I did it! I memorized all 13 Articles of Faith and successfully recited them to my husband on Christmas Eve. It took some nights staying up late, lots of prayers and listening to the primary songs over and over again. But I did it!
Since completing this goal, however, I have not begun another mental challenge and as a result I have found myself drifting into my old bad habit of negative thoughts. I must find a new mental challenge to turn to when my mind feels free to wonder on its own.
Monday, December 28, 2009
Friday, December 4, 2009
Sportsmanship
Our friend Jim wrote a blog on the fans support of inappropriate comments made by Max Hall after the recent BYU vs Utah game. This brought up many concerns and feelings that I have regaurding some LDS people and their mistaken belief that cheating, yelling, swearing, physically or emotionally harming another is acceptable in the realms of an athletic contest. So I decided to look up some information on lds.org to get a clearer picture of what is expected of us in athletic contests.
The First Presidency has stated that: “Church sports activities have a unique central purpose much higher than the development of physical prowess, or even victory itself. It is to strengthen faith, build integrity, and develop in each participant the attributes of his maker.” (Thomas S. Monson, “Goal beyond Victory,” Ensign, Nov 1988, 44) President Monson in this article also points out that the gyms constructed in our meeting houses are paid for by the tithes of every member and every member should have the opportunity to play. I know in my wards several people would not play because of the contention and behavior from other participants.
We must remember that: “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” (3 Ne. 11:29.)
It seems that a lot of poor sports believe that their actions in a athletic contest are constrained to that contest and as such are acceptable. However as pointed out here: “Sportsmanship is no different from fair play in life. When someone crowds into line at a grocery store, that person is a poor sport. We need to discipline ourselves and control our reactions in similar situations in sports.” (Kathleen Lubeck, “When the Whistle Blows: Preparing Good Sports,” Ensign, Apr 1985, 26)
I loved this comment made by Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone in The Aaronic Priesthood Holder and Athletics : "Never want anything so badly that the person who has the power to give it to you can control you. This is true of athletics as it is in life. Integrity is vital."
This article (quoted above) gives some wonderful suggestions to wards and stakes about how to best promote sportsmanship:
1 - MUST HAVE BISHOP APPROVAL: In one stake “Bishops interview all players to make sure that they’re worthy to participate in the sports programs and that they understand the rules. Bishops fill out a roster of those who will participate, and the roster is turned in to the stake at our monthly meeting. If a player is ejected from a game for unsportsmanlike conduct, that player needs the approval of his or her bishop and stake president to play in future games. "
2 - ATTEND CHURCH MEETINGS: “We’ve also made it a policy in our region that participants in Church-sponsored sports attend at least two Church meetings per month,” said President Tingey. “That includes nonmembers.”
3 - SPORTSMANSHIP POINTS: Another stake stated: “We provide incentives for our players to be good sports by giving sportsmanship evaluations as well as game points for each game,” said Robert Reese, regional sports director. “A team must earn a certain number of sportsmanship points to be able to progress in the tournament.”
4 - CALL AND SET APART OFFICIALS: "We’ve found that the most successful sports programs have officials who have been called and set apart and supported by priesthood leaders.”
I wish and pray that these suggestions had been implemented in our ward while at BYU. I cannot tell you how many leaders in our ward recognized me and whom I recognized from my officiating BYU Intramurals. The vile actions and words that were delivered during games rocked me to my very soul. This is one circumstance that has definitely forced me to question how a person could act in such a way and feel worthy enough to attend the temple.
One individual received a unsportmanship card from me for saying vile comments about an official after the game. When I ran into him in our first meeting with the ward leaders of a new ward we were attending, he made the comment that it wasn't deserved as the comments were not made to the officials face. This makes me sick to my stomach.
As we are not all leaders, here are some other wonderful suggestions for fellow teammates to support good sportsmanship made by the Assistant Athletic Director at BYU in this article:
1 - DON'T LET A TEAMMATE HAVE BAD SPORTSMANSHIP: "Teammates need to express their concern to the player immediately, helping him to recognize that angry words are unacceptable."
2 - MAKE HONOR CALLS: "Honor calls are encouraged in Church sports and ought to be more prevalent at all levels of athletics. Officials cannot see all the action at once. Such honesty takes controversy out of calls, especially close plays, and makes officiating much easier."
3 - PRAY BEFORE EACH GAME: "A prayer before a game has a calming influence. It helps put the game in perspective and reminds players of the need for good sportsmanship."
I pray that somehow this information has helped you and can help many others so that the athletic games that I love may retain their integrity, and help build up our own integrity.
The First Presidency has stated that: “Church sports activities have a unique central purpose much higher than the development of physical prowess, or even victory itself. It is to strengthen faith, build integrity, and develop in each participant the attributes of his maker.” (Thomas S. Monson, “Goal beyond Victory,” Ensign, Nov 1988, 44) President Monson in this article also points out that the gyms constructed in our meeting houses are paid for by the tithes of every member and every member should have the opportunity to play. I know in my wards several people would not play because of the contention and behavior from other participants.
We must remember that: “He that hath the spirit of contention is not of me, but is of the devil, who is the father of contention, and he stirreth up the hearts of men to contend with anger, one with another.” (3 Ne. 11:29.)
It seems that a lot of poor sports believe that their actions in a athletic contest are constrained to that contest and as such are acceptable. However as pointed out here: “Sportsmanship is no different from fair play in life. When someone crowds into line at a grocery store, that person is a poor sport. We need to discipline ourselves and control our reactions in similar situations in sports.” (Kathleen Lubeck, “When the Whistle Blows: Preparing Good Sports,” Ensign, Apr 1985, 26)
I loved this comment made by Bishop Vaughn J. Featherstone in The Aaronic Priesthood Holder and Athletics : "Never want anything so badly that the person who has the power to give it to you can control you. This is true of athletics as it is in life. Integrity is vital."
This article (quoted above) gives some wonderful suggestions to wards and stakes about how to best promote sportsmanship:
1 - MUST HAVE BISHOP APPROVAL: In one stake “Bishops interview all players to make sure that they’re worthy to participate in the sports programs and that they understand the rules. Bishops fill out a roster of those who will participate, and the roster is turned in to the stake at our monthly meeting. If a player is ejected from a game for unsportsmanlike conduct, that player needs the approval of his or her bishop and stake president to play in future games. "
2 - ATTEND CHURCH MEETINGS: “We’ve also made it a policy in our region that participants in Church-sponsored sports attend at least two Church meetings per month,” said President Tingey. “That includes nonmembers.”
3 - SPORTSMANSHIP POINTS: Another stake stated: “We provide incentives for our players to be good sports by giving sportsmanship evaluations as well as game points for each game,” said Robert Reese, regional sports director. “A team must earn a certain number of sportsmanship points to be able to progress in the tournament.”
4 - CALL AND SET APART OFFICIALS: "We’ve found that the most successful sports programs have officials who have been called and set apart and supported by priesthood leaders.”
I wish and pray that these suggestions had been implemented in our ward while at BYU. I cannot tell you how many leaders in our ward recognized me and whom I recognized from my officiating BYU Intramurals. The vile actions and words that were delivered during games rocked me to my very soul. This is one circumstance that has definitely forced me to question how a person could act in such a way and feel worthy enough to attend the temple.
One individual received a unsportmanship card from me for saying vile comments about an official after the game. When I ran into him in our first meeting with the ward leaders of a new ward we were attending, he made the comment that it wasn't deserved as the comments were not made to the officials face. This makes me sick to my stomach.
As we are not all leaders, here are some other wonderful suggestions for fellow teammates to support good sportsmanship made by the Assistant Athletic Director at BYU in this article:
1 - DON'T LET A TEAMMATE HAVE BAD SPORTSMANSHIP: "Teammates need to express their concern to the player immediately, helping him to recognize that angry words are unacceptable."
2 - MAKE HONOR CALLS: "Honor calls are encouraged in Church sports and ought to be more prevalent at all levels of athletics. Officials cannot see all the action at once. Such honesty takes controversy out of calls, especially close plays, and makes officiating much easier."
3 - PRAY BEFORE EACH GAME: "A prayer before a game has a calming influence. It helps put the game in perspective and reminds players of the need for good sportsmanship."
I pray that somehow this information has helped you and can help many others so that the athletic games that I love may retain their integrity, and help build up our own integrity.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
LDS Gems
Today I have been in the most melancholy mood. It began last night and I have been praying earnestly for the cause or purpose of it. I know yesterday I spent a good deal of energy being jealous which I am happy to say I overcame through prayer and personal revelation. But my "blue" mood still continues. I began looking on lds.org for some sort of help. I was reminded that I need to continue my personal goal of memorizing the 13 articles of faith ... I have through Article 4 down but have since forgotten my goal.
I found a section on the website called LDS Gems. The message for today came from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:
"you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."
Just reading this quote gave me peace and comfort. I still do not understand my mood, but it has waned for the time being so I am grateful.
I found a section on the website called LDS Gems. The message for today came from Elder Jeffrey R. Holland:
"you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in any situation you are in. Indeed, let me say that even a little stronger: you can have sacred, revelatory, profoundly instructive experience with the Lord in the most miserable experiences of your life—in the worst settings, while enduring the most painful injustices, when facing the most insurmountable odds and opposition you have ever faced."
Just reading this quote gave me peace and comfort. I still do not understand my mood, but it has waned for the time being so I am grateful.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
