Hi, I'm Brian

I'm a funeral director. I love good comedy. I ride a motorcycle. I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I am a husband and a father. I manage a funeral home. I draw and paint. I ride motorcycles. I drive a mini cooper. The worst day at the beach is better than the best day at work.

Why I am a Mormon

I was brought-up Irish Catholic. Went to catholic school. Enjoyed my membership in that church. My best friend was a Mormon. His family was a second family to me. He shared the gospel with me when I was 19 years old. He gave me a copy of the Book of Mormon one night. I took it home, read some of it, and decided then and there to pray about it. I received such a powerful witness that I couldn't deny it. From that point on, nothing could keep me from joining the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.

Personal Stories

How does making right choices help us make more right choices?

In a general sense, we all know the difference between right or wrong. Between our consciences and the training we received by concerned adults in our lives, we know what is right or wrong. So why then do some choose to follow those feelings of right and others seem to race toward the wrong? To understand this, we must first understand the first and foremost gift given to mankind, 'agency'.
Agency is the ability given us by our Heavenly Father to choose for ourselves how we will behave. This agency then allows us to be tested to see if we will do all things our Father in Heaven may command us.
When we decide for ourselves to make right choices, we strengthen our characters by developing an integrity of soul. We feel a good feeling that we wish to grow within us. As we make right choices, we then wish to make more right choices that we may continue to feel that good feeling provided by the Spirit. Sometimes the decission may be a difficult one to make. It may be that others are trying to persuade us to do what we know to be wrong, or it may be that we will suffer some indignity for our right choices, but regardless of what the consequences may ultimately be, when we stalwartly choose the right, we strengthen our characters, our stance becomes a little firmer, our gaze a little farther reaching, and we find that we become better people who wish to do better things.

How I live my faith

I am currently the "Ward Mission Leader" meaning I coordinate the missionary effort in our local church between the members of the church and the full time missionaries.
I try never to miss an opportunity to share what the gospel of Jesus Christ means in my life, as well as suggesting ways that those not of our faith can use gospel principles to improve whatever the difficulties may be which they are facing.

What is a “testimony” that Mormons speak of?

Brian answered...

It is a knowledge of certain truths born to your soul by the Holy Ghost. It is more than a belief that something may be true. A lot of people believe in false ideas and traditions. For it to be a true testimony you must have the Holy Ghost bear witness to you, spirit to spirit, of things that are in fact true. This then becomes an anchor to your soul through all the troubled waters of life's adversities. This is why it is something that is so highly prized among members of the church.

Among the truths of which the Spirit has tesrified to me are, the truthfulness of the Book of Mormon, that Joseph Smith was indeed a prophet of God, that we have a living prophet of God today, that the gospel restored through Joseph Smith is indeed the one true gospel of Jesus Christ, that Jesus Christ is our Savior, that He suffered and died for our sins and rose from the dead for our salvation, that there is a God in the Heavens and that He is the Father of our spirits, and perhaps most of all, that our Heavenly Father loves us and will be as involved in our individual lives as we will allow.
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David answered...

A testimony in the church is a spiritual witness given to an individual by the Holy Ghost that something is true. The Holy Ghost is a spirit, who is a member of the Godhead. His primary work is to testify, or be a witness, of Jesus Christ and of all truth. However, the Holy Ghost will rarely speak to us in words. Instead, He "pricks our hearts" (see Acts 2) and gives us a feeling of peace and joy, or a feeling of burning and swelling (the good kind) within our hearts. If we seek truth with real intent and pray to God that He will make it known to us, the Holy Ghost will bear witness of truth to us.

Who founded Mormonism and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints?

Jordan answered...

Jesus Christ. The name of our curch is the Curch of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. When Christ was on the earth He started a church and it was organized by apostles, prophets, pastors, and teachers. Of course the organization that he set up later fell because people didn't want to hear from them. So later on, in the 1800s, Christ and Heavenly Father found it to be the right time to bring that same organization back to the earth. And they then called another prophet, the same way Christ did when he was on the earth. And that Prophet's name was Joseph Smith.