Job's closing soliloquy is absolutely wonderful. In a book full of well formed imagery it stands out, and I'm tempted to quote the entire thing as I discuss it. That feels like a bit of overkill, but I’ve never let that stop me before. The first part of chapter 29 is Job looking back at... Continue Reading →

Eliphaz is scandalized. Job has clearly gone off the rails. How can Job so defiantly proclaim his righteousness and innocence? If anything, Job's pride constitutes a major sin.  Essentially he reiterates the same view with, at best, a subtle new insight. Job has noted that even the innocent suffer catastrophe and misfortune, Eliphaz’s response seems... Continue Reading →

For a variety of reasons I’ve spent a fair amount of time reading and re-reading The Book of Job over the past few months. It’s been really thought provoking. I feel like I’ve re-learned some old lessons, challenged several long-held assumptions, and had some new insights, and I feel like writing may help clarify my... Continue Reading →

A few weeks ago I was asked to speak in sacrament meeting. My thoughts were a bit too long to give a complete account in a 12 minute talk. I decided it would be nice to put out a version where I said what I wanted to say without a time constraint. Anyone who has... Continue Reading →

Over the past 6 months I’ve been asked a lot of “how did you do it?” and “what’s your secret?” type questions. These questions provoke a mixture of self consciousness, anxiety, and flattery in my brain, and I’ve generally been hesitant to answer for several reasons. The process of consistent habit change has several interconnected... Continue Reading →

Today is Thanksgiving and I’ve spent the last week trying to be mindful of my blessings and privileges both of which are far too numerous to genuinely account for. This morning I was reminded of the origin of the Thanksgiving holiday. The story of the Plymouth Pilgrims and Massachusetts natives sharing a bountiful harvest is... Continue Reading →

To those who know or keep up with me primarily through social media it probably feels like I have been really bent out of shape for the past 4 years. To a certain degree that is true. Over the past 24 hrs, for obvious reasons, I’ve been evaluating/considering my feelings and frustrations and over the... Continue Reading →

Three Uses of the Knife When Jake asked me to make a new mix last week I was genuinely flattered. I really enjoy my mixes, but I bring a whole host of thoughts and emotions to each song that I sometimes wonder if the reasons I’ve included them and placed them where I have “make... Continue Reading →

I've recently been assigned to teach the 13-15 year-olds in Sunday School. I didn't really want to spend a lot of time talking about divinely ordained homicide or speculating on the exact population of the "great and spacious building". The former is a morbid edge case scenario, and the latter is done to death (i... Continue Reading →

A story about doubting your kids. Every once in awhile we’ll be talking about school and The Dude will drop something like, “we did races today in PE and I came in first”. “Like in your group or class?” “No, in all of 3rd grade” Such a claim is not unrealistic. The Dude’s mom was... Continue Reading →