Changes!

As a child, I loved to read. Loved it. I read all the Hardy Boys books I could find. Boxcar Children. Babysitters Club. The Wizard of Oz books (There's like 50 of them! I betcha didn't know that.) Star Wars. (I was just Oh, by the way, I was just kidding about the Babysitters Club.)

Every once in awhile, my Grandma, who was also a reader, would send me a suggestion of a book to read. I remember one time in particular, she send me the name of an author that she thought I would like: David Eddings.

Yet I would not read it.

I could not get myself to start this new book.

See, it turns out that I like new adventures...but within familiarity. I loved reading a new Hardy Boys book because, although the mystery was new and the bad guy was probably new and there were new clues...it still had Frank and Joe Hardy and their beat-up jalopy. Every Star Wars book I would pick up would have Luke Skywalker in it. He'd be facing a new situation, new danger, but I knew what the Force was and I knew about lightsabers and spaceships and things like that.

This explains why I still play Madden 2002 periodically. Same players. Same feel of the game. (The other reason would be that I don't play it enough to justify spending extra money.)

Now, eventually I broke down and read the book. Did I like it? Yeah! My grandma knew what types of books I liked. I think that particular book I read led to 12 more in the same series with the same characters that I devoured. Again, I loved the new adventure...once I found a familiar area that I liked.

So what does this say about me? Well, when faced with a new situation, I try to make a concerted effort to make it my new comfort zone.

New responsibility at work? I immerse myself in the position until I feel like I'm comfortable. Nervous to talk to new people? I talk to tons of people until I feel comfortable. Learning a new language? Speak Italian and only Italian all the time until I feel comfortable.

So basically - I don't like change, so I try to encounter change all the time until change becomes normal.

P.S. I am very disappointed that the U.S. did not win the World Cup bid for 2022. Does Qatar even have a soccer team? That means I'm going to be like at least 42 before I go to a World Cup game. Wow.

“We believe the Bible to be the word of God as far as it is translated correctly” – Articles of Faith 1:8

One Sunday a couple of weeks ago, I sat at home with baby Clara while Torrie attended Sacrament Meeting. I turned on the TV to see what shows are on Sunday around noon and found some preacher preaching. “Well, I need some religion in my life,” I thought, so I stayed for awhile. He was talking about humility and how we should follow the example of Christ. “That’s a good message”, I thought, as be began reading a scripture from the New International Version (NIV) of the Bible. Philippians 2:5-7:

5 Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus:

6 Who, being in very nature God,

did not consider equality with God something to be grasped,

7 but made himself nothing,

taking the very nature of a servant,

being made in human likeness.

Something just didn’t seem right with that scripture. So I opened my version of the Bible (King James Version, or KJV) and read the same verses:

5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:  

6 Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God:  

7 But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men:

Do you see the difference? In the KJV, Christ thinks it not robbery to be equal with God. In the NIV, Christ does not consider equality with God something to be grasped. The two are practically opposites!

I've thought a lot about this over the past couple of weeks. I think this is a perfect example of how the LDS church and doctrine differs from other Christian churches:

The message in the NIV is not horrible – it emphasizes Christ’s humility and uses Him as an example for all of us. That’s a good lesson. If everyone in the world was humble like Christ, the world would be a better place.

However, the NIV limits the extent of the teaching. It teaches a damming(sp?) (as in limiting, like how a dam stops a river from flowing) doctrine, that we cannot become like our Heavenly Father. The KJV teaches us that Christ, having been made in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. And since all of us are made in the image of God, it’s not a huge leap – I would even say it’s logical – that we can become like God.

There’s a difference – an important one - in doctrine there. Also, it’s not that both can be true, since they contradict one another. Again the NIV version does not teach horrible things – following the example of Christ is a wonderful teaching - it’s just that the LDS church doctrine goes deeper and adds more truth and light.

I can understand how good people could be confused by a translation difference like this. How do you know which version to believe? I’m grateful that the Lord has given us, like He promised, more than just one witness (2 Cor 13:1) to establish His word. We have the Book of Mormon, we have the testimonies of modern prophets, and we have the right to ask God personally (James 1:5), and He will answer. I am sure of this.

Clara Blog.

Torrie and I have created a special blog for all of our Clara-related posts. Our plan is for that blog to be our principal means of sharing pictures and videos of Clara with our family and friends.

If you are interested in following along our journey with Clara, please send me an email (logan dot schultz at gmail dot com, if you don't have it), and I'll send you an invitation.

I will continue to post on this blog with the frequency and subject matter that I have heretofore done.