Throwback Thursday #4

This week's Throwback Thursday is from July 18 of this year, a post that shall forever live in infamy in, at the very least, my own mind.

I am a very big believer in producing original content, regardless of which outlet or media you choose to share by. I think it's great when people post inspirational quotes on their social medias, but too often I rarely hear what they have to say themselves. As it is, in pretty much every single low-budget production I've ever put online, everything has been completely original.

Which is why it was a little out of character for me to write the blog post 'Two Plugs,' in which I originally embedded two videos not of my own making, one from the rapper/writer Weird Al and the other from the sketch comedy TV shows Studio C. The title of the post was apt, in that I was literally 'plugging' two other individual's original content.

As time went on, however, the fact that the sanctity of my blog's original content was infected with content from other sources began to bother me. It's hard to explain that particular neurosis of mine, but there is was, all the same. In a rare move, probably about a month after I'd originally posted it, I went back and removed the embedded videos, replacing them with links to the content. From then on, I have never posted a single thing that was not, in some way, my own material.

As it is, I have no pictures to share from that post. So, instead, have a picture of some sleepy kitties.

Click here to visit Two Plugs!

It's a Resident Assistant White Elephant Christmas Special!

Luke 2:1 - "And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be taxed."

What up! No colons today, suckers!

No, for reals, Christmas is coming, which means there's going to be Christmas specials all over your TV and movie theaters, Christmas decorations in every nook, cranny, and slightly cavernous nasal cavity, Christmas bunnies going door to door to beg for Christmas chocolate so they give it to their Christmas sweethearts while they eat Christmas turkey around the Christmas fireworks.

What all that means is that you are going to get a lot of sweet and probably sappy Christmassy messages pounded into your skull from any and all sources, INCLUDING ME, so today, I thought I'd give you some slack before things get for realsies and the Christmas mafia comes through your chimney.

For some reason, Christmas seems to prompt a lot of stress in people, what with travel and shopping and hearing "All I Want for Christmas is You" ten jillion times a day. In many cases, I've seen individuals totally forget that Christmas is supposed to be a happy and fun time! The horror of it all, I swear!

So, my challenge for you today is this: if you feel yourself getting stressed or frustrated this season, make sure you punctuate your huge lists of to-dos and slam down some good old fashioned fun! Just like my fellow RAs and I did last night, when we all chorused, "Forget Staff Meeting!" and ran a hilarious White Elephant instead. My kick-butt sewing kit granted me immunity in the third hour, and I had a blast throughout. I want to hear you doing the same! So go! Have fun! Right now! Seriously, why are you still reading this sentence still, are you even fluent in English? GO.

Our White Elephant, formally presented in Nostalgia-vision! Only $2.99 at any major local retailer! No, I'm not getting paid to plug someone else's product! Whatever are you talking about?

WHY UNU STILL FI READ GWAY NAH! Goodness, attention must be starving, because he's getting paid SQUAT.

Best First: Finals Looming

Joshua 24:15 - "... we will serve the Lord."

I have been really busy pretty much ever since Thanksgiving break ended. With both finals and the end of the semester coming up, I've been tossed about by every whim and fancy, including my schoolwork and my straight-up work. One of the edges to the double-edged sword of being an RA is that the workload only seems to rise the closer finals approach, a time you'd usually want as much for yourself as possible.

Evidences of my busyness include the fact that I haven't worked on any of my novels in three days, and I'm frankly looking at a fourth today. Though I've tackled some five or six papers over the past couple of weeks, I still have a few more to go, and classes end in only two and a half days. As I write this, I have about ten hours of classes left, and then say hello to a week of check-outs and bubble sheets.

Thankfully, though, I'm still able to make time for the important things. Though I have heard a few of my fellow students admit to forsaking church, FHE, and other spiritually uplifting tasks in favor of homework or more studying, I have sought, prayed for, and received the time to attend these events without feeling a need to do something 'more productive for my education.' As I have done this, I've felt more calm, more confident, and more prepared for the challenges ahead. I firmly believe this is because I have made time and put the best things in life first.

I challenge all you students out there to do as my FHE dad challenged us to do last night, to read your scriptures and pray before you get to finishing assignments or studying. I promise your ability to succeed will improve dramatically.

Try me!

Daily Preparation, Every Day

Doctrine and Covenants 100:6 - "For it shall be given you in the very hour, yea, in the very moment, what ye shall say."

My sister, the one right behind me age-wise, came down to Provo visit me yesterday, and we had a serious blast!

As part of our time together, I made sure to give her a priesthood blessing. The final weeks of the year are going to be tough on everyone, including myself, and a blessing was just what the doctor ordered, though any patients who went to a doctor who would write such a prescription would likely be on the receiving end of some very confused looks at a pharmacy.

Regardless, I made sure to spend my little snippets of time throughout the day preparing for the experience. It helped that we wanted our mutual and long-time friend to be my counterpart, and that he was gone from Provo for a majority of the day, thus giving me a little bit of extra time.

In any circumstance, whether we're preparing for a sermon to a crowd of thousands or bearing our testimony to one friend, the Lord wants and needs us to be prepared. When we speak, He wants us to say the things He would say if He were physically in our place, not only to strengthen our audience, but also to strengthen our own testimonies.

In the end, I feel like my preparation paid off. I was able to feel the Spirit throughout the day as I turned my thoughts to Christ and His Atonement. Unfortunately, most days, I think I often distract myself throughout with things that just don't matter, especially in regards to entertainment that doesn't uplift or strengthen me, and sometimes, I wonder just how effective an instrument I will be.

My challenge, at least to myself, is to do better with that, every day, so every day, I can be ready to serve those I love.

Sunday Snapshot: Light

Your Personal Influence - Thomas S. Monson

Temple Square Reminder (with Added Commentary)

Isaiah 2:2 - "And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it."

Yesterday, the ward and I piled into a series of buses and jaunted all the way from Provo up to temple square.

Given traffic, we really didn't have too much time to do anything besides walk around, eat some food, and snap this photo before heading back to the buses to eat donuts and imbibe hot chocolate. To make matters worse, I'm still recovering from an illness, and I was struggling to focus on anything in particular.

However, I loved the trip. Temple Square always has, and always will be, a sign of the Lord's people persevering through pain, struggle, and hardship to accomplish His purposes. It took those pioneers forty years to build that structure, and still, today it stands. Even on that note, Jesus Christ, through His atonement, experienced everything those pioneers suffered, along with everything I, and you, and our families, and the people we know, and the people we don't know, and everyone else and everything they suffered. 

Seeing the temple again, being reminded of those grand sacrifices, gave me the strength to push on through my illness and other trials to do whatever is needed of me. Unfortunately, with finals coming up, that means do my schoolwork, but I'm ready! Let's go.

Hey you! I wrote a commentary about this post on February 4, 2016. Click here to read it!

Reflections: Mock Disaster

Luke 12:40 - "Be ye therefore ready also: for the Son of man cometh at an hour when ye think not."

Yesterday, as part of RA training, we all participated in a mock disaster to prepare us for a potential real disaster. We'd been discussing a plan of action for several weeks at this point, and so we had the opportunity to see how we'd do.

Some of our 'victims,' on their way to recovery.

The comments at the end of the exercise summarized it best. Unorganized. Chaotic. Some 'victims' were left untreated. Some 'victims' were left for dead. Things weren't perfect. It seemed as though our training could, in no way, truly prepare us for an actual eventuality. I know I was feeling flustered as I stepped out of the exercise, and it didn't help when earlier, we were told we would be expected to enlist and train fellow students right there on the spot of an actual disaster.

Whatever I learned, it certainly got me thinking about other events we prepare for. I certainly recognized a lot of parallels between this small, isolated training ground and the war sweeping over the earth. In many ways, it feels unorganized and chaotic. We race around, teaching of Christ and His second coming in companionships, sometimes inadvertently passing by people who would be more than willing to hear and accept His word. We may sometimes be called to train and offer support to new additions to the ranks. It's all enough to make anyone feel flustered. 

We, the RA crew, were assured that sometimes, in a crisis, the best thing we can do is follow our instincts--and, of course, the Spirit. I took courage in my little analogy to remind myself that, even in our efforts to bring individuals to a full knowledge of Christ, that we are not alone. Christ himself is working with us, and we don't have to feel flustered (even though it's perfectly all right to if you want).