Phil was my roommate for 3 years, from the summer of 1996 until the summer of 1999.
He was a faithful friend to all that he knew, and faithful to his God.
I have a lot of good memories- his honesty, kindness, frankness, patience, musical talent (on Sunday mornings we all rested in the beautiful hymns he played on his piano in the living room of our townhouse).
Sometimes some of us (Phil, Mark, etc.) would stay up late in our apartment in North Logan and would just chat, enjoying a late, peaceful night sharing thoughts on the Gospel, life, dating, etc.
Heidi, a long-time neighbor and friend, married Phil several years later. They now have a beautiful daughter. What a lucky woman. They are both great examples to me.
I truly enjoyed reading Phil's testimony and am grateful Heidi shared it. I remember that he often would study his scriptures at the kitchen table, recording his thoughts in a large notebook. I think of that often.
You may have heard a lot in the news recently about the Mormons (members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints) and their belief in temple worship. Like Frank Moore Cross, professor of Ancient History at Harvard, states in the following video:
"Someone who does not know much about temples, and Mormons building temples, should be directed to the Bible."
The Old and New Testament are full of descriptions of temples and their purpose. Of course, since the coming of Jesus Christ and the fulfillment of the Mosaic Law, temples serve a different, although identical, or parallel purpose: providing a sacred place where we can go to make an offering to the Lord.
The Savior asks us to come unto him and live as He does. His joy is fulfilled in our desire to seek others' welfare as we commhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifit ourselves to God's work and glory: "to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man." - Moses 1:39
A co-worker sent this to me. I thought it was funny.
It causes me to reflect on caring for our earth. My thoughts on this are, global warming or not, we need to care for our earth. It is our home. It deserves the best and I feel that there is a lot we can do to improve our use and investment into renewable energy sources.
To me the idea of "energy independence" goes far beyond drilling for our own oil and independence from oil-producing nations. It means every family having a simple solar system on their homes, being able to be independent from the grid when the power goes out, thanks to a battery that can run furnaces and several florescent bulbs inside, that recharges each day when the sun comes up.
It also means that during really sunny days that the electrical meters on homes are turning backwards, generating more power than their home needs and putting it back into the power grid. That is the way things ought to work.
This same principle applies to finances, food, and so on... ever heard of a garden and food storage?
"And it came to pass that Enoch looked upon the earth; and he heard a voice from the bowels thereof, saying: Wo, wo is me, the mother of men; I am pained, I am weary, because of the wickedness of my children. When shall I rest, and be cleansed from the filthiness which is gone forth out of me? When will my Creator sanctify me, that I may rest, and righteousness for a season abide upon my face?" - Moses 7:48
"It's a wonderful feeling to know that you served the Lord and that you really helped save these people's lives," Gabe said. "It's a feeling like none other. It's a really tremendous feeling."
Proposition 8, the proposal in California to define marriage in the state's constitution as limited to a man and a woman, has been a very hot topic as of late.
CLERGYMAN: Mahwage. Mawage is wot bwings us togevah tooday. Mahwage, that bwessed awangement, that dweam wifin a dweam ... And wuv, twu wuv, will fowow you foweva. So twesa your wuv –
PRINCE HUMPERDINCK (interrupting): Skip to the end! CLERGYMAN: Have you the wing?
I feel that it is important for each of us to ask ourselves and study out in our own minds why we believe what we believe. The following thoughts probably began as a teenager, evolved as I served an LDS mission, attended college at Utah State, and continue as the battle rages regarding the definition of marriage and family:
After every argument is heard regarding the definition of marriage, etc., I always come back to one very simple set of ideas:
We (people) are important. You and I are more important than we can even fathom. We tend to love our freedom, or agency (most do, anyway). Many individuals have both lived and died to grant and protect freedom.
We (people) are the product of a man and a woman. Regardless of your parents' level of commitment to each other, it was a man and woman that are the source from which you and I sprang. Due to these origins, it is natural for me to promote this idea of family, for it is within this idea of family- the traditional family- that people come. This idea of family is powerful, it creates life, and generates the opportunity of "freedom" for another generation. How wonderful it is when parents are committed to one another and their children!
Any idea, lifestyle, choice, or organization that denies, limits, or minimizes the traditional family, or opportunity for children (like you and I) to be born and enjoy the opportunities of life, liberty, and happiness, must be questioned. Does it not make sense that if an individual truly loved their own freedom, their very existence, and was truly grateful for it, that they would need to acknowledge the man and woman who made this gift and opportunity possible for them? Is it not true that pursuing or supporting any idea, lifestyle, choice, or organization that limits, minimizes, or neglects the idea of children is contrary to the nature of freedom, giving, and life itself? Is it not true that if we seek a relationship that does not generate what we were given- life- that we essentially deny it to others?
On the surface it is clear why individuals view same-sex marriage as a "right." Almost any choice could fit into that category of being one's "right", although we could quickly rule out choices that infringe upon the freedoms of others (theft, violence, murder, etc.). But it is this very idea- the idea that our choice restricts the freedom of others, that is the reason that same-sex marriage is a poor choice. It does not preserve freedom, but just seeks its own, and as it is pursued- becomes the end of that very idea.
More thoughts... It is interesting to see individuals promote same-sex marriage, civil unions, etc. They perceive that others have "rights" that they are denied. They act as if they are being overlooked, neglected, or robbed of privileges that should be available to them. The truth is that those opportunities are available to them and can be theirs if they choose. They seek to change the rules, redefine marriage for everyone, as if the definition of the marriage relationship or "gender" are now ours to define and change, regardless of how things work naturally in the real world. Hello! People are born to men and women! Not only are men and women unique and necessary to produce life, but they are also unique and complementary as they fulfill their roles as parents as they raise their children. Traditional marriage is pro-choice, pro-life and pro-freedom, is it not? Choose what you may for a relationship, but don't redefine it for others!
Lifestyles other than traditional marriage, whatever they may be, tend to be selfish in nature in that they exclude or delay a future generation from the life and liberties that we now have. Those actively pursuing or promoting "alternative" lifestyles need to understand that if their forbears had espoused- and lived- by these same ideas of rights and freedom- that they, the following generation, probably would not exist.
Love gives and does not take. It seeks the benefit of others and not self.
Why do individuals defend the traditional definition of marriage? That's easy- they are FOR people. They are FOR children. They are for the freedom of OTHERS. Others like you and I will not continue to exist without the idea of traditional marriage.
Choosing to pursue or support anything other than the traditional marriage relationship is an end in and of itself. What makes it even more significant for those that believe is the fact that marriage relationships can be eternal.
On another note... How should "The Princess Bride" been different? Wesley, under his guise of the Black Pirate Roberts, should have swallowed his pride and simply asked Buttercup why she had not waited to marry her true love, instead of accusing her of what he perceived to be "bailing out" on her. But of course if this had happened we would have skipped out on all of the adventures that followed- falling down the hill, the fire-swamp, ROUS's, etc. :) I guess I am wont to run through fire-swamps and battle rats of unusual size instead of just getting to the point of love and marriage as well. :) I apologize if there are any typos in this post or any incomplete sentences, etc.
I have not read his book, Crash Proof, but it sounds like Mr. Peter Schiff could see what many of us could see coming. I really felt like the home prices around me here in Utah, as well as my own was a false, blown-up bubble that would pop. It was unhealthy, unsupported growth.
I can remember practicing in a combined choir with Brian Weston and Lynn (I can't remember his last name) when a guy next to me was asking what I thought of the government's deficit spending. I remember telling him something to the effect that anybody or any organization who continues to go into debt further and further will one day have to pay the consequences. I can remember being discouraged at the fact that the government was not balancing its budget. I am not a financial wizard, nor the world's greatest budget-keeper, but I know I feel better when I save my money and am able to make sound investments. Many of us in the U.S. have borrowed way too much and it is now coming back to bite us.
An address from President Gordon B. Hinckley has been a great guide to me in my life. It is entitled, To the Boys and To the Men, and was given in November of 1998. I include what is to me the most significant excerpt:
Now, brethren, I should like to talk to the older men, hoping that there will be some lesson for the younger men as well.
I wish to speak to you about temporal matters.
As a backdrop for what I wish to say, I read to you a few verses from the 41st chapter of Genesis.
Pharaoh, the ruler of Egypt, dreamed dreams which greatly troubled him. The wise men of his court could not give an interpretation. Joseph was then brought before him: “Pharaoh said unto Joseph, In my dream, behold, I stood upon the bank of the river:
“And, behold, there came up out of the river seven kine, fatfleshed and well favoured; and they fed in a meadow:
“And, behold, seven other kine came up after them, poor and very ill favoured and leanfleshed. …
“And the lean and the ill favoured kine did eat up the first seven fat kine: …
“And I saw in my dream … seven ears came up in one stalk, full and good:
“And, behold, seven ears, withered, thin, and blasted with the east wind, sprung up after them:
“And the thin ears devoured the seven good ears: …
“And Joseph said unto Pharaoh, … God hath shewed Pharaoh what he is about to do.
“The seven good kine are seven years; and the seven good ears are seven years: the dream is one. …
“… What God is about to do he sheweth unto Pharaoh.
“Behold, there come seven years of great plenty throughout all the land of Egypt:
“And there shall arise after them seven years of famine;
Now, brethren, I want to make it very clear that I am not prophesying, that I am not predicting years of famine in the future. But I am suggesting that the time has come to get our houses in order.
So many of our people are living on the very edge of their incomes. In fact, some are living on borrowings.
We have witnessed in recent weeks wide and fearsome swings in the markets of the world. The economy is a fragile thing. A stumble in the economy in Jakarta or Moscow can immediately affect the entire world. It can eventually reach down to each of us as individuals. There is a portent of stormy weather ahead to which we had better give heed.
This counsel has guided me in many decisions. I am thankful for a prophet who just simply wanted us to live wisely, both spiritually and financially.
And now, just for fun, here is an excerpt worth watching that my brother Andrew showed me today. Note how Mr. Schiff is almost mocked by some of the other investment advisors because of his opinion:
For the past several years I have carried around in my scriptures a sheet of paper listing the beginnings of what a either a teacher in a past Sunday meeting encouraged us to to do: Create a list of 50 of your greatest experiences so far in your life. I do not remember who it was, but have resolved over this Thanksgiving weekend to finish this list that I started, and then record them in my journal.
I express my gratitude for the individual that extended this challenge and for some of the great examples of journal-writers in my life: Wilford Woodruff, Kenyon Platt, and Annie Weber.
A few months ago I spent some time reading about the history of many African-Americans in the early Church after it was restored in 1830. It was inspired by a short interview I heard on public radio or television regarding an upcoming film produced by black members of the Church entitled, "Nobody Knows: The Untold Story of Black Mormons". At this web site promoting the film you can view a trailer and make donations to furthering the promotion of the film and production of the DVD. It was already shown in Utah and many other states and is supposed to be shown here in Utah again soon. Details on how the film has been received so far have been discussed here. In late January, The Deseret News also had an article on the release of the movie.
This June (2008) marks the 30-year anniversary of the revelation on the Priesthood given to President Spencer W. Kimball. A celebration is being held in the Salt Lake Tabernacle to celebrate the event. Tickets are available at the Church's events website. Details from that page are:
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will present the Church Commemoration of the Revelation on the Priesthood on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Tabernacle on Temple Square. Elder Sheldon F. Child of the Seventy will be the speaker for this event, with several Church members also giving inspirational messages. A multicultural choir will be performing under the direction of Mack Wilberg on Sunday, June 8, 2008, at 7:00 p.m. in the Tabernacle on Temple Square.
Jane Manning James (center), early pioneer who traveled west to Utah with the early saints
The experiences of these early saints are really wonderful. They were faithful despite prejudice and ignorance. Other than the web sites linked above, you may want to visit http://www.blacklds.org . This site has great information and testimonies.
They also had more information on Elijah Abel and Jane Manning James. Read the life history of Sister James there! It is awesome. I thought it was cool that the western timeline entry at www.blackpast.org had a little bit more on Elijah in the entry for 1847:
1847—Three African Americans, Green Flake, Oscar Crosby, and Hark Lay, accompany Brigham Young who leads the first Mormon pioneers to the Salt Lake Valley. The slaves of Southern Mormons, these men are sent ahead to help prepare for Mormon settlers to follow. Today, their names are inscribed on the Brigham Young monument in downtown Salt Lake City.
In closing, I recommend that you read the front of the grave marker below from the Wikipedia entry for Jane Manning James in Salt Lake City.
Click to view larger image and to read what it says!
"And he spake many things unto them inparables..." -Matt. 13: 3
For a few weeks in late January and early February I was helping a high school student I knew prepare for the ACT test. He was getting ready to apply for college and was looking for a little help. During these weeks I once again re-visited all of those wonderful and once-confusing math concepts. I can remember learning about "conics" for the first time in trigonometry- one of which is the parabola. For the student I was tutoring this was his first introduction. I am sure he was thinking what I did in my first encounter, "Okay, when I am I going to use this in real life?" He had a point (I also note here that it is a a good thing that we ask this question). Asking this question just proves that Jean Piaget, French philosopher and developmental psychologist, was right with his constructivist ideas- that we always seek to connect new knowledge to what we already know, use, and understand.
Hey- maybe knowing about conics would come in handy on that future day when you're cutting a slice out of a cone-shaped chunk of cheddar cheese. You could then say, "Look! A parabola!" What is interesting is how an understanding of various concepts, theories, or historical events, can provide us with a "multi-dimensional" view into different problems and/or situations. Having that additional background knowledge allows an individual to think on more than one level, or approach the idea or problem from more than one angle. Mathematics has always amazed me. It began being tough for me in 5th grade (fractions), and continued until, like Charlotte, two high school teachers helped me to rediscover my confidence and begin to understand the math world. I cannot tell you how many little mathematical "aha's" I've had over the last 10 or so years as I've taught and tutored math. Some have been doctrinal/scientific in nature, and some are just basic math that I should have caught in elementary school. A few years ago I was taught by a first grader who solidified my theories on Euclidean/non-Euclidean geometry and the course of God. Her quick and simple answer to my deep scientific question about the universe was all it took. Well, a little gospel math clicked in my mind today with regards to the teachings of Christ and the teaching style of our newly-ordained prophet, President Monson. Both a parabola and parable has two sides- the obvious side and another, less-obvious side. When you're driving that knife through the "conical chunk of cheddar" you're creating two new "edges"- on both the close and far sides of your knife. But first note the meaning and origin of the word, "parable..."
parable Main Entry:par·a·ble Pronunciation: \ˈpa-rə-bəl\ Function: noun Etymology: Middle English, from Anglo-French, from Late Latin parabola, from Greek parabolē comparison, from paraballein to compare, from para- + ballein to throw Date: 14th century
:example; specifically: a usually short fictitious story that illustrates a moral attitude or a religious principle
My thoughts are not profound, but last Saturday I found myself really thinking deeply on the simple story that President Thomas S. Monson shared in the world-wide training broadcast (text, audio, & video available here). It was his first formal address to members of the Church as its president. He encouraged us to develop:
1. A pattern of prayer 2. A library of learning 3. A legacy of love 4. A yearning for home
At the end of his address he shared a simple story about a young man who did not know his parentage. The only distant memory he had of his childhood were some chapel bells that rang each Sunday. He went out in search of that sound that he knew that he would recognize when he heard it, and continued on, stopping in each town to listen to the bells on the Sabbath day. In the story, the man eventually recognized and found the home of his birth.
In the lesson today our instructor challenged us to become familiar with and understand the language of the prophet Joseph Smith. It was different that ours. My mind went to the story shared by President Monson. It had many different meanings- from missionary work and the Spirit, the purpose of mortality, and to my own family.
Listen to a prophet. When he shares again the story from his childhood about giving up a few beloved train cars on Christmas Day in order to brighten another's life, don't start falling asleep- listen! There is another side. He is telling your story! It will always go a little deeper if we take the time to ponder on it- and especially act on it.
I wonder if I would have dismissed the Savior as a "teller of simple tales" had I encountered him in his ministry.
"And with many such parablesspake he the word unto them, as they were able to hear it." -Mark 4: 33
I have come to know President Thomas S. Monson just a little better over the past few weeks. I worked with his sister for 3 years as a teacher and she told us that the childhood stories he shares are exactly what he was like as a child. She (his sister) also shares the same qualities- kind, stalwart, open, fun, etc. I have reflected a lot on all that he has taught (in word and deed) over my lifetime. This morning for the first time I watched the press conference announcing his ordination to be the new president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. View it below if you haven't already. If there were a scripture that described the love and Christlike service of President Monson, it would be James 1:27 -
"Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself unspotted from the world."
I read in the news today that Sister Ruth Faust, wife of President James E. Faust, passed away yesterday- exactly 6 months after the passing of her husband. I do not know much about her life and family, except that Pres. Faust was extremely fond of her and expressed it often. I read an article in the Deseret News that says it all. The photos are also from www.deseretnews.com. This may be my last blog post before the copyright police haul me off. I quote from it below (heavily)...
"My dad has always made it very clear how much he loves my mother and respects womanhood," daughter Lisa said in a 1995 church magazine article. "He has always treated her with a sweet tenderness."
It was his love for his wife, Ruth, and their family that held sway in his heart.
"With all my heart I want to thank Ruth Wright Faust for letting me share her life and giving me the hope that we can share eternity together," President Faust said in 1973 when he was called as an assistant to the Quorum of the Twelve. "She is more than a wife and a sweetheart because she has become part of my very being."
"The Fausts were one of the church's great love stories," said Olsen. "President Faust won her away from many suitors. When they came into the same room, the world stopped and for a few moments, it was just the two of them, as they communicated through a glance or greetings. If you were in President Faust's office and she called, he not only always took the call, but also made it clear that she was his number one priority. The heavens are richer and the world poorer with the change of residence of Ruth Wright Faust."
What a great example they are! I am so grateful for the examples of all of those who demonstrate what marriage is meant to be- in every stage- from beginning to... well, of course it doesn't have an end... isn't that just dandy! -Loren
I'd heard the name of Glenn Beck, but didn't know much about him. I still don't. I guess I am out of the loop. Apparently he is a fairly well-known talk show host who has written a book, entitled An Inconvenient Book, that is currently second on the N.Y. Times bestseller list. If you want to hear a simple and yet great story of he and his family, watch the first clip below. If you want to learn more about Glenn Beck, see this article in the Deseret News.
I just learned that President Gordon B. Hinckley, president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, passed away tonight at 7 pm. How grateful I am that he gave practically every day of his life in service to others. I am also grateful for the wonderful example he and his sweet wife, Marjorie Pay Hinckley, who passed away in April of 2004, have been- and always will be- to me. What I know and have learned from this generous, loving, couple will be with me forever. I know that President Hinckley was a prophet of the living God. I'll bet he is so excited to be with his wife once again. I greatly appreciate the Hinckley family- children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren- for their unselfishness demonstrated by sharing their parents with us for most or all of their lives.
"Carry on. Yes. Our theme will be to carry on the great work which has been furthered by our predecessors." - President Gordon B. Hinckley, when asked by a reporter what the theme of his administration would be as president of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Thanks President Hinckley! We will.
BYU also created a slideshow to honor President Hinckley. View it here.
I must say that creating a blog allows for all to get an inside peek into me. When I review past journal entries I often think, "What was I thinking?"
So, feel free to leave a comment to that effect if you feel so inclined. :)
