A Curious Instrument

My memory is getting so bad, it is better to say that what follows is just a story, perhaps loosely based on real events. In the late 70s, I was what is now called a “tween”.  I don’t remember that was a thing back then, I was just a gawky kid that would soon become an introverted teenager.  My family was living on my mother’s family ranch, in a very old two bedroom prairie house. My older brother and I lived in a very small room that barely fit two desks, a stacked chest of drawers, two hamsters, and two stacked beds that my dad had to build with minimal headroom because the ceiling was so low.  Our house was about twenty miles north of the closest town, so we experienced much the same life as the previous prairie generation and somewhat similar to our grandparents childhood experience, which would be pretty unfamiliar to my children.  We had a party-line telephone, rode horses and tractors, had a half-hour tiny “commute” to school, swam in stock tanks during the s...

The act of using the resources of rich to provide a "living" for the poor is at odds with devotion to and blessings from YWYH. Over my many years, I have been a recipient of God's blessings, often fiscally.  I have had increasing more lucrative employment which I credit wholly to the Lord. This has come as I have stepped away from government poverty programs and their behaviors and restrictions. I have friends that take welfare payments and "food stamps" who are scholars of the strictures of such benefits. They know what they can do and what they can't do to continue to qualify for "free"-ish government hand-outs and discounts. With great patience, they try to explain the intricacies of qualifications to me, how they maximize their rewards.  In the distant past, I was just as much working to become expert in this. I now make it a point to avoid all government help, at least as much as I can. It was a harrowing time when I decided that I would stop ...

At some point, a leader figures out that their entire nation has become "broken", I think the nation of the United States has become such a people and we are always very fortunate when we get a leader that can see our problems clearly and put in the very unfavorable work of trying to "right" things. 1 And it came to pass that Shez, who was a descendant of Heth—for Heth had perished by the famine, and all his household save it were Shez—wherefore, Shez began to build up again a broken people. 2 And it came to pass that Shez did remember the destruction of his fathers, and he did build up a righteous kingdom; for he remembered what the Lord had done in bringing Jared and his brother across the deep; and he did walk in the ways of the Lord; and he begat sons and daughters. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/ether/10?lang=eng&id=p1-p2#p1 Be righteous and have babies!

We have all watched the cries of pain and defiance as people that survived in the wake of Helene tell their stories. It is heartening to see the labors of the real heroes, neighbors and distant charitable folk doing all they can to bring supplies and hope to those who need it the most. Also telling are the government agents and agencies that kept a distance and made promises without any authentic help. Officials offered pitiful looks while busy about other desires far away, playing politics and placating those in pain from death and destruction with promises that "we are with the government: we are here to save you" and a failing promise to give, then deny, pitiful sums of money to not-enough-victims. The recent hurricane toll on people just brings up again to me that the Lord's commandment to 'love your neighbor' is far more effective in meeting our needs than a taxed and 'coordinated' government response. We see in the official response to Helene the rot...

I did a blog post a little while back about how important our individual choices are to our outcome. However, one should not think that our choices are the sole determinants of our future. God has paved the path and Jesus Christ has cleared that path of many obstacles to our ultimate success. We should each be personally grateful for the labor of Father and Son toward our best outcome. It is disheartening to see so many people grumble and turn away from God with an attitude that the heavens are not doing enough to guarantee everyone's eternal success in the face of bad decisions and lack of decent effort.  So many want exaltation to be a "free" gift that requires nothing more than tearing off wrapping paper or some such and would call such a circumstance "love".  I can only foresee many petulant children shouting at God for not making their exaltation a gaily unearned action and not being handed a fine cake for what looks to be more a matriculation than an...

  Here is some more in the vein of prosperity: And because the people did repent of their iniquities and idolatries the Lord did spare them, and they began to prosper again in the land. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/ether/7?lang=eng&id=p26#p26 Here is another view on how to attain prosperity from the children of Jared and his brother as filtered through Moroni.  Are we grateful that the Lord is willing to spare you , when you and I really deserve hellfire and damnation? We best be repenting from our cherished iniquities (sexual/"gender" deviance) and idolatries (water skiing and that demon bowling)!

The whole purpose of life is to see if we will let ourselves be diverted from a path toward exaltation. As an example, the temptations of Christ during his fast in the wilderness were done by Satan to try to divert Christ from his mission. Jesus is our example of not being diverted from our mission. You have to know your mission. Generally, this is to pursue exaltation through getting and keeping covenants. Beyond this, we often have individual missions tied to family, place, or circumstance. One very large reason to cultivate a personal relationship with the heavens is to determine your individual mission in life and to pursue it rigorously. This mission pursuit was a larger feature of a religious life in the past that needs reviving. This effort requires an active connection with the Father in prayer and cultivating the 'back-channel' of listening to the Spirit to get needed inspiration toward fulfilling your individual mission. Because your individual mission is unique to yo...

My simulation project at https://www.exalts.net has just gone live. I can't say I really strongly designed and planned it out based on some higher ideals, but it certainly worked out that way.  As one moves through the simulation, it is the collected consequences of rather small choices along the way that determines one's ultimate score, which can be looked at as a destination. I think living our lives as if each choice make up our eternal reward is something that God reveals to us. Even if we realize this later in life, our choices going forward can overcome bad decisions in our past, effectively allowing us to 'repent' and change for the better. We really do decide what we will ultimately become through every step we take and every choice we make. Although I present this as part of a simulation, I have assurance that God respects our choices and more-so desires that we make better choices.

It is disheartening to see the democratic candidate for the US presidency rising through pandering, guile, and a lack of anything approaching proper governance, ready to prostitute herself and the highest office in the strongest country in the world to the highest bidder. From her tagline 'What can be, unburdened by what has been’, it is hard to see what exactly she means and what precisely she stands for. When I think of 'what has been', I see an America founded on the Constitution and the Bill of Rights with a constrained federal government and enshrined personal liberties, both in abandoned and cherished. I don't know if this is what Mrs. Harris means in that phrase, but I hope we can get some clarification very soon, as I cannot support someone who may see our founding principles as so much baggage to be 'unburdened' by. Similarly, it would be useful to know the vice-president's clear vision of 'what can be' once the burdensome past is jettisoned...

 Love has become so grossly conflated that many now see it as more basic than food and oxygen and more vital than resource provision. Love truly has conquered all in its demands ultra-Disneyesque. If one doesn't feel loved sufficiently, artificial self-love fills up the gap, more and more and more. The rising interest in the concept of "Christ's Unconditional Love" seems to point to a decided nice Second Coming and a milquetoast deity that will excuse everything in the name of LOVE, writ large. It is as if the Lord of the Old Testament has been dismissed for good and all his demands for obedience and repentance and doing good are done away. Now, God must love his children "unconditionally", providing blessing and salvation without the burden of good behavior, all because he loves us and doesn't want to see us punished or even inconvenienced. According to the new sensibilities, we can behave as we like and the new indulgent God thinks it is cu...

The Democrats need to engineer an equivalent polarizing event to counteract the political "bump" produced by the Trump assassination attempt, and get a complementary "bump" on the Democratic side. I believe this will be a staged Biden "stroke". Already, all the scripts read how Joe has been a wonderful servant of the people for over 50 years. If he were to be incapacitated in the next few days or weeks, there would be a very satisfying outpouring of sympathy for the dutiful civil servant who nearly died in office, hopefully to overcome the gushing of patriotism that the botched Trump assassination elicited. A "stroke" might even the polling score somewhat for the Democrats. Of course, such an event (authentic or not) would trigger the 25th amendment to the Constitution and Kamala Harris could take up the flag most dramatically especially if Biden publicly topples and doesn't get up with the Vice president ready at his side. Keep an eye out if...

If the biggest issue with Joe Biden was his verbal gaffs and physical degeneration, that can be forgiven with his age. Personally, I want him and his ilk gone for their devotion to turning America into a weak state of dependent "citizens" that obey the dictums of the government without resistance and stands stupidly by as their economy is destroyed by "leaders" who enrich the ruling class and guarantee permanent power to the current global elites. In spite of what is said of Joe Biden's competency, his behavior is most likely upsetting the apple-cart of the powerful that he has served so faithfully for so many years, the people who made and maintain that "swamp" that Donald Trump speaks of. The current hysteria about Biden's fitness has more to do with his ability to sustain the practical enslavement of most of the American people to a dependency on government handouts and favors meant to buy votes. We need to convince more Americans that their vot...

With the overruling of the "Chevron Deference" doctrine by the Supreme Court, the USA has a fighting chance to return to the proper federal governance established by our founding fathers and the necessary bickering among the three branches that allows greater freedom that comes from a severely limited federal government. The ruling media is absolutely livid about this decision and portrays the now-curtailed bureaucracy (executive branch) from being less able to "protect" (lord over, in my mind) the "people" who can't seem to stand up for themselves as far as leftist reporters and commentators are concerned. I never needed some bureaucrat to fight battles for me - it is MY job to do that! This was a wonderful judicial club to punish Congress more than any other branch. It is the vague legislation (often only half-written) that gets voted "yea" that created Chevron Deference in the first place. A giddy President signs stupid bills into laws and...

One overarching element of the Book of Mormon record is something that many people call "the pride cycle", which is readily seen in the graphic of this post. A studied approach toward good is necessary from a large majority of a nation or people to get out the pride cycle once it has taken hold of a society. If the current American people were on the cycle, I predict we would be somewhere between "Righteousness and prosperity" and "Pride and wickedness", leading to "Destruction and suffering".  In most measures, we have enjoyed a very long period of prosperity that was largely due to the righteousness and industry of previous generations. As we have largely abandoned the ways of our parents and grandparents, we are already beginning to pay the price in a fading prosperity. Few people deny that the children of today will have lives less pleasant than we have enjoyed. All of the economic indicators are going in the wrong direction and the "Pa...

The recasting of LGBT pandering and race-baiting into Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) is a labor of cruelty and hatred and destruction against those who follow God and support the Natural Family. Among the many adages that I try to follow, an apt one is to "Quit your job before you get fired". This means that I tend to leave employment if I feel that I can't make a good go of it. This also applies as I would eventually be fired for my "unacceptable" stance on DEI, no matter if I was doing good work or not, so I would need to quit before that firing can happen. I have been feeling out recent job interviews for DEI leanings and ending the interviews early if it seems like my old-fashioned "color-blind" "treat everyone the same" sensibilities are not sufficiently compatible with potential positions. This often means that educational institutions and military contractors are off the table as employers, even though these have been my bread ...

  Here is the very practical purpose of  the testimony of The Three Witnesses . And in the mouth of three witnesses shall these things be established; and the testimony of three, and this work, in the which shall be shown forth the power of God and also his word, of which the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Ghost bear record—and all this shall  StandAsaTestimonyAgainstTheWorld  at the last day. https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/scriptures/bofm/ether/5?lang=eng&id=p4#p4 I'm not saying that a few people may have chosen to believe the Book of Mormon record due to the testimony of these three men, but Moroni is showing this for the purpose of indicting those who reject the record (it is not a story so it is called a record) in our times for whatever reason. The kindness and love bunch tend to look away at these recorded justifications for God's justice. God is often portrayed as the tough judge rather than the merciful forgiver of sins in scripture. It must...

It might be tiring to be reminded again and again the wonderful resource of God that we have in the Book of Mormon !  There is more to learn from it. Ether 2:7-8 7 And the Lord would not suffer that they should stop beyond the sea in the wilderness, but he would that they should come forth even unto the land of promise, which was choice above all other lands, which the Lord God had preserved for a righteous people. 8 And he had sworn in his wrath unto the brother of Jared, that whoso should possess this land of promise, from that time henceforth and forever, should serve him, the true and only God, or they should be swept off when the fulness of his wrath should come upon them The American hemisphere is a "land of promise" to the righteous followers of Jesus Christ. In an associated way, the unrighteous who live in this land will be "swept off" then Christ comes again.  I don't think anyone should move across the sea in response to these verses. Rather, make the...

Many people today don't like ideas to be challenged. If it is a strongly-held idea, a challenge may be see as if it were a personal attack and that the person making the challenge must be a bad person by nature. Too often, the principle of "love" is invoked as an accusation against any who would dare challenge an idea, especially those espoused by easily-offended people - "you aren't showing love." The Book of Mormon contains many warnings that are unpleasant to hear. Its prophetic writers foretold many of the abominations of our day and the wicked who God will punish for their violations of commandments. Many people become angry at such words and writing, feeling that they should not be punished for much enjoyed and celebrated sins. Everyone can act in whatever way they please. However, they cannot alter the just result of their actions, either good and bad. God through his prophets and their warnings work to make plain the mortal and eternal consequen...

I think we conflate “love” into something resembling an emotional cudgel. My definition of “love thy neighbor” currently reads as the Golden Rule as my effort at self-preservation. This is an interesting time when the concept of love is shifting and ill-defined. I thought I knew what it meant to love someone as God commands, but I am floundering in some unfamiliar territory. Recently, I have begun to reflect on my relationship with my “neighbors” and how the use of the term love might apply to such relationships. As an example, some years ago, my daughter informed me that she would feel more authentic being a man. She knew that I adhere to biblical teachings on these things, so I thought I was being diplomatic in saying that I couldn't go to such places with her. I learned in the few subsequent interactions that this child allowed us to have that she rejected holy writ, no longer believed in my judeo-christian God (if she ever did), that I had always been an abusive father...

Before it even begins, I'm not some radicalized leftist rabble-rouser. The term “liberal” has been co-opted by the evil and the lazy and if you want to see me mad, bring it up. My liberalism is primarily in service to the terrestrial world that is coming , the world that comes when lower motivations and actions and (frankly) people are swept away. Even the crazy social justice types think that the world would work a lot better if we just had the right people running things, and in a way, I think they're right - it will work much better, but only when the “wrong” people are gone and those who are left are “running” their own things. It won't work the way they envision it today and everyone will have to be far more responsible than anyone would prefer, but the vision of a kinder and less anxious world is actually on the way. The key ingredient for the better world is the one least considered - Jesus Christ. I believe it has to do with standards. Christ has some ...

I think we conflate “love” into something resembling an emotional cudgel. My definition of “love thy neighbor” currently reads as the Golden Rule as my effort at self-preservation. This is an interesting time when the concept of love is shifting and ill-defined. I thought I knew what it meant to love someone as God commands, but I am floundering in some unfamiliar territory. Recently, I have begun to reflect on my relationship with my “neighbors” and how the use of the term love might apply to such relationships. As an example, some years ago, my daughter informed me that she would feel more authentic being a man. She knew that I adhere to biblical teachings on these things, so I thought I was being diplomatic in saying that I couldn't go to such places with her. I learned in the few subsequent interactions that this child allowed us to have that she rejected holy writ, no longer believed in my judeo-christian God (if she ever did), that I had always been an abusive fa...

I have been drawn to Christ's teachings as found in  Matthew 25 . Not that there aren't other things to learn in the writings of prophets and apostles, but the concepts written here are so central to how we must conduct ourselves if we truly desire heaven and God's praise. In verses 1 and 14, variations on "...the kingdom of heaven be likened unto..." let us know that the Savior is teaching who will get the celestial reward - This is how things will work in Heaven.  If you don't like the workings of the Lord's precincts, then you will not like a celestial glory and will be placed in one of the lower glories. Two very well-known parables are contained in this chapter. I will be taking what may seem a very unorthodox examination of what these parables are trying to tell us. I don't want to discount the other interpretations, but I hope to teach principles that are important but often go unnoticed. Don't Be Late to the Feast (versus 1-13) Many people ...