An Ordinary Mormon Family: October 2014

About us:

We are a pretty normal Christian family. We believe we do have some characteristics that make us unique. We genuinely like each other and enjoy spending time together. We especially like to talk about the purposes of life. We actually challenge each other to read articles or books that we find inspiring and then we discuss them. We prayerfully seek to know truth and have sought to be familiar with the Old and New Testaments. We want to apply the truths we are learning in everyday living. We have found that in the process of sharing and seeking inspiration, we have begun to see patterns that seem consistent throughout the scriptures such as the need for adversity and testing to become Zion material. There simply wasn't a Zion society that didn't go through a wilderness experience beforehand. We have found that as we share, our ability to understand these principles seems enhanced. We have considered the value of sharing simple gospel truths on this blog. It is a mental exercise that we consider of great value to attempt to put thoughts into words and words onto paper. There have been times when we feel that we have been taught and tutored by the Lord. At those times we tend to experience some feelings of warmth and spirit, but it is in the process of sharing with others of like faith what we think we are learning that those feelings seem the most tangible and enhanced. It seems to bear witness to us that gospel truths were meant to be shared. We think this is the meaning of the scriptures found in Malachi 3: 16-18: "Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to another; and the Lord hearkened and heard it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the Lord; and that thought upon his name. And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels; and I will spare them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. Then shall ye return, and discern between the righteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God and him that serveth him not."

The thoughts we have personally shared do not necessarily reflect the beliefs and thoughts of our spouses, our children or the church with which we affiliate. But, it has been in the process of sharing with each other that we have learned these things. Nor has believing and studying these things prevented us from making lots of mistakes in life. But we have found as we begin each day with prayer seeking repentance, guidance in the affairs of that day and asking to be taught and tutored by Him, who is mighty to save, we have partaken of His grace and His mercy and found life to be tremendously exciting, a privilege of inestimable worth and we are grateful for one more day to prepare to meet our Savior.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

To bear or not to bear . . .

Me, with one of our many grandchildren.

When Vicki and I were first married we made a conscious decision to have as many children as the Lord wanted us to have. It was, and still is, our testimony that the Lord can reveal this important matter to couples through the gift of revelation. I thought that 6 children would be a good number since there were six in my family growing up and that was more children than most couples had. To my surprise and delight, we have been blessed with 10 children, 2 boys and 8 girls, and we couldn’t be happier. We would have been willing to have even more children, but that is the limit that the Lord placed on us. When Vicki was older, we had numerous witnesses to proceed with yet one more pregnancy, which we were told would result in a baby girl. When Vicki was 46, Alyse was born.

This photo was taken on Vicki's 61st birthday.

Alyse, Shanelle and Rochelle with Shanelle's new baby Finn.

Both Rochelle and Kristin will have first babies within the next month's time.

Of those 10 children, 7 are now married and we will be celebrating Corinne’s wedding in just a few short weeks on November 7^th. That will leave our two youngest children, Audrie, who is on an LDS church mission in Rosario Argentina and Alyse, who is in 9^th grade, as our only remaining single children. We currently have 16 grandchildren, which number will soon grow to 19 since three daughters expecting. Eight of the grandchildren are girls and 8 are boys.

Our daughters have married wonderful men which have become like sons to us. Our sons have married wonderful women whom we love like our own daughters. We have enjoyed getting to know them, their parents and their families, which has added to the richness of our lives. We look forward to future weddings and more grandchildren as our posterity grows.

This morning I read an article in the Deseret News written by Richard and Linda Eyre about the declining birthrate in developed countries. Of the 224 sovereign states in the world, 116 now have birthrates below the replacement level. This is leading to economic decline in those countries and places their societies at risk and can cause their cultures to stagnate. This is alarming news and it has spurred some developed countries, like Russia and Singapore, to offer money to couples to have more children in order to bolster their economies.

One of the principle causes of a lower birthrate is the decline in marriage. Marriage, as a scared institution between one man and one woman, is not only under attack by proponents of same sex marriage but also by people who fail to get married at all. Unmarried couples and same sex couples are less likely to have children, and less likely to stay together, to provide a stable home for any children that they do have. What a tragedy this is. The biblical command to “multiply and replenish the earth” is just as valid today as it was 6,000 years ago and it was part of the ceremony when Vicki and I were married on December 11, 1976. I am so glad that we obeyed that divine injunction as we have witnessed the promised blessings and truly “have joy in our posterity”.

Blog Focus

We have established this blog as a means of sharing family events and essays. We have found that faith is kindled by hearing the testimony of those who have faith. We have found that our understanding of gospel principles is enhanced when we write things down and share our thoughts with one another. There is a sense of righteous synergy that takes place when two or three are gathered in the pursuit of truth. Each of our family members brings something unique to the table. We have created this blog because we believe that there are others out there who are likeminded and we would love to hear your thoughts, questions and testimonies. We also understand that such bold thoughts aren't usually popular, but we are so convinced that there are absolutes in this life, that we are willing to state such in a public forum. We simply ask you to consider the possibility.