Leaderboard

This is the best thread we’ve had in months. Awesome!!!

I just created next week's topic. Sorry, @askandanswer, for making it late this week.

Henry vacuum cleaners are basically employee of the month every time. Relentless little machines. The punishment I have seen them take over the years yet they still get the job done. Simple but effective engineering.

Every month me (and another bloke called Alan) have to vacuum the church. I do the back area around the piano and the organ, and the nave (where most people sit) and Alan does the "holy end" - the vestry and the area around the altar. I guess it's similar to what you people call a "calling". Anyway, the vacuum cleaner I use is "Henry": I have no idea whether you have "Henry" in America but he is really popular here. He has a top that looks like a derby hat, with a long cord that pulls out and you wind a handle to get it back. And you drag him around to where the dirt is, and he sucks it up his long extended nose. If you pull him too fast he topples over and his "hat" comes off. Anyway, I have seen Henry vacuum cleaners in B&Q for about £150. I have often thought of buying one and taking him straight to the rubbish tip and chucking him with all the other used appliances. That would wipe the smile off his smug little face, don't you think?

I know there is a new movie out in the Equalizer series. They have been quite popular – I just think they are a little unrealistic. At least these kind of heroes. Having been in the military, assigned to work with military intelligence and having in the Defense Department for a number of years – anyone expert in their craft are seldom retired while at the pinnacle of their expertise. There is something else – often in the entertainment world the hero takes on many and dispenses of them with little effort. There can be 50 expert bad guys firing on the good guy and missing while the good guy takes out a bad guy with every shot. In reality world none of the elite special teams attack as a single individual with a hand gun. One thing I learned during my military experience – if I am ever in a life-threatening combat situation, I will avoid going it alone – especially with inferior weapons (handgun or anything inferior to my opponent’s weapons). A single individual is no match for a team working together – ever. Even the classic story of David facing Goliath often misses the most important notion that David had divine assistance and that it was that assistance and not David’s exceptional abilities that was the difference. My whole point is that we should never attempt to tackle anything of importance on our own. As much as we think we ought to be up to outstanding tasks – if something is important we should always think in terms of seeking and accepting help. All too often we think to do too many things by ourselves – even when we are giving a calling – it is seldom a good idea to much of anything all on our own. The Traveler

Anyone who read British comics in the 1970s will remember Billy the Cat and Katie - the acrobatic crime fighters of Burnham. This is how their adventures would likely have gone for real..

This. Abraham knew it, and Moses must also have known it, given what all he saw. I expect that at least the heads of dispensations knew it, if not all the prophets. Somehow, it was lost, repeatedly.

I have done a lot of force on force training over the years. I have also played the role of the bad guy. Inevitably the team will win. I have reasonably good skills and so far the only times I have won as a solo bad guy was because some people we ran through the training had not been trained in building clearing. Literally, they did not know what they were doing. Odds are heavily against a single person winning against a group with training.

On #1 - I don't think so. Considering it's mostly Americans (who think America is the ONLY nation in the world) who complained as loudly as they did and fought against masks, vaccines, and quarantines as strongly, I expect it will turn out very differently in history (at least long term). IF America's reach declines (as most empires do) or the Second Coming happens and people around the world are taken more seriously, those who dislike science and try to spread their own (by claiming that only the US exists and that every other nation and their scientists are wrong, or flat out ignore that the other nations even exist and how they were handlng the pandemic or the suggestions internationally were going as well as the studies internationally) ideologies will probably have their own voice diminished as well...I expect a very different story will emerge. 1. Vaccines actually work. That those who were vaccinated or survived the initial Covid hit (and yes, MILLIONS died from Covid, which many Americans still try to ignore...but mostly the far right) did create a mass immunization which helped reduce the effects of later strains of Covid (thus far) showing that yes...science actually is correct. 2. If America declines and Asia comes to predominence, Showing that the Asian method of wearing masks when sick actually are a better idea than the Far Right's strategy in the US of not wearing masks...AND that those who don't wear masks were irresponsible individuals that (if justice is in heaven) may want to be worried about a final judgement where the deaths of others caused by flagrant disregard may be a considering factor . (and yes, masks are STILL something used in Asia in many nations, especially when one is sick. This isn't a matter of whether one wears it when they have Covid, but when one is sick in general. Some also wear it due to pollution and other effects in the air). 3. IF the lawsuit is successful, all it will do is probably make it so if something like this ever happens again, Texas gets no vaccines and companies refuse to do business with Texas. Texas is large, but they aren't so large that they outnumber all the other nations of the world. Other nations will pursue science, even if Texas does not. Sort of reminds one of North Africa in the 17th and later centuries. They had been part of a very advanced civilization and at the forefront of science at one point, but due to political and social ridiculous attitudes they rejected many of these and then got colonized by those who actually had a greater advancement in science then they did. 4. As politically, this site normally aligns to the FAR right (and ironically, the LDS church does NOT. In fact, though there is a greater percentage of Conservative members in Utah, I think a recent study showed that it was nearly 50/50 for Conservative/Liberal outside of Utah/Idaho/Arizona...with women being around a 25/75 Conservative/Liberal when under the age of 25 outside of Utah...meaning politically I don't think this site actually represents what members of the church feel in general) I expect this post to be taken VERY poorly overall.

Lol!!! Dude, that’s awesome!! Lol!!!

Meanwhile, here's the page showing Henry and all his friends: Hetty, James, George, Charles, (and various other forms of Henry). Given the names, one might think this company is trying to suggest that kings suck...

Helaman 11 v4: It does seem that a famine would be more likely to cause people to turn to God than a war / violence. v5: Can't say I've ever thought of it before this moment, but I see no reason why a similar situation couldn't happen today (in theory), nor why it couldn't have happened at any point when there have been prophets on the earth - the prophet praying for the Lord to replace one bad thing with another. v6: Get your food storage in order! v7: Don't wait until you're about to perish before repenting! Always remember the Lord. v8: It seems bizarre to me that instead of repenting and praying themselves, and even instead of going to Nephi themselves, they go to their civil leaders and ask them to go to the prophet. This really makes me think of those who look to the government to take care of them, and who want blessings without doing the associated work. Get on your knees, already! v9: Well, this does suggest they did that, but v8 still seems bizarre to me. (Not this V8 Nor this V8 verse 8!) Be humble. Repent. v10: OK, more good action happening. Sweep evil out of your life! v15: Don't wait for pestilence and destruction! v18: Be grateful for everything, not just the unusual. v19: You don't have to be the prophet to be and do good. v20-23: When good times start, resolve and work to stay humble and penitent so that they stay. Know that good times can lead to taking the Lord and his blessings for granted and don't do that. Know they can lead to pride and don't allow it. Plan ahead for the righteous things you will do in your spare time (that always comes as a result of prosperity). v26: Because everything can change "in the space of not many years". v29-31: Even for what sure seems like a righteous cause, going on the offensive does not seem to be supported by God. v34: Or perhaps the people who were trying to fight the Gadianton robbers had fallen into wickedness themselves. v36: Holy cow! Work on your attention span. Be quick to remember God, not to forget him! Helaman 12 Appears to be Mormon's commentary. v3: One reason why God allows suffering. Be humble. Love God. Remember the Lord every day. Be grateful. Seek to learn and do the will of God. v18-19: @Jamie123, this idea of possessions becoming "slippery" comes up again in connection with the people's wickedness in Helaman 13:31-36 (tomorrow) and Mormon 1:18 at least.

And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. - Matthew 1:21 Mary and Joseph did not need to be taught the deep significance of the name Jesus. The Hebrew root from which it was derived, Jehoshua, means “Jehovah is salvation.” So the mission of Jehovah, soon to be named Jesus, was salvation, and His supreme destiny was to become the Savior of the world. - Russell M. Nelson, Christ the Savior is Born

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; as he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. - Luke 1:46-55 Mary had recently received the blessed visitation of the angel who revealed her special role in the “good news and glad tidings” our Father in Heaven had planned for us. She was to be the mother of Jesus Christ, our Savior! The scriptures record only a small portion of the dialogue between Mary and her heavenly visitor. But Mary’s expressions of joy to her cousin Elisabeth tell us that the blessed plan of salvation was unfolded and she understood the role she would play. Her loving response was, “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God, my Savior." At that moment Mary committed her life to bringing our Savior into mortality, and we as Latter-day Saints know that he had already committed his life unto death for us. When we . . . fully understand this, then the gospel of Jesus Christ becomes not a religion of habit but one of commitment. This commitment can then release us from the bondage of fear and confusion and hesitation in which we sometimes find ourselves in these difficult times. We can only be as strong as we must be when we are truly committed. - Naomi M. Shumway, Teaching Our Little Women

I think it is sad (especially among LDS) to define success in terms of worldly achievements – especially money. The second problem is in defining success in terms of others (our children, family or friends). Perhaps the strangest is defining one’s success in terms of heroes – like your favorite sports team, celebrity or following the initial op – tribe association. The flipside of this is the inability to realize the shortcomings of ourselves or those in our tribe – or until your enemy does it. I have often thought about determining my personal successes. I hold two patents from work, but the reality is that the patents were not really my ideas but came as inspiration from a source outside of myself. I cannot take credit for something that is not mine. I mentioned what I am thinking about success to my wife, and she said that I am an amazing husband – but the truth is that she is an amazing wife that makes me a better husband. I am thinking that determining personal success is a trap similar to humility. The more you think you are a master of it the more you are failing at it. And if you think you have failed – it is likely that you have. The one thing I believe; is that if you love someone unselfishly – that truly is one thing in which you have indeed succeeded. The Traveler

This morning on r/fountainpens (reddit), I saw that some poor soul had asked, "What kind of person uses a fountain pen?" I made assumptions and kept scrolling without stopping to read, but the question (and the fact that the population there is so young and woke) made me realize that folks look for "belonging" and external definitions of "what kind of person" they are wherever they can find it because it's not taught anymore. No one taught these poor people who they are. And I don't just mean the gender identity crisis people, I mean the vast majority of the most recent generation or two. At some point in the past, folks were taught that they were [nationality] or [religion] or [family] (and all the stuff packed inside the words). Now, they're taught to reject nationality and religion, and told that family has such a broad definition as to be meaningless. No wonder people are chasing after whatever fad or cause they feel like they can "belong" to. Sigh. The world needs the gospel of Jesus Christ. I was reminded of the May 2022 Worldwide Devotional for Young Adults with President and Sister Nelson. Critical quote: I don't know that I had any discussion in mind, it just seemed like people need to be taught who they are, and we need to make sure we don't forget who we are. Those of us who were taught (and have learned) who we are should be eternally grateful for that knowledge!

We operate on the sense of time. In eternity Past, Present, and Future do not exist. There most likely were beings like Lucifer in eternity, they are his followers. It is most likely that Lucifer is the ultimate evil in existence. As intellectually interesting as these questions may be, I try to listen the warning from Nietze: "He who fights with monsters might take care lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze for long into an abyss, the abyss gazes also into you." - Nietzsche (Beyond Good and Evil: Prelude to a Philosophy of the Future (1886), Chapter IV. Apophthegms and Interludes, §146).

And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. - Luke 1:41-44 [T]he story of the Savior’s birth represents only a part of why we feel the Spirit during the Christmas season. Christmas is not only a celebration of how Jesus came into the world but also of knowing who He is—our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ—and of why He came. - Craig C. Christensen, The Fulness of the Story of Christmas

I think I'll stop complaining when the Savior returns.

Perhaps. It’s a really hard thing to come up with something that is original, entertaining, has a solid story, has good underlying values, is executed well, and is “clean”. I think that’s why Pixar—up until the last 10 years or so—was such a unicorn. I think your point about “the right can’t win” probably has some merit—not because conservatives are inherently “nattering nabobs of negativity”; but because a) “family values” types who are offended enough by crudity to vote with their wallets are probably a distinct minority generally; and b) the modern American political right is by its nature a fractious bunch—an uncomfortable alliance between values/social/religious conservatives with rigid moral codes, and business-types and secular libertarians who might value “law and order” but have little use for stringent personal ethics (especially self-discipline or sexual probity) so long as stores aren’t being robbed and contracts are being honored.

Joseph Smith: "If men do not comprehend the character of God, they do not comprehend themselves..." I think the problem started with the Nicene Creed which attempted to make God incomprehensible. It has only gotten worse over time.

Amen. As someone married since 2002 to the same gal I’ll never feel like a failure.

Excerpt from Spencer W. Kimball’s Oct ‘71 address Glimpses of Heaven When the eternal marriage was solemnized, and as the subdued congratulations were extended, a happy father, radiant in his joy, offered his hand and said, ‘Brother Kimball, my wife and I are common people and have never been successful, but we are immensely proud of our family.’ He continued, ‘This is the last of our eight children to come into this holy house for temple marriage. They, with their companions, are here to participate in the marriage of this, the youngest. This is our supremely happy day, with all of our eight children married properly. They are faithful to the Lord in church service, and the older ones are already rearing families in righteousness.’ “I looked at his calloused hands, his rough exterior, and thought to myself, ‘Here is a real son of God fulfilling his destiny.’ “‘Success?’ I said, as I grasped his hand. ‘That is the greatest success story I have heard. You might have accumulated millions in stocks and bonds, bank accounts, lands, industries, and still be quite a failure. You are fulfilling the purpose for which you were sent into this world by keeping your own lives righteous, bearing and rearing this great posterity, and training them in faith and works. Why, my dear folks, you are eminently successful. God bless you.’” https://www.churchofjesuschrist.org/study/general-conference/1971/10/glimpses-of-heaven?lang=eng

This is, IMO, the essence of the so-called American Dream; not that you can make a million dollars—what a perversion of the idea of the American Dream!—but that you can try to be who you want to be. You may fail (odds are good for failure), but you are free to try. I take great pride in being American to the extent that that "Dream" is still true.

Understand totally. As a convert I can’t say anything to someone who redefines how they view themselves religiously. I no longer define myself as Catholic and I was raised that way. I also view myself as a Floridian and I wasn’t raised here either. I’m also adopted and a lot of adoptees are very fluid* with how they define themselves ethnically and religiously *it seems to be one of two options for adoptees. We either define ourselves loosely like I do or they become hyper focused on who they were during their upbringing.

Those are just the primary things I could think of that used to ground people - tie them into a community and give them a sense of who they are (perhaps I should add, "in relation to everyone else"). If I had to go with what identity people should have, I would go with President Nelson's list every time. (Though not all will accept it, obviously.) Yes, and I imagine we'd be content if these identities were strongly held and taught, like they were when I was a child. But they're not anymore.

A long time ago, my BIL was teaching a lesson at church when my family was visiting them. He pointed out that the society seemed to be dividing into "tribes" as hinted in 4th Nephi. Then he asked, "What does that say about the role of the Church in these times?" I get the impression that he was actually trying to say that dividing into tribes is detrimental to society. But my response to his question was "The Church is our tribe." You seem to go along with that idea with the promotion of Nation, Family, & Religion. But there is something more to your response than mine. When I only named one tribe, there was some exclusivity to it that went beyond what is healthy. But the Nation/Family/Religion trifecta are tribes which can coexist and have proven to be the ideal basis of enduring, peaceful societies. We combine our loyalty to our nation which allows for loyalty to a religion which allows for loyalty to our family. And when our family values reflect the values of the nation and religion, then we're in a peaceful, harmonious society. Today, the tribes that we see are not loyal to any societal set of values that have withstood the test of time. All values, all loyalties are only newly formed. In fact, they're not really formed at all. They are simply nebulous concepts that tend to be more about excluding than uniting. My 2 cents.

Welcome to the forums, and thank you for your service to the country. I never served but I feel the Coast Guard is like our “forgotten” armed forces.

Maybe not so much a mentor per se as observing the repeating pattern that is part of the fabric of existence. As we observe, we make choices, and he made his. However, his umbrage at a perceived misjustice indicates that he perceived a wrinkle in the pattern, so it seems he was, characteristically, acting from a very selfishly independent and parochial basis. Not the personality type for following a mentor! He probably thought he was innovatively improving things!

For with God nothing shall be impossible. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her. - Luke 1:37-38 Mary humbly responded that she would do what God asked, without demanding to know specifics and undoubtedly in spite of having countless questions about the implications for her life. She committed herself without exactly understanding why He was asking that of her or how things would work out. She accepted God’s word unconditionally and in advance, with little knowledge of what lay ahead... When we decide to do “whatsoever [God] saith unto” us, we earnestly commit to align our everyday behavior with God’s will. Such simple acts of faith as studying the scriptures daily, fasting regularly, and praying with real intent deepen our well of spiritual capacity to meet the demands of mortality. Over time, simple habits of belief lead to miraculous results. They transform our faith from a seedling into a dynamic power for good in our lives. Then, when challenges come our way, our rootedness in Christ provides steadfastness for our souls. God shores up our weaknesses, increases our joys, and causes “all things [to] work together for [our] good.” - L. Whitney Clayton, Whatever He Saith unto You, Do It

But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God; only to them who believe on his name. He was born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the same word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, as we beheld his glory, the glory as of the Only Begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth. - John 1:12-14 JST Let me suggest that holding fast to the word of God entails (1) remembering, honoring, and strengthening the personal connection we have with the Savior and His Father through the covenants and ordinances of the restored gospel and (2) prayerfully, earnestly, and consistently using the holy scriptures and the teachings of living prophets and apostles as sure sources of revealed truth. As we are bound and “hold fast” to the Lord and are transformed by living His doctrine, I promise that individually and collectively we will be blessed to “stand in holy places, and shall not be moved.” - David A. Bednar, But We Heeded Them Not

Hummmmmm -- maybe I whould have better luck training your cat. The Traveler

Waiting for the next installment with great anticipation!!

Trov needs to repent and get on the stick comment-wise.

You greatly underestimate my ability to feign stupidity while letting you vacuum my carpet. And I only have one cat, with short hair. But I do have 6 vacuum cleaners, so it may take you several visits to demonstrate their various technical advantages.

You greatly underestimate either my teaching abilities or your learning abilities. -- but then you have cats -- it may take more than once or twice. 😉 The Traveler

I'd be perfectly happy if @Traveler wanted to drop by once a week and demonstrate the finer techniques of carpet and hard floor cleaning. I think after a hundred or so lessons I might be ready to try it myself.

Not quite the same, but How many Lowe's would Rob Lowe rob if Rob Lowe would rob Lowe's?