Author: Chris Henrichsen

Wednesday Aug. 24 was the first day of school here in Casper. That means that on Tuesday night we had “back-to-school” father’s blessings. This has been a tradition in our house, as it is with many families. However, this year felt a little different. Todd, my oldest , was starting middle school. Geneva, my youngest, was starting full-day Kindergarten. It is a year of transition.

Shem, the new 4th grader, went first. I will not go into the details of the blessings themselves, but I love the intimacy of such blessings. I love the feel of their hair as I place my hands up their head. My hands on their head often reminds me of how little they really still are.

Geneva was next. A year before we were very nervous about her education. However, her speech has improved greatly and we now feel that she is ready to conquer Kindergarten…and the world.

After I said “amen,” Geneva jumped up. Beaming, she said, “I want to do it.”
Continue reading ““I Want to Do It.” Reflections on a Little Girl and the Priesthood”

Welcome! I am watching the SOTU address with my kids and thought that I might see if the bloggernacle wanted to join us.

Feel free to share in the comments any thoughts you might have.

Be nice. I will try my best. 🙂

The State of the Union address is a function required of the President by the Constitution.. Last year, I watched the SOTU with my Tuesday night class. No night class this term. I hope you will join me.

Texas Governor Rick Perry is dropping out of the presidential race. This is not a surprise. His poll numbers quickly crashed after his initial splash in August. This was largely due to disastrous debate performances.

As the high profile governor of a large state with both social conservative and Tea Party cred, it was assumed that the well-financed Perry would be a strong contender against Mitt Romney and an otherwise apparently weak GOP field. Particularly given that he had money, I think we will be using Perry as an example of a poor presidential bid for a while to come. Heck, he was out done by supposed “has-beens” like Gingrich and Santorum.

The interesting thing about Perry’s departure is not the departure itself, but his endorsement of Newt Gingrich two days before the South Carolina primary. Newt has surged in South Carolina. While he is still behind Mitt Romney, he appears to be the main contender.
Continue reading “Rick Perry is out. WIll endorsing Newt matter?”

I thought about sharing “Pride (In the name of love)” with you today because it is about Martin Luther King, Jr.

However, I think Silver and Gold might be more in the spirit of Rev. King.

I also love to hear Edge play the blues.

“What good is it, my brothers, if someone says he has faith but does not have works? Can that faith save him? If a brother or sister is poorly clothed and lacking in daily food, and one of you says to them, “Go in peace, be warmed and filled,” without giving them the things needed for the body, what good is that? So also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:14-17 ESV)

“What doth it profit, my brethren, though a man say he hath faith, and have not works? can faith save him? If a brother or sister be naked, and destitute of daily food, And one of you say unto them, Depart in peace, be ye warmed and filled; notwithstanding ye give them not those things which are needful to the body; what doth it profit? Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone.” (James 2:14-17 KJV)

Continue reading “Faith without Works is Dead. Which Works?”

This is the audio of my 2010 SMPT presentation back in March. It might be good for putting your kids to sleep. I think I sound nicer in audio than I do in my comments on the ‘Nacle.

I am introduced by Blake Ostler.

Listen:

Rawlsian Themes in Mormon Thought

As a left liberal Democrat, it does not really matter who I want to win the Republican primary. However, I am also following this election closely as a student of political behavior and Mormonism.

One of the reasons I am rooting for Mitt is that I strongly feel that the parties should put forward good candidate, if not the best candidate possible. I am not sure if Mitt is the best candidate for the GOP, but he is clearly the best candidate amongst those who jumped into the race this round. Rick Perry initially had the potential to fill such a role. But…well…oops.

Continue reading “Rooting for Romney”

Authors note: I originally posted this February 9, 2010.

3 Nephi 13:

5 And when thou prayest thou shalt not do as the hypocrites, for they love to pray, standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.
6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father who is in secret; and thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

These two verses remind my wife and I of arguments for school prayer. They rarely have anything to do with humble communication with God. Instead, they are about using prayer to make a political statement.

Am I painting advocates of school prayer in an inaccurate light? Probably. Having grown up in a place with considerable religious diversity, I have never been comfortable with public religion. I am not talking about public expressions of religion, but instead public endorsements of religion. Such endorsements violate the social contract that makes it possible for a community with such pluralism to exist.

Those who use of prayer for political points will have surely have their reward.

This past month I met Ben from Juvenile Instructor. What a humble and brilliant person. One of the things that I have most enjoyed about blogging is the opportunity to meet smart people who I might never have met.

Ben was the fifth member of the JI crew that I have met in person. I met with Ben at Denny’s in Provo. Food has been an important part of meeting folks on the bloggernacle. I met with David G. at the Fuddruckers in Frisco, TX after I interviewed at a community college there in 2009. I met Christopher later that year in Rexburg. I was teaching there and he was visiting his brother. We had dessert at JB’s. I met Jared T. at the Provo Wingers during the summer of 2010. He was in town for the Bushman seminar at BYU.

That meeting at Wingers was also the first time I met, in person, BHodges. We have had breakfast a couple of times since then. He is now a perma here at FPR. He is also one of my favorite people in the world.

I first met Kristine at the presentation of papers at the end of the Bushman seminar that year.

I met Ben Pratt and Ardis Parshall for breakfast at a little cafe on Main Street in Salt Lake City on the Friday after Thankgiving 2009.

I have met jupiterschild. If I told you when and where….I would have to kill you.

I met Bored in Vernal in March 2010 at the SMPT meetiing in Orem. We had lunch together that August at Sunstone. Thai food. fMhLisa and crazywomancreek were also at that lunch. I met up again with crazywomancreek in the last few weeks. My 3 kids and I where in Cheyenne when I found out that my wife’s flight into Denver was going to be late, if not delayed a day. I reached out to crazywomancreek, one of two people I know in Cheyenne. She and her great family met us for dinner and then led us to the Cheyenne Goodwill and helped my 9 year old find combat boots…the thing he wanted to buy that day.

Sunstone is a good place…well…for meeting bloggernacle people, at least. There I met Matt Bowman, Ziff, Kaimi, and Bridget Jack. I also met briefly met KLS, Mark Brown, Tracy M, mfranti, Karen Hinckley, and Steve Evans there. I saw SteveP there as well, though I had met him at SMPT earlier in the year.

I sat behind Scott B. once. However, I did not realize it at the time.

Earlier this year, at Restoration Studies in Independence, MO, I met John Hamer. I also presented with Tracy M, Kristine, and Russell Fox at that conference.

Silus Grok recently stayed with my family for a weekend in Casper. My children think he is one of the funniest people on the earth.

DMI Dave had breakfast with me here in Casper not too long ago.

Last Thursday, I had lunch with Mark Brown. We talked for almost 3 hours.

I met John C. many moons before I met the bloggernacle.

DavidHSundwall was my hometeacher when he was a teenager and I was in Primary. He has always been kind.

I would like to add to this list. I am sure that I have left some off this list and I apologize if I have. If this just reminds you of a painful experience, I apologize for that, too.

Blogging is not the most important thing in my life, but it has made it a better one. The bloggernacle is my people.

Thanks.