Hi, I'm Matt

I grew up in Utah. I live in the Pacific Northwest and try to enjoy it every day. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I have a wonderful wife and two beautiful kids. I love jazz guitar -- even try to play it sometimes and enjoy spending time in the great outdoors.

My goal this year is to run a marathon.

Why I am a Mormon

I came to embrace the teachings of this Church as I studied the Book of Mormon regularly when I was 18 years old. I was unsure of which direction I should take in my life. As I pondered the teachings in Alma, and prayed about them, I felt motivated by the Spirit of God to fully embrace the Gospel as taught by the Mormon faith.

Personal Stories

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

I am married to a wonderful woman and we have two beautiful daughters. At least once a week, we set aside an hour or two where we just spend time together as a family. We don't answer the door, pick up the phone, or get onto Facebook, etc. We goof off, have a Spiritual lesson, eat fun food, and just have a good time.

We also try to have at least one Spiritual Experience every day. Each night after getting ready for bed, we sit down and read from the Book of Mormon together. We usually read only 4 to 5 verses, but we usually spend ten minutes talking about the content of the verses. Some nights feel wildly unsuccessful, with fights, teasing, being tired and grumpy. But other nights, we feel the Spirit teaching us about Jesus' love for us, and we try to translate that into how our daughters can show love for other.

How has the Holy Ghost helped you?

One of the strengths I receive from the Holy Ghost is confidence. When I am nervous and unsure, I can turn to the Lord in short prayers in my heart and the Holy Ghost helps instill me with comfort and confidence in the situations I'm in. This is helpful at home, church, social situations and even at work.

How I live my faith

I continue to live my faith each day of my life because it gives me the hope and faith to be happy in my life, content with the things I cannot change, and power to change the things I can't change alone. My life is full of imperfections, but this Church has been all about continual improvement for myself. The Lord finds imperfections in my life and then helps me to overcome them, step by step, one day at a time.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

Matt answered...

Much false information about our faith is created and perpetuated by those who either don't understand, don't believe, or don't like it.

From a strict definition standpoint, "cult" can mean any group that follows religious principles, bands together, has sacred rites like the Lord's Supper, and even more "normal" church-type activities. By using this definition, every religion I've ever encountered could be considered a cult.

The word cult also has negative connotations and people may use it to insinuate that the Mormon faith is extreme and/or fundamentalist. These assertions are simply untrue. The Mormon faith strongly encourages it's members and those who are interested in learning more to seek a relationship with God and obtain answers from God, in one-on-one personal prayer, to decide if the principles of our church are true and whether they should be applied in their own lives.
Jeff answered...

I think some call Mormonism a cult mainly because they don't understand what it's about. Before I was a Mormon, I used to believe that Mormons did not believe in the Bible, in Jesus Christ and a good deal of other things. I didn't realize how incorrect I was. There have been some pretty amazing things that have happened in conjunction with The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, and if you don't get the whole picture, then some of the stuff can sound pretty odd, and I think that's where I was before.
An example I sometimes use is: if someone told you that he had cut a man with a knife, from that limited piece of information, you'd probably report him for stabbing someone. But if you found out that this someone was a Doctor, and that he was preforming a surgery to save a man's life, having the full story completely changes your perspective on the situation.
In regards to the church I belong to, once I did have the whole story, I could see that Mormons were not cultish, but that they really are in fact Christians. I've even found that I have a stronger love of the the core things I believed before I was a Mormon, like the Bible and Jesus Christ.

What is being a Mormon like?

Carole answered...

Refreshing! When you're really trying to follow the example of Jesus Christ and do what's right even if you're not perfect at it it feels good, and when there's nothing to hide, it's very refreshing