Hi, I'm Tony

I grew up in Texas where my family has lived for over 100 years. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have a wide collection of interests. I enjoy following the sports programs from the two colleges I graduated from (BYU and Texas A&M University). Football Saturdays are a great deal of fun in the fall. I oil paint as a hobby. I work two jobs to provide for my family. I work at a home improvement store and as a Seminary teacher. This year I get to teach the Old Testament to about 50 of the best kids I have ever known. I play sports for fun (softball, football, racquetball), and like to go hiking with my wife.

I have a beautiful, brilliant, spiritual wife who is my light. She encourages me, is patient with my shortcomings, and gives me inspiration on what goals to pursue. Left to myself, I am a bit of a scatterbrain. She helps me focus on things that are most important.

We have a little boy who has bright blue eyes like his mother. There is nothing in the world like being a daddy and caring for your own little guy. It is so fun to watch him grow and play with him and teach him and sing to him and read to him.

Why I am a Mormon

I have read The Book of Mormon: Another Testament of Jesus Christ many times. As I face new challenges in life I see new ways it helps me to become a better person. The Book of Mormon helps me to come closer to Jesus Christ and that changes everything.

Jesus Christ is a perfect example of the person we should all seek to be. By becoming more like Him - even if it is tiny steps - I am a better husband, a better father, a better leader for the young people I serve in Boy Scouts, and a better participant of my community.

Personal Stories

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

Prayer is difficult. Not that saying a prayer is hard. Anyone can say the words of a prayer. But to truly pray is a challenge. To know what to pray for is a challenge. To pray with faith is a challenge. To have confidence in getting answers is a challenge. I have found that my concerns day-to-day don't tend to change much. And that makes avoiding repetition a challenge.

Despite the challenges, or perhaps because of them, prayer is very important to me. I have found that some kinds of prayers get answered more readily than others. Prayers for others. Prayers for truth. Prayers to know how to serve better. Prayers for our children.

The number one prayer that God is willing to answer for us is when we ask what to pray for. There are blessings we could receive if only we would ask. And if God lets us know by His Spirit what we should pray for, then we will automatically have confidence and faith in that prayer being answered.

I go to God most readily when I have great need. But I have found that I must reach out to others in need or my prayer is useless. How can I ask for help from God if I'm unwilling to help others? I have never had much money, but not every need others have is financial. So time or companionship or physical labor are all ways I try to serve others. When I serve others, I help God answer their prayers. Then my prayers become more meaningful and are answered more clearly and quickly.

How does making right choices help us make more right choices?

Sometimes people have told me that all the rules for Mormons are just too restricting. Here are a few examples of rules and how I feel they actually make you more free:

Tithing - which means you donate 10% of your income to the Church - sounds crazy to some. I have found that paying tithing on whatever income I have has led to great blessings. I was unemployed for an extended period this past year. I still paid tithing on whatever income I had. This has blessed me by forcing me to be very careful about all other expenditures. Other blessings have come to replace my income. One quick example is that I was able to sell a house and receive money from my equity. Not a lot of houses have done that lately.

The Word of Wisdom - a health code which encourages healthy eating and complete avoidance of drugs, alcohol, tobacco, coffee, and tea - sounds like no fun to many. This is all about maintaining freedom. I do not want to be a slave to anyone. That includes beer companies or even energy drinks. I have known people who, if they had stopped smoking and started paying tithing, would have saved money each month because they spent so much money on their addictions.

There are other things that could be listed, like chastity, attending a 3 hour church service on Sunday, or serving others on a daily basis, but my conviction is that doing the right things today really does keep us free to do more right things tomorrow.

Could you talk about your baptism?

Because my parents raised me in the Church, I was baptized at the age of eight. One of the great regrets of my life is that I don't have any specific memories of being baptized. I remember that it happened. I remember that a friend was baptized the same day. But as far as specific feelings, I don't remember.

Since then, I have had the opportunity to witness many other people's baptisms. I always counsel them to get a journal and write their feelings and thoughts so they don't forget. Those memories can be sources of great strength when days of doubt or difficulty come.

Since I don't have personal recollections of my baptism, I have to look to other experiences for strength. At the age of twelve we can enter Temples and be baptized for deceased ancestors. I do remember the day when my dad baptized me for his dad. I knew my grandpa, but he died when I was only seven. There is a feeling of peace that accompanies baptisms in the Temple. That day tied my family closer together.

The Temple is how I make up for not remembering my baptism. In behalf of an ancestor, I can make the promises to take upon me the name of Christ, always remember Him, and keep His commandments. In return, He promises to send His Spirit to always be with us. That promise applies to us in this life and in the life to come.

How I live my faith

I volunteer in the Boy Scouts of America as a Varsity Coach for the 14 and 15 year old scouts.

We take trips such as visiting Philmont Scout Ranch in New Mexico. There we learn wilderness survival skills by hiking 70 miles over 10 days.

But really it is all about teaching these boys to be men who respect women, learn to work hard, and serve others around them.

What is being a Mormon like?

Tony answered...

Being a Mormon makes for a busy life. It is in that busyness that life finds its ultimate meaning. I work two jobs to support my family while my wife goes to school and we raise our little boy. For my church assignment I get to work with a group of young men and teach them leadership and service and how to live the gospel. I also spend a little time each day reading the scriptures and praying.

The meaning comes when I spend a relaxing evening just hanging out with my wife, or when see a young man I work with for several years choose to serve a mission, or when I recognize an answer to a prayer, or when I find a message from my Heavenly Father in the scriptures that gives me guidance just as I need it.

All the busyness of being a Mormon serves a purpose. It is really about serving. I strive to serve my family. I serve the young men I work with. I serve through my jobs. I serve my little boy by playing with him and helping him learn how to move around and communicate and be happy. By learning the gospel, I am more able to serve because I understand God's plan for our happiness, and can see how God loves us especially through the hard times.
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Carole answered...

Refreshing! When you're really trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ and do what's right even if you're not perfect at it it feels good, and when there's nothing to hide, it's very refreshing

Why do Mormons perform baptisms for the dead?

Vinson answered...

As a temple ordinance worker for the Mesa Temple for the past 5 years, I have grown in appreciation for the temple and the ordinances that are preformed. I believe that those who have passed-on are given the opportunity to accept the work that is performed in their behalf as if they were here - physically. The initial ordinance of accepting Jesus Christ is baptism. The ordinance of baptism is performed as it was originally by John the Baptist for Jesus in the temple by emersion. The temple gives those that have passed-on the opportunity to accept the mission of Jesus Christ and all the ordinances that he performed.