The Consistent Man

Faith. Family. Discipline. Fatherhood. BYU. Stoicism.
Strong bodies. Clear minds. Principled. Aspiring peacemaker.
Latter-day Saint.

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

That’s awesome you’re giving her so many avenues.

You said all your kids learn how to skateboard. That’s kinda what I’m getting at.

There’s definitely try things happening at once. You are sharing your kids what you know, and they are also keeping their eyes open to what is happening outside of what you show them so that they can form their own interests.

I’m primarily concerned with the first part since the second part with happen naturally

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

When putting your kids in sports and activities, you literally can’t (and shouldn’t) choose everything.

So how do you decide what to introduce them to?

Here’s my personal YES/NO list for my girls, and why.

YES:

Jiu-Jitsu — I want to know my girls can defend themselves when I’m not around. Also, they can’t date until they’re black belts. 😂

Swimming — Because I don’t want them to drown. Also, swimming is fun and fantastic exercise.

Running/trail running — Practical, healthy, and something they can do with me.

Backpacking/calisthenics/weight training — Because it’s what I do. They’re going to grow up around it anyway.

Tennis and golf — Both are lifelong sports with opportunities for college scholarships and significant professional earning potential for women. Plus, they’re fun.

Piano or guitar — Versatile, beautiful, and great for the brain.

Drums — This one is specific to my daughter. I just have a feeling she’d absolutely love them.

NO:

Football — How do I break it to my 4-year-old daughter that girls don’t really have the same opportunities to play competitive tackle football? She’s going to be devastated. 😂

Soccer — I don’t want to spend every Saturday at games for a season that feels like it lasts forever. Plus, the high rate of ACL injuries among female soccer players concerns me. I’d rather avoid it.

Softball — I’m sure it’s great and plenty of fun. But I’m just not a baseball/softball guy. And I have no desire to spend my weekends at tournaments

Basketball — This one’s a solid maybe, but I’m leaning no. Nothing against the sport. It’s just not high on my list of activities I’d prioritize introducing them to.

Competitive gymnastics — Basic gymnastics? Absolutely. But competitive gymnastics gets incredibly expensive, and I have concerns about the pressure and culture at higher levels.

Dance or cheer — Again, recreationally? Sure. But I’m hesitant about the competitive environments, especially the emphasis on appearance and body image at young ages. My wife danced professionally throughout her life and had a lot of bad experiences associated with that.

Other instruments — Nothing against them. I just think piano and guitar offer the most versatility and long-term usefulness.

Obviously, my girls will develop their own interests, and I’ll support them in discovering what they love.

But as a parent, I think it’s perfectly reasonable to be intentional about what you introduce your kids to.

Realistically, the odds of going pro in any sport are incredibly low. But if I’m going to invest years of time and money into my girls’ athletics, I might as well consider the potential upside.

What’s on your YES/NO list?
What am I getting wrong?

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Kintsugijin 😂

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

How many government agents are on this app trying to influence narratives?

Do you think any of them are in the LDS community?

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

I completely understand where you’re coming from.

I’ve been around a lot of high-level dancers myself. Were you on the Jazz team? I knew a couple of girls who danced there.

Through my wife’s former social circles, I’ve known Broadway dancers, backup dancers for major musicians, and dancers in film. I was also around the Cougarettes and cheerleaders at BYU quite a bit.

I have tremendous respect for what they do, and I’ve seen both the positives and negatives firsthand.

I agree that parents shouldn’t dictate what their children can or should enjoy. But I also think parents have an enormous influence on what their children are exposed to in the first place.

I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you were a high-level dancer and your daughter now dances competitively. And I don’t think that’s a bad thing at all!

Whether intentionally or not, our interests, experiences, and priorities help shape those of our children.

I think there’s a meaningful difference between forcing your kids down a particular path and being intentional about which paths you introduce them to.

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

Haha, I don’t mind volleyball. I would not be against it, but also it’s obviously not top of mind for me.
I’d introduce it to my girls recreationally with the family or at the beach and maybe put them in lessons or on a team if they showed interest or the right opportunity arose.
That’s one is prob in the same category as basketball. Solid maybe

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Justlurkin991 True. Violin is a beautiful instrument

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Snake_With_Feet @pbabinski91 You really don’t know where the temple and rites came from.

I don’t have the time to explain it to you right now, but you’re showing your complete ignorance as you’re trying to comment on these things.

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Snake_With_Feet @pbabinski91 In other words, you don’t know the Bible…

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@RyanBErickson

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

When I returned home from my mission, I immediately started preparing to attend BYU as a freshman.

I had almost no money.

Things were so tight that I remember overdrafting my bank account that first semester because I bought some chocolate-covered cinnamon bears at the bookstore.

My parents had also “sold” me my mom’s old Honda Civic so I’d have something to drive.

I eventually paid them for it, but let’s just say they gave me a pretty great deal on the price and interest rate.

But getting into my first apartment was a struggle.

I needed a security deposit, plus first and last month’s rent.

I’d earned most of what I needed, but I was still short.

I remember sitting in the rental office with my mother when she reached into her purse, opened a little pocket, and pulled out a couple hundred dollars.

All in one-dollar bills.

She’d been saving them from the tips she earned bussing tables at a restaurant.

A dollar here. A few dollars there.

Money she’d been setting aside because there were things she wanted to buy for herself.

But when she saw that I needed help, she gave it all to me.

I remember getting emotional about it then.

And I’m getting emotional thinking about it now.

It wasn’t the amount of money.

It was what those dollar bills represented.

Every single one had been earned through her hard work. Every one represented something she’d gone without so she could save a little for herself.

And when I needed help, she didn’t hesitate to give them to me.

My mother did everything she could to help me get an education.

I eventually became the first person in my family, on either side, to graduate from college.

And I owe so much of that to her.

My mom passed away a few years ago in 2021.

I’ve accomplished a lot since those days, but I’ll never forget her sitting in that rental office, pulling those one-dollar bills out of her purse.

It wasn’t the amount of money that mattered. It was the love and sacrifice those dollars represented.

I never doubted for a second how much my mother loved me.

She was an angel on earth.

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Esdecomoes Doing my best

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Hillbillyflyer Totally!
Just being left to wonder, you eventually arrive at the truths of the gospel.
It’s already within reach of us since before we were born

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

I was listening to MrBallen on Joe Rogan, and I couldn’t help thinking he’s SO CLOSE to describing some of the most fascinating concepts in Latter-day Saint theology.

He explains a thought experiment about whether the universe is finite or infinite.

If it’s finite, what exists beyond its boundaries? How can there be an edge to everything that exists?

But if it’s infinite, consider the implications. Endless space. Endless possibilities. Perhaps realities and forms of existence we cannot even begin to comprehend.

He also talks about how everything we understand depends on contrast.

That immediately reminded me of Lehi’s teaching:

“For it must needs be, that there is an opposition in all things.” (2 Nephi 2:11)

But here’s where I think the connection becomes really fascinating.

Latter-day Saints believe in eternal progression.

We believe that through Jesus Christ, we can become like our Heavenly Father. That our growth and potential don’t end with mortality. That eternal life is about far more than simply existing forever.

We believe in eternal increase.
We’re believe in becoming perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect.

And suddenly, the idea of an infinite universe takes on an entirely different significance.

What if existence has no ultimate boundary because our potential for progression and increase has no ultimate boundary?

What if the universe is expansive enough to accommodate not merely endless repetitions of what already exists, but endless creation, growth, and divine potential?

Think about the implications of becoming like God in a reality without an ultimate end.

To me, that’s one of the most extraordinary aspects of LDS theology.

We’re not simply hoping to live forever in God’s presence.

We’re striving, through Christ, to become like Him.

And an existence without end leaves room for possibilities we can scarcely imagine.

Without even realizing it, MrBallen and Joe Rogan are coming close to teaching Mormon doctrine.

@MrBallen
@joerogan

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

If Miami leaves the ACC either to go independent or to join another conference, that conference is toast.

The obvious thing would be to join the B12, but there’s no way they do that.

I think conferences, in general are going to be reorganized at some point.

[The Fourth Quarter @4thQuarterCFB00]

Conference Strength Ladder - Week 8

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@LawrenceRo83222 You should find the anti venom for whatever voices you’re listening to, because you’re off the rails

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets…” - Ephesians 4:11

Paul explicitly identifies both apostles AND prophets as gifts Christ gave His Church.

And verse 13 tells us how long they’re needed:

“Till we all come in the unity of the faith…”

Have we achieved that unity yet?

Where does scripture say God stopped calling prophets or giving revelation after the original apostles died?

[BIG K @BIGKLDS]

Yahweh called Prophets.

Jesus, who was Yahweh, called Prophets.

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints has Prophets.

Protestants don’t have Prophets.

Roman Catholics don’t have Prophets.

Muslims don’t have Prophets.

Eastern Orthodox do not have Prophets.

Yahweh called Prophets.

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Grownded @Mormonger lol

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Vothrux 🤷‍♂️

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@nicholasthp3 Every good mom deserves to be remembered and celebrated

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@Latter_day_Jon Just this one?
I also Think the spirit world is prob just a different dimension of this universe

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@LawrenceRo83222 Bot

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@LawrenceRo83222 You grumpy today?

[The Consistent Man @_consistent_man]

@RussellCLehman Oooo, that’s an accusation.

If there are any agents pushing LDS narratives, it would be to make the LDS culture more liberal