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Tripped over a video of Hartman Rector, Jr.'s October 1985 GC talk while scrolling Instagram today (yes, it's possible to see mostly good stuff on Instagram). Here's the portion he was saying (you can watch it here, starting at 2:45) : (Bolding is mine.) I laughed because it was so familiar. My parents used to say similar things, especially my dad. I think it's sad that so many out there seem never to have learned that the universe really doesn't care whether they want to. Learning to do things you don't want to is an extremely valuable lesson, one every child should learn when they're little - as little as possible and as often as it takes. (For the record, I never had to milk cows, and I'm glad. )

Finally got around to watching this movie. It's sad how many people (myself included) just go about their lives uninvolved in the suffering of those around them. We just don't get fired up as long as our cell phone and internet works.

I am familiar with the Ezra's Eagle interpretation you shared. I like the idea of it and, to an extent, kind of want it to be true, but that's mostly because I see how wicked the world is becoming and I'm pretty much ready for it to be over and for Christ to come back as soon as possible. I am curious to see if Biden doesn't finish his term and it gives further credence to the continuation of the theory. That said, I was under the impression that he had abandoned his theory, but it appears that he made another video as recently as 4 weeks ago. 🤔🤷‍♂️

I believe it was the film version of "What Dreams May Come" where it was commended that work and jobs existed in heaven. And one of my favorite quotes from "Bruce Almighty":

I had the responsibility of delivering our second to the youngest – at the hospital because the doctor did not make it in time (some story). I doubt that anyone would remain in the same place (spot) very long where the delivery took place. Also, this delivery was not so much of a feather in my cap as an incredible accomplishment and achievement for my wife. I have often wondered what help Joseph had – I doubt he was on his own. I believe it possible that angles were assisting. And yet the greatest sacrifice went to Mary to deliver the Christ. Sometimes I think the contributions of women are not as appreciated as they should be. Especially in the current gender climate. It is doubtful the Mary was anxious to travel much over the 41 days. The Traveler

Very happy to have given you something to think about! Correction - it would have been 41 days in Bethlehem, and then going to Jerusalem. (Though I guess they could have left the manger and traveled 2 hours to Jerusalem and hung out there until the days of her purification were complete. Heaven knows - and I'm content leaving it to them for now. )

Thanks Your pickup concerning sphere is absolute genus. The more I consider this notion the more impressed I am. A sphere adds to the dimension concept over that of a platform. This bring me back to revelations given by Joseph that was so far a head of its time. Even theories coming forward because of the James Webb telescope are trying to solve creation of the universe through thinking beyond the normal dimensions. Your post has me going back through scripture and various quantum theories and rethinking a great deal --- Thanks. Concerning the 41 days in Jerusalem there are a number of elements in history that play into this story. You may want to do some research into a possible historical character known as Prester John. If you can get Islamic references from the time of Salah Al Din. Also, there is an interesting document kept by what is called the Nestorian Christians. I surmise that Prester John was more a title than a name of an individual. The document I mention is a letter claimed to be written by the hand of Jesus. Short part of a long story – the letter is carbon dated to the time of Jesus and the parchment is from the area of Israel. The back story is that a ruler priest in Persia was converted that Jesus was the Mesiah and sent an envoy to draw his picture and get Jesus to leave Jerusalem (Israel) and come live under his protection. The picture was lost in time, but the letter (according to claim) was preserved. The Nestorian Christians supposably knew about the star from ancient text that were destroyed with a library about the same time as the library of Alexendria. I first learned about the Nestorian Christians when some fled Iran when the Shaw of Iran fell, and the current regime took over. Having met an individual (Nestorian Christian) that had fled Iran and learned their version of Christianity (especially the G-dhead) caused a paradigm shift in my thinking. I speculate that the Kings bringing gifts had connections to the Melchizedek (priestly king), had connections to revelations not in our Bible and knew the importance of the Messiah as a member of the G-dhead separate from the Father and Holy Spirit. And – they could have made the journey within the 41 days. On another note – I have speculated that the Star that appeared was a supernova about 600 light years away – that energy radiation from the supernova would have caused the ozone to turn fluorescent resulting in a night of light without shadows in the Americas. The Traveler

The logic was wrong with Trump - Rush made an error and apparently whoever was talking about this 4 years ago didn't catch it (check out the vision and the numbers yourself - it shouldn't be hard to reproduce the exact thing I did, or confirm what I did - and I'm not the only one to have found it). The logic will be wrong if Biden finishes his presidency. There will be nothing left to talk about - the numbers don't fit any other set of presidencies. So yeah, I don't see how anyone can still be talking about this 8 years from now unless Biden's presidency is cut short. The only alternative would be to argue it wasn't about US presidents at all, and find some other "kings" that fit the pattern.

You keep doing because you are a fighter bro. That’s awesome of you.

As I've mentioned before, there were a series of pivot points in my life where within the course of a single moment my life was altered forever. Many of these pivot points altered my life for the worst, such as the medical episode that landed me in the hospital where I got incompetent treatment. There's a part of me that is desperate for a do-over simply because it's tired of constantly hurting and longs for back before everything went sideways. I relied on this part of me for several years as nostalgia gave me something positive to think about to as a counter to the misery I was frequently in, but that came with the cost of not always being aware of and living in the present. Yes, it's a struggle to move forward, but I keep doing it because someone has to ensure these lessons are carried forward.

That would be the MSG and high fructose corn syrup talking. (PS: You can stuff Stovetop into the bird. The slimy slop comes from folks who don't know how to cook a stuffed bird.) And I should now note that I don't especially like stuffing, but when I have it, prefer Stovetop1 cooked until it's quite dry on the stove and wouldn't cook a turkey, let alone stuff one except to save myself from starving. But I hate deception and falsely presented truths. There's no danger is stuffing a turkey.2 Try it out: buy a (dead) turkey stuff something - anything (that's not still alive, please) - inside it toss the whole kit and kaboodle in the trash can wash your hands and forearms well report back afterwards whether you're still alive There is danger is under-cooking food - any food that needs to be cooked. It isn't complicated to cook a stuffed bird sufficient to cook the stuffing and kill off any bacteria that may be present - you just have to learn how. 1chicken flavor over turkey flavor 2above and beyond the danger of handling the turkey at all during prep (assuming the turkey is dead - if it's still alive, there are probably other dangers in trying to stuff it...)

Well that was what would have happened if Scrooge hadn't changed his ways - but we all know how the story ends!

Send him (her) to milk the cows!

I think most people who really thought about it would agree with that. The promise of the coming Messiah can be found throughout the Old Testament - though of course they could not have called him "Jesus Christ" because that name is Greek. Their equivalent would have been something like "Yeshua Messiah" - which is presumably what the Book of Mormon people would have called him.

I didn't watch any videos, or even go look for any by this particular guy. Maybe when he realized Trump wasn't the last short feather before the three heads wake up (which was the error in his book), he returned to the theory with Biden... Ditto. Would be quite content for the Second Coming to be sooner than later. (If that does happen, ask me again in the Millennium whether I was nuts to want to go through all that. ) Meanwhile, in happy news, here are two videos about Klaw's Not-Eagles:

I've reached the point in life where younger individuals are asking me what the world was like when I was growing up. As I've explained to them, while there are some things about the past I do miss, it was always a mixed bag; we had bad with the good, and so a full return back to the past wouldn't be wise. Better to learn the lessons of the past, preserve the values that have been tested, and move forward.

Ether 13 v2: Personally, I consider this testimony of a global flood. Think of it what you will. We know from elsewhere that where much is given, much is expected. That's the only reason I can think of for special emphasis on this chosen land. After all, I think @askandanswer is right - the Lord wants all people everywhere to serve him. v4: @Jamie123, I've mentioned it before, but here's another example - we believe that all the prophets knew and testified of Christ. v7-8: That the Lord seems to go to great lengths to preserve genealogical lines emphasizes to me the importance of sealing parents and children back through the generations - as if the Lord needs individuals throughout each of these lines to do the work of sealing those lines - or something. I expect we'll learn much more in the Millennium. v11: The Lord fulfills his promises. v13: Don't cast out (literally or figuratively) the Lord's prophets. v17: I couldn't connect Cohor and Corihor to anyone or any title. I'd guess they were leaders of the day? v21: Interesting that Coriantumr was chosen to be the lone survivor. Perhaps this was as punishment. v22: It's sort of understandable that Coriantumr wouldn't listen to Ether. C would have seen E as his political rival - probably the rightful king. And it starts to sound very much like the end of the Nephites.

Hmm. Sounds like a sphere. Some interesting factoids: 1. Per Leviticus 12, they would have gone to Jerusalem after 41 days (8 + 33). So, if we assume they stayed in Bethlehem for those 41 days and then went to Jerusalem as required, the events of Luke 2 happened around that time, including going to Nazareth. 2. It may or may not be meaningful that they went to Jerusalem every year at Passover. (Note that Bethlehem is very close to Jerusalem (about 2 hours away by foot), and lots of people go to "Jerusalem" at Passover - and perhaps spill out into surrounding towns.) 3. In Matthew 2, Herod kills all children 2 years of age and younger. You've explained the math here, but it's still a wide range of time - meaning, the visit from the wise men doesn't have to have happened in those 41 days. Indeed, depending on where "in the east" is (some speculate Babylon), it likely took them more than 41 days just to make their journey. Verse 1 can be referring to initiating events more than precise times - after all, the star appeared at the birth of Christ, not before, so the wise men couldn't be there "when Jesus was born in Bethlehem" - it would have to be considerably after. At the very least, they've found a "house" (Matthew 2:11) - not in the manger any more... 4. Herod's experts tell the wise men that the Messiah is to be born in Bethlehem, and Herod sent them there, saying (emphasis mine): "Go and search diligently for the young child..." OK, sure, maybe that meant infant, or maybe not. 5. Now let us look at exactly what verses 9 and 10 say, without assuming what they say: They left the king And oh, hey, look, the star! Let's follow it. The star stopped when it "came and stood over where the young child was" - again young child. (Moving star - did you know about the Chinese record of the comet (or meteor, or something, I forget now) from this time?) They rejoiced when they saw the star Maybe, just maybe, instead of going to Bethlehem (2 hours of following the star?), they followed the star for a week until it came to Nazareth - or when night fell, they saw the star and it wasn't over Bethlehem, so they picked up and headed north... 6. They were warned not to return to Jerusalem (hard to do if they're in Bethlehem, but easy if they're in Nazareth). 7. Now, before you say, but why send Joseph to Egypt if they're in Nazareth and Herod is going to kill all the children in Bethlehem? Surely Herod wasn't a complete idiot. Joseph was there for a census. It's likely that census would have noted he was there with wife and newborn son. v13: "Herod will seek the young child to destroy him" - maybe Herod searched the census records. That v16 doesn't mention it doesn't mean it didn't happen that way. I mean, dude had to know about the census, right? Anywho, point is that the events can easily fit together without contradiction - the accounts are sufficiently vague that almost anything could be true.

Another residency lesson - expectation management. If you are on call and hoping that the ER will be quiet and you schedule 9 holes of golf. You just hosed yourself. It will be busy. You probably wont even get to the golf course. Or you might, but will likely get an emergency situation while on the second tee. Which will cause you to be upset. I had a colleague who constantly did this to himself. Always angry that the world was conspiring against him. Angry that a dumb patient prevented him from living his best life. You can imagine how considerate that he was to these unfortunate patients. Let us realize that the privilege to work is a gift, that power to work is a blessing, that love of work is success. – David O McKay Hard work forever pays - Charlie Puth, Cameron Thomaz, Justin Frank, Andrew Cedar. “See You Again.” Atlantic, 2015. Moses 1:39 This is my work and my glory John 5:17 But Jesus answered them, My Father worketh hitherto, and I work.

Sounds similar to Lehi Ether 13 He prophesies, is cast out, I think the same applies to every other land. Ether 13:2 wherefore the Lord would have that all men should serve him who dwell upon the face thereof; I'm guessing this is referring to the destruction by the Babylonians rather than the destruction by the Romans. I'm not sure for how long Jerusalem remained a holy city. Ether 13:5 And he spake also concerning the house of Israel, and the Jerusalem from whence Lehi should come—after it should be destroyed it should be built up again, a holy city I guess this could be interpreted in two ways. One way is that the house of Joseph is a remnant of a larger part and the other way is a remnant, or part, of the house of Joseph. If we take the latter interpretation then that raises questions about the rest of the house of Joseph. Ether 13:8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph Right now, Independence, Missouri sounds like the most likely contender, but at the moment that location is a long way from what it needs to be. Salt Lake probably used to be something like a holy city, but it no longer seems to have the character it once did, and Nauvoo is still not much more than a village. I note its exactly 80 miles from Adam-ondi-ahman to the Temple Lot, Independence, Missouri. Ether 13:8 Wherefore, the remnant of the house of Joseph shall be built upon this land; and it shall be a land of their inheritance; and they shall build up a holy city unto the Lord, like unto the Jerusalem of old; This may suggest that at some point there will be a lot of baptisms in the old Jerusalem. Ether 13:11 And then also cometh the Jerusalem of old; and the inhabitants thereof, blessed are they, for they have been washed in the blood of the Lamb; Why is this past tense? Ether 13:10 and they are they who are numbered among the remnant of the seed of Joseph, who were of the house of Israel. The Lord seems to be exercising tight editorial control on decisions about what is not written. I wander if there was the same degree of control over what was written. Ether 13:13 And I was about to write more, but I am forbidden; Night time is not usually the best time to do observations - its usually quite dark. What and how much could Ether view at this time? Ether 13:13 and by night he went forth viewing the things which should come upon the people. In verse 13 Moroni mentions how great and marvellous were the prophecies of Ether but they don't seem to have had any impact. Ether 13:17 and in fine, there were none of the fair sons and daughters upon the face of the whole earth who repented of their sins. Sounds like a pretty good deal to me. And the same deal is on the table for all of us, all the time - repent and be spared, don't repent and you won't be spared. Ether 13:20–21 he should go and prophesy unto Coriantumr that, if he would repent, and all his household, the Lord would give unto him his kingdom and spare the people—21 Otherwise they should be destroyed, and all his household save it were himself. I wander if these are Jaredite place names or Nephite place names. Ether 13:28 did pursue him until he came to the plains of Heshlon.

Ether 12 This chapter probably deserves multiple days and a group discussion in real time. I consider it one of the best discourses on faith out there. For reference, when I think of faith, I generally think of two or three different definitions: 1. The kind of faith described in Lectures on Faith. The principle of action - that any action you do is driven by faith in an outcome, basically. I believe this is the sort of faith God has / uses - to see what could be and act as if it already were / were certain. 2. Faith in Jesus Christ - this is the faith that leads to salvation. 3. Faith in any other true principle or virtue - faith that kindness or patience are worth practicing, faith that following the prophet will yield positive results, faith that the Book of Mormon contains true teachings which can improve the lives of those who act accordingly, etc. This is the sort of faith Alma described when he talked about planting the word of God in your heart (and perhaps also #2, since Alma also taught of Christ). 4. I guess technically, there's a fourth, where it's used synonymously with "religion" or "belief system". v1: The king is descended from the brother of Jared and is a usurper. He or his predecessor(s) held the rightful king and his heirs captive. Ether is one of those heirs - perhaps the person who should be king. v2: Seek to follow the Lord to the extent that you are filled with the Spirit. v3: "by faith all things are fulfilled" - that principle of action type of faith. But also, #2 & 3 - by faith in Christ, we receive the word and by obedience to the word, we receive forgiveness and blessings. v4: The surety comes only because you know that God keeps his promises (faith, knowledge of the character of God and the history of his dealings with me - through scripture). Your faith gives you hope and that hope makes an anchor for your soul. Anchors always have a chain or rope that is attached to something else - otherwise, they're no good. If your hope is an anchor to your soul, then the other end has to be attached to Jesus Christ - the only sure thing to which one can anchor. And your good works strengthen that connection and keep the hope and faith strong (see John 7:17). v5: The Lord doesn't work the way the world does - you must believe before you can see. Why? Because it is your belief and faith (acting on that belief) that creates the thing you wish to see. Belief is the idea (or hope). Faith is the act of creation. v6: The Lord will test our ability to have faith in him, to be faithful to him, and to live by faith - to act according to the agency we've been given - which means to act in his name (or in our own, to our condemnation). v7-9: Christ showed by his resurrection that resurrection is possible. His existence gives reason to hope and to have faith that the word of God is true and that God will keep his promises and that through Christ, we can be saved. This is the anchor and our connection to it - our hope. v10+: The prophets of old were called by faith. They were able to do their work because they had faith (and the doing of that word was acting in faith). v11: Christ makes all things possible for all of us, if we will have faith in Christ. v12: I personally believe this is very literal and that whatever examples we may have that seem contrary are merely incidences where we don't have sufficient information. Perhaps there are times when the interpretation is that the children of men will not perceive the miracle (despite it having happened, through the faith of someone) - is a miracle that is not perceived as a miracle still a miracle? Or was it just an unexplained event? A missed blessing? v18: Here faith is explicitly tied to the Son of God. No other faith has power to work miracles. Indeed, even faith #3 (in principles, truths, virtues) is tied to Christ since he is the source of all truth and all good things. If you are trying to help someone who is struggling and don't know what else to do, help them to increase their faith in Christ. v19: Back to faith type #1 and verse 5 - first, you see with an eye of faith (the idea, the belief, the hope), second you act in faith to create (bring about, instantiate) what you saw only through faith, and then, once it has been created, your eyes see it. This is how you create (bring about, instantiate), or allow God to create, all good things in your life: whether it's creating worlds without number, or rending the veil of unbelief and entering into the presence of God, or overcoming sin and weakness, or gaining a testimony of the Book of Mormon, or believing that you can keep trying to be faithful for one more day - whatever it is, if it is a true thing, then seeing it in faith, and acting as if it is a surety will yield the foreseen results. "...and they were glad." v20-22: There are already many promises available to you. These verses suggest to me that there's nothing wrong with seeking promises from the Lord - but as with all things, we should seek the promises with which the Lord already wishes to bless us. Our patriarchal blessings may constitute such promises. v23-26: There are multiple ways that the Lord may bless people. Rather than be upset by the blessing you lack, seek to learn what you have, and then to seek more, according to the Lord's will v26: Do not mock. Just don't. It's hard in this world, but break yourself of the habit. We are all made in the image of God. God is not to be mocked, therefore his children shouldn't be. The works of God should not be mocked, therefore the works of his children shouldn't be. Unworthy works should be lamented, mourned, avoided, or ignored, but don't risk your soul for the fun of mockery - it's an arrogant form of amusement. "my grace is sufficient for the meek" - not for the proud, for the meek - "that they shall take no advantage of your weakness" - don't take advantage of others because of their weakness - don't cheat them because they are ignorant or foolish. Don't mock them because they couldn't express themselves well or don't dress nicely. Be meek, be humble, invite the Lord's grace. v27: And oh how we need that grace. The Lord has blessed us to be weak (note that weakness is singular), recognize it and be humble so that you can work in the strength of the Lord, by his grace. v28: Plead for faith, hope, and charity. v29: Believe what the Lord tells you! v30: Perhaps you will never need to move a physical mountain, but all of us have symbolic mountains we need to move. Do it through faith in Christ. v31+: Prayer can include telling the Lord what you've learned about him - bearing testimony. This can be a way to learn more, solidify what you learned, and receive correction of misunderstanding. v34: "except men shall have charity" - this can work both ways - we must receive the gift (v36) of having charity toward others, but we also must be willing the receive the charity that Christ has for us - if we reject either, we cannot inherit eternal life. v35: Moroni has been working through the logic / principle that Christ taught him. Do you do that in prayer? Perhaps we should do that in prayer. Also, if you reject the gifts of God, he starts to take them away from you and give them to others. Don't reject the gifts of God. v36: Charity is a gift given to us, not a skill we develop on our own. Practice it (pretend, work, think), but also plead for it. v37: What a notion: "it mattereth not unto thee". I can't expound on it, but it strikes me as something to ponder. Learn to really see your weakness - be humble and meek. v39: "in plain humility" - it's Christ's humility being described here! He sets the example. He always goes before. v41: Do this - seek Jesus! Seek him in scripture, seek him through your actions, seek him through the witness of the Holy Ghost.

To be fair, I have no idea how brother Rush lives the gospel and I'm not about to speculate against him when I have absolutely no evidence against him. The observations I made pointed out possible concerns, for which there could be other explanations, and which would require more reading to determine the truth. That he has chosen to delve into this vision doesn't in any way suggest that he's not magnifying his calling, ministering to others, doing temple work for his deceased ancestors, or striving to share the gospel. Once I came to understand that one of Satan's titles is "the accuser of our brethren", I have tried hard not to accuse people. If my wording here seemed like accusations, this is me revoking them. I believe that making accusations, especially in ignorance, which would certainly be the case here, can give Satan a way into your heart or mind. We can live the gospel and encourage others to do the same without making accusations. We can choose not to pursue brother Rush's interests without accusing brother Rush of anything at all.

Ether 11 After reading the heading: One might think all this doom and gloom is depressing, and couldn't Mormon and Moroni have spent some more time abridging the good times, but we have to remember, they were instructed to write this for our day - a day the Lord showed them. In short, it is warning us of our future and how to avoid it, if we will. Utter destruction awaits all who "ripen" in iniquity, so don't do that! Follow Jesus Christ instead! v3: Those who receive the prophets are blessed. v21: The Lehites. v23: Note that Ether is born in captivity, in the line of the "rightful" kings, descended from Jared. And that right now (per v17), a descendant of the brother of Jared has them in captivity and is the king. (IMO, this will matter when the story resumes.) If I have time (which seems unlikely), I'll try to get chapter 12 in today - we'll see. It's a doozie and worth spending a lot of time on - one of the great discourses on faith.

I suspect that this statement is probably limited to faith only in those things which are true. There are many things, for example, that Sikhs have faith in, that will certainly not be brought to pass. And if we are being pedantic, I would speculate that it is by the power of the Priesthood that things happen more so than faith. Ether 12:3 by faith all things are fulfilled The danger of having a testimony built on signs. Ether 12:5 which they did not believe, because they saw them not. I guess that once we have seen something our faith is replaced by knowledge. But we see from 3rd Nephi 1 22 and 30 that even knowledge is insufficient. Ether 12:6 faith is things which are hoped for and not seen; How important is it for that belief to be focussed on something which is accurate/true. Is a belief in God with a body as tangible as man's better or the same as a belief in God as a spirit? If we were to accept the idea that both beliefs were of equal value, then it opens the question of where do we draw the line between acceptable and unacceptable beliefs in G/god. Is a belief in God the same as a belief in Allah? Is a belief in Allah the same as a belief in Krishna or Zeus? How does a belief in a god compare with belief in the God? From what i recall, there was a lengthy discussion of a question like this from a forum member a month or two back who seemed to be in favour of what he termed a universalist view. The first of the ten commandments suggests that its important to worship the right God and that belief in other gods is actually somewhat sinful. Ether 12:4 Wherefore, whoso believeth in God This is often a difficult concept for investigators to understand and accept. Man's way is show me and I will believe, God's way is believe and I will confirm. Ether 12:6 wherefore, dispute not because ye see not, for ye receive no witness until after the trial of your faith. There are perhaps 70,000 missionaries and many others involved in preparing a way for others to partake of the heavenly gift but only Christ could have overcome the otherwise insurmountable barriers that were in the way. Ether 12:8 But because of the faith of men he has shown himself unto the world, and glorified the name of the Father, and prepared a way that thereby others might be partakers of the heavenly gift, I have difficulty with the idea that there are any limits on the ability of God to do miracles. I note that Mark 6:5 expresses a similiar idea that there is a connection between faith and God's/Christ's willingness/ability to do miracles. Ether 12:12 For if there be no faith among the children of men God can do no miracle among them; This raises a question that might be interesting. Did Alma and Amulek have faith that the walls of the prison would tumble or was their faith more in the general idea that they would be freed? I guess it makes sense that our faith should be centred on outcomes rather than methods. Ether 12:13 Behold, it was the faith of Alma and Amulek that caused the prison to tumble to the earth. This seems to support the idea that it is not necessary that the recipients/beneficiaries/targets of a miracle to have faith, but that it is necessary for the person calling for such a miracle to have faith. There may be some inconsistencies with that idea and the idea that it is the faith of a person receiving a Priesthood blessing that makes that blessing operative, more so than the faith of the person giving the blessing. Ether 12:14 Behold, it was the faith of Nephi and Lehi that wrought the change upon the Lamanites, that they were baptized with fire and with the Holy Ghost. One faith filled individual can make a huge difference. Ether 12:15 Behold, it was the faith of Ammon and his brethren which wrought so great a miracle among the Lamanites.

I think we'd do well to call it the dangers of under-cooking food. Everyone ought to already know that.

Ether 10 v2: Again, remembering what the Lord has done helps one to remain faithful. Spend time today remembering the Lord (shouldn't be hard). v3: Don't the the sort of person who only brings peace to others by dying. v28-: When the people are righteous, they prosper; when the leaders are wicked, people suffer. v31: Oh, the lock icon (in my PDF, last week's thread) means they lived their whole life in captivity.

Merry Christmas, @Jamie123! No, I've never heard of such a thing, but folks of the modern world can't seem to find enough things to be afraid of, so they have to make them up! (Apparently it's been too long since we had real things to be afraid of.) I imagine a handful of people over the decades have failed to sufficiently cook their bird and its stuffing, and have thereby gotten food poisoning. The ridiculous reporter heard someone's family tale and decided to turn it into a Stuffing Contaminosis Epidemic - probably because her boyfriend broke up with her two days before Christmas. Ahem, gobble, gobble, gobb-eck! Of course, s/he died from something other than the stuffing, and not in your house, so yes, I guess the statement is still true. May you and your family survive Christmas and enjoy your stuffing, even if it does come out of a chicken. Please, please tell me you didn't use mosquitoes to stuff your churkey! Before or after cooking it? If before, your Dad is fortunate to have a son who loves him. If after, hooray for reason!

That is some good parenting. Teaching responsibility. Skilled labor. Grit. Oh, are we lacking. Some of the things I learned from residency. ”You gonna learn today.” “Giddaup” Usually stated around 2AM… Excuses are not tolerated here. You can ask for help, but only if you need it. And you probably don’t need help if you are clever. “You could…” Implying that you probably shouldn’t (due to circumstances that you don’t understand yet and definitely don’t want to experience.) DNTWTFP - Do not touch with 10’ pole.

Ether 8 v2: Once again, beware people who use flattering or cunning words. v9: This is interesting. I don't remember a previous mention of a record, just that Ether's record included things from Adam on. I think I always imagined an oral history. But Adam kept records, and I would expect any who try to obey God to keep records, so, yeah, makes sense. Sad that Jared's daughter ignored the tragedies that come from secret combinations and instead decided this would be a good tool to get what she wanted. v10 (et al): Don't sin, not even for the prettiest girl in town. v13: I'm thinking this family was already pretty wicked if Akish trusted them enough to tell the whole lot that he planned to murder the king. If your family is this wicked, maybe go find better folk to hang out with. v17: "fair promises" - if it sounds too good to be true... v23-25: If it sounds too good to be true... (And how else do you overthrow freedom other than to promise wealth and easy and health and whatever other things everyone wants? But no one can deliver such things - people have to work for them or they won't happen.) v26: Strive to do good continually. Come to Christ and be saved! Ether 9 v1-3: When the Lord tells you to get up and leave, don't drag your feet. If you have to leave some things of value behind, do it - your life and obeying the Lord are of more value. v5, 7: There is no loyalty or love among the wicked. (One wonders where Jared's daughter was, and whether it was her son.) v11: The people: "Well, as long as we've got money, we don't really care what our government is doing." v12: Sometimes the wicked destroy each other quickly. v19: Alas, still haven't found me a source for a pet curelom or even a cumom. v20: Just serve the Lord. v28+: When you don't have freedom of religion, but government oppression thereof, bad things follow. v34: This is seriously stubborn - I'm just going to chase after carcasses to feed on and only after they and all other food are gone will I consider repenting. Don't be that stubborn! Don't move that far from the Lord! Repent early and often. Saving chapter 10 for Christmas day.

I totally get it @zil2. But I'm still willing to place the bet. The capacity of folks to come up with a way of adding 13+8, or 12+9, will put 'em solidly into the realm of looking at the next president. There'll be 2 errors thought about and talked about. First 12+8=19, second will be failing to understand somehow that it was supposed to be 13+8 or 12+9 all along. I love a good conspiracy or end-times prophecy. I believe lots of them. But when I'm at my tinfoil-hat-wearing meetings, I find myself surrounded by people who eat/live/breathe such things, when they should at least order a side of common sense. To those folks, there's no such thing as a failed conspiracy, just erroneous interpretations. (And I don't mean anyone in this thread. Y'all got more common sense than I do.)

I was not accusing anyone of anything. It is a general observation on the condition of members in general and my experience with them.

That's why the Good Lord invented gravy!

My husband, who is not yet forty, literally does the cow threat. Or attempts to. We don't know anyone nearby with cows. But the kids hear a lot of "way back in the 90s I had to get up at 4 am to milk the cows and it builds character!"

My seven year old - “Dad, what was the first day like?”

I feel like I've always known about the dangers of turkey-stuffing. Huh. President Bartlet on The West Wing also doubted when he first heard of the risk.