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Friday, November 29, 2013

Guest Post: I Was Blind, But Now I See




A friend died, unexpectedly, while I was in North Carolina on my Spring Break.

He was only fifty-one. He was a professional bass player from Dallas. I knew him because he played with the Utah Festival Opera and Musical Theater, a group I have been playing with in the beautiful summers of Logan for the past four years.

After learning about his passing, I immediately pictured his turkey from two years previous.

His turkey? you might ask.
Yes, his turkey, I'd respond.

Scott cooked a mean turkey, and by that I mean he cooked an incredibly juicy and delectable bird that, though normally only eaten in November, was so entirely om-nom-nom, Scott could totally pull off cooking and feeding it to us in July.

It was an amazingly tasty turkey. I could rant and rave about it for years. I can taste it like it was yesterday. Mmm.

In fact, I remember quite clearly that I was flooding Scott with all sorts of compliments one afternoon about it, so much so that he revealed to me the secret ingredient of his incomparable fowl:

Beer.

Which is funny because I'm Mormon, meaning I don't drink alcohol, which makes me laugh almost to the point of tears, because it only confirms that if I weren't Mormon, I'd be a raging alcoholic. If beer can make turkey taste that good, I know I would be adding it to everything. Beer ice cream? Beer quesadillas? Bring. It. On.

Thursday, November 28, 2013

How to Use Your Turkey Leftovers



by Seattle Jon:


F. Scott Fitzgerald — author of The Great Gatsby — was also an unsuspected gourmand. Here come 13 irreverent ideas for how to use your turkey leftovers, found in Fitzgerald's 1945 collection of essays, notebook excerpts and letters, The Crack-Up:

At this post holiday season, the refrigerators of the nation are overstuffed with large masses of turkey, the sight of which is calculated to give an adult an attack of dizziness. It seems, therefore, an appropriate time to give the owners the benefit of my experience as an old gourmet, in using this surplus material. Some of the recipes have been in my family for generations. They were collected over years, from old cook books, yellowed diaries of the Pilgrim Fathers, mail order catalogues, golf-bags and trash cans. Not one but has been tried and proven — there are headstones all over America to testify to the fact.

Turkey Cocktail: To one large turkey add one gallon of vermouth and a demijohn of angostura bitters. Shake.

Turkey à la Francais: Take a large ripe turkey, prepare as for basting and stuff with old watches and chains and monkey meat. Proceed as with cottage pudding.

Turkey and Water: Take one turkey and one pan of water. Heat the latter to the boiling point and then put in the refrigerator. When it has jelled, drown the turkey in it. Eat. In preparing this recipe it is best to have a few ham sandwiches around in case things go wrong.

Turkey Mongole: Take three butts of salami and a large turkey skeleton, from which the feathers and natural stuffing have been removed. Lay them out on the table and call up some Mongole in the neighborhood to tell you how to proceed from there.

Turkey Mousse: Seed a large prone turkey, being careful to remove the bones, flesh, fins, gravy, etc. Blow up with a bicycle pump. Mount in becoming style and hang in the front hall.

Stolen Turkey: Walk quickly from the market, and, if accosted, remark with a laugh that it had just flown into your arms and you hadn't noticed it. Then drop the turkey with the white of one egg—well, anyhow, beat it.

Turkey à la Crême: Prepare the crême a day in advance. Deluge the turkey with it and cook for six days over a blast furnace. Wrap in fly paper and serve.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

MMM Search Term Roundup 11: October & November 2012



by Scott Heffernan:

When someone finds Modern Mormon Men via search engine, we get to see what they typed to get here, giving us a small glimpse into the thought processes of those who happen upon our site. I think our readers need to see these, so I'll be sharing them monthly. Some are funny, some are sad, some are disturbing. Maybe we can work together to give some context or help answer some of those curious questions. WARNING: Although some of the more explicit entries have been excluded, saucier phrases that are included have not been edited.

See all Search Term Roundups here.

why is there no mormon skaters
I’ve heard a couple of these guys are Mormon.

a mormon man has been approaching me
That's weird. Usually there's two of them.

mormon men lingerie
It’s being naked except for black socks.

bad teaching in elders quorum
Never heard of this happening.

did tim mcgraw grow up in the norman religion
Nobody cares.

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

A Strange Intersection of Anniversaries



by Bradly Baird:

Last week contained a strange intersection of personal anniversaries (arrivals, departures and memorials) and a strange intermixing of the sacred and the secular. Each event marked a unique circumstance from my life, with the earliest reaching back to the formations of my world-views. Consequently, the week was one of varying emotions and thoughts, sometimes reaching to extremes. Fortunately, this imbalanced week was capped off by a weekend filled with wonderful spiritual moments, the opportunity to be taught by the Lord's representatives and a wonderful walk around the Oquirrh Mountain Temple.

Monday - November 18, 2013
My former boss and her fiancé joined me for breakfast at the Bambara in downtown Salt Lake City, where we celebrated her last day in the city. She lived in Salt Lake for two years to help improve the operations of our business office here and returned this past weekend to move her belongings back to California now that her work here is complete. I owe her quite a bit because she pulled me out of a period of unemployment and launched a new career for me in human capital management.

Tuesday - November 19, 2013
A good man whom I have known for about six years passed away this week. He was not a close friend, nor was he a relative. In fact, I only knew him because I was his family's home teacher more than four years ago. But, his passing marks a special spiritual experience for me, and while I won't give specific details, I will say that Christ's atonement is real and it plays a tremendous role in the lives of those who access its power.

Friday - November 22, 2013
Of course, everyone is aware that this past Friday was the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, the 35th President of the United States. I was not alive when the assassination took place, but this President holds a special place in the consciousness of my youth. My mother loved this man and was particularly devastated when his life ended. I remember that each year on this date, she would retrieve all of the newspaper clippings that she saved from the coverage and we would sit together and read them. I also remember our family pilgrimage to the eternal flame at JFK's grave in Arlington National Cemetery.

Monday, November 25, 2013

Pie Personality Test 2.0 (Updated)



by Casey Peterson:


Every year as I approach Thanksgiving, I am struck by the correlation of personality types to pie selections. Last year I published on MMM my Pie Personality Test 1.0. I received generally positive feedback, but also received several requests for other types of pie not represented. So with Thanksgiving approaching, I submit Pie Personality Test 2.0 for your reading pleasure.

You Are Apple Pie

You're the perfect combo of comforting and traditional.
You prefer things the way you've always known them.
You'll admit that you're old fashioned, and you don't see anything wrong with that.
Your tastes and preferences are classic. And classic never goes out of style.

Those who like you crave security.
People can rely on you to be true to yourself - and true to them.
You're loyal, trustworthy, and comfortable in your own skin.
And because of these qualities, you've definitely earned a lot of respect.

You Are Pumpkin Pie

You're the perfect combo of uniqueness and quality.
You're able to relate to many types of people with many different tastes.
But you're by no means generic or ordinary.
In fact, you're one of the most original people around.

Those who like you are looking for something (or someone) special.
You tend confuse people when they first meet you. But you're not as complicated as you seem.
Even though you have a lot of spice and flavor to you, you're never overpowering.
You are a calm and comforting force in people's lives.

You Are Cream Pie

You're the perfect combo of simplicity and divinity.
You are a secret hedonist. No one knows how indulgent you can be.
You don't indulge often, but when you do, you go for the best.
You have expensive taste - even if you aren't rich.

Those who like you live for understated pleasures. You're not flashy or trendy, but you have a depth that most people lack.
Interacting with you makes most people feel incredibly satisfied.
You are gentle, super sweet, and in harmony with those around you.

Friday, November 22, 2013

Mormon World Records 8: Names



by Seattle Jon:

Paul Skousen might not be the best known of the Skousens, but he did pen The Skousen Book of Mormon World Records. This is my tribute series to his good work. Previous Mormon World Records here.

Q: What are the most common LDS names?
A: The most common first names used in predominantly LDS Utah (as of 2000) are (most common first) BOYS: Jacob, Joshua, Tyler and Zachary; GIRLS: Madison, Emily, Hannah, Abigail and Samantha.

Q: Who is more recognizable? Joseph Smith or Brigham Young?
A: In a 1980 national survey, more people in the United States recognized the number two man's name, Brigham Young, than the name of the founder, Joseph Smith.

Q: Who was the first Jack Mormann?
A: In 1971, Jackson F. Mormann, known as Jack to his friends, was baptized with his wife after six months of lessons from the missionaries. They became members of the Philadelphia Stake.

Q: Who was the first Mormon Moorman?
A: For years, Esther Moorman was kidded about being a Mormon. Though the kidding didn't exactly encourage her to investigate the Church, it didn't stop her either. She (a widow) inquired about Mormons from a co-worker, and later, took her two sons to visit the Washington, D.C. temple. They invited the missionaries for more discussion, and were baptized in 1984. The family resided in the Akron, Ohio Stake.
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Seattle Jon is a family man, little league coach, urban farmer and businessman living in Seattle. He currently gets up early with the markets to trade bonds for a living. In his spare time he enjoys movies, thrifting and is an avid reader. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the Japan Fukuoka mission field. He has one wife, four kids and five chickens.
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Thursday, November 21, 2013

Sunstone NW Symposium: Persevering



Hope to see some of you this Saturday! - Seattle Jon & Scott Heffernan


A Man's Burden



by Eliana


When I was pregnant with our first child, my husband started staring at the wall a lot. Specifically I'd notice him focusing on that top corner of a room where the walls and ceiling meet. First thought? The man was losing his mind.

The real answer? Sudden Onset Responsibility. I just invented this disorder but I can definitely make a case for it being a real, serious, mental condition. The reality that there would be a child in our house, one that we would have to take care of, forever, had worked its way into the inner corridors of my husband's brain.

Part of this was about money: I'd quit my job. Part of it was about history: his mother died before my husband was a year old. Part of it was about being a good guy and wanting to do a good job. A good enough job that it would be hard for our child to grow up to be an artist because he'd have no grief to work through on the dad front.

Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Guest Post: Seeds of the Feminine in the Book of Mormon




For the past year or so, I've been working to produce a graphic novel called iPlates, which is based on a few chapters from the Book of Mormon. (See our Kickstarter here.) Before starting this project, I had thought of the Book of Mormon as having a worldview easily nailed down, but as I studied it for clues on how to structure my story, I suddenly saw the Book of Mormon's worldview popping up all over the map. I was thoroughly confused by this until I remembered my graduate studies in narrative form.

Scriptures fulfill two major functions. First, they give their followers a story to cohere around. Instead of presenting social visions, rules, and knowledge in abstract form, cultures often embed them in stories. The concepts stick better that way. I heard these kinds of stories often when I was spending time in an Alaska Native village.  I'd see the village elders (male and female) sitting with the kids, sometimes telling about a shaman’s adventures, sometimes telling about an accident they had survived (such as falling through the ice or breaking down in the middle of nowhere), sometimes telling about the antics of the mythological Raven. The elders were embedding culture and skills in those young minds. Along those same lines, it seems to me that the Jews managed to survive their trials intact at least partially because they had a book full of well-functioning stories to guide them. Similarly, I think, the Book of Mormon has provided the stories Mormons needed to cohere in times of hardship.

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

MMM Sermons: Sacred Homes, Sacred Temples



by Saint Mark:

This is a series of sermons that many Latter-day Saints love and believe. I hope these sermons promote and perfect your faith as they do mine. Read or watch this sermon here, or read previous MMM Sermons.

This is a little-referenced General Conference talk by Elder Gary Stevenson from April 2009 but it resonated with me. My wife and I have had a long-standing discussion regarding the decor of our home. We both grew up in homes that lacked religious iconography but for different reasons. Her family chose to not have pictures of Jesus Christ and my family were atheists and didn't really believe in a Savior. Thus, my wife is not a fan of the Americanized Redeemer adorning the walls of our home while I, on the other hand, feel that I need reminders to "remember Him always" and like for my home to be my family's own mini-temple.

Let the debate begin. As you can imagine, we've had many colorful, intelligent dialogues about this issue. We've compromised by having symbolic images, photographs of trees (the Sacred Grove), pictures of family, and a limited number of LDS Church distribution-type of pictures on our walls.

Not that it necessarily scored me any points in the on-going debate between my wife and me on this issue, but when I heard Elder Stevenson's sermon I smiled a little inside.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Guest Post: PSAs for Mormon Men



In response to the WAVE Women’s Service Mission post PSA Campaigns for Men, Modern Mormon Men and WAVE got together for a collaboration.

The LDS community has its own peculiar flavor of rape culture, bolstered by modesty rhetoric taught by church leaders which can run the risk of young people assuming that how a young woman is dressed can lead to sexual assault. You may remember the story coming out of BYU where a male student scolded a female student for what she was wearing on campus. Now, thanks to Modern Mormon Men and Scott Heffernan, there’s a meme for that!


Friday, November 15, 2013

Auto/Airline Mechanics, or, When Missionaries Say “I Don’t Know”



by Shawn Tucker:


Some weeks ago I went out with our local missionaries here in North Carolina. They are both wonderful elders; enthusiastic, full of joy and love and optimism, and eager to help. They asked me to go with them to visit a late twenty-something female ward member. This woman, who I will call Amanda, is currently separated from her husband. During the visit, the missionaries talked about exactly what they should talk about. They asked questions to help Amanda reflect on her faith and her covenants. She has struggled to attend church, so they talked with her about how prayer and scripture study may help this and other aspects of her life.

During the course of the conversation, Amanda mentioned how pleasantly surprised she was at some of her estranged husband's recent efforts. She mentioned how he had recently called "out of the blue" with no other purpose than to talk with her. He also asked her to take him to a medical appointment, and she was glad to help him out. She talked about small yet helpful things he had recently done. I asked her what she thought of all of those efforts, and she commented positively on them. I asked if they seemed unexpected, and when she said yes, I asked if those efforts might represent some sort of risk on his part. She agreed that they did, and then responded enthusiastically to the suggestion that she consider acknowledging to him how much she appreciated his efforts and the risk they represent.

Later in the conversation she talked about her struggles to keep the Word of Wisdom. The missionaries of course commended the value of prayer, fasting and scripture reading. I asked her if these struggles were compounded by the current stress over her marriage. When I asked if those things prohibited by the Word of Wisdom might be a way that she self-soothes, she very strongly agreed. We then had a brief discussion about the problems associated with this self-soothing strategy, and we talked about alternatives.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Guest Post: On Waiting




I recently went on a trip with two of my young sons. We went by plane and actually had to change planes on a layover. We rented a car once we got there so we could go to the places we wanted to go and do the things we wanted to do. One of my sons noted at one point during the trip that there was a lot of "waiting" involved. And indeed he was right. On the trip out, we waited for the shuttle bus at the parking lot, at the security gate in the airport, waited to board the first plane, waited to leave the first plane, waited to board the second and de-plane it as well. We waited for the rental car and to check into our hotel. He was right; there was a lot of waiting.

I had a conversation with a co-worker who said he read something that stated that we spend 20% of our lives waiting. I don't know if that is accurate or not. I think it depends on how we define it. There are nights when I "wait" for sleep, sometimes for hours. I don't know if that category of "waiting" was included or not. But certainly we do wait for many things.

Why do we wait? I think we wait for things to happen. We wait for information to be shared. We wait for people to come and be with us. We wait to be entertained. We wait to be able to exchange money for goods and services. We wait for good things to happen and we wait to find out potentially bad news.

When we are in line with others, we are all waiting for the same thing, right? The same movie, the same opportunity to buy yogurt or a shovel, to register our car, to deposit a check or make a withdrawal. What we do while we wait, however, that is completely up to us. And I think it is worth considering that what we choose to do while we wait, sometimes, just sometimes, might be more important than what or who we are waiting for.

Old Testament Story Art 2



by Seattle Jon:

I occasionally come across old church manuals at my local Deseret Industries. One of my latest scores was Old Testament Stories, written in 1946 by Marion G. Merkley and published by Milton Bennion for the Deseret Sunday School Union. In this series, I'll share the illustrations included throughout the manual. Previous Story Arts here.



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Seattle Jon is a family man, little league coach, urban farmer and businessman living in Seattle. He currently gets up early with the markets to trade bonds for a living. In his spare time he enjoys movies, thrifting and is an avid reader. He is a graduate of Brigham Young University and the Japan Fukuoka mission field. He has one wife, four kids and five chickens.
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Wednesday, November 13, 2013

MMM Survey Results



For our 1000th post, we asked MMM readers to take a survey (a big thank you to the 184 readers to date who took the time). Most of the results that could be put to graph are below. The rest, mostly typed feedback, was very helpful and will result in some future changes to the blog. Stay tuned and thanks again.

(you can still take the survey here)










We also asked the following question: How would you describe your level of belief in the LDS Church? (believing, semi-believing, traditional, unorthodox, agnostic, unbelieving, etc.)

Believing: 102 (64%)
Semi-believing/unorthodox/believing with a qualifier: 53 (33%)
Unbelieving: 4 (3%)

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Manly Recipes: Bacon Jam



by Kyle:


You may remember that last month MMM put out a reader survey, which hopefully you all participated in because MMM is awesome, right? After looking over some of the responses, there was one, seriously, only one, that responded that they'd like to see more "manly recipes." So, my lone friend, I am here for you.

I love to cook. I'm not saying that I could win a season of MasterChef, but I enjoy cooking when things don't catch on fire. I also, like every good and worthy man, love bacon. A few years back a friend gave me 10 pounds, TEN POUNDS, of bacon as a Christmas gift (bless him). With more bacon than I knew what to do with, I scoured the internet (the first page of a Google search) for interesting ways to use the bacon. That's when I came across Bacon Jam.

If you haven't had Bacon Jam then you haven't heard Shakespeare the way it was meant to be played, that is, if Shakespeare was bacon. To start you on your journey to tastebud exaltation, here's what you'll need:
  • 2 lbs. bacon, cut into one inch pieces prior to cooking
  • 3 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • ½ cup pure maple syrup. Now I'm not talking about Mrs. Butterworth or Aunt Jemima here. You need pure maple syrup, only the good stuff.
  • ½ cup cider vinegar
  • ½ cup brown sugar
If you have a dutch oven, it's perfect for cooking Bacon Jam, if not you'll need a large pot and a frying pan.

Start by browning your bacon. Be sure not to completely crispify it, as you want it to continue to cook with all the other ingredients. Once done transfer your bacon to a paper towel and drain off the bacon grease, leaving about 2 tablespoons. Keep the rest of the bacon grease, you'll use it later.

In the leftover bacon grease in your pan, cook your diced onions and smashed garlic. Cook until onions are translucent. When the onions are nice and soft, add in the vinegar, brown sugar, and maple syrup, bringing to a boil, scraping off any bits on the bottom of your pan. (If you're not using a dutch oven, you'll want to transfer everything to larger pot for simmering.) Add in as much of the remaining bacon grease as you'd like. You can go all-in, or just add in another few spoonfuls, but remember this isn't a diet recipe, and bacon grease is all flavor, all the time.

Monday, November 11, 2013

Guest Post: A Son Comes Home Early From His Mission




Dear Friends and Family - Our son came home early from his mission. We appreciate the support that was given him and our family as he prepared to serve. The Lord has set a high standard for missionary service, and though it is high, it is no more and no less than the standards we are asked to live as regular members of the church. Tom has always had a tender heart and a love of the gospel despite whatever shortcomings and challenges he faced in his personal life. We all know we have weaknesses and continually fall short. As the hymn goes, "In the quiet heart is hidden sorrow that the eye can't see." However, serving a mission is a very public type of service that carries with it an extra responsibility and accountability. Many missionaries carry the burden of unresolved issues into the mission field and it becomes an albatross around their neck, a burden they can carry with them the rest of their lives. Fortunately, Tom did not want to carry that burden into the mission field. We are sad for the way things have progressed, but at the same time we're happy that the internal conflict, self doubt and fear Tom has felt have begun to be relieved. We're sure he will understand and appreciate the power of the atonement in a way never felt in his young life, and that ultimately, he'll develop an even greater love for our Savior. His current goal is to stay busy with school and work so that he may qualify to serve a mission after an appropriate time has passed. We appreciate your prayers, love and support as you see Tom and our family in church and at other activities.
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Steven is an average guy trying to make sense of himself, his above-average wife and children. He enjoys all things out-of-doors so he can legitimately claim he's trying to think "out of the box." Check out Steven's previous guest posts here and here.
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Friday, November 8, 2013

MMM Library: The 5 Mormon Books Every MMM Should Read



by Scott Hales (bio)

This post was originally published on July 22, 2011.

Back in May, Esquire put together a list of “The 75 Books Every Man Should Read.” Not surprisingly, no Mormon writer made the list. I mean, who reads books by Mormon writers, anyway? Probably not anyone who writes for Esquire.

Of course, Mormons writes books. If you live in Utah or subscribe to the Deseret Book catalog, this comes as no surprise. They tend to be of the inspirational sort. Hardcovers. Glossy dust jackets tagged with fancy gold lettering. Familiar images by Greg Olsen or Liz Lemon Swindle draped across the covers.

You know what I’m talking about.

But Mormons also write fiction - serious fiction - and it’s just as good as most of the stuff on Esquire’s list. The problem is, it’s not something many people - including Mormons - know much about.

So, with due respect for Esquire’s 75 books, I’ve drawn up my own list of “The 5 Mormon Books Every MMM Should Read.” Like Esquire’s list, mine is made up of novels by and about men.

1. Dorian by Nephi Anderson (1921)
Once upon a time, Mormon men were defined by wives, crops, and kids. Then polygamy ended and agrarianism waned, and Mormon men were faced with a kind of identity crisis. Enter Dorian Trent, a Mormon man for the twentieth century. Intellectual, compassionate, courageous, and tough, Dorian showed readers that you didn’t need to be a pioneer to be a real Mormon man.






2. The Backslider by Levi S. Peterson (1986)
Often heralded as the best Mormon novel ever written, Levi S. Peterson’s The Backslider is an irreverent -- and frequently bawdy -- celebration of the Mormon man’s struggle against the Natural Man. While its relatively explicit content (for a Mormon novel) has offended no small number of readers, its ultimate message of atonement and grace speaks to the souls of saints and sinners alike. And Peterson’s vision of the Cowboy Jesus is the stuff of legends.





Thursday, November 7, 2013

Marrow in the Bones*



by Shawn Tucker (bio)

I spent the summer between my sophomore and junior years of high school picking pineapple in Hawaii. I had been living in Virginia and it sounded like a great adventure. My uncle had picked pineapples years before, and when I applied I hoped that being an Eagle Scout would increase the odds that I would be accepted to the program. Um, well, it turned out to not be that sort of program. The majority of my fine, young colleagues seemed to have been sent to Hawaii as some sort of work equivalent of the Scared Straight program.

Toward the end of my stay in Hawaii I got news that a very close friend back home had contracted cancer. That friend, Greg, was in Virginia at the time working to get money together for his mission. He had just spent his first two semesters at BYU. Naturally the shock of such terrible news was almost overwhelming. Not being able to get additional news immediately, I found a quiet place to pray. As I prayed I experienced a tremendous feeling of comfort and love, and those emotions reassured me that God knew me, loved me, and would take care of Greg and me.

I returned home to find Greg holding up okay. Still, over the next nine months, Greg was in and out of the hospital, received countless priesthood blessings, lost his hair, bought a hat, made some new friends, seemed to lose some friends, put in a new car stereo, got sicker, left a powerful video-taped testimony, and finally succumbed to the cancer. Even writing this now causes those feelings of loss to swell again and the tears to well up. And that was in 1986.

Wednesday, November 6, 2013

A Farmer's Take on Adversity



by Casey Peterson (bio)

Photo by Robert Couse-Baker

Saturday mornings in the fall are a bittersweet mix of beauty and busy. The weather is crisp and clear, the colors of fall foliage are breathtaking, a sense of urgency to prepare for winter is in the air, and the excitement of upcoming holidays is electric. But in contrast, sports seasons are overlapping, end of term school assignments are pouring in, and honey-do lists swell with left over summer projects that are compounded by fall and winter preparation tasks. I appreciate President Uchtdorf's insights from his talk Saints for All Seasons when he said:
"We have seasons in our lives as well. Some are warm and pleasant. Others are not. Some of the days in our lives are as beautiful as pictures in a calendar. And yet there are days and circumstances that cause heartache and may bring into our lives deep feelings of despair, resentment, and bitterness. I am sure at one time or another we have all thought it would be nice to take up residence in a land filled only with days of picture-perfect seasons and avoid the unpleasant times in between."
I had looked forward to my Saturday morning all week. My younger son had his first basketball game, I had cattle to move at my farm, fences to build, leaves to rake, garden and fruit tree harvests to complete, and a ward service project to roof a house. On top of that, I had purchased a new buck sheep to improve our herd that I needed to pick up, and I carefully planned the day. However, as perfect planning often happens, it started to unravel even before I started my day.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Beardliness is Next to Godliness: Blog Founders Competition



The Beardliness is Next to Godliness competition has ended. Now it is up to you to select the winners. The main vote is being hosted over at Rational Faiths. Go vote for your favorite beards!

The founders of Modern Mormon Men and Rational Faiths are not eligible for prizes, but are jockeying for bragging rights. Vote for your favorite founder beard below!

Seattle Jon: The Moses



Michael Barker: The Wilford Woodruff



Scott Heffernan: The Orson Hyde



Paul Barker: The Orson Pratt/Benjamin F. Johnson



Paul Barker: The William Clayton/Brigham Young



Let the voting begin!

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