No Coincidences

Tag: god

  • Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

    Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures

    We’ve been having a difficult time with Ivy’s sleeping the last couple weeks.  This morning I woke up and Beth was awake.  I asked if Ivy got up during the night.

    Beth laughed.

    Not a good sign.

    Beth said yes Ivy did get up during the night.  She said she was rocking Ivy and could tell that Ivy was not going to go back to sleep.  So she did something drastic.

    Warning: this strategy is not recommended, and we know full and well this is NOT a good idea. 

    Beth said she GOT IN IVY’S CRIB WITH HER.  My first thoughts, it didn’t break?

    I looked at Beth and said instead, “…is that ok?”

    Beth responded that of course no, it’s not ideal.  It’s not safe and the crib could have broken.  All bad things.  Like the title of the post says, Desperate Times Call for Desperate Measures. 

    Beth continued to tell me that after a while she got out of the crib and successfully returned to our bedroom. A hero had slain the dragon. A cute little booty-up-in-the-air-dragon, but a dragon nonetheless.

    She said she got into bed and Ivy started to stir and cry.  Beth asked me if I remembered in the middle of the night her saying, “oh no.”  Beth told me I then started patting her on her back.  I vaguely remember this.

    But then a miracle happened!  Ivy went back to sleep.  Hallelujah.

    After hearing Beth’s tale, I started to meditate to prepare for the day. My mind drifted to this story as the mind is wont to do during meditation. I thought about that moment when Ivy cried and very well should have continued screaming until one of us came to get her.

    A past successful night of sleep resistance. The smug face of a champion saying, “I’m the boss here,” cross-legged and all.

    The coolest visual came to me as I was meditating. You see, that night was the first time in months that I slept a night without getting out of bed. MONTHS.

    This is the visual that came to me. Ivy started to cry, and God said, “someone do something!” And a legion, thousands of angels came pouring out of heaven to comfort and console Ivy back to sleep. Heavenly Father was like, “give that man one full night in his bed.”

    It was a true miracle and that’s the only possible explanation.

    So I say, thank you Heavenly Father, I sure needed that.

    After a good night’s sleep

    Sleep training here we come.

  • The Shack

    The Shack

    The Shack was a New York Times best seller and eventually became a motion picture.  I watched the movie before reading the book.  I liked the movie a lot so was looking forward to reading the book. 

    The Shack is a story about a man who has to come face to face with his faith and what he believes about God.  It’s written claiming to be the true experience of one man, written by his friend.

    The book is great.  It is a religious themed book with an engaging story that anyone could enjoy.  The story is one anyone can get behind.  We have all felt pain and the circumstances of the main character’s journey are easy to attach oneself to.

    I marked and highlighted throughout the book.  It’s a book with countless lines that make you stop and think.  It’s an intellectual and spiritual journey.

    I had the unique experience of watching the movie 2 or 3 years before reading the book.  I loved the movie.  The movie really made me think and expanded my view on pain, justice, mercy, and how God fits into that equation.  Surprisingly, I think the book touched on that in a different way.  That theme was there, but I remember it being more palpable in the movie experience.

    The big question I’d like to address – did this really happen?  Some of what I know to be true doctrinally was misrepresented in this story, but I still can’t say for certain that this was a story of fiction. The world is a mysterious place and I don’t want to get into a situation where I limit what God is capable of.  If He presented Himself to this man in this unique way… maybe.  Maybe it happened.  Maybe countless things happened.

    What I will say is this:  whether it happened or it didn’t happen, even if it’s a completely fictional tale, I learned something.  It expanded my mind, made me think, and I believe it even strengthened my testimony of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Ghost.  For that reason, I can say I don’t care whether the main character truly had this experience.  Even if he was just impacted by whatever experience he had in a way that led him to portray such a unique and beautiful story, that’s good enough for me.

    There is something unique at the end of the book.  The very last page has “The Missy Project.”  It states that the book became #1 on the New York Times Bestseller List on a $200 budget because of passionate readers.  It says: “if you were as taken with the message of this book as we are, you may already have some unique ideas as to how you can best let others know about it…. If you have a Web site or blog, consider sharing a bit about the book and how it touched your life.  Don’t give away the plot, but recommend that they read it as well and link to http://www.theshackbook.com.

    I checked, the website still exists these 13 years after publication.  In fact, it’s a beautiful website promoting both the movie and the book.

    This book did touch me.  It expanded my thinking.  I loved it.  I loved the movie as well. 

    A lot of the books I read few will ever read simply because people aren’t interested in the subject matters that interest me.  This book should not be avoided.  Anyone can learn and grow from this book, it’s a page turner with an engaging plot and wonderful story.  Please read it.

    If you’ve already read The Shack tell me what you thought of it.

  • Devastation of Ignorance

    Devastation of Ignorance

    Recently I was trying to do something I had no idea how to do.  Let’s call it HTML coding.  The point I need to stress here is I was starting at point 0.  I’d done little to no coding and didn’t understand HTML, and still don’t.

    It’s not my job to know HTML so it was fine, it was just something I had to figure out.

    I was doing some research and trying to understand the format needed for what I was trying to create.  Looking at the code I made some assumptions.  For example, I thought a symbol at the beginning indicated “this is the start” and a symbol at the end indicated “this is the end.”

    I spent a lot of time struggling with this.  As I thought I was figuring something out, I’d test it, and realize I was getting farther away.  I couldn’t figure out what I was doing wrong.

    I finally engaged someone I worked with.  This person knew almost nothing about HTML.  If I was a 0 this person was a 1.  He also knew very little about HTML but he immediately recognized something.  The part at the beginning that I thought indicated the start wasn’t needed at all.  It could be removed.

    I removed the beginning and it looked exactly how I needed it to.

    He knew little, but the little he knew made a huge difference.

    I realized something from this.  I saw how devastating ignorance can be.  If I knew just a little, I could have completed this task very quickly.  Instead, I spent a lot of time going in circles.

    Why is knowledge so important?  Because ignorance kills.

    I think we see this principle amplified in our society today.  We are surrounded by misinformation and while we’re in the age of technology and information is at our fingertips, false information is as easily accessible as true information.

    What this makes me appreciate is the truth and knowledge of God.  There is no misinformation with Him.  There is no ignorance.  God knows our yesterday, today, and tomorrow.  He is all truth.

    I’m glad that what we learn here goes with us.  I’m glad the knowledge we gain here stays with us and helps us.  This is one of my favorite principles of the gospel. 

  • Faith of an Atheist

    Faith of an Atheist

    I recently heard something I found interesting.  “I don’t have enough faith to be an atheist.”

    This statement came from a religious person who was speaking with a person who said they were an atheist.

    The religious person asked, “Do you hope you’re wrong?”

    The atheist replied, “Yes, I do.”

    The religious person replied, “Good, otherwise you would be hoping for something that is inherently bad, so that’s good, your hope is for something good.”

    Hope.

    Can we hope for something bad?

    The atheist went on to say that he used to be “very Christian.”  But he just doesn’t believe it anymore.  He doesn’t believe there is any life after this.  But he hopes there is.  I find that sad.

    What’s the evidence he relies upon to have a belief that nothing exists after this life?  He couldn’t say.  Just a feeling.  He just didn’t believe it anymore.

    I find that extraordinarily sad.

    Why would we believe one thing and hope for another?

    I’d love for an atheist to have this discussion with me.  Not to argue.  For me to try to understand.

    The religious individual went on to say he didn’t have enough faith to be an atheist.  He didn’t have enough faith to believe that the infinite amount of coincidences that needed to happen for this earth to be formed and for life to flourish on it, he didn’t have that faith.  It was much easier for him to have faith in a supreme creator that built and made this all work.

    I found that to be an interesting point.  Is it easier to believe there was a BANG and the jigsaw puzzle fell together?  Or is it easier to believe there is One God?

    You know where I stand on this.

    No Coincidences. 

  • Letter to a Lost Testimony

    Letter to a Lost Testimony

    Someone close to me once said, “I hope you never lose your testimony.  I’ve lost almost everything in life.  I’ve lost a wife, jobs, money, houses, cars, friends; but none of it, none of it, compares to losing my testimony.  I wouldn’t wish it upon my worst enemy.”

    This person, I’m very close with, I love him very much.  This person has completely “fallen away” from the Church, as we say. 

    He is a great person.

    I could have been him.

    I could have gotten confused by doctrine, church history, and the plethora of other things to get confused by.  I could have lost sight of the most important thing – Jesus Christ.  It could happen to any of us.

    I’ve long thought and pondered to myself ‘how can I help him return?’ Maybe I’m starting to learn I can maybe help him return, but I won’t be able to make him return.  I’ve thought about lectures on DNA, elephants, steel, and horses.  I’m prepared to discuss it all.  But in the end that doesn’t matter.  It really doesn’t.  The Book of Mormon will have its day.  Every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess that Jesus is the Christ. 

    Getting into the discussions that led him away from the church – DNA, horses, elephants – that’s not going to help him return.  Only the spirit, which I know he once felt, can help him return.

    So, here is my letter to you.  This is to a particular person in my life, but I think it can apply to so many people, to so many lives.

    Thank you.  Thank you for that quote you told me once above.  I think about it often.  Thank you for your kind heart, thank you for being an example to me.  Thank you for reminding me that Christ’s Church is sometimes only as good as we make it.  Thank you for encouraging me to read, and study, and KNOW it’s true.  Your study of the gospel is legendary.  I’ve heard of it not just from others.  I know you studied.  At some point you were deceived.  No more flattering words or trying to softly deliver this message to your ego.  You were deceived.

    It’s not too late.  It’s not too late to remember.  It’s not too late to regain your testimony.  You talk as if a testimony, once lost, can never return.  As if you know too much and you can’t go back.  I’m here to remind you, as I know God has over the past decades, that you know nothing.  Try to read again, please.  That’s all I ask.  If only to prove me wrong.  I know where peace comes from, and I want to remind you.

    I know maybe The Church isn’t for everybody in this life.  Or maybe that’s something I think so I don’t feel as bad when I can’t help someone see what I see and find the peace I’ve found.  I know you’re happy.  I know you’re OK.  But I also know you can come back to so much more.

    Finally, you were and are a good dad.  You made mistakes.  Your children love you immensely, I know that.  Don’t ever confuse your mistakes to be unforgivable.  I know life as a father isn’t always perfect.  You have children as stubborn and as difficult as you are (I’m looking at all of you).  Another thing you said about my dad has stuck with me since you said it roughly 9 years ago.  I am lucky to have him, but I want to remind you that your family is lucky to have you too.  We’re all lucky to have you.

    I love you and so does He.