"When members need to have certain blessings withheld, the Lord’s object is to teach as well as to discipline. So probation, disfellowshipment, and excommunication, when they become necessary, are ideally accompanied by eventual reinstatement and restoration of blessings.
I remember as a child occasionally coming unkempt to the dinner table. My mother wisely sent me to clean up and then return. My parents would have been pained if I had taken offense and had run off—and I would have been foolish to do so. In the same way, the servants of the Lord occasionally find that they must, in loving concern, send some of Heavenly Father’s children out the door so they can return clean once again.
The Lord does not want us to “miss supper.” In fact, he has a great feast prepared for those who return clean and pure through the door. He is greatly saddened when anyone decides they prefer to be unclean and miss the meal, or when they find an excuse to take offense, or when they run away. He is pleased to extend the chance to start over.
I’ve known a few rebellious people who disregard the commandments and are influenced by the evil one or by other rebellious people to transgress God’s laws. I’ve seen their distress and pain. I’ve also seen their joy when, humbled and fully repentant, they have returned to the Church and have had all their blessings restored."
Saturday, June 14, 2014
Wednesday, June 11, 2014
Banners
A month or so ago I watched a youtube tutorial on making pennants with 10-inch fabric squares. When I saw it I thought, "That would be fun to do with the Young Women's value colors." I got fabric packs that contained the needed colors and Michele Hastings helped me pick the colors from the packs that would work well.
I enlisted her help as she is the Young Women's President, but I didn't tell her what I was doing. I finished all but one of the six strings of pennants tonight. I need more twill tape to sew the pennants to and will pick that up tomorrow. Will give them to her Friday.
Image to come.
I enlisted her help as she is the Young Women's President, but I didn't tell her what I was doing. I finished all but one of the six strings of pennants tonight. I need more twill tape to sew the pennants to and will pick that up tomorrow. Will give them to her Friday.
Image to come.
Tuesday, June 10, 2014
What sets us off
It was election Tuesday today and I walked over to the polling place at Jack Dailey Elementary school. I was there before the polls opened so had a nice chat with another voter waiting outside. She had moved from New Jersey in December to be close to her family here.
There were problems with the machine that activates the cards for the voting booths so we got to be guinea pigs while they tried to figure out the problem. Turns out they hadn't set the time properly on the machines that activate the cards. Once that was done we were able to vote.
It made me a few minutes late for the Tuesday Devotional, but I got most of it which is good.
I did find it interesting what the different reactions were among the poll workers and the voters. Generally, it wasn't too bad, but for some even a few minute delay was cause for the 'why didn't they get this taken care of before the polls opened' sort of comments. Frustrations among the poll workers too.
We need to lighten up - life is full of 'inconveniences' and full of people who don't do things the way we think they should or the way we would do it. Why does any of that matter. Life is too short, and too precious to be fretting over the stupid stuff.
Sunday, June 8, 2014
Grateful in Any Circumstances
The speakers in Sacrament meeting were Toni Sproul and her daughter-in-law, Allison Sproul. Toni is the mother of Bishop Willie Spoul, and Allison is his wife. The spoke based on the talk by President Uchtdorf from April 2014 entitled: Grateful in Any Circumstances.
Toni reminded us to see with spiritual eyes because we are not mortal beings but spiritual ones. She reflected on the wonderful grace of the Lord in her life, especially the past five years when tending to a husband who was serious ill and bedridden for much of those years and who died a little over a year ago. The Lord gave her music to inspire and remind her of the great love of God for his children.
Toni is a wonderful woman and a great example to any who know her.
Allison reminded us to be grateful in any circumstance as the title of the talk reflects. If we allow the Savior to carry us, He will. It is a choice to be grateful. Do not murmur in our afflictions. He draws near to us in a very powerful way. As we keep our covenants we can call down the blessings of heaven. We are eternal beings.
I appreciate all I learn at church every week.
Toni reminded us to see with spiritual eyes because we are not mortal beings but spiritual ones. She reflected on the wonderful grace of the Lord in her life, especially the past five years when tending to a husband who was serious ill and bedridden for much of those years and who died a little over a year ago. The Lord gave her music to inspire and remind her of the great love of God for his children.
Toni is a wonderful woman and a great example to any who know her.
Allison reminded us to be grateful in any circumstance as the title of the talk reflects. If we allow the Savior to carry us, He will. It is a choice to be grateful. Do not murmur in our afflictions. He draws near to us in a very powerful way. As we keep our covenants we can call down the blessings of heaven. We are eternal beings.
I appreciate all I learn at church every week.
Saturday, June 7, 2014
Birthday dinner at Black Bear Diner
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| Black Bear Diner - Tropicana off Jones in Las Vegas |
Danny and Michele Hastings took me to dinner for my birthday. We went to the Black Bear Diner in Las Vegas. It's a chain, but good comfort food and large servings. I had the pecan crusted trout, Danny had fried chicken and Michele had French Dip sandwich. Michele and I had the chocolate lava cake for dessert and Danny had the huckleberry ice cream.
I really love and appreciate those guys.
Service at church
Starting a couple of years ago, members of congregations were given the responsibility to maintain the church building and keep it clean. Our ward gives the responsibility for cleaning to each of the organizations within the congregation. The 1st and 5th Saturday of May and the 1st and 2nd Saturdays in June are the Relief Society.
There are very few sisters that attend Relief Society, which is another story, so not many to sign-up to help with the cleaning, so I've been going over each of the weeks. It's actually an enjoyable thing to do, I do windows when possible and there are 2 large windowed doors at the front of the building then four other doors around the sides as well and the small windows in the doors of the cultural hall and classrooms. It takes about an hour or so to do them all and in addition to blessings unseen, is a good workout with lots of arm movement and stretching and bending.
Last week we didn't have enough help to get the chairs set up in the Primary, RS, and overflow areas, but this week we did.
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| Tropicana Building borrowed from the web |
There are very few sisters that attend Relief Society, which is another story, so not many to sign-up to help with the cleaning, so I've been going over each of the weeks. It's actually an enjoyable thing to do, I do windows when possible and there are 2 large windowed doors at the front of the building then four other doors around the sides as well and the small windows in the doors of the cultural hall and classrooms. It takes about an hour or so to do them all and in addition to blessings unseen, is a good workout with lots of arm movement and stretching and bending.
Last week we didn't have enough help to get the chairs set up in the Primary, RS, and overflow areas, but this week we did.
Treading water
Who knew that treading water was such a good calorie burner and toner. At my current weight I can get rid of about 400 calories in a 30 minute span, and other than the tedium factor, it doesn't seem difficult at all to do. It's also good for all the major muscle groups. I can feel it a little bit in my arms and core, but no soreness. It can also be sort of contemplative and I find myself able to zone out during the treading.
Friday, June 6, 2014
FitBit
My health care has wellness options that encourage participants to get active and eat properly. Those of us with BMI of an excessive nature that qualified for participation in the plan through blood work and dental and/or doctor visits qualify for a free FitBit. So I ordered one. I'm not sure what taking the challenges will be like, but we'll see.
Despite me being significantly overweight, my blood pressure is good, my blood glucose is good, all results from the blood panel were in normal ranges except for the triglycerides which were a bit high. Based on other blood tests over the past several years, that's no biggie because it'll be down the next set.
I am very blessed (not lucky, but blessed) to have excellent health. While it's all from God, part I attribute to good genes, and part to a decision early in married life that we would eat whole grains and other nutritious sorts of food. So when the move to Las Vegas occurred and we both got carried away with the buffets and other foodly temptations, we were buffered some by what we ate when we weren't eating poorly.
Despite me being significantly overweight, my blood pressure is good, my blood glucose is good, all results from the blood panel were in normal ranges except for the triglycerides which were a bit high. Based on other blood tests over the past several years, that's no biggie because it'll be down the next set.
I am very blessed (not lucky, but blessed) to have excellent health. While it's all from God, part I attribute to good genes, and part to a decision early in married life that we would eat whole grains and other nutritious sorts of food. So when the move to Las Vegas occurred and we both got carried away with the buffets and other foodly temptations, we were buffered some by what we ate when we weren't eating poorly.
Do I want to be a writer?
Off and on over the years I've pondered if I have the desire and enough of it to put in the labor needed to write. It seems like an easy task before beginning - find some idea and write. Of course it's not that easy and it's not that simple. One bit of counsel I see over and over in reading what authors say about writing is you need to actually write. Some set specific times when they write, others have page goals or some other way to push them into the task.
If I, or anyone really wants to write it's necessary to know why you are doing it. Is it because you want to write that great series of stories that the reader can't put down? It is to become wealthy? It is for the fame? Do you wish to record your life, or part of it for posterity?
Regardless - one has to actually DO it.
Years ago, I attended several conference presentations given by Orson Scott Card at Life, the Universe, and Everything which was held for many years at Brigham Young University. I believe it is held an Utah Valley University these days. It was titles 1001 Ideas in an Hour and the whole premise was to brainstorm as a group to come up with story ideas. Scott Card said it didn't matter how many people in the group wrote stories from the presentation because every story would be different. One concept that I remember was a planet inhabited by two sentient races that were quite unaware of each other because one hibernated in the cold season and the other was active then and ate the bodies of the deceased of the other race that were placed in caves.
Quite a different idea, but it ended up in several stories, including Card's.
Don't ever go with your first idea - odds are it's cliched and trite - think out of the box - lots of what-ifs. Stories can come from words or places or random thoughts. Ideas exist everywhere, but it takes training to see them.
If I, or anyone really wants to write it's necessary to know why you are doing it. Is it because you want to write that great series of stories that the reader can't put down? It is to become wealthy? It is for the fame? Do you wish to record your life, or part of it for posterity?
Regardless - one has to actually DO it.
Years ago, I attended several conference presentations given by Orson Scott Card at Life, the Universe, and Everything which was held for many years at Brigham Young University. I believe it is held an Utah Valley University these days. It was titles 1001 Ideas in an Hour and the whole premise was to brainstorm as a group to come up with story ideas. Scott Card said it didn't matter how many people in the group wrote stories from the presentation because every story would be different. One concept that I remember was a planet inhabited by two sentient races that were quite unaware of each other because one hibernated in the cold season and the other was active then and ate the bodies of the deceased of the other race that were placed in caves.
Quite a different idea, but it ended up in several stories, including Card's.
Don't ever go with your first idea - odds are it's cliched and trite - think out of the box - lots of what-ifs. Stories can come from words or places or random thoughts. Ideas exist everywhere, but it takes training to see them.
My thoughts on same-sex marriage from an eternal perspective
Many members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints have mixed feelings about the Church's stand on the legalization and redefinition of marriage to include same-sex couples. They feel that we are not being Christ-like when we deny these individuals the same access to marriage as heterosexual couples. It feels like we are not loving them equally and breaking the 2nd great commandment - to love our neighbors as ourselves.
What we fail to consider, I believe, is that we are really -not- loving them enough, because we are not thinking of their happiness in this life and in eternity. To achieve the greatest happiness in the world to come, we need to be in a position to become like God and live the same life He lives. This requires the ability to be eternally with a companion and have eternal increase.
To validate same-sex marriage is to deny those couples the possibility of that relationship ever being an eternal one. To validate as a family, same-sex couples and any children that are brought into that unit is to forever deny those children the possiblity of being an eternal family with those who raise them.
We are not loving our neighbor enough when we support a relationship that can never result in an eternal bond. We are selfishly saying "We love you a whole lot right now - but we don't love you enough to want the joy that God has in the eternity to come."
The purpose of the Church is to assist the Lord in bringing to pass the "immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39) Christ has guaranteed to all humanity immortality. Eternal life is God's life and can only be achieved through obedience to God's laws, including marriage as established by God.
Some words from a song that are applicable:
Neither the man without the woman,
Neither the woman without the man.
This is the life of our Father and Mother,
Meant for their children too.
Our lives and our loves extending forever
A covenant made everlastingly new.
What we fail to consider, I believe, is that we are really -not- loving them enough, because we are not thinking of their happiness in this life and in eternity. To achieve the greatest happiness in the world to come, we need to be in a position to become like God and live the same life He lives. This requires the ability to be eternally with a companion and have eternal increase.
To validate same-sex marriage is to deny those couples the possibility of that relationship ever being an eternal one. To validate as a family, same-sex couples and any children that are brought into that unit is to forever deny those children the possiblity of being an eternal family with those who raise them.
We are not loving our neighbor enough when we support a relationship that can never result in an eternal bond. We are selfishly saying "We love you a whole lot right now - but we don't love you enough to want the joy that God has in the eternity to come."
The purpose of the Church is to assist the Lord in bringing to pass the "immortality and eternal life of man" (Moses 1:39) Christ has guaranteed to all humanity immortality. Eternal life is God's life and can only be achieved through obedience to God's laws, including marriage as established by God.
Some words from a song that are applicable:
Neither the man without the woman,
Neither the woman without the man.
This is the life of our Father and Mother,
Meant for their children too.
Our lives and our loves extending forever
A covenant made everlastingly new.
Thursday, June 5, 2014
Obituary indexing
The current obituary projects I've been working on have had small batches and small recored, usually only 2 individuals noted on the index. It's heart-touching when indexing to find young children, only a few months or few weeks old that have died. Also sad are the accidents and the suicides. One young woman, only 20 years old, died of a stabbing while in Paris. I'm sure there is quite a story there, but all the obit had was the very briefest of information.
Come join in the fun at: FamilySearch Indexing Even if you do not need the collections currently being indexed, someone will. Every record you find via an index is work done by another.
Come join in the fun at: FamilySearch Indexing Even if you do not need the collections currently being indexed, someone will. Every record you find via an index is work done by another.
Pool time
Got a new swimming suit today - it's a modest one-piece and the bottom has shorts attached. It fits well and looks a whole lot better than most suits do on me. I went out and swam for the first time this year, mostly treading water, but getting my exercise today. It's sort of a pain to get ready to use the pool then get dry enough before going indoors so as not to drip all over, but there are a lot of things one can do to exercise in a pool and work muscles without the stress that out of pool work can cause. I mostly tread water - good for arms and legs and core.
Family History for all
I spent some time today working on finding newspaper articles for one of my former co-workers who is doing a presentation for the American Library Association Convention in Las Vegas this month. Newspapers are quite interesting sources of information. I found an obituary and some legal notices for the estate of the deceased.
I've also started corresponding with a person who created a memorial on FindAGrave for the daughter of my 4th great grandfather. Her son-in-law is my 4th cousin. It's quite interesting to find these distant relations and share information. She had a history for one of my g-grandfathers that I had seen before, but one for my 4th-ggrandfather I had not seen. He was an early settler of Randolph, Utah - sent there by Brigham Young to establish a community there. Hard work and a harsh country.
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| Edwin Theodore Pope I, 1835-1917 |
I've also started corresponding with a person who created a memorial on FindAGrave for the daughter of my 4th great grandfather. Her son-in-law is my 4th cousin. It's quite interesting to find these distant relations and share information. She had a history for one of my g-grandfathers that I had seen before, but one for my 4th-ggrandfather I had not seen. He was an early settler of Randolph, Utah - sent there by Brigham Young to establish a community there. Hard work and a harsh country.
Adam and Eve
Consider this verse in light of revealed understanding about God and our pre-earth life, and our life after death. Genesis 2:24 Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.
When Eve partook of the forbidden fruit and Adam chose to go with her into exile from the Garden of Eden, they both recognized that this was a necessary part of their path back to God. Adam also realized what he was doing by going with her. He was leaving his Father and Mother to cleave to his wife. Thereafter, they would not walk and talk with God face to face, but were shut out from His presence.
Return to blogging
It's been many years since I added anything to this blog. I make no promises that I will continue, but I'm interested in seeing if I will use this medium to record thoughts and impressions, tender mercies, life events and the like. It will be somewhat of a journal, but the most sacred of experiences will need to be recorded elsewhere.
I do have on many days, enough thoughts and ideas that I would like to record that are not of a private nature to try my hand once more in the online world. It's unlikely that there will ever be a large following to what I write, but that isn't the intent anyway.
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