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.