Hi, I'm Nat

I live in a big city, love food and tinker with economics. I run, swim, cycle and play the drums, and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a single 20-something, fresh out of college and starting life as a full-fledged adult. What I enjoy most are surprises--seeing, tasting, touching, feeling, smelling the most excellent of the unexpected. I've played drums since I was nine, but left all my gear behind to move into a humble little apartment in a big city on the east coast. I try to expand my horizons every day and take in opinions from people all around the world. I've been to more than 40 of the 50 states and can't wait to knock out the rest. Something tells me stepping onto a white-sand clear-water beach will be a dream come true.

Why I am a Mormon

Because I believe God is infinitely full of knowledge, happiness, grace and direction for us. And the message of the Restoration of Jesus Christ's church through the prophet Joseph Smith is the most marvelous manifestation of God continuing to add His infinite goodness to His children on Earth. The Book of Mormon stands out as a clear testament to that continuing love and continuing ability to teach and never-ending supply of knowledge to pass on. He's always got more coming for us! With a living prophet and 12 apostles today, we have holy channels through which the Lord can instruct and bless all His children simultaneously, keeping us in the unity of the faith. Of my own volition, I have sought guidance from the Holy Spirit and have received countless personal revelations that these things are true. And a fitting test of it all, my righteous happiness--pure, spiritual, inspiring and purifying--is maximized when I follow the teachings of Christ and his modern day prophets and apostles.

Personal Stories

How can your talents and gifts bless others?

Sometimes we just need to see how awesome other people are to remind ourselves of our own divine potential. I'm not even talking about seeing people with TV-type talent. Of course a pro-athlete or a Broadway performer are inspiring, but it's also motivating to see someone give a well-placed compliment, make a complex idea sound simple or figure out how to fit all the family's suitcases into a car.

When we individually do our best, we show others around us that excellence is possible. We show that we can always get better. We show it's worth giving our best. And these many, varied examples draw from each person a higher personal standard. The desire to be one's best--and the feeling that you can become that best possible version of your--is a blessing because it leads to a full and abundant life. "Withhold not good from them to whom it is due," goes the Proverb, perhaps because the more good we share, the more good is made for all to enjoy.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope is personal assurance, rooted in experience, that because the Lord has delivered you before, He certainly can and will deliver you again. As soon as a person recognizes the Lord has done something for him or her--answered a prayer, kept you safe, got you out of danger, provided when you lacked, cleared a way that was blocked, relieved a burden, made you clean--then that personal can place hope in Jesus' ability to do exactly what He says He can do--forgive our sins, deliver us from all, bring peace and open the way to live with our Father in Heaven. In some ways, hope in a gospel sense is similar to absolute trust. Hope reduces our sense of risk about the future. In finance and economics, people always warn a stock's "past performance is no indicator of future success." But with Jesus, His "past performances" of grace in each our lives are absolute demonstrations that He can cleanse us from sin and that ultimately one day He will raise us from our graves.

What is hope and what do you hope for?

Hope is personal assurance, rooted in experience, that because the Lord has delivered you before, He certainly can and will deliver you again. As soon as you recognizes the Lord has done something for you--answered a prayer, kept you safe, got you out of danger, provided when you lacked, cleared a way that was blocked, relieved a burden, made you clean--then you can place hope in Jesus' ability to do for you exactly what He says He can do--forgive our sins, deliver us from all, bring peace and open the way to live with our Father in Heaven. In some ways, hope in a gospel sense is similar to absolute trust. Hope reduces our sense of risk about the future. In finance and economics, people always warn a stock's "past performance is no indicator of future success." But with Jesus, His "past performances" of deliverance and grace are absolute demonstrations that He can cleanse us from sin and that ultimately one day He will raise us from our graves.

Can you talk about the missions of the Church and your participation in them?

I would love to. I spent two years in central Illinois, teaching the restored gospel in English. Shoot me a message through one of my social networks and we can chat.

How I live my faith

I try to study God's words every day and look for simple opportunities to reach out and serve His children--my fellow brothers and sisters. Even when work is hard and business is serious, I try to smile and add happiness wherever I am. I'm happy and I try to project happiness because we should constantly celebrate the reality that Jesus Christ overcame death and all of our sins. I look forward to Sunday services every week it's my time to evaluate my commitment to my King and to receive the emblems of His death. Worshiping with my fellow believers gives me strength and deepens my understand of God and His ways.

Why don’t Mormons have paid clergy?

Nat answered...

Because the responsibility to minister to our brothers and sisters belongs to all of us. We all need the chance to serve and be served. Each of us would miss out on spiritual development and lessons if we shrugged off the responsibilities to minister, teach, preach, clean, plan, organize, etc. to someone else.
Craig answered...

Latter-day Saints are all expected to generously give of their time to serve in the church. Service opportunities vary greatly and can include being a congregation's pastor, teaching classes, helping congregants gain employment, or helping watch toddlers in the nursery. These volunteer opportunities are temporary and Mormons often gain a wide variety of experiences throughout their lifetimes. Specific assignments are not sought after, but rather delegated out to a congregation's members after those presiding over the congregation have prayed over the matter.

No one participating in this service is compensated financially, as we all are personally committed to help one another and assist in the church's growth. I believe that this way of organizing a church is ideal because it allows congregants to become closely acquainted with one another through service, frees up funds given to the church to go to more important projects such as building chapels and advancing missionary efforts, and greatly reduces any potential for corruption in the church by removing financial incentives.

What are Mormon church services like? Are visitors allowed at church meetings? Can I attend church?

David answered...

Come to church with us! We would love to have you. I know attending an unfamiliar church meeting can be scary and intimidating. Feel free to go up to anyone you meet and tell them this is your first time coming. You should always feel welcome to come and attend with us. Mormon church meetings may be different than other church meetings you've attended. We typically have three meetings you can attend. Our main meeting, we call Sacrament Meeting, is intended for individuals and families to attend together. Sit up front, sit in the back. There are no assigned seats. In this meeting, we try to focus on the sacrifice of our Savior Jesus Christ. You will hear several prayers and gospel messages given in this meeting. Another meeting we have on Sunday is Sunday-School. This meeting is designed to focus on specific teachings of Christ. It is often somewhat interactive, with some class members asking questions of the teacher throughout the lesson. You are free to ask questions or simply sit back and listen. We hope you feel a genuine spirit of warmth and friendship as you attend. The final meeting we have on Sunday is a Priesthood or Relief-Society meeting. Men and attend the Priesthood meeting and women attend Relief-Society. Here we focus on the teachings of Christ that are appropriate to our roles as men and women. You should also feel free to participate, ask questions, or simply sit back and listen.