Our Ward fluctuates dramatically depending on what time of the year it is. During the school year we always have close to 100 Elders (which means we are close to being split¹ ). But during the summer time we drop down to around 50 Elders. This creates some interesting situations for callings. During the school year we struggle to find callings for everyone and during the summer time there isn’t enough people to go around to fill all the callings.

About a year and a half ago I was called as the Ward Mission Leader. The size of our ward made a huge impact on the size of the ward mission as well. During the summer we have as little as 5 ward missionaries but during the school year we usually have over 20 ward missionaries and have had up to 24 at once. When we have a ton of ward missionaries correlation becomes a big deal. How do we correlate all that information? Well, soon after I took over I was pondering just this question one day and the Lord inspired me with a solution… Google Docs.

For those not familiar with Google Docs, it is a an online version of Microsoft Word/Excel/Powerpoint. But it has some really nice features for collaboration that the traditional desktop application doesn’t offer: sharing and chat.

Sharing: At the time I had the ward mission divided into specific responsibilities. Each person got their own tab on a Google spreadsheet and was asked to keep it up to date. This enables easy return and reporting.

Chat: There is also a chat built into the spreadsheet application (not the document one though). Many members of the ward mission have children (including me) and found it hard to make it to meetings. We discussed the idea of having a chat meeting online and letting everyone give their updates about what they have been up to. We have yet to do that, but I still think it is a great feature for keeping up with people. (You can also see who else is online and viewing the spreadsheet/document).

Other Potential:

We have since started sharing the document with the bishopric and other members of the ward council that want to keep up with what we are up to. There is a great e-mail function that allows you to e-mail everyone that it is shared with as well.

I could see this also being used by a bishopric to correlate all of their specific responsibilities… or any other presidency for that matter.

Who knows… perhaps one day the church will incorporate this type of functionality into the ward websites… they have sure come a long way already!

So… what do you think? Other ideas for how you would use this? Is anyone else using Google Docs in their ward?

1. D&C 107:89[↩]

This morning I came across an article in the CNN news “Believer bitter over prosperity preachings.” The article basically lays out the history of other church’s prosperity gospel… or in simpler terms… the principle that if you pay money, God will bless you with riches. A couple of thoughts:

1. This is just another example of how Satan takes a pure doctrine and twists it. Yes, God will pour out the blessings of heaven when we pay our tithing.¹ So Satan twists that and has people paying money (notice, NOT tithing) to PEOPLE… not the church.

2. There is this misconception… even within the church… that if we are doing what is right we won’t have any trials. Yes… we will be blessed, but blessings sometimes come in the form of trials.

3. Paying money to get the blessings of heaven… hmmm… isn’t that the basic premise of Martin Luther’s Reformation in the 16th Century?² When are we going to learn? We can not buy our way into heaven.³ We have to do our best, and then Christ will make up the rest.⁴

1. Malachi 3:8-10[↩]
2. Wikipedia Article - Indulgences Controversy and the Start of the Reformation[↩]
3. Acts 8:20; 1 Timothy 6:10[↩]
4. 2 Nephi 25:23[↩]

So I ran across this new technology a couple weeks ago in my research. It is called LiveScribe. It is a new note taking platform that allows you to write (just like you normally would with a piece of paper and a pen) and have it recorded and searchable. You have to see it in action to see the potential:

They are obviously marketing this to students, but imagine the potential. I take my laptop to leadership meetings every Sunday, but find it awkward to take it out during the normal block if I have something I want to write down. This would be a normal way to take some nice notes, find the information later, and even share them with others.

Here is a little longer introduction that tells a bit more about the technology.

So what do you think? How could you use this technology?

This morning I was studying out of Preach my Gospel and there was a scripture study question asking how the Lord wants us to approach gospel study. It gave several scriptures as references. One was from 2 Nephi 32:3.

Angels speak by the power of the Holy Ghost; wherefore, they speak the words of Christ. Wherefore, I said unto you, feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do.

It is really interesting to me that Nephi chose to compare studying the scriptures to a feast. My first thought, and frankly the thought I have had my whole life, is to compare studying the scriptures to a TEENAGER thanksgiving feast. Let me explain.

A TEENAGER thanksgiving feast is one where there is tons of food and you eat until you are SICK. I realized this morning for the first time that this may not be exactly what the Lord had in mind. Now that I am approaching middle age, I can’t eat like I used to… and if I do there are consequences for my body, both short and long term.

I belive the Lord was alluding to an adult version of feasting… a moderated one¹ in which we realize with an eye of vision that there is TONS of spiritual food in the scriptures, and we don’t have to eat till we are sick. This spiritual feast we have before us is not going to go bad, and is not going to be cleared before we get back to it. It will be there tomorrow, just as perfect and ready for us to eat as it is now. So…

Take your time. Delve into the scriptures. Really savor the food so you don’t get too full. Eat until you are full, realizing that there is PLENTY of food for me and that there will be tomorrow. But don’t eat to excess… remember, slow and steady wins the course.

1. Topical Guide: Temperance; D&C 59:20; D&C 89:11-12[↩]

So this morning CNN published an article about churches turning to digital collection baskets. This has been a topic of discussion on the LDS tech forums as long as they have been around (see here and here). I know there are a growing number of people out there paying their tithing in some sort of digital way. The church has always been on the cutting edge of technology… so why do they wait to do this one?

Well… I have one idea. There is something special about actions. My father taught me to “fake it till you make it.” If you don’t understand a gospel principle or want to find out if it is true, live it for a while and you will gain an understanding of the principle. Yes, you are still paying your tithing when you pay it online. But sitting down and writing out that check and filling out the envelope requires an extra step… a VERY small sacrifice.¹

I also usually also give one of my children the opportunity to give the tithing envelope to the bishop or one of his counselors. I hope that it allows them to trust the bishop more and know that their parents pay their tithing. We would certainly lose that one.

What about you? Do you, or would you pay tithing online if you had the chance? Why or why not?

1. Matthew 19:16-22; “Praise to the Man“-4th Verse; Sacrifice[↩]

So yesterday my sweet companion and I watched a little BYU TV for our companionship study. We decided that since it was Christmas we would watch some Motab and their wonderful singing… well… it was well worth it.

We had the awesome privilege of hearing the story “A Christmas Bell for Anya” accompanied by music and song. It was fantastic. Now I don’t cry much, but I cried yesterday. Not just misty eyed either… tears rolling down the cheeks cried.

I highly recommend it.

I was doing some research today and came across a press release from April 1988 where Elder Packer and Elder Nelson introduced the first DOS based “Computerized Scriptures of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.” Awesome!

I especially love this quote given by Elder Nelson (originally from Joseph Fielding Smith):

“I maintain that had there been no restoration of the gospel, and no organization of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, there would have been no radio; there would have been no airplane, and there would not have been the wonderful discoveries in medicine, chemistry, electricity, and the many other things wherein the world has been benefited by such discoveries. Under such conditions these blessings would have been withheld, for they belong to the Dispensation of the Fulness of Times of which the restoration of the gospel and the organization of the Church constitute the central point, from which radiates the Spirit of the Lord throughout the world. The inspiration of the Lord has gone out and takes hold of the minds of men, though they know it not, and they are directed by the Lord. In this manner he brings them into his service that his purposes and his righteousness, in due time, may be supreme on the earth. …

“I do not believe for one moment that these discoveries have come by chance, or that they have come because of superior intelligence possessed by men today over those who lived in ages that are past. They have come and are coming because the time is ripe, because the Lord has willed it, and because he has poured out his Spirit on all flesh.” (In Conference Report, Oct. 1926, p. 117.)

I knew that the church was always into computers… at least as long as I have been using them, but this is just classic. Two things to point out. These scriptures cost between $63-$75, plus an additional $40 for “documentation booklets and copy authorization.” That is a lot of money now a days, let alone back in the day. Wow… and then to use them it appears you had to load it (about a 30 minute process) and use DOS prompts… wow… how far we have come.