Ride of my Life

First off, I have a bunch of gay friends (mainly from back at Princeton) and I appreciate their differences and enjoy their friendships as I much as I do with anyone.  I haven’t really said much on this blog regarding Prop 8, the controversial constitutional amendment that bans same-sex marriage in California.

But today The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints released a statement regarding results of the Prop 8 vote from yesterday.  This statement from the church resonates well with my feelings and thoughts on the whole issue.  Read the entire release here, but below is the excerpt I really like:

It is important to understand that this issue for the Church has always been about the sacred and divine institution of marriage — a union between a man and a woman.

Allegations of bigotry or persecution made against the Church were and are simply wrong.  The Church’s opposition to same-sex marriage neither constitutes nor condones any kind of hostility toward gays and lesbians.  Even more, the Church does not object to rights for same-sex couples regarding hospitalization and medical care, fair housing and employment rights, or probate rights, so long as these do not infringe on the integrity of the traditional family or the constitutional rights of churches.

Some, however, have mistakenly asserted that churches should not ever be involved in politics when moral issues are involved.  In fact, churches and religious organizations are well within their constitutional rights to speak out and be engaged in the many moral and ethical problems facing society.  While the Church does not endorse candidates or platforms, it does reserve the right to speak out on important issues.

It’s never been about rights; it’s always been about protecting the institution of marriage.  People may not agree with that but that’s always been the position.

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Today in church one of the things we learned about was Standing Fast in the Storms of Life. Something that stood out to me was something Joseph Smith said:

“You will have all kinds of trials to pass through. And it is quite as necessary for you to be tried as it was for Abraham and other men of God, and (said he) God will feel after you, and He will take hold of you and wrench your very heart strings, and if you cannot stand it you will not be fit for an inheritance in the Celestial Kingdom of God.”

I know that God gives us trials and challenges so that we can build character, grow closer to Him, and become stronger. Jesus Christ, God’s only begotten Son, suffered all things. I know that when we turn to Him He can help us through our trials. He understands. He’s felt our pain (and much more). As we face these challenges, we grow, we learn and our desire to feel compassion for others and serve them is enhanced.

The official church website says the following about adversity:

Dealing with adversity is one of the chief ways in which you are tested and tutored in mortality. Our loving Heavenly Father has the ability to compensate us for any injustices we may be called upon to endure in this mortal life. If we endure faithfully he will reward us beyond our ability to comprehend in the life to come.

As the Lord told Joseph Smith during a period of intense suffering: “Know thou, my son, that all these things shall give thee experience, and shall be for thy good. The Son of Man hath descended below them all. Art thou greater than he?” ( Doctrine and Covenants 122:7–8).

Do I think trials suck? Kinda…I’m not gonna lie. But at the same time, I know that they can help me grow. It’s kinda like when I go for a hard work out…either a run or intense weight lifting. Does it hurt sometimes? Yes. But do I know it’s good for me? Of course.

I know that trials can make us stronger. And I know that God doesn’t give us a trial that we can’t overcome. Hopefully we can all embrace challenges and endure faithfully at whatever comes our way.

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So if you’re a Mormon then you know exactly what this weekend is. It’s conference weekend. The leaders of our church gather in Salt Lake City and use satellite broadcast to speak to members of the church throughout the world. There are multiple sessions throughout the weekend and it’s a great time to learn and be strengthened.

A couple years back while I was at Princeton I wrote a blog post that tried to illustrate what exactly Conference is and why it’s so important. The post is here: The Prophet Speaks on Sat/Sun.

To see all my posts on religion you can go here. To follow conference commentary on Twitter you can go here. To watch or listen to General Conference online, you can go here. To learn more about the Mormons, go here.

Hope that helped. Peace.

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Like i’ve said before, there are plenty of people who read this blog who aren’t members of my faith so usually on Sundays I like to share a little piece of that part of me. This series, “What it means to be Mormon,” is gonna be ongoing as I think of good examples for each point. So here’s a start.

The situation
While in college out east, I took a digital photography class. It was a small class (maybe 8 people in it). It was one of my favorite classes i’ve ever taken and one of the few classes I actually got an “A” in while at Princeton. We had engaging projects, visited amazing galleries in NYC, and always had great visual presentations from the professor highlighting specific artists. I loved the class. Well, one day the professor told us that the following week he’d be showing us a presentation that contained sensual, provocative nude images.

What it mean to be Mormon?
In this case, it meant me telling the professor that I would not be there that day to take part in that discussion. I didn’t want him to change his schedule around my personal beliefs so I simply shared some of my reasons/beliefs (without imposing) and let him know I wouldn’t be attending. I certainly didn’t want him to change everything around just for me. Bottom line, he respected my decision and we both moved on. Later that week he called me and said that he wanted to change his presentation anyway and that there would be no nude images. I went and everything was fine.

The doctrine
Though the human body is “beautiful” and can definitely be considered a form of “art,” the human body is sacred. We should never defile it. We should always respect it. Here’s the official teachings from the church on this matter:

Chastity requires faithfulness in thought and action. You are to keep your thoughts clean and be modest in your dress, speech, and actions ( Matthew 5:27–28) . You must avoid pornography in any form and treat the God-given procreative power and your body as sacred gifts.

President HInckley, a modern day prophet, said the following regarding pornography:

“Stay away from it! Avoid it like the plague because it is just as deadly, if not more so. The plague will destroy the body. Pornography will destroy the body and the soul. Stay away from it! It is as a great disease that is sweeping over the country and over the entire world. Avoid it! I repeat, avoid it!”

An obedient and faithful Mormon will avoid this type of thing at all cost. And that’s exactly why I refused to look at those inappropriate images in my photography class back at school. This is one example of what it means to be a Mormon.

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In 1995, the first presidency of our church issued a public document called The Family: A proclamation to the World.  It’s basically what us Mormons believe the family is and ought to be. Here are my favorite parts.  Be sure to read the whole document here.

Husband and wife have a solemn responsibility to love and care for each other and for their children. “Children are an heritage of the Lord” (Psalms 127:3). Parents have a sacred duty to rear their children in love and righteousness, to provide for their physical and spiritual needs, to teach them to love and serve one another, to observe the commandments of God and to be law-abiding citizens wherever they live. Husbands and wives—mothers and fathers—will be held accountable before God for the discharge of these obligations.

The family is ordained of God. Marriage between man and woman is essential to His eternal plan. Children are entitled to birth within the bonds of matrimony, and to be reared by a father and a mother who honor marital vows with complete fidelity. Happiness in family life is most likely to be achieved when founded upon the teachings of the Lord Jesus Christ. Successful marriages and families are established and maintained on principles of faith, prayer, repentance, forgiveness, respect, love, compassion, work, and wholesome recreational activities. By divine design, fathers are to preside over their families in love and righteousness and are responsible to provide the necessities of life and protection for their families. Mothers are primarily responsible for the nurture of their children. In these sacred responsibilities, fathers and mothers are obligated to help one another as equal partners. Disability, death, or other circumstances may necessitate individual adaptation. Extended families should lend support when needed.

We warn that individuals who violate covenants of chastity, who abuse spouse or offspring, or who fail to fulfill family responsibilities will one day stand accountable before God. Further, we warn that the disintegration of the family will bring upon individuals, communities, and nations the calamities foretold by ancient and modern prophets.

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What’s one thing that makes our church different?  Here’s a story that I think really illustrates the point.  It’s straight out of Our Search For Happiness, a book written by M. Russell Ballard (currently an apostle, a leader in our church). He says:

When I was mission president in Toronto I was invited to participate in a popular radio talk show. No, my missionaries didn’t set me up for this one–I accepted this invitation on my own. After some initial discussion of the similarities between The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and other Christian denominations, the host asked this significant question: “What makes your church different from other churches?”

“Let me answer your question with another question,” I replied. “If Moses were on the earth today, would you be interested in what he had to say?”

“Of course,” the talk show host responded. “Everyone would be interested.”

“Well, that’s our message to the world,” I said. “There is a prophet of God on the earth today who has the same power and authority that Moses had. God directs His Church through His prophet today, just as He did in Moses’ day.”

My host was silent for a moment–which, as you know, can seem like forever on the radio.

“You’re right,” he said at last. “That is different.”

God loves all His children.  Everyone on the earth.  He wants all of us to return and live with Him again. Because He loves us so much, He has placed a mouthpiece on the earth to guide and us and lead us.   The name of the man who leads us today is President Thomas S. Monson.

Amos 3:7 (in the bible) says:

Surely the Lord God will do nothing, until he revealeth his secret unto his servants the prophets.

The heavens are not closed.  God didn’t place us here to just kinda figure it out on our own.  He has given us help.  He has given us resources.  He has given us the ancient scriptures (Bible, Book of Mormon, etc) along with modern day scriptures (prophets and apostles) to help us understand and know what it takes to return. What God wants most is for us to return and live with Him again.  He would never abandon us.  And He hasn’t.  That is why we have a prophet on the earth today.

» Learn more about Prophets.

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There was an article in a recent Ensign (a publication in the LDS church) by Elder M. Russell Ballard that me and my wife really enjoyed.  It was called Sharing the Gospel Using the Internet. A few excerpts here…

Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration…

The Restoration of the gospel of Jesus Christ has no doubt had a powerful impact on your life. It has, in part, shaped who you are and what your future will be. Do not be afraid to share with others your experiences as a follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. We all have interesting stories that have influenced our identity. Sharing those stories is a nonthreatening way to talk to others and telling those stories can help demystify the Church. You could help overcome misperceptions through your own sphere of influence, which ought to include the Internet.

I have a lot of friends who aren’t very familiar with the Mormon faith and I think this blog could serve as a good resource to help them understand more of the core doctrines, principles and beliefs of the church.  I don’t wanna be too over the top with it…so i’ll probably just do it on Sundays.

My faith and my religious beliefs mean a lot to me and there is absolutely no reason for me not to share them.  I’ve shared some religious stuff here before…but I guess what i’m saying is that i’m gonna start doing it much more frequently.  Hopefully every Sunday.  Sometimes it’ll just be a few thoughts, maybe a scripture or two, missionary stories, and perhaps quotes and excerpts from talks given by modern prophets and apostles.

That’s all.  I just wanted to announce that.  Here’s a quick scripture for today.  Normally it’ll be more.

“Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.”
- Matthew 6:33

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I love Christmas time. It’s always a time I use to reflect on my life, where i’m at, what i’m doing, how i’m doing it. Christmas comes at a perfect time, just before the new year….thus a great time to resolve to be better, to adjust, to make positive changes.

So what exactly does Christmas mean to me?

First and foremost, it’s a great time to remember Jesus Christ. No doubt, our lives should be centered around Christ every single day of the year, not just Christmas. However, Christmas is a great time to put even more emphasis on His divine mission.

Christmas is also a great time of year to look to bless and serve others. This is another one that shouldn’t be done just around Christmas time. We should obviously try to serve, help and bless others….throughout the whole year. However, Christmas is a time that really opens people’s hearts as everyone spends so much more time with the people they love most, friends and family. It opens hearts and people are more willing to share, give and bless the lives of others. The Christmas spirit brings feelings of love, generosity, patience, kindness, hope and charity.

My parents have always been such great examples of charity and bringing the Christmas spirit into our lives. They are always so generous in their giving. And one thing that always goes to show that their heart is definitely in the right place is that they always give anonymously. They don’t need any recognition or credit for giving…and they certainly aren’t ever looking for something in return. They do it out of the goodness of their hearts. The kinda thing I blogged about last week.

I know exactly what it’s like to be on the needy end. I’m kinda there now (newlywed entrepreneur). And i’ve been there plenty of times before (much of my years growing up). That’s why it felt so good on Thursday night when Rachel and I got the pleasant surprise on our doorstep. We truly do appreciate it. It does mean a lot. It’s a feeling that’s hard to describe. Our hearts swelled with joy, gratitude, love and appreciation. It motivated us to be better and more charitable. To pass it on. Charity is so contagious. It really is.

As i’ve learned from my parents and how they are so willing to share….I’ve tried to emulate them as much as possible. Rachel and I don’t have a lot to give…but we try to do as much as we can. The main reason is because we know exactly what it’s like to be on the other end, like I describe in the above paragraph. We know it now and I felt it for many years growing up. And I think that’s why my parents are so willing to give of their blessings. They know the feeling. They know the other side. My father was an entrepreneur and had many struggling years while me and my brothers were younger. Tough, tough times financially. He was able to make it through those years and come out on top. Ever since then, my parents have always been so generous and willing to help others. Because they know. They know the other side. They know the feeling. They were able break through and get to the top. Ever since, they’ve always wanted to send the elevator back down to the bottom to help others come to the top and join them.

Like my parents, so many of us are “on top.” Even though Rachel and I aren’t rich, we are certainly “on top” in so many different aspects of our life. Our skills and talents. Our health. Our attitudes. Our knowledge and education. Our families and friends. Our accomplishments and opportunities. Our spiritual direction.

We can all still give….if not of our resources, at least of our time and talents. It feels good to share. It feels good to serve. It feels good to bless. Especially having been on the complete opposite side of “on top.”

To me that’s what Christmas is all about. Giving of your resources; giving of your time; giving of yourself….to make someone a little happier, to make someone’s smile a little brighter, to make someone’s day/year a little better.

Yup, it’s exactly what Christ did. Except he didn’t do it for just one day, one week, or one month. Rather, He did it his entire life!

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Church today was great as usual. In Sunday School we discussed the importance of sharing the gospel with others. It’s always a topic I enjoy learning/talking about because of the wonderful experience I had preaching the gospel in Brasil for two years. I love to share the gospel. It brings me so much joy! I think I need to do MORE of it here at Princeton. I always talk about my faith & beliefs with friends….and do my best in answering their questions. I also do my very best in not just talking about it…but actually living it. And that’s always the more important thing to do: Live the gospel of Christ. However, beyond that….I think I need to do more. I KNOW I need to do more. And there really isn’t any reason why I can’t do more. Yeah…i’m busy. But that’s just an excuse. Helping others learn more about how they can gain eternal happiness and celestial glory is something of far greater importance than any trivial task I so often find myself wasting time on.

God is our father in heaven. We are all His children. I know that. But if I don’t share that fact with others then it’s basically like me not knowing it at all. Imagine if a doctor is at the scene of an accident. He sees that a person is seriously injured. The doctor has what it takes to help save the dying victim. However, for whatever reason…he chooses not to help. He has the medical knowledge to help. But he didn’t act upon that knowledge. So essentially it’s like him NOT knowing any of it at all! If I don’t share what I know….then it’s like I don’t know it at all. It’d be like me denying my testimony that God lives. And yes, i’d certainly be condemned for that…because i’d be denying others the knowledge that they WOULD have received had I shared with them.

Hi. I’m Mick Hagen. I’m a Mormon….or should I say LDS. Most people refer to us as Mormons…..because of the book we use, The Book of Mormon. However, Mormon was a person. He was a prophet who lived on the Americas, many many centuries ago. The Book of Mormon is a compilation of many scriptural writings….done by many ancient prophets (kind of like the Bible in that sense…and by the way….we also believe in the Bible) who lived on the Americas (South & North). Mormon was the prophet who abridged all these writings…and put them into one whole book of scripture. Thus it became called the Book of Mormon.

The official name of the church is The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Yeah…if you wanna call me Mormon you can. But Mormon was the name of an ancient prophet. My name isn’t Mormon. It’s Mick. The term commonly used to refer to our people is LDS. When I say that i’m LDS….it means that i’m a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Got it? Word to your mother.

Polygamy doesn’t exist in the church. We ARE Christians. And we don’t worship Joseph Smith. I just thought i’d quickly throw that out there to clear up any misconceptions you might have. If you wanna learn more about my faith and religion, go to the my faith section in the “my info” section of my website. You’ll learn more about Joseph Smith and how the true church of Jesus Christ was restored on earth in these latter days.

My church is awesome. I guess I shouldn’t really say “my” church. It’s not mine. It’s Christ’s church. But I love it. That’s all I have to say. I’d be lost (in every sense of the word) without the church, the teachings, the blessings, the guidance.

It’s helped me find peace during troubled times. It’s helped me find joy in a sad world. It’s helped me find light when everything around seems dark. I’m a proud member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And I invite everyone to learn more, visit the church, and find true joy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Much love,
Mickey

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Haha. You people are funny. I’m still getting a bunch of responses to my April Fools joke. And some of you are just plain silly…thinking that i’m really engaged. Look at yesterday’s blog because i’ve added more of your responses to it, including the response from my dad. I’ll be adding to that blog daily….as I receive more responses and as I see fit. So be checking on that blog for new “responses.” Alot of ‘em are funny.

Haha…you all really did get slapped in the hiney. And I think it’s grand. You all deserved it anyway.

Anyway, I think it’s funny how tons of people read my blog…and I have no idea who you are. Well actually, I probably know who you are, but I don’t know that it’s specifically YOU reading my blog (haha…i’m not sure if that made any sense). I have a program that marks the statistics of my site. So I know the numbers. I know all of your IP addresses. I know how long you stay. I know where you’re logging in from (just the city/state/country). I know how many times you’ve been here. I know from what site or link you came in from. And I know where you go once you leave my site. I know alot more about you than you think I do. However, the only thing I don’t know is WHO you are. What buddy. What crush. What cutie.

If there was someway I could connect your IP Address with your name…that’d be great. But it’s just not possible. So you’re in luck I guess. You get to live some Princeton nerd’s life vicariously through a silly blog. Some of you visit my site way too much. I write in my blog just once a day and some of you geeks visit 20 times a day. Haha. I sure hope you have more of a life than that. I’m really not that interesting. I really don’t have that much to say. And i’m not ridiculously good looking like Zoolander. So there really isn’t that much to come back for more than once a day. Haha.

But hey, whatever floats your boat. If you think that something magical is gonna happen on my website during the day then you can keep coming back. I like visitors. I like friends. I guess i’m fine with it. But just remember…I’m alot smarter than you think. I can find you. Perhaps I WILL find you. Watch ooooooout. I’m gonna come knocking on your door. I’m getting cloooooooooosssssseeeeer….Booo! I scared ya didn’t I. Haha…..I know.

You can call me a dork. I play way too much. I’ve kinda made that my philosophy in life: everywhere I go I try to turn it into mickey’s lil’ playground. That way i’ll never stop having fun. My life is a playground. My computer the jungle gym: always new places to explore. School the merry-go-round: never seems to end, causes headaches, but I have fun nonetheless. Gospel the swing-set: Get closer to heaven the harder you work. The See-Saw can represent the girls: highs and lows emotionally, romantically and financially. And then there’s the slides. That represents health (sleep, food, exercise): you just aren’t complete without it. Mickey’s lil’ playground. Coming to a location near you!

Hmmm…..and that’s about all the creativity I have in me right now. Haha.

Let’s move on to better issues. Today was sweet. General Conference. Great talks. I felt the spirit super strong. It did what it was supposed to do: teach me more of the doctrine through the spirit & motivate me to be a better servant of the Lord. It’s funny how watching conference today made me wanna get married. I know i’m young and everything. It’s funny though how I felt that. It made me desirous to get married, start having a family, and serve the Lord in a more organized way. I wanna get on with my life. I wanna make the next step up the spiritual ladder of eternal progression. So I was thinking about that today. It felt good. It felt interesting.

But yeah…I loved conference. Here are a few points from conference to ponder:

Jeffrey R. Holland spoke, among other things, about how we needed to put our path in line with the Lord’s path. He says that Christ’s feelings are that “when you walk where i’m going, then we can talk about where you’re going.” He also said, “Christ knows the way because he is the way.”

To become the great man that he is, President Hinckley said he always took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference. He also said that “everything good that has happened to me, including my marriage, is because of my activity in the church.”

M. Russell Ballard tells us of what it takes to have a Gospel-Sharing Home. Do you have one?

We all live in a type of “babylon” around us, but David R. Stone said that we need to “create zion in the midst of babylon.” Are we doing that?

And I love it how Richard G. Scott talked about missionary service. He also talked about the manual, Preach My Gospel. We of course know the great tool this manual is to help prepare men and women for missionary service and church callings. But he also said that it would help prepare girls to be a great wife and mother! (and of course it goes the other way around for the boys). That’s cool

Here are a couple from last night:
Richard G. Hinckley, speaking of his mother who passed away a couple years ago, said “I can’t honor her properly by what I say, but by the way I live.” Interesting.

And of course President Monson has his famous quote that he shared once again last night: “When the time for performance arrives, the time for preparation is past.”

Sweet dreams ladies and gentlemen. HAVE A SUH-WHEAT WEEK!

Your home boy at Princeton,
Mickey Lee Hagen

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