Hodgepodge

Remember this category from Jeopardy? I think a lot of my posts are of this nature. I have a jumble of thoughts coming at you because I don't have time this morning to fully formulate the more creative posts that I have in mind. I can't believe that I'm still here posting nearly everyday after four months. And I'm surprised that I haven't run out of stuff to bring up. Sometimes I want to hold back thoughts or comments that I have from real conversations for the blog. Isn't that lame? And then I have to remind myself that real interaction with people is preferrable to publishing in the blogosphere. Still though...doesn't mean it doesn't come up sometimes for me.

Anyway...so remember the Jena 6 story? Here is a follow up to that story. And if this article is accurate, then it's also probably the reason why those events seemed to flare up so quickly, and fade just as fast. That is, if it's true.

How about an interesting article about the Hollywood 10 (those infamous people in Hollywood who were blacklisted in the 1950s, or thereabouts)? It's kind of long, but if you read the first several paragraphs you'll pick up some interesting talking points.

Here is a post on some polls looking at Hillary vs. any Republican candidate. This one is Hugh Hewitt's take on the same poll. It feels impossible to get a clear idea of who is coming out ahead in reality when you look at the polls. Pretty much on the Democrats side it seems that Hillary is the clear winner, or will be. The GOP picture is much more muddled. Thompson is ahead in some polls, Giuliani in others, but wait...Romney is leading the charge in the critical Iowa and New Hampshire primaries.

It's my goal to use the words "heretofore" and "theretofore" more in my regular vocabulary.

At the evening session for Stake Conference, Elder Cook mentioned visiting some of the people ravaged by the fires down in San Diego. He talked about trials having two primary outcomes, 1) helping us to better appreciate the Atonement, and 2) refining and preparing us for exaltation. Through no fault of their own these people have experienced some intense personal trauma. Elder Cook recalled the thought espoused by the Lord that the rain will fall on both the just and unjust. And then having all of this in mind got me to thinking about institute this past week and the primary emphasis was talking about Christ being the light, and how he does that.

One of the stories we read about was when Jesus healed the blind man on the Sabbath. The disciples asked who had sinned that the man was born blind, him or his parents? Then Jesus answered, "Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him." I had never really thought much more about this verse other than it applying specifically to that situation, but isn't it the case that this same principle would be true of all trials that face us? A lot of times the resulting difficulties we have in life aren't directly attributable to one person, even ourselves. Sometimes they just happen, but always the purpose is the same - that the works of God should be made manifest. In one way or another, I really believe that is the case.

In light of my own personal circumstances, the trials I've been facing recently have had those outcomes as mentioned by Elder Cook. And in a lot of unexpected ways, I have seen His works manifested. In others, I'm still waiting to see it. Whatever the outcome, I know it will happen.