choice

I have lots of favourites. One of my favourite Psalms is 121. I will lift mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the Lord which made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved : he that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

With regard to Jerusalem and surrounding region; It may also be pertinent to bear in mind the position of the Dead Sea. In close proximity to Bethlehem and Jerusalem, fed by the River Jordan, it was historically 1200 ft below sea level, and remains the lowest point on earth. I remember reading in the New Testament manual ‘Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles’ about the significant nature of His humble beginnings. The birth and ministry of Jesus the Christ, Yashua, in these particular parts of the world sustains his divine purpose in more ways than one. Jesus, once of humble birth... “descending below all things that he might rise above all things.”

Thanks so much Bookmeister for your bulk listing. Wld you mind if we counted yr list individually. If so, we wld now be up to #30. #30. me too!!

14. and for LDS.net:grouphug:

13. for my health this day

12. and for a peaceful night's rest

11. i give thanks the sun is shining today

4. I'm thankful for the ocean. I love going to the ocean, at any time of the year. The raw majesty and power of God. Never failing to cleanse and heal both spirit and body. Mighty to carry large ships across the crests of its waves, yet gentle enough to caress the feet of a playful child.

3. I'm thankful for the innocence of children.

2. I'm thankful its Friday.

I thought it might be uplifting and enjoyable to "count our blessings", so to speak. Lets make a list of anything and everything we are thankful or grateful for. Whether it be the miracles/ blessings in our lives, the challenges we face, or the little things that make us smile. Our posts of gratitude can be as brief or as long as we want. I think repitition and acknowledgement/ agreeance with another's gratitude is expected. 1 count for each expression of thanks. Don't forget to number your posts. Surely we do have a million reasons to be thankful. ______________________________________________ 1. I am thankful to be a daughter of such a loving Father in Heaven.

not so camera shy after all...:)

That is so cool. I sometimes fly, in dream. The souring dreams are the best. Ghosts - if that includes spirit entities then yes, definately. Referring to the war in heaven, I accept the teachings of the D&C and book of Abraham which tell of a 1/3 of the hosts of heaven who followed after Lucifer and were cast down to earth without mortal bodies. Seeking to thwart the plan of the Father, to drag as many as possible through persuasions to do wrong down to despair. "The warfare is continued in mortality... the conflict between right and wrong ... the same contestants ... the same issues" (Bible Dictionary. War in Heaven) From another angle, one experience regarding my beloved mother. A worthy temple person at her death. The night I arrived home from her funeral (tangi - gathering of extended family for 3days and nights), somewhere between sleep and awake, she visited me. She was beautiful, and happy, and embraced me in her arms and expressed her love for me and the family. I have never again had such an almost tangible experience but I feel her spirit near often. Levitation?? - Not sure what that is. Telepathy - I firmly believe that only my God can know my thoughts and the workings of my heart.

Thankyou for this thread. I'm sorry that you're having to battle with such a potentially life-altering disease. I don't know much about West Nile, but I hope in time you will recover fully and come out of it even stronger. Here's a recent experience I'd like to share. Hope its not too long. Its about when I don't listen sometimes the spirit prompts someone else to intervene/act to keep harm away. One Sat night. On our way home from a church activity. Approx 9.30pm. Stopped off at supermarket to get foodstores. Pouring with rain, so I park in the basement carpark. Finish our shopping, on way back to car. Basement deserted. Only a handful of cars, but no people. I see a figure lurking out the corner of my eye. It is a young man 18-25 big Samoan lad, he approaches me for money. He said his car had broken down. I have no money for him and tell him so. Then I ask where his car is? It is at this point, looking at him directly, I see from his countenance, menacing stance etc that he is trying to deceive, and that his intentions are not good. He is very agitated, his eyes bloodshot. He has fresh blood, some scars and bruising on his face. I tell him again, sorry, that I am not able to help and continue to head for the car. Another car enters the carpark. The driver, another young Samoan lad, parks and is walking past me to go upstairs to the supermarket. The spirit tells me "ask him to walk you to your car". But I didn't wan't to. My pride got in the way. I didn't want to bother a stranger in such a manner. Again I'm told "ask him to walk you to your car." But I don't listen, and then he's gone, up the stairs. A minute or two later I'm at the car. Then I realise, the lad with bad intent has circled the carpark and is there at my car also. My beautiful daughter is with me also, just a teenager. I can see she's petrified. I'm looking at him, he's menacingly looking at me ... and at my daughter. It is at that moment I realise that we are indeed in danger. I start to think what my next move is going to be. Maybe if I just tell him to take the car etc etc. Then just like that, the young lad who went upstairs reappears. You know, the one the spirit told me to ask for help. He comes straight over, stands between us and the creepy guy and says "I'm not sure why but something just told me to come back down and ask you if you were alright." My pride had left by that stage so I did not hesitate to accept his assistance. Turns out he used to be security there, and was on his way home from a youth evening for his church (I forget which church). I thanked him for being receptive to the promptings of the Spirit and left him and security to deal with the lad with bad intent. On the way home I asked my daughter to have compassion. I asked her to imagine what kind of darkness that young man must be experiencing for him to prey upon people in such a manner. I explained to her the importance of praying for those who seek to do us harm. She got it. That night I saw her young testimony strengthened as I listened to her pray for peace and God's love to be upon that young man.

hola Patty. Welcome.:)

Hi ClassyTina, I'm Choice:) It wld be nice to have some of your California sunshine in these parts, NZ. We are in the middle of a cold snap. I wld like to give you a great big online pat on the back for doing the most important job in the world. Looking after our future. Congratulations on yr new business venture. I will be sure to check it out. Welcome.

Hi BrigetteD, I'm Choice!:) WELCOME.

Hi Raindrops Welcome, I'm relatively new also. I like your user name.:)

A rose by any other name would smell as sweet. Or perhaps a harmful activity by any other name would be just as harmful. I've become accustomed to the terms 'whore' and 'whoredom' as terms used in the scriptures to denote participation in specific behaviours. The words harlot, fornication, prostitute, porn, porn star etc , for me, exist within the same framework of meaning. I know that words and our use of them can create, or destroy. The negative terms above, may be destructive, but they refer directly to destructive behaviours which I read in the scriptures the prophets have continually warned about. Etymology dictionaries seem to agree; Greek word for fornicate = pornos (or variation of), and Old Eng 'hore' = prostitute, harlot; Goth 'hors'= adulterer, fornicator. Why is it that some words have more emotive effect than others in the same category? Is it the way we have heard them used within popular culture, eg music, film?

Did you watch the video via internet. If so, are you able to provide a link? I am interested in viewing. I've tried to find the CNN Larry King interview with the late Pres Hinckley but can only find snippets on youtube. Some of them had been altered, with weird voice overs, to convey different messages.

I know what you mean. Those spiritual hugs are enduring. The first time I took through the name of someone else (not an immediate relative) was such a profound experience. The memory has never left me. I had truly met an eternal friend in God's house and I felt her deep gratitude and love. Oft times, I have fond memories thinking about the spiritual friendships fostered through temple work. Congratulations NormalMormon and Inthearmsofsleep. Wonderful achievement and heaps of encouragment to you both. (BTW what temple did you attend?) Inthearmsofsleep, I'm really excited to hear that you are leaving to go on your mission. That is just so awesome. Blessings.

But I can NOT see the benefits in belittling one another over a survey that doesn't actually exist. I wld like to think that in some small way I/we cld help strengthen another's testimony. QUOTE: "My words are based on my experiences with ex-members. Maybe it's just the ones who can't seem to let go of it and hang out on LDS board or just some in my circle of friends who have left, but that's what I see. " I think its a good thing not to want to let go of 'it', because 'it' is worth hanging on to. I understand Ottopop's approach in distinguishing between being 'less active' as opposed to leaving the 'church' - But that may be a PhD topic. In my experience those who are less active, very seldom offer justification, excuse or explanation. That seems to happen on 're-entry'/re-activation. Maybe it cld be a re-entry survey?

Hi, Through my own journey I've realised that the portion of spirit I receive is not just about me. I remain eternally grateful for the works of beloved ancestors, and also the prayers and faith of those around me. I've realised through family history work, that I am (conditionally) endowed with a spirit that trandscends my own limited understanding. All I know is, that for me, when I feel the Spirit (of truth, love, understanding and peace, of my God) strongly, I also always feel the embracing love of my ancestors, sometimes almost tangibly. My portion of the Spirit, embraces their portion also.

Thankyou everyone for the welcome. Much appreciated. I am new to making friends in such a public forum, however, I hope to soon be comfortable in sharing more of myself as you all do. Thankyou for your embracing spirits. Blessings.