Thursday, August 20, 2026
Wednesday, August 19, 2026
Tuesday, August 11, 2026
Line from William Butler Yeats' "The Second Coming"
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.
Friday, July 24, 2026
Friday, July 17, 2026
The back of my head is famous
Go to 5:16. There's the back of my head:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocoCury6TsM
Friday, April 03, 2026
Monday, December 29, 2025
Phyllis Stutzman's album "At Peace"
I recently found a record at a thrift store, Phyllis Stutzman's At Peace. I love this album! Released in 1972, it is peaceful and simple, with heartfelt, faith-filled lyrics. It is mostly Phyllis and a guitar, with occasional bass and/or light drums. She sings her heart out.
She wrote six of the thirteen songs, including "At Peace" and "It Would Have Been Much Easier."
Why have I never heard of Phyllis Stutzman? I did some investigating. The back of the album gave some clues. A Jerry Weaver of Hesston, Kansas' Whitestone Mennonite Church wrote a tribute to her, so I searched for any info on a Phyllis Stutzman somehow related to Hesston and Mennonites.
I found her obituary and her FamilySearch page. She died in 2018. It doesn't mention anything about her music. She was a mother and a nurse.
To my knowledge, At Peace is the only album she ever recorded.
Finding little-known gems like this one is one of the reasons why I like vinyl records. You can't find everything on Spotify!
Here is more info about the album on Discogs. If you would like to hear her music, click here.
Thank you, Phyllis, for recording a great album.
Friday, July 11, 2025
Nancy Lynn Diehl Williams (1936-2017), "My Lady's Things"
Several years ago, my wife and I acquired this painting from a lady who said it was painted by her mother-in-law:
On the back of the painting, it read, "My Lady's Things," the name L. Diehl Williams, and her address in Brigham City. I admired the photo for years. Yesterday (July 10), the idea occurred to me to photograph the painting in case the painting were ever to get damaged. After taking the picture, I grew curious. Who was the artist? What else did she paint? So I googled her name.
I found her information on Family Search, an obituary, and the Springville Museum of Art website. To my amazement, I discovered that she was born and died on the same calendar day… July 10! That was the same day in which I was learning about her for the first time.
Coincidence? I don't think so. I'm curious to see what more I can learn about her. If you know of any of her relatives, or know (about) her, please reach out to me: elephantnavel@gmail.com.
Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Elder Bednar on Choosing Reality
Here is a talk from Elder Bednar 2009 about technology. He told the Young Adults of the Church to read this talk in preparation for him speaking to them on Sunday. His talk will be called "Things as They Really Are 2.0" Here are a couple of paragraphs that I think you will love:
"Sadly, some young men and young women in the
Church today ignore “things as they really are” and neglect eternal
relationships for digital distractions, diversions, and detours that
have no lasting value. My heart aches when a young couple—sealed
together in the house of the Lord for time and for all eternity by the
power of the holy priesthood—experiences marital difficulties because of
the addicting effect of excessive video gaming or online socializing. A
young man or woman may waste countless hours, postpone or forfeit
vocational or academic achievement, and ultimately sacrifice cherished
human relationships because of mind- and spirit-numbing video and online
games. As the Lord declared, “Wherefore, I give unto them a commandment
… : Thou shalt not idle away thy time, neither shalt thou bury thy
talent that it may not be known” (D&C 60:13)."
"You may now be asking yourself, “But, Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain." ...
"You may now be asking yourself, “But, Brother Bednar, you began today by talking about the importance of a physical body in our eternal progression. Are you suggesting that video gaming and various types of computer-mediated communication can play a role in minimizing the importance of our physical bodies?” That is precisely what I am declaring. Let me explain." ...
"If the adversary cannot entice us to
misuse our physical bodies, then one of his most potent tactics is to
beguile you and me as embodied spirits to disconnect gradually and
physically from things as they really are. In essence, he encourages us
to think and act as if we were in our premortal, unembodied state. And,
if we let him, he can cunningly employ some aspects of modern technology
to accomplish his purposes. Please be careful of becoming so immersed
and engrossed in pixels, texting, earbuds, twittering, online social
networking, and potentially addictive uses of media and the Internet
that you fail to recognize the importance of your physical body and miss
the richness of person-to-person communication. Beware of digital
displays and data in many forms of computer-mediated interaction that
can displace the full range of physical capacity and experience."
Sunday, October 27, 2024
Wednesday, October 23, 2024
Sunday, September 08, 2024
"God cared enough to create endless oceans and seas"
God cared enough to create endless oceans and seas
He cared enough to build up hills and mountains
He placed every flower and animal in perfect harmony
He made it possible to be forgiven of our sins
He sculpted every blade of grass, every leaf and tree
He knew these things held such great worth
He cared enough to let our choices be free
God cared enough to put me on this earth
[Composed by someone I love very much.]
Saturday, April 20, 2024
Sunday, March 17, 2024
Saturday, November 04, 2023
Saturday, October 28, 2023
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