Matt's Message #1: Getting Started

Let Me Introduce Myself

This is me.

My name is Matt Richins. I am 17 years old. I live in South Jordan Utah and I'm a student at Bingham High - the best high school in the world in my opinion! I participate on swim team there and love it. I am the 2nd of 4 children. I have 2 brothers, 1 sister, and ultimately, a great family. I like good food, (like seriously, buy me a Costco muffin and I will love you forever!) good weather, and spending time outdoors.

But let me get down to what REALLY matters about me…

I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints AND I LOVE IT!!!!! The gospel has changed my life. I wouldn’t be the generally happy person I am if I didn’t have the gospel, and that’s why I’m starting this blog…

You see, as I’ve strived to do my best to keep the commandments, repent when I don’t, and follow Christ’s teachings, the blessings have been crazy!!!!!!! My favorite blessing is the happiness it has brought me. But the thing is, I want everyone to find the happiness and blessings I’ve found! (Who doesn’t want to be happier?) I’m not going to keep it to myself!!!

Hence, the blog. The primary goal of this blog is to inspire, motivate, uplift, and help YOU. I think that I have lots of interesting thoughts and am full of good advice. My hope is that the things I have to say will inspire YOU... to do something better, to be better, to be the best you that you can be, because that's what life is all about.  Ultimately, I want to help you return to our loving Heavenly Father. These are the things that will make you happier, both in this life and the life to come. I know it.

So, here’s what I’m going to do about it: I will post a spiritual message at least once every week. (I’ll try to post more often, but at least once per week.) It could be some thoughts about a gospel doctrine or principle; maybe I will expound on a scripture or scripture story. I could write about something I learned in seminary or at church or relate an experience from my life to a gospel principle. Basically, I will post some sort of spiritual message by Sunday at 11:59 p.m. every week.

How did I get this Idea????????????

I stumbled across a blog written by a guy named Giancarlo. He is the Senior Class President at Bingham. I haven’t had the chance yet to talk to him in person, but as I started reading his posts I was quite interested in his thoughts and ideas. He has some great things to say. As I read more and more it occurred to me that I could do something similar. I soon decided I wanted to start my own blog. So there ya go. Giancarlo’s blog was my inspiration. Giancarlo, if you ever read this… THANKS!!!

Today’s Spiritual Message

For my first message, I feel impressed to share my testimony of the atonement. So that’s just what I’ll do. Let me begin by saying that I know Jesus Christ loves us more than we can possibly imagine. That goes for you and me. His love extends to the janitor at McDonald's, the Queen of England, and everyone in between. He expressed his love for us by going through the atonement. In the Garden of Gethsemane, he took all our sins upon him. This means he suffered for every mistake we’ve ever made so we wouldn’t have to if we would simply follow Him. But there’s more to it than that. He went through everything we've ever experienced and felt, not just the sin. This means that he understands us perfectly. He knows exactly what is best for us and how to help us. He knows exactly how to comfort us. He will always be there for us. Furthermore, Christ died and was resurrected. Because of this, we can be resurrected as well. We will have perfect bodies so we will never have to suffer any physical pain or sickness ever again. That means FOREVER, for ETERNITY, INFINITY. Think about how amazing that will be. I think my testimony of Jesus Christ and the atonement can be boiled down to four basic words, and here they are: I KNOW CHRIST LIVES.

A Few Disclaimers…

Disclaimer #1: I am not a prophet or apostle. (Obviously!) But this means that you shouldn’t instantly accept everything I say as pure truth. Now don't get me wrong, I will do my best to stick to doctrine and things I know to be true in my posts. However, I understand that it is possible I could accidentally slip an opinion or maybe something that is mostly true, but not completely, into a post. So, if you’re not too sure about something I say, then just go ask God about it. He has all knowledge and will tell you what you want to know. Find the truth for yourself. It works. I’ve tried it. Trust me.

Disclaimer #2: I am going to keep my writing mostly light and casual for two main reasons. First, because I want to keep my posts entertaining and interesting. Second, because I want it to sound like… well… me. I don’t want it to sound like the boring books we high-schoolers have to read in English class. But at times I will get really serious to try to prove a point or help you feel the Spirit.

Disclaimer #3: If I see something about this blog that needs to be changed, then I’ll change it. I’ve never tried blogging before and this is totally a shot in the dark for me. So if I think I need to change something about it then I will. I have no idea what God might inspire me to do with this so I won’t be surprised at all if I change it up as I go.

Disclaimer #4: None of my posts are intended to offend or hurt anyone. If I accidentally offend someone, well... sorry in advance. I don’t think I ever will, but it feels right to add this to the list.

Disclaimer #5: Ok, well this last one isn’t really a disclaimer. It’s more just something to keep in mind. I will do my absolute best to stay in tune with the Spirit as I write. I titled this blog Messages from Matt’s Mind. Yes, they are from my mind, but you’ve gotta remember the Holy Ghost is putting them there.