The True Meaning of Grace

When Jesus Christ was on the earth, He established one true Church--one specific organization with twelve Apostles and very clear doctrine and commandments outlined by Him.  The Church of Jesus Christ was very well-organized and its purpose was clear--to follow Jesus Christ, to do as He taught and as He did.  However, not too many years after His resurrection and ascension into heaven, the Church He had established was being severely muddled and confused by mortal men.  Paul, an Apostle of the Lord, tried desperately in all of his letters to explain the doctrine of Christ and to stop the people from deviating from it, to end their divisions into innumerable doctrines of men.  Two common philosophies in the early centuries AD were those of the Judaizers and the Antinomians.

Christ calls the Twelve Apostles

Judaizers

The Judaizers were early Christians who believed that it was still necessary to keep the Law of Moses (Jewish customs).  Christ had come to fulfill the Law of Moses and to give a higher law, but the Judaizers were convinced that all Christians had to follow the Law of Moses and Jewish traditions and customs.  They were in direct opposition to a letter written by the Apostles that said it was not necessary for all to keep the Law of Moses (Acts 15).  The Judaizers believed that the Atonement (Christ's sacrifice for us) was what saved, but it would only be of effect after we keep all of the commandments first.

Antinomians

The Antinomians believed that Christ's grace through His Atonement would save all mankind, so they had no obligation to obey any commandments: they could do whatever they wanted.  They took Chris's sacrifice as a license to do all sorts of horrible things, because the more you sinned, the more grace you got, and Christ would save you in the end.  

Both groups believed in the grace of Jesus Christ, but both misunderstood it.  The doctrines that they had created were wrong.  What, then, is the answer?  How should grace be understood, and what does the Atonement mean in our lives?

What Paul Taught

Paul fought against both of these groups, especially in his epistles to the Galatians and the Romans. In Galatians 2:16 (King James Version), he says that "a man is not justified by the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ."  In legal terms, to be justified is to be brought before a judge and then pronounced not guilty.  There are only two ways we can be counted not guilty before God, and free from punishment: to have never sinned or to have paid the price for our sins.  In Romans 3, Paul teaches that "all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God" (v. 23, KJV).  No one is justified by the law, because no one completely keeps all of the commandments of God.  We all sin.  The only reason we could be justified when we stand before God at the last day is because our Savior, who was and is perfect, without sin, paid the horrible price for all of our sins, and He pleads our case to the Father (Doctrine and Covenants 45:3-5).

Paul Writing His Epistles, painting attributed to Valentin de Boulogne, 17th century

A problem we sometimes have, and sometimes often in the LDS community, is to freak out when we are not perfect.  We picture life as an enormous marathon, and we think of ourselves running it, using up all of our strength, at the very limits of our souls, giving it everything we possibly have to the point that it is unhealthy, straining every muscle and nerve, and then we collapse in a heap somewhere near the finish line, a sweaty, bleeding and whimpering mess--and then Christ comes in and carries us to the finish line, making up the rest.  In reality, Christ can be, and is with us along every step of the race, often carrying us over each hill, or pulling us, helping us to climb mountains (you knew I had to include them;) we otherwise could not dream of climbing, making us stronger than we could ever be.  "For it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do" (2 Nephi 25:23)  And only Christ can allow us to do all that we can do, by helping us every step of the way--He should be with us always, not just at the end.

To the Antinomians, Paul countered, "What shall we say then?  Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?  God forbid.  How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?" (Romans 6:1-2).  He explained that those that understand Christ's great sacrifice do not now have the freedom to disobey commandments of God, but now have the ability to keep them.  Yes, the Atonement of Christ does give us infinite freedom, but this is not the freedom to break commandments, rather, it is the freedom from sin.  We can be forgiven when we make mistakes.  We don't have to be bogged down by everything we do wrong, we don't have to beat ourselves up when we fall--because of Christ, we can be lifted up and keep moving forward.  Sin leads to addiction--if people use their "freedom" to give themselves in to drugs, alcohol, pornography, etc. they fall into a dangerous addiction and can do nothing else but fulfill that addiction--they lose their freedom.  On the other hand, if you use your Christian liberty to follow Christ and keep His commandments, using His grace to help you at every step, you are freed from sin and have more and more power to do more good.  Sin is shackles, love is liberty.

Moroni's Final Words

Christ has commanded us in direct language: "Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect" (Matthew 5:48).  How do we do that?  As often happens, the Book of Mormon helps clarify and explain important Bible passages.  Moroni, the last prophet to write in the Book of Mormon, wrote for his nearly closing words: "Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him...and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ" (Moroni 10:32, emphasis added).  No, we cannot be perfect on our own, and God does not expect us to.  I cannot do that.  What I can do is come unto Christ, love Him with everything that I have (and that means keeping His commandments) and deny myself of ungodly things.  I invite you, every week, to think of something, perhaps a "favorite sin" (an inappropriate TV show, a selfish behavior, etc.) or something you need to improve on (more kindness, more service to others, etc.) and focus on that.  Ask God for His help all week, and in the end, report to God on how you did, and either keep working on it or find something new to improve on.  I promise you that God will help you to become more like Jesus Christ.  I can become perfect.  So can you.  This is the path Christ showed us, and this is what He wants us to do.  There is nothing more important.

The Lord is My Shepherd by Simon Dewey

Gratitude: Thanksgiving in Ogden Valley

I know that Thanksgiving was a while ago, and that all of our minds are focused in on Christmas (which is a very good thing!), but I think it would be a good thing for us all to be grateful all year, as well as to remember Christ all year.  Thus I am going to write about my experiences over the Thanksgiving break.

Our family is a bit spread out over the western U.S., some of us in Colorado, some in Southern California, Idaho or Utah, so as of last year we created the tradition of renting a cabin in Eden, a little mountain town in Northern Utah, and bringing all of the family there.  The family is relatively small, but we had a group of up to 20 people there at a time, just relaxing and spending time together for a few days.

It was incredible!  We had so much fun playing endless games, sledding and having snowball fights, watching old home videos--it was a great way to honor the memory of my grandparents.  James Dean Clayton and Madelyn Stringfellow Clayton were my heroes--examples of quiet, simple, hardworking, selfless people.  All of us there were direct relatives of them, so I made the design for shirts for us all to wear to remember them.  Here's the back side of it (I used to attempt to draw cartoons), depicting the grandparents and the rest of us who were physically there:

(Bonus points if you can find me!)

During one of the last days, we decided to go on a hike.  It had snowed a few days before, but there was generally not snow in the valley at this point, except in small patches.  We were going to the Wheeler Creek trail, a gently sloping trail through a deep north-facing canyon.  When we showed up at the trailhead, however, the whole trail was completely coated in ice!  This made for an interesting trip, as the more bold tried to see how far they could slide in one push, and most of us took small teetering steps up the canyon.  We made slow progress, but it was a beautiful hike, surrounded by towering cliffs of limestone and quartzite and immense slopes blanketed in firs, a small stream trickling by below.


At the top we took a picture of the whole group.  I had to set the camera on a rock and position it just right so we could get the picture, and then brave my way across the icy trail to get in the picture, but the first shot taken was perfect!  I thought just how lucky that was that we got that first picture to work, that everyone looked good and no one had their eyes closed or their pinkies bleeding.  With so many pictures that could be taken with something wrong, I counted it as a small miracle just to have that picture:


Humans seem to have an incredible ability to take things for granted.  It is so easy to forget the little things and to think about where they come from.  We are also quite good at forgetting about the big things, such as the fact alone that my family was able to be together during Thanksgiving, that we are all healthy and happy and that none of us turned out to be murderers, druggies or lawyers!  There are so many people who don't have that blessing (if you are one of those people, have faith and hope and look at the blessings you do have).

As will often happen with me, the rest of the family had their fill of hiking after a while, but I hadn't, so they turned back and I kept going.  I walked into Icebox Canyon, a deep narrow canyon very hidden from the sun and aptly named--it was very icy there and there were some slopes on the trail that were very hard to climb.  It was an intensely beautiful and peaceful canyon, though, the stream covered in snow but still flowing, so that you saw a flat white expanse of snow but heard a stream babbling.  As I walked I thought of just how lucky I am to have Jenn.  I remembered when I was a teenager and went on camping trips with the Scouts, at night sometimes I would wander a ways away from the group, look up at the stars and just imagine what it would be like to have someone always there with me.  To have a friend, a companion, someone who for some bizarre unknowable reason loved me and would always love me.  And now I do!  There is no greater blessing I have experienced in life than being married to Jenn.

To those who are older than teenagers and who are not married yet, let me just say that it is very well worth looking into.  To have a deep selfless commitment to each other, to worry more about her than me, to know that she is always caring for and thinking about me--there is nothing sweeter.  Don't be afraid of commitment--yes, with marriage comes plenty of difficulties and responsibilities, but the bond and care for each other and intense joy it brings is so worth it.  To those who want to find an eternal companion but have not been able to yet, your time will come.  God will not deny you from any blessing you worthily seek to obtain, even if the blessing does not come for a very long time, even into the next life.

The slippery slope.

We all have so much to be grateful for.  We don't have to forget about gratitude and move on to Christmas--we can infuse Christmas with the spirit of gratitude.  Shouldn't we be thankful that the Savior of the World chose to come down and be born in the most humble of circumstances, be spit on and ridiculed and endure unthinkable torment so that we can repent and live again?  May we be thankful for Christ, for our families, for the beautiful world wherever we live, for our health, and for a million other things as well.  Merry Christmas and happy holidays to you all!
 

"Thy Will, Not Mine, Be Done"

Three weeks and two days ago I embarked upon one of the most ambitious adventures of my life.  I live in the college town of Provo, Utah, and Jenn's family lives in Riverton, Utah, about 30 miles north by car.  It is about 33 miles away by car, which follows nearly a direct route.  There are many potential bike routes there, but if you enter directions into a map app, none should ever tell you to go one of the technically shortest ways, which would be up and over Point of the Mountain.  You see, Utah Valley is bordered on the east by the enormous Wasatch Range of mountains, on the west by Utah Lake (and more mountains), and on the north, as the gateway to Salt Lake County, by a group of east-west trending small mountains or large hills called the Traverse Range.  The little pass the freeway takes before dropping down into Salt Lake County is called Point of the Mountain.  Below it to the west is a narrow canyon through which the Jordan River runs from Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake, and above it are the large hills or small mountains of the Traverse Range often referred to as Point of the Mountain.

Driving route from Provo to Riverton (North is up).
Wasatch Front seen on the right, and Point of the
Mountain is in the top central part of the photo.

I had ridden my bike before from Provo to Riverton, but I had taken the "easy" way along the Jordan River.  Now I had the crazy idea to bike up and over Point of the Mountain to get there.

Do not misunderstand me.  I am most definitely not a mountain biker.  There have been many small communities build in the Traverse Range recently, and so there is a paved highway winding up to the top and back down again.  However, it is a 2,000 foot elevation gain in not very much distance, which was much more than I had ever attempted before.  All this after riding 20 miles just to get to the base.  So I decided to try it, and if I couldn't make it over the top then I would come down and get to Riverton the low way.

Off I went on Friday at about 11:00, and I could not have wished for a more beautiful ride.  It was a clear, sunny day, the road wove largely along a canal road with the mountains towering to the right and views of the lake to the left.  I rode 20 miles and was already feeling fairly exhausted.  Then I saw the mountain in front of me and started the long trudge up them.

It was every bit as hard as I thought it would be, but nothing like I expected.  A wrenching burn with every turn of the wheel, and I was in such a low gear that progress was barely faster than walking.  I was looking at each bush several feet ahead, pushing myself just to reach that one goal--and then picking a new goal another several feet ahead.  There were several large, sweeping curves that I passed, eagerly wondering if I was at the top--to realize I still had a ways to go.

The winding road going from bottom right to top left is Traverse Ridge Road.
It gains 2,000' in about 2 miles, then quickly loses it all in the same distance
on the way back down.

At long last I reached the top.  I had made it!  Anyone who has climbed or biked an extremely hard trail knows the unparalleled feeling of satisfaction at the top.  That exhilaration for me was coupled with the breathtaking sunset over the new view of Salt Lake County, the red colors retreating up the mountains as the shadows advanced, and the complete joy of being able to go down a screamingly steep, long slope.  In my experience, there are few things quite as fun as going down a very steep slope on a bike.  I got up to 32.7 mph, much faster than I had ever gone before (true bikers, try to stifle your scoffs), right as the light faded.  Total trip: 34 miles.  I had done it.

This was an example to me of just how much God loves me.  He had given me a wonderful experience, something amazing and practically perfect to me that I could remember all my life.  We don't need to be perfect, or even all that great, for God to bless us.  We just need to be trying our very best to pass the tests that He gives us to make us into better people.

It doesn't ever really matter at what point we are in our journey--or even, for that matter, what our specific path is.  We may be the holiest and closest to God you can be, or we may be just beginning to get to know God--we may be just emerging or attempting to emerge from a terrible addiction, or we may be striving to make little changes to be better each day--God does not love any of us less or more than the others.  We do receive more and more blessings the closer we grow to God, but it does not matter how recently you turned to God or how much more of your journey to Him still remains. What matters is which direction you are going.

The view as I was coming down from Traverse Ridge Road, going north into Draper.

Jesus Christ always and only did what His Father wanted Him to.  He said repeatedly that He was doing the will of Him that sent Him, and not His own.  Why?  He realized His Father knew better than Him, that He knew exactly what Christ should do that would be for His and for the world's benefit.  If the perfect Jesus followed His Father in everything, how much more should we follow out Perfect Father, as well as our Savior!

I cannot make a mountain, or a lung, or a flower, or a giraffe.  Heavenly Father is obviously SO much smarter than I am.  He has perfect intelligence.  Amazingly, too, He has perfect kindness, which is why we can absolutely trust Him.  If we choose to do His will instead of ours He will give us so much more happiness and growth than we could ever get by working on our own.  This will always be true.  Following God's will instead of our own will lead to much greater happiness than we could ever obtain on our own.

Along the Murdock Canal trail before getting to Riverton.

Because of this principle, in the last few weeks I have been trying hard to follow God's will instead of my own.  This means that whatever happens to me and whatever I feel like I should do, I should do it without complaining.  Because of this goal, I have been given lots and lots of tests lately--as if God was saying, "Okay, so that's your goal, let's see if you can be happy and cheerful even if I ask you to do this."  Sometimes, and a lot of times at first, I have failed the test, or not done nearly as well as I could have.  For example, I hate shopping.  I hate it with a passion.  Something about wandering endlessly in the giant stores with fluorescent lights, looking for things I am only buying because I have to, rubs me very wrong.  So sometimes when Jenn takes me shopping I have a bad, grumpy attitude, which is not accepting God's will instead of mine!  If I have to go shopping, God's will is that I enjoy it and have fun spending quality time with my wife.

Lately, though, with plenty of hiccups, I have become slowly better at accepting God's will, of trying to do what He wants with a good attitude, trying to learn whatever I can from the experience, be it lots of homework, helping someone out, or something truly tragic like going shopping.  And I have learned from this that following God's will, even when it does not align with mine, definitely will bring me the most joy.  Cheerfully following God's is so miraculous that it can turn a torture-ridden shopping trip into a fun date night with my wife.

The more we follow God's will, the more we will have challenges, but the more and greater rewards we will have as well.  For example, on Friday I went to climb the Lake Mountains, which is the mountain range just to the west of Utah Lake.  That was another perfect experience--a beautiful walk alone through an amazing land, an incredibly clear sky, and some of the best views I had ever had in Utah, with the whole Wasatch range and more laid out before me.  I feel like that experience might not have happened, or might not have been nearly so good, if I had not been setting my goals and trying to align my will to God's.

View from the top of Lake Mountains (7590') looking east at the Wasatch front including (left to right) Cascade Mountain, Squaw Peak, Y Mountain, Maple Mountain, Buckley Mountain, Twin Ridges and Hobble Creek.

Jesus Christ, in speaking to the prophet Moroni in the Book of Mormon, said, "If men come unto me I will show unto them their weaknesses."  That's a scary thought, isn't it?  If we grow close to God, we will see our failings, and exactly what we need to improve on will be laid before us.  But then the Lord says, "If they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."  God shows us our weaknesses so we can do something about them.  And then He helps us to do it.  I know that our weaknesses will become glorious strengths, and we will be happier, better, higher-quality people if we every day seek to align our wills more closely and completely to God's.

View from Israel Canyon (Lake Mountains Communication Road) looking east at Timpanogos (right) and Box Elder Peak (left)

Experiences with Space and Time in Death Valley National Park

Tarantula crawling on the Racetrack near Death Valley National Park, a playa (dry lake bed).

The title of this post, as you will notice, is "Experiences with Space and Time" and not "Experiences Through Space and Time."  So I'm sorry, but don't expect a trip spanning eons into the future and ripping through the fabric of space-time.  This is much simpler, but it does involve several important insights I gained into the importance of space and of time.

Death Valley

Last weekend I was on a Geology field trip in Death Valley, which is an incredible and extremely unique place.  We drove there from Provo, Utah starting Friday morning, so by sunset we were up at Dante's View, a viewpoint from about 6,000 feet elevation looking down on the valley.

Death Valley is the lowest area in the western hemisphere, -282' at its lowest point in Badwater Basin.  It is so low because the crust of the earth is being strongly pulled apart in that area, leaving a very deep valley in between two mountain ranges: to the east the Black Mountains rise up past 7,000' and on the west the Panamount Range rises past 11,000'.  Those are absurdly tall walls between a narrow little valley only about 10 miles wide.  The valley is so dry because air from the oceans rains all of its moisture out as it climbs the Panamounts, leaving Death Valley with only hot, dry air.

Dante's View in the Black Mountains of California, looking west into Death Valley and towards the Panamount Mountains.  The Black Mountains rise over one mile high in less than three miles, an incredibly steep slope.

My Eyes!

Anyways...we saw a fantastic view at Dante's View, then drove down to our campsite, where at night it dropped all the way down to 70 degrees F (in late October!).  My eyes had been bothering me a little that day, but they were not too bad, so I decided to sleep with my contacts in (which I had done before with no problems).  I know already, you don't have to tell me...BAD IDEA.  I woke up in the middle of the night (still about 70 degrees) with my eyes stinging like crazy, and I hurriedly took out my contacts and went back to bed.  When I woke up in the morning I could not open my eyes.

Still can't see...at the Racetrack near Death Valley.

This had happened to me once before, but not while trying to enjoy time in a bright sunny national park (the last time it was a state park).  I literally had a very very hard time opening my eyes, especially in bright light.  If I could I could only open them for a fraction of a second at a time.  So I stumbled towards my breakfast and ate it, feeling very miserable.  It was a good thing that we were not going to a highly reflective white surface first thing, and that it was overcast!  We headed out to the sand dunes (a highly reflective white surface) with not a cloud in sight.

I tried to have fun as best I could, but it was a hard thing.  I was in a lot of pain and I could see hardly anything.  Every time I tried to open my eyes they stung relentlessly and my nose ran.  I realized just how valuable sight was, and probably just how much I had taken it for granted.  How much do we not appreciate the things that are around us, no matter where we are?  How much do we walk or drive the same path to school or work each day and not even notice what kind of trees we are passing?  My one desire was to see the world around me.  This was my experience with space--I learned to better appreciate and understand the world around me.  I feel like now I appreciate the world around me and the gift of sight a little bit more, no matter where I happen to be.

Ubehebe Crater

My eyes slowly got better, and I immensely enjoyed the rest of the field trip, soaking everything I could in--Ubehebe, 7 or 8 giant volcanic craters, Badwater Basin, the lowest spot in the western hemisphere, the Devil's Golf Course, Mars Hill, the Racetrack--Death Valley is well worth visiting; I highly recommend it.  It is like no place I have ever been.

A "Pointless" Walk Home

My experience with time came the week after the field trip.  That Monday I had a break in classes between 10:00 and 1:00, but I had a whole lot of homework to do, I felt, if I was to have any time to relax that night.  However, Jenn (my wife) was very insistent and persistent in that I come walk home with her and back because she had forgotten something.  The logical part of me screamed that this was impractical and not a good use of time, and that I needed to get my homework done.  But I wanted to make Jenn happy, and I would love a walk with her, so I went.

And I am so glad I did.  It was such a beautiful, pleasant crisp fall day with so many leaves changing color and falling down.  We talked and had a great time.  I've heard it said that when life is over, no one ever regrets not spending enough time at the office.  Instead, they often regret not spending time with family.  What are we doing with our time?  Are we spending the most time on things that matter most?  The things that matter most are usually people, especially our families.  In addition, we all need time to relax and look around at the world around us.  Often we wear our busyness as a badge, priding ourselves in being occupied all the time with "important matters."  Pursuing noble and good interests is very good, but we need not completely occupy our lives with so many things to do that we neglect to spend time alone with God, alone with nature and alone with our families.  In these alone moments we learn more about ourselves, how we can improve and what is really important.

In short, in this last week or so I learned how important it is to stop and appreciate what you have.  Life is not a long checklist for us to pass off--life is for us to enjoy and learn.  Take time to look around you, to realize what you have, and to focus on what matters most.  I know we will be happier people if we get our noses out of our computers and look around, to nature, to our families and to God.

 

How Science and Religion Do Actually Get Along

For decades and even centuries, science and religion have come into great conflict.  Galileo was one of the first to start that war when he supported Copernicus's idea that the earth revolved around the sun, and that the earth was not, in fact, the center of the Universe.  The Catholic Church tried viciously to silence the man and discredit him.  The scriptures, they believed, said the earth was the center of the universe, and they could not tolerate anyone disagreeing with them.  People chose sides and the issue became hugely divisive and contentious.  It seemed there could be no agreement between the two: either you sided with the church or you sided with Galileo.

Me being a missionary.

This may sound very familiar because it has happened so many times in human history, and the battle continues to rage on in full force today.  Newton was scoffed, ridiculed and persecuted, and then later a man published a theory for which his name would be spoken of in praise and hate for centuries to come--Charles Darwin.  Many have picked their side and stood their ground, completely rejecting the other side.  "Evolution is the truth, and religion is bogus!" proclaim some, while others shout, "The earth is only 6,000 years old, no matter what those crackpot scientists say!"  Is there a solution?  Can one be a true believer in God and still accept science?  Can a scientist still be a person of faith?  And what do we do about all the seeming discrepancies--what if you find something in the word of God that seems to go against a scientific principle?  Can science and religion ever be fully reconciled?

Me as a scientist.

The answer is: of course.  I am a devoted follower of Jesus Christ as well as a wild science enthusiast.  There have been and are many, many like me, much better disciples and much better scientists.  Here's how you can accept both, and not be sitting on the fence doubting over differences nor obstinately on one side, unable to see the other's perspective.

1.  Realize that the aims of science and religion are different.

Galileo Galilei did not want to pick a fight with the Catholic church.  He knew he was proposing ideas others would disagree with--they were revolutionary and previously unheard-of and challenged people's beliefs on how the world works--but he recognized that science and religion had two different aims.  

"Scripture is a book about how to go to heaven; not a book about how heaven goes."

He proclaimed.  In fact, to confound the two seems a bit foolish if you really think about it.  You would not go to science to find out what your everyday actions should be so you can be prepared to live with God, just as you should not go to the Bible to find the exact process of how the world was created and each step involved.  The Bible is concerned with our actions: what we should do to draw nearer to God.  Science is concerned with how the world works: essentially, how God works.  Both causes bring us closer to God, but in different ways: we grow closer to Him as we become more like Him by following the scriptures, and we grow closer to Him as we understand more and more of how He works through science.

2.  Admit that we do not know everything.

Why was it that the church rejected the idea that the earth revolves around the sun?  It was because of a few verses of scripture which state that the earth stands still.  Why were and are so many people bitterly opposed to the theory of evolution?  Because the Bible states that God created man in His own image.  Why do people disbelieve the idea that the earth is billions of years old?  Because the scripture says the world was created in 6 days.  But take a step back and look at these issues for a moment.  Is it possible that those on "religion's side" are still right, but that they are thinking of the scriptures too literally?  

Me as a scientist.

An important attribute that we all could use a hearty dose more of (definitely including me!) is humility.  It is hard to admit that we could be wrong, that the way we were thinking of things is not necessarily the one correct opinion.  Perhaps the "six days" of creation does not mean "six periods of 24 hours."  Yes, God did create man in His own image, but that does not mean that He did not use a series of other lesser creatures before getting to man.  The word of God will always be completely true, but our limited understanding of it will not always be perfect.  When we see this, and are humble enough to admit that our interpretation of the scriptures may be imperfect, many of these seeming conflicts between science and scripture will vanish.

That being said, science can never say they know the truth with absolute certainty.  The scientific method cannot prove anything correct; it can only disprove things.  For example, if you want to prove that there are no leprechauns in Ireland you would have to simultaneously look in every single place in Ireland, which is impossible.  If anyone ever finds one leprechaun in Ireland, they have disproved the theory.  Science builds upon itself, and often it does this by admitting it was wrong at first.  As we disprove one hypothesis but find more and more evidence for another, we get closer and closer to the real truth.  A theory, like the theory of evolution, is an idea supported by multiple lines of evidence and something that has never been disproved yet.  When I say multiple I mean that thousands of legitimate scientists and their experiments have given evidence for evolution, and not one of them have been able to disprove it.  The same is true for gravity, relativity, deep time and many other scientific theories.  But we still could be wrong.  We don't know for sure the answers to everything, but we just crawl nearer and nearer to the actual truth.

Me beginning my career as a missionary in Mexico City, with my Mission President and his wife, the Villarreals.

In summary, scientists and crusaders, lay down your weapons.  One of the greatest signs of the strength of a person is their ability to admit that they could be wrong.  Evolution, which you have studied your whole life and seen so much evidence of, could very well be right--but it could be wrong.  Your understanding of that verse of scripture, as you have pondered it deeply and know it backwards in Hebrew, could be right, but it could be wrong.  Share your opinions and express your beliefs, but stop fighting!  Our goal in both science and religion is to draw closer to God, so keep studying and keep believing, but don't be so prideful that you get locked in your opinions and cannot see the world any other way!

I know that God lives and loves us.  Both the word of God and the experiments of man help me draw closer to Him, to understand Him and to be more like Him, and I invite all to get to know Him better by accepting both methods to come to know truth.

I love being outside in nature because it helps me feel closer to God both spiritually and scientifically.

This is all self-explanatory, except for the pirate behind me.

How I Met My Wife, Part Two and Final

We left off last week with me being despondent and lost in the throes of a broken heart, going to a blood drive, sitting next to Jenn McLean and asking her if she donated often.

January 18th, 2013 continued

"Yeah, yeah I do." she replied, giving me an odd look.  I then asked her about her major.

"Well, it was Geology..."

"Was?!" I responded, to which she explained that she was now studying Anthropology but still really enjoyed Geology (she eventually saw the light and switched back in a way, but that's a different story).  We started talking for a while and found out we had a ton in common, including a love for the outdoors, experience with choir and interest in science.  We were really hitting it off when Jenn got called to go donate.  Being a fantastic individual, however, she let me go first since I had a class starting at 4:00 and it was already about 3:30.  I went to donate, and she was called a short time later.

Unbeknownst to me, she was already wildly smitten by my charm (okay, not quite, but maybe a little) and was afraid that I would finish donating first and go off to class and she would never see me again.  So she decided to be in a big hurry and was desperate to beat me in donating blood.  When I was already on the chair and had begun to donate, she walked out of the screening booth towards another chair and yelled at me, "Race ya!"

She donated the fastest she had ever donated, way faster than me, but I had a head start so I finished first.  Not knowing of her fear that I would leave, I went to eat my snacks in some chairs by the exit, having no intention of leaving without talking to her again.  She finished, and by then my class was already half over, so I decided to skip it.  That was perhaps one of the best decisions I have ever made.  

We walked all over campus, talking about everything we could.  I even told her about Lisa and how I had been feeling horrible and was determined to get her back.  Amazingly enough, instead of being turned away by this she got really excited about it, and praised me for actually caring enough to try to make things work.  That might have been when my determination to get Lisa back wavered for the first time, because Jenn with two "n's" was amazing, and so much like me in so many ways.

January 19th - March 30th

Of course I got her number, of course I asked her on a date for the next day, and for the next two weeks we spent nearly every day seeing each other at least once.  Whenever we both had a break in classes we went to go see each other, mostly to just go talk in the hall.  This is the first picture we took together, the one I put as my phone background and started showing her to my friends, introducing her as my best friend Jenn (with two "n's").

Foolishly, this whole time I was still at least trying to convince myself that I was still going after Lisa.  I even made her a playlist to try and get her back, but now it seemed, oddly enough, that some of the songs were applying more to Jenn than to Lisa, especially the mushy ones.  And through this all, Jenn stood by me and supported me in trying to win back another girl!  Pretty soon, I gave up on Lisa--Jenn was much cooler anyway.  On February 3rd we started dating.

We fell in love very easily, since we are so similar in many many ways, especially in the most important things--we felt the same way about our loyalty to each other and our commitment to the Gospel and had the same bizarre sense of humor as well as similar interests.   Soon, I was in the Temple asking if I should marry Jenn.  Though I had asked this question before about Lisa and got what I thought was a positive answer, this time the answer hit with unmistakable force.  It was the strongest feeling of joy and hope and YES that I had ever received.  I was so overjoyed that there was  even a possibility that I could marry this incredible woman, the highest quality person I had ever known.

Turned out she had felt strongly, a little at a time that she should marry me too.  We discussed this before I ever officially proposed--in fact, when we decided we should get married we realized we needed to jump on the housing marked because apartments sell out very quickly in Provo, so we bought an apartment before we were ever engaged.  Since our friendship was founded on openness and honesty rather than surprise and secrets, I asked what kind of ring she wanted.  She didn't care, and for some reason I felt really good about it, so...I asked my parents to mail the ring I never thought I would use.

March 31st - August 21st, 2013

Our engagement is a story in itself, but basically I proposed on top of a mountain (Squaw Peak above Provo, Utah) and then we proceeded to go down the mountain the short way, straight down the side.  It was an intense journey, and by the time we came down we had to run to the jeweler's to get the ring resized.  So there we were, running into a pristine, spotless jewelry store caked in dirt.

On the hike to Squaw Peak where we got engaged.

It turns out the ring that I had gotten before even meeting Jenn had been the same type of ring that Jenn had wanted since she was little--a large sapphire with a few diamonds on the side.  This was just another evidence that this was all working out exactly how God had intended it to.

We finished school and then I went back to California to work and Jenn stayed in Utah.  Those were very difficult months, and deserve a post all to themselves, but finally they ended and I came up to Utah.  Jenn and I were sealed for time and all eternity in the Jordan River Temple on the 21st of August, 2013, and since then we have grown immensely in love and understanding of each other, always onward and upward (which is written on the front of my ring).

The Lesson

If someone had told me how happy I would be in one month the day Lisa broke up with me, I would have laughed.  One of the most difficult experiences I had ever had quickly led to the greatest and happiest.  God really does know what He is doing.  When bad things happen to us, we do not need to pound our fists and cry and ask "Why me?"  The answer to "why me" is that God knows you and loves you and He understands what is best for you far better than yourself or anyone else.

When my roommate laid his hands on my head 6 days before I met Jenn and promised that my sadness would soon be over, I believed that it came from the Lord, but I thought that "soon" could only mean many months from them.  I know that if we are trying to be the best person we will be, God will direct our steps and lead us to the place that will make us the most happy.  We do not know what He knows, and even when we think everything has gone horribly wrong, He is guiding us to unimaginable joy and blessings better than we could ever imagine.  Have faith in God, and trust Him--when things look hopeless, just keep moving forward, because your steps just may lead you to sit down next to the greatest blessing you could possibly have, much much greater than the one you missed.

How I Met My Wife, Part 1 (of 2)

It makes for quite a good story, I think, and it taught me some important things, so without further ado here is the unabridged version of how I met my wife:

January 2nd, 2013

I had been seriously dating Lisa for about 3 months now (no, Lisa is not my wife, nor is Lisa her real name.  And no, this will not turn into a longer-than-nine-season story, nor will it be raunchy in the slightest) and was now on Christmas break with my family in California, while she was in another state.  I was crazy about Lisa, and felt that things were going really really well between us.  In fact, I felt prompted and nudged to go buy a ring--so off I went to do that.

We had broached the subject of domestic felicity before, and I was all for it and had felt that it would be right.  Lisa, however, was terrified of marriage.  She sure liked me and could easily see things going that direction, but still had a thousand fears of this and that.  Despite this, I felt strongly that I should buy a ring while on Christmas break, and so I did.  I figured that about the time of her birthday, sometime in February, I could propose.  She liked the color blue, so the ring I bought was very unique--it had a giant blue sapphire in the middle and two small diamonds from my grandmother's earrings she had given me on the sides.  I really have got to say it is the most beautiful ring I have ever seen.





















January 5th-9th, 2013


Christmas break ended and for once I was very excited to return to school to see my love.  I really did love her a lot and would do anything for her--including scrape off her car of snow without gloves and drive it to the airport to pick her up.  That Winter was very cold, it was about 4 degrees fareneheit, and the car was covered in about a foot of snow.  I thought my fingers would die as they brushed away the snow.  I guess that's besides the point though.

That week went very well, with our relationship picking up where it left off before Christmas break (or so I thought).  We were very happy together, and I lightly brought up the subject of marriage again.  She often tried to avoid this subject, as it made her anxious, but she said that she had been praying over and over again to know if she should marry me, and had still not received an answer.  On my side, I had received my answer long ago, and was so sure of it that I had bought a ring.  Having received that answer, I was not worried at all that Lisa would eventually find her yes answer.

So all was well with Lisa and Scott (at least that's what I thought)...until January 10th came.

January 10th, 2013

The 10th was a Thursday, the first Thursday of school, and I had planned like everyday to go to Lisa's place after school to hang out.  Halfway through the day, though, I looked down at a text I had received: "I've got a lot on my mind lately and I need some time to be alone, so please don't come over today."

Scarcely have words ever pierced the soul with such dread.  What???  Where was this coming from??  What did she need to think about, and had I done anything wrong??  Perhaps you think I'm foolish, and in hindsight now I can see the warning signs, but living my life at that point this came as a complete shock.  Lisa valued her alone time, something which I had a hard time understanding, as I am very very clingy.

I don't actually know if that night was windy and stormy, but it felt like it was windy and stormy.  I had no idea what I would do since I couldn't go to Lisa's, and my heart was filled with such a horrible and unreasonable dread.  My mind jumped to the very worst conclusions, and even though I knew it was impossible (I had received my answer, and I thought she could not receive a different answer) I thought "Tomorrow morning she will break up with me.  No, no that's impossible."  But anyways the thought still festered there, tormenting me and keeping me from sleeping.

January 11th, 2013

The next morning dawned bright and cold and with no less nervousness from me.   I was so nervous I was shaking and could not keep my mind focused on anything but knowing what was going on with Lisa.  As I was doing some sit-ups trying to distract myself, my phone beeped and I looked down at the text: "Could you meet me at the duck pond?  We need to talk."

This text, of course, only sent my heart into wilder convulsions, and I could not stop the very very loud thought "She's going to break up with me.  She's going to break up with me!"  I rationalized that this was impossible, and tried frantically to calm myself and explain that this was not the case as I walked to the duck pond.  By now, many of you may be chuckling to yourself as you can see exactly what will happen next.  All I could think was, "No, this will be just a normal talk.  But why at the duck pond instead of at her house?"

There she was, at the duck pond, and then followed the last conversation I would ever have with her.  It was very short, and she began it like this: "I got my answer, and my answer was no.  I should not marry you.  And since I'm not going to marry you, I shouldn't be dating you.  And I don't want to tempt you to want to date me, so we probably shouldn't see each other for a while."  She spoke these words to someone, though she didn't know it, who had bought a ring for her and was very much counting on this to work out.  I don't remember what protests I made, but I'm sure they were very blubbering and pathetic.  Mostly I said "How?  How could this happen?  I was sure my answer was yes!"  She said she didn't know, but her face was not very sympathetic.  She did what she felt she had to do, which was very admirable.  I gave her a few hugs, and off she went.  Off I went into the saddest week of my life.

January 18th, 2013

The last week had been pretty horrible.  I had been so devastated, so taken by surprise, and so heartbroken.  I had never loved someone so much and then had my hopes been smashed so abruptly.  I clung on to hope, and felt, since my answer had been yes, that there was a very good chance we would get back together.  At this point, though, we were in a rough spot and were not speaking one word to each other.  I felt like a zombie the whole week, unable to concentrate on anything, overcome with grief.  Anyone who has experienced this will understand what I mean, and if you have not gone through this I hope you never do.

I had received a Priesthood blessing from my wonderful roommates, in which it was said that soon, I would be happy again.  I did not see at all how this was possible, but I believed in the promise.  That Friday, I was still a devastated zombie, and I had a space between classes with nothing to do.  Wandering around campus, I saw a poster advertising a blood drive going on then.  "Donating blood is service, helping others, right?  And that's supposed to make you feel better," I thought, and in a wild attempt to help myself feel better I went to donate.

I sat down in the line and pulled out my computer to work on some homework.  However, I have always believed that if you have an opportunity to do something good, you should always do it, because you never know what you might miss if you avoid the opportunity.  A very curly-haired girl was sitting next to me, but I had no interest in talking to her.  Absolutely no girls interested me except for Lisa.  Still, for some reason I could not concentrate at all on my homework.  Sighing, I put away my laptop, turned to Jenn McLean and asked the most suave line you have ever heard: "So...do you donate blood often?"