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Come Follow Me (Alma 51 & 60) Those kingmen, though. They sure knew how to bury the lead story of their true motives when their cause was introduced: "there were a part of the people who desired that a few particular points of the law should be altered." (Alma 51:2) No biggie - just a few teensy tweaks. As the petition was presented and the inevitable tantrum ensued because Pahoran denied the request, the few particular points became a movement to dethrone Pahoran. This group of citizens would rather have a king because that seems a more sensible way to get what they want. The petition became a ballot initiative, with catchy slogans and monikers on both sides of the issue. Kingmen described those who "were desirous that the law should be altered in a manner to overthrow the free government and to establish a king over the land." (Alma 51:5) Those who wanted to maintain a free government with the brilliant system of judges established by King Mosiah called themselves freemen . Suddenly, a country with national threats to their security is plunged into a civil dispute - "but not unto bloodshed." (Alma 51:4) The election turned out in favor of keeping the chief judge, which put the issue to rest - for a few minutes, anyway. This begs the question - what does a free government look like? Reading both the Old Testament and Book of Mormon, as well as what God has said about governments in D&C 134, and studying the ideas of the American Founders, I've made an extremely pared down list so I don't go off on a tangent. Since tangential is sort of my zip code. A free government: Establishes and maintains laws which foster self-governance: laws which provide incentives for self-reliance and makes it difficult to become chronically dependent. Focuses on the protection of individual rights civically - and the rights of the entire country nationally - particularly against foreign influence and invasion. This is the very essence of why governments were established in the first place. A free government - focused on its primary job of protecting rights - doesn't micromanage the individual lives of its people. This implies that centralized government far away from the individual citizens is undesirable because it's least efficient, least effective, unsustainable, and contrary to individual rights in the first place. It's good to consider basic elements of a free government when you consider what sort of people would oppose it. We get a brief sketch in Alma 51:8: "Now those who were in favor of kings were those of high birth, and they sought to be kings; and they were supported by those who sought power and authority over the people." (Alma 51:8) Hmmm ... those who both sought to be kings and those who supported them who also wanted power and authority. From behind the scenes, perhaps? Interesting distinction, don't you think? It seems those "of high birth" would be individuals who imagine themselves better suited to rule than the ordinary class citizen. No doubt, these would be folks who ascribe to Plato's ideal of philosopher kings: "Plato argues that philosophers are the most qualified individuals to rule the state due to their deep understanding of truth, justice, and the nature of the human soul. He believed that ordinary people often lack the wisdom and insight necessary for effective governance." ( https://platointelligence.com/what-is-a-philosopher-king-according-to-plato/#google_vignette ) Just a wild guess: I'm thinking money is always going to be involved with those who fancy themselves better qualified to rule. You actually get a fuller sense of what kingmen look like - what they do and what motivates them - in Moroni's epic letter to Pahoran in Alma 60. From the seeming and deceptive safety of our 21st century perch, we generally read that letter knowing the gross misunderstanding from Moroni's perspective, but read it again. This time - imagine he's writing it to those very kingmen who had run Pahoran out of town. There's an excellent sense of how kingmen operate and gain strongholds in governments. Disclaimer - the first two on the list don't come from Moroni's letter; just FYI: When they don't get their way at the polls - "by the voice of the people" - they look to other means to force their point (see Alma 46 and Helaman 1). They generally see external enemy influences, which threaten national security, as opportunities rather than threats (Alma 51:13). Now - Moroni's accusations - which are 100% correct when it comes to the kingmen: View national defense and border protection as a low priority of government - which is the very purpose of government (Alma 60:2). Live in comfort and luxury on the backs of others who do without (Alma 60:5, 7). CAVEAT: THIS IN NO WAY EQUATES TO INCOME INEQUALITY AMONG PRIVATE CITIZENS. We're talking about government. Private individuals who have more have a moral and spiritual duty, as per the first and second commandments, to share. THIS ... is not THAT. The liberty of others is a lower priority than personal comfort amidst political turmoil and upheaval (Alma 60:10). Assume that God's protection will come without any personal involvement in political conflict (Alma 60:11). Corruption follows divisiveness in government, as factions turn to immoral acts to further their goals - "the ends justify the means" (Alma 60:15-16). Personal comfort and security actually become the motivators to stay uninvolved (Alma 60:19-23). Government leaders neglect to put their own house in order before addressing external threats (Alma 60:23-24). There is one constant in any equation which seeks to predict outcomes in human behavior - human nature . In spite of the equation, and in spite of the volatile and unstable nature of human nature - human nature is ironically - wildly predictable: "We have learned by sad experience that it is the nature and disposition of almost all men, as soon as they get a little authority, as they suppose [or money, or education, or influence], they will immediately begin to exercise unrighteous dominion." (D&C 121:39) If you're reading this, you probably failed the kingman test, but you might want to consider using it as a litmus test for future political candidates. We already have far too many kingmen in offices for my comfort or taste.

Come Follow Me (3 Nephi 1-7) I know I sound like a broken record. Reading the Book of Mormon just keeps feeling eerily like I'm reading a modern news story, or reading a transcript of a modern interview with a current political candidate, or listening to a current political speech. IT'S. EERIE, I tell you, and I'm starting to feel a tad repetitive. I'm starting to feel a tad repetitive. And parenthetically, before I call out Giddianhi for his perfectly appalling letter in 3 Nephi chapter 3, I need to rave for just a little minute about the absolute brilliance of the Book of Mormon in general. First and foremost, it testifies of the divine redeeming message and mission of Jesus Christ. So - not just brilliant there, but inspired. Second, it shows what good government and bad government looks like, underscoring the how very much is at stake when secret combinations are allowed to flourish. But thirdly, this book is fast becoming my favorite guidebook on human nature in general. I'd so love to sit down with a clinical psychologist who's read it to dissect the many predictable patterns of human behavior that are so starkly laid out here. You can learn SO MUCH about human nature from reading this book. I had to say that first so that the letter in 3 Nephi chapter 3 serves as a huge Exhibit A in our case for human nature remaining static for lo, these millennia of history. I will never stop finding this fact remarkable: in all its capricious volatility, human nature is staggeringly predictable in any myriad of scenarios. Look at the man behind the letter: Giddianhi is the current head of the Gadianton robbers, the secret combination - which at this point is anything but secret. They're so far along in gaining complete control of the government, they don't even pretend to hide their plans and motives anymore. Gone are the days of couching their agenda in pleasing rhetoric; now it's just "We want power, and we don't care whom we have to get rid of to get it." Giddianhi opens his letter with condescending lies, insinuating that the government Lachoneus oversees has happened dishonestly. He mocks Lachoneus for attributing their preservation to God, and acts as if the rights of liberty and property aren't legitimate: "maintaining that which ye suppose to be your right and liberty; yea, ye do stand well, as if ye were supported by the hand of a god, in the defence of your liberty, and your property, and your country, or that which ye do call so ." (3 Nephi 3:2, emphasis added) It's at this point in a modern-day movie when the victim who is being set up to look crazy usually raises his voice. "I am NOT crazy!" he/she strongly protests, lending perfectly to the perpetrator's plans to make the person look crazy. Suddenly, the villain can leap back in greatly postured surprise and even fear, again - lending to the perception of the victim being truly unhinged. But Giddianhi is writing a letter, and the pile-on of gaslighting rhetoric continues. Speaking of his men who are ready to annihilate the Nephites: "...knowing of their unconquerable spirit, having proved them in the field of battle, and knowing of their everlasting hatred towards you because of the many wrongs which ye have done unto them, therefore if they should come down against you they would visit you with utter destruction." (3 Nephi 3:4, emphasis added) Remind me what wrongs the Nephites committed again? Not giving them their way? Yeah, pretty much. He goes on, adding more lies: "Therefore I have written this epistle... feeling for your welfare, because of your firmness in that which ye believe to be right..." (3 Nephi 3:5) Do you honestly think this man is worried about the welfare of the people he wishes to conquer, particularly when in the next breath he claims that all that they possess is illegitimately theirs, after he has already stated he means to take it for himself? And then it just gets creepy - the lie of the payoff: "...yield yourselves up unto us, and unite with us and become acquainted with our secret works, and become our brethren that ye may be like unto us - not our slaves, but our brethren and partners of all our substance." (3 Nephi 3:7) Is there anyone who would believe this potentially invading force is going to make those he conquers his equals in rights and privileges? When has that ever happened? I'll quick and wait while you google and check... Please note: the true motive is revealed in the negative promise at the end of that statement: "not our slaves." The translation of "we don't want to make your slaves" ? "We intend to make you our slaves." This is roughly akin to the old Jedi mind trick: "These are not the droids you are looking for." The promise of complete destruction if these demands aren't met follow, and then Giddianhi sunnily concludes his missive: "...I am governor of this the secret society of Gadianton; which society and the works thereof I know to be good..." "...deliver up your lands and your possessions...that this my people may recover their rights and government, who have dissented away from you because of your wickedness in retaining from them their rights of government." (3 Nephi 3:9-10) The final coup de grace - these things are unlawfully yours because you took them from us. The letter is completely preposterous in its claims, and the language seeks to make the bully - Giddianhi - the victim. Classic narcissistic behavior. Thank heaven Lachoneus was a wise and discerning leader who couldn't be cowed by such blatant tactics of intimidation. A pattern for dealing with such threats in the Lord's way finishes the chapter: Lachoneus urges his people to pray for strength to go against these ruthless enemies (v. 12). He gathered everyone together in one body and made sure there were strong military reinforcements around them (v. 13-14). Gidgiddoni, the chief military leader who also had the spirit of revelation (v. 19), taught the people that the Lord will never condone the first strike. This is the way to assure the Lord's protection in an unrighteous confrontation (v. 21). Previously, the people had received counsel to prepare for potential sieges, so they had provisions to see them through a war. Perhaps this story makes you feel like you just read a current events story, rather than of an event which happened over two thousand years ago. For your consideration, I submit this as today's Exhibit A of 'There is Nothing New Under the Sun Where Human Nature is Concerned.' Same song, different singers. For the record, I wish we had more leaders - and citizens - who didn't fall for the gaslighting today. I wish we had more leaders who didn't do the gaslighting. Perhaps that's a litmus test in discerning true motives, eh?

(Edited from original post September 12, 2021) Yesterday, I read a number of posts of the phone transcript from Todd Beamer on Flight 93 from September 11, 2001. Todd Beamer’s story will forever touch me - evoke the most primal, raw emotions of grief and gratitude. Grief - that such a fine young man left this world so soon. Gratitude - that such men are sent into a world with so much darkness and selfishness - sent into the kingdom for such a time as this - to show us what living is for. It will forever touch me that seeing nothing but death as a choice, this man chose to use his death to save others. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” (John 15:13) I’ve always seen the Christ-like parallel in Todd Beamer’s choice, because even for me, it’s kind of hard to miss. But yesterday, reading the entire transcript again, the words right before the gritty, courageous words, “Let’s roll,” I caught something new. “I will fear no evil, for thou art with me….. [Psalms 23] “Todd: (softer) God help me…Jesus help me…” Suddenly, in that last quiet part of a desperate prayer, I was reminded of another quiet, desperate prayer: “And he went a little further, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.” (Matthew 26:39) In those last words of Todd Beamer, I felt that reluctance a person would feel prior to the hardest thing he is asked to do in this life, being uttered right alongside the prayer asking for the strength to do it. Right beside the plea for the strength, is the plea of a frightened child: Father - please don’t make me do this. But if I must - please don’t let me shrink. And suddenly, I realized that that prayer is the prayer of every single good person I know. Every single person I know well enough to talk about Real with - is more than a little unsettled about what lies ahead as the world darkens - and brightens - simultaneously. How brilliant that the apostle John compares waiting for the Savior’s return to childbirth. I remember in the weeks leading up to my children’s births, not knowing what to expect, I went through periodic waves of the exact same prayer of a brave but frightened child: Father - please don’t make me do this. But if I must - please don’t let me shrink. Waiting for a baby to be born, or the King to return, is a bit grim in the final hours. The sense that much, much more is going to be required of us than we may currently possess, is an overwhelming feeling - whether you’re 8 months pregnant, about to take down a plane hijacked by evil men, or simply a committed disciple determined to emulate the Son of Man in His love for all of God’s children. However that may look in your corner of His kingdom. Every committed disciple I know is grappling with how to love each other when the powers of darkness seek to turn each other into Other. The most divisive, dangerous, and deadly word we can use for another child of God - a brother or sister - is Other. Divisiveness is the true contagion - highly transmissible if emotion is given sway over principles of love, unity, agency, compassion, forgiveness, and forbearance. As I read Todd Beamer’s prayer before he got up off his knees and went to the work of his heroic death, I wept afresh - just like every time I read his story - but this time, with new insight. Todd Beamer is all of us, knowing that lots of ugly lies ahead, but knowing something is expected of us to combat the ugliness. Love. Beauty for ashes. God… help us. Jesus… help us. Then… Let’s roll.

Come Follow Me (Helaman 1-6) One of my very favorite scriptures - even when I'm not reading it - is Helaman 3:29-30. It explains the importance of exact obedience in God's math equation of getting us where He wants us to be - with Him: "Yea, we see that whoever will may lay hold upon the word of God, which is quick and powerful, which shall divide asunder all the cunning and the snares and the wiles of the devil, and lead the man of Christ in a strait and narrow course across that everlasting gulf of misery which is prepared to engulf the wicked - "And land their souls, yea, their immortal souls, at the right hand of God in the kingdom of heaven , to sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and with Jacob, and with all our holy fathers, to go no more out." (Helaman 3:29-30) I must confess: this scripture captured my attention when I first noticed three verbs next to each other in verse 29: 'will', 'may', and 'lay'. Apparently, once an English teacher, always an English teacher; my ever-present imaginary red pencil started twitching, certain this was some sort of grammatical error. Au contraire. Allow me to translate - with an ever-so-slight change in wording: "... whoever wants to, may choose to lay hold..." AHA. If I desire it, I can choose to grab hold of God's words - His rescuing gospel of Jesus Christ. It clearly reveals the deceptions of the destroyer. It changes me as I continue to practice higher and holier thought and behavior patterns. It teaches me repentance is simply repeating the process of change through practicing those higher and holier behaviors - even when they feel wholly unnatural to a natural girl at first. If continued, grabbing hold of this eternal reality sets me on a trajectory which will carry me across a gulf of misery. Now you know why you had to lay hold - hang on! There's a trajectory that will send you sailing... And eventually land you right next to God. Right where He lives - to live as He lives - and best part: "to go no more out." (v. 30) Apparently, exact obedience creates a trajectory. God's done the math, and teaches us that exact obedience takes us to the grand destination of the celestial kingdom. This is fabulous news, but on any given day, my natural self is limply lying next to my metaphorical handcart, completely girding for the next step ; who can think about the wild ride of celestializing? (see https://www.laureensimper.com/post/just-lyin-in-the-snow-on-a-summer-s-day-lookin-up-at-jesus ) The ride wouldn't be possible, and our being changed by the ride wouldn't be possible, were it not for the cleansing, redeeming, enabling, transforming blood of Jesus Christ. He came so you can take the ride. If you want to. No pressure. No one is forced; there isn't even a punishment for not taking the ride. The last two general conferences have had marvelous talks about three destinations - or landing spots - for God's children: President Dallin H. Oaks, "Kingdoms of Glory," October 2023: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2023/10/17oaks?lang=eng Elder D. Todd Christofferson, "The Testimony of Jesus," April 2024: https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/2024/04/51christofferson?lang=eng Our generous Father has prepared beautiful, unfathomable homes for all His children, save a very special few (see President Oaks' talk particularly). All will be perfectly suited for where they land, based on their level of obedience. Exact obedience lands us back with Him; casual obedience lands us in a realm ruled by Jesus Christ Himself; and even disobedience lands us in a realm ruled by the Holy Ghost. None are icky. There are just more privileges that come with more light, more obedience, and more learned and practiced ability to rule and reign... over yourself. (see D&C 76) Of course, Father generously wants to give us the entire kingdom, which is why He sent His perfect Son to earn it for all who will receive it, since we were pretty much disqualified the minute we entered this fallen sphere. But if you don't want it all, He pleads to give you some inheritance. He will give you as much as you can abide (see D&C 88:16-40). Father didn't randomly dream up rules for us, or penalties for breaking those rules. He enforces the rules of the universe; this is why He is God. Neal A. Maxwell wrote: "It is important to understand that obedience is not simply a requirement of a capricious god who wants us to jump hurdles for him for the entertainment of the Royal Court. It is really the pleading of a loving Father to you and me to discover, as quickly as we can, what we will discover eventually , that there are key concepts and principles that make for happy survival in a planned but otherwise cold universe. Faith and obedience compensate for the shortfall that is true of each of us in terms of our limited experience and limited knowledge. We simply have to rely on these other things to carry us forward at times because our experience and our knowledge fall short. And that pleading from a loving Father, and His prophets here, is to spare us the kind of pain that we will feel if we will not listen." (Neal A. Maxwell, A Time to Choose , p. 13-14) A final word to those of you who concuss as your trajectory lands you in hot water, a pile of mess, or against another brick wall, far less than glorious destinations, because holy smokes - you got it wrong. Again. Jesus. That's the final word. This whole practice of life is set up, from before the foundations of the world, for us to fail quite spectacularly on any given day, and not forever disqualify ourselves for this incredible ride back to the celestial kingdom. If your prayers are anything like mine, and you remonstrate to Father, "I can't do it!" - I most sincerely pray you can hear the voice of your Father - through His Holy Spirit - say to you: "Of course you can't. That's the point. Won't you please let me help you? It's why I came." Remember: no matter what the pathetic number in the equation that represents your ability, x + infinity = infinity. He came so you can practice. Not neurotically, yet not cavalierly. But with real intent. With full purpose of heart. He's ready to add to your teeny number and land you where you want to go - eventually soaring over all hot water, piles of mess, and hard brick walls. He means to bring you home, to go no more out. It's why He came. He's done the math, we just have to keep working the equation.

Come Follow Me (Alma 43-52) The beginning war chapters of Alma rival any film about intrigue, treachery, patriotism and heroism you might be currently binge-watching on Netflix. Mormon tells the gripping tale of two leaders as foils to contrast each other in their character, desires, and works. One is his son's namesake - a man who put his country first and could see clearly through deception and demagoguery. One was the demagogue himself - an all-too-typical wannabe dictator - self-serving, cunning, and ruthless. Captain Moroni portrays a type of Jesus Christ: while not sacrificing his own life as our Savior did, he lived his life willing to do so if necessary to defend his country. Amalackiah portrays a type of Satan - living constantly in a state of entitled umbrage, supposing himself denied his due by others far less deserving. Mormon abridges this part of the record almost more as a well-trained author rather than an inspired historian and prophet. The contrast could not be more clear - the fruit of obedience to God's law leads to service, sacrifice, and freedom. The fruit of disobedience is selfishness, using others to serve selfish ends, and bondage for anyone foolish enough to hitch his wagon to that inevitably briefly bright star. The ongoing game of "How Does the Book of Mormon Look Like Today?" continues, and for those of you playing along at home, look at the same patterns of the adversary from millennia ago, and how they eerily resemble patterns you've most likely watched in the news recently. Every time, Moroni's response centers on "the cause of Christians"- the righteous use of agency which needs to be protected from tyranny. Amalackiah used demagoguery to "stir up" the people. His only cause was himself: he wanted the power to rule. The definition of demagogue: "a leader who obtains power by means of impassioned appeals to the emotions and prejudices of the populace." Moroni's response to Amalackiah gaining popular influence was to remind the people what they stood to lose if he became king: their liberty, their right to worship, and their families. While equally impassioned, Moroni reminded his people of what they were fighting for - not what they were fighting against: " And it came to pass that he rent his coat; and he took a piece thereof, and wrote upon it - In memory of our God, our religion, and freedom, and our peace, our wives, and our children - and he fastened it upon the end of a pole." (Alma 46:12) Amalackiah saved his own skin and left his followers behind when he could see he had lost momentum in his cause (Alma 46:29), and through treachery and fraud, quietly executed a coup among the Lamanites by assassinating their chief commander and then their king. As he went, he continued to make the issue about personalities and people - villainizing the entire Nephite nation to create an enemy to drive emotion and gain support. Moroni - even before the detailed descriptions of banks of earth and watch towers and weaponry - was "preparing the minds of [his] people to be faithful unto the Lord their God" (Alma 48:7) - teaching them correct principles to inspire a desire to govern themselves which was stronger than their desire to have a king. Demagogues create an enemy and stir up emotions against that enemy. Patriots defend principles - because correct principles lived and honored protect those they love. Amalackiah used the sword to gain selfish ends. He died by the sword, as Jesus promised (Matthew 26:52). Moroni used the sword to defend his neighbors, his family, and his homeland for unselfish ends: "...the Nephites were inspired by a better cause, for they were not fighting for monarchy nor power but they were fighting for their home and their liberties, their wives and their children, and their all, yea, for their rites of worship and their church." (Alma 43:45) As you read the rhetoric of the ancient despot and patriot, see if there are any similarities in today's touted causes. Fighting against people for a selfish end? Or fighting for the things you love the most? Fighting against people and personalities? Or fighting for principles? The fight hasn't changed, only the actors have. The causes haven't changed. But perhaps, thanks to the perennial focus groups, the rhetoric has been repackaged to sound more appealing. The warning of J. Reuben Clark, Jr. is as prescient today as when he wrote; "... in the whole history of the human race, from Adam until now, Tyranny has never come to live with any people with a placard on his breast bearing his name. He always comes in deep disguise, sometimes proclaiming an endowment of freedom, sometimes promising help to the unfortunate and downtrodden, not by creating something for those who do not have, but by robbing those who have. But Tyranny is always a wolf in sheep's clothing, and he always ends by devouring the whole flock, saving none. So it is today." (President J. Reuben Clark, Jr., Church News, September 21, 1946) So it was in 73 B.C. So it is in 2024.

Today the Primary children got to ask our bishop what his favorite parable was. He briefly told them why he likes the Good Samaritan. After I wondered if the kids knew what he was talking about, I wondered if I had a favorite. Truth to tell, I am favorite impaired. When Dale was in the Tabernacle Choir, people would ask me what my favorite song was in their tour concerts, and I would answer, “The one they are singing at the moment.”  Same with favorite food: the one in my mouth.  Maybe it’s just lousy decision making, but there it is. But not today. Instantly the parable of the vineyard workers came to my mind. In Matthew chapter 20 Jesus tells of a landowner who hired workers first thing in the morning, a few hours later, a few hours after that, and then at the very end of the day, with only one hour of sunlight left to work. Those who had worked all day were paid their contracted price, but were incensed to learn that the latecomers earned the exact wage. Jesus teaches that God doesn’t care when you come - He just wants you to come. He’ll welcome you no matter when you choose to come - He just wants you to come because you’re His precious child and He craves you the way you crave your children. This parable has been profoundly instructive of how generous Father is in His second, and third, and three millionth chances for me to try again. I’m sure it was on my mind today because this morning, I was again having one of my prayers with a recurring theme: regret. I know we’ve discussed Uncle Ricco, ( https://www.laureensimper.com/post/the-good-news-of-no-do-overs ) but there it is - I was mourning years - decades - of miscomprehension (euphemism for finger up my nose) and distraction (euphemism for laziness or procrastination), and once again asked Father if it was too late to live myself out of a myriad of consequences I’ve squarely earned for myself. The words were barely out, and the imagery of the parable in Matthew 20 came into my mind. While none of these words came into my mind, Father sent me these encouraging thoughts through that one image: “I don’t care that you’ve got less of your life to live than you’ve already lived - make the changes anyway.” “I pay the same for the latecomers, because I’m so thrilled that no matter how late you are, you still want to come and work for Me.” “You’re not a prisoner of your choices, because you can make a different choice this second - and I’ll help you.” Suddenly, I realized that making changes - changes me - whether the results are immediate or not. If I reach out with good will across a gap of indifference or hostility in a relationship, I mustn’t stay my hand, so to speak, and withdraw if I’m rebuffed. If I work in God’s vineyard, I know His standard, and I love Him enough to keep throwing good will across that gap regardless of outcome. If I read scriptures uncomprehendingly, wondering what on earth I just read (why yes, I was thinking about Isaiah, why do you ask?), I mustn’t stop reading in frustration, surrendering to my current level of understanding. If I work for God, I know His pay scale and keep reading, knowing one day, Isaiah’s words will reveal themselves like those elusive 3D pictures. If I attempt to adopt healthy choices for the rest of my life after years of neglecting my body, I must continue to make those choices until they become true habits, knowing my body will eventually trust me and serve me better. If I belong to God, I love Him enough to trust His promises and know I will be different at the end of the day. Even if I come at the end of the day. Even if for now, it may feel like I live in a prison of past choices because I didn’t show up earlier. In order to think celestial, I have to disconnect telestial cause and effect. This is a higher level of faith -  knowing that God’s laws of cause and effect don’t always show up in this lifetime. What I become making the celestial choice in a telestial world will always be worth it. Even if I don’t make the choice until I’m 67. I can’t necessarily work for results. I just need to work, learning to want what God wants, learning to love what God loves, knowing that each choice to change is the choice to come to the vineyard to work. Knowing that the pay is excellent and reliable. Even at the end of the day. That’s why I’ll never truly be a prisoner of my choices. The Eagles sang it best: “So oftentimes it happens that we live our lives in chains, and we never even know we have the key.” That’s what coming later in the day is all about. The good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ is that I can change - right this minute. At 10:00 p.m. Every choice is like another drop of oil in my lamp, changing me and preparing me so I’m ready to go in when the Bridegroom comes. I think I just switched parables, and so maybe this one is my new favorite…

Come Follow Me (Alma 39-42) I find myself quoting Mark Twain often with this characteristically pithy wisdom:  “Good judgment comes from experience. Experience comes from bad judgment.” Those ten words get to the heart the human experience, and to the heart of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  Christ's generous atoning sacrifice offers us all the benefit of experience - good judgment - without leaving us forever the prisoner of the inevitable consequences of our bad judgment.   As I write that, it almost sounds like an impossible sleight of hand: how is that even possible? Enos, incredulous at its effects in his own heart, asked,  Lord, how is it done?” (Enos 1:7) Alma explains this wondrous doctrinal reality in chapters 41-42 with some of the best clarity in all of scripture. The doctrine of restoration  is  the doctrine of turning bad judgment into good judgment, because of Jesus Christ. Chapter 41 sets up the dilemma of natural law which forever consigns us to those consequences.  Alma teaches: “And it is requisite with the justice of God that men should be judged according to their  works ; and if their works were good in this life, and the  desires  of their hearts were good, that they should also, at the last day, be restored unto that which is good. “And if their  works  are evil they shall be restored unto them for evil. Therefore, all things shall be restored to their proper order… “The one raised to happiness according to his  desires of happiness, or good according to his  desires  of good; and the other to evil according to his  desires  of evil…” (Alma 41:3-5) Alma makes it perfectly clear that both our desires and works over a lifetime create a perfect record to be judged from - which do we want - happiness or misery? Light or darkness? Freedom or captivity? I don’t know about you, but my works and desires are unruly and wildly unpredictable.  The education of earth is a grueling process at my house, and schooling those desires to fit into the will of God feels like trying to contain plutonium in a lunch sack.   I’d give the entire project up as hopeless, were it not for the glorious realities Alma teaches Corianton. He continues: “… if  he hath repented of his sins, and desired righteousness until the end of his days, even so he shall be rewarded unto righteousness. “Now, the decrees of God are  unalterable ; therefore, the way is prepared that whosoever  will  may walk therein and be saved.” (Alma 41:6,8) There's that comforting promise again: I can have this - if I want it. Irredeemably stained from living in this fallen world, I can't escape eternal justice which must be paid. God isn't a hard nose because of this requirement; Alma teaches: "Now the work of justice could not be destroyed; if so, God would cease to be God." (Alma 42:13) But because of Jesus Christ, my massive debt to justice is paid. I don't know how He did that for every living soul through the millennia in that one horrible, finite night, but He did. It allows mercy to be offered, and justice to still be paid: "And now, the plan of mercy could not be brought about except an atonement should be made; therefore God himself atoneth for the sins of the world, to bring about the plan of mercy , to appease the demands of justice, that God might be a perfect, just God, and a merciful God also." (Alma 42:15) In "The Mediator" - Elder Boyd K. Packer's general conference talk from April 1977 - he tells an original parable to illustrate how Jesus Christ becomes our mediator to pay justice - allowing both justice to be satisfied with full payment, thanks to His atoning sacrifice - and for mercy to be applied for those who accept Jesus as their creditor. ( https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1977/04/the-mediator?lang=eng ) This video was in this week's Come Follow Me Lesson, depicting Elder Packer's parable: https://youtu.be/d7N5QDDboi8?si=uYqWznLii9lpq9eW Alma reiterates: "Therefore, O my son, whosoever will come may come and partake of the waters of life freely; and whosoever will not come the same is not compelled to come; but in the last day it shall be restored unto him according to his deeds." (Alma 42:27) Heaven is our original home. To be restored through Jesus Christ is to be as clean as when I left home. But now, because of His supreme act of love, I come with all the experience of doing it so gloriously wrong for lo, these many years. To quote our dear new temple president, Kenneth DuVall: "Perhaps his arms and hands are always outstretched so that we can clearly see the visible signs of His uncompromising commitment to our success in the imprints on his palms and wrists." (Kenneth DuVall, Taylorsville Temple President, Taylorsville Temple Dedication, June 2, 2024) Heaven is truly our original factory reset, because of Jesus Christ. But thanks to Him, all the data of our learned lessons isn't erased! Jesus was with the Father from the beginning when the Plan was designed and sustained and He agreed to implement it. He completed the transaction and paid the debt in full when He said "It is finished" on the cross (John 19:30). He is literally the author and finisher of our faith (Hebrews 12:2). We can gain the experience to achieve eternal judgment without forever remaining prisoners of our bad judgment, because of Him. "Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." (2 Corinthians 9:15)

Come Follow Me (Alma 32-35) The cancel culture seems terribly au courant because it hit so fast and almost feels like it came out of nowhere, but there's truly nothing new under the sun. Cancel culture was alive and well and living in Zarahemla in 74 B.C. Well. Alive and well and living not far from Zarahemla, where the Zoramites had settled when the predominant religious teachings offended them. After removing themselves from the main body of Nephites, they took the loveliest parts of the teachings - the salvation of man - and gave them a comfortable carnal twist, removing all those pesky commandments which may draw self-reflection and recognition of a need to change. (See Alma 31) When Alma begins to teach the rejected Zoramites, the unhip crowd who gauchely shopped at discount stores and didn't fit into the opulence of the Zoramite synagogues... wouldn't you think the hip crowd would have been relieved? "Phew! Now they have a place to be away from us - we can be well rid of them!" they might have said to themselves, congratulating themselves on their campaign of condescension and derision. But this is where human nature is a bit of a head scratcher. Indeed - why do some belief systems insist on more than simply separating themselves from those they've deemed odious and offensive? Why is it never enough to simply coexist in different air space? A pattern plays out whenever the hubris of humans gets the better of them, and a group of them decides their erudite ways must be protected from the unenlightened, the uninformed, unbelievers, or the uncool. They separate themselves: " Now the Zoramites were dissenters from the Nephites..." (Alma 31:8) They exclude any deemed "less than" or "other": " ... the poor class of people... were cast out of the synagogues because of the coarseness of their apparel - Therefore they were not permitted to enter into their synagogues to worship God, being esteemed as filthiness; therefore they were poor; yea, they were esteemed by their brethren as dross; therefore they were poor as to things of the world; and also they were poor in heart." (Alma 32:2-3) They constantly take the temperature of public opinion so they can use their power and influence to stay ahead of any deviations: "... after the more popular part of the Zoramites had consulted together concerning the words which had been preached unto them, they were angry because of the word, for it did destroy their craft;... Now their rulers and their priests and their teachers did not let the people know concerning their desires; therefore they found out privily the minds of all the people." (Alma 35:3, 5) The technical term today is focus group. And "destroy their craft" - wow. That phrase reveals so much: I've come to believe that phrase describes people who have too much invested in their lifestyles to ever consider changing. Next time you read about the Pharisees in Jesus' day, look at their actions through the lens of how Jesus' teachings - if truly from God - would "destroy their craft" - completely dismantling the world they'd built for themselves. Exclusion from exclusive spaces becomes insufficient; complete expulsion from the community is the only recourse left: "... after they had found out the minds of all the people, those who were in favor of the words which had been spoken by Alma and his brethren were cast out of the land; and they were many; and they came over also into the land of Jershon. And it came to pass that Alma and his brethren did minister unto them." (Alma 35:6-7) And the piece de resistance is truly stunning: "Now the people of the Zoramites were angry with the people of Ammon who were in Jershon, and the chief ruler of the Zoramites, being a very wicked man, sent over unto the people of Ammon desiring them that they should cast out of their land all those who came over from them into their land." (Alma 35:8) Say, what? You don't even want them to be able to exist peaceably somewhere out of your myopically corrupt eyesight, where they can't bother you in the least? You're offended that another community is willing to take them in and help them become reestablished? But wait. Just when you think people can't get any goofier, or more arrogant or self-centered... "Now this did stir up the Zoramites to anger against the people of Ammon, and they began to mix with the Lamanites and to stir them up also to anger against them. And thus the Zoramites and the Lamanites began to make preparations for war against the people of Ammon, and also against the Nephites." (Alma 35:10-11) Sigh. There is so very much "stirring up" in this book. Must humans always take their umbrages elsewhere and serve them up to someone else in order to not just create an ally, but also create a common enemy? Cancel culture isn't new. Focus group polling isn't new. Exclusion, expulsion, and propaganda to create common enemies isn't new. Every wretched thing we see in the human condition isn't new, because it all comes not from a Creator - but from a destroyer and an imitator. Satan can only retool his message and methods over and over across the generations - like Orcs being retooled beneath Middle Earth. I'd love to think humans could recognize the patterns in those messages and methods, and be wiser than previous generations. But then I read the news. If it weren't for the redeeming message of Jesus Christ, the drearily predictable cycles would depress me. But these books of scripture teach me the patterns, and remind me we have a kind Father in Heaven. He carefully lays out His plan for us, as well as the enemy's, so we can recognize the counterfeit and not fall for it. And because of these books, I know who ultimately wins. (Spoiler alert: it's Jesus. The answer is always Jesus.)

Come Follow Me (Alma 30-31) We've already talked about spotting the counterfeit doctrines of the world which compete with Jesus Christ for the hearts and minds of humans. ( https://www.laureensimper.com/post/spotting-a-counterfeit ) It always seems to start the same way: someone supremely selfish just doesn't resonate with the sound doctrine of time-honored principles, or with laws or commandments which promise an ordered society with maximum use of individual agency. Those laws are seen as restrictive, binding - they're just not his truth. The only thing for such a person - the law-unto-himself type (D&C 88:35) - is to recruit, thereby assuring himself an eventual majority to stifle the voices of all the buzz kills who oppose him. Such is the case of Korihor, an ancient social influencer whose only objective seemed to be legitimizing his choices by making them popular and prevalent. Alma chapter 30 is the most detailed account of anti-Christ thinking and preaching. Mormon explains that there was no crime against a person's beliefs, as that's the only sure way to protect religious liberty. Every person must have the right to conscience - even a person who is only pretending to believe a certain way. And it's clear as the story progresses that Korihor was pretending; his explanation of how he arrived at his ideas makes NO SENSE at all. An angel told you there was no God? Did you kind of wonder where that angel came from? The nonsense presented to Korihor really underscores that old adage: if it sounds too good to be true, it can't be true. Yet Korihor lapped up the idea - even the possibility of the idea - that he wouldn't be accountable to a higher Being for anything he may do - that there was no sin because of this, and thereby, no need for repentance. This anti-Christ doctrine is like the siren song of the Odyssey, driving Ulysses' men to madness and his ship to crash onto the rocks. Korihor's teaching attempted to nullify the doctrine of Christ in its most essential characteristics: There is no need for a Savior (Alma 30:12, 15) - this eliminates any need for faith in one. No one can know what is to come (Alma 30:13); you can only know things based on evidence you see - again - a world view devoid of faith. Believing in sin and the need for a remission of sin is the product of a frenzied mind and false traditions (Alma 30:14, 16) - this removes hope that you can ever be more than what you are. Worldly pursuits will simply help you ignore that the need for growth even exists. There is no need for an atonement (Alma 30:17) - which follows there is no need for repentance because there is no sin. Again - the loss of hope in anything but the here and now. Men just look out for themselves and get ahead based on their own strength and abilities - thus finally removing even charity . (Alma 30:17) The record explains the loss of faith and hope in the anti-Christ teachings of both Sherem and Nehor, but it isn't until this more rounded out manifesto of Korihor that the loss of charity truly underscores the pernicious nature of this doctrine. A society without Jesus Christ can never achieve Zion, because without the principles of Jesus Christ - primarily, faith, hope, and charity - the false principles pit men against each other. This is where the doctrine of scarcity comes from - the complete antithesis of the doctrine of abundance coming from an infinite Creator. This is where coveting, lying, stealing, and even killing become justifiable, and eventually, can even become legalized. If the highest societal goal is your own desires, then society is full of beings who've created their gods in their own images, and the ones with the most societal power and influence will rule over everyone else. No wonder a society without the teachings of Jesus Christ becomes one where the love of men waxes cold, and men's hearts fail them. The rueful, ironic end of Korihor is a lesson for the ages: be careful what you wish for. A community of apostate saints embraced every one of his teachings not far from Zarahemla. Here, among the Zoramites, Korihor found himself mute and unable to ask for help - turned away, and eventually trampled to death. Abandoned, neglected, and he is killed by a society which fully lived the grim doctrine of selfishness antithetical to faith, hope, and charity. No wonder the prophets of dying societies focus on the most basic part of Christ's doctrine. Faith, hope, and charity can save entire communities - even nations. But when those communities and nations succumb to selfishness, faith, hope, and charity will save individuals from being stampeded down the cliff with the rest of the herd.

Come Follow Me (Alma 32-35) Once upon a time, there were two trees. One tree, if chosen, would be a problem.  Make that ALL the problems. The other tree was the solution. But the first tree would also be potential. With those problems there would also be the possibility of learning from mistakes, growth, and progress. But the second tree would actually realize that potential. Without the second tree, all the lessons learned, all the growth achieved, all the progress attained, would count for nothing. Because the biggest problem introduced by the first tree was this: once humanity left the pristine perfection of the glory of God, it was completely impossible to go back into that glory because we would now be stained. Without the glorious, delicious fruit of the second tree, we would be forever exiled from our first home in the presence of God. The second tree - the fruit on the tree - the beautiful spring of water at the roots of the tree - all represent the same thing - the source of the solution: the perfect love of Jesus Christ, made manifest in his atoning sacrifice. We can be restored to what we once were when we lived with God - now, with all the experience of the lessons learned and the growth and progress attained because of the first tree, but clean and pure, justified to be in that glory again, because of the pure love of Jesus Christ - the delicious fruit of the second tree. Think of those two trees as you read the way Alma teaches the humble Zoramites. It isn’t faith he invites them to plant - no, no. It’s God’s word - the beautiful reality of His plan for His children, which centers in the sacred holy offering of His perfect Son. Alma assures if there is only a desire to believe such an incomprehensibly generous plan, that desire is enough. Planting this idea in your heart - “I want to believe I can be clean and live with God again” - is a personal choice.  And God loves it when we choose Him. Alma taught: “And thus, if ye will not nourish the word, looking forward with an eye of faith to the fruit thereof, ye can never pluck of the fruit of the tree of life. “But if ye will nourish the word , yea nourish the tree as it beginneth to grow, by your faith with great diligence, and with patience, looking forward to the fruit thereof, it shall take root; and behold it shall be a tree springing up unto everlasting life. “And because of your diligence and your faith and your patience with the word in nourishing it, that it may take root in you, behold, by and by ye shall pluck of the fruit thereof, which is most precious, which is sweet above all that is sweet, and which is white above all that is white, yea, and pure above all that is pure; and ye shall feast upon this fruit even until ye are filled, that ye hunger not, neither shall ye thirst. ”  (Alma 32:40-42) We don’t plant faith - we plant with faith. Faith is the plant food. Alma concludes his sermon at the end of the following chapter: “And now, my brethren, I desire that ye shall plant this word in your hearts, and as it beginneth to swell even so nourish it by your faith. And hold, it will become a tree, springing up in you unto everlasting life. And then may God grant unto you that your burdens may be light, through the joy of his Son. And even all this can ye do if ye will . Amen. (Alma 33:23) Look again. Alma 32:40 says you can’t… if you WON’T . Versus Alma 33:23: you CAN… if you WILL . If you want it, you can have it. Won’t… produces can’t. Which means - “because of [the] Son - WILL produces CAN. That’s why desire is so important to faith - what makes faith the ultimate plant food. When Father knows you mean to follow Him at all costs… Well. That’s when miracles happen. And the biggest miracle of all is that in all the ugliness and nastiness produced by the first tree, life can be sweet and delicious, because of the second tree. Because of the Son. Even when it seems that it changes absolutely nothing, knowing who we are - and whose we are - changes absolutely everything.

Come Follow Me (Alma 8-12) Alma's mission to Ammonihah makes for some thrilling reading; it runs the gamut of beauty and quite literally - ashes. It's another account so timely, it makes you wonder at the inevitability of history repeating itself, as similar stories continue to darken our nightly news. Those with eyes to see, see the wisdom of God in sending one ordinary man with an extraordinary message. (Alma 9:2-6) How else can a loving Father honor agency? He saves His sermons of nature for special circumstances, punctuating His message with earthquakes and such to get His fickle children's attention according to His will and timing. But generally, He sends one obscure man to give His children the chance to approach Him privately with the question, "Is this guy for real?" And as an equal opportunity Parent, He's ready to answer the sincere truth-seeker with a witness from the Holy Ghost - the only sure way to know anything not of this world. Ammonihah's response to Alma's preaching is fascinating to me. It follows a pattern which repeats through the millennia and begs this question: how do people respond to truth who only want to be a law unto themselves? (D&C 88:35) Short answer: badly. Watch the pattern unfold in the chapters of this extraordinary mission: First line of attack: those who would be a law unto themselves - let's abbreviate them as the lawless - mock and dismiss any contrary ideas to that ideology. Second: amplify that dismissal by darkening the mockery to vilification. People who believe become enemies of the community. Third: criminalize the ideas, so that any believing them become criminals who can be "legally" prosecuted. Persecuted. Potayto. Potawto. Fourth: eliminate any whose beliefs oppose the lawless. So insecure in their lawlessness, there can be none who dare to oppose them. And the opposition needn't be simply rhetorical. Someone even quietly existing in the corner, harboring an opposing belief, strikes at the very heart of the lawless ideology. This elimination happens by way of complete expulsion for those who can get out, or by legalized murder posing as "legalized" executions for those who can't. I need to parenthesize for a moment and ask: why the insecurity? Why is it so threatening for those who don't believe to co-exist with those who do? David Kupelian was onto something about this insecurity when he wrote: "I conducted a little thought experiment a while back, while looking out over the Pacific from the Oregon coast. Drinking in the vast expanse of the ocean, the pounding surf, the seagulls, the salt air – ultimate serenity and ultimate power all in one timeless moment – I asked myself: How can one experience all this magnificence without believing in a Creator?  "So I tried, just as an experiment mind you, to conceptualize the existence of the fantastic creation I was beholding, yet without a Creator. I consciously tried to adopt an atheistic worldview, even for just a minute, to see what it was like.  “What I got was a headache, a psychic shock, a momentary taste of another realm – an empty, prideful, appalling dimension of hell-on-earth, masquerading as enlightenment and freedom. "That's why the conflict between theism and atheism is not just a philosophical topic for polite debate over tea. It's a spiritual war of the worlds. That high anxiety I felt momentarily, as I tasted the "other dimension" that animates those who reject the very idea of God, was minor and passing. But I'm quite sure hard-core atheists feel agony when the opposite happens to them – that is, when they chance to experience a fleeting moment of realization that God exists, and that they are accountable ultimately to Him.  "This would account for the near-explosive emotion that always seems to surround this "objective, scientific" subject. Underneath all the scientific pretension, it's all about man being master of his own destiny, about freedom from accountability to God, about being released from Judeo-Christian sexual morality, about making up your own rules, about sustaining the life of pride and individual will. "In a very real sense, it's about being your own god."  From David Kupelian, “How Atheism is Being Sold to America”, October 11, 2007 Back to our story. Amulek makes an interesting observation before those who accepted the message either fled or were rounded up: "...if it were not for the prayers of the righteous,...ye would even now be visited with utter destruction;.... "...it is by the prayers of the righteous that ye are spared; now therefore, if ye will cast out the righteous from among you then will not the Lord stay his hand; but in his fierce anger he will come out against you; then ye shall be smitten by famine, and by pestilence, and by the sword; and the time is soon at hand except ye repent." (Alma 10:22-23) A society can survive - even flourish - when both believers and non-believers can co-exist peaceably. But it's when a society no longer tolerates religion and believers that a society decays and falls apart. This feels like natural law at work again. If that's true, then it means a society somehow naturally sustains residual blessings by having faithful believers among them. The Lord must intervene and protect that society against the natural consequences of destruction when there are righteous people who obey God's law within a wicked society. When that tolerance is no longer extended to the righteous, God doesn't stay His hand. The natural consequences of wickedness must follow - destruction. And please - hear me now, believe me later: God doesn't do the destroying. The wicked destroy themselves with their own disobedience. You can only pretend natural law doesn't exist for so long before gravity takes over and there's a cosmic spiritual splat. Notice that Amulek warns of the inevitable natural consequences, he lists the same destructive methods mentioned in the Old Testament: famine, pestilence, and the sword. It's worth noting that the order is often different and accentuates how natural the consequences of supreme selfishness are - as war tends to lead to food shortages, which lead to sickness. War, famine, pestilence - is very often the order you'll see in actual fulfillment of disobedience. But the patterns are the same. The descent into madness is predictable. Which is why it can be stopped if enough righteous people see it in time. Sadly for Ammonihah, there weren't enough. Some escaped. But sadly, not many. Sorry about that big ol' spoiler for next week. :(

Come Follow Me (Alma 23-29) Alma chapter 24 makes me cry every time I read it. I'm in complete awe of the miraculous missionary efforts of Ammon and his brothers with the Lamanites. These boys became men on their missions, and the power of their conversion was so great, they spent fourteen years teaching in an enemy nation. Long enough to give them pause when the new converts refused to defend themselves from war. The king's speech in chapter 24 is so insightful as to why it's so difficult - if not impossible - to be forgiven of murder: "And now behold, my brethren, since it was all we could do (as we were the most lost of all mankind) to repent of all our sins and the many murders which we have committed, and to get God to take them away from our hearts, for it was all we could do to repent sufficiently before God that he would take away our stain - " (Alma 24:11) If God governs with natural laws, that would mean that He hasn't arbitrarily determined murder - or for that matter, adultery - will not be forgiven. Perhaps He has warned about these two because the spiritually lethal, infectious germs of murderous rage or lust are so perniciously difficult to remove from a human heart once they've taken root there. My heart swells with wonder at the beauty and power of repentance when I realize this murderous people figured that out. I read this account and see the unparalleled fruit of repentance in their choices. When did this great epiphany come to them? Practically on the eve of war. Wouldn't that be a great time to lay aside those thoughts for just a minute in order to defend yourselves? But no - that's when this incredible collective of newly converted saints make a covenant to never take another life - even in a war of self-defense. And to have tangible evidence that they've made this covenant - they bury any and all weapons of destruction. All the people. All the weapons. A collective act of devotion to their God - in humble recognition of what He has already done to make their hearts clean. The fact this covenant was made when the lives of the Anti-Nephi-Lehis were in peril underscores not just the importance of covenants but their very purpose. It's one of the most powerful illustrations in scripture of what it means to live by correct principles once they've been taught, received, and embraced. They don't mean anything if you cast them aside for expediency. It's in those very perilous circumstances that our covenants mean the very most to us - when it costs us to keep them. Let me say that again: covenants are meaningless if they're set aside for any reason. Even for expediency - real or perceived. If that's the ground you stand on, it's amazing how many perceived expediencies Satan will be able to present. Good luck with that slippery slope. On the eve of this great emergency, as weapons of self-defense are buried deep in the earth, even higher and holier realizations come. We shouldn't expect to exist on the labor of others! We're not going to take what we haven't worked for anymore. We're going to be more generous and give freely when we have more than we need. That means we're going to have to stop living an indolent and idle lifestyle and work for our own support. The fact that an entire community of saints could go from murder, plunder, and indolence to charity and industry is one of the greatest miracles recounted in scripture. And how did this people punctuate this choice? With a covenant which cost their very lives. These are the men who went out so they would be killed before their wives and children - whose widows raised a generation of valiant soldiers. These men gave their lives in the ultimate atypical response - stinging the consciences of other murderous hearts. How incredible - that the atypical response could allow the Spirit of God to move those murderous hearts to repentance! I continue to praise God that He can do such things with unruly human hearts. Even without being at literal war, it's only the gospel of Jesus Christ that can teach and train us to practice the atypical response against the swords of unkindness and even cruelty or brutality. If we can do this in our personal relationships, we can aid the Spirit to work upon not just an enemy's heart, but our own.