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Awareness Wednesday :: Are You Aware of the Homeless?
I have a friend who has very precocious children. One day one of her younger children referred to someone as homeless. I asked the child if she knew the person and if she knew where the person sleeps. One of the older kids chimed in that the person was a hobo. Certainly precocious. I did not know that kids these days had ever even heard the term hobo. It got me wondering if we are aware of the people we see each day. Maybe they are at the intersection holding a sign announcing that they will work for food. Maybe the sign says, “Please give, every penny helps,” or simply,…
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MWEG Member Op-Ed: “Romney Should Stand for a Fair Impeachment Trial”
“I’m a Romney Republican. In fact, Sen. Mitt Romney and I have a lot in common. Like the senator, I’ve been a Republican all my life, and I’ve even served as a state delegate and precinct chair. Like the senator, I love my family and I’m devoted to my faith. We even form part of the same community: Sen. Romney is my grandmother’s neighbor.” Click here to read MWEG member Emily Taylor’s Salt Lake Tribune op-ed calling for Republicans who are true to their faith to lead the fight to hear from witnesses in President Trump’s impeachment trial. Romney Should Stand for a Fair Impeachment Trial • January 28, 2020…
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Pray for Truth
It’s been a rough week for a lot of us in the U.S. Our rule of law seems under siege by leaders attempting to redraw lines between right and wrong, blurring once-common notions of truth. This reality played out this week in my home city of Boston, where a U.S. Customs official ignored an order from a federal court and deported an Iranian Northeastern University student who was here legally with a student visa. In the span of those same few days, the U.S. Senate, presiding over the impeachment trial of our sitting president on charges of abuse of power and obstruction of justice, continued to attempt to conduct a…
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Awareness Wednesday :: Homelessness — Helping Our Communities Think Beyond Soup Kitchens
I appreciate Amanda’s post last week for an intimate/anecdotal view on homelessness. Her story provides information that could help improve services. Today, I want to shed light on homelessness from a different vantage point. I will highlight why the current efforts involving taxpayer-funded homelessness programs aren’t working that well, and what we can do to help. The Continuum of Care program I’m a young professional who worked for three years at United Way of Utah County as the Mountainland Continuum of Care co-planner. The Continuum of Care is a federal program under HUD that aims to end homelessness, and there are several in every state. It was my job to…
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Awareness Wednesday :: Homelessness — Lord, When Did We See You?
May 24, 2018. That was the day I moved into my apartment, the day I was no longer homeless. For four years, I bounced between friends’ couches and spare rooms, trying to take up as little space as I could. I was employed but never made enough to end the cycle. I was fortunate: I had a car, supportive friends, a cheap cell phone, and access to the internet. I was what is known as sheltered homeless. Through the help of my friends and my church, I was able to get into housing. I could not have done this on my own. Many are not so fortunate. My state, Missouri,…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Lessons from the Wilderness
As I have been studying the account of Lehi’s family in the Book of Mormon this month, I have found myself considering the perspectives of different individuals in the story, imagining myself in their position. Instead of viewing the people as characters that were either heroes or villains, I have been thinking about them as real, complex human beings. This exercise has broadened my perspective and brought me new insights that have helped me apply what I am reading to my own life. I was moved as I read about Sariah’s struggles as she anxiously awaited the safe return of her sons from their journey to Jerusalem to obtain the…
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Sabbath Devotional :: Improving Faith in Christ
With all the unrest in the world today, we can easily get caught up in the sadness or frustrations we see. As we each deal with these, if we are not careful, we can find it easy to lose sight of the true purpose of our earthly existence. I find wisdom in a devotional talk given by BYU professor Robert Daines on June 20, 2000. These are my insights into his words. Brother Daines speaks of three areas of concern: – Our relationship with Deity, spouses and others – Maintaining balance – Making important decisions He says that “answers and direction to each of these general dilemmas can be found…
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Sabbath Devotional :: ‘Ye May Know the Truth of All Things’
Like many of you, this year I will once again be taking a slow and deep dive into the Book of Mormon. Last week, I was lucky enough to start my study by preparing to teach the first early morning seminary lesson of the year, leading me to think long and hard about the role the book has played in my spiritual and emotional growth. My class last week was made up of a group of clever and thoughtful seniors. They have grown up in a place where their core beliefs are challenged, and none of them has ever really had the luxury of taking the truthfulness of the gospel…
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Awareness Wednesday :: Homelessness — Are We Not All Beggars?
When I was in high school, I went on a group date to the symphony in Salt Lake City. Along our route to Abravanel Hall, we walked by a couple with a dog. They were sitting on the sidewalk and appeared to be under the influence of some substance. As we passed by, they asked us if we had any money so they could feed their dog. After we had moved a little further along the sidewalk I laughed and said, “Yeah right! I’m sure they want money for the dog.” I am grateful that that evening I had friends who gently chastised me. They hadn’t given the couple any…
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Sabbath Devotional :: In This Uncertain World
We find ourselves right now in the middle of a mystery. The assassination of General Qassem Suleimani is still fresh news. We can only speculate about the repercussions of that stunning action. There is no doubt that there will be repercussions. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said Friday that the action was in response to an “imminent attack.” “This was an intelligence-based assessment that drove this,” Pompeo told CNN. “[Soleimani] was actively planning in the region,” he said, adding the U.S. action “saved American lives.” We aren’t privy to those intelligence sources. Congress wasn’t privy to those sources (although Senator Graham was). Has this action lit the tiger’s tail? Was…
