Country Over Party 🌵

You may have seen some of my posts stating that "Mormonism" is a vague term. It can apply to anything, even stuff remotely connected to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. For example, it can apply to the FLDS. I then state that our doctrine is called the Doctrine of Christ, not Mormonism.

I have received MANY blessings by using the full name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I decided long before President Nelson advised us to use the proper name of the Church that I would use the full name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints when in discussion with others. I've been blessed by doing so. I will share an example... I shared an office with another engineer. He had California and Nevada, and I had the other 48 states, and so it made sense to share an office. One day a software engineer came into our office and was talking about getting drinks after work. He turned and asked if I were in. I told him I don't drink. He then said something to the effect, "Oh, your a Mormon and you aren't allowed to drink." I answered to the effect, "I am a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and I can do anything I want, including having a beer. I just choose not to drink alcoholic beverages. It is a choice that I make." The guy was flabbergasted and speechless. As he left our office, my office mate said, "That was the classiest answer." He then explained that he thought my answer was classy. He thought it was classy that I used the full name of the Church instead of "Mormon Church". (This guy was a Christian Scientist.) And, he said it was classy that I expressed that it is a choice I make, and nobody forces me to not drink. Later, someone came in our office, and my office companion told him what a classy answer I gave. I will never forget that wonderful complement from a man who wasn't even a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Oh, how I wish everyone who is a member on X would follow the prophet and use the full name of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and if you're going to shorten it, shorten it to the Church of Jesus Christ. There's never been a Mormon Church. There's never been an LDS Church. Section 115 is clear as to the name of the Church. I believe by following this counsel, we will receive blessings. When we remove the name of Jesus Christ, as President Nelson taught, we offend God.

Your first few months as an LDS missionary can be extremely lonely. I was in a small town in Italy with no way to contact friends or family (except via email once a week) assigned to be with a stranger 24/7, and asked to teach about Jesus Christ in a language I didn’t understand. The reality of this being your life for the next 2 years is a lot of take in when you’re 18 In a situation like this, it’s easy to question whether or not it’s worth it. It would be way easier to go back home. Back to friends and family, back to dating, sports, social media, hobbies, etc. But every missionary knows they’re there for a bigger purpose. As a lonely, homesick missionary, I found a lot of comfort in this phrase from Jeffrey Holland “Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so” So if you see an LDS missionary out there today, remember they’re likely missing family and friends and probably want to go home. But they’re choosing to stay and trying to share the love of Jesus Christ with you. You don’t have to convert or even listen to what they have to say, but a warm smile and a wave goes a long way

MAGA: “If you’re here legally, you have nothing to worry about.” Also MAGA: “Just comply and show your ID.” The reality: A U.S. citizen. Born in Colorado. Mother of four. Stopped in Lafayette, Louisiana. Shackled. Detained in an ICE facility anyway. She showed agents her state-issued ID and Social Security card. ICE reportedly called them “fake,” handcuffed her, chained her ankles, interrogated her, and transported her to a detention center. She was released hours later only after legal intervention. The lesson is not “show your papers.” The lesson is that papers don’t protect you when power decides not to read them. This is not “law and order.” This is state abuse. Fight Trump. Fight ICE: gofundme.com/f/PAXIS

This Memorial Day, remember that the Constitution is divinely inspired and worth defending. In 2021, President Oaks (@OaksDallinH) gave a talk on the topic of our divinely inspired Constitution. Take a moment and listen. 🇺🇸

@TeeplesCY I’m glad to see other religions aren’t too far behind on this one. It definitely makes a difference on kids.

Reading scripture with children and praying with them at home feels important.

@PeacemakingSt @dgoates I had someone once say to me as I dealt with my child with autism at church…. You’re teaching him this is the right place to be. By age 3 he LOVED going to church and sat nicely throughout. The tears eventually end and you are creating a lifetime habit. Good on you!

I have two toddlers. We make sure to open our family scriptures every night and read some verses, sometimes through tears and tantrums. I think my kids comprehend very little of the content at this stage (even after we simplify it down). But I can tell that my oldest child already senses the importance of scripture study as a habit, even if the actual words don’t make much sense. Children have spiritual gifts just like adults. I’ve learned that in many ways they can discern God easier than we can. I believe that daily scripture study and prayer are how we harness and develop those spiritual gifts in our children.

🚨BREAKING: There is NO water in The Rio Grande?! I’m standing here in New Mexico and the river is completely DRY. Nearby AI data centers are consuming massive amounts of water to keep their systems cool. Meta’s Los Lunas facility alone has reportedly been tied to roughly 75 million gallons of water usage per year connected to Rio Grande resources and it’s only ONE of many projects expanding across the state. People can argue over the exact numbers, but one thing is undeniable… these facilities require enormous amounts of water and there are more data centers across the country being built as we speak. This is starting to look like an environmental disaster in plain sight. We need to put pressure on local representatives and the President to examine this environmental crisis before it’s too late.

@searchWhileTrak @michcooley I love this. Let your differences be an opportunity for growth and also charity!

@jmbrim3 @michcooley I love this. Our divisions should awaken us to the possibility that we have not yet understood nor fully believed His words. Christ prayed in John 17 that his followers would become one. If we have charity, we should "think no evil" about our brothers and sisters.

She was born Russian in distant Chelyabinsk — and died Ukrainian on the Wild Fields: the story of Olga Simonova (“Simba”), a Russian woman who became a Hero of Ukraine. She was born in the Russian city of Chelyabinsk. An athlete from a young age — karate, jiu-jitsu, rock climbing. A Master of Sports candidate who even competed at the European Championships. Her life once seemed as clear and predictable as a climbing route in the mountains. But 2014 changed everything. When she heard “Crimea is ours” and learned about the war in Donbas, she felt the imperial madness consuming her country — something she simply could not accept. The shame hit her harder than any martial arts strike ever could. She packed a backpack and bought a one-way ticket to Kyiv. “Will you come back?” her relatives asked. “No.” She renounced her Russian citizenship, mailing back her passport. In the end, she had nothing left except the truth she found in Ukraine. At first, she worked as a paramedic in a volunteer military hospital. But soon she realized she wanted not only to save lives — she wanted to fight. In 2016, she signed a contract with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and served in the reconnaissance unit of the 24th King Danylo Brigade. A senior soldier became a sergeant; a riflewoman became a BMP commander. In 2017, Olga Simonova became the first foreign servicemember to receive a Ukrainian passport. She learned the language and studied Ukrainian history. She disliked both sexism and empty stereotypes. “Stand in my place at a checkpoint,” she used to say, “then we can talk about borscht.” Her comrades remembered her as cheerful, fair, genuine — and deeply compassionate. She rescued cats and dogs from the war zones of Donbas: Pusha, Kit, Dashka… all of them were animals saved from the front. She tried to live a civilian life. Bought an apartment in Kyiv, bought a car. But she couldn’t stay away. In 2021, she returned to the army once again. On February 24, 2022, “Simba” went back to the front lines. She defended the hottest sectors in Luhansk region, then fought in the south. She was killed in Donetsk region near Soledar, detonating an explosive device during a combat mission. Hundreds gathered in Kyiv to say goodbye — fellow soldiers, volunteers, military personnel. A small toy lion cub, Simba, was placed on her coffin. By presidential decree, Senior Sergeant Olga Simonova was posthumously awarded the title Hero of Ukraine. She was born Russian in distant Chelyabinsk. But she died Ukrainian on the Wild Fields. Because she became a symbol of a future where true Ukrainians are not defined by birth — but by the heart. Eternal memory and honor to her.

The Teton River Idaho Temple continues to take shape in the countryside north of Rexburg, where grazing cattle create a calming foreground to the rising structure. Stone cladding is advancing on the steeple as well as the north and east elevations of the building, further defining the temple's exterior appearance. The contrast between the active construction site and the quiet pastureland emphasizes the prominence of this house of the Lord within the rural landscape. (Photo: Allan Morton) #tetonrivertemple #tetonriveridahotemple churchofjesuschristtemples.org/teton-river-id…

65 years ago yesterday my dad was part of a group of heroes arrested in Jackson, MS while participating in the Freedom Rides. This is what it takes. This is what it’s always taken. He was 20 years old.

I came across a theory that AI is starting to make more mistakes because the internet is increasingly polluted with AI slop. The idea of AI cannibalising itself into obscurity is one of my favourite things ever. I hope it is true and I hope it becomes impossible to fix.

Claude Mellan's Face of Christ, also known as The Sudarium of Saint Veronica (1649), is one of the most technically extraordinary works in art history... The entire portrait is rendered using a single, continuous spiralling line that begins at the tip of Christ's nose and expands outward to the edges of the cloth. Mellan achieved the illusion of depth, shadow, and facial features without any cross-hatching or traditional shading. Instead, he precisely varied the thickness and pressure of the burin (his engraving tool) as he rotated the copper plate, creating "swelling" lines that darken the image where needed. The spiralling line is estimated to be approximately 150m (about 500ft) long if it were stretched out.

@MoundLore I found a book from the early 1900's that estimated there were over 10,000 mounds in Missouri around that time.

@MoundLore I’m here in Houston and I’m looking at this and wondering about the sharp boundary that excludes my own region. I wonder what this map might look like if shell middens were included. Certainly my area would get representation. In fact, I think I was literally born on a midden.