person0

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  1. Like
    person0 got a reaction from workingonit in Connection after excommunication   
    While the advice given by others is good in many ways, I would like to add that part of the reason excommunication comes with the restrictions now placed upon you, is to remove a portion of the options that would enable you to use your agency to work on the wrong things and think you were doing the right thing and making progress.  Your most important responsibility right now is proving to yourself, your spouse, your family, and the Lord that you are truly repentant and want to be clean and return unto Him.  I would say it's time to go back to the very basics and focus hard core on those (i.e. scriptures, prayer, FHE, etc). Think about what you can do to show your wife that you love her.  Same goes for your family, and the Lord.  If you love Him, keep his commandments.  Right now, since you do not currently have the Gift of the Holy Ghost, your task is somewhat more difficult, and I do not envy your position, but I know that in and through His grace you can make it back and have all former blessings restored.  I promise that if you fulfill your responsibilities as a father, and husband, and strive to grow closer to the Lord, you will be building the kingdom within your own home, and there is no greater or more fulfilling endeavor than watching your children live righteously by your example and teaching.
  2. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Sunday21 in 1 Nephi Chapter 1 - May 1, 2017   
    1 Nephi Chapter 1 contains within its verses a type/shadow of the story of the restoration:
    (Due to the many many quotes from the same chapter, I have forgone the use of quote blocks)
    4)  There was a spiritual revival in the land:  ". . . there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent. . ."
    5)  During this time Lehi was inspired to go out and pray:  ". . .went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart. . ."
    6)  He saw a pillar of fire (i.e. pillar of light):  ". . . as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire. . . and he saw and heard much. . ."
    7)  He was physically exhausted by the spiritual experience:  ". . . he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit. . ."
    8-9) He saw the Father and the Son:  ". . . in a vision. . . he saw the heavens open. . . he saw God. . . he saw One descending. . . his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. . ."
    11-12)  He was given a book which filled him with the Spirit:  ". . .gave unto him a book. . . as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord."
    18)  He went forth, now as a prophet to teach the message he had received:  ". . .he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard."
    19)  He was persecuted for his teaching, and for the book:  ". . .the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified . . . and also the things which he read in the book. . ."
    20)  They sought to take away his life:  ". . . they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away."
    Interestingly, by reading into this portion of the message of this chapter, it becomes clear that Lehi was likely not officially a prophet until he had this experience resulting in his calling from the Lord.  Joseph Smith experienced the exact same pattern of events above with variation on the specifics in part due to the differences in the calling he received.  God not only calls prophets, he apparently uses a similar pattern in doing so.  Joseph Smith may not himself have even made the connection between his and Lehi's experience, or perhaps he did, but never taught it.  This clear pattern is further evidence to the sincere seeker that both the Book of Mormon and the Church are true!
  3. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Irishgrin in 1 Nephi Chapter 1 - May 1, 2017   
    1 Nephi Chapter 1 contains within its verses a type/shadow of the story of the restoration:
    (Due to the many many quotes from the same chapter, I have forgone the use of quote blocks)
    4)  There was a spiritual revival in the land:  ". . . there came many prophets, prophesying unto the people that they must repent. . ."
    5)  During this time Lehi was inspired to go out and pray:  ". . .went forth prayed unto the Lord, yea, even with all his heart. . ."
    6)  He saw a pillar of fire (i.e. pillar of light):  ". . . as he prayed unto the Lord, there came a pillar of fire. . . and he saw and heard much. . ."
    7)  He was physically exhausted by the spiritual experience:  ". . . he cast himself upon his bed, being overcome with the Spirit. . ."
    8-9) He saw the Father and the Son:  ". . . in a vision. . . he saw the heavens open. . . he saw God. . . he saw One descending. . . his luster was above that of the sun at noon-day. . ."
    11-12)  He was given a book which filled him with the Spirit:  ". . .gave unto him a book. . . as he read, he was filled with the Spirit of the Lord."
    18)  He went forth, now as a prophet to teach the message he had received:  ". . .he went forth among the people, and began to prophesy and to declare unto them concerning the things which he had both seen and heard."
    19)  He was persecuted for his teaching, and for the book:  ". . .the Jews did mock him because of the things which he testified . . . and also the things which he read in the book. . ."
    20)  They sought to take away his life:  ". . . they were angry with him; yea, even as with the prophets of old, whom they had cast out, and stoned, and slain; and they also sought his life, that they might take it away."
    Interestingly, by reading into this portion of the message of this chapter, it becomes clear that Lehi was likely not officially a prophet until he had this experience resulting in his calling from the Lord.  Joseph Smith experienced the exact same pattern of events above with variation on the specifics in part due to the differences in the calling he received.  God not only calls prophets, he apparently uses a similar pattern in doing so.  Joseph Smith may not himself have even made the connection between his and Lehi's experience, or perhaps he did, but never taught it.  This clear pattern is further evidence to the sincere seeker that both the Book of Mormon and the Church are true!
  4. Like
    person0 got a reaction from zil in The biggest fear of exaltation   
    Even Satan now exists as a spirit being, which is a greater state than what would presumably have been his form of existence prior to being born as a spirit child of God.  Just as those who ultimately are sons of perdition are still further progressed via resurrection than when they were pre-mortal spirits.  Heavenly Father is not hampered by the limitations of human logic and emotion that could affect, his ability to experience joy in His work.  I would imagine that there is a certain amount of joy in all levels of progression.
    Suppose you were an architect and had developed thousands of high quality blueprints yet only a handful of those blueprints ever became actual buildings.  Can you not take joy in the many blueprints you had developed over the years from thought to paper, and yet take more joy in those that became actual buildings, and yet even more joy in the buildings that were world renown?  I am speculating here, but would presume that God takes joy in all His creations, and yet, has more joy in those who inherit glory, and yet even more joy in those who inherit eternal life.  Regardless of the final result of progression, all of His creations are better off than before he organized/created them.
  5. Like
    person0 got a reaction from eddified in Connection after excommunication   
    While the advice given by others is good in many ways, I would like to add that part of the reason excommunication comes with the restrictions now placed upon you, is to remove a portion of the options that would enable you to use your agency to work on the wrong things and think you were doing the right thing and making progress.  Your most important responsibility right now is proving to yourself, your spouse, your family, and the Lord that you are truly repentant and want to be clean and return unto Him.  I would say it's time to go back to the very basics and focus hard core on those (i.e. scriptures, prayer, FHE, etc). Think about what you can do to show your wife that you love her.  Same goes for your family, and the Lord.  If you love Him, keep his commandments.  Right now, since you do not currently have the Gift of the Holy Ghost, your task is somewhat more difficult, and I do not envy your position, but I know that in and through His grace you can make it back and have all former blessings restored.  I promise that if you fulfill your responsibilities as a father, and husband, and strive to grow closer to the Lord, you will be building the kingdom within your own home, and there is no greater or more fulfilling endeavor than watching your children live righteously by your example and teaching.
  6. Like
    person0 reacted to NeuroTypical in Connection after excommunication   
    Hi workingonit - you are welcome here. 
    Sounds like you're building the kingdom by taking the necessary steps to cleanse yourself of  past transgressions.  That's a worthy endeavor.  Do you know how many people just never confess to stuff, just carry it around with them?  A lot.  But you're doing the hard work.  Kudos.
  7. Like
    person0 got a reaction from mordorbund in How do you like to refer to Heavenly Father?   
    I make it a specific point to only ever refer to Him as Ahman.  Especially when talking to muggles, I mean. . . non-members.  

  8. Like
    person0 reacted to Backroads in Financial Arguments_Supporting adult children   
    I have nothing to add, only that I would love to have 200,000$ a year to blow.
  9. Like
    person0 reacted to Vort in Financial Arguments_Supporting adult children   
    This is a rare occasion where I disagree with DoctorLemon. Just because your wife is intent on flying your plane into the ground doesn't mean you should let her.
    I don't have a quick solution. I do know that if you're bringing in $200,000 a year, you should have complete financial independence for the rest of your life within a decade. Your wife is completely out of control. She must not be allowed to control the purse strings, not for any reason, not for mortgage or daily expenses or anything.
    I do have some other questions, though: You're paying $4000/month in mortgage. Why? Unless you're living in San Francisco or Manhattan, $4000/month is one huge house. And just for the two of you, given that all your children are grown.
    So sell the McMansion and MOVE. Get a small bungalow, or buy a condo, or maybe rent an apartment. Cut your mortgage/rent by 75%.
    $1000/month in debt repayment and...$11,667 in monthly expenses?! Those two numbers should be reversed. Live on $1000/month (other than mortgage), and pour huge amounts of money into getting your debt repaid.
    You are a rich man. But you and your wife are spending money like you're filthy rich -- and you are not. It would be criminal for someone with your income to get to retirement penniless, but it sounds like that is where you are headed. Get control of this train before it derails.
  10. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Vort in Financial Arguments_Supporting adult children   
    First let me say that you are in a very difficult situation, and it is understandable and reasonable to be upset that your wife is seriously mismanaging money.  Also, in general I agree with much of the advice that has already been given.  Now that I've got that out of the way, I'd like to address a different problem, and will openly admit that I am making a biased judgement here.
    I know other people live differently than I do, however, per the OP, here is the breakdown of the 200K spending allotment to your wife:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $140,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    So if this were me, I would reorganize as follows at the absolute minimum:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $90,000 Extra Mortgage/Debt Payments
    4) $50,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    Now personally I would go even further than that and my wife would be all in with me.  The real root problem in my mind is that you and your wife are not united in financial matters and you need to find a way to get there.
    I am assuming that the provided money is post-tax.  That being said I find it extremely unlikely that your wife would have $140,000 of legitimate expenses while you have other debt at the same time.  If you have that much expense for food, car insurance, utilities and cell phones, you should probably sell your cars and buy cheaper ones, shut off the electricity in some of the unused rooms in your very large home, cut out the number of phones you pay for, etc, etc, etc.  If you have maids, and lawn service, and so on so forth, those should be reconsidered as well while still in debt.
    With the exception of medical needs, there are exactly zero other legitimate reasons, in my opinion, for an individual to have 200K in after tax expenses while also still having debts.  If you see that as reasonable, I would suggest that while your wife may be terrible with money, you just might not be that good with it either.  Once again I would suggest that the advice others have given has generally been good, and I sincerely wish you the best in working out your issues with your spouse.
  11. Like
    person0 got a reaction from NightSG in Financial Arguments_Supporting adult children   
    First let me say that you are in a very difficult situation, and it is understandable and reasonable to be upset that your wife is seriously mismanaging money.  Also, in general I agree with much of the advice that has already been given.  Now that I've got that out of the way, I'd like to address a different problem, and will openly admit that I am making a biased judgement here.
    I know other people live differently than I do, however, per the OP, here is the breakdown of the 200K spending allotment to your wife:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $140,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    So if this were me, I would reorganize as follows at the absolute minimum:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $90,000 Extra Mortgage/Debt Payments
    4) $50,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    Now personally I would go even further than that and my wife would be all in with me.  The real root problem in my mind is that you and your wife are not united in financial matters and you need to find a way to get there.
    I am assuming that the provided money is post-tax.  That being said I find it extremely unlikely that your wife would have $140,000 of legitimate expenses while you have other debt at the same time.  If you have that much expense for food, car insurance, utilities and cell phones, you should probably sell your cars and buy cheaper ones, shut off the electricity in some of the unused rooms in your very large home, cut out the number of phones you pay for, etc, etc, etc.  If you have maids, and lawn service, and so on so forth, those should be reconsidered as well while still in debt.
    With the exception of medical needs, there are exactly zero other legitimate reasons, in my opinion, for an individual to have 200K in after tax expenses while also still having debts.  If you see that as reasonable, I would suggest that while your wife may be terrible with money, you just might not be that good with it either.  Once again I would suggest that the advice others have given has generally been good, and I sincerely wish you the best in working out your issues with your spouse.
  12. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Backroads in Financial Arguments_Supporting adult children   
    First let me say that you are in a very difficult situation, and it is understandable and reasonable to be upset that your wife is seriously mismanaging money.  Also, in general I agree with much of the advice that has already been given.  Now that I've got that out of the way, I'd like to address a different problem, and will openly admit that I am making a biased judgement here.
    I know other people live differently than I do, however, per the OP, here is the breakdown of the 200K spending allotment to your wife:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $140,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    So if this were me, I would reorganize as follows at the absolute minimum:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $90,000 Extra Mortgage/Debt Payments
    4) $50,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    Now personally I would go even further than that and my wife would be all in with me.  The real root problem in my mind is that you and your wife are not united in financial matters and you need to find a way to get there.
    I am assuming that the provided money is post-tax.  That being said I find it extremely unlikely that your wife would have $140,000 of legitimate expenses while you have other debt at the same time.  If you have that much expense for food, car insurance, utilities and cell phones, you should probably sell your cars and buy cheaper ones, shut off the electricity in some of the unused rooms in your very large home, cut out the number of phones you pay for, etc, etc, etc.  If you have maids, and lawn service, and so on so forth, those should be reconsidered as well while still in debt.
    With the exception of medical needs, there are exactly zero other legitimate reasons, in my opinion, for an individual to have 200K in after tax expenses while also still having debts.  If you see that as reasonable, I would suggest that while your wife may be terrible with money, you just might not be that good with it either.  Once again I would suggest that the advice others have given has generally been good, and I sincerely wish you the best in working out your issues with your spouse.
  13. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Vort in How do you like to refer to Heavenly Father?   
    I make it a specific point to only ever refer to Him as Ahman.  Especially when talking to muggles, I mean. . . non-members.  

  14. Like
    person0 reacted to mirkwood in Mormon Chastity Metaphors That Really Need to Go   
    Chastity metaphors that need to go?  ALL of them.  Let's just talk plainly to our kids.
  15. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Anddenex in Dealing With False Doctrine   
    I think we have some members that do this as well.  And general ignorance is propagated especially when something is appealing, or when most people don't feel the need or desire to study it or verify it.
    In terms of when to actually correct someone.  I correct people anytime that they say something that I am certain is incorrect, if I feel it is important for the general membership to have the corrected information.  For example, I might not have said anything in either of those situations either, however, if that person said something like, ". . . see here we have proof that the Book of Mormon is true . . .", or ". . . since Joseph Smith revealed the date of Christ's birth we have that as a further witness he is a true prophet of God", at that point I would raise my hand to clarify that regardless of what evidence we feel strengthens our personal conviction of the truthfulness of the restored gospel, the Holy Spirit is what will bear witness of the truth, and any temporal evidence is of less importance as someone else might find justification to dismiss it.  In a semi-recent real life experience, I corrected someone when they claimed that they did not believe we can be sure that we will make it to the celestial kingdom.  I responded by saying that I know I will make it if I die today because I am temple worthy and strive to live the commandments.
    I usually only end up correcting someone if they share something that will lead others to believe something that could reasonably lead them to an incorrect application of gospel principles, or if it is something that is so clearly speculative it could negatively impact an investigator.
  16. Like
    person0 got a reaction from theSQUIDSTER in Origin of Christianity   
    I did not watch the video, however, I will say that many people find supposed connections to concepts of salvation from sin, and saviors, and other aspects of Christianity.  However, the connections they make based on pre-Christian era doctrines and concepts are actually all descended from apostatized truth.  Remember that the gospel was taught in it's fullness to Adam, and he was baptized.  From there, eventually it fell and was degenerated by various civilizations until even the Israelites were not sufficiently prepared to receive it.  If the true principles of what is now known as Christianity existed from the beginning, and then were jumbled up through apostasy, some here, some there, then it would be expected that researchers could find evidence of these things.  If an uninspired researcher finds pieces of information, are they going to conclude that Christianity must be true because its concepts go back so far, or will they assume it must be a made up mixture of other religious views that came before it?  With that in mind it doesn't bother me in the slightest what the world thinks of the origins of Christianity.
  17. Like
    person0 reacted to The Folk Prophet in Dealing With False Doctrine   
    Where's the harm in the statements/beliefs? That would be my deciding factor in saying something or not. (Well, one of them.) If it's a harmful belief there seems to be a greater need for correction.
  18. Like
    person0 got a reaction from priesthoodpower in Origin of Christianity   
    I did not watch the video, however, I will say that many people find supposed connections to concepts of salvation from sin, and saviors, and other aspects of Christianity.  However, the connections they make based on pre-Christian era doctrines and concepts are actually all descended from apostatized truth.  Remember that the gospel was taught in it's fullness to Adam, and he was baptized.  From there, eventually it fell and was degenerated by various civilizations until even the Israelites were not sufficiently prepared to receive it.  If the true principles of what is now known as Christianity existed from the beginning, and then were jumbled up through apostasy, some here, some there, then it would be expected that researchers could find evidence of these things.  If an uninspired researcher finds pieces of information, are they going to conclude that Christianity must be true because its concepts go back so far, or will they assume it must be a made up mixture of other religious views that came before it?  With that in mind it doesn't bother me in the slightest what the world thinks of the origins of Christianity.
  19. Like
    person0 reacted to zil in "Having" a soul and "being" a soul.   
    Not to go all technical on you, but what you call "soul", Mormons would call "spirit".  D&C 88:15 And the spirit and the body are the soul of man.
    As for the discrepancy between popular culture and scripture, well, that's Satan's job / goal, isn't it?
    I have never believed my spirit to be separate from my "self" - it is my "self".  (I suspect that some may consider the body their "self" and their spirit as something "else", and perhaps this is where they get the idea of a spirit being able to be separated from their consciousness / sentience.)
  20. Like
    person0 got a reaction from classylady in Irishgrin - a new member   
    Top reasons not to upset @pam:
    The Walking Pam

    Rabies Pam

    Warrior Pam

    Pam-hamid Ali

    Pam on Fire (she can handle the flames, you cant!)

    Crouching Tiger Hidden Pam

  21. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Sunday21 in Irishgrin - a new member   
    This little girl showed me, she's jealous of how much you like @pam.  She likes her too!

  22. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Sunday21 in Irishgrin - a new member   
    Top reasons not to upset @pam:
    The Walking Pam

    Rabies Pam

    Warrior Pam

    Pam-hamid Ali

    Pam on Fire (she can handle the flames, you cant!)

    Crouching Tiger Hidden Pam

  23. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Sunday21 in Irishgrin - a new member   
    Not to worry Pam.  My Muslim father calls me a heathen all the time.  He uses an arabic word for it though.  Not sure how to spell it, but it sounds like 'moosh-rah-keen'.  So now I suppose I just gave Irishgrin a new word to use. . . oops. 
    Edit:  I just found out after some research, the transliterated word is commonly written as 'mushrikeen', meaning, "People who worship not only Allah, but also another."  So for a Muslim, this would apply to all Christians who accept Christ as the Savior and the Son of God.
  24. Like
    person0 got a reaction from Irishgrin in Irishgrin - a new member   
    Top reasons not to upset @pam:
    The Walking Pam

    Rabies Pam

    Warrior Pam

    Pam-hamid Ali

    Pam on Fire (she can handle the flames, you cant!)

    Crouching Tiger Hidden Pam

  25. Like
    person0 got a reaction from zil in Financial Arguments_Supporting adult children   
    First let me say that you are in a very difficult situation, and it is understandable and reasonable to be upset that your wife is seriously mismanaging money.  Also, in general I agree with much of the advice that has already been given.  Now that I've got that out of the way, I'd like to address a different problem, and will openly admit that I am making a biased judgement here.
    I know other people live differently than I do, however, per the OP, here is the breakdown of the 200K spending allotment to your wife:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $140,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    So if this were me, I would reorganize as follows at the absolute minimum:
    1) $48,000 Mortgage Payments
    2) $12,000 Debt Payments
    3) $90,000 Extra Mortgage/Debt Payments
    4) $50,000 Needed/Other Expenses
    Now personally I would go even further than that and my wife would be all in with me.  The real root problem in my mind is that you and your wife are not united in financial matters and you need to find a way to get there.
    I am assuming that the provided money is post-tax.  That being said I find it extremely unlikely that your wife would have $140,000 of legitimate expenses while you have other debt at the same time.  If you have that much expense for food, car insurance, utilities and cell phones, you should probably sell your cars and buy cheaper ones, shut off the electricity in some of the unused rooms in your very large home, cut out the number of phones you pay for, etc, etc, etc.  If you have maids, and lawn service, and so on so forth, those should be reconsidered as well while still in debt.
    With the exception of medical needs, there are exactly zero other legitimate reasons, in my opinion, for an individual to have 200K in after tax expenses while also still having debts.  If you see that as reasonable, I would suggest that while your wife may be terrible with money, you just might not be that good with it either.  Once again I would suggest that the advice others have given has generally been good, and I sincerely wish you the best in working out your issues with your spouse.