The Sublime Roundabout

What a week. First, our bishopric gets reorganized. Then the very next week we get a new stake president and a new stake is formed in our area. I just wanted to state that I know independently and of myself that we are led by men who are inspired. We are led by men who are, in turn, led by God. Christ is at the helm of the Church and it is His work we are engaged in. I am incredibly humbled to be a small part of this organization. I know that God lives and is mindful of us. He loves us and is aware of our needs and desires. I know that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. I know that Joseph Smith is the prophet of the restoration of the gospel in these latter-days. I know that President Monson is the prophet of the Lord on the earth today. What an honor it is to be a part of this work! "...the Standard of Truth has been erected; no unhallowed hand can stop the work from progressing; persecutions may rage, mobs may combine, armies may assemble, calumny may defame, but the truth o...

1 Tim. 3: 1-2 1 This is a true saying, If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. 2 A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; So, it happened. Bishop Carraway was released on Sunday. But wait - let me back up. Saturday evening, at about 5:30, I get a phone call from President Smith - our Stake President. He would like to see me and Youngshin at 7 PM in his office. GREAT! I say. I honestly don't know what this is about. I know that Stake Conference is coming up, so there's a lot going on. I thought maybe he wanted Youngshin and I to give prayers or talks or something. But I also knew that Bishop Carraway was being released soon, and I also knew that the Stake Presidency would be reorganized this next Sunday. It's going to be a busy week... We met with him in his office, and after the normal chit-chat (which of course is not just normal chit-chat but is in fact...

what is it that's really important? There's a lot of really bad stuff going on in the world. Some of it is global. Some of it is national. And some of it is very, very personal. People die. People get sick. People are no good to each other, abusing kids and family. People say mean things, do mean things. People can be malicious and thoughtless and cruel. Sometimes children get caught in the mix. These innocent young people, who deserve everything and have done nothing offensive, often bear the brunt of the world's most heinous actions. Some, in their anguish, would be justified to exclaim why? Why would a loving God allow this to happen? Doesn't he care for these little ones? Doesn't he want them to enjoy the same quality of life that the rest of us enjoy? I was raised in an environment relatively free of these kinds of problems. My parents genuinely loved and cared for us - there were seven of us - while dealing with their own issues. Now that I am a parent I have ...

On a recent post I queried what you would be willing to do for your family. Now I want to consider the opposite of that question. Romeo and Juliet is not the world's best love story. At best it's an amusing story. At worst it's a farce. The world's best love story is written by the millions of couples all over the world not dying for each other but living for each other. Giving up portions of themselves, abandoning desires for things really needed, and loving someone enough to put their desires, goals, and needs above your own - that's real love. All too frequently I see people enter a marriage "until it's inconvenient for me" not "until death do us part" or "for time and all eternity" as should be the norm. What did you think your marriage would be? Did you think you could put two different people from varied backgrounds and with varied ideas together and NOT have some conflict? Of course marriage is difficult. I know of NOTHING in...

One of the first experiences I had with the Lord came when I was 14 years old. We were at youth conference out in the mountains in central Utah. Towards the end of the youth conference we were given a small packet of things to do and sent out on our own. I found a place that warm and sunshiny and away from other people. I completed all of the things we were given to do and then sat there enjoying my time and thoughts. Then I went back to the rally point. On the way back, I noticed that no one else had returned. Not wanting to seem like I had not given the stuff enough time, I sat on a convenient log among some glittering aspens. I had just finished my first year of seminary and had memorized the verse in Matthew included in the sermon on the mount that goes something like - Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your Father which is in Heaven. As I contemplated, I realized that there were two types of people mentioned in this verse: one is the ...