Imagine that universally-respected researchers had determined that most of the people in your community eat far more sugar and fat than they should, and are at serious risk of developing diabetes, hardened arteries, and other ailments associated with poor diet and inadequate exercise. If you were to live in such a community, how much sugar-filled and fat-laden goodies would you give your neighbors at Christmastime? Read More

I’ve had some discussions with a few good friends recently about testimony and belief. As a result, tonight I felt the need to set down, for my own good (and perhaps others’) my own testimony. My testimony ebbs and flows, and I suppose that at present, it’s a bit unorthodox. But I don’t know that there’s any one right way to believe. Read More

I’m quite happy in my current, new ward. This has not always been the case. My former ward was a disaster, and this led to some serious soul searching on the question of what my duty was to stay with the ward. (more. . . ) Read More

I grew up without a clear visual picture of Book of Mormon battles. The stories did not analogize well to the little television that I watched. Arnold Friberg’s illustrations lent my only visual reference points; imagination provided the rest. My children, however, will almost certainly perceive large portions of the Book of Mormon — particularly the battle stories — through the cinematic lens of Peter Jackson. Read More

There are plenty of natural birth advocates out there–I know because I keep having to plaster a vapid smile on my face when they spout half-truths and didactical opinions at social gatherings. I’ve yet to meet an avowed unnatural birth advocate, so I’ve decided to take up that mantle for myself. So, if you are pregnant, or might be some day, here are some thoughts on why you might not want to have a natural childbirth. Read More

The blogs are abuzz about this morning’s execution of convicted murderer Stanley Williams. Read More

Christmastime is upon us, and before too long hoards of folks who darken a church door only once or twice a year will be flooding into the churches. I have to say I can hardly blame them. Read More

The most recent issue of Dialogue reprinted a post from this blog — “An Open Letter to the Dialogue Board” — noting that the online discussion created by the post generated more than 130 comments. I hope that the mention in Dialogue created some interest in the Bloggernacle among its readers. I am also flagging the original thread once again for those Dialogue readers who might be interested in reading or continuing the discussion. Welcome to the Bloggernacle! (more…) Read More

Several months ago, while I was still practicing law, I had an interesting conversation with a friend at my (now former) law firm: Would it be possible to go a day without sin? We quickly concluded that it would be quite difficult; there was (and is) an awful lot of sin in our daily routines. Read More

Blogger John Redelfs continues his unique brand of gospel interpretation, arguing in a recent blog post that people not baptized as LDS church members do not have faith in Christ. That idea seems wrong for many reasons. Read More

An SQL problem of sorts has arisen, that is beyond our limited capabilities. Bryce to the rescue, once again. I say we double his T&S salary. Read More

For my last post, I wanted to write about the baby house (orphanage) I visit often. Read More

We have regular cause to be grateful to our tech-savvy readers who provide us with technical advice. Most recently, we’ve gotten some helpful tips from the blogger otherwise known as Miranda Park Jones David King Landrith. Read More

One of my family’s favorite things is to celebrate religious holidays from around the world. Read More

Last general conference, our prophet spoke the following sentence: ” I think X may be the greatest virtue on earth, and certainly the most needed.” What is X? Perhaps you remember it from the talk. If not, and if you wish to humor me for a minute with some participatory blogging, then try this for an exercise: Think over the sentence for a minute, and write down your three or four best possible answers for X. Think you’ve got it? Click through for further discussion. Read More

The mufti here in Bishkek spoke at a conference on religious tolerance a few days ago. He has recently returned from a trip to the United States and said that if Muslims want Islam to be more respected in America, Muslim countries need to allow religious freedom in their own countries. Read More

So we’re supposed to read the Book of Mormon by the end of the year. That’s not so hard. In fact, I read the first chapter today. One down, eight to go. Now what’s so difficult about that? Read More