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.

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.  

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.

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.

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:

Lewis Bird

https://medium.com/@lewislbird4

Brittany Hallam

https://brittanyhallam.wixsite.com/finepractically/blog

Monika Peay

https://monikavcabrera.wixsite.com/mysite

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?

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!!!

Week #11- Sharpen Your Saw

This week I learned an important lesson- make sure to sharpen your saw. This analogy comes from Stephen R. Covey who emphasizes the importance of finding ways to take a break from the daily grind, whether in work or at school. At BYU this semester it seems like I have had test after test. Last week I wrote a four page paper and took an important test. This week I have two more tests. In order to avoid getting burned out, it is important to take a break and "sharpen your saw."

Let me explain further, if you have a sawmill and the saw is running 24/7 cutting wood, the saw will eventually get dull and stop functioning at a high level. A job that would take 15 minutes could turn into a 20 or 30 minute process. However, if you take 10 minutes off to sharpen the saw on occasion it will ensure that the saw continues to operate efficiently. 

The same goes for us as students here at BYU. You can study, study, study, study, study... but at some point your study will become unproductive. You are much better spending 10 hours studying in a high quality manor than you are studying 20 hours unproductively. It is important to give your mind a break and sharpen your saw on occasion. That's what the weekend is for! Work hard during the week and make sure to find healthy breaks between study sessions. 

With one month left to go in the semester I am committed to study hard and to find adequate breaks in my studies. I will study effectively and if I find that my studies have become unproductive I will stop studying, and take a break. I advise all of you readers to find opportunities to sharpen your saw when you sense that it is becoming dull.

What have you done to "sharpen your saw" recently?

Week #10- Understand, Plan, Execute

This week I learned another valuable lesson by watching a show called "The Next Great Baker." It is a baking show that Monika and I are streaming it on Hulu. We have watched about eight episodes, and in each episode it seems like the team who goes home failed to understand the assignment that was given to them. Their goal is to bake fancy cakes, and each episode has a new theme. In order to find success, contestants must follow three simple steps: Understand, Plan, and Execute

Step #1- Understand
On the episode we just watched, all of the teams were to build a cake for People Magazine. The one big rule of the week was to have some sort of moving part on the cake, which requires the use of a motor. The purple team decided to pass on the moving part, because they were uncomfortable and inexperienced with moving parts on a cake. As a result, they were eliminated. Their failure to understand the assignment that was given them got them kicked off of the show.

Step #2-Plan
After understanding the task at hand, you must come up with a good plan. One of the biggest mistakes we have seen on the show so far is teams who come up with a cake design that is too complicated. Bakers who design a cake that needs 12-16 hours to be completed will struggle when they are only given 8 hours to complete the challenge.

Step #3-Execute
After you understand the rules and come up with a plan, execution is the final step. Understanding what is required and coming up with a good plan is important, but if you can't execute your plan it was all for nothing. Execution in pressure situations is what sets apart those who are good from those who are great.

Whether you are a baker, an athlete, or a student in M Com 320, I encourage you to apply this simple three step process. Ever since my first writing 150 paper (which was a disaster) I have understood the importance of understanding the task at hand and making a plan before trying to execute. I will continue to implement these important steps in my life.

When in your life have you successfully completed this process? How did it go? Have you ever skipped one of these steps and faced the negative consequences?

Week #9

The Early Bird Gets the Worm

This week Monika and I took a very spontaneous adventure. I took my math test on Wednesday night and after the test I was feeling pretty good. Monika was looking at old pictures when she saw a picture of us at Disneyland last year, so I decided we should probably go ahead and go to Disneyland this weekend. She asked if I was serious (probably 8-9 times) and I told her I was. Naturally, we packed that night and left at 5:30 AM the next morning. We made it to her see her family by 2:30 on Thursday afternoon and our trip was off to a good start. Friday we went to Disneyland, and it was a blast.

We arrived at the park at 10 AM, and we were able to do all of the fun rides at California Adventure in a matter of 3 hours. We stopped for lunch around 2:30 PM, and by the time lunch was over we noticed that the crowds had really started to build. Once people got done with school and work for the day they headed straight to the park, and by 5:00 PM the park was packed.

Monika and I were both grateful for the experience that we had early that day when lines were minimal. With that experience, we learned that the early bird gets the worm. Being productive in the first few hours of the day sets the tone for a productive rest of the day.  We did more rides in the first three hours of the day than we were able to do in the last seven hours of the day. After waking up early twice this week, I hope to continue to wake up early and get a good jump on the day. I believe that doing so will help me have more time to do the things that I enjoy and live a healthier lifestyle.