The Truth

So, the grand experiment with “Podio” (or Podcast) book has come to an end.  I was really excited about this but was disappointed.  I guess there is a reason why these books are made available for free via iTunes.  I shouldn’t say that.  I guess I can say is that podcast novels are not for me.

The world changed while I was on my mission in California.  Within a couple of days of being home, I felt like Michael J. Fox’s character when he got out of the Delorian to find himself in the future.  The Internet was the biggest wonder that affected my life.

The Church has had an interesting love/hate relationship with the net.  According to Marcus Martins, prior to the launch of LDS.org, there was very little, if anything, positive being said about the internet in Church forums such as Area and General Conference.  But once the Church launched its’ websites, the tune about the net has changed.  And I think it is a very good thing.

There is so much good on the internet.  There are so many talks available through LDS.org and the BYU Speeches site that I might never have to go back to Church again.  With FARMS, Dialogue, Sunstone, and FAIR constantly posting stuff to their websites there is more than enough for me to satisfy my Mormon studies bug.  The current state of the for Mormons is like being at a large buffet where you could not possibly sample even a spoon of everything.

I think using blogs to share the Gospel is a great idea.  I have decide to take Elder Ballard’s advice and use my blog to share the Gospel with others.

This video describes my experiences with dating lately. I hope you have a good laugh at my expense. In the meantime, I will be eating Lasagna for one, which is quite tasty.

I stumbled across something that has the possibility of being very cool. Free audio books published by the author directly to iTunes as a podcast. I am excited to see if this will increase my time on the elliptical and make it more enjoyable.

On a related note, I love podcasts. I discovered the concept about three years ago and have been hooked ever since. My favorites are “Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me”, “Fresh Air”, “Speaking of Faith”, and “Mormon Stories”. I am always looking for something to pass the time on the elliptical and hope “podiobooks” are the solution.

I decided to turn the comments off for a little while.  We see how this goes.

My BYU stake got a new presidency a few months ago. On Sunday, our high councilor announced our stake’s theme for the rest of this year and possibly for the five years or so our stake president will be here. The theme is Moses chapter seven verse eighteen:

I am excited and concerned. On the one hand, I am all for building a strong community within the Church and like what this verse implies. On the other hand, I hope this simply does not turn into hollow rhetoric.

Will living in righteousness mean following the teachings of Christ or will it mean an increased emphasis on “ward-house Mormonism”? Will it mean reaching out to the estranged, the different, the disaffected or will we continue to place burdens on ourselves and others that will keep people away? Will we follow the spirit in our meetings, or will the unwritten order of things continue to prevail and be emphasized though it was never presented before the whole Church as is the case for teachings intended for everyone?

While I have these questions, I am optimistic and hope that we can make our ward and stake a more friendly place. After all I have read about Zion, I cannot think of a another place I would like to live. Well, perhaps Hawaii, but I have already been there.

My BYU stake got a new presidency a few months ago. On Sunday, our high councilor announced our stake’s theme for the rest of this year and possibly for the five years or so our stake president will be here. The theme is Moses chapter seven verse eighteen:

I am excited and concerned. On the one hand, I am all for building a strong community within the Church and like what this verse implies. On the other hand, I hope this simply does not turn into hollow rhetoric.

Will living in righteousness mean following the teachings of Christ or will it mean an increased emphasis on “ward-house Mormonism”? Will it mean reaching out to the estranged, the different, the disaffected or will we continue to place burdens on ourselves and others that will keep people away? Will we follow the spirit in our meetings, or will the unwritten order of things continue to prevail and be emphasized though it was never presented before the whole Church as is the case for teachings intended for everyone?

While I have these questions, I am optimistic and hope that we can make our ward and stake a more friendly place. After all I have read about Zion, I cannot think of a another place I would like to live. Well, perhaps Hawaii, but I have already been there.

I am freakin tired.  I have not been this tired since I quit working at the glass plant.  But today, man alive am I tired.  Maybe it’s the caffeine, maybe I am out of shape.  Maybe I need a good night’s rest.  Going to sleep will be a great way to end this day.

Tomorrow is the second to last day of school.  Thankfully it is a half day and the kiddies will be heading out at noon.  After they are gone, the staff of Oak Springs are going to have a great time with Donna’s famous brisket.   I love brisket and am so looking forward to it.

I went panning for gold today. It was my first time. I think next time will grow out my beard, wear a flannel shirt, and carry a double barreled shotgun to keep people of my claim. From all of my research (John Wayne movies) that is what you need to properly pan for gold. Seriously it was great. My brother and I went to the Uinta National Forrest. It was beautiful.

Our little excursion also gave me the opportunity to put my Gore-Tex boot to the test. I literally stood in the middle of stream and feet stayed completely dry. If you are going to buy hiking boots, I strongly recommend you spend the extra cash and pick some boots with Gore-Tex lining.

Being in the mountains reminded me of how much I like living in Utah. I am definitely going to do some major camping and hiking soon. I love the outdoors. I love it so much that I am going to walk to work.

For the first time in a few years, I have been caught up in the excitement of the NBA playoffs.  Because I love basketball and am a sucker for nostalgia, I hope the Lakers and the Celtics will face off in this year’s championship.  Though the Pistons are up two games on the Celtics, I am hopeful the boys in green will be able to defeat the Motor City’s team and then go on to the finals.

As I was watching ESPN this morning, I was surprised at what one of the commentators was saying about the Celtics.  He was going on and on about how if the Celtics won the title, they would not deserve it.  He said they have not played well enough to prove they are truly a championship and if they do win, he will be unconvinced of their status as this year’s best team.

I think this guy is a moron.  I followed NBA basketball from the time I was eleven until I turned twenty.  Every year, the title went to the team who won four out of the seven games of the NBA finals.  Sometimes there were surprises and upsets, but it was always the case that the team who scored more points once the buzzer sounded to end the fourth quarter won the game.  It is that simple.

I wonder how if the Celtics win the championship this year their status as NBA champs will be questionable.  If after they win their fourth game in that series will David Stern come out and say,

“After carefully reviewing the tapes, we have decided that you did not play well enough to be considered champions.  Therefore this year’s championship will go to the Toronto Raptors”.

Or maybe Stern will meet the team at center court and inform the Celtics they were “Champions-”, sort of an A- for the NBA.  The “Champions-” trophy would be slightly smaller than the regular trophy and would prominently feature a big minus symbol under the word Champions.  The rings that go along with this title would be slightly smaller, have fewer diamonds, and turn your finger green if you wore it for too long.

It’s no wonder that some coaches and players alike despise the press.  After listening to this guy and other commentators I am beginning to wonder if Bobby Knight was correct in saying members of the press had chosen a profession just slightly more honorable than prostitution.

In any event whoever wins this year will be remembered as the team who won it all in 2008 and the analyst who made the asinine  comments this morning will be forgotten.  So with that I say, go Celtics.