LdsNana

YOU ALL ROCK.... KEEP THESE COMING! B)

What I am requesting, and I promise - promise that if you will give it up, I will compile a bit of a report and have it ready a week from tonight? You might even guess WHY I am asking for this information, but nonetheless I think you will all have fun learning a bit about each other. Please keep your post brief, just as it is going to be requested, with the least amount of jibberish for me to wade through. You all know I love you! But it is my hope that this will help all of us here. Okay, ready, here we go... (and please, do be sincere, try... please, one joke... one... one only, my rules) PLEASE GIVE US ALL THE (3) THREE MOST IMPORTANT REASONS WHY YOU JOINED LDSFORUMS.COM? PLEASE NUMBER THEM LIKE THIS: 1. 2. 3. THIS IS NOT AN ESSAY, BUT WE/I WOULD REALLY LIKE TO KNOW. (I PROMISE I WILL TELL YOU WHY LATER) IT'S NOTHING CRAZY! I realize that normally when one begins a game it is probably best to be the first to go, but that might give some things away. So... not gonna do it. I hope you have fun doing this and I hope that everyone participates and enjoys the interaction in finding out why others are here. Try to keep each answer to no more than two or three sentences. No gVr "epistles" please! You guys didn't think I heard that, did you? I did. Hey, this is the first time I have EVER posted my very own thread. It is a big big Day!

Right on! You must forgive my doctrinal sermons... as I am a stickler for the word.

Very cool! I am glad you brought up the fact that you have a personal blog. I know that is something else that the moregoodfoundation.com site has been encouraging members to do. I believe the idea is to flood the internet with MORE GOOD..... literally. So maybe this is something more of us could do? I know that they are willing to help anyone who wants to get themselves going. All WE need to do is pop on over there to Richard's blog and they will help you. I keep saying I am gonna do it. See? Like I have been saying... IF I knew you all were bugging me, I mean helping me be a better missionary, I just KNOW I would be so much better. Thanks for that great post. How fun that you gals got to meet each other.

ztodd, I agree with your statement when you say, "The important thing about learning doctrine is - how will you let it affect how you live your life?" But it is not the Savior that qualifies us... Because of Jesus Christ and His infinite Atonement, each and everyone of God's children have a SURE place in the Celestial Kingdom of God, even EXALTATION, which is the GREATEST GIFT. This is FIXED and IMMOVABLE with an OATH and a COVENANT, which cannot be broken or God would cease to be GOD. For me zTodd, this is the most wonderful NEWS of The Gospel of Jesus Christ! Our COVENANTS and our keeping them are what QUALIFY us. His work is FINISHED, as He stated infinitely on the Cross at Calvary! He came, He lived and showed us the way and commanded us to Come Follow Me... Joseph Smith explained that IF a man is to gain Salvation, they would need to do it in the same way that Jesus Christ did it, and that was by receiving all of the ordinances of the Temple. This is the doctrine of salvation. Jesus Christ submitted His will unto the Father in giving His Life up and Doing All that was required of Him in offering Himself an acceptable Sacrifice before God. It is our choice to give up our will to Follow Jesus Christ as we make and keep sacred Covenants, as did He and lay claim to that which is our birthright! But it is now, through the use of our AGENCY that we will prove our desires and loyalty to our Royal Family

Okay Garden Girl, I am going to get you on something. I believe it was Elder Ballard, who in our last General Conference suggested that we prepare short answers, etc... so that when we come in contact with people, we will know how to speak about the church. Something like this as I recall. What I just picked up on in your great post was that at the very end, of that which I have made bold you commented that..." If we are in tune with the Spirit...." Now I am thinking that perhaps you did not want to brag, but I also noticed at the very opening of your post, you have a very calculated way of starting up a conversation that will give you the high probability of speaking about the fact that you are a Mormon. Would this be a correct assessment of your post? Now, not to be critical in any way mind you, but you are a great example of Asking for a specific blessing, but also being prepared to go and get or receive it. But you knew that, didn't you? Because I like how you said, it is how we live our lives.... I bring up Elder Ballard, because he has suggested something like preparing short, but precise statements on principles or doctrines of the gospel that are easy for us to remember. In this way we are ready to teach quickly and clearly that which we believe. I think this is a wonderful idea, as so many times members are asked relatively simple questions. But many members basically bumble through the simplest of explanations, unfortunately out of possible feelings of being taken off-guard; or even an uncomfortableness with our own understanding off the top of our head. This could very well be much of the reluctance to member missionary work. An understanding of the first four principles and ordinances are critical in missionary work and I think this is a good place to be sure we have a good foundation.

Amen! And this is precisely why we need to be communicating our experiences with each other on a consistent basis, and without judgement of one another. An experience that you may feel might have been unreceived is really not even ours to decide. Is it? Ours is only the responsibility to DO IT! And you did it! You are way ahead of me and that is why, at least for me, I need you guys to keep me on task! LOL I think you ROCK! So, this is selfish, selfish, selfish of me. I need you guys and so does the Lord need all of us! I really believe in the power of unity. I think that is one of the great forces that we have to gather on the internet. We have a constant ability to connect with those who are gathered for the same reasons. For us here, we all love the Savior and are willing to work for His cause. So why be just one for the cause, when we could be so many pulling for each other in our efforts? We just need to be aware of what we are up to... We just need to wonder.... what could be the difference in this future, IF all of us here on the forum were aware that YOU were going to another appointment next 'Tuesday', and you were going to give your PT a Book of Mormon with your testimony enclosed... even though you are thinking this is most likely a dead end already... How could we join forces to potentially create a positive experience for everyone involved? I am going to leave this an open question and hope for a little input, bc this is a pretty common missionary experience...

What an awesome example that is MorningStar! You make that sound so simple. Again, I think I could actually get brave and try it. Lets see, I might need to watch some T.V. so I will have some fun to talk about... hmmmm? Which one shall I pick? Any suggestions? Okay, MorningStar, please let me know how you feel about staying connected with the forum and helping to cheer each other on with your "no fear" experiences, etc... I am thinking this could really help all of us just reach out a bit more in our personal willingness to do these kinds of things if we have a kind of return and report thread... So, what do you think about that?

Reposting my "epistle" and hoping you will let me know how you feel about maybe some of these ideas I have mentioned, i.e. touching base with each other on a more frequent basis, etc... (would love other ideas as well, as this is only and idea) Thanks :)

That's great. So just making new friends online and telling about yourself and allowing the gospel to become part of your conversation. Is that what you are saying? What types of online places do you find where you can just develop friendships on an ongoing basis like that? Also, how do you feel about some of my other suggestions, like maybe having a permanent thread or something like that, where we all just checked in with each other and talked about what we were doing, could do, commited to each other, etc... Just to stay motivated by each other? What are your thoughts. I really love how simple your post makes this sound. I even think I could get brave and do something like that.

That is wonderful. Thank you for sharing. Honestly, I do know what you mean when you just know the spirit is giving special messages to particular people very close to you in a specific situation that is very personal. You know beyond anything physical that this is no coincidence. So don't let that feeling slip away and just know that those girls of yours heard it. Do not doubt that for a minute. At times we feel our children are there and really not there. I have later found in speaking with my older children, that at the times I was sure that they had left the room, mentally, they were there and things got through. It was often much later that things actually took effect. I don't know "where" your daughters are right now, but the prayers of a righteous father can do much. Remember, Heavenly Father has mercy on parents who plead for their children, as He too is pulling for them as well.... a joint effort with Him. And for us as parents, who often feel alone, it is good to know He hears our prayers and is always watchful of our children and mindful of us and our concerns, but isn't it comforting that he allows us the view, even for just a moment that He is there....

okay, I am determined to keep this thing on top:-0 Has anyone checked out ldsblogs.com Very cool. So read my post about three up...

For both Rick and 4321, Is it both of your understanding that it is only necessary to receive baptism and the laying on of hands for the gift of the holy ghost for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom (not the highest degree) and not the path that leads to... or the gate, not necessarily entrance through the gate, as in a necessary qualification for entrance, among other things... Is this a correct statement from your perspectives? All I need to qualify for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom are to have two ordinances, first that of baptism, and second the laying on of hands to receive the holy ghost.

Hey fish4kitty, Just wondering, I read this post that you wrote a while back.... give us the followup? Quote: Had an opportunity to share the gospel yesterday and took it. While at physical therapy the young guy that was hurting me made a reference to mormons that was not all that nice. I corrected him and told him I was a member and that I didn't appreciate his humor. He apologized and for the next half hour we visited and shared our thoughts on many things. I in turn invited him to church. Going to see him again today at 330. Many of the therapists were there and were listening. Maybe I'll invite them all. Have anyone else taken the opportunities that God has given them to spread the gospel? Tell me about it. I want to know what you have done and to inspire others to do the same. f4k

Check out this guys blog! Flooding the Earth With the Book of Mormon! This is Hilarious... Oh that I were an Angel! This guy really does have a voice as a Trump, as he has NO FEAR. What an example. Look how he has committed himself to the world by accounting for his commitment to go AND do? He distributes Books of Mormon and other non-english lds materials all over and reports online to how it went. It is great. He also post how others can do the same thing. Maybe in pairs ? It's a thought.... a thought! Now that is integrity.

Oh my goodness.... they BE CRA^AAZY over there! Definitely NOT fo the faint. Yu gotta hav yur selvs a brotha 2 wach yo bak. an make shur u take drewsy wit ya if u desides to gos ther n chek it out. tha eet u aliv... i tel u tha truth. P.S. go check out the post by avatar4321, even if you already have. It is about online missionary work. Just attempting to fire things up again and put our minds together. Would like everyones imput:-)

Okay guys.... I posted this late last night and I think it just got thrown back on the bottom, and I can't let that happen. So here it is again.... I hope you are interested in doing something together to move us all along? Perhaps? Don't let this thread loose air this time, come on guys!

I was cruising around the forum tonight and came upon this thread. It took a while to find, as it was basically pretty far down, which means that this particular discussion has died out. Of course it caused my immediate attention to be drawn to the very reason I joined the ldsforums.com family in the first place. Which was to become an online missionary. The first question I had to ask myself was, "how am I doing"? Well, not too bad I suppose... after all, I really enjoy having conversations with everyone here on the forum. I feel that I am making some good friends and that we really are creating connections that I liken to a kind of online cyber-ward. I really think we have something very special going on here at these forums and I take every chance to invite others to participate as I do feel a great spirit about what is happening at the root level. I feel privileged to be a part of the beginnings of what I believe is only the beginning of most likely one of the greatest tools in missionary work ever. I am not here with the BIG answer, but my thoughts are that from what I have seen and felt happening between all of us so far is wonderful. I know that accountability does work. I feel that many of us do feel connected to each other already and that more than likely we are on the same page in our desires for being here. I know we all have much to do in our busy lives and would like to make this productive for the Lord. My simple thoughts and I know you can add to or make way better are along these lines... Perhaps we can find a way to kind of maintain a "committed" dialogue that will remain open, say something like a weekly check-in with each other. It could be something like Sunday evening to Monday evening of every week where we would have a particular thread that we all just touch base with each other and share our experiences of how we feel like our personal efforts in the area of missionary work are going. It could be for information, resources, ideas, encouragement, testimonies, etc... But most important it would remind all of us why we are here doing what we are doing or trying to do. Or something where a particular individual could post a weekly "cyber-ward" training and we could all check it out, then... go and do, then talk about it during the week. In this way we would be encouraging each other doing the same thing. Richard Miller has written some great ideas on his blog and we could discuss many of his ideas. Maybe some of you have already implemented them? I just know that this online missionary work should start to roll, and perhaps our interaction with one another will increase our faith in our own neighborhood? And maybe it will be online? But somehow, I think we all know that there is a power here and we all need to tap into it and actually have the faith to see it in our own lives, as well as those who we have the privilege to encounter. Thanks 4321 for this post. I really hope that others feel the same way and are interested in keeping yourselves committed to the work through staying connected to the reason we are here through one another. Also a link has been given in this post to someone who has taken the time to go the extra mile, as has been suggest. This individual has put up their own blog about being mormon. Wow! They have asked us to help out! Check out the link at the top of the page. All About Mormons. Very nice site. People have posted questions and it looks like he/she could use some help answering them. I think many here could click on over there and help out quite a bit:-) Well, I have rambled enough! I shall wait patiently and hope that others have some similar feelings and we shall see where we could possibly pull together to cause a little MORE GOOD to happen 'here'? P.S. I am a lousy missionary and am committed to change my pathetic ways... so please help me in becoming something more useful.

Hi, Please give me your references that you base your understanding upon so that I might refer directly to those in my response please. I stand firmly upon my previous statements from very careful study of this doctrine. I do not take this subject lightly nor do I make these statements carelessly. I am happy to stand corrected if need be. Thus, please give me credible statements if you feel I am incorrect and I shall respond to them as necessary. You mentioned Section 76: Here are the blessings for the celestial kingdom. This is exactly as they are written in the scriptures... The people who will inherit the celestial kingdom are those that, after being baptized and receiving the Holy Ghost, overcome by faith, and are sealed by the Holy Spirit of promise, which the Father sheds forth upon all those who are just and true. (Now, I am going to bold some important doctrines regarding what it means to fully RECEIVE the Holy Ghost and qualify oneself to inherit the Celestial Kingdom and I am not even going to focus on Exaltation which is the Highest Degree right now, which is actually what sec 76 is about.) They are they who are the church of the Firstborn. They are they into whose hands the Father has given all things— They are they who are priests and kings, who have received of his fulness, and of his glory; And are priests of the Most High, after the order of Melchizedek, which was after the order of Enoch, which was after the order of the Only Begotten Son. Wherefore, as it is written, they are gods, even the sons of God. [D&C 76:53–58] Section 76 continues: Wherefore, all things are theirs, whether life or death, or things present, or things to come, all are theirs and they are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s. And they shall overcome all things. Wherefore, let no man glory in man, but rather let him glory in God, who shall subdue all enemies under his feet. These shall dwell in the presence of God and his Christ forever and ever. (This is the HIGHEST degree) These are they whom he shall bring with him, when he shall come in the clouds of heaven to reign on the earth over his people. These are they who shall have part in the first resurrection. These are they who shall come forth in the resurrection of the just. These are they who are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly place, the holiest of all. . . . These are they whose names are written in heaven, where God and Christ are the judge of all. These are they who are just men made perfect through Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, who wrought out this perfect atonement through the shedding of his own blood. These are they whose bodies are celestial, whose glory is that of the sun, even the glory of God, the highest of all [D&C 76: 59–66, 68–70] In this revelation it is clear that to be a recipient of the blessings of the Celestial Kingdom, one must receive ALL of the Higher ordinances of the Gospel of Jesus Christ wherein the qualifications for the Sealing by the Holy Spirit of Promise has been met. Whether you believe these blessings are for those of the first or third degrees, you will note that one must have received the Melchizidek Priesthood of God. This is also prerequisite for entrance into the House of the Lord, or The Temple. I again, stand firm in my faith that the definition of one who RECEIVES the Gift of the Holy Ghost WIll receive the FULNESS as described in Section 76 and as stated in one of my favorite scriptures in Section 84: 47 And every one that hearkeneth to the voice of the Spirit cometh unto God, even the Father. There is no doubt in the word of God, as here spoken, that the mission of the third member of the Godhead is to bring all those who receive His Light, back along the SURE path, that leads directly into the Presence of God the Father and not any place else.

Hey Everyone, I was just wondering, and please do not take this as disrespectful, but have any of you searched the scriptures for the answers that you seek and prayerfully pondered upon them for those answers? I believe that most of the questions posed in this thread are found in the scriptures to those who will but search them to know for themselves. Else why have they been given to us? Section 76 Three Degrees of Glory and sons of perdition (also see cross references for both) Section 19 Paying for your own sins and what is hell and God's punishment? Section 132 more on power of Atonement and Exaltation and paying for own sins... Note: Baptism and receiving the Holy Ghost - STOP - are not the ONLY only requirements that are necessary for one to meet for entrance into the Celestial Kingdom. IF you are under the impression that to ONLY receive these two ordinances is all that is required. To truly RECEIVE means much more than just this.. See Section 84:47 See the job of the Holy Ghost and you will realize that IF you RECEIVE the Gift the evidence will clearly be seen in the Path ahead, and it is not only two ordinances. Do not fall for this deception that is widely being taught, currently in many respectable circles, as this is quite disturbing. This only gives a person possible entrance into the kingdom of God, but Not the Kingdom of Heaven. These are two different things that are being spoken of...

It is the fasting and prayer that will bring you the peace that you desire, which will give you the comfort to move forward in doing that which is right. It is called FAITH, which is not a perfect knowledge of everything in the beginning. Else why the need to have faith if everything was known? Then everybody would be jumping into the baptismal font, right? But that is not the way it works. FAITH is a trial or a test of the pure in "heart". Our hearts cannot be seen, except by God... only He truly knows you and what you feel and believe about Him and His Gospel. And so when He sends His messengers to the pure in heart and they hear His voice and He calls them... they hear and obey in FAITH, nothing doubting... and choose to follow Him, His example that He first set, by being baptized... it is an outward act of an inward commitment to follow Him on a path to learn of Him and from Him through those He has chosen to serve Him here upon the earth today. There are so many people who will be there by your side every step of the way to teach you and explain to you everything you need to understand. But the greatest thing that will happen in all of this, is that you will RECEIVE the Gift of the Holy Ghost for yourself. This is the greatest gift that God can give you here in this life. It is worth more than any material possession that can be had on earth. It will lead you to all knowledge and understanding pertaining to God that you desire to know for yourself. He will teach you literally everything that you desire to know as you righteously search, study and pray with a sincere heart. Can you imagine having this gift in your life? This is the great reward that comes to all those who enter into the waters of baptism and receive the laying on of hands for the Gift of the Holy Ghost, by those who Hold the Melchizidek Priesthood of God. These keys of priesthood authority are the same keys that were held by the Savior when he was upon the earth and given to Peter. When the church was restored again in these latter-days, Peter, James and John then appeared to Joseph Smith and conferred this same Priesthood authority and keys upon him to act in the name of Jesus Christ. Shortly after you are baptized, you too will receive priesthood authority to bless the lives of others as well. So again, I can only pray that you will begin to exercise more faith in asking Heavenly Father to increase your faith, so that you might receive a more sure witness that joining the church is the right things for you to do. I testify to you, that I believe with all of my heart, that you would be making the best possible choice that you will ever make in all eternity at this time, right now. I simply have no doubt of this in my heart or mind whatsoever. I know that the church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day-Saints is the only true church upon the face of the earth. I do not say this lightly as many are suggesting today. The word know is to have a sure knowledge of a thing. The thing I know is that God lives and Jesus Christ is His only begotten Son in the flesh. I know without a shadow of a doubt that he walked this earth and lived a life that was perfectly obedient to the will of His Father and in doing so, He set a perfect example for us when he said,"Come follow ME". My testimony is sure that in Gethsemane, for me he suffered greatly, even more than I can even bear to admit or want to ever know and most likely will ever understand or comprehend. But I know that He did, for I too have suffered when I have failed to remember Him and found myself desperately seeking relief, as I have begged in desperation for Him to Save me... and He sends His kind Spirit and gently lifts me into His loving arms and whispers..."I already have, it is done". I know He has taken upon Him, one by one, all of our sins and forgiven them, for each and every one of us, as He suffered in Gethsemane and hung on the cross at Calvary, until every last drop of His perfect sacrifice was spilt... and He hung there until His offering was made an acceptable Sacrifice, Before Whom It Was Given, then Willingly Gave Up His Life... That We Would Have Life! The Greatest WORD Ever Uttered Throughout Eternity to All Eternity... "It IS Finished". I know that on the third day that Jesus Christ rose from the Tomb as He said he would, and that He lives today, this DAY! And that we all die and will live in our resurrected bodies united with our spirits inseparably forever, because of Jesus Christ. But, this Plan and it's Purpose IS to bring us back to the Father. In this most profound and incomprehensible act of perfected love, Jesus Christ broke the bands of death and hell, which restored our ability to progress in returning back into the Presence of our Father in Heaven to inherit that which was His greatest desire for His children. As any perfect father would, He desires that His children have the same kind of Life that He has been blessed to Know. He is a Perfectly Resurrected and Exalted Being and desires that state of Fullness and Joy for all of His posterity. Therefore, Those of His children who desire this also must accept the same path that He did to attain it... The Plan of Salvation. And this now is a choice for each individual, as it is placed before them and they DO hear His voice. To Him, to NOT return to Him is simply unacceptable, because He devised a Plan that would RETURN YOU HOME... Why would you turn Him away when He is pleading with you to come home? This is my testimony of What I Know in my heart to be the truth. I send this out to you personally and I do so in His Name, even Jesus Christ, my Savior and Redeemer. Amen

Fast and pray about all of this, but it sounds to me as though you know what you need to do. We will be rooting for you completely. No matter what this lovely girl does though, I think that you need to move forward with what YOU know is right. Besides, I think she will come along IF you are a strong leader. But she may give you a bit of opposition right now, so you may need to be quite firm in letting her know that you are truly serious about her and the Gospel and making a RIGHT life for you both. She might be resistant right now because she may have let that dream die, perhaps? You just might need to work very hard to help her lift herself back up and believe again... I know you can do this for the both of you! How exciting. The gospel truly changes lives and it will yours, in the most wonderful ways...

Okay, but don't forget that you still owe me... LOL (shhhh) And I will collect!

$1000.00 is a mere pittance to the Lord, when he is offering you Eternal Life! When you counsel with those that are trying to assist you both, what do they tell you to do? Big deal if she loses that income. The Church is not asking you to give up anything that is rightfully yours in the first place. Sounds to me as though you know the church is true and you are looking for excuses NOT to start living it? You mention, I believe... that you live in Portland, right? Possibly you could find a better job than Walmart, or perhaps a second job? Anything to make your life square with the Lord would be better than running from Him. I believe IF you will do the right thing and exercise FAITH in Jesus Christ, he will bless the both of you beyond your expectations. Don't you believe that he will do this for you? All you need to do is trust in Him and DO that which He has asked you to DO. Simple fact... you are putting up your own barriers my friend? Now tear those walls down NOW! Those are mere excuses only... nothing that God cannot work with, if ye have FAITH.

I can certainly understand your concerns, as anything that is new or unusual to us may seem quite strange at first glance. And the garment for those who have never contemplated such a commitment as this, would therefore need to be converted to the truth of this being seen and accepted, as a blessing in the lives of the lds members. But I want you to know that it is. I wish I were able to give you more information on this topic. I have posted a quote given by Russell M. Nelson, a member of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles; "Wearing the temple garment has deep symbolic significance. It represents a continuing commitment. Just as the Savior exemplified the need to endure to the end, we wear the garment faithfully as part of the enduring armor of God. Thus we demonstrate our faith in Him and in His eternal covenants with us." I love the way he says this. So, like armor, it is a spiritual protection against negative influences in my life as I remember who I am and continually helping to keep me on the path that will lead me in the right way. The faithful wearing of the garment reflects my own personal commitment to the covenants that I have made with God, and reminds me again to keep those covenants continually before me. I remember when I first received my garments, it was August, yuck! But almost 30 years later and they are now a second skin that 'almost' I am used to. LOL But if I ever have need to go without them briefly, my spirit truly feels that something is missing and I am ready to place them back where they belong. They truly have become a symbol of my heart and the covenants I have made with God. Now, I am the only one who knows I am wearing them most anywhere I go and that is between me and my God, the only ONE who truly knows my heart. I never even stop for a second and think these are strange. Strange, huh? LOL