Wednesday, December 31, 2014.
Tuesday evening around 5:00 pm I was having an ordinary day, standing in the kitchen preparing dinner for our meal that night. I had just finished holding raw chicken and was in the process of washing my hands when the phone rang and my sister CHL called from Texas. MSBJ answered the phone and asked Aunt CHL to hold on a minute while I washed my hands. Suddenly MSBJ was handing the phone over to me saying, "She said she needs to talk with you right now it is an emergency."
I quickly grabbe...
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...
Friday, December 12, 2014.
This is a reproduction of a post on Denver s blog. See also The Holy Ghost.
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So many Latter-day Saint teachers resort to sentimentality and emotion in their teaching, talks, books and testimonies. Some are fooled into thinking an emotional reaction is the same as a witness of the Spirit. Emotions rarely communicate light and truth or intelligence. The Spirit bears witness of the truth, conveys light and intelligence, and may not at all be emotional. Or, if emotions are involved, it may b...
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...
Wednesday, November 12, 2014.
I was raised in the LDS church and have been a lifelong member for the past 36 years. It has been a good 36 years, generally speaking, and I have been grateful to my parents for a Wonderful Life. Some of the things I am grateful for in no particular order;
Attending the LDS church every Sunday of my life – minus the couple of super cool memories I have of us swimming once on a Sunday while on vacation, and eating out at a restaurant on a Sunday during a move from Lake City, FL to Orange Par...
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.
I want to tell of another experience, but first, a little back ground information. JMB is our 7th child, 4th son. He was born last year 11/29/2013. He is 11 months old. He was born with Down syndrome. He is a very healthy baby but he has had a few minor problems. He has had a hard time (at least it is a bit concerning for me) with bowel movements and he has fluid in the ears reducing hearing and distorting what he does hear which effects speech, language, and cognition. He has been off an...
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.
9:01 am
I had another dream early this morning that I thought I should write down. I feel like the Lord is trying to prepare me to help me learn how to overcome false spirits, demons and such, how to remember Him and call on His name.
The dream:
It began with me at the church building in Brandon FL off of John Moore Rd. Our old ward bldg. It was a bright lovely day outside and I was coming in from the back (everyone’s usual/general entrance into the bldg.). O...
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. ...
Saturday, October 11, 2014.
TRB wrote this during home school opening exercises on Friday September 12, 2014. He doesn t know when it happened, even whether it was in Tennessee or our previous state.
I spoke with TRB after reading this and having read other s experiences, I suggested that he pray again for the vision and that he ask to be forgiven, or cry out God help me! instead of not knowing what to say or do.
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I ve included the text of the dream here preserving the spelling.
One night I had a dr...
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...
Tuesday, September 23, 2014.
It s 5:15 am.
I just had a dream/experience that I felt I needed to get up and write about. Before I begin, I need to relate a past experience. About three weeks ago I had a similar experience that dovetails to this one. I am a mother to a 9 month old baby son who has Down syndrome. This means developmental delays, so basically I still have a very young infant. As a result I am often awake throughout the night. Well, about three weeks ago, as I was awake in bed, but still mostly in a sl...
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. ...