Hard Won Treasures While studying the books of Peter this week, I came across a scripture that I had underlined in a previous reading. It is 1 Peter 1:7, with a small preface from verse 6, which reads, “now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial […]

Patience Produces Perfection The Book of James is remarkable in many ways. It defines the role of faith in our lives, how we can use it to gain knowledge, and how we demonstrate it through our works. I do not know if James interacted much with Paul, but if he did, I am sure they

Don’t Slip! With winter approaching, we start thinking about and preparing for the dangers that inevitably come with cold weather. We make sure we have good tires on the car, grippy soles on our shoes, stock up on the ice melt, and get out the shovel or snowblower. A few years ago, my wife, while

The Religion Paradigm Problem Today I have decided to try something different. I wrote my thoughts and then had ChatGPT rewrite them in the style of C. S. Lewis. I hope you will enjoy. In the realm of theological contemplation, let us embark upon a discourse concerning what I shall refer to as the “Religion

Do You Have To Be Told Everything? Paul’s first letter to Timothy talked about how some people had “swerved have turned aside unto vain jangling;” from the gospel. He elaborated on how people were hanging on to the law and trying to apply old teachings to new ones. He went on to explain, “Desiring to

The Second Coming and Behavior Modification This week, when reading Thessalonians, I picked up on one of the themes of Paul’s message, which was to prepare for the second coming of the Lord. It is a theme that appears repeatedly in the scripture, along with the admonition to prepare. Why did Paul speak as though

Simple and Deep I have considered for some time now that the messages I publish each week, which are based on a curriculum of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, don’t necessarily reflect many of my musings and introspections about many subjects and doctrines. There are days when I write that I don’t

The Will of God Today, I will base my thoughts on one verse of Galatians, chapter 1, verse 4, referring to our Lord Jesus Christ, “Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father.” There is so much packed

Abundance and Giving Our world is as large and small as you can imagine. Large because of vast continents, cities, populations, uninhabited landscapes, and oceans that are unknowable and unexplored. Small because of our shared experience, common emotions of love and fear, desire and yearning. Laughing and crying are understood in any language, as are

Religion: What’s the Point? I hope today finds you all well. If not, everything will get better if you accept the idea that God sent His Son to do all the things that you can’t. I want to make a distinction between can’t and won’t. Jesus’ suffering is not for those who refuse to change