This hymn has been on my mind a lot lately. Somewhat intentionally to be sure. It’s a hymn that’s been a part of my life for as long as I can remember and was one of my father’s favorite hymns. I’m at a point in my life where it’s become even more meaningful; especially the last […]

In 1947, the song writing team of Lerner and Loewe created a musical called “Brigadoon.” It’s a fantasy that takes place in the highlands of Scotland in a village that only appears once every 100 years. One of the songs that I’ve always loved and always brings tears to my eyes is called “There But […]

It has been a long time since I’ve posted. I’ve been working on a new business with my best friend, Drew Stinson, as my partner. It’s amazing how much time it takes and I’ve never known a lot about things like employees, payroll, taxes, and accounting. One of the main reasons for doing that is that […]

The First Vision isn’t just a piece of history for us. It is a pattern for how we learn truth. Yes, we believe that The Bible is the word of God. We also believe that the Book of Mormon is the word of God. We have other scriptures too, but we do not use them as the sole guides for the decisions of our daily lives. For the more personal things, our spiritual practice is to pray about them and ask God what we should do.

Somehow, I think that everything God asks me to do is supposed to somehow be comfortable. If there’s hardship, I start thinking I made a mistake. I’m stubborn about it, because I always find that there was a greater purpose in choosing the uncomfortable ways.

Around the time I turned 16, as I have related before, I had a profound prayer experience where I promised Heavenly Father I would turn my life in a different direction. As difficult as it has been, I have kept the promises I made then. My life is everything I wanted it to be, except […]

Matthew’s death was sad and unexpected and it caused in me some deep reflection. He isn’t the first friend or family member I’ve known to have died. As I’ve prayed for his family and spent time in the temple over the last couple of weeks I’ve found comfort and peace.

When such things in my head are hymns, I’ve learned that these are opportunities for me to reflect on my life.

Happiness comes from accepting the lot we have been dealt and building on it. To me, all negative experiences are more than just lessons learned. They are the building blocks of strong character, but only if those negatives experiences are embraced and accepted as what we have been given to work with.

In my adulthood, I’ve only grown more prone to crying at emotional stuff. A talk in church, a television commercial or show, a movie, all can make me cry. It’s a little embarrassing, but I’m glad I’m that way.

The glass of water analogy falls apart for me because whether you look at is half full or half empty, it still contains water and air, and we need both. I’m addicted to both. Can’t seem to get enough of either.

I had an interesting experience the other day as I was taking a walk around the grounds of the Temple in Sacramento. As I paused for a moment in the shade of an oak tree, I looked up. 3 people like this post. Like Unlike

I was out on a bike ride today with my sister and brother-in-law.For all intents and purposes it was a pretty uneventful ride.  However when a bee flies into your helmet it can make life very interesting. 3 people like this post. Like Unlike

In many cases a circle is a good shape. The earth that Our Lord created is a circle.There’s a hymn that says “Improvement and Progression have one eternal round. ” (Hymns 1985 #284) And if you think about it, a circle has no beginning nor ending. Usually.  4 people like this post. Like Unlike

One of my earliest memories is of sitting in a big chair around a table in some kind of outer office. I could faintly hear voices through a wall. I think one of the voices was my mother. I remember looking up and seeing a painting that I knew to be a representation of Jesus. I felt warm, peaceful, and happy. I think about that memory and the feeling I had often.