MormonDaddyBlogs – Ken Craig

Undercover Bishop

May 5, 2011 By Dennis

It can be jarring to bump into your ecclesiastical leader out of context, like in a store or at a sporting event. Sure we know that they have lives (albeit limited) outside their church callings, but when we’re used to seeing them in their suits and ties at the pulpit or in the bishop’s office, it’s easy to forget that they sometimes like to wear jeans and eat french fries.

Imagine how it must be looking at it from the other direction. Ken Craig, who happens to be a bishop in addition to a father of seven, shares a glimpse of what it can be like to be caught with a celebrity magazine in the 10-items-or-less line in My Name’s Ken. But My Friends Call Me Robert.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Ken Craig, Modern Mormon Men

The Friday Five • Episode 3

April 22, 2011 By Dennis

So much good stuff – not enough days. Hence, The Friday Five:

An Abundance of Pudding. A husband’s offer to volunteer 30 minutes turns into a 9-hour ordeal and an experience never-to-be forgotten. In a good way.

Jeff Lindsay’s post in Mormanity shows that were more than just about the Jello at LDS functions. Sometimes, we’re about the pudding. Read An Abundance of Pudding.

The Easter Egg Miracle. Funny guys Kirby Heyborne and Lincoln Hoppe are at it again, just in time for Easter.

Kirby is the “kerB” in kerBLINK, Lincoln is the “LINK”. While the duo specializes in funny business, their aim is for something a little more serious. They are trying to create a place where families can come view good, funny, clean videos and other creative content. They hope to soon be site that features other people’s content as well, offering a more family-friendly version of sites like funnyordie.com.

We wish them all the best. For now, let them entertain you with An Easter Treat. Bring a tissue.

Smiling Guy Revealed! His winning smile will be an indelible memory from April’s General Conference. But who is he? What were his intentions? And is he single?

These questions raged throughout the LDS blogosphere, but leave it to a newcomer to MDB to land the Oprah-sized interview. Paul Wilson, co-owner of LDSFriends.com, tracked down the smiling guy in Australia and lined up a webcam interview. Paul and his wife have two daughters. He serves in the bishopric of his ward in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Welcome Paul and his blog to MDB by watching Interviewing Smiling Guy, who turns out to be Dan Smith, a self-employed carpenter from Melbourne. (And yes, ladies, he’s single.)

No Peace in the Restroom. With seven children under age 14, it’s been years since Ken Craig has been able to use the restroom in peace.

“Dad, look! I’m waving at you! (Little fingers sticking out from under the door.)”

Read Ken’s fun post, Reader’s Indigestion.

Pennies from Heaven. Another newcomer to MDB is from a blogger known only as Middle-aged Mormon Man.

MDB has learned that MMM is the father of 5, happily married, active in church service, and a former Bishop.

“Am quite ‘orthodox,’ in my beliefs,” writes MMM, “but feel we can joke and have fun within our unique culture.”

For his 99th post, he created a video to demonstrate how family budgets work using a table full of pennies. Welcome MMM to MDB by watching Family Finances – Penny Wise.

Filed Under: Actors, Featured, Film/TV, General Tagged With: Jeff Lindsay, Ken Craig, kerBLINK, kirby heyborne, LDSFriends, lincoln hoppe, Middle-aged Mormon Man, Modern Mormon Men, Mormanity, Paul Wilson

Ken Craig

April 15, 2011 By Dennis

Ken Craig is a father of ~~six~~ make that now seven (congrats, Ken!) kids from the age of 13 to new arrival. Originally from California, he’s a bishop in Las Vegas.

Ken’s posts always give a fun glimpse into his busy life. His personal blog is The Craig Report, and he is now also a contributor to Modern Mormon Men.

Filed Under: MDBer Tagged With: Ken Craig

The Friday Five • Episode 2

April 15, 2011 By Dennis

So much good stuff – not enough days. Hence, The Friday Five:

Beat the Rush. Although most of us here have probably already tied the knot, we may have kids who could benefit from this latest help from Mormon Life Hackers, especially in light of one of the major themes of this past General Conference. That’s right, we’re talking about helping prepare for the tsunami of weddings coming this summer.

Tevya Washburn lays it all out in Use Google To Help Plan A Wedding.

Dress Warmer. You have to cut the guy some slack; he just moved from California, not to mention the fact that he had spent the night in the E.R. with his daughter.

So cinematographer Rod Santiano wasn’t entirely prepared for the elements as he shot BYU’s spring football game. Read the chilling account in Note to Self: Dress Warmer!

Watching You. With seven children from ages 13 to just a few days old, Ken Craig finds that the Deniro/Stiller father/son “watching you” roles are reversed in his house. His kids are watching his every move, especially his flaws.

Ken’s always engaging posts have found a home in a new blog sure to be of interest to MDB readers, Modern Mormon Men. Read Ken’s post, A Legacy in Progress, then enjoy what else this “manly mommy blog” has to offer.

30 Things. When it comes to listening to the prophet’s voice, Jamie Huston and his family don’t mess around. As they listen to General Conference, they make a list of direct instructions Pres. Monson gives, and make those priorities in their family.

This General Conference, Jamie came up with a list of 30 such priorities, which he kindly shares with us all on his blog, Gently Hew Stone. Read President Monson’s Marching Orders.

Not Always Our Fault. Relationship expert Dr. Elia fields a question from a male reader who perceives from Dr. Elia’s past columns a pattern of innocent women versus men who are the bad guys. The reader poses the question of whether this perception matches Dr. Elia’s experience in his work.

While it is not surprising that there are issues that are typically “men’s issues,” you may be relieved to know that men don’t have a corner on all the issues. Read Dr. Elia’s response, Relationship Issues Are Not Always the Man’s Fault.

Filed Under: Featured, Film/TV, General, Professionals, Teachers Tagged With: Elia Gougouris, Gently Hew Stone, Jamie Huston, Ken Craig, Modern Mormon Men, Mormon Life Hackers, Notes from the Set, roderick santiano, Tevya Washburn

The Friday Five • Episode 1

April 8, 2011 By Dennis

So much good stuff – not enough days. Hence, MDB is introducing The Friday Five, highlighting posts in the MDB community. So, without further ado, here’s the first edition of The Friday Five:

Bishops Popping Up Everywhere. A pair of bishops have a unique approach to opening the door to their youth. Here’s a fun little YouTube video by Bishop Mike and the MDB Community’s very own Ken Craig.

With their video at 1,828 hits as of this writing, it’s clear the door is open. Watch the video at Not From the Pulpit.

Poultrygeist. If you’ve followed MDB very much at all, you’ve seen some of the fine work of cinematographer Rod Santiano. In a recent website overhaul, Rod recently came across one of his earliest surviving pieces in his body of work.

See the origins of this creative fellow in the budding stages of his career by watching Poultrygeist (but don’t watch it too close to bedtime) (or just before lunchtime) (especially if you’re thinking KFC).

Mouse Hunt. One of the less glamorous duties that sometimes falls to dads is rodent warrior. This is especially true if your house is close to a river.

MDB Community member Tucker Dansie recounts some of his experiences reliving his own version of the adventures in the movie “Mouse Hunt” in A Visit from Mickey Mouse.

Spiritual Movie. In this case, “spiritual” movie means both a movie that will move you spiritually and a movie that is without a physical body. In LDS Media Talk, Larry Richman describes how “Joseph Smith: The Prophet of the Restoration” is being made available to anyone online (including in HD) or for download. As such, it isn’t being delivered via DVD (remember those copies of the Ensign that wouldn’t bend?).

I remember less than a decade ago, we did a run of our first Liken movie on VHS as well as DVD (still have plenty of those old VHS movies in a warehouse). Now DVDs are starting to lose their grip. The more things change… Read (and while you’re there, download) the First Full-Length LDS Church Movie Downloadable.

Book of Mormon on Broadway. Sneaking in a trio here. First up is Ken Jennings. It isn’t really a blog, but it is an opinion piece written by Mr. Jeopardy himself on the Book of Mormon, a new musical on Broadway that takes a comic stab at our faith. Read Ken Jennings Takes on Broadway.

Roger Hansen also took at look at this subject in a recent post on his site, Tired Road Warrior, Can We Mormons Take a Punch?

And finally, some obscure director of a series of children’s movies takes a look at a faint tie he has to the show. Not exactly the stuff dreams are made of, but still. Read Liken’s Brush with the Great White Way.

Filed Under: Featured Tagged With: Dennis Agle, directors, film, Ken Craig, Larry Richman, mormon daddy blogs, roderick santiano, Tucker Dansie, videos, writers

Live Like You’re Dyin’? Really?

March 24, 2011 By Dennis

A recurring theme in pop culture advocates living each day as if it were our last, a beautiful sentiment, inspiring us to leave nothing on the table.

Excellent advice, unless you actually stop to think about it. Which, fortunately for us, Ken Craig does in his recent post.

Hey, Tim McGraw, what are you thinkin’, man? Leave it to this father of 6.75 kids to set us straight.

Before you do anything too hasty today, be sure to read his post, “Carpe What, Now?“

Filed Under: Featured, Music Tagged With: Ken Craig, mormon daddy blogs

Mid-life Crisis, Mormon Dad-style

March 19, 2011 By Dennis

On the eve of turning 40, Ken Craig was sort of hoping for a more exciting mid-life crisis, involving a yacht, sailing to Italy and writing his novel. (There’s something about being a working man who is also holding down a demanding calling in church and having six kids with a seventh on the way that can do that to you.) But what Ken got instead was something far sweeter.