For behold, this is my work and my glory—to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. (Moses 1:39)
This scripture is God talking with Moses and explaining to him His purposes for this Earth and His hope for His children upon it. It's so that they can learn to act as Godly as possible in this life, and eventually receive eternal life.
Why does/would God want us to be like Him? Well first off what parent out there doesn't want the best for their children? If you recognize your child is strong and loves helping people, wouldn't you as a parent seek for ways to guide your child into activities that would benefit him and allow him to do just what they seem so good at?
Why would we want to be like God? ... OK does this question even need to be asked? Eternal happiness, all powerful, all loving, all peaceful, forever ability of body and mind and comprehension of everything....
I was pondering this today in my personal life and our Example Jesus who said "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. (Matthew 26:39)"
Why didn't our Father rescue His son from all that He went through? Well short answer would be, all that Jesus was given was obtained and earned by going through what He did, plus if Jesus wouldn't have gone trough with it we wouldn't be able to return to our Father's presence either.
So it was for us, and for Our Father in again having the possibility of obtaining all His beloved Children back into His presence.
We as individuals on the other hand will need to pass through trials in this life and prove ourselves worthy to again be in God's presence. Everlasting Life is a free gift by and through Christ's Resurrection, but those that knowingly sin and don't repent, or change the behavior, will need to suffer for their transgressions.
Thankfully we will all be judged according to our opportunities and knowledge of this life and the life before and the opportunities presented to us. As restored Gospel principles teach "Where much is Given much is also required"
God bless us all and let's do the best we're able in this world. 0:-)
Sunday, April 13, 2008
Saturday, February 02, 2008
And prove me now herewith,
A scripture with promise
There is a scripture in Malachi speaking on tithes and offerings in which a servant of The Lord tells and promises us something amazing!
(Old Testament | Malachi 3:10)
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
This I know that this promise is absolutely true. I have taken up this challenge over and over, in choosing to pay my tithes before anything else when I get almost any money. And as sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West my Lord has proven to be true and faithful in His promise.
God keeps His promises
There are other scriptures that testify of God and His promises. One of my favorite is D&C 1:38
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
This is a simple concept in that God cannot lie and He never changes. “…If so, God would cease to be God.”
Now, shouldn’t this mean we can look to God in all things where he has spoken, either Himself or His servants, and there is a promise given? According to God staying God it has to be or else He would cease to be God, and all things must be undone! For if God is no longer God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things. This is why God has to keep His word and promises. If not all His creations, including our Earth and bodies, would be undone!
Finding His promises and taking advantage of them“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” Pretty straight forward there; and in the start of our entire standard works of Scripture we find Jehovah of the Old Testament, our God, saying:
”Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them”
In the Book of Mormon King Benjamin explaining how difficult this can feel at times when he gives the following advice:
“And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.
But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.”
Further along Alma gives council to investigators of God’s church when he states:
“…as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?”
Later-day promises
Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints heard a promise given by our recently diseased prophet Gordon B. Hinckley in August 2005 which simply was: “We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. Nonetheless I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon....Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
Many, many members of the church and persons without took up this challenge and just as a promise from the Lord, or His servants, are given it was kept, and there are hundreds if not thousands or millions of people who can testify of this.
25 June 1982
On the above mentioned date President Boyd K. Packer gave a talk to some missionaries in which he counseled young missionaries to not fear in reiterating a truth found in Proverbs 20:27 when he stated: “Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two. “The spirit of man,” is as the scripture says, indeed “is the candle of the Lord.”
All truth established by the voice of 2 or 3 witnesses
On February 3, 2006 Elder David A. Bednar gave us second witness to this truth when he examined a little deeper the principle of Faith. And when he stated: “Faith in Christ is inextricably tied to, and results in, hope in Christ for our redemption and exaltation. And assurance and hope make it possible for us to walk to the edge of the light and take a few steps into the darkness—expecting and trusting the light to move and illuminate the way.2 The combination of assurance and hope initiates action in the present.
Faith as the evidence of things not seen looks to the past and confirms our trust in God and our confidence in the truthfulness of things not seen. We stepped into the darkness with assurance and hope, and we received evidence and confirmation as the light in fact moved and provided the illumination we needed. The witness we obtained after the trial of our faith (see Ether 12:6) is evidence that enlarges and strengthens our assurance.”
My own witness’In my own life I have seen the promises of the Lord at work; sometimes to my own discomfort, other times to my comfort, but all times to a GREAT feeling of joy, thankfulness, and happiness!
Long ago our God, through one of his servants, promised my mother that I would be helped in turning from my life of poorer choices to the life I presently am living with my God in great joy!
Tithing, as stated at the beginning of this talk, has been a support for me, and given temporal blessings including a very nice Apt/home, food, clothing, and funds to have fun with my children. All from my choosing to pay God His asked 10% before I go get my “needs”.
And last I’ll mention here, is the part talked about above with the walking to the edge of the light and taking a few steps into the darkness. With the loss of my hearing and an almost constant sense of fatigue it’s been difficult at times to continue to go and do acts of service for those in my life. But I have found even when I am completely exhausted if I simply start, and take whatever action I am capable of. God is there to help, support, and sustain me! Truly the witness’ on this subject borne previously are correct, and I add my witness to the same. When times are tough and hard and there WILL be times, forget yourself and do what you’re able to do for another, and God will lend His Grace to you, and it will surprise you (with) what the Lord has done using your small effort.
In His name Jesus Christ, amen.
There is a scripture in Malachi speaking on tithes and offerings in which a servant of The Lord tells and promises us something amazing!
(Old Testament | Malachi 3:10)
Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in mine house, and prove me now herewith, saith the LORD of hosts, if I will not open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it.
This I know that this promise is absolutely true. I have taken up this challenge over and over, in choosing to pay my tithes before anything else when I get almost any money. And as sure as the sun rises in the East and sets in the West my Lord has proven to be true and faithful in His promise.
God keeps His promises
There are other scriptures that testify of God and His promises. One of my favorite is D&C 1:38
"What I the Lord have spoken, I have spoken, and I excuse not myself; and though the heavens and the earth pass away, my word shall not pass away, but shall all be fulfilled, whether by mine own voice or by the voice of my servants, it is the same."
This is a simple concept in that God cannot lie and He never changes. “…If so, God would cease to be God.”
Now, shouldn’t this mean we can look to God in all things where he has spoken, either Himself or His servants, and there is a promise given? According to God staying God it has to be or else He would cease to be God, and all things must be undone! For if God is no longer God we are not, neither the earth; for there could have been no creation of things. This is why God has to keep His word and promises. If not all His creations, including our Earth and bodies, would be undone!
Finding His promises and taking advantage of them“I, the Lord, am bound when ye do what I say; but when ye do not what I say, ye have no promise.” Pretty straight forward there; and in the start of our entire standard works of Scripture we find Jehovah of the Old Testament, our God, saying:
”Therefore shall ye keep my commandments, and do them”
In the Book of Mormon King Benjamin explaining how difficult this can feel at times when he gives the following advice:
“And finally, I cannot tell you all the things whereby ye may commit sin; for there are divers ways and means, even so many that I cannot number them.
But this much I can tell you, that if ye do not watch yourselves, and your thoughts, and your words, and your deeds, and observe the commandments of God, and continue in the faith of what ye have heard concerning the coming of our Lord, even unto the end of your lives, ye must perish. And now, O man, remember, and perish not.”
Further along Alma gives council to investigators of God’s church when he states:
“…as ye are desirous to come into the fold of God, and to be called his people, and are willing to bear one another's burdens, that they may be light;
Yea, and are willing to mourn with those that mourn; yea, and comfort those that stand in need of comfort, and to stand as witnesses of God at all times and in all things, and in all places that ye may be in, even until death, that ye may be redeemed of God, and be numbered with those of the first resurrection, that ye may have eternal life—
Now I say unto you, if this be the desire of your hearts, what have you against being baptized in the name of the Lord, as a witness before him that ye have entered into a covenant with him, that ye will serve him and keep his commandments that he may pour out his Spirit more abundantly upon you?”
Later-day promises
Many members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Later-day Saints heard a promise given by our recently diseased prophet Gordon B. Hinckley in August 2005 which simply was: “We studied the Book of Mormon in Sunday School this past year. Nonetheless I offer a challenge to members of the Church throughout the world and to our friends everywhere to read or reread the Book of Mormon....Without reservation I promise you that if each of you will observe this simple program, regardless of how many times you previously may have read the Book of Mormon, there will come into your lives and into your homes an added measure of the Spirit of the Lord, a strengthened resolution to walk in obedience to His commandments, and a stronger testimony of the living reality of the Son of God.”
Many, many members of the church and persons without took up this challenge and just as a promise from the Lord, or His servants, are given it was kept, and there are hundreds if not thousands or millions of people who can testify of this.
25 June 1982
On the above mentioned date President Boyd K. Packer gave a talk to some missionaries in which he counseled young missionaries to not fear in reiterating a truth found in Proverbs 20:27 when he stated: “Somewhere in your quest for spiritual knowledge, there is that “leap of faith,” as the philosophers call it. It is the moment when you have gone to the edge of the light and stepped into the darkness to discover that the way is lighted ahead for just a footstep or two. “The spirit of man,” is as the scripture says, indeed “is the candle of the Lord.”
All truth established by the voice of 2 or 3 witnesses
On February 3, 2006 Elder David A. Bednar gave us second witness to this truth when he examined a little deeper the principle of Faith. And when he stated: “Faith in Christ is inextricably tied to, and results in, hope in Christ for our redemption and exaltation. And assurance and hope make it possible for us to walk to the edge of the light and take a few steps into the darkness—expecting and trusting the light to move and illuminate the way.2 The combination of assurance and hope initiates action in the present.
Faith as the evidence of things not seen looks to the past and confirms our trust in God and our confidence in the truthfulness of things not seen. We stepped into the darkness with assurance and hope, and we received evidence and confirmation as the light in fact moved and provided the illumination we needed. The witness we obtained after the trial of our faith (see Ether 12:6) is evidence that enlarges and strengthens our assurance.”
My own witness’In my own life I have seen the promises of the Lord at work; sometimes to my own discomfort, other times to my comfort, but all times to a GREAT feeling of joy, thankfulness, and happiness!
Long ago our God, through one of his servants, promised my mother that I would be helped in turning from my life of poorer choices to the life I presently am living with my God in great joy!
Tithing, as stated at the beginning of this talk, has been a support for me, and given temporal blessings including a very nice Apt/home, food, clothing, and funds to have fun with my children. All from my choosing to pay God His asked 10% before I go get my “needs”.
And last I’ll mention here, is the part talked about above with the walking to the edge of the light and taking a few steps into the darkness. With the loss of my hearing and an almost constant sense of fatigue it’s been difficult at times to continue to go and do acts of service for those in my life. But I have found even when I am completely exhausted if I simply start, and take whatever action I am capable of. God is there to help, support, and sustain me! Truly the witness’ on this subject borne previously are correct, and I add my witness to the same. When times are tough and hard and there WILL be times, forget yourself and do what you’re able to do for another, and God will lend His Grace to you, and it will surprise you (with) what the Lord has done using your small effort.
In His name Jesus Christ, amen.
Friday, February 01, 2008
The WHY as to why hymns are #1 at inviting The Spirit and making your day brigher.
Of course this is my opinion, and I can talk it over with anyone who cares to. But I feel I found a/the reason as to why hymns change your thoughts faster then just pop/culture music. A responcibility of the Holy Ghost is to bear witness to truths, right?
So when you sing hymns the direct your thoughts more so to hevenly things, then THIS course of thought invites the HG to over and over bear you truth to the items you sing, read, and think about!
This can help also with your attitude as having a member of the Godhead staying with you for a little while without question would raise your spirit(s). 0:-)
Favorite hymn to sing? I stand all amazed... to which I attempted to put a link in to, but blogger is being stupid too. Seems the speelcheker is borken too.
So when you sing hymns the direct your thoughts more so to hevenly things, then THIS course of thought invites the HG to over and over bear you truth to the items you sing, read, and think about!
This can help also with your attitude as having a member of the Godhead staying with you for a little while without question would raise your spirit(s). 0:-)
Favorite hymn to sing? I stand all amazed... to which I attempted to put a link in to, but blogger is being stupid too. Seems the speelcheker is borken too.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Songs and thoughts that guide thinking
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?
"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?
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
Friday, December 21, 2007
CNN) -- This whole push to remove Christ from the Christmas season...
CNN) -- This whole push to remove Christ from the Christmas season has gotten so ridiculous that it's pathetic.
Because of all the politically correct idiots, we are being encouraged to stop saying "Merry Christmas" for the more palatable "Happy Holidays." What the heck are "Seasons Greetings"? Can someone tell me what season we are greeting folks about? A Christmas tree? Oh, no! It's now a holiday tree. Any Christmas song that even remotely mentions Christ or has a religious undertone is being axed for being overtly religious. And I'm sorry, forget X-M-A-S. Malcolm X? Yes. X replacing Christ? No.
Don't get me wrong; I'm very respectful of other religions. I don't want anyone to be afraid of discussing the Jewish faith when we address Hanukkah. And we shouldn't dismiss Muslims when the annual pilgrimage to Mecca is held during December. In fact, Americans are so ignorant of other faiths that we can all learn from one another.
But this seeming backlash against Christianity is bordering on the absurd, and we should continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
I know that may sound strident, but it's true. We spend an inordinate amount of time focused on shopping and buying gifts, but really, what does any of this have to do with the birth of Jesus? We have families all over the nation killing themselves to buy a tree they can't afford, running up their credit to buy toys and other gifts, all in an effort to make someone else happy.
What if families decided to forgo gifts, and instead, used their shopping days giving back to those in need? What if more of us went into our closets, grabbed old toys and clothes, repackaged them, and provided them as gifts to those without? Instead of gorging on food, what if we used some of the dough to feed those who are in need? What if we blew off those gift cards to electronic retailers and signed up with Networkforgood.org, and gave someone a gift card to their favorite charity
Sure, I know I sound like a reincarnation of a flower child, but really, do we have to be so crass during the Christmas season?
Its time that we return to traditional values, and end this ridiculous charade. It's important that we take a fuller account of WHY we celebrate Christmas, as opposed to falling for the barrage of ads that tell us what is most important.
Parents, don't be so consumed with the notion that your children will have a terrible Christmas because the tree isn't overflowing with gifts. The true love that you show them is more important than anything else.
America might be the king of capitalism, but secularism must never become so prevalent that our religious traditions are discarded.
(Roland S. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and CNN contributor. Martin is studying to receive his master's degree in Christian communications at Louisiana Baptist University, and he is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." You can read more of his columns at www.rolandsmartin.com.)
Because of all the politically correct idiots, we are being encouraged to stop saying "Merry Christmas" for the more palatable "Happy Holidays." What the heck are "Seasons Greetings"? Can someone tell me what season we are greeting folks about? A Christmas tree? Oh, no! It's now a holiday tree. Any Christmas song that even remotely mentions Christ or has a religious undertone is being axed for being overtly religious. And I'm sorry, forget X-M-A-S. Malcolm X? Yes. X replacing Christ? No.
Don't get me wrong; I'm very respectful of other religions. I don't want anyone to be afraid of discussing the Jewish faith when we address Hanukkah. And we shouldn't dismiss Muslims when the annual pilgrimage to Mecca is held during December. In fact, Americans are so ignorant of other faiths that we can all learn from one another.
But this seeming backlash against Christianity is bordering on the absurd, and we should continue to remember that Jesus is the reason for the season.
I know that may sound strident, but it's true. We spend an inordinate amount of time focused on shopping and buying gifts, but really, what does any of this have to do with the birth of Jesus? We have families all over the nation killing themselves to buy a tree they can't afford, running up their credit to buy toys and other gifts, all in an effort to make someone else happy.
What if families decided to forgo gifts, and instead, used their shopping days giving back to those in need? What if more of us went into our closets, grabbed old toys and clothes, repackaged them, and provided them as gifts to those without? Instead of gorging on food, what if we used some of the dough to feed those who are in need? What if we blew off those gift cards to electronic retailers and signed up with Networkforgood.org, and gave someone a gift card to their favorite charity
Sure, I know I sound like a reincarnation of a flower child, but really, do we have to be so crass during the Christmas season?
Its time that we return to traditional values, and end this ridiculous charade. It's important that we take a fuller account of WHY we celebrate Christmas, as opposed to falling for the barrage of ads that tell us what is most important.
Parents, don't be so consumed with the notion that your children will have a terrible Christmas because the tree isn't overflowing with gifts. The true love that you show them is more important than anything else.
America might be the king of capitalism, but secularism must never become so prevalent that our religious traditions are discarded.
(Roland S. Martin is a nationally award-winning journalist and CNN contributor. Martin is studying to receive his master's degree in Christian communications at Louisiana Baptist University, and he is the author of "Listening to the Spirit Within: 50 Perspectives on Faith." You can read more of his columns at www.rolandsmartin.com.)
Sunday, December 16, 2007
A Christmas pageant done ... well prefectly
It was the biggest night of the year in a little town called Cornwall. It was the night of the annual Christmas pageant. It's an especially big deal for the children in town -- they get to try out for the roles in the Christmas story. Everybody wants a part Which leads us to the problem of Harold. Harold really wanted to be in the play, too, but he was - well, he was kind of a slow and simple kid.
The directors were ambivalent - I mean, they knew Harold would be crushed if he didn't have a part, but they were afraid he might mess up the town's magic moment. Finally, they decided to cast Harold as the innkeeper - the one who turns Mary and Joseph away the night Jesus is to be born. He had only one line - "I'm sorry, we have no room." Well, no one could imagine what that one line was going to do to everyone's Christmas…The night of the pageant the church was packed, as usual.
The Christmas story unfolded according to plan - angels singing, Joseph's dream, and the trip to Bethlehem. Finally, Joseph and Mary arrived at the door of the Bethlehem inn, looking appropriately tired. Joseph knocked on the inn door, and Harold was there to open the door. Joseph asked his question on cue - "Do you have a room for the night?" Harold froze.
After a long pause, Harold mumbled his line, "I'm sorry - we have no room." And, with a little coaching, he shut the door. The directors heaved a sigh of relief - prematurely.
As Mary and Joseph disappeared into the night, the set suddenly started shaking again - and the door opened. Harold was back! And then, in an unrehearsed moment that folks would not soon forget, Harold went running after the young couple, shouting as loud as he could -- "Wait! Don't go Joseph. Bring Mary back! You can have MY room!"
Merry Christmas!
The directors were ambivalent - I mean, they knew Harold would be crushed if he didn't have a part, but they were afraid he might mess up the town's magic moment. Finally, they decided to cast Harold as the innkeeper - the one who turns Mary and Joseph away the night Jesus is to be born. He had only one line - "I'm sorry, we have no room." Well, no one could imagine what that one line was going to do to everyone's Christmas…The night of the pageant the church was packed, as usual.
The Christmas story unfolded according to plan - angels singing, Joseph's dream, and the trip to Bethlehem. Finally, Joseph and Mary arrived at the door of the Bethlehem inn, looking appropriately tired. Joseph knocked on the inn door, and Harold was there to open the door. Joseph asked his question on cue - "Do you have a room for the night?" Harold froze.
After a long pause, Harold mumbled his line, "I'm sorry - we have no room." And, with a little coaching, he shut the door. The directors heaved a sigh of relief - prematurely.
As Mary and Joseph disappeared into the night, the set suddenly started shaking again - and the door opened. Harold was back! And then, in an unrehearsed moment that folks would not soon forget, Harold went running after the young couple, shouting as loud as he could -- "Wait! Don't go Joseph. Bring Mary back! You can have MY room!"
Merry Christmas!
Friday, June 22, 2007
June 21, 2007 – Miracles Still Happen!!
(Posted with permission from a dear friends Diary)
The past week has literally been miraculous, so I decided to write down the details while I remember them clearly. The background info is that I had my last round of maintenance chemo on Tuesday, May 15th, and PET/CT scans on Wednesday, June 6th, which was supposed to verify that I had no cancer cells and that I was in full remission.
On Thursday, June 14, my husband and I went to my doctor’s office to hear the results of my PET/CT scans. I had wondered why he had us come in instead of telling us the results on the phone. Let me just say that I was surprised and my husband was absolutely stunned when the doctor said the PET scan showed that I had a tennis ball size mass on my left side by my stomach.
My doctor said he was really surprised at the test results because my blood work hadn’t indicated anything unusual and he hadn’t been able to feel anything unusual. He told us that my options and left my husband and me alone for a few minutes and then came back. We told him that I would have surgery but we didn’t know yet when. He had me fill out the paperwork I would need for surgery at that time so that whenever I decided to have the surgery, I wouldn’t have to go back to do paperwork and he gave me the prescriptions I’d need to prepare for the surgery.
Out of curiosity as we were leaving, I asked the nurse if I decided to do the surgery ASAP when my doctor would have time in his surgery schedule. She checked and said that he’d just had a cancellation for the following Monday. That took my breath away. But after going home and talking about it with several people I felt like I should take that appointment so first thing Friday morning I called and the slot was still available so I took it. I was scheduled for exploratory surgery with removal of mass on Monday June 18.
Sunday was Father’s Day. I went to another ward’s sacrament meeting instead of mine because I needed to start the bowel-cleansing procedures at noon. When I arrived I walked in with a sister I knew. She said she had heard I was having surgery and asked if I’d had a blessing. I said not yet and she said her husband would be available later if I needed him to help. I had wanted a blessing but hadn’t gotten around to asking anyone yet. I went into the chapel and sat near the door. A Counselor in our Stake Presidency was visiting and stopped and asked how I was doing. I told him okay but that I was having surgery the next day because my cancer had returned. He asked me if I was going to have a blessing for that particular surgery. I gave him a non-committal answer but knew then that I needed to just ask someone to give me a blessing.
I saw a family from my ward sitting a few rows ahead of me and asked the father he said yes. So afterward, we went into a classroom and he and his son gave me a blessing. I don’t recall all of the words but I know I was blessed that I would live, and that my doctors would have the skills needed to perform the surgery, and that God loves me and knows my circumstances. Also, I was told something to the effect that the things we suffer help us become more like God. Anyway, it was very nice and really I felt very good the entire weekend. I had so many people praying for me that I felt at peace.
Sunday afternoon was spent drinking LOTS of liquids including the yucky pre-op stuff prescribed by the doctor and eating popsicles to get rid of the bad taste; enjoying my family members that live nearby; and running to the bathroom often. I wasn’t supposed to drink anything after midnight. I went to sleep before then but my phone beeped with a wrong number at 11:52 which was great because I woke up, saw the time, drank a pint of water and went back to sleep.
Monday we got up, got ready went to the hospital at 11 a.m. Eventually the anesthesiologists came to talk to me and gave me something to start me off in my IV. I kissed my family and they went to the waiting room and I went to surgery. I was “out” before getting to the surgery room door. I sort of woke up several hours later and felt awful. At about 7:30 p.m., I woke up for real, and my husband told me the good news that I hadn’t had a mass after all and things were good. A little later I felt well enough to eat two little cups of jello.
Wednesday morning my doctor came to see me and he was all smiles. He explained in more detail what had happened with my surgery. When he opened me up and didn’t find the mass where it had showed up on the PET scan and he couldn’t find it anywhere, he left the operating room and talked to the Radiologist. They both looked at the PET and CT scans on the computer trying to figure out what the scans meant. The Radiologist said he stood by his diagnosis that what was on the PET scan was cancer. My doctor told the Radiologist that there wasn’t any visible cancer in my belly. They were baffled. They said maybe the PET scan was a false positive. My doctor said perhaps my stomach, which has an extra curve in it, had folded over on itself to make it look abnormal, but he said that still didn’t account for the fact that on the scan, part of my stomach looked normal and the other part looked cancerous. He’d wondered if the cancer was inside my stomach but he’d flattened it out and there wasn’t anything there. So he scrubbed up and went back into surgery. He completed the exploratory surgery by looking through all my folds of tissue and examining my organs and lower abdomen and taking small biopsies here and there and doing three “washes” which meant he filled my abdomen three times with saline and then drained it off and sent everything to the pathology lab to be checked for cancer cells. I told him then that I had a lot of people praying for me and I felt like THAT is what made the difference and that it was a miracle.
All I know is that the cancer was there when the scan was done, and when my doctor operated on me it was gone. I’ve always believed in miracles and now I’ve experienced one myself.
I wanted to mention that besides the Priesthood blessing, my ward members fasted and prayed for me on Sunday, and many of my friends of other faiths and family members also prayed for me. And my name was placed in several LDS Temples. Plus, today I remembered the promise made by President Ezra Taft Benson that my daughter told me about when she was a missionary at the MTC. He promised if you read the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes a day, you would have miracles in your life. I’ve done that regularly since then so with all of that, all of the prayers, the Priesthood blessing and promises in my Patriarchal blessing, I believe the promises have been fulfilled and I experienced a true miracle.
The past week has literally been miraculous, so I decided to write down the details while I remember them clearly. The background info is that I had my last round of maintenance chemo on Tuesday, May 15th, and PET/CT scans on Wednesday, June 6th, which was supposed to verify that I had no cancer cells and that I was in full remission.
On Thursday, June 14, my husband and I went to my doctor’s office to hear the results of my PET/CT scans. I had wondered why he had us come in instead of telling us the results on the phone. Let me just say that I was surprised and my husband was absolutely stunned when the doctor said the PET scan showed that I had a tennis ball size mass on my left side by my stomach.
My doctor said he was really surprised at the test results because my blood work hadn’t indicated anything unusual and he hadn’t been able to feel anything unusual. He told us that my options and left my husband and me alone for a few minutes and then came back. We told him that I would have surgery but we didn’t know yet when. He had me fill out the paperwork I would need for surgery at that time so that whenever I decided to have the surgery, I wouldn’t have to go back to do paperwork and he gave me the prescriptions I’d need to prepare for the surgery.
Out of curiosity as we were leaving, I asked the nurse if I decided to do the surgery ASAP when my doctor would have time in his surgery schedule. She checked and said that he’d just had a cancellation for the following Monday. That took my breath away. But after going home and talking about it with several people I felt like I should take that appointment so first thing Friday morning I called and the slot was still available so I took it. I was scheduled for exploratory surgery with removal of mass on Monday June 18.
Sunday was Father’s Day. I went to another ward’s sacrament meeting instead of mine because I needed to start the bowel-cleansing procedures at noon. When I arrived I walked in with a sister I knew. She said she had heard I was having surgery and asked if I’d had a blessing. I said not yet and she said her husband would be available later if I needed him to help. I had wanted a blessing but hadn’t gotten around to asking anyone yet. I went into the chapel and sat near the door. A Counselor in our Stake Presidency was visiting and stopped and asked how I was doing. I told him okay but that I was having surgery the next day because my cancer had returned. He asked me if I was going to have a blessing for that particular surgery. I gave him a non-committal answer but knew then that I needed to just ask someone to give me a blessing.
I saw a family from my ward sitting a few rows ahead of me and asked the father he said yes. So afterward, we went into a classroom and he and his son gave me a blessing. I don’t recall all of the words but I know I was blessed that I would live, and that my doctors would have the skills needed to perform the surgery, and that God loves me and knows my circumstances. Also, I was told something to the effect that the things we suffer help us become more like God. Anyway, it was very nice and really I felt very good the entire weekend. I had so many people praying for me that I felt at peace.
Sunday afternoon was spent drinking LOTS of liquids including the yucky pre-op stuff prescribed by the doctor and eating popsicles to get rid of the bad taste; enjoying my family members that live nearby; and running to the bathroom often. I wasn’t supposed to drink anything after midnight. I went to sleep before then but my phone beeped with a wrong number at 11:52 which was great because I woke up, saw the time, drank a pint of water and went back to sleep.
Monday we got up, got ready went to the hospital at 11 a.m. Eventually the anesthesiologists came to talk to me and gave me something to start me off in my IV. I kissed my family and they went to the waiting room and I went to surgery. I was “out” before getting to the surgery room door. I sort of woke up several hours later and felt awful. At about 7:30 p.m., I woke up for real, and my husband told me the good news that I hadn’t had a mass after all and things were good. A little later I felt well enough to eat two little cups of jello.
Wednesday morning my doctor came to see me and he was all smiles. He explained in more detail what had happened with my surgery. When he opened me up and didn’t find the mass where it had showed up on the PET scan and he couldn’t find it anywhere, he left the operating room and talked to the Radiologist. They both looked at the PET and CT scans on the computer trying to figure out what the scans meant. The Radiologist said he stood by his diagnosis that what was on the PET scan was cancer. My doctor told the Radiologist that there wasn’t any visible cancer in my belly. They were baffled. They said maybe the PET scan was a false positive. My doctor said perhaps my stomach, which has an extra curve in it, had folded over on itself to make it look abnormal, but he said that still didn’t account for the fact that on the scan, part of my stomach looked normal and the other part looked cancerous. He’d wondered if the cancer was inside my stomach but he’d flattened it out and there wasn’t anything there. So he scrubbed up and went back into surgery. He completed the exploratory surgery by looking through all my folds of tissue and examining my organs and lower abdomen and taking small biopsies here and there and doing three “washes” which meant he filled my abdomen three times with saline and then drained it off and sent everything to the pathology lab to be checked for cancer cells. I told him then that I had a lot of people praying for me and I felt like THAT is what made the difference and that it was a miracle.
All I know is that the cancer was there when the scan was done, and when my doctor operated on me it was gone. I’ve always believed in miracles and now I’ve experienced one myself.
I wanted to mention that besides the Priesthood blessing, my ward members fasted and prayed for me on Sunday, and many of my friends of other faiths and family members also prayed for me. And my name was placed in several LDS Temples. Plus, today I remembered the promise made by President Ezra Taft Benson that my daughter told me about when she was a missionary at the MTC. He promised if you read the Book of Mormon for 30 minutes a day, you would have miracles in your life. I’ve done that regularly since then so with all of that, all of the prayers, the Priesthood blessing and promises in my Patriarchal blessing, I believe the promises have been fulfilled and I experienced a true miracle.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
This may be an urban legend, but if so it's a nice one wiht a VERY good point
Will you give this to my Daddy?
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm notalone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.' The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney , bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
Last week I was in Atlanta , Georgia attending a conference. While I was in the airport, returning home, I heard several people behind me beginning to clap and cheer. I immediately turned around and witnessed one of the greatest acts of patriotism I have ever seen. Moving thru the terminal was a group of soldiers in their camos. As they began heading to their gate, everyone (well almost everyone) was abruptly to their feet with their hands waving and cheering. When I saw the soldiers, probably 30-40 of them, being applauded and cheered for, it hit me. I'm notalone. I'm not the only red-blooded American who still loves this country and supports our troops and their families.
Of course I immediately stopped and began clapping for these young unsung heroes who are putting their lives on the line everyday for us so we can go to school, work and home without fear or reprisal. Just when I thought I could not be more proud of my country or of our service men and women, a young girl, not more than 6 or 7 years old, ran up to one of the male soldiers. He kneeled down and said 'hi.' The little girl then asked him if he would give something to her daddy for her. The young soldier, who didn't look any older than maybe 22 himself, said he would try and what did she want to give to her daddy. Then suddenly the little girl grabbed the neck of this soldier, gave him the biggest hug she could muster and then kissed him on the cheek.
The mother of the little girl, who said her daughter's name was Courtney, told the young soldier that her husband was a Marine and had been in Iraq for 11 months now. As the mom was explaining how much her daughter Courtney missed her father, the young soldier began to tear up. When this temporarily single mom was done explaining her situation, all of the soldiers huddled together for a brief second. Then one of the other servicemen pulled out a military-looking walkie-talkie. They started playing with the device and talking back and forth on it.
After about 10-15 seconds of this, the young soldier walked back over to Courtney , bent down and said this to her, 'I spoke to your daddy and he told me to give this to you.' He then hugged this little girl that he had just met and gave her a kiss on the cheek. He finished by saying 'your daddy told me to tell you that he loves you more than anything and he is coming home very soon.'
The mom at this point was crying almost uncontrollably and as the young soldier stood to his feet, he saluted Courtney and her mom. I was standing no more than 6 feet away from this entire event. As the soldiers began to leave, heading towards their gate, people resumed their applause. As I stood there applauding and looked around, there were very few dry eyes, including my own. That young soldier in one last act of selflessness, turned around and blew a kiss to Courtney with a tear rolling down his cheek.
We need to remember everyday all of our soldiers and their families and thank God for them and their sacrifices. At the end of the day, it's good to be an American.
Mormons
oh no not Mormons! .. but maybe they aren't as bad as you've been told?...
http://www.pbs.org/mormons/view/2514.html?c=4wm I know I'll be watching it.. I hope that all or any of you with the spirit of open-mindedness would too. :D
http://www.pbs.org/mormons/view/2514.html?c=4wm I know I'll be watching it.. I hope that all or any of you with the spirit of open-mindedness would too. :D
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
Civilization Watch
This First appeared in print in The Rhinoceros Times, Greensboro, NCBy Orson Scott Card March 18, 2007
Is Mitt Romney Serious?
When I heard that Mitt Romney was actually running for President, myfirst thought was, "Is he serious?"Doesn't he know that there is zero chance of a Mormon ever being in theWhite House?
Everyone knows that Christian evangelicals hate Mormons so badly thatif they had to choose between a bribe-taking, FBI-file-stealing,relentless-lie-telling, mud-slinging former first lady, and a Mormonex-governor who doesn't lie, who's still married to his first wife, andwho supports the entire Christian evangelical agenda, they'd stillrather die than vote for a Mormon.
Being Mormon just makes Romney too easy a target. And because he'srunning, it gets all the rest of the Mormon Church smeared with thesame mud they're slinging at Mitt.It's started already.
For instance, in the issue of The Week of 17 March 2007, we get a sneer and a hatchet job disguised as journalism.While pretending to give an impartial look at Mormon beliefs and culture, they're really doing a smackdown, trying to kill Mitt Romney's candidacy with ridicule. But, being journalists, they have to pretend they're just reporting the facts. They try to leave the impression that the Mormon Church is racist, wacko, breeding like flies, and obscenely rich.
"This tithing has helped the church amass an estimated $30 billion in wealth," says TheWeek. "Mormon holdings include the biggest beef ranch in the world andthe largest producer of nuts in the U.S."
What they neglect to mention is that we have no paid clergy -- whatever
money the Mormon Church "amasses" is spent on buildings, education, and charity.
Besides, just who made that "estimate" of $30 billion? Basedon what? The value of the real estate under our meetinghouses? As to those nuts and cattle, the profits from those companies are used exclusively to help the poor, both Mormon and non-Mormon. Any mention that whenever disaster strikes anywhere in the world, the Mormon Church is one of the first ones there with food, water, and other assistance? No, I didn't think so.
The mainstream media have taken a look at Mitt Romney and, just like George W. Bush in 2000, he's the nightmare candidate for them -- the one they have to kill. Why? Because he's exactly what they most fear: A conservative who can appeal to moderates. After all, this guy won an election for governorin Massachusetts. As a Republican. He balanced an out-of-control budget -- without raising taxes. His record on civil rights -- including for homosexuals -- is unimpeachable, except for opposing judges who redefine marriage without the slightest attempt at democratic process; and yet his stances on moral issues should make him completely acceptable to the religious right. Unlike any of the leading Democratic candidates, he has actually governed something. He also saved the scandal-ridden, heading-for-bankruptcy Salt Lake Olympics.
If he won, he'd be the richest man ever to win the Presidency -- his wealth is between 500 million and a billion bucks. But he earned it all himself -- by heading a company that assembled risk capital to buy failing companies and turn them around, saving countless jobs and making his investors rich, too.
Plus, he's good-looking, and all of his kids are married, church-going people who aren't likely to cause any scandals. This is the worst nightmare the Left (which includes the mainstreammedia) can conceive of. But ... they were able to demonize George W. Bush, the last moderate Republican they had to destroy, so that by the time he won the Presidency, he had been tarred with so many lies (dumb guy; drunk; drug-taker; National Guard-slacker; hates blacks; hates the poor; wacko religious theocrat) that it's a wonder he could even recognize himself in the mirror. And if they could do that to the son of a former President, just think what they can do to a guy who's a ... a ... Mormon.
So I ask again: Is Mitt Romney serious? Doesn't he understand what the media will do to him? What they're already doing? Then along comes conservative political analyst Hugh Hewitt, writing abook called A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney, and he makes it almost seem possible. Hugh Hewitt is not a Mormon. But he believes that in this political season, Mitt Romney may turn out to represent conservatives' best shot at winning the presidency. Hewitt gives us a short but interesting look at Mitt Romney's life and accomplishments. His account of Romney's role as saver of dying companies -- including his belt-tightening rescue of the very company that gave him the method of business that he always used -- makes me wish Romney were running our local government. And our state government. And the federal government. Because if anybody could figure out how to balance the budget, save Social Security, and win a war, all at the same time, he could do it.
He also tells a little bit of Romney's life as the son of former Michigan governor George Romney, who was briefly the front-runner for the Republican nomination back in 1968. What emerges is a far cry from the kind of rich-kid life that the Kennedys and Rockefellers had. George Romney started from zero, and while George had enough money to make sure Mitt got every educational opportunity, Mitt's fortune was his own accomplishment.
Mitt grew up in a real family, and he and his wife have made sure that their kids also grew up in a real family. A Mormon family. Which means that the kids went to church. They didn't smoke or drink. They did things together as a family. Took vacation trips packed into an ordinary station wagon. Each of their five sons served a mission for the Mormon Church -- two years as a volunteer, unpaid minister in a place far from home.
Mitt freely admits that when he was starting out in the consulting business, he traveled a lot, and the burden of child-rearing fell most heavily on his wife. But once he ran his own investment company, he was home a lot more, the way a Mormon father is supposed to be, if he possibly can.
Because, if you want to quote Mormon prophets, here's a quote that most Mormons try to live by: "No other success can compensate for failure inthe home."
We know from the scandal magazines how often rich families create totally messed-up kids. But it certainly seems that MittRomney's family is, by any measure, a success. But then we come to the tough part. How can a Mormon possibly be elected?
There are several basic fears about any Mormon candidate:
1. Will Salt Lake City Tell Him What To Do As President?
As Hewitt points out, that one is a no-brainer. Even if they tried, it wouldn't work, because Presidents aren't kings. They have to get the cooperation of Congress and the whole bureaucracy. If anybody ever came to believe he was a puppet controlled by religious leaders in Utah, his authority would evaporate instantly. Besides, Mitt Romney doesn't need the Mormon Church telling him how to do stuff. (As a Mormon, I kind of wish it would go the other way. I wish they'd turn the Salt Lake bureaucracy over to him for a couple of years to clear out the careerist paper-pushers who make it almost impossible for the Church to get anything done in a rational way.)
Let me go farther than that. I'm a Mormon public figure, of sorts, and I know a few others. And I'm aware of exactly how the Church hierarchy deals with public figures. A writer like me is a constant target of meddling middle-level bureaucrats who seem to think that their job in life is to afflict me for anything I write that wouldn't be appropriate to put in a Sunday school lesson. But in all the years of low-level harassment, the actual Church authorities, in Salt Lake and locally, have always stood by my right to do my job as I see fit. Government figures are more like sports figures in the way they get treated: Mid-level Mormons suck up to them mercilessly. But, once again, the higher-level authorities leave them alone to do their jobs.
Do you want proof? Look at the career of Reed Smoot. He was as reactionary a Republican Senator as you could hope to find back in theearly 1900s -- a tariff-loving protectionist. He was also not just aMormon, but a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the second-highest governing body in the Church. At the time, the President of the Church, Heber J. Grant, was a Democrat. Other leading Church authorities were Democrats. Nobody told Smoot how to vote in Congress. Or a more recent example: Ezra Taft Benson, who served as Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower. Benson was also one of theTwelve, but if anybody thinks he paid the slightest attention to anything the other Church leaders said to him, you don't know anything.
Even today, when the Church seems to have adopted the Republican Party as their favorite stepchild, there have been prominent Mormons who are obviously not being told how to vote or govern. My proof: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a Mormon and a Democrat, and some of the stuff he's done just makes Mormon Republicans insane. Frankly, folks, I'd be a lot more worried about George Soros telling a Democratic President how to govern than the Mormon Church trying to control a Mitt Romney presidency.
But let's suppose that the Mormon Prophet did tell Mitt Romney what to do. What would their instructions be? What do Mormons want the United States to do? Well, the most important political goal of the Mormon Church is for every nation on earth to have freedom of religion, so people can freely learn about, teach, and choose to join or leave any church. And since Mormon missionaries don't go into war zones, the Church would also appreciate it if we could avoid war when ever possible. Beyond that, the Mormon Church would like the tax exemption for religious buildings and enterprises to remain in place.The Mormon Church believes that abortion should be far less available than it is, and that marriage, as recognized by government, should be exclusively between a man and a woman.
Think about that. If Mitt Romney is elected President, and he does what the Mormon Church tells him to do, we'll have peace and freedom around the world, religions will continue to have a tax exemption, marriage will continue to mean what it has always meant unless the people vote otherwise, and the federal government wouldn't be in the business of protecting a woman's right to kill unborn babies right up to the momentof birth.There are millions of people who want that exact list of things! And they didn't even need the Mormon prophet to tell them so.
The Mormon Church doesn't tell its members whom to vote for, and doesn't tell elected officials how to do their jobs. Except that they should be honest. So I guess Bill Clinton would have had a problem. Good thing he wasn't Mormon.
2. Will Mitt Romney As President Make Mormonism Seem More Legitimate?
Well, yeah, probably. Though Mormonism is one of the fastest-growing religious denominations in the United States without Mitt's help.Will that make a difference in the number of converts to Mormonism?
Nowhere near as much difference as Donny Osmond made back in the 1970s, but sure, maybe a few more people will say to the Mormon missionaries,"Come on in, I voted for Mitt, I'll listen to you."
But it comes down to this: Mormon missionaries teach our doctrines. If people come to believe them, and manage to give up tobacco and alcohol and coffee and tea and illegal drugs, and are willing to pay a full tithe and keep all the other commandments, then they join the Mormon Church.
Mitt Romney isn't going to be giving out coupons -- "5% tithing and two smokes a day if you vote for Mitt." Mormonism is a demanding faith.Most people have to change their lives in order to live as Latter-day Saints, and some people make great sacrifices. Whatever difference having a Mormon as President of the United States might make, I can't see anybody actually becoming a Mormon because of it. And what happens when the mainstream media crucify him the way they've crucified President Bush? Won't that also work to hurt the Mormon missionary effort?
"If that clown in the White House is a Mormon, I don't want anything to do with you!" And the door slams in the missionary's face.
Or in foreign countries -- having a Mormon be President of the U.S. might make it harder for Mormon missionaries to find people willing to talk to them.
In the real world, though, it really won't make any difference to Mormon missionary work.What American Mormons want is what every other American wants: The best person available as President of the United States. If that "bestperson" happens to be a Mormon, we'd like him not to be disqualified because of his religion.
3. Mormons Aren't Christians, Are They? Aren't They a Cult?
Let me save everybody a lot of time. If by "Christian" you mean"believes in the version of God and Christ taught in the Nicene Creed,"then absolutely not.
Right from the start, the founding prophet of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, rejected that view of God as a fantasy. Of course, by our definition of "Christian theology," we're the only Christians. That's why we send out missionaries to preach to Baptists and Methodists right along with the heathens.
And let's remember that Catholics have historically had a pretty low opinion of the doctrines of Lutherans and Quakers and Presbyterians --and vice versa.
But in America, we all agree to get along. In fact, it says it right there in Article 6 of the Constitution: "No religious test shall everbe required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
We've had plenty of Presidents who weren't Christians, most prominently Thomas Jefferson. But most of them hadn't served as missionaries fortheir atheistic or deistic beliefs, either. So let's pretend that it matters. Theologically, Mormons are way outside the mainstream of Christianity. But how do Mormons actually live?
Despite the efforts of our opponents to paint us as a "cult," we don't live in communes in Guyana. We hold regular jobs. Most Mormon kids goto regular schools.We wear regular clothes. (OK, maybe a little more modest than most, butthat's a good thing, isn't it?) We don't smoke or drink or do drugs -- but that makes us safer driversand more reliable employees and better company in small closed rooms, doesn't it?
Let's forget about doctrinal religion and look at practical religion. Mormons are people who take their worship of God seriously. We really try to live by the commandments of God, as we understand them -- and they're not a bad list of commandments.
In fact, they sound kind of like what most American Christians would aspire to. Get married, be faithful to your spouse, have babies and raise them right. Don't let your life be taken over by drugs or alcohol. Hold down a job and support a family. Go to Church. Contribute to charity. Help your neighbor when he needs a hand. Be honest in your business dealings.If you think we're not Christians, fine. But we make decent neighbors and co-workers, most of the time. And since we all agree there should be no religious test to be President, then what difference can our doctrines possibly make?
In fact, when you come right down to it, can you think of any significant point on which Mormons would disagree with an ordinary conservative Christian's view of what a President ought to do? We may have different opinions about the nature of God, but we still pray to the God of the New Testament and recognize Jesus Christ as theSavior of the world, and try to obey his commandments, like any other practical Christians.
We Mormons treat President Bush's religious faith with respect and regard him as a Christian even though we think his theology is wrong; I think Methodists and Baptists and Catholics are mature and generous enough to treat a Mormon President the same way.
3a. What About Polygamy? If you're one of the unfortunate people who read Under the Banner of Heaven, you might have the impression that Mormons still practice or condone polygamy.
The opposite is true. The Mormon Church repudiated the practice of polygamy in 1890, and right now the surest, fastest way to get kickedout of the Mormon Church is to advocate polygamy. We are the mostanti-polygamous religion in the world right now.
So yes, it's in our history -- I have a lot of polygamists in myancestry. My grandmother was born into a family that practiced polygamy-- but she was born in the 1880s.
Mitt Romney has exactly one wife and he seems on track to stay married to her for his whole life. Nobody's going to catch him having affairs or flings because he doesn't do that. So, 117 years later, let's give the polygamy thing a rest, OK?
4. Only Dumb and Crazy People Believe Those Doctrines!
Ah. Here's where we come to the ugly part. This is what that article about Mormon beliefs in The Week was really about -- making Mitt Romney seem like an idiot for believing in Mormon doctrine. In his book, Hugh Hewitt recounts some really offensive, outrageous attempts by opponents of Mitt Romney to try to force him, in pressconferences, to answer questions about Mormon belief.
"Do you, personally, really believe in [insert wacko-sounding doctrinehere]?"
Sometimes the people asking that question will be evangelical Christians out to "expose" how false and ridiculous Mormon doctrines are. But when the press picks it up, it'll be anti-religious people using a man's religious faith as a reason to ridicule him so he can't beelected President. Do you think Mormons are the only people who can be treated that way?
If you're a Catholic, would you appreciate some reporter asking a Catholic presidential candidate, "Do you really believe that when you take the communion wafer, it literally turns into human flesh in yourmouth? Isn't that cannibalism?"
If you're a Baptist, would you think it was legitimate for a heckler at a press conference to ask a Baptist presidential candidate, "So you think that when Jesus comes again, you're going to just rise right up into the air, no airplane, no jet pack, you'll just fly? Or aren't youa good enough Baptist to be in the Rapture?"
Everybody's religious beliefs sound crazy when you talk about them scornfully.And that's the thing that religious Americans ought to remember. The secular, mostly atheistic power elite in our country already has control of the universities and the mainstream media. You can't send your kids to a nonreligious college without knowing that some professoris going to treat their faith with scorn and try to convert them to atheism.
Anybody with religious faith is on the same side in that little war. And if they can keep Mitt Romney from being President by making fun of his religious faith, they can keep candidates from your religion from the presidency in exactly the same way. If you let the ridicule of Mormon beliefs be a reason not to vote forMitt Romney, then you're saying that religious people who believe in God as the foundation of their morality are no longer eligible for the Presidency. By the way, it's just as easy to make fun of some of the insane, self-contradictory beliefs of politically correct atheists; but if you tried it, the mainstream media would treat atheists as victims of religious persecution. It's a sword that will only be allowed to cut one way -- once you unsheathe it, all religious people will bleed.
Article 6 is a protection for all religious people, and for non-religious people, too. A person's religious beliefs are not a subject for discussion. Is Mitt Romney the Best Candidate? I have no idea. I don't know enough about the other candidates -- or about Mitt Romney, for that matter.
Just as I hope no one will rejecthim because he's a Mormon, I am not going to support him just becausehe's a Mormon. I'm a Democrat. I would be really grateful if my party would nominate somebody who doesn't make my skin crawl just thinking of them in theWhite House (i.e., someone who isn't Hillary Clinton). I'm still looking long and hard at Barack Obama.
If there were a chance that Joe Lieberman could get the Democratic nomination, he'd be my candidate this year no matter whom the Republicans nominated. On the Republican side, I'm looking long and hard at Giuliani. McCain, on the other hand, is so volatile, so unreliable, so self-serving that despite his noble war record and his iron clad stance on the need to win the War on Terror, I would have a hard time choosing him over anybody but Hillary.
In short, I'm still making up my mind. Hugh Hewitt takes the same position. He remembers too well how candidates can self-destruct, or how strong candidates can come out of nowhere.He also knows how effective the anti-Mormon thing can be. Ted Kennedy ran an anti-Mormon campaign against Mitt Romney when Romney opposed him for the Senate a decade ago. And it worked ... that time. So Hewitt isn't saying Mitt Romney should be the Republican nominee. What he is saying is that Republicans would be six kinds of stupid if they ruled him out solely because of his religious faith.
Let me ask you Republicans who would consider yourselves moral conservatives: Would you really let a person's religious beliefs absolutely disqualify him from the Presidency? And if you're leaning that way, think about this: If it was a choicebetween a moral conservative and decent person like Mitt Romney, who happens to be a Mormon, and Hillary Clinton, would you really sit out the election rather than cast your vote for a Mormon?
Read Hugh Hewitt's book -- he does a great job of treating Mitt Romney's candidacy fairly and objectively. Since he's not a Mormon, he doesn't have any agenda for or against my church. He just wants a good conservative to win the 2008 election, and he thinks Mitt Romney should be given a fair shot to persuade voters that he's the President for ourtime.
And you might also check out a website called "Article VI Blog." Run by two guys, one a Mormon, one an evangelical, the site deals head-on withissues concerning Mitt Romney's candidacy. You can find it at:http://www.article6blog.com/
Meanwhile, I have only one bit of advice for Mitt Romney -- advice I would have given George W. Bush (and any other moral conservative), if he'd only bothered to ask me. Don't go on the Letterman show. It's enemy territory. It just gives Letterman footage to use against you for the rest of your life.
Is Mitt Romney Serious?
When I heard that Mitt Romney was actually running for President, myfirst thought was, "Is he serious?"Doesn't he know that there is zero chance of a Mormon ever being in theWhite House?
Everyone knows that Christian evangelicals hate Mormons so badly thatif they had to choose between a bribe-taking, FBI-file-stealing,relentless-lie-telling, mud-slinging former first lady, and a Mormonex-governor who doesn't lie, who's still married to his first wife, andwho supports the entire Christian evangelical agenda, they'd stillrather die than vote for a Mormon.
Being Mormon just makes Romney too easy a target. And because he'srunning, it gets all the rest of the Mormon Church smeared with thesame mud they're slinging at Mitt.It's started already.
For instance, in the issue of The Week of 17 March 2007, we get a sneer and a hatchet job disguised as journalism.While pretending to give an impartial look at Mormon beliefs and culture, they're really doing a smackdown, trying to kill Mitt Romney's candidacy with ridicule. But, being journalists, they have to pretend they're just reporting the facts. They try to leave the impression that the Mormon Church is racist, wacko, breeding like flies, and obscenely rich.
"This tithing has helped the church amass an estimated $30 billion in wealth," says TheWeek. "Mormon holdings include the biggest beef ranch in the world andthe largest producer of nuts in the U.S."
What they neglect to mention is that we have no paid clergy -- whatever
money the Mormon Church "amasses" is spent on buildings, education, and charity.
Besides, just who made that "estimate" of $30 billion? Basedon what? The value of the real estate under our meetinghouses? As to those nuts and cattle, the profits from those companies are used exclusively to help the poor, both Mormon and non-Mormon. Any mention that whenever disaster strikes anywhere in the world, the Mormon Church is one of the first ones there with food, water, and other assistance? No, I didn't think so.
The mainstream media have taken a look at Mitt Romney and, just like George W. Bush in 2000, he's the nightmare candidate for them -- the one they have to kill. Why? Because he's exactly what they most fear: A conservative who can appeal to moderates. After all, this guy won an election for governorin Massachusetts. As a Republican. He balanced an out-of-control budget -- without raising taxes. His record on civil rights -- including for homosexuals -- is unimpeachable, except for opposing judges who redefine marriage without the slightest attempt at democratic process; and yet his stances on moral issues should make him completely acceptable to the religious right. Unlike any of the leading Democratic candidates, he has actually governed something. He also saved the scandal-ridden, heading-for-bankruptcy Salt Lake Olympics.
If he won, he'd be the richest man ever to win the Presidency -- his wealth is between 500 million and a billion bucks. But he earned it all himself -- by heading a company that assembled risk capital to buy failing companies and turn them around, saving countless jobs and making his investors rich, too.
Plus, he's good-looking, and all of his kids are married, church-going people who aren't likely to cause any scandals. This is the worst nightmare the Left (which includes the mainstreammedia) can conceive of. But ... they were able to demonize George W. Bush, the last moderate Republican they had to destroy, so that by the time he won the Presidency, he had been tarred with so many lies (dumb guy; drunk; drug-taker; National Guard-slacker; hates blacks; hates the poor; wacko religious theocrat) that it's a wonder he could even recognize himself in the mirror. And if they could do that to the son of a former President, just think what they can do to a guy who's a ... a ... Mormon.
So I ask again: Is Mitt Romney serious? Doesn't he understand what the media will do to him? What they're already doing? Then along comes conservative political analyst Hugh Hewitt, writing abook called A Mormon in the White House? 10 Things Every American Should Know about Mitt Romney, and he makes it almost seem possible. Hugh Hewitt is not a Mormon. But he believes that in this political season, Mitt Romney may turn out to represent conservatives' best shot at winning the presidency. Hewitt gives us a short but interesting look at Mitt Romney's life and accomplishments. His account of Romney's role as saver of dying companies -- including his belt-tightening rescue of the very company that gave him the method of business that he always used -- makes me wish Romney were running our local government. And our state government. And the federal government. Because if anybody could figure out how to balance the budget, save Social Security, and win a war, all at the same time, he could do it.
He also tells a little bit of Romney's life as the son of former Michigan governor George Romney, who was briefly the front-runner for the Republican nomination back in 1968. What emerges is a far cry from the kind of rich-kid life that the Kennedys and Rockefellers had. George Romney started from zero, and while George had enough money to make sure Mitt got every educational opportunity, Mitt's fortune was his own accomplishment.
Mitt grew up in a real family, and he and his wife have made sure that their kids also grew up in a real family. A Mormon family. Which means that the kids went to church. They didn't smoke or drink. They did things together as a family. Took vacation trips packed into an ordinary station wagon. Each of their five sons served a mission for the Mormon Church -- two years as a volunteer, unpaid minister in a place far from home.
Mitt freely admits that when he was starting out in the consulting business, he traveled a lot, and the burden of child-rearing fell most heavily on his wife. But once he ran his own investment company, he was home a lot more, the way a Mormon father is supposed to be, if he possibly can.
Because, if you want to quote Mormon prophets, here's a quote that most Mormons try to live by: "No other success can compensate for failure inthe home."
We know from the scandal magazines how often rich families create totally messed-up kids. But it certainly seems that MittRomney's family is, by any measure, a success. But then we come to the tough part. How can a Mormon possibly be elected?
There are several basic fears about any Mormon candidate:
1. Will Salt Lake City Tell Him What To Do As President?
As Hewitt points out, that one is a no-brainer. Even if they tried, it wouldn't work, because Presidents aren't kings. They have to get the cooperation of Congress and the whole bureaucracy. If anybody ever came to believe he was a puppet controlled by religious leaders in Utah, his authority would evaporate instantly. Besides, Mitt Romney doesn't need the Mormon Church telling him how to do stuff. (As a Mormon, I kind of wish it would go the other way. I wish they'd turn the Salt Lake bureaucracy over to him for a couple of years to clear out the careerist paper-pushers who make it almost impossible for the Church to get anything done in a rational way.)
Let me go farther than that. I'm a Mormon public figure, of sorts, and I know a few others. And I'm aware of exactly how the Church hierarchy deals with public figures. A writer like me is a constant target of meddling middle-level bureaucrats who seem to think that their job in life is to afflict me for anything I write that wouldn't be appropriate to put in a Sunday school lesson. But in all the years of low-level harassment, the actual Church authorities, in Salt Lake and locally, have always stood by my right to do my job as I see fit. Government figures are more like sports figures in the way they get treated: Mid-level Mormons suck up to them mercilessly. But, once again, the higher-level authorities leave them alone to do their jobs.
Do you want proof? Look at the career of Reed Smoot. He was as reactionary a Republican Senator as you could hope to find back in theearly 1900s -- a tariff-loving protectionist. He was also not just aMormon, but a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, the second-highest governing body in the Church. At the time, the President of the Church, Heber J. Grant, was a Democrat. Other leading Church authorities were Democrats. Nobody told Smoot how to vote in Congress. Or a more recent example: Ezra Taft Benson, who served as Secretary of Agriculture under President Eisenhower. Benson was also one of theTwelve, but if anybody thinks he paid the slightest attention to anything the other Church leaders said to him, you don't know anything.
Even today, when the Church seems to have adopted the Republican Party as their favorite stepchild, there have been prominent Mormons who are obviously not being told how to vote or govern. My proof: Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid is a Mormon and a Democrat, and some of the stuff he's done just makes Mormon Republicans insane. Frankly, folks, I'd be a lot more worried about George Soros telling a Democratic President how to govern than the Mormon Church trying to control a Mitt Romney presidency.
But let's suppose that the Mormon Prophet did tell Mitt Romney what to do. What would their instructions be? What do Mormons want the United States to do? Well, the most important political goal of the Mormon Church is for every nation on earth to have freedom of religion, so people can freely learn about, teach, and choose to join or leave any church. And since Mormon missionaries don't go into war zones, the Church would also appreciate it if we could avoid war when ever possible. Beyond that, the Mormon Church would like the tax exemption for religious buildings and enterprises to remain in place.The Mormon Church believes that abortion should be far less available than it is, and that marriage, as recognized by government, should be exclusively between a man and a woman.
Think about that. If Mitt Romney is elected President, and he does what the Mormon Church tells him to do, we'll have peace and freedom around the world, religions will continue to have a tax exemption, marriage will continue to mean what it has always meant unless the people vote otherwise, and the federal government wouldn't be in the business of protecting a woman's right to kill unborn babies right up to the momentof birth.There are millions of people who want that exact list of things! And they didn't even need the Mormon prophet to tell them so.
The Mormon Church doesn't tell its members whom to vote for, and doesn't tell elected officials how to do their jobs. Except that they should be honest. So I guess Bill Clinton would have had a problem. Good thing he wasn't Mormon.
2. Will Mitt Romney As President Make Mormonism Seem More Legitimate?
Well, yeah, probably. Though Mormonism is one of the fastest-growing religious denominations in the United States without Mitt's help.Will that make a difference in the number of converts to Mormonism?
Nowhere near as much difference as Donny Osmond made back in the 1970s, but sure, maybe a few more people will say to the Mormon missionaries,"Come on in, I voted for Mitt, I'll listen to you."
But it comes down to this: Mormon missionaries teach our doctrines. If people come to believe them, and manage to give up tobacco and alcohol and coffee and tea and illegal drugs, and are willing to pay a full tithe and keep all the other commandments, then they join the Mormon Church.
Mitt Romney isn't going to be giving out coupons -- "5% tithing and two smokes a day if you vote for Mitt." Mormonism is a demanding faith.Most people have to change their lives in order to live as Latter-day Saints, and some people make great sacrifices. Whatever difference having a Mormon as President of the United States might make, I can't see anybody actually becoming a Mormon because of it. And what happens when the mainstream media crucify him the way they've crucified President Bush? Won't that also work to hurt the Mormon missionary effort?
"If that clown in the White House is a Mormon, I don't want anything to do with you!" And the door slams in the missionary's face.
Or in foreign countries -- having a Mormon be President of the U.S. might make it harder for Mormon missionaries to find people willing to talk to them.
In the real world, though, it really won't make any difference to Mormon missionary work.What American Mormons want is what every other American wants: The best person available as President of the United States. If that "bestperson" happens to be a Mormon, we'd like him not to be disqualified because of his religion.
3. Mormons Aren't Christians, Are They? Aren't They a Cult?
Let me save everybody a lot of time. If by "Christian" you mean"believes in the version of God and Christ taught in the Nicene Creed,"then absolutely not.
Right from the start, the founding prophet of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith, rejected that view of God as a fantasy. Of course, by our definition of "Christian theology," we're the only Christians. That's why we send out missionaries to preach to Baptists and Methodists right along with the heathens.
And let's remember that Catholics have historically had a pretty low opinion of the doctrines of Lutherans and Quakers and Presbyterians --and vice versa.
But in America, we all agree to get along. In fact, it says it right there in Article 6 of the Constitution: "No religious test shall everbe required as a qualification to any office or public trust under the United States."
We've had plenty of Presidents who weren't Christians, most prominently Thomas Jefferson. But most of them hadn't served as missionaries fortheir atheistic or deistic beliefs, either. So let's pretend that it matters. Theologically, Mormons are way outside the mainstream of Christianity. But how do Mormons actually live?
Despite the efforts of our opponents to paint us as a "cult," we don't live in communes in Guyana. We hold regular jobs. Most Mormon kids goto regular schools.We wear regular clothes. (OK, maybe a little more modest than most, butthat's a good thing, isn't it?) We don't smoke or drink or do drugs -- but that makes us safer driversand more reliable employees and better company in small closed rooms, doesn't it?
Let's forget about doctrinal religion and look at practical religion. Mormons are people who take their worship of God seriously. We really try to live by the commandments of God, as we understand them -- and they're not a bad list of commandments.
In fact, they sound kind of like what most American Christians would aspire to. Get married, be faithful to your spouse, have babies and raise them right. Don't let your life be taken over by drugs or alcohol. Hold down a job and support a family. Go to Church. Contribute to charity. Help your neighbor when he needs a hand. Be honest in your business dealings.If you think we're not Christians, fine. But we make decent neighbors and co-workers, most of the time. And since we all agree there should be no religious test to be President, then what difference can our doctrines possibly make?
In fact, when you come right down to it, can you think of any significant point on which Mormons would disagree with an ordinary conservative Christian's view of what a President ought to do? We may have different opinions about the nature of God, but we still pray to the God of the New Testament and recognize Jesus Christ as theSavior of the world, and try to obey his commandments, like any other practical Christians.
We Mormons treat President Bush's religious faith with respect and regard him as a Christian even though we think his theology is wrong; I think Methodists and Baptists and Catholics are mature and generous enough to treat a Mormon President the same way.
3a. What About Polygamy? If you're one of the unfortunate people who read Under the Banner of Heaven, you might have the impression that Mormons still practice or condone polygamy.
The opposite is true. The Mormon Church repudiated the practice of polygamy in 1890, and right now the surest, fastest way to get kickedout of the Mormon Church is to advocate polygamy. We are the mostanti-polygamous religion in the world right now.
So yes, it's in our history -- I have a lot of polygamists in myancestry. My grandmother was born into a family that practiced polygamy-- but she was born in the 1880s.
Mitt Romney has exactly one wife and he seems on track to stay married to her for his whole life. Nobody's going to catch him having affairs or flings because he doesn't do that. So, 117 years later, let's give the polygamy thing a rest, OK?
4. Only Dumb and Crazy People Believe Those Doctrines!
Ah. Here's where we come to the ugly part. This is what that article about Mormon beliefs in The Week was really about -- making Mitt Romney seem like an idiot for believing in Mormon doctrine. In his book, Hugh Hewitt recounts some really offensive, outrageous attempts by opponents of Mitt Romney to try to force him, in pressconferences, to answer questions about Mormon belief.
"Do you, personally, really believe in [insert wacko-sounding doctrinehere]?"
Sometimes the people asking that question will be evangelical Christians out to "expose" how false and ridiculous Mormon doctrines are. But when the press picks it up, it'll be anti-religious people using a man's religious faith as a reason to ridicule him so he can't beelected President. Do you think Mormons are the only people who can be treated that way?
If you're a Catholic, would you appreciate some reporter asking a Catholic presidential candidate, "Do you really believe that when you take the communion wafer, it literally turns into human flesh in yourmouth? Isn't that cannibalism?"
If you're a Baptist, would you think it was legitimate for a heckler at a press conference to ask a Baptist presidential candidate, "So you think that when Jesus comes again, you're going to just rise right up into the air, no airplane, no jet pack, you'll just fly? Or aren't youa good enough Baptist to be in the Rapture?"
Everybody's religious beliefs sound crazy when you talk about them scornfully.And that's the thing that religious Americans ought to remember. The secular, mostly atheistic power elite in our country already has control of the universities and the mainstream media. You can't send your kids to a nonreligious college without knowing that some professoris going to treat their faith with scorn and try to convert them to atheism.
Anybody with religious faith is on the same side in that little war. And if they can keep Mitt Romney from being President by making fun of his religious faith, they can keep candidates from your religion from the presidency in exactly the same way. If you let the ridicule of Mormon beliefs be a reason not to vote forMitt Romney, then you're saying that religious people who believe in God as the foundation of their morality are no longer eligible for the Presidency. By the way, it's just as easy to make fun of some of the insane, self-contradictory beliefs of politically correct atheists; but if you tried it, the mainstream media would treat atheists as victims of religious persecution. It's a sword that will only be allowed to cut one way -- once you unsheathe it, all religious people will bleed.
Article 6 is a protection for all religious people, and for non-religious people, too. A person's religious beliefs are not a subject for discussion. Is Mitt Romney the Best Candidate? I have no idea. I don't know enough about the other candidates -- or about Mitt Romney, for that matter.
Just as I hope no one will rejecthim because he's a Mormon, I am not going to support him just becausehe's a Mormon. I'm a Democrat. I would be really grateful if my party would nominate somebody who doesn't make my skin crawl just thinking of them in theWhite House (i.e., someone who isn't Hillary Clinton). I'm still looking long and hard at Barack Obama.
If there were a chance that Joe Lieberman could get the Democratic nomination, he'd be my candidate this year no matter whom the Republicans nominated. On the Republican side, I'm looking long and hard at Giuliani. McCain, on the other hand, is so volatile, so unreliable, so self-serving that despite his noble war record and his iron clad stance on the need to win the War on Terror, I would have a hard time choosing him over anybody but Hillary.
In short, I'm still making up my mind. Hugh Hewitt takes the same position. He remembers too well how candidates can self-destruct, or how strong candidates can come out of nowhere.He also knows how effective the anti-Mormon thing can be. Ted Kennedy ran an anti-Mormon campaign against Mitt Romney when Romney opposed him for the Senate a decade ago. And it worked ... that time. So Hewitt isn't saying Mitt Romney should be the Republican nominee. What he is saying is that Republicans would be six kinds of stupid if they ruled him out solely because of his religious faith.
Let me ask you Republicans who would consider yourselves moral conservatives: Would you really let a person's religious beliefs absolutely disqualify him from the Presidency? And if you're leaning that way, think about this: If it was a choicebetween a moral conservative and decent person like Mitt Romney, who happens to be a Mormon, and Hillary Clinton, would you really sit out the election rather than cast your vote for a Mormon?
Read Hugh Hewitt's book -- he does a great job of treating Mitt Romney's candidacy fairly and objectively. Since he's not a Mormon, he doesn't have any agenda for or against my church. He just wants a good conservative to win the 2008 election, and he thinks Mitt Romney should be given a fair shot to persuade voters that he's the President for ourtime.
And you might also check out a website called "Article VI Blog." Run by two guys, one a Mormon, one an evangelical, the site deals head-on withissues concerning Mitt Romney's candidacy. You can find it at:http://www.article6blog.com/
Meanwhile, I have only one bit of advice for Mitt Romney -- advice I would have given George W. Bush (and any other moral conservative), if he'd only bothered to ask me. Don't go on the Letterman show. It's enemy territory. It just gives Letterman footage to use against you for the rest of your life.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Let go of the rope
I recall a ficticious story of a Climber who in his pride went alone to climb a 'claimed' impassable peak. He did reach the top and rejoiced to himself of his accomplishment, but on the way down the mountain in the fading light he slipped and fell a far way in the dark. The rope caught, stopped his fall, and I would think broke his back in the process. When the Climber came again to his sense he realized that it was freezing and pitch black. All he knew was the rope was still around him, his body was freezing, and he was going to die. In his perdicament he cried out to God saying "How can you do this to me, God, after I accomplished this wonderful personal triumph only to now put me in a situation where I'll not be able to tell anyone about it?!"
All the sudden a voice cried out "I didn't put you in this situation you should have brought with you a partner to climb. None the less I can save you, but you need to cut the rope."
The climber was startled that there was an answer but in thinking over the answer 'cut the rope' he rationalized 'No I'd rather hold onto my rope as I can't see the ground from here in this darkness' and so he held on.
The story ends with some hikers going along the bottom trail of the 'impassible' mountain and finding the frozen corpse of a man hanging from a rope 20 feet above the ground.
cool story huh? ok now for the actual let go of the rope link.... it's a different story and it's actually for people who are addicted to Pornagraphy or someone that knows of someone that is, but in all truth you can put ANY mortal problem in place of the word "pornagraphy" here... IE smoking (yes smoking in truth), over eating, afraid to go on dates because of the way you perceive others think about you, etc... http://byubroadcasting.org/secrets/transcript/moody_transcript_2003.htm
All the sudden a voice cried out "I didn't put you in this situation you should have brought with you a partner to climb. None the less I can save you, but you need to cut the rope."
The climber was startled that there was an answer but in thinking over the answer 'cut the rope' he rationalized 'No I'd rather hold onto my rope as I can't see the ground from here in this darkness' and so he held on.
The story ends with some hikers going along the bottom trail of the 'impassible' mountain and finding the frozen corpse of a man hanging from a rope 20 feet above the ground.
cool story huh? ok now for the actual let go of the rope link.... it's a different story and it's actually for people who are addicted to Pornagraphy or someone that knows of someone that is, but in all truth you can put ANY mortal problem in place of the word "pornagraphy" here... IE smoking (yes smoking in truth), over eating, afraid to go on dates because of the way you perceive others think about you, etc... http://byubroadcasting.org/secrets/transcript/moody_transcript_2003.htm
Sunday, February 04, 2007
Tell me it isn't true!
(This is copywrited so I guess I'll let the owners sue me over it if they want to ... ;)
Anthony Atkins, “Tell Me It Isn’t True,” Ensign, Feb 2007, 9–11
Some life-changing days take you by surprise. April 19, 2003, was one such day for me. I was working as a chaplain for the Church of England in South Yorkshire and was happy in my work. I had been a priest for nearly 14 years and imagined I would remain so until I died.
It was the day before Easter Sunday, and since we did not have special services in the chapel of the hospital where I worked, I went to the local parish church. During the service, two Latter-day Saint missionaries entered the building. It was obvious that they were missionaries because of their haircuts, suits, and badges. I knew no one would speak to them after the service, as many Christians in England view Latter-day Saints with a great deal of suspicion. But I wondered why they had come to the service, and I wanted to let them know what true Christianity was like.
I chatted with them for a while, and they told me a little about their beliefs. As the conversation came to an end, Elder Spencer said they would like to visit with me again and teach me more. I agreed, thinking that an hour spent with me was one less hour they could spend with some unfortunate person who might be taken in by their misguided ideas.
“By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them”
The following Thursday, the elders met with me as planned. They taught me about the Savior, and I knew it was the same Jesus I had loved all my life. The phrase “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) went round in my head. I could not find fault with anything they said.
They gave me a Book of Mormon and asked me to pray about Moroni’s promise (see Moroni 10:4). I agreed. To my surprise, I also agreed to a return appointment, even though that was not part of my plan.
From that day forward I began to read the Book of Mormon. I felt guilty doing so. For every page I read, I also read a page from the Bible to offset it. As promised, I did pray about the book, but I asked Heavenly Father to reveal to me that it wasn’t true. I did not receive that answer. I found the Book of Mormon to be a deeply spiritual book that testified of the Savior. Yet I struggled with many of the book’s teachings, as well as the belief that there are prophets today and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.
Elder Spencer and Elder Stefan continued to teach me. I asked them many questions, and I felt the Spirit as they taught, although I did not recognize it at the time. I enjoyed their visits but thought it was because they were nice people. It was humbling to be taught eternal truths by two 20-year-olds. They had spent three weeks in the Missionary Training Center, and I had spent three years in theological college. But Heavenly Father had prepared Elder Spencer to love the Bible and to use it, along with the Book of Mormon, to teach me. Still, I was resistant to the message of the restored gospel. If it was true, I would lose my job, my house, and many friends.
What also made it difficult was that the Savior was already part of my life. It is hard to see the light when one is already in the light. I needed to be sure. I had good days, and I had bad days when I wished I had never met the elders. But even though I did not yet have a testimony of the Restoration, I could not stop reading the Book of Mormon.
As I continued to read the Bible, it supported all the elders had taught me. What they taught challenged many of my beliefs but also confirmed many others and clarified some of my beliefs that I had not fully understood.
“The Lord Is on Thy Side”
This was a challenging time for me. Facing such huge changes was not easy, but I knew Heavenly Father had taken care of me before and would continue to do so. The words of the hymn “Be Still, My Soul” became special to me:
Be still, my soul:
The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide; In ev’ry change he faithful will remain. …
Be still, my soul:
Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past.1
I had planned to spend some time at a monastery in France, but due to a train strike I was unable to go.
I was disappointed, as I thought that was where I would get the answer to my searching. I decided to have a spiritual day in one of my favorite places in the countryside. After lunch I was driving and listening to a general conference talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley called “The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith.” It ends with an invitation to those willing to listen to the message of the Church: “To these we say in a spirit of love, bring with you all that you have of good and truth which you have received from whatever source, and come and let us see if we may add to it.”2 At this point my heart began to pound, and I felt ill.
I parked the car and stood outside till the feelings subsided. I felt impelled to walk down a country lane. There was nowhere to sit other than on a gatepost, but I knew that was where I should stay. I opened my Bible and there saw the account of the Apostasy in Thessalonians (see 2 Thessalonians 2). I tried again and got Peter’s account (see 2 Peter 2). This was not what I wanted, so I read from the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon.
As I read, I noticed a small, algae-covered pond across the road. A cow came and began to drink from it. It seemed as though an inner voice were telling me that the pond was like my present beliefs, which gave me sustenance, but they were not the springs of living water the Savior was now offering me. I looked up and saw hang gliders soaring in the sky above me, and I sensed that the Lord was offering to take me to a higher place.
I began to suspect that the Church was indeed true. Two days after this experience in the country, I attended my first baptism. The Spirit was so strong that it was the greatest spiritual experience I had ever had. My tears flowed. I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to leave, but I had given a ride to the elders, so I had to stay.
Even after all this, the thought of leaving my job and my home was almost too much to contemplate. I visited a ward where I was introduced to a friend who helped me explore possible careers. After much prayer and reflection I eventually settled on seeking training as a social worker, and I obtained a place at a university.
A New Life
Finally I ended my service as a priest and went off into the unknown. I moved into a new flat and started at the university. I entered the waters of baptism and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the greatest day of my life. Words can never describe what an amazing occasion it was.
I have since been ordained to the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods and have received my endowment in the temple.
I know the Lord’s Church has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that it has the true priesthood authority. I love the missionaries of the Church for the work they do. I am eternally grateful for all those who taught me and who did not give up on me, knowing what was in my heart even when I did not know myself.
HERE
Anthony Atkins, “Tell Me It Isn’t True,” Ensign, Feb 2007, 9–11
Some life-changing days take you by surprise. April 19, 2003, was one such day for me. I was working as a chaplain for the Church of England in South Yorkshire and was happy in my work. I had been a priest for nearly 14 years and imagined I would remain so until I died.
It was the day before Easter Sunday, and since we did not have special services in the chapel of the hospital where I worked, I went to the local parish church. During the service, two Latter-day Saint missionaries entered the building. It was obvious that they were missionaries because of their haircuts, suits, and badges. I knew no one would speak to them after the service, as many Christians in England view Latter-day Saints with a great deal of suspicion. But I wondered why they had come to the service, and I wanted to let them know what true Christianity was like.
I chatted with them for a while, and they told me a little about their beliefs. As the conversation came to an end, Elder Spencer said they would like to visit with me again and teach me more. I agreed, thinking that an hour spent with me was one less hour they could spend with some unfortunate person who might be taken in by their misguided ideas.
“By Their Fruits Ye Shall Know Them”
The following Thursday, the elders met with me as planned. They taught me about the Savior, and I knew it was the same Jesus I had loved all my life. The phrase “by their fruits ye shall know them” (Matthew 7:20) went round in my head. I could not find fault with anything they said.
They gave me a Book of Mormon and asked me to pray about Moroni’s promise (see Moroni 10:4). I agreed. To my surprise, I also agreed to a return appointment, even though that was not part of my plan.
From that day forward I began to read the Book of Mormon. I felt guilty doing so. For every page I read, I also read a page from the Bible to offset it. As promised, I did pray about the book, but I asked Heavenly Father to reveal to me that it wasn’t true. I did not receive that answer. I found the Book of Mormon to be a deeply spiritual book that testified of the Savior. Yet I struggled with many of the book’s teachings, as well as the belief that there are prophets today and that Joseph Smith was a prophet of God.
Elder Spencer and Elder Stefan continued to teach me. I asked them many questions, and I felt the Spirit as they taught, although I did not recognize it at the time. I enjoyed their visits but thought it was because they were nice people. It was humbling to be taught eternal truths by two 20-year-olds. They had spent three weeks in the Missionary Training Center, and I had spent three years in theological college. But Heavenly Father had prepared Elder Spencer to love the Bible and to use it, along with the Book of Mormon, to teach me. Still, I was resistant to the message of the restored gospel. If it was true, I would lose my job, my house, and many friends.
What also made it difficult was that the Savior was already part of my life. It is hard to see the light when one is already in the light. I needed to be sure. I had good days, and I had bad days when I wished I had never met the elders. But even though I did not yet have a testimony of the Restoration, I could not stop reading the Book of Mormon.
As I continued to read the Bible, it supported all the elders had taught me. What they taught challenged many of my beliefs but also confirmed many others and clarified some of my beliefs that I had not fully understood.
“The Lord Is on Thy Side”
This was a challenging time for me. Facing such huge changes was not easy, but I knew Heavenly Father had taken care of me before and would continue to do so. The words of the hymn “Be Still, My Soul” became special to me:
Be still, my soul:
The Lord is on thy side; With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide; In ev’ry change he faithful will remain. …
Be still, my soul:
Thy God doth undertake To guide the future as he has the past.1
I had planned to spend some time at a monastery in France, but due to a train strike I was unable to go.
I was disappointed, as I thought that was where I would get the answer to my searching. I decided to have a spiritual day in one of my favorite places in the countryside. After lunch I was driving and listening to a general conference talk by President Gordon B. Hinckley called “The Marvelous Foundation of Our Faith.” It ends with an invitation to those willing to listen to the message of the Church: “To these we say in a spirit of love, bring with you all that you have of good and truth which you have received from whatever source, and come and let us see if we may add to it.”2 At this point my heart began to pound, and I felt ill.
I parked the car and stood outside till the feelings subsided. I felt impelled to walk down a country lane. There was nowhere to sit other than on a gatepost, but I knew that was where I should stay. I opened my Bible and there saw the account of the Apostasy in Thessalonians (see 2 Thessalonians 2). I tried again and got Peter’s account (see 2 Peter 2). This was not what I wanted, so I read from the Doctrine and Covenants and the Book of Mormon.
As I read, I noticed a small, algae-covered pond across the road. A cow came and began to drink from it. It seemed as though an inner voice were telling me that the pond was like my present beliefs, which gave me sustenance, but they were not the springs of living water the Savior was now offering me. I looked up and saw hang gliders soaring in the sky above me, and I sensed that the Lord was offering to take me to a higher place.
I began to suspect that the Church was indeed true. Two days after this experience in the country, I attended my first baptism. The Spirit was so strong that it was the greatest spiritual experience I had ever had. My tears flowed. I was so overwhelmed that I wanted to leave, but I had given a ride to the elders, so I had to stay.
Even after all this, the thought of leaving my job and my home was almost too much to contemplate. I visited a ward where I was introduced to a friend who helped me explore possible careers. After much prayer and reflection I eventually settled on seeking training as a social worker, and I obtained a place at a university.
A New Life
Finally I ended my service as a priest and went off into the unknown. I moved into a new flat and started at the university. I entered the waters of baptism and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was the greatest day of my life. Words can never describe what an amazing occasion it was.
I have since been ordained to the Aaronic and Melchizedek priesthoods and have received my endowment in the temple.
I know the Lord’s Church has been restored through the Prophet Joseph Smith and that it has the true priesthood authority. I love the missionaries of the Church for the work they do. I am eternally grateful for all those who taught me and who did not give up on me, knowing what was in my heart even when I did not know myself.
HERE
Sunday, December 31, 2006
For women and guys that are interested in respecting and loving them
It's a BYU 1989 devotional talk, but it has reference still today. HERE
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