- waste and wear out our lives in bringing to light all the hidden things of darkness ...
- with great earnestness (zeal) ... let no man count them as small things...
- there is much which lieth in futurity ...
- let us cheerfully do all things that lie in our power...
- a very large ship is benefited very much by a very small helm in the time of a storm
My take-away:
- Balancing is enigmatic; I think it is more about proportioning
- Context and timing influence what is my right proportioning
- I am committed to consecrating the works fostered by my passion.
- Considering the opportunity cost I embrace for this program, I am compelled to learn and share more (to bring to pass light)
- In an era where so much information is available, how do we identify quality? (those things pertaining to futurity)
- finding peace with the competition with "bachelor status"
- what about bridling my passion? (finding peace with the passion and with other things)
Chronicle of Higher Ed: "Teach Naked"
The Way of a Disciple
Elder Uchtdorf
"People run from one new idea to the next, hoping to find something that will answer the burning questions of their souls. They get caught up in the excitement of looking for something new. But inevitably, the flame of each new theory fades, only to be replaced by another “new and improved” solution that promises to do what the others before could not.
It’s not that these worldly options don’t contain elements of truth—many of them do. Nevertheless, they all fall short of the lasting change we seek in our lives. After the excitement wears off, the hollowness remains as we look for the next new idea to unlock the secrets of happiness.
In contrast, the gospel of Jesus Christ has the answers to all of our problems. The gospel is not a secret. It is not complicated or hidden. It can unlock the door to true happiness. It is not someone’s theory or proposition. It does not come from man at all. It springs from the pure and everlasting waters of the Creator of the universe, who knows truths we cannot even begin to comprehend. And with that knowledge, He has given us the gospel—a divine gift, the ultimate formula for happiness and success."
The more we fill our hearts and minds with the message of the risen Christ, the greater our desire is to follow Him and live His teachings. This, in turn, causes our faith to grow and allows the light of Christ to illuminate our hearts. As it does, we recognize the imperfections in our lives, and we desire to be cleansed of the depressing burdens of sin. We yearn for freedom from guilt, and this inspires us to repent.
Discipleship is a journey. We need the refining lessons of the journey to craft our character and purify our hearts. By patiently walking in the path of discipleship, we demonstrate to ourselves the measure of our faith and our willingness to accept God’s will rather than ours.
It is not enough merely to speak of Jesus Christ or proclaim that we are His disciples. It is not enough to surround ourselves with symbols of our religion. Discipleship is not a spectator sport. We cannot expect to experience the blessings of faith by standing inactive on the sidelines...=======
* Processing power doubles each month and pricing halves each month (computational power and intelligence are different) (by 2020, there will be a machine with capacity as human brain)
* Until we know that a patient has malaria, we treat the symptoms (fever, diarrhea)
* Be a disciple scholar: "Knowledge without integrity is dangerous and deadly; integrity and knowledge is weak and useless." - Samuel Johnson
Dr. Inouye: "You have the Holy Ghost ... you've got to be big!"
Kamidana: curio (Japanese) where you leave offerings, burn incense, pictures of ancestors - LDS people still keep their ancestors and offer incense but not to their Gods. The irony of blending our spirituality with our paganistic cultural traits.
Homework for next time:
What is the balance (proper healthy relationship) between a professional passion and a personal passion (e.g. how do we proportion our work/family/church/life?)
The Shower Test:
When your hands are busy and your brain is not, where do your thoughts go? When nobody is requiring you to think about this field, what do you think about? (Nani cutting rice in Pakistan; how am I also illiterate?)
* Nani (Pakistan) - 7 grand-daughters
* Nanila (Pakistan) - "only Allah"
* Lita (Philippines) - "let the children read"
* Granny (Zimbabwe) - "this child is suffering from AIDS"
* Sylvia (South Africa) - amandla o mama!
* Sabira (Pakistan) - "now I will never marry; I have slandered my name"
* Tanzeela (Pakistan) - "because she taught my wife and she taught me ... taxi"
* Luchno (Thailand) - "we suffer thrice: once when we find out about AIDS, second when we care for our dying husbands, third, when we care for our dying selves."
No comments:
Post a Comment