Saturday, August 19, 2023

Omega Oils Q&A

Everything you ever wanted to know about fat – and more!

What is the difference between oils, fats, and lipids?

Fat = oil = lipid

“Lipid” is the general term for all fats and oils. Originally, “fat” referred to lipids that are solid, and “oil” referred to lipids that are liquid, at room temperature,[i] but this is less important now that we know the chemical structure of the molecules, so we just use them interchangeably. And to be clear, we are only talking about life, NOT about the mineral oils that come from petroleum.

EFA – essential fatty acids, which are like vitamins, they are required for life, and we must eat them because we can’t make them. This includes omega 3 and omega 6 PUFA.

PUFA – polyunsaturated fatty acids are long-chain fatty acids that have multiple double-bonds. They are made by plants and include omega-3 and omega-6 EFA. These are also called: HUFA – highly unsaturated fatty acids.

What are lipids?

Lipids are long chains of carbon atoms that have no polarity, so they do not dissolve in water.  In the body, they generally have a molecule at one end that is water soluble, allowing them to function. For example, our cell membranes are made out of fats called phospholipids.

 


Because blood and body fluids are water-based, the “hydrophobic tails” reject water stick together, and their “hydrophilic heads” that are attracted to water stay on the outside. These “heads” are phosphate, which attracts water. Thus, there can be water-based fluid on both sides, creating a membrane barrier between the inside and outside of cells. 

What are fatty acids?

These are just lipids with long chains of carbons, that have an acid (carboxyl) group on one end of the chain – where the phosphate would be in the phospholipids. The fatty acid is the basic building block of oils in the body and are converted for various uses, such as phospholipid membranes, leukotrienes, or hormones.

What are saturated and unsaturated fats?

There are two main kinds of oils used in cell membranes and in the body:

1.      Saturated

2.      Unsaturated

Saturated fats can be made by your body, or be eaten as animal fats, butter, or coconut oil. They are generally solid at room temperature. These have a long chain of carbons that are all filled with hydrogen atoms, making them strait so they stick together easily, that’s why they’re solid.  Saturated fat is not the enemy it has been made out to be. The problems that are seen with coronary artery disease are not related to saturated fat.[ii] Heart disease comes from inflammation, and clots in the arteries, caused, in part, by omega-6 and partially-hydrogenated oils with trans-fats. Feel free to eat saturated fat.

Unsaturated fats come from plants, such as corn, soy, or flaxseed oil and are called PUFA’s (Poly-Unsaturated Fatty Acids). Olive oil and canola oil are primarily “monounsaturated” having only one double-bond. Unsaturated means there are places in the chain where there is only one hydrogen on the carbon, making a double bond between the two carbon atoms. Plants make unsaturated fats. We can get them from fish, but the fish get it from algae and plankton. If chicken, pork, and beef have omega 3, or 6, they get it from eating plants. The unsaturated fats are irregular, so they are more liquid.


 The carbon with the carboxyl group (where you see the “HO-”) is the first carbon atom, and the “omega” carbon is the last one. Thus, “omega-3” means the first double bond is on the third carbon from the omega end. Omega 6 has the first double bond on the sixth carbon from the omega end, as in the “Unsaturated fatty acid” illustration above (which is a mono-unsaturated fatty acid).

What are triglycerides?

When these fatty acids are bound together in groups of three by a three-carbon alcohol called glycerol, they are called triglycerides.[iii]


Triglycerides are the storage form of fat. This is the fat that is in your fat cells. It contains both saturated and unsaturated fatty acids, depending on the diet and genetic factors. If the fat is made in your body, it is mostly saturated fatty acids, with a small amount of monounsaturated fats. If you have a diet high in PUFA, these will be attached to a glycerol molecule and stored in your fat cells as well.

What is rancid oil?

PUFA omega 3 and omega 6 oils can oxidize and become rancid. This mostly affects the flavor of food, but the oxidized oils also act as immune modulators, causing inflammation.

It is interesting to look at the PUFA content of foods to see which are stable. For example, in the chart below, look at both safflower oil and coconut oil. They are both stable because they have very little PUFA’s and can be heated, whereas both soybean and flaxseed oil should not be used for frying because they oxidize easily when heated. This is why scientists developed hydrogenated oils. This is also the reason to make sure your oils are “cold-pressed” and not heated during processing.

What are hydrogenated oils and “trans-fats?”

PUFA’s are cheap, but they are liquid and oxidize easily so they don’t last long, causing food to spoil. Because saturated fats work better for baking, cooking and preserving food, but animal fat is expensive, chemists devised a way to “saturate” the unsaturated fats with hydrogen. This made saturated fats plentiful, but also added the problem of “trans-fats.” During the chemical reaction, some get a configuration called “trans-fat” that cannot be used by the body and can become toxic, being stored in the fat cells, and used in the membranes. This can lead to inflammation, heart disease, and cancer.[iv]

Why are the omega PUFA’s so important?

The “omega” oils are essential for life but cannot be made in the body – we must eat them. What’s more, the relative amounts of each that is eaten will determine to a great extent how the body functions. We need them to make hormones and membranes. Without PUFA’s we cannot make a single cell. For example, the DHA (omega 3) fat in the membranes of the brain makes them more fluid and allows signals to get into the brain cells. Without DHA the brain cannot function. Also, without the cell signaling of the omega 6 oils, we would not be able to activate the immune system and would die of infection.

What is the difference between omega 3, 6 and 9?

Omega 3 and omega 6 are EFA, Essential Fatty Acids. They are required for the body to function, and we cannot make them. On the other hand, omega 9 is also needed, but we can make it, so it isn’t essential that we eat it. The size and structure of each is similar, except for the first double-bond from the “omega” end of the long chain. Each angle in the illustrations below[v] represents a carbon and 2 hydrogens – unless there are two lines, then it is only one hydrogen on each carbon, that’s why they are called “UN”-saturated.


 What is omega 9 oil?

Omega 9 fats are found in most food, but are high in safflower oil, avocado oil, canola oil, olive oil, and macadamia nuts, as well as all animal fats. Omega 9 oils are also called monounsaturated oil because they only have one double bond at carbon number 9. These are not EFA, Essential Fatty Acids, because they can be made by humans. But, eating these oils promotes the use of fat for energy, which helps the metabolism in many ways, lowering blood sugar, preventing heart disease, and increasing weight loss, for example. It is good to replace omega 6 oils like corn oil with omega 9 such as olive oil.

How do EFA’s affect inflammation?  

Omega 3 and omega 6 fats are required for immune function. They balance inflammation – generally omega 6 is needed to cause inflammation and help healing, and omega 3 suppresses inflammation and prevents damage to cells. The balance between them is essential. The omega 3 and omega 6 oils use the same enzymes to produce all the EFA needed in the body.[vi] In the following illustration the various omega oils are on the outside, with the enzymes in the middle.


 It is not necessary to eat all the different essential fatty acids, if we only have one, the body can make the others. In other words, we only need linoleic acid on the omega-6 side, and all the others can be made by the body using the enzymes in the illustration. On the omega-3 side, if we only had alpha linolenic acid, we could make all the other omega 3 fatty acids.

In our food supply we have a large amount of omega-6 oils, and few sources of omega-3. This causes excess pro-inflammatory hormones causing inflammation. Inflammation is implicated in multiple diseases including arthritis, autoimmune disease, Alzheimer's Disease, diabetes, heart disease, and so forth. Trans fats and rancid PUFA also contribute to inflammation. Thus, it is important to balance these EFA so you can have enough inflammation to remove infections, but not too much to cause these diseases.

What foods contain EFA and in what amounts?

It is not so much the amount, as the percentage of oils that make the difference. Too much omega 6 increases inflammation. The omega-6 to omega-3 ratio should ideally be around 1:1, meaning you eat about the same amount of omega-3 as omega-6. Different oils have very different compositions of omega 6 and omega 3. The following is a graph of the composition of oils. Some of the oils have no omega-3 at all.[vii]

 


 

Do I have to eat fat?

Besides oils used in cooking, the foods we eat all have some fat content. We don’t think of broccoli as a good source of oil, but it has about 100 milligrams of omega-3 oil in a cup of broccoli. All vegetables contain some EFA. Vegetables are higher in omega 3 than omega 6 – between two and ten times as much.[viii] So, while the vegetables themselves have little oil, they have a great ratio so over time there is great benefit. Some people spend a lot of money on supplements such as krill oil, which has about 200 milligrams of omega-3 in a capsule – 2 cups of broccoli would be about the same. Since they have significantly more omega 3, vegetables are a good source of oil.

Fish is a good source of omega-3 with low levels of omega-6. Farmed fish has about three times as much fat as wild fish, and about four times as much omega-3 as omega-6, but wild salmon has about twelve times more omega-3.[ix] Thus, although wild-caught has a better profile, farmed salmon has more fat, and ounce-for-ounce has more omega-3.

Grass-fed animal fats have a better EFA ratio than grain-fed because grass has about 1:8 omega-6 to omega-3. In beef, for example, the omega-6 to omega-3 ratio is about 2:1 in grass fed cattle, and about 5:1 in those that are grain-fed.[x] Since butter is mostly saturated and monounsaturated fat, the grass-fed variety may be less important. Even if you eat grass-fed beef, consider that it still has more omega-6 than omega-3. Lamb and pork are also about 4:1 omega-6 to 3 ratio.

What is the right amount of EFA?

Even though both types of EFA are essential for life, there is a big difference in their effect, as noted above. Omega-6 causes inflammation, leading to disease. The following graph[xi] illustrates the percentage of omega-6 in the tissues (blood) of various areas of the world. Notice that as the relative amount of omega-6 PUFA goes up, the death rate from heart disease goes up in that area.


In Greenland, where they live on fish, and have no significant source of omega-6 oils, they have the lowest death rate from cardiovascular disease. Their ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 is around 1:3. Wherever the ratio is 3:1, as recommended by the U.S. government, the cardiovascular death rate is six times higher. It seems that when it comes to omega-6 EFA, lower is better. However, there is no way to completely avoid omega-6 fats in your diet. Look at the chart above with the list of oils – none of them are devoid of omega-6 – however, there are many that are missing omega-3.

How do I keep my omega EFA balanced?

Supplement marketing tells us to take in more omega-3 oil – by buying pills. It seems the better way may be to lower the omega-6. It is not so much the amount, but rather the percentage of the various PUFA’s that are in our food. The balance between fatty acids determines whether we make more inflammation, or less. The great thing about this is that it’s easy to balance your EFA. The graph above indicates that less omega-6 is better. The take-home message is: Avoid omega-6 fats. That is really easy – read the chart of different oils above, and don’t eat anything with:

·        Sunflower oil

·        Cottonseed oil

·        Corn oil

·        Soy oil

·        Peanut oil

·        Sesame oil

But avoiding omega-6 is only part of the story, the other half is to increase omega-3.

·        Eat fruit and vegetables.

·        Eat grass-fed meat, eggs, and dairy in small amounts.

·        Eat fish (wild-caught is better)

·        Use flaxseeds and chia seeds in your food.

·        Use olive oil, grass-fed butter, or coconut oil for cooking.

What about taking omega-3 supplements?

It is ideal to get your oils from fresh and natural foods, but it seems that most Americans need supplements. Consider the amount of omega-3 that is in the following supplements:

·        Fish oil capsule                1 gram

·        Flaxseed (1 TBS)               2 grams

·        Krill oil:                               0.24 grams (Contains multiple EFA)

·        Cod Liver Oil (1 tsp)         0.9 grams (Also has vitamin A and Vitamin D)

·        ALA (from flaxseeds)       0.6 grams

·        Algal oil                               0.25 – 0.9 grams (Vegan DHA)

When you consider the large amount of fat that is eaten every day, about 100 grams,[xii] the amounts of omega-3 oils in the supplements is small, mostly less than 1%. This is why it might be wise to avoid foods that are high in omega-6 oils and still take supplements with omega-3. Above all, don’t take any supplements that contain omega 6.

What is the bottom-line recommendation?

·        Avoid omega 6 oils (vegetable oils)

·        Avoid hydrogenated oils, especially “partially hydrogenated oil”

·        Eat whole foods with omega 3 oils (fish, flaxseed, chia seeds)

·        Take an omega-3 supplement – fish oil – 1-2 grams per day.


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Thursday, August 10, 2023

God's Pronouns

Last week my four-year-old grandson asked, “Is Jack a boy dog, or a girl dog?” I replied, “He’s a boy.” He looked at me out of the corner of his eye and snickered, “Oh, that means he has a penis.” It’s surprising how many people are less intelligent than a four-year-old. There is a lot of talk about pronouns in the world today because of a philosophy that gender is learned behavior, and not an intrinsic part of our being. Even adults are saying they are “gender-confused” if they feel like they want to be different than the gender they were born with. Children are asked if they want to be referred to as he-him, or she-her. Some say they are non-binary, with the pronouns they-them, rejecting gender altogether. Of course, wishing does not make it so; our genetic material that fills the nucleus of every living cell in our bodies tells us that gender is an intrinsic part of being human -- or dog. 

With prophetic foreknowledge, in 1995 the prophets and apostles of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints gave a proclamation to the world on the family which gives essential understanding about gender: 

All human beings—male and female—are created in the image of God. Each is a beloved spirit son or daughter of heavenly parents, and, as such, each has a divine nature and destiny. Gender is an essential characteristic of individual premortal, mortal, and eternal identity and purpose.

                The Family, A Proclamation to the World, 1995

This indicates that gender is eternal. This is not a temporal assignment. I was a boy before I was born, and will continue to be a man after I die. The document also refers to “heavenly parents,” meaning mother as well as father. In 1845 Eliza R. Snow published a poem entitled “My Father in Heaven” that includes the lines: 

In the heav’ns are parents single? 
No, the thought makes reason stare; 
Truth is reason—truth eternal 
Tells me I’ve a mother there.

O My Father, Hymns, no. 292

The concept that a human being, as well as God, is male and female is found throughout the scriptures, and may explain why the pronouns he-him refer to all humans, and even to God Himself. Isaiah gives a lesson on how God looks at gender pronouns: 

Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah that bare you: for I called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him.

    Isaiah 51:2

This sentence refers to two people, a man and a woman, and then uses the pronoun “him alone” because Abraham and Sarah were married. This is a key to the scriptures. The word “man” is used, referring to a married couple, a complete human. A human being is not complete as an individual man or woman, it is both that make up the “man,” or complete human. Thus, when the word “man” or the pronouns “he, him” are used, it refers to a complete human being: a man and a woman together, bound by a covenant, who become one. They are not two, but one, like Abraham and Sarah, or Adam and Eve. 

Jesus explained the essential nature of the covenant of marriage in no uncertain terms. Marriage is not intended to be “serial monogamy” nor “until death do you part.” 

For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; And they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not man put asunder. And in the house his disciples asked him again of the same matter. And he saith unto them, Whosoever shall put away his wife, and marry another, committeth adultery against her. And if a woman shall put away her husband, and be married to another, she committeth adultery.

        Mark 10:7-12

It is clear that to God, they are one, and are not two separate people. If a couple separates and tries to form a bond with someone else, they are in sin, being against the will of God. 

In the world of ants, we might think an individual ant is an organism, separate from the others. However, if we separate out one ant it cannot survive, but will just die. The organism is the colony, which all work together form a single unit. Only the colony can survive, reproduce, and continue; individual ants are not complete or whole unless they are part of a colony. 

This is the way God sees humans. Each individual is loved as a separate individual, but to God there is no complete man separate from a woman. In joining together and becoming one in a bond of matrimony they become a perfect human being. Jesus commanded everyone to be perfect, not as individuals, but as a complete human.  

Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.

Matthew 5:48

All are commanded by Jesus Christ to be perfect, or complete, which necessarily includes a man and a woman joined together as one. 

To be as God is includes being complete with a man and a woman, which is called “Man.” 

Behold, I am God; Man of Holiness is my name;

Moses 7:35

God, who refers to Himself as a Man, is a man and a woman -- which is a Man. When He created Adam and Eve, He created “them” in “His” image, “male and female.” 

This is the book of the generations of Adam. In the day that God created man, in the likeness of God made he him; Male and female created he them; and blessed them, and called their name Adam, in the day when they were created.

                Genesis 5:1-2

The creation of “man” or “Adam” is both male and female. Then, the woman was taken out of the man, and “they, them” were formed, separate, single, individual -- and incomplete. Like an individual ant being taken out of the colony. 

And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; And the rib, which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.

Genesis 2:21-24

As the ant cannot survive without the colony, the man and the woman are not independent entities, but need each other. Their purpose is to become one individual, a Man, capitalized to indicate that it is a man and a woman together. Until they fulfill that purpose, they feel empty and unfulfilled. This separation is what brought death to the world. 

The Root Cause of All Evil: 

After Adam was created, the Lord defined evil: 

And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone;

Genesis 2:18

Good is defined as the will of God, and whatever is “not good” is evil. The cause of wickedness of the world includes the separation of a man and a woman from each other, being alone. This separation is contrary to the nature of God, and is a reason why evil exists in the world. 

For the natural man is an enemy to God, and has been from the fall of Adam,

Mosiah 3:19

The need for men and women to be complete and whole causes them to feel lonely. But, rather than find their mate, each tries to fill this need with the things of the world including illicit sex, drugs, and all that is evil. People become alcoholics and addicts of all kinds because of the separation and loneliness. To some, it feels like wealth will fill the need, but money cannot buy happiness. To others, it seems like an intimate connection would fill the need, but it is always transitory; prostitution, rape, homosexuality, and all forms of lasciviousness come from the need to be whole. Also, people who want fame and power are looking for connection with others, however it is misguided because even if everyone in the world loves me, I still need my spouse to complete me. Food is also used to fill the emptiness inside, feeling hungry and having a meal, but then in a few hours being hungry again. There is no end to the need when it isn’t filled properly. Trying to fill that need in the wrong way also leads to mental illness -- depression comes from hopelessness of not being able to fill the emptiness. 

Thus, the world is at odds with God. The world wants to separate the male and female, and try to make each one whole or complete without the other. They even try to make a woman like a man, and a man like a woman, as if either one could be both. The world is filled with “gender confusion” not even knowing how to define the term, and not being aware of basic biology: that it takes a man and a woman to make a single organism. Either one of them alone has no power to reproduce, and, like the ant separated from the colony, they will die alone. 

Problems in the family also stem from this same issue. A husband feels lonely because he cannot connect with his wife. The wife feels lonely for her husband. They are married, but living parallel lives, not fulfilling the commandment to become one. Intimacy is hard because it is scary; the basic need makes one vulnerable. They must develop trust, sometimes over many years, to be able to come together. This process is not easy, and many give up. Statistically, about half of marriages end in divorce, but it doesn’t need to be that way. 

Partners in Life

Marriage can be fulfilling and happy if the couple is willing to work at becoming one. They learn to trust because each will be faithful and love. As they trust they develop love. Love is putting the other first by sacrificing my own needs and desires. I give up my fantasies to serve my wife. These skills of trust and love are developed through continuous work and prayer. They are not automatic. A couple decides to become partners first, and then they may become one. 

I say unto you, be one; and if ye are not one ye are not mine.

Doctrine and Covenants 38:27

Unity makes them a Man. Just because the word “man,” and the pronouns “he, his” are used does not mean the woman is a lesser partner. They are equal partners in the Man. Eve is equal to Adam. Sarah is equal to Abraham. Abraham is not complete, whole, or perfect without Sarah. There is not one without the other so neither can have mastery over the other. They are one. 

Nevertheless neither is the man without the woman, neither the woman without the man, in the Lord.

1 Corinthians 11:11

Any human is not “in the Lord” without a united man and woman. They are one flesh, not two. Thus, the Lord refers to “them” using: “man, he, him.” 

As the man loses himself in the Lord, the woman loses herself in the man. God wants Men. He wants perfect Men. He wants complete Men. The woman becomes part of the Man, to return to wholeness. The three form a triangle that at first has the three points far away -- a big triangle. As the points come together, the triangle gets smaller, ultimately ending in a unity with God. This is the purpose of life, the reason we exist. Unity is happiness. It is being complete. We know this intrinsically. We make our biggest parties for the joining of a man and a woman -- and feel sad when a couple separates. God’s purpose is to bring us back together, a man and a woman becoming one Man --- which is eternal life: 

For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.

Moses 1:39

God’s work is to give a Man -- a complete human -- eternal life. It is not to have men and women coming to Him separately, but together in perfect harmony. Since "the eternal life of man” is necessarily a man and a woman together in eternal union, the work of God is to be an eternal “Matchmaker” of sorts. Eternal life only happens with the union of a man and a woman bound together forever, so the highest ordinance in the House of the Lord is the sealing of a man and a woman for time and for all eternity. This is the re-creation of a perfect human that can have eternal life. They are “one flesh.” This union fulfills the destiny of Man, creating joy and happiness, as well as preventing all wickedness and evil, and ultimately bringing heaven. 


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Tuesday, July 11, 2023

Eternal Connections

I was working from home on Friday, June 16th when a text flashed on my phone: Eric Hill.”Please call me!” I called immediately. When Eric told me that they were taking my dad to the hospital, I instantly knew that he had passed. He was gone. I thanked Eric, hung up, and started crying -- bawling out loud! My dog, Jack, came over and stared at me. He just sat there, as if wondering why I was so sad, as I kept sobbing for the loss of my dad, feeling that intense, paradoxical mixture of grief and joy, sadness and happiness, loss and gratitude. I was so thankful for my dad, as the memories flooded into my mind. I love my dad! I was grateful that he didn’t suffer much. I thanked the Lord for him, and continued crying. 

The week prior, we were having dinner and I asked dad what he needed, and he said, “you can get me  a white suit!” He was struggling with energy, appetite, and discomfort. He was losing his abilities, even to urinate. He was losing weight and was not looking forward to the treatments for bladder cancer. I was so grateful that I was able to visit him. We have a connection. I am from him. I am him. Occasionally I will walk by a mirror and out of the corner of my eye see my dad. I turn to look, but it’s just me. Now, he got his white clothing, and I mourn the loss, but I look forward to the day when I see him again to have the real bond that I always looked for as a child. 

Even though I was expecting him to pass away soon, to me it was still a shock because heroes aren’t supposed to die. He was my hero, he could do anything. One example was when he helped me fix my first car, a Toyota Celica named Jessie. We were both at Grandma’s house in Westwood while I was preparing for medical school, and Jessie started overheating. I put water in the radiator, but she just kept overheating. I drained out all the water, flushed the radiator and filled it with pure anti-freeze, but it still boiled. I could barely go a mile and steam would be shooting out from under the hood. I told my dad about my problem and he said, “It’s probably the thermostat.” Well, I had seen lots of thermostats on the walls of homes, but I had never seen one in a car so in typical adolescent fashion, I didn’t listen. I thought it might be the water pump, so I spent $60 to buy a used one, and a whole day of work taking the old (perfectly good) water pump off and putting the new one on, getting the belts all put back together. I was proud of my work, but the dumb car kept overheating as if I had done nothing! I went back to my dad, and he repeated, “It’s probably the thermostat!” In frustration I asked the key question, “What’s a thermostat?!” He walked out to my car with a screwdriver, lifted up the hood, loosened two screws on a plate in the water hose, pulled out a 2-inch round gadget I had never seen before, and threw it in the trash.”It never freezes here so you don’t need it.” Jesse never overheated again! My dad was a genius! He was my hero! 

Speaking of heroes, I like the hero story of Hercules. In the animated Disney version, the infant Hercules is kidnapped from heaven, taken to earth, and made mortal. He is found and adopted by a couple, but he never fit in with his community. So, he left home to find his place in the world, to find where he belonged. He sings: 

I have often dreamed of a far off place
Where a great warm welcome will be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying this is where I'm meant to be

In his search, he goes to the temple and prays, and finds out that he is a son of Zeus, the greatest of the gods. Zeus tells him that he can come home to Mount Olympus if he becomes a true hero. So, Hercules goes out to conquer the world, fight monsters, save people, and become a hero. He then returned to the temple, expecting to be able to be with the gods, but Zeus says he isn’t ready yet -- conquering the world does not make him a true hero, he needs to learn to love.

My dad had conquered the world, but when he lost his superpowers he found out what is real. It was hard to see him not be able to climb a ladder to help us repair his roof a couple of years ago. He was even having trouble pushing a lawn mower. This is not my dad. I learned to shingle a roof in Pico Rivera when I was about 10 years old with my dad, and he could always take care of the yard. Things had certainly changed. Since he could no longer maintain the property, we started looking for a place to live where the upkeep would be minimal. As we looked at apartments and condos, it was obvious that dad and Ulla were not committed to moving. Their people were back at the house, their neighbors were deeply connected with years of mutual service. It became clear that they had to stay at home -- that was where they belonged. Eric and Dean came up with a plan to bring in a gardener to take care of the yard so dad wouldn’t have to, and they could stay in their home. It was not about his abilities, rather it was the connections with those around him. The neighbors that he loved. 

Like Hercules, we are all searching for our place, to find where we belong. Ultimately, we are all children of God, the Greatest of all. But we left heaven to come to earth on probation, to be tested. It seems like we need to acquire things, make a living, work in business, and experience things -- essentially conquering the world -- but these are not the real objectives of life. Our purpose in life is not unlike that of Hercules, to become a true hero. Jesus said that there are only two commandments: first, to love God, and the second is like unto it, to love our neighbor. This love is exemplified by the Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the greatest hero ever, sacrificing Himself for the benefit of all, preparing a way for everyone to return to God. This is the gift of grace that Jesus offers to every soul -- a permanent connection with God in His kingdom forever. Obeying Him is keeping the first commandment. 

We keep the second commandment and also become true heroes by loving and serving those around us, sharing our time, talents, and what we have and what we are. Listening to people. Being a friend. Forgiving. Connections are made with everyone that we come to know and love. Indeed, the definition of love is to sacrifice yourself for the benefit of others. When Ulla found my dad on the floor with only one shoe on and he wouldn’t get up, she ran to the first place she knew she would find help -- next door to Renee’s house -- and indeed they dropped everything and came. Renee and Kevin and their boys are true heroes to her, and to me. 

The more connections we make, the more joy we will have in heaven. The closer our connections, the greater the joy. Jesus advised that we make friends and build up treasures in heaven instead of treasures on earth, and to love even our enemies. We do this by our service to others, building trust, forgiving everyone, and spending time with people instead of with things. Connections are not made on TicTock, You Tube, Facebook, and Twitter. Nor can we become true heroes by acquiring things, or even donating to charities. I walked into my dad’s study the day he died and marveled that he left everything behind. It was the same as it was the week before -- all his “stuff” was still there. Nothing had changed; all his eagles were still there. Only he was gone. As Jim Morrison said, “nobody here gets out alive!” In fact, We are gathered here today precisely to mourn a severed connection. 

This is the problem: every relationship we have here is temporary, and will eventually be lost. For this reason the Lord has provided a way for us to guarantee relationships continue forever through the sealing ordinances in temples. This priesthood authority given to man is a gift from God where He assures that those who are sealed to us will remain with us after we die. Husbands and wives can be sealed together, assuring them of the joy of their connection of love forever. Likewise, their children can be sealed to them so that even though they are separated by death, that separation is temporary. The chain goes back to the first couple, Adam and Eve. You can then imagine that this eventually creates a web of connections with everyone linked to everyone else forever. This is the unity, the joy, and eternal happiness of heaven. Joy comes from our connections. 

Because he sacrificed himself so Meg could live, Hercules was invited back to Mount Olympus, but realized he would rather stay on earth to be with the one he loved. He said, “A life without Meg, even an immortal one, would be empty.” It’s impossible to imagine happiness, even in heaven, without those we love being with us. This also applies to those who love us, who have lived before us, who will also be cheering for us. The day my dad died my tears were not just for my own sorrow over the loss of my connection, there was also the joy I felt for him arriving in heaven with a warm welcome waiting for him. He is sealed to his parents, Mervin Louis Saunders and Frances Eldeva Christofferson, who are sealed to his grandparents Ephriam Louis Saunders, and Rhoda Pearl, and his grandpa’s parents Demas Ashdown Saunders and Hannah Barwell. 

Though I have not yet met Hannah Barwell, I know her because I have her journal. She’s my great great grandmother (Dad makes her “great” once, but I make her twice great!) who joined the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in England, married Demas Ashdown Saunders, and came to America in 1860. She came from a lush green England, to the eastern United States, which was also lush and green. Then they went to Nebraska, built a handcart and walked with the ninth handcart company to the Salt Lake Valley. After a thousand miles of pulling a handcart across the plains they went over the mountains from Wyoming and were able to see the Valley. This was Zion, they had finally arrived! She ran to look, but when she saw the valley below she sat down on a rock and cried, not for joy, but for disappointment. She didn’t see a lush green valley, but a desert, and knew her struggles had just begun. But she kept going, helped build a dugout home in a hill where she lived out her life, raising ten children, including my dad’s grandfather, Ephraim Louis Saunders. As I read her struggle, I cried with her for joy and gratitude for her faithfulness. I cried for what she couldn’t see, but that I now see five generations later. I know that she carried me in that handcart. I am who I am because of her faith and sacrifice. I know the gospel of Jesus Christ because of what she did, and her children who followed after her. She is my heroine. I am sealed to her through my father, who also remained faithful to the Lord. I’m sure she was there when he arrived for his warm welcome, and cheered when she saw his face. 

My connection with my dad is only temporarily broken. I look forward to the day when those connections that I have made are lasting and joyful, when they are real. I will go where he is, and be with my dad, and all my family and friends with whom I have made connections here, and throughout time. I will finally meet, and give a great big hug of gratitude and joy to Hannah Barwell who gave me a legacy through her faith and sacrifice. And, most important, I will fall at the feet of my Lord, Jesus Christ, who came to the world to rescue a soul so rebellious and proud as mine. He is my connection to everyone and everything else. He will reach down and pick me up and give me a great big embrace of true love. Like Hercules, I will find a warm welcome and finally find where I belong, as my dad before me, to be with my Father in heaven through Jesus Christ in eternal family relationships of never-ending happiness. 

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Wednesday, June 7, 2023

The Blue Pill

In the movie The Matrix there is a scene where the protagonist, Neo, is offered two pills, a blue one or a red one. It is explained that if he takes the blue pill he will go back into the matrix of the computer program and continue to be a virtual entity, not knowing what is outside, not understanding his own physical reality. However, if he takes the red pill, he will know the truth of all that is outside the simulation. This is analogous to our lives on earth. We are in a state of probation, a temporary state of time and have no clue what exists outside of the physical Universe. The world and all we see, feel, hear, taste and smell are in a “matrix” of sorts where we live out our lives oblivious to the reality that is all around us. The way we know this is because everything is temporary: the sun, the earth, the stars, our lives, the lives of others, the animals, plants, and everything we build and everything we know will go away and cease to exist. 

All good things must come to an end

There is an end to the things of the world. A beautiful day will end. Time with my children will end as they grow up. All my relationships will end. My money will not hold out forever. My job will end; I will retire and do something else. I will die and leave everything behind. Nothing in the world is forever. I must accept the temporary nature of all things. I hate that! I don’t like the concept of “temporal” or the transient nature of life. Yet, I took the blue pill. 

Taking the blue pill is believing that the things of the world are real, embedding myself in the temporary pleasures of the flesh in a fantasy of finding fulfillment in the things of the world. Every time I use anything physical to feel better, I am taking the blue pill; all that the world has to offer keeps me in the “matrix” of the world. It is a ball-and-chain I wear, and drag around everywhere I go. I am stuck, imprisoned, and helpless against my physical needs because I have taken the blue pill, which consists of whatever I do that makes me believe the fantasy. 

  • Seeking money, lands, houses, power, business or "success"
  • Eating for taste 
  • Trying to feel better with drugs, caffeine, or alcohol
  • Any extramarital sex, including masturbation, or pornography 
  • Looking for stimulation in dances, parties, events, or amusements
  • Movies, games, and other media

The comforts and temptations of the world require continual replenishment, and can never satisfy for long. When I am hungry, and eat a big meal I am satisfied for only a few hours, after which I am hungry again -- as if I had never eaten. So I eat again, and, again, I am satisfied for a few hours, but then I get hungry again, and need to find more food. Everything of the world is like that: some is never enough, I need more. However, the problem is that more does not satisfy for long. It seems like more would be better, but it makes things worse. More drugs do damage. More food causes illness. More alcohol causes liver disease and a host of social problems. More sex is less satisfying. More of anything can be too much, doing harm. It’s impossible! Like Mick Jagger of the Rolling Stones, “I can’t get no satisfaction!” 

Wherefore, do not spend money for that which is of no worth, nor your labor for that which cannot satisfy. Hearken diligently unto me, and remember the words which I have spoken; and come unto the Holy One of Israel, and feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.

2 Nephi 9:51

The reason God tells us not to indulge in buying temporary stuff, or anything of the world is because we might find something in the world we want, that brings temporary satisfaction. We may find that we need it. That need is a bond that keeps us in the world and prevents us from coming out and knowing truth, or the reality that is outside. Finding temporary relief from loneliness, hunger, thirst, or pain is taking the blue pill. The blue pill keeps us in the “matrix” of the world.

Taking the red pill

On the other hand, the spiritual things of eternity are not plagued by this issue. With the things of the world, more is less, meaning as I get more my life is worse, but with the things of God more is better -- my life improves as I get more. There is no end to how much more you can have to gain improvement. More light is always better, and satisfying for eternity. More joy is fulfilling forever. More knowledge improves my existence forever. More love increases my happiness forever. More faith is always better than less. More hope increases my existence. More gifts of the Spirit are better than less. All that is spiritually fulfilling can have eternal increase.   

This is the good of being good -- it’s always good, and lasts forever. It is fulfilling. Fullness is forever. It is being complete, whole, or perfect. It is being filled with peace, joy, happiness, love, and power. The things of the world no longer have any allure. They are meaningless. I have real fulfillment. I have what I really want, what will give me my dreams -- my real dreams -- forever. My dreams will not come to an end. It remains good -- always. God doesn't take away our pleasures in life to make us miserable, but rather so we can have permanent fulfillment. 

These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

John 15:11

The simple answer of how to “take the red pill” is to disbelieve the things of the world. It is to reject everything you know, everything you feel, and everything you see that is not permanent. Banish everything that is temporary. Let go of all you want, need, and desire that is of the world, that does not permanently fill a need. Refuse to live in a fantasy world. Neo had to learn to disbelieve in the world of the Matrix. He had to reject the bullets that went through his virtual body. He needed to understand that his experiences in the Matrix were not reality. Eat the bitter herbs. Drink the bitter cup. Eschew all that is temporal. In other words, take all the fun out of life, leave all the “blue pill” things, and seek for permanent things instead: 

  • Knowledge, truth, and intelligence
  • Wisdom
  • Charity
  • Faith
  • Hope 
  • Family and other relationships
  • Love
  • Mercy
  • Grace

Knowing God opens up a whole new world of finally finding satisfaction. God takes away our pleasures in life so we can get beyond the temporary things that bind us to “the matrix” and see reality so we can have real fulfillment -- eternally. 

Satisfying hunger -- All the spiritual food you want. Get fat. Eat a feast, continually. You never feel like you have over-eaten, but always feel satisfied. The food of the Spirit never goes away, you will never be hungry, but will have all you want, and so much more. 

...feast upon that which perisheth not, neither can be corrupted, and let your soul delight in fatness.

2 Nephi 9:51

Eternal Sweetness -- what is sweet that continues to be sweet and lasts forever is the love of God. This is so much better than an “Everlasting Gobstopper.” It doesn’t just taste sweet, it also fills the soul -- forever. 

And it came to pass that I did go forth and partake of the fruit thereof; and I beheld that it was most sweet, above all that I ever before tasted.

1 Nephi 8:11

Satisfy thirst forever -- Those who thirst for the word of God will be given all they desire, and more. They will never thirst again. 

Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.

John 4:13-14

Riches and wealth beyond measure -- Those who have the riches of eternity always have enough. Their riches are not transient. They own everything, including worlds without number. The wealth that God gives is forever. 

And if ye seek the riches which it is the will of the Father to give unto you, ye shall be the richest of all people, for ye shall have the riches of eternity;

Doctrine and Covenants 38:39

Beauty that lasts -- To be beautiful forever is to be holy. Those who do the will of the Lord are always beautiful. 

For Zion must increase in beauty, and in holiness; her borders must be enlarged; her stakes must be strengthened; yea, verily I say unto you, Zion must arise and put on her beautiful garments.

Doctrine and Covenants 82:14

Endless love -- Having a connection with God satisfies the deepest holes in the heart. He makes a connection that both fills completely and lasts forever. There is no loneliness at all. The love of God is both filling and fulfilling, forever. 

...ye shall always rejoice, and be filled with the love of God,

Mosiah 4:12

Complete Knowledge -- Those who know God know all things, comprehending everything that exists from every angle, where no part of it a mystery. These are truly filled with knowledge forever. Once something is known, there is no going back to ignorance. 

And if your eye be single to my glory, your whole bodies shall be filled with light, and there shall be no darkness in you; and that body which is filled with light comprehendeth all things.

Doctrine and Covenants 88:67

Unlimited power -- The righteous are given the power of God. They can do all things in Him. There is power in knowing God, the power that created the Universe and all things in it. Access to this power is not limited, it does not end, it is forever and ever. 

I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.

Philippians 4:13

Glory and Honor -- People want to be honored by others. Glory is the honor other independent beings give to others, to listen and obey. This is not just having your fifteen minutes of fame, but rather it is forever and ever. 

I will bear him up as on eagles’ wings; and he shall beget glory and honor to himself and unto my name.

Doctrine and Covenants 124:18

Ultimately, the “red pill” is knowing God, including Jesus. 

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.

John 17:3

Knowing God gives permanent satisfaction, peace, joy and happiness. The Lord has provided for His children, and given us everything we need to find eternal satisfaction. Don’t take the blue pill. Don’t take the easy path. Don’t stay in the fantasy. Take the red pill and know the truth. The beginning is hard, giving up the things of the world. Neo had to die in The Matrix so he could live in reality. Likewise, we all must die, as exemplified by Jesus, and our own baptism. We die in the world so we can live in reality having permanent fulfillment and freedom. The struggle is temporary, but the reward is endless. 

And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free. 

John 8:32


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Friday, May 12, 2023

The Definition of Truth

Truth is knowledge. 

And truth is knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come; (Doctrine and Covenants 93:24)

Knowledge of things as they are for all time, not as I think they are, as I perceive them, nor as I wish them to be. 

Knowledge requires light; light exposes truth, allowing me to see, and know, the truth.

Intelligence is the light of truth. Intelligence is the ability, or light, to know things as they were, as they are, and as they are to come, or truth. Intelligence exists independent of truth.

Intelligence, or the light of truth, was not created or made, neither indeed can be. (Doctrine and Covenants 93:29)

Intelligence always exists, each entity being either more or less intelligent, meaning more or less ability to know truth. There is a hierarchy of intelligence, from those who are completely ignorant, to God -- He is the most intelligent, knowing all things, or all truth.

...if there be two spirits, and one shall be more intelligent than the other, yet these two spirits, notwithstanding one is more intelligent than the other, have no beginning; they existed before, they shall have no end, they shall exist after, for they are gnolaum, or eternal. And the Lord said unto me: These two facts do exist, that there are two spirits, one being more intelligent than the other; there shall be another more intelligent than they; I am the Lord thy God, I am more intelligent than they all. (Abraham 3:18-19)

God is the greatest of all intelligent spirits because He has all truth. He knows all things as they are, as they were, and as they are to come. “Things” refers to existence. Thus, truth is a knowledge of things as they exist. 


Existence is truth

All things are created by Him; He planned and made them with His own hands.

He is in all that exists. Without Him there is no existence. 

All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. (John 1:3)

Things are created by Him as they are, and therefore exist outside of intelligence. Existence requires that truth be independent of those who can know it. Intelligence is also independent in the discernment of truth.

All truth is independent in that sphere in which God has placed it, to act for itself, as all intelligence also; otherwise there is no existence. (Doctrine and Covenants 93:30)

God put all truth in its own place, independent from intelligence. 

Truth must be independent of me, of my feelings and desires.

I do not determine truth. 

I act for myself, independent of truth. 

Existence happens because I can choose truth, or not. 

He created all things to be independent of truth to allow options, which allows existence. 


Christ is truth

Christ created all things so He knows things as they were, as they are, and as they will be. He has knowledge of all things as they are, as they were, and as they are to come. 

He comprehendeth all things, and all things are before him, and all things are round about him; and he is above all things, and in all things, and is through all things, and is round about all things; and all things are by him, and of him, even God, forever and ever. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:41)

He knows all things. 

Truth is knowledge, and He has knowledge of all creation. 

He comprehends all things, having complete and total understanding.

He possesses all truth.

There is nothing that He does not know. 

He is everything that is true.

All truth is contained in Him. 

All truth is circumscribed in Him. 

With Him is all truth. 

Without Him there is no truth. 

He is the embodiment of truth. 

He is the unity of truth. 

He teaches truth. 

He receives truth. 

He is truth. 

All that is true is in Him. 

Christ is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. 

Jesus said: “I am the... truth...” (John 14:6) 

There is no truth that is not of Him. 

No truth exists without Him. 

He is the truth. 

He is all truth. 


Lies are not True

Everything can be divided in to two: Truth and “not truth.” 

Truth must remain and never changes, past, present, and future. 

And whatsoever is more or less than this is the spirit of that wicked one who was a liar from the beginning. (Doctrine and Covenants 93:25)

Anything more or less than what exists is a lie. 

Lies are whatever is not true. 

Lies exist independent of truth.

For every truth there are infinite possible lies. 

Lies disappear when truth is known as light dissipates the darkness. 

Liars avoid the truth to hide their lies. 

Fantasy is not truth because it avoids Christ, maintaining a belief that there is existence outside of Him. 

Fantasy is a desire to be worshipped as if you were Christ, as Satan screamed to Moses: 

Satan cried with a loud voice, and ranted upon the earth, and commanded, saying: I am the Only Begotten, worship me. (Moses 1:19)

This fantasy came from Lucifer, who opposed Christ. He wanted to be God, and demanded the power of God without Christ, or without submission to the will of God. Satan tells everyone on earth: “You are gods,” the same boast which caused the fall of Lucifer.

How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. (Isaiah 14:12-14)

The fantasy is that I have power, independent of Christ. It is a lie, but is so close to the truth that people believe it, they want to believe it. All lies have a truth in them, refer to a truth, or bend the truth. It is true that we are all children of God, and we can grow up to be like Him. We may inherit all He has. We are God’s, and we are gods, as the Psalmist says: 

I have said, Ye are gods; and all of you are children of the most High. (Psalm 82:6)

But, liars love the lie. They want to have that power of God in themselves and not in Christ. They don’t want to submit to Him so they seek to be independent of Him, and yet have power, like Lucifer. They will not turn to Christ, so they persist in living a lie. They cannot be saved because they will not seek the truth in Him. 

...all liars, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie... shall have their part in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone... (Doctrine and Covenants 63:17)

Taking Christ out of any idea, philosophy, thought, doctrine, or theory, makes a lie. 

Satan always tries to separate Christ from the truth, which is why he is a liar from the beginning.

There is no truth outside of Christ. 

Everything outside of the sphere of truth, or Christ, is a lie.


The Path of Truth

Christ is the truth. 

Take upon yourself the name of Christ; make His name your name by doing what He did. 

Be like Him - submit to the will of God.

Let go of fantasies to learn the truth. 

Believe all things. 

Believe in Him.

Believe Him. 

Seek Him.

Worship Him -- seek to be like Him, to emulate Him.

Remember Him always. 

Seek light, intelligence, and knowledge of Him in the scriptures. 

Be with Him in constant prayer. Pray always.

Seek charity, the pure love of Christ, being completely unselfish. 

Be meek - not using power for your own desires. 

Be lowly in heart -- not putting your own needs, wants, or desires above others. 

Be humble - accept your place. 

Trust in Him.

Trust Him. 

Let the injustice of the world be, do not resist evil or fight against it -- instead, do good. 

Sacrifice everything of the world -- render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar’s. 

Sell everything you have, give to the poor, and follow Him. 

Accept suffering as He did. Suffer all things the Lord seeth fit to inflict upon you, when you come to Him, He will test you, and correct you through suffering. 

    Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he suffered; (Hebrews 5:8)

Love your enemies. 

Be merciful to all who hurt you -- do not seek revenge or justice for yourself. 

Have grace -- give to those who hate you. 

Teach truth -- teach Christ, bring others to Him as He brings them to God. 

To accept truth is to accept Christ. To seek truth is to seek Christ. To teach truth is to teach Christ. Every philosopher, doctor, teacher, and seeker of truth throughout history must eventually come to this conclusion: Christ is truth. There is no other truth. He is the definition of truth. 

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Friday, April 28, 2023

A Straight Course

Moses, through the grace of God, led the children of Israel out of bondage in Egypt. They went straight to the Promised Land, and waited outside while they sent spies in to see about the inhabitants of the land. The spies returned and said that the people were strong, and the children of Israel would not be able to conquer them. Moses explained that the Lord would fight their battles and they would win, but they believed the report of the spies more than the prophet of God. For this, they were not able to go into the Promised Land and wandered in the wilderness for forty years. They could have rested in the Promised Land, overflowing with milk and honey, but they did not trust the Lord.  

I have had a similar experience that changed my life completely. When I was just starting out in medical school, I was praying one morning and the Holy Ghost asked me to promise God that I would only marry in the temple. For me, that was obvious, I couldn’t even consider an alternative at the time. I promised the Lord that I would only marry in the temple. Days later, I met a girl who was also a medical student, but not a member of the church and after a while we started dating. In time, she asked to speak with the missionaries and soon asked me to baptize her. After a few months, we started talking about getting married, and because of the medical school curriculum and other factors, she wanted to get married before she qualified to go to the temple. I relented, and I did not keep the promise I had made to God. I got married outside the temple. That decision to put my girlfriend in front of the Lord has had the greatest effect on my life. Twenty years later, she decided she didn’t want to go to church or be married to anyone who did, so she left. She took the kids, physically and spiritually. I was crushed! 

MERCY

Because of this I have “wandered in the wilderness” for many years. I have fasted and prayed for forgiveness. I have cried to Him daily, shedding many tears. Over time, I repented of all my sins such that I have been forgiven. I am different because I repented. I would no longer make that decision. I would be strong and have courage. I now put my covenants and promises to the Lord on top of everything and everyone of the world. I know the mercy of God. He has been merciful to me and has forgiven me of all I have done. He has suffered for my sake. I will not have to suffer for what  I have done. He laid down His life for me. I am blessed to know His love and mercy. 

Mercy means not making me pay the price for my mistakes and rebellion. I know His mercy because I had sinned against Him, and repented. I had never before considered myself a sinner because I was like the rich young ruler who came to Jesus asking what he could do to have eternal life. The Lord told him to keep the commandments and he said, “All these have I kept from my youth up.” (Luke 18:21) That was me. I had nothing of which to repent. I could not understand the need for a savior because I didn’t know of my need to be saved. I had kept the commandments, so I thought I wasn’t a bad person who needed to repent. 

I had to learn the hard way. I wanted to know the mercy of the Lord but I just didn’t understand the need for a Savior. Before I was married, I knew a girl who was staying with a foster family near my home because she was pregnant. She was from a different part of the state, but had been sent away to live with my friends through her pregnancy and delivery. She would give the baby up for adoption to a couple who was not able to have children, after which she would go home and continue high school. I got to know her well, and knew something of how much she suffered through this time. Once when I was blessing the sacrament, facing the congregation, I noticed that as the tray passed by her she had a tear in her eye. I thought about how lucky she was to understand first-hand the mercy of the Lord, Jesus Christ. I thought, “better to have sinned and repented, then never to have sinned at all!” what I thought was echoing the Lords statement, “I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance.” (Luke 15:7) Now I know that my idea is not right -- there are no “just persons,” only people who believe they are just.

It most certainly is not necessary to commit sin to find the need to repent. It is not necessary to break promises with the Lord to understand repentance. Everyone born on the earth is born in sin. What that means is that we are all cast out of heaven because of rebellion. We are here on the earth, in hell with the devil and His angels, or, rather in a half-way house between heaven and hell, because we ate the fruit, we did that which was forbidden, every man and woman is, respectively, Adam and Eve. I did not need to go off the path to repent and come back on the path. I can know I need the Lord just because I am with all the outcasts in the lone and dreary world, cast out of heaven. None can return to be with God unless there is sincere repentance. There is only One who did not “eat of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” Jehovah was not cast out of heaven, but came down at the will of the Father to bring us out of prison. Everyone else is a sinner, as the Apostle Paul said, “For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;” (Romans 3:23)

LOST BLESSINGS

Every blessing of God has a contingency. There are no free blessings, not one. All blessings are received by keeping a specific law. 

There is a law, irrevocably decreed in heaven before the foundations of this world, upon which all blessings are predicated—And when we obtain any blessing from God, it is by obedience to that law upon which it is predicated. (Doctrine and Covenants 130:20-21)

The corollary being if I don’t obey the law, I cannot receive the blessing, or a blessing that I might have had is lost. Promised blessings are sacrificed by not keeping covenants, promises, or commandments. I know what I lost by breaking my promise to the Lord -- my eternal family. I have no children who are on the covenant path. All have gone astray and are wandering in the wilderness. I have no eternal companion. I asked the Lord about this, and He showed me what my life might have been like if I have listened to the Spirit and kept my promise. I saw exactly what I thought my life should be. I know why I always feel like something is missing. Now I know what I have lost. That blessing will never come back. I am forgiven, but what might have been is gone forever because of a broken promise. Such an example is found in the Scriptures in the story of king David, the ancestor of the Lord, after whom the Jesus Christ is named by the prophets: the Son of David. He went off the covenant path, and committed sin, but repented and turned to the Lord. The Lord explained what was lost: 

...in none of these things did he sin against me save in the case of Uriah and his wife; and, therefore he hath fallen from his exaltation, and received his portion; (Doctrine and Covenants 132:39)

In eternity David has lost his exaltation. It will never come back. What is his portion? The scriptures don’t say. I don’t know what my “portion” will be, but knowing what I lost in the world still makes me sad. I know that every sin or transgression makes me lose what I might have had if I had kept the commandment or covenant. What is lost is never re-gained. It is gone forever. I can never go back, I must move on from where I am. I am sad for what I lost, but happy for the mercy and grace of God. 

GRACE

Whatever King David’s “portion” is, I know it is great because I know that the Lord gives grace. Grace is giving gifts that are not deserved. He will give all He can to anyone who desires and will prepare themselves to receive them. Though I never deserve or earn the gifts, I must actively receive them. Every gift is conditional upon qualifying to receive it, but all the work done does not pay for the gift. For example, if, when I turn 16, my parents come to me and say, “we will give you a car if you get your driver’s license,” I would be really excited and work hard to get my license. The license qualifies me to drive a car. Without the license a car would be a useless gift; it would just sit there, unused. However, obtaining a license, for all the work it entails, such as taking driver’s education, hours of practice, preparing for and passing the tests, does in no way pay for the car -- not a penny! Likewise, the gifts of God are not paid in any form by keeping the commandments, repenting, or making and keeping covenants. The gifts of God are pure grace. I qualify myself to receive them by following His Spirit, remembering Him, keeping His commandments, repenting of all my sins, and staying on the covenant path. If I keep my covenants, I qualify to receive His gifts. 

For what doth it profit a man if a gift is bestowed upon him, and he receive not the gift? Behold, he rejoices not in that which is given unto him, neither rejoices in him who is the giver of the gift. (Doctrine and Covenants 88:33)

In repenting and turning to Him, the Lord has given me grace. I have been given a foster family with a faithful wife and children. They have accepted me as their husband and father as we journey together on the earth. The relationships we form are forever. I have joy in them. I love them. I receive other gifts because of the connections I have with them. I am learning and growing in many ways because I have a family to serve and care for. The Lord is truly gracious. Though I have lost my family, I have been given some of the blessings of having a family. 

NEVER SIN

The Lord will be merciful. “Though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow;” (Isaiah 1:18) He will forgive every sin if we repent. But we don’t need to sin while here, our presence here is a probation for sins committed before we came. We are born in sin. We can live a “perfect” life, and still be sinners if we don’t repent of our rebellion that got us into this worldly prison in the first place. That is repentance. Don’t even think that there is a need to commit some sin to repent and receive the Lord. Everyone can instead go on the direct path to the Promised Land. I wish I could convince everyone to keep every covenant with God, as Alma pleaded with his son, Helaman: 

And now, my son, I have somewhat to say concerning the thing which our fathers call a ball, or director—or our fathers called it Liahona, which is, being interpreted, a compass; and the Lord prepared it. And behold, there cannot any man work after the manner of so curious a workmanship. And behold, it was prepared to show unto our fathers the course which they should travel in the wilderness. And it did work for them according to their faith in God; therefore, if they had faith to believe that God could cause that those spindles should point the way they should go, behold, it was done; therefore they had this miracle, and also many other miracles wrought by the power of God, day by day. Nevertheless, because those miracles were worked by small means it did show unto them marvelous works. They were slothful, and forgot to exercise their faith and diligence and then those marvelous works ceased, and they did not progress in their journey; Therefore, they tarried in the wilderness, or did not travel a direct course, and were afflicted with hunger and thirst, because of their transgressions. And now, my son, I would that ye should understand that these things are not without a shadow; for as our fathers were slothful to give heed to this compass (now these things were temporal) they did not prosper; even so it is with things which are spiritual. For behold, it is as easy to give heed to the word of Christ, which will point to you a straight course to eternal bliss, as it was for our fathers to give heed to this compass, which would point unto them a straight course to the promised land. And now I say, is there not a type in this thing? For just as surely as this director did bring our fathers, by following its course, to the promised land, shall the words of Christ, if we follow their course, carry us beyond this vale of sorrow into a far better land of promise. O my son, do not let us be slothful because of the easiness of the way; for so was it with our fathers; for so was it 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. (Alma 37:38-46)

Like the children of Israel with Moses, the people of Lehi wandered in the wilderness for many years because they were not diligent. With trust in the Lord, they might have traveled a direct course to the Promised Land. Alma says how easy it is to remain obedient. It’s easy to stay on the covenant path and keep all your covenants, taking the straight course to eternal life. Don’t go off the path and wander in the wilderness for forty years. It’s not worth it. There is no need for the “rich, young ruler” who came to Jesus to have sinned. He didn’t need to have killed, stolen, nor committed adultery. He had kept the commandments, but Jesus explained that repentance required that he sacrifice the things of the world upon which his heart was set. He depended on his wealth to save him from suffering. He could not imagine being a pauper with no money. I had the same sin with my heart set on a girl. She was going to save me from my loneliness. She was my comfort. She was my salvation. I did not trust in the promises of the Lord. I needed to repent, the same way the rich, young ruler did. 

In each case, the Lord gives a direct course to happiness. The children of Israel could have gone directly to the Promised Land. Likewise Lehi and his family could have followed a direct course; the rich, young ruler might have come directly to the Lord. My pregnant friend did not need to commit adultery, and I did not need to break my promise to understand the mercy and grace of the Lord. I could have trusted in the Lord, kept my promise, and had a wonderful life without ever going off the path. I would still come to know the mercy of God, who saves me from death and hell, who paid the price to get me out of prison and bring me back to the His presence. I would have also understood grace, that He offers gifts that I do not earn. That is true salvation and redemption. All the little sins like stealing, adultery and murder only deviate from the path and bring heartache, loss, grief, and pain. It’s easier to repent first and keep all the covenants and promises and go directly back to God. Repentance is not about what I did so much as what I am. I can repent just by living and trusting in the promises of God, letting go of the things of the world. It’s simple. Just let go of the things of the world. There is no need to break covenants or commit sins. It is better to repent by turning to the Lord immediately and trusting in Him to bring me directly to the Promised Land. The “straight course” is much easier. Stay on the covenant path. 

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LIES

Why do lies exist?

Why not truth?

Why would anyone ever lie?

Who would want to know a lie? 

It makes no sense to lie. 

Lies create pain and suffering. 

Lies do not help anyone. 

How could lies exist?

Why would anyone even want to lie?

Truth is easy.

Truth creates peace, joy, and comfort. 

Why choose anything but truth?


IGNORANCE

Ignorance is evil. 

Ignorance creates lies by allowing them to exist. 

When I don’t know, I am susceptible to lies. Someone could lie to me, but I don’t know the truth. 

If I know the truth, then lies are irrelevant, stupid, foolish, and dumb. 

Only ignorance allows lies to exist. 

Those who want lies need to remain ignorant. Thus, they feel the need to silence truth.

Some people love darkness more than light. 

Most people prefer darkness to light because light exposes fantasy.


FANTASY

I want to live a fantasy. 

Why do I want what cannot exist?

Why do I want to know without suffering?

Why do I not desire to sacrifice what I have so I can have more?

Why do I want to eat my cake, and still have it? 

I want what is not true.

I want things to be easy. 

I want health in a pill, so someone can lie to me. They promise to give me what I want, and I believe the lie because I want to believe. 

I want to be nourished by food that tastes good so someone can lie to me and I believe that chocolate frosting is healthy. 

I want to feel good always so I go to health practitioners who tell me what I want to hear. 

The lies are what I want to hear. 

I like lies: You don’t have to die. You don’t have to suffer. You don’t have to sacrifice. You don’t have to work. You can have it all with no cost. 

Play the lottery. 

DESIRE

Lies are born out of desires. 

I want things to last.

I can have what I want of the world forever. 

I need to be filled. 

I need comfort. 

I don’t want to be cold.

I don’t want to be hungry. 

I don’t want to be tired. 

I don’t want to have pain. 

I don't want sorrow. 

I don't want to die. 

I don't want to lose what I need in the world. 

Everything in the world is temporary, but I want my needs to be filled forever. 

I want my temporary life to go on forever. 

I want to be loved. 

I want sex to go on forever. 

I want an endless supply of food. 

I want my needs to be filled eternally. 

I don’t want to sacrifice anything. 

Wants, needs, desires that are of the world are temporary.

It is the temporary nature that leads to lies. 

The lie is that it can be forever. 

The lies come from all those things I want that are not forever. 


SELFISH

Me. 

I want.

I need.

I like. 

Others should sacrifice for me. 

Advertisers promise to give me what I want. 

Businesses provide what people want. 

The lies are all based on desire. 

Eve wanted to have knowledge so Satan lied to her “you must eat the fruit.” 

Adam wanted to be with Eve. 


STEALING

Cain wanted the flocks of Abel. 

Plunder, loot, pillage -- taking what belongs to others is a lie that I earned it. 

Stealing in any form is a lie. 

Whatever can be stolen is not real, including money, and everything it can buy. 

Everything real is earned, or received by keeping a law. 

In truth, nobody gets anything we don’t earn -- EVER! 

Every blessing from God is conditional on a temporal sacrifice. 

Everything real has existential conditions that cannot be faked or stolen. 


GOD

God is not with me, but I need God. 

Why would anyone lie about God?

Why do people create gods of wood and stone? 

Why would anyone believe in the false gods? 

Why would anyone bow to gods that are deaf, dumb, blind, ignorant, and impotent? 

If I create an ignorant god, that makes me a god. 

I create the god I want. 

I want a god that is like Superman, who has the power to do anything I want. 

I want a god like Santa Claus, that will give me gifts just because I’m good. 

I turn to false gods because I want, I need, I like. 

The true God makes me sacrifice my wants and needs and likes. 

A false god gives me what I want. 

The trade is horrible -- I must sacrifice everything I have now for something I cannot see, cannot know, and do not understand. I must sacrifice first, and then learn the truth. 

Truth comes only when I am ready to receive it, when I am willing to give up what I want. 

People live a lie because they want, need, and like. They want the fantasy to be true. They want to believe in temporal things. They want to believe that it is forever. They want the fantasy to go on. They want to have what they like. They want. Desire for temporal things causes all lies. 

FOREVER THINGS 

Those things that I seek that are forever are the truth. 

God is true. God is forever. 

Family is true, Family is forever. 

Heaven is true, Heaven is forever. 

Jesus is true. Redemption is forever. 

To be redeemed from this temporary world, everything must be sacrificed. 

All things of the world are on the chopping block. 

Family, friends, and all relationships that are temporal must be relinquished. 

Money, houses, lands, and career are sacrificed. 

Repentance is the heart turning from lies to truth by giving up the fantasies of the heart. 

Repentance is forever, turning my heart, my wants, needs and desires, to the Lord, the God of truth. 


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