tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-11919939262103086022023-11-15T08:38:45.723-08:00Normal is BoringCandor from someone who is decidedly not normal.Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01743156495823376348noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191993926210308602.post-39125953992195245312013-09-10T20:58:00.002-07:002013-09-10T21:07:00.404-07:00Thus Be It Ever<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">For years now, I have wanted to serve in the United States Military. It was not until recent years, however, that I gave serious consideration as to why I wanted to serve, and whether I should choose to serve, based on this desire. Recently I found my answer in the inspired lyrics of our national anthem's third verse.</span><br />
<i><span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span>
</i><br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><i><b><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">O thus be it ever, when free men shall stand,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"> Between their loved homes, and the war's desolation.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">Blest with vict'ry and peace, may the hev'n rescued land,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">Praise the Power that hath made, and preserved us a nation.</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">Then conquer we must, when our cause it is just</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">And this be our motto: "In God is our trust!"</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">And the Star-Spangled banner in triumph shall wave,</span><br style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;" /><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;">O'er the land of the free, and the home of the brave!</span></b></i></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">In high school, I studied extensively what it truly means to be a free man, and how unique it truly is to the American experience. A free man, according to wise men such as St. Thomas Aquinas, John Locke, and many others, is a man who has the liberty to choose for himself what he is to do, and whom he is to be. A free man should be free from coercion in this decision. No government or band of thugs can be permitted to interfere in the life of a free man. This kind of liberty, under the name of agency, was the key difference between the plans of God, our loving Heavenly Father, and Lucifer, the father of lies. The freedom to choose our own paths is essential to God's plan of happiness. Clearly the Father wants men to be free men. In the modern era, this level of freedom first existed in the United States.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">As a relevant aside, consider "the war's desolation." We here in the United States have been, by and large, spared from having the war's desolation on our own soil. Twelve years ago today, however, that was not the case. Our enemies struck right at us in our homes, killing over 3,000. We were, and are, understandably shocked and appalled by what we saw. Humans should not be killed. The shedding of innocent blood is an abomination to the Lord. There is nothing good about combat, but I digress.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">The main point of the verse is that free men, without coercion, choose to stand between the home they love, and the horror of war. That is why I have chosen to serve. I am a free man, and the idea of my beloved home, and more importantly, my loved ones who reside in that home, experiencing the tumult of conflict is utterly abhorrent to me. I freely choose to stand between peril and my loved ones, though my life be taken in the effort.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times, Times New Roman, serif;">I say this, not to glorify or draw attention to myself, but because I think that I am not unique in these feelings. I am sure that, throughout the centuries, the American fighting man has had this same sense of duty to the ideas that have protected him, and protect his family. Think of that verse the next time you see a man in uniform. Think of him as one who has freely chosen to throw himself in the line of fire to protect what is important to him. Pray day and night for Divine protection for him and his comrades. He truly will conquer when our cause is just. He will accept nothing less, because he loves you and his nation enough to sacrifice everything he has for it. Let us truly make our motto "In God is our trust," for none else can deliver. With trust in the Lord, and the sacrifice of the American fighting man, the Star Spangled Banner in triumph shall wave, every time.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 19.1875px; text-align: start;"><br /></span></span></i></div>
Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01743156495823376348noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191993926210308602.post-27526595598947777972013-09-08T13:44:00.002-07:002013-09-08T13:44:52.380-07:00FDR vs. the 20th Maine<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">On the afternoon
of July Second, 1863, the 20<sup>th</sup> Maine Infantry Regiment was given an
extraordinarily daunting assignment.
Positioned on a rocky hill called Little Round Top, they represented the
absolute far left flank of the Union line at Gettysburg. They were tasked with holding that real
estate against anything the Confederacy could throw at them. If the 20<sup>th</sup> Maine collapsed, the
entire Union line would collapse.
Needless to say, the ensuing battle was fierce. The 20<sup>th</sup> Maine repulsed numerous
Confederate attacks, sustaining heavy losses in the process. Ammunition was running low, and the
beleaguered regiment was hanging on by its fingernails.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This is where Franklin Delano
Roosevelt comes in. He once said “When
you reach the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on!” That’s all well and good for a while, but
what do you do when that’s not enough?
We all have limits. What should
you do when you reach them?<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Such was the 20<sup>th</sup> Maine’s
predicament. They were placed at the end
of their rope when they were told that the line stopped with them. Any deviance, any movement, any sway on their
part would spell disaster for the cause of freedom in Gettysburg
Pennsylvania. When they stood there,
bloodied and unable to shoot back at the enemy, holding on was not going to be
enough anymore. If they simply held on,
they would be defeated.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Here, their commanding officer,
Colonel Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, realized that tying a not and hanging on
isn’t good enough anymore. He understood
something counter-intuitive. Facing
imminent death gives you certain freedoms.
If you’re going to die, why bother trying to protect yourself? He had the vision to see that the worst kind
of peril is the window for the greatest of audacity. Knowing that his men would be slaughtered if
they stayed, and knowing the enemy to be human, Colonel Chamberlain ordered a
bayonet charge down the hill.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The bold plan succeeded. The Confederate forces broke and fled in a
route before the onslaught of the impossible.
The line held, and the Union army went on to win a decisive victory in
Gettysburg Pennsylvania. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> Their audacity demonstrates that,
when no longer to hold on to the end of your rope, there is a store of energy
seldom tapped. When they were beyond
their capacity, they realized that the enemy was as well. The difference between utter destruction and
decisive victory was the decision to spend their seemingly dying energy to
succeed, rather than to fail. In short, Colonel Chamberlain understood that holding on to the end of the rope only
works if you’re willing to climb it when you can’t hold on any longer.</span></div>
Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01743156495823376348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191993926210308602.post-68515856419348511522013-08-18T14:31:00.000-07:002013-08-18T14:31:15.680-07:00A Lesson Learned From a Green Beret<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">08 SEP 2012 found me
standing at the starting line of the Judges’ Classic 5k Cross Country
race. This course is tough, comprised
virtually entirely of steep hills, and I was anxious. My heart pounding with nerves, I asked my
coach, a combat-seasoned Green Beret veteran, what he would say to his
teammates to motivate them before combat missions. He responded, “I didn’t have to: they were
ready before they got there.” Half an
hour after this conversation took place, I was completely unresponsive, having
blacked out from heatstroke. The coming
weeks would tell me exactly what Coach Bendy was talking about.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Unsurprisingly, getting back
in the saddle (or running silkies, in my case) was difficult. Painful memories of waking up with only
partial brain function haunted me. To
this day, thinking about the starting line of a race makes my palms a little
sweaty. During strenuous training
sessions, I realized something: discipline trumps fear every time. With each passing lap of the training field,
I learned that apprehension flees when one grits his teeth and jumps in with
both feet.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">This refusal to be silenced
by a lack of faith allows one to accomplish much. After conquering himself, a man is able to
shunt aside fear and do what must be done.
He is able to place others before himself, and conquer any
obstacle. Through habitually looking
doubt and fear in the eye before stepping right over them, one is able to
master any challenge. Believe me when I
say that there is no other way to do it.
Elder Robert D. Hales, a modern-day Apostle of God, said the following:<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">“We cannot expect to learn
endurance in our later years if we have developed the habit of quitting when
things get difficult now.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">Discipline beats fear and
pain. It’s as simple as that.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">I know now that Coach Bendy’s
commandos were ready before the fight because they were disciplined enough to
be able to choose courage. Through
consistent hard work, they had prepared themselves to face death itself. They knew what they had to do, and they were
ready to do it. Oftentimes, faith looks
an awful lot like the discipline to press on despite the temptation to take a
low road. The sun may be hot; the miles may be long; but none of that matters if you decide that it doesn't.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01743156495823376348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191993926210308602.post-47727205289407393542013-08-04T12:51:00.000-07:002013-08-04T12:51:04.676-07:00Do I REALLY believe that?<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Recently,
I have been asking myself a rather difficult question: “Do you <i>really</i> believe all those fantastic
stories about Joseph Smith you’ve been raised with?” Am I so sure that he was telling the truth
that I will devote my eternal soul to that belief? To be sure, the claim that Brother Joseph
made, that he saw God the Father and Jesus Christ, two separate beings, in the
flesh, is truly a very bold statement.
To say this is true is also to say that the Heavens are truly open. Prophets aren’t just a number of unknown
people theoretically dotted all over the earth, but never to be considered
personally. If Joseph Smith was telling
the truth, then there cannot possibly be any true church other than the Church
of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Pretty
heavy stuff with very potent implications.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">Must
everything hinge on the testimony of one man?
Fortunately, faithful Latter-Day Saints, and any who taste the sweetness
of this Restored Gospel, do not have to take Joseph’s word for it. Allow me again to reference my time on the
Hill Cumorah. Get used to Pageant
references, because there are going to be plenty on this blog. One of the final scenes of the show depicts
the Prophet, Moroni, giving his final exhortation to the people of our
day. For those who don’t know, Moroni is
the final Prophet to write in the Book of Mormon. At the time he wrote these things, he had
witnessed his entire civilization and family be utterly destroyed. He is completely alone, and he does not mince
his final words.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“And I
exhort you to remember these things; for the time speedily cometh that ye shall
know that I lie not, for ye shall see me at the bar of God; and the Lord God
will say unto you: Did I not declare my words unto you, which were written by
this man, like as one crying from the dead, yea, even as one speaking out of
the dust? Yea, come unto Christ, and be
perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness; and if ye shall deny
yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and
strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect
in Christ; and if by the grace of God ye are perfect in Christ, ye can in
nowise deny the power of God” (Moroni 10:27,32).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; text-indent: .5in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">I now ask myself a
much easier question: “How dare anyone deny the sincerity and truth of that
testimony of Jesus Christ?” The power
felt in that testimony is undeniably that of the Holy Ghost. If the Holy Ghost confirms that those words
are true and good, Moroni must have lived.
If Moroni lived, then the Book of Mormon is true. If the Book of Mormon is true, then Joseph
was telling the truth.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> To answer the question I’ve asked
myself, yes, yes I do<i> really</i> believe that Joseph Smith was a Prophet of the
Most High God. Yes, I do believe that
God loves enough to keep talking to us.
Yes, I believe that Moroni lived.
Yes, I believe that Jesus truly is the Christ. When it <i>really</i> comes down to it, that’s all Moroni and Brother Joseph were trying to say. Jesus truly is the Christ. For a very powerful example, consider Joseph's testimony of the Savior:</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 150%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 150%;">“And now after the many
testimonies which have been given of Him
(Jesus Christ), this is the testimony, last of all, which we give of Him: that He
lives! For we saw Him, even on the right
hand of God, and we heard the voice bear record that He is the Only Begotten of
the Father, and that by Him, and through Him, and of Him, the worlds are, and
were created, and the inhabitants thereof are begotten sons and daughters unto
God” (Doc. & Cov. 76:22-24).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> How dare anyone question such a witness? I certainly cannot. Yes. Yes I do believe.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01743156495823376348noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1191993926210308602.post-70216278294499844892013-07-31T13:12:00.003-07:002013-07-31T13:12:39.038-07:00Real Men Love Their Mommies<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> It should come as
no surprise to anyone who knows me to hear that I love my momma. She, alongside my father, has raised me up to
have the very best preparation I could have to serve our God and King in these
last days before His Son returns. This
preparation included ten years of homeschooling me full-time, sacrificing much
to ensure that I had an education that was truly second to none. All of the exemplary maternal love I have
received from her notwithstanding, however, I have noticed that real men really
do love their mommies. More than a
personal love of the one who gave them life, there also exists in well-adjusted
males a deep-seated ache for a matriarch to love, protect, and adore.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> A few days ago, I came back from
four weeks of service on the Hill Cumorah Pageant Work Crew. For those who do not know, the Hill Cumorah
Pageant is an enormous outdoor theatrical performance of scenes from the Book
of Mormon, portrayed on the very location where the angel Moroni hid golden
plates to be uncovered by Joseph Smith Jr. two millennia later. Those plates would be translated by the power
of God, and published as the Book of Mormon, but I digress. The pageant is performed on an immense steel,
aluminum, and fiberglass stage. This
stage must be assembled annually. In His
infinite wisdom, our Lord decided that this stage would best be constructed by
17-18 year old boys a week before the show’s cast arrives. These boys arrive on the Hill, leaving behind
their homes and all personal affairs.
For many of these young men, myself included, it is the longest period
of time they have spent away from home.
In this environment of young males who are away from their mothers for
the first time, a truly fascinating and sacred dynamic began to emerge: these
boys immediately found surrogate matriarchs.
The Work Crew Director’s wife, Sister Hess, was called to assume such a
role. She introduced herself as
“Mamahess.” She would keep laundry
moving, let us know if we were getting sloppy, and generally keep our standard
of living somewhat above that of a failed state. What proved remarkable to me, however, is how
we immediately looked to her as a mother.
Not even for a second would any one of us have dreamt of disrespecting
Mamahess. She was the first to eat at
every meal. Nobody ate until Mamahess
had. We all truly loved her as a mother. This paradigm extended still further. The Pageant is illuminated by twelve
spotlights atop twelve tall metal towers.
These spotlights were directed by Sister Howard. Sister Howard spent long nights with the
light crew, instructing, correcting, and guiding them. It was not long at all before the name “Sister
Howard” was replaced with “Mama Lights.”
She also was protected and adored by the twelve boys she served as
though she truly was the one who gave them life. Nobody asked us on the light crew to do
that. We did it because…well we just
did. It felt right, and we felt we had
to. None of this was rationally decided:
it just was.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> This deep-seated love and respect
for mothers is nothing new. Helaman’s
2060 young volunteer soldiers pointed to the faith of their mothers as the
foundation of their courage. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“Now they never had fought,
yet they did not fear death; and they did think more upon the liberty of their
fathers than they did upon their lives; yea, they had been taught by their
mothers, if they did not doubt, God would deliver them. And they rehearsed unto me the words of their
mothers, saying: We do not doubt our mothers knew it” (Alma 56:47-48).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;">At least three
times in the following chapters do the young soldiers point to the faith and
diligence of their mothers. It is also
interesting to note that the Stripling Warriors referred to their commanding
officer, Helaman, as “father.” The boys
were looking for something to adore and feel loved and protected by, and they
found it in a surrogate parent.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 12.0pt; line-height: 200%;"> The ultimate example of a strong,
well-adjusted, world-changing man being unashamed of loving his mother is, of
course, Jesus Christ. This is very
clearly seen in the Gospel of John.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%; margin-bottom: 10.0pt; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: .5in; margin-top: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif"; font-size: 10.0pt; line-height: 200%;">“</span><span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">When Jesus therefore saw his mother, and the
disciple standing by, whom he loved, he saith unto his mother, Woman, behold
thy son! Then saith he to the disciple,
Behold thy mother! And from that hour
that disciple took her unto his own home” (John 19:26-27).<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="line-height: 200%;">
<span style="font-family: "Baskerville Old Face","serif";">The
Savior of the World, amidst all the pains that he suffered for you and me,
compounded by the agony of being tortured to death on the cross, remembered His
mother. If anyone had an excuse to
forget his Mom, or was “too cool” to love and look after her, it was Him. He didn’t forget. With this testimony and example in mind, I
think it pretty obvious that real men really do love their mommies.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
Peterhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01743156495823376348noreply@blogger.com1