My summer of discontent

We've all heard that trials in our lives are, or can be, blessings in disguise. I know that blessings can be trials in disguise. (Parents, can I get an AMEN?)
This year I had a particularly difficult trial that I'd like to share. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the lessons therein.
Through the summer I had been coping with lower back pain. I had a lot of soreness, stiffness, etc. It was pretty bad at times, and not so bad others. During a week of vacation time while Julie was at Education Week my back was quite sore,(enough to keep me from accomplishing much) and I was having some pain in my right leg. It was enough to be bothersome, but it was only when I was sitting or driving. (Oh yeah, I drive for a living.) The following week, the game completely changed!
On my 2nd night back to work the pain was bad enough that I left work early. Once at home I was walking around, doing things just fine. It still only hurt when I sat. When I awoke the next morning and put my feet on the floor, the closest I can come to describing what I felt would be lightning streaking down the back of my right leg. I fell to the floor and crawled to the bathroom.
I had heard of Sciatica before, but never realized how debilitating it can be. For the next 4 days I only left my recliner to use the bathroom, and had to crawl to do that. I actually chose to go thirsty and hungry in order to reduce the need for those trips. After a few days I was able to stand, stooped way over, to walk very short distances. (50 feet) But it was excruciating to do so.
I was diagnosed with a significantly herniated disc (10mm) that was pinching my Sciatic nerve root. I was advised that the preferred treatment was a combination of pain management, muscle relaxers, therapy, and time. I was prescribed Percocet (narcotic), starting seeing a chiropractor 3 times a week, and began getting epidural steroid injections. This course of treatment would prove ineffective and after 8 weeks I was given a test to check for nerve damage. That test is called an EMG, and would fit right in a torture chamber. It indicated nerve damage and on Oct. 5 I was referred to a neurosurgeon. Every surgeon I called was scheduling new patients for late November to January. (Can you imagine, I would STILL be waiting) Through what I am convinced was Divine Intervention, I was able to schedule an initial consultation for October 18.
During this timeline, much more happened that made this an experience I will never forget, and hope to never repeat.
Percocet contains a high level of acetaminophen, which is hard on the liver. I have a history of high liver functions, and was therefore concerned. About 5 weeks into the ordeal I began feeling 'yucky'. It got steadily worse until I was feeling quite sick much of the time which made the overall experience much worse. On Sunday October 16, while at church, I was not only feeling sick, but experiencing a lot of anxiety and restlessness. I had literally been poisoning myself. It seemed like things were closing in around me and I ended up having an emotional breakdown in the clerk's office while getting a blessing from my bishop and High Priest Group leader.
I decided to stop taking the pain medication, knowing the pain would be intense. What my doctor had failed to inform me of is that even when using narcotics responsibly, which I had been, there would be withdrawal symptoms if quit. For the next 72 hours I had all the pain of the pinched Sciatic nerve, the sickness from the drugs, AND the withdrawal symptoms from having quit cold turkey. I only slept about 3 hours total in that time. The withdrawals made it nearly impossible to remain still and the injury of course made moving around very painful. Those long sleepless nights were the darkest times I can recall. I cried, literally, to the Lord like never before.
I saw the surgeon and he agreed to operate. He had 2 open times in his schedule. One was only 6 days away, and the other would have been month later. Fortunately I was able to get all the pre-operative requirements done in time to schedule for the first one. I had surgery on October 24th that has, so far, been successful.
I've come to believe that it was no accident that all those different factors converged to bring me to rock bottom when they did. I know the Lord's hand was in it. I've spent hours contemplating what I was supposed to learn from this and praying that it wouldn't be lost on me. I have some ideas and feelings with which I'm still wrestling. I also have a strong feeling that there will be an event or experience later on that will offer understanding and clarity.
I know I will be more compassionate to others' suffering. That's a good thing.

Barney Frank to Retire From Congress

Good riddance! 'Nuf said.

Too good to not share.

I LOVE THIS! Good luck not crying.
(You'll need to pause the music player at the bottom of this page)

Why not the horse's mouth?

Has anyone else noticed how many people out there that claim to want to know what Mormons believe are content to get their information from anyone BUT Mormons?

Other than naivete, personal agenda, or a preference for gossip over truth, I can't think of any legitimate reasons for such a practice.

Not all is as it seems

I learned some interesting statistics the other day. I had never heard them before but they really weren't surprising to me. I don't think they should be surprising to anyone that believes in freedom.
I'm afraid I can't give the exact numbers, but I can pass along the idea, which is much more important.
First let's mention the statistics that the proponents of wealth redistribution like to use. Over the past 2 decades the number of Americans in the bottom 1/5th of income has increased, and so has the number in the top 1/5th. This suggests that the poor are getting poorer and the rich are getting richer. A common complaint.
But there is more to the statistics than immediately meets the eye. When digging a little deeper we learn that the individuals that made up the bottom 1/5th in the past are now spread across all five groups, with a substantial number of them now in the TOP 1/5th. Only around 15% of past poor still are poor. Those that now make up the bottom 1/5th are 'new poor', consisting mostly of younger Americans getting started and immigrants. So the oppressed apparently really weren't. Most of them prospered, each according to his/her talents and efforts.
Of course most of us never needed a study to demonstrate this truth, we see it all around us.

Anonymous comment

I received a comment today on my posting "The times they are a changin'" that I chose not to publish because it was submitted anonymously. I won't give stage or audience to writers unwilling to have the readers know their identity.
This unknown author believed I painted the poor of this country with too broad a brush. The posting is still there and you can decide that for yourselves. (I do sort of wish the comment could be seen, as it went on to make some logical leaps and accuse me of apparently wishing to simply rid our nation, by force, of all poor people.)
I would however like to give a limited response because, if the accusation were true, it would be a valid point.
The majority of 'poor' people in this country, I think we all know many, are hard-working people doing the best they can to support themselves. Many work multiple jobs and go about living their lives, minding their business, and probably wishing others would do the same. They are not out demanding anything. They can hold their heads high and I respect them.
My posting referred specifically to a different mindset. Those individuals at the Occupy Wall Street rallies do not represent the majority and have no such honor. (The 99% is a complete misnomer.) There is no honor, however cleverly described as "fairness", to demanding that the government take from others in order to have it for yourself. Take a look at the protesters, listen to what they demand, observe how they are behaving. THOSE individuals, if given their way, will eventually destroy the economic, AND THE MORAL fabric of this nation.
And I stand by that!

The times they are a changin'

I'm not THAT old, but it seems I remember a time when welfare was meant as a safety net for those that had fallen on hard times. Even the truly deserving and needful were hesitant to accept it. It was always considered a temporary last resort.
Now we have masses of people taking to the streets to publicly demand that they be supported by dollars forcibly taken from others. These are almost entirely people that are physically capable of working, when they're sober, but somehow feel it is more moral to legally steal from others for their support than to expect them to take a job that is beneath them. Yet they think the rich are the prima donnas.
Think of this shift in attitudes. Even if you don't believe our country is on the brink of bankruptcy now, how long do you think we can continue this trend before it is?

Top Ten things you WON'T see among the Wall Street protestors

10. Callused hands
9. Unique thoughts
8. Ronald Reagan T-shirt
7. Moral compass
6. Gratitude
5. Deodorant
4. Prayer circles
3. Natural leaders
2. Personal discipline
1. The American Dream

Ohio escape renews calls for exotic pet ban

This was the first headline I saw today regarding the story of the man that released all his exotic animals before killing himself.
Without debating the appropriateness of keeping exotic animals or not, what leaped out at me was the attitude that every unfortunate event that makes the news means we need more laws.
This is how freedoms get eroded. Some pinhead does something stupid, then activists and legislators begin yelling "Something has to be done". The next thing you know they write and pass new one-size-fits-all laws that are written so broadly as to prevent perfectly responsible people from doing perfectly responsible things. (This describes 99% of all gun laws.)
In the name of liberty leaders in this nation once tried to avoid violating the principle of 'prior restraint'. That principle demands that we punish bad apples rather than create laws that presume everyone is a bad apple.
Sadly we don't use that standard much anymore.

If only....

If the ne'er do wells would just put 1/10th as much effort into making themselves employable as they do complaining and making trouble they........ oh wait, they DO.

And there's the trouble, isn't it?

Didn't anyone learn from the goose that layed the golden egg?

"A democracy cannot exist as a permanent form of government. It can only exist until the voters discover that they can vote themselves largesse from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates promising the most benefits from the public treasury with the result that a democracy always collapses over loose fiscal policy, always followed by a dictatorship."
There is much dispute concerning the author of this aged quotation. But there can certainly be no disputing its accuracy.
Take as example the disgusting Occupy Wall Street demonstrations happening now. Take a close look at the individuals involved. With few exceptions they fall into two categories: 1)Those that have chosen lives of sloth, degradation, and rebellion, yet believe they are entitled to the wealth acquired by the accursed "rich". 2)Those that exploit them for personal gain.
The desire of the slothful to steal from the productive is as old as time. Doing so through the workings of democratic government may make it legal, but it doesn't make it any more moral.
But alas the slothful will always outnumber the productive, and professional politicians (another concept against which our founders warned us) more concerned with power than with sustainable governance, will always be willing to pander to this majority. Ironically it will be the producers that are labeled "greedy" in this scheme.
I defy anyone to intelligently explain how this scenario can survive long term.

A glimmer of hope.

I have no idea who the student behind this is. But I know they're going to be successful.
By success I don't just mean income, although that will likely be the case. I also mean that I suspect they will find good employment, will do well there and find satisfaction in doing their job well. I suppose they will be well liked by their co-workers because they work hard and are cheerful doing so, which will likely lead to recognition and upward mobility. Or perhaps, if they're more independent minded they will start their own business which will succeed because they put the same work ethic into it they did their education. I believe they will be satisfied living within their means, staying out of debt, and likely save for the future. This will of course mean having fewer 'toys', and being moderate in their leisure spending. These traits of sacrifice and resisting indulgence will probably help enable them to be a good spouse and have wonderful, happy relationships. They will most likely find happiness in what they have, rather than wallowing in covetousness. After passing these traits on they will probably be blessed with happy, good-natured children.
Many years down the road I see this person as a happy, hard working, generous, self sufficient, person. After a lifetime of sacrifice, hard work, moderate spending, and squirreling away their earnings, they will undoubtedly be reviled as "the rich" by pampered, self-indulgent, ill-tempered, slothful, short-sighted, seldom washed ingrates, that will demand the government strip them of their wealth to be used to prop up these same slovenly ne'er do wells, all in the name of fairness.
For examples of the latter, please refer to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrations.

It's begun. Again.

Once again the Mormon bashing has begun. As predictable as it is, it's still always disappointing to see otherwise decent individuals, that claim to believe in the founding principles of this nation and profess to be a follower of the Master, engage in behaviors that are so counter to those principles and His teachings.
In an odd way I admire their fire. Spreading the good word of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is important work. Unfortunately in their zeal they take a giant leap away from teaching truth, and instead single out one particular faith with which they disagree and are so extreme as to suggest the followers should be opposed in every aspect of life.
The irony is that in this case they are actually fighting against the very truth they should be seeking.
It's a sad thing to know that one day the words and actions that they use to condemn Mormons will ultimately serve to be their own condemnation.

History in the making

I love Elder Holland's style. He speaks boldly with unmistakable love. He finds a way to hit us right between the eyes with his message, without making us feel like we've been beaten up.
I've included his talk from the most recent priesthood session of General Conference. It best represents a theme I believe I noticed. As I listened to this talk, and then to Pres. Monson's talk in the same session, my thoughts turned to this often recited quote from the Wentworth Letter: 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 of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent, till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God shall be accomplished, and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.
These talks, considered in context with the new I am a Mormon campaign and other initiatives and uses of modern technologies, make me believe we are witnessing-no, strike that- that we are participating in the 'ramp up' to the literal fulfillment of this amazing prophesy.
What an incredible time in the history of the world to be living. Suit up!

Plan of Happiness

I've been randomly cruising through some of the profiles on Mormon.org. I very much enjoy reading other members' thoughts, stories and testimonies. An oft repeated comment is that members of the Church have found that they are happiest when they are faithfully living the gospel. This is true of course. I like to point out, especially to my children, the underlying doctrine to this truth.

There are actually multiple reasons, but one that seems to often get overlooked or not understood. The obvious answers are a)That when we are obedient we open ourselves up to receiving blessings. "There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated— And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated." D&C 130:20-21 and b) When we're living right we enjoy the company of the Holy Ghost, which by its nature is a blessing that naturally begets additional blessings.

There is an additional reason that keeping the commandments leads to happiness that is, in my estimation, less often considered. It is simply a result of natural law. There are always consequences that accompany choices. We come to understand this concept in other areas of life wherein the consequences are more immediate and easily identified. We learn to make better decisions and call it wisdom. I think much of the world might hear the word "commandments" and think of a God bent on controlling His subjects. Yet He grants us agency. The truth is that EVERY commandment of God has been given for OUR good. Our Heavenly Father is all knowing. And because He wishes us to be happy He gives us counsel designed to lead to our greatest possible happiness.

Most people don't hesitate to seek the advise of experts prior to making important decisions: doctors, lawyers, real estate agents, etc. Why is it so difficult to trust in Him whose wisdom knows no bounds, choosing instead to seek happiness outside the Plan of Happiness?

Why "I am a Mormon" ad campaign?

What amazing times we live in. With the proliferation of satellites and the Internet, there is almost no corner of the globe that information cannot reach. While some may believe the purposes for these technologies is for shopping, football, and social networking, may I propose another theory?

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, and calumny may defame, but the truth of God will go forth boldly, nobly, and independent till it has penetrated every continent, visited every clime, swept every country, and sounded in every ear, till the purposes of God have been accomplished and the Great Jehovah shall say the work is done.

By their fruits you shall know them

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is about to begin a new media campaign designed to clarify misunderstandings about the Church its members. I am excited for this because there is so much misinformation that needs to be corrected. The ads will be uplifting and have very positive messages. I suspect you will feel good when viewing them.
Unfortunately much of the misinformation is purposeful. There are those who don't want it clarified. Certainly we will witness increased intensity from the haters trying to salvage as much hatred as possible. I suspect these will leave viewers with feelings of darkness.
I suggest you take notice of how your heart and your gut react to the various messages and ask yourself which feeling comes from the Spirit, and which from your adversary.

Latter Day Pharisees

Isn't it fascinating how history repeats itself?
In nearly all arenas; social, political, cultural, discernible patterns repeat themselves with varying cycle lengths.
Spiritual matters are not immune. Throughout the scriptures we find repetition in how Heavenly Father deals with His children, and how Satan seeks to destroy truth. Perhaps this is at least partly due to our apparent unwillingness to learn from the past. It's no wonder one of the most often repeated words in scripture is 'remember'.

During some time recently spent studying the New Testament, and specifically the 4 gospels, I've noticed undeniable parallels between the Scribes and Pharisees that sought to destroy Jesus Christ and the movement He began, and today's self-anointed "Evangelicals" that seek to destroy His restored gospel. Granted this applies to a minority of Christians. I hope.

**Orthodoxy -- During Jesus' ministry the Mosaic Law had gradually been mutated from its original intent. The orthodoxy of the time, defined predominantly by the "experts in the law", the Scribes and Pharisees, had drifted so far from truth that Jesus Christ, the great I AM, even He that was the author and giver of that law was labeled a blasphemer by them.
Predictably, that pattern has repeated. After centuries of misinterpretation and diversion, sprinkled liberally with power broking, Christian orthodoxy also mutated so that many precious truths were lost. Along the way many recognized this drifting and attempted to correct it through Reformation. These attempts were incomplete at best. Alas the fullness of the gospel of Jesus Christ was restored through the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. The Saints are often told they are not Christians because we don't align with current Christian orthodoxy. But that is exactly the point. In our day, just as in the Master's earthly ministry, it is the orthodoxy that is incorrect. It is a common human weakness to not recognize truth when it doesn't conform to preconceived notions.

**Misinterpretation -- Much of the cause of the mutation of The Law was the misinterpretation of scripture. The Pharisees intently studied the Torah and vehemently fought against any interpretation other than theirs. They could quote the Torah and regularly used passages from it to attempt to prove Jesus a fraud. They were certain they were correct. Clearly Jesus' ministry demonstrated that despite all their study and vehemence, they had missed the point. Latter-Day Pharisees also study the scriptures and are equally certain their interpretation, or Hermeneutics, is correct. They likewise attempt to use select, out of context Bible verses as blunt instrument weapons. If they truly understood the Bible they would be eagerly searching for the restoration of all things foretold therein.

I find it very interesting also how in both cases, people that had long been persecuted became the persecutors. The Jews had been persecuted for centuries. Modern day Christians are victimized all over the world, and even increasingly so in the quickly liberal-moving society in Western cultures. Many even hold their persectutions up as evidence that they are correct. And yet the experience of being persecuted and hated unjustly hasn't prevented the Latter-Day Pharisees from becoming persecutors any more than it stopped them in Jesus' time.

I find these comparisons to be fascinating. I also find them to be testimony that Lucifer's tactics for combatting truth haven't changed.

Hindsight being 20/20 we now know that Jesus of Nazareth IS the promised Messiah and that the Pharisees missed the boat. In time the Latter-Day Pharisees will likewise find themselves regretting.

Ideas: dangerous economic indicators

With all the economic challenges our nation faces, ie. recession, inflation, debt limits, entitlement spending, excessive regulation, etc., I believe most dangerous and least recognized in the belief system held by the left wing of society.
To borrow from recent headlines, this dogma is well illustrated in comments recently made by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz. In an angry diatribe against a fellow congressman for supporting the "cut-cap-balance" legislation she stated that the effect would be to "take away" benefits for Medicare and Social Security (wait, I thought they had a 'lock box'), while "giving away" tax cuts to the rich.
The comments, which are all too common today, represent a belief system that I'm afraid this nation may not be able to survive.
It is the belief that the nation's wealth belongs first to government, which then has the moral authority dole it out 'fairly'. Fairly of course means giving it to those that have less.
It ignores the fact that the only reason the government has any funds to give anyone is because politicians confiscate them from the very people they then berate for having too much. Talk about looking a gift horse in the mouth.
The debate over taxation/spending has evolved into a matter of math, with the competing positions arguing over what levels will best serve the economy. Apparently both sides of this debate have conceded that setting tax levels designed to maximize revenues is moral. I make no such concession.
I understand the congress has the legal authority to establish taxes for nearly any activity, including income. But why is the moral authority not in question? At best, presuming the left has the best of intentions, it is the forcible taking of property for the benefit of select others that are selected by the pick-pockets as worthy. More cynically it is legalized theft of wealth for the purpose of purchasing the loyalty (votes) of those that envy and resent the wealthy.
It is a system whose result, even if not its design, is to punish the hard-working, risk-taking, time-investing, forward-looking producers, while rewarding those that, through their own fault or not, produce little. Hence the comparisons to Socialism.
How long can any economy expect to survive such a system?
Take up pen and paper. Draw a circle which gradually spirals inward until in eventually collapses in on itself and disappears. You have just accurately grafted the economic forecast for any nation in which this dangerous belief system gains dominance.

An armed society is a polite society.

I'm forever frustrated that experienced, supposedly intelligent adults can't seem to wrap their brains around the unique dynamic of gun control laws. They believe that strict restrictions on guns make society more safe and that easing such restrictions creates danger, despite that belief being exactly opposite of EVERY recorded statistic.
They believe guns are inherently bad and should be prohibited in every possible circumstance. The truth is that guns are neither bad nor good, but are tools. Criminals will use them to do bad things, and good people can use them to do good. No gun restriction ever has been or ever can be enacted that will prevent criminals from arming themselves. Criminals, by definition, don't respect laws and they prefer unarmed victims. Any restriction gives a tactical advantage to the criminals. Mass shootings nearly always occur in locations where guns are prohibited, primarily schools. Simply allowing good guys to carry guns, even if none did, would reduce these occurances.
The frustration is the ideological and uninformed commentary. Despite the fact that the cities and states with the most restrictive gun laws consistently have the highest rates of violent crime, it is states like Arizona and Texas that get labeled "nuts".

The Lord works in mysterious ways

I hesitate to make this post because of the nature of a very powerful experience I've had. But I post it because the excitement of the experience makes me want to shout it from the rooftops.
Julie and I have our 25th wedding anniversary coming up on April 18th. We're going to celebrate it, in part, by going on a cruise to Cabo San Lucas. It will not only be our first cruise, but will literally be the first time in those 25 years that we've gotten away together, without the kids, for any period of time. (Our current record is about 36 hours)
It seems an appropriate time for my experience. Appropriate, but not coincidental, I think. It was, and is, certainly a tender mercy of my Heavenly Father.
Without getting into unnecessary details I'll suffice to say that we recently had a confidence betrayed by a former in-law that seemed determined to hurt us. Julie in particular. It ended up all working out well, so no more worries there.
But there was a completely unexpected side-effect. After nearly 25 years our marriage had slipped into a comfortable but unremarkable relationship. That's probably not that unusual. What happened next I cannot explain other than to declare it to be a Gift of the Spirit. Circumstances thrust upon us sent my thoughts back to those days when we first fell in love (see pic), and I have since been absolutely overwhelmed with feelings of love and gratitude for this woman with whom I am blessed as my eternal companion. I'm crazy in love all over again.
Thank you Father for the example of turning a sow's ear into a silk purse.