Farewell to "our" Prophet

With the recent passing of President Gordon B. Hinckley I began to take stock of the role that his example has played in my life. One of my friends said that President Hinckley meant so much to him because he was the prophet during the period in his life when his testimony came of age and began to mean something to him. I have to completely agree with that. He has been the prophet during just about every milestone in my life. He will be sorely missed.

So I’ve begun the process of looking through old journals and conference talks, highlighting certain themes that have resonated with me through my various journeys and struggles. Above all there is one moment that stands out in my life. The time that he made a surprise visit to my mission.

I had been out for about a year. We were notified that Elder Holland was going to make a visit to one of the cities in the mission and speak. For several weeks we made an effort to publicize the event and organize caravans to the sort of distant town of Edinburg, some 5 hours away. To be honest I remember that the response to the invitation was somewhat tepid. It seemed like a long way for people to be driving. After much effort we were able to get 3 or 4 buses prepared for the journey. I remember being somewhat disappointed that we couldn’t get many people signed up for the trip. I also remember being very excited to hear an apostle in my remote part of the vineyard and for the chance to run into a few mission buddies.

The weekend of the event arrived. The missionaries left early so that we could attend a special training session with Elder Holland and Busche that Saturday night. The ride down almost felt like a road trip. A bunch of young men working to suppress the world and focus on missionary work. Soon enough the conversation drifted towards girls, life back home, and other conversations from a distant world that we no longer belonged to. There was almost a feeling of spring break amongst us; a brief respite from our hard efforts.

We arrived in McAllen late that afternoon and were quickly shuttled off to the nearest Stake Center for training. I’m sure that our leaders were somewhat frustrated because we were so eager to renew old acquaintances rather then to learn. Quickly gossip started to spread that the Prophet was going to be present for the big speech in the morning. I quickly dismissed the gossip because it was coming from the same Elders who gossiped about everything and anything. The leaders soon got a hold of the situation and we were caroled into the meeting room.

As soon as we sat down something changed. I remember feeling a palpable and tangible energy. It was a buzz that caused my heart to speed up and hair to stand on end. The rumors of a visit from President Hinckley persisted….but now they seemed real. We began to sing hymns in anticipation of the arrival of Elder Holland. We probably sang 10 hymns in a row. It didn’t matter because all of us felt this incredible energy.

And then all of the sudden we caught a glimpse of an old familiar face entering in through a back door. Without hesitation we stood up and sang in unison, “We Thank Thee o God for A Prophet”. I have never sung with that much emotion or conviction. I couldn’t help but weep with joy. I looked around and everyone else was in the same exuberant emotional state that I was as well.

He took to the podium and called the meeting to order. The first thing that he wanted to do was to meet us all in person. For the next 20 or so minutes we all walked outside into the foyer and were able to shake his hand and say hello. It was an absolutely incredible experience.

The evening carried on and I was completely enveloped by his presence. I don’t remember exactly what he said or what doctrine he shared. I know that he offered some kind words of encouragement. He could have been speaking about Kolob for all I cared. It was the feeling that I will remember. It was on that night that my testimony of living Prophets became cemented.

I have heard him speak several times and even interacted with him on a couple of occasions but nothing will ever come close to that evening while I was a missionary. I have never felt feelings like that with that kind of intensity ever since.

I don’t laud or admire President Hinckley just because he wore the mantel of Prophet. His character alone demands adulation irregardless of his standing within the church. He was so approachable, so wise, and so kind, so giving. In short he was the kind of person that you would, without hesitation, be proud to associate yourself with. He was my Prophet in the very same way that he was your Prophet. It seemed like we all had a personal relationship with President Gordon B Hinckley.

Revised Song

This is a song that I posted awhile ago but was still rough. I like version better but there are still a couple of issues. I had three guitars layered and there are spots in which they don't synch. I think that all of the guitars might detract a little bit from the bleak mood that the song is trying to evoke.

Click here to watch 'I-had-a-dream-and-it-wouldnt-end-17'

What's your carbon footprint?

I'm currently doing some consulting work that has me evaluating the viability of certain solutions that can assist corporations in becoming more "green". Among those is the much ballyhooed solution called "telepresence" that is being trumpeted by Cisco and HP. Both of these companies, duly noted, are both actively selling their solutions to companies willing to spend millions of dollars for super nice video conferencing capabilities.

Anyways, I have read a number of articles discussing green initiatives such as "carbon footprint" reduction. And the more I read the more I come to the following conclusions:

• Generally speaking, everyone supports and is behind green initiatives. It's a very popular talking point for progressive companies.
• Specifically speaking, very few companies make decisions with the environment as their principle concern. But when action that impacts the environment is taken it is primarily for issues pertaining to the bottom line such as cost reduction.

This leads me to believe that the free market not altruist ideas will drive the next rounds of environmental changes. Companies will issue less plane tickets and replace them with teleconferencing not because of their desire to see a greener planet but rather their desire to keep their jobs by maintaining a healthy bottom line. The fact that these kinds of "business driven" activities benefit the environment just allows companies one more arrow in their public relations quiver to help expound their high levels of corporate responsibility to the consumer.

I definitely don't begrudge capitalism, in fact I actively participate it. I also don't begrudge environmentalist, in fact I try to do my part to help out. I'm just glad to observe a situation like this were we see that both interests can be served.

How 'bout dem Cowboys?

Well the bottom quickly fell off the good ship Cowboys this past week. I'm still coming to grips with the fact that the season is over and all I have to look forward to now is asking "what if" and analyzing stats of obscure players for the upcoming draft.

For some reason the Cowboys have been plagued with a couple of criticle weaknesses these past few years. These weaknesses have not been covered up by the superior atheletes on the team. They were present under the highly controlled and strict Parcells regime and they were also evident under the laid back leadership of Wade Phillips. In my humble opinion, the Cowboys won't be able to step into the football Pantheon that the Patriots are currently hanging out in until these are corrected.

1) Penalties- In the two biggest loses of the year (Patriots and Giants) the Boys had multiple drives killed by penalities, particularly holding or offsides. This forced the Cowboys into 3rd and long situations that limited play calling. We have a very powerful line but we need to play as a complete unit. Hats off to the Patriots because they do.

2) Discipline- This one stems from the coach I believe. This is the other sucky edge of the sword that gave Phillips and the Boys their early success. They were loose and won during the early going. But come December and playoff time they didn't have the discipline to ratchet up the intensity. As a result we had costly penalties (think Davis mauling Ominura during Giants game) There aren't enough strong personalities in the locker room to keep players in check and keep them from being complacent. Once again the Patriots are successful largely because they are the most disciplined bunch of the lot.

3) Distraction- Holywood starlets, stupid comments by players, etc....These things distract players and create posterboard materials for the opposition. Take a lot at the damn Patriots. Their benign and politically correct statements give nothing to their opponents to use. Everything is kept in house and you never hear discussion about the Brazilian bombshells that Brady is dating.

4) Defensive Secondary- This one is more on the schemes employed. The Cowboys high pressure pass rush dictates that CB's play in tight man to man or bump coverage. This prevents the QB from dropping the ball off to his hot receiver. But for some reason the Cowboys played with a big enough cushion that would make the princess and the pea jealous. We were too worried about giving up the deep ball that we let teams nickel and dime us with the short pass. This is a huge concern and it needs to be addressed in the draft.

All in all we are so close. It will be difficult to replicate a 13-3 season but we have the talent to pull it off. We need to take care of the intangibles. These are the things that seperate the champions from the chumps. These are the reasons why the Patriots are what they are.

One more mystery. Why didn't the Cowboys get TO involved in the 2nd Half? The Giants secondary was completely depleted and ripe for the picking.

Engagement Photos....You Decide

Over the Christmas break my sister kindly shot some Engagement photos for us. Several forced smiles and a long afternoon later we wound up with about 100 great shots of us.

The problem is that we are now having a hard time deciding on which photo to select. Here are some finalists...what say ye?

U2 with a sense of humor?

I always thought that U2 didn't introduce irony and humor into their act until the Zoo TV tour. This little gem from 1987 at least proved that the young U2 tried.




Speaking of a sense of humor. U2 letting Axl Rose peform with them. Now that's funny.

The thrill of the chase

Back in November we decided on Rome for our honeymoon. But those well intentioned thoughts quickly hit a brick wall with the realization that the dollar is as weak as Estelle Getty on a 3 day fast and international flight costs that go into the thousands of dollars. Undaunted and without a skymile to my name I ploughed forward. Our quest to spend our honeymoon in the company of Popes, Ceasars, and Gypsies was to be an uphill battle.

I've literally spent the last 3 months poring over countless travel search engines. I've looked at every possible scenario and every viable date. Some of the interesting insights:

• Affordable travel to Europe, particularly Rome, needs to be done in March at the latest. Between April and September the prices go up around 50%. These high prices carry on through Labor Day.


• Consider traveling to another cheaper city in Europe and then using a cheap regional carrier like Ryannair. In our case we will be flying through Frankfurt. Can you say Schznitzel?


• The best site for international travel that we found was http://www.vayama.com/. Easy to use, straight forward, transparent, and legitimate.

All in all we came away with two tickets to Rome for under a grand. My patience and perservanace paid off. That is quite a feat in this day and age of increase fuel taxes and ever increasing airline fees.

With this big initial road block out of our way we can now focus our attentions to Gelato, Trevi, David, and St Peter.

You don't get this in Iowa

Why do I quite enjoy the 11 hour drive from Phoenix to Salt Lake City? Sites like this, my friend, sites like this.

My Jodi Fair

My sweet heart with auburn curls
You make my heart swimmer swirl
When I’m with you I feel complete
Without you my heart skips a beat

Your sweeter then sugar sweet
Sunshine rays when our eyes meet
Your soft skin with a pale hue
How I got you I haven’t a clue

Please lend an ear to me
As I try to make you see
That you’re my chosen one
You’re my one sweet love

I sing and you listen to me
Even if I’m a tad out of key
Your precious smile offers so much
Almost as good as your warm, soft touch

Hand in hand almost all the time
You never let go, that’s a good sign
Your sweet lips plump and pink
Your infectious grin and your pretty wink

Please lend an ear to me
As I try to make you see
That you’re my chosen one
You’re my one sweet love

I count my lucky stars
Wondering how we got this far
With my weak words I try to show
That I never want to let you go

Please lend an ear to me
As I try to make you see
That you’re my chosen one
You’re my one sweet love

The First Noel through my ears

As an Elders Quorum we are creating a Christmas album. I selected the First Noel. I was struggling to perform and sing the song the traditional way. It has been performed so much better by so many other people. I wanted to look at the song from a different light and give it a different emotion.

It is very raw and was the first take. Bear with it....we only had one microphone. I uploaded it again...see if it works.

http://media.putfile.com/First-Noel-Take-2

Thanks for the crowns

My Dad retired over the weekend. To celebrate Dan hosted an open house in his honor. A great time was had by all. I was selected to give a brief roast. Text below.

-------------------------
From my vantage point, it appears our brother Dan has successfully muscled Dad out of the family business, but I suppose even the Corleones witnessed some change. Hopefully this change will be seamless and we won’t get Mo Green or the feds involved. Dan, or should I say, Don has asked me to spend a minute or two to offer a roast on my fathers behalf. No not the kind of Yankee pot roast that my dad faithfully prepared for his eight children for all of those years but the kind of roast that allows us to better understand and appreciate the Bruce that we all know and love.
Dad was a visionary in the field of dentistry. He came to a hamlet nestled in the Wasatch Mountains with a dream to providing a gentle touch and low cost dentistry to the cavity impaired population of Kaysville, Utah. The community flourished and their bright smiles could be seen from Roy to Salt Lake City. The Jensen name became known throughout the King Clarion community.
Now that singular vision and dream will be passed down to the first born. The old guard has been replaced by a new generation. The world Bruce Jensen entered as a young hot shot fresh from the University of Nebraska has changed dramatically. And now Bruce will step away from this world and never set his fingers in stranger’s mouth again.
- What does the future hold?
- Will Chris be able to share the house with Bruce?
- Is the yard big enough to keep my Dad occupied for 40 hours a week?
- Will the Jeff Jensen scholarship continue to exist now that its chief sponsor is no longer a contributing member to the tax base?
- Are there other realms that could benefit from a man with a gentle touch?
These are all pressing questions that will need to be answered in the weeks ahead. Dad, we will keep you in are hearts and prayers as you try to figure out what to do with yourself.

Let me take a few brief moments and devise possible activities for my Dad as he prepares to chart the course for the sunset years of his life.

1. You have always been a very meticulous and detail oriented man. We all remember the Chris Jensen Beanie Baby craze of 1997. Perhaps you could catalog the entire collection and get it appraised. You could then put these on E-Bay and use the proceeds from the sales to supplement your retirement income.
2. You have demonstrated a consistent culinary wizardry when it comes to preparing and cooking meats. Perhaps you could develop your own up scale marinade or, better yet, open Kaysville’s first BBQ restaurant.
3. Your middle son loves to explore the world. Now would be an opportune time to take him to South America, or Croatia, or Minsk.
4. Someone mentioned that you like to watch an occasional movie. Maybe you should consider using part of your basement to create a home theatre..
5. There’s always Golf. Wait....oh, never mind.
6. You have a condo at the base of Powder Mountain that hasn’t been used by anyone in like 7 years. You can go up there and see if it still exists.
7. It’s well documented that you have the “gentle touch”. There’s got to be a good way that you can use this skill in retirement. Perhaps a “Gentle Touch” massage parlor? Maybe a “Gentle Touch” line of soft fleece blankets. The possibilities are endless.
8. You can follow mom’s example and dote on the grand kids. Just remember the people who produced those grand kids.

It appears that retirement might not be such a bad thing after all. We think you might make it after all. We hope that you enjoy this well deserved respite.

LDS Feminists

One of my friends recently sent the following link, http://whatwomenknow.org, and asked for my thoughts. I suppose to better understand what it means you should read a recent General Conference talk given by Sister Julie Beck of the Relief Society and the carefully chosen words of the women who signed and issued the statement on the website.

While I agree with a lot of what was said I have to question the way in which these people issued their concerns. By going to the trouble of calling out a specific talk and then signing their names it seems like they've drawn a pretty strong and definite line in the sand. I couldn't help but think that there would have to be a better way to deal with these "slights" then to publicly call out someone like that.

I can sort of understand the motivations for these statements but I don't necessarily agree with them. It appears evident that these women feel that their chosen lifestyles have been called into question by the church. It seems like they want the church to confirm to their chosen lifestyle, not the other way around. I might be wrong but that's the way it appears. I have done this before but haven't gone to these lengths.

I don't know what is going to happen here. Maybe it will spur some debate within the church. Maybe some people will be censured. Maybe things remain the same. I doubt that. Members of the church are becoming more educated and more independent. It's almost as if the church is just one of many membership cards that we now hold.

New Song- "What I'd Say"

A fairly simple melody almost reminicent of Buddy Holly. An older piece that was almost set up as a conversation. One friend pleading with another to look past his hurt and move on.

http://media.putfile.com/What-Id-Say

It happened one night...

...well actually it was more of an early evening.

It's about time. The Jodi-Ryan courtship has gone on for too long and has been far too good without it leading to the ultimate conclusion. Love, engagement, marriage, and a long life full of happy moments.

With the aid of Heidi and Dave I set about my plan. The proposal took place at Camelback mountain at dusk. I threw enough misinformation at Jodi to successfully surprise her. Suffice to say it worked and we had an incredible evening that wont soon leave our rembrance. Enjoy a couple photos! (For more photos check the "repository" link)

No peace with the damn pigeons

One of the annual rituals that comes with living Phoenix is the fall planting of the rye grass. You see, we have the summer and the winter grass here. In the summer a hearty Bermuda grass grows. As the temperatures cool it goes dormant and people who want to preserve their yards have to plant a softer, greener rye grass.
And so like clockwork home owners spend their weekends in October and November making the transition. And as sure as the sun rises in the East their yards are pillaged by roving bands of pigeons, ready to gorge on the gluttony provided by the freshly sown seeds.
When I did this for the first time last year I decided to take a diplomatic approach. I planted my seeds but I also put an ample pile of leftover seed in my neighbors yard to serve as both a diversion and an offering of understanding. They would be fed but I would also have my yard.
That approach worked for nothing. The moment that I put down the manure to cover the seed I noticed a scout pigeon of in the distance on a neighbors roof. It almost appeared that the manure was a beacon, me turning on the neon "open" sign if you will. Within minutes about 20 pigeons landed on the house across the street and patiently waited for my departure.
I left and what ensued was a avian orgy of the worst variety. I returned home and was greeted by the sight of these pigeons gorging themselves and what was supposed to be my lawn. Bastards! They did not accept my offering. Their obesity also revealed that they weren't eating out of necessity but for pleasure.
I charged them in anger. They casually flew away and waited. I waited until they returned and then charged once again. They made a minimal effort and flew away. This act would repeat itself for the several days until what was left of the seed had sprouted.
Initially I tried to make peace with these birds. They haughtily rejected my offering. Now there is now peace between us. I have attempted to hurt them by hurling stones. They have responded by leaving turds on my car. I have cursed them in my human tongue. They have left turds in my lawn. I lost the upper hand.
They no longer bother me because there is no seed left. But this act will repeat itself next year. I have no doubt that those mongrels will get their share of my seed. But I intend to make them earn every last kernel.

Arizona on one tank of gas

Jodi and I decided that we needed to get out of Phoenix. This desire and the rental of a $1900 Canon 70-200 lens served as the proper impetus to get out and see some of Phoenix. Here is the ground that we covered in a 24 hour period. (More pictures are posted in the "my photo repository" on the right side column)

• Picacho Peak, home of the furthest west battle of the Civil War and the Nut Factory. http://www.pr.state.az.us/Parks/parkhtml/picacho.html



• The San Xavier Mission, the first and still active mission in Arizona. http://www.sanxaviermission.org/



• Bisbee, the onetime mining boomtown was once the largest city between St Louis and San Francisco. http://www.discoverbisbee.com/



• Tombstone, the legendary site of the OK Corral and now nothing more then a comercial theme park were everything has a price. http://www.cityoftombstone.com/



• Globe, another mining hamlet east of Phoenix in the famed Superstition mountains. http://www.globemiamichamber.com/

A new song

Follow the link below to another new song. I'm still not set on the title. Humor me and listen.

Click here to watch "Peace-comes-in-the-morning"

Another song

It's a bit old and speaks of another time. It's titled "I had a dream and it wouldn't end". I will be redoing the vocals but since I don't know when I will get to it I will post this.


Click here to watch 'I-had-a-dream-and-it-wouldnt-end'

Mr Jensen throws a stone at Washington

Rare is the occasion that I get involved in politics. I have a number of friends who have the "beltway" mindset but I enjoy my place on the sidelines. I have a few pet issues but the current situation in Washington has really soured me to the entire process.
I was casually watching a stump speech made by Hillary the other day. She was working a crowd up to a fever pitch with her talk of universal health care and the role that the government should play in making life better for the overlooked masses. While I agree with the sentiment that we should lift up the less fortunate through charity and assistance I have a hard time believing that it should come from the government. Then a thought came to my head..............

"I don't want the government involved in matters that I can resolve myself"

I want to keep government involvement at a minimum. I can make my own decisions regarding whether or not I will allow an abortion. I don't need the government to get overly intangled in matters that could better handled by the people alone. But I will rely on the government for matters that I can't individually impact. I will support government coverage in terms of infrastructure (highways, for example) or miltary protection. These are areas that it would make sense to rely on a larger entity to adequately bring to pass.

I just don't think that I should expect the government to provide for me in matters that I could handle myself. I think I'd do a better job. Thoughts?

What makes a road trip a ROAD TRIP?

We’ve been trying to do more road trips lately. There is much to see and we are always looking for excuses to pull out the camera. So far the results have been a mixed bag. Some trips have been spectacular while others have been spectacularly sucky. In an effort to create more of the former, I’ve compiled a list of the components necessary to making a road trip a success.

• Company- You can do a road trip alone but you can't do it with the wrong company. Good company leads to good conversation which leads to not caring that you are somewhere in a remote part of South Western New Mexico.


• Snack- You want something that can sustain you while not filling your bladder and making you more hungry. Almonds and string cheese are great candidates.


• Destination- You've got to have a nice goal at the end of the road to reward the journey; whether it be a hot tub in a nice lodge or campsite.


• Music- The right music can set the mood or get a good conversation going. Road trips are also a great place to sample some new tunes that you've been meaning to get to. But never forget the timeless standards such as "Joshua Tree".


• Comfortability- Nothing deflates an excursion quicker than a case of Monkey Bum. You don't want to be dealing with a numb butt when you should be taking in a scenic butte.


• Roadside Views- It's always nice to have the ability to pull of to the side of the road and quickly snap a few shots of a scenic vista or over look. Road side views take little effort and keep things fresh.


• Dives- You're in nowheresville, Montana and you're going to eat at a Subway? I think not. You need to try out the local establishments. It's a hit and miss affair but one that will more likely generate memorable outcomes then a combo meal.


• Local Flavor- Step off the beaten path. Visit the local market or square. If you are in Colorado City, Arizona then drive down a side street and admire the sturdy craftsmanship of the polygamist compounds. The point is, take the time to understand the people behind the place.


• Singularity of moment- Take notes, take pictures. Good moments like these are few and far between. Enjoy the ride because you will soon be back in traffic slowly pacing your way to a job that is only moderately satisfying.