Hi, I'm Ben

I love developing software, riding bikes, and spending time with my family. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am an avid road and mountain bike enthusiast, and a professional computer engineer. I also love photography, hiking, and raising children.

Why I am a Mormon

The various churches I have visited all teach good things, but there was always a lack of that special feeling that exists in this church. The sincerity of the members and the love for each other is not artificial feeling, or uncomfortable in any way. The teachings at the pulpit are sincere and heart-felt, and always seem to have a particular application in my own life, with my own individual problems. Real solutions to real problems that everyone experiences in our jobs, families, and communities.

I actually look forward to going to church and being with others who feel the same way that I do about Christ and His perfect example, and His gospel is what we study and try to pattern our lives after. It just makes me feel good, it gives me a peace and a joy that I haven't felt anywhere else.

Personal Stories

In what ways have your prayers been answered?

A few years ago my company had a series of layoffs as the work was drying up. Eventually I was affected and found myself without a job. During the good times, I was taught by the Prophet to get all the education I could, and I did. This helped me get many interviews and a few job offers. One of the job offers was more money, a nice office, and a desirable location to work. The other was less money, a standard cubicle, and a longer commute.

My wife and I decided to take the first job, but wanted to pray and get a spiritual confirmation that it was the right decision. As I prayed and asked Heavenly Father to approve of our decision, I started to feel a knot in my stomach, and an uneasy feeling about it.

After we prayed, I asked Julie how she felt, and she looked at me with the same uneasiness and concern that I had just felt. She and I both knew that it was not the direction we should go, so after praying again about the 2nd job, we felt very good and at ease about it. It just felt like the right thing to do.

I took the second job and found out about six months later that the first job was moved to Colorado Springs, about a 3 hour drive, and that the office I would have been working in had closed. This was evidence to me that our Heavenly Father is mindful of us as individuals, wants us to be happy, and will help us if we ask him what to do.

How I live my faith

For the past four years I have been asked to help teach the youth of the church in early morning Seminary (which starts at six a.m.). The youth of the church amaze me at their willingness to participate and discuss gospel topics an hour before school starts, and we all feel how much better our day goes when we start with prayer and scripture study. I am constantly impressed at their diligence to live a Christ-centered life even while experiencing so much craziness and irreverence that they are exposed to daily at high-school.

Are all Mormons required to serve a mission?

Ben answered...

No. Going on a mission is a voluntary and personal decision. Because of the great number of returned missionaries who are amazing examples of what a mission can do, most parents teach and even expect their young men to prepare to go and serve a mission. Personally, it's nothing short of a miracle to see the tremendous growth and maturity that comes to a young man or woman by serving a mission. The Christ-like characteristics they practice and develop in two short years, is awe inspiring. I think for this reason, many parents strongly encourage their children to serve where they can.
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Trisha answered...

Serving a mission is a priesthood responsibility, and young men are asked to sacrifice two years in order to serve others, gain experience as followers of Christ, and grow in their faith. However, that is a choice each individual has to make on their own and deciding not to go does not affect a person's standing in the Church. But those who do go, men and women alike, usually find that two years is not enough time and wish they could stay longer. Service creates bonds of love for the people you serve. I was unable to go in my young adult years, but I still yearn for the opportunity and look forward to a time when I can serve as a missionary.