Jesus the Christ

So I recently sat down and read Jesus the Christ.  I started reading it on my mission almost 8 years ago.  But I finished my mission before I finished the book, and then got so busy with classes that I never finished. 

Mission Pic

I recommend this book to anybody looking to study and know more about the Savior.  In particular, for me, I enjoyed learning more about the parables that are shared.  An example of this is the story of the gentile woman who comes and asks the Savior to save her child from a devil that is possessing her.  The Saviors parabolic response is "Let the children first be filled: for it is not meet to take the children's bread, and cast it unto the dogs."  She responded by stating, "Yes Lord, yet the dogs under the table eat of the children's crumbs." (Mark 7:27-29)  Because of her response, her daughter was healed.  For the longest time, I have not been able to figure this parable out.  Every time I read this story, I had no understanding of what this was suppose to be teaching; and I was starting to even get frustrated every time I read it.  My big problem was that I always thought of the dogs as vicious and representing the devils possessing the girl, but i was wrong.  I now understand that they are domestic dogs and they are symbolic of the gentiles.  What he was teaching is, that at that moment, his work and ministry was to be among the Jews (children) first.  The time would come when the gentiles (dogs) would receive his words (bread/crumbs).  Her points was that sometimes the teachings reach even the gentiles and that she believed in his words.  Even though it took me so long to understand, she understood right away.  She bore her testimony of her belief in him and he blessed her for her faith.

I also enjoyed being able to study the Saviors life in chronological order.  It really cleared up questions I had regarding the timing of certain events in his ministry.  gaining the understanding and perspective of when and where things happened helps to clarify the things being taught.

After reading this book, I just want to include my testimony about the Savior and how grateful I am for his teachings and atonement.  I know he is the Savior of the world and by his grace we are saved after all that we can do.

All in all, this a book that I would recommend to anyone.  It may get a little complicated in parts and you will definitely want to have time to read some parts more than once, but if you have any questions about the Savior (and we all should) than I recommend this book to you.

If you are interested in learning more about Jesus Christ and his teachings feel free to visit www.lds.org

The Book Thief

So with this blog, the only thing I ever seem to think to write about is books that I have read.  This week I just finished a great one - "The Book Thief."  So, with that in mind, I am going to write about this fantastic book.

"The Book Thief" is officially on my list of fiction books that you have to read before you die.  This book takes place in Nazi Germany during World War II from the perspective of death.  There are two great points that I about this book that I especially enjoyed.

1) Not everyone in Germany supported the fuhrer and was anti-semantic.  To often everyone who lived in Germany at that times is viewed as evil and of the same opinion as Hitler.  They risked their lives protecting some of the Jewish people they were being forced to destroy.  This story showed that side within Germany, with citizens who did what they could to protect themselves as well as those who they would encounter.  Sometimes that would include total strangers.  It really brings to light the humanity that we sometimes forget to view from such a dark time in world history.

2) They way that death is portrayed.  As a character, death is always envisioned as such a dark, scary being.  It's easy to understand why that is, because to a lot of people, death is scary.  This story also provided a more real and even peaceful connection with "death." In our family we recently experienced the loss of our little girl Ethne (prayersforthefamily.blogspot.com) and death has taken on a very different meaning in my life.  Even though I miss my little girl terribly and wish she was still here more than anything in the world, I have certainly grown to view death with more reverence and sacredness.  I feel that allowing death to narrate this story allows him to be more understood.

When it comes down to it, "The Book Thief" needs to be read by everyone.  I give it a 5 star rating (out of 5 stars).  I'm usually to stingy to give anything such a great rating, but I loved this book so much I have to.  It will bring into play all of your emotions.  For me, as someone who recently lost a close loved one, it was especially hard to read at some points, but I'm glad I finished it and plan on reading it again in the future.

More Than Enough Entreleadership

So by the title you may guess that I am tired of this thing called "Entreleadership" and you would be wrong.  That having been said, I should probably change the title, but I wont.  Recently I have read 2 books form author Dave Ramsey.  One, I read a couple of months ago, titled Entreleadership.  The other, more recently read, titled  More than Enough.  So I just took those titles and combined them to make my own title.  Now onto the books.

I read my first Dave Ramsey book almost 6 years ago - it was The Total Money Makeover.  It is a fantastic book and is great for anybody who wants to know how to control their money instead of letting it control them.  To many people don't have as much control as they would like to think that they do when it comes to money.  I eventually started listening to him on the radio and really listening to the things he has to teach.  I found him quite inspiring.

Eventually I started paying attention to what he was saying beyond just financial advice.  He was talking about reading books.  So I started reading books.  I even got onto his website to see what books he recommended.  Since then I've read such books as The Richest Man in Babylon, Think and Grow Rich, and First Things First.  I've also listened to a lot of books on CD like Linchpin and Love is the Killer App.  These aren't the only books that I have been inspired to read or listen too from Dave, it's just a few examples. 

Recently Dave published a book on his experiences in building a business.  That is Entreleadership.  I have loved listening to Dave talk about his business and the things he did for his team.  As the book was being released I subscribed to the podcast he was creating to talk about being an entreleader.  An entreleader is a combination Entrepreneur and business leader.  He talks about leading with the enthusiasm and desire you need to build your business and leading the people in your organization to want to build your business.  Almost like building a business full of people with an entrepreneurial attitude.  As someone who had a small business that failed, it inspired me and helped me look at things I was to do when I try again.  As I read both of these books, I couldn't help but be inspired in one way or another.  With this book I found myself listing ideas on that I want to implement when I open my guitar store.  Things to make it unique, things to get it started.  I even found myself listing brands of instruments I want to sell and how I want to market my store. 

While I have always had this desire to open my own music store, lately I have been forcing myself to really focus on what I want to do with my life.  I love the idea of selling musical instruments  and I find that I still want to do that, but as something on the side a little later on after I know that my family has some security while I am building it.  Plus, I want my family to be involved in helping me build it.  However, at the back of mind I have been seeking for what I really want to do with my life.  It has been somewhat of a struggle.  I felt spiritually guided to study music as my undergrad, and I am very thankful that I did, but I have never really figured out what to do with it.  So I started by looking at what I really enjoy doing.  Being in music taught me that I love being in front of people.  I love performing and teaching.  Teaching is something that comes naturally to me.  I think I love it so much because I love being able to help people better their lives.  I taught a personal finances for the Financial Aid Dept. at BYU-Idaho for a semester and i really felt that the things I was helping them understand was lighting a light bulb in their mind.  Helping them see what their money could really do for them if they were smart was a fantastic feeling.  I have taught multiple religion classes, private music lessons, and financial discussions and I have consistently been complimented on my ability.  I know that its not so much because of how great I am as much as knowing the Lord has blessed me with this talent to help others.  For a while I was starting to study Business for my MBA and go into business training.  On the one hand, I loved the idea, but on the other hand I had doubts about if that is the right direction still. 

I recently read a book titled Me in the Making by Dr. Walter Milton Jr.  I had an opportunity to meet Dr. Milton and he gave me this book.   I started reading it with my wife, but didn't keep up with her.  I saw it on the shelf recently and decided I needed to get it out and try again.  I finished it quite quickly and felt so inspired by his story.  His ideas for working with kids and his desire to help them lift themselves up is how I see myself moving forward in this life and with my career.  I recommend his book to anyone who wants to teach, or work in the education system, or who has kids that will be educated in a school.  As I read his story of becoming an administrator he said that the best administrators love to teach and are leaders.  As I read that I thought about how much I love to teach and that the things I have done with business and in my life have helped me develop a talent with leadership.  Again, something I feel I have been blessed with.  I decided that what I need to do now is get a Masters in Education and work towards becoming an administrator. 

The next book I read was More than Enough by Dave Ramsey.  There were a lot of lessons in there that helped guide me with the things I am going through in life right now.  It helped me realize that as much as I want to get a house, I need to be content with the apartment that I am living in.  I received many lessons that I feel will help me on the path of having "more than enough," as he keeps stating in the book.  But one very important thing that it helped me out with is bringing peace to my mind that education is the correct path for me. 

Part of that inspiration comes from that fact that it seemed like every book I read gave me another idea to consider as a career path, and I figured this book would do the same; but as I continued to read it, all I could see was how being an administrator would help me with that path.  It has become a comfortable fit and even has begun to excite me as I think of the possibilities with that path. 

I guess more than anything, what I want to say in this post is a thank you to Dave Ramsey, and even Dr. Milton, and their inspiring words that have helped be a guiding light to me.  For inspiring me to lead in business and love to teach.  I am grateful for the books I have read and the others that I will continue to read as I continue on this journey. 

Review of Atlas Shrugged

So I keep saying I'm going to better about making posts on this blog, and then I don't; but today I am going to make another post about a recent accomplishment.  I have read all of Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand.  As almost anyone who will look at this knows I have been making some occasional posts on our other family blog - prayersforthefamily.blogspot.com and they have been about Melissa's accident and our little girl Ethne mostly.  I've posted a little bit about Ethne on this blog, but I decided to write about something else today. 

Atlas Shrugged is a book we purchased about 2 years ago after hearing a friend recommend it.  It was celebrating it's 50th year in print, so it seemed like it had to be good to last that long.  But after we got it I just never felt like I have the time to read it.  It's about 1,070 pages and typed in a small font, but by the time I did finish it, I was glad that I had read it. 

This book made it hard to listen to the news.  I would find myself listening to a headline about certain government regulations being imposed on prospering businesses and think, "Hey, that's whats happening in the book!" (with enthusiasm about making the connection) to, "Oh, that's what's happening in the book" (with a bit more terror).  So be prepared about what you will hear on the news while reading, because you will make connection.  Hopefully that doesn't mean we will go down a similar path. I figure that the best way to prevent it is to become aware of what is happening in our country.  I'm not going to get into a big political discussion about the right or the left; I'm just saying don't take other people's word as fact.  Go out, study, find facts for all sides, and gain an informed opinion.  Don't be afraid to get educated, read, and to grow.  Education seemed to be one of the themes of the book.  The people were treated as though they had no opinions and no education.  They were just to believe whatever they were told, but many of the different people you would meet knew better. 

In all, I recommend this book to everyone as an excellent read.  The story line is captivating, it will take you through every emotion from rage, to extreme happiness and everything in between.  Because it is divided into 3 parts, if you need to, take a break and read something else between each part - that's what I did. 

Pictures on My Phone

As the few people who actually read this Blog know, we lost our little girl in a car accident about 2 months ago.  If you do not know me or about the accident, please see the Blog created for our family at prayersforthefamily.blogspot.com for some of the details and miracles that have transpired as a result of this tragedy.  Either today or tomorrow I plan on creating a post there as well. 

I don't post a lot on this Blog, as you can see by looking through it, but every once in a while I have a solid resolve to try.  The desire to originally make this Blog in part came from my wife and her Blog, but mostly came from studying the scriptures.  I have always felt the need to keep a journal, but am only slightly better at making entries there then I am here.  I hoped a Blog would inspire me to keep better records of what was going on in my family.  It almost helped, but not enough.

Then, I believe it was around last summer.  I was studying the Book of Jacob in the Book of Mormon.  As I looked at the versed that talked about being given the records from Nephi - one record for the doctrine and one for the history of their people.  That's when it came to me, I should try to keep 2 records as well.  My journal can contain things of a more spiritual nature, while the Blog can be more historical.  By the number of entries I've made since then you can tell how well I've done with that.  Hopefully now I'll do better. 

In my occasional journal entries I've made lately I have mostly been writing down memories of Ethne because I never want to forget them.  While I've done that I have seen my entries get shorter and shorter, not because I am running out of memories, but because it's somewhat emotionally draining to try and focus on just her and the memories she left behind.  But it is of the utmost importance to me that I have them and that they are never forgotten by my family either.

I would like to share some of those memories with the world.  These memories are a little harder to write about because I see the pictures I am going to share everyday.  These pictures are a part of a slideshow background on my phone.  I have thought about just setting a background picture so they don't keep flashing in front of me so much; but at the same time I would rather experience the sadness of looking at her pictures every day, than pretend to ignore those memories.  So here they are for me to share them with you.  All three of you that will read this.  ;)

At Work with Daddy

The first picture is the "At Work with Daddy" picture.  When I was an agent with Farmers Insurance I occasionally would take Ethne to work with me.  Usually it was while Melissa was pregnant.  I would watch Ethne while she would go to her check up appointment.  She loved playing on the phone.  I had to find her a wireless phone that wouldn't be connected for some reason so she wouldn't tie up the lines or make any calls.  I would try to set out a blanket in the corner with some snacks and toys in the hopes that she would just sit there while I worked.  Fat chance of that ever happening!

She figured out how to open the door to the office and loved to play her usual game - Run Away From Daddy.  She would sneak off and go say hi to the other agents that worked in the office.  They all would come out of their office to watch her run away from me.  Everyone would get a good laugh out of it. 

I recently ran into a friend that worked there as well and he hadn't heard the news.  When I told him about the accident I think it hit him pretty hard.  He commented on remembering her running around the office and being so happy and playful.  There were a couple people who would try to say hi and she would scream at them.  It was usually with the girls in the office, but not all of the girls.

My boss while I was there, Tim, came to the viewing and it really meant a lot to me; as well as all of the others from Farmers who came.  I still feel that they are all friends, even if we don't work together anymore.

Daddy's Pillow

In the last few months before she died she made a discovery.  She could go get Daddy's pillow, bring it into the living room, lay down on the couch with it, demand a blanket, and just relax.  I use to use it as a tool to get her to walk in the house so that I wouldn't have to carry both her and Edward.  Knowing the pillow was inside waiting for her was enough cause to stop whining and start walking.  I would always tell her that she could come in and get my pillow.  I informed her that if she fell asleep before Mommy got home she could take her nap on the couch, otherwise Mommy would make her go to her bed.  She was usually still awake.  I think playing a little "Tiger Woods Golf" on the Wii didn't help her sleep much.   Especially when she was giving me five every time i had a good hit and yelling, "boo-yeah!"  I was so proud of how fast she learned to say "boo-yeah" whenever she gave fives.  She would always be so excited when she said it too.  It was our little game and she loved it.

I would always be reminded if something was off when she laid down.  If I forgot the blanket she let me know and I was not left in peace until I gave it to her.  It still warms my heart to this day to know how much she loved "Daddy's pillow." 

Melissa and I still talk about how she would go and get the pillow and it was bigger than she was.  You could hear her tripping down the hall, or even occasionally run into the wall because she couldn't see over it.  None of these things would deter her.  She knew that she wanted to lay down on my pillow and nothing was going to stop that. 

Feeding Daddy

One day while my parents were down I went with them on my day off to help Mike and Heidi work on their basement.  Melissa was unable to go that day and I thought it would be fun for Ethne to hang out with her cousins, aunts, and grandma while we worked on the basement.  She had a blast too!  At one point she escaped into the backyard and found the wading pool with about an inch or two of rain water in the bottom.  Loving to swim and play in the water like she did, she decided she needed to climb in with her clothes on and play in the water.  It was a little scary to not know where she went and to find her in the water, but she had only been there for a minute and I found the whole story quite funny.  I still do. 

When we took a lunch break we went to Apollo Burger.  I got a small shake for her to eat, but she wasn't to interested in it.  I tried the old "I'm going to eat it before you do" trick which didn't work.  Instead she decided that she wanted to help me by feeding it to me.  she usually didn't get that much in the spoon as she would dip the spoon in the shake and put it in my mouth.  It was to much fun not to take a picture of it to share with Mommy. 

As the day progressed she hated it when I would go down stairs because we made a lot of loud scary noises.  One clear aspect of her love for us is that she was very concerned for our well being all of the time.  If something scary happened she would cry in terror that something had happened to us.  One time as we were about to give Edward a bath we had him all undressed and he started pooping in the floor.  She saw it and instantly started to cry.  She was sure that something was wrong and that Edward was hurt.  We had to take her out of the room and assure her everything was OK.  When we took her back in to see Edward she was so happy to see him smiling and playing.  Her love for everyone, particularly her family, will always shine as an example to me.

Onion Salt Mischief

Being an innocent little girl, she never did anything wrong, but she certainly loved being mischievous.   She always seemed to have a look on her face like she was about to do something and we couldn't stop her.  This was one of those things that we didn't stop in time.  If I remember right, I wasn't even home for this.  Melissa sent me the picture so I knew what our daughter had been doing that day. 

This picture just reminds me of her half smile look when she was caught doing something, or thinking about what she was going to do next.  Something else she would do if she was home when I came home was run to the door.  Sometimes she would be yelling for me and she always had the most excited look on her face possible.  She would run up to me like she was ready to jump into my arms for hugs and kisses.  She would stop about a foot away, give me the half smile, and turn around and run.  This indicated that if I wanted her irresistible hugs and kisses, I had to chase her and go get them.  I always did, and she loved that I wold play along with her.  That's what I think of when I see this picture.

This moment was very typical of things that she might do, yet she was so cute the way that she did it we could never be truly mad at her.  I only remember being mad at her for longer than a few seconds once, and it is the darkest memory I have from my entire life.  I am still fairly young, but I don't think I'll ever have a much worse memory.

Neck Brace Freedom

This last picture isn't of Ethne, but it's a reminder of the day that I almost lost my family.  I thought I had more pictures on my phone of Ethne, but I'm not sure what happened to them.  I'm sure Melissa does on her phone.

This is of Edward in the hospital the day after the accident.  That morning they took off the neck brace and he was so grateful.  All he wanted to do was sit up and play.  You would've never known he was in an accident by his attitude.  He is a positive, happy little boy.  I hope he always stays that way.  I took this picture with my phone to have with me when I went to check on Melissa.  She was in and out of sleep and didn't remember anything we said to her.  She still didn't know about Ethne at that point, and we were waiting to tell until she was awake enough that she would remember.  By the time that moment arrived she had already figured it out.  Every time she woke up she would ask about the kids, and I hoped this picture of how well and happy Edward was would bring her joy, while I would reassure her that Ethne was safe and happy, which is absolutely true.  This photo helps me remember that all of my family was protected in a way.  My wife and son were left here so I could hold them, and my daughter quietly carried on to the next life where she could hold us.

Thankful For...

So i know it is somewhat cliche to make a list of all of the things you are thankful for on thanksgiving, but I still think its a good idea.  i just hope each of us take some time this thanksgiving to spend at least half an hour expressing gratitude for the things we have.  Every year I try to make a list of 100 things to be thankful for, and I try hard not to be repetitive from year to year; however, this year i would like to make a list of 100 people that I am thankful for.  This list is in no particular order and these might not be the 100 most important people in my life, but more than anything it is going to be a list of names as they come to me.  Know that I will include people I have not met, but have still influenced my life for the better.  While the first 10 or so will be obvious, some I may also include a brief explanation of how they have influenced me.

1) Heavenly Father
2) Jesus Christ
3) The Holy Ghost (while these first three may seem obvious and sometimes over mentioned, I could not be truly grateful for anything else if I wasn't first grateful for these three)
4) My wife - Melissa
5) My kids - Ethne, and Edward
6) My parents - Larry and Marilyn
7) My sisters - Heidi, Kathryn, and Eliza
8) My grandparents - Cyril, Maxine, George, Gloria, Leslie, and Kieth
9) My in-laws - Scott, Shauna, Michael, Josh, Jessica, Gabriel, and Issac
10) My great-grandparents - specifically William, Ethel, Reva, Lester, and Edith
11) My pioneer ancestors
12) Adam and Eve
13) Noah
14) Abraham, Issac, and Jacob
15) Joseph, Ephraim, and Manasseh
16) Malachi
17) Isaiah
18) Joseph and Mary
19) Peter
20) James and John
21) Lehi and Nephi
22) Alma and Alma
23) Sons of Mosiah
24) King Benjamin
25) Captain Moroni
26) Helaman and Sons
27) 3 Nephites
28) Nephi
29) Mormon and Moroni
30) Jared and Brother
31) Ether
32) Joseph Smith
33) Hyrum Smith
34) Emma Smith
35) Joseph and Lucy Smith
36) Brigham Young
37) Heber C. Kimball
38) Oliver Cowdery
39) Martin Harris
40) David Whitmer
41) Heber J. Grant
42) Joseph F. Smith
43) Hugh B. Brown
44) Spencer W. Kimball
45) J. Golden Kimball
46) Ezra Taft Benson
47) Gordon B. Hinckley
48) Thomas S. Monson
49) Wife's grandparents
50) Oscar Kirkham
51) Boyd K. Packer
52) Dieter F. Uchtdorf
53) Henry B. Eyring
54) Jeffery R. Holland
55) Quentin L. Cook
56) Reuben J. Clarke
57) David A. Bednar
58) Mission Presidents - Pres. Phillips, and Pres. Torres
59) Seminary Teachers - Chelson, Carlson, Johnson
60) Bishops - Frisby, Crapo, Stoddard
61) David Klepitch
62) Kirk Duncan
63) Aaron Miller
64) Denson Angulo
65) Mark Watkins
66) Bro. Hansen
67) Bro. Walquist
68) Kendal Nielson
69) Ryan Nielson
70) Kurt Reeder
71) Robert Tueller
72) Alan Packard
73) Jay Lawrence
74) Chase Owens and Family
75) Dale Bunnell and Family
76) Shawn Skrivner
77) Kim Ashcroft and Family
78) Military Men and Women
79) Derek Parry
80) Keven Lewis
81) Spencer Kinchelo
82) Charity Heiner
83) Nic Willitts
84) Kent Foote
85) John Riska and Family
86) Mike Bishop
87) Daniel Miller
88) Elder Morales
89) Kelly Olsen
90) Arcelia Parson and family
91) Bueno Family
92) Jaco Pastorius
93) Victor Wooten
94) Ray Brown
95) Charles Mingus
96) Louis Armstrong
97) Miles Davis
98) Niece and Nephew Samantha and Zach
99) Dave Ramsey
100) Steve Jobs

I could probably go on and list 200 more if it wasn't so late and I wasn't so tired.  If you're reading this and don't see your name, don't think its because I am not grateful to you, its just that there are so many people who have influenced me to arrive at where I am today that I couldn't possibly list all of you, but know that I thank you for your influence.

New Job and My Christmas Playlist

So this last week i started my new job at Convergys on their Hyundai campaign.  I've had mixed feelings about going into it, but so far it has been quite nice.  I've learned quite a bit about Hyundai, and have learned to really enjoy working for them and getting to know their company.  I've decided if I can I want to make my next purchase a Hyundai. 

Anyways, we've finished all of the basic knowledge training from the last two weeks and started taking calls last week.  Next week we'll be answering the phones.  I'm a little nervous, but mostly excited for the future.  I hope with this job to take advantage of future opportunities to grow.  I don't have much to report other than that.

In case you can't tell, I'm really not to good at blogging yet, and I never have any idea what I should post.  I guess I just don't think much in my life is that interesting to anyone besides my family; even then, I'm not sure if my family finds my life that interesting either, but at least they put up with me.  with that in mind I am now going to talk about my new Christmas play list. 

It's great!!!

I guess I should put more than that.  I started out with Duke Ellington.  He recorded an entire album based on the Nutcracker Suite.  I could only find the one track, but it's my favorite one on the album, so it works out. 

I have 2 tracks of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas because I didn't think it would let me add the Ella Fitzgerald version.  Then, when I posted it to my blog they were both there. 

You'll notice the next track is performed by the Muppet's.  I've always liked the Muppet's, so I thought that that would be a good one to include. 

Peanut Brittle Brigade is from Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, but was performed by another group.

You will notice a lot of Ray Brown tracks.  I have a hard time decided if the Ray Brown Christmas album is my favorite, or if the Bela Fleck and The Flecktones Christmas album is my favorite.  For that reason you will notice a lot of Ray Brown tracks. Unfortunately, there aren't very many Bela Fleck songs on there because all of the recording that are available are live and not the best recordings.  If you have a chance to purchase their album (Jingle All the Way) I highly recommend you do.  I say the same for Ray Brown's album.  I believed its titled Christmas Songs with the Ray Brown Trio.  On this album, my favorite song is "The Christmas Rap." 

Winter Wonderland performed by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir was an obvious choice.  It reminds me of Mr. Kruger's Christmas, which is a family tradition every year at Christmas.  I wanted to find some more MoTab songs, but I forgot to find some after I posted the list.  Maybe I'll find some more later. 


I decided to include a Frank Sinatra track for my wife because she is such a big fan of "Blue Eyes."  Plus Christmas Waltz is a fun tune I wanted to include.

Stille Nacht I decided to include because in High School every year we played this version. 

The last track on there was one that I was just inspired to throw on at the last minute.  Bob and Doug McKenzie did a great job rewriting the 12 days of Christmas, so it needed to be included. 

I hope you enjoy the music.  Maybe there will be more to come.