What is Important
Wow, what a crazy week full of events, thoughts, activities, and more. I will see if I can get it all in.
My scripture this week just so happens to be part of the Youth Theme for 2016. 2 Nephi 31:20-21. It has influenced me in many ways this week. I have been reminded several times that being in the path requires more than just being there. You must be PRESSing FORWARD. This indicates that once in the path, there will most likely always be something pressing us. If we are not pressing forward, we will be pressed backwards, even out of the path, if we are not careful. The end of this verse if very fitting for this month as the Come Follow Me theme is the Godhead. Note that this doctrine is not of just one, but all three members of the Godhead. Think about it.
How has it influenced me you ask? OK, so maybe you did not ask, but I am going to share.
This week I had was selected to participate as the runner up to a Grand Prize Sweepstakes at work. I have known about it for a couple weeks now, but have not really been excited about going. I kept telling myself that I was going only to make appearances and because I was expected to be there. As a lucky individual, I would be sent to San Antonio, fed a wonderful dinner, put up in a hotel on the famous Riverwalk, and then entertained with a broadway musical. Sounds like fun, but I just was not sure. The broadway musical was "Kinky Boots". Just hearing the title made me question whether it would be something I would really enjoy. I did not know much about the play and was worried that it my be a form of entertainment that I did not want to participate in. I did some research and felt that though the premise of the play bordered a line of being questionable, I would be OK.
The acting was great. The theater and stage were incredible. I was impressed by the level of talent. But it was towards the end of the first act that I was surprised with a burst of personal revelation that caught me completely off guard. The scene was performed from the gents' loo. Simon/Lola had locked himself in a stall and was questioning why he designing these "Kinky Boots" in a small town shoe factory. Charlie had come in to give Simon/Lola a pep talk, but found himself also questioning why he was trying to rescue the small town shoe factory he had inherited from his father by creating and marketing the said "Kinky Boots". They both ended up sharing their histories and sang a moving rendition of, "Not my father's son". The chorus went something like, "I am not my father's son, I am not in the image of him".
It suddenly hit me how the world, the natural man, the mockers from the great and spacious building do everything they can to get us to forget our divine origin. Just like Lola and Charlie, though faced with different adversities, different temptations, trials, and/or challenges, they are more a like than they thought. Even more, they are more like their fathers than they thought. We, like them, feel like no one will understand or have the same trials. This may be true to some extent, but isn't that was being part of the fold means. We should be willing to share and carry our burdens together.
But we don't, which leads me to my final thought of the week. I have had the opportunity to help a couple in our ward who were being evicted. They were struggling with the fact. They could not figure out why they were being evicted. In their minds, it was because the manager of the complex just did not like them. Sound familiar? How many times have we heard or said that? I am not getting good grades, the pay I deserve, the job I want, the lifestyle I need, etc...Because someone hates me.
I thought it was interesting at one point when they were told that we could not save them from being evicted, but we could help them move their stuff, they said, "you are really making it hard to come back to church, because you won't step in and stop them from evicting us". That baffled me. The reason they were being evicted was because they paid their rent late on a consistent basis. When asked why they always paid late, the reason was because one got paid in the middle of the month and the other got paid at the end of the month, when the first of the month rent check was due, they couldn't pay because the other did not get paid until the middle of the month. We suggested they change the way they save and pay, it went right back to we can't because someone hates me.
So, where am I going with this. After moving the few items we could move before the deputy forced us all out on to the street. I dropped them off at the local grocery store where they could wait inside the warm vestibule for their family members to pick them up and went back to a region swim meet. I found myself standing in the gents' loo reading a sign on the wall in front of me. It read as follows: "If it is not important to you, you will make excuses. But, if it is important to you, you will make it happen!"
I hope that we can all find, recognize, and live according to the important fact that we are Our Father's/Mother's sons and daughters. We are and were created in their image. Lets make it important enough to make it happen.
So there is my week. On with the others:
After things started slowing down at work, the Queen spent most of the week training. It looks like she will be doing so for the next several weeks. There are over 2000 people who need to have this training. When she is not training, she is organizing, reading, or sewing.
The Professor has been off track, but found herself participating in different classes, workshops, and symposiums this week.
Tall Man ended the week by closing another show. They sold out almost every performance. When asked what he is going to do with himself, he said it was going to sleep and maybe start looking for another one up north. It all depends on the timing of the performances.
SnackPack has been on taper all week. It was particularly hard to have to stand by and coach church ball on Friday evening. He did good. The team did not so well. But was most important was that they played hard, were good sports, and walked away with memories that will last them a lifetime. As the results are coming in, it appears that the taper was worth it. All 3 boys relays will be moving on to state. We are excited to see it happen.
As you know, Puddin was transferred. We are patiently waiting to hear more details. What do we know? He has a greenie. He is in a little town in Corpus Christi. He is assigned to two wards, Flour Bluff and Corpus YSA. Sadly, it does not appear that the members there are as diligent in sharing photos and stories of their time with the missionaries. We will miss that.
My scripture this week just so happens to be part of the Youth Theme for 2016. 2 Nephi 31:20-21. It has influenced me in many ways this week. I have been reminded several times that being in the path requires more than just being there. You must be PRESSing FORWARD. This indicates that once in the path, there will most likely always be something pressing us. If we are not pressing forward, we will be pressed backwards, even out of the path, if we are not careful. The end of this verse if very fitting for this month as the Come Follow Me theme is the Godhead. Note that this doctrine is not of just one, but all three members of the Godhead. Think about it.
How has it influenced me you ask? OK, so maybe you did not ask, but I am going to share.
This week I had was selected to participate as the runner up to a Grand Prize Sweepstakes at work. I have known about it for a couple weeks now, but have not really been excited about going. I kept telling myself that I was going only to make appearances and because I was expected to be there. As a lucky individual, I would be sent to San Antonio, fed a wonderful dinner, put up in a hotel on the famous Riverwalk, and then entertained with a broadway musical. Sounds like fun, but I just was not sure. The broadway musical was "Kinky Boots". Just hearing the title made me question whether it would be something I would really enjoy. I did not know much about the play and was worried that it my be a form of entertainment that I did not want to participate in. I did some research and felt that though the premise of the play bordered a line of being questionable, I would be OK.
The acting was great. The theater and stage were incredible. I was impressed by the level of talent. But it was towards the end of the first act that I was surprised with a burst of personal revelation that caught me completely off guard. The scene was performed from the gents' loo. Simon/Lola had locked himself in a stall and was questioning why he designing these "Kinky Boots" in a small town shoe factory. Charlie had come in to give Simon/Lola a pep talk, but found himself also questioning why he was trying to rescue the small town shoe factory he had inherited from his father by creating and marketing the said "Kinky Boots". They both ended up sharing their histories and sang a moving rendition of, "Not my father's son". The chorus went something like, "I am not my father's son, I am not in the image of him".
It suddenly hit me how the world, the natural man, the mockers from the great and spacious building do everything they can to get us to forget our divine origin. Just like Lola and Charlie, though faced with different adversities, different temptations, trials, and/or challenges, they are more a like than they thought. Even more, they are more like their fathers than they thought. We, like them, feel like no one will understand or have the same trials. This may be true to some extent, but isn't that was being part of the fold means. We should be willing to share and carry our burdens together.
But we don't, which leads me to my final thought of the week. I have had the opportunity to help a couple in our ward who were being evicted. They were struggling with the fact. They could not figure out why they were being evicted. In their minds, it was because the manager of the complex just did not like them. Sound familiar? How many times have we heard or said that? I am not getting good grades, the pay I deserve, the job I want, the lifestyle I need, etc...Because someone hates me.
I thought it was interesting at one point when they were told that we could not save them from being evicted, but we could help them move their stuff, they said, "you are really making it hard to come back to church, because you won't step in and stop them from evicting us". That baffled me. The reason they were being evicted was because they paid their rent late on a consistent basis. When asked why they always paid late, the reason was because one got paid in the middle of the month and the other got paid at the end of the month, when the first of the month rent check was due, they couldn't pay because the other did not get paid until the middle of the month. We suggested they change the way they save and pay, it went right back to we can't because someone hates me.
So, where am I going with this. After moving the few items we could move before the deputy forced us all out on to the street. I dropped them off at the local grocery store where they could wait inside the warm vestibule for their family members to pick them up and went back to a region swim meet. I found myself standing in the gents' loo reading a sign on the wall in front of me. It read as follows: "If it is not important to you, you will make excuses. But, if it is important to you, you will make it happen!"
I hope that we can all find, recognize, and live according to the important fact that we are Our Father's/Mother's sons and daughters. We are and were created in their image. Lets make it important enough to make it happen.
So there is my week. On with the others:
After things started slowing down at work, the Queen spent most of the week training. It looks like she will be doing so for the next several weeks. There are over 2000 people who need to have this training. When she is not training, she is organizing, reading, or sewing.
The Professor has been off track, but found herself participating in different classes, workshops, and symposiums this week.
Tall Man ended the week by closing another show. They sold out almost every performance. When asked what he is going to do with himself, he said it was going to sleep and maybe start looking for another one up north. It all depends on the timing of the performances.
SnackPack has been on taper all week. It was particularly hard to have to stand by and coach church ball on Friday evening. He did good. The team did not so well. But was most important was that they played hard, were good sports, and walked away with memories that will last them a lifetime. As the results are coming in, it appears that the taper was worth it. All 3 boys relays will be moving on to state. We are excited to see it happen.
As you know, Puddin was transferred. We are patiently waiting to hear more details. What do we know? He has a greenie. He is in a little town in Corpus Christi. He is assigned to two wards, Flour Bluff and Corpus YSA. Sadly, it does not appear that the members there are as diligent in sharing photos and stories of their time with the missionaries. We will miss that.
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