Hi, I'm Shawn Householder

I'm a native Arizonan, a husband, father, avid reader, bank auditor, and I'm a Mormon.

About Me

I'm a husband and proud father of three wonderful kids. For the last year I've spent most of my workdays researching suspected fraud and writing up the results. Prior to that I spent ten years as an operational and compliance auditor for the banking and credit card industries.

I'm an avid reader and enjoy playing chess, camping, fencing (the kind with foils), playing games with my kids, building computers, playing racquetball, cooking, and singing.

Why I am a Mormon

I'm a Mormon because my heart tells me that what this church teaches is true. In Galatians 5:22 it talks about how we should feel when the Spirit of God is present. These are the feelings I feel as I read the scriptures, hear a Prophet speak, pray or serve others. I feel love, joy and peace when I learn about Christ, God's plan of Salvation for His children, His love for me, and the atonement of my Lord and Savior.

While I daily struggle with leading my family safely through these turbulent times, I find that I feel peace and the love of God more frequently as I seek to draw nearer to Him. As I seek to overcome my weaknesses, challenges and struggles, I have found that I can have peace only by turning to Him. I'm not perfect, but I know that He knows me personally and cares about me and the challenges I face in life. I know that I can pray to Him and that He hears and answers my prayers - though not always as I'd prefer. Still, I know that He knows better than I what my needs are, and I am grateful for His influence in my life.

I'm a Mormon because in nothing else have I found that which leads me to desire to improve my life; nothing else which has taught me more of who I am, what I should do or be in this life, and where I will be after I pass from this life. In this church I have found a reason for hope, a reason to live, a reason to strive to be better than I am, and a reason to make the effort to change.

I'm a Mormon because I know that the teachings of this church are true. What I have learned has brought me closer to Christ, and I am a better person because of this knowledge.

How I live my faith

I try to daily put into practice the teachings that our Savior, Jesus Christ, taught by looking for ways to help others with the challenges they are experiencing. I find that when I am serving others I feel the most peace and happiness. Serving, to me, can be done in small and simple ways; sometimes a smile is all it takes to brighten up someone's day.

I try to help others by recognizing their needs and by seeking to assist them in fulfilling those needs. Sometimes this is through helping a new neighbor move into the neighborhood, visiting someone who is sick and needs friendship, or by providing a listening ear when someone is dealing with a particularly difficult challenge.

How can we increase our faith in Jesus Christ?

Brian answered...

Faith in Jesus Christ doesn't just happen. You have to work for it. I discovered my faith increasing when I decided to study the scriptures for a minimum of 30 minutes a day. Doing so has allowed me to understand the doctrines of the gospel on a deeper level. Scripture study coupled with daily personal prayer where I really try to converse with my Father in heaven, and seek to know His will concerning me, rather than give him a list of my wants and needs and ask him to grant them as if he was my personal butler. The best way I have found is to seek to do as Jesus did. Be friendly with everyone I meet. Go the extra mile and help people beyond what is expected. Avoid judging people and try to find the good in people, rather than dwell on their weaknesses. I've found that seeking to do God's will and striving to live like Jesus Christ taught us to live, has not deprived me of anything, rather by doing things Heavenly Father's way has freed me and brought me more happiness than trying to do it my own way.
Mark answered...

How do you increase your muscle mase? You work out, eat healthy, keep your mind sharpe, and do things right and correctly. Same thing is with our faith in Jesus Christ. We need to use our faith in Him. We do that by doing what he has asked us to do, and follow His example in all things. We will not know what life holds for us until we go and do things to expand our knowledge. The same thing is with faith. Try accomplishing one of His commandments, and see the miricles and blessings and knowledge from doing it.

Are there restrictions based on race or color concerning who can join The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and have the priesthood?

Matt answered...

There are no restrictions based on race or color for anybody who can join the church. If you have a desire to come unto Christ and be baptized with the proper authority, no matter who you are and your racial background, you will be able to.