MattAndMeag.com

Clean and Appropriate Speech

matt — Sun, 22 Aug 2010 21:37:45 GMT

Today I gave a lesson on the title of this post to the Priests (16-18 yr old young men) of my Ward (congregation). We spoke about how we as holders of the Priesthood of God are to speak. Specifically in regards to the type of language we use and the types of topics we participate in. Two things I wanted to share with others that I reviewed with the boys today. One comes from the “For the Strength of Youth” pamphlet that our church publishes and distributes to all youth in our church to help guide them through their adolescent years. The title of this section of the pamphlet is language. As you read it think of how you act, speak, or participate with others. It speaks volumes to me and is a good reminder of what I should be doing.

“Language,” For the Strength of Youth: Fulfilling Our Duty to God, 22

“Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good” (Ephesians 4:29).

How you speak says much about who you are. Clean and intelligent language is evidence of a bright and wholesome mind. Use language that uplifts, encourages, and compliments others. Do not insult others or put them down, even in joking. Speak kindly and positively about others so you can fulfill the Lord’s commandment to love one another. When you use good language, you invite the Spirit to be with you.

Always use the names of God and Jesus Christ with reverence and respect. Misusing their names is a sin. Profane, vulgar, or crude language or gestures, as well as jokes about immoral actions, are offensive to the Lord and to others. Foul language harms your spirit and degrades you. Do not let others influence you to use it.

Choose friends who use good language. Help others around you use clean language by your example and by good-naturedly encouraging them to choose other words. Politely walk away or change the subject when others around you use bad language.

If you have developed the habit of swearing, you can break it. Begin by making a decision to change. Pray for help. If you start to use words you know are wrong, keep quiet or say what you have to say in a different way.

James 3:2–13

I reminded the boys that everyone needs to work on their language and that I struggle with what was described in this quote to some level and I knew they did as well. I then spoke of the football team I coach. When the players “drop an F-Bomb” or something like that in front of a coach they drop and give us 25 push-ups on the spot regardless of what they are doing. Our purpose as coaches is to help them to become great young men and represent their school and community in an honorable way. I then talked about how we are all not so lucky to go through life with a coach watching over us and telling us to “drop and give me 25” every time we make a mistake. We need to exercise self control.

Lastly I concluded with this quote from a prophet of our church. He talks about how we are all guilty when we even listen and are entertained by such vulgar language or actions.

“Sometime ago I saw a drama enacted on the stage of a San Francisco theater. The play had enjoyed a long, continuous run in New York. But the actors, unworthy to unloose the latchets of the Lord’s sandals, were blaspheming his sacred name in their common, vulgar talk. They repeated words of a playwright, words profaning the holy name of their Creator. The people laughed and applauded, and as I thought of the writer, the players, and the audience, the feeling came to me that all were party to the crime” (“President Kimball,” p. 4).

This lesson was a good reminder to me to keep on my toes and always strive to exercise self-control. Maybe I should make myself “drop and give me 25”. Something to think about…

Virgin Lips

matt — Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:31:38 GMT

I had the opportunity with my wife to go to our Stake Youth Conference. For those who don’t know what that is, it is an event where 100+ kids from around the area (in this case the surrounding area of Auburn, WA) of our faith (Mormon faith) get together to provide community service, be taught gospel principles, have a dance, and have fun fellowshipping. Meag and I were asked to teach one of the four classes. Our subject was Dating specifically how we can Be Happy, Be Clean, Be Prayerful, and Be Worthy.

We broke up the 4 main parts between the two of us and I spoke on Be Clean and Be Worthy. I shared a story from my youth.

As many of you know I come from a family of 4 boys. I am close to all three of my older brothers, but as I look back Kent (my oldest brother) has had the greatest impact on my life.

It was the summer of 1995 in Heber, Utah. Kent was living there with his wife M’Lissa and his two daughters Brit and Tae (Austin and Houston were not born yet). I traveled down there from Washington to work out and train for the summer in preparation before my Junior year and the subsequent football season.

Kent was a Civil Engineer and worked on a highway project at the time up in the mountains between Heber and Park City. On occasion one of the work outs was to ride a bike up the unfinished mountain to his work site (which took several hours). I hated this workout because I used Kent’s bike and the width of that stupid seat was 2 inches (I swear!). :) Needless to say I was sore after every attempt to get on that bike. After the bike workouts Kent and I would drive back to his house.

One of my most memorable conversations with Kent happened after one of these bike trips. I had turned 16 that previous school year and so I was interested in girls and had been on a few dates. Kent and I talked about dating as girls were always on my mind, just like any other teenage boy. He spoke of a church leader (either an Apostle or Prophet) where the only girl this leader kissed was his wife. I want to say that church leader was President James E. Faust, but I’m not certain. Meag found a quote the other day trying to find which leader it was and the quote said that President Faust never kissed his wife until the alter. With that said, let’s assume it was President Faust.

Anyways, Kent talked about how admired he was of President Faust and how he wished he could say the same thing. He talked about how honored M’Lissa would have felt if he had done the same thing. I remember leaving that conversation with a desire to do the same.

That conversation with Kent stuck with me. I went back after that summer and completed my Junior and Senior years of high school taking several girls out and guess what…I didn’t kiss any girls. I then headed out on my mission and came back and after four months of being off my mission I hadn’t kissed any girls…then…I met Meagan. Meagan is the only girl I’ve ever kissed (of course I’ve given my Mom and daughters kisses but those are OBVIOUSLY not the same).

After sharing that story with all 4 classes that Meag and I taught, I was filled with emotion each time, mainly when I spoke of Kent but also for the accomplishment that I had made and the honor that I have been able to give to Meagan.

I then closed by challenging the class, not specifically to not kiss anyone but to be picky with their kisses. We then handed out little baggies of Hershey Kisses that said “Enjoy these Kisses now, save YOUR Kisses for later”.

This was a great experience and a fun time for Meag and I to look back on our dating and courtship before marriage and the fun that we had. In August we will have been married for 10 years. She is and always has been the love of my life, and I love her more now than I did 10 years ago.

Finding Hope

matt — Fri, 04 Sep 2009 15:20:15 GMT

I watched this very inspiring video today and it made me think of all the hardship and struggles people went through on 9/11/01. I remember I was driving to school at BYU that morning and heard on the radio briefly what happened. I attended one of my marriage and family classes right after this event happened…what timing. My teacher was Lloyd D. Newel who is the broadcaster of the Music and the Spoken Word, he also provides announcing for the LDS church at the world wide conferences. To sit there and listen to him have a discussion with us about the importance of families and centering our lives around our Savior so that we can deal with struggles that come our way. This was very comforting to me and there was no coincidence that I was in that classroom at the time of the events of 9/11. I will always remember that.

The REAL magic word

meag — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 02:02:07 GMT

Matt, Maddie, Mace and I went to Dairy Queen to get ice cream recently. Matt and I just get blizzards and then we share them with the girls (we are mean that way). This time Matt got vanilla with Heath bar and I got chocolate with Butterfinger. In the car on the way home I was in charge of giving the girls bites and apparently I wasn’t giving them fast enough for Mace because she started whining, “I want more ice cream I want more ICE CREAM!!!”

So I turned around to look at her and said, “Mimi, If you want more ice cream you need to stop fussing and ask for it like a big girl. You know how to ask nicely. you need to use the magic word if you want more. What’s the magic word?”

Macy stopped fussing, thought for a second, then looked at me hopefully and said, “Chocolate.”

:) She is most definitely my daughter.

Fourth of July

meag — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 01:38:11 GMT

Our family had the best Fourth of July this year! It started with a ward pancake breakfast at the park. After the scouts presented the flag and one of the young women played the national anthem on the trumpet, our good friend Howie gave a short speech on some of his experiences while serving in the military. He did great! After we ate, we went with some friends to the river to let the girls throw rocks in the water. They loved it!

After the breakfast we went home to relax for a while until it was time to go to our bishop’s house for dinner and fireworks. His daughter and my friend Heidi invited us and it was so much fun! Matt joined the kids at the kiddie table for a little bit.

The little boy is Heidi’s little boy Kaiden. He is adorable! I can’t wait until he comes into nursery next month so I can play with him more. Macy LOVES Ashlynn and sat as close as she possibly could while they ate.

After dinner we played on their playground and rode motorcycles. Matt even drove one. Shocking, I know! Macy did NOT want to ride, but Maddie had her first ride ever, courtesy of Bishop Bird, and she loved it!

Macy spent forever swinging and especially loved when the bishop pushed her REALLY high. She giggled like crazy!

When it got dark Heidi and DJ got out the fireworks. Macy loved them but Maddie couldn’t take the noise and cried a lot. She would relax when they stopped, but when they started up again she would say, “NO!” and start to cry again. I don’t think Fourth of July will be her favorite holiday. :) Our family loved getting to know the Bird family better. It was a fabulous holiday!!

***Thanks to my good friend Rachel for taking all the photos!***

The Aquarium

meag — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 00:59:14 GMT

My brother Uncle Matt and his girlfriend Jess visited last week. It was a blast! We went to the Seattle Aquarium on Friday.

We all had so much fun watching all the fishies and other sea creatures. Maddie was brave and touched some starfish and a sea anemone in the touch pool, while our little timid Macy just felt the cold water. That’s Jess and Matt on the left.

We watched Olive Oil the octopus get fed her lunch, which was very cool because she turned from white to red while she ate, and then back to white again. She was my Matt’s favorite exhibit.

Uncle Matt and Macy liked the seahorses best and Maddie, Jess, and I liked the sea otters and seals. They are so cute!

It was a beautiful day and so refreshing to experience the coast of the Puget Sound. I love love love the water and all the boats. We survived the sketchy parking garage without incident (luckily) and had lunch at Dick’s after, which is a Seattle institution and so yummy. So much fun!

First Time

matt — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 17:36:00 GMT

I have often hesitated to write about my faith, but given the experience of the past year or so of reading the Book of Mormon cover to cover for the first time with my family, I had to share.

For those of you who have children know that sitting down to read anything let alone scriptures is a difficult task and requires a lot of patience. Meagan and I were determined to take a challenge given by President Hinckley (our Prophet who passed away recently) to read the Book of Mormon.

I can’t tell you how grateful I am for this book. It brings clarity into my life. It brings the holy spirit in my home. It removes contention from my life. It has helped me be a better Husband and Father. It has helped me to prioritize what matters most in my life.

Applying the principles taught in this book have helped me draw closer to my Heavenly Father. It strengthens my testimony that Jesus truly is my Savior and the Savior of all. The Book of Mormon is Another Testament of Jesus Christ. It is a companion to the Bible and complements the Bible in helping clarify true gospel doctrine and principles.

I found this video on YouTube today which contains the testimony and teachings of some of the Prophets of the LDS church.

My Dad

matt — Sun, 21 Jun 2009 11:40:01 GMT

Today is a day of reflection. It’s a special day. It’s Fathers day. I became a Father 4 short years ago. My Dad has been a father for over 40 years. He’s learned some things along the way that have made life easier for all of us. :) I couldn’t have asked for a better father.

Born in 1942 in Pocatello, Idaho. He is the oldest of 5 (2 boys, 3 girls). He is strong willed and has always been a hard worker. I attribute my hard work and work ethic to my Father. He did what it took to put food on the table. It seemed like he was always working, but when it came to us boys playing sports he was always there.

Growing up we had a famous picture of my dad above the toilet that I used as a young man. The frame was made of a wooden toilet and had the following picture of my dad as a very chubby baby.

It’s fun to look back at pictures of my father and see places and familiar things in pictures of where I lived. Like “Y” mountain in the background of this picture:

I grew up in the 80’s and early 90’s when it was popular to have huge hair, my dad followed suit.

(Dave, My Dad, and me)

Whenever my family (my grandparents, aunts, uncle Dave, and my Dad) sat around the table talking about the “good ole days” they always brought up how my dad looked like Buddy Holly, they sure were right!

(Yes this is my dad, not Buddy Holly!)

My Dad loves cars. He has always had quite a few, especially some that he was always working on with a good friend who was a mechanic. There was one car in particular he loved the most. It was his 1966 Ford Mustang Convertible, Cherry Red, with Gold speckels in the paint. It was a SWEET ride. I remember since I was around 12 years old my dad started talking selling the mustang. It wasn’t until I was 28 that he could part ways and sell it! He loved that car!

Surely my Dad is the greatest Dad of all time! He grew up in a family that would eat bread and milk for dinner when there was nothing else to eat. He always has done everything to provide for my mother and my family. I never went without, in fact I was spoiled along with my brothers. Speaking of my brothers, one of the hardest things he (my Dad) has had to deal with is the loss of my brother Kent. Losing him was hard for my Dad to take. I always admire my dad’s optimism and his positive attitude, which has improved over the years. You can blame my mom for that! :) Here is the last picture of my Dad and his boys together before Kent past away, I will always cherish this photo.

My Dad was recently diagnosed with cancer for the second time, luckily it is only in his lymph nodes. My Dad’s optimism will get him through this test. He told me the other day that the church asked if they could have some of the young men come over and mow his lawn for him and he said, “I don’t need help, I can do it myself.” Of course he said it in a much more polite tone. But that sums up my Dad, he’s never going to back down from a challenge, he will always take it head on and with great optimism.

I hope that one day I can look back and see that I did all I could to raise my children in a way that helps them be the best they could be. I will always be there for them, I will always support them, I will always provide for them. That’s all any child asks of their father. Every father has a critical role in their child’s life, whether they see it or not.

The LDS church web site has a fantastic video about fathers that sums it all up. My Dad was one of those fathers that was blessed with a child with disabilities and if it wasn’t for his and my mom’s optimism and willingness to work with Jim to help him develop into the man he is today Jim would probably not have been able to accomplished what he has been able to accomplish. Pretty amazing, my Dad is amazing! I LOVE YOU DAD!

My Daddy’s Hand

matt — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:00:11 GMT

My parents sent me a thoughtful poem that I got through the mail. It has a little hand holding on to a big one. It’s very cool to be a dad. I love my girls and the love we share.

Daddy, take my hand in yours and you will plainly see,
How very much I need you now to love and care for me.
Then as my little hand grows, I will need you even more.
Everything I do in life, I have never done before.
Teach me to be kind and loving, sharing and forgiving.
Show me through your acts of love the pure joy of living.
The years will pass by quickly and one day I will be grown.
I will pass what you have taught me on to children of my own.
Hold me always in your thoughts and remember when we are apart,
The special love between a child and daddy's heart.

My own pace

matt — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 21:55:15 GMT

My Aunt Jean sent me this quote from an unknown author. She said it reminded her of my family. It definitely reminds me of Madison.

My face may be different But my feelings the same
I laugh and I cry And I take pride in my gains
I was sent here among you To teach you to love
As God in the heaven Looks down from above
To Him I’m no different His love knows no bounds
It’s those here among you In cities and towns
That judge me by standards That man has imparted
But this family I’ve chosen Will help me get started
For I’m one of the children So special and few
That came here to learn The same lessons as you
That love is acceptance It must come from the heart
We all have the same purpose Though not the same start
The Lord gave me life To live and embrace
And I’ll do it as you do But at my own pace.