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.