Friday, July 25, 2014

Third Annual Stone 5K Announcement

I wasn't going to put on the Stone 5K again this year.  There didn't seem to be much demand for it.  That was until my sweet little nephew, Elijah, was asking about it and said he wanted to do it this year.  I asked some of the other kids if they wanted to do it and they did.  So it's on again for this year.

The third annual Stone 5K will be held Saturday, August 23, 2014. let's tentatively say 9:30 AM. Same course -- starting at the top of our driveway. :-) kids race will be to the gate and back as usual. 

Elijah requested red and gold-- 49ers colors :-) -- so below is the unveiling of this year's design.  They will go on red T-shirts.


  It had been so long since I used Photoshop that I forgot how to edit the design.  I eventually figured it out.  Although it did take me to the majority of the day to complete the above design.  :-) The things an aunt will do for her nephew.  :-) Well it's not just for Elijah. Hopefully everybody will like the design this year.

Back by popular demand :-) -- all participants who finish the race will receive one dollar.  First-place finishers received five dollars :-) and everybody gets a T-shirt!  Hope to see you all there!

By the way, anybody who reads this blog is welcome to participate :-).

Thursday, July 24, 2014

How to Fortify Your Family

I was reading ahead in the Sunday School manual for our next lesson.  And I came across the following quote:

  • President Ezra Taft Benson taught: “Often we spend great effort in trying to increase the activity levels in our stakes. We work diligently to raise the percentages of those attending sacrament meetings. We labor to get a higher percentage of our young men on missions. We strive to improve the numbers of those marrying in the temple. All of these are commendable efforts and important to the growth of the kingdom. But when individual members and families immerse themselves in the scriptures regularly and consistently, these other areas of activity will automatically come. Testimonies will increase. Commitment will be strengthened. Families will be fortified. Personal revelation will flow” (The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson [1988], 44).
It seems quite simple really -- establish regular Scripture study and you will be blessed.  But it seems like many people and families struggle with this simple commandment.

This is something that's reiterated many times in General Conference talks.  In fact the pattern is so simple and consistent that I can rattle it off from the top of my head.  The keys to raising righteous children and having a successful family are as follows:

1 -- regular personal and family scripture study
2 -- regular personal and family prayer
3 -- weekly family home evening

sometimes also included:
4 -- daily family dinner together
5 -- regular periodic personal interviews with your children

So if you want a successful family with righteous children, establish a pattern in your home of Scripture study, prayer, and family home evening.  It's that simple.  According to President Benson, if you just do the first one -- Scripture study -- the blessings you will receive include: increased testimony, strengthened commitment, fortified families, personal revelation.

Anyway, that quote resonated with me as I read it and I wanted to share it with you.  Along with a reminder of a few simple commandments that will help to strengthen your families and bring many blessings into your home.  If you don't already, I hope you will heed the counsel of Prophets and establish regular scripture study, prayer, and family home evening in your home-- that you may reap the promised blessings.

That's my two cents.

Wednesday, July 23, 2014

21 Years Ago Today!

Today is the 21st anniversary of my missionary homecoming.  21 years ago today -- July 23, 1993 -- I flew home to Orem, Utah from Tampa, Florida.  It was a bittersweet day -- but more sweet than bitter :-).  I was a little sad to leave my mission and the lifestyle that I had lived for the past 18 months but I was certainly ready to go home and move on with my life.

I remember stepping off the plane in Salt Lake City and see my family waiting for me at the terminal.  It was a wonderful reunion.  I remember Juliet commenting on my long blonde hair -- I had brown hair when I left :-). Interestingly enough I never dyed my hair on my mission.  It was a combination of the hot blazing Florida Sun and tracting for at least 15 hours every week, with a little help from some Sun In ;-) that turned my hair blonde.  I liked it so much that I kept it up the rest of my life.  :-)

Anyway, interestingly enough this anniversary makes my mission the center of my life at this point.  I was 21 when I left on my mission and I've lived 21 years after my mission.  I thought that was interesting fact.  I'll tell you, the 21 years after my mission sure seem to have gone a lot faster than the 21 years before my mission. It's hard to believe that I've lived as long after my mission as before!  That's just too crazy.

I know we have pictures of when I came home from my mission at the airport and stuff. but I don't know where they are and don't have them scanned into my computer :-(.  Maybe I will go find a couple of pictures from my mission to post on here even though I've already posted them previously :-).

An interesting sidenote -- when we got back home to 192 after picking me up from the airport, Lisa's missionary call was waiting in the mailbox.  So that was cool that I was home when she opened it. For those of you who might not know, Lisa was called to the Iowa Des Moines mission.  She completed her mission in Tempe Arizona.

 Lisa and I were able to have a combined missionary homecoming/farewell sacrament meeting program.  This was back in the day when they did such things.  Anyway it was cool.

Just as my life bookends my mission-- here are some pictures from both ends of my mission.  Did I change much in 18 months?

pictures from the beginning of my mission -- MTC








pictures from the end of my mission -- my last area: Seminole, Florida


 






  I certainly did change a lot during those 18 months!  Even though it was challenging at times, I wouldn't trade that experience for anything!  It was a privilege to be able to serve the Lord full-time for 18 months.

It's hard to believe I came home from my mission 21 years ago today!  Time sure flies.

Wednesday, July 16, 2014

My Boys

Lisa took this picture of my two boys, Abinadi and Samson, overlooking the hill as she was leaving one morning a few days ago.

I thought it was super cute!  :-) Thanks Lisa.

Sunday, July 13, 2014

Elder Scott Quote

This was the quote in my inbox this morning as my daily message that I subscribe to from the Church. I thought it was very apropos and fitting and a good reminder for all of us.  A good missionary and member of the Church will always sincerely love and care for those they want to help.  And sometimes that's all we can do.  I really love this reminder/example from an apostle of the Lord.

"How can each of us become such a significant influence? We must be sure to sincerely love those we want to help in righteousness so they can begin to develop confidence in God’s love. For so many in the world, the first challenge in accepting the gospel is to develop faith in a Father in Heaven, who loves them perfectly. It is easier to develop that faith when they have friends or family members who love them in a similar way."
—Elder Richard G. Scott, Of the Quorum of the 12 Apostles, "I Have Given You an Example" -- April 2014 General Conference
Can you tell I'm in a better mood than I was last week?  :-) Juliet understands.  :-)

Tuesday, July 8, 2014

Boycott Costco -- part two

Okay this is going to be really quick.  I just noticed that I had several hits on my blog from my "Boycott Costco" post.  I thought it was rather odd that I was getting so many hits on that today. Since it was written a couple of years ago.

Then, I looked at Rush Limbaugh's website really quickly and noticed that one of the things he talked about today was that Costco has pulled a book from their shelves called "America" by a guy named D'Souza.  I know nothing about the book -- never heard of it.

But Limbaugh said that the founders/owners of Costco have given hundreds of thousands of dollars to the Democrats.  They are Liberal Democrat loyalists and Obama lovers.  This much we know, as evidenced by past behavior.  If you recall the liquor initiative that Costco was behind several years ago.  They kept pouring money into it until it finally passed.  That was what my initial blog post was about that I titled, "Boycott Costco".

Anyway Limbaugh said that one of the co-founders named Sinegal is behind pulling the books from his stores. Apparently it's too patriotic for him. I really don't know what the book is about but it obviously goes against the Liberal/Democrat/Socialist agenda.

I'm happy to report that I'm still boycotting Costco and intend to continue doing so.  Anyway this is just another reason to boycott them, or continue to do so.

That's my two cents.

Monday, July 7, 2014

Facebook Guinea Pigs

Everyone reading this blog most likely knows of my disdain for Facebook.  I have never had a Facebook account and never plan on it.  Facebook is a "stupid cheating machine" -- inside joke :-).  Anyway, interestingly today I read a news article from the Washington Post which I learned about on Rush Limbaugh's website.  In this article explains that Facebook uses its subscribers/members or whatever you call yourselves as guinea pigs for behavioral experiments.

Yes, if you are a Facebook user -- you are a guinea pig!  Why anyone would want to be a guinea pig and have much of their personal information posted on face but for all the world to see -- is beyond me.  I am a very private person and don't like sharing my personal information with anybody, let alone everybody and their dog.  This is one of the reasons I do not have a Facebook account.  I have always wondered why people want to post their minute to minute life experiences, or even daily or weekly mundane things on Facebook for mostly people they don't even know very well-- to read.  I personally do not care that much about other people's lives.  I don't want to know what they are doing every second of the day.  But, apparently Facebook and some behavioral scientists do.

In a nutshell, the experiment conducted was this: Facebook manipulated news feeds either positively or negatively to see if it would alter behavior.  In fact, the results indicated that it did.  The Facebook guinea pigs who were fed positive news posted to their Facebook page -- or whatever you call it -- more positive things.  And those Facebook guinea pigs who were fed negative news feeds, posted more negative things to their Facebook page.

Isn't it comforting to know -- those of you who use Facebook -- that you are being manipulated?

This is not the only study Facebook has conducted that the article mentioned. the article states that Facebook has demonstrated that it can alter human behavior.  The article mentioned two studies conducted previously on Facebook guinea pigs.  One study showed Facebook users who see more updates by their "friends" will write more updates themselves.  And another study showed Facebook users were encouraged to become organ donors by Facebook displaying the status of other Facebook users as organ donors.

If you think you're immune -- think again.  Did you know Facebook employs data scientists?  Here's a direct quote from the article:

"It seems that until now, Facebook data scientists have been pretty much free to do as they please.  “There’s no review process, per se,” Andrew Ledvina, who worked at Facebook as a data scientist from 2012 to 2013,told the Journal. “Anyone on that team could run a test,” he said. “They’re always trying to alter people’s behavior.” Ledvina told the Journal that tests were so frequent that some data scientists worried that the same users might be used in different studies, tainting the results."-- The Washington Post, by Gail Sullivan, July 3, 2014

So, not only are they collecting data from anything Facebook users willingly post but they are actively trying to alter human behavior.  I don't know about you Facebook users but I, for one, would be outraged if I were being used as a guinea pig without my knowledge or consent.

Apparently it's completely legal because Facebook users freely and willingly post their personal information to Facebook's website after, I'm assuming, they agree to a disclaimer to use that website. How many people actually read those disclaimers?  For all you know, you could be selling your soul to the devil.  :-)

It makes me wonder if Facebook wasn't created with the sole purpose of gaining access to people's personal information and conducting social/behavioral/psychological experiments on people who unwittingly become guinea pigs.  And these are not benign experiments.  They are actually purposefully altering behavior of the unwitting guinea pigs.  It reminds me of some of the unethical experiments that I learned about in my studies as a psychology minor that took place in the 1950s and thereabouts.

It is common knowledge that Facebook has altered many people's lives -- generally with much detriment.  Whether it be from just being a big time waster all the way to breaking up families and ruining many people's lives.  Including innocent children.

Hmm, maybe my jovial comment about selling your soul to the devil wasn't far off.

So, if you don't mind being a mindless sheep being manipulated by the data scientists at Facebook then keep posting all of your personal information on your Facebook page.  If you want to be smart like me, then close your Facebook account.  :-)

That's my two cents.

Family Home Evening Lesson -- Profanity/Vulgarity

I taught our monthly family home evening lesson yesterday.  The topic I chose was profanity/vulgarity.  I took most of my remarks from two General conference talks.  Following are the quotes used from Elder Oaks' and President Hinckley's talks.

Tammy’s family home evening lesson – July 2014

Elder Dallas H. Oaks, of the quorum of the 12 apostles, Reverent and Clean, April 1986 General Conference:

"The nature and extent of profanity and vulgarity in our society is a measure of its deterioration.

For many in our day, the profane has become commonplace and the vulgar has become acceptable. Surely this is one fulfillment of the 
Book of Mormon prophecy that in the last days “there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth.” (Morm. 8:31.)

The people of God have always been commanded to abstain from language that is profane or vulgar. Latter-day Saints should understand why.

The names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are sacred. The prophet Isaiah taught that the Lord will not suffer these names to be dishonored—“polluted” as the scriptures say. (See 1 Ne. 20:11Isa. 48:11.)

In the third of the Ten Commandments, the Lord commanded ancient Israel: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain.” (Ex. 20:7.) This same commandment was repeated to the Book of Mormon people by the prophet Abinadi (see Mosiah 13:15) and to each of us through modern prophets. (see D&C 136:21.)

This scripture shows that we take the name of the Lord in vain when we use his name without authority. This obviously occurs when the sacred names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, are used in what is called profanity: in hateful cursings, in angry denunciations, or as marks of punctuation in common discourse.

There are no more sacred or significant words in all of our language than the names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ.

It should be obvious to every believer that these mighty names—by which miracles are wrought, by which the world was formed, through which man was created, and by which we can be saved—are holy and must be treated with the utmost reverence. As we read in modern revelation, “Remember that that which cometh from above is sacred, and must be spoken with care, and by constraint of the Spirit.” (
D&C 63:64.)

Satan seeks to discredit the sacred names of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ, the names through which their work is done. He succeeds in a measure whenever he is able to influence any man or woman, boy or girl, to make holy names common and to associate them with coarse thoughts and evil acts. Those who use sacred names in vain are, by that act, promoters of Satan’s purposes.

Profanity is profoundly offensive to those who worship the God whose name is desecrated. We all remember how a prophet reacted from a hospital bed when an operating room attendant stumbled and cursed in his presence. Even half-conscious, Elder [Spencer W.] Kimball “recoiled and implored: ‘Please! Please! That is my Lord whose names you revile.’” (Improvement Era, May 1953, p. 320.)

Profanity also takes its toll on the one who uses it. …The Spirit of the Lord, the 
Holy Ghost, testifies of God the Father and his Son, Jesus Christ. (See 2 Ne. 31:18.) When those names are dishonored, that Spirit, which “doth not dwell in unholy temples” (Hel. 4:24), is offended and withdraws. For this reason, those who profane the name of God inevitably relinquish the companionship of his Spirit.

As the Apostle Paul taught Timothy, in order to be “approved unto God,” we must “shun profane and vain babblings: for they will increase unto more ungodliness.” (2 Tim. 2:15–16.) Profanity leads to more ungodliness because the Spirit of the Lord withdraws and the profane are left without guidance.

Vulgar and crude expressions are also offensive to the Spirit of the Lord.

Profane and vulgar expressions are public evidence of a speaker’s ignorance, inadequacy, or immaturity.

A speaker who profanes must be ignorant or indifferent to God’s stern command that his name must be treated with reverence and not used in vain.

A speaker who mouths profanity or vulgarity to punctuate or emphasize speech confesses inadequacy in his or her own language skills. Properly used, modern languages require no such artificial boosters.

A speaker who employs profanity or vulgarity to catch someone’s attention with shock effect engages in a babyish device that is inexcusable as juvenile or adult behavior. Such language is morally bankrupt. It also progressively self-defeating, since shock diminishes with familiarity and the user can only maintain its effect by escalating its excess.

Members of the Church, young or old, should never allow profane or vulgar words to pass their lips. The language we use projects the images of our hearts, and our hearts should be pure. As the Savior taught:

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

“A good man out of the good treasure of the heart bringeth forth good things: and an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things.” (Matt. 12:34–35.)

The Book of Mormon teaches us that when we are brought before the judgment bar of God “our words will condemn us … and our thoughts will also condemn us.” (
Alma 12:14.) Let us recognize profanity and vulgarity for what they are. They are sins that separate us from God and cripple our spiritual defenses by causing the Holy Ghost to withdraw from us.

We should abstain and we should teach our children to abstain from all such expressions.

We obviously cannot control all that goes on in our presence. Modern revelation suggests one alternative for those who would be clean: “Go ye out from among the wicked. Save yourselves.” (
D&C 38:42.) Sometimes we can remove ourselves from language that is profane or vulgar. If this is not possible, we can at least register an objection so that others cannot conclude that our silence means approval or acquiescence.

The language of Latter-day Saints should be reverent and clean. We understand the eternal requirement of cleanliness, and we understand the sacred significance of the names of the Father and the Son."

[end of Elder Dallin H. Oaks’ quotes from April 1986 General conference talk]

Gordon B. Hinckley, first counselor in the first presidency at the time, Take Not the Name of God in Vain, October 1987 General Conference—priesthood session:

"I clipped from the Wall Street Journal a recent column by Hodding Carter. In it he states:

“If it was once rare to hear sailors’ language in mixed company, it is now difficult to avoid it. For whatever reason, the enduring contribution to America left by the 1960s has been the debasement of public discourse and behavior.”

Mr. Carter writes as a former Marine and as a newspaper reporter, both groups known for their use of salty language. This he admits, and confesses his guilt. But he decries the growing public practice. He continues:
“Such behavior is not confined to the big cities or the two coasts. … While what was once labeled ghetto language is, of course, prevalent in the ghetto, it is also commonplace at Harvard and Tulane, at Davenport, Iowa, and Destin, Florida, to name a few … places.”

He goes on: “Beyond language is the larger problem, which is the decline of civility in general. …

“And so we are assaulted on all sides by the ethos of the slob, with few having the courage or desire to confront it head on.” Says he, “I rarely challenge the foulmouth who embarrasses my mother in a public place. … I, like most of you, simply wince and turn away” (Wall Street Journal, 4 June 1987, p. 23).

Conversations I have had with school principals and students lead me to the same conclusion—that even among our young people, there is an evil and growing habit of profanity and the use of foul and filthy language.

I do not hesitate to say that it is wrong, seriously wrong, for any young man ordained to the priesthood of God to be guilty of such.

The taking of the Lord’s name in vain is a most serious matter.

When 
Moses was leading the children of Israel out of Egypt to the land of promise, he went up into the mountain to commune with the Lord, and the finger of the Lord wrote the Decalogue on tablets of stone. These ten commandments became the basis of the Judeo-Christian code governing human behavior. Every one of the ten is important, and among them is this statement: “Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain” (Ex. 20:7).

So serious was violation of this law considered in ancient Israel that blasphemy of the name of the Lord was regarded as a capital crime.

“And he that blasphemeth the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him” (
Lev. 24:11–16).

While that most serious of penalties has long since ceased to be inflicted, the gravity of the sin has not changed.

In a general epistle to the entire Church issued by the First Presidency on April 8, 1887, a hundred years ago, they said concerning this problem, which evidently was serious then as it is now, “The habit … , which some young people fall into, of using vulgarity and profanity … is not only offensive to well-bred persons, but it is a gross sin in the sight of God, and should not exist among the children of the Latter-day Saints” (inMessages of the First Presidency, comp. James R. Clark, 6 vols., Salt Lake City: Bookcraft, 1965–75, 3:112–13).

When I was a small boy in the first grade, I experienced what I thought was a rather tough day at school. I came home, walked in the house, threw my book on the kitchen table, and let forth an expletive that included the name of the Lord.

My mother was shocked. She told me quietly, but firmly, how wrong I was. She told me that I could not have words of that kind coming out of my mouth. She led me by the hand into the bathroom, where she took from the shelf a clean washcloth, put it under the faucet, and then generously coated it with soap. She said, “We’ll have to wash out your mouth.” She told me to open it, and I did so reluctantly. Then she rubbed the soapy washcloth around my tongue and teeth. I sputtered and fumed and felt like swearing again, but I didn’t. I rinsed and rinsed my mouth, but it was a long while before the soapy taste was gone. In fact, whenever I think of that experience, I can still taste the soap. The lesson was worthwhile. I think I can say that I have tried to avoid using the name of the Lord in vain since that day. I am grateful for that lesson.

On one occasion, Jesus said to the multitude, “Not that which goeth into the mouth defileth a man; but that which cometh out of the mouth, this defileth a man” (Matt. 15:11).

Brethren, stay out of the gutter in your conversation. Foul talk defiles the man who speaks it.

If you have the habit, how do you break it? You begin by making a decision to change. The next time you are prone to use words you know to be wrong, simply stop. Keep quiet or say what you have to say in a different way. As you practice such restraint, it will become easy. President Heber J. Grant was wont to say, “That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do; not that the nature of the thing itself is changed, but that our power to do is increased” (see Conference Report, Apr. 1901, p. 63).

We begin with self-discipline.

Perhaps you feel I have belabored the point unduly. If I have done so, it is because I feel it is so very important. It is a tragic and unnecessary thing that boys and girls use foul language. It is inexcusable for a girl so to speak. It is likewise serious for the boy who holds the priesthood. This practice is totally unacceptable for one authorized to speak in the name of God. To blaspheme His holy name or to speak in language that is debauched is offensive to God and man.

The man or the boy who must resort to such language immediately says that he is poverty-ridden in his vocabulary. He does not enjoy sufficient richness of expression to be able to speak effectively without swearing or using foul words.

I know that the Lord is pleased when we use clean and virtuous language.

Don’t swear. Don’t profane. Avoid so-called dirty jokes. Stay away from conversation that is sprinkled with foul and filthy words. You will be happier if you do so, and your example will give strength to others."


[end of President Hinckley’s quotes from October 1987 General conference priesthood session talk]

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

President Eyring Quote

Coincidentally, Lisa and I were just discussing this quote this morning.  I wasn't sure where I heard it or who said it but then it happened to be the daily message I get in my e-mail every day.  :-) So I decided to post it here.  It's a great quote!

"God has sent mortal servants who can, by the Holy Ghost, help us recognize what He would have us do and what He forbids. God makes it attractive to choose the right by letting us feel the effects of our choices. If we choose the right, we will find happiness—in time. If we choose evil, there comes sorrow and regret—in time. Those effects are sure. Yet they are often delayed for a purpose. If the blessings were immediate, choosing the right would not build faith. And since sorrow is also sometimes greatly delayed, it takes faith to feel the need to seek forgiveness for sin early rather than after we feel its sorrowful and painful effects."
—Henry B. Eyring, "A Priceless Heritage of Hope" April 2014 General Conference