“Every Child is an artist. The problem is to remain an artist once you grow up” – Pablo Picasso

In our youth we had colorful ideas waiting to be shared with the world. We were so alive.  Did we let this side of us show?  Ws it stifled somehow?  Many things can close up our childlike openness.  Maybe we just denied it ourselves thinking it was what we need to do to “grow up”.

Claim your child, the artist, inside ofyou.  Do not be ashamed.  We each still have our unique artistic side living inside. The more we tap into that energy, the more color and joy we bring to others as well as ourselves.  Don’t be afraid to add color to life.  It is a choice, joy is a choice too.

Don’t hide from yourself and others.  Let your creative side open up your child inside.  Allow Heavenly Father to help you.  Claim the child inside of you.  Have the faith of a child.  “Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger.” (Ps 8:2)

When I Was 14........

I was already 4 months into my freshman year of high school.  My best friend and I both got new jeans and jean jackets for the new school year.  Mine was all black and his was all blue denim.  We were totally not cool, we were freshmen.  I was playing the violin in the school orchestra and the only county youth orchestra.  Pegged pants, neon laces, and Michael Jackson were cool.  I was a skateboarder and towards the end of winter I went snowboarding for the first time and loved it.  I fell a bunch and by the way, pegged pants are very hard to get off when they are soaking wet.  Snowboarding was still outlawed on the California side of Lake Tahoe so we went to the Nevada side and also to Mt. Reba/Bear Valley.

I did well academically except for a science class.  I had a crush on the teacher.  There was a senior in the class too.  She liked my skater hair cut and would flirt with me all class period.  I had zero flirting skills so it was exciting and extremely frustrating at the same time.  I would go home and think up cool things that I should have told her, but being hours too late to actually say them.  I should have been studying my science instead.

That summer after freshman year I was racing my buddy down  a steep hill.  I beat him, the got “speed-wobbles” and ate it.  I had so much road rash, I couldn’t walk.  I still have scars on my knees and both sides of my hands from that fall.  I was also shaving my face regularly – some sort of Norwegian super beard thing.  I was a terrible shaver, I have a huge scar on the side of my face to prove it.  I have to explain that dumb scar every time I get a new barber to cut my hair.  I started playing football (JV) and started in all the preseason games. I played right guard.  Then one day after learning “Ollie North”, I was skating home and broke my left ankle trying to Ollie over a drainage ditch.  I was on crutches the rest of the football season – physical therapy either wasn’t in vogue yet or it wasn’t part of my Mom’s HMO.  I’m still missing ligaments in that ankle and there’s a dime-sized bone chip floating around in there that locks up the joint from time-to-time.

My Dad was in and out of rehab during this time. I wish he had been around to tell me how proud he is of me and how much he loves me.  I really wish he would have taught me how to shave or maybe how to talk to girls.  He could have helped me rehab my ankle and even given me some training pointers to make me a better athlete.  He should have taken me to church so I could develop an “eternal perspective” on life and not be so anxious about being cool or fitting in with my peers. 

It was during this time that I began to develop the philosophy that I would be a good man if I was the opposite of my Dad.  If you know me, you might see how that didn’t work out well for me.  If you really know me, then you know how hard I tried to follow hat on my own.  If you know me now, you’ll know I am never alone anymore – Jesus is with me and I also have a good relationship with my dad.  We have an eternal perspective that can see beyond our failings big and small. 

If I could give that special, loved 14 year old any advice then I would start with Jesus and the Bible.  Faith comes by hearing the word of God, so go to church and be motivated to develop and eternal perspective of your own.  Don’t just go through the motions.  Read and study the Bible a little bit every single day.  Do it first thing every morning and night.  Talk about anything you want.  You do this and you won’t have to worry about girls or peers.  Study to get all A’s.  Public school is super easy.  If you have anything less than an A, just ask your teacher what you can do to bring it up or how to get an A.  They are there because they enjoy helping kids learn.  As for athletics goes, read the book “Supple Leopard.”  It’s a weird title, but it is amazing.  It would help in football, running, skateboarding, snowboarding, you name it.  You’re young, so learn to push yourself harder while you still can.  Life is all about experiences, but it’s also the on-ramp to eternity, don’t get lost in the worldly, fleshly things and miss out on the eternal.

I love you, buddy.

Grace & Peace 

“Hatred stirreth up strifes: but love covereth all sins.” (Prov. 10:12)

     We cannot cover our own sins.  We must uncover or acknowledge them to God which leads to God’s forgiveness and mercy.  David led by example: “I acknowledge my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid.  I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.” (Psalm 32:5) The Lord grants mercy to those who obey Him: “Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.” (Psalm 32:10) When we trust in Him, we will obey Him.

     Jesus adds to Heavenly Father’s conditions of mercy: we must not harbor resentment or unforgiveness if we truly want God’s mercy for ourselves; the mercy we show others is the mercy we’ll receive: “For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt 6:14-15, see also Mark 11:25-26) We are further commanded to forgive one another: “Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin. I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men.  And ye ought to say in your hearts – let God judge between me and thee, and reward thee according to thy deeds.” (D & C 64:9-11, see also Rev. 20:12 & 2 Tim. 4:14).

     Jesus knew forgiveness brings joy: our “Sorrow shall be turned to joy.” (Jn. 16:20) Jesus came “that [we] might have life, and that [we] might have it more abundantly.” (Jn. 10:10) Living with sin or even bitterness and resentment is certainly not ‘abundant life.” He showed us the way and we are to help others find the way when Jesus commanded: “Ye are the light of the world….Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.” (Matt. 5:14, 16) Letting your light shine begins with releasing resentment and forgiving others who have wronged you.

     So, let your light shine today.  Be a beacon that draws others unto Christ.  Leave any bitterness and all worries behind: “Cast thy burden upon the Lord and He shall sustain thee: He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved” (Psalm 55:22), “But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary, and they shall walk, and not faint.” (Isaiah 40:31) Go forth and “walk as children of light.” (Eph. 5:8)

Grace & Peace

The Pure Love of Christ

1 Corinthians 13:2 says, “though I have the gift of prophecy and understanding all mysteries, and all knowledge; and thought I have all faith, so that I could move mountains, and have not charity, I am nothing.” “Charity is the pure love of Christ” (Moro 7:47).

Charity “is everlasting love” (Moro 8:17).  The Lord calls us to be perfect (see Deut 18:13; 1 Kgs 8:61; 2 Chr 16:19; Matt 5:48; 2 or 13:11; Eph 4;12-13; ; Jas 1:4; D&C 76:69, 106) We must “put on charity, which is the bond of perfectness” (Col 3:14) so that we “may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God” (Col 4:12).

I say all of that to say this: I do not want to miss the chance to love you.  I want you to know that loving you is the most important thing to me and matters the most to me.  I just want the chance to let you see Jesus in me and through me.  I do not know when I will have the chance to love you as you deserve, but I will stand ready and patient on God’s timing.

I do love you with all my heart.

Grace & Peace be with you all

Visitation

I've been blessed with a visitation by my Dad & Step-Mom.  

I'm so thankful for being able to receive a visit.  Praise God!

Grace & Peace.

Blessing Prayer

Dear Heavenly Father,

We come to you now in the mighty name of your Son, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.  We thank you for the atonement of Jesus Christ.  We thank you that your servants who humbly, carefully, diligently, and faithfully seek to obey all of your commands are blessed in the city and the country, that our children and their children are blessed, that our assets produce exceedingly abundantly, that we are blessed when we come in and when we go out, that our enemies will be defeated and flee from us in seven directions, that our storehouses are blessed, that everything we do is blessed, that you bless all the works of our hands, that we don’t need to borrow anything, but can lend to many, that we are the head and not the tail, that we only move upward and never downward, and that we are blessed to prosper abundantly and have many healthy, prosperous children.

As we walk in the light, we fellowship with you, Lord.  Our joy is complete as we seek You in Your Word.  Write Your Word upon the tablets of our hearts.  Search our hearts, oh Lord, find any unconfessed sin and remove any wickedness so we may have pure hearts and a righteous spirit within each of us.

Pour your Spirit unto us this day so we may have wisdom, understanding, love, peace, kindness, goodness, faith, gentleness, self-control, and that we might receive all the promises of the Spirit while we walk in the Spirit always.

We pray, oh Lord, that you grant us, according to the riches of your glory, strength with power in our inner selves through Your Spirit, and that the Messiah continues to dwell in our hearts through our faith.  We pray that we are rooted and firmly established in love so we may comprehend the dimensions of Your love and understand the Messiah’s love for us that surpasses knowledge so that we might be filled with Your fullness.

We ask this according to Your power that works in us – To You our God be glory in Your true Church and in Jesus Christ and to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

Intercession Prayer

Taken from Matt 12:29, Matt 9:38, and 2 Cor 4:3-4.  Pray for others:

            I rebuke you, spirit of evil blinding the eyes of __________, you are commanded to stop everything you are doing to keep __________ out of the Kingdom of God.  In Jesus’ Name you stop now!  Lord, send someone to __________ with the glorious gospel of Christ who You know __________ will listen to.  I claim __________ for the Kingdom of God. I believe I receive salvation and deliverance.  In faith I praise You for it.  I am standing on Your word, God.  I need your help and __________ needs Your help too.  Lord, I refuse to be afraid of the devil’s weapons brought against us because I know that according to Your Word, they cannot prosper.  I trust in Your protection, and I think You for it now.  In Jesus’ Name.  Amen.