It’s not quite the same, of course, but somehow similar.  

The other day I found myself wanting an alcoholic drink; specifically the slight warm rush one feels as the alcohol hits the bloodstream, and the chemical effects start to hit the brain.  It’s been years, and I wasn’t about to break my sober streak, so I managed to conquer the thought and temptation.  It then dawned on me that the relief for whatever it was that triggered that was better served by getting closer to the Holy Ghost, the true Comforter. (more…)

I committed an offense at church that reminded me of The Birth-Mark by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Also here and here.

The essence is that trying to perfect something or someone may destroy it/them.  But the parallel theme is that absolute perfection releases the person from mortality.  

Hawthorne was a contemporary of Joseph Smith Jr.  But I am unaware if Hawthorne knew of restored gospel doctrines.

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Daily reminder that childlessness is death, libertinism is decay, and we Americans live in a strong, free, and prosperous . . . charnel house.

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Political fanaticism is not rooted in ideology. It is the hollow clanging sound that social life makes when banging up against an empty soul.

— Thus Kevin D. Williamson

I was wondering if there have been any reports of divine transportation of Latter-day Saints* in this dispensation, along the lines of Nephi being carried to mountain tops, Helaman, Elijah, maybe Ezekiel (that may have been “remote viewing,” I’m not sure), Philip in Acts 8, the Savior on the pinnacle (JST has an important change from the KJV) , etc.

The only account I’m aware of is someone receiving a newspaper from England. But maybe it was only the paper itself, not people. Though I don’t know if the couriers were mortal or resurrected men.  And I suppose it possible that the newspaper could have been a divine creation as opposed to the transportation of an otherwise mundane object.

I have not read the entire History of the Church, nor the entire Journal of Discourses.  Something may be in those works, or in someone’s personal journal.

Welcome back to the True Blue Mormon Podcast!

In Episode 6, we discuss the recent Face-to-Face with Elder Cook about the new Church history book, “Saints.”

At 4:29 we discuss the writing style of the book; at 11:56 MC tells a story that shows why we need to discuss the more exotic points of Church history with young people.

At 28:13, Will talks about the the Book of Mormon translation process, and at 33:33, MC questions why the method of translation seems to be such a sticking point for some Latter-day Saints.

The Royal Skousen lecture that Will talks about is here: https://youtu.be/bW65LrdubZ0

P.S. We will be recording our October General Conference thoughts this weekend. If you have any opinion about whether we ought to rethink the podcast name in light of President Nelson’s talk, please let us know in the comments!

This thread is intended for comments on October 2018’s General Conference that don’t specifically pertain to other posts about this Conference, so as to minimize topic drift on those other posts.  I still expect that my co-bloggers and El Jefe Bloggero/El Gran Queso will write more posts on this Conference’s topics.  So, I’m putting up this post in order that our wise and inspired commenters will not have to wait for specific topics to be brought up before sharing their observations and insights with us.   As with our Jefe, I too am thankful for their brilliant wit, juxtapositions, appropos information and wise observations.

We already have a post on this conference’s “Home Church” topic, and a post on an overall “Wake-up and Shake-up” process that I have observed since 2002, in which this conference makes a major step.  As our friend/co-blogger Pecos Bill might exclaim about this conference: “Weeeee, dogie!” 

That’s what I think the Lord is doing. Raising the bar in 2002. Revamping the youth curriculum in 2008. Lowering missionary age in 2012. Home Teaching into Ministering. Combining HP with EQ. Name correction. Revamping Sunday meetings, and integrating those with home/family study. A prophet not hesitant to use and demonstrate prophetic authority.

Hold on, it’s going to be a marvelously exciting ride — miracles, out-pourings of Spirit, bunches of converts, hand-of-the-Lord kind of stuff.

What began in late summer of last year as an odd feeling in Mrs. Mansfield’s upper back and progressively became more painful was identified on November 10 as metastasized renal cell carcinoma. It has been a long year, feeling more like three, which stretching out was good in many ways and nightmarish in others. After eleven months from diagnosis, and twenty-four years from wedding, it looks like a few days of life remain.

An experience of this sort brings up various observations and musings. One from last night was about “mutual admiration societies.” It’s a phrase that mocks little circles of two flattering one another. On the other hand, these past few weeks it has been an uplifting thing to sit by as a couple of admirable people feel it is a good time to express their respect for one another.