The Courage, Love and Sacrifice of Our Savior

As a Law Enforcement officer, I faced situations that scared me. Times that I went into places and situations where there was a good chance I could be hurt or even killed. It was my duty, so I did it. Often, mostly because I was backing up another officer and he was counting on me to be there and ready. I know what fear is. I know that courage isn't the absence of fear. It's being afraid but performing anyway. I'm forever thankful that I never had to use deadly force against another person. Actually, despite what Hollywood might show you, very few police ever do. But I faced situations where the probability of such a thing existed.

Fear. Especially that fear of Knowing that what you are doing is likely to hurt or even kill you. That feeling of warmth, flowing through your body, legs feeling weak and shaky, hands trembling...but moving forward anyway. I've been there and I know that most of you have as well, at one level or another. Combat veterans know exactly what I'm talking about.

When I used to teach classes to the young men in Church, I had a problem, in my head and heart. I was completely opposed to the "turn the other cheek" philosophy. I still believe that the best deterrence of crime is that the criminal fear the victim. I'm a strong proponent of self defense, preferably instant, hard, fast and destructive responses to any attack. Thus, I often had a problem with the teachings of my Savior. His lesson is love and forgiveness. For EVERYone!

D&C 64; 9-10: "9 Wherefore, I say unto you, that ye ought to forgive one another; for he that forgiveth not his brother his trespasses standeth condemned before the Lord; for there remaineth in him the greater sin.
10 I, the Lord, will forgive whom I will forgive, but of you it is required to forgive all men."

Mathew 5; 38-39: "Ye have heard that it hath been said, An eye for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth:
But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also."

This pacifist philosophy was and is very hard for me to accept. And, here is the dilemma I faced as a teacher. How to reconcile what I saw, in my heart, as a weak philosophy and finding courage and strength in the Lord. What example of such courage did I see? Well, I do recognize the courage in being able to adhere to these principles. I'm not sure I would have the courage to just accept an assault without responding with violence myself, even today. It does take courage to let someone assault you, especially if you are capable of returning the favor!

But I have come to see an even greater, even incredible, example of the unsurpassed courage of the Savior. He walked up the hill to Gethsemane, KNOWING what He would face there. He HAD to know! In order for Him to make a true choice. To CHOOSE to take all our pains, sufferings and anguish on Himself; to truly activate His agency...He Had To Know that the pain would be more than any human could bear.

You've been hurt before. Women in childbirth, anyone in accidents or sickness. Everyone faces pain and suffering at some time in their lives. Have you ever suffered such pain that you bled from every pore?

Luke 22: 42-44: "42 Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
43 And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.
44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground."

D&C 19; 18-19: "18 Which suffering caused myself, even God, the greatest of all, to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore, and to suffer both body and spirit—and would that I might not drink the bitter cup, and shrink
19 Nevertheless, glory be to the Father, and I partook and finished my preparations unto the children of men."

Even the torture on Calvary; nails driven into His hands, arms and feet. Hanging from those nails for hours. Scourging, flaying, beaten and eventually stabbed. The terrible manner in which He

was killed...didn't make Him sweat blood.

He KNEW what He faced! But, because He also knew it was necessary for the whole world...for the whole plan to work, He walked up that hill to the Garden of Gethsemane, knelt before the Father and said: "not my will, but thine, be done".

Who else would have the courage to make that walk? My knees would buckle. I'd cry out for deliverance. I'd turn away. I don't believe I could EVER have the incredible courage to walk into, not certain death. No. Certain agony. Indescribable agony.

And then, on Calvary, to look on His torturers. To look on people who, with a word, He could destroy. To look on people who would one day face Him in judgement. Did He order their destruction? Did He tell them: "Just you wait. Your time's comin'"?

Obviously not. Luke 23;32: "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do."

Why? Why did Jesus walk into such agony? Why did He allow himself to be tortured to death? He had all power to stop the whole process. With a word He could have laid waste to the entire Roman army, before a single nail was hammered into his flesh. He could have chosen not to "drink from the bitter cup". But He did. Love. Love and Duty, integrity, the fulfillment of a promise made to us all. Courage.

And what does He ask in return? John 14;15: "If ye love me, keep my commandments."

And, if we don't? Acts 2;38: "Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost."

Mathew 22: 37-39: "Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.
This is the first and great commandment.
And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."

He asks us to believe, to love and to repent. He doesn't put a limit on repentance. It's not "three strikes and you're out" He forgives. His Atonement is for all people forever. All He is really asking is that we continue to try. When we fail, we turn to Him and ask for...and receive...forgiveness and then we keep on trying.

It seems to me that the hardest thing for people to grasp is the fact of a living God. The fact of an

eternal world; a spirit world that we cannot see. Once you accept that this earthly life isn't it. Once you realize that your spirit is eternal and that life is eternal, then you are ready to accept the fact of Jesus Christ and the Plan of Happiness.

I know that there is a God. I know that Jesus Christ lives, that He suffered the pain and anguish of sin, heartache, and all that we might face, in this world or the next. I know that He did this out of love for each of us. He knows our names. He hears and answers our prayers.

I know that He has restored His Church on the earth again. I know that He still speaks through a living Prophet. I also know that He speaks to each of us, through the Holy Ghost.

These things are True! If we believe in Jesus Christ...if we even just WANT to believe in Him...then the truth can be found

This is my testimony to you, in the sacred name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ...amen.

Is Trump Just a Great Con-man?

 

When Trump first ran in the Republican primary, I was more a Cruz guy.  But when Trump won, I was comfortable supporting him.  He was saying what I wanted to say and in the way I would say it.  Trump was infinitely better than Hillary in every way and I was thrilled to see him defy all the pollsters and just run over her in the election results.

The 2020 election was stolen, obviously and blatantly, leaving us with what turned out to be President Cabbage Auto-Pen (AKA Joe Biden) and Vice President Cackle.  As you can tell, my opinion of the past administration is less than stellar.  The incredible destruction that was caused by four years with the office being "run" by a committee of un-elected fools is still being felt and will be for a long time.

The Lawfare against Trump, the "Russia, Russia, Russia" B.S., the assassination attempt, all just disgusted me and turned me into a whole-hearted, serious Trump supporter.  I've argued with friends and written many articles on both my blogs in support of President Trump.  I'm a big advocate of almost everything he says.  Transparency, border security, deport illegals, use tariffs, America First...above all, again, transparency...honesty.  Tell Us The Truth!

Cue Trump 2.0.  Up to now, he seemed to be doing exactly what he had promised to do.  The border secure and ICE deporting illegals by the planeload.  DOGE finding fraud, waste and abuse savings in the billions, USAID shut down and many government bureaucrats being sent off to find real jobs.  These are things we hired him to do.

But, I'm starting to have nagging doubts.  Although the Trump machine keeps telling us that inflation is down, gas prices are down and the economy is getting better; well, I don't see it.  According to Google, gas prices in January, 2025 averaged $3.08 while prices today average $3.17.  It's $3.19 down the street from me here in Montana.  I don't see that they have come down much, do you?

I went grocery shopping last week.  I spent a lot of money for three little sacks of groceries.  I can't say that I'm seeing prices coming down for anything.  I don't eat out much any more and the last time I did, I was shocked at restaurant prices!  Is inflation really coming down?

If Karoline Leavitt were telling us to just be patient, Trump 2.0 is only 7 months old and these things take time, I'd accept that and move on.  But that's not what she's saying.  I'm afraid that the Trump team is blowing smoke as badly as the Dems always have.  Tell Us The Truth!

Then...just last week, They finally stepped in it big.  After more than five years of being lied to about Epstein, the Trump Team tells us there's nothing to see here.  Ghislane Maxwell is in prison for sex trafficking...apparently, to nobody.  If she didn't have any customers, then to whom did she traffic?  Bongino put a lot of time into podcasts talking about the Epstein clients and the serious doubts of an actual suicide.  Now, Bongino says: "Move along.  Nothing to see here".  Bondi tells us that there are "thousands of files" on her desk, awaiting her examination.  Now, she says: "Nevermind".

It's bullshit.  What's worse is that it's obvious, blatant B.S.  Anybody can see that They are lying.  I can't speak for everyone but I CAN say that I, personally, am SICK of lying, elitist politicians!  I've seen calls for Bondi's resignation.  Why?  You really think she's doing this on her own?  Is it even remotely possible that Trump isn't still handling the reins on this?  One of the issues on which he ran was the release of the Epstein information.  Now, what does he say?  “Are you still talking about Jeffrey Epstein? This guy’s been talked about for years.”

What this does for me is it all makes me start to wonder about the whole Trump package.  As much as I hate to admit to being so incredibly wrong myself, I seriously wonder if the Dems could actually have been telling us the truth about him all along.  Is Trump just a very successful con man?  Is all this just an elaborate game that he's been playing on us? 

Just Who Is Donald Trump?  If he really is just a con-man who managed to cloud the minds of so many of us, what is his purpose?  If the Dems are right about this much, are they right about Trump's aims of total domination?  What have we gotten ourselves into?

I'm not too sure that President Bullshit Artist Supreme is actually better than President Cabbage Auto-Pen.

Count Your Blessings

What things do you love about this life? What things make having a body and 5 senses such a wonderful thing?

I love the soft sigh of a heavy snowfall on a still night, as those goose feather snowflakes settle against each other. I love the sound of the snow squeaking under my feet in a super cold Montana night.

I love pancakes! And holding a purring cat. The feel of a horse between my knees. The tug on the line of a fighting trout. Holding one of my children or my Forever Sweetheart close. I loved feeling Joann's hand brush against my back as she touched me on her way by...just to touch me.

1 Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

Most of us start our prayers with a salutation to our Heavenly Father and then, some form of "Thank you for my blessings". It's pretty standard and kind of repetitive. Kind of like: "Dear Mom. how are you? I am fine." in your letters home. Quickly followed by a request for more money from Mom.

My point here is a simple question. Do we actually have the feeling in our hearts of the true blessings for which we thank Him? Or, is this just a preamble.

Mathew 6: 7-8 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

When you thank God for your blessings, take a moment to at least think to yourself what some of those blessings might be. Here are some more:

Can you clip your own nails? Can you get in and out of the shower without help? How about just being able to get in and out of BED without help? Can you feed yourself?

I've seen what it was like to NOT be able to do these things and I learned how many incredible blessings we take for granted. Take Nothing for granted!

There are a lot of things contained in that simple phrase: "Thank you for my blessings". Like most of us, I remember saying this by rote, without any real concept of what blessings really are.

The next time you say a prayer, think about all the things that Heavenly Father has given us. If you really think about it, you'll realize that it's EVERYthing. Our very lives. The smell of turkey, roasting in the oven. The sighing of a breeze in the tops of the tall pines. The feel of the sun on your shoulders.

We enjoy all these things simply because God created an Earth on which we can live and allowed us to have physical bodies here; to learn, to experience and to grow.

https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/media/music/songs/count-your-blessings?lang=eng