Obviously the blog has been a little quiet lately. I flew home to see my family in San Diego, and have spent the last few weeks catching up with many friends and loved ones whom I haven't seen in at least seven months, if not longer. Since today is the last day of 2013, I thought I'd take this opportunity to share a quick thought.

For a long time, I've been planning to write a post about the importance of memory. I keep putting it off because the holidays are crazy, and also because I want this to be my most circumspect and meaningful post ever, and I feel immense personal pressure to make it good. This will not be that post, but it is a preface of sorts.

I’ve met a lot of people lately, myself included, who have numerous and recurring problems which they can’t seem to overcome without encountering five more unexpected setbacks. Obviously everyone has issues, and I don’t intend to make light of anyone’s struggles, but I think sometimes we’re all guilty of tolerating and feeling discouraged by our problems, when instead we should be chasing after them with a sledgehammer. Jesus promised every one of us that we would have problems in this life, but as John 16:33 clearly states, we shouldn’t be focusing on those problems at all, but rather on the Savior who overcame ALL the troubles of this world.

As far back as I can remember I’ve always loved performing on stage or giving speeches in front of a crowd. Most people list public speaking as their number one fear, far ahead of the fear of death or bodily injury. For me, the knowledge that every eye in an auditorium was hanging on my every word and gesture brought with it an intoxicating sense of power. To be able to evoke thoughts and emotions in a group of watching people, in my mind, put me in the same category as gifted orators, writers, and actors from centuries past, who have coined phrases which now exist eternally in the English lexicon. The blinding glare of the limelight terrifies some people. To me, it provides a warmth that kindles the fire of all the deepest ambitions of my soul.