Flogs

 "I'd rather be told an R-rated truth than a G-rated lie." -- Ken Gire  

I'm calling this blog My Daily Flog. Not sure if I am flogging it or getting flogged but it reminds me I gotta fight for what I believe in in this life. Emboldened evil abounds today. The world is becoming increasingly secular. Faith is receding here and in places like Europe. 

Though I am quickly becoming a minority here in the states, I am not going to hide my beliefs and try to blend into society. I am going to speak louder, and reject the world's degenerate trends even if I am the only one doing it and the world calls me mad. That's what I commit to doing when I say I believe in Christ. 

So maybe I will get flogged someday. Jesus said, "Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Talk is cheap until the heat is on but I hope I am ready for it. Will I jump on the bandwagon and shrink? Definitely no.

Thanks

 I know people read this blog that help me a lot and I just want to say thanks. I had a scare a while back when I felt like my family was trying to fix me. I want to thank those who responded to that because the threat abated. You all do wonders and I only hope I can help you as much as you have helped me. Thanks again and god bless you all. 

Names

"I do not care how learned a man may be, or how extensively he may have traveled. I do not care what his talent, intellect or genius may be, at what college he may have studied, how comprehensive his views or what his judgment may be on other matters, he cannot understand certain things without the Spirit of God....."  -- Heber J. Grant

Been thinking about Kurt Cobain alot lately. His music was so good it is tragic how he died. Now, I am not getting cold feet or anything, but sometimes I think that like Kurt Cobain, the name I have frames me. It is sadistic people in the sky, my family, the mental health system and other places that want to make me a public spectacle and example. 

I'm sorry I am not going to go that route and get lifted up on the cross just yet. I am thinking I want to change my name now to Aran Ziplman. That is an even less adversarial name, I know. Am I taming down a bit? I don't know, things have just gotten a little too predictive and psychological for me lately. I'm getting smarter and smarter all the time and feel like I could get pigeonholed again. 

I have made a real effort not to get stuck in the rat race and to keep my time open since going to the mental hospital. I suffered from tunnel vision before when I was studying non-stop and working in the law. All I could think about was money and those things. Now I am seeing the big picture and protecting myself from the blindside. I am psychologically stronger now.

So anyway, thanks again to all the people who have helped me and shown me some grace. I needed time to catch up and probably still do, but I must say I am in a lot better situation than I was in ten years ago. I look back now on that time and realize I was in a world of trouble. (Even now I am finding some of the cars that were after me then!). But God has cut off the arms of all my enemies and today I am almost free as a bird. I probably don't deserve this second chance at life but I am going to make the best of it. 

Remember the prophets are in Jerusalem now. I hope you all are well. God bless.

Wanderers

There is a quote I read a long time ago that I really liked. The quote goes, "Not all those who wander are lost."(JRR Tolkien)  It is a nice saying and well-meaning and you might say I kind of made it a motto for a long time but I am beginning to wonder if I have taken that common wisdom too far. 

Thomas S. Monson in one of his last conference talks, mentioned the Cheshire cat in Alice in Wonderland who said to Alice, "If you don't know where you are going any road can take you there." Elder Uchtdorf jokingly talked about people who wander in circles this last general conference. I have found a few scriptures that talk about wandering--but there's one scripture I read in the Bible about wandering stars and blackness that I'm still trying to understand.

What I am trying to say now is I have been a wanderer all my life. If I have taken it too far call it wanderlust. For certain, I know I haven't taken the shortest routes in life to my goals. I haven't always done the appropriate or conventional thing either. I haven't always done that which would be of the most worth unto me and u in life. I haven't always read the best books or associated with the best people and I have sometimes gone about kind of randomly, although I am trying harder to be focused. 

I feel like I've been like the children of Israel who wandered about in the wilderness for forty years trying to find the promised land. Forty-plus years is a long time not to get it right! 

All I can say now is that I think I'm learning and that I think it is still possible to teach an old dog how to sit, bark and fetch. If I find the bramble rose I think I am looking for now all the grief and time alone will have been worth it. One thing I understand now is there is always going to be opposition to finding your life's love and the truth. It takes righteousness, purity, and great focus to find your love and make it happen. Some of the best things in life are hardest to obtain.  

The 1997 movie Good Will Hunting has a good moral to it. In the movie the central character Matt Damon, finds the perfect girl but almost loses her. His psychologist Robin Williams, counsels him to pursue the things that matter most in life. At the end of the movie you see Matt Damon put aside all his worries about money as well as his pride, anger, social fears and ambitions and drive out to California after the girl. 

I think that movie is the way love really is sometimes. You have to put aside everything that doesn't matter as much and pursue love with all your heart. 

I know in the past I have been distracted from marriage and the things that mattered most in life. I took love and women for granted and probably because of that, I made some foolish educational decisions and things didn't materialize as I would have liked. Now that I'm older and single, I realize my mistakes. I have been left to endlessly ponder and retrace my steps in life. 

In the past I may have even tried to walk away from the truth, kind of like the prophet Jonah did in the Bible - but that is in the past and my conscience won't let me anymore. I can't live with broken dreams and a broken heart any longer. Not even death and the whole damned corrupt and pessimistic world is going to distract me from what matters most in life now. Like in the movie Good Will Hunting, I am going to choose love over everything else. I am excited to see where this new perspective will take me. Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon Lafawnda.

The Calm Before the Storm

"Freedom is justice, until there is justice there can be no freedom."  -- Author Unknown

Whew, whoever said there is a calm before the storm knew what they were talking about. Calm is the way things have been these past few months; the last few weeks have been the storm.  Like clockwork, just before the storm hit, I found myself fighting a quiet but fierce battle with complacency. I guess I made the cut with that because the storm passed uneventfully-- but if I had not been doing the right things at the time I think the outcome could have been much different. I just want to thank God for warning me, providing resources to help me and bringing me through it all so quickly.  

President Eyring spoke about being steady in the storms of life this last general conference.  He quoted these scriptures in Timothy and Helaman:

"This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come" and;

"And now, my sons, remember, remember, it is upon the rock of our Redeemer, who is Christ, the Son of God, that ye must build your foundation; that when the devil shall send forth his mighty winds, yea, his shafts in the whirlwind, yea, when all his hail and his mighty storm shall beat upon you, it shall have no power over you to drag you down to the gulf of misery and endless wo, because of the rock upon which ye are built, which is a sure foundation, ....whereon if men build they cannot fall." 

The above is good advice. Prophets like President Henry B. Eyring have forewarned me of danger so many times. Building upon the rock of Christ and having a personal relationship with Him is the only sure way to live in this life. The storms that come to us in life can be very fierce and dangerous but I know if we exercise faith in Christ he will bring us through it all.

The funny thing is that in this last storm, I was in danger and didn't even know it at first. Yeah, I was being attacked by a cabal of Kishkumen. Kishkumen refers to a particularly bad secret Gadianton robber in the Book of Mormon. The Book of Mormon states that this Kishkumen infiltrated society up to its highest ranks and couldn't be destroyed because he was in "disguise." Kishkumen was a murderer and plotted to overthrow the government and the freedoms of the people. I'm certain he "was among those who professed to belong to the church of God."

Isn't this just the way things are now. As in Kishkumen's time, it is often those who profess to be Christian that are the ones secretly carrying out murder of the worst kind. 

The Kishkumen that was attacking me were mostly women. At first, I was taken away by one of these girl's pretty face, smooth talk, and pizza-loving attitude. It was like she cast a trusting spell upon me and I could see no wrong in her. She was so nice I almost asked her out and couldn't sense or fathom that she was a horrible predator. I gave the girl my phone number not thinking that a while later she would use it to come after me. (But God warned me to change my phone number, though at the time I still didn't comprehend why) 

It was only later that this girl persisted and got into my house and car. She really, really wanted me I guess. This girl had been making a killing in her public business, preying mostly on guy customers who walked into her shop. She and her friends were smart, connected, and rich and were murdering in the worst ways- especially good people. I met her high school-age son, and she was even teaching him how to murder his classmates in school. ( Man, how things have changed since my days in school!)

If you think I was being naive in all this, you might be right, but I recommend you to think again about it. These girls were really deceptive, hard to discern, and an awful counterfeit of good. What I have said about them is really what they were. 

I have done some looking and there are quite a few pockets of Kishkumen like this in the state now. If you don't see what I am seeing now, but still believe me, I advise you to flee to the West. Secret combinations are coming upon the land and coming from the East. Just about everywhere is dangerous these days. 

I just want to give a special thank you to some of my Poly friends who helped me with this problem. I think they too felt and saw these girls for what they were. I read this scripture recently, "Thus saith the Lord God to Tyrus, shall not the isles shake at the sound of thy fall, when the wounded cry, when the slaughter is made in the midst of thee?" (Ezekiel 26)

Yeah, the "slaughter"  I'm referring to was warranted. As the Book of Mormon states, it "would not have happened had it not been for the wickedness and abominations which was among them; yea, and it was among those who professed to belong to the church of God." (see Helaman 4:11-13)

So anyways, I feel glad to be alive and want to again, send out my thanks to all my friends everywhere. This was a really bad mess of them but they are done now. I know I opened up the gate with this one but these people really needed to be taken out. I must say, I picked a good little nest of them to openly start my personal career in civil law. (ha, ha, ha) This wasn't just low-hanging fruit, it was upper echelon. These people were really corrupt.

Also, this all was bound to happen to me sometime. So yeah, my days of not looking or tolerant indifference are now over. I am now wanted, dead or alive. Mental health authorities here have been upset at me for this incident and some have even been trying to break me recently-- but I really hope they will learn to look over this. I swear, some of them don't want to see me do anything to protect myself! 

I just want to say now, regardless of what mental health authorities decide to do  I am going to get through this, one way or another. I know that many people have gotten on the bus early and I really appreciate that. 

Well, I hope you all are well. All I can think to say now is be safe, slow your roll and talk to ya later. Thanks for reading and take care.

Some Random Thoughts

"The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once." -- Albert Einstein

The older I get the wiser I get and the more I realize money does very little for a man but corrupt him. Money will not buy you the most important information in life, i.e. the knowledge gained from the spirit. Money will not buy you good judgment. Money will not buy you health and help you choose the right food to eat in the grocery store. Money will not buy you true love or friendship or real happiness and any power you get from money is usually fleeting. Psalms 49 talks about another important aspect:

"Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about? They that trust in their wealth, and boast themselves in the multitude of their riches; None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God ransom for him."  

So again, to have wealth is alright but it's important not to fall into the trap of trusting in your wealth. Wealth does not really save anyone from bondage or death-- God is over those things. Being led by the spirit and being able to look up and address the problems you encounter is far more important than money in a ransom-type situation. I also agree with what Malcolm Forbes says, "Security isn't securities. It's knowing someone cares whether you are or cease to be." 

History is replete with examples of those who put their trust in money and their own strength and built up kingdoms and empires and fortresses unto themselves. But God eventually toppled them all. The best advice for surviving the inevitable perilous situations we will all face is not to get more wealth, but instead, to be right with God. He can do miraculous things to save us. 

Remember that if you do die, and die in the Lord, death is made sweet and the sting of death is swallowed up in Christ. Does that mean you won't feel the sting of torture if you're tortured? I don't know, I think that is possible. That's one reason why I'm saying let's not get caught up in wealth and in what we have or don't have, and lose track of the things that matter most in life. 

I like the country song by Don Williams called "Stay Young." The whole song is great and I recommend you listen to it all, but the chorus goes, "Stay young keep your wheels in motion, you've got everything that you need. Stay young with your rock and rolling, oh, the best things in life are free." 

Yeah, the best things in life really are free. A testimony of Jesus Christ is free. The scriptures are free. Good food is free for all who find it. Good music is practically free. The list goes on and on. 

Changing directions, I did a keyword search on the Drudge Report recently for the word "China." I must say, if you don't believe in China or have doubts about their engagement in the world just read those article titles. China has been strategizing and is a huge 4.75 billion man force to be reckoned with!  I think China has some important help for us Americans. Let's encourage China and other parts of Asia such as the Phillipines, to stay strong and not corrupt.

On another note, I believe in the Church of Jesus Christ, but more than half of the Utah Latter-Day Saint church is bad now. They are pedos and shrinks and rapists and hypocrites of the worst kind. They can all go to hell for all I care. And many of them are-- they're wasting away from drugs like crazy.

Zion on the other hand is going to flourish. "I say unto you that Zion shall flourish, and the glory of the Lord shall be upon her; and she shall be an ensign unto the people, and there shall come unto her out of every nation under heaven. And the day shall come when the nations of the earth shall tremble because of her, and shall fear because of her terrible ones." (D&C 64: 41-43)

Speaking of terrible ones, have you heard that Trump is leading the Republican primary polls with 64% of the vote! Mitt Romney is running again but I think he is just in it for the money. He doesn't stand a chance. When asked about running for president in 2024 Romney said: "I'm convinced if I run, I win. But that is a decision I'll make." (ha, ha, ha)  

We have come a long way since the beginning of the recession when Romney was second running for president.  Let's thank Trump for all his hard work, I think he is the best and most dominant president this nation has ever had. He is a champion, he is my retribution.

Polygamy

       The best revenge is massive success. -- Frank Sinatra

There are some controversial things in the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints that I don't claim to understand completely. One such thing is polygamy. First of all, as I understand it, we don't practice polygamy anymore. That was in the past and according to counsel received from God to prophets in the past. I know that Joseph Smith and other early saints practiced polygamy and married wives for both "time and eternity" and "eternity." Joseph Smith said, "the same sociality that exists here will exist in heaven." He also taught that God is fair and that those who do not have an opportunity to marry in this life will have that opportunity in the next life if they are faithful.

One thing that seems clear to me now is that most guys aren't going to make it into heaven. Guys especially, have a problem with faith, and charity, living the commandments, ( i.e, the law of chastity), and just being decent human beings. It seems to me there are a lot more women than men living celestial law nowdays. 

Is it really fair though that guys get to marry many wives and women have to share? I don't know about that. Anyone ever thought that God is fair and all-powerful and can easily make good boy babies. Maybe there is a batch of perfect men in heaven and enough to go around for every girl there. I also don't think heaven mirrors the reality we have here and that that sociality quote I mentioned above is not too important. I think God is extremely fair and if a girl wants to have their own man, that will be a viable option for them. It is taught in the Book of Mormon that marriage to one woman is God's standard manner of union.  

Personally, I have a hard time keeping up with one woman let alone a dozen. If I had many wives I'm sure I would fail to spend equal time with them, neglect them somehow, or not respect their various differences and be partial to one wife over another at times. 

Also, what about the instance in the Bible where Christ was asked a question about a woman who had seven husbands. He was asked who does she belong to in the resurrection? Christ said, "Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." Anyone know what that all means?

I feel like I have read the scriptures a lot in my life and pondered these things a bit, but it still hasn't dawned on me what they all mean. Maybe I'm missing out on something good, I don't know. I still think I am going to stick with the conservative monogamy ideals I have always had. All I know is that I gotta choose my love and love my choice. She's gotta be my soul mate and after marriage I gotta work hard, live right and make it an enduring eternal marriage regardless of whether our marriage is solemnized in a temple or not. I believe you can be married for eternity in a temple but that doesn't mean anything if you break your covenants or marry unworthily without the holy spirit of promise. 

My understanding may be too simple. I know I am as Brigham Young said, "a menace to society" (I consider that a compliment not an attack) and a fool in many regards. I just have always said I wasn't going to marry wrong and take one step forward and two steps back. That is just me though, and I understand why many women marry even when it isn't real love. They are just realists and not going to deprive themselves of some of the joys in life. I get that, it also makes sense. I know I am just an exception, not the norm in society. I am very stubborn once I get something in my head, be it wrong or right. 

So anyways that's my spiel about marriage. I don't know why I am writing about it right now, I guess it has been on my mind lately. I will try and resolve some of these questions I have in the future. Talk at ya later.  

UPDATE:  Well, it has been about two years since I wrote this blog post.  I have had a big evolution in my thinking since then and think what I understand now is the right train of thought. Read my Sept. 2024 "Alabama" post to see what I now think about marriage and things. Take care and thanks for reading.