Sugar..Good or Bad for a Runner

One of my favorite things in the whole world is a big soda pop after a long day out working in the yard, or to drink with a burger and fries.  However there is one problem with this picture.... pop has a TON of sugar in it.  A 12 oz can of Dr. Pepper has 39 Grams of sugar in it. Wow... So here comes the big question that I have asked my self all through my running career.  Is sugar good or bad for a runner?

I have done quite a bit of research on this topic and find the evidence staggering towards the health effects of added sugar on the body.  In a study I found on CNN Health, they found that a group of people who consumed 46 teaspoons of added sugar a day ( 10 tsp in an average 12 oz can of coke ) both lowered their good cholesterol and raised their triglycerides. Wow, that's a double hit.  But due to my stubbornness and the love of the fizzy sugar charged pop, I cant seem to not want pop any more.
I would like to compare this to the music that we listen to in our lives.  Music off the bat doesn't seem like it could have that much of an effect on us, just like we don't thing soda pop has an effect on us.  However it damages our ability to hear the gentle promptings of the spirit. In Mosiah 3:19  we learn that the natural man is an enemy to God... Satan doesn't want us to listen to the spirit, so we have loud, angry, sexual, distracting music around us.  Lets take a better look at what we listen to in life and ask our self's if we can feel the spirit when we listen.  I promise that a greater sensitivity will come into your life and you will enjoy the companionship of the spirit more often.

Physiology of Runners 6: The Mind

As I was pondering on a few key characteristics of runners and running in general, I thought to my self.... "What is the hardest part about running for me?"  I came to the conclusion that the hardest part about running for my self was the mental aspect of the sport.
I struggled alot in high school with my mind and being able to control it during races and make it a tool instead of a hindrance.  If I didnt race as well as I wanted I would beat my self up and cause all sorts of stress on my self to simply work harder, train harder, run longer.  I just wanted to work my self to death in order to win.  My sweet loving mother made me a little book my senior year with a bunch of motivational quotes in it for me to read before races. There inside was a quote that would start to change my life as a runner forever.  The quote is by one of the worlds most famous runners of all time, Steve Prefontaine.

“Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you              traveled from where you started.”


I love this quote not only because its a great running quote, but also because it exactly what our Savior said in 3 Nephi 27:27  "...What manner of men ought ye to be? Verily I say unto you, even as I AM."
He wants us to be even as he is.  But does that mean that we have to be perfect all the time?  No, He wants us to strive each and every day to reach this goal of "perfection", though knowing that we cannot do It on our own.  SO, to tie it all around Success isn't how far you got, but the distance you traveled from where you started, meaning that the savior isnt worried about where we are in the end, but how far we have come to reach him.  I bear witness that this is Gods Kingdom on the earth and we can all return to live with him, if we will abide by this piece of doctrine. 

An Inspiration to All: Steve Jones

As I was looking through a few "well known" runners in history I came across the usual.  Steve Prefontaine, Roger Banister, Bernard Legat Etc.  But there was one that I have never heard of before, and that was Steve Jones, a Welsh athlete.
 In the European Championships shortly after, he once again competed in the marathon. Leading from the start and breaking away from the pack, Jones ran a brilliant race up to the 20 mile mark. At that point he was leading by over two minutes and on schedule for another world record. However, he then "hit the wall" and suffered terribly in the final six miles. He slowed to a virtual shuffle, but refused to quit as he watched other competitors catch and pass him.
He always gave the heart and courage that was needed to succeed in his races.  I found a video that really shows how much guts, heart, and courage this guy has. It's from 1983, from the 10,000 metres at the Brussels meet.  In the last 2 laps he leads by 25 metres.......

No one thought he could win this race, just like Satan tells us we can win OUR race in life and return to the presence of our Father in Heaven.  May we have the courage to stand against Satan, just like Steve had the courage to win this race.

A Runners Parable Just for You

I was scanning the main page of face book the other day looking for something to keep busy with.  I came across a picture of some runners and a story attatched to it and began to read.  The story below is the story I read and really enjoyed it.  All credit of this story goes to Keith Brown.  Thanks for sharing.

The Parable of the Two Runners
By Keith Lionel Brown
  There were two men running in a race. The one runner had no other goal in mind then to be the first to cross the finish line and to be declared the winner. Winning meant everything to him. As far as he was concerned, if he could not win the race, there was no real reason to run the race. The other runner had a completely different attitude. He was definitely in the race to do his best, but to him, crossing the finish line first was not necessarily his main objective for running this race. This runner was more concerned with running the race well.

And so there they both were at the starting line anticipating the start of the big race. Soon the pistol was fired and the runners were off.

The one runner's main objective was to win this race at any cost, and soon he began cutting other runners off and even caused a few of them to trip and fall. Some of the fallen runners were injured to the point where they could not finish the race. However, this did not stop this runner. He had a race to win and so he continued on his way. The other runner; however, stopped and helped those who had fallen, and ensured that they were off of the track out of harms way. After seeing to the well-being of his fellow runners he got back into the race and continued running at a steady pace.

During the course of the race there were some runners who soon began to run out of energy and instead of running, resorted to walking at a fast pace. There were others who wanted to quit believing that there was no way possible for them to finish the race, let alone win the race.

This, of course, made the one runner extremely happy, for this meant that there would be fewer people competing for the prize. The possibility of winning this race began to look even more promising to him. The other runner, noticing that some of his fellow runners were growing weary and discouraged, began to run along side of them and spoke to them and did his best to encourage them to not give up and quit, but to stay in the race. He told them that the real prize was not necessarily in winning the race, but in enduring and finishing the race that they had started. Amazingly they soon regained their strength and became more determined than ever to give it their all to finish the race.

The finishing line was soon in sight but still some distance away. The runner whose goal it was to be declared the winner was now exhausted, but with the finish line just ahead, he was determined to be the first to cross it. He was well in the lead, but there were some runners that were rapidly gaining on him. With all of the energy and strength that he could muster he ran as hard and as fast as he could hoping that no other runner would catch him and pass him and cross the finish line before him. The other runner was a little distance behind, but he too now had sight of the finish line and continued to run the race at a steady pace. A short time later the one runner had achieved his goal. He had crossed the finish line first and was thus declared the winner of the race. The crowd applauded with excitement.

Shortly thereafter, the other runner also reached the finish line. As he was about to cross the line he stopped. There was a hush over the audience as they were amazed that a runner would stop just short of crossing the finish line. The runner turned and looked behind him. He saw that some of his fellow runners were struggling to finish the race. Without hesitation he ran back to encourage the runners once again not to quit but to push forward and endure to the end.

All of the runners finally crossed the finish line with this runner being the last one to cross. For a moment there was a deep silence from the crowd. And then it happened. One by one people slowly began to stand to their feet and applaud this runner. The applause was longer and louder than it had been for the runner who won the race. This left the winner both amazed and confused. He did not understand why this runner who had crossed the finish line last was receiving so much recognition especially since he had clearly lost the race.

When all was said and done, which of these two runners was the real winner of the race?

Every time I hear a lesson in church I ask my self a few questions.  What did I personally get out of this story? And How can I apply it into my life to make me a better person? 
I learned ( the hard way ) In my own running career that its not all about winning the race, or being the fastest in the school, but rather its enjoying the wonderful blessing that our Father in Heaven has given us.  The ability to RUN.  I'm going to take a better look on the many blessings and gifts that HE has given me and be more thankful for them.

Physiology of Runners 5: Feet

Your probably wondering the same thing that I was wondering when the impression came to write a blog about feet.  What in the world do stinky, dirty  feet and running have to do with the gospel?  Bear with me for a few paragraphs and you shall find out.

Every day we get up, put on our shorts, a t-shirt, socks, and shoes, then head out the door for a morning run.  We use our feet daily! In fact did you know that the average person walks over 10,000 steps a day!  That adds up to about 115,000 miles in a life time. ( for runners its more, because were cooler than the average person ;) ) Another cool fact is that the foot actually makes up about 25% of the human bodys bones.  So we can all agree that feet are a really important part of our body, especiall us runners.  There is a quote and I cannot find the source, but it says something along the lines of "Follow  your feet, they will lead you where you want to go."  I would like to compare our feet to the spirit and this quote.
Every week in high school we had a Vo2 max work out day.  That usually consisted of us running 800-1000 meter repeats.  We ran these repeats around our high schools football field, practice field, and baseball feild.  The grass wasnt very well kept, and there were many pot holes that were some what hard to avoid.  Over time of understanding the fundamentals of running, just like learning how to listen and follow the spirit, I didnt have to look down and worry where my feet were.  I trusted in my feet to land in the right places so I didnt roll my ankle.  That took lots of time and practice to get my feet to do that.  As we continue to be worthy of the spirit and follow its promptings ( practice ) we will become literate in the language of the spirit and have that gift to guide us.  Just like my feet would guide me through the rough field.
 

Physiology of Runners 4: Heart

Thump.......Thump.......Thump..... Well, It sounds like my heart is still beating, for now. The heart is one of the most interesting of our bodily organs. It circulates the blood oxygen mix through our bodies, which in turn helps us push out our daily runs.  The heart has many different parts that help it distribute the blood, veins, and arteries are the main ones.  These help the blood flow the the different muscles and organs that need oxygen.  I like to think of them as roots that just help the tree get bigger and stronger.
I think we can all agree on the fact that the heart is a pretty important part of running, now, just like the heart is important, a testimony of the gospel is just as important if not more.... well, at least for our spiritual journey.
So what is a testimony and how do we attain one?  Well, the dictionary says that a testimony is evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.  How can we have evidence of God?  Well, lets look around us for a second.  Look at all the pretty trees, the beautiful mountains, the people all around us, those are little pieces of evidence that God is there.  There is a more definite way that we can know God, and that is through his spirit which touches our.... you guessed right, Heart.  In Moroni 10:5 we are taught that "And by the power of the Holy Ghost ye may know the truth of ALL things."  That is how we gain a testimony of the gospel and grow to know God.  Testimonies keep us deeply rooted in the gospel and help us in our stony paths of life.  The best way to gain that testimony is to read the scriptures, attend church meetings, and to pray always.  I call those the primary basics.

So next time your out on your long run, think about the testimony you have of the gospel and what it means to you.

Physiology of Runners 3: Muscles

MUSCLES

All of you out there who are interested in cars, you will recognize numbers like... Chevy's 350 small block, or the 440 Magnum.  These are some popular engines in classic muscle cars; and they are named "muscle" cars for a definite reason. They have got alot of MUSCLE. Well, so does our body's, especially runners.

Your muscles are composed of several types of muscle fibers.  You have probably hear the terms "slow-twitch" and "fast-twitch" fibers. As you might have guessed slow-twitch muscles are trained by doing longer runs.  These muscles give you the endurance and stamina you need.  Fast-twitch muscles are the speedy Gonzales muscles, and are trained by shorter distances at a intense rate of speed that forces your body into lactate mode. So a basic summary would be, our muscles are important when running and we need to train and condition them to perform the best for us, and we get faster and stronger.
Just like muscles we need to train our minds to understand the scriptures and the instructions that the Lord has given to us to make it back to his presence.  How do we do that........ well, as the primary song that I sang when I was a young boy, "Search, ponder, and pray are the things that I must do..."
We recently listened to a great talk by our mission president at zone conference about reading the Book of Mormon. No, feasting.... on the Book of Mormon.  He talked about a piece of Chocolate cake that was really really good.  Now, would you just scrape the top of this chocolate cake, or would you just dive right into it?  Feast!!!  I know that as we read the Book of Mormon and Bible our testimony's of the restoration of the gospel will increase and we will know that Jesus is the Christ, that Joseph Smith is his prophet in these the latter days, and that this is Gods kingdom once again established upon the earth!
Lets get out there and train our minds!!!

Physiology of Runners 2: Core Muscles

GRUNT....1....GRUNT...2.......

What is the point to all of these gut wrenching sit ups?  All that i did sit ups for was to have a washboard stomach so I could get more dates.  But there is much more to doing sit ups than meets the eye.  In fact the gospel of Jesus Christ has some similarities to core exercises.

There are a few important part of a runners core that people dont usually think about.  I often thought of my core as my abs and obliques, however the key features of a runners core includes the pelvis and its various other bones and ligaments,buttock and gluteus maximus,obliques, and abdominal just to name a few.  The way that we are stabilized when walking, running, jumping, basically anything with movement is from our core muscles, bones, and ligaments.  They all work as a team to perform their functions.

Now for the application to the gospel.... any guesses.... Well there are actually many ideas that i was thinking about.  But I have chosen the God Head.
We believe that God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy ghost are 3 distinct individuals that are united in purpose.
Doctrine and Covenants sheds a bit of light on the subject of the God Head....
D+C 130:22
 22 The ^aFather has a ^bbody of flesh and bones as tangible as man’s; the Son also; but the Holy Ghost has not a body of flesh and bones, but is a personage of ^cSpirit. Were it not so, the Holy Ghost could not ^ddwell in us.
As the verse points out God has a body, and so does the son.  But the spirit doesn't have a body, were it not so he couldn't dwell in us and burn doubt out of our hearts.
There is quite a bit of controversy on the subject of the Trinune God and what is really meant in the scriptures.  You will find verses all over the bible as well as the book of Mormon that state that God and the Savior are one.... But careful examination of the scriptures shows that they ( God, Jesus Christ, Holy Ghost) are one in PURPOSE.  How confusing would the scriptures be if we took that phrase literally.  When the Savior was baptized did he talk to himself from heaven and said this is my beloved self in whom I am well pleased? No, he was addressed by his father in heaven.
Now just as the God head are one in purpose, so are our core muscles one in purpose, though distinctly separate muscles.

Physiology of Runners 1: Water

I have been contemplating these past few weeks on something that i could blog about.  After trying a few ideas and not having them work out the way i wanted, i decided to check out a book to help me out.  This book is called Running Anatomy.  I have now decided that i want to discuss a few things about the human body as a runner, the physiology if you will, and compare it to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
One thing that I would like to start out with is this fact.... The human body is made up of about 60% water. We can all agree that there probably isn't anything better on a hot day than a cold class of ice water.  It quenches our thirst and keeps our body functioning in the way it should be.
 The energy burned when running produces heat, and it is by the mechanism of sweating that the core temperature is maintained; and we sweat from the fluids that we have taken into our body. So this points out that water is crucial for not only our running, but our survival as humans.
I would like to now compare water to the living water that the Savior talked about to the woman at the well.
In the John Chapter 4 Verses 11-14 the account states:

 11 The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water?

 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?

 13 Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again:

 14 But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

I begin to wonder what it would feel like to never thirst again.  I wouldn't have to worry about spending money on water, milk, pop, cool-aid, juice etc. Wouldn't that be nice. 
 But I do know what it is like to never thirst after the truth.  Being apart of the true restored church of Jesus Christ brings a peace that cant be explained. Now remember after your next long run when you reach for you bottle of water that there is a way to never thirst again, and that is through Jesus Christ.

Standing Idle

I remember back in high school running on the cross country team. One thing that was drilled into my head over and over from coach Holt was, if you find your self comfortable in races, your not pushing yourself hard enough. You need to make a move, bring on the pain just a little bit more to achieve greatness. How does this relate to the gospel... well... I often think of being a member of the true church of Christ much like a race. Lets first read from........
2 Nehpi 31:19-20
19. And now, my beloved brethren, after ye have gotten into this strait and narrow path, I would ask if all is done? Behold, I say unto you, Nay......20. Wherefore, ye must press forward with a steadfastness in Christ, having a perfect brightness of hope, and a love of God and of all men. Wherefore, if ye shall press forward, feasting upon the word of Christ, and endure to the end, behold, thus saith the Father: Ye shall have eternal life.

Now, as Nephi counsels us once we are baptized and receive the gift of the holy ghost is everything okay... are we done... can we just say "okay ive been baptized, im saved.".... Or from a runners perspective.... Your in the middle of the marathon and you think "Ive done my training, and eaten right, got plenty of rest, I think Im all taken care of to win this whole race now." NAY. We must endure to the end. Push our selfs.
We must always be making those moves in races to push our selfs to the best time possible. We must also be making those moves to make us progress closer to our father in heaven. Scripture study, church attendance, magnifying our church callings and priesthood duties are all ways we can make those moves to further our progression.
I know that this is Christ's true church on the earth. Now lets get out there and win the race.

Injuries, Currant Bushes, and the Gospel??

Come on, you have to be wondering what running injuries, current bushes, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with each other. Well, bare with me and you just might find out.
On a runners journey to greatness, there are often bumps in the road known as injuries. But needless to say it is almost guaranteed for us runners to run into these road bumps.  Yuck! Even writing about them reminds me of the countless hours spent in physical therapy and down in the basement of my high school icing my shins and foot. I would be so heart broken that my progress and training had gone to naught because a simple hurt foot. I found out shortly that tears could not heal the injured tendons in my foot and shin. I felt like i had been cheated by some one who should have been there for me when injury was about to emerge. (My coach, myslef, even my father in heaven)
That's where the story of the Currant Bush comes to mind.........
Elder Hugh B. Brown gave a talk in the 1973 issue of the Ensign titled The Currant Bush

I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”

I think i may know how that little currant bush felt like. I would often ask my self very bitterly....

 "Why did this happen to me! I was making such wonderful progress. I was almost as good as the other runners around me and this injury has slowed me down! Every runner in the state will look down on me because I cant run as fast as them! I thought you were a runner here?"

In one of the most real ways that heavenly father has made himself known to me is through this talk, an answered prayer.....

"Look Austin, I know what i want you to be. I didn't intend you to be a national champion, or a state champion. I want you to be Austin .......... and some day Austin, when you are laden with tons of accomplishments and wonderful memories you will say thank you, for loving me enough to cut me down."

Its my testimony to you that i know that God is in our lives and that he knows what is best for us. Though we may not understand why he does what he does, he does it because he loves us. Never in my life had a felt so much love from my heavenly father when i was injured and at a low point in life

. I never went on to be a nationally ranked runner, or even a state champ, but i have thousands of memories on running in high school and loving every second of it.

Injuries, Currant Bushes, and the Gospel??

Come on, you have to be wondering what running injuries, current bushes, and the Gospel of Jesus Christ have to do with each other. Well, bare with me and you just might find out.
On a runners journey to greatness, there are often bumps in the road known as injuries. But needless to say it is almost guaranteed for us runners to run into these road bumps.  Yuck! Even writing about them reminds me of the countless hours spent in physical therapy and down in the basement of my high school icing my shins and foot. I would be so heart broken that my progress and training had gone to naught because a simple hurt foot. I found out shortly that tears could not heal the injured tendons in my foot and shin. I felt like i had been cheated by some one who should have been there for me when injury was about to emerge. (My coach, myslef, even my father in heaven)
That's where the story of the Currant Bush comes to mind.........
Elder Hugh B. Brown gave a talk in the 1973 issue of the Ensign titled The Currant Bush

I was living up in Canada. I had purchased a farm. It was run-down. I went out one morning and saw a currant bush. It had grown up over six feet high. It was going all to wood. There were no blossoms and no currants. I was raised on a fruit farm in Salt Lake before we went to Canada, and I knew what ought to happen to that currant bush. So I got some pruning shears and clipped it back until there was nothing left but stumps. It was just coming daylight, and I thought I saw on top of each of these little stumps what appeared to be a tear, and I thought the currant bush was crying. I was kind of simpleminded (and I haven’t entirely gotten over it), and I looked at it and smiled and said, “What are you crying about?” You know, I thought I heard that currant bush say this:

“How could you do this to me? I was making such wonderful growth. I was almost as big as the shade tree and the fruit tree that are inside the fence, and now you have cut me down. Every plant in the garden will look down on me because I didn’t make what I should have made. How could you do this to me? I thought you were the gardener here.”

That’s what I thought I heard the currant bush say, and I thought it so much that I answered. I said, “Look, little currant bush, I am the gardener here, and I know what I want you to be. I didn’t intend you to be a fruit tree or a shade tree. I want you to be a currant bush, and someday, little currant bush, when you are laden with fruit, you are going to say, ‘Thank you, Mr. Gardener, for loving me enough to cut me down. Thank you, Mr. Gardener.’”

I think i may know how that little currant bush felt like. I would often ask my self very bitterly....

 "Why did this happen to me! I was making such wonderful progress. I was almost as good as the other runners around me and this injury has slowed me down! Every runner in the state will look down on me because I cant run as fast as them! I thought you were a runner here?"

In one of the most real ways that heavenly father has made himself known to me is through this talk, an answered prayer.....

"Look Austin, I know what i want you to be. I didn't intend you to be a national champion, or a state champion. I want you to be Austin .......... and some day Austin, when you are laden with tons of accomplishments and wonderful memories you will say thank you, for loving me enough to cut me down."

Its my testimony to you that i know that God is in our lives and that he knows what is best for us. Though we may not understand why he does what he does, he does it because he loves us. Never in my life had a felt so much love from my heavenly father when i was injured and at a low point in life

. I never went on to be a nationally ranked runner, or even a state champ, but i have thousands of memories on running in high school and loving every second of it.

Why do you run??

Why do you run?
Because an Alaskan winter isn't my weakness, its my strength.
Because I have to believe, even if they don't.
Because knowing I gave my Everything, means Everything.
Because of my father, because of my son.
Because I had to try... Again.
Because It's more than just a line on the road, and we are more than just finishers.
Because when I do, there is always the chance to be extraordinary.

How often in life do we find our selfs in a hard situation? I would ask that we liken our "race" to life....
 The story that really touched my heart was the story of Derek Redmond, the sprinter in the video who's dad helped him finish his last 400 Meeter race.

Derek Redmond was prepared for the 400m semifinal race at the Olympics in Barcelona in 1992. He felt he was in the best shape of his life. Despite 8 operations on his Achilles tendons over the past 4 years, he felt very confident. His father Jim, sitting in the stands, also had high hopes. Jim and his son were very close and he made it to all of the championship races.

Derek gets off to a good start. Coming around the first bend in the track, tragedy struck as Derek’s hamstring went. Initially he thought he had been shot because the pain was so great. His leg would not function. London’s The Guardian newspaper quoted him, “Everything I had worked for was finished. I hated everybody. I hated the world. I hated hamstrings. I hated it all. I felt so bitter that I was injured again. I told myself I had to finish. I kept hopping round. Then, with 100 metres to go, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was my old man.”

In our own lives sometimes disaster strikes and we find our selves bitter and unhappy. We have a loved one pass away, or a financial situation comes up, its hard to find peace in situations as such. But I can promise you  that our Heavenly Father is ALWAYS there for us in our times of trial to help us finish our race. Just like Derek's father was there in his time of need on the track to help him finish the race. 

I love the clip of the iron man womens finishers crawling across the finish line. Such heart is displayed by these two athletes. And how appropriate is that quote in our race to heaven. Because heaven  is more than just a line on the road of heaven, and we are more than just finishers.

From a Runners View

So I came up with a new idea that would probably be more fitting for me. Im going to do a lot of posts from the view of a runner. Seeing that I am a runner im going to relate the gospel back to things that involve running.

I had a wonderful coach in high school. He taught us how to accel in anything. One of my favorite quotes he told me was "The only way to get better at running, is to run"

-Ryan Hall 

 The only way to accel in anything, is to actually do it. You want to be good at piano, play the piano. You want to be good at basketball, play basket ball. You want to

be learned the scriptures, read them. Just try...

The Savior, as you remember the story of the talants, said to the faithful servents who improved their talants...  Mat 25:21

21 His lord said unto him, Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord.

So when we "just try" to improve our talants, the Savior will make us ruler over many things. So when we "just try" to improve ourselfs at running, we get better and have the "joy" of being a great runner.

How To Gain A Testimony

As we go through life we gain experience and learn how to do things. Some one might learn how to paint, or build cars, or teach. We were all given the freedom to choose, or as we know, agency. We make choices that always bring a consequence weather good or bad. But the question that intrigues me the most is "How do you know?" That brings another question to mind....

How does one personally gain a testimony? Well, I think a better way to start this out would be to know what exactly a testimony is.... A testimony ( according to dictionary.com ) is evidence in support of a fact or statement; proof.

People often ask missionaries how we "know", i came across a scripture the other day while reading in the doctrine and covenants stating....
D+C 46:13-14

 13To some it is given by the Holy Ghost  to know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God, and that he was crucified for the sins of the world.

 14To others it is given to believe on their words, that they also might have eternal life if they continue faithful.

I know that the book of Mormon is the word of God, because i have received that spiritual witness by the holy ghost. Yes, i didn't "know" for a long time if the book of Mormon was true. I built my testimony and faith on the faith of my parents. But now i know for my self that it is true, because i have read and prayed about the Book of Mormon. I know that He Lives!! For i have felt his love and guidance in my life. I wouldn't be any where with out my savior and Redeemer. That is my testimony and invitation to you to read and pray about the book of Mormon.

Ill Go Where You Want Me To Go

It may not be on the mountain height

Or over the stormy sea,

It may not be at the battle’s front

My Lord will have need of me.

But if, by a still, small voice he calls

To paths that I do not know,

I’ll answer, dear Lord, with my hand in thine:

I’ll go where you want me to go.

Hymn 270

In the short time i have served as a missionary i have found out first hand that the lord does lead his children to those who are seeking the gospel, we just have to trust in him. Even in daily life we find that we are lead and guided to the things we should do. You might ask, how do i receive this guidance in my life?  Nephi sheds some light on the subject in answer to his fathers question....

7. And it came to pass that I, Nephi, said unto my father: I will go and do the things which the Lord hath commanded, for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them.

So if we "Go" and "Do" the things that the Lord commands us to do we receive that guidance in our lives, and what a blessing that is.

To Kill A Mocking Bird

"You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view . . . until you climb into his skin and walk around in it."

Many of us have read the classic novel "To Kill A Mocking Bird" by Harper Lee. Whether or not we read it in school or on our own we can learn quite a lot from this book. I love this quote from Atticus that talks about us not judging others till we know exactly what their situation is. As I thought about this for a moment, i made the connection that Jesus Christ is the only one who knows exactly what our point of view is.

Alma, as he preaches to the people in Gideon relates in a very real way the Savior's understanding for us.

Alma 7:11-12

And he shall go forth, suffering pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind; and this that the word might be fulfilled which saith he will take upon him the pains and the sicknesses of his people.

And he will take upon him death, that he may loose the bands of death which bind his people; and he will take upon him their infirmities, that his bowels may be filled with mercy, according to the flesh, that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people according to their infirmities.