Canoes and Crows

As a youth, I was fortunate enough to enjoy several "aquatic excursions" on the rivers found in the mid-northern Appalachians. These have ranged from simple tubing trips down a creek or a river, to whitewater rafting with multiple intense moments. One particular trip involved a mild river, traveled with the aid of canoes. It was a shallow river, and several of our group wound up on rocks and tipped their boat as a result of it. Fortunately, my boat never did force us to test our floatation devices, but I would be a fool if I took the credit for that.

I've always lacked a bit of coordination in a boat. Most of that is because I've lacked coordination on land; I simply do not consciously control every place my body is. I can paddle hard and use my strength, but if I'm not careful that very strength is what tips me over. So, if I where placed in a canoe all by myself I would have been swimming down half that river. Instead, I had the help of another that was much better at boating. It was him that would guide the canoe, dodging rocks and finding channels. I would listen for his instructions, and then do my very best to follow them, be it paddle hard, back paddle left, switch sides, etc. Because of the teamwork, we were able to reach the end of the trip and take an enjoyable swim (instead of a forced one). This entire experience reminds me of a poem, About Crows by John Ciardi.

The old crow is getting slow; 
the young crow is not.
Of what the young crow does not know,
the old crow knows a lot.

At knowing things, the old crow is still
the young crow's master.
What does the old crow not know? 
How to go faster.

The young crow flies above, below, and rings
around the slow old crow.
What does the fast young crow not know?
WHERE TO GO.

I was like that young crow. I knew how to paddle hard and so we were able to speed past some obstacles. However, I didn't know where to paddle or which direction would keep us safe. My boat-mate did. The only reason we were able to get to the end was because we combined our abilities; I wasn't proud in my strength, and he didn't try to go by himself. In our daily lives, we need to remember that we are imperfect. Sometimes we are the young crow, full of talent or ability but not yet wise. We need to listen to the old crows, those that know more than we do and instruct us. Those leaders, family members, or perhaps wise friends may have greater wisdom than we do and can help us best us our strengths and abilities. Of course, their are plenty that don't have the same wisdom we do; it to these that we need to be the old crows, guiding those we are able to and helping them rise to their potential. I know that as we strive to be better, both in accepting help and helping others, we can all get down the river of life with minimal swimming trips.

Opposition, Wrestling, and Training

When I wrestled, my usual weight class was 189. This is the 3rd heaviest weight class in high school, and so I was a good deal larger and stronger than most of my teammates. If I wanted an easy match-up for practice, I could choose the 112 or even 145, and I'd be able to go through practice hardly breaking a sweat while my foe would be straining, trying to move more mass than he ever would need to in a match. However, we didn't get to choose our practice partners. Our coach would pair us up with whoever he wanted us to, and for me that was quite often our heavyweights (which could weigh up to 285). In these practices, I'd be the one pushing hard and straining to move mass greater than I normally would be called on to endure. This might not seem fair, but the fact that I normally practiced with heavier opponents allowed me to be stronger and more prepared for match day. This is the greatest reason we have for why opposition is so crucial in this life; having more required of us allows us to grow more and to become stronger for it.

A simple illustration of the match-ups

That makes enough sense. If our life is a time to grow, then we'll be given exercises and practices that will expand our abilities, test our skills, and develop our characters. So why does life seem so unfair at times? Even when we have the comfort that our trials will be for our benefit, it is still no fun to go through them. Let me share with you another wrestling trial: since my wrestling team was short a few members, I would often wrestle up a class; while still weighing in at 189 or less, I'd wrestle those in the 215 weight class. On match day, not just during practice, I'd be put up against somebody heavier and (often) stronger than I was. This is no longer time to grow and develop, a practice with no affect on my record; I was simply having a match that was tougher than those around me and that I didn't feel prepared for. Our trials in life often look like this; we are under-prepared, under-weight, under-skilled, and we don't have the freedom of mistakes that comes with practice. How can we grow when we are in such an predicament?

It is these instances that we learn what we can't anywhere else. In my matches, I learned endurance, humility, and occasionally self-confidence. In life circumstances we learn similar things; endurance through trials, humility to trust in the Lord, and self-confidence when we finish our trial. In every match I wrestled up, I was able to go in with confidence and cheer because I knew that simply winning wasn't all; if I could resist the pin, I'd help my team with points. If I failed, I could learn to be better next time. Life's trials might not be changed simply by how we feel when we go into them, but we will be changed by our approach to difficult times.

Canon and Zombies and Scripture

Another zombie, with a different
requirement for destruction

A little while ago, another online missionary (which means he also has a blog and a Facebook) wrote a post about zombies that I highly recommend reading, especially if you are a well cultured and interesting person. After reading that (or before) I'd invite you to go about halfway down the post and read something he said: "There's two ways to kill a zombie: Crush the body or remove the head. It's as simple as that." The purpose of today is to expound on this statement, and perhaps why it's not quite as simple as that.

The simple reason it's not so simple can be summed up with the word "canon." In fiction, the canon is the official rules, occurrences, people, and facts of the related works. So, when Elder Whitlock referred to the two ways to kill a zombie, he was drawing from a certain canon wherein the rules were as such. On the other hand, I normally draw my zombie canon from the works of Max Brooks, which includes the Zombie Survival Guide. This work of fiction (we hope) has extensive details into the hows and whys of zombies, and I personally think it is a great read. However, the canon for this book is that the only way to kill a zombie is to destroy the brain (if the head is simply removed, it can still bite). This is a clear and obvious difference of opinion, which can easily be resolved by saying the canon is different and going our different ways. That is perfectly fine in the world of fiction. This is not quite as easy to say in the world of religion.

Canon is classically used to describe what is official in a church (be it Catholic, Ecclesiastic, and sometimes Mormon). This extends to the holy scriptures; what is canon is accepted as truth, while what is not canon just doesn't carry the same weight. What do Mormons consider canon? The simple answer can be found in the Articles of Faith numbers 8 and 9, which I'll summarize here: the Book of Mormon, the Bible (correctly translated), and the continuous revelation given by God's prophets are canon. We believe in an open canon, not confined to the pages of books written in the past, just as the Apostles of old and the original Christians did (if they didn't, where did the New Testament come from?). I testify to you, humble reader, that this canon, and the Church it supports, has blessed my life and will bless yours. As I've suggested before, give it a read and try it out yourself.

The Choice of Faith

The topic on my mind lately has been an interesting one, and something that I think is rather difficult to talk about. It has to do with the thought "how do I know I'm right?" It stems from my natural tendency towards skepticism. When new information is presented to me, I first disbelieve it before accepting it. If I have a new idea, I second guess myself. If I see new research, I feel like it will be a while before it's useful. If I hear a conspiracy theory, I'll doubt it. And yet I present myself before the world, saying that I know the Book of Mormon is true. This brings us back to the previous question: "how do I know I'm right?"

Questions. I have a few.
But I don't let that stop me.

The skeptic in me would like to say that nobody can truly know of personal correctness. However, then I would dwell in an unfortunate state of not knowing what to trust, and that is not acceptable to me. The truth is, having faith is a choice, just as not having faith is a choice. This I can do. I can choose which influences that I receive, either internal (my thoughts, my doubts, my conclusions) or external (what I read, what I hear, what I feel), and I can choose which ones can convince me. I have chosen to place the highest priority on the spiritual witness I have received, or the powerful feelings of peace, joy, and certainty that I receive from following through with my responsibilities in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Because I've given these experiences priority, I don't let other things (such as controversial history, angry shouts, or moments of confusion) have an effect on me. Even my existential doubts have lower priority.

I have sometimes wondered that maybe I'm "drinking the Kool-Aid," or blindly following something I haven't completely proven to myself. If the fact that I choose in this world to trust something I've never seen before seems weird to you, I invite you to to consider the following. Consider the happiness that I enjoy when I think about Christ and His church on the earth today. Consider how you feel right now. If I, with all my skepticism and worry that I might be wrong, can say that this is true, that I have received more joy from following the principles and ordinances of the gospel, and that I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's kingdom restored on the earth, what is to stop you? Do you want to have joy? I know you can overcome your doubts, your questions, your angst. I know because I have felt the Holy Ghost testify to me of truth and I have chosen to listen, and I have overcome my doubts, my questions, and my angst. The Bible says "by their fruits ye shall know them" (Matthew 7:16,20). Well, this joy and peace is mine.

Enduring to the End and Power Stance

For the newcomers, I wrestled in high school. I still think it is one of the great contests of skill and strength, even after the intervening time that I've been able to play basketball and other popular sports with fellow missionaries. I also still think it has some of the greatest teaching opportunities. I remember one wrestling match I had, against another team with a history of winning and the specific guy I was against was ranked much higher than I was. This story will involve some terms specific to wrestling, and to save space here I will direct you to an article on the rules.

Amazingly, I was able to get ahead during the first two (of three) periods and most of the third. Not only was I ahead, but I had three points on this guy and I was feeling good. There was only 30 seconds left, and we were both on our feet. Since the guy I was wrestling had much more experience than I did (I had at most one year and he surely had three or four years, if not more, under his belt), winning by a small margin would be all I could hope for. I didn't need any more points, and if I got too adventurous I could easily have put myself in disadvantageous position and maybe even have gotten pinned. All I needed to do was endure without making a mistake, but also not retreat (that's called stalling and costs points). I needed to "power stance."

A standard wrestling match for me

Power Stance is what my coaches would tell us to keep pushing, be aggressive and make your foe understand that you aren't done, but don't do anything that might compromise your win. It takes power and endurance in the last period, and is not easy. You are tired, you've just used all of your strength and agility to get ahead, and after everything is left on the mat you need to leave a bit more. It might be the hardest thing you've ever done, yet it is essential to keep going in order to win.

Unfortunately for my record, I did not power stance properly. I was overconfident and my foe took advantage of a foot that slipped too far and I was too weak in bringing it back. He took me down, and even got near to pinning me, and in those last 30 seconds I gave up 5 points and lost the match. I now look back, and though I know that that one match wouldn't have changed too much of my life I still wish I could have endured a little bit better.

All of us have the opportunity every day to endure, be it well or not. Our life is much like a wrestling match, one where we are ahead at the start and as we apply Christ's grace into our lives. However, we are still constantly under attack, and if we slip up we are always in danger of falling under the influence of Satan. We too need to use a "power stance," or a certain method of aggressively protecting ourselves from his attacks. As we listen to the words of God, found in scripture or the words of His prophets, we will be educating ourselves as to how to power stance. As we apply the things we learn, we'll be properly holding the power stance. And as we execute the power stance all the way to the end of our life, we will hear those blessed words: "Well done, thou good and faithful servant" (Matthew 25:21).

Ordinances and Ordnance

My brother, me, and a big bullet

Ordnance is a term for military hardware used to hurt other military things. More accurately, it refers to military equipment in a general sense, but I came to learn of it through the US Army Ordnance Museum while it was in Aberdeen, MD. Thus, my early exposure to ordnance involved tanks. Tanks and bombs and coastal defense guns that shot shells longer than I am tall. It was a treasured opportunity to walk around, read the plaques that were up, and just see the awesome that is in modern military power. Of course, it also afforded my mom a time to send the kids out of the house with my dad and have a relaxing Mother's Day afternoon.

Ordnance can cover many things, ranging from the things that shoot to the things that are shot, the things that move to the things that keep them moving. It is a broad term, and if you are like me and fascinated by things that explode it can hold your interest for a while.

An ordinance is a term used in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints quite often to refer to the sacred rituals including the Sacrament, Baptism, and the gift of the Holy Ghost. They require a proper authority, or the priesthood, in order to be performed correctly and be valid. This authority can only be confirmed by the laying on of hands by one who currently holds that authority, and was restored to Joseph Smith through the same method.

Ordinances can also cover many things, from weekly Sacrament to sacred Baptism. They are the keys to eternal life. They are what separate the true church of Jesus Christ from others, because of the authority that is required. They are the biggest change available to you today and can bless your life with peace, happiness, and comfort that comes with following Christ.

The biggest similarity between these two words is the sound. Ordinance has a single extra letter. Yet with that extra letter it also carries such importance. Don't take my word for it; read the Book of Mormon and ask to know if it's true. God would only reveal such a document to somebody called to do so; acceptance of the Book of Mormon is acceptance of Joseph Smith as a prophet and the LDS Church as the true church of Christ on the earth. I've learned this for myself, and I know I am a happier person because of it. Now it can be your turn.

That Time of the Year

For the past month, maybe even two for some, we have been hearing about Christmas. It is an incredibly exciting time of the year, full of increased media attention, sales, releases, and family. I love it! When I think of Christmas, I think of the fun times I've had with my family, the delicious food I've eaten, and the eventful stories I've been a part of (what childhood is complete without a flaming santa hat or Christmas dinner on the floor?). At the same time, I would be remiss if I didn't talk about what the Christmas celebration should be about as well as what it tends to be about.

I have often heard that we need to "remember the reason for the season." I agree, but I also want to emphasize a different angle than the standard birth of Jesus idea. I want to talk, rather, on the life of Jesus instead. Christmas is a wonderful celebration not because it's the celebration of our Saviors birthday but because it's a celebration of our Savior. Christ came to the earth, to "[descend] below all" (Doctrine and Covenants 122:8) so that he could raise us up at the last day. The best gift to all the earth, the Atonement, is the reason for the season!

The best part is that we can definitely keep this reason alive in our hearts throughout the year. Acts of service, following His commandments, and reading the scriptures. These are all ways to "feel the Christmas spirit" of Christ. I love the Christmas season, and more than that I love the Spirit I feel as I follow Christ. If you want to learn more about my beliefs in Christ, check out the Jesus Christ portion of mormon.org.