In the beginning...(to borrow the phrase)

After some thought about my last blog on So Let it be Written... I have decided to create and contribute to a separate blog focused on spiritual topics, discussions, and insight. Anyone who has been unfortunate enough to start a gospel, scriptural, or other spiritual discussion with me knows that I feel very passionate about my faith and my understanding of the gospel (of Jesus Christ), the church I belong to (the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints), and the Great Plan which this stretch of mortality is only a small (but so important) part of.

With this said, I need to say that much of what I will include on this site is my understanding and/or interpretation of gospel principles and truth. Some of what I expect to share here will likely end up in some future book on the subject. I do want to remind you and emphasize that the material here (unless specifically noted otherwise) is my own creation, my own production, so to speak, and I don't want anyone quoting what you read here as the absolute truth. You've got to remember, what you may read here comes from the mind of a writer, one who looks for story lines and explanations that may or not actually be there.

I do want to leave you with one of my favorite Christian works of art: Ecce Homo, Behold the Man!, by Antonio Ciseri. This, you will recall, is the point where Pilate presents a beaten and "crowned" King of the Jews to the crowds in an attempt (I believe) to sway the population to release Jesus. I imagine the emotion of this scene: of the desperate Roman Prefect and Procurator to release this innocent man (but not strong enough to take the responsibility to actually release him himself), of the angry crowds, and of Jesus, heartbroken that the people he had come to save where so blinded to who really stood before them, but willing to sacrifice all he had, all he was, to save them. Much of this scene and my thoughts and feelings about it were written with much care in my first novel, Lifted Up. It still gives me reverent pause whenever I think about it. You see, the scriptures are not just a collection of inspiring stories and accounts, but are places in time that I imagine myself in. These things really happened, and they happened to people (largely) like you and me, imperfect and struggling with our own faiths, with our own purposes in life and, like them, we can overcome these challenges and rise triumphant like they did.

On this site, more than my other one, I encourage and welcome thoughts and discussion. I love to share gems of spirituality--Christian, Muslim, Buddhist, it matters not to me. I truly believe that there is truth everywhere if we just look hard enough.

God Bless! and I look forward to chatting with you.

--Guy