Upward Thought

I finished uploading the audiobook of "Through Faith" to YouTube. I had previously only uploaded the first few chapters. You'll find a playlist of the chapters here . The book is available on Amazon as well as downloadable in pdf and mp3 from this blog. Enjoy!

Each morning, as I process the flood of information the Lord billows about me, I prevent myself from blogging about it by asking, "is there a place I can fit this into a book in process?" When the answer is yes, I open the file and write all that comes to mind. When the answer is no, I then ask whether it should be, and if so, I create a place for it. Sometimes, certain things escape all these filters, showing that they have value here and now outside of the context of the bigger picture requiring the length of a book. The present generation [1] living in the United States will live to see a time when they are forced to flee from their homes with only what they can carry [2]. Everything else will be worthless to them. Knowing this eventuality, we are sandwiched between the knowledge of the eventual worthlessness of almost all of our present labors and affections on the one hand, and the need to earn our daily bread by the sweat of our brow on the other.  It is possible to be ...

Hi all, Thanks to the always astonishing efforts of Cindy Hughes, the audiobook recording of "Repentance" is done.  I'm going to change up the release a little and put it on YouTube first. I've made a playlist, the first few chapters are public, and the rest will be released one per day until they are all there.  I hope you find great value in this book and that you share it with all you can.  As a reminder, the pdf is posted here and you can buy the book at print cost from Amazon . If you wouldn't mind leaving a review there, it would help. -Rob

Cameron Meyer recently posted this essay on perfection . I found it very edifying, and you might too.

  This is a talk given to women entitled "Vocational Homemaking & Respect."  It is a rare example of a courageous and honest female teacher reflecting on scriptures that shed light on the negative aspects of female nature.  You might find it edifying.

As this morning unfolded, I bounced back and forth from doing the best I could to move forward the books on which I'm working and being overwhelmed by God.  One facet of what overwhelms me is the sheer magnitude and depth of his love, and how little of it is perceived or valued in this world, even by those who profess to believe in him. And the world, because of their iniquity, shall judge him to be a thing of naught; wherefore they scourge him, and he suffereth it; and they smite him, and he suffereth it. Yea, they spit upon him, and he suffereth it, because of his loving kindness and his long-suffering towards the children of men. (1 Nephi 19:9) God's love exceeds anything here. It extends so far beyond what is known in the world and what is shown by the world. Worship of Christ at this time of year tends to focus on the Lord's suffering in crucifixion. It's a wonderful thing to contemplate. Truly, the Lord's experience on the cross is a testament to the love of G...

As you consider options for growing food on your property, you should try to stop thinking in terms of preserving what you are used to, and instead think of sustaining life. When most people think of planting a garden or growing food, they think of growing vegetables or fruit trees. The value of vegetables and fruit lies primarily in their nutrients. These nutrients prevent malnutrition and preserve health. With some planning and preservation, all vitamin and mineral requirements for life can be provided by a rather small garden, so long as the temperature, soil, and water is adequate.  When aiming for sustaining life, everything changes. How many home gardeners do you know who grow grain? Grain is the staff of life. Calorically, there is no comparison between grains and vegetables.  Grain requires a lot more space than vegetables, and it requires extra work (and know-how) to render it from how it grows to how it is stored and eaten. If you are going to grow wheat, barley, rye...