Thoughts from My Personal Journal

THOUGHT: November 13, 2019

In Hebrews, Paul refers to the Church as the Church of the Firstborn. That is doctrinally significant. There would be no reason to call Christ the “firstborn” were there not others born after him. Those others are us, and Christ is thus our elder brother. We are all sons and daughters of God. But Christ is the only begotten in the flesh.


THOUGHT: December 5, 2019

People are addicted to coffee, tea, alcohol, tobacco, and other undesirable substances. While they promise liberty to those who will join them, they themselves are not free, but are rather the servants of the addiction. “For of whatsoever a man is overcome, of the same is he brought to bondage.” (2 Peter 2:19)


THOUGHT: December 9, 2019

People in general are ignorant of the restoration events— the Book of Mormon, the prophet Joseph Smith, the priesthood, and most all of the facts relating to the restoration. People don’t like what they don’t understand. Peter hit the nail on the head when he wrote that people speak evil of the things they understand not. (2 Peter 2:12)


THOUGHT: December 31, 2019

In likening the scriptures unto myself: And it came to pass that I, John Enslen, began to be old; and I have written according to the best of my knowledge, [and] the time passed away with me, and also my life passed away like as it were unto me a dream. (See Jacob 7:26)


THOUGHT: January 27, 2020

Reading the scriptures in the morning makes for a brighter day all day long.


THOUGHT: January 28, 2020

Reading the scriptures brings more confidence into your life.


THOUGHT: February 11, 2020

We are all in Lehi’s tree of life vision, and we have all occupied more than one position in it.


THOUGHT: March 19, 2020

Based on the Garden of Eden experience, it seems that Satan can have more success with women if he can deal with them separately from their husbands.


THOUGHT: March 20, 2020

I am a practicing believer in the principle that daily scripture study will provide you with a keen insight into the difference between good and evil and thus fortify you against the evil in the world.


THOUGHT: April 2, 2020

Here is a scripture that relates to the power of God over life and death: “[W]ith one glance of his eye, he (God) can smite you to the dust.” (Jacob 2:15)


THOUGHT: April 13, 2020

Both the just and the unjust receive the beneficial rains—and also the destructive storms.


THOUGHT: May 14, 2020

I found King Noah’s position quite contradictory as I read my scripture study this morning. Abinadi’s ex-post-facto crime, after days of study by the king and his priests, consisted of claiming that God would take upon himself flesh in the form of a man and come to earth to live—a very true statement. However, the king would forgive the “heresy” not by requiring Abinadi to retract the heretical statement and believe otherwise. Rather, the King offered full forgiveness if Abinadi would take back all of the allegations of evil against King Noah which had nothing to do with whether or not God would take upon himself flesh in the form of a man and come to earth to live. Abinadi would neither retract his statements about God nor his statements about King Noah’s evil.


THOUGHT: June 2, 2020

Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9:6) and Satan is the author of contention (3 Ne 11:29).


THOUGHT: June 4, 2020

It is very important that we write things down: “And it came to pass when Alma had heard these words he wrote them down that he might have them....” (Mosiah 26:33)


THOUGHT: June 16, 2020

I have always been surprised by the fact that the Brethren do not cite the scripture which declares “of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels in heaven, but my Father only” (Matthew 24:36) as one of the very best scriptural evidences that the Father and the Son are two separate and distinct personages. If they were the same, then it would be impossible for one of them to know something that the other of them does not know. Yet, I have never heard this scriptural argument presented by anyone in our Church.


THOUGHT: July 12, 2020

“And out of small things proceedeth that which is great.” (D&C 64:33) Had I not taken the time to tell Ken Bailey about the restored gospel in 1975, he would not have married Mellanie Helms. Had he not married Mellanie Helms, they would not have had a son named David Bailey, a son named Jim Bailey, and a daughter named Katherine Bailey. Had there been no David Bailey, no Jim Bailey, and no Katherine Bailey, there would not have been a marriage between David Bailey and Laura Eves, and between Jim Bailey and Shelly Eves, and between Katherine Bailey and Alexander Shipp. Had there been no such marriages between the Bailey boys and the Eves girls, Royce Eves and Dawn Eves would not be residing in Elmore County, Alabama, where several of their grandchildren reside, and Royce Eves would not be the new bishop of the Wetumpka Ward, and David Bailey and Alexander Shipp would not be his counselors.

Furthermore, looking outside of the Church, had Ken Bailey not accepted the gospel, he and Mellanie Bailey would not have been prominent and important campaign workers in one of Judge Edward W. Enslen’s close political races for probate judge. The Bailey labors and influence were just enough to allow Edward W. Enslen to succeed in the election, thus leaving a political legacy at his death sufficiently strong enough for his son John E. Enslen to overcome the widespread anti-Mormon sentiment in the population at large when he sought that same judgeship and became the first member of the Church to be elected to a judgeship in a contested election in the State of Alabama. The election of John E. Enslen as Probate Judge of Elmore County gave him the opportunity to demonstrate that a member of the Church could be trusted in an important local governmental position, and thus allowed him to expose and help remove from office the corrupt members of the Elmore County Commission.

Had John E. Enslen and Dianne B. Enslen not been converted to the restored gospel by an extraordinary scriptorian missionary named Leland Wach and a dedicated loving companion missionary named Allen Humphries, their daughters Georgia Brown Enslen and Jenny Sue Enslen would not have married returned missionaries Patrick Pinkston and Troy Stubbs. These marriages and actions paved the way for Patrick Pinkston to become the first Church member to be elected a District Judge in the State of Alabama and for Troy Stubbs to become the first Church member to be elected a county commissioner in Elmore County and the first Church member to become the Chairman of a county commission in the State of Alabama.

Of course, facts could be cited as essential to the occurrence of these events going all the way back to Adam and Eve. This is just one example of a countless number of small things that took place over time, all orchestrated by the Lord, that combined to bring about the current circumstances in the Wetumpka Ward and in Elmore County government. All of this was foreordained to happen. There were other things that were foreordained to occur that have not occurred because somewhere in the link, one or more persons did not meet the levels of righteousness upon which the foreordained events were conditioned.

The ordinary choices each of us make day in and day out determine not only our own destiny, but they have an indeterminable, yet direct, influence on others and on future occurrences of great importance. So the moral of the story is this: Live each moment and make each choice as if your future happiness and the future happiness of others depended upon it, because the future does, in fact, depend upon how we live each moment and make each choice.


THOUGHT: July 20, 2020

People whose testimony is based solely upon a single extraordinary personal experience are on a weak spiritual foundation. Even the Savior had to increase and grow in wisdom and in favor with God over time.


THOUGHT: August 30, 2020

The perfect Jesus went about doing good. If we are to be perfect as he was, then we, too, need to go about doing good.


THOUGHT: October 9, 2020

I read this morning a chapter in Alma while seated on the front porch. I think so much clearer during the day if I have read the scriptures in the morning. I cannot explain the phenomenon, but it is real in my life. There is an added layer of intelligence and enlightenment brought to bear on my decision-making processes. I am fortified against mistakes I might otherwise have made. I am compelled to believe that it is the Holy Ghost silently operating in my life to protect me.


THOUGHT: October 23, 2020

I think like Esther, each of us was selected to live in the very time in which we do live. It was for such a time as this present time for which we were chosen.


THOUGHT: November 17, 2020

When one thinks about the things that God might despise, the mind conjures up murder, abortion, adultery, and child abuse. But there is another category of sin that he despises. I could have easily intellectualized myself out of the gospel. I could have easily thought myself smarter than God at least in some narrow area of learning. I could have allowed my educational degrees to puff me up. But hopefully, I have not done any of those things. In 2 Nephi 9:42, Jacob enlightens us regarding the learned and the wise who are puffed up or proud. They are they “whom God despiseth.” Despise is a strong word and it deserves our most careful attention.


THOUGHT: November 25, 2020

America is a special place. The Lord has ordained it as a promise land. There is a divine endowment of beauty and resources. But America is exceptional only if its people do right, both doing right with that which we have in resources and especially doing right with regard to how we live. We prosper if we keep the commandments. We destroy ourselves if we do not keep the commandments.


THOUGHT: November 30, 2020

Had God created Adam and Steve, instead of Adam and Eve, you and I would not be here on planet earth enjoying our probationary adventure.


THOUGHT: December 9, 2020

People possessing a strong noble character are the only ones who demonstrate the ability to genuinely forgive others. The ability to forgive is not a weakness in character, but rather one of the most powerful character strengths one can possess.


THOUGHT: December 11, 2020

If we are going to be judged by every thought, deed, and word we speak or say, then it only stands to reason that we will also be judged by every word we write.


THOUGHT: February 4, 2021

If Satan can create a great controversy that engenders contention, then even the majority of the righteous people will become wicked within five years. (See 3 Ne. 8: 7-8)


THOUGHT: February 6, 2021

Accept and embrace your current calling in the Church, and do not ever aspire to a so-called higher calling. Adhere to the reasoning found in Alma 29:6: “Why should I desire more than to perform the work to which I have been called?” Similarly instructive is this Biblical admonition from Paul found in Philippians 4:11: “I have learned in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content.” Consider the Lord’s directions to Joseph Smith as set forth in D & C 5:4: “And you have a gift to translate the plates; and I have commanded you to pretend to no other gift until my purpose is fulfilled in this; for I will grant unto you no other gift until it is finished.”


THOUGHT: February 8, 2021

I need to find joy in my own time and space. As for me, individually, there has never been a better time or location in which to live out my mortal probation. I was born to live when and where I live, and I am fully satisfied with the Lord’s choice in those matters. (See Acts 17:26)


THOUGHT: February 15, 2021

The Lord has commanded: “Look to me in every thought.” (D&C 6:36) We don’t have to advertise to others that we are doing exactly that. We can silently keep that commandment and thus allow ourselves to be constantly guided in our choices and decisions.


THOUGHT: February 26, 2021

I think we have reached the point in world history where the children of the desolate outnumber the children that come from a married wife, as prophesied by Isaiah and later confirmed by the Lord to the Nephites. (See Isaiah 54:1)


THOUGHT: April 1, 2021

“Behold, thou art Joseph, and thou wast chosen to do the work of the Lord....” (Doctrine and Covenants 3:9) The Lord knows us individually better than we know ourselves, and he reminds Joseph of his foreordination. The Lord already knows, of course, that Joseph Smith is that very Joseph who was seen in vision by Joseph of Egypt as recorded in 2 Nephi 3:15, wherein Joseph of Egypt declared that he would have a descendant named Joseph who would have a father also named Joseph, and that Joseph the son would bring salvation to the people. Joseph Smith could possibly have also known the same prophesy if it was contained on the 116 pages which were lost.


THOUGHT: April 18, 2021, Sunday

In pondering only the 42 verses in the 38th Section of the Doctrine and Covenants, I found a lifetime of truths and principles to study. Just to name a few of them, I found Christ the Creator; Christ the Lawgiver; Christ the Mediator; the ever-present Christ; the all knowledgeable Christ who has all things present before him; Christ the deliverer of the City of Enoch; Christ the Merciful; Christ the non-respecter of persons; Christ the Gatherer; Christ, whose hand shall not be stayed; Christ who shares his power; Christ who cares for the poor and needy; Christ who shall return; Christ the Triumphant; Christ the King; Christ the Judge; combined wickedness prevails in the earth for now; the Kingdom will belong to the Saints; America as a land of promise for a free people, rich in resources, a place of inheritance in the eternities; esteem your brother as yourself; be clean who bear the Lord’s vessels and practice virtue and holiness; if we are not one we are not His; treasure up wisdom; if we are prepared we shall not fear; beware of pride; labor with your hands; preach and warn in mildness and meekness; and go out from among the wicked.


THOUGHT: April 30, 2021

God speaks to us after the manner of our weak language, and in our own tongue, and not after the manner of His higher language and tongue. (D&C 1:24; 90:11)


THOUGHT: May 29, 2021

If we have the slightest impression that we can violate a commandment and get away with it, we are gravely mistaken. “Who am I that made man, saith the Lord, what will hold him guiltless that obeys not my commandments?” (D&C 58:30)


THOUGHT: June 3, 2021

The quantum of truth that is unknown far exceeds the quantum of truth that is known. No mortal being can possess more than the tiniest scintilla of “knowledge of things as they are, and as they were, and as they are to come.” (D&C 93:24) We find ourselves in company with Nephi who recognized his limitations: “I know that [God] loveth his children, nevertheless, I do not know the meaning of all things.” (1 Nephi 11:17)


THOUGHT: June 12, 2021

As children, we were in a constant learning mode. We are especially blessed if we never “grew out of it,” which growing ironically would actually be ceasing to grow. Being in a constant learning mode is another way in which we can “be as little children.” (See Matthew 18:3)


THOUGHT: July 9, 2021

The War in Heaven as mentioned in the 12th chapter of Revelation never really ended. It was simply transferred to a different venue—the earth. One side of warriors received mortal bodies, and the Satanic side must convert warriors with mortal bodies to its ranks in order to inflict bloody wounds and death. The same conflicting ideologies as in the premortal existence are at the center of the earthly wars. Satan’s old, unworkable ideologies are wrapped in deceptive packages so as to appear to be new and thus enticing. His singular goal is our misery, like unto his own misery. He glories in misery, not happiness.


THOUGHT: July 17, 2021

There will come a time in our current culture where both spiritual and temporal salvation will depend on following the prophet. As the Savior’s duly appointed representative, the prophet is our greatest safety net. This principle is not new to the world. It is at least as old as Noah, and it has been repeated numerous times. For instance, the prophet Nephi wrote: “[All] those who would go with me were those who believed in the warnings and the revelations of God....” (2 Nephi 5:6)


THOUGHT: July 20, 2021

From all of the various identities that God could have selected to describe man, note that God chose to first identify him as one who “tills the ground,” (Genesis 2:5) an indication of man’s role as a physical laborer, a provider of his own food, and a caretaker of the earth.


THOUGHT: July 21, 2021

“And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” (Genesis 2:15) Notice that man’s first assignment was related to physical labor—to “dress and keep” his place of habitation. Although there was likely a concern for outward beauty and order, I suspect that the primary divine motivation behind this early commandment was to teach the beneficial importance of physical labor.


THOUGHT: July 24, 2021

“Wherefore, because that Satan rebelled against me, and sought to destroy the agency of man, which I, the Lord God, had given him…; by the power of mine Only Begotten, I caused that [Satan] should be cast down. (Moses 4:3) God’s granting mankind agency meant that we would suffer from the wrongs of others (and commit wrongs ourselves that cause suffering to others). But even if we had not been given agency, there would still have been suffering. The type and amount would depend on who was in charge. Just imagine Satan’s being in charge. But regardless of who was in charge, the suffering from a lack-of-agency environment would be of longer duration with more permanent consequences of non-growth. Although the suffering coming from our not having any agency is of a different type, I believe it would be the greater suffering. In other words, the suffering under Satan’s plan would have been much greater than the suffering that results from God’s grant of agency. Satan’s proposal that he would “redeem all mankind” (Moses 4:1) implied a lack of suffering for mankind, but that was merely an early misrepresentation from the father of lies.


THOUGHT: August 7, 2021

There is a sentence in Joseph Smith’s remarkable1832 prophecy about the Civil War that is mostly overlooked by readers and in commentaries. Post-Civil War times saw surviving remnants of former soldiers in the land of the South, where the war was mostly fought, exceedingly angered at their loss and the passing of their traditional way of life. In response, they organized themselves into vigilante groups that terrorized the freed slaves and upright citizens who were sympathetic to the just causes of the freed slaves. Their work would be a curse on the southern populace for generations to come. Joseph Smith revealed in Section 87:5: “And it shall come to pass also that the remnants who are left of the land will marshal themselves, and shall become exceedingly angry, and shall vex the Gentiles with a sore vexation.”


THOUGHT: August 20, 2021

“For he will give unto the faithful line upon line, precept upon precept….” (D&C 98:12) We learn truth in layers, truth upon truth, one at a time added to the previously learned truths. Each new truth that we learn helps to produce a thicker layer of foundational truths that can support the learning and acceptance of additional new truths, and thus the process continues, perhaps through all the eternities.


THOUGHT: August 21, 2021

“Behold, this is my work and my glory, to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man.” (Moses 1:39) The work and glory of God are not to bring to pass man’s condemnation. God is not looking for ways to disqualify us from eternal life. We should feel divinely loved, not threatened by God. We should indeed fear God, but our choice to live the gospel should not be the primary result of our fearing punishment. As we grow in our knowledge of God, our love for him grows.


THOUGHT: September 27, 2021

“I, the Lord your God, am not displeased with your coming this journey, notwithstanding your follies.” (D&C 111:1) If our heart and intent are right, the Lord does not get displeased with us notwithstanding our predetermined course is a human folly. Much of our learning comes from our follies. We can chase the gold at the end of the rainbow for a short time so long as we make the course corrections that He reveals to us.


THOUGHT: October 7, 2021
 
In our pre-mortal existence, Christ favored equality of opportunity. Satan favored equality of outcome. I doubt that either has changed their stance on this vitally important issue.
 
 
THOUGHT: October 9, 2021
 
In Doctrine and Covenants 120:1, the Lord says “the time is now come....” The negative implication is this: To have acted sooner would have been premature. This pronouncement was made eight years after the formation of the Church. The revelation dealt with the proper composition of the Committee on the Disposition of Tithes and Offerings. The restoration was still ongoing in 1838, line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little, there a little. And so it is today. The restoration continues to be ongoing. There has not been an end to the revelations. I have seen many important revelations relating to organizational changes since I joined the Church in 1973. There is yet much to be revealed, not only with regard to organizational changes, but also with regard to all aspects of the Dispensation of the Fullness of Times as it unfolds before our very eyes.
 
 
THOUGHT: October 11, 2021
 
As joint heirs with Christ, we are heirs to infinite potential.
 
 
THOUGHT: November 22, 2021
 
If we are by our choices a happy person before the final judgment, we will be a happy person after the final judgment. If we are by our choices an unhappy person before the final judgment, we will be an unhappy person after the final judgment. That is the understanding I have from reading Moroni’s words in Mormon 9:14.
 
 
THOUGHT: November 25, 2021
 
May I share with you a Thanksgiving Day thought? It consists of three short points.
 
Point Number One: “[Men] are that they might have joy.” (2 Nephi 2:25, The Book of Mormon) In other words, in the eyes of God, we exist that we might continuously experience joy and happiness. Our Heavenly Father has chosen to condition his own glory upon successfully helping us, his children, to know and learn how to be genuinely happy. (See Moses 1:39, The Book of Mormon) Our happiness is his overriding plan and the central focus of his personal work. You and I are his most important concern.
 
Point Number Two: There is an inseparable connection between having gratitude and being happy. (There is also an inseparable connection between sorrowfully dwelling on the things we do not have and unhappiness.) Gratitude transforms whatever we possess into more than sufficient for our needs. As the early restoration Saints were about to depart with meager possessions on their pioneer trek across the vast prairies and mountains, they were instructed by the Lord: “Thou shalt be diligent in preserving what thou hast, that thou mayest be a wise steward; for it is the free gift of the Lord thy God….” (D&C 136:27)
 
Point Number Three: Learning how to be happy in this life will have a profound effect on our Final Judgment Day. He that is happy before the final judgment will yet be happy still after the final judgment, and he that is unhappy before the final judgment will yet be unhappy still after the final judgment. (See Mormon 9:14, The Book of Mormon) We “[e]nter into his gates with thanksgiving.” (Psalm 100:4, The Holy Bible)
 
A thankful heart for that which we have is the parent of other virtues and leads to much happiness. So, when we eat a piece of fruit, think of the persons who labored to plant, cultivate, and harvest it, and the Supreme Being who nourished it daily. In that way, we can celebrate every day as a Day of Thanksgiving.
 
I conclude with an additional instruction from God to those embarking on that historic pioneer trek: “If thou art merry, praise the Lord with singing, with music, with dancing, and with a prayer of praise and thanksgiving.” (D&C 136:28)
 
 
THOUGHT: November 28, 2021
 
“Behold, there are many called, but few are chosen.” (D&C 121:34) We need to choose to be chosen. How do we choose to be chosen? Avoid doing the following “don’ts”:
Set our heart on the things of the world.
Aspire to the honors of men.
Cover our sins.
Gratify our pride.
Gratify our vain ambitions.
Exercise control or dominion or compulsion over others. (See D&C 121:35-37)
 
 
THOUGHT: December 23, 2021
 
If we are to love our neighbors as ourselves, then self-love is a prerequisite to proper living. (See Matthew 22:39)
 
 
THOUGHT: December 29, 2021
 
The War in Heaven teaches us that we had some say in the matter of whether or not we would come to earth. Our coming has not been entirely without our consent. We cannot say that we were thrust to earth by a heartless God without any say-so on our part. We seem to have agreed, at least, to the overall plan of salvation. (See Moses 4:1-4)
 
 
THOUGHT: January 25, 2022
 
God is moved upon to weep over his punished children who suffer from the consequences of the wickedness they have chosen for themselves; but he is not moved upon to eliminate their suffering, at least at that point in time, notwithstanding it be within his power to do so. (See Moses 7:28-40)
 
 
THOUGHT: March 16, 2022
 
The spirit comes to us as we read the scriptures. When we have the spirit with us, we receive personal revelation. The subject matter of the revelation we receive may not have anything to do with the subject matter of the scriptures we are reading.
 
 
THOUGHT: April 12, 2022
 
Christ “went about doing good.” (Acts 10:38) Nevertheless, he was despised by ignorant and evil people for simply going about doing good. Bad motives were assigned to his good works. His conduct was criticized by those with ulterior motives and those who felt threatened by him. We are encouraged in the scriptures to follow Christ’s example of going about doing good. Now if we do, what might we realistically expect in reaction to our going about doing good?
 
 
THOUGHT: April 26, 2022
 
Here is a bit of recorded human nature for us. One day we can covenant to obey every word of the Lord, and the next day we can build a golden calf to worship. (See Exodus 24:7 and 32:8)
 
 
THOUGHT: May 19, 2022
 
“If ye were of the world, the world would love his own.” (John 15:19) If we live in a worldly way, the world loves us. We are one of them—accepted and approved. If we do not conform to the world, but rather chose the covenant path as a disciple of Christ, then the world hates us. We are rejected and vilified. When we choose the right and follow the prophet, we are condemned by those who do not want to follow the prophet. They unknowingly, for the most part, follow Satan. Our faith will propel us to endure to the end and then see the glory and power of God unfold.
 
 
THOUGHT: June 14, 2022
 
In 1 Samuel 10:6;9, we read of prophet Samuel’s words to Saul: “And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou…shalt be turned into another man. *** And it was so, that…God gave him another heart….” I am no Saul, but I can personally testify that the Lord took John Enslen, touched him with the Spirit, and turned him into another man, giving me a new heart. The change did not come immediately, only the commencement of the change came immediately. It led me into the waters of baptism. But the change has indeed come nevertheless, over the course of time, incrementally. I acknowledge the hand of God and the Holy Ghost as the moving cause in the change thus far, for which I am most grateful. I hope and pray to continue to move from a natural man to a man of divine nature.
 
 
THOUGHT: September 14, 2022
 
While reading in Isaiah, I found a short, obvious phrase of chiasmus that I had not before seen at any time: Isaiah 22:22 reads: “[S]o he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut, and none shall open.”
 
 
THOUGHT: January 15, 2023
 
I suppose in studying the scriptures we sometimes cross that fine line between pondering the facts we have and speculating on the facts we do not have.

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