THE RESULT OF DENVER SNUFFER READING

I will be frank here.  I deal in with airplanes that have millions of parts in each of them (if you include the fasteners) and that have enough wire to circumnavigate the globe - at the equator.  My job involves having someone show up at my desk and tell me something random within that mass of 1 million pounds of mechanical wonder is screwed up and for me to research amongst all the data that is out there on that - find the problem that makes it not per drawing specification, and then come up with a solution that will make the regulatory bodies happy and the flying public safe.  Its daunting some days when the drawings and documentation is sometimes older than I am on a legacy model.   There are 15,000 engineers here, each one having a particular piece of the puzzle, and you have to parse the problem into the correct category, then the person, then get the knowledge from them if you cannot find it on your own.  Its a collaborative nightmare - and I often find myself navigating the maze by the Spirit.  One of my co-workers here (my Jewish friend) who has 25 years in the industry doing what I have only been involved in for six, was kind of floored when I told him that I pray over the worst of problems I encounter and ask for a solution.  I am always led to the correct solution - or someone is put in my way that helps me solve it.  I am fascinated and have internalized that Nephi, The Brother of Jared and others did the impossible with nothing but faith, desire and help from the Lord.

I love to dig to find answers to complex problems.  That spills over into my hobby of this blog.  If I can find enough time, I will occasionally do a deep dive and some topic worthy of consideration - most of it is just off the cuff stuff with no deep value.  I also apply that researching to the people that are following this blog - I like to know more about them.  What issues they are dealing with.  Maybe I can give some insight into their situation based on my own.  I find most of my material for the blog by doing back-searches based on the google search strings that brings people to the blog.  One time last spring, I found an anti down in Australia that was using the information on the blog and turning it against the Church -  I knew by the signature of the data and the timing of his presentation of it.  If you happen to be reading this - you need to repent and heed the warning in the Book of Mormon that all liars will be "thrust down to hell" where they will be comfortable hanging out with the father of all lies....  This blog is for the people who honestly seek truth - or at least some wild take on truth and modern revelation......

Someone from West Jordan just identified themself thru e-mail and is probably the person who was always pinging the blog from that area for quite some time the past few years.  Another couple identified themselves who was pinging from Nova Scotia for the last year or so.  One follower is Mennonite - probably brought here by a search about health food and my positive reviews of that religion - that incidentally will have some colonies right in the path of the returning 10 tribes in southern Alberta.  Wow - won't that be an eye opener when those people stream down from the north country!!  I am sure those colonies, knowing there will be safety in that time of tumult, will stream south with the righteous horde that will encompass their terrestrial abode on the prairies.

There is one person who was a follower who I bumped into when I was over on Denver Snuffer's blog.  I checked this person out - and they were taking Denver quite seriously based on one of their blog posts.  It sounds as if this individual is way ahead of me and my wife as we make our attempt to seek further light and knowledge as we are commanded to do in scripture (without getting funky, going off the deep end, and screwing up places like Manti as it was back in the early '90s.....).  BTW - the minute you attempt to seek further light and knowledge, you might as well expect exceptional turbulence as my wife and I found out.  One of the ways you can tell you are on the path, is that you experience severe buffeting....  The devil and company love a complacent, lulled people because it makes their job easy.  The minute you attempt to shake yourself out of your deep sleep and strive, expect a firestorm.....  Joseph Smith commented about the same thing the minute he shared what he knew to be true.

So, I may get an angry comment from this person if they are still actively reading, but I snagged this from their blog which is still public domain.  I thought it encapsulated well the process of awakening and beginning that journey.  I have not seen it written better:

1 I, Nephi, having been ^aborn of ^bgoodly ^cparents, therefore I was^dtaught somewhat in all the learning of my father; and having seen many ^eafflictions in the course of my days, nevertheless, having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days; yea, having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God, therefore I make a ^frecord of my proceedings in my days.

What is an endowment?  Is it given by the Lord to one whom He chooses?

What is the presentation of the endowment?  A symbolic ceremony administered in LDS temples by temple workers to patrons?

Does an endowment - whether the "real thing" or the symbolic presention by man - begin with a depiction of the creation and the fall into mortality?

Nephis's record opens with the beginning of his endowment.  He tells us:

I, Nephi, having been ^aborn of ^bgoodly ^cparents

He depicts his creation and his birth into mortality.  He is telling us about his own endowment from God - and he is starting at the very beginning just as the presentation of the endomwent does.
 
What happens next in the endowment?  Are we taught correct principles and instructed?  Nephi's record says so:

I was^dtaught somewhat in all the learning of my father

I always thought he was referring to the learning of his father, Lehi.  Now I know that in addition to that, he was taught in ALL the learning of his father - Jesus Christ.

Part of the endowment is to live in this fallen telestial world that the Lord gives to you for your experience -- to overcome, to learn, to be afflicted, and to mirror the Savior's life by offering sacrifice and doing everything to glorify the Father.  Nephi tells us this was part of his experience too:

having seen many ^eafflictions in the course of my days,

Nephi obeyed the Lord and he made and kept covenants as part of his endowment process.  He progressed from Telestial to Terrestrial and kept the laws pertaining to those glories.  He was rewarded with greater light as his faith increased:

having been highly favored of the Lord in all my days

And then he gets to the veil.  He has been instructed in all things, he has made and kept covenants, he has been true and faithful, he is allowed to knock.  He is given a promise.  He comes back with faith enough to part the veil.  He knocks again.  He is invited into the Celestial realm.  He finalizes his endowment.  In his own words, he receives much:

having had a great knowledge of the goodness and the mysteries of God

That's only verse one of the Holy Book of Mormon.  How much more is there to discover?

So far I have progressed spiritually in this manner:

1. Was dead asleep as to the truth the Lord wanted to teach me --truths that are not taught in Sunday School and can not be taught - only learned through the Spirit.
2. Prayed for spiritual gifts but was denied.
3. Given small packets of light at a time.  Too small for my liking.  I couldn't figure out why I was moving so slowly when my desires were great.  I dreamed of glowing sticks that represented how much light and knowledge each of us have.
4. Prayed to know if I should read a certain book.  Was allowed to after a certain amount of time.
6. Was given vast understanding about the traditions of men we are laboring under.  Was shown how difficult and heavy the burden of unbelief (incorrect thinking) is to bear.  Was very surprised!
7. Was shown clearly in a thick, non-stop barrage of insights that my religion is swimming in flesh - making for commandments the doctrine of men.
8. The Lord stepped to the side and watched me, waited, asked me if I could believe Him.  Could I trust Him.  Would I take on the mockery of the world to follow his true doctrine, his true way? 
9. The Lord told me that in order for Him to teach me through His holy spirit, I had to be willing to shed all my cultural ideas, perceptions, social conditioning, and precepts of men.  I had to no longer rely on traditions or trust in the arm of flesh.  He asked if I would wipe the slate clean and forget what man had taught me and to let His voice teach me.  He promised me eternal life if I would walk His path instead of the world's.
10. I agreed.
11. I repented of my unbelief (incorrect understanding of gospel principles) and was shown many of my sins, I prayed.
12. He opened the gate that sits in front of the strait and narrow path and let me pass.  I had to drop a lot of sins before I was skinny enough to fit on the path.
13. He gave me the gift of the Holy Ghost.
14. He showed me that we are all laboring under a condemnation for not taking the Book of Mormon seriously.  We have rejected its contents.
15. He showed me that everytime I shed an unbelief (incorrect idea/doctrine/custom) that I am endowed with more knowledge with great clarity and it is emblazoned on my soul so I do not forget it.
16. He told me to study the scriptures, slowly, in-depth, with the Holy Ghost teaching me, and promised more after I have done so.

I am here...to remove the condemnation...and search the words of eternal life that I might qualify for my endowment in the Lord's presence.