tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-78259837244242258512011-07-07T19:29:11.306-06:00Prepare your minds for that which is, and which is to come.MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.comBlogger301100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-39267325533940206562009-08-24T10:10:00.002-06:002009-08-24T10:16:28.267-06:00

5. Women get it quicker.4. Creation has order and purpose.3. We need to be "looking for His messengers".2. Accept responsibility for our actions. "And I did eat."1. Sources of joy: posterity, "filling the measure of your creation", doing your job well ("dress this garden")

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-31356469312510870712009-07-23T10:24:00.003-06:002009-07-23T10:29:31.431-06:00

I just read another advice column from a dad to his kids and grandkids. All good stuff, but just went on and on, and I thought way to wordy and detailed for today's generations. So I wrote my advice using Twitter constraints: has to be 140 characters or less. Here you go, at 140 characters. Enjoy!Dream big, go bigKind is better than cleverChoose wisely, then keep at itGod knows and caresNever

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-29423108830305494792009-07-08T16:35:00.002-06:002009-07-08T16:44:38.256-06:00

In a talk a few years ago, President Eyring talks about child and parent parting:"In time, when the child is away from home and family, prayer can provide the shield of protection the parent will want so much for them to have. Parting can be hard, particularly when the parent and the child know that they may not see each other for a long time. I had that experience with my father. We parted on a

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-55452747419236836402009-06-16T23:14:00.002-06:002009-06-16T23:20:19.186-06:00

Elder Oaks helps us understand the importance of service, of living for more than just ourselves."A selfish person is more interested in pleasing man—especially himself—than in pleasing God. He looks only to his own needs and desires. He walks “in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world” (D&C 1:16). Such a person becomes disconnected from the

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-62245975483109767552009-06-05T15:19:00.002-06:002009-06-05T15:23:22.371-06:00

OK, missed a week while I was in San Francisco. Here's an early start, nine days to read a seminal message on Jesus Christ and what his suffering means for us."But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. The trust He lived by told Him in spite of His feelings that divine compassion is never absent, that God is always faithful

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-82984746492478125032009-05-24T11:10:00.002-06:002009-05-24T11:18:15.812-06:00

Read, and comment if you wish...This week is Dieter Uchtdorf's talk, "We are doing a great work, and cannot come down". "Pause for a moment and check where your own heart and thoughts are. Are you focused on the things that matter most? How you spend your quiet time may provide a valuable clue. Where do your thoughts go when the pressure of deadlines is gone? Are your thoughts and heart focused

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-4402720083411005442009-05-18T18:55:00.004-06:002009-05-18T19:23:34.933-06:00

I'd like to try something different, using this blog site. Once a week, we'll post an intro and link to one of the most recent conference talks. Please read the talk, and then come back here and comment--just anything that stood out to you, or maybe a response to other comments. My hope it that this can become an engaging exchange of thoughts, encouraging us to revisit the conference

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-3619485518155382682009-02-09T21:14:00.003-07:002009-02-09T21:41:07.360-07:00

Dean Koontz writes thriller books, almost horror. He presents truly evil characters who have some triumphs along the way, but are defeated by common people with uncommon, unsought for courage. The books are not for the faint of heart, but bear fruit in the ultimate triumph of good.In his books from the last decade or so, Koontz also has freely woven in Koontz philosophy into his books, small gems

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-34708562883774048322009-01-27T16:13:00.002-07:002009-01-27T16:15:29.928-07:00

Last Saturday, January 24th, was my father's 84th birthday. 25 years ago, on my dad's 59th birthday, Steve Jobs introduced the Macintosh to the world. And I've worked on one or had one at home ever since. Here's a tribute to the moment.

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-83001977609983707022009-01-14T10:24:00.006-07:002009-01-14T13:42:05.238-07:00

I went to Oak Junior High School in Los Alamitos, CA, grades 7-9, and had a great time. Here's a list of the most important classes I took. They weren't always my favorites, just the ones that have made the most difference in my life.5. German. Started German in 9th grade and did well with Mr. Hale. My acquaintance with a foreign language, and specifically German, helped me out four years later

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-41488420625524509752009-01-08T11:52:00.006-07:002009-01-14T13:43:38.288-07:00

I just ran across this book, 25 Lessons I Have Learned (about photography), by the NY photographer Lorenzo. Great for photographers, but the lessons apply equally well to life in general. After you've looked at the first five here (all of them in his own words), go to Lorenzo's web site to read them all. He's done a good job of briefly stating each lesson and offering a photograph that

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-62261150887455192252008-12-31T13:35:00.004-07:002009-01-14T13:52:18.000-07:00

Everyone else is doing it, why don't I ? Here are my top five highly personalized best things of 2008.5. Economics I. The company I work for, Novell, continued to do well enough to keep me employed, God bless 'em.4. Economics II. The real estate investment we went into in 2005 went south this year, and we sold it in November for a loss. But, we avoided a bone-crushing loss and feel light as

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-83323639238234056452008-12-29T20:05:00.004-07:002009-01-08T22:59:29.504-07:00

James Sorenson, successful businessman and philanthropist, was the richest person in Utah when he died earlier this year. Here are his five tips to success in life and business.5. No. 1, decide and find out who you are. And what you want.4. Focus on your most important goals. List six things you really want in life, then pare the list to three. Most of us have too many goals and all with the same

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-3500045523373840452008-12-27T20:56:00.006-07:002009-01-14T13:46:58.703-07:00

In case you ever wondered what the LDS church is doing in humanitarian services, or whether it helps... Titles are also links to the original stories.5. An atheist says Africa needs God. In this column, Mathew Parris argues that in spite of his personal atheism, God--specifically the Christian God--is good for Africa.4. LDS Church aids in reducing measles. Incidents of measles worldwide have been

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-1700397565539297752008-12-21T11:17:00.006-07:002009-01-14T13:47:50.280-07:00

Here are some lines that deeply affect me from a range of Christmas carols. If you know the tunes, let them roll around in your heart as you read the words. The titles link to video performances of each song.5. Some Children See HimThe Children in each different placewill see the baby Jesus' facelike theirs, but bright with heavenly grace,and filled with holy light.O lay aside each earthly

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-12660152259380943742008-11-26T09:47:00.005-07:002008-11-26T11:10:55.490-07:00

Just read a nice post from Garrison Keillor on things to do to become a Minnesotan. He focused on 'getting in tune with the land' kind of stuff, but it got me thinking: What should a new transplant do to become a real Utahn? First thing of course is, never spell it Utahan. But here are my real top five, from my perspective as a transplant (1995):5. Get in tune with the land. Visit the many places

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-54145087404251347782008-11-25T14:18:00.003-07:002008-11-25T14:26:57.377-07:00

Lots going on, and I find myself in this guy's situation:

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-9383637006304880792008-11-04T15:26:00.003-07:002008-11-26T11:11:44.704-07:00

Specifically for Kevin and Kaylene and their boys, who will be moving back to Utah from Houston later this month!5. Kaylene's business. Not so much here for quinceaneros, but tons of weddings and families dying for a great photographer.4. Nice summers. OK, winters maybe not so nice, but Michael did really want to build a snowman. Just think "April's coming!"3. Kevin gains experience. To go with

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-1107026922954936722008-10-26T23:17:00.004-06:002008-10-27T00:06:31.141-06:00

Sort of like true confessions, but at least most of these happened when I was a kid.5. Squawk! When I was ten our family moved to Rossmoor, in Orange County just east of Long Beach. The LDS church was still building up in this area, so for a year or so we met in the Masonic Temple in Long Beach. One Sunday our Primary was singing "I Know that my Redeemer Lives", and I had a solo for the second

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-66524441486447939142008-10-20T12:54:00.003-06:002008-10-20T14:09:20.911-06:00

Here are my favorite scriptures today. Does this selection tell you more about the scriptures, or about me?5. 2 Timothy 2:6 "The husbandman that laboureth must be first partaker of the fruits."I was in the Language Training Mission preparing for a mission in Germany when I read this. I understood this to mean that I as a missionary needed to experience the fruits of the Spirit and of testimony

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-66990704990901228842008-10-16T09:31:00.009-06:002008-10-16T21:46:51.545-06:00

Don't know why, but this morning I've been thinking about parents and grandparents who've 'gone on'. So click on these three tribute videos (special discount from my normal five), to help you remember them3. Remember, Josh Groban. I know, the song was written for Achilles, pleading for us to remember what a heroic guy he was. But I've adopted this song for family history, each of our ancestors

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-46297651160492807502008-10-10T16:01:00.003-06:002008-10-16T21:47:43.083-06:00

So here's one thing I like about each of my five kids. No numbers today, since I'm not ranking them (!), I'll just talk about them from youngest to oldest.Dallin. He is great working with people, and has an interesting range of friends at school and at work. Quick with a smile and a joke, he can charm the socks off a snake. I like his loyalty, too. He won't let you run roughshod over him, but if

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-7711752614839339542008-10-04T15:46:00.006-06:002008-10-16T21:48:40.725-06:00

Here are the five earliest of my ancestor families to join the LDS church. It's worth noting that through the Buchanan, Hatch, and Curtis lines, my grandchildren are tenth generation Mormons.5. Aldura Sumner Hatch, February 1840. Taught and baptized in Lincoln, Vermont by Elders Sisson Chase and Peltiah Brown. "The ice was a foot deep; and before they could be baptized, a hole had to be cut

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-49332619320543953882008-10-01T08:50:00.006-06:002008-10-16T21:49:28.843-06:00

From a mix of personal experience and a reading of history. Look here for another, well-written list.5. Andrew Johnson, 1865-1869. Elected as an afterthought to Lincoln, took over upon his assassination. Vetoed the first civil rights bill, saying "this is a country for white men, and by God, as long as I am President, it shall be a government for white men.” Nasty nature ensured that the deep

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-16214608332301629532008-09-24T18:47:00.006-06:002008-10-16T21:50:33.935-06:00

Mostly ones that passed on before I came along. I have a fascination with ancestors that were among the first of their lines to join the church--four of the five here meet that criteria.5. William Marks Miles, 1828-1897. Just six when his family joined the church in Freedom, NY. His father recently dead, he was bartending and figuring whether to go west with his family and the saints. Saw a dove

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-20709971955795436912008-09-21T21:57:00.005-06:002008-10-16T21:51:47.441-06:00

After getting all the vacations down that were my top five, my wife asked, "What about the round the world trip we took in 1985?" Oh yeah--a once in a lifetime venture for sure! So here are the top five things we experienced on that trip--me, Peggy, Sam, Afton, and Kevin. We started off from Saudi Arabia, visiting these places:5. Hong Kong. Skyscrapers, ferries, the tram to Victoria Peak, the

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-78369480887240319112008-09-16T18:33:00.001-06:002008-10-16T21:52:40.731-06:00

5. Cross Country to New York, 1965. My parents, brother Tom, and I drove from LA to NY to pick up my oldest brother Dick from his mission in New York. I was 14, and it is the first big road trip I remember going on. The mountains in Wyoming, historical sites like the Abraham Lincoln site in Springfield, the NY world's fair, the Cumorah Pageant, and an unending parade of Best Western's are all

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-18306041487790101112008-09-14T08:26:00.001-06:002008-10-16T21:53:41.724-06:00

On the return from a recent business trip to Ireland and the UK, I had a connecting flight to get me to the nonstop Paris-SLC flight (with a 90-minute layover), but Icame perilously close to missing the flight back to Salt Lake. Here are the five steps that nearly got me cooling my heels in the Paris airport:5. Set up the world's worst check in system for Heathrow airport. Multiple lines, one so

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-21628344092106655942008-09-02T22:56:00.001-06:002008-10-16T21:54:25.876-06:00

5. Alafua College Mango. When we lived in Samoa, the local agricultural college had an ice cream making facility. We'd buy half gallons of a few different flavors. My favorite was the mango, creamy and infused with local mangoes.4. Italienischer Eis. Italian ice cream, all kinds of flavors served in small stores in Germany. Maddeningly small portions, but only one Deutschmark, and refreshingly

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7825983724424225851.post-32562874113179757482008-09-01T11:29:00.001-06:002008-10-16T21:55:23.115-06:00

5. Heber J. Grant. He makes the top five for one talk he gave, teaching about perseverance and combating the lies that Satan uses to keep us from our potential. President Grant mentioned how he was in debt over $100,000 (an even more enormous sum in the early 20th century), and felt inspired to admit his debt over the pulpit, and proclaim he would have the debt settled within a year. When he sat

MarkShttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00667135616144802607noreply@blogger.com4