Upward Thought

A week or so ago, I made a video on the Word of Wisdom, addressing how far those who think they live it are from implementing the purpose for which it was given, and talking about a few of the things in the modern world that we all should be paying attention to in that regard. As with all of my videos, I inserted it into the queue according to its perceived priority relative to the other material. (I presently have a few month's worth of uploaded videos at the pace of one per two days). Adam Boyle just released a video where he did an excellent job making the case that your physical situation affects your spiritual situation. One of the several aspects he did an excellent job laying out is that we didn't get here in a day, and so we ought to embrace the changes we know we need to make to our physical activity, nutrition, etc., even if it takes time to do so. Check out the video.

Colin Bagley posted a twelve minute presentation reviewing "Through Faith." It can be found here .

I received this comment on the video "You've made God's house a den of thieves." Comment Hi Rob,  I enjoy listening to your thoughts and have started reading some of your books. It’s evident that you have wrestled with these issues at great length, and that knowledge has been given to you in response to your faithfulness.  I hope you won’t mind if my comments call into question some aspects of your approach and views on Jesus Christ and His church.  It seems that you have some issues reconciling the grander vision of the gospel (experiencing a mighty change of heart) with the orthodoxy (ordinances). Because some members of the church (including church leaders) place emphasis on the ordinances of the gospel, or mistakingly see them as ends in and of themselves, to the detriment of experiencing this mighty change of heart, you appear to see them (the ordinances) as unnecessary, or at the very least, secondary. This calls into question the need for an organised church, a...

Hi all, This Wednesday (June 19th) at 7pm I'll be giving a free talk entitled "The Weightier Matters: Judgment, Mercy, and Faith." Many are familiar with Jesus' exposition on the two great commandments, but his declaration of judgment, mercy, and faith as the "weightier matters" in Matthew 23:23 is rarely, if ever, discussed. In this talk, I'll discuss how each of these concepts mean a lot more than commonly understood, contrast them to what most professed Christians focus on instead, and show how upgrading our priorities to better match those given by the Lord leads us to better understand and live more like Jesus Christ. The talk is hosted by the Boyle family, whose address appears below. 218 N 860 E American Fork, UT 84003 Adam requests that those who can bring their own folding chairs in case we run out of chairs. If you live within a reasonable range, I hope to see you there. For everyone else, I intend on recording the talk and posting it to YouTub...

Hi all, I will be in SLC on Wednesday, June 19th, 2024. If there is anyone from Lehi to Ogden who is interested in hosting a talk Wednesday at 7pm, I would be interested in giving one. I am happy to speak to a private group, and otherwise would also be happy to open the meeting to the public if you choose, in which case I will announce the details here and on YouTube. Either way, I will probably record the audio and post it online. If anyone is interested, please email me at upwardthought@gmail.com and we'll see what we can arrange. I apologize for the short notice. -Rob

I have a friend who has a YouTube channel where he makes videos giving counsel to young men. He posted a video today where he used a great analogy to help young men understand how to understand their own potential and the potential of those they date. I recommend watching and sharing it.

Yesterday I received notice from the IRS that the Upward Thought Foundation has been awarded 501c3 status, meaning donations to the foundation are tax deductible to the limits of applicable laws. The language on the foundation's donation page will be changed with the next site update to reflect the approval. Those who will not itemize deductions are still encouraged to donate directly up to the IRS annual gift limits, as direct donations are not subject to the payroll and income taxes that have to be paid on foundation money. See that above linked page for details.

The book Joy on Purpose  is now available on Amazon. The free pdf will be available at a future date on upwardthought.org. Here is the synopsis from the back cover: What would you give for deep, continuous meaning in everything you do each day? Can you confidently say you have what you want in life? If not, do you know why? Do you feel you are achieving everything you should or could? Do you feel like you can? Do you have the time and resources to do so? An unbelievable amount of joy and productive accomplishment could be yours if you knew how to find it and had sufficient motivation to obtain it. This book will give you both. The life plan is a novel system for maximizing long-term joy through intentional living. It is a practical, easy-to-use, and easy-to-understand means of injecting greater meaning into every corner of your life through designing, prioritizing, and living each day to best advance your purpose while aligning with ideal character qualities and values. As you impl...