Snakes. Why Did It Have to Be Snakes?

Tweet

by brettmerritt (bio)

“I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.” — Psalm 34:4

"Never fear." I forget this counsel often. I think I'm doing better than I was when I was younger though. I used to fear a lot of things. I was afraid of tornados, sharks, hurricanes, witches, kidnappers, Dracula, men in camouflage, green men in suits, elderly ladies, bullies, getting punched, being laughed at, Russians, people with accents, thermonuclear war, ventriloquist dummies, and snakes.

Sweet Odin's raven, I was petrified of snakes. I used to have recurring nightmares about them. Once, when we lived in Idaho, I found a harmless garter snake by our mailbox and immediately and irrationally pummeled it to death with rocks from a distance because somehow, if I didn't, it would find its way into my bed and kill me.

Most fears on this list have since left me ... but not the snakes. You remember Raiders of the Lost Ark, right? It's one of my favorite movies but I still had to close my eyes during the snake parts until I was probably seventeen years old.

You can imagine my horror when a news story was recently brought to my attention. It was about a house in Idaho located on a hibernaculum and is subsequently infested with squirmy, aggressive, anal-musking garter snakes. Have you heard about this? If not, go here or watch the video here and prepare to get what scientists call "the heebie jeebies."

MMM Around the World

Tweet

This week we welcomed visitors from our 111th country - Tanzania. Keep spreading the MMM gospel!

Packing for Sacrament Meeting

Tweet

by Bitner (bio)

If you have kids, you know what I'm talkin' bout. Sacrament meeting is not just a 70-minute meeting wherein we partake of sacred emblems and hear a wide variation of messages, not all of them spiritual. And not all of them heard.

No, sacrament meeting is an event that can seem to consume a full weekend and it must be packed for accordingly.

Wife: "Did you pack the grapes?"

Me: "Not yet, I'm busy getting the extra box of fishies from our food storage because we're all out!"

Wife: "Well, get the fruit snacks and the pretzels while you're at it!"

Me: "Don't forget sippies! We need water or these kids are going to beg for trips to the drinking fountain. But not too much or they're going to be begging to go to the ---"

Wife: "---I KNOW!!!"

Me: "Well...just checkin'. Wait, what did you need again?"

Wife: (heavy sigh) "Fruit snacks an ---"

Me: "--- I GOT IT!!!"

And that's the type of spiritually uplifting exchange that happens between husband and wife prior to the raced departure for sacrament meeting.

Glamping

Tweet

by Seattle Jon (bio)

Don't know what glamping is? Neither did I until Charlie booked a weekend of "glamorous camping" to celebrate the end of my formal schooling (MBA, check). Glamping is luxury camping in custom-built canvas cabins containing, among other niceties, a large bed (with pillow-top bedding) and bath linens. A feature in Sunset Magazine had initially attracted Charlie's attention, and honestly, what woman wouldn't want to camp in a "tent" that includes a queen bed and clean towels!

Having just glamped, I thought readers might be interested in what I have to say about my experience. In my manly opinion, the added luxuries were not worth the added cost (and when I say added cost, I mean $100+ per night in added cost). I felt like I was camping, but I slept better and felt a little cleaner. For some of you, these two things alone might justify the extra cost. Anyone else been glamping yet?

Guest Post: The Utah Sunset

Tweet

Glynn Wilcox is a Texas native that sojourned in Zion for eight long years. After entering into the new and everlasting convent with his mormon princess Becca, they left Zion to Dallas, where he serves as sunday school president in the Desoto Ward with their two little future rebel missionaries. Glynn is also a repeat guest poster, having already written about radical equality here.

As mormons, there are times when we find ourselves in social situations where others are drinking and we must make the decision - imbibe the devil juice or drink something else. Some call them mock-tails and others call them faux-tails, but when the situation calls for me to hold something pretty so I can blend in with my martini drinking friends, I ask the bartender to make the following:

Utah Sunset

In a tall glass add...

Ice

Ginger-ale

Orange Juice

Grenadine syrup

This is my favorite drink to order when hanging out with my heathen or apostate friends. It is a little frilly (perfect for the ladies) but manly enough for anyone to pull off. It is a wonderfully sweet drink and it looks like what everyone else is having so you don’t become the weird-o drinking water. You can even change it up and have it in a martini glass or in one of those super cool yard glasses. Hanging out with one of these in your hand will help you avoid those awkward questions...unless you want those awkward questions?

On Queers and Marriage: Messieurs, I Respectfully Disagree

Tweet

by Luke Warmer (bio)

I'm mormon and I support Gay Marriage. Lots of mormons do; I don't think it makes me special. What makes me special are these fantastic gay socks that I wore today in a show of solidarity with all of the happy New Yorkers.

The second most commonly asked question I get from mormon friends who don't support same-gender marriage is, "How can you sustain the prophet and support gay marriage." I love this question because it is gorgeously complicated and messy - just like all of the best religious questions (see: Eden, Garden of*).

I'll be brief with my answer, but it ain't easy:

Firstly, the church's stance on a lot of controversial topics has evolved over the years. Think of Polygamy, Blacks and the Priesthood, etc.

But mostly, I’m one of those people, for better and worse, that needs to feel spiritual confirmation when the prophet speaks, especially on sensitive and controversial topics. And, I feel spiritually inspired to support gay marriage despite the church's official opposition.

Which U.S. President Will Legally Support Same-Sex Marriage?

Tweet

by Pete Codella (bio)

This post may be unpopular and controversial, and I’m okay with that.

With the U.S. presidential election of 2012 and New York State’s recent foray into the same-sex marriage business, we’re hearing more frequently from supporters and opponents of the issue. (On June 24, New York became the sixth state to legalize same-sex marriage. See this CNN article.)

I have many friends on the supporting side of same-sex marriage and like I told one of them recently, as long as the president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints advocates marriage only between a man and a woman, that will also be my position.

You may hear of similar marriage positions from Catholics following the Pope, Baptists following their ministers or others following their spiritual leaders.

I realize some of you may think, and choose to comment, that following in faith is weak, even foolish. I disagree. I believe the LDS Church president, currently Thomas Monson, is the Lord’s mouthpiece just like Moses once was, and I choose to support him.