I read Mosiah 18 yesterday and found that due to the mindset I'm having now of an overall perspective, it was hard to get into all the details of what Alma was saying.  This is a great chapter for new members, or people who are trying to understand baptism. One question I have always had with this scripture is, "Where did Alma get the ...

On Friday, around 4:00pm, Bill Hoopes and I took our teachers quorum up to camp out up Hobble Creek canyon.  It was pretty fun.  (This is going to be rather dry because I'm so tired) Anyway...  We had a great time.  Kaiden, Jake, and Josh came with us to camp.  Bill brought his awesome dutch oven skills, and I brought, um...

Trying to read this section of Mosiah as a whole concept, rather than nitpick each individual nugget of doctrine has given me a new appreciation for how stupid people can be. Seriously...  How could a person or people be so dense as to burn someone at the stake who, 3 days previous, had the power of God upon him to the degree that nobody wan...

Ya know...  After reading this through, with the previous chapters I've read in mind, I think I'm understanding a bit more about what Abinadi is talking about. The wicked priests quote him the scripture in Isaiah which says that prophets are supposed to proclaim peace in order to basically tell Abinadi off, because he was definitely not proc...

This weekend is a powwow, everybody knows I'm gonna be there! I'll be dacning until my legs give out, then I'll dance some more! Fancy shawl isthe BEST kinda of dance, I 'm  so able to be me and to be free , the feeling of the wind  in my hair as I bounce of the ground.... It almost feels like heaven! This year knowing no was likely to ...

This weekend is a big immportant PowWow and none of my friends have ever come before.  This some is very important to me,  so on Sunday in Young Womens I talked about it and asked every body to come ( Doubting any'd come) so I looked at my "bff" and said Will you come please? Every body is going to this party that's invite only ...

One question comes to mind this time reading chapter 14 and the beginning of 15. Why in the world did Abinadi think these priests could understand what he was talking about? An interesting perspective can be had when the audience of each scripture is considered. The thing I don't get about these chapters (14 and 15), is that the doctrine A...

Ya know...  The first verses of this chapter brought back some well-known stories of Mormon culture.  The most potent one being the experience Joseph Smith had in a Missouri jail surrounded by a mob of people cursing and glorying in their raping, murdering, and wickedness against the Mormon people. Parley P. Pratt said the following in ...

I wonder if Abinadi's disguise was due to him not being welcome in the city anymore, as in, he couldn't get in at all without it.  Dunno... Just a thought. Also, I find it quite prophetic for Abiniadi to be using the analogy of a piece of cloth in a hot furnace, as far as the worth of King Noah's life.  He could have just as easily used...

Well today I woke up and got dressed and all ready for my date. Then my mom came in and told me that I was not going the date unless he called to ask me... So I pretty much gave up on that! Then my cell phone rings and he said that he called my house but my Pa was on the computer so it not ring, I talked to him about where he wanted to meet and whe...

Many people like fall because of all the colors. I am one of them. I got up this morning and noticed a red glow coming out of one of the rooms. Some of the trees just outside the window had gone into full color. ...

Well....  I think it's finally getting there. I worked quite a bit on ilovemyjournal.com today and ....  its' coming along quite nicely!   I still haven't had anyone sign up yet, but I put it live like.. 2 weeks ago, and have been working on it often.  We'll see how it goes in the coming months. Anyway... I'm gonna go spe...

Yesterday, we received a new shipment. Aren't they pretty?  Our new KRK RP-8 G2 Monitors not only look great, but they sound completely awesome. The instant I put the project at hand through them, it was instantly obvious what needed to be done to enhance the sound - and that is what good monitors are supposed to do. Can't wait to use...

The first thing which caught my eye in this chapter is in verse 5 where it says "Cleave unto God as he cleaveth unto you." When I read that, the first thing which came to mind was D&C 88:63, which states, "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you." I also think this is one of the first times, if not the first time...

Okay...    Ever since Nvidia came out with their Geforce series, I've been hooked.  I've built upwards of 100 systems in my life (family / friends / work) and out of those, about 90% of them use Nvidia video cards.  I also highly prefer AMD.  In fact, the very first computer I built was an AMD K6-2 250MHZ machine with ...

Hmm....  Another war started by another group of dissenters.  Man alive...  Seems like the story is all the same.  People who want to rule another nation end up being sparked and fed by dissenters of the nation they want to rule (think of Amalickiah)...  *sigh* The latter half of this chapter is a great reminder of what h...

Okay...  I keep on runing into these people who have learned what I want to learn. About a year ago, I met a guy named Rick Koerber and he seemed like a normal guy.  About 6 months later, I find out he's a freaking multi-millionarie.  I also find out that he teaches how he did it, and so I learn about it.  It seems really legit...

Among the discussions I've had of the scriptures, this one is always a fun one. "When God says that the earth is gonna burn, does he mean it literally?  Are the wicked really gonna burn at the second coming?" Honestly, for me, I have enough scriptural evidence to convince me to respond in the affirmative. Thoughts? Also - I'm...

Verses 5 and 6 are cause for simple reinforcement that external events do not necessarily cause internal changes.  Yes, they had a horrific war which caused the death of so many husbands, fathers, sons, etc...  And yes, that caused a lot of people to become baptized.... but, that didn't seem to matter much.  The very next year, it se...

So lately, I've been posting little snippets on social networking sites about how awesome I think my wife is.  I really don't know exactly what has been throwing me into this state of absolute gratefulness for her, but it doesn't seem to be slowing down. I guess I'm just having a good hard realization that (only 2nd to God himself) she is th...

It is quite refreshing to note the surety with which President Eyring states the following: "First, the very fact that you have been offered the oath and covenant is evidence that God has chosen you, knowing your power and capacity. He has known you since you were with Him in the spirit world. With His foreknowledge of your strength, He has ...

I've been pretty much stuck 100% in the Linux world now for around 5 years.  I bought myself a Cowon iAudio X5 media player based on its compatibility with Linux (and its complete lack of anything DRM related) - and I've loved it for the 2.5 years I've had it. I also had a blackberry which I had used for 2 years, thanks to Nature's Way. ...

Ya know...  Today was a good Sunday.  In church, we learned about trials, and the nature of them - why God gives them to us, and why we need them.  D&C 58 1-4 is a great reference if you're looking for some good stuff on trials.  We talked a lot about Zion's Camp, and the general tendency the early saints had toward generati...

I'm not exactly sure what I want to write about today.  No...  I know what I need to write about, but I think it's too private, and I want to write something I can publish publicly. Ya know...  I really hate sin.  I really do. I am amazed at how much the world accepts what is wrong.  Pondering how much the world accepts s...

Ya know...  This time around with this chapter was filled with little tid-bits of inspiration.  I don't remember this chapter being so filled with doctrine, but I'll do my best to write down what I thought about as I read the chapter. The first verse which caught my attention was verse 4.  The people of Limhi were, by and large, a ...

Some of you may know that I've been working on a Christmas music project called "Herod the Fink" with someone who has been steadily becoming a great friend of mine - Jesse Crowley. This started September of 2009, when he called me up and asked me if I wanted to work on a few Christmas songs he had been cooking up, and I accepted.  We...

 Okay...  I've decided I'm going to get a little more serious about recording music.  I've had quite a few positive comments made about my recordings from 3rd parties, and over the years, I've enjoyed recording it more and more. So now, I'm here with approximately $200.00 to spend, and I think I'm going to get some overhead mics fo...

This chapter was good to read.  I felt the spirit quite a bit.  Some insights I had this time around were interesting... I really wish I knew how much Alma knew about the Gospel before he was converted by Abinadi.  Regardless of how much he knew, it's interesting that each decision Alma makes with his little city of people he broug...

A new group called "Smooth Intentions" made it down to the studio today and we began tracking a song called "Rain".  So far, it sounds quite good.  The song contains a gorgeous cello track, not often heard within the genre. We've got a keyboard track left to record, but the tune should be finished shortly. We'll se...

 Seems like the first half of this chapter is a gentile rebuke coming from Christ himself, to his Apostles, for not knowing the scriptures well enough.  It seems like he goes on for a bit in the why, though.  I wonder why it's so important to put across the point that things of Christ need to be done in Christ's name...?  Seems ...