A Self Made No-No?

When things go well in my life, I am quick to think, “wow, I am such a good jobber.”  I give myself all the credit I can as quickly as I can.  I think I am one cool kid, that’s for sure.

And I believe that is a position taken by most people.  Humans love to be right.  We love to be the ones responsible for good things that happen.  We are all arrogant pieces of poop.

And while there is a lot in life that takes place thanks to hard work, endurance, grit, innovation, and a general go-get-em attitude, I tend to think there is a lot more that we should chalk up to our surroundings, infrastructure, actions of others, privilege, political frameworks, and overall LUCK.

A story I heard recently illustrates the point pretty well. (More baseball comparisons coming at you. Sorry, not sorry.)

no-hitter –  a complete game in which a pitcher yields no hits to the opposing team.

A no-hitter is lauded as the crowning achievement of a pitcher (arguably MORE incredible than a Perfect Game, but that is a debate for another day)  When a no-no is thrown, that pitcher’s name is entered into a list that will live on forever in baseball statistician heaven.

Now that we have that defined, cue that 1969 Chicago Cubs (it is beautiful that this story has to do with my beloved Cubbies).

Ken Holtzman took the mound and started firing away. With a quick look at the score card, all you would see an incredible no hitter performance.  BUT, if you looked a little closer, you would see that EVERY OUT RECORDED that game was from a ball put in play.  Which means, every batter that got up, made contact with the ball, put it in play, and the other 8 players were able to either catch the ball or field and throw the runner out.

Ken Holtzman never threw a single strike out that game.  He owed every out to his team. In fact there was one very dramatic moment of the game when Hank Aaron hit a ball so hard that everyone was SURE it was gone, only to watch it be caught at the wall by the left fielder.  That left fielder noted after the game that he saw the ball go over the fence, only to be “blown back into play just far enough for him to catch it up against the ivy.”  Sounds pretty incredible, doesn’t it?

What I want to note is that you don’t see those other 8 men on that immortal no-hitter list.  And you for sure don’t see that lucky gust of wind that blew a home run ball back into play!

Now, I am not saying that Ken Holtzman doesn’t deserve the spot on that list.  He absolutely does.  It takes incredible skill to pitch in a way that puts balls in play that are “fieldable”.  No player on the other team got a hit!  It is a NO HITTER.

BUT, I am saying that he was supported in his heroic action by his team, by the weather, and by God (He is a baseball fan, you know…)

That story is a dramatic (and beautiful) example of how we, and our achievements, are a result of many, many factors.  And I think it is our duty to acknowledge those other factors – especially the role that God plays in our lives.

However, it can admittedly seem difficult to know exactly what blessings comes from God.  To which prophets recommend to always “let thy heart be full of thanks unto God” (Alma 37:37) After all, it is a safer bet to just attribute everything to God, right?

Anyways, get on your knees tonight, and praise the Lord for your amazing team, that good luck, and those favorable winds.

1 Corinthians 6

19 know ye… (that) ye are not your cown?

20 For ye are abought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, (perhaps we can add here and in your deeds) which are God’s.

Temple Tickets

White Sox vs. Oakland A’s!!!  

So cool story - Madison was at the temple later than we had planned (I was on babysitting duty while she went through with a friend who was taking out her endowments for the first time) ... and we were LATE for the game.  Of course I was all grumpy and annoyed. (okay, not to toot my own horn here, but to be totally honest I was doing pretty well - I’ve been working on my patience factor haha)

We showed up at the 3rd inning, and went up to the box office.  We didn't buy our tickets online 'cause of the stupid 9 dollar convenience fee. (that is a rant for another day)

There was no line, nobody was around - everyone is already in the stadium of course.  We get almost to the window and the guy comes out of the booth and is like, “you guys still need tickets? Here, have these.”  And handed us tickets! FOR FREE!  No charge!  Just boom, here you go!

As we sat down, I couldn't help but see the DIRECT blessings from being at the temple!  

It was just another testimony builder that The Lord will always provide when you put him first.  

#HFisabaseballfan

Luke 12

27 Consider the ^alilies how they grow: they toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto you, that Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

28 If then God so clothe the grass, which is to day in the field, and to morrow is cast into the oven; ^ahow much more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith?

29 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of ^adoubtful mind.

30 For all these things do the nations of the world seek after: and your Father knoweth that ye have need of these things.

31 ¶ ^aBut rather seek ye the ^bkingdom of God; and ^call these things shall be added unto you. (even, baseball tickets)*

*only regular season tickets apply - don't get greedy and try to sneak some postseason spot.  

Flamin' Hot

Here is a fun read for your Sunday afternoon - I love how the Montañez’s outlook on life.  I also love the advice from his grandpa too - “make sure that floor shines, and make sure they all know a Montañez mopped it.” 

Take pride in what you do. I remember some talk by President Hinckley that went along the same lines “I don’t care if you are a refrigerator salesman… just be the best refrigerator salesman in the world.” 

Or at least, be the BEST refrigerator salesman that YOU can be.  Anyways, there is my Sunday thought and here is the link so you get what I am even talking about:

https://thehustle.co/hot-cheetos-inventor/

And I just went ahead and copied it down here as well...

How a janitor at Frito-Lay invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Richard Montañez went from cleaning toilets to being one of the most respected execs in the food industry.

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BY ZACHARY CROCKETT

NOVEMBER 29, 2017

On an early morning in the late 1980s, a group of the highest-powered executives at Frito-Lay — the CEO, CMO, and a platoon of VPs — gathered in a California conference room to hear what Richard Montañez had to say.
Montañez didn’t share their pedigree. He wasn’t an executive. He had no fancy degree. He had a 4th-grade-level education, and couldn’t read or write.
Montañez was a janitor. But he was a janitor with an idea — an idea that would make the company billions of dollars and become one of history’s most celebrated and iconic snack foods: Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.
But first, he had to convince the world to hear him out.

Picking grapes

Montañez grew up in the 1960s in Guasti, California, a tiny unincorporated farming town 40 miles east of Los Angeles.
Under the sweltering Cucamonga Valley sun, his family — mother, father, grandfather, and 11 children — scraped together a meager living picking grapes, and slept together in a one-room cinderblock abode at the labor camp.
As a first-generation Mexican immigrant at an all-white school, Montañez had access to few resources and struggled to understand his teachers. “I remember my mom getting me ready for school and I was crying,” he later told Lowrider magazine. “I couldn’t speak English.”
One day in class, the teacher went around the room asking each kid to name his or her dream job: Doctor… astronaut… veterinarian. When she called on Montañez, he froze.
“I realized I didn’t have a dream,” he says. “There was no dream where I came from.”

Montañez soon stopped getting on the school bus and began boarding the work truck with his father and grandfather.
After dropping out of school, he worked the fields in 110°F heat and took on odd jobs slaughtering chickens at a poultry factory, washing cars, and picking weeds. With a 4th-grade-level education and few economic opportunities, Montañez saw no path out of poverty.
Then, in 1976, a neighbor told him about a job opening that would change his life.

“There’s no such thing as ‘just a janitor’”

Down the road, in Rancho Cucamonga, the Frito-Lay plant was looking for a janitor.
At $4 per hour ($18 in 2019 dollars), the job paid many multiples of what Montañez made in the fields. It represented a better life — insurance, benefits, social mobility.
Unable to read or write, the 18-year-old recruited his wife to help fill out an application. He journeyed down a dusty road, met with the hiring manager, and got the job.
When he broke the news to his family, his grandfather imparted a piece of advice that would always stick with him: “Make sure that floor shines,” the man told his grandson. “And let them know that a Montañez mopped it.”
Montañez decided he was going to be the “best janitor Frito-Lay had ever seen” — and he quickly made his presence known.
“Every time someone walked into a room, it would smell fresh,” he says. “I realized there’s no such thing as ‘just a janitor’ when you believe you’re going to be the best.”

Montañez also developed the philosophy that “it’s not about who you know — it’s about who knows you.”
In between shifts, he set out to make himself seen, learning as much as he could about the company’s products, spending time in the warehouse, and watching the machines churn out crunchy snacks in the lonely midnight hours.
And eventually, his insatiable curiosity would pay off.

“I saw no products catering to Latinos”

By the mid-1980s, Frito-Lay had fallen on tough times. As a way to boost morale, then-CEO Roger Enrico recorded a video message and disseminated it to the company’s 300k employees.
In the video, Enrico encouraged every worker at the company to “act like an owner.” Most employees brushed it off as a management cliché; Montañez took it to heart.
“Here’s my invitation… here’s the CEO telling me, the janitor, that I can act like an owner,” he later recalled. “I didn’t know what I was going to do. Didn’t need to. But I knew I was going to act like an owner.”
After nearly a decade mopping floors, Montañez gathered the courage to ask one of the Frito-Lay salesmen if he could tag along and learn more about the process.
They went to a convenience store in a Latino neighborhood — and while the salesman restocked inventory, Montañez made a fortuitous observation: “I saw our products on the shelves and they were all plain: Lay’s, Fritos, Ruffles,” he recalls. “And right next to these chips happened to be a shelf of Mexican spices.”
In that moment, he realized that Frito-Lay had “nothing spicy or hot.”
A few weeks later, Montañez stopped at a local vendor to get some elote, a Mexican “street corn” doused in chili powder, salt, cotija, lime juice, and crema fresca. Cob in hand, a “revelation” struck: What if I put chili on a Cheeto?

Introduced to the world in 1948, Cheetos — crunchy corn-based nuggets coated in cheese-flavored powder — were a flagship product of Frito-Lay. And while they were popular among California’s growing base of Latino consumers, the company had yet to consider re-tailoring the product’s taste profile.
“Nobody had given any thought to the Latino market,” recalls Montañez. “But everywhere I looked, I saw it ready to explode.”
So, Montañez heeded the CEO’s words and “acted like an owner.”
Working late one night at the production facility, he scooped up some Cheetos that hadn’t yet been dusted in cheese. He took them home and, with the help of his wife, covered them in his own concoction of chili powder and other “secret” spices.
When he handed them out to family members and friends, the snacks were met with universal enthusiasm. He just needed a bigger audience…

So he called the CEO

“I was naive,” Montañez later said. “I didn’t know you weren’t supposed to call the CEO… I didn’t know the rules.”
Finding Roger Enrico’s phone number was easy enough: It was listed in a company directory. He rang the line, and was put through to the chief’s executive assistant.
“Mr. Enrico’s office. Who is this?”
“Richard Montañez.”
“What division are you with?”
“California.”
“You’re the VP overseeing California?”
“No, I work at the Rancho Cucamonga plant.”
“Oh, so you’re the VP of operations?”
“No, I work inside the plant.”
“You’re the plant manager?”
“No. I’m the janitor.”
The assistant paused for what seemed like an eternity. “One moment.”

Then, a voice on the other line: “Hello, this is Roger.”
Montañez told the CEO he’d heeded the call to action. He’d studied the company’s products, identified a demand in the market, and even crafted his own rudimentary snacks in his kitchen.
Enrico loved the ingenuity: He told the janitor he’d be at the plant in 2 weeks and asked him to prepare a presentation.
Moments after Montañez hung up the phone, the plant manager stormed up to him. “He said, ‘Who do you think you are? Who let the janitor call the CEO?’” recalls Montañez. “Then he said, ‘YOU’RE doing this presentation!’”

The birth of the Hot Cheeto

Montañez was 26 years old. In his words, he couldn’t read or write very well and had no knowledge about how to formulate a business proposal.
But he wasn’t about to give up.
Accompanied by his wife, he went to the library, found a book on marketing strategies, and copied the first 5 paragraphs word for word onto transparencies. At home, he filled 100 plastic baggies with his homemade treats, sealed them with a clothing iron, and manually drew a logo and design on each package.
On the day of the presentation, he bought a $3 tie — black with blue and red stripes — and had his neighbor knot it for him. As he gathered the bags, his wife stopped him near the door: “Don’t forget who you are.”

Montañez stepped into the boardroom. “Here I was,” he says, “a janitor presenting to some of the most highly qualified executives in America.”
At one point during the presentation, an executive in the room interjected: “How much market share do you think you can get?”
“It hit me that I had no idea what he was talking about, or what I was doing,” Montañezrecalled. “I was shaking, and I damn near wanted to pass out…[but] I opened my arms and I said, ‘This much market share!’ I didn’t even know how ridiculous that looked.”
The room went silent as the CEO stood up and smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen, do you realize we have an opportunity to go after this much market share?” he said, stretching out his arms.
He turned to Montañez. “Put that mop away, you’re coming with us.”

Feeling hot, hot, hot

Six months later, with Montañez’s help, Frito-Lay began testing Flamin’ Hot Cheetos in small Latino markets in East Los Angeles.
If it performed well, the company would move forward with the product; if it didn’t, they’d scratch it — and Montañez would likely return to janitorial duties. This was his one shot, and some folks didn’t want things to work out for him.
“It seemed there was a group of [executives] who wanted it to fail,” he later told the podcast, The Passionate Few. “They thought I got lucky. They were paid big bucks to come up with these ideas… they didn’t want some janitor to do it.”

So Montañez assembled a small team of family members and friends, went to the test markets, and bought every bag of Hot Cheetos he could find.
“I’d tell the owner, ‘Man, these are great,’” he recalled. “Next week, I’d come back and there’d be a whole rack.”
In 1992, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos were greenlit for a national release. And in short order, the snack became one of the most successful product launches in Frito-Lay history.

From janitor to VP

Today, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos are one of Frito-Lay’s hottest-selling commodities — a multi-billion-dollar snack celebrated by everyone from Katy Perry to middle-schoolerson meal vouchers. There’s even a rap song about them.
And Montañez is no longer sweeping floors: Over a 35-year career, the former janitor rose through the corporate ranks and is now the vice president of multicultural sales for PepsiCo America (the holding company of Frito-Lay).
Before Montañez joined the executive team, Frito-Lay had only 3 Cheeto products; since then, the company has launched more than 20, each worth $300m+.
Recognized by Newsweek and Fortune as one of the most influential Hispanic leaders in America, Montañez is a gifted speaker who often tours the country giving keynotes. And soon, his story will hit the silver screen: Fox Searchlight Pictures is currently working on a biopic about his life, appropriately titled “Flamin’ Hot.”
He still lives in Rancho Cucamonga, where he gives back to his community through a nonprofit he launched and teaches MBA classes at a nearby college.
Recently, a student asked him how he was teaching without a Ph.D.
“I do have a Ph.D.,” he responded. “I’ve been poor, hungry and determined.”

An Imperfect Dedication

Bishop started sacrament off with a piece of the dedicatory prayer for the church building.  He emphasized how this building has been set apart and dedicated to God.

As I looked around, and tried to appreciate the sacred halls, I started noticing some things.

I noticed a bunch of pink crayon scribbled in the wall next to me.  I noticed a crack in the ceiling where it met the window.  I saw a rogue wire poking out of the rock facade.  And then there was the frayed carpet, green permanent marker, and spiderwebs in the corner.

All of these imperfections aside, there was such a tangible peace and comfort at the meeting.  As the speakers focused on the words of the Savior, and as the audience listened with desire to be more like Him, it was obvious we were worshiping on Holy Ground.

Then my mind went to my own imperfections; my own spiritual crayon stains and cobwebs haunt me on the daily.

But then I remembered – I too have dedicated my life to God.  I have covenanted to always remember Him.  I am trying to live as close as I can to His will.  And even though I’m riddled with imperfections, through him, I can keep those feel-good feels of the Spirit.  It is an imperfect dedication, but none the less, I am dedicated.

So I guess the take away for me is, don’t focus too much on your frayed ends or the cracks of others.  Remember that you’re doing your best – that others are trying their hardest.  And remember, that through the Savior, all will be made right.

Alma 34:41

“But that ye have patience, and bear with those afflictions, with a firm hope that ye shall one day rest from all your afflictions.”

When Life Sucks, Don't Let It

I got lost in a rabbit hole of baseball statistics today.  I checked a few leader boards of the highest OPS… which is essentially a combo of how often the player gets on base and how “powerful” of a hitter they are.  Here is how wikipedia defines it:

The basic equation is:

where OBP is on-base percentage and SLG is slugging average. These averages are defined.

and

where:

• H = hits
• BB = bases on balls
• HBP = times hit by pitch
• AB = at bats
• SF = sacrifice flies
• TB = total bases

In one equation, OPS can be represented as:

Lou Gehrig, turns out has one of the highest of all time – one of only a few players to have over a 1.0000 (his was 1.0798).  Pretty freaking cool.  He was also known as the “Iron Horse” of baseball.  He held the record of most consecutive games played in a row – 2,130!!!  Crazy.  And then ALS set in.  He realized that he was sick, and that he was dying.

I found the speech that he gave to a sold out stadium and it really touched my heart.  He didn’t know at the time, that ALS would eventually take his life 2 years later.  Anyways, here are his words:

“Fans, for the past two weeks you have been reading about the bad break I got. Yet today I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth. I have been in ballparks for seventeen years and have never received anything but kindness and encouragement from you fans.

Look at these grand men. Which of you wouldn’t consider it the highlight of his career just to associate with them for even one day? Sure, I’m lucky. Who wouldn’t consider it an honor to have known Jacob Ruppert? Also, the builder of baseball’s greatest empire, Ed Barrow? To have spent six years with that wonderful little fellow, Miller Huggins? Then to have spent the next nine years with that outstanding leader, that smart student of psychology, the best manager in baseball today, Joe McCarthy? Sure, I’m lucky.

When the New York Giants, a team you would give your right arm to beat, and vice versa, sends you a gift—that’s something. When everybody down to the groundskeepers and those boys in white coats remember you with trophies — that’s something. When you have a wonderful mother-in-law who takes sides with you in squabbles with her own daughter — that’s something. When you have a father and a mother who work all their lives so that you can have an education and build your body—it’s a blessing. When you have a wife who has been a tower of strength and shown more courage than you dreamed existed — that’s the finest I know.

So I close in saying that I might have been given a bad break, but I’ve got an awful lot to live for. Thank you.”

This guy was DYING, but he chose to focus on all the good around him. His optimism is unreal.  He is the definition of a role model. Hopefully we can all be more like Lou.  When life sucks, just don’t let it.

Anyways, figured I would share.

#murica

Happy Memorial Day everyone.  I have the Cubs game on in the background as I am working today, and instead of “take me out to the ball game” during the 7th inning, they had someone sing “God Bless America”.  I got kind of emotional as I listened.  I feel like I spend so much time hyper focussed on the problems and issues that we have as a country, but MAN, I love America.  And I am so grateful for everything that she has given to me. And I know that I owe this freedom to people that have fought for it, both on the battle field and in the political arena. I am blessed. I hope that I can do my part to give back and make America even better for those that follow. Love you all. #murica

Also, this as a bonus - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t3SPjk1ktRQ for your health...

(Fun fact - this was the first youtube video I watched when I got back from my mission)

Hospital Hill

I had a fun series of thoughts as I was riding my bike today.  Hopefully there is some value in it.

As we started off on the ride, I mentioned to the dude I ride with, "why don't we try the normal route - but BACKWARDS."

This would mean we would have to ride UP "Hospital Hill"... a gnarly, long decent full steep sections, big rocks and some pretty tricky rutted parts.  It sounded kind of miserable, but also interesting... I mean, why not?

Anyways, I always thought that Hospital Hill was called that because as you bomb down it, the chance of breaking your neck is fairly high.  Turns out, you have just as much of a chance landing in a hospital room going up - just from cardiac arrest!  It was pretty tough. In fact, I almost vommed at the summit.

The climb mellowed out, and the top of the trail is actually pretty fun.  And going the opposite direction was interesting for sure.

But there was a piece of the conversation that stuck with me for the rest of the ride.  We were talking about how it was kind of enjoyable to ride "backwards"... and then I said, "yeah, I mean, Hospital Hill was pretty ugly when I was in the middle of it, but I am fine now."

And that is when it hit me.  Sometimes we have Hospital Hills in our daily life... we go through hard times.  We have to endure.  We think we can't make it, or if we do, we will surely puke at the top.  And yeah, maybe you will!  But, in the long term, you are going to be just fine.

I mean, it is the classic answer to JS's prayer right?  

"My son, peace be unto thy soul; thine adversity and thine afflictions shall be but a small moment;"

-D&C 121:7-

So yeah, you might be in the middle of a Hospital Hill right now in your life.  And it might royally suck.  But guess what - you are going to be fine.  

And I don't think that acknowledging that is insensitive or that it takes anything away from the hard thing you are doing.  I think it is just a little bit of encouragement to always remember, you are going to make it out of this. 

Anyway - no matter where you are on your trail right now - if you're happily coasting down a smooth path, grinding up a Hospital Hill, or hanging on for dear life through some teeth-rattling decent - enjoy it. Because it is only a matter of time before there is a terrain change headed your way.  And isn't that the exciting part of it all?!

ASKING

Asking

In the story of gentile woman asking Jesus multiple times for a blessing - she was shut down by Christ.  But then she asked AGAIN (“Even the CRUMBS would be enough”). After the last petition Christ changed his kind and blessed her. It was a good change - good things came of it.

This story, and the woman’s persistence is praised as lauded as a virtue we should all seek as we petition the lord for answers in our own life.

But then there’s another story - Martin Harris.  He asked the lord three times as well.  And, like the woman, the Lord changed his answer after MH’s last petition. Almost a “sure - go for it.”

However, this story ends in disaster and is used as a lesson to “accept the lord’s will” without questioning the answers you get.

So, my questions is: What’s the difference?  Why is it okay sometimes to question while others, we need to just fall in line and accept it?  And how are we supposed to know when is that time?  'Cause I mean, the whole point in ASKING in the first place is because we don’t know what to do, right?

Maybe the Bible story of Jesus “denying” someone blessings is just an apostate translation of the Bible?  

OR, should we be ASKING if it’s okay to ask a certain question before we even begin asking?!?  Would that in a sense, filter out unrighteous desires?  Can we get a pre-answer to prayer?  A kind of “go ahead” or green light to begin the petition?

Share your thoughts - because I have been stuck on this one the last 2 days.

Open Mind?

Here is a thought vomit I have been thinking on for the last few days - hopefully you can make sense of it and even shed further light on the topic for me.  Here we go.

I think there are numerous ways to go about seeking TRUTH.

Obviously, the scientific method helps us prove theories and ideas. No doubt about it, it works and it works well. However, I also think that one can reach truth by spiritual means as well. 

Humans have a built-in sense (something like our ability to see and smell) that isn't necessarily quantifiable. Call it "your gut", "The Spirit", "a conscience", "the Light of Christ", or whatever the heck you want - we all know when something just FEELS right (or wrong, for that matter). And I don't think that feeling should be discredited because it's "not backed by science."

The fact that all humans have this hard-to-describe ability or intuition wired in to our being is evidence enough to me that there may be other paths to tap into - paths that very well could lead to truth!

Open-mindedness is a virtue; one that is hard to hold on to! (at least for me!) 

In our daily lives as we fight the scroll, consume media of all kinds, and discuss topics with members and non-members a like, it becomes REALLY hard to remember that, if we are serious about seeking truth, we shouldn't dismiss things immediately. I am SO guilty of this! I hear something from a friend, read something on the news, or run across something on social media and all the little dudes in my mind try to immediately categorize it into truth or un-truth - often times without taking the proper time required to run it through BOTH of my filters (spiritual and scientific method). 

We are all living in a world of algorithms that play on our confirmation bias. This makes this effort even harder. But, I really believe that it's a task worth fighting for. 

Bottom line - we shouldn't just disregard feelings like 13th-century christians disregarded science.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OKAY - I am adding this section on.  I had the draft saved, and didn't really feel like it was ready to post.  I dove into my thoughts and my feelings on this a little more and consulted the scriptures... 

So all of that I typed above is nice, right?  Open-mindedness.  It's a good thing right?

BUT, how far do we take that? There are a lot of things that some people passionately feel are RIGHT, but I feel the complete opposite!  So how is that truth? Is my feeler sense off?  Is theirs broken?

Then take is another step - why do some of these same "feel-good"/"feel-bad" feelings contradict what the church teaches or certain policies that the church has?

Moroni throws down an epic warning in Moroni chapter 7.

14 Wherefore, take heed, my beloved brethren, that ye do not judge that which is ^aevil to be of God, or that which is good and of God to be of the devil.

I feel like he HAD to have seen our day!

He goes on to explain how we can sort it out. But, in total brutal honesty, his explanation left me a little wanting. Sorry, Moroni, I just need a little more from you!

Read the section I am talking about for yourself:

15 For behold, my brethren, it is given unto you to ^ajudge, that ye may know good from evil; and the way to judge is as plain, that ye may know with a perfect knowledge, as the daylight is from the dark night.

16 For behold, the ^aSpirit of Christ is given to every ^bman, that he may ^cknow good from evil; wherefore, I show unto you the way to judge; for every thing which inviteth to do good, and to persuade to believe in Christ, is sent forth by the power and gift of Christ; wherefore ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of God.

17 But whatsoever thing persuadeth men to do ^aevil, and believe not in Christ, and deny him, and serve not God, then ye may know with a perfect knowledge it is of the devil; for after this manner doth the devil work, for he persuadeth no man to do good, no, not one; neither do his angels; neither do they who subject themselves unto him.

18 And now, my brethren, seeing that ye know the ^alight by which ye may judge, which light is the light of Christ, see that ye do not judge wrongfully; for with that same ^bjudgment which ye judge ye shall also be judged.

He goes on to say that FAITH is the key ingredient to knowing what is good.  And that a faith in Christ is all we need to discern good from evil (or, I think truth from un-truth can be inserted here - correct me if I am wrong - God is Good, right?  And he is all knowing and in a sense, Ultimate Truth, right?  Or is that not an equivalent?)

24 And behold, there were divers ways that he did manifest things unto the children of men, which were good; and all things which are good cometh of Christ; otherwise men were ^afallen, and there could no good thing come unto them.

I liked this verse, as he mentions there are a whole lot of ways to coming to the "truth conclusion".  God works through science, through prophets, through feelings, through thoughts. 

Anyways, like I stated - it was a thought vomit here.  So, discern what you can and send me your thoughts!  Comment on the blog here so we can all enjoy the discourse! 

RE: Temple Ordinance Changes

I attended the temple this evening and was surprised to see that the administration of ordinances beyond the presentation of the endowment had changed in significant and powerful ways. I felt a renewed understanding and clarity listening to the different words and knew the changes were inspired by God. I liked the new wording better than before; it was clearer and more truthful. I also saw many people on the internet, both friend and stranger, who asked many questions about how temple ordinances could be changed. I was struck by some who asked a very good question, "Why wasn't these changes made sooner or implemented from the outset?" I think that is a great question, for if this is the true and living Church of Jesus Christ, shouldn't the revelation that was given to Joseph Smith, Brigham Young, and others be foolproof?

The question is further complicated when the current social context is accounted for. Are Prophets just bowing to social pressures? The easy answer to the first question would be to argue that The Restored Church of Jesus Christ is just always slow to adjust to social pressures and that all progress or "leap's forward" come about by external pulls and pushes. Or in other words, we make adjustments as PR or political moves. As I said, these are the easy answers but they have no bearing in scripture, president, or modern prophetic teaching.

All I have are my own answers to these questions. Firstly, I am convinced that the Restored Church of Jesus Christ does not progress in the traditional sense of the word. Institutional, cultural, and civilizational progress is an idea developed by Georg Hegel and his pupil Karl Marks in the aftermath of the enlightenment about the same time as the Restoration of the Gospel. They argued that all of society is moving towards true freedom and enlightenment, that progress is inevitable and it is up to us as to whether we are on the right side of history or not. 

So what is happening? If it is not a "leap forward" what is going on? Reading the Old Testament and its parallel, the Book of Mormon a clear pattern emerges. God, makes covenants with specific groups of people and blesses them in a variety of ways depending on their collective obedience to the commandments they are given. At times the flow of revelation is like the "Missouri River" when they are righteous or a “famine" when they have forgotten their covenant. The covenant people of God do not progress in their intellectual, moral or ethical sensibility by casting off outdated norms as advocated by Hegel. Rather, they progress towards the Savior and his teachings through repentance (Alma 4:10).

The pattern continues with individuals. The Book of Mormon has tons of examples of this happening. The pattern with Nephi, Alma, Jacob, Moroni, Mormon, Enos, and others is that through faith, repentance, obedience, and effort, greater truths can be found. This also means that things you know to be true could be revealed to be less true than a more true truth you receive through revelation. Or in other words, "precept upon precept."

In short, the best way to advance, progress, change, transform, push the Restored Church of Jesus Christ forward is to repent. Here are a few scriptures that talk about this.

• Yea, I know that God will give liberally to him that asketh. Yea, my God will give me, if I ask not amiss; therefore I will lift up my voice unto thee; yea, I will cry unto thee, my God, the rock of my righteousness. Behold, my voice shall forever ascend up unto thee, my rock and mine everlasting God. Amen (2 Nephi 4:35).

• Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding. And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known; And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed; And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent; And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time (Doctrine and Covenants 1:24-28).

• Ye are not able to abide the presence of God now, neither the ministering of angels; wherefore, continue in patience until ye are perfected (Doctrine and Covenants 67:13).

The Savior's words to the Nephites are especially interesting because he makes a comparison to a group of people who are not as righteous.

• So great faith have I never seen among all the Jews; wherefore I could not show unto them so great miracles, because of their unbelief. Verily I say unto you, there are none of them that have seen so great things as ye have seen; neither have they heard so great things as ye have heard. (3 Nephi 19:35-36)

I’m sure there are a lot of other scriptures that I can’t think of or don’t know about but what I hope is clear is that greater truths, knowledge, insight, and light comes from God to those with greater faith. This happens to individuals and to whole peoples as we saw with the Nephites and the Jews. The Nephites saw and heard things that cannot be uttered because they were so great and marvelous, things that were withheld from the Jews. So will things like temple ordinances change from time to time? And will the new form be better than the previous? Absolutely. But the mechanism widening the windows of heaven is our righteousness, repentance, and faith in the Savior Jesus Christ.