15April2001 #0116.html

Marvin Goldstein

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Dear Paul and Kate, Melanie and Jared, Bridget and Justin, Sara, Ben and Sarah, Heather, Audrey, Rachel, and Matt via hardcopy,

cc: file, Tony Hafen, Pauline Nelson via mail, Sara and Des Penny, Claude and Katherine Warner, Lloyd and Luana Warner, Diane Cluff, Maxine Shirts via mail.

Welcome to "Thoughtlets." This is a weekly review of an idea, belief, thought, or words that will hopefully be of some benefit to you, my children, with an electronic copy to on-line extended family members. Any of you can ask me not to clutter your mail box at any time.

Sara called from Rome a few minutes ago to wish me a happy Easter. She sat on the third row and watched the Pope conduct a Catholic Mass on Easter Sunday in Latin. Wow! It was probably as eye opening as the first time someone who thinks goes through the temple endowment. Sara, it was sure nice to hear your voice! I miss you, and I am very glad you had the opportunity to go to Rome and have this experience (Rome is one of the places I have not been to yet).

Melanie has postponed her Lasik surgey for a couple of weeks. She has `big pupils' and has to wear her glasses for a couple of weeks to remove the effect they have on reshaping our eyes. Sara, she misses you too. She just visited Grandma Jackson. She said to say hi to everyone. They are ready to leave Denver, and are coming home in the middle of May for Jared's sister's missionary homecoming.

Speaking of missions, I received the following from Cousin Diane Cluff:

`We received a tape and a letter from Ben yesterday. The tape was absolutely hilarious. When he told us in a letter that Elder Urena was just like him only Mexican, he certainly spoke the truth. The North American Elders have been instructed to teach thier Spanish speaking companions English. Well, he is. He is teaching him some of the funniest things from Saturday Night Live and a few funny songs. I've never heard naything funnier than Elder Urena singing "You Take the High Road and I'll Take the Low Road and We'll get to Scotland Before Ye..." With his Mexican accent and the added Scottish Brogue it was hilarious. It was good to hear our sons voice but we had to keep rewinding the tape becasue we were laughing so hard we would miss hearing it. On the serious side, Ben loves his mission. His testimony is stronger every day as he studies and learns more. He was made a district leader and transferred back to the city of Juarez. The benefit of living on Jaurez is the almost weekly mail delivery because it is a border town. The address to Sister Pillado will be good for his whole mission but I suspect he might be living with the Devlyn's for now. FYI there is a web site that prints e-mail letters and mails them to any missionary through the pouch. All you need to know is the Elders/Sisters name and Mission, check it out at www.dearelder.com. His letter address for now is: Elder Ben Cluff c/p Devlyn Optical 533 Canyon Springs Dr. El Paso, TX 79912 Please do not send any packages to the letter address. Those still go to the following address: Elder Ben Cluff c/o Alma Pillado PO Box 11543 El Paso, Texas 79995 Love, Di'

I took an Easter Basket over to Rob today, and no one answered the door, although both cars were there. I hope each of the rest of you received your Easter gift. Last Sunday for Familiy Home Evening I read to Matt, Rachel, and Andrea from Gary Chapman's `The Five Love Languages.' I didn't discover this book until after the divorce, in my vain attempt to mend an emotional rupture. It was a completely new thought to me that different people express love differently, and sometimes, try as we might, they don't understand our efforts to tell them how much we love them. His five love languages are:

I remember how angry I used to get at my Mom, because she was always giving me things, and I interpreted this as trying to buy my love. Mom, I'm sorry. As I have matured, I have discovered my love language is also gifts, and on reflection have realized this is my motivation in sharing new combinations of words in the form of Prime Words, Lovelets, and Thoughtlets to you kids. These new combinations of words are the only things which feel like they are truly mine, and not something physical, which belongs to God, which I can not take with me when I die, and which I am simply a temporary steward over. However, as I write these words, I realize He also provided language, and thus it is actually simply a stewardship to use language. So it is only appropriate that on this Easter Day, I write new combinations of His words, with the simple purpose of expressing my love and the importance of eternal truths and things to those I love.

It is hard to see the mundane activities of our week as related to eternal truths and things. Yet I am convinced that the activities we are involved in each week reach out across the space-time continuum and touch ancestors and descendents and their associates. And this is also part of our stewardship. To be honest in all of our dealings, calling a spade a spade, so if it is not a spade it, or someone who knows it, will properly name it a heart, or whatever. To keep a journal of our activities and choices, so we can review what worked, what didn't, and use this distinction to make better choices in the new day. And to share our learnings, as parents and as mentors, as children and as students, so others don't need to go through the same valley of the shadow of death as we have traversed. This is best practice at it's core, it is the scriptures, and it is what I strive to find in and provide through these Thoughtlets. I apologize for those who do not understand my Love Language, and I hope and pray you will be able to see past my weeknesses to see how much I care, how much I love each of you, and how much I want nothing but the best for you individually.

This week was dominated by a friend of Andrea's Aunt Nadine: Marvin Goldstein. I had seen the advertisements for firesides around the church over the last few weeks, and Andrea had told me she knew him. However, like many things in life, it was when she introduced me, talked about her reclusive Aunt Nadine, and I listened to Marvin talk about her as one of his true friends, that I realized at a gut level the impact this Jew has had in my life. And maybe it will turn out his influence on me has only just begun to become manifest.

Monday I had lunch with Dan Vigeler and Mike McCardle at Johnny Carino's on Mason at I-10. My first time there. Dan is doing some innovative exploration with non-traditional hydrocarbon seep detection tools. I find it very interesting. We had a meeting at the house on Wednesday morning with his friend Reed Tomkins who uses enzyme leaching, near surface magnitite measurements from high resolution magnetometers and other geochemical tools to identify hydrocarbons. On Friday afternoon he brought his friend Sam Reeves from outside of Ft. Worth to the house. Sam invented the mechanical bull, and he invented a way to measure hydrocarbon seeps with a type of dopler radar. Very opinionated, and finds my plans for Dynamic too restrictive. However, we agreed to work together, with him working as a contractor for Dynamic.

Tuesday I visited with Dave Eichen at Chroma to review the different color maps I used in my Matagorda Island project presentation last week. Then I had lunch with Marc Lawrence of Fairfield Industries, and four of his colleagues. Fairfield is a seismic contractor which has specialized in collecting speculative seismic data in the transisition zone between the shoreline and 60 meters of water where the large seismic ships can run. Back in the mid 1980's Brad Macurda and I looked at every spec 2-D seismic section Fairfield had in the offshore of Texas for the purpose of selecting data for courses and presentations for showing off Landmark technologies. In the early 1990's Marc and I had a memorable lunch at an Argentina restaurant named Currisco's, where I suggested Fairfield use their data to earn a piece of the action. I was representing the newly formed Dynamic Oil & Gas Corporation, which never got off of the ground because of the issues with HyperMedia Corporation.

When Richard Nehring called the previous week and said he is going to generate 100 Prospects in the shallow water by the end of April, I recognized the need to have seismic support. So I had called Marc for a lunch meeting to discuss the possiblity of getting access to Fairfield's data (for maps see http://www.walden3d.com/dynamic/Fairfield). Marc invited the President, Walt Pharris, the Director of R&D, Bob Shurtleff, his colleague, and the General Manager of Dynamic Geoscience Services, Michael Fontenot. We had lunch at the Sugar Creek Country Club. I described Dynamic Resources, and they asked questions. When we got back to the office they gave me a tour, and Walt brought me upstairs to propose forming a new company, owned by Dynamic and Fairfield, in which Fairfield would put all of their spec seismic data, Dynamic would provide technology and explorers, an oil company would be recruited to provide management, and $100 million would be raised to fund a real exploration program. It will be interesting to see what happens with this. I find it particularly interesting that my initial request for $2 million was raised to $10 million by Swede Nelson and now it has been raised to $100 million by Walt Pharris. Next it will probably implode, like a hot air balloon that raises too far too fast.

Thursday morning I participated in an advisory meeting at Chroma Energy. They reviewed 3 projects. Great work. Tremendous opportunities are sitting there, waiting to be picked up. They found over 70 drill sites in one 3-D survey, in a period of 5 minutes, once they had calibrated the color display of the patterns in the 3-D seismic. Exciting. After the presentations, I met with one of the presenters and modified her color palette to highlight sands in yellow and carbonate benches in blue. Truly spectacular.

Thursday evening I was the assigned adult leader chaperone from the Nottingham Country Ward's Young Men's organization for the annual stake Youth Conference. They had a talent show. It was really quite good. There were a couple of the usual ego presentations, with little talent behind them. However, for the most part, it was very well done, and a lot of fun. Nolan Hoyt from the Katy 1st Ward and I had an interesting conversation about Dynamic and the things he is doing in Austin with a new start up. Andrea has started working on Paul and Kate's quilt, and she was late coming to watch `her girls' in the talent show. At the end of the talent show there was a performance by Marving Goldstein, who mentioned he turned down an opportunity to be the pianist for Three Dog Night. After the talent show Andrea took me to meet Marvin Goldstein and to talk about Aunt Nadine. As he described 70 firesides last year, large numbers of Youth Conferences, and other church speaking assignments, which sound like they are fun to do, I couldn't help but ask him how it is all paid for. Andrea was very quick to say it comes from sale of his CD's, from concerts, and the like.

Friday I spent the day working on Dynamic. Matt was limited with his access to TV and to playing computer games, and was bored to death. He threatened me, and I responded in a way to make sure he knew he doesn't threaten me. He complained to Rachel, via Sarah Turner, and I found myself called on the carpet for being a parent. I found this interesting, and wondered how much of the attitude came from Marvin Goldstein's presentation to the youth. Probably none. Friday evening was Matt's soccer practice, and we went to Wendy's for dinner as Andrea and Rachel were at Youth Conference. Saturday morning was choir practice, Matt's soccer game, and then to work. In the evening, Andrea and I drove up to the Cypress Stake Center to listen to Marvin Goldstein's fireside. Here are my notes:

`Thank you for that great introduction. It was the best reading of an introduction I wrote I've heard in a long time. I am an expert in what I believe. I joined the church on June 2nd of 1985. About 4 years after I joined the church, Jeffrey Holland came to a Stake Conference and after the meeting asked me to come to a Mission President's fireside. At that meeting Marvin J. Ashton, an Apostle of the Lord, had me play for the rest of the meeting, and then he set me aside as a lifetime music missionary for the church. He felt like an Apostle. I've been told that 10 out of 10 of us will die from something. Guilt and anxiety are not our purpose. Love that leads to action is what life is all about. The key is to not be caught up in meaningless things. Go to Primary and listen to them sing. If you don't feel the spirit you are dead.'

As he played a melody of Primary songs, I drew out pictures of how Bavinger's color classification scheme could be used to create a new type of musical instrument. It was exciting, and I found tears from the spirit creeping out of my eyes. Continuing:

`You didn't pay anything to come to this concert fireside, and I want you to know that bothers a Jewish convert. My wife joined the church 4 years before I did. I went to a conference where Hartman Rector, Jr. sang `I Heard Him Come,' and it was terrible music. However people cried and were touched. I had to find out where this song came from. A 16 year old from Altamont, Utah wrote this song. After an assignment from a seminary teacher and a prayer, he wrote words that few adults can think of. In 1990 a 10 year old had an accident, and his spinal chord was severed. He couldn't breathe, talk, or communicate without the help of mechanical devices. I was asked to come and play the piano for him. He felt the Savior in that concert. He died at 16 1/2 years of age. He wrote me a letter with his eyes moving a Nintendo type device. He said `I love you, but I love Dale Murphy more.' That always bothered me. Then he played the music of Jeff Goodrich, an electrician and a Bishop in Altamont, Utah. It would take the youngest youth who can attend one of our Youth Conferences to form our church. A year before I joined the church my wife proved to me that tithing is Jewish. We could not have a child, and then we started paying tithing as a test. Two months later she was pregnant with our only child. Then he played three hymns written by non-members in our hymn book: 219, Because I Have Been Given Much; 98, I Need Thee Every Hour; and 86, How Great Thou Art. I have never been a gentile. I was Jewish, and everyone not Jewish is a gentile. Then I joined the church, and everyone not a member is a gentile. I am one of every 10-15,000 Jews who will gain a testimony of Jesus Christ I was so ugly when I was born the Dr. slapped my mother. When I was 8 I asked for a Christmas tree. My father said no. Then I asked for a Hanukkah bush. There are 613 Jewish Laws. Two are kept by most Jews, Rosh Hashana - head of the year, and Yom Kippur - the day of atonement. Jews understand the atonement, they just don't know it was Jesus Christ who provided it. At 19 I offered a prayer at the West Wall. I did not offer another prayer for 22 years. At 22 I met a Presbyterian woman. We got married in her parents back yard. I didn't have to go to church on Sunday, I went to the beach. The word Christian is a threat to Jewish people. There have been a lot of atrocities in the name of religion. After 7 years my wife came home and said something was missing. We went to every church we could find, and I left believing fanatic people believe in Jesus Christ. Then a co-worker told her about the church. The Institute Teacher was Robert Millet. He baptized my wife. Thousands of missionaries started coming to the house. The black tag brigade. I quickly got a testimony of how much they can eat. I would ask them, `Was Jesus Christ a Jew?' "Yes." "If it was good enough for him to be a Jew it is good enough for me." On the whole they make up an incredible army of 50,000 young men and women. Three and a half years passed and my wife cried every day. It was too politically hard for me to join unless I really knew it was true. My wife asked me if the church has had a revelation that families can be eternal, do you want to know it? She enrolled me in a tape a week program. The first tape was by Klingon Skowsen, I mean Cleon Skowsen. He described how Christ will come through the gate beautiful in Jerusalen dressed in red, because red shows that he atoned with his own blood for all of his brethern. When the spirit is strong, you can ask anything you want and get away with it. A missionary asked me to be baptized and I said yes. I baptized my mother 4 years ago, and I cannot tell her family yet although she has died. Do missionary work when the spirit is right. Love one another as he loves us. Music is celestial communication.'

Criptic notes do not carry the spirit of the fireside. Maybe it is because it is Easter Weekend, and our ward choir practices and sang:

`When Jesus wept, the falling tear in mercy flowed, beyond all bound; When Jesus groaned, A trembling fear Seized all the guilty World around.'

And:

``Twas in the breaking of the bread, Just common daily bread They knew their Lord. They were so blind They failed to find Him in the sad events That crashed their world around them But at the quiet close of day He walked beside them in the way And as they sat about that simple board They knew their Lord Oh Master, open thou our eyes That we, like them, in glad surprise May see thee in the simple things Of everyday. And find thee Walking with us on our way. `Twas in the breaking of the bread Just common daily bread They knew their Lord.'

And:

`Come see the place where Jesus prayed; Come touch the garden wall. Beneath a starless midnight sky, His Father heard Him call. Come see the place where Jesus walked When He was led away. Come see the dusty road he took To Calvary that day. Come see the place where Jesus died Upon a windswept hill; They pierced his hands, his feet, his side; And then the world grew still. Come see the place where Jesus lay Within a stone-cold tomb; Come touich the garments folded there; Come kneel within the room.'

I would not have gone to Marvin Goldstein's Fireside without Andrea wanting to go. The tears flowed as he played the Primary Songs and the hymns of Zion. I do not know what will come from this first encounter with this lifetime music missionary for the church. However, I sense I will be writing about him in the future. And if any of you ever hear there is a concert or a fireside in your area, and you can go to it, please listen to the message of a Jew named Marvin Goldstein."

I'm interested in sharing weekly a "thoughtlet" (little statements of big thoughts which mean a lot to me) with you because I know how important the written word can be. I am concerned about how easy it is to drift and forget our roots and our potential among all of distractions of daily life. To download any of these thoughtlets go to http://www.walden3d.com/thoughtlets or e-mail me at rnelson@walden3d.com.

With all my love,
Dad
(H. Roice Nelson, Jr.)

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Copyright © 2001 H. Roice Nelson, Jr.