InsideOut has a new fan

One of the missionaries in our ward shared with us a CD titled Sharing Time by the group InsideOut. I had never heard of InsideOut before, but after listening to the 14 tracks on the CD, my wife and I became instant fans!

I can't name a song I dislike from the CD, but I can name a couple of favorites, namely "Baptism--Jesus Come to John the Baptist" (track 10) and "My Heavenly Father Loves Me" (track 3).

Dating back to when I first heard barbershop quartet sung in the movie/musical "The Music Man," I've been a fan of four-part harmony, so when I heard InsideOut for the first time, I immediately took a liking, especially the songs with a strong bass part (I'm a bass singer wannabe).

While I may never be part of a real barbershop quartet or a group like InsideOut, I can sing along to my heart's content.

Photo credit: www.singers.com

Family Home Evening--3/17/08

It had been more than a month since we last held Family Home Evening, so it was good to get back on track this evening. FHEs in our home usually have included our two children, Dustin (21) and Jamie (19), and also my mom, Martha, but none of them was here this evening, so instead of waiting for their arrival into the late evening, my wife and I had FHE together.

For our opening song, we sang "I am a child of God" as a duet, a capella. I can testify that I felt the spirit while singing with my eternal companion.

Sister Turner offered the opening prayer.

Then I gave a short talk/lesson based on the scriptures listed with our opening hymn, namely Psalm 82:6, Mosiah 4:15, and D&C 14:7.

Sister Turner then gave a lesson about developing Christ-like attributes from Preach My Gospel, a wonderful resource which I recommend (no, I haven't read the whole thing yet but it is on my reading list--at present, the top of the list is Jesus The Christ.

For our closing hymn, we sang "We Thank Thee o God for a Prophet" (one of my favorites). I offered the closing prayer.

A Early Saturday Morning in Laie

My wife and I had a busy Saturday planned, and since we had missed our usual Tuesday at the Laie temple, we wanted to make sure that a temple session was part of our day today.

While we had gone to the temple on Saturdays before, we had never gone to the first session, which starts at 5:30 a.m. To get to Laie from our home in Kaneohe on time, we set our alarm for 4 a.m. and left home for the 24-mile drive to Laie at just past 4:30.

The drive along the windward coast of Oahu from Kaneohe to Laie is always a wonderful one, but it was especially nice this morning as the new day was just beginning to dawn. Few cars and few people were out this early.

As we made the left turn off of Kamehameha Highway onto Naniloa Loop, what a comforting sight it was to see the temple glowing there resplendently on the hill where it sits. What was even more comforting was to arrive at the parking lot of the temple to see it filled with many cars of temple workers and patrons. Plenty of faithful Saints here on Oahu.

A wonderful session it was, and the start of a wonderful day in the Lord's vineyard.

Photo credit: Ryan Passey

An obligation or commitment?

At a priesthood meeting last year, Scott Whiting, our stake president at the time, said that attending the temple once a month was an obligation. Attending once a week was a commitment.

With those words buoying us, my wife and I have made a commitment to attend the temple once a week, and Tuesdays have been the day we have been going. Even last Tuesday, less than a week after she had surgery on her right knee (torn meniscus), my wife, using crutches, joined me at the Laie temple for the 3 p.m endowment session. That kind of dedication is one of the many reasons why I love my wife.

Today, things happened, so we were not able to go.

But there's always tomorrow.

Matthew 21:14 reads, "And the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them."

I need lots of healing, and I have found the healing power in the holy temple of the Lord.

A new calling...

Today, I was set apart as the first counselor in the Elder's Quorum for my ward. Willie Bejosa was called as Elder's Quorum president and Walter Clark was called as second counselor.

I accepted the calling a week ago, but mum was the word. Until today.

On hand in EQ today was our Stake President George Kaluhiokalani who set apart Brother Bejosa. Brother Bert Oshiro of the stake high council set apart Brother Clark and me.

Not long ago, I was set apart as the 4th Sunday teacher in our EQ. Being a new convert to the church, I thought that calling was beyond my means and ability. Here I was brand new to the church and being called to teach brethren who had served missions and had been LDS all their lives. What an order!

Over time, I've become a better teacher and have come to be comfortable in that calling which, from what I've heard, is about the time the Lord will deem it necessary for a new calling. So there may be something to being eternally uncomfortable.

But I've come to learn that Heavenly Father will give callings that will challenge us and help us grow and progress. And I pray that I can meet the challenge of my new calling and progress and grow.

Mum's the word

As mentioned last time, I got a phone call from Bert Oshiro of the stake high council. My wife and I met with him before church on Sunday.

During that meeting, Brother Oshiro issued a call to me. And after conferring with my wife, I accepted the call.

However, due to circumstances that I don't fully understand (yet), I can't say what the calling is, at least until I am sustained in an upcoming church meeting, perhaps this coming Sunday at Sacrament meeting in our ward.

What I do need to understand and remember is Romans 12:3-5 which reads,

"For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another."

The Call and The Letter

As Saturdays go, today was a pretty eventful one. First off, my wife had to take a test to qualify to become a Honolulu police officer. She wanted to join the police force long ago, but could not because at that time there was a minimum height requirement (she's an inch shy of 5 feet tall). Now, there is no height restriction, so if she passes the test and negotiates the other steps along the way, she'll be donning a badge, toting a firearm, and doing work to protect the community.

While she was in test-taking mode, I went for a 90-minute hike up the Bowman trail in Kalihi Valley. I got a good sweat from this trail romp; plus I got the old ticker pumping at some higher than usual rpms, so that was good, too.

When we got home in the afternoon, we had a phone message from Bert Oshiro, a member of the stake high council who said he wanted to meet my wife and I early tomorrow before church. I didn't think that there was anything to fret about regarding the meeting but my wife was worried, so she called Brother Oshiro back and asked if we were in any sort of trouble. She was assured that we were not , but now I'm curious what this meeting will be about. A new calling? We'll see.

What we probably won't be on hand to see is the marriage of Michael Healy to Lyndsey Garlick (see pic of the couple above left) in the Salt Lake Temple on March 20, 2008. In our mail today was an invitation to their wedding. Michael, who we came to know as Elder Healy, served as a missionary in our ward for a six-month stretch last year. Elder Healy did great work here in the Kaneohe 1st ward, including, among many other things, helping to paint the Turner family home.
Even if we can't make it to SLC for the wedding, we will be there in spirit. Congrats to Michael and Lyndsey.