IntenseDebate - MichaelSGray

15 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - What Is BP Doing Right? · 0 replies · +2 points

I agree. We're not relying on BP, the huge corporation to clean up this mess, we're relying on Fred Lemond to get the job done. Personalizing it like this does add a better sense of accountability.

15 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - Forget Your Blog Stats... · 0 replies · +2 points

I can definitely relate -- the comments section can easily become a scoreboard of significance for your ideas. Like you said, I'll write a post that I think will blow the doors off the blogging world, and I get little to no reaction. It can be frustrating, but I like how you have chosen to deal with the distraction by removing it completely.

15 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - Forget Your Blog Stats... · 1 reply · +2 points

You hit the nail on the head. For me, blogging is the best way to bring a greater clarity to my thoughts, especially when I get pushback from readers and have to refine or reinforce my views on an issue.

I came across a William Faulkner quote recently (it might have been one of the quotes in your sidebar, actually) that really illustrates how I am when it comes to writing:

"I never know what I think about something until I read what I've written on it."

15 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - Rule #1: Don’t Publi... · 1 reply · +3 points

Rule #2: If you're the ranking general of an in-progress conflict, don't allow your press secretary to convince you that letting an anti-war, Rolling Stone reporter hang out with your inner circle for a month is a good publicity idea. What were they thinking?

I agree with most of what you're saying, and I'm not particularly interested in defending the mess McChrystal has allowed himself to get into. However, I do think its important to be clear on the point that most of the harsh criticisms of the Obama administration were made public by others on McChrystal's staff, not by McChrystal himself. So much of the article is quoting advisers or "sources familiar with the meeting", that sort of thing.

For leaders, this highlights the importance of aligning your private life with your public life. If you are one way in public and another with your inner circle, you run the risk of having both sides collide. The more you can minimize the discrepancy between the two, the better your chance at preserving your integrity.

15 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - Three Reasons You Can�... · 0 replies · +1 points

Mr. Hyatt, sometimes I get the feeling that you pick your posts based on a hidden camera you have that films the exact circumstances that are occurring in my life. I'm not meaning to be narcissistic myself with that comment, I'm just amazed at how timely your posts can be in my life. This one hits close to home.

I'm starting up a new business, and just three days ago I decided to put the axe to a partnership with a company that I was positive would be our saving grace. Well, just like you mentioned in your post, it turns out that they are looking to be a bit more persnickety than a small business startup has the time/energy/money to deal with. In this case, there might definitely be a better opportunity down the road, but I'm glad to have had the confirmation I needed from your post that nipping this in the bud is exactly what I need to be doing right now.

15 years ago @ Michael Gray ~ Uncenso... - Mormonism's Search for... · 1 reply · +1 points

In order for the church -- which we both believe was instituted by Christ while he was on earth -- to have perverted the laws and teaching of Christ, they had to have been practicing them properly at some time. At what point do Mormons think that Christianity strayed off the path? And what historical evidence is there that early Christianity practices the faith as the LDS practice it today? I think my biggest red flag is that many of the religious practices of Mormonism (temple rites, baptism for the dead, etc.) never existed in Christianity, and many are expressly forbidden in the Bible. As far as proof of these practices is concerned, historical evidence is non-existent -- we must simply take Smith's word for it. That's difficult.

And the idea that other religions are simply doctrines of man is not really the whole truth. Temple rituals actually show dramatizations that depict ministers of other religions as being beholden to, even directed by, Satan himself. In that very ritual, the practitioners of Mormonism stand in judgement of the hearts of leaders outside their faith.

15 years ago @ Michael Gray ~ Uncenso... - Mormonism's Search for... · 2 replies · +1 points

The difference between us in this regard exists in the infallibility of Scripture. Christ, in our view, has come to earth and the fullness of truth is written in the Bible. This means that no man can come along and institute a "new direction" for the church unless it falls within the written boundaries set by the Bible.

The challenge Mormons must face is how the church's past and present are not always in agreement. If Mormonism's living prophets through the years have been in disagreement, it must be the stance of the church that Christ himself is prone to changing his mind about the most significant issues regarding the church. Christianity has always had only one authoritative voice on the major doctrines of the church -- the Bible.

Interestingly enough, you may be surprised to find that most Christians believe that each person who has accepted Christ essentially has the same ability as the LDS prophet -- to engage in direct, living communication with Christ.

15 years ago @ Michael Gray ~ Uncenso... - Mormonism's Search for... · 1 reply · +1 points

I think the difficulty in this entire point is that you and I are talking about two completely different understandings of Christ. Not just slight differences (like those found among the various Protestant denominations), not even profound differences (like those that exist between Catholics and Protestants), we're talking about polar opposite views regarding the person of Christ and his origins.

With that in mind, it makes sense that Christians (as they have been called for centuries) object to another religion taking for themselves the exact same designation, especially when the foundation for their beliefs is not even in the same ballpark. In order for Mormons to separate their faith from the faiths of all traditionally-named Christians, its important that the LDS church starts by giving its followers a separate designation.

More to come...

15 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - Sleep and Your Product... · 0 replies · +1 points

Whoops, I replied using the wrong account.

I also wanted to ask what plugin you use for your pull quotes. Am I crazy, or is that a new feature on your blog?

16 years ago @ Michael Hyatt Blog - In Defense of Books · 1 reply · +2 points

I completely agree. My third graders who are expected to read regularly fare far better than those whose parents don't make the same requirement. I'd be interested in knowing how old Dr. Carson was when he began reading two books a week.

I'm also interested in your take on young readers' books like the uber-popular "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series. I see it mostly as entertainment-based reading that teaches kids that books that are not rife with funny pictures are not worth reading. Many of my colleagues say "whatever gets kids to read is fine by me." Have you seen those?

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