Saturday, May 22, 2010
New Family Website
We have a new, but not really improved, family website! Really, all we did was change our domain to SilerFamily.org.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Doctor's Orders: Ice Cream!
At a recent doctor's appointment (our first for our forthcoming fourth child, ultrasound picture below), while going through the long list of dietary considerations to be aware of, I asked if we (mostly my wife) could still have ice cream. The response was an enthusiastic Yes! In fact, we were told the benefits of ice cream to expecting mothers. Being the supportive husband that I am, I plan on increasing our ice cream consumption. . . I guess that will be the main source of sympathy weight this time around!
On the ice cream vein, we took a tour of Amy's Ice Creams, an Austin original, today with our daughter's preschool group. I was happy that I got to go play, too. In fact, we also brought our friend (who is also my colleague from work) and our little girl loved having a big friend with her.
As opposed to other food factories where after going you might want to never eat again (e.g. meat packing plant), the ice cream factory whetted our collective appetites for ice cream.
With the doctor's orders and the renewed desire for the creamy treat, I know what I'll be craving for days (and possibly weeks) to come!
On the ice cream vein, we took a tour of Amy's Ice Creams, an Austin original, today with our daughter's preschool group. I was happy that I got to go play, too. In fact, we also brought our friend (who is also my colleague from work) and our little girl loved having a big friend with her.
As opposed to other food factories where after going you might want to never eat again (e.g. meat packing plant), the ice cream factory whetted our collective appetites for ice cream.
With the doctor's orders and the renewed desire for the creamy treat, I know what I'll be craving for days (and possibly weeks) to come!
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, April 24, 2010
In Defense of Enos
I want to take a moment to come to the defense of someone who has been wrongly accused too many times to count.
As a youth, I remember having many lessons where the Book of Mormon prophet, Enos, was discussed. In these lessons, I was taught that he had a drastic change—one from a vile sinner to a changed man. Enos was often cast in the same light as Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah pre-conversion. However, when I later read the account in the Book of Mormon for myself, I could find no explicit mention of a sinful life—I couldn't even find an implicit one! All I could find was a young man (one privileged to hear the voice of the Lord because of his faith) who sought full repentance and direction after receiving an important calling: to take the plates and obey the commandments (see Jacob 7:27, the verse right before the book of Enos).
Even Joseph Smith sought repentance after his profound experiences (JS-H 1:28).
Instead of speculating that his mention of repentance was an indication of extreme unworthiness, I got the impression that he was a righteous, faithful, priesthood-holder who wanted to learn how he was to fulfill the calling and commission he received.
What have been your experiences with Enos in church lessons? I'm hoping that my bad experiences are fairly isolated, considering the praise and prominence that Enos both deserves and receives from general authorities and others (including the seminary program: there is even a song about his experience (mp3, sheet music, other songs)).
I'm grateful for my experiences with Enos and his words. From what I read in the scriptures, Enos should be cleared of charges of extreme unworthiness. In fact, doing this makes the model he outlines that much more applicable to me and my efforts to be like Christ.
As a youth, I remember having many lessons where the Book of Mormon prophet, Enos, was discussed. In these lessons, I was taught that he had a drastic change—one from a vile sinner to a changed man. Enos was often cast in the same light as Alma the Younger and the Sons of Mosiah pre-conversion. However, when I later read the account in the Book of Mormon for myself, I could find no explicit mention of a sinful life—I couldn't even find an implicit one! All I could find was a young man (one privileged to hear the voice of the Lord because of his faith) who sought full repentance and direction after receiving an important calling: to take the plates and obey the commandments (see Jacob 7:27, the verse right before the book of Enos).
Even Joseph Smith sought repentance after his profound experiences (JS-H 1:28).
Instead of speculating that his mention of repentance was an indication of extreme unworthiness, I got the impression that he was a righteous, faithful, priesthood-holder who wanted to learn how he was to fulfill the calling and commission he received.
What have been your experiences with Enos in church lessons? I'm hoping that my bad experiences are fairly isolated, considering the praise and prominence that Enos both deserves and receives from general authorities and others (including the seminary program: there is even a song about his experience (mp3, sheet music, other songs)).
I'm grateful for my experiences with Enos and his words. From what I read in the scriptures, Enos should be cleared of charges of extreme unworthiness. In fact, doing this makes the model he outlines that much more applicable to me and my efforts to be like Christ.
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Lawn Mowing Lessons
I heard once that freshly cut grass is on of the most preferred smells. Despite this, it seems that most people (at least in my neighborhood) have someone else mow their lawn while they're away; I wonder the effect of not having this most-preferred-smell experienced first-hand on a regular basis.
I mowed our grossly overgrown lawn this evening. It had been so long since the last mow that the lawn was starting to look more like a botanical garden (see actual picture from our backyard below).
There is something quietly reassuring about mowing the lawn. In fact, I think it's something that people should do fairly regularly because it provides something that may be otherwise hard to find in today's world. The telltale path left by the mower provides the satisfying experience of knowing where you've been, where you're going, and what you have left to do.
Life lessons from your very own yard!
If you want additional information on knowing where we're from, where we're going, and what we have yet to do, let me know. I'm grateful that I know where to find answers to these questions, and I'm grateful that anyone can know, too! (Start here: Mormon.org)
And you don't even have to mow my lawn to find out for yourself!
I mowed our grossly overgrown lawn this evening. It had been so long since the last mow that the lawn was starting to look more like a botanical garden (see actual picture from our backyard below).
There is something quietly reassuring about mowing the lawn. In fact, I think it's something that people should do fairly regularly because it provides something that may be otherwise hard to find in today's world. The telltale path left by the mower provides the satisfying experience of knowing where you've been, where you're going, and what you have left to do.
Life lessons from your very own yard!
If you want additional information on knowing where we're from, where we're going, and what we have yet to do, let me know. I'm grateful that I know where to find answers to these questions, and I'm grateful that anyone can know, too! (Start here: Mormon.org)
And you don't even have to mow my lawn to find out for yourself!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
