Kingmen's Bane

Explanation.

2009-07-13T20:23:00.005-06:00

In all of my zeal and ranting about how Mormons are awful cooks, I forgot to mention the event that sparked my diatribe.

My wife's friend at church is what you could call a true blue, dyed in the wool Molly Mormon Mom. She is the ward chorister, she attends temple sessions every week like clockwork, and in spite of the fact that The First Presidency has never fully made it absolutely clear about cola drinks, she fastidiously avoids them like the plague. She knows the scriptures backwards and forwards, and she is always the first person to raise their hand to answer a question in Gospel Doctrine Class.

Her dedication and zeal serve as marvelous examples for me. Yet, in spite of all that, the poor woman cannot cook decently to save her life. I'll give you an example.

My father in law, who I mentioned had been a professional chef during his life, frequently served K.P. duty in the military. Being stationed in Kentucky at the time, he learned the ins and outs of American Southern cuisine. One of the specialties he picked up was a piquant, aromatic, earthy dish the servicemen affectionately called "sh* on a shingle," or as my own Utah Mormon father called it, "Crap on a crumpet."

The dish basically consists of chipped roast beef mixed with gravy, poured over toast. Later in civilian life, my father in law made a variation of it that involved putting ground beef in the gravy, and pouring it over mashed potatoes. Haute cuisine it is not, but prepared by my father in law's skilled hands it could hit the spot when you're really hungry and you don't have much in the house.

He taught my wife how to make it, and she in turn taught it to me. Even learning the PROPER way to make, it took all of about five minutes. My wife has shown her friend how the make the dish, more than once. Yet every couple of months or so, she calls up my wife and says, "tell me again -- how do you make it?" Each time she calls us up, I can't help but thinking "Good God, woman! Tying your shoe is more complicated!" Then I have to remind myself she's a Molly Mormon, and there's something in the Relief Society manual that just sucks all knowledge of decent cooking completely out of the brain.

= = = = = = = = = = = =

The secret to the dish is having the ability to make the gravy from scratch -- that is, building it from a basic roux. (I have yet to find a Molly Mormon Mom who knows what a Roux is, much less how to form one decently. Find a video on YouTube about making Roux, I won't go into that here.) Once the gravy is built, include a couple of teaspoons of beef bullion or broth, to taste. Add pepper, and granulated garlic, to taste. The bullion contains enough natural salt, you don't need to add more. My wife and I use pepper and garlic when making meat dishes, because the garlic highlights the flavor of the meat very well. The gravy is slowly built from the roux over low, low heat with continual stirring to avoid forming clumps.

In the gravy you can include either chipped roast beef, or cooked and drained ground beef whichever is handy. BUT, and this is a big BUT, if you use ground beef you must drain it very, very well, and here's why -- much of the fat that ends up in ground beef comes from unsavory parts of the animal, and you don't want those flavors included. If you like your dish to be heavier, include a tiny bit of tallow or bacon grease. Usually when we make roast beef on one night, we'll use the beef in this dish the next night. The secret is to sauté the beef with diced onions in lots of butter, before adding it to the gravy.

DO NOT use instant mashed potatoes with this dish. Those are an absolute crime against nature. I favor any proposed legislation that would forever ban instant mashed potatoes. Make mashed potatoes from scratch, with REAL potatoes. Whip the potatoes into a cream with an electric mixer, using small dashes of milk and lots of butter to taste. Add pepper, garlic, and parsley to the potatoes as well, to taste. Now, for all the "Happy Valley" purists who want to include potatoes in their food storage programmes, there are ways of doing it that don't rely on wall-paper paste style instant mashed potatoes. Trust me, there are ways. I'm not going to mention that here, do your homework. This dish can also be served over rice (which, by the way, is easier to store than potatoes.)

As mind-numbingly simple as the dish is, and as talented a scriptorian as my wife's friend is, the woman has yet to wrap her mind around it. Like I said previously, there has GOT to be something in the church curriculum somewhere that slurps cooking skill out of the minds of our Relief Society sisters faster than you can say "zombie-brained U.F.O. abductees filled with alien mind probes."

Cooking -- The Measure of A Civilization.

2009-07-12T19:51:00.003-06:00

My son used to always get really annoyed at commercials for cooking gadgets. "How much of an uncoordinated idiot do you have to be, to need a stupid thing like that to help you?"

My son comes from a long line of chefs and cooks on his mother's side who take cooking seriously, and have little tolerance for the modern tendency by most people to rely on boxes and cans to make meals. Although not as extreme, during the time I've been married to his mother I've absorbed some of that sentiment.

It is a sad fact of modern American life that the average person on the street barely knows how to turn on a stove, and even that is stretching it. What's even worse is that Mormons, who really should know better given The Church's emphasis on the home, are some of the absolute worst cooks on the planet.

I served my mission in Southern California, which is Mormon Mom capital of the world. They fed my companions and I so much badly made spaghetti, tuna casserole, and green jello with cottage cheese in it that even now, 20 years later I still feel the urge to hurl at the very memory of those dinner appointments. Bless their hearts, being typical moms they had so much to deal with in their lives that decent cooking ended up getting put on the back burner.

But still, with recipes as simple as spaghetti and tuna casserole, I boggles my mind how people can prepare them SO BADLY. I could not cook worse than that even if I specifically TRIED to.

I recognize now that God has blessed me. He gave me a wife who is an excellent cook herself, and who motivated her professional chef father to teach me quite a few things. He gave me a wife who came from a family that treats food as something more than a passing function like taking a shower or getting your hair done.

My wife's family took time. They took time to make their food right, and good. Then they took the time to gather together around it and connect, while consuming it. Often I wish the church would recognize the value of skilled cooking, when it comes to building families. When teaching our youth about temple marriage and missionary work, maybe the church and its members should spend more time teaching them how to PROPERLY cook.

Think of how our lives can be improved, by something so simple.

Vanity, Vanity, All Is Vanity.

2008-07-25T21:32:00.005-06:00

I was rooting around YouTube this evening. I found quite a few music videos from my youth. More than one of the songs among those I watched have yearning memories tied to them, often involving one young lady or another.

As I was watching these videos, it struck me just how old I am. All of this music was considered the absolute height of cool-ness in its day. Any kid who was even remotely "with it" had to have seen these bands in concert at least once in their lives. Now....well, let's just say my own kids get a good laugh out of the clothes and hairstyles worn by these musicians. I sat back and realized that my children have never, ever seen a vinyl LP or an 8-track tape. (Yes, I'm revealing how old I am.)

All of this brings me to that one scripture in the Old Testament "Vanity, vanity, all is vanity, there is nothing new under the sun." All of these stars rose to the heights of fame and fortune. Now, a couple of decades later, they are quite literally history. Nobody younger than I am has even heard the names of these groups. Even people my own age have forgotten who they are.

It reminds me of the scene in "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure" where Bill and Ted went back through time and conversed with Socrates. Bill motioned with his hands trying to communicate a line from that song by Kansas "All We Are Is Dust In The Wind." After a moment a light goes on in Socrates' mind. He turns and excitedly tells his students in Greek "Ah! Like sands in the hourglass, these are the days of our lives!" (alluding to the soap opera of the same name.)

The brethren have often told us not to use pop culture to illustrate Gospel Principles, but sometimes things are so apropos, it can't be helped. What can illustrate just how temporary and ever changing mortal life is, better than the music industry?

It is still nice to reminisce, though. As I sat and watched a video by the group Journey, I couldn't help but think of someone special I knew, a long time ago, as I sing the line "send her my love, memories remain...."

Here's a video of the song "Dust In The Wind."

("It slips away, and all your money won't another minute buy...."

The Spirit Cannot Draw From An Empty Well.

2008-07-20T02:26:00.002-06:00

In the July 2008 issue of The Ensign, there is an article by Elder M. Russel Ballard discussing the need for members of The Church to spread the gospel through the Internet. I most certainly agree with him, the time has come for The Saints to arise and let their testimonies be heard.

What concerns me is the enormous amounts of misinformation about the church out on the internet. There are enemies of the church out there who will do everything they can to wreck the testimonies and kill the faith of loyal church members. Many of these enemies are very sophisticated and highly skilled in religious and philosophical sophistry. These enemies are sharp, fork tongued snakes in the grass, who serve only that Father of Serpents who spoke the first lies to Mother Eve.

My only wish is that the church would provide us with knowledge tools that address *specifics* in the worldly sophistries used to attack us. When they tell members to go out and testify on the internet, that's like sending lambs to face the wolves. Sure, I can stand there and bear my testimony all day long, but if the church desires that we correct misconceptions, I really wish they would provide us with the relevant tools needed to do so.

I am glad that organizations like F.A.I.R. and F.A.R.M.S. exist -- they have been invaluable to me in finding answers I can express to my friends about criticisms which trouble them. What puzzles me is that The Church has always been reluctant to provide an officially sanctioned source of knowledge from which The Saints can draw in order to successfully defend The Church. My only hope is that this need can be addressed, or at least that the The Church can explain to us why they do not.

I'm perfectly willing to bear testimony of The Gospel in the face of opposition -- I only wish that I had more specific tools with which to work.

Onward, Christian Soldiers.

2008-06-24T17:54:00.007-06:00

You know that we live in times that are ever increasingly wicked and unclean, when the church instructs Bishops to be publicly active about a specific issue, after normally chosing to remain quiet and unattached over the years.

Bishops in California have received instructions from The First Presidency to devote as much of their ward's efforts as they can to amend the state's constitution to define marriage as being only between man and woman.

(See the article, HERE at CNS News.)

Not content to sit on the sidelines, The Salt Lake Tribune People's Pravda has to chime in their liberal Communist criticism of the church. I find it interesting that the people who get morally indignant about polygamy in the church's past are some of the very same people who openly advocate homosexual marriage, co-habitation, polyamory, free love, pornography, and swinging. Liberals can be far greater hypocrites than what they accuse conservatives of being.

It's a shame that our times have become such that we need to campaign for such specific definitions of law. I intend to add all of my fervent prayers to help the LDS Bishops in their campaign to defend the traditional family.

The Book of Mormon tells us that when times are such that the voice of the people overwhelmingly choose wickedness, we can know that the end of a civilization is near. The fall of the Nephite civilization to the Lamanites, and the fall of the Kingdom of Isreal to the Babylonians are two tragic examples.

I fear for our country.

Even though historians have expressed skepticism of the authenticity of The Whitehorse Prophecy, I for one sincerely believe in it. The state of affairs that Joseph Smith warned us about have truly arrived. The values of The Constitution are hanging by a thread, and The Elders of Zion are being called upon to save it.

Knowledge Without Wisdom Is A Dangerous Thing.

2008-05-07T14:18:00.002-06:00

In an earlier post I discussed the situation regarding a former Bishopric member from a certain ward nearby. This person is an attorney who, when he read a little bit of Anti-Mormon trash on the internet, believed it all and left the church. He is also bitter about another local former Bishop who is also an attorney that had improper relations with young Boy Scouts over the years.

The first guy left the church, declared himself an Atheist, and is now writing all sorts of defamatory and inflammatory articles and forum posts all over the web. The second guy went through a lengthy repentance process and is now a productive member again.

The first guy and his wife are involved in all sorts "lifestyle creativity" with other couples. The second guy, as far as I know, is still loyal to his wife, financially assists his adult children, dotes over his grandchildren, and teaches church classes from time to time.

I have little doubts as to which person will be happier at the end of his life.

What really cracks me up is that the first guy really considered himself a stalwart. During a ward conference he spoke of his mission experiences. He repeated to us some advice that his Mission President once told him. He said that whenever things aren't going right with your mission, or your testimony falters, most likely it is because you have problems with obedience.
Sure enough, this first guy is now an adulterous swinger, and he wonders why he couldn't believe the church's teachings. The really sad thing is that his own words in sacrament meeting will be a testament against him at the last day, I sincerely believe.

I just have to laugh at these lawyers. They think they know everything. Show them some Anti-Mormon garbage in print, and they take it as if it was law written in stone. I myself have been exposed to all sorts of scurrilous Anti-Mormon garbage in my life and on my mission. I've seen pretty much all of it -- they repeat themselves quite a bit from author to author. Yet I will still tell you the Church is true until my dying day, because of the Power of God I have seen and felt many times in my life. I have also seen the powers of darkness work through other churches.

As for all these apostates who criticize the church simply to excuse their disobedience and sins, all I have to say is don't let the chapel doors hit you in the fanny on the way out. I have no use for spiritual cowards.

For Everything Else, There's MasterCard.

2008-04-28T17:57:00.003-06:00

My wife and my niece were in the kitchen making dinner the other evening. My four year old daughter was in the kitchen, under foot, pestering them. My wife called to me and asked me to do something about it.

With my four year old, there's only one way to get her to come along peacefully, away from her mother: CHEESY-POOFS. I got her a cupful and had her sit on the couch with me and watch TV. Ok, I know. Not the most healthy or socially responsible way to connect with my child, but as I sat there watching her lick off the orange goodness from her little bitty four year old fingers, I would not have traded the moment for all the treasures of the world.

Subscription to Disney Channel: $ (more than I want to admit)
Eleven ounce bag of Wal-Mart Cheesy Poofs: $1.69
Special Disney Princess character cup to hold the Poofs: $4.99
Watching my four year old sit still longer than a minute, licking the orange flavor from her little fingers: ABSOLUTELY PRICELESS.

Yep, that's right. I'm a daddy.

If We Could Part The Veil....

2008-04-27T23:57:00.002-06:00

I've been talking to my unhappily married friend today. He is feeling exceptionally unhappy at the moment. He says communicating with his wife is like trying to speak English to someone who speaks Chinese.

I don't exactly know what to say to him, except to re-assure him that all things shall enjoy their perfected beauty in The Lord's due time, and a time will come when strife shall cease and only the power and glory of The Prince of Peace shall remain. I told him we can all enjoy this peace forever if we are patient and continue our daily gospel living.

I also shared with him one of my most absolute favorite hymns of all time -- "If You Could Hie To Kolob." That song is the most beautiful description of the Celestial Kingdom I have ever come across.

Ball And Chain.

2008-04-22T00:31:00.003-06:00

Recently I've been in touch with somebody who served his mission in the same area I did, some years ago. Things are not going well with him. He is desperately unhappy with his marriage. He says he really loves his wife, and still wants to love her, but he says that trying to communicate with her is like listening to fingernails on a chalkboard all the time. He sleeps alone, and has been celibate for the greater part of the last several years.

"If I had wanted to spend my adult life sleeping alone, living celibate, and sharing a house with another adult who is a perpetual, non-stop adversary to me, with whom communication is like pulling horses' teeth, I would merely have stayed single and just gotten an annoying room mate."

"At least in that case I would have been able to finish college and build a career before I'm 42, without interference. I would be in a position to contribute far more to the world than I am doing now. Other than that, it would all be exactly the same, with the same exact teeth on edge feeling day after day...the only difference being my signature on a court document."

Words cannot express, he says, how unhappy and unfulfilled he is. I'm not exactly sure what to do to help him. He is very bitter.

He tells me that all throughout his childhood and youth the Church drummed into his head that marriage is the "end-all, be-all" of eternal existence, and he says that he feels like the Church sold him a bill of goods. He says he feels like he was taken to the cleaners, because of what he believes is exaggerated hype and maximized hyperbole in the Church about marriage.

To be sure, I'll be praying quite considerably for my friend and his wife. I just wish I knew what to do to help him.

I told him to consider the story in The Old Testament where King Saul repeatedly sought to hunt down and kill David. One day, happenstance brought to David information that King Saul was sleeping alone in a cave close by. David went to the cave to confront and possibly kill King Saul. When he got there, he stopped, and told himself that Saul was King of Israel, and therefore God's anointed, regardless of his faults. David cut a piece of cloth from the King's hem to prove he'd been there, and left in peace, refusing to kill the man who had been a mortal enemy to him. David knew that for his own sake it would be far better to leave judgment in God's hands about King Saul's murderous plans.

I told my friend that whether we realize it or not, each of us is called and anointed by God to be an Eternal partner to our spouse. We become anointed as such during the entire temple endowment and marriage process. Therefore, when we criticize our spouses, technically we are speaking evil of the Lord's anointed. If our partner wrongs us in the things that they do, we are still under obligation by our covenants to speak to them and about them in peaceful terms, leaving judgment in God's hands (and the Bishop's hands, where necessary.)

I told my friend that if he considers his wife a perpetual adversary, then it is all the more important for him to pray about her, since Jesus taught us we should pray for our enemies. I have to confess that often times it bothers me if someone patronizes me and says "just pray about it." My friend feels the same way. In this instance though, I told him it just might bring him the peace he so desperately needs, but cannot find. If our spouse is an enemy, pray for them as Jesus said, and just maybe we can find release from our misery and bitterness in the process.

It used to bug me whenever my mom quoted "this too shall pass" to me whenever I've been unhappy. When all is said and done, there really isn't anything that fits the bill as well as that phrase does. I told my friend that in the Lord's scheme of things, all things shall be beautified and made perfect in their time. I told him there shall be a world to come where strife shall cease, burdens will be lifted, cares banished, love for our fellow brothers and sisters shall flow between all of us without end, and never again she we see our former tears. Brigham Young told us that if we could just be patient and bear our life's troubles just this little while, the glories of eternity will be unfolded to us and bestowed upon our heads forever, in due time.

In the meantime, of course, my friend still has to deal with the teeth grinding day to day reality of an imperfect, mortal marriage. I shall pray for him as much as I can.

I'm An Addict!

2008-04-14T23:47:00.002-06:00

The Bretheren have counseled us to be careful not to waste too much time online.

I have to confess! I've been a bad boy...I discovered gospel archive material that the Church has on its website, and I've been rummaging through it for HOURS....there is so much cool material.

I especially love the "Teachings of The Presidents" manuals, which have quotations from our past prophets. Excellent, excellent stuff. All my life I have loved to give lessons at church, but gaining background material has always been a problem.

It used to be that I held on to every Ensign I received in the mail since the beginning of time, and every lesson manual I got for Priesthood and Sunday School. I used those to get material for talks. Now, I just go to the church website, and viola. So many things to choose from that I can use. The possibilities are endless.

I tell ya, these are the days of miracles and wonders. It's been said that in the Last Days, knowledge of the Lord will fill the Earth. Folks, I'm here to tell you those days are NOW.

Lacking Some Manhood Lately?

2008-04-12T13:45:00.002-06:00

Some cowards wearing ski masks, shouting insults about Mormons, beat up an LDS missionary in Arizona.

Apparently the attackers were sorely lacking in the reproductive fortitude department -- they beat up a defenseless missionary, while wearing a mask even, rather than do something that requires real manhood, like work a real job, pay taxes, or properly raise children.

Being a God fearing Mormon-Christian, I must refrain from speaking what's really on my mind. I have just two words to say to the cowardly, manhood-less attackers, and it ain't "boy howdy."

Read the article here:

http://www.ldslivingonline.com/article.php?articleId=50216 [link]

Yeah! What He Said!

2008-04-09T00:21:00.004-06:00

I say to the Latter-day Saints, all we have to do is to learn of God. Let the liars lie on, and let the swearers swear on, and they will go to perdition. All we have to do is to go onward and upward, and keep the commandments of our Father and God; and he will confound our enemies (DBY, 347)...

Every time they persecute and try to overcome this people, they elevate us, weaken their own hands, and strengthen the hands and arms of this people. And every time they undertake to lessen our number, they increase it. And when they try to destroy the faith and virtue of this people, the Lord strengthens the feeble knees, and confirms the wavering in faith and power in God, in light, and intelligence. Righteousness and power with God increase in this people in proportion as the Devil struggles to destroy it (DBY, 351)...

Every time you kick “Mormonism” you kick it upstairs; you never kick it downstairs. The Lord Almighty so orders it (DBY, 351).

-- Brigham Young, Teachings of The Presidents of the Church, Chap35

I Will Go And Do As The Lord Hath Commanded...

2008-04-07T02:49:00.003-06:00

Lately I've come to the decision that if all my secular endeavors in life are forever going to be failures like they have been, and if the world doesn't care about anything I have to offer, then at the very least I'm going to get some work done in God's Kingdom before I die.

I've been praying for God to help me find a career that will allow me the freedom to attend church on Sunday, without exception, into perpetuity. I have no college degree or exceptional skill to commend me, the only kinds of jobs I can find are those that require me to work on Sunday. I'm not certain what to do next.

Hack Saw.

2008-04-05T16:47:00.002-06:00

LDS General conference is this weekend, and I really want to go see it at the chapel, but I'm stuck with a head cold that has me coughing and hacking constantly. Luckily, I can still watch conference on the internet at the church website.

Whenever I watch conference videos on the church website, it always amazes me how far we have come as a church in the last two centuries. I wonder if the original six members in that very first meeting in a log cabin in New England so many years ago had any inkling that one day their descendants would be watching church proceedings on Cable TV and the Internet from their homes, all over the world.

That one fact alone, in and of itself, is testimony to me that the power of God is behind His true church in these last days.

For The Times, They Are A-changin'

2008-04-05T13:44:00.005-06:00

I was riding home from work with one of my friends today. She told me about a friend of hers who was harping about all the changes in the temple ceremony that have occured over the last several years.

Critics of the church lie all the time and insist that Joseph Smith said the ceremony was never to be changed. I'm here to tell you that is absolutely false. Joseph Smith specifically told Brigham Young the endowment was not perfect, and that he wanted Brigham to further organize it after he was gone, according to continuing revelation from the Lord.

For those critics who doubt me, let me refer you to a lecture that gives the historical documentation:

http://www.fairlds.org/FAIR_Brochures/Can_Temple_Ceremonies_Change.pdf

Even the New Testament shows that God may change specific PROCEDURES of The Gospel, but the underlying PRINCIPLES remain the same. Jesus Christ fulfilled The Law of Moses, which is why we don't offer animal sacrifices the way Israel did in the Old Testament. God told Peter to discontinue the practice of circumcision, and He told Peter that the Gentiles must also be taught The Gospel. Peter resisted these changes, until The Lord finally had to get firm with him.

I find it laughable that anti-Mormons spend so much of their time and energy trying to fight the church, when it's a loosing proposition. They might sway a few members here or there, but God told Joseph Smith that mankind may as well try to stop the Missouri river with their fore-arm, as to try to stop His Kingdom from going forth in the Latter-Days.

I welcome the anti-Mormons to waste and wear out their lives trying to fight us. They will have nothing to show for it in the end, except for a handful of weak-willed sycophant followers. In the mean time, I will enjoy living The Restored Gospel, raising my children, and praying in peace. I'll focus on paying my taxes, influencing society for good, and serving my fellow man.

Anti Mormons can rant and rave all they want. Guess what? I don't give a flyin' leap what they say. Anti-Mormons murdered one of my forefathers -- they shot him point blank, on a freezing winter night, in front of his wife and children on their little farm. The wife and children would have been shot point blank as well, but luckily they managed to escape by running into the cornfield. Another of my forefathers literally froze to death under a ragged tent at Council Bluffs Iowa. His wife and ten children had to bury him before they walked on, by themselves, across several THOUSAND miles to Salt Lake.

THE BLOOD OF MY FOREFATHERS SOAKS THE HANDS OF ALL WHO FIGHT THE CHURCH. The blood of my forefathers cries from the ground against the wicked and adulterous generation of our modern society.

I WILL STAND WITNESS AGAINST ANTI-MORMONS AT THE JUDGEMENT DAY, THAT A CHILD OF THE PEOPLE THEY KILLED STILL REMAINS TRUE TO THE FAITH, AND WILL DIE FOR IT LIKE HIS FATHERS, IF NECESSARY.

If My Wife And I Were Adam and Eve.

2007-08-08T02:14:00.001-06:00

For Everything Else, There's MasterCard

2007-07-23T15:31:00.000-06:00

One of the beauties of life that I thank God for is the ability to enjoy simple pleasures. In this case, it's my three year old daughter when she first wakes up this morning, imploring me with puppy-dog eyes peeping through tousled blonde hair, asking me if she could please have some scrambled eggs for breakfast.

She calls them "skargled aggies."

You don't get things like that from a commercial or a sit-com.

(non stick pan, $15. one dozen eggs, $1.69. Hearing your child ask you politely for some skargled aggies in the morning: priceless.)

That's Just The Way It Is.

2007-05-09T17:50:00.000-06:00

THE MISSION PRESIDENT: Leaps tall buildings in a single bound, Is more powerful than a locomotive, Is faster than a speeding bullet, Walks on water, Associates with God.

THE ASSISTANT TO THE PRESIDENT: Leaps short buildings in a single bound, Is more powerful than a switch engine, Is just as fast as a speeding bullet, Walks on water if the sea is calm, Talks with God.

THE ZONE LEADER: Leaps short buildings with a running start and favorable winds, Is almost as powerful as a switch engine, Is faster than a decelerating bullet, Walks on water in an indoor swimming pool, Talks with God if special request is approved.

THE DISTRICT LEADER: Barely clears a mud hut, Loses tug-of-war with locomotives, Can fire a speeding bullet, Swims well, Is occasionally addressed by God.

THE SENIOR COMPANION: Makes high marks on the wall when trying to leap tall buildings, Is run over by locomotives, Can sometimes handle a gun without inflicting self-injury, Dog paddles, Talks to animals.

THE JUNIOR COMPANION: Runs into buildings, Recognizes locomotives 2 out of 3 times, Is not issued ammunition, Can stay afloat with a life jacket, Talks to walls.

THE GREENIE: Falls over doorsteps when trying to enter buildings. Says, "Look at the choo-choo!" Wets himself with a water pistol, Plays in mud puddles, Mumbles to himself.

THE SISTER MISSIONARIES: Lifts buildings and walks under them, Kicks locomotives off the tracks, Catches speeding bullets with her teeth and eats them, Freezes water in a single glance, Knows God.

Yes Ma'am, Daddy.

2007-05-09T17:41:00.000-06:00

"E" discovered her mamma's craft paints. ACRYLIC craft paints. She got stains on momma's uniform. Not a good scene.

I had to use "the daddy voice" and give her a lecture about playing with things that don't belong to her. Usually with "the daddy voice" I can scare the living snot out of them without actually raising the volume.

"E" could barely put together her apology. "Yes ma'am, daddy..." she said.

I'm Not An Apostate, Really.

2007-04-07T03:01:00.000-06:00

Because of work demands, I can't remember the last time I've been able to get to church. This week I lucked out and got Sunday off. I look forward to going.

People at church often ask "K" about my well-being. More than one Bishop over the years has inquired as to the state of my testimony, I've been absent so much. My answer is always the same, of course: I know now more than ever that God Lives, Jesus Christ is Savior and Lord, the Book of Mormon is true, this is God's true church, Joseph Smith and all his successors are Prophets of God, duly called and ordained by the laying on of hands by the Quorum of The Twelve, who hold the keys to God's true Priesthood in this last dispensation.

Often times I feel like The Brother of Jared or the family of Lehi, traveling alone in the wilderness, having no contact with others in the faith, relying only upon the guidance of God in prayer. What I need to do is ask God to help me find work that will allow me the freedom to attend church on Sunday.

There's the rub.

I'm Dreaming Of A White Easter.

2007-04-07T02:26:00.000-06:00

It snowed today, April 6th. It wasn't a whole lot, just a few flakes here and there, but flakes nonetheless, and they scattered around all afternoon.

"J" is preparing to take over driving his car, once he gets his license. "K" will start chef school this month, and I'm going to be starting an online degree completion program. I'll get my accounting degree come hell or high water. After school lets out, "J" will be working overtime all summer to save up money for community college in the fall.

I decided to go with an online provider because all the major universities in the area are at least an hour drive or more one way from my house. With work and a family to take care of, a daily commute like that is out of the question. I talked with a person who worked for a hiring firm and he said that online degrees are becoming more and more acceptable these days.

Spring Has Sprung.

2007-03-05T17:40:00.000-06:00

It's a gorgeous day, today -- I also have the good fortune of having the day off from work. I am enjoying it thoroughly.

Heber And The Minister.

2007-02-22T21:06:00.001-06:00

Many years ago in a foreign country, the local minister decided that all the Mormons had to leave the city. Naturally, there was a big uproar from the Mormon community. So, the minister made a deal. He would have a religious debate with a member of the Mormon community. If the Mormon won, the Mormons could stay. If the minister won, the Mormons would leave.

Realizing they had no choice, the Mormons picked a young missionary from Idaho named Heber, to represent them.

Not able to speak the language very well, Heber asked for one addition to the debate. To make it more interesting, neither side could talk. The minister agreed.

The day of the great debate came. Heber and the minister sat opposite each other for a full minute before the minister raised his hand and showed three fingers. Heber looked back at him and raised one finger.

The minister waved his fingers in a circle around his head. Heber pointed to the ground where he sat.

The minister pulled out a wafer and a glass of wine. Heber pulled out an apple.

The minister stood up and said, "I give up! This man is too good! The Mormons can stay."

Afterwards, the church council, gathered around the minister, asking him to explain what had happened. The minister said, "First, I held up three fingers to represent the Trinity. He responded by holding up one finger to remind me that there was still one God common to both our religions.

Then I waved my finger around me to show him that God was all around us. He responded by pointing to the ground to show that God was also right here with us.

I pulled out the wine and wafer to show that God absolves us from our sins. He pulled out an apple to remind me of the original sin. He had an answer for everything. What could I do?"

Meanwhile the Mormon community and all the missionaries had crowded around Heber. "What happened?" they asked.

"Well," said Heber, "First he said to me that the Mormons had three days to get out of here. I told him that not one of us was leaving. He told me that his whole city would be cleared of Mormons. I let him know we were staying right here."

"And then?" asked a woman. "I don't know," said Heber, "He took out his lunch and I took out mine."

HOGS.

2007-02-22T19:38:00.000-06:00

The kids have all been sick, including the smallest, and she's teething on top of that. All she wants to do is be hugged. So, she's sitting in my lap now, getting "hoggies."

My oldest son got dumped by his girlfriend. No big loss, really -- she struck me as kind of a loser. Although he's devastated, I'm secretly relieved. He deserves better than they way she treated him. I am also praying over him quite a bit, so that he might find consolation and that he may find people in his life who will treat him with respect. He's a self-professed agnostic with no desire to serve a mission, but I'm working on that in my prayers.

The weather has been very pleasant. Lot's of sunshine, breezes, and 71 degrees. The Mrs. and I went out to lunch, at a place called Joe's Crab Shack. The sign in the window says "show her you love her -- give her crabs." I had the crab-stuffed shrimp, and it was pretty good.

The frozen pipe melted and luckily there wasn't a leak. There still may be the problem of weakened walls in the pipe, but so far nothing has burst.

Colder Than A......

2007-02-15T20:36:00.000-06:00

It's been cold. Freakin' cold.

The line from our hot water tank froze, so right now we only have cold water running in the house. Yup. Imagine taking a bath in that. Unless we have money to pay a plumber to use a blow torch to defrost the line, which we don't, we're going to have to wait for warmer weather for it to thaw before we have have the leak fixed. The line will have a big leak when it thaws.

My blood pressure is sky high, I have trouble sleeping because of apnea, I wake up with splitting headaches all the time, and we have no money to treat any of that.

I tell you, it just doesn't get any better.

Omigosh! The Mormons Are Taking Over!

2007-02-09T03:04:00.000-06:00

In spite of all my ranting, I must admit to you now that there is one claim the Anti-Mormons make that is absolutely true. Walter Martin and Ed Decker pronounced in their most shrill conspiracy theory screeches that the Mormons are going to take over the world.

GUESS WHAT -- WE WILL. The Anti's had better get used to the idea. Watch this video and you'll see what I mean.

We are the Mormon Borg Collective!
You will be assimilated!
Resistance is futile!

He's a Char -- Oops, I Mean Consultant.

2007-02-09T01:01:00.000-06:00

Carnival barker. Charlatan. That's the kind of thing people call Joseph Smith. Yet these very same people, like pastor Bob Larson, who claim to be "cult experts" are up to their eyebrows in books, tapes, and all sorts of highly profitable money producing products and businesses.

"Anti-cult" preaching is big business. Bob Larson has operations in "more than 90 countries" according to his website. Enterprises that extensive (if his claim is to be believed) need money to operate. Lots of money. Where does he get it? Books, tapes, donations, and his favorite tactic of P.T. Barnum showmanship, the so-called "exorcisms" which are no more that deep trance hypnosis elicited by an amateur hypnotist.

Fakery. Total fakery. Any reputable, knowledgeable skeptic or medical doctor will tell you that's what Bob Larson's exorcism side-shows actually are. Yet, this guy has the spleen to criticize Joseph Smith and the Mormon church.

If Bob Larson doesn't like my beliefs about Joseph Smith, that's one thing. I really don't care if Joseph Smith said the moon was made of cheese, the earth is hollow, and socks go from the drier to another dimension, or anything else Anti-Mormons rail on us about. But when a fraudulent con-man has the brass to accuse Joseph Smith of fraud, that's where I draw the line.

Too many people in the church are complete sheep when it comes to Anti-Mormons. I believe we need to aggressively defend ourselves against fraudulent critics like D.J. Nelson, Walter Martin, Ed Decker, and all the others who line their bank accounts with COLD CASH from books that exploit people's fears. The Jews defend themselves with the Anti-Defamation League. Though I oppose Scientology, their security operations against money-motivated, fear-mongering critics have alot to be learned from.

Speaking of Walter Martin, he lived in a very large, lavish house in Southern California while I served as an LDS missionary in Anaheim twenty years ago. Lavish as in "money comes pouring in from exploiting people's fear and intolerant bigotry" lavish. So-called "Dr." Walter Martin claims credentials that don't stand up under investigation. [link]

I'm tired of standing by while obnoxious, slick tongued salsemen bozos attack my beliefs. Bozos who hold beliefs of their own that are just as frail, tenuous, and ridiculous when put to the test by skeptics or atheists.

The reason I am on this rant is that I had the misfortune this evening of watching Bob Larson spew his fear-mongering crap on national television. I wanted to hurl a brick through the screen.

Fortunately I found some information about "Bunko" Larson. According to Wikipedia, his radio show was surrounded by allegations of financial fraud. It is also alleged that Larson is a total horn-dog, fooling around with his secretaries. Larson married one of his secretaries right after he divorced his wife; coincidentally, of course. He even went so far as to plagiarize fiction written by one of his staff members. Australian film maker John Safran "admitted that he may have been psychologically manipulated by Larson" when The Bob-ster performed a live exorcism upon him.

One of Larson's cassettes even goes so far as to say that dinosaurs are still alive today. Now THAT is plum crazier than anything Joseph Smith may have taught. Any respectable paleontologist would call that complete fraud.

Here are more resources about "Bunko" Larson:

DemaPublicans and Republicrats.

2007-02-08T05:02:00.000-06:00

My wife (K) believes the Democrats will probably carry the next presidential election, and I think she's right. I'm so ticked off at the Republicans right now it's unreal. They had the opportunity in the last several years to really make some good conservative changes, and all they do is get caught up in corruption and sex scandals. The only thing I hate worse than a Democrat politician is a Republican idiot who drops the ball and costs the party its position and influence. Right now the Republican party is chock-full of fumbling idiots. It makes me want to be a Libertarian.

Mosiah 29:27
"27 And ^aif the time comes that the voice of the people doth choose iniquity, then is the time that the judgments of God will come upon you; yea, then is the time he will visit you with great destruction even as he has hitherto visited this land."

Alma 10: 19
"19 Yea, well did Mosiah say, who was our last king, when he was about to deliver up the kingdom, having no one to confer it upon, causing that this people should be governed by their own voices—yea, well did he say that if the time should come that the voice of this people should ^achoose iniquity, that is, if the time should come that this people should fall into transgression, they would be ripe for destruction."

Some days, I really fear for this land.

I Got Stoned Again.

2007-01-29T19:10:00.000-06:00

Over the weekend my kidney stone started bothering me again, and the pain got so bad I had to go to the emergency room. I couldn't keep anything down, not even pain medicine, so I had to get an I.V. After a scan they told me there is also a second stone in addition to the first one that's been bothering me. They are mostly likely going to have to be removed by surgery. I meet with a specialist this week.

This is definitely NOT what I need.

The thing that really bothers me, is that there's a certain wealthy attorney in this town who molests boy scouts, perjures himself before the leaders of his church, gets caught by the cops doing "stuff" in a public restroom, causes tons of bad publicity for said church, along with the loss of faith of many people, yet he still has his practice and he lives in a nice house on the north side of town. He doesn't have to deal with the pain and steep financial cost of things like kidney stones. He doesn't have to wake up in the middle of the night, shivering in terror worried about how he's going to support his children or fix the run down trailer he lives in.

THAT is what bothers me.

It's All Going To End!

2007-01-22T13:14:00.000-06:00

First, the bad news: Researchers say that eventually the Sun is going to expand [link] to be so large that it will overtake and burn away the Earth and the Moon (that is, if the Moon doesn't crumble to pieces under the increased gravitational strain before then).

Then, the good news: Researchers say that all of this will happen approximately 5 billion years from now, give or take a millenia or two.

What does all of that mean? Well, it means that 5 billion years from now when the earth is destroyed (according to scientists), I'll be long dead and all of the problems I worry about today will be ancient history! It means that there is nothing so important today that it's going to effect the sun cycle, and there will be a point in time when all problems will have passed, so I will no longer have to worry about them any more!

On a much rosier note, if you have a testimony of The Restored Gospel of Jesus Christ, you know that by then we will all have been assigned our individual eternal glories according to our works, and we will all be enjoying "peace that passeth all understanding."

I thank my Heavenly Father for His love for us, and for His peace that he grants us when all is troubled.

Pie In The Sky, Part 2

2007-01-13T06:27:00.000-06:00

Yesterday's post was the result of a particularly bad day. Things are better now.

I still grumble "where's the beef!" but deep at the core of my being I know there are just some things we have to do, for which we are not going to see results immediately, possibly not even until the here-after. People often tell me that, and I hate hearing it. They're right, of course, but I dislike being patronized.

Often when I continuously chew over that old boot leather question in my mind, The Holy Spirit reminds me of my seminary scripture verses.

D&C 58: 3
3 Ye cannot behold with your natural ^aeyes, for the present time, the design of your God concerning those things which shall come hereafter, and the ^bglory which shall follow after much tribulation.

D&C 64
32 But all things must come to pass in their time.
33 Wherefore, be not ^aweary in ^bwell-doing, for ye are laying the foundation of a great work. And out of ^csmall things proceedeth that which is great.
34 Behold, the Lord ^arequireth the ^bheart and a ^cwilling mind; and the willing and ^dobedient shall ^eeat the good of the land of Zion in these last days."

Acceptance is a principle I have the hardest time with. I know that ultimately it will bring me the peace I seek, but practicing it is a totally different animal altogether.

Show Me The Money, Baby....

2007-01-11T22:01:00.000-06:00

I'm one of those kinds of people who refuse to waste time and effort on things that show no visible, concrete evidence of having any type of payoff. That trait has been a weakness for me at times, yet it has also saved me from unnecessary aggravation, anguish, and/or harm at other times as well.

Today is one of those days when I look back on many of the things I accomplished only after I really, really struggled very hard to get them done, where I have yet at age 41 to see little if any pay-off. I anguish over the question: why did I even bother make the effort to do these things? What was my time, considerable effort, and often anguish, worth? What was it worth? What was it all for?

I love the church, I truly do, but so often I despair over the utter lack of ability anyone there has to answer any of my questions, aside from the usual patronizing homilies they've told me thousands of times before. People at church often judge me as being doubtful, faithless, undedicated, uncommitted, blasphemous, and apostate because I can't accept their over- simplified pie-in-the-sky explanations for things.

I Got "Stoned" Today.

2007-01-10T19:31:00.000-06:00

Today I found out the hard way that I have another kidney stone. It started bothering me this morning. As usual with these things, the pain became excruciating and I vomited profusely. I went to the ER, and they did a scan. They said it was 2.5 millimeters, and they believed it should pass through in a couple of days.

It's hard to imagine that something so small can hurt so intensely. I guess that's the kind of philosophic principle Jesus was referring to when he spoke of The Mustard Seed.

Is That A "Yes" Or A "Head Bobble?"

2007-01-05T22:39:00.000-06:00

I have a confession to make. All throughout my teen years as an Aaronic Priesthood holder, when my fellow compatriots were out getting themselves into all sorts of trouble, I spent many hours by myself in my room alone listening to music. I worked long and hard to be diligent and obedient in the Priesthood. There was one thing that was my downfall, and it was hot music.

I remember having gone to a Van Halen concert one Saturday, and the next morning on Sunday the Priest's advisor chastised me for not being a proper example for the rest of the boys. I remember thinking to myself "if those losers want to be punks, that's their choice, and not my responsibility. Don't blame me."

When I became an Elder and a full time Missionary, they gave me even more flack about it. Yes, I was a rebel -- I had a clandestine stash of tunes and a walkman. Sinful, sinful. Blasphemous, they said. It gave the Mission President fits.

Now, I'm a Temple-married father of four, packing a couple extra pounds, pushing 41, watching my blood pressure, and taking mood-meds to deal with all the guilt trips, mind games, brainwashing, and crap those people played on me. I still listen to my music.

My nerves no longer allow me to tolerate heavy metal like I used to, but I've found an entirely new love -- dance mixes, electronica, "club trop," and "high-NRG." Stuff you'd hear at Studio 54 and similar places. Stuff I can bounce to.

I was watching some videos on Yahoo! Launch this evening. My wife (K) asked me if I particularly enjoyed music by Simply Red, a retro artist from '80s club music that I didn't used to like, but now I do. I was bouncing up and down, moving my head to the beat of the video.

"Is that a 'Yes' or a 'head-bobble'?" she asked, growing impatient when I didn't answer for having been lost in the music.

"Both," I replied.

(HEAVEN -- D.J. SAMMY)

Pharisees.

2007-01-03T06:16:00.000-06:00

Here's a nice little picture of a Pharisee I found somewhere on the internet.

I'll admit I have my faults and I make many mistakes, but if there's one thing that will really torque me off to no end, it's people who hassle me and badger me over my faults while they are totally blind to their own, often much larger faults.

Let's just say that lately I've had to deal with people like that. I'm really hacked-off about it, too.

Nevertheless, I know I must leave all things in God's hands, and let Him judge. All I can say is that the very same standards of judgement that has been passed upon me lately, are someday going to be applied to those who judge me.

Even now these persons complain to me about conditions in their own life which are the result of their own faulty choices and mistakes, yet they don't see the connection to the very same things they judge me for.

I just smile. God sees.

Alpha and Omega.

2006-12-27T04:38:00.000-06:00

"The beginning and the end."

Yahoo! Answers

2006-12-25T13:59:00.000-06:00

I love some of the questions people post on "Yahoo! Answers."

Here's one that's interesting:

What's Worst About Christmas: Family Fights or Family Not Showing Up? [link]

Soon There'll Be None Left To Protest.

2006-12-24T02:43:00.000-06:00

FIRST THEY CAME.

They came first for the Communists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Communist.

Then they came for the Jews,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a Jew.

Then they came for the trade unionists,

and I didn't speak up because I wasn't a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Catholics,

and I didn't speak up because I was a Protestant.

Then they came for me,

and by that time no one was left to speak up.

LDS ARTICLE OF FAITH #11

11 We claim the ^aprivilege of worshiping Almighty God according to the ^bdictates of our own ^cconscience, and allow all men the same privilege, let them ^dworship how, where, or what they may.
************************************

I quoted all of that for a reason. Normally I'm not one who is real big on giving a helping hand to all the hippie nature religions, but an issue has been brewing (no pun intended) of late. Veterans who have served in the military and are practitioners of Wicca are being denied the right to place the pentacle symbol on their veteran grave stones when they die. See the article at Yahoo News [link].

I should think that we as Mormons, who have had to deal continuously with abuses and discriminations from corrupt governments, should be on the front lines support the freedom of religion of these people. I am not a Democrat or a liberal by any stretch of the imagination, but I am descended from no less than five families who were forced to leave their homes and cross the plains because of religious intolerance. I sincerely hope the courts will favor the Wiccan's cause, because if not, the door is open for the government to come after the Mormons and anyone else as well.

2006-12-23T08:46:00.000-06:00

The December issue of The Ensign has a wonderful write-up on the history of the Willie and Martin handcart companies, and the trials they went through across the high plains of Wyoming. It's a wonderful article, and I have a hard time reading it without a tear or two.

One summer I drove a moving van along a highway through some of the same terrain, and having observed it I thought to myself that I sure would not want to be caught out there in the middle of winter, like those people were. There were pioneer women who gave birth out there in that God-forsaken place, in driving snow and only propped-up tarps for shelter. It breaks my heart to ponder that.

I am deeply grateful for the sacrifices of my pioneer forefathers, and I only hope that I can live worthy of the legacy they left me.

Communist Broadcasting System.

2006-12-17T08:45:00.000-06:00

Last night I watched a documentary on CBS about the Nativity. The Liberal Communist Atheist Secular Humanist reporter doing the piece basically went out of her way to cast a bunch of hog-wash theory as "fact" about the birth of Christ. Basically she said that St. Mark made up his gospel out of whole cloth, Christ was the illegitimate offspring of an adulterous Mary, and the Christ was born in a cave somewhere around Nazareth, not Bethlehem.

I can understand that she wanted to speculate about Biblical history, but the thing that really bothered me is that she went out of her way to claim that her speculations were absolute fact. Liberals have a way of doing that. They take pet theories and use junk science to proclaim them as incontravertible, undeniable fact.

I shouted "what a bunch of crap!" and threw my soda bottle at the TV. Never before have I changed the channel so fast.

Kwitcher Belly Achin'

2006-12-12T03:42:00.000-06:00

So many times I gripe and gripe about my inability to succeed in the business world, and I often wonder whether or not I've been cursed because of the many mistakes I make and the non-stop parade of people who've tried to cause me trouble in the workplace over the years.

A couple of days ago I was stocking in the toy department at work when I had occasion to help a lady find a particular toy she was looking for. She was shopping for her four young kids. She explained to me that Christmas had become a very difficult time for her since her young husband had died. He was killed by armed robbers.

When my children get up in the morning to go school, I look into their groggy eyes and half asleep faces, and see angels. I am so thankful God has had mercy on me and has spared us from any harm.

I love my children.

(oh -- speaking of work. I found a job this month working in a national retail store. It's a start, anyway, toward getting back up on my feet. It happened right at the time we started paying tithing again. I'm hoping that if I continue to be faithful in tithing, God will help me to find a way back into a professional business environment again.)

Here's My Debate Tactic.

2006-11-28T00:36:00.000-06:00

It used to be that I would allow Anti-Mormon Fish-heads and other Mormon-bashers sucker me into debates and scripture bashes, and I would end up wasting my valuable time with these losers.

Now my basic response to these people is that I really don't CARE whether some church leader (allegedly_ said "thisandthat" or "soandso". I know by the power of God the church is true, and no amount of "God Makers" movies will convince me otherwise, so quit wasting my time. (Yes, I've seen the movie, and it is a scurrilous piece of brain-dead kindergarten level manipulative propaganda. Any Mormon who allows himself to be suckered by that film into leaving the church, has my sincere blessing that the door not hit him in the backside on his way out.)

The reason why I feel that way is that after I got home from my mission I spent time studying psychology, hypnosis, Neuro Linguistic Programming, Communist indoctrination tactics, and cult brainwashing tactics. Every technique that I noticed being used by evangelical Christians and anti-Mormons had its counterpart in those other brainwashing disciplines, I discovered.

After my discovery, I compiled a list of criticisms of the Bible and modern Christians, using material provided to me by a good friend who is atheist. Every time a Fish-head starts in on my Mormon beliefs, I pull out my atheist material, sidetrack their witnessing and let them have it with both barrels.

The looks I have seen on the faces of some of these born-again psychos when they realize they've bitten off more than they can chew is absolutely hysterical. They get downright frightened. They're used to being faith-killers upon Mormon testimonies, but not having their own poorly studied testimonies ripped to shreds.

Other church members sharply rebuke me for doing this, but folks...read the scriptures. Jesus asked plenty of trick questions to trip up the Pharisees. Elisha sarcastically mocked the priests of Baal. If it's in the bible, it's fair game. I am the descendant of pioneers who died as a result of intolerant bigot goons like the born-agains. I have no sympathy for them.

I Just Don't Get It.

2006-11-27T17:53:00.000-06:00

Every LDS ward has its share of families who like to brag about how the father worked three jobs, went to school full time, graduated suma cum laude with a law degree, after he spent time saving Ethiopian kids in The Peace Corps after he served his mission and before he got married.

Me -- well, let's just say that in my Sophomore year I had worked myself to such exhaustion that I contracted walking Pneumonia and had to drop out. For those of you who haven't had it, imagine yourself spending six to eight months in bed, struggling to drag in every breath as if you had smoked all your life and somebody tied steel bands around your chest and your lungs were burning on the inside. I'd give anything to actually be an educated professional, like doctor, lawyer, or whatever. The truth is, I'm just not Super-Mormon-Dad from the planet Krypton. I am officially classified as a slacker-weenie.

There's a certain Elder in our Stake who decided that he doubts Joseph Smith is a Prophet, because somebody showed to him some little detail about the Book of Mormon that "seems" to be an inconsistency. This man has a law practice, a cute wife, and a nice house on the North side of town. THAT is really pisses me off.

If it meant saving the life of Joseph Smith so he could go on to teach the saints greater light and truth, I gladly would have stood in his place and taken the bullets that the mobs pumped into him. I've seen enough anti-Mormon propaganda to fill libraries, but I will still testify to my dying day that Joseph Smith is a Prophet of God.

What I don't get is that God blesses that other elder bozo with the things that he has, and only one little speck trips up his testimony. I'd give anything to have what this guy has, and I'm willing to lay down my life for The Prophet. Yet I live in a trailer, with a wife and four kids all crammed into it for good measure.

Don't get me wrong -- I am deeply grateful that God has blessed me with many blessings. He has protected me from harm many times, He has provided for us in lack many times, and He has guided me with the spirit many times, all throughout my life. It's just that there are quite a lot of incongruities in life that really bother me.

President Kimball once remarked that on the morning of The First Resurrection when worthy Saints enter The Celestial Kingdom, you'll be surprised to see who made it there -- and who actually didn't.

Yo, Pilgrim...

2006-11-26T05:30:00.000-06:00

This last week the wife, kids, and I went to my parent's place for thanksgiving.

Miracle of miracles, we actually managed to get through the event without somebody trying to grand-stand for attention, using major dramatics designed to totally provoke me or my wife and disturb the peace of the gathering.

Catch-22

2006-11-16T20:18:00.000-06:00

Now is the time when things are down to the test. I'm out of work, and after weeks of searching and several fruitless interviews, I have no leads or possibilities.

The Bishopric in our ward chastised us for not having paid a full tithe. It's OK though, because I deserve it. Of all people, I should know better -- I have a strong testimony of tithing, but I allowed myself to get lax and neglected the principle. As a result, I am in my current dire straits.

I've committed myself to begin paying my tithes again, and stay tithing-worthy from here on out. The problem is that I have absolutely no income with which I can pay my tithing. I'm plumb broke -- I have absolutely nothing, except the food stamps we get from the state.

How does one obey the law of tithing, when he has absolutely nothing to pay it with?

That's the rub.

These Are Days of Fulfilment.

2006-11-16T08:43:00.000-06:00

"...I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of the earth" Isaiah 43:5-6

There is a group of people from a remote corner of India who claim they descend from the Lost Tribe of Manasseh. The Isreali government has recognized them and has allowed them to emmigrate to the Holy Land. See the article at Yahoo News. [link]

It is really wonderful to be able to live in these last days, where we see before our eyes the fulfilment of ancient prophecies. It can't be too long now before The Lord makes His return.

New Beginnings.

2006-11-13T00:51:00.000-06:00

Tomorrow I start a new job. I'm as nervous as all get-out.

2006-11-12T06:38:00.000-06:00

I have a special attachment to The Nauvoo Temple.

My forefathers (in five different families) labored long and hard to assist the church to varying degrees in building Nauvoo and the temple. I can only imagine their heartbreak when religious mobs drove them out of Nauvoo to freeze miserably on the high plains of Iowa and Nebraska at Winter Quarters, and watch from a distance as it burned.

I have set a goal for myself. I want to travel back to Nauvoo and perform ordinances in the rebuilt temple there. I want the long-ago departed souls of the mobs-men to observe from the spirit world how a child of the people they drove out performs ordinances of the Holy Priesthood of God in that house, and live eternally with knowledge of their failure to defeat God's Kingdom here on earth.

I'm going to do ordinances in the St. Louis, MO. temple as well, as a testimony to the world that a child of the people they tried to kill with an extermination order issued by Missouri Governor Lilburn Boggs stands within the precincts of God's House, in the center place of Zion. I want Governor Boggs to see from the spirit world his failure to defeat God's Kingdom.

I may or may not be able to get to the Chicago, Illinois temple, as a witness against The State of Illinois of their betrayal of my ancestors when Illinois Militiamen bore down upon the Carthage Jail to assassinate Joseph Smith.

I want to make sure to attend sessions at the Winter Quarters, Nebraska temple, to honor my forefather Nathaniel who died of exposure to the cold along with many other Saints in the camp, leaving his wife and her children to walk all the way across the plains by themselves.

The journey will take a decent amount of funds and time, neither of which I have an abundance of. I'm going to save up over time as best I can, and someday for sure I will go.

Hello, And Welcome.

2006-11-12T06:24:00.000-06:00

I am switching from another blog to this one. More material is forthcoming. Peace.