A Curious Instrument

I am always being confused with political and social conservatives, often because I see the wisdom in much that God and his servants preach. I am married to a proud conservative and my love and devotion to her is undiminished by our ideological differences.  I am not a conservative. Watch and find out. I am much more strongly aligned with classical liberalism and have been so for the vast majority of my life.  And when I use the term, it bares no resemblance to the modern prostitution of the "liberal" term. I am for small, stay out of your life government, live and let-live neighborliness, and a lively justice system that handles difficult disputes. I love the original US Constitution and Bill of Rights and am a fan of both fiscal capitalism, personal generosity, and allowing natural consequences.  Marriage has become the territory of right-wingers as more and more leftists view God's ordained union as some hateful prison of feminine servitude. It doesn't help that ma...

The people of Alaedea cry out for someone to sweep away the evil Empire and its Conclave. God promised long ago to send them a Queen, but the princess-in-waiting is a nasty vixen bent on her own purposes. How is God going to turn this rotten girl into the promised deliverer? Find the answers in the Godsend novel! https://www.amazon.com/Godsend-Navigiary-Book-Jason-Nemrow-ebook/dp/B08FCXN25F

Increasing numbers of people ignore established sources of wisdom that God provides through prophets. The world is becoming more tumultuous and the "experts" to whom many turn for answers are often revealed as vacuous and unreliable, more often wrong than right. The need for wise guidance has never been greater and those who know how to hear God will get the peace and direction that each of us desires in these confusing times. I am grateful yet again for the writings of inspired prophets of God that we have today from the Book of Mormon :   3 Nephi 11 :4-6 And it came to pass that again they heard the voice, and they understood it not. And again the third time they did hear the voice, and did open their ears to hear it; and their eyes were towards the sound thereof; and they did look steadfastly towards heaven, from whence the sound came. And behold, the third time they did understand the voice which they heard; In this instance, God was speaking to the people but they could ...

In a media-saturated world that is slanted heavily toward anti-God ideologies, I have always found it useful to get news and perspective from a variety of sources. It is getting tougher to find some balance when anything other than absolute submission to socialistic ideals is being touted as near-treason to Neo-socialistic sensibilities. Take for example a story from one of my favorite sources: Mercopress, a media provider in the South Atlantic where I can follow stories about the Falkland Islands and South America. I had never heard of  Earth Overshoot Day  before, but apparently this group marks the day when the world has used up all of a years renewable resources and then selfishly pillages resources that can never be renewed. However, God presents a more hopeful scenario: Doctrine & Covenents 104 :17  For the earth is full, and there is enough and to spare; yea, I prepared all things, and have given unto the children of men to be agents unto themselves. Much...

When it comes to elections, my candidates rarely win. It would probably be useful to those who seek office to consult with me, just to be sure that I don't plan to vote for them, thus avoiding a nearly-sure loss. I am not an extremist, at least I don't consider myself one.  The current political climate is rife with extremism, from succession to the "green new deal", from racism to the "cancel" culture. Society is demanding that everyone pick a side in a ideological war where fringe groups battle in a "winner-take-all" fashion and victory will never be claimed until all opposition is destroyed. In the minds of some, a winner's political enemies must literally be killed if they cannot be turned.  I am not of that ilk at all - I want all of us to survive these times and your compelled conversion to one side or the other has never been my aim. It has been windy at "the Crash Site", which is where I sleep during the work-week.  It is a sa...

My readings in the Bible, the Book of Mormon, and the Doctrine and Covenants have inspired me to use this blog to repeat and repeat the charge to all that we must repent . I woke today thinking that it might be useful to help people understand what I interpret repentance to actually is and, perhaps more importantly, what it looks like. Repentance is a change of heart and behavior that better aligns us with Christ and his commandments. It is a short statement, but there is plenty packed into it. First, it is important to gain a personal understanding of God, his Christ, and what they command us to do. Jesus did what his Father (and our Heavenly Father) told him to do, even the difficult things. Much of what we know of God comes to us from the example and teachings of Christ and his prophets throughout time. Jesus went about doing good and we should do the same. I know it would have been very useful for Jesus to have rallied his followers into an army, taken control of local government,...

Consider an alternate interpretation of the Fifth Commandment: Exodus 20:12 12 “Honor your father and your mother, so that you may live long in the land the Lord your God is giving you. I often add a word to answer those who take the common step toward hating their parents:  Bring honor to your father and mother.  I was concerned that common interpretation of this commandment puts the child over their parent in being the judge of the honorable-ness of parents. Our behavior reflects on how we are raised - if we don't honor our parents, have we not been taught to not render them honor?  It is far more important to have the Lord praise you than to worry much about the praise of our parents, though they can often be complementary. My various family members have been religiously critical of me over time and if I spent a lot of time trying to "honor" their wishes, I would likely have walked away from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and the concepts of a physica...

For the last few years, I have been given the lofty title of "professor" at Eastern New Mexico University and led a college-level course in Information Technology Management. You might find my choice of wording strange, but it more accurately reflects how I tend to approach the learning process and what it is meant to accomplish. Some guiding principles in teaching and learning that I find universally applicable: Being Productive rather than Consumptive When you see a need (market opportunity), your tendency should be to create a new solution to address that need, rather than only complaining and waiting for someone else to address it for you.  This applies to curriculum creation, learning opportunities, entrepreneurship, parenting - basically any facet of life. I encourage those taking my courses to produce work that is worthy of publication in a professional journal or blog.  There is little sense in spending time writing a paper that only one person will ever read...

Here is another "judgment" situation, essentially testing what we will do with the stewardship that God gives us in life. We are certainly tasked with caring for the poor and using the resources that we are blessed with to improve their lot.  Isaiah 3:14-15 14 The Lord will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. 15 What mean ye that ye beat my people to pieces, and grind the faces of the poor? saith the Lord God of hosts. Perhaps this is about conspicuous opulence, taking the richness of the land and leaving nothing for others to glean. The things meant for the poor are found in the houses (and bank accounts) of the rich. Although I am not a fan of persecuting billionaires for not enriching their employees like so many do, I can say that those who "have" will be blessed for helping those who "have not".

I see massive utility in exploring what different groups have to say about certain scriptures. I am reading the "Rational Bible" commentary written by Dennis Prager, a very public Jew.   Dennis Prager's  The Rational Bible: Deuteronomy I find my understanding of the Ten Commandments expanded far beyond the kiddie church treatment given it by much of Christendom. The version that I provide here is from the accusation of the prophet Abinadi before the wicked priests of King Noah: Mosiah 13 :15 15 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. When I was a child and was taught about the Ten Commandments, "take the name of the Lord thy God in vain" was translated into swearing and shouting "Jesus Christ" if you hit your hand with a hammer. It was among my first lessons in self-control, sometimes seemingly barely learned. I don't ever remember being taught about that last ...

Have you been noticing more interesting people standing for public office? Isaiah saw it and made some predictions.  Isaiah 3:4-5 4 And I will give children to be their princes, and babes shall rule over them. 5 And the people shall be oppressed, every one by another, and every one by his neighbour: the child shall behave himself proudly against the ancient , and the base against the honourable. I think we have seen a lot of oppression generated by "do-gooders", which I studied in college and my first several jobs employed me to doing. I had female colleagues and bosses, often of the "social justice" variety. Very nice people until you cross them, which I was smart enough to avoid doing as a younger man.   Isaiah 3:12 12 ¶ As for my people, children are their oppressors, and women rule over them. O my people, they which lead thee cause thee to err, and destroy the way of thy paths. I have seen more and more people (mostly men) be totally destroyed in the n...

There are a growing group of people who flaunt their perverse sins. Isaiah 3:9 9 ¶ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom, they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves.  In doing this, they "reward evil unto themselves".  Perverse actions sound magnified when they are celebrated openly. What is notable beyond the actions that God forbids ("sin as Sodom") is the trumpeting of their sins ("declaring", "they hide it not"), which is described as reward[ing] evil unto themselves. God doesn't need to immediately punish this behavior, the person doing it convicts themselves, like pleading "guilty as charged" to a judge. Repentance is available to these people as with anyone else, though change for the better is still required alongside a denunciation of their flaunted perversions. There is a way back to righteousness! 

This is more of Isaiah letting everyone know that they will ultimately (and not so ultimately) get returned to you what you do. Isaiah 3:9-11 9 ¶ The shew of their countenance doth witness against them; and they declare their sin as Sodom , they hide it not. Woe unto their soul! for they have rewarded evil unto themselves. 10 Say ye to the righteous , that it shall be well with him: for they shall eat the fruit of their doings. 11 Woe unto the wicked ! it shall be ill with him: for the reward of his hands shall be given him.  Sometimes, we concentrate on the bad side of our doings, but Isaiah is good to say that as we are righteous, we will have good things come to us. Rewards and justice are indeed two-edged!

We think so much of ourselves.  I was somewhat trained as a low level planner in my undergraduate college days, styled as some sort of proto-"life coach" to low-income people who needed "management". I quickly lost interest in such a role, as I lacked the desire to run other people's lives and have continued in that lack, to the consternation of my children, I suppose. I don't know exactly if this is what Isaiah means in "loftiness" and "haughtiness", but it seems that God alone will be "exalted" in this way at some future day. Isaiah 2:17 17 And the loftiness of man shall be bowed down, and the haughtiness of men shall be made low: and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.  I don't know what this means for the managerial class of the future, but it seems that such folk will need to find more practical pursuits outside of "motivation" and "productivity" toward corporate goals.

Isaiah 2:2-3 2 And it shall come to pass in the last days, that the mountain of the Lord’s house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 3 And many people shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.  It has long been a belief among members of  the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that this Isaiah reference speaks of Temples of the Lord, first the temple in Salt Lake City in Utah and subsequently dozens that have been erected around the world. These truly are abodes of Christ where his disciples can come to learn from him and make covenants to "walk in his paths" toward sharing exaltation with the Father and the Son. I go to the temple of the Lord very often and always feel clo...

It seems some people have offended God and, although the Lord is reported to feel great love for those who follow him and obey his commandments, the scriptural record uses words such as "wrath" and "indignation" to describe Christ's attitude about those who work against him. Doctrine and Covenants 87:6 And thus, with the sword and by bloodshed the inhabitants of the earth shall mourn; and with famine, and plague, and earthquake, and the thunder of heaven, and the fierce and vivid lightning also, shall the inhabitants of the earth be made to feel the wrath, and indignation, and chastening hand of an Almighty God, until the consumption decreed hath made a full end of all nations; These are not pleasant ends for "the inhabitants of the earth". However, Jesus in his mercy extends repentance under certain conditions on those otherwise under condemnation. Doctrine and Covenants 98:47 But if the children shall repent, or the children’s children, and turn to t...

Years ago, I conceived a society that works with females at its head. It recognizes what women value on a deep level, instead of the sophomoric effort of just pasting a girl's face on a man and saying that will work. This is what feminism is, a foolish replacement of men with women with a total performative ignorance of what either sex truly wants and needs. We are awash with crazed men and women who think the "better way" is simply to switch places, sometimes by physical "trans-gendered" operations that embed the "switcheroo" feminist lunacy more deeply. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0082RAFM6# In my book " Escape ", women behave as women by nature will do, as do the less mentioned men. The ruling of this society is performed by women, but in ways that are far more sensible for women to do. Many will find the fictional aspects of the story not far enough to make the story into a fantasy novel, and I certainly didn't write it that way. No as...

After Isaiah catalogues the performative actions of piety and the Lord's rejection of them, he instructs the children of Israel in the thing the Lord desires.  Isaiah 1:16-20 16 ¶ Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil; 17 Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. 18 Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. 19 If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: 20 But if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. It is customary to see "judgement (or the application of Judgment) as a bad thing, always employed to punish the wicked. In verse 17 above, Advice is given to "seek judgement" and to "judge the fatherless", without the implication th...

I can't approach Isaiah in the same ways that I worked through the Book of Mormon .  There are not a few scripture snippets that can be expanded upon, but it seems like, at least in this particular chapter ( Isaiah chapter 1 ), it is almost circular reinforcements of a theme. Although the people were doing the performances required of the Lord in Isaiah's time, the remembrances and symbolism were not effecting the personal devotion and changes the Lord desired in them.  They are becoming hypocrites with a public face of piety and harboring evil in their hearts. Isaiah 1:4 Ah sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evildoers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel unto anger, they are gone away backward. Isaiah 1:10-15 10 ¶ Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah. 11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the Lo...

It is a matter of prioritizing obedience to the oldest commandments and associated blessings over short term fears of not having a full cornicopia of society's "essential" marriage ingredients, such as a great job, high pay, or deep maturity. In some ways, many cultures actively discourage marriage with pushing these expected "requirements" that can rarely be met. I found this view of attitudes going into marriage to be interesting and helpful to re-enshrining "holy" marriage:  Beyond Hollywood Type Love: Choosing Commitment Over Chemistry In addition to viewing marriage as a devoted commitment, rather than a impossibly life-long romantic infatuation as so many demand, we often forget God's take on marriage and making it a priority in our lives. Genesis 2:18   And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. Genesis 2:24   Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cle...