Let the Wind of Change Blow

The wind blew like crazy last night. Our windows rattled, screens shook, and sounded ominous. The lights flickered and interrupted our reading for a moment. I looked at my wife and assured her we had a working flashlight nearby. Then I thought of the new generator I got for Christmas. Would we have to use it so soon? I hadn't even unboxed it yet


Well, fortunately it didn’t come down to dealing with an emergency. Though the winds continued to howl and whine, we soon fell asleep and missed the rest of the winds assault on the Salt Lake Valley.


The morning, though cold, brought sunshine and blue skies. It was absolutely gorgeous. Quite a contrast from the weeks before. Salt Lake Valley often sports an inversion in the winter. It’s a murky layer of not so pleasant smog... best not breathed in large doses. We’re told to cut down on our driving and to stay indoors if possible. For some the smog can actually be on the deadly side. But today was bright, clear, and beautiful... what a relief. 


As I thought about the needed change in this new day, I remembered the wind from the night before. What seemed threatening the night before actually cleared the smog from the valley. The murky atmosphere that tended to affect our moods and trap numerous particles in the air was gone... blown away by the wind. 


So it is with winds of change. We all experience a certain murkiness in life. This murkiness can affect our moods and attitudes. If it gets thick enough it also affects how far we can see. Sometimes it can be filled with things that are dangerous to us... impeding our essential progress in life. That's when the storms of life or the winds of change actually do us a favor. With life's murkiness blown away, we can see clearly again and feel hope and excitement. Life is once again gorgeous and beautiful.

So here we are, the end of yet another year... the turning of another page in our lives. Have you experienced any murkiness in 2011? Has it been hard to “see” clearly? Are you ending the year with a discouraging mood or attitude? If so, maybe 2012 can provide a needed wind of change and blow away life’s murky smog. I have a feeling though that whether the wind blows is up to you and me. So this New Year, let the winds blow.

The Sixty-Nine Cent Christmas

One Christmas I’ll never forget happened many years ago in Southern Idaho. Early in my career as a religious educator I found myself teaching at a small high school near Blackfoot. We had three young sons at the time, which made it hard to pack everything needed to travel for the holidays. Money was tight and it was looking like a meager Christmas.

As a dad, I really wanted to make this first Christmas at our own home a special one. The new technology that year was the VHS player. I thought it would be great to record shows off the TV and play videos for the kids. As new technology arrives it usually comes at a cost, at least until competition helps drive prices down.

So it was on a lark that one day I stopped by a local TV and electronics store hoping beyond hope that something might fit into my price range. It didn’t take long to realize how far off the prices really were. I searched for damaged or scratch and dent VCRs, but didn’t find anything—so much for following a whim and hoping for some good luck.

A bit discouraged I headed for the door when something caught my eye. On the wall near the door a homemade sign announced: “Christmas Fun only $.69.” Below the sign hung a long red plastic sheet. It had two rectangle holes cut near the top of the sheet. I stopped in my tracks and wondered what it was. I asked an employee about it. “It’s a sleigh, you know, for the snow,” I was told. Now, that sounded cool… especially to a guy raised in Southern Nevada.

I thrust my hands into my pocket and determined that this was something I actually could afford. I slapped coins down on the counter and walked out with my Christmas surprise. As I drove home, I found myself hoping it worked and that it would be something the boys would enjoy. It didn’t look like much and so I worried into the night how the family might receive it. It didn’t take long to find out.

On Christmas day, of the few presents opened, the one that provided the most fun was a red plastic sheet that cost $.69. We dashed to the Seminary building that conveniently sat on a hill. All day long we made runs down the hill only taking breaks for hot chocolate. We threw snowballs and sleighed and laughed all day long. Who would have thought that something so simple would provide so much joy? What a Christmas!

So this Christmas, if you find yourself short on cash, remember that the best gifts aren’t necessarily the most expensive ones. Try simplifying your Christmas by giving simple gifts. Most of us would rather enjoy family and time together than things anyway. So, from this basic guy, I wish you a very merry, but basic Christmas.

What's the Hurry?

I think I almost killed someone this morning. Now, I wasn’t angry, bi-polar, or out of sorts, nor am I a hit man or terrorist. I’m simply a normal Joe who was happily on my way to work. It was dark out because I like to be in the office by about 7:00 am.

I had just turned onto the main road that leads to the Community College where I teach. Now where I live we have two lanes of traffic going both directions separated by a center lane used for turning across traffic or merging into traffic. I was traveling in my formidable SUV in the lane next to the center lane when a little compact car darted across traffic on my left. A city bus barely missed the young lady and let her know it. Because of the speed she was going, she was unable to turn into the center lane. Instead she made a wide arc into my lane.

Now, I have to admit, my reflexes are not as sharp as they once were. Luckily for both of us, I was able to slam on my breaks and avoid a collision. She of course accelerated up the road, probably wondering just how close the grill of my SUV got to her little car as she eyed me in her rear-view mirror. Of course, I was relieved that no one was hurt… OK, I have to admit, the episode did not make me happy… alright, I was ticked. But there was no road rage.

As I reflected on the experience for the remainder of the drive, I came to a couple of conclusions. First, the young lady was probably in a hurry to get to work on time. Who knows, maybe she has a demanding boss that monitors her every move. She came out of a shopping area that only has one business open at that hour of the morning: Starbucks. Well, all of that made sense to me and I began to settle down.

However, the second conclusion that came to me gave me pause. Is there any job, appointment, or destination so critical that it’s worth testing your vary life to make it? What’s the hurry? It seems to me that the last thing you want to hurry to is the unintended end of your life. This young woman came within seconds of such an unfortunate end… twice! I hope she felt it, because if she did, maybe it will serve as a warning. Maybe next time, she’ll hurry less and count her blessings.

What’s the lesson? Well, life is dang fast. It moves almost effortlessly through its twists and turns, highs and lows, and good times and bad. Too often we slip into the flow of things and let life control the pace. Wouldn’t it make more sense to choose the pace ourselves as best we can? In doing so, we’ll have more control over our own lives. So, what’s the hurry?

Just Who has "Diluted" God's Word?

As I follow the current run for president and consider the political landscape, I continue to be struck by the Mormon issue. It’s not fading away… especially among our evangelical friends. You don’t have to look very far to find a worried evangelical declaring that a vote for a Mormon is a vote for the dark side (or something like that).

Why such a strong objection to a presidential candidate with otherwise capable skills? It still comes back to basic old theology. I suppose they’d say it’s nothing personal, but Mormons are deceived and a Mormon president would deceive the nation. Some are much more kind in their attacks on Mormon’s in politics. For example, one senior pastor named Bob Merrit (who just happens to be Michele Bachmann’s pastor), “delivered a July 2007 sermon titled, ‘Raise Your Religious IQ — Investigating Mormonism’ (available for download via iTunes). He said:

“‘I very respectfully push back and I say (to Mormons) you have taken something extra and added it to (God’s word) to make all of it untrue,’ Merritt said. ‘Think of it this way: what does your car need to run properly? It needs pure, refined petroleum — it needs gasoline. And what happens when you dilute the gasoline with something like water? The car doesn’t run. I think that’s a good analogy for what our Mormon friends have done with God’s word. … The whole thing is diluted, and honestly it just doesn’t work’” (Jamshid Ghazi Askar, “Michele Bachmann’s pastor on Mormonism,” Deseret News, Sept. 6, 2011).

Did I hear that right? He thinks Mormon’s have diluted God’s word? Talk about diluting God’s word, how about a continuous rash of Christian theologians in the 4th and 5th centuries arguing over the very definition of God and finally settling on the most incomprehensible definition of God by majority vote! No one did more to “dilute” the word of God than those man-made council’s. And to think that the entirety of today’s Christendom rests on such a frail foundation.

Fortunately, God has reasserted the truth about Himself--yes, the New Testament truth that was forgotten, ignored and lost for some reason in the 4th and 5th centuries—by appearing to a 14 year-old boy in upstate New York. Nothing “added” as Mr. Merritt suggests, just simply God re-revealed.

Now I’m just a basic guy, but this true God revealed is way more comprehensible and personal than that god defined by argument and majority vote. One thing we can agree on is that God is a loving Father in Heaven and extends His mercies to His children on earth. If a Mormon can believe that, what harm could possible come to the nation under skilled leadership of a Mormon president?

Child of God or King of the Whole World?

I was sitting in my office today between classes and found myself staring at a calendar on the wall. It was the right month, but I realized I really hadn’t noticed the picture. It showed a beautiful little girl resting her chin on her hand. And the eyes… they were alive. How had I missed this, the month was nearly over? Then I saw the words:

“It is better to be the child of God than king of the whole world” (St. Aloysius Gonzaga).

The message struck me. The truth of it settled nicely into my heart. Most often men or women who seek to rule the world are driven by mortal passions as opposed to God’s will. Therefore, even though all existing world leaders are also children of God, they most often do not act like it. Power really does tend to corrupt and as Lord Acton has so famously said, “absolute power corrupts absolutely.”

But wouldn’t it be a tremendous blessing to the world if the leaders of nations actually lived, and believed, and acted like they were children of God? I think so. Sadly, we’ll have to wait for the coming of God’s Only Begotten Son… the One who actually believes that it is better to be the child of God than the king of the whole world.

I hope He comes soon.

Mr. Obama: Mr. Compromise Once Again

I sat and watched Mr. Obama tonight. Maybe you did too. He engaged me with his genuine plea to work together. He admitted that Washington is dysfunctional, over-spends, and is self-serving. Mr. Obama invited everyone to sacrifice, including himself, to save America. It was great.

When it was over I began to wonder, where was this president during the past three years? Where was he when Obamacare was shoved down America's throat? A Democratic Congress pulled every trick in the book to pass that law even though most Americans were clearly opposed to the idea. And Mr. Obama signed it into law. So where was the compromise then? Where was the “working together” attitude then? It didn’t exist.

So there it is again. Mr. Obama is all of the sudden in the mood to work together for the good of America. Why? Because it is convenient for him. I’ve accused Mr. Obama before of being "A Convenient President." It is how he needs to appear before the people right now. He needs some positive press and will do what is necessary to get it. However, when the need passes, he’ll return to business as usual and will do things that meet Mr. Obama’s agenda, not the people of the United States.

This may seem to be pretty down on the president, but I can’t help it. Time and time again he has said things that appeal to Americans in general, but then turned around and does something different. I guess I should clarify. He may not “do” things himself, he actually allowed the formerly democratic dominated Congress or now the Senate to do all the dirty work… without a word from him.

Now I know I’m just a basicguy, but I have a warning. If Mr. Obama is pawning for a compromise, there’s something in it for him. It’s convenient to compromise right now because he’s lost the democratic controlled Congress and his political ideology is losing ground in America. So, he needs something, and I suggest that we not give it to him.

One Debt or Another

Can you believe the dangerous predicament we’re in? Just today, while searching the Internet, I found out that the US has once again reached its debt limit at over 14 trillion dollars. And the most worrisome part is that there is no agreed upon plan to do anything about it… especially from the Whitehouse. Why don’t they see the danger that basic folk see and get busy fixing the problem?

Another news story was another sign of dangerous times ahead. 2010 marked the first time that more was spent from Social Security than was taken in. I had hoped that my many years of contributing to this fund would still be available when I retired, but I seriously doubt it now. I suppose a lot could happen over the next 9 years, but having watched the Obama economy, it isn’t likely.

So, how did we get here? Well, we have a government with no fiscal restraint. I see it as one of the problems that come with a generation of career politicians. They spend as if the American economy will eventually overcome all shortfalls. It may be true when the economy is robust. Which brings us to another obvious problem; the economy is not robust these days and doesn’t show any promise that it will become such either. The political climate that a vote for change has brought has ensured that.

I have heard talk of two other problems that contribute to these dangerous conditions. One is the Baby Boomers. With a very large and growing aged population (many drawing upon Social Security and other government sponsored programs) the pressure on government entitlements threatens to overwhelm our resources.

Why? Well, one reason is our shrinking work force. The American workforce isn’t shrinking just because of high unemployment rates; there is more to it than that. It’s true, we find ourselves in challenging circumstances. Fewer people working equals fewer taxes which equals fewer dollars to cover our increasing debt and other government programs like Social Security.

But there is another reason for this workforce shortfall. Plain and simply we have fewer people entering the workforce. Families are smaller than they used to be. With each successive generation, family size is shrinking. We should have known that this day would come; when a very large bubble of boomers who have done their part for the American economy are now ready for their day in the sun.

But there is still one more reason that needs to be mentioned, and faced by this nation. Years of Roe v Wade has assisted in the genocide of millions of babies. What a waste. Not only do we miss the talents and skills that may have been born with the live birth of some of these sacrificed embryos, but we miss the shear number of individuals that could have been part of today’s workforce. I’m left to wonder how things might have been different had some Americans been different in how they viewed life. So, before you complain about the serious imbalance between the American workforce and the retiring Baby Boomers, first consider whether you are part of the problem or not.

Now, I personally believe that abortion is a plague. It is far more serious a problem than a simple imbalance in this country. Each child in embryo is a God-given gift. Each deserves a chance at life, to fulfill dreams, and to contribute in a positive way to this great nation. It is a national shame that we have allowed it to plague us for so long. Well, now we all have to pay for it… literally. Talk about a debt limit… this one dwarfs our $14 trillion.

How Wide the Divide?

As I have watched the discussion in Utah regarding illegal immigration, I’m struck with the difficult situation that it has become… especially for members of the LDS Church. Being a member myself, I have been caught in the firestorm of deliberation over the LDS Church’s seeming confusing compassionate stand on illegal immigration.

One of the strongest arguments against the Church’s compassionate stand is found in it’s own core doctrine. The 12th Article of Faith declares that the Latter-day Saints believe in “obeying, honoring, and sustaining the law.” There are some things surrounding illegal immigration that make a compassionate stand extremely difficult. Just the word “illegal” says a lot.

On the other side of the divide, there is another aspect of this situation that puts the Church in a difficult circumstance. What if the Lord is inspiring some of His children in Mexico and other places to risk coming to the US… even illegally? Many of them have found their way into the Church; especially families. The Prophet Joseph Smith once expressed something he had learned from his experience with God:

“Whatever God requires is right, no matter what it is, although we may not see the reason thereof till long after the events transpire” (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, 256).

I know it doesn’t fully explain the 12th Article of Faith, but it does create some sense of being measured in our response to the situation. So, with that said, as a basicguy I believe the following:

1. We need to first secure the border. It really is a security risk and we live in a very dangerous world.
2. We then need to formulate a fair and manageable immigration policy and process… one that makes sense, requires a commitment to English, encourages acceptance of the American tradition, and one we can afford.
3. Finally, we need to develop a measured but compassionate strategy for dealing with those already here. Some are more deserving than others; some are criminal and need to be deported immediately. However, there are those who truly seek a better opportunity. Is it possible that the US position of turning a blind eye towards our own immigration law has actually encouraged illegal immigration? If so, does that not beg for some compassion for those who are here illegally? In a way, we’re all guilty of illegalities. We risk speeding up to 5 mph over the speed limit because law enforcement allows it. Should we hold our neighbors to a higher standard than the one we ourselves are willing to abide by?

I think we can deal with this issue in a way that both sides will find fair and balanced. I’m just glad that someone smarter than I will be left to figure it out.