Thoughts on Isaiah 3:5

So I was reading scripture this evening and came across this verse Isaiah 3:5
“And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbor: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient, and the base against the honorable.”

I forget the scholarly term, but I believe that certain prophecies can be applied to multiple events in history. Such as how the signs of the birth of Christ will be similar to the signs of the Second Coming.

Another example could be how Civilizations behaved during periods of culture unrest. During the French Revolution, the Communist Revolutions, and while the current leaders in the US are trying to “fundamentally change” our great nation there is a push to create “equality” the tools those in power use are to pull down the great and successful people of the civilization (the honorable) and make them equal to the slothful, the envious, and the law breakers (the base.)

The current leaders in our government are seeking to oppress our nation with debt, taxes, and a devalued currency. So not only will we as citizens of the greatest country on Earth be oppressed by the tax burdens and debts we ”owe” to our neighbors but we will also be oppressed by debt burdens we owe to other countries.
The current Childish Administration has behaved itself proudly against the ancient cultural traditions of our Country’s Founders. It is up to us to do what we can to protect and preserve our nation against the current attacks on liberty of our family friends and way of life.

Bachelor’s Sunday

It has been a while since I’ve had a Bachelor’s Sunday. It’s great to wake up and know the only person I need to get ready for church is me. Riding the motorbike to church to sit in a Sacrament Meeting chuckling at the others who are wrestling their kids. No concerns about mid meeting “potty breaks” or having to explain why it is not a great idea to try to eat the pew in front of us.

Then during Sunday School knowing that every time a primary work entered I was not the person they were looking for to deal with a disgruntled child. Then after Priesthood being able to jump back on my bike and just come home without having to deal with wrangling the family into car seats. Now that I am home I can settle down and read Traditions about the early life of Abraham and listen to the Ode to Joy.

Yes, I miss these Bachelor Sundays of quiet and relaxation on the Sabbath , but I am sure when I see my rocking wife and kids these fleeting moments of joy will be dwarfed by my joy to be with them again.

Sometimes HE uses a 2 X 4…

The past few months I have become a little frustrated because it seems every where I turn in my life I’ve needed to be more and more focused on motivating others. Towards the top of my “Things I don’t like to Do List” is of course motivating others. This is the main reason I am not in sales. I’ve found that motivation in most cases is a warm fuzzy version of coercion. As I’ve pondered how I can influence my toddler, my employees, my clients, and the people I have stewardship over in religious capacity I have found that it has come down to the fact I just don’t want to motivate anyone.

So of course as I have sat through various church meetings this month Heavenly Father has decided I need to be hit between the eyes with a 2 X 4. I was thinking about the parable in Luke 19 about the pounds and cities (a variant of the parable of the talents.) I want to do great things in my life and be a an instrument in God’s hands for the establishment of his Kingdom. As I sat through the meetings Luke 19 kept going through my head. What I finally took away from the meetings is if I want to become great then I have to be a great steward over what I have. I need to show the Lord that I can manage my affairs both temporal and spiritual in a way that is pleasing to him. I guess recently I have been acting like the kid who is fresh out of college. I think because I have the “Degree” I‘m ready to be the CEO. Sometimes I have to laugh at the audacity of the premises we set out for ourselves without being fully aware of what we are basing our decision off of. I want the things I want but I haven’t done everything within my power to be all that I can be, and I think that is why people stagnate.

Part of being “great” means going above the norms. Recently my wife and I have joked about me dropping out of Grad School and being normal. There are those around me who get off work and go watch/participate in sports or just read the books they want to (of course for me I’d end up substituting sports for video games) and spend their money on motorbikes, entertainment systems and other “fun stuff.” For example I was speaking with my boss about his newest toys and I couldn’t take it anymore and I burst out laughing. He gave me a questioning look as I explained how all my “extra” money goes towards a house I no longer live in (couldn’t sell it before the job transfer) and Grad School. But once again being great means going above the norms. I could buy my toys and dropout of school (not that a college education = greatness) and be satisfied with whatever comes my way but I view that as being normal. The people I look up to professionally and religiously skipped ESPN and spent their time working on thermos, business, and religious works. So while not watching TV isn’t a big deal for me, I probably need to spend a little less time playing video games and follow those who are my examples.

Being the Boss…

I still remember the conversation I had with my Mom at age ten, “I’m going to be a boss so I can tell others what to do. I like being in charge.” There were many times growing up when I had to remind my parents that I don’t have a problem with authority as long as I am the one who has the authority. My parents laughed at my naïve approach to life. Once they even sat me down to explain that part of being a boss is dealing with other people’s problems and concerns. Of course I didn’t listen because as a teenager I know everything. This past week has definitely been one of those weeks of “OK now I am the boss, why did I want to do this?”
My profession is such that unless I am working as a consultant or an outsourcer I will always be considered a support service to the company’s core competency or an expense center. So when conflict arises between my department and the departments that are perceived to actually make the money they are caught off guard when I don’t prostrate before them and allow them to walk over me and my team. I learning with my current company I am coming very close to killing “sacred cows” with my Christian attitude from 1 Corinthians 12: 14-26. My attitude being, we are all part of the same body (corporate entity) and for the body to function correctly all members must be working (fulfilling their stewardships) together harmoniously. This is unique standpoint for a culture that is based on end runs and politically pounding your coworker into submission before you can establish a cordial business relationship.
This past month I’ve been working with an employee who has failed fantastically at his job. As I have tried to help him see that no matter how hard he tries he isn’t cut out for his job and that this culture is going to continue to eat him alive, I have found myself pondering if I am much different than he is? I took this job for two reasons it has a decent college reimbursement program while I work on my Masters Degree and it was the only job that was open that would meet my salary requirements when I left my last company. As I work through the week I keep getting closer to killing those “sacred cows” and I remind myself “ I can make it through the next three and a half years but do I want to?” The reasons to go are evenly balanced by the reasons to stay. I laugh as I think back to when I though being the boss meant you were in charge. I had no concept of how constrained a manager is by corporate culture, traditions, policies that were created because of fear, and the fact that managers have managers who don’t want attention brought to their work areas.

Horray she is here.

When my first child was born I typically summed up the labor and delivery as being the most traumatic experience in my life. My wife agreed with me. After sitting in a hospital for over 16 hours and the watching my wife have to push the kid for over two hours our son came into the world. Thankfully kid two was much quicker.

Our daughter deiced she would show up about a week late. We received a phone call at 4:00 AM asking if we could be at the hospital by 5:30 AM for induction. We got there and spent most of the day watching my wife’s Pit bag empty. Around 1:30 PM the nurse came to see how things were going and then cranked up the Pit. She came back when my wife felt some discomfort and found out the baby was making her appearance. My wife was thrilled that she only had to spend less than 15 minutes pushing compared to the previous delivery.
My son, who loves babies, is ecstatic to have one living with us. He proudly announces to anyone within earshot “I’m the big brother.” We have to watch out as he tries to be helpful. When I took him to the hospital to see is little sister I turned my back for two seconds I turned back around to see him standing over the basinet dropping a full size pillow on her. He then exclaimed “I gave her a pillow.” While he is a smart kid we haven’t quite taught him the meaning of asphyxiation. Since then we have tried to teach him that babies don’t receive “Head butts of Love”, they don’t need blankets pulled over their faces, and that it is not OK to forcibly roll babies over. The reason God made children so limber and durable is so they can survive their parents and siblings.

After leaving the Hospital Kid 2 was hit with Jaundice so she spent a couple days on the “baby tanning bed” after receiving a Priesthood blessing. She is fine now but the Doc is insisting that she doesn’t weigh enough. Other than that she is alert and your typical newborn.

Is she here yet?

So my wife and I are twiddling out thumbs while we wait for our second child to arrive. This waiting is filled with mixed anxiety and anticipation. We reminisce back to when the “14 hour drive” to visit family was really 14 hours rather than 20 hours or when we wanted to go to the movies we were only paying for the two of us. Sure life is a bit more expensive and you don’t sleep the entire night with newborns and toddlers but in the end it is worth it.
After church today I met with the leadership of our men’s group and discussed what children face and how we can best influence their decisions. Now seeing how my oldest is almost three, I don’t have a whole lot of insight on raising older children without referring to the scriptures or my parents. If there is one thing I know for sure it is that God blessed me by placing me in a stable family that was ideal by design. For those who wish to know my idea of the ideal family here it is: http://www.lds.org/library/display/0,4945,161-1-11-1,00.html
The scriptures are clear on how we as parents should raise our children. Our Father in Heaven gave his son Adam the blessing of work so that his mind and body would stay healthy and active. In Proverbs 22:6 we are taught aTrain up a bchild in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it. This training does not just develop the child but it reminds the parents of their own duties to God. Psalms teach us that children are a heritage of the Lord and blessed is he who has a quiver full of them. The scriptures are full of versus on how to raise children.
As for my own experience I had parents who adapted their parenting style to each of their six kids. Where I fell in the birth order I was the one who was pressured to be the “Good Example” for the four younger brothers. While most of my friends had curfews I didn’t. Because at home we had a simple unspoken rule “you can go to bed whenever you want but you still have to get up at 6:00AM for family scripture study without complaining.” So while I never had a set curfew I was usually home by 11:00 PM because I knew what would happen if I couldn’t get up at 6:00AM. Another expectation we dealt with was work. While living at home Mom and Dad provided food, clothing, rides and love, if we wanted more we were on our own. As a family to earn money we cleaned construction sites, collected aluminum cans, mowed lawns, and as soon as we were old enough to “legally” work we got jobs. The few weeks I was without a job the first words out of parents mouth when they back from work in the evenings were “Where did you apply for work today?” or “Did you call back Company X for an interview?” It drove me nuts while it was happening but I am better for it now.
My wife and I have been contemplating how we plan to raise our children as we wait for that due date to roll around (we know she won’t make it) and we laugh about the foibles of youth. At last we have come to the recognition that most Parents don’t really know what they are doing either.

I’m financially solvent because I am Christian

Some people have asked with all the horrible things going on in the world what good does it do me to be a Christen. At times I have a hard time trying not to laugh. The Tim of a little over a decade ago may have responded “being a Christian keeps me from being you. Someone with a broken marriage, substance abuse issues, poor health, and little understanding of what the future holds.” I guess I’ve matured a little.
With all the gloom and doom that goes about in the world many people have become concerned about their personal solvency. Like many others I have seen my investment portfolio lose well over 50% of its value in the past few months. I am concerned but not scared. Below I have listed the principles I’ve learned from the scriptures to help me stay financially solvent.
Tithing: Malachi 3:8-10 Gen 14: 17-20
I pay 10% of what God blesses me with back to Him. I have seen him open the windows of heaven for my family as we have lived this law. It truly is amazing when you have scholarships almost fall in your lap while attending college or you’re able to find a job during a rough economy. If we look at the Book of Genesis we see that Abraham paid his tithes and he prospered in land. Because the Laws of God are eternal just as Abraham was blessed for paying tithing we will be too.
Financial planning: Luke 24:28, Genesis 41:30
The Bible has also taught us that before we invest it is wise to sit down and make a plan. If we are going to buy a house, car, education etc. we need to sit down and check our finances and make sure we can afford the purchase and make sure it will not place undue burden on us in the future. We are also taught in Genesis that during the times of prosperity we should put resources away for the future. By putting resources away for the future we are prepared if the economy crashes or if an investment opportunity comes our way.
Word of Wisdom
Some of the most devastating expenses a family can face directly relate to medical expenses. Since the beginning of history Heavenly Father has directed his children on how to care for their bodies. He told Adam and Eve which plants to eat (Gen 2:16-17), and gave them work to perform to keep his body strong and his mind active (Gen 2:15 Gen 3:19.)
To Moses, God revealed divine laws instructing what the children of Israel should eat, and what they should not drink (Lev 10:9.) Later we hear of Daniel and others who stayed true to the Law of Moses and were found to be healthier and more intelligent than their peers (Dan 1:8-17.)
Later to, Joseph Smith, God continued to reveal his laws of health instructing disciples to not take stimulants, alcohol, tobacco, or any other harmful substance. Disciples were further instructed to eat healthy foods, meat in moderation, and to get sufficient sleep. With these instructions came a promise of health in mind, body and spirit. Having lived this law my entire life I have been able to avoid sickness while those around me have suffered, I have had the energy to work long hours for extended periods of time, and I have a higher chance of survival should I contract an illness.
Eternal marriage
Another devastating experience some face is divorce. In my house this is considered worse than a four letter word. We’ll joke about a lot of things but the “d” word is not one of them. The social, economic, spiritual, and physical impacts of divorce are too great to enumerate. The number one reason for success in my family comes from a strong marriage. (It always helps when you have a rocking wife.)