Declaring repentance

In section 18 of the book Doctrine and Covenants Oliver Cowdery has inquired of the Lord regarding a promised event that has yet to occur.  That event is the bestowal of the Melchizedek Priesthood  When they were ordained to the Aaronic Priesthood, he and Joseph were promised this latter greater priesthood, and Oliver seems anxious to obtain this great blessing.  Interestingly, the revelation contained in section 18 says nothing about when they will receive it.  In fact without the section heading one would hardly know it had anything to do with the the Melchizedek Priesthood at all.  Instead Oliver is counseled to rely upon the scriptures for answers (vs. 2-5), and then taught regarding the worth of the souls of all men (10-13).
It has been said that a wise man will answer the question that should have been asked - not necessarily the one that is asked.  In this case, could it be that the Lord is responding to the question, "What do I need to know and do to prepare myself for this greater Melchizedek Priesthood?" instead of, "When will I receive it?" If so the answer is both profound and fitting.
In this revelation Oliver is told that the world is "ripening in iniquity" (6) and to declare repentance unto them (15-16).  He is also told that a whole life's effort dedicated to this cause - even if it only brought one soul to the Lord  - would bring great joy with that person in heaven.
In my experience there is likely nothing more important for a potential Melchizedek Priesthood holder to understand than the eternal worth of all souls to God, the infinite price paid for them through the Savior's atonement, and the great opportunity we have to seek and save them throughout our lives.
One word rivets my attention particularly in this section.  The word is "REMEMBER."  In verse 10 the Lord tells Oliver to "Remember, the worth of souls is great in the sight of God."  If Elders would consistently remember this - how valuable each of the Lord's children truly are to him - would it be possible for them to forget home teaching?  Would they neglect their family duties?  What a profound and perfect teacher the Lord is.  

It's not personal,..really!

I caught myself contemplating the upcoming wrestling season today.  I have been asked to help with the local high school team this year and have since been excited about the prospect.  My thoughts led me to the great pressure that seems to rest on and confound many wrestlers in their striving for success. 
When I was younger, I was no exception.  Like so many of them, I could be described as a "head case" to a certain degree.  At a 5A high school, I noticed how my social importance waxed and waned with the coming and going of the wrestling season.  I was seen as somebody important by my peers because I was successful at wrestling.  I wanted to be somebody in people's eyes, and during the wrestling season I was.  Naturally, people want to be associated with "winners" and so there was a significant difference in my social life during those few months when I was ironically most busy and unavailable.
Wrestling was not a popular enough sport to assure continuing importance, but rather a short while after the state tournament I would descend back into the ranks of everyone else.
The problem with this is that each young man that feels this way, not only faces an opponent each match, but also seems to be wrestling the world for his place in it - his own worth and the opinions of his peers.  Every one will eventually lose this type of match - whether to defeat on the mat (aided no doubt by the incredible pressure he feels), or to disillusionment with the shallow nature of the importance he has won with his victories.  I was no exception.
If a young man could be secure enough about who he is and who he is becoming independent of the outcome of his matches I believe he would have a much better chance at success.  He needs solid principles of living to anchor himself to in order to avoid being thrown to the waves of both success and opinion.

Appearance, Reality, and the way people treat you...

I am convinced that the devil is very jealous of my body.  Not only mine, or mine in particular, but everybody's body (for a minute there you thought I was a narcissist, huh :)).  He doesn't have one, so like jealousy may make someone do - he tempts men to misuse, disrespect, and under-appreciate their bodies.  This probably isn't a big surprise to anyone and isn't new knowledge to me either, what is new to me today, is how I recognized one of his tactics in doing so.
My realization came as I happened across an old high school year book.  Because the spot chosen for it in the bookcase was within reach of the position I had taken sprawled out on the living room floor I ventured a look.  It was from my junior year, and as I picked out old pictures of my friends, I wondered at the styles and fads of the mid nineties, and how they might have effected these my friends in the course of their lives.
I believe that one of the temptations the adversary chooses is to seek to convince a person to make a dress or grooming decisions that are out on the edge of their personality.  Such decisions don't truly represent who they really are, or how they really feel necessarily, but maybe representative of a transitory mood, or a smaller part of them as they grow and progress, or even just a desire to be noticed or fit in.  The problem with making a decision such as this is that it sets a chain of reactions in motion. 
People make judgments about others based upon their appearance all the time.  Right or wrong, good or bad, it happens and at least to some degree the way people treat us is based upon their perceptions of us through the appearance we project.
Because of the veil, each of us is a bit of a mystery - to ourselves.  We don't remember who we were, and so many times we end up seeking for our identity, our place in the world, when we recognize a bad fit.  When we make fashion choices on the edge of, or disconnected from who we really are - or even when we make these decisions without respect for our eternal identity and hopes - we get into trouble.  People then treat us differently and we can be more easily convinced that we are in fact as our appearance may suggest to others.  Carefully and slowly we find ourselves systematically deceived with regard to who we really are.  Naturally, with this deception comes a decreased sense of self worth and all of the problems that can grow into.  These things start innocently enough (otherwise Satan wouldn't get any takers). Yet things as simple as the length or style of ones hair, the decision to grow facial hair or not, or the style and motif of the clothes that are worn might be slightly shifting slopes that lead us in effect - further from ourselves. 

...This is my game face!

There is a well known phenomenon in sports that happens when an athlete gets over anxious for the big game or match.  He tightens up, his cognitive capacities become absorbed by his anxieties so there is no room for that which he normally sees and responds to so quickly and well.  His normal skill set during such an episode is reduced to those things he is very most comfortable with - and generally, he blows it.  I think I did something similar in the work world today as I was observed by a superior of mine.  My anxieties about being a good and effective teacher surfaced to the point that I was impeded in achieving that goal.  The irony is that every other class period went quite well.  I need to "practice with my headgear on" I guess.  Teach while being observed more often or at least stimulate the anxiety somehow, so it goes away.  I wonder if a video camera would do the same thing for me?

I'm a note taker

It got started in college really, and then reinforced on the mission I served in Germany - I take notes.  It doesn't even really matter if I go over them again or not in many cases -- writing helps me learn.  I believe that much of what I think in a moment in time is not mine to keep until I act on it.  Writing is one way I can do that.  God is a great and constant teacher, and I aspire to be his careful student.