Happy New Year 2013!!

i

Happy New Year!! May 2013 be a "barking" good year!!

I wanted to come up with some wishes I have for the New Year! Some may be serious, some facetious, and some may piss you off. But these are *my* wishes, if you have any of your own, please leave them in the comments!

May I have a year without Kardashians. 
And any other reality "star" thank you very much. Remember when being a celebrity required some background? You were on tv or the movies. You were a singer. You were an athlete. Now you just have to make an ass of yourself on reality programming. Speaking of which...

May I have a year with much less reality tv. 
Have you noticed just how much of this crap is on tv? I miss the days of sitcoms, dramas, sci-fi, soaps, etc. Even if the show was dreadful, at least it may have been entertaining. One of my pet peeves is this show:
Locked Up Abroad I'll tell you why. The set-up is this. Person goes abroad. Person gets locked up in foreign prison. Person is tormented. Person gets 15 minutes of fame by doing program. But... 9 times out of 10, person was smuggling drugs. Into places like Turkey? Are you mad?
Others I dislike are the ones where they may be hurt or injured doing something clearly dangerous. Aren't we just encouraging these idiots by giving them a show.

May I have a year where the news is actually news. 
Here's where I'm going with this. Who gets knocked off the island on Survivor -- that is clearly *not* news! Who Kim Kardashian is dating -- not news! 

May I have a year where I do not have to hear an argument whether a rape is "legitimate" or not. Do I really have to explain this?

May I have a year where less Americans deny science. 
All science. Any science. Scientists follow something called the scientific method. (You should have studied this in school.) They have something called peer review. That means that their calculations and studies are backed up and studied and critically reviewed nine ways to Sunday. You can Google any scientist. You can request the papers. Please. The earth is *not* 6000 years old. We are experiencing climate change. Your religious beliefs should not be mutually exclusive from this.

May I have a year where I do not have to hear about firemen, paramedics, or other rescue personnel dying or being badly injured because someone did something stupid. 

Anyone remember this? In 2002, a Blackhawk helicopter flown by the USAF reserve crashed on Mount Hood trying to rescue some climbers. Mt Hood claims its share of climbers and rescuers. But what really irritates me is when a storm is known to coming in, it's the middle of winter, etc, and they still go climbing. And expect to be rescued!! 

Years and years ago, in my home town of Kennewick in eastern Washington State, some idiot was lighting fires up in the Horse Heaven Hills and started a fire. One of the volunteer firemen died when his vehicle rolled on him on the hill. If you're stupid and kill yourself, that's one thing, but why take the best of humanity with you?

May I have a year with less hip hop, rap, and dubstep.
Please. May I have something that makes me hum or sing along. Something that makes my toe tap. Something with rhythm and a melody!

May my dogs have a healthy and happy year!

May there be less right wing nut jobs in 2013.

May Glenn Beck, Rush Limbaugh, and Ann Coulter become unemployed or at the very least voice less and irrelevant.

May every person that states that they are a follower of Christ learn to follow in his footsteps.
I usually hate to go on about religion. I don't like talking about it much. And many Christians really irritate me. Christ would not approve of using his message to discriminate and persecute minorities, women, and those that are different. He would not approve of using violence to achieve your ends. Remember, what he said, the second commandment is to "love your neighbor as yourself". Most of the Christians I see don't do this. In fact, many of the Christians I see in the news are just one step removed from some of these Islamic sects. 

May we stop all this fracking and drilling for oil in places like the Arctic. 
It disturbs me to see my fellow citizens putting a potential job or boost in the economy ahead of things like clean air and clean drinking water. 

May I see some sanity in the gun owners and gun rights crowd.
People say "oh, you're a liberal, you want to take my gun away." No, I want to see some common sense. Gun deaths have become a public health crisis. No other country would have let it get this far. Even Australia took care of it. So many people that defend their right say I'm being emotional. But it seems to me to be the opposite. Gun owners that rush out after every gun death or Democratic Presidential election to buy more guns when I'm sure they already have plenty. Gun owners who say their 2nd Amendment rights are sacrosanct, but are never bothered when people's other civil rights are violated. When free speech is suppressed, where were they? When people were being tortured and held without legal representation where were they? When people were threatening the right of e they of a woman to make decisions about her own body where were they?

May I see less attacks on great institutions like PBS and NPR.

May I see less cat videos and more dog videos.

May I not hear another end of the world scenario for at least a year.

May I have some excellent books in my future. 

May President Obama and the government stop using drones in the Middle East. 
 It's not helping!

May we have a more sane Israel policy.
Here's my thing. Our Israel policy is based on the Book of Revelation. Therefore, it is a violation of the separation of church and state. How do I figure that? Israel is allowed to do whatever it wants. After all, Christ will not come until the Temple is rebuilt in Jerusalem right?? That's why we don't care when the Israelis continually violate basic human rights. After all, if *any* other country did what they're doing, the UN Security Council would be called together to discuss sanctions.

So why do they get away with it? Well, one, because we feel guilty for not protecting the Jews better from Hitler. Two, because the ev aevangelical lobby, wants to speed up the Second Coming. WhicWhich brings me to...

May Ma


May the evangelicals just chill...
I am so sick and tired of people talking about these are the end times. (And it's not just the evangelicals, I hear this all the time in my church.) People have been harping on this my whole life. I don't doubt that Jesus will come again. But, here's my view: God has a plan. You need to be ready. But it will happen when it happens. I've always thought that God would be pretty pissed if someone tried to speed things up. Also, it's the journey that counts.  

Can I have a little romance this year? 

Maybe even a little travel? Especially by train! I'd love to take a train trip!

  Finally may I have a year with less contention, more discovery, and more laughter!    

    
       
      

Advent Day 7 - December 7

Moroni 7: 28

For he hath answered the ends of the law, and he claimeth all those who have faith in him; and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing; wherefore he advocateth the cause of the children of men; and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

Yes, I am still making my way through the Advent. Yes, I am quite behind. But I have made a promise to myself to do a blog posting for each of them. (Hopefully, before Christmas.)

For he hath answered the ends of the law...

Christ came to fulfill the law of Moses. Many Christians forget this. He came to answer for our "crimes" or sins. So he "answered" the law by giving his life for us. This was a great and terrible sacrifice He made for us. 

He claimeth all those who have faith in him...

This is a great promise and, though we have responsibilities, there is little He asks in return. Just faith. Not just faith that He lived. Not just faith in His sacrifice. But faith that He will deliver. Faith in things unseen. 

...and they who have faith in him will cleave unto every good thing...

This seems to be one of those chicken-and-egg things to me. Do I have faith in him because I "cleave unto every good thing" or do I "cleave unto every good thing" because I have faith in him. Funny, huh? I'm an opinionated sort of person and sometimes I have opinions that clash with statements from those in authority in or out of the church.  And I usually come back to my test. Is what I am being asked to do or believe in "a good thing"? 

Doing "the good thing" isn't just a way to get back to Heavenly Father. In the end, we want to go back to Heavenly Father because he is "a good thing".

...he advocateth the cause of the children of men...

According to Merriam-Websters on-line dictionary an advocate is:

1. one that pleads the cause of another
2. one that defends or maintains a cause of proposal 
3. one that supports or promotes the interests of another.

I think that Christ would pretty much fit the bill for any of those, but the one that is most pertinent is the first one. Christ pleads our cause - salvation - to Heavenly Father for us. And, as such, our retainer - such as it is - is faith in Him and staying true to our covenants. A small price to pay, really, considering the price He paid.

...and he dwelleth eternally in the heavens.

That is our goal. To dwell eternally in the heavens with our elder brother and our Heavenly Father.

I testify that I have faith in Jesus Christ. That I know that he died for my sins. He died for all of our sins. And by following him, and emulating him, we can return to our Heavenly Father in heaven.

Amen.

Advent Day 6 - December 6

Mark 16:5 

And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were affrighted.

"He is Risen"

Much more of an Easter message than than of Advent. I love the fact that the first to get the message of Christ's resurrection would be the women. What's more, it is the women that come up early that morning to attend to their teacher after his death. The men are absent. The women are putting their grief aside to do that which is right by their teacher. Because of this they are given the message first. They are the first witnesses to his resurrection.

Being a witness is a vital thing. There are witnesses to his birth in the Manger. And who witnessed his birth? The great and mighty men of the world? No. The witnesses were livestock and the shepherds. Shepherds - common men. Again, when he committed his miracles, they were among the common and the poor. 

Even in our own Church, the Prophet Joseph Smith had witnesses. And they were not the great and mighty men of the world either. They were hardworking average men. 

Back to the ladies. It is highly significant that it was women that saw him first. Women were not even allowed to testify at this time. Yet, Christ came to them first. What a great message.

Advent Day 5 - December 5

3 Nephi 1-11

1 And now it came to pass that there were a great multitude gathered together of the people of Nephi, round about the temple which was in the land Bountiful; and they were marveling and wondering one with another, and were showing one to another the great and marvelous change which had taken place.

2 And they were also conversing about this Jesus Christ, of who the sign had been given concerning his death.

3 And it came to pass that while they were thus conversing one with another, they heard a voice as if it came out of heaven; and they cast their eyes round about, for they understood not the voice which they heard; and it was not a harsh voice, neither was it a loud voice; nevertheless, and notwithstanding it being a small voice it did pierce them that did hear to the center, insomuch that there was no part of their frame that it did not cause to quake; yea, it did pierce them to the very soul, and did cause the hearts to burn.

4 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not.

5 And again the third time they did hear the voice; and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came.

6 And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; and it said unto them:

7 Behold my Beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased, in whom I have glorified my name -- hear ye him.

8 And it came to pass, as they understood they cast their eyes up again towards heaven; and behold, they saw a Man descending out of heaven; and he was clothed in a white robe; and he came down and stood in the midst of them; and the eyes of the whole multitude were turned upon him, and they durst not open their mouths, even one to another, and wist not what it meant, for they thought it was an angel that had appeared unto them.

9 And it came to pass that he stretched forth his hand and spake unto the people, saying:

10 Behold, I am Jesus Christ, whom the prophets testified shall come into the world.

11 And behold, I am the light and life of the world; and I have drunk out of that bitter cup which the Father hath given me, and have glorified the Father in taking upon me the sins of the world, in the which I have suffered the will of the Father in all things from the beginning.

How would I react if the Savior came to my community? Would we react the way the humble Nephites did. I'm not so sure. Additionally, I'm not sure my community is ready for Christ's appearance.

It is humbling to know what Christ has done for us. But we need to realize that it is not a one way street. He expects us to meet us halfway (or even a quarter way). We need to be ready for him.

As it lays out in the start of this progression, first the Nephites had to open their ears to hear him. How many of us have closed our ears to the promptings of the Spirit? Then we have to open our eyes to see Him. And finally we have to hold out our hands to greet Him.

How does this apply to our lives? I think one thing is to apply it practically. Redemption isn't about going to church every Sunday and paying our tithing. These acts can become habits. Things we just do. We need to apply Christ's principles in every aspect of our lives.

Do we see the poor and the sick and the humble and meek? Or do we avert our eyes and pass them by? Are we listening to the Holy Spirit? When it prompts us to take action do we? Or do we rationalize a reason not to?

I know many times I think I ought to do something. I may talk about why something must be done, I may feel and hear the Spirit telling me it needs to be done. But when it comes down to it, I excuse myself. I'm too busy. I'm not fit enough. It's too much work.

So, in this season where we put Christ at the center of our celebrations, ask ourselves do we incorporate Him into our daily life?

Tucson Safety, Aurora Movie Theater, and the Clackamas Town Center

I was going to continue doing my Advent postings. But yesterday's shooting and the tweets and Google+ postings I've seen have convinced me I should say something about it. Many of the people that follow me on Twitter or Google+ probably think I'm a bleeding heart liberal who thinks all guns should be banned. You couldn't be more wrong.

The shooting yesterday affected me on many levels. (1) Again??; (2) In Oregon? Western Oregon? (3) Can't we do something about this?

So, I want to make this posting as a conversation starter. I want to hear from liberals and libertarians, progressives and conservatives. But I don't want to see any hostility. No foul language. Let's keep it nice.

Full disclosure: I don't like guns. They make nervous. They scare me. But I also believe - barring a change in our culture and/or technology - that they are needed on some level. 

Okay, I'm going to start this blog by asking questions and making statements. These are only my opinions. These are things that occur to me, they are perceptions I have. 

(1) What is wrong with closing the gun show loophole? Yes, it won't solve the problem. But it will stop certain people getting guns. It will close off one leakage. 

(2) I believe that handguns, rifles, and shotguns should be legal. I believe that guns are a good self-defense tool. They are also needed for hunting. But these other weapons? The ones that are only used for slaughter or urban warfare? I don't think they should be accessible by the general public.

(3) Stockpiling. Why? Are there laws that track this? If there are, why aren't there bells and whistles ringing when these people stockpile guns? 

(4) Mental Health. Now, I don't know if there a feasible way to make sure that people with serious mental health issues can be stopped from getting guns. I don't know about the Clackamas shooting. But James Holmes and Jared Loughner definitely had issues. 

This is not just a gun control issue. If we had a better system for taking care of people when they have mental health problems, we could stop a lot of these issues before they become public safety threat.

(5) State v. Federal. I'm not up on this. But how many of these attacks are aggravated by the fact that laws and databases vary from state to state.

(6) Gun Culture. I feel and perceive that many of the pro-gun people are too emotional about guns. In a way, it reminds me of how pro-choice women feel about keeping abortion legal. They will stand up for all guns, all the time. It is frightening to hear some of them talk. People feel that they need their guns for some level of status or power. This needs to change before much of the violence to stop.

It is a sense of powerlessness that leads to these slaughters. These really bad ones are hardly ever a strictly criminal activity. The perpetrator seems to feel he is the victim and this is the only way they can make themselves heard. 
 
In the end, I'd like to say that I'd like to see an open and honest discussion on this. It is a public health issue at this point. We need to take the National Rifle Association out of the conversation. At one point, the NRA was about public safety. They were focused on gun safety. Now, they are more about making sure the gun industry continues to make money. 

Advent Day 4: December 4

2 Nephi 2:9: "Wherefore, he is the firstfruits unto God, inasmuch as he shall make intercession for all the children of men; and they that believe in him shall be saved."

Firstfruits. Another example of how Christ is the sacrifice that fulfilled Mosaic law, thus paying for our sins. Because he fulfilled the law, we moved on to a new law. 

Another thing it puts me in mind of is tithing. We pay our tithing as another form of sacrifice. As another form of "firstfruits". Tithing isn't just a commandment, or an ordinance, it has real value. Our tithing goes to help build the temples. The temples help to further the work. The eternal work. There is no telling how many souls are saved because of the work we do in the Temple. 

Allow me to tell a personal story. A personal testimony as it were. When I first joined the Church, I had no real testimony of baptisms for the dead. I didn't really believe in it. It sounded strange, peculiar, irrational. But I believed in the Book of Mormon. I believed it was true. So, I figured when it was time, God would show me the truth. 

So, I went to church. I went to Gospel Essentials class. I read my Book of Mormon. I looked for anyway to learn more. When I was offered a chance to go to the Seattle temple with the Young Adult ward to do baptisms for the dead, I thought it would be a perfect chance. So, I went.

Still, no real testimony. But, no testimony against. So, I felt it wasn't time yet. Every thing else felt very true, so I remained patient. A couple of years later I got my recommend and went for my temple ordinances. A beautiful and spiritual experience, but still no real testimony of baptism for the dead. 

Then, years later after working on my genealogy, I got to do the work for my four grandparents. I remember being baptised for my maternal grandmother, who had died when I was only 3 years old, 

and - oh! - the feeling that overcame me. It was the single most spiritual experience I have ever had. I felt that I was in the presence of my grandmother. A person I cannot remember at all. It was wonderful. 

I had my testimony. After all, it was true. And my patience was rewarded. Just like all our patience will be rewarded if we just endure to the end. By putting our faith in  Christ, all will be rewarded.