The SaintsAndPatriots Webpage Launch

Not another social networking site!

Nope, this isn't just another networking site. Really. This site is a collaborative endeavor to connect LDS and like-minded Patriots from around the world in the spirit of unity and brother (and sister)hood we think the Lord expects of his Kingdom. I cannot count the times I've been TDY and needed to know what time church started (you can find that on the church's website now, and you'll soon find that here) or felt like I could have used a Priesthood blessing but felt like looking up the bishop in the phone book was a little too intrusive (I know I should have done it anyway but that's not the point). The point of this opportunity is to create an online "foyer" where we can reconnect with old friends from old bases and assignments, meet new friends before we PCS to new assignments, and leverage and extend our influence with each other, on behalf of each other, thus strengthening each other and the Kingdom.
Value Added
We here at SaintsAndPatriots know that the success of this site will depend entirely on each one of us. User generated content (postings, suggestions, questions etc) will make this site worth the time you take to visit (and CONTRIBUTE). All of the features and pages on this site have been carefully scrutinized by our team in an effort to create value to the user. All our best efforts are going towards creating a fresh, clean, and user friendly online experience where you can get the same great online experience you get with Facebook, Craigslist, or Amazon.com. We're NOT trying to be those things, but we are trying to provide similar online experiences for our specific intended audience: LDS and like-minded families and individuals in the military, veterans and their families, public servants, and every other "patriot" in the book.
More to Come
Our intial roll out will include organization specific pages (Army, Air Force, Navy, Marines etc) but we'll be adding new organizations as fast as we can. We have identified and begun to collect content and scripting for over 1,500 different, state, base, career, and interest area pages. Our goal is for any SaintsAndPatriots user to be able to quickly connect with other users based on military occupational specialty (MOS or AFSC, or rating), by base (McChord AFB, Ft Bragg, Camp Pendleton, Pearl Harbor Naval Base) or by state.
A Work in Progress
We are NOT going to get this perfect the first time. What we're asking for is your help in quality checking the content on our pages, providing quality content yourself, submitting your thoughts on how we can improve, and ultimately participating as much or as little as you want.
Elder M. Russell Ballard recently spoke at the BYU-Hawaii commencement about using "new media" to build the kingdom: "Now, may I ask that you join the conversation by participating on the Internet to share the gospel and to explain in simple and clear terms the message of the Restoration." I unequivocally believe that this online forum can be a useful tool in strengthening the relationships we now have, and building the new ones that we all need to be more successful in our jobs, our families, our communities, our nation, and ultimately our service to the Savior. Please consider contributing, fellowshipping, and participating on SaintsAndPatriots.com.

http://www.lds.org/ldsorg/v/index.jsp?vgnextoid=2354fccf2b7db010VgnVCM1000004d82620aRCRD&locale=0&sourceId=72443645a2cba110VgnVCM100000176f620a____&hideNav=1

Fireproof

Fireproofed.

Last night I went to see a movie with my wife that some good friends of ours suggested we see called Fireproof. I honestly wasn't very excited to go, especially considering all that I have going on, but one has to be very careful about saying no to invitations to "improve your marriage."

Bottom line up front: this movie is worth your time if you're married or thinking of getting married for one reason--the message. This movie won't win any Oscars, but it created a common operating language for me, and apparently millions of other Americans struggling to optimize the relationship with their spouses and the Savior. Like so many other Christian themed media, it goes as far as it can with the light the writers and directors have been given but falls short of the eternal perspective, and that is actually pretty painful to watch just knowing that with a little more truth these families portrayed in the movie could have forever families.
- Saint Patriot

Your Vote Has Already Been Paid For

I have drill as an Air National Guard intel officer this weekend, and as usual it's not convenient. Hurricane Halloween swung through my house last night and my kids still haven't come down from their sugar highs (proof that Brazil is on to something with ethanol in the tank).
I wear my uniform everyday because I'm on full-time status but it's not everyday that I get thanked for my service by someone under 30. That happened today and I didn't expect it, which got me thinking--would my kids think to thank a veteran for the opportunities they enjoy? How many people that are going to cast their ballots on Tuesday can connect the dots between that right and the sacrifices of the countless military members and families who have given their lives, their families, fathers, sons, daughters, mothers, grandfathers and grandmothers to the cause of freedom? If you vote, good for you, and great for you if you vote for representatives that value freedom and the Constitution. If you don't vote, get your head in the game--this stuff matters.