Josephus and I: An Intellectual's Account

"Now there was about this time Jesus, a wise man, if it be lawful to call Him a man, for he was a doer of wonderful works -- a teacher of such men who receive the truth with pleasure. He drew unto Him both many of the Jews and many of the Gentiles. He was the Christ. And when Pilate, at the suggestion of the principal men among us, had condemned Him to the cross, those that loved Him at the first did not forsake Him, for He appeared to them alive again the third day, as the divine prophets had foretold these ten thousand other wonderful things concerning Him; and the tribe of Christians, so named for Him, are not extinct at this day." -Josephus Antiquities 18.63-64


Josephus was not a Christian. He was not a follower of Christ. He was merely a historian who wrote things down. It is this fact, that he did not know Jesus as I know Him, that makes the above statement even more powerful. Truth is truth.

Week in Review

Monday:

Did homework/practiced violin ALL DAY. And...that's all I remember.

Tuesday:

Work and school. I also have no memory of anything else that occurred.

Wednesday:

Seriously drove all over the place, trying to get everything done. Had class until 8:30. Reminded myself never to sign up for a class that late again. Also attended the Temple in-between work/classes/homework realizing I had an hour and a half to spare.

Thursday:

Work school life. Ate Reeses Puffs with Emilie.

Friday:

After Popcorn Friday at work, and attending my last geology class of the semester (Block classes, who knew right??) I madly drove to Sandy, picked up Chloe, drove back to Provo, shopped for and bought her Prom dress, drove back to Sandy, went to Miranda's bridal shower and remembered how much I love/miss all those friends, and then slept over in THE MOST COMFORTABLE BED EVER at my parents' house. It happens to be a trundle bed, meaning Nater got to sleep right next to me.

Saturday:

Woke up super early and drove BACK TO PROVO (how many times have I graced that section of I-15 in the past two days??) and went to EFY training (no, I'm not officially hired yet, but I've been invited to attend training, so cross your fingers and toes and eyes and teeth). Left EFY training, DROVE BACK TO SANDY, picked up my mom, and then drove to Bountiful to attend to details of my Princess Belle costume. We then zipped on up to Farmington to visit my mom's awesome cousin, and then drove back to Bountiful to visit some more cousins (because lets be real, how often are we in Bountiful?) and then drove back to Sandy where I got to sleep over in the Most Comfortable Bed Ever again (this time Abby took over the trundle bed).

Sunday:

Went to the single's ward with Triscuit, and again remembered how I miss these people. My parents made fish tacos for dinner, which were delicioso. Tonight I will again make the pilgrimage to Provo, and I hope that this next week involves a lot less driving. I have two midterms and a final, so pray for me and wish me love.

Over and out.

Prom: A note to the lovely ladies

Update 2/21/2014: To all the young women I have had the privilege to know,
I see you. I see you when you are modest and I rejoice inside. When you are modest you are outwardly stating I KNOW WHO I AM. I know that I am a Daughter of God. I know that I am blessed when I am obedient. I know that my body is a precious gift and I will treat it with respect. I know that the gentlemen I interact with are Sons of God and I will dress modestly to respect them, as well. I know that this life is the time to prepare to meet God, and I want to live with no regrets.

I see you when you are immodest and I feel so confused. I KNOW that you know better, because I have sat down with you and talked about it. You have answered the questions correctly about why modesty is SUCH a big deal. Please, sit down and think about it. Think about your goals and your hopes and dreams, and think about how modesty and obedience can impact that. Just think.

And also, I love you.

Hey girl.

So glad you got asked to Prom! So exciting. If you're a senior, this is your last one. If you're younger, this may be your first. I just wanted to share a few thoughts from the other side.

Please remember that there will be photos taken. Many, many photos. Those photos will more than likely last forever, especially with this thing called the internet that we all depend on. I want you to pause for a second and look 20 years into the future, when your own daughter will look at those photos. You won't be able to change them. The example will have been set. Are you going to regret being immodest? Are you going to compromise your integrity and your standards,  for a dance? I promise you, you will regret it someday.

I can also promise you, that you will never regret dressing modestly and treating yourself with respect. You will never look back on those pictures and think "Man. Wish I would've worn an immodest dress." That's never going to happen. You will always be grateful for following the Prophet.

When I was a junior, I went to a formal dance and we had dinner at a nice restaurant. I went into the bathroom and found myself face to face with Sister Newbold, a former seminary teacher. She grinned and hugged me and told me I looked beautiful. How embarrassing it could have been if I had been dressed immodestly!

One of the greatest compliments a man has ever given me was this: "I'm so thankful that I never have to worry about you being modest. I know that you always will be." Be that girl.

Also: have fun! Don't worry about how you look. Dress up and then have fun. It's one night in your life, and there are better ones ahead, so don't stress.

I think you're beautiful. I think you're priceless. Please don't be the girl with one hand on her standards and the other hand on the world. Be temple worthy at all times, in all things, and in all places.

Love,
Bethany

And if that wasn't clear enough, here you go!

1940s

Shift
eyelash raise
contact.

Breathe
hear the query
name.

Red
lips stained red.
Lovely.

Dance
Whirl and dip
Proper

Love
rushed, hurried.
Deep.

Ink writing
foreign stamp
waiting, waiting.

Red
uniform stained red.
Pain

Empty
Mailbox. Heart.
Gone.

Untitled

-I need my hair trimmed real bad.
-I have really fabulous, wonderful friends. Darlings.
-I do not understand why making my dreams come true is so difficult.
-My skin feels like it is falling off of my body.
-I adore laughing. Conversation with a friend:
Me: "I hate bathroom noises."
Him: "They should make sound proof toilets."
Me: "THAT is a fabulous idea."
Him: "I mean, come on, how acoustic is porcelain?"

-Learning and living is difficult. I am learning to live independent of other people, while still living for other people. I can't control what other people think or say or believe. I can only live as myself and hope to benefit them.
-Music theory is difficult for me.
-I love flowers. So much.
-I love how Nate talks
-I love the Temple

A Lesson from the Leaves

 Perhaps it comes from being born in October, or because I’ve always been dramatic and loved
wearing costumes, but the autumn months have always had a magic about them that makes me
look forward to the drop in temperature, the apple harvest, and the color change in the leaves. Our
lesson on the way light reflects color and the cause of the red, orange, and yellow during autumn is
what I found meaningful during the past month.
     Most people know that the green color of leaves is caused by chlorophyll in the plant’s cells.
Chlorophyll is made by chloroplasts, an organelle similar to mitochondria or golgi bodies, except
chloroplasts are unique to plant cells. What most people probably didn’t know is what causes the
other colors that come during fall, and why some fall seasons have brighter colors than other years.
Anthocyanins are the cause of the red pigment in leaves during the fall and they are also what
makes fruits and vegetables red, purple, or blue. Because light is what produces color, the more
sunlight the leaves are exposed to will result in greater amounts of anthocyanins and brighter reds
in the trees.
    This is meaningful to me because I (as usual) have to take a spiritual tangent on everything, and
I love the metaphor the leaves give for the use of light. The formula is simple: the more light, the
brighter the color. Our culture and society places so much value and energy into celebrities, calling
them “stars”, and everyday men and women pour billions of dollars annually into looking like
“stars”. I have always associated true beauty and value with light. We receive light from the
Savior, and as we receive that light we become brighter and brighter, like a leaf and its supply of
anthocyanins.
    Another lesson from the leaves tells us that we reflect what we absorb. During the seasons of
darkness, the leaves are dull and abandon the brilliant colors for drab brown and gray. Fortunately
for us, we are not tied to a branch like the leaves, but have the choice of what we are exposed to
and how much light we will take in. If we are to be brilliant, we must choose the friends, the
media, the behavior that will bring out our personal anthocyanins.
    I love all the seasons God has created for us, but I love the autumn months the most. Autumn is
the season where the trees really shine and cause people to stand in awe. I find the biology of leaf
cells to be meaningful because it reminds me to absorb light and reflect that light everyday.

Happy Love Day

In Case You Don't Understand

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending Seminary in Utah. In this Seminary classes are held during school hours. Brother Christianson taught Seminary at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson’s Seminary class.

 Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over.

 One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro.
 Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, ‘You think you’re pretty tough, don’t you?’

 Steve’s answer was, ‘Yeah, I do.’

 Then Brother Christianson asked, ‘How many push-ups can you do?’

 Steve said, ‘I do about 200 every night.’

 ’200? That’s pretty good, Steve,’ Brother Christianson said. ‘Do you think you could do 300?’

 Steve replied, ‘I don’t know… I’ve never done 300 at a time.’

 ’Do you think you could?’ Again asked Brother Christianson.

 ’Well, I can try,’ said Steve.

 ’Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it,’ Brother Christianson said. Steve said, ‘Well… I think I can… yeah, I can do it.’

 Brother Christianson said, ‘Good! I need you to do this on Friday.’

 Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the ro om. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren’t the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend.

 Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, ‘Cynthia, do you want a donut?’

 Cynthia said, ‘Yes.’

 Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, ‘Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?’

 Steve said, ‘Sure,’ and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia’s desk.

 Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, ‘Joe do you want a donut?’

 Joe said, ‘Yes.’ Bro. Christianson asked, ‘Steve would you do ten push- ups so Joe can have a donut?’ Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut.

 And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle, till Bro. Christianson came to Scott.

 Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companionship. Then Bro. Christianson asked, ‘Scott do you want a donut?’

 Scott’s reply was, ‘Well, can I do my own pushups?’

 Bro. Christianson said, ‘No, Steve has to do them.’

 Then Scott said, ‘Well, I don’t want one then.’

 Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, ‘Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn’t want?’

 Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, ‘HEY! I said I didn’t want one!’
Bro. Christianson said, ‘Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don’t want it.’ And he put a donut on Scott’s desk.

 Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

 Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, ‘Jenny, do you want a donut?’

 Jenny said, ‘No.’

 Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, ‘Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn’t want?’ Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut.

 By now, the students were beginning to say ‘No’ and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of eff ort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

 Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn’t bear to watch all of Steve’s work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row.

 During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

 Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

 Steve asked Bro. Christianson, ‘Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?’

 Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, ‘Well, they’re your pushups. You can do them any way that you want.’ And Bro. Christianson went on.

 A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, ‘NO! Don’t come in! Stay out!’

 Jason didn’t know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, ‘No, let him come.’

 Bro. Christianson said, ‘You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him.’

 Steve said, ‘Yes, let him come in.’

 Bro. Christianson said, ‘Okay, I’ll let you get Jason’s out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?’

 ’Yes.’

 ’Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?’ Steve did ten pushups very slowly an d with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down.

 Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve’s arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

 The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, ‘Linda, do you want a doughnut?

 Linda said, very sadly, ‘No, thank you.’

 Bro. Christianson asked Steve, ‘Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn’t want?’

 Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. ‘Susan, do you want a donut?’

 Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked , ‘Bro. Christianson , can I help him?’

 Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, ‘No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?’

 As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

 Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. ‘And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, ‘Into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten.’ .

 When everyone in the classroom heard what the teacher meant by it and realized everything. Steve smiled on the ground where he laid in his own sweat and began to cry.

Tender. Mercies.

Sometimes the Lord sends a domino affect of tender mercies to tell you "Hey. I love you."

For example. Last night, feeling lonely and sad at 10:30 at night, got an unexpected phone call from one of my very best friends on the planet.

Then I was feeling so stressed at the coming week, trying to get everything done by this weekend and study for an exam and go see my Lauren for her birthday (TOMORROW) and complete all my homework and attend an exam review and blah blah blah....and then my geology teacher cancelled class. So I could go to my review.

And then when I got to the review, I got an email from another teacher saying my late class tonight is cancelled, so I can get everything else done.

I feel like breaking out into the Prince of Egypt theme song. THERE CAN BE MIRACLES, WHEN YOU BELIEVE!!!