December 29, 2011 J. Max Wilson

Timeline of Book of Mormon and Old Testament Prophets 800 BC – 400 BC

I’ve been getting ready to study the Book of Mormon for Sunday school in 2012. I wanted to create a way to more easily place the first three prophets of the Book of Mormon (Lehi, Nephi, and Jacob) into context related to the prophetic books, and some historical writings like Ezra, of the Old Testament. After some research and experimentation with layout, I put together this timeline of Old Testament and Book of Mormon prophets between 800 B.C. and 400 B.C.

For the best view, and especially for printing, I recommend Continue reading →

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December 24, 2011 J. Max Wilson

The Best Christmas Present Ever

First, a little background: We don’t do Santa at our house. We all make or get presents for each other. All of our children are almost as excited about the gifts they are giving as they are about what they might get. I’ve been teasing the kids all week by telling them that if I couldn’t find anything cool to give them I would just give them all coloring books. Not that coloring books would be a bad gift. But they have received a number of coloring books for birthdays and such and I know that it really isn’t something they want.

It’s Christmas Eve.

With some of our extended family we’ve shared a meal, Continue reading →

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December 21, 2011 J. Max Wilson

HAIR WARS: Mitt Romney vs Newt Gingrich

When evaluating potential U. S. Presidents, it’s always important to avoid making choices based on superficial or transitory qualities. That is why I put together this handy little graphic to help settle one of the most persistent issues of the upcoming election: Who has the most presidential hair: Newt or Mitt?

I mean seriously folks, how can you continue to debate tertiary considerations like moral character, policy position, political philosophy, consistency, trustworthiness, or experience while  Continue reading →

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December 6, 2011 J. Max Wilson

The Dirty Secret That Afghanistan and Hollywood Have In Common

In many ways we assume that liberal Hollywood and reactionary Afghanistan are complete opposites. Hollywood gratuitously flaunts sexuality and pushes the limits of what is socially acceptable.  The Taliban and other groups in Afghanistan impose ultra-conservative religious rules of modesty and appropriate behavior. But both societies share a dirty little secret: rampant pedophilia.

Continue reading →

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October 24, 2011 J. Max Wilson

I Was Constrained By The Spirit That I Should Vote For…

One of the important aspects of the LDS doctrine of personal revelation is that the Holy Spirit can and does sometimes instruct individuals to act contrary to our own reason and understanding.

So here is a little supposal:

Think of a presidential candidate that you do not support.  Now put the candidate’s name into the appropriate places in the following passage:

And it came to pass that I was constrained by the Spirit that I should support [a specific candidate] for President; but I said in my heart: Never at any time have I supported a [candidate of that ideology/party/record]. And I shrunk and would that I might not support [her/him].

And the Spirit said unto me again: Behold it is the Lord’s desire that [that candidate] be President of the United States…

We spend a lot of time debating and defending our political beliefs, and comparing political candidates to our ideals. But what if, regardless of political party, or ideology, or record, or aptitude, or personality, or anything else we might use to judge our candidates, the Lord for His own reasons wants you to support a candidate different than the one you would choose? Continue reading →

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October 12, 2011 J. Max Wilson

LDS Correlation, Catholic Correlation, and Protection from Apostasy

First, a quick overview of the term “Correlation”.

Before 1972, the auxiliary organizations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, including the Relief Society, the Primary, Sunday School, and the Young Men and Young Women Organizations were largely directed at the stake or ward level, and the curriculum could vary from ward to ward.  A Correlation Committee had existed since 1908, but the First Presidency of the Church under the direction of President Harold B. Lee placed all organizations, curricula, and periodicals under the direction of the priesthood and established departments to  standardize and correlate the programs of the church.

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September 20, 2011 J. Max Wilson

Original Poetry: By the Hand of Uriah

In the months I was preparing to visit Israel last year, I listened to a great deal of the Old Testament while riding my bicycle to and from work. Listening instead of reading helped me approach the scriptures in a way that prompted new insights and ideas, and I unexpectedly found that listening inspired me with some ideas for poetry to write.

Though I am not a prolific poet, the poetry I write is usually infused with gospel concepts and imagery. But I had never thought of poetry so directly inspired by scriptural narratives before.

As is usual for me, the time between when the idea for a poem occurs to me and when I actually write it is substantial. It has been well over a year, and I am now approaching the one year anniversary of my trip to Israel for Sukkot, the Feast of the Tabernacles.

This last Sunday, I sat down and wrote a draft of the first poem, and then honed it during the next day and a half. Hope you enjoy it.

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September 16, 2011 J. Max Wilson

The Rise and Fall of Constitutional Government in America

To celebrate the anniversary of the U. S. Constitution on September 17th, I want to recommend that everyone take some time to review our founding documents and learn about their meaning and purpose.

I have repeatedly found that the best scholarship and writing concerning the Constitution comes from the good folks at the Claremont Institute.

Thomas G. West and Douglas A. Jeffrey, both senior fellows at the Claremont Institute, have published a booklet entitled “The Rise and Fall of Constitutional Government in America”, which I highly recommend to anyone who wants to better understand the Constitution and the dangers presented by our modern abandonment of its principles.

It is available as a free PDF document here:

The Rise and Fall of Constitutional Government in America: A Guide to Understanding the Principles of the American Founding (PDF)

“No free government, or the blessings of liberty, can be preserved to any people, but by a firm adherence to justice, moderation, temperance, frugality, and virtue, and by frequent recurrence to fundamental principles”

- Virginia Bill of Rights, June 12, 1776

Continue reading →

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September 9, 2011 J. Max Wilson

Downloadable PDF of New Daughters in My Kingdom Manual for LDS Women

The new LDS manual for Mormon Women is now available in PDF format.

The official website for the book is:

http://lds.org/relief-society/daughters-in-my-kingdom

The book is unique among the church’s modern manuals in that it is the work of a single author, Sister Susan Tanner, and not written by a committee.

 

 

 

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September 7, 2011 J. Max Wilson

West African Mormon Missionaries Sing Called To Serve

A few years ago my brother, Ben, visited Ghana to do some research into how music, drums, and rhythm are used in traditional practices and shamanism.  While he was there he shot a lot of video and during part of the visit he got to go teach with some of the missionaries there.

Even though it’s been a while, he recently rediscovered this video he shot of a couple of Mormon missionaries from West Africa singing the LDS missionary anthem, “Called to Serve” and he just put it up on YouTube.

With all of the potential pop-cultural misperceptions of Mormon missionaries resulting from the “Book of Mormon” Musical, I thought it would be useful to share a taste of real LDS missionaries in Africa.  Enjoy!

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