For an assignment at church, Mary and I were asked to write our testimonies in roughly 250 words about serving in the church. This is what we wrote:
Mary wrote:
I haven't met any extremely trying or overwhelming trials in my life; rather I find everyday life to be my real trial. With each new responsibility, child, venture, etc. I become more acutely aware of the areas and ways in which I fall short of who I know I can be. I have found that my greatest struggle is an inner struggle with myself. Consequently, my testimony too has changed from an external understanding and belief in doctrine and principles of the Gospel to a witness of how Heavenly Father truly has a plan for me full of hope and possibilities, because He has provided me with a Savior. I know that whereas I can accomplish very little on my own; all things are possible in Christ. And that helps me to keep trying even when I have failed many times before.
I am very grateful for the opportunities that my husband and I have had to serve in leadership callings that are somewhat “demanding,” because they have been times of expedited growth. I find that the things we have had to learn to incorporate into our lives to sustain a strong, connected marriage and family are principles and practices that we should have already been drawing upon, but we hadn’t because we had never learned how to or we never saw the need for them before. We are learning the importance and the incredible blessings that come of living a purpose driven life.
Jeff wrote:
Ever since my mission I have loved opportunities to serve in the Church and my life and family have been blessed for, and in, that service. Sometimes church responsibilities result in longer days and busier weekends then I would have scheduled for myself. However, I have always appreciated that upon the close of those days or weekends that there is a consistently accompanied assurance that I was doing what the Lord would have me or my family do. Certainly, there is an awareness or reminder of what you could have been doing or what still needs to get done, but it seems that the stuff that needs to get done (yard work, home repairs… honey-do stuff) gets done and that our efforts in doing those more menial, yet necessary tasks, are consecrated by the Lord for putting His kingdom first. At times, I have left my wife and children to serve the Lord with some reluctance in my heart and some sadness on their faces. Yet, I have found that, the Lord compensates me and my family during those times of sacrifice in His behalf, if not immediately in the way we want, certainly in the way we need.
While I cannot enumerate all the blessings that have come from my service in my Father’s Kingdom and to His children, I know that I am happy, I love my life, I love my wife, I love our children, and I love my God.
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church. Show all posts
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Update 8/2009 - 3-2010
So, it's been forever since I have blogged... I just got out of the habit and haven't gotten back into it. Occasionally, I have had twinges of guilt, knowing that this was something I wanted to consistently do, if only for a record of our family happenings for future reflection. Anyway, I'll try to update peeps as much as possible, but I apologize up front that there won't be any pics. That would multiply the amount of time this would take and then I'd be stuck again... this would become a draft and maybe never be finished.
August 2009: I think that sometime in this month we found out we were pregnant. Now we are about four weeks away from our fourth kid (3rd girl). We are unsure on names at this point. We went to McCall and spent about a week with my family up there... it was a relaxing and enjoyable time. One of the things that I enjoyed the most was the time that I spent each morning with Sarah and Nathan. Our kids, compared to my nieces and nephews, get up early (around 7 am, if not before), so I knew that we needed to figure something out each morning because I didn't want our kids waking up others. So, once the kids woke up (the two oldest at least), typically simultaneously, I would take them outside, get them a warm jacket and we'd go do something fun. We would head out with full sippy cups and a little snack (sometimes picked up a doughnut, which the kids loved). We went to the river that flows into the upper Payette lake and had fun throwing rocks in the river/stream and watching sticks float down it. Some of the mornings we just had a fire outside of the cabin in the little fire-pit and had breakfast on the picnic table. One morning we waited a bit and then went fishing with the other older cousins with my brother Robb, and my Dad. This was a lot of fun! One morning we went down to the Payette River below Payette Lake (McCall) and threw rocks in the river and tried to see who could make the biggest splash. This was a fun time as well. One morning we just walked down to Davis Beach and swung on the little bench swing down there and watched the lake come alive with boats. This was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it and it made a positive time out of a typically difficult time where I would have normally been shushing the kids endlessly to keep them quiet. Overall, we had a great time in McCall and it's so fun just to hang out on the beach with the family. Our kids have so much fun with their cousins and the beach just provides almost endless play for the kiddos. Great times. I turned 31 in August.
I was called to serve as the YM's President in our ward, which was/is overwhelming but enjoyable.
September 2009: We took a road-trip home to W. WA and visited Mary's parents in Leavenworth and then visited with my parents in Bothell for a few days. Then I went with my brothers and dad for our annual men's hike to Hyas Lake up outside of Roslyn. This was a fun year as it was the first year that I had all of my brothers with us. We had a great time! I think it was this month that Mary started Homeschooling Sarah. This was a big step but it is going wonderfully. Sarah is thriving in this environment and is learning to love learning, which is one of the main reasons we chose this route for Sarah's education.
October 2009: I was laid off on October 8th, which was devastating! Fortunately, I was only out of work for one month and returned to work on Nov. 9th with my previous job. This was a difficult and stressful month job-searching, soul-searching and being grateful for blessings and preparation. We felt fortunate that in 2008 we had set a goal to have a year-supply of food and clothing, which we were able to do. This significantly took the edge off of some of the difficulty, though we never really had to use that. With my little severance and using the vacation I had accrued, we were able to bridge the time that I was laid off. But it was definitely a time of uncertainty for us. I applied for probably 50-60 jobs in my field and probably only heard back from 5 or so, and I didn't have a single interview. It was discouraging, but a good wake-up call. We learned a lot of things in this brief period of time.
November 2009: Mary and I celebrated our 8th anniversary by going out to Bruneau Canyon to see the sunset and then out to dinner here locally. A week later, Mary's parents and his brother and his wife came to visit us for Thanksgiving. This was a really fun weekend! We enjoyed great food and enjoyed staying up talking and playing card and dice games. Thanksgiving morning my Father-in-law and brother-in-law went with me to play football (the annual Turkey Bowl) at a local park with people from our ward. I think people suspect me of bringing ringers every year, as last year my brother and dad joined us. My brother-in-law, Kris, scored the winning touchdown for our team... it was a lot of fun. We always appreciate it when family goes out of their way to join us for Holidays or just visits us.
December 2009: We enjoyed preparing for the Christmas season. Things were crazy at work trying to get everything done for the month before we left for the last 8 days or so for Christmas. Before that, though, me and some of Mary's friends (most of the work was done by the latter! Thanks Rachelle and Kristin!) pulled off a great surprise birthday party for Mary's 30th b-day. This was a lot of fun, and was completely unexpected by Mary due to the craziness of this month and getting ready to leave to Washington for Christmas. On the morning of the 23rd, we woke the kids up and told them that we had to get ready because we were leaving to go on an airplane to go to Washington for Christmas. This was a complete surprise to the kids and they were so excited! This was the first airplane ride for these kids and they did great. They loved being able to go on an airplane and they did great! This was also a surprise (I can't believe we actually pulled this off!) for my mom. She was completely caught off-guard when she came out of the house to find us there as we said "SURPRISE". She was literally speechless with her hands over her mouth. We had a great time in Washington for Christmas and enjoyed seeing extended family and spending a lot of time with our immediate family. We were also able to see some friends as well. We spent the Saturday after Christmas with Mary's family in Tacoma at her sister's house. This was a lot of fun and the kids got some fun home-made gifts from Nanu and Bumpa. This trip went by too quickly, but was such a great time. We enjoyed it immensely!
January 2010: We went to Utah toward the end of January for a job interview that didn't pan out. We enjoyed spending a lot of time with our friends, the Bergeson's (who hosted us wondefully on extremely short notice!) and also spending some time with Mary's brother and his wife. We had a great quick trip and the kids had fun with their friends and Aunt and Uncle. Nathan turned four the next week. What a cute kid! I think it was this month that we found out that we are having a girl (we had a failed attempt in December).
February 2010: We enjoyed celebrating Valentines Day with our family. Sarah really enjoys making signs, posters, notes for people, and she has continued to do this. She regularly asks when the next holiday is, so she can start to make some decorations. Don't really remember much else about this month.
March 2010: Mary and I celebrated 100 months of being married. This was kind of cool and it's something that I/we like to do each month. I think this continued when we had Sarah as you always say how old kids are in months until they turn like two or something. So, I decided to start keeping track of this. Occasionally, Mary will remember before I do, but this is fairly rare. Typically, I send an email or make a call home telling her "Happy __ Month Anniversary", she laughs at me, then thanks me and we go on with our normal conversation. I actually surprised Mary this month by setting up a sitter so we could go out to dinner together. It was fun. On 3/5-6, I took Sarah and Nathan for our first camping trip of the year. It had been unseasonably warm and it was supposed to be a nice weekend, so I decided to head out with them. We went to the Bruneau Sand Dunes. While it was nice when the sun was out, it got cold quick. Fortunately, I had brought a space heater. It stayed on all night in our tent. The kids had a blast, even though they were cold at times. They had fun roasting hot dogs over the fire for dinner and then marshmallows for dessert. We drove out to Bruneau Canyon on Sat morning cause the kids were bored of being in the tent and it was too cold to be outside of it. So we drove the 20 mins or so to the canyon. The kids had fun throwing rocks and sticks over the ledges and listening for it to hit the bottom/side of the canyon. The kids ate doughnuts on the way out there for breakfast. When we got back we had a little fire while I did some cleaning up. We then went to the Dunes. Here’s a funny story. So, apparently on Friday morning while Mary was shopping for stuff for us to go camping at a local grocery store (Paul’s) the kids were telling everybody that they were going camping with their daddy to the sand dunes. When they were checking out of the store, the cashier told Sarah and Nathan to “be careful, last time I was there I saw a rattle snake!” This apparently stuck with Nathan. When we parked at the bottom of one of the dunes, he refused to come out because he was scared of rattle snakes. I assured him that we wouldn’t see any this time of year and that I would stay with him. He would have none of it! He chose to stay in the car, but it was close enough where he could see us from the car go up and down the dunes. So he stayed behind in the car. Sarah and I walked to the end of the dune and then climbed up it’s spine, rather then hike straight up. The sand was cold on our feet underneath. We got to the top and Sarah enjoyed repeatedly jumping down “like a bunny – hop hop” the dune and then climbing back up. She also said that she felt like she was walking on the moon… she seemed to really enjoy this. After about 30-45 minutes of us playing on the dunes (I jumped down them several times with her as well). I went down to check on Nathan. He was fairly distraught and it looked like he had been crying/upset for a little while. Poor kid! He still did not want to come out and go on the dunes, he just wanted to go back to the campsite. So we went back there when Sarah was done playing on the dunes.
I think that catches me up. This is a thin description of our last six months plus. Hopefully I'll be better in the coming months.
August 2009: I think that sometime in this month we found out we were pregnant. Now we are about four weeks away from our fourth kid (3rd girl). We are unsure on names at this point. We went to McCall and spent about a week with my family up there... it was a relaxing and enjoyable time. One of the things that I enjoyed the most was the time that I spent each morning with Sarah and Nathan. Our kids, compared to my nieces and nephews, get up early (around 7 am, if not before), so I knew that we needed to figure something out each morning because I didn't want our kids waking up others. So, once the kids woke up (the two oldest at least), typically simultaneously, I would take them outside, get them a warm jacket and we'd go do something fun. We would head out with full sippy cups and a little snack (sometimes picked up a doughnut, which the kids loved). We went to the river that flows into the upper Payette lake and had fun throwing rocks in the river/stream and watching sticks float down it. Some of the mornings we just had a fire outside of the cabin in the little fire-pit and had breakfast on the picnic table. One morning we waited a bit and then went fishing with the other older cousins with my brother Robb, and my Dad. This was a lot of fun! One morning we went down to the Payette River below Payette Lake (McCall) and threw rocks in the river and tried to see who could make the biggest splash. This was a fun time as well. One morning we just walked down to Davis Beach and swung on the little bench swing down there and watched the lake come alive with boats. This was a lot of fun and the kids really enjoyed it and it made a positive time out of a typically difficult time where I would have normally been shushing the kids endlessly to keep them quiet. Overall, we had a great time in McCall and it's so fun just to hang out on the beach with the family. Our kids have so much fun with their cousins and the beach just provides almost endless play for the kiddos. Great times. I turned 31 in August.
I was called to serve as the YM's President in our ward, which was/is overwhelming but enjoyable.
September 2009: We took a road-trip home to W. WA and visited Mary's parents in Leavenworth and then visited with my parents in Bothell for a few days. Then I went with my brothers and dad for our annual men's hike to Hyas Lake up outside of Roslyn. This was a fun year as it was the first year that I had all of my brothers with us. We had a great time! I think it was this month that Mary started Homeschooling Sarah. This was a big step but it is going wonderfully. Sarah is thriving in this environment and is learning to love learning, which is one of the main reasons we chose this route for Sarah's education.
October 2009: I was laid off on October 8th, which was devastating! Fortunately, I was only out of work for one month and returned to work on Nov. 9th with my previous job. This was a difficult and stressful month job-searching, soul-searching and being grateful for blessings and preparation. We felt fortunate that in 2008 we had set a goal to have a year-supply of food and clothing, which we were able to do. This significantly took the edge off of some of the difficulty, though we never really had to use that. With my little severance and using the vacation I had accrued, we were able to bridge the time that I was laid off. But it was definitely a time of uncertainty for us. I applied for probably 50-60 jobs in my field and probably only heard back from 5 or so, and I didn't have a single interview. It was discouraging, but a good wake-up call. We learned a lot of things in this brief period of time.
November 2009: Mary and I celebrated our 8th anniversary by going out to Bruneau Canyon to see the sunset and then out to dinner here locally. A week later, Mary's parents and his brother and his wife came to visit us for Thanksgiving. This was a really fun weekend! We enjoyed great food and enjoyed staying up talking and playing card and dice games. Thanksgiving morning my Father-in-law and brother-in-law went with me to play football (the annual Turkey Bowl) at a local park with people from our ward. I think people suspect me of bringing ringers every year, as last year my brother and dad joined us. My brother-in-law, Kris, scored the winning touchdown for our team... it was a lot of fun. We always appreciate it when family goes out of their way to join us for Holidays or just visits us.
December 2009: We enjoyed preparing for the Christmas season. Things were crazy at work trying to get everything done for the month before we left for the last 8 days or so for Christmas. Before that, though, me and some of Mary's friends (most of the work was done by the latter! Thanks Rachelle and Kristin!) pulled off a great surprise birthday party for Mary's 30th b-day. This was a lot of fun, and was completely unexpected by Mary due to the craziness of this month and getting ready to leave to Washington for Christmas. On the morning of the 23rd, we woke the kids up and told them that we had to get ready because we were leaving to go on an airplane to go to Washington for Christmas. This was a complete surprise to the kids and they were so excited! This was the first airplane ride for these kids and they did great. They loved being able to go on an airplane and they did great! This was also a surprise (I can't believe we actually pulled this off!) for my mom. She was completely caught off-guard when she came out of the house to find us there as we said "SURPRISE". She was literally speechless with her hands over her mouth. We had a great time in Washington for Christmas and enjoyed seeing extended family and spending a lot of time with our immediate family. We were also able to see some friends as well. We spent the Saturday after Christmas with Mary's family in Tacoma at her sister's house. This was a lot of fun and the kids got some fun home-made gifts from Nanu and Bumpa. This trip went by too quickly, but was such a great time. We enjoyed it immensely!
January 2010: We went to Utah toward the end of January for a job interview that didn't pan out. We enjoyed spending a lot of time with our friends, the Bergeson's (who hosted us wondefully on extremely short notice!) and also spending some time with Mary's brother and his wife. We had a great quick trip and the kids had fun with their friends and Aunt and Uncle. Nathan turned four the next week. What a cute kid! I think it was this month that we found out that we are having a girl (we had a failed attempt in December).
February 2010: We enjoyed celebrating Valentines Day with our family. Sarah really enjoys making signs, posters, notes for people, and she has continued to do this. She regularly asks when the next holiday is, so she can start to make some decorations. Don't really remember much else about this month.
March 2010: Mary and I celebrated 100 months of being married. This was kind of cool and it's something that I/we like to do each month. I think this continued when we had Sarah as you always say how old kids are in months until they turn like two or something. So, I decided to start keeping track of this. Occasionally, Mary will remember before I do, but this is fairly rare. Typically, I send an email or make a call home telling her "Happy __ Month Anniversary", she laughs at me, then thanks me and we go on with our normal conversation. I actually surprised Mary this month by setting up a sitter so we could go out to dinner together. It was fun. On 3/5-6, I took Sarah and Nathan for our first camping trip of the year. It had been unseasonably warm and it was supposed to be a nice weekend, so I decided to head out with them. We went to the Bruneau Sand Dunes. While it was nice when the sun was out, it got cold quick. Fortunately, I had brought a space heater. It stayed on all night in our tent. The kids had a blast, even though they were cold at times. They had fun roasting hot dogs over the fire for dinner and then marshmallows for dessert. We drove out to Bruneau Canyon on Sat morning cause the kids were bored of being in the tent and it was too cold to be outside of it. So we drove the 20 mins or so to the canyon. The kids had fun throwing rocks and sticks over the ledges and listening for it to hit the bottom/side of the canyon. The kids ate doughnuts on the way out there for breakfast. When we got back we had a little fire while I did some cleaning up. We then went to the Dunes. Here’s a funny story. So, apparently on Friday morning while Mary was shopping for stuff for us to go camping at a local grocery store (Paul’s) the kids were telling everybody that they were going camping with their daddy to the sand dunes. When they were checking out of the store, the cashier told Sarah and Nathan to “be careful, last time I was there I saw a rattle snake!” This apparently stuck with Nathan. When we parked at the bottom of one of the dunes, he refused to come out because he was scared of rattle snakes. I assured him that we wouldn’t see any this time of year and that I would stay with him. He would have none of it! He chose to stay in the car, but it was close enough where he could see us from the car go up and down the dunes. So he stayed behind in the car. Sarah and I walked to the end of the dune and then climbed up it’s spine, rather then hike straight up. The sand was cold on our feet underneath. We got to the top and Sarah enjoyed repeatedly jumping down “like a bunny – hop hop” the dune and then climbing back up. She also said that she felt like she was walking on the moon… she seemed to really enjoy this. After about 30-45 minutes of us playing on the dunes (I jumped down them several times with her as well). I went down to check on Nathan. He was fairly distraught and it looked like he had been crying/upset for a little while. Poor kid! He still did not want to come out and go on the dunes, he just wanted to go back to the campsite. So we went back there when Sarah was done playing on the dunes.
I think that catches me up. This is a thin description of our last six months plus. Hopefully I'll be better in the coming months.
Tuesday, May 12, 2009
Easter '09
For Easter we did our traditional stuff. On Saturday we dyed eggs and had an Easter egg hunt in the backyard for plastic eggs with candy in them. The kids really enjoyed both of these activities and Nathan held his own this year in the egg hunt and just needed a little help.
Nathan and Sarah wanted pictures with two of the eggs that they dyed. They were really sad when we ate them for lunch on Sunday.
They enjoyed helping each other on the egg hunt and it was sweet to see how excited they both were for each other's finds.
Sunday morning we went to church and enjoyed a great service. I spoke for a little bit as I was released from my calling in the Bishopric (I'm now serving in the Young Men's organization... for the first time! Fun!) After church we delivered some goodies to some friends down the street and then when we were walking back home there was a lady walking her ponies down the street of our neighborhood (yes, I'm in Idaho). The kids enjoyed seeing them but didn't feel like getting too close.
The kids always get a basket with candy, a chocolate easter bunny, something fun and something spiritual. They enjoyed their treats for a number of days and enjoy their spiritual things at church on Sunday during Sacrament meeting each week. After the baskets, we had a special family testimony meetings where we each shared our testimonies about the Gospel and the impact of Christ and His teachings on us. It's a nice tradition and the kids (mostly Sarah) seem to enjoy it.
I usually get up early on Sunday mornings for meetings but since it was Easter and I was getting released we just had one meeting briefly before sacrament meeting. I woke up extra early (because my back hurt and sleeping was futile) and read the portion of Christ's resurrection from each of the four Gospel's and then read Elder Bruce R. McConkie's concluding talk in General Conference titled "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane" from 1985, which is an amazing talk. Anyway, it was a great morning and I am so thankful for the Resurrection of my Lord and Savior and for the living effects of the Atonement that He wrought for everyone.
Nathan and Sarah wanted pictures with two of the eggs that they dyed. They were really sad when we ate them for lunch on Sunday.
They enjoyed helping each other on the egg hunt and it was sweet to see how excited they both were for each other's finds.
Sunday morning we went to church and enjoyed a great service. I spoke for a little bit as I was released from my calling in the Bishopric (I'm now serving in the Young Men's organization... for the first time! Fun!) After church we delivered some goodies to some friends down the street and then when we were walking back home there was a lady walking her ponies down the street of our neighborhood (yes, I'm in Idaho). The kids enjoyed seeing them but didn't feel like getting too close. The kids always get a basket with candy, a chocolate easter bunny, something fun and something spiritual. They enjoyed their treats for a number of days and enjoy their spiritual things at church on Sunday during Sacrament meeting each week. After the baskets, we had a special family testimony meetings where we each shared our testimonies about the Gospel and the impact of Christ and His teachings on us. It's a nice tradition and the kids (mostly Sarah) seem to enjoy it.I usually get up early on Sunday mornings for meetings but since it was Easter and I was getting released we just had one meeting briefly before sacrament meeting. I woke up extra early (because my back hurt and sleeping was futile) and read the portion of Christ's resurrection from each of the four Gospel's and then read Elder Bruce R. McConkie's concluding talk in General Conference titled "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane" from 1985, which is an amazing talk. Anyway, it was a great morning and I am so thankful for the Resurrection of my Lord and Savior and for the living effects of the Atonement that He wrought for everyone.Sunday, March 22, 2009
Draper Temple Open House and More
We were in Utah for 9 days at the end of February and the beginning of March. We had so much fun while we were there and spent a good mixture of time doing fun things, relaxing a little bit and being really busy. We were there because Mary's brother, Kristopher, got married in the Mt. Timpanogas temple on March 5th. While we were in Utah, we stayed with our good friends, the Bergeson's, with whom we had visited for a week in '07 as well. They were so accomodating as we treated their place a little like a hotel for a few days while we were busy with family stuff and the wedding. We so enjoyed spending the evenings with them and playing games and chatting later into the night. It was awesome that we were able to spend some good time with Adam, who is in his orthopedic residency at U of U. He actually had both weekends off and Monday and Tuesday, which is definitely a rarity for him and we/I was grateful that we got to enjoy some time with him around as well as Kari and the kids. THANK YOU SO MUCH BERGESON'S!Anyway, on the Monday of that week we traveled down to Draper for the Draper Temple open house, which was so nice. It was great to be in this house of the Lord, particularly with our family, and to be able to see the unique aspects of each building while also feeling God's presence in His Holy House. The kids loved the little bus-ride that we took from a local meetinghouse to the temple... Nathan especially enjoyed he and I playing a version of "corners" with each other on the ride back. I so love being in the temple with my family! Sarah was a trooper for the pictures as it was pretty cold and windy.
We also went to Red Robin for lunch after the Temple open house. This is a place that the kids really enjoy. Nathan was pretty scared of "Red" when he first saw him and didn't want to cooperate with a picture as he was a little leary of this character. I don't think he understood that it was a person in a costume. He warmed up eventually.
Later that evening, we had dinner with my H.S. friend Angie, and her husband, David, and their son, Parker. We enjoyed dinner, Family Night, and catching up before heading home after a long day. It was nice to reconnect with Angie and to get to know David better. We appreciated their hospitality.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Passing of Joseph B. Wirthlin
Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, passed away on Monday evening at the age of 91. When he passed I thought about my experience with understanding him as a person and as a special witness of Christ. He was not a very dynamic speaker during the years that I was actually attentive to his messages. I don't know if it was always the case for him, but he seemed to speak in somewhat of a monotone voice and was, for me, at times, difficult to listen to. Due to that experience, I made the incorrect assumption that the content of his message matched his delivery. But while I was on my mission and could only read his messages, I quickly learned otherwise... and repented :^). In fact, his messages have been some of the most influential for me over the years. He was related to the late President Gordon B. Hinckley as their grandmother's were half-sisters (they share the same middle name - Bitner). A co-worker of mine is related to the Bitner line and so he has been at family reunions with Elder Wirthlin and President Hinckley. He mentioned to me recently that "Uncle Joe" was one of the kindest men he had ever met and that at these reunions he would frequently be found with a member of the family who "didn't fit in" or was maybe on the outskirts of the mainstream family values. This seemed to fit my image of him. I have always appreciated his humor and the stories he shared.
1. Another lesson I learned on the football field was at the bottom of a pile of 10 other players. It was the Rocky Mountain Conference championship game, and the play called for me to run the ball up the middle to score the go-ahead touchdown. I took the handoff and plunged into the line. I knew I was close to the goal line, but I didn’t know how close. Although I was pinned at the bottom of the pile, I reached my fingers forward a couple of inches and I could feel it. The goal line was two inches away.
At that moment I was tempted to push the ball forward. I could have done it. And when the refs finally pulled the players off the pile, I would have been a hero. No one would have ever known.
I had dreamed of this moment from the time I was a boy. And it was right there within my reach. But then I remembered the words of my mother. “Joseph,” she had often said to me, “do what is right, no matter the consequence. Do what is right and things will turn out OK.”
I wanted so desperately to score that touchdown. But more than being a hero in the eyes of my friends, I wanted to be a hero in the eyes of my mother. And so I left the ball where it was—two inches from the goal line.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this was a defining experience. Had I moved the ball, I could have been a champion for a moment, but the reward of temporary glory would have carried with it too steep and too lasting a price. It would have engraved upon my conscience a scar that would have stayed with me the remainder of my life. I knew I must do what is right.
The Light of Christ helps us to discern right from wrong. When we allow temptations to drown out the still voice of our conscience—that is when decisions become difficult. [The link to the full talk is here]
At that moment I was tempted to push the ball forward. I could have done it. And when the refs finally pulled the players off the pile, I would have been a hero. No one would have ever known.
I had dreamed of this moment from the time I was a boy. And it was right there within my reach. But then I remembered the words of my mother. “Joseph,” she had often said to me, “do what is right, no matter the consequence. Do what is right and things will turn out OK.”
I wanted so desperately to score that touchdown. But more than being a hero in the eyes of my friends, I wanted to be a hero in the eyes of my mother. And so I left the ball where it was—two inches from the goal line.
I didn’t know it at the time, but this was a defining experience. Had I moved the ball, I could have been a champion for a moment, but the reward of temporary glory would have carried with it too steep and too lasting a price. It would have engraved upon my conscience a scar that would have stayed with me the remainder of my life. I knew I must do what is right.
The Light of Christ helps us to discern right from wrong. When we allow temptations to drown out the still voice of our conscience—that is when decisions become difficult. [The link to the full talk is here]
2. I remember when one of our daughters went on a blind date. She was all dressed up and waiting for her date to arrive when the doorbell rang. In walked a man who seemed a little old, but she tried to be polite. She introduced him to me and my wife and the other children; then she put on her coat and went out the door. We watched as she got into the car, but the car didn’t move. Eventually our daughter got out of the car and, red faced, ran back into the house. The man that she thought was her blind date had actually come to pick up another of our daughters who had agreed to be a babysitter for him and his wife.
We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.
The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable. [The link to the full talk is here]
We all had a good laugh over that. In fact, we couldn’t stop laughing. Later, when our daughter’s real blind date showed up, I couldn’t come out to meet him because I was still in the kitchen laughing. Now I realize that our daughter could have felt humiliated and embarrassed. But she laughed with us, and as a result, we still laugh about it today.
The next time you’re tempted to groan, you might try to laugh instead. It will extend your life and make the lives of all those around you more enjoyable. [The link to the full talk is here]
Anyway, as many of these great men move through my life, I'm grateful for their distant, yet real impact on who I am as a person, a husband and a father. I'm glad that Elder Wirthlin has reunited with his wife.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
8 AM Church?
No, I'm not kidding. Due to some growth (Yay!) in Mountain Home, particularly our congregation, we have had to move our church time from 9 AM to 8 AM to accomodate some space issues and make room for the other congregations that meet after us. Today was our first go at it and we did better than expected. I got up at 6:15 AM, showered, got somewhat dressed, woke-up Mary and then started making pancakes (A Sunday AM tradition, one of the things we can count on them wolfing down, thanks to the syrup) for Sarah and Nathan and then woke them up at about 6:50. They commenced eating while I kept cooking, cooling, cutting and coating (w/ syrup) the pancakes for the ravenous kids. We had prepped all of our stuff the night before and showered the kids on Saturday as well. We had set out the kids church clothes the night before, so we got them dressed quickly after they ate breakfast. We were out the door at about 7:45 and were at church 10 mins early! Not bad! We'll see how long that lasts... probably a one or two hit wonder depending on when little Jane arrives. The kids have definitely been a little more tired this morning, though we only woke them up about 30-45 mins earlier than normal. I feel sorry for the members of our congregation that live about 90 mins away up in the hills! They were there though!
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