Hi, I'm Jonny Harmer

I'm a CFO, I love the Southern California sun, I am Dodger fan, a private pilot and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I enjoy just about any outdoor sport and living in So Cal makes it easy to enjoy beautiful weather year-round. I help coach little league baseball for my sons and cheer for my daughters in their dance recitals. I am the Chief Financial Officer for a real estate investment company so the last few years have been very challenging professionally, but have helped me appreciate what is most important in life. I blow off steam by cycling ( I have a few centuries under my belt), reading, or watching a good movie with my wife.

Why I am a Mormon

I am a Mormon because I believe we all have purpose in our lives. I believe we are on this earth by choice, instead of by accident, and trust in a living and loving God. I believe in Christ as my Savior and believe the doctrines taught by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints will help me return to Him someday.

How I live my faith

My faith is part of my everyday life. Not everybody needs religion or faith to be a good person, but my faith certainly helps me to be a better person. In my interactions with friends and neighbors, I try to be kind, generous and honest. My wife and I love sharing our faith with others through little acts of kindness (hosting a neighborhood breakfast on the 4th of July, or playing "Secret Santa" to a family in need) and enjoy learning about the faith of others. Recently, I was asked to serve as the Mormon equivalent of a Pastor or Minister which means I have the responsibility of caring for the needs of the members of our congregation. When my son found out about the position, he said "...Dad, that is a good thing and a bad thing. It's good because you get to help people. It's bad because you will be spending time away from us..." His comment is right on, but because God gave me everything I have, I am happy to give service, and time, to help those in need.

What is the priesthood?

Jonny Harmer answered...

The priesthood is the authority from God to act in his name while performing ordinances (such as baptism) and while providing service to others. While we do not need the priesthood to serve, we do need the priesthood to act in God's name.
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Ethan answered...

I like to approach questions by looking at the words of things

"priest" has reference to either the concept of one who leads, one who is elder, or one who is holy I like to remember that the words 'holy' and 'whole' are linked by a common ancestry. When something is 'holy' it's essentially saying that it's complete, that it's healthy..

And "-hood" makes reference to the state of being, and not just any state of being but a state of being that's worthy or correct for it's placement. That is, that it's done properly.

So one could say the priesthood is leadership or a point of reference that's completely suited to the position in which it's been placed.

Another way to look at it is to say it's God's perfect order. That is, it's God's perfect arrangement.

In our Church we often give a definition of priesthood as being "the authority to act in God's name" and that's exactly what it means to be a part of God's perfect order. If God commands something to be done by you, and you do it, then you are acting under, and with that portion of God's authority that he's permitted you to exercise within his perfect order.

Just as with any instance where someone tries to act in the name of someone else there are bound to be those who try and do so falsely. That's why God has things ordered in such a way that one can know for certain if someone has His God's authority, or not.

Does The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints endorse political parties?

Josh answered...

No. The church advocates principles and doctrine but does not endorse a certain political party or candidate. If you look in the United States Congress, you'll see members of the Mormon church sitting on both sides of the aisle from the current Senate Majority Leader to a 2008 presidential candidate.

However, the church is involved in the public arena when political initiatives intersect with principles of Christ's gospel. When this happens, the church will release a statement advocating certain principles and encouraging members to uphold these principles. This type of action often leads to confusion. Church support for an initiative for religious reasons should not be taken to imply support for a particular political party. These are two distinctly separate activities.