The Christianity Question - Part I

     Since we are now hot and heavy into the race for the GOP nomination it seems that once again the old (getting really old) question about whether or not members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints are real or false Christians is being scrutinized in the media.

    One reverend Jeffress decided to lay it out and tell his 10,000 member congregation and news media and those interested in the candidates competing for the Republican nomination that, among other things, Mormonism is a "theological cult",  and that Americans should want a true Christian for president (i.e. Rick Perry) as opposed to a false Christian (i.e. Mitt Romney). 
       I ran across an e-mail my DH wrote to a Mr. Bill Hemmer, anchor at Fox & Friends, to make the case that the LDS church is indeed and should be considered Christian.  DH cited some of the criteria Jeffress used to make his claims about the invalidity of LDS Christianity:  I loved it and so I am sharing his reasoning here.  It makes sense to me!
     "Mormonism was invented 1800 years after Jesus Christ and the founding of Christianity..."   If you look at the three largest groups that represent Christianity throughout the world - Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Protestantism...you find the following:
Originally the Roman Catholic Church was part of the Orthodox Church.  A division occurred in 1054 A.D. wherein the church was divided into east (Greek) and west branches (Latin), which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church (east) and the Roman Catholic Church (west).  This event is known as the "Great Schism".  It happened because of political, ecclesiastical and theological differences and disputes.
     Therefore, even within the origins of Christianity and the largest Christian denomination in the world, differences in doctrine split the church into entities that remain to this day.  The third group mentioned, Protestantism, is a movement based on rebellion against the Roman Catholic church.
     If the three primary groups of Christianity throughout the world cannot see eye-to-eye on Christian doctrines and the interpretations thereof, and Christian practices/ordinances are not consistent between the three to this day, and if divisions within the ranks and the establishment of the major Christian denominations occurred 1054 years and 1500 yeas after the death of Jesus Christ, is it so far-fetched for another Christian religion to evolve in 1830 A.D. (Mormonism)?
     " Mormonism has a human leader vs. a divine leader, Joseph Smith..."   Yes, Joseph Smith was the founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (Mormons), yet his designation as a leader of the faith is no different than the Pope being the leader of the Catholic church.  In both cases, a man leads the church in this capacity; to communicate the will of God to the people.  In the case of the Catholic church, the pope is deemed to act in conjunction with Deity to provide instruction, counsel, interpretation, etc. to their members and to the world.  So it is with the Latter-day Saint, they have prophets who speak the Word of God to their members, originating with Joseph Smith. 
     Should Joseph Smith be considered any less a legitimate founder of a religion than Martin Luther and John Calvin, founders of Protestantism?  Can he not be afforded the same degree of acknowledgment in that God may have chosen to speak to him, and through him, regarding His will and His doctrine? 
     There were others who founded Christian religions centuries after Christ's death; King Henry VIII - Anglican Church of England (1534); John Knox - Presbyterian Church (1580) John Smith - The Baptist Church (1606); John Wesley - The Methodist Church (1774).   All of these Christian denominations were founded by a human leader.  The Baptist Church, Mr. Jeffress' denomination, was not founded until 1606 A.D., 1500+ years after Christ.  The "leader" of the Mormon faith is indicated in the official name of the religion, that is, "The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints."  It is also interesting to note that of all the faiths mentioned, not one of them contain the name of the Savior and Redeemer of the world, Jesus Christ, in their name.  If Jesus Christ is the head of any church or religion, should not the church/religion be called in his name?
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     Those are just two of the criticisms Mr. Jeffress had.  Both of these criticisms I believe to be invalid.  I love the Savior, Jesus Christ.  I believe that through Him is the only way to make it back to live in the presence of Heavenly Father. I love the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It provides the teachings, ordinances and keys I need to make it back to Heaven someday.  What can be more Christian than that?  I will have more in an upcoming post!

My Latest Timed Mile Run

I posted earlier about a really easy way to predict the kind of health you will have in your later years.  All you have to do is do a mile run and look at the time you did it in.  So, I thought I was in fairly great shape because I take my dog on runs, am not seriously overweight and can still do the splits.   But my time earlier this summer wasn't great, that's for sure.  So I vowed to do something about it.  I did, until I started back to work at the high school and since then I've been absolutely horrible about keeping up my cardio.  But thanks to Alice, my Alternative HS's Physical Education Teacher (and my well-respected friend), I decided to do a timed run again with her students.  She has started making her own students accountable for their cardiovascular health by doing several timed runs during the school year and measuring improvement!
    Thursday morning was a crisp fall morning as we made our way out to the river trail, which is adjacent to our small school.  I had made one discovery since my earlier timed run.  If I stop, it's really hard to start back up again.  So I promised myself I wouldn't stop, no matter what.  If I was doing the old-lady two-step by the time I was through, so be it, I wasn't going to stop. 
     Alice's whistle blew, and off I went, along with about 25 other students.  It was so funny.  Everyone blew by me. I just knew that I was going to be so humiliated and come in dead last.  Oh well, this wasn't to impress anyone.  I just wanted to see if I could beat my last time.  Darn, now I was regretting my negligence about working out these past 3 weeks.  I just kept telling myself, "don't stop, don't stop, whatever you do.  You've been through childbirth, nothing can top that, you're a strong woman...."  
    It wasn't long before I noticed that some of the kids were walking and that I was passing them!  I also noticed that when they saw that I was passing them, they started back up.  I guess it WOULD be the ultimate humiliation to have someone as old as their mom or even older, passing them up.  And so we kept going. I reached the halfway point, took the candy from the lady, to prove that I had indeed reached the halfway point, and started back.  I passed more winded students up, and then I saw the finish line.  I had enough in me to speed up as I crossed.  
    When it was all said and done, I increased my original time by over a minute!  I'm super excited and it did a lot for my motivation.  This morning I took my dog out for a trail run/walk and enjoyed it immensely!  Have a wonderful fall!  You can do it too!

6 Month Re-Cap

It's been over 6 months since Joseph came to our home to live full-time. What  a fun-filled, hectic, perplexing, happy time it has been!  He came to our home not too sure of himself, angry, depressed, low self-esteem and in danger of flunking out of 8th grade because he hadn't been attending and the truancy officers were after him and his dad.  And so it was with some sense of desperation that his dad called me after all these years of my wishing he was with me, wishing I could help him, wishing that he weren't so far away.  Now here was my opportunity and I seized it.  While his dad was still hemming and hawwing about whether or not he should be living with me, trying to think of a way to get out of paying for him to come out, I simply got online and purchased a one-way ticket for Joseph to come.  I bought the ticket without getting a final affirmative answer, without knowing whether he would be on the flight and without knowing whether I could afford it, but I knew that he needed to come immediately or his 8th grade year might not be salvageable. I provided the means.  No strings attached.  Thank goodness my ex thought enough of Joseph to let him come and live with his other family. The semester had already begun.  Time was of the essence.  He had already completely flunked out of the fall term.  He needed to make some things up really quickly or else...He arrived on January 31st and started school the next day.  Off to the races.  I was working full-time and so I depended heavily on Greg, my husband, to pick up the slack.  We have been married for over 10 years now, since Joseph was 4.  Joseph knows us as the other parents--the ones he sees once, maybe twice a year if we're extremely lucky.  
    Joseph was definitely thrown into very unfamiliar territory.  The kids here didn't even talk like him.  He had trouble understanding their lingo, since he has been living in the deep south since he was 6 years old.  Where were the woods that he was used to taking off to for hours?  Why was there a woman in the house?  He was used to living with his Dad and only sometimes had his stepmom in the house, when she wasn't with her own kids in Utah.  Why were we always bugging him with things like bedtime, shower time, wake up time, homework time, church time, family home evening, chores?  The structure was like a ton of bricks on him.  It was suffocating.  Nevertheless, he was obedient and tried his best.  He didn't miss a day of school.  And at the end of the school year, in May, he had a 3.86 GPA.  I literally couldn't have done it without Greg.  Joseph wasn't used to the influence of a mom--me.  The only thing I had been able to do for many years was to give him a once a week phone call and that had started only a few years ago.  Before that, contact was very limited.  He definitely related to Greg better, even though he wasn't used to the structure that Greg insisted on.  Sometimes I felt so bad that he was obviously having a hard time and Greg would insist on close to perfection from him.  I said, "Can't we just be happy for some progress in this area and not be so hard on him?"  But Greg's answer made sense--"He doesn't have the luxury of time.  He needs to learn this now.  If he doesn't learn it now, it will be too late.  So he needs to get it NOW."  And so I tried to support what were obviously hard and painful things for Joseph to pick up.  Literally, picking up his dishes and bringing them upstairs to the kitchen was and continues to be a big, difficult battle.  Not spitting in the kitchen sink and other hygiene issues--rather important in civilized society-- needed to be worked on as well.
    But can I just say that when he smiles, the world smiles with him?  He's got the most beautiful smile and it melts my heart.  I fall in love with my son every single time he smiles.  Other than that, I'm in constant self-reminder mode about how much he means to me and that I need to exercise patience and long-suffering. (Like the time he came in and with a huge smile told me that he wrecked my beloved bike, like I was supposed to give him an award...)

• Things broken -  fishing pole, my bike, my earphones, shower stall door, back gate...

• Things lost:  2 lighters, homework assignments, his electric razor (accused me of stealing it), wallet (accused me of stealing it),back pack (we drove to SLC to get it back)...

• Teasing - Evee our dog, me, the neighbor girl who rides up and down the street on her bike, girls at school....

• Loud noises - constant whistling, tracking in lots of stuff from outside, loud clapping, loud singing of nonsensical songs, blowing off fireworks at odd hours, maniacal laughing for no apparent reason...

• Detachment - in room, not coming out for long periods, not wanting me to disturb him, not wanting to friend me on Facebook (that's OK, I just settled for his password!), resistant to hugs :(  

• Bathroom - too much time in bathroom, hour long showers, face picking issues

• Loves - Evee, the dog,  his brother, sleeping in, fireworks, longboarding, 'Everybody Loves Raymond' re-runs (It's so funny to hear him chuckling throughout the episodes), banana pancakes, FHE, watergate salad, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, Star Craft.

• Progress:  3.86 GPA, made varsity for Provo HS as a Freshman, laughs more, talks more, is more outgoing, plays the guitar a little bit. Ordained a Teacher in his Teacher's Quorum, has stopped teasing me and the dog so much, has learned more about the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  

We've been struggling in many ways to provide Joseph with a fertile environment to be able to grow and progress.   Sometimes I wonder how we do it.  No one has helped us at all.  As a matter of fact, I have actually paid over $650 to Joseph's Dad while he has been with us.  We've wondered where each month's rent will come from and still do.  But if this is what needs to happen, then so be it.  I love Joseph so much.  I know who he was as a baby and I know his heritage and potential.  And I melt when he smiles!

How Hot Do Fireworks Get?

That is the question I posed today to my dear husband.  He replied, "700 degrees, maybe?"  That sounded incredibly hot, but I wanted to confirm it.  (Not that I don't believe everything that comes out of the man's mouth, I do....) I got on my trusty Google Search Engine.  I was asking because even after almost a week after the 4th, my arm is still hurting where I was hit by an errant firework at our family party.  And the ugliness on my arm makes one want to avert their eyes because if you didn't know what it was, at first glance it looks like some kind of fungus or leprosy eating two holes in my skin.  
    Yep, it seems like I can never get through a summer without some kind of mishap, ruining my summer "look" with some kind of scar, bruise or scrap.  It never fails!  Last summer I sported a slow-healing red scrap on my lower leg as a result of a mishap on my bike.  It just wouldn't go away.  It has finally healed, but now this year I've got another nick on my calf from something (probably shaving) and now this!  I don't anticipate this going away for some time.  I mean, seriously, my darling nephew basically blew two holes in my arm.  We're all joking around as I scrape off the black charred skin, and I'm telling him the inevitable scars will give me something to remind me of him, dear sweet Matthew!  But inside, it's not quite as funny as I let on.  I'm using tea tree oil like crazy, hoping it won't get infected because doctors are to be avoided if possible, since I don't like going to them!  Didn't I just post about a traumatic event that happened to me one summer?  This could get old!  
    Oh, by the way, the result of my Google Search was this:

• Black powder (gunpowder) commonly used in rockets and as a burst charge in aerial shells, burns at temperatures up to 1700^oC.

• Pyrotechnic stars used in rocket headers and shells, if fuelled by a metal powder such as magnesium, can easily burn at temperatures in excess of 2200^oC.

• Flash powders used to make a bright flash and a loud bang, can burn at temperatures above 3000^oC.

Ummm....pretty sure that I got a burn from flash powder used to make a bright flash and loud bang since we were doing aerial fireworks that have just recently been made legal in the state of Utah!  "Can burn at temperatures ABOVE 3000 degrees centigrade"?  Ahh, that's why my skin turned black and there are now two holes.  Got it!  Baby, 700 degrees was quite a low ball figure!  Just saying......

     But being the quintessential optimist that I am, I am telling you that there is always a silver lining in this!  For one thing, I won't be washing my own hair for awhile.  My local hair salon will be seeing a lot more of me so I can get my hair washed, styled and blown out!  (They give great scalp massages too!)  And, I have a whole pack of cute, girly designer band-aids that are just waiting for the perfect wound. I will be injured in style!  So there you go, positive thinking at its best!

I can't wait to get the girly band-aids out.  That WILL be my summer look

Experimentation with Chard!

   If you haven't cooked with Swiss Chard, I suggest you do it this summer!  It's delicious!  Swiss Chard was one of the offerings I picked up on my bi-monthly fruits and veggies co-op visit!  For $16.00 Bountiful Baskets fills a small laundry basket completely full of wonderful fruits and vegetables, some of which I wouldn't automatically think of purchasing at the store!  I love the element of surprise when I pick up my baskets.  I can then use my savvy at stealing recipes from the internet creativity and include it in my menus for the week.  OK, usually I just cook one dish--not in conjunction with an entire meal--and call it good. Who am I kidding?  It's the experimentation that is fun!
    I went to the pick-up spot and noticed this huge green leafy bundle, with bright red stems.  I thought it was rhubarb, but the lady told me that it was Swiss Chard. 

Two baskets for each order--One basket is fruit and the other vegetables.  We fill our own containers with both of these baskets.

I'm embarrassed to say I've never cooked Swiss Chard, but I've always intended to!  The leaves are very thick and don't look like they would taste very good in a salad. 

With a few pointers from the internet, I got started.  First I cut up an onion, 2 carrots, and some garlic.  I sauteed these in some bacon drippings until they were tender.  

 I then added some chicken broth and put in the finely chopped red stalks of the chard.  I cooked these until they were tender and lastly added the leaves and cooked them until they wilted!  I added some crumbled bacon, lemon juice and topped it with Parmesan cheese.  

 The result was amazing!  I felt like a chef indeed!  I absolutely love the subtle zingy taste of the chard.  It would be a great addition to any Italian meal!
    My next conquest is to use two huge butternut squashes in a meal!  Off to the internet I go!

What Almost Happened To Me

   I am impressed with people who have gone through tragic events which have left them disfigured in some way and who still manage to keep optimism and a positive outlook in life!  I can somewhat identify with the prospect of being permanently disfigured because at one time I thought I would be disfigured for life!  
    About 8 years ago, Greg and I were invited to go on an ATV outing with some friends to Little Sahara, located in the Sevier Desert in Western Utah. I had never been on an ATV before, but was excited to learn!  We spent the first night riding around the camp slowly in a group.  I enjoyed doing that and looked forward to the next day of riding in a more extensive area.  The scenery was stark and beautiful at the same time, with sand dunes fanning out as far as I could see!  First thing in the morning, a group was rounded up to go out and I was assigned a helmet and a big monstrosity of a vehicle.  I hurriedly put on the helmet, got on my ATV and took off.  I was a little tentative, being that it was my first ride out of camp and the speed was definitely faster than the night before.  I found myself trying to catch up with the rest of the group.   Then, they totally disappeared over a big sand dune.  Not wanting to be left behind and be lost, I revved up the engine and started straight toward the large sand dune, thinking that the more speed I acquired the better chance I'd have to get over the hill.  Faulty thinking on my part.  Apparently, I didn't catch the steep incline right and the speed must have been waaaay too fast because I hit the rise of the dune and it lurched me forward onto the steel steering shaft.  I would have been OK, if my helmet hadn't gone flying off before my face hit it.  I felt a violent, sharp shooting pain and I knew that I was in trouble.  I started crying and screaming in pain, and frankly, I don't know what I said or did from that time on until I was being taken in the car to the hospital and I really don't feel that I can be responsible!  I know that some time after the accident a friend who was there asked me, "Did you really mean those things you said?"  I told her that I did, but after considering my state of mind and my level of coherence, maybe I said some things that were uncharacteristic of myself!  I just don't know....
     Suffice it to say, my nose was trashed--split wide open and pretty much shattered.  I remember being looked at after arriving at the hospital in Nephi, which was 100 miles away and they just said they couldn't do anything for me.  They called ahead to Provo to notify the plastic surgeon on call that I would be coming in.  When I was rolled into Provo, I remember that it was Dr. Hershie, who I later found out was the premier plastic surgeon in the area.  As was his custom before any operation, he said a prayer over me to bless me and him as we entered into the surgery to repair my annihilated nose.  He did one other thing for me--he put 3 or 4 long Q-Tips saturated with a liquid I wasn't familiar with into the wound where my nose used to be.  Pretty soon, I started feeling really, really calm, even peaceful, yes, even transcendentally happy.  I asked what in the world he had given me to make me feel so wonderful when only a few minutes before I had felt so distraught and in pain.  He informed me that he had just given me liquid LSD!  Crikey!  So that's why people get hooked on drugs!  Wow!  Don't get me wrong, I'd never be a junkie, but to feel like that just once, at that particular time, was a gift!  And so, I got through my initial nose repair.  
       I went through one more surgery and I felt that no matter how many surgeries I had, I'd always look like a freak.  I wondered how I would relate to people, how I would be able to socialize, how other people would perceive me as someone with a severely disfigured face.   Fortunately, Dr. Hershie worked his magic and along with a beautiful priesthood blessing I received at the hands of my home teacher wherein I was promised that no one would be able to tell I had ever been in an accident, I never had to live the life of a person with a disfigurement.  
     But there are those people who do and I am so amazed and in awe of them!  For instance there is a woman who many people know about and who personifies the essence of inner beauty and strength--her name is NieNie!  Have you heard of her?  She's pretty famous around these parts.  She and her husband are plane crash survivors.  She is very generous and shares her story with everyone who cares to know on her blog.  She teaches us all a lot about true love, family, what really matters and beauty on the inside!  
    And I found a story that touched me so much about a 12-year-old boy from the Ukraine who was in his small home when an oil heater exploded.  It killed both of his parents and left him with 2nd and 3rd degree burns over 75 percent of his body.  He probably should have died.  But he survived.  And today, he is here in the U.S. and adopted by wonderful parents and a joy to all who know him.  He is so grateful.  He was able to get new eyelids, a new nose and fingers from what were once his toes.   
     Both of these stories are such great examples of the triumph of the human spirit.  My hat goes off to them and I will continue to thank God for the many blessings I receive each and every day and try to be more service-oriented and compassionate to those around me. 

Moving Rendition of National Anthem

I happened to see the opening ceremony of the NBA Finals Game in Miami, FL.  It piqued my interest about who was singing the National Anthem.  It was Marc Anthony, commonly known as Mr. JLo, Jennifer Lopez's husband with whom she has twins!  I was absolutely blown away by his singing and his stage presence.  So here is a peek for you!  You agree with my critique, yes? 

A Venture Into Long Boarding!

My son, Joseph, invited me to go on an outing with him on the local river trail.  It was about 50 degrees outside, which to us was tropical weather after the cold winter we've had.  So he got on his trusty longboard and I on my bike and off we went.  He says he would be considered average on a longboard, certainly not a "skater" type.  But I think he's really good! 

   I enjoyed watching him glide along the fairly smooth trail, his hands casually shoved into his jean pockets and when there was an occasional bump, he would jump slightly with the board to get over, with as little impact on the board as possible.  We went for about a mile and a half, with me just kind of coasting on the bike and not working up much of a sweat.  In contrast, as we were coming back, I noticed that Joseph was definitely working up a sweat.  I realized that pushing off and gaining momentum on a long board can be quite the anaerobic exercise!  
   Somehow I found myself on the long board and Joseph on the bike.  He was a great instructor,  telling me how to push off and how to line up my feet.  I found out that indeed, it takes a lot of work to push off and obtain a workable speed.  Having some sense of balance is certainly key.  I longed to be as good as my son and be able to glide gracefully along, looking so nonchalant, as if it were effortless.  Unfortunately, my movements were rather choppy and spastic, more akin to an old-time silent picture movie, where all the actors look robotic.  I would obtain a glide for all of  2 feet and find that I needed to once again push for momentum.  I hadn't been doing it for even 10 minutes, and I was sweating like a pig.  And darn those bumps where roots from the trees along the path extend out under the trail and break up the asphalt.  Somehow you need to clear those!  Joseph did so effortlessly, and when he told me to just go over them instead of getting off the board and walk across, I obediently attempted to do just that.  Unfortunately, I was not as successful as Joseph.  My board seemed to catch on the jagged lip of the bump and just stalled out.  I, on the other hand, lurched awkwardly forward, landing in an incredibly awkward and painful position, my left leg twisted under me going one direction and my right leg going in the opposite direction.  Crap!  Not my bad knee, the one I have been babying along for 2 or 3 years now, after a previous, equally awkward fall on the ski slopes.  It has never healed back to its original, healthy state.  Now, here I was, with a re-injury and in my mind, probably more serious.  I lay there on the pavement yelping and crying in misery and Joseph standing there in dismay and concern.  I had the luxury of laying there to collect myself without any passers by.  I would have gotten up quickly just because of embarrassment if anyone had come by!  After a few minutes I got up and dusted myself off, hopped on the bike and off we went. 
    We stopped on the way home to say hello to some horses and when I got off the bike, my leg wouldn't support me and kept buckling under my weight.  Not a good sign!  
    It is the day after the event and I haven't been out of my pj's all day.  I didn't walk the dog and I lounged around in bed reading, after I was served breakfast in bed, which was definitely a perk of the whole unfortunate episode.  Thankfully, I have one more day to recover before the work week begins.  Hopefully nothing got torn and I will be back to full throttle soon!
   But what this is telling me is that my days of reckless abandonment with trying new things may be almost over.  I want to keep the mobility I have and not wreck the great quality of life I enjoy.  I have to think of the consequences more than the immediate gratification I might have when trying fun and exciting physical challenges.  It's rather sad to come to that point and a far cry from when I got on the ski slope for the first time.  (Wow, another story for another time!)  I'm glad that it was with Joseph when the realization arrived.  But never say never!  Even now, I feel the need to prove myself.  I like the board I found above!  Ironically, they are called 'Old Lady Skate Boards'.  I can tell you one thing, I'd rather be the old lady riding the board than the old lady ruining other people's fun, like this lady!    Stay safe!  Live life to the fullest but be wise!