3.04.2011
Brian Regan at the DPAC
Hilarious show. HIs brother opened for him and he was just as funny.
He finished with "Cup of Dirt"!!
12.02.2010
Check Out Singer/Songwriter Kina Grannis
Recently saw Kina Grannis at The Old Rock House in St Louis. A super-good young talent. Check out her site.
www.kinagrannis.com
www.kinagrannis.com
10.10.2010
Ask A Mormon. Coffee vs Soda?
A friend of mine who is not Mormon is doing a medical rotation in Utah. She recently asked me a question: Why can Mormons drink pop (soda, east coasters) but not coffee?
Great question. She tweeted this question to me but I knew my response would contain more than 140 characters.
Both coffee and sodas (most) contain caffeine, and this is usually the reason the two beverages are compared in the context of LDS dietary rules. It may surprise you to know that caffeine really has little to do with why Mormons choose not to drink coffee and why soda is generally acceptable to drink.
One fundamental difference between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other Christian churches is our belief that God calls and communicates with prophets today, just as He did anciently. We believe that like ancient prophets and apostles, modern prophets can receive revelation from God in order to help the members of the church and the people of the world know what God would have us do to find happiness and fulfillment. The first prophet of the church in modern times was Joseph Smith.
In 1833, Joseph Smith received a revelation known as "The Word of Wisdom." You can read it here in the Doctrine & Covenants, Section 89: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89
Verse 9 states that "hot drinks" are not for the body. Really the only "hot drinks" in 1833 were coffee and tea. Later prophets confirmed that the "hot drinks" mentioned in the Word of Wisdom refers to coffee and tea (not herbal tea). The revelation does not explain why we should not drink coffee and tea just as it does not explain why tobacco is bad for the body. Of course science has progressed and we now know that tobacco, which was thought of as "good for you" in 1833, is actually harmful for your body.
The truth is we don't know exactly why coffee is bad for the body. Caffeine is an easy culprit because it is a drug, and it is addictive.
The real reason Mormons choose not to drink coffee is not because of what may or may not be harmful about it, but because we believe God, through His appointed prophets, has commanded that we abstain from it. "For his word [the prophet's] ye shall receive, as if from mine [God's) own mouth, in all patience and faith" Doctrine & Covenants 21:5 > http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/21
Modern prophets have not counseled us to abstain from soda. They have counseled that "all things should be used in moderation" and that "the body is the temple of your spirit." In other words, we are told to respect and take good care of our bodies because they are a priceless gift. Some Mormons choose to only drink soda that does not contain caffeine. Others, like me, just try to be moderate in all things. If you are drinking 8 Dr Peppers a day that's probably not good for you. :)
We believe that the commandments of God are not designed to bind us down and make life no fun. Instead, they provide freedom and protection from addiction and behavior that, no doubt, leads to unhappiness.
[Believe it or not, this was the short answer! If you have more question e-mail me at dannyamacher@gmail.com]
Great question. She tweeted this question to me but I knew my response would contain more than 140 characters.
Both coffee and sodas (most) contain caffeine, and this is usually the reason the two beverages are compared in the context of LDS dietary rules. It may surprise you to know that caffeine really has little to do with why Mormons choose not to drink coffee and why soda is generally acceptable to drink.
One fundamental difference between the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints and other Christian churches is our belief that God calls and communicates with prophets today, just as He did anciently. We believe that like ancient prophets and apostles, modern prophets can receive revelation from God in order to help the members of the church and the people of the world know what God would have us do to find happiness and fulfillment. The first prophet of the church in modern times was Joseph Smith.
In 1833, Joseph Smith received a revelation known as "The Word of Wisdom." You can read it here in the Doctrine & Covenants, Section 89: http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/89
Verse 9 states that "hot drinks" are not for the body. Really the only "hot drinks" in 1833 were coffee and tea. Later prophets confirmed that the "hot drinks" mentioned in the Word of Wisdom refers to coffee and tea (not herbal tea). The revelation does not explain why we should not drink coffee and tea just as it does not explain why tobacco is bad for the body. Of course science has progressed and we now know that tobacco, which was thought of as "good for you" in 1833, is actually harmful for your body.
The truth is we don't know exactly why coffee is bad for the body. Caffeine is an easy culprit because it is a drug, and it is addictive.
The real reason Mormons choose not to drink coffee is not because of what may or may not be harmful about it, but because we believe God, through His appointed prophets, has commanded that we abstain from it. "For his word [the prophet's] ye shall receive, as if from mine [God's) own mouth, in all patience and faith" Doctrine & Covenants 21:5 > http://scriptures.lds.org/en/dc/21
Modern prophets have not counseled us to abstain from soda. They have counseled that "all things should be used in moderation" and that "the body is the temple of your spirit." In other words, we are told to respect and take good care of our bodies because they are a priceless gift. Some Mormons choose to only drink soda that does not contain caffeine. Others, like me, just try to be moderate in all things. If you are drinking 8 Dr Peppers a day that's probably not good for you. :)
We believe that the commandments of God are not designed to bind us down and make life no fun. Instead, they provide freedom and protection from addiction and behavior that, no doubt, leads to unhappiness.
[Believe it or not, this was the short answer! If you have more question e-mail me at dannyamacher@gmail.com]
3.15.2010
3.10.2010
Catching up.....
I thought it would be nice to actually post something this year before it's too late. Here's is the update on the Amacher family:
Anne Marie - still rocking it in med school, even though she won't tell you that. Count how long you breath per day and that's how much she studies....no lie. We're all very proud of her. She is the doctor people will want some day. One thing I've learned from being married to a medical student is that a lot of future doctors... well, don't study all that much, ... kind of scary. Another thing I've learned from being married to a medical student is that if someone is really tall and lanky with long skinny fingers, they may have Marfan's, which makes them vulnerable to aortic dissection. I told a tall guy at church that he might have Marfans (he doesn't). I don't think he was amused (I was).
OH! So speaking of medicine. I am now a doctor in Nicaragua...
Ok, not really, but I DID get to participate in an appendectomy. My brother Kenny, my mother, and a group of others went to Nicaragua in January. We are part of an organization called COAN (Cooperacion Ortopedia Americana y Nicaraguense). My brother and I went as translators, which is what I spent most of my time doing:
I spent half of my time in the OR and half of it working with a great hand therapist. I translated a bit in the OR but I felt like I was most useful translating for the therapist because if the people don't understand how to do their exercises then they won't recover very well. I did get to see a knee replaement, and I think that you have to be a little funny in the head to be an orthopedic surgeon...
The first night we ate at the house of Felix and Reyna Medrano. They served us an excellent dish called "Indio Viejo" (Old Indigenous man/Indian). They said the name comes from the time when the Spanish came. To dissuade the Spanish from taking and eating their food, they told them that what they were eating was actually the oldest member of their tribe, who they had killed off for food. LOL... that old guy tastes goooood!
I have more to share from Nicaragua, which hopefully I will post in a few days (not months)
saludos y besos!
Anne Marie - still rocking it in med school, even though she won't tell you that. Count how long you breath per day and that's how much she studies....no lie. We're all very proud of her. She is the doctor people will want some day. One thing I've learned from being married to a medical student is that a lot of future doctors... well, don't study all that much, ... kind of scary. Another thing I've learned from being married to a medical student is that if someone is really tall and lanky with long skinny fingers, they may have Marfan's, which makes them vulnerable to aortic dissection. I told a tall guy at church that he might have Marfans (he doesn't). I don't think he was amused (I was).
OH! So speaking of medicine. I am now a doctor in Nicaragua...
Ok, not really, but I DID get to participate in an appendectomy. My brother Kenny, my mother, and a group of others went to Nicaragua in January. We are part of an organization called COAN (Cooperacion Ortopedia Americana y Nicaraguense). My brother and I went as translators, which is what I spent most of my time doing:
I spent half of my time in the OR and half of it working with a great hand therapist. I translated a bit in the OR but I felt like I was most useful translating for the therapist because if the people don't understand how to do their exercises then they won't recover very well. I did get to see a knee replaement, and I think that you have to be a little funny in the head to be an orthopedic surgeon...
The first night we ate at the house of Felix and Reyna Medrano. They served us an excellent dish called "Indio Viejo" (Old Indigenous man/Indian). They said the name comes from the time when the Spanish came. To dissuade the Spanish from taking and eating their food, they told them that what they were eating was actually the oldest member of their tribe, who they had killed off for food. LOL... that old guy tastes goooood!
I have more to share from Nicaragua, which hopefully I will post in a few days (not months)
saludos y besos!
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