“If the foundation of faith is not embedded in our hearts,
the power to endure will crumble.”
-Henry B. Eyring
From that quote, I picture two distinct images in my mind.
First I see an image of a coal power plant. As coal is taken
to and burned at a plant, it generates electricity. We can then use that
electricity to power everything from lights, to computers, to even cars now.
These things help our lives move forward.
Faith is power. To generate that power, we need to add
elements to our lives such as meaningful scripture study, mighty prayer, and
purposeful service. As we let activities like those burn within our souls, they
change us and generate faith. Faith is the power—the energy source that
motivates us to keep moving forward and endure to the end.
Second, I see an image of a foundation, and this is the
image that President Henry B Eyring writes about. In order to have a strong
foundation, there must be solid ground underneath. Next you pour the
foundation, and after some curing time, you have a strong foundation.
In building a foundation of faith, the only way to have
solid ground underneath is to have personal integrity. The actual foundation is
then poured as a mixture of different elements. Meaningful scripture study,
mighty prayer, and purposeful service would all be good faith-building elements
in that mixture. Next there must be a
passage of time to let the mixture harden, which allows the foundation to be
strong. Faith takes time to solidify in our souls. Remember, it is letting the
right elements have time to solidify, and not the passage of time alone that
creates a foundation of faith.
I’m grateful for Elder Eyring’s April 2012 conference talk entitled
Mountains to Climb. It has given me
two images in my mind that remind me how important faith is in our lives to
help us endure to the end and to help us in a world of changing values stay
steadfast and immovable.
It is much more cost
effective for insurers to try to stop disease before it occurs than it is for
insurers to treat disease after it occurs.
Not only is it cheaper to prevent than to cure, doing so
improves the quality of life people live. If you’re healthy you tend to stay
out of hospitals, have more energy, and don’t get diseases like heart disease
and diabetes. Unfortunately, we live in a society that excels at disease care
more than actual health care—protecting and caring for your health. It’s easier to treat symptoms than it is to actually deal with underlying issues. However, with this
method you just move from one fire to the next, and never extinguish the actual
source of the problem.
Employer Physical
In order to encourage healthy habits, reduce healthcare
costs, and improve individuals quality of life, my employer has a program that offers its employees $50 for getting a mini physical and another $50 for being
healthy according the metrics they measure. If you are deemed unhealthy in a
category, there are financial incentives to improve.
I went in on August 30, 2012, for my physical.
I was sure that I was going to get the $100 prize because I felt healthy. My
results were as follows:
*Posting this info is probably a HIPPA violation on myself.
Oops. :)
They weren’t worried about body fat. 13% is their target
goal for that. What they were worried about was my HDL Cholesterol level. HDL cholesterol
is good cholesterol which helps prevent heart disease by cleaning your arteries.
It keeps plaque from building up and sticking to the artery walls. The goal
there is 40 mg/dL.
Because of my levels of HDL cholesterol, I was not going to
get the full $100 because I was putting myself at risk for heart disease. I may
not have received the full incentive, but I did receive the motivation to make
some changes.
Changes
In order to improve HDL cholesterol, it’s important to exercise
regularly, and to eat fruits and vegetables.
It takes months to see results with HDL cholesterol because your blood composition
has to change.
Fixing my exercise schedule won’t be too hard. My goal is 30
minutes of moderate exercise 4 days of the week. I was really good at this up
until March, when I hurt my left leg and right foot. They’re mostly better now
though. I have home equipment, and I bought a pass to the gym. Exercise can be
fun if you find the right activities. If you find the wrong ones, it’s torture.
Luckily I love to swim, run, and lift moderate weights.
Fixing my diet is going to be the major challenge. I love to drink milk, Capri Suns, juice, and other sugary
drinks. I love to eat high sugar foods like ice cream and fruit snacks. I love
to eat higher fat foods like sandwiches smothered in mayo and cheese. In fact, I've always joked that my cheese addiction is what would kill me. It was funny
because I never believed it. Now it’s not so funny.
For the past week, I’ve made an effort to improve my
consumption of fruits and vegetables by focusing on each meal.
For breakfast, I made a lot of whole grain waffles and froze
them to make them more convenient. I eat those waffles loaded with fruit, like
blackberries, blueberries, and strawberries—no syrup. With that I will have a
small glass of orange juice, and a small glass of milk. Other days of the week,
I’ll have one bowl of Cheerios, one piece of toast with low-fat peanut butter,
a banana, and a small glass of orange juice.
For lunch, I still have sandwiches. However, instead of
loading up on cheese and mayo, I load up on vegetables; Green peppers, yellow
peppers, tomatoes, avocados, and red peppers piled up high on whole wheat bread. As sides, instead of fruit snacks and a Capri Sun, I have carrots, craisins, nuts, and
water. I have to say that I like the new lunch more than I thought I would.
For dinner, I make two weeks worth of meals every other
Friday afternoon and then freeze them. The meals have a small portion of low
fat meat, like chicken or fish, a lot of vegitables, and some whole
grain rice or pasta.
With fruits and vegetables, the saying is 'five to stay alive, but nine is divine'...
Resources
Some of my favorite health resources that have been inspiring me as I start this journey are:
Well Steps -https://www.wellsteps.com/
- Well Steps is a company that does health consulting for companies. Its
president is Steve Aldana, who was a BYU professor until 2007. The company has
a book I love to read called The Culprit
and the Cure that explains current health research in an easy to understand
and apply way.
I’m really making an effort, so hopefully all of these
changes will result in high HDL cholesterol levels. I really get scared when I think about a heart attack, a stroke, or diabetes. I’m excited to have another
physical in 6 months. Bring on the results because I’ll be ready!
In Matthew 26, Christ is with his Apostles eating a Passover
feast. As they eat, Christ tells the
disciples that one of them will betray him. They are all very sorrowful and
every one of them asks, “Lord is it I?”.
I've always been drawn to the question “Lord, is it I?” because
it invites personal reflection and taking an inventory on your life.
Revelation can be cultivated abundantly if we are mentally
clean, are physically clean, have pure intent, are obedient, and place
ourselves in righteous environments.
Revelation can’t be grown if we are haughty, prideful,
conceited, or arrogant, if we let emotion rule our lives, or if we seek praise
or recognition.
From either of these lists, “Lord, is it I?”
To be mentally clean, am I actively trying to learn and
grow, or am I content to watch hours and hours of Netflix each day? What types
of material do I fill my mind with?
Is my physical environment disorganized keeping my thoughts
cluttered, or am I organized and clean in an environment where I can more
easily receive revelation.
How obedient was I this week? Did I actively read scriptures
to learn, or did I read just to mark something off my list? How were my
prayers? What did I draw from church this week? Did I go to institute?
What did I do this week, solely for attention or praise from
others?
What are my motivations? Why do I do what I do?
Do I do things for others, or mainly for myself?
Of course, with each inventory you take, the central
question moving forward becomes “How can I improve going forward?”
As we humble ourselves and make needed corrections, we
become ‘fertile soil where spirituality grows and produces the fruit of
inspiration. This gives us divine power to accomplish what needs to be done.’
16 And
also, ye yourselves will succor those
that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto
him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the beggar putteth
up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.
17 Perhaps
thou shalt say:
The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and
will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he
may not suffer, for his punishments are just—
18 But
I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to
repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth
forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.
19 For
behold, are we not all beggars?
Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which
we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all
the riches which we have of every kind?
24 And again, I say
unto the poor, ye who have not and yet have sufficient, that ye remain from day
to day; I mean all you who deny the beggar, because ye have not; I would that
ye say in your hearts that: I give not
because I have not,
but if I had I would give.
25 And
now, if ye say this in your hearts ye remain guiltless, otherwise ye are condemned;
and your condemnation is just for ye covet that which ye have not received.
26 And
now, for the sake of these things which I have spoken unto you—that is, for the
sake of retaining a remission of your sins from day to day, that ye may walk guiltless
before God—I would that ye should impart of
your substance to the poor,
every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the
hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their
relief, both spiritually and temporally, according to their wants.
27 And
see that all these things are done in wisdom and order;
for it is not requisite that a man should run faster than
he has strength. And again, it is expedient that he should be diligent, that
thereby he might win the prize; therefore, all things must be done in order.
-Mosiah 4:16-19;24-27
What does the Lord say here about giving among those who have
limited resources? He says they are guiltless if they can’t give much, so
long as they acknowledge that they would give more if they had more. You can’t
just say that and be excused from giving; your heart must truly believe it.
What does the Lord imply, and what can we infer about those
who have much? The Lord says the more you have, the more you should give,
whether that is of your time, your talents, your knowledge, or your resources.
Where much is given, much is required.
Is that what really happens in society today? Do wealthy
people actually give more of their time and resources?
I recently read a study published in the Journal of
Personality and Social Psychology entitled "Having
Less, Giving More: The Influence of Social Class on Prosocial Behavior". Shephane
Cote and Bonnie Hayden Cheng from the University of Toronto, and Paul Piff,
Michael Kraus, and Dacher Keltner from the University of California-Berkley
conducted the study. Their purpose was to examine how social class influences
prosocial behavior.
Researchers noted that lower classes have fewer economic
resources, fewer educational opportunities, less access to social institutions,
subordinate rank in society, increased stress in relationships, and more
violence in their homes. The poor attribute these factors as major reasons that
there are rich and poor people in the United States. Meanwhile the wealthy can
buffer themselves more easily from life’s disruptions by using their material
wealth and access. The wealthy are more likely to believe that the rich and
poor divide comes from internal traits and efforts. The poor orient to the
external social environment, while the wealthy to internal characteristics.
Because the poor orient more towards social environment, the
researchers hypothesized lower class individuals would be more concerned with
the needs of others relative to upper class individuals, and, guided by this
concern, would act in a more prosocial fashion to improve others’ welfare.
To test the hypothesis, the researchers performed four
experiments that would test generosity, charitable donations, trust, and
helping behavior.
The first experiment was designed to test the generosity
levels classes. One week prior to the experiment, the participants received an
email where they were asked to answer an online questionnaire about personal
information. The week between was designed to reduce the likelihood that the
questions would bias their actions during the actual task. The day of the
experiment, the participants began by completing tasks unrelated to what the
researchers were actually testing. The last task was the actual experiment. In
the last task, the participants were informed that they had been paired with an
anonymous person in another room. Participants were given 10 points and their
task was to decide how many of those points they wanted to keep for themselves,
and how many they would give away. Their partner would have no input, and the
responses would remain anonymous. Their cash payout for participating would
correlate with how many points they had at the end. Higher allocations to the
anonymous partner reflected higher levels of altruism because it represented
sacrificing their own material interests for the well being of another.
The researchers found
that, as predicted, lower class individuals allocated a larger portion of their
points to their partner than upper class participants did.
The second study was designed to test support for charitable
donations. Participants were manipulated by the experimenters into feeling they
were one social class or the other. After the manipulation, participants were
asked to allocate an annual salary into different spending categories including
food, housing, gifts, and charitable donations. Finally, participants were
asked to provide personal information including salary.
Participants induced to feel less wealthy believed that a
greater portion of income should go to charitable donations (4.65%) than those
induced to feel wealthy (2.95%).
The third study was designed to test trust among the social
classes. In this online study, participants first filled out information about
themselves. Each individual was then told they were being remotely paired with
another participant. The participant was told they had 30 points to allocate
between themselves and their partner. The points they gave to the partner would
then be tripled, and the partner would have to opportunity to give points back.
For this game trusting meant that one would be willing to allocate points to
their partner, despite the risk that their partner might night reciprocate.
As predicted, lower class participants allocated more of
their points to their partner in the trust game than wealthy participants did.
The fourth study was designed to test prosocial helping
behavior. For this test participants were secretly assigned to a neutral prime
or a compassion-inducing prime. The participants were told they would complete
a series of tasks with a partner. The first participant was told that the
second participant was running late, so the first participant was told to watch
a short video clip, and remember as much as they could for a memory test. The
neutral prime group watched a clip from the movie All the Presidents Men, while
the compassion prime group watched a clip on child poverty. After the video,
participants filled out the memory form. A second female actress would then
enter the room showing signs of distress. She would ask if she could still participate,
even though she was late. The moderator would say that she could, but that some
of planned tasks would have to be eliminated due to time. The moderator would
then hand the list of tasks to the participant, telling them allocate four
tasks to themselves and five to the female participant. The total number of
minutes each task would take was listed, and varied from task to task. The more
minutes each participant took on themselves, the more willing to help they were.
Participants induced to feel more compassion reported more
compassionate feelings, and exhibited more compassionate behavior in the study.
Compassion moderates the tendency for lower class individuals to express more
prosocial behavior than upper class individuals.
The conclusion of the study is that less affluent people are
more attuned to the needs of others because they are more dependent on others to
achieve their desired life outcomes. This makes them more aware of people in
their same situation. Affluent people can use their wealth and internal talent
to fortify them better from the storms of life, and are less attuned to seeking
out people who struggle. Affluent people aren’t intentionally stingier, they
just have to be primed to recognize problems and to see people struggling around
them. Once they are primed, affluent people are just as likely to give as less affluent
people.
What is the takeaway? Where much is given, much is required.
The Lord expects those with more to give more. If this doesn’t come naturally,
you can ‘prime’ yourself by putting yourself in situations where you see suffering
around you. Then you are likely to give because you realize you have been given
much.
Making Things Up
Again—A newly empowered Elder Cunningham sets out teach to teach the people
of Africa. All the people of Africa want to hear about is how to stop aids and
other tragedies they face. Elder Cunningham makes things about what the
scriptures say about curing aides, and other topics. This song is both crude
and doctrinally irreverent. Song 2/5; Offensiveness 5/5
Spooky Mormon Hell
Dream—After telling white lies about doctrine, Elder Cunningham feels guilty
but rationalizes that it is to help the people. Meanwhile, Elder Price is
reflecting on his life and the sins he has committed, including stealing a pastry
from his kitchen and lying about it, and abandoning his mission companion. He
has a nightmare about Hell. There is crude language. Song 4/5; Offensiveness
2/5
I Believe—Awakening
from his Hell dream, Elder Price recommits to his mission, and decides that his
only goal is to convert the warlord. This song is the most complex so far for
me to write about. It shares the feelings of a missionary who envisioned that
his mission would be perfect, and the internal struggle he feels when it doesn’t
always go that way. That is quite a relatable feeling that many missionaries
feel. There are many faith promoting lines, like ‘I must trust that the Lord is mightier (than
a warlord) and always has my back,’ ‘I believe that the Lord, God, created the
universe’, and ‘I believe that He sent His only Son to die for my sins’. I have
two problems with the song. First, the writers go out of their way to point out
some of our unique beliefs without providing any context. That way the beliefs
seem less rational. Kolob, blacks and the Priesthood, having planets, and the
Garden of Eden in Missouri are all in there. (On a positive note, there are no
references to polygamy. If that was in there, the writers would have hit all of
the major fringe doctrines.) Second, I have a problem with the assertion that a
Mormon just believes. Gaining a testimony is a lifelong process. Yes, there are
times when we have doubts, but if you’ve never doubted, and never struggled,
you won’t develop the faith necessary to sustain belief. People who just simplistically
believe are like those who build their foundations on sand. When the first rain
storm comes to challenge their beliefs, the foundation of their testimonies is
likely to wash away. Those develop a deeper faith by asking questions, and
finding answers through methods like scripture study and prayer are stronger
more like those who build their foundations on rock. Song 4/5; Offensiveness
3/5.
Baptize Me—Several
Africans agree to be baptized. This is a song Elder Cunningham and one of his
female converts sing to each other. All I care to say about this song is that
it is a double-entendre. Song 1/5; Offensiveness 5/5.
I Am Africa—The
newly successful missionaries feel a oneness with Africa. Song 1/5;
Offensiveness 0/5
Orlando—This song
is not on the soundtrack, so I have no idea what it is like. For plot movement,
this song is Elder Price being once again disappointed by his failure to
convert the warlord, and other failures throughout his life.
Joseph Smith American
Moses—The Mission President and other Church Leaders come to visit the
Uganda because of the success the missionaries have had. The African converts
put on a show about what they have learned about the church. This is supposed
to be the comedic high point of the show because of the African’s misunderstandings
about actual church beliefs, but it is too crude and doctrinally insensitive
for me to enjoy it much. The Mission President is stunned at the false
doctrine, moves the missionaries to other areas, and declares that none of the
converts are actually members of the church. Song 1/5; Offensiveness 5/5.
Hasa Diga Eebowai
(Reprise)—This song isn’t on the soundtrack either, but it is the main
female convert being sad that she is not actually a member of the church, and
will not escape Africa for Salt Lake City. Mad about what happened, the female
convert tells the villagers that Elder Cunningham was eaten by a lion.
You and Me (But
Mostly Me) (Reprise)—This song is also only in the musical. Elder Cunningham
is sad about the turn of events for his converts. Elder Price has an epiphany
about how what actually matters is ensuring that religion actually helps people.
The two fully reconcile as missionary companions and believers.
(Story break: The villagers convince the female convert that
Elder Cunningham had their best interest at heart by making up stories that
would give them hope in their daily lives, rather than the actual truth. She
forgives Elder Cunningham. Meanwhile, the warlord attacks the village. Elder
Price and Elder Cunningham return. Elder Cunningham claims he rose from the
dead after being eaten by the lion. The two missionaries drive the warlord out
of the village. )
Tomorrow Is A Latter
Day—The missionaries and the Africans come together and agree to work together
to improve the planet because, after all, we are all Later-day Saints. It
features the Africans serving as missionaries for the gospel they follow, which
seems to be some the distorted truth that Elder Cunningham taught. For a closer
of a musical, it had some good parts (the Hello Reprise) and some boring parts
(the rest). Song 2/5; Offensiveness 2/5.
Thoughts
The musical turns out to be rather sweet. It deals with the
importance of helping others no matter the circumstances of their lives, being disappointed
and finding motivation to carry on, and having hope for a better tomorrow.
However, there is no getting around the fact that this musical uses very crude
language and has some very crude plot pieces. The musical distorts our
doctrine, and is irreverent to stories and teachings that we hold sacred as
Latter-day Saints. If and when it ultimately
travels to Salt Lake City, I for one will not be in the audience.
Elder Holland, when speaking at Harvard, talked about the
musical briefly and said his response to those who had seen it would be, ‘you’ve
seen the musical, now read the book.’ He talked about how the church used the
publicity of the musical to promote the ‘I’m a Mormon’ campaign to people in
New York and other metropolitan areas.
The church’s official response read, ‘The production may attempt to entertain audiences
for an evening, but theBook of
Mormon as a volume of
scripture will change people's lives forever by bringing them closer to Christ.’
The Book of
Mormon does change lives. It does teach doctrines such as faith, baptism, and
repentance that, if lived, help people return to live with a God who loves them
deeply and personally. It does nothing but preach of Christ, his divinity, and
his mission. The stories in the book will change your life if you take the time
to study them, reflect on them, and apply their lessons. This is what I
Believe.
This is my review of the Book of Mormon Musical by Trey
Stone, Robert Lopez, and Matt Stone. These are the same people who created
South Park and Avenue Q, so you know this musical is bound to be offensive in
both crude and a doctrinal way.
Why would I want to listen to it then? First, The Book of
Mormon Musical is still the biggest hit on Broadway almost two years after its
debut. Thousands have seen the show, and tickets are still impossible to get.
Within the next few months a Chicago cast, London cast, and touring cast will
begin putting on the show. As more people see it, they may have questions about
the church. For many, this may be all they know about us. I think it is important
to know where they are coming from when that conversation begins. Second, a lot
of times I think as members of the church we over-react to criticism and jokes
about the church. (Not to say that there isn’t a line that can be crossed. I’m
looking at you Bill Mahr.) I think this comes from our background of being
persecuted as a church, having our members murdered and being driven from place
to place. To relate well to others in society, we need to be able to handle the
criticism and mockery better and to not take everything so personally, especially
when others don’t mean to be overly offensive. All this said, I don’t intend to
listen to this non-stop, memorize it, and embrace it as the best musical of all
times because I know that in parts it is crude and doctrinally incorrect. This
is purely for understanding.
Hello – This song
serves as the introduction the musical. It features missionaries ringing
doorbells and introducing people to the Book of Mormon. The song is up-beat,
innocent, and fun. It also gives positive introductions to the Book of Mormon,
saying the book is a most amazing book, a book about America a long time ago, a
book with awesome parts, a book that can change your life, a book of Jesus
Christ, a book with information you can really use, a book about eternal life,
and that the book is free. The song also introduces Elder Cunningham, a new
missionary who is somewhat dumb as to what we actually believe, but that is
obvious. There are two brief parts of the song that I dislike. First, they say
Jesus lived in the USA. It makes us seem crazy because the U.S. was formed in
1776, and Christ never actually lived here, he just visited thousands of years
before that. In the world there is one fold, and one shepherd. We believe he
visited people in the old and new world during his ministry. Second, in the
song several of the missionaries tell people to have fun in hell if they reject
the message. Setting aside our beliefs about the afterlife, seldom (hopefully never,
but missionaries aren’t perfect) would a missionary actually say that to
someone’s face. Overall I really enjoy this song as an introduction to the
musical. Song 5/5; Offensiveness 0/5.
Two By Two – In this
song, the missionaries at the MTC are assigned companions and areas of the
world to serve by someone that sounds like a game show host. It’s not quite how
that works, but it helps move the plot along more so than explaining the call letter,
and how companions are actually assigned. It captures how missionaries wonder
where they will go, and how they hope for fun locations before they actually
know where they’ll be. The missionaries are the soldiers of the Church of Jesus
Christ—of Latter-day Saints. The song is up-beat and enjoyable. Key to the plot
is Elder Price, the hot-shot know-it-all missionary is assigned to serve with
Elder Cunningham, the idot missionary. They will serve in Uganda. Song 4/5;
Offensiveness 0/5.
You and Me (But
Mostly Me)— This song is about the hope a missionary feels when he first
goes out. He hopes to change the world, and convert hosts of people. Elder
Price knows he is going to be a good missionary, while Elder Cunningham knows
he is not as good. Every hero needs a sidekick, and every captain a mate,
right? Song 4/5; Offensiveness 0/5
Hasa Diga Eebowai—Did
I mention this musical was written by the creators of South Park? Here is the
first evidence of that. Let’s just say that the title translates to something
that says the people of Uganda don’t care much for God. When bad things happen,
they curse God. It’s the only way for them to get through war, poverty, famine,
and everything else bad that happens. Having a saying makes is all seem better.
Yeah. This song is crude and offensive. It makes Africa seem like a terrible and
a backwards place. It uses crude and offensive language throughout. I would
have only given this song a 3 or 4 on the offensive scale, but the tribal
chants the last minute of the song shoot it straight to the top of the scale.
Song 2/5 Offensiveness 5/5
Turn it Off—This
is the District Leader teaching the new missionaries how to deal with disappointment,
but I’m pretty sure this song is only in there to attack the Church’s position
an homosexuality. ‘When you start to get confused about thoughts in your head,
don’t feel those feelings, hold them in instead’. When it is pointed out that
you’re okay with the church if you don’t act on those feelings, the song turns
into ‘keep it down, like a dimmer switch on low, because nobody needs to know’.
Just know that the church does not tolerate abuse whatsoever, thinks you should
be with dying family members instead of at the Apple Store, and knows that God
loves all of his children unconditionally, but expects chastity from all people
who are not married. Also, I feel bad if people are so simplistic that they
believe they can ignore problems and they go away. Part of the purpose of
prayer is understanding and accepting God’s will. Ignoring reality does not
draw you closer to God and does not enlighten you. If you really have to
struggle to understand an issue, that is when God can tutor you, and that is
when you grow the most. Song 4/5;
Offensiveness 4/5.
I Am Here For You—Elder
Cunningham tries to comfort Elder Price, who is discouraged because they haven’t
baptized anyone yet. Elder Price has doubts that they will, while Elder
Cunningham has faith they will, and that his dad will finally be proud of him.
Song 2/5; Offensiveness 0/5
All-American Prophet—This
song is all about Joseph Smith. It explains that he was a prophet who found the
plates, met with Moroni, translated the Book of Mormon, published and
distributed the book, moved west, and was ultimately martyred. The song is factually inaccurate, and does its
best to make the story seem untrue in my opinion. They go out of their way to
make it seem like Joseph simply started digging by a tree in his backyard to
find them. In reality, he was lead to them by the angel Moroni after other
miracles had transpired. God puts people where he needs them to be, so it is no
surprise that Joseph was near the plates. The major problem I have with the
song is that it repeatedly argues that Joseph refused to let anyone else see
the plates and even if it made people question him, and that that questioning was
what God was going for. Right in the front of every copy of the Book of Mormon,
there are statements from 11 witnesses that they saw the physical plates. Song
3/5; Offensiveness 4/5
Sal Tlay Ka Siti—An
African woman starts believing in the church because of the danger she faces in
Africa, and thinks that Salt Lake City must be Paradise on Earth. Paradise?
Maybe not, but I really like Salt Lake! It is interesting to listen to what the
woman believe Paradise would be like. This song is the most ballad-like of the
first act. Song 3/5; Offensiveness 0/5
Man Up- This song
leads into intermission and has a rock tinge. Elder Price is discouraged, and
requests a transfer to Orlando. He is sure the Lord has made a mistake on his mission
call. He also dumps Elder Cunningham as a companion. (As if that is how either
of those things remotely work! I’m sure a lot of missionaries wish that it were
like that though…) Alone, Elder Cunningham realizes that he must man up and be
the leader now. Song 2/5; Offensiveness 1/5
There was a rich young man who approached Christ and asked
what he needed to do to have eternal life. Christ answered that he needed to
not commit adultery, not steal, not kill, not bear false witness, not defraud
others, and to honor his father and mother—he needed to keep the commandments.
Encouraged, the young man replies that he has done all of
these things from his youth.
In reply, Christ utters one of the most chilling lines for
me in all of the scriptures—‘One thing thou lackest’.
Christ tells the young man to give all of his money and
possessions to the poor, and to come follow him.
The young man goes away grieved because he had great
possessions.
As members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day
Saints, there is much expected of us. We are to attend church each week, take
and magnify callings, study scriptures daily, pray always, raise faithful
families, give tithing, follow the word of wisdom, serve others, home teach, donate to the poor,
serve missions, share the gospel, live chastely, not swear, watch only
wholesome media, keep the ten commandments, repent, etc. . . There is so much
for us to do and to become.
What if we do all of those things, and we have our whole
lives? What if the Savior then tells us that there is still ‘one thing thou
lackest’?
Would I be able to sell all of my possessions to follow
Christ? How many of us would right now if asked? Would it be easy, or would it
be like begrudgingly giving a gift? (Which doesn’t benefit us—just ask Cain.)
I’m not sure I could right now. If I did, it would probably be difficult.
Is Christ just trying to keep us humble to let us know we
aren’t there yet? If riches and possessions don’t turn out to be a challenge
for you, is there another critical thing thou lackest? What do you need to work
on right now in order to grow closer to Christ and to eliminate another thing
thou lackest?
The disciples are astonished at Christ’s response. Christ
tries to clarify by saying that those who trust in riches will have a hard time
entering heaving. Despite the clarification, the disciples are astonished
beyond measure and wonder among themselves who can be saved.
I’ve wondered the same thing. Is there any of us who measure
up all the way? All have fallen short of the glory of God, and all of us sin. Are
there any of us who can be saved?
Ultimately, the answer is yes. It is through the atonement
of Christ that our very natures can change. In the exchange, the Savior tells
his disciples that with man this is impossible, but with God, all things are
possible. Looking at the world, and looking at my own life, the process of
change and perfection will take a long while.
The Savior closes this exchange with reassuring and
encouraging words to his disciples. He tells them there is no man that leaves
his house, or family, or possessions that will not receive an hundred fold in
the world to come.
Through the atonement, the gap will be bridged between what
we lack and what we need to be, as long as we endure to the end. With God all
things are possible. Every sacrifice, every effort to keep the commandments,
and every attempt to help others will be worth it in the end. God is eager to
bless us at every opportunity we give him—even if right now there is still ‘one
thing thou lackest.’
(Note: This is the talk I gave at Dad's funeral. He had all six of his kids speak, standing side-by-side at the podium.)
My Father was always a quiet
person, never wanting a lot of attention and never wanting people to know when
he was struggling. As visitors would stop by the last few weeks, he would
always, in his humble way, try to deflect attention from himself by insisting
to his guests that he was not special, and only attracted this attention
because of his disease.
Dad, to the people here, to
your children-- to me, you were special. My father is my hero because his
primary concern was for the welfare of others, never for himself, and he truly
loved his children.
1) Dad’s primary concern was
always for the welfare of others, and never for himself.
When I locked my keys in the
trunk at BYU, he would drop everything and come rescue me. When I crashed into
garage doors, trees, curbs, and even rolled a car, Dad was always the first one
there to rescue me. – More concerned about me than the property damage. (Lucky
for me.)
He was always the first to
volunteer for things in church. My first DI service experiences, cannery
experiences, and church cleaning experiences were all with him.
Dad owned a four-plex in West
Valley for a long time. He would spend hours and hours preparing those
apartments to be rented. Sometimes, to our amazement, people wouldn’t pay rent.
When a pattern emerged, some of us would want justice served, and people
evicted. My dad was the ever merciful one, forgiving debts and giving people
opportunities to make things right. The money was never his primary concern,
but making sure that people were okay was. Sometimes people would take
advantage of him, but that never changed his love for people and the compassion
of his heart.
A few years ago, several of
my friends caught Lance Armstrong fever, and decided to stage their own
tour-de-France event. Their course was from West Valley to my house here in
North Salt Lake, which in theory sounds good. They began their trek early one
morning, and things were going well until they hit the industrial part of North
Salt Lake, with it’s oil refineries. As they huffed and puffed through that
part of town, the smell started to make them a little sick to the stomach and
dizzy. Then they hit the hill. When they finally got to my house, they were all
exhausted and sick. It was my dad, who I’m sure didn’t know most of them, who
fed them, and helped nurse them back to health for their 20 mile trek home.
2) He loved his children, and he was always there
for us.
One of the things that gave
Dad his greatest satisfaction was building our house here at Eaglewood. In preparation
for the move, I switched schools. For me, the adjustment was rough—more than I
thought I could bear. It was especially hard for me at lunch time because I
came from a circle of close friends, but when I switched schools, I felt I was
all by myself. At a time where I was lonelier than I had ever been, he could
have told me to tough it out. He could have told me he was too busy building a
house to worry about this. He could have ignored my problem No. Instead, with
empathy –with love and compassion for me, he would carve time out of his busy
construction schedule to take me to lunch. As the clock approached noon, I
would wait for Dad’s attractive old red truck to pull into the parking lot.
Together, for almost an hour everyday, we would eat our sack lunches packed by
mom and simply talk to each other. I think that will always be my most
cherished memory of my father.
After Dad was diagnosed with
cancer 5 years ago, he would pray that he could be there for some of the big
occasions in our lives. He wanted to be here to see Crystals first child, Bryn
born, then to see Gavin born, then to see Troy and Kajsa have their first son,
Another one of those occasions he hoped and prayed to be there for was to be at
the airport to see me return from my mission. I will forever be grateful to the
Lord for his tender mercy in allowing Dad to be there to see me come home, and
the chance I had to spend some quality time with my Father before his passing.
His last time at church was
several weeks ago. I’m sure he was tired, and in pain, but without complaining
he came to hear me speak and report on my mission. He only had the strength to
stay through my talk, but that gesture meant everything to me.
Dad always told us that if we
remembered one thing about him, it was to know that he loved his children. Dad,
we know you loved us, and we will always love you too.
I’ve always been drawn to complex characters in literature.
I love reading about lives who have met with triumph and tragedy. I enjoy
reading about how people react to both, and how lives are shaped by
experiences. Will the righteous stay righteous? If they fall, will they rise
again? What lessons can I learn from both triumph and tragedy?
One story that has captured my attention again and again is
the story of David from the Old Testament. It is a complex story. Was he the man
who held ultimate respect for the Lord’s anointed, or the man who could not
respect another man’s wife? Was he the King who battled giants and lead Israel
to military victory, or the King whom the sword could never depart from his
house? Was he the beautiful poet, or the tragic lamenter? Was he ultimately a
righteous or a wicked man? All but Christ have fallen short of perfection and commit
sin. How are my successes and failures
like David’s? How are they not? Who was David really, and what lessons can be
drawn from his life?
The Story
David’s story begins with the Prophet Samuel when the Lord
tells Samuel that the current King, Saul, is no longer chosen. The Lord tells
Samuel to take a calf for a sacrifice to where Jesse’s family lives because one
of Jesse’s sons was to be the next anointed
king.
Jesse and his sons come to the sacrifice. Samuel first sees Jesse’s oldest son Eliab.
Eliab must have been the stereotypical oldest son—strong, good looking,
confident, and charming. Samuel was sure that Eliab was mean to be the next
king. However, the Lord told Samuel not to judge based on countenance, or
height of stature. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the Lord judges
based on the heart. Eliab was not meant to be the next king. Seven of Jesse’s
sons pass by Samuel, but none are chosen. Samuel asks Jesse if he has any more
sons, and Jesse confesses that he does. His youngest, David, is home watching
the sheep. Samuel has David brought to him. David is described as ruddy, which
is young looking. The Lord tells Samuel to anoint David as king.
Meanwhile, the spirit has departed from King Saul. Saul’s
advisors tell him he should bring in a musician to play music and soothe his
soul. David is summoned to play the harp, and ever loyal to one of the Lord’s
anointed, David comes to play. As David plays the harp, King Saul is refreshed.
The refreshed Saul heads off with his army to battle the
Philistines. A large, intimidating giant named Goliath challenges Israel and
says that if any in Israel can defeat him, the Philistines will become Israel’s
servants. Meanwhile David had gone home to shepherd. David’s father asked David
to bring supplies to his brothers on the battlefield. When David arrives, he
asks King Saul if he can fight Goliath. With the help of the Lord he had
already killed a lion and a bear. David knew the Lord would also deliver him
from Goliath. King Saul agrees and requests that David take armor into battle.
David declines believing that the Lord alone will be his protection.
When Goliath sees Israel has sent a young boy to fight him,
he is offended. David tells Goliath that the Lord is on his side, and soon all
of the Earth will know of Israel’s God. Goliath charges and David hits him
directly on the forehead with a stone, causing Goliath to fall to the ground.
David then takes Goliath’s sword and cuts Goliath’s head off. The Philistines
flee and Israel rejoices.
The people of Israel now revere and love David. King Saul is
jealous of the boy and tries to kill David with a spear. The attempt fails, but
now the Lord is completely withdrawn from Saul and is with David.
Repeatedly, Saul tries to kill David, but each attempt
fails. Even when David has opportunities to kill Saul, he won’t. David will not
harm or remove the Lord’s anointed, even when that individual has fallen into
sin and error. “Who can stretch forth his hand against the Lord’s anointed, and
be guiltless?” David trusts the Lords timing and knows that the Lord will
remove Saul when it is time.
The Philistines go to battle with Israel again, and they
wound King Saul. Rather than fall into their hands, Saul falls on his sword and
dies.
David first gains control of the house of Judah, while
Saul’s son Ish-bosheth rules over the other 11 tribes. Ish-bosheth is killed,
and David is finally anointed king over all of Israel at age 30. He would rein
for the next 40 years. As one of his first acts as King, they battle and
conquer the Philistines and reclaim the Ark of the Covenant.
David moves the ark to the Jerusalem, and establishes that
city as the capitol of Israel for the first time. He laments that the ark has
dwelt in a tent for so long, while he dwells in a palace. However, the Lord
tells him not to build a permanent temple for the ark.
Under David’s leadership, Israel continues to conquer and
expand. While his army is at battle, David decides to stay home. While he is
relaxing and enjoying the cool air on his roof, he sees Bathsheba bathing.
Rather than look away, he lingers and lusts after her beauty. David has his
servants bring Bathsheba to him, knowing full well that she was married to
Uriah. David and Bathsheba lie together.
Bathsheba finds out that she is pregnant, and a panicked
David tries to cover his sin. He has Uriah brought home from battle, and tells
Uriah to go home and be with his wife. Every loyal to his brothers at battle,
Uriah will not go home to his wife while his country is at war. David
understands, and sends Uriah back to battle with a letter for the captain. The
letter informs the captain to send Uriah to the front lines of the most deadly
battle. The captain sends Uriah to fight, and Uriah is killed. David takes
Bathsheba
as his wife, which
greatly angers the Lord.
The prophet Nathan visits David, and shares a parable with
him. In the parable, a man with many possessions and many sheep takes another
man’s only lamb. David is angry at the man in the story with much because of
his selfish action in taking from the man with little. Nathan tells David that
he is the man with much and prophecies that the sword will never leave David’s
house. David’s baby with Bathsheba would also die. Devastated, David rents his
clothes and begins to fast. Despite David’s fasting and pleading with the Lord,
the baby dies. David and Bathsheba conceive again and Solomon is born.
Meanwhile, David’s home life continues to fall apart. His
oldest son Amnon rapes his daughter Tamar. David does nothing, because he would
feel hypocritical due to his own sexual sins. David’s son Absalom kills Amnon
for the action.
Absalom then tries overthrowing his father. David is forced
to flee, and Absalom takes all of
David’s concubines and possessions. The parties loyal to Absalom and those
loyal to David prepare to fight, but Absalom is killed before that happens.
Sheba then tries to overthrow David, but he is unsuccessful as well.
Israel is then cursed with a famine. David numbers his
people, even though the Lord did not want this to happen. David is losing his
ability to hear God’s voice.
As David is about to die, he hears Adonijah is trying to
become the next king. David wants Solomon to be the king, so he brings Solomon
and the prophet Nathan to him, and has Nathan anoint Solomon as the next king.
David gives Solomon the advice to be strong and to always keep the commandments,
and then dies.
15 Lessons
The Lord looks on the
heart- David was small and looked young, while his brother Eliab looked
strong and more like what you would imagine a king looks like. However, David
was chosen as king. The Lord doesn’t judge us on our outward appearance. He
doesn’t care if we are tall or short, attractive or unattractive, eloquent or
not. The Lord looks on our inward characteristics. He cares if our thoughts are
pure, if we keep the commandments, and if we will serve our fellow man. Many of
those outward characteristics are things we can’t control, while the inward
characteristics are things we can work on and develop.
Friends- David’s
best friend Jonathan was one of his strongest allies. Jonathan would warn David
anytime Saul would head out to kill David. In life our friends can be our
strongest defense. They help shape our attitudes, opinions, and behaviors. They
are there to cheer us on when we succeed, and there to help us out when we
struggle.
Music- When King
Saul felt the Lord was distant, he brought David in to play the harp to heal
his troubled soul. When David’s soul was troubled, he wrote music to share his
feelings and to heal. There is power in spiritual music. Music can help us feel
the spirit, can enlighten our minds with new concepts and ideas, and can reenergize
us. The song of the righteous is a prayer unto the Lord.
Trust the Lord-
David trusted the Lord to deliver him from Goliath. He trusted the Lord’s
timing and would not harm the Lord’s anointed king, even when Saul tried to
kill him. He trusted the Lord to lead Israel in battle. We may not always see
the beginning from the end, but the Lord does. If we trust him, and stay
faithful to the commandments, he will help us fight and win our own personal
battles. To paraphrase a scripture—Trust in the Lord with all your heart. Doubt
not. Fear not. He shall direct thy paths.
What we see impacts us-
One of David’s great wishes was to build a temple to house the Ark of the
Covenant. He thought the Lord should have a house as nice as his own palace.
However, he was never permitted to build that house. The Lord said that was
because David had seen too much violence, war, and bloodshed to build a temple.
The Holy Ghost is and still, small voice, and is extremely sensitive. When we
see sin, or commit sins, we diminish our ability to feel the spirit and to act
on behalf of the Lord. This statement
from the Lord should give us pause when we consider the media we watch.
Be where you should
be/ Don’t stay idle- Rather than go to battle with his army, David stayed
home to enjoy a leisurely night relaxing on his roof, which lead to him seeing
Bathsheba bathing, and to adultery. When we are where we should be, the Lord
can bless us. When we have idle time and
aren’t where we should be, we can make mistakes.
Sin is made worse
when we try to hide it- David’s sin of adultery was bad, but it was made
worse when he tried to make Uriah look like the father, and even worse when he
had Uriah killed. To paraphrase another scripture--Behold, this is how you know
if a man repents of his sins; he will confess and forsake them. Hiding sin is the opposite of repentance. Also
by trying to hide the initial sin, one sin snowballed into another until David
had lost control.
Lust blinds- Lust
destroys our ability to reason. It made adultery, lies, and murder seem like
acceptable courses of action. Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly.
Anyone can fall if
they give in to their weaknesses – David was anointed by the Lord as a
leader, yet he still fell. Any of us can fall. We have to stay vigilant, and
repent when we make mistakes.
Sin incapacitates-
After David sinned, he felt he could no longer lead on spiritual things. If we
sin, we will likely feel hypocritical when trying to teach and serve others.
Sin also restricts our ability to feel the spirit.
Sin leads to regret-
David spent his who life regretting his sins. They were ever present in his
mind, which you can see from his psalms. In a similar way, our sins hold us
back and weigh us down.
Prayer- When
David finds out that his child with Bathsheba will die, he attempts to fast and
pray to change the will of the Lord.
However, prayer is less about changing God’s mind than it is about
aligning our will with his. Prayer is about understanding.
The character of man–
It is easier to think of people as purely good, or purely evil. However, this
is rarely the case. Every one of us has good and evil within us. If we put our
trust in man, we will always be let down at some point. We must understand that
everyone makes mistakes—friends, family members, Sunday school teachers, other
leaders—everyone. Thankfully the Lord allows us to repent. The only person who
will never let us down is the Lord. Put your ultimate faith and trust in him
and him alone.
Great leaders aren’t
always great role models- David was a great leader. He led Israel to
victory and claimed lands for the first time that had been promised to Abraham
1,000 years earlier. However, he committed adultery, lied, sinned, and had
problems with his family. His life isn’t the best life for us to pattern our
lives after. Similarly, we can think of today’s great business leaders or
entertainers. They may invent great things, be charismatic, have fans, earn
money, and seem to have it all. If they teach principles and fill their lives
with actions that oppose what God wants, then we should not pattern our lives
after them. That being said, there are lessons to be drawn from every life,
just choose your role models carefully.
Enduring to the end
– David did great things in his youth and early years on the throne. However,
his later years were filled with sin, bloodshed, and regret. If we don’t endure
to the end, then it is as if it all was for naught. The Lord will still bless
us for every good thing we’ve done, but he can’t give us the ultimate blessings
the Celestial Kingdom provides if we don’t stay faithful our entire lives.
The last thing that bothered me about David’s story had to
do with the omniscience of God. If God can see the beginning from the end, and
knows our characters so well that he knows the actions we will take, and knows
how each of our stories will play out, why did he anoint David to be king? He
knew David’s story would end with sin and the sword never departing his house.
I’ve thought about this a lot, and I think the answer has to do with what David
was anointed to be. David was not anointed to be the prophet, which would have
required exact obedience to all of Gods commandments at all times. There was a
chosen prophet in David’s time. David was anointed to be the King, and perhaps
the calling of a king required less exact obedience since he wasn’t the
spiritual leader. David turned out to be an extraordinary king. Under David,
all of the 12 tribes of Israel were united. For the first time Jerusalem was
set up as the capital of Israel, which was neutral land between the northern
and southern tribes. Under David’s leadership Israel expanded its territory and
conquered the lands that were promised to Abraham 1,000 years earlier. David
held off and pushed back against Israel’s enemies. David was a great king and a
great leader. It is for this reason that the Messiah would rein on David’s
throne. Had the Philistines not conquered Israel, Jesus’ step-father Joseph
would have been King of Israel, and then Jesus would have been the heir to the
throne. Through David Christ would have been the great secular king, and
through Heavenly Father he would have been the spiritual king.
So was David good, or was he evil? Certainly there are
elements of both in his story. David is complex. Ultimately his life is worth
studying, but he should not be our number one spiritual role model. The Lord
promised David that he would be delivered from the lowest depths of Hell, but
made no promise that he would ascend to the Celestial Kingdom. The good thing
for us is that we can learn from both the positive and negative elements of
David’s character.
Glen Birch Farnsworth was born in Salt Lake City, Utah
on May 17, 1943 to Eldred Birch Farnsworth and Cleone Marsh. He died in North Salt Lake, Utah
on June 10, 2007, five years after being diagnosed with cancer.
Glen was
raised in Magna, Utah,
and graduated from CyprusHigh School in 1961,
where he was active in athletics and student government. He maintained many of
those close friendships throughout his life.
During his young adult years, Glen enjoyed
playing softball, and participated in four all-church softball tournaments.
Glen graduated from the University
of Utah in 1966, and
began a 31+ year career with Utah Social Services.
Glen was married to his high school
sweetheart, Marcella Laurel Johnson, in the SaltLakeTemple on June 25, 1964. Glen and
Marcella had six children, including twin sons that died at birth. Marcella
died on May 28, 1980.
Glen married Mary Alice Baird (his
special angel) on March 6, 1982, in the SaltLakeTemple. Glen and Alice had two children.
Glen’s greatest joy in life was
raising his family, and watching his children succeed with their goals and
interests in academics, athletics, dance, music, and church activities. He was
very proud of their accomplishments and the honorable men and women they have
become.
He was a faithful member of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints throughout his life, and served as
the Bishop of the Taylorsville Utah West Stake 4th Ward. Glen found joy in giving to others, and had
an understanding heart.
The family would like to give special
thanks to Dr. Elizabeth Prystas, Kathy, Barbara, Sara, and all of the staff at
Wasatch Oncology Associates for their kind and compassionate care.
Glen is survived by his wife,
Alice, and children, Darin (Janet), Nicolette Johnson (Joe), Troy (Kajsa), Crystal Armstrong (Chris),
Bryan, and Michelle. He is also survived by 10 grandchildren and niece, Janet
Stevenson. He is preceded in death by his parents, wife, Marcella, twin sons,
Todd and Tory, and sister, Barbara Snow.
Funeral services will he held Thursday,
June 14, 2007 at 11:00 A.M. at the Eaglewood Ward Chapel (200 S. Eagle Ridge
Drive, North Salt Lake). A viewing will be held at Wasatch Lawn Mortuary (3401 S. Highland Drive, Salt Lake City) on Wednesday, June 13, 2007
from 6:00 to 8:00 P.M., and also at the Eaglewood Ward Chapel at 10:00 A.M.
prior to the services. The internment will be at ValleyViewMemorial Park.
Some things simply matter more than others. Those words have resonated with me ever since I first heard them uttered in relation to the atonement versus other gospel topics. I understand that life is short, and that I can’t do everything. I must choose who I am going to be, and just as importantly, who I am not going to be. I make that choice through how I spend my time
Let me give some background on how I decided who I wanted to be, and how I wanted to spend my time—the things that matter most to me. From 2005 to 2007, I was a missionary in the Washington Tacoma Mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. There I had many experiences that I would never trade for anything, and many I would. The first councilor in our mission presidency was President Anderson, and he was big on goal setting and achievement. He used a 9 box method. Each box represented a different category in his life, and for each category he would come up with a few items to be working on. I tried this approach numerous times, but it was hard to figure out nine categories with attached goals, and to remember them so I could work on them. It seemed a little overwhelming.
After a lot of drawing boxes, categorizing those boxes, refining those boxes, throwing the paper with the boxes away, and repeating the process, I decided I needed to simplify it a bit. I narrowed it down five things that I want my life to be defined by. For the alliterate type, I call them Farnsworth’s Five F’s. To me they represent the things that matter most—the things I want to spend my time and my efforts developing and pursuing. They are faith, family, friends, finance, and fitness.
Faith- If I had to boil my list down to the most important thing, this category would be it. My relationship with God is the single most important relationship I have. It is the most destiny-changing one. If I am faithful to God, keep the commandments, repent, and make covenants, I am promised everything God has can be mine.
Family- No success outside of the home can compensate for failure within the home. My family is my legacy. I need to teach them, to nurture them, and to love them so that we can all reach our potential and so that I can look back on my life and feel good about it. This category is forward looking, but also deals with my parents, siblings, nieces, and nephews.
Friends- When I look back on my life, I’m sure that I will define myself by the relationships I’ve had and maintained. My friends help life to be fun. They influence everything about me from how I spend my time, to what entertainment I watch, to what I think and feel and do.
Finance – In this category I lump saving, spending, and career. If you know me, you know this category is fascinating to me. I love to save and to see the power of compound interest working. I love to spend wisely. I spend a lot of my life working at my job, so I want it to be something I enjoy and that I feel is worthwhile.
Fitness- Last but not least is fitness. I believe that the quality of your life is directly impacted by your health. It is important to me to eat healthy foods, see doctors regularly, and to exercise. There is a lot of room for improvement here, but I recognize its importance.
Faith, family, friends, finance, and fitness are all very important to me. If something takes me away from or distracts me from them, then I don’t want to think it, waste time on it, or pursue it. These are the things that will define my life—they truly are the things that matter most...
