Hi, I'm Terry

I'm a Mormon. I grew up in Utah on a ranch and have lived in Denver for 40 years. I have been in business for myslef for 38 years.

About Me

I have been maried for 41 years, and have 4 married children. We have 9 beautiful grand children and one on the way! I enjoy owning and operating 3 businesses and am blessed to have the capacity to remote manage them as we travel. I enjoy working out, riding my bicycle, playing tennis and our family enjoys spending time together on our houseboat at Lake Powell 5 or 6 times a year. We also really like our trips to the Florida Keys in the winter.

Why I am a Mormon

I was born into a Mormon family. In my teen years and on into my late twenties I lost my way and my beliefs. I made a lot of mistakes and suffered bad consequences at every turn. I did not really gain a testimony of the gospel until my late thirties. It was not until I tried living certain principles that I gained a knowlege of their correctness. My quest for the last 3 decades has been to decide what I wanted out of life, and then find the principles related to that outcome and live them. Understanding and trusting this process has been the most exciting thing I could imagine. Today, I have a safe, sure knowlege of where I am going and how to be happy. My family is most important to me and I desire to follow the path that will allow me to be with them forever.

How I live my faith

I have been a leader in the Boy Scouts of America for over 34 years. During that time I have adopted their principles and helped humdreds of boys become good, productive men. I currently serve as a cub scout den leader and thoroughly enjoy it. I consult with other small business owners and am constantly discussing correct principles that will help them improve their personal life and their business. I don't like to preach or push the gospel on anyone. I just try to let the good things in my life such as my family, my service to young men, how I treat my employees and customers, and my service to neighbors speak about what I believe and value.

Why do some call Mormonism a cult?

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.
Elizabeth answered...

It's funny, I used to call the Mormon Church a cult too. I just didn't understand it.

Mormonism isn't weird or strange. Its members don't perform satanic rituals or brainwash teenage boys into walking around from door to door in suits and name tags (nor is anyone forced to -- everyone who chooses to serve a mission does so out of their own free will and choice).
I used to call Mormonism a cult because it seemed foreign and unfamiliar, which I deemed scary. The same thing happened to Jesus' first followers as well: they were accused of cult worship too! Others who understood little of what Mormons truly believe told me lies about so-called "practices" in the church which, in reality, were just made-up stories and falsehoods intended to give the church a bad name.
When it comes down to it, a lot of people just don't understand this church, and lies about it spread like wildfire. Mormons believe that Jesus is the Christ. He is the Savior and the Redeemer of the world, plain and simple.
Is that so weird or cultish?
Today, there are close to fourteen million members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide, and more live outside of the United States than inside. That doesn't seem very cult-like to me!

Do Mormons practice polygamy?

Cody answered...

We certainly do not. As a Mormon I've constantly been taught about the importance of family and how to strengthen those bonds. My mother and father exemplify the ideal of loving parents and I am so grateful for that loving bond my 5 siblings and I share with our mom and dad. Our faith does not teach, condone, accept, or defend polygamy in any way.