Music and Lyrics

Dear Reader, No, I don't wear makeup. That is just part of the song "I say a little prayer for you." It's a good song. Mostly because it highlights the flexibility of saying prayers. I have been praying and hearing people pray for a very long time. Since before I can remember people around me have been asking for blessings on their food, praying for loved ones that are ill and even praying that they will find their long ping-pong ball. Prayers can be about many different things. One of the best things I love about working at the MTC is seeing missionaries every day when I walk through that gate. It is always amazing to see Missionaries outside at a table who are likely praying. Praying right there in public, without questioning who is watching or what anyone might think. Attending Brigham Young University is almost as inspiring. Every day I walk down Campus and people are outside, in the library or in the student center reading their scriptures or praying. Hopef...

Dear Reader, So I woke up this morning and ran late to class, during which I learned almost nothing and felt terrible. Upon checking emails and updates on Facebook, I saw a lot of people with their profile picture changed. They had posted a Red Box with an equivalent sign in the middle. I was really confused why so many people had chosen such an odd picture. I was really confused. Then someone explained to me that the decision to define marriage has gone before the supreme court and everyone is supported the idea that Marriage be a constitution between any two people that want to make a civil union. Hence the Equality sign in their picture. Obviously this is a touchy subject for most. Thus, i will not make too many bold arguments or say anything too offensive. However, I feel the need to share my thoughts on this subject, despite my usual tendencies to not involve myself in political activities. What I am about to share are not new concepts, but they are foreign to some. Hopefully ...

Dear Reader, I write today nothing but a small little something just saying how wonderful life is. Not to mention how great God is. He created so many beautiful things and it is a wonderful world we live in with marvelous people. I have to thank my family, my roommates, the ward here in Provo, Mountainwest Voices, the 7 Deadly Sins, my coworkers and most of all my closest friends (Who know who they are) for being amazing people. :) Hopefully you can feel a little bit of how much we love each other through the music in our last Barbershop concert. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=deHI6AG3I8o

Dear Reader, One of the best feelings in the world is trying to figure something out for months on end and finally understanding it. There is an immense satisfaction in that understanding after trying a million different things to resolve the dilema and finally finding that one piece that was missing. Even better is finding that piece in an obvious spot, thus invoking a feeling of stupidity. With that said, I have to tell you about my week. That is what a blog is for, right? Well, this blog has that purpose. This week is the start of NCAA March Madness. This is the basketball championship of the year! The best part, though, is our family competition. Each person in our family makes a tournament bracket with our guesses of which teams will win in the competition. Currently I am in third place to win our family competition. Woot! To be honest, the games don't really interest me. I don't remember the last time I watched an NCAA basketball game. The family time makes it worth it....

Dear Reader, Bruno Mars. I have no idea who this kid is, but his song "Just the Way you Are" is really good. He emphatically states the truth about how beautiful women are. However, I want to take the time to add/rephrase a little bit of what he says that may sound a little harsh, but it is true. In the song, Bruno says, "There's not a thing that I would change." I would like to point out that all you women out there (And men, if you want to keep things kosher), should change many things. Now, that doesn't mean they have to change all at once. I know many girls who I would consider dating. In fact, my Bishop has encouraged us to look at every person as a child of God and as a prospective candidate for creating an eternal marriage. One of the greatest parts of getting to know someone is helping them to become better. So, Bruno has a point in saying that we should love people "just the way [they] are." My hope and dream is that every person who...

Dear Reader, Life is grand. I feel like I said that a couple weeks ago, but today I feel like it is amazing! It's great when you can finally see some progress! Anyway, before I start blabbing on about unnecessary details, I'll let you in on why life is so great. First of all, my Heavenly Father is incredibly smart. He knows how to answer prayers in the most unique ways. He loves me. I have to remind myself of that. He answered a long string of prayers today. A long string of prayers dating back a couple of months. How did he answer those prayers? Of course he did it through the most unexpected person possible. A person that has been there the whole time, I just needed to talk to them. It was incredibly obvious, actually. However, that's why it's great that Heavenly Father loves me. He loves me so much that he'll give me answers even when I'm being dumb about looking for them. Another reason life is grand has to do with music. Starting on Friday, I have had s...

The Unreachable star. Everyone has one. That dream you have every night, the wish they make on every birthday while blowing out the candles or the ambition you would sacrifice everything for. I have a dream like that. Actually, I have two. If I can accomplish the first, I know the second will follow. However, the first is an ambition that only one person I know of has achieved it for sure. The Goal is to become like God. Honestly, I am nowhere close to achieving this goal. There is a song we sing in our Barbershop Choir called "The Impossible Dream." It portrays the amazing message of trying as hard as one possibly can to achieve their dream. The lyrics are very motivating: This is my quest: to follow that star no matter how hopeless, no matter how far To fight for the right without question or pause, to be willing to march into Hello for a Heavenly Cause! And I know if I'll only be true to this glorious quest, that my heart will lie peaceful and calm when I'm...

Dear Reader, Ok, so normally I wouldn't write more than once a week or so, but we were talking about keeping personal records in my Doctrine and Covenants class this evening, so I'm going to write more here and keep up more with my actual Journal. I write here because I've decided this is a good way to express my feelings without offending anyone. That is the case because this is a private blog and those who follow it probably don't read a whole lot of it anyway. I thank those of you who do. Anyway, we will get back to the point here. Life is grand. I may feel otherwise much of the time, but life is grand. This is why I mention keeping a record, because I'm going to tell you every big thing going on in my life right now as a record of what I was doing my freshman year of college. It's a pretty good record. Right now I'm working hard with a Barbershop Choir at the University and we're putting on several concerts this month and next. It's amazing t...

Dear Reader, I've recently been on a kick of forgiveness. Honestly, I don't understand it. After asking many people, referring to lots of books (Especially the scriptures) and pondering the matter, it still causes confusion. I'll give you some insight concerning my confusion. I never feel the need to forgive anyone. Now, let me explain what I mean. I know it is necessary to forgive all men, just like Christ tells us in the scriptures (D&C 64, The Parable of the talents, etc). What I'm saying is that I have don't remember ever having made the conscious decision to forgive someone. Nor have I ever used the phrase "I forgive you" in a serious manner. It is true that I have forgiven people. I dare say that forgiveness is something that doesn't cause much of a problem. However, that is the confusing part. I don't feel malice or ill-will toward anyone. There are definitely people that have hurt me, but there seems to be a no need to officially ...

Dear Reader, I have a confession. There are many things I would like to say. Half of them don't make sense or don't matter. I thought I could conquer the world alone. I thought I could solve all my problems by myself without help. Yes, Dale has problems. Dale has feelings. Newsflash! Dale didn't know he had so many feelings. He suppresses many of them. He thinks he can't be hurt. He thinks he can take anything with a grain of salt. He's not invincible. Now, my confession, Dale doesn't like saying he was wrong. He doesn't like leaving things behind. He doesn't giving things up. However, Dale has learned something. Heavenly Father gives us many people who love and bless us. Parents and siblings are the most important. We don't always get along with them, but we know it's going to turn out alright because there's an unconditional love. It's an unconditional love because you know matter what you feel towards each other, you'll be able...