Hi, I'm Tom

I was born and raised in Southern California in a Mormon home. I'm a partner in a local CPA firm and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I was born and raised in a small town in Southern California. I served a mission for the church in Chile and graduated from Brigham Young University in Accounting. After I graduated I waited for a wonderful young lady I had met at BYU to finish her mission and we were married in the Los Angeles temple. We have six children three of whom are married, one is on his mission and two are still at home. I work near where I live at my own CPA firm and prepare income tax returns. I enjoy cycling and hiking but don't seem to do too much anymore. I also enjoy traveling and hope to do more of that in the future.

Why I am a Mormon

Although a person grows up in the church that is no guarantee that the person will stay in the church. Everyone must gain their own understanding and convictions about the religion for themselves. For me the Book of Mormon played a big role in the development of my personal testimony. I read it for the first time cover to cover in high school. It's another testament that Jesus Christ is the son of God who loves us and provided a way for us to return back to God. As I read the book I knew first in my mind that no man could have made up something like this then I felt it in my heart as I sincerely prayed for the first time to know if it was true. Since then I've read the Book of Mormon many times and everytime I get something new out of it because I'm a different person than I was the time before. I do believe it was written for us to help us with life's struggles and to give us hope that there is a plan and a purpose to this life.

I have never found anything in the Book of Mormon to be contrary to the the teachings of the Bible. Rather it reinforces and clarifies in a proper way the gospel of Jesus Christ. But you don't need to take my word for it, rather, you decide. Just be sure to include in your decision making process a read of the book itself then ask yourself the question was this written by man or by prophets of God.

Personal Stories

Why do Mormons do family history or genealogy work?

Mormons beleive that families are a key part of God's plan for us here on earth and that the family associations we develop here can carry on into the next life. Mormons also believe in the teachings of the prophets. In the 4th chapter of Malachi we read, "Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Lord: And he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smith the earth with a curse." (verses 5, 6).

Those who know a little about the history of the Mormon church know that the founder, Joseph Smith, claims to have received a heavenly visitor in his room known as Moroni but what they might not know is after Moroni talked to Joseph about plates of gold that would one day be translated into the Book of Mormon, he also quoted these same verses from Malachi with only a slight variation. The act of turning our hearts to our ancestor fathers, mothers, aunts and uncles is a commandment from God. For that reason the church has been busy for decades, long before geneology became a popular hobby, gathering records. The church has photocopied billions of birth, marriage and death records, immigration records, census data, land records to name a few. These records help establish family connections, parents to children, long lost from anyone's memory. Pedigree charts are created showing these family relationships and family group sheets are completed showing husbands, wives and their children along with important birth, marriage and death dates providing a positive identification of the correct name and relationship.

On April 3, 1836 Joseph Smith records that he and fellow church member Oliver Cowdery were visted by the prophet Elijah in the Kirtland temple and he gave to them the authority to seal on earth and in heaven family relationships. This is the purpose of temple to perform these sealing ordinances for us and our ancestors.

How I live my faith

The Mormon faith includes being a member of a local congregation called a ward. There are many positions of responsibility in the ward known as callings. These callings might be a Sunday School teacher, a young men's advisor, a Scoutmaster or the pastor of the ward known as the bishop. We try our best to perform our callings and improve ourselves as we do so. Several wards, somewhere between 5 to 10 depending on the geographical area, form a stake. There are stake leaders whose calling it is to train and support ward leaders. There is a president of the stake whose responsibility it is to ensure that the stake callings and ward callings are properly staffed and operating properly. He also is responsible for the overall temporal and spiritual welfare of his members. I currently serve as the president of our stake. All of the service in our wards and stake are done so without pay. As I try to carry out my duties and responsibilities I feel blessed for the talents and abilities I have and being able to help in some small way.

On a personal level I live my faith by trying to be kind to others, reading the scriptures and praying to God. I'm far from perfect, I try to be a little bit better each day. My role model is Jesus Christ and the teachings of the gospel of Jesus Christ help me become like him.

What is a ward/stake/branch?

Siegfried answered...

To make the administration of this world-wide church possible, the church is organized into geographical regions and sub-regions. The most basic administrative unit is called the "ward". The wards in the church vary in size but are comprised of a geographical area with anywhere from 300 to 700 members. The ward is presided by a bishop. A group of five to twelve wards are combined to form a "stake". A stake is presided by a stake president.
In regions of the world where there is a lesser concentration of members, "branches" are formed. These branches are equivalent to wards but usually have less members. A branch is presided by a branch president.
This organization makes it possible for 14 million members to each have local leaders that can provide guidance, teaching, and administering of the sacred ordinances of the gospel
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.

Who was Joseph Smith?

Mike answered...

Over my lifetime, I have heard countless theories concerning Joseph Smith - his intellect, his integrity, his sanity, everything about him. Some of the stories about him being a prophet sounded convincing... but then, some of the stories of him as a criminal sounded convincing, too. Then I read about Joseph Smith's visitation by the angel Moroni. Moroni told him that his name would be "had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken among all people." Well, that was certainly a true prophecy. So, it seemed, whether Joseph Smith was a prophet or not, tons of accusations and slander would be said against him anyway! That realization made me understand that only God could confirm whether or not Joseph was truly called of him. I got a strong confirmation of that truth. When others tell me that they "know the truth about the Joseph Smith," I always question their sources - it's usually a book or magazine article, possibly even by an esteemed, intellectual person. But I cannot and will not question my source of the real answer.