Letter to Kayla (2003)

     For those of you that don't know me, I first became converted to the church when I was 18.  A large portion of my conversion came through independent study of all sides of the argument, (including the sides that were not favorable towards the church).  So I am no stranger to Antis, their "arguments" and false arguments, and the hatred that is associated with it. That being said, you have a brief background of where this letter came from, and you have a basic understanding that this came from a very significant and important time in my life.

     The following is a letter that I wrote to Kayla, a young girl that I had never met before, except on a religious forum around the month of August or September 2003. On the thread, people were asking mormons seemingly innocent questions about the church at first, but it quickly turned into a lively debate between 3 or 4 anti-mormons and several regular mormons (including me).  I still remember some the things that they wrote about the church and it's teachings really shook me, and other members that had read the thread. I remember the casual member would occasionally come in, defend the church for a few posts, and then post something to the effect of, "wow, I never knew that about the church, I should really rethink my religious preference..."

Who is the "Captain of Thy Soul?"

These two poems juxtaposed next to each other was absolutely instrumental to my conversion to the church.  The first poem is a by a well known and celebrated poet and writer from the 19th century, the other is simply a member of the Quorum of the Twelve responding to the first, as he was apparently offended by it.  Both poems are powerful, but I myself see the second as truly beautiful & masterful.

What do you think?  Here they are:

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INVICTUS by William E Henley

Out of the night that covers me,

Black as the Pit from pole to pole,

I thank whatever gods may be

for my unconquerable soul.

In the fell clutch of circumstance,

I have not winced nor cried aloud.

Under the bludgeonings of chance

My head is bloody, but unbowed.

Life Without The Internet

As both of you who actually read this blog may have noticed (of course, that includes my girlfriend and my mother), I have been MIA online for the past few weeks. I promise you there is a great explanation for it. All I need now is to find a good way to spin it for you.

First of all to my Mother, I love you. I don't know where I would be without you. You teach me through your amazing example that it is possible to love an offbeat son unconditionally. If there was a “World's Greatest Mother” Award that my imaginary non-profit foundation gave out, you would have it, hands down. In all the trials that I go through, I now know that I can depend on you for anything. Which is why I feel that this is the best time to ask you an important question. May I have some money?

Life on the farm has been quiet. I've made friends with the cows, mended some fences, chased enemy cows out of our property, forgotten to bathe, (therefore I) lived like a hobo as I of course refined my highly sought after talents and skills with the Xbox. I gather that if I spend at least a few hours a day on it, I can be the gamer that other gamers speak of in legends. People will say, “Wow, He's really good!”; “He sure has a lot of gamer points!”; “He's using game-genie!”;“That ReprovedRapier guy really doesn't have a life does he?”

Marching Band, Anyone? -- The Solution to Many of the World's Sicknesses

Who are we? What can we do to change perceptions about us and people like us?

I believe that those things that matter most are how we treat each other, teach each other, and help each other to choose. And for that reason, I choose to support two things: fighting for the right to make more powerful choices, and working to help people make the most out of each and every choice that they make. I also realize that a lot of the time, that means marching to the beat of a different drum.

Buddha And Jesus Are Homeboys

Have you ever wondered how things could be if you had taken a different path? Like for instance, where you would be if you went to a different school, or lived in a different neighborhood, or had a different socio-economic status? How different would things be if you were more outgoing and confident in your ability? What if you never had come in contact with your best friends?

As I sit here reflecting, I think of the strange path that my life has taken, with some events that are so incredibly unique to me, and others that tie me irrevocably to the other people around me. What would have happened if I actually made my high school basketball team's first string? Would I have still been the geek that I am today? Would I still be, almost nightly, watching every single episode, right after another, of the TV show called "Heroes?" Maybe, perhaps, "Heroes" would not interest me. Maybe "Magic: The Gathering" would wrinkle my nose instead of tingle my senses. Maybe my room would be 15 degrees cooler, because my Xbox and TV would be off most of the time.

I've had some interesting things happen in my life, from being heralded as a genius in grade school, to flunking out of college, to running for political office, to being hit by a fire & rescue truck, to falling asleep on the highway, to this blog.

I've had 12 different vehicles, 5 cats, 4 dogs, 3 different types of teeth, 2 blogs, and a religion that most people [affectionately] name after the book they study.

Announcement: "Dropped Off The Grid"

So I've been away from the internet for a few weeks. I posted a message on my facebook and twitter some 3-4 weeks ago that I was "dropping off the grid" and that I would follow the path of the man that was reported in the Onion newspaper (America's Finest News Source) to do the same thing. I have since forgotten (read: been to lazy) to update my blog to let you know that I was doing as such.

And since now, I am back and blogging again, such an announcement at this point is unnecessary.

I have several posts that I have been working on coming soon: some of them humor related and some not so humor related. I'm curious to see your reactions.

Anywho, I must get back to getting ready for Steak dinner with the girlfriend and the Missionaries. I have an empty stomach that I would like to share with that steak. That delicious, delicious steak....

See me for who I am,
not just who I ought to be.

See me for who I am,
show all things that I don't want to see to me.

See me for who I am,
show me what I need to be free.

LDS Church issues new strongly-worded statement on immigration - ksl.com

FULL ARTICLE HERE
OFFICIAL STATEMENT HERE


The church just released an official statement on illegal immigration yesterday which included the words:
   "Most Americans agree that the federal government of the United States should secure its borders and sharply reduce or eliminate the flow of undocumented immigrants. Unchecked and unregulated, such a flow may destabilize society and ultimately become unsustainable.
   "As a matter of policy, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints discourages its members from entering any country without legal documentation, and from deliberately overstaying legal travel visas."

Salt Lake City Temple

And also this (which I believe to be the most significant statement):
   "What to do with the estimated 12 million undocumented immigrants now residing in various states within the United States is the biggest challenge in the immigration debate. The bedrock moral issue for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is how we treat each other as children of God."

Resurrection Hymn | Nathan Howe Music

Check this guy Nathan Howe out. He has composed a beautiful and original easter song, and even has the song sheetwork for download here.



Nathan Howe is probably one of the most talented LDS composers/artists out there. This should be ample proof of that. haha

I seriously want to learn this song, and sing it someday. This puts me in a very thoughtful mood.

Libertarianism In a Nutshell (a really small one)

"If we wish to preserve a free society, it is essential that we recognize that the desirability of a particular object is not sufficient justification for the use of coercion." ~Friedrich Hayek

So lately, people who know me have been asking if I could explain for them libertarianism. I feel flattered that people would come to me (of all people) for reliable information on the subject.

Since libertarianism is a philosophy for government, it has a different understanding depending on who you ask. Even for me, although I call myself a libertarian, there are many peers who can easily disagree with my personal views. For that reason, I will keep it as simple as possible here in this blog post, at least until I can find the time and courage to compose a full treatise that outlines my libertarian philosophy.

First, let's start with a clip from Parks and Recreation:



The above video makes me happy. I love it, it's so simple that a child can understand it. haha

A while back, The Washington Post with MENSA National asked readers to take any word from the dictionary and alter it by adding, subtracting or changing one letter and supply a new definition. Here is one of the past winners: