The Mormon Monk

There's nothing like a little light reading to take one's mind off a stressful job search (ongoing) or the writing of a dissertation (now completed!), so for the past month I've been enjoying Salt , by Mark Kurlansky: I've highly enjoyed this entertaining and informative read, not least because it has brought me new appreciation for the Savior's words: "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted?It is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men" (Matt. 5:13). We (his disicples) are the salt of the earth. What is salt? Kurlansky explains that salt, or sodium chloride (NaCl), is "essential for digestion and in respiration. Without sodium, which the body cannot manufacture, the body would be unable to transport nutrients or oxygen, transmit nerve impulses, or move muscles, including the heart. An adult human being contains about 250 grams of salt, which would ...

This past Thursday, my wife, the beautiful Mrs. Monk , lost her engagement ring and wedding band. Even though I'm pretty sure diamond rings are a bad idea , my wife is rather attached to hers, so this loss distressed her--especially since we are not currently in a position to replace said rings. After searching frantically for 36 hours, she was ready to give up hope. Since I wasn't nearly so attached to the ring, it was much easier for me to remain steadfast in the belief that we would eventually find it (which we did). Reflecting on this experience helped me to reevaluate my own, rather nagging anxieties about finding a job. I am lucky in that I know--with 100% certainty--that I will eventually be able to find a job, even if I have to wait longer than expected to do so. And yet, each day that passes without that magical phone call from a future employer leaves me feeling like my wife at the end of those 36 hours: if I haven't heard from them/found my ring by now, it will n...

A short time ago, while commenting (briefly) on the similarities between Israeli youths who serve in the military and Mormon missionaries, I indulged myself in a dig at Jeff Benedict's book, I don't object to Benedict personally; only to the message this book seeks to convey--that one can have it all (fame! fortune! faith! family!) without making any sacrifices. It is this attitude, the idea, as Hugh Nibley put it, that you can "mix Zion and Babylon" ( Approaching Zion 20) that I object to, not any particular profession. And yes, I'm well aware that Elders L. Tom Perry and M. Russell Ballard were prominent businessmen, that President Henry B. Eyring, Elders David A. Bednar, and Quentin L. Cook were professors of business. That being said, I have a serious problem with the notion that the business world--with its emphasis on profits--and the kingdom of God are compatible. During his time at BYU, Hugh Nibley complained that ". . . almost all the young people I...

Just a brief thought as you prepare to take the sacrament or reflect on your experience in doing so earlier today. Hovorka, who has provided insight in earlier posts on Ishmael and Isaiah , gives a few different possible etymologies for the Hebrew word we translate as covenant: In the Old Testament, ‘covenant’ is the translation of the word bĕrît (see Genesis 17:7-8). The term does not have an established etymology. One possible Hebrew root, brh means to ‘select’ or ‘choose’ and denotes the idea that the parties to the covenant carefully choose each other as partners. Another possible meaning comes from an Akkadian word birītu , which is to ‘fetter’ or ‘join together,’ and represents an absolute, binding contract. Thirdly, another meaning for the Hebrew root, brh is to ‘eat bread,’ harking back to Semitic hospitality traditions binding a host to protect his guest." (148) I especially like this last idea, which reminds us of the sacrament's power to protect us--as we become...

If you'll recall, right before the Lord utters those words in 3 Nephi 23:1, he commands his listeners (twice!) to "search these things diligently." For those of you whose New Year's resolutions include obeying this commandment, here are some notes from the 51st chapter of that book. In Isaiah 51:1, the prophet urges Israel to "look unto the rock whence ye are hewn." The rock refers both to Abraham (who is explicitly referenced in verse 2) and, more importantly, to Christ (verse 3, who Isaiah calls "a stone of stumbling" and "a rock of offence" in 8:14). This is a verse cited by John the Baptist (at least implicitly) when he rebukes the Pharisees in Matthew 3:9, chastising them because they "say within [them]selves, We have Abraham to our father: for I [John] say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." The whole point of John's rebuke is that the Pharisees have missed the point of Isaiah...

Dan Senor and Saul Singer have a new book about a deeply religious group of youth. These young men and women have formative experiences between the ages of 18-22, when they receive "training in teamwork, mission orientation, leadership, and a desire to continue serving" their faith. Their "service produces a maturity not seen in [their] foreign peers who spend that time in university. 'They’ve got more life experience,'" says one executive impressed by their maturity. While "perspective typically comes with age," these youth "get perspective at a young age because so many transformational experiences are jammed into . . . their late teens and early 20’s." As a result of these remarkable experiences, the young men and women studied by Senor and Singer are remarkably successful in the business world and are responsible for creating a disproportionally high number of start-up tech companies, hence the title for their new book: Start-Up Natio...