eternity

An Act of Violence

September 5, 2008
By

And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God and another book was opened, which is the book of life And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire. -Revelation Ch. 20 (vs. 12-15) Love is a burning thing and it makes a fiery ring. Bound by wild desire, I fell into a ring of fire. -Johnny Cash In the LDS church, members are written into the book of life with their baptism and confirmation. For some, the love affair with the gospel can truly become a fiery...

Read more »

How Active Are You? How Orthodox Are You? A Self-Assessment

September 4, 2008
By
How Active Are You? How Orthodox Are You? A Self-Assessment

Take this assessment and find out: (Taken from D. Jeff Burton’s For Those Who Wonder : forthosewhowonder.com. Similar to a Correlation Department survey on Religion and Life conducted among LDS Church members in the mid-1980s)

Read more »

Virtual RS/PH #14 – Words of Hope & Consolation @ Time of Death

August 3, 2008
By
Virtual RS/PH #14 – Words of Hope & Consolation @ Time of Death

A word to the teachers out there.  I know what you are thinking.  Something like, “Ugh.  I got the death lesson?!”  So, if you have a family event in another ward that might precipitate trading this week, always a good plan.  But for you unlucky suckers who drew the short straw, here goes!

Read more »

I’m Okay; You’re Okay

July 27, 2008
By
I’m Okay; You’re Okay

I have one component to my life that prompts little discussions from the lowliest church member to most recently the temple president and I really wish everyone would drop it. You see, I did the unthinkable five years ago, I married someone that is not LDS.

Read more »

“All we can hope for is for God to bring us home.” (Thanks, Stephen.)

July 3, 2008
By

1) There is a man in my ward who is a dean at a major college in our area. He is a brilliant scholar in his field, and he has served as a Bishop and in a Stake Presidency. He also is one of the most humble men I have ever met. A couple of years ago, one of his adult daughters died in a freakish surgery accident – totally unexpected – leaving behind a husband and an infant daughter.

Read more »

Mormon Ancestor Worship

June 3, 2008
By
Mormon Ancestor Worship

Do Mormons practice a form of ancestor worship?  What does it mean that we must be saved “with all our dead”?

Read more »

A Forever Backward Intelligence

March 30, 2008
By

“The idea of a forever forward is not more or less simple than that of a forever backward.  Yet, in our culture, one idea is commonplace, the other startling, even unthinkable.” ~Truman Madsen  I always find myself in a little conundrum  when I’m teaching about the mysterious pre-mortal life (from the approved materials, of course!), and how we were all born spiritually.  Spiritual birth discussions always lead to the Abraham scripture about intelligences, and everything gets stuck there.  Who can really say what “intelligence(s)” is?  Some have taken a stab at it:

Read more »