About This Blog
Before jumping into it, let me first take a moment and speak to any who I may have offended over the years. While I strive to be a kind and understanding person, I am, as you are aware, prone to human foibles and failings and have often fallen short of my desired ideals. I hope you will forgive me for any offenses that are still lingering, set them aside and know that I am always trying to do and be better. I treasure the relationships that I have had with you at home, at work, at church, and elsewhere.
Those who know me well will understand that two things are likely to manifest in my posts. The first is my analytical approach to many, if not most things. I have the mind of an engineer. I love to learn, and I thrive on theory, principles derived from that theory, and applications built around those principles. I strive to see and understand the interrelationships among the ideas, concepts and processes in order to learn from one in support of another. This approach has served me well in my career, my day-to-day journey to raise a family and live my life, and in my efforts to grow and improve spiritually and as a person. Its usefulness goes well beyond the fields of science and engineering. Don’t be surprised, therefore, by posts that try to dissect, analyze and then reconstruct my experiences or what I may be studying at any given time in the scriptures.
The second likely to manifest in my posts is a passion. I like to think that I have the heart of an artist. I feel things deeply and can become quite enthusiastic about things that I consider important, excited about new things that grab my interest, and firm in my defense of things that I hold to be correct, right, true and consequential. I will try in my posts to express those feelings clearly but with appropriate restraint, when called for.
On top of these two things, I have been told that my sense of humor is variously dry, witty, strange, weird, heady, etc. I refuse to keep it out of the posts. It’s quite possible some will miss my jokes, not appreciate my puns, or otherwise find no humor in that which I find quite amusing (often human nature and people's responses, in general). But hey, that’s their problem. I only ask that you keep the eye rolling to a minimum and the groans to a low din.
Obviously, anything I post here is my own view and opinion. When I speak on matters of Church doctrine or policy, I will strive to present it correctly, but my posts should not be taken as official. For that, you should always go directly to the source and there is tremendous material available on the official Church website: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/
You will notice that I have purposefully turned off comments for this blog. I will be focused on other matters more important than moderating discussions. Most of you have other means of contacting me if you strongly feel the need to reach out and respond. Besides, most questions are best answered in person instead of through what can be impersonal and isolating social media. The best approach may be to simply ask your local missionaries over for a discussion or two. They look forward to such invitations and opportunities. Consider sitting with them in your home over a glass of water or a meal! You can request a visit at any time by going here: Grow Closer to God. Meet with Missionaries.
With that being said, I invite you to bookmark this site and encourage you to check in frequently to follow along. I will share some of our day-to-day happenings, I will explore some of the things we strive to teach, I hope to show through stories how we are seeing God’s tender and merciful hand manifesting in the lives of people in the midst of a sometimes-harsh world. I hope you will enjoy reading it and that it will provide opportunities for you to ponder, reflect on your own life, lift your spirits and strengthen your faith. I treasure each of you and what we have already shared in life.
Elder John Daniel
Texas Houston Mission
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
