Hi, I'm Mark

I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am married, and have three children. I enjoy coaching and watching my son play baseball, football, and basketball. I really enjoy watching my daughter dance. I volunteered as a missionary for the Mormon church and spent two years in Hawaii, and that is one of my favorite places on earth, especially Maui. I enjoy golfing, basketball, throwing the baseball around with my son, cooking, and spending as much time as possible with my wife.

Why I am a Mormon

The most important reason why I am a Mormon is because I believe the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints is Jesus Christ's church restored again here to the earth.

During the Savior's ministry, he established His church, called apostles, and gave them priesthood authority. After the Savior's death, these apostles and prophets led the church through revelation and by His priesthood authority. Over time these apostles and prophets were persecuted, eventually killed, and this revelation and priesthood were lost.

In 1820, a young boy named Joseph Smith wanted to know which church he should join. He went to a grove of trees near his home to pray and ask God which of all the churches was right. In an answer to his prayer, he said, "I saw a pillar of light exactly over my head, above the brightness of the sun, which descended gradually until it fell upon me . . . When the light rested upon me, I saw two Personages, whose brightness and glory defy all description, standing above me in the air. One of them spake unto me, calling me by name and said, pointing to the other—This is My Beloved Son. Hear Him!"

In response to Joseph Smith's prayer, Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ appeared to him. He asked which church he should join, but was told to join none of them, because Jesus Christ's church was no longer on the earth. Joseph Smith was called as a prophet to restore Jesus Christ's church back to the earth.

I have always appreciated the fact that Heavenly Father doesn't want us to take someone else's word that this is true. He wants us to find out for ourself. In my experience, the key to knowing if this is true is to read the Book of Mormon, ponder in your heart the message it contains, and then pray and ask God if the Book of Mormon is truly from Him. As I have done this, I have found that He will answer your prayers through the power of the Holy Ghost.

Personal Stories

What are you doing to help strengthen your family and make it successful?

A person once told me our children spell love T-I-M-E. We try to focus on spending time together as a family.

When one family member is involved in an activity (for example a baseball game, dance recital, piano recital, etc.), we try to have all members of our family there to support them. My wife has felt that dinner time is an important time for us to connect as a family. So we try to have dinner at the same time each night, have everyone there, turn off the TV, and catch up on everyone's day. We pray together regularly as a family. We will have a family prayer in the morning before everyone heads off in their different directions, and we will have another family prayer at night before everyone goes to bed. Each morning we try to read the scriptures together as family and talk about the things we learn. Our church teaches that Monday nights are "Family Home Evening" nights. This is a night to avoid other commitments and keep that evening free to be together as a family. We use this time to have gospel discussions or to play games together.

Each of these things, whether it be Family Home Evening, scripture study, family prayer, or being together at dinnertime requires time, and a commitment to dedicate time to be together. We're not perfect at doing any of the things I have mentioned, but I can see how our efforts to be consistent in these areas has blessed and strengthened our family.

How I live my faith

I appreciate how this church provides so many opportunities to serve others. We don't pay ministers or priests to teach and serve us, which gives us a greater opportunity to teach and serve each other. Everyone is given a responsibility to teach or serve in some way. Some of these responsibilities have been very challenging for me (and not always something that I might have volunteered for), but I know I have learned important lessons through these experiences. I feel that serving others is one of the most important ways I can follow the Savior's example and become more like Him.

I also recognize that my family has been blessed by other's efforts to serve us. I am especially grateful for many church members that have had a tremendous positive influence on my kids, and are helping them become the kind of people I hope they will be.

What is a ward/stake/branch?

Mark answered...

A ward or branch is a basic organization within the Mormon church, and is what you might otherwise call a "congregation". They are defined by geographical boundaries, like a group of neighborhoods, or a city. Members that live within the geographical boundaries of a ward or branch meet together each week to worship together at Mormon chapels. A ward is typically around 300 members, while a branch is a smaller congregation, but functions in the same way. The church is organized into smaller units like wards or branches to allow members to build strong relationships, to encourage members to get to know everyone in their congregation, and to provide everyone with opportunities to serve. Each ward is led by a bishop. Each branch is led by a branch president.

Groups of wards are then organized into stakes. A typical stake will consist of 6-10 wards or branches. A stake president leads the stake, and is responsible to teach and train each of the bishops or branch presidents within the stake.
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Adam answered...

There is a lot of vocabulary that is unique to Mormonism, including the terms we use for our congregations.

A ward is a local congregation, usually made up of between 200-600 members. Wards have specific geographic boundaries, so which ward you attend would depend on where you live. A ward is presided over by a lay priesthood holder called a bishop.

A branch is similar to a ward, except it is smaller. They range in size from a single family to the size of a small ward. Generally, branches are in areas without a significant Mormon population, specific to a language, or for individuals who are single. Branches do not have bishops, but are presided over by a branch president.

A stake is a larger organization in the church. Several wards and branches, frequently around 12, will comprise a stake. The stake is able to support the wards and branches through additional resources and leadership. Stakes are presided over by stake presidents.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Stephen Call answered...

In my opinion the real reason people say the Mormon Church is a cult because they don't understand. saying that it is a cult is an easy way to excuse themselves from learn more about it. Its like saying "sushi is slimy raw dead fish" or "computers are of the devil" its easy not to try / learn about stuff if you pair it with a negative word like "devil" or " slimy raw dead fish"