Mormon Bloggers

As you dig into your pockets to help people in disasters and crises, you may want to research charities before donating to them. Charity Navigator (charitynavigator.org) is a helpful place to evaluate the relative efficiency of organizations. They have various lists of highly efficient and inefficient organizations. For example, with HomeAid Orange County, only 30 cents on the dollar actually makes it to the cause and 70 cents goes to fundraising and administrative expenses. I wouldn’t donate to them. Forbes also provides information about America’s Biggest Charities. Their list shows that some of the most inefficient at fundraising are Veterans of Foreign Wars of the US (58%), Girl Scouts of the USA (62%), American Diabetes Association (70%), and Operation Smile (72%). A good alternative to Operation Smile is the International Children’s Surgical Foundation, where the principal draws only a modest living allowance. Here are some examples to consider from Charity Navigator: The... Read the rest of this entry »

This post has been updated with verified information. Please see Charities Who Help Best.  Read More →

As the presidential campaign season kicks off in earnest, attacks on the faith of Latter-day Saint members has begun in earnest. This is a never ending thing with Latter-day Saints. Although we are devout Christians, other faiths claim to know better than we ourselves do, and proclaim we are not Christians. Others reach way out into fantasy land and draw comparisons between despicable current figures and ancestors of long ago. I feel the need to point some very basic things out, try to correct before things get totally out-of-control, again. We have two Latter-day Saints, commonly known as Mormons (the faith so named by someone who was not a Latter-day Saint, but the handle stuck,) in the 2012 Presidential race, Mitt Romney and Jon Huntsman. As such, let’s go over who Latter-day Saints REALLY are, as opposed to what people really wish we were. We are devout Christians. Our 1st Article of Faith reads: “We believe in God, the Eternal Father, and in His Son, Jesus Christ, and... Read the rest of this entry »

sometimes when we get into bed at night and it is time to pray- i am soooo tired. zzzzzz. honey gets on his knees “prayer time.” and i say “let’s just pray in the morning.” “no your supposed to pray morning and night” “well we only pray at night. so what the difference? doing it in morning won’t make a difference.” pause…pause… i’ve almost convinced him. “no honey” then it goes quiet and i realize that he is saying his solo prayer. groannnnnnnnnn. maybe by me. and then guilt sets in. and i know he’s right. “okaaaaaaaaay” and i get on my knees. this happens quit a bit at our house. honey is so righteous. and we’re working on morning and night- don’t worry, it’s just our salvation at stake here. we’re fiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiine. here’s another great story of honey being so righteous.  Read More →

Last month, violent extremism struck Norway in the form of one Anders Behring Breivik.  A self-described “Cultural Christian” seeking the liberation of Europe from the supposed threats of Marxism, Islam and Feminism, Mr. Breivik unleashed the most destructive rampage that Norwegians had seen since the invasion and occupation of their nation by the Wehrmacht during the Second World War.  In a few short hours, Breivik detonated a car bomb in the capital city of Oslo, killing eight people, after which he traveled to youth camp on nearby Utøya island, where he shot some sixty-nine other young people to death.  His justification for this massacre was that in killing these young leftists, he hoped to spur Europeans to see the threats that left-wing governance and Islamic immigration posed toward the traditional homelands of Christendom.  Essentially he saw himself as a modern-day Crusader striking a blow for the preservation of the West. I will not dignify the ravings of Mr.... Read the rest of this entry »

When I mentioned King James Bible in an earlier post, I deliberately left out the turmoil of Continental Europe. The 17th century brought on wars that have somewhat falsely been called religious wars, but are generally the 30 years war. It was about formerly Catholic princes, king, dukes etc. pitting their forces against their Protestant [...]  Read More →

Some others may have read the August Ensign, and noted the pages dedicated to celebrating 400 years of King James Bible. I was sort of inspired to put my 2 cents about the Bible in ordered bits as if someone else were interested in my thoughts. Feel free to criticise/correct me; but my hope is [...]  Read More →

My parents moved to Alabama.  Two months ago my dad volunteered for a one-week missionary & construction trip serving an area devastated by last spring’s overactive tornado season.  By the time he returned home, the Lord had spoken to his heart and he knew he was being called to dedicate more time to the work and the people in the hills of Alabama.  Everything else just fell into place… Within weeks the finances to cover obligations at home had wondrously appeared, as well as the beginnings of what they would need to move from Iowa to Alabama and modestly survive while they are there.  Circumstances at my mother’s job had been building towards an opportunity for long-term leave for quite awhile and made sense completely as soon as this opportunity was presented to her.  And another family member seeking a new beginning in her own life was right there to take over the day-to-day responsibilities my parent’s would be leaving behind for... Read the rest of this entry »

Yesterday I had the great privilege to teach a lesson at church on family responsibility (basically, parenting).  A week ago I was irrevocably convinced I was the last person on earth qualified to teach that particular lesson and almost called to back out.  As the week progressed I thought to myself, “If any of my neighbors are in class on Sunday, I’ll have to feign immediate illness.”  They would surely call me out as a completely unqualified hypocrite.  But the Holy Ghost does wonderful things when you turn over your life in humility.  When it was all said and done, the 35 minutes I spent in front of the class was the most spiritual time I’ve ever felt while teaching. Here are some of the things the spirit taught to me:  My kids are children of our Heavenly Father.  They have His spirit, and their spirits studied with Him, learned from Him, and grew to maturity before they were given the opportunity to come to me. When... Read the rest of this entry »

(My 100th post, woohoo!) “Never make a principle out of your experience;  let God be as original with other people as he is with you.” -Oswald Chambers  Read More →

Recently I was walking towards sacrament meeting when an arm appeared out of nowhere; it was heading straight towards my arm. I tried to dodge it, not knowing who’s arm it was I was a little freaked out, but the arm was much too strong for my “school arms.” The arm did in fact belong [...]  Read More →

See my photos of the Brigham City LDS Temple.  Read More →