I'm am the experiment in the making; the life that is always under construction. My life is my edifice, where holy truths reverberate off of walls adorned in plain and simple beauty, singing Him hosannas that I love to write myself. I am His child, a daughter that carries a sword, a pen, and a gentle heart; and I learn every day how and when to use each to lift my brothers and sisters to learn/remember His name.

I am the center. I stand between the tradition and innovation, experience and intuition, violence and sensitivity. I am volatile, yet I am a Mormon. I am conservative, yet I am a poet. I am a martial artist, but I do not fight. I tell no lies, but keep all secrets. You will come to know me without a name, because I'm not just a girl. I'm a creation, the result of a dream and my Father's will, and the glory is not mine to take.

I'm striving for my own How-To. How to be the Paradox that will please my Father and honor His Son. How to hold myself with humble dignity. How to set an example without judgment. How to endure to the end in this equivocal Babylon. How to stand in holy places amongst the sin-beaten tragedies that roam reality's lonely streets, crying for a name.

I am a convert, and I treasure the greatest gift I've ever been given: a second chance at life. Because I have been blessed with life, I strive to leave all things, and humanity, in better condition than when I found them. I've tasted death, and I cannot leave my brothers and sisters in its clutches. If I could choose a flaw, it would be to care about the worth of souls too much.

I testify that Jesus Christ is my personal Savior. He died that I might live. I testify that Our Father and Mother in Heaven are the parents that want nothing less than to embrace us once again in Heaven. I testify that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is the true and restored church of God. I know that the Bible and the Book of Mormon are true works of God that provide us with all we need to know to have eternal life. I testify that Joseph Smith is near and dear to my heart as my spirit brother and my prophet, and I sustain him now and forever. I sustain Gordon B. Hinckley as a modern-day Prophet, Seer and Revelator, and one of the most selfless men I've ever had the joy to witness. I have felt the Holy Ghost, and have been taught by him on occasions too many to ever number. I bear you my testimony of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and its ability and authority to save lives-- I should know, because it saved mine, and continues to save it every day.

I leave these thoughts and my humble prayers for your hearts, minds, and souls in the sacred name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

(An original introduction from Paradox)

 To contact by email: Paradox -at- watersofmormon -dot- org

To view more from Paradox, view her blog at Enduring to the End