Gospel Principles Chapter 6

"The Fall of Adam and Eve"

The Fall. This one is always a little tricky. There's so many different views on what actually took place and if it was symbolism or not. The way I like to look at it is that this record is an account, or in other words, what actually took place; also that everything can be taken as a symbol--especially for our day. So we can take out of this event is both literally what happened and that there is going to be some application for our day. So back to what happened. In a nutshell, God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and gave them two commandments. One, multiply and replenish the earth aka have kids, and two, don't eat of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. They knew the consequence of eating the fruit and that was if they ate they would die, and be cast out of the garden. One day a serpent, Satan, came and tempted Adam and Eve to eat of the fruit. He told them that if they ate they would "be as gods, knowing good and evil," and that they wouldn't die, which is where the lie came in because God said that they would and he doesn't go against his word. Anyway, they decided to eat of the fruit and they were both cast out. This brought in two types of death, physical and spiritual. Physical is pretty self-explanatory, and spiritual death is the separation of us and God. Many people think that this was a bad thing, that they transgressed the law and partook of the fruit, but like all things great things happen when we make mistakes. And this mistake was needed for all of us to be able to come here to the earth. The prophet Lehi explains in 2 Nephi 2:22-25,
             "And now, behold, if Adam had not transgressed he would not have fallen, but he would have remained in the Garden of Eden. And all thigs which were created must have remained in the same state in which they were after they were created. ...
             "And they would have had no children; wherefore they would have remained in a state of innocence, having no joy, for they knew no misery; doing no good, for they knew no sin.
           " But behold, all things have been done in the wisdom of him who knoweth all things.
       "Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy."
I love this explanation of why it was necessary for the Fall. So many other great blessings have happened because of this one act. It was truly a great blessing.

Gospel Principles Chapter 5

"Creation"

Many of us, if not all of us, in the world love to create. I personally love it; whether it is something that I can actually make or something in my head. I know that eventually I will be able to see that come to pass. Today we have all kinds of technology to help us create, but we still can't be as great as the Master Creator: Jesus Christ. We know that Jesus Christ under the direction of Heavenly Father created the earth and all of its inhabitants and everything else on and in it. If we look around, there has to be a reason as to how this all got here. One of my favorite analogies is about this. Someone once said that without God it's like having a tornado go through a junk yard and end up with a Boeing 747 as the outcome. It's just not possible, but if there is someone directing this tornado, it might just actually work. I love being able to enjoy the warm summer nights. Now that I'm home and summer is fast approaching I will be able to do that once again. I remember one evening with Elder Parr in Bozeman. We went out into the courtyard after we got our planning done and we laid on the tables and looked at the stars and just talked about how great it is to be able to know the things we know and have the assurance of things to come. Just remember that this was created for you, and for me. This world is given especially to us and we need to make the best of it. Jesus love you. He loves everyone of us and if he had to suffer for only one person, He would. That is what makes all of this so great.

**The picture of the airplane is of a Boeing 747. Just to show how complicated it is.

It seems like life revolves around sports...

Today's world seems to always have some connection to sports. People just seem to want to give their money away to these sports teams. On a personal note, my favorite sport is volleyball, as a lot of you know. I've been thinking of ways to try to associate the gospel to the game of volleyball. The most obvious way is kind of the same with any team sport: the team is your family, and just like on earth where your family is the most important support system that we have; the team is just as vital to your success on the court. Teamwork. Without everyone working together it is impossible to win. For example: the other day we had a couple of volleyball games. There was only four of us that showed up to play and we were playing against teams of 6. We won 2 out of the 3 matches that we played. I accredit the wins to team work and some skill. My friends and I knew how each other played and it helped us work together. The team that we lost to was just a little bit more tight knit and had a little bit better players, but overall it was a great day. Remember that we all need to work together in order to succeed. I love you all. Jesus loves you.

Apology

So, this is a formal apology to all those who follow my blog on a regular basis. Sorry that I have slacked off on my blogging since I have been home from my mission. I am going to try to be better at making an effort to blog at least once a week. Things have been pretty crazy since returning home from Montana. Here's just a little update about me:

• Now attending Brigham Young University-Idaho, studying Mechanical Engineering
• Working for Weed Man Lawn Care
• Before I made it up to school I was working 2 jobs, one at a law office and the other at a clothing store
• Now that Christmas and all of the holidays are past, I should be a little less busy and be able to keep everyone posted. :)

Thank you all for your support. It is greatly appreciated. I love you all.