Hi, I'm Kris

I grew up in Oklahoma and Kansas and still live here. I'm a husband, father, and a serial home improver. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm married and the father of three children. I work as a product manager for a large US industrial company. Most of my other activities revolve around family, the kids' schooling, Cub Scouts, youth sports, and of course church. I'm four years into improving my latest (third) fixer-upper home.

Why I am a Mormon

I was raised in the Church by my mother, who converted from another Christian denomination as a young adult. While I have often had questions and occasionally entertained doubts along the way, I have had a great many faith-strengthening experiences in my life--mostly connected to personal study and prayer and/or to service in the Church. Some people can point to a singular conversion experience. My conversion has been more of a gradual process. I received the Gift of the Holy Ghost as a child and have felt his influence and confirming witness often, sometimes very movingly.

Personal Stories

Please explain the part prayer plays in your life?

I pray daily morning and night privately and with my family. I often pray briefly during the day also, to give thanks for something or to seek help. While I pray often, I'm not nearly as good at praying as I ought to be, but I do know that our Heavenly Father hears and answers prayers. Not all of my prayers are answered in ways that I recognize, but I frequently receive recognizeable help and guidance in answer to prayers. A few of my prayers have been answered very powerfully and have significantly affected my life choices and my service in church assignments.

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

We do it to extend the blessings of gospel ordinances, including baptism and others, to our ancestors who didn't receive them in mortality. This proxy ordinance work is performed in temples. In addition, those who get involved in family history research often grow to love it for its own sake.

How I live my faith

I pray and read scripture daily, lead my family in the same, serve in my local congregation where called or assigned, and in my community. One of the things my wife and I do is budget a little money each month to be generous with, beyond our normal tithe and church offerings. Sometimes it goes to help someone with a particular need, or maybe to fill a need at one of our children's schools. My current church calling is to teach early morning religion classes to high school students in our congregation before they go to school each day. This year we're studying the Doctrine and Covenants (one of our scriptural books) and Church history. It's a great way to start the morning--so long as I don't stay up too late. Still working on that "early to bed, early to rise" thing...

What is the Word of Wisdom that Mormons talk about?

Kris answered...

It is the church's law of health, given by revelation to the prophet Joseph Smith (founder of the Church). It includes both proscriptive (no alcohol, tobacco, coffee, tea, and harmful drugs) and prescriptive (grains, vegetables and fruits, meat sparingly) rules. Promised blessings for obedience to the Word of Wisdom include health, wisdom, and knowledge.
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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 are some of the ways that The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints helps those around the world?

Liz answered...

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints provides humanitarian service in many different ways. For instance, members living in Salt Lake City give of their time to assemble hygiene kits and relief kits to help those who have been the recent victims of natural disasters. These kits, along with food, first aid, and other necessities are rushed to the scenes of disaster all over the world. The Church works with communities that do not have sources of clean water to help them establish disease-free water sources, as well as teaching them principles of hygiene and maintenance that will keep their water clean. The Church has organized a training program to teach neonatal resuscitation to medical professionals all over the world, thus helping to prevent many unnecessary newborn deaths. The Church provides training, equipment, and supplies to eye care professionals and clinics in many poorer countries to help them prevent unnecessary blindness. The Church has an immunization program that helps to get much needed vaccines to children worldwide who might otherwise die of preventable diseases. There is another program run by The Church that helps to teach those in third world countries how to grow and preserve the food they need to be able to feed their families. Because we in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints believe that all people are brothers and sisters, we seek to help those in need regardless of their location, ethnicity, and/or religious beliefs.