Teaching in the Synablog

Last week our Gospel Doctrine teacher explained a little bit about what it was like to teach in the synagogue during the time of Christ. He also showed a video depicting Jesus teaching in just such an environment.

A Blogger’s Prayer

Heavenly Father:

I want to thank you for helping me to find and participate in the LDS web log community known as the Bloggernacle. I also thank you for the many outstanding people I have been able to interact with. I usually enjoy this little hobby, and I hope you approve.

Human Relations for Blogs

In my Carnegie training I have learned the nine keys to human relations. I am now trying to implement them in my personal life to improve those relations. The interaction that I experience through LDS blogging is a major reason why I stick around. I hope that if I can improve my end of these relationships things will be even better. I don’t express this as an expert, nor do I do this to scold anyone. Perhaps there are things on my list here that can help others as well. So here I go, Carnegie human relations keys applied to blogging.

Spirit of Bloggernacle

To the tune of Spirit of Radio.

Begin the day, with a friendly blog,
A companion unobtrusive.
Writes that post, that’s so elusive.
And that magic Mormon makes you morning mood.

Off at your job, on an open break,
There is magic at your fingers.
And the spirit ever lingers,
Undemanding contact in your happy solitude.

Dial up modems crackle with life,
Bright monitors bristle with the energy.
Spiritual feedback on unlimited bandwidth,
Bearing a Pearl of Great Price,
Almost free…….

All this machinery making Mormon blogging
Can still be open-hearted.
Not church correlated
It’s really just a question of your honesty
Yeah your honesty.
One likes to believe in the freedom of blogging,
But flattering comments, and sometimes guilty conscience
Shatter the illusion of integrity.

The words on the prophets were linked to the official website.
lds.org
It echoes with the sound of Intellectuals.

Hope for Sustain’d

For the benefit of some family and friends who read Small and Simple but do not venture into the LDS web log community I would like to briefly describe Sustain’d. Sustain’d is a web site that ranks posts according to sustaining votes. One can go to Sustain’d and see what posts have been sustained and how many times they have been sustained. It seems a neat way to catch the highlights of what is going on.

I Want a New Blog (Huey Lewis Parody)

He he he.

I may be dating myself a bit here. There was a popular band in the 80s called Huey Lewis and the News. One of their songs was ‘I Want a New Drug’. This song was going through my head the other day and I substituted drug for blog (I need to get a life). I wondered what the other lyrics might be like if changed a bit to address LDS blogs. As it turns out about half the lyrics I left as original – they seemed to apply quite well. They turn out to be a anti extremist approach. What do you think of the hypothetical blog that is described here? Does an LDS blog like this exist? Any recommendations? Hopefully Small and Simple and Blogger of Jared match this somewhat. What do you think?

Small and Simple

There have been several who have made attempts to evaluate and define their own blogs and the bloggernacle lately. I might join in the throng, and sort of evaluate and define this little blog. I might start with the name.

Diversity is Overrated

Kaimi made an interesting post recently at Times and Seasons about Times and Seasons. He was writing about the benefits of being an inter-ideologically diverse group blog. He mentioned how many group blogs are places where birds of a feather flock together. I suppose he could have been talking about Blogger of Jared and similar blogs. The contributors here tend to be fairly similar, and from my understanding this is intentionally the case. When I was first invited to join this blog I asked a couple of my blogging friends for their advice. One comment was made that ‘I can’t tell those guys at BofJ apart’. Well, just scroll down a couple of posts to see an example of a strong difference of opinion! But generally speaking, we are similar people. Is this such a bad thing? Does it make BofJ boring and irrelevant?

This has caused me to think a bit about whether or not there are benefits to diversity in a group blog when what is being discussed is so often the doctrines and practices of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. Is diversity within a blog and within the church in these areas a desirable thing? For now I think the answer is no, it is not.

Now don’t get me wrong. (I say that a lot). I delight in the differences of personality, style, knowledge, experience, etc. that I find in the bloggernacle, and in life. I like what Brigham Young said about stereotype Mormons, although I could not find the reference today (little help?). I’m talking more about ideological, or perhaps more specific, theological diversity as it relates to the doctrine, and to a lesser extent practices, within the church and within Mormon blogs. Should we not in general be a united people in these areas?

Brigham Young had a lot to say about unity. In fact there is an entire chapter on the subject in Discourses (Chapter 25). This chapter starts out with the following paragraphs:

Be of one mind and one heart – I pray, my brethren, the Bishops, the Elders, the Seventies, the Apostles, yea, every man and woman and child who has named the name of Christ, to be of one heart and of one mind, for if we do not become of one heart and mind we shall surely perish by the way.

If we were one, we should then prove to heaven, to God our Father, to Jesus Christ our Elder Brother, to the angels, to the good upon the earth, and to all mankind that we are the disciples of the Lord Jesus Christ. If we are not one, we are not in the true sense of the word the disciples of the Lord Jesus.

And quotes like that continue throughout the chapter.

The writings of Paul are filled with pleadings that the saints in various areas are united. I will give just one as an example ‘Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment.’ (1 Cor. 1:10) Look in the TG under unity to get quite a list of similar verses. But this is not all.

In the intercessory prayer Jesus himself says. ‘Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us; that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. (John 17:20-21).

During the wonderful time after the Saviors visit to the Americas it was said of the people:

And it came to pass that there was no contention in the land, because of the love of God which did dwell in the hearts of the people. And there were no envyings, nor strifes, nor tumults, nor whoredoms, nor lyings, nor murders, nor any manner of lasciviousness; and surely there could not be a happier people among all the people who had been created by the hand of God. There were no robbers, nor murderers, neither were there Lamanites, nor any manner of -ites; but they were in one, the children of Christ, and heirs to the kingdom of God. And how blessed were they! (4 Ne. 1:15-17)

The D&C states, ‘I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.’ (D&C 38:27)

Also, ‘Hearken, O ye elders of my church whom I have called, behold I give unto you a commandment, that ye shall assemble yourselves together to agree upon my word.’ (D&C 41:2)

To ultimately agree upon the word of God. Should that not be the desire and goal of those who gather with saints here or elsewhere? Sure, it may be fun for a time to debate and speculate regarding certain gaps in the revelations – but to what end?! Should we not seek to become a united people?

And if I have not beat the horse quite dead yet, There is verse three of ‘Onward Christian Soldiers’ (Hymn 246)

Like a mighty army Moves the Church of God;
Brothers, we are treading where the Saints have trod.
We are not divided; All one body we:
One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.

Well, I did not seek the bloggernacle out for argument or debate. It seems to me there are plenty of sources for ideologies and theologies that are contrary to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Life is challenging enough for me. I hope for peace and unity within the gospel. Greater understanding, not additional confusion. I am sincerely grateful for all the uplifting, faithful, interesting, and uniting contributors out there. Perhaps there are some who find BofJ a tad boring. Well, there are also those who find the scriptures boring. And conference. And the Ensign. And prayer. We certainly do not put ourselves in the same category as those sources, but hopefully the similarity you may see in us here in some way represents a type of unity which comes from being part of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ. We are not divided; All one body we: One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.

Bloggin’ Man (A Rush Parody)

The following are modified lyrics to “Workin’ Man” by Rush. I have been using my lyrics whenever I listen to this song or when it goes through my head. It says a bit about what I feel about blogging sometimes.

LDS blogs: Size Matters

I have read posts on an awful lot of blogs. When I first found the bloggernacle I read everything that came up on the Mormon Archipelago. I still put in a LOT more time reading other people’s stuff than I spend in preparing and writing my own…..I probably shouldn’t have said that. You can tell can’t you?