Living my Religion

Scenes from the Utah trail
We were going to go on another
family bike ride for
Family Home Evening
last night
until we realized
it was a bad idea
because of Sophia’s broken arm.

So, we had Abigail give a lesson instead
from True to the Faith.
She had to do it for Personal Progress.
Might as kill two birds with one stone.

She taught us all about
modesty and profanity.

Abigail was sure to look in my direction
on that second one.
Damn semantics.
I can’t do it all.
And my pet sin is
an occasional swear word.
Didn’t it work for
J. Golden Kimball?

And really
what is the difference between
saying DANG or DAMN?
Go ahead,
feel free to enlighten me
and judge me
and tell me how evil I am.
I am such a horrible mother.
As evidenced by dinner
being served at almost
8 p.m. last night.

Whatever you do,
make sure and tell your kids not to read
my blog.
I would hate to be a role model.
The thought of it makes me cringe.

Sorry for the tangent.
Back to the bike ride.
We love riding in Utah.
It’s our family hobby.
And oh so much fun.

Check out the view
and tell me you don’t want to join us.

Yep, those are two deer,
right up the road.

Abigail said
“Mom, look,
it’s the kind of tree
that every kid draws.”
Only  seen in Utah
and children’s doodle books
in your part of the world.
Posted by Picasa

P.S. Biking is a great cheap source of entertainment.
And, did I mention great exercise?

I love you Father.

I forget a lot.

I also remember a lot.

September 11, 2001 is a date nobody in America forgets. I was up all night with a sick baby. I turned on the T.V. only to find news coverage of a burning building. I quickly turned it off not wanting to focus on anything of importance. I went back to bed. When I woke up a little more rested and with a clear mind it then registered. My world had changed.

However I had not. I got down on my knees and prayed, but the intensity with which I prayed was no different than the day before. The subject matter was just a lot different. I didn’t need a tragedy to remember my God. I remember him every day.

I am grateful every day for all those who sacrifice for my freedom of worship.

Take some time.
Tell your Father that you love him.
Try to remember his love for you.

Here is a great message for today and always.

Please, Not A Jack Mormon for President

I have been working on this post for some time,

and had to get it up after 
reading this article about
Jon Huntsman this morning.
I am here to tell you that any Mormon who says
that his religious tenets “are tough to define”
Jack Mormons are people 
who are Mormon in name only.
They don’t believe
or aren’t interested
in living all the tenants of the faith.
A Jack anything is a disgrace.
Get in or get out,
but don’t be a fence sitter.
Don’t say I am a mother
but then turn around and neglect your kids.
Also, any Mormon who backs gay marriage is a Jack Mormon.
I take offense when Mormons publicly support gay marriage,
while simultaneously tooting their Mormon horn.
It’s not offensive because I am a homophobe
because it is quite the contrary,
but because I have had a very personal inner struggle
to define my own beliefs.
I have a cousin who is gay.
I have a really good friend
who has struggled his whole life
with homosexuality.
My cousin left the church,
as well as some of his family members
because they knew that his desire
to claim his homosexuality
would never be approved by the church.
He was right.
Not in leaving the church
but in the fact that
it is never going to be approved.
I have struggled for years about
where I should stand on the issue.
I don’t want to be on the wrong side of a civil debate
and I don’t want to come across as a hater,
so I have wanted to cross the line.
I have wanted to say,
“I stand with you gay, lesbian, bisexual community.”
I want to do that because I do believe in equal rights
and I do believe that all people should be loved.
But, when it comes down to it,
loving a person doesn’t mean
you have to agree with what them.
I cannot in the same breathe say,
“I love my God”
and then
“Sure, you and I can act however we want.”
It just doesn’t work.
No matter how much I wish it would.
If I say I believe in God
then I better know what it is
that God requires of me.

And I sacrifice every day
to love my God the best that I know how
in doing what He has required of me.
I get criticized, mocked,
and even called unChristian
because I believe the way I do.
So, you can understand how hard it is for me
when someone wants to use Mormonism
for the good parts
but throw it by the wayside
when it comes to any personal pain.
I was appalled when I found out that
Romney will not be backed by Evangelicals.
It’s a story that I am familiar
with as I lived in the South
for the past eight years.
You know that South,
where Mormons aren’t Christian.
During 2008, I backed Romney.
My post about him was even linked
on the most popular political blog Instapundit.
It was a proud moment for me.
And a jealous moment for some.
Wide grin.
Romney is a good and smart guy.
He is the right guy for our struggling economy.
He was definitely the right guy in 2008.
When I think of how people
have suffered in the past 3 years,
including us,
it makes me crazy.
But, since 2008
I have become totally leery of politicians.
Sure, you look like a good guy,
but you are a politician.
And you are running for President.
Therefore,
I know you have made under the table agreements.
You are bought with a price.
It’s the only way to win nowadays.
And I think it is a disgrace to Americans.
So I have balked out of politics all together.
Call me unpatriotic,
but until I think there is something
that I can do that will actually change things
I choose to butt out
and keep my sanity.
Religious beliefs are funny.
While recently attending my high school reunion,
I got a few minutes to catch up
with a good friend of mine
and Christian preacher Matt Tague.
I questioned him about Mormons
being excluded from his definition of Christian.
I have a deep testimony of my Savior Jesus Christ and believe that “He is the only way, the truth, and the life.”
My total trust and dependence on my Savior is what draws me to The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ, but this book of scripture (I am always surprised how people will put the book down without ever reading it) and my other belief in a living Prophet as a mouthpiece for God on the earth, are the very things that exclude me.
I am shocked that while I am excluded,
Methodists who allow homosexuality,
Lutherans with women called to the Priesthood,
Baptists who all have different interpretations of the Bible,
and even Catholics who believe in a Pope are in.
Why, I asked?
“Because they are willing to come to my congregation and say that I am saved; if you would come to my congregation and say I know I am saved through Jesus Christ, then you would be in too.”
Well, I could do that.
No problem.
“Well, you would also have to denounce
The Book of Mormon and your prophet.”
Oh, I see how this goes.
It should be of no surprise to me that mainstream America 
would even entertain the idea of electing a Jack Mormon. 
I think a lot of religious people have turned Jack, if you will.
They take what works for them and leave everything else behind.
I hate to be the one to break it to you all,
but God doesn’t work that way.
There is a scripture that says
“eat, drink, and be merry for tomorrow we die.”
It’s not a commandment how we should live
but how we shouldn’t.
I am also a little hopeful in Americans
as Romney is way ahead of Huntsman in the polls.
Maybe it is also important to other people that
people have integrity?
The following video jokes about Hunstman and Romney.
Cobert can be pretty funny.
This is what he had to say about the issue:

The Colbert Report Mon – Thurs 11:30pm / 10:30c
Yahweh or No Way? – Mormons & God’s Poll Numbers
www.colbertnation.com
Colbert Report Full Episodes Political Humor & Satire Blog Video Archive

I was told recently by a friend
that I have victim mentality when it comes to my faith.
Ironically she told me this after mocking my religion.

Here are some other recent mockeries that have bothered me:

Hey Mormon who plays the organ.

Mocked in Memphis.

Mockeries to my faith happen often.
They started with the church’s inception.
The founder Joseph Smith was martyred.
Hundreds of the earliest Mormons were murdered in cold blood.

Of course I think it is a crying shame.
I also think it goes with the territory.
If one is to decide where God is
solely by the amount of mockery His followers receive,
I think you would be right to investigate my faith.

Once in a while though they get it right.
Thank you to CNN for reporting with dignity.

Thank you also to Catholics for being nice.

Above Colbert talked about the I’m a Mormon campaign.
In case you are interested here is my profile on Mormon.org.

Oh, and if you aren’t going to vote for someone
because of their religious beliefs,
then don’t vote for Romney
because he deserves a non-vote more than Huntsman.
Since Huntsman claims 10 religions.

Or vote for Huntsman for being the better man
because he jumped in the race as a favor to Romney
to allow Romney’s faithful dedication shine.

added a few hours after original post:


My brother Adam just messaged me congratulating me for hitting the maximum amount of sensitive subjects in one post. Why not get them over with all at once?


And, Adam, thanks for reading my blog.

Be Still, My Soul

Be Still My Soul is one of my favorite hymns.

Ever since the day I got home from my mission.
I went to the temple because I didn’t know
what else to do with myself.
I threw up all over the lawn.
Leaving my missionary service behind,
made me sad, empty, scared, and confused
about my future.
I had given 18 months of my life to the Lord
and I had found myself by losing myself
and I found greater purpose in serving others.
I didn’t want to have to live my life for me.

I got inside the temple and sat down in the chapel.
On the organ played
Be Still My Soul.

Something told me to open up the hymn book
and read the lyrics.
Pretty sure it was The Spirit.

Be Still, my soul,
The Lord is on thy side;
with patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.

Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.

Be still, my soul:
Thy God doth undertake
To guide the future
as he has the past.

Wow. It was just what I needed to hear.
And beautifully communicated through music.

It was the first time I learned the lesson of commanding my spirit to be still.

Since then I have had much more practice.
One of my favorite verses of scripture is

Be Still, and know that I am God. -Psalms 46:10

I think of it often when I have to work at being still.

Go and listen to the history of the hymn.

Pretty cool.

History of Hymns: Episode 15 – “Be Still, My Soul”

We are all Pioneers
Who is your favorite pioneer?
Mine is my mother,
who at 16 started searching for the true church.

She attended every church she could find.
It wasn’t until she attended
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
that she finally felt at home.
She says that seeing the families

all sitting together

is what first touched her.
I don’t know why that touched her more
than the families in the other churches she attended,
but I believe it was her first step at
gaining a testimony.
God spoke peace to her heart
through the eternal truth of families
that she had finally found the right place of worship.
I am so grateful for the gospel of Jesus Christ.
And for my mom.

Your Klout on Social Media

Recently I found myself writing up a ditty for a blog service.
The question was how can your readers connect with you?

I answered
Comment on my blog at  imsofunny.blogspot
Find me on my facebook  page, imsofunnyblog.
They can get me on my pinterest, imsofunny.
On my neglected twitter, imsofunnyblog,
On my blogfrog community, funny.
Are you following the funny theme?

Or they can e-mail me at alice.w.gold@gmail.com.
I thought I really should get an e-mail with the word funny in the address.
Oh well. Maybe later.

I got thinking about how much I use social media.

If I was honest with myself about how much time I spend on the computer connecting with others it may almost be embarrassing. Almost. Because I also connect with people in real life too. If I was only connecting online that would be embarrassing, but I am still good at regular face to face communication. Or at least I think so. phew.

Have you all heard of the new social media popularity contest? It’s called klout.
My score has been remaining strong between 50 – 60. Pretty good if you ask me.

Do you know what’s even more impressive?
I am now influential about three topics.
These topics are generated by klout and klout alone.
They analyze all my material on social media and determine my influence.
My first two spheres of influence: blogging and family.
Cool.

My third: heaven.
Breathtaking.

Heaven?
Heaven!

So, all you Mormon haters.
If you want to get to heaven, you better start listening to me.
Klout doesn’t lie.
And I am in- flu- en-tial.
In other words, I have an in.
An in with heaven.

What could be more cool than that?

Book Review – All That Was Promised
All That Was Promised. by Vickie Hall 

3.5 stars out of 5.

I traveled to Wales last week. I also time-traveled back to the 1800’s. It was the best of times and the worst of times. The Church of Jesus Christ was just being established, which means the church and all of its new members were also being severely persecuted.

This book is a piece of LDS fiction that will make any of its readers, wherever they may be or whatever they be, grateful for freedom of worship. How many times have you walked into your church without a second thought of mobs forming, or atrocities being calculated against you and your family? Yeah, me too. I have never once had to worry about physical injury. I’ll take the intellectual prejudices any day, over the physical prejudices so many before me have endured.



Vickie’s writing was excellent. She kept the story moving and it was a very quick read. She had great character development and the thing that I may have liked best about her style was her descriptive abilities. I feel like I have actually visited Cardiff, Wales. For instance:

The afternoon sky darkened as an impending spring storm brewed in the burgeoning clouds overhead. The Kenyon’s small stone cottage sat nestled on a small plot of land surrounded by a stacked stone fence built some two centuries earlier.

Don’t you just want to go there in real life?


Here is how the book is introduced on the cover:

An encounter with a Mormon missionary and his unusual message of a “restored gospel” leaves Richard Kenyon, a young Methodist minister, questioning his life’s work when he cannot deny a growing testimony of this peculiar American religion. 

What this blurb doesn’t tell you are the parts of the book that I liked best. Perhaps the greatest character was Pastor Kenyon’s wife, who was the epitome of a loving and doting wife, but was torn when she didn’t believe in the choices her husband was making. I loved seeing where the book took her. Kenyon’s business loving brother lives in his own hell with an overly controlling wife and even though he is very smart, he seems so ignorant at how to break destructive cycles. I found myself wishing for a 19th century therapist to save his family. Perhaps the story-line I enjoyed the most was the one of the bar-tending girl. I won’t tell you more about her because it will give away some of the best parts of the story.

The only thing I would change about this book was the predictability in the characters, but I was really happy with the ending. So if I had to take one or the other I would take the perfect ending. Most authors don’t satisfy me in the conclusion, but I was more than satisfied this time around. I even learned a little Welsh.


Purchase the book here. 

Vickie’s (the author) Blog

I was given a free copy of this book so that I could review it and tell you all what I thought. And, yes, it never gets old, getting free books to review. It makes me feel important and smart.


Here are some other important and smart people who would love for you to read what they thought of the book.

Margot Hovley              
                  
Janice Johnson         
                  
Tamara Westhoff                     
                  
Mindy Holt 
                  
Marsha Ward                 
                  
Jen Kindrick               


Dan Olsen   

Heidi Durant