john4truth
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Posts posted by john4truth
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On 6/13/2018 at 4:06 PM, JayKi said:
ok
After 35 years of tithing I draw only SS disability that I have already paid tithe on and a trustee says he has to approve further debt. I have a lawsuit against prior employer over working with non compete at attorney advice. Employer froze $200000 retirement. And refused to obey ada. Living on food storage and relatives and the only way to pay tithing is violate bankruptcy. I have Lupus and can not do anything. New young bishop says pray and follow the spirit. Hoping to win big and owe tithing. Should you pay tithing on social security you paid in. That would be double tithing and bring blessings but if you don't have it and doctor is afraid you could die ??????
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On 1/24/2018 at 11:32 AM, zil said:
First of all, forget the above. Stop comparing yourself to others. Stop worrying about whether / how others are sinning. This can only harm you and never help. Their choices are theirs and they will answer for them. Your choices are yours and you will answer for them. So just let it go. You cannot change it, so don't let it change you.
Choose to be humble rather than being ashamed.
Members (including us) have no authority or keys to tell you about tithing. This is between you, the Lord, and your bishop.
This sounds like a much larger problem than just whether you (one person) pay tithing. It sounds like this is a ward or stake problem. If that's the case, you should let go of your feelings of being "singled out" as it's probable every person who isn't paying a full tithe is feeling the same way. Either way, that feeling is not helping you.
NOTE: in everything I write hereafter, I'm not saying you should or should not pay your tithing. I'm saying you should work to understand the law, reject the negative feelings you're having now, and increase your faith (and trust in and love for the Lord). Do this and eventually the Lord will help you to the right conclusion. If your best does not include paying tithing right now, that's between you and the Lord, but do your best, whatever it is, and be honest with yourself and the Lord (don't lull yourself into a false sense of complacency). So...
Tithing is between you, the Lord, and your bishop. That said, I would recommend you work on changing yourself (because that's all you have power to change). Try to let go of hard feelings towards others who appear to be better off. Choose to feel humble and grateful rather than ashamed. Study the law of tithing, the Word of Wisdom, the law of the fast, and the Sabbath (I feel like these are all related in that they promise blessings when we choose to give up a portion of what the Lord has given us). As you study, pray for guidance.
At the end of the day, your question is one of faith - do I trust that the Lord will take care of me when paying my tithing will leave me without the ability to pay for basic necessities myself? You've already done the math and done your best to maximize what you can get from your income - that's good. Now let go of the math (it can't help you further) and believe at least in the possibility that the Lord can do what you cannot. This isn't necessarily something you can come to believe instantly. You may have to work on it for a long time, but I believe you will be blessed in greater abundance if you let go of your fear and embrace the infinite possibilities available to the Lord. That doesn't mean you have to pay tithing this instant and spend the rest of the month fretting over your lack of money - it means work to change your pattern of thinking and feeling, so that you can both change your behavior and receive additional blessings.
You might also study the scriptures looking explicitly for the pattern sometimes called "The Nephite Promise" - which is, "obey and prosper" - but it's always in that order - we must obey first, and the Lord prospers us second. I see this pattern most easily in the Book of Mormon and Old Testament, but it's there in all the volumes of scripture.
Finally, in my experience, when I wanted something changed, but didn't feel I could change it myself, I found that if I included a request for the change in every prayer, and then got up and did the best I could to obey, the change was eventually brought about. I think this pattern of doing our best to obey, and relying on the Lord for everything else, brings improvement (slowly, perhaps, but it comes).
I was making good money and felt after tithing I should help others. I found myself totally disabled in bankruptcy. The judge saw to it i had to borrow money from family just to survive. No gain possible. Not allowed any other credit. Do you illegally borrow money for tithing. I have food storage so nothing the bishop does helps,they can not help needy more than they collect. If you. Feel you owe little tithe no one can argue that. When the rich company has his company pay all his bill from cars to insurance, vacation and only tithe after all the bills are paid it's between you and the Father. Leaders may be prejudice but wrong,maybe he is doing it. I f every dime is spent by a judge there is nothing to pay. If you pay health insurance you pay tithing on the money. If the company gives a basket of benefits and you owe nothing ....I don't think so. I paid an honest tithing 35 year now I have nothing to pay with. What would Jesus say. I am try to physically stay alive with illness and stress from peer pressure. Things or not as confidential as Bishops visit with their wife and word gets out. I try to give time to the needy.That is all I have. Leaders feet the need to run your life, but they can take a cruise the company pays for. Wifyis I'll because she's got an illness but has to care for her elderly mother 24/7 and her doctor says she may die before her mother. Everyone is ready to judge.. I am seeing 4 specialist to stay alive. I don't look that sick¿???????????¿??????????????¿
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On 6/12/2018 at 4:33 PM, john4truth said:
People through out the Church need to be taught Revelation doesn't appear as black cat or owl
Casting lots throws it to chance, you should never do this unless the spirit tells to!!!!!!! Some things do not matter so they're are no promptings.
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On 6/11/2018 at 11:33 PM, john4truth said:
Regretfully people don't understand what other s are going through and it becomes necessary to get released when necessary physically mentally or spiritually
Take a break and visit another Ward
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Yes we know but still think everything is a sign.
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Regretfully we, instead of establishing a relationship with the Father, simply use superstition as religion. We believe there is a list that will get us to the Father. .. like as long as we have a recommend we are where we need to be. Even if we are as mean as a rattle snake
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28 minutes ago, Anddenex said:
What about casting "lots"?
People through out the Church need to be taught Revelation doesn't appear as black cat or owl
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The Church is full of false promptings, but they are not thought of as such. I know an extreme amount of people who will take some of the strangest things as a "sign" that they should or not do anything from buy a car to who they should marry. I know people who think nearly everything is a sign. The silliest things are thought be signs from our Heavenly Father, often they can be things that have a negative effect on other members. Extreme decisions may be made based on dropping a piece of paper or someone being distracted.
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On 6/8/2018 at 1:44 AM, dddd said:
I was given two prophecies regarding my marriage...one that I would meet my spouse after a mission. The other my Stake president said he felt prompted to tell me as I considered going on a mission: That I would meet my husband in the field; that he'd be a missionary. The two seemed to conflict! And the second one upset me he would tell me that because at the time I had a bf and also meeting boys who would be 4-5 years younger than me was not my motivation for going. But because of what he said I was very obedient on my mission to the no flirting rule because I never wanted anyone to think I had started an inappropriate relationship in the field. So naturally I didn't get a ton of attention from Elders.
Since coming home I've gone on a date with one or two but we didn't click either time. The rest of my dating pursuits have gone worse than I imagined. I felt like I was doing the best I knew how.
Is it possible I've missed my chance to get married in this life since the windows of time have both passed?
These blessings should be general. They are human, seek personal revelation even if you find contradiction. I know many that human errors when things get too specific
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On 6/8/2018 at 10:10 AM, estradling75 said:
It is never too long to wait for a Temple Marriage... The Lord sees and knows all and our time here in mortality is short. The Lord has also promised that no blessing will be denied those that are Faithful... even if they do not get it in this life.
Now is it possible the Lord's plan for you includes being married to a non-member? Sure. But who you marry (member or not) should be a matter of much fasting and prayer. So that you can be confident you are following his will.
One should not let "fear" drive out faith. And yes fear of 'losing blessing' that drives us to be unfaithful is "Fear." Faith enables us to stay on the Lord's path for us even when it looks like it is the harder road, and we can't see how the Lord might bless us.
The world has entered the issues on Temple marriage. The world fills your mind with questions.Are you 100 % positive this is the only one forever. This should be the question on any marriage. Either may not want to give up style. The Molly Mormon look is a big change for some.The real issue is about jumping into dedicated adulthood. Temple marriage can be better if understood.
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3 hours ago, MormonGator said:
You obviously have great passion for the church, I can tell that from your post. I admire that. I know of people who sleep walk though their callings. So proud of you, for what it's worth.
That said, it's okay to ask for a break. If you are overwhelmed, asking the bishop to release you is a lot better than getting totally burned out and needing a break from the church overall. Take a break from the calling, not from the church. It's better for you spiritually.Regretfully people don't understand what other s are going through and it becomes necessary to get released when necessary physically mentally or spiritually
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On 6/8/2018 at 12:32 PM, MaryJehanne said:
There's a possibility that @Sunday21 is struggling with OCD, though I'm not sure about Anxiety, since she has reasons to be anxious. OCD is a conglomeration of symptoms, and simply receiving false promptings is not necessarily one of them. Ideas like that would need to be obsessive and sometimes followed by compulsions to neutralize them. From what you've said, these thoughts may be obsessive, especially the comment about future death dates. However, there's a possibility you may be causing something that looks similar to Obsessive thinking by an overly scrupulous examination of every internal movement. Try to back off that intense of a practice, and see if the thoughts and anxiety about them begin to dissipate.
If you're looking for promptings, sources other than God may be influencing you simply because you're really concentrating on that. These could even be just your own healthy mind or physical emotions, worrying about possibilities and blowing things out of proportion because you expect all of them to have meaning, or temptations, since demons (I'm not entirely sure what the LDS view on this would be!) know you're looking for instruction and either want to mislead you, or just cause you anxiety. If it seems it could be the latter, please make use of the St. Michael prayer, if your religion allows you to!
Try to use some methods to help you relax (homeopathy like Sedalia can be great, breathing exercises, prayer, innocent recreation, etc.) and don't concentrate on promptings as much. Especially if they're disturbing, dismiss them as soon as they come. (If they're unnecessarily disturbing, that's a sign God may not be the source) Trust that if it's something God wants, He'll make it clear. Also, think about the contents of the thought. Is is something good? Is it charitable? If it's not, it's not from God. And if you do have any form of Obsessions or Compulsions or both, looking for these things are going to aggravate the problem in your brain. With OCD, the brain gets "locked" in something's-wrong mode. A key is to control your emotions. If you feel anxiety about a thought coming on, take a deep breath and relax. Don't let it over take you, or you'll start the chain and your brain will become stuck in alert, even if you intellectually try to dismiss it.
From what you've said, I don't know that the symptoms or the anxiety caused by them are really enough to be Obsessive Compulsive. But, if you think Anxiety or OCD might actually be a possibility, make sure to talk to your therapist. It's important to know and to treat it as best as you can, just like you don't let diabetes go unacknowledged. It may be nothing, in which case, you haven't lost anything! But if your brain is struggling with something, it's good to know how to deal with it so that it doesn't overtake your life.
I'd first just "back off" to see if things lessen. If they don't, ask a professional to see if they notice anything you might need help with.
I hope that was helpful.
I hope this wasn't worrisome... I was going to write a post about how I didn't think OCD was likely, but on a second glance I noticed some things that might be problematic, so I didn't want to mislead you in case you really did have trouble!
LDS counseling can be covered by bishop if needed
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On 7/8/2015 at 2:31 PM, NightSG said:
I don't like the practice either, but I see it happening way too often; girl gets guy to come to singles activities and/or Sacrament meeting a few times, starts toning down the relationship as the missionaries take over and then dumps him shortly after he's baptized.
Then again, I've been so unimpressed with the actual morals of a disturbing number of the single LDS women I've met that this is pretty far down the list. (The ones spiking their sodas with rum *during* the last singles Conference watching party I went to are close to the top of that list. The fact that it turned out to be more than half the "good, faithful, active LDS women with current TRs looking for a worthy Priesthood holder" at that gathering really makes me wonder why I bother with members at all.)
I don't like the practice but in the south I have heard. ...date em ,dunk em, drop em
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On 11/26/2013 at 7:21 PM, Quin said:
I know! I know!
How many Mormons does it take to change a light bulb.,...... It's a secret
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3 hours ago, askandanswer said:
Count your blessings - now you have a short cut to Australia
There is a real prophet who receives real revelation. Heavenly Father does offer hope. This life is a short test, it is only a test. In the scope of things we can fan happiness if we look for it. Do for others and you will find happiness.
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I don't know but I have been told this 3 times with bishopric calling . My daughter learned my wife was divorcing me through the bishops daughter 2 days after I told the bishop. The bishops daughter said they discussed It in family home evening.
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On 6/4/2018 at 5:14 AM, Luke said:
Sunday21, this is a great question. I have struggled with this as well. For what its worth, here's how I try to avoid deception:
- I know that any type of inspiration that contradicts revealed truth and God's written word is false and I can immediately reject. There is an important balance between The Word and The Spirit....and if we focus too much on one without the other we open ourselves to deception: whether it is hyper spirituality without being grounded in the word or a legalistic following of The Word with no regard for The Spirit and the spirit of the law. We are constantly told to pray and read the scriptures....if we focus on one without the other I think we can get off course.
- For important decisions, I seek multiple confirmations. For minor stuff, like "Go visit that person"...I try to follow immediately. If it is, "Resign your job and move to another location" I am going to really try to fast and pray to get this one right.
- Seek out the inspiration of others that also have interest in the issue. I seek my wife's personal revelation to keep my own in check. Whenever we feel the same thing or receive the same revelation, things have always turned out well. Going it alone can open either of us up to deception. She was starting to get caught up in the Julie Rowe movement...and so I helped to point out how that movement is inconsistent with gospel pattern. Likewise, she helps keep me in check. Do you have any siblings that also have interest in the well-being of your mother.?...perhaps you could seek out their advice and involve them in the revelation and decision process.
- Make sure you're living the gospel. When I am not worthy or living the gospel as I should my view of things becomes distorted and I open myself to deception. Hard to see things clearly when I don't have the Light of Christ, let alone the Holy Ghost.
- Seek out counsel from priesthood leaders. I would take any advice from me or anyone else on MormonHUB carefully because we don't have any priesthood authority that encompasses you....also, these are almost all anonymous posts on a non-church sponsored website. So, for those difficult decisions, talk to an EQ president (or RS president) or Home Minister or Bishop.
My experience is that God does guide us and provides a means for us to discern correction inspiration from false promptings. All the best!
When did the practice of leaders sharing private things with their wives, This cuts down on leaders being asked for advice
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12 hours ago, MormonGator said:
Just curious, where do you draw the line? After all, virtually any job will have you encounter people whose choices you don't agree with.
You should draw the line at dishonesty. I would not work whereb I was expected to be dishonest. Much of America gets wealthy through porn, fraud, or simpo lies but it it is very difficult to work today and tell the truth. wickedness never was happiness. You may have to start your own company. Leaders bring you closer to Christ by having to make past their imperfections. We are all just humans with faults We must expect their faults to be real and not get down. I can only control
On 5/24/2018 at 7:51 AM, Behemoth said:I think the goal in life is to understand and make them as black and white as possible. There are intricacies (forgot the better word) that require specific reactions. I think, God will absolutely help us in guidance, (or not harshly judge us, in our confusion. If he is REALLY, withholding knowledge) All we need to do is seek.
Will a man, sell his soul for the world ?
things aren’t so clear when we step out of the influence of the light. (Even if we may think we’re still in it). Courage in small things goes a very long way.
Alcohol is the most deadly DRUG.By for it is the real gateway drug. It is deadly and nothing is funny about it. Pot is wrong but mostly because it is illegal. If there was a way to trade what is legal deaths would decrease if drunks became potheads. Neither is good except both have medical uses
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8 hours ago, Fifthziff said:
It happens to all of us almost all the time. The human brain makes up information all the time. That is the test we face, to discern promptings from the carnal mind vs promptings obtained from the still small voice. There are clues as to which is which but that discernment is the test we face in this life to see which one we will follow and which one we listen to. But even if one is an "expert" at that discernment, they still receive the human brain influences at the same time, that doesn't go away until death. Paul could not get rid of his "thorn in the flesh", or else he would be exalted above measure. There is no test unless we have false choices placed before us to give free agency. Overall, we rarely hear the spiritual promptings. This is, in part, why Moses said, he never thought man was nothing. Most of man's actions and reactions to the world around, including promptings and thought, is carnal in nature. We all have that.
Experts often are experts on man's.laws!!!!!
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On 5/23/2018 at 12:51 AM, john4truth said:
Not unless you are big. My question is will the church take tithing on liquor sales since they don't on gambling. Yes weed is different it does not kill people like alcohol. Alcohol kills more people than all drugs combined. Marrijuana users do not fight they turn the other cheek
Alcohol is the gateway drug it leads less dangerous but illegal drugs
I know a man who quit the church he was being shamed by members but said best customer was his bishop. The word of wisdom was given as health suggestions. It was many many years before leaders had to change it. I follow it but do not believe it is a Celestial requirement. Of the drugs alcohol is the worst, kills more than all others combined . Pot is the better alternative alcohol killed my dad. I find potheads much nicer to be around. Celestials qualifications be about being Christ like.. Joseph Smith brought hard liquor to prisoners in torment. Eternally we must learn to love first and question later. If I am mean, gossip,con man, liar,cheat, rude, ugly to simple or poor, not sharing, or cast shame on others it would be better if I violated the word of wisdom. We are becoming pharasees selfishly following rules but not caring about others. I find we are not Christ like towards others we are wasting our time pretending to be desciple of Christ.
On 5/23/2018 at 8:38 AM, Lost Boy said:I find it interesting where people draw the line.
For alcohol to get to the consumer there are many steps. Someone has to grow the crops. Someone has to make the alcohol. The alcohol is most likely going to go to at least one distributor and then to a store , to a sales clerk to the end user. Any point of the chain that is broken prevents the alcohol from reaching the end customer. Why is one link in the chain any less of an issue than another link? I am just musing not trying to judge you. I don't have the answer.
If you were a farmer and the local manufacturer of alcohol wanted to buy your crop for $50k and the next best offer for non-alcoholic purposes was $45k, would you sell to the alcohol manufacturer? Or sell to someone else and lose 10% of your profits?
Is making coffee as one of your tasks in you employment any better than making coffee as your only task?
The Church made alcohol and Joseph Smith brought hard liquor to the members stressed by imprisonment.How you treat others will be what matters not if you drink tea.. Marriott s have porn but that is not what matters is how good and honest you are with others
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On 5/22/2018 at 7:50 PM, Carborendum said:
I know a lot of people will pounce on me for this. But I don't have a problem with it. As long as it's legal.
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On 5/23/2018 at 12:16 PM, NightSG said:
Interesting. I will admit to buying two quick picks any time the jackpot clears half a billion, and partly because when it was over a billion, I really wanted my first egregious display of newfound wealth to be putting the bishop in the position of having to turn down a $100 million tithing check and seeing if he could/would do it.
This, though I'd say that working in or owning a gas station, grocery store, restaurant or other place where alcohol and/or tobacco sales are more incidental to the primary product(s) isn't really a big deal at all. OTOH, I'd personally rather scrub toilets than work in a typical bar where a significant number of the patrons are going purely to drink irresponsibly and make terrible decisions about who to go home with.
Liquor stores would be something of a middle ground, to be determined on an individual basis; some cater to more refined tastes, primarily carrying higher quality products that are meant to take one's time with and enjoy the flavor, (I had a fifth of Glenlivet that lasted me from age 23 to nearly 30, and I think I lost it in a move with at least a couple inches still in it. A fifth of bourbon we received as a wedding present would have outlasted the marriage had her brother not finished off the still-2/3-full bottle in a week.) and some stock mainly the cheapest rotgut available for the "I just wanna chug this and get wasted" crowd.
A member store owner was harrassed by members for selling loto tickets. He quit the church said his biggest customer was the bishop. Told me himself.
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1 hour ago, georgia said:
Hello everyone! I'm an investigator, been at it for about two months now. I think I have a desire to be baptized eventually, but it's not the right time... I'm making progress but moving as fast as can be expected, I think, given that I was raised without an ounce of religion of any kind.
I read the entire Book of Mormon and in fact I just started reading it a second time. I thought it would be tedious, but I was surprised at how eagerly I read it (finished it in under a month). Its words feel suffused with Spirit and inspiration, and I truly feel a sense of peace, not to mention fascination, when I read it. Even the parts I don't understand (2 Nephi I'm looking at you), I still feel content to just take in the words. Often I feel bewildered as to why I feel this way, and I kept expecting this to all be a phase I'll get over, but I keep finding that I just like reading a few chapters every night and I like having it in my bag at work even if I don't have time to read it. I always used to think, religious scriptures as so inaccurate and contradictory, how can anyone take them seriously? But I find that I really don't care if the B.of.M is accurate historically or not, it just doesn't matter to me. It's not the point. I just love feeling the Spirit whenever I open it, and I just feel that it contains the words that God meant for us to read, and whatever God's truth really is, we'll probably never really know for certain, because we're just humans and we can't see it from God's perspective. That's where faith comes in (and a lot of humility!)
Anyway though, one issue I've had is that I don't feel this way at all about the Bible, neither the OT nor the NT. Just like I've never felt at all inspired inside Christian churches before I came to an LDS church, I don't feel inspired at all when I read the Bible .I think it's because of all the translations, that beautiful feeling of the Spirit being present in the words has been leached away over the years. When I read the Bible, I feel nothing. I haven't been able to get through it all, because it's so dry that it depresses me. (I did read Genesis & Exodus as well as Matthew & Mark) It just feels like a dry recitation of events and I start thinking about how it doesn't really make any sense even. God must have multiple personalities and change his mind constantly (which the B of M specifically says he does NOT do). And when you learn about how the OT & NT were written, historically, it gets even worse, because of the blatant inaccuracies/contradictions and the many outright fabrications on the part of the writers (like for example the NT was basically written in such a way to please the Roman authorities and the message of the real Jesus, which as mainly oriented around Jewish nationalism, was completely abandoned because it was too dangerous. source -- "Zealot" by Reza Aslan).
But the Book of Mormon feels like real scripture, it FEELS like it was divinely inspired, and when I learn about the prophet's vision I just get this strong sense that it is true. And I start thinking, how on earth could Joseph Smith just write all this stuff seemingly from memory unless he was really translating from an ancient text? It just all fits together, it feels right & true. But the Bible feels like a bunch of baloney!! I wish I felt as inspired when I read the Bible as I do when I read the B.of.M... but I can't make myself feel something I don't feel. This is why I never felt the remotest desire to be Christian until I went to an LDS church and started reading the B.of.M.
I hope this doesn't offend anyone, I'm writing this because it helps to get it off my chest and if anyone has any wise words that would be appreciated. Maybe the Bible is just too old and we have to have a renewal of scripture every couple thousand years because the old stuff just loses the Spirit. Even if its true (God's truth if not historical truth), it just loses its relevancy to us, or something. Thoughts?
I agree with the importance of reading the Book of Mormon but I do believe the New Testament is needed for this dispensation. The Book of James is one of the most important writings in the Church. My biggest worry is that if we do not fully know the Bible we will come up short as missionaries. I feel we need to reset and go back about 25 years when missionary work was successful. It concerns me that I am seeing many missionaries who spend their missions at the public library visiting. This could be good are bad but in our town the public librarian doesn't like to see the missionaries come in because the are "computer hogs" that do not share with others and are not willing to volunteer for service in the library as they would have in the past. It seems rare that a missionary sincerely is willing to do service as the would in days when the work was more successful. At times we must evaluate failures vs successes.
Do you need tithe if you in debt?
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All experts and self reliance classes said never do predatory high interest loans for any reason