Hi, I'm David

A Husband. A Father. A Mormon. A Clydesdale. A Railroader. A Texan.

About Me

◘ I am husband to a MAGNIFICENT lady, who I am nuts about. I hope she'll keep me when I get to the other side!

◘ I am a father to 5 AWESOME kids. Ages early teen on down...

◘ I am a church member, and I try to be active in supporting the church and its objectives.

◘ I am heavier than I'd like, and seem to have the ongoing health project - which will continue to be part of my life. I once completed a marathon in the 'Clydesdale' category - for 'big' boys.

◘ I work for a Class 1 railroad the best one and do all kinds of work and analysis supporting construction of new rail projects. It's very interesting work and I love it.

◘ Born and raised in Texas, I will always be a Texan - but for now, I live out of state and am happy enough to just visit for family vacations.

Why I am a Mormon

◘ Growing up in the huge city of Houston, complete with all that the world has to offer for either amazing good or evil - - at some time in life I realized that my faith had to be stronger than the borrowed light of my parents (who raised me in the LDS faith.) I am grateful to them- for their lights continue to shine brightly - and they helped me to know that I could know eternal divine truths, myself - independent of any other person (and regardless of what my upbringing had been.)

◘ I have prayed and I know that God is real - that He loves me and cares for me, and that I have a Savior. I am a living son of a living Heavenly Father. I need my older brother, Jesus Christ, and thanks to Him, I have hope of overcoming the weakness of this life.

◘ I feel I have been entrusted a with a few of our Heaven Father's children to teach and raise in the gospel. I have great hopes of returning one day to my heavenly home, with my sweetheart at my side as a beloved eternal companion... To me, NOTHING ELSE IN THIS WORLD is as important as that single goal.

Personal Stories

Which of the Savior’s teachings have influenced you in your life?

◘ I believe the biggest teaching of the Savior to influence my life has been - " He who is without sin, let him cast the first stone."

◘ I believe that we all make mistakes, and I am grateful to a loving Savior in whom I have a hope of infinite mercy.

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

◘ A habit. ◘ An intent to always have my heart open and in dialogue with my Heavenly Father. ◘ A unifying tradition in our family to seek the blessings of the Lord in our lives.

What has helped develop greater harmony in your home?

◘ I believe that we've tried to develop some solid family traditions - such as prayer and daily family scripture study, and a family nite each week. These traditions help us define who we are, and I hope that brings a sense of where to turn for absolute truth, when faced with the challenges of a 'shifting values' world.

How I live my faith

◘ Right now, I am the bishop pastor, priest of the Elmwood Ward congregation in Omaha Nebraska. This is a fabulous group of church members living within a certain geographic area. They are good and kind 'real' people with real problems.' I believe that working with them is a blessing, as there are so many who likewise serve in their responsibilities with dedication and fervor. The members who serve do so much to help the Church, that it really helps me a lot too. I believe we really do work together to help people.

◘ I do this on a volunteer basis, and balance these church service responsibilities with the duties of working at a very interesting job full-time for the railroad, with being a father of 5 and husband. I have many weaknesses, but I have many opportunities to work on those weaknesses in all these roles.

◘ I love to spend time with my family going to places in nature, watching movies, playing/exercising and eating. Unfortunately, there is not enough time to do everything, as much I would like - but with those constraints, I have the very real peace that the time I spend in the service of others, thru my calling the bishop job at church, and with my family is genuinely 'highest and best use' time. Understanding of church doctrine about the purpose of this life and life both before and after 'earth life' helps keep the most important things in the right perspective.

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

David answered...

◘ The Word of Wisdom is the law given by revelation to the prophet Joseph Smith regarding what we should and should not use in our bodies. It is a standard that we believe blesses both physically and spiritually.
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Mark answered...

The word of wisdom is the Lord's law of health. We abstain from drugs, tobacco, alcohol, coffee, and tea, and are encouraged to eat wholesome food and grains, and not eat excessive meat. I am asked all of the time by my fellow residents at the hospital why I don't drink coffee, and how I can stay awake all night on call without it. I don't consider it a sacrifice, though, and am as awake and perform as well as any. It is true that the body will be more healthy when following the word of wisdom, the but the main benefit is spiritual. The knowledge that you are in line with the the Lord's teaching is the most important thing.

What is the Church’s position on abortion?

LauraMaery answered...

Parenting is a gift from, and a partnership with, God. There are rare circumstances where, with the approprobation of God, there might be a reason to terminate a pregnancy. But that's a decision to made only after much prayer and both medical and ecclesiastical counseling. The larger principle here is that joy comes of making God a full partner in marriage, and of bringing children into the world within the bounds of marriage.