All I Possess

In Mormonism I was taught that the twelve apostles in the New Testament died, and the authority of God died with them. The continued line of the Catholic Church was way off base because, you know, indulgences. That’s literally all I knew. I didn’t know much about church history (except they will say the Protestant… Continue reading

When reading through LDS scripture and other inspired sermons, or revelations from God, we might find ourselves confused on the language God speaks. We might also find a discrepancy or befuddlement when considering the definition and purpose of translation, as far as linguistics goes. For example, I was taught that the purpose of translation is… Continue reading

The brass serpent story tells us there are people of one group who look to a second group’s religion and say “No, I can’t believe that. That’s too easy.” I’m fascinated, looking back on my LDS life, thinking I was in the second group. I was in the correct group looking at the bronze serpent,… Continue reading

The story of God’s people is a story of sin, setback, and failure. When you read the Old Testament, there isn’t a whole lot to brag about.  But through this line came the answer to all these problems! In fact, the answer to ALL our problems.  With great mercy, God became a man and redeemed… Continue reading

I’m giving a lesson on Hernán Cortés this week in homeschool history class, so I’ve got conquistadores on my mind. Which is fitting, because I’m halfway through the book of Joshua and reflecting on how amazing God is when He shows up to fight our battles and conquer enemies on our behalf! I read this… Continue reading

I just found this story, and to be honest, I’m pretty incredulous. This is Jewish wisdom literature from the first century BC. Yeah, that’s the silent period between the Old and New Testaments. And there’s a reason this story wasn’t considered scripture and included in the Biblical canonization process. I want you to compare this… Continue reading

Lately, Rychen and I have been discussing lines of logic that leads to various conclusions. And I’ve been pondering this literal Father God thing lately. It used to be so familiar, so comforting. Home. But what are the fruits of this doctrine? Where do the lines of logic actually lead? The first and most obvious,… Continue reading

In church we talk about surrendering our lives to God. Think about that word, surrender. That’s a warfare word. Surrender means you were enemies, but now you admit defeat. The other party won. They are stronger, mightier. You fought them for as long as you could. You tried to do things your way. You tried… Continue reading

“Learn of me and listen to my words” is a well-known LDS injunction (memorable to me because of a Young Women’s song we sang) from the D&C. The “Learn of me” part is Biblical 👍 Matthew 11:29: “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart” Anyhow,… Continue reading

We frequently quote Genesis 15:6 and Paul’s references to it: Abraham believed the Lord and it was credited to him as righteousness. We use this to demonstrate saving faith. But what does the word faith mean, in this instance? It does not mean merely a belief in God. This isn’t faith that God exists; this… Continue reading