Actually, yes. I do. That instruction comes directly from the Church’s section on dress and appearance. The same section explicitly states, “What is appropriate varies across cultures and for different occasions.” You are welcome to believe bikinis are immodest and make decisions accordingly for yourself. But declaring that another Latter-day Saint man has failed because his wife or daughter wears one is precisely the kind of judgment the Handbook cautions against. There’s a difference between teaching the principle of modesty and appointing yourself the judge of another family’s righteousness.

I disagree with this blanket statement. Modesty is an eternal gospel principle, but the cultural standards used to define modest clothing have changed dramatically throughout history and across societies. What was considered modest 200 years ago is different from what we consider modest today. And what’s considered modest in Utah may be different from what’s considered modest in France. The Church’s General Handbook explicitly states: “What is appropriate varies across cultures and for different occasions.” It also instructs that “members and leaders should not judge others based on dress and appearance.” The current For the Strength of Youth guide emphasizes honoring our bodies as sacred gifts from God rather than prescribing specific clothing measurements. I’m not arguing that every bikini is modest. I’m arguing that modesty requires more discernment than simply declaring an entire category of clothing inappropriate. IMO, some bikinis are totally appropriate. We can uphold the principle of modesty without imposing our personal cultural standards as universal commandments. There’s a difference between teaching eternal principles and policing someone else’s application of them.

I find it genuinely disappointing that a young man can share a message about Jesus Christ, faith, and hope, and somehow be criticized for it because he plays football for BYU. Tre yson Bourguet shared a simple message: “The disciples watched Jesus die on Friday, not knowing what Sunday would bring.” He went on to remind people that some of life’s greatest blessings come after its darkest moments. And because he included a picture of his football team, some people have accused him of trivializing the Atonement of Jesus Christ. I couldn’t disagree more. There’s nothing wrong with taking a scriptural story and applying its lessons to your own life, including the things you care about. In fact, isn’t that exactly what we’re supposed to do? God cares about the smallest details of our lives. He cares about our disappointments, our struggles, our aspirations, and our happiness. He certainly cares about a young man who feels discouraged after a loss and turns to Jesus Christ for hope. One of my favorite General Conference talks is Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin’s “Sunday Will Come.” In that talk, Elder Wirthlin reflected on the loss of his father, mother, sister, and his beloved wife of 65 years. He used the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Jesus Christ to teach that all of us will experience our own symbolic Fridays. Moments of grief, disappointment, loneliness, and suffering. Moments when life doesn’t turn out the way we hoped. Moments when it feels like the darkness might never end. But because of Jesus Christ’s Resurrection, Friday is not the end of our story. Sunday will come. Now, obviously losing a football game is not remotely comparable to losing your spouse of 65 years. But that’s precisely the point. The magnitude of our struggles may be different, but the source of our hope remains the same. We don’t need to experience unimaginable tragedy before we’re allowed to find comfort in the Savior. We don’t need to wait until our lives are falling apart before applying the lessons of His life, death, and Resurrection. And we certainly shouldn’t discourage young people from publicly expressing their faith simply because we dislike the football team they play for. I don’t believe Bourguet was comparing a football loss to the Crucifixion. I believe he was doing something much simpler. He was taking a lesson from the life of Jesus Christ and applying it to something he was experiencing. That’s not trivializing the Atonement. That’s living the gospel. We spend so much time encouraging young people to stand as witnesses of Christ, to share their testimonies, and to make Him the center of their lives. When one actually does, shouldn’t we be encouraging him rather than looking for reasons to take offense? You don’t have to like BYU. You don’t even have to like football. But we should be able to recognize a sincere expression of faith without allowing a sports rivalry to cloud our judgment. Building faith is more important than winning an argument about football. And if a young man’s message about the Resurrection helps even one person find hope in their own difficult Friday, I’d consider that a wonderful thing.

My neighbors have a hyperbaric chamber. This thing is awesome. Feels like a submarine! Anyone here use one?

I didn’t get married until I was 34, so I had plenty of interesting dating experiences along the way. But there’s one date in particular that I’ll probably never forget. I met a beautiful, petite, 5-foot-tall gymnast at a funeral, of all places. I asked her out on a few dates, and we quickly developed a close friendship. One evening, she invited me over to her apartment so I could teach her how to play chess. Great idea, because I love chess! When I arrived, she was sitting on the floor, wrapped in a blanket with the chessboard set out. We had a great time playing. After our first game, she suggested we play another. But this time, she wanted to play strip chess… “What???” I asked, looking up to make sure I’d heard her right. And then she dropped the blanket. She was 100% completely naked! Now, I was a single guy in my late twenties, sitting across from a beautiful, naked woman I was very attracted to. I was absolutely tempted on a totally different level that night. At one point, I picked her up, wrapped her in the blanket, and tossed her onto the couch. We cuddled and flirted, and I remember how badly I wanted to kiss her. But I also remember feeling a very distinct spiritual impression that if I kissed her, it wouldn’t stop at a kiss. I just knew it. I had a decision to make. A very difficult decision. I believed in the law of chastity. I had made covenants with God. And I wanted to be the kind of man who actually lived what he believed, even when it was difficult. But man, was it DIFFICULT. Sometimes, when you’re faced with temptation, you don’t sit around and negotiate with yourself. You flee, just like Joseph fled from Potiphar’s wife. So that’s what I did. I excused myself, left her apartment, drove home, and got into a very cold shower. And while I was standing there, I prayed to God: “This gospel better be true! The law of chastity better be true, or I’m going to be so mad!” And I meant every word of it. The next day, we were still friends. She even asked me for a priesthood blessing; I was so happy I still felt worthy to give her one. We never kissed, even though I had multiple opportunities after that. I just knew where that road led with her, and it wasn’t right for me. And I’ve never regretted that decision. I don’t share this story because I think I’m better than anyone else. I’m certainly not perfect, and I’ve made plenty of mistakes. And I don’t think any less of her. She’s a wonderful person, and I valued our friendship for a long time. She now has a home and family of her own, raising her kids in the Church. It worked out! But I’ve thought about that night many times over the years. It’s easy to talk about your principles when they aren’t being tested. It’s something else entirely to live them when doing so means walking away from something you really want. I’ve always wanted to be a man who lives consistently with what he believes. I haven’t always succeeded. But that night, I did. And I’ve never once regretted it.

I believe people are inherently good. We are children of God, with a divine birthright and eternal potential. But because of our fallen nature, the Book of Mormon also teaches that “the natural man is an enemy to God.” We have these competing influences within us. And because we have agency, we get to choose which ones we cultivate. Yet there’s a tendency to allow our circumstances to determine our behavior. When people treat us kindly, we’re kind. When business is going well, we’re optimistic. When our children are cooperative, we’re patient. When someone agrees with us, we’re respectful. But what happens when those circumstances change? Do our virtues disappear with them? Marcus Aurelius said, “Dig deep within yourself, for there is a fountain of goodness ever ready to flow if you will keep digging.” I love that. Goodness isn’t merely something we demonstrate when circumstances make it easy. It’s something we have to deliberately cultivate. It’s easy to be respectful when someone is reasonable and gracious. It’s considerably harder when they’re arrogant, dismissive, or insulting. But if our goodness disappears whenever someone provokes us, how deeply have we actually cultivated it? We can choose our responses, practice virtue, and seek the transforming influence of the Holy Ghost and the enabling power of Christ’s Atonement. The Doctrine and Covenants reminds us that we aren’t powerless participants in our own character development: “Men should be anxiously engaged in a good cause, and do many things of their own free will, and bring to pass much righteousness… For the power is in them, wherein they are agents unto themselves.” (D&C 58:27–28) The power to choose goodness is already within us. The question is whether we’re willing to cultivate it. I have a personal story that this reminds me of. Stay tuned.

I was right about the BYU vs UCF game.

I feel you…

Watch out Utah. BYU just moved from “It’d be nice to win in the Holy War” to “We have to win in the Holy War” No way you’re walking out of that game with the W

That was horrible. Sucks for BYU. I’m not losing any sleep. Let’s bounce back next week.

It is a problem with both fan bases. Just stop this nonsense

Pat walking away loving BYU and hating on Utah 😂😂😂

To my BYU community: I love you guys. I genuinely believe we have one of the best fan bases in the country. But this is not who we should be. Rivalries are fun. Trash talk is part of sports. I love a good back-and-forth with Utah fans as much as anyone. But attacking someone’s children? That’s never okay. We can disagree, compete, and even dislike each other’s teams without losing basic human decency. And when someone wearing our colors crosses that line, we should be the first to call it out. We can be better than this. And we should be.

IT’S BYU FOOTBALL GAME DAY! I’ve spent almost zero time thinking about UCF this week. How are we feeling, Cougs?! Is it our time to go to number 1?

Are you American? I belong to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I’m the most American. I’m the most Christian.