Popcorn Popping at the Creamery

Our three year old Hazel was walking with the rest of her family out of the Creamery on Ninth the other night after a great burger dinner. While walking we all heard a little noise. The kind of noise that all of us make but is especially cute when it comes from a child. As we heard this noise Hazel looked up at Heidi and I, trying to hide that she was a little embarrassed and said "That was popcorn. They are popping popcorn at the Creamery." We could not help but start laughing though we had to stop quickly because she was taking offense.

From that night on every time she lets out a little toot she will quickly say that it was "popcorn popping at the Creamery". She gets upset if you show any expression that it was not indeed popcorn popping at the Creamery, no matter the distance we are from the Creamery. She also doesn't like it when another member of the family clearly toot's in her presence and claims that it is popcorn popping at the Creamery. Apparently only she is allowed to determine when the Creamery is popping popcorn.

The funniest thing is the Creamery doesn't pop popcorn. We don't have the heart to tell her that though. Oh..how I love my little girl.

Christmas Message

I can't tell if it is the season, my family, my expecting wife, my work, my calling, or what but I have been especially emotional (susceptible to the Spirit) recently. I lost it today when I watched and then closed my eyes and listened to this. I don't know why but this was very moving for me. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Great Volunteer Opportunity

Tonight BYU-Idaho broadcast an overview of a program they are calling "Pathways".

A few weeks back I had the pleasure to learn from President Kim Clark and Henry Eyring about this program. Watch this video to learn more and please get involved. You can help from wherever you live. If you would like to get involved they could use Pathway Partners, a commitment of 60 minutes a week. You can do it from anywhere and it blesses the lives of students around the world.

Here is a slide-deck explaining the program:

BYU-Idaho Pathway Report 2012 from BYUIWebmaster

Here is the full video from tonights broadcast. Get some popcorn it is just over an hour long. If you would like to donate to the program email me directly and I can help you do that.

Donate to LDS relief efforts

Yesterday we spent a good portion of the day in my offices getting a donation option ready to go for those wishing to help the LDS Church and its response to the hurricane on the east coast. Here is a link to the main page. http://give.lds.org/storm Keep checking back as we will update the page with information as we receive it from our partners at the LDS Newsroom, LDS.org, and LDS Charities.


From LDSP.org "Our thoughts and prayers are with those impacted by post-tropical storm Sandy. Local Church leaders along the eastern coast of the United States have made preparations for the storm. Church representatives are in contact with the Federal Emeregency Management Agency (FEMA), The American Red Cross, Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (VOAD) and other relief agencies to coordinate response efforts. Forty-two LDS volunteers are supporting Red Cross shelter operations in New Jersey and neighboring areas. The Church is working closely with the Red Cross to identify additional shelter locations if needed."

You can give directly here as well.

As a side note my sister Halley is still stuck in her apartment in Hoboken NJ. Here is a picture out their 2nd floor apartment window. They are still without power. She powers up her phone a couple times a day to receive and send out updates. They are doing fine but hoping the water goes down soon.

What does this mean?

What does this mean? Any guesses? If you think you know post a comment.

10/17/2012 Update: Thank you for all the guesses. Now watch this video for the answer. When you are all done read the rest of the story below.



Explaining the cake: So I had gone for a bike ride on the Alpine Loop ( a tough climb) . While I was away Heidi took a pregnancy test. The ride takes a couple hours so she had time to discover the good news and go to the store for a cake to surprise me. The problem was I am not the brightest guy in the world. When I got home she showed me the cake but I assumed it was the desert for FHE that night. We were planning on having some friends over so I just thought that was the treat. Heidi asked "What do you think of the cake?" I looked at it and thought "neat, she got a discounted cake from the bakery because it had writing on it." I said as much to her and she looked at me like "What?!?". So mentally I went back to the drawing board. Mind you I was just coming in from a pretty good workout so my brain was not fully functional. I then thought. "is that like the priesthood restoration date, but why would Heidi do that? Is our thought for tonight's FHE about the priesthood restoration." I didn't actually vocalize what I was thinking this time but I could tell Heidi was wondering if I would ever figure it out.

Just then it came to me....WE WERE PREGNANT! We hugged, kissed, and laughed about how lame I was/am. Then we got the girls and filmed the above video breaking the news to them. We are very excited and blessed.

September Fast and Miracle: In September we asked family and friends to join Heidi and I in a fast for a baby. We struggle to get pregnant and so we decided a fast might help. Well it sure did! Thank you for the faith and prayers of those who participated in the fast with us. We love you.

Some Recent Experiences as Bishop

The following two experiences happened in the last month. I wrote them down at the time and today reread them. I thought they were general enough that I could share them here. They might even be as faith promoting for those who read them as they were for me.

Experience from my journal #1

"There are times when it becomes very clear to me that I truly have been given the mantle of Bishop. Today while sitting on the stand during sacrament meeting, I noticed a brother seated near the back of the chapel. He was dressed appropriately and by all outward appearances a good faithful member of the church. In spite of him looking like he fit in, I had an immediate and clear impression that there was something wrong with him, not in the sense that I thought he had unconfessed sin, which is an impression that I have had about other ward members, but in the sense that "he was dangerous". The impression was so strong that it startled me. Over the next 10 minutes, I continually had the impression to look at the brother, I didn't know who he was. He appeared to be engaged in having friendly conversations with those around him, he was even making faces and waving at the children near him. There was a member of the stake presidency seated on the stand with me. I sent him a text explaining what I had felt and asked what he thought I should do. He replied "do what the spirit is telling you". I replied "I don't know what the spirit is telling me, it's just warning me about this new brother". Sacrament passed and as it came to a conclusion the promptings were still there warning me of the "danger of this man". I suggested to my first counselor that between the two of us, we would get down off the stand, keep an eye on him and follow him wherever he went. Unfortunately as is often the case with trying to get down of the stand to talk to a specific individual, both our ways were obstructed by various ward members. By the time we reached the back, he was gone. At first I thought maybe I was just imagining things, then I was approached by a member of the ward who shared a very disheartening encounter they had just had with him. I knew immediately again that what I had been feeling was from the Spirit and we began an immediate and earnest search to find him. Throughout the rest of the day, he would leave the building, visit other ward buildings return to our ward building etc. all in a search as we came to find out to take advantage of the innocent. The police eventually became involved and were able to find him. In conclusion... I have never experienced the Spirit warning me as the Bishop that someone who looked faithful was actually very dangerous. I will do my best in the future to not doubt these promptings if they come again. I am also grateful for a loving Heavenly Father who through a Bishop provided the means of protecting the innocent while maintaining the dignity of the Sunday meetings. Everything that transpired was done quickly, effectively and with dignity in relative quiet."

Experience from my journal #2:

"This evening in a disciplinary council, again I felt the clear and undeniable influence of the Spirit upon one who is the Bishop while sharing the outcome and decision of the council, my mind was flooded with one phrase after the other. One scripture after the other... Some of the scriptures I couldn't remember the verse, but I was able to quote it word for word. A couple of verses did come to mind and I went and read those to the individual. Over about a 5 minute period, the majority of what I was counseling this individual was word for word straight from the Spirit. I know I was not manufacturing those sentences, I know I was not coming up with those scriptural chains. I was quite conscious of this fact.It was both startling to me and amazingly sweet. I kept saying the words that were coming and then it ended. I could still feel the Spirit, but the clear words and scriptures had stopped. Afterwards I found myself marveling at the experience and longing for it to continue. The experience of receiving pure revelation from the Spirit in real time is amazing. This too shows me that in spite of me being just an ordinary guy, the call of a Bishop provides a unique conduit between heaven and earth. I am tired and ready for bed. Amen."

Change in Missionary Age!

Here is  the video of President Monson making the announcement about the change in missionary age for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.





Here is a video of the press conference announcing the change in missionary age for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Here is the press release from the Church on the topic.

Would you like to make a gift to help in the work? You can give here and help missionaries who don't have all the funds needed to serve.