I read a great article this morning in the January Ensign entitled “Unplugged.”  This is a story about a family that ended up without TV for a month and realized the toll it was taking in their ability to complete things. 

I suddenly seemed to have the time to do projects I had put off for years because I thought I was too busy. Had television really robbed me of these important activities?

As I began to add the hours in my head, I realized the price I had paid. The television stayed off during the daytime hours, but it usually remained on the rest of the night. At four hours a day for six days a week, we watched 24 hours of television each week. At the age of 54, I had spent almost eight years of my life watching television. Eight years!

I personally hardly ever watch TV anymore (too much to blog about), but what about other technology (like blogs ).  But the principle is sound… technology can both enable us, but Satan is also good at using it to distract us as well.  As an old friend of mine used to say “Vigilance, constant vigilance.”  (Thanks Wyett)

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[↩]

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.

Last week I was having lunch with some of my colleagues and one of the brought up a new movie coming out later this year about the Mountain Meadow Massacre. I knew that this year was the 150th anniversary of the Massacre and had recently read the Ensign article about it, but I didn’t know about the movie.

Today I came across an article in my reads and took the chance to watch the movie trailer. Normally I mostly just sit back and listen when it comes to religion, but I feel like this time I should defend my faith.

I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that Hollywood would take a story and twist it under the guise of “Based on True Events.” Yes, what the men in Cedar City did was wrong. Yes, they were part of the local leadership of the church.¹ But Brigham Young, the leader and prophet of the church at that time, was not the instigator or cause of what happened. What happened was the result of the circumstances², two misguided men, and as is so typical in history, others that were unwilling to speak up against them, and against what they knew was right.

The movie itself portrays an very unfortunate event in history, especially Mormon history. But the movie is not portraying a total truth. I encourage you to read the articles above, should you have the desire for more information. The first from the USA Today focuses on the things that the movie twists. The second is from the church history department and paints a full picture, especially in regard to Brigham Young’s role in the Mountain Meadow Massecre. Both are quite long, but explain in better detail what really happened.

There is a great scripture in our church that says that the “Lord is well pleased, speaking unto the church collectively and not individually.”³ We often interpret this to mean that the Lord is pleased with the way the church is as a whole, but members often do things that are wrong. Just because one person does something bad, does not mean that the church is not good.

1. Both were later excommunicated from the church[↩]
2. I do NOT bring up the Mormon history as justification for what happened, but perhaps one day Hollywood will make a movie about how the early Mormons were unlawfully driven from Kirkland, Nauvoo, and ultimately forced to go west to practice their religion in peace. There would be no need to stretch the truth about the people beaten, raped and killed under the direction of government leaders.[↩]
3. D&C 1:30[↩]

My family and I have been blogging for several years. It all started out with a talk by Elder Boyd K Packer in the April 2003 General Conference entitled “The Golden Years.” At the time I my wife and I lived far away from our parents and grandparents. Although the talk is about honoring and learning from our grandparents, I realized that I was losing contact with them and they were missing out on our kids growing up. I resolved that day to figure out a way to keep in contact. We wrote weekly e-mails with photo’s for about a year, which eventually morphed into a webpage, which then became a blog.

Eventually our family members began to request blogs as well and soon every member of our family was writing the comings and goings of their lives. We were writing a family history richer than anything ever done before, complete with photo, video and audio. It was fantastic.

I just recently redesigned one of my sister’s blog. As part of the new theme we added an about to the top of the page. The about ended with “This is a record/rambling of their lives.” It really struck me as I read… this sounded like something… then I realized:

I Nephi, having been born of goodly parents, therefore I was taught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many afflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness of and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a record of my proceedings in my days. ¹

When we write on our blogs we are making a record of their lives that somebody will read someday. Unfortunately we are all so busy with our young families and new careers that we often don’t take time to write in our journals. There are large parts of the past 5 years for which our blog is the only record I have of what happened. (Sure brings to life how important it is to make a hard copy of what you are writing.. more on that later).

Much like scriptures, we don’t know who will read this. We have our dealings with our families, some of our trials, some of our joys, poems, parables, ponderings, humor, and even an occasional miracle.

1. 1 Nephi 1:1[↩]