I came home at midnight smelling like beer and my parents didn't care.

This is the first step down a dark path...not!!

So I made a big deal about coming home smellin' like beer because I think it's hilarious, but the truth is I hate the stuff. I'll never start drinking, not even if my wife, kids, and dog leave me lol

What really happened was service. This is fiesta month here in San Antonio and my church youth group serves the community by bringing chairs for people to sit on while the parade marches by. Don't think too good of me, as I just came along because it sounded fun, the real service was done by the people who organized this project. So I missed the set-up part of the project, but I got to have the pleasure of clearing the street of chairs before the terrifying streetsweeper wreaked havoc upon them. We had twenty minutes to clear out 560 metal chairs before they became part of the mass of garbage that blanketed the gutters like rivers on a rainy day. Beer cans were EVERYWHERE, and I was up to my ankles in trash and beer and God knows what else...

I had to actually put my hands in the stuff so that I could detach the cables securing our property so that we could pack it all up in a trailer. We finished around 11, but our adventure had only just begun. On our way out, our designated driver backed up into a dumpster while trying to get into a steady stream of cars who wouldn't let us leave. Then when we finally did get on the road, we got stuck on this ramp thing on which we moved about every 5 minutes.

While we say their waiting, two motorcyclists pulled up behind us and these guys had to be the worlds drunkest idiots. They began singing and honking and screaming and revving their engines, I was sortof expecting a fight when a guy and his girlfriend drove up next to them on HIS bike. But the knife-wound scars on that man's arm must have been good enough of a hint, even for these dorks, to back down because they became silent very suddenly.

As a result of my praying for my life that the drunken people didn't kill me, I made it safely back to homebase. Phew!

When I walked in I said hey Mom, hey Dad, and I got up real close to both of them...they didn't notice a thing. "How was it?" my mom asked. "Not bad," I said "I'm a bit tired though." At this point I was intentionally slurring my speech and subtly swaying so as to pop the question, "ERIK, WHY DO YOU SMELL LIKE BEER?!" But it never came, and I finally asked my Mom to take a sniff of my cloths, but it was in vain for all she said was, "You smell weird."

Now, don't get me wrong kids, this does NOT mean your parents don't know what beer smells like, it just happens that mine don't, but I'm glad of that. My parents have always been very temperate and I have had a happy life at home because of it. What you should take away from this is a smile and a knowledge that alcohol makes people dumb...so don't drink it! Duh!

Why Should We Obey?

Obedience is an important trait for a person to develop in spite of his or her age. Rules have been put in place to protect the integrity and safety of the American people, these rules are called laws. If you obey the driving laws, you are protecting yourself, your passengers, and the other people on the road from potentially lethal accident. If you don't obey driving laws and decide to run a stop sign, you could damage property or even kill someone. Some people feel like rules are just restrictions, and restrictions just ruin their fun, but in fact, I feel that restrictions can make life more enjoyable. Let me explain: my friend had given in to peer pressure and decided to try a cigarette even though his parents warned him against any kinds of drugs; well he got addicted and now that he's decided to quit, he's not doing very well. He's going through withdrawal symptoms and relapses frequently and I can see the pain written on his features...all that for one stupid cigarette. If he had followed his parents' rule in the first place then he wouldn't be in this mess now.

In my own life, I have realized as I've grown up that my parents are doing everything they can to ensure that I grow up strong, healthy, and wise. I've discovered that they don't just make up rules to bug me, but because they want me to be safe. I'm old enough to realize that I don't know everything and that I need to trust the rules even though I may not understand them yet because they will protect me from unseen dangers.

I feel that while everyone needs to learn obedience, it is even more vital for an adult to have this virtue because and adult's actions have farther reaching effects upon the community and loved ones. If a husband is not faithful and obedient to his wedding vows, or chooses to dabble in the dangerous territory of pornography, it will destroy his marriage, tear apart his family and cause extreme pain to all of the members of it. Adults are not only responsible for taking care of themselves, they are also responsible for securing the future of their posterity. Obedience to the laws of the land and God's commandments are vital to setting a good example and leading others to do good.

The last point I want to make is that blind obedience is no substitute for using your judgment to determine what you should or should not do. Blind obedience puts your life in the hands of another imperfect being which, unless you trust them, is a careless mistake. When somebody gives you a rule to follow you should a) determine if you trust that this person has good intentions and has your best interest in mind and b) be aware of the consequences should you not obey that rule. Sometimes people will call a person a mindless sheep because they follow the rules, but in reality a sheep can be more intelligent than we are because it applies smart principles of trust to obedience. A sheep trusts its shepherd and will do anything for him. That sheep is wise to do so because the shepherd will scare away predators and feed the sheep and all the shepherd asks in return is for its wool. In the animal kingdom, the only creatures that don't obey any rules are the sick or insane ones. Animal instinct is based upon survival, therefore they must follow the rules in order to survive. Let that serve as a reminder to all of us that obedience to rules is in our best interest.

I Have a Testimony of Jesus Christ

This Easter season brings us all closer together as we study and ponder the teachings and the sacrifice of our Savior, Jesus Christ, the Redeemer of the World. I just got back from Youth Conference where I had not only tons of fun, I was reminded of the wonders of God's plan for His children. There had to have been an atonement so that we could return home to live with our Father in Heaven. If Christ had not suffered and then died on the cross, we would be doomed to this spiritual death forever. I was reminded that it was my choice to take up this body, made in God's own image, and be separated from Him, but because of the Atonement, I can be with Him in Heaven again. Woohoo!

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints is Christ's church on the Earth and through its saving ordinances we can have all of the blessings that God wishes to bless us with, even all He has. I believe this with all my heart, in Jesus' name I share that with you, amen.

What will I do to fulfill my life?

It would be easy to pick something cool and socially accepted and say yeah, B-) that's me! But it would also be lame, and it would be untrue to myself. Someone asked me today what "will fulfill my life?" I thought about it, and this was my reply:

"I have very simple wants in this life: a loving family, a happy life, and an inspiring legacy to leave behind when I'm gone. I am aware that the key to happiness lies with love, and that I am never happier than when I am with my family. Someday I will be married to a wonderful woman and have several children. I will have worked my way up in some company and all the while I will seek opportunities to serve my fellow man. I will leave a legacy of love and charity in this world after I am gone. Then will my life be fulfilled."