Radical orthodoxy

I pretty much totally agree with this: Latter-Day Saint Radical Orthodoxy: A Manifesto.

Many young believers feel the only options they have are to be rigidly dogmatic to the point of being fundamentalist or to reject the Church’s teachings in favor of progressive political doctrines and intellectualism. This statement encourages intellectual engagement with the Church of Jesus Christ in ways that are faithful and flexible instead of either rigidly dogmatic or heretical and doubting.

Gratitude VII

For the last of this series, I’d like to express my gratitude for the witness I have of my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and of his atoning sacrifice which makes all the other things I’m grateful for possible.

Gratitude VI

I’m grateful for the talents and abilities I’ve been blessed with, and the good job they have enabled me to have.

Gratitude V

I’m also grateful for eight awesome children and one (so far) grandchild.

Gratitude IV

There’s a lot of talk today about “privilege”, but one of the greatest privileges, although one that’s seldom talked about, is the privilege of being raised by married parents who love, respect, and support each other. That’s one of the privileges I’ve enjoyed, and I feel very grateful for it.

Gratitude III

Whenever I’m asked what I’m grateful for, one thing is always the first that comes to mind. I’ve saved it for today for a particular reason.

On November 23, 1982, in the Mesa, Arizona temple, I knelt across the altar from an intelligent, beautiful, and spiritual young woman as we covenanted to spend eternity together. It was the best thing I have ever done in my whole life. I feel so richly blessed to have this wonderful companion helping and supporting me and putting up with me all these years. She truly is the love of my life.

Gratitude II

Last week marked the 400^th anniversary of the landing of the Mayflower. Some of my ancestors were among the Separatists on board. They were neither the first nor the last members of my family to take risks and make sacrifices for what they believed.

I’m extremely grateful for the heritage of faith I was raised with. It has been a source of comfort and strength throughout my life.

Gratitude

Pres. Nelson has challenged us to write about what we’re grateful for. Today I’m grateful to live in a country where my rights are explicitly enumerated in the first ten amendments to the constitution. I’m particularly grateful for the rights of free speech and exercise of religion.

Correia on the election

Before becoming a best-selling novelist, Larry Correia was an auditor. Here’s his take on the current status of the election. (Warning: bad language.)

I am more offended by how ham fisted, clumsy, and audacious the fraud to elect him is than the idea of Joe Biden being president. I think Joe Biden is a corrupt idiot, however, I think America would survive him like we’ve survived previous idiot administrations. However, what is potentially fatal for America is half the populace believing that their elections are hopelessly rigged and they’re eternally f[*]d. And now, however this shakes out in court, that’s exactly what half the country is going to think.

That’s the problem, all right. At this point no matter who is eventually declared the winner, a large part of the populace will not consider the results legitimate.

When you are auditing you see mistakes happen all the time. Humans make errors. Except in real life, mistakes usually go in different directions. When all the mistakes go in the same direction and benefit the same parties, they probably aren’t mistakes. They’re malfeasance.

I can say without hesitation though, that f[*]ery is afoot, and if an actual real investigation happens they’ll be able to prove it. Only this is politics, so who knows. The only thing I do know for certain is that this election is so f[*]d up it is just going to make America’s two halves hate each other even more.

Prayers

It’s 7:00 a.m. the day after the election, and I have not yet looked to see any results. In the mean time, here’s an important message from Jeffrey R. Holland:

So while we work and wait together for the answers to some of our prayers, I offer you my apostolic promise that they are heard and they are answered, though perhaps not at the time or in the way we wanted. But they are always answered at the time and in the way an omniscient and eternally compassionate parent should answer them. My beloved brothers and sisters, please understand that He who never sleeps nor slumbers² cares for the happiness and ultimate exaltation of His children above all else that a divine being has to do. He is pure love, gloriously personified, and Merciful Father is His name.

Waiting on the Lord

I know our Heavenly Father loves us, and always does what’s best for us. Of course, what’s best for us often depends on the choices we’ve made, so let’s choose wisely.