A Leap Of Faith: Mega Ramp

One thing I look forward to every summer is watching the X-games. Though I don't participate in skateboarding, BMX biking, or dirt bike riding myself it was always amazing to watch the things these xtreme athletes could do. One event that always blew my mind was the "Big Air" skateboarding competition. The Big Air competition takes place on a giant mega ramp. A mega ramp is a ramp that has a 30-foot drop in, a 25-foot gap and an 18-foot quarterpipe. 

A Leap of Faith No Doubt!
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       As the skateboarder takes off down the 30 foot drop in he starts to fly down the ramp quickly gaining speed. He then approaches the first ramp where he is launched off over the gap and into the air. At this point the skateboarder pulls of a sick first trick. As gravity starts to take hold on his body he is quickly headed back down to earth.  At the point that most humans would worry more about which bones they're going to break the skateboarder lands the trick and then quickly heads into quarterpipe where he hopes to seal the deal with one more gnarly trick, all while riding a thin peice of wood screwed down to four small wheels. All of this will either amount to a skateboard ride of glory or a ride in an ambulance.

     I've thought about this event and have tried to fathom the skills, determination, guts, and potentially lack of brain cells it must take the cause some one to even attempt a big air mega ramp. Then again I think about some of the things I do in my life. Some would call it crazy to believe in and follow the words and commands of what some would label a so called God. There are those out there who would rather place their trust in themselves then someone they can't see. But for me it's simply faith. 
   Just like the skateboarder, it started out as a leap of faith. I had to pray. I had to read the scriptures. I had to go to church. I had to put God, in a sense, to the test. I never really doubted, which crazy enough is how most skateboarders that attempt the mega ramp feel, but I wanted to see that he was truly there for me. And as I prayed, and as I read, and as I went to church I felt something. It wasn't the sense of victory or accomplishment a skateboarder must feel, though that must feel pretty cool. It was the Spirit, The Holy Ghost, that confirmed to me that there is a God who watches over me. And as I continue to go throughout life I find other times when I feel like I'm flying down a spiritual mega ramp on my skateboard. And when that happens I know I can trust in God and he will help me to a safe landing.  

The Three Stones That Will Defeat The Goliaths Of Life

The Three Stones That Will Defeat The Goliaths Of Life-The classic Bible story of David vs. Goliath is one that most of us have heard before. David, the sheep herder, who is not only small but young, learns of big bad Philistine, Goliath, and how he's been picking on the Israelites. While the rest of Israel's army hangs back in fear of the giant Goliath David puts his trust in the Lord and a few stones saying "he will deliver me out of the hand of this Philistine" and "the battle is the Lord’s, and he will give you into our hands." (1 Sam. 17:37,47) And the rest of the story is history! David after being mocked by Goliath uses his sling to throw a stone at Goliath and the stone kills him! The ultimate under dog story!
   So what can we learn from this story and David's stones? In our lives we will all have Goliaths. We will all be faced with trials and challenges that seem GIANT! They seem impossible to over come! We, as the Israelite army, see no point in fighting the fight any more and we want to give up and give in. There are three little "Spiritual Stones" that can help us to over come these great Giants of life.

PRAYER- A great way to overcome the Goliaths of Life is through prayer. Prayer is direct communication with our Heavenly Father. As we are going through the struggles of life He wants to hear about it. He wants us to express to Him what we are feeling and how He can help. Through our prayers and His spirit we can find comfort and guidance in our times of need.

Scripture Study- We can rely on the words of God and the Prophets in the scriptures to bring us comfort and knowledge. We can learn from others experiences and trials in the scriptures and see how God helped them through those and then apply them to our lives. This is also where God will sometimes reveal things to us for our lives as we read.  

Church- Through attending church each Sunday we can partake of the sacrament to have God's spirit with us through out the week. We can learn from the different lessons and talks that are shared, and find comfort and peace in knowing that we have a family at church who will be there to support and help us at all times.

I know as we use these "Spiritual Stones" and God's help we can overcome the Giant trials in our lives. It's a great blessing to have these stones by our side and if we will take them out and use them we will find the happiness that we seek as we defeat the Goliaths of Life. I can promise this to you in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

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Mormons and Their Basketball

Why Do Mormons Have a Basketball Court in Their Church Building?

If you were to walk into any LDS church building and head for the center you'd find a large full size, hardwood floor, basketball court complete with two hoops. A lot of non-members when they see this comment that our church is the only church they've ever seen this in. Some wonder, as I'm sure some members do, if this is necessary and I'm here to tell you there is a reason to everything our church does.

    Now I can assure you there are many other reasons and purposes for this large basketball court. In fact many refer to it as a cultural hall rather than a gym because it is used for many other social events, meetings, and it serves as an overflow for Sunday worship. But I can also promise you that during the week the balls will be pulled out, the shots will go up, and the basketball will begin.

   I believe there are three main reasons to why the church has both pick up and league style basketball. The first reason being to have fun. 2 Nephi 2:25 says that Adam fell that men might be; and men are, that they might have joy. Now I know that basketball and joy don't necessarily go together for every member of the church but for the majority of the male LDS population playing basketball at the church is a great time to step away from the stresses of life, get some much needed exercise, and have FUN! Growing up in the Young Men's program of the church I participated in Scouts. The majority of the time if we were doing a Scout requirement that wasn't the most fun our leaders would bribe us with basketball if we'd pay attention and pass off our requirements. As an Eagle Scout I am grateful to my leaders who not only taught me valuable life lessons but helped us have some physical fun while doing it.
    Later in my life of Young Men's, and beyond, pick up basketball on a Tuesday or Wednesday night at the church was the thing to do. In Arizona there were four church buildings with courts within five miles of each other. You could show up at any of those buildings and find yourself some basketball with members and non-members alike. This is another reason I believe the church has basketball courts. It's a great missionary tool.
    Basketball as a missionary tool may seem odd to you but there is a lot of truth to it. It really does help people learn more about the church. When you invite someone to church they may be frightened because they've never attended one of our church services let alone even stepped into a building. But when you invite them to come play basketball it is a good ice breaker. It allows them to come into the church to see what it's like and helps them feel more comfortable to the point that they may attend a church service someday. A member once told me that his first learning experience about the church was when he came to play basketball. After being with members and in the building he was comfortable enough to ask to meet with the missionaries and was later baptized. And to think that it all started with a simple game of basketball.
     The final reason I believe church basketball is an important part of who we are is the brotherhood that is built while playing basketball. As a young Deacon of 12 years old I played on my wards organized basketball team. Though the league was intended for young men 14-18 our ward didn't have enough boys in that age group to fill a team. So they called upon and invited us younger boys to participate. I will never forget little 12 year old me guarding a giant of a junior or senior in high school. And though our team struggled on the score board we grew closer and closer together as friends and priesthood holders. This pushed us to be the under dogs that upset the big dogs and soon enough we accomplished our goal by winning a few games towards the end of the season. It was never about the wins or the losses though. Looking back all I can remember is the life long friends I made and the good times we had.

     So why do Mormons have basketball courts in their church? Because it has been instituted by God for our pleasure, to create brotherhood among His priesthood holders, and to potentially bring someone unto Him, His church, and His Gospel. So let us be thankful for that basketball court that sits at the center of our buildings and let's take advantage of what it's intended for.

The Sandlot #2: The True Beast, Satan.

In the movie The Sandlot, Squints tells of the legend of The Beast.

 He says"The legend of the Beast goes back a

 long time...before any of us could even pick up a baseball.

Back to a place called Mertle. It all started about, mmm, 20 years ago, when thieves kept stealing junk from Mertle's Acres junkyard. So Mr. Mertle, the guy that used to own the place, got him this new pup from the dog pound. He fed him whole sides of beef...and turned the pup loose in the junkyard. And the pup was grateful. And so, in a few weeks, the pup grew into The Beast. And he grew big, and he grew mean...so that he could protect the junkyard with only one thing on his mind: to kill everyone that broke in. And he did, and he liked it! The Beast was the most perfect junkyard dog that ever lived. A true killing machine. But after a while, the cops started getting phone calls from people...reporting all the missing thieves, the ones The Beast had killed. They never found a single body. Not one. Some people say they all got away. But we all know what really happened. The Beast ate them. He ate them bone and all. The Beast was too good at his guard dog job, so the police said he had to be retired. My grandpa, Squidman Palledorous, was police chief back then. He ordered Mr. Mertle to turn his backyard into a fortress...and chain up The Beast and put him under the house... where he could never get out to eat children and stuff. That's where he's been for years. And that's where he'll be for the rest of his life. Because Mr. Mertle asked the cops how long...he had to keep The Beast chained up like a slave, they said until forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. Forever. And so, The Beast sits there under that lean-to, dreaming of the time when he can break the chain and get out, dreaming of the time he can chase and kill again." Click to Watch Clip

   As the Sandlot gang continued to play baseball near The Beast's territory they quickly learned how to avoid him because of their fear of him. They learned that they needed to do their best to keep their baseballs out of his possession if they wanted to keep playing because once in his possession you don't get it back, it's history, and kiss it goodbye. 

   Everything changed though the day they found out that Smalls had allowed an autographed Babe Ruth baseball to get into The Beasts possession. As they attempted to help their friend get the ball back they realized the power of The Beast as he foiled every attempt and technique from vacuum cleaners to Erector sets. The plan that eventually worked was Benny pulling a sneak attack on The Beast and running for his life as The Beast chased him through town. Eventually The Beast was stopped and they soon realized he and his owner weren't so bad after all. 

Not the cute little character this attempts to portray

     Moses 4:5 says "And now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which I, the Lord God, had made".  If you thought The Beast from The Sandlot was bad then this scriptures shows you that the serpent, Satan, is worse. Satan, like The Beast, will do everything in his power to make our lives miserable. He will do a lot more than take baseballs away from us. Satan tries to use his tactics to foil our Heavenly Father's plan for us and our lives. He will lie, cheat, and do every foul thing out there to make make us unhappy as he is. He wants us to kiss a happy life full of blessings from our Heavenly Father goodbye. Elder L. Tom Perry said "As we take a long, hard look at the world today, it is becoming increasingly evident that Satan is working overtime to enslave the souls of men." The Beast eventfully was found to be good but Satan will never be found for good or doing good. His attacks will be many but we have no need to fear. If we will follow our Heavenly Father's commandments, learn Satan's tactics and how to avoid them and, like Benny, run for our lives from Satan and into our Heavenly Father's care we will be able as it says in Romans 16:20 "bruise Satan under your feet shortly."