For those still stuck in the mode of “Mitt Romney can’t win because the evangelicals hate Mormons,” I have a few things you may want to read.

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The bishop extended a new calling to me last Sunday. One of the first things I did was to start thinking of the software tools that I could write to facilitate the record keeping and communication required in the calling. Then I saw Molly Bennion’s post about innovating in callings, which led me to make a public committment to do something, which led me to make a private committment to the project to an individual who emailed me after seeing my comment.

All this got me to thinking about an idea I had a while ago. Wouldn’t it be great to have a central repository of freeware and open source software for LDS audiences?

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Should there be limits on what parents are allowed to teach their children? If so, what should they be? I suppose there are two aspects to this question. What limits there ideally should be independent of the problem of enforcement and then the practical issue of where we as a society should draw the line. That is we might look at parents and say, “they ought not be doing that,” but feel it inappropriate to interfere.

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Click on the link. On the other end of that link resides a newspaper column from the October 10, 2006 Daily Texan (the student newspaper of UT-Austin).

I should probably follow my own writing advice more. But, if avoiding the passive voice in your own writing interests you, you might enjoy it.

Or you might think of my many half dashed off (and barely comprehensible) blog posts and comments and decide to stay far away from any writing advice that would spill from my pen (or keyboard).

Whatever makes you happy.

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This past Sunday, one of the sisters in my ward got up to share her testimony. She and I work together as fellow writing minions and are casual friends (we may become better friends in time; it takes me a while to get close to people), so I know a bit about some struggles she is going through right now, which made her testimony even more touching to me.

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It was my second week in the ward. Brother Aamodt, who was conducting priesthood meeting, closed the session with a request. “Brethren, as you know, we have been lacking musical talent in our priesthood quorums for some time. Could you pray that we might have some sent to us?” I waited for the laughter — Brother Aamodt had been the accompanist for the opening hymn, and had done a perfectly fine job. There were a few smiles, but even more nods.

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I was listening to the radio this morning and they were discussing whether there was the start of a new “Great Awakening.” As you recall this basically a rise in focus on religion in the country. The period around Joseph Smith’s First Vision was during one of these periods in American History. The justifications for this were actually quite compelling. But what really caught my interest was mention of a movement I’d never heard about but which is counting for a lot of Evangelical growth among the young in big cities. It’s called Prosperity Gospel. Basically it’s the idea that if you are “saved” that God wants you to be rich. I’m sure we’ve all met Mormons who adopt a similar view. It’s so completely opposite to what I understand of Christianity that I was frankly surprised that it represented such a large growth in Evangelical circles.

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Seems like the bloggernacle is jumping with posts on bodies and embodiment. However, one thing I notice about blogging is the lack of embodiment. In fact, I think this facet of internet discussion actually makes it easier to engage in angry, hyperbolic rants and flame wars.

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Back when I was single it was easy to be socially involved. You had these huge stretches of free time you used up visiting people, doing activities and so forth. Once you get married and have kids though finding free time to be social is hard. Even within your ward.

I have to admit this has been my failing the past year or two. I went from always having 100% home teaching to being much more spotty. I don’t know as many people in the ward as I’d like. And getting out to be social - forget about it.

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