In the name of Jesus Christ

A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a post wondering why people say the word "amen" at the end of their prayers.  Tonight, I was wondering why members of the LDS Church say the words "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" at the end of their prayers.  The short answer is that we're directed in scripture to do this (see 3 Nephi 18:19 and the topical guide). The longer answer is that we're acknowledging and accepting the authority of Jesus Christ - seeing this great article from the 1985 Ensign entitled "Taking upon Us the Name of Jesus Christ" for a very thorough treatment of this topic. So, combined with what I wrote before regarding the meaning of "amen", saying "in the name of Jesus Christ, amen" is morally equivalent to saying "by the authority of Jesus Christ, so it may be".

Lunch Bag Art

A friend of mine just turned me on to a very cool site - Lunch Bag Art.  Apparently this guy makes a new bag each day for his kids during his lunch break.  Very cool to look through all the designs.  Too bad I don't have this talent but hopefully I can find other special things to do for my kids over time.

Sri Siva Vishnu Temple

This morning, my parents and I visited the Sri Siva Vishnu Temple in Lanham, Maryland.  It's a really impressive Hindu temple in this area - see pictures from our visit.  The architecture and attention to detail were amazing.  My dad said that the facility and the deities are more reminescient of South India than West Bengal.  We also tried to visit the Washington Kali Temple but it turned out to be closed when we got there (too bad).

Ghost Town

On my way back from India, they were showing the movie Ghost Town on the plane.  It's a reasonably entertaining movie about an obnoxious guy who has a near-death experience and can then see ghosts afterwards - more in this movie review. There was a quote in the movie by Albert Einstein that I really liked - "Only a life lived for others is worth living." I would certainly agree - and wanted to save the quote for future reference.

one night @ the call center

While I was in the Kolkata airport, I bought a book called one night @ the call center by Chetan Bhagat (later turned into a movie called "Hello").  Here is the description on the back of the book:

In the winter of 2004, a writer met a young girl on an overnight train journey. To pass the time, she offered to tell him a story. However, she offered to tell him a story. However, she had one condition: that he make it into his second book. He hesitated, but asked what the story was about. The girl said the story was about six people working in a call center, set in one night. She said it was the night they had got a phone call. That phone call was from God.

Given the description, I was expecting a much more spiritual book than it turned out to be.  So I was a bit disappointed but the novel was still entertaining.  Probably the most interesting part of the book was an exercise the author has readers go through at the very beginning:

Before you begin this book, I have a small request. Right here, note down three things. Write down something that (i) you fear, (ii) makes you angry, (iii) you don't like about yourself. Be honest, and write something that is meaningful to you. Do not think too much about why I am asking you to do this. Just do it ... okay, now forget about this exercise and enjoy the story.

At first, I was at a bit of a loss on how to respond.  As I thought about it more, here is what I wrote down. I fear not living up to my potential and not doing what God would have be do in life.  I later amended this to also include a fear of being stung by bees/wasps and using toilets in public bathrooms.  What makes me angry is illogical and irrational behavior.  And what I don't like about myself is my shortness of temper with my kids sometimes and also being "yahoo serious" most of the time (well, really all the time).

British Idol (Punjabi Style)

This is a great video that my mother pointed me to - Michael Jackson meets Bollywood is the best way to describe it.

This video is their first performance on the show.  They later went on to the semifinals (see video) and the finals (see video).

Spirituality, Not Religion, Makes Kids Happy

My brother sent me an article from U.S. News & World Report entitled "Spirituality, Not Religion, Makes Kids Happy". Here is the opening part of the article:

The link between spirituality and happiness is pretty well-established for teens and adults. More spirituality brings more happiness. Now a study has reached into the younger set, finding the same link in "tweens" and in kids in middle childhood.

Specifically, the study shows that children who feel that their lives have meaning and value and who develop deep, quality relationships — both measures of spirituality, the researchers claim — are happier.

Personal aspects of spirituality (meaning and value in one's own life) and communal aspects (quality and depth of inter-personal relationships) were both strong predictors of children's happiness, said study leader Mark Holder from the University of British Columbia in Canada and his colleagues Ben Coleman and Judi Wallace.

However, religious practices were found to have little effect on children's happiness, Holder said. Religion is just one institutionalized venue for the practice of or experience of spirituality, and some people say they are spiritual but are less enthusiastic about the concept of God.

Other research has shown a connection between well-adjusted and well-behaved children and religion, but that is not the same, necessarily, as happiness.

No huge surprises here. My one comment - at least from my last year of experience - is that a religiously-grounded world-view can certainly enhance one's spirituality and communal aspects - which, in turn, enhances happiness.

Paul Potts

This is a really cool video.  Made me tear up a bit to see how well he performed.

Paul went on to win the competition and now even has a CD of his own (see his official site).  Dreams really do come true sometimes.

Reflections of Christ

I met briefly with the missionaries yesterday and they let me borrow a DVD called Reflections of Christ. The project generated 25 photo portrayals of different parts of the life of Christ as described in the New Testament. One is included to the right - angels heralding the birth of Christ. The other photos are available to view online here. There is a beautiful slide show set to music here. It's a little over five and a half minutes long. It's definitely worth the time to watch. I gathered the family together this morning to watch and it was a nice spiritual moment on the Sabbath.

New 2000 Year Old Insight

I'm reading through a conference presentation for work and it included this great quote:

“One thing is sure: the Earth is more cultivated and developed now than ever before; there is more farming but fewer forests, swamps are drying up and cities springing up on an unprecedented scale. We have become a burden to our planet. Resources are becoming scarce and soon Nature will no longer be able to satisfy our needs.”

-Quintus Septimius Tertullianus (Roman politician) 200 BC

The presentation says 200 BC but a quick search makes it seems like 200 AD is more accurate.  Regardless, it appears that people have been concerned about the future of the plant for a long time.  Technology (and land expansion) has always come to the rescue in the past.  Hopefully technology can save the day again this time - or at least be an important part of the answer.