Cassiopeia

Well, Sean, I guess I keep looping around to a thought I've had for sometime that I notice people like to give God all the glory and the blame or Satan all the blame. What I mean by that is, they act as though all blessings and trials come from God or the devil is tempting them. In this way they can seem to be completely at the mercy of God and Satan, thus making them either blessed or cursed for their righteousness. And when the time comes that they have difficulties or failures they don't have to examine what part their decisions played in bringing about pain and suffering. Some things in this life are a part of our mortal existence. It comes with the territory of being human. I believe that God blesses us and knows when to let us experience this life and not rescue us the minute we call out. I do know that Satan will do what he can but we are here with physical bodies. We have power over ourselves. We can as you said, Sean, use our hearts and our minds to listen and to know what to do. I can promise you, when I've doubted myself, when I've listened to conflicting counsel because I lost confidence in my ability to know what's right, I have suffered for it. But when I've steadied myself, let go of fear, put my faith in God and myself, things improve. I don't think following the commandments changes Satan's efforts, I think it makes us immune to his influence. My home teacher said last night that he is powerful. Perhaps but not nearly as powerful as we are and especially not more powerful than Christ. I just think that we need to stop looking over our shoulders for him, and keep our eyes single to the glory of God, to be mindful of our choices and to be hopeful and have faith.

oh he'd know right away that you are soo jealous. :) I even made it from scratch so that is definitely a sinful situation.

My home teacher came by, he's been so sweet to fix my sprinklers and while he took a break to drink some raspberry lemonaide I'd made, I slipped in this very topic and asked him if I was mistaken and he said absolutely not. The only time you would tell any leader of a transgression that involved another, was if you were a participant and they asked for who else was involved. Other than that it is inappropriate for us to tell the Bishop about another person's transgression. The only thing we can do is to encourage them to seek the counsel of their Bishop. He's also our Young Men's President and said that there is no transgression from sleeping in the same bed if they are not engaging in sexual acts but that they might want to consider how long they are able to stay chase by tempting themselves in such a manner.

We do care. But we must also know what's our place and what isn't. We can certainly express our concern and our love for them but to go talk to their Bishop is just not our place.

Um, yeah NO. This is not her place to do. I once told a member of a Bishopric that I had concerns about a guy in our ward, and I was severely warned against saying anything of the sort. I'll never forget just how that felt to be told that not only was it not my place that I could be disciplined for doing something like that. We aren't here to rat others out, no matter how nicely we put it.

well in the context that they want a temple wedding, you should tell them to knock it off then. You aren't telling them they have to get married in the temple, they want it. So remind them they are tempting fate and to stop what they are doing if getting married in the temple means that much to them. You see, no forcing them just reasonable and rational advice :)

You know it's funny you should mention this. Before I married, I didn't want kids. I was terrified I'd be the kind of mom, my mother was. I had remembered sitting in a relief society lesson where the teacher said, if you were abused as a child you would be an abuser to your own children. I freaked. There was no way I wanted to do that to a child. Then I married and after 10 months into the marriage I suddenly had this overwhelming need to try. When my daughter was born and each of her brothers after her, I knew they were safe with me and that relief society lesson was wrong. I am so glad I have my three kids. We are a happy family.

Oh my word, I thought this same thing. I was like. what planet are these people from that they can be so cool headed about being in love and lust. I mean come on, a good match includes being physically attracted and there's nothing wrong with that. It's what you do with it that can be. *dumps a bucket of Icewater on crazypotato* What? I thought it seemed like the right thing to do.

Aww, Alana, don't be scared. You will love them. I love my daughter, even after all we went through, perhaps even more so. I really grew to understand unconditional love and the atonement. I understand how it works more fully and it has blessed my life. She has blessed my life. Teens are a blast, just very emotional and very wonderful. I know it sounds like a contradiction but that's because they are at odds with themselves, their body chemistry and the entire world as they try to grow into adulthood.

I mentor teens. In particular teenage girls. If there's one thing I'm always grateful for, (regrettably) is they go home at the end of our two hours together. It is a very hard thing to take on troubled teens. I took care of my daughter, as I said when she was addicted to meth. It was the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I had reason to do it. She was mine. I'm not so sure I'd have the same conviction for someone who wasn't my child that I had raised so I can see people blinking and backing up in the face of the challenge.

No kidding. I'm shocked at what people who want to adopt have to go through. I mean come on...if they have no criminal background and can financially care for the child...I say GIVE them the child. Don't charge them.

Last time I heard about adopting from a foreign country it still was well over 20K, I just don't think that's feasible for most couples. Here's an interesting site. International Adoption As to it being sexual material, I am having a hard time grasping that. I would say it's procreation materials rather than sexual materials. In any event, as I said in my very first post, being a single mom is very hard. I've done it for the better part of 14 years now and at times it's heartbreaking and lonely. My ex lives literally 2 miles from our home up here and he did not work at being their dad hard enough. His new wife alienated him from my children. It was his choice to do that but until they married he was perhaps the best dad I've ever seen. Now that the kids are all grown, they are pretty much forcing their way past her to be a part of their dad's life. I'm blessed enough that I will never have to face being single, never married or childless. I would not feel in a position to judge someone who resorted to IV to have a child. Some health insurance cover the cost of such a procedure so it would be more financially viable than adopting from overseas or even in our own country. That's what really needs to change. The cost of adoption. With some many childless couples and even single women and men who'd love to be a parent, and so many bereft children, you'd think it would be in the best interests of everyone around to make that as financially amenable as possible.

My ex husband's grandfather lived with this lady who was his friends for many many years after his wife died. They had separate rooms, no intimate relations though she desperately wished he would marry her. They both held recommends. Okay if these two are really that attached to one another and I'm not so old I can't remember how hard it is to say good night and they sleep in the same bed cuddling all night, if they haven't already been messing around, they are courting disaster. I'd tell them to knock that off so as not to take chances of not having recommends when the time comes to be ready.

So what does the couple or individual do who does not have enough money for the adoption process. Or has restrictions beyond their control to get approved, like was mentioned before as to the problems with stairs and location and etc? Commandment or counsel? I guess because there'd be a discipinary hearing it is considered a commandment?

You are assuming there's something to forgive. I simply have my boundaries. I'm not going to allow people to hound me like that. It's not appropriate. I can't be chased away either if I live my life with respect to what I'm willing to allow.

No, Visiting Teachers aren't to phone the ladies they visit every single time they don't see them at church. That's going too far. I know, I was one for many many years. And you certainly don't call with the message, why weren't you at church today. And not ever single time someone misses. This isn't the church of coercion. I already know she cares. We spent a lot of time together. But I know when someone's being bossy and it is all too convenient to just want to put this on my feelings when there are certainly people in the church who get too pushy about it. And I know she's offended because she hasn't been around or phoned to do her monthly visiting for July. She skipped it and she never misses. But that's going to have to be her issue, not mine. I'm certainly not angry with her just keeping my boundaries. My home teachers are equally concerned but instead of phoning me every time I'm not there, when they come they ask if they can help and they know what's going on in my life. Right now, I have a home teacher in my yard fixing my sprinklers because he saw how my lawn was doing. He asked if he could help. He didn't just show up and fix them, he asked permission. It took a lot for me to accept his help. But I did because of how he approached me.

I doubt very much that I'm a better person than you, sweetie. I remember a discussion I had with my Bishop about 6 months back when I told him it felt like the adversary was dogging my steps and he told me then, that feeling would go away one day because I'd forget to look. My home teachers and I were talking about this the other night. I'm going through extreme difficulties right now and I said to them that I refuse to believe this is God's doing or Satan's. And one of my home teachers said, sometimes the trials we experience are a part of this mortal existence. We do our best to get through them. I can't help but wonder if it isn't that he's bombarding you but without that support you feel the difficulties in your life much more poignantly.

This is the way with internet discussions. It's never easy to get the entire story across. The problem is, I'm not offended. I was made uncomfortable because I felt she was overstepping her boundaries. In the past I let those things slide and I always felt it was inappropriate. My feelings are, if I intend to stay, I'm going to make sure that I have my life the way I want it and no one is allowed to pressure me in such an inappropriate way. I let people chase me away last time. Not again. And I didn't go inactive. I left the church. I am still figuring out if this is where I want to be but I'll be here because I want to be not because I'm forced to.

Did you just call me a nerd? Why I never!!! Oh wait, yes I have. I don't disbelieve in the existence of Satan. I just think we tend to give him too much credit for our own choices. His influence is everywhere but can he mislead us when we pray? I suppose he could if we let him. I think it's a very hard thing for him to deceive us when we are close to the Lord. We know the difference when we pray. As for visitations from him, he has long since left me alone. It only serves to make me angry and more determined to keep him out of my life. I'm not afraid of him. I know he has no real power over me. I think we are more likely to be in danger of spooking ourselves and I guess in that way he wins again. But only because we let him.

I don't see that choosing not to adopt a baby that was born addicted to heroine or cocaine or meth or any number of substances is vain. It means the person knows their limitations. And I do not say that lightly. I had to walk through hell and back to save my daughter from Crystal Meth. I wouldn't wish that on anyone. And as mentioned before, adoption is so costly and so stringent that sometimes it's just impossible. So before we go saying that those who decided against adoption for the reasons that they can't handle a trouble child, or those born with addition or birth deformities are vain, let's remember we are given the right to choice in this life. And not one of us is in a position to judge others choices.

And the Tok'ra came up with that nifty Goa'uld removal device so the host is all that remains. :)

I took a digital media class four years ago and this guy in our class was a photographer looking to start a different career and people were like, why? He said he couldn't handle the cranky models anymore. We said why not and he said they are starved and mean and neurotic from starving.

The thing for me is this: How much does Satan really have to meddle with? I think we do a great deal of deceiving ourselves without his help.

Now THERE's an intelligent response.

Alright, as long as you both recognize you are the ones flouncing off rather than seeking understanding, fine by me.