Exercise

    Last year, President Russell M. Nelson gave a talk entitled, "We Can do Better and be Better." It was delivered during the priesthood session of the April General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The talk was an invitation to repent as we all have a need to correct mistakes and errors in our lives. Two specific ways mentioned that those listening likely had room for improvement were in the way we treat our bodies and in the way we treat the women in our lives. I have sought to improve in both of these ways in my life. I still have a long way to go.

    As some background, President Nelson was a cardiac surgeon by trade. He has given many talks about the wonder of the human body. I agree wholeheartedly with President Nelson. The human body is remarkable. In my training as a physical therapist, it was remarkable to see how things and processes are in place that allow the body to function and repair itself and do all sorts of other things. The eye focuses, the heart beats, muscles move limbs, and bony and soft tissue injuries repair themselves. I have been involved in sports for most of my life. I enjoy exercising, moving my body, and helping others to do the same. Therefore, this aspect of President Nelson's talk stood out to me. Since hearing these words, I have been trying to do better and be better in how I treat and care for my body.

    Part of this endeavor involved going to the gym earlier this year. Then the global pandemic of Covid-19 hit, and the gym was shut down. Since that time, I have been attempting to exercise outside or in my home with the use of water-filled milk jugs. In the course of my exercising, my brother let me know about a workout called "The Murph." It is an intensive series of movements and is in honor of a fallen United States Navy SEAL, Michael Patrick Murphy. Upon hearing about this workout, I knew it was something I would eventually like to try.

    Well, this Saturday, I completed it. I did not have a 20-lbs weighted vest, and it took me over an hour and a half to complete, but I did it! Now, let me go back to President Nelson's talk. He shared something that has been on my mind frequently since hearing it and since I have been trying to exercise more regularly. Here's what he said:

    "Your care of that temple [the human body] is important. Now, I ask you, brethren, are you more interested in dressing and grooming your body to appeal to the world than to please God? Your answer to this question sends a direct message to Him about your feelings regarding His transcendent gift to you."

  This begs the question, "Why am I exercising anyways?" I want to believe that I am doing this in order to stretch my muscles, to improve my physical function, to improve my body and health, and because I enjoy exercising. That being said, I find that pride can very easily creep in and become my motivator. The quote above from President Nelson serves as a good "check-in" question for me with regards to my motivation. So, I will keep moving and exercising in an effort to improve my overall physical well-being.

    Exercising has provided a means for me to set and work towards goals. Goal setting is not easy for me and goal achieving is even more difficult. I appreciate President Nelson's invitation, as it is an opportunity for me to exercise not only my physical body but to exercise self-discipline and hard work towards meeting goals. I do not mean to be boastful in highlighting the Murph, but I hope it can serve as an illustration of how it is possible to work towards and achieve goals.

    Now, I know I have written a lot about the first part of President Nelson's quote regarding caring for my body. I have not forgotten the second part about treating the women in our lives with respect, love, and care. I will elaborate more about this topic in next week's post. Until then, keep living the Wonderful Life!

Here is a link to President Nelson's Talk and a link for a video of what "The Murph" consists of. Enjoy!

Slow Down

Molly and I were able to go camping this weekend and it was beautiful! Of course, we practiced social distancing and while we wanted to go kayaking, the kayaks were all rented by the time we arrived at the lake. That being said, the views were wonderful. It was nice to get away from home, even if it was for just a little while.

Today, we were able to go to church and then spent the day at home. During the course of the day, we listened to a prerecorded broadcast from the Tabernacle Choir at Temple Square. One of the songs featured an artist named Sissel. The name of the song she and the choir performed was called, "Slow Down." These 2 experiences, namely the camping trip and the musical number served as a good reminder for me to take time to see the beauty around me. In this time of uncertainty, it can be very easy to focus on things that are scary. It can be easy to focus on what is going wrong. When I decided to start this blog, one of the purposes was to show that there really is a lot of good to be seen in the world. I think taking to heart this phrase can be helpful in seeing the good that is all around us:
"Slow down and hear His voice And know that He is God." 

What a powerful reminder! I think it is okay and even encouraged to acknowledge when things are not going well. I think we are all going to have disappointments and hardships in life. But, never forget who is watching over you, namely a loving Heavenly Father. Elder Dieter F. Uchtdorf gave a talk entitled, "Things That Matter Most." In it, he highlights that trees and pilots alike, when facing difficult circumstances, slow down to get through the hard times. He said, "If life and its rushed pace and many stresses have made it difficult for you to feel like rejoicing, then perhaps now is a good time to refocus on what matters most." What better time to take stock of how we are doing, than now. In a time of global pandemic and social distancing, why not look to the Lord and seek His guidance about what matters most? I know He will answer and if you listen, He will share with you what He would have you do. Isn't that a wonderful thing to consider?

Have a wonderful week!

-Russell

PS Here is the video of Sissel singing with the choir

Thoughts from the week...

Again, breaking tradition here. I have usually stuck with one topic when writing, but this week, I am going to just write about things that have been on my mind.


First, pride. I watched a video this week that highlighted and reminded me that pride is the "universal sin" in the words of President Ezra Taft Benson. Yep. I can testify the truthfulness of that statement. I struggle with pride all the time. From comparing myself to others, to not celebrating the success of others, to not being grateful. Its all there. So, what can I do? Well, I pray a lot. I have heard it said that the first step to recovery is recognition that there is a problem. When it comes to pride, I seem to constantly be made aware of my pride. I call on my Heavenly Father for help and He hears me and assists me in the challenges I face. I also try to be more grateful. I find this to be a great antidote for pride. Being grateful lifts me and it lifts the person I thank. In the spirit of gratitude, thank you for reading this!

Second, the power of the scriptures. President Russell M. Nelson has said, ""In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, and comforting, and constant influence of the Holy Ghost." I believe that to be true. These are hard times we live in. Between the pandemic, racial injustices, riots, individual spiritual, physical, or emotional concerns and a host of other trials, life is hard. But, when I study in the scriptures, I feel the Holy Ghost's presence. One of the names and roles of the Holy Ghost is "comforter." I feel comforted when I read the word of God in the scriptures. There have been many times when what I read correlates with what is going on in my life. For instance, those thoughts about pride came as I was reading about a prophet named Jacob who was teaching his people about pride.

Last thought. Prayer. I pray every day. But the nature of my prayers is not always as sincere as I would like for it to be. Especially when I am tired, I find that my prayers are lacking the conviction and communication that I would like them to be. Heavenly Father loves us all and I know He hears every prayer I utter. But I wonder about myself listening to Him. I often speak a prayer and talk at or to God, but what about listening? What about what He wants to share with me? I get to say my piece, but what about His piece? Or should I say His peace? I am going to share a video that struck me this week regarding prayer and provides a good contrast between two very differing prayers. The part of the video that stands out to me the most is when the man in the video points out that too often today, people are trying to be loud so that others can hear them, rather than seeking to have their prayers heard by God. What a difference it would make to pray more to God.

The wonderful thing for this week is that in spite of my pride and imperfect prayers, I can rest assured that the Lord is there. He loves me and whenever I turn to Him, He listens to me.

 Here's the video I referenced earlier. Have a wonderful week!!

Mere Christianity

               Happy Independence Day!! I guess I’m breaking from tradition here. Lately I have been writing about topics from the Gospel of Jesus Christ that have stood out to me during the week. Today, I am going to just write some thoughts about C. S. Lewis’ book Mere Christianity. I have the opportunity of listening to books throughout the day when driving from appointment to appointment. This week I was able to listen to Mere Christianity. What an enjoyable and insightful book it is!

                So, I guess this is sort of a book review, but I want it to be an expression of my beliefs as well. I found Lewis’ assessment and breakdown and description of Christianity to be fascinating. I also found him to be a master of analogies. He was able to describe a principle and then provide an example of how that principle can be outlined or viewed. He touches on everything from sexual morality to faith, hope, and charity.

                I believe that God is our Heavenly Father and like every father, he wants what is best for his children. Now, he has the advantage of being perfect and we have the disadvantage of being imperfect. Lewis talks about the fact that God does not live in the same sense of time as we do. This is an important concept. He has perception that is perfect. He sees the beginning, middle, and end. I am grateful for this, though it is often difficult for me to grasp, as I often want to be over bad things quickly and want good things to last forever. God knows what is best for us and when we turn our lives over to Him, he can and does make so much more of us than we can on our own.

                So, what is God’s goal for us? I believe it to be for us to live with Him and to live as He does. Lewis also addresses this thought. He talks about how God wants us to be “little Christs.” Obviously, we cannot be Jesus Christ, neither should we be Him. But we can become like Him. And the great part, is that we do not have to do it alone. As I turn my life over to Jesus, He helps me to become more like Him. My life can begin to look like his, in the sense that I will do things in a like manner as He does and did.

                But this process of becoming like Christ is not easy. Lewis writes how when we turn our lives over to the Lord, we begin to change. He begins to change us. These changes vary. The best way I can think to describe it, is in Lewis’ own words:

“Imagine yourself as a living house. God comes in to rebuild that house. At first, perhaps, you can understand what He is doing. He is getting the drains right and stopping the leaks in the roof and so on; you knew that those jobs needed doing and so you are not surprised. But presently He starts knocking the house about in a way that hurts abominably and does not seem to make any sense. What on earth is He up to? The explanation is that He is building quite a different house from the one you thought of - throwing out a new wing here, putting on an extra floor there, running up towers, making courtyards. You thought you were being made into a decent little cottage: but He is building a palace. He intends to come and live in it Himself.”

I don’t know how to elaborate on that quote very much.  I think it sums up my thoughts on the matter pretty well. I wrote an earlier post about change and mentioned repentance. I think that “knocking the house about” is how repentance changes us. The Lord assists in this process and I am grateful for that help. He loves us. He wants us to have all that he has. The question is, do we want it? I imagine it will be wonderful to be there with Him one day. What’s more, I believe it is wonderful that He helps us now and forever.

Sharing the Gospel

I heard a man this week share an experience regarding the sharing of the gospel of Jesus Christ. Two men of different Christian faiths were speaking about this topic, and one of them said to the other that the reason for sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is not about trying to convert others but rather done because we are converted. The Savior invited his apostles at the end of his life to share the gospel with others saying, “Go ye therefore, and teach all nations” (Matthew 28:19) and “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15). Elder Bednar shared an experience that he had that illustrates why sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ is such an integral part of being converted to Jesus.

“One evening Susan and I stood near a window in our home and watched two of our little boys playing outside. During the course of their adventures, the younger of the two boys was injured slightly in a small accident. We quickly recognized that he was not seriously hurt, and we decided not to provide immediate assistance. We wanted to observe and see if any of our family discussions about brotherly kindness had sunk in. What happened next was both interesting and instructive.

The older brother consoled and carefully helped the younger brother back into the house. Susan and I had positioned ourselves near the kitchen so we could see what next took place, and we were prepared to intervene immediately if additional bodily harm seemed likely or a serious accident was imminent.

The older brother dragged a chair to the kitchen sink. He climbed up on the chair, assisted his brother onto the chair, turned on the water, and proceeded to pour a large quantity of dishwashing soap onto the scratched arm of his little brother. He did his best to gently wash away the dirt. The reaction of the little brother to this procedure can only be described accurately using language from the holy scriptures: “And they shall have cause to howl, and weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth” (Mosiah 16:2). And did that little boy howl!

After the scrubbing was finished, the arm was carefully dried with a towel. Eventually the screaming stopped. The older brother next climbed up onto the kitchen counter, opened a cabinet, and found a new tube of medicated ointment. Though the scratches on his little brother were not large or extensive, the older brother applied almost all of the ointment in the tube to the entire injured arm. The screaming did not resume, as the little brother clearly liked the soothing effect of the ointment much more than he appreciated the cleansing effect of the dishwashing soap.

The older brother returned again to the cabinet in which he had found the ointment and located a new box of sterile bandages. He then unwrapped and put bandages all up and down his brother’s arm—from the wrist to the elbow. With the emergency resolved, and with soap bubbles, ointment, and wrappers all over the kitchen, the two little boys hopped down from the chair with bright smiles and happy faces.

 What happened next is most important. The injured brother gathered up the remaining bandages and the almost empty tube of ointment, and he went back outside. He quickly sought out his friends and began to put ointment and bandages on their arms. Susan and I both were struck by the sincerity, enthusiasm, and rapidity of his response.”

                This story serves as a good analogy, I believe, for the sharing of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. The soothing medication is like the Gospel and the sharing of the medication with others is like the missionary work that goes on throughout the world. I know for me, it can be overwhelming and shocking to have someone come up to me suggesting I try something new to fix a problem I might have. I believe it is probably the same way when talking with others about the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

 I think I saw this particularly in Germany as a young man. I served for a period of 2 years trying to tell people about the joy I had felt from the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Many times people were not interested, and I believe this was in part due to their past experiences in their country. They had heard of the wonderful things that were supposed to be happening under a previous governmental regime only to have the reality of those wonderful things come crashing down after the war. I believe this happens with others as well. Sometimes, something that can sound too good to be true turns out to be just that. But the Gospel of Jesus Christ has turned out to be as good as advertised for me.        

                I know that I have been changed because of my conversion to Jesus Christ. I still have much to learn. I still have much I can improve on. I struggle with sharing the gospel with others even though I know it will bless and help and lift the lives of those around me. I try to live my life in a way that reflects my belief in the Savior. I try to share what I believe and will continue to seek to do so. I know God loves all of us. He is looking out for our well-being.

Fathers

                The chorus of a favorite primary hymn of mine goes: “Fathers are so special with a very special love. They watch us and protect us. They guide us and direct us back to our home above.”  And I believe that to be true. Today is Father’s Day. I, like Nephi of old, was blessed with goodly parents. My Dad taught me the importance of work and always provided for me and my family. My Dad is strong and did not cry very often. One of the few times I remember him doing so was when a cousin of mine was bearing his testimony after returning home honorably from a mission to Idaho. I asked my Dad why he was crying. He answered that it was because of the change that had taken place in my cousin during the course of his mission.

                

                  Dad helped me with homework, a lot; particularly with my math homework. He would look over the chapter regarding the problems we were working on and then try to help me get the answer and understand the concepts. I remember one time when I had an assignment over Christmas break that I procrastinated to do until the day before I was scheduled to go back to school. My Dad asked me why I had waited so long to start on the project. I didn’t have a good answer but with his help, I got it done. This is just one of many examples of patience that Dad had with me.

                I love sports and that love has grown, in part, due to my Dad’s love for sports. I remember playing catch with Dad once right after he arrived home from work. We were only about 10 feet away, but I felt it necessary to throw that ball as hard as I could. Dad blocked the ball as best he could, but I knocked the lenses out of his glasses. He could have been quite angry with me, but I don’t recall that being the case.

                That song I quoted earlier has a verse about a fathers in our home, fathers in our church, and our Heavenly Father. I am grateful to have a Heavenly Father who listens to us. One day while I was pretending to be a person taught by the missionaries I was working with in the MTC, I was asked to say a prayer. I began by saying, “Heavenly Father” and stopped. In that moment of praying, although I was pretending to be someone investigating the church, I felt the power of being able to speak with my Father in Heaven. Sometimes when I forget who I am or what Heavenly Father has done for me, I remember that experience and it strengthens me.

   

             My wife and I have not yet been blessed with any children on this earth. We have had miscarriages and during the first of those, I wrote some words to our unborn child. It was a good experience for me to be able to do so. To articulate some of the feelings I had toward my unborn child. I felt such love and desire for him/her to be alright. I felt the weight of the responsibility to care for that child.  I do not know Heavenly Father’s plan for me and my wife regarding children in this life, but I do know that I love those children of mine and I look forward to the day, in this day or the next, when I get to be their Dad.

 

I know Heavenly Father loves me. I know He loves you. I hope that on this Father’s Day you remember what He has done for you.


This is a video that I enjoy about  Fathers. I hope you enjoy it as well!

             

Unity

    In 4 Nephi we read of a people who achieved a Zion state of living. They cared for each other and loved one another and took care of the poor and needy among them. One verse in this account that always stands out to me is in verse 17: "There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, or any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God." The idea that there were no manner of -ites once led someone in a lesson I attended to make the observation that they were "un-ited" or we could say they were united.

   

    Satan does not like it when we are united. He is like one of the predators in the wild who seeks to separate an animal from the herd or group and kill it. Satan understands, if he can separate us, he can destroy us more easily. Conversely, our Heavenly Father desires to see us united. He wants us to be a part of his heavenly home. In the parable of the lost sheep, the shepherd left the 99 and sought after the one who was lost.

    Becoming united can seem daunting especially where there are so many things that can be disagreed upon from race, politics, religious beliefs, interpretation of the word of wisdom, and on and on. The people in 4 Nephi had just seen their Savior, Jesus Christ so it may seem that they had it easy. But I believe they made the conscious decision to be united. Being united does not mean being uniform or robotic in our ways. Elder Renlund has said, "God is not interested in His children just becoming trained and obedient 'pets' who will not chew on His slippers in the celestial living room. No, God wants His children to grow up spiritually and join Him in the family business."

    Sheri Dew wrote a book titled Oh, How We Need Each Other. In this book she addresses the need for women to be unified, but I think some of the thoughts from that book can be expanded to include everyone. In the book, Sister Dew writes: "We need each other's strength and compassion. We need to be able to lean on, learn from, and help each other along the path." I remember hearing a story about horses pulling weight. In researching the topic, I learned that one horse can pull as much as 8,000 pounds! No small task to be sure. However, when 2 horses are yoked together, they can pull up to 24,000 pounds which is about 3x that of which a single horse can do by itself. The moral of this story, to me, is that we are stronger when we work together.

    Ultimately, becoming unified is achieved through the help of Jesus Christ. In Matthew 11:28-30 we read,

    "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon         you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For         my yoke is easy, and my burden is light."

We are all children of a loving Heavenly Father and He has prepared a way for us to return to live with Him, together. Jesus makes that possibility a reality as we trust Him.

Change

Last night, I watched the movie “Aladdin” with my wife Molly. One thing that stuck out to me in the movie was the Genie’s desire to be freed. Eventually Aladdin is able to set the Genie free. This reminded me of my desire to be free and the desire we all have to become free from sin and sorrow and heart ache and all other afflictions. While we may not have a magic lamp or genie who can grant us wishes, we do have a master who sets us free. That master is our Savior Jesus Christ. He sets us free. I love these words found in Alma 7:11-13:             

“And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people. And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to their flesh, that he may know according to the flesh, how to succor his people according to their infirmities. Now the Spirit knoweth all things; nevertheless the Son of God suffereth according to the flesh that he might take upon him the sins of his people; that he might blot out their transgressions according to the power of his deliverance; and now behold this is the testimony which is in me.”

What a miracle and blessing it is that Jesus came to earth and prepared a way for me and you to be able to repent and change and overcome natural tendencies in order to return to live with our Heavenly Parents.

                I recall a talk from Elder Robbins who spoke about repentance and forgiveness. In that talk he said with regards to our constant need for repentance: “Our success, then isn’t going from failure to failure, but growing from failure to failure without any loss of enthusiasm.”  I love this idea of growing from mistake or failure to failure. I used to think of repentance as being a bad thing because it implied I had done something wrong; that I had failed. I have a great fear of failure. I do not like to fail or feel that I have disappointed someone. To quote the British track athlete Harold Abrams, “If I can’t win, then I won’t run.” Fortunately, for me and for you, there is a way for us to run and to win, even if we stumble and fall along the way. Harold Abrams’ girlfriend replied to his comment with one of her own, “If you don’t run, you can’t win.”  And so it is in life. We run the race of life and yes, we stumble. Yes we fall down. But we have a loving Father in Heaven who prepared a way through His Son Jesus Christ for us to grow from each misstep and each fall along the way.

                That way is through repentance. Through turning to Jesus and asking for his help. A talk given at BYU in 2011 by Brad Wilcox titled “His Grace is Sufficient” has really been a go to talk for helping me understand how Jesus’ amazing grace works. In the talk, Brad Wilcox talks about one of the ways in which grace works:

“So grace is not a booster engine that kicks in once our fuel supply is exhausted. Rather, it is our constant energy source. It is not the light at the end of the tunnel but the light that moves us through the tunnel. Grace is not achieved somewhere down the road.  It is received right here and right now. It is not a finishing touch; it is the Finishers touch (see Hebrews 12:2).”

                Because of the Savior’s amazing grace, I can repent and be changed from a sinner to a saint. I can become what the Lord wants me to be. “I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneht me.” (Philippians 4:13). I know that Jesus lives and loves me and all of us very much. It is my hope that the next time we stumble or fall, we reach our hand out to His, which is always stretched out to us, and walk with Him hand in hand. I know as we do so, we can and will be changed.