A Post from Home

Here I sit, working with my awesome sister on a new blog for our great grandpa, William Joseph Hemingway. It's going to be awesome. :)

A November "6th" Testimony

"Is there a better way to spend November 6th?" Some people I've seen have joined this facebook group. While it's technically now November 7th, I want to write a little note before falling asleep. I'm ridiculously tired right now, so if it's a little incoherent, forgive me. :)
Quite simply, I declare that living the gospel of Jesus Christ with all of the energy I can--being fully committed to keeping God's commandments, loving others, and serving His children--makes more of a difference in my life that anything else. I KNOW the things I have been taught throughout my life are true. When I serve others, I am blessed probably more than they are. When I love instead of judge, they are liberated and lifted . . . and so am I. Keeping the commandments, to me, is simply common sense: the returns on such an "investment" are as life-sustaining and necessary as food and water. When I speak of "the gospel of Jesus Christ," I do not simply mean the time-honored Christian values seen in many faiths and preached in many churches. Though they make up the bulk of what I believe, and though I take all of the truth I can find, no matter who shares it, I believe there is more. As a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints I am privileged to know that God speaks to man today. He talks to prophets now just as he did in Moses' time, or in Peter's. Then they can say, "Thus saith the Lord," and we follow. Their words give me direction and help me understand better what I can do to be happy. They help me to be a better follower of Christ and to become what I was sent here to become. As I read the Book of Mormon, which was revealed to the first of God's modern-day prophets, I feel great joy. It gives guidance for my day, helps me understand and love the other scriptures (like the Bible) more, and helps me be filled with the Spirit of the Lord. Most importantly, the Book of Mormon and the prophets today point me to Jesus Christ. I pray in His name. I love Him. It is my constant desire to serve Him better. And I know that under no condition will His strength slacken or His desire and power to save me fall short. He is mighty enough to save even me. Through faith, repentance, obedience, etc., I covenant (or promise) Him my life and my desires. He in turn promises me all that He can give. Happiness, comfort, peace, an eternal family, and life with Him and His Father forever are just a few of those blessings. I know the promises are sure. And I know that God loves and desires to bless each and every one of you. We are His children, and it is His deepest wish that all of us may choose to follow Him, learn to love Him, and return to live with Him. To fulfill His wish and receive His blessing is my sincerest goal and desire. May any of you who are willing also pursue this course--I promise that the rewards He offers for following His path are worth ANY effort.

Bradley

The Crew

The Starting Line-up


Get set to spring!

And that's another Cougar . . . First Down!!!

Team Huddle

Cream the Ute, get the fumble.

Cougar football!!

The bottom of the pile

Foe Vanquished.

We Are . . .

BYU Football!

Watch out for our Coach.

Championship trophy?

Ok, fine--a normal picture . . .

. . . or two.

What do YOU do on a date?

Conduct a symphony and opera?

Sleepwalk? (or just sleep, as it turns out for some)

Admire, adore, ponder, or puzzle over arrangements of abstract art?

Follow the prophet?

"Study"?

"Study"?

Spend time behind bars?

Attend a lecture?

Enhance and adorn an otherwise drab staircase?

Model Reverence and Dignity?

Find yourself in an awkward situation?

Divine, read "Book of Mormon Stories", or join Massasoit on a raid?

Fret over a unfortunate and dreadful situation?

Ponder the intricacies of perfectly-placed paving materials?

Climb the tower of success?

Or spend time with your family?

Well, that's what WE do on a date. :)

The Third Garden

Have you ever heard the phrase, "the three gardens?" Here is a reference to those gardens as given by Elder McConkie in his "The Purifying Power of Gethsemane" talk, 1985:

As we read, ponder, and pray, there will come into our minds a view of the three gardens of God—the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden of the Empty Tomb where Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene.

In Eden we will see all things created in a paradisiacal state—without death, without procreation, without probationary experiences.

We will come to know that such a creation, now unknown to man, was the only way to provide for the Fall.

We will then see Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, step down from their state of immortal and paradisiacal glory to become the first mortal flesh on earth.

Mortality, including as it does procreation and death, will enter the world. And because of transgression a probationary estate of trial and testing will begin.

Then in Gethsemane we will see the Son of God ransom man from the temporal and spiritual death that came to us because of the Fall.

And finally, before an empty tomb, we will come to know that Christ our Lord has burst the bands of death and stands forever triumphant over the grave.

Thus, Creation is father to the Fall; and by the Fall came mortality and death; and by Christ came immortality and eternal life.

If there had been no fall of Adam, by which cometh death, there could have been no atonement of Christ, by which cometh life.

Here, in the Garden Tomb, we were able to feel that He is risen. "Come, see the place where the Lord lay," seemed to be the beckoning call. Following our observation, as you might expect, we felt the declaration, "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."

I declare that I know He did rise. I also know that we will all be raised up, from death unto life. None of us will be left in our graves for the eternities. Having had the experience of losing my dad to cancer, I've had many opportunities to ponder these truths. I boldly declare that they are true. Jesus is the Christ, and He is risen.

--Bradley

My Work

I work with






Currently, I do Research and Development, with an emphasis on Voice over IP and Employee Training. I'm also responsible for a lot of internal IT, for building new computers, and for keeping the build room clean.

At Equinox we focus on being the kind of technology company that cares more about how the customer FEELS than about "getting the job done." Don't get me wrong--we do good work, and we do it well--but we don't just "fix" your technology "problems." We believe in helping you "Take your technology to the next level" by emphasizing 3 things:

Choice - Rather than telling you what to do, or giving you an option like "either fix it this way, or leave it broken," we believe in showing at least three different options. That way you can pick the one that fits your needs best and falls within your price range.

Communication - We understand that the technical jargon can be confusing, and that most techs tend to be rather non-communicative folk. We strive to be different. Before we make decisions about your technology, we consult with you. And we don't just show you a quote with a cryptically-written proposal and price. No, we explain and teach and converse until we understand your needs, you understand our suggestions, and we both agree on the best step for your company with regards to their technology.

Control - Finally, we realize who has (or should have) the control. We generally allow you (our client) to make the final decisions, whenever and as frequently as you wish. Typically, we find there are three kinds of clients:

• Drivers: Many people just want a navigator at their side. THEY are driving (ie. making the final decisions), but they do want someone with technical skills at their side so that they are empowered to make the wisest turns.
• Navigators: Others simply want to keep us on track while we drive. We make the decisions, come to them with Recommendations from time to time, and get their feedback frequently about what matters to them and how we are doing.
• Chauffeured passengers: Finally, some of our customers don't care about the details, only the destination. They say, "Take care of me," and expect us to do it. Even then, to be in line with our model, we show them Choices and have the necessary Communication, but for the most part, Control is left in our hands. They simply tell us where to go, and we get them there.

Well, that's my work, in a nutshell. Hooray for Equinox IT Services!

Oh, Galilee!

O Galilee, sweet Galilee,
Where Jesus loved so much to be,
O Galilee, blue Galilee,
Come sing thy song again to me.

Our tour guide sang this song for us. We parroted his words and sang the chorus with him as we sailed over the sea.

“Each cooing dove and sighing bough,
That makes the eve so blest to me,
Has something far diviner now,
It bears me back to Galilee.

“Each flow’ry glen and mossy dell,
Where happy birds in song agree,
Through sunny morn the praises tell
Of sights and sounds in Galilee.

“And when I read the thrilling lore
Of Him who walked upon the sea,
I long, oh, how I long once more
To follow Him in Galilee.”

Galilee was one of the most peaceful places on our whole trip. We took the time to sit and ponder while we were on the boat. Believe it or not, I cried a lot. It was a time of contemplation and of listening to the voice of the Lord. I will always remember Galilee for the peace and the feeling it brings.

But of course, we couldn't have a wonderful experience without a picture. Here is our version of the Gospel Net. We're combining stories, here: two of us compose the net, and the others of us have coins in our mouths so the fishers can pay the tax. :) It was a fun picture.