An LDS Blog with Observations about Mormon Doctrine and Culture
A few years ago I was the Teachers Quorum Advisor in our ward. One of the things we did was work on the Cinematography merit badge, and as a group we made a little movie. This is a bit of a spoof on the Steve Martin Pink Panter movie. I am the goofy looking guy in the maroon shirt and the glasses, and two of my sons are in it. Also a niece and a brother-in-law.
There is no more frequent and stern warning given by leaders to members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints than to avoid pornography. One only needs to go to lds.org and do a General Conference search on pornography to get quite a list of talks on the subject. It seemed to be of particular importance to former president Gordon B. Hinckley.
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The selections for the 2008 BCS bowl games were made yesterday, and the usual mess has followed. In spite of having an undefeated season, Boise State was not selected for any BCS bowl games, let alone having a chance at a national championship. Florida and Oklahoma will play for the national championship in spite of having lost during the season – as have several other teams – resulting in yet again another subjective championship. College football experts will often claim that there is no perfect solution, but they are wrong. There is a perfect college football playoff system, and I will gladly tell you what it is. For this post, I will briefly describe the system, give an example from the 2008 season, and explain the benefits of this perfect system.
Continue reading ‘The Perfect College Football Playoff System’
I continue to be fascinated with the topic of brain plasticity. I have purchased and read most of the book ‘The Brain that Changes Itself’, by Norman Doidge, M. D. I have enjoyed the book very much, and it has confirmed and strengthened most of my impressions of this interesting topic. The book lacks statistical data and cool pictures. It is mostly explaining the theory and history behind brain plasticity, and gives several case studies.
As some of you are aware, my parents have been serving a proselyting mission in Kenya for the past several months. You may also be aware of the recent political unrest in Kenya following the recent elections. I admit that I am mostly concerned for the safety of my parents, but the death and suffering currently going on in Kenya is also very troubling. My parents are very calm, rational people, who are not given to exaggeration or drama. They spent two years in Tanzania with the Peace Corp after college. The fact that they are concerned enough to request specific prayer makes the cause seem significant. Here is part of an email I received from them:
Most members of the church are quite familiar with the conversion story of Alma the Younger as found in Alma chapter 36 of the Book of Mormon. It is a beautiful conversion story which provides a great example of a few steps of the repentance process. It may also be a favorite story for many parents who have a wayward child that they hope will someday return to the gospel of Jesus Christ.
It seems to me that this story, as written, could also be read as an example of Calvinist beliefs in action. To illustrate this I would like to highlight what I see as key points of this conversion story:
It is a beautiful spring morning, and the sky is a special shade of blue that you do not get at other times of the year. The air is cool, but so much more pleasant than in the winter months that is feels warm. The spring rains have encouraged the grass to grow thick and green. The leaves on the trees and a few flowers are starting to come out, and the familiar singing of the birds helps round out what appears to be a nearly perfect day. The nicely manicured landscape of the golf course provides the ideal setting for such a day.
Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect. (Matt. 5:48)
This is a pretty tall order, and it comes directly from Jesus right in the scriptures. There is also a culture in the church of striving for perfection in our lives. And while any member of the church will concede that the only way to reach such this impossible standard is through the atonement of Jesus Christ, most will state that we must continually expend tremendous effort to progress towards perfection. All your heart, might, mind and strength as it goes.
I have a problem however. I am not a perfectionist by nature, and I see certain problems with perfectionists. And this makes me wonder if I need an attitude and perspective adjustment.
Bus driver – Move That Bus!!!
After limping along for a year on Blogger I am finally making the jump to WordPress. If I would have known how much easier and more functional WordPress was I would have never got started on Blogger to begin with. Oh well.
So, what do you think of the new site?
I like it. I’m a mechanical engineer, and so I kinda like the gears. They also represent thinking to me. I like how the description line of the blog seems to lead right into the gear teeth for crunching. The gleaming gears and the light streak across the middle seem to add something with this being a religious blog.
The functionality of the sidebar was a snap, although the ‘Top Posts’ section doesn’t seem to work quite right yet. I also need to fill out the blogroll sometime. Any suggestions for a better look and functionality?
I would like to thank Connor for helping out, particularly with exporting my old stuff from the new blogger. This is a function that apparently isn’t even available, but Connor pulled it off like magic.
I hope you like the new site. Please update any links to www.smallsimple.wordpress.com.
I am going to be turning 40 this year. That is old. I think about this once in a while, and wonder what kind of an affect this will have on me. I am told this is a time when some have a mid-life crisis.
I was asked a few weeks ago by a coworker when I was going to have my mid-life crisis. In one way I took it as a compliment. Perhaps he saw me as someone who appeared to be reasonably happy, and had not seen me depressed for a significant period of time. At least he saw no obvious evidence of a mid-life crisis. The wikipedia defines a mid-life crisis this way:
A mid-life crisis is an emotional state of doubt and anxiety in which a person becomes uncomfortable with the realization that life is halfway over. It commonly involves reflection on what the individual has done with his or her life up to that point, often with feelings that not enough was accomplished. The individuals experiencing such may feel boredom with their lives, jobs, or their partners, and may feel a strong desire to make changes in these areas. The condition is also called the beginning of individuation, a process of self-actualization that continues on to death. The condition is most common ranging from the ages of 35-45, and affects men more often than women.
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