Mormon Bloggers

Blogging at home. This post might make more sense if you read “Left-Sided Goat-ness” first. Anyways, that post became a talking point for my family, as well as for one of my dear friends and her family. Several situations came up where it fit perfectly… However, I didn’t realize what I wrote until several days after the post went up and then had one of those ah-hah moments. There I was in the foyer last Sunday, waiting for my daughter, reflecting on goat-ness in general and where I am in regards to this principle. You see, I was patting myself on the back because of how I talk to everybody, and how I look past mortal trappings for status such as money, position, education, etc. Mm-hmm. Yeah. Then I was thinking about people I know who try so hard to promote their own status whether it be looks, money, husband, connections, education, talents, family name, whatever. And how some of them pass others over socially because they’re not good enough... Read the rest of this entry »

Filed under: Apologetic Article, Youtube Video Tagged: Apologetics, Book o, Book of Mormon, Christ, Christianity, Church of Jesus Christ of … Continue reading »  Read More →

“Not My Will be Done, But Thine, be Done”         New Testament Lesson #25 Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-46   … Continue reading »  Read More →

New Testament Lesson #24                      “This is Life Eternal”                                     John 16-17 Study outline: John 16:1-15: Jesus prepares his Apostles for the … Continue reading »  Read More →

A thought occurred to me on Sunday. I was considering Peter (one of my very favorite characters in the scriptures). In Matthew we read about his attempt to walk on the water: And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid me come unto thee on the water. And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out of the ship, he walked on the water, to go to Jesus. But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me. (Matthew 14:28-30) I have always read this story as a failure of Peter’s faith (and the Lord in the next verse, after he saves Peter, makes that observation: “O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?”). But here is my thought: Peter did have faith. He had faith to climb out of that boat. He had faith to walk on the water. He had faith to follow the Savior (even when he didn’t understand, which was often). But Peter also had weakness. He faltered on the water. Perhaps he was distracted.... Read the rest of this entry »

Utah this spring has been deluged with an abundance of water. On top of record snow totals in the mountains now threatening floods near every open body of water, rain has also been falling in abundance. Last night the showers came again. Early this morning I was awakened by the emerging radiant sunshine over the mountains to the east against a wall-to-wall panorama of blue overhead. The ominous clouds amid thunder, lightning and a torrent of rain had dissipated. Isn’t that exactly what we believe as Christians? Jesus Christ is the source of our light and truth. We receive and partake in His abundant glory bit by bit, day by day, interlaced amid bursts of thundershowers. It was more than rhetoric when He declared, “I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.” (John 14:6). His declaration is truth. Nothing is appointed unto man “except it be by law, even as I and my Father ordained... Read the rest of this entry »

“He Held His Peace” Recently I viewed “His Sacred Name: An Easter Declaration,” which is a short video, produced by the Church, in honor of Easter. One phrase in the video, taken from the book of Mark, caught and held my attention: “[He] held His peace.” As I pondered that particular choice of words, it occurred to me that the wording could have been different, “He held His tongue,” or, “He kept quiet,” or “He refused to protest,” or any number of other phrases describing the Lord’s serenity, but the apostle simply stated, “He held His peace.” What a truly profound phrase it is. I reflected on the power of His peace in my life. There was a time, not too long ago, when peace was beyond my grasp. I cherished a particular hope I believed to be worthy, and I felt I had every right to expect its fulfillment. Then, as a part of the Lord’s plan of refinement for me, the realization of that particular hope was withheld. As my plans turned to dust and... Read the rest of this entry »

“They Straightway Left Their Nets” – Historical Context Gospel Doctrine Class – New Testament, Lesson #6 Luke 4:14-32; 5; 6:12-16; Matthew 10 The purpose of this week’s study is to help individuals understand that the Apostles were called to be special witnesses of Jesus Christ. Because Apostles are divinely called of Christ, we are blessed [...]  Read More →

    God Is Your Loving Heavenly Father God is your Father in Heaven. He knows you personally and loves you more than you can comprehend. He wants you to be happy in this life and in eternity. To accomplish this purpose, Heavenly Father provided a plan called the gospel of Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ [...]  Read More →

In recovery circles, where 12-step programs are practiced, there’s an understanding that one cannot do it alone. If one takes the AA approach to recovery, one first faces the reality that no one can, by himself, control the disease of addiction. And one walks through steps that lead one to understand dependence on God for rescue from that same disease. It’s not that there isn’t a great deal of work to be done by the person seeking recovery (whether an addict, an alcoholic or a co-dependent loved one of an addict). Surrendering oneself to God is no simple task. In Step 7 of the church’s Addiction Recovery Program (which is based on the 12 steps of AA, but is also infused with more direct links to doctrine and to commentary from apostles and prophets), we read these words: “Genuine remorse filled our hearts, not only because we had suffered or made others suffer but because we regretted that even in recovery we still could not remove our own shortcomings….... Read the rest of this entry »

So often, the argument is made among differing Christian theologies over whether salvation is by faith or whether salvation is by works (i.e obedience / righteousness)?  There are quite a few verses in the New Testament that seem to suggest salvation is by faith only, but then again, there are quite a few that say we’re judged by works and obedience is necessary to gain heaven.  And depending on which idea someone favors the most, those are the verses they point at to “prove” their point. It is rare when any major Christian doctrine can be “proven” by a few verses.  One verse can be interpreted so many different ways.  That is why reading a lot of scripture is so important.  At first pass, a single verse or two may appear to communicate one idea, but when read entirely, with the surrounding verses, its meaning can change when put in context.  And as we gather many verses on the same topic and string them together, they all shed... Read the rest of this entry »

The father looks up wistfully from his reading; another argument and another angry outburst of frustration. It had been only a couple of years yesterday when his youngest son announced that he and his young family had left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. And when his son came to visit with his [...]  Read More →