A Life-Altering Moment of Decision

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I was in a rock band from age 15 to 19.  During that time we recorded an album and got connected with a local radio station.  Our music played on the air which I felt was a great accomplishment.  We also met a friend of my father who was a long-time musician and owned a recording studio at his home in Ogden, UT.  His name was Gill and he was a physician in his 40s.  We drove out to his place often to get away from home and to record new music.  I have good memories of the 7-Eleven on the way to his house where we always stopped for spicy nachos.  We would buy them and sit out on the curb to eat them.

One evening when I was about to turn 19 I drove out to Gill’s place alone.  When I got there, it appeared that there was no one home.  I hung around for a bit and then I decided to leave, but just as I was about to take off, Gill pulled in.  I got out of the car and walked up his driveway to talk with him.  He sent his family inside and then he delved into a deep conversation about technology and the universe and all manner of things that we can’t explain yet.  We both stood on his driveway looking up at the stars in deep contemplation.  Then he said with a pleading tone, “Mark, I know you are thinking about going on a mission and I want to respect your parents wishes but have you thought about hanging around for a while?  Maybe if you hung out for a year is all, we’d be able to make things happen for the band.  I really hope you’ll think about it because I believe this is your chance!”  Gill believed that our band could “hit it big”.  He was pitching our music to a producer who had done several top-selling albums and was very interested in a few of our songs.

The thought that immediately followed was, “What if a year isn’t enough?  Then will it be ‘just one more year’?  When will I actually get to go?”  I have no doubt that this thought was truth and that it was prompted through the Gift of the Holy Ghost.  I am so thankful for that prompting because it was the basis of what I did next.  After giving it a moment of what I hoped looked like consideration, I told Gill that I would not put off a mission for the band.  I knew in that moment that what I was doing was the right thing, but it was not easy.  In those few words, I had closed the door on any future I would have as a rock musician.  I still believe that could have been my life and reality had I not chosen to serve a mission.  My band knew I was planning on a mission and after that night, they had little motivation to jam anymore.  I was experiencing some of the consequences of my choice.

I am so grateful for the inspiration I received that night.  I’m glad that I acted on it.  I can’t imagine my life without the firm foundation that my mission has provided.  During those 2 years I learned the Gospel of Jesus Christ and I learned who I really was while working under the Lord’s protection.

I believe that all of us have moments like the one I’ve described in this entry and in those key moments, God does not leave us alone.  He loves us and protects us if we will listen to the still, small voice of the Holy Ghost.

 

Green Drink Recipe

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I recently learned about the health benefits of eating foods that produce alkalinity in the body.  The idea is to keep your blood alkaline because this prevents blood cells from mutating which in turn keeps everything else functioning properly.  Vegetables are a great way to help accomplish this but it’s often difficult to get the amount of vegetables that you need in a day.  The green drink is the easiest way that I know of to accomplish this.  Anthony Robbins has a green drink that’s very expensive.  I decided to see if I could make the same drink without breaking the bank.  I use all the same ingredients except MSM.  You can buy all of these ingredients in freeze-dried powder form online which makes them easy to mix for drinking.  I made it for about 1/5th the cost.

Ingredients:

  • 1 part alfalfa (watch out, many people have allergies)
  • 3 parts spinach juice
  • 3 parts barley grass
  • 3 parts wheat grass
  • 3 parts broccoli

Serving size:

  • 2 grams or 1 teaspoon (3 times per day)

If you want to mimic the Tony Robbins green drink more closely, just add 2 to 3 parts MSM.

I purchased these ingredients from Z Natural Foods.  As you can see, we aren’t using a bunch of whacky ingredients that you can’t even pronounce.  The grasses are great because they are ultra-high in chlorophyll which takes very little energy to convert to blood cells.  That’s what we are after.  Efficient food!