John Colton's blog

I really enjoyed this "Things I learned at church" essay written by Scott Gordon, president of FAIR.

It's available here: http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Journal/FJ200703.html
but I'll just quote it in its entirety even though it's rather lengthy.

"Things I Learned at Church"

From time to time I take the opportunity to read "exit stories" from people who've left the LDS Church. One story writer expressed sorrow that he had 'wasted so many years in the LDS Church instead of spending it somewhere where he might have learned something.' This led me to think about whether or not their time in the LDS Church had really been wasted. While I cannot speak for everyone, this train of thought led me to think about the many things I have learned in the Church.

For instance, I learned to set up and take down chairs. (I mean this is all seriousness.) Setting up and taking down tables and chairs was an expected thing to do for all stake conferences, activities, and Sunday school classes. More important than simply learning the skill of chair placement or the mechanics of table legs, I learned that it was up to me to get something done. The job really wasn't complete until everything was put away. I learned that things don't just poof into existence, but take a concerted effort. I also learned that working with others to reach that goal was much better and more fun than working alone. It helped me to learn that seemingly small things--like setting up and taking down chairs--were an important part of the greater whole.

I learned how to organize meetings, large dinners, and activities. This included following agendas, estimating group sizes, planning for food, and allowing for contingencies. I learned how important this skill was when I found that there were classes at various colleges and universities that taught these very skills that I learned in Church.

I learned how to stand up and speak in front of a group. This is a valuable lesson that has helped me throughout my life. Whether a group size is three or 3,000, the LDS Church taught me how to organize a presentation and to present it in front of a group.

I learned how to teach a lesson. I learned the important principle of the lesson is not what I have said, but what the class members have learned, and what they will incorporate into their lives. This concept is currently being promoted in the California college system.

I learned how to sing in Church. From primary songs to Church choirs and solos, I was given many opportunities to practice my talents.

I learned how to play the piano. I had lessons like many other young people, and like many young boys I did my best to avoid practicing. Then, one day, my bishop asked me to become priesthood pianist. At that time, I don¹t think I could have played a hymn if my life depended on it. I had to practice. That experience, combined with my call as ward pianist on my mission, helped me reach a level of piano playing that brings great joy to my life. I am currently the primary pianist and enjoy that greatly.

I learned to avoid addictive substances and behavior. While some of my friends have gone the way of drug abuse, alcoholism, and broken families, I have managed to avoid all of that. While it is true that not drinking wine or coffee has sometimes led to slightly uncomfortable social situations, I have found it to be a better and healthier lifestyle. I have never had to worry that someone might remember my bizarre or socially inappropriate behavior at a work party, or had to worry about getting a designated driver.

I learned to mourn with those who mourn and comfort those who stand in need of comfort. I have been in a hospital room as parents of a two-year-old are told their son "didn't make it." I have stood with a husband and father as he has talked with his son about mom "not coming back." I have wept with a woman as she shared how she had been molested for many years.

I have learned what it means to share joy with families. I have felt the joy as babies were announced, marriages were reconciled, blessings came true, and families were created. I have seen the joy as lives were changed through the gospel.

I have learned the importance of honesty and I have had honesty modeled by my Church leaders. I have been with them in their unguarded moments and honesty has been a guiding principle of their lives.

I have learned the importance of education in all areas, including the arts and sciences. Never have I been discouraged from learning or studying.

I have learned what it is like to feel the Spirit: that overwhelming feeling of love for everyone.

I have learned that there is a God in Heaven and that Jesus is my Savior. I have learned that the heavens are not closed to sincere seekers and that there is more at work in life than what we can experience with our five senses.

I'm sure there are other ways to learn many of these things, and I'm not claiming these things as being exclusively Mormon. What I am saying is that I learned these things in the LDS Church, and those teachings have been very valuable to me. My time in the LDS Church has not been wasted; it has been educational, enriching, and illuminating.

So the next time someone asks me what value there is in the LDS Church, one answer I can honestly give is, "That's where I learned how to set up and take down chairs."

Here are a couple of pictures of that massive snow storm I mentioned three weeks ago.

(look for the snowman)


(sledding down the mound of snow created by the snow plows)

I just got some pictures of the Chamber Chorale that were taken by the father of one of our sopranos (Linda Zoerb). These were from our February 2007 concert, in the Maria Angelorem (Mary of he Angels) chapel here in La Crosse.









(If you look closely, you can see me blowing the pitch-pipe in that one.)

It looks like Beth Bonney, our General Manager, has posted a few songs from our Nov 2006 concert on the Chamber Chorale website:
http://chamberchorale.org/WordstoMusic.html
These "Words to Music" pieces were compositions by local composers set to poems written by local 4th - 8th grade students, written specifically for the Chamber Chorale.

I posted two new songs, from the Chamber Chorale's concert last month:

http://www.uwlax.edu/faculty/colton/chamber%20chorale%20music.htm

I thought this was an interesting recent survey, about how Americans view Mormonism.

http://www.galluppoll.com/content/default.aspx?ci=26758&pg=1

I was out of town most of last week, going to the American Physical Society's March Meeting in Denver. I presented a talk--here's my abstract:

In order to do spin echo measurements of the T2 spin coherence time in GaAs and related materials, one must have a resonant microwave cavity; the resonance serves mainly to increase the strength of the magnetic field at the sample. In order to probe materials with g-factors as low as |g| = 0.1 (such as quantum-confined GaAs samples, and bulk/quantum-confined AlGaAs alloys) in moderate magnetic fields (< 7 T), we have selected a resonant frequency of around 10 GHz for the resonator design. In order to fit a 10 GHz cavity into moderately-sized (< 1 inch) magnet bore, however, a high dielectric material must be used, a so-called “dielectric resonator”. We will present the design and testing of such a resonant cavity (resonant mode: TE011), that additionally allows for optical access of the sample, as well as a highly-variable resonant frequency.

This past week has been incredibly hectic, one of the busiest on record.

In addition to my normal teaching stuff--preparing lectures for this week, writing/grading homework assignments, writing a lab, etc.--I had:

* to read/rank about 40 applications for the physics freshman scholarshipss
* to read/rank about 100 or so applications for all of the other freshman scholarships
* to read/rank 15 applications for the "Murphy award" for the top graduating UW-L senior
* to conduct interviews with two incoming freshmen for one of the scholarships (I'm chair of the university's scholarship committee)
* to prepare all of next week's lectures, since I'll be out of town Monday afternoon - Thursday night. (I'm going to the APS "March Meeting" conference in Denver)
* to write up the prepared lectures in such a fashion that people can decipher my notes when they substitute for me for Wednesday's lectures
* to prepare homework assignments to be given out next Wednesday while I'm away, for two of my classes
* to prepare the lab handout for next Friday's Circuits lab
* to write an exam for next Thursday's Physics 104 class
* to grade some "Fermi question" exams and short papers for my senior "Capstone class".
* to transcribe and analyze the comments from the focus groups I conducted back in December, regarding how things went when the students had closed book/notes exams vs. note sheet permited vs. open book vs. take home exams.
* to write a survey based on the stuff I learned from last year's focus groups, to give to the people who took last week's Circuits exam. I gave the exam to half the class as closed notes, and to the other half with a note-sheet allowed; now I have to assess things like how their study habits were affected. (This is part of my project for the Wisconsin Teaching Fellow's program I'm in.)
* to choose components and order a new computer (OK, this isn't something I had to do, but it's something I wanted to do :-) )
* to help a friend load a moving van this morning
* to conduct a baptismal service this afternoon
* to write the talk that I'm giving next week at the conference

Well, I didn't get that last item done, but I did do all the rest!

Unfortunately I still have to prepare my research presentation talk. I'll have a couple of hours on Monday before I leave, and maybe some time on the airplane (although I haven't had much success trying to work on airplanes in the past). Of course, my talk isn't unil Thursday, so I'll also have Tuesday and Wednesday evenings; that'll have to be good enough, unless I want to skip conference sessions during the day.

Wow, no wonder I'm tired. Time for bed!