Also a big happy birthday to my dad! The most hard-working and hilarious guy I know, also a great sportsman and outdoorsman - if you had to be stranded on a deserted island with one person, this is the guy you’d want to pick. He is a survivor. Makes the rest of you dudes look like girls.

Happy birthday to @misshannypants my most favorite, gorgeous, hilarious and sweetest person I know <3 hope your day is blessed in an awesome Jesus kinda way!

Please note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon writers.

Please note that these teachings are documented from Mormon writers, not anti-Mormon writers:

1. Book of Mormon
   1. The book of Mormon is more correct than the Bible, (History of the Church, vol. 4, p. 461.)
2. Devil, the
   1. The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus “in the morning of pre-existence,” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192.)
   2. Jesus and Satan are spirit brothers and we were all born as siblings in heaven to them both, (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163.)
3. God
   1. God used to be a man on another planet (Mormon Doctrine, p. 321; Joseph Smith, Times and Seasons, vol. 5, p. 613-614; Orson Pratt, Journal of Discourses, vol. 2, p. 345; Brigham Young, Journal of Discourses, vol. 7, p. 333).
   2. “The Father has a body of flesh and bones as tangible as mans…” (D&C 130:22).
4. God, becoming a god
   1. After you become a good Mormon, you have the potential of becoming a god (Teachings of the Prophet Joseph Smith, p. 345-347, 354).
   2. “Then shall they be gods, because they have no end; therefore shall they be from everlasting to everlasting, because they continue; then shall they be above all, because all things are subject unto them. Then shall they be gods, because they have all power, and the angels are subject unto them,” (DC 132:20).
5. God, many gods
   1. There are many gods (Mormon Doctrine, p. 163).
   2. “And they (the Gods) said: Let there be light: and there was light,” (Book of Abraham 4:3).
6. God, mother goddess
   1. There is a mother god (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 443).
   2. God is married to his goddess wife and has spirit children (Mormon Doctrine, p. 516).
7. God, Trinity
   1. The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. “That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man,” (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35).
8. Heaven
   1. There are three levels of heaven: telestial, terrestrial, and celestial (Mormon Doctrine, p. 348).
9. Holy Ghost, the
   1. The Holy Ghost is a male personage (A Marvelous Work and a Wonder, Le Grand Richards, Salt Lake City, 1956, p. 118;Journal of Discources, vol. 5, p. 179).
10. Jesus
    1. “Therefore we know that both the Father and the Son are in form and stature perfect men; each of them possesses a tangible body … of flesh and bones,” (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 38).
    2. “The birth of the Saviour was as natural as are the births of our children; it was the result of natural action. He partook of flesh and blood - was begotten of his Father, as we were of our fathers,” (Journal of Discourses, vol. 8, p. 115).
    3. “Elohim is literally the Father of the spirit of Jesus Christ and also of the body in which Jesus Christ performed His mission in the flesh …” (First Presidency and Council of the Twelve, 1916, God the Father, compiled by Gordon Allred, p. 150).
11. Joseph Smith
    1. If it had not been for Joseph Smith and the restoration, there would be no salvation.  There is no salvation [the context is the full gospel including exaltation to Godhood] outside the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (Mormon Doctrine, p. 670).
12. Pre-existence
    1. We were first begotten as spirit children in heaven and then born naturally on earth (Journal of Discourse, vol. 4, p. 218).
    2. The first spirit to be born in heaven was Jesus (Mormon Doctrine, p. 129).
    3. The Devil was born as a spirit after Jesus “in the morning of pre-existence,” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 192).
13. Salvation
    1. “One of the most fallacious doctrines originated by Satan and propounded by man is that man is saved alone by the grace of God; that belief in Jesus Christ alone is all that is needed for salvation,” (Miracle of Forgiveness, by Spencer W. Kimball, p. 206).
    2. A plan of salvation was needed for the people of earth so Jesus offered a plan to the Father and Satan offered a plan to the father but Jesus’ plan was accepted. In effect the Devil wanted to be the Savior of all Mankind and to “deny men their agency and to dethrone god,” (Mormon Doctrine, p. 193; Journal of Discourses, vol. 6, p. 8).
    3. Jesus’ sacrifice was not able to cleanse us from all our sins, (murder and repeated adultery are exceptions), (Journal of Discourses, vol. 3, 1856, p. 247).
    4. Good works are necessary for salvation (Articles of Faith, p. 92).
    5. There is no salvation without accepting Joseph Smith as a prophet of God (Doctrines of Salvation, vol. 1, p. 188).
    6. “The first effect [of the atonement] is to secure to all mankind alike, exemption from the penalty of the fall, thus providing a plan of General Salvation. The second effect is to open a way for Individual Salvation whereby mankind may secure remission of personal sins (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 78-79).
    7. “As these sins are the result of individual acts it is just that forgiveness for them should be conditioned on individual compliance with prescribed requirements — ‘obedience to the laws and ordinances of the Gospel,’” (Articles of Faith, p. 79).
    8. “This grace is an enabling power that allows men and women to lay hold on eternal life and exaltation after they have expended their own best efforts,” (LDS Bible Dictionary, p. 697).
    9. “We know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do,” (2 Nephi 25:23).
14. Trinity, the
    1. The trinity is three separate Gods: The Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. “That these three are separate individuals, physically distinct from each other, is demonstrated by the accepted records of divine dealings with man,” (Articles of Faith, by James Talmage, p. 35).

Mormon beliefs are not in line with biblical truth. Because they teach things that are opposed to the word of God. It is clear that Mormonism is not Christian.

(Source: carm.org)

Quite often you might get put on the spot to answer this question:
Who created God?
There’s a very simple answer: God is an infinite and eternal being, and by very definition an infinite and eternal being has always existed. Nobody created God, He Himself is the self-existent one - the great “I Am” of the Bible. He is outside of “time” as we know it and experience it - He created time. 
Think about it like this: everything that has a beginning requires a cause. the universe has a beginning, and therefore requires a cause. But God has no beginning since He is beyond time (He is an eternal being). So God does not need a cause. There’s nothing illogical about an eternal being who has always existed, even though it might be difficult to fully understand.

To help you understand what this means, take a look at the true definition of “eternal/eternity”; it doesn’t necessarily mean “forever” or “never ending time,” but it is actually a state to which time has no application. In other words, eternal means “timeless.” 

What does this mean for us? 
The Bible says that God is light. The Theory of Relativity states that when we travel at the speed of light, time literally stops. 
It’s amazing that even without the scientific, mathematical and philosophical knowledge that we have today, thousands of years ago a man named Jesus Christ assured us that we could have eternal life in heaven with God if we believe in Him. That is, that we can exist and remain (live) in His light and presence (in heaven) where time does not apply (for eternity). 
The way I see it, 2 thousand years ago (when they still thought the earth was riding on the back of a big turtle - way before they even believed the earth was flat!) the only way a man could have absolutely known this to be true and could have had any right to make this claim is if He was God.

Oh you guys… @johniecollins @andrewsfavoriteseason I am NOT teaching one of the most talented vocalists I know anything!

What men wear.

#throwback Thursday - early summer 2006 @ Seaside #oregon #beach #ocean #boots

#throwback Thursday - May 2006 @ Hayley’s Gravel Pit in Pilot Rock where I used to fire off some rounds after work. #guns #handgun #oregon #easternoregon

Cannon Beach is beautiful today! So is @misshannypants <3

<3 Cannon Beach (at Pig’n Pancake)

No more; no less.

in my HE 242 text book, Managing Stress: Principles and Strategies for Health and Well-Being (Brian Luke Seaward) at Portland Community College, and in all honesty, really only two points made were inaccurate. 
I’m actually very impressed and pleased by this, as I believe a good 90% of this page gives glory to God - incredibly improbable to find positive information about Jesus anywhere at PCC; even more unlikely to find accurate information about Jesus - not even in a philosophy of religion class (PHIL 204) at PCC.

So while I am stoked, and am praising God for this, I must still point out the 2 statements in the text that stand out to me as serious errors, and which I believe are crucial in better understanding the Lord:

1. “…Jesus of Nazareth regarded himself as a spiritual leader only” (184).

This is false.
Jesus made several claims to be God in the flesh, not just a spiritual leader: John 10:30, John 8:24, John 8:58, John 14:9 - just to name a few from a single book in the Bible. And in believing that Jesus is God and that the Bible is His Word, the amount of specific passages in Scripture that clearly state that He is God (not just a religious leader) is whopping.

Also, at the bottom of page 183 in a bubble where key terms and points are listed and defined: Jesus of Nazareth: A remarkable spiritual leader with a timeless message of compassion, forgiveness, and integrity. 

Again, only half true. What makes Jesus the remarkable spiritual leader that He is can only be because He is God; His message is timeless because the Word of God is timeless; and the only way that it was possible for Jesus to be flawlessly and consistently compassionate, forgiving, and morally sound was because He was God in the flesh. In everything that He said and did, from His marvelous parables to His mind blowing miracles, He did do and did say to show and tell the world that He was God in the flesh - even and especially His death and resurrection. He really came to show and tell us this: “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” saith the Lord, “who is and who was and who is to come, The Almighty.” - Revelation 1:8

2. “Little is known about Jesus of Nazareth…” (183).

Wrong. 
Not a single person in all of history (not even recent history) has been more accurately documented by eye-witnesses, and/or relatives, friends, historians, scribes, and even enemies present at the time; more researched, analyzed and studied by followers, historians, philosophers, scientists and critics; or more written, spoken or taught about than one man: Jesus Christ.
There is as much or more information about Jesus than anyone in the history of the world. I believe the main reason why there is so much information about Him available, and why very much is known about Jesus is because each one of us (and there’s about 7 billion people on earth just today) has been created to know Him. 
As stated in my text book, “…[Carl Jung] proposed that there was a spiritual drive located in the realm of the unconscious mind, which manifests itself when it bubbles to the conscious level….” We have an innate hunger for spiritual things; for truth - for God.
The popular song, Awake My Soul, by Mumford & Sons has a line that very much stands out from the rest of the song: “Awake my soul / For you were made to meet your Maker.” 
“You were made by God and for God - and until you understand that, life will never make sense.” - Rick Warren, The Purpose Driven Life (p 19).
And as Colossians 1:16,17 so irrefutably declares: For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones or dominions, principalities or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is before all things, and by Him all things consist - KJV.z

We were created by God for the purpose of knowing Him, glorifying Him and being blessed by Him - and God has made this possible in so many ways. We have so many resources and there is so much information about Jesus Christ, our Lord and God, and no excuse not to know Him - it is completely natural and expected of us to know Him.
I’m so thankful that I know the Creator of the universe and the One who made Himself a man to die for the sins of the world - the Alpha and the Omega, who is and who was and who is to come; the Almighty Jesus Christ.

In my text book, Seaward accurately quotes 1 Corinthians 13:4-6 and 13:13 - two of my favorite passages.
On page 184 he unerringly includes Jesus’ two rules to live by: 1. Love God, and 2. love others.
And he also reveals the true definition of faith: Faith, a confident belief and conviction in the power of God’s love, is the intent or desire to express love…. and added Jesus’ comparison of faith to a mustard seed, saying: …a small seed of faith could expand to phenomenal proportions and overcome the trials of human experience (p 184).
Faith is the substance of things hoped for; the evidence of things not seen. - Hebrews 11:1. We have a belief system based on substantial evidence that we can be confident and put our hope (desires and expectations) in.  

Pit stop! #VictoryRacingCamp #speed&feed

Awesome new microphone from @davidrayh - stoked to lay down some tracks!

Front porch #pipesmoking on this lovely sunny day.