On wounded feet, He stands triumphant over death. With pierced palms and scarred wrists, He holds out unending grace.
-thus Jeffrey R. Holland
Elder Christofferson once preached that the aim of the gospel is to draw down “perfect justice and infinite mercy” from heaven. The phrase stuck with me. Perfect justice and infinite mercy. Infinite mercy, sure. But who among us struts so cockily that he wants perfect justice? Who among the wise can know that he is more sinned against than sinning? None.
But the truly wise know, even the justice that condemns you is joyful.
His Majesty was somewhat put out this morning.
I acknowledge that “Las Vegas Mormons With Flair,” is John Mansfield’s beat. However, in the midst of all his Brandon Flowers blogging, it must be pointed out that despite releasing a well-regarded solo album, Bro. Flowers isn’t even having the best month out of the small subset of young, famous Las Vegas Mormons. It’s not even close.
Update: He hit another home run tonight.
Mrs. MC: Did you tell our son that he could head-butt Jerome [a boy in his preschool class]?
MC: No.
Mrs. MC: Why does he think you told him that? (more…)
Yesterday I remembered something my cousin’s husband said twenty-five years ago. He was an Air Force mechanic and would make a twenty-year career of it. He was assigned to the F-117 stealth fighter some number of months before its existence was publicly disclosed in 1988. Immediately before that he was working on F-4 Phantoms, the Vietnam workhorse that the Air Force had been flying since ’63. Sometimes he would marvel at the improvement in some state-of-the-art system, like the brakes, and then learn that it was the same system as used in the F-15 and not so new after all. From the perspective of the Phantom, a lot was new that wasn’t so new.
I changed spark plugs yesterday on a 2002 Chevy Prizm. (more…)
Did he also experience all the small acts of kindness, and service, where people went out of their way to “lift up the hands that hang down, and strengthen the feeble knees”? Did he experience the joy that the lonely feel when one reaches out to them to let them know they matter and are cared about? Did he feel the hope restored when we visit someone who is sick or in prison and cheered their hearts? Did he feel the relief of the overwhelmed when someone paused to share their burden with them? Did he feel the relief we feel when someone forgives us of our screwups and mistakes, or when someone shows us undeserved mercy?
-thus Jon Goff. Read the whole thing.
It reminded me of the Royal Largesse theory of the atonement. It gives a Christmas flavor to Easter doctrines.
Sometimes I wonder if there is really any hope for His Majesty.
A man will always be judged, full stop. A person will always be judged, full stop. You will always be judged for everything you do for every second you are doing it.
The judges are God, everyone else, and yourself.
Thing is, you want it. You want to be judged and found worthy.
“Flowers has consistently been the one dragging along his band mates. While they want time off after their typically lengthy world tours, he’s always keen to go higher, further, longer. So he fills the hiatuses with solo projects. This despite the fact that he’s the one with most family — Flowers has three young sons, and talks of ‘maybe one more. But it’s totally up to my wife. I would have ten kids,’ he beams, and that is a precept of his religious faith.” (link)
Tell it, Brother B.
Yesterday Washington Post ran a piece, “Conservatives say marriage has always been between a man and a woman. They’re wrong.” It was what you would expect, the standard boilerplate about husbands and wives dealing with one another differently in some ways than they did 700 years ago so why should they have to men and women, but I scanned through it for one reason: curiosity how far it I would go before finding the phrase “some Indian tribes.” (more…)
The other day, when we were getting ready to put the kids to bed, our oldest pulled one of us aside and described a day he suddenly remembered from a few years ago, “when I was little.” It was nothing very unusual, just a funny way we were sitting next to each other and talking. But he recalled it with what was clearly a lot of fondness. Here was a seven-year-old waxing nostalgic about the good old days when he was four, and we thought how much more of this he has to look forward to, how many more years he has to pile up good memories before he leaves the nest for good. And all of us will have this to draw on for the rest of our lives.
-the Tracinskis
Today would be Betsey’s 14th birthday. This is what I wrote on her birthday ten years ago.
(more…)
The fear of change is the fear of death. They are not similar fears; they are the same fear, only manifested in different circumstances. (more…)