Magen_Avot

kevieb, I once saw things much like you,... about different things, but issues with leaders, or how I thought things should be... based on doctrine and the handbook. Certain events led me to a crisis of testimony,... no, actually, I led myself to a crisis of testimony, my attitudes... well, whatever they were. It's a long story, but what happened led me to the Lord and I experienced something that changed my life forever. I received the most precious treasure I could have ever imagined. I will keep that to myself, but I will share with you something I feel is very important. Love them. Give everyone of them every bit of forgiveness that you, yourself desire through the Atonement. Love yourself. Give yourself every bit the opportunity to be forgiven by your Savior. Whether or not it is deserved is the Lords decision, not yours nor mine. Take this to the Father and work to change your heart and attitudes to match His will,... not yours. In the end you will discover, it. just. does. not. matter. Not in any way you think. You and your testimony are far more valuable to you and others around you than any real... or perceived issue. Love Him. Live for Him. If needed, then die for Him. The path is "narrow" and there isn't any room for this. If you've ever come across any of my posts then you will see a distinct change. I do know how you are seeing things. The path is His, the steps are yours to take. Added: That said, there was nothing wrong with speaking with the SP to provide some insight to how things might be made better. I was not commenting on that, but just how much you seemed bothered and progressing toward a crisis of testimony. I hope I have helped in some way. Blessings always.

Doesn't every church have one? WHAT!!!! Is this the closest emoticon we have for a mouse???? I guess this will have to do: <:3)~~

Let me excuse myself for such a long absence. Family duties while unemployed commanded my attention and now, alas, I find myself in the Middle East as a blessing from God to help me see to my family's need. Annewandering, the minutes from the Relief Society was a good catalyst for a long read but it was interesting. Over the past, oh.... two years, I guess, I find myself asking questions as conversations such as this one arise. First let me say I don't consider myself an "intellectual" mostly because I like to keep things simple, I think our Father does too, but that is just one of my opinions. I pose these questions with the idea that we all have our own thoughts on them based on our filters, opinions and,... more or less, a lack of Celestial knowledge... if you follow my intended meaning there. Ok, here's the questions: What is Priesthood? Really... (not the standard answer) a) The priesthood of God b) Satans priesthoods What does it mean to be a Priest? a) Are there specific roles? b) What are those roles? ....Ordination? Power? What does it mean to be a Priestess? a) Are there specific roles? b) What are those roles? ....um,... Ordanation? Power? Is there more to the meaning of "priesthood" in Celestial burnings that we do not now know? As we enjoy the blessings of the restored gospel of Jesus Christ things were set up a certain way and the Priesthood which can exist without the church (not the other way around) was also restored. As we have it, it is the government of the church (keeping it simple here). I loved the reference earlier about the priesthood being linked to the family. I believe this very strongly. I have answered the above questions in my own mind, knowing the limitations of my knowledge of the other side of the veil. My youngest daughter is leaving for her mission in just a few days and we had a very long talk about this same subject (well, sort of), but in a real "called of God to preach the gospel" way. She feels very confident in her closeness with the Savior and 'knows' if she was prompted by the Spirit of God to command any of the gifts of the spirit she would be able to do it as His servant. I encourage her in this and stand with her in this conviction. Her only fear was,... what would the Elders or Mission President think, do or say if such a situation occured? I could only tell her, "do as the spirit commands you". (understand my oldest son was told on his mission, "don't rely on the spirit so much" ???? yeah, OK!) I think at the core of a, "priest, priestess, prophet, prophetess, king or queen" in the kingdom of God lies a person who is spotless, holy, righteous, loves God, has bent their will to the will of God, and actually walks the path marked by Christ,... who actually is close enough to Him to "KNOW" His love and loves all other men and women with a Godly love. Anyone who is so closely aligned with Him could not be denied by Him their wish to bless the lives of anyone. Nor would they seek anything contrary to His will. For now, things are the way they are, but in the hereafter we should be prepared to think outside the box we created to hold our opinions in. But as for what Joseph Smith was alluding to (based on a note taker)... Well..., he was the only one who claimed to have actually talked with God, face to face, (I believe him) and he certainly seemed to suggest the possibility of a feminine priesthood role without much context as to what exactly he was really getting to, or perhaps he was just describing a unity of holy women. Who knows for sure? Just be holy and walk the path where the greatest gift awaits us all... and keep the good ones coming

Texting. . Could there have been a similar thought when the phone was invented? ...or postage stamps?

Very interesting. I stopped reading the scary one for a couple of days. I don't want to go through that. Prophetic? I sure hope not. I do have some issues with how the spirit relatives were communicating, but that may have just been symbolic. The bottom line they share are "get closer to Christ". Got my attention because of recent experiences I've had. Like the Sermon on the Mount being a road map to the Savior (about a month ago? maybe). Now look at the message on LDS.ORG... Its there! Whether or not these were prophecies given to these two ladies, they speak the bottom line of truth. Just my opinion though, and caution, read with one eye closed!

What are "they" doing to help the poor? Alms to the poor? Donating clothing/time to charity? Selling all that they have and giving it to the poor? or just complaining that 'our' church isn't doing enough? There are plenty of groups to join who are engaged in positive activities, invite them to choose the one they prefer and go with God.

As EQP I once opposed the Aaronic Priesthood for a newly baptised 51 yo member with reasons the BP knew about. Even though the BP knew my reasoning he discussed it briefly with me after I opposed it. He ordained the guy anyway in the HP Quorum, outside my pervue. The story is much longer than whats here but I felt obligated to oppose in order to defend of the guy I opposed. I know that sounds contradictory but it's really about the person being sustained and how they can best be blessed, it's not about 'me', IMO.

It is always good to hear the many thoughts people have, especially on this OP on Gratitude. In my most recent experiences, I just cannot express it. Dove wrote a good starting point I relate to though. For me, it is an overwhelming feeling overflowing with love for my Savior with a knowledge I don't deserve His blessings, forgiveness, patience, mercy or love. I think it could be discussed all month long, yet never reveal all the context in which it could relate. I feel so much gratitude for the effects of gratitude...

Ummm...., I've always took the Saviors response to mean He didn't condemn her to 'death' because that was the topic of the discussion. What do I know? then again I'm not the scholarly type. As to the discussion overall: To me it kinda flies in the face of the repentance process because we have to show the fruits of repentance to obtain the effects of the atonement. If the Lord did mean anything else, (which I'm willing to accept because I'm not Him) then it is ambiguous except to them who have been enlightened by the spirit of revelation and perhaps knowledge of the people, customs and language. Otherwise, it would seem it's pretty easy to be forgiven for adultery, and since He is not a respecter of persons we should all be easily forgiven,.... hmmm, spiritual welfare?

I used to classify activity like this: Actively Active Actively Inactive Inactively Active Inactively Inactive It kinda broke it down in a way that made sense to me back when. I see things differently now though. To move onwardly closer to my Redeemer, I simply do not judge (either the person or their activity/motives); rather I try to love others like the Savior, act compassionately and bless their lives as only I can, when I can, however I can. That said, it's not easy and at times hard to ignore glaring inconsistencies "as I see things" sometimes. But I'm trying.

That was stupid Brother Ray!!! No, hey,... just kidding.

And anyway, no one is normal. So how could there be two?

dogemily. I agree with the suggestions you've gotten here. A few would have done more than your "mother". I'd have grounded you from the ability to get online and splatter online forums with more of your imature "catsup" fighting. Hmmm,... all this drama, when a little humility would have taken you so much further.

The only decision that, perhaps, should be made is, "does it take me closer to the Savior or further away from Him?" Everything else is one small step into temptation or one giant leap into sin/addiction.

My wife is an alien... from outer space type alien. No really. Her tribe is said to have come from the sky after the eruptions stopped in the mountains of the four corners area, what, a millennium ago or so. Not part of the public history but known to them.

During my mission (last ice age) I felt inspired about a housing area but the spirit said "not now". As snow came and temperatures dropped pretty low (It's Canada ya know) we were splitting with a couple of priests one dark evening. I suddenly felt that we should go to "that" area of housing, so off we went. As we drove into the area I felt very close to where we should be so we parked and started knocking on doors. As we turned down the row of houses behind the ones where we stopped, one house "popped" out of the rest so we made a bee line to it. With my parka covering nearly my whole face the door opened. I don't know why I changed my door approach but out came the words, "The Lord has sent us to you with a message." A young woman looked at us with saucer eyes and just let us in. Go figure... she had given the Lord one hour to send His messenger to her or she was going to end her life. She was two minutes away from the deed when we knocked on her door. The first door we knocked on was directly behind her house. She also didn't live there. She was staying at her sisters house for a couple of days.

IMO a sense of duty may motivate some while others are discouraged by feeling like they "have to" do it. I believe living the Gospel of Christ AND seeking to inch our way closer to Him will develop a deep enough love for Him that we do it all out of love, not duty. There is a sliding scale between the two statements, its not just one or the other: Love = service = peace = joy Duty = "pet" project

Modest home: The curtains are not revealing; The siding goes all the way down to the foundation so as not to reveal whats underneath; No excessive glitz, accessories or tatoos (signage) to draw attention; Roof is not overly fancy; and also a welcoming spirit.

An experience I had in prayer this week got me thinking about our expectations before we pray as opposed to what we may actually experience when answers do come. Since prayer has been said to be "the souls sincere desire" here's the question I propose for your consideration: Short of getting your 'calling election made sure' or entry into the CK and similar thoughts, what do you think would be a life changing, or the most precious treasure you could get in answer to your prayer? You can base your answer on experience, scripture/doctrine/talks or hopes/wishes of your heart. Any thoughts?

I think the Home Teaching message for June relates well, if not... ahem,... perfectly to this topic!

There is a good article in the June Ensign and there have been others on this very topic as well. These issues cultivate an internal self loathing and a cycle that seems nearly impossible to reverse. This would be a good opportunity to check out the addiction recovery program. Go with him if he would like to have you there, or perhaps with someone who can be his mentor and ally. This is going to require time, prayer and a Godly portion of love, patience and long suffering. Whatever you are feeling, his feelings will, with the right mixture of anger, personalization and judgment, drive him further from God. Counseling seems like another thing to consider. Working the problem rather than the "sin" may be an issue of "view" or "attitude" but will go further on the road to redemtion which requires repentance. Leave the issue of repentance with the Bishop (it seems you are) so it follows that he will have to be brought onboard at some point. I see this as a journey to get closer to God. It's a slow, painful and personal journey that you can be supportive of but he can't be made to "drink". I think you sound like you have it in you and I find that impressive. Choose to fight 'for' and 'with' him. God bless you both.

Hey Ryan, My son served in the Dnipropetrovs'k Mission. Most of us in the United States don't know what it is like to live in a country that encourages people to divorce after two or three years. And it's contrary to our logic to have to get a visa (or what ever it's called) to have permission just to live and work in our own country. I know strong young men who love God are in short supply in Ukraine and that makes you very important. It also makes things difficult for you. It is important to get up each day and prepare yourself with prayer and scripture reading/study. Getting closer to God will help you, but like others are saying,... getting active in the church will also help. As you seek God he will bless you and give you strength. I also know of a Sister who recently returned from her mission at Temple Square in Salt Lake to Ukraine, so I know you can find strong Latter-Day Saints in Ukraine. God bless you Ryan.

GregO.. I've been there. It's an individual journey to be sure. What worked for me, once I realized the gravity of the situation, was to pray and read the scriptures. Already stated I know, but I focused on the need to change my outlook, attitude or whatever you want to call it and continually praying for help to make that change. Sounds simple, but it can take a long time to accomplish depending on the level of personal engagement and/or other things. I kinda see it as 'waking up' when ya never realized ya went to sleep. However you see it, I think you're going in a good direction.

I'd be lost without prayer. I believe that when we ask HF questions he has an answer as we ask Him, at that moment. Sometimes IMHO it seems I/others may not be able to hear it at that moment. I drive for an hour to/from work and lately have been using that time in prayer over all my worries/frustrations/needs ect. In my experience answers come as supportive feelings, or statements, encouragement to be patient with the issue or person or whatever. Many times I get just a hint about the actual question, and only rarely a direct answer. But I have never been without an answer for many years when I have asked. Most times I pray, thank and ponder without asking in a way that, um... requires(?) an answer. Occasionally, He breaks in with something important to say. I try to treat it like a real conversation but it's usually very personally validating. I kinda feel we have to work out our problems but He provides us a sounding board and encouragement (as an example). I try not to limit Him by my own expectations or filters and sometimes discuss my own attitueds in hope of changing them if needed. I guess I can go on, but I'm with those who say you can't pray too much,... usually. So I say keep it going. Work through your frustration while pondering in prayer and working things out with His influence. Be patient with Him and yourself.

As a father of 2 Eagle Scouts I understand the accomplishment. You have my admiration for your whole family.