Adoration of the Shepherds
– Gerard van Honthorst

My childhood was an odd mixture of abuse, neglect, strife, and traditional family values. We weren’t a traditional family. When I was three, my mother married my stepfather. We were certainly not the only blended family around, but it was not so common as it is now.

My stepfather was not a warm man, at least not towards me. His children were even less warm towards me. I suffered much abuse in that family. I was the outsider. That was a natural outgrowth of the sexism of the time.

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“If Rex can do it, anybody can!”

Somebody said that about me once. It’s not a very flattering statement, but it was meant to prove a point. I think that the point failed. (more…)

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Advent is always one of the busiest times of the year for me. But it’s a great one as well. It offers some time for quiet reflection and recalling some of the memories of Christmases past.  (more…)

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Peace

Two values have been high in my priorities all of my life. I strive daily for both: Freedom and Peace. These values not only inform my choices about myself but also my choices about my relationships. For me, they are at the heart of Mormonism, freedom being the basis of the plan of salvation as we understand it and peace being the reward of faithfulness and obedience. (more…)

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Ever have one of those awkward moments when some of your work jargon slips out, and the person you’re talking to you just gives you a blank look? If you’re anything like me it happens once in a while. So with this blog post I thought I would share a little about what I do for a living.

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Life has a tendency of throwing us curve balls every once in a while. And while sometimes the message we may need to hear comes from something or someone dear and cherished, sometimes it’s otherwise.  (more…)

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Something that I’ve known for quite some time but just came to the fore this last week is that I sometimes have a tendency to take beating myself up to an art form. (more…)

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What Is Wrong With This Sign?

When I was helping my children learn how to drive, before I ever let them get behind the wheel of my truck, I took them for a ride and had them start calling out to me the content of the signs they saw. At first, I had them call out everything, traffic signs, street signs, speed signs, warnings, billboards, bus stop signs, and advertisements on bus benches. I wanted them to practice knowing what was on the road to provide them with information.

Eventually, I had them just read the signs relevant to driving. When I thought they had the habit of looking at the important signs on the road, then I let them drive.

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Goode Women

There has long been an attitude growing that men who deal with same-sex attraction are doing a disservice to the women they marry. It has even been said that it should be actively discouraged by the Church. Some even say that the Church already discourages it.
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The hand of Providence is something for which I am profoundly grateful. Especially when it comes when I haven’t done something simple like look at a map. (more…)

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Today in sacrament meeting, the man offering the opening prayer asked that the missionaries would be lead to the honest heart. I have heard those words several times over the pulpit in public prayers. Something about it has always sent a small ripple of unidentifiable discomfort through me.

It isn’t that I think there is anything wrong with it as an item in a public prayer. There is nothing unrighteous or untoward about it. It is something I also hope for, but still, something seems incomplete about it. (more…)

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I’ve tried many different looks in my lifetime, mostly related to my hair. I’m happy to say that at fifty-six years old, I still have all of it, unless I choose to shave it off.

Likewise, I have tried a lot of different ideas out. While my hairstyle is a matter of choosing to try out different looks, trying out different ideas is not optional. I’m trying to figure out a very complex and interesting person.
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Back in 1995, I announced to the world, via this web site, that I have always dealt with same-sex attraction. Since that time, being “out” has been a thoroughly interesting experience. I’ve learned who I can trust and who I can’t. (more…)

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Lily Tomlin as Edith Ann

Based on a talk given by me in the Butler Creek Ward of the Gresham Oregon Stake on 7/15/2012.

Most people of my generation will recognize the precocious little girl in the rocking chair, Edit Ann, who had funny things to say about life and people. Edith Ann was one of the many characters invented and played by Lily Tomlin, a genius of wit, comedy, and social commentary.

One of my favorite routines was from the album, “And That’s the Truth”, where Lily plays an average, single woman walking home from somewhere and encounters the persistently annoying Edith Ann.

Part of the conversation that ensues is as follows: (more…)

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With the growing support of Mitt Romney for President, a growing openness about homosexuality, and an internet media blitz about it, we are seeing more and more members of the Church who deal with same-sex attraction writing about it, appear in videos, even get interviewed by the news media. (more…)

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