It is Christmas night and we have had a fun day as a family. I just wanted to let everyone know how much I love them. This Christmas has been a little melancholy for me. This might be the last Christmas that I have all of my children in my home for. This is a sad thought for me. How I love my children! I am so very proud of all of them and the good people that they are. Thank You! It is my prayer that you will always remain the good kids that you are.
I want each of my children to know, and those of you who also receive this, that I have a testimony of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It is because of him that we have Christmas, please never lose sight of this. Amid the bows and presents remember in whose name we give thanks for the blessings we receive.
I love you!
Dad
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Monday, November 10, 2008
Fairness
I have not much time to write but I wanted to post something quick. Excuse the rambling.
A lot has been mentioned of late as to what is fair. How could such a simple concept be so controversial. I think we all want fairness, especially when it comes to someone dealing with us. We believe intrinsically in fairness. I think it probably stems from our earliest dealings with siblings who take the biggest piece of chocolate cake even when we were the one who helped to make it.
But the devil is in the details when it comes to this topic. A lot of wrong can be done in the drive to be fair. Is it fair to remove personal accountability from someone when they make a bad choice? If so, how do they learn. Is it fair to reward equally someone who works 40 hours a week as the individual who works 80?
Your average Anesthesiologist bills at a rate of $500 every 15 minutes. WOW! I wish. Is this fair? He can make more in a one hour surgery than a lot of people make in a week. How is this fair. I think to a certain extent most people recognize that he is a physician and doctors make a lot of money. Those who are a little more discerning will recognize the amount of time and sacrifice and education he put in, in order to be able to bill in this amount. Those who are even more discerning will recognize the huge risk that this individual takes upon himself in performing his job. Should all of this be recognized when it comes to calculating worth, and hence fairness?
Is it a fair concept to say, those who wish to sacrifice and educate themselves or work harder are entitled to a better reward than those who don't. And if so, to what extent?
Those of you who share my faith have, I believe, been given the answer. Let us turn to: Abraham 3:22 "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;" This seems to imply that there is a difference between these intelligences. Some were more noble and great than others. Were there differences between the sons and daughters of God before we were born. I believe so. All made choices, some of those choices were good, some were very bad and had eternal ramifications. Some were chosen to lead, others were lead.
Some were given work to do and applied themselves and were given greater rewards than others. Where is the fairness?
Well, certainly the amount of work and effort we put into this life won't be held against us in the here after. Let's turn to: D&C 130:19 "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." How can this be? Where is the fairness?
It seems it is a very subtle deception of the advisary to teach that it is fair to reward all equally. And yet it seems that it is a law of Heaven that if we work hard and learn more we will have the advantage over someone who chooses not to.
Now my question is this. Why is it "unfair" to apply this same law here on earth? I believe it is not, yet there are those among us who would have you think otherwise. Socialism and Communism is nothing more than this perverse doctrine in government form. Let us all remember The Glory of God is intelligence and we can not be saved in ignorance. Stand Up!
A lot has been mentioned of late as to what is fair. How could such a simple concept be so controversial. I think we all want fairness, especially when it comes to someone dealing with us. We believe intrinsically in fairness. I think it probably stems from our earliest dealings with siblings who take the biggest piece of chocolate cake even when we were the one who helped to make it.
But the devil is in the details when it comes to this topic. A lot of wrong can be done in the drive to be fair. Is it fair to remove personal accountability from someone when they make a bad choice? If so, how do they learn. Is it fair to reward equally someone who works 40 hours a week as the individual who works 80?
Your average Anesthesiologist bills at a rate of $500 every 15 minutes. WOW! I wish. Is this fair? He can make more in a one hour surgery than a lot of people make in a week. How is this fair. I think to a certain extent most people recognize that he is a physician and doctors make a lot of money. Those who are a little more discerning will recognize the amount of time and sacrifice and education he put in, in order to be able to bill in this amount. Those who are even more discerning will recognize the huge risk that this individual takes upon himself in performing his job. Should all of this be recognized when it comes to calculating worth, and hence fairness?
Is it a fair concept to say, those who wish to sacrifice and educate themselves or work harder are entitled to a better reward than those who don't. And if so, to what extent?
Those of you who share my faith have, I believe, been given the answer. Let us turn to: Abraham 3:22 "Now the Lord had shown unto me, Abraham, the intelligences that were organized before the world was; and among all these there were many of the noble and great ones;" This seems to imply that there is a difference between these intelligences. Some were more noble and great than others. Were there differences between the sons and daughters of God before we were born. I believe so. All made choices, some of those choices were good, some were very bad and had eternal ramifications. Some were chosen to lead, others were lead.
Some were given work to do and applied themselves and were given greater rewards than others. Where is the fairness?
Well, certainly the amount of work and effort we put into this life won't be held against us in the here after. Let's turn to: D&C 130:19 "And if a person gains more knowledge and intelligence in this life through his diligence and obedience than another, he will have so much the advantage in the world to come." How can this be? Where is the fairness?
It seems it is a very subtle deception of the advisary to teach that it is fair to reward all equally. And yet it seems that it is a law of Heaven that if we work hard and learn more we will have the advantage over someone who chooses not to.
Now my question is this. Why is it "unfair" to apply this same law here on earth? I believe it is not, yet there are those among us who would have you think otherwise. Socialism and Communism is nothing more than this perverse doctrine in government form. Let us all remember The Glory of God is intelligence and we can not be saved in ignorance. Stand Up!
Friday, October 31, 2008
The Constitution of the United States of America
How I love America! I do, even as a young boy I remember having tender feelings about this country. I remember my mother teaching me how to pray and letting me know one of the things I needed to thank my Heavenly Father for was the blessing of being born in this great free country. How many of God's children throughout time have never had the blessing of Freedom and Liberty. What a supernal gift, that all to often, we take for granted.
Many of the people I meet seem to think that America and her form of government can not be damaged. It has been around their entire life and so it must always be around. That change is a good thing. We can go about our lives without a thought as to our duty as citizens, secure in the knowledge that America will always be free.
A large contributing factor of this logic is the fact that the Constitution is a living document. It was always meant to be able to be changed and not static in time. But we must be careful, God himself sanctioned the original version. (D&C 98:4-10; 101:77)
I am "Standing Up" today to warn this is not the case. The Constitution is a set of ideals that can be destroyed. We need to be aware of that at this particular time. For those of you who will read this, who are of my own faith, I quote.
"The time will come when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread". (Brigham Young quoting Joseph Smith in his Journal of Discourses, 7:15)
"When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States" (John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p. 219)
I believe these men to be Prophets. As such they have the mantle upon them to prophesy concerning future events. Here they are warning us, that it is possible to destroy the liberties enjoyed by this country. Evil men can plot and devise and scheme to take away God given Freedoms. History has shown this to be true.
Fortunately for us, these men have also said the following.
"At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction. It will be so" (The above Brigham Young reference)
"The elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth, and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations" (The above John Taylor reference)
"The day will come when the Constitution and free government under it will be sustained and preserved by this people" (George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, 23:104)
What does this mean to us. Well I believe we won't be acting alone. It will be all good people of this country that will come to its aid. It will be the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ that will save it.
What do we have to do. I quote again.
"Citizens should also be practitioners of civic virtue in their conduct toward government. They should be ever willing to fulfill the duties of citizenship. This includes compulsory duties like military service and the numerous voluntary actions they must take if they are to preserve the principle of limited government through citizen self-reliance. For example, since U.S. citizens value the right of trial by jury, they must be willing to serve on juries, even those involving unsavory subject matter. Citizens who favor morality cannot leave the enforcement of moral laws to jurors who oppose them". (Dallin H. Oakes, Ensign, February 1992)
A Democrat of the 1950's said: "What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? … A patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime". (Adlai Stevenson, speech given in New York City, 27 August 1952, quoted in John Bartlett, Familiar Quotations, Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1955, p. 986. Italics added)
Hmmm....Sound Familiar. Stand Up!
Many of the people I meet seem to think that America and her form of government can not be damaged. It has been around their entire life and so it must always be around. That change is a good thing. We can go about our lives without a thought as to our duty as citizens, secure in the knowledge that America will always be free.
A large contributing factor of this logic is the fact that the Constitution is a living document. It was always meant to be able to be changed and not static in time. But we must be careful, God himself sanctioned the original version. (D&C 98:4-10; 101:77)
I am "Standing Up" today to warn this is not the case. The Constitution is a set of ideals that can be destroyed. We need to be aware of that at this particular time. For those of you who will read this, who are of my own faith, I quote.
"The time will come when the destiny of this nation will hang upon a single thread". (Brigham Young quoting Joseph Smith in his Journal of Discourses, 7:15)
"When the people shall have torn to shreds the Constitution of the United States" (John Taylor, The Gospel Kingdom, p. 219)
I believe these men to be Prophets. As such they have the mantle upon them to prophesy concerning future events. Here they are warning us, that it is possible to destroy the liberties enjoyed by this country. Evil men can plot and devise and scheme to take away God given Freedoms. History has shown this to be true.
Fortunately for us, these men have also said the following.
"At that critical juncture, this people will step forth and save it from the threatened destruction. It will be so" (The above Brigham Young reference)
"The elders of Israel will be found holding it up to the nations of the earth, and proclaiming liberty and equal rights to all men, and extending the hand of fellowship to the oppressed of all nations" (The above John Taylor reference)
"The day will come when the Constitution and free government under it will be sustained and preserved by this people" (George Q. Cannon, Journal of Discourses, 23:104)
What does this mean to us. Well I believe we won't be acting alone. It will be all good people of this country that will come to its aid. It will be the standards of the gospel of Jesus Christ that will save it.
What do we have to do. I quote again.
"Citizens should also be practitioners of civic virtue in their conduct toward government. They should be ever willing to fulfill the duties of citizenship. This includes compulsory duties like military service and the numerous voluntary actions they must take if they are to preserve the principle of limited government through citizen self-reliance. For example, since U.S. citizens value the right of trial by jury, they must be willing to serve on juries, even those involving unsavory subject matter. Citizens who favor morality cannot leave the enforcement of moral laws to jurors who oppose them". (Dallin H. Oakes, Ensign, February 1992)
A Democrat of the 1950's said: "What do we mean by patriotism in the context of our times? … A patriotism that puts country ahead of self; a patriotism which is not short, frenzied outbursts of emotion, but the tranquil and steady dedication of a lifetime". (Adlai Stevenson, speech given in New York City, 27 August 1952, quoted in John Bartlett, Familiar Quotations, Boston: Little, Brown and Co., 1955, p. 986. Italics added)
Hmmm....Sound Familiar. Stand Up!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Why Blog?
A good question, my wife says it is for therapy. She's probably right, she usually is. But on a more sincere note, I can't take it any more. When have we become a nation of not what I can do for it but what she can do for me. That is all any one seems to care about. At least if you believe the main stream media. I believe otherwise!
I believe there are still millions of good people in this country who just aren't heard, why? Well good people tend to think of other people's feelings and try not to offend anyone. As a result of trying to be thoughtful and tolerant of others we let them have the last word. In today's ever declining ethics of journalism that is all that is heard on the 6 O' Clock news.
So why blog? It is my effort to "Stand Up" and to let my voice be heard. The good people of this great nation need to do more standing up! Let your voice's be heard. This will be my humble attempt.
During World War Two there was a family who had several (4 out of 5) of their son's killed in battle. When the father was asked about this and the sacrifice they had paid. He said that he felt the loss most terribly, but if the President required that his last remaining son serve in this conflict, and hence possibly die, he would give it.
By today's standard this man would be thought callus at best and a monster at worst. How could he say this, how could he offer his last son's life for WAR. Didn't he love his son! What a child abuser!
I think otherwise. I think this man was a great man. This man understood two things. First, the value of life. How dear it is, how precious. Once lost we can not get it back. Second, he understood that some things in this life are worth sacrificing for. Even unto death.
There is another Father who also understood this. So he let angry, evil men nail his son to a cross and suffer, sacrifice his life for something worth sacrificing for.
It is my prayer that all who read this will understand the need to "Stand Up". I can not promise that I will write in this daily, but I will try. As I said earlier, my wife is usually right and she says I need it.
I believe there are still millions of good people in this country who just aren't heard, why? Well good people tend to think of other people's feelings and try not to offend anyone. As a result of trying to be thoughtful and tolerant of others we let them have the last word. In today's ever declining ethics of journalism that is all that is heard on the 6 O' Clock news.
So why blog? It is my effort to "Stand Up" and to let my voice be heard. The good people of this great nation need to do more standing up! Let your voice's be heard. This will be my humble attempt.
During World War Two there was a family who had several (4 out of 5) of their son's killed in battle. When the father was asked about this and the sacrifice they had paid. He said that he felt the loss most terribly, but if the President required that his last remaining son serve in this conflict, and hence possibly die, he would give it.
By today's standard this man would be thought callus at best and a monster at worst. How could he say this, how could he offer his last son's life for WAR. Didn't he love his son! What a child abuser!
I think otherwise. I think this man was a great man. This man understood two things. First, the value of life. How dear it is, how precious. Once lost we can not get it back. Second, he understood that some things in this life are worth sacrificing for. Even unto death.
There is another Father who also understood this. So he let angry, evil men nail his son to a cross and suffer, sacrifice his life for something worth sacrificing for.
It is my prayer that all who read this will understand the need to "Stand Up". I can not promise that I will write in this daily, but I will try. As I said earlier, my wife is usually right and she says I need it.
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