Monday, January 25, 2016: Faith is frequently strengthened – through communion with sources beyond the physical!!
Tuesday, January 26, 2016: Doubt is often the stimulation – which leads to understanding – however – unbridled doubt – often leads to misunderstanding!!
Wednesday, January 27, 2016: The beginning and the end of all Christian understanding – is that Jesus the Christ – is the Redeemer and Savior of ALL!!
Thursday, January 28, 2016: Faith based on temporal things – will always have limitations – only when our faith becomes founded on Eternal things – will we be firmly on the path leading to Everlasting faith!!
Friday, January 29, 2016: We may never experience true and complete love – unless we allow the love of Heavenly Father and His Son Jesus the Christ – to fill our souls!!
Monday, February 01, 2016: The highest potential of all mortals – could never be reached – without the saving sacrifice of Jesus the Christ!!
Tuesday, February 02, 2016: Movement toward pure obedience – comes because one is motivated by love – while when fear is used to motivate – it will eventually lead to rebellion!!
Wednesday, February 03, 2016: Seldom do we dwell in a land of absolutes – mostly we find ourselves walking haltingly – on shaky ground!!
Thursday, February 04, 2016: If all things were white or black – there would be little to the test of our use of agency – it is in the greys of life – where most of our testing takes place!!
Friday, February 05, 2016: As mortals we cannot climb a high enough mountain – or build a powerful enough telescope – to help us gain the perspective – to see as God sees!!
Monday, February 08, 2016: When we have the privilege of stepping on higher ground – we must patiently allow those climbing on the path below – to see as far as their vistas allow – knowing that if they continue to trek their views will also expand!!
Tuesday, February 09, 2016: He who parted the seas of Israel – can surely get us through the next storm we face!!
Wednesday, February 10, 2016: There are times when the miracles in the life of one’s neighbor – are more clearly seen – than those which are taking place under our own roof!!
Thursday, February 11, 2016: We should all strive to change – the duties of our lives – into the joys of our lives!!
Friday, February 12, 2016: It is amazing how – the more a person recognizes their dependence on Heavenly Father – the freer they become!!
Monday, February 15, 2016: Most of us would probably be amazed – if we were able to se ourselves – as God sees us!!
Tuesday, February 16, 2016: Our lives would probably be – much more fulfilling – if we looked upon commandments as gifts – rather than restrictions!!
Wednesday, February 17, 2016: Consequences come – because of our obedience – as well as our disobedience!!
Thursday, February 18, 2016: It is amazing how much luckier you get – the harder you work!!
Friday, February 19, 2016: There is no argument – if you refuse to open your mouth!!
Monday, February 22, 2016: It is not only a matter of faith – but also a matter of wisdom – to put to use some Eternal Light – while in mortality – so that we will not be blinded by the brightness – which exists in the Immortal World!!
Tuesday, February 23, 2016: Life is full of choices – and in the end – our choices make our lives!!
Wednesday, February 24, 2016: Stress can never be relieved – by stuff!!
Thursday, February 25, 2016: Happiness generated by stuff – will always be short lived!!
Friday, February 26, 2016: It is impossible – to make a correct judgement – about things we have little or no knowledge!!
Sunday, July 31, 2016
Sunday, July 24, 2016
FINDING FULFILLMENT THROUGH DOING THE WILL OF THE LORD
In the August 1989 New Era Elder Ezra Taft Benson was quoted as saying, ‘Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.’
Kathleen and I have many times born testimony to one another concerning how most of the wonderful and growing experiences we have had in this life came about because of callings and blessings from our Heavenly Father and not because of our own initiative or ingenuity. As we reminisce over our earthly estate it becomes very apparent that a great deal of meaning and excitement would be removed and we would be left with a very empty shell if we were to remove the lot that God has made of our lives.
I am pretty certain that with just a little effort many of you who are reading this Thought would come to that same conclusion and be able to proclaim a similar testimony of the certainty of the blessings which came because you were obedient to the will of Deity in your lives.
On this particularly important date of July 24th, for those who are of the flock of latter-day-saints (really, those who are of the flock of those attempting to become latter-day-saints) I am reminded of the historically significant changes which resulted because Brigham Young chose to do the will of the Lord rather than his own.
I am certain when the unedited script of Brigham’s life is made available we will find the words he uttered as he first viewed the Salt Lake Valley were inspired from a higher source and were not of his own origin.
We must never forget that this modern day Moses might never have been immortalized by the latter-day-attempting to be saints if he had not been willing to go and do as the Lord had directed.
There would be no This is the Place Monument, the pioneers may have all perished at the hands of the Missouri mobs, the Mormon Battalion may never have planted the United States Flag on the plains of what would become San Diego, there probably would not be a state of Utah (a small portion of the State of Deseret Brigham envisioned). All of this and possibly much more which could be added might never have been, had Brigham not turned his life over to the will of God.
I have noticed that young people who often cried that they are bored turn out to be adults who scream out to anyone who will listen that they feel unfulfilled. It may well be that the formula for eliminating boredom from our lives and having a sense of fulfillment is truly founded in turning our lives over to the Omniscience of our Heavenly Father. If the formula really is to be found there, then as we have been admonished to add the gaining of wisdom to all our learning, why don't more of us turn our lives over to God?
You don't have to be a very thorough searcher of the scriptures to find the warning that mortals have the propensity to put their trust in the arm of flesh rather than in the Lord.
This propensity, of believing humans are the ultimate species and ruler over their own destiny, seems to be wrought upon us because we generally think that all knowledge is a result of human effort or we don't really have a desire to do what God would have us do.
If neither of these reasons is responsible for our failing to follow God’s divine direction then perhaps the reason for our halting, hesitating and lack of humility lies in our inability to understand how we go about turning our lives over to the Lord.
On January 14, 1847 the saints who had been expelled from Nauvoo were trying to sustain life on the shores of the Missouri River in what was called the Camp of Israel or Winter Quarters; when Brigham Young received direction from the Lord on how to proceed in their journeys to the west.
On that occasion the Lord made it clear to Brigham that success would come in proceeding according to the mind and will of the Lord and not man’s will. The Lord amplified the point in the following words, ‘If any man seek to build up himself and seeketh not my counsel, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.’
From that same revelation, now found in the 136th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, we can arrange a possible outline of the formula for turning our lives over to the Lord and thus maximizing the fulfillment of our lives during our short mortal span.
First:
We must learn how to hear the directions our Father would give us. We must learn how to separate the still small voice of the Holy Spirit from the static created by the learned. Without having this vision we individually and collectively will perish.
Second:
We must organize and prioritize our lives in such a way that doing His will always takes precedence over our own selfish desires.
Third:
We must eliminate those unnecessary and excess things from our lives which would encumber us and keep us from being on the Lord’s errand. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by other’s demands or the taunting siren calls of the world.
Fourth:
We must continually be striving to align our natures with the attributes and characteristics of the Divine Nature and by so doing, make our living as He would have us live a more natural occurrence.
Fifth:
We must be prepared to overcome the trials which we will encounter on the path upon which He has placed our feet. We must let our souls be open to the understanding of the growth which is taking place because of our obedience to His will and the Refiner’s fire which is eliminating the dross from our lives.
Sixth:
We must allow our ears to be constantly alert and our eyes continually open so that we can be enlightened in the needed moment by His Holy Spirit as we face the daily choices on the path upon which He has set us.
Seventh:
We must be ready to receive the Lord’s message that ‘this is the place’ He intended for our arrival, when the task he set us upon is completed. We must willingly relinquish His errand to another of His children who is in need of fulfillment.
Just as the trusting pioneers of 1847 found personal and collective fulfillment of their hopes and dreams in the cooling waters of the Jordan River and the fertile soils prepared by the Lord in the valleys of the Wasatch Mountains, we, along with legions, can bear witness today just as our forefathers before us have born, ‘Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.’
Kathleen and I have many times born testimony to one another concerning how most of the wonderful and growing experiences we have had in this life came about because of callings and blessings from our Heavenly Father and not because of our own initiative or ingenuity. As we reminisce over our earthly estate it becomes very apparent that a great deal of meaning and excitement would be removed and we would be left with a very empty shell if we were to remove the lot that God has made of our lives.
I am pretty certain that with just a little effort many of you who are reading this Thought would come to that same conclusion and be able to proclaim a similar testimony of the certainty of the blessings which came because you were obedient to the will of Deity in your lives.
On this particularly important date of July 24th, for those who are of the flock of latter-day-saints (really, those who are of the flock of those attempting to become latter-day-saints) I am reminded of the historically significant changes which resulted because Brigham Young chose to do the will of the Lord rather than his own.
I am certain when the unedited script of Brigham’s life is made available we will find the words he uttered as he first viewed the Salt Lake Valley were inspired from a higher source and were not of his own origin.
We must never forget that this modern day Moses might never have been immortalized by the latter-day-attempting to be saints if he had not been willing to go and do as the Lord had directed.
There would be no This is the Place Monument, the pioneers may have all perished at the hands of the Missouri mobs, the Mormon Battalion may never have planted the United States Flag on the plains of what would become San Diego, there probably would not be a state of Utah (a small portion of the State of Deseret Brigham envisioned). All of this and possibly much more which could be added might never have been, had Brigham not turned his life over to the will of God.
I have noticed that young people who often cried that they are bored turn out to be adults who scream out to anyone who will listen that they feel unfulfilled. It may well be that the formula for eliminating boredom from our lives and having a sense of fulfillment is truly founded in turning our lives over to the Omniscience of our Heavenly Father. If the formula really is to be found there, then as we have been admonished to add the gaining of wisdom to all our learning, why don't more of us turn our lives over to God?
You don't have to be a very thorough searcher of the scriptures to find the warning that mortals have the propensity to put their trust in the arm of flesh rather than in the Lord.
This propensity, of believing humans are the ultimate species and ruler over their own destiny, seems to be wrought upon us because we generally think that all knowledge is a result of human effort or we don't really have a desire to do what God would have us do.
If neither of these reasons is responsible for our failing to follow God’s divine direction then perhaps the reason for our halting, hesitating and lack of humility lies in our inability to understand how we go about turning our lives over to the Lord.
On January 14, 1847 the saints who had been expelled from Nauvoo were trying to sustain life on the shores of the Missouri River in what was called the Camp of Israel or Winter Quarters; when Brigham Young received direction from the Lord on how to proceed in their journeys to the west.
On that occasion the Lord made it clear to Brigham that success would come in proceeding according to the mind and will of the Lord and not man’s will. The Lord amplified the point in the following words, ‘If any man seek to build up himself and seeketh not my counsel, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.’
From that same revelation, now found in the 136th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, we can arrange a possible outline of the formula for turning our lives over to the Lord and thus maximizing the fulfillment of our lives during our short mortal span.
First:
We must learn how to hear the directions our Father would give us. We must learn how to separate the still small voice of the Holy Spirit from the static created by the learned. Without having this vision we individually and collectively will perish.
Second:
We must organize and prioritize our lives in such a way that doing His will always takes precedence over our own selfish desires.
Third:
We must eliminate those unnecessary and excess things from our lives which would encumber us and keep us from being on the Lord’s errand. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by other’s demands or the taunting siren calls of the world.
Fourth:
We must continually be striving to align our natures with the attributes and characteristics of the Divine Nature and by so doing, make our living as He would have us live a more natural occurrence.
Fifth:
We must be prepared to overcome the trials which we will encounter on the path upon which He has placed our feet. We must let our souls be open to the understanding of the growth which is taking place because of our obedience to His will and the Refiner’s fire which is eliminating the dross from our lives.
Sixth:
We must allow our ears to be constantly alert and our eyes continually open so that we can be enlightened in the needed moment by His Holy Spirit as we face the daily choices on the path upon which He has set us.
Seventh:
We must be ready to receive the Lord’s message that ‘this is the place’ He intended for our arrival, when the task he set us upon is completed. We must willingly relinquish His errand to another of His children who is in need of fulfillment.
Just as the trusting pioneers of 1847 found personal and collective fulfillment of their hopes and dreams in the cooling waters of the Jordan River and the fertile soils prepared by the Lord in the valleys of the Wasatch Mountains, we, along with legions, can bear witness today just as our forefathers before us have born, ‘Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.’
FINDING FULFILLMENT THROUGH DOING THE WILL OF THE LORD
In the August 1989 New Era Elder Ezra Taft Benson was quoted as saying, ‘Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.’
Kathleen and I have many times born testimony to one another concerning how most of the wonderful and growing experiences we have had in this life came about because of callings and blessings from our Heavenly Father and not because of our own initiative or ingenuity. As we reminisce over our earthly estate it becomes very apparent that a great deal of meaning and excitement would be removed and we would be left with a very empty shell if we were to remove the lot that God has made of our lives.
I am pretty certain that with just a little effort many of you who are reading this Thought would come to that same conclusion and be able to proclaim a similar testimony of the certainty of the blessings which came because you were obedient to the will of Deity in your lives.
On this particularly important date of July 24th, for those who are of the flock of latter-day-saints (really, those who are of the flock of those attempting to become latter-day-saints) I am reminded of the historically significant changes which resulted because Brigham Young chose to do the will of the Lord rather than his own.
I am certain when the unedited script of Brigham’s life is made available we will find the words he uttered as he first viewed the Salt Lake Valley were inspired from a higher source and were not of his own origin.
We must never forget that this modern day Moses might never have been immortalized by the latter-day-attempting to be saints if he had not been willing to go and do as the Lord had directed.
There would be no This is the Place Monument, the pioneers may have all perished at the hands of the Missouri mobs, the Mormon Battalion may never have planted the United States Flag on the plains of what would become San Diego, there probably would not be a state of Utah (a small portion of the State of Deseret Brigham envisioned). All of this and possibly much more which could be added might never have been, had Brigham not turned his life over to the will of God.
I have noticed that young people who often cried that they are bored turn out to be adults who scream out to anyone who will listen that they feel unfulfilled. It may well be that the formula for eliminating boredom from our lives and having a sense of fulfillment is truly founded in turning our lives over to the Omniscience of our Heavenly Father. If the formula really is to be found there, then as we have been admonished to add the gaining of wisdom to all our learning, why don't more of us turn our lives over to God?
You don't have to be a very thorough searcher of the scriptures to find the warning that mortals have the propensity to put their trust in the arm of flesh rather than in the Lord.
This propensity, of believing humans are the ultimate species and ruler over their own destiny, seems to be wrought upon us because we generally think that all knowledge is a result of human effort or we don't really have a desire to do what God would have us do.
If neither of these reasons is responsible for our failing to follow God’s divine direction then perhaps the reason for our halting, hesitating and lack of humility lies in our inability to understand how we go about turning our lives over to the Lord.
On January 14, 1847 the saints who had been expelled from Nauvoo were trying to sustain life on the shores of the Missouri River in what was called the Camp of Israel or Winter Quarters; when Brigham Young received direction from the Lord on how to proceed in their journeys to the west.
On that occasion the Lord made it clear to Brigham that success would come in proceeding according to the mind and will of the Lord and not man’s will. The Lord amplified the point in the following words, ‘If any man seek to build up himself and seeketh not my counsel, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.’
From that same revelation, now found in the 136th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, we can arrange a possible outline of the formula for turning our lives over to the Lord and thus maximizing the fulfillment of our lives during our short mortal span.
First:
We must learn how to hear the directions our Father would give us. We must learn how to separate the still small voice of the Holy Spirit from the static created by the learned. Without having this vision we individually and collectively will perish.
Second:
We must organize and prioritize our lives in such a way that doing His will always takes precedence over our own selfish desires.
Third:
We must eliminate those unnecessary and excess things from our lives which would encumber us and keep us from being on the Lord’s errand. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by other’s demands or the taunting siren calls of the world.
Fourth:
We must continually be striving to align our natures with the attributes and characteristics of the Divine Nature and by so doing, make our living as He would have us live a more natural occurrence.
Fifth:
We must be prepared to overcome the trials which we will encounter on the path upon which He has placed our feet. We must let our souls be open to the understanding of the growth which is taking place because of our obedience to His will and the Refiner’s fire which is eliminating the dross from our lives.
Sixth:
We must allow our ears to be constantly alert and our eyes continually open so that we can be enlightened in the needed moment by His Holy Spirit as we face the daily choices on the path upon which He has set us.
Seventh:
We must be ready to receive the Lord’s message that ‘this is the place’ He intended for our arrival, when the task he set us upon is completed. We must willingly relinquish His errand to another of His children who is in need of fulfillment.
Just as the trusting pioneers of 1847 found personal and collective fulfillment of their hopes and dreams in the cooling waters of the Jordan River and the fertile soils prepared by the Lord in the valleys of the Wasatch Mountains, we, along with legions, can bear witness today just as our forefathers before us have born, ‘Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.’
Kathleen and I have many times born testimony to one another concerning how most of the wonderful and growing experiences we have had in this life came about because of callings and blessings from our Heavenly Father and not because of our own initiative or ingenuity. As we reminisce over our earthly estate it becomes very apparent that a great deal of meaning and excitement would be removed and we would be left with a very empty shell if we were to remove the lot that God has made of our lives.
I am pretty certain that with just a little effort many of you who are reading this Thought would come to that same conclusion and be able to proclaim a similar testimony of the certainty of the blessings which came because you were obedient to the will of Deity in your lives.
On this particularly important date of July 24th, for those who are of the flock of latter-day-saints (really, those who are of the flock of those attempting to become latter-day-saints) I am reminded of the historically significant changes which resulted because Brigham Young chose to do the will of the Lord rather than his own.
I am certain when the unedited script of Brigham’s life is made available we will find the words he uttered as he first viewed the Salt Lake Valley were inspired from a higher source and were not of his own origin.
We must never forget that this modern day Moses might never have been immortalized by the latter-day-attempting to be saints if he had not been willing to go and do as the Lord had directed.
There would be no This is the Place Monument, the pioneers may have all perished at the hands of the Missouri mobs, the Mormon Battalion may never have planted the United States Flag on the plains of what would become San Diego, there probably would not be a state of Utah (a small portion of the State of Deseret Brigham envisioned). All of this and possibly much more which could be added might never have been, had Brigham not turned his life over to the will of God.
I have noticed that young people who often cried that they are bored turn out to be adults who scream out to anyone who will listen that they feel unfulfilled. It may well be that the formula for eliminating boredom from our lives and having a sense of fulfillment is truly founded in turning our lives over to the Omniscience of our Heavenly Father. If the formula really is to be found there, then as we have been admonished to add the gaining of wisdom to all our learning, why don't more of us turn our lives over to God?
You don't have to be a very thorough searcher of the scriptures to find the warning that mortals have the propensity to put their trust in the arm of flesh rather than in the Lord.
This propensity, of believing humans are the ultimate species and ruler over their own destiny, seems to be wrought upon us because we generally think that all knowledge is a result of human effort or we don't really have a desire to do what God would have us do.
If neither of these reasons is responsible for our failing to follow God’s divine direction then perhaps the reason for our halting, hesitating and lack of humility lies in our inability to understand how we go about turning our lives over to the Lord.
On January 14, 1847 the saints who had been expelled from Nauvoo were trying to sustain life on the shores of the Missouri River in what was called the Camp of Israel or Winter Quarters; when Brigham Young received direction from the Lord on how to proceed in their journeys to the west.
On that occasion the Lord made it clear to Brigham that success would come in proceeding according to the mind and will of the Lord and not man’s will. The Lord amplified the point in the following words, ‘If any man seek to build up himself and seeketh not my counsel, he shall have no power, and his folly shall be made manifest.’
From that same revelation, now found in the 136th section of the Doctrine and Covenants, we can arrange a possible outline of the formula for turning our lives over to the Lord and thus maximizing the fulfillment of our lives during our short mortal span.
First:
We must learn how to hear the directions our Father would give us. We must learn how to separate the still small voice of the Holy Spirit from the static created by the learned. Without having this vision we individually and collectively will perish.
Second:
We must organize and prioritize our lives in such a way that doing His will always takes precedence over our own selfish desires.
Third:
We must eliminate those unnecessary and excess things from our lives which would encumber us and keep us from being on the Lord’s errand. We must not allow ourselves to be distracted by other’s demands or the taunting siren calls of the world.
Fourth:
We must continually be striving to align our natures with the attributes and characteristics of the Divine Nature and by so doing, make our living as He would have us live a more natural occurrence.
Fifth:
We must be prepared to overcome the trials which we will encounter on the path upon which He has placed our feet. We must let our souls be open to the understanding of the growth which is taking place because of our obedience to His will and the Refiner’s fire which is eliminating the dross from our lives.
Sixth:
We must allow our ears to be constantly alert and our eyes continually open so that we can be enlightened in the needed moment by His Holy Spirit as we face the daily choices on the path upon which He has set us.
Seventh:
We must be ready to receive the Lord’s message that ‘this is the place’ He intended for our arrival, when the task he set us upon is completed. We must willingly relinquish His errand to another of His children who is in need of fulfillment.
Just as the trusting pioneers of 1847 found personal and collective fulfillment of their hopes and dreams in the cooling waters of the Jordan River and the fertile soils prepared by the Lord in the valleys of the Wasatch Mountains, we, along with legions, can bear witness today just as our forefathers before us have born, ‘Men and women who turn their lives over to God will discover that He can make a lot more out of their lives than they can.’
Sunday, July 17, 2016
RANDOM THOUGHTS ON SPIRITUAL AWAKENINGS
The spiritual side of my mortal life has been described by some as narrow with a sprinkling of outside sources.
I have a very dear friend, who in my later years has become not only a mentor, but also a very important barometer for me concerning the thoughts I write about my beliefs. He has often provided me with a much needed wider lens when I seem to be examining life from my inherited myopic point of view.
I was recently reviewing a few of the broadening correspondences he has sent over the years and was surprised by what started happening in my mind as I was reading. Although it was a helpful review and reminded me of the important expanded growth which had taken place. As I was reading I found myself taking an inventory of some of the life changing enlightenments which I had been blessed with, which rather than shaking me from the foundation which was so fitly formed in the home of my parents, instead has caused that foundation to become more firm and now easily supports the testimony which has been built upon it.
I will now randomly share some of those life changing enlightenments:
When I was young I considered it a nuisance, but as I aged it became one of the passages of my life which I have come to count among my greatest blessings. Time has clouded the beginning of my awareness to its existence, but I know I can remember it being a part of my life even before we moved to Long Beach, California, just before I entered the 4th grade. It sometimes happened during the day, but most often I would be awakened some hours before the appointed time with an idea running through my mind. It could be an aid in helping me be more efficient in tasks I had to do or just a random thought about life or even later in life thoughts about how to manage stewardships which I had or over which I had been given jurisdiction. I have a firm testimony of the existence of whisperings beyond our physical senses. I know the reality of the promptings and comfortings of the Holy Spirit.
During my high school years I had enrolled in a strong math/science path. Therefore, when I went to receive my Patriarchal Blessing, in response to the Patriarch’s query about what interests I had in life, I told him about my interest in science. During the blessing he assured me I would find success in the field of science if I choose to pursue that field. However, he quickly added the reminder that Theology was the science that included all sciences and that if there were ever a conflict I should seek resolution through prayer. He then spent the majority of the blessing telling me about the ability I had been blessed with to explain the principles of the gospel. It became evident while I was on my mission in Mexico that my life was going to be spent explaining the principles of the gospel. I have a strong testimony of the reality of the communication channels which are opened when one is engaged in sincere prayer. I know that our troubled hearts can be calmed and doubt can be erased when the limited learning of men is measured against the infinite knowledge of our loving Heavenly Father.
I don't remember the first time I wondered why all of Heavenly Father’s children don't have visitations like the ones with which Moses, Abraham and Joseph Smith were blessed. There was even a short period when I felt that my contribution to His work would be much more effective if such a visitation would be part of my own personal experience. I have a personal testimony of the existence of Heavenly Father, Jesus the Christ and the Holy Spirit. I have a testimony that our Heavenly Father knows the amount of absolute truth each of us can sustain without additional truth becoming a hazard to our eternal growth. I have a testimony that Moses, Abraham and Joseph Smith did commune with God and I have found it to be sufficient for my personal growth.
My older siblings used to express their feelings about my life by saying that familiar phrase, ‘we never got anything like that.’ There is no doubt that when they told me I was so spoiled I had a stench, there was a ring of truth to their words. Even today when people greet me with the usual ‘how are you,’ ’I often reply ‘spoiled’. There were too many years when what I received was accompanied with a heavy dose of privilege and license. However, as the years have accumulated I have increasingly become aware that gratitude for blessings is more important than the blessing itself. I have a testimony that nothing in life is earned nor deserved. I know that all we have been given becomes a stewardship which must be nurtured and shared. I know that an ungrateful servant will never gain full appreciation of the Master’s gifts.
My maturation as a servant in the Kingdom had a very slow start, but at times I felt I was going at such dangerous speeds that derailment was surely about to happen. However, underlying all the stumbling amid growth spurts was an increasing desire to dedicate myself to the building and strengthening of others. A desire which became stronger as my desire increased to know how to do things in His way and in His name. A desire that filled me with the understanding that what was most important in all my doing was to invite all to come unto Christ. I have a testimony that Jesus is the Christ and that through his Atoning Sacrifice eternal life and salvation has been made available to all. I know that in all the busy-ness in which we involve ourselves during mortality, none will be of more importance than inviting and helping another come unto Christ.
During my life, there have been moments when I worried about the quickness and the broadness with which I was able to fall in love with others. I have often been bothered when distance and time separated me from those for whom I have felt love and dimmed the feelings I had. I have been grateful for the marvels of communication which have come into existence, which allow me to revive and renew those feelings for thousands, which time and distance had dimmed. There are moments when I briefly am able to comprehend the beloved apostle John’s words that God is love. I sometimes have the veil parted sufficiently to briefly understand how God’s love supersedes our shortsightedness and errors. I have a love for my Heavenly Father and His son Jesus the Christ that at times seems to overwhelm my littleness. I know I have overwhelmingly felt the love Heavenly Father and His son Jesus the Christ have for me.
I have come to the end of my allotted words for this Thought, but I can't end without wishing that my meager words might be a bit of a stimulus to some to do some random thinking about their own spiritual awakenings.
Sunday, July 10, 2016
AS IF THEY WERE A DREAM
In order to help us understand the length of existence of our mother earth in the unmeasurable scale of eternity, science has developed a scale which seems to go from the billions of years which make up ‘supereons’ to the relatively few hundreds of years which make up what are called ‘ages’. Scattered along the scale between these two measuring tools we find reference to ‘eons’, ‘eras’, ‘periods’ and ‘epochs’.
Although those of us whose scientific growth stopped shortly after our High School graduations, flippantly use these words interchangeably, real scientists have very specific uses for these terms.
For example, the formation of our planet had its beginning roughly 4.55 billion years ago (plus or minus 1%). Their definition, not mine, which, of course, falls into a measurement called a ‘supereon’.
Australopiticus, the genus of Hominids from whom they say we seem to have evolved, seems to have come into existence about 3.9 million years ago, which, of course, would be an ‘eon’ type of measurement.
Our most recognizable relatives, the Homo sapiens, appeared on the scene about 160,000 years ago, which, as we all know, is but a ‘period’ of time, since it involves only thousands of years.
Ages seem to be used to denote periods of hundreds of years and epochs. Well, I will let you look that one up.
Scripturally, all of these measurements seem to fall under such nonscientific terms such as days, dispensations, times and lengths.
The simplicity of this is probably a very foundational reason why I became a professor of religion rather than of science.
I have a hard time deciding whether my own life should be divided into ‘ages’ or ‘epochs’ (did you look it up?). Anyway, my life now spans the ‘micro age’ between the beginning of the second third of what historians refer to as the 20th century C.E. and the first third of the 21st century C.E.
I can divide my life into the following (I will use the Biblical term) ‘days’.
My infancy was during the ‘days’ when the world’s ‘Greatest Generation’ was being processed by the ‘war to end all wars’.
These ‘days’, of course, followed quickly on the heels of the events referred to as the roaring, flapping and depressing ‘epochs’. (And you still haven't looked it up!)
My adolescence took place during the postwar, rebuilding, expansion ‘days’. And the radio and dial telephone were our main link to the rest of the world.
My teens were spent during the Happy Days ‘days’. And the main link to the rest of the world was a black and white television and touch dial telephone.
Our (we twain now became one) young adult ‘days’ were spent when the ‘American Dream’ was reaching reality for many, while the ‘unaccounted for’ were ignored and secretly being left behind. And the colored television and bulky cell phones became our main link to the rest of the world.
Our middle age ‘days’ were spent during the time racism and intolerance were being legislated out of existence. And the computer and the flip phone became our link to the rest of the world.
The final ‘days’ of our mortality have brought us to the stark reality that the more we talk about equality and the ‘oneness of family’ of the earth’s inhabitants, the more we seem to create endlessly additional factions and divisions. And skyping and the smart phone became our link to the rest of the world.
In a very strange way, the rapid changes which have taken place during the ‘days’ of my life can be understood to some degree by an event which took place while we were living in Tooele, Utah, in the 1960’s with our very young family.
I was at the time principal of the Tooele LDS Seminary. The faculty of the seminary included myself and three other teachers. If memory serves me correctly we probably had 90% of the students who attended Tooele High School enrolled in our classes. One of the students was a wonderful young lady named Gayle Randall. Besides occasionally tending for our growing brood of boys, Gayle also turned out to be related. It only took two short steps through my brother in law to make her a ‘cousin’.
Anyway, Gayle’s father had a small mink ranch and one day Gayle presented me with a clip on tie made of a single mink’s pelt.
I do not intend to get into a debate on the ‘evil of’ or the ‘justification of’ draping one’s body with the skins of animals which were sacrificed for the use. I just want to use this little trinket as an example how the superficial idea of Happy Days has evolved into the divisive Politically Correct Days in which we now live.
When I first received the tie, I would put it on on special occasions and find that everyone, and I do mean everyone, admired it and had to give the pelt the blow test to identify it as really being genuine mink.
In the 70’s as Happy Days became a very popular television program, I found I had to leave the tie on the rack, because there were a few, and I do mean a few, who would have spray painted my tie if they had caught me wearing it.
By the time Happy Days was remembered only as a periodic question on Jeopardy, the tie had found its way into a container where treasures of my personal history are stored.
Since my point is not to justify or condemn the use of animal skins as apparel, you might ask, ‘what then is the point of this Thought?’
I have become convinced as time is measured in ‘infinite’ terms, a ‘supereon’ is only a blink of an eye; therefore, the ‘days’ of my life can indeed be called an epoch. (Did you look it up?) Jacob, the son of Lehi, both of whom were prophets in the Book of Mormon, tried to express the passing of mortality by saying his life had passed as if it were a dream. Kathleen says there is a Blackfoot proverb which says, ‘Life is the flash of the firefly in the night, the breath of the buffalo in winter time’. Whatever unit we choose to use ( I am sure our life time is less than a nano second to our Heavenly Father) the foibles of our ‘days’ which we deem to be of such importance will one day be but faint memories tucked away in some small container in a corner of our minds.
Elder Boyd K. Packer was fond of using the term ‘fried froth’ to express the minuteness of importance most of our special projects and activities have in the eternal scheme.
If I have gleaned anything from my few ‘dreamt days’ it is that the only really important thing we do during mortality is recognizing and receiving the love of God, learning to love Him with all our hearts, minds and souls, and striving to love all our ‘cousins’.
All else is but ‘fried froth’.
Although those of us whose scientific growth stopped shortly after our High School graduations, flippantly use these words interchangeably, real scientists have very specific uses for these terms.
For example, the formation of our planet had its beginning roughly 4.55 billion years ago (plus or minus 1%). Their definition, not mine, which, of course, falls into a measurement called a ‘supereon’.
Australopiticus, the genus of Hominids from whom they say we seem to have evolved, seems to have come into existence about 3.9 million years ago, which, of course, would be an ‘eon’ type of measurement.
Our most recognizable relatives, the Homo sapiens, appeared on the scene about 160,000 years ago, which, as we all know, is but a ‘period’ of time, since it involves only thousands of years.
Ages seem to be used to denote periods of hundreds of years and epochs. Well, I will let you look that one up.
Scripturally, all of these measurements seem to fall under such nonscientific terms such as days, dispensations, times and lengths.
The simplicity of this is probably a very foundational reason why I became a professor of religion rather than of science.
I have a hard time deciding whether my own life should be divided into ‘ages’ or ‘epochs’ (did you look it up?). Anyway, my life now spans the ‘micro age’ between the beginning of the second third of what historians refer to as the 20th century C.E. and the first third of the 21st century C.E.
I can divide my life into the following (I will use the Biblical term) ‘days’.
My infancy was during the ‘days’ when the world’s ‘Greatest Generation’ was being processed by the ‘war to end all wars’.
These ‘days’, of course, followed quickly on the heels of the events referred to as the roaring, flapping and depressing ‘epochs’. (And you still haven't looked it up!)
My adolescence took place during the postwar, rebuilding, expansion ‘days’. And the radio and dial telephone were our main link to the rest of the world.
My teens were spent during the Happy Days ‘days’. And the main link to the rest of the world was a black and white television and touch dial telephone.
Our (we twain now became one) young adult ‘days’ were spent when the ‘American Dream’ was reaching reality for many, while the ‘unaccounted for’ were ignored and secretly being left behind. And the colored television and bulky cell phones became our main link to the rest of the world.
Our middle age ‘days’ were spent during the time racism and intolerance were being legislated out of existence. And the computer and the flip phone became our link to the rest of the world.
The final ‘days’ of our mortality have brought us to the stark reality that the more we talk about equality and the ‘oneness of family’ of the earth’s inhabitants, the more we seem to create endlessly additional factions and divisions. And skyping and the smart phone became our link to the rest of the world.
In a very strange way, the rapid changes which have taken place during the ‘days’ of my life can be understood to some degree by an event which took place while we were living in Tooele, Utah, in the 1960’s with our very young family.
I was at the time principal of the Tooele LDS Seminary. The faculty of the seminary included myself and three other teachers. If memory serves me correctly we probably had 90% of the students who attended Tooele High School enrolled in our classes. One of the students was a wonderful young lady named Gayle Randall. Besides occasionally tending for our growing brood of boys, Gayle also turned out to be related. It only took two short steps through my brother in law to make her a ‘cousin’.
Anyway, Gayle’s father had a small mink ranch and one day Gayle presented me with a clip on tie made of a single mink’s pelt.
I do not intend to get into a debate on the ‘evil of’ or the ‘justification of’ draping one’s body with the skins of animals which were sacrificed for the use. I just want to use this little trinket as an example how the superficial idea of Happy Days has evolved into the divisive Politically Correct Days in which we now live.
When I first received the tie, I would put it on on special occasions and find that everyone, and I do mean everyone, admired it and had to give the pelt the blow test to identify it as really being genuine mink.
In the 70’s as Happy Days became a very popular television program, I found I had to leave the tie on the rack, because there were a few, and I do mean a few, who would have spray painted my tie if they had caught me wearing it.
By the time Happy Days was remembered only as a periodic question on Jeopardy, the tie had found its way into a container where treasures of my personal history are stored.
Since my point is not to justify or condemn the use of animal skins as apparel, you might ask, ‘what then is the point of this Thought?’
I have become convinced as time is measured in ‘infinite’ terms, a ‘supereon’ is only a blink of an eye; therefore, the ‘days’ of my life can indeed be called an epoch. (Did you look it up?) Jacob, the son of Lehi, both of whom were prophets in the Book of Mormon, tried to express the passing of mortality by saying his life had passed as if it were a dream. Kathleen says there is a Blackfoot proverb which says, ‘Life is the flash of the firefly in the night, the breath of the buffalo in winter time’. Whatever unit we choose to use ( I am sure our life time is less than a nano second to our Heavenly Father) the foibles of our ‘days’ which we deem to be of such importance will one day be but faint memories tucked away in some small container in a corner of our minds.
Elder Boyd K. Packer was fond of using the term ‘fried froth’ to express the minuteness of importance most of our special projects and activities have in the eternal scheme.
If I have gleaned anything from my few ‘dreamt days’ it is that the only really important thing we do during mortality is recognizing and receiving the love of God, learning to love Him with all our hearts, minds and souls, and striving to love all our ‘cousins’.
All else is but ‘fried froth’.
Sunday, July 3, 2016
JUST A QUICK REMINDER!!
If you are reading my Thoughts and Life’s lessons learned on:
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NOTE:
If you are reading this – you know where I am on Face Book.
To access my Blog pages – Search Thoughts for a Sabbath Day on the internet.
To buy my books – Go to Amazon.com and search Thoughts for 100 Sabbath Days.
LOVE - PEACE - JOY - HUGS
If you are reading my Thoughts and Life’s lessons learned on:
Face Book – you are reading the words I write without any bells and whistles – rating: Good
Blog Pages – you are reading the words I write with a few bells and whistles – rating: Better
Published Books – you are reading the words I write with all the bells and whistles – rating: Best
NOTE:
If you are reading this – you know where I am on Face Book.
To access my Blog pages – Search Thoughts for a Sabbath Day on the internet.
To buy my books – Go to Amazon.com and search Thoughts for 100 Sabbath Days.
LOVE - PEACE - JOY - HUGS
A CHOICE LAND
It wasn't really on our bucket list, but Kathleen and I count the times we have traveled and lived in countries other than our birth nation among our greatest blessings. Visiting other lands will never supplant our family or our love for our Savior and Heavenly Father on our blessing list, but it will be found pretty high.
Some of the fruits of our travels include such things as:
Learning there is cultural richness to be found among all people of all nations.
Learning love for another is not always found among those of similar pigmentation and dress.
Learning lasting memories can be made in minutes or in months.
I have also come to believe that it takes but a limited amount of time upon this little sphere for a person to conclude that the Lord speaking through the prophets of the Book of Mormon was correct when He pronounced the
Americas to be the promised land which was choice above all lands.
Likewise, while living in lands outside of the United States of America, one pretty quickly comes to the realization that the ‘American Experiment’ based on democratic principles and governed as a representative republic has produced a nation which stands unique among the current and historical nations of this planet.
The national and most blatant deficiencies of the United State of America seem to pale as they are compared to even some of the more successful efforts of our intercontinental neighbors.
The poor and the needy of this nation, although they exist in far too great a number and we need to unitedly and increasingly continue lending our efforts to make their lot better, seldom if ever, when given the choice, would choose to change places with their peers who reside in other lands.
Although our national government has undoubtedly swollen beyond the bounds of the founders original intent, we witness few of our citizenry ever elevating their discontent beyond vocal-ness or immigrating across borders or to far off shores.
Although we seldom find complete contentment with those we have chosen to lead our Cities, States and the Nation, the wisdom of the founding fathers seems to have cemented checks and balances into the system so that absolute authoritative abuse has not become a dominant characteristic.
As I ponder the wonders of the country I was blessed to be born into as a citizen, and as the positives on the comparative list continue to swell and grow, I am moved to the point of amazement that the constant moaning of the vocal minority, seems to give additional license to the silent majority to continue to act as if passive appreciation is among the guaranteed rights of the blessed.
Perhaps the hour has come when the silent majority must un-muffle themselves and vocalize the value they place on the attributes of our system of government and recognize its virtues to be unparalleled in historical or contemporary societies.
Perhaps the hour has come when the silent majority must un-muffle themselves and become vocal advocates of the American Dream which drew our families to its shores and continues to attract new settlers who wish to enjoy the blessings of our communities.
Perhaps the hour has come when the silent majority must un-muffle themselves and cease to be apologetic about the system which has brought about this great society and shout to the world about the rightness of this way of life.
Perhaps our citizenry needs to unite and become Evangelistic about what we might call Americanism.
Americanism is a collective term which defines the triumph of the human spirit over adversity.
Americanism is a collective term for people who value freedom and justice for all regardless of heritage or station.
Americanism is a collective term describing sacrificing mothers and fathers who left their homes because of dreams of a brighter tomorrow for their children and came to these shores.
Americanism is a collective term which portrays a melting pot where the hopeful of the world are striving to someday blend into a harmonious oneness.
Americanism is a collective term for those who appreciate a land blessed by God with richness, resources and fertility.
Americanism is a collective term used to express the hope of every child born in a log cabin that they can rise above their birthright.
Indeed we are blessed to live in a country where individuals have always looked to the future as a place of opportunity and brightness.
Today might just be that moment in time when each of us once again determines in our hearts, minds and souls that that which has happened in the past is but a foundation for the future which lies ahead.
I hold it as truth, whether it has been written in documents or by worthy mentors upon our minds, that it is one of the fundamental duties that the citizenship of this nation has to enlighten the world about the wonderfulness of the Representative Republic of the United States of America. In the words of Abraham Lincoln ‘this nation is the last best hope on earth’.
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