Farewell

Today, two momentous things.

Thing First: Isaac gave his farewell talk. He had me read a copy beforehand, and it was great.

As it's out in public, I'll put the text below so I always remember it.

But I love how happy he looks in this photo, sneaked in the chapel before his talk.

Thing Second: Brother Coletti almost ran out of No. 1s for the hymn list today. We've been endlessly entertained watching him sneak 7s into the list when he runs out.

 Nearly 30 years before I was born, President Spencer W. Kimball taught “God does notice us, and he watches over us. But it is usually through another person that he meets our needs. Therefore, it is vital that we serve each other in the kingdom” (December 1974 Ensign “Small Acts of Service”). The more I’ve thought about that statement, the more I’ve started to realize something. As the Lord gives us the opportunity to serve, the people we serve aren’t alone in receiving his blessings, he is blessing us too. Upon reflecting on the opportunities the Lord has given me to serve, I have quickly recognized the way each one has strengthened my testimony and brought me that much closer to Jesus Christ.

The first and most consistent opportunity I was given was the many years I have spent at Island Park Scout Camp. Mom hauled us up to camp one summer to work in the kitchen with a family friend, and it quickly became a huge part of who I am. As I spent my summers growing up at camp, I was exposed to numerous examples of leading, serving, and prioritizing the needs of those around me. At the young age of 7, I was welcomed and served by the staff of the camp despite not having a place among them. I spent a number of years watching the way the staff served those who came to participate in the camp, and I eagerly awaited my opportunity to do so.

When my time finally came, I ran with it. I spent nearly a decade teaching classes, serving the units, and serving the scouts and the camp. Whether that was in the form of welcoming units to camp, answering questions, bringing them to campwide events, or helping them complete their classes, I found great joy in spending time with and serving those scouts and leaders, so much so that it seemed like I spent August back through to May waiting for the opportunity to head back to camp.

Then, last year, something changed. Up until the spring of 2025, I had always been able to get the time off I needed from work to spend time up at camp. Whether that came in the form of my job giving me the required time off, a conveniently timed transition to another job during the summer, or altogether quitting my job, I always made my way back. Last year was different.

At the time I was working for Reed’s Dairy, in their production facility, and due to the nature of the position I was in, and summer being the peak season for ice cream sales, I was unable to take the time off for camp. This greatly impacted me. I lost the most present and consistent opportunity for service that I had been blessed with. By no coincidence, this is also the time at which my testimony suffered the most. It was small changes at first. Forgetting my nightly prayer, spending a Sunday with friends instead of at church, or skipping the YSA activities. Over time, things began to add up, and all of the sudden I found myself in a dark place.

This summer looked much the same, but due to some late subtractions and reassignments within the camp’s staff roster, I found myself with the chance to go back up one final summer before my mission. This opportunity and the youth, adult leaders, and staff that I spent the summer working with and serving taught me a few things. The more we serve and look after the needs of others, the happier we will be, and the greater we will be blessed. This thought was reinforced for me this week as I studied a talk by President Thomas S. Monson titled “What Have I Done for Someone Today”. In it, he says, “The Savior taught His disciples, ‘For whosoever will save his life shall lose it: but whosoever will lose his life for my sake, the same shall save it’. I believe the Savior is telling us that unless we lose ourselves in service to others, there is little purpose to our own lives. Those who live only for themselves eventually shrivel up and figuratively lose their lives, while those who lose themselves in service to others grow and flourish–and in effect save their lives.” End quote. 

The thought that we will be better off and grow more when we focus on the needs of others is amazing, and as I look back I realize just how much my experiences at camp taught me to notice people the way Christ noticed people, and to love them the best way I know how, regardless of whether they seek it out or not.

Even within scouting, camp is not the only opportunity I’ve been given to learn to serve others. As many of you know, the Eagle Scout is the highest rank awarded within the BSA, and one of the final steps is to organize, lead, and complete a service project benefitting the community. This project aims to emphasize leading others to serve those around you, and from a more eternal perspective, it aids in shifting our focus from ourselves and our own learning towards the needs of others. As it says in Mosiah 2:17, “When ye are in the service of your fellow beings, ye are only in the service of your God”. My Eagle Project was an opportunity to use my time and talents to serve the Lord by serving His children. By sacrificing my time and effort for others, I felt the Holy Ghost more present in my life. As we do this, we can become more like the Savior, whose Atonement was the ultimate sacrifice and service. 

This leads me to another aspect of serving others that has strengthened my testimony and forever changed my personal relationship with Christ: attitude. Another organization within the Boy Scouts that I was given a chance to experience, learn, and grow from was something called the Order of the Arrow. This is the honor society of the BSA, and exists to recognize those who best exemplify the Oath and Law, and to develop leadership through service to their local communities. Within scouting, it is quite often referred to as the “Brotherhood of Cheerful Service”.

Now, OA, as it’s referred to for short, is not about being noticed or recognized, but rather to cheerfully provide service that can positively improve the experience of others. This, again, reminded me of the way Christ spent his ministry on Earth. He spent so much of his time quietly serving others, lifting people one by one, without any desire for praise or recognition. He simply served them out of love. That doesn’t mean that my testimony is growing because I have worn an OA sash, or because I spent a dozen weekends up at Island Park, instead, every time I choose to cheerfully serve those around me instead of focusing on myself, I feel just that much closer to the Savior.

Additionally, the way we approach service can work wonders on our hearts and minds. As we become less concerned with our desires or the struggles of our daily lives, and start to focus on what we can do for the lives of those around us, we become closer to Heavenly Father and what he wants for His children.

While Order of the Arrow did in fact help me become a better scout, it did so much more than that. It helped prepare me to be a better disciple. I have come to enjoy service, with or without recognition, serve even when it wasn’t convenient, and find joy in helping others. These qualities are all vital to missionary work and bringing yourself and others around you closer to Christ.

However, scouting is just one of many ways I and countless others have been blessed to serve. Quite possibly my favorite form of service in recent months has been the chances I have had to serve in and attend the temple. In fact, temple work is the prime example of serving others without any recognition, and it is a form of service through which you are acting completely selflessly. Think about it, most kinds of service have some sort of tangibility to it. Whether that is building something within the community, bringing your elderly neighbor (or father’s) groceries in, teaching someone, spending time with someone, or even just making someone else laugh. The temple, on the other hand, is completely different. We give our time, attention, WORTHINESS, and love for people that we’ve never even met in this life.

Within the temple, while performing that service and those ordinances, whether it be baptisms and confirmations, or initiatories and endowments, we are instruments in the Lord’s hands. Those who we are serving simply cannot serve themselves, and as such rely on our willingness and active decision to serve in order to receive the same blessings we have the ability to receive. While we are by no means replacing the Savior, we are participating in His work, and as such we should do anything in our power to take advantage of this opportunity.

Personally, since receiving my endowment at the beginning of the summer, I have been able to attend nearly a dozen times in the leadup to my mission. These sessions have strengthened my testimony in a way that only temple service can, and has brought me so much closer to Christ, all the while serving as an opportunity to help those who won't have the chance to make those covenants on their own. Alongside these sessions, I was blessed with the chance to attend the temple and do baptisms for the dead 3 days in a row this past week with a couple friends. I quickly noticed the positive impact it had on my day, the peace I felt both in the temple and throughout the rest of the day, and found myself looking forward to the chance to go back the following morning. In his talk titled “Make Time for the Lord” in October General Conference of 2021, President Russel M. Nelson reminds us “Nothing will strengthen your spiritual foundation like temple service and temple worship”. Temple service isn’t just a blessing for those on the other side of the veil, it also changes us and allows us to come closer to Christ.

While our work in the temple consists of performing ordinances for those beyond the veil, missionary work is a way in which we can assist the living in preparing to receive those same ordinances. Again I am reminded of something shared with us by President Nelson who taught “Anytime you do anything that helps anyone–on either side of the veil–take a step toward making covenants with God and receiving their essential baptismal and temple ordinances, you are helping to gather Israel. It is as simple as that” (“Hope of Israel” Worldwide Youth Devotional, June 3, 2018).

Although missionary work is centered around the doctrine, I have learned that there is so much more to it. In Alma 17, Ammon traveled to the land of the Lamanites with the intention of sharing the gospel. As he was brought before the king of the Lamanites, King Lamoni, he was questioned on his purpose. He expressed his desire to dwell with the Lamanites, and King Lamoni was not only pleased with Ammon, but even offered up one of his daughters to Ammon to wife. However, Ammon instead asked if he could be a servant to the king. As he watched over the king’s flocks, he valiantly defended them from thieves with his sling, and ultimately smote the arms off of any who approached him. Ammon did this not to seek recognition, but out of love and through his faithfulness. In fact, while the rest of the king’s servants rushed in to the king to tell him about Ammon’s courage, Ammon returned to the stables to tend to the king’s horses and chariots, as he had been commanded previously.

Ultimately, the service Ammon provided to King Lamoni opened the hearts of the king and the his people, and they were willing to listen to his testimony of Christ and the Plan of Salvation. Through simple acts of humble service, Ammon earned their trust, opened the door to teach the gospel, and eventually witnessed the conversion of King Lamoni and many of the people around him through the power of the Holy Ghost.

As it turns out, that same principle has been true in my life. Whether that was my participation in scout camp, the completion of my eagle project, the service I completed in the Order of the Arrow, serving in the temple, or preparing for my mission, I have come to know that service changes not only the lives of those we help, it changes us. If we serve with love, our testimonies will be strengthened as we become more like the Savior.

Alongside the example of Ammon, I’ve witnessed firsthand through spending time with the missionaries in our ward that oftentimes, the most effective way to minister is to simply treat everyone with kindness, lend service, and meet the needs of those around you. As we minister to those around us, they will be more receptive to the doctrine and the love we want to share. So often in Christ’s own life and ministry, he too would first bless, heal, and comfort people before he taught. Such examples include the woman at the well in Samaria, the blind man, and Zacchaeus. In each of these instances, Christ saw the individual, met them where they were, and showed them His love. That love, in turned, opened their hearts to Him.

All of these examples, Ammon’s time with the Lamanites, and my time with the missionaries have all taught me a crucial lesson as I prepare to serve. Missionary work isn’t all about winning debates with those of other faiths, teaching lessons, or knocking a certain number of doors, but rather about loving God’s children enough to introduce them to the Savior and his Atonement. The things they learn and the gospel we spread will work wonders in their lives, but our charity is what opens the door.

The Lord continually provides us the opportunity to serve, not just to help his children, but to allow us to grow in our testimonies and become more like Him. The opportunities we are given to serve can be stepping stones in our path back to Heavenly Father, and have most certainly brought me closer to Him and his gospel, slowly but surely over time. And while scout camp, my eagle project, order of the arrow, service in the temple, and now my upcoming mission have been my personal stepping stones, the Lord knows each of us individually and as such carefully places those opportunities into our lives that he knows will best serve us and allow us to serve others.

I’d like to invite you all to think about the stepping stones the Lord has placed into your lives, and consider how your testimony has been and can continue to be strengthened. Consider how you can be drawn closer to him as you continue to serve those around you.

I know just how great the impact of service, and that the Lord blesses those who love, serve, and minister to others. I know that as we serve, our testimonies will be strengthened as we turn our hearts to the will of the Father, and that through this we can become more like Him. I know that this church is true. I know that Arizona is the place the Lord knows I will best serve His children, and that through His power I can help gather Israel. I know the Book of Mormon is true, and that when we study and pray with real intent that our testimonies will grow, and that we will come to know of its truth. I know my Heavenly Father loves me, and that no matter how hard it might be to leave behind my life, family, friends, and obligations, that this opportunity to serve the Lord and His children is one I cannot take for granted.

Amen.

I'm not A Very Good Artist

Today's task -- a surprise one to me -- included a few tasks in the kitchen.

I started painting the kitchen ceiling a while back, so today was the day to finish. That included the ceiling patch over the kitchen itself, doing a bit of ceiling caulking, and then trying to touch up the paint on these plaster bricks where over time some dings happened and exposed the white plaster underneath.

I'm not very good at it, but from a distance the bricks look better than they did.

I did make a complete mess in the kitchen. I need to get back up there and commit a tidying before Michelle gets home.

I also re-caulked the backsplash behind the sink, complete with new caulk and some better backer rod. We really need to replace the cabinets and countertops, but it's just not in the budget.

 

Heyyy, Uppp! Heyyy, Upp!

This morning's sunrise from the work parking lot, with the sun shining through the lingering smoke from the Big Rock Fire up near Heise.

[Grumbles through parking lot to work.]

Old Man Injury

Anybody remember how I got this scrape on my leg? Because I don't.

Way too Late at the Movies: Hunt for the Wilderpeople

To be honest, I had no idea "Hunt for the Wilderpeople" from 2016 existed.

But my 2026 is richer having seen it.

I could be cute and talk about how it's a sleeper film from New Zealand, which is true, but I won't be cute. The film speaks for itself.

Personally, I want to be Psycho Sam when I grow up:

But I don't think I have enough pots to wear to keep the government out of my mind.

Seriously fun movie. See it if you haven't. We laughed all the way through it. Though it also has some pretty strong messaging about family, and what constitutes a family, and how sometimes officialdom gets in the way of what a family is or at least could be.

It's a Taika Waititi film, and he's always had me curious. I still really want to see his "JoJo Rabbit," though I'm not quite sure I'm ready for that film yet. It's light and dark, from what I understand. Anway, I'll watch for his name with interest.

Vacant Lot

Most everyone in this town would look at this stretch of 25th East between Iona Road and the Yellowstone Highway and see some vacant lots.

Well, not quite vacant, because this map is old, and at the corner of 25th East and Iona is a business: Idaho Monument Company, the gravestone marketer that's relocating from the corner of 25th East and the highway, a few lots out of shot.

Why are the lots vacant? The county and state are working on a road project to widen 25th East and fix the intersection at the US highway, and the houses and business there had to go.

Progress, you say. We have serious need to improve the road infrastructure in this town because of the increased population and the traffic that population brought with it.

I agree.

I also happen to have grown up in a house built by my Dad on the lot outlined in red.

There's a fair contingent of folks around here who want better roads, but don't want those better roads built near where they live.

Guess what?

For better roads, some sacrifices have to be made. Maybe it's part of the family farm, or a beloved tree, or what have you. Or maybe it's the brick rambler your Dad built a bit at a time for his family of eight kids, who really have a lot of fond memories of that house.

It was no longer in the family. Mom and Dad have passed on, and for a while one of their sons owned the house, but they eventually moved on and the house was sold, as houses often are.

When we learned the house had been sold and was going to be torn down, we were sad.

But I got to thinking about the house. It actually talked to me in a dream, of all things. It said it was tired. It served us well, but that it was time to move on. It reminded me that the memories of the people who lived in that house are much more important than any structure ever could be.

We do have a few material souvenirs. As the house was demolished, our oldest brother got permission to go onto the property and salvage enough bricks that all of the siblings could have one. The brick sits on my desk as I write this.

And it's okay.

Of the three houses my wife and I have owned, one is no more, It survived the Teton Dam flood in 1976; when we remodeled the basement we found dried flood mud atop the foundation. It had been built in the 1920s. But it too was tired, and was demolished to make way for student housing for nearby BYU-Idaho. And again, that's okay. That house served us well, gave us comfortable shelter, and convinced us we weren't cut out to be landlords as we rented the basement out.

Progress.

I know everyone doesn't see it that way. It's just how I see it. It's okay. We move on. And preserve the memories we have.

Our Niagara Falls

 

A little sneak preview of the lesson y'all are gonna get from me on Sunday as once again we discuss the Israelites rapidly going through the good/bad cycle as they try to stay close to God and as they fail.

Their prophets, and some of the people, see it coming, they can see the cycle slowly turning toward the bad, and though they warn and pray and try to act as they should. They knew the signs, but always fell for the trigger.

So what is our Niagara Falls?

The Summer of George is Over

The magic has left summer.

Let me explain: For the past billion summers, the family -- meaning all but me -- have gone to camp, whether it was Island Park Scout Camp or Treasure Mountain Scout Camp. Leaving me at home, of course, with the joke that I was the one earning the real money so they could go play all summer.

I reveled in the restored bachelorhood and found time to get chores done.

Then this summer.

I don't know what made the difference, but I've felt more lonely, more blah, and not all that motivated at all to get things done.

I've tried to get things done. I built a rail on the back steps. Twice. I've split some wood and worked on cleaning up the spot where the pine tree was. But it all feels mechanical. Part of it might be the heat. But I think traditional summer is coming to an end for me.

Part of me needs a vacation. But part of me wants that vacation to be me working on things around the house without having to fret over budgets and whatnot. I guess I'd better keep working so someday we can do that.

I'm trying not to be gloomy. But this year has been hard. Maybe next year, the Summer of George!

Between Books

I'm between books at the moment.

That's a tough place to be for a nebbish like myself.

I do have book pretty much wherever I go. I even took a boxful of books out to work because space is a premium at home and I had a shelf in my office that was pretty empty.

I do most of my reading at work now, at breaks and at lunch, of course. I need to have a new book on hand there, though. I finished one yesterday and forgot to bring a new one today.

I do grab one off the shelf at work in a pinch, but it's not the same. I've got so many that need to be read . . .

A Cloak for Cowardice

As I read "Three Against Hitler," by Rudi Wobbe and Jerry Borrowman - a telling of the story of Helmuth Hubener who, with his friends, including Wobbe, published and distributed anti-Nazi information in their native Hamburg as teenagers, I can't but help to look for parallels to our own day.

This story is an exceptionally good lens for me to look through, as with Wobbe and Hubener, I also am a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Before you sneer, consider this: This isn't necessarily a churchy book or a "Mormon" book either; though the protagonists remain true to their faith, the goal of this book isn't to preach.

And, as with my own observations, it doesn't put all member of the church in a good light; some of them supported the Nazis either through enthusiasm or through simply trying to get along without making waves -- something Hubener and his friends didn't shy away from.

An aside: I don't know how true to the story this movie is. I haven't seen it. I've just read Wobbe's book.

The parallels: Though support of Donald Trump today certainly doesn't rise to the level of supporting the Nazis, there are troubling similarities in members of the church choosing to support, either wholeheartedly, or through a desire not to make waves, what's going on right now. We're on the cusp of something that could turn pretty sinister, and I think it's up to us to decide what side of the fence to be on. I know what side my Dad would have me be on, waves or not. so that's where I lie.

Wobbe's book isn't shy discussing this either. Even after immigrating to Utah, he finds some resistance to the idea of resisting tyranny. We have to be very, very careful in electing whom to support outside of God.

I see members of the church cling to some messages by past prophets as justifications for serving God and mammon. I can't do that. It's Jesus or nothing. If our government chooses to do the wrong thing, we can't go along with it just because one of the tenets of our faith is that we support government. Government does wrong, and we can't support wrong.

As I read this book, I see how easy it is to twist messages. Wobbe shares this from the White Rose Movement, an anti-Nazi organization active during the war:

There is a point at which the law becomes immoral and unethical. That point is reached when it becomes a cloak for the cowardice that dares not stand up against blatant violations of justice. A state that suppresses all freedom of speech and which, by imposing the most terrible punishment, treats each and every attempt at criticism, however morally justified, and every suggestion for improvement as "plotting to high treason," is a state that breaks an unwritten law.

Wobbe concludes that unwritten law is God's law of agency, where it lies in the conscience and heart of each person to decide how to act.

Some look at these words as treasonous. Some look at these words as an excuse to commit treason. It's the contradiction of all contracictions. Wobbe can't explain it, but he saw the result: Many, many people justified their actions out of righteous desires: Patriotism, freedom, loyalty, love.

Part of that unwritten law is do unto others as you would have other do unto you. It cannot be an eye for an eye, or a tooth for a tooth, as that leaves us all blind and toothless.

Wrong should be dealt with and punished. But wrong should be agreed upon, not made whim to whatever political winds blow. I've seen both major US political parties justify wrong in the name of doing something right, or wrong in the name of "The other side is doing it; we have to do so as well or we'll fall behind."

So I'm not a Republican. I'm not a Democrat. Nor am I a libertarian or whatever other political alliances are out there. They're all corrupt and try to justify their wrongness with a cloak of righteousness.

I'd rather go to prison like Wobbe than fall in league with that kind of fiction.