The Body and the Spirit are the Soul of Man

I was asked by the Bishop to give a ten minute talk in Sacrament Meeting on the importance of being Physically Prepared. The principle is based on a goal that we set as a bishopric 5 years ago and is summed up in this 'Mission Statement' that we created.

So here is the body of the talk that I gave...hope it's useful. I didn't write the whole thing out...but most of it is here.

Being Offended

Men don’t get offended.  Angry maybe, irritated at times and when things get really bad we might knock some heads a bit to prove a point.  But we don’t get offended.

 

Why don’t true men get offended?

Simple.  Being offended is a choice.  It’s an excuse made by people to cover up for their failures and shortcomings.  It’s human nature…if I can blame my faults on somebody else offending me, then I don’t have to own that weakness or make effort to overcome it.

For example…somebody says something that hurts my feelings.  I can do one of two things: a) Fix it so that my feelings aren’t hurt by resolving the situation or I can b) allow those feelings to fester and rot my soul while I wallow and self pity and blame that other person for offending me to justify that feeling.

 

Which do you think is the manlier approach?  Isn’t it obvious?

 

My Smart Phone Is Making Me Stupid

Help! My smart phone is making me stupid!

I recently was upgraded at work to the Samsung Galaxy S5.  It’s a sweet phone.  I can access nearly everything.  I have both my work and personal email accounts accesable on there.  I have some great fitness apps to track my calories, workouts, mileage…it even takes my pulse!  I can get up to date, local weather forecasts and even animated weather maps for anywhere in the world.  I have instant access to Facebook, Instagram, Twitter…you name it!  Don’t even get me started on the camera!  I have a photo and video suite in my pocket.  I have the entire Gospel Library in there and have access to decdes of conference talks and church videos.

It’s truly the Tricorder from Star Trek come to life!

It’s a great device…and I hate it.

Fighting False Beliefs

In my area we are experiencing a phenomenon that I don’t think is isolated.  It is that young people find facts out about Church history and such that catch them off guard and they feel “betrayed” and start to question their beliefs and then delve into a lot of misinformation or incorrectly portrayed facts about the Church…mostly published by people opposed to the LDS Faith…and these kids slowly and quietly slip away from faith and fall into apostasy.

There are tons of examples…here are a few:

• Joseph Smith practiced polygamy, even with married women
• There never was a revelation that Black people could not hold the priesthood
• Women used to be able to pass the sacrament
• Joseph Smith used a seer stone to aid in translating a large portion of the Book of Mormon
• There are many, many others...

Kids hear about this stuff for the first time from sources other than Church and when they bring it up in a Church setting, they are shot down by adults who don’t know how to deal with the questions…and these kids feel lied too.

The "Low-Testosterone" Debate

We are hammered by it on a daily basis!  Testosterone therapy is the new miracle fountain of youth for middle aged men.  Feel fatigued, unhealthy, low sex-drive? Take a pill, use a gel, get a shot…and you will feel young again, heal faster and have more energy! It’s amazing! Right?!?

But should you really do it?  If you are like me, you are cautious about using a substance to fix something that may or may not be broken.  I don’t like to take medication that I really don’t know much about.  Well, never fear!  I did the work for you and am going to report on it here. (I mentioned this briefly in a previous post, but felt like it deserved a bit more room.)

Rules for Fitness and Nutrition

I consider many things to be completely bogus when it comes to fitness and health.  I decided to make up a list of them. 

SO…

Here is my list of what I consider bogus, harmful and plain old silly health practices and fads: (feel free  to disagree with me…but know that I’ve done some fairly extensive research of FACTS as well as having a lot of experience regarding several of these and find no legitimate reason to believe or follow any of it. This list is by no means complete, there are lots of fitness frauds out there, these are just the most popular that I have a particular level of disdain for.)

Where Are The Men?

I’ve heard a few statistics of late that have left me scratching my head and asking “What’s up with men in the Church?” or better yet “Where are the men?”.

Consider these numbers:

• Nearly 80% of the population of the Church is either female or under age 18.
• In the recent missionary surge from roughly 55,000 missionaries to nearly 90,000 missionaries the majority of that additional 40,000 missionaries are women.
• In any given ward there is nearly a 70/30 ratio of women to men (active).

As I thought about these statistics I asked myself: Why are men not coming to church? Why are men not being active at church and often falling away from the church in such large numbers?  As I considered this, it occurred to me that we have (as a Church) actively and subconsciously driven men away.  Our actions, words and activities methodically chase men away from Church in droves.

So I’m watching the news while I ate my lunch and this woman comes on who has written a book called “Other-Hood: Modern Women Finding a New Kind of Happiness” by Melanie Notkin.  The basic jest of her book is based around the fact that many women today are deciding that marriage and family is not for them and that they can lead ‘happy and fulfilling lives’ without all that…’Other-hood’ instead of Motherhood.

I was floored. 

Aside from odd premise that so many women believe that happiness is to be found in NOT fulfilling the ‘measure of their creation’…there was something even more fascinating about the argument that Melanie presented (something that actually seemed to contradict the initial premise of ‘women being happy all alone’). After some discussion with the news caster it was pointed out that the majority of women would like to find a good man, marry and have a family…BUT…they are very underwhelmed with the choice of men they encounter and ultimately don’t really want to marry them.  Basically she said that the MEN of today are wussies. As she spoke I surprisingly found myself starting to agree with her.

Techno-Babies

After my post yesterday, I had someone say to me “but we have to teach our kids about technology, they have to learn this stuff to be successful in the world today.”

I thought about this idea and I’ve come to the conclusion that they are 100% wrong.  Here is why:

Putting On Chains

First off, I have to apologize for neglecting this site.  Life sometimes requires more attention and writing has to take a backseat.  I'm hoping to post at least once a month though.

So here is my thought for this week.

I went to visit my doc the other day for my BSA physical that is required so that I can go on back-country camps with our scout troops.  (according to my doc I’m the healthiest 45-year-old he’s seen in a long time…BOOM!)

That isn’t the story I wanted to tell though…it’s another thing that came out of my doc visit.

High Five

This story comes to me from a close friend who for the sake of telling the story I’ll call ‘Jack’, and I share this story with his permission. I share it because I think every man needs to hear it.  Especially the guy who ‘high-fived’ Jack…don’t worry…that will make sense in the end.

You see, Jack  (like all of us) has some struggles in life. Most of the time, he’s feeling good and doing great.  Sometimes he gets down on himself and feels the power of the adversary tugging away at his mind and soul.  Sound familiar?  Yeah, I thought so.  Like I said, we all have struggles.

Is a Man-Cave Really All that Manly? (for fun)

I love my garage.  In fact that was a major deciding factor in buying my house.  It is a genuine two-car garage, which means that you can comfortably park two cars in it and there is still room for bikes, mowers, snow blowers, tool benches, refrigerator, weight bench, TV…etc. and you can still walk around the cars. It’s a great garage. It’s a great place to be doing manly things.

I exercise out there in the mornings.  My Saturday’s are spent out there.  I am out there frequently during the week.  It’s a manly place to be…as garages have been for years.  What is more manly than a great garage?

Iron Man's garage is the greatest garage ever. (the Batcave is a close second since it is more of a cave than a garage...)

Rise of the Un-MEN

By now I’m sure that nearly everyone has heard the statistics.  The ones that put numbers to the increasing failures of the male gender.  We are being outperformed by women on all fronts; education, profession, religion and being responsible adults.  What gives? 

I even read recently that the oft touted statistic that women earn 77 cents for every dollar that men earn may not be all that true and that reality is that women soon will be earning as much as 8% more than men!

Boys are failing on an epic scale!

Up front let me state that I’m all in favor of equality and I hope I do not come across as slighting women in any way with what I’m going to say here.  The success that women are having is well earned and deserved, they have worked hard and sacrificed a lot to achieve it (men take note…this is the formula for success).

I also firmly believe that we play very specific gender roles for a reason and that it all part of a divine plan.

More and more it seems that men are opting to forgo the role of the breadwinner to stay home and let mom fulfill the divinely appointed role of protector, provider & presiding for their family.  Is it any wonder that men are reporting increases in reporting depression, anxiety and suicide?  When a man isn’t living up to his divine potential he cannot be satisfied and he cannot feel good about himself. 

On average men now spend more time in the bathroom grooming themselves than women do, spending nearly as much as women on cosmetic and beauty products.

Men today even produce less testosterone (the chemical that makes us men) and each generation declines even further.  Literally making us less and less manly with each passing generation. We are very LITERALLY becoming more feminine.

What really scares me:

The Courage to Repent

I had started to write an article on the power of repentance…but then I read this article that seems to say it so much better than I can.

http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/college-football/news/20130925/spencer-hadley-byu/

If you have not read this…I STRONGLY encourage you to.  Whatever your feelings about BYU football are (I’m a UTE fan)…this is a fantastic example of the atonement at work.  The kid messed up…he’s trying to repent. I’m sure he’s hugely embarrassed and what’s more, he’s having to do all this in a spotlight.  He’s just starting the repentance process, but it appears that he’s on the right path.

I received and email from a young man asking me which branch of the armed forces I'd join if I wanted to become a Special Operations Force Warrior.  I decided that the answer would make a good post.  So I share it here for everyone to read...

Cameron,

Your email made me really pause and think.  Since I’ve never served in the military the only loyalty I feel is to people I’ve known, not to any branch of service.

There are many great resources available to research and learn all about different Special Operations Forces.  I especially enjoy the work of Dick Couch as he served as a Navy SEAL and was allowed unprecedented access to many schools of training, and his books are priceless if you want to learn about the process of becoming a real warrior.  Many recruiting offices can also hook you up with a mentor who’s ‘been there’ and can guide you.

I personally know men who are or were: Green Berets, Navy SEALS, Army Rangers, Air Force Special Ops, RECON Marines, and your average, every day, soldier.  I have been impressed by them all.  Each is unique in their mission and each serves our country with honor and courage.

Living a Higher Standard

Nearly every organization in the world has standards, creed’s or codes of conduct for their members.  Those who belong to those organizations make a commitment to act, behave or comply in the way those codes outline.  In fact, most people who join any organization, do so BECAUSE of the standards set forth by those organizations.  They join because they want to be a part of what that organization represents and stands for.

This is especially true in warrior cultures. From the ancient Spartans, to the modern day SEAL’s…all of them have had rigorous standards that defined who and what they were.  They were great because they set high and undeviating standards.  If someone could not live up to the standard, then they simply could not be a part of the organization.

For example…to even be considered a candidate to become a Navy SEAL requires that you:
a)    Must be Male
b)    Must be in the US Navy
c)    Must be able to pass a minimum physical fitness requirements
d)    Must complete the BUD/s school training


There is also some additional testing that occurs to determine mental and psychological compatibility to serve.

Thinking About Warriors...

In my estimation, when talking about warriors, there are two very distinct groups of warriors.

One warrior is the kind who fights a physical enemy, the one who can harm and kill our physical bodies.  The second warrior is the one who fights on a more spiritual plane.  This is the warrior who steps in to stand between Heavenly Father’s children and the forces of Satan who wish to tear us down. 

The first kind of warrior is the typical image we think of when we hear the word ‘warrior’.  The Navy SEAL, the Green Beret, the fighter pilot, the police officer, etc.  His job is two-fold, to bring ultimate destruction to his enemy and to do all he can to protect his own people.  This warrior goes out to fight so that others don’t have too.  He is the main force standing between the threats to his country and those he loves at home.  He will sacrifice his physical body so that others don’t have to experience pain.

“People sleep peacefully in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf” – George Orwell

The ATTACK

In this article I outlined the basics of ‘the Battle’ that we fight on a daily basis to do what is right, to face life’s challenges and to overcome weakness’ that we are hounded by.  Today I’d like to focus on step one of HOW to fight those battles, the Attack, and give you some insight as to how we fall prey to the lies, deceptions and constant attacks of our common adversary.

First off, let me state that this is not a product of my own thought.  The original concept was developed by a well respected Licensed Professional Councilor who does a LOT of great work to help men defeat sex and pornography addictions.  His information can be found at www.sonsofhelaman.org and I’ve enjoyed my association with him immensely. His knowledge of the science of brain chemistry combined with some great spiritual insight is the inspiration for this idea. 

I also owe a lot to a very close friend who helped me take these ideas and refine them a bit to apply to all our daily battles, not just those dealing with the Law of Chastity (though I feel pretty confident that a great many men have struggles with this law in various forms…, whether they want to admit it or not).  He also helped me to establish gospel doctrinal basis’ for every concept taught in this information.

If you missed the post on WHY WE FIGHT, I suggest you read that first so you can understand why the Lord refers to us as “warriors” and why we face the drastic choice of “Fight or Die”.

With that introduction: let’s talk about The Attack!

Humanity

Are We Loosing a Vital Part of Our Humanity?

I was sitting in a Church meeting the other day and I had a chilling thought:

You see, Santa brought me a tablet computer for Christmas and I love it!  It has replaced a large book bag that I used to have to carry around with me to Church to fulfill my calling.  Handbooks, notebooks, binders…all gone and stored on the memory of the small 7” tablet.  Which also has access to the entire gospel library, videos, web sites and more.  It is incredible and I love to use this tool. (you should see the looks of shock and amazement when I tell people that I don’t have any games on it).

But as I typed out some notes on the this device in my meeting, I felt like I was missing something, then it dawned on me what it was.  You see, part of my note-taking process includes doodling, and making notes of ‘inspirational thoughts’ that come to me. I use color and graphics to highlight different notes or to emphasize an idea.  I’m very visual in my style.  It occurred to me that I can’t do any of these things on my tablet very well.  Sure there is a sketching app on there, but I’d have to exit the notebook, open a second app, and then get frustrated with how slow the sketching occurs.  It isn't worth doing. 

The Battle

(The following article is Part 1 in a series on the spiritual battles we fight and how to win them.  There is a presentation that goes with it, and when I finish the series I'll make the presentation available)

THE BATTLE - Why We Fight!

LDS-SOF - Becoming Warriors 

Every day, we are faced with personal battles. Struggles, difficulties, choices and consequences.  We have options to control our destiny, or to be blown about by 'circumstance'.