Out of the Mouth of Babes

Tonight as I was tucking my son in to bed I asked him, "Did you have a good Christmas?" He said, "Yes."

I asked him, "Why?"

"Because." (He's four).

"Why was it good?" I insisted.

He said again, "Because" as he smiled with a big smile.

"Was there something that made it good?"

"Because I am thankful for it," was his response.

Truly that is what made his Christmas so good - because he was thankful for it. It made me stop and appreciate what he had said. Gratitude really is the source of joy for all that life has to offer. I am grateful for my son who taught me that tonight.

Life is so good because I am thankful for it too.

Trees

Ever wonder why the middle is a safer place to be to help your cause? If a picture is worth a thousand words, this video is worth a billion of them.

What's in a Name?

For most of my adult life I have been fascinated by names and what they mean. Some are strong and some are not so strong. Names used to have much more meaning than they do today - back in previous ages when people knew what the words meant. They were perhaps more titles than just names alone. They were declarations and often people would get new names with their passage to manhood or some other important life event. Today, although altered, it seems we have not entirely left this practice behind. Let me illustrate.

The other day as I was walking by someone's office at work, under his name placard was his title in perhaps slightly larger font than the font of his name: "Director, of such and such." I thought, "Now that seems interesting... Not even the CEO has his title outside his door but this guy does." It also seemed interesting because I didn't really care what his title was and I was sure that everyone that needed to know already knew it. He cared though and he wanted everyone to know it. 

Seeing that declaration of, "I'm a Director" reminded me of some of the last words of advice my mentor gave me before she left where we worked and passed away from cancer. I had no clue it would be the last time I would see her, but she knew. In that last meeting she said to me, among a few other things, "Ken, never worry about the titles." I thought it odd advice at the time but I have thought of it over and over again through the years. You can see why I thought of her advice when I saw that title placard.

I have tried to live by that advice and not care about the titles but, to be honest, it has been hard. I try not to care and to remind myself that the title has the honor, not me. That is the key for me. The title in and of itself is the object of honor - not the person necessarily. It is given to a person that is deserving to recognize them. 

This morning as I was reading the words of a blessing given to me some 16 years ago, it starts with, "Brother Kenneth Coman..." I thought, "What better title than that can be bestowed?" For recognition among my fellowman, no title will or could even possibly equal that. For recognition within my family, the additional titles of Father, Husband, and Son, are without question the most rewarding.

Vice President is passed on to the next person hired into that role. Manager is transferable too. Bishop, Father, Your Honor, Your Excellency, President and Senator all are titles that are bestowed, and taken away and passed on to a successor. The titles of Brother, Son, Father, and Husband, or Sister, Daughter, Mother and Wife however can never be passed, can never be removed, will never be lost and should therefore be the titles we care for most as they are the titles God gave us and the ones He will expect an accounting of.

Sadly, these are the titles our society cares for the least. Mother? You have to be kidding?! What about your career? Father? That's great but don't think you have to be married to be a good one. Also, remember, your job (work title) should always come first. Brother? He's didn't treat you brotherly. This is business. These are the real opinions of society at large as practiced today. Sadly, they will never experience the richness that life had for them because they neglected those most important titles for the titles that never loved them, but were loved by the world and that they loved most. 

May God so bless us to always keep pure and untarnished those most sacred, solemn and sublime titles that our true legacy might be the one that was intended for our eternal, not just our mortal, journey. 

"Only a Sith Deals In Absolutes"

One of the classic lines of Star Wars, Episode III - Revenge of the Sith is after Darth Vader says to Obi Wan, "If you're not with me, you're against me." Obi Wan then replies:

"Only a Sith deals in absolutes."

Being someone that does believe in absolutes, I have often paused to think about Lucas' choice of words in that climactic fight scene between good and evil.

I believe in absolute truth. I believe in a God in Heaven and in right and wrong. I believe in His words and His commandments. I know that God lives and so by living by faith I trust in His omniscience and understand my own weakness before him.

There is great truth though to the phrase, "The more I learn the more I know that I don't know." This is becoming more and more true to me. The more I learn, the more I feel that I don't know enough of myself to be able to have an opinion of so many things that I have an opinion of!

The further our journey takes us into that vast universe of knowledge, the more we realize it truly is a universe and not our elementary school library.

The more we learn more about ourselves and our true character, the less judgemental and critical we are of our neighbor.

The more we learn regarding our world the less likely we are to prescribe solutions to all of its problems.

The more we learn about the lives of our neighbor the more reliant we become on our heart and less on our minds in how we treat them.

The more we learn of our earth, the more we accept that our theories are only stepping stones to future understanding.

The more we learn of the stars, planets, their motions and the great expanse of the heavens the more we realize the weakness of even our greatest technologies to measure & understand them.

The more we know God, the more in awe we become.

The more we learn, truly learn, it seems that Lucas was right again as Master Yoda said to the Jedi Apprentice Luke Skywalker, we "must unlearn that which we have learned."

Let life be for us a quest for freshness, for greater light, greater truth and always trusting in God who truly does know the answers to our questions.

“What are you?”

Last week at dinner with a co-worker and his wife, his wife asked me, “So, what are you?” She wanted to know what I did for a living but I was taken back. Inside my mind I thought, “Wow, did she just tie me and my identity, my worth and my AM with my job?”

I responded, “I am a Human Being. If you want to know what I do, I work in Human Resources.” She was a bit surprised by my answer.

What a question. What am I?

I look into the mirror and I see me. Or do I?

I cut off the edge of a finger nail and cast it away. Am I less of me? Am I somehow less of me than I was before I clipped my nail?

I cut off some hair and drop it. Am I less of me now? No, as a matter of fact I feel no more or less of me than I did before I clipped my nail and cut my hair. In the very literal sense though, I guess I am some hundredths of a milligram in weight less than I was before. However, I am not just what I see – I look into the mirror and see the tool of me.

I drive past a billboard with a picture of a young woman and a surfboard. The woman is missing her left arm but yet she is clearly ready to go surfing from the setting and her swim suit. It reads “Rising Above.” Clearly she is not less of who she is without her arm too – as a matter of fact, the lack of her arm perhaps showed her more than ever before who she really was – something more than she previously knew (http://www.forbetterlife.org/billboards/rising-above , http://www.forbetterlife.org/images/pdf/vision.pdf).

What am I then? Who am I then? We, as brothers and sisters, are all similar in the core. If you go deep inside you, you will find it. What we see on the outside is a tool for who we really are – spirit and intelligence. This tool, this miraculous tool, amplifies that spirit within and creates opportunities for us that without this body we never could have experienced. We are light. We are intelligence. And we are our bodies as well. These things combined are us. The things people see are the manifestation of what is within. The works of kindness or greed, skill or shamble, beauty or sloppiness, virtue or vice are the manifestation of perhaps how in tune we are with what really is within.

If perception is reality, which in our heads it truly is, there are many who really are only what they see in the mirror and they feel it too.

When we confuse who we are with what we do and what we see only, we miss the true us. We are much more than a set of skills, a pretty face, a handsome physique, a pleasant voice. If we tie our identity to these outward things, when we grow old and wrinkly, lose our job, gain weight, no longer be able to play sports, etc., we will feel less worth, less self-esteem, less value, because we don’t know who we really are.

Who am I? I didn’t answer fully my colleague’s question. I am a son of God, created in His image, given His light within me, and growing towards Him to one day be like Him, God willing and I believing.

Who are you? His Child as well, born of divine heritage and destined for goodness and greatness. Don’t believe me? Do the exercise - cut your nail, look inside you, and then look upward towards God.

With All Thy Getting...

One of my favorite scriptures reads, "With all thy getting, get understanding." Every day of my life I try to get more understanding of not only the world around me and myself, but also of the things of God & His truths. My life has been blessed as I have been able to find in degrees greater understanding in all of these areas.

One bit of understanding that has helped me has been the truth that I live by to build in all I do and to never tear down. In all of our conversations we should, ideally, build each other up either through kindness, expressions of faith, or of genuine goodwill towards one another. At the very least, our conversations should never lead to being critical, judgemental or scornful of those we know and associate with. Rather than tear down, we should build up.

The movies we watch or the music we listen to at the very least should not make us less of a human for participating in them. We should emerge just as human as we were before and ideally, we should emerge better. We should emerge as people determined to be a little better and a little kinder to those around us - in an ideal world.

Our work should build us up. Our thoughts should build us up. Our words show the inner workings of the workmanship of our hearts. Our lives should build up others. I wish to be a master builder - just like the Carpenter's Son.

A poem expressed this bit of understanding in this way:

"I watched them tearing a building down,
A gang of men in a busy town.
With a ho-heave-ho and a lusty yell,
They swung the beams and the side walls fell.
I asked the foreman, “Are these men skilled,
The kind you’d hire were you to build?”
He laughed and said, “Why, no indeed!
Just common laborers are all I need.
They can easily wreck in a day or two
What builders have taken years to do. “
And I thought to myself as I went my way:
“What part in the game of life do I play?
Am I a builder who works with care,
measuring life by the rule and square?
Am I shaping my deeds to a well-made plan,
patiently doing the best I can?
Or am I a wrecker who walks the town,
Content with the labor of tearing down?”

That is one of my favorite poems. Douglas L. Callister said, "Refinement in speech is more than polished elocution. It results from purity of thought and sincerity of expression.... Refinement in speech is reflected not only in our choice of words but also in the things we talk about. There are those who always speak of themselves, and they are either insecure or proud. There are those who always speak of others. They are usually very boring. There are those who speak of stirring ideas, compelling books, and inspiring doctrine. These are the few who make their mark in this world.

"The subjects discussed in heaven are not trifling or mundane. They are sublime beyond our most extended imagination. We will feel at home there if we are rehearsed on this earth in conversing about the refined and noble, clothing our expressions in well-measured words."

It is my hope to be a builder, not content with tearing down but ever seeking to build up others by the gift of love & kindness behind the words and actions people see and hear from me. For me, this is priceless understanding. Thank you for reading - I hope in this short read, you were inspired to be the better you.

Religion v. Spirituality?

Recently I have had several discussions with people regarding things of a higher, more noble plane. Discussions should always strive to make us, and those around us better. They should never diminish us or others in any way. Gratefully, I have been blessed to be with good people who seek, as do I, for further light and knowledge throughout our sojourn here on earth.

In our discussions, my mind has often turned toward religion and spirituality. I am tempted to use religion v. spirituality but that is not the way it should be and not the way it always is. Unfortunately, religion today is viewed by many people as something that in fact impedes spiritual growth. Why is that? It is my belief that it is because the religions they have experienced have in fact done just that, kept them from true spiritual enlightenment and living.

Just to be sure that we all are on the same page, religion for me is a certain set of beliefs and/or rituals followed and practiced, typically by a group of people. Spirituality is the growth of the soul in personal understanding about who we are, where we came from & where we are going as well as those virtues that refine and eventually perfect a being through light, knowledge and spirit.

Religion - true religion - with all of its guidelines, teachings and ordinances should be a tool in the hands of God to provide direction, experiences and opportunities for spiritual enlightenment and therefore spiritual growth and development.

God, our Heavenly Father, loves all of His children and desires that we gain the same spiritual plane that He now stands upon. Hence, He has shared His works and words to spiritual men and women through the ages in an effort to answer their earnest quest for spiritual growth and satisfaction.

I know there is a God and I believe that He has inspired the founders of all of the great religions and made them instruments in His hands to do more than just enlighten themselves, but to bring their whole society to a higher plane.

When religion, in my opinion, becomes the hands of men rather than the hands of God it ceases to have that same spiritual power that it once did. People come to eat at the table, but they leave still hungry. At what point does it become the hands of men? I feel that religion of any kind ceases to edify when it closes the mind and creates enmity between mankind. At that point it can no longer provide the spiritual development that it promises because true spirituality embraces all truth and light as well as love and equality among all men.

People are hungry and can you blame them? The great religions are also the icons of the great divide among men and ideas. Those very tools that were intended to provide spiritual growth for their followers have in fact lead them on for so long only doing the motions - telling the stories of the great prophets but failing to write new chapters. I believe that God can and does still speak with us today and that we can hear Him if we will tap into His spirit.

We can turn it around - I believe in a better tomorrow. I only believe it will come though as enmity dies and minds and hearts open to the Spirit of Truth and Enlightenment. Let us all seek for true religion and for sincere spirituality.

The Lesson of the Knights Templar

Nearly a thousand years ago in a time of a religious crusade was formed out of the ranks of knights on the site of the then destroyed King Solomon's temple, a religious order known as the Knights of the Temple. It was on that site that Abraham was to have offered Isaac as an offering to the Lord. It was on that site that David received a revelation from God that there His house was to be built. It was on that site that three different times a temple would be built - first by Solomon, then by Zerubbabel and finally by King Herod - for the offering of sacrifices to the Lord. It was on that site that Jesus Christ would teach his people and declare first that his Father's house and then later that His house was a house of prayer. It was on that site that Mohammad made his final ascent on the ladder leading to heaven. It was a site of great spiritual meaning to many people.

These Knights of the Temple - or the Knights Templar - would protect Christian pilgrims on their way to worship the Lord their God from the west as they traveled east. They lived the highest standards of morality and gave their lives in defense of their faith and religion. For several hundred years this Order existed and protected the Christian pilgrims until the Holy land was lost and due to jealousy on the part of King Phillip of France and Pope Clement V, these Knights of the Temple were simultaneously arrested in a single day and tortured by the inquisition to force their confessions of heresy, homosexuality and blasphemy against Christ and His church. They were burned and abused in the most terrible forms known to man.

However, the Templars in England were given three months to go underground while their French Brothers were being tortured for crimes they had never committed. The inquisition was sent to England to arrest the Templars there - but only two were found - one of whom escaped.

Where did they go?

It is believed by many and there is credible evidence to support that these knights and clerics of the Order of the Knights of the Temple formed together a secret society for their mutual protection. This society is now known as the Free and Accepted Masons. For Hundreds of years this society existed and grew without the knowledge of society. Its tenants were the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man and the Immortality of the Soul. It took within its body all who were free and who accepted these beliefs - men of all religions. They were encouraged to perform their religious duties but membership in a particular church was not required - only a belief in God. The templars had tasted the fruits of religious bigotry and betrayal and made it a central tenant to never pass on those fruits to others.

More than 700 years has passed since the Inquisition put an end to that order but the same enmity and hatred that ran in the hearts of those men then, sadly still resides in the hearts of many today. And in that 700 years that site - the site where the templars were formed - has become a hotbed of religious hatred and bigotry. That site of spiritual meaning is now a site and symbol of the great mental divide of ignorance and enmity and therefore of the weakness among men. A site that should bring all of God's children together in strength and brotherhood is instead the site of fractured hearts and a divided race.

The Muslims guard the Dome of the Rock with machine guns. The Jews worship below at the wailing wall - all that is left of the great temple. The Christians have no place to worship their Savior. There, on a hill the space of just a few acres is represented the great religious tectonic movements in today's society. The plates are moving and the damage is huge. The death toll from religious strife between our three faiths numbers in the thousands every year. The level of religious hatred and intolerance is at an all time high. The sadness and loneliness of the widows and orphans of those left in the wake of this religious strife is eternal. Their wounds can never be healed.

It would seem like there would be no more better of a time than now for there to be an order of the Knights of the Temple, built on the principles of religious tolerance and the tenants of the Fatherhood of God, the Brotherhood of Man and the Immortality of the Soul to find a way for the safe travel of religious pilgrims of all faiths and creeds on their way to the Holy Land.

Let us be that Order - let us be the guardians of the temple - the temple of God - and respect the ways and beliefs of all who worship there and encourage them in their religious duties.

It seems so counter to our Heavenly Father's will and character that He would ever wish the sword to be raised against a brother. It is time for us to find a way to peace. Perhaps it was Gandhi who said it best, "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way."

I for one commit to peace.

My Epitaph

As I have pondered the course of my life and decisions that I have made and am now making, I am forced to consider the end of the road I am traveling. I believe it was Covey who said, "Begin with the end in mind." That is what I have attempted to do here. If the desired end matches the road I am on, then the course is true. If the two don't match, then it is never too late to change course - after all, the road does continue on after the veil of this mortal life is passed. With that said, here is my desired end. I recommend to you to try the same.

Ken Coman was taken home after a life full of service to God and his fellow man. He loved his children and always gave them all the time he had. He helped them to know what life was about and to enjoy goodness, service, love and happiness. They are his greatest legacy and he understood that his family relationships were the most important relationships on earth. He loves his dearest wife and gave himself to her. She was his greatest treasure. He has the knowledge that he will be with his family forever. He succeeded in his career and helped many businesses to succeed by believing in the power of values and principles. He was a world renowned author and scholar on business and world philosophy. He loved young people and saw himself in them. He loved them and gave of himself to help them in their formative years knowing that if he could help one young person - he would in reality help generations. He served the public and went about doing good. All will remember him as one who lived to love and loved to live. His one comfort was knowing that although his love was not powerful enough to reach around the world, he knew that God lives and that His love is strong enough to reach every person, penetrate every heart, and heal every wound. His prayer for you was that you might feel that love and he worked tirelessly to bring that prayer into a reality first at home and then to the rest of the human race. He walked uprightly before God and men and was confident that he would hear these words from His master, "Well done, thou good and faithful servant."

The Temple of Our Character

Every action and decision of our life is one more brick placed and mortar spread by our own hands – building the temple of our character. Paul the Apostle taught, “Know ye not that ye are the temple of God?” Such a temple must be designed and built with the proper working tools. This week I was thinking on the temple of my own character and being that I am building. While thus engaged, my mind reflected on the beauty of simplicity and the detraction of over-decoration on buildings and how that relates to our lives. When I think of the most beautiful buildings that stand today such as modern temples and feats of architecture, they are properly balanced between adornment and simplicity, between decorations and space.

Are we as careful to balance the adornments on our own temples we are building? Or have we cluttered them with too many titles, too many phone calls, too many games, too many activities, too many responsibilities and too many assignments? If so, might I recommend finding a better balance between space and decoration? Between adornment and simplicity? Between the things that matter most and the rest?

Finally, there is much to speak about building such a temple that I don't have the time for, but I cannot end without stating that Christ should be the “chief cornerstone” as Paul directed. On Him we can build, and never fall.

The Expansion of Our Knowledge of God Though the Ages

To be grateful for all the knowledge we have of God is hardly enough. We have been given so much knowledge about our Father in Heaven compared to the people of old. Being a Latter-day Saint and Christian, I believe in the Bible. I believe it to be the word of God and am grateful to have it as a testimony of an ancient people and their dealings with Almighty God. I wish to share with you my thoughts on this topic of topics.

As I ponder on it and the history of its people, I realize how much I have taken for granted those truths that I have learned and obtained throughout my life thanks to those who have gone on before and for those who are called by Him to lead us today.

The Bible begins with the story of Genesis and the creation. It speaks of the Fall and of Noah and the great flood. It speaks of father Abraham, of the Covenant God made with him and the near sacrifice of Isaac. It speaks of Jacob and his 12 sons and of Joseph being sold into Egypt and the eventual enslavement of Israel. Exodus speaks of their deliverance by Moses and the receiving of the law from Jehovah on Mount Sinai. The bible continues on and tells of the prophets down to Malachi and then the Savior's birth and his ministry and atoning sacrifice in the New Testament followed by the writings of a few of His apostles. The bible covers a period of thousands of years during which time, I believe God revealed Himself to man as they were able to understand and accept what he was sharing. I believe also that He revealed Himself to individuals in a more complete way than he did to man in general. What do we learn from just a brief scan of the bible? Let's start with Father Abraham – ordained to be a Father of Many Nations. What do we learn from him? What did the people of his time learn about God from him?

1. That there is One true God. Abraham was the first in the Bible since the flood to know that. The book is a record of his posterity and it was Abraham's knowledge that there was a God besides the false gods of the time that brought him to travel to a promised land.
2. We learn that God speaks with man.
3. We learn that God covenants with man.
4. We learn that God's ways are not our ways nor can man comprehend all of the ways of God (For example, the nearly incomprehensible request to Abraham to sacrifice Isaac) but that He will provide a way for us to fulfill His commands.
5. We learn that God does bless those that have Him to be their God

This appears to be essentially the knowledge that was generally had among the early people of Israel as there is no record before the time of Moses about any knowledge of life after death, eternal judgment, where we came from or the true purpose of life or the family. They knew there was a God and that He was to be their God. They knew that they could call upon Him and that He would help them. And He did.

Then Moses came. Moses learned that the voice of God came from a bush that appeared to be on fire but the bush didn't burn. He learned that God was Holy as opposed to the understanding of the Greek Gods or the Gods of the Egyptians. The people learned that God had great power and that He could work through men to do many wonders such as those wonders in Egypt and the freeing of the people at the Reed Sea where they walked through on dry ground. From the revelations to Moses they learned that God had created the Heavens and the earth and that they were created in His image. They learned that they had spirits within them (Numbers 16:22). Surely Moses learned for himself many things about God that the people at large did not as he spoke with the Lord face to face, as one man speaks with another (Exodus 33:11). To Moses, He was no longer the invisible God. To the people who could not endure his presence, he was a voice in the cloud by day, and a pillar of fire at night.

The Lord then gave them His law – some two to five hundred years after Abraham. We have no record of a law from God before this. What was His law? The basic 10 commandments. He was telling them more about Him and more about what He expected of them. The reason was for them to be a holy people – a nation whose god was the Lord. He gave them what is known as the Law of Moses to teach them about the Savior that would one day come to take away their sins. They also received the structure and order of the priesthood. They were learning. Did they think they knew it all? They may have, but we know they were only just beginning.

Not until some two to five hundred years after the Exodus, during the time of Samuel the Prophet is there even mention of the possibility of life after death (1 Sam 2:6 “he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.”

Now it was becoming clearer, after several hundred years of following the commandments why it is that they were following them – because there really does exist after this life another life – and that God will be there and “bring us up.” He gave us His law for more than just being a Holy nation – but to return back to Him after this life.

Samuel's mention of life after death goes uncorroborated until 300 years later when Isaiah said that some shall wake up to “everlasting burnings (Isaiah 33:14).” His people are now understanding that there will not be just temporal consequences to their actions, but consequences in the life to come for their disobedience to the One true God.

Around this same time is the first reference to life before birth with the Lord's declaration to Jeremiah, “Before I formed thee in the belly I knew thee. (Jeremiah 1:5)”

They now knew that there was a God, that He created all things and that they were created in His image before they were born, that they were to follow Him in this life, keep His law, call upon His name, and that He would bless them in this life and in the Life to come if they did. If they didn't, they would be cursed and would endure everlasting burnings. They knew that He would also lead them and answer their prayers. They were learning.

Elijah also learned something about God. “And [the Lord] said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the LORD. And, behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the LORD was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” He learned that although God was powerful, he speaks in peace and mildness (1 Kings 19:11-12).

During the time of Elijah the people learned that God could give to men a greater power – power to bind up the heavens and the earth. This is a power they had never seen. They also learned that man could be given power to bind on earth and that it would be bound in heaven. The people though could not endure this power but it was prophesied that Elijah would return along with this power. It was learned also that God could tell them the future through prophets to warn His people and that “surely the Lord God will do nothing save he first revealeth His secret unto His servants the prophets (Amos 3:7).”

We then have 500 years of darkness in the bible after the last prophet Malachi. We learn however that the Lord was faithful to His promises and sent His son to restore Israel and to fulfill the law given to Moses. His disciples learned doctrines and principles without number from the ministry of the Savior. Volumes could not contain the truths he taught and shared with them. Through Him they learned of a better way – a better law as taught on the Sermon on the Mount and His earthly ministry. They learned more clearly the doctrine of the atonement, the great commandments to love God and to love our neighbor. They learned of a greater priesthood, they learned about humility, about baptism and that “unless a man be born of the water and of the Spirit he cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven (John 3:5)” and more clearly about the resurrection from not only His teachings, but His own resurrection. They learned that in the Lord, the man is not without the woman and the woman is not without the man (1 Corinthians 11:11). They learned about the work for the dead (1 Corinthians 15:29) and about exaltation (Revelations 3:21). They learned about the gifts of the spirit and the road of discipleship. They learned of grace as well as the place of works. They learned of the way.

Besides all of the perfecting principles taught by the Master, in my opinion, the most significant thing we learn from Christ is of God the Father. We learned that Jesus Christ was the Great I AM – the Jehovah of the Old testament – He who appeared to Moses in the burning bush (John 8:56-59). The Lord came to show us the way to His Father and that Jesus did nothing but that which He saw His Father do. We learn that Jesus came to teach us and show us of His father in Heaven. This is still almost impossible for most of the world to accept and comprehend. But comprehend it or not, that is what He did. Jeffrey R. Holland explained it better than I. He said:

“Of the many magnificent purposes served in the life and ministry of the Lord Jesus Christ, one great aspect of that mission often goes uncelebrated. His followers did not understand it fully at the time, and many in modern Christianity do not grasp it now, but the Savior Himself spoke of it repeatedly and emphatically. It is the grand truth that in all that Jesus came to say and do, including and especially in His atoning suffering and sacrifice, He was showing us who and what God our Eternal Father is like, how completely devoted He is to His children in every age and nation. In word and in deed Jesus was trying to reveal and make personal to us the true nature of His Father, our Father in Heaven.

“After generations of prophets had tried to teach the family of man the will and the way of the Father, usually with little success, God in His ultimate effort to have us know Him, sent to earth His Only Begotten and perfect Son, created in His very likeness and image, to live and serve among mortals in the everyday rigors of life.

“To come to earth with such a responsibility, to stand in place of Elohim—speaking as He would speak, judging and serving, loving and warning, forbearing and forgiving as He would do—this is a duty of such staggering proportions that you and I cannot comprehend such a thing. But in the loyalty and determination that would be characteristic of a divine child, Jesus could comprehend it and He did it. Then, when the praise and honor began to come, He humbly directed all adulation to the Father.

"The Father .... doeth the works," He said in earnest. "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever [the Father] doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise (John 14:10 & 5:19)." On another occasion He said: "I speak that which I have seen with my Father." "I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me." "I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me (John 8:38, 28 & John 6:38)."

“In that sense Jesus did not come to improve God's view of man nearly so much as He came to improve man's view of God and to plead with them to love their Heavenly Father as He has always and will always love them. The plan of God, the power of God, the holiness of God, yes, even the anger and the judgment of God they had occasion to understand. But the love of God, the profound depth of His devotion to His children, they still did not fully know—until Christ came.

“So feeding the hungry, healing the sick, rebuking hypocrisy, pleading for faith—this was Christ showing us the way of the Father, He who is "merciful and gracious, slow to anger, long-suffering and full of goodness." In His life and especially in His death, Christ was declaring, "This is God's compassion I am showing you, as well as that of my own." In the perfect Son's manifestation of the perfect Father's care, in Their mutual suffering and shared sorrow for the sins and heartaches of the rest of us, we see ultimate meaning in the declaration: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved (John 3:16-17)."

Truly, as Jesus said, “And this is Life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent (John 17:3).”

To know God, to truly know Him, is personal. This short read is but a cursory look at the development of some of the main points of His character and how the understanding and faith in Him grew over time. But how He acts, how He thinks, how He feels – these things I didn't even touch. You yourself will have to read, study, ponder, pray and obey to know God the way He wishes us to know Him. I know that there is much yet to be revealed. How can we say that we are content with what we know? I don't believe that God is content with what He has shared. He is sharing even more through His latter day prophets if we will but listen and learn. I am grateful to know that God lives and that Jesus is the Christ. I am grateful to know what I do and I stand taller because I stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. I am grateful for their faith to trust in God our Eternal Father and in His Son, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for reading.

Humanity

I recently finished for the third or fourth time this morning the Diary of Anne Frank. Her story is an inspiration to me in so many ways. Since first reading her diary when I was 12 years old, I too have kept a journal all of these years since. Her short life was filled with such wisdom and pure truth.

In the middle of all of the pain, death, war and horror that she, her family, her people and her country were going through, she still had the pure love and belief in humanity to say the following:

"In spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart. I simply can't build up my hopes on a foundation consisting of confusion, misery and death. I don't think of all the misery but of the beauty that still remains. I keep my ideals, because in spite of everything I still believe that people are really good at heart."

And despite all of the wrong in the world, I do still believe in the right. I believe that it is better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. I believe it is better to love - even when you know that one day you will lose your loved one. I believe that it is better to be kind, even when it appears as though the kindness is wasted. I believe that it is never wasted. I believe that people really want peace - despite all of the war. I believe that people really want love, despite all of the hate. I believe that people truly want happiness, despite all of the misery caused in the pursuit of happiness. I believe there really is love. I believe there really is truth. I believe there really is happiness. I believe there really is joy. I believe this because I experience this and thank God for it.

I know that you can too.

Quest For the Best Follow Up

The past little while has been incredibly busy for me and my family. Life's competing priorities have pulled us in many different ways and I have felt like we were all just ships passing in the night. On Monday I was invited to dinner with our Regional Vice President. That could have been a great opportunity to rub elbows with an influential person and build a stronger reputation at my new company. The invitation was open - I didn't have to go but I felt like I had to.

I thought of last week and the few opportunities I had to spend with my whole family together and then I thought of this coming week and knew that Monday would be the only night this whole week I would be able to spend with my family.

Monday nights for me are sacred. We gather together and sing songs, play games, plan out the upcoming events and have a short lesson for the kids. I thought on that and told my boss I had a prior engagement I needed to keep. I am so glad I did.

As my nearly three-year-old son said the opening prayer for our Family Home Evening, my heart was full as I heard him say:"...and thank you Heavenly Father that my Daddy could be home tonight..."

Family is really where the best lies.

The Quest for the Best

Recently I have had some thoughts regarding the blessed virtue of sacrifice. Within the realm of physics, I believe we are able to do anything we put our minds to. Limits are placed by our minds and the fear of failure or the doubt of success. In my life, hope, belief and hard work are core ingredients to any recipe for success. However, I have noticed that in my pursuit for the desires of my heart I have not been able to do everything I wished. I am forced to accept the vivid reality of a 24 hour day, a 7 day week and a 365 day calendar year. In addition to the mechanical tick tock of the clock, life moves on and chances pass by.

Time spent on the guitar takes from my books; time with friends is traded for time with my family. Time watching star wars is traded for time working on a drawing. Time running for office is traded for time running to work. Time saving the world is traded for time saving a youth. Time spent listening to music is traded for time listening to myself.

As Jim Collins wrote, the best is often at odds with the good.

Hence, there is a need within all of us, to determine what is really the best and bind ourselves with a firm determination to abide by it and sacrifice for it. It is my quest to know what is best and to live accordingly.

Henry Ward Beecher: It is not what we take up, but what we give up, that makes us rich.

Helen Keller: Many persons have the wrong idea of what constitutes true happiness. It is not attained through self-gratification but through fidelity to a worthy purpose.

The Search for Truth

I recently had a few very stimulating conversations regarding the quest for truth. Truth, for me, is in the purest sense – the sum of existence. Truth is more valuable than gold and more noble than a crown.

I have a phrase on my wall from Confucius that reads:

One who knows, and know he knows, is a wise man. Follow him.

One who knows, and knows not he knows, is asleep. Awaken him.

One who knows not, and knows he knows not, is a child. Teach him.

One who knows not, and knows not he knows not, is a fool. Avoid him.

These are immortal words of wisdom that inspire me in my search for truth.

Do we have the courage to look at our own beliefs and ask ourselves, and then have the courage to seek for the answers, “Why do I believe this?” and “Are my beliefs true?”

I admire the individual who, like Martin Luther, rather than live in a comfortable life of false trust and hope, seeks truth and lives accordingly – even if it means rags, alienation or death for an exalted cause one knows to be true.

I seek to be like them – not because I want to be like them but because I admire their commitment to the quest for truth more than their desire for comfort. We all should do as Confucius sought to teach us – seek to know by first recognizing our childlike nature and seek to be taught truth – things as they really are, as they really were and as they are to come. It is my hope that rather than just accept those things we are taught, that we would seek out their truthfulness for ourselves and seek for truth wherever we may find it and no matter the cost. By so doing, it is my hope that the sum of our existence will be great.

Gratitude for Life

I just wanted to write a post expressing my gratitude.

To name just a few, I am grateful for good music that moves my heart towards goodness, people, nature, family and God.

I am grateful for freedom that allows me to be - to be me.

I am grateful for my mind that allows me to reason, discover, read, comprehend and apply truths, principles, and values that lead me and others to happiness.

I am grateful for inner peace.

I am grateful for my wife and our children who love me and encourage me in my efforts to love and support them.

I am grateful for my home wherein there is warmth, love and kindness.

I am grateful for all those who are my allies in goodness.

I am grateful for those who help me in my needs and for those who allow me to serve them.

I am grateful for my faith that gives me hope, peace and confidence.

I am grateful for Christmas - a time of everything good.

I am grateful for time and hope that my existence is eternal as I am grateful for...

LIFE.

Standing for Something Greater

It has been said that if you stand for nothing you will fall for everything. In a world of rapidly declining values there is ample evidence that we don't stand for much anymore except for better technology, more comfort and ever increasing market shares in ever expanding world markets.

Why is it that with our quest for greater knowledge and temporal growth there has not been a corresponding expansion of the morale and spiritual development of mankind? Why is it that the past 200 years have seen the most incredible technological growth with more and more modern miracles but simultaneously the greatest decline of individual and societal values in western history? Regardless of the answers, now is the time to reverse the trend.

We should, each and every one of us, make the decision to seek for truth on a daily basis and to build our inner self and character as well as our society rather than live only to improve the outer. We need a new renaissance - a spiritual and moral renaissance for the growth of the race - the Human race.

The quest for the best must be focused and balanced between moral growth and temporal growth. The two bless and serve each other. Temporal growth alone however is leading our civilization, even our world, into a course of greater dissatisfaction, regret, war and ruin for many.

We can grow and seek through reason and our Divine Heritage His aid in finding a moral rebirth so we will stand for something greater - even the greatest purposes - for the benefit of self, family, society and humanity.