How to 'Unlearn, what You have Learned'.

I want to be a U.S. Marshal.  This means I have a very firm mindset.  I know exactly what I need to do and then I do it.  It leaves very little room for error, and I often tell others what bothers me.   In order to do what I want, I must first become who I want to be.

Unlearning a way of thinking is often very difficult, possibly the most difficult thing anyone would ever do.  With something that is hard physically, you simply go work out and build up strength until you can accomplish the task.  But when your obstacle is Mental you must be able to break it down, and yet not remove the wall.

Black Wall

I have wondered . . . How is it possible to build a Blue wall in the place of a Black wall without removing the Black wall?

Blue Wall

Then a good friend helped me to see that the wall doesn't have to be all one color.  Both colors can be part of the wall.  So all I have to do is figure out which bricks need replaced from the Black, and then remove it and insert a Blue brick.

"And according to his faith 

there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. 

Behold I say unto you that this is all true."

-- Alma 5:12

Knowing what to do is only the beginning, the actually doing it takes time and effort to change not only the way you act, but also the way you think.  Rethinking things and changing your mind is usually not all that difficult, but having a permanent change in how you see things is often a very hard struggle.

Black Wall with Blue Brick 'upgrades'

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, 

if ye have experienced a change of heart, 

and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, 

I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

-- Alma 5:26

I have one year left on my Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In that time I hope to assimilate all the Blue bricks I need to in order to make my wall balanced as it should be.

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, 

have ye spiritually been born of God? 

Have ye received his image in your countenances? 

Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

-- Alma 5:14

"The bricks are fallen down, 

but we will build with hewn stones; 

the sycamores are cut down, 

but we will change them into cedars."

-- 2 Nephi 19:10

It is Unfortunate That so Many Seek the Ways of the Devil

Sometimes things happen that are not so good.  This is 'Unfortunate'.

"For the wages of sin is death;
but the gift of God is eternal life
through Jesus Christ our Lord."
-- Romans 6:23

Some decisions we have to make in life can be very hard.

Like when Ariel Finds this guy, and she thinks he is attractive.

She kinda wants to spend time with him.  Lots of Time.

So she went to the nearest person who could give her Immediate Gratification.

Ariel Foolishly signed a Contract 'For ALL Eternity'.

Satan (the Sea Witch) puts on a pretty good show, and Ariel got a good set of Legs.  However, Satan will not care if you dont know how to swim with legs, and drown before even finding Prince Eric.

Satan will give you everything you want, and he gives it to you right away.  However the one thing you Should want the he cannot give you is Eternal Life.

"And thus we see that the devil

will not support his children at the last day,

but doth speedily drag them down to hell."

-- Alma 30:60

Eternal Life is the Greatest gift that God can give us, but we must Patiently Endure to the End, being obedient to His Commandments.

Getting something that we think is good now, isn't what is always best for us in the long term.

God will never ask us to give away our talents as payment for his blessings.  He gave us our Talents in the first place, and wants us to share them to bless the lives of others.  He gives open reward when we seek to develop and improve our talents.

Ariel's talent was Singing, and 'the devil' took it away.

NEVER GIVE YOUR TALENTS AWAY FOR ANYTHING.

"And so he that had received five talents came

and brought other five talents, saying,

Lord, thou deliveredst unto me five talents:

behold, I have gained beside them five talents more.

His lord said unto him,

Well done, thou good and faithful servant:

thou hast been faithful over a few things,

I will make thee ruler over many things:

enter thou into the joy of thy lord."

-- Matthew 25:20-21

"I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth:

lo, there thou hast that is thine.

His lord answered and said unto him,

Thou wicked and slothful servant,

thou knewest that I reap where I sowed not,

and gather where I have not strawed:

...

Take therefore the talent from him,

and give it unto him which hath ten talents."

-- Matthew 25:25-26,28

.

Goofy Movie Stand out and Eye to Eye

Don't be distracted by the world.

We should see everything the same way that God sees things.  We should want what He wants.

In A Goofy Movie, Goofy and his son Max go on a fishing trip, which Max didn't actually want to go on.  Max was a bit of a trouble maker in school, and somewhat rebellious at home. (much like most teenagers)

Goofy just wanted to spend time with his son, but he didn't take into account what his son wanted to do while spending time together.  This meant that Max was simply more rebellious while they were on their trip.

Meanwhile, Max just wants to impress a girl, Roxanne, and get her to think that he is 'cool'.

So Goofy entrusts Max with the map, which Max subsequently alters to take them to the Powerline concert, instead of going Fishing.  Most parents would not be very happy with this.

However, after they talk about it some, Goofy and Max both accept that they still love each other and want to help when things don't go the way they wanted it too.

 

When he needed help, Max spoke with his Father.

"Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other." -- LDS Bible Dictionary When we Pray to our Heavenly Father, we align our will to His. Sometimes we find out that He is ok with what we had planned, but that we just needed to ask Him for help before He would grant those blessings. As seen in the first clip at the beginning of this blog, Goofy and Max did make it on stage with Powerline, and in the end Max did get Roxanne to really like him.

It is when we have an Eye Single to the Glory of God, that we are able to do the most good and achieve the best things in this life.

"And faith, hope, charity and love,

with an eye single to the glory of God,

qualify him for the work."

-- Doctrine and Covenants 4:5

.

YOU are NOT WORTHLESS

Sometimes we all have to go through the dark times in order to 'transform' into what the lord whats us to be.

And when we get there we will find that others need our help as well.

When Shang begins training, he doesn't think Mulan (Ping) is really capable of anything.  Ping is the worst at all of the training exercises, and even tries to cheat the system.(Mushu's Fault)

However, after he sends her home she feels like she can't do anything, and that she really is worthless.  These feeling come from the Devil.  When she comes into the shadow of the Tree with the Arrow, she realizes that if she could get to that Arrow she would prove her worth.

God does not ask us to 'Prove' that we are of worth in this world.  He simply says that WE ARE.

After everyone wakes up in the Morning and they see that she can "Retrieve the Arrow" (while thinking she is a man) they realize that each of them have their own Talents and Abilities.

Chien-Po is no longer afraid of water, and can do flips to each platform across the river.

Yao can run through blazing arrows, even when they are 10 times as thick as before.

Ling can smash stone with his face without losing any teeth, or hurting himself.

We all have Talents and Abilities, sometimes we just need to figure out what they are before giving up and going home.

My Dad is . . . AWESOME!!

Today I want to brag about my family.  Mostly just my dad.  Within my family there are contained four women, and two men.  That means three sisters, mom and dad, and then me.  I usually never got anything I wanted at the store because I was the youngest and the only boy.  When we would rent a movie, it was almost guaranteed to be a chick flick, because three older sisters will always out-whine a single younger brother.  My dad was usually working late all the time so I didn't get a whole lot of backup either.  But that is just fine now, I can quote most of those movies better than my sisters.   ;)

However, as the years went by, my dad got a different job.  I got myself a job.  Then I went to college.  Then dad lost his job.  Then I came home from college.  Then me and my dad were home together all the time.  Almost everyday.  So we started doing more stuff together.  We went golfing.  I proceeded to lose somewhere about ten golf balls in the same spot, a water hazard, on a single same hole, which was only about ten feet away, all trying to tee off. (I think it was hole 3.)

Then we decided that golfing would be expensive.  So we started doing things we already had at home.  I had some video games, and we started playing them together.  Dad found a game that he enjoyed, so we started playing.  I have a lot more experience in gaming than he does, but I would teach him how to do different things and mix up the strategy he was using so he wouldn't be so predictable.  I thought that I was the teacher and he was under me.  I was wrong.  Not until months later did I realize that he was teaching me to be a good dad.  True he had been gone most of when I was growing up trying to make money to support the family.  But when he finally had time to spend with me, he found a small interest in something I enjoyed that he could do with me.

Although my dad only ever won about 5% (maybe less) of the games we played, I know that he had fun because he was playing with me, His son.  Although he really didn't know what he was doing, and I frequently had to let him win, he was happy being able to spend time with me.  I also enjoyed my time with him.

This picture is from snorkeling in New Zealand...I'm the scrawny one, standing by my dad.

I know that the family is there for us to learn from.  Not only do we have our best friends within our own family, but the family also contains the best teachers.  No one other than my dad will ever be able to teach me about being a dad, and only I could teach him gaming.

So it is with our eternal family.  My Father in Heaven is the only one who can truly teach me about Himself.  These teachings come from the Spirit, but I have to make time to listen to Him, and learn from Him.  This applies to everyone.  Old or young, male or female, bond or free, none of these matter.  I know from experience, both temporal and spiritual, that we must look to our Father if we want to go anywhere.

Lost and Found - Miranda

"Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it."
-- Luke 17:33

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it."
-- Luke 9:24

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: and whosoever will lose his life for my sake shall find it."
-- Matthew 16:25

"For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for my sake and the gospel’s, the same shall save it."
-- Mark 8:34


Thus we see the we should seek the Lord and His gospel.

Those who save their own life shall lose it, Even those who seek to save their life.

But those who Seek the Lord, and strive to be OBEDIENT to His Commandments,

These are they that shall FIND Everlasting Life.

These are they that shall SAVE their Life if they stray from the path.

These are they who shall Preserve their Promise of Life,

By always remembering Him, and the Covenants which they have made.

Memorial Day reminds us that there are those who Lost their Life, only to Preserve the Way of Life for others.  While some are now unwilling to give their Lives for what they believe and Love, it may all to soon be taken from them, and they shall Lose it.

Sisters

So there we were...in front of my house.  Mom wanted more pictures...I didn't know why.  Dad had taught me to not say anything when I didn't understand what my mom was trying to do.  So I just stood there.  Then one of my sisters decided to bring back a pose that the four of us have been doing since I was little.....

Rian's Angels

My sisters are a big part of my life.  I never really had a brother to do stuff with but I am ok with that.  Lacey went before the rest of us and showed me what not to do if I wanted to avoid getting into trouble.  Ashli had lots of friends that were kinda like older brothers for me.  Shayla being only two years older than me was always around when I was sad and needed someone to talk to.

I remember one morning when me and Shayla were getting ready for school, and my dad happened to have a day off, we somehow ended up in my room.  At some point I thought it would be funny to 'pin' her to my bed.  I was smaller than she was still I think, but either way I was going to win this one.  After a few minutes of struggling I had her down.  She proceeded to struggle a bit more and then started calling for dad.  Normally I would have been swift in getting off and pretending I didn't do anything, but she sounded like a sheep every time she called for him.  It was something along the lines of, 'DaaaaaD' ... 'DAAAaaaaaaaaD' ... 'DaAAAaaAAAaaaDdy, he's squishing me'.  It was just so funny, all I could do was laugh at her.  Then she started laughing and it was even more funny.

 

Basically I love my sisters.  If they weren't there, I wouldn't have come on a mission.  Because of the examples they have been for me, I know that serving the Lord for two years is exactly what I needed to be doing.  Everything in my life so far has led me to this.  Everything in my life after I go home will be affected by what I do for my mission.

I know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and living church on the earth today.  I have felt the witness of the Spirit confirming my testimony that this is true.  I have that same knowledge that the Book of Mormon is true.  It was translated by Joseph Smith, a prophet, by the gift and power of God.  If anyone does not believe that, I invite you to first READ THE BOOK. Then pray about it and ask God speciffically if the writings contained therein are true.  I know, and promise anyone who is willing to do so, that you will also be able to find out the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, by the power of the Holy Ghost. 



Ninja Turtles - Unity

     I am a huge fan of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  One of my friends once nicknamed me 'Ninja Turtle'.  His nickname was 'Ninja Penguin'.

But have you ever wondered why the Ninja Turtles always defeated the Foot?  Or why the Shredder never seemed to have the upper hand?

First off, it was a movie, and the good guys almost always win.  The part that I wish to point out is that the Ninja Turtles were UNIFIED in the fight against evil.

So many times I see people arguing and fighting over something when the real problem isn't "who is right and who is wrong", the problem is "Who needs help?"  It doesn't matter if you think you have a better solution to the problem, if the other guy has an option hear him out and see if it works.

(Pay attention to what Shredder says between 3:40 and 3:50)

The Godhead is unified even though they are separate and distinct individuals.  This is because each member of the Godhead is working towards the same goal.

We all have differnt Skills, Talents, and Abilities.  Just like each of the Turtles uses a different type of weapon to fight against evil, a staff, swords, and nunchucks, so too might we use our "several Ability" (Matthew 25:15) to help others "come unto Christ and be Perfected in Him". (Moroni 10:32)

So next time you feel like arguing about how something should be done, try listening to what the other person has to say before concluding that they are wrong.  Always remember that we are to be Unified, which does not mean that we have to do the same thing as everyone else, but that we work for the beneift of the whole and not just ourselves.  We must always have the same purpose in mind. 

The Lord has said, "If ye are not one, Ye are not mine."

Doctrine and Covenants 38:27

Smile, your Heavenly Father is watching out for you.

Isaiah 52:12

Mommy Prays - and Teaches Me

I wish to Honor my Mom today...

In the Book of Mormon, there is an account of 2000 young men who join the army during a particularly dangerous war.  Their fathers had made an oath and covenat not to take up weapons ever again, and so they could not go themselves to defend their family.  These sons knew the oath that their fathers had taken and chose to go themselves to protect their parents.

On the battle field their Commander, Helaman, asked if they would go against an army that had been chasing after them, knowing that that army was larger than them.  The Humble and Faithful 'Stripling Warriors' Gave their response based on what their parents, particularly their Mothers, had taught them.

"Father (Helaman), behold our God is with us, and he will not suffer that we should fall; then let us go forth; we would not slay our brethren if they would let us alone; therefore let us go,"

-- Alma 56:46

"And they rehearsed unto me the words of their mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it."

-- Alma 56:48

I also know that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is God's church here on Earth.  My mommy taught me to Pray when I was very young, and now that I am old I know that I can talk with my Heavenly Father whenever I need to, and that He will give answers to my Prayers.

What would i do Without my Mom?

Without my Mom, i would not be here.

Because of Mom, i have no Fear.

Without my Mom, i would be dumb.

Because of Mom, i don't suck my thumb.

Without my Mom, i get upset.

Because of Mom, i get a pet.

Without my Mom, i am confused.

Because of Mom, i watch the news.

Without my Mom, i would probably die.

Because of Mom, i don't get high.

Without my Mom, i wouldn't pray.

Because of Mom, i know the way.

Without my Mom, i would be lost.

To lose my Mom, is too high a cost.

I LOVE YOU MOMMY!!!

Deception - Not Always

Sometimes I think we might feel like others are dishonest with us,

or that they only want to take advantage of us.

In this clip from the Karate Kid, Daniel is complaining because all he has done is 'chores' for Mr. Miyagi.  What Daniel doesn't realize is that Mr. Miyagi has been building 'Muscle Memory' for his Karate training.

Things are not always as they seem.

Sometimes God does the same thing with us as He tries to help us learn the Gospel.  We often think that 'LIFE' is just not fair.  Which is not exactly true.

"Now it is better that a man should be judged of God than of man,

for the judgments of God are always just,

but the judgments of man are not always just."

-- Mosiah 29:12

God will Judge all men with a Just Judgementat the last day.

Everyone will have the opportunity to hear the Gospel.

Most of the time when something 'unfair' happens to us, we start thinking that something has gone wrong.

If we step back and look at things from a different perspective, we can often see that it might be completely what should have happened.  I have often heard people talk about 20/20 hindsight, (when I was little I thought that meant some people had eyes in the back of their head), and this is what I intend to point out in this video clip.

Daniel didn't see the true meaning of things as he was sanding the floor, waxing the cars, painting the house, or painting the fence.  Yet after a simple and brief explanation from Mr. Miyagi, he understood exactly what each of those tasks was for. 

As we pass through life, I promise everything happens for a reason.  If we seek first to live the Gospel of Jesus Christ and Follow His Commandments, we can then learn to accept God's timing.  We will be closer to Him, and we will understand those things that He wants us to learn.

Pray About It . . . What Does it Mean to Pray ? ? ?

Prayer is one of the ways in which we as Humans receive Revelation.

The Bible Dictionary states the following about Prayer :

        "As soon as we learn the true relationship in which we stand toward God (namely, God is our Father, and we are his children), then at once prayer becomes natural and instinctive on our part (Matt. 7:7–11). Many of the so-called difficulties about prayer arise from forgetting this relationship. Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object of prayer is not to change the will of God, but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant, but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some work or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work, and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.

        Christians are taught to pray in Christ’s name (John 14:13–14; 15:7, 16; 16:23–24). We pray in Christ’s name when our mind is the mind of Christ, and our wishes the wishes of Christ—when his words abide in us (John 15:7). We then ask for things it is possible for God to grant. Many prayers remain unanswered because they are not in Christ’s name at all; they in no way represent his mind, but spring out of the selfishness of man’s heart."

Prayer is something we should do out of love.  When we love the savior we will pray to the Father for forgiveness when we have done something wrong.  When we love our neighbors we will pray for them even when they are not in need of help.

The pattern of Prayer that Christ taught His diciples was to pray to the Father, in the Name of Christ.  Much like a letter to a dear friend.  We speak freely and sometimes emotionally in personal prayer.  We can say whatever we want our Father to hear.  We give Thanks for our blessings, and we ask for those things we still need help with.

I hope that we might each find a new desire to pray, and to speak with our Heavenly Father more often.

This is my prayer for everyone, in the Name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

What would YOU like to hear ? ? ?

.

So I sit here and type stuff about the Gospel all the time.


Sometimes I don't know if what I say really helps people.

So here is your chance,

What is Something about the Gospel

that you have questions about,

or maybe just something

that you would like me to write about?

Just leave a comment below and a blog post shall pop up sooner or later. :)


This Blog is here to help you anyways, not me.




.

Realize YOUR Potential

Most of us are still Caterpillars, 

some of us are in our cocoon, 

and yet there are a few who have become Butterflys.

This is a short film of how a man realizes his full potential.

Try to visualize yourself and see what you might do to 

'Become a Butterfly'.

"The greater the trial, the more glorious the triumph!"

-- Brother Mendez

Don't read on until after watching the movie. ;)



We often try to do something we think would be awesome.  Until someone else comes along and tells us, "you can't do that."  Sometimes it is a good thing, such as when our parents are teaching us not to steal candy bars from the grocery store.

However as we grow older and our ideas are a little more logical, we still get told that we either can't or shouldn't do certain things.  We then start to place limits on our own abilities. (yes abilities is intended to be plural.)

We have two options,

 either we sit around and say, 

"I am already part of a circus, so I guess this is the best I can do." 

Or a better answer would be, 

"I am part of this circus, but I think I could be doing something better."

Brother Mendez in the movie was always able to see the Magnificent Potential in other people.  Sometimes it is hard, as in Will's case, to see our own potential, but as we strive to recognize the potential in others, we will find that we too have that potential within ourselves.

It is our job to improve our situations, occasionally someone else will reach out with a helping hand, but most of the time we still have to do something about it.

The great part is that you are always completely capable of doing what seems impossible because . . .

YOU ARE MAGNIFICENT ! !

Patience - Children

"Patience means active waiting and enduring. 

It means staying with something and doing all that we can 

working, hoping, and exercising faith; 

bearing hardship with fortitude, 

even when the desires of our hearts are delayed. 

Patience is not simply enduring; it is enduring well!"

 

-- President Dieter F. Uchtdorf

 

Many times in Life we seem to put ourselves in a position we need something but have to wait on others before we will be able to get it.  If we are always trying to move forward it becomes easy to forget that we sometimes need to "be still and know that [He is] God."(Psalms 46:10)

Even when we are pained from seeing someone else struggle, we might be able to help them more by allowing them to figure it out and being patient with them, even if we already have a solution.

“We should learn to be patient with ourselves. 

Recognizing our strengths and our weaknesses, 

we should strive to use good judgment in all of our choices and decisions, 

make good use of every opportunity, 

and do our best in every task we undertake. 

We should not be unduly discouraged 

nor in despair at any time when we are doing the best we can. 

Rather, we should be satisfied with our progress 

even though it may come slowly at times.”

-- Joseph B. Wirthlin

 

I sometimes struggle because I feel that I am not 'good enough'.  A good friend showed me the other day that even if I do something stupid every now and again, it doesn't make me a bad person.

There are 168 hours in a week which is 10,080 minutes.  Even if I was to do something stupid for 30 minutes a day, only 2.08% of my week was stupid.  If 60% was a passing grade, I think most of us are at least C average because we spend roughly 30% of our time in bed.  Knowing that I was doing much better than my brain thought I was has helped me to move forward, feel better about who I am, and what I do.

Pokemon Prayers - Energy and Evolution

Elder Dallin H. Oaks said,

“[A person may have] a strong desire to be led by the Spirit of the Lord but . . .

unwisely extends that desire to the point of wanting to be led in all things. A

desire to be led by the Lord is a strength, but it needs to be accompanied by an

understanding that our Heavenly Father leaves many decisions for our personal

choices. Personal decision making is one of the sources of the growth we are

meant to experience in mortality. Persons who try to shift all decision making to

the Lord and plead for revelation in every choice will soon find circumstances in

which they pray for guidance and don't receive it. For example, this is likely to

occur in those numerous circumstances in which the choices are trivial or either

choice is acceptable.

“We should study things out in our minds, using the reasoning powers our Creator

has placed within us. Then we should pray for guidance and act upon it if we

receive it. If we do not receive guidance, we should act upon our best judgment.

Persons who persist in seeking revelatory guidance on subjects on which the Lord

has not chosen to direct us may concoct an answer out of their own fantasy or

bias, or they may even receive an answer through the medium of false revelation”

(“Our Strengths Can Become Our Downfall,” Ensign, Oct. 1994, 13–14).

Don't always look for revelation, but make sure you follow it when it comes.  Make your own descisions, or your are just flipping coins for whose influence you are following.

This post will draw on the game of Pokemon.  If you are unfamiliar with the game I will try to give you enough knowledge for it to make sense.

The most important part is that you are trying to Knock Out your opponent's Pokemon before they Knock out yours.  You do so by using attacks that are specific to each Pokemon.

We will be using four Pokemon for this demonstration.  Hopefully Prayer and Revelation will be more understood than before.

Each Pokemon has a specific type of Energy that it uses.

We all have our own strengths, talents, and abilities that God has given us to use in order to help others.

Sawk - Praying and Doing

So if Prayer is wat you use to Energize your Spirit, having Energy (or Praying) doesn't exactly help much unless you have a specific course of action that you are going to do.

Sawk is capable of doing up to 100 points of damage, but it all depends on a coin flip.  If we pray and receive Energy from the Lord, but then we don't make our own decisions and act of our own will, we will probably not reach our full potential.

"Wherefore, the Lord God gave unto man that he should act for himself."

-- 2 Nephi 2:16

Gothita - Prayer and Sincerity

Gothita is able to put the defending Pokemon to sleep with a single Energy, but won't do any damage.  With two energy you have the chance to do damage to the opponent.

If I only prayed a little bit, or when I was in trouble with something or someone, I can put down an Energy, which would allow me to deal with something that bothered me in the moment, but I will never win because I can't defeat the enemy that is attacking me.  With more sincere Prayer I would have more Spiritual Energy, and thereby be capable of withstanding the advances of Satan.

Armor of God - Ephesians 6:10-18

Psyduck and Golduck

Praying for guindance all the time without working out your own solution is kinda like loading up a Psyduck with extra power.  No matter how much you pray you will still only be able to use the same attack, which only needs one energy, and half the time you hurt yourself.

But if you work out a solution you can have Psyduck evovle into Golduck. 

Wherefore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed,

not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence,

work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

Philippians 2:12

Some personal effort makes it so you can heal yourself but without prayer you still dont get anywhere.

Golduck becomes more powerful as you give him Energy. Having done the required effort on your part by evolving, Energizing your Spirit through prayer will help you come off Conqueror.

"Pray always, that you may come off conqueror;

 yea, that you may conquer Satan,

and that you may escape the hands of the servants of Satan

that do uphold his work."

Doctrine and Covenants 10:5

Stargate Ships - Progression

X-301 (Death Glider)

The X-301 was created by salvaging a crashed Death Glider, and was designed to be a small space fighter.  They then McGuyvered it with some parts from Earth and the first flight was a disaster.  They figured out that the Goa'uld (the bad guys) had hardwired their ships to prevent them from being stolen.  Thus when we gave it a test flight, it didn't act as desired.

X-301
Goa'uld Human Hybrid = bad - due to being half good half bad, not a viable vessel.



F-302

The F-302 was the first all Earth space ship, and as such it had a few problems.  It was designed after the model of a Goa'uld Death Glider, but without the alien components it was much better.  While it did exactly what it was designed to do, it was still just a small fighter.

F-302
Human Intercepter = Good - short range fighter, but excellent maneuverability.



F-303 (Prometheus)

The F-303 was the first Earth vessel capable of going long distances quickly.  Prometheus was our only line of defense if a invasion was attempted for a time.  They knew that in order to protect those on Earth they would need something more than a Fleet of 302s.  This was the first step of becoming an intergalatic power player.

F-303
'Flagship' = Better - Higher firepower, Asgard Sheilds, could carry a few F-302s, good base ship for planetary defense.



F-304 (Daedalus)

The F-304 was the upgrade from the F-303.  It was made so we could utilize upgraded Asgard weapons and cloaking technology, and both Amercia and Russia had these in the skies.

F-304
'Mothership' = Best - Faster with its space travel, more firepower, better shields, more room in the flight bay for F-302s, and better agility in combat.

So as we can see, if you are trying to build a spaceship, you need to get rid of the bad or evil parts.  You still only have a small ship when you start, but by putting in a little extra effort you will be able to 'upgrade' your little ship into a little bit bigger ship.  Then you can upgrade that into an even Better ship.  Keep going until you have the Best ship you can.

You are the Ship.  Kick out the little alien rascals and be a 'pure' you.  You can't begin to grow spiritually if you hold onto the wickedness inside you.

Things work out better when you dont have evil aliens in you.

Satan is the evil alien.

"Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord?

or who shall stand in his holy place? 

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart;

who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully."

-- Psalms 24:3-4

How do I 'Digivolve' Myself ? ?

We all have different stages of growth.  We learn things as we go through life and they help us to deal with things we will face in the future.  Without learning and growing from trials we simply get frustrated and worried when faced with new obstacles.

This is a clip from Digimon, a show I loved growing up.

Patamon Digivolves into Angemon, and Angemon Digivolves into MagnaAngemon.

Out of all the Digimon of the First season Patamon was the last to Digivolve.  This is because he wasn't sure about what would happen when he did.  Only after he learned that he needed to in order to protect others was he willing to do it, and that willingness to serve is what gave him the strength to Digivolve.

Later on he learns an extra Digi-evolution and Digivolves into MagnaAngemon.  This would be impossible without going through some kind of test to make him stronger.

Just as steel is stronger when it is forged and put through the fire, so to must we each pass through a Spiritual Fire and grow from our trials.  (Numbers 31:23)

By learning from our trials we will be strengthened and increase our capacity to endure, and 'Digivolve' ourselves into a greater ability of obedience to the Commandments of the Gospel.

How to Unlearn Things

I want to be a U.S. Marshal.  This means I have a very firm mindset.  I know exactly what I need to do and then I do it.  It leaves very little room for error, and I often tell others what bothers me.   In order to do what I want, I must first become who I want to be.

Unlearning a way of thinking is often very difficult, possibly the most difficult thing anyone would ever do.  With something that is hard physically, you simply go work out and build up strength until you can accomplish the task.  But when your obstacle is Mental you must be able to break it down, and yet not remove the wall.

Black Wall

I have wondered . . . How is it possible to build a Blue wall in the place of a Black wall without removing the Black wall?

Blue Wall

Then a good friend helped me to see that the wall doesn't have to be all one color.  Both colors can be part of the wall.  So all I have to do is figure out which bricks need replaced from the Black, and then remove it and insert a Blue brick.

"And according to his faith 

there was a mighty change wrought in his heart. 

Behold I say unto you that this is all true."

-- Alma 5:12

Knowing what to do is only the beginning, the actually doing it takes time and effort to change not only the way you act, but also the way you think.  Rethinking things and changing your mind is usually not all that difficult, but having a permanent change in how you see things is often a very hard struggle.

Black Wall with Blue Brick 'upgrades'

"And now behold, I say unto you, my brethren, 

if ye have experienced a change of heart, 

and if ye have felt to sing the song of redeeming love, 

I would ask, can ye feel so now?"

-- Alma 5:26

I have one year left on my Mission for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  In that time I hope to assimilate all the Blue bricks I need to in order to make my wall balanced as it should be.

"And now behold, I ask of you, my brethren of the church, 

have ye spiritually been born of God? 

Have ye received his image in your countenances? 

Have ye experienced this mighty change in your hearts?"

-- Alma 5:14

"The bricks are fallen down, 

but we will build with hewn stones; 

the sycamores are cut down, 

but we will change them into cedars."

-- 2 Nephi 19:10