While the Jews were celebrating the Passover and consuming in haste the symbolic lamb, the Lamb of God was among them as an offense and stumbling block. The religious rites that pointed to Him were of no use to help them recognize their Lord.

As the Prophet Joseph Smith explained: “The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished, and imprisoned the true prophets, and they had to hide themselves in deserts, and dens, and caves of the earth, and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, while they cherished, honored, and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.” T&C 147:6.

The false prophets exercise control and dominion, aggregate wealth and influence, and fit nicely into the political, social and economic interests of this world. But when a true prophet comes among them, they not only refuse to listen, they then oppose, denounce and banish them in the hope of protecting their kingdom. Make no mistake about it, false religions always are interested in establishing their own kingdom. And the underlying effect (if not the actual purpose) is to condemn the souls of men and lead them into the same pit which the false prophets and false ministers are consigned as their fate.

On this Easter morning, I am so grateful for a living, resurrected, involved and caring Lord. I am grateful that He speaks to the very small faithful who are willing to let Him be their God. I reflect on how the world treated our Lord, and hope my personal devotion within my small sphere makes some tiny consolation to Him for the great, infinite price He paid. Nothing I can say or do will ever return His mercy, but I continue to offer my sincere gratitude for His great sacrifice.

Today, of all days, we ought to soberly assess the many religious voices that proclaim “Lo here!” and “Lo there!” while claiming to be the Lord’s. Remember how the religious establishment acted on that first Easter morning, and consider whether things have changed among religious establishments since that day. Ours, in my view, is little different from how the landscape looked when the Lord rose from the dead to claim an infinite victory for mankind.

All pre-orders for the second edition of the scriptures have now been delivered. As those who did the shipping reported: “From Seoul to Spanish Fork, Frankfurt am Main to Fillmore, Hooper to Hamilton, New Zealand, and points in between, everyone has received their books!” 

Scriptures.info has been updated to reflect the content of the second edition scriptures. This includes the T&C sections voted in at the April 2025 conference, updates to the Glossary, as well as additional KJV/LDS chapter/section and verse navigation aides across all books in the scriptures.

Print on demand books, comprising the full contents of the 2nd edition scriptures, are now available for purchase via Amazon in all locales served by Amazon. 

OT1:  https://amzn.to/4s0eRuv

OT2: https://amzn.to/3PHX4dR

NT:  https://amzn.to/47lPNqm

BoM:  https://amzn.to/4bKe9v1

Glossary https://a.co/d/07TYmDxe

T&C:  https://amzn.to/4bzi5QD

CC: https://amzn.to/3NPJUed

You should note that these print on demand books are color and have the red chapter/section and verse numbers inline as well as headers, just like the leather books. They also mirror the leather scriptures page for page. 

IMPORTANT – if you have any issues with your second edition leather scripture order you need to reach out HERE before midnight (MDT) April 3rd. There are some overage copies that are set aside for any warranty needs. If you have a volume that needs to be replaced, you MUST let us know by April 3. After that the overage copies will be sold to additional buyers who did not order sets but now would like to be able to purchase a copy. 

In answer to the many inquires regarding extra books… stay tuned for a forthcoming update. It is likely we will have additional copies for purchase once we have resolved all the remaining issues.

I’ve received a number of inquiries about what resources may help in developing a healthy way to resolve conflicts between people. I asked my wife to help me to compile a list and I now can provide the following for anyone interested in doing homework to help with difficult discussions. Some of them have hot-links but others did not transfer. If you search using the title you should be able to find them all:

Books
The Journey of the Heroic Parent: Your Child’s Struggle & The Road Home
The Audacity to Be You: Learning to Love Your Horrible, Rotten Self
The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child’s Developing Mind
Parenting from the Inside Out: How a Deeper Self-Understanding Can Help You Raise Children Who
Thrive
The Awakened Brain: The New Science of Spirituality and Our Quest for an Inspired Life
Nonviolent Communication: A Language of Life: Life-Changing Tools for Healthy Relationships
The Yamas & Niyamas: Exploring Yoga’s Ethical Practice
Living an Examined Life: Wisdom for the Second Half of the Journey
Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be
The Mindful Self-Compassion Workbook: A Proven Way to Accept Yourself, Build Inner Strength, and
Thrive
Codependent No More: How to Stop Controlling Others and Start Caring for Yourself
Articles
The Yoga of Christ
Podcasts
Finding You
In Sanity a Piece of Mind
Websites
Therapist Aid
Self Compassion Institute
Other Resources
The Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Workbook
Insight Timer
TheThree Circles

There is a conference scheduled for April 11 & 12 in St. George, Utah. The conference website with relevant information is linked here: Culture by Precept and Practice

I’ve been reading the Psalms for the last few days. There was a paragraph that stood out to me this morning. Psalm 78 recites and comments on Israel’s history. After covering the deliverance from Egypt, parting of the sea, giving them water from a rock, feeding them with manna (called “angels’ food”), and sending quail to stuff them when they complained about the manna, the Psalmist reflected on Israel’s ingratitude in paragraph 4. That paragraph gave me pause. It states:

For all this, they sinned still and believed not for his wondrous works. Therefore, their days did he consume in vanity and their years in trouble. When he slew them, then they sought him, and they returned and inquired early after God, and they remembered that God was their rock and the high God their redeemer. Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and they lied unto him with their tongues. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant. But he, being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not. Yea, many a time he turned his anger away and did not stir up all his wrath; for he remembered that they were but flesh, a wind that passes away and comes not again.

As I reflected on that paragraph I wondered at how often the Lord has been disappointed by His “chosen people” and how much it would mean if there were ever people whose hearts were right with Him. How great it would please the Lord if there were ever those who were steadfast in His covenant. Israel didn’t. When Israel divided neither the Northern Kingdom (Ten Tribes) nor the Southern Kingdom (Jews) were right before God. The Lehi’s family divided after his death and warred for generations until a final genocide removed all remaining believers. The Saints in Joseph Smith’s day were driven out into a wilderness, just as foretold in the January 1841 prophecy: “But if they will not hearken to my voice, nor unto the voice of these men whom I have appointed, they shall not be blessed, because they pollute my holy grounds, and my holy ordinances and charters, and my holy words which I give unto them. And it shall come to pass that if you build a house unto my name and do not do the things that I say, I will not perform the oath which I make unto you, neither fulfill the promises which you expect at my hands, says the Lord. For instead of blessings, you, by your own works, bring cursings, wrath, indignation, and judgments upon your own heads, by your follies and by all your abominations which you practice before me, says the Lord.” (T&C 141:14.) History shows they incurred all the wrath, cursing and judgments the Lord threatened them with in January 1841.

It must be possible for some generation to have right hearts before God and to be steadfast in keeping His covenant. I say so because the prophecies foretell of such a future event. What a wonder that will be.

When satan tempted Christ to gratify His hunger the Lord responded: “Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God.” (Re Matt. 2:5.) His response was quoting from RE Deuteronomy 3:8.

The challenge is to determine when there is a word proceeding out of the mouth of God. There are ministers aplenty, ‘revelators’ and even ‘apostles’ vying for attention by claiming to preach “the word of God.” Some are obvious hucksters but others are not so clearly identifiable as charlatans. Some are honestly deluded and think themselves capable of speaking for God.

From my vantage point, it is clear to me that Joseph Smith was indeed called of God, and delivered faithfully words coming from God. He was and is still reliable and trustworthy. But God told him at the beginning, and again toward the end of his life, that he would be both questioned, challenged, rejected and dismissed on the one hand, and accepted and honored on the other. He was told: “God had a work for me to do, and that my name should be had for good and evil among all nations, kindreds, and tongues, or that it should be both good and evil spoken of among all people.” (T&C 1: JSH 3:3.) Then later while in prison in Missouri he was told: “The ends of the earth shall inquire after your name, and fools shall have you in derision, and hell shall rage against you, while the pure in heart, and the wise, and the noble, and the virtuous shall seek counsel, and authority, and blessings constantly from under your hand. And your people shall never be turned against you by the testimony of traitors, and although their influence shall cast you into trouble, and into bars and walls, you shall be had in honor.” (T&C 139:7.) Even Joseph Smith’s harshest critics are fulfilling prophecy.

Joseph Smith made this observation about the various people claiming to speak for God: “The world always mistook false prophets for true ones, and those that were sent of God they considered to be false prophets, and hence they killed, stoned, punished, and imprisoned the true prophets, and they had to hide themselves in deserts, and dens, and caves of the earth, and though the most honorable men of the earth, they banished them from their society as vagabonds, while they cherished, honored, and supported knaves, vagabonds, hypocrites, impostors, and the basest of men.” (T&C 147:6.)

When we are asked to live by “every word that proceeds out of the mouth of God” it requires care and solemn thought. One of the great projects assigned to Joseph was to edit the Old and New Testaments and publish them as God’s word. The commandment was given in 1830 and stated “the scriptures shall be given, even as they are in my own bosom, to the salvation of my own elect, for they will hear my voice[.]” (T&C 19:6.) These new scriptures are mentioned in numerous revelations thereafter. (See, e.g., T&C 20:1; 26:5, 15; 31:13; 66:2, etc.) It was the new edited Old and New Testaments that were used exclusively in the Lectures on Faith. This is commonly referred to as either “The Joseph Smith Translation” or the “Inspired Version” of the Bible.

In Lecture 3:1 the issue of faith and necessity of having the correct scriptures are taught: LoF 3:1: “is essential to the exercise of faith in him. Romans 10:14 [Rom. 1:49]: How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher (or one sent to tell them)? So then faith comes by hearing the word of God. (New Translation.)” Those parentheses are in the original. The importance of living by “every word” of God was directly linked to the new scriptures when in 1831 Joseph stated: ““God had often sealed up the Heavens because of covetousness in the church. Said the Lord would cut his work short in righteousness and except the church receive the fullness of the scriptures they would yet fall.” JSP , Documents Vol 2: July 1831 –January 1833, p. 85.)

The only people who are publishing the fullness of the scriptures is our small group. Our second edition of the scriptures is arriving by ship in New York today. When it finally gets delivered to those who purchased copies, they will be in possession of “every word” that has to date “proceeded out of the mouth of God.” Based on the explanation given in Lecture 3 of the Lectures on Faith, this means that those who receive these scriptures in faith are the only ones who can possess faith in God.

The Book of Mormon clarifies how we obtain faith in Christ. The first writer, Nephi, heard his father’s testimony about a visionary message he received from God. Nephi believed his father’s words. Because of his belief in the words of his father, an angelic messenger told Nephi he was blessed because he had faith in Christ. Believing in the Lord’s words, even when they come from another person, is believing in God. Here is the account: “For it came to pass, after I had desired to know the things that my father had seen, and believing that the Lord was able to make them known unto me, as I sat pondering in mine heart, I was caught away in the spirit of the Lord, yea, into an exceeding high mountain, a mountain which I never had before seen and upon which I never had before sat my foot. And the spirit said unto me, Behold, what desirest thou? And I said, I desire to behold the things which my father saw. And the spirit said unto me, Believest thou that thy father saw the tree of which he hath spoken? And I said, Yea, thou knowest that I believe all the words of my father. And when I had spoken these words, the spirit cried with a loud voice, saying, Hosanna to the Lord, the Most High God, for he is God over all the earth, yea, even above all! And blessed art thou, Nephi, because thou believest in the Son of the Most High God; wherefore, thou shalt behold the things which thou hast desired.” (NC 1 Ne. 3:6/also LDS 1 Ne. 11:1-6.)

This same passage appears in Covenant of Christ in these words: “After I had asked to personally experience the things my father had seen, and believing the Lord could reveal them to me, as I sat pondering in my heart, I was carried away in the Spirit of the Lord to a very high mountain, one I had never seen or set foot on before. The Spirit asked me: What do you want? I replied: I want to see what my father saw. The Spirit asked me: Do you believe your father saw the tree he has talked about? I replied: Yes, you know that I believe all my father’s words. When I had said these words, the Spirit shouted: Hallelujah to the Lord, the Most High God! He is God over the whole earth, even above all! And you are blessed, Nephi, because you believe in the son of the Most High God; therefore you’ll see the things you’ve asked to see.” Faith is in God’s words. Even if those words come from another person, if they are from God we are accountable.

Here is a revelation received in 2022: “When the king sends a messenger to deliver his letter, and the messenger delivers the message by reading it with a stammering tongue, but hands the letter to the recipient, then the letter can be read, and the messenger has been faithful to his king. The letter stands as the king’s word, and the messenger has done his part.” (T&C 180:1.) I believe Joseph Smith was the Divine King’s messenger and I respect the message as God’s.

I assure anyone who is reading this material that if you would not accept Joseph Smith as a spokesman for God, and accept what is happening today, you would not have accepted Jesus Christ when He was here. We have these words told to Nicodemus by Christ (also preserved only in our new scriptures): “Every thing about my assignment, which I am now performing, was foretold by the prophets sent earlier to teach Israel, for they all testified of me. They told you I would come, and I am now here doing what was prophesied, but you refuse to see it happening. Enough is underway that rejecting it means you prefer darkness to light. Humble yourself and admit the prophets foretold the very things now underway; repent and be baptized and the Spirit of Truth will open your eyes. If you want greater light, you will obey this instruction.” (TSJ 2:4.)

Generations have wanted to hear the words that are being taught today and have not heard them. To hear them is to become accountable for receiving their warning (even if you choose to ignore them) and then accountable for acting on what is taught (even if you fail to do so).

Christ said we are to live by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. God is now speaking.

Since 2013 there has been a tremendous increase of knowledge among the Covenant Christians. From a series of 10 talks, The Holy Order, The Holy Order, Part 2, The Mission of Elijah Reconsidered, The First Three Words, Our Divine Parents, In Defense of Jesus Christ, The Religion of the Fathers, to The Perfect Mousetrap, and the Glossary of Gospel Terms, [to name only a few] knowledge has been poured out on our people. At present we may well be the most knowledgable group of Christians on earth. Knowledge is one thing, wisdom is another.

Recent events have demonstrated how little wisdom we have acquired during this same time. It is as if the outpouring of knowledge has left no measurable increase in our wisdom. We are imbalanced, and cannot advance as a group if we neglect the need for developing wisdom.

A talk given in 2019, Love Others as Yourself provided insight that could (and should) have benefitted us. Others, including Self Awareness, and Hearts Aligned with God, could have helped also. The recent podcast Satya: Truthfulness was another recent opportunity to increase wisdom among ourselves. But as a group we seem far more interested in acquiring knowledge than in applying wisdom.

The imbalance between knowledge and wisdom will impair the development of a community if it is not cured. Wisdom requires the community to engage, acquire missing skills, practice patience and gain experience. It cannot be obtained by avoiding, blaming, accusing, and hiding from responsibilities imposed on us.

The latest news regarding the second edition scriptures project: The leather second edition scriptures were completed just before Christmas 2025 in the Netherlands.

The books are now packed and prepared for shipment to the United States, and the container holding these volumes have been loaded onboard a ship in the port of Copenhagen. They are scheduled to depart from the Netherlands on January 21, 2026. We anticipate their arrival at a West Coast port around February 20th. Once customs clearance is completed and they are en route to our warehouse, there will be another announcement. The objective is to ship the books to all recipients as soon as they arrive in Meridian, Idaho.

As a reminder, the print-on-demand scriptures are undergoing a redesign to align with the second edition leather scriptures. As for these print-on-demand scriptures, they will include the following features: these scriptures are two-color to allow the earlier KJV/LDS chapters and verses to appear in smaller red ink and Restoration chapters and paragraphs to appear in black ink. This makes the new scriptures more easily accessible for anyone’s use. However, due to both the increase in wholesale prices and adding a second color to the text it will result in a higher print-on-demand price per book compared to the previous black-and-white books. At the present time, people are finalizing the proofing process and plan to release these updated books when simultaneously with shipping the leather scriptures to all orders.

Lastly, people are working on updating scriptures.info to let the content there correspond with the second edition scriptures. These updates are anticipated to be released in conjunction with the second edition leather and print-on-demand scripture updates.

I’ve had a number of comments that can be summarized this way: You used to encourage us to use kind words, avoid conflict, prioritize patience, and use mild, conciliatory words. Why did you suddenly change in your last talk and recent website posts to now encourage blunt and offensive confrontations?

There was a change, and it is because our communications with one another are dishonest, manipulative, evasive, passive-aggressive, and offensive to God. We have maintained or adopted a form of communication that has prevented us from actually giving each other an honest, authentic, or direct understanding. We have become weak, lost our way, and adopted a façade of superficial kindness so devoid of substance that we are liars and deceivers, concealing ourselves from one another. It needed to be corrected before we were hopelessly lost and unable to return.

The ideal would be for us to have the courtesy, respect, and care that predominated our earlier interactions, combined with candor, honesty and forthrightness necessary for people to actually communicate in a healthy way. Bad habits and our incompetence make that a daunting challenge. The Perfect Mousetrap was a required talk for us to begin the process of facing that challenge.

Below are two excerpts from my journal, Volume 16:

November 17, 2025: I have come to know a God who requires sacrifice. Who requires that I leave behind friends and family, and to lay on the altar every plan and convenience, to become a stranger in a strange land. He demands and commands and uses me to accomplish His will. He is the only true God, and expects me to be content to be His servant. And it pleases me to follow His commands, although in this life at times I am, like Paul, most miserable.

December 15, 2025: I trust the Lord. I would pass through the valley of the shadow of death with Him. I believe Him to be trustworthy and true. It does not matter what He requires of me, His ways are true and His purposes can always be trusted.

Today those are being made public, for whatever use people choose to make of them. They have made me reflect and consider the following:

In a recent discussion about “covenants” as part of the Hebrew translation, the most formal term in Hebrew means “cut”– or looking at it in context it requires the shedding of blood. That is why the Lord was ‘the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ His role in shedding His blood was known before the creation began, and appears in use by mortals as early as Enoch in Genesis: “And behold, Enoch saw the day of the coming of the Son of Man, even in the flesh, and his soul rejoiced, saying, The Righteous is lifted up and the Lamb is slain from the foundation of the world.” RE Gen. 4:19. (see also RE Rev. 4:8.) I reflect on how difficult it was for the Lord to accomplish His role. He has explained it to us in T&C 4:5: “how sore you know not, how exquisite you know not, yea, how hard to bear you know not. For behold, I, God, have suffered these things for all that they might not suffer, if they would repent. But if they would not repent, they must suffer even as I, which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, to suffer both body and spirit, and would that I might not drink the bitter cup and shrink. Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men.”

Our inconveniences, sacrifices and challenges are nothing in comparison with what the Lord undertook to obey His Father. There is some slight similitude in our reluctance, our self-will, and our hesitation and the Lord’s own confessions. But, He explained that: “I set my face like a flint” (RE Isa. 18:1) and would not be deterred from drinking the bitter cup given to Him.

How often do I hesitate, count the costs, wish it were otherwise, and regret the pathway He requires me to walk! How unlike Him I have been. Too weak, too proud, too self-willed to even be called a servant. And how poorly have I served, when the results are measured by the vanity, foolishness and pride of these people! He blesses us all, and yet He asks us to be precisely like Him, and nothing else. For salvation consists in the glory, authority, majesty, power, and dominion which Jehovah possesses, and in nothing else, and no being can possess it but Himself or one like Him. (T&C 110:Lecture 7:9.) I am not that, nor are the people anything like that. I fear that we are all lifted up in the pride of our hearts above all nations and above all the people of the whole earth, and filled with all manner of lyings, and of deceits, and of mischiefs, and all manner of hypocrisy, because we will not confess our failings but cover ourselves in the cloak of piety. I have been instrumental in making them prideful. I have given them reason to think themselves blessed.

I am nothing and have accomplished nothing… far worse, I have helped make them prideful and therefore I fear I am of no value to them as a messenger. May the Lord bear with us, be patient with us, and give us yet time to reconcile ourselves to His will.

People do not yet realize The Perfect Mousetrap is the most important talk I’ve given to the Covenant Christian community. It will look different a few months from now. Over the last couple of weeks there has been feedback that I’ve answered in private or in emails, and I’m going to put some of the criticism in this post and summarize my responses:

Criticism: That talk is not inspired.
Response: I do not believe that to be true. It was inspired. It is up to the listener/reader to determine what source inspired the talk.

Criticism: This was just Denver defending his wife and daughters.
Response: Clearly the talk states the complete opposite of this, and so that criticism cannot possibly be true.

Criticism: The talk leaves out the important word “nice” and therefore misses the mark.
Response: Do a word search of the scriptures and you will discover that the word “nice” is not in any scripture.

Criticism: There is nothing wrong with a couple having disagreements, arguments, or fights. The problem comes when either side refuses to fight fairly. To have a fair fight, it requires that there are rules about how to go about it, and both sides need to respect those rules. It is nearly impossible to reach an agreement on a matter when one of the participants is continually cheating.
Name calling, accusations, blaming, belittling, harsh language, raising of voices, lying, misrepresentation, exaggeration, bringing in past unrelated issues, logical fallacies, deceptive rhetoric laced with hyperbole, false labeling, and many other devices can be used to cheat in what should be a reasonable discussion about differences of opinion.
When a group or individual decides to withdraw from the conversation, I find that it is usually for one of three reasons: 1. The withdrawing side recognizes that the other side is cheating and refuses to discuss the matter in good faith. 2. The withdrawing side recognizes that the discussion has become unproductive because one or both sides are just talking past each other without any willingness to recognize valid points brought up by the other side or any willingness to concede ground towards a resolution. When the same arguments come up over and over again, it is a symptom that one or both sides are not listening to each other or feel that they are not being heard. 3. The exchange has become abusive. I felt like you were saying that only physical violence hurts and words do not hurt. That may be true for some, but I don’t think it is true for many. Sensitive souls find yelling, swearing, name-calling, bitter language, and other forms of communication abusive and hurtful. It is not uncommon for whoever is the biggest bully in an argument to declare victory simply because the other side can no longer take the abuse.
So I think it is important to not interpret not wanting to continue a discussion over a disagreement as the other side just being unwilling to do so. I think it is more often the case that people don’t want to continue because they are being treated poorly and unfairly by the process.
The “how” is much more important than the “what” in dispute resolution. I am not privy to the debates that have been going on with the women’s conferences and online discussions, but one thing has been clear to me from all of the women who have confided in me why they are frustrated with what has happened. The common thread is that many feel they are trying their best to have reasonable discussions, but that they are not being met with the same respect from their counterparts on the argument. They feel like they are being bullied into submission, and that they are not being allowed to explain their cause, and that rules are being set up to unfairly favor one side. I am not at all astonished that most of the women no longer want to continue the discussion – many of them have expressed great sadness at being treated poorly and unfairly.
I think there is a reason why “jarring” is often paired next to “contention”. I believe you have correctly noted that discussing differences and working toward resolution is not contention. I think the jarring and contention come into play when either side cheats and tries to win the argument by using strong language or other unfair tactics mentioned above. Could this not be a more effective mouse trap against the movement? You invite us to work through difficult problems, but without ground rules of how to do so fairly, I worry we are just going to invite jarring and contention to tear us apart.
So this brings me to my second concern and what I see as another “mouse trap” from the adversary.
I think it is a well-known tactic of the adversary to infiltrate groups and movements with those who have aligned themselves with him. Without a reasonable process and fair fights, all the adversary has to do to destroy the Christian Covenant movement is to infiltrate with people who use unfair tactics to win every discussion. They can simply refuse to budge from what is an actual wrong and/or false position, and they will be able to win the argument by wearing down their opponent’s patience. They can lie, use sophistry, cheat, abuse, and bully their way to win all arguments to push the adversary’s agenda. The adversary can derail us if we don’t recognize his tactics in debate, where he chooses to win the argument through forceful intimidation rather than logic, reasonableness, and persuasion. I fear that if you tell everyone they need to just come and engage in heated discussions about difficult topics without any rules about how to do so with fairness, kindness, politeness, and with mutual respect, you are handing the victory to the adversary. It won’t be a fair fight.
Response: Good points. I am concerned that in our present circumstances, if there is any way to modify, excuse, or avoid the obligation to engage in a discussion instead of assuming the obligation to reason together, the “escape” will be chosen. There is far too much emotional immaturity at present, and there needs to be more resilience. Of course, not everyone will act the role of the responsible, mature, and reasoned negotiator. But we are too early in the group dynamics to go there right now. I’d like to salvage as many people as possible. But I accept the reality that not everyone can endure what must be endured in the rough-and-tumble of building a peaceful society, at least not under the present circumstances. Maybe if we are visited with terrible economic conditions, social upheaval, and violence we will be able to act more respectfully and cohesively as a body. But I’m hoping we can accomplish it with just encouragement to rise above our petty differences and let our people become beloved neighbors. We’re a long way from that.
Ultimately, not everyone will be able to live in peace with everyone else, at least not from my vantage point at present. But the Lord has a way of shaping people independent of how we view them, and that may well change the picture dramatically in time.

Criticism: The use of Moroni and Parhoran is completely missing the context we face. Our people include people who are nothing like Moroni making terrible and insulting/threatening accusations and we can’t use that example of scripture with people like that.
Response: It doesn’t matter what our people and their challenges are like. The pattern still applies and should be followed. Get the person you are dealing with to state their assumptions and needs. Many, if not most, problems arise from vastly different sets of assumptions underlying the two sides. People are generally not irrational. They just see the problem from very different viewpoints. Once the assumptions and needs are understood, then clarity comes from clarifying (where needed) the assumptions and addressing the needs. If two sides are proceeding from two different ‘realities’, then the discussion can go nowhere. But if they can agree on a single set of facts, then a meaningful conversation can proceed.

Criticism: Earlier talks mention that the Heavenly Mother hates the froward (argumentative) soul, and the Answer to Prayer for Covenant teaches us to measure our words before giving voice to them, and consider the hearts of others. This talk contradicts that.
Response: No, it focuses on the dire circumstances we face because we are not honest and forthright with one another. Instead of working to overcome differences, we are quick, in fact eager, to relegate someone we aren’t communicating with to being ‘pruned’ away because we can’t relate to and communicate with them. We are assuming God’s role when we start ‘pruning’ people away. Our tiny group should be precious to one another rather than being easily discarded because of disagreements.

Observation: Perhaps because the majority of the current body of believers come from an LDS background it will be impossible for these people to adapt. They have a framework that relies on people in authority to govern, regulate, and resolve issues. When those guardrails are removed, everyone must deal with one another directly and individually. We are very poor at that. Maybe the current generation emerging from the LDS mindset cannot accomplish the needed maturity and emotional resilience to become of one mind and one heart. Perhaps we will need 40 years for that generation to pass away before the youth can finish the trek. Assuming the individual responsibility to handle conflict responsibly and charitably may be beyond our current group’s capacity, there will hopefully be another subsequent generation that rises to meet the challenge.

The transcript from The Perfect Mousetrap talk is now up as a downloadable paper, and linked here: The Perfect Mousetrap transcript

I will be speaking on Friday at 5:00pm MST in an on-line live video broadcast. The link to the talk is provided below for anyone interested in tuning in to listen to the talk: The Perfect Mousetrap I anticipate the talk will be approximately an hour long.

There is a cliche’ that goes: ‘If you build a better mousetrap the world will beat a path to your door.’ If someone could build a perfect mousetrap it would capture every mouse and make it impossible for any to escape. It’s an interesting thought exercise to consider if we take the role of the “mouse” how a perfect mousetrap might be devised…

Our neighbor died unexpectedly this morning. She was young enough that we all expected her to live for decades still. She was still working, and her two kids were just stepping into their adult lives. There are no words I can conjure to help her grieving husband, our dear friend and long standing neighbor. I included a reference to him in one of the vignettes at the start of a chapter in The Second Comforter: Conversing with the Lord through the Veil. Condolences are just not enough. Her death is so clear and substantial a loss that we are all left speechless.

This was a loss. An incalculable loss. It shouts with clarity that life is uncertain and death stalks us all. But not every loss is understood in the moment. Sometimes a great loss comes disguised as a victory.

Some terribly tragic moments and lost opportunities come and pass by while we fail to recognize what we witnessed. King Pyrrhus failed to recognize his victories against Rome were leading to his inevitable defeat. I think there are many pyrrhic victories that we foolish celebrate because we do not realize the price we have paid to achieve our short-sighted outcome.

In T&C Section 159 the first proverb says: “The things of God really are of deep import. Only time, experience, and careful, ponderous and solemn thoughts can find them out, provided, of course, there is a real desire to know the things of God accompanied by obedience to His commandments. If you don’t desire them, you won’t ask and won’t receive. And if you do desire them, you will ask and you will obey. It is self-regulated, in that sense. Everyone decides for themselves just how much of an advantage in the world to come they are willing to acquire here.”

Time… not haste. Experience… sometimes very sad experience. Careful, ponderous and solemn thoughts… never hurried, brusque, impatient, and accomplished with clamoring insistence. For the most part, it is necessary for sad experience to be the teacher and hindsight to carefully, ponder and soberly assess the contrast between what is and what might have been.

I have nothing to offer but condolences. But condolences are not enough…

I was asked to put this post up, and the Conference organizers provided the information below:

This upcoming conference intends to follow up with the vote of November 2024 women’s conference, in which the women determined to reconvene in about a year’s time to consider The Provisional Guidelines for Women’s Councils document. (The document, voting transcripts, and recordings from that conference can be found here: https://www.womenofpeace.info/)

At another level, this conference is a response to the rebukes in the God’s Covenant People talk. It is an opportunity for the women to individually work toward repentance. They are invited to reflect on the God’s Covenant People talk and any changes they feel convicted to make. We hope that women will come with their own offering to the Lord — their own broken hearts and contrite spirits. 

We also hope that as we fast and subsequently break bread together, we can be unified in fellowshipping with one another and setting our differences aside to connect as Covenant Christian sisters. 

Here is the link to the conference website:

https://covenantchristianwomen.com

Both in person and virtual attendance will be available. Remote votes will be accepted.

Please sign up on the website as soon as possible, clarifying whether you will attend online or in person, so that we can have a head count. 

The video of the talk I recorded for this weekend’s Philippine Conference is now available at this link: Early Christianity and Christianity’s Stumbling Blocks

I want to thank all those who were involved in the conference and congratulate those who were baptized following the conference’s conclusion. It marks a great step forward for the people in that area.