The Nativity (One artists depiction)

Nativity by Brian Kershinick

I am not an art enthusiast but one artist has caught my attention and that is Brian Kershinick.

I initially liked him because many of his pieces depict motherhood. They also capture glimpses of life and what those glimpses of life would look like if the veil were thin and if we could see the angels surrounding us in moments of decision, confusion or heartache. He has an extraordinary talent.

Here are a few pieces.

While at the BYU Art Museum a large wall size painting of this Nativity caught my eye. It was beautiful. I have never seen such a raw depiction of the Nativity like this before.

Often when we see Christ's birth it is highly romanticized. The human element is completely taken out of it. 

This painting is different. 

It is raw. 

In this picture Mary looks like she has just given birth like a mortal woman would have. She is pale, tired and messy. The mid wives have bloodied soiled rags from the birth in a bucket of water. Joseph, as a new father is overwhelmed with the new task that lays before him and his hand is on Mary's shoulder. She holds his fingers in hers comforting him while adoring her new son.

The Christ child is nursing. Which I think may be something that might offend some but in my opinion it is simply one of the most natural things known to humanity. Only in our westernized culture are we so far removed and detached from this natural link between mother and baby. Also it is incredibly symbolic that God the Father would entrust his son, the actual Creator of the earth, to the hands of a mortal woman. And this mortal woman, in this painting, is giving this child sustenance. To me that tells me alot about what God thinks about women. The love of a Mother in the scriptures is often compared to the love of God or charity. 

Joseph and Mary and the midwives seem unaware of the concourses of angels who are cramming to see the Great I AM being born as a mortal. This is the beginning of the life of their Redeemer. Some these angels are crying, some are reaching out. All of it comes from the artists perspective but I like what he has done.

Instead of describing himself as an artist Kershisnik describes himself as having a sort of "leak". He describes it as a seam which was left open between him and heaven. 

Search the Words of Isaiah

You will notice that my posts coordinate with Sunday school scripture study. I don't teach Sunday school in church but I love to read along. It is a great way to study the scriptures. It almost feels like cheating. Someone else gets to figure out my regular scripture study regimen for me.

Right now we are in 3 Nephi 22-26. We just read the Isaiah chapters.

I know it is easy to dose off with the language found in Isaiah but lets think about this.

Christ is quoting Isaiah- who is speaking Messianically, meaning since Isaiah was a seer, perhaps one of the greatest seers to walk the earth, he is speaking as the Jehovah of the Old Testament.

So Isaiah is delivering the words from the Messiah to the House of Israel or of Christ before he came to earth.

And now here we have the resurrected Christ in the Americas, who is quoting Isaiah to the Nephites. Isaiah, however, was actually quoting Christ before he even walked the earth as a mortal! The pre-mortal Christ!

DOES ANYONE ELSE THINK THIS IS AWESOME?!!!

Christ is essential quoting himself through the words of Isaiah!

He gives us a commandment to not only read the words of Isaiah but search them. How many of us have heeded this commandment of Christ? I am recommitting.

In these verses Christ teaches us the power of language. He speaks to the house of Israel on a Macro level as well as speaks to us on a micro level, individually. I am not sure how he does it but he seems to accomplish this well. The language of the scriptures, particularly these verses, reminds me of the intricate order of mathematics. Everything Christ says in the scriptures somehow ties back to others passages in the scriptures...I mean, how is this all possible? It goes to show that the God of the earth is also the God of our language. The scriptures are so interwoven and timed together, it is impressive.

In 3 Nephi 22 Isaiah talks of a woman in labor who after many years of being barren is finally having children and alot of them at that. She must enlarge the tent to receive all the children. He is talking about the mourning period of the house of Israel when there was great wickedness but how in the last days there will be a great expanding and understanding of the gospel. There is so much in here at both the macro level which coordinates with gathering of Israel in the previous versus of 3rd Nephi as well as an individual level if we apply it to the atonement.

I LOVE LOVE verse 16 since I worry about the "last days". I fear both spiritual and physical "weapons of destruction" that may impact my children. In verse 16 Christ reminds us that he is the creator of the all things, even the creator of those who create weapons and it is all in his plan.

3 Nephi 22:
16 Behold, I have created the smith (meaning black smith) that bloweth the coals in the fire, and that bringeth forth and instrument for his work; and I have created the water to destroy.

17 No weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper; and every tongue that shall revile against thee in judgment thou shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is of me saith the Lord.

I don't know about you but I need to spend some time on these verses. If you like additional study helps there are several out there. I don't think it is wrong to tap into the expertise of a few scholars. I believe that it can enhance my "search" of Isaiah.

I love David Ridges guides (He used to be my stake president) of the Book of Mormon Made Easier as well as Isaiah Made Easier.

Words of Advice to Cancer Families

I went through an old blog this past weekend and found an unpublished post from over 9 Years ago. After reading this post, I felt like it did need to be published so here it is.
___________________
Aug 2008
As I was running the other day I had thoughts about my dad's battle with cancer. It became our battle as our family prayed and waded through that time with him.

It is something that you would never wish on anyone but something you wish everyone understood.

I thought about the hours on my knees as I watched my hero grow weak. It is true that if we are willing and humble in our sorrow we come to know Heavenly Father and the plan that he has and our purpose in this mortality.

I recently talked to a friend who has a family member who is undergoing treatments. The statistics are good for his type of cancer and recovery is within reach.

In a way cancer can be a blessing to those who recover. To those who have walked in the shadow of death it can lead to deepened understanding to enjoy life in a much richer, enlightened sense.

I pondered what I should say to others who were facing the battle that I once faced with someone that I loved.

It would be this:

Don't avoid the "lasts", and treat every occasion and day like the last. Drink it up and memorize every moment. I felt ashamed at times when I wanted to bring out the camacorder (that will tell you how old this post is) or talk about things because I didn't want to seem like I had lost hope. But the times that I pushed past that feeling are those that I am most greatful for.

I am greatful for the moments when I did talk about death with my dad. I found that after the time came when the mortal barrier was crossed, I repeated every word in my mind from him from those conversations. I am greatful that my sister pushed past that feeling, of not wanting to show loss of hope, and insisted on family pictures. Now we all cherish those. I wish I would have had him write a little note to my children, something that they could have from their grandpa that was intended just for them.

I believe that preparation does not deter hope or faith rather it strengthens it and shows the Lord that we have faith in his judgement and that we are agents unto ourselves. It is a win, win situation to savor the goodbyes and to document those occasions that may be the last. If a person who is facing death prepares for death but beats their illness, they get to still benefit greatly from the fruits of their preparation. And they will get the blessing of the sweetness of getting a second chance after their preparation for death. And if death does come they are more, even if only a little, at peace when their sickness has its greatest fury knowing that they have spoke their love to family and friends.

There shall be no disputations among you.(Election chaos)

This is not a political post about any candidate but an observation about current political processes and about how we can protect ourselves from being swept away in the contentions that accompany them.

One of the first things Christ did after appearing in the America's is tell them that there should be no disputations among them. 

This may seem insignificant but if you consider that Christ is probably teaching the most important principles first, knowing the people would get weaker as the day wore on, then this takes on new meaning. Christ never seemed to do anything nonstrategically.

Christ telling his people not to be stirred up in anger against one another is also significant considering what he had just been through in the last few days, which were also the last days of his mortal life.

He was an innocent man, the most innocent of mankind, but became a political target to the Sanhedren.

The Jewish leaders stirred up the hearts of the people with terrible lies and strategy. Ultimately average people turned into ill-informed mobs who crucified their Savior and master. I wonder what he must have felt as he had just endured the pains of the atonement and looked down into to the faces of the angry crowd for whom he had just atoned. 

Even lynch mobs always, believe their cause is just, in the moment.

An angry crowd ill informed, with contention in their hearts is a powerful tool for Satan. An angry crowd that believes what they are doing is right, is dangerous when they act out of anger and ask questions later and act together. 

We are seeing this today with these mobs online. It is easy, actually human nature to be swept away in it. The anger, like the scripture says, begins to stir within our hearts. We feel as if it is our duty to stand up but there is a difference in standing and defaming. There is a difference in speaking up and tearing down. There is a great difference, and the greatest difference is not what happens to owr opponent but what happens to our own heart. 

It  is currently one week before the 2016 elections and it has been an ugly year. Again, this is not a political post about any candidate but an observation about the process and about how we aren't much different than the people in Christ's time at all.

I have watched the contention. I have even felt feelings of anger build in my chest as I have read discussions. I am reminded of the scripture below that Christ taught the Nephite people.

"For verily, verily I say unto you, he that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another. Behold, this is not my doctrine, to stir up the hearts of men with anger, one against another; but this is my doctrine, that such things should be done away." (3 Nephi:29-30)

I understand the need for checks and balances. I understand the need for both sides. But the truth has become obsolete. What does it look like? Everything we read now has to be triple checked for facts and credibility because all sides are using trickery and then it should be put through a mental filter for bias "Do I think this is true because I want this to be true?"

Once you do speak kindly and turthfuly for right principles you can expect that not everyone will do the same back. 

I grew up with a hard working politically minded father who often held opinions that were different than those around him. I can't even begin to count the lectures I sat through as he taught me over and over again not to judge people. He believed strongly in people's rights and in their right to express opinions. He was passionate about allowing others to believe differently than he did.  How grateful I am for those lectures. I didn't realize that toxic environment he would prepare me against. 

I learned that although reputation may be tainted by enemies, character, which is much more valuable, is an inside job and can only by undone by our own actions. No matter what an opponent or opposing view says about us, our character will remain in tact if we remain true and upright to who we are.

If you for get who you are even for one discussion once the dust settles and the discussion passes, you may not have to live with the people you've burned but you will always have to live with yourself and the things you have said that were for perhaps "a good cause" but for a poor end.

• Triple check facts
• Mental filter for bias
• Be kind
• Be truthful
• And when all else fails and no one else does the same, be true to your own character. It is all you can control and it is all that matters.  

A Light in the Darkness

Moms do you feel it? The shift in the air? Mom's of boys (and girls) do you see it? The darkness that is continually clawing its way towards our precious children? I don't mean to be a doomsdayer but I feel it. I'm seeing it. I taste it. Every where we go it is there.

I laid down in bed the other night and I was tired. Tired of fighting a host greater than the darkness outside my walls that was seeping in ever so unyielding in every moment. I began to cry and pray and plead with my Father in Heaven. I feel like I am fighting such a large and powerful enemy that has control of media, government, entertainment and policy, and looks down on me narrowly. The darkness is so encompassing. It has control of billboards, commercials, games, social persuasion and although we avoid these things as much as possible they still knock and they call.

Again. I was pleading with the Lord against the darkness to spare my children against the flood of our time. After what seemed a while in my tears I heard a voice in my mind.

 "I am the light and the life of the world;" It was the words of Christ.

It was a verse I had studied in Sunday School preparation. More specifically 3 Nephi 11:11. Right after the destruction of the Nephite people and 3 days of darkness it was the first thing Christ said as he had appeared to them. As I had studied this I was in Awe. I wondered why Christ chose these words as the first words he said to this people after he descended from heaven that he was "The Light".

Now praying in the darkness of my room against the filthy darkness at the door that seemed to want to swallow my family whole I understood something that happened millennia ago that transpired between a deceased people and their glorified king.

The Nephite people had been trapped in darkness for 3 days. After such horrible calamities of fire, whirlwinds, earthquakes they could not light a fire so thick was the darkness. They could not find the bodies of their dead under rubble. They could not see their babies, their elderly or their loved ones. So thick was the darkness. They were alone in a way that they had never been before. What a contrast to finally see when the light did come.  What a contrast and what relief and even Joy they felt. When Christ descended and said "I am the Light." They understood what that meant in a way that we can hardly understand. They now knew darkness and so they understood the balm of the Light.

As I lay there I understood as well as I felt the darkness as if it was some physical thing clawing its way towards my family. The Light. Christ is the Light that casteth out the darkness.

They that are with us are greater than they that are against us. It seems like an insurmountable task to protect my littles from these influences that plague the last days but when you have the power of light on your side you have nothing to fear.

In Church today the speaker shared D&C 6:34 "Fear No, little flock do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock they cannot prevail."

These are the last days. We are in the midst of a terrible battle between good and evil. As mothers we are the Chief Captains. Our forces are strong but they need our guidance. Our little children (and big) need us to be intune. They need us to do the small and simple things of the gospel- scripture study, prayer from the heart, church attendance, simple acts of charity and obedience. Those are the things that will fill our lamps with oil that we may prepare against the darkness. As the mists canker and plague our path we can hold to the word of God and let it guide us against the fingers of scorn and the thick error that blinds us. We can win each battle, we can win this war. Those who are with us are greater than those who are against us. With The Light, our Savior and Master on our side, the Maker of the Earth beneath our feet we will not fail.

Fear not little flock.

When the Light of the World is on our side we will prevail!

An open letter to the mom of twins at the grocery store.

To the mom with baby twins at the store:

I see you in the store. Tired. Fighting hard to get a cart with a double seat because you know it is your only chance to shop if you get it. Most people don't think about those double seats.

I know what you are thinking.

You see the mom with one child and you think how easy it looks. She smiles. She has time to laugh, play with her munchkin, enjoy shopping and even price match.

You feel like you are in a constant tangle with little hands and you do it on half empty, with your head slightly buzzed from lack of sleep.

I see you.

I know you don't see me. You are afraid to make eye contact. You don't want to be judged. Or you may not want to hear one more person say "It looks like you got your hands full." or "Are they identical?" That would slow your shopping trip and your children will only last a moment before one poops, one cries, one screams or all of the above or even all of the above times two.

To you I look like just another gawker. Someone adoring your sweet, little, messy faced twins. But I am only remembering my own. I won't stop you, I won't talk to you, I am just thinking...

Good job mom.

Imaginary fist bump from one twin mom to another.

You did it today.

They are breathing, you are breathing. Good job

You were never meant to be perfect. In fact, it is just the opposite. We are meant to be flawed, but to show them how to be flawed and still function and move forward day after day.

Good job mom. You are a champion. It is hard, and the only other people who understand how hard are other twin moms who have fought the same battle.

It does get easier I promise. It is hard to see now. You feel like you should be grateful for these days but they are so tiring that you can't even enjoy them most of the time and you feel guilty about that too. Its okay.

They do become friends. You get to sit outside their door at night and listen to them talk when they don't know you are listening. You see them defend each other on the playground. You'll see them hurt inside when the other one is hurt, its sad but also strangely magical.

Right now you feel guilty because you can't give either one of them "all of you". You feel like they are getting cheated out of having all-the-attention of their mom when as babies that should be their right, but they have to share you.

That is true.

But there is also something else- They get something precious instead.

Even when you are gone they will have each other. The relationship that bonds them in infancy is unique, lasting and protective. It expands and continues into something incredible. It's their relationship as a twin. Their love for each other will last even past you.

Their little battles that they face every day, the fighting over the same toys, for example. It is tiring, but the truth is they learn negotiation and relationship skills as infant twins that most people don't learn in an entire life time. It takes most of us several years of marriage to learn skills that a twin masters while they are young.

Their relationship-crash-course is intense. It is hard on the mom and sometimes hard on them but the rewards are incredible, real and long lasting. They learn to love, to share, and to be apart of a unit instead of just existing from the very beginning. As humans we thrive when we are apart of something bigger then ourselves. Twins are that from the day they are born. More than just themselves.

Good job mom.

You are making it.

One foot in front of the other. You can do it!

One day you to will be pushing an empty cart, in a grocery store while watching a mom of twins. Your double seats will be empty while not fighting what seems like a sea of hands that grab unwanted items or provide endless distraction.

You won't be judgmental, because somehow twin motherhood seems to drag all that out of you, you will instead watch with wonder.

You will think...

 "Wow! Did I really do that? How in the world did I make it?"

"That mom. She is doing awesome. Good job mom. You're making it!"

"Imaginary fist bump. From one twin mom to another."

40 Years Old- 40 families, $40,000 and some...

40 years old- Serving 40 families and raising $40,000!

Since I have started doing "birthday acts of service" my anticipation of my birthday has completely changed. Before I started doing this I had stopped celebrating my birthday, all except for running my birthday years in miles- which I really looked forward to each year.

Once I hit 38 however, and had a severe running injury and couldn't run my birthday years (and those miles were getting pretty high anyway) I found that I dreaded the approach of my birthday until decided to do "acts of service" instead. (See the first post here it was awesome)

They had to be acts that I would do outside of my normal routine. As a mother of young children, or just a mom in general, your day is service from the moment you wake until you go to sleep. I wanted to look a little deeper however, into the needs of those around me and serve more. I think the thing that surprised me, and continues to surprise me the most about doing this is that Heavenly Father wants to bless me in my efforts to serve others. He definitely puts people in my path and is willing to funnel the opportunities my way. It makes me wonder if he is always willing to do this and I am oblivious to it or if this is a special birthday present he is giving to me, I don't know.

I also know that in publishing my good works on the house tops (via the blog-o-sphere on the internet or whatever) I am voiding my blessings in the heavens perhaps, but I have felt that it is okay to share these posts. I do not normally share my good works and consider them sacred but I have felt validated to share most of my experiences with this here and so I will share those that I feel comfortable sharing which are not all of them.

Since 40 is a special year I decided to do things a little differently. I made two major goals and I started several months in advance. Instead of just "acts of service" I wanted to:

• Raise $40,000 for a cause
• Help 40 families

First, I wasn't sure how to raise the money or what to raise it for. After I made the goal I thought "Why in the world did I make that goal?" I immediately felt the weight of it and I wanted to back out. Despite my fear I decided to look up causes, grants and fundraisers. I wasn't sure if it was possible but I thought if it was possible for me to do it somehow then the Lord would provide. 

As I was researching, I was approached by a city council member who asked if I would help write a grant for our city which was to go towards preventing Chronic Disease in the community. My mouth started to water. It was right up my alley. The grant writing and process could not have been more crafted toward my talents and skills. Many women read fashion or pop magazines for fun. For me reading about public health and epidemiology or how disease affects populations is fun. Writing a grant for something like this was what I considered diverting. 

I got to work and studied the models they required. I did some research and wrote the grant. In writing the grant at one point, actually at the end, I had a very spiritual experience that I will not share here but I believe it changed the course of our grant and actually made it so that we were one of the 4 cities awarded the grant. In the end, the grant was awarded and the city was awarded a quarter million dollars which far exceeded my goal of $40,000. I owe 100% of its success to the Lord. 

The facts that first, I was looking for the opportunity. Second, the city council member knew to ask me. Third, I had a clear spiritual experience in the process and last we received the grant, are all are big indicators to me that the Lord had a strong hand in every part of this. I was grateful to be basically the "little guy" who was part of the orchestra of factors at work. 

The next goal, the 40 families. Again I started to look for opportunities in advance. This was much different than doing "small acts" like I had done in the past. To help entire families became daunting and I wondered what I had gotten myself into.

Even if I were to give each family a measly $10 it would have ended up to be $400 by the end, something we cannot afford to do at this time. Needless to say I had to be creative.

I prayed about what to do and found Tuckers Totes. This is a wonderful organization, which you should look up on facebook. It is founded by the parents of a little boy who died in a tragic accident. The parents were at his beside at the hospital for several days not wanting to leave. Because of this they went without several basic necessities. In his name they now donate kits that are similar to hygiene kits; complete with double toothbrushes, hairbrushes, treats, games, soap etc. They donate these kits to primary children's hospital to give to families who are in similar circumstances. I recruited the young women's organization in my ward to help me assemble these but because of delays in timing we did not make the deadline for my birthday. We will assemble these in October. So those are yet to come and the activity is planned. I did not count these towards my 40 families.

Other opportunities began to flow, people asking for help with projects, families in need, baby sitting opportunities, meals to take to families, people in need that didn't having housing who stayed with us, they all seemed to come. It is amazing to me. It is like the Lord, again, funnels them my way. Normally in my sleepy state of living I would not recognize these awesome opportunities but I jumped on the chances that I received.  

Sitting down a couple of nights before my birthday, however, I listed all the families that I had helped in the past few weeks and I was still several families short. I wasn't sure what to do but I had a very clear impression that the Lord would provide. The morning of my birthday I was still short several families and went in to talk to my mother-in-law. She mentioned that she had several names for sealings that she needed done at the temple. They were 3 cards over the number of families I needed. I figured that was my answer. 

Jared and I went to the temple that night and unfortunately on the way Jared realized he forgot his clothes. Payson temple doesn't have a laundry service and they don't rent out clothes. I felt a little heart sick. Here I had this goal and I was so close but we were almost there and the temple would close before we could return and do the full names. I decided we would do initiatories (which would not give us enough) and I would hand in the names and ask that they give them to someone else to do. As I gave the cards to the woman in the temple at the recorders office she looked at me strangely. She wondered why we didn't just do them ourselves our next visit. I told her I wanted them done today and told her about my birthday wish of helping 40 families and how handing these in would fulfill that wish. 

She went behind the counter and grabbed a card that she gave to Jared so that he could get some clothes downstairs. 

Aha! A super secret special card! Who would have thought! 

He was able to get some "super secret special" clothes that they only lend out on special occasions and we were miraculously (in my book anyway) able to do the sealings! The Lord would provide!

I had not looked at the names that my Mother-in-law had given to us but some of the women were names where I had done the baptism, confirmation, and endowments and here I was finishing with the sealings and even sealing them to children! It was awesome!

At the end of the day I read special birthday wishes, comments and thoughts from people on facebook; many of which I still haven't been able to respond to yet. I laid down for the night and thought "If I die tomorrow, I've lived a life worth a thousand good lifetimes. I feel loved. I'm loved by friends, loved by family, loved by the Lord and even loved by people on the other side."

I was happy not to spend my day at fancy restaurants (even though I did go to lunch with my sisters at Olive Garden, which was awesome) or even with fancy gifts.

It is a strange paradox- When giving you HAVE everything. How is that possible? There is some law of the universe or should I say of heaven that seems to make this true. The more you give the more you receive.

Again ending with the same scripture in which I always end these birthday posts... 

Matthew 10:39 

He that findeth his life shall lose it; 

and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.  

King Noah's Greatest Mistake (Teaching kids about the importance of friends)

Choosing Friends
Driving home from my mom's house the other night I started talking with my boys about the account of King Noah. I realized how much this story applies to my children right now in their lives while choosing and making friends. Then after writing most of this post I realized it wasn't only about my kids, it was also about me, and my choice of online media that acts as "my friends"in my environment.

It isn't just a story about how an entire people was led to near destruction or about how a wicked king killed a prophet of the Lord but it is a story about choosing friends and how these friends can not only influence the course of our lives but also our path into the eternities.

One of the first things that Noah does as King is releases his fathers righteous priests and puts in wicked priests. So in other words, he surrounds himself with wicked friends. This is King Noah's "greatest" mistake. 

King Noah
There are few figures in the Book of Mormon that are as wicked and looked down on as much as King Noah. Against his full knowledge of the gospel he not only led himself into an unrighteous path but he also brought his entire people down to a lower level of sin and near physical and spiritual destruction. He murdered Abinadi, tried to murder Alma and 450 of his own people who fled with Alma into the wilderness and commanded his men to abandon their wives and children to die in the face of the Lamanite army. So as a coward, a wine biber, and as a man who sought only his own desires why would I suggest that his greatest mistake was his choice of friends?

...Because sometimes there are choices that we make early on which can influence future choices that have greater price tags...and these later choices can be even more critical to our salvation. 

Some choices influence other choices
Our choice of our environment, for example, is important because our environment often seeps into our souls and into our thoughts and influences who we are. Part of this environment is our friends. Another part of this environment is the media we consume. Even our online social media environment influences who we become and can become a "thief of thoughts". It can be said that you can control your environment you can often control yourself.

Notice I didn't say King Noah's greatest sin was his choice of friends. He committed sins that were far graver than this, but it could be possible that his greatest "mistake" was indeed his choice of friends. One of the first things that we read that he does as king is replace the priests of his father with his own bad friends. These new priests lived just as wickedly or worse than he did. (Mosiah 11:4)

There was one faithful moment after Abanadi had prophesied boldly where King Noah actually wanted to let Abanadi go. He had remembered the words of his own father and he feared to words of Abanadi.  Because King Noah had surrounded himself with bad friends, however, he caved to their pressure and pleadings to not let Abinadi go and King Noah killed a prophet of God instead. This sealed a far worse fate for himself than living in sin and lead him down a even darker road than he had known before. (Mosiah 17:10-13)

In the end, he died in the same way he condemned Abinadi to die which was by fire and at the hands of his people. Think how differently his life might have turned out had he kept his fathers priests and if he had surrounded himself with righteous friends instead. (Mosiah 19:20)

There was a time where I was more competitive in marathon running. It is a well known fact in endurance athleticism that if you want to be the best you need to practice with the best. It took a lot of effort to find and run with people that I knew would make me better. I think the same applies to those that we choose to be around. We are our best selves when we surround ourselves with those who bring out the best in us and expect the best from us. King Noah's greatest mistake was that he chose to silence the good voices around him and instead fed and surrounded himself with those that in the end brought him the most pain.

So to my children I ended with "Run with the best to be your best." Surround yourselves with good friends. That does not mean to neglect or ignore people who make bad choices but it takes great effort to find and keep friends who are good. Don't let your choice of friends end in some of your greatest mistakes instead choose friends who will boost you upwards and lead you a long a path of goodness and light. 

The plan-simplified.

I have some thoughts.

There can be no joy without self mastery
     There can be no self mastery without agency
          There can be no agency without choice
                 There can be no choice without opposition
                         There can be no opposition without the law

This plan is AWESOME!

It is mind blowing that what sets us apart from the other elements of the universe is agency.

(2 nephi 2:11 corresponds with this.)