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!!!

*****Update
I am turning off comments at this point because I must again state my position in this - This is MY LDS BLOG and LDS IN NATURE, and I do not go around to Catholic Blogs debating their points of doctrine that we (as LDS Church members) do not believe in. I do appreciate the comments up to this point, and everyone has a point of view to share I understand that, but it was never my intent to start going back and forth so much over me sharing something that was simply MY OWN EXPERIENCE. Again, this being LDS in nature, and MY LDS BLOG, I can talk about the things I want, and allow the kind of content I want on it as well. God Bless Everyone who has commented on this post, I really do appreciate it.

I am talking about the difference between the way I felt when I walked into a Catholic Church (when I was in Sedona Arizona over the weekend), and how I feel inside an LDS Church. I have to admit the structure of the Romain Catholic Church built into the side of a rock in Sedona, AZ awe struck me at first. It was an amazing vision by the lady who had the idea in the first place to do it there, but thats where the amazement and awe stuck ends for me!

Here is a picture so you can get a visual of what I am talking about:

My wife and I did a “trolly tour” of Sedona, Arizona and this is one of the stops that the tour took us to. I wanted to get out and check it out because it was a way cool looking structure. My wife and I walk up the path, and walk inside. I keep walking and looking and turn around to talk to my wife and shes gone (out the door). I went ahead and followed her because I wanted to make sure everything was ok, and when I asked her she shared something with me that I wanted to share here.

I am not a hater of any faith. I served a mission in Fiji and feel I got a pretty good education on all types of faiths, and I see good in all, but that is not the point of this post. The point of this post is to share with you how I feel about the LDS (Mormon faith) and share my testimony as to the power of our Church. With all that said, please do not get offended by what I am about to say - again - I am only sharing mine, and my wifes experience here. My wife told me that she got an empty feeling when she was in the Church, and she looked over and saw a sign with gift shop hours and that really threw her off, and she wanted to run the other way. I never noticed the gift shop sign, but I could feel the empty that was in the building, and I just wanted to get out because I did not feel it was a place where the spirit would dwell.

When did this Church become so commercial? In our (LDS Faith) Church we do not profit from inside the worship places, or any of our chapels, and the feeling you get when you go inside one of ours is apparent and very different from this feeling my wife and I got upon entering this chapel.

I am very thankful for the LDS faith and the knowledge we have, and the way our Church is ran. I am also very thankful for the spirit, and letting us know the right from the wrong. I appreciate having experiences like these to help make my testimony even stronger.

Any experiences any of our readers have had similar to this that have helped their testimony grow?

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?

Not this is news to anyone, or that it surprises anyone, but the top 3 from American Idol are here, and David Archuleta is one of them!  I really wished that Brooke White could have made it to the top 3, but I do think the best 3 still remain.  I still to this day have no clue how Jason Castro made it so far.  He is such a goof ball that can’t even sing that well (American Idol styles that is) and I am glad he is out.

I was listening to the local radio station here in Phoenix Arizona this morning (which I love) called the Johnjay and Rich show, and Rich was bagging on David Archuleta and the way he sings, and the songs he picks.  I don’t know what kind of beef he has with David Archuleta (maybe because he’s Mormon?) but its stupid to say that he’s not as good as Kelly Clarkson her first year because he blows her away hands down with his voice.  David Archuleta is the only American Idol that has performed perfectly every single song that he has performed.  I am not just saying that because he’s Mormon and I’m Mormon, I am saying that because its the truth.

I think David Cook is more of the “American Idol” style I will admit to that, and I will be happy if either of the Davids win, but as far as pure talent and ability to sing - David Archuleta has it!  I still think that David Archuleta is going to win American Idol.  There is no way with his kind of singing and fan base that he can lose in my opinion.  Getting second place may be a better thing for David Cook, as he may have more freedom to do what he wants with his music.  Who knows?  I have no idea how the whole process works if you don’t win.

I am pretty proud of David Archuleta and how humble he is, and I think he is going to go far in life and make things happen with a music career.  Watching American Idol has turned into an obsession for me this year, and its cool that we have had some members of the Church make it so far!  Way to go David!

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!

The official name of the Temple that is coming to the Gila Valley (including Pima, Thatcher and Safford) is going to be Gila Valley Arizona Temple. That is a mouthful, but it is wonderful that all the saints in the Gila Valley are getting a Temple non-the-less!

I am really excited to see what the Temple is going to look like. I got sent a picture of the new Gilbert Arizona Temple from my Mom, but still nothing official. I am not sure when we will be seeing new “official” pictures released from the Church. I think a Temple is going to do wonders for the Gila Valley, and give it more beauty the you can imagine.

The Gila Valley Arizona Temple is the biggest news the faithful LDS members have had to talk about lately, at least since President Kimball growing up in Thatcher (which is still pretty cool news)!

Once again, I would just like to share how happy I am that the Gila Valley Arizona Temple is going to be constructed. It is such an amazing time to be a member of this Church, and I appreciate President Monson for all he has done, and is doing for us members of the Church!

If you find pictures, or artist renderings of The Gila Valley Arizona Temple, then please post the links to them in the comments!

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.

I am going to admit, last night was a struggle. I was very tired from a very long and hard day of working for both business and personal. Also had kids baseball games to attend and I was flat worn out, and looking forward to a good nights sleep! Around 3 A.M. I woke up to the screaming of my little 20 month old. Sometimes he wakes up, and then goes right back to sleep so I give him a minute. I wake up almost an hour later (accidentally because like I said I am tired) to find him still screaming, and now my 5 year old has added in the mix.

I am tired, frustrated, and just want to sleep and feel better for a new day. My 5 year old is telling me his room is scaring him, and the 20 month old is screaming in my ear. Hope you get a good idea of the situation. My wife is doing her best to stay awake and console as best she can too.

I decide to say a prayer and use the power of Jesus Chris and give our home a blessing and prayer of calm, and almost instantly everyone calms down and goes back to sleep.

Jesus Chris has such an amazing power that he has bestowed upon us priesthood holders, and it comes with so much responsibility. It got me thinking about how many members take the time to dedicate their homes unto the Lord. Every time I move into a new home (hopefully not for a while now with this latest move) I always dedicate my home with a blessing from the priesthood.

Blessing and dedicating your home to the Lord and his work is probably one of the most powerful things you can do to be able to get the right spirit in your homes. Your kids will sleep better, you will be safer from the outside world and temptation will have a harder time finding its way in.

I would recommend to any LDS Church member that has not dedicated their home to do so. The power of the priesthood of Jesus Chris and Heavenly Father is amazing. Even though I have been up since 3 A.M. I have never felt better! I feel so good, so blessed and am very proud to be a member of this Church!

It’s a well known fact that the Boy Scouts of America are the official activity arm for the young men of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  I currently am in the Young Men’s organization serving as the Second Councilor and this calling has given me a lot of opportunity to work in scouting as it requires me to concurrently fill the spot of Scout Master.  It’s very demanding and requires a lot of my time, but the reward of providing an example, teacher, and friend to many young men that don’t have many of those is worth the effort.

While growing up, I lacked examples, teachers, and friends as father figures and relied on my Young Men’s and Scout leaders to fill those holes.  Now, 13 years after I received my Eagle Scout Award I still have regular contact with many of those leaders and always look forward to spending time with them and their families.  They of course love to hear about my struggles with my Scouts and laugh as they look back and remember what a terror I was for them.  I have many fond memories of scouting activities including summer camps at Bear Lake, Lake Alexander, Camp Steiner, mid-week activities, basketball, camp-fire games, cook-outs, service projects, and many  more.  These memories are things I recall often as a man now and think of my goal being creating memories such as the ones I have for the scouts I now work with.

We recently took a trip down to Goblin Valley with the troop and hiked Little Wildhorse Canyon.  It was spectacular and I know I will always remember it.  Many of the boys have expressed that they really liked it as well and want to make it an annual event.  The canyon itself is a very narrow slot canyon.  You can hike up it about 3 miles to the back side of the mountains and then about 3 miles south to another slot that you can hike down to create a loop.  All said and done it’s about 9 miles from the parking lot, around, and back.

As I’ve been thinking about my scouting memories, I just thought I would share and invite you to share as well.  Please feel free to comment.