mirkwood

Your experience will be whatever you make of it. Personally I'd choose Utah...but then I already admitted to my bias to this area. :)

I've lived in Indiana, Utah, Pennsylvania/Maryland/Delaware/New Jersey, California, and spent a great deal of time in Nevada and Arizona. I've seen the best and worst in Mormons in each of those states. I see the exact same behavior everywhere I've gone. Every once in a while when I'm in Arizona I get introduced, including that I'm from Utah. When I get the "oh you're a Utah Mormon" I immediately say, "yep, no different then an Arizona Mormon." Utah is a wonderful state. I am happy I live here. I am happy that I moved back here and am raising my kids here. If life had put me in a different state, I would be happy that I lived there and was raising my kids there. Well, except one of those states, but that has nothing to do with Mormons and everything to do with the state political climate. Mormons are Mormons anywhere you go. I encourage the "oh you are a Utah Mormon" naysayers to grow up.

If you desire to be obedient to the food storage commandment, you will find a way to purchase and store it. It is about priorities. Even a modest income or house can obey this gospel principle.

Great game. A superior team beat an inferior team. 'nuff said.

Apples to oranges vort. Certain rules are standard in all church missions. Some are guidelines of whatever the MP wants them to be (or at least were when I was out there). If the MP wants to change things in that area he can. If God wants to make an exception he can too.

In matters of doctrine. Music rules for missionaires are not doctrine.

Hi my name is mirkwood, I am a musicaholic. We had an approved list of music. I thought the list sucked with the exception of one movie soundtrack. I made my music selection on my mission a matter of prayer. HF and I came to an agreement on what was right for me. My mission president and I had a discussion about it one zone conference. His question in an effort to dissuade me from my music choice was to ask, "Elder, do you have any uplifting music?" I asked him uplifting to who? We discussed music some more and he finally came to the same conclusion that I had. Because my choices were not on the "approved" list, he asked that I use headphones so my companions did not have to listen. I told him that I already did for that same reason. What I chose to listen to had been approved for me, nobody else, and I left my companions their agency to choose what they would, without imposing my choice on them. I made this choice a matter of prayer and made an agreement with HF about some things. I offered dedicated service in exchange for his okay for a broader musical selection (I am a musicaholic). I received personal revelation that this was accepted. I also quickly learned that some of the music I like was not fitting for a mission. I eliminated a number of my favorite bands for two years. I am not sure how I would have made it that long without music. BUT THAT WAS MY EXPERIENCE. Each individual must make their own choices, seek confirmation of the spirit, and then follow it. Had I received a "no" response to my prayers, I would have somehow gotten through those 2 years, but been miserable. With judgementalism being what it is, I will conclude with this. I worked my butt off, had great success in sharing the gospel and frequently felt the spirit as I worked. I was blessed to be used as a tool by HF and see a number of people grow in the gospel. Your mission will be what you make of it. Please Heavenly Father, please yourself and be happy.

I'm related to some guy named Adam that lived a long long long time ago. My family line traces back to/through King Richard I.

There are many things that are hard in a marriage. Is it okay to divorce because my spouse ____________ (choose your challenge)? Pat Robertson is a [removed by mod].

I am an American. That's the way most of us put it, just matter of factly. They are plain words, those four. You could write them on your thumbnail, or you could sweep them clear across this bright autumn sky. But remember too that they are more than words. They are a way of life. So whenever you speak them, speak them firmly; speak them proudly; speak them gratefully. I AM AN AMERICAN.

Law enforcement are exempt.

Your 2nd Amendment right does not trump someone else's right. The church has the right to ban someone from carrying on their property if they want to. Private property. Just like I can tell you not to pack on my property if I want. Just because you have the right to keep and bear arms, does not give you the right to carry one anywhere you want. Edited to Add: I had not read funkytown's post before I posted. We are saying the same thing.

We have put it on two new cars we have purchased. We bought both through Mark Miller Toyota. I'm not sure who they have it done through, but we have not had any problems.

I find these shows mildy entertaining "brain candy." I listen to a lot of podcasts at work of what I call "kook radio." They fall into the paranormal brain candy category. I do believe that there is something to many of these sorts of encounters. I believe the source of these encounters is satan and his minions, and their agenda in these displays can vary from deception to distraction to invitation to darker things. There was a time when I wanted to participate in these "hunts". I wanted to know how much of it was real and how much faked by the investigators. I never did go out, mostly because I did not think a priesthood holder should be choosing to deliberately go out and interact (potentially) with the powers of darkness.

I thank every vet I see. They deserve the acknowledgement. I spoke one night with a WWII vet. He was a B-17 pilot. His two brothers were landing on Normandy below him on D-Day. One was infantry the other one was a medic. The infantry brother was shot on the beach and ended up in a casualty collection point where his medic brother treated his wounds. All three survived D-Day. It was a pretty cool story to hear him talk about.

Very few traffic violations are anything other then infractions. What was he charged with and in what state?

That is only partially correct. I work in a profession where I see the worst in humanity, including the aftermath of extreme violence. Sometimes I have to use violence to make an arrest. My wife commented once that we become desensitized to the things we see and sometimes do. I think of it as a blessing. It allows me to compartmentalize things so I can do my job. It does not make me beyond feeling. Little children as victims still bother me every time. But, I can "turn on a switch" that allows me to do what I have to do and stay mentally sane. I love the movies Blackhawk Down and Band of Brothers. Private Ryan is up there too. For me, they show men of courage and conviction that I can relate to in some ways and look up to in many ways. There are other movies that do not have anything redeeming in them. The "slasher" flicks fall into that category. I think the context of movie determines whether or not there is value.

I dream big time action movies. Imagine Aliens vs. Predator, mixed in with the Normandy Beach scene from Saving Private Ryan, with a few vampires, werewolves and other assorted nasties mixed in. I'm always involved in the middle of the action and often my friends and co-workers are helping out.

I've found more debris in my cannery wheat then any other brand I've purchased. Bosch.

LDS GLO is where I spent the majority of my time for message boards. I'm occasionally on Zion's Camp too. I won't participate in sites that charge me. I've listened to the survivalpodcast as well and poked around many of the other mentioned boards.

My mother had apricot allergies. It caused her to have hives. They come and go now in her life and it has been 30+ years. Several years ago I had an allergic reaction to a medication. I got a nasty case of hives. I get them now at random, for no reason I can determine. They come and go. I use cortizone topically to take care of them.

Actuallly that one has been fulfilled. Pres. Hinckley, General Conference October 2001 Living in the Fulness of Times

ednoonan7 some civility in your approach would take your message further.

I'm curious how those of you who say there is no global secret combination reconcile your belief which is contrary to the words of a prophet of God? These are the words of Ezra Taft Benson. I don't think he could be much clearer then this.

A long but worthwhile read. The New World Order An Analysis for Latter-day Saints From The Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dedicated to William Tyndale who was martyred in 1536 for printing the words of the prophets without permission. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In Germany, in 1524, William Tyndale completed the first printed English New Testament. Six thousand copies were smuggled into England, but anyone found in possession of one had to relinquish it for burning or face excommunication from the church. Tyndale continued his work on the Old Testament, living like a fugitive, until he was finally arrested and jailed. In October of 1536, he was martyred at the request of the English authorities. (See Lenet H. Read, "How the Bible Came to Be, Part 6: No Price Too Great," Ensign, July 1982, pp. 45-47.) -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Prepared and Published in September 1992 by R. Gary Shapiro, Kaysville, Utah 84037 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Printed in the United States of America -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Preface The Apostle Paul wrote 14 of 27 books in the New Testament, two of them before his ordination to the apostleship. He traveled the world as an apostle for approximately 13 years. Many of Bruce R. McConkie's writings, including his oft-quoted Mormon Doctrine, were published before his call to the apostleship. He served as an apostle for just under 13 years. Neither of these two apostles became President of the Church. Yet today nearly every Church lesson manual and magazine contains quotations from both of them. Ezra Taft Benson has served as an apostle for 49 years. In 1985, he became President of the Church. Missionaries and Church members around the world, young and old alike, bear frequent and solemn testimony that Ezra Taft Benson is a Prophet of God. This booklet is about some of Ezra Taft Benson's less popular teachings. In the first chapter, we examine the importance of the Prophet's teachings, whether popular or unpopular. Here we find that our only safety lies in following the Prophet. Even when some are embarrassed by what he says, we can be sure that God sustains him and expects us as individuals to follow him. No living person or group of persons has authority from God to question the Prophet's teachings. In the second chapter, we review some of the Prophet's teachings about our national Constitution. His concerns about internationalist proposals to abandon our nationhood make it unmistakably clear that the emerging New World Order imperils the Constitution. A significant part of his 49 year ministry has been directed toward preserving the U.S. Constitution. The third chapter evaluates several warnings from the Prophet about an international conspiracy and its efforts to overthrow Constitutional freedoms in all countries and rule the world. These warnings have caused embarrassment among some members of the Church and have received limited attention in Church curriculum materials. Some Church members go so far as to belittle the idea of a conspiracy to overthrow the Constitution. Those who would mock the words of the Prophet should carefully consider the Lord's warning: "Fools mock, but they shall mourn." (Ether 12:26.) During the 1960s, it was suggested by some that Communism was not actually being run from Moscow or Peking, but was being run by a conspiracy of influential and widely respected non- Communists from within the United States and Europe. The term Insiders has been used to refer to members of this conspiracy. During the 1970s, Ezra Taft Benson frequently recommended a certain book about these Insiders and their efforts to establish a New World Order. The last chapter of this booklet contains excerpts from that book. Regardless of how you have felt about Ezra Taft Benson's political views in the past, you ought to consider them carefully now because God simply does not call as Prophets men who preach false doctrine. Full article: The New World Order An Analysis for Latter-day Saints from the Teachings of Ezra Taft Benson