A Brigham Young University Student Journal
by Brittany Bruner Reading has always been an important activity in my home. My family and I read together every Sunday, and before I could read, my parents read me a bedtime story every night. My grandparents gave each grandchild a new book every Christmas, …
by Rachel Nielsen I have been living in Utah for three and a half years and have never been skiing. I had neglected the greatest snow on earth for three winters in a row. Can you believe it? As the snow started falling during my …
by Aimee Hancock
My mom takes this to family gatherings and always gets a lot of compliments. And, I have even made it at college because it’s quick, easy, and yummy.
Ingredients
1 lb. bow tie pasta (equivalent to one box of Barilla bow tie pasta)
1 bag of baby spinach
Breaded chicken (about four pieces) cut into small chunks
Crispy oriental noodles
Poppy seed dressing
1 small package of candied slivered almonds
2 tbsp butter
1–2 tbsp sugar
Directions
In a fry pan, melt the butter and add the sugar. Then put in the almonds. Mix. Toast on medium heat and continue to stir every so often until almonds are brown.
Toss all ingredients into a large bowl, add desired amount of poppy seed dressing, and enjoy!
This can be used for a quick meal or a delicious side dish.
Enjoy!
by Danielle Cronquist If you are a student at BYU then you may have noticed from all the Facebook updates and the posters around campus that BYUSA election season is upon us. Maybe this doesn’t seem important to you, but it is. BYUSA does a …
by Rachel Nielsen This tortilla soup is a Nielsen family favorite. 15 minutes to a delicious meal—it doesn’t get any better than that. Ingredients Soup: 1 box chicken broth 1 can cooked chicken 1 can black beans 1 can corn 1 large tomato 1 …
by Rachel Nielsen
Making big decisions is tough, and as a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, I believe that our Heavenly Father will help us make those big decisions through personal revelation—God’s means of communicating with His children.
On Tuesdays at 11am at Brigham Young University everything stops. Students are out of class, many on-campus employees clock out of work, computer labs close, and the BYU community participates in a devotional or forum. At these speeches, speakers from around the globe come and share inspiring and informative messages.
speeches.byu.edu is an archive with decades of these weekly devotionals and forums, and on their homepage there is a list of the most viewed speeches of all time.
So what comes in as the number one speech?
Elder Jeffery R. Holland’s devotional “Cast Not Away Therefore Your Confidence” (http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=795) delivered in March of 1999. This is a talk that I have used several times to find comfort and direction.
In his characteristically powerful tone and straightforward style, Elder Holland tackles the issue of revelation and making important decisions in a rather unique way.
Starting with the story of Joseph Smith’s first vision and Moses’s vision of the Lord’s creations, Elder Holland illustrates the principle that one of my religion professors calls “the law of equal and opposite”: before or after moments of great spiritual revelation come moments of darkness, Satan’s attempt to get you to “cast away” your confidence in the light and truth you have been or will be given. For Joseph Smith it was a tangible darkness and for Moses it was an interaction with Satan himself.
Elder Holland’s advice to you when these hard times come is “don’t let your guard down” because “it isn’t over until it’s over.” He assures, “If it was right when you prayed about it and trusted it and lived for it, it is right now. Don’t give up when the pressure mounts.”
How do we continue on in faith as adversity mounts? Elder Holland provides three lessons that we learn from Moses’s experience crossing the Red Sea, the same experience discussed in D&C 8:2–3:
I will tell you in your mind and in your heart, by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart by the Holy Ghost, which shall come upon you and which shall dwell in your heart.
Now, behold, this is the spirit of revelation; behold, this is the spirit by which Moses brought the children of Israel through the Red Sea on dry ground.
Here are the lessons that Elder Holland shares:
Joseph Smith’s experience in the sacred grove and Moses’s experience on the mountain are experiences that Latter-day Saints hear often—the stories of two great prophets who had miraculous revelations. But those miraculous revelations didn’t come without a face off with the adversary, which everyone seeking for answers and direction will face—and I think that is all of us. So it’s no wonder that this is the most viewed devotional: it is an inspiring, timely, and straightforward message that is fit for everyone.
by Alissa Holm Every college student has experienced that moment: You’re starving. It’s midnight. Everything seems to be closed. So what do you do? Eat another bowl of cereal? Run to McDonalds and get a McDouble? Beg your roommates to make you food? Well, you …
by Jill Hacking My friend shared this delicious recipe with me and assured me that it’s super easy to make. I tried it, and I have to agree. It’s a great choice for those nights when you want a nice meal but you don’t feel …
by Brittany Bruner
Some people say that I’m stuck in old traditions because I love old things. I love elderly people; vintage clothing; classic movie stars like Jimmy Stewart, Grace Kelly, and Audrey Hepburn; and old jazz music.
I especially love old jazz music. It has the ability to set so many moods, and the rhythms and sounds are just cool. I grew up listening to jazz, and one of my fondest memories as a child is when my dad would drop his voice, add some grovel, and do his best imitation of Louis Armstrong. Nothing gets better than Louis Armstrong.
Last week, BYU had an awesome opportunity for students to hear from some well-respected jazz artists, Loren Schoenberg and Jonathan Batiste. These two incredible artists were visiting from the National Jazz Museum in Harlem to participate in a lecture titled “Jazz and the Art of Civic Life,” put on by the new Humanities Center. One of the goals of the Center is to present interdisciplinary lectures. Thus, the presentation would be an “informance” meaning that there would be jazz playing and lecturing.
Since I am an English major, firm lover of intellectual lectures, and avid fan of jazz music, this event was perfect for me. I made sure to attend, and I was not disappointed. The music was incredible, and the lecture was informative.
These are some of the things that I learned about jazz music and how it can affect civic life.
Teamwork in Communities
In order for a community to function well, every member must work as a team. For example, Schoenberg and Batiste needed some other jazz artists to play with them to complete a full rhythm section and enrich the music. A student from BYU’s jazz band Synthesis played the bass, and a high school student getting ready to apply to Juilliard played the drums. Schoenberg and Batiste invited another student they had met an hour earlier to play the piano with them when they found out he was trained in jazz piano. Schoenberg played the saxophone and Batiste played the melodica, which is like a harmonica with a keyboard. Someone would start playing something, and then all of the members of the band would join in.
It was complete improvisation, like all great jazz, and it sounded beautiful. And when someone made a mistake or there was a shift in mood or key, the others worked with mistake to create a new sound or rhythm. That’s when the magic happened.
Batiste described mistakes in jazz as opportunities because the mistakes led the band to new and exciting territory. The people in the band needed to have done their outside work in order to play with the band, but when they came together they worked as a team and invited the audience into their world of jazz.
Individuality and Leadership in Communities
Good leaders do not seek to be the shining star in every situation. They allow their individuality to shine with the rest of the group. In jazz, if one of the members decides to play louder than the others or at a different tempo, it messes up the whole piece. Rather than shining individually, the person ruins the music.
Good leaders also know when to take the lead and when to back off. Every member in the jazz ensemble knew when to take the lead and the others followed. Some would think this would thwart individuality. However, each part could still be heard, and each part was impressive because it was distinct, but still blended well with the group.
This is a good life application. Shining as an individual does not mean that one has to beat everyone else or be better than everyone else. It means knowing when to shine alone, when to shine with other people, and when to let others shine. In good jazz, nobody demands the spotlight, and that’s why the music is so great. Everyone has the opportunity to be a great musician, and the music is amplified when they come together. When these musicians worked together, they produced a great show.
Jonathan Batiste is scheduled to perform with his band at BYU in October, so keep a look out for him. This is a concert you won’t want to miss.
For more information on the two artists and on the National Jazz Museum in Harlem, check out the following links:
http://jonathanbatiste.com/
http://www.lorenschoenberg.com/
http://www.jazzmuseuminharlem.org/index.php
Now go listen to some jazz!
by Arianne Glick Whatever I expected to happen when my brother left on his mission, I didn’t expect this. I expected it to be about the same as when I left home for college: an increase of distance and a decrease of contact. I expected …