Diamond 16 My Father

This diamond was shown to me through my calling in the young mens presidency, and by recently watching Courageous the movie. It was my turn to teach this week and I opened up the manual and saw that this week the lesson is on honoring our fathers. I just wanted to take this opportunity to say what a great example my dad is. Camie and I often talk about what great examples we have as parents, and we know that there are many who are not so blessed. But my dad stands as a diamond against the black velvet of this world. He recently gave a talk in Stake Conference about the difference between being a member of the church and being converted to the gospel. He used a cold shower metaphor comparing those who are just members of the church are just jumping in and out of a cold shower, and those who are converted are really soaking in the hot water of the gospel. The talk he gave really had power because he lives everything he preaches. Anytime I have a question about what to do in any situation, I just think if my dad was in this situation what would he do? He has stood up to his employer, at risk of his job, letting them know he will not work on Sunday. His standard of entertainment is unsurpassed by anyone I know. I have never heard him say a negative thing about another person in my life. The way he lives his life has made me question any impurities I may have. He truly is the most Christlike example that I know. I owe so much to him. Having a righteous father figure is becoming as rare as uplifting political adds these days, but my dad has the courage to stand for what a father and patriarch of the home should be. Now my father didn't work on cars with me much, we didn't go camping that often or on big fishing trips. But I knew where he was every Sunday at 5:00 am till 6:00 pm. I also knew where he would be anytime there was a service project that was assigned, and where he would be anytime service was needed but no announcements were made.

There is one quality that my dad has that stands above the rest, and that is his love for my mother. That single quality has left in me a conviction and a determination to love my wife as much as he loves her. I have learned that the standard of respect and honor my father gives to my mother is not easy to duplicate. I am trying each and every day to be more like my father, but the advantage I have over the 37% of children that are born in fatherless homes, and 50% of homes that are divorced, is that I have 25 years of a shining example of how a man should treat his wife. I think part of the reason I have such a great dad is that I needed the example. He truly is a diamond against black velvet, and I will try the rest of my life to live up to his example. I love you dad.

Diamond 15

I formally announce my triumphant return to the blogging world with Diamond 15. I have been away for some time but am back and will be posting regularly. This Diamond is one of the greatest earthly possessions anyone can have. This Diamond is the Bible. Is it just me or does the Bible get a bad rap. We often overlook it in our studies thinking "If I only have limited time to study, I should study the Book Of Mormon." While this is not a bad line of thought, It is similar to eating only the frosting off of a cupcake. While the Book of Mormon is wonderful on its own, when it is combined with the bible the two compliment and enrich the entire experience. in the April 2007 conference Elder Ballard gave a talk on the miracle of the bible. I will quote from it here: "It is not by chance or coincidence that we have the Bible today. Righteous individuals were prompted by the Spirit to record both the sacred things they saw and the inspired words they heard and spoke. Other devoted people were prompted to protect and preserve these records. Men like John Wycliffe, the courageous William Tyndale, and Johannes Gutenberg were prompted against much opposition to translate the Bible into language people could understand and to publish it in books people could read. I believe even the scholars of King James had spiritual promptings in their translation work.
The Dark Ages were dark because the light of the gospel was hidden from the people. They did not have the apostles or prophets, nor did they have access to the Bible. The clergy kept the scriptures secret and unavailable to the people. We owe much to the many brave martyrs and reformers like Martin Luther, John Calvin, and John Huss who demanded freedom to worship and common access to the holy books"

Recently I caught the three part series on the King James Version of the Bible put out by BYUTV. I recommend everyone take time to watch this. It was done very well and explains wonderful things about the bible. You can find it here. In the documentary it points out that there have been many attempts to translate the Bible into new language, as the Old English version is difficult for most to understand. One of the commentators then points out that if it were in standard modern English, we wouldn't have to work at understanding it, and working at understanding the bible is part of what makes its message so powerful. We don't value what we don't work for, and some of the most profound things that I have experienced in the Bible came after reading and re-reading a passage many times. That's all I have for today but I just want to openly declare that the Bible is truly the word of God. It contains not only the writings of the prophets of old but also the only living account of the life of the Savior. In the Bible we can find the answers we are looking for and, like a cupcake, when joined with the frosting of the Book of Mormon can provide a much more complete study of doctrine and principles that we covenanted to live at baptism and in the temple. The Bible is a Diamond that has been displayed against black velvet for thousands of years.