bytor2112

A couple of favorite hymns........:) 1. I’m trying to be like Jesus; I’m following in his ways. I’m trying to love as he did, in all that I do and say. At times I am tempted to make a wrong choice, But I try to listen as the still small voice whispers, 2. I’m trying to love my neighbor; I’m learning to serve my friends. I watch for the day of gladness when Jesus will come again. I try to remember the lessons he taught. Then the Holy Spirit enters into my thoughts, saying: Chorus “Love one another as Jesus loves you. Try to show kindness in all that you do. Be gentle and loving in deed and in thought, For these are the things Jesus taught.” Great Council..... As I have loved you, Love one another. This new commandment: Love one another. By this shall men know Ye are my disciples, If ye have love One to another.

Connie, Thanks for the quotes........I love to quote GA's as well. I am not sure anyone is taking the council given by our sustained leaders lightly. I tend to view there teachings as further light on important gospel subjects. I view there comments as scriptural and apply it to my life as best as I am able. I would suggest that we are all at different stages of spiritual growth and have not reached the same conclusions and probably will not at the same time. I am certainly on a much different spiritual plane than Elder Eyring. The good news is that it's really about direction and not velocity. In this life we are asked to keep our covenants, be valiant in our testimony of Christ and repent along the way. We all learn at different rates and the Spirit teaches us as we are ready.....a little here and a little there. " If all of the Latter-day Saints lived as they should, then Moses’ petition would be granted: “Would God that all the Lord’s people were prophets, and that the Lord would put his spirit upon them!” (Num. 11:29). This is the promised day when “God shall give unto” us “knowledge by his Holy Spirit,” when, “by the unspeakable gift of the Holy Ghost,” we shall gain knowledge “that has not been revealed since the world was until now” (D&C 121:26). This is the day of which Joseph Smith said: “God hath not revealed anything to Joseph, but what He will make known unto the Twelve, and even the least Saint may know all things as fast as he is able to bear them” (Teachings, p. 149). And we look forward to that glorious millennial day when “they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord” (Jer. 31:34). But even now there is no end to the revelations we may receive. “We believe all that God has revealed, all that He does now reveal, and we believe that He will yet reveal many great and important things pertaining to the Kingdom of God” (A of F 1:9). To the prophets, seers, and revelators he will manifest his mind and his will concerning the Church and the world. To the presiding officers in the stakes and wards and quorums he will reveal what should be for those organizations. To fathers and mothers and children he will reveal “great treasures of knowledge, even hidden treasures” (D&C 89:19) to guide them along the way to perfection. It is his will that we gain testimonies, that we seek revelation, that we covet to prophesy, that we desire spiritual gifts, and that we seek the face of the Lord. The Lord wants all his children to gain light and truth and knowledge from on high. It is his will that we pierce the veil and rend the heavens and see the visions of eternity. By his own mouth he has given us this promise: “It shall come to pass that every soul who forsaketh his sins and cometh unto me, and calleth on my name, and obeyeth my voice, and keepeth my commandments, shall see my face and know that I am” (D&C 93:1). " - Elder Bruce R McConkie

My initial reaction after reading much of this thread was to chuckle. No wonder anti-groups have such a field day at our expense. I raise my hand and sustain my leaders and where there ecclesiastical authority extends, I do my very best to comply and support. That being said, there are commandments given by the Lord........they get me full attention. I try very hard to keep the commandments. Then there is well intentioned council....like the RS council, a bit over zealous, but well intentioned probably. I love general conference and find talks by the General Authorities to be pearls of wisdom and without a doubt the council given if followed will likely do nothing but light our way to Eternal life. But, just because I stumble and fall short of the ideal outlined by the Prophet doesn't mean that I am bound for Telestial glory. I am not a fanatical Saint and believe strongly that if we stay in the main stream of the church and are true and faithful to our covenants and are valiant in our testimony of Christ, we will inherit our Father's glory. I take the council of GA's and my Bishop and SP and apply it in my life as best as I can, always remembering that it should be judged by the scriptures and the Holy Spirit.

Being a parent gives us a glimpse of how our Heavenly Father can love us all so very much and why families have eternal import to him. I can't imagine someone loving my children more than I do....but he does. I can't imagine my children doing anything that I wouldn't ultimately forgive them for......and that gives me a much better understanding of the Atonement. I would move heaven and earth were it possible to help my children be happy and grow into the kind of adults that Heavenly Father would have them be. It is his "work and glory to bring to pass the immortality and eternal life of man", having children, I think gives a greatly needed perspective on how Heavenly Father views us....his children. So, I think that those who choose to not become parents are depriving themselves of some very rich and rewarding blessings and eternal perspectives on the nature of God. For those unable to be parents.....there will be opportunity to be parents in the millennium.

Endless debates....coke or no coke. I am not sure, but I doubt that the Saviour is gonna ask you if you watched the Super Bowl on Sunday. If that is our biggest worry, we are probably in good shape.

I don't watch football on Sunday.....but I did watch the Super bowl. I don't feel guilty and I don't think I should, and I think that Relief Society Sister is a bit over zealous.....well intentioned probably, but over zealous....IMHO.

To Draw Nearer to God, By Henry B. Eyring or maybe , Christ and the New Covenant by Jeffrey R. Holland......good stuff. :)

:huh: .......scriptures, supporting your statement. :)

5 And every plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every herb of the field before it grew. For I, the Lord God, created all things, of which I have spoken, spiritually, before they were naturally upon the face of the earth. For I, the Lord God, had not caused it to rain upon the face of the earth. And I, the Lord God, had created all the children of men; and not yet a man to till the ground; for in heaven created I them; and there was not yet flesh upon the earth, neither in the water, neither in the air; 6 But I, the Lord God, spake, and there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And I, the Lord God, formed man from the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul, the first flesh upon the earth, the first man also; nevertheless, all things were before created; but spiritually were they created and made according to my word.

a very interesting hymn to ponder...... 1. O my Father, thou that dwellest In the high and glorious place, When shall I regain thy presence And again behold thy face? In thy holy habitation, Did my spirit once reside? In my first primeval childhood Was I nurtured near thy side? 2. For a wise and glorious purpose Thou hast placed me here on earth And withheld the recollection Of my former friends and birth; Yet ofttimes a secret something Whispered, “You’re a stranger here,” And I felt that I had wandered From a more exalted sphere. 3. I had learned to call thee Father, Thru thy Spirit from on high, But, until the key of knowledge Was restored, I knew not why. In the heav’ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare! Truth is reason; truth eternal Tells me I’ve a mother there. 4. When I leave this frail existence, When I lay this mortal by, Father, Mother, may I meet you In your royal courts on high? Then, at length, when I’ve completed All you sent me forth to do, With your mutual approbation Let me come and dwell with you.

Words of a favorite hymn.......... 1. O my Father, thou that dwellest In the high and glorious place, When shall I regain thy presence And again behold thy face? In thy holy habitation, Did my spirit once reside? In my first primeval childhood Was I nurtured near thy side? 2. For a wise and glorious purpose Thou hast placed me here on earth And withheld the recollection Of my former friends and birth; Yet ofttimes a secret something Whispered, “You’re a stranger here,” And I felt that I had wandered From a more exalted sphere. 3. I had learned to call thee Father, Thru thy Spirit from on high, But, until the key of knowledge Was restored, I knew not why. In the heav’ns are parents single? No, the thought makes reason stare! Truth is reason; truth eternal Tells me I’ve a mother there. 4. When I leave this frail existence, When I lay this mortal by, Father, Mother, may I meet you In your royal courts on high? Then, at length, when I’ve completed All you sent me forth to do, With your mutual approbation Let me come and dwell with you.

Oh my...where is that darn laugh button!!!:lol:

1. If you could hie to Kolob In the twinkling of an eye, And then continue onward With that same speed to fly, Do you think that you could ever, Through all eternity, Find out the generation Where Gods began to be? 2. Or see the grand beginning, Where space did not extend? Or view the last creation, Where Gods and matter end? Methinks the Spirit whispers, “No man has found ‘pure space,’ Nor seen the outside curtains, Where nothing has a place.” 3. The works of God continue, And worlds and lives abound; Improvement and progression Have one eternal round. There is no end to matter; There is no end to space; There is no end to spirit; There is no end to race. 4. There is no end to virtue; There is no end to might; There is no end to wisdom; There is no end to light. There is no end to union; There is no end to youth; There is no end to priesthood; There is no end to truth. 5. There is no end to glory; There is no end to love; There is no end to being; There is no death above. There is no end to glory; There is no end to love; There is no end to being; There is no death above.

What innovative ways to stimulate the economy......:huh: Our government at work. # $1 billion for Amtrak, which hasn’t earned a profit in four decades. # $2 billion to help subsidize child care. # $400 million for research into global warming. # $2.4 billion for projects to demonstrate how carbon greenhouse gas can be safely removed from the atmosphere. # $650 million for coupons to help consumers convert their TV sets from analog to digital, part of the digital TV conversion. # $600 million to buy a new fleet of cars for federal employees and government departments. # $75 million to fund programs to help people quit smoking. # $21 million to re-sod the National Mall, which suffered heavy use during the Inauguration. # $2.25 billion for national parks. This item has sparked calls for an investigation, because the chief lobbyist of the National Parks Association is the son of Rep. David R. Obey, D-Wisc. The $2,25 billion is about equal to the National Park Service’s entire annual budget. The Washington Times reports it is a threefold increase over what was originally proposed for parks in the stimulus bill. Obey is chairman of the House Appropriations Committee. # $335 million for treatment and prevention of sexually transmitted diseases. # $50 million for the National Endowment for the Arts. $4.19 billion to stave off foreclosures via the Neighborhood Stabilization Program. The bill allows nonprofits to compete with cities and states for $3.44 billion of the money, which means a substantial amount of it will be captured by ACORN, the controversial activist group currently under federal investigation for vote fraud. Another $750 million would be exclusively reserved for nonprofits such as ACORN – meaning cities and states are barred from receiving that money. Sen. David Vitter, R-La., charges the money could appear to be a “payoff” for the partisan political activities community groups in the last election cycle. # $44 million to renovate the headquarters building of the Agriculture Department. # $32 billion for a “smart electricity grid to minimize waste. # $87 billion of Medicaid funds, to aid states. # $53.4 billion for science facilities, high speed Internet, and miscellaneous energy and environmental programs. # $13 billion to repair and weatherize public housing, help the homeless, repair foreclosed homes. # $20 billion for quicker depreciation and write-offs for equipment. # $10.3 billion for tax credits to help families defray the cost of college tuition. # $20 billion over five years for an expanded food stamp program.

No...not him.

Elder Bruce R McConkie's final talk..........it's about the the atonement: I feel, and the Spirit seems to accord, that the most important doctrine I can declare, and the most powerful testimony I can bear, is of the atoning sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ. His atonement is the most transcendent event that ever has or ever will occur from Creation’s dawn through all the ages of a never-ending eternity. It is the supreme act of goodness and grace that only a god could perform. Through it, all of the terms and conditions of the Father’s eternal plan of salvation became operative. Through it are brought to pass the immortality and eternal life of man. Through it, all men are saved from death, hell, the devil, and endless torment. And through it, all who believe and obey the glorious gospel of God, all who are true and faithful and overcome the world, all who suffer for Christ and his word, all who are chastened and scourged in the Cause of him whose we are—all shall become as their Maker and sit with him on his throne and reign with him forever in everlasting glory. In speaking of these wondrous things I shall use my own words, though you may think they are the words of scripture, words spoken by other Apostles and prophets. True it is they were first proclaimed by others, but they are now mine, for the Holy Spirit of God has borne witness to me that they are true, and it is now as though the Lord had revealed them to me in the first instance. I have thereby heard his voice and know his word. Two thousand years ago, outside Jerusalem’s walls, there was a pleasant garden spot, Gethsemane by name, where Jesus and his intimate friends were wont to retire for pondering and prayer. There Jesus taught his disciples the doctrines of the kingdom, and all of them communed with Him who is the Father of us all, in whose ministry they were engaged, and on whose errand they served. This sacred spot, like Eden where Adam dwelt, like Sinai from whence Jehovah gave his laws, like Calvary where the Son of God gave his life a ransom for many, this holy ground is where the Sinless Son of the Everlasting Father took upon himself the sins of all men on condition of repentance. We do not know, we cannot tell, no mortal mind can conceive the full import of what Christ did in Gethsemane. We know he sweat great gouts of blood from every pore as he drained the dregs of that bitter cup his Father had given him. We know he suffered, both body and spirit, more than it is possible for man to suffer, except it be unto death. We know that in some way, incomprehensible to us, his suffering satisfied the demands of justice, ransomed penitent souls from the pains and penalties of sin, and made mercy available to those who believe in his holy name. We know that he lay prostrate upon the ground as the pains and agonies of an infinite burden caused him to tremble and would that he might not drink the bitter cup. We know that an angel came from the courts of glory to strengthen him in his ordeal, and we suppose it was mighty Michael, who foremost fell that mortal man might be. As near as we can judge, these infinite agonies—this suffering beyond compare—continued for some three or four hours. After this—his body then wrenched and drained of strength—he confronted Judas and the other incarnate devils, some from the very Sanhedrin itself; and he was led away with a rope around his neck, as a common criminal, to be judged by the arch-criminals who as Jews sat in Aaron’s seat and who as Romans wielded Caesar’s power. They took him to Annas, to Caiaphas, to Pilate, to Herod, and back to Pilate. He was accused, cursed, and smitten. Their foul saliva ran down his face as vicious blows further weakened his pain-engulfed body. With reeds of wrath they rained blows upon his back. Blood ran down his face as a crown of thorns pierced his trembling brow. But above it all he was scourged, scourged with forty stripes save one, scourged with a multithonged whip into whose leather strands sharp bones and cutting metals were woven. Many died from scourging alone, but he rose from the sufferings of the scourge that he might die an ignominious death upon the cruel cross of Calvary. Then he carried his own cross until he collapsed from the weight and pain and mounting agony of it all. Finally, on a hill called Calvary—again, it was outside Jerusalem’s walls—while helpless disciples looked on and felt the agonies of near death in their own bodies, the Roman soldiers laid him upon the cross. With great mallets they drove spikes of iron through his feet and hands and wrists. Truly he was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities. Then the cross was raised that all might see and gape and curse and deride. This they did, with evil venom, for three hours from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Then the heavens grew black. Darkness covered the land for the space of three hours, as it did among the Nephites. There was a mighty storm, as though the very God of Nature was in agony. And truly he was, for while he was hanging on the cross for another three hours, from noon to 3:00 p.m., all the infinite agonies and merciless pains of Gethsemane recurred. And, finally, when the atoning agonies had taken their toll—when the victory had been won, when the Son of God had fulfilled the will of his Father in all things—then he said, “It is finished” (John 19:30), and he voluntarily gave up the ghost. As the peace and comfort of a merciful death freed him from the pains and sorrows of mortality, he entered the paradise of God. When he had made his soul an offering for sin, he was prepared to see his seed, according to the messianic word. These, consisting of all the holy prophets and faithful Saints from ages past; these, comprising all who had taken upon them his name, and who, being spiritually begotten by him, had become his sons and his daughters, even as it is with us; all these were assembled in the spirit world, there to see his face and hear his voice. After some thirty-eight or forty hours—three days as the Jews measured time—our Blessed Lord came to the Arimathaean’s tomb, where his partially embalmed body had been placed by Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea. Then, in a way incomprehensible to us, he took up that body which had not yet seen corruption and arose in that glorious immortality which made him like his resurrected Father. He then received all power in heaven and on earth, obtained eternal exaltation, appeared unto Mary Magdalene and many others, and ascended into heaven, there to sit down on the right hand of God the Father Almighty and to reign forever in eternal glory. His rising from death on the third day crowned the Atonement. Again, in some way incomprehensible to us, the effects of his resurrection pass upon all men so that all shall rise from the grave. As Adam brought death, so Christ brought life; as Adam is the father of mortality, so Christ is the father of immortality. And without both, mortality and immortality, man cannot work out his salvation and ascend to those heights beyond the skies where gods and angels dwell forever in eternal glory. Now, the atonement of Christ is the most basic and fundamental doctrine of the gospel, and it is the least understood of all our revealed truths. Many of us have a superficial knowledge and rely upon the Lord and his goodness to see us through the trials and perils of life. But if we are to have faith like Enoch and Elijah we must believe what they believed, know what they knew, and live as they lived. May I invite you to join with me in gaining a sound and sure knowledge of the Atonement. We must cast aside the philosophies of men and the wisdom of the wise and hearken to that Spirit which is given to us to guide us into all truth. We must search the scriptures, accepting them as the mind and will and voice of the Lord and the very power of God unto salvation. As we read, ponder, and pray, there will come into our minds a view of the three gardens of God—the Garden of Eden, the Garden of Gethsemane, and the Garden of the Empty Tomb where Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. In Eden we will see all things created in a paradisiacal state—without death, without procreation, without probationary experiences. We will come to know that such a creation, now unknown to man, was the only way to provide for the Fall. We will then see Adam and Eve, the first man and the first woman, step down from their state of immortal and paradisiacal glory to become the first mortal flesh on earth. Mortality, including as it does procreation and death, will enter the world. And because of transgression a probationary estate of trial and testing will begin. Then in Gethsemane we will see the Son of God ransom man from the temporal and spiritual death that came to us because of the Fall. And finally, before an empty tomb, we will come to know that Christ our Lord has burst the bands of death and stands forever triumphant over the grave. Thus, Creation is father to the Fall; and by the Fall came mortality and death; and by Christ came immortality and eternal life. If there had been no fall of Adam, by which cometh death, there could have been no atonement of Christ, by which cometh life. And now, as pertaining to this perfect atonement, wrought by the shedding of the blood of God—I testify that it took place in Gethsemane and at Golgotha, and as pertaining to Jesus Christ, I testify that he is the Son of the Living God and was crucified for the sins of the world. He is our Lord, our God, and our King. This I know of myself independent of any other person. I am one of his witnesses, and in a coming day I shall feel the nail marks in his hands and in his feet and shall wet his feet with my tears. But I shall not know any better then than I know now that he is God’s Almighty Son, that he is our Savior and Redeemer, and that salvation comes in and through his atoning blood and in no other way. God grant that all of us may walk in the light as God our Father is in the light so that, according to the promises, the blood of Jesus Christ his Son will cleanse us from all sin. In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, amen.

The real cause of global warming......:lol:

Dove, I am truly sorry. Maybe this is just a trial that your husband must go through in order to appreciate or gain/regain a strong testimony of the restored church. I personally believe that as long as it's not transgression that leads one to seek Christ in other faiths, that in the end all will work out. Why? Because the Holy Spirit will teach sacred truths that will be understood and acted on. God bless....Bytor

I was just remarking......... adding my two cents....not indicting you for your comments :)

I was thinking evangelical or Southern Baptist..........Catholics don't seem to have an axe to grind with Mormons. :)

Of course McCain was right and the no on 8 crowd was wrong.......:eek:

OTQ...... if you truly understood the gospel of Jesus Christ you would not ask such ridiculous questions as "is our church a grace church". I don't believe for one second that you are LDS. If you were you would know that we absolutely believe that it is by the grace of Jesus Christ that all mankind may be saved. Nice try........

From Helaman Ch. 12 23 Therefore, blessed are they who will repent and hearken unto the voice of the Lord their God; for these are they that shall be saved. 24 And may God grant, in his great fulness, that men might be brought unto repentance and good works, that they might be restored unto grace for grace, according to their works. 25 And I would that all men might be saved. But we read that in the great and last day there are some who shall be cast out, yea, who shall be cast off from the presence of the Lord; 26 Yea, who shall be consigned to a state of endless misery, fulfilling the words which say: They that have done good shall have everlasting life; and they that have done evil shall have everlasting damnation. And thus it is. Amen.

Pale.....I live in the deep south, bible belt as well and Southern Baptists are very vocal in expressing that we are not Christians and determining my ultimate fiery:devil: :satanflame:destination if I don't accept the real Jesus and get "saved". I throw a wrench in the machine by explaining that I was once a Southern Baptist and did get "saved". How does that affect me now???? The answers vary....... Side note: I was watching a sermon from Dr. Charles Stanley, a prominent Southern Baptist preacher in Atlanta, Ga. He said....and I paraphrase here, but essentially, once you have accepted Christ as your personal Savior and have accepted his grace, realizing there is absolutely nothing you can do to be saved, then you are saved and remain in that state for the rest of your life....regardless of transgressions or backsliding or living a life obviously outside of biblical teaching. He said that the Lord will chastise you, but once you are saved, you are saved forever. So, where is the incentive to go to church or live the gospel? Dr.Stanley explain that immediately upon accepting Christ the Holy Spirit dwells within you and you are a new creature in Christ and lose the desire to sin. He further explains that you can't feel the Holy Spirit dwelling in you, but you can know that it is because the bible says it is so.

1. College Football........GO NOLES!!!!! 2. Boxing 3. Golf