Amen

I was wondering recently why people say the word "amen" at the end of prayers. I did a little digging into the subject today. From what I can tell, the word "amen" means "verily", "truly", "so be it", or "so it may be". Here is one resource from Google. Here is another from the LDS web site that gets into scriptural references and some additional insight into ancient usage.

Abraham Lincoln and Prayer

I was looking through a catalog and came across a framed print of this quote by Abraham Lincoln: "I have been driven many times upon my knees by the overwhelming conviction that I had nowhere else to go."  I liked the quote - President Lincoln is a favorite of mine - and it reminded me of Ether 12:27: "And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them."  Sometimes people wonder why a caring and loving God would allow hardships - even terrible hardships - in our lives.  Perhaps it's so we'll turn to Him since we'll feel we have nowhere else to go.

Jesus Bobble-Head

A little while ago, I bought a Jesus Christ bobble-head for my office.  It's currently sitting on my desk at work.  I thought it would be a low-key way to let people know that I am Christian and serve as a fun conversation-starter for people who are interested in talking more about it.  It's also had the slightly unexpected effect of keeping me on my best behavior at work (see this fun video to get a better sense of what I mean).  

So far, no one has asked me about the bobble-head but it hasn't been here that long.  Interestingly, though, two former co-workers gave me holiday cards - one who is Christian but another denomination and one who is Mormon but no longer active.  In the first card, the person wrote "you are a real blessing and shine God's light".  In the second card, the person wrote "it is so great to see you so dedicated to God!"  I don't remember talking to either one of these people much about religion - some stuff here and there but nothing too extensive.  I guess people pay attention (both positively and negatively) more than I think.

Emma Smith: My Story

I was in Salt Lake City for Christmas and had an opportunity to watch the movie "Emma Smith: My Story".  Relative to her first husband (Joseph Smith Jr., the founder of the LDS Church), a lot less is known of Emma Smith.  I thought the movie was quite interesting and well done (although pretty similar to the movie "Joseph Smith: Prophet of the Restoration").  It gave me a more tangible feel for the struggles that Emma went through - the loss of multiple children, extended separation from her husband, constant attacks on her family, etc.

Awhile ago, someone who was investigating the Church asked me about Emma Smith and why she chose not to move west after the death of her husband.  I don't know if we'll ever fully know Emma's reasons for that but it did prompt me to read up on the Mormon Succession Crisis of 1844.  In case you ever become interested in that topic, this is a great analysis that I found.

Footprints in the world

I've started using Facebook a lot recently.  It's a good social networking site and has been a fun way to at least minimally keep in touch with people and know what they're up to.  If you also use Facebook and want to link up, send me an email.

Today, someone I know posted this comment: "wonders: Is time deterministic and inevitable, or quanticized and uncertain?"  To which, someone else responded: "Some people choose to make no footprint in the world. Don't be that guy."  I don't fully follow the original question but really liked the response and wanted to keep it for the future.  Regardless of where life takes me and whether I succeed or fail in the things that I attempt to do, I hope I will be able to look back on my life and say that I made a footprint in the world (see prior post).

Wikipedia

I just made a financial donation to Wikipedia so they can continue to fund their operations.  I'm sure all (or at least many) of you have used Wikipedia at some point.  It's a great resource - especially for scientific information - and I use it often.  To the extent possible, I hope you will support this common good as well.

Children's Letters to God

My in-laws have these cute letters to God on their computer. I couldn't help writing them down so I'd have them for the future. So amazing to see what kids say sometimes.

Dear God,
Instead of letting people die and having to make new ones, why don't you just keep the ones you got now?
J

Dear God,
I went to this wedding and they kissed right in church. Isthat ok?
N

Dear God,
I think the stapler is one of your greatest invention.
R

Dear God,
In bible times, did they really talk that fancy?
J

Dear God,
I think about you sometimes even when I'm not praying.
E

Dear God,
I am American. What are you?
R

Dear God,
Thank you for the baby brother but what I prayed for was a puppy.
J

Dear God,
I bet it is very hard for you to love all of everybody in the whole world. There are only 4 people in our family and I can never do it.
N

Dear God,
Please put another holiday between Christmas and Easter. There is nothing good in there now.
G

Dear God,
If you watch in church on Sunday, I will show you my new shoes.
M

Dear God,
If we come back as something, please don't let me be Jennifer Horton because I hate her.
D

God,
I would like to live 900 years like the guy in the Bible.
Love,
C

Dear God,
If you give me a genie lamp like Alladin, I will give you anything you want except my money or my chess set.
R

We read Thos. Edison made light. But in Sun. School they said you did it. So I bet he stoled your idea.
Sincerely,
D

Dear God,
If you let the dinasor not exstinct we would not have a country. You did the right thing.
J

Dear God,
Please send Dennis Clark to a different camp this year.
P

Dear God,
Maybe Cain and Abel would not kill each so much if they had their own rooms. It works with my brother.
L

I'd hard to pick a favorite - they're all so good - but I think it would either be the one about Cain and Abel or praying for a puppy instead of a baby brother.

Everything's amazing, nobody's happy

A friend of mine turned me on to this video.  It's a clip of Louis CK on Conan (10/1/08).  He's talking about modern conveniences and how everyone takes them for granted.  I've made that observation many times before.  In particular, I think it's amazing (and a little crazy) that my kids will never know a world without cell phones, email, the Internet/Web, DVDs, DVRs, Microsoft Office, Google, video games, computers, etc.  Just as an example, I still remember going to the public library to do research for school projects, looking up books in a paper-based card catalog, photo-copying the pages I needed, and typing up my report in DOS-based Word Perfect and printing it out on a dot-matrix printer.  Now I could probably accomplish the same thing in 20 minutes using Google or Wikipedia without even having to leave my house - and have a much more polished result to boot.  Amazing how quickly things change - and I'm not even that old!

Cowboy Logic

My mother-in-law shared this funny story with me:

A cowboy was herding his herd in a remote pasture when suddenly a brand-new BMW advanced out of a dust cloud towards him.

The driver, a young man in a Brioni suit, Gucci shoes, Ray Ban sunglasses and YSL tie, leans out the window and asks the cowboy, "If I tell you exactly how many cows and calves you have in your herd, will you give me a calf?"

The cowboy looks at the man, obviously a yuppie, then looks at his peacefully grazing herd and calmly answers, "Sure. Why not?"  The yuppie parks his car, whips out his Dell notebook computer,  connects it to his AT&T cell phone, surfs to a NASA page on the  Internet, where he calls up a GPS satellite navigation system to get an  exact fix on his location which he then feeds to another NASA satellite  that scans the area in an ultra-high-resolution photo. The young man then opens the digital photo in Adobe Photoshop and exports it to an image processing facility in Hamburg, Germany.

Within seconds, he receives an email on his Palm Pilot that the image has been processed and the data stored. He then accesses a MS-SQL database through an ODBC connected Exce spreadsheet with hundreds of complex formulas. He uploads all of this data via an email on his

Blackberry and, after a few minutes, receives a response.

Finally, he prints out a full-color, 150-page report on his hi-tech, miniaturized HP LaserJet printer and finally turns to the cowboy and says, "You have exactly 1586 cows and calves."  "That's right. Well, I guess you can take one of my calves," says the  cowboy.

He watches the young man select one of the animals and looks on amused as the young man stuffs it into the trunk of his car.

Then the cowboy says to the young man, "Hey, if I can tell you exactly what your business is, will you give me back my calf?"  The young man thinks about it for a second and then says, "Okay, why  not?"

"You're a consultant." says the cowboy.

"Wow! That's correct," says the yuppie, "but how did you guess that?"

"No guessing required." answered the cowboy. "You showed up here even though nobody called you; you want to get paid for an answer I already knew, to a question I never asked; and you don't know anything about my business...  ...Now give me back my dog."

I find this extra-amusing since my brother is interviewing with management consulting firms right now.  Good luck, brother!  Perhaps your first case assignment will be on a cattle ranch.  =)

The Mom Song

This is a neat video from YouTube.

It's not easy being a mom, that's for sure.

Footprints in the sand

I've heard a couple of people reference this story before.  Here is one version of it:

One night a man had a dream. He dreamed He was walking along the beach with the LORD. Across the sky flashed scenes from His life. For each scene He noticed two sets of footprints in the sand. One belonging to Him and the other to the LORD.

When the last scene of His life flashed before Him, he looked back at the footprints in the sand. He noticed that many times along the path of His life there was only one set of footprints. He also noticed that it happened at the very lowest and saddest times of His life.

This really bothered Him and He questioned the LORD about it. LORD you said that once I decided to follow you, you'd walk with me all the way. But I have noticed that during the most troublesome times in my life there is only one set of footprints. I don't understand why when I needed you most you would leave me.

The LORD replied, my precious, precious child, I Love you and I would never leave you! During your times of trial and suffering when you see only one set of footprints, it was then that I carried you.

I really like this story since it's a good reminder that God is always with us - when we need Him the most and when we (perhaps) acknowledge His presence and support the least.

Father John Corapi

I've listened to Father Corapi speak a number of times on Catholic radio (I don't get BYU Radio in my area in the car). I struggle sometimes to follow the Catholic-specific references but, on a whole, I've always enjoyed and benefited from what he has to say. This video on YouTube recounts his conversion experience and provides a really nice example of what he has to say (and how he says it). If you're Christian (or even if you aren't), I would wholeheartedly recommend Father Corapi.

Bethlehem (Santa Clara)

Tonight, for family home evening, we went to Bethlehem at the Santa Clara First Baptist Church. I was really surprised at how extensive their production was - live actors, a live baby Jesus, live animals, a full-size market place, etc. A very, very cool experience. In the middle of the production, one of the performers was singing Silent Night. Half way through, the audience spontaneously joined in - a special moment for sure.

South Park explains the history of the Mormons

A friend of mine sent me this episode from South Park.  It's a parody and exaggerates things to make them funny.  There are some inaccuracies, of course, and I obviously don't agree with the final conclusion of one of the characters.  But, considering the group who put this together, I was expecting way worse so I was pleasantly surprised.  The Mormon cultural stuff (like FHE) was particuarly funny to me.

As an aside, if you watch the video and are interested in the objection at the end, feel free to read this - particularly the section entitled "the wisdom of the Lord is greater than the cunning of the devil".

The Law of Chastity

I taught a Sunday School class today on the Law of Chastity (also see here). For those of you not familiar with this topic, here is a quick refresher. Chastity is sexual purity. Those who are chaste are morally clean in their thoughts, words, and actions. Chastity means not having any sexual relations before marriage (see 1 Corinthians 6:18-20 and 1 Thessalonians 4:3, for example). It also means complete fidelity to husband or wife during marriage (see Exodus 20:14). This includes keeping our thoughts clean (see Matthew 5:27-28).

This can be a bit of an awkward topic - especially at church. Things got off to a slow start but the discussion ended up being pretty good. I incorporated some of the recent research I did on divorce rates (see prior post) in the context of chastity before marriage. I have to admit that my opinions on that topic have changed a lot over the last year. I also asked people to think about a statement by Alma (a Book of Mormon prophet) that sexual sins are more serious than any other sins except murder and denying the Holy Ghost (see Alma 39:3-5). After marriage, I could see how this could be true. I haven't fully reconciled that severity for myself in the context of premarital relations. As with other sins, though, sexual sins can be forgiven through the Atonement of Christ.

I have a really strong testimony of the Law of Chastity - especially in the context of marriage - and I pray that the Lord will continue to help me keep it in my marriage (especially as it pertains to inappropriate thoughts).

Divorce rate

A co-worker and I were discussing marriage the other day and I wondered out loud why the divorce rate is as high as it is in the United States. I had heard that the divorce rate is around 50% but never looked into why. The other night, I did a couple of Google searches on the topic and turned up some interesting information. On this site, I found out that 50% of first marriages, 67% of second and 74% of third marriages end in divorce, according to Jennifer Baker of the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology in Springfield, Missouri. According to enrichment journal on the divorce rate in America, the divorce rate in America for first marriage is 41%, 60% second marriages, and 73% for third marriages. In 2005, the National Fatherhood Initiative performed a national survey on marriage in America (see report). It's a long report but some of the more notable findings from my perspective were that the three leading causes of divorce were: “lack of commitment” of one or both spouses, “too much conflict and arguing”and “infidelity.” Other frequently cited reasons were “married too young,” “unrealistic expectations,”“lack of preparation,” and“inequality.”

Two questions on the survey asked ever-divorced respondents (a) if they wished that they, themselves, had worked harder to save the marriage, and (b) if they wished their ex-spouse had done so. Only about a third of the respondents answered no to both questions, and 62 percent of both the ex-husbands and the ex-wives answered yes to the question about their ex-spouse’s efforts. Neither this finding nor the fact that “lack of commitment” was the most frequently chosen reason for the respondents’ divorces is consistent with the claim made by some commentators on American marriage that most divorces occur only after the spouses have done their best to make the marriage work.

Another unexpected finding from the survey related to cohabitation.

During the past several years, a majority of American couples who married were living with one another before they married, and the belief that it is a good idea to live with someone before deciding to marry that person has become widespread. The reasoning is that if couples test their compatibility by living together before they marry, many bad marriages will be prevented. It is indeed likely that a good many couples have decided not to marry after discovering that they do not get along well in a cohabiting relationship. Nevertheless, numerous recent studies have shown that couples who live together before marriage are more likely to divorce than those who do not cohabit premaritally. The NFIMS findings shown in Figure 13 add to the findings that premarital cohabitation is not associated with marital success, though the marriages of those who live together only after they have decided to marry apparently turn out better on the average than the marriages of couples who decide to marry while they are cohabiting. There is agreement among researchers who have studied this topic that the marriages of persons who live together before marriage turn out poorly on the average partly because of the kinds of persons who cohabit. These persons tend to be nontraditional in their attitudes, and nontraditional attitudes are not conducive to marital success. It is also possible that the cohabitation itself has negative effects on marriage. For instance, a casual decision to live with someone may start a process that ends with marriage to that person, even though more suitable partners are available. That is, cohabitation may often be a form of “premature entanglement,” which limits the person’s ability to circulate “on the marriage market” to test his or her desirability on the market and to find a highly suitable partner.

In Figure 13 (referenced above), we find out that couples that did not cohabit prior to marriage are 2x more likely to have marital success than those who did cohabit before getting engaged and about 1.5x more likely than those who decided to cohabit after getting engaged.

There was lots of good information available on divorcereform.org (although the site doesn't appear to be functional at the moment). Some of the things I remember seeing there was data that indicated that people who get married young (in their teens or early twenties) have the highest divorce rate. There was a "peak marriage period" from 23 to 28 years old (give or take a year) where marriages were the most successful. And then divorce rate went back up for marriages after 30 years old. There was a strong link between divorce rates going up overall and the introduction of "no fault divorces" about 25 years ago (perhaps this anti-Prop 8 video is onto something - even though the true intent of the video is satire of those favoring traditional marriage). And there was a LA Times article from around 2000 that said that the divorce rate for those who get married in LDS temples is about 6% whereas LDS marriages outside the temple experience the same divorce rate as the general population.

I'm sure I've only scratched the surface of this topic but some interesting findings to consider.

India videos

Over the last couple of days, I've watched 9 hours of video related to India - three movies and one travel guide. The movies were Pinjar (3 hours), The Namesake (2 hours), and Gandhi (3 hours) and the travel guide was by GlobeTrekker (the 1 hour portion on West India). All of this is in preparation for my trip to Kolkata in January with my father. I've been trying to get a better feel for India as a country and the specific events that influenced who my father is today. Pinjar and Gandhi were particularly helpful in terms of understanding the Partition of India and the ensuing violence and family dislocations. It's one thing to think about that time conceptually but it's another thing to see some of those events visually depicted and think about what it must have been like to live through that period of time. The Namesake was helpful to understand the challenges that first- and second-generation Indian families face here in the United States - in terms of culture clash and other issues. I don't think I was ever sensitive enough to this topic - since I didn't spend much time trying to really understand it. And the travel guide was helpful to see Kolkata in action and get a glimpse of what I will see and experience there.

The catch-phrase for The Namesake is "the greatest journeys are the ones that bring you home". I suspect that will be true about this trip in January.

LIFE photo archive

I love old photos.  So I think it's super-cool that there is now a LIFE photo archive hosted by Google.  Take a look around.  There are lots of neat photos posted there.

I'm Watching You Dad

I watched this video last night and thought it was a good reminder that my everyday actions are setting an example for my two boys - whether positive or negative.

I also received this "Family Gem" this morning via email entitled "Brethren Should Maintain Priorities":

As I meet with priesthood leaders, I often ask about the priorities of their various responsibilities. Usually they mention their important Church duties to which they have been called. Too few remember their responsibilities at home. Yet priesthood offices, keys, callings, and quorums are meant to exalt families (see D&C 23:3). Priesthood authority has been restored so that families can be sealed eternally. So brethren, your foremost priesthood duty is to nurture your marriage—to care for, respect, honor, and love your wife. Be a blessing to her and your children.

Hopefully I'm doing an ok job of balancing everything and setting a reasonable example for my kids.  I feel I could do a better job as a role model for exercise, prayer, and scripture study.

Not fumbling the football

I was talking with a friend of mine tonight and he made this analogy that I thought was really useful. He pointed out that being the most talented person on the field doesn't do you any good if you fumble the football. He was talking about this in the context of making good choices in our lives. We might be incredibly talented or have other gifts but they won't do us any good if we make bad choices in our lives - especially if we make the same bad choices over and over again. For him, so much of success in life is simply holding onto the ball. That might seem obvious but I thought it was pretty profound.

Safe, respected, and loved

We've been a little hit-or-miss with having weekly family meetings but we're trying to keep up the habit.  At our family meeting last night, one of the topics I wanted to discussed is how members of our family can feel safe, respected, and loved.  Here's what resulted from the discussion (see PDF).  I'm always surprised at the insightful things that the kids come up with on their own.

A Fine Balance

I recently read a book called A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry. It is a masterfully written fiction book about India between 1975 and 1984. My mother suggested that I read it since I'll be visiting India in January with my father to see family there. The book certainly gave me a much better feel - at a very personal level - of the struggles that so many went through in that country (and still go through today). Right before the table of contents, the author includes this quote from Honore de Balzac in Le Pere Goriot: "Holding this book in your hand, sinking back in your soft armchair, you will say to yourself: perhaps it will amuse me. And after you read this story of great misfortunes, you will no doubt dine well, blaming the author for your own insensitivity, accusing him of wild exaggeration and flights of fancy. But rest assured: this tragedy is not a fiction. All is true." I can't think of a better summary for this book. Reading this book reminded me of how many blessings I have in my life that I so often take for granted - a place to live, food to eat, freedom, a loving family, and hope for my children's future (to name a few). The book also made me realize how little I probably know about my father and what it must have been like for him to grow up under challenging circumstances in India.

As an aside, I had thinking that I should try to read some books in preparation for my trip to India but I couldn't decide what to read. The very day I was thinking about this, A Fine Balance arrived in the mail from my mom. It's hard for me to believe that's simply a coincidence - and I am very grateful for so many keeping a watchful eye over me.

Special time

The last couple of months, they boys have been competing for attention more and more.  JD is quite forward and demanding in terms of attracting attention.  AJ has, in some situations, resorted to attracting negative attention - at least unconsciously assuming that negative attention is still better than no attention.  In response to all of this, my wife and I decided to devote Saturday's to dedicated, one-on-one time with kids.  Each Saturday, we alternate which parent is with which kid and that kid gets undivided attention (without having to compete for it).  So far, it seems to be working quite well - especially for AJ.

Here's a quick summary of what I've done with the boys the first four Saturdays.

Week #1: AJ

AJ and I went to the Oakland Zoo and saw animals and went on some rides.  We stopped by the visitor's center at the Oakland Temple and then we got lunch.  We went to Tilden Park after that and rode the train, went to a playground, went to the Nature Center, gathered some leaves, went to the Little Farm, rode a carousel, and got ice cream.

Week #2: JD

JD and I helped with a clean-up at the church building.  We went to Target and bought some Pokemon cards.  We came home, cleaned out the Altima (which had needed a good cleaning for awhile), had some lunch, and learned how to play Pokemon.  Then we went to JD's soccer game.  Afterwards, JD and I went on a two and a half hour bike ride to Shoreline Park and back - including a stop at 7-Eleven on the way home to buy Gatorade.  Since JD hadn't had enough physical activity that day, we wrapped up by playing more sports at his school until it got dark.

Week #3: AJ

AJ and I went up to Pier 39 in San Francisco.  We went to the Aquarium of the Bay - which has some cool exhibits.  We saw the sea lions and got some lunch.  We also bought some ballons at the magic store and some cookies at Mrs. Fields.  We were planning to spend the whole day up in San Francisco but it was raining pretty hard so we headed home.  The ballons we got included some instructions on how to make dogs, swords, and other ballon animals.  It took a little practice but I was able to figure out how to make dogs pretty well.  So we ended up making 8 of them - four for our family and four for another family.  Then we rented the movie "Thomas and Friends: The Great Discovery", popped some popcorn, and watched the movie together.  Afterwards, we took one of the balloon families over to one of AJ's friends along with two of the cookies.

Week #4: JD

JD and I practiced soccer at his school and played 2006 FIFA World Cup on the Playstation 2. It was JD's first time playing home video games. We went to his soccer game (and his Uncle DE and cousin SE came along).  Then we started playing Pokemon, went to lunch at California Pizza Kitchen, and came home to finish our Pokemon game (which JD won since he stacked the deck in his favor). JD used the computer for a bit while I (unfortunately) took care of something for work. Then we went to Sky High Sports - and had dinner at Jack in the Box while we were out.

If you have suggestions on cool things for me or my wife to do with the kids, please let me know.

Randy Pausch Last Lecture

My brother-in-law DE pointed me to this video awhile ago but I just watched it tonight. The CMU professor giving this final lecture has since passed away but imparted some wisdom to a packed house. He also subsequently wrote a book.



The video wasn't what I was expecting - and was a bit slow at times - but I still think it was a good use of time to watch. I especially like the end.

Yes we can

I'm not usually into politics.  I vote in every election and research the issues.  I strongly believe that's my responsibility and duty as part of living in a democratic society.  But I usually don't get too fired up one way or the other based on the outcomes.  This election was a little different - especially near the end.  I'm hopeful that President-Elect Barack Obama can get this country back on track and do it in a way that restores the United States as a beacon of hope for so many people in the world who don't enjoy the same freedoms and opportunities we do.

I thought President-Elect Obama gave a masterful victory speech last night in Chicago.  If you haven't seen it, it is contained here:

I believe that America can do many great things in the coming years and decades and stand ready to do my part to make that happen.

What’s So Great about Christianity?

I listened to a really great audio recording the other day by Dinesh D'Souza. It was linked off of this page on the ExploreFaith.org site. In this talk delivered at Fixed Point Foundation’s Latimer House in Birmingham, Alabama, What’s So Great about Christianity author D’Souza zeros in on what he feels to be the new atheism's strongest arguments against Christianity.

Countering each is D’Souza’s way of clearing aside some of the obstacles that prevent our “having an experience of Christianity, an experience of God.” He offers a “bullet-proof vest” for Christians to answer the charges leveled by those who view religion as evil, imagined and unnecessary by making claims such as:

• God is inconsequential;
• Virtuous living can be practiced by atheists just as readily as by people of faith;
• Science and religion are at odds;
• Religion has caused or been complicit in the great crimes of history.

He then focuses on the motives of the new atheists, what compels the vigor and vehemence of their attacks. For D’Souza the more we know about faith, science and history, the easier it is for us to see the holes in arguments espoused by religion’s detractors.

The talk is about 45 minutes and I found it to be really interesting and valuable. D'Souza lays out his arguments in a very clear and reasonable way. If you're a Christian, it's well worth the time to listen to this talk.

Christ’s Ideals for Living

A person at church sent this around via email.

This is from the 1954 Sunday School manual "Christ’s Ideals for Living". The author was O. C. Tanner. He taught philosophy at the University of Utah, and his autobiography, One Man’s Search for Freedom, tells that President David McKay asked him to write a manual for Sunday School use. Tanner replied he was too liberal-minded to pass the reading committee of General Authorities. President McKay said, “We’ll change the committee” and placed liberal apostle Adam Bennion in charge. The manual passed just fine and was used throughout the 50s and 60s as the Sunday School text, known as Christ’s Ideals for Living.

Quote from SS manual:
Young people sometimes doubt the truth of the Gospel or some part of it, and feeling the worthy desire to be sincere, they cease to be active in the Church. The answer to them is to be sincere always. One must never violate one’s integrity, whatever it may cost. But must one believe all or nothing? Must one cut off Church participation-the great source of righteousness in one’s life and in the community, because there is some doctrine doubted or disbelieved? Rather, is it not wisdom to begin, not with doubts and faults, but with the simple truths and virtues one can believe, then move on from there to others? Surely no one would claim to know all the Gospel. Great truths are always just around the corner for those who seek. Jesus told us to knock, seek, and ask, not just once, but continuously. One step at a time applies to progress in the Gospel as it does to education or any worthwhile achievement. One is not a hypocrite if he has honest questions and is active in the Church at the same time. The leaders of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints would offer this suggestion:

Start where you are. What do you believe? Start with that and take it as far as you can down life’s highway. Another truth will meet you at nearly every bend in the road. God has never intended that an honest mind should be humiliated or made unwelcome in the Church by any other member because of honest inquiry. Above all, keep the virtues of integrity, sincerity, and genuineness. Nothing else can be right in a man’s life if he is not sincere.

Gospel-sharing messages

Each month, as part of my responsibility as a ward missionary (at church), I've been sending out short emails to people in the ward (congregation) with suggestions on how to share information about the LDS Church with others. In case others are interested, I've created an archive and will update it each month. As part of writing each message, I have prayed that Heavenly Father would help me to know what would be most useful to people and how best to convey that message. I have felt his support and guidance with these messages so if you find them helpful, it is thanks to Him, not me. As an aside, the same thing goes for the Sunday School class I taught today on obedience. I wasn't prepared for the lesson but, thanks to an answered prayer, the class went well. I am very grateful for the support.

Steve Jobs at NeXT

This is a really good video of Steve Jobs doing a "chalk talk" while he was at NeXT. The clarity and simplicity of the message is great. I'm continuing to try to improve with presentations and other communications to convey complicated information in a way that people can readily understand it. This is a good example.

Our Tax System Explained: Bar Stool Economics

A co-worker of mine forwarded this "essay" to me by David R. Kamerschen, Ph.D., Professor of Economics at the University of Georgia.

Suppose that every day, ten men go out for beer and the bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

• The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
• The fifth would pay $1.
• The sixth would pay $3.
• The seventh would pay $7.
• The eighth would pay $12.
• The ninth would pay $18.
• The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that's what they decided to do. The ten men drank in the bar every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. 'Since you are all such good customers,' he said, 'I'm going to reduce the cost of your daily beer by $20.' Drinks for the ten now cost just $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes so the first four men were unaffected. They would still drink for free. But what about the other six men - the paying customers? How could they divide the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his fair share?' They realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody's share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being paid to drink his beer. So, the bar owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man's bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. And so:

• The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
• The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33%savings).
• The seventh now pay $5 instead of $7 (28%savings).
• The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
• The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
• The tenth now paid $49 instead of $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to drink for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. 'I only got a dollar out of the $20,'declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth man,' but he got $10!' 'Yeah, that's right,' exclaimed the fifth man. 'I only saved a dollar, too. It's unfair that he got ten times more than I got' 'That's true!!' shouted the seventh man. 'Why should he get $10 back when I got only two? The wealthy get all the breaks!' 'Wait a minute,' yelled the first four men in unison. 'We didn't get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!' The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up. The next night the tenth man didn't show up for drinks so the nine sat down and had beers without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn't have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill! And that, ladies and gentlemen, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy,and they just may not show up anymore. In fact, they might start drinking overseas where the atmosphere is somewhat friendlier.

I'm not sure that I totally agree with the conclusions but it's an interesting perspective and certainly one way of discussing this topic that made some intuitive sense to me.

Serving Others

My son AJ was asked to give a talk today in Primary (the group of 4 to 12 year olds at church). I ended up serving as his speechwriter but he did a great job today saying it for the other kids. He's what he had to say:

I was asked to talk about how I can serve Heavenly Father by serving others. Serving others means that we help them feel better when they are hurt. We can help them solve a problem or we can do something nice for them. Sometimes when people pray for help, their prayers are answered by something we do for them. In 1 Nephi 16:29, it says that “by small means the Lord can bring about great things”. And, in Mosiah 2:17, it says “when [you] are in the service of your fellow beings [you] are only in the service of your God”. It feels good to do nice things for other people and it makes our Heavenly Father happy too.

A little while ago, JH’s family was moving. I carried some of their boxes down the stairs to their moving truck. It was fun to spend time with mey dad and my brother and they said “thank you” for helping them move. Sometimes my Aunt BE needs to go to an appointment so my mom and I take care of my cousin SE. He’s still a baby. Sometimes SE cries but we are able to make him feel better. I share my toys with him. It feels nice to take care of other people.

Yesterday, me and my dad went to the Oakland temple. While we were there, one of the sister missionaries gave me this cool keychain. It can change colors. When you put it in the sun, it turns blue. She said that people can change too. Some people don’t know that Heavenly Father and Jesus love them. If you do something nice for them, maybe they’ll change and want to learn more about Jesus. Or maybe they’ll do something nice for someone else. That would be really cool.

I say these things in the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

There are plenty of people who need each of our help. It is my sincere hope and prayer that we'll serve them.

AIG humor

Speaking to the Institute of International Finance, AIG Vice Chairman Jacob Frenkel said: "The left side of the balance sheet has nothing right and the right side of the balance sheet has nothing left. But they are equal to each other. So accounting-wise we are fine." At least there's a silver-lining in all this. =)

Noah's Ark Replica

I wrote about Noah's Ark more than two years ago (see prior post).  Just the other day, though, my mother-in-law pointed me to a story about a massive replica of Noah's Ark that was created in the Netherlands by devout Christian Johan Huibers.  Life-size models of giraffes, elephants, lions, crocodiles, zebras, bison and other animals greet visitors inside the ark.  Huibers' fully functional ark is two-thirds the length of a football field and as high as a three-storey house.  But the original ark featured in the Bible was described as five times larger than Johan's Ark.  Huibers said his venture came after he dreamt of the Netherlands being flooded.  "In February 1992, I had a dream that Holland will become flooded. The next day, I found a book about Noah's Ark in the local bookshop, and since then, my dream has been to build the ark," he said.  Huibers said he hoped the project would renew interest in Christianity in the Netherlands, where churchgoing has fallen dramatically in the past 50 years.  "I would really like to inspire people to search for God and to begin to read the Bible," he said.

I hope that my family gets to see this Ark at some point in our lives.  I think it would be a neat experience.

Why men cheat

I read an interesting article today about why men cheat on their wives.  It contradicts a lot of the conventional wisdom on the topic (i.e., that cheating is all about sex with a prettier woman).  Marriage counselor M. Gary Neuman just published a book on this subject called "The Truth About Cheating".  In the book, Gary says that ninety-two percent of men said it wasn't primarily about the sex.  "The majority said it was an emotional disconnection, specifically a sense of feeling underappreciated. A lack of thoughtful gestures," Gary says. "Men are very emotional beings. They just don't look like that. Or they don't seem like that. Or they don't tell you that."  Gary also found that 88 percent of the men surveyed said the other women were no better looking or in no better shape than their own wives.   Here's one additional excerpt from the article:

Josh says he cheated on his wife, Jennifer, because he felt underappreciated at home and started feeling insecure. "That insecurity was really the catalyst," he says. "I didn't feel comfortable going to the one person in the world I should be going to, which is my wife." With daily worries like bills, children and chores, Gary says it's easy for couples to drift away from appreciating one another like they should. Gary says the other woman often makes the man feel better about himself. "[She] makes them feel different. Makes them feel appreciated, admired," he says. "Men look strong, look powerful and capable. But on the inside, they're insecure like everybody else. They're searching and looking for somebody to build them up to make them feel valued." ... Don't be afraid to praise your partner or tell him that you appreciate what he does, Gary says. "We get married because we want one person in the world to really think we're wonderful for doing all the things that we do. We all want the same thing," he says. "And the more we give it, the more we get it in return."

Anyway, very interesting stuff.

Sarah Palin interview

I'm really not into politics. I feel it's my responsibility to vote. The only way a democracy works is if people exercise their right to vote and take seriously. So I research the issues and the candidates prior to casting my ballet. I'll also occasionally wait coverage of the campaigns or read about it in various newspapers or periodicals. In this election, I've been mostly on the fence - not terribly excited about either set of candidates. Actually, after the RNC, I was slightly leanly towards the McCain camp - mostly because of Sarah Palin's speech. But over the last couple of days, I think I've swung into the Obama camp - which, more accurately, is away from the McCain/Palin camp. I've been concerned about McCain's negative ads but Sarah Palin's interview with Katie Couric really got me scared about that ticket. For those of you who haven't seen it, here it is:



There was actually a good parady of this interview on SNL. I saw the SNL skit first and assumed they had massively exaggerated things but then discovered it was actually pretty accurate (which is scary). Anyway, this interview really gives me pause about having Palin as Vice President.

Periodic Table of Videos

I just read an article in the September 15, 2008 issue of Chemical & Engineering News about a project at the University of Nottingham called the "Periodic Table of Videos" (official site, YouTube channel). The series of 130 videos was put together to introduce different elements and describe their properties and uses. Here is an introductory video:



One Nobel Laureate at Cornell described the video collection this way: "Poliakoff and his able codemonstrators make the periodic table come alive with the best understated British humor - they are real nerdy-sexy." Who doesn't love "nerdy-sexy". =)

Murmuring

During church yesterday, an investigator (someone looking into the LDS Church) asked me about one of the hymns from the program. Specifically, he was worried that there was an accuracy in the lyrics. The hymn in question was called "Behold the Great Redeemer Die" and it's about the crucifixion of Christ. It is Hymn 191 in the hymn book. One of the lines in the hymn says: "Although in agony he hung, no murmuring words escaped his tongue." As you may recall, in Matthew 27:46, it says: "And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" There was some concern that this scripture rendered the hymn inaccurate (i.e., saying "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" equates to "murmuring").

Afterwards, I talked to a couple of people about this concern. All of them pointed out to me that "murmuring" has a very specific meaning in a Biblical context - grumbling or whining under your breath. Murmuring is even considered a sin (see non-LDS source #1 and #2). Simply speaking or making sound does not qualify as "murmuring". You'd have to argue that Jesus was specifically whining in this situation and doing it in a way that he didn't want others to hear to make it "murmuring". I think it's hard to make that argument. In a different non-LDS source regarding Matthew 27:46, it says that may think Jesus was making a very deliberate reference to Psalm 22 when he spoke - a scripture that he hoped people would recall and investigate later (for their benefit). So, again, I think it's very challenging to categorize Jesus' statement on the cross as "murmuring".

Most of you probably don't care about this but, since I spent some time looking into the topic, I figured I'd post it here for future reference. At any rate, you can sleep well at night knowing that Hymn #191 in the LDS hymn book is accurate as written and there is no need for changes or reprinting. =)

The Number Devil

I just got done reading The Number Devil by Hans Magnus Enzensberger. A co-worker's son recently read it and encouraged his dad to do the same. We were on a trip together and the dad (my co-worker) mentioned the book to me. It was a fun read and does a good job of making math interesting and exciting. I would definitely recommend it. When JD and AJ are a little older, I'll encourage them to read the book. Both of them seem to enjoy math (at least so far) and this book could only help fuel that interest.

Smart vs Wise

A quick quote I found in this blog post:

The difference between a smart person and a wise person is that a wise person knows how not to get into situations that a smart person knows how to get out of.

So very true. Hopefully I can be more wise than smart moving forward.

0.999...

I just found an interesting article on Wikipedia talking about how the notations "0.999…" and "1" represent the same real number.  At first glance, I didn't see how that could be correct (which is a common misconception) but the proofs are actually quite simple (at least some of them are).  In general, I wish I had more time for random stuff like this.  There are so many things I'd like to learn more about.

Good women

I've subscribing to a Church email list called "Family Gems" where they periodically send out interesting quotes from various Church leaders pertaining to the family. I thought this one was particularly good and one I hope my sons will take to heart over time (see the Family Gem for August 29, 2008 on this page):

"You young men need to know that you can hardly achieve your highest potential without the influence of good women, particularly your mother and, in a few years, a good wife. Learn now to show respect and gratitude. Remember that your mother is your mother. She should not need to issue orders. Her wish, her hope, her hint should provide direction that you would honor."

Education Week

A friend of mine who is investigating the Church gave me a program from the BYU Campus Education Week that is done every year. This year's session was August 18 to August 22 and they had over 1,000 different classes across a range of continuing education topics - not just religion. Sounds like a worthwhile event. Once the kids are older and can participate as well, we'll go on a regular basis. In the meantime, it's hard to justify a week away from the family to go to things like this on my own - even though I'd personally find it super-interesting. Posting the link here in case others might be interested for next year.

Weekly schedule

I've been thinking a lot about how to balance everything I have going on in my life. There are only so many hours in a week and it's hard to make everything fit. Also, unless we consciously manage things, certain aspects of our life (like work, church, etc) have a way of taking over and crowding out other things we may want and need to get done in other aspects of our life. Therefore, this past week, I did a personal exercise where I said "if I really could control my schedule, how would I ideally manage my time in a given week?" That caused me to put together a list of competing demands on my time along with a list of things I'd like to be doing more of. It also caused me to quantify the amount of time that was required and/or appropriate for each of those activities and also think about what additional constraints I needed to take into account (i.e., train schedules, kids' bedtimes and nighttime routines, what activities were appropriate on the Sabbath, etc).

I ended up optimizing for the following:

• 8 hours per night of sleep. I typically short-change this (as do others) but I think it's a mistake and I think my body needs about 7-8 hours of sleep to function optimally.
• 50 hours per week of work. I went back and forth a bit on this one. You could certainly argue for a 40 hour work week but that's just not the reality of the career choice that I've made at the moment. At the same time, my job could easily suck up 60 or 70 hours per week if I let it so there needs to be a balance. 50 hours seemed like a reasonable compromise for now but it's something to revisit over time - especially given the length of my commute at the moment (which isn't factored into the 50 hour figure).
• Being home for dinner each night with the kids. This may not always be possible given business trips, business dinners, special events, etc but I think the going-in-assumption should be that I'm home each night for dinner and bedtime.
• Spending time with my kids. In addition to being home for dinner each night, I'd like to spend some quality time with them on the weekend.
• Spending time with my wife. I'd like a dedicated block with just her each week and ideally some shorter dedicated blocks during the rest of the week.
• Honoring God and Church commitments / guidelines. This includes keeping the Sabbath day holy, attending my weekly ward missionary meeting, having daily scripture study, and doing a weekly family home evening.
• Exercising three times a week. Ideally I'd exercise more often than that but it's all a balance. I'm not exercising at all at the moment (which isn't right) but I can't exercise everyday either and still make everything else fit.
• Relaxation and personal projects. Somewhere in there, I need at least a little down time. I also need time for personal projects like family history, blogging, reading, etc. Being social occasionally wouldn't be bad either.

Against those constraints, I put together a generic weekly schedule (see PDF). I would be interested in people's opinions regarding how to optimize the time better and/or a different set of priorities/constraints. You'll notice that I played some tricks here like assuming that I can spend an hour of my commute time on the train getting work done. But I also tried to stay practical and realistic about how long things take and that you can't transition from one thing to another instantaneously. For example, you can't go from playing basketball to going to sleep right away after you get home.

Anyway, I'll be interested in what people have to say (if anything) and in how closely I'm able to adhere to this schedule. It's certainly a work in progress.

Confused as ever

A co-worker just pointed me to this interesting quote. It was originally posted on the wall of a mathematics reading room but I think it has pretty broad applicability.

“We have not succeeded in answering all our problems. The answers we have found only serve to raise a whole set of new questions. In some ways we feel we are as confused as ever, but we believe we are confused on a higher level and about more important things.” Sitert-Øksendal (1985).

I could certainly make this statement about work. There are still a number of key questions we need to answer to push our business forward. I could also make this statement about religion. As you answer some questions, it only raises others on a higher level and of more importance. Anyway, a good quote and something to think about.

God in the Dock

My mom recently sent me two excerpts from a book of essays and letters by C.S. Lewis called God in the Dock. The first one (see PDF) is entitled "What are we to make of Jesus Christ?". It reminded me of something I read about Jesus Christ in C.S. Lewis' book Mere Christianity (see prior post). At the time, that passage by C.S. Lewis really solidified my belief in Jesus Christ being the Son of God. This other excerpt that my mom sent me goes into that topic in a bit more detail but with the same impact for me.

The second excerpt (see PDF) is from a chapter entitled "Christian Apologetics". In it, C.S. Lewis says that "for my own part, I have sometimes told my audience that the only two things really worth considering are Christianity and Hinduism." I didn't fully follow Lewis' argument around Thick religion and Clear religion. Perhaps that's more clear if you read the rest of the chapter. At any rate, I have enjoyed what I've read about Hinduism (see prior post) and fully intend to get back to it at some point. I think Hinduism has a lot to offer - and it would seem that C.S. Lewis agrees.

How to tell if you are Mom's favorite

My mother-in-law forwarded this photo to me the other day with the subject line "How to tell if you are Mom's favorite". I thought it was amusing so I decided to post it here. In general, it's hard not to play favorites among your kids sometimes. When the kids were younger, a co-worker told me that there would be moments where both kids would be in crisis at the same time or would be demanding my time or attention at the same time and I'd need to make a decision (in that moment) who I was going to focus on. And regardless of how "fair" I tried to make it over time, the other kid would remember that I didn't pick him over his brother in that instance. Such is being a parent I suppose and I'm sure I exhibited that behavior when I was a child. Interesting to now see it from the opposite perspective.

Encyclopedia of Mormonism

Many of you won't be interested in this. I'm posting these links here for my own future reference as I need to do research on various church-related subjects.

The Encyclopedia of Mormonism, now available online in searchable text format, can be an excellent source of information on a wide variety of subjects dealing with the beliefs, teachings, and practices of the Church. (Note: This encyclopedia is a joint product of Brigham Young University and Macmillan Publishing Company and does not necessarily represent the official position of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.)

The earlier 1992 edition (with PDFs containing photos, maps, etc) is also still online.

Sincere but deceived

On my way to work this morning, I was listening to a lectue on CD about the Prophet Lorenzo Snow, the 5th President of the Church. Shortly after his baptism (at the age of 22), he served a mission in Ohio. During that time, he tried to share the gospel with family and friends in that area but had limited success. In the lecture, it said that the general reaction he got among family and friends was "Lorenzo is sincere but he is deceived". I suspect that's exactly how a number of my family members and friends are feeling right now.

LDSFAQ (Mormon Answers)

My brother-in-law DE pointed me to this FAQ site maintained by Jeff Lindsay, a self-described "amateur LDS apologist". I've only briefly read through some of the content - the volume's almost overwhelming - but it appears to be very well done. Also, I got a good impression of the author reading through his homepage. He seems like a regular guy. On the homepage, he wrote: "While I am an amateur 'LDS apologist' whose work is heavily used to defend the Church, I am not saying that the Church is perfect or has a monopoly on truth. In fact, I have tremendous respect for many religions and recognize that we can learn much from most of them. I also recognize that the Church has plenty of those pesky mortals in it, even running much of it, and that means errors and problems and embarrassments from time to time. OK, I can't give my full endorsement to every historical event and statement and practice over the years, neither in modern Church history or the Biblical record, for that matter. But I do think we have some amazing things that the world should know about, especially The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ. Got one? It's a major reason why I am proud to be a member of this Church. My experience with that book have greatly added to my conviction that Jesus Christ is real, that God lives, and that there is a way for men and women to find joy and peace and meaning in this life and beyond. Oops, there I go, preaching again...."

Anyway, thought I'd pass it along in case others are interested. I hope to return to it at some point to explore some of these topics in more detail.

Summer of Sharing - week 3

Today was the last day of my gospel-sharing Sunday School class at church (see this post regarding week 2). We went through the last five questions of the homework assignment and I also gave people copies of the handouts I put together. Here are my sample responses to today's questions:

6. Why aren't temples open to visitors? Why are the ceremonies kept secret? What do you have to hide?
Temples are open to the public before they are dedicated. In fact, hundreds of thousands of non-members attend these open houses each year. Once dedicated, however, temples become the house of the Lord and only Church members in good standing are permitted to enter given the sacredness of the ordinances performed there.

7. Why do Mormons wear special undergarments?
Not all Mormons wear garments, only those who have received their temple ordinances. The garment represents sacred covenants. It fosters modesty and becomes a shield and protection to the wearer against temptation. Among other things, it symbolizes our deep respect for the laws of God - among them the moral standard.

8. Why does the LDS Church have missionaries?
Missionary work is voluntary and is based on the New Testament pattern of missionaries serving in pairs, teaching the gospel and baptizing believerin the name of Jesus Christ.

9. Why don't Mormons drink alcohol or coffee? Isn't everything ok in moderation?
We believe in continuing revelation through modern-day prophets. One such revelation was given to the Prophet Joseph Smith and is commonly referred to as the Word of Wisdom. It prohibits Church members from drinking alcohol or coffee, smoking, or other potentially addictive behavior.

10. Why do some Mormons work on Sunday and others don't?
We believe in the Ten Commandments as set forth in the Old Testament - one of which is keeping the Sabbath day holy. We are supposed to rest from our labors and devote this day to the Lord. While modern-day prophets have specifically counseled members on this topic, some members are more orthodox in its implementation than others.

We were a litte short on time today but I thought were still able to have a pretty good discussion. Hopefully people got something valuable out of the class.

Summer of Sharing - week 2

Today was week 2 of my gospel-sharing Sunday School class at church (see this post regarding week 1). There were a couple more people there this week and we had a good discussion regarding the first five questions of the homework assignment. Here are my sample answers to those questions along with additional suggestions from others.

1. Do Mormons consider themselves Christian?
Yes, Jesus Christ is the Son of God and our Savior and Redeemer. In fact, we believe that Jesus Christ Himself sits at the head of our Church.

In terms of why other Christian denominations may not consider Mormons to be Christians, we came up with this list of reasons: (1) our understanding of the Godhead vs the Trinity, (2) additional scriptures such as the Book of Mormon, (3) the Church being a relatively new organization, (4) modern-day prophets and continuing revelation, (5) a different understanding of Adam's transgression and original sin, and (6) the plan of salvation, including a progression towards being like our Heavenly Father. As an aside, on this last point, I mentioned the anti-Mormon cartoon "God Makers" in class today but had never seen it myself. I watched it on YouTube this afternoon (one video). The cartoon was amusing to me in its absurdity - taking one or two elements of truth, massively distorting them, and adding in a bunch of stuff that is simply not true. It's really unfortunate that some people form their opinion of the Church based on material like this. If people want to take issue with the Church or its teachings, there is plenty of material to go after but at least stick to the facts.

2. Do Mormons believe in the Bible or just the Book of Mormon?
Yes. We revere the Bible and it is a key part of our standard works. The New Testament remains the best source for an intimate understanding of the character and personality of Jesus Christ during His mortal mission.

I pointed people to two General Conference talks - "Miracle of the Holy Bible" and "My Words ... Never Cease" - for additional discussion of this topic.

3. Why doesn't the LDS Church recognize baptisms by other Christian faiths? Why do people need to be baptized again when they join your church?
This is really a question of priesthood authority - the divine right to preach, act in the name of God, and direct the Lord's church. We believe that the priesthood authority that Jesus Christ established in His early church was lost and was later restored in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including the authority to baptize individuals.

Other angles on this question could include discussing the fifth Article of Faith, the fact that we don't believe in original sin or infant baptism, that Jesus sought out John (one with authority) when He was baptized, or the discussion in the New Testament (in Acts) of people being called to the ministry through the laying on of hands.

4. Why does the LDS Church have a prophet? Didn't the need for prophets end with Jesus Christ?
Modern apostles and prophets are a distinctive characteristic of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints - as is continuing revelation. Thomas S. Monson is the current president and prophet of the Church. We believe that God will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the kingdom of God through His prophets.

As part of answering this question, people might refer to the sixth, seventh, and ninth Articles of Faith. They might pose the question, "If God spoke through prophets in the past, why not now?" We might also talk about people in lots of faiths experience personal revelation and inspiration and that prophets can receive revelation on behalf of the entire Church (and all mankind).

5. Why do Mormons have temples and what takes place there?
Latter-day Saint temples are considered houses of God, a place of holiness and peace separate from the preoccupations of the world. They provide a place where Church members make formal promises and commitments to God. They are also the place where the highest sacraments of the faith occur - the marriage of couples and the sealing of families (both living and dead) for eternity.

Additional things that people brought up were: (1) the fact that temples are different than our normal meeting houses, (2) the progression from baptism to higher ordinances like endowment and sealing, and (3) that we do service by doing work for other people who have passed on.

Next week, in the fianl class, we'll cover the remaining five questions from the homework. I'll also give people copies of the handouts that I've developed on these topics and others.

Acts 5:34-42

I was chatting with my brother-in-law DE the other night on Google Talk. During the conversation, he suggested that I check out the last part of Acts chapter 5 in the New Testament. Specifically, he said it is a good way to explain to people about the LDS Church. At this point in Acts, the apostles Peter and John have been arrested for preaching about Jesus Christ. In part of deciding what should be done to Peter and John, Gamaliel, a doctor of the law, counsels: "And now I say unto you, Refrain from these men, and let them alone: for if this counsel or this work be of men, it will come to nought: But if it be of God, ye cannot overthrow it; lest haply ye be found even to fight against God." In our chat, David went on to say: "Read this the other day. I may differences with the LDS Church, but it's hard to challenge what he says. I think the church does far too much good to dismiss it as a cult or a fringe movement. Anyway, Acts is good to read because it talks about he early church facing persecution."

One of my favorite scriptures from the New Testament is a couple of verses later in Acts 5 - specifically Acts 5:41, "And they departed from the presence of the council, rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer shame for his name". There is something about "rejoicing" over being counted worthy to "suffer shame for his name" that speaks to me. I certainly can't say I've reached this point but it speaks to me nonetheless.

Poor loser - suggestions?

My son JD is a really poor loser. It's starting to really concern me and I have no idea what to do about it. If he doesn't win a game, he pouts about it and insists we play again so he can win. Today, we went bowling with DE and JD complained the whole time that he didn't do the best - and then started to actively root against the rest of us (and celebrate when someone missed the pins). It's gotten to the point where I don't want to do activities with him since I don't want to deal with his attitude about it all. I suppose part of this is my own fault. When I've played games and sports with him in the past, I've intentionally kept things close and let him win. So now he probably expects to win all the time. Or perhaps JD has some of my perfectionist tendencies. I don't know. All I do know is that he's in for a lot of disappointment when he plays sports or does other activities with kids down the road. Hopefully it will work itself out over time. In the meantime, I'm totally open to suggestion.

Addendum (7/5/08): My mom pointed out to me that I was a poor loser myself when I was 7 or 8 with very similar behavior to what JD is exhibiting now (if not worse). She reminded me that kids who are good at certain things often assume they should therefore be good at everything. I guess the fruit doesn't fall too far from the tree. It's always hard to see our own imperfections mirrored back to us in our kids - at least it's hard (very hard) for me. It's one thing for me to have my own struggles but it makes me feel 100 times worse when I think I might be passing them on to my kids. Then again, they need struggles to grow and mature so I suppose it's serving some useful purpose (although, to be honest, that's only mildly comforting to me).

Professional

Yesterday, the family went to the park to play soccer. My son JD decided that he and I should be on different teams since it would be "rude" for both "professionals" to be on the same team. That's probably the one time in my life that I'll be called a "professional" in the context of soccer. =) JD will start noticing all my imperfections soon enough. For now, I guess I'll enjoy the "Dad's a professional" phase.

Black swans

My wife and I have some of our money with a group called Smedley Financial Services. Every two months, they published a newsletter called Money Moxie. In the most recent issue, they talked about a book called "The Black Swan" (see PDF). I heard about this book from one of our venture capital investors at work. He was interested in the book in terms of spotting investment opportunities or market trends (e.g, the next Google) before everyone else. For those of you not familiar with this book, a "Black Swan" is defined as a highly improbably event with three principal characteristics: (1) it is unpredictable, (2) it carries a massive impact, and (3) after the fact, we concoct an explanation that makes it appear less random, and more predictable, than it was. September 11th was one such event. Anyway, interesting to see these guys' take from a personal finance perspective. Thought I'd share in case others are interested as well.

Office 2007

There aren't that many things in this world that I can genuinely say I hate. There are things that I dislike or things that I prefer more than others. But there aren't that many things I hate. That being said, I hate Office 2007 with the intensity of a thousand suns!! I was a power-user of Office 2003 and it drives me nuts that Microsoft decided to completely overhaul their user-interface (and make it a hundred times worse) as part of the new version. From my perspective, this is a complete disaster.

DE

I've been meaning to write a post about my brother-in-law DE. Specifically, I wanted to say how much I admire him and also mention all his good qualities that I lack. DE is outgoing, personable, and connects with people easily. He's willing to put himself out there and publicly discuss his challenges. He's fun and creative and a kid-at-heart. In so many ways, DE is the "anti-GNP" in the best possible way. Sometimes I'm jealous of that. But most of the time I'm just grateful that my family has him, his wife, and his son in our lives. I'm glad my boys have another (and different) male role model. And I'm reminded that we all have unique gifts to offer in this life (see D&C 46:11-12).

11 years

Yesterday was my 11th wedding anniversary. I can say the same thing about both yesterday and the day I got married - “I believe today is the happiest day of my life so far, and also the worst day of the rest of my life” (borrowed from a friend of mine). While there have been ups and downs along the way, I can say unequivocally that my life with my wife just keeps getting better and better. I truly found my soulmate and I can't put into words how grateful I am for that in my life.

Awhile ago, my wife and I participated in a marriage class at church. One of the assignments was to write down a list of things that you loved about your spouse. I've been meaning to post my list but didn't get around to it. Now I can't find the piece of paper but it's not hard to recreate. Here is a handful of things I love about my wife: she has always supported me and been understanding of my shortcomings; she is kind and compassionate; she is a good listener; she follows her instincts as a mother; she is smart; and she loves me unconditionally. There are so many other things I could say but I think those are the main ones.

I met my wife in 1992 and we got married in 1997. As a fun thing, I gave my wife this summary yesterday of what was hot back when we met and got married. It's hard to believe that when we met, Aladdin was the #1 movie of the year and grunge was the height of fashion. Has it really been that long? =)

Baptism talk

About a week and a half ago, a woman got baptized at Church. I was asked to speak for a couple of minutes on the topic of baptism at the event. Here is a brief outline of what I said:

• Started with the Fourth Article of Faith - "We believe that the first principles and ordinances of the Gospel are: first, Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ; second, Repentance; third, Baptism by immersion for the remission of sins; fourth, Laying on of hands for the gift of the Holy Ghost"
• Explained that baptism is an ordinance and that this person was making a covenant with God and also witnessing to God and to the world that she was entering into this covenant
• As part of this covenant, we make three promises to God: (1) take upon the name of Jesus Christ, (2) always remember Him, and (3) keep His commandments. [Aside: These are the same three promises we renew each week as we partake of the Sacrament.] In return, we are promised three blessings: (1) constant companionship of the Holy Ghost, (2) remission of our sins, and (3) being born again.
• Read John 3:3-5 about being born again.
• Explained that baptism by immersion is a symbol of the death, burial, and resurrection of the Savior. In a similar way, it represents the end of our old life of sin and a commitment to live a new life as a disciple of Christ.
• Reminded the person that John 3:5 says "born of water and of the Spirit". Quoted Joseph Smith as saying "Baptism by water is but half a baptism and is good for nothing without the other half - that is, the baptism of the Holy Ghost."
• Concluded with the story of the Savior's baptism in Matthew 3:13-17. Said that I thought that our Heavenly Father was "well pleased" with this person.

Summer of Sharing - week 1

In church today, I taught my first Sunday School class. As part of my calling as a ward missionary, I am teaching a three-week Sunday School class about sharing simple, accurate, and easy-to-understand information about the LDS Church and the gospel with others. This is an outgrowth of some of the handouts I created awhile ago (see prior post). There were about ten people there today and I thought we had a good conversation. Here is the flow/content for this week's class (see PDF). There was a companion handout (see PDF) and a homework assignment for next week (see PDF). In terms of the discussion, for question #3 (how do people know you're a member), some of the responses were: (1) happy disposition, (2) intentionally work it into conversation, (3) how we look and behave, (4) inviting others to Church activities, (5) not swearing, (6) no drinking alcohol or coffee, (7) talking about a mission or speaking a language from a mission, (8) mentioning BYU, Salt Lake City, Provo, or Utah in general, and (9) interest in family history. For question #4 (what holds you back from talking to people about the Church), people said: (1) worried people might not understand or will react poorly, (2) might lead to uncomfortable situation or relationship, (3) afraid of giving the wrong answer or giving out false information by accident, and (4) people forming their impressions of the entire Church based on their interaction with us. The next two weeks, we'll go through the homework questions and incorporate the one-page handouts as appropriate. Should be interesting. I hope people get something out of it.

The Parable of the Slighted Son

I just read this interesting article on ExploreFaith.org. Here is the first paragraph or so to give you a feel for the article:

Jesus’ parable of the Prodigal Son is one of the best-loved stories in the entire Bible. Throughout the ages, Christians have viewed the tale as a profound allegory of god’s long-suffering and ever-compassionate nature, so willing to forgive an errant child who squanders life and resources in pursuit of selfish pleasures. It is such a beautiful story, so rich in theological meaning, so reassuring to all who have ever sought divine forgiveness. The parable of the Prodigal Son—I hate it. Most people like this story because they identify with the prodigal. I guess they regard themselves as squanderers and sinners like the young man. Not me. As a hyper-responsible oldest child, I identify with the elder son. Remember him?

The author goes on to ask the question: "What’s the point of always doing what you’re supposed to do if it doesn’t earn you a few advantages?" As a "hyper-responsible oldest child", I've asked that question before in a variety of contexts. Certainly I've asked the question in the context of religion. But I've also asked in the context of financial responsibility - with so much talk these days, for example, about trying to bail out people who are losing their homes since they took on mortgages they couldn't afford. Now, I'm not saying that I was sin-free in the past or that I'm sin-free now. Anything from it. But compared to most people out there, I think I'm pretty darn responsible and try to do my best to do the "right thing" in my life. So, I have to admit I have some misgivings about the story of the Prodigal Son just like the author of this article.

If you have a chance, read the article. It goes on to make an good argument around forgiveness that we should all remember. Also, regardless of whether you identify with the Prodigal Son or his older brother in this story, let's not lose sight of the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ and the wonderful blessing of the Atonement. Also, let's remember that we need to forgive others if we expect to be forgiven ourselves.

Staying Spiritually Centered

In a recent ExploreFaith.org newsletter, they included this prayer for staying spiritually centered:

Help me know, O God, that you are still present with me, even in my distractions and interruptions. But also help me savor those spiritually centered moments so much that I will make room in my life for more of them. When I am impatient because I can't see, touch, hear, or feel you, let your love seep surely into me until my heart turns back to you in surprise and delight.

Lots of distractions and interruptions these days so it's a timely reminder for me.

Love this comic

As many of you know, I work for a biofuels company. This comic appeared in Dilbert about a month and a half ago. It's probably still my favorite one of the whole year. When we issued the first press release for our company, a couple of blogs picked up on it. And there were comments like "I hope they're keeping their technology under lock and key; otherwise terrorists will use it to turn all of our rivers into gasoline." If it were only that easy. =)

International Everyman

I got back on Saturday from a week long business trip to Brazil. During the trip, a co-worker and I were joking that I should change my job title to "Chief Evangelist" and "International Everyman". In terms of the latter title, a number of people in Brazil (and on the flights to and from Brazil) assumed that I was Brazilian and then couldn't understand why I didn't respond to them when they spoke to me in Portuguese. I guess it's the dark complexion and the stunning good looks. =) It is interesting, though, that this happens to me a fair amount. Some people think I'm Latino. Others think I'm Mediterranean. Still others think I'm Indian (correct on my Dad's side). Now, if I only spoke a bunch of different languages fluently, I really could be an International Everyman - or an International Man of Mystery. =) Perhaps someday.