"Wherefore, whoso believeth in God might with surety hope for a better world, yea, even a place at the right hand of God, which hope cometh of faith, maketh an anchor to the souls of men, which would make them sure and steadfast, always abounding in good works, being led to glorify God.
And it came to pass that Ether did prophesy great and marvelous things unto the people, which they did not believe, because they saw them not."
Ether 12:4-5
I love the idea of a better world, and the promise that God gives us that there is something more than this. Don't get me wrong... there is a lot of beauty and good in the world if we look for it, but we also see evil and corruption, which is part of the plan so that we know the difference between good and evil and learn how to choose the good, but it is also hard to endure sometimes.
The idea we often don't believe what we don't see is also familiar, but in a sad way. We don't see the better world in front of us, so sometimes we give up and think this is all there can be. God's knowledge is far vaster than our own, and honestly our imaginations should be bigger than they are. Surely we can think of ways to improve not only our lives, but the entire world. :) And if that is all we can do, let's grasp that idea... that spark of possibility, and realize that God *has* that. His truth is better than our best imaginings, and his promise is to all of us... if we take his advice and do what we can to make things better now... we will see, in time, a world far better than anything we could hope for.
Today, let's hold on to that hope, and not give up on it because our eyes aren't clear enough to see as God sees. Let's believe in God and in his power to fulful his promises, to not only deliver a better world, but to help us to learn to be the better, amazing people that can live in such a place. :)
Thursday, October 15, 2026
Monday, October 12, 2026
Isaiah 54:1-3 -- On Abundance
"Sing, O barren, thou that didst not bear; break forth into singing, and cry aloud, thou that didst not travail with child: for more are the children of the desolate than the children of the married wife, saith the Lord.
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited."
Isaiah 54:1-3
I love the imagery here. This is about the last days and *after* tragedy. Showing that the low point of the story is never the end, because God is the greatest author and he will bring us the happy ending, after all the trials. We/Zion/the Children of Israel are compared to a formerly rejected and barren wife whose husband has returned and now needs to enlarge her tents to accomodate all of her children. Later it mentions that "thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more" ... I think also plugging the power of repentance, but overall just the idea that what God brings to us and the life that he offers, is so very amazing that it will drown out those memories and make them seem like nothing.
Today, let's look forward to the promises of God. Let's believe, trust in, and work towards the amazing happy ending / happy beginning of abundance and mercy.
Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thine habitations: spare not, lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes;
For thou shalt break forth on the right hand and on the left; and thy seed shall inherit the Gentiles, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited."
Isaiah 54:1-3
I love the imagery here. This is about the last days and *after* tragedy. Showing that the low point of the story is never the end, because God is the greatest author and he will bring us the happy ending, after all the trials. We/Zion/the Children of Israel are compared to a formerly rejected and barren wife whose husband has returned and now needs to enlarge her tents to accomodate all of her children. Later it mentions that "thou shalt forget the shame of thy youth, and shalt not remember the reproach of thy widowhood any more" ... I think also plugging the power of repentance, but overall just the idea that what God brings to us and the life that he offers, is so very amazing that it will drown out those memories and make them seem like nothing.
Today, let's look forward to the promises of God. Let's believe, trust in, and work towards the amazing happy ending / happy beginning of abundance and mercy.
Thursday, October 8, 2026
Mormon 9:21 -- On Asking
"Behold, I say unto you that whoso believeth in Christ, doubting nothing, whatsoever he shall ask the Father in the name of Christ it shall be granted him; and this promise is unto all, even unto the ends of the earth."
Mormon 9:21
I love this. And of course we have to remember to "ask not amiss" (2 Nephi 4:35, Mormon 9:28), but this promise is to us as well. It's the same principle that Joseph Smith used when he went out to pray, and Nephi, and Moses, and the Brother of Jared, and all the prophets. God is there, and he loves us, and he listens to us, and he will give us what we ask for.
Today, let's make sure that we are asking for things that won't destroy us, and praying our guts out to make sure that we are on the same page with God... but let's ask, and trust that God will give us the righteous desires of our hearts. He will. He loves us. Choosing is part of the plan. :)
Mormon 9:21
I love this. And of course we have to remember to "ask not amiss" (2 Nephi 4:35, Mormon 9:28), but this promise is to us as well. It's the same principle that Joseph Smith used when he went out to pray, and Nephi, and Moses, and the Brother of Jared, and all the prophets. God is there, and he loves us, and he listens to us, and he will give us what we ask for.
Today, let's make sure that we are asking for things that won't destroy us, and praying our guts out to make sure that we are on the same page with God... but let's ask, and trust that God will give us the righteous desires of our hearts. He will. He loves us. Choosing is part of the plan. :)
Monday, October 5, 2026
Luke 14:7-11 -- On Humility and Seating Arrangements
"And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,
When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Luke 14:7-11
I like this parable, and have been thinking about it a little lately, and trying to figure out how it relates to corporate America. :) I don't think I have a complete answer yet, but I think it applies to anything where our pride gets in the way, which is pretty much everything. :) The world teaches us to scrabble and claw for position and prestige, but God teaches us differently. He teaches us to do good, and to humble ourselves, to place ourselves in the lowest positions, and work from there. And then, if God wants to pull us up to do something else or to serve him in a different way, then great... but if we learn to be happy, content, industrious, and helpful where we are, then everything else is just icing, becaue we already have everything we need.
Today, let's step back and choose to sit lower. Let's help and lift and serve and not be so concerned with our own position that we forget to notice the crazy cool awesomeness of everyone around us. Let's not assume that we are better and sit above anyone, but rather sit with the lowest and help them with everything we are, as Christ did. As we do, I think we will find that our perceptions of what is low and what is high are completely skewed, and we'll start to understand a little better the way that God sees, and embrace unity and love in a deeper way.
When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room; lest a more honourable man than thou be bidden of him;
And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.
But when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.
For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted."
Luke 14:7-11
I like this parable, and have been thinking about it a little lately, and trying to figure out how it relates to corporate America. :) I don't think I have a complete answer yet, but I think it applies to anything where our pride gets in the way, which is pretty much everything. :) The world teaches us to scrabble and claw for position and prestige, but God teaches us differently. He teaches us to do good, and to humble ourselves, to place ourselves in the lowest positions, and work from there. And then, if God wants to pull us up to do something else or to serve him in a different way, then great... but if we learn to be happy, content, industrious, and helpful where we are, then everything else is just icing, becaue we already have everything we need.
Today, let's step back and choose to sit lower. Let's help and lift and serve and not be so concerned with our own position that we forget to notice the crazy cool awesomeness of everyone around us. Let's not assume that we are better and sit above anyone, but rather sit with the lowest and help them with everything we are, as Christ did. As we do, I think we will find that our perceptions of what is low and what is high are completely skewed, and we'll start to understand a little better the way that God sees, and embrace unity and love in a deeper way.
Friday, October 2, 2026
Luke 13:6-9 -- On Bringing Forth Good Fruit
"He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.
Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
Luke 13:6-9
Right before this selection, Christ is talking about repentance, and this parable relates to that idea as well. We are symbolically the fig tree, planted and provided for by God, and expected to grow and bring forth fruit... fruit of righteousness, goodness, kindness, joy, etc. We're here to learn and grow and to do good and bring good to the world around us, and if we aren't doing that, then by the parable, our place in the vineyard is probably better given to another plant that might do better. The dresser of the vineyard is Christ, pleading with the Father to give us a little more time, protecting us and giving us as much time and as many chances as possible. The vineyard will be cleared at some point... the delay isn't a permanent stay, but it is a chance for us to change our lives, to bring forth good fruit/good deeds, and to become better before the harvest.
Today, let's take a look at the "fruit" of our lives... are we doing good, and bringing good to the world? If not, let's change and do better, taking advantage of the time that Christ is giving us to learn and to become more than we currently are, and to bring our measure of love and joy to the world.
Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?
And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:
And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down."
Luke 13:6-9
Right before this selection, Christ is talking about repentance, and this parable relates to that idea as well. We are symbolically the fig tree, planted and provided for by God, and expected to grow and bring forth fruit... fruit of righteousness, goodness, kindness, joy, etc. We're here to learn and grow and to do good and bring good to the world around us, and if we aren't doing that, then by the parable, our place in the vineyard is probably better given to another plant that might do better. The dresser of the vineyard is Christ, pleading with the Father to give us a little more time, protecting us and giving us as much time and as many chances as possible. The vineyard will be cleared at some point... the delay isn't a permanent stay, but it is a chance for us to change our lives, to bring forth good fruit/good deeds, and to become better before the harvest.
Today, let's take a look at the "fruit" of our lives... are we doing good, and bringing good to the world? If not, let's change and do better, taking advantage of the time that Christ is giving us to learn and to become more than we currently are, and to bring our measure of love and joy to the world.
Thursday, October 1, 2026
2 Nephi 15:21 -- On Wisdom and Prudence
"Wo unto the wise in their own eyes and prudent in their own sight!"
2 Nephi 15:21
The Dunning–Kruger effect describes the tendency for people with low skills in a certain area to think that they are more competent and highly skilled than they are. I feel like we are all there with spiritual things, and probably with a lot more. In verse 13 of this chapter God says "my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge," and I think that is telling as well. In our society we have all kinds of knowledge, especially now in the age of AI, but we seem to have very little wisdom with regard to how to tell the good from the bad and to use the knowledge that we have in a good way. And overconfidence (being wise in our own eyes, etc.) likely contributes to that a lot.
Throughout the scriptures, God pleads with us to come to him, to counsel with him, to shelter with him... and yet, we're like toddlers looking back and waving at our dad, thinking we know exactly what we are doing, and then wandering into traffic. We're here to learn, and learning is awesome, but maybe we shouldn't think that we're *done* learning so quickly... or at all. Instead, let's acknowledge our progress. We know more than we did yesterday, and way more than we knew last year. This is good... but let's stay determined to keep learning and improving. We shouldn't give up and think that things are great, just like we shouldn't give up and think that things are hopeless. Honestly, we don't know enough about God and his ways to make either determination.
God is a God of miracles. He can mend broken hearts, even ours, and solve seemingly insoluable problems, even ours. Let's turn to him, plead with him, and listen to his advice. Prayer and scripture study work, even if they don't seem to be working in a certain moment. Remember that we don't know as much as we think we do. Let's take God's advice. We need to stick it out, keep doing it, and keep our hearts and minds open. Today, let's turn to God to find true wisdom, and trust in him rather than only in our own sight. He will help us overcome our weaknesses and keep improving. He can help when we don't know what to do, and even when we are overconfident and about to make a wrong choice, if we include him in all of our deliberations and recognize that he knows us better than we know ourselves.
2 Nephi 15:21
The Dunning–Kruger effect describes the tendency for people with low skills in a certain area to think that they are more competent and highly skilled than they are. I feel like we are all there with spiritual things, and probably with a lot more. In verse 13 of this chapter God says "my people are gone into captivity, because they have no knowledge," and I think that is telling as well. In our society we have all kinds of knowledge, especially now in the age of AI, but we seem to have very little wisdom with regard to how to tell the good from the bad and to use the knowledge that we have in a good way. And overconfidence (being wise in our own eyes, etc.) likely contributes to that a lot.
Throughout the scriptures, God pleads with us to come to him, to counsel with him, to shelter with him... and yet, we're like toddlers looking back and waving at our dad, thinking we know exactly what we are doing, and then wandering into traffic. We're here to learn, and learning is awesome, but maybe we shouldn't think that we're *done* learning so quickly... or at all. Instead, let's acknowledge our progress. We know more than we did yesterday, and way more than we knew last year. This is good... but let's stay determined to keep learning and improving. We shouldn't give up and think that things are great, just like we shouldn't give up and think that things are hopeless. Honestly, we don't know enough about God and his ways to make either determination.
God is a God of miracles. He can mend broken hearts, even ours, and solve seemingly insoluable problems, even ours. Let's turn to him, plead with him, and listen to his advice. Prayer and scripture study work, even if they don't seem to be working in a certain moment. Remember that we don't know as much as we think we do. Let's take God's advice. We need to stick it out, keep doing it, and keep our hearts and minds open. Today, let's turn to God to find true wisdom, and trust in him rather than only in our own sight. He will help us overcome our weaknesses and keep improving. He can help when we don't know what to do, and even when we are overconfident and about to make a wrong choice, if we include him in all of our deliberations and recognize that he knows us better than we know ourselves.
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