Living In The Mix

***LONG POST ALERT*** So, I've been wanting to write this post for a long time, but I haven't been able to get around to it for a few reasons: 1.) Life happens 2.) Work happens 3.) Health issues happen 4.) I had to wait for certain parts to be made public before I could talk about the experience, because it is important to the context of the full story and seeing as they were confidential it would not have been appropriate for me to share before the dates that information would be announced.  The reason this post will be so long is because it includes many events and things I've already brought up, but have to bring up again as they play a key part in the entirety of the story. The whole story spans from December 2018 to October of this year.  So, buckle up, take a deep breath, and read on! A MUSIC VIDEO In December last year Emma told me that North Star International was partnering with the More Good Foundation to create a special mus...

Two weeks ago, the Elders Quorum in my ward held it's monthly game night. This is an activity that our quorum started doing several months ago. This was my second time going to the activity, and I had a great time. It was a room of guys playing a geeky space conquest board game while eating junk food on a Saturday night. No big deal, right? For the other men there that night it may have been just a regular night out with other guys, but for me it meant a bit more. You see, I was the only (openly and known) gay man there that night, and it was the first time in my life that I walked into a social situation with straight guys and felt comfortable and like I was part of the group.  32 years old, and I was finally able to experience that connection.   I didn't realize it or think about it until after the night had ended and I had returned home. I went into the bedroom, and when Emma woke up I talked to her about how the evening went. I apologized to her...

This last weekend was the 189th Semi-Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. All I have to say is WOW! It was a beautiful conference. It's probably my favorite to date. So much to think about and apply into my own life.  Last week I spoke on the topic of how those within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, despite coming from a place of genuine love, can cause hurt and pain from the things they say and do.  This part 2 will address this same topic, but from the other end of the spectrum, from those of the LGBTQ+ community.  I have come to appreciate the PRIDE flag. For me, it means that there's a lot about human sexuality, gender identity, and love that we don't know or understand. There are all different kinds of love. Love is diverse. To me, the flag is taking PRIDE in diversity of love. Even if a type of love doesn't fit within the bounds of your own personal beliefs, you still honor and respect tha...

Over the course of this year members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have had the amazing opportunity to study the New Testament through the new Come, Follow Me program.  One of my favorite scenes from the recorded life of Christ is when he taught the people what really mattered in life.  "Then one of them, which was a lawyer, asked him a question, tempting him, and saying, Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." This has become one of my absolute favorite moments in the scriptures. There is SO much to unfold in these verses. I feel like we could spend an entire year...