Sunday, June 29, 2008
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? =)
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
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. =)
Monday, June 09, 2008
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.
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