Almost eight years I took a leap of faith, began to write short items I thought might be interesting to others, and posted them on Blogger. For years I labored, seeking to share what I thought would be helpful and enlightening. Sometimes, I know I hit the mark. Other posts were a complete waste of time. But in the end, I felt I did what the Lord asked me to do for a season.
It’s time to say goodbye. The blog expires this Thursday, but I could not let it do so without expressing my love and gratitude to those who helped me on my journey. I have come to love you, especially as I have been in some of your homes, taken the sacrament with you and prayed with you. How grateful I am to have had this season to share and feel of your love and kindness.
Some few of you have been mean and vicious – somewhat immature really. I forgive you. You did not hurt me. You were reaching out in anger, feeling threatened. I understand. I used to feel the same way. That’s how I started my blog – defending the orthodox traditions of the LDS Church. I am no longer a member and that bothered quite a few of you. I am sorry for your pain.
I still love you. The attacks came mostly from those who knew me personally, who grew up with me or served with me in the councils of the church or who worked at my side in a shared career. Others came from fools who knew nothing of which they wrote, but sought only to get attention and elicit a response. I feel sorry for such individuals who have no self-control in open dialog.
But most of you were encouraging and understanding. I thank you for your kind words, for the thousands upon thousands of comments, for the discussion, for the sharing of books, and of scriptures, of authors, references and points of view I had not considered. You are so kind. It is your sharing with me that blessed my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Bless you.
Today I meet with our new bishop. It has been over a year since I resigned from the LDS Church. I am not qualified to re-baptized LDS, nor do I think it will ever happen. But because I love my wife and desire to be one with her, I desire to do all within my power to be reconciled to the faith of her forebears. We have great differences of opinion on doctrine but I love her dearly.
I do not believe a man should have to swear an oath-like promise to uphold a prophet. That flies in the face of 3rd Nephi 11:40. I also am convinced, through prayer and study, that the correct way to partake of the sacrament is with wine, for that is the way the Lord has said he will partake of the Sacrament with us when he returns. Thus, in the eyes of the LDS Church, I am not worthy.
I also believe sealings in the temple are not guaranteed. A man and woman must be sealed by the holy spirit of promise to be united forever. That means they must come into the presence of the Lord together. No promise made by any man across from an altar in a temple on this earth will substitute for hearing such a promise from the mouth of the Lord. I seek that promise in this life.
I accept tithing as a commandment from God but I am not willing to give that tithing money to the LDS Church to support the professional clergy or to build malls or to buy land in Florida. I want my money to go to the poor. Nor do I believe I must pay tithing on my gross earnings each paycheck. I have done that for over fifty years but no longer believe this is what the Lord asked.
I sang in our ward choir today, a hymn of worship honoring Jesus Christ. I am grateful for the focus on the Savior. I am also grateful anytime I am taught the doctrines revealed through Joseph Smith by those who understand them as they were originally revealed and not as they have been interpreted or watered down by the correlation process of the modern bureaucrats in the church.
So many people don’t even recognize it because they won’t study. I have just about finished Denver Snuffer’s latest book, Preserving the Restoration. I was there for many of the talks that were delivered. He has surely added much to clarify and kept his promise to remove himself from the narrative. I heartily recommend this book if you want to learn purity of Mormonism.
I am still convinced something catastrophic will come to pass in the last days, sometime in the next few years. I have no idea how long we have. It could be economic collapse, social chaos, of what the scriptures describe as the catastrophes found in the Book of Revelation, in the words of the Old Testament prophets and in the Book of Mormon. Yet I go forward in faith trusting God.
I want to be a part of the temple that needs to be built. I desire to contribute to the building of that temple. I want to be a part of Zion. I do not believe the LDS Church has any clue about how Zion really will come about. I am convinced the spirit of prophecy and revelation was lost at the top echelons of the LDS Church with the deaths of Hyrum and Joseph. I’m not a fan of Brigham.
My mission in life right now is to be one with my wife. I love her dearly. She has been hurt by my withdrawal from the church of her heritage. To me, it was a totally logical and spirit-guided decision, made after much thought, pondering and prayer. My decision to be baptized was meant to be a sign I accept Denver Snuffer as the Lord’s messenger in these last days, a leap of faith.
Denver still has not declared himself to be other than a teacher. I declare him to be otherwise. I cannot and will not share words delivered to me in prayer, nor am I called to be a public witness, but my witness is true. He is called of God and has done what he has done because God asked him to do so. I do not know him well, but know the Lord is pleased with what he has done.
I bid you farewell. I pray the Lord’s blessings upon you. I am not here to tell you your belief in the LDS Church is right or wrong. I simply did what the Lord asked me to do. I provided a forum for a season that some needed and that helped me on my journey to take the steps I know I needed to take to please the Lord. I have a long ways to go. Life is in Christ and in no one else.
I seek not to offend but know some have and will take offense. God bless you my friends. I may add to my record on the free WordPress site from time to time, but for the most part, my record stands. It helped me tremendously to share my life journey with you as I came to a much clearer understanding of LDS Mormonism and what it was that Joseph was trying to restore in his day.
Thank you for reading my posts. Thank you for the thousands upon thousands of comments. Thank you for trying to set me straight. Thank you for encouraging me. Thank you for the many, many private dialogs. Thank you for inviting me into your homes and to your gatherings. I am so grateful for what I have learned and pray I can live up to the knowledge God has given me.
I look forward to the tremendous changes I am certain will continue to take place in the LDS Church and in American society. The world will change dramatically within the next few years. Today, we are blessed. Perhaps it will be several years before the catastrophes spoken of by the prophets will come to pass. But they will come. It may or may not be in my remaining years.
Adieu.
Tim,
Please reflect upon the example of Moroni… He thought his writing was complete when he finished abridging Ether. But then he wrote in Moroni 1:1, “I had supposed not to have written more…” He then proceeded to give precious gospel teachings in his own book. 🙂
May the Lord bless you,
Tom
I will miss your blog. Thank you for your kindness and good works. I support and encourage you to make your wife happy. I know you love her. I love my wife too and do all I can to make her happy…..I understand how you feel. Three cheers for you two! Blessings to you my friend. I’m sorry we missed you in Colorado….perhaps we will yet meet in Zion….the Lord willing. ?
Donald
Beloved Brother Tim and dear Sister Carol,
There is a time and season for all things. I honor both of you and thank you for walking with me on part of my journey. Until we meet again, all my love and respect.
Your brother in Christ.
Roy Moore
Love you Tim
You have touched me more deeply than I can say, and I’m heartbroken that you won’t be on regularly anymore. I have missed your posts. You were a huge, integral part of my spiritual development, and I hate change! I don’t want to see you go! Please keep in touch often. Love you!
Love, your sister in Zion, Melissa
You will be sorely missed. I have looked forward to everything you posted from the time I found your blog. I wish you all the best and I pray to see you again in Zion. You words have helped me on my journey and opened my eyes to so many things. We have only met a few times in passing…not enough to get to know one another closely…in Colorado and a few lectures. I hope your wife appreciates you and your integrity.
May blessings be strewn in your path today and ever more. Peace be with you.
Thank you for your farewell post, Tim. It seems like a hug and a final chat with friends. You are an example to me of the humble followers of Christ. Surely he delights in your devotion to your beloved Carol. Surely he takes no offense in your seeking to accommodate her feelings. Imagine her sorrow and distress should she conclude at some point that, like the ancient Jewish and Nephite churches, the institutional LDS church has both added to and subtracted from the doctrine and church of Jesus Christ as taught by the Lord in D&C 10:67-68—and what that means. It may not be apparent to her for some time, but the Lord showed our self-destruction to Nephi and Moroni and invites us to choose a better path. The good news is, you’ve already found that path and you’ll be there for her. Should the Lord require another more public work of you I’m confident we’ll hear from you further. Red Sky? Know that there are a bunch of us actively hoping for the success of your novel set in the last days.
GOD bless you Brother Tim. With Love, Lynn B in Ogden.
Thank you Brother Tim – your blog was one of the first I found when I became aware of troubling issues concerning church history and my confusion in changes taking place. Your message felt conveyed by the Spirit. I felt your strong love of goodness and truth and a desire to follow Christ. That earnest desire transcends your written words and has touched many hearts. I living in the east was unaware of Brother Snuffer’s work. I am now more awake than I have been in years. God bless you for your efforts here.
Thank you for the blog, Tim. It has helped me many times. Blessings and best wishes.
[Stands on chair]
O Captain my Captain!
I may have missed this if it’s in the post, but will your blog remain or does the expiration mean that it will be removed (except for the wayback machine)?
If it works, and I get everything copied, I believe this will be the address of the free site:
https://latterdaycommentary.wordpress.com/
Tim I’ll miss your blog. I enjoyed reading it and watching your journey.
Thank you Tim, and may God bless you and your wife. I will miss your voice.
Your gift of words is truly that, a gift from heaven. I have loved every word!
Second that comment about Red Sky. And thank you for leaving an archive of your blog on the free site–there are a few posts by you and guest posters that I have bookmarked, and would hate to see them disappear forever!
Best wishes to you and Carol!
Thank you for your blog, Tim, and best wishes in your future endeavors. I have appreciated reading your posts these past years.
Dear Tim,
You are the first LDS blogger I read. You have had a great influence upon my understanding of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I appreciate that very much.
I really enjoyed the fact that you never lost your composure as others had negative things to say about your some of your blog posts. I have learned to be more accepting and open-minded as a result of reading your blog, and watching the way you interacted with those who held different opinions from yours.
Thank you for the time and emotional energy you invested in this blog. It will be sad to not hear from you on a regular basis. I have come to value your insight.
Very sincerely yours,
Linda
Tim
Along with others, I’m sad to see you go. I have so enjoyed your commentary as well as the thoughts of others, either in posts or comments. Thank you!
My vision of the Lord’s gospel has certainly changed in the last couple of years and I owe much to your insights and direction. Even as you often suspended yourself out there for ridicule, I gained much at your expense.
I admire the fact that you have allowed all points of view in the posts and comments, even though I personally have thought a few were mighty strange. Also, allowing comments to flow freely, even though sometimes we were not kind to each other, shows amazing restraint.
I learned much about the “nature of man,” namely about myself, amid these comments, which I found to be as important as the posts themselves. Because of this, my patience and compassion has expanded toward all those whose personal problems and journey I cannot judge.
What I also gained was, that even in our imperfections, your readers, for the most part, have a desire to want to do what the Lord would ask of them individually. We just seem to get tangled in the briers as we climb up.
I too have been reading Preserving the Restoration and have found it as good as his other works. I have gone back and re-read The Second Comforter and have had new insights since reviewing it again along with reading his other books.
I have come to the conclusion our ultimate journey is solitary, one that cannot depend upon the written works, experiences or group affiliations of others. They can only provide little insights that may hopefully drive us deeper into the scriptures, become closer to the Lord, and seek greater understanding of our own personal journey.
Again, thank you my friend. ??
Blessings to you and Carol.
Kathryn
Thank you Dear Tim for being a positive force on my spiritual journey. May you find peace.
Lena Hansen
Dear Tim (and everyone else):
There’s nothing else to say directly to you, Tim, and the others who helped form for me what has been a modern Talmud and Mishnah of alt-LDS than THANK YOU. I “watched” your struggle, Tim, as a Jew who was struggling himself. Nearly everything changed for me when I happened upon a TV channel I didn’t know I received called BYU-TV and a lecture by President Hinckley on the 6 B’s. His demeanor literally changed my life. I read the Book of Mormon thanks to the “Hinckley Challenge” and half heartedly asked what Moroni requested in 10:4. You can imagine my surprise when the Holy Ghost affirmed my appeal. I then started a quest to devour everything, good (and… not so good) in my journey into LDSdom.
Both your commentary, Tim, and the comments by others in response to your posts, have helped me immensely. You have always been a quintessential gentleman dealing with those who have opinions different than yours. In my opinion, the Holy Spirit literally touches and informs your every interaction with others. I appreciate that more than you know. Thanks to you and this incredible community I have discovered some great writers and voices that continue to help me on my journey.
Though I am not officially baptized I know in my heart (and because of the restoration) that G-d is directly accessible to me and will answer my prayers and questions when asked with an honest and pure heart. It is because of this that I know the LDS path to be true. Notice I didn’t say “LDS faith” because that implies apprehension. I have proof because G-d can speak directly to me. It is also my belief that since G-d can speak to me, he can speak to others, both ordained Prophets in the “official” COJCOLDS, and others. I will be “officially” baptized at some point soon but already regard myself as a born child of G-d.
I wish you and your wife many blessings for a long, healthy, and prosperous life. Please stay in touch somehow so we know you are well. With love and appreciation for all that you and your erudite community have brought to me I remain, as always, your’s in Christ.
My brother in Christ,
God bless you for your labor and your diligence in the Gospel of Jesus Christ and following Him. I look forward to the day we meet in person. If nothing else, I am grateful for Denver Snuffer’s books because they put us in contact (we met on Goodreads countering a review of Passing the Heavenly Gift).
Thank you. What else can I say besides thank you?
The end of an era. So sad to see you go. Best of wishes to you!
Tim,
You are a special man. You are loved by so many, and have influenced the thoughts and lives of so many. I know that you will continue to influence those who will are privileged to communicate with you.
May you continue to receive the Blessings of the Lord in your life as you, together with Carol, discover the Lord’s true purpose for your lives.
Thanks again for your continued testimony of the Lord, his gospel and your witness of Denver.
Fare thee well sir. I wish you and your wife the best. God willing we’ll meet at the feet of our master Jesus Christ.
Tim, you probably don’t remember me but I sat next to you and Carol the night of the meal at Phoenix, I just want you to know that I’m going to miss your voice on the web it was always the voice of a true believer in the restoration,To me personally the night I met you, I thought that you had the loveliest spirit about you, so I’m not surprised that every one feels sad that you are going, May God bless you and your family, and hopefully one day we will met again in Zion.
Thank you. You have taught me so much, and I will miss your posts. My journey will be a little more lonely without them.
Tim, thanks for all the help you have given through this blog. You have helped me recognize some of my unbelief and have helped in my journey back to Christ. For that I thank you!
I have not read all the articles in your blog, nor have I read any of the referred Mr Denver (who seems to be what we call in Spanish, “la manzana de la discordia” the disagreement apple) but I have read about your change on stance due to your love for your wife; and though I haven’t read anything about her and her stance I can just see between the lines of her absolute, unconditional and devoted love for you. It simply reminds me of the gospel teaching of how we are to become one and I think it is through love for sure. My heart goes to both of you, to you for putting your pride and desire of knowledge under your love for her and to her for her intense love and respect for you. I think of the many couples that have got divorced for less than that and yet you two are working at it. For that example I am grateful, for a showing of love, of humility, of kindness … May our Lord who loves us all equally bless your marriage forever …
Thank you Tim. Your blog posts helped me tremendously and helped me as I wrestled with some of the discrepancies I’ve found as I looked deeper into the church history, especially during that of Brigham Young. May God bless you continually and thank you again for sharing your insights openly with the community. I never left any comment or response to your post but felt compelled to leave a word of ‘thank you’ to you, especially as this is your last official post in this blog.