Signs

So I moved to Enos today, then ended up backing up a bit into Jacob. That man is quite the unsung hero. He doesn't get noticed like his brother Nephi, but what a man.

In Chapter 7 he describes being confronted by an unbeliever who sought Jacob out. The dude was relying on his own intelligence - a very dangerous thing always. By contrast Jacob relied on the guidance he had received from the Lord throughout his life. This dude thought he could reason through "logic" and argument that Jacob was wrong.

I've been in this situation before - a friend of mine about 30 years ago - a good dude, set about once to lay out why mormonism was wrong. He was well meaning. He expressed some frustration that laying out a set of what he considered to be well organized facts did nothing to persuade me to deny my beliefs. I had trouble explaining to him that my beliefs were not handed to me by a teacher, it was much deeper than that. It wasn't man that gave me my beliefs, and no man's argument could take them away.

It was like Joseph Smith seeing an angel and feeling God's power, then having some dude walk up to him and try to dissuade him of that based on an argument about the laws of physics. While one of the arguers might have stated it's impossible to have a person stand in the air unaided by a jet pack, the other has a deeper understanding. He saw the angel, he felt the power, and he has a suspicion that angels don't require jet packs. It's a level of knowledge that surpasses man's reason and the power of crafted words.

I also thought it beautiful in verse 12. Jacob did one of those things you see only if you're looking carefully: he laid a huge nugget among the straw pile. He mentioned only very briefly that he had "heard and seen". What did he hear and see? Jacob's not going to tell you if you don't already know. Some of us who have heard or seen might pick it up - the rest won't. That's the way he intended. Gotta love these layers. I do at least.

Honesty

So today was 1 Nephi chapter 4. The story is the followup from the story I mentioned in the previous post: Lehi gets a vision and sends his sons into harm's way, back to Jerusalem. Laman and company are looking for an easy out, want to retain their treasure because I expect they plan to depose their parents and Nephi and go back to where life is good in Jerusalem. Nephi has a completely different plan - the one the Lord dictated - and he's staying with that plan. He offers all of the family's abandoned treasure to Laban for the plates and ends up with nothing but a run back to safety. Laman and company are now pissed, partly because they risked their life, and probably mostly because now they think they're poor.

So in this chapter Nephi goes and follows the word of the Lord, which involves killing Laban. I understand that many recoil at such a thought: that's one of the 10 commandments. Don't do that right?

Well, first, the Lord can give the commandment and he can make exceptions. Second, the Lord commanded that entire cities be wiped out when the Jews took Jerusalem. Not just one man - entire cities. The chapter outlines Nephi's reasoning, which sounds like the reasoning of a good man - a great man - choosing to follow the Lord's very difficult counsel.

I'm thinking that a person insisting that this is wrong and nothing will change their mind might be like Laman and Lemuel: they have how things should be in their head, and they set themselves as the ultimate decider of what's right and proper, and what they will allow to happen. The reality is that such a condition is a self deception. People don't decide what right and proper is - the Lord does. All people can do is try to align themselves with the Lord so they can get the proper guidance when the Lord needs to share it with them. And - be willing to do it even if it's not what their personal filters consider to be "correct".  You have to be very close to the Lord to get and follow that kind of direction. More than anything related to going through the motions, and more than "at least I tried".

But here is what struck me in this chapter. You have Laban's servant Zoram who is now in the picture. He mistook Nephi for Laban, and went with Nephi to go get the plates. Nephi and his brothers are afraid of Zoram because he can escape and go back to Jerusalem. If he talks - and he will - Lehi's family is finished. Zoram knows that, so he's afraid for his life.

It seems like it must have been easy back then - if you make an oath for something, that's what you guarantee will happen. Nephi said his family won't hurt Zoram if he goes with them, and Zoram agrees. Problem solved. Nephi said they ceased to worry after that point.

Life and business should be that way. What if someone knew, and could rest assured that if we said we'd do something that it would happen? Whether your word meant you'd deliver a pizza on Wednesday or whether it meant you'd abandon your life and follow a bunch of strangers on a boat they didn't know how to build to a continent that nobody knew existed? How much more successful in business and in personal relationships would we be?

There would be no excuses, no "I changed my mind", no "well you did this so I'm not doing that", and no "get over yourself, I didn't do it so deal with it".

Life is about relationships: with God, with our spouse, with family, with business relations, with friends. This is a great example for me how to be. It worked in 600 b.c. It can work for me now. The fact that others don't follow the same code doesn't change that I can choose to be as much of a man as I choose to be.

And when I fail? The Lord's got me covered. That's the other awesome part.

What mom would have called stick toit-iveness

So mom - thank you.

I thought I'd keep going on 1 Nephi 3 today. Finished the chapter - not much. I noticed some very different levels of commitment in this story. First you have Laman etc that went grudgingly back to Jerusalem, then drew the short straw and went in to ask Laban for the brass plates. I'm sure he waddled in, asked to meet Laban, then asked him for the plates, then was thrown out. "Oh well", he might have said "at least I tried".

He got nothing out of the game because he put nothing in it. He made a minimal effort, did nothing to convince Laban as to why Laban wanted to do it, and made it more difficult for the task to be completed on a later effort. It might have been a bit of a sabotage - "I'm going to go through the motions, but I'm going to make sure this mission fails so I can say I was right". I certainly know some people who do that sort of thing. More than one.

So Laman is ready to quit. From my point of view, he had done what he came to do: prove that Lehi and Nephi are both idiots, and that they should be set aside so he can run things his way. Evil men will do this. Men will do this when they're listening with the wrong ears. Not uncommon in my mind - not at all.

But Nephi is on a different errand. He's not there to say he tried. His errand is not what he twists it to be - his errand is the Lord's. The Lord says that he's there to get the plates, so he does things Nephi's way: he gathers up all of Lehi's hidden/stored gold and silver and takes it to Laban. Note that this is not something Laman was willing to do. Did he think he'd come back to it after an excursion in the desert? Apparently so.

But Nephi goes all in. Everything that could capture Laban's eye. Not "enough" or "this is a fair price", but everything his father owned - everything Nephi could put together. He knew that gold was there for one purpose, and he used it for that. He sold out; he committed. He didn't hold back.

And that was taken. Still no plates. Now Laban & company was pissed! The gold they were planning on coming back to? It was gone. What fun is it to depose your brother and your father and come back to a house without gold?

Things got serious. A rod was produced and it was used on Nephi and his brother. It seems they had lost the one thing that mattered most to Laban - which simultaneously meant the least to Nephi - the gold. Nephi knew it was a treasure left behind years ago, whose only potential value was as a bargaining chip. Laban thought it was the measure of his manhood.

Which is interesting in itself because Laban probably didn't earn any of it. Lehi did. But so often we think we're awesome because of what our parents (eternal or earthly) give us. Am I suddenly awesome because daddy gave me a car? Does that hunk of metal make me cooler than being given a new toothbrush? Either way it's a gift; something I didn't earn. Perhaps appreciating that gift makes me more of a man, but being proud of myself for it and thinking I'm greater for possessing it probably makes me less - not more.

Same applies for heavenly gifts. I try to remind myself of that often.

So now all earthly means have been used. Nephi, without and despite the "help" of his brother has now done everything that was in his power, and failed. Laman's response is to start hitting people with sticks. Nephi knows that now it's in the Lord's hands and he remains steadfast. This is the moment the Lord has been waiting for. The Lord provides the means. He saves the plates and saves a continent of people, but this only happens because there was a man involved who sold out, who committed, and didn't walk away from his assigned task with "well at least I tried".

Laman would have used the experience to prove that angels, dreams and God's guidance are a pile of bunk - and based on his actions and interpretations, he would have been able to "prove" he was right. Nephi did things another way.

So the question is this: which one of these are we?

Directness

So I have noticed that the Lord in his scriptures is exceptionally good (perfect perhaps?) in saying exactly what he means. No room for a word that doesn't have quite the right meaning - within perhaps the confines of what any given language will allow. But the words are precise to a level that would befuddle any wordsmith, lawyer or others who want to twist those words and create havoc. I find also that those words are surprisingly accurate, to the point that a small word here or there provides tons of meaning if noticed and properly understood. They can be hard to find, and those little words can be God's gifts to the earnest and prepared student.

Today I thought I'd start in Nephi. I've been a big fan of Moroni and Helaman, but the greatness is throughout the book. Didn't take me long. I went to chapter 3 and noticed something immediately. This is the chapter where Lehi dreams a dream that results in the boys going back to Jerusalem. I noticed that Lehi states things a bit differently than I might, and therein the gem - at least for me.

First thing is in verse 2. "...In the which the Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brethren shall return to Jerusalem".

Now, in my engineering background, the word "shall" is the strongest word available. There are no choices - the message is to do it. Related words are "may" or "should", but that didn't happen here. Clear language - you're going to Jerusalem. It's what you're doing. Of course the boys had their agency, but the Lord's directions and needs are clear.

Also I noticed that the Lord commanded Lehi that his boys are going. He could have said "The Lord has commanded that you boys are going to Jerusalem" and taken himself out of it. It's like "hey, don't blame me! The Lord commanded you do it - I'm just the messenger" but Lehi didn't do that. He said the Lord commanded "Me" that they go. So now we have not only the Lord making a command, but the father and earthly authority figure saying "This is what you shall do next". Much more powerful to include that word "me".

He did that in verse 2, and perhaps to prove to people like me that it wasn't a fluke of a word, he did it again in verse 4. "The Lord hath commanded me that thou and thy brothers should go..."

So I read four verses today. Lots of meaning

What comes first

So there has been a change for how I do business - it's definitely a change in how I do things, and it causes sometimes a bit of angst as I make the change, but I've changed my mornings. Inspections generally get the afternoon, so my morning is about working not on my present business, but on my future.

My default for that would be to just do stuff that furthers my business: fiddle with the web site, record something, edit something, do a little strategic planning, make phone calls, check emails - you know, the stuff you expect to do when you're in business. But I'm trying to not do that.

Now, for about an hour a day (a large chunk of the morning) I work on my core. Exercise and scripture reading, and writing here. It doesn't get any business done, but it does cement who I am. And my expectation is that with guidance from the other side, I can get more done in minutes than I might have done in hours. With guidance, I can make the right business decisions, have guidance as to marketing (came up with "don't text and next" yesterday out of the blue - I think it's pretty good) and generally be pointed in the right direction. I am just choosing to do it this way and hope that the Lord makes the path straighter.

I was reading in Helaman today. Found a new place. It's interesting because I was reading the same chapter a month ago. Helaman 4. There's a lot of Book of Mormon to read, and here I am back again. But I picked up a new gem that applies to the whole "right direction" concept.

So in this chapter, the Nephites get prideful and things start to go sour again on them. What does their leader Moronihah do? They've lost a lot of land. I love his way of measuring when it's time to go get it back. Spoiler alert: it's not about when he has gathered sufficient armies and training, or when adequate numbers of weapons have been obtained. He waits until he sees the people repenting.

"16 For when Moronihah saw that they did repent he did venture to lead them forth from place to place, and from city to city, even until they had regained the one half of their property..."

I guess if you choose evil, sometimes you don't get it all back when you're good, or perhaps only half the people were good. Who knows. It doesn't say. But that's a different point. The point was that he was concerned about the people's spiritual readiness before he considered them war ready. I suspect most generals would die laughing, but that would be only to their own loss. It's our own center that matters most. Not just in war, but in business, in relationships, in whatever. If our center is right we are probably going to succeed. The only exception to that may be if the Lord's will might be that we go another direction, but even that is probably not an exception. If success in life is doing what the Lord wants us to do, then I'm going to say that it happens every time.

So. How does fighting wars apply to what I do in my man-cave basement doing business? It applies. I just have to see it.

Drawing near

So. Working on D&C 88 today. It's a tough read - my natural tendency is to read the words but not gather the message. As always, I have to read it a few times over to get it, and that always keeps surprising me.

In verse 63 it begins with stuff that's meaningful to me. "Draw near unto me and I will draw near unto you; seek me diligently and ye shall find me, ask, and ye shall receive;  knock and it shall be opened unto you. 64 Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name it shall be given unto you, that is expedient for you; 65 And if ye ask for anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation".

Here's the Lord telling us that it's all on us. If we look for him, he'll be there. It's not like a friendship where both parties have to agree to it - the Lord says it's just a one way thing - if I look, I'll find. He's already in.

Then I find the word diligently interesting. I think there are people who would say they are seeking the Lord - we all could say that. I think there are meth heads who would say they are seeking the Lord. From my point of view (and it's just that) there are whole religion sets that set their members up to speak nice words about seeking the lord, and then they think that's enough. But the seeking doesn't happen any more than about 15 cents worth. Then they go back to forgetting until the time for words occurs again.

But the word diligently shows up here. You can't do diligent for 15 cents. Diligent is more like a thousand dollars. Diligent is a personal mission - a primary focus. A center of your soul kind of thing. As always, the Lord has spoken precisely. The precise set of words is uttered and recorded - not much room for confusion here. He's good at that.

Then there's the bit about "And if ye ask for anything that is not expedient for you, it shall turn unto your condemnation". I have to consider that. The first thing to come to mind is me asking for a maserati. I'm thinking "in what way(s) does that condemn me?

I guess first of all, for lack of a better phrase, we're wasting the Lord's time. If in a prayer we're asking for meaningless stuff, and if it were me in the answerer's shoes, I'd be like "I have all these other important requests: peace after an accident, strength to deal with an aunt with cancer, abuse, hunger, loneliness and you want a maserati?"

It may be more than that. If I'm focused on that maserati, or the boat, or the money to buy that swingset that's cooler than the neighbor's, I'm not focused on love. I'm not focused on building a better relationship with my wife or children. I'm not focused on the specific needs they have. I'm content with the grudges I'm holding - they're my comfortable poison. Don't mess with those - give me the swing set. It's all I want.

Yes it is - that is all we want sometimes. And it's the reason why we're not close to our Heavenly Father. I'm speaking from experience here.

As a matter of personal career experience, I remember being laid off and praying my guts out that I could find a job. But before and after that experience, looking back I remember never praying nearly that hard that I could actually use my gifts, time and talents to bring huge value to that employer. I didn't want the work - just the paycheck - and that factor showed up in my employability in my life. I think the same applies with the Lord.

"Draw near to me and I will draw near to you"

A law unto ourselves

Can I just say that I think it's awesome that I am provided with my own study course on gifts? This is something that I of course am very interested in, and I find it wherever I go in the scriptures. I appreciate my guides taking me there. If these posts start to look similar, my partial apologies - I'm just writing down what comes to me on a given day - not necessarily trying to come up with unique content.

So this time, I was brought to Doctrine and Covenants 88. My thoughts as I began to read this section was that it was rugged stuff to get through clearly. Like a modern day version of Isaiah. There were verses I had to go through over and over to feel like I was understanding. And where the recipients of the original text were hick 1950's farmers with maybe a second grade education? I'm going to be a bit judgmental and guess that the people who received the word that day were not necessarily the intended audience of that speech. This is deep stuff.

But it occurred to me that there are various shades of perfection. Each shade is perfect for its goals. For example, the Book of Mormon is perfect for an audience that needs clarity and simplicity, and what for many of its readers may be an elementary introduction to God's church. By contrast, Doctrine and Covenants can be more of a college level. I can see that the Lord has to translate his language to ours, and in doing so he has to look at the intended audience and decide which word sets to use to provide the meaning for that audience. The Book of Mormon is perfection for that audience; the D&C is perfect for its own. Especially this chapter.

So in verse 22, "For he who is not able to abide the law of a celestial kingdom cannot abide a celestial glory". This goes me back to what I have been told earlier. We create a life of whatever level stature, and come judgment day, if we've lived a lesser life and built a lesser soul, we would never want to live in a celestial role - we're not comfortable or happy there.

Then - gifts. I love that I'm guided to this every day. "32...they shall return again to their own place, to enjoy that which they are willing to receive, because they were not willing to enjoy that which they might have received. 33 For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift".

And once again, we choose our place in life - and in death. We choose what we're willing to receive, then we live in that place after death. I expect that we'll be happy about that on judgment day - wherever we go is where we're most comfortable. And notice the phrasing at the end of that paragraph. Here I am, handed a gift. Then I reject it. Maybe it's one I had asked - pleaded - for, but when hand it, I reject it. It says that I don't rejoice in getting the gift, and I don't appreciate the gift Giver. I found it interesting that it didn't mentioned the disappointment that the Giver might feel in having the gift rejected.

35 "That which breaketh a law, and abideth not by the law, but seeketh to become a law unto itself, and willeth to abide in sin, and altogether abideth in sin, cannot be sanctified by law, neither mercy, justice, nor judgment. Therefore, they must remain filthy still."

I knew someone who thought she should be the ultimate decider of what was right and wrong. How she felt about an issue was her gospel. She lived without guide, without faith, and I dare say without a center. If one of her demons got to her, she was without a center to combat the wrongness. It cost her. Without faith that there is someone else who is perfect, who can help us in our imperfection, we're adrift in the ocean. And adrift she remains. I'm sure she continues to have a life that resembles her aimless following of the currents, and the waves and tumbles that come with being on the surface of life's ocean. But it gets worse - if her life is as I perceive it, there is no law, no mercy, no justice or judgment that can save her. She won't let that happen because she thinks she is all of the above.

But again, it's easier for me to see problems in others than in myself. We all need to learn from these scriptures - me especially. I must gather from this that following the Lord is the correct path. It brings peace to me that I don't have to understand all the gifts, guidance and gospel that I'm receiving. I don't have to justify every little thing that happened 100 years ago in the history of the church. I don't have to be able to understand DNA as relates to the Nephites. I just have to know who my Savior is - and follow him.

Spirits that deceive, and deceiving ourselves

So I felt that I should leave the book of Mormon today. It was with some hesitation doing so because I've gained new respect for some powerful people whose stories have come alive. Moroni for example will always have a special place for me now. 

But. To the Doctrine and Covenants I went. Section 50. The D&C has a different feel for me because its setting is a bit different, but I knew that was where I needed to be today. I started reading and looking for gems. 

It's about good and bad spirits trying to "guide" us, and how that can get screwed up. Clearly to me, there is a group of spirits (my committee) that is around me, ready to help, to guide, to clear the path, to teach, to show and to shepherd me. They are all about my success. Then there is another group certainly with less positive motivations toward me. Their goal would be to take me left when I should go straight, etc. To piss me off, to dislike someone who I don't understand, but I digress. 

"...doth he preach by the Spirit of truth or some other way? 18 And if it be by some other way it is not of god. 19 And again he that receiveth the word of truth, doth he receive it by the spirit of truth or some other way? 20 If it be by some other way it is not of god. 21 ... he that receiveth the word by the Spirit of truth receiveth it as it is preached by the Spirit of truth?

This whole spirit guidance thing is complicated! So you can receive false information by those who would guide you falsely. You can receive true information, but if you receive it in the wrong state of mind (proudly perhaps?) then it is not of God, because your proud head will screw it up before it goes anywhere. Or you can receive the truth, delivered by a messenger of God, but if you're not ready for it for whatever reason, it blows past you and it's either forgotten, ignored, or received in a way that gets soon twisted. 

It kind of goes me back to a place like - well if it's that hard let's forget that whole gift! But that is also the adversary. My role is to recognize gifts and guidance, then develop and grow them. It is only in this way that I can grow. Besides, the guidance I'm blessed to receive is something I wouldn't trade away. Other than my family, it's the one thing I'm most grateful for at the moment. 

But back to how to do it wrong. I have to flesh this out because I need to understand. Receiving truth while unready. This happens to all of us, perhaps on a daily basis. Truth from our guides, but I'm busy doing something. Truth at sacrament meeting, but I'm not listening because I'm thinking about my clash of clans strategy. Truth in priesthood meeting, but I'm not there because I'm hungry, or don't like the teacher's delivery, or whatever it is. Or just because I'm sitting there because I know that's what I'm supposed to do, but that's all I'm giving. I'm not searching for gems - just putting my body in a chair. It's better than my body in a chair at home, but it certainly shortchanges me.

Another scenario would be the "I'm not wistening" thing. When we're talking truth to the investigator for example. You can speak powerful words, all truth, all from God with the power of the Spirit, but if the receiver is listening with the intent to argue or find fault, the words and the gift of that truth are wasted. Then the question comes up as to whether this person is darkened for not listening. If so, it would be a service (unless guided by the spirit to speak to him that way anyway - think Samuel the Lamanite and other prophets) to not give him the truth. Perhaps for me, I'd give a person a part of the truth, gauge his openness, then continue if I feel that either a) he's open and receptive or b) the Spirit guides me to move forward. 

That's tricky too. It's hard, at least for me, to form words, read the other person, and listen to my guidance at the same time. I guess if I'm coming from the right place though, it's not hard at all. If everything is coming from the heart, I'm only doing one thing. I guess that's the point. 

And when it's me that's not listening? When I'm doing a home inspection out of schedule and not out of service? When I fail to strengthen a home that I walk in? When I let a spam phone call destroy my place? That's scary. Don't have a lot of answers for that one. I guess I'll have to rely on the Lord

Cloud of darkness

So I was reading a book that Makay had recommended to me. It's "the Light in the Wilderness". It provided a reference that I'd been wishing for. That's in D&C 84:54, and says "your minds in times past have been darkened because of unbelief, and because you have treated lightly the things you have received".

I had been fumbling around that concept in some of the other posts I've done recently, but there is the scripture that confirms that a gift extended, but not received (and I'm going to add exercised /properly invested) is something of a curse. The Lord hands us a gift, and we don't accept/use/make the most of it, it just results in our minds being darkened. This is what I have been fumbling around earlier. At least this scripture verbalizes what I was trying to get to.

I saw a facebook post this morning from a guy I know. He used to be a member and more recently has given up. He posted a quote from one of my favorite old songs from the 70's - Jungle Love - and I responded with the next few words. I doubt there will be too many others that know that song. In any case, he found heartache of some sort while a member, and threw his membership away. Now he lives a hard life. I felt bad for him this morning when I saw that post, because I know that he's lost. I suspect that he knows his way to the light, but he's committed to not walking that direction. In this way, his mind and his life are darkened.

So this morning I was reading in Helaman 5. The scenario is that Nephi and Lehi are in a prison, where they've been for a few days for without food. People come to finish these two off. Why, they might think, did the Lord allow this? I come down here, do what I'm supposed to do, only to be thrown in prison? Where is the Lord in all this? And now I'm here in prison for three days. Why doesn't the Lord send me a raven, or even some condensation on the walls to drink? And for what? To just be killed after I'm ready to die from starvation?

Nephi and Lehi could have gone down this road.  Instead, the mob comes to get them and there is a voice, earthquakes, and a pillar of fire around Nephi and Lehi. If they had given up and resorted to being pissy and angry, the Lord could not have done this for them - or for the lamanites around them. Their remaining faithful not only saved their lives, but it accomplished the purpose and goal of their mission - to save the souls of the lamanites and nephite dissenters that had come to kill them. And this event triggered not only the lamanites giving the nephites their original land, but triggered peace among both people, and converted enough lamanites that they as a whole became a better people than the Nephites.

And it all started with Nephi and Lehi keeping the faith when times were bad.

I'm thinking they might have felt bad for themselves that this prison/starvation/execution were their lot. Why me? Why do I have to get this horrible scenario for my life? Yet only a short time after, they became the center of a biblical scene, with success that can only be imagined for the rest of us.

Anyway, I digress. So here's Nephi and Lehi with this pillar of fire around them. The nephites around them who had dissented were asked how to get the dark cloud away. It seems that the scene was dark cloud / earthquakes / voice / Nephi & Lehi circled by flames. Not comfortable for the lamanites. So how do we remove the dark cloud? Faith.

"You must repent, and cry unto the voice, even until ye shall have faith in Christ...", "...and when ye shall do this, the cloud of darkness shall be removed from overshadowing you". Helaman 5:41

This is how the cloud of darkness gets eliminated from all of us. Complaining about our conditions or circumstances doesn't get us there. Only faith. It may or may not result in the prison around us being removed, but the cloud of darkness we place around ourselves? Gone.

Judgments are just

So I was reading in Alma 12 today. After gaining so much respect for Moroni from reading Mormon, Ether and Moroni, it felt like the next thing I should do is go for another powerful man, so Alma felt like a good place to go. I suppose that third Nephi would be a very good place to go if you're looking for powerful, or Nephi, or Mosiah, but hey. Alma it was.

So first, I noticed that Amulek when he spoke, spoke powerfully and in depth in chapter 11 about the resurrection. If I remember right, this man only had a short period of training, yet he had a prophet's depth of understanding and wisdom. I thought about this and came to the conclusion that if you're speaking from and with the spirit, you can have two second's training. That's because it's not you that's coming up with the words.

The next thing I noticed is that in Alma 12, Alma the mentor now has to follow up one of the most powerful deliveries ever to be given in the history of earth - his student gave that in chapter 11. How do you top that?

He went to a much deeper level. While Amulek spoke about stuff that's plenty deep, Alma went to more of a spiritual level. This brings me to the scripture of the day. It's Alma 12: 15.

...and acknowledge to our everlasting shame that all his judgments are just; that he is just in all his works.

This takes me back to something that my mission president told me toward the end of my mission. It occurs to me that what he shared with me is perhaps a bit deeper than I should share with an audience that may not all be ready for deeper wisdom (this goes back to my suspicion that a gift offered, but rejected, becomes something that counts negatively against you at judgment day. Better to not have it offered if you're not ready for it).  In any case, it's clear that God's judgments are perfection - both now and in judgment day.

So we all hear stories about how every inmate in prison claims he's innocent. We see where every group around us thinks they're given the short end of life. Politicians make a career out of telling all of us that we're all being shortchanged, and they're out to make it right for us. Yet they don't make it right, because I suspect it's us that are shortchanging ourselves - and nobody can fix that but us.

In any case, the point is that we all think we're victims. We're shortchanged. We're taken advantage of, picked on, etc. It's ingrained into our brains and a part of our culture and who we are.

But. This will not be the case when we are judged. We will all acknowledge that God's judgment of us is just. No feeling shortchanged, no self justification, no "my mom/dad/uncle/ex-wife made this happen to me". Just an acceptance that we've been judged by the perfect judge.

That is some kind of event.