sixpacktr

Actually, I would go see it. Stand in line? No. Never have stood in line for a movie, including Star Wars back in the 70s when it came out and I was a lot younger. But the premise, in the right hands, could make a good movie...

If I got a call from SLC to meet with Pres Monson and his counselors, heck, any of the Quorum of the 12, I think that 1) I'd be scared to death, 2) I wouldn't sleep until it was over, and then probably never sleep again afterwards, and 3) wouldn't open my mouth to anyone about any of it except as allowed by the person talking to me. Heck, I get that way from getting a call from the Stake Presidency! Multiply that anxiety by 100000000 times if the call came from Pres Monson.

Have her make some fried chicken and potato salad. Make sure that she bakes a wonderful apple pie for dessert, and that she squeezes you fresh lemonade to drink. That way you'll have something to eat.

I won't be seeing it this year. I was up there last year, and have security duty on Wednesday from 1-6, and then have to come back home. And I have to drive out to Seneca Lake a couple of times for girls camp, so no pageant for me this year. It should be wonderful again this year, however, just as it always is.

Well put, Dove, Your last paragraph reminds me of one of the best talks I ever heard on service. When my wife and I and our little family lived in Japan, we attended a ward whose Bishop had a severely handicapped girl in her tweens. This girl was so handicapped she could do nothing but sit there in her wheelchair and basically drool (not trying to sound dramatic or anything, but that was how severely handicapped she was). Her folks brought her to church every week, and we all loved to see her there, because she did smile a lot when she was happy, or talked to. One Sunday the Bishop got up and talked of service, and serving our fellow man. Then he made reference to his daughter, and told us 'we don't know what we or anyone else agreed to in the premortal life. Perhaps even my daughter agreed to come in the condition she did. And by agreeing to give up a normal life for herself, to have obstacles placed on her during mortality, she renders service by helping us learn what service is.' I have never forgotten that. And the Spirit bore witness to me at that time, many years ago, that what that Bishop said was true. So I agree with you. I believe we worked out and were very aware of what trials awaited us when we came here, and agreed and covenanted to overcome them, obey and return back to live with our Heavenly Father. And I also believe that we didn't truly realize how truly difficult it would be once we got here, fully in Satan's playground, as it were, where he is the big bully in the yard. Thankfully, He doesn't leave us alone. We have the scriptures, prayer, and those tender mercies of our Heavenly Father to help us return home...

Exactly Pam. Same with OJ and some other completely out in left field verdicts. The jury is under strict rules to interpret what they have heard and the evidence produced and match that with the rule of law. I think everyone in the country knows this woman killed her child, whether willfully or accidentally. No one fit to be called mother would just not worry about a 2 year old that has gone missing and not call the cops within 30 mins of not finding her. To wait a month speaks volumes to me that this sociopath killed her kid. But, according to the law, and basing the evidence presented, it is very possible that each member of the jury knew that she was guilty as sin but that according to the rules of evidence the prosecution did not meet the standards necessary for conviction. But Traveler is right. She may have escaped justice here, if guilty, but that is temporary at best. One day she will answer for what she did....

I guess my opinions come from some inferences I make from scripture and other talks, and just some pondering I have done over the years. One of my favorite books is Jesus the Christ by Elder Talmage. When I lived overseas many years ago, I read that once a year as something to do while commuting for 3 hours a day on the train. He talks of Christ in the pre-mortal realms as well as His mission here on the earth. My personal opinion is that Christ developed the talents he needed while in His premortal life so that he could perform His mission here on earth. If he had not developed the talent to obey, or the talent of trusting God, etc., but was simply given those by Heavenly Father so that He could perform His work, then Satan would have opportunity to cry 'foul', in that Christ was given everything and hadn't developed it and that God had therefore, by default, nullified His own plan by rigging it and taking Christ's agency away (by giving him an abundance of the 'obedience talent', what trial or development is there then by Him? Or perhaps more to the point, He couldn't disobey, and therefore frustrates the Plan because He Himself doesn't have the ability to disobey). The same goes If you remember the story of Job, who was called a 'perfect man', Satan kept coming back with more challenges, saying that God protected Job too much, and that was why he (Job) loved Him (God). Taking into account that 1) this life is a time for us to develop the God-like attributes necessary to return and live with Him, and 2) that someday we will, thru perserverance and reliance upon Christ, become like Him in all ways (and thus, have all talents/skills necessary to teach our own children and send them down to earths to prove themselves), I believe that we develop as much as we can in each stage, developing whatever talents we can to move us back towards Him. Once it was apparent that growth was no longer possible without being tested, we were sent here. Once it is apparent we have learned all we can in this life, that we either cannot progress any further or choose not to, then we move to the next step. Even then, we still have the opportunity to repent and become like our Heavenly Father (and, I'd dare say, develop talents along the way, though it will be harder without our body), until we become like Him thru faithful obedience and righteous desires. For those reasons I believe what I do regarding talents, progress, and the things I've said about being given much. But what do I know? I muddle thru just like everyone else...

I believe that we do come here with certain talents we already have developed in the eons before we came to this earth to be tested. Those would be the 'inherent' talents I mentioned before. Those of us that are parents see that clearly: all are raised the same way (for the most part) and yet each child is as different from the other as apples and oranges. One is good at sports, the other can't walk and chew gum at the same time; while the one can play Mozart at 10 flawlessly, and the other messes up Chopsticks. I think that King Benjamin sheds a lot of light on this type of question: what is really ours? Where do I end and God begins, when it comes to what makes 'us'. 20 I say unto you, my brethren, that if you should render all the thanks and praise which your whole soul has power to possess, to that God who has created you, and has kept and preserved you, and has caused that ye should rejoice, and has granted that ye should live in peace one with another— 21 I say unto you that if ye should serve him who has created you from the beginning, and is preserving you from day to day, by lending you breath, that ye may live and move and do according to your own will, and even supporting you from one moment to another—I say, if ye should serve him with all your whole souls yet ye would be unprofitable servants. 22 And behold, all that he requires of you is to keep his commandments; and he has promised you that if ye would keep his commandments ye should prosper in the land; and he never doth vary from that which he hath said; therefore, if ye do keep his commandments he doth bless you and prosper you. 23 And now, in the first place, he hath created you, and granted unto you your lives, for which ye are indebted unto him. 24 And secondly, he doth require that ye should do as he hath commanded you; for which if ye do, he doth immediately bless you; and therefore he hath paid you. And ye are still indebted unto him, and are, and will be, forever and ever; therefore, of what have ye to boast? 25 And now I ask, can ye say aught of yourselves? I answer you, Nay. Ye cannot say that ye are even as much as the dust of the earth; yet ye were created of the dust of the earth; but behold, it belongeth to him who created you. (Mosiah2:20 - 25) King Benjamin has it right (of course, he was a prophet). Everything we have we have because of our Heavenly Father. Everything we are, or will ever be, is because of Him and His plan of salvation. He lends us breath daily. Yes, we developed talents before we came here that just shine thru no matter what, but this earth life is a time for us to 'prepare to meet God' (Alma 5, Alma 12, Alma 34). And He gives us aid in doing that preparation. As we 'seek [after] the best gifts' (D&C 46) we learn that that gifts the are to be most prized all bring others unto Christ. Now, that doesn't mean that the other talents we have are less important. All talents, no matter what they are, can do that, and should be used as such. But the abilty to KNOW that Christ is who is said He is, or to heal, or speak in tongues, etc., etc., are faith promoting experiences. And those gifts, I believe, all come from God. We can increase our faith to use them and gain experience with them, but they originate from the perfect Man, even our Heavenly Father. As we give our all back to our Heavenly Father, he in turn will give us all He has. So even if we have developed things we brought here with us, in essence they belong to Him, and we are to use them for His glory and to bring our brothers and sisters back to Him. Just my $0.02...

My own personal belief is that the 'much is given' part of that verse refers to 1) our monetary blessings, 2) our spiritual blessings, and 3) our inherent blessings, or those talents we either have or develop. We are under covenant to give our all to the Kingdom of God and build it up upon the earth. If we believe that we 'have ours' and the rest of the world had better get by on 'theirs' then we will be held accountable. If, however, we share our money (not just our tithes, which is a commandment, but our offerings, which are not dictated as much) to build others up, if we do not still our voice when we have an opportunity to share the gospel (and truly, what else in this life truly matters? Without it, we don't even have our families beyond this mortal existence), if we share whatever talents we have to build other up and bring them to Christ, then we can expect to be saved in the CK with our HF and Christ. If, however, we choose to not share those things, then the day will come, sooner or later, when we will be held accountable, much like the unwise steward in the parable of the talents, and have to give a reckoning of why we felt what we had was only for us. So when we simply go to church but refuse to serve (or perhaps even worse, accept a call and then don't do it), fail to pay a generous offering (according to our circumstances, no one elses. Remember the widow's mite), fail to help others come unto Christ and be perfected in Him, we are not using that with which we have been blessed wisely, and the Lord will require it of us.

Japanese (following the traditional 5-7-5 rules): Bakuha ooku Dai Roboto mo iru Bijin wo gyose! I took some liberties. The third line, instead of saying 'Plot! Irrelevant!' now reads 'Stare at the babes!'

Until recently, I always found it was better to just let it out. After letting a few choice ones fly, I always calmed down. But to get the full effect, if it better to have a few heavy tools to throw while swearing. Somehow, I find that cars bring the worst in me out. Particularly when you're on your back, working on a bolt that has been rusted on since the Titanic sunk, and you either strip or break the nut/bolt/thread, or you rap your knuckles against something trying to loosen said nut/bolt. Oh, and the tool you just chucked across the garage is the next one you'll need...

'Supposably', 'prolly', using the wrong tense of a verb in a sentence, like 'I seen .....' instead of 'I saw...' or 'I have seen...'. Right up there with people that eat with the mouths open.... Like my mother would say to us kids when we acted like animals 'What, were you raised in a barn?!'

Having lived among and working with the Japanese for so long, this just doesn't surprise me. Although, I did find it interesting in the article that he is pointing out certain facets of his machine using a stick with a glove on it, instead of touching it himself....yeah, make mine medium rare, but don't let me touch that crap! And we all laughed when Charles yelled out 'Soylent Green is people!'. I'm just waiting for someone to say they've discovered a way to make other bodily fluids into a milkshake... I'm staying away from McDonalds and BK. You never know....

It all gets down to intent and frequency. A YM/YW that has messed up just once and then came forward, or at least stopped, tried to make things right, and then came forward will be treated better than those that have a long-term sexual relationship with one partner or with multiple partners. That type of behavior implies more than being out late one night and being stupid, it implies a level of rebelliousness that is hard to overlook. That doesn't mean that they cannot be forgiven, and indeed can and will be if they come forward and repent, but since they must go out and teach the law of chastity to those seeking baptism, as well as obedience to the words of the prophets, it may be hard for them to do so. As for the homosexual activity, the same standard applies, except if any activity occurred in the late teen years, then there is a different issue altogether, and putting the person in a situation where they have to be around their companion 100% of the time just seems a tad unfair if they are struggling with SSA.

One thing I am learning, as a new Bishop, is that we don't really have that same 'safety net' that the rest of the members of a ward have. My only recourse is to speak to the SP, which is fine, but I have to share my burdens with the Lord more, as I know how busy our SP is, and don't want to just go into his office to 'unload'. Bishops are held to a higher standard than the members of their ward. If Satan can get them, there is a huge hit to the name of the church in that area. The further up the totem pole you go, the harsher and harder the consequences in a fall. Luckily, I believe that the Lord puts extra angels on you to protect you as you ask for it. Otherwise, I don't know how you can survive the onslaught. And it is real....

yes, it will change your lineage in that your rec'd that office thru a different line of authority. Now, all PH holders can trace back to Christ and the Joseph Smith, and I would imagine that the majority from there have Brother Brigham in there too, but it differs greatly from that. I was lucky--my father conferred both the Aaronic and Melchizedek PHs on me, as well as the offices of Deacon, Teacher, Priest, Elder and HP. 10 days ago I was conferred with another PH office from someone different, so my lineage is different when acting in that office, but when acting as a HP my lineage is the same. I was lucky to have a worthy father that was willing to travel to make sure my line stayed the same.

And what would those legitimate concerns be? That the church is run too worldly? If you read it carefully instead of bristling at how harsh I was, he said that he claimed to have a 'bit of a testimony'. What the heck is a 'bit'? For someone that was brand new to the church, I can understand a 'bit' as we learn line upon line and precept upon precept. This Brother was a High Councilor. He was a High Priest. He was a worthy temple recommend holder and the held an office much like the Quorum of the Twelve do over the whole church, but in his Stake. So yes, I stick by my feeling that he has lost his testimony. And he is looking for an excuse to have lost it. The duty of a Home Teacher is to teach, expound and exhort. It isn't to make someone feel justified for their ill feelings towards the church. Of course, I believe that MormonMusic will do this in love, as all things should be. But this is not the reason this brother lost his testimony. He had to have brought forth much faith and good works to have been advanced to the office of High Priest, and again to have been made a High Councilor. So while it is fashionable to feel that I'm just too harsh, finding the real reason for his disaffection and not mucking around with excuses will do this brother much more good than making him feel warm and fuzzy. Making him understand his office as Patriarch in the home and helping him find his testimony again will do more than trying to explain the financial decisions the church makes. Because he DOESN'T want to understand those. He will find fault anyway.

You have an interesting quandary. You home teach someone that has lost his testimony and has decided that it is because of the 'corporate feel' in the church. It could just as easily been the prohibition on coffee or that people gossip too much or that his Bishop is just one mean SOB and how could the Lord put someone like him in. I think you are going about this wrong. You can't explain to him how it ISN'T a corporation. The office of Bishop is accountable to the Lord for the finances and records of his ward. It is part of his stewardship. The Lord's kingdom is one of order. We can't just be touchy feely and expect everything to work out. And most leaders in the church work in offices, and we learn some good administrative techniques in those jobs, both in managing resources and inspiring people. And given that we don't have 1/100th part of a clue of how the church operates as a whole, to condemn the church for doing this, that or the other thing with the money is a bit immature in my opinion. Kind of like the gossip that flies around wards. People with no clue of what is actually going on still will pass along tales thinking they know best and know the whole issue. I have had some of it in our ward come back to me and I'm amazed at how completely inaccurate the stories are. To me, the same goes with this Brother. So, Home Teacher, your real challenge is this: why did he lose his testimony and what is he doing to get it back? Because even if you could convince him that it isn't as he thinks, he'll find something else to find wrong. It all comes back to this: either it is true or it isn't. If it is, then get your behind in gear and help it move along. If it isn't, then why waste your time anymore, or anybody else's, for that matter, in having them tell you why it is?

I tend to agree with one of the posters that stated we may never see another one like Nibley. However, now there are several 'think tanks' so to speak that address many issues, like FARMS (I know it has changed its name, I just can't think of it at this time of night) and others that post articles on a wide range of topics. I don't see that as necessarily a bad thing.

D&C 11:14 Alma 41:6 Proverbs 10:24 Those should get your started.

It is sad that people think they understand what the Lord had in mind when something happens, and that because this and this happened, then this was the reason why. That being said, I believe the Lord will use this for the benefit of his children in Japan. That the people of Japan are a proud people is not up for discussion. I spent many years living with them, and they are a proud people. But also a very kind people that are a blast to be around. I miss living among them and working with them. But I remember the earthquake in Kobe 15 years or so ago, when it leveled that town. They had built what they felt was an 'earthquake proof' town, and then it was destroyed. I don't believe they were purposely vaunting their own ingenuity, but it seems every time man thinks he has solved the problem (the unsinkable Titanic, the city of Ammonihah, etc) he gets slapped upside the head just to humble him. I still worry about them, but know that they will get thru this just fine. The Lord has a work for them, and in the end, this will be the lemonade needed for their salvation.

I miss the old Glenn. His 'commercials' were classics, my favorite being 'Michael Moorios'....But he too misses the old stuff. Has stated so several times on his radio show. But he feels that he is doing what he needs to do right now, that there is so much muck and filth that needs to be exposed that he has to do it or no one will. I wonder sometimes about his health, both physical and mental. The threats are real. The hatred shown him by those in power and those that think they have power is real as well, and I think he worries a lot about his kids. I don't think he's gone to the conspiracy nut camp, and in fact he debunks a lot of the myths that are prevalent out there. But what he has unearthed that later is proven to be true makes me think he is digging into areas best left alone if you want to remain safe. He has taken on a powerful enemy by calling out 'spooky dude' Soros. And remember, Glenn has battled depression. What he is finding out has to be affecting him in that way as well, so the humor is few and far between. That, I believe, is the role of Pat and Stu on the radio, to try and keep things a bit lighter. But he says he only gets a couple of hours of sleep a night, that he has some weird disease they can't figure out, he is eating sticks and grass right now, etc., etc., etc. If he leaves Fox, it won't be like when he left CNN. His Insider Extreme already does a lot of documentaries, etc,. so he will still get his message out.

My own opinion is that the earth is billions of years old. But I also think that Professor Nibley had a salient point when he stated that there is a difference in the world and the earth. Our world began 6000 or so years ago, with the fall of Adam and the records we have of God's dealings with His children. The earth, however, has been around for a long time, and could have been the stage for many of His children's histories. That is, he has placed many other civilizations and the like here for them to work out their salvation just as we are doing now, and then taken them off. It makes sense to me in working out some of the things we find such as Stonehenge, etc., that are dated as far older than the biblical record allows. And then, I also hold that man knows about zilch out of nothing, and that we are too inflated in our 'findings' to hold on to those as correct. Science is the study of things and trying to work out how it happen(s) or happened. Evolution could give way to spontaneous generation tomorrow, and everyone would hold to it as the truth. Too often man's understanding or conjectures have been found wanting. Would hate to have to stand before the Lord and tell him the reason I rejected such and such was because of some finding that a man had made and it seemed to be right. Evolution? I personally don't hold to it. But if I find out in the afterlife that that was the mechanism our HF used to get us here, I wouldn't fall down screaming that it went against my belief system. I'd be grateful for the new-found knowledge and ask Him why he didn't give me 3 arms to make working on cars easier??

As I read the article of the Church's press conference by Elder Holland, I was shocked by the number of missionaries/missions in Japan. They are down to 6 missions and only 638 missionaries, of which 220 are native Japanese and only 340+ from the States. When I was there 30 years ago there were 8 missions (soon to become 9) and over 2000 missionaries. I had heard that Japan had become a 'hard' mission, in that people were less and less likely to accept the gospel. I know the church will be in front when it comes to relief there. We always are, and perhaps this may turn into something akin to the experiences of the People of Ammon, where, after being slaughtered by the Lamanites, had more people join than were taken. I have been trying to determine what the purpose of this was, and in no way do I believe I understand everything, but there are things happening in Japan that haven't been happening since WW2. Food shortages, damage beyond anything we can imagine, etc. There is always a master plan, and our HF always has the best interests of His children in mind. Hearing some of the stories of the survivors is heartwrenching. But the missionaries were all accounted for, and so far all of the members have been except for two branches and a ward in the Sendai area. Reading of Bishops and RS Presidents going out and trying to find their flock speaks of the power of those offices. The Lord is overseeing and protecting His people.

Things continue to erode in Japan. The nuclear problems all seem to be overblown to me, but it is hard to tell what is really happening because the news agencies want a catastrophe, and the Japanese gov't is usually pretty tight lipped about things. I believe, after getting the crash course in nuclear plant workings over the last couple of days that there is no real danger to anyone on the outside, that the design is such that things will calm down on their own, but as I said, we don't know everything except the 'sky is falling' scenario so loved by the media. My wife has been in contact with my MIL and BIL over the last couple of days. Tokyo got hit hard in certain areas, and parts of our old ward had lots of streets buckled up and unusable. My MIL said that it is kind of scary there now because of the rolling blackouts that are going to start soon (with no end in sight, really, just guesses) and that there is no food in the stores. She said she's never seen anything like it, and having lived there many years myself, the shelves were NEVER empty there, no matter what was going on. She said she has stuff packed up and she sleeps in her clothes so that she can just go if something happens. What is most shocking, I believe, at least to me, is that we somehow think things will just continue along as they always have. If we didn't understand this was not the case with the recent global economic meltdown, the pictures of a 20+ foot wall of water wiping out an advanced country, with thousands dead, 10s of thousands out of a home, etc., makes me realize even more than ever that our lives can take a drastic turn for the worse on a moment's notice. All we can do is prepare for the worst, hope for the best, and rely on the Lord if we are obedient. Food storage did no good to those Saints in Sendai, but if they were faithful to the counsel, they then have a right to call upon the Lord for deliverance as a reward for their obedience. I think that as time goes on, we are going to hear some incredible stories of people that were warned of where to be at that time. I hate this. I really do. But if anyone can take this type of shock and come back standing, it is the Japanese. They will weather this and come back stronger. That is just how they are.