There are two pieces of literature from which I draw daily inspiration- the scriptures and Calvin and Hobbes. The scriptures help me better understand what it is to be a child of God, while Calvin and Hobbes helps me better understand what it is to be an American youth. I can draw inspired quotes from the comic strip, such as, "Mom knows everything!" and "It doesn't matter if you win or lose, it's how you play the game." There are many others. In fact, I've downloaded almost 50 of the strips I've read in the past few months. There are few comic strips with which a person can so easily connect. In only a decade, Bill Waterson was able to capture so much of what it means to live in this world, and all through the eyes of a six-year-old and his pet tiger. What an accomplishment. If I was a great writer I would write some great words, but all I can say is thank you Bill Waterson, though you will probably never read this. Thank you for caring. Thank you for sending your message out into the world, though it is simple and seemingly insignificant. Many overlook comic strips and other simple forms of entertainment because they are simple, but this is folly. Those things which are the simplest carry their message the best and are easiest to understand. And they hold within them much more depth becuase so many people can identify with them. So I thank you Bill Waterson, and all those who are willing to step out and show us that a simple life, without all of today's distractions, is still worth living.

I just finished a play called "Inherit the Wind." I think it was one of the best works of literature I've ever written. It showed how our preconceived notions can be vastly different from the truth and that we must always stand up for free will and the ability to find things out on our own, to reason. Blind faith and relying on the word of others is dangerous. In fact, it is about the most dangerous thing there is out there, because it means giving up what sets us apart- our free will, our ability to think. No other animal is like us. We are distinct and if we do our best to protect that free will, that reason, we will remain distinct. If we give in to animal urges and sacrifice our free will for momentary pleasure, we lose our distinction from the rest of the animal kingdom and we demote ourselves to merely beasts. Being only an animal is not the bad thing. They are also creations of God and deserve respect. The bad thing is giving up our divine birthright- giving up the status as children of God. By becoming like animals we give up the chance to become like God. In doing so we lose the chance to have eternal joy. There is so much more to say, but I need to go to bed. Read the play, it will inspire you.

Well, I gonna forget the whole gay marriage thing for a while. It's getting on my nerves and there really is no easy answer. What ever happens will not depend on me but the legislators we have in office. I hope that they make the right choice.

So my friend Jennifer started a blog called My Life. Check it out at )www.jro6.blogspot.com. She'll actually provide some counter-arguments for some of the stuff i say in here. Should make the blog more interesting, right? If anyone out there actually reads it.

Sowhat do i have to write about? How about the nature of the soul. I read a poem called "Go Down, Death," by James Weldon Johnson (www.poets.org/poems/poems.cfm?prmID=1440), and it really made me think. Something that scientists take for granted is that energy and matter can never cease to exist. Energy will merely become matter and vice versa. So really, they are two forms of the same thing. So what about the spirit? The spirit is what really makes us self-aware and conscious, there is no doubt about that. What is the spirit? That is hard to answer. I cannot prove that it is something more than just the firing of the neurons, but at the same time, I cannot deny that this has to be true. But I digress. The idea is that the spirit is what makes us truly alive. It is what seperates us from inanimate objects. It makes life life. Following this line of reasoning, all life, even germs and plants, have spirits. But once again, that's off the subject. If the spirit exists and is life, and matter and energy cannot be destroyed, how could spirit possibly cease to exist? Life is eternal! Your spirit, the spirit of all living creatures, lives on in eternity and cannot cease to exist. For life to end with death would be breaking the laws of the universe, the laws which have existed for eternity. Many people consider this belief idiotic. But why? Because there is no concrete proof? Lack of evidence is not evidence of lack. Consider this: evolutionists claim that all the fossils they have found prove conclusively that animals evolved. However, consider one branch of the animal kingdom: homonids. The famous missing link, the species that is the bridge between ape and man, has never been found. This is true of every branch of the evolutionary tree. There are gaping holes between all species. No missing links have been found. Also, no man can observe evolution. People tend to treat evolution as hard fact, but this is fallacy. It is merely a set of ideas which best fits the evidence given. I cannot disprove it and in fact, I think it is the best answer that we have explain fossils, but that does not change the fact that there is an abhorrent lack of evidence. But many still believe this theory. So why not believe in God and eternal life? This idea fits so well into the small amount of evidence we have. It also provides answers to mankinds deepest, most challenging questions- who are we? where did we come from? and where are we going? Eternal life, if you have an open mind, makes sense! It is logical! Why should life cease to exist upon death? Why is the world limited to what we see directly. There are so many experiences that people have had which provide proof of a world that is much more vast than what our five senses can detect. I ask that you open your mind and ask questions. Consider, just once, why so many believe in God and Jesus Christ and the gospel. And if you want answers, come to this site: www.lds.org. I will admit that this can be hard to accept and it is not completely logical, it takes a great deal of faith. But it will withstand questioning if you are not looking to tear it down, but to find the truth within it. Much of what I've written I'm sure is a confusing mess. I hope that it makes sense to someone and will touch their heart. I just want to end by saying that I believe in Jesus Christ and that he died for us. I believe in a loving heavenly father who sent his son as a gift that we might return to live with him again. I believe that i am a child of God and I have the potential to become like Him, if i will but obey. I send this message to all those who will read it, in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.