Atheists use the word empirical to denote the kind of evidence needed to establish an idea or truth. The word empirical denotes information gained by means of (1) observation, (2) experience, or (3) experiment (see any dictionary). My belief in God is based on all three of these processes. I observe the world and its [...]
Instead of heading to a tropical paradise or a desert golf resort for our escape-from-winter this January, we decided to go to Houston, Texas to visit our grandchildren. As luck would have it, we also brought a significant cold snap with us from Alaska. Temperatures plummeted to around freezing in the Houston area for much [...]
DECEMBER 1st: I believe in Christ because I believe in love. I believe in the ” love of God that is shed abroad in the hearts of the children of men; wherefore it is the most desirable above all things.” (1 Nephi 11:22, Romans 5:5) God’s love is the source of all love. Love we [...]
This past week I’ve been posting “I’m Thankful for” messages on my facebook and twitter accounts. Given how fortunate I am, it seems appropriate to proclaim my gratitude often and publicly. Here in Alaska as the dark descends and the cold deepens I am very grateful for my cozy home. Grateful for warm boots, a [...]
In the late 90’s we lived for two years in the small village of Dryden N.Y. Upstate New York was a great new school for our western sensibilities. Unlike our ignorant vision of New York as a densely populated city of skyscrapers and concrete canyons, upstate is a green velvet panorama of picturesque villages, orchards, [...]
Fall is here in all its glory and if my dear webmaster gets my picture posting capacity fixed I’ll share some pictures. We’re digging potatoes from the garden. I made a delicious zucchini chocolate cake with one of three zucchini that made it to significant size before the return of the dark stopped growth cold. [...]
Two weeks ago we spent a day hiking and boating at Skilak Lake on the Kenai Peninsula. We arrived on a Friday night and set up camp at Upper Skilak Lake Campground. After dinner I hiked the Vista Trail with my sons, Dan and Mike. The trail headed uphill pausing at well marked points for [...]
I spent much of Memorial Day weekend remembering. I didn’t go to any cemeteries or monuments to our fallen heroes. I took a tour of my closet full of photos, family histories, old letters, and crumbling albums. I dredged up piles of neglected family debris and started making sense of it.
I found faded letters from [...]
Prayer: another dimension of our spiritual fitness training. We practice shots from the free throw line, we go to the driving range and practice our swing, we lift weights, and do much for the training of our bodies. But spiritual fitness is something that has suffered in our age of skepticism and self-indulgence.
“I have [...]
Where to start? Which came first the chicken or the egg, the acorn or the oak? The choice or the consequence? A particle or a wave?
Basic number two: When faced with doubt choose belief.
Don’t get into all the what ifs and whys. Don’t make it into a federal case. Don’t write a doctoral dissertation on [...]