The Book of Mormon

I wanted to take a few minutes and share some thoughts and feelings about my favorite book.  I read the entire Book of Mormon in the space of a few weeks over the summer, and I've read it many times in earlier years, but I don't often feel like I have a good chance to share what I think and feel about this book.

The Book of Mormon And Bible:
Two testimonies of two nations
about the same Jesus Christ.

First, it is my favorite book.  I believe that, as Joseph Smith once said, it is both the most correct book on the earth and the one whose principles can get you the nearest to God.  I believe fully in the Bible, and I've had many poignant moments in its pages.  I especially enjoy the Gospels, which speak of our Lord's mortal ministry, his miracles and eternal sacrifice.  I enjoy the hidden gems in the Old Testament, like those I have found in searching Isaiah (I know, I'm weird.  I enjoy Isaiah).  As wonderful and inspired and holy as the Bible is, though, I believe it is missing important things, and because of the things it is missing, it can be difficult to get to the truth from it.  Using the Book of Mormon as a guide, however, many difficult parts of the Bible can be better understood.  The Book of Mormon was prepared by prophets for us, in our day.  They knew what would be missing from the Bible by the time we received it, and they prepared the Book of Mormon to restore what they knew would be lost.

Joseph Smith

There is another reason, perhaps more important, that I love the Book of Mormon, though, and that is for what it represents.  As poignant and important as are its teachings, it is proof positive that our Heavenly Father can and does still reveal truths to us in our day, and that may be even more important.  With study, and prayer, and the influence of the Spirit, we can get revelation from God tailored to our needs.  Furthermore, the Book of Mormon was brought forth by a prophet, Joseph Smith, who held the same power that the miracle-performing prophets in the Bible held.  That includes the authority to perform ordinances, such as baptism and receiving the permanent gift of the Holy Ghost, with confidence that those ordinances are accepted of God and will be recognized after this life.  That power, the priesthood, has been conferred upon me, and it is available to every man who is willing to make himself worthy of it.

Finally, and most importantly, the Bible is a great way to gain a testimony of Christ, but so is the Book of Mormon.  In its official title it proclaims itself to be 'Another Testament of Jesus Christ,' and so it is.  Its most important role is to bring us to Christ.  It includes a brief but deeply moving record of a visit that Jesus made to the people in the Americas after his Resurrection.  Some have a hard time accepting that, and yet I find it to be a proof that God loves His children, no matter where they may be.  Although they did eventually lose His gospel, He gave them the opportunity to have that gospel, even though Jesus' mortal life was lived thousands of miles from them.  I understand many things about Jesus, his life and Atonement, from the pages of the Book of Mormon, that I may never have realized if I only had the Bible.

I invite any of you who are curious to know more to watch this video, in which a modern-day Apostle, from a modern Quorum of Twelve Apostles bears powerful and personal witness of the veracity and truthfulness of this book of scripture.  Please ask me any questions you may have.  I spent two years of my life sharing this with the people in France, due in no small part to the great love I have in my heart for this book, and for Jesus Christ, of whom it testifies, and of whom I testify, every day of my life.  I'm not perfect, yet I hope those around me can see the light of Christ in me.

See also: Mormon.org , http://www.lds.org/scriptures/bofm?lang=eng , and http://www.lds.org/bible-videos?lang=eng .

Election, part one

Well, I'm frankly disappointed. And more than a little frustrated.

I believe we have made a choice that will, at best, do little to help our economy and absolutely nothing to help our debt; I fear that our government is heading directly into the dark place that our housing market went in 2008, and for many of the same reasons.  It seems to me that there was at that time a prevailing idea that we could borrow and spend individually, without limit, expecting things to always go up and appreciate.  When that didn't happen, it was hard for people to stop spending.  We should have been hit hard, and learned lessons, but the government stepped in and absorbed some of the blow.  Now our government is facing the same issues, as if when they absorbed the blow of the collapse, they absorbed the irresponsible thinking that led the people there in the first place.

We can't continue spending money we don't have.  We can't continue borrowing to cover things that we want.  We simply can't continue the way we are going; it's going to ruin us.  I am deeply concerned about a default; I don't understand how those in charge of our country have managed to sign off on a plan that has led us this far into debt.  I furthermore don't comprehend how we managed to let people stay in office who had agreed to such a plan.

I hope I'm wrong.  I sincerely hope that President Obama will reform his policies and make drastic changes to the way his administration is running our country.  I hope the other incumbents will see what they've been doing wrong, and will take immediate, drastic action to correct it.  I hope the fresh blood coming in will have a tempering effect on the people who have sat in their seats for too long.  If this is the case, I will be the first to admit that I misjudged President Obama and our Congress, and I'll gladly and publicly admit that they did well.

But I don't see it.  I fear that we have made choices that can only lead further down the road on which we have started.  To me, they've had their chance, and they blew it entirely, and they should have lost their chance.  I'm not talking about party lines, either.  As an Idaho voter, I voted against virtually every incumbent on the ballot, which meant voting for more Democrats than Republicans.  I don't think any of them have done a good job, and as much as I do love second chances, we can't afford them in our government.

I am being a little harsh.  I hope you understand that I don't assign all the blame to the president; I believe Congress is equally responsible, and I believe that the American people are, ultimately responsible for all of it.  It is, after all, supposed to be a government given power by the voice of the people 'by the people, of the people, for the people.'  We cannot sit back and watch our government with disgust and feel justified because we criticize what they are doing; we must act.  Write letters, donate money and time, participate in active discussions, *vote*, and vote based on research and understanding of the issues, but simple criticism accomplishes nothing.  I donated money to the Romney campaign and was active and open in sharing my opinions and ideas about how our government should be run.  I think we will all be more satisfied with the results of our government if we do these things.

As a student of money, it is my honest belief that we are heading to a default.  There are reasons it may not happen, and there may still be time for fiscal responsibility to avert that eventuality, but it is where I see us, and in not very many years.  It concerns me for my future, for the future of the family that I want to start, for the future of our country, but I see it coming.  I pray that our elected leaders will steer us away, and I will do my best to do whatever I can for my country, but I cannot hide that fact that I feel as I do.

This has been long for a blog post.  I have more to say, but I'll save it for another night.  Please, comment, discuss with me.  I want this discussion, because I think it's one the whole country should be having, and should have been having already for months now.  Do realize, however, that I don't tolerate unkindness, and I don't tolerate blatant propaganda.  I want your thoughts, not your party's or your candidate's.

Let's do better together,
Brett Riley

p.s. http://www.usdebtclock.org/  -- It feeds the accountant in me.

An Epiphany I Had!

First of all, it occurred to me that if I write shorter posts, instead of the gigantic things I keep starting and never finishing, maybe I'll actually post one or two.  That's not the epiphany I wanted to write about, but it is *an* epiphany, and maybe it will change something.

Let's make this stand out a little by putting it in the center:

Epiphany #2:  

D'entre les Morts

Okay, the title's a little creepy, I'll grant you.  Less creepy like this, maybe?

It has come to eat your plants!

For the record, I'm not implying any link between vegetarians and zombies.

So, I'm back from an extended blogging leave of absence--well, sort of.  I've been keeping another blog (it's here if you want to look) for a class that I just finished.  The blog is about, umm...miscellaneous things.  Future of business, recent trends and how they've been mirrored in the past, the impact of technology on culture...it was actually a fairly interesting class.  I might copy and paste one or two posts from that blog here.

But, now I'm back.  As it turns out, ten or so consecutive months of full-time studying has not, in fact, robbed me of things to say.  So, I'm going to say them.  Or try to.  I have lofty dreams of being a consistent blogger, posting multiple updates a week, and...if we're honest with ourselves, I don't think anyone expects that.  But, I'm still going to try.  I think I can handle a rate of a little better than one post in four months.

Here's hoping!
--Brett

Comfort those...

Okay, I don't want to make anyone feel bad.  All of us, at some point or another have been that guy (girl).

Yeah...we've all done it, so don't feel bad.

From Love Song to Country Song

Aaaand...

That's a pretty good intro for what I'm going to write about today.  A week or two ago, I had the sudden realization that over the last six-seven months, my life has made a complete reversal from a love song to a country song.  Let me explain, from the beginning.