Thursday, July 28, 2022.
There is a concept of sin that exists that comes from the Book of Enoch, a concept goes contrary to most religions today. It is that sin was introduced into the world by fallen angels and they are responsible for the misery and destruction of humanity. The Book of Enoch was one of the most preserved and copied (valued) books by Christians at the time of, and shortly after Jesus' death. It is an apocalyptic writing and is the source of the fallen angel story. A few scholars such as Margaret Barke...
Monday, July 18, 2022.
Every time I have been alarmed about not accepting "the 2017 covenant", the words of scripture and Joseph have come to mind formed thoughts which brought me to peace and confidence in trusting God directly.
I can't explain it in any way that would prove it to another, but I can offer the scriptures and thoughts that came to me, to do with what you will. Ask God for his word to *you*.
I don't want to tempt God to give me a path he doesn't intend for me by repeatedly asking the same thing wh...
Thursday, June 16, 2022.
Jacob lamented and warned the men of his day about how they treated their women. Perhaps no greater sermon could be taught on the subject than the Cranberries' song [Linger](https://genius.com/The-cranberries-linger-lyrics).
"And also it grieves me that I must use so much boldness of speech concerning you before your wives and your children, many of whose feelings are exceeding tender, and chaste, and delicate before God, which thing is pleasing unto God.
"Wherefore, thus saith the Lord: I...
Sunday, June 12, 2022.
The righteous hunted them, they searched out their deceptions and ferreted out those who pretended to be their friends but secretly, sought their destruction. These "conspiracy theorists" were undaunted and exposed their plans to the light of day.
The wicked (who felt themselves righteous) held up those that secretly sought their destruction as heroes, honorable men, even philanthropists. They benefitted personally in their careers, social rank and national security (albeit temporarily) from ...
Sunday, February 6, 2022.
I was interested in obtaining a copy of the Restoration Edition scriptures. So foul was the taste in my mouth how the project was shoved in our face, I never considered it until now. However, I'm interested in having what they contain.
I explored the store online and saw pictures of the palettes of scripture. They were beautifully stacked and appeared to be great quality. I saw pictures of the volunteers with someone I expected to be front and center.
There were lots of options to choose f...
Tuesday, December 3, 2019.
Even Satan has organized his associations and calls them his "priesthoods" because they are in fellowship with him. Whenever a priesthood results in condemning and not raising others up to salvation they might be regarded as one of Satan's priesthoods, because the association does not and cannot save souls. (Denver Snuffer, 40 Years in Mormonism, Lecture 5, Priesthood)
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I m reading from page 322 of The Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith:
Respecting the Melchizedek Priesthood...
Monday, November 12, 2018.
Most people seek to follow Christ and learn truths that will please God. Usually, they find a special interpretation, see patterns, or otherwise discover something others have missed. Sometimes this comes from a good deal of inspiration. After having obtained this truth, they form a church body with a set of doctrines and beliefs that all must subscribe to, to be considered members of their church in good standing. These members, having accepted what they believe to be God s whole truth, become ...
Tuesday, September 11, 2018.
Someone asked me for an overview of what I thought about the LDS church and what has happened with the Snuffer/Remnant movement. Below is what I sent with some slight modifications:
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Overall, I think Joseph knew what he was talking about. He was visited by Jesus and tutored by him. I don t think being visited by God, however fixes all of our defects, or corrects all of our prejudices or cultural inculcations, but instead, gives us a baseline to re-evaluate what we think we know. I think ...
Thursday, August 30, 2018.
A dream from Friday, September 29, 2017
This morning I dreamt MBJ came home with CK at night, like after work. CK had two bars of meat in his hand. He was apologetic and deferential in his typical manner. Taking it for insincerity, I got upset, angry and tried to chase him off and say angry rude things. It turned into day. I noticed CK was buff, strong, healthy, stronger than me, rather than sick and gaunt as he is in life. He was trying to tell us something, I wouldn't listen. I was angry an...
Friday, August 17, 2018.
I went to bed last night, troubled by what seems to be the beginning of arthritis. My efforts at supplementation have yielded no benefit, and I asked God, Can I get rid of this? What can I do?
This morning I dreamt I was at a social function in FL. I met a person I knew and liked but have long lost track of. We were catching up and I was relating a little about my mission. I related roughly the following to her:
I went on a mission to Idaho. There are a lot of small towns in Idaho, ...
Friday, July 20, 2018.
LHB went to a foot reflexologist who said that our fears and negative emotions can get trapped in our joints and often our knees. I thought about bodily issues, decrepit-ness I was feeling and thought about the way I emotionally react to situations. My religious views are so rare that I m unable to relate to anyone. No one understood me about something that was deeply important and personal to me. As a result, I was depersonalized and thrown into oblivion and resented, forgave, but still distrus...
Thursday, June 21, 2018.
MSB: I wasn t impressed with Max s ability to communicate, and the way he went about things kind of grated, but for me, Max helped me bring together the ideas of an Eastern type of enlightenment and a vision of Christ, whereas before, I wasn t able to reconcile the two, and what it meant.
JK: Can you elaborate? I think that's where I am.
MSB: Well, I think that Christ the personage reveals himself according to his pleasure, meaning he may or may not reveal himself to us, in any order that ...
Friday, May 18, 2018.
There are certain ideas I believe and consider sharing. However in most venus, I cringe at the thought of posting them. Not because I m afraid they can t stand up to discussion or debate, but, because to me, they are beautiful, precious ideas, and I cringe that the thought of them being violated, being discarded, made common, made disgusting. So I usually wind up sharing them where almost no one will likely read them. Lonliness in my thoughts, which is not easy to bear, is preferable.
...
Wednesday, May 2, 2018.
To sin means to miss the mark. Sin has come to mean a lot of things in our minds but Jacob seems to be pointing out its most accurate and intended meaning when he specifically says the Jews "looked beyond the mark." This tells us that God originally gives us what is good, and when we want more, or something else, he, as a good and patient teacher, assists us in looking beyond the mark (or in sinning).
"Looking" has more to do with "perspective" than it does a set of deeds. If the perspective ...
Sunday, April 29, 2018.
"God has so much knowledge he could reveal, that he could go on creating prideful remnants and keep this game going for eternity." (LHB)
"And the multitude of the earth was gathered together; and I beheld that they were in a large and spacious building, like unto the building which my father saw. And the angel of the Lord spake unto me again, saying: Behold the world and the wisdom thereof; yea, behold the house of Israel hath gathered together to fight against the twelve apostles of the Lamb...
Sunday, April 1, 2018.
I had a dream three or four nights ago. The setting was in a vacation house with family. My sister-in-law sat on a couch near mine. I reached over and touched her knee as a sign of affection and asked Can we be friends again? Her face lifted and her countenance was a little cheered and she said Sure! and then in seriousness continued, But I reserved the right to say whatever I think and call you out on your bull. I leaned back, a little disappointed, and said Ok.
...
Thursday, March 29, 2018.
When I learned that the lead singer of the Cranberries died late last year, I was taken aback a bit more so than the other deaths of musicians or actors recently. I wondered what happened but I left it in the back of my mind thinking it was a shame.
A month later I found an incredible musician named Alexandr Misko who plays the guitar. One of the songs he covered was the Cranberries song Zombie . I remembered again briefly about her death.
A month later, I woke up in a deep sorrow over a ...
Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
Article: Peace in Paradies: Angels Among Us Today?
I read this article and enjoyed it. I added some of my own comments if the author decides to publish them. Regardless, here are my comments:
Good article. I think it s important to remember that messengers often become a distraction. The messenger led Lehi to a dark and dreary waste (assuming helping Lehi behold his true condition), and then got out of the way to leave him to grovel to God. Messengers often become a point of worship, and...
Tuesday, January 23, 2018.
"O God, the Eternal Father, we ask thee, in the name of thy Son, Jesus Christ, to bless and sanctify this wine to the souls of all those who drink of it, that they may do it in remembrance of the blood of thy Son, which was *shed* [or, perhaps, shed forth] for them; that they may witness unto thee, O God, the Eternal Father, that they do always remember him, that they may have his Spirit to be with them. Amen." (Moroni 6)
"And the angel said unto me: Behold the Lamb of God, yea, even the Son ...
Monday, January 15, 2018.
LHB and I have been reading Max Skousen s works recently and have found them compelling so far. Some of my hardest questions have been potentially answered by his discussion about the gospel.
Here is a link some of his works: Link.
...
Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
I've found I hadn't learned anything about the beauty of the gospel, according to common understanding, until I turned it upside down (right side up) and inside out, and by that point it becomes something basically impossible to describe to anyone else.
...
Wednesday, January 10, 2018.
Many want to, or have an idea that it's possible to come into the presence of God and be saved. The Lectures on Faith state that to have this kind of saving faith, a correct knowledge of the nature of God must be understood — before you can be saved in His presence. Can you have saving faith in God if you miscalculate his nature? Paul taught about the curse of the Law and the paroxysms it caused. There was indeed a Law of Moses and a constantly condemned people that grew out of it, but the "Law...
Tuesday, January 2, 2018.
About eight months ago I started praying over water. Praying, but more like imprinting it, or imagining and asking for Christ's light to flow into it as well as burn/drive out any negative energy.
I started this when contemplating the way Seneca preps her flower essences. I noticed when I took (especially one) an essence that a health issue I had for decades, and had basically come to ignore was cleared up. I eventually stopped taking the essence because I noticed that when I prayed this way ...
Thursday, December 21, 2017.
While I believe there is a lot of depth being missed from Christ's teachings, it seems that every religious system which wants to lend itself credulity, is required to turn some scriptural phrase to justify whatever secret/prideful/exclusive/esoteric teaching they use to attract a following, while teaching in opposition to the whole of the rest.
...
Tuesday, December 12, 2017.
And it shall be said among the wicked: Let us not go up to battle against Zion, for the inhabitants of Zion are terrible; wherefore we cannot stand. And it shall come to pass that the righteous shall be gathered out from among all nations, and shall come to Zion, singing with songs of everlasting joy.
When Christ comes, the scriptures say the wicked will burn as stubble . Another scriptures says all things that are not by him shall shake and tremble untill all that remains is what is w...
Saturday, October 28, 2017.
I was hacked on the evening of Friday October 25, 2013 by the prince of demons who was trying to pass off his scripture on my Facebook page. Unfortunately, I lost some friends that day, but I supposed that was part Beelzebub s intent all along. He was very pleased to joy when he found how much support his teachings had received by Mormons and other Christian folk. He could not contain his exuberance at their response to the latest news of a police officer shooting a boy wielding a toy gun.
--...
Saturday, October 28, 2017.
MSB FB Post: Watched Manhunt: Unabomber. They did a great job on the show, showing all perspectives. Very, very sad. One of the bombing victims made the statement that he was in it until he saw justice done. Unfortunately he ll be waiting for a long time because justice will never be done, and reaches far beyond simply putting the-stuff-immediately-in-front-of-you in a dungeon, and winds up creating more injustice. The greatest perpetrators of the events were never prosecuted and occurred deca...
Thursday, October 19, 2017.
Dreamt I was sitting in church and I saw my name on the program and the subject I was supposed to speak on, and remembered bishop CS asked me to speak the week before. I didn t have time to prepare and the hour of my talk was upon me. It was a curious subject or title, it was like the title of a poem. I wish I remembered it.
MSBJ tried to help me come up with material. Someone gave a talk on a similar subject in Relief Society, so he was going through the registry on previous talks. He found ...
Sunday, October 15, 2017.
What being a Christian to one, can mean something different to another. I believe Christ's teachings were both far deeper and more simple than we usually comprehend.
What I don't believe: the Nicean creed, the infallibility of the compilation and transmission of the books that compose our current Bible and the interpositions and agenda of many of the scriptural scribes.
I believe in Christ's divinity, yet also espouse some of the fundamental of the Eastern Hindu and Buddhist teachings, and...
Tuesday, September 12, 2017.
A certain man was brought before a court to determine whether he followed the one true prophet, seer and revelator. The man objected to his worship of God being circumscribed by false priests. He came and stood before these priests and reasoned his objections before them, using their own scriptures to witness against their abuse. These priests excommunicated the man and his excommunication was heard far and wide. This is what we must do to further remove the authority of these priests, reasone...
Thursday, September 7, 2017.
RH:
I think this (Link) explains why people do the majority of the things they do.
I can buy that this covenant is from the Lord, but I have a different frame of reference and perspective about it. Most of it I won t bother to elaborate on, but I will point out that the Law of Moses was from God too, But was only offered to the people when they rejected a higher law(they didn t realize that was what they were doing, they just wanted religion and they wanted it now, so they built a golden...
Tuesday, September 5, 2017.
From a friend (LE):
After the covenant there s a part where God is speaking to those people who accepted. The first paragraph puzzled me:
All you who have turned from your wicked ways and repented of your evil doings, of lying and deceiving, and of all whoredoms, and of secret abominations,
idolatries, murders, priestcrafts, envying, and strife, and from all wickedness and
abominations, and have come unto me, and been baptized in my name, and have received a remission of your sins, ...
Monday, September 4, 2017.
In every group there have been standards of conduct, opinions or behavior that isn t tolerated. People offended and leaving. People that can t not have an argument. People that wind up being cast out.
From the recent answer: you don t know how to disagree.
This comes from what I call a Mormon, and perhaps human lust to preach.
Can the people who claim to follow Christ s teachings, just do so? 3 Nephi 18 teaches we are not to cast any out. If, in our view they are contending, can you...
Sunday, August 13, 2017.
I have a little more research on the authors of this document that I want to do, that I ll post here later, but I wanted to go ahead and post this now: Kohlbergs Stages of Moral Development: Implications for Theology
I took the time to read this carefully, and it s the primary subject that I ve primarily been considering for a couple of years now.
This helps in a satisfying (as opposed to many theories on this topic, which I have found lacking) and big way, to answer questions I have ...
Tuesday, August 1, 2017.
Something I m considering this morning:
Remember in the ten talks when Denver said he wished the talks were given by ten different people But apparently, in the economy of God, no one else was willing to do it ? Was this the beginning of condemnation that we relied on one man?
Many, like me, rejoiced over the tenth talk, feeling finally free from bondage.
In his interview with Tim Malone he said he mourned for days over the tenth talk. Why was he mourning? The fall of the LDS church ha...
Thursday, July 27, 2017.
This is a statement that summarizes the thoughts of the Remnant movement after the possible covenant was announced:
The principles by which I shall be governed shall be every word that proceeds from the mouth of God through His authorized minister. (A well-known luminary in the restoration movement)
I suppose this man would have joined the Danites, or applauded, or even given the Salt Sermon, both of which were highly likely to be approved by Joseph, and partaken in all the mistakes ...
Saturday, July 8, 2017.
We matter just because. Our ability to perfectly perform, to keep all the balls up in the air at all times cannot determine our absolute worth. We have a right to rest. We have a right to be and take up space in the world even when we are not busy, doing, rushing, satisfying the needs of another. (http://www.alifeinprogress.ca/flanerie-necessity-aimless-i.../)
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You do not ask what is the value, or what is the use, of this feeling. Of what use is the universe? What is the practical a...
Sunday, May 14, 2017.
After revealing a more clear meaning of Eternal Punishment and Eternal Damnation , the revelation in D&C 19 goes on to say:
Therefore I command you to repent—repent, lest I smite you by the rod of my mouth, and by my wrath, and by my anger, and your sufferings be sore—how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent; But if they would not repent t...
Friday, May 5, 2017.
Accusation
Isaiah 28 Redux
The Doctrine of Christ
Temples and Parables
Adding to the Doctrine of Christ
A Second Group Reels with Wine and Strong Drink
How to Inherit Eternal Life
Fear, the Language of the Natural Man
DP s Submission to the Scripture Project Team
The Waters of Baptism and Birth into a Family
Accusation
With respect to this project now underway, expect opposition. There will also be imitation and pretenders. There will be the deceived and deceiv...
Sunday, April 23, 2017.
What follows is a collection of thoughts I believe are important since Denver s last talk in St. George titled Things To Keep Us Awake at Night. I have a divided each distinct thought with headings. I have tried to keep the collection in chronological order (oldest at the top), but I didn t always date the entries. Unless otherwise noted, the thoughts are mine. I will usually denote attribution of other s thoughts, by including their initials in bold before their contribution.
Sections
...
Friday, April 21, 2017.
In my understanding of the Godhead, the Order of the Father is what we re striving to attain to. This is different from the Order of the Son, in that the Son assists us with the necessary experiences to help us become independent under heaven, with the spirit the Father gave to each of us. This is all through the Holy Ghost with the Son acting as the teacher.
...
Saturday, March 4, 2017.
I have written a few posts on this subject already, and want to add a few more notes.
Previous articles:
Wherever it is You Want to Go
Idols and Ordinances
Spiritual Crippling
The Lord s Strange Act
Ezekiel 14
The Telestial Glory of D&C 76
Paul, warning the saints not to follow a dead law, or they become bound to it:
Listen! I, Paul, am telling you that if you let yourselves be circumcised, Christ will be of no benefit to you. Once again I testify to every man ...
Monday, February 27, 2017.
September 1832
And your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received—Which vanity and unbelief have brought the whole church under condemnation. And this condemnation resteth upon the children of Zion, even all. And they shall remain under this condemnation until they repent and remember the new covenant, even the Book of Mormon and the former commandments which I have given them, not only to say, but to do ac...
Thursday, February 9, 2017.
It has been said Priesthood is an association with heavenly beings. If a person has contact with the Holy Ghost, that is a heavenly association. The person who has contact with the Holy Ghost also has an association with the best in every one else who has, in any degree, contact with this heavenly spirit. As soon as a person acts in their own will, to aggrandize themselves, to get popularity, to be lifted up and admired in the eyes of man, it is contrary to the best interests of the heavenly spi...
Thursday, February 9, 2017.
KF: As members of the church are we all seeking the blessing of another comforter or the second comfortor ? and is it achievable for all who are worthy or is it something that only some are able to achieve? Like a pre destined spiritual gift of you are worthy?
This is what I was reading about it http://eom.byu.edu/index.php/JesusChrist,Second_Comforter
And is it something that happens in this life?
TB: In short - it is a reward for exact obedience and devotion to the Lord - an indiv...
Sunday, February 5, 2017.
A person may profit by noticing the first intimation of the spirit of revelation; for instance, when you feel pure intelligence flowing into you, it may give you sudden strokes of ideas, so that by noticing it, you may find it fulfilled the same day or soon; (i. e.) those things that were presented unto your minds by the Spirit of God, will come to pass; and thus by learning the Spirit of God and understanding it, you may grow into the principle of revelation, until you become perfect in Chri...
Sunday, February 5, 2017.
I think we each have an intelligence within. It is a self-existing thing co-equal with God. We were created by God with his own thought or faith. In eternity it is difficult for us not to follow God perfectly. In time, after childhood, it is difficult to hear that voice at all. It becomes distored by other voices. Our intelligence is the light given to us by the Father, tabernacled in flesh. It is the Holy Ghost, if we will hear it speaking. It is always holy, it is us, separated in a sphere tha...
Friday, January 27, 2017.
The Law of Moses was given to a people who had no ability to live above a command and control existence. The Law of Christ is about the heart of the person. The story of the last 3400 years seems to be an allegory of the existence of the individual from their creation to salvation. In the acts of our existence, we know little to nothing ourselves, but it is given to us to act and be agents to ourselves. It is only through acting that we gain knowledge. We are given a law, and as we act without u...
Thursday, January 26, 2017.
The truth is that we never have the truth. There is always more to understand about whatever it is we think we know. So if we have some truth, we realize it is unsearchable, and we will never get to the bottom, and if we can become comfortable in that space, we can become again like a little child. If we are searching truth, there s nothing ever to defend, there s no need to debate, and debate is shied away from, because debate is not a search for or discovery into truth. It is a prideful hard...
Sunday, January 22, 2017.
And this is life eternal, that they might know God. (John 17:3)
I want to start this article of Knowing by adding this parable I read a year or two ago:
Imagine that you are in a gigantic mall where there are hundreds of movie theaters. You look around to see what s playing, and you notice a movie that has your name. Amazing! You go inside the theater, and it s empty except for one person. Very quietly, trying not to interrupt, you sit behind that person, who doesn t even no...
Monday, December 26, 2016.
Zechariah was of the tribe of Levi. He was an old man. God began his work there. Despite the age, God was able to produce new growth in his son John.
Jesus was not of Levi. Matthew shows his adoptive father was of David/Judah. Luke shows that his mother was likewise from the same line.
God worked among the old ordinances, and he was establishing something new. John, a Levite prophet put the dead works of the Jewish priestly class and people on notice. While they claimed to speak for God an...
Tuesday, December 20, 2016.
This is how churches, schools, clubs, governments and everything else works. Group behavior is powerful. This is what most people mistake for the voice of conscience . We re all living someone else s dream, the dream of people long dead.
...
Wednesday, December 14, 2016.
What is the root cause of addiction?
We should stop talking about addiction altogether and instead see it as bonding.
Healthy bonding includes relationships, connections to family community and to self.
The path to healing for addiction lies in genuine connection.
If we can t connect in this way, we will connect with anything we can find.
Peter Cohen
...
Saturday, December 10, 2016.
Why was the effort made to change the custom such that we are baptized outside, out of structures made by man in natural living water but the historical, and probably future contemplated temple puts us into a box?
In Israel, a temple was only built because Israel refused to come up on the mount, and instead of God being written in their heart, God gave them the many ordinances that they asked for, had a temple built, and his presence could also be found there. (Maybe a temple is never neces...
Sunday, December 4, 2016.
And again it is written, thou shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform unto the Lord thine oaths; But verily, verily, I say unto you, swear not at all; neither by heaven, for it is God's throne; Nor by the earth, for it is his footstool; Neither shalt thou swear by thy head, because thou canst not make one hair black or white; But let your communication be Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for whatsoever cometh of more than these is evil. (Matthew 5, 3 Nephi 12)
The common interpretation of this...
Tuesday, November 29, 2016.
I thought this was a statement worth pondering:
As a citizen of Sevier County, I m not the least bit worried about how my people will face this challenge. We will first treat our wounded and then we will help rebuild. We may fight amongst ourselves here in Sevier County, but when some fire comes in and threatens our Gatlinburg, we hold at the center. Link
See Also
Dollywood employee finds burned Bible page after wildfires. Link
...
Sunday, November 20, 2016.
There is a command that prohibits evil speaking of the Lord s anointed.
Some have claimed this refers to church leadership. Others have said this refers to anyone who has been through the ceremony of anointing . Still others have said it refers to those upon whom the Lord himself has laid hands.
I however take a broader view and believe this refers to anyone or anything which has been anointed and sustained by the Light of Christ, which is everyone and everything.
We are commanded to...
Thursday, November 17, 2016.
A friend put these scriptures together:
The glory of God is intelligence. (D&C 93:36)
For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)
...
Thursday, November 17, 2016.
I believe the concept of God is very simple. Yet because those simple concepts are incomprehensible, scriptures writers, or those who know God, create a vast array of scripture and commandments to attempt to explain God. It makes religion look very complex. I believe a commonality can be found and a harmony reached and God revealed from this seeming complexity.
Likewise I believe God is a being of spirit, glory and power and is the source of all life. That God is at the center of all of us, t...
Saturday, October 22, 2016.
I wonder if at Christ s birth there was a representative of all of Noah s sons, Shem, Ham and Japheth, and if that s part of why the wise men were there, to show Christ was for all mankind and not just the Jews.
I also wonder if Abraham was a descendent of Ham, given that he had so many connections with Egypt. Abraham got his blessing from Shem, but perhaps he was Hammite.
...
Wednesday, October 19, 2016.
the only true and living church upon the face of the whole earth, with which I, the Lord, am well pleased. (D&C 1:30)
You cannot read that, divorced from this:
Behold, this is my doctrine—whosoever repenteth and cometh unto me, the same is my church. Whosoever declareth more or less than this, the same is not of me, but is against me; therefore he is not of my church. (D&C 10:66-68)
What is it that needed to be brought forth out of obscurity and out of darkness that perhap...
Wednesday, October 19, 2016.
And as they were speaking Jesus appeared in their midst and said, Truth, one and absolute, is in God alone, for no man, neither any body of men, knoweth that which God alone knoweth, who is the All in All. To men is Truth revealed, according to their capacity to understand and receive. The One Truth hath many sides, and one seeth one side only, another seeth another, and some see more than others, according as it is given to them. Behold this crystal: how the one light is manifest in twelve fac...
Sunday, October 16, 2016.
Democracy: late 16th century: from French démocratie, via late Latin from Greek demokratia, from demos 'the people' + -kratia 'power, rule.'
Fallen man ruling fallen man.
God wants to rule, but we prevent him. His rule is a measure. How do we measure our fellow man?
...
Sunday, October 16, 2016.
People participate in government like giant mob. If the majority thinks you should be ingesting fluoride, guess what? If the majority wants to indoctrinate your children with certain ideas, guess what? If the majority wants to inject you with a substance they think will make them safe, guess what? Democracy is nothing more than mob rule. Democracy by representatives is no different. It is a plague. It fulfills the insatiable, fallen need to control other people. Add fear into the mix and it tu...
Wednesday, September 14, 2016.
How can this man, who we know is a sinner and an apostate open the eyes of the blind?
I know not, only that I was blind, and now, I can see.
We may not know from whence the wind cometh, or whither it goeth, but we can know when the words of eternal life are spoken to us and takes away our blindness.
...
Friday, September 9, 2016.
Yea, at the time that he shall yield up the ghost there shall be thunderings and lightnings for the space of many hours, and the earth shall shake and tremble; and the rocks which are upon the face of this earth, which are both above the earth and beneath, which ye know at this time are solid, or the more part of it is one solid mass, shall be broken up; Yea, they shall be rent in twain, and shall ever after be found in seams and in cracks, and in broken fragments upon the face of the whole ear...
Wednesday, August 31, 2016.
A 16 year old juvenile delinquent armed with a toilet seat attacks a corrections officer and roams the streets of a small town. Police armed with guns engage in a manhunt throughout the night. The boy is found dead the next morning by a resident in a public place; killed by a gunshot wound. The police say it was self inflicted, and they will investigate it.
Another police officer responds to a call when an assailant opens fire and kills the officer. The man is apprehended and in the wake of t...
Monday, August 29, 2016.
There is a parental saying that is sometimes heard when a child is about to do something risky or naughty. The parent, with one hand on his or her hip and a pointing finger wagging in the child's face, angrily declares, "If you get hurt, don't come crying to me!"
Another father said this: "Run barefoot if you feel you must, but if you cut your foot open, please come crying to me."
The saying actually came from the same father at different times. (Quoted from Joyce Kinmont)
...
Monday, August 29, 2016.
Do not murmur, my son, for it is wisdom in me that I have dealt with you after this manner. Behold, you have not understood; you have supposed that I would give it unto you, when you took no thought save it was to ask me. But, behold, I say unto you, that you must study it out in your mind; then you must ask me if it be right, and if it is right I will cause that your bosom shall burn within you; therefore, you shall feel that it is right. But if it be not right you shall have no such feelings,...
Monday, August 22, 2016.
For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. (Isaiah 9:6)
Consider the magnificence of a child being given unto us. Consider whether child should be capitalized as a title, rather than a celebration of a birth event. We are to become as little children in order to be saved. Jesus is the only one begotten of the Father. We...
Wednesday, August 17, 2016.
Why is it when people get old, they feel they know all the answers to any question, on any subject? Why is it that they feel their experience is the only right way, and instead of listening to the experience, cares and concerns of others, they proceed to teach their one true way? Lost is the child in the increasing stiffness and pride that comes with age. teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble themselves as their little children, and they shall all be saved with their l...
Sunday, August 14, 2016.
The scientist is like an explorer climbing a mountain: giddy from the heights and thin atmosphere, he feels a premature elation and thinks that he can reach out and grab the stars. And then he climbs to the top and sees that even higher peaks await him in the distance and that the stars are so far beyond his grasp that they will never become light under the nails of his Heavenscraping fingers.
In every century since its birth, science has proclaimed itself capable of explaining everything...
Sunday, August 14, 2016.
Sexual reproduction is death as opposed to parthenogenesis where an exact copy of DNA is handed down. In sex, half of the genetic material is thrown away, and the resulting offspring is unpredictable. Myths such as the midrash versions of Adam s creation, vs the angelic steady-state, Demeter and Persephone, or even Wonder Woman who initially preserve their species through parthenogenetic means speak to the introduction of sex, and thus death, as superior (or in some perspectives, inferior) in th...
Saturday, August 13, 2016.
Do we determine if we are in Zion by the measurements of Babylon?
And behold, we are strong, we shall not come into bondage, or be taken captive by our enemies; yea, and thou hast prospered in the land, and thou shalt also prosper.
...
Tuesday, August 9, 2016.
I dreamt I was listening to a prophet who came locally to speak, in my parents garage at our old small house. A few others were there besides me. He read the in the Bible about who could be saved and said If I was to translate this, I would say almost no one can be saved. Only those who do everything to try and keep all the commandments and save a little to contribute to the Lord; and then only a tiny amount of them, who put away everything they had and sold all in hopes of gaining access, a gl...
Sunday, August 7, 2016.
The world of the angelic hierarchy was an evolutionary stream of light in a steady-state, but the creation of Adam from matter disturbs that primordial steady-state; it generates the creative disequilibrium necessary for change, transformation, and evolution. Nothing is more awe-inspiring than an angel, nothing more seemingly unimpressive than a human being, and yet contained in that handful of dust is the signature for the entire universe of space-time. God is up to something, and not even the...
Sunday, August 7, 2016.
Humpty Dumpty sat on a wall,
Humpty Dumpty had a great fall.
All the king s horses and all the king s men
Couldn t put Humpty together again.
Humpty Dumpty is an egg representing divine primordial unity. In Vedic as well as West African Dogan cosmology the universe is an egg that shatters as it expands to begin its career of unfoldment in time. Humpty sits on a wall that defines the edge between eternity and time. We fall into time and the King is working with the angels to bring us agai...
Saturday, August 6, 2016.
When movements begin to attract a large following, they have a way of losing aesthetic integrity. They develop from ripe to soft to rotten. -William Irwin Thompson
This is exactly why I believe the deeper meanings of scriptures are kept a mystery and what I ve tried to say before, but better and more well-informed.
...
Friday, July 29, 2016.
Went to a GnR concert with my brother and his wife in Orlando Friday, July 29th. It was his fantastic idea. I had considered buying ticket in a closer state. Stayed with my brother for a couple of days. Loved the music. Had a fantastic time with everyone. He cooked me a French breakfast and made home-made root beer which was all amazing. Thank you.
For better or worse, I have not connected with any music like I have with theirs (Glenn Gould s performances have come close). I had been hoping f...
Sunday, July 24, 2016.
I owe this gem to a friend LE.
One small phrase in the Book of Mormon has been used to say that the book justifies the practice polygamy.
As it stands in the printer s copy it says:
For I, the Lord God, delight in the chastity of women. And whoredoms are an abomination before me; thus saith the Lord of Hosts. Wherefore, this people shall keep my commandments, saith the Lord of Hosts, or cursed be the land for their sakes. For if I will, saith the Lord of Hosts, raise up seed unto me, I...
Thursday, July 21, 2016.
God created man (mankind) in his own image, male and female. Male and female is the image of God.
These males and females divided two and two in the land, not one on three. While patriarchs have practiced plural wives for different reasons, Joseph taught that it was the pure, undefiled religion of Adam that we ought to seek to return.
...
Wednesday, July 20, 2016.
Name (Strong s #8034): In our modern western culture a name is nothing more than an identifier, really no different than being assigned a number. The Hebrew word for a name is ?? (shem) But, in the Ancient Hebrews culture the shem is much more than just a name it is the breath of the individual. To the Hebrews the breath is more than just the exchange of air in the lungs it is his character, the internal qualities of an individual that make him unique. This idea of the word shem meaning c...
Tuesday, July 19, 2016.
A fear to fail is as crippling as any other kind of fear. Failure gives us as much or more information than only succeeding. Failure should be redefined as not trying.
Video from Sara Blakely, Founder of Spanx
...
Monday, July 4, 2016.
My son has been reading and searching the scriptures for the past few days. He has read and sought for the welfare of people close to him. Tonight I spoke with him in the circumstances and trials he found himself. I tried to make the words of God, as I understood them, plain to his understanding and we agreed with each other and were edified and we were happy. The Lord then blessed my son. He believed the words of scripture and my words, and then I believed his.
...
Sunday, July 3, 2016.
And he shall rise the third day from the dead; and behold, he standeth to judge the world; and behold, all these things are done that a righteous judgment might come upon the children of men. (Mosiah 3:10)
Christ came in the exact likeness of the Father and demonstrated what kind of judgements God passes upon mankind. While the religious leaders were putting burdens on men s backs, Christ was removing them. He came to show the Love of God, to forgive, to teach, to lift, to show patience, to...
Sunday, July 3, 2016.
The phrase you need need not respect the messenger but you must respect the message seems scripturally to apply to Christ as well because it says those who speak a word of blasphemy against the Son should be forgiven but not those who speak blasphemy against the Holy Ghost. Also when Christ was in the earth, he said he was not that prophet, yet later an Moroni declared Christ was. Christ isn t honoring himself, he s honoring what is in him, And what is in you also. He doesn t want your prais...
Sunday, July 3, 2016.
Jeremiah 23
My thoughts on the last few verses: It is a burden (and a joy) to search out the Lord, to distinguish for oneself the submerged of truth and error, light and darkness. For those who say what burden? are placing the burden upon others who claim to know the Lord. When a person says this man can never lead me astray, they have removed their own burden of knowing the Lord, oblivious to the burden required.
...
Saturday, July 2, 2016.
While the conference center podium is in height, lower than many of the seats, it is yet high and lifted up and though, there are many which use that podium, it still only admits one, in that all the speakers offer the selfsame prayer (devotion) defer to a man they call a prophet, while denying Christ as a foolish notion of a frenzied mind—and we are exceedingly astonished.
We think we have sure promises, safe places, an unerring path to heaven, but there is only One strong enough to make...
Saturday, July 2, 2016.
The last promise of D&C 93:1-2 is that those souls who would rise up would know that I am; And that I am the true light that lighteth every man that cometh into the world;
When Enoch spoke with God, he seemed a little confused as to why heaven would weep over his vision of the future flood seeing that God is just. God revealed something about himself that opened Enoch s heart to swell wide as eternity and understand this great and last promise.
I believe at that moment Enoch understood...
Saturday, July 2, 2016.
The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. (1 Cor 15:6)
In the religious world sin is expected to be conquered during life. It is accomplished by the virtue of Christ. If this is true, then is death likewise something to be conquered in mortality, raising a telestial body to a terrestrial one?
If we do not conquer sin during our probation, it is said we will suffer eternal fire. Likewise, if we leave off conquering death in Christ until the next life in the resurrection, will we be...
Saturday, July 2, 2016.
If man is his own tormentor, and
If love is what fixes,
What person would not eventually end their suffering and accept love?
Is the promise of eventual eternal life not something earned, but something true about God s patience that is revealed?
...
Friday, July 1, 2016.
The religionists in Joseph s day were very legalistic, creed oriented, join my view or you re wrong. Visitations by God (not just Joseph s) were of the devil.
Whereas the God of heaven is interested in the individual, no matter where they are, no matter what religious errors they have. We all err in doctrine, we all offend, the best of us fall far short of the measure or rule of God, but God s love is universal.
Does this have anything to do with the mind of God when he said they were a...
Tuesday, June 28, 2016.
Korihor had a false angel appear to him, he gave him a commission to teach, the end result was putting God out of the reach of man and denying Christ. He didn t know what he was preaching, he didn t know God, but he went on pretending anyway.
But behold, the devil hath deceived me; for he appeared unto me in the form of an angel, and said unto me: Go and reclaim this people, for they have all gone astray after an unknown God. And he said unto me: There is no God; yea, and he taught me that w...
Sunday, June 26, 2016.
Ezekiel 14 and especially 20 contain some of the most interesting passages in scripture it can turn upside-down our understanding of the way God deals with mankind.
In these chapters the Lord asks Ezekiel whether he should be inquired of by a people who s hearts are on some substitute for God. He says that he will answer them according to what is in their heart, and it will be a deception and both the people and prophet will fall together.
In 20 he tells these same idolotrous Elders of Is...
Sunday, June 26, 2016.
There are many ways to interpret the scriptures, and because you ve settled on one interpretation, doesn t necessarily mean it s correct and includes all the nuances God had in mind when he gave it.
I would also add that Ezekiel 14 and 20 kind of destroys any ability to set in stone that God means and intends anything given to us by prophets, and it s only the individual s responsibility to rise and fall according to what is in their heart.
At the very least, I would refrain from using the...
Monday, June 13, 2016.
Everyone is in the orbit of Christ, he lives by virtue of his own right and provides all of us the power to live, move and breathe. He is in the sun and the power by which it was made, the moon and earth likewise. If He is meek enough to give us all the power to live according to our own wills, then everything we do is a test to see how much he really loves us, and the answer is: beyond comprehension. We will all eventually come around because as Joseph said, there is never a time when a spirit ...
Monday, June 13, 2016.
In a certain coast, there was a pass that was very trercherous to those who sailed that way. There were often many injuries and deaths, and many times due to the distance they would have to travel to get help, many died from having to wait for medical assistance. The townspeople in a nearby town were vaguely aware of the problem, but they were busy in their merchandise, and on their farms and with their families. There were a few however, who felt compassion and asked the mayor to organize the p...
Thursday, June 9, 2016.
I believe a new age is beginning. The world continues on as it always has, and in my estimation of my fellow beings, we are not much more wicked than at many other times in history. The world is full of violence, to be sure. Secret combinations are reveling in the great day of their power. Perhaps never in history before has the power of cunning men seemed to be so wide-spread and so complete. But it s going to come to an end. I believe the cries of the fatherless, the widows, the orphans, who a...
Thursday, May 12, 2016.
From Jacob Wright (5/11/2016):
In Ephesians 3, Paul the apostle writes about the mystery of the ages which has been withheld for generations past but has now been revealed, and Paul s responsibility is to make it known to the world. This is massive.
To shine a little light on the massiveness of this, let me put this in different words, Paul is saying that what all religions and philosophies have been trying to get at since the beginning of time, the revelation towards which the whole c...
Saturday, May 7, 2016.
As with all other facets of life, mankind approaches their religious beliefs without considering the implications of the Gestalt Principle of Closure and how we tend to finish something unknown with our preconceived ideas. The same is true of Bongard problems which children are able to solve, but baffle adults whose primary way of coping and making sense in the world is to fill in the missing pieces with their own beliefs.
Joseph Smith said there are angels in heaven, who desire to look into ...
Saturday, May 7, 2016.
I wonder if the terrestrial and celestial glory, with the moon and sun being representative have anything to do with the scripture that says:
That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. (Matthew 5:45)
Note that it is the Father which causes the sun to shine on all equally, regardless of their current respect or knowledge of him. And consider the moon how it is var...
Sunday, May 1, 2016.
When you worship a man or men, they can never be wrong. Their intent will always be holy, noble and virtuous. You will always justify them and put them in the right. No one can ever bring the men you worship into question, because if they do, the questioner becomes the devil in your eyes. Because of this you will continually be in darkness.
Cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh.
When you worship God, all men can be wrong, your previous beliefs can be wrong, you can cont...
Monday, April 25, 2016.
Christ said I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you.
No one knows discomfort like someone who has lost all support from depending on men for truth. Sure men and even prophets give us important truths, but no one can rely on anyone else totally. Thus *everything* comes into question, and one is left to sort it out with only imploring heaven to guide them. Cursed is he that putteth his trust in the arm of flesh, yet it feels like comfort, while trusting in God can feel like a cur...
Tuesday, April 19, 2016.
I ve often thought of forgiving as something you do so you re no longer upset or angry at someone. But I think true forgiveness, or perhaps a fulness of forgiveness is when your heart opens wide to the person that offended you. Not only is anger at them far from your mind, but love instead starts taking its place. Forgiveness is an act of union, even if it is not reciprocated. To love is to unite with the divine. This, I think, is the main reason Jesus taught that we must pray for our enemies....
Tuesday, April 19, 2016.
I woke early a couple days in a row while it was still dark, the stars were out. There were a multitude of birds singing beautiful songs, seeming to be anticipating the rising of the sun. Even the mighty and strong rooster crows and declares to man that it is time to rise, though it can feel harsh and grating to hear.
In scripture angels are often symbolized by birds. The stars represent the telestial kingdom where Satan rules. Those in his kingdom are sleeping. There is a spirit of deep slee...
Sunday, April 17, 2016.
The illusion of the whore is pretense that she really cares about you. I suspect whoredom applies to much more than just sexual or loving pretense, and that a great many men, women and primarily religionists are guilty of committing and participating in whoredoms.
Perhaps this had something to do with Joseph s statement: I love that man better who swears a stream as long as my arm yet deals justice to his neighbors and mercifully deals his substance to the poor, than the long, smooth-faced...
Wednesday, April 13, 2016.
When speaking about Lazarus, Christ used sleeping to symbolize death.
Each day our body tires, and we can no longer labor. Each night we review what happened that day and previous days and make inferences and connections. Each new day the sun rises like new life and new opportunity. We come out of a state of sleep and dreaming to rise and apply what we have learned and speculated about to reality.
All is as one day with God. What we do today is what matters.
...
Wednesday, April 13, 2016.
I was pondering a question about authority and keys a while ago, and the image that came to my mind was of a building that was whole, then the foundation cracked and a corner of it sank partially into the ground. The building cracked as well and dust rose. The building still stood, but it was broken and was no longer the same building.
...
Wednesday, April 13, 2016.
MB: Regarding the large Moab fellowship where Denver was invited, attended, and spoke, and regarding Brian Bowler s desire to have a quote general conference . I get that it s important to have fellowships to mourn with those that mourn to care for the needs of others, but you can do that in smaller groups. I m not sure what the purpose is of getting these large groups together. What does it accomplish? Does Christ come? I don t see it as being much different from what the LDS church does. The ...
Thursday, April 7, 2016.
It would seem all facets of life, truth depends on not trusting the arm of flesh, and not being afraid.
If I come to one conclusion, then I hold this conclusion s toes to the fire. I challenge it with every angle I can come up with. I am willing and eager to radically change my thoughts about something if I encounter information that gives me a more sophisticated viewpoint on the matter - or reveals variables that I had yet to take into consideration. I m seeking to find the truth, and expan...
Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
We take upon us the sins of the world, or the offenses others give us, and if we are true to what is in us, we forgive them, that they might not stand accused before God. We release them and let them go free. If, in us, is enthroned God himself, then the judge of sins is already here among all of us. If we forgive each other, and that coming from a holy place in us, then we could all live in peace, free from the fear. Where are thine accusers? If we would let perfection reign in us, then we woul...
Wednesday, April 6, 2016.
I was meditating for a short time and thought about Prasad s disapproval. The thought came to me that we fear other people s disapproval because we sense what they really are, and we do not want to be rejected by God, but what we don t realize is what is speaking or disapproving or giving offense is not God, but them taking something personally and becoming angry, which we then take personally because we wanted an intimate, trusted relationship with the divine. (A covenant or trust, perhaps) But...
Sunday, April 3, 2016.
And it came to pass that Adam, being tempted of the devil—for, behold, the devil was before Adam, for he rebelled against me, saying, Give me thine honor, which is my power; and also a third part of the hosts of heaven turned he away from me because of their agency; And they were thrust down, and thus came the devil and his angels; And, behold, there is a place prepared for them from the beginning, which place is hell.
Wherefore, I, the Lord God, caused that he should be cast out from the G...
Friday, April 1, 2016.
Think for a moment of the Name of Christ. His name was Joshua , or more correctly Yehoshua . His title was Messiah , or the Greek Christós .
Yehoshua means to deliver/rescue/save .
Messiah comes from a root meaning to smear or to paint . The shepherd in Israel carried olive oil for its antiseptic properties and salved the wounds of their sheep or themselves with this oil. It also means annointed , as in the revelation given to Moses to annoint the head of Aaron with oil.
...
Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
I m reading a book by Annalee Skarin that was written in the 50 s. She was excommunicated for it after Mark E. Petersen read the book. Far from being the deterrent it was intended to be, this has now given her writing more credence in my mind.
I have a two small complaints. The first is that she can be wordy. A lot of what she s saying could have been said in many fewer words. Some of the way she writes and thinks seems somewhat dated and can seem somewhat uncharitable, and I believe a produc...
Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
Some of the simple truths about God cannot be spoken without being profaned by becoming common, and once they are profaned and common, then the truths are no longer really described because nothing mundane describes anything about God. We reduce a thought to a set of vocabulary and God cannot be reduced. Thus the problem, and why some things are unspeakable, or indescribable.
God created man in his own image, both male and female, so if God has both of these characteristics, then the masc...
Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
I think the gospel appears complex because there are so many ways to think about anything. I believe the gospel is very simple, it often says the same things in many different ways in symbolism, but it seems to really only comes down to one thing, such that all else passes away, and that is God is Love, and that every effort, trial, teaching is to first show us that we are loved, and second to give us opportunities to have that same mind be in us. If we have a hope for glory, it is because we ha...
Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
We are to love the least, because any time there is a least in our mind, there s something wrong with our thinking. All are equal before God, and those who are pitied may be our superiors in the eternal world; who s lives were hand-crafted to give us an opportunity to improve our perspective.
See Also
On a related not, it is also interesting that it is the least or least esteemed among men that He chooses to work through. As a result, his great works of salvation often go unnotice...
Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
I believe this is true.
Below are some comments from FB.
MSB: I heard a church leader once who who was relating a story about his interaction with his son who was leaving for a mission. He told him before he left that if he didn t come back worthy, don t come back at all. I assume by worthy, he meant he didn t commit some sexual transgression. I was flabbergasted. I couldn t believe anyone would say that to their child. I know I have said things in anger that I have seriously regrett...
Thursday, March 17, 2016.
God loves all and desires to lift all. He works with everyone wherever they are. The question is where on the path we ve decided to tarry. Where have we stopped to be entertained unawares? There are angels that stand as sentinels at waypoints that guard our way, and these sentinels test our knowledge to determine if we have learned enough from our experience to progress further along the path. The tests and the distractions are for our good.
--
Our sins seem to be a result of disharmony. W...
Sunday, March 13, 2016.
From a FB convo:
MSB: It is really easy to say something has a dark sprit when it doesn t agree with our viewpoint. The darkness in most cases is the darkness in our own minds, the darkness of fear, accusation and misunderstanding. All you have to do to prove that point is look at how many things that the LDS disagree with are dark and apostate and that they speak in the spirit against it, yet in our understandings are full of light and truth. We ve brought out with us the same errors, an...
Tuesday, March 8, 2016.
Are our simple interactions with our fellow man akin to covenants? When someone interacts with us in the slightest way, a smile, a hello , do they place a trust upon us? Do they hope, even if they don t realize that they do, that they will not be spurned?
If Christ interacts with us, is he, by manifesting himself to us, placing in us a trust of life and truth, not because we raise our right arm or utter an incantation, but just by virtue of our interaction with him?
Likewise, if the least...
Wednesday, March 2, 2016.
Here is what I currently think of homosexuality. I believe God is All in all. That the earth is his footstool, that the power the birds have to sing is enabled by the power of God in each cell and atom. That any who hath seen the least of them has seen God moving in his majesty and power. I believe our sex drives are powered by Him also, after all, he spoke be fruitful and multiply but again I the Lord delight in the chastity of women. I believe the source of homosexuality can be from poor d...
Tuesday, March 1, 2016.
True Christianity is a dynamic living faith, which Paul said was not in word, but in power.
Mankind is worn out with listening to what the prophets of old said or did. And unless we can bring the power of God back to a lifeless religion, it will always be a thing of naught, and we will never see the day when we no more speak about the miracles Moses did when he brought some slaves out of Egypt.
The day will come, it just won t be us who rose to accomplish it. We seem to be content sittin...
Friday, February 26, 2016.
I feel like this is a country-club scenario all over again. I rejoiced coming out of the LDS Church, realizing that God s favor did not depend on recognition by men, and now this same privileged insider structure seems to be re-emerging.
If someone said Jesus ministered to them, I would be fine with that, we re still on equal ground, but to get special responses, lunches, audiences and mentions from someone who refuses to even answer an email is hurtful to some and feeds the ego of others.
...
Friday, February 26, 2016.
Wow, how sacrilegious is this? Beams of light emanating from a man, who is displayed as possessing the center point in a circle that belongs only to God?
Perhaps Lehi s vision should be re-written: "And being thus overcome with the Spirit, I was carried away in a vision, even that I saw the heavens open, and I thought I saw myself sitting upon his throne, surrounded with numberless concourses of angels in the attitude of singing and praising their God."
See this mormon.org video.
...
Thursday, February 25, 2016.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
His yoke, by which he freely binds himself to us is love. His burden is light, in that he is light and truth and the burden to him is that we do not comprehend it. He asks us to take this same easy yoke and burden of light.
...
Wednesday, February 24, 2016.
See Also: Masculine/Feminine: the Nature of God
We have what can be considered the Male and Female in each of us. The Male represents Knowledge, or the thinking mind. The Female represents Wisdom or the emotional body. The masculine produces thoughts, but it is not until it is planted in the hidden emotional body (the soil in which seeds are planted is dark, mysterious, hidden, as is the womb), that it sprouts and produces fruit.
Consider this, what faith is, how God exercises it:
Th...
Friday, February 12, 2016.
Rob Smith has been excommunicated. Here is his account of the proceedings.
It makes me think of the scripture where Mormon tells his son that they are [putting] down all power and authority which cometh from God; and they are denying the Holy Ghost.
I think if we really consider our situation, we, in our day, are the same as those in that day and we, as P. Kimball said, are a very war-like people, idolizing gods of iron and steel. It seems to me that we have lifted ourselves up in our ar...
Wednesday, February 3, 2016.
LHB and I watched this documentary about an Amish family that is trying to come to grips with tradition and truth.
The leaders of this sect will have a heavy burden to bear, like all who preach using God s name in vain, having not authority as they deny God s spirit to the individual. But these circumstances seem necessary to make us like Him. Will we be true to the desire within to be free despite the leaders we have developed a deference for? If we were all innocence, never having to de...
Tuesday, February 2, 2016.
MSB:
I have broken so many agreements. I started in earnest in 2004 with political matters. I continued in 2011 with primarily spiritual matters. I broke a few agreements as a child and teen, but I was bound up by many more. I broke some more in 2015 and realized, that the picture that I had in my head of God still wasn t correct.
I have had such agreements, that I only styled my hair one way for twenty years. Doing anything else didn t feel right and I agreed with the voice that said th...
Tuesday, February 2, 2016.
In the promise given of Eternal Life, or God s Life or a quality of living and abiding with The Father , the recipient is given a promise. And with that promise, the recipient is freely forgiven for the sins they might commit.
Ye shall come forth in the first resurrection; and if it be after the first resurrection, in the next resurrection; and shall inherit thrones, kingdoms, principalities, and powers, dominions, all heights and depths—then shall it be written in the Lamb's Book of Li...
Tuesday, February 2, 2016.
Haste is condemned because it is the very thing that separates us from ourselves, and from God. When we are in a hurry, we form all sorts of ideas and opinions and calculate what it will take for us to finally be accepted. This is such a problem that the scriptures say it brings pestilence. It is only in patience that we possess our souls. It is only in patience that we live in the moment as described in the sermon on the mount. Only in patience do we begin to accept the truth, and what is real ...
Monday, February 1, 2016.
What if the creation story is primarily meant to be an allegory of the drama that happens within each one of us in microcosm, with us at the center?
We eat the fruit, we fall, being buffeted by Satan. We die spiritually, being separated from the Father.
Joseph said Satan was the next heir, and he fell seeking to excel. Well, when a child is born, they could also be considered the next heir. We are authentic, pure, holy, free, full of love. Little children are godly and divine, and if they ...
Wednesday, January 27, 2016.
Elder Oaks has never and knows no one among the 12 or the First Presidency that has had angelic visitation.
Audio: Youth Fireside Talk. Archived here. (Starts at 30 minute mark)
...
Wednesday, January 20, 2016.
From a FB conversation that began January 16 at 5:13pm. I ve added what LHB and I thought were good parts of this conversation and may add more as it continues.
Tami: We already have a coat of skin...the temple to cover our soul or spirit. Think about it, it was Satan that told Adam and Eve that they were naked and that they should cover up, like it was a bad thing.
Camilla: I wonder why the endowment doesn t at some point have us rejecting the fig leaf appron that was a commandment from...
Sunday, January 17, 2016.
When Christ came, there were many things wrong with society. The Jewish nation was a serf to the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was committing atrocities against other people. The question of what was right or wrong with the outside world never came up until the Pharisees attempted to trap Jesus. His reply was dismissive. "Give the government what they want." His concern was not our external surroundings, but the individual. He was concerned about the individual and their relationshi...
Sunday, January 17, 2016.
There is a battle going on inside of us for the throne that rightfully belongs to God. His throne is in His temple. Satan sits in the temple of God, claiming he is God. He claims ownership because he is not resisted. The creeds of men, their interpretation of scripture, wherein they think they are resisting only serve to strengthen his authority. In the temple, his role is that of the accuser, accusing us day and night before God.
In the dream of the second attention, we begin to doubt: ...
Thursday, January 14, 2016.
LHB: I have a very hard time expressing myself in any coherent way over typing and social media. I want to apologize for that beforehand as I want to ask a question, or express an idea that I may not make adequately clear.
While reading Lectures on Faith I have come to understand that faith is a real substance (like maybe the plasma that holds together the universe). I feel like I am pretty comfortable with my current understanding of what faith is and is not, while also hoping that my unders...
Monday, January 11, 2016.
Previous articles in this set: The Plainness of God, Language of Condemnation, Hacking at Branches, Denying the Holy Ghost.
Most of what was revealed in D&C 19 was previously revealed by Nephi and others in the Book of Mormon.
"O the greatness of the mercy of our God, the Holy One of Israel! For he delivereth his saints from that awful monster the devil, and death, and hell, and that lake of fire and brimstone, which is endless torment." (2 Nephi 9:19)
In verse 16, Nep...
Monday, January 11, 2016.
Previous articles in this set: The Plainness of God, Language of Condemnation, Hacking at Branches.
Some instances of Eternal, Endless, Everlasting, Punishment, Torment and Damnation in the scriptures:
For behold, there is a wo pronounced upon him who listeth to obey that spirit; for if he listeth to obey him, and remaineth and dieth in his sins, the same drinketh damnation to his own soul; for he receiveth for his wages an everlasting punishment, having transgressed the law of God co...
Monday, January 11, 2016.
Previous articles: The Plainness of God, Language of Condemnation.
This is a continuation of two other articles, listed above, on the language of the scriptures, and this is yet another perspective on the subject. I don t write a series of articles. I don t plan them. I write stuff as I ponder them and feel like I gain light another, and hopefully a clearer perspective.
This article, like most, does not stand alone. I m coming from a perspective of understanding symbols in a way that s pro...
Sunday, January 10, 2016.
"Angels move from place to place by virtue of [faith]—it is by reason of it that they are enabled to descend from heaven to earth; and were it not for the power of faith they never could be ministering spirits to them who should be heirs of salvation, neither could they act as heavenly messengers; for they would be destitute of the power necessary to enable them to do the will of God." (Lectures on Faith, Lecture 7)
We all work by faith every day, whether we realize it or ...
Friday, January 8, 2016.
I think the Tree of Knowledge is a bit of a mystery, but we can examine what happened both before and after partaking of the fruit. Satan came to Adam tempting him; telling him there was something deficient about him. He refused to listen. To Eve, he said the same thing. Eve heard his saying and afterward the effect was "I am deficient, I am unloved, I am unworthy." Was partaking of the fruit believing that lie? The lie of deficiency is present both before and after partaking, but one ...
Wednesday, January 6, 2016.
I wrote this a few years ago in order to find all of the scriptures in the Qur an that justify non-defensive, religious based killing. The secondary purpose is to show that the Bible has verses which, viewed by a neutral observer, can be considered very brutal.
The conclusion I have come to, is that you can find reasons to demonize either Mulsims or Christians. Both Muslims and Christians can and do find enough poorly intrepreted verses in their own scriptures to justify brutality in the name...
Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
I am probably not going to list all the scriptural references that I'm thinking, like I have tried to in the past, because that takes extra time. But don't assume that because I don't list and explain the scriptures, that I'm not using the scriptures as a foundation and judgement for my thoughts. If you read and find what I say is unscriptural, good for you. If you see the scriptures in what I say, that's great. But be it known, that I try very hard not worry about anyone'...
Tuesday, January 5, 2016.
"This is what the Lord says—
he who made a way through the sea,
a path through the mighty waters,
“Forget the former things;
do not dwell on the past.
"See, I am doing a new thing!
Now it springs up; do you not perceive it?
"I am making a way in the wilderness
and streams in the wasteland."
—Isaiah 43:16, 18-19 NIV
...
Saturday, January 2, 2016.
I believe it is important to understand the fall better than we do, so that we can know how to rise.
In temple ceremonies of ancient times, was the Garden of Eden depicting a historical man named Adam? Is it depicting everyman? Or is depicting you?
As little children, we are born into heaven.
Suffer little children, and forbid them not, to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven. (Matthew 19:14)
...teach parents that they must repent and be baptized, and humble th...
Thursday, December 31, 2015.
"Nevertheless, it is not written that there shall be no end to this torment, but it is written endless torment. Again, it is written eternal damnation; wherefore it is more express than other scriptures, that it might work upon the hearts of the children of men, altogether for my name’s glory." (D&C 19:6-7)
I wonder if there is another key to be had here. Essentially God said "I let mankind believe this untruth, and there was a good reason for it." In another...
Friday, December 25, 2015.
And I, the Lord God, said unto mine Only Begotten: Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil; and now lest he put forth his hand and partake also of the tree of life, and eat and live forever, Therefore I, the Lord God, will send him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken; For as I, the Lord God, liveth, even so my words cannot return void, for as they go forth out of my mouth they must be fulfilled. So I drove out the man, and I placed ...
Friday, December 25, 2015.
I would encourage anyone to look carefully at this statement. You can see Denver's original blog post here: Friends and Spokesmen
I have friends who are Buddhist/Mormon or Mormon-Buddhists. They think their study of eastern mysticism gives them an advantage in enlightenment. I have had several conversations that illustrate the difficulties of a mere transcendent enlightenment experience.
In visionary encounters, friends have seen themselves as an enlightened beings, and in that role ...
Thursday, December 24, 2015.
"Humans claim to have free will, but is that really true? To have free will means that we have the power to make a choice. If we have the power to make a choice, are we really choosing to fight with our parents? Are we choosing to live a life of drama with our beloved or our children? Is that really our choice? Is it our choice to be angry or jealous? Is it our choice to say things that we dont want to say, and later feel guilty because we said this? Is it our choice to do things that we do...
Friday, December 11, 2015.
These articles were never meant to disturb anyone, least of all, family. Yet family was the very first to find them (both sides) and they found them almost as soon as the blog went up.
To prevent further judgement and condemnation, we've decided to make most future and a number of past articles private, only accessible by those with a login. I have further things to search into, and I'm not interested in having that be public.
If you're interested in continuing to read about ou...
Thursday, December 3, 2015.
Fear constructs walls, builds silos, resentments, competition, anger, contention, a feeling and need to justify. Love lets all of those go. If I forgive others their beliefs imposed on me, I can more easily forgive myself, and if one day I discover they had some truth, I can easily return to it. If you forgive me for what I believe, and are patient with me, then you will be more easily able to forgive yourself if you one day find there is some truth. Love lets you accept things freely, to take, ...
Friday, November 27, 2015.
The Gods, male and female, come together to create an intelligence, a spirit. Two coming together for the purpose of creating individual entities with freedom to choose; freedom to choose its own path, freedom to explore and blossom into what the unique Spirit of God is in them. This is the spirit of God in all, given to them either with or without their awareness.
When we come here, we are little children. We are bold and fearless and wild. As we grow, we become convinced that we are frail. ...
Tuesday, November 10, 2015.
We have contorted God s words, much like the early Christians, who fell into apostasy. We claim that because we having living prophets, we will not be led astray.
What does it mean to not be led astray? That one soul will not be lost? That all will make it back? That s a dangerous claim.
It is interesting that the claims that marked end of a previous life, are marking the end of this one.
See Also
Article: Eternal Beings
...
Tuesday, November 10, 2015.
"The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God, they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished and imprisoned the true prophets, and these had to hide themselves 'in deserts and dens, and caves of the earth,' and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, whilst they cherished, honored and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of m...
Sunday, November 8, 2015.
I think it will be increasingly important in the coming days to have your faith in the sure place. If your faith is grounded in men and the titles they claim to hold you may suffer great disappointment. There is only one sure place to put your faith, and that is in Christ.
It is interesting in that many Christians claim Biblical infallibility, but it isn't God the Father, God the Son, God the Bible. It's God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit. The Bible is a sealed book with...
Thursday, October 22, 2015.
"The truth needs to be experienced. Humans have the need to describe, to explain, to express what we perceive, but when we experience the truth, there are no words to describe it. Whoever claims, 'This is the truth,' is lying without even knowing it. We can perceive truth with our feelings, but as soon as we try to describe it with words, we distort it, and it's no longer the truth. It's our story! It's a perception based on reality that is only true for us, but still ...
Thursday, October 22, 2015.
In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. (John 14:2)
The word mansion means a staying, abiding, dwelling, abode. Perhaps more meaningfully a tabernacle . What does a tabernacle hold? Of what substance are we made and from where do we originate? Who s house is it?
In my Father's house are many tabernacles: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
Or what if we change...
Thursday, October 22, 2015.
"See that you are naked. Quick! Hide!"
This was a message of fear. At its core is the message "You're not good enough." It is this message that enables all the engines of Babylon.
If we consider ourselves respectively Adam and Eve and the Tree of Knowledge as lies, then we as curious children can come to the tree, view it, even touch the fruit and observe its operations on others. A serpent, full of poison, or the father of lies lives in the tree, owns the tree, and...
Tuesday, October 20, 2015.
LDS Newsroom: Elder Oaks Calls for Balance and Accommodation, Not Culture Wars
Oaks referenced submitting to the "highest authority" (which Mormons and the military excel at), referring to the Federal Government and Supreme Court, oblivious to the fact that the Constitution is the highest authority in the land, the people being its supreme arbiters, and that Constitution does not give authority to the Court to make any such decision.
His "great lawyerly reasoning" is ab...
Saturday, October 17, 2015.
We have been gathered, each in our own way, independently. Whether in the constitution, secret combinations, education, health, religion, each in their own way, each unaware of each other until we found that we, having been friendless and enduring alone the shame of the world have found an abundance of friends. We are all, each of us, being gathered into something.
...
Saturday, October 17, 2015.
The first step to recovering anything of value is to recognize a problem might exist. A problem can't be recognized if it is not compared against something better. In a society of murderers, for instance, killing seems normal. Willful blindness even when the better alternative is presented is another problem where our traditions and comfort blind us to what is in front of us. After these are overcome, the real difficulty finally starts. In freedom lies total responsibility, and it can be bot...
Saturday, October 17, 2015.
Siddhartha Gautama is the name of the man typically referred to as "Buddha." Buddha is a title meaning "Awakened one" or "Enlightened One"
Exact birth and death date are not know, but it is estimated he lived from 6-400 B.C. He lived in Northeastern India.
There are six deva-worlds of Kamadhatu. Tusita is able to be reached by meditation. These are three of them.
Yama
Tusita
Nirmanarati
Brahmin Lineage (High Priest, See this article where it dis...
Monday, October 12, 2015.
"Now, as you have asked, behold, I say unto you, keep my commandments, and seek to bring forth and establish the cause of Zion." (D&C 6:6)
"And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work." (D&C 4:5)
We must keep the whole thing in mind, and not make unwarranted assumptions about a single post of scripture, especially when the scripture itself doesn't justify our conclusion. We are also aware there will...
Saturday, October 3, 2015.
Conference weekend is coming up soon. We are ordering and scheduling our own family conference. Here's what's on the plate so far in no particular order. It will be updated and revised as the time approaches. A lot of this so far is focused on doing and being.
Song: Matt Maher: Because He Lives (Amen)
Todd White: Who is the Holy Spirit and why we need him?
Todd White: Healing in New York Part 1, Part 2.
Todd White: What if nobody gets healed?
Todd White: Christians who thi...
Wednesday, September 30, 2015.
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not about "Have a nice day!" These vapid, shallow memes, and the sermons which produce them seem to be the only thing we are capable of enduring. Searching the scriptures is laborious. Searching the prophets is laborious and it requires discernment. The gospel net of our minds catches the good and the bad, and the bad must be cast away.
When we talk about "rulers in heaven" it is not as the Gentiles think about "rulers" as a "be...
Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
(1-2) Open thy doors, O Lebanon, that the fire may devour thy cedars. Howl, fir tree; for the cedar is fallen; because the mighty are spoiled: howl, O ye oaks of Bashan; for the forest of the vintage is come down.
Cedars are a valued, strong, tall, evergreen, long-lived tree. "Vintage" is similar describing that which is old and valued, particularly wine. Who are the mighty? Who are the old who claim a long line of honored heritage? Who are those who will fall, but claim "...
Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
"I cut off three shepherds in one lunar cycle; for my soul became impatient of them, and their soul also loathed me." (Zechariah 11:8)
"Yerach" from Brown-Driver-Brigg's is 1. month, lunar cycle, moon. 2. A calendar month.
Notes
1. StudyLight.org, Interlinear Bible, Zechariah 11:8
...
Tuesday, September 22, 2015.
Here is some information about the lunar eclipses known as "Blood Moons". I will likely continue to ponder this and add more information as time goes on.
April 15, 2014
Total Lunar Eclipse (full moon).
Jewish Holiday: Passover, a holiday commemorating when the blood of the Lamb saved the Israelites.
Centered over western US. (full moon)
The blood moon is in the hips of the virgin. The woman travailed to bring forth the kingdom of God. In Jesus' day, it was John t...
Monday, September 21, 2015.
This is a continuation of Broken, Part 1.
I have been praying to know why we would flee from God who is Love when we didn't do what was required in mortality. Why wouldn't we want to be with that being regardless? This is the answer I received. I somewhat understood it mechanically already, but I understand it better now, personally. It is impossible to convey fully the little I understood, but this is an attempt.
God declared to the people in the New World that he no more wanted s...
Tuesday, September 15, 2015.
In my experience, the word of God does not come when trying to prove your particular religious view. It didn't come that way on my mission. I believe in this case it is absent and you wind up making a lot of foolish judgements and statements. However, if there is a disagreement, and you leave it to the Lord, He often enables information to distill upon your own mind such that you hear Him give intelligence to you in a way you hadn't thought of before. This process is refining and excitin...
Sunday, September 13, 2015.
Happy Rosh Hashanah (the Hebrew New Year) and happy Jubilee (50th year after seven sets of seven years)!
Partial solar eclipse today, and there are some amazing Auroras being photographed and posted at EarthSky s FB page.
Equinox is in ten days and blood moon in fifteen.
Photo: Lee Petersen, Fairbanks
This photo is by Jon-Eirik Boholm at Boholmphotography in Tromsø, Norway.
Notes
Jen: Hey I know where this is!!!!! hahaha! Look at those awesome sunflowers...
Sunday, September 13, 2015.
"Without the Holy Spirit, the Bible is closed. It's a sealed book.... It's not God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Bible.... Without the Holy Spirit, righteousness could never be understood."
A lot of truth in this video.
...
Sunday, September 13, 2015.
We have a tradition that we really enjoy of starting a batch of bread on Sunday mornings and having fresh loaves ready for sacrament later in the day. Freshly baked bread is so much more good and enjoyable. We don't always do it, but love to when we can, and the cooler (pre)fall weather has been inspiring today.
Bread is rising.
The bread today turned out amazing. Very light and fluffy, especially considering its whole wheat.
...
Friday, September 11, 2015.
So joining the church (my personal conversion) and recognizing truth that was found there was an association I joined as my entrance into Aaronic priesthood. It was this initial association that allowed me to be in a position such that I could gain further light and knowledge by studying by faith and that I could be in such a position that I can receive the word of God through angels, or authorized messengers. I did not find myself here of my volition alone, but I was placed where I was at ...
Thursday, September 10, 2015.
"If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him." (James 1:5)
The voice that says "shame on you, you got it wrong." is not of God. There is a right, and we do get it wrong, but God is infinitely patient.
This is a key to detect true and false spirits, to detect true and false messengers. This does not omit the possibility of rebuke, for is any of you lack wisdom and you're told wisdo...
Wednesday, September 9, 2015.
When the children of Israel were invited upon the mount with Moses, they rejected the opportunity to see the Lord face to face and receive comfort. The Lord considered their refusal and gave to them a law, which if they were to fulfill every whit, they would be justified before God without having to receive anything from Him. The law was the embodiment of the works of a righteous man. The law made all men fools before God. It illustrated what God already knew, that we are fallen, carnal, sensual...
Wednesday, September 9, 2015.
When we speak of posession by evil spirits, the dramatic posessions of the Bible come to mind, or perhaps the movie The Exorcist. And while these happen, and I believe they are a much more common occurance than our western minds are prepared to accept, I believe we are all posessed in some degree or another by evil spirits. In the temple we learn that if we do not live up to every word that has proceded out of the mouth of God, we will be in Satan's power. Guess what: none of us live up to e...
Wednesday, September 9, 2015.
I value my membership in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. I was born into this church by parents whom I love and who were faithful. They taught me the Gospel and I heard it. I attended and found many friends there, some of which have already passed away. I have had many leaders whom I loved and who loved me. I spent two years on a mission and taught about the restoration. At the beginning of that mission, I became myself (re)converted and gave my life to the Lord.
I cons...
Tuesday, September 8, 2015.
We wrest the scriputres until they are impotent, bereft of saving power. I want to give a few examples. I ll start from a known point and move on to describe how thoroughly we disarm the scriptures to support what we believe.
Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. (John 14:23)
For thousands of years almost no one had received the Second Comforter. Because no one l...
Tuesday, September 8, 2015.
The great I AM is more intelligent than they all. I could never run in His circle. My wisest speech is but unintelligible mutterings, my greatest offerings are pitifully small, Yet He condescends to my level of inability and reaches down where I am, and offers to embrace me in mercy.
Knowest thou the condescension of God?
Notes
1. This "circle" refers to the central theme in Mark Twain's Captain Stormfield's Visit to Heaven.
...
Monday, September 7, 2015.
This Hymn is sacred to me.
Matt Maher - Because He Lives (Amen)
I believe in the son
I believe in the risen one
I believe I overcome
By the power of his blood
Amen
Amen
I'm alive
I'm alive
Because [of Him]
Amen
Amen
Let my song join the one that never ends
Because [of Him]
I was dead in the grave
I was covered in sin and shame
I heard mercy call my name
He rolled the stone away
Amen
Amen
I'm alive
I'm alive
Because [of Him]
Amen
Amen
Let ...
Sunday, September 6, 2015.
Something to consider from Rebecca Sterling. Because she took down her Facebook page, I'm paraphrasing:
We must know the name that the angel told Mary to call her baby. His name is not the Greek derivation "Jesus" or the altered Hebrew "Yeshua," but Yashua. We don't say "halleluyeh," but "halleluyah." God will bend over backwards to hear you by whatever name you call him, but Satan is not bound by a false name. Some lesser demons are easily dism...
Friday, September 4, 2015.
A friend of ours has a mother who is a messianic Jew. Her mother once suggested to her the way Israelite blood can be detected. She said you can tell an Israelite by their unresting curiosity, by their asking questions and digging to understand a matter. You can tell because they don't submit to authority nor accept answers based on that mechanism. The spirit of a message carries its own authority.
I like her measurement. It may be as good or better than any. Jacob became Israel, and whil...
Wednesday, September 2, 2015.
I came up and entered as a fellow. I was taught and pondered and enlivened. I went about to please, yet something within said why please? And I thought it a good question. Why indeed? So I went about, why this, why that?
A voice said much later, please who? And I thought it a good question, and in my heart, I knew.
Well, many a year passed and my whys and whos challenged my status as fellow. I found as did Stormfield, my thoughts were returned as nonsensical, and likewise were those receiv...
Tuesday, August 25, 2015.
Just a few of the hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints.
The Spirit of God (#2)
"Ephraim be crowned with his blessing in Zion and Jesus descends with his chariot of fire."
"The visions and blessings of old are returning and angels are coming to visit the earth"
"The Lord is extending the Saints understanding"
"The knowledge and power of God are expanding"
We identify with Ephraim and these great blessings. We are Saints! Our unde...
Tuesday, August 25, 2015.
Alma teaches the poor Zoramites:
"And Alma said unto them: Behold, ye have said that ye could not worship your God because ye are cast out of your synagogues. But behold, I say unto you, if ye suppose that ye cannot worship God, ye do greatly err, and ye ought to search the scriptures; if ye suppose that they have taught you this, ye do not understand them.
"Do ye remember to have read what Zenos, the prophet of old, has said concerning prayer or worship? For he s...
Saturday, August 8, 2015.
I was sustained by seven women (including my wife) on Monday April 20, 2015. Since that time I had been unable to feel like I had authority and so I just kind of gave up the quest and let people know that it wasn't happening for me, and least right now, and I put it out of my mind, because it was a kind of painful thing for me to think about.
The other day I was writing an article about Paul's statement to the Ephesians when he said there was "one Lord, one faith, one baptism&quo...
Wednesday, August 5, 2015.
The 1914 Germans were portrayed as monsters by the owners of the American media in order to get them to rally-round-the-flag and participate in a war that had nothing to do with our country, against a people that were, by their behavior in the Christmas truce, better Christians than us.
Everyone is disposed to pre-judge, to say their enemy is a monster. This doesn't just have to do with war, but all facets of life.
If someone disagrees with us we tend to bring up pictures in our head o...
Tuesday, August 4, 2015.
When Christ came in the meridian of time, he was preceded by John. He shared his first dispensation in the meridian of time with John. Christ lauded the work John performed which no one was aware of until Joseph revealed it. He said "Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist." No one talks about the dispensation of John, yet he had a dispensation. With John was the oracles and the kingdom. We are on the edge of another of Christ's dispe...
Sunday, July 26, 2015.
To the church in Ephesus Paul taught:
There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism, One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. (Ephesians 4:4-7)
Surely it is true. There is only one Lord, one faith, one baptism, yet are the pictures we form in our head of what this means accurate? Is the L...
Saturday, July 25, 2015.
Plato's Allegory of the Cave illustrates well the predicament we find ourselves in.
Here is a synopisis from Wikipedia:
Imprisonment in the Cave
Socrates begins by asking Glaucon to imagine a cave where people have been imprisoned from childhood. These prisoners are chained so that their legs and necks are fixed, forcing them to gaze at the wall in front of them and not look around at the cave, each other, or themselves (514a–b). Behind the prisoners is a fire, and betw...
Thursday, July 23, 2015.
From The Hunger Games: Catching Fire
President Snow: I have a problem, Miss Everdeen. A problem that began the moment you revealed those poisoned berries in the arena. If that Head Game-Maker Seneca Crane had any brains at all, he would've blown you to bits, then and there. But here you are. I expect you can guess where he is.
Katniss Everdeen: Yes, I think so.
President Snow: Well, after that fiasco, there was nothing left to do but let you play out your little scenario. [Smiles]...
Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
I find it incredible that I, being 700 miles away, a person of no position, rank or authority is thought a character sufficient enough to attract the attention of the great ones of one of the most numerous and popular sects such that they drive around house-to-house warning people about us.
How shallow, how weak, how devoid of anything other than position, keys and authority, as they suppose, is their method of persuasion. I am no one. I know nearly nothing. I am trying to figure out the gosp...
Wednesday, July 22, 2015.
So there are some who are esteemed by position who would like you to never talk to me or LHB because they view what we have to say as toxic waste.
If that s the counsel you want to follow, I hold no hard feelings, though I am not immune to feelings of rejection.
I hope one day we are able to overcome all misunderstandings and allow others to search and tolerate differences without treating each other like trash.
...
Tuesday, July 21, 2015.
"We believe that a man must be called of God, by prophecy, and by the laying on of hands by those who are in authority, to preach the Gospel and administer in the ordinances thereof." (Article of Faith 5)
If a man is to be called of God by prophecy, what is prophecy? If a man has the spirit of prophecy, is he a prophet? How did John define the spirit of prophecy? John said:
"the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." (Revelation 19:10)
If someone has ...
Friday, July 17, 2015.
This is a copy of an article written by Daymon Smith:
If you read a bit on what has been said by LDS authorities about Apostles, you’ll find many explanations and interpretations of what, exactly, they have witnessed and are to “witness” or testify of. Recently, a Correlation-driven phrase (publicly taught by Correlation managers in the 1990s) drawn from D&C 107 has been defined by Dallin Oaks in the Boise Rescue of Apostates Unnamed.
Apostles are witnesses of...
Sunday, July 12, 2015.
The devil knows many signs but does not know the sign of the Son of Man, or Jesus. No one can truly say he knows God until he has handled something, and this can only be in the Holiest of Holies. (Joseph Smith, WJS)
Satan at one time stood in the presence of God.
I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. (Luke 10:18)
And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their...
Saturday, July 11, 2015.
Two days ago on Thursday July 9th, we watched to some of Todd White s videos. One of the things he said struck me.
If we would press into this and see the reality of Jesus on the tree; see He was crucified for my offenses, right? But before. Anyone that saw the movie The Passion , a lot of Christians won t watch it because they re like It s too gross, I can t watch it. You need to watch it, you need to tape your eyelids open because the Bible says that it was much worse than that. I...
Tuesday, June 30, 2015.
An interesting thought from Adrian Larsen: "Right on schedule, the Lord has written his testimony again in the heavens. If you look in the Western sky tonight just after dark, you’ll see Jupiter and Venus joined together as one, just above the horizon, sitting on the paw of Leo, the lion. Jupiter and Venus are the second and third brightest objects in the night sky. Jupiter is named for the King of gods, and Venus is named for the goddess of love and beauty. Joined together, male and ...
Monday, June 29, 2015.
Humans are infinitely complex creatures. We were created by an eternal being. To say You may ask questions. and then to proscribe the the list of acceptable and unacceptable questions, and even go so far as to give the acceptable and unacceptable answers to those questions is slavery in the extreme. It is arrogance in the extreme. It ascribes omniscience to those who apply it, and having done so, they expect to be worshipped.
Notes
1. Let no man deceive you by any means; for there ...
Monday, June 29, 2015.
Loving all means we understand like Alma who in the pains of eternal torment realized the precarious position we are all in (Mosiah 27, 28). It doesn't mean accepting sin. It is not loving to say there is no sin where there is sin. It is not loving to neglect to warn others of the consequences of sin. Love in its truest sense, means we desire that no soul should perish, that we kindly look upon all and do all within our power—not with rancor or cajoling or argument—but to have su...
Monday, June 29, 2015.
"These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me." (John 16:1-3)
We read this scripture in Gospel Doctrine yesterday and it was poignant to me. Jesus was about to be betrayed and murdered. Not thinking of himself, he knew what troubles lay ahead ...
Saturday, June 27, 2015.
Joseph on discerning where the kingdom of God may be found: "Where there is a prophet, a priest, or a righteous man unto whom God gives his oracles, there is the kingdom of God; and where the oracles are not, there the kingdom of God is not."
Christ likewise identified a key: "Wheresoever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together." I believe the correct interpretation of this is that the eagles are the angels and the body is the body or followers of Christ....
Friday, June 26, 2015.
"But great and marvelous are the works of the Lord, and the mysteries of his kingdom which he showed unto us, which surpass all understanding in glory, and in might, and in dominion; Which he commanded us we should not write while we were yet in the Spirit, and are not lawful for man to utter; Neither is man capable to make them known, for they are only to be seen and understood by the power of the Holy Spirit, which God bestows on those who love him, and purify themselves before him; To ...
Thursday, June 25, 2015.
"And now I...write a few of the words...concerning faith, hope, and charity...Wherefore, I would speak unto you that are of the church, that are the peaceable followers of Christ, and that have obtained a sufficient hope by which ye can enter into the rest of the Lord, from this time henceforth until ye shall rest with him in heaven." (Moroni 7:1-3)
Hope is greater than belief, it is greater than strong faith by which it is said we behold angels. Hope, or a promise of a substa...
Sunday, June 21, 2015.
June 21 2015 is the Summer Solstice, the longest day of the year. The day with the most sunlight. In Maryville, TN we will have14h 35m 7s of sunlight. Solar noon occurrs at 1:37pm.
Last night a friend texted me a photo of a configuration of Venus, Jupiter and the Moon. With another friend we chatted about what this sign or symbolism might mean. Here are some thoughts.
Noon at the Summer Solstice is a symbol of the "Perfect Day". (D&C 50:24, Proverbs 4:18-19)
Part o...
Sunday, June 14, 2015.
Number of witnesses of the coming financial collapse.
1. Rabbi Cahn and the Shemitah. We are in a Shemitah year which by itself is foreboding, and if his analysis is correct, the end of September begins the year of Jubilee (every 49 years or 7 x 7), a great or terrible time for a nation that rejects God as their ruler. In addition, the ending of this Shemitah year coincides with the ending of the blood moons, which I believe is a judgement upon false religion and our nation.
2. Mena Grebin...
Sunday, May 24, 2015.
This is both intriguing and disturbing to me.
3. Is made to represent God, sitting upon his throne, clothed with power and authority; with a crown of eternal light upon his head; representing also the grand Key-words of the Holy Priesthood, as revealed to Adam in the Garden of Eden, as also to Seth, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and all to whom the Priesthood was revealed.
Like...
Friday, May 15, 2015.
I ve really enjoyed everything I ve heard so far from Mena Lee Grebin.
In Moroni 6 it states their meetings were conducted by the church after the manner of the workings of the Spirit, and by the power of the Holy Ghost; for as the power of the Holy Ghost led them whether to preach, or to exhort, or to pray, or to supplicate, or to sing, even so it was done.
In other words, the Lord s spirit conducted their meetings. He was their order.
We talk about a house of order. I think as pro...
Sunday, May 10, 2015.
So while we haven t been able to go to the temple for the last couple years, we ve been living the things that it teaches in the temple. While others have been content to limit their experience to sitting in a climate controlled movie theater assuming they receive the blessings by receiving only the symbol, the map, we ve been cast out of the temple, but living the temple experience. Living it is the very reason why we been cast out. We are considered poor blind and naked but we like Adam have f...
Saturday, May 2, 2015.
Having a loose association of fellowship with people of a variety of true and false beliefs is not convenient. It is not comfortable, safe or broad. It does not bring an authoritative set of beliefs where one can easily see and determine what is true and what is false. We must rely on the Lord and the Lord alone to bring to pass his "strange act". The Lord, in his description of this said on that day, all idols must be thrown down so that truth could come forth. The...
Saturday, May 2, 2015.
For the preparation wherewith I design to prepare mine apostles to prune my vineyard for the last time, that I may bring to pass my strange act, that I may pour out my Spirit upon all flesh--But behold, verily I say unto you, that there are many who have been ordained among you, whom I have called but few of them are chosen. They who are not chosen have sinned a very grievous sin, in that they are walking in darkness at noon-day. (D&C 95:4-6)
Here God is saying that He is designing to d...
Thursday, April 30, 2015.
I m going to make the assumption that red wine is an acquired taste for nearly everyone. Perhaps that is a symbol. Keeping God s commandments is offensive when first attempting it, but it becomes an acquired taste. It begins to become delicious to the soul.
Casual drinking of wine is advised against in the Word of Wisdom. Perhaps this profane use is a mockery of the purpose to which it has been ordained because it dilutes this symbolism.
In the two instances demonstrated in the Book o...
Tuesday, April 28, 2015.
We humans abuse one another on a regular basis. We often see this as little stuff. This is something that Satan desires and facilitates. This abuse, if allowed, imprisons both the abuser and the one doing the abuse and it wastes precious time in lower realms when our souls should be free and seeking, hearing and doing what our God asks.
Let me give you an example. A husband is unhappy with something his wife did. Her action was not meant as an offense. The husband becomes angry, but...
Tuesday, April 28, 2015.
For lunch today, I practiced the first two movements of Beethoven's Piano Sonata # 15. I yet play it very poorly. It is such a beautiful piece put onto paper by this composer. I have been trying a new technique to practicing. This technique involves feeling the music—the notes as they are played, hearing the sounds the combinations and the waveforms as they combine and vibrate in beautiful harmony. I have always played because it was enjoyable, but often, practicing becomes mechanical,...
Tuesday, April 14, 2015.
The spirit and the body shall be reunited again in its perfect form; both limb and joint shall be restored to its proper frame, even as we now are at this time; and we shall be brought to stand before God, knowing even as we know now, and have a bright recollection of all our guilt. (Alma 11:43)
Brethren and sisters, this represents the telestial kingdom, or the world in which we now live. (Temple Endowment Ceremony)
If we inherit Telestial glory, and a Telestial redemption is ...
Saturday, April 11, 2015.
Coming to the God of Truth is a fearful process, because in this kingdom Satan has declared there are none who dare to molest or make afraid. He rules from the rivers to the ends of the earth. God is not the author of fear but is liberal to all those who wonder and ask. We keep ourselves from him because truth is toxic to us. In our fallen state truth burns. We feel it is harmful and we are afraid. We keep ourselves from God by what we are willing to receive of Him.
But if we receive it, litt...
Wednesday, April 8, 2015.
"...and he doeth nothing save it be plain unto the children of men." (2 Nephi 26:33)
After Joseph and Oliver's baptism they were able to attain to hidden mysteries:
"Our minds being now enlightened, we began to have the scriptures laid open to our understandings, and the true meaning and intention of their more mysterious passages revealed unto us in a manner which we never could attain to previously, nor ever before had thought of." (JSH 1:74)
They said ...
Sunday, April 5, 2015.
I really enjoyed Dieter Uchdorf's talk in the church's priesthood session tonight. It goes so contrary to all the other talks, sound-bites and press releases. I hope they make the video available such that I can share it here. It would not do it justice to read it and miss all the other non-verbal expressions. This is not the first talk of his I've heard of his that has been light-filled.
Meanwhile, the standard stance is taken by Quentin Cook:
"Some have asserted that m...
Sunday, March 29, 2015.
"Brethren and sisters, this represents the telestial kingdom, or the world in which we now live."
"Now, verily I say unto you, that through the redemption which is made for you is brought to pass the resurrection from the dead. And the spirit and the body are the soul of man. And the resurrection from the dead is the redemption of the soul." (D&C 88:14-16)
A Telestial resurrection is when we are born into a mortal tabernacle. The Telestial glory is the priv...
Friday, March 20, 2015.
Moses:
And I, God, said: Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven, to divide the day from the night, and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years; And let them be for lights in the firmament of the heaven to give light upon the earth; and it was so. (Moses 2:14-15)
Abraham:
But the records of the fathers, even the patriarchs, concerning the right of Priesthood, the Lord my God preserved in mine own hands; therefore a knowledge of the beginni...
Monday, March 16, 2015.
LHB: According to my very limited understanding of feminism, or how it began in the Latter-Day Saint church and in my readings of Margaret Toscano and Janice Allred, her sister, is that Joseph Smith very much believed in a priesthood of women, and in the same true equality of women where we were priestesses to God and not priestesses to men. So basically in my understanding of feminism, with those two women, and what I like about it and agree with (and so want to seek it out), is a way for women...
Sunday, March 15, 2015.
We are, as Abinadi said, carnal, sensual and devilish beings. The brother of Jared stated that our natures have become evil continually. The Garden gave each of us a reprieve from our master. Because of the lamb we are reclaimed; born innocent, guiltless, pure and beautiful. We fall, but the Lord continues to strive with us wicked beings. He sends rain on the just and unjust. We always think it's those "other" people who are wicked or unjust, however I believe there are few, if any...
Sunday, March 15, 2015.
In case no one has told you, homosexual feelings are not ok. It is not ok to lust after the same sex, just as it is not ok to have adulterous thoughts, nor thoughts of fornication, nor are my own sinful thoughts nothing to worry about.
"And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then ...
Thursday, March 12, 2015.
I would enjoy nothing more in life, than to see those, whom I am thankful to call my friends, who have seen and endured abuses all around us, to see past the mess we have made of things, and see what was original. To see the truth of it. To see if there is a great treasure to be had in what many have called evil. It is what I seek myself, all other concerns falling away. I would rejoice to be there, if I made it, with my brother. I rejoice in my brother anyway and believe all misunderstandings w...
Thursday, March 12, 2015.
The Constitution was established by God. The means by which this came to pass was brought about was by the suffering of men through the ages. Some of these men asked why. They were inspired, each as to a part as to the remedies to this suffering. Each one receiving a part of the whole, some receiving more than others because of their diligence, faithfulness, self-inspection and charity toward others. The founding fathers were similar men. They were the recipients, by their diligence to sacred wr...
Monday, March 9, 2015.
I stole this from BH. I thought this was an awesome picture that I thought looked like a phoenix, born of the tribulation of fire, rising from the deaths to dwell in everlasting burnings. Looked at the opposite way, perhaps it is the head of one of the horses powering the chariot of Elijah.
...
Sunday, March 8, 2015.
The Savior s warning about false prophets who are ravening wolves in sheep s clothing is not so much a commentary about the viciousness of the one wearing the costume, so much as it is that they have no business wearing the costume and pretending to be something they re not.
We watch nature films and look upon the wild ferociousness with horror, yet we are greater devourers of men s lives than animals are of each other. The reason we don t see the animal in ourselves is because of how good ...
Friday, February 27, 2015.
I want you both to know I love the restored Gospel and have a testimony of it, though we may have a different understanding on some things. I hope to not cause you guys any heartache over it. The Lord has designed our lives such that we have relationships with family and friends that we treasure. He wants to know what we are willing to lose in order to find Him—to obtain grace. Our ancestors gave up a lot to be enabled to search their way to finding and pleasing that being who created them. It h...
Thursday, February 19, 2015.
Knowledge saves a man; and in the world of spirits no man can be exalted but by knowledge. (Joseph Smith, HC 14:15)
A man is saved no faster than he gets knowledge, for if he does not get knowledge, he will be brought into captivity by some evil power in the other world, as evil spirits will have more knowledge, and consequently more power than many men who are on the earth. Hence it needs revelation to assist us, and give us knowledge of the things of God. (Joseph Smith, HC 4:34)
...
Sunday, February 15, 2015.
Tonight I was praying in gratitude, and for the blessing of myself and others when these thoughts came to me.
In 1830 the Lord called the church true and living. By 1832 the Lord stated that the church is condemned, yet the fulness continued until at least March of 1835. By 1841 the Lord said He had taken the fullness of the priesthood away from the church and the Lord threatened to reject us because of our indifference to what he offered.
The church is the church and it has preserved...
Wednesday, February 11, 2015.
These are some of my thoughts on the endowment. I will not reveal anything here that I have covenanted not to reveal.
Consider yourself respectively, Adam and Eve
To understand the blessings in the endowment, we are told that we all must consider ourselves Adam and Eve respectively. Adam and Eve are saved beings. They fell, they struggled through apostasy to obtain true messengers, and to ultimately, in their mortal bodies, again be in the presence of God. We too, each struggle through apo...
Tuesday, February 10, 2015.
Before I begin my next article, I wanted to write a personal note. I ve had a dry spell for a few reasons. I started to become confident in myself. I started to use my knowledge to abuse the feelings of others. I started to glory in myself, and not glory in the Lord. I hastened to write but did not hasten to wait on the Lord. I was not slow of speech. The beast took the opportunity to deceive and dig his claws in. I was left to myself. Only with the understanding I have now, being left to myself...
Wednesday, February 4, 2015.
I don't watch the news. I don't have time to fret about what one secret combination is doing against another. I don't have time to keep up with al Qaeda being transformed into an new threat ISIS/ISIL, because al Qaeda was exposed as a CIA fraud. I don't have time to worry about the geopolitical neo-colonialism of the Anglos and the Slavs. Live your fantasies, be afraid. Kill your neighbor. If that's what you want to do, you can find plenty of reasons handed to you on a silver...
Monday, January 26, 2015.
The greatest trouble I have seen with myself and others lies in understanding how to hear the voice of the Lord, how to get an answer from Him. How to distinguish between the voices we hear. This was my trouble for years as I searched for Him.
His voice is definitely a still small voice. It steals into you and back out almost imperceptibly. If it is neglected, it is easy to completely forget about it, and then wonder if you ever really heard that voice at all. This is intentional on God s par...
Saturday, January 24, 2015.
God is love.
Because God is love, God gives freedom to all. Freedom, and even encouragement of thought, expression, discovery, knowledge, intelligence and experience.
Because God is love, he desires all to be possessors of all that he has. (The glory of God is intelligence, or light and truth.) To gain knowledge by degrees. To accept principles because they believe them and love them. To reject principles so they can gain experience of the happiness or misery of those results, so they can ...
Monday, January 19, 2015.
Who could understand the pathos of the Lord as he spoke these words? None but those who have been rejected, outcast, belittled, excoriated or accused like he was. It was one thing to be accused of working by the power of the devil by a bunch of self-righteous Pharisees. This itself is not easy. It takes a toll on the heart any time you are rejected or condemned by another person, but among his little band of outcasts? Would he be an outcast of outcasts? He must have feared that they too, these n...
Monday, January 19, 2015.
This is a question that has occupied my attention for several weeks, upon which, I have yet to come to an understanding. I have not been blessed with an answer, but I have been blessed with the ability to refine my questions.
If the Father is a "personage of spirit, glory and power" and the Son is a "personage of tabernacle" and,
If a tabernacle is something, that in Moses' day was temporarily set up and taken down again, is that what a tabernacle is? Not something ...
Wednesday, January 7, 2015.
I talked with LHB this morning about Down Syndrome, she was recently added to a new Facebook group where she saw many difficult problems some people with DS have, as her news feed was filled with various problems other mothers are facing. She was wept over their plight and said how she understood how the Savior must have been moved with compassion and wanted to heal all. She said how she wants to help others and JMB in every way she can, but she doesn t want to make DS her life.
I suggested, ...
Tuesday, January 6, 2015.
Knowledge of or about?
Isaiah 11 LDS chapter heading:
The stem of Jesse (Christ) will judge in righteousness—The knowledge about God will cover the earth in the Millennium—The Lord will raise an ensign and gather Israel
Isaiah 11:9
They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.
In what is a seemingly minor mistake is the knowledge and attitude of the LDS compilers, authorit...
Tuesday, January 6, 2015.
Then came certain of the elders of Israel unto me, and sat before me. And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their heart, and put the stumblingblock of their iniquity before their face: should I be inquired of at all by them?
Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and putteth the stumblingblock of his iniquity before his face, an...
Saturday, December 27, 2014.
This is a continuation of the article I started here on Baptism.
I was continuing my reading of Removing the Condemnation tonight, and I came across yet more rich meaning in the symbolism of Baptism that I had not thought of. While my understanding came in reference to "grace" (a condition to which I yet need to obtain), Denver hinted at an understanding is far more reaching, in that it embraces "grace to grace". It embraces not only that we must become sons of God, but th...
Friday, December 26, 2014.
Taking ideas and putting them into words is a translation process, much like translating a foreign language. Likewise taking words and turning them into our thoughts is a translation process. We map thoughts into words and then someone takes our words and maps them into their thoughts. This is a dangerous process because our map (mostly in adults) consists of many preconceived ideas of what things mean and we can we mis-translate the intent. One person can read an old book and they can take the ...
Thursday, December 25, 2014.
I m grateful that I could buy a few things for my kids, surprise them and bring them excitement and joy. Not sure it s the best way to celebrate Christ s birth, but I love those little people.
Here we are at a live radio production of A Christmas Carol at the Vienna Coffee House in Maryville on the 16th.
Here s a few of them waiting to come into the room.
We did it slightly more orderly this year. Each person got a present and then they all unwrapped.
JMB inspects CEB...
Tuesday, December 23, 2014.
Is there an opportunity cost to heaven? Does the law of sacrifice require that you give up one thing in order to obtain another? Why is mortality important? Does mortality give us an opportunity to choose? If so, then why does it? Mortality gives us a brief opportunity to only be able to focus on only one thing at a time. That which we choose to focus on, also informs what we have chosen to ignore. This mortal time we have is a great blessing.
If sacrifice is a law, then what sacrifice? Will ...
Friday, December 19, 2014.
Ok, I drink wine for sacrament, but I don t like it. Beer is where it s at for me. This list is a start that I intend to keep this updated. Tastes may change, some may rise, stars may fall. We ll see...
Note
I has pictures here before, but as it took a lot of time to keep up with them and the specialized formatting, I ve opted to simplify this in favor of adding more details, memories, tastes, etc. Also, the icon in front of beers , , (up, down, neutral) are whether I d like to try this ...
Wednesday, December 17, 2014.
"When the Lord hung on the cross, and the sun was darkened at noon, if you had looked up in the sky to see what was overhead, you would see the sacrificial sheep in the pattern of the stars; what we call Aries today. Proceeding forth from under the forefoot of Aries, we have renamed it “the bands of Pisces,” but it should be more appropriately rendered as the net of Pisces. Because from under the fore leg of the Lamb, was cast out a net. This is the New Testament pattern or ch...
Wednesday, December 17, 2014.
"And I do this that I may prove unto many that I am the same yesterday, today, and forever; and that I speak forth my words according to mine own pleasure. And because that I have spoken one word ye need not suppose that I cannot speak another; for my work is not yet finished; neither shall it be until the end of man, neither from that time henceforth and forever. Wherefore, because that ye have a Bible ye need not suppose that it contains all my words; neither need ye suppose that I...
Monday, December 15, 2014.
Do I believe Denver Snuffer is a prophet? Yes, because I've spent hundreds of hours reading his books. I've spent hundreds more pondering them and weighing them in the balance of the scriptures and words of Joseph Smith and asking the Lord if it was correct and I received the Holy Ghost, and the Holy Spirit showed me things about his message, and two other people receive the same witness at the same time with me.
As a result I have glorious views and much to repent of.
How many hou...
Sunday, December 14, 2014.
We claim the privilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the dictates of our own conscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them worship how, where, or what they may. —11th Article of Faith
I did not like the old man being called up [in a church court] for erring in doctrine. It looks too much like the Methodist, and not like the Latter-day Saints. Methodists have creeds which a man must believe or be asked out of their church. I want the liberty of thinking and believi...
Wednesday, December 10, 2014.
I despaired because I am a fool and sought diligently that I might be qualified to teach my children that they would not be cast off because of my failings. And because of the reception of the Holy Ghost, I can invite them to ponder upon a few things of eternity God has pierced me with.
Perhaps with my whims, our dreams and visions, we might be saved together. Perhaps I might be an instrument in the Lord's hand as a means of salvation for myself and a few.
I came and sought for a stone...
Wednesday, December 10, 2014.
"It is also written in your law, that the testimony of two men is true. I am one that bear witness of myself, and the Father that sent me beareth witness of me." (John 8:17-19)
There are two witnesses. Jesus testified that he was one, and that the Father is the other. The Father because he is the word. The Son because he attained unto the word. The Son showed it is possible and it is the testimony of Jesus, in other words, the works of God demonstrate to us what is required...
Wednesday, December 10, 2014.
One of the things that I understood when I received a witness in September, is that there is no need to panic regarding the salvation of my children. I desperately have wanted my children to not make the same mistakes as me. I feared my own weakness and in my shame, I sought to change the environment around my children so that they would not come into contact with the pollutants of the world. My motivation was fear and shame. "See, you are naked! Quick! Hide!"
Society is in a consta...
Sunday, December 7, 2014.
Today we had sacrament and read D&C 67. It talked about how some in the church were not happy with the language or simple it was or repetitiveness of the revelations they were combining into the 1831 Book of Commandments. These men complained, but had no revelation of their own, knew not God themselves. God was patient with them. God said in verse ten that they had as great a privilege as their brethren. Joseph was not trying to set up a dictatorship. He wanted all to know God, but t...
Tuesday, December 2, 2014.
We are not the Remnant, just as the LDS church is not Zion.
We chose the title of this blog purosefully. It is mean to convey to ourselves and others that we are not inhabitants of Zion. We are striving for Zion, we hope to one day be able to dwell in the presence of the Lord, but we are not there yet.
It's important that we steadfastly remember where we are currently situated, because if an incorrectly applied vocabulary convinces us that we've achieved somet...
Friday, November 28, 2014.
When Christ comes the scriptures say the wicked will be burned. Who will burn? Who will do the burning? How will we be burned?
When Christ comes the scriptures say He will destroy the wicked. Will the wicked judge themselves? Will their torment be as a lake of fire and brimstone? When Christ who ministers to those in a terrestrial glory comes through the veils of heaven and telestial beings cannot and wish not to abide his presence, will they continue in a telestial kingdom? Will ...
Saturday, November 22, 2014.
For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works. (Paul, 2 Cor 11:12-15)
And now, when Moses had said these words, Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, w...
Friday, November 21, 2014.
Why questions? In a previous post I said this.
I hope you ll be patient with me as I ask questions. There are a couple reasons for this method. The first is it allows you to ask and answer yourself. Asking is something I think we ve lost. Asking is something that has helped me to receive answers from the Lord. Asking your own questions may lead you to a much greater understanding than I know myself or could have written. Questions allow me to ponder without pontificating which allows pride...
Tuesday, November 18, 2014.
This is a talk I gave five years ago (12/13/2009) in my ward in Valrico, FL. I was asked to speak on a Christmas Hymn. I chose Silent Night. I found this and it has fallen into disuse all this time, and its worthy of dusting off, not because of anything I add to it, but because of what happened.
Silent Night
The hymn I chose to speak on today is originally an Austrian song called Silent Night.
Ten years ago today, late in December of 1999, a group of nine friends wearing makeshift...
Monday, November 17, 2014.
"And so great was the faith of Enoch that he led the people of God, and their enemies came to battle against them; and he spake the word of the Lord, and the earth trembled, and the mountains fled, even according to his command; and the rivers of water were turned out of their course; and the roar of the lions was heard out of the wilderness; and all nations feared greatly, so powerful was the word of Enoch, and so great was the power of the language which God had given him." (M...
Saturday, November 15, 2014.
My oldest four and I started playing Swords and Wizardry (an old-school Dungeons and Dragons variant) about a year ago. I m the DM for the game we play since I had some experience playing as a teenager. I found it very difficult to let myself be creative at my age and with the cares and troubles that occupy my attention, and it was difficult further because my oldest son MSBJ just as in life, is a bit of a rules lawyer, so we often wind up spending a lot of time doing nothing but arguing over t...
Friday, November 14, 2014.
"And it came to pass that he said unto them: Behold, here are the waters of Mormon (for thus were they called) and now, as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another’s burdens, that they may be light; Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even...
Friday, November 14, 2014.
"And it shall come to pass, that if the Gentiles shall hearken unto the Lamb of God in that day that he shall manifest himself unto them in word, and also in power, in very deed, unto the taking away of their stumbling blocks—And harden not their hearts against the Lamb of God, they shall be numbered among the seed of thy father; yea, they shall be numbered among the house of Israel; and they shall be a blessed people upon the promised land forever; they shall be no more brought dow...
Wednesday, November 12, 2014.
I had a dream a few nights ago that I was attending a future general conference broadcast in a ward building. President Monson was speaking, but his jokes were falling flat. He threw something into the audience as another kind of joke and people looked at him strangely. He then began weeping and said that a quarter of a million members are leaving the church. I got the sense he had no idea what to do about it. I felt very sad for him. My mother in law turned and looked at me and my w...
Monday, November 10, 2014.
What is an harlot? What false form do they sell? What kind of union is had with an harlot? Does it have any lasting value or commitment? Does it bear any fruit? What does the harlot value and get in return for the false union?
What is the true union? What does it represent? What of lasting value is obtained from this union, and what fruit does it bear? What plain and precious truths about this union have been lost, hidden, tucked away, rejected? What is the fulness of the Gospel? What is it a...
Friday, November 7, 2014.
The Holy Spirit
The Light of Christ
The Holy Ghost
The Holy Spirit of Promise
These are important terms. It is important to understand them correctly if we desire to exercise faith unto salvation. An incorrect understanding causes us to doubt, a correct understanding brings enough hope and life and dispels darkness Satan would prefer we stay under.
It is sacred enough that it should not be spoken casually, or turned into just another set of vocabulary terms. I won't say all I have c...
Friday, November 7, 2014.
Tonight LHB and I were on our regular Friday evening raw milk pickup and at the last minute decided to dine at the Smoky Mountain Brewery.
I disliked beer for a while until I could taste it s subtleties. SMB was actually the first brew I tried a couple years ago when we lived in our Knoxville apartment. I ve tried a few since then and found some that I liked, and a number that I didn t. I was a little hesitant tonight, going back after a couple years. What if it s a waste and the beer ...
Friday, November 7, 2014.
Light and understanding was difficult to come by, but once it came and I recognized it, it has gradually increased and flowed more and more according to the diligence and sacrifice I have given to the Lord for the excellency of the knowledge of Him, and for that, I rejoice.
"That which is of God is light; and he that receiveth light, and continueth in God, receiveth more light; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day." (D&C 50:24)
Many questions I&#...
Thursday, November 6, 2014.
A description in D&C 76 of those who will inherit Telestial Glory:
And the glory of the telestial is one, even as the glory of the stars is one; for as one star differs from another star in glory, even so differs one from another in glory in the telestial world; For these are they who are of Paul, and of Apollos, and of Cephas. These are they who say they are some of one and some of another—some of Christ and some of John, and some of Moses, and some of Elias, and some of Esaias, and some of...
Wednesday, November 5, 2014.
The Dream
We were walking through a field, there was tall grass and my six kids were with me (apparently MSB and JMB were not there). As we were walking, suddenly we saw a large healthy man. He was walking in front of us, crossing our path. We knew it was impossible for him to be walking because we somehow knew he was already dead. There on the ground in the grass was where his dead body had for some time previous been rotting and decaying into the earth. We could see the outline of where...
Tuesday, November 4, 2014.
So if we live in a telestial kingdom now, is it not because this is the highest kingdom to which we have ever belonged? If we had achieved a higher before, depending on how high, would we not shake off this kingdom faster as did Joseph Smith? Joseph lived a celestial law in an inferior kingdom to which he was sent to teach us until he was released from his condescension. Christ lived the law perfectly from birth.
Do we belong to this low place where we share space with devils beca...
Thursday, October 30, 2014.
Satan rules by fear. The intention and result of this scepter is ignorance.
Joseph had an independent revelation in the bargin. He only revealed the smallest portion of what he knew. Joseph was a minister among apostates, those would or could not bear the truth to some degree or another. Did Joseph cast them off? No, for if Joseph cast off these ignorant people to whom would he go, but he would be a lone man in the world with truth all by himself.
Christ came ...
Thursday, October 30, 2014.
As we grow into adults, one of our jobs to perform is to know everything. Why? Well because all other adults know everything. So we must either pretend to know a lot out of fear because we need to survive, or we must pretend to know a lot because of pride and we desire to dominate. Lost are the childlike qualities of asking, wondering questioning, searching, believing.
Notes:
"...the things of God are of deep import; and time, and experience, and careful an...
Tuesday, October 21, 2014.
I wrote this in response to a friend who was very worried about me in regard to my beliefs and because I was giving heed to those who she considered to be reprobates attacking the church. I said: "I appreciate your very kind words, and I would expect you to be concerned and I appreciate that as well. I haven't lost my testimony of the restoration, its stronger than it has ever been. We love you too and have appreciated the mutual support we've felt over the years." ...
Monday, October 13, 2014.
I have written this article, but its springing into existence was a joint effort between LHB and myself, however we take no credit because we can do nothing good of ourselves. (11, 12)
In Matthew 20:1-16 is a parable that describes the hiring of laborers and the reward that seems unjustly given to those who wrought but a small portion of the day.
For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. ...
Wednesday, October 8, 2014.
"That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him. And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make." (D&C 89:5-6)
This is the second time I've made wine and the first time I've bottled it.
Video: Wine fermentation in carboy and airlock. See the bu...
Sunday, September 21, 2014.
What is the Holy Ghost?
When I first gained my testimony of the Book of Mormon I was in the MTC; I was contemplating whether I should remain there. I decided to study Joseph s testimony regarding its coming forth. Days later as I was holding the book in my hands, a thought came to my mind: It s true. There were no fireworks, no spine tingling, no tears, no change in emotion. That small statement was enough to keep me in the MTC and determined to serve and bear testimony in my weak way. ...