Upward Thought

I have many things to say about these topics, but no present ability to convey them. Breadcrumbs will have to suffice. Our bodies only have so much to give. Sleep is important to reset those limits, as much as possible in this flimsy frame. It's interesting to consider the difference between how we feel, what we can do, and what we do in the beginning of the cycle versus the end. Oddly to me, most people seem to place what brings them greatest joy (or pleasure, if that's their aim) in the evening. They've got it all backwards. God instructs us to give him our firstfruits, not our lastfruits. And he wants our fruits. He doesn't ask us to give them to netflix. Recreation is something meant for when we have nothing more valuable left to give, not something we spend our vital, fresh energy on. As with all of God's instructions, they have nothing to do him (except as far as he feels joy when we find greater joy), and everything to do with what is best for us. Often, as I...

Each morning I reboot my body. There is a window of about three hours where I'm not exhausted, and in that time, my spirit soars like an eagle. I rejoice daily for the toil our species has faced since Eden, because as difficult as I am to deal with, I am 100x worse when I am not exhausted. Of course, people of equally peculiar inclination would invert that sentence and its value judgments, but those people are very rare, indeed. If you think what I say in videos or on this blog or in my books is hard to handle, you should rejoice that I get up so early and wear myself out before I interact with other humans. One of the things I do each morning is stand in the billowing waves of all the thoughts that came to me the day before that were too subtle (or I was too tired, or just not fast enough) to capture on paper (or in 1's and 0's). They come again, aggregated by the spirit of God, and I type as fast as my fingers can fly to instantiate into reality what previously only exist...

  A very quick note on a very important principle: I can easily predict how popular or unpopular a video or blogpost will be before I publish it. The pattern is simple and reliable. Things that get a lot of clicks: - Predictions or descriptions of disaster. - Anything related to polygamy. - References to carnal commandments religions have incorrectly taught as the focal point of the gospel (tithing, drinking, garments, temples). - References to ordinances/experiences-as-salvation (second comforter, calling and election, baptism by fire, etc.) Things that do not get clicks: - Gospel principles people are not living. For example, wisdom pertaining to how to raise your kids. Here is an example screenshot from the current stats of a swath of posts from December.  The very troubling aspect of this: - The value of the posts tends to be inverse to the number of clicks. - Almost all of my audience has children and is not doing what I provide an argument for with regards to their child...

I was listening to a  podcast  just now and a guest launched into this beautiful, stream of conscious truth bomb (punctuation left out of transcription): "[We are] in the middle of nowhere in the beautiful mountains and I'm like looking around and I was like you know if if you were a god-hating atheist you would sit here and stare at these beautiful mountains and look at these tall trees and breathe this fresh crisp air and there's nothing but you in the sunset and nature and you would say this is all I need and you would feel spiritual if you go and you look up at the [trees] and you look up at them you have a spiritual moment I don't care who you are I don't care if you hate God if you have your own problems with God you understand spirituality you take your shoes off and your socks off and you put your feet in the dirt...you take a deep breath you'll understand there's something bigger than you in the universe and that spirituality is always going to be ...

 There is a song I've been listening to for a bit. Here is a snippet of the lyrics: Ride out The king he proclaimed 'cross the land Tonight we strike against the enemy to capture their flag Cry out The tears that they shed for their brave Tonight they ride with will, intend to kill who stand in their way Across the fields They march Their task must be done But in the end they know that this war must be won Fight or fall In the name of the children Fight or fall In the name of us all Fight or fall We can never surrender Fight or fall In the night we stand tall Rise up Your swords for the souls you must save Flashing of steel as your blades send them to their grave Ride out Ride proud from the battle where many have died And when the last is slain its into the distance we ride Across the fields We march Our task must be done But in the end we know that this war must be won ... This song is very obviously about battle. It's lyrics are self-consistent. The funny thing is, up u...

28 Come to me, all those who are cumbered by the burdens of this world, and I will free you from them. 29 Make my burden your own, and in me you will find freedom from the burdens of this world. As I seek and do the Father’s will in all things, he teaches me more of how he is, and in him, I overcome the world; Live as you understand me to be, I will teach you more about myself, and the truth will make you free. 30 Dedicate yourself completely to my service, for everything I ask of you is for your greatest benefit, and there is no easier way to overcome every challenge you  face than by living according to my will. (Author's Reflection)

Recently, I had a few discussions with different people where they suggested various ideas boiling down to "I'm not sinless yet, I just need to pray harder and God will make me holy." It's a real shame this idea is so well entrenched. You won't find it anywhere in scripture. Every person you ever meet who has repented of their sins (that is, does not do anything that deviates from their belief of what God would do in there place) will tell you emphatically it is a lie. But instead of believing people who have actually done a thing, people prefer to entertain what they wish were true. One person was telling me how if we pray fervently, God will fill us with his love, and then we will want to actually obey him. He was referring to this passage: Wherefore, my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love, which he hath bestowed upon all who are true followers of his Son, Jesus Christ; that ye may become the ...

Here are some selections from 1 Nephi 14. Starting point 11 And it came to pass that I looked and beheld the whore of all the earth, and she sat upon many waters; and she had dominion over all the earth, among all nations, kindreds, tongues, and people. 12 And it came to pass that I beheld the church of the Lamb of God, and its numbers were few, because of the wickedness and abominations of the whore who sat upon many waters; nevertheless, I beheld that the church of the Lamb, who were the saints of God, were also upon all the face of the earth; and their dominions upon the face of the earth were small, because of the wickedness of the great whore whom I saw. -------------->You are here<-------------- Coming very soon 7 For the time cometh, saith the Lamb of God, that I will work a great and a marvelous work among the children of men; a work which shall be everlasting, either on the one hand or on the other—either to the convincing of them unto peace and life eternal, or unto the...

I would love to do a video on this topic, but a hasty blog post will need to suffice.  In 2015, when the movie "San Andreas" came out, scientists mounted their high horses to denounce how so many events portrayed in the movie "could never happen." Some articles said some things were impossible, other articles said other things were impossible. Here is something I wrote in 2017: <begin quote> A  new study published in Nature  suggests that a large section of California could drop nearly instantly into the sea in the next large earthquake. The significance of this study is that it shows that vertical drops are very much possible in that region during massive earthquakes. God's warning to that region shows incredible mercy and patience. Scientists for as long as I've been paying attention have affirmed that: California will not drop into the sea during an earthquake--it is impossible. Large fissures do not occur as a result of earthquakes--it is impossibl...

In response to a video I made with some proof that affordable housing still exists in the Dakotas, a viewer asked a question about nuclear fallout, particularly in the event nuclear silos around Air Force bases are targeted. Here is some information about surviving nuclear attacks.  Dangers 4 types of dangers: Heat Blast Radiation People The range of all direct effects of nukes depends on the payload of the bomb. You can expect these to be focused on cities and strategic targets. Because the lethality of heat and blast are so high, we are just going to focus on radiation, but keep in mind that the heat will cause massive fires. These fires will not be put out (no fire department, no water pumping) so they will burn until they run out of fuel, and they will release all kinds of nasty chemicals into the sky. Fallout For those who escape the heat and blast, the radiation risk comes through fallout, the radioactive particles that fall from the sky after the blast. You need to seek shel...