BYU Jerusalem!!!

The Next Chapter Begins...

In 48 hours I will be on a flight to Israel, a flight that opens the next chapter of my life and signifies the final impossible dream from a list compiled years ago. This semester will be filled with travel and friendships and growth that will last a lifetime, some of which will be summarized here while I am gone.

Cheers!

Doherty says it best: "I began to see how being 'intentional' about family life through family rituals [is] the best antidote to the drift of contemporary family life toward less closeness, less meaning and less community. The world is not a friendly place for families these days, and those who lack a plan for their survival and growth are apt to be casualties." Stephen Covey in his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective Families expounds upon this notion stating that in marriage and family relationships if we are not consistently "depositing" into the accounts of physical, spiritual, social/emotional & mental wellness, we will not even maintain the current level of wellness in the relationship. In the campus-wide devotional last week, we were reminded that "all meaningful relationships require great work and effort."

Is it really possible to attain the ideal amid the contemporary plagues of pornography, divorce, infidelity, abortion, non-commitment, and all the other attacks on family life? Yes. Not because I know first hand, or have seen it in my family of origin, but because God has commanded, and ordained marriage--a covenant relationship--between man, wife & God, and I, like the Book of Mormon prophet Nephi, "KNOW (emphasis added) that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." Nephi Chapter 3 I know that God has given us the resources to combat all the influences of evil around us, both real and perceived. This doesn't mean that it will be easy, or that we won't have occasion to ask why it is so difficult, it does; however, mean that the ultimate joy and fulfilment resultant from the ideals in marriage and family life are not only possible but that the Lord has provided a way whereby we may accomplish these things. As the First Presidency of the Church of Jesus Christ state in The Proclamation to the World: The Family, "happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities."The Proclamation to the World

Leadership & Self Deception

A phenomenal book by the Arbinger Institute. This book has helped increase my self-awareness and catalyzed in me a desire to become better, to get and remain out of "the box." Just because another chooses to live life "in-the-box" does not mean we must collude with them, such is completely contrary to the nature of God's eternal law of agency. This book has had as profound an effect on me as the work by John Bradshaw, both of which have helped me get over myself while better understanding and applying the principles of the Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ.

*A quick must read, available also on i-Tunes.

The Sacrament...



From http://lds.org/ "On the night before His Crucifixion, Jesus Christ met with His Apostles and instituted the sacrament (see Luke 22:19–20). After His Resurrection, He instituted the sacrament among the Nephites (see 3 Nephi 18:1–11). Today the sacrament is an ordinance in which Church members partake of bread and water in remembrance of Jesus Christ's atoning sacrifice. This ordinance is an essential part of worship and spiritual development. Through this ordinance, Church members renew the covenants they made with God when they were baptized."

Midterms are in full-swing, coupled with long hours at work... and it was such a long week. There were times throughout the week where I just felt off... as though each morning were a Monday with the same energy I normally have after my last exam, and emotionally I just felt tired to the point of a terrible headache. There were even times when I was surrounded by hundreds, thousands, or people and yet felt completely alone. The thought even crossed my mind... God would understand if I missed a meeting or two today... but before I even allowed myself to entertain that, I quickly drew upon the mental and emotional strength that is found in the ordinances and covenants I have made with God.

As I sat in the congregation today, listening and watching to all the things around me... I paid particular attention to the fact that as the sacrament is being passed, the person beside me first partakes, and then offers it to me, I then partake and offer it to another. It was a very profound reminder that others who have partaken, who have made similar promises with God are all around me. I am not alone. Just as I attempt to love and serve others, so too are there people all around me to love, serve and strengthen me. I have seen these people bless my life academically, socially, spiritually & emotionally just this week.

I also pondered upon the importance of receiving. All of the promises I have made to God include incredible blessings, but I must heed the invitation to receive these blessings. Sometimes that means asking a neighbor for help, or allowing another to do something for me, or even just being real and allowing another person to pass the walls I have strategically placed around my soul... regardless of the form it takes, I have many areas in which I stand to improve when it comes to receiving and it is a blessing that I have this time now to contemplate and make myself better before attempting to receive another, or further blessings from the Lord.

How grateful I am to Jesus Christ, who instituted the sacrament, who fulfilled the law, and who restored--through Joseph Smith--the ordinances and blessings of His gospel so that I may improve, learn to receive these things and again live with Him in the presence of my Father in Heaven. I hope for everyone to have the blessings that I have found through the Gospel of Jesus Christ, that even on an off day, with a terrible headache and a less than ideal attitude, I can sit amid good people trying to become better and I can see the hand of the Lord and His great plan of happiness in all of this.

Shalom!

sha·lom

   /ʃɑˈlɔm; Eng. ʃəˈloʊm/ [shah-lawm; Eng. shuh-lohm]

–interjection Hebrew .

peace (used as a word of greeting or farewell).

This is a welcome & and a farewell. For many reasons this is farewell... to dreams that have been in the works for years and which have now been crossed off the list of "impossible dreams" I now say goodbye--appreciating fully all that I have become as a result of these pursuits.

When I first went away to college, I heard a lecture by a woman in her early thirties... (how old she seemed at the time) ...she challenged us to make a list of "impossible dreams" and then one-by-one work to cross them off. I have officially accomplished all but 3 of the original; however, as I have grown and matured--so too has my list of "impossible dreams."

But to the many dreams in progress, embryonic dreams and dreams which have not yet crossed my mind... I exclaim a welcome, shalom!

As many do, I have faced a fair share of resistance in accomplishing these dreams; however, this has not derailed my determination; rather, it has been a catalyst of accomplishment. Life has been difficult at times and I have lost touch with some of the wonderful people who have crossed my path but I hope to reconnect with each of them, and to remain in touch with all the influential people who have helped me to make a reality of seemingly "impossible dreams." I owe a great debt of gratitude to those who have helped me to become, and I hope that my life and accomplishments will stand as a testimony of gratitude to each of them.

תודה