Bear With Patience Thine Afflictions

     As I've mentioned before, I'm an assistant coach for the 14U Corner Canyon Chargers. On Friday afternoons, the boys go to a strength and agility training session. On Friday nights, we practice inside an old Sports Authority store from 9:00-11:30pm. Needless to say, the boys are pretty tired by the time we start our late practice. During our Friday night practices, our pitchers and catchers rotate through bullpen sessions while the rest of the team does defensive drills. After that, we go through short hitting stations to finish the night. One practice, it was obvious that all of our players were exhausted. They were walking instead of jogging to each new station and their swings didn't look the same. There was about 10 minutes left in practice and I encouraged each player to finish strong. Before beginning my soft toss station I reminded each player, "I know you're tired, but this is when you get better. Give me your 5 best swings right now." As I observed each player's final swings, it taught me a lot about their grit, will to work hard, and mental tenacity. The formula to success always consists of hard work, even when we are tired or struggling. Not coincidentally, the same players who finished practice strong that night were the same players who had big hits in big moments in our tournament in Las Vegas.

     Some days are more tiring than others. Sometimes we will wonder why things are happening to us, even though we've tried so hard to be good. In the book of Ether, the Brother of Jared and his family are commanded to build barges to float to the promised land. The Brother of Jared had already shown great faith while preparing the barges, to the point where he conversed with the Lord face to face. When the barges were finally prepared, they got inside and trusted the Lord to guide them where they needed to go. Ether 6:5 reads, "And it came to pass that the Lord God caused that there should be a furious wind blow upon the face of the waters, towards the promised land; and thus they were tossed upon the waves of the sea before the wind." In order to get to the promised land, the faithful servants of God were blown by a furious wind and were tossed around in the water. Later in verse 11 it reads, "And thus they were driven forth, three hundred and forty and four days upon the water." Needless to say, this was a trying experience for the Brother of Jared and his family. My favorite part about this story is when they finally arrive to the promised land. In the very next verse (12) it reads, "And they did land upon the shore of the promised land. And when they had set their feet upon the shores of the promised land they bowed themselves down upon the face of the land, and did humble themselves before the Lord, and did shed tears of joy before the Lord, because of the multitude of his tender mercies over them." I can't imagine being on the waters for almost a year, but these people turned around and thanked God as soon as they arrived to the promised land. They may have been tempted to murmur along the way saying something like, why can't we just smoothly ride to the promised land? Or, we've already worked so hard and endured a lot, why can't there be a more comfortable method of transportation? Despite their trials, they were diligent and they thanked the Lord as soon as the arrived.

     Probably the most difficult thing to overcome during trials is the temptation to turn inwards and murmur in our hearts. It's eminent that trials will come, but it's up to us to react positively. In my Utah Valley University Institute class, there was a scripture brought up that I really liked. It's found at 1 Nephi 13: 37. "And blessed are they who shall seek to bring forth my Zion at that day, for they shall have the gift and the power of the Holy Ghost; and if they endure unto the end they shall be lifted up at the last day, and shall be saved in the everlasting kingdom of the Lamb; and whoso shall publish peace, yea, tidings of great joy, how beautiful upon the mountains shall they be." The next time you are tempted to turn inward and tune out from the world, remember that the greatest joy comes from serving others. The Lord gives us trials as an invitation to remember Him and turn to Him. When we turn to Him in the midst of troubling moments, we will realize that helping others come unto Him is the best way to deal with any situation.

Photo from lds.org

Remember The Worth of Souls is Great in the Sight of God

     Over President's Day weekend, I had the opportunity to travel with my wife and two younger brothers to Las Vegas to play in a baseball tournament. I am a coach on my brother's team, the Corner Canyon Chargers, in the 14U division. We have been working hard for the last couple of months to be prepared for the season to begin. I was interested to see how the boys would do in their first tournament. In pool play, we played teams from Washington and Nevada. It was pretty clear that it was our first tournament of the year. We struggled to make plays and be in the proper position during relays and in-game situations. Despite the struggles, we went 2-2 in pool play and made it out of our pool as a 4 seed in the championship bracket. In the first round, we came out flat again and lost. It was an interesting tournament for us overall, and I'm excited to see how our team grows throughout the year.

     Also during this tournament, I was able to get to know the players. I already know several of them from prior teams, but there are some that I had never met before the last couple of months. I used this tournament as a way to analyze each individual player's strengths and weaknesses, what positions they can play on the field, where to put them in the batting order, etc. More importantly, I was able to gauge the player's ability to be coached, mental tenacity, and their will to win. Seeing those characteristics in a player helps me see them through different eyes. I can see how receptive they are to different types of coaching, and I can see what kind of young men they are on and off the field.

     One of the more memorable stories from this weekend was with a specific player on our team. I hadn't met this young man before a couple months ago, and I have been trying to figure out what to tell him so he can fix his swing. While warming up before our last game in Las Vegas, I was watching him hit and I decided to film a couple swings with my phone and look at it in slow motion. I noticed a very crucial flaw in his swing. When his round of batting practice was over, I pulled him aside to show him. It seemed like it clicked with him. During the latter innings of the game, he had an important at-bat. We needed to put a rally together, and this young man stepped to the plate with a chance for an RBI. He remembered what we had talked about, and he delivered a huge hit for our team.The best part about this at-bat was when he made it to first base with a big smile on his face saying, "I did it!" It was more than baseball for this young man. He had accomplished something that he had been struggling with for awhile, and I was grateful to be a part of this process.

     Just like in baseball, we have "teams" in our church organizations in the form of quorums, groups, classes, wards, stakes, etc. These individual groups aren't one single body, but are full of individuals with very unique personalities. We can't overlook an individual in the group just because they seem different than the others. As leaders/teachers it is our calling to teach the doctrine of the kingdom to our brothers and sisters. If we have been called to teach a Sunday School class, it is our sacred duty given to us by God to nurture and bring up every member of that class. Church leaders often have a huge impact on the life of youth by showing interest in their personal lives. I remember the leaders who came to my baseball games, and to this day I have a great friendship with them. Don't miss your chance to be God's messenger to one of His children.

     My dad once said, "treat other people the way that you depend on Jesus Christ to treat you." I depend on my Savior for everything, and I owe it to Him to spread his gospel to all those around me. "Remember the worth of souls is great in the sight of God." (Doctrine and Covenants 18:10)

In Everything Give Thanks

     "Verily I say unto you my friends, fear not, let your hearts be comforted; yea, rejoice evermore, and in everything give thanks;" D&C 98:1. Probably my most memorable pitching experience is the game against American Fork where the region championship was on the line. I was going up against a pitcher who would eventually be drafted into the MLB, the winner would be the #1 seed in the state tournament, and we were ranked 1 and 2 in the Utah power rankings. Both me and my opponent pitched all 7 innings, and my defense came up clutch with some big plays all throughout the game to give us a 3-2 win. We were excited for the win and we got on the bus to go back to Riverton. When I got home, the first thing I did was go into my bedroom. Still overcome with emotion, I said a prayer of gratitude to my Father in Heaven. The prayer probably lasted 10 minutes, because I had a lot to be grateful for that day. When I concluded my prayer and stood up to leave, I was hit with a realization. I said to myself, "how come this is the first time I have prayed like this after a game?" I had played hundreds, if not thousands, of games throughout my life and it took me until the region championship game of my senior year to get on my knees like I did. It wasn't that I wasn't ever grateful for my experiences that I had, but I never knelt down after a game and thanked my Heavenly Father.

     On my mission in Mexico City, I felt that my prayers were at their strongest. I felt a strong connection with God not only as I knelt down, but also as I went about my day. As I got home I felt my prayers starting to be more repetitive and less meaningful. As a missionary, there was always something new going on and we always had things to pray about. As a regular church member, sometimes our days are repetitive between work/school schedules and it's hard to think of new things to talk about with God. One thing that has helped me in this situation is to say a different kind of prayer. Instead of kneeling down and struggling to think of things to say, I kneel down with the intent of not asking for anything. Instead, I give thanks for every little thing I can think of in my life. In the spirit of gratitude, the Holy Ghost will accompany you and help you make your prayers more meaningful. Even if it takes 15 minutes, I know that simple prayers of gratitude will help increase your capacity to pray.

     In the scriptures, we read about several experiences where disciples of Christ receive great visions or revelations. In these instances it also is mentioned that those people were in fervent prayer, or that had spent a lot of time pondering over the goodness of Christ. Here are a few examples: talking about his father, Lehi, Nephi said, "Wherefore it came to pass that my father, Lehi, as he went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart, in behalf of his people. And it came to pass as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire and dwelt upon a rock before him; and he saw and heard much; and because of the things which he saw and heard he did quake and tremble exceedingly." (1 Nephi 1:5-6) Enos said, "And I will tell you of the wrestle which I had before God, before I received a remission of my sins.....And my soul hungered; and I kneeled down before my Maker, and I cried unto him in mighty prayer and supplication for mine own soul; and all the day long did I cry unto him; yea, and when the night came I did still raise my voice high that it reached the heavens." Enos then had a conversation with the Lord and he was assured that his sins were forgiven. 

     Prayer can also be the way we help our friends and family members through hard times. I testify that the Lord hears each and every sincere prayer that we say. In the book of Mosiah, we see an example of how fervent prayer was effective for Alma. His son, Alma the Younger, was seeking to destroy the church and persecute it's members. In Mosiah 27:14 it says, "And again, the angel said: Behold, the Lord hath heard the prayers of his people, and also the prayers of his servant, Alma, who is thy father; for he has prayed with much faith concerning thee that thou mightest be brought to the knowledge of the truth; therefore, for this purpose have I come to convince thee of the power and authority of God, that the prayers of his servants might be answered according to their faith." 

     Prayer can be the way we develop and strengthen our relationship with God, but only if we diligently seek him. When we find ourselves struggling to have sincere prayers, we can start by simply thanking God for everything we have. Another way that I have found effective is to ask that the spirit can accompany us in the prayer, and wait for a little bit until I feel the spirit present. It never takes long. Our Heavenly Father is anxious to hear from and answer his children. Let's invite him into our lives each and every day!

Work Wins

"Wherefore, now let every man learn his duty, and to act in the office in which he is appointed, in all diligence. He that is slothful shall not be counted worthy to stand, and he that learns not his duty and shows himself not approved shall not be counted worthy to stand. Even so. Amen." (Doctrine and Covenants 107:99-100) One common misconception in today's world is that we do not have to do anything for our salvation, because Jesus Christ already paid the price for our sins. While it is very true that Christ suffered for all of us, we are still required to make decisions for ourselves and participate in saving ordinances and covenants. For example, Jesus said "Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God." (John 3:5) and also "And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved." (Mark 13:13) The things we do on this earth are eternally important. We recognize that the Atonement of Jesus Christ is for all of us, but we can't willingly go off in sin planning on coming back later. The time to repent is now.

Growing up in baseball, I got away with my size being my advantage during games. I was bigger than mostly everybody else, so I could hit and throw harder. When I got older, the smaller kids started to catch up to me. Even though I was still one of the bigger players, I started getting outplayed by the smaller players. I realized that my size was no longer going to give me the definite advantage over the other teams. I then made a decision that I had to work harder. I began to lift weights, work on cardio, footwork, explosiveness, and mental tenacity.

I want to keep this post a little shorter this week so you can look at the two links below. One is a video from TCU Baseball called "Work Wins". Every time I watch this video, I get excited to go to work. The other link is a conference talk from our new prophet, President Nelson, called "The Price of Priesthood Power." If the link doesn't work by clicking on it, you can copy and paste the URL into your browser. Even if you've seen these before, I highly recommend taking another look!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQzKVKFgRok

https://www.lds.org/general-conference/2016/04/the-price-of-priesthood-power?lang=eng