It has been over six years since I asked to have my name removed from the membership records of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (September of 2014). […]
Why I Decided to Leave Mormonism
I did not leave Mormonism. I resigned my membership in the LDS Church. Given the current emphasis by the LDS President on removing the word “Mormon” from the vernacular, I would say the LDS Church has left Mormonism.
Oh Babylon, We Bid Thee Farewell
One of the disadvantages of putting so much of one’s energy into a worldly career is the drain on both time and energy to focus on the true purpose of […]
He Shall Give You Another Comforter
I had expected to spend this Saturday in what I anticipated to be an all-day project for work. About a half hour into the project, it became evident I needed […]
High on a Mountain Top
While not necessary, sometimes the Lord may give us a desire to be alone on a mountain or in the desert to pray.
Opening the Conduit to Heaven
I read a lot of blogs. You probably do too. What or who we read can tell us a lot about each other. I’m especially interested in keeping in touch […]
Baptizing With Power and Authority
A month ago today I spent a few hours with Denver Snuffer. I am grateful for the time he took to answer some of my questions, allowing me to record […]
Pentecost and Patterns
Sunday, May 24 marked fifty days since the Feast of the Passover. The early Christian disciples, gathered together in Jerusalem, experienced an outpouring of the Spirit and attending gifts following prayer […]
The Lord Requires Us To Take Action
I was blessed to witness three baptisms last week. Although he lives 120 miles from me, it was good to be there with a friend for his baptism. The ordinance […]
Speaking With The Lord About Joseph
Nearly forty years ago I spent six months preparing to serve a mission for the LDS Church. I had graduated from High School, attended Ricks College for a year, worked […]
Mormonism Without The LDS Church
I am a Mormon. I am not a member of the LDS Church. There is a difference between the two – a big difference. The LDS Church does not define […]
A Virgin Birth
Volumes have been written about the divinity of Jesus Christ and His miraculous birth. Many different opinions and interpretations have been given about how His birth took place. Opinions range […]
The Beginning Of Zion
In the beginning there were a handful of prophets, male and female, whom the Lord brought together. These prophets had come to the honest conclusion that they did not know […]
Praying In The Holy Ghost
But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost. Jude 1:20 Interesting phrase- “Praying IN the Holy Ghost” I’d like to briefly explain […]
According to His Idols…
Ezekiel 9 4Therefore speak unto them, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Every man of the house of Israel that setteth up his idols in his heart, and […]
No Other Effect
Joseph left us a very interesting statement about the Holy Ghost which has always intrigued me. It goes like this: “The Holy Ghost has no other effect than pure intelligence. […]
The Elephant in the Room
Anybody who tells you life is rosy after one spouse leaves the church is either blind or lying. I knew things would be difficult in our marriage after I resigned, […]
The Holy Spirit of Promise
I continue to ponder the dialog in one of the last High Priest Group meetings I attended. The lesson was on marriage. The discussion focused on the temple sealing ordinance. […]
Calling and Election Made Sure
I have been enjoying the dialog on Nate’s post, “The More Sure Word of Prophecy.” It has caused me to ponder the title phrase we often use to describe the […]
Be Ye Clean That Bear The Vessels of the Lord
I am grateful for the responses to the two posts that have been written. I understand a lot of this is somewhat new to people and yet so many of you […]
Sinning Against the Greater Light
When I resigned from the LDS Church, I thought I would continue to support Carol in her desires to sing in the choir. I grew up playing the piano for […]
In The Flesh…
Continuing on from the last post, I pray for the Spirit to help me share some things in a way that will be plain. Some things I share may be […]
A New Prophet in Town
The Thesis of this Short Blog Post This is a small Mormon-based blog read by few people. I don’t think I appear on anyone’s list of recommended LDS blogs any […]
Born of the Spirit for Addicts
One of the promises of being born of the spirit is that of a mighty change of heart (Mosiah 5:2). This mighty change is supposed to take away any disposition to […]
Progress Report on Denver Snuffer
I apologize for the misleading title. This is not about Denver Snuffer. This is about my progress in reading and digesting what Denver Snuffer has written. If you’ll recall, about […]
The Stupor of Thought
About twenty years ago I served in a unique position in the church. My calling was “Melchizedek Priesthood Leader.” Because our little ward was so small, the Stake President had […]
Get Serious About Gospel Study
How many hours a day do you spend studying the gospel? OK, how many minutes? Hmmm, let’s break that down. Would minutes per week work better for you? And no […]
Whisperings of the Holy Spirit
A line in my patriarchal blessing reads, “if you will listen to the whisperings of the Holy Spirit, that comes to you, you will be directed into the path that […]
The Power of the Sacrament
I wrote an essay several years ago on my old blog that still gets a lot of hits even though I retired that blog and transferred everything over here. I’m […]
An Evening with Richard Bushman
Richard Bushman is a highly respected historian who probably understands the beginnings of Mormonism as well as or better than anyone else. Besides being the co-general editor of the Joseph Smith Papers, he chairs the board of directors of the Mormon Scholars Foundation. He knows early church history.
Interpreting Impressions of the Spirit
One of the most important duties we have in this life is to learn how to interpret the impressions of the Holy Ghost. This gift needs to be exercised and developed until we can go before the Lord with confidence and ask in faith for what we want. Sometimes it takes years to fully master.
Come Unto Christ
What a wonderful day it is to consider together our Savior and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. I’m grateful to partake of the sacrament with you and to renew my covenant to […]
My Interview with Mormon.org
One of the ways to share the gospel online is to create a profile on Mormon.org and the answer the personal questions found there about how you live the gospel.
The endowment is more than the ordinances
The ordinances introduce us but the endowment is not complete until we have come into the heavenly presence and have been instructed in the things of eternity.
Revelation and Emotional Response
If you have read a few of my past essays, you may have noted that one of my favorite subjects is revelation, and specifically personal revelation. It is only within […]
Letter to a reader
I write a letter to a reader answering his questions about the burning of the bosom and of my experience at Ricks College
Divine manifestations must have a purpose
One of the delightful parts of a stake temple night is the opportunity to be taught by a member of the temple presidency. I once asked my stake president about divine manifastations in the temple.
Shades of Grey and relative truth
In 1978, civil war broke out in Nicaragua, just after I left the country. My Mission President went from Costa Rica to Managua to help the missionaries get out of the […]
There is no middle ground
In the priesthood session of the April 2003 General Conference, President Hinckley delivered a landmark address on the subject of loyalty. In his remarks he said, “Each of us has […]
What they don’t tell you about Bishopric meetings
Except for a year off for good behavior to teach Primary, I have been participating in ward leadership meetings every Sunday morning for the past twenty-five years. Sixteen of those […]
A different kind of knowledge
I could have sworn that I already wrote this essay but realized after some digging that the main points were developed as part of a long dialog with my Evangelical […]
Spiritual experiences as a foundation for faith
I have been intrigued by Blake Ostler’s 2007 FAIR conference presentation entitled, “Spiritual Experiences as the Basis for Belief and Commitment.” I have read it several times and have decided […]
Elder Packer was right about bearing testimony
I was first introduced to this scripture in seminary as we studied church history. I was impressed with the basic promise of the Lord to Joseph and Sidney that he […]
Mormon visitors from outer space
Intelligent beings from other planets have been visiting the earth for many thousands of years. They have been communicating with us in their own way but we haven’t been tuned in to the right frequency or channels to hear.
The Lord is pouring out his spirit
In the LDS church we often think of a spiritual experience as a dream or a vision or a distinct impression to take some action or a warning to avoid […]
A call for more personal revelation
While serving as a missionary in Central America in 1976, we taught the people how important it was to receive personal revelation. If there was anything we brought up in […]
Hearing the Voice of the Lord
Back in January I mentioned that Carol and I started reading Elder Lund’s new book, Hearing the Voice of the Lord. This is one that we chose to read out […]
How our own Liahona works
I’m sure this point has been made many times and is obvious to any serious student of the Book of Mormon. The Liahona that Lehi found in the desert worked […]