A Great Quote

I read this the other day and loved it.

A sculptor does not use a manicure set to reduce the rude, unshapely marble to a thing of beauty. The saw, the hammer and the chisel are cruel tools, but without them the rough stone must remain forever formless and unbeautiful.
To do His supreme work of grace within you I will take from your heart everything you love most. Everything you trust in will go from you. Piles of ashes will lie where your most precious treasures used to be.

-A.W. Tozer

I don't know who A.W. Tozer is. I think he was a pastor of a church somewhere but I really liked this quote and thought I'd share it.

Hang On!

I snapped this photo on the way home from class on Friday. I had to. The sun was setting and the flowers were catching the light just perfectly and I know that it won't be long before there are no more flowers or green grass.

So I'm hanging on. Not that I oppose the change.
I had a teacher ask what my favorite season was. I had to say, "The current one". I've always gotten a thrill from enjoying the change in seasons. Right now, I'm really enjoying every good thing summer has to offer, but when fall hits, I know I'll be equally as excited.

I'm getting that fall-ish feeling. I like the crisp night air. It's not cold enough yet to make the tip of your nose uncomfortable, but just cold enough that the night breeze blowing through your window makes you pull your blankets tight around you. I love that.

It makes me think of apples and cider and the rustle of leaves flying in the wind. It reminds me that Halloween is coming with Haunted houses, pumpkins, and scary stories. So I'll keep this picture of summer's blooms close by for now. And when Fall is here, I know I'll be ready.

Ch-ch-ch-changes

I got a text from my Bishop this morning. I love that he texts. 15 minutes later, I was in his office talking about a new calling. I'm the new Ward Mission Leader.

I'm not stressed by this call. I was just released as the Ward Mission Leader in my last ward, and I had a great experience with it. It's an exciting calling.

The most FAQ (frequently asked question) I get when I mention my calling is this:
"What does the ward mission leader do in Rexburg?"

We have precisely three non-LDS students among the thousands that attend our school. So in this setting, the ward mission leader's job is a little different.

My first priority is to help our future missionaries to prepare to serve missions. There are a lot of future missionaries in the wards here, so that means having an awesome mission prep class during the Sunday School block of choych (my roommate started pronouncing "church" that way, and it's kind of stuck). We also try to get the future missionaries out teaching. They prepare a lesson to teach, make an appointment with some ward members, and then go teach.

The other major part of the calling is seeking referrals. People can still give referrals of people they know even if they don't live in Rexburg. So it's my job to handle any referrals and send them to choych headquarters to be directed to their appropriate missions.

So that's that. I love being involved in the mission prep because it gets me thinking back to my mission and I get to relive some of those memories.

Now, I want to tell you about the coolest free apps I just got for my iPod touch.
The LDS scriptures. The Gospel Principles Manual. The LDS Hymns. The Primary Children's songbook. And I'm going to look for the Preach My Gospel manual app, given my new calling.

I also got a free app called Planets that shows a 3-D view of constellations and planets in the sky at your current location. It is AWESOME.

While I'm mentioning apps, I also got a movie Trivia one that keeps me entertained. I know that's not a Sunday themed app, (even the Planets app has to do with God's creations) but I could use it in an activity at FHE. So, there ya go.

This is really shaping up to be an awesome semester.

I'm using my new iPod touch to compose this blog post.
I bought it used from my roommate. I've never had anything more
than an iPod Shuffle so this upgrade is nice.

I'll have to post pictures from my computer, only because I haven't loaded
any photos to my iPod yet.

Typing this on a touch-screen is a lot more tedious
than just using my computer, but the fact that I'm able to
do it this way is a novelty. I have come to the conclusion
that I have some fat thumbs.

I have something to report. It's somewhat sad. I sold both
my keyboard and my ukulele. I really just need to down-size
all my portable property. It's really a life-long cycle, getting rid of junk.
I guess that's the whole reason for yard sales.

My iPod is so much easier to transport than my musical instruments.
I think it was a good exchange.

I don't think I told you about the bear wallpaper.
Did I? I don't think so. Whether I did or not, this will
give me a chance to share the pictures.
There was this atrocious wallpaper trim on my kitchen wall when I moved in here. Thanks to the skills I learned working for my Grandma, I knew how to remove it. So I did. White bare walls look so much better than ghetto bear walls.
Behind the larger bear trim was a smaller trim. With bears. (remember how I hate bears?)

Renewal

I like to start afresh. I love feeling motivated. That's how I've felt lately, and I'm so glad.

I feel the urge to do better and be better. I want to set some personal goals and stick with them throughout the semester.

I absolutely love the Fall season and I know I'll love it even more if I'm focused on self-improvement and really becoming more like the person I want to be.

I want to be more dedicated to my personal scripture study. I always feel that desire, but hardly ever make any step towards improvement. This time, I just have to. It's been eating away at me, and I have just got to do it.

I want to really be consistent with my workout schedule. I've seen and felt the benefits of doing it, and I really need that right now. I might just start doing a good walk at an insanely early hour of the morning, following the example of my lovely aunts. A college schedule will make that early morning start seem tough, but I have just got to do it.

I want to be more optimistic about dating. Lately, I've had the worst case of not caring and I'd tell anyone who asked. I still don't feel any sense of urgency about the matter -no need to rush it. But I do realize the need to care. And I have just got to do it.

So now you know what I'm focused on. Hang the good grades and other academic ventures. School is always here. I'll do my best, learn all I can, but I'm not going to let the system rule my personal life. I am in command, and I like that.

In closing, I'd like to admit something. I have a new weekly watched movie. It used to be Nacho Libre, and I still could watch that every week, but I've now turned to Sherlock Holmes. I love that movie. Well, obviously. I watch it every week.