Are Mormons Christians?

Every so often, this question rears it's ugly head; most recently in allegations by Pastor Robert Jeffress that Republican Presidential candidate Mitt Romney wasn't a Christian because of his Mormon beliefs. In an effort to put this issue to rest, first we must ask ourselves, What is a Christian? A person who has received Christian baptism or is a believer in Jesus Christ and his teachings. This need not be a theological debate; we need to look no further than the official name of the "Mormon" church - The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Or simply look at the title of the book from which the nickname "Mormon" comes from -

"The Book Of Mormon - Another Testament of Jesus Christ". Can it be any more simply stated? If there be any still in doubt, I ask you to view this video:

"Bieber Fever"

Seems like every day when the clock radio wakes us up, they are reporting on the newest and latest follies of Justin Bieber.  Arrested for this, suspected of that…  And I am supposed to care why?  This is news? I prefer to think of “Bieber Fever” as an itch I want to go away, but I can’t reach to scratch it.  That nasty sinus cold you just can’t get over.  A blister on my big toe.  At the risk of offending anyone, I have to say, I really wish he would just go away.  To some deserted island and never be heard from again.  And if he could please take Miley Cyrus with him, I might be able to sleep at night!

The Road To Recovery

“I’m fat.”  “I’m ugly.”  “I hate my life.”  “I feel like there’s no hope.”  “Sometimes I just feel like killing myself.”  How can a beautiful person with so much to live for, so much to be happy about, have such thoughts?  Can’t they just think positively?  This is how I felt about depression in the past, that is, until I found myself in the grips of this affliction myself.  There were days when just simply getting out of bed was a chore.  And forget about being able to work – I didn’t want to talk to or spend time with anybody.  That in itself is a paradox, as being alone was one of the main causes of my depression!   My road to recovery began as I sat, zombie-like, in front of my computer, and a random Facebook post appeared, saying “What if when you wake up in the morning, you have only those things you thanked Heavenly Father for the night before?”  My entire perspective changed.  No longer was I depressed about not being able to see my beautiful new granddaughter.   Now I was thankful to have her, thankful for my son who sends pictures and videos, thankful for the technology which makes it possible!  But it is a long road.  Though I am no longer alone, tears were frequent, and still happen from time to time, even with medication, even with the love of my incredible, amazing wife.  She herself suffers from depression, and we support each other.  There can never be too many compliments given.  It is fun to catch a person pleasing you.  Making a note of the person who pleased you, what he or she did to please you, and how you responded to them.  And we follow wise counsel, such as the following from Jeffrey R. Holland. “Above all, never lose faith in your Father in Heaven, who loves you more than you can comprehend.”  Speaking of such love, Thomas S. Monson states “That love never changes… It is there for you when you are sad or happy, discouraged or hopeful.  God’s love is there for you whether or not you feel you deserve it.  It is simply always there.”

The Snap

Once upon a time, in a land far away, lived a high school student nicknamed Trapper.  Actually, the time was 1982.  The city was Easton, Pennsylvania – famous for Crayola crayons and Larry Holmes.  His real name was Jeff.  He carried a camera. 
It was that camera which led to a new nickname – Snapper, mainly because of the many zany snapshots he was known to take.  His love of photography and journalism provided the perfect motivation for him to begin writing a newspaper called “The Snap”.  Publication of this one copy daily newspaper ceased in June 1983, when Snapper graduated from high school.  It was briefly revived again during his college years in Columbus, Ohio.  Almost 30 years have passed, and while the paper may be ancient history, his legacy, desire to write, and snap photographs of unsuspecting prey, has never ceased.  So after much encouragement from his wife Samantha, he is entering the world of blogging.  Watch out world, HE'S BACK!!!

“For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat..."

According to Fox News, a local Chick-Fil-A came to the rescue as a rare snowstorm in the South left citizens stranded on icy interstates and highways, including Highway 280 in Birmingham, Alabama.  Thanks to the kindness and generosity of the restaurant employees and owner, Mark Meadows, a good number of stranded motorists were able to find food and shelter from the storm.

Meadows closed the restaurant and sent his staff home when the snow started to accumulate, but a few hours later, many returned to the restaurant, unable to get home due to the weather and road conditions.  Audrey Pitt, store manager recounts her experience, “Our store is about a mile and a half from the interstate and it took me two hours to get there.  It was a parking lot as far as I could see.”  Due to the conditions, Audrey decided to leave her car on the side of the interstate and joined the bundled up drivers trudging through the snow on foot.  Describing the scene, she said, “At one point there were more people walking than driving.”

The staff of the Chick-fil-A, a company founded on Christian principles, decided to lend a helping hand to the drivers – some of which had been stuck in their cars for almost seven hours without food or water.
The stranded employees that had returned to the restaurant cooked several hundred sandwiches and stood out on both sides of Highway 280 and handed out the sandwiches to anyone they could get to, slipping and sliding as they braved the falling snow and ice.  The best part – the meal was a gift and Chick-Fil-A refused to take a single penny for the sandwiches.
Stranded drivers were surprised by the free sandwiches and grateful for the hot meal.  Why didn’t Chick-Fil-A choose to make some extra money during the storm? They had a captive crowd of customers, unable to go to another restaurant, so why did they choose to give the food away?  Audrey explained, “This company is based on taking care of people and loving people before you’re worried about money or profit.  We were just trying to follow the model that we’ve all worked under for so long and the model that we’ve come to love. There was really nothing else we could have done but try to help people any way we could.”

Chick-Fil-A’s generosity didn’t stop there.  After delivering the food and even helping drivers maneuver along the icy road by pushing a car up an incline, the owner and staff took it one step further and opened up their dining room to anyone who wanted to sleep on a bench or a booth.  This morning, the weary staff members fired up their ovens once again and began preparing chicken biscuits. The only thing that Chick-Fil-A has closed is its cash register, giving the stranded motorists another free meal.
Chick-Fil-A played out the biblical values they were once fiercely criticized for following.

Matthew 25:35 “For I was hungry, and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger, and you invited Me in…”

Will this example of Christian values receive the same publicity as the others Chick-Fil-A once verbalized? Unfortunately, it’s doubtful, but for whatever it is worth, we applauds Chick-Fil-A for their ongoing demonstration of Christian values. 

Freedom of Speech

In case you haven't noticed, our First Amendment rights are constantly under attack.  Mine were attacked last week, when I posted this following video to YouTube.  I'd been shopping at Kohl's the week before, and noticed the "Duck Dynasty" bobbleheads.  I played with them, and they all spoke.  Then the Phil Robertson controversy broke, and he was fired for speaking his mind.  I found myself at Kohl's again shortly after this, and all of the Duck Dynasty dolls had been silenced.  Just like Phil himself.  I took the video, posted it to YouTube, and found it has been silenced as well!  What is this world coming to???

Auld Lang Syne

Sad to note the passing of the "World's Oldest Teenager", Dick Clark.  New Year's Eve will never be the same.