Picture in your mind, and it shouldn’t take much imagination, a young boy participating in the priesthood function of the Sacrament. He lowers his head during the prayers and then gleefully hands out the water and bread to the congregation. Just like what happens every Sunday, he returns to the cloth covered table and sets down the silver trays he passed around the room. There is nothing unusual about the actions.

What is relatively different is the boy. He is far from unable to perform normal tasks, but his mental capacity is abnormally limited. During any other time he won’t sit still without trying to talk to whoever will lend him an ear. Despite his age, his thoughts and actions are far closer to a person younger than Priesthood age. Often he has to be kindly reminded his behavior is not appropriate, although lacking any serious disruptive nature.

The difference between the boy with the Sacrament tray and the same boy without it in his hand can be remarkable. You are almost awe struck by his sincere appreciation of the routine Priesthood function as you are his antics at other times. It is a reminder that the gifts and blessings of the Priesthood are beyond the people who are given the responsibilities. Continue reading →

A federal appeals court has upheld a decision saying that Jesus cannot be invoked in public prayers. As one judge says in dissent:

“Thus … the majority has dared to step in and regulate the language of prayer—the sacred dialogue between humankind and God. Such a decision treats prayer agnostically; reduces it to a civil nicety; … Most frightfully, it will require secular [authorities] to evaluate and parse particular religious prayers…”

I have a solution: let people pray however they want. If you don’t like it, you can choose to see it as protected speech and choose not to be offended.

Two new reports are out that throw a wrench in the cries concerning Global Warming.

First, Charles Monnett, the scientist who warned us that polar bears are dying in droves due to ice melting is on administrative leave while an investigation is on-going.  It is believed that Monnett fudged figures and facts for two purposes: 1. to continue receiving his $50 million federal grant money, and 2. to help push the fight against global warming.

Next, we can thank NASA satellite data from 2000 to 2011 to show us that the Earth is sending off more heat into space than global warming experts believed.  It means there is much less global warming than UN computer models predict.  Our atmosphere traps far less CO2 than the alarmist have claimed.   This is especially true with the escape of heat into space over the oceans.  And the facts show that the atmosphere sheds heat into space far sooner than the alarmist computer models predicted.

As they say: Garbage In, Garbage Out.  And may I add:  Fraudulent Data In, Garbage Out.

This definitely puts a major wrench in the global warming climate theories.  And perhaps now we can move on to truly important ecological issues, such as the Sun’s slower Sun spot activity taking us into a 30 year cooling period, or teaching our kids to recycle and care for the environment around them.