Forging the Generations Through Indexing

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by Bradly Baird:

This past week, I finished indexing my 4,000th record for FamilySearch. I didn't believe when I started the process in March of this year that this simple task would become a part of my daily routine, much the same as reading the scriptures or personal prayer. It really only required me to index about 15-20 records a day, which takes up about 20-30 minutes; and, as I work, I am filled with the spirit of Elijah and can feel "hearts turning" as prophesied by Malachi. Incredibly simple!

I also started arbitrating records for my stake, since each stake unit is responsible to arbitrate its own indexed records. This is a little more daunting task because the final word on a submitted and published record is mine. However, the deeper I move into the tasks of arbitration, I feel the process reflects the principle that, "in the mouth of two of three witnesses, shall every word be established." I am learning to rely on the Spirit when faced with the more difficult choices.

So, the time has come for the thousands of you who view Trip-M to get with the program and start indexing through FamilySearch (if you are not already involved). Indexing is not difficult and does not take up much time, once you establish a regular pattern; not to mention that the process can be somewhat addicting once you get rolling. You will feel the Spirit of Elijah.

"The Spirit of Elijah is a manifestation of the Holy Ghost bearing witness of the divine nature of the family." (Russell M. Nelson)


Bradly Allen Baird is the father of two amazing children and has been married for almost twenty years. He served a mission in Finland, though he was really supposed to serve in Uruguay. His professional meanderings include everything from education to economic development, to human capital management in the IT industry (hopefully this one sticks); and spends his Saturdays hanging out with the missionaries in Provo, or racing back and forth between his children's activities in tae kwon do and elite cheerleading. Bradly also survived an MBA program; developed a somewhat limited interest in music, theater, film, urban planning, judaica, liberation theology, politics, israel, and latin american history; studies the influence of graphic imagery on public space; wrote a thesis about Leonard Bernstein, is obsessed with the American Symphonists, and reads publications like The Tablet and the Jewish Daily Forward.

Underlined: Halfway Through The New Karl Maeser Biography

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by Bradly Baird:

I am just about halfway through the new biography of Karl Maeser by A. LeGrand Richards (Professor of Educational Leadership and Foundations at Brigham Young University). Reading the book has been such an unexpected delight and such a rewarding experience that I cannot wait until I am finished to share some of its riches. Enjoy!

A selection of One-line Aphorisms
"Be yourself, but always be your better self."

"Make the man within you your living ideal."

"Man grows with his higher aims."

"Nature is the best educator."

"School is a drill for the battle of life; if you fail at the drill you will fail in the battle."

"Everyone of you, sooner or later, must stand at the fork of the road, and choose between personal interests and some principle of right."

Why Can't I Get It Right?

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by Bradly Baird:

I cannot seem to get my career right. Why?

Every job that I have had since I finished my undergraduate work in 1990s has been an unhappy experience. I worked hard at these jobs, accomplished many things, and still felt at the end of the day as though I wasted my time or just felt empty about the work that I completed (zero satisfaction by any of it). I am now in that same position with my current employer. I come home at the end of everyday completely exhausted - feeling as though I am just making money for someone else - and I am at the end of my rope.

All of my friends and acquaintances from college have found stable careers and seem to derive at least a little bit of satisfaction from their work; many even seem to enjoy it. So, what is my problem? Where does my inability to find this satisfaction come from? I am unable to answer either of these questions and now I am thinking that perhaps I need some sort of therapy.

I maintain an incredibly fulfilling religious and spiritual life, enjoy a fulfilling life at home with my family, and experience hobbies and interests that endlessly fascinate and interest me (not to mention the fun of writing every month for Trip M). If I can get the personal aspects correct and feel a tremendous sense of peace and joy therein, where am I getting it wrong with the professional? I just don't know.

I thought last week that I might not be cut out for the regular business life and started looking around at homesteads in Utah that I might purchase and try to become self-sufficient (like those nutzos on the "reality" show, Alaska: The Final Frontier). But, after a few minutes I came to my senses and realized that I couldn't do something like that to my family.

So, blogosphere, I put it to you. How do I figure out this professional stuff? I am open to any sort of advice from anyone out there (especially if some of you might have a particular expertise in this field). You can put a comment on this post or, if you have something deeper to say, send me an email. I am open to any ideas and thoughts because everything I have attempted thus far has failed.


Bradly Allen Baird is the father of two amazing children and has been married for almost twenty years. He served a mission in Finland, though he was really supposed to serve in Uruguay. His professional meanderings include everything from education to economic development, to human capital management in the IT industry (hopefully this one sticks); and spends his Saturdays hanging out with the missionaries in Provo, or racing back and forth between his children's activities in tae kwon do and elite cheerleading. Bradly also survived an MBA program; developed a somewhat limited interest in music, theater, film, urban planning, judaica, liberation theology, politics, israel, and latin american history; studies the influence of graphic imagery on public space; wrote a thesis about Leonard Bernstein, is obsessed with the American Symphonists, and reads publications like The Tablet and the Jewish Daily Forward.
Image credit: James Yeung.

Saying Kaddish at Mountain Meadows

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by Bradly Baird:

On that day I prayed the Kaddish. On that day I understood its meaning - turning from death to life itself. On that day the heavens opened above and I saw twenty-nine souls connected. The eternities waited and the work waited. On that day, Heaven visited me at Mountain Meadows.

Early one bright Sunday morning, I prepared myself to attend church when I discovered that I neglected to pack a white dress shirt in my luggage - we had traveled that Memorial Day weekend to visit family in St. George; and, sadly, I did not have any other clothing that would function appropriately for Sacrament Meeting. I felt somewhat stupid for the mistake and rather forlornly sent my family off to church, preferring to be at home with the scriptures and video recordings of General Conference than to feel uncomfortable and disrespectful in Sacrament Meeting.

I grabbed my scriptures and sat down to watch the opening of the April 2014 General Conference, hoping to bring a strong measure of the Spirit into my heart since I wouldn't be able to take the Sacrament that day. President Monson gave his traditional welcome and then Elder Holland stepped to the podium to offer a wonderful sermon on the costs of discipleship. He spoke the final words of the address:

In courageously pursuing such a course, you will forge unshakable faith, you will find safety against ill winds that blow, even shafts in the whirlwind, and you will feel the rock-like strength of our Redeemer, upon whom if you build your unflagging discipleship

I felt a sudden rush of inspiration, and the currents of recent thoughts about the time of year, personal acts of commission, and a book I recently read rapidly intersected in my mind to form a complete idea.

This included images of the Mountain Meadows gravesite (it is situated about 30 miles from my Mother-In-Law's home in St. George), strong feelings about making some private act of memorial in honor of the dead, and then the Jewish prayer for the dead, the Kaddish (I recently read Anita Diamant's book on this subject). I knew, then, in that moment what my worship would include that Sunday morning.

Anita Diamant and the Mystery of Kaddish

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by Bradly Baird:

My brothers and sisters who are worn out and crushed by this mourning, let your hearts consider this: This is the path that has existed from the time of creation and will exist forever. Many have drunk from it and many will yet drink. As was the first meal so shall be the last. My brothers and sisters, may the One who comforts comfort you. Blessed is the One who comforts the mourners.

- from A Blessing For Mourners

I've always been interested in the way religions and cultures memorialize and mourn for their dead, particularly the way artists appropriate religious artifacts and employ them for use in literature, painting, sculpture, film and music (to name a few).

One particular religious artifact that I've always been curious about is the Jewish prayer for the dead, the Kaddish. This is a short prayer that is synonymous with mourners in nearly every facet of Judaism, from the Orthodox to the Reformed. I start noticing the Kaddish while exploring the works of American composers Leonard Bernstein and David Diamond, who both composed concert works based on the Mourner's Kaddish (the former a symphony exploring man's search for peace and the latter an eight-minute work for solo cello and orchestra).

I also read about the Kaddish in the books of Chaim Potok, when his famous character Asher Lev participates in the rites at his uncle's death and most movingly in The Gift of Asher Lev,  when Arthur Leiden stands in the bombed-out ruins of Hiroshima and reads the prayer for the victims of a nuclear bomb in The Book of Lights.

But, for myself and many others, the text of the prayer itself is a bit of a mystery; nowhere does it speak of death, mourning, or the soul of man and his place in the next world. Mostly, the prayer offers praise to God. So, how is it that this prayer is a prayer of comfort at death?

Speed Reading the Book of Mormon

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by Bradly Baird:

At least once a year, our ward or stake establishes an initiative within the membership that encourages everyone to read the Book of Mormon from cover to cover. Typically, the timeframe for such engagement is spread across the course of a year or over the summer, and offers everyone the opportunity to dive deep into the book and receive the attendant benefits of in-depth study.

Three weeks ago, our ward leadership asked everyone to read the entire book in just 31 days. To complete the task means that each person should be reading at least seventeen pages a day. It is an easily achievable goal, but it does take some time (and sacrifice).

When I first jumped into the exercise, I worried that I wouldn't receive a lot of spiritual value; because I wouldn't have the time to dive deep into the language, notes, and meaning of each chapter. I also wondered what purpose such rapid reading would serve.

Shifting Gears

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by Bradly Baird:

Recently, a church calling was cut short by six months because the leadership of the organization where I served decided to implement a complete change in teaching methodology. We—myself and a number of other elders and sisters—received no warning; but were simply informed one day that we would be released the following week and that we should not return again to serve.

This sudden change created a huge hole in my life. I found myself with a bunch of extra time and I also felt a great emptiness because I no longer had access to the tremendous spiritual intensity and blessings that came with the calling. Not only that, but I missed the extraordinary interpersonal associations, both with my fellow teachers and with those that we taught.

Abrupt change happens inside the church fairly frequently. After all, the church is a product of continuing revelation enacted by humans struggling to do their Father's will; and, because we are so very human, we each experience natural emotional and psychological reactions (positive and negative) when the change occurs. Whatever the cause—ward/stake realignments, changes in church policy, ward reorganizations, changes in personal circumstances, alterations to cherished tradition, etc.—we adjust to its arrival in different ways.

Mandela's Twin Obligations

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by Bradly Baird:

At the time of Nelson Mandela's death, I just happened to be reading his autobiography, Long Walk to Freedom. The book presents an engaging history of Mandela's role in South Africa and also offers some terrific insight into the political forces that shaped his country and life.

Despite these fascinating offerings, I was most attracted to three passages wherein Mandela offers some personal perspectives on the sacrifices and choices he made, particularly with respect to his family. To my mind, these passages cut right to the heart of the choices and sacrifices we make everyday; and in a culture such as Mormonism, where family is one of our highest priorities, these passages are particularly relevant.

I am not going to provide any commentary on Mandela's words, because I think that they speak well enough for themselves. But I wonder what you, our readers, think when you encounter these words? How do these words affect your mind when passed through the filter of your Mormon background and all you know about the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

Robben Island: The Dark Years

"A mother's death causes a man to look back on and evaluate his own life. Her difficulties, her poverty, made me question once again whether I had taken the right path. That was always the conundrum: Had I made the right choice in putting the people's welfare even before that of my own family? My family had not asked for or even wanted to be involved in the struggle, but my involvement penalized them.

In South Africa, it is hard for a man to ignore the needs of the people, even at the expense of his own family. I had made my choice, and in the end, [my mother] supported it. But it did not lessen the sadness I felt at not being able to make her life more comfortable, or the pain of not being able to lay her to rest."

100 Years of Scouts and the Church

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by Bradly Baird:

This year marks the one hundredth anniversary of the relationship between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the Boy Scouts of America. The anniversary reminds me of the ways in which Scout Leaders play a role in the life of my son - who is in the middle of his Scout experience - and the ways in which those leaders sacrifice much to help my son and other scouts in our ward program.

Last summer, our recently-released Varsity Leader, Joe Coombs, wanted my son to complete his Swimming Merit Badge. He escorted my son and one other scout over to the local swimming pool and put them through their paces. This was no easy task and as my son really hates the water. Joe pushed, pleaded, coaxed, and begged his way through the afternoon; but, he managed to finish all the requirements. Joe never gave up. He stood right there for hours - time he could have spent with his family - until everything was complete.

Thousands of leaders like Joe give much of their time and energy to the Boy Scouts. To honor their work and sacrifice, I put together this video about the Scouting program and the mark it makes on the lives of millions. The images are all by the great illustrator Norman Rockwell, while the music is by the film composer Thomas Newman.

Bradly Allen Baird is the father of two amazing children and has been married for almost twenty years. He served a mission in Finland, though he was really supposed to serve in Uruguay. His professional meanderings include everything from education to economic development, to human capital management in the IT industry (hopefully this one sticks); and spends his Saturdays hanging out with the missionaries in Provo, or racing back and forth between his children's activities in tae kwon do and elite cheerleading. Bradly also survived an MBA program; developed a somewhat limited interest in music, theater, film, urban planning, judaica, liberation theology, politics, israel, and latin american history; studies the influence of graphic imagery on public space; wrote a thesis about Leonard Bernstein, is obsessed with the American Symphonists, and reads publications like The Tablet and the Jewish Daily Forward.

Travel Plans

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by Bradly Baird:

 

While employed at the University of Utah, I worked directly with the academic faculty in a department that shall remain nameless (all but one of who were LDS and none were from Utah). This was an enjoyable group of people to work with. All them were highly intelligent, engaging, curious about the world, and all committed to the development of the student body. I really enjoyed the atmosphere and loved listening to and learning from each of them.

However, I discovered that many of them maintained a strange stereotype about members of the Church from Utah. They viewed us a provincial, backwards, and - most surprisingly - thought that members from Utah know or care very little about the world outside of the state; and will even discount the time members spend on full-time missions throughout the world, claiming that because missionaries are somewhat removed from the world, they do not gain real experience or knowledge of the world.

Blessing From a Friendship Past - Christmas Day 2013

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by Bradly Baird:

Last evening upon my return from traditional Christmas Eve family activities, I found the following post on my Facebook Timeline: "I was reading through my MTC mission journal last night. You and I talked a lot. One of the entries said something like, 'Last night Steven Covey spoke to us for too long. Veli Baird and I talked through the whole thing.'  I guess we didn't know what we were missing. I'm very thankful for that friendship. Merry Christmas!"

A most excellent Christmas present - probably one of the best ever - the note came from one of the sister missionaries that served with me in the Finland Helsinki Mission over twenty years ago; and, it started me thinking about the blessings for which I feel gratitude. I sit here in the living room, the sun sets outside the window and Christmas Day comes to a close while I compile a list, just a few things from hundreds for which I am deeply grateful. I acknowledge the Creator who gave them to me.

Family - Friendship - Spouse - Children - Sacrament - Gospel - Savior - Heaven - Earth - Salvation - Atonement - Scripture - Body - Talents - Sex - Walks - Nature - Food - Car - Computers - Airplane - House - Safety - Blankets - Colleagues - Employment - Education - Books - Art - Sport

What blessings make you truly grateful?

May this sacred season bring a stronger spirit of gratitude into all our lives.

A Strange Intersection of Anniversaries

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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.

Family and Forgiveness

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

Yesterday, a thoughtless mistake resulted in my being excluded from an unbelievably important event in the life of my nephew (one that I anticipated for eleven years). I receive a shocking phone call at work to let me know that I had been excluded and, not surprisingly, feel extremely hurt by the whole thing; far more than I thought possible.

I express my feelings to my sister-in-law who apologized profusely and soon thereafter receive a phone call from my nephew who apologizes and then informs me that the event might be changed to include me. No phone call disclosing new arrangements ever arrives and so I reach out again to know about the new arrangements. Come to find out, the event takes place without me, despite the previous evening's statements.

I am bewildered and feel deep pain, which contains such a strange mix of suspicion, betrayal, confusion, and mistrust that I cannot understand any of it. The emotional side of my mind urges me to respond with punishment, in an angry and aggressive manner. Fortunately, though, the rational pushes the emotion aside and emphatically reminds me that I will get over this, I will be able to forgive, and I already know how it will come to pass.

I know that at the end of this evening I will kneel in front of my Heavenly Father, beg for his forgiveness, and beg with all my heart that He applies the atoning blood of Jesus Christ to my life. I know I will beg that the anger, confusion, and pain be carried away by the Atonement of the Savior so I may be free. I also know that I will beg for the gift of pure love in my heart because I desire to know true forgiveness, to let all of this go, and to not harbor a single piece of anger or resentment.

I have experienced this many times before, which is how I know it works and how I know the real love of our Heavenly Father. I mentally reference hundreds of past instances - great and small - where I partook of that precious gift. And, with each, my faith in the gift grew stronger, the reality of the gift became clearer, and the meaning of the sacrifice manifested with great clarity.

I proceed . . . and so it happens just as He promises.

Mormon Jokes (?)

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

Missionary Basketball by Arie Van De Graaff

I do not possess a sharp filter when it comes to most jokes that I tell and I often wind up apologizing for "humorous" remarks that come out of my mouth. I find that I am particularly deficient when attempting to make a joke about Mormon mores and Mormon culture, and whenever I attempt any observation in this genre, my audience always squirms and becomes distinctly uncomfortable. I do not say anything off-color, vulgar, insulting, blasphemous, or critical, and I feel that the jokes I tell only gently poke at Mormonism's idiosyncratic culture. But, I've been told on more than one occasion that I am going to hell for my sense of humor.

For example, I love to tell the following joke:

Q: Why do you always take two Mormons fishing with you?
A: If you only take one, he will drink all of your beer."

To me, this is a gentle wink at how many are more concerned with the appearance of righteousness than actually being righteous. It is a fairly typical human failing, one that most of us have tripped over before to one degree or another. Yet, why a joke about that failing should make many people uncomfortable completely eludes me.

Perhaps, though, this joke is somehow offensive and rude and my joke filter is keeping me from seeing it. Why should it make us uncomfortable to admit that not a single one of us is not perfect? I mean, the Kingdom of God is not a haven for the perfect. It is a school for sinners, made better by an extraordinarily infinite endowment known as the Atonement.

I asked a friend of mine who has lived in the heart of Mormon culture much longer than myself why this joke makes people uncomfortable, and he suggested that from his perspective he believes that they get uncomfortable when something "hits a little close to home." Perhaps that is case, perhaps not. So, I wanted to put it out there to our readers and ask the following:

1) Is this joke really offensive or inappropriate?
2) Is this joke somehow critical and I am not seeing it?
3) What is that about this joke that makes people uncomfortable?

I would give a prize to anyone that can give me an explanation, but we all know that humor is subjective, and, consequently, one man's inappropriate is another man's pedestrian saying. So, I would just ask for some advice on why I am complete failure in the art of Mormon humor (most especially when I was a student at Brigham Young University).

PostScript -- Counciling and Counselors

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

The same day Casey Petersen published his post on counseling and counselors, I happened to be reading a book called Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap ... and Others Don't by Jim Collins. The book is a well-researched and thoughtful book that sets forth the principles upon which many companies build their business and become very successful. One of the commonalities of these great companies is that their leadership makes use of a council (not to be mistaken for the board of directors whose only motive is profit), often with membership between six and twelve in number. I wanted to share a few of Jim's points regarding this principle:

1. The council exists as a device to gain understanding about important issues facing the organization.
2. The council is assembled and used by the leading executive and usually consists of five to twelve  
    members. 
3. Each council member has the ability to argue and debate in search of understanding, not from
    the egoistic need to win a point or protect a parochial interest.
4. Each council member retains the respect of every other council member, without exception.
5. Council members come from a range of perspectives, but each member has deep knowledge about
    some aspect of the organization and/or the environment in which it operates.
6. The council is a standing body, not an ad hoc committee assembled for a specific project.

I am not trying to draw any sort of correlation between these characteristics and the way we use councils inside the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I just thought it was very interesting that some of the best companies in America are successful because they make use of councils as a core organizing principle.

Obviously, the principle of a council is something that we - inside the faith - live as a fundamental way of life (which is why the Church is so successful). All of our quorums, auxiliaries, groups, etc. are driven by this principle; and, indeed, the great Plan of Happiness was selected at the great Councils in Heaven before the world was. Consequently, the principle has enormous eternal significance for every single human who is presently mapping his or her journey on earth.

The Uses of Simple

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

That Tree, photography by Mark Hirsch

It is raining at our house today. It is a gentle rain made up of large friendly droplets that 'smoosh' against the pavement in a nice way. They hit cars and make an engaging rhythm, they fall through the leaves of a nearby tree and run down its branches in gentle rivulets. This inviting scene compels me to step through our front door and onto the porch. I feel a rush of cool air and fight back the urge to strip down, run barefoot up the street, and splash about in the large puddles and streams forming over the pavement.

I don't really put any effort into fighting the temptation and it very quickly overwhelms my mind. I start to pull off my shirt and unbutton my pants (don't worry, the entire neighborhood is at church while I stay at home to nurse my sick wife), when a movement catches my eye. Between a couple of cars about fifty yards away, I catch a glimpse of something red moving about. I readjust the focus of my eyes towards the moving object and notice a young girl with a red umbrella dancing about.

She holds the umbrella above her head and spins, while her feet tap an unknown rhythm in shallow puddles. I cannot clearly see the details of her face because of the distance, but this is the happy dance of an elated child who understands the joys of playing in the rain. I am certain she does not know that I am watching her, but I doubt it would matter. She is so consumed with her joy at finding a perfect childhood moment that nothing else matters. I am entranced by the scene, and after a few more minutes of watching her spin like she's imitating Gene Kelly, I realize that I am smiling broadly and laughing quietly.

Taking a Jewish Page from The Book of Mormon

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

I am an avid reader of two publications that cover Jewish life in America, Tablet Magazine and The Jewish Daily Forward. Both cover a broad range of topics, including politics, arts, and religious life and offer a terrific variety of opinions. Not surprisingly, these publications almost never mention anything to do with the LDS Church; but, imagine my surprise when I came across an article from April 14, 2013 entitled: Taking a Jewish Page From the Book of Mormon on Interfaith Marriage. 

The piece was written by Naomi Schaefer Riley and discusses faith, marriage, and interfaith marriage amongst members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and members of the Jewish community in the United States. I wanted to share the entire article on this blog, but it is quite long and so I have presented the most important points for your reading pleasure. Click here to read the entire article.

"Jews are America's most intermarrying people and Mormons its least. According to the 2001 American Religious Identification Survey, 27% of Jews were married to someone of a different faith, compared with 12% of Mormons."

"When it comes to marriage, the most striking demographic difference between Jews and Mormons is the age at which they get married. The average age of a first marriage for Mormons is, according to my study, 23, and for Jews it's 27. If we look at data taken from the 2006 General Social Survey (the last time researchers asked the question about age at first marriage), Jews married at 25.8 and Mormons at 22.6."

"The [Mormon] church elders realize that marriage and family are crucial to involvement in the faith, and so they try as soon as possible to get their members married and settled into a particular community. The church does not want members to experience those "odyssey years" when "emerging adults" tend to drift in and out of relationships and in and out of religious institutions. That is when you start to lose them."

Underlined 2: Commitment, Vaughn J. Featherstone

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

Underlined is a series where contributors share what they underlined while reading books. Today's book is Vaughn J. Featherstone's Commitment.

"Commitment is a quality that combines determination with an intelligent goal. It is a great concentration or focus on something that requires labor to acquire or teach."

"By its very nature, commitment is a word that exudes strength. But it is not a declaration only; it has to include action."

"Choose you this day whom you will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood, or the Gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord." (Joshua 24: 14-15)

"So commitment is a path. The first step is to say or write the commitment. May it be a noble one. The second is to prepare, including, perhaps, listing the obstacles that may turn you aside so that you can avoid them or prepare to climb over them. The third step is the action part, the time when you slay the "Goliath," or the dragon."

"'Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might.' Do it. Do it with your might. That's commitment."

"I believe that the work ethic is an attitude. It is a discipline. It is something that can become a habit. By that I mean that when you work fast and hard or when you are intense in studying, it becomes a habit; and every time you study with that habit."

"The greatest poverty is the poverty of desire." (Harold B. Lee)

"'The mind will take a terrible revenge if one does not think on constructive things. It will reach out  and grasp anything that is nearby. It is being worked all of the time, twenty-four hours a day. Consciously or sub-consciously, it is involved.' So, controlled thinking is the hardest work we do and it is the very essence of life, the meaning of being."

Gospel Fire 4: Punching Through The Wall

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

For previous posts in this series, read Gospel Fire 1, Gospel Fire 2 and Gospel Fire 3.

I knew exactly what I had to do next. I needed to set aside an extended amount of time for prayer. Not just an hour, but time to really wrestle and explore. I knew that I had become relaxed about some things and that the Lord expected me to fight really hard in order to make the next rung on the spiritual ladder. He expected more and wasn't going to help me out until I measured up and expended the kind of effort that demonstrated real commitment.

The whole thing happened over a particularly difficult weekend.

I had been sick for nearly a month with the adenovirus and was not feeling at all well. My wife also recently contracted a very serious virus and was suffering as well. I finally persuaded her to visit the doctor on a Wednesday afternoon and he told her that she had walking pneumonia. He gave her a number of prescriptions and informed her that she would start to feel better in a couple of days. The symptoms worsened over the next couple of days and by Friday night, the sickness moved into her chest and she was plagued by a terrible cough that caused her severe pain.

Gospel Fire 3: Loosening the Grip

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by Bradly Baird (bio)

Oscar Hammerstein II - The man who really believed that there is a "bright golden haze on the meadow."

As I mentioned in Gospel Fire 1, I am currently suffering from a severe case of spiritual blues and don't have any idea how to shake it off. Anytime I do anything spiritually-related, I feel overwhelmed by a total sense of exhaustion and a kind of numbness. In Gospel Fire 2, I described a moment of reassurance in my heart that - despite the mass of pain I was then feeling - this whole spiritual frustration would eventually pass. This stirring came because of an encounter with specific images of the Savior and a deeply spiritual piece of music.

About a week after I received this assurance, I returned from work on a Friday evening and sat down to contemplate my situation. As I was sitting there, I felt a gentle prompting to spend the entire weekend listening to music, gentle music that would soothe my soul and heal my wound. I was surprised by this; but, as I thought about it, I realized that in spending time with beauty and gentleness, I would become prepared to take the next steps (and be open enough to accept the Lord's will for my next phase of growth).

I turned first to one of my favorite song writers, Adam Guettel, whose musical instincts are always very gentle and who once said "that writing for character and telling stories through music was something that ... allowed me to express love." I listened to Statues and Stories, The Beauty Is, Dividing Day, Fable, and Say It Somehow. They are all beautiful, gentle, and express the love of a mother and daughter.

I then moved on to Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers, and listened to some of their most optimistic songs, including The Sound of Music, Climb Every Mountain, Cockeyed Optimist, This Nearly Was Mine, Twin Soliloquies, Younger Than Springtime, and My Girl Back Home. Their work has a buoyancy and such a wonderfully calm spirit about it, that I always feel such a sense of hope about humanity and the world.