Soapbox: Is Scouting Really Necessary?

The scouting program offered by the Boy Scouts of America is extremely complementary to the gospel of Jesus Christ in helping a young man become like Heavenly Father.

From the book of Abraham in the Pearl of Great Price, we read:

24. And there stood one among them that was like unto God, and he said unto those who were with him: We will go down, for there is space there, and we will take of these materials, and we will make an earth whereon these may dwell;
25. And we will prove them herewith, to see if they will do all things whatsoever the Lord their God shall command them;

Those commandments from God that He will use to prove whether we are worthy of exaltation center on two things. In Matthew 22, the Savior taught this when he was asked:

36. Master, which is the great commandment in the law?
37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
38. This is the first and great commandment.
39. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

The 10 commandments deal with loving God and loving our neighbor. We prove our love to God and to our neighbors by way of service to them. In fact, serving our neighbors is also a form of service to God, as stated by King Benjamin.

So what does scouting have to do with all of this? I'll get to that.

Imagine young men who are very studious in school. They learn reading, writing, arithmetic, science, English, and perhaps art or something creative. They attend their young men classes on Sundays along with the rest of their block meetings. They study their scriptures and read about how God wants people to help others. They pray daily, grateful for the blessings they have and ask for others they desire. But what will they to do when they have a flat tire? What will they do when they have a family of their own and money is tight and the pipe under the bathroom sink bursts? What will they do when their own children want to go camping with them? What will they do when they're swimming with their friends and one of them starts to drown? What will they do when they go shooting with a friend's family for the first time?

Will they pray that the flat tire miraculously fixes itself or that the pipe grows a bit of metal enough to cover up the hole? Will they search the scriptures for pointers on camping including how to pitch a tent, build a fire, cook their food or even just try it raw? Will they pray that someone else nearby will see their struggling friend in the water and rush to their aid? Will they have had a lesson on gun safety during a priesthood meeting and know how to safely handle a gun?

How absurd.

There are things we will all learn in this life that we might not need in the next life. Assuming we make it to Heaven, there will probably not be tires that could go flat nor water pipes that might burst there. I doubt there will be any need for money or many opportunities to go camping. Swimming might be a possibility but how would someone drown in Heaven (ha ha!)? And guns might be in short supply there. But we have these things here with us in this life, right now.

The scouting program teaches boys and young men to accomplish all these things and much more. And this kind of practical knowledge is extremely important for a young man. By that, I mean that there will be a collection of many opportunities to serve others, including one's own family and friends through practical means like the examples I listed above. Knowing how to fix a flat will prove to be a useful skill when he's traveling down a lonely road and spots someone else with a flat tire who cannot fix it by himself or herself. He is being thrifty as well as serving his family when he repairs a broken pipe in his own home. Spending time with his children and teaching them about camping absolutely falls under his "sacred duty to rear [his] children in love...." (The Family: A Proclamation to the World, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, www.lds.org, 1995) Knowing how to swim and being willing to endanger his own safety to rescue a drowning friend provides a unique service as he is helping to save the life of a friend. Understanding the purposes and capabilities of firearms can enable him to protect himself and family as well as provide food.

These are just a few practical, real-life examples that truly demonstrate ways a young man can be like God. It is up to them to prepare for such opportunities. We often don't look at such experiences in this light but this is what it really comes down to. And if the young man has not practiced, developed and honed a large enough skill set, he will miss out on experiences designed to strengthen his character, and additionally, help him love others and also love God.

Scouting helps to provide young men with an exponentially greater set of skills that will serve him in his own life as well as benefit the portion of humanity that surrounds him. As he serves, he will develop love. And as he loves, he will desire to serve more and ultimately, that love and service will make him in many ways just like God. This is what God desires for His sons.

Now, have a closing prayer and go have some refreshments! Ha ha!

The Sushi Conveyor Belt

I know I'm crazy for posting this but I came across this movie and found it quite interesting and original. It's long and slow. But I like to watch people and this seemed extremely fascinating particularly the different facial expressions and reactions people had. Apparently, it's from a sushi restaurant in Tomakomai, Hokkaido, Japan. After watching most of it, the ending became somewhat climactic, in a mild sort of way. If you make it all the way through, let me know what you thought. If you can't sit through the whole thing, tell me how far you get. I'd like to know what everyone's tolerance level is.

Thanks!

 

Tae Kwon Do Food!

Friday, I brought home part of a california roll left over from my lunch. For those of you who don't know what a california roll is, it is similar to a sushi roll but the seafood is completely cooked. I had probably eight pieces left over along with some soy sauce, wasabi, and ginger. As I walked in the house and made my way to the fridge, Isaac spotted the container of food and after a brief pause exclaimed, "Tae kwon do food!" I don't know how long after that Bethany and I laughed but it must have been at least a couple of minutes before we could regain our composure. I explained that it was kind of like Japanese food and not anything related to the sport of tae kwon do. He didn't care much for the clarification but wanted a better look at the rolls. I showed him, indicating where the carrot, seaweed, crab and avocado were. His interest was piqued and he had to have some. By this time, Belle had shown some interest and Johnny too. I gave both Belle and Isaac a bite which they enjoyed. I put some soy sauce and a smidgeon of wasabi on another bite and fed it to Belle. She made this gagging noise and bolted to the sink for a drink of water. The look on Isaac's face portrayed a curiosity about the taste in conflict with the instant replay in his mind of Belle's reaction to the additional ingredients. He was the poster child of UNSURE! I coaxed him to try it. He did and then flew off the barstool and b-lined it to the bathroom for a drink from the sink there. If there would have been a fire hydrant within a reasonable distance, he probably would have opted for that. Two down, two to go. I walked over to Johnny and he flat out refused to try anything. Sabrina made it know that she wanted in on the action as she fussed from her high chair at the table. I slipped her a piece of ginger. Not one second passed and her hands went up over her mouth. Ha ha! It must not have been too bad though because I stuck my hand out towards her chin, thinking she'd spit it out in my hand, but she shook her head "no" and waved my hand on. (She has so much personality!)

It has been my goal to have children who will eat most of what I eat. That's right, I made it a goal. Growing up, I couldn't stand babysitting some people's kids who fussed about eating. Also, when you're on a mission and you're invited to eat at someone's house, you can't send back the food they serve. Childhood is a good time to practice eating a wide variety of foods.

So far, we're doing pretty good at being open to new foods. Belle, Isaac and Sabrina somewhat have more similar interests in the food I eat whereas Johnny is pretty discriminating. In fact, Isaac did ask for one more piece of the california roll before it was all gone. Since getting married, I've been able to convince Bethany, who's VERY picky, to try Chinese food, which she's usually OK with. I'm still working on transitioning her from mayonnaise to Miracle Whip though I'm not holding my breath for that one.

Seal, Baby! Yeah!

Seal is one of my favorite singers because of his smooth sound. He's very talented and down to earth. Oprah interviewed him and his wife, Heidi Klum, several months ago. (It is one of two or three times I've seen Oprah so no worries.) He seemed very friendly, outgoing and genuinely interested in people other than himself. I recommend his album, SEAL - Best: 1991-2004, as well as Loneliest Star from Seal IV, if you're a romantic.

On Seal's web site, www.seal.com, he has a small jukebox to let you listen to a few of his songs. You can actually download them for free if they interest you. They are:

A Change is Gonna Come	Download
I Can't Stand the Rain	Download
A Man's Man's Man's World	Download
It's Alright	Download