ruthiechan

From the Doctrine and Covenants Explanatory Introduction "The Doctrine and Covenants . . . is of modern origin and was given of God through his chosen prophets for the restoration of his holy work and the establishment of the kingdom of God on the earth in these days. . . . These ordinations were, in fact, a restoration of divine authority to man on the earth. On April 6, 1830, under heavenly direction, the Prophet Joseph Smith organized the Church, and thus the true Church of of Jesus Christ is once again operative as an institution among men, with authority to teach the gospel and administer the ordinances of salvation. . . . In the revelations the doctrines of the gospel are set forth with explanations about such fundamental matters as the nature of the Godhead, the origin of man, the reality of Satan, the purpose of mortality, the necessity for obedience, the need for repentance, the workings of the Holy Spirit, the ordinances and performances that pertain to salvation, the destiny of the earth, the future conditions of man after the resurrection and the judgment, the eternity of the marriage relationship, and the eternal nature of the family." Section 1: 10, 14-16, 24-28, 33, 35-36, 38 10 Unto the day when the Lord shall come to recompense unto every man according to his work, and measure to every man according to the measure which he has measured to his fellow man. (Our judgment is two fold. Our works, deeds, and how we judge others.) 14 And the arm of the Lord shall be revealed; and the day cometh that they who will not hear the voice of the Lord, neither the voice of his servants, neither give heed to the words of the prophets and apostles, shall be cut off from among the people; 15 For they have strayed from mine ordinances, and have broken mine everlasting covenant; 16 They seek not the Lord to establish his righteousness, but every man walketh in his own way, and after the image of his own god, whose image is in the likeness of the world, and whose substance is that of an idol, which waxeth fold and shall perish in Babylon, even Babylon the great, which shall fall. (How often do we hear the world saying "be your own person, do your own thing, it's your life, do it your way? How often does, "do something for yourself, treat yourself once in a while" become more than once in a while or how often does needing time to relax become a desire for idleness in the name of fun? I want to say my way is the Lord's way, but do my actions always reflect that?) 24 Behold, I am God and have spoken it; these commandments are of me, and were given unto my servants in their weakness, after the manner of their language, that they might come to understanding. 25 And inasmuch as they erred it might be made known; 26 And inasmuch as they sought wisdom they might be instructed; 27 And inasmuch as they sinned they might be chastened, that they might repent; 28 And inasmuch as they were humble they might be made strong, and blessed from on high, and receive knowledge from time to time.. (I feel that these verses apply all of us who desire to be servants of God. That's what came to mind when I read these.) 33 And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts. 35 For I am no respecter of persons, and will that all men shall know that the day speedily cometh; the hour is not yet, but is nigh at hand, when peace shall be taken from the earth, and the devil shall have power over his own dominion. 36 And also the Lord shall have power over his saints, and shall creign in their midst, and shall come down in judgment upon Idumea, or the world. (Here I see the two sides, polar opposites, battling for the souls of man.) 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. (I was struck by the Lord saying "and I excuse not myself". It seems to me that he is saying that he is bound by the law as well, that he is not above the laws decreed in heaven.) Section 2 2 And he shall plant in the hearts of the children the promises made to the fathers, and the hearts of the children shall turn to their fathers. 3 If it were not so, the whole earth would be utterly wasted at his coming. (I'm not sure why this was "bolded". The last verse was especially. . . "bold".) Section 3 header 5-15 Joseph Smith must repent or lose the gift to translate. (This goes right back to Section 1: 33. And he that repents not, from him shall be taken even the light which he has received; for my Spirit shall not always strive with man, saith the Lord of Hosts.) Section 3: 20 . . . rely upon the merits of Jesus Christ . . . (I thought it interesting that the word merit was chosen. I looked it up in the dictionary. a praiseworthy quality : virtue : character or conduct deserving reward, honor, or esteem ; also : achievement 2: spiritual credit held to be earned by performance of righteous acts and to ensure future benefits) Section 4 2 . . . O ye that embark in the service of God, see that ye serve him with all your heart, might, mind and strength, that ye may stand blameless before God at the last day. 3 Therefore, if ye have desires to serve God ye are called to the work; (I love this. If you want it, you've got it, in terms of righteous desires and working to build up the kingdom of God, which I believe also includes temple work) 5 And faith, hope, charity and love, with an eye single to the glory of God, qualify him for the work. 6 Remember faith, virtue, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, godliness, charity, humility, diligence. 7 Ask, and ye shall receive; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (I love this list. If you have what's listed in verse five, even with all your faults, you are qualified to do the work of God. I love the list of remember, since those are the traits that allow us to move behind petty things and selfishness and be better able to accomplish righteous and good things. And the last verse, not only do you have to ask, but you have to knock - action! - and the blessings of heaven will be upon you.) I have to go to bed now, so I'll post what I read in Moses tomorrow instead of tonight. I was confused about who was talking in these sections. I am not sure if it's Jesus Christ or God the Father, but I think it might be God the Father because Jesus doesn't talk about himself in the third person does he? (see section 3 verse 20)

This is what stood out to me in the Book of Mormon. 1 Nephi 2: 20, 24 20 And inasmuch as ye shall keep my commandments, ye shall prosper, and shall be led to a land of promise; yea, even a land which I have prepared for you; yea, a land which is choice above all other lands. (I believe that in our day land refers to geographic locations and the environment, including the people, and that it is somehow related to work or jobs.) 24 And if it so be that they (you) rebel against me . . . a scourge [will come upon thee and] thy seed, to stir them (you) up in the ways of remembrance. (This is how the scripture popped out to me. 1 Nephi 3: 7, 15, 28-29 7 . . . the Lord given 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. 15 But behold I said unto them that: As the Lord liveth and as we live, we will not go down unto our father in the wilderness until we have accomplished the thing which the Lord hath commanded us. (Do not return to Heavenly Father without doing what he has asked of you.) 28 Wherefore Laman and Lemuel did speak many hard words unto us, their younger brothers, and they did smite us even with a rod. 29 At it came to pass as they smote us with a rod behold, an angel of the Lord came and stood before them . . . (Sam was there. Often we seem to omit Sam's presence in the attempts to get the plates, of which there were three. Also, the Lord intervened on their behalf because they were doing what God had asked of them.)

I read the title page of the Book of Mormon tonight in preparation for tomorrow's challenge. For whatever reason, I thought of you. THE BOOK OF MORMON AN ACCOUNT WRITTEN BY THE HAND OF MORMON UPON PLATES TAKEN FROM THE PLATES OF NEPHI Wherefore, it is an abridgment of the record of the people of Nephi, and also of the Lamanites—Written to the Lamanites, who are a remnant of the house of Israel; and also to Jew and Gentile—Written by way of commandment, and also by the spirit of prophecy and of revelation—Written and sealed up, and hid up unto the Lord, that they might not be destroyed—To come forth by the gift and power of God unto the interpretation thereof—Sealed by the hand of Moroni, and hid up unto the Lord, to come forth in due time by way of the Gentile—The interpretation thereof by the gift of God. An abridgment taken from the Book of Ether also, which is a record of the people of Jared, who were scattered at the time the Lord confounded the language of the people, when they were building a tower to get to heaven—Which is to show unto the remnant of the House of Israel what great things the Lord hath done for their fathers; and that they may know the covenants of the Lord, that they are not cast off forever—And also to the convincing of the Jew and Gentile that Jesus is the Christ, the Eternal God, manifesting himself unto all nations—And now, if there are faults they are the mistakes of men; wherefore, condemn not the things of God, that ye may be found spotless at the judgment-seat of Christ. TRANSLATED BY JOSEPH SMITH, Jun. First English edition published in 1830 Italics added.

I found this article to be well worth the read. Emotional Affairs - Recognizing and Coping With Emotional Infidelity - Oprah.com "Emotional cheating (with an "office husband," a chat room lover, or a newly appealing ex) steers clear of physical intimacy, but it does involve secrecy, deception, and therefore betrayal. People enmeshed in nonsexual affairs preserve their "deniability," convincing themselves they don't have to change anything. That's where they're wrong. If you think about it, it's the breach of trust, more than the sex, that's the most painful aspect of an affair and, I can tell you from my work as a psychiatrist, the most difficult to recover from. . . . "It's much more difficult to make your way back from a betrayal of intimate feelings than to try to refresh a marriage that may have become flat and distant. When you ignore anxiety-inducing thoughts like "I feel stuck—I wish I could run off and have fun or I feel old and dumpy—if only someone would make me feel young and sexy again," you cannot examine or deal with them in a productive manner. Instead, you unwittingly act them out, with potentially devastating results. Any good relationship takes an investment of time, effort, and emotional energy. What few people want to accept is that we can all become Sharon and Robert, and that marriage, while potentially tremendously gratifying, is always a work in progress."

It is the culture or the teachings? If it's the culture then what is it about the culture bothers you? Is it ward or people specific? If it's the teachings then what teachings are you having issues with?

I almost got to play Earthdawn. Made a character and everything but then the group fell apart before it started. Ditto with Vampire and Modern d20. >.< My first RPGs were Bladerunner (one session, and just me and the GM), and GURPS which lasted only a couple of sessions. Then I got introduced to Shadowrun 3rd being run by someone who was competent at it, and it was awesome. Exalted is my next fav. I've played Mage, Jovian Chronicles, Megamech/Battletech, and I am forgetting one. . .

Someone in my last ward avoided Harry Potter because of the "witchcraft". I, too, am a RPG gamer. My favorite is Shadowrun 3rd Edition (they mucked up 4th edition *cries*) and Exalted 2nd Edition (current edition). D&D didn't really do it for me.

I like Harry Potter. I like Halloween, though I avoid the unrighteous aspects of some of the culture. I like Rock n Roll, though I've gotten more picky about what Rock N Roll I listen to. Lyrics matter. I don't go for the Sex and Drugs that's usually attached as the subject matter. Such things are part of other musical genres as well, to which I avoid.

Not surprised, but I was thinking if we did something similar, like when in October one year we had the Book of Mormon challenge to finish it before the end of the year, it'd be doable. I was not expecting the time frame to remain the same.

Has anyone formulated this sort of challenge for the Old and New Testaments? I'd love to do those after this challenge.

Have you considered inviting the missionaries over and taking the discussions again? Nothing wrong with that. Even long time members benefit from the missionaries being in their home.

Rockin!

I always considered the Temple recommend as the equivalent of the the blood in the archway of the door in today's time.

Every Fast & Testimony meeting I pray asking whether or not I will be bearing my testimony, and if so, what's the message? As such, I have given testimonies that people appreciate and with just enough story, modern day parables if you will, that help carry the message to the hearts of those listening. I am sure that to someone not in tune with the Spirit my testimonies may sound like story time. I remember giving a story, other people had stories, one gal quoted a hymn verse in song, lots of people got up to bear their testimony. It was a great meeting. But the best part of the meeting was the last guy. He said with tears in his eyes and a trembling chin, "I don't have a story. I don't have a song. I just have a testimony that this [Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints] is the Gospel of our Savior Jesus Christ, and that He lives. And I say this, in the name, of Jesus Christ. Amen." The spiritual impact was like getting hit with a ton of bricks. It was amazing. I wonder, would that simple declaration have had such an impact without all the other testimonies, stories and all? I like the ideas of how to deal with the problem of rambling on and on. My Bishopric will often remind us to please keep our testimonies brief so that there will be enough time for everyone who wish to bear their testimonies to do so.

I remember getting a ride home from a classmate. The music she was playing in her car was BEAUTIFUL. Then I started listening to the lyrics and it was a sexual fantasy. She told me she didn't like the lyrics, so she ignored them so she could listen to the music, which she loved. She said that if they had music like that with different lyrics she'd listen to that instead.

I suspect that when gay marriage is wide spread we'll be focusing more on loving the sinner while eschewing the sin. We'll also probably hear a LOT more talks on the structure of eternal families as well. True doctrine is the only way to combat such issues. I had one coworker who was gay. When he found out I was Mormon he asked me what our stance was, and what was the big deal after I told him. I said that to explain that I would need to tell him about the Plan of Salvation, otherwise it wouldn't make sense. He was cool with that. I did so, including, of course, eternal marriages and families and temple work. His reaction was interesting. "Ohhhh. So this marriage thing really is a big deal to you guys." I was like, "yeah, it's a fundamental part of our religion, and has been since the beginning before any of this stuff came up. It's not about hate, and anyone spouting hate towards homosexuals are not acting in a Christlike manner and is frowned upon." He came to an understanding that our secular discussions had not been able to bring forth. *sigh* Every time I tell this story I miss him.

Have you told your sister about what is going on? She needs to know, especially if she has children. Keep your children safe. You don't want him to start viewing grandpa/grandchild porn. . . Ick. Your next course of action should include prayer. Here are some articles on addiction that may be of use to you. LDS.org - Ensign Article - When a Loved One Struggles with Addiction LDS.org - Ensign Article - Hope, Healing, and Dealing with Addiction LDS.org - Liahona Article - Addiction Recovery: Healing One Step at a Time

I hope you'll come back. *hugs*

1: It is never too late. Satan is working hard on you to believe that. Despair does not come from God. 2: Read the Miracle of Forgiveness. It applies to you. 3: Talk to your Bishop about what has occurred. If it's so bad that you feel that there is no way you'd ever make it to the Celestial Kingdom then it is something you need to talk to your Bishop about. He will help you. 4: How do you feel about the idea of not making it? How do you feel about the idea of your wife being with someone else?

We are told, at least in America, I don't know about other countries, that we are not to get tattoos, and for the men to have clean cut hair. A family was baptized. I do not recall their specific culture, but their toddler son had long hair, and so did the dad. The mother described her son as their little chief which led me to think of their dad as their big chief. The long hair had something to do with such titles. All the other children were girls. The mother also had tattoos representative of every child, but she had her son AFTER she was baptized. I got to see the very nice tattoo that was being slowly finished on her forearm which was honor of her little chief. I do not believe she was wrong in getting the tattoo. I do not believe it was wrong for the father to have long hair. He always had it up in a neat pony tail so it wasn't like it was head banger long hair. You didn't want a personal story, so I gave you an experience, but the thing is, *real* exceptions ARE personal. I think the point of all this is the following (disclaimer: all the following you's are general) 1: The Prophet (s) is the mouth piece of God. 2: We are to listen to the Prophet's voice. 3: We are to be like Nephi and Sam. We are to have the Spirit reside in us strongly enough to feel the power of the Spirit in the Prophets words, and we are to pray for our own spiritual revelation of what the Prophet has said, and on our personal implimentation of any and all instruction given. 4: Exceptions exist, but NEVER assume that you are the exception. If you believe you are an exception - which is often because we don't see a way to do what the Prophet has asked - then it's time to search, ponder, and pray and ask, "what can I do in my situation?" This is also good thing to do if you ever feel like giving up. 5: Always question any instructions that are dishonorable or not in line with Gospel Principles, and then follow number 4 again to see what's up. We are in the Last Days. If the Prophet has a vision of a natural disaster in your area and he warns everyone to leave, will you do it or will you assume that he is not speaking as the Prophet but as a man and not give his warning the attention it deserves? If you can't even complete step 2 then there is no way you can move on to step 3. You've already cut yourself off from spiritual revelation on the matter. And therein is the reason, I believe, Pam started this thread. Too many people think of the Prophet as a motivational speaker. Afterwards they take the parts they like and leave the rest. I don't even think those people realize that that is what they are doing. When Prop 22 here in CA was supported by the Church I didn't know how I felt on the subject. I really didn't. I was in step 5. So I went to step 4, completed it and even though I didn't know why, I understood that I needed to vote in favor of it. Later, after research and new things coming to light, I understood the why of it. I believe it is between steps 4 and 5 is where faith comes in. I had faith that the Prophet was speaking for God, even though I felt that the supporting of Prop 22 was suspect. It was because of that faith that I was able to say, okay, I'll give the Prophet the benefit of the doubt and search, ponder, and pray on this issue. Whatever the Spirit directs me to do I will do. And there is another thing. And maybe this is Step 6. Follow through. Resolve. Have the will to do the will of the Father, even if it's something as small as fasting on a day other than fast Sunday with no reason given (I have had this happen to me). It is the small day to day things that shape spiritual leaders and heroes.

I have seen it frequently myself, both on this site and elsewhere, including real life.

No, but lots of people who grey early dye their hair so they can look their age.

Amen. When I watch General Conference the Spirit confirms to me the truthfulness of their words IF I am paying attention, IF I want/invite the Spirit to do so. When our Stake President talked about having the missionaries in our homes and being more active in bringing our friends to church I felt the Spirit confirm that this is what our ward needs to be doing. It was powerful. I knew that President Greene was acting as the mouth piece of God. I wanted to participate. I thought about it, and prayed asking what I could do; and the answer for me was that this commandment given to our ward was not yet for me. I have to wait and simply be the missionary in my home since my husband is not a member and would not appreciate the missionaries coming over. Am I the exception? Yes and no. Yes, in that I can't have the Elders or Sister missionaries come by. No, in that I still have to pray for missionary moments and be spiritually and intellectually prepared for them.

It is my understanding that Nephi was justified in killing Laban through the laws of the land. When Laman and Lemuel tried to get the plates they offered all of their riches to Laban in exchange. Laban ousted them and stole their riches. The Lord instructed them to try again, Laman and Lemuel refused, leaving Nephi to go it alone. I wonder if Nephi would have had to kill him if Laman and Lemuel had followed the Lord's instructions. . . Anyway, because of Laban's gross dishonesty and theft Nephi had the laws of the land to back him up. Nephi probably knew this and needed the extra rationalization the Spirit gave him to give him the courage to follow through with it. The Mountain Meadows Massacre counts because the people involved blindly followed their local leaders who did not wait for instruction from Brigham Young.

That's how I feel about Mother's Day.