So today I was at school, and was looking around and thinking. My thoughts moved to a young lady sitting on the table ahead of me, and I found my thoughts drifting in a way that I didn't like. I caught myself and thought "Where did THAT come from?" ... read a little down in my blog, and you'll see what my thoughts HAVE been doing of late. Which has been nice.... anyway I stopped and examined my brain and what was going on in it. It turned out I had in the background of my thoughts a REAL old pop song running through my mind. I thought "This song isn't all that bad; was it the cause of my last thought?" to which I had another thought enter something like this. "No that song isn't all that bad, but the Spirit doesn't like it so He's left and you're left to yourself." Next I thought, "Well I didn't like that last thought so how do I get the Spirit back?" to which I receive "Sing a hymn! That will work.". Simple enough I thought up a good hymn "Rise up O man of God" and started repeating that in my mind:
"Rise up of man of God, have done with lesser things, Give heart and soul and mind and strength to serve the King of kings.
Rise up O man of God, in one united throng, bring in the day of botherhood, and end the night of wrong.
Rise up O man of God, tread where His feet have trod, as brothers of the Son of Man, rise up O man of God"
So while I'm repeating this song over and over in my head it leads to new hymns to sing, and I take a look again around the cafeteria and at the young lady in front of me. The thoughts are much more clean and happy and simple and peaceful. I kept looking around the cafeteria, and it seemed that my better thoughts from days before were again returning to me!
So as I think further on that moment my mind drifts back tonight to something I read a while ago about the power of music. In that music is almost the only thing that can effect for good or evil the entire brain at the SAME TIME. The rythm and beat apeal to the right hemisphere of the brain, and the melody and tune to the left. One of the most powerful and simple ways to change your mood is to change your music. Then eventually this also will change your thoughts and actions to match the music that you listen to!
Had a poor day? What have you been listening to, and/or thinking about?
Thursday, January 31, 2008
A Poem for President Hinckley
(not my poem, but more then deserving of recognition)
Prophetic Passing
I imagine he's running to Marjorie now,
Yes, running, not waving his cane.
I see him embracing his father and mother
While they keep repeating his name.
I see him now meeting his forebears,
Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.
Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service
That only such noble men share.
I see him embraced by the Savior
While Father says, "Good and well done.
So faithful in stalwart endurance, I welcome
My noble, most excellent son."
I then hear the ripples of laughter
As he says the reception's just fine,
But he hopes that he'll get an assignment or two
Since there's no need to waste any time.
I can hear his clear voice in the stillness
At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,
Have faith and move forward - there's work to be done.
President Hinckley would want it that way.
Anna M. Molgard
January 27, 2008
Prophetic Passing
I imagine he's running to Marjorie now,
Yes, running, not waving his cane.
I see him embracing his father and mother
While they keep repeating his name.
I see him now meeting his forebears,
Brother Brigham and Joseph are there.
Sweet reunion of prophets, united by service
That only such noble men share.
I see him embraced by the Savior
While Father says, "Good and well done.
So faithful in stalwart endurance, I welcome
My noble, most excellent son."
I then hear the ripples of laughter
As he says the reception's just fine,
But he hopes that he'll get an assignment or two
Since there's no need to waste any time.
I can hear his clear voice in the stillness
At the close of this sweet Sabbath day,
Have faith and move forward - there's work to be done.
President Hinckley would want it that way.
Anna M. Molgard
January 27, 2008
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Let your light so shine! Thoughts on Pres Hinckley's passing.
So here in Utah especially the passing of the Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints' 15th president and prophet has caused no small stir. Everywhere I go there are flags at half-mast, including a car dealership here in Provo, and I'm talking ALL the flags! There must have been like 40 around the lot on little poles, but the dealers took time enough to go through and put them ALL at half-mast!
Across the country within the LDS circles, and sometimes without, kids were dressing in their 'Sunday' best in honor of President Hinckley accoding to a local Utah newspaper I believe this went all over the US as per my understanding.
National CNN reporter Glenn Beck even put a small exerpt on his show about Pres Hinckley.
With the publication of the book "Standing for Something" President Hinckley said to the world, "Hey let's take control of our own lives, and thus make this earth a better place for all!"
What a shining example of a Man of God following our Savior's teaching found in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon!
(New Testament | Matthew 5:16)
- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 12:16)
- Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
Across the country within the LDS circles, and sometimes without, kids were dressing in their 'Sunday' best in honor of President Hinckley accoding to a local Utah newspaper I believe this went all over the US as per my understanding.
National CNN reporter Glenn Beck even put a small exerpt on his show about Pres Hinckley.
With the publication of the book "Standing for Something" President Hinckley said to the world, "Hey let's take control of our own lives, and thus make this earth a better place for all!"
What a shining example of a Man of God following our Savior's teaching found in both the Bible and the Book of Mormon!
(New Testament | Matthew 5:16)
- Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.
(Book of Mormon | 3 Nephi 12:16)
- Therefore let your light so shine before this people, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
An update to my last posting
So the idea to 'talk with you subconscious' in order to change my behavior has been fabulous! My thoughts have been changing and my actions are reflecting the change in my thoughts. The latest of which has been, probably also to do with having a new baby boy, seeing everyone with an eye of 'what do you think that person looked like as a baby?' It's been a very interesting new outlook on seeing people. I've come to the conclusion that many people probably are very similar to what they looked like as a babe, (only bigger) and it's easier to smile at people and control the thinking. Especially when someone does something that's 'not quite smart' in my mind's eye. Including remembering that 'once upon a time' everyone was small like my boy, and have a mother and father who probalby have been just as worried over them as I get over my new one and my other 3!
Sunday, January 27, 2008
I'm on a new mind adventure
I woke up VERY early this morning from a slightly disturbing dream. While I was having it I was OK with all that was going on with it. Then I woke up and remembered it and thought, "What you just dreamed was not a good dream. Where in the world did this dream come from, and why were you so comfortable dreaming it while you were?"
Because I didn't care for the dream I decided to find out the answers to my question. I prayed and asked for help and guidance so I could avoid, if possible, similar dreams in the future. The thought came to be that the dream was from either my ego, super ego, or ID... I had learned about those type of items long long ago in a galaxy far far etc... But I didn't remember all of what they all were so then a thought came that simply said 'it was your subconscious'. I remembered then a psychological book about the conscious and subconscious.
The book stated that the subconscious was like a blackboard that anything the conscious took to be 'truth' the subconscious noted this and that became a belief of yours; whether it was correct or incorrect didn't matter, only that you took a conscious opportunity to believe it as true.
This took me to asking "Then how can I change what my subconscious has taken as an incorrect truth, and change it to a reality truth?" The thought came 'Replace the error with truth by forcing yourself to believe that which you want to believe is true' .... I took a few minutes and went through my mind and forced my subconscious to accept a new, and I feel correct, truth, and place that up as the correct way to handle my future on its 'subconscious blackboard'.
This later in the day led me to thinking 'How in the world did you even get that false truth placed in your subconscious as "real"?'
It dawned on me that it's everywhere today; T.V., newspaper, talk, Internet, books ... just media in general. The world tells us that it is OK to just do whatever your 'fancy' feels like and there is no consequences in doing what pleases you. Then it states 'OK if there are consequences then maybe we'll be beaten with a few stripes at the last day and then saved in the kingdom of God' ... I realized this had been an ongoing happening in my life for YEARS and that finally for some reason I noticed it and took action to change what the world has been feeding my subconscious for toooo long.
I then went on a search for the 'how can I go about changing my thoughts?' adventure and came across several Internet pages that have gone about this same question.... I have yet to discover if any are worth following through on, but it's a start and I've found a few little 'goodies' already along the way.
One story that I'm posting below is from www.innertalk.com
Her name was Mrs. Thompson. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie.
Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs.Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.
Mrs.Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honours. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he'd ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.
Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference".
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
Warm someone's heart today . . . pass this along. Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a person's outlook. Please try to do it in a positive way. Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.
Good story I feel, and so I'll post more as my adventure continues and if I actually find anything of worth... That said all this is reminding me of a scripture Proverbs 23:7 - "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he..." which leads me to James Allen's book "As a man thinketh" which is a great literary piece of art. :) A small excerpt from that book
"“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called ‘spontaneous’ and ‘unpremeditated’ as to those which are deliberately executed. …
“In the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. … Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master. … Man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny” (As a Man Thinketh [1983], 7–10).
Then Mr. Allen added: “Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance” (As a Man Thinketh, 33–34).
So I guess that gives me a little more incite as to where my dream came from and a little more hope into changing future dreams... OK more later I'm sure. Thanks for reading my Blog Mom and other people ;)
Because I didn't care for the dream I decided to find out the answers to my question. I prayed and asked for help and guidance so I could avoid, if possible, similar dreams in the future. The thought came to be that the dream was from either my ego, super ego, or ID... I had learned about those type of items long long ago in a galaxy far far etc... But I didn't remember all of what they all were so then a thought came that simply said 'it was your subconscious'. I remembered then a psychological book about the conscious and subconscious.
The book stated that the subconscious was like a blackboard that anything the conscious took to be 'truth' the subconscious noted this and that became a belief of yours; whether it was correct or incorrect didn't matter, only that you took a conscious opportunity to believe it as true.
This took me to asking "Then how can I change what my subconscious has taken as an incorrect truth, and change it to a reality truth?" The thought came 'Replace the error with truth by forcing yourself to believe that which you want to believe is true' .... I took a few minutes and went through my mind and forced my subconscious to accept a new, and I feel correct, truth, and place that up as the correct way to handle my future on its 'subconscious blackboard'.
This later in the day led me to thinking 'How in the world did you even get that false truth placed in your subconscious as "real"?'
It dawned on me that it's everywhere today; T.V., newspaper, talk, Internet, books ... just media in general. The world tells us that it is OK to just do whatever your 'fancy' feels like and there is no consequences in doing what pleases you. Then it states 'OK if there are consequences then maybe we'll be beaten with a few stripes at the last day and then saved in the kingdom of God' ... I realized this had been an ongoing happening in my life for YEARS and that finally for some reason I noticed it and took action to change what the world has been feeding my subconscious for toooo long.
I then went on a search for the 'how can I go about changing my thoughts?' adventure and came across several Internet pages that have gone about this same question.... I have yet to discover if any are worth following through on, but it's a start and I've found a few little 'goodies' already along the way.
One story that I'm posting below is from www.innertalk.com
Her name was Mrs. Thompson. As she stood in front of her 5th grade class on the very first day of school, she told the children a lie.
Like most teachers, she looked at her students and said that she loved them all the same. But that was impossible, because there in the front row, slumped in his seat, was a little boy named Teddy Stoddard.
Mrs. Thompson had watched Teddy the year before and noticed that he didn't play well with the other children, that his clothes were messy and that he constantly needed a bath. And Teddy could be unpleasant. It got to the point where Mrs.Thompson would actually take delight in marking his papers with a broad red pen, making bold X's and then putting a big "F" at the top of his papers.
At the school where Mrs. Thompson taught, she was required to review each child's past records and she put Teddy's off until last. However, when she reviewed his file, she was in for a surprise.
Teddy's first grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is a bright child with a ready laugh. He does his work neatly and has good manners...he is a joy to be around."
His second grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is an excellent student, well liked by his classmates, but he is troubled because his mother has a terminal illness and life at home must be a struggle."
His third grade teacher wrote, "His mother's death has been hard on him. He tries to do his best, but his father doesn't show much interest and his home life will soon affect him if some steps aren't taken."
Teddy's fourth grade teacher wrote, "Teddy is withdrawn and doesn't show much interest in school. He doesn't have many friends and he sometimes sleeps in class."
By now, Mrs. Thompson realized the problem and she was ashamed of herself. She felt even worse when her students brought her Christmas presents, wrapped in beautiful ribbons and bright paper, except for Teddy's. His present was clumsily wrapped in the heavy, brown paper that he got from a grocery bag.
Mrs.Thompson took pains to open it in the middle of the other presents. Some of the children started to laugh when she found a rhinestone bracelet with some of the stones missing, and a bottle that was one quarter full of perfume. But she stifled the children's laughter when she exclaimed how pretty the bracelet was, putting it on, and dabbing some of the perfume on her wrist.
Teddy Stoddard stayed after school that day just long enough to say, Mrs. Thompson, today you smelled just like my Mom used to." After the children left she cried for at least an hour. On that very day, she quit teaching reading, writing, and arithmetic. Instead, she began to teach children.
Mrs. Thompson paid particular attention to Teddy. As she worked with him, his mind seemed to come alive. The more she encouraged him, the faster he responded. By the end of the year, Teddy had become one of the smartest children in the class and, despite her lie that she would love all the children the same, Teddy became one of her "teacher's pets."
A year later, she found a note under her door, from Teddy, telling her that she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Six years went by before she got another note from Teddy. He then wrote that he had finished high school, third in his class, and she was still the best teacher he ever had in his whole life.
Four years after that, she got another letter, saying that while things had been tough at times, he'd stayed in school, had stuck with it, and would soon graduate from college with the highest of honours. He assured Mrs.Thompson that she was still the best and favorite teacher he'd ever had in his whole life.
Then four more years passed and yet another letter came. This time he explained that after he got his bachelor's degree, he decided to go a little further. The letter explained that she was still the best and favorite teacher he ever had. But now his name was a little longer the letter was signed, Theodore F. Stoddard, MD.
The story doesn't end there. You see, there was yet another letter that spring. Teddy said he'd met this girl and was going to be married. He explained that his father had died a couple of years ago and he was wondering if Mrs. Thompson might agree to sit at the wedding in the place that was usually reserved for the mother of the groom.
Of course, Mrs. Thompson did. And guess what? She wore that bracelet, the one with several rhinestones missing. And she made sure she was wearing the perfume that Teddy remembered his mother wearing on their last Christmas together. They hugged each other, and Dr. Stoddard whispered in Mrs. Thompson's ear, "Thank you Mrs. Thompson for believing in me. Thank you so much for making me feel important and showing me that I could make a difference".
Mrs. Thompson, with tears in her eyes, whispered back. She said, "Teddy, you have it all wrong. You were the one who taught me that I could make a difference. I didn't know how to teach until I met you."
Warm someone's heart today . . . pass this along. Please remember that wherever you go, and whatever you do, you will have the opportunity to touch and/or change a person's outlook. Please try to do it in a positive way. Today is the tomorrow you were worried about yesterday.
Good story I feel, and so I'll post more as my adventure continues and if I actually find anything of worth... That said all this is reminding me of a scripture Proverbs 23:7 - "As a man thinketh in his heart so is he..." which leads me to James Allen's book "As a man thinketh" which is a great literary piece of art. :) A small excerpt from that book
"“As the plant springs from, and could not be without, the seed, so every act of a man springs from the hidden seeds of thought, and could not have appeared without them. This applies equally to those acts called ‘spontaneous’ and ‘unpremeditated’ as to those which are deliberately executed. …
“In the armoury of thought he forges the weapons by which he destroys himself; he also fashions the tools with which he builds for himself heavenly mansions of joy and strength and peace. … Between these two extremes are all the grades of character, and man is their maker and master. … Man is the master of thought, the moulder of character, and the maker and shaper of condition, environment, and destiny” (As a Man Thinketh [1983], 7–10).
Then Mr. Allen added: “Let a man radically alter his thoughts, and he will be astonished at the rapid transformation it will effect in the material conditions of his life. Men imagine that thought can be kept secret, but it cannot; it rapidly crystallizes into habit, and habit solidifies into circumstance” (As a Man Thinketh, 33–34).
So I guess that gives me a little more incite as to where my dream came from and a little more hope into changing future dreams... OK more later I'm sure. Thanks for reading my Blog Mom and other people ;)
Sunday, January 13, 2008
All on different levels
Knowing we are all on different levels of spirituality according to our circumstances and opportunities for a greater knowledge of love, learning's, and service to God I sometimes post spiritual things and then remove them fearing to offend some people.
When that happens I usually have the thought in my mind the simple title of a talk I once read, but don't remember all in full "Trying to serve God without offending the Devil"... I sometimes over-worry about this one statement then come to realize it's not about overly-worrying, but doing those things that you feel are correct, and trusting in God to make up the difference. That said what happens when you think you know more about the kingdom of God then the general world? ... I guess you see that as a measure of pride and a need to remove that feeling, or rather correct it. ... repent of it is what it is... that word always brings to mind a scripture from a modern revelation from God in the Doctrine and Covenants as follows "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them (sins) and forsake (correct/change) them" ... I love that scripture because it is in so full harmony with Christ's teachings!
OK this is moving my mind along to the woman taken in adultery as we read about in John. I love this whole scene of Jesus stating "he who is without sin let him first cast the stone" which disbands the accusing and jealous Pharisees to then which Jesus states "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" says the woman ... you all know it!
"no man Lord"
"neither do I condemn thee go thy way and sin no more" ... he doesn't say to the woman "thy sins are forgiven you" only 'go now, attempt to correct your wrong pattern in life, forsake your sin(s), and then all can be made OK! (through me)'
Was it unfortunate that the woman was caught in adultery and taken to be judged? I think not but in fact it was a major blessing to the woman! ... I don't think we ever hear what happened to that woman, I hope she made the corrections (forsake) and went about her life doing better...
I was reading in the book "the miracle of forgiveness" last night second chapter opening which reads
“…At the destination (for eternal life) our Father waits hopefully, anxious to greet His returning children. Unfortunately many will not arrive.
The reason is forthrightly stated by the prophet Nephi --- “… There cannot any unclean thing enter into the Kingdom of God…”(1 Nephi 15:34.) And again, “…no unclean thing can dwell with God…” (1 Nephi 10:21.)"
And I had a thought on this, a pretty deep one too... concerning a lot of scripture and what is means for God to be God and how it is that He keeps being God by continuing to do the correct thing according to eternal and Divine laws. How God is an unchangeable God and if He changes He actually ceases to be God, and it that happens then all of His work is void and comes undone.. including you and I (as I understand it) .. that's heavy!
on top of that thought I recalled the scripture that Jesus tells His disciples and the world in His sermon
(New Testament Matthew 7:21 - 23)
¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
ouch! ..... so there is something deeper then just attempting to prophecy in His name and in His name casting out devils and such to entering into Our Father's Kingdom! .. ... it's in doing the will of the Father .... so what does that mean? .. ... looks like I have some more studying to do... .. no it's answered in another scripture! ..
(Book of Mormon Alma 7:23 - 25)
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.
(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 25:23)
23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
OK now can I tie all this together again somewhere and somehow? .. .. (deep breath) Back to the line from "the miracle of forgiveness" and getting back to our anxiously waiting Father for many, if not all, to return to Him.
The disciples of old asked Jesus ... oh let's not paraphrase it..
(New Testament John 14:5 - 7)
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, ... how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus IS the way, the only way and God said to Moses
(Moses 6:52)
If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.
Jesus is the way back, He has already prepared THE only way back to the Father, but it is upon our individual acceptance of Him and His ways which are listed above in that scripture.
It's not impossible I feel as those attributes seem to be characteristics that Christ displayed during His whole mortal existence... and this is why I feel it's not impossible. - We read again from Nephi "...for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." so this would mean the commandment given us BY Christ Himself
"(3 Nephi 12:48)
Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect."
So it is possible because it is a command and the Lord gives no commands save He prepares a way they be accomplished...
OK I am just putting everything here together, and I haven't even gotten to make the point that started this whole thing! Back (again) to our Father waiting for His children to show up in His kingdom and many not making it because of their own choices to NOT come and partake of his gift even His Son Jesus' and The atonement ...
how would that be for our Father to be waiting for a son or daughter (you or me or a friend) only to have Christ show up saying something to the effect "Sorry Father, they chose not salvation and I had to turn them away to what they wanted by their choices" .... that is a sad outlook and a sad moment but not as much for God who already HAS the fullness of joy that makes Him God... The shedding of tears, as I perceive would come, would be tears for US in not choosing Him as our God ... .. maybe that is in part what is explained by Moses' words concerning what Enoch saw
(Pearl of Great Price Moses 7:28 - 37)
28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?
29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
...
32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;
...
37 ... Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?
That is pretty powerful that God's only suffering seems to be in His children, US, and in our not choosing Him to be our God.
It is possible for us all to find Him, learn His ways, and be reconciled to Him through Christ's Atonement .... now that I've written an entire book on my thoughts and feeling using the words and scriptures that I know ARE true. I invite everyone that happens to stumble upon my words to learn more if you're interested www.lds.org or www.mormon.org .. and if you won't look into it, or if you're not interested at this time. AT least do what your conscious prompts you to do and be kind to all those about you ... because after all we are all children of God, He loves each the same as the next for does He not have the sun rise on both the just and the unjust? Let's at least do our best to love one another and understand one another so we may all be classified as peace-makers and have claim on further teachings from God when He comes again.
May God be with us all no matter how we personally have come to understand who and what God IS, and I say that in the name of My God, even Jesus Christ, Amen
When that happens I usually have the thought in my mind the simple title of a talk I once read, but don't remember all in full "Trying to serve God without offending the Devil"... I sometimes over-worry about this one statement then come to realize it's not about overly-worrying, but doing those things that you feel are correct, and trusting in God to make up the difference. That said what happens when you think you know more about the kingdom of God then the general world? ... I guess you see that as a measure of pride and a need to remove that feeling, or rather correct it. ... repent of it is what it is... that word always brings to mind a scripture from a modern revelation from God in the Doctrine and Covenants as follows "By this ye may know if a man repenteth of his sins—behold, he will confess them (sins) and forsake (correct/change) them" ... I love that scripture because it is in so full harmony with Christ's teachings!
OK this is moving my mind along to the woman taken in adultery as we read about in John. I love this whole scene of Jesus stating "he who is without sin let him first cast the stone" which disbands the accusing and jealous Pharisees to then which Jesus states "Woman, where are those thine accusers? hath no man condemned thee?" says the woman ... you all know it!
"no man Lord"
"neither do I condemn thee go thy way and sin no more" ... he doesn't say to the woman "thy sins are forgiven you" only 'go now, attempt to correct your wrong pattern in life, forsake your sin(s), and then all can be made OK! (through me)'
Was it unfortunate that the woman was caught in adultery and taken to be judged? I think not but in fact it was a major blessing to the woman! ... I don't think we ever hear what happened to that woman, I hope she made the corrections (forsake) and went about her life doing better...
I was reading in the book "the miracle of forgiveness" last night second chapter opening which reads
“…At the destination (for eternal life) our Father waits hopefully, anxious to greet His returning children. Unfortunately many will not arrive.
The reason is forthrightly stated by the prophet Nephi --- “… There cannot any unclean thing enter into the Kingdom of God…”(1 Nephi 15:34.) And again, “…no unclean thing can dwell with God…” (1 Nephi 10:21.)"
And I had a thought on this, a pretty deep one too... concerning a lot of scripture and what is means for God to be God and how it is that He keeps being God by continuing to do the correct thing according to eternal and Divine laws. How God is an unchangeable God and if He changes He actually ceases to be God, and it that happens then all of His work is void and comes undone.. including you and I (as I understand it) .. that's heavy!
on top of that thought I recalled the scripture that Jesus tells His disciples and the world in His sermon
(New Testament Matthew 7:21 - 23)
¶ Not every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.
22 Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works?
23 And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
ouch! ..... so there is something deeper then just attempting to prophecy in His name and in His name casting out devils and such to entering into Our Father's Kingdom! .. ... it's in doing the will of the Father .... so what does that mean? .. ... looks like I have some more studying to do... .. no it's answered in another scripture! ..
(Book of Mormon Alma 7:23 - 25)
23 And now I would that ye should be humble, and be submissive and gentle; easy to be entreated; full of patience and long-suffering; being temperate in all things; being diligent in keeping the commandments of God at all times; asking for whatsoever things ye stand in need, both spiritual and temporal; always returning thanks unto God for whatsoever things ye do receive.
24 And see that ye have faith, hope, and charity, and then ye will always abound in good works.
25 And may the Lord bless you, and keep your garments spotless, that ye may at last be brought to sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and the holy prophets who have been ever since the world began, having your garments spotless even as their garments are spotless, in the kingdom of heaven to go no more out.
(Book of Mormon 2 Nephi 25:23)
23 For we labor diligently to write, to persuade our children, and also our brethren, to believe in Christ, and to be reconciled to God; for we know that it is by grace that we are saved, after all we can do.
OK now can I tie all this together again somewhere and somehow? .. .. (deep breath) Back to the line from "the miracle of forgiveness" and getting back to our anxiously waiting Father for many, if not all, to return to Him.
The disciples of old asked Jesus ... oh let's not paraphrase it..
(New Testament John 14:5 - 7)
5 Thomas saith unto him, Lord, ... how can we know the way?
6 Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus IS the way, the only way and God said to Moses
(Moses 6:52)
If thou wilt turn unto me, and hearken unto my voice, and believe, and repent of all thy transgressions, and be baptized, even in water, in the name of mine Only Begotten Son, who is full of grace and truth, which is Jesus Christ, the only name which shall be given under heaven, whereby salvation shall come unto the children of men, ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, asking all things in his name, and whatsoever ye shall ask, it shall be given you.
Jesus is the way back, He has already prepared THE only way back to the Father, but it is upon our individual acceptance of Him and His ways which are listed above in that scripture.
It's not impossible I feel as those attributes seem to be characteristics that Christ displayed during His whole mortal existence... and this is why I feel it's not impossible. - We read again from Nephi "...for I know that the Lord giveth no commandments unto the children of men, save he shall prepare a way for them that they may accomplish the thing which he commandeth them." so this would mean the commandment given us BY Christ Himself
"(3 Nephi 12:48)
Therefore I would that ye should be perfect even as I, or your Father who is in heaven is perfect."
So it is possible because it is a command and the Lord gives no commands save He prepares a way they be accomplished...
OK I am just putting everything here together, and I haven't even gotten to make the point that started this whole thing! Back (again) to our Father waiting for His children to show up in His kingdom and many not making it because of their own choices to NOT come and partake of his gift even His Son Jesus' and The atonement ...
how would that be for our Father to be waiting for a son or daughter (you or me or a friend) only to have Christ show up saying something to the effect "Sorry Father, they chose not salvation and I had to turn them away to what they wanted by their choices" .... that is a sad outlook and a sad moment but not as much for God who already HAS the fullness of joy that makes Him God... The shedding of tears, as I perceive would come, would be tears for US in not choosing Him as our God ... .. maybe that is in part what is explained by Moses' words concerning what Enoch saw
(Pearl of Great Price Moses 7:28 - 37)
28 And it came to pass that the God of heaven looked upon the residue of the people, and he wept; and Enoch bore record of it, saying: How is it that the heavens weep, and shed forth their tears as the rain upon the mountains?
29 And Enoch said unto the Lord: How is it that thou canst weep, seeing thou art holy, and from all eternity to all eternity?
...
32 The Lord said unto Enoch: Behold these thy brethren; they are the workmanship of mine own hands, and I gave unto them their knowledge, in the day I created them; and in the Garden of Eden, gave I unto man his agency;
33 And unto thy brethren have I said, and also given commandment, that they should love one another, and that they should choose me, their Father; but behold, they are without affection, and they hate their own blood;
...
37 ... Satan shall be their father, and misery shall be their doom; and the whole heavens shall weep over them, even all the workmanship of mine hands; wherefore should not the heavens weep, seeing these shall suffer?
That is pretty powerful that God's only suffering seems to be in His children, US, and in our not choosing Him to be our God.
It is possible for us all to find Him, learn His ways, and be reconciled to Him through Christ's Atonement .... now that I've written an entire book on my thoughts and feeling using the words and scriptures that I know ARE true. I invite everyone that happens to stumble upon my words to learn more if you're interested www.lds.org or www.mormon.org .. and if you won't look into it, or if you're not interested at this time. AT least do what your conscious prompts you to do and be kind to all those about you ... because after all we are all children of God, He loves each the same as the next for does He not have the sun rise on both the just and the unjust? Let's at least do our best to love one another and understand one another so we may all be classified as peace-makers and have claim on further teachings from God when He comes again.
May God be with us all no matter how we personally have come to understand who and what God IS, and I say that in the name of My God, even Jesus Christ, Amen
Saturday, January 05, 2008
Health and Happiness ... KEYS
1 A WORD OF WISDOM, ...
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all ...
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
123 See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
124 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.
125 And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.
126 Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"
-Proverbs 23
"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be!"
-Abraham Lincoln
2 To be sent greeting; not by commandment or constraint, but by revelation and the word of wisdom, showing forth the order and will of God in the temporal salvation of all saints in the last days—
3 Given for a principle with promise, adapted to the capacity of the weak and the weakest of all ...
4 Behold, verily, thus saith the Lord unto you: In consequence of evils and designs which do and will exist in the hearts of conspiring men in the last days, I have warned you, and forewarn you, by giving unto you this word of wisdom by revelation—
5 That inasmuch as any man drinketh wine or strong drink among you, behold it is not good, neither meet in the sight of your Father, only in assembling yourselves together to offer up your sacraments before him.
6 And, behold, this should be wine, yea, pure wine of the grape of the vine, of your own make.
7 And, again, strong drinks are not for the belly, but for the washing of your bodies.
8 And again, tobacco is not for the body, neither for the belly, and is not good for man, but is an herb for bruises and all sick cattle, to be used with judgment and skill.
9 And again, hot drinks are not for the body or belly.
10 And again, verily I say unto you, all wholesome herbs God hath ordained for the constitution, nature, and use of man—
11 Every herb in the season thereof, and every fruit in the season thereof; all these to be used with prudence and thanksgiving.
12 Yea, flesh also of beasts and of the fowls of the air, I, the Lord, have ordained for the use of man with thanksgiving; nevertheless they are to be used sparingly;
13 And it is pleasing unto me that they should not be used, only in times of winter, or of cold, or famine.
14 All grain is ordained for the use of man and of beasts, to be the staff of life, not only for man but for the beasts of the field, and the fowls of heaven, and all wild animals that run or creep on the earth;
15 And these hath God made for the use of man only in times of famine and excess of hunger.
16 All grain is good for the food of man; as also the fruit of the vine; that which yieldeth fruit, whether in the ground or above the ground—
17 Nevertheless, wheat for man, and corn for the ox, and oats for the horse, and rye for the fowls and for swine, and for all beasts of the field, and barley for all useful animals, and for mild drinks, as also other grain.
18 And all saints who remember to keep and do these sayings, walking in obedience to the commandments, shall receive health in their navel and marrow to their bones;
19 And shall find wisdom and great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures;
20 And shall run and not be weary, and shall walk and not faint.
21 And I, the Lord, give unto them a promise, that the destroying angel shall pass by them, as the children of Israel, and not slay them. Amen.
123 See that ye love one another; cease to be covetous; learn to impart one to another as the gospel requires.
124 Cease to be idle; cease to be unclean; cease to find fault one with another; cease to sleep longer than is needful; retire to thy bed early, that ye may not be weary; arise early, that your bodies and your minds may be invigorated.
125 And above all things, clothe yourselves with the bond of charity, as with a mantle, which is the bond of perfectness and peace.
126 Pray always, that ye may not faint, until I come. Behold, and lo, I will come quickly, and receive you unto myself. Amen.
"As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he"
-Proverbs 23
"Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be!"
-Abraham Lincoln
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