Mormon Bloggers

The story of Jesus walking on the water has so much personality. In just a few verses, the account is rich with perspective, depth and self-reflection. I used to think that the Savior was chiding Peter for his seeming lack of faith, which prevented him from walking on the water. Then, with the help of my friend Janie, the admonition from the Savior to Peter became something more meaningful, even gracious and hopeful. The story starts off with John the Baptist being beheaded through the efforts of a scheming, dancing seductress. When the disciples tell Jesus, he reacts by seeking to be apart and finding some solitude in an unwanted desert place. He gets there mostly by ship. When the crowds find out where he is, they follow him on foot. When he discovers the multitudes have followed him, he takes compassion and heals all their sick. But now they are in the middle of nowhere, where Jesus originally went to be alone and there is no way to feed the crowds. They are far from home. Next... Read the rest of this entry »

Brightness of hope. Fear and worry are one of life’s most draining forces.  One day it hit me that fear & worry are where we predict the worst possible outcome and suffer for it ahead of time.  So ridiculous what we do to ourselves, how we bind ourselves up with these two emotions!  They are the opposite of “brightness of hope.” Sometimes we lose our brightness of hope. I wouldn’t say worries and fear are the opposite of love and faith.  Because that belief also says to someone who is worried “you lack love, you lack faith – you fall short.”  It seems more fitting and charitable to realize love and faith have the power to vanquish fear and worry. We have the roots of love and faith within us and sometimes we need to conscientiously tap into those roots and grow them.  We have the capacity for the Garden of Eden wherever we are. So how do we find that inner strength and peace and bring it to its full... Read the rest of this entry »

What would we do if something like Japan’s earthquake hit here? How would our lives change? I’ve been in some sort of a haze ever since the disasters in Japan hit. Because of the extent of it, the size of it, the devastation of it. Watching the videos, reading the status reports. It is all stunning. It could so easily be here as anywhere. And I can’t help thinking our family doesn’t have good water storage. And trying to make sense of it all, what do natural disasters and devastation really mean in our lives? Doctrine & Covenants 88:89-91 89 For after your testimony cometh the testimony of earthquakes, that shall cause groanings in the midst of her, and men shall fall upon the ground and shall not be able to stand. 90 And also cometh the testimony of the voice of thunderings, and the voice of lightnings, and the voice of tempests, and the voice of the waves of the sea heaving themselves beyond their bounds. 91 And all things shall be in commotion; and surely,... Read the rest of this entry »

“Does This Dress Make Me Look Fat?” The question dreaded by men (and best friends) the world over.  Especially if asked by a woman with extra layers such as I.  We women ask that question with no real interest in the truth – we know we do look fat.  We just want to make sure that the people we surround ourselves with are in an equal state of denial as we are.  We want to make sure they have our  Read More →

In my last couple of posts, I have been talking a bit about how things such as having faith, setting goals, improving myself, etc., and I believe that this is largely due to the fact that I have been contemplating the 2010 year and the upcoming 2011 year.  In years past, I have made New Year’s resolutions here and there, some of them I stuck with and saw through to the end while others not so much.  Last year the only resolution that I really made was to stick with my plan to finish serving my mission, which seemed very much in doubt after I came back from not only the Ivory Coast but from Canada as well.  Well, thankfully, I was blessed enough to be able to come here to the Referral Center to finish my mission. And now that another year is coming to a close, I have been pondering about what goals and New Year’s resolutions that I want to make for 2011 a lot over the past few days.  It has been interesting to think about because there are many goals and things... Read the rest of this entry »

The story you are about to read is true, but the names were changed to protect the innocent. My friend, Jane, has been married to John for over twenty years and the children that they raised have left home. Their marriage was stagnant. They didn’t argue but the sparks were gone and they were distant, one with the other. For six months before my story begins John and Jane had not lived in the same house. When they did reunite the distance between them did not disappear. They returned to the same old patterns. He went his way and she went hers. Their conversations, few and far between, were exchanges of information and requests for accommodation. “Would you pick up a pack of cigarettes for me when you’re out?”“Are you ever going to mow the lawn?”“Your daughter called. She’s doing well in school.”“Your son called. He can’t find a job.”“I left you something for dinner in the frig.” John had practically... Read the rest of this entry »

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For several months now our daughter, Isabelle has been sleeping (or at least beginning the night) in her own room, in the bed that she has aptly named the “big girl bed.”  As she is quite the extrovert, Isabelle often finds it difficult to go to sleep, as it is really the only time during the day that she has to be alone, a state that is difficult for her to deal with.  Hence it is not uncommon that, after a long day when she is a little over tired, she ends up crying for a little while to put herself to sleep.  Not uncommon, but also never easy to deal with.  There are a great many things I’d rather face (a severe beating among them) than having to turn my back on my child when she is sobbing and calling out for me, but sometimes it has to be done, in order that she will be able to grow.  The alternative is Lucie or I having to share a bed with her until she leaves for college, which is hardly a pleasant thought. That said, there is a difference that a... Read the rest of this entry »

How does a debate on reform policy become a referendum on the future of our nation?  I ask myself this as I look with frank unease on the fate of Health Care Reform, set to be voted on (by way of a rather arcane House procedure) this weekend.  I am not an unabashed fan of this bill, I find the mandate forcing people to buy insurance or face a fine to be extremely problematic, and wonder if, in the long run, it will not cause more trouble than it was worth.  That said, I am in favor of reform and find myself, like many on the center-left, in the unenviable position of arguing (in a manner that neither convinces my colleagues on the right, nor satisfies my colleagues on the left) that part of a loaf is better than no loaf at all, and that actually managing to get some reform framework passed opens the door to further refinement of the system down the road, something that has generally been impossible up to now.  Yet such arguments fail to deal with the key problem facing health care reform,... Read the rest of this entry »

I anticipate. I think ahead. I plan ahead. I look forward to the future. I also anticipate the bad. I act in advance to prevent disaster. I worry. I fear. The first is healthy. The second is not. To encourage the first type of thinking and reduce the second, I’ve been practicing mindfulness—thinking and living in the present, [...] All Content Copyright (C) 2007-2009 TJ Hirst. No content may be reproduced without the copyright owner’s express written consent. Thinking Now, Not Thinking Ahead  Read More →