What's Your Name? Don't Forget It.

We have been thinking a lot about baby names the past few days.  If I am totally honest, it kind of stresses me out!  There is SO MUCH in a name!  Maybe I shouldn't be so serious about it, but I can't really let it go.  (I think this may be the fact that I haven't met the little guy/girl yet... hopefully when it finally gets out here that we will just know!)

But as I have thought so much about it, I am reminded of Helaman speaking to his sons:

Helaman 5:6

Behold, my sons, I desire that ye should remember to keep the commandments of God; and I would that ye should declare unto the people these words. Behold, I have given unto you the names of our first parents who came out of the land of Jerusalem; and this I have done that when you remember your names ye may remember them; and when ye remember them ye may remember their works; and when ye remember their works ye may know how that it is said, and also written, that they were good.

And perhaps the part I am stressed out about the most when it comes to this baby stuff, is that no matter what we finally choose as a given name, he/she gets HOFMAN by default.  And that is something that the kid will always have to remember me by!  He/she will remember MY WORKS.

A name is such a huge part of our identity.  And I think that is what we are all ultimately trying to define down here in the state of probation - WHO AM I?

What a blessing to have the knowledge that we are sons and daughters of God. What a massive leg up on the rest of the world!  On top of that, what a blessing to be a Bearrie!  I hope in a way when we all evaluate ourselves and our identities, that we include "I'm a Bearrie".  It sounds super corny, but I hope that everyone on here knows that there is always a support system for them.  There are always homies that have your back!  I know I include it in my identity and I am so grateful for you all.

Keep up the good work, brothers!  And remember your name!

Watch Yoself

I liked this scripture this morning:

D&C 50:46

"Watch, therefore, that you may be ready."

It made me think of how we need to always be on our toes.  We need to pay attention to the current status of our lives.  Are we constantly watching ourselves?  Do we evaluate how we are doing often enough?  If we aren't, we may not be ready when the time comes.

And that time, doesn't necessarily mean "The Second Coming" or "The End of the World".  I think there are much more pressing deadlines that we are preparing for. 

Will we be ready to receive the prompting to know who we need to marry?

Will we be ready to follow the spirit when deciding when to have children?

Will we have the strength to parent a child with special needs?

Will we know how to react when a spouse makes poor choices?

Will we be ready to raise children in an ever crazy world?

Will we be ready when our parents die?

Will we be ready when we lose a job?

Will we be ready to do the honest thing when it is so easy not to?

With a frequent evaluation, and adjustment when needs be, I know we can be ready for anything. Keep checking in on yourself, and on your fellow Bearries.

Eyes On The Prize

Yesterday, Madison and I went down to the local park to slack.

I hadn't been on a line for a LONG time.  Mainly because of winter, but also because I was a little sketched out with my knee. (And I am just a lazy piece of crap, and don't get out often enough without the Bearries around to push me)

As I was on the line yesterday, I couldn't help but see some cool life parallels.  It really wasn't anything NEW, but just something that I figure is good to have down in writing. 

I went to walk for the first time, took three steps, and then wiped out (pretty hard).  Three steps on a 120 ft line isn't very far haha! I turned and looked at Madison and said, "Oh man, I've got a long way to go!"

I got back on and went through all of the basics.  Breathe.  Core control.  Party hands. Stand up straight.  Eyes on the prize.

It was the last one that really stuck in my mind.  Eyes on the prize.  I hadn't been looking at the anchor point on the other side my first attempt.  I was busy focusing on the immediate problem.  And because I was focused on the minor ripple at the beginning of my walk, I failed.

The second attempt I was glued to the other side and few minutes later, I had sent it.

I think that life can be a lot like that.  We have these intense struggles at different points on our "line of life", and sometimes we get super lost in them!  So lost, we forget the big picture - the final goal.

And really, this principle can be applied on any level - whether the goal is graduating from college (don't overly stress about that chemistry class that is kicking your butt - in the long term, it's not that big of a deal), attaining eternal salvation (don't focus on the mistake you can't seem to stop making - focus on your heart, your desire, and the Atonement that will get you there), or finding that dream job (don't let the first company that didn't hire you determine your perceived value - move on to their competitor!)

I truly believe that keeping our eye on the prize will be one of the main factors in helping us attain our goals. 

#lessonsoftheline

D&C 4:5 

"And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work."

Ken's Comeback 2017

Hello Ladies!

It has been a while!  I have been lacking in my personal scripture study, so I made a goal to get on here more.  That way I get my studies in, and if anyone actually ever reads these, maybe the Bearries can benefit too.  And it wont be anything crazy... just some short thoughts here and there from my scripture reading.

As you see from the picture, I brought back an old friend.  Ken Caminiti.  (Side note, I read the Wikipeadia article on him - 15 seasons in the majors, National League MVP, and then he died in 2004 from a cocaine overdose... SO, moral of the story - be like Ken and play some hard ball... but not 100 percent like Ken - don't do drugs.)

Anyways, Ken landed me in Jonah this morning.  Specifically on the second verse of the first chapter:

2 Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and cry against it; for their wickedness is come up before me.

And as I read it, I just thought of how the Lord can ask some hard things of us in life.  And we have two choices:

suck it up and do the hard thing

OR 

run away from the prompting like a pansy

So, hopefully we are able to make the choice to do the hard thing, and have faith that it will work out! And not only WORK OUT, but that we will be blessed beyond what we would if we didn't. 

Good luck, boys!  And get ready for more from Ken Caminiti in the near future!

Dear Homies

Guys I watched Little Rascals today with family and I couldn't help but think about all of you. I haven't seen that movie in a long time but I loved it. It reminded me of all the shenanigans and good bro time we had back in ol' P Town, USA. I have a couple thoughts that will make this a devo but really I just wanted to tell you guys that I miss you guys and I love you guys...

During the movie I couldn't help but think about this scripture:

 19 For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam, and will be, forever and ever, unless he yields to the enticings of the Holy Spirit, and putteth off the natural man and becometh a saint through the atonement of Christ the Lord, and becometh as a child, submissive, meek, humble, patient, full of love, willing to submit to all things which the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon him, even as a child doth submit to his father.

I've been thinking a lot about the commandment to become as a child lately--perhaps due to the growing percentage of impregnated peoples in my friend population but actually more likely due to a podcast I listened to recently on Nietzsche. This is Nietzsche's take on the progression through life. There are three stages: the camel, the lion, and the child. I won't get into all the details here but you can listen to the podcast here: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/episode-092-...-nietzsche/id659155419?i=1000376174059&mt=2 its episode #92.

I just thought that it was interesting that the child was the final stage for Nietzsche (someone who talks a lot about rebellion and questioning everything). The child sort of gives this all a more positive spin and turns it into an innocent and pure self-reflection of the rules of society. That's what I got out of it at least.

I guess it just enhanced for me what King Benjamin means when he asks us to become as a child. I'm amazed at how kind and loving children are. They want to do good and learn and grow.

They have fun and explore and they don't really worry about what other people think about them or about what the norms of their culture suggest that they should do. When I see kids acting that way I feel like there's something pure and heavenly about that. And I don't mean being just childish (there's plenty of doctrinal counsel against that) but achieving that childlike sense of freedom and fun.

I guess what I'm trying to get to here is that I think there's something really good about building forts and race cars and having innocent fun in life. So before we all grow up and live far away and waste of whole lives on Netflix, I hope that we'll take time to remember the little things that make life meaningful. To remember the people we love; and I hope that amidst building resumes and businesses that we'll take time to build some race cars and make fun of people that live at the Village.

Most of all I hope that we'll all remember Christ and how He saves our lives.

Here's a great quote from Sister Stevens. Read it and ask yourself her questions:

"Have some of life’s experiences taken from you the believing heart and childlike faith you once had? If so, look around at the children in your life. And then look again. They may be children in your family, across the street, or in the Primary in your ward. If we have a heart to learn and a willingness to follow the example of children, their divine attributes can hold a key to unlocking our own spiritual growth."

I know that Christ lives and that we can learn a lot from the children on this earth, even if its just the kids in the Little Rascals. Amen.

Love,
Zach Holub
Member of the He-man womun Haters club: Women welcome

Paul's Recipe for Success to the Thessalonians

I often think about the "recipe for success".  It is a topic that was on my mind A LOT going through school and it still is as I look for work and am planning other adventures in life.  I thought this little scripture from Paul was helpful in trying to lock down my own recipe for success:


1 Thessalonians 4:11 
And that ye study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with  your own hands, as we commanded you;

I think there are THREE important points to take away from this little scripture:

1. BEING QUIET.  For me, I think that means, letting God talk to me.  Let him into my life.  Give Him enough of a gap between the business and noise in my life for Him to step in and guide me.  I desperately need to know His will for me.  But how can I expect Him to step in, if my life is to crazy?  If I am going to get His direction, I need to adjust my life and lifestyle to what works for Him.
2. Do your OWN BUSINESS.  Sometimes I get really wrapped up in what "people will think" or "if people will approve".  Sometimes worrying about what others will think will hold us back from achieving our potential and doing what God wants us to do.  However, if we DON'T pause to think, "what will GOD think of me if I do this." then we could make a seriously wrong decision.  I think that is why the first point here in BE QUIET... that way we can make sure that we are in tune and that God is on board with the decision we are making.  At that point, WHO CARES what others think?!  You know it is right, and you know that God approves.  Go for it... which leads us to our next point!
3. WORK WITH YOUR OWN HANDS.  Get after it.  Roll up your sleeves and GET TO WORK.  Nothing comes free in this life.  We have to earn it.  We have to put in the sweat, blood, and tears to fulfill our true potential.  Working hard is the secret.

SO, in summary, when we work hard doing what we know is right, because we were quiet enough to receive revelation from God, we will be successful.  So, at the start of this new year, new engagement, new job, new baby-on-board, new injury, new semester, or WHATEVER new section of life you are headed into, try to apply Paul's steps for the Thessalonians.  I think it will work!

A Blind Eye to Badness??

Okay, this post is a little different than some of the other ones that have been posted before… I kind of want some feedback on this one.

I have been struggling a little with how people (myself included) seem to just block out the “badness” of the world.  Sometimes people will turn a blind eye to what is really going on, and refuse to address the issues.  

I feel like I am not expressing myself very well.  Here are a few examples of things that I have seen/heard in the last little while that kind of fall into what I am talking about:

• There is a kid in one of my classes that literally ducks and covers his ears when one of my professors swears in his lecture.
• Different political candidates refuse to address issues or say things like, “stuff happens.”
• Comments from church members in real life or on Facebook about gays and about how (I am summarizing/paraphrasing here) “are ruining our community/school/children”.
• People that I love and respect from church that call all muslims terrorists.
• (you may not think this one applies - but here it is anyways) A girl I know delayed breaking up with her boyfriend for a LONG TIME because it was easier to avoid the problem than it was to address it.
• A kid in my Russian literature class refused to read a short story because he didn’t like the “material” (it was about a woman who changed husbands/committed adultery)

I don’t know if these examples are helping much - but in short, I feel like a lot of times we, as human beings, get caught up in OUR OWN WORLDS.  We forget that there are a lot of people, a lot of different scenarios, and a lot of different trials out there.

But then, there is a balance, right?  We don’t want to just say, when it comes to a sin, “well that is what the world is doing; learn to roll with it.”  We don’t want to downplay the dirt in the world.  BUT, there is a difference in downplaying it and understanding it, isn’t there?

Is this making any sense at all?  Has anyone else ever felt this way?

We can close our eyes and pretend that there is not evil in the world… and lock down and live in our bubble, OR, we can try to read and experience and understand what is going on around us.

Children are innocent.  They aren’t expected to understand others immediately.  They are expected to see these problems and deal with them like adults are expected to.

Paul:  1 Cornithians 13:11 -  When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish things.

Sometimes we prefer to IGNORE things.  But no matter how hard we ignore it, there IS dirt in the world.  It is there whether or not we decide to see it.  And our job durning this life is to learn how to deal with it.

How do we do that?

Here is a list that I have compiled:

• Pray
• God can give the best insights as to how to understand the world around us.
• Read the scriptures
• This is often how our answers will come.  It may be through the words of Paul or maybe through the example of Moroni.  
• Serve
• Service helps us understand people.  The people we serve we will begin to love.  We will understand the world from their point of view.
• Read the news (multiple sources)
• Learning about and thinking about current events help us understand difficult situations we may be placed in later.
• Travel
• We can see the REAL WORLD.  Often times our little bubble gives a very skewed perspective as to what is REALLY going on in the world.  Changing our physical location gives new perspective and helps see the world through other people’s eyes.
• Have patience with people
• I think this is the hardest one for me - I feel like people should act how I THINK they should act.  And when they don’t, I get mad.
• Read classical literature
• Probably the EASIEST way to understand the minds of real life people in real life situations is to read the classics.  Sure the characters in these stories are not real, BUT, we can get in the minds of all kinds of people - from murderers, to prostitutes, to priests, to animals.  We read classics because there is a need to understand ourselves.  
• Listen to prophets
• This is a hard one - sometimes prophets can be seen as “old, white men that are out-of-touch”.  And that is dangerous.  It is the fact that they are in direct communication with God that we MUST TRUST THEM.  In fact, I would argue that their council can be our best ally when it comes to understanding sin.  BUT - I also feel that it can, if we are not careful, it can push us to believe that because we know the TRUTH and WHAT IS RIGHT, that other people that don’t, are bad, evil-doers that should be ostracized.  

Anyways, that is what I have got so far on the topic.  I would REALLY love to hear from some of you concerning this.  If you have other points to add or maybe somewhere I can turn for some more guidance on the issue… 

Thanks guys!