I am talking about reading scriptures, singing songs and taking the time to talk with your kids, and really see how they are doing.  It may be hard to get responses, but its worth them telling you what they did in school, and really having that feeling and confidence they can open up and be listened to.  In my house we read the animated scriptures because it really keeps the attention of a (almost) 8 year old, 5 year old and sometimes a (almost) 2 year old.  They love to see the pictures and ask more questions then you can almost handle, but its good because it shows they are into what is being read!

I usually let each one of my kids pick a favorite Church hymn, and we sing and have as much fun as we possibly can.  Each kid has their own favorite songs.  My girl likes to sing I am a child of God, or (as she calls it) “The Temple Song” (I love to see the Temple), and my 5 year old boy likes to sing the “popcorn” song because when it gets to the point where it says “I can take an armful and bake a treat” he comes up to me and squeezes me with the biggest hug ever, and this has become his tradition, as he seems to need it every night now!  I don’t mind - I love it!  We usually pick the song for my littlest.  He loves them all and just is happy to be with us.

Doing this routine for the baby is a good way of getting him calmed down and ready to go to bed, and when we do it he usually just goes right to bed, and does not spend any time crying in his bed.  I know its easier for him to fall asleep when we do our “nightly routine” because the spirit has been invited in and has a very calming effect.  I still am going to credit my kids good sleeping habits to a calming spirit, and not the memory foam mattresses they sleep on (but I am sure that helps too!)

The point - no matter how many songs you sing, or how many scriptures, or how long you talk is just to do it, and let you kids know they are important, and that the Church is important.  They see you doing this every night and it is going to sink in.  Even when you think there is no point of doing it, it is still worth it!

I am so pumped for tonights show of American Idol.  I love the styles of both Davids and wish them both well.  As far as I am concerned those are the only two in the competition left!  I said a long time ago the top three was going to be the two Davids and Michael Johns - I still believe it was a singing competition, and not a popularity competition (at times) that Johns would still be in.

I am also sad to not hear Brook White anymore still.  I heard an interview she did the other day on a local radio station here in Arizona and she is such an amazing person.  I can’t wait to see what kind of music/acting/career she puts out.

Tonight I think everyone knows that the two Davids are going to kick butt and they will be the only ones standing after tonight and the season ender will come down to the two of them.  I like them both and will buy music that each of them put out.

This has been one of the best American Idol years ever and its crazy to think how into it I have got this year.  If you are new to American Idol, or this blog and did not know - David Archuleta is a Mormon and we need to give him all the support we can, even though with all the teenyboppers and teenage girls in love with him and voting for him it won’t matter!

Good luck to everyone tonight, and I am so excited to see the performances!!!

I am so amazed at the power of the spirit my little kids posses.  I wanted to share one of the coolest things that has happened spiritually to me (because of my kids example) this week.  My 5 year old is learning to say his prayers on his own, but still needs some help, but really loves saying his prayers.  Well this week my almost 8 year old little girl offered to help him this week, and to see her so willing to teach, and be there for her little brother is so humbling to me.

As Parents we need to be teaching by example, and I know that my wife and I are not doing everything correctly, but we are at least trying and doing everything we can to set the example.  When I see my oldest offering to help with spiritual things (like she always does) it really makes me a proud parent and know that all the hard work (when it seems like the kids are not listening) does pay off!

I would love to hear about any stories where any of your kids have done something this week to humble you spiritually?

So last night I voted again (of course) for David Archuleta on American Idol, not because hes a Mormon (LDS) but because that boy can freaking sing!! Out of all the singers last night he brought his “A” game to both performances. People are always talking about him singing the safe songs that are his style - well DUH! He’s not trying to be a David Cook rocker (thats not him), he is more like a John Mayer, or even Dave Matthews type singer and can have a HUGE successful career as the winner of American Idol!

I am still pretty bummed out to see Jason Castro (who is a horrible singer and performer) on the stage still because I think the other LDS contestant (Brooke White) who got voted off last week still deserves to be up there instead of him. She has made some mistakes, but she is such an amazing singer. I loved her version of “let it be” that she sang a few weeks back. Anyway, I was pretty happy to see how well David Archuleta did because this could be a good positive press for the LDS Church, and a good opportunity for him to educate those about the church who do not understand (remember my post from yesterday)!

If you are LDS who are you voting for? Are you enjoying the success of David Archuleta? Were you bummed about Brooke White getting voted out last week too? I would love to hear what other members of the LDS faith feel about the current American Idol. I would even love to hear what non-members feel about David Archuleta and how he is doing on American Idol, or even how he might do if he were to win American Idol?

I think there is no chance of him losing, even if David Cook may be a better fit as an “American Idol” because I think his age, his personality, he has got all the tweens, and teeny boppers voting for him. He has the majority of the votes because of who he is. He is a very humble person and seems genuine about his success on American Idol.

My predictions for tonight - Jason Castro is gone - and eventually it will come between the two Davids for the winner of American Idol!

This story first reported last night makes me sick, and I hope the individuals who did this get everything that that law can throw at them.  As members of the Church we always have faced a certain amount of persecution, but the last several years have been very good to us.  In the media they are kind, even when one of the Presidential candidates was a Mormon, we get good press about being the first on scene to a disaster area and many other situations where people could (if they wanted to) attack our faith.

It is one thing to not agree with the teachings of the LDS (Mormon) Church, but to get physical about it?  That is just coward, and like I said earlier, I hope those responsible feel the full extent of the law.

In Church on Sunday we had a very good priesthood meeting talking about some of the mis-conceptions of our faith, and we only have ourselves to blame for that.  If our neighbor does not understand why our Church use to practice polygamy, then it is up to us to teach them.  If we don’t teach them, someone who is not a member of the Church will teach them, and probably not the truth.  If we don’t let our neighbors and friends know that our Church is different from the cult (FLDS Chuch) in El Dorado Texas, then who will?  They will not learn that from the media! If people do not understand that our Church official name is “The Church Of Jesus Chris Of Latter Day Saints” and that “Mormons” is just a nickname, then who will?  An interesting story was told that in one of the latest disaster relief efforts the media describes only two Churches stepping in and helping out with relief; The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saint, and The Mormon Church.  Yes, it is funny, but if we do not do a better job at letting the world know our beliefs then this is going to continue to go on.

What does all this have to do with two of our own getting beat down in Gilbert last night?  I have a feeling if there was more knowledge about our faith in the general public, there would be much less hate, and more tolerance.  It is our duty as members of this Church to educate those who do not understand what our Church is about.  I served a full time mission, but my mission did not end when the State President released me. We can’t hate these people who did this crime, we have to forgive them, and do a better job at educating them.  Hate fuels hate, and we need to be the water that puts the fire of hate out.

My heart has been pretty full as a Dad lately, and my kids have been doing an amazing job at teaching me about the power of example.  There are times when I am at Church, roaming the halls because of a screaming kid in sacrament, or because of my 20 month old refusing to go to nursery, and I wonder what the heck am I doing here?  It is probably one of the most frustrating feelings I have experienced Church wise (not wanting to be at Church because I know I am going to be roaming the halls).

So whats the point of even going?  Ok now, before I get hit with an onslaught of comments, I know the reasons, and importance of going (just take a look at the title).  Just by being there in Church, setting that example, feeling the spirit, and hopefully the kids feeling the spirit too, is the reason we go!  I do get frustrated with the little 20 month old, but he did something this week that made me realize its all worth it.

I recently shared a story about my 5 year old helping me realize the power of prayer and example, so I am pretty lucky to experience all this in the same week! Well this week my 20 month old has started to calm down during prayers, and has even folded his arm on a few occasions for the WHOLE prayer.  Any of you that have a 20 month old knows how big if a deal this really is!  So he is paying attention to what we are doing, and he is learning by example.  Even if he does not understand what prayer is, or why we do it - he knows we do it, and I hope that stays with him for the rest of his life because of how we raised him.

I have been setting a lot of personal goals lately, and one of the main ones is to start doing a better job showing my excitement for Church, and testimony with my kids.  Church has seemed like a “have to do” thing lately, and let me tell you, I have 3 kids ages 20 months to almost 8 years, so yea, I have been doing this hall walking for a while now.  It started to feel like the last 7 years my calling in Church has been “hall walker”.  I do not know how the typical Mormon family with 10 kids does it (ok that may not be typical anymore).  That has never been a want of mine, I am just fine with the number of kids I have thank you, but my hat does go off to you!

Do the right thing, set a good example, and your kids will follow you, and that is my point here!

Just had an interesting thought I wanted to pass along as I was reading a story in the Wall Street Journal about food storage.  Is anyone else as amazed as I am when it comes to the current food “scare” buzzing around in the new and on the Internet right now?  The talk about it like its amazing news, and that people should start to consider a food storage plan.

HELLO??  This is the prophet of the world talking … is anyone listening?

Our Prophets have been telling us for ages to be prepared and have a food storage.  I don’t even need to point out the current credit crisis in America and point out it is our Prophets who are encouraging everyone to get out of debt and stay out of debt.

It is recommended by our Church that we have at least a year food storage, and you can learn more about food storage by visiting the LDS website talking about food storage.  I can’t help you with your debt problems, but I can offer an amazing site I found that may be able to help you with your credit card debt.  Plastic Rewards website is a credit card comparison website that can help you put certain cards side by side and help you pick the best one for your current situation.  If you need a lower interest rate, balance transfer or 0% interest for a year, you will be able to find a card that can help you work on your debt.

The point here is to listen, and do the things the Prophets have been telling us to do for many many years now.  Get out of debt and food storage.  The world should not be so amazed that this information is all over the news right now about this topic.  LDS members are not alarmed, and I hope we are the most prepared!

To date (April 21, 2008) MyLDSDirect has received two inquiries from individuals interested in blogging. This is a great start but not nearly what we had in mind. We would literally like to have dozens of talented LDS Bloggers utilizing our top Google rankings on a regular basis. By the way, we have moved up in rank for the term “LDS Bloggers” at Google and are now on the first page at number 9. We are still a solid number 6 for the term “LDS Blog” at Google. The bottom line is that people using the Internet to find good “LDS Blogs” and talented “LDS Bloggers” are going to be visiting this Blog and we are under-utilizing these rankings.

So once again, if you have an interest in posting to the LDS community on a regular basis please contact us at info@myldsmissionary.com. All we ask is that you send an email spelling out your desire to blog to the LDS community. We will then ask you for a sample of your work, namely three unique articles written by you. Once we have reviewed your work we will most likely provide you with access to the blog. You will not be paid, but you will have a chance to create a name for yourself as an LDS Blogger and if you have websites you would like to promote we will allow a reasonable amount of linking to occur ;).
So, what are you waiting for? Contact us today and be heard!

It’s been a little over a week since the last session of LDS General Conference was held in Salt Lake City Utah.  Last night my wife and I talked at length about a few different talks that were given at the the conference and how they have been on our minds lately.  One of the talks we spoke about was the one given by Elder Ballard on the roles of Fathers and Mothers.  I guess this made me think…who else is still thinking about General Conference?

So, that is my question to you…are you still thinking about it?  If so, what talks are you thinking of?  How are they effecting your life currently?  Please post comments to share.

Thanks!

OPPORTUNITY
So here is the opportunity - we have an LDS blog with pretty incredible rankings and we are looking for a few good LDS Bloggers to make use of the DAILY traffic.

As of today, for the very relevant term “lds blog”, www.myldsdirect.com/blog has a #6 ranking with Google and a #5 ranking with MSN.

This past weekend I decided to take a look at the other top-ranked LDS blog sites and found that there are literally dozens of authors posting on these other blogs.  I thought to myself…”I wonder if there are a few LDS voices out there that would like the opportunity to take advantage of our rankings?”

HOW YOU CAN TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THIS OPPORTUNITY

If you think you might enjoy authoring blog posts which WILL BE READ by the LDS community please do the following:

1. Send an email to info@myldsmissionary.com

2. In the subject line please type lds blog author

3. In the email please provide a short “resume” or at least a short “cover letter” which explains your qualifications and your reasons for wanting to author.

WHAT WE WILL DO

After reviewing your email, if you are chosen as a community blogger, we will send to you instructions for accessing and using the blog.

THE RULES

If chosen as an author here are the rules regarding your MyLDSDirect authorship:

1. You can post on any topic you like provided it is “tasteful” and quasi-related to the LDS community.
2. You can voice your opinion. We are not looking for diplomats.
3. You can recommend products, sites, books, music, and anything else you feel your fellow LDS community member would be interested in learning about.  And yes, it is fine if you refer people to one of our “competitors.”
4. You must post an article at least once a month.

THE GOAL
I hope that together we can create one more excellent resource for the LDS community.  A blog which will stimulate those who read it by providing that little bit of controversy we all love in life, useful tips, insightful messages, and great information and product resources.

We hope to help many of you become MyLDSDirect bloggers and thereby have a real voice in the online LDS community!