Courage in our Convictions

This is my great-great-great-great-great grandfather. His name was James Hazelette Jack.  We discovered his story along with many other ancestors while doing some research on the Civil War. As it turns out, I have seventeen ancestors who fought in the war between the states.  All but James fought for the Confederacy.  He grew up in northern Alabama. The southern way of life was entrenched in him. His family owned a few slaves and he had recently married a young woman who's family was very affluent.  In fact, as a wedding present they were presented with several slaves of their own. James had difficulty with the morality of slavery but at the same time it was the way he was raised. It was a part of the culture of the South but somehow he knew it was fundamentally wrong.  When the war broke out he was faced with a very difficult decision. He could turn against his family, friends and state to ease his conscience or follow the status quo.  He joined the Union much to his brothers' dismay.  James had seven brothers who fought for the Confederacy.  Four gave the ultimate sacrifice for the cause.  The Union Army would not allow him to take up arms against his brothers so he served as a Spy and Courier for the Federalists. My grandma always told us he was shot in the back during the war.  We always assumed that meant he was quite a coward but then we learned the rest of the story. James spent many nights swimming important papers across the Tennessee River into the Union Camps.  In order to keep these important documents from getting wet he often recruited his six year old son to ride on his shoulders holding up the papers to keep them dry.  One particular night he was caught on such a mission.  Gun fire was all around him. He quickly pushed the little boy to shore and told him to find his mother.  James was shot in the back while clambering up the river bank.  He hid in a hollow gum tree until his wife found him the next morning.  A camp of Mormon Missionaries were nearby and they helped James and his wife throughout his recovery.  He never forgot their kind service.  Eventually the war ended.  The south was left desolate and destitute and James' relationship with his three surviving brothers was severely strained.  He attempted to rebuild his life and his relationships but things were tough for everyone. He also could not forget the Mormon missionaries he met during the war.  He was touched by their kindness and the messages they shared with him.  He felt a great desire to seek them out and learn more. Being a man always true to his convictions regardless of the cost, he and his young family joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.  This was the last straw for his brothers.  They burned James' home and barns to the ground and left them with nothing.  James was forced to leave Alabama and settle in Southern Colorado where I was raised.

I have thought about him often lately.  I have wondered if I would have had the courage required to choose the right in such difficult circumstances. His choice to support the Union and later join the church was an extremely unpopular decision.  Although I am sure he was called names and ridiculed, he and his family were also put in physical danger because of his desire to follow God.  My kids are growing up in a world where they feel like their is something fundamentally wrong with the morality of the society around them. Not unlike their Grandfather James, it is a part of their culture. It is confusing and they are daily faced with the decision to live according to the dictates of their conscience or follow the status quo.  I hope and pray they follow their grandfather's example. There has been some controversy among members of my church lately and there have been some negative things written and reported about the LDS church as well. Several groups have emerged demanding that the church change their policy on homosexuality and priesthood ordination.  These groups present logical and emotional viewpoints.  Their beliefs have the support of the majority of our country's most vocal population and an often biased media. We live in a civilization where embracing traditional Christian beliefs is becoming taboo and considered evidence of ignorance. Choosing to defend our church leaders and our beliefs are unpopular decisions. In Satan's most cunning way he has wrapped up sin in a beautiful package labeled-equality, love, or tolerance.  All wonderful things. All things that should exist in our culture but only within the bounds our Heavenly Father has set for His children.  Tolerance for, or a love of sin is not acceptable. Taking a stand for what we believe in will not be as difficult for us as it must have been for my grandfather.  Yet, we still hesitate to share our opinions.  We worry about being different. We are afraid we will be called bigots or anti-female if we stand up for our principles.  In my home  the time has come for our family to live according to our convictions without apology, popular or not. We can still love our fellow-man even if they choose a lifestyle different than our own, without advocating for a cause contrary to our beliefs.  Some would like to forget that God was at the forefront of this nation's founding. Prayer and a pleading for guidance was offered before every meeting of the Continental Congress. What has kept us strong in the past?  What made the Greatest Generation great?  Traditional values, hard work and standing up for what they believed in.  We are going to need courage not unlike my grandfather's.  We may be ostracized when we speak out about the differing roles of men and women in society.  We may be hated when we discuss our belief that marriage should be between a man and a woman.  But, using the example of my grandfather, what may be the most popular belief in your state, may not be the right one.
If as a member of our church, or as someone who is not a member of our faith you have questions regarding the doctrine of the LDS church I encourage you to pray, read the scriptures and ask questions of the church's leaders.  If after those steps are taken and you still disagree with or find untrue the teachings of this gospel I ask you to respectfully move along. Please do not speak unkindly and derogatorily about members of the church or its leaders. You vocalize your hatred of being demeaned by others, yet you find it perfectly acceptable to criticize and demean church members and  church leaders, the majority of whom truly love and care about your happiness and well-being.  You profess to a live-and-let-live dogma, yet condemn the beliefs of church members. That is not courageous that is hypocrisy and it belittles your cause by making it look petty and vindictive. 

Must SEE TV

Love this video from my church, The LDS Church.  It perfectly puts into perspective how much we depend on our Heavenly Father. We really do not realize it, rather just expect it not unlike a little child.  

Atley's Baptism

It should have been no surprise that any event for Atley would be unique and memorable.  The night before Atley's baptism we had a terrible storm. The weatherman called it a Derecho.  Anyway, 1.5 million people lost power. We were no exception and neither was our church building.  We went ahead as planned. Atley was baptized in the dark, hence the grainy dark photos. It was a wonderfully spiritual day for all of us and certainly a day Atley will not soon forget.  Thank you to all of our friends and Scott's parents who spent this special day with us in the dark. 

Atley was baptized and confirmed by his dad. Nash and I gave talks on the Holy Ghost and Baptism respectively. Nash did a fantastic job. He spoke clearly, loudly, and remembered everything we had practiced.  He was rewarded with lots of melting chocolate cake.

We barbecued in the church parking lot and had tons of food.  No one wanted to go back to their hot and dark houses so we all stayed for as long as we could.

We are so proud of Atley's decision to be baptized.  He is such an amazing little man. We feel so lucky to have him in our family.

Temple Photo Shoot

Last Sunday a friend and I took our kids to the temple.  We both have boys about to get baptized and we wanted to take some pictures for their baptism announcements.  We are so lucky to have such a beautiful temple only a few minutes away. How can any picture turn out bad with that as a backdrop?

Panama Temple

One night Scott and I were able to leave Atley and go visit the Panama City Temple.  The city is so noisy, busy, and dirty, we found it incredible to be so close to all the hustle and bustle and yet feel so far from all of it. The temple is situated in between a few hills and it creates the illusion that you are in a tropical paradise deep in the jungle, instead of less than two minutes from the always congested streets near the Panama Canal. Our temples are truly inspired and their perfect locations only reaffirm my testimony of a living Prophet, a loving Heavenly Father, and the importance of eternal families. Although we were thousands of miles away from Washington, seeing other families of our faith coming and going from the temple made it feel like home.   

General Conference

I thought about adding the above picture of my children dutifully working on their conference packets and writing about how perfect our conference weekend was, how wonderful my children behaved and how spiritually elevated we have all become.  Judging by the picture, no one would be the wiser, but I am guessing there was a talk somewhere in conference about being honest with our fellow man. Honestly, the whole conference packet thing lasted about 3 minutes. Don't get me wrong, my children love conference, but I am afraid it is only because it means they don't have to go to church. Regardless of how much I prepare to have them do quiet things while Scott and I try to watch, nothing at my house can be done quietly or without blood shed.  We had a black eye, a bloody nose, a little girl who refuses to wear pants and  a confession about peeing in the laundry room trash can when someone mentioned that it smelled funky. Not to mention when mom and dad spend a weekend watching 8 hours of TV the rest of the house crumbles around them.  There wasn't a room in our home that had not been destroyed by bedtime last night. Additionally, conference has the same effect on my kids as marijuana has on a stoner. They had the munchies all day and what I thought was a pantry stocked for at least a week is nearly bare. 

So, here I am at the beginning of a new week, Spring Break no less, with an empty fridge, a disaster to tackle everywhere I look anxiously waiting to read General Conference when my kids are asleep and I can actually get something out of the messages.

Please tell me that someday my efforts will pay off!!