A Curious Instrument

"... it shall come in a day..."

2026-03-03T07:28:00.001-07:00

It is pointless to quote much of Mormon chapter 8 which says that the things that have been prophesied will happen and will come by the hand of the Lord. No machinations of women or men, save it be mass repentance, will stay the things that will come that the prophet have said.

This was the prophecy of what conditions would be prevalent when the Book of Mormon and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints was brought forth.

Mormon 8:26-32

26 And no one need say they shall not come, for they surely shall, for the Lord hath spoken it; for out of the earth shall they come, by the hand of the Lord, and none can stay it; and it shall come in a day when it shall be said that miracles are done away; and it shall come even as if one should speak from the dead.

27 And it shall come in a day when the blood of saints shall cry unto the Lord, because of secret combinations and the works of darkness.

28 Yea, it shall come in a day when the power of God shall be denied, and churches become defiled and be lifted up in the pride of their hearts; yea, even in a day when leaders of churches and teachers shall rise in the pride of their hearts, even to the envying of them who belong to their churches.

29 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be heard of fires, and tempests, and vapors of smoke in foreign lands;

30 And there shall also be heard of wars, rumors of wars, and earthquakes in divers places.

31 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be great pollutions upon the face of the earth; there shall be murders, and robbing, and lying, and deceivings, and whoredoms, and all manner of abominations; when there shall be many who will say, Do this, or do that, and it mattereth not, for the Lord will uphold such at the last day. But wo unto such, for they are in the gall of bitterness and in the bonds of iniquity.

32 Yea, it shall come in a day when there shall be churches built up that shall say: Come unto me, and for your money you shall be forgiven of your sins.

It's obvious, at least to me, that Moroni truly was shown our day and that his counsel to those of us in these circumstances come from a position of inspired knowledge.

All wrongs must be made right that justice may prevail. Mercy gives us time to repent but time is nearly done as has been warned again and again.

Pathways to Blessings and Prosperity

2026-02-28T11:14:00.000-07:00

I have spoken about prosperity at least once before and I have prospered myself in recent years. I don't know how much I deserve anything like it, but good things have happened regardless as I put myself in God's path.

My continued slow reading of the Book of Mormon might shed some light on some things that bring prosperity, physical and spritual.

3 Nephi 5

21 Surely he hath blessed the house of Jacob, and hath been merciful unto the seed of Joseph.
22 And insomuch as the children of Lehi have kept his commandments he hath blessed them and prospered them according to his word.

As it reads, God blessed the house of Jacob (those would be the tribes of Israel) and has been merciful to the "seed of Joseph", which are more specifically the descendants of Ephriam and Menassah, the sons of Joseph. This is relevant to the writer Mormon, who is a descendant of Lehi, whose children were of both sons of the biblical Joseph. It seems that these scriptures make reference to a lineal tradition of God's followers and covenant people.

The Book of Mormon has many references that God will "prosper" his people upon the Western Hemisphere who obey him. The people of the Book of Mormon, both the righteous and the wicked, are descendants of Joseph, so blessings and mercy are due to them by heritage, if they seek such through obedience to his commandments, as in the second verse.

Blessings and mercy are not restricted to one or another of the twelve tribes of Israel: such is given to all the descendants of Jacob. Anyone who seeks out an authoritative baptism are included in the tribes of Israel and become an inheritor of these promises.

One of those promises is that we prosper according to our diligence in keeping Christ's commandments as in verse 22.

Why not seek the prosperity that comes of being baptized into the house of Jacob and keeping the commandments of Christ?

Seeking meaning from peers and institutions more than parents

2026-02-22T16:20:00.000-07:00

Most people look sideways to peers rather than up to God and their parents. There is nothing in the commandments to look to your peers. It says to "honor your father and mother."

I have been listening to and reading about how the meaningful life is transmitted over time. Older texts credit family transmission from parents or grandparents to children as the primary method of acquiring a meaningful life.

In the past few decades, it can be supposed that the academy, as processed through universities, have tried to usurp that role, as society has taught people that parents are selfish and silly, where scholars hold the key to meaning. I think this is why figures like Jordan Peterson have become so influential. He is both academic God and Father figure all wrapped in one.

But the proper course is that meaning comes from God, the eternal and reliable Father, as channeled through parents that have on-the-ground knowledge of understanding and application.

There are plenty of bad examples to find, but the great part is that any man or woman can, as they marry and have children, can start the process afresh, hopefully influential into several generations of pointing their children to God and Christ, often better than their own parents did.

Fred Reed is One of the Best Commentators of Our Times

2026-02-21T17:12:00.000-07:00

I first discovered Fred about fifteen years ago.

I put links to some of his columns here because they are often blocked without some obfuscation. He is not considerate of the howlers who scream at things that bother them, so social media typically blocks his writing, which is a terrible shame and recommends him most highly. Fred is a real "straight shooter".

https://www.amren.com/commentary/2022/02/fred-reed-joe-biden-democracy/ - The Care and Feeding of Rabble: Democracy Its Own Self

https://www.unz.com/freed/blackness-fatigue-enough-is-too-much/ - This gives the best explanation of how "diversity" is at the root of most violence and wars. Mixing strongly different people together is a bad societal idea.

You can see Fred's recent columns here: https://fredoneverything.org/

The Robustness Principle

2026-02-16T12:50:00.000-07:00

"Be liberal in what you accept, and conservative in what you send"
_{Postel J., (1989) Request for Comment (RFC) 1122, Requirements for Internet Hosts -- Communication Layers, 1.2.2 - Robustness Principle.}

There are very few people who have been so wise and productive that I choose to revere them. One of these is the computer scientist Jon Postel, whose list of accomplishments is long.

If you are reading this now, you have Jon and a handful of others to thank for the massive "network of networks" that each of us use everyday in our digital communications. Youtube, Netflix, Facebook, and everything else on the Internet owe a great debt of gratitude to Jon and his colleagues who conceived, designed, and built the inter-network in the first place.

Most people consider computer science to be pretty esoteric, however I have found that in any field of endeavor, certain principles emerge that, not only explain reality, but guide us to better and wiser ways of being. One of these was identified by Jon Postel and is an underlying concept that makes the Internet work as well as it does - robustness. Used in our everyday interactions with others, the principle of robustness would stamp out the forces of censorship and "cancel" culture and allow for more open and effective communication among all.

First off, the principle teaches to never reject a message, no matter how poorly constructed or transmitted. Always try to find some way to derive meaning from all attempts at communication and give a useful response. In computer science, even if a digital packet is mal-formed and doesn't follow standard protocol, the robust listener will attempt to process and act upon it regardless, even if the response can only be an error message. In wider communication, if someone shouts at you in a language and using terms that are not recognized, robust people don't just walk away from the attempt- you somehow signal to them that you don't understand at the very least. Much of effective communication has to do with negotiation upon what terms and methods each party can accept messages. As an example, the best "error messages" are those that attempt to see a sender's intent and offer a suggestion toward better communication - perhaps "I'm confused. Do you mean this?" This is at the heart of the axiom "Be liberal in what you accept..."

When responses are given, it is most useful to be "conservative", which is another way to say to fall back upon established communication standards and protocols. Computer science is loaded with standards (Jon Postel was a heavy promulgator and editor of the RFCs, or the library of internet standards, among so much else) and the most effective and useful communication between computers and devices over networks happens when standard protocols for message transfer are used. A successful "citizen" of the "community" is one who knows and uses the established "language" in standard ways that other citizens readily understand. When a person sends a well-formed message (we call that "conservative" in computer terms), that message is received, understood as widely as possible, and able to be acted up on as the sender intended. A "conservative" response allows communication to flow more freely, efficiently, effectively, and widely - the hallmarks of good interchange.

In the end, the winners are those who are the best communicators, whether that is in technology or more generally in life. We are living in an aberrant moment in time where screaming nonsense with fingers plugging ears seems to be making waves and getting attention. This cannot and will not last long as it is not robust and will not stand up to the tests of time. Those who see some success from disrupting interchange today will find themselves side-lined and practically ignored tomorrow as they lack the understanding of protocols and standards that make effective communication and bring results. What is true of digital network attacks is just as true of constantly shouted slurs - it may make its way into every corner of the globe, but there will be no real change made and you will see the dumping of such messages into what computer scientists call "the bit bucket", or something like the social version of a rubbish bin. Potential listeners will learn to filter or eliminate or ignore such noise and the creators of it as an established response and seek out others who work to establish communication.

Do you want to survive and thrive in any society, technological or social? Take a lesson from Jon Postel and learn how to be robust!

God as an Impartial Judge

2026-02-15T06:37:00.000-07:00

Many people have a mistaken idea that, because God loves them, they can do as they wish with their lives and plead for mercy later through demands that "love conquers all". This concept of laziness flies in the face of God's work to develop us into people who can become like himself.

"Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons: But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." - Acts 10:34-35

God is not a respecter of persons. He must judge us in an impartial way and he cannot make special exceptions for anyone. All must be judged by the same set of rules - this is the nature of justice. Also, God cannot abdicate his role as judge because he loves you - he will not throw aside required repentance and growth through appeals to his love.

Under earthly circumstances, a judge with a close personal relationship with the litigants would have to recuse themselves. God can't do that as he has a close and personal relationship with all of us as our Father and there can be no other judge put on the case.

That is one reason why Christ was sent by God the Father to open the way for mercy under condition of repentance. God can still be loving through Christ where he must also be a "no respecter of persons" judge. This is why Christ is referenced as "Love" in many writings - He is the manifestation of God's love where the Father must be the impartial Judge who cannot recuse himself.

Mercy has already been offered through the works of Christ - you and I cannot appeal to some further mercy or love after the fact when we are brought before God for judgement. We must obey and repent during our mortal lives, as stipulated by Christ, if we desire a pleasant conclusion. There will be no "throwing yourself on the mercy of the court" in the end - such mercy was extended beforehand and has to be worked out prior to your appearance before "the bench".

Please don't think that you or I can ignore Christ's offer of mercy now and still access it in the hereafter - now is the time to repent, not later.

Flickers of Light, Enclaves of Righteousness

2026-02-08T15:19:00.000-07:00

It is my thought that this world and circumstance must be among the lowest in the domain of our Heavenly Father. There has always been stories of how this world was the only one in which the Christ would be crucified, but as I read scripture and view the expanse of history, I can come to the conclusion that righteousness is a very rare commodity here on Earth and often taken away from this place to find its promised thriving elsewhere.

I think of the people of the city of Enoch, who built a Zion Society that lasted for perhaps 400 years and then "fled", literally taken off of the Earth. We also have a little reference to a group that was assembled at Salem, led by the great high priest Melchizedek, who are mentioned once and never heard of in scripture again, perhaps also removed from this sphere. We also have the case of the "lost" ten tribes of Israel, who legend says repented whole-heartedly of the behavior that led to their capture by the Assyrians and were eventually also taken from the Earth, perhaps. We have amazing satellite technology that has eliminated the thought that these people are hiding on some island or hitherto unknown place, so where did the larger part of Israel get to? It seems that when the righteous come together, they are taken from the Earth by the hand of God, presumably to somewhere distant, maybe off the sphere entirely, no matter how fanciful that might seem.

In the time of this planet, the surface of the Earth has been changed, separating one land mass into different continents. God says that he did this and proclaimed the land that we call North and South America as a chosen land for the righteous to dwell. The miraculous "bringing" of the Jaredite, Nephite, and Mulekite nations to this chosen land are documented to varying degrees in the Book of Mormon, adding credence to the idea that God regularly separates the righteous from others, often by divinely inspired migrations. It is no less telling that the seventeenth and eighteenth century Protestants braved the seas to come to the "New World" to practice a more biblical way of life and the nineteenth century Mormons fled Europe and the United States in order to pursue the restored Gospel in the Rocky Mountains.

Wherever the righteous are found, there always seems to be a migration and "gathering" involved, bringing them together. Righteousness in concentration seems to increase it, so-much-so that it seems the only thing for the Lord to do is to ultimately take it away from this telestial world altogether and let its righteousness continue elsewhere for a time. In our own time, instead of gathering to one locality or two, we are instructed by God to remain physically dispersed as we can gather together through technology. This time might be referred to as the Last Gathering, where the message of the Gospel will flood the whole earth and ultimately in no place will the words of God be inaccessible. Further, in no location will the authorized servants of God and the saving ordinances they provide be unavailable. It is an incredible time to live and to participate!

In the not-too-distant future, the chosen land of the Americas will be cleansed of unrighteous people, this time by plagues, famines, and such rather than a great flood, and the righteous of the Earth will be invited to migrate a "chosen land" once again, yet another enclave of righteousness. All of the "fled" righteous people, those of Enoch and Melchizedek and Israel and perhaps others that we have no record of, will return to this place of gathering and endure the final destruction of the wicked when the entire Earth and all its people are cleansed and promoted to a terrestrial status and the millennium beyond.

I look forward to such things and I hope you do as well.

Long Now Seminars - TED Talks with Brains

2026-01-30T08:18:00.000-07:00

When circumstances permit, I often walk to work. I did it as a WIC Nutritionist in Tucumcari (1 mile), a SysAdmin for ENMU in Portales (5 miles) , and a Linux Support person at Dell in Oklahoma City (4 miles). I cannot do it now as I am about 85 miles from work, but I was always looking for good things to listen to during my commute (when I am not recording my scattered, heretical thoughts).

If you like TED talks, you must understand that I think they are a mixed bag of psychobabble with some nice gems. If you want far more intelligent presentations that are consistently high-quality, I will happily point you to the excellent Long Now Seminars that are sponsored by the Long Now Foundation. As always, there are many times that I disagree with concepts spoken about, but it never fails to get me thinking!

Forward and Upward!

A non-conservative take on Marriage

2026-01-23T08:48:00.001-07:00

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 many people enter into the marriage covenant with a pile of unrealistic expectations of the sort of completion that marriage is supposed to be.

Lower or remove a minimum age for entering into a marriage.

I have no problem with laws that say that minors must have parental permission to get married, which goes far to reducing bully and child-exploitation relationships. Dads protecting their children remain a powerful regulator against abuse.

Younger couples will more likely live with parents and draw on family cultural values (which is often good) rather than more ignorant, faddish, and ill-informed advice from an age cohort that captures minds from late teens into thirty year olds.

My grandmother got married at the age of 14. In most places today, this is defined as "statutory rape". This was a common practice in those days (check your genealogy records) and many of these marriages were more apt to be long-standing than our current versions.

What we need is a Godsend

2026-01-19T13:43:00.004-07:00

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

Understanding the Voice of the Lord

2026-01-15T17:12:00.000-07:00

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 not understand. We may very well sit in a church or read from scriptures and thus hear the messages from God, but we may not actually understand what God is telling us. In these verses, a prophet helps us to better understand what God has to tell us:

We have to "open our ears to hear it". So many times, God has already provided answers, but we are too distracted by our own cares to "hear" them. As we set aside quiet time to put the responsibilities of life on hold, we will be more ready to hear what God wants to tell us. I recall being in places far from the bustle of life that are quiet enough that you can hear the breeze and distant rustle of trees and the occassional bird. In such circumstances, where the buzz of our busy lives is far away, we have a better situation to "open our ears" to what God is saying.
We must focus on God, the true source of wisdom. In the verses above, "their eyes were towards the sound". I recall how often my children would talk to me and I obviously wasn't listening - I wasn't looking at them and paying real attention to what they said. How often do we also hear from God yet are not similarly paying attention?
We can get answers directly from God. "...they did look steadfastly toward heaven...". It is good to listen to pastors, priests, and teachers, but it is better still to listen more to God who knows you and what you need far better. True prophets will always encourage a better and more direct access to God, so that we can "understand the voice".

I will be bold here and say that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints points me to scripture and prophets that put me on a direct path to a better understanding of God and Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the Prophet Joseph Smith who translated the Book of Mormon so that we could have that better understanding of God and Christ's labors on our behalf. I am grateful for prophets that speak to us today, continuously pointing us toward God and what he is saying.

If we "open our ears" and look to him, we too will understand what he is saying to us.

"Enough and to Spare"

2026-01-09T19:49:00.000-07:00

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 of the environmentalist movement and its precursors in darwinism and eugenics are based on the idea of scarcity. The theory says that there are not enough resources and there are too many people. The "Green New Deal" is heavily steeped in this sort of thinking combined with its close cousin of climate change fear-mongering. Many groups, often ignorantly, follow the war-drum-beats of elitists who desire some utopian gardenplace village with themselves awash in comfortable and easy plenty and with everyone else (including you) simply gone.

Fortunately, God has provided all that we need and more than sufficient for all the spirits that were promised their earthly mortal lives. Oppositionally, modern concepts of scarcity and "noble sacrifices" eschewing marriage and family are completely against the purposes, power, and preparations of God and deny his promise to all of his children. People that act on these concepts do an evil of very deep order: convincing themselves and others to fight against God and the abundance he provides by denying the unborn his promises of life.

Based on God's words above, much of the fervor of an environmental argument is just swept away. God doesn't want us to be wasteful or to deny the needs of life to others, but we are not running out of anything necessary and we are definately not destroying the Earth (big tough place). We can certainly destroy each other with things like war and pollution and murder, but that is a different and completely human matter that doesn't involve any shortcomings from Earth or God. Those pesky Ten Commandments are mostly about being grateful to God and sharing the plenty that God provides without hurting others - those are the things that are far more important to everyone's earthly experience.

Don't get distracted by lies meant to turn you away from God and deny life to others. Marry! Have children! Raise them upon the truths of God - there is "enough and to spare"!

Grounding Ourselves during the Maelstrom

2026-01-08T10:02:00.000-07:00

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 sandy desert place and I have been impressed by how much sand is picked up by the high winds and blown about. The landscape changes quite a bit and only the things that I have tied down to various pounded posts are in the same place after a good windstorm. A strong wind a few months back picked up my dome greenhouse (my former sleeping quarters) and deposited it, twisted and torn, across a neighbor's fence. Only a number of deeply-set fenceposts now keep it in place in this week's winds. It brings to mind the oft-quoted bible story of the people building houses on sand and on rocks.

In a talk by Chi Hong (Sam) Wong from the April 2021 General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, the concept of having a good spritual foundation is referenced yet again for us. Christ himself has reinterated the idea in our own day here:

Doctrine and Covenants 6:24

Therefore, fear not, little flock; do good; let earth and hell combine against you, for if ye are built upon my rock, they cannot prevail.

I take heart in the assurance that if I am about good things, I will survive just fine. In the current climate of redefinition and hatred, it can be hard to know whether something is good or not, but Christ and his prophets have left us a fine scriptural record of good deeds to follow. If we let our lives be ruled by the example of Jesus Christ, "ye are built upon my rock", and we have the promise that we will not be overcome by the various evil ideologies swirling about us like a storm. As we "do good" in Christ's way, we will one day receive the peaceful and glorious future that Jesus offers to those who follow him.

One doesn't have to join an extremist group or vote the "right" way to get by in this world. You may not get your dream job at your dream company and you may not become a "talking head" on some important news show, but a follower of Jesus Christ will survive and may even (quietly) thrive in our present society. We have the Lord's promise.

Repentance Means Change for the Better

2026-01-02T20:13:00.000-07:00

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, and forced the people of Judea to behave better, but that isn't the right way to effect a change of heart. Christ lived the life more like an itinerant preacher, moving from place to place, teaching and healing and serving as an individual man and encouraging his followers to do likewise. A lasting change of behavior only comes with a authentic change of heart, not just some display or pretense. It cannot be forced externally but cultivated internally.

Second, Christ is perfectly aligned with God - Jesus commits himself fully what is commanded of him and he follows through on that commitment, even when it is difficult. The act of taking on himself all the sins of the repentant and dying on a cross as a young man was a tremendous sacrifice that God required of him. God has other work for us to do to show our devotion to him, certainly less dramatic. Primarily, he asks us to put aside desires and devotion toward wealth and fame and instead "impart of your substance to the poor, every man according to that which he hath, such as feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and administering to their relief, both spiritually and temporally.” (Mosiah 4:26) In doing these things, we align our lives with Christ's and do the good works God commanded us to do.

Again, repentance is a change of heart and behavior. As we read of the doings and teachings of Christ and the words of God's prophets, we let them affect our hearts and begin to feel more charity and love toward others. We desire to help those in need, both physically and spiritually. I think it is useful to begin helping others even if we don't yet feel much love toward them - our service will soon bring on such feelings. As we do this, we will begin to feel toward others as Jesus does and behave more like him. Worldly concerns will fade in comparison to the service we can do. God will bless our efforts with resources and further opportunities to continue to serve others in meaningful ways that bless rather than coerce. We will feel greater joy in life, no matter what troubles we may personally face.

Our mortals lives are like a schooling opportunity: as we come to understand God and Christ and obey them, we learn how to become our best selves and qualify for the greater opportunities that they enjoy and desire to share with us. It all starts with changing our hearts and actions, which is repentance.

The Fifth Commandment

2025-12-28T18:27:00.001-07:00

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 physical God and shared exaltation with him through Christ. I am grateful for the faith embraced by my parents, often at variance with our earlier ancestors.

I want God to say "well done, my good and faithful servant" in reference to me among my progenitors. I don't know how they will feel about it, but that is strong praise and recommendation in spite of what my ancestors desired. I would rather have the praise of God beyond the praise of my parents.

My "Teaching" Style - Learning by Doing It Yourself

2025-12-23T07:11:00.000-07:00

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 - publish it!

Learning rather than Being Taught

This puts the focus of action on the seeker of learning (student) rather than a teacher. Too often, students get frustrated that I am not up in front of the class (metaphorically - I lead a web-based course) and doing the heavy-lifting of education for them. I end up simply facilitating and evaluating their efforts to gain their own learning through a textbook and explorations from a variety of sources. I rarely present myself as an authority in the course subject - I hope to behave more like a fellow seeker of learning who has gone further in the journey and can share the wisdom gained from a greater experience and a longer study. This is where I get the term "leader" rather than teacher.

Learners Prioritize the Things that are Important to Them in a Larger World

The "student" is in control of priorities in their lives. Although I supervise a course, the learner determines how much effort they put into it, which reflects in their grade, and when/whether to take a course. Too often, students expect me, as the course-runner, to alter the conditions of course for them so as to work around family or health needs, essentially requiring me to change requirements to suit them and their circumstances and desires. I rarely comply with this sort of request - one cannot change the sea, only the way one approaches it. It does a student no good to have every course "requirement" shift about at their pleasure when reality, to which education is meant to be a preparation, is rarely so accommodating.

Too often, expectations are that a teacher is responsible for the grades of students, as seen by making adjustments for poor student progress, rounding up scores, or trying to ascertain a student's optimal learning modality (visual, auditory, tactile, etc.) and using a variety of techniques that "reach" each learner where they are. As I teach those who should be adults, I prefer to put the responsibility on the student to rise to the stated course standard, to seek out sources and modalities that they best comprehend, and to approach competence under their own power. Responsibility for learning must be placed on the learner, especially in the expanding marketplace of knowledge and experience, of which "college" is a increasingly small player.

Do rather than Watch; Stand rather than Sit

I come from the world of home economics, which is built on the concept of the skilled demonstration. A student watches with the understanding that they will then practice and ultimately demonstrate themselves, first to a "teacher" to certify proficiency, and then to others as a demonstrator in their own right. I am a firm believer in the value of demonstrated competence beyond book-work. One learns best by doing, first under tutelage in controlled circumstances, later with fewer restraints.

Portfolios of work already done, showing a progression in complexity or refinement, are excellent indicators to ourselves and others that we can accomplish what we propose to do. Be it a collection of art or a resume of positions held and projects completed, we show our demonstrated competence that should grow over time. Though we may list the names of people we originally studied under, few can successfully just ride coattails - we will ultimately have to show our independent worth beyond our degrees and mentors.

I will readily admit that having a teacher take responsibility for the "success" of their students is more profitable to the institution and less stressful to consumers in the short term of a college "career". Sadly, if that is all a learner puts into their own development, being steered about by employed servants and getting a certification to which instructors put the bulk of effort, college does society and each student a great disservice. Better for a professor to point out resources, provide initial demonstration, stand back to let students take the lead, and certify the show of learning and the student's successful products. Ultimately, it is through products that we create that will define our worth to ourselves, those who employ us, the family to which we contribute, and to society. The bulk of college coursework should reflect the need for everyone so certified to meet these demands.

The Spoil of the Poor

2025-12-20T11:55:00.001-07:00

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".

The Third Commandment

2025-12-10T05:23:00.164-07:00

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 statement "the Lord will not hold him guiltless". Either talking in vain is a lot worse sin than what I was ever taught, or the Lord has a really sore spot for saying his name.

I am thinking that there is a whole different meaning that my upbringing totally missed.

Prager's take on this commandment turns my thoughts to the idea of vanity of those who profess what they are not and seek honors un-bestowed. In this commandment, I see the Lord seeking to protect his reputation as a God and to regulate those who are authorized to speak in his name. This is a warning to those who soil God's trust or presume to take on themselves his name without the Lord's leave to do so. Doing such things against God would most certainly justify the Lord's wrath in not holding perpetrators guiltless, far more just than a lack of forgiveness for cursing.

And who are these perpetrators, these pretenders to God's permission?

I have met many preachers who hate The Book of Mormon and use all the rhetoric and social pressure available to them to make sure that book is not touched, much less read. If the Book of Mormon really is the writings of God's prophets (and I am convinced that this is true), such preachers are raging against Christ himself, using their association as "Christian" leaders to steer people AWAY from the authentic Jesus. When you read the third commandment in that light, some charismatic pastors may have put themselves and many of their disciples outside of Christ's forgiveness, establishing themselves as a false Christ.

If you are a person who purports to represent God, I strongly advise you to avoid preaching things that you are not absolutely positive about what you are saying. Using a profession of divine mandate is potentially dangerous to your own soul and magnified by the number of people you influence away from the truth. God himself says there is no forgiveness for evoking God to support your ignorant and well-compensated claims.

You cannot be forgiven for being a destroyer of faith wearing "Jesus" clothing.

Ruling Children, Babes, and Women

2025-11-22T15:11:00.000-07:00

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 name of protecting women and children, forgetting the reality that such people generate the actual value in life, upon which college-trained and salaried life managers will happily project state-sponsored oppression. I'm glad to be out of the business.

Walking away from pride parades where "they hide it not"

2025-11-15T14:23:00.021-07:00

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!

"for they shall eat the fruit of their doings."

2025-11-10T10:20:00.000-07:00

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!

"...shall be made low:..."

2025-11-07T03:32:00.021-07:00

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.

Go up to the MountaIn of the Lord

2025-10-29T07:53:00.003-06:00

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 closer to my Savior at each visit.

The journey to enter these Houses of the Lord begins with learning more of him through missionaries of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, who will add more wisdom and understanding to the faith and knowledge you may already have in Jesus Christ.

Continue your journey to the Messiah and Savior of all.

Avoiding the Lord's fiery indignation

2025-10-26T17:46:00.001-06:00

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 the Lord their God, with all their hearts and with all their might, mind, and strength, and restore four-fold for all their trespasses wherewith they have trespassed, or wherewith their fathers have trespassed, or their fathers’ fathers, then thine indignation shall be turned away;

The Lord provides a path to redemption, though it may require much of us in both devotion and reparations.

Feminism is silly compared with real feminine power

2025-10-19T19:51:00.001-06:00

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 aspect of this culture is beyond the normal purview of your next-door neighbor or the attention-grabbing starlet that you see on television. It isn't some farcical sub-group in some dark jungle or in some 'better" past. It could work here and work today. It is just as likely to be evil as any male-dominated world, as is very apparent from the Escape book. There are good people and bad people, emperors and pawns. Females don't make leadership particularly better, as silly feminists demand. There will be feuds and intrigue a-plenty under either sex.

My thought is that my female-run world is much more plausible and would enjoy a longevity far beyond the chaos of what is being experimented with in our world. Read it and see what you think.