Hi, I'm Jon

I recently graduated from graduate school. I manage an economic development organization. I’m a Mormon.

About Me

My wife and I celebrated our 10th anniversary this year! We have two boys that love the outdoors as much as we do. We go for walks, camping, fishing, canoeing, snow sports, etc... Our favorite place to be is the Oregon Coast.

Why I am a Mormon

There are a lot of things that the world offers me that seem fun and exciting but in the long run don’t bring me any lasting happiness or satisfaction. The church has taught me that this is because we are eternal beings that we lived with our Father in Heaven before we came to this earth and that we will return to him after we die.
Because we are eternal, the temporary things of this world like money, cars, big houses and fancy vacations can never satisfy us. Only things that are eternal like family and friendships can truly satisfy us.
I have found lasting happiness and satisfaction for my family and me as I have come to know my Father in Heaven and His son Jesus Christ. By following the teachings of Jesus and serving others, I have discovered that the greatest happiness in life comes from helping others to be happy.

Personal Stories

How has attending Church services helped you?

I used to think that I could be a good person and still do what was right without going to church. What I didn't realize is that there are a lot of things that happen at church that can help me be an ever better person. By attending church I have learning opportunities, chances to grow spiritually, and can develop friendships with other church members.

What have you done successfully to shield your family from unwanted influences?

When my wife and I first married, we decided that we didn’t need to have television in our house and now 10 years later we are still Television free. When people find out that I don’t watch television they are usually surprised but almost always they also say “your not missing much.” We do have a TV but we only have it hooked up to DVD player and we only watch movies that we have reviewed on IMDB to make sure they are appropriate.

Having said that, I believe that it is the things we do as a family, rather than we things we don’t do (like watching TV) that help shield us from unwanted influences. Not having television gives us a lot of time to do positive things as a family. Every day we read the scriptures together as a family and we pray. We do activities together like playing games, dancing in the living room (our one-and-a-half year old has some pretty funny dance moves), going for walks, reading books, visiting friends, cooking meals together, working in the garden, working around the house, star-watching, painting & drawing, doing crafts, etc.

We are so busy having fun together doing wholesome activities that we don’t have time to get distracted or involved in bad activities. By proactively filling our home with good things to do we leave no place for bad things to creep in.

How I live my faith

I help organize activities for our church and the greater community. Most recently we did a production of "The Sound Music" and were able to involve the entire community as cast members and musicians in the orchestra. Over 2,000 people came out to see the production.
Some of the activities we are planning for the future include a pioneer day celebration, a soccer tournament, basketball and volleyball, and a drive-up Christmas nativity where families can park their car turn on their radio and watch and listen to the story of Christmas.

What do Mormons believe is the purpose of life?

Jon answered...

The purpose of life is to provide each of us an opportunity to become more like our Father in Heaven. Our Father in Heaven has a body, always chooses to do good, and has an eternal family.

When we come to earth as babies our spirits enter into our physical bodies. As we grow we learn about what is right and what is wrong and we learn how to choose good instead of evil. We also have the opportunity of forming our own families that can be eternal.

Our purpose in life is to do all of these things because they help us to become more like our Father in Heaven. However, our Father in Heaven is perfect and none of us will be able to do all of these things perfectly. In other words, we are all going to make mistakes. We will all choose evil instead of good sometimes, and we will have struggles with our families and with our bodies.

That is why Jesus Christ must be at the center of our lives indeed He is at the very center of the purpose of life. He died for each of us so that we can become perfected through Him. The scriptures teach us that as we do our best to fulfill the purposes of this life, that Christ’s sacrifice, death, and grace will make up the difference. He will make us perfect

“Come unto Christ, and be perfected in him, and deny yourselves of all ungodliness and if ye shall deny yourselves of all ungodliness, and love God with all your might, mind and strength, then is his grace sufficient for you, that by his grace ye may be perfect in Christ” Moroni 10 32.
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Sarah answered...

Perhaps one of the greatest blessings I have received by being a Mormon is a concrete understanding of the purpose of life. We believe that every human being is a literal child of Heavenly Father. We lived with Him in Heaven before we were born on earth. Our purpose in life is to keep His commandments, so that we can be worthy to return to live with our Father in Heaven again after we die. We cannot be worthy without allowing the Atonement of Jesus Christ, the Savior, to cleanse us of sin.

What is the Church’s position on abortion?

Chaz answered...

Abortion is a serious matter which is opposed by the Church. The only cases in which abortion is acceptable is when, in the opinion of competent medical council, the life of the mother in is serious danger, or when the pregnancy was caused by rape and causes serious emotional trauma. Even when those cases are present, it is only done after counseling with the local priesthood authority, and recieveing divine confirmation through the Holy Ghost.

In any other case abortion is termination of life. In other words, Murder. Which is contrary to the commandments of God and against the will of God.