jayanna

I believe everyone is saved through the grace of Jesus. What do you mean that you work towards exaltation? You can't work your way into heaven. Through the atonement of Christ we are saved from spiritual death. We will be judged by our works, they determine which heavenly kingdom we will be sent to after judgment. Exaltation means that we are working towards being in the highest kingdom, the celestial kingdom. It is described in the Bible as being the kingdom like the sun.

Dossice, I understand your frustration. It is hard to hear a cry for help and not know how to answer it. I would give her the benefit of the doubt as to why she chose to air her grief in testimony meeting, maybe she thought is was the only avenue left to share her loneliness...I don't know. I think a nice card mailed to her would be good, you might thank her for a particularly nice lesson, talk, or service she has done that you appreciate. You might see when her birthday is, the RS pres. would know. The Gladys Knight concert is a fantastic idea...I went to one and brought several non-member friends...It was one of the best times I've ever had!

Jesus is not subject to it. It is subject to Him. He writes the scriptures. How can you be subject to something you create? If He says, "hey, you need to fix that" you should fix it. If we are to be Christlike, then we should have a personal, open communication with Him, especially when trying to understand what few words of His are written. I believe in a living God. This is really a kind of silly debate...how do I reconcile what I think are differences? I ask HIM of course...I search I ponder and I pray...doesn't anybody else?

To be honest, I am much more worried about whether the Lord wants me to share my testimony, and if He does, what exactly he wants me to say. The children in my ward are kinda meek, so when they give testimony, you know it must be something real. I think they do better when they have good examples. If you don't hear a testimony you like, or you think the Lord does not like, maybe you could show the ward how it's done? One Sunday we had some investigators, and one of the returned missionairies got up and said in his testimony what a testimony is...that seemed to help. We have some mighty powerful testimonies in the ward I'm in.

This very thing happened to me, and several sisters in my ward. I joined as an adult, married a non-member. I prayed very hard before agreeing to marry him. I received an answer almost immediately. I knew that the Lord found him to be an ideal husband for me and father to my children. He was investigating while we were dating. We were married right around the time he was baptized. When we were engaged though, we decided that we would not fight about religion, that we would go to my church one Sunday and his church the next. This lasted one Sunday...he loved my church. I want you to know that I absolutely loved him completely unconditionally before he decided to join the church of Jesus Christ. I did not expect him to change. He did not expect me to change. I simply loved him and let the Lord take the rest. I am also very independent and was already raising my children as LDS. I was a single mom when I was confirmed. I let him know that there were certain conditions to being in a home that is devoted to the Lord. I tried to be the best example of how a disciple of Christ should be. It took us Five Years to get sealed. Other couples in my ward took much longer. More than one of them are still not sealed. Don't get me wrong, my hubby is a wonderful person, a better husband than I ever imagined he could be, but it was hard. It was hard for us to plan for something that we had never seen. We did not have parents that were sealed that could show us how different it can be from the marriage we already had.. Regardless of what your decision about him will be, you have to decide how much you want the Lord in your life. If you want FHE, and endowments, and to pay tithing, and to teach your children the gospel, including the book of Mormon, he should know before making this commitment. Being sealed in the temple is not something you just do one day, it is a commitment that you choose to keep every day. He needs to make an informed decision. It will change his whole life. This decision will have an effect on your family for generations, please do not make it on a whim. Fast and pray, go to the temple grounds near you and spend a great deal of time there. Wait until you receive an answer. Fear not what the Lord asks of you. He truly knows what is best.

I think that the reason the Lord allows earthly marriage between and man and a woman to be within the bounds of the law of chastity is purely mercy. Like the law of Tithing for example. In the Celestial kingdom we will be expected to share all things...the law of consecration, He has asked us to try this law on occasion and we failed...while we are here on earh, because of our weakness, He allows us to get away with giving only 10% to practice for the greater law later. While 5%, or maybe what spending cash you have on you at the time is not enough to be 'tithing' to those who take on His name, homosexual marriage, 'living together' indefinitely is also not enough. Mercy is only applied to a certain extent. For some reason He has given the limits to this mercy. You'll have to ask Him why. Living up to even the minimal requirements for the celestial kingdom might seem really hard, but my life was a lot harder until I started walking the walk back to my Heavenly Father.

I would like to answer some of that...I had an investigator ask me this very thing not too long ago. I prayed about it and got this answer. 10% may seem like a lot when you are balancing your budget. When we go to heaven, we will all be sharing Everything, not just ten percent, the tithe is practice for that. Can we really say that we are willing to share it all when we have trouble with ten percent? When you are a member of the church of Jesus Christ and pay tithing and have some money problems, you will not go hungry, you will not go homeless, you will be cared for. The church has significant resources that are available to the saints who seek help. The sealing ceremony is described for investigators and new members in the Gospel Principles manual that we use. If you attend church you can get a free copy, and ask questions about what is in it. The chapter on eternal marriage is chapter 38. It is also availiable online on lds.org in the gospel library. I hope you continue to seek and learn, DonKeefe.:)

okay, a couple of things that have helped me in the hair dept. Detangler, detanlger, detangler. It's a spray, buy it. When they are big enough to leave the baby shampoo behind, 2-in-1 shampoo. Soapy water can give them urinary tract infections, don't leave them in it very much. Peanut butter gets gum out of hair. If they have bangs, keep them trimmed or they will get desperate and cut them themselves. I would give my 2 year old a tootsie pop while I cut her hair to get her to sit still. I know, bribery, but it works. Cute headbands can go a long way. Barrettes are tricky, they slide out, and get lost easy. Public bathrooms? Go before you go. Keep an extra set of clothes and shoes in the trunk of the car. For everybody. Bedtime goes a lot easier if there is a routine. Read to them at night and tuck them in, little girls love that.

I have attended several weddings and baptisms, outside of the Church of Jeus Christ. I celebrate these occasions with them. I know that they are not expected to live by a gospel that they do not know. You can't really know it until you have been taught it and gained a testimony of it. I was married civilly to a non-member before being sealed in the temple. I think I would like to share my thoughts on the difference between the Lord recognizng non-temple marriages and baptisms. a non-Lds baptism does not lead to an LDS baptism a civil heterosexual marriage does have the potential to lead to a temple marriage, it holds the basic things needed for the temple ordinance, just add God. It is a tiny seedling of a temple sealing, if you will. One leads away from the path to exaltation, the other leads towards it. Judge it by its fruits. In the millenium, the government will be upon His shoulders, I believe (and this is purely my idea) that at that time, only a temple sealing will be valid.

Wow, I'm kinda feeling bad for that sister who's husband won't watch his own kids. She must be desperate for a break by now. If they lived here I would definitely offer to babysit...at McDonald's, while she visits you. (Just think of the stories you'll have to tell at their farewell...or record it and offer to supply a video at their wedding reception!) Or the other sister, who is too shy to drive OR use the phone, how does she get groceries? How does she get to the doctor? That reminds me of my favorite grandma who did not do those things before she died...she made herself so lonely. I don't know why. I wonder if the Savior ever gets tired of us... I don't really have the greatest testimony of RS helping me all that much until now (10 yrs. after joining) I really want to make sure the sisters I visit don't say the same. I don't have a companion, haven't for years. It must be good for me. I don't know. Maybe you can be a shining beacon of hope and change the whole thing! Don't give up! Don't let your sisters go unvisited...let there be one good visiting teacher out there! Hang in there sis!

We can all help keep Father's children - if they want to stay. If we love them, care for them, and support them, they tend to want to stay. Bishop MacKay, I would like to thank you for your service and for taking time to take part in this thread. My hubby is a 2nd couns. and is snoring, exhausted from his tasks, so I'm sure you must be at least as challenged as he. I know the kind of hours that you put in caring for the sheep. Since I was not loved or cared for in this way when I joined, I would like to say how I stayed...for all those who are not feeling loved or cared for right now... I know that being a faithful follower of Jesus Christ has made me a better mom, and a better wife. My life is better. I feel the love that my Savior has for me personally. I know that there is an adversary out there that does not want me to have these things. I know that he wants me to take offense, be selfish, and want bad things so that he can stop me. I am fully aware that the battle in Heaven has moved to the Earth. So, when these things come up, I do my best to remember who it comes from, and squash it. I do this by scripture study, temple attendance, prayer, fasting, forgiving others, serving and sometimes all I have time for is singing a hymn. Mostly, I stay and work, and take care of things, so my hubby can work, because I love my Savior in return, and I want others to feel that love through me. I don't want anyone to go through the hardships that my hubby and I did when converting to the true gospel...I will do my best to overcome the adversary and share what I have with others. Rember, He said Shine a Light, not point a finger Charity NEVER faileth.

Oh, CH I sincerely hope you find the answers to your questions! That talk mentioned above is a really fantastic one about us, and the guidance we receive from a prophet. REALLY you should read it. :) I would like to point out that in the beginning of this thread that you mentioned the Bible was 98.6% translated directly from the Greek....hhhmmmmm well, maybe that is not the direction I want to take really. I would simply like to share with you that I have a testimony of the Bible, and that many times when I have felt confused or alone or in sadness, I have turned to the Lord, my Savior, my Redeemer, the only begotten of the Father, and he has answered me through the beautiful words I have found there. I would also like to share with you my testimony of the Book of Mormon, which is the same gospel taught to a people on the other side of the world, much like Matthew, Mark, Luke, and Paul addressed different people differently according to how they could understand it. I have read the Book of Mormon several times, and find it brings me closer to being like my Savior each time. I have prayed, just as I pray over the Bible. I have received answers in the same way. If the Book of Mormon were from the other team, why would it testify of the Bible? Why would the apostles and prophets in there admonish us to study the Bible? I testify to you that both the Bible and the Book of Mormon teach us about Jesus Christ. If it speaks of Him, then it is of Him. An investigator asked me once, "I know that the people in your church do good things...but I don't know why. Do they do it because they are afraid of Hell? Do they do it because they want a big reward?" I really thought for a minute and told her. "I do good things because I want to show my Savior that I love Him back." I know a lot of us talk about a big mansion in the sky or the celestial kingdom, which is spoken of in the New Testament. But, I think you should know that when we are walking the walk of what we preach, we really love each other, and care for each other the way the Savior, Jesus Christ, would care for us if He were phyiscally here. CH I would gently admonish you to get a copy of the Book of Mormon, in the footnotes at the bottom of each page you will find references to the Bible...follow those references side by side with the Bible...that's how I did it/ still do it. As you read each page and follow these references, you will see how we understand both books to teach the same gospel. Pray before and during your study. I sincerely hope you find the answers you seek. I really think you have a close relationship with your Heavenly Father, and you should read, study the two, and converse with Him about its truth.

What would members do if someone wore them to protest conference? Walk on by, just like Jesus did when people were spitting on Him on the way to be crucified. Anything we could say or do would not be heard. They do not have eyes that see or ears that hear.

I would put some serious fasting and prayer into this one, while the spirit should always guide, as a general rule it is a good idea to keep a child with his/her age group...coming from a child dev. background...I have had several kids with severe disabilities, but kept them with their age group in spite of reservations and it worked out well in the end. (I had a personal asstistant for each one of them.) Children tend to learn how to behave the way they see others behave. Of course, that is almost strictly from a professional point of view rather than the greater instruction we can receive from the Holy Spirit. I think the real point to having a class in Primary is not just understanding the doctrine, some kids don't listen to that at all, it can also be forming Christlike relationships with your peers. The number one most important thing for kids to get out of their class, they need to feel loved and cared for the way their Heavenly Father cares for them. Either way you decide to go, Primary is great.

here is my take on it...your Bishop has someone else talking to him besides you, the Holy Ghost, if it were so serious that the endorsement would not be given, I'm pretty sure he would have been prompted to dig deeper...that being said, you should talk to him regardless, otherwise you will walk around campus, attending classes, feeling like you don't deserve to be there, even if you really do. I'm sure that he would be more proud of you overcoming your weaknesses, first with that girlfriend, and second, fear of the consequences. You made the right choice in quitting that whole scene...the atonement has cleansed you of that, I'm sure your Bishop has a full appreciation of the atonement. Talk to him.

Okay, here is an interesting one that someone asked me once on that, Why did the apostasy last so long? There are a couple of prophecies that are connected with the restoration at a certain time...you can look them up... one is when Daniel interpreted the Kings Neb. dream about the statue made of different things..Ch. 2. I think the kingdom of brass is the British Empire because at one point the sun never set on the British empire, but I'm not absolutely positive on that point, also the kingdom that is divided agains itself is the Civil War, verse 44 is obviously Zion. Notice the materials in the image get less and less precious in nature as they get further and further, in time, from the church established by the Savior. You can end it there on that scripture, but in case someone asks, zion will 'consume' v. 45 the other kingdoms...when we consume something we make it part of us...zion will consume other kingdoms by missionary work. the other is in Revelations when the seals are opened, one was opened and BANG the church was restored, as promised. Okay, so it wasn't that easy...but the apostasy was ended when prophesied and not before. I'm sure there's loads more in the Book of Mormon, but those two jump out at me. It just occured to me that it is a good idea to put all that near then end as it leads into the next lesson... Have fun!

Yep, missing books, the books of the apocrypha are listed in the Bible dictionary, which you can find in the gospel library on lds.org. They are listed under 'apocrypha' and each one is listed an described. If you look under 'canon' there is a lot of information there as well. The books in the apocrypha are not the books mentioned in my previous post, but entirely different ones. None of this information comes from the Book of Mormon, or even Pearl of Great Price, just careful observations about the Bible itself. I know it takes time, but go ahead and look up the New Testament references, and sure enough, a book named that is not in the Bible, or in the apocrypha. If you are LDS and believe in latter day revelation you can read in the Bible Dict. that Adam, and Enoch kept books as well, that are not available to us. Just think, getting to read those someday!

Well, if you are considering switching schools there are definite plusses to attending BYU, if you are accepted. First of all if you are a member, you do not have to pay for out-of-state tuition. I have done a bit of research on the tuition there and find that it is much more reasonable than even the state universities in my home state. There is also a perpetual education fund that you should really investigate. You can search it in the Ensign magazines, on LDS.org, gospel library, magazines, Ensign, search. Whether or not the school you are currently enrolling in will, accept your mission is entirely up to that university, and you would have to ask student affairs, or some department dealing with your scholarship. Whether or not you should go on a mission now or later is something you must sincerely pray about. Fasting will help also, it should not be a decision made by someone else's advice, but a distinct prompting directily from the Holy Ghost. I would, like to suggest offering to help the ward mission where you currently are living, if you are told not to go on a mission just yet. It can be very helpful to have a member present at some of the discussions, and you can see how the Elders teach different people and respond with promptings from the Holy Spirit. You can mention this to the ward mission leader and ask if the Elders would like you to come with them to visit someone, or have them visit you. I wish you well, Noah, and I know that wherever the Lord sends you, He will provide a way to accomplish the tasks that He sends you forth to do.

Those are excellent questions, Connie, and while I think that our friend may have been a fair weather one, there are a couple of things I would like to point out. First, there was another tree in the garden of Eden. It was the tree of life. Adam and Eve were not instructed not to eat from this tree. If they had stayed in the garden they would have lived forever. If they had children there, they also would have lived forever. How could we all have possible fit on this planet? Second, the Bible that most protestant churches use is an altered one, by their own leaders. When the protestants broke away from the Catholic church, there were several books removed. The Catholic Bible still contains these books. These books, and descriptions are available in our current Bible dictionary. I find it ironic that these same protestants point the finger at us about changing the Bible, when their leaders did this very thing long before our Latter-day church was founded. Lastly, the Bible itself mentions books of scripture that are not available to us in this day... "book of the Wars of the Lord (Num. 21: 14); book of Jasher (Josh. 10: 13; 2 Sam. 1: 18); book of the acts of Solomon (1 Kgs. 11: 41); book of Samuel the seer (1 Chr. 29: 29); book of Gad the seer (1 Chr. 29: 29); book of Nathan the prophet (1 Chr. 29: 29; 2 Chr. 9: 29); prophecy of Ahijah (2 Chr. 9: 29); visions of Iddo the seer (2 Chr. 9: 29; 2 Chr. 12: 15; 2 Chr. 13: 22); book of Shemaiah (2 Chr. 12: 15); book of Jehu (2 Chr. 20: 34); sayings of the seers (2 Chr. 33: 19); an epistle of Paul to the Corinthians, earlier than our present 1 Corinthians (1 Cor. 5: 9); possibly an earlier epistle to the Ephesians (Eph. 3: 3); an epistle to the Church at Laodicea (Col. 4: 16); and some prophecies of Enoch, known to Jude (Jude 1: 14). To these rather clear references to inspired writings other than our current Bible may be added another list that has allusions to writings that may or may not be contained within our present text, but may perhaps be known by a different title; for example, the book of the covenant (Ex. 24: 7), which may or may not be included in the current book of Exodus; the manner of the kingdom, written by Samuel (1 Sam. 10: 25); the rest of the acts of Uzziah written by Isaiah (2 Chr. 26: 22). Matthew’s reference to a prophecy that Jesus would be a Nazarene (Matt. 2: 23) is interesting when it is considered that our present O.T. seems to have no statement as such." (Bible Dictionary, p. 725) Why were the books the prophets referenced, proving they were scripture, removed? If they are not necessary for our day, then why are they even mentioned? While I do believe that the Bible is the word of God, as far as it is translated correctly; I, however, believe that obviously, it is not the ONLY word of God.

Actually, its so funny. My hubby was conducting, he is really green at this, and forgot to ask a person to do the opening. He gets up and says we'll sing opening hymn #___ and have opening prayer by, guess who? ME! Then he sat down and mouthed sorry....everyone laughed 'cause they new he had goofed. Gives 'helpmeet' a new meaning. Yes, he made lunch that day. I'm sure the members in my ward wish they could see a predictable pattern. I have never seen a husband and wife asked to do the prayers, actually. I guess my bishropic are a bunch of loose cannons! Keeps us on our toes.

sometimes it is funny, and I laugh, I can't help it Sometimes they wait until they can corner one of my kids, teens, and smear them with the ugly stuff. Like they are gonna go to hell, etc. I think that sounds more like a Pharisee than Jesus. My daughter even had a teacher at school this year that gave her a hard time during class. But I know I have to forgive them. I know there are some on both sides (LDS and non) who are not what they claim to be. Personally I like to say to them that Jesus said to shine a light, not point a finger. I only hope that when I meet my Savior, Jesus Christ, He will know me and say that He is well-pleased.

I cannot speculate on what that judge was thinking, perhaps th judge was truly reading the Constitution and pondering the rights described therein, I don't know. I don't need to know..I need to forgive, and ask myself what the Lord wants me to do. Concerning the definition of marriage. I did not define it. The dictionary is only parroting somebody's definition of it. God wrote a definition of it. It is in the Proclamation, which was quoted earlier. I do not believe that it was written and distributed throughout the world to cause hate, but rather to give to the world information about how to receive true joy. I, personally, would not wish to redefine something that was created by our loving Heavenly Father, nor do I believe that a group of people, whatever kind of group that is, has the right to assume authority over Him. He wants us to have joy, eternal joy. He has shown us how to receive that joy. Fortunately he has given us a road map. A union described as a 'marriage' between two people of the same gender is not on that road map. Sometimes following that path means that we have to let go of things that we thought we wanted. I don't know if their sins are greater than mine. I am only worried about mine. This is not a temptation that I have had to cope with myself. But, I do have a testimony of true marriage, and wish to shine my light.

If you will like to see which temple have visitor centers, you can go the Mormon.org, point on visit us on the menu at the top of the home page. Click 'places to visit' on the drop down menu, when the new window opens choose the region you live in. When that window opens, go to the left and click visitor's centers, pick one and you will get info on that visitors' center! Personally, I like to look at the pretty pictures. :) OOOoooooo Hawaii

That is child abuse. If you have a problem with what the training said, you should take it up with church headquarters, not me. The church protects both the victim from further abuse, and the person who reports the abuse...With legal assistance, from slander, backlash, false reporting, and so forth...and also begins counseling the offender so that a repentace process can begin. (And who knows, maybe that minor has accused people before, many different people, and the bishop is aware of this while the person reporting it is not.) The highest concentration of sex offenders per capita in the United States is in my ward boundaries. I've been drilled on this. If it is a child being abused their free agency is ripped away from them by their abuser and that will not ever be tolerated. Youre right, we should never let the actions of others affect our testimony, and yet so many times, it does. Hence, the loads of members that do not attend for this reason. I'm pretty sure the bishop would rather you speak to him after being seriously offended rather than simply going inactive...maybe you are offended b/c of you, maybe not, maybe working out those feelings and getting to the root of them is better than hiding away and pouting. Again, the bishop is there to help people, not condemn them. Why are so many people afraid of bishops? They're nice. :) Why is there even a phrase, "Turn someone in?" He will NEVER take away someone's free will, they still have it. He might say, "hey, that person is doing just fine, why are you troubled by this?" But wait are Bishops real disciplinarians in some areas? Mine have all been really kind, maybe I'm just fortunate...but I would like to think that they all are. As I said before, the young couple will be interviewed, twice, if it is a problem it will come up in the interview. The reason I mentioned my hubby's calling was to point out that it is the current policy in our ward. Actually, he has not had the priesthood for very long at all, but you know what, he said to act on the prompting which is the best advice so far. But then, I am biased, he wins me over with his devastating good looks.

Okay, first I would make darn sure to let Pres. Monson know that the Lord isn't mad at me at all <-me Second, we have had both church Presidents and Apostles in jail before, most of them were killed there, though. Then he would be a martyr and we would love him even more. Statues, re-name buildings, the works. Of course, if God asked ME to kill somebody, I'd wanna see the getaway car first. I'm just sayin'...