Through His Name

Tomorrow is my last day in my New Testament class here at Brigham Young University. Whoa. Little bit of time vertigo. Can it really be time for finals already? Life blows by SO fast. Here are a few of my final thoughts as we wrap up this semester.

One of my favorite things that Dr. Holtzapfel highlighted this semester was in the 20th chapter of John, 31st verse, which reads, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."

I suppose I've noticed this verse before, but I've never really taken the time to think about what it means, especially that last line - that believing ye might have life through his name. That really hit me in class Tuesday. These scriptures weren't written JUST so we can believe - that's definitely important, but it's not the main point.

So what's the main point? The main point is in how we live our lives. And we are to live our lives "through his name." This phrase has always interested me, partially because I don't fully understand it. But to me, it means living in a way that Jesus would support, in a way that He would be willing to claim you as His. You take a share in His name, you honor His name, and you show the way you feel about the Gospel through the way you live. Your everyday actions testify of Christ and His Gospel. You don't need to preach at anyone; rather, you live in a way that shows your testimony every day.

That being said, I have some goals. I figure if I post them here on the World Wide Web, I'll feel at least a little accountable and therefore, actually do them.
1-Stop Griping- Sometimes I get on these complaining rants, when really, I have nothing to complain about. I have an awesome life. I'm like, seriously, so blessed. (kidding, kidding...)
2-Oft Speak Kind Words- I can, on occasion, be a bit cruel in the comments I make. I need to stop that.
3-Care More About My Friends - I have really awesome friends & I'm not nearly as good to them as I should be.
4- Be a Better Listener - I don't always really focus on what someone else is saying to me, yet I get really annoyed when people don't pay attention or talk over me. That makes me a bit of a hypocrite, but I shall (try to) change.

Thanks to Dr. Holtzapfel for a great semester!

ALSO - I know the new color scheme & Christmas music is TOTALLY cheesy. But I don't care. I like Christmas & I felt like making a new header to show off my mad photoshop skills. So, feel free to think I'm ridiculous, but know I'm quite enjoying relishing in the Christmas Season & I don't care if you think I'm silly.

The Good News

I have a big brother who I love very, very much. We're not actually siblings, not even cousins, not even related at all, but we've been through a lot together. He helped me survive my sophmore year of high school and my daddy's first relapse. I'm his go to girl when he's incredibly bored and needs some one to talk to while driving tractor for endless hours. We go on dates so we can make fun of the couples that double with us. He's my Tater Bro and I'm his Lil' Spitz. Sometimes a girl just needs a big brother to take care of her, and Tate is an awesome brother to have. I am so glad he adopted me. ;D

This dear brother of mine called me last night to tell me the best piece of news I have heard in a long time: He's going to serve a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I have never heard so much determination or emotion in Tate's voice as when he said, "There's no if about this anymore; I'm GOING on a mission." I am SO incredibly proud of him.

We spent quite a bit of time on the phone last night, talking about missionaries, focus, the Spirit, and sharing the Gospel (or, as I have recently learned in my New Testament class, "The Good News"). We shared many personal thoughts, insights, and tears. (I'm lucky I didn't short circuit my phone, actually, I was quite weepy.) This has been a long time coming for Tate, and now he's struggling a bit with keeping his focus, so I gave him a To Do List, which I wanted to share with all of you. Now, I'm not the kind of person that regularly makes lists of goals, so this is a bit out of the ordinary for me, but the Spirit was so incredibly strong when we were discussing the list, I felt like it needed to be shared.

1) Pray - Get down on your knees and bare your heart. Put it all on the line and ask the Lord for comfort, guidance, & strength.

2) Read your Scriptures prayerfully and diligently - Really search for answers, encouragement, and direction.

3) Make a list of reasons you want to serve a mission.

4) Make a list of reasons that you are grateful for the Gospel - revise missionary list.

5) Spread the news - tell your friends and family that you're going, ask for their prayers and support, and tell everyone how excited you are to serve the Lord!

6) Get those papers in!
(LDS missionaries must apply to serve a mission, finance their mission, and accept the call to serve, whether it be in Salt Lake City, Mexico, Bulgaria, or any of the 348 mission areas worldwide. See Missionary PR or mormon.org)


7) Remember that you have a little sister who supports you, believes in you, and loves you very much.

#1, #2, and #7 are infinite. This one goes out to you, my Tater Bro, and all the other missionaries, past, present, and, most especially, future! Go forth! Work hard! Spread the "Good News!"