mrmarklin

It's all relative. I live in the SF Bay area where a starter home in Silicon Valley goes for $500k. No luxury here, probably a 3-2 fixer upper. SFO is again experiencing bidding wars for condos that would cost $100k in most areas of the country but are well over $500k here. Traveler's story is a good one. We can become burdened by our possessions. My current main home is much too large (four bedrooms 3 baths + living, and two! family rooms) for only my wife and I now. It's hard to believe that we once had seven of us living there!!! It was crowded then. When the kids left we remodeled figuring we wouldbe there at least another ten+ years, and my wife said we finally had the house "decent" after Kids. About 4 years ago we bought our "retirement" home, now our vacation home, thinking the market was down. Well it wasn't down far enough!!! It's not a good time to sell our main house as it took a market hit relative to the "remodeling" loan, and the vacation home has slid considerable below loan value. Luckily my income has held up even in this recession, but if I could sell my main house and pay everything off, I would. It's too large for our needs except we seem to have filled it up with "junk". Investment yields are such that if you can pay off your house, that's a real good use of your money. This going against a lifetime of me telling people to do the opposite as a financial advisor!

Go to 24hourcampfire.com — "WIND FLAGS" (John Barsness) forum for tons of advice. There are already many threads on self defense handguns.

I think what you're missing Vort, is that when the iPad came on the market, the APP store was already a reality and iTunes had already revolutionized the music industry. I've been buying desktop computers since 1983 for business (all Wintel based) and really the only time we upgrade is when we're "forced" to by software. The iPad was the culmination of software and hardware carefully orchestrated by Apple. APPs are very smoothly integrated into the phone and the pad and very user friendly. This concept is devastating previous market leaders like Nokia and Blackberry to the extent that they may go bankrupt.

Get a lawyer and change the locks on the door of your house as soon as you legally can. Cutie 23YO won't be so "in love" with him when he is paying child support, doesn't have a good place to live and 1/3 of his paycheck goes to spousal support too.

It's all about the APPS. The problem Apple's competitors face is that they don't have enough APPS, and in 2002 no one had ever even heard of one. The iPad (and iPhone) is more than just a computer. It's a window to another world in almost every sense of the world.

My experience is that my prayers are answered in time context. If I pray for inspiration to teach my class, I receive that inspiration almost instantly, after all I need it now! But if I'm praying very generally or about a long term goal, then that answer will manifest itself over a much longer period of time. Just like the traders on Wall Street, we humans are very impatient, and expect instant response, but of course that does not always occur. Some things require a lot af fasting and prayer.

I switched to Diet Coke years ago...................................

Remember revelation is the keystone of our religion and the "rock" on which the church is founded. Without it we're just another wannabe church. No mere belief got the pioneers across the plains, through their persecutions. It's not enough that we hear stuff from our leaders or our parents. Without our own testimony of the truth, received by revelation, we'll fail.

No it doesn't. Certain members know the gospel is true due to personal revelation they have received. That goes way beyond belief. When I was on my mission an apostle visited our group in Cochabamba Bolivia (ca. 1969). He stated that he "had never heard a voice, never seen a vision" but knew the gospel was true, and that God lived. His name: Gordon B Hinckley. I think his level of knowledge must have improved in subsequent years.:)

I had a business partner that told me: 99% of the stuff I ever worried about never happened. True to this day....................... Not saying no one should prepare for the future, but c'mon.

I'm going to go to Europe this fall. I think it will still be there. I'll be in the UK, the Netherlands and Germany. All this alarmist stuff is nonsense.

Well, we've had beard threads before...................................... Unless you're a missionary (or the like), I don't think the Church takes an official position.

Petting???? Really? I don't think you have anything to tell the Bishop, particularly since the activity is very old news, and you have repented.

Your feelings of future happiness are just wishful thinking IMHO. Maybe you're seeing the real him right now. Many people wander through their lives without true testimonies just going through the motions for social reasons. I sincerely hope your husband is not one of these, but I suspect it's true. You need to take appropriate actions right now, and deal with things as they are. Which things are: he doesn't have a testimony, possibly doesn't love you anymore, is ignoring and hurting his children with an affair, is harming himself with his drinking among other things wihich probably have not even come out yet. You should consider filing for either a divorce or legal separation. This will either bring him to his senses if he decides that the loss of his wife and children would be too great to bear, or you will be better off without him.

I bought a Harley in 2008 on a dare from my son who also bought one. He lives close and we ride together often. I have another son in Idaho that also rides. Riding motorcycles is not a very LDS thing in my experience, although I have ridden since I was 18 years old. Other than my two sons I don't know any LDS that ride. Good luck on finding riding buddies. Here in CA there is the BARF( Bay Area Rider's Forum), an informal group that rides together fairly often. I think there are some people on the forum that live farther north. If you are a Harley rider there are the local HOG chapters of riders all over the country usually getting together near or at a dealer. I've been at a couple of HOG events, and find that in general the members are pretty good people.

An uderstanding of game theory used in complex computer programs can give us some idea of how God seems to "know" everything. He doesn't really, but using His knowledge of probablilities, He has a pretty good idea of what will happen to us as a race. Whether or not He knows if I'm going to get safely to my country property this afternoon or not (it's a 4 hour drive), I don't know if He knows or even cares very much. I'll keep you posted. EDIT: It's the next day and I made it here. Did God know if I would make it? Did He even know I was going? I didn't make the decision until Thursday pm. In any event, I made all the decisions myself. I didn't feel any influence, and my arriving safely was due to good driving skills.

The only plan God has for us is to return to His presence. He has laid out a course of action (Faith repentance, Baptism, good works, etc etc) and it's up to us to follow it or not. Your vocation, spouse, children, number of vacations, etc etc are all up to you. Somehow a notion that "God knows all" is seen as limiting our choices. But of course that's not so. I "know" that if I offer my granddaughter ice cream she will enthusiastically take it. Does that limit her choice? I don't think so. She can refuse it (in my dreams).

I disagree with some of this. At 16 the subject is not an adult, and is subject to house rules. Which in my parents house, and my own I may add, included going to church. There is no curtailment free agency involved, because the subject can always "move out". One thing I do agree with is sending the miscreant who molested your daughter to jail.

I've been though this. When I was 16 I was essentially the same as your son. I was able to get a testimony later on by learning to pray while I was on my mission. Did I mention that I only went on my mission to get out of the house? And because everyone expected it? I was able to be turned because I don't think the things I was taught from childhood ever really died, and basically I wanted to live a good life. I don't recommend sending non-believers on missions BTW. Childhood teachings die hard, especially if the examples he grew up with live good lives, and are essentially happy people. Don't give up hope. Some of this is just your son's way of "finding" himself.

Remember that baptism into any other church does not count to the Lord!!! Technically, you apostatized, but I doubt that you will be excommunicated.

Watching my almost three year old granddaughter eat ice cream. She loves chocolate.

Your friends know you and can see through all the lies. Several years ago I heard slander about a friend of mine whose integrity is without question. I immediately challenged the person telling me the lies. He backed off a little, but stuck to the main gist of the story. Bottom line, the allegations were just that: allegations that never were proven, nor could be. Mainly because they were lies. Your friends know you, and realize your situation. No need to talk about any of it unless asked.................and even then.

In fariness, the pope only claims infallibility when speaking ex-cathedra ie: in the spirit.

That's a total Crock. Utah culture should not dictate your personal situation. The prophets of this church are NOT trying to micromanage your lives although some would have you believe that's true.

You are not being selfish. Quite the opposite IMHO. You both are laying a foundation for your family's future and should stay the course. I don't know how old you are, but assuming twenties, you have plenty of time ot bring your children into the world. And what a world it will be! You will be able to take care of them in a manner that is appropriate for all God's children, and not have heavy debts to pay. I agree that these decisions should be made by the two of you, and not by his, yours or anyone else's family.