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.

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.

LDS Sharing Handouts

In a recent Ensign article, Elder M. Russell Ballard said: "It is not easy to explain something as vast as the Church or as wonderful as the restored gospel to people who know little or nothing about us. Even questions on one specific aspect can be difficult to answer because every question seems to be connected to other questions. The most common request we hear is a fairly simple one that goes something like this: 'Tell me a little about your Church.' The key word here is 'little.' They are not saying, 'Tell me everything you know and then send others to tell me everything else.'"

With these "curious" souls in mind, I created a set of handouts that can be used - individually or in aggregate - to share different parts of the gospel with others. The handouts are not meant to be comprehensive or address all questions that someone may have about the Church. Rather, the goal is to provide enough information to peak someone's interest and generate further questions and dialogue either with members or with the full-time missionaries.

In terms of content, I have utilized text from various Church sources rather than composing any of the material myself. While I'm happy to discuss any and all of this material in my own words one-on-one, I figured it was safest to stick with "approved text" in written form. For each handout, the source material is referenced. In many cases, I had to abbreviate the text to make it all fit onto one page. I, of course, take full responsibility for any meaning lost in this translation.

Looking up the economic ladder

I was talking to a friend the other night about work/life balance and he sent me this article afterwards. It talks about the dangers of materialism and of comparing ourselves to others. Here are some interesting excerpts:

Trying to define materialism is like a fish trying to describe water, says Carroll: “We swim in it. It’s all around us. It’s so pervasive that it’s very hard to question it and think about it clearly.” In addition, the material standards that define modest, good, or decadent living creep up over time and are highly subjective.

Those nuances aside, Carroll defines materialism as placing a high importance on material possessions as the means to achieving personal happiness and a sense of well-being. Several studies have shown that people who have a materialistic orientation report lower levels of happiness and feel less connection in relationships. “As you emphasize and value the material, you start to lessen your appreciation for the personal,” says Carroll...

Consider, for example, the couple that looks up the economic ladder and focuses on people who have more. Even if they have plenty of income, typically they will perceive themselves as not having enough, which in turn fosters a sense of entitlement, feelings of resentment, and anxiety, says Carroll: “If you see that so-and-so goes to Europe, you might think, ‘I’ve never been to Europe. Part of the good life is a vacation in Europe, but we can’t afford that. Something’s not right.’ So you start to attach your expectations and your sense of quality of life to those higher on the ladder.” At its core, looking up also creates a sense of ingratitude, says Carroll. You lose perspective of what you have.

Those who compare themselves with those lower on the economic ladder are less likely to feel distressed about finances, even when their income is modest. “‘I can’t afford to go to Europe, but I can take a trip to Disneyland. I know people who would give anything to be able to afford to take their kids to Disneyland. Wow, I’m blessed.’ So now you’re grateful. You see yourself as fortunate.”

These ways of thinking are powerful, says Carroll. “Materialistic attitudes are a better predictor of finances as a problem in a relationship than is income, which means that even high-income individuals who are materialistic will have financial problems in their marriage.”

The article also offers questions to ask to determine if you are materialistic and also suggestions on how to change. In general, I think my wife and I do a pretty reasonable job in this regard but there is always room for improvement - especially in such a materialistic part of the country like Silicon Valley.

Conversion story

Someone in the ward (congregation) asked me for a copy of my conversion story the other day. For simplicity, I created a PDF of all the relevant posts from my blog (download here). It was interesting to me that, including comments from others, the file was 37 pages long - and that was just the key posts (not everything I wrote during that process). Anyway, in case you want to see the online posts directly, here are the ones I included in the PDF file:

• 33
• Investigating the LDS Church
• January 19, 2008
• I'm all in
• First Vision
• My Christmas Wish
• You can be the beginning
• Baptism and Confirmation
• A message to my future self

Enjoy.

Gordon B. Hinckley

At the age of 97 and a week after me joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, President Gordon B. Hinckley has joined his wife Marjorie in the life hereafter (see news release). I am sorry to learn of his passing. President Hinckley has had a profound impact on the Church and oversaw a period of rapid worldwide growth. I won't claim to have a strong personal connection to him given my recent membership in the Church, but I will share three ways that he personally touched my life. First, President Hinckley initiated the building of many smaller temples throughout the world (what many consider a key part of his legacy as President). The first of those many smaller temples was the Fresno Temple - where I solidifed my testimony (see prior post). Second, he invited KC to be the President of BYU-Idaho in Rexburg, Idaho - where I learned more fully of eternal families (see prior post). And, third, he gave a talk in November called "Slow to Anger" that was discussed today in our weekly church meetings - which I felt was quite timely and something I need to more fully internalize (especially with my children). I'm sure other examples will come to mind or develop over time.

At this time, I feel most compelled to testify that I know Gordon B. Hinckley was a prophet of God. The Lord sustained and supported him in that role and we were blessed to have him in our lives.

Baptism and Confirmation

This past weekend, I was baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Both of those events were meaningful to me but my real hope and prayer during the last week was that they would also be an uplifting and testimony-building experience for those around me. It was also my hope and prayer that these events would serve as a uniting - rather than dividing - force for my family and extended family. I believe that both of these prayers were answered.

In terms of the baptism itself, my son JD stole the show in many ways (which was totally fine with me). He appointed himself the "baptism director" and wanted to oversee every aspect of the event. He helped me prepare the programs (see PDF). We got to the church early so he could help setup chairs and get everything ready. When people began to arrive, he told them where to sit and what the program had in store. He and my brother conducted a family scripture portion of the program while my brother-in-law JG and I were getting changed after the ordinance itself. And afterwards he helped with the clean-up. It was so fun to see his enthusiam for the event.

I was surprised by the number of people who attended. When I spoke with the Ward Mission Leader, he said that typically he makes 25 programs for a baptism; perhaps 40 if there will be a lot of family there. After we setup the chairs, I asked JD to count them and there were 67. And every one of them ended up being filled with some additional folks in the doorway. So I'm guessing there were probably 70 people or so at the event. I was commenting on this to the Ward Mission Leader after the event and he said "people like you and they know you like them". For whatever reason, that comment made me a little uncomfortable. But I was still grateful that so many people took time out of their schedule to attend.

My brother-in-law DE offered a moving opening prayer and his wife BE offered an equally moving closing prayer. My sisters-in-law NR and HG offered heart-felt testimonies of God's love for us and their faith in the gospel. I was very touched with what they both said. HG, in particular, has been my "borrowed light" up to this point - and undoubtedly will serve in that capacity for some time to come.

I was very pleased that a family member (my brother-in-law JG) was able to baptize me, that another family member (my wife's uncle GH) was able to be a witness, and that a close family friend (RW) was able to be the other witness. RW flew in from SLC for the day and GH and his wife PH drove up from Fresno (which isn't easy given GH's health challenges since his stroke). As I was immersed under the water, I opened my eyes for a moment and it was as if the heavens peeked through to me for a moment. Later, one of the attendees observed that there was a full moon out during the day and that was a sign that the heavens were smiling down on me.

It was very important to me that every part of my family and my extended family were represented in some way during the program. For family members who could not attend in person, I asked them to submit a scripture that had significance to their family and these scriptures were read aloud by volunteers from the audience. I wasn't present for that part of the program (since I was changing out of wet clothes) but I heard it went very well and people got value out of the scriptures. I have no doubt the thoughts and prayers of family not present helped build the spirit for this part of the program.

During the week, I worried a lot about what I might say after I was baptized. In the midst of this worry, I read this scripture and it had meaning to me: "Take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you." (Matthew 10:19-20) I ended up talking about the fact that there wasn't any doubt in my mind that I was doing the right thing when I married my wife and I had a similar feeling about being baptized that day. When I first made the decision to be baptized, I didn't see how that would be true but the Lord lead me through it each step of the way.

Two quick asides. The week before I was baptized, I was completely stressed out and overwhelmed at work. There was lots going on and I didn't see how I was going to get everything done - especially given the fact that my entire weekend was spoken for. One of the missionaries shared this scripture with me and then I came across it in my own reading: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you. Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. (Matthew 6:31-34)"

Also, I decided to fast from about 3pm the day before until after my baptism. We had a family brunch scheduled the morning of my baptism and I chose not to participate in it (at least the eating part). This was disappointing to my wife since she prepared this special meal and cooking is something that requires a lot of effort for her. I actively questioned whether I should break my fast early so I could be part of the brunch. I prayed that morning that God would help me decide what to do. And I got the impression I should read the scriptures for an answer and came across this scripture: "He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me. He that findeth his life shall lose it: and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it. (Matthew 10:37-39)"

Regarding the confirmation, I asked one of the missionaries to confer the gift of the Holy Ghost on me (see article). There are others who are more "spiritually advanced" whom I could have asked to have done this (including the others who were part of the confirmation circle) but I selected this particular person based on reading this article from the Ensign. In the article, Elder Clayton Christensen says "None of Jesus’s original Twelve Apostles had evidenced adequate experience or commitment when He called them. Enoch, Moses, Samuel, David, Jeremiah, Amos, and Joseph Smith were unqualified by the world’s standards when the Lord put them to work. But God transformed them. We will build greater strength and our wards and branches will grow when we stop relying solely on the strongest members."

In terms of what was said, here is a rough but hopefully fairly accurate recreation. Three people were taking notes (thanks!) and I remembered some additional stuff as well.

GNP, By the power and authority of the Melchizadek Priesthood which we hold, we confirm you a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and say unto you, Receive the Holy Ghost. Your Heavenly Father is very pleased with you and your decision to come unto Christ and receive the ordinances of baptism and confirmation, a decision you have made with all your heart. Heavenly Father knows this has been a difficult decision for you and He is proud of your strength, and, as you continue to grow in the church, you will be a guiding light to your family and those you meet and a strength to those around you. We do these things in the name of Jesus Christ, Amen.

Shortly after the confirmation, I gave my "hypothetical" talk on why missionary work is so important (see prior post). Out of everything from the whole weekend, this was likely the thing I was most nervous about. Again, as would appear the pattern of the week, I found a scripture that put my mind at ease (and one that I put to the test during my talk): "When a man speaketh by the power of the Holy Ghost the power of the Holy Ghost carrieth it unto the hearts of the children of men. (2 Nephi 33:1)" I thought the talk went very well and even I was surprised with the force and conviction with which I delivered the message. I surely spoke with the power of the Holy Ghost and I attribute 100% of my success to that (and not to me or my personal abilities). It was also my prayer that my talk would touch people's hearts in some way. Based on some of the comments afterwards, I believe that prayer was answered (again by the power of the Holy Ghost).

Relative to the talk I posted back in December, I did change the conclusion. Specifically, I talked about a comment that one of the ward members shared with me after my baptism. He said that with the help of the Holy Ghost, I cannot fail. I testified to others that if they put their faith in the Lord and accept the help of the Holy Ghost, they cannot fail either.

Even though I didn't share these final comments from my original talk on Sunday, let me reiterate them here:

I would like to sincerely thank the members of this ward for creating an environment so welcoming to the Spirit. I would like to thank the missionaries for their tireless work on the Lord’s behalf. I would like to thank my family and friends for their unconditional love and support through this process and through life in general. And I would most importantly like to thank our Heavenly Father for answering our prayers, for sticking with us throughout our lives, and for knowing when we are ready to accept Him into our hearts.

A message to my future self

This past weekend, you were baptized and confirmed a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Regardless of what happens in your life, remember always that your Heavenly Father loves you and He wants you and your family to return to live in his presence. You will surely experience peaks and valleys as you go through life - both spiritual and temporal. When things are going well, remember always that the many blessings in your life come from God, be thankful and humble for that, and re-double your efforts to serve the Lord and observe his Commandments. When things are not going well, remember always to put your full faith in the Lord, repent, and know of the great power of His atoning sacrifice. The Lord has helped you get this far. He has led you by the hand and answered your prayers. He will not abandon you unless you abandon Him. You can always return to Him. He will always take you back. Above all else, accept the will of God in your life and the lives of others and always strive to serve as an instrument of God's will on this earth; not for your own glory but for His. Our Heavenly Father has a plan for each of us and life works in a way that only He can fully comprehend.

If you ever doubt these things to be true, know with every fiber of your being that on this day and at this time you knew that they were true and summon strength from the fact that, for at least one fleeting moment, you were without doubt.

You can be the beginning

A week and a half ago, I visited Rexburg, Idaho to attend the temple open house there (see prior post for rationale). On Friday, January 11, I flew from SFO to SLC after work. On that flight, I ran into a couple that used to be in our ward that I hadn't seen in a long time. To my surprise, they were very familiar with my blog and why I was heading to Idaho. This couple also ended up attending my baptism a week later and commented that they felt the spirit was strong at the event (coincidence?).

My brother-in-law TR picked me up at the airport and we drove to Pocatello, Idaho to spend the night. There were forecasts for snow - and there were some flurries here and there - but the weather held up and the drive was uneventful. As I said in an earlier post, this was the first time that TR and I have had the opportunity to spend an extended block of time together (just the two of us). Usually we only see each other at family events and there are kids running around and five different conversations going in parallel. So it was very meaningful to spend dedicated 1:1 time with him. Prior to the trip, my father-in-law commented that the radio coverage is poor on the way from SLC to Rexburg and that we should bring some tapes along to pass the time. His specific comment was that there's only so much time you can fill with conversation. But TR and I had no trouble finding things to talk about - mostly family and religion. In fact, that night, we talked for about 6 hours straight from 7pm to 1am (both in the car and then in the motel). And then the next day, we talked for about 1.5 hours during the drive from Pocatello to Rexburg and for 4 hours during the drive from Rexburg back to SLC. It was a real blessing.

In terms of that night in Pocatello, the other thing that was meaningful about it is that I finished reading the Book of Mormon. At the point I decided to get baptized (see prior post), I was only 50 pages (~10%) of the way through the BOM. I set a goal for myself, however, that I would make it through the entire book before my baptism date. I fell behind in my reading for awhile (see prior post) and thought at times I wouldn't achieve this goal but I was able to pull it off. Let me be more specific - with the Lord's help (and only because of the Lord's help) was I able to pull it off. During the weeks leading up to this trip to Idaho, whenever I opened the BOM to continue my reading, I was alert and able to absorb the material regardless of how tired I might otherwise be. I know with certainty that the Lord was leading me by the hand through this process (see D&C 112:10).

During the week leading up to the trip, I thought I should put Moroni's promise (see Moroni 10:3-5) to the test again and ask for another spiritual confirmation of the BOM like the one I received 14 years ago (see prior post). But I chose not to do that - not because I feared I wouldn't receive another confirmation but because I knew in my heart it was already true. In particular, I thought about a story a friend told me soon after I decided to be baptized:

Let me tell you my story about coming to know the Book of Mormon is true. As a teenager, I really struggled (for lots of reasons). I was rebellious and quite unsure that I wanted to accept the faith that my parents had taught me. But I was irritated by peopling mocking my family’s religion. I wondered why I was so offended if I didn’t believe in it (since I was offended beyond the usual "being offended" I feel when someone mocks anyone’s beliefs). I decided that it was time to figure things out for myself, so I decided to read the Book of Mormon and put Moroni’s promise to the test.

So, I read the Book of Mormon. I read every day and was quite dedicated until I finished. I remember the day it was time to pray about it. I was in the downstairs bedroom of my parents’ house. I knelt down and said – "Okay, I have read the Book of Mormon. I have read with real intent. I have done my part. I want to test Moroni’s promise. I want to know for myself if it is true. Please help me to feel that it is true and please help me to recognize the answer." (I don’t know if those were the exact words, but you get the message.) I felt nothing spectacular. Really. Nothing spectacular. So I prayed again and asked again. Nothing. I said, "Heavenly Father, you have promised that if I really study and want to know, you will answer me." I must have asked several times. And then the thoughts came to my mind, "Why, my child, do you ask me now? I have already answered you. Do you not see? Do you not recognize? Can you not see that reading this book has changed your life?" I did not hear words. I did not hear a voice. But I felt these thoughts as clear impressions. As I sat and pondered what I felt, I knew it was true. In the short time I had read the Book of Mormon, I had changed so much. While I still struggled with the same difficulties that had led to my rebellion in the first place, I had experienced a change of heart. I viewed myself differently. I viewed my family differently. My desires were different. My behavior had changed. What had caused these things? Studying the Book of Mormon. The spirit of that book had worked a mighty change in my life and there was no turning back. I knew it had to be the word of God and I knew the Lord knew he had already given me sufficient answer to my inquiry. Although I have stumbled and fallen short many times since that initial conversion, I cannot deny what I felt that day. It has stayed with me all these years.

So, instead of asking for a confirmation of the truthfulness of the BOM, I thanked the Lord for the confirmation I had already received, the impact that the BOM and my new faith had already had in my life, and the impact it will have in my life for all eternity. I also asked the Lord to stay with me and let me know what decisions I should make in my life - and have the courage and conviction to make (and stick with) those decisions even if they're not popular or have short-term consequences.

In terms of the visit to the temple itself, it was very meaningful to me. The topic of eternal families has been on my mind a lot recently (see prior post). Interestedly, the Sunday before my trip, a young girl shared her testimony in Sacrament meeting. She spoke about how her family had visited the Rexburg open house over the holidays. She also spoke about how happy she was that her family could be together forever. I'm sure she wasn't thinking of me as she shared these prophetic comments and surely didn't know the impact that they'd have on me - just another example of the Lord working through each of us in ways that we'll never fully comprehend.

For each of my temple trips, there has been something very specific I got out of it. Now, I had no clue going into each visit what that something would be. The covenant, on some level, was that I was going to exercise faith and show up at the appointed hour and then the Lord would take it from there. And the Lord consistently delivered on His part of the promise each and every time (for which I am incredibly humbled and grateful). This time around, the purpose of my temple visit was to deepen my testimony and conviction regarding the power of eternal families. Specifically, in one of the sealing rooms in the temple, KC talked about how the sealing ordinance serves as a welding bond between your ancestry and your posterity. The two become connected in a way that cannot be torn apart (see, for example, Matthew 16:19 - "whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven"). He also said (and this is what touched me most deeply) is that you can be the beginning of your eternal family. Even if you're the first person in your family to accept the gospel (as I am on my side of the family), you can be the beginning of your eternal family. Your faith can benefit your posterity through direct example and transition through future generations but, due to the power of vicarious ordinances and the authority that has been restored to perform them, our faith can also benefit our ancestry and unite us as an eternal family.

I realize that some people - particularly some in my family - will have a very hard time with what I just said. I know they don't believe in vicarious ordinances and also have trouble with other aspects of the gospel. Perhaps that will change at some point or perhaps not. But I cannot deny what I know in my heart to be true - just as I wouldn't want them to deny in their hearts what they know to be true.

The other thing that KC said that was meaningful to me was about not focusing on yourself. In the sealing rooms, there are facing mirrors. KC asked a couple to stand up and faced one of the mirrors. He then made the observation that if you focus on yourself in the mirror, you see yourself and the image stops there. But if you shift your view to your spouse and focus on her, you can see into the distance forever.

One last thing. I am incredibly grateful to KC and his wife for being so generous with their time during my visit. KC personally gave me and TR our tour of the temple and then invited us back to his home for lunch. His wife personally prepared the food and was so welcoming to both of us. I was completely blown away that they would do that - especially given all the other demands on their time. I can only hope that I can follow their example in the future and return the favor by helping others who are seeking or in need of assistance.

Lesser Known Holidays

In the Washington Post, they include a one-page KidsPost each day. Today, the KidsPost was entitled "Every Day Is a Cause to Celebrate" and they highlighted "less important dates to take note of this year." I thought some of these were really funny so I'm including them all here for others to enjoy.

January (Oatmeal Month)
20: Penguin Awareness Day
24: National Compliment Day
28: Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day

February
1: Hula in the Coola Day
5: International Pancake Day
14: Ferris Wheel Day
23: Curling Is Cool Day

March (National Frozen Food Month)
9: Panic Day
16: Lips Appreciation Day
22: International Goof-Off Day

April (National Kite Month)
17: National High Five Day
29: National Hairball Awareness Day
30: Hairstylist Appreciation Day

May
2: No Pants Day
3: Lumpy Rug Day
12: Limerick Day
16: National Pizza Party Day

June (National Candy Month)
13: Blame Someone Else Day
26: National Handshake Day
29: Log Cabin Day

July
3: Compliment Your Mirror Day
6-12: Be Nice to New Jersey Week
13: Embrace Your Geekness Day
27: Take Your Houseplant for a Walk Day

August
6: National Fresh Breath Day
19: Aviation Day
22: Be an Angel Day
26: National Dog Day

September (National Piano Month)
1-5: National Waffle Week
9: Wonderful Weirdos Day
26: Love Note Day

October (National Popcorn Poppin' Month & Spinach Lovers Month)
10: National Cake Decoration Day
31: National Magic Day

November
6: Saxophone Day
8: Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day
14: National American Teddy Bear Day
21: World Hello Day

December
4: National Dice Day
5: Bathtub Party Day
15: Cat Herders Day
21: Humbug Day

If you're interested in celebrating any or all of these "less important" dates with me, please let me know. =) Would love to know the origin of some of these "holidays". If anyone knows any good resources in that regard, please also let me know. Thanks!