The Soul Beyond the Algorithm

Many faith and interfaith groups have been actively promoting ethical AI use that enhances, rather than inhibits, human flourishing and spiritual connection.

Read more: The Soul Beyond the Algorithm

The Declaration’s God

 

The Declaration's God

As we approach the 250th anniversary of the American Founding, it’s important to point out that the Declaration of Independence does not begin with politics. Before it speaks of rights, consent, or government, it makes a claim about the structure of reality itself. The rights it asserts are not the product of historical circumstance or collective will. They are grounded in a prior truth: that human beings are created by God.

The Declaration’s appeal to “the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God” is not ornamental or rhetorical—it is the foundation on which its entire argument rests. The founders believed they were obligated to explain to mankind the reasons for their separation, and those reasons started with God and his law.

Read

Sensible Truth Ep. 34: Law and Moral Agency

 

The question, “How does this proposed law align with the principles of the U.S. Constitution?” reflects a deep respect for foundational truth, moral order, and accountability. The Constitution was established to preserve liberty, justice, and God-given rights through limited government and the rule of law. Wise citizens understand that not every law proposed is automatically good or just simply because it is legal or popular.

Watch Video

Pete Hegseth: Americans to follow Washington’s example and pray for the nation “on bended knee”

 

Pete Hegseth just gave a speech that hit millions of Americans right in the heart because he reminded the country of something the modern political class desperately tries to erase: America’s story has always been tied to faith, prayer, sacrifice, and belief in God during the darkest moments of history. Standing in front of thousands of Christians, Hegseth spoke about George Washington bowing his head in prayer during the Revolutionary War, when defeat, uncertainty, and despair surrounded the colonies and nobody knew if America would even survive. Instead of surrendering to fear, Washington turned to God. That image still resonates with Americans centuries later because it represents humility, courage, and faith under pressure. What made this moment powerful was how unapologetic it sounded. Hegseth openly called on Americans to follow Washington’s example and pray for the nation “on bended knee,” invoking Jesus Christ directly and reminding people that faith was never something hidden away quietly in America’s founding story. At a time when so many institutions seem afraid to even mention Christianity publicly, speeches like this stand out because they speak to millions of Americans who still believe the country’s moral and spiritual foundation matters. You can already tell why this is spreading online so fast. People are exhausted by empty political slogans and leaders who sound robotic and disconnected from ordinary Americans. Whether someone is deeply religious or not, there’s something emotionally powerful about hearing a national figure speak openly about faith, struggle, sacrifice, and the belief that America’s strength comes from something bigger than government or politics alone. That’s why moments like this resonate far beyond one crowd or one speech.

From a Democrat: I wish President Trump — you had never gone to China.

 

Mike Netter

From a Democrat: “I wish President Trump — you had never gone to China. I wish none of this had ever happened. And I wish I had never found out what I found out today. Now, I cannot look at myself the same way. Here is what happened. When Trump landed in Beijing — thousands of Chinese children lined the streets cheering for him. BEIJING EMBRACES TRUMP as Chinese Driver Parks MAGA Hat on Luxury Car to Welcome the President in the back window. Chinese citizens rushed to the Temple of Heaven just to catch one glimpse of him — recording every second — like they were watching the most important moment of their lives. And I sat here, in America. The country he actually serves. The country he gave everything up for. And I realized something that genuinely broke me. China loves Donald Trump more than most Democrats do. A 79-year-old man who has everything this world can offer — money, properties, comfort, and peace — chose to fly to the other side of the world in a lame duck time in office instead, to represent us. Carrying the US name into every room as a friend. To make sure America was respected everywhere he went. And the people of China — who cannot even vote for him — showed him more love than he sometimes gets at home. Where the word “MAGA” is not a hate word.  So today I just want to say one thing. I am sorry President Trump. I am sorry for every American who forgot to say thank you, who will slam you no matter what you do. Your respect is America’s respect. Your dignity is our dignity. And every country that honors you — is honoring all of us. Thank you for never stopping. Thank you for never giving up. Thank you for always showing up. Trump deserves more appreciation from Americans even if you don’t agree with everything he does?

Deuteronomy 7 and the Pattern of Holiness Hidden Since Eden

 

Deuteronomy 7 and the Pattern of Holiness Hidden Since Eden

There is something symbolically fascinating about the fact that Deuteronomy chapter 7 centers on holiness, covenant separation, and guarding sacred things. Of course, the chapter divisions were added long after the Torah was written, but the symbolism still fits remarkably well.

Throughout scripture, the number seven becomes associated with sacred order, covenant completion, rest, and holiness. The seventh day of creation was the very first thing in all the Bible declared holy. Genesis says God “sanctified” the seventh day using the Hebrew word vayqaddesh (ויקדש), coming from the same root as qadosh (קדוש), meaning holy, consecrated, or set apart. Before there was a holy nation or a holy temple, there was holy time.

That same holiness language appears directly in Deuteronomy 7 when Israel is called a “holy people” unto the Lord. The Hebrew word is qadosh (קדוש). This does not simply mean morally good. It means separated into sacred purpose. Eden was holy space. The Tabernacle was holy space. The Temple was holy space. Now Israel itself is being described as consecrated space among the nations. The issue throughout Deuteronomy is not ethnicity or nationalism. It is covenant identity. Israel is being called to remain distinct because sacred things in scripture are guarded from corruption.

This becomes even more profound after Israel is explicitly called a qadosh, a holy and consecrated people, because Deuteronomy 7 repeatedly commands them to “keep” the covenant and commandments. The Hebrew word translated as "keep" is shamar (שמר), meaning to keep, guard, preserve, watch over, or protect. This is not passive obedience language. It is priestly guardianship language. Yet throughout the Torah, shamar is repeatedly paired with another important Hebrew verb: avad (עבד).

Avad means to serve, labor, minister, or perform sacred service. From this same root comes avadim (עבדים)...slaves or servants. In Exodus, Israel is described as slaves (avadim) under Pharaoh, forced into harsh bondage and labor (Exodus 1:13–14). Yet after the Exodus, God declares, “For unto me the children of Israel are servants” (Leviticus 25:55). The Hebrew literally says the children of Israel are avadim (servants) unto Him. The reversal is profound. Israel leaves slavery to Pharaoh only to become servants of God.

The connection becomes astonishing when we realize these same two verbs first appear together in Genesis 2:15, where Adam is placed into Eden to avad and shamar...to serve and guard sacred space. Later, these exact same words become official priestly terminology connected to the Tabernacle sanctuary, where the Levites serve and guard holy space before the presence of God. Adam is therefore portrayed almost like a priest within Eden itself, and Israel now inherits that same calling on a national level. This is why Exodus 19:6 describes Israel as “a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation.”

The symbolism deepens even further when we remember where the covenant itself was placed. The Ten Commandments, or in Hebrew the “Ten Words”, were placed inside the Ark of the Covenant within the Holy of Holies. The priests physically guarded the covenant words inside sacred space, yet Israel collectively was commanded to "shamar" those same covenant words through covenant faithfulness. The commandments were not merely rules to obey. They were a sacred treasure to protect. The covenant existed both inside the sanctuary and inside the life of the people.

And this is where the entire biblical story begins converging into one repeated pattern. Adam failed to guard sacred space. Israel repeatedly failed to guard covenant holiness. Even the priesthood itself later became corrupted. The story of scripture becomes the story of humanity failing to properly avad and shamar what God declared holy. Deuteronomy 7 is therefore about far more than separation from pagan nations. It is about protecting sacred space from corruption, preserving covenant holiness, and restoring the sacred order first established when God sanctified the seventh day itself.

The Hidden Tenfold Pattern of Christ in the Tabernacle

 

The Hidden Tenfold Pattern of Christ in the Tabernacle

The tabernacle was not merely a place of worship. It was a prophetic pattern.

Ancient Jewish tradition taught that the world was created through ten divine utterances...ten times in Genesis 1 where creation unfolds through the phrase “And God said....” At Sinai, Israel then received what is commonly called the “Ten Commandments,” but in Hebrew they are actually called the “Ten Words.” Both creation and covenant are therefore established through divine speech through the ten utterances and the ten words. In the tabernacle, those same themes appear again through ten sacred symbols that progressively lead humanity back into the presence of God.

The journey begins at the gate of the courtyard. There was only one entrance into the tabernacle, just as Christ declared, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9). The moment someone entered, they immediately encountered the altar of sacrifice, where blood was offered for sin. Hebrews identifies Christ as the fulfillment of that altar: “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God” (Hebrews 10:12). Beyond the altar stood the bronze laver filled with cleansing water, echoing Christ’s words: “He that believeth on me… out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38).

Inside the Holy Place, the symbolism becomes even more striking. The menorah illuminated the sanctuary with perpetual light, foreshadowing Christ declaring, “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12). Across from the menorah stood the table of showbread, representing covenant fellowship and divine sustenance, fulfilled in Christ’s declaration: “I am the bread of life” (John 6:35). Then before the veil stood the altar of incense, where fragrant smoke ascended upward like prayers rising to heaven. Revelation explicitly connects incense with “the prayers of saints” (Revelation 8:3–4), while Christ Himself offered the great intercessory prayer on behalf of His disciples in John 17 before ascending to the Father. Hebrews therefore declares that Christ “ever liveth to make intercession” for His people (Hebrews 7:25). The altar of incense becomes a powerful image of Christ as mediator, carrying the prayers of humanity into the presence of God. Even the veil itself pointed forward to Him, because Hebrews explicitly states that believers now enter the presence of God through “the veil, that is to say, his flesh” (Hebrews 10:20).

Beyond the veil was the Holy of Holies, the dwelling place of God’s presence. In the tabernacle, this innermost sanctuary formed a perfect cube — ten cubits long, ten cubits wide, and ten cubits high — symbolizing divine completeness and covenant perfection. Within it rested the Ark of the Covenant containing three sacred objects. The first were the tablets of the covenant...the Ten Words spoken by God at Sinai. John deliberately echoes both creation and Sinai when he writes, “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1). Then, astonishingly, he declares: “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1:14). The Greek word for “dwelt” literally means “tabernacled.” The divine Word once written on stone had now entered the world in living form.

Next beside the tablets was the golden pot of manna, preserved as a witness that God had fed Israel from heaven in the wilderness. Christ directly applies this imagery to Himself: “Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead… I am the living bread which came down from heaven” (John 6:49–51). Finally, there was Aaron’s rod that budded...a dead staff that miraculously burst forth with almond blossoms, buds, and fruit. In scripture, the almond tree is associated with awakening and life emerging after death-like winter. The symbolism points directly to resurrection. Christ declared, “I am the resurrection, and the life” (John 11:25), and Paul calls Him “the firstfruits” of those raised from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:20).

The symbolism of ten now comes full circle. The world was created through ten divine utterances: “And God said.” Israel entered covenant through the Ten Words spoken at Sinai. The Holy of Holies itself was structured around the symbolism of ten (10 X 10 X 10 cubits). Then in the tabernacle, the place where heaven and earth symbolically meet, ten sacred images are ultimately resolved in Jesus Christ through the lens of the New Testament. He becomes the Door, the Sacrifice, the Living Water, the Light, the Bread of Life, the Intercessor, the Veil, the Living Word, the True Manna, and the Resurrection Life.

Within the New Testament, the entire tabernacle pattern ultimately resolves itself into Christ. Every curtain, every furnishing, every ritual, and every covenant symbol points toward humanity being brought back into communion with God through Him. The symbolism of ten is therefore not accidental. In biblical thought, ten becomes the number of divine order, covenant completeness, and creation established through the spoken Word of God.

Sensible Truth Ep. 33: Leadership and Empowerment

 

Leadership that seeks power for its own sake often produces fear, control, pride, and dependence. True leadership, however, lifts others rather than exalting self. When Richard Medlock taught that “Leadership is not about power; leadership is about empowerment,” the principal points to a higher form of leadership—one centered on helping others grow, succeed, and become capable themselves.

Watch 

Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 32: Purpose and Destiny of the United States of America

 

Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 32: Purpose and Destiny of the United States of America

Ether 2:10,12: Behold, this is a choice land, and whatsoever nation shall possess it shall be free from bondage, and from captivity, and from all other nations under heaven, if they will but serve the God of the land, who is Jesus Christ.

The Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States were inspired documents. Because the Founding Fathers were recipients of that inspiration, they understood and believed that only a “moral and righteous people” would uphold the principles and values the documents are based upon.  

Watch

Iran’s Historic Mistake

 

Iran’s Historic Mistake

Carl von Clausewitz wrote that war is “the continuation of politics by other means.” President Trump grasped this from the start: Operation Epic Fury exists to stop Iran’s nuclear march and restore deterrence, not to pursue the familiar neocon fantasy of occupation and nation-building. Epic Fury is peace through strength in action: credible force applied decisively when adversaries mistake restraint for weakness.

By weaponizing the Strait of Hormuz, Iran committed a strategic blunder of historic proportions. Tehran meant to punish America. Instead, it exposed every power built on imported energy, vulnerable sea lanes, and the delusion that globalization repealed geography. China is exposed. Europe is exposed. Britain is exposed. Iran has created a world where hard resource power decides outcomes.

Start with China. Beijing’s industrial machine depends on imported oil and gas moving through vulnerable maritime chokepoints, the old Malacca dilemma in modern form. A great power reliant on long, exposed sea lines cannot be secure, regardless of economic scale. The Hormuz shock forced China to scramble for alternatives, proving that size is not resilience.

Europe and Britain face the same problem. After escaping Russian dependency, they traded one vulnerability for another, leaning on imported LNG and maritime flows exposed to coercion. When chokepoints tighten, they absorb shocks rather than project strength. European criticism says less about American failure than about discomfort with a world where hard power still matters.

Iran’s mistake is that once Hormuz becomes structurally unreliable, the world builds around it. That means bypass corridors, revived pipeline politics, and urgent planning for routes linking Aqaba to Mediterranean outlets near Gaza and the long-stalled Basra-to-Aqaba pipeline. The old energy order is cracking. The UAE’s OPEC exit signals cartel discipline giving way to national advantage under pressure.

Trump deserves credit, not European scolding. Operation Epic Fury struck thousands of targets, degraded Iran’s offensive capabilities, and shattered assumptions that the West would absorb escalation without response. The administration acted while others lectured. It restored deterrence in the only language Tehran understands.

The larger lesson matters more. Secure natural-resource hard power is what the Western Hemisphere possesses in abundance. The United States, Canada, and the Americas command hydrocarbons, LNG, farmland, freshwater, critical minerals, and strategic depth on a scale import-dependent Europe and Asia cannot match. This crisis clarified, not weakened, the Americas structural position.

The financial dimension reinforces the point. Demand for Federal Reserve swap lines during crisis proves King Dollar remains supreme. When stress hits, governments run toward dollar liquidity, not away from it. Hard resource power and monetary power reinforce one another, and the United States sits at the center of both.

That is Epic Fury’s real significance. Clausewitz wrote that “the political view is the object, war is the means.” Trump understood that. Iran tried to weaponize geography, Trump turned the confrontation into a demonstration of who is exposed and who is not.

The Trump administration deserves far more praise than it has received, and history will likely judge that Iran’s greatest miscalculation was not merely closing Hormuz, but revealing which powers still command the real sources of strength.

James E. Thorne

Global Market Strategist

DEMOCRATS BEING HONEST

 

DEMOCRATS BEING HONEST

"Americans are too small-minded to govern their own affairs and must surrender their individual rights to the world order." Barack Obama

"No ordinary American cares about constitutional rights." Joe Biden

"This liberal will be all about socializing... about basically taking over and the government running all of your companies." Maxine Waters

"If you have $20, and I have $1, then I have $21." Elizabeth Warren

"We are not entitled to the fruits of our labor, we are only entitled to the labor itself." Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 2018

"One day the American people will know their place, and they will stop thinking they deserve the same privileges as us." Dianne Feinstein

"Poor kids are just as bright and just as talented as white kids." Joe Biden

"We cannot allow people to pour into the United States undetected, undocumented, and unchecked. Americans are right to demand better border security." Barack Obama, 2006

"Candidates with deeply held Christian beliefs are unfit and disqualified from serving as a federal judge." Chuck Schumer

"I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction." Barack Obama, from his book Audacity of Hope

"I think Sharia law will be a powerful new direction of freedom..."
Hillary Clinton

The War on the United States of America

 

The War on the United States of America is the most illogical conflict in Human History.

We are living in a strange era where anti-Americanism is the cheapest currency for popularity. Whether in Asia, the Middle East, or the Sahel, the fastest way to win a crowd is to burn a flag or blame Washington.

But past the rhetoric, the obsession with seeing America fail isn't just misguided, it's completely illogical.

People love to trash the U.S, but they trust its systems with their lives. Name another superpower where a former President can be held accountable in a court of law.

The world's money flows through New York because the rules are transparent. Even the most vocal anti-imperialist dictators keep their personal wealth in USD. They know it's the only currency backed by a system that won't vanish overnight.

While other nations cycle through coups, juntas, and eternal leaders every few decades, America has maintained peaceful handovers of power for a quarter of a millennium. That institutional stability is the foundation for everything else, the wealth, the innovation, and the freedom.

The world's anti-Americans are currently using American tech iPhone/Android on American platforms X, Meta, Google to post their anti-American views.

From NASA touching the stars to Silicon Valley defining the future of AI, America remains decades ahead. The energy spent hating this progress is energy wasted avoiding the truth that, America is the engine of human milestone.

Everyone poses as anti-American until the music starts or the movie plays. The icons, the films, the NBA, the NFL, American pop culture is the global tongue. It is the only place where the American Dream isn't just a slogan, but a reality for the millions of immigrants who continue to flock there.

The most tragic irony is almost every anti-American figure in history has a secret link to the West. They send their children to Ivy League schools, use American medicine, and consume American luxury. They sell "The West is Evil" to their citizens while enjoying the fruits of the West in private.

Organizations are being formed and billions spent with one goal which is, to beat America.

Imagine if that energy was spent on building domestic systems that actually worked. Imagine if the focus was on innovation instead of imitation and resentment. You cannot defeat a system that you are simultaneously dependent on.

The world loves the fruits of America but hates the tree. Hating the U.S. doesn't make a nation stronger, it just makes it blind to why its own systems are failing.

America isn't just a country, it's the most successful experiment in human history. The results speak for themselves.

Jesus Christ – Bridge Over Troubled Water

 

Jesus Christ – Bridge Over Troubled Water

In 1970, the popular singing duet of Simon and Garfunkel released their biggest all-time hit. “Bridge Over Troubled Waters”. It is still popular today.

Bridge Over Troubled Water is one of those rare songs that feels like scripture set to melody—an anthem of presence, compassion, and unwavering loyalty.

When you place that theme next to the Infinite Atonement, the parallel becomes profound.

Watch

Jesus Christ as Our Righteous Judge

 

Jesus Christ as Our Righteous Judge

When thinking about why I can trust Jesus to be my righteous judge, I considered the question posed by the lesson material: “Imagine that you have a friend who has been charged with a serious crime. You also know the victim of the crime. You love both people.”  This was a great mental exercise as I considered that question in my own life. It also helped me see a current news story differently. There is a woman in this exact predicament. Her husband was the perpetrator of the crime, and her sister was the victim of the crime. I considered the crime only and judged the mother harshly for still supporting her husband. She faced an incredibly difficult situation, and I learned that I was not a good judge.  Studying this lesson helped me to have a deep appreciation for my Savior as my judge.

When someone is found guilty of a crime, there needs to be a punishment so that justice may be served. They may also need to be put in jail as a protection to the public. Justice serves the victims, because they were innocent and may have lost something because of the crime. They may even need protection from the perpetrator. Justice and separation provide those things.

That said, judges matter. You would want a judge who is fair, truthful, compassionate, knowledgeable, and just.  I enjoyed the part of the lesson that had me list the attributes of Jesus that make Him a trustworthy and righteous judge. Jesus was merciful to sinners, the suffering, the downtrodden. He was kind, gentle and empathetic. He was clear- eyed, truthful, nuanced, thoughtful, and fair. Above all, He was loving. Those are just a few of the mortal examples.  I liked what the Psalmist said:

Psalm 96:11–13

11 Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof.

12 Let the field be joyful, and all that is therein: then shall all the trees of the wood rejoice

13 Before the Lord: for he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his truth.

The last line stood out to me - that he shall judge the people with his truth. His truth. We have a popular phrase in our culture where people can make all kinds of outlandish claims and then call it “My Truth”. As if to say, well, that’s how I experienced it, so it’s my truth - and cannot be argued against. I am comforted to know that we will be judged righteously by His truth.  We cannot always see ourselves or others clearly, but Jesus can. He sees our heart and knows our intent. He knows who we really are. He will know where mental illness or chemical imbalance marred someone’s ability to make right choices, He will know where oppression, inequality, neglect, or abuse played a role. He will see the whole picture and His truth will guide the judgement.

Lastly, the testimony of the prophets in the scriptures give me faith in his ability to be a righteous judge.

“Therefore, let us come boldly to the throne of grace.”

“Let virtue garnish thy thoughts unceasingly - Then shall thy confidence wax strong in the presence of the Lord.”

“Oh, wretched man that I am… Nevertheless, I know in whom I have trusted.”

And Doctrine and Covenants 45:

3 Listen to him who is the advocate to an external site. with the Father, who is pleading your cause before him—

4 Saying: Father, behold the sufferings to an external site, and death to an external site, of him who did no sin to an external site, in whom thou wast well pleased; behold the blood of thy Son which was shed, the blood of him whom thou gavest that thyself might be glorified to an external site;

5 Wherefore, Father, spare these my brethren to an external site. that believe to an external site. on my name, that they may come unto me and have everlasting life to an external site.

Until that day, I am going to work on letting Jesus be the judge here in mortality too. I am not a good judge, and I want to work refining and developing more Christlike attributes instead of judging others.

Good Friday

 

Tonight is the night during Holy Week when we remember the night in the Garden of Gethsemane when the Savior stepped into the deepest part of His redeeming work. Luke records that “being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” (Luke 22:44). Modern revelation adds that this suffering caused Him “to tremble because of pain, and to bleed at every pore” (D&C 19:18). What happened there is so sacred that, as Bruce R. McConkie taught, “We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane. We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him.” “The Purifying Power of Gethsemane,” General Conference, April 1985”

And yet, what we do know is enough to change everything. McConkie declared that “it was in Gethsemane that the infinite and eternal atonement began” (The Mortal Messiah, 4:127), and that there the Savior “took upon himself the sins of all men on condition of repentance” (The Purifying Power of Gethsemane*, Apr. 1985). In that garden, before any arrest, before any cross, the Son of God willingly began to bear what justice required. As the Lord Himself revealed, “I… have suffered these things for all, that they might not suffer if they would repent” (D&C 19:16).

Gethsemane was not only about satisfying justice; it was also about entering the full depth of the human condition. Alma taught that Christ would suffer “pains and afflictions and temptations of every kind… that he may know according to the flesh how to succor his people” (Alma 7:11–12). In that suffering, He did not become sinful, but He came to know perfectly what sin does to us. As Jeffrey R. Holland testified, “He who had never known sin would come to know how the rest of us would feel when we did sin.” (*None Were with Him*, Apr. 2009).

Gethsemane’s toll was not abstract or distant. It was personal. Russell M. Nelson taught that “in Gethsemane, the Savior took upon Himself the weight of the sins of all mankind, bearing its massive load that caused Him to bleed from every pore,” and then added this remarkable truth: “And yet it was also personal” (*The Atonement*, Oct. 1996). Gethsemane not just for the world in general, for sin in general, it was for each of us individually.

Today, as we remember Gethsemane, we remember that Christ did something both for us and with us. He suffered “that they might not suffer” (Doctrine and Covenants 19:16), satisfying the demands of justice. And He suffered “pains and afflictions… that he may know… how to succor his people” (Alma 7:11–12), entering fully into our experience so He can heal us. He bore both our sins and our sorrows.

He did it willingly. In that same garden, He prayed, “Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done” (Luke 22:42). Before any soldier came, before any cross was raised, He chose to stay. He chose to drink the cup.

Because of what happened in Gethsemane, no burden you carry is unfamiliar to Him. No sin you struggle with is beyond His reach. No sorrow you feel is something He has not, in some way, already borne.  Indeed, because of Gethsemane, Jesus knows exactly what it is like to be you. And because He went there, because He knelt, and suffered, and stayed, and then went forward to the cross, you are not alone. As Jeffrey R. Holland taught, because He walked that “long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so.” “None Were with Him,” April 2009. 

Tonight, as we remember Gethsemane, if we do that remembering with spiritual eyes, we will see that He is not distant from us and our suffering.  We will find that the power of Gethsemane is, and always will be, right here.

Art: Walter Rane, Not My Will But Thine

Trump, Hormuz and the End of the Free Ride

 

Strait of Hormuz

by James E. Thorne

Trump, Hormuz and the End of the Free Ride 

For half a century, Western strategists have known that the Strait of Hormuz is the acute point where energy, sea power and political will intersect. That knowledge is not in dispute. What is new in this war with Iran is that the United States, under Donald Trump, has chosen not to rush to “solve” the problem. In Hegelian terms, he is refusing an easy synthesis in order to force the underlying contradiction to the surface.

The old thesis was simple: the US guarantees open sea lanes in the Gulf, and everyone else structures their economies and politics around that free insurance. Europe and the UK embraced ambitious green policies, ran down hard‑power capabilities and lectured Washington on multilateral virtue, secure in the assumption that American carriers would always appear off Hormuz. The political class behaved as if the American security guarantee were a law of nature, not a contingent choice. Their conduct today is closer to Chamberlain than Churchill: temporising, issuing statements, hoping the storm will pass without a fundamental reordering of their responsibilities.

Trump’s antithesis is to withhold the automatic guarantee at the moment of maximum stress. Militarily, the US can break Iran’s residual ability to contest the Strait; that is not the binding constraint. The point is to delay that act. By allowing a closure or semi‑closure to bite, Trump ensures that the immediate pain is concentrated in exactly the jurisdictions that have most conspicuously free‑ridden on US power: the EU and the UK. Their industries, consumers and energy‑transition assumptions are exposed.

In that context, his reported blunt message to European and British leaders, you need the oil out of the Strait more than we do; why don’t you go and take it? Is not a throwaway line. It is the verbalisation of the antithesis. It openly reverses the traditional presumption that America will carry the burden while its allies emote from the sidelines.

In this dialectic, the prize is not simply the reopening of a chokepoint. The prize is a reordered system in which the United States effectively arbitrages and controls the global flow of oil. A world in which US‑aligned production in the Americas plus a discretionary capability to secure,or not secure, Hormuz places Washington at the centre of the hydrocarbon chessboard. For that strategic end, a rapid restoration of the old status quo would be counterproductive.

A quick, surgical “fix” of Hormuz would short‑circuit the dialectic. If Trump rapidly crushed Iran’s remaining coastal capabilities, swept the mines and escorted tankers back through the Strait, Europe and the UK would heave a sigh of relief and return to business as usual: underfunded militaries, maximalist green posturing and performative disdain for US power, all underwritten by that same power. The contradiction between their dependence and their posture would remain latent.

By declining to supply the synthesis on demand, and by explicitly telling London and Brussels to “go and take it” themselves, Trump forces a reckoning. European and British leaders must confront the fact that their energy systems, their industrial bases and their geopolitical sermons all rest on an American hard‑power foundation they neither finance nor politically respect. The longer the contradiction is allowed to unfold, the stronger the eventual synthesis can be: a new order in which access to secure flows, Hormuz, Venezuela and beyond, is explicitly conditional on real contributions, not assumed as a right.

In that sense, the delay in “taking” the Strait, and the challenge issued to US allies to do it themselves, is not indecision. It is the negative moment Hegel insisted was necessary for history to move. Only by withholding the old guarantee, and by saying so out loud to those who depended on it, can Trump hope to end the free ride.

 

Jesus Christ in Gethsemane

 

"This sacred spot, like Eden where Adam dwelt, like Sinai from whence Jehovah gave His laws, like Calvary where the Son of God gave His life a ransom for many, this holy ground is where the sinless Son of the Everlasting Father took upon Himself the sins of all men on condition of repentance.

We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane.

We know He sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as He drained the dregs of that bitter cup His Father had given Him.

We know He suffered, both body and spirit, more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death.

We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, His suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin and made mercy available to those who believe in His holy name.

We know that He lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused Him to tremble and would that He might not drink the bitter cup.

We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen Him in His ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be.

As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours."

Bruce R McConkie

The Constitution of the United States is a Glorious Standard

“The Constitution of the United States is a glorious standard; it is founded in the wisdom of God. It is a heavenly banner; it is to all those who are privileged with the sweets of liberty, like the cooling shades and refreshing waters of a great rock in a thirsty and weary land. It is like a great tree under whose branches men from every clime can be shielded from the burning rays of the sun.”

Prophet Joseph Smith

Joseph Smith’s declaration that the Constitution is “a glorious standard” and “a heavenly banner” invites us to see this founding document not merely as a political achievement but as a divine safeguard for human dignity. His imagery evokes the spiritual symbolism of refuge and covenant: a “great rock in a thirsty and weary land” recalls Isaiah’s promise that the Lord will be “as rivers of water in a dry place, and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land” (Isaiah 32:2). In this light, the Constitution becomes a God‑given structure that shelters the weary, protects the oppressed, and refreshes the soul of a nation. Its guarantees of agency, conscience, and equality echo the scriptural truth that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

The Founding Fathers themselves sensed this divine dimension. George Washington spoke of the “sacred fire of liberty” and warned that its preservation depends on virtue and faith.

Thomas Jefferson insisted that the Constitution was designed to secure the God‑given rights of all people, and James Madison taught that the very purpose of government is to protect the “faculties of men”—their agency, their conscience, their property, their pursuit of truth. Modern prophets have reaffirmed this sacred framing: President Ezra Taft Benson taught that the Constitution was “made possible by the God of heaven” and rooted in eternal principles of agency, while President Gordon B. Hinckley called it “the keystone of our nation” and “the guarantee of our liberty.”

Together, these voices—prophetic, scriptural, and foundational—reveal why Joseph Smith likened the Constitution to a great tree offering shade to “men from every clime.” It is a divinely inspired refuge under which God’s children, regardless of origin, may find protection from tyranny, space to exercise their God‑given agency, and the freedom to seek truth, worship, and flourish. To honor the Constitution, then, is to honor the God who gave liberty, to cherish the covenant of self‑government, and to stand as stewards of a sacred trust meant to bless all nations and all generations.

Jesus Christ as Our Savior

 

We cannot save ourselves. Left on our own, we are like people stranded in deep water, trying to swim to shore with no strength left. No matter how hard we try, we cannot rescue ourselves—we need someone to save us.

But none of us possess that power. We cannot offer ourselves redemption.

So God provided the only solution that could ever work.

He sent His perfect Son.

From before the foundations of the earth were laid, the Savior stood willing to do what none of us could do. He offered Himself as the sacrifice—one pure life given for all humanity.

He would stand in our place, bear the weight of sin, and satisfy the demands of justice while extending the arms of mercy.

Through His suffering in Gethsemane, His death on the cross, and His resurrection from the grave, Christ accomplished what no other being could ever accomplish.

He made rescue possible.

He became our bridge back to the Father.

Because of Him, our failures are not the end of the story.

Because of Him, broken people like you and me can be healed.

Because of Him, the sinner can be forgiven, the weary can find rest, and the lost can find their way home.

There has never been another way, and there will never be another name given under heaven capable of saving mankind.

Jesus Christ has always been—and will always be—our only hope for peace in this world and eternal life in the world to come.

All we have to do is turn toward Him, trust Him, and allow His grace to carry us where we could never go alone...

Sensible Truth Ep. 30: "Agency, Responsibility, and the Moral Climate of a Nation"

Sensible Truth Ep. 30: "Agency, Responsibility, and the Moral Climate of a Nation"

Milton Friedman once asked, “Why have we had such a decline in moral climate?” His answer was piercing: “because we have shifted from a belief in individual responsibility to a belief in social responsibility”. 

Watch

Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 29: The Impostor Syndrome

 

Sensible Truth on The Medlock Post Ep. 29: The Impostor Syndrome

Impostor syndrome may whisper that we are unqualified, but Scripture reminds us that God does not call the flawless—He strengthens the willing. Like David, we can acknowledge the size of the “giants” before us without letting them define us, because our identity rests not in our résumé but in our Redeemer. When we bring our weakness into the light of God’s truth, humility becomes courage, fear becomes obedience, and self-doubt becomes dependence on grace. In the end, the question is not whether we are enough, but whether God is faithful—and He is.

Watch 

Sensible Truth Ep. 28: Honoring the Constitution as a Sacred Act

 

“The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty…is finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American people.” George Washington

Watch

God and Political Power

 

My Friends, today I want to reflect on a sobering observation from President Gordon B. Hinckley. He taught that “many public officers have abandoned any reverent use of the name of God in public meetings, thereby closing the door to Deity when it is plainly evident there is a need for wisdom beyond their own. If we deny the one sure source of moral truth, then from whence will it come?” His words invite us to consider not only the state of our public life, but the state of our own hearts.

Scripture teaches that true wisdom begins not with intellect, not with experience, and not with political power, but with reverence. “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom” (Proverbs 9:10). When leaders—and when we ourselves—set aside the name of God, we are not merely changing language. We are closing the very door through which heaven’s guidance enters. James reminds us that *“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God… and it shall be given him” (James 1:5). But asking requires humility. It requires acknowledging that our own understanding is not enough.

The Lord lamented through Jeremiah, “They have rejected the word of the Lord; and what wisdom is in them?” (Jeremiah 8:9). When a people reject God’s word, they do not become wiser—they become unmoored. Isaiah warned of a time when people would “call evil good, and good evil” (Isaiah 5:20), a time when moral clarity would be replaced by moral confusion. President Hinckley’s question echoes that warning: If we turn away from the one sure source of moral truth, where else do we expect to find it? Human opinion shifts. Cultural norms change. Political winds blow in every direction. But God’s truth is steady, unchanging, and sure.

The Psalmist declared, “Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord” (Psalm 33:12). That blessing does not come merely from invoking His name, but from seeking His will, honoring His commandments, and acknowledging His sovereignty. When leaders pray, when communities seek God, when families teach His word, and when individuals humble themselves before Him, heaven responds. Light increases. Wisdom deepens. Hearts soften. And righteousness becomes possible.

So the invitation today is simple: let us keep the door to Deity open. Let us speak His name with reverence. Let us seek His wisdom in our homes, in our decisions, and in our daily walk. And let us be the kind of disciples whose faithfulness invites heaven’s guidance not only into our personal lives, but into the life of our communities and our nation. For when God is honored, truth has a place to stand. And where truth stands, righteousness can flourish.

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

Scriptures: To Know God

 

Scripture was written so you could know God. Not know about Him. Know Him. The way you know a person, by watching what they do when it matters most.

The way you know God is not through His name. It is through His character.

When Moses stood at the burning bush and asked God for His name, God gave him one that was not really a name at all. “I AM WHO I AM.” Exodus 3:14. That is a declaration of character. I am self-existent. I am unchanging. I am not defined by what you call me. I am defined by what I am.

Moses asks God to “Show me your glory.” Exodus 33:18.

God does not show him a vision. He does not show him heaven. He says, “I will cause all my goodness to pass in front of you.” And then He does. “The LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished.” Exodus 34:6-7.

When Moses asked to see God’s glory, God showed him His character. His compassion. His patience. His forgiveness. And His justice.

That changes how you read everything else. Every story in the Bible is God showing you who He is through what He does.

When He made a covenant with Abraham, He put Abraham to sleep and walked through the pieces alone. Genesis 15. He bound the promise to Himself because He knew Abraham could not keep it.

When Israel was enslaved for four hundred years, God did not forget. The first thing He said to Moses at the bush was “I have seen the suffering of my people. I have heard them crying out. I have come down to rescue them.” Exodus 3:7-8.

When Jonah ran, God did not find another prophet. He pursued him. The character of God does not give up on the people He sends.

And then Christ came and the character of God was made visible in human flesh. “Anyone who has seen me has seen the Father.” John 14:9.

And what did they see? They saw a man who touched lepers when the world crossed the street. They saw a man who stopped for children when His disciples waved them away. They saw a man who sat with a Samaritan woman and talked to her like a human being when His culture said she was beneath Him.

They saw a man who wept at a friend’s grave because love made death feel like a personal offense.

They saw a man who made a whip and drove corruption from His Father’s house because He was not confused about what was worth fighting for.

They saw a man who on the worst night of His life washed the feet of the man He knew would betray Him.

And on the cross, rejected by His people, sold by His disciple, abandoned by His friends, mocked by the leaders who should have recognized Him, He said, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.”

That is the character of God. A person in the worst moment imaginable choosing forgiveness over vengeance, choosing love over power, choosing to stay when saving Himself would have meant losing you.

The thief on the cross had no theology. He had no church membership. He had no track record. He said “remember me.” Christ said “today you will be with me in paradise.”

The character of God does not require you to earn what He gives. He gives it because of who He is, not because of who you are.

That is what the Bible is for. It exists so you can see, on every page, the character of a God who does not change, does not lie, does not break His promises, and does not walk away from the people He loves no matter how many times they walk away from Him.

And when that character gets inside you and changes how you see everything, you shine His glory. Not by performing. Not by winning. Not by being right. By being transformed until His character becomes visible in your life the way light becomes visible when it’s dark outside.

Marxism and Islamism

 

Red Guards and Green Guards: two cultural revolutions, the same revolutionary logic.

Both created theocratic systems—one built on Marxism, the other on Islamism.

Both claimed to be creating a “new society.” And both followed the same playbook:

• Destroy traditional culture – Mao sought to smash China’s “Four Olds.” Iran’s Islamists sought to erase Western and pre-Islamic heritage, targeting statues, tombs, and books.


• Rewrite history – the past had to be reshaped to legitimize the new revolutionary order.


• Take over the education system – universities were shut down for years and later reopened only after ideological screening and the purging of professors and students.


• Purge intellectuals – academics, writers, and dissenting thinkers were expelled, imprisoned, or silenced to enforce ideological conformity.


• Indoctrinate the population – education and literacy campaigns were used not simply to teach, but to spread revolutionary ideology.