Honor

You sound a lot more optimistic than you did when I talked to you before. Glad to hear it!

Happy Birthday my friend! Don't do anything I wouldn't do... wait, just be good!

I believe this one has already been discussed HERE. Might want to throw the other links into the mix there. :)

Isn't that when the world was supposed to come to an end? I'm still here.

I've got a beautiful arrangement of the other Abide With Me for Suprano & 2-part Alto with an optional violin or flute part. All my sheet music is in my car, if you're interested, let me know.

Happy Bug-Day! I'm sure glad you're here!

This is what came to my mind. When thinking about this from a parent's perspective, wouldn't you encourage your children to aim as high as possible, and not to do it casually? Take, for instance, something like a college education. I wouldn't say, "Well dear, earning a degree would be nice, but I don't want you to feel pressure from me." Chances are, a child wouldn't have much hope of seeing it's importance unless it is apparent that it is important to you. Our vision should always be singular to the ultimate goal. Of course we're not perfect, but that isn't an excuse to aim for anything less. The beauty found in the gospel is when we feel the mercy of the Lord - the sweet peace that comes from repentance. The danger comes when we try to make a game plan and factor in that Heavenly forgiveness. If we are always expecting to be cut some Heavenly slack, our motivation isn't exactly going to be what it should. Mercy is only HIS to give, not ours to ourselves before we even make an attempt. For all intents and purposes, I believe we are to be making our choices in life as if it is all or nothing.

Much of the things that float around about church history come from personal journals that different saints kept at the time. Those can't exactly be taken as fact either, but it sure would help to specify what is actual doctrine vs documented opinion from the time or just complete rumor. I can only imagine the number of disagreements that could have been avoided about church history and much much more, had there been actual backing for an argument.

As far as I know, you are able to go immediately after you are baptized, or at least as long as it takes to obtain a limited use recommend from the bishop. I don't think there is a waiting period. Yall correct me if I'm wrong, but I know of a few people who have participated in the ordinance without waiting a year.

Honor is my name. My Av is a picture of Elphie and myself taken at the Chili's meetup in Feb.

Happy Birthday PC! Hope it's a great one! I hope you get a brownie Starbucks cake!

If we had many girls around the same age in our ward I'd hook you up, but we just don't have many older primary aged kids or young women in ours. It'd be cool if you could link up with another ward. I'll keep my ears open for any possabilities. My sister serves in the Young Women out in a branch in the Marshall Islands, but the girls would be a few years older than those that you teach. Anyway, I'm not much help, but this is a great idea! Good luck!

Yup, I know the feeling! Heaven forbid someone assumes that you're a native of the place that you're currently living huh! I'm a native Californian who hasn't lived there since I was 19 with no immediate or long term plans to find myself back in my hometown permanently. It'll probably be the thing that I say for the rest of my life though. I just can't seem to give up the California Girl title that I've claimed ever since I realized that the Beach Boys were singing about ME! I've always specified that I'm from Northern California and the assumption is usually San Francisco, which is usually fine with me - close enough! If someone is familiar with the Bay Area, they'll ask further for specifics. If they're not but still want to know, the best answer is - about an hour north of SF, in the wine/redwood country. Then they ask, "Napa?" Honor: "Nope, Sonoma County..." No matter how interested the person might be, they've just probably never heard of Santa Rosa, let alone Windsor or Healdsburg.

Being sealed to someone does not mean that you will be "stuck" with them for eternity if they aren't worthy of the blessings of the celestial kingdom. While we simply DON'T know the logistics of it all, another purpose of the sealing is to tie the generations together. If someone is not worthy to enter the celestial kingdom or you do not have a celestial relationship with them, I don't believe that our Heavenly Father will say, "Oh well, you bought it! Deal with it!" He is a perfect, loving parent, and your eternal reward won't be a punishment for an action of another, not to mention the fact that our perspectives will just be different in the hereafter. All will be made fair, just, and merciful. There will be no awkward moments at the family table in the next life. I wouldn't worry about being stuck, but for your sake and the sake of your children (if you have any), I would view being sealed to your parents as more than just being sealed to them individually, but rather sealing together generations previous that might be sealed to you and your posterity if they're not already. Take this worry to your Father in Heaven. I promise you that he can bring peace to your mind about the decision you should make.

Happy Birthday Bethie! Hope it's been a fun day!

Maybe it's not so much the eternal law that was dropped, but the opportunity for the saints to receive the blessings that would come from obeying such a law. But regardless of what the motivation was to end polygamy at the time, I don't think it proves or disproves the divine hand in it. God knows how to accomplish His purposes regardless of human success or failings.

Thanks for this Rico. I'll admit that I am one of those who is driven more by emotion and feelings than I am purely by facts. Hopefully there's a fair amount of logic in there too, but I have not struggled with this issue in the same way that some of my family and friends have. I hit a point a few years ago after one General Conference when I just couldn't stop thinking about the whole polygamy issue. It wasn't something that was changing my testimony, but my worry was that SHOULD I ever be asked to live such a law, I wouldn't be strong enough to accept the calling in faith. I would hope that I could see it from a perspective other than my own and willingly accept the charge to make the sacrifices needed to help a fellow sister and obey a loving Heavenly Father. To see that a fellow sister needed my sacrifice to obtain the blessings of eternity that she deserved. I hoped that I'd be able to see that it was most certainly NOT the ideal situation that she probably hoped for, but that we were all asking to sacrifice. However, "knowing" that, and believing that I could live it were two completely different things. I didn't feel at peace and I wanted to. It weighed on my mind for several weeks without finding answers. I finally was in an interview with my bishop and I took the opportunity to ask him what he thought I should do to find the calm I was seeking. My dear bishop (who has 2 beautiful daughters) said the following, "Honor, if there is anything I do know, it's how the Lord must feel about his precious daughters. I know how I feel about my own and that's just an imperfect mortal view. I wouldn't venture to say that He loves His daughters more than His sons, but you need to know of the tender feelings He carries for His daughters especially. He WOULD NOT ask you to live a law or enter into a covenant that gave you the short end of the stick. We cannot imagine the blessings in store when we live the most challenging commandments." I don't know how, but it brought the peace I needed. When I get caught up in life or feeling weak, I always find myself coming back to the basic truths that I simply can't deny. I know that Heavenly Father is a perfect and loving parent. I know that His plan is will not exclude anyone from blessings that they deserve - He keeps his covenants. There simply are some things that we will not be able to understand in our mortal state and it is a testimony of our Father, our Savior and the Atonement that will fill the gaps in our view of eternity. I know that people look down on the answer, "Take it on faith" like it's some easy answer to avoid proving a truth with facts. But just like all the Sunday School answers (no matter how overused), it's true, not easy AT ALL, but it's true. I know that all will be right in the end. I don't need to worry about my portion of some eternal reward being what I deserve. I need to constantly be seeking the peace in order to alleviate that worry, but I have no doubt that if I'm doing what I need to, the peace will come eventually. I know this isn't how it works for everybody, but if anybody knows each of us and what we need, it's our Heavenly Father. This is how it is for me, but there is a way for everyone to find the answers we seek regardless of where our tendencies fall on the faith/fact scale.

Uh oh, looks like you Easterners are growing in # on the site. We'd better keep an eye on you! Welcome N2!

Of Faith and Reason: 80 Evidences Supporting Joseph Smith I'm pretty sure that's what you're looking for. :)

Hope it's a great one! Happy Birthday!

Am I good or am I good. I worked it so you'd have your baby that weekend and totally forget!

Happy Birthday Captain! Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? I stole yours, hope you don't mind! Enjoy the day!

I give my permission to post any with me. Pam, should I send out a message to everyone there asking them to do the same or something?

VERY MUCH calculated.... you'd better believe it! You didn't know it was me that pulled some string with your deportation? You're welcome! Oh you know it (give or take 6 years)! We gonna go get crazy tonight Buggers?

Took me a second to realize that this said "don't do anything stupid" and not "don't do anything, Stupid!"