RipplecutBuddha

When someone famous dies, a retrospective of their lives is becoming a more personal thing. After all, we didn't know much about the private lives of Lou Abbot and Bud Cosstello. Since Whitney's private life was so much more part of her public image, it's tempting to sit back and look at some of her choices and wonder what could have been. Having said that, it could put us towards the arrogant side of things if we don't consider how Heavenly Father felt about her life compared to how he feels about our lives. After all, she did share an amazing gift of music with the world. If she didn't quite live up to her potential, are we doing any better? We each have our own race to run to the same finish line. In this race, everyone can be the winner, and checking on how others did, or are doing doesn't help us win at all. Even though we know death will claim us all at some point, the timing of it can still be unsettling.

It wasn't my intent to attack HoosierGuy, as I took his post to be the thoughts of someone else who spoke with him. I'm done as well.

How many people not only saw Jesus, but heard his voice, and even saw his miracles? I'm sorry, but a stack of golden metal plates bound together isn't going to convince anyone of anything.

People love stereotypes because it takes the thought out of the process of trying to get along with people. If one assumes that all lesbians are 'ruthless and evil', then whenever one either meets a mean woman, or is introduced to a lesbian, they don't have to think to react. They automatically decide that the one is forever linked to the other. It's lazy, selfish, and judgemental. Like previous commenters, I have known several lesbians and every one of them were great. I mean, they weren't perfect, but I count each of them friends still. In fact the only gay/lesbian kind of person I couldn't get along with was one guy who just wouldn't stop talking about the fact that he's gay, and how gay he is, etc. I was of the attitude, 'okay, you're gay....cool...move on.'

Serpentine!! Serpentine!!!!

The silly thing is that he's not the first NFL player to have a religious pose after a major event in a game. For heaven's sake, players have been doing this since at least the early 80's when I started paying attention to football. He's also far from the first publicly Christian player to ever play the game. What I want to know has nothing to do with Tebow directly, I want to know why everyone else is suddenly having cases of apoplexic reactions to a new player who's doing nothing more or less than dozens of other players have been doing for decades? If you don't like it, fine, but he's still gonna do it. Would you rather him do his kneeling thing, or go home and beat his wife up, or get involved in drugs, or get involved in gangs, or any other number of things NFL players are known for doing? ever wonder how many NFL players have a recent criminal record? I'd be fascinated to find out what the statistic is, and then throw that on the table when people bring up Tebow. It's time to put on your grown-up underwear and stop being offended by other people just because of how they choose to peacefully live ther lives. Thank you. Rant over.

right you are, it was fast offerings, not tithing. My bad.

what would happen? They'd argue over whether or not Joseph translated the record properly...

Okay, here's my bit, take it for what it is. -The sacrament is for a renewal of baptismal covenants, therefore when baptized members partake worthily (ie. they are truly still repentant of their sins and striving to overcome them) then they are blessed as though they had just been baptized again. For serious and consistently difficult sins, they would have been in contact with the bishop for help and direction. -If someone who has been baptized partakes of the sacrament and is not truly repentant (ie. they aren't concerned with overcoming the sins in their life) then they are partaking of the sacrament unworthily, and instead of being blessed, stand condemned until they repent. -If someone who has not been baptized partakes of the sacrament, the action is of no effect at all, whether the person is righteous or unrighteous, because they have not entered into a covenant with Heavenly Father through baptism. Remember the ordinance is to renew a covenant, not to make one. The verse quoted in Mormon about preventing people from partaking unworthily pertains to baptized members only, because only baptized members have a covenant to maintain. Non-members do not. Stated another way, how can a non-member be condemned for failing to live up to a covenant they have not made? How can a little child be condemned for failing to live up to a covenant that Heavenly Father says they have no need to make? The sacrament is the most important ordinance in the church IMHO because we participate in it weekly. At the same time, it is a very public ordinance because we all need to participate regularly. People outside the Church could use this as a way to explain how we view ourselves in relation to the Atonement. That could cut both ways if we insist that "Only member should partake". A paraphrase, then, of the policy from the handbook that is perfectly backed up in scripture is this; "The sacrament of the Lord's Supper is a renewal of covenants made at baptism. Those who are baptized must see to it that they partake of the sacrament worthily, or that they are repentant of their sins. Those who are not baptized are not under a covenant, and thus may decide for themselves if they partake or not. Partaking of the sacrament prior to baptism has no spiritual consequence upon one's standing before Heavenly Father."

In San Diego, where I served, each missionary had a bank account opened for them through Bank of America, and each month a set amount was put in the account. The money was intended for food, laundry, cleaning supplies, replacing damaged clothing, bedding if needed, etc. However, it was made explicitly clear that the money in the accounts were held as sacred funds and were not to be used for trivial or lavish items. I spent some of mine on film for my camera, and that's about as lavish as I got. Occasionally we would eat out, but most of our dinners were at member homes, so we didn't need much for food even. Also the senior companion would get additional funds for fueling the mission car. The amount was set, and stayed with the car if the missionary got transferred. Most senior compaions would just withdraw the full set amount and we'd keep it either in the apartment or in the glove box of the car. That way, the money was always set aside for the car alone. Finally, when the missionary was sent home, he/she spent their last night at the mission home, and their bank acccount was closed with whatever remaining funds returned to the general missionary fund. I can't remember how much it was a month, but while it wasn't much at all, it was always enough, and we were expected to pay tithing as well.

I'm a huge football fan, but I'm not going to watch it. No point, really since the Giants will win the game anyhow.

I would hope, with sincere Christ-like love, that her doctor heard her say it, and then begin backing her off her dosages a bit.

I think the title of the article is a bit misleading. We aren't being exposed to more of our beliefs (that happens every Sunday) so much as we are being exposed to parts of the history of the LDS Church, and as the above article explains, that's not the same thing. The unique part about our religion is that it is in all likelihood the best documented origin ever recorded. I can't think of another world religion that has so much material available about its beginnings...that has been written, preserved, and is currently available to the public at large due to the efforts of the organization itself. We are called secretive, yet the only thing we are really mum about are the temple ordinances in detail. Everything else is either already public knowledge, or part of the documentary history of the church. I like what David Bitton says though "I don't have a testimony of the history of the LDS Church." In one respect, because it is history, we don't really need a testimony of it. So long as it is reported accurately and as completely as possible, it is what it is. The strength of the LDS Church doesn't rest on its history, but on its religious claims, standards, and practices. That's where our testimony needs to be.

happy birthday dravin....now write a post for every year you are old. (unless you're 102 or something....)

Pain and sorrow are part of life, this much is obvious to anyone. What keeps getting forgotten is that neither need to be a permanent part of life. Having been divorced myself, I know the suffering that comes from a marriage that didn't work. It took me over a year to come to grips with the reality of it. However, I turned a corner and began to see the joys of life again here and there. Now I still have regrets, but the guilt and sorrow have passed. Christ has suffered whatever sorrow we go through. He did so precisely so he could help us get through it. Nobody understands our pain better than he, and there is nobody better to seek for help. "Come unto me all ye that labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me, for I am meek and lowly in heart and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." The temple sealing is a covenant between spouses and God. Whenever one spouse breaks that covenant, they lose their promised blessings, however the other spouse (so long as they remain faithful to the covenant) retain their blessings. The temple sealing is not cancelled until another prospect of marriage begins exactly for this fact. That way the faithful spouse and any children are constantly covered by the covenant. It may seem frustrating, but it really is in our best interests to maintain our covenants in faith so long as we can.

How could you learn to walk without the opposition of gravity?

Thank you, everyone, for the great comments. For the record, the workspace we have is pretty small, so constant contact is usually the norm with co-workers. The good news is we had a much more calm talk after a day or two, and I think we got some basic stuff hammered out, namely that my authority (or lack thereof to be more specific) prevents me from being able to do anything about most of what upsets them, and after a while it just annoys me to hear it. We just finished another shift together and things went much more smoothly. Some of the old behavior is still there, but I'm not expecting a full compliance to my will. After all, I probably do some pretty annoying things myself. All in all I can live with things as they are now. As for the blowup in public, yeah it was wrong, and I felt bad about it right away. I should have taken the time to walk them into a back room and still kept calm while I explained myself, but lessons learned I suppose. The manager will show up today, so if something comes of it, it's more likely now. I'm resolved to accept whatever happens. I thank you again for the comments and opinions. You helped more than you know.

Okay, I'd like to consider myself a pretty laid-back guy. It's been five years since I've come unhinged on someone, if my memory serves me well (and it might not...). At any rate, the situation, I've been working with someone who has been griping about work since day one. They didn't listen to any of their training, argued with their trainer from the start, did things their own way, then griped about how nobody 'does anything right'. The quality of their work is inconsistent, and not according to the rules. They are a hard worker and dependable, but hard dependable work in the wrong direction....anyway, I digress. At the same time this person will brag about how good they are, and how much experience they have in better facilities than ours....how they're 'professional' instead of what we provide. What really grated at me is how this person would brag about not only how much money they make from other situations away from work, but on how much they spend on things like watches in the multiples of dozens and shoes in the hundreds of pairs....clearly indicating they don't really 'need' this job anyway. Yet every shift I worked with this person, they gripe...and moan...and complain....about stuff I not only really don't care about, but stuff I couldn't affect if I did care because I'm not a manager in any way. So, during a particularly busy moment, I just lost it. I didn't get violent, or crude...I just repeatedly said (in a clearly angry raised tone of voice) they were talking to the wrong person, that I was sick of their gas, and would they please just leave. Unfortunately, this occured in front of some guests, but I was cornered, and had nowhere else to go physically. Now, after I did so, and they left, I was shaking for a few minutes (I abhor confrontations, as I'm not comfortable with the adrenaline rush that comes with being consumed by anger..I'm just not good at controlling myself). So I composed a letter of the event for the manager to read, and since he's due back from vacation in a few days, I get to joyfully worry about what will happen next. I'm not the only one frustrated by this person, but it seems I'm the first in a while to react to it in such a way. Not many other co-workers have anything positive to say for this person, including the assistant manager, and the desk clerk that trained me so many years back. I've tried to look on the positive side, but it seems I've either reached my limits, or I dropped my guard too soon. On the one hand, I felt far more relaxed and calm having gotten almost a year's worth of frustration off my chest in one heave. On the other hand, I feel that I've let myself down all the same. I know there was obviously a better way to handle it, but how much must I take? Maybe I should have confronted the person much sooner instead of letting things build, but at the same time, it was generally small stuff to me that I typically let go pretty easily. I'm praying about it, but outside perspectives are welcome. Thank you in advance.

*Good Wyoming boy trying to not say anything bad about Utah drivers that swear their cars are supposed to go warp 3 under all driving conditions* All the same, for the ten years I lived in Lincoln Nebraska, it seemed the whole city forgot how to drive in snow for the first two snowfalls...that occur every year...without fail...

at the beginning of the clip, you'll notice he goes to his bench and puts both arms over the wall. To get a stick by itself, yo'll usually just see the player reach with one arm, and even at that, another player may hand it to him. I see it as him reaching for two objects, the stick, and the cleverly rigged puck. Then, after the goal, notice that he high-fives the goalie, meaning it wasn't a real penalty shot. Likely the goalie practiced the trick with him before the game. Still though....awesome trick for the fans!!

Not to butt in, however Chula Vista was my first area:)

I was checked into the hospital with high blood pressure. The expert medical staff was able to bring it down safely in short order, but they were concerned it may rise again, so I was held overnight for observation. Just before I went to sleep that night, a nurse and the doctor came into my room. The doctor was holding a large feline, and the nurse had two big black dogs on leashes. They just stood there, all five of them...staring at me. Then the doctor said "Okay, that'll do nicely." and then they left. A few weeks later I was at the doctor's office and he handed me a bill for 900 dollars. I said "what is this bill for? I already paid for the ER and overnight stay." He said "Yes, but you still owe 400 for the cat scan, and 500 for the lab fees."

The version I heard was this; What would Delaware if Mississippi borrowed her New Jersey? Idaho, Alaska.

Why aren't orchestras on television anymore? too much sax and violins. How much does a pirate pay for peircings? A buck an ear. A man goes into a diner and asks for a peice of pie. The waitress says "What kind ya want...apple or cherry?" Her voice sounds painfully rough, so he asks her "Have you got laryngitis?" "Nope, just apple or cherry..." Waiter, what's this fly doing in my soup? It appears to be the backstroke, sir. A man bites into a peice of pie at a diner, It tastes so bad he almost spits it out. "What kind of pie is this??" The waitress says "What's it taste like?" "It tastes like mud!!" "Oh, that'd be the apple pie, the cherry pie tastes like old carpet."

California, San Diego mission 97-99. My first companion had a nickname. "The grumpy old man". It was highly ironic for me because I didn't put in my papers until I was 25. So really, I was the 'old man' of the two of us. At any rate, one moment with him I will never forget. It was during the first few weeks of my mission, when a hurricane was coming ashore. The Mission President decided to lock us down for the storm, except for church if it lasted that long. In our apartment we were going stir-crazy. We'd been through the apartment, cleaning and organizing everything. We went through the area book, discussing each person/family and what they needed, etc. At the end of one day, we were doing personal study. My companion asked me an interesting question. "What do you want to accomplish with your mission?" I was struck by it and I wasn't sure how to answer. He went on "You can't say you want to proselyte, give out Books of Mormon, baptize someone...that's what every missionary is supposed to do anyway. You need a goal for your mission; a mark to strive for above your expected duties." I thought about it and then answered "I want to bring a complete family into the church. Not just one member, but parents, kids, the whole thing." He nodded "That's a good goal. Now, what will you do to reach it? In order to get that goal, you've got to be willing to do what it takes, and it won't all be fun." For a grumpy old man, he knew what he was talking about. I could tell that right away. In the last part of my mission I served in the largest area of the mission, I was in a three-part companionship with two excellent elders. One was exuberant and very outgoing, the other was quite shy and withdrawn. Both were very good companions. We had been referred to a family that had run into the elders in the city. As it turned out, the father was born and raised in the church until he turned ten. At that time his parents were going through a divorce, and they let him choose who he would live with. He chose his dad, who shortly thereafter became inactive. As a result, he stopped going as well. Fast forward several years, he was married and had three children. The oldest was 16, the youngest was 10 (I think). They had gone to several different churches over the years, but never really stuck to any of them. The husband cme across the elders in the city, and they invited him to have us visit his family in their home. He agreed, and we headed out (on an hour-long drive) to see them. During our visit, they agreed to take the discussions. We set them up with books of mormon and bibles, and the first discussion went beautifully. When we felt it was right, we asked them if they would be baptized. At first they didn't answer, but they agreed to discuss it, and answer when we came back for the next discussion. Lots of missionaries already understand what that answer usually is. We were a bit let down, but we decided to think positively. Three days later, and four days before our next visit, the wife called and told us they want to be baptized. You can imagine our reaction. When we did visit them again, the wife and each child had decided to join the church. Here's where it got interesting. Dad was already a member, but he didn't hold the priesthood. He wanted to baptize his family himself. We thought it was an excellent idea, and the bishop was very excited himself. Fast forward to the last discussion, the mother's father was in the hospital in Texas in very serious condition. She had immediately left to be with him, and was not present when we showed up for the final discussion. We had agreed at the outset that the discussions happened when everyone was there, and only then. So our next three meetings were basically question and answer sessions, which were amazing and quite productive as well. At the same time we felt like we were spinning our wheels, and that the window of opportunity was closing on the family. We didn't let our concerns show to them, but they were there anyway. Finally we noticed that Dad was having a hard time with the homemaking matters, specifically the meal preparation. When dad says 'We just had dinner', and you see the fixings for peanut butter and jelly sandwiches still on the table, you know there's an issue. When we got home that evening we talked about where things stood with the family and what may end up happening. Mom wasn't coming home, though she was calling home every day with updates, and 'I want to come home, but Grandpa is still so sick'. We were somewhat at a loss as to how to proceed. The wheel-spinning was becoming very unnerving. We decided we could at least help them with some hot dinners, so we called up the RS president and explained what was going on. The family had been to several sacrament meetings from the start, so the ward knew them and welcomed them happily. We asked the RS president if she could have someone take a dinner out to them that night. She immediately agreed. What she did blew us away. She had a dinner (main dish, side, veggies, and desert) out at their home that night! Then she saw the real state of things, details we may have missed. At least, I think we missed some details because she scheduled several sisters to take turns doing the same....for the next month! All of them were excited to be able to help, and nearly half of them called to thank us for the call to service. You can imagine our reaction to that... The family was blown away, to say the least. Dad called Mom and told her what was happening. She was blown away. The next day her father was improving steadily enough that she felt good in coming home. The day she arrived, she called us and told us we needed to get out to their house that night so we could hold the last discussion. When we got there, she hugged each of us, tears in her eyes, tears in our eyes. We then had one of the most spiritual discussions of my entire mission. The interviews were soon completed, Dad was interviewed by the bishop, and recieved the Aaronic Priesthood during priesthood meetings, ordained to the office of a Priest. The baptism was held that afternoon, and Dad got to baptize his family into the church. A large part of the congregation showed up, far more than we expected. Each of us missionaries took turns confirming them, and I cannot express how that felt. I had other amazing experiences, of course, but this one is my favorite because it involved so many people responding to the promptings of the Holy Ghost in exactly the right manner and time to bring it all together. Add to that the visits I had to the San Diego temple....truly an unforgettable event in my life. Oh, and the language I learned was english, but then I've been working on that for most of my life, and I still don't have it quite right....