Still_Small_Voice

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  1. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to beefche in This possibly reveals me as a terrible person but... Fundraisers   
    I'm less sympathetic to GoFundMe stuff now. For some people, I'm familiar with the family/circumstances and know that there are financial needs. But, for others, I'm very suspicious. One of my friends lived in a house that was easily $800K (by the size of the house and market) and due to a bad storm, her basement got flooded. She went onto GFM to ask for $10k to renovate her basement. Ummm, no, it's called suck it up and save for what you want done. I feel bad this happened to you, but I'm not going to give you money for a want. And I'm really bugged by people who start a GFM for themselves. I guess it's more honest, but in my mind it is the same as standing at the intersection with a sign asking for money.
  2. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to LDSGator in This possibly reveals me as a terrible person but... Fundraisers   
    It’s common to get “compassion fatigue”, especially with gofundme. For a slightly different perspective: 
    Pre covid when we saw Make a Wish kids at Disney both LG and I would be incredibly moved, often to the point of tears. Now we see them so often that it’s become normal. We still feel bad for them, but it's now like “Yup, good luck kid. See ya’ in line for Space Mountain.” Cruel? Not really, we just adapt quickly to our circumstances. It’s almost impossible to not have subconscious mental barriers up. 
     
  3. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to mikbone in Inspirational videos   
  4. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Connie in Hymn Singing   
    Could it be that is when the chorister cuts them off? Or maybe it's because the congregation cuts off early and they feel silly holding it out so much longer when no one is singing anymore.

    I've been playing the organ (badly) for over 20 years, so maybe it's easier for me to have charity towards those pianists who are the vast majority of organists these days and who are actually willing to try (there are many who aren't willing). The organ is very different than the piano. There are a lot more fingering strategies one has to learn because of the lack of a sustain pedal. It makes sense to me when an organist (who is really a pianist) has to play a song slower than it calls for, though unfortunately I do still find it annoying. I try to play the hymns at speed, but there are definitely those that I still struggle with. Plus there are other considerations such as following a chorister, which an organist is supposed to do. A lot of choristers aren't musically trained and are just doing the best they can. They can be difficult to follow.

    Might I suggest walking up to your ward organist and/or chorister some Sunday and thanking them for their willingness to serve. It's a mighty rare occurrence and may just make their day.
  5. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Carborendum in After Death the movie   
    I'm getting the shift outta here.
    I mean, I'm getting rid of my Nissan Versa (a clutch) and buying a car with a continuously variable transmission.
  6. Haha
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to zil2 in After Death the movie   
    Darkness Standard Time.  Further proof it's inspired by Satan.  Initial evidence:
    1. DST starts on a regular Sunday (not fast Sunday).  So instead of losing an hour on fast Sunday (when we don't need the time for breakfast), we lose it on a Sunday when we do normally eat breakfast.  We can defy Satan by holding an extra fast on the day DST starts and praying that DST will be abolished.
    2. DST ends on a fast Sunday, when we don't need that extra hour and thereby have to suffer through a 25 hour fast.  (Alternately, you can see this as a blessing and end your fast after 24 hours despite the clock settings, or you can "super-size" your fast, just to spite Satan.)
    3. Daylight "Saving" Time is a lie of the highest order.  Nothing is saved.  The amount of "daylight" doesn't change.  The clock is shifted.  The proper name for this is "Daylight Shifty Time".  (Though I'm now beginning to like "Darkness Standard Time".)
    4. Both switches literally kill people (more heart attacks than normal on the shifty days).  Apparently the studies have accounted for other variables and it just plain happens, regardless of whether one makes an effort to get enough sleep...
    5. Shifty time is kept in place so that retailers can make more money (it's said that people will shop more if it stays light "later").  ETA: Just in case it hasn't clicked for you, 4 & 5 combine into Satan's deal with Cain - murder for money.
    6. Shifty time benefits those who get up later (usually white collar making more money and having more ability to use their own time flexibly) and hurts those who get up earlier (usually blue collar who make less money and have less flexibility in how they use their own time).
    7. Shifty time was started by people who couldn't mind their own business.
    Satanic all around, I tell ya!
  7. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Vort in After Death the movie   
    DST exists in the eternities only for those in outer darkness.
  8. Haha
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Vort in After Death the movie   
    People who live on the edge like this frighten me.
  9. Haha
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Backroads in After Death the movie   
    I spent Saturday morning in the laundry room. Folding clothes, organizing the shelves, watching Harry Potter theory videos on Youtube while I did all of this. 
    It was wild. 
  10. Haha
    Still_Small_Voice got a reaction from Vort in MacArthur Park   
    Women can be very emotional creatures.  😁
  11. Like
    Still_Small_Voice got a reaction from zil2 in After Death the movie   
    I saw the After Death movie a few hours ago.  In my opinion I would give it a thumbs up.  The director of the movie is hoping to inspire others about the reality of the next life and God.  I am glad I went to see it.
  12. Like
    Still_Small_Voice got a reaction from Carborendum in Return From Mission   
    I have a son returning from a mission December 28th of this year.  If he is like me he will not want to leave the mission field.  I had a very powerful longing for years after returning home to go back out again into full time missionary service.
    His friend is returning home from a mission in Colorado/Wyoming this month.  It will be great to go to his home coming.
  13. Like
    Still_Small_Voice got a reaction from zil2 in Return From Mission   
    I have a son returning from a mission December 28th of this year.  If he is like me he will not want to leave the mission field.  I had a very powerful longing for years after returning home to go back out again into full time missionary service.
    His friend is returning home from a mission in Colorado/Wyoming this month.  It will be great to go to his home coming.
  14. Sad
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to mirkwood in "Protestant Mormons"   
    This is the cancer infecting the Church.
  15. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Vort in "Protestant Mormons"   
    I believe I understand and, to an extent, sympathize with this point of view. But I think it distorts the reality. Insofar as the "LDS Protestants" or "progmos" or whatever label you want to give them are simply Saints wrestling with the flesh and the doubts that arise from the flesh, I suspect the body of Saints would be nearly unanimous in embracing them and encouraging them to continue their fellowship. If we encourage those with doubts to leave, then we all are lost.
    The problem is not with those who doubt or whose revelatory testimonies are sometimes weak. Rather, it is with those who, doubting the veracity of the Church's claims about itself and the inspiration of its leaders, try to lead the Saints down another path, one more to their societal and political liking. There is no sin in saying, "I do not know that the Restored Church of Jesus Christ is the one and true kingdom of God upon the earth", but there is grave sin in saying, "Russell Nelson is no prophet of any God I care to follow", or "The 'Mormon' Church is wrong in not recognizing the sacred beauty of homosexual relationships, and we should stop paying our tithing and stay away from that cult until such a time as they receive a 'revelation' <wink wink> that gay couples can be sealed in the temple the same as anyone else."
    Even if you soften the inflammatory language, the point is that those who encourage apostasy, heresy (a term seldom used among Latter-day Saints), and rebellion against legitimate authority are the majority of the loud "progmo" voices. Theirs is not a mild, honest seeking through personal doubts and struggles; rather, theirs is a revolutionary spirit of pride and intolerance to "the establishment" and "the patriarchy". So if we are limiting our conversation to those people, those who are concerned about imposing their preferences and with absolutely no desire to repent and conform to the revealed word of God, then frankly I completely agree that (in the words of Elder McConkie) such people have found or should find their way out of the Church.
    And here exactly is where the progmos completely miss the boat. Of course prophets, being mortal men, are fallible. That is neither the question nor the point. When the First Presidency chose to reduce the missionary service period for elders from 24 months to 18 months, they were attempting to extend the blessings of missionary service to more young men who otherwise might not have been able to afford a two-year mission. After several years, when it became apparent that the anticipated increase in missionary service numbers did not happen and that the net effect was a drastic reduction of missionaries around the world, the First Presidency changed course and returned the missionary period to 24 months. Yet even if we choose to view this effort as some sort of failure or mistake, it makes zero difference. My duty was not to decide whether the First Presidency was making the right choice in reducing the period of missionary service; my duty was to serve as called.
    Are our prophets calling upon us to sacrifice our children? To engage in sexually destructive behavior? To lie to our fellow man, or embezzle funds from our work? What, exactly, are the prophets preaching that is so dangerous? To avoid fornications? Yes, in our modern perverse society, chastity itself is seen, not merely as risible, but as dangerous. So what are we to do? We are to ignore the voices of mockery and wickedness and choose to hold tight to the iron rod, and to teach our children so to do. We are to meet together with the Saints every week, drawing strength from those who share our covenants. We are to be a light to the world, so that those with eyes to see (and they do exist) may witness God in action through us, hear his voice through his Spirit and our actions, and come unto him and be our sisters and brothers in Christ.
    The "September Six" and their ilk liked to pretend there were great "spiritual abuses" going on in the Church. When asked to show these, they inevitably trotted out examples of aberrant behavior (e.g. leaders engaged in illegal activity) or, mostly, of leaders simply doing what they were called to do, including acting as common judges in Israel. Yes, those leaders sometimes excommunicated people they thought were unrepentant. That's the authority they were given. Excommunicating someone who openly rebels and fights against the Church is not an abuse; it is an obvious action taken by any entity that is concerned with preserving its own survival.
    Neither will. This is not an issue that can be resolved by smart people with smooth speech. Our hope lies only and entirely in Jesus Christ and in the Church and kingdom he has restored. Resolution of these issues will come through prophetic guidance from above through the First Presidency, not merely through individual initiative of random Saints. (Though such individual initiative could potentially prove very profitable, if done in earnest effort and honest humility of heart.)
  16. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to estradling75 in "Protestant Mormons"   
    Martin Luther may not have wanted a schism.. but actions have consequences.
    Public displays are going to provoke public reactions.
    While we do not control how other may react, we need to be aware of our potential as influences.  So we do not get to entirely excuse ourselves by saying we do not control others.  
    When we nail our complaints to the door (Or Post to social media) we do need to take responsibly for some very predictable reactions
  17. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Anddenex in "Protestant Mormons"   
    This post reminds me of a recent Instagram post I scrolled into. The individual was a member of the Church who said, paraphrased, "I'm a member of the Church who stays in the Church and seeks to change it from within to be more inclusive."
    This follows the thought provided, "We will see those who profess membership but secretly are plotting and trying to lead people not to follow the leadership that the Lord has set up to preside in this church."
    I'm, very much, in agreement with the idea and concepts being shared. This is definitely happening in the Church today. I'm pretty sure someone posted here a while -- a while -- back sharing a video from some movie, episode, or podcast where the individual said, "I can do more damage to the Church by staying in the Church..."
    President Nelson's quote regarding having the Spirit with us is the only that we will make it through these last days before Christ comes as strong followers/disciples of Jesus Christ. The purpose of the Spirit is to bear witness of truth, and to help us see things as they really are.
    @MrShorty "Perhaps Goff is wrong and maybe the church will figure out how to keep people together in spite of such a divisive issue."
    As to the following thought here, the Church already figured this out. The answer is Jesus Christ. If a person truly believes in Christ and His Church, the focus will be upon Christ and building up the Kingdom of God/Zion. Those who focus on this will be able to work together in peace and harmony -- despite their difference of thoughts and opinions (because these individuals will wait patiently on the Lord and how he moves His Church).
    This notion extends both ways on the spectrum -- far right and far left. We have been counseled and taught to avoid any and all "religious hobbies." Religious hobbies is one of the easiest ways for the adversary to gain control and place into the heart of individuals to follow forbidden paths.
    When any individual places any idea, any action, any decision above the Lord and His Church then they (the individual(s)) will choose to separate themselves from the Lord and His Church. The doctrine is very very clear on many things (the easiest one is marriage), and yet we have members who seek to blur the clarity, and place their thoughts, their decisions, their life choices above the Lord and His Church. This brings up the notion provided by Jacob in the Book of Mormon, "they despised the words of plainness." And we have that happening in our day -- words of plainness being despised by members of the Church such that they seek to change it and are angry with it.
     
     
  18. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to prisonchaplain in "Protestant Mormons"   
    My understanding is that Martin Luther did not initially want to start a schism. However, church leadership required that he recant his criticisms. It was not enough that he stop complaining--he had to publicly apologize for his criticisms and say he was wrong. That he could not do. 
  19. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to laronius in mission and gym   
    You need to focus on strengthening your testimony. I think a part of you either wants to serve a mission or at least feels like you know you should but your heart isn't in it like it is with working out. The key is not to somehow suppress your desire to work out but rather strengthen your desire for things of a spiritual nature. Make strengthening your spirit part of your daily routine along with gym time. 
    I envy your passion with working out. I'd say I'm the opposite, getting myself to the gym feels like a chore. But I know I need that physical/spiritual balance in my life so I go. I have found though that if I go to the gym consistently my desire to go increases, especially when I see progress in myself. It's the same with things of the Spirit. At first it feels like a chore but with some consistency it soon becomes an important part of our day. Strive to find that balance in your life. There is a strength and power there that gym time alone can never produce.
    Then you can become like those paintings of the Nephites that are totally shredded, spiritually and physically. 😃
  20. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to zil2 in mission and gym   
    D&C 76:71-79
    Irony: Pursuit of the perfect mortal body over obedience to God will yield in eternity at best a terrestrial body - one as much less in glory compared to a celestial body as the moon differs from the sun in brightness.  You may have it in mortality (until age or injury or disease takes it from you), but then in eternity you will end with something far less (in other words, your efforts will have been for naught).  Set your sights on something greater - the glory of God - regardless of the consequences.
  21. Love
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Vort in mission and gym   
    zpeel, I can feel your frustration, and you have my sympathy. But you're mistaken. I don't think I can put this in any way that will make sense to you, but let me try.
    Think of a stunningly beautiful young woman. This young woman is so incredibly beautiful because she won the genetic lottery and just happens to have a willowy body, a gorgeous face with perfectly proportioned features, a soft, buttery, flawless complexion, and cascading hair that perfectly accentuates her other attributes. But in addition to his, she follows a strict beauty regime of diet, exercise, skin care, and sparse but effective use of makeup.
    One day, God says to this young woman (perhaps through a bishop or other ecclesiastical leader, or through her parents, or directly to her), "I want you to go forth and serve me in such-and-such capacity." The young woman responds, "I can't do that. I have to take care of my skin. I spend over an hour a day just on my hair! My workout routine won't take care of itself, and it takes me time to prepare my food so I can follow my diet regimen strictly."
    What is this beautiful young woman saying? In effect, she is saying, "God, you may want me to do such-and-such a thing, but I'm not going to do it. I'm much too involved in keeping myself perfectly beautiful. I realize you want me to serve you and perform service and maybe miracles among your children, but my beauty regimen is far too important to me to make such a sacrifice."
    Is this a moral issue? You bet it's a moral issue. God, who has given this young woman all the gifts she now enjoys, requires something of her, but she won't give it. Why not? Vanity. Foolishness. Ingratitude. This young woman would literally rather people suffer from lack of her ministration than give up her vanity, think of others more than herself, and dedicate herself to her Father's work. As a result, she will never gain the infinite blessings she might have gained. She will have traded those priceless, eternal blessings for a mess of pottage called "being pretty".
    The irony here is that all of her beauty will quickly fade within a few years—if she's very, very lucky, within a few decades—and leave her with nothing of substance. She'll be just another old lady, someone who used to be stunningly beautiful when she was young, perhaps still "well-preserved" but no longer admired universally for her matchless beauty. Because her beauty was transitory, the beauty of youth, the kind of beauty that inevitably fades away.
    You have been given blessings from your Father. You have also been given commandments and expectations regarding your duty to God. You are given the opportunity to live the law of sacrifice, wherein you put your own desires aside and do what God wants you to do. You have been (or will be) given the Priesthood of Jesus Christ, authorizing you to literally act in Christ's name. And you want to give up these tremendous eternal blessings—why? So you can lift weights and be shredded?
    My advice to you is: Put aside those vain ambitions. If you really care that much about bodybuilding, take a year or two after you return from your mission to get back your coveted physique. In the meantime, go serve your God by doing whatever it is he requires of you, including giving up bodybuilding for a time. Don't lift; don't even think about it. Put your mind to your service.
    Do your duty; that is best. Leave unto the Lord the rest.
  22. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Carborendum in Return From Mission   
    I now have three returned missionaries under my roof, and one out in the field.  It is interesting to see the "mellowing" of each of them by way of their mission experience.
    My daughter has a greater propensity for being social and going to friends houses for a visit.  She's also much more ready to stand up for herself.   I'm not saying she's ready to run for President yet.  But she is definitely more confident and outgoing.
    My two sons were probably polar opposites from a personality perspective. 
    My eldest son was "the grump" of the family.  It was difficult to get him to smile about anything.  But he has been easily falling into smiles and has let himself get excited in anticipation for some things yet to come.  He's also just a lot more polite and understanding of people's weaknesses.  He's a certified genius (smarter than the rest of the family put together - myself included).  So, it was very easy for him to get frustrated at others' lack of understanding of things that seemed very basic to him.
    My second son was the happy son.  It seemed that is default mode was to have a genuine smile on his face.  And if anything was even remotely funny, he would burst out laughing.  I think I could count on the fingers of one hand the number of times that he was in a sad mood.  Today, he has a "moderate" mood as a default.  But he still laughs at nearly any joke.
    It just so happens that they are all now at the phase where they need to get out on their own.  So, I've brought each of them in for a talk about charging rent starting some time next year.  That gives them some time to get things organized and so forth.  And if they don't do so by the deadline, the rent won't be all that much. But it will increase periodically to motivate them to get out on their own.
    Each of them have varying levels of preparation as well as different plans on how they are going to make their mark on the world.  It is exciting to see their gears working.
  23. Haha
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to zil2 in After Death the movie   
    Procrastinate long enough and you won't need to see the movie.
  24. Like
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to JohnsonJones in Israel declares war   
    Not all the supporters of Hamas are driven by that.  Many of the main monetary funders are actually living in luxury in other nations.
    In Gaza it seems you are either for or against them.  If you are against them, expect that they and their supporters will take everything from you.
    The Hospitals, for example, have enough to support themselves, or they DID.  Hamas stole fuel and supplies from them.  Even with the neutral medical parties (such as the UN medical staff) saying they were neutral and trying to say what Hamas told them to say, Hamas still stole all their stuff.
    This is why Israel had the siege...because anything they sent to help people in Gaza would simply be taken (or given in many cases) from them to help Hamas.   Another hope was that those in Gaza would hear the appeals to take on Hamas and either convince them, or take the hostages and send them back to Israel.  The People of Gaza did not do this.
    Gaza itself is on a beautiful area where if the people had actually CHOSEN to pursue making money and getting a better life, they had the prime area to do so.  Instead...well...we see where we are now. 
    A LOT of what has happened in Gaza is by CHOICE of those who live there.  Hamas is only in power today because people choose to allow them to be in power.  The reason things are as they is because those in Gaza have managed to make everyone else in the region (including Israeli Palestinians and Arabs) from the surrounding nations (such as Jordan and Egypt) have no desire to deal with the ramifications of what the Palestinians do in their nations (aka...try to disrupt or overthrow their governments as well).
    Even when they are given food, nice things, and helped in other nations, these attitudes to disrupt the other nations and local governments seem to erupt. 
    This is also part of their problems and why Gaza is like it is.  No one wants to help out anymore there (or the help has been greatly reduced) due to them biting the hands that try to help...repeatedly.
    However, it's gotten much worse as we saw with the recent incursion to Israel.  They have sworn to commit another holocaust and kill all the Jews  (and why people support such an idea is beyond me...Hamas preys on the idea that they are poor and downtrodden by Israel, but they are also perhaps some of the most ardent pushers of a Holocaust since the Nazi's...perhaps even more so), but HOW they would try to do such things were not so horrific in appearance (they appear to approve door to door and torture now) as they have become. 
    It's not just the attack that is bad.  It's not just their doctrine which is bad.  (And both of those would be horrific in and of themselves).  It is also HOW they perpetrated that attack upon innocent civilians (and not just Jews in this case, and not just Israelis) and bragged about it.  It's HOW they seem to relish in it, and are proud of what they did and seemingly are supported by those around them as well.  They seem to have no regrets about what they did and if given the chance, have seemingly pointed that not only would they do it again, they'd do worse if they could.
    This is why Israel is doing what they are doing. 
    Is it self-defense?...I'd say so...but others may have different opinion.
  25. Sad
    Still_Small_Voice reacted to Traveler in Israel declares war   
    War is horrible.  Always has been horrible and always will be horrible.  I have contemplated that all war is an extension of the war of heaven started during our pre-existence.   However, I have not been able to reconcile my own experiences with war.  It is difficult for me to reconcile the deliberate killing of anyone – especially someone that has the opportunity to still repent – and we all have the opportunity to repent – even those not currently interested.
    The greatest problem with war is the killing of those that are innocent but lets us not forget about the lives of those that fight in wars.  The engine of war is mostly in the leaders that direct the war efforts and the reasons for directing such efforts.  Two elements, anger and revenge are the most common outcomes of conflict that brings violence to the table that is the cause of all the sorrows of war.  I believe that anger and revenge are the elements that, while they exist will perpetrate and continue war until all that harbor such emotion are dead.
    I have some experience with anger and revenge and have learned that such emotions can never be quenched.  The more one wins or looses the more pronounced such emotions will grow.  Of all the possible emotions a person can feed these are the most illogical and self-destructive.   Hate and anger will destroy those that allow such emotions long before (if ever) it will harm anyone that has overcome hate and anger.  The most just anger and revenge seems the more self-destructive it will be.
    Of all the posters on this forum – I would consider @mirkwood  the most expert in dealing with violence fomented by anger and revenge.  I do not know but I would guess that he would say that an argument has gone too far when one person physically assaults (by touching) another.  In a society of free speech – what a person says is (for the most part) legal.  The first to shove or otherwise physically assault is the first guilty.  After the first act of violence, it becomes hard (perhaps impossible) to distinguish self-protection from attacking the other.   Some of this can be learned from raising you own children – but you must have more than one child to discover this problem.
    I think both sides ought to make their concerns known here in the USA – because we believe in freedom of speech.  I am aware of an Islamic child killed by his landlord – I believe that to be sick and wrong and do not think that is an exercise of freedom of speech.  Likewise, I do not think posters of those harmed by violence is a violation of freedom of speech, but I do believe taking down such posters are.
    It does appear to me that supporters of Hamas are more driven with heighten anger and revenge than supporters of Israel – outside of the conflict itself, considering what is happening at demonstrations and especially among those that are fearful to demonstrate.  I remember after 9/11 that many of my Muslem friends were afraid to even leave their homes.  Currently, it seems that my Jewish friends are the more afraid.
    I would ask – which of the demonstrators nearest to you – if you are not Jewish or Islamic – would you fear to criticize for their anger and revenge?
     
    The Traveler