Conference 2025 (Video)
“I have spoken through my prophets and my prophetesses from the beginning of these things, and I shall speak of them again through you this day, for the time is ripe, and the sun is setting.” -Doctrines of the Saints 133:6
Meeting in Reverence Before the Lord
“And [Raphael] said unto them, in the temple of the Lord: Behold eight tasks shall I give unto thee, teach thy people to do these each in their proper order.” -Book of Remembrance 25:2
As we meet together as Saints, some have asked the proper way to organize services. The correct answer of course is, by the Spirit. That said, the Lord has given us instructions on this topic through Raphael, as he spoke to Adam and Eve. These instructions should be used in our home temples, in our Synagogues, Tabernacles, and Temples for personal and group worship. And these may be used by seekers, disciples, and ministers. They are given to the world to be received in the spirit.
Called of God
In the Latter Day Saint movement people of all walks of life are called of God as “apostles, prophets, pastors, teachers, evangelists, and so forth” to help move individuals, congregations, churches, and the kingdom forward in Christ.
The Tree of Life in Spiritual Practice
In Mormon Kabbalah, faith is an action. We deepen our personal relationship with God, allowing the light of Jesus Christ to transform us.
Climate Change, a Sign of Sins of Mankind
“For the world shall fall ill to the iniquity of mankind; yea, the greed of men shall be as a poison that will drain the earth of its life, and she shall become sick.” -Neum 13:4
I grew up being told that we live in the last days. Looking at the view I was raised in, if the last days began with Joseph Smith’s First Vision, then we have been in the last days for over 200 years now. I grew up reading the thoughts of past leaders of the church my family had joined when I was a small boy. For 200 years, these men saw the end just around the corner.
The Tree of Life in Mormon Kabbalah: The Da’at Binah Switch
In Mormon Kabbalah, the third Sefirah is Da’at (Knowledge) rather than Binah (Understanding) as in traditional Jewish Kabbalah.
Love and Lishmah
“I directed my soul unto her, and I found her in pureness: I have had my heart joined with her from the beginning, therefore shall I not be forsaken.” -Ecclesiasticus 51:20 KJV
Lishmah (לישמה), literally translated means “for her sake,” or “for her name.” In Kabbalah it is generally translated as “for its sake,” or “for its name.” “It” here refers to the study of the Torah, stating why we focus on the Torah and the Mitzvah—we study the Torah for the sake or our love of the Torah. However, this term, lishmah, may be used for anything we do for YHVH; thus it can also mean “for the Lord’s sake”.
As we practice lishmah we are in the Shekinah, the Presence of God; and we are the Shekinah, the congregation (Isaiah 54:5, 62:5; Matthew 25:1-46). This is why Heavenly Mother or the Divine Feminine, and the Congregation, the Church, or the Assembly of the Saints are both referred to as Shekinah: a feminine force representing the will to receive. But what does this have to do with love? Maybe everything.
Lo Here, and Lo There
“I was answered that I must join none of them, for they were all wrong, and the personage who addressed me said that all their creeds were an abomination in His sight: that those professors were all corrupt; He said: They draw near to me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me; they teach for doctrines the commandments of men: having a form of godliness, but they deny the power thereof.” -Avahr 6:33-36
When Joseph Smith Jr. walked into the grove to pray, after reading James 1:5, he had a miraculous experience. We do not know exactly what occurred, but we do know that he had a revelation. The different versions of this vision or revelation may be studied in Appendix 1 of the Book of Avahr. The thing they all have in common is that he was told not to join any of the denominations he had explored. Why not? And does this revelation mean that all churches were evil? And if they were, are they still today?
5 Ways We can be an Example for Our Children
“When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.” -Hosea 11:1
The greatest example was and is Jesus Christ. In the New Testament, when children were brought to Him to be blessed, his disciples try to turn the children away. The Savior rebukes them telling them saying: “Permit the little children and forbid them not to come unto me: for of such is the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 19: 14).
A Dream of a College Campus
While in Humansville, Missouri I had a dream from the Lord. In the dream, I was a young man entering college.
Why We Worship Together as Saints
“And Moses made haste, and bowed his head toward the earth, and worshiped.” -Exodus 34:8
Speaking to a friend recently, I was told that while she saw much value in the Church of Jesus Christ in Christian Fellowship as a place for those seeking a spiritual home, rejected by the world and the worldly, she didn’t understand many of the things we allow for or do. She called our observance of the Holy Days as found in the Torah to be “moon worship,” and called the tallit, robes of the priesthood, etc, “silly costumes.” She didn’t understand why we needed to do much more beyond accepting one another. She saw worship, classes, services, and the rest, as something silly from a long ago and forgotten time.
Gender Expression in Israelite Culture
One question I hear quite often is, why didn’t God mention the LGBTQ people in the scriptures? I would say that God did by treating them as actual people and not separating them out as we do in modern society. That said, it should be understood that we do have inclusive terminology dating back to Biblical times.