Moon base

My older son JD is really into non-fiction at the moment, particularly outer space. In one of his science books from the library, it talked about creating a moon base at home. JD really wanted to do this project and specifically wanted to do it with me for some "special time". I have to admit that I'm generally not into activities like this and wasn't that excited to do it with him. But it was important to him so I went ahead and did it. I think it turned out ok and JD certainly seemed to like it. I suppose that's all that matters. I guess I should get used to this stuff since I'm sure there will be many more such projects over the years for school and also personal interest.

Dear Mom, Dad + AJ

JD made a really cool book/card at school today during his free time. It reads (over multiple pages stapled together):

Dear Mom, Dad + AJ, thank you for loveing me and Mom being my mom, Dad being my dad + Andy being my broeder. [heart] JD

I kept in the spelling errors for authenticity. At first, I thought this was a class assignment. But then I found out that JD did this on his own (after making a paper airplane first). He's a very sweet boy.

Heavens are still open

On my way into work today, I was thinking about how the LDS Church differs from other Christian faiths. There are a number of ways you can approach that topic but I think a lot (if not all) of it boils down to your view of one simple question: "Are the heavens still open?" The LDS response to that question is a resounding "yes" and most other Christian faiths (at least the ones that I know about) resoundingly disagree. If you answer in the affirmative, you are willing to accept modern prophets and continuing revelation, an open canon of scripture, and a view of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost as separate persons, three divine beings. If not, you will view these beliefs as sacreligious and non-Christian.

Just one quick observation after a long weekend. It's possible I'm overstating or misrepresenting the view of other Christian faiths. If so, please let me know. Also, I think it's important to point out the many things the LDS Church has in common with other Christian faiths, including a deep love for our Savior Jesus Christ and for the Holy Bible. So, independent of your opinion regarding the heavens being open or closed, there is a lot of common ground that we should keep in mind.

Rapper Snoop Dogg Converts to Mormonism

This was a fun April Fool's article from a month and a half ago. It's amazing what people can do these days with Photoshop. I think my favorite part is a reference to Family Home Evening at Gladys Knight's house: "I was hooked from the start ... We talked about the purpose of life, played Mousetrap, and ate brownies. The kids thought it was off the hook, for real." I also like the closing line: "Listen, the haters will say what they will ... I can only do what I feel is right." I would actually wholeheartedly agree with that.

Great Softball Story

A few weeks ago, a co-worker of mine shared this story with me about an amazing act of sportsmanship. Since the article is no longer available online, I created my own page here. I was very moved by the story at the time. In particular, it made me think about what I would have done in that situation. It also made me think about what my kids would do and how I can install these values in them over time.

GodTube

I suppose it was only a matter of time until religion and YouTube came together. Through a funding announcement on VentureBeat, I found out about GodTube about a week ago. I spent a little time checking it out and it's pretty interesting. I especially liked this video:



With everything else I have going on these days, I doubt I'll spend much further time on the site. But thought I'd share it with others in case you're interested.

LDS Church and DNA research

Last night, my brother-in-law DE asked me about DNA research and whether it supports - or undermines - the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon. I've never looked into the topic so I didn't have an opinion on it. As a follow-up, DE sent me two articles - one article from the USA Today and one article from the LA Times. Both of the articles are a couple of years old and were prompted by a book that was being published at the time. I just read both articles and they are interesting. It would appear that some members - particularly those in Central and South America and the South Pacific - find this research problematic to their faith since it contradicts what they have been taught in the past. For me, I have to admit that scientific evidence is not central to my faith so I'm not terribly concerned about these findings. It doesn't affect my belief in the Book of Mormon or any other part of the Church. I assume there is some perfectly reasonable answer to all of this and that we'll know it in the fullness of time. In the meantime, we should acknowledge this is an area that isn't clear-cut, one way or the other, and be willing to live with some ambiguity. Obviously, that's easier for some people than others. As in everything else, God has a perfect knowledge of all things (including the exact ancestry and progeny of people in the Book of Mormon, the other inhabitants of those geographic areas, etc). So, if we want to know answers to questions such as "should I continue to be a member of this Church in the face of these studies" or "is the Book of Mormon true", we can ask God in prayer and he will testify to the truth via the Holy Ghost. That is a blessing that we all have in our lives and one that I would encourage people to utilize more often.

The Gift to Know

I had dinner tonight with the missionaries and two people who are investigating the LDS Church (a father and his son). I had sent the father (BF) a couple of recent General Conference talks to read since I thought he might find them interesting (see PDF with my hand-written comments). One of the talks pertained to testimony (see here). BF marked the following sentence as pertaining to me: "Those who have the gift to know have an obvious duty to bear their witness so that those who have the gift to believe on their words might also have eternal life." No one (including BF and his son) have believed on my words but I certainly have been given the gift to know and, therefore, feel a duty to bear my witneess of that to those who are seeking greater truth or meaning in their lives.