Tuesday, December 30, 2014
Monday, December 29, 2014
to be proved and tested
Remember that you are here to be proved and tested, “to see if [you] will do all things whatsoever the Lord [your] God shall command [you]” (Abraham 3:25)—and may I just add, “under all circumstances.”
When these trials come..., try to force a smile, gaze heavenward, and say, “I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn’t it?” Then partner with Him to endure well to the end.
Spiritual confidence increases when you accept that “often trials and tribulations are allowed to come into [your life] because of what [you] are doing right"
full article here
When these trials come..., try to force a smile, gaze heavenward, and say, “I understand, Lord. I know what this is. A time to prove myself, isn’t it?” Then partner with Him to endure well to the end.
Spiritual confidence increases when you accept that “often trials and tribulations are allowed to come into [your life] because of what [you] are doing right"
full article here
Saturday, December 27, 2014
Wednesday, December 24, 2014
FAITH gives understanding and strength...
God has given us the capacity to exercise faith, that we may find peace, joy, and purpose in life. However, to employ its power, faith must be founded on something. There is no more solid foundation than faith in the love Heavenly Father has for you, faith in His plan of happiness, and faith in the capacity and willingness of Jesus Christ to fulfill all of His promises.
Even if you exercise your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. He loves you to a depth and completeness you cannot conceive of in your mortal state.
Sincere faith gives understanding and strength to accept the will of our Heavenly Father when it differs from our own. We can accept His will with peace and assurance, confident that His infinite wisdom surpasses our own ability to comprehend fully His plan as it unfolds a piece at a time.
full message by Richard G. Scott here
Even if you exercise your strongest faith, God will not always reward you immediately according to your desires. Rather, God will respond with what in His eternal plan is best for you. He loves you to a depth and completeness you cannot conceive of in your mortal state.
Sincere faith gives understanding and strength to accept the will of our Heavenly Father when it differs from our own. We can accept His will with peace and assurance, confident that His infinite wisdom surpasses our own ability to comprehend fully His plan as it unfolds a piece at a time.
full message by Richard G. Scott here
Tuesday, December 23, 2014
50 things you want to do before you die
I just added a post about Change and then saw this post waiting in the drafts. I wrote it quite a while ago and left it in drafts for personal (not public) reflection. I'm afraid I will loose it if I don't post it so today I send it out of drafts, posting it for all who may read it. I have not changed anything on it since I last wrote the last week of September and I don't know if I will ever re-write it, but I do post it now to remind me. Change is evident in this post too.
Change is ever Constant!
---
One of BJo's first assignments in college was to "list 50 things you want to do before you die".
That intrigued me and I began to think about what 50 things I would write.
(I wrote this sometime between Sept. 15th thru 19th, with Post Notes written after those dates - before the end of Sept.)
Several years ago I read a story about a famous woman who asked another to create a list of 100 movies she "must see" before she died. The list included a few that I knew and already enjoyed, but it included several that I had not heard of. I started to watch a few and wondered why some of them were on the list. Soon I had seen enough and didn't want to continue because they did not interest me. I realize that everyone will have their own unique style and desires, so it seemed quite apparent that one should write their own list and no two lists would be the same.
I think of the words to one popular song sharing what one man did - things like go bull riding, sky diving and Rocky Mt. climbing. These things are not my kind of thing and will not ever be on my list, but when I first heard this song it touched my heart. It made me wonder what I would do.
I knew that my list of 50 things might include some of the same things that BrittanyJo would write, but I also knew that it would be quite different. After all, I have already gotten married and had children. (FYI - I have not seen her list.) As I thought more about it I felt almost compelled to create my own, so I began my list one day as I waited for Terry to get his chemo infusion.
As I continued writing I realized that my list would change as time goes on, but I wrote what I came up with today.
My absolute number 1 is to care for Terry / take care of him with love and kindness and patience and tenderness and understanding and empathy. I want to be a good care giver to him because I love him and I want to show that love in the way I care for him. Being his wife (a good wife) is very most important because that is where this eternal family started. We will be together forever and I want a wonderful forever.
Second on my list is to witness the miracle of Terry's health restored to him so that he may enjoy a long and enjoyably energetic life with his loved ones. I don't want to let him go before we can experience so many more things together. I need a miracle! He needs a miracle! We need a miracle! I do recognize that this item on my list may be out of my control, but I will do all I can to make this miracle happen. I will not give up hope.
I had a hard time trying to decide what I would write after these. I felt somewhat blinded by those two. However, I remembered the difficulty with our car that morning and I decided that number three could be to get a new car. (It has been on our list for a long time, but poor health kinda gets in the way. I am grateful that we have been able to make things work as long as we have and that we had no problems with the car on our trip to and from Rexburg. Once we got home it was a different story. We are going to get that checked out as soon as we can. Post Note: we did get a new suburban from TriCities on Sept. 18th)
As soon as I wrote that down I felt somewhat ashamed for thinking of that and began to list more important things. Not that a car is not important, because it truly is, especially to get us back and forth to appointments, but it didn't feel quite as important as some other things I could think of, so I thought about things that are currently happening in our family as I continued my list. There are plenty of good things I want to live to see, like:
4 - BJo graduate college
5 - Chase graduate college
6 - Connor home off his mission
7 - Connor graduate college
8 - Anthony graduate High School
9 - Anthony serve mission
10 - Anthony graduate college
11 - Skyler graduate grad-school
What I have listed are not necessarily in chronological order, nor are they in order of importance, but they will become priority at the proper place and time. My family is in a growing stage, so there are more events that need to take place and I want to be a part of them, so of course these need to be added to the things I would like to do and be a part of before I die:
12 - BJo married
13 - Chase married
14 - Connor married
15 - Anthony married
16 - see and enjoy more grandchildren (all of them) attend their blessings and baptisms ...
17 - improve family relationships
My family is definitely top priority! After they are all taken care of, or while I am taking care of them I would add these things too:
18 - Read the BofM beginning to end again in a short amount of time.
19 - serve the Lord well.
20 - become more Christlike.
I thought of my family history info that is scattered and unorganized so I added
21 - organize family history.
That made me think of my house and I thought that I would like to organize and dejunk it before someone else has to, so that became #22 - organize and dejunk my belongings.
This one seemed silly, but one thing I want to do, and plan to do soon, is 23 - watch The Return to Snowy River with Terry. We watched Man from Snowy River a week ago and wanted to watch this but didn't have it. So, I've ordered it (on Amazon) and we should get it this weekend. This one is definitely just for fun! (Post Note: watched it! :)
Another fun thing I thought of was to 24 - plant the pink flower seeds that I got from some of Idris' flowers. I should be able to do that quite easy if I just would. I need to find a place and do it!
It became difficult to continue because I knew that anything from this point on my list would depend on the amount of time I would have yet to live. If I only had a week or even a year or two I would not worry about anything else (at least anything that came to mind today). If however, I live another 25 or more years then I might add things like remodel my kitchen and loose weight, which are both things that I have been wanting to do for a long time now. But because I cannot take either of those with me it seemed hard to want to add them. What good would either do me after death?
I am beginning to think that I am focusing to much on "before you die" instead of living, so I am sure that my list would be different if my circumstances were different. Iwonder if am convinced that my list is being created with the thought of what I would want to do before Terry passes away. His poor health this past year has frightened me. I do not want to think on that thought and yet it is a concern that is constant on my mind. So my list might be a bit short sided. Numbers 1 thru 17 are definitely what I want him to be able to experience before he dies. However, I do not want to focus on that because I really want a miracle instead. I know it is going to happen to each of us some day, but it seems to be closer than I want it to be at this point. Even five or ten years is too soon.
I do so need a miracle! I hope and pray for one!
I feel so caught up in number 1, really numbers 1-20, that it's hard to see anything else. Realizing that I am only half way through my list I will try to consider a few more things as I continue on in life. For now, this is it, and it is where I find my happiness and joy. I know that it will be easier to create this list after #2 takes place, and if I never realize #2 it would be most difficult, if not impossible to continue it.
Nothing else matters right now!
Change is ever Constant!
---
One of BJo's first assignments in college was to "list 50 things you want to do before you die".
That intrigued me and I began to think about what 50 things I would write.
(I wrote this sometime between Sept. 15th thru 19th, with Post Notes written after those dates - before the end of Sept.)
Several years ago I read a story about a famous woman who asked another to create a list of 100 movies she "must see" before she died. The list included a few that I knew and already enjoyed, but it included several that I had not heard of. I started to watch a few and wondered why some of them were on the list. Soon I had seen enough and didn't want to continue because they did not interest me. I realize that everyone will have their own unique style and desires, so it seemed quite apparent that one should write their own list and no two lists would be the same.
I think of the words to one popular song sharing what one man did - things like go bull riding, sky diving and Rocky Mt. climbing. These things are not my kind of thing and will not ever be on my list, but when I first heard this song it touched my heart. It made me wonder what I would do.
I knew that my list of 50 things might include some of the same things that BrittanyJo would write, but I also knew that it would be quite different. After all, I have already gotten married and had children. (FYI - I have not seen her list.) As I thought more about it I felt almost compelled to create my own, so I began my list one day as I waited for Terry to get his chemo infusion.
As I continued writing I realized that my list would change as time goes on, but I wrote what I came up with today.
My absolute number 1 is to care for Terry / take care of him with love and kindness and patience and tenderness and understanding and empathy. I want to be a good care giver to him because I love him and I want to show that love in the way I care for him. Being his wife (a good wife) is very most important because that is where this eternal family started. We will be together forever and I want a wonderful forever.
Second on my list is to witness the miracle of Terry's health restored to him so that he may enjoy a long and enjoyably energetic life with his loved ones. I don't want to let him go before we can experience so many more things together. I need a miracle! He needs a miracle! We need a miracle! I do recognize that this item on my list may be out of my control, but I will do all I can to make this miracle happen. I will not give up hope.
I had a hard time trying to decide what I would write after these. I felt somewhat blinded by those two. However, I remembered the difficulty with our car that morning and I decided that number three could be to get a new car. (It has been on our list for a long time, but poor health kinda gets in the way. I am grateful that we have been able to make things work as long as we have and that we had no problems with the car on our trip to and from Rexburg. Once we got home it was a different story. We are going to get that checked out as soon as we can. Post Note: we did get a new suburban from TriCities on Sept. 18th)
As soon as I wrote that down I felt somewhat ashamed for thinking of that and began to list more important things. Not that a car is not important, because it truly is, especially to get us back and forth to appointments, but it didn't feel quite as important as some other things I could think of, so I thought about things that are currently happening in our family as I continued my list. There are plenty of good things I want to live to see, like:
4 - BJo graduate college
5 - Chase graduate college
6 - Connor home off his mission
7 - Connor graduate college
8 - Anthony graduate High School
9 - Anthony serve mission
10 - Anthony graduate college
11 - Skyler graduate grad-school
What I have listed are not necessarily in chronological order, nor are they in order of importance, but they will become priority at the proper place and time. My family is in a growing stage, so there are more events that need to take place and I want to be a part of them, so of course these need to be added to the things I would like to do and be a part of before I die:
12 - BJo married
13 - Chase married
14 - Connor married
15 - Anthony married
16 - see and enjoy more grandchildren (all of them) attend their blessings and baptisms ...
17 - improve family relationships
My family is definitely top priority! After they are all taken care of, or while I am taking care of them I would add these things too:
18 - Read the BofM beginning to end again in a short amount of time.
19 - serve the Lord well.
20 - become more Christlike.
I thought of my family history info that is scattered and unorganized so I added
21 - organize family history.
That made me think of my house and I thought that I would like to organize and dejunk it before someone else has to, so that became #22 - organize and dejunk my belongings.
This one seemed silly, but one thing I want to do, and plan to do soon, is 23 - watch The Return to Snowy River with Terry. We watched Man from Snowy River a week ago and wanted to watch this but didn't have it. So, I've ordered it (on Amazon) and we should get it this weekend. This one is definitely just for fun! (Post Note: watched it! :)
Another fun thing I thought of was to 24 - plant the pink flower seeds that I got from some of Idris' flowers. I should be able to do that quite easy if I just would. I need to find a place and do it!
It became difficult to continue because I knew that anything from this point on my list would depend on the amount of time I would have yet to live. If I only had a week or even a year or two I would not worry about anything else (at least anything that came to mind today). If however, I live another 25 or more years then I might add things like remodel my kitchen and loose weight, which are both things that I have been wanting to do for a long time now. But because I cannot take either of those with me it seemed hard to want to add them. What good would either do me after death?
I am beginning to think that I am focusing to much on "before you die" instead of living, so I am sure that my list would be different if my circumstances were different. I
I do so need a miracle! I hope and pray for one!
I feel so caught up in number 1, really numbers 1-20, that it's hard to see anything else. Realizing that I am only half way through my list I will try to consider a few more things as I continue on in life. For now, this is it, and it is where I find my happiness and joy. I know that it will be easier to create this list after #2 takes place, and if I never realize #2 it would be most difficult, if not impossible to continue it.
Nothing else matters right now!
Change
I remember Terry reading this to me a couple months ago.
"The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." - Soren Kierkegaard
I saved the magazine and just found it this morning - it is something to consider and to remind me.
"What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain." - Maya Angelou
From The Progressive Farmer / October 2014
"The function of prayer is not to influence God, but rather to change the nature of the one who prays." - Soren Kierkegaard
I saved the magazine and just found it this morning - it is something to consider and to remind me.
"What you're supposed to do when you don't like a thing is change it. If you can't change it, change the way you think about it. Don't complain." - Maya Angelou
From The Progressive Farmer / October 2014
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| a gift from a friend, in my time of need |
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
Overcome Evil
I was teaching a class a while ago and one of the children kept saying, "Revenge!" ... That is how they could handle a situation where someone wronged them. It was said over and over throughout the lesson, and in a way that he meant it to be funny, yet he seemed somewhat determined in that course, yet I kept strong in helping him and the whole class understand that revenge is not the way. When we have the feeling that we want others to suffer as we have, then we will be held accountable for those "evil" feelings.
Today in my scripture study I found this verse that I wish I had as an immediate response to his insistent course of revenge.
Romans 12:17
"Recompense to no man evil for evil."
Matthew 5:44-45
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:"
Today in my scripture study I found this verse that I wish I had as an immediate response to his insistent course of revenge.
Romans 12:17
"Recompense to no man evil for evil."
Matthew 5:44-45
"But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven:"
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| image, and great message for the day, Overcome Evil (To Remind Me - finding this thought reminded me of the good people in the world and that we each must be one of them! Am I ? What can I do to become better ?) |
Thursday, September 4, 2014
Sunday, August 17, 2014
Hope
A second tender mercy in the same day. This came as I was reading PMG in preparation to writing to my missionary son. It was the first thing I read and then the last, because my heart received the message it needed.
"Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. When you have hope, you work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement." (Preach My Gospel p117)
I love Hope! I believe that paragraph ... I know it is true! I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel blessed!
There are many things in life that can discourage us and indeed there have been in my life lately, and they have hit me hard lately, but I must remember to HOPE for better days ahead and remember that it will most likely "turn out better than I think". (see also here)
"Hope is an abiding trust that the Lord will fulfill His promises to you. It is manifest in confidence, optimism, enthusiasm, and patient perseverance. It is believing and expecting that something will occur. When you have hope, you work through trials and difficulties with the confidence and assurance that all things will work together for your good. Hope helps you conquer discouragement." (Preach My Gospel p117)
I love Hope! I believe that paragraph ... I know it is true! I am grateful for a loving Father in Heaven and Savior, Jesus Christ. I feel blessed!
There are many things in life that can discourage us and indeed there have been in my life lately, and they have hit me hard lately, but I must remember to HOPE for better days ahead and remember that it will most likely "turn out better than I think". (see also here)
His Heart ... My Heart!
I love it when I receive tender mercies in the middle of what seems like an ordinary day.
There was nothing special about this day and I was just sitting in the congregation singing the hymn, God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son (#187), when the words in the last verse stood out to me and touched my heart.
vs 3
"Oh, Love effulgent, love divine! What debt of gratitude is mine, That in his off'ring I have part And hold a place within his heart."
I HOLD A PLACE WITHIN HIS HEART!
This isn't new revelation to me - it's something I've known before - but today it just touched me in a tender way, and I am grateful for it. Indeed, He holds a place within my heart!
There was nothing special about this day and I was just sitting in the congregation singing the hymn, God Loved Us, So He Sent His Son (#187), when the words in the last verse stood out to me and touched my heart.
vs 3
"Oh, Love effulgent, love divine! What debt of gratitude is mine, That in his off'ring I have part And hold a place within his heart."
I HOLD A PLACE WITHIN HIS HEART!
This isn't new revelation to me - it's something I've known before - but today it just touched me in a tender way, and I am grateful for it. Indeed, He holds a place within my heart!
Tuesday, August 5, 2014
Tuesday, June 17, 2014
Studying "Joy"
"If thou art sorrowful, call on the Lord thy God with supplication, that your souls may be joyful."
D&C 136:29
D&C 136:29
Monday, June 16, 2014
JOY
D&C 11:13
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy"
"Verily, verily, I say unto you, I will impart unto you of my Spirit, which shall enlighten your mind, which shall fill your soul with joy"
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Thursday, May 1, 2014
What have I done? What am I doing?
" blessed art thou ..., because of the things thou hast done ..."
"... and because thou hast been faithful ..."
"And it came to pass that he was obedient unto the word of the Lord, wherefore he did as the Lord commanded him."
1 Nephi 2:1, 3
Sunday, April 27, 2014
Overcome
"Every appetite, desire, propensity, and impulse of the natural man may be overcome by and through the Atonement of Jesus Christ. We are here on the earth to develop godlike qualities and to bridle all of the passions of the flesh."
—David A. Bednar, "We Believe in Being Chaste"
Friday, April 18, 2014
Sunday, April 13, 2014
Teaching Children
When we fill our minds with gospel truths from the resources that are available, the opportunities will present themselves. We will know the words to say, and the Spirit will teach our children.”
—Rosemary M. Wixom, Primary general president
found here
“The world will teach our children if we do not, and children are capable of learning all the world will teach them at a very young age. What we want them to know five years from now needs to be part of our conversation with them today. Teach them in every circumstance; let every dilemma, every consequence, every trial that they may face provide an opportunity to teach them how to hold on to gospel truths.”
—Rosemary M. Wixom, “Stay on the Path,” October 2010 general conference
“All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children” (3 Nephi 22:13).
found here
“Teaching our children to understand is more than just imparting information. It’s helping our children get the doctrine into their hearts in a way that it becomes part of their very being and is reflected in their attitudes and behavior throughout their lives.”
—Cheryl A. Esplin, “Teaching Our Children to Understand,” April 2012 general conference
Monday, March 24, 2014
A Note:
Here is a note I have written in my scriptures on one of the intro pages:
"If we are not found faithful in our calling, we will bear some of the responsibility for the sins of those we might have helped to learn the truth."
Wow!
We better DO IT!
NOW!
Never let a moment go by without first giving every effort to do some good.
Another note written in my scriptures:
The word Mormon means "more good"!
"If we are not found faithful in our calling, we will bear some of the responsibility for the sins of those we might have helped to learn the truth."
Wow!
We better DO IT!
NOW!
Never let a moment go by without first giving every effort to do some good.
Another note written in my scriptures:
The word Mormon means "more good"!
Saturday, March 22, 2014
Truth is Truth
"Some things are true whether you believe in them or not."
This is apparently a quote from the City of Angels movie with Meg Ryan and Nicolas Cage. I don't know about the movie, but that is a great quote for Hollywood to use. I hope the movie was a good one.
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| image from pinterest |
Thursday, March 20, 2014
A few Notes:
Notes I wrote on the back of reading charts (some dating back to July 2009):
(I'm tossing those notes today! As I continue the De-Junking process.)
Jacob 4:30 - labor diligently to engraven
- hoping our children will receive them with thankful hearts
- learn with joy concerning their first parents
(this is how I feel when I write our history books)
D&C 10:5
Pray always, that you may come off conqueror
"If you're always walking on tiptoe,
you'll never leave a footprint."
Mormon 9:31
"...learn to be more wise than we have been."
(liken this not only to those written of in the BofM, but
to our own children being more wise than we have been, and
to ourselves becoming more wise than we have thus far been.)
(I'm tossing those notes today! As I continue the De-Junking process.)
Jacob 4:30 - labor diligently to engraven
- hoping our children will receive them with thankful hearts
- learn with joy concerning their first parents
(this is how I feel when I write our history books)
D&C 10:5
Pray always, that you may come off conqueror
"If you're always walking on tiptoe,
you'll never leave a footprint."
Mormon 9:31
"...learn to be more wise than we have been."
(liken this not only to those written of in the BofM, but
to our own children being more wise than we have been, and
to ourselves becoming more wise than we have thus far been.)
Wednesday, March 19, 2014
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
A few good quotes to think about
It's never too late to live happily ever after.
Adjust your outlook and your attitude will follow.
It's not where you have been,
it's where you are going.
We are what we repeatedly do.
Excellence, then,
is not an act but a habit.
-Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)
Monday, March 17, 2014
All You Can Do
All you can do is the best you can do.
And that is all God expects.
They (God and Christ) can fill in what we cannot do.
Heard this somewhere and loved it! Maybe I've saved it here before, but I left the paper trail and am now getting rid of it, so I had to make sure I have it saved (even if it's saved again).
food for thought
A real man smiles in trouble, gathers strength from distress, and grows strong by reflection.
- Thomas Paine (1737-1809)
Associate yourself with men of good quality if you esteem your own reputation, for 'tis better to be alone than with bad company.
- George Washington (1732-99)
You have absolute control over but one thing, and that is your thoughts. This is the most significant and inspiring of all facts known to man.
- Napoleon Hill (1883-1970)
and remember this for my next talk ;)
The secret of a good sermon is to have a good beginning and a good ending and have the two as close together as possible.
- George Burns (1896-1996)
Saturday, March 15, 2014
End Results
Every conquering temptation represents a new fund of moral energy. Every trial endured and weathered in the right spirit makes a soul nobler and stronger than it was before.
- William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
Friday, March 14, 2014
Choose Wisely
There is a choice you have to make,
in everything you do.
And you must always keep in mind,
the choice you make, makes you.
(clipped from a calendar I had)
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
Where do we find the answers?
"...feast upon the words of Christ; for behold, the words of Christ will tell you all things what ye should do."
2 Nephi 32:3
Monday, February 24, 2014
Friday, January 17, 2014
Marriage
I agree with this -
Marriage is not 50-50.
Marriage has to be 100-100.
It isn't dividing everything in half, but giving everything you've got!"
saw this on facebook
marriage
A statement:
On December 20, 2013, a federal district judge in Salt Lake City issued an order legalizing same-sex marriage in Utah, striking down century-old state laws and a state constitutional amendment that defined marriage exclusively as between a man and a woman. The United States Supreme Court has put that ruling on hold pending consideration of the issue by an appellate court. During the interval between the district court ruling and the Supreme Court stay, numerous same-sex marriages were performed in Utah. Legal proceedings and legislative action in some other states and countries have given civil recognition to same-sex marriage relationships.
As we face this and other issues of our time, we encourage all to bear in mind our Heavenly Father’s purposes in creating the earth and providing for our mortal birth and experience here as His children. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:27–28). “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God and is central to His plan for His children and for the well-being of society. Strong families, guided by a loving mother and father, serve as the fundamental institution for nurturing children, instilling faith, and transmitting to future generations the moral strengths and values that are important to civilization and crucial to eternal salvation.
Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established. God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless of divergent opinions or trends in society. His law of chastity is clear: sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We urge you to review and teach Church members the doctrine contained in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
Just as those who promote same-sex marriage are entitled to civility, the same is true for those who oppose it. The Church insists on its leaders’ and members’ constitutionally protected right to express and advocate religious convictions on marriage, family, and morality free from retaliation or retribution. The Church is also entitled to maintain its standards of moral conduct and good standing for members.
Consistent with our fundamental beliefs, Church officers will not employ their ecclesiastical authority to perform marriages between two people of the same sex, and the Church does not permit its meetinghouses or other properties to be used for ceremonies, receptions, or other activities associated with same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, all visitors are welcome to our chapels and premises so long as they respect our standards of conduct while there.
While these matters will continue to evolve, we affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing same-sex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and treat all people with kindness and civility—even when we disagree.
As members of the Church, we are responsible to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to illuminate the great blessings that flow from heeding God’s commandments as well as the inevitable consequences of ignoring them. We invite you to pray that people everywhere will have their hearts softened to the truths of the gospel, and that wisdom will be granted to those who are called upon to decide issues critical to society’s future.
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a post I read a while ago - Marriage isn't for you, by Seth Adam Smith
Advice from his dad:
"You don’t marry to make yourself happy, you marry to make someone else happy. More than that, your marriage isn’t for yourself, you’re marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn’t for you. It’s not about you. Marriage is about the person you married.”
This advice "went against the grain of today’s 'Walmart philosophy', which is if it doesn’t make you happy, you can take it back and get a new one."
"No, a true marriage (and true love) is never about you. It’s about the person you love—their wants, their needs, their hopes, and their dreams. Selfishness demands, “What’s in it for me?”, while Love asks, 'What can I give?”
---
An Empty Jar, also found on the blog by Seth Adam Smith
From S. Michael Wilcox:
“My wife often cans peaches and pears in the fall. A great deal of work is necessary just to prepare the fruit. Then, once it is prepared, she puts it into jars, places the seals on, twists the lids tightly into place, and sets the jars in boiling water. Then she waits for the seals to set.
She has performed this operation dozens of times with hundreds of jars. In all that time I have never seen her seal an empty jar. Unless the jar is loaded with fruit, a seal is not placed. I doubt if anyone, among the thousands who can fruit every year, has ever sealed an empty jar. There must be something to preserve or the seal has no significance.
The sealing of temple covenants is similar. When we are married at the altars of the temple, the Lord, from one point of view, gives us an empty jar. Then he instructs us to fill it with the wonderful fruits of righteous marriage. We fill it with love and compromise and forgiveness and joy and peace and shared trails; we fill it with all the things of life, all the good fruit. As we keep our covenants, returning often to renew them as we work for the dead, the jar begins to fill. As we grow older and our love deepens, we desire to preserve forever all the good we have stored.
Our abiding in the covenant allows the Lord to place the seal on our covenant relationship and preserve the fruits of our righteousness for all eternity. This is the same for all temple covenants. Nobody seals an empty jar; neither does the Lord seal empty covenants. First there must be fruit to preserve.”
Church Instructs Leaders on Same-Sex Marriage HERE
As we face this and other issues of our time, we encourage all to bear in mind our Heavenly Father’s purposes in creating the earth and providing for our mortal birth and experience here as His children. “God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth” (Genesis 1:27–28). “Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh” (Genesis 2:24). Marriage between a man and a woman was instituted by God and is central to His plan for His children and for the well-being of society. Strong families, guided by a loving mother and father, serve as the fundamental institution for nurturing children, instilling faith, and transmitting to future generations the moral strengths and values that are important to civilization and crucial to eternal salvation.
Changes in the civil law do not, indeed cannot, change the moral law that God has established. God expects us to uphold and keep His commandments regardless of divergent opinions or trends in society. His law of chastity is clear: sexual relations are proper only between a man and a woman who are legally and lawfully wedded as husband and wife. We urge you to review and teach Church members the doctrine contained in “The Family: A Proclamation to the World.”
Just as those who promote same-sex marriage are entitled to civility, the same is true for those who oppose it. The Church insists on its leaders’ and members’ constitutionally protected right to express and advocate religious convictions on marriage, family, and morality free from retaliation or retribution. The Church is also entitled to maintain its standards of moral conduct and good standing for members.
Consistent with our fundamental beliefs, Church officers will not employ their ecclesiastical authority to perform marriages between two people of the same sex, and the Church does not permit its meetinghouses or other properties to be used for ceremonies, receptions, or other activities associated with same-sex marriages. Nevertheless, all visitors are welcome to our chapels and premises so long as they respect our standards of conduct while there.
While these matters will continue to evolve, we affirm that those who avail themselves of laws or court rulings authorizing same-sex marriage should not be treated disrespectfully. The gospel of Jesus Christ teaches us to love and treat all people with kindness and civility—even when we disagree.
As members of the Church, we are responsible to teach the gospel of Jesus Christ and to illuminate the great blessings that flow from heeding God’s commandments as well as the inevitable consequences of ignoring them. We invite you to pray that people everywhere will have their hearts softened to the truths of the gospel, and that wisdom will be granted to those who are called upon to decide issues critical to society’s future.
---
a post I read a while ago - Marriage isn't for you, by Seth Adam Smith
Advice from his dad:
"You don’t marry to make yourself happy, you marry to make someone else happy. More than that, your marriage isn’t for yourself, you’re marrying for a family. Not just for the in-laws and all of that nonsense, but for your future children. Who do you want to help you raise them? Who do you want to influence them? Marriage isn’t for you. It’s not about you. Marriage is about the person you married.”
This advice "went against the grain of today’s 'Walmart philosophy', which is if it doesn’t make you happy, you can take it back and get a new one."
"No, a true marriage (and true love) is never about you. It’s about the person you love—their wants, their needs, their hopes, and their dreams. Selfishness demands, “What’s in it for me?”, while Love asks, 'What can I give?”
---
An Empty Jar, also found on the blog by Seth Adam Smith
From S. Michael Wilcox:
“My wife often cans peaches and pears in the fall. A great deal of work is necessary just to prepare the fruit. Then, once it is prepared, she puts it into jars, places the seals on, twists the lids tightly into place, and sets the jars in boiling water. Then she waits for the seals to set.
She has performed this operation dozens of times with hundreds of jars. In all that time I have never seen her seal an empty jar. Unless the jar is loaded with fruit, a seal is not placed. I doubt if anyone, among the thousands who can fruit every year, has ever sealed an empty jar. There must be something to preserve or the seal has no significance.
The sealing of temple covenants is similar. When we are married at the altars of the temple, the Lord, from one point of view, gives us an empty jar. Then he instructs us to fill it with the wonderful fruits of righteous marriage. We fill it with love and compromise and forgiveness and joy and peace and shared trails; we fill it with all the things of life, all the good fruit. As we keep our covenants, returning often to renew them as we work for the dead, the jar begins to fill. As we grow older and our love deepens, we desire to preserve forever all the good we have stored.
Our abiding in the covenant allows the Lord to place the seal on our covenant relationship and preserve the fruits of our righteousness for all eternity. This is the same for all temple covenants. Nobody seals an empty jar; neither does the Lord seal empty covenants. First there must be fruit to preserve.”
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