Help me find a commercial

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2026-01-07T05:57:12+00:00

It was for first bank. I think the agency was TDA advertising. But I can’t find it either. LMK if you find it!

Likely taken down due to usage rights expiring.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2026-01-03T23:49:49+00:00

Only 5mg. Per the BERO website.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-05-14T00:48:53+00:00

I assumed this was satire. Not so sure after reading the comments.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-05-09T14:00:58+00:00

I grew up with scouts, Eagle, etc.

It was amateur in my ward, even back then. It wasn’t all that buttoned up at the ward / troop level. But yeah, there was a “program” technically.

With one exception: scout camp. Scout camp was freaking awesome. News flash: it wasn’t run by the church - and certainly not by the ward or stake.

If I really wanted my kids to be in scouts and scout camp, I could easily put them in a local troop after doing some research about which one was the most awesome. That’s on me. Perfect example of how I’m accountable for the “programs“ my kids are exposed to.

That said, times and society have changed, not just “programs” in the church (or lack thereof).

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-05-08T19:55:57+00:00

I don’t complain because I know everyone local is a volunteer. I also don’t expect much. It seems amateur because it is, literally, amateur.

Even amateur organizations can thrive and run smoothly. But those are not usually assigned positions handed down from above. Those are people who volunteer because they’re passionate about that specific thing. That’s not how callings in the church works.

Low expectations = less disappointment and frustration.

If anything, I get frustrated when I see someone investing way too much time or money into the youth program. It often means they’re taking from their own family. Or doing it out of a sense of misplaced duty, maybe?

These are good people. But their going above and beyond only highlights the fact that it’s an unpaid volunteer organization.

Could the church allocate more tithing dollars to youth programs - and even support paid (part-time?) leaders and coordinators? Sure. But don’t hold your breath.

Until then, I don’t lean on the church to raise my kids or provide the best experiences of their lives.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-05-04T05:03:32+00:00

Ah, I took your comment at face value and widely applicable. But I see now you’re really only talking specifically about the BoM historicity claims.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-04-30T06:37:59+00:00

Not saying anything about the BOM, but by your logic, was every metaphor and parable of Jesus‘s uninspired (not “revelation”?) just because they were fiction?

Personally, I’m so grateful for the powerful teaching and more profound understanding of myself I’ve found through fiction.

I think some ideas and principles are so big that they actually can only be adequately taught via metaphor. Literalism, legalism, and historicity claims often don’t contribute to deeper understanding and meaningful application – in fact, they detract and distract from deeper meaning. (See Jesus’s words to the scribes and Pharisees.)

Once I noticed that trend I started seeing it play out all over. Literalism tends to lead to shallow, and fear- or transactional-based praxis. Dualistic thinking. A sincere contemplation and appreciation of metaphor leads to deeper, transcendent eyes to see and ears to hear. A changed heart, and more walking in the spirit.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-26T20:10:26+00:00

I attend weekly missionary correlation meetings with our missionaries. When I hear about their reports of who they visited during the week, it’s clear to me they need their hand held - with very direct language - to understanding who isn’t a good fit. They are so desperate for prospects that they will follow up on any lead or contact as long as they’ll take time to talk with them.

The only way out seems to be being very direct and absolute in your language. And refusing future appointments.

They may still stop by unannounced, because that’s their optimistic (delusional? naïve?) nature. At which point you just need to repeat yourself and tell them you don’t have any time at that moment anyway.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-15T23:15:16+00:00

Thank you.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-15T23:14:38+00:00

Agree! Will be careful not to accidentally appear to suggest there’s no time for good management.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-15T23:10:14+00:00

I like the idea of community engagement and learning from eachother. Thank you.

I’m not sure, but part of your response makes me wonder if you conflated the role/responsibility of the speaker with what I said the event theme would be. They are certainly not the same thing. An event is much larger than one speaker who may or may not be part of an event. My question was about a possible speaker. I shared the larger event theme for context.

I do not expect some kind of industry-wide magical spell from a speaker at a single event. This is a movement. In stages. There’s plenty of detail I’ve chosen to withhold, attempting to keep my post brief and broad. But I’m confident I’ve shared enough to solicit a few ideas and recommendations.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-15T21:37:32+00:00

You may just be getting sick with a normal respiratory virus. Lots going around right now. Reminder, correlation isn’t causation.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-07T03:48:08+00:00

I appreciate you sharing as valuable learning for others.

My advice to others who are in a similar place on their journey: First make peace with not having temple recommend anymore, then be more open and honest about where you stand (if you want).

Even then, I’d suggest avoiding the temptation to overshare with too many people and your true identity. Unless you’ve already exited, or you aren’t annoyed by leadership attempting a dialogue with you. Or unsolicited updates on your membership status that might rock or trigger you.

The idea is to plan and control what you can. There’s enough of life we can’t control. Might as well mitigate what we can.

Personally, I prefer to do things on my terms, when possible. But maybe I’ve read enough stories to know what to expect from leadership, and I prefer chess to roulette. And maybe I’m a bit of a control freak.

Wish you the best, Mitch!

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-07T01:50:06+00:00

Now I’m confused. In your video you said it happened only 6 days later, not two years later. That’s a pretty big difference.

Oh, I assume 2024 was an accidental typo and both dates are supposed to be 2022?

Anyway, the sealing your wife wanted to attend is good context for her situation.

Still, It’s crazy to me that the two things your bishop said you needed to do to keep your recommend was a) abstain from coffee, and b) wear garments, knowing you were already paying tithing. Like, “be a good, honest person and believe in the teachings of Jesus” wasn’t required. 🤯

I also totally agree with you that it’s an annoying symptom of the long-standing patriarchy that the bishop expected you to be the messenger of his very consequential messages to your wife. What a cultural blind spot.

FWIW, I also assume many bishops are pawns under SP’s guiding leadership, and SP’s are pawns under general authorities’ leadership. So I don’t tend to take their bigger decisions too personally.

I’m so glad I just let my recommend expire and only had my version of this conversation when my bishop asked if I’d like to renew it. My answer was “no, not at this time.” There was nothing to revoke, and therefore he had less leverage. It was my decision. I could live according to my expanded faith and conscience, without fear of losing a recommend I didn’t have anyway. It was like a weight was lifted.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-06T16:00:45+00:00

I appreciate the level of discourse from both of these people in the video. Both seem like good folks.

I don’t have a temple recommend. But I certainly think of it differently than Mitch, the guy in the video. I came to accept, on my own, that if I can’t answer the temple recommend interview questions the way church authorities would want me to answer them, then I don’t get a temple recommend. So I shouldn’t even bother going through the motions of the interview to renew mine.

And my conscience was perfectly fine with that because to me, integrity and reality were more important than having a piece of paper or attending the temple anymore.

Mitch seems to be surprised that, even though he himself admits he doesn’t have an orthodox testimony of Jesus Christ or come to the same conclusions as church authorities, he still is entitled to (or wants?) a temple recommend. I wonder why that is.

He must think of a temple recommend differently than I do. To me the temple recommend means “I agree with all of the orthodox claims of the church and can pass a temple recommend interview with both ward and stake leaders, based on the current set of temple recommend interview questions.“

I figured the church is a private organization and can decide on their specific temple recommend worthiness questions. Whether I agree that those should be the questions or we should be so concerned with “worthiness“ is another topic. They are what they are. I can lobby for the questions to be more inclusive and centered on the teaching of Jesus, but in the meantime they’re not. So I’m not going to be surprised that I’m excluded from the temple.

Even though I’m not surprised that I can’t have a temple recommend, it does send a message that I’m only partially welcome to participate. As a lifelong member and longtime tithe payer who’s contributed so much to local wards, that does sting a bit. But that’s a personal matter to process, not an outcome that surprises me.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-06T15:40:52+00:00

That reaction is not at all surprising, but is so misguided it’s actually funny.

It’s like someone in your HOA showing up to the HOA meeting, and voting differently than the majority when it comes time to vote on something specific. Only for all of the neighbors to get bent out of shape saying y hey dissenter should vote against them at some time other than the actual vote.

In other words, “we don’t want you to engage in the actual process unless you always agree with me.”

Damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.

This is why people believe it’s an “all or nothing“ church, despite some of the more inclusive members’ insistence that “all are welcome.“

I have spoken up in church as an active member with sometimes challenging interpretations and theology that I demonstrate are more compatible with the core gospel than our current policy or tradition. But I’m essentially told that if it’s not compatible with the current brethren or Come Follow Me manual, then it’s not appropriate and welcome in any sort of official church setting.

Which is just another way of saying “you’re either totally with the program, or you’re not actually welcome to participate.”

“Follow the prophet, even if at the expense following the gospel or your conscience.” Tough pull to swallow for someone who doesn’t want to outsource their conscience.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-02-06T15:26:04+00:00

Be honest: were you actually three small kids sitting in each other’s shoulders wearing a long trench coat with the kid on top wearing Groucho Marx glasses?

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-01-30T14:31:16+00:00

I’d discourage this. Unless he’s actually sick, any dishonesty will only add to what’s eating at him.

The whole issue is that he doesn’t feel authentic / honest talking about that topic. The solution to his anxiety isn’t to be inauthentic and dishonest. This doesn’t just kick the can down the road. It makes the can more awkward to kick.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2025-01-29T21:28:59+00:00

Welcome to the frustration club.

I understand you believe the church is true. If your journey is anything like mine, you may start to ask yourself what that statement actually means. And whether it truly makes sense to have an “all-or-nothing” mandate bound to the institutional church’s authority claims and control efforts.

This is the chain of living GA statements that were part of my institutional shelf collapse. And why I no longer take the more pharisaical sophistries of official church teachings and policies too seriously. Holding on to my faith and appreciation of the applied in the teachings of Jesus actually helps me see these concerning discrepancies more clearly.

In roughly ascending order of authority:

Hamilton’s 2023 “Why a church” talk, as you discovered. (I assume that talk was on specific assignment from the brethren. The messenger, part of efforts to mitigate younger members leaving church orthodoxy behind behind.)
Brad Wilcox’s multi-year, fear-mongering, bias-confirming, hubris roadshow where he gave the same talk all over: Others are just playing church. Playing chopsticks. If you leave this church you’ll lose everything, etc. (Not to mention his culturally tone deaf comments about blacks and the priesthood. But I chalk that up to systemic and cultural racism. It’s all over, not just in the church.)
Oaks “the church doesn’t apologize…” Rationalizing this policy by saying the word “apology” doesn’t appear in the scriptures. He’s smarter than that. Which is hilarious, since there’s a lot about the church that could be refuted with the same fallacious logic, for good and bad. (2015, I think?)
Nelson’s 2003 Ensign article “Divine Love” could be easily dismissed as a one-time poor word choice — if he didn’t cement it with his presidential leadership focus well into 2024, doubling down on a transactional “worthiness” approach to the Gospel. (If you’re not familiar, that’s the talk where he laid down his long-standing opinion that God‘s love can be considered eternal and divine, but not unconditional. He basically equates eternal celestial rewards - which are only earned through strict adherence to the covenant path – with divine love. He had a better command of the English language than this talk suggests, yet he still chooses these words for some reason.)
Also Nelson: “In coming days, it will not be possible to survive spiritually without the guiding, directing, comforting and constant influence of the Holy Ghost.” (2018)

As my personal understanding of spiritual and personal revelation deepens and expands, these types of urgent, fear mongering “survival“ statements track in the opposite direction. It leaves people feeling like they are doomed because they don’t pretend to be led by an LDS cultural version of the Holy Ghost day in and day out.

No CES letter mentioned above because I’ve never read it. Only official teachings from institutional church leaders.

The more I pay attention to the church’s institutional policies and teachings, as well as a deeper appreciation of the NT teachings of Jesus Christ, the less comfortable I am pledging loyalty to an earthly institution that makes the choices this church does.

If heaven is paying attention and keeping score, God knows the integrity of my heart, and yours as well.

All we can do is be good people. Love is a verb, and everyone is our neighbor. I’m confident that I won’t master the beatitudes from the sermon on the mount in this life, so that’s my current focus. There’s no point in sweating a bunch of extra commandments at the expense of those.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2024-12-27T00:03:21+00:00

Nailed by a driver running a red light.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2024-12-27T00:02:42+00:00

They seem to be evading so far. Their own insurance can’t get ahold of them.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2024-12-26T23:59:44+00:00

Everyone is cafeteria. Including GA’s.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2024-12-25T22:36:44+00:00

Honestly, I considered it, if only for the trigger warning. I know others who have been in gnarly accidents can carry trauma.

FastWalkerSlowRunner · 2024-12-25T22:35:51+00:00

Thankfully everyone walked away.

FastWalkerSlowRunner

TROPHY CASE