Isaiah and the Book of Mormon

When I was a sophomore in High School I was reading through the Old Testament of the Bible, having challenged myself to complete it before the year was over. There are some wonderful things, some funny things, and some very strange things in there. I was enjoying myself immensely (except for the lineage lists). When I came to Isaiah though, I felt as if I had been in the desert all day and suddenly was given cool, clean water to drink. It sated something deep inside me I'd never recognized before. I didn't understand everything I was reading there, but it struck a cord with me.

I went on to finish the Old Testament just before the year ended, which made me quite happy. During the summer I decided to again read the Book of Mormon, and I found as I began studying that wonderful book that I had the same feeling that had come over me when I encountered Isaiah months before. All scripture is wonderful and can bless us immensely, but I feel that God was showing me through these experiences that those two books were important for me to seriously consider, deeply and often. What a blessing the scriptures can be if we use them as God intended!

Coming back from the dead

So I've decided that Resurrection is going to be quite a happy experience. On Wednesday I woke up at 4 am feeling queasy; in the next 18 hours I "blew chunks", to use the refined term, 9 times. Vomité mucho. (Not sure if I need a "yo" with that. I've decided on leaving the gangsta' vocabulary out in this case to avoid triggering a gang war.) Along with that, I had very explosive diarrhea. Since I live on the top bunk of my room (at night anyway) the trips to the bathroom every 5-10 minutes ended poorly with a difficult climb up Mt. Bederest. That got increasingly difficult as the day went on. Somehow Chelsea and Jake (and Mom) learned of my plight (luckily the horrors of that day, especially the morning, are already fading from memory) and they came to the rescue. I was whisked away to Orem, where they dumped me on the street and told me I was too sick, they didn't want me at their house.

Okay, not really. They hauled me to their house and shut me up in the dog pen outside, where they've been throwing me scraps of food once a day. I just barely escaped.

So that isn't true either. I slept in their bed they have downstairs, braced for further explosions with a huge 5 gallon bucket in both the bedroom and the bathroom, and somehow survived the night. (I did clean those buckets chels, but you may want to do them again just to be sure). The Thursday there still seemed to be blocks preventing the valves in my digestive tract from letting things through (part of the reason I puked so much Wednesday - any attempt to hydrate myself failed miserably). I didn't throw up at all Thursday though, so that was a good sign.

Friday I still felt all nasty inside, but I was able to eat a few scrambled eggs and some vegetable soup. I had to take a test that day though, and it was horrible trying to prepare for it (I was going to do all that on Wednesday and Thursday) and even worse to go sit in the Testing Center for 2 hours, but getting out and about was actually good for me I think. Saturday the gross feeling inside remained, but a lot of things felt better, and I had slept a lot better. I was able to eat some more. I had to complete an Accounting lesson that night, and it took 4 hours instead of the usual 1 - 1.5 hours due to my body still being so exhasted. Today, Sunday, I woke up and felt a ton better, which surprised me a lot. I slept great. I've eaten quite a bit, and I'm hoping that I'm well again tomorrow so I can hit the homework I missed during the days I missed (it is our last school holiday). Grrr. That isn't going to be pleasant.

So the real questions we are all left asking are:
1. What is it like for Austin when he tries to sleep while he's really sick?

Answer: It is like doing math problems in your sleep all night. I think that is what Outer Darkness will be like. Even my dreams get very weird when I'm sick. The only comparison I can think of is watching Alice in Wonderland because nothing makes sense. (No freaky cats or mad hatters.) My brain seems to try to find a pattern and cause for everything in the dream, even for the shape of things, and to learn how to alter it in future situations. Blah. Maybe that is why I felt sick for so long. I despise it.

2. How much is Chelsea going to pay me for letting her take care of me and for me gracing her house with my presence?

We'll just have to guess at that one. Please keep it under $20,000 though.

I find it interesting that we as humans all too often assume that we know what another person is thinking. I have an acquaintance who has been convinced for the last few months that he knows what is going on inside my head; he is under the impression that I "don't date". I find that slightly amusing and also a bit irritating at the same time. When he actually vocalized those words to me I was able to point out that I had gone on a date but 2 days before. Another person I know believes she also has the inner workings of my mind figured out, and tells others what she has deduced as if it was fact.

Why do we make these kinds of judgments? I know that I am just as guilty as anyone, but it does irk me that someone will take it upon themselves to declare in words of finality how I feel, especially when that person has never actually found out what I do feel. We all, myself included, need to be careful that we don't make announcements about things we don't understand or have all the information about. Otherwise we plant false ideas in peoples' minds and hearts that may not be met, and in such cases relationships can be damaged.

For example, an experience I had once left me angry almost to the point of physical shaking. I had a conversation with an individual, who shared it with another individual (jumping to a conclusion about me in the telling I suppose), who discussed it with another, who then told a huge group of people. The individual who told many then came and talked to me about what i "supposedly" had said, and to my horror the conclusion that had been reached, totally behind my back, was that I was racist. Things were cleared up (as far as I've ever been able to learn) with the offended individual, and they straightened things out with the other people. Perhaps in that initial conversation I said something that wasn't quite right, I don't remember, but I know I did not say what I was being accused of. I still have difficulty not feeling upset at the two individuals who passed this gossip along without talking to me about it first, particularly because of the magnitude of their accusation. My thanks continue to go to the courageous person who spoke to me about this perceived injustice, for it literally saved my reputation amongst this group of people.

So, to conclude, don't try to tell another person's story. It is their's to tell.

As the snow falls, so let the Semester!

Grrrr. It's cold and snowy, and that's when the Beast comes out! (The full moon is simply a lie. These things always happen in the cold and snow.) People were turning into monsters all day. Coats were being ripped off and people were turning green and getting huge everywhere.

Hmmm. Just not feeling any inspiration for this blog. I think they call that writer's blockhead right? Perhaps if I just ask one of my roommates to take a chisel to the huge chuck of stuff encasing my noggin things will get rolling here again.

What do you get when you cross a rhinoceros, a cow, and a dinosaur? You've got me.

I got to go to the temple today. What a great place. I just feel a lot better for having been. When I feel *blah* that is one answer that makes a big difference.

Well, once again the Programming is calling, and I feel it is high time I get to it. This is our last lab, and it is a doozy. Rather than giving us 3-5 days we're getting 2 weeks. Yikes! I think I'm about 1/4 done.

Well, Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good light. Or might. Or fight. Whatever it is.

The vineyard 2

So, among members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, it is quite well known that missionary work is difficult. You are in a new environment, the apron strings have been cut, and you are supposed to help real people with real problems come to know Christ. At first it seems a bit of a daunting task, but as experience is gained things seem to get easier. Why? I firmly believe that God is the reason. Jacob chapter 5:72 says "the servants did go and labor with their mights; and the Lord of the vineyard labored also with them;" Those who are serving the King of Heaven are not forsaken by Him.

I recently spoke with someone who's close friend has decided to leave the church. Is this friend lost? No. Just as Jesus Christ taught that He would leave the 99 to go after the 1, we should seek out those who are falling from the light, and if we look closely we may find that such things are occurring closer to ourselves than we would have thought. A friend, neighbor, roommate, hometeaching companion, etc is in need of our help every day! Truly, "He that hath ears to hear, let him hear" and he that has a heart to serve will serve. Such individuals will "not be content with blessing their own families only, they will range about the whole world," becoming a powerful influence for good, right, truth, and happiness.

If we are striving to be righteous that we may be the tool in the Lord's hand, and if we are waiting for the promptings that will come from the Spirit, we WILL be told when to act. For those who are struggling, continue to love them, and make sure they know it. When the time is right, they will come to you or you will be told to go to them.

Be a force for good in the world.

Hmmm... Peanut Butter on playing cards.... My favorite!

So.

My roommate went wild the other day and purchased an Xbox 360. Needless to say, we roomies all have had little "Halo's" around our heads quite a bit recently. To make matters worse, on Saturday he got a free account to Xbox live since he works for Microsoft. Oh dear. Luckily BYU has a pretty good library I can go to to buckle down and do work. Unfortunately, I don't go there all the time. Hehe. It's great.

So.

I turned on an Indie Rock station on iTunes as I got online to write this, and I kind of like it. I have never known what Indie Rock was, but so far so good.

So.

My dear cousin Kirsten just announced her forthcoming marriage on January 2nd and, being the very cool, observant, knowledgeable person she is, she told me first. Hehe. What makes this funny is I told my sister Chelsea just a week before this that I had called Kirsten right after she had had a serious marriage discussion with her dearly beloved and she said I was the first to know that she was probably going to be engaged soon. Chelsea didn't believe me. Well, after she became betrothed, she tried calling her sister Crystal to share the wonderful news, and my sister Chelsea happened to be there. Events unfolded as they were destined to, so Kirsten called me, making me, as Crystal now admits, the Chosen One.

So.