Bright walls, bright sky, steadied hearts. When minds feel faint, disciples do the quiet four—serve, study, pray, worship—until heaven’s light outlasts the day.
Excerpt
Weariness isn’t just tired legs; it’s a fainting mind. The cure is simple and demanding: serve, study, pray, worship—then trust God’s timing and tutoring.
Intro
Today I reread Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s “Lest Ye Be Wearied and Faint in Your Minds.” He warns us not to try to glide through life asking, “Lord, give me experience—but not grief, sorrow, pain, opposition, betrayal, nor to be forsaken… Keep from me all those experiences which made Thee what Thou art! Then let me fully share Thy joy.” Disciples don’t get exemptions; they get tutoring. The four fundamentals—serve, study, pray, worship—keep faith nourished while God refines us.
Straight line
Adversity can grow faith or sprout bitterness—don’t charge God foolishly.
Live the four daily: serve, study, pray, worship—that’s how we “perfect that which is lacking” in faith.
After the trial comes the witness; there are no skipped steps or instant passes.
Trust timing and tutoring; we’re being sanctified, not spared.
Put off the heavy natural man; he isn’t our brother.
Repent with real intent; we can’t feel forgiven until we first feel responsible.
Meekness keeps us from being easily offended while God tries His people “in all things.”
Three diagnostics when blessings feel thin
Check the equipment. Are all four—serve, study, pray, worship—actually on and not just going through motions?
Desire to believe. Ask: Do I really want discipleship, or do I find the world more appealing? (Alma 32:27)
Go to Him. Don’t wait for Christ to come to us. He waits “all the day long” with open arms—we must arise and go (2 Ne. 28:32; Luke 15:18).
Final reflection
I won’t ask for lighter winds; I’ll set better sails. I will do the four, check my equipment, choose desire over drift, and go to Him. Then I’ll let His timetable and tutoring turn weariness into witness.
Pocket I’m keeping
Serve • Study • Pray • Worship
Desire → plant → nourish → endure
Trust timing; accept tutoring
Repent quickly; own the lesson
Meek ≠ weakness; it’s resilience under God
After the trial comes the witness
What I hear now
“Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.” (Galatians 6:9)
Manila woke to a sky of soft fire, and the spires answered. The world often mistakes meekness for weakness, but heaven doesn’t. Meekness is how we hear the ‘still, small voice’ in a loud century, how we keep working without being seen, how we forgive when no one claps. In that quiet courage, the Lord gives what He promised—rest for the soul and light for the road.
Excerpt
Meekness isn’t weakness—it’s the enabling power to wear Christ’s yoke, learn of Him, and endure well. It quiets pride, softens intellect, and turns stumbling blocks into stepping stones.
Intro
Today I revisited Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s 1986 devotional, “Meek and Lowly.” The world treats meekness as quaint; heaven calls it essential: “For none is acceptable before God, save the meek and lowly in heart” (Moroni 7:44). Jesus invites, “Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly” (Matthew 11:29). Meekness is the key that makes discipleship possible—steady work, quiet strength, and “thanksgiving daily” even in stern seasons.
Straight line
Wear His yoke, learn of Him. Meekness is how disciples are taught by the Yoke-Master—an education for mortality and eternity.
Do good—and don’t weary. Maxwell stacks the stretch: do good and don’t faint; endure and endure well; forgive and forgive “seventy times seven.”
Drop the heavy baggage. Meekness sheds fatiguing insincerity, hunger for praise, and the “strength-sapping quest for recognition.”
Meekness deepens discipleship. God gives challenges to keep us humble (Ether 12:27). Meekness steadies us when misrepresented or misunderstood.
One missing virtue matters. Like the rich young ruler, other strengths can’t compensate for missing meekness—it alters decisions and destiny.
A friend of true education. “Humbleness of mind” opens us to things we “never had supposed” (Moses 1:10); without it we’re “ever learning” yet missing truth (2 Tim. 3:7).
Pride is in all our sins. Meekness breaks those polished chains—resentment, offense-hunting, murmuring, and small, myopic views of reality.
Ears to hear. The meek listen long enough to recognize the Shepherd’s voice and turn “rocks of offense” into stepping stones.
Grace flows to the meek. “His grace is sufficient” (Ether 12:26). Without meekness there is no sustained faith, hope, or charity (Moroni 7:43–44).
Line upon line. Meekness partners with patience—time to absorb, repent, and be made strong in weak places (Ether 12:27; 2 Nephi 28:30).
Final reflection
Meekness is not passivity; it’s power under covenant. It lets Christ carry the kingdom while we do our duty, turns offense into learning, and keeps us rejoicing when no one’s clapping. If I would know the Lord better, I must wear His yoke longer.
Pocket I’m keeping
Wear His yoke → learn of Him
Do good and don’t weary
Shed praise-hunger; drop old grievances
Listen longer; recognize His voice
Ask “rightly,” wait “line upon line”
Let grace make weak things strong
What I hear now
“Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me… and ye shall find rest unto your souls.” (Matthew 11:29)
The flight was rough, the miles were many, but the morning at the temple was calm and sure.
Excerpt Discouragement isn’t in the trouble; it’s the adversary’s germ. The cure: prepare, work early, repent quickly, and remember angels round about us.
Intro Today I revisited Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s 1980 devotional, “For Times of Trouble.” Trouble is universal; discouragement is a germ the adversary wants inside us. The scriptures teach that “preparation—prevention if you will—is perhaps the major weapon in your arsenal against discouragement and self-defeat.” I’m choosing preparation and steady work over panic and self-doubt.
Straight line
Prepare early. “The time to repair the roof is when the sun is shining… If ye are prepared ye shall not fear.”
Live simply and gratefully. “Love your life, poor as it is. …The setting sun is reflected from the windows of the almshouse as brightly as from the rich man’s abode.” (Thoreau, Walden)
Do the work. “Prepare. Plan. Work. Sacrifice. Rework. Spend cheerfully on matters of worth.” Start early; finish calmly.
Learn from setbacks. “Love your life, poor as it is. Drive even these experiences into the corner… and learn from them.” Trials can forge timeless bonds with saints who walked the same road.
Repent quickly. Change now and prove it daily. “You can change anything you want to change, and you can do it very fast.”
Remember help from both sides of the veil. “They that be with us are more than they that be with them.” Angels stand round about us.
Final reflection My part is preparation, planning, and cheerful sacrifice. God’s part is grace, change, and ministering angels. I will work early, repent quickly, and let heaven handle what I cannot.
Pocket I’m keeping
Prepare early; prevent discouragement
Love my life—simple, grateful, steady
Work → rework → finish calmly
Learn from pain; keep bonds with the faithful
Change fast, then prove it
Angels round about
What I hear now “Sanctify yourselves: for tomorrow the Lord will do wonders among you.” (Joshua 3:5)
San Diego California Temple — made on an early iPhone. Daylight reminds me it’s less about the lens and more about the eye and the feeling. This house is family to me—my firstborn was sealed here on 12/12/12 at 12:00 PM.
Excerpt President Thomas S. Monson teaches that joy is not in the distant future but in the daily moments we cherish with gratitude and love.
Intro Life changes—sometimes suddenly, often gradually. President Thomas S. Monson reminds us that we cannot pile up tomorrows and expect joy to wait. Joy is in the journey now—in gratitude, in kindness, in cherishing those around us before it is too late.
Straight line (what he’s saying) • Change is constant; the key is learning what matters most. • Childhood, family time, and simple daily joys vanish if we postpone them. • Don’t wait for tomorrows that never come; love must be shown today. • Never let a problem to be solved become more important than a person to be loved. • Gratitude transforms lack into abundance; ingratitude blinds us to God’s gifts. • Challenges will come, but we choose whether to cherish or neglect the people we love. • Christ’s example—serving, forgiving, and loving to the end—shows us how to live joyfully.
Final reflection Time never stands still. My regrets are not about things I did, but things I left undone—words unsaid, kindness unshown. President Monson’s reminder echoes: joy is not about someday; it is about today.
Pocket I’m keeping • Hug my family more, speak my love more. • Write the note, send the message, make the call—today. • Guard against letting stress eclipse people. • Give thanks deliberately, even for the small, ordinary blessings. • Joy = gratitude in motion.
What I hear now Joy is a daily decision, not a future destination. If I train my heart to see God’s gifts in every moment, life itself becomes the journey worth rejoicing in.
Waning gibbous, waiting: I timed the moon to rest behind the Angel Moroni atop the Oquirrh Mountain Temple—quiet light on a higher call.
Excerpt Selfishness is not just a flaw—it’s self-destruction in slow motion. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that meekness is the real cure, for it doesn’t just mask selfishness but dissolves it.
Intro Joseph Smith urged that selfishness be “not only buried, but annihilated.” Elder Maxwell builds on that: selfishness shrinks the soul, corrodes society, and detonates commandments. Like Copernicus reminding the world it wasn’t the center of the universe, we too must learn—we are not the center. Meekness and unselfish discipleship are the only antidotes.
Straight line (what he’s saying) • Selfishness = self-destruction in slow motion. It narrows life until others no longer matter. • Appetite and ego can never fill emptiness; zero multiplied by anything is still zero. • Selfishness masks itself as swagger but is as provincial as goldfish in a bowl. • Joseph Smith: selfish feelings must be annihilated, not moderated. • Common forms: puffing credit, resenting others’ success, withholding kindness, rudeness, and abuse. • Cultural consequence: when selfishness spreads, societies decline—without mercy, without love, past feeling. • Selfishness detonates the Ten Commandments: it fuels envy, adultery, dishonesty, even murder. • Cain’s “I am free” after slaying Abel = ultimate selfish blindness. • Today: people strain at gnats (small issues) while swallowing camels (grave sins like abortion). • Followers share accountability with leaders in cultural decline; excuses won’t save. • True freedom comes from unselfishness—serving, forgiving, and lifting others. • Christ Himself is the supreme contrast: He did not look out for “number one.”
Final reflection Selfishness corrodes both heart and culture. The cure is meekness—choosing to notice, to yield, to bless. When I dissolve selfish wants, space opens for Christlike love. The world says “look out for number one”; Jesus says, “lose yourself and you’ll find life.”
Pocket I’m keeping • Before big actions: quietly ask, “Whose needs am I meeting?” • Practice daily meekness: count to 10 before speaking, let the Spirit filter words. • Replace envy with gratitude; bless the success of others. • Sow unselfishness in family life—ordinary duties cultivate extraordinary love. • Remember: selfishness shrinks, meekness expands.
What I hear now Unselfishness frees me under a “freer sky,” as Chesterton said. Meekness is not weakness—it’s strength without selfishness. When I choose it, selfishness dissolves and discipleship deepens.
When you need to quickly spin up a test or lab machine, cloning an existing VM can save hours compared to building from scratch. VMware PowerCLI brings the full power of vSphere management into PowerShell. Here’s a simple walkthrough.
Pick the source VM, target VM names, host, and datastore. Example:
# Define source VM
$sourceVM = "Base-Win10-VM"
# Clone to new VM
New-VM -Name "Test-VM01" -VM $sourceVM `
-VMHost (Get-VMHost -Name <target-host>) `
-Datastore (Get-Datastore -Name <datastore-name>) `
-Location (Get-Folder -Name "VMs")
-VM points to the existing machine you’re cloning.
-VMHost pins the new VM to a specific ESXi host.
-Datastore chooses where to store the VM’s disks.
-Location defines the vCenter folder for organization.
Step 4 — Power On the New VM
Start-VM -VM "Test-VM01"
Final Reflection
PowerCLI makes cloning fast, repeatable, and scriptable. Instead of clicking through vSphere UI screens, you can prepare test VMs with a single command.
Super Blood Moon over the Los Angeles California Temple — not visible in America last night, so I pulled this in-camera Nikon double exposure from my archives (Oct 2014). Thinking celestial means taking the long view: steps, stars, and a witness in the heavens.
Excerpt President Nelson invites us to “think celestial”—to take the long, eternal view where today’s choices shape forever.
Intro President Russell M. Nelson taught that God’s plan is “fabulous,” that our choices matter eternally, and that the Savior’s Atonement makes that plan possible. His invitation: adopt the practice of “thinking celestial.”
Straight line (what he’s saying) • “The baseless notion that we should ‘eat, drink, and be merry …’ is one of the most absurd lies in the universe.” • “I invite you to adopt the practice of ‘thinking celestial’! … ‘to be spiritually-minded is life eternal.’” • “Mortality is a master class” in choosing what matters most. “Your choices today will determine … where you will live throughout all eternity, the kind of body … [and] those with whom you will live forever.” • “Only men and women who are sealed … in the temple, and who keep their covenants, will be together throughout the eternities.” • If we choose telestial laws now, we choose a telestial glory then. • “How and where and with whom do you want to live forever? You get to choose.” • “Take the long view—an eternal view. Put Jesus Christ first … your eternal life is dependent upon your faith in Him and in His Atonement.” • “When you are confronted with a dilemma, think celestial! … When the pressures of life crowd in upon you, think celestial!”
Final reflection Thinking celestial reframes today: my calendar becomes covenant practice, my setbacks become schooling, and my worship becomes preparation for where—and with whom—I want to live forever.
Pocket I’m keeping • Begin with the end in mind (celestial family). • Choose temple time and covenant keeping first. • Guard agency—avoid anything that becomes a “god.” • Pray beyond a shopping list; seek revelation. • Take the long view when hurt, hurried, or tempted.
What I hear now Tonight I’m posting an archival blood-moon shot and taking the eternal view. The moon changes phase; covenants point to permanence. Think celestial.
Waxing gibbous moon peeking through stormy blue over the Jordan River Utah Temple, Friday night (9/5/25), framed by leaves and looking East South East of the sky.
lle’s “preconditioning,” included the Power of Now reference, and linked the YouTube clip you gave me:
Excerpt Desire steers destiny. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that God judges “according to the desire of [our] hearts”—and helps us train those desires toward Him.
Intro Maxwell reframes agency at its core: desires are the drivers. Genes, circumstances, and environments matter, but—as he reminds us—“there remains an inner zone in which we are sovereign, unless we abdicate.” In that sacred space lies our real agency.
Eckhart Tolle explains the other side of the equation in what he calls preconditioning:
“Mental and emotional filters: our minds are filled with ingrained narratives, beliefs, and emotional patterns that act like lenses through which we view the world.”
Those filters shape perception, just as culture, family patterns, and past wounds bend behavior. Yet, as Maxwell insists, they cannot erase that sovereign inner zone. What we persistently desire is who we become—and what we receive.
Straight line (what he’s saying) • Desire is more than preference; it’s a real longing that directs agency and outcomes. • God mercifully considers our desires, works, and degrees of difficulty—yet won’t force us. • Satan desires our misery; wrong desires make us our own victims. • Lukewarmness flattens the soul; righteous desires must be relentless, daily. • Education of desire = learn truth and learn to love it; small acts create spiritual momentum. • “Do you,” President Brigham Young asked, “think that people will obey the truth because it is true, unless they love it? No, they will not” (Journal of Discourses, 7:55). • Some desires must dissolve (envy, self-pity); weak righteous desires can grow strong. • Parents teach and model, but each soul must choose; God’s arm is stretched out still. • In process of time, holy desires produce holy works. • Preconditioning may set the stage—but the sovereign inner zone decides the play.
Final reflection My outcomes track my appetites. When I aim my wants at ease or applause, I drift. When I aim them at Jesus, momentum returns. Desire is today’s steering wheel. Elder Maxwell’s reminder of the inner zone keeps me accountable: I can’t blame culture, genes, or preconditioning. They explain, but they don’t excuse. Tolle helps me name the filters that fog my lens, but Maxwell reminds me that God still waits on what I choose to desire.
Pocket I’m keeping • Pray, then plan by desire: “More holiness give me” → schedule one aligned act. • Replace envy with intercession: bless the person I’d be tempted to compare with. • Feed the flame daily—scripture, sacrament, service—before screens. • Name one mis-aimed desire and starve it for a week. • Measure progress by direction and devotion, not dopamine.
What I hear now If I train my want-to, God will shape my able-to. Even a spark—“I desire to believe”—is enough for Him to begin multiplying light.
Excerpt Our all-hands list rejected internal senders after we allowed two external addresses. Here’s what happened, how to fix it cleanly in Exchange Online, and a PowerShell snippet you can reuse.
Intro Two days ago, I could email everyone@[redacted].com just fine. Today, my message bounced: “this group only accepts messages from people in its organization or on its allowed senders list.” We’d recently added two partner addresses (s@[partner].com, j@[partner].com) so they could email the DL. That change flipped the DL into strict allow-list mode—blocking even internal senders who weren’t explicitly listed. Here’s the minimal, durable fix.
Straight line (what happened) • Symptom: NDR when sending to everyone@[redacted].com from an internal account. • State check showed: – RequireSenderAuthenticationEnabled: False – AcceptMessagesOnlyFromSendersOrMembers: {} (and earlier, it contained only the two partner GUIDs). • Root cause: Delivery management was saved in “only these senders” mode; membership/ownership doesn’t matter in that state. • Goal: Let all internal, authenticated users send; allow only specific externals; block the rest.
Fix (clean model)
Let internal, authenticated users send to the DL (no hard allow-list on the group).
Enforce external restrictions with a transport rule that allows only the partner exceptions.
Commands (PowerShell — Exchange Online)
Connect
Connect-ExchangeOnline -ShowBanner:$false
Allow internal, authenticated senders (clear hard allow-list)
# add another partner
Set-TransportRule "Block external to Everyone (except allow-list)" `
-ExceptIfFrom @{Add="newuser@[partner].com"}
# remove a partner
Set-TransportRule "Block external to Everyone (except allow-list)" `
-ExceptIfFrom @{Remove="j@[partner].com"}
Smoke tests • Internal sender → everyone@[redacted].com: delivers. • External sender (not on list): NDR with “External senders are not allowed…” • Allowed partner (s@[partner].com or j@[partner].com): delivers.
Why not leave the DL in allow-list mode? Because it’s brittle. Every internal sender must be explicitly added, which guarantees future bounces and admin toil. Using RequireSenderAuthenticationEnabled for internal mail + a transport rule for externals gives you clarity and control.
Final reflection Small toggles can have outsized effects. DL delivery settings look simple, but one checkbox can silently change who’s “allowed.” The durable pattern is: authenticate inside, whitelist outside, and verify with a quick trace.
Pocket I’m keeping • Always snapshot DL settings before/after a change. • Prefer transport rules for external policy; don’t hard-gate internals via allow-lists. • Add a ready-to-run “add/remove external exception” snippet to the runbook.
What I hear now Clarity beats cleverness. Make the rule obvious enough that the next admin can read it and know exactly who can send and why.
Excerpt Quick, repeatable way to see CPU/RAM/vSAN headroom across hosts and choose where to place the next VM. Today it pointed us to vsan2.
Intro Before cloning a new Windows VM, I ran a fast PowerCLI sweep across three vSAN hosts to compare free CPU, free memory, and vSAN free space. All three had identical vSAN capacity; vsan2 had the most free RAM, so that’s the landing spot.
Straight line (what I did) • Pulled CPU and memory usage per host (MHz/MB) and calculated free. • Queried each host’s vSAN datastore(s) and summed free/total GB. • Printed a compact table to compare vsan1/2/3 at a glance. • Chose the host with the highest Mem_Free_GB (tie-break on vSAN free).
Result today • vsan2 showed the most free RAM, with CPU headroom similar across all three and identical vSAN free space. • Suggested placement: vsan2.
Pocket I’m keeping • Check host headroom before every clone—30 seconds now saves hours later. • Prefer RAM headroom for Windows VDI/worker VMs; CPU is usually similar across nodes. • Keep a one-liner that prints the table and the suggested host.
What I hear now Clone to vsan2, power up, then let DRS/vMotion rebalance after the build window. Repeat this check whenever adding workloads or after maintenance.
Reflections before reverence — a quiet stream “washes the edge” as the Saratoga Springs Utah Temple rises in the pool, a reminder to lay down our “shoes” and step onto holy ground.
Excerpt Moses removed his shoes; I can remove my impurities. How I’m preparing my heart to meet God—at the temple and at home.
Intro “Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground” (Exodus 3:5). Elder Ulisses Soares: “Taking off our worldly shoes is the beginning of stepping onto holy ground and being transformed in higher and holier ways.” — “Reverence for Sacred Things,” Apr 2025
Straight line (what he’s saying) • Holy spaces (temples, homes, dedicated places) call for removing impurity before we approach. • The Lord’s pattern repeats: printing office “holy, undefiled”; temple “mine holy house”; Missouri temple where the pure in heart shall see God—holiness is both place and people. • Small, intentional acts (like forgiving in the parking lot) are today’s “shoe removal.” • We don’t make ourselves holy; we offer our will. Christ’s Atonement does the sanctifying. • Holiness is practical: reverence, clean hands/heart, focus, and meekness that lets the Spirit teach.
Final reflection I arrive at holy ground with dust on my soul—hurry, annoyance, stray pride. God isn’t asking for theatrics; He’s asking for shoes—the little impurities I can actually take off.
Pocket I’m keeping • Pause before entry (temple or prayer): breathe, confess, forgive, then go in. • Language fast: no sarcasm or sharp words on holy days. • Clean gatekeeping: music, media, and thoughts that fit the space I’m entering. • Offer the will: “Lord, here are my shoes today—take hurry, take resentment.” • Home altar: make my living room reverent before I ask for revelation.
What I hear now Saratoga Springs Temple at sunset, the waxing gibbous rising—before the doors or the camera, I’ll take off the day’s dust. Then let Him make the moment holy.
Link to the talk Exodus 3:5 • Elder Ulisses Soares, “Reverence for Sacred Things” (Apr 2025) • Doctrine and Covenants 94:12; 95:16; 96:2; 97:15–16 • Moroni 10:32–33 (“Yea, come unto Christ… be perfected in him… sanctified in Christ… become holy, without spot.”)
When the sky sings, even the moon waits its turn. Saratoga Springs Temple at dusk.
Excerpt Many aren’t in transgression—they’re in diversion. The world tugs; disciples choose differently. My notes and how I’ll apply them this week.
Intro Elder Neal A. Maxwell warns that diversion wastes “the days of [our] probation.” God’s plan isn’t pleasure—it’s happiness. The difference is discipleship.
Straight line (what he’s saying) • The lures are old; the amplification is new—tech, media, hype. • Diversion builds “personalized prisons”: “of whom a man is overcome…” • Mortal honors are transient—“they have their reward.” • Remedies: Holy Ghost, family, worship/prayer/scripture, wise friends, Joseph-in-Egypt reflex (flee). • “Far country” is measured by fidelity, not miles—return is possible; resilience is covenant DNA. • God prizes who we become more than rank—our real résumé is ourselves. • See things as they really are/will be; give glory to God.
Final reflection My risk isn’t rebellion; it’s drift—scrolls, refreshes, small hungers for applause. Diversion is bondage with nicer branding.
Pocket I’m keeping • Access the Spirit first (scripture, prayer, sacrament), then apps. • Family first—real talk over parallel scrolling. • Choose friends/inputs that aim at Zion. • Flee fast; repent resiliently. • Measure worth by being (meek, patient, submissive), not spotlight.
What I hear now Say “stand aside” to the world. Post the image, close the tab, sit with gratitude. The moon keeps rising; I don’t need every notification to matter. Souls > stars > stats.
“Heart, soul, and mind.” When we offer all, He consecrates our performanc. Saratoga Springs Temple · waxing gibbousmoon
Excerpt Consecration isn’t giving things as much as yielding self. When heart, soul, and mind align with God, He consecrates our efforts for lasting good.
Intro Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that ultimate consecration is our will swallowed up in the Father’s. Step by step, His grace is sufficient, and our performances are consecrated “for the lasting welfare of [our] souls.”
Straight line (what he’s saying) • Consecration = yielding will to the Father—one stepping-stone at a time. • We often “keep back part” (skills, status, habits); partial surrender still diverts. • Worth is fixed; assignments change—He must increase, we decrease. • Good things can crowd out the first commandment; beware lesser gods. • Acknowledge His hand; avoid the “my power, my hand” trap. • Discipleship polishes us (rough stone rolling): contact, friction, meekness. • Surrendering the mind is victory; God teaches higher ways. • Jesus is the pattern—never lost focus; Gethsemane above all other miracles.
Final reflection My hardest “part” isn’t money—it’s control. God wants a consecrated person more than a perfect portfolio. Yielded work beats impressive work.
Pocket I’m keeping • Ask daily: “Lord, is it this?”—take the next small stone. • Worship before work; name His hand first. • Hold assignments lightly; hold Jesus tightly. • Trade applause for alignment. • Measure by love, patience, meekness.
What I hear now I’ll hand Him today’s schedule, camera, and keyboard—and let Him aim them. Consecration is hourly trust; even detours can be consecrated.
Saratoga Springs Utah Temple with a rising waxing gibbous moon.
Excerpt None of us is immune from trial. Elder Neal A. Maxwell teaches that if we endure well, today’s struggles are shaped into tomorrow’s blessings. Here’s my mark-in-time takeaway and how I’m applying it.
Intro I listened again to Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s devotional “If Thou Endure Well.” The sentence that stayed with me: None of us can or will be immune from the trials of life. However, if we learn to endure our struggles well, they will be turned into blessings in eternity. That’s both bracing and kind—God doesn’t waste pain when we place it in His hands.
Straight line (what he’s saying) • Mortality guarantees opposition; surprise is optional. • Enduring well ≠ grim hanging-on; it’s faithful submission, patience, and continuing to choose light. • Timing is part of God’s tutoring—deliverance sometimes tarries so discipleship can deepen. • Gratitude and meekness change how trials shape us. They don’t shorten the storm, but they change the sailor. • The Lord consecrates affliction to our gain when we refuse cynicism and keep covenant routines (scripture, prayer, sacrament, service).
Final reflection Enduring well is a decision repeated—quietly—over and over. It’s choosing not to narrate my trial as abandonment, but as apprenticeship. It’s trusting that God is doing more with my life than I can see from the shoreline.
Pocket I’m keeping • Expect opposition; practice patience on purpose. • Pair prayers with small, durable acts (keep the next covenant, serve the next person, take the next right step). • Measure “progress” by faithfulness, not by ease.
What I hear now Tonight’s images—reflections, a quiet bench, a waxing gibbous over the spire—feel like a lesson in waiting. I can’t rush the moon to its mark, but I can keep framing, steady my hands, and choose light again. If I endure well, God will finish the alignment.
When a partner emailed our all-hands list, they got an NDR: “the group only accepts messages from people in its organization or on its allowed senders list… sender not allowed.”
We’d solved this once before and didn’t capture the steps. This time we did.
the group required authenticated (internal) senders only, and
the external wasn’t on the group’s allowed-senders list
gotcha we hit: New-MailContact failed with ProxyAddressExists — an existing MailUser already owned the external SMTP, so we reused it instead of creating a new contact
Straight line (what fixed it)
identify group by SMTP and check whether it’s a DL or a Microsoft 365 Group
locate the external as an existing MailContact/MailUser (include soft-deleted objects)
add that object to the group’s AcceptMessagesOnlyFromSendersOrMembers list
allow the group to accept external senders (keeps the allow-list in effect)
test and confirm with Message trace
Reusable runbook (PowerShell, redacted)
# 0) Connect
Connect-ExchangeOnline
# 1) Variables (edit these)
$GroupSmtp = "all@[corp-redacted].com"
$ExternalAddresses = @("firstname.lastname@[partner-redacted].com")
# 2) Resolve the group (works for DL or M365 Group)
$grp = Get-EXORecipient -Filter "PrimarySmtpAddress -eq '$GroupSmtp'"
$grp | fl Name,RecipientTypeDetails,PrimarySmtpAddress,Identity,ExternalDirectoryObjectId
# 3) Ensure each external exists as a recipient we can allow (MailContact/MailUser).
# If already present (or soft-deleted), reuse it.
$recips = @()
foreach ($addr in $ExternalAddresses) {
$r = Get-EXORecipient -ResultSize Unlimited -IncludeSoftDeletedRecipients `
-Filter "PrimarySmtpAddress -eq '$addr'"
if (-not $r) {
try { New-MailContact -Name $addr -ExternalEmailAddress $addr | Out-Null
$r = Get-EXORecipient -Filter "PrimarySmtpAddress -eq '$addr'" }
catch { Write-Host "Contact already exists somewhere: $addr" }
}
$recips += $r
}
$recips | ft Name,RecipientTypeDetails,PrimarySmtpAddress -AutoSize
# 4) Add externals to allow-list AND allow external senders
if ($grp.RecipientTypeDetails -eq "GroupMailbox") {
# Microsoft 365 Group (Unified Group)
foreach ($r in $recips) {
Set-UnifiedGroup -Identity $grp.ExternalDirectoryObjectId `
-AcceptMessagesOnlyFromSendersOrMembers @{Add=$r.Identity}
}
Set-UnifiedGroup -Identity $grp.ExternalDirectoryObjectId -AllowExternalSenders:$true
Get-UnifiedGroup -Identity $grp.ExternalDirectoryObjectId |
fl DisplayName,PrimarySmtpAddress,AllowExternalSenders,AcceptMessagesOnlyFromSendersOrMembers
} else {
# Distribution Group / Mail-enabled Security Group
foreach ($r in $recips) {
Set-DistributionGroup -Identity $grp.Identity `
-AcceptMessagesOnlyFromSendersOrMembers @{Add=$r.Identity}
}
Set-DistributionGroup -Identity $grp.Identity -RequireSenderAuthenticationEnabled:$false
Get-DistributionGroup -Identity $grp.Identity |
fl DisplayName,PrimarySmtpAddress,RequireSenderAuthenticationEnabled,AcceptMessagesOnlyFromSendersOrMembers
}
# 5) Message trace (adjust window)
Get-MessageTrace -SenderAddress $ExternalAddresses[0] -RecipientAddress $GroupSmtp `
-StartDate (Get-Date).AddHours(-2) -EndDate (Get-Date) |
ft Received,Status,RecipientAddress,MessageId
Common pitfalls we saw (and how we handled them)
ProxyAddressExists on New-MailContact → an existing MailUser/Contact already holds that SMTP; reuse it (or permanently remove the soft-deleted recipient first).
group can’t be found by display name → target by SMTP with Get-EXORecipient -Filter "PrimarySmtpAddress -eq '...'".
delivery still blocked after allow-list → the DL still required authenticated senders; set RequireSenderAuthenticationEnabled:$false (DL) or AllowExternalSenders:$true (M365 Group).
Click-path (EAC, if you don’t want PowerShell)
Recipients → Contacts → add/find the partner’s contact
Recipients → Groups → open the group → Delivery management → “Accept messages from” → add the contact
For DLs: turn off “Require sender authentication”
For M365 Groups: enable “Allow external senders”
Prevention / hygiene
keep an “Authorized External Senders — all” mail-enabled security group; allow that group on the DL/M365 Group, then just add/remove partner contacts over time
document the NDR verbatim and the message trace ID when you close an incident
Redaction note
All addresses and names are redacted. Replace with your real SMTPs when running the script.
September 3, 2025 — after ~20 listens/reads since last night
Manila Temple × Milky Way. Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s “Free to Choose” reminds me that joy needs both agency and daily submission—souls matter more than stars.
Intro
Elder Maxwell’s final BYU devotional (2004) feels like a compass: agency = joy + daily submissiveness. The line that keeps ringing: “Souls matter more than stars.” Freedom to choose is breathtaking—and sobering—because God honors our desires and won’t force us. That means peace is possible without compulsion, and accountability is real.
Straight Line
Agency is God-given and personal. “I have given unto man his agency” (Moses 7:32). “Thou mayest choose for thyself” (Moses 3:17).
Agency is complete—consequence included. We can “live and move and do according to [our] own will” (Mosiah 2:21), but “whoso doeth iniquity, doeth it unto himself” (Hel. 14:30).
Opposition is required, not optional. We’re enticed “by the one or the other” (2 Nephi 2:16); no neutral exists.
Desires direct judgment. We receive “according to [our] desires” and “wills” (Alma 29:4). Educate desire = spiritual continuing ed.
Real risk: some are “not willing to enjoy that which they might have received” (D&C 88:32). Tragedy = turning down joy.
No decision is a decision. Delay discards the holy present; accountability stands “astride every path.”
Lucifer can tempt but not compel. God won’t force; the devil can’t force.
Souls > stars. The cosmos is vast, but the gift to choose—and choose God—is vaster. Joy needs freedomandsubmissiveness.
God’s posture: “What could I have done more?” He gives the maximum reward and the minimum penalty justice allows.
Final Reflection
Agency isn’t adrenaline; it’s alignment. The Spirit clarifies; He doesn’t coerce. Maxwell hooks joy to two daily moves:
Choose (don’t drift).
Submit (trust the Father’s will), like the Savior did.
That mix removes panic from decision-making. It reframes boundaries as worship, not deprivation. It also explains why I can feel peace while longing tugs—the peace marks my stance, not the absence of pressure.
Pocket lines I’m keeping
No decision is a decision.
Educate your desires.
Souls matter more than stars.
He will not force us.
What I hear now
Name the choice: I will use my freedom to choose covenant-keeping over compulsion.
Educate desire (micro-habits): one scripture paragraph; one honest prayer; one tiny act of service. Desires follow diet.
Boundary as submission: Not replying to triggering messages is choosing God now, not “avoiding.”
Presence over pressure: Wife is in town—people > stars (and > screens). Focus mode stays on; lock-screen previews stay minimal.
Work lens: In interviews, I’ll listen for agency patterns: signal → hypothesis → test → decision → ROI. Under heat, do they choose calmly and own consequences?
One-line prayer:Father, I choose Thy will in this hour; educate my desires and make my joy clean.
Syracuse Utah Temple at blue hour beneath a setting first-quarter moon. I lingered long; the nudge lingered longer. In Him, the night—and I—held together.
Intro I lingered at the Syracuse Utah Temple until the first-quarter moon slid above the spire and the stars came on. The nudge I felt there was the longest I’ve ever carried from any temple—it stayed even while I was shooting. Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s cadence kept pacing me:
“In Christ all things hold together.” (Colossians 1:17)
And he widened the frame of my night with this:
“I wish to talk about your unfinished journey. It is the journey of journeys… The trek awaits—whether one is rich or poor… married or single, a prodigal or an ever faithful. Compared to this journey, all other treks are but a brief walk in a mortal park or are merely time on a telestial treadmill.” —Elder Neal A. Maxwell
The temple path made that “journey of journeys” feel less abstract and more immediate—boots on stone, heart in hand.
The straight line Perishable skills expire; portable virtues don’t. The Lord is shaping “men and women of Christ”—meek, patient, full of love (Mosiah 3:19). When life frays, covenants are the stitching; Christ is the seam that actually holds me together.
Final Reflection (Maxwell, in his own words)
“These attributes are eternal and portable… Being portable, to the degree developed, they will go with us through the veil of death.” “Since He is risen from the grave, let us not be dead as to the things of the Spirit… In him all things hold together.”
Standing beside the flower bed and the pale stone, I felt why: if I let Him order my heart, He will also order my steps.
Another line the night underlined Elder Maxwell ties the sky to our discipleship:
“At Christmastime we celebrate a special star… placed in its precise orbit long before it shone so precisely… ‘All things must come to pass in their time’ (D&C 64:32). His overseeing precision pertains not only to astrophysical orbits but to human orbits as well… our obligation to shine as lights within our own orbits.” —Elder Neal A. Maxwell (see Philippians 2:15)
Insight: The moon over Syracuse wasn’t an accident; neither is where God has set me. If I stay in my covenant orbit—quiet, steady, on time—He’ll handle the timing and the alignment.
What I hear now
Let Christ carry what’s flying apart. Pray first: “Hold this together in Thee.”
Choose portable over perishable. Practice a trait before a technique.
Shine in your current orbit. Steward the people and places already set around you; heaven runs on precision and timing.
Serve quietly. Authority of example > argument.
Take the yoke & learn (Matt. 11:29). Small obediences teach His large qualities.
Return, then refine. Revisit the same place (and person) until the light matches the message—the nudge at Syracuse taught me that.
Outbox (1) and a red error banner—typical signs Outlook can’t send because the local data file (OST/PST) hit the size limit or the client is Working Offline.
Intro
When mail matters, guessing hurts. This is the quick way I fix the three big Outlook problems—won’t send, can’t search, won’t connect—with steps for employees and deeper checks for admins.
The straight line
Rule #1: Prove if it’s your Outlook, your profile, or the service—then act. Don’t change ten things; follow the flow.
For employees (5 fixes you can do safely)
Compare with Outlook on the web
Open your browser → sign in to outlook.office.com.
If web mail works, your account is fine; the issue is this device/Outlook app.
Check the basics
Make sure Work Offline isn’t turned on.
Restart Outlook (fully exit from the tray), then restart the computer.
Trim the Outbox: very large attachments (>20–25 MB) can block the queue.
Search not finding results?
Windows: Outlook → File → Options → Search → Indexing Options → Rebuild. Give it time.
Mac: System Settings → Siri & Spotlight → ensure Mail & Messages are allowed. If needed, add then remove your Outlook profile folder from Spotlight Privacy to force a re-index.
Disable add-ins (quick test)
Windows: File → Options → Add-ins → COM Add-ins → Go… → uncheck all (especially meeting/CRM add-ins).
Mac (New Outlook): Get Add-ins → My add-ins → disable. Re-test.
Free up mailbox space
Empty Deleted Items and Junk, clear Sync Issues folders, and archive old Sent Items. Low free space = slow Outlook.
If mail works on the web but not in the app after these steps, it’s a profile or device issue—hand off to IT or continue with the admin flow below.
For IT pros (targeted triage)
1) Scope & signal
Service or client? If OWA works and multiple users in the site are fine, it’s local.
Status bar messages matter: “Trying to connect…”, “Updating this folder…”, “Need password”, “Limited connectivity”—write them down.
2) Profile & connectivity
New profile (Windows): Control Panel → Mail (Microsoft Outlook) → Show Profiles… → Add → set Prompt for a profile and test.
Connection Status (Windows): Ctrl + right-click the Outlook tray icon → Connection Status; confirm Auth/Protocol and server round-trip.
Cached Exchange setting: File → Account Settings → Account → Change… → move the mail to keep offline slider down (e.g., 6–12 months) and retest.
3) Search
Windows Search service running? Rebuild from Indexing Options and ensure Outlook is in the index list.
OST health: If search is corrupt or folders are out of sync, close Outlook, rename the OST, reopen to rebuild.
4) Add-ins & startup
Safe mode test (Windows): Start Outlook while holding Ctrl (you’ll be asked to start in safe mode). If that works, remove add-ins (Teams/Zoom/CRM are usual suspects).
Reset the navigation pane (Windows): Run command box and reset the nav pane if views are corrupted (as an IT step).
5) Credentials & auth
Windows Credential Manager: remove stale Office/Outlook creds; relaunch and re-auth.
Modern Auth prompts stuck? Close all Office apps; kill background “Office” processes; try again.
6) Calendar & send issues
Delegate/Shared mailbox problems:** verify Full Access/Send As and re-map the mailbox.
Rules causing loops: export, disable all, re-test send/receive.
Stuck meetings: clear Outbox, switch to Online Mode briefly, send, switch back to Cached.
7) Tools that save time
Microsoft Support and Recovery Assistant (SaRA): excellent for profile, activation, and connection repairs.
Message Trace (Exchange/Defender portals): confirm delivery path before blaming the client.
8) When to rebuild or repair
New profile fixed it? Keep it and retire the old one.
Office repair (Quick Repair, then Online Repair) if multiple Office apps are unstable.
60-second decision tree
OWA works?
No → service/network issue; escalate.
Yes → client/device issue → continue.
Safe mode works?
Yes → disable add-ins until stable.
No → new profile.
Still failing after new profile?
Check Credentials, Cached slider, OST rebuild.
If send only fails for shared/delegate mailbox → permissions or transport rules.
Search still blank?
Rebuild index (Windows), verify Spotlight (Mac), rebuild OST.
Prevent the repeat (settings that help)
Mailbox hygiene: retention/archiving for Sent & large attachments.
Keep add-ins lean: only what the team truly uses.
Known-good profile image: for kiosk/reimaging scenarios.
Network indicators: if Wi-Fi is flaky, Outlook shows it first—fix the Wi-Fi.
One place for help: a short “How to open OWA + report exact error text + timestamp” guide pinned for staff.
Final reflection — why this approach won’t go away
Clarity beats tinkering. OWA tells you if it’s the account or the app.
Profiles are perishable. Rebuilding is faster than endless registry spelunking.
Add-ins are the usual villains. Test in safe mode first.
Search takes time. Reindex once, then let it finish; don’t keep poking.
Document the path. The same steps teach juniors and calm frustrated users.
For employees — Data file full? (PST/OST ~50 GB default)
Symptoms: messages stuck in Outbox, sync never finishes, warnings about “data file reached maximum size.”
Fix (Windows Outlook):
Outlook → File → Info → Tools → Mailbox Cleanup
Empty Deleted Items / Junk.
View Mailbox Size → delete/archive biggest folders (Sent Items is usually #1).
Search for big attachments: in the search bar choose Size → Huge (> 1 MB) or Very Large (> 5 MB) and delete/move.
Data file compact:File → Account Settings → Account Settings → Data Files (tab) → select your account’s Outlook Data File → Settings → Compact Now.
If you use Exchange/Business account: File → Account Settings → Account Settings → Change → slide “Mail to keep offline” down to 6–12 months, then restart Outlook (older mail stays available in OWA).
If OWA sends fine but the app still can’t after this, hand it to IT (profile rebuild or archive needed).
For IT pros — PST/OST limits & remediation
Default limit: modern Outlook uses ~50 GB per PST/OST (configurable via policy). Near the cap (there’s a warn threshold), send/receive fails and users see “data file has reached maximum size.”
Triage: confirm the user’s Data Files size (File → Account Settings → Account Settings → Data Files), and whether the profile caches shared mailboxes (common OST bloat).
Remediation options (prefer in this order):
Mailbox hygiene / archiving: enable Online Archive (Exchange Online) and apply retention to move old items automatically.
Reduce cache depth: set Mail to keep offline to 3–12 months; leave older mail online.
Shared mailbox strategy: uncheck Download shared folders (Account Settings → More Settings → Advanced) for very large shared mailboxes, or add them as additional mailboxes without caching.
Compact / rebuild OST: after cleanup, compact; if corruption suspected, close Outlook, rename the OST, relaunch to rebuild.
Policy keys: you can raise the max size via policy/registry (also set the warn threshold) but Microsoft guidance is to favor Online Archive over very large OST/PST files.
Tell-tale errors/messages: send stuck in Outbox, “Data file reached maximum size,” frequent sync loops; OWA sends normally.
What I hear now
Start with service vs. client (OWA).
Safe mode, then add-ins.
If in doubt, new profile.
Index once, wait.
Be kind: Outlook issues feel personal to users—steady process helps them breathe.
Tech-support scam pop-up mimicking Microsoft Defender with a bogus support line 877-415-4519 — DO NOT CALL.
Intro
Tonight’s “video call” looked like it came from a friend. The moment you tapped Accept, your browser flipped full-screen: “Microsoft has shut down your internet. Do not turn off your computer. Call now.” That’s a classic tech-support scam—built to scare, not to help.
─────────────────────────────────────────
What’s really happening
It’s only a web page (often opened by the call link) that abuses pop-ups, full-screen mode, and fake Windows/Defender art.
Microsoft/Apple/your ISP never lock your device through a browser or post a phone number to call.
If you call, they’ll try to remote in, install “fixers,” and charge you—or steal data.
─────────────────────────────────────────
Do this immediately (quick exit)
Do not call. Do not click.
Kill the browser.
Windows:Ctrl+W (close tab). If stuck, Alt+F4 or open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) and End task on the browser.
Mac:⌘+W (close tab). If stuck, Force Quit with ⌥+⌘+Esc.
iPhone/iPad/Android: swipe up and force-close the browser app.
Reopen safely (prevents the bad tab from restoring):
Windows/Mac: hold Shift while launching the browser to block session restore.
iPhone Safari: Settings ▸ Safari ▸ Clear History and Website Data.
Chrome mobile: Chrome ▸ ⋮ ▸ History ▸ Clear browsing data (Time range: All time).
─────────────────────────────────────────
Clean up (2–5 minutes)
Run a scan. Windows: Windows Security ▸ Virus & threat protection ▸ Quick scan (then a Full scan later). Mac/mobile: update OS; run your trusted AV if installed.
“Meeting the Challenges of Today” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell
Intro
Driving to the Syracuse Temple, I queued up Elder Neal A. Maxwell’s 1978 devotional “Meeting the Challenges of Today.” One line kept burning: God’s foreknowledge and foreordination “underline how very long and how perfectly God has loved us and known us with our individual needs and capacities.” That changes how I face pushback—not with heat, but with holy steadiness.
Listening loop: I’ve listened/read this message 30+ times since Thursday—car to Jordan River, then to Syracuse. Each pass peeled back another layer.
Selected lines (to read slowly)
“In the months and years ahead, events will require of each member that he or she decide whether…to follow the First Presidency.”
“A new irreligion seeks to make itself the state religion…using preserved freedoms to shrink freedom.”
“Be principled but pleasant…perceptive without being pompous.”
“We were measured before and found equal to our tasks…God will not overprogram us.”
Doctrine Note: Foreordination ≠ Predestination
Foreordination is a conditional stewardship, not a guarantee. God can foresee outcomes without forcing them; agency remains intact.
David: God foresaw David’s fall but did not cause it. David chose Bathsheba; agency—and accountability—were David’s.
Martin Harris (116 pages): God foresaw the loss and prepared a remedy centuries earlier (see D&C 10; Words of Mormon).
Conclusion: God is never surprised; we are never compelled. Foreordination calls us to faithfulness, not fatalism.
When minor defeats loom
“There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, that others will step forward, having been rallied to righteousness by what we do.” — Elder Neal A. Maxwell
How I’ve seen this: when I was knocked down at work, unexpected help appeared—quiet encouragements, timely messages, and small mercies that kept me moving. God’s compensating provisions are often people.
Practice today:Who can I quietly rally by how I show up? Act first; announce later.
My working understanding now
God doesn’t live inside my clock. He sees past–present–future at once.
Agency is real. He allowed me to choose Utah and walk hard roads; He wasn’t the cause of every sorrow, nor surprised by any of it.
Compensating provisions exist. He prepares remedies far ahead of my missteps.
**We are not foreordained to fail, but called to succeed—**and to become.
Becoming, Not Just Describing
Maxwell doesn’t invite us to argue; he invites us to become. Utah’s quiet—sometimes lonely—became the classroom where I finally studied harder, worshiped more steadily, and let the doctrine soak until it changed my reflexes.
How I’ll practice becoming (small and daily):
Act > announce: do the next right thing before I say the next right thing.
Covenant rhythm: weekly temple worship, even when feelings lag.
Charity first: measure responses by love, not by likes or score-keeping.
Ask once, then release: honor others’ agency as God honors mine.
Working creed:God foresees; I choose. If I stay on the covenant path, I’m not “stuck”—I’m becoming what my blessing already pointed to.
“Foreordination is like any other blessing—it is a conditional bestowal subject to our faithfulness… Prophecies foreshadow events without determining the outcomes… God foresaw the fall of David, but was not the cause of it… God foresaw, but did not cause, Martin Harris’s loss… and made plans to cope with that failure over fifteen hundred years before it was to occur.”
Premortal memory (often called the “council in heaven”) — Joseph F. Smith:
“In coming here, we forget all, that our agency might be free indeed… by the power of the Spirit… we often catch a spark from the awakened memories of the immortal soul, which lights up our whole being as with the glory of our former home.” (Gospel Doctrine, pp. 13–14)
Why this belongs here: Foreordination honors agency; mortal forgetting protects it. The Spirit’s “spark” is what turns doctrine into direction—reminding me who I’m to become, not scripting how I’m forced to get there.
When minor defeats loom (for this week’s online heat)
“There will also be times, happily, when a minor defeat seems probable, that others will step forward, having been rallied to righteousness by what we do.”
Application: in the FB pile-on, unexpected help appeared. God’s compensating provisions are often people. Charity begets courage in others.
Tone to keep (even online):
“Be principled but pleasant… perceptive without being pompous… have integrity and not write checks with our tongues which our conduct cannot cash.”
We cannot judge who will come (God’s sight ≠ our verdicts)
“The Lord… said, ‘Cast the net on the right side’… If he knew beforehand the whereabouts of fishes in the Sea of Tiberias, should it offend us that he knows beforehand which mortals will come into the gospel net?”
Application: He knows who will soften, when, and how. My job is faith and kindness—not forecasting souls.
A living (not retired) God
“One dimension of worshipping a living God is to know that he is alive and seeing and acting. He is not a retired God… He is, at once, in all the dimensions of time—past, present, and future—while we labor within time’s limits.”
Takeaway: He foresees without forcing, prepares without pampering, and lives to help—now.
Final Reflection
If God truly knew us and trusted us with these exact days, then opposition isn’t proof He abandoned us; it’s evidence He appointed us. Foreordination isn’t status—it’s stewardship; not a guarantee—but a charge to be faithful.
What I hear now
Choose loyalty early; live it quietly.
Be firm without sharpness—principled but pleasant.
Treat foreordination as fuel for service, not status.
When weary, remember: we were measured before, and God won’t press more than we can bear.
Let pushback refine your discipleship, not redefine it.
