I Hope You Have a Lot of Nice Things to Wear

After a long and terrible struggle, I finally managed to create the perfect Pandora Station. You can also enjoy a perfect station if you follow these simple steps. You first need to create a Tom Petty radio station. You may be thinking to yourself, "Is there any way to improve a Tom Petty station?" I know it is hard to believe, but a Tom Petty radio station can get better. Next you need to click the "Add Variety" button and add a few artists. The artists to add are: Cat Stevens, Simon and Garfunkel, The Eagles, James Taylor, Mumford and Sons, and the Red Hot Chili Peppers. In the beginning I added Ben Folds as well, but his love of the f word got him booted from the list. 

Now, I will tell you the secret of the "thumbs up/thumbs down" function. If you ever find yourself tempted to give anything by Fleetwood Mac the thumbs up, resist the temptation. If you thumbs up a song that even breathes of Stevie Nicks you will hear Landslide every 15 minutes. Another artist to avoid is Carole King. When she and James Taylor team up it is a thing of beauty, but if you give her the thumbs up you will start hearing a little too much from Dan Fogelberg, Bread, and The Carpenters. 

This station can get out of control if you don't work to maintain it. I love rock and roll, but I hate Queen and Styx. Bands like Boston, Kansas, and Quiet Riot get on my nerves pretty fast too, so it is important to thumbs down their songs. If you don't the station will quickly turn into a 1980's hair band catastrophe. By following these steps exactly, you too can enjoy the benefits of a perfect Pandora station!

Merry Christmas

On December 7th 1941 our nation's naval base in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii was attacked by the Imperial Japanese Navy. This aggressive strike against our country was devastating and led us to declare war on Japan and become a part of WWII. In a Christmas Eve address, our nation's president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, delivered a message to the American people. He said:
             
"There are many men and women in America - sincere and faithful men and women - who are asking themselves this Christmas: How can we light our trees? How can we give our gifts? How can we meet and worship with love and with uplifted spirit and heart in a world at war, a world of fighting and suffering and death? ... How can we put the world aside, as men and women put the world aside in peaceful years, to rejoice the birth of Christ? 
Even as we ask these questions, we know the answer. There is another preparation demanded of this nation beyond and beside the preparation of weapons and materials of war. There is demanded also of us the preparation of our hearts; the arming of our hearts. ... We are confident in our devotion to country, in our love of freedom, in our inheritance of courage. But our strength, as the strength of all men everywhere, is of greater avail as God upholds us. 
We need His guidance that this people may be humble in spirit but strong in the conviction of the right; steadfast to endure sacrifice, and brave to achieve the victory of liberty and peace. ... Against our enemies who preach the principles of hate and practice them, we set our faith in human love and in God's care for us and all men everywhere."

This address to a disheartened nation was to encourage everyone to forget their troubles, and find hope, peace, and light in the spirit of Christmas. Likewise, we can find the strength to overcome our greatest burdens as we seek the living Christ. 

Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ was born in Bethlehem to Mary. He lived a perfect life and performed the divine Atonement for us, his brothers and sisters. He lives now as a resurrected being. He has taken upon himself the burdens and sins of the world that we, too, may achieve exaltation. And so, I share the testimony of the duly ordained prophets and apostles of this church who said, "Jesus is the Living Christ, the immortal Son of God. He is the great King Immanuel, who stands today on the right hand of His Father. He is the light, the life, and the hope of the world. His way is the path that leads to happiness in this life and eternal life in the world to come. God be thanked for the matchless gift of His divine Son."

Part II

This blog post is actually part II to last week's post which was about the truth and consistency of the Gospel. Yes, the Gospel is established upon fundamental truths, but there comes a time when the answers to our questions lie beyond the scope of human intellect and it is then that we must rely on our faith in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Here in our mortal probation our knowledge is limited because at birth we passed through the veil. In a general conference address called "The Race of Life" President Thomas S Monson said, "How grateful we should be that a wise Creator fashioned an earth and placed us here, with a veil of forgetfulness of our previous existence so that we might experience a time of testing, an opportunity to prove ourselves in order to qualify for all that God has prepared for us to receive."  

In his book called, "Reflections of a Scientist" Henry Eyring warns us that, "You can't intellectualize your way to a testimony." As we exercise humility and submit to the will of our Heavenly Father we can develop faith in the things which we cannot see. Joseph B. Worthlin once said, "Pride rears its ugly head in so many ways that are destructive. For example, intellectual pride is very prevalent in our day. Some people exalt themselves above God and His annointed servants because of their learning and scholarly achievements. We must never allow our intellect to take priority over our spirit. Our intellect can feed our spirit and our spirit can feed our intellect, but if we allow our intellect to take precedence over our spirit, we will stumble, find fault, and may even lose our testimonies." 

2 Nephi 9:42-43 says, "And whoso knocketh, to him he will open; and the wise, and the learned, and they that are rich, and who are puffed up because of their learning, and their wisdom, and their riches - yea, they are they whom he despiseth; and save they shall cast these things away, and consider themselves fools before God, and come down in the depths of humility, he will not open unto them. But the things of the wise and the prudent shall be hid from them forever - yea, that happiness which is prepared for the saints." The existence of a God cannot be proven by the scientific method or any intellectual means, but rather we can come to a knowledge of the reality of God and his divine plan of salvation through humble prayer and study. While it is important to seek after and study the truths of the gospel it is also necessary to seek them with the attitude of humility so we can be taught by the Holy Spirit which reveals the truth of all things to men; Truths which cannot be found any other way.

Truth

Last week I finished up a book called, "Faith of a Scientist" by Henry Eyring. It was a delightful read that got me to thinking. As Henry Eyring left home to begin his studies at the University of Arizona his father told him, "In this church you don't have to believe anything that isn't true. You go over to the U of A and learn everything you can, and whatever is true is a part of the gospel." In D&C 84:45-47 we read, "For the word of the Lord is truth, and whatsoever is truth is light, and whatsoever is light is Spirit, even the Spirit of Jesus Christ. And the spirit giveth light to every man that cometh into the world; ... And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father." 

Every truth leads man to God. Geologists find truth in rocks, historians find truth in ancient manuscripts, and the astronomer finds truth in the depths of space. Henry Eyring said, "The wise man searches all these and other sources knowing that all are communications from the same divine source and certain that, if followed far enough, all will guide him back to the divine Presence." 

Because the principles of the Gospel are rooted in fundamental truths, they do not change. Mormon 9:9 says, "For do we not read that God is the same yesterday, today, and forever, and in him there is no variableness neither shadow of changing?" It is very comforting to know that in this world of change that the church is constant. 

In science, these universal truths, these consistencies, are called laws. D&C 130:20-21 says, "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world upon which all blessings are predicated - And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." In the scriptures the Lord gives us many laws which are accompanied by a promised blessing. I know that when I faithfully pay my tithing I will always be blessed with enough money. I know that when I obey the Word of Wisdom I will be blessed with good health. I know that strict obedience to the commandments will help me achieve the greatest promise of eternal life (D&C 59:23).

D&C 50:24 says, "That which is of God is light and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." I know that this gospel is a continual learning process.We learn every truth line upon line, precept upon precept. And though our knowledge of the mysteries of the universe are always expanding, the fundamental truths of the Gospel of Jesus Christ never change.

Disappointments of Reality

Two months ago I was hired by Utah State University to teach an introductory physics lab. I was so excited for the opportunity to educate eager scholars on the fundamentals of physics. I reflected on my days in introductory physics and rejoiced at the thoughts of recreating those same experiences for my students. I pulled out my old textbook and brushed up on my kinematics. I read through my old lab reports. I even revisited the dreaded chapters introducing sinusoidal wave functions.

Before teaching my first lab I got a little bit of instruction from my advising professor, Tonya. She told me this physics course had no prerequisites. Therefore, we would be introducing the concepts at a very elementary level. What? No prerequisites? Without some foundational knowledge of calculus how would they survive the course? Tonya laughed. I raised an eyebrow at her response. She placed her arm around my shoulder and led me gently to her desk. She pulled out the student's "textbook" and handed it over to me. I was stunned by what I saw. There were no variables, no integrals, no reference to Maxwell or his equations, and not a single greek letter. What kind of operation was she running? Tonya explained to me that this course is designed for freshmen elementary education majors. These students have no interest in math or science, but are required to get a small taste of physics for their degree. 

Tonya went on to tell me that these students are very fragile. If they show up to lab and make an effort I then have no reason to give them anything less than 100% on the lab. She told me the post-lab quizzes are to be done individually, but I am not to penalize them for wrong answers. If they show any type of work on their homework they are to get full credit regardless of the answer. 

The first lab was an absolute disappointment. The students were completely lost. Even after explaining the answers to them they just stared at me with vacant expressions. Finally, I resorted to telling them what they should be writing down on their papers. I thought I was to blame for this catastrophe so I visited my advising professor and told her what happened. She smiled and said, "Yup. Sounds about right." Tonya told me that I just need to get the students through the semester so they can move on and never revisit physics again. 

Yesterday I was sitting in my computer methods class and I found myself experiencing some anxiety over my assignment. The computer was not cooperating and I was getting nowhere. I turned to my neighbors for some insight, but they were having the same difficulties. Finally, I raised my hand. The TA approached me and asked what was giving me trouble. I rolled my chair back and motioned to my computer. She looked over my work and threw out a few lines of complete jiberish. After seeing my look of confusion she grabbed the keyboard and fixed the problem for me. 

At the end of class as I was turning in my assignment I apologized to the TA and explained that this is my first taste of computer programming. She turned to me with a warm expression and told me not to worry.  She shared my frustrations and offered many sympathies. She told me as long as I am in class and finish all my assignments I will get an A. I walked away from class feeling better about my situation.

Then it hit me. I am the freshman elementary ed major who does not understand Newton's first law. My TA is probably sitting around with her friends laughing about the hopeless idiot in her introductory level computer programming class who doesn't have a clue. I enrolled in PHYS 2500 to fulfill some physics requirement so I can forget all of it next semester. I am the retard. I now have greater sympathy for my poor little physics students. 

Right to Bear Arms

"Target shooting" in Enterprise

The annual family reunion

Guns are a big part of the Houghton way of life. When I was just a kid my dad quickly briefed me on the basics of gun safety then threw a .22 caliber rifle in my hands. So naturally, when I turned 21 I seriously pondered getting a concealed weapons permit. How cool would it be to throw a pistol under the bench seat in my truck? Awesome, right? 

After a serious conversation with my dad about carrying a concealed weapon, I started to have second thoughts about applying for a permit. He told me that carrying a gun means that I need to be prepared to use it. If I hesitate at all, I'm dead. Hesitate about shooting someone? Me? Pft! Not a chance! In fact my go to solution for most problems is to shoot someone in the face! 

Today in statistics the jerk behind me was chewing his gum way to loud. Solution? Shoot him in the face. On my way to work some doofus couldn't figure out the 4-way stop and pulled out in front of me. Solution? Shoot him in the face. At work some idiot yelled at me because I wouldn't break the law and give him his prescription early. Solution? Shoot him in the face. You see, a lot of things in my life permit the use of a firearm. 

Shooting at Panguitch

As citizens of the greatest country in the world we all have the right to bear arms, but maybe some of us should be a little more restricted than others. After a little reflection I decided maybe a concealed weapons permit isn't in everybody else's best interest. Until I find another solution to all of my problems I should probably only handle firearms under some serious supervision. 

Headin' fer the hills!

On a More Serious Note

I took a fishing trip to Tony Grove up Logan Canyon.

Logan Canyon

 What do I miss about Hurricane? There are a lot of things I miss. I miss my family, friends, clean air, Zion, zero traffic, and the sweltering heat, just to name a few. One of the things I miss the most, though, would have to be my co-workers. I worked with the best people around. After 7 years I developed a very good relationship with my boss. He was my personal life coach. I told him all my problems and he gave me solutions. This summer I started to get annoyed with Dave, because his advice for every problem was, "Jen, you need to have more faith!" That was not the answer I wanted to hear. How would increasing my faith get me scheduled to work 40 hours a week rather than 30? How would increasing my faith help me to decide what to major in? How would increasing my faith help me deal with some of the disappointments I was facing? I was so frustrated! 

One day I went for a run, and for some reason I was drawn to the St. George temple. I found a spot on the curb in front of the temple and sat there. After a minute or two my ipod began playing a familiar hymn, Be Still My Soul. For the first time the true meaning of the words struck me:

Be still, my soul: Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.

Skunked at Tony Grove

Sitting there, I was reminded of the lesson given by the first counselor in my stake presidency in relief society last spring. President Weaver told us that when his kids were younger he would buy each of them a lamb to raise for the 4-H auction every year. At the time they lived on several acres of land, so housing the lambs was not a problem. Because the lambs were so close, the children were able to spend a lot of time with them and develop a pretty good relationship. When it came time to show the lambs they were very comfortable with their care takers. 

One year, however, the Weavers sold their home and moved closer to town. They were not able to keep the lambs on their property, so they leased out a small piece of land a few miles down the road to house the livestock. This time around the lambs did not get as much attention from their keepers. One day President Weaver got a phone call from a friend to tell him the lambs had escaped. He quickly rounded up his children and drove out to find the roaming animals. Upon locating the lambs the children jumped out of the truck and tried to persuade them back to the gated pasture. The lambs resisted and even ran in the opposite direction. They did not gain the same trust the previous lambs had.

The same is true when developing a relationship with our Savior. Faith is not only a principle of belief, but of action as well. If we distance ourselves from Him we will not trust His gentle guidance. Therefore, increasing our faith is a matter of drawing near unto our Savior. Once we have developed a solid relationship with Him everything else will fall into place. In his General Conference address, Elder John H. Groberg said, "If we have faith in Him, we will repent and be baptized. If we do not repent, or refuse to be baptized, or are unwilling to keep His commandments, it is because we do not have sufficient faith in Him. Thus, repentance, baptism, and all other principles and ordinances are not entireley separate but are actually extensions of our faith in Christ. Without faith in Him, we do little of eternal value." 

The Savior had showed us time and time again that faith precedes the miracle. Just as the Children of Israel had to put their feet in the Jordan River before the waters parted we too must demonstrate our faith before receiving a witness. In a talk entitled, "Lord, Increase Our Faith", Elder John K. Carmack said, "If we place any condition on our willingness to serve the Lord with all our hearts, we diminish our faith. If we have complete trust in Him, our faith will increase, and that means the strength of our belief and our power to act will increase. We will not think we have done our duty and that is enough. We will continue with pure intent and total commitment the rest of our lives. ... Maintaining such an attitude is the way to increase our faith."  

I would never say this to his face, but yes, my boss was right. Increasing our faith can be solution to every problem. My faith led me to pay my tithing which blessed me with more than enough work throughout the entire summer. My faith humbled me and led me to the right major. My faith has brought me peace to deal with some of the hardships my family and I have had to endure recently. Faith does not pardon you from trials, but rather makes them easier to endure.