I miss the 'Muppet Show'...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/02/10/mf.muppet.favorites.stories/index.html

  

Really, I do. I think I’m going to have to find the whole show on DVD, even before I get Deep Space 9 or any other DVDs. Favorite episodes I remember are when John Denver was on, and ‘the Jabberwocky’. Those were fun.

An interesting article...

http://www.cnn.com/2009/LIVING/wayoflife/02/09/muslims.america/index.html

 

   Basically, the article talks about a university group that goes along through the US, checking out the reactions of people to Muslims. Mostly, the reactions of people seemed to be positive, not full of bigotry and animosity, like I thought it would be.

   I think this is a very good idea, yet I am still saddened that there is still so much hatred-most of it blind. The question they said they were asked ‘Do Muslims love their children’ just makes me shake my head in despair. Of course they love their children. Do you really even need to ask that question?

   The problem with Islam is that the scriptures have been wrested/twisted from their true meaning, allowing fanatics and extremists to do terrible things in the name of their faith. Those few do not represent the overwhelming majority of the faith’s adherents, but most people forget that. Possibly the other problem that Islam has (and I am not an expert on the religion, this is only my speculation) is that it isn’t a centralized religion: there is no one ‘leader’ to receive current instruction to then pass on to the faithful, or to discipline members. It seems to be very decentralized. Mecca is the spiritual center, but no one can receive revelation in order to counter incorrect doctrine.

  This made me realize just how blessed I am to know that God speaks to me today, through His chosen prophet. There is no ambiguity in the scriptures, and questions can get real, current answers. I am not bound to the past, but can live in the present secure in the knowledge that God directs His servants.

 

   The reason I thought that this was a good article is because it seemed to show that the level of intolerance towards Muslims has dropped, and that people are more accepting of others. This is a good thing. I think it is so easy for people, myself included, to harshly judge others, and be uncharitable, because others of the same faith do horrible things.

   Judging, I think, is an almost universal sin. We get caught up in our differences, and start to justify our own shortcomings: ‘Well, I may have problems/sins/hang-ups/whatever-it-is, but I’m not as bad as that person over there.’ What I forget is that the sins/problems/hang-ups/whatever-it-is I have, keep me just as in need of the Atonement as their problems do. I am not better off than they are. I am just as far from God as they are, just as fallen, just as in need of Help and Guidance as they are. In a lot of ways, we/I may be worse off because we have the true Gospel, and fail to live valiantly, are lazy, shirk our duties, and/or fail to fully repent. I have no room to judge, because we are all, as God’s children here on Earth, equal.

Monday 26Jan09 – Alma 44 – I don’t have anything penetrating to say about this chapter, except to marvel at how far making a promise has fallen. Even the ‘bad guys’ in this chapter didn’t want to make a promise that they knew that they would break. These days, most promises aren’t even worth the breath that it takes to make them, and thus are easily broken. But a promise/covenant is a promise, and even if we swear unthinkingly or don’t mean it, we are still held responsible for our actions concerning that covenant. And if we lie when we make that promise, the worse off it is for us.

   Mosiah 11.23 – ‘Yea, and it shall come to pass that except this [person] repents and turns unto the Lord God, they shall be brought into bondage; and none shall deliver them, except it be the Lord the Almighty God.’ Straight talk from Abinadi, isn’t it? It’s obvious that the longer someone/I denies the addictions that trouble me/them, the further they enslave themselves to the Devil. A lifetime of habits are not easy to break, nor is it easy to break a method/pattern of thinking. But, perhaps most debilitating and catastrophic, is the lack of self-honesty that is commonly associated with sin. I know that I have, on many occasions, rationalized my behaviors, saying that what I was doing wasn’t ‘so bad’ as other things I could have been doing. Either that and/or just glossing over any weaknesses we may have and saying ‘Nah, that doesn’t apply to me. I don’t have that problem and I won’t ever have it.’ Any sin, whether it is a huge, horrible nightmare, or a small, white omission, keeps a person as far from Heaven as does the other. There are no such things as ‘small’ sins. True, some are easier to repent of, but even the small ones have a way of accumulating, and further fostering a habit of lying. And remember, I’m pretty sure that I am held responsible for the lies I tell myself, since they are still lies.

 

This was too good to pass up...

...here is the link.

 

And here is the image...

 

I find the 2^nd panel to be the best, simply because I would want to say that to someone, if I were mentally quick enough. Most of the time, I’m not that fast, but I do have a large vocabulary to draw from.... Hmmm. Maybe it’s time to start being more subtle about what/how I say things...

Friday 22Jan09 – Alma43 – This is the chapter where the Lamanites and Zerahemna come against the Nephites, and Captain Moroni ends up surrounding them. I find it interesting that Moroni, even though he was a captain of war, was also a man of God; he would grant the Lamanites a chance to surrender, even though the Lamanites, in a similar situation, wouldn’t have hesitated to wipe out the Nephite army if they had had them surrounded.

   ‘Salvation’ means to save or preserve something precious. One of the ways I feel that God and Jesus show me that I am precious is that I have a wife who came in to my life, who chose me, and who accepts the good-yet-quirky parts of me. She takes me as I am, and only asks that I treat her correctly in return. I know that she is not perfect, as none of us are, but she is more sweet than I deserve. I love her dearly. That They would send someone as precious as she to help me is, quite frankly, astounding.

 

Mon 19Jan09 – Josh’s birthday today. I think he’s 29 now, since we are almost 21 months apart in age. I hope his day has been fun.

   Alma 43 -  I can’t imagine hating anyone as much as the Lamanites did. In this chapter the Zoramites turn in to Lamanites and go to war. The Zoramites are made as leaders over the Lamanite warriors so that their hatred will be strengthened towards the Nephites. OK, I dislike some people, and a few of them I would prefer never to see again; but I’m sure I’m safe in saying that I don’t want to enslave or destroy anyone. What causes people to give their souls over to such all-consuming anger and hatred? As I said, I dislike some people, and it takes a lot of energy to dislike them, when I think about them. The Zoramite level of odio (hate) must have taken even more. No thanks, I’ll stick to disliking, which I should stop anyway, as it isn’t Christlike.

   Mosiah4.6 – ‘...if ye have come to a knowledge of the goodness of God, and His matchless power, and His wisdom, and His patience, and His long-suffering towards [me].’ Before, I thought that God was not very involved in my life. Sure, He’d answered a few prayers, I thought, but never thought of Him as involved. ‘I’m not important enough’ I would say. ‘Real miracles and such are for other, better people than I am.’ Thus, I would rarely seek His help in combating my addiction(s). Then I started to realize that all of those attributes that King Benjamin was talking about apply to Him in my life also. Joseph Smith said that faith can’t come about until we know the attributes of God, and that’s where I was. I thought that I was all by myself, and that I could handle it alone, with occasional Help when I would ask for it. Now, I hope, I know better. Christ has promised that He will help all who come to Him in humility and real intent. And as it says in D&C ‘I the Lord am bound when ye do what I say...’ He wants to help me, just as He wants to help everyone. He is kind, wise, patient and long-suffering. Yes, He justly gets upset with those who break covenants and commandments, but that is why the Atonement exists in the first place- to help those of us who have done things to distance ourselves from Them. And lets be honest, every single person who lived/lives is some distance away from Them. All are in need of help. I know He will not turn away/upbraid those who are honestly trying to do better. I know that I am just as important to Him as someone else who I think is ‘better’ or ‘more worthy of Help’.

 

Sun 18Jan09 – Learned a couple of interesting things at church today. First, that the sealing power that Elijah restored is the most important power that was restored, even more so than the greater Priesthood. Without that power, even with the authority, the ordinances couldn’t be sealed/bound to a person, thus nothing could be done to save the children of God. Second, that a living Christ, who we worship, is more greatly involved in the lives of His Saints than a dead Christ would be. It stands to reason that a living Person is easier to interact/interface with than Someone who is dead, and that He would guide and direct His church. Revelation can only come, I suppose, from a living, current source, and not from any other deceased outlet. This is why we worship a living God, and a living Christ.

   Alma 42.24-25 ‘For behold, justice exerciseth all his demands, and also mercy claimeth all which is her own; and thus, none but the truly penitent are saved. What, do ye suppose that mercy can rob justice? I say unto you, Nay; not one whit. If so, God would cease to be God.’ I find it interesting that justice is manly, but mercy is feminine. How seemingly appropriate. Also, only the truly penitent (repentant and humble) are saved by mercy. Only the ones who make use of the proffered Atonement and remain humble and teachable will be saved. All others will be judged according to the justice of the law.  Ultimately, someone has to answer the price of the broken law. If a person doesn’t repent, does so partially, or grudgingly, then they must bear the full weight of the punishment. However, if they will fully repent, then Christ’s sacrifice protects them, since He has suffered for all sin so that we wouldn’t have to.

   2Ne33.6 - Only Christ has the power to deliver us from Hell, either the place or our own personal Hades. I think that this needs no further elaboration from me, as it is perfectly self-evident that my own personal power has proved insufficient to deliver myself at all. I need all the Help I can get.

   Also, even at age 31, I still don’t like it when people don’t like me. Even when the person is 14 years old.

 

Thurs 15Jan09 – Alma 41.3-4 – No one is inherently good or bad, righteous/evil. All are judged according to their works, and deeds. v.10 – Wickedness was never happiness. This is also so true. You can’t be doing wrong things and be happy. Your eternal soul can’t like it. That which is spiritual in us cries for good things, even after a lifetime of sin. I would think that this is why even people who are reprehensible and/or depraved, when they are honest with themselves (if ever), admit to themselves that they are looking for ‘something else, something better’. That desire is their spirit, which remembers the celestial things, calling for healing. 2Ne4.19 – Even Nephi, the stalwart, obedient, humble Nephi is plagued by sin, beset by his iniquities. I’m pretty sure that the Lord told him, or he was humble enough, to record this because it shows that anyone, even the Lord’s prophet, can be attacked by temptation, gnawed at by his weaknesses, and troubled because of his humanity. This gives me hope: I don’t have to be perfect. I’m not even a prophet, and I can still receive as much aid and comfort as Nephi did, just by asking for it. But I have to trust God first, and then ask. If I ask without faith, I get nothing.

 

Tues 13Jan09 – Helaman 3.27 – ‘And thus we see that the Lord is merciful unto all who will, in the sincerity of their hearts, call upon His holy name.’ I realize, even now, that my prayers are all too often not filled with the sincerity that God wants them to be. I tend to be too hurried/tired/want to go to sleep/forgetful/impatient/etc. to say my prayers as though I were always desperate for His help. Oh sure, when the fecal material hits the oscillating air-blower I’m ready to pray, ready to do anything in order to make it better. But then, after things die down and stabilize, I tend to go back to my own ways. It seems as though the only way I remember to pray is if the Holy Spirit reminds me to do so. I’ve gotten in to the habit of reading scriptures here at work, and working in the workbook, but prayer seems to be the thing I have the most trouble doing. Ironically, it should be the easiest, because it is the most necessary. If I could remember to pray, and then do so with the consistent, fervent zeal and sincerity of a drowning man who is tossed a life-ring, then I would be getting somewhere. Right now, I think the most I can do is to remember to pray, and try to make it a whole-hearted and –minded thing, rather than something that is rushed.

 

 

Mon 12Jan09 – Alma 38.5 ‘And now my son, I would that ye should remember that as much as you shall put trust in God even so much ye shall be delivered out of your trials, and your troubles, and your afflictions, and ye shall be lifted up at the last day.’ I know that this is a true scripture; every time I have prayed for help in pushing temptations out of my mind, they go away. Every time. ‘verse 14 – Do not say: O God, I thank Thee that I am better than my bretheren; but rather say : O Lord, forgive my unworthiness, and remember my bretheren in mercy- yea acknowledge your unworthiness before God at all times.’ Another true scripture. Are we not all dependent upon the Lord for all that we are and have? Am I any better, any less of a sinner, than someone else I may know? Don’t my sins keep me as far from the Heavenly Presence as theirs do? And while I know God loves all of His children, He is definitely pleased with the behavior of some more than others’. I don’t have to wallow in my unworthiness, nor be saddened by it. However, I must always be aware that I need to choose correct things, always seeking for Christ’s will, and that I will always be, as long as I am mortal (and probably a long time after that!), imperfect, and a sinner. Realizing that, I further realize my dependence upon His Atonement, His forgiveness and His mercy. Those 3 things are the only way I’m going to be able to become who He wants me to be.

 

Sun 11Jan09 – I taught 2 lessons today, 1 for Sunday school, and in Priesthood. Class participation certainly makes it easier to teach, but 14 yr. olds don’t seem to participate much. Thinking back 17 years, I thought I participated more than others, but I certainly wasn’t very confident about it. I remember when I came home from Argentina, Josh and Ryan Charles called me ‘the Human Answer’, because I would answer so much in church classes. I wonder if Josh answers more now that he is on his own and an RM... Alma 37.46 ‘O my son, let us not be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so it was for our fathers; for so it was prepared for them, that if they would look they might live; even so it is with us. The way is prepared, and if we will look we may live forever.’ The way is easy for me, at least in theory. I have only to choose to do correct things, to give my will to the Father. Simple, but really, really hard in application. The other part that is easy is that I have had the gospel with me all the time. I can’t remember a time when I haven’t had true knowledge about spiritual things. As such, I tend to become complacent/slothful, because of the easiness of the way.

   ‘Avoidance is not deliverance.’ (workbook, p26)  It is not a permanent end to a conflict. It is not a resolution to a problem. It only means that we go out of our way to get past a problem temporarily. To be delivered from our problems/addictions/complaints is something that no mortal person had the capability of. I know that it’s useless for me to try and deliver myself. It hasn’t worked before, and it definitely won’t work in the future. I can’t rely on myself to get better.

 

Thurs 8Jan09 – Alma 37.34 ‘Teach them to never be weary of good works, but to be meek and lowly of heart; for such shall find rest to their souls.’ I notice that it doesn’t say that we won’t be weary, but that our souls will rest, eventually. Serving others is, I think (even though I’m not too good at it), the quickest way to becoming Christ-like that one can find. If a person can cultivate a delight in helping and prospering others, then life becomes so much easier, I would think. And I’m pretty sure that that delight doesn’t fully grow until it is asked/prayed for.

   Ether 12.27 ‘And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness... For if they will humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.’ It’s seems a bit difficult to realize that the Lord won’t make fun of me if I come to Him and bring all of my weaknesses, trials, complaints and addictions with me. Lesser people might, but since He is the righteous Judge, He knows how to help me. As a matter of fact, He wants everyone to humble themselves, and come in frequent, prayerful supplication to Him in order to find out how He can best help us. I think that oftentimes I pay lip service to the Lord, deluding myself into thinking that since I know what my weaknesses are (and who of us doesn’t?), He must already be aware of them. And since He is aware of them, why doesn’t He help me with them? C’mon, Lord! Help-me-out-with-these-things-that-I-know-I-need-to-fix, but-haven’t- humbled-myself-enough-to-prayerfullyand-sincerely-ask-for-help-with. Remember, Divine help only comes to those who truly humble themselves, and the Lord knows if I am humble when I ask. Also, I can’t fix those addictions/complaints/trials/weaknesses myself. Only He can.

 

Time for something different...

I thought that I would try and post from my journal entries, editing out anything I deem too personal to be seen by the masses (all 4 of you  :D) I do this so I can share about how I am doing, some insights I have had, and because I seem to be unable to post about anything mundane anymore. Let me know if you have any insights to share, if you would please, because I need all of the help I can get. Any references to a Workbook are from Colleen Harrison’s inestimable book He Did Deliver Me From Bondage. I’m pretty sure it’s available @ Deseret Book, and definitely from LDS Addiction Recovery Services. Here goes...

   Wed 7Jan09 – Alma 36.3 ‘...for I do know that whosoever shall put their trust in God shall be supported in their trials and their troubles, and their afflictions, and shall be lifted up at the last day.’ I know that this is true. I think I have always known it is true. Why haven’t I followed it, then? I think I have gotten tired of fighting against my temptations/addictions. When I am the only one fighting, being only mortal, I get tired real quick. However, if I will exercise my faith to call upon the Father to help me, He doesn’t get tired. I only have to exercise my agency to call upon Him, and He will help me. He won’t not help, because He has said He will help all those who call upon Him.  

   Why do bad things happen to good people/Why did God let this happen? This question frustrates me because it paints God as some sort of mean person who sends down calamities upon His children just for fun. That, or God is somehow supposed to shield us from anything bad ever happening to us. Perhaps the error stems from having an incorrect perception of the purpose of life. The purpose is to gain experiences so we can become both more Christ-like, and become more like the Father. There is no other way. And while I feel frustrated that people ask such an ignorant question, I also feel pity for them because they obviously don’t understand why bad things have to happen to everyone. The other thing, in conjunction with this, is the question ‘What do I need to learn/know from this experience?’

   Mosiah 2.21 ‘...I say that if ye should serve Him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants.’ “The truth- that we can’t work our way to worthiness...” (Workbook,  22) I can’t perfect my self to Heaven. Even if could come close, which is obviously impossible (for me), Christ’s grace and mercy are still necessary to celestialize me. There is no other way. That doesn’t mean that I should stop doing good things, but I have to realize that the only thing I can do is seek after Their will. They want me to help and serve others, and to perfect myself, but first realizing that my power to do so is contingent upon my asking for Their help. The only thing They ask is that I give my agency to them, which is the only thing I have to give.

 

Well, I was gonna say that I have nothing to post about...

...and then I saw what my brother Josh had emailed me today. Thanks, Josh.

   First is the Millennium Falcon sled.

   Second is the Dark Hub of the Sith. I’m not sure that it’s worth $60 bucks, but that does look cool. ThinkGeek always has cheesy things to say/write, but it made me laugh.

   Third, I think the unique lightsaber would be an excellent gift for the aspiring Sith Lord you know. None of this plastic, telescoping-blade crap; custom made, and even crafted to duel with, this screams “...an elegant weapon, from a more civilized age.” If you think $140 is worth it, pick one up. Be warned, there are no sound effects with this, but that is a minor trade-off.

 

Merry Christmas to all of you. Be safe and be happy!

Something funny I saw, and can relate to...

From here... about the Real-Time Strategy game Supreme Commander -

  

‘Nothing says "It's too late to be playing" like building a Nuke Eliminator and not putting any missiles in it.

"Strategic launch detected."
"Thank God I built that anti-nuke launcher.
Wait a minute, I don't remember...
Son of a bi(CRISPY)"’

 

This made me laugh a lot. My situation was that I had built my nuke eliminator, and was 1 minute too late in starting my missile build. I got crispied also.

 

What do all of you/us think of DRM in games?

   DRM stands for Digital Rights Management, and is a way for game publishers to control, notionally anyway, what happens to their creation and to fight piracy. For example, EAGames released a game called ‘Spore’ last month, and users were limited to being able to install the game only 5 times. Ever. If they had a hard drive failure, or had to reformat, or some other catastrophe more than 5 times, then their limit would be reached, and then would have to call EA tech support and plead their case to get the game reactivated.

   Nominally these draconian measures are put in place to stop, or impede, piracy of intellectual property. This is supposed to make it more difficult for people to illegally download the game off of a program like BitTorrent. In reality, the DRM gets cracked either before the actual release of the game, or immediately after. Therefore, the DRM is rendered useless, except for those who decide to follow it.

   Ultimately, the ones who get hosed on this deal are the gamers, like me, who pay good money to be able to play the games. There are games that I have that are 10+ years old that I still play (Dune2). If, in 10 years I want to play my copy of Command & Conquer 3 and I have passed my 3-install limit, and EA is no longer around, what do I do? Maybe EA will still be around, but game developers change on a seemingly constant basis. What happens to the people who paid money to get the game?

   I don’t support illegal downloads. I don’t participate in it. Don’t break the law.

   In this instance, however, I believe I will buy whatever copy of a game that I want, like ‘Spore’, and then download a non-DRM copy to install and then play. Then I am legally playing my game, and can bypass their ineffective and useless DRM. Then I win, and so does the publisher.

   While you may not agree with me, I’d like to know what those of you who read this blog think of DRM and its application.

 

Umm, if it says it's from Nigeria...

   ...delete it, and forget about it!

   This poor woman, now poor because of her gullibility and overwhelming sense of greed, got suckered by the most well known email scam in the world. She sent over $400k to the scammers, who are probably still giving each other high-fives and chortling with glee at people’s stupidity.

   The worst part is that other people told/asked her to stop, and she decided not to.

   I just sit here, shaking my head and chuckle to myself. I don’t think I can do anything else. Yes, I am a bad person for laughing at other people’s misery. However, if people tell you to stop doing something, and they are knowledgeable enough to do so, then if you don’t...you bring it upon yourself.

 

   The new computer is up and running, and is currently being stress tested to see if everything works. I’ll get pics of it, all done up, in a while.

   Your link for today is about being rude.

   Yeah, I know it’s from Oprah, but it’s a good article.

   Basically, rudeness stems from a lack of respect towards other people. Everyone has been rude at least once in their lives. Most people are rude because they are either selfish or stressed out. In my opinion, there is never any justification for poor behavior, ever. I know that the times I have been rude, I was also being selfish. I had/have no excuse. I have reasons, but they are pretty lame when analyzed by any sort of rational standard.

   The short version is: treat other people in a manner with which you would want to be treated. Don’t be mean. But, if you have to stand up for yourself, do so in a way that is firm and unyielding, but don’t be mean.

The computer...

   All of my new computer stuff showed up yesterday, and I started the laborious task of getting it all together in to a working unit. You wouldn’t know it by looking on the outside, but there is a lot of effort that goes in to making a computer work; besides all the work to make the separate components, the last task is getting them all to work at the same time.

   I’ll take some pictures so that you are able to see the scope, grandeur and mess that goes in to making your own PC. It may take a while to upload them, but I’ll try.

   Other than that, there isn’t too much else that is vying for my attention right now.

   ...Except for my anniversary, which is tomorrow. It’s hard to believe that we have been married for 5 years now. I don’t know why Valerie puts up with me, as I screw up so often. I am grateful for her kindness towards me, and her laughter. I am glad she loves me, and I know that I am blessed because of it. She deserves better than I can give her...but I try.

   I love you, my precious treasure.

  

A busy weekend, part 2...

I also took 3 hours on Newegg.com to put together a new PC for myself, which is currently un-ordered, for ~$1850. I still need to get the last $350 saved, so I might not have a new PC until the new year, but at least I have a definite idea of what I want, and how much it’s going to cost. It’s sweet. I’m going to see if I can link it so you can see it too.

   Also, a link to a webcomic I find hilariously funny: here. It is tangentially related to my getting a new PC, as it will have Vista on it.

   No link for my projected PC, but I think I was able to post it on the blog. I’ll have to see if it made it when I get home.;