Central Point weekend

cheesy self portrait

Esther was in charge of the annual LDS youth formal dance.  Pam and I got to go as chaperones.

 Earlier in the day, while trying in vain to outsprint her back to the house, Gideon and the strolled went into the rose bush.



Esther gave a great talk in church that I wanted to share:

    Two weeks ago Brother Broedser approached me and asked me if I would be willing to…. At hearing those words I turned around and  headed the other direction.  But we were inside the church, so I couldn’t run., and it turns out he is a fast walker…   As you have already noticed this precaution did not work for me…. He caught up with me and then asked me to talk about preparation. For those of you that don’t know My name is Esther Olsen, and I am going off to college this next August. So I’m pretty sure this talk is mostly for me.
    When preparing this talk I sat down and wrote out a list of skills/attributes that I thought would help me through this transition from childhood to young adulthood. First off having a firm understanding of who you are and what you stand for. Second being in tune with what the spirit is telling you. Third having one personality, there are far too many people that say one thing and do another thus crating an alter ego. And forth being able to set good goals.   I want to talk about each of these, starting with knowing who you are.
    This next year is going to be interesting for me. When leaving home you not only acquire more responsibilities but freedoms as well. I am going to see many of my peers use these new freedoms with care and respect and others that will not.  I’ve hear of people that were once stalwart in the gospel forgetting their standards. Deciding who you are today is so important. If you do not decide for yourself someone else will do it for you. What I am doing to help me remember is writing out a list of to do’s and never wills. For example on my to do list  is read the scriptures every day, and on my never will list is NO Chewing tobacco. Deciding today is important because you never know when you are going to be confronted by a certain temptation. Whether it be big or small make a decision now and then write it down.
    Many of my leaders have told me that the age range in which the most members go inactive is in  the late teens and early twenties. My reasoning for this is that they did not have a firm understanding. They were relying  on their parents testimonies. Not knowing for themselves if the gospel is true, and as soon as their faith is tested it is completely obliterated. There really is only one way to prevent this, and that is for those members to find out for themselves whether the gospel is true.  And then acting on their findings.   We need the spirit to teach us.  This will fortify and guide us.
    That brings up another great question. How are we supposed to know when the spirit is talking to us?             Having the spirit as a constant companion is great but understanding the spirit is essential. In Alma 58 verse 11 says “he did speak peace to our souls, and did grant unto us great faith.” The spirit talks to us mostly through feelings. The only way to become better at hearing the spirit is practice. Clean your ears and your mind so that you will always be able to hear the subtle promptings that the spirit might bring. Having this skill will prepare you for almost any situation that may come your way.
    When you are in tune with the spirit you are going to be consistent in the way you behave and act even in different circumstances.  What I believe to be one of the biggest epidemics in our high schools today is a multiple personalities disorder.  This disorder is caused by young men and woman that have a testimony of the gospel but also wish is be accepted by the world. As you all know these two don’t really mix well. Eventually one of these two sides will overcome the other.  And guess what… it is most often the world that wins over. What happens is praying and scripture study become a bother instead of a time of  renewal. Eventually these habits cease altogether. Then going to church becomes a hassle, and then they close off their ears to the spirit. And as soon as someone suffering from this personality disorder no longer has their parents watching them they forget their faith altogether. James says that without works faith is dead. Our works define our faith. What we do all throughout the day defines our testimony of Jesus Christ. That is why this disorder is the cause of so many spiritual deaths.
    What I am doing to create an antidote to this disorder is to always have the same standards.  I realize that I make many mistakes. What I have found to be most helpful is to have weekly self evaluations. During this set time I sit down and write down all that I need to work on. I then write goals for the next week. None of us are near perfect. In order to continue on our path back to Heavenly Father we need to check our headings, and realign our selves to the standards that Heavenly Father has set for us.  In second Nephi chapter nine it says “Prepare your souls for that glorious day when justice shall be administered unto the righteous, even the day of judgment, that ye may not shrink with awful fear; that ye may not remember your awful guilt in perfectness.”
    Preparing your faith for trials needs to be number one on our list of to do’s. I want you all to know that I am not perfect but I am trying. I want to be prepared for the trial that lay ahead of me. But I also want all of you to be prepared also. I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ Amen.