Love your Children

With the millions of issues going on in the world today one might think 'How can I help safeguard my children?'

You might also wonder 'how can I prevent these things from happening to them?'

Bottom line is Love your Kids.

A wonder talk was given by Elder D. Todd Christofferson titled 'Brethren, We Have Work to Do' in the October 2012 Priesthood session.
He mentioned a lot about how our children and especially how boys are being treated in society and the consequences there of.  He opening comments are fitting to be copied.

"Brethren, much has been said and written in recent years about the challenges of men and boys. A sampling of book titles, for example, includes Why There Are No Good Men Left, The Demise of Guys, The End of Men, Why Boys Fail, and Manning Up. Interestingly, most of these seem to have been written by women. In any case, a common thread running through these analyses is that in many societies today men and boys get conflicting and demeaning signals about their roles and value in society."

 As we look at society we find that in almost all cases the best situation for a child is to have both parents present and if possible at least one at home so they have an anchor on which to hold.
Unfortunately, due to the cost of living and other circumstance we find way to many children coming home after school to an empty house.   But, this is not worse then giving your child a fully activated IPhone to take with them and use all day while your not around.   You really don't know what is happening do you?

In this world we live in today there are so many outside influences that can effect our children.  Sometimes we really don't know how much influence that idle chatter on the playground is really having.


Don't you want to be the primary influence in the life of your kid?

It's not easy but, there are things you can do that will help to make sure your an influence in the life of your child.  Especially, as they grow you don't want them getting their information at school if you can provide it in a more appropriate way at home.

Consider these things:

• Have dinner together as a family.
  "Our second key relationship is with our families. Since “no other success can compensate for failure” ¹²  here, we must place high priority on our families. We build deep and loving family relationships by doing simple things together, like family dinner and family home evening and by just having fun together. In family relationships love is really spelled t-i-m-e, time. Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home. We talk with, rather than about, each other. We learn from each other, and we appreciate our differences as well as our commonalities. We establish a divine bond with each other as we approach God together through family prayer, gospel study, and Sunday worship." Of Things That Matter Most Dieter F. Uchtdorf
  
• Actively participate in a religion. This will provide a moral and ethical basis for decision making. This also provides a support group various members of your family may decide to use.

• Hold a week family home evening   
  
  “We have a family home evening program once a week [Monday night] across the Church in which parents sit down with their children. They study the scriptures. They talk about family problems. They plan family activities and things of that kind. I don’t hesitate to say if every family in the world practiced that one thing, you’d see a very great difference in the solidarity of the families of the world” (interview, Boston Globe, 14 Aug. 2000). Family Home Evening By President Gordon B. Hinckley

• Don't overly criticize the choices of your child.  This may cause them to not confide in you down the road.  Keep the communication channels open, then you can find out what is going in their lives and intervene when appropriate.

• Be fair and do not show favoritism.   Give 'T-I-M-E'.  Involve your children in activities together.  And so them you care about each one.  This may have to be on a one-for-one basis.

• Be consistent. 
  Give 'T-I-M-E'.  Don't have a dual standard.  They will not trust you after a time.  This takes work so that mom and dad are on the same page.

As we strive to follow the above ideas we have a chance at protecting our children.   They will be emboldened and more confident.  You will also be the major influence in their lives.  They will feel comfortable coming to you and if not they will likely confide in a youth leader in your chosen religion.   Don't be scared by this.  It can be helpful in more ways then you can imagine.


Check this link for a variety of Free publications that relate to helping strengthen families and marriages.






Here is a list of some of some wonderful films you might want to view with your family on your weekly family night.



Or consider these family friendly games





Buaidh - NO - Bas

Worthiness of War

This last Sunday I was visiting my Father's Unit in the north San Diego Area.  The format is the same all over the world for the LDS church.  You always know there will be sacrament meeting where the main part is the distribution of the Sacrament along with some speakers.  Later you have Sunday school and then usually the males divide out for their Priesthood meeting while the women go to their "lady's auxiliary" group know as Relief Society.

We never really know what to expect when we visit since they have some strong members from wide back grounds and service.
This time they decided to have all the youth(12-18) and all the adults stay together for the last hour.  A special guess speaker was going to speak on topic(s) relating to Veterans day.

He was specially qualified as he had served in the army special forces during the Vietnam war and on active duty in the jungles of 'Nam for one year before being hit by a rocket.

What I really wanted to get to was a couple of items he brought up.  First he brought up that there are two types of war: 1)wars of aggression and 2) wars of liberation.

The next thing that struck us was the quote from CS Lewis about saving a drowning person.

Basically it does like this "There are things worth dying for, and there are things not living for."  Basically, saving  a person that is drowning is a worthy cause and one worth dying for in the process. Now on the other side of the coin is the person that crusades day in and day out to make sure every single person is properly trained and can do the lifesaving maneuvers needs to save a person that is drowning.  They have gone to far in their cause and it has thus become something not worth living for.
See the whole text at following link.  It's quoted in other texts as well.
Essential C. S. Lewis By Clive Staples Lewis, Lyle W. Dorsett
The bottom line he brought up is - can we take a good thing and take it to far?
Are we spending our time engaged in worthy, worthwhile activities?

I'll leave you with this statement to get your brain a thinking.
If you were on Trial for Being A Christian, would there be enough Evidence to convict you?

Buaidh - NO - BAS

Voting Styles

I'd like to talk about 2 alternating voting styles.  I'm not talking about political parties or the like.  I'm talking about the 2 styles that are voluntary voting and required voting.

Voluntary voting is what we practice in the United States.  A person decides to register and then also has to decide they want to vote in particular election.  Small local off season elections get very little turn out.  Couple it with a national election for president and you get a wider, better turn out.  However, better turn out can be only 30% of the registered voters and the number of registered voters among those that are eligible can be as low as 30% in some places.  This is compounded with a bunch of people in the country illegally that can throw the numbers off as well and don't forget those that are ineligible since they are convicted felons.


The other system is Compulsory Voting.  This method is practiced in Brasil for one and other parts of the world.  They require everyone up until a certain age to vote.  Those that are older have the option I believe at age 65 or the like.  This includes all the illiterate persons as well.   Since they are requiring all sectors and regions of the population to vote they have developed a fairly accurate and speedy system for vote tabulation.  A Sunday vote has a declared victory in just days not weeks like occurred in the United States 2000 presidential election.

So which is better?  You'll see that certain things have had to be put in place for the elections in Brasil to have them work better.  One is the need to put a picture next to each candidate.  This resolves the issue with the illiterate people.  However, that also means who ever put more propaganda out with a candidates picture could likely win.  Also there is some standardization required in the voting devices.  Unlike the United States, you have to  have a consistent, quick and accurate method to tally the vote.
However, the compulsory system also means you have tons of uninformed, possibly "bribed" persons voting(more on this later).  So is it better to have a small but informed electorate voting or open it up for everyone include a bunch of people that have no clue on the candidates position, track record, or the like?


The reality is some where in the middle would be best.
It has been said that some candidates "bride" people to vote for them in elections in Brasil.  How?  They go around to poor uninformed neighborhoods and hand out food or other stuff and in the end pay for a vote.  Who knows if this really works but, I'll bet it would sure help sway a person in the end.  I can't say this is wide spread or even common.  But I'll bet it has happened.

Don't we have the same thing here?  Imagine a senator up for reelection.  He helped to get some pork barrel legislation through that brought $100 in federal funding to his small state. Now he may threaten that due to a lose of seniority etc that fund will not be present in the future.  Similar thing different arena.

Both system of voting also have a ton of propaganda.  TV ads, mailers and the like.  Sometimes for local elections you have almost nothing on a candidate.  Even the title of the persons occupation can be misleading.  It's ever so hard to become an informed voter.  So maybe having a ton of other uninformed voters in the pool might help.


Final verdict.  Like a quick vote tally with accuracy that does not usually have to have a recount.  Like the fact that a larger portion of the population participates in the process, including making things more accessable to the disadvantaged.

Don't like the "bribe" element that exists in elections.  The inability at times to be an "informed" voter, and the inability to identify the candidates and what you might really be getting.


So as we head into the election season be glad for what you have.  It could be worse.

Buaidh - NO- Bas

Why History?

"We study our history because it helps us change. Ultimately, the value of history is not so much in its dates, times, and places. It is valuable because it teaches us the principles, purposes, and patterns we are to follow, it helps us know who we are and what we are to do,....."
Jule B. Beck
Relief Society General President 
“Daughters in My Kingdom”: The History and Work of Relief Society
General Relief Society Meeting October 2010



Some very sage advise and inspired messages were present this past weekend at the 180th Semi-Annual General conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.

Listen and view all or portions of conference
Conference in English 
180ª Conferência Geral Semestral, outubro de 2010 


Buaidh - NO - Bas