Hallion's Champion

I see you trying to come out for me Did I invite you out or Have you lurked too long in the the recesses Tired of being forgotten Back into the dark abyss you go I am no knight in shining armor Is it worse to hide you and let you lurk Silently and imperceptibly wreaking havoc Or face you in the light of day Your mere existence give me pain A pain I had forgotten I remembered Scars I didn't know I had I feel now Please Back into the dark abyss you go I am no knight in shining armor Like the Lion I have lost my courage To fight the enemy To wage a bitter battle In what seems an endless war Back into the dark abyss you go I am no knight in shining armor The war is long and I forget From whence I come For what cause I fight Bruised an battered Dirty and tarnished A better day is coming Out from the dark abyss you come I am no knight in shining armor I will fight Down you will go For I am my own soldier The cause I lost I now remember Out from the dark abyss you come I am no knight in shining armor In this light I will wage my fight Out from the dark abyss you come I am no knight in shining armor Down you will go I have more reason to win

Congratulations!

My brother Joseph just married one of the greatest girls around, Wendy. I am so happy for them! I wish them both a life of happiness and love. Love you guys!!!!

New Calling

A few weeks ago, I received a new calling in my ward. I am now a Relief Society Instructor. I am so excited about this calling. I have already taught one lesson and have another one coming up soon. I am thinking about posting some of what I have learned as I prepare and any additional thoughts from the sisters after each lesson. I think it will be a way to share some thoughts and insights I'm having for my own life and in the gospel.

Abraham's Sacrifice

I was studying in Genesis today. In Chapter 22, the story of God's command to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac is recounted. Verse 2 reads: "And he said, Take now they son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of." As I pondered on this verse, I recalled being taught that this story is in similitude to the Father's sacrifice of the Only Begotten Son. I wondered however, what it might be teaching me directly. Or in other words, how could I apply this to my own life? It seems to me that because of Abraham's love for the Lord, he was willing to sacrifice the only thing he had and loved, his son. Am I willing to make the same type of sacrifice? The only thing I have in this life that is truly my own, is my will. Perhaps this scripture is not only teaching me of the Atonement, but also of my need to make a similar sacrifice through obedience as a testament of my love and trust in the Lord. If I truly love and trust in Him, then I will be willing to sacrifice the only thing I have of my own, the thing I love the most, my will. In return for my willingness and efforts to do so, I am immensely blessed by the Lord, as was Abraham. It would make sense to me that as the Lord teaches us how to love him, that those principles should also be applicable to all mankind as he taught that as we have done unto others, we have done unto him. How then, am I supposed to show my love for His children? I cannot offer my will unto them, for it must be a sacrifice only unto our God. I feel like there is more than just a willingness to do the types of service we talk about so often, but what exactly it is, I haven't come across yet in my mind. If you have any insights, I would love to hear them so that I can better learn how to love my fellow brothers and sisters.

What's in a name?

I have been thinking a lot recently about the importance of names. It's something I have pondered before, but am revisiting after a Relief Society lesson about the Sacrament. I have been reminded recently of how much my names mean and the large responsibility I have to present them well. When I am at home in Arizona, there are so many people who instantly love and respect me because of my last name. They know the type of people my family is and give me the same attributes. It seems hard to do damage to my families name there because it is so well regarded. I realized that one of the difficulties I have felt being away at school is the lack of recognition of my name. Most people have no idea what it means to be a Heywood or what kind of people they are. I have to build my own name here. I have been wondering how good of a job am I doing? I can think of many instances where I have not lived up to my names and it pains me. The attributes attached to me and my name affect not only me, but so many other people. It is not only my family either. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, I have taken the name of Jesus Christ upon myself. I represent Him now. It pains me to know that I have not always done a stellar job. Gratefully, I am reminded of the power and purpose of the Atonement and know that I can be forgiven and can repent. As I have been thinking about my life and realized the importance of my names and my gratitude for such good ones, I have been saddened to realize that upon marriage, I will no longer be recognized by the name Heywood. It will still be one of my names, but not the one I give for recognition. I am sad to realize I will not carry that name forever or give it to my children for recognition. My only hope is to be able to find a man whos name I can respect and be proud to be known by. If I can find a man with a name respected and revered as mine is, then my children will hopefully someday come to a similar realization and appreciation, and I will not feel like I have lost something so great, but rather gained something new and wonderful.