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I've seen pizzas with so much grease on them you could lube a truck. That's basically what it comes down to, the ingredients used to make each pizza and how they're made. Unless you do it yourself or go to an actual authentic Italian place, you're going to get product that's been processed to oblivion and back, and that process is going to introduce things which aren't the best for your body.

Here was the last passive-aggressive pizza I made with my family. I call it "detente".

There have been times in my life, because of lack of finances, often ate food that was long, long, beyond their expiration date. I wholeheartedly asked Heavenly Father to bless that food that it would nourish and strengthen us. I appreciated all the home canned foods that we had, but many were canned years ago from my mother or other family members and given to us. It was a blessing that we had them, and I do believe that Heavenly Father can help food to be healthy for us. Now, with believing that He can help food be nourishing, I do not ask Him to nourish and strengthen our bodies when praying over a table full of sweets. I’ll simply ask for the refreshments to be blessed.

Sometimes I am concerned that politicians (both democrat and republican) are focused on legislation and spending to benefit themselves, their political party and their hidden agendas (including friends and colleges) rather than the citizens of the country they pretend to represent despite the oath of office they took. I believe that because democrats and often republicans vote as a block that the citizens – especially citizens like myself that do not align with democrats or republicans – are denied the right to be represented. We ought to be Americans first and party members secondary. Maybe we ought to think about requiring an oath for bureaucrats and other government workers. The Traveler

Prayers concerning what we eat has long been an interesting topic for me. I thought to post some thought that I have dealt with. On my mission I had a companion that wanted to bless the food when we brought it home from shopping. He gave some reason – I will include a few. It avoids unnecessary repetition (we are encouraged to avoid vain repetition in our prayers). Many items saved as leftovers have already been blessed. A box of cold cereal can end up being blessed many times. It saves time before meals and also food can be eaten at preferred temperatures. You also do not have to worry about blessing snacks. A good friend of mine (a Polynesian) insisted on a prayer on everything – even a stick of gum. He also included a blessing that nourishment and strength would come from the blessing of what was being partaken. I would kid him about blessing donuts, but he always insisted. I have become convinced that such faith has a positive effect. A long time ago, when I was attending university at BYU, many students would say a prayer on their food in public at the cafeteria. One very spiritual friend never would say a private prayer on food in public. I like to know things so I asked why. They responded that for them, private prayers were kept private. They would offer a private prayer at home for their away meals. For myself, I have found this consideration to be of value especially when traveling. For all my experiences, I have concluded that prayers (not just on food but for many things of which we use and partake), especially of thanks, are a good thing and that Latter-day Saints ought not to criticize humble prayers – regardless of words or physical things we personally may not use or prefer for ourselves. If there is any doubt, I think it is best to error on the side of too many prayers rather than too few. I think we should be thankful for all things that we use. My Polynesian friend mentioned above would bless his car for trips and other things that he would use. I want to thank those posting in this thread to remind me to seek blessings on things I use (beyond food) with a promise to use things according to my covenants. Even though I am embarrassed and sometimes loose things – I find prayers for assistance and help very beneficial. I believe it wise to bless all things we use and partake of – even things like headphones, computers, tools and sport equipment. I believe offering prayers of thanks and prayers of benediction to be used for good as an act of faith and in line with our covenant of consecration for benediction – even of our talents. I think we ought to support most blessings – of course there are exceptions like blessing for use things like alcohol, tobacco and recreational drugs. If someone wants to offer blessings on their clothing, tools or even a woman that wants to offer a prayer for the makeup they use – I can support such things asked in faith and humility. The Traveler

Democrats (in front of the camera): "Shame on Trump for giving tax breaks for billionaires!" Also Democrats (behind the camera): "We have to keep the war in Ukraine going so Zelenskyy can keep laundering money into our pockets!"

From the Handbook of Instruction:

Well... that was anti-climactic. He said all the right things and all. So, not disappointed. But I guess I got hyped up to expect some fireworks. But it was just another address. I honestly don't understand how callous all the Dems could be about Jocelyn Nungaray and Devarjay Daniel.

You don’t often hear this from a guy’s perspective, but here goes. About a year ago, I was diagnosed with testicular cancer and had to undergo surgery, which left me with scar tissue. I've worn garments since I was endowed more than 20 years ago, but now they’ve become excruciatingly uncomfortable. I found a solution—or maybe a compromise. There’s a company called AsWeMove that makes seamless boxers for men. I now wear these under my garments as a buffer, and the difference has been life-changing. Sorry if this is TMI, but I just wanted to share a man’s perspective.

Agreed 100%. I grew up saying that "nourish and strengthen" thing in my prayers. But a decade or two ago, I realized that the very definition of food was something that nourished you. So to ask God to make food nourishing is to ask that blue be the color of the sky. It's true by definition. So I don't see the point. Worse yet, I'm afraid that such things might constitute a vain repetition. And I really want my prayers to be sincere. I try not to say something just because that's what you're supposed to say.

When Nephi and family were traveling in the wilderness, they lived on raw meat. That is not a very good diet. Yet the Lord blessed them and per Nephi they had the strength and energy to do what was needed. While I fully believe that story I do not assume that the Lord would bless me if I made the choice to only eat raw meat. I have other options that the Lord has given me. If I use my agency to only eat raw meat, I am pretty sure the Lord would respect that and let the consequences of my choices teach me different. So I fully believe God can and does work miracles with food. But I also believe God works through small and simple things that he has provided for us, and he expects us to be wise and actively engaged in good causes.... Which includes our health. So for prayers over food I have also stepped away from the "Nourishing and strengthening" request... Not because I do not believe that God can't do it... but because it seems more like a vain repetition and asking amiss, when I have options. For me I have taken to saying things like "Bless this food that we might enjoy it" To me this works on just about every case. Eating food should be an enjoyable experience. If we are trying to eat healthier... then learning to enjoy that is very important. But if we are praying over a table of junk food, well isn't that kind of the point? It totally sucks to consume a bunch of empty calories only to find you didn't actually enjoy it.

In Hebrew, "name" also means: Reputation Power Authority Glory ...specifically in regards to a person of renown or authority. e.g. "...make a name for ourselves..." This is why we pray and perform ordinances "in the name of Jesus Christ."

Apparently that wasn't final either. Something I listened to yesterday has gotten me thinking about praise and worship, and in that light, I am rather liking the "hallowed be thy name" part - we don't do enough of that (praise and worship) even in our prayers, nevermind the rest of our religious services - it's all indirect or implied - only hymns (and only some of them) are explicit, stand-alone praise and worship. This is me experiencing some "holy envy" and starting on the path of "how to I add praise and worship to prayers, talks, and lessons?".

Americans get around this by having a Diet Coke with our MegaMeat stuffed cheeze pizza with dessert pizza for dessert. I mean, our bellies are even bigger than yours, but the diet soda helps us feel like we're doing more to handle it.

I think this is a respectable view, but I think there is a difference between the examples you provide and a westerner asking their triple cheese and bacon burger to do their bodies good. One is a serious and earnest plea for temporal security. The other is just plain silly.

I actually have a story of protection, but of one of my relatives rather than of myself. My Future Son-in-Law was serving a mission many years ago. At one point they were going downhill on bicycles on a gravel road. They were racing and as young men do, were not being the most careful. He passed several cars going downhill and so was going at a relatively good clip. As he took a sharp corner, the bike finally had enough and it couldn't keep it's stabilization on the gravel. He hit the ground extremely hard, and then the rest of his body followed. He injured and arm and a leg quite severely and still has the scars from it as well to this day. However, interestingly enough, he didn't fall on his arms or legs first, he fell on his shoulder. His shirt was torn entirely at that point, but he was uninjured at any spot where his garments were, and they were not destroyed or torn. He credits that the protection of the Lord was there to help him due to his faithful keeping of the covenant to wear the garment, and wherever the garment was, he was uninjured (which, unfortunately did not extend to his arms and legs).

As a man with an exceptionally rotund stomach. It's the over abundance. While Grandma Francescas home made from scratch pizza is likely a tasty, and not at all bad for you meal. Papa Johns XL extra cheese with stuffed crust, is, and fat people (like myself) will normally go with Papa Johns.

In the United States we are blessed in the past (and hopefully today as well) with an FDA and other government agencies that regulate our food. You do not realize how much of a blessing that actually is. I have traveled quite a bit out of the US. There are places where you can literally die from eating the local cuisine if you are not cautious or careful. You can get extremely ill. There are places where you will get extremely sick or die from drinking the water. Prayers over food and drink are extremely important. It isn't just a prayer that will protect you, but also that the spirit will help guide you in what you can or cannot eat or drink, what you should or should not eat or drink. I can recall once when I was younger (decades ago, in my late 30s I think) when I was visiting over in Northern Africa and Southern Europe. At the time I was with some peers and the peer pressure at a meal to not say a prayer over it was heeded. I got food poisoning. It was the worst food poisoning I've ever had. It was to the point that I had to be hospitalized. An experience like that is a good wake up call on why to ask the Lord for protection, why to ask the Lord to bless your food and help you make wise choices in regards to your food, and also to be extremely thankful for when the Lord blesses you with food that is good and nourishing. We are also blessed when we do what we can to ensure we make good choices. Then, after we have done all we can, we can turn to the Lord to take up the slack. There are times when one probably has food that may not be the best, but if they've tried to ensure they eat good food, then the Lord may (as he wills it) ensure that we are getting the nutrients and vitamins we need to remain healthy. I've seen members who only ate junk food who had excellent health. A part of that may be that the Lord truly is blessing their food to provide what they need, or what their body needs according to their faith in him. I do not have all the answers, but I think asking the Lord to bless the food is a good idea, at least in my personal life.

I cant decide which is the bigger cringe fest. Trumps '' joint address '' or Ben Shapiro expecting Ukraine to surrender in a way he'd never accept of his mother Israel. The bold face double standards in american politics right now is jaw dropping, yet not surprising. Full tilt loony toon stuff.

I don't think pizza is unhealthy. I think too much in too short a timeframe can introduce more fats (and perhaps other things) than one's body can use in a healthy manner. I think some pizzas might be made with (some?) unhealthy ingredients. But I don't think pizza is inherently unhealthy.

20 years ago I was hearing people being judgey about women wearing bras under their garments (either for comfort, or because their hubbies asked them to for increased happy funtimes or something). There was a tad of happiness and vindication and apologetic spouses over the update/clarification. But yeah, 30 years ago I was hearing about how garments were not just a spiritual protection but also a physical one. More than one "faith promoting legend" about folks getting in a car wreck and emerging with only damage to areas not covered by garments, etc. That stuff didn't really survive the creation of the internet.

I had asked the question shortly after I received my endowment. I was an athlete and wore a support. The bishop said that he figured it didn't matter. Based on @mordorbund's post, he was apparently correct.

I didn't realize people thought that. I can't think why it should be considered unhealthy. Like all things... in moderation.

Several years ago, I remember some updated guidance coming out from the brethren on garment use. Clarifying that they could be worn over or under clothing, just the outermost layer needed to completely cover them.

I think many blessings on food are about 80% culturally influenced and 20% doctrinally influenced. It's a good way to teach kids the importance of "giving thanks" in all things which is how I view it's main purpose rather than actually asking for something. Though I do believe that God can and will in fact reorganize the molecules in certain situations for our benefit but those instances are few indeed, especially when living in a first world country. But I will say that I have been known to say "bless this food that it won't hurt me too bad" when eating something not exactly healthy. I don't expect the Lord to make it healthy and I know I really shouldn't be expressing gratitude for something that I know may in fact be harmful to me but I feel compelled to acknowledge the Lord nonetheless. So I hope the Lord is okay with my half cheeky, half serious blessing on my junk food.

The laws of nature may be set, but their executions are such that so many interacting laws can affect the food and body and their interaction. So, I believe prayer helps both as they are subject to both temporal /natural and spiritual/eternal laws. I would pray what is in your heart as you express gratitude for the food and (if present, the company) and ask for needed blessings that come to mind at mealtime.

But zero is a number. If you don't count it, it will feel left out, and there will be lots of holes in your math. Teacher, "What's 10 + 2?" Student, "Well, we don't count zero, so, 3." Alternate: Mother: "Count the number of dresses in your closet." Daughter: "I can't." Mother: "Why not?" Daughter: "Zero is not a counting number!" Mother: "I see. Well, then we'd better go buy you a dress so you can count how many you have!" This is much more fun than math. Other alternate (imagine a kindergarten classroom where the students are numbers): Teacher: "Now class, I want you to count from 1 to 10." All but one student: "One, two, three ... ten." Teacher: "Zero, why weren't you counting?" Zero: "I'm not a counting number." Teacher: "Go sit in the corner!"

Yeah, I got all that. Hence... https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R44770/10 But whatevs.

I've heard that a State of the Union Address isn't had until after the President has been in office for a year. I've also heard that this is not intended to be a State of the Union Address. I think this is why the address, and why Trump ordered them all to be there (not sure he has authority to make that demand, but whatever). Though what seems obvious (and what people whine and complain about) may have nothing to do with Trump's real intent. That would be fun. I'm wondering if he plans to have several of them arrested on the spot.

John C. Whitmer’s 1878 account of this story is third party hearsay. I am beginning to feel that it was never even told by Mary until well after her excommunication in 1838, if ever. Not only this, her son David once said he wanted to bathe his hands in the blood of Joseph Smith and I believe he made up the story of Joseph using the stone in the hat to translate. He was not one of the scribes of the translation, so how would he have known how Joseph did it? The descendants of Mary could have made up anything they wanted. If someone has older, more reliable sources for this story of "brother Nephi" or "Angle Moroni," then I would love to see them.

It was not one of the three: 4 Nephi 1:19 And it came to pass that Nephi, he that kept this last record, (and he kept it upon the plates of Nephi) died...

I've been asked to play guitar to accompany our ward choir singing This Little Light of Mine on Easter Sunday. My my, how times have changed.

First, we need to understand that it is a figure of speech from a truly ancient culture. It refers to the idea that the person and the position/authority/power, etc. are one. The closest thing we have in our cultural history is that when referring to the King of a nation, we may not say "the king." We might say "the crown" or "the throne." Why not say "the king"? They could. But it is just a more formal and respectful way of saying it. Sometimes, they wouldn't even use these terms. The King of England was often simply referred to as "England." The same for France and other European countries. In Hamlet, you may recall that the King of Denmark was simply referred to as "The Dane." Unlike mortal politicians, when addressing Deity, we consider the being and office to be one. So, if we call upon the "power of God" we are calling upon God. When we call upon the Name of God, we are calling upon his power and authority. Why? Because in worship, it behooves us to recognize the power and authority of God any time we address Him. Today, we don't do that so much. But the ancients did it much more commonly. And they did it with all the formalities that our modern culture shuns. So, it is a cultural thing. Once you see it in that light, it becomes second nature and you won't even blink at it anymore. Second, remember that people weren't allowed to speak the name of God (YHWH). So, they came up with creative ways to clearly imply it, without actually saying it. We see YHWH when written. But as people spoke it, they would substitute things so it was only implied. But to "imply" we need other words around it to make it seem obvious. In the end, we use figures of speech like this all the time -- and they seem to be interchangeable. How often would one say "Trump", "President Trump", "The President." I've often heard people use "The Oval Office" in place of the person who is the President of the day. "We need to get permission from the Oval Office" just as previous centuries would say "we need permission from the throne/the crown." We do this all the time. We just don't think about it.

It always make me giggle when we have have an activity and we get a load of cakes, cookies and donuts as a treat, and whoever is offering the prayer says "we ask you remove any impurities from this food". This food is 100% impurity.

It comes from many sources. But Americans get it mainly from the Anglican Prayer Book. Over time, we have come to make variations on a local level. But this and similar traditions are the source of it. I agree that there is no real scriptural basis for it. It is merely tradition. But I try to make sure my household always remember that the purpose of "grace" is to give thanks more than it is to "bless" the food. Remember that blessing the food is not a "blessing" as we normally think of it. It is really a way of thanking. Imagine when a person does something nice for you. An old-fashioned response would be "may the Lord bless you for it." Often, it would be shortened to: "bless you" = "thank you." But today, we don't understand this linguistic quirk and simply repeat things based on tradition. Look up the etymology of the word "bless" and you'll get a more full picture of how blessing could become part of giving thanks.

This is where my certainty that God can do whatever he wills clashes with the frequent counsel from Church leaders regarding "the economy of heaven" - where they say things that boil down to, for example, don't refuse to go to the doctor and expect God to just heal your broken bone, or don't sit on the couch eating sugar 24x7 and expect God to prevent you from getting type 2 diabetes. Obviously, our leaders don't say that exactly, but that's what it boils down to - God is not going to save you from the consequences of your own agency. So, my question isn't whether God can remove the mRNA from your chicken, but will He; and I've got no example or teaching that helps me believe He will.

Blessing the sacrament is an ordinance first and a prayer second. The words are part of revealed scripture. I don't see the disconnect: - When you pray to God, talk to Him. - When you bless the sacrament, perform the ordinance as it's laid out in scripture.

Catholic background here. Like you I also had to adjust to not having rote prayers. You aren’t alone bro.

OK, didn't we have a thread here years ago about someone opening a business selling "pre-blessed food"? Searching... For the record, I wasn't trying to find fault in others, but rather explore what makes sense, why it makes sense, and how to improve my own practice. Like @Vort, a decade or so ago, I realized I could not keep mindlessly repeating the same "blessing" I'd heard my entire life - I realized I could not honestly ask for it because I didn't believe it (whether to disbelieve is a fault, I'm not sure; but to ask in disbelief surely is). I always pray for my car to function properly on a long trip, and for help being attentive as I drive, and similar things. I've also received help finding things - one time, there's no doubt God was patiently smacking me upside the head - look where I told you to look; no, serious, look harder, it's there; go look again and be thorough this time; tear that box apart - it's in there! (Sometimes, I'm dense. Full disclosure: The Lord didn't really say it like that. What He told me, repeatedly, was, "look in its box".) Thank you for additional perspective, @Traveler. I'm going to move your post right to #0 in my list!

Funny thing about pizzas. When they come out of the oven hot and fresh, and with the crust golden brown and the cheese bubbling, they are completely aseptic or sterile. So if you put the pizza in a clean cardboard box and keep it covered to avoid dust settling on it from the air, it can keep for a very long time, days even, probably longer.

"We thank thee for this over-abundance of empty, but very yummy calories and ask thee to please make us to shake at the appearance of sugar, just not tonight... Further, we thank thee for those who have provided these treats and ask thee to bless them with wisdom and restraint so that next time, they'll bring a vegetable tray..."

And I gotta tell you, it was really awkward and kinda gross - had to wash my hands twice! Just sayin' - I won't be going to dental hygienist school any time soon.