Tuesdays with Muerte

I want to be an under shepherd for Christ, but I fear my light is not super bright. Is my dim light enough? Dim Lightbulb  by  Aditya Vyas When I love people, I desire to be open with them. That includes the deep joy I find in my relationship with Jesus Christ. The Rub But here's the rub. When I hear "motivational" quotes like,  "If you want to give light to others, you have to glow yourself.”  And “Ours is the responsibility to keep our lights bright for others to see and follow.”  —Thomas S. Monson "Stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all  places" (Mosiah 18:9, emphasis added). "As we live the gospel, love and serve others, stand strong in the face of temptation and persecution, and bear testimony in word and deed, we will draw others to Jesus Christ" (" Our Call to Share the Savior's Gospel ,"   Liahona,  July 2023, 7). I think: "You must be flawless before you can invite someone to be mor...

Why Djoker Will Win the 2023 Aussie Open I just finished watching Novak Djokovic's 4th-round, post-game, on-court interview, and I can just tell he will win. On top of all the other incredible things he has going for him, there is about his confident swagger and playful demeanor cinched it for me. Here's what he said in the interview:  Jim Courier: ' I'm not going to ask you HOW you beat him so convincingly; I'm gonna ask you WHY you beat him so convincingly. ' ― American tennis great Jim Courier said to Novak Djoker  Djokovic after the later dismantled his opponent Alex de Minaur in straight sets.  Djoker : ' Because I wanted to ,' Djoker calmly replied with a grin on his face.  *Mic drop* Did you catch it? Did you sense Djokovic's X-factor in the interview ?  It resides somewhere in the mental/emotional domain. This elusive element, combined with his physical preparation will make him unstoppable. I'm still unsure how to exactly define this X-...

Stacia and I wrote a lullaby for our 5-month-old baby, Kai. Here's how it happened: Before Kai's birth, we intended to create a personalized lullaby like my sisters’ kids had. However, busy schedules made it challenging. During our Christmas vacation at Heather's house in Spokane, WA, we aimed to fulfill that goal and compose a special lullaby for Kai. However, with the house packed with family to interact with, we never made the time. Fortunately for us, my sister invited us to extend our stay by a week. Once the house was quiet, we immediately got to work on Kai's goodnight song. After months and months of anticipation, it all came together— in a single afternoon !  First, I threw a favorite chord progression together on the guitar. Then Stacia and I figured out the vocal melody, lyrics, and form and wrote it all down on sheet music.  The following day, we were still in the flow, so we added descants and harmonies. My 12-year-old niece Annika and my sister Heather pit...

James Clear by pxfuel My mom emailed me this great list of talks to read. I am currently reading them and would love for you to join me. Click the links below to jump to a specific speech. On each page, you'll find a full transcript of the speech as well as some additional background information, most of which was put together by  James Clear , author of Atomic Habits . Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie,  “The Danger of a Single Story” Jeff Bezos,  “Statement by Jeff Bezos to the U.S. House Committee on the Judiciary” Jeff Bezos,  “What Matters More Than Your Talents” John C. Bogle,  “Enough” Brené Brown, “ The Anatomy of Trust “ John Cleese,  “Creativity in Management” William Deresiewicz,  “Solitude and Leadership” Richard Feynman,  “Seeking New Laws” Neil Gaiman,  “Make Good Art” John W. Gardner,  “Personal Renewal” Elizabeth Gilbert,  “Your Elusive Creative Genius” Albert E. N. Gray,  “The Common Denominator of Success” Bill Gurley,...

Introduction In the wake of the volatile response to Elder Holland's recent BYU address , my friend, Melanie Parry-Winkle, shared the following compassionate invitation on Facebook. I took Melanie up on her offer and reached out in a private message. We had a terrific conversation. With patience and gentle curiosity, she helped me articulate some of the tension I was experiencing. She also offered me a deeper appreciation for the experience of those who were feeling hurt and afraid for their safety after Elder Holland's address.  My thoughts then turned to how I could take a step closer to those with different perspectives instead of draw lines in defense of my own views. With her permission, I'll repeat the counsel she shared with me: Excerpt from Our Facebook Conversation Bryan: I've recently been feeling sensitive about my privilege. As a white, cis-gendered BYU grad trying to get a job in the valley, I'm working hard to uncover and publicly acknowledge my bias...

Introduction Note: I originally wrote this circa 2016. It is springtime in Provo and the air is, once again, thick with love. With all of the Especially For Youth (EFY) counselors dotting the BYU campus in their brightly colored polos, I am reminded of a traumatizing, would-be-love story that is finally ripe for serious self-reflection after 10 years. Storytime I worked for EFY in varying capacities for 3 summers (2005-2007). It was one of the most demanding, most satisfying things I've ever done. I used to joke that the pay wasn't great, but the (spiritual) benefits were out-of-this-world. As a 23-25-year-old BYU-Utah undergraduate student, I was beyond my dating prime and feeling serious pressure to be in "wife-finding mode," despite not feeling emotionally prepared for that kind of commitment with another person. In EFY culture, there is an end-of-week relationship tradition observed by both participants and counselors. Although counselors were prohibited (and...

10-day-old Kai His name — We thought Kai's name would be much easier to settle on than it was. Honestly, it was the last thing holding us up before the nurses would let us leave the hospital. Kai was always at the top of our list of names, but I supposed we would lock it down immediately after seeing him for the first time. Community  — In these COVID times, we were surprised (and grateful for) how many people served us (e.g., food, gifts, time). Prepared to be on our own, we bought 2 weeks of frozen food from Beehive Meals that we haven't even cracked into yet. Burp rag supply — We severely underestimated the number of burp rags we would initially go through. Despite having 30 rags, there were numerous times we had zero in reserve. (Granted, we have not been efficient in their use.) Back pain — We weren't expecting backaches for both of us. (Stacia is obviously still recovering from 2.5 of pushing. I just have terrible form while holding Kai.) We should’ve been doing pr...