Guns, Radicalization, Love, Islam and Trump.

Holla I got a few things I would like to address....

1. Gun related images on facebook every time there's a shooting, why? I know, I know good guys with guns vs bad guys with guns makes bad guys dead. How does that really work? Let's just think about that how many people who are "good guys" that are in a position in life to carry a concealed gun around 24/7 ? Some jobs it's just not realistic or safe to be carrying around a weapon. For example me working in a preschool with kids grabbing me all the time, I could find countless examples of times where you can not safely conceal carry.  There just seems to be to many reasons for a someone to not carry a gun all the time but it's an idea that I guess gives some hope to ending shootings. So let's talk about that those good guys that do carry. Say by off chance there is a mass shooting and someone is decked out in military tactical gear and you have a handgun, is it really likely that you will be able stop them? If you try I will and the rest of society should think of you as a very courageous human but I don't see a strong likelihood you could come out of that altercation alive.

Which brings me to another rant people who want to conceal carry for the reasons above to help protect the people are quite brave in willing to put themselves in that position. It doesn't matter that I don't really think statistics is on their side, but with decent background checks and training why shouldn't we let them carry guns? Why is it even a question?! They are willing to put themselves in those positions to help protect society. Please stop knocking their fears of getting their gun rights taken away.

2. I believe our country is at war with a small minority of radicalized Abrahamic Religions. Radicalized Islam and to a more extent in our homeland radicalized Christians. The issues of how this radicalization is happening is complex and I assume varies from person to person. Like believing in mormonism no one comes to a faith in the religion by the exact same means. For some it's the community, some the book of mormon, some it is the doctrine and a lot of other reasons just listen to a good fast and testimony session and you'll realize there's so many differences just in mormonism! I assume and believe the paths to dark radicalization is as diverse as what I see in my faith, we can't just cut off one route like (Filtering the internet)1. and think that can solve the problem.

3. I do not have an answer to stop the trouble in the world and no meme or short facebook post is going to fix anything all it will do is get people to unfollow me and ignore my ideals and what's going on in my life. All I can do is to treat people with kindness, love and respect. If we love those who disagree on gun issues and respect their desires there will be less hate, if we love those who want to ban guns there will be less anger fueled to them. If we love and respect all Christians and Muslims there will be less anger and disenfranchisement in the world. Everyone wants to post something on social media thinking it will solve the world (even me with this blog post) everyone including me is scared of mass shootings we want it gone. We want to feel safe!

4. Islam is a good religion, the similarities between islam and mormonism are huge. It is also a complicated faith with many interpretations, but when you go straight to the source material It is quite a unique faith that has over a billion faithful followers. Please read these links if you want to know more about the true tenets of Islam not what the small minority of radicalized believers think, just as us mormons would not like people to study the FLDS to understand our faith we should look to the vast majority of what muslims believe to get a clearer understanding.

• Almost 50 years old and a little dated in knowledge of Islam but still a great talk and source from the LDS Church.                                                         https://www.lds.org/ensign/1972/03/islam-and-mormonism-a-comparison?lang=eng 
• Byu Published a whole book in the 80'es on the similarities it's free to read online, knock yourself out...                                                                             https://rsc.byu.edu/archived/mormons-and-muslims/introduction
• A website by Muslims to educate people, I really liked it.                                               http://www.ask-a-muslim.com/islam/what-muslim-believe/
• A very conservative American Interpretation (Glenn Beck) http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2012/09/16/who-are-muslims-what-do-they-believe-this-is-the-controversial-history-surrounding-muhammad-islam/
• Lazy? Youtube video.                                                                     https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPhQdll0oX0

5. Trump, if you become president will you submit to drug test you for cocaine use? Seriously give us your hair and lets test it, well actually let's just do a blood test I don't trust your hair.


(Random)My history with guns.
My family then did not have a close relationship with the sport.
In 2nd grade a child I sat next to on the bus brought a fully loaded handgun to school with intent to shoot bullies, I was not a bully then but it still frightened me.
In middle school I knew a boy who accidentally shot and killed his friend while cleaning out a neighbor's garage.
In high school I knew people that were victims of what happened in Trolley Square.
I have known and heard of too many people being able to quickly take their life due to access to guns while in a bad mental state.
I have seen too many times in my life the scary side of a dangerous tool, Just like those who get in a lot of car accidents start to fear cars. I given my life experiences to some degree fear guns. It is not politically motivated and I don't have enough education to have a political view on gun control.



1 https://www.ksl.com/?sid=37680174&nid=757

Give a little more.

I spend way too much time on facebook and what not and I seem to come across shared blogs every day or so that follow a familiar line. Someone was treated poorly in the social sphere of the church whether it be from coming home from a mission early, to not going on a mission, being divorced, the usual "putting off marriage" talk from others and leaders acting inappropriately.  

I stopped this whole blog thing awhile ago because I haven't had much to say, but at last I feel I need to speak up. I have had more than a couple of these bad experiences with leadership and members. The last thing I would want to do is blame the gospel of Jesus Christ for their behavior, we live in two worlds at the same time when we are members of the church. We share spiritual view and share very close social sphere. The two are very different for me, there has been times in my adult life where that social sphere has made me question if I really wanted to go to church or a ward activity but in the end my spiritual religious side decided it was right for me to push forward through the awkwardness of social groups. 

Leaders are not therapists, counselors or the answers to all your problems. They can offend and make you feel inadequate, It has definitely happened to me. The thing that makes it easy to forgive off the wall comments and advice is trying to put myself in their shoes, they have families and full time jobs. Then they have huge issues with various members of the ward, and some members trying to come to them with the answers to their problems, it has got to be stressful. they have a lot of things going on all at once. They are bound to make mistakes and if they make mistakes, the service they are giving is their best and I still appreciate them. With that said there are bad people in the world and in the church, if things are way way out of line, report it! It is why we have leaders and stake presidents and counselors. Abuse and misconduct happen in the church and in callings. I think if we all realize that bishops, young women and men leaders can make mistakes it would make it easier for us to be honest and as children report abuse and as adults help us to not get offended as much. We all are human and unless we never talk we will always offend someone, put our foot in our mouth and we all always need to repent and forgive. 

When it rains it pours.

When it rains it pours.

I always resented how much this phrase resonated with my life, now finally I have come to love it. My heart has always belonged in the desert and just like I feel like the landscape of my soul is blue skies and red rock the weather that shapes my landscape also resonates here. When it rains in my life it really, really pours. It's a struggle I have come to love nothing gets me out of my shell more than having floods rising up. "When it rains it pours" is a great way to figure out what is worth keeping in life the things that stay are what really matter. After the storms are gone it makes me see my life perfectly clear. Life is full of drops of rain for most but I go against the grain and for that I am grateful. Grateful that when the rain comes down on me it washes everything of unimportance away keeping me on the path I am meant to be on. It carves the river of my desires, helps me reach for all the things higher than where my banks are currently stuck at. I ask for help to let me know which direction this river needs to go, in those moments I am the closest to Him. The river has flooded its banks for a few hours and in that moment I can see what is really here. You are here, my friends are here, my family is here and my dreams of my future family are here guiding me through the pouring. So let it pour and let me gain the confidence of what matters to me and who I truly matter too. Trials don't have to be the death of me instead they are what bring life into this soul. I see it is pouring now and the clouds have covered up the physical. All I am left with is the dreams and the aspirations of what I want my life to be like. When the rain does stop it will give me the growth and the power I need to climb to a higher level of empathy and love towards others. LET IT RAIN, BUT FORGET THE SNOW(please dont snow).

Heart, death and peoples sleeves.

A favorite lyric of mine used to be "our hearts aren't on our sleeves there where they should be" back then I was guarded up from the past. I now have realized my heart doesn't belong to me. It doesn't belong in me or on my sleeve. It belongs on the sleeves of those that I love. Better yet I hope to live a life where my heart doesn't just end up on the torn clothing of my friends but makes its way into their own heart. I hope the love of others is my last gift I give before I take my last breath, in doing so when I leave my heart won't be so far away from everyone who means anything to me. I'm not showing off my heart and I'm not keeping it under lock and key, I leaving it open and ready for the taking. I've seen and been through to much in this life to not give the world my best.

The rules I live by.

On my mission I gave a spiritual message about charity almost every day at our dinner appointments for about three months straight. The true aspects of charity are something that has been my main goal in life in becoming the person the savior wants me to be. 

"And charity suffereth long, and is kind, and envieth not, and is not puffed up, seeketh not her own, is not easily provoked, thinketh no evil, and rejoiceth not in iniquity but rejoiceth in the truth, beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things."

"seeketh not her own" is probably the hardest aspect of charity to learn how do we learn to put our own feelings and desires to the back seat and focus and give to others what they need instead? We all were born completely dependant on our mothers and fathers. How does one learn to put their own needs in the backseat and become ready for marriage and more importantly how do we learn how to be unselfish before we bring children into this world? I've learned though all the trails of my life that its always easier if I think about others and what I can do to be kind and not envious of others lives. I want charity more than anything my goal in life is to live up to this definition and live a life worth living. My life is only worth living if I am living it for others.

Why I pray.

Last January someone left this on my car at UVU, I have no idea why or who but it helped me feel loved at a time I really needed it. My life has changed drastically from then and they were right good things were coming. The good that came was I now love the lord and love life through any trial. This is why i pray for tender mercies like this, more importantly I pray so I can have a greater perspective of my life and the role I play in our world. 

New.

I wrote this four years ago as an assignment for english, i think its good. It was a turning point in my life and set in red rock sandstone who I am. ITs the reason for the title of my blog and it gave me a metaphor to endure life. This new blog isn't for me to endure life moving forward I'm going to share the good the great and the best my life has given me instead.


To me beauty is love, when I think of all the things that I believe to be beautiful love is the feeling that fills my soul so I thought what do I think is beautiful? Women and nature came first to my mind. Why do i think these are beautiful? Why do I love them so much? I realized that their my other half's there parts of me that i myself cant be. I cant have the compassion of a woman or the understanding and faith. I have to love a woman for her to share those aspects of who she is. Love is a bond that connect two and when looking at it "it's" beautiful.

Nature is everything that isn't me, its woods mountains, desserts and city's. Certain types of landscapes connect me to how I feel inside. In high school i was confused alone and rushed so I felt at home when i was in the city, it connected me to how I felt inside.

Last summer I was anxious for a new start I wanted to prove myself and I wanted a challenge so my soul felt at home on the peaks of mountain tops. Anytime I closed my eyes thats where I was that landscape fit my soul and I thought there was nothing more beautiful.

Now after my challenges and heartbreaks with lost loves my soul lies in a dessert. the desserts of southern Utah, Arizona, New Mexico and Colorado . Theres a peace that comes to me when im out there everything's calm, everything's smooth. The land is flat when cliffs do appear theres sand rock and there smooth. everything is subject to the wind. Its like how I feel now im at peace and I feel that everything I do is subject to god and that im okay with it.

Its just like the redrock in southern Utah it has waited to get to be turned into something amazing. they become arches. I feel at peace there because my goal in life is to become an arch. I am willing to subject myself to what god wants not what I want, and im willing to let God, (or the wind) take its time on me and turn me into what I should be. in till then im satisfied just being in a dessert. The sun is visible from sunrise to sunset, theres no clouds to get in my way and no mountains to delay the sun. I think I have found the landscape my soul will forever reside in.