I’ve always thought that when people of other religions talk about God, they sound weird. Even when I was a kid and I attended a Protestant church, it all sounded kind of weird to me. Phrases like, “being saved” and “accepting Christ into your heart.” What exactly does that mean, “have you accepted Christ as your personal savior”? Don’t they realize how hokey and weird that sounds?
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I wasn’t raised in the church, so I don’t have any childhood primary stories of my own to share. But over the years I’ve served in Primary, and here are a few that have stuck with me.
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I’m old enough to have had all the kids we’re going to have, six. It was the perfect number for us, 3 girls, then we figured out what we were doing and had 3 boys.

Compared to other families in our ward and stake we were an average family. We knew many who had 9, 10, 12+. We were comfortable with our family size.

As the years have gone by the family size has shrunk, outside the church but even more so inside the church. (more…)

5. On a singles ward pioneer trek
4. Through a hometeaching assignment
3. Serving together as missionaries
2. Tunnel singing/temple singing***
1. Someone you taught and baptized on your mission
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Fortunately I tape-recorded all of the conversations last night. Unfortunately I don’t know how to digitize the audio. Fortunately I’ve taken pictures and transcribed the corresponding conversations. Unfortunately there are no pictures of me. I mean fortunately. (more…)

The end of May is an interesting time for me. Lots of birthdays in our family during the end of May—including my youngest son and my father, who share the same birthday. My own birthday is in the first week of June, but somehow I hardly think about it, concentrating so much on everything else going on during the end of May. My sister was born in the end of May, just a few days before Memorial Day. She died in July, just a day before my other sister’s birthday, when she was 33. She’d have turned 49 this year.
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It was given a few months ago by a little old lady who’d recently returned from a mission. She isn’t a member of our ward (she was there on invitation from the high council speaker), and I don’t remember her name.

The Bishop introduced her by telling us she used to be his seminary teacher, and he shared how when the kids weren’t paying attention, she’d just start singing until they were.

So when she got up to the podium, she began singing a hymn. She sang a verse or two on her own, then motioned for us all to join in, and had the whole congregation singing along. (more…)

So I was watching the Republican debate last night, not because I really care what the 59 different candidates have to say, but because my friends were there and I wanted to hang out and eat freshly-made gingersnaps. Not only was I again reminded why I no longer identify as a Republican but it’s always a good time to make fun of the freakshow that is American politics. Question avoidance, resume reading, unfunny canned jokes, endless platitudes, faux-indignance, etc. I especially loved watching each candidate retrofit their scripted platforms as answers to unrelated questions. Good stuff. (more…)

When I was a kid a group of gospel singers came and performed at my Lutheran church. It wasn’t during communion, but in the evening, if I remember right. My parents bought an album from them which I listened to over and over. My favorite song on it was “Oh Happy Day.” I wish I had a recording of that now.

When I was in junior high my family stopped attending church. We moved away from the congregation we’d always attended, and at the same time the pastor retired. Rather than make a long drive to the old church with a new pastor, we tried out some congregations closer to us, but my parents never found one they liked. After that, the only spiritual experiences I had involved music. Specifically, my favorite band in the world, U2.
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I know business owners and employees have two different perspectives about their business/job. As a business owner for lots and lots of years in lots and lots of different businesses I have found recently that employees have changed. (more…)

Date: Sunday, May 20th (just think of Brooklyn as Belgium)
Time: 5:00 PM till whenever
Location: My place in Brooklyn

Please let me know if you are coming so that I can plan accordingly and I can send you directions to my apartment. Leave a comment here or contact me at rustyclifton at gmail dot com. And FWIW, this is truly an East Coast party as there will be representatives from Boston, Baltimore and New Jersey in addition to the New Yorkers. Oh, and Logan/Amy and Emily S, stop wobbling, you’re coming.

The Church’s policy of political neutrality doesn’t extend to members. We’re of course free to endorse political candidates and platforms and to try and drum up support for particular candidates or political points of view. As Church members we can’t use Church buildings, phone lists, or official church venues for our advocacy, but we can freely advocate amongst people with whom we associate at church without running afowl of Church policy. But that doesn’t mean that it’s always appropriate. (more…)

The following email was sent to me anonymously by myself. I am posting it here because that’s what every permablogger does when they get anonymous emails: (more…)

I work in the cosmetic industry and I hate it. Not the work but the industry. The design work I do is sometimes interesting, the people with whom I work are top shelf and the pay isn’t bad. But I hate being part of an industry that in order to move product it tells women they aren’t beautiful enough. (more…)