but an important one. It reads: "And behold, I tell you these things that ye may learn wisdom; that ye may learn that when ye are in the service of your fellow beings ye are only in the service of your God." to me this scripture means that as we take the time out of our day to serve others we are being representatives of Jesus Christ and are serving our Heavenly Father.
The Doctrine I gain from this is that as Christ taught, we should love the Lord with all of our heart and also show love for our neighbor and those around us. Service of those who surround us and finding ways to positively impact those around us is something that God expects from each one of us.
This doctrine applies to me as I've tried to find ways to serve over the last week. Service begins by serving in the home. I've tried to find ways to serve family even those who are far away. A simple phone call or text can go along way when it comes to serving family. My wife is also extremely important to me and it has been a good week as I've looked for ways to serve her.
From personal experience I know I'm most satisfied when I'm taking opportunities to serve others.
Week #5
In preparing for General Conference I learned this week that one of Elder Soares’s favorite scriptures is D&C 112:20. It reads: “Whosoever receiveth my word receiveth me, and whosoever receiveth me, receiveth those, the First Presidency, whom I have sent, whom I have made counselors for my name’s sake unto you.” I thought this was a very interesting scripture to be someones favorite. It showed me the deep love and respect that Elder Soares has for the First Presidency (and the quorum of the 12), for the word of God, and for our Savior Jesus Christ. To me this verse means that as we listen to and apply the things we learn in General Conference we will be receiving the guidance of Jesus Christ into our homes… his advice and counsel for our current days. A principle I learned from this section is that as we listen to the Brethren and take their guidance seriously, we are showing respect for and receiving the words of Christ. "Whether by mine own voice or the voice of the prophets, it is the same.” I can apply that this weekend by listening to conference with an open mind and an open heart, ready to act on the messages given by the First Presidency and the quorum of the 12. I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve struggled to listen to conference as it seems like I’ve been out of town for the last 3. This conference weekend I will listen to as many talks as possible, and then study them again after conference is over.
Monday, September 17, 2018
Forum Week 2
Forum Week 2
This week I learned a simple yet profound lesson in the Book
of Mormon. While reading Mosiah 1 verse 7 I remembered my dad and some of the
counsel he has given me. In this particular section King Benjamin is teaching
his sons and gives them some advice. He says: “And now, my sons, I would that
ye should remember to search them diligently, that ye may profit thereby; and I
would that ye should keep the commandments of God, that ye may prosper in the
land according to the promises which the Lord made unto our fathers.” Here King
Benjamin advises his sons to diligently search the scriptures that they had
access to at the time. I think in today’s day it is easy to take the scriptures
for granted, but in their day Nephi put his life on the line to take the plates
with them on their journey. They also continued to record their own record and
the things that the Lord had taught them.
Not only does King Benjamin tell them to search the
scriptures, but he tells them to live the commandments and principles that they
teach. This is important to me because I’ve seen close friends leave the church
or even stop believing in God because they read things or get confused by
certain principles in the scriptures. Most of the time their falling away
begins by someone failing to live the commandments they know to me true.
The principle I get from this scripture is that as we search
the scriptures and keep the commandments, we will prosper and be blessed. I
really like how the word “search” is used as opposed to just “read”. I know
that as we search the scriptures diligently we will find a spiritual strength
that is hard to come by in other ways.
I can apply this to my own life by putting it into action. I
feel like I’ve always done my best to keep the commandments, but at times I’ve
failed to be diligent in searching the scriptures. I’m glad to be back in a
religion class this semester that builds time into my schedule throughout the
week to study and learn the gospel.
Saturday, April 15, 2017
Week #15- What's Your Favorite Sport?
I will start today's post by asking you all to do me a quick favor by taking this one question survey on what sport is your favorite to watch:
https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/3QLY83M
Did you complete the survey? Great!
Now, my post for the week. I had the chance to watch my brother play baseball at Woods Cross High School yesterday. He had a great game. He had 3 hits and 4 RBI's. He also pitched two innings and struck out 4 batters. He made me very proud.
It was great to be outdoors to watch one of my favorite sports. I understand that baseball probably isn't the most exciting game to watch due to the slow pace of play, but I love it! Yesterday got me thinking, what is the most popular sport to watch?
My experience would tell me that in America one of the most popular sports to watch would be football. From my experience in Brazil, however, I would guess that the most popular sport to watch is soccer.
Whether you are an avid sports fan or someone who never takes the time to watch a game, I encourage all of you to get outside and attend a sporting event soon. BYU baseball and soccer are in session, take advantage of the opportunity to watch our athletes compete.
I know that watching sports can teach us valuable lessons about teamwork, determination, and hard work.
Friday, April 7, 2017
SPECIAL BLOG POST- Remote Meeting via Google Hangouts
Yesterday Monika and I met with Brittany and Lewis in a video conference via Google Hangouts. This was the first time I had done a call of this nature. I have been using Skype for years, but I have never chatted with more than room of people at a time. I was blown away by how easy it was to get connected and that the call went so smoothly.
At first, I signed up for the freeconferencing.com website but it was asking for my information and I didn't want everyone in the group to have to create an account. I decided to give Google Hangouts a try and it was by far the most convenient in my opinion. My favorite feature about the three way call was that when Lewis would speak the camera would focus on him. He would be large while he was talking, but then when Brittany began to speak she should enter into the center of the picture and Lewis became small. Technology is great!
During our remote meeting we were able to assign tasks and talk specifics just like we are able to when we meet in person. It was incredibly convenient and worked wonderfully. Our call lasted nearly 25 minutes which is almost as much time as it takes for us to get to campus from our apartment in Mapleton. I definitely plan on utilizing Google Hangouts and this type of meeting more often when it comes to work or in group projects.
I am grateful for each member of my group. Lewis Bird is a stud, Brittany Hallam is very responsible, and Monika Peay is my best friend. You can find their blogs below:
Yesterday Monika and I met with Brittany and Lewis in a video conference via Google Hangouts. This was the first time I had done a call of this nature. I have been using Skype for years, but I have never chatted with more than room of people at a time. I was blown away by how easy it was to get connected and that the call went so smoothly.
At first, I signed up for the freeconferencing.com website but it was asking for my information and I didn't want everyone in the group to have to create an account. I decided to give Google Hangouts a try and it was by far the most convenient in my opinion. My favorite feature about the three way call was that when Lewis would speak the camera would focus on him. He would be large while he was talking, but then when Brittany began to speak she should enter into the center of the picture and Lewis became small. Technology is great!During our remote meeting we were able to assign tasks and talk specifics just like we are able to when we meet in person. It was incredibly convenient and worked wonderfully. Our call lasted nearly 25 minutes which is almost as much time as it takes for us to get to campus from our apartment in Mapleton. I definitely plan on utilizing Google Hangouts and this type of meeting more often when it comes to work or in group projects.
I am grateful for each member of my group. Lewis Bird is a stud, Brittany Hallam is very responsible, and Monika Peay is my best friend. You can find their blogs below:
| Lewis Bird | https://medium.com/@lewislbird4 |
| Brittany Hallam | https://brittanyhallam.wixsite.com/finepractically/blog |
| Monika Peay | https://monikavcabrera.wixsite.com/mysite |
Tuesday, April 4, 2017
Week #13-Fresh Eyes
Today I wish to share an experience we had yesterday as Monika and I had the chance to work on a group project together. Each member of our team had put in a considerable amount of time in gathering the research, analyzing data, and preparing recommendations. We also spent time making graphs, and finding good pictures to use in our project.
Yesterday, we brought all of our research and findings together and put them into a presentation format. The powerpoint we made included all of our findings as a group, and Monika was responsible for a large part of the design process. After hours and hours editing Monika was starting to get a bit tired. She did a fantastic job helping with the format and design of the project but she was definitely tired by the end of it.
After taking some time off and watching the North Carolina Tar Heels knock of Gonzaga in the championship game I took the reigns and helped Monika finish the project. With fresh eyes I was able to make a lot of progress in a short amount of time. I was able to fix grammatical errors and fix a few parts of our project that needed improvement.
I believe that the key to my success was having fresh eyes.
The lesson I learned is that when you work on something for too long you start to become less productive. When writing a big essay or completing a big project, it is important to take a break. Coming back with fresh eyes will help you work more productively and identify mistakes that you may not have seen earlier.
I will continue to find study breaks as the semester comes to an end to make sure that my studies are effective and efficient.
Have you ever benefited from having fresh eyes?
Today I wish to share an experience we had yesterday as Monika and I had the chance to work on a group project together. Each member of our team had put in a considerable amount of time in gathering the research, analyzing data, and preparing recommendations. We also spent time making graphs, and finding good pictures to use in our project.
Yesterday, we brought all of our research and findings together and put them into a presentation format. The powerpoint we made included all of our findings as a group, and Monika was responsible for a large part of the design process. After hours and hours editing Monika was starting to get a bit tired. She did a fantastic job helping with the format and design of the project but she was definitely tired by the end of it.
After taking some time off and watching the North Carolina Tar Heels knock of Gonzaga in the championship game I took the reigns and helped Monika finish the project. With fresh eyes I was able to make a lot of progress in a short amount of time. I was able to fix grammatical errors and fix a few parts of our project that needed improvement.
I believe that the key to my success was having fresh eyes.
The lesson I learned is that when you work on something for too long you start to become less productive. When writing a big essay or completing a big project, it is important to take a break. Coming back with fresh eyes will help you work more productively and identify mistakes that you may not have seen earlier.
I will continue to find study breaks as the semester comes to an end to make sure that my studies are effective and efficient.
Have you ever benefited from having fresh eyes?
Tuesday, March 28, 2017
Week #12- You've Got to Finish Strong
My earliest memories include staying up "late" to watch the second half of Jazz games on TV with my parents. Karl Malone and John Stockton were two basketball greats, and I actually had the chance to spend some pretty good time with Karl Malone on hunting trips with my Dad.
With that nostalgic introduction, I am proud to announce that this year the Utah Jazz will be back in the playoffs! I have kept a close eye on the standings all season long. The regular season that started clear back in October for the Jazz will come to an end after just eight more games. They have been in 4th in the Western Conference standings for the majority of the season it seems. If the season would have ended a month ago, or two months ago, or even three months ago the Jazz would have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Although the Jazz have been in the hunt for home court advantage for months, it is worthless unless they finish the season strong.
Life is funny that way sometimes. You could have an A in your classes all semester long, but in reality the only time that really matters is when it is all said and done. Looking at these two examples it is clear to see the importance of finishing what you started to the best of your ability.
I will apply this lesson in my life as I search for motivation to finish the school year strong. This semester has been a really tough one for me. I have taken 10 tests in the last 8 weeks, and I am starting to feel a bit exhausted to be honest. That being said, I will dig deep and push hard until the finish line. I will turn on assignments on time, study hard for tests, and do everything I can to finish with straight A's. I may come up short, but I will do my very best.
Whether it is the Jazz looking to clinch home-court advantage, or my good buddy Lewis Bird pushing to finish M Com 320 with an A, we all need to finish this next month strong.
We can do it!!!
My earliest memories include staying up "late" to watch the second half of Jazz games on TV with my parents. Karl Malone and John Stockton were two basketball greats, and I actually had the chance to spend some pretty good time with Karl Malone on hunting trips with my Dad.
With that nostalgic introduction, I am proud to announce that this year the Utah Jazz will be back in the playoffs! I have kept a close eye on the standings all season long. The regular season that started clear back in October for the Jazz will come to an end after just eight more games. They have been in 4th in the Western Conference standings for the majority of the season it seems. If the season would have ended a month ago, or two months ago, or even three months ago the Jazz would have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Although the Jazz have been in the hunt for home court advantage for months, it is worthless unless they finish the season strong.
Life is funny that way sometimes. You could have an A in your classes all semester long, but in reality the only time that really matters is when it is all said and done. Looking at these two examples it is clear to see the importance of finishing what you started to the best of your ability.
I will apply this lesson in my life as I search for motivation to finish the school year strong. This semester has been a really tough one for me. I have taken 10 tests in the last 8 weeks, and I am starting to feel a bit exhausted to be honest. That being said, I will dig deep and push hard until the finish line. I will turn on assignments on time, study hard for tests, and do everything I can to finish with straight A's. I may come up short, but I will do my very best.
Whether it is the Jazz looking to clinch home-court advantage, or my good buddy Lewis Bird pushing to finish M Com 320 with an A, we all need to finish this next month strong.
We can do it!!!
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